Saturday, April 10, 2010

Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator Review


I was lucky enough to score this for free in a giveaway last month. I've been using it every day & let me tell you, I am in LOVE.

Let me go over what exactly this product is and does. The following quoted information is directly from Sephora.com.

What it is: A daytime treatment that erases the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores while refining skin texture.

What it is formulated to do: Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator delivers superior antiaging benefits with a proprietary delivery system that addresses the visible signs of aging to reveal a radiant, healthy, and more youthful appearance. The paraben-free formula offers superior antioxidant protection that firms and reduces surface imperfections, pores, and discoloration.

Research Results: 82% reported improvement in the appearance of skintone. - 73% reported improvement in skin texture, radiance, and overall quality of their skin."

My Overview/Review of the product: My skin type: Normal. I can say dry/normal, but I'm more towards normal. I don't suffer from dry patches, flakes, roughness, etc. I have fairly clear skin and have never had any problems with acne. I do get a pimple or a few here and there from heavy products I tend to use on my face. They usually appear on or near my chin. I do have enlarged pores (which was never a problem for me up until the last 4 years) and I often get blackheads on my cheeks (not too many) and chin. They are most visible on my chin and around the corners of my nose. At times, I have a little bit of redness.

What I want out of a skincare product for my face: The main thing I want from a product is to minimize the appearance of my pores, to get rid of my blackheads, to make my face softer to the touch, to even out my skintone and give my face more radiance. I don't feel comfortable without wearing foundation and I would like to feel better about my skin and be able to wear tinted moisturizers more often.

The product comes in a 2oz pump bottle. It has the consistency of a very light creamy lotion. It dispenses little product with each pump. I always apply it in the morning when I wake up or prior to applying my makeup. I usually use 2 pumps and softly rub the product into my cheeks, around and on my nose & on my chin. It is weightless and blends like butter. My face isn't left greasy or shiny. I will then apply my regular moisturizer (whatever I have on hand, nothing specific) and apply my foundation. Most or many times I'll wait a little while before applying my other moisturizer/makeup. It depends on if I'm short of time.

So Far Results: I started to notice almost right away.. within the 1st week of using this treatment. I've been using it for possibly 3 weeks, maybe a little less. The texture of my skin has changed. Right now, it is very soft to the touch. When I apply my moisturizer, I can't believe how smooth my skin feels. My pores have DRAMATICALLY decreased in size. I can barely see them now. I am so impressed with how clear my chin looks. I've never used a product that has cleared my chin like this. My chin wasn't horrible or anything, but I had lots of clogged pores. My chin looks almost as smooth as my cheeks. My face looks more radiant, and when I apply my foundation, my face looks so much healthier and clear. With each day of using this product, I am excited to look in the mirror and see what my skin looks like. This product quite possibly may be the best skincare product I've used on my face, as far as visible results. I'll be using this until its all gone and will definately be repurchasing. It's pricey ($120).. but to me, thats nothing to have perfect skin!

You can view reviews for this on makeupalley here.

Have you tried any products by Perricone MD? If so, what did you try and how did it work for you? Do you recommend any product/s?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

MAC Peachstock & Ever Hip Lipsticks Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Peachstock and Everhip Lipsticks

I was fortunate enough to get both shades when they first came out in a swap! A girl was nice enough to go to the MAC counter and pick these up for me to swap for a couple of LE lipsticks I owned.

MAC Peachstock Lipstick is a warm, creamy, opaque peachy-beige with a satin finish. I'm actually not a big fan of MAC Satin formula lipsticks, but Peachstock actually looks great on it's own. I have to say that this is probably one of the most flattering nudes I own for my skin tone (MAC NC40). I highly recommend this shade if you're olive skinned and its hard for you to find the correct nude that won't wash you out or give you the appearance of concealer lips.

MAC Peachstock is a MAC Pro lipstick and can be purchased at your local MAC Pro store.

MAC Everhip Lipstick is a vibrant, coral-pink with a semi-shiny finish. It's the MAC Cremesheen formula, which I love, but for some reason Everhip doesn't seem to glide across my lips as easy as my other Cremesheens. It's creamy nevertheless, but it's pretty sheer, and I find myself swiping it several times before I'm satisfied with the opacity.

MAC Everhip is a limited edition shade, and will only be around until supplies last.

Left: MAC Peachstock, Right: MAC Everhip



A Peek at my New Betsey Johnson Handbag!

Early this week, my soon to be mom in-law treated me and my soon to be sister in-law to a new handbag! We went to the Saks Fifth Avenue (OFF 5TH) Outlet store. It was my 2nd time shopping there. When I walked into the handbag dept, I walked into heaven! LOL. I forgot what the discount was, but there was an extra percentage off of the already discounted price. I think 20-30%? So it was a great deal on lots of bags. I showed a little bit of interest in one bag in particular, and within an INSTANT, she ended up grabbing it and purchasing it for me. I'm still excited about this bag, I love it so much. I've been wearing it every day, but I think I'm going to empty it out and only wear it when I go out. I don't want it to be an every day bag and ruin it. It ended up costing under $150.. I don't remember the exact amount.

This bag is definitely my style. I love bows, gold hardware on bags (gold in general), chain straps and really, anything different/unusual.


It's a very luxurious bag. It feels like soft glove leather and has a polished look. It fits my large cosmetic bag, small cosmetic bag (for brushes only) and my large clutch wallet.. and it's not too heavy.


I really like this feature. Its like a little lock. To open the purse you have to turn the little square in the middle of the bow.



The interior is beautiful as well!

They also had matching wallets.. and this beautiful LOVCAT wallet I really wanted. It was a peachy pink with a gold rhinestone heart. My heart is jumping at the thought of it.. lol, but I can't find it in google images. My "sister in-law" got a beautiful, ruffled black Kenneth Cole bag for an amazing deal.. I can't find any pictures of it either.. :( If you have a Saks outlet near you.. I urge you to check it out!

Thanks for reading, lovelies!

NARS Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer Review, Photos & Swatches!!

NARS Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer

Nars Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer ($24) is described as a nude beige high-shine lip color with a unique texture to prevent the color from bleeding. It can be worn alone or over other lip colors.

I would describe the color as a neutral, muted mauvey pink with a hint of warm beige. I was actually very surprised with the texture. It's very thick and applies very opaque. I definitely thought it was going to be more sheer and have the consistency of a lip balm. It has a heavy, slightly sticky texture to the touch, but once applied to the lips it isn't very sticky.

On my lips it reminds me a lot of Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte #2, but slightly pinker. The color is long lasting (because of the texture) and I think its a pretty universal color that would be flattering for light to medium skin tones.

The finish is shiny & it didn't dry out my lips.

The only negatives about this product I can think of are, the pot is so small and deep that its sort of a pain applying the product. I have long nails so I can't really use my fingers, so I have to use a brush, which isn't very convenient. Something like the packaging of MAC tinted lip conditioner would work better for me. (A larger, less deep pot) Also, I don't really like the smell of the product. It has a yucky, very strong chemical smell. Also, since the product is so thick, I can see myself running out of this very quick. Nevertheless, I'm very happy with Chelsea Girls. :)