Monday, July 26, 2010

Get a Sunless Tan Instantly with L'Oreal Sublime One Day Gel!

L'Oreal Sublime One Day Tinted Gel for Face & Body

I discovered L'oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Gel randomly one day while I was at CVS Pharmacy shopping for self-tanner. After reading the information on the front and back of the bottle, it really caught my interest that it's said to provide instant color that can be washed off by the end of the day. I figured it can come in real handy.

Have you ever planned to apply self tanner the night before you were supposed to go somewhere & you accidentally fell asleep & woke up the following morning cursing?! OR, applied a self tanner, went to bed & woke up to NO tan what-so-ever?! It's happened to me several times when trying something new or if I didn't wait long enough for the lotion to dry & went straight to bed (holy tan lines!). With self tanner, you never really know what you're going to wake up to. It may not happen often when using the same products, but on occasion you may wake up to a tan that falls beneath your expectations. That's where this awesome product comes in. I'm starting to sound like an infomercial.

Well, it's obviously not only to fix goof ups. That's just an added plus.
-If you're not a self tan user and you want some color and self tanner makes you nervous.. this is a great alternative.
-Maybe you already have an awesome natural tan and you want something to apply to your skin to add an extra glow and to slightly deepen your tan.
-It's for anyone, of any skin tone that wants some extra color and glow.
-It's a "commitment free" tan.


There aren't many steps to the process and there is no difficult technique to follow. It's not necessary to exfoliate prior to application (although it can't hurt). 

(These are the steps as listed above)
Step 1:
Start out with clean, dry skin. You can moisturize your skin with a body lotion prior to application, but it's not completely necessary. Having freshly lotioned skin, makes the blending time go a little faster (It only takes about a minute anyway). You can always apply lotion afterward to blend everything better. If you're applying this to your legs, shave prior to application. Put on a pair of plastic gloves or you can use a self a self tanning mitt. Put a couple of pumps of lotion in your hand or directly on your skin. It's alright if you under estimate how much to apply. You'll be able to add more without worrying if the color will cake.
**I've made the mistake of applying this with my hands because I figured, it's not a self tanner. But it temporarily dyed my hands & I had to scrub them vigorously for a few minutes to get rid of the color. It washes off a lot easier on your body. Just a little water and soap.. but for some reason, your palms really soak up the color.

Step 2:
Spread the color all over the area you want to cover with your hand. Then, blend the color in your skin using circular motions. If you need more lotion, go ahead and add a couple more pumps. If you see it looking too dark, add a little of your own moisturizer and continue to blend the area in circular motions to lighten it up. Once it all looks blended, let your skin dry. It dries in less than a minute. If you applied a body lotion prior to the application of the bronzing lotion, it may take an extra minute for your skin to dry.
**I love applying a shimmering body lotion after my tan has dried. Even though this lotion has a slight shimmer to it, I love for my skin to shine!

That's it! Once your skin is dry, you can get dressed.

Also, one thing to mention. Once you've used this for the first time, the next time you use it, put one pump (or a half a pump) in the garbage first. The very end of the lotion that sits in the pump tends to harden up and you will end up smoothing around a tiny clump of bronzer with your application.

Here are some addition pictures of me applying the lotion to my FULL arm.






Questions you may have?
Does it rub off on your clothes?
No. If it has dried, it shouldn't rub off. I was nervous when I first starting using it, and applied it to my arms and wore short sleeves out. I thought, what If I rest my arm on something and I'm going to have white marks on my arms?? It didn't end up happening. It has always stayed in place for me. Now, if you're sweating a lot, the color may bleed onto your clothing like any body bronzer would.

It has not stained any of my clothes after I washed them.

If I apply it to my hands, am I able to still wash my hands?
Yes.. but not several times. If I ever need to use it on my hands, I don't spend a lot of time running my hands under the water. I focus on my palms rubbing gently, rinse the soap off and pat my hands with a paper towel. The tan may disappear after a few quick hand washes.. but it shouldn't disappear after only washing them once. Just again, make sure to be very gentle and pat your hands dry.

Happy Tanning!

Have you used this product or a similar product? What did you think?

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen Review, Photos and Swatches!

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen is a liquid liner pen with a precision brush that can be used to draw thick or thin lines.
Eyeko says: For fool proof eyeliner dot across the upper lid as close to the lashes as possible then simply join the dots! Wing it, flick it, have fun with it! Team with lashings of Eyeko Magic Mascara for a flirtatious flutter! 
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen is smudge-proof, fade-proof and long lasting!
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen is available in four (4) shades: Jet Black, Navy Blue, Brown and Purple.


This is a great liner pen in comparison to many I've tried.. such as ELF, Styli-Style, Milani & more. The pointed felt tip is very sturdy and doesn't bend or lose its shape during application. It's very simple to apply and (for me) the point makes it easy to create a precision line. It lasts all day with minor fading by night near the tear ducts of my eye. It's pretty budge proof. If you've made a mistake, it's best to fix it right away before it dries, with a wet q-tip. Once it's dry.. you'll need makeup remover. Yay for long lasting! Also, It doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. Overall, I think it's a great product. The only con I can think of is, I wish the applicator was a little more soaked in product. I find it to be slightly dry.

Alima Pure Satin Matte Mineral Foundation Review!


