What's in the Box?? (October 2013)

Guys, I've been meaning to confess, I've been a subscriber to Birchbox for a few months now.

Voraciously watching my email for my notification of "your box has shipped!" and checking and double checking the tracking link until my box arrives and I can tear into it like Christmas Morning. IT'S SO FUN!

I haven't been too excited about any of the boxes, some of the products have been fine. The random nail polish, the random lip color, etc. None have really caught my attention quite as well as two of the five products I received for October.

My October Birchbox (photo from Birchbox.com)

photo from Birchbox.com

I'm familiar with The Balm Cosmetics, having purchased a concealer pot from them several years ago and never hitting pan no matter how much I used it. Which, is incredible. So even though I knew their products were great and affordable, I never really purchased more.

I might actually buy this when I run out!

The Balm Staniac is a little tube, about the size of a cotton swab, of cherry colored jelly with a doe-foot applicator that is easily used as a lip stain or cheek stain.  Yes the tube is small for a price point of $17, BUT it travels better than the fantastic lip and cheek stain BeneTint by BeneFit. (Which is widely recognized as the best lip & cheek stain)

photo from Birchbox.com

I'm a big fan of lip balm, BIG fan. From my first swipe of a LipSmacker, I was IN. But ChapStick, never really was appealing to me. Too waxy, smelled weird, etc.

This little beauty, ChapStick Hydration Lock, was a special "find" from Birchbox. Which means it wasn't really a part of the monthly box, but IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN! 

 Reluctantly, I opened the package and swiped on the product and was instantly impressed! My lips felt smoother but not waxed over (a huge complaint of mine for ChapStick products) and they looked smoother! I've been battling with a super dry and flaky patch on my lower lip for weeks and the ChapStick Hydration Lock completely obliterated the look of it! And did so for at LEAST 4 hours. Which to me, is an eternity when it comes to lip balm reapplication!

The product states that the "flavor" is Vanilla Creme, but I couldn't smell or taste anything. I'm probably desensitized by my use of the EOS lip balms. 

There is no price point on Birchbox.com for this product since it's a "find", but I'm sure you could find it in your local drugstore or box store.

I can't wait to see what's in my next Birchbox!!

It's time for WEN Fall Seasonal scent, but not Pumpkin???

Fall Apple Spice WEN

Last year, I professed my undying love for the WEN Fall Seasonal Scent in Ginger Pumpkin, and I'm still deeply in love with it's warm and delicious scent (still available on Amazon.com if you can find it!) and was looking forward to the Fall Season on QVC and restocking my beloved Fall WEN.

Much to my dismay...THE SCENT CHANGED!! After gasping and clutching my pearls, swooning in shock; I saw that the new scent is Fall Apple Spice. So I closed my eyes and clicked here, ordering my first 16oz bottle. 

Naturally, as soon as my regular sized bottle had shipped; QVC offered the BIG MAMA 32oz Fall Apple Spice WEN (pictured above). Not wanting to repeat last years mistake and NOT purchasing the BIG MAMA straight away, I ordered again. Blindly. 

I'm very pleased that I did! The Fall Apple Spice scent is delightful! All the benefits of regular WEN, but with a soft warm but fruity-sweet smell that lasts while your hair is damp (longer if you use it as a leave-in too), and fades away as the other scents do (as far as I've noticed, I don't spend a lot of time sniffing my own hair throughout the day.)

Slightly spicy, and I mean slightly, the scent is fruity and pink (yeah, the product is pink and it smells pink) but without a powdery linger. More sweet than anything, it's less a cinnamon spiced apple cider and more of a Candied Apple from the Farmers Market or Local Fair. 

Last years delicious Ginger Pumpkin smelled warm to me, and while this Fall Apple Spice has a similar push, it's not nearly as warm smelling as it's predecessor.

Do I like it? YES!! Is it as good as the Ginger Pumpkin? Well...no. But I still like it and still recommend it to people who enjoy WEN and all of Chaz Dean's WEN products.

 

It may stay for long, if I don't WASH IT OFF FIRST!!!

ARE YOU SEEING THIS???

Ugh, Gross. 

THAT is my FACE with the BeneFit Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer and a foundation over the top.

I know it's out of focus, but you can still SEE THE PORES and the surface dryness that I don't have in real life!!! Ok, well, everyone has pores but I work really hard to make mine as invisible as possible!

I'm going out of order. Sorry! Let me begin.

I was super excited to hear about the BeneFit Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer stick, it looked amazing in the demos! A few swipes here and there and presto! Your foundation would remain in place!

WELL, it does. With a few problems.

It's sticky. Like, "Just rubbed a glue stick on my face" sticky. It has a cooling sensation when it first goes on, but there's zero dry down. It stays tacky until you put something over it. And then, the nightmare began for me.

