Wednesday, February 29, 2012

February Favorites!


TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer - I've been hearing a lot about this highlighter in the beauty blogging world recently, so I decided to get it, and I'm really loving it. My top three highlighers at the moment are Dior Amber Diamond (subtle glow), MAC Honey Rose (pink glow) and now this one has become a favorite. It's a pearly champgane, that's subtle, but a little more glow than Dior Amber Diamond. I'll post a full review soon.

Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation - Yes, you read that correct. It has an SPF of 50. I'm completely bummed out because this product has been discountinued. I picked it up for 50% off late January and I've been using it almost every day. Considering I exfoliate my skin on the regular, wearing an SPF is a must for me to avoid sun damage on my sensitive skin. I haven't found my favorite lotion yet, so along with my Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation (SPF 20) and this powder applied on top, I have all the sun protection I need. If you can get your hands on this powder, I'd recommend trying it. It'd be great for the summer months!

Coastal Scents Camo Quad (Concealer Wheel) - I purchased this last year, and neglected it for the most part until recently. I have it in the shade "Medium" and when my skintone was in the medium range (when I was self-tanning) the colors were too light and looked ashy under my eyes. When I have no tan, this palette is perfect. It provides an awesome full coverage (similar to MAC Studio Finish) and works great for covering blemishes. It's been my favorite "go-to" concealer for the past couple of months and I've already hit pan on a couple of shades.

Coastal Scents Fan Brush Black - Before purchasing this brush, I had an ELF Studio Fan Brush, which isn't that great, but it'd get the job done for applying my highlighter. This brush is so soft, and three times as large. I love the way it feels on my face, that I've been wearing highlighter every day just so I can use it. I'm sure it'd be great for applying loose powders as well.

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Monday, February 27, 2012

NOTD: Wet n Wild Mega Last Salon Nail Color in 205B Sugar Coat.

 Wet n Wild Sugar Coat Mega Last Salon Nail Color 

Early this year Wet n Wild launched new packaging and an improved formula for their Megalast Nail Polishes. The new formula claims to be long-lasting, promising 5 days of wear. They came out with some new colors along with some of the old, with eighteen shades in total (or at least 18 on Wet n Wild's website).

I wanted to give the new formula a shot, and purchased the shade Sugar Coat, which is a pale, milky peach-pink.
The brush is wide and flat, curving at the tip for a one-sweep application. It's similar to the brush of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish or Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish. It's great for those with average to wide nail beds, but may be a little difficult for those with narrow nail beds. I really like the brush, and for my nails, it provides a very even application with less streaks.

 Wet n Wild Sugar Coat Mega Last Salon Nail Color 
(Three Coats with Seche Vite Top Coat)

Sugar Coat is a really nice natural shade that looks great on it's own or as a pale pink base for french tips. You really only need two coats, but once of my nails ended up a little streaky, so I ended up painting three coats.

The drying time is okay, it's not very fast, but with a fast drying top coat, your nails shouldn't smudge.

I really like this polish, and I'm hoping it lives up to it's 5-day claim. Regardless, a bottle only costs $1.99, so it's not a huge loss.

I'll be updating this post letting you know how long it lasts before chipping or peeling!

Have you tried any colors from the Wet n Wild Megalast line? What do you think of them?

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Youth-Boosting Foundation & Brush Review.

 Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Youth-Boosting Foundation

I purchased this foundation a couple months ago when I first spotted it on the rack at CVS. I'm not going to lie, the only reason I purchased it is because I saw the little hot pink sticker stuck to the front that reads "TRY ME FREE" that you may spot every once in a while on newly launched Physician Formula products. When you see that little label on the product, it's basically like a mail-in rebate. You send in your receipt in along with the label, and you will receive your money back for the product. (For more information on PF's rebates, click here.)

I'm always interested in trying new foundations, so I thought it was worth a shot, even though it isn't targeted for my age range. That doesn't really matter though, because I've used "firming" and "age-defying" products before and really liked them.

Anyway, Physician's Formula's new Youthful Wear Foundation claims to even out skintone and texture, blending effortlessly while providing a flawless coverage that will last all day. It also claims to be Physican Formula's first ever "Cosmeceutical" foundation that will help treat visible signs of ageing, restoring skins firmness & elasticity and improving the skins appearance in the long-term. Alright, Physician's Formula, You had me at flawless coverage!

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Foundation is available in three (3) shades: Fair, Light and Medium. Apparently PF didn't get the memo that there are more than three colored skintones out there. 

The foundation is housed in a little purple squeeze tube, which is great for travel (no bulk), convenience (no struggle getting product out), sanitary and you won't waste any product as you'll be able to squeeze out every last drop. And for those of you that like to cut open your squeeze tubes, to literally get every last drop, you'll be sure to get every molecule.

It also comes with a small synthetic foundation brush, which is very soft and actually works pretty well.


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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Maybelline Bold Gold Eyestudio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Review!

maybelline bold gold color tattoo
Maybelline Eyestudio Bold Gold Color Tattoo Eyeshadow

I previously posted about a couple Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows last month, and since then have been using them (mostly Bad to the Bronze) a couple days out of the week. 

Shorlty after, I picked up one additional shade, Bold Gold, which is basically a shimmery, medium toned brassy-gold. 

Bold Gold is a great shade that can be used alone, for a simple wash of color across the lids, or it can be used as a base for a powder eyeshadow to prolong the wear of the shadow, and to make any golden hues in the powder eyeshadow stand out more.

One of the ways I like wearing this shadow is applied all over the lid, with a soft brown shadow blended through the crease, and the top lid lined with a dark brown liquid (or pencil) liner for a quick and simple look.

(Cropped from a previous post)

My favorite application method is with my fingers, or a flat synthetic concealer brush. If you want more opaque color, a sponge eyeshadow applicator works well.

Maybelline Eyestudio Bold Gold Color Tattoo Eyeshadow

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