UseItUpByApril - Finale

Hey there!

I decided in January that I'd dig through my makeup, beauty and bath stash and decide which products I'd try my hardest to use up by my birthday (UseItUpByApril post). I saw some other folks trying it and I thought it might be easy to do.

Nope. Not as easy as it looks. I even did an update post in March (UseItUpByApril - Update post). That should have given us a clue!

I apparently did not find enough random strangers to help me power through the Maybelline Baby Lips. I did finish 1 of them. The other is in my purse and about halfway finished. I used this at least once a day and it's still going strong (and the other 5 or 6 are still hanging around the house). That should be a testament that Maybelline Baby Lips products will last you a good, long time. But, I really think it's a testament that I have too many lip products in rotation.

In my update post I told you that I had used my Lancôme Bienfait Teinté once since the project started. Well, now I've used it twice. I have to say that in my defense...ummm...I don't know. I love it during the summer but I have really been going powder only and ALL of my foundation-like liquids have gotten almost no love. I have never been a huge fan of liquid foundation and I guess this BB Cream got caught up in that.

Well, the Make Up Forever HD Primer made it into the empties post. But, it made it in because it went super liquidy and rancid. Because I don't do much in the way of foundation, I don't worry too much about my powder wandering away. The Benefit Watts Up Soft Focus Highlighter is still in play. It gets used when I do my eyebrows and need them to be on point. I'll be honest...Sasquatch has been in the building this winter and my eyebrows have been untamed, hairy beasts. I'll do better next time, I promise.

ALL of the perfume samples have been sampled! And only 1 of them got to stay. Yep! Out of all of the perfume samples that have darkened my doorway, only one was good enough to stay and that one was only just good enough to stay. I didn't run out and buy anything. When the J'Adore runs out, it just runs out. I discovered that I like a sweet, sugary scent. I love my Pink Sugar Scents and my Body Fantasies Cotton Candy scent. That's about all I want on my body. Is that too childish for a 43 year old? I mean, I'm asking the question but there is a big, fat, "I don't care if it is" right at the end so feel free not to answer.

I touched the Coastal Scents Bright Eyed Brightener once this entire time. I just couldn't make it work. I really tried but it's way too bright and it creased like crap under my eye. This product is going in the Big Green Empties Bucket.

Two. That's how many of the eight shower gels that I used up. It's hard to use up shower gel when you have about 25 in various stages of use. It sounds excessive I know but you have to understand...I like bubble baths and shower gels! I like smelling good. Sometimes you change it up (like every day). This portion of the project was a big fail but it was a great smelling fail.

I have learned a lot though this project though. One, I have acquired (through samples, gifts or purchases) a lot of stuff that I don't like and still try to use it up. I can' keep doing that. If I don't like it, I just don't like it.

Two, I like bath stuff and I don't care who knows!

Sunday Funday - Beauty Hacks Gone Wrong

Hey There!

I decided that you needed a bit of a laugh today. I mean, it wasn't funny when I did it, but it is now.

Do you know