Alima Pure Satin Matte Mineral Foundation is hypoallergenic -- it goes on easy and feels like nothing at all, naturally. It evens out your skin tone, enhances your complexion and reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores. And, with 61 shades, there's a match for just about everyone.

You have the option of purchasing a sample jar of their mineral products for only $1.50. So, I figured its not a huge loss if it doesn't work out. A full size of their mineral foundation is $20 for .24 oz or 7.5 grams. They have an excellent color section. I believe there is a color that should suit about anyone. They make it easy for you by breaking up the colors in different skin tones. There is Cool, Neutral, Beige, Warm, Golden & Olive. And if you aren't one specific shade, you can have a custom blend of up to 3 shades.

Picking my color-I researched what several MAC NC40 skin tone wearers wore. The majority wore W-4. (Warm 4). I read that a few wore one shade up W-5, but I believe W-5 is better suited for those who are a darker NC40.. that can get away with wearing NC42. A true NC42 can wear W-5 and W-6. If you're more of a neutral NC40, B-4 or even B-5 (Beige-4,5) may work for you. I think its very well work getting a few samples before you purchase the full size. Having your exact color match can make or break your decision of loving or hating a foundation.

I ordered Warm 4, Warm 3 and Golden 3 and Golden 4. From the website swatches, I was unsure if the warm shades were going to be golden enough. I really liked the yellow tones in the golden shades, so I got both.

I also ordered a couple blushes and shadows.

My order arrived very quickly with a few extra samples. Nice!



Testing the shades:
Right away, I tested all four shades on my face side by side above my jawline. I had no makeup on my face. Just a little moisturizer. I let it sit on my face for a few minutes and looked at my face in a few different lighting conditions. The best lighting to view if your foundation is the right shade is in natural sunlight on an overcast day. When its sunny out, you can make the mistake of thinking your foundation is lighter than it really is. I've made the mistake of doing my makeup in front of a sunny window and applying way too much blush because in the light, it didn't look so heavy. If its not cloudy out, wait till later in day when the sun is starting to go down.. or shut your window shades and still standing by the window, look at your face in the mirror. You can also look at your face in your visor mirror in the car in the middle of the day. When I'm shopping for a foundation at the store, I ALWAYS leave the store before I pick a shade. If the store has fluorescent lighting, it will alter the way your skin really looks, and give your skin a bluish green tint.

Furthermore, When looking at my face in the mirror, the shade that seemed to disappear into my skin was Warm 4. The 2nd runners up was Golden 4. The golden shade was almost identical except for a slight hint of yellow. I can wear either one. W-4 matches my face better and G-4 matches my neck better because of the strong yellow tone that comes from my self tanner. Golden 3 and Golden 4 were almost exactly the same as well. Warm 3 was too light, perfect to add dimension to areas of my face or to put under my eyes to brighten. A good match for NC30. I put a swipe of MAC Select Sheer Powder in NC40 on my hand next to all of the shades and it was almost identical to W-4. The Golden shades were far more yellow.

Review: I've only used this twice (alone) on my face. I applied it over moisturized skin with a goat hair kabuki and did lots of buffing. It did a pretty good job at covering blemishes. For extra coverage on blemishes, I used dampened a small brush and dipped the brush in the powder and applied it to the blemish. It provided full coverage to those small spots.. and dried to a powder that blended in with the rest of my face. Lastly, I spritzed my face with MAC Fix+ to set everything in place. It didn't irritate my face and it lasted through the day.

Will I be tossing my current foundations and use this? No. Only because in the end, I still prefer liquid over powder. BUT, I am confident in saying I can toss my other powders and use this as a setting powder (Okay, so I won't be tossing anything.. but you get what I mean). I've been using W-3 every day to set my concealer and apply above my cheekbones to highlight the area. It provides amazing coverage and adds extra coverage to my under eyes. It never cakes.. never budges.. never have to reapply. This product definitely screams HG (Holy Grail). I've also used it to set some of my lighter coverage foundations to provide extra coverage and it works wonderfully!! I'll be ordering a full size powder this week of W-3. My sample is running low and I'm getting nervous! haha!

Update: I did purchase the full size of W-3 and I use if often to set my under eye makeup or brush over my foundation for added coverage.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Covergirl Smoky Eye Look Sets Review, Photos and Swatches!

Covergirl Smoky Eye Look

"Become a Make-Up Master and Create a Celebrity Look in 3 Steps"



Covergirl came out with kits to create many variations of the smokey eye. When you hear the words "Smokey Eyes".. many assume that "Smoke" refers to those sexy, smoldering blacks, gunmetals and grays you see on many celebrities and high fashion ads...



But really, smokey eyes doesn't necessarily have to mean dark. Smokey describes the actual application of an eye shadow and the way it is blended to create a smudged or "smoked" out look.

Smoke can be any color you want it to be. So don't limit yourself to only black.. there are so many other gorgeous colors! Personally, brown smokey eyes are my favorite.

There are 3 different Sets to create 3 different looks:
A Glamorous Look
A Bold Look
A Natural Look

Each Set contains:
1 SmokyShadowBlast Cream Shadow Stick
1 Lash Blast Mascara
1 Line Exact Liquid Liner
Step by Step Instructions to guide you through creating your desired look