I used this with BB cream (solid and liquid) and it beaded up like crazy! No matter how much I buffed and buffed, I wound up with CLUMPS all over my face. BLECH!

So I tried it with liquid foundation twice. Again, with a brush because I've grown accustomed to using a brush. And lo and behold the clumps the clumps! I thought I was using too heavy a hand, so I lightened up my grip on my brush, tried to stipple, tried to lighten my stroke.

Nope. No matter what technique I tried I got the clumps. The only positive I have to say about BeneFit Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer stick is that yes, my makeup DID stay on for about 15 hours. It just didn't look the way I wanted it to look for those 15 hours.

I wanted to like it, I wanted to love it but I don't. I really don't. I made my $32+tax(US) purchase at Ulta and that's precisely where it's going back. 

Below is a picture from CanadianFashionista.net (with a post that likes the product so you can read both), I highly recommend you make up your own mind before blindly purchasing like I did. 

That's just how I am though, I'll read posts here and there, but ultimately if it's something I desperately want to try, I'm buying it. 

Image from http://www.canadianfashionista.net (it's a good post!)

Happy New-Groundhog-Valen-Patrick's...oh ok, I've been lazy!

I have been lazy. I've had bunches of posts in my noggin but haven't put finger-to-keyboard! Sorry!

Now, to jump back in! What's one of my peeves? Texture! Bumpy, bubbly polish makes me want to scratch the paint right off, as exhibited in this post, UGH! That being said, there's a new trend coming out in full swing this spring: Liquid Sand by OPI.

 

The color above is "What Wizardry is this?" purchased by my pal, Barb (HI BARB!) and loaned to me to see how it looked. I believe she made her purchase at Ulta earlier this week.

My thoughts: It's a PRETTY COLOR! Bronze-y, gilded and sparkly. But the more it dried, the more the bumpy sandpaper texture came out. Granted, I used a supa-fast-quick-dry top coat, which the OPI website says to avoid, in fact the bottle says "Dries to a textured matte finish infulsed with reflective glints of light. Apply base coat and two coats of color. Do not use top coat." But I'm impatient and didn't want to be forced to walk helplessly around with my fingers up in the air waiting for them to dry.

Verdict: I like it, but I don't think I'll make any purchases of them This bottle was a loaner and I think the owner is going to be pleased, but the texture just isn't my style. If the top coat had smoothed it over, then I'd probably be ok with it. But it didn't. I'm not sure anything short of 6 coats of a top coat would actually smooth the texture.

If you like trends and aren't afraid of texture, then HAVE AT IT! OPI always has terrific color choices.

And the new WEN Summer Scent is....

MANGO COCONUT!!
And it is WONDERFUL!

I got my new WEN scent from qvc.com yesterday and could not wait to use it!
Much to my surprise; the stronger note in the bottle is the MANGO and not the coconut! I thought for sure I would smell like suntan lotion/the beach experience upon using the shiny new concoction, but no! The scent is strongly fruity, but not super sweet. Unlike other WEN scents, this one lingers long after. The smell is sweet but not overly so. Completely lovely!

photo courtesy of qvc.com community picture

My recommendation? If you're already a WEN fan, give it a shot! I'll be ordering another bottle soon.

A little Lip service

Inspired by a Facebook post by my darling friend, Anne (aka Muse Mama) I decided to give a little Lip service! Lip color that is!

Here's my lips, with nothing on them; naked as lips can get.

I didn't even put any regular lip balm on like EOS or Burt's Bees!










I've been a big fan of lip tints for a long time. Sometimes a lipstick can be too hard looking, and a gloss can fade away too fast. I'm happy to report that Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter are a beautiful alternative to both!

Rich in texture like a lipstick, but creating a gliding and slick-smooth surface like a gloss with a terrific hydration and decent wear; bonus, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters come in 20 shades! TWENTY! That's a LOT of choices, my friends! Playing it safe, I purchased two of the Lip Butters. Pink Truffle and Red Velvet.
(Pink Truffle is on the left in the product picture but on the right in the swatch; Red Velvet is on the right in the product picture and on the left in the swatch)

Pink Truffle is in the pink family, but it's more muted than it is baby or bubble gum pink. I found it to be my go-to when I just want a little color. It's a good "bare but not" look.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle

With no liner needed, it gives a fuller appearance without being overbearing. 

To kick it up and frankly, the name just made me grab it with my hot little hand; here's Red Velvet. A blue red that's got a sheerness that makes it easy to wear with or without liner (this is without). Also, I found that layering Red Velvet over another more "blah" color like a brown-ish neutral really boosts the look of the original color.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Red Velvet

As you can see, it's totally wearable on it's own as a daily as well. The pigment is stronger in person, but don't be afraid to use it on the fly! The colors slightly deepen with more layers, but not by much so it's not like you have to have a light hand applying them.

These are my two favorites and the ones that I think are good starters for those who are leery of lip products. They cost about $7 US and can be found at most major box retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

The Essentials: A good foundation

Foundations are tricky. The newest foundation trend is Beauty Balm, aka B.B. cream. There have been an influx of brands from drugstore to department store suddenly shouting "BB CREAM"! What is BB cream?

It's a cross between tinted moisturizer and foundation. Typically lightweight and quick drying. Working quickly is a must with BB cream. A sponge or brush isn't necessary nor is it recommended (personally) since the pigments blend out easily and evenly with just the fingertips. Additionally, a small amount, seriously the diameter of a chick-pea, is all you need for an application.

I bought the Smashbox BB cream in Light.

Here is the swatch with the approximate amount needed to cover the face. When I say "cover the face" what I mean is you start in the middle (nose/T-zone) area and blend out to your cheeks, then up and down onto the forehead and chin areas. Don't go crazy and try and put BB cream on like a regular foundation. It's not. Take a look for yourself!

Here is the before: I know, pore issues. But relatively even skin with just a little redness on my cheeks. 

And here is the end result before powder. 

BB cream definitely helps to tone down any redness immediately and give a smoother look with very little effort.

BB cream can be used as primer as well, I've yet to try it since I've found the coverage is exactly what I wanted. Something light that looks like skin but as near perfect as possible.

At $39 US, the Smashbox BB cream is pricey, but I liked the fact that so little is needed for results which means I'll be using this BB cream well into the summer and possibly fall seasons.

Have you tried any BB creams? Any thoughts or questions? Feel free to ask!

Happy New Year!!

I probably should've posted about this fantastic find before the New Year, but hey it wasn't readily available (I'm not sure it's even worldwide released yet!) and I needed to give it a good solid try so I could gather my thoughts. Here goes:
THIS IS THE BEST MASCARA I'VE EVER USED!! I do not use those words lightly. I've become somewhat of a joke among my girlfriends because I'm always looking for new mascara. I follow the not-so-widely-known-nor-practiced rule of Department Store Mascara should be replaced after 3 months, Drugstore Brand Mascara should be replaced after one month. The discrepancy has to do with the levels of preservatives in the formulas and that clumpy-lumps that cling to the bristles and your lashes are the results. Never mind the bacteria (barf!) I know some people not only don't know the rule, but they don't really care. It's up to you, but I would rather shell out a few bucks for a fresh tube than fight the uphill battle of trying to separate my lashes from one another from a cruddy mascara application. MOVING ON!
See above: RE BEST MASCARA:

This is the newest member of the CoverGirl LashBlast Family, however I've yet to see it turn up on the website. I've been a fan of the chubby tubed LashBlast since it launched, however I was dissatisfied with the curl hold. It gave volume in spades, but one half coat too many and my lashes would lose any and all curl. So on with the search I went. With the release of this newest formula, I can say, with complete conviction that this mascara meets all the criteria of amazing.

1. Volume - LashBlast is known for volume, the brush helps to build up volume in lashes without leaving bulk
2. Hold - I curl my lashes the way I like then apply the mascara. Once I'm done with the coating, the curl will stay all day until it's time to wash my face. I have yet to experience any loss of eyelash curl throughout my wear. That's remarkable! Usually there's at least some, but not with this little beauty!
3. Length - just like the other LashBlast mascaras, I find the "added length" to be adequate. Unless a mascara has actual fiberous elements (which can flake off and irritate the eye), most lengthening mascaras don't actually add to the lash. Since most lashes are blonde at the tips or lighter brown, adding color (aka mascara) makes the hair look longer. It's an illusion.
4. Wear - Since I haven't seen a commercial or ad print about it, I don't know if they are touting CoverGirl LashBlast 24 hour mascara as waterproof, and I prefer non-waterproof formulas of mascara (they tend to make my lashes brittle in the long run) so I can't say for sure if they will in the future. There's no flaking or fading and my lashes aren't hard or crunchy. However I can tell you from experience, this mascara must must must have a separate makeup remover in order to get it off. I tried the baby shampoo trick I posted about, but that mascara barely smirked at it. I tried an oil based makeup remover, and had to use it 3 times at least before washing my eye area with the baby shampoo. I ended up buying the CoverGirl Makeup Remover which is a creamy remover and using a cotton round, found that it works the best. However, I definitely recommend doing the baby shampoo trick after since it leaves the eye area covered in residue.

So there's my first recommendation of 2012! CoverGirl LashBlast 24 hour Mascara, follow this link to an Amazon storefront with the details on the ingredients, you can also find opportunities to purchase on ulta.com, target.com, soap.com, etc.