Monday, January 28, 2013

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring Review with Photos!

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring

At around Christmas time, there was a promotion running on Jewelmint for three rings of your choice for the price of one (or $9.99 each). I ended up getting three rings, so as always, I'm going to let you know my opinion of them.

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring is a really fun silver-plated two band ring -  one thick and one slim ring the are connected by two fine chains. It also has a little etched star with a small rhinestone in the middle to add a little something extra to an otherwise very plain ring.

I really like items of jewelry that are "different" and I've never seen anything like this ring. It goes in hand a bit with the dainty knuckle ring trend as the second band lays pretty high on the finger. The top band is also adjustable, so you can wear it as tight (or loose) as you want it.

I've worn it several times so far, and even though it might not seem like it would be comfortable, it's actually very comfortable and doesn't bother me or get in the way throughout the day.

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring
(As someone mentioned, the thin band on my ring has the opening on the front instead of the back. I think it was an error on Jewelmint's part, but I still wear it as is and don't mind it at all!)

From what I can tell the quality is very good, and it's a ring I'd definitely recommend!

All items from Jewelmint are $29.99 with free shipping, but there are promotions very often so I wouldn't recommend paying the full price. Currently there is a promotion for 70% off your first item, which would bring the total to $9.99 with free shipping. The code is 70FIRST.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

New in at Sephora - Dolce and Gabbana Makeup!

Maybe I'm slightly behind on news, but I upon looking at what's new on Sephora, I was really excited to see some items from Dolce and Gabbana. From word of mouth I heard that it will be available in select stores, but for now it's available for purchase at Sephora.com.

I've only tried a few items from Dolce and Gabbana, and I've really enjoyed them. In fact, I've been wearing my Dolce and Gabbana Passion Duo Lipstick in the shade Darling regularly. I'd be really curious to try additional shades.

Also, I've always kind of wondered about their foundations. The Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation looks like a really interesting product, and it has pretty good reviews. I'd also be curious to try their bronzer, but God knows I don't need anymore.


Have you tried any D&G makeup? Have any recommendations for me to try?

Click here to check out the line

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Weekly Poll Results - How Many Days of the Week do you Wear a Full Face of Makeup?

How Many Days of the Week do you Wear a Full Face of Makeup?

Hope you're all having a great Thursday! Just hang in there - the weekend is close by. I have another weekly poll for you!

This week I asked all of you how many days a week do you wear a full face of makeup. This for me would include foundation, concealer, brow filler, blush, bronzer, eye and lip makeup. But maybe for some of you a full face could include more or less products.

I typically wear a full face of makeup every day, unless I'm not planning on going out. When I have more time to get ready, I tend to pull out more products (face and eye primer, contour and highlight, etc), but when I'm short on time, I skip certain things (setting powder, highlighter, eyeshadow, lip liner, etc). I suppose it does vary for me by week, because there are weeks where I might only wear makeup a few days. On average, I probably wear a full face 5 to 7 days of the week.

The Results Are:

7 days - 51 votes (14%)
6 days - 46 votes (13%)
5 days - 88 votes (25%)
4 days - 26 votes (7%)
3 days - 27 votes (7%)
2 days - 29 votes (8%)
1 day - 23 votes (6%)
0 days; I don't typically wear makeup - 25 votes (7%)
It varies week to week - 31 votes (8%)

This poll is based on 346 votes.

The answers were pretty evenly distributed across the board, but 5, 6, and 7 days of the week have the most votes, with the number one answer being 5 days.

Are you the type of person that applies a full face of makeup in the morning regardless if you're going out or not? Or do you only do your makeup when you have to be somewhere? Do you mostly wear a full face of makeup on the weekend only or do you take a break from the week and leave your face bare on the weekend? Is it essential for you to wear makeup to work?

Ideally, I'd love to wake up and get ready first thing, but the truth is, if I'm not going anywhere, my face is pretty bare. Although when I'm not going anywhere I still like to fill in my brows and wear mascara for the sake of not looking too crazy when I walk past a mirror. LOL!

I'd love to hear your answers!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara Review, Photos and Before & After!

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara ($7) is a new mascara by Covergirl that promises volumized lashes (apparently 200% more volume to be exact) with zero clumps. The result? Big lashes that are separated.

In general, I like Covergirl mascaras, and with this mascara having a striking resemblance to one of my all-time favorites Covergirl Last Blast Mascara, I was really excited to give this mascara a try. I love the formula of Last Blast, but I'm not a huge fan of the mega-big, stubby bristled brush.

The Covergirl Clump Crusher on the other hand has a really good, effective brush. It's not as large, the bristles are a bit longer to help separate the lashes better, and the actual brush is curved so it hugs the base of all of your lashes for more even coats. It also works really well at catching those little corner lashes.

I tend to favor wetter formulas, and this one isn't very wet (but it's not very dry either) and it doesn't over deposit product on the lashes, which I think is one of the big factors as to why it doesn't get clumpy. 

I find that this mascara holds pretty true to it's claims and volumizes the lashes without clumping them together. It separates my lashes really well like Maybelline One by One or Make Up Forever Smokey Lash, and builds volume really well without looking clumpy, crispy or spidery. I wouldn't really consider it to be a lengthening mascara, as I don't notice much length, but I think it'd layer good with a lengthening mascara if you like combining mascaras.

Although I rarely ever wear mascara without a mascara base anymore, I tried this mascara both ways. As with any mascara, I prefer using a base prior. With a base, my lashes look a bit longer, and I'm able to achieve the look I want with two coats. Without a base, it takes me 3-4 coats to build my lashes up to my desired look.

This mascara holds up really well throughout the day without becoming sticky (some mascaras cause my top and bottom lashes to stick together.. so annoying!) and there is no smudging or flaking.

Also, it keeps the lashes fairly soft, so it isn't such a pain to remove. There is nothing I dread more than removing a crispy mascara.

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara Before and After Photos
Before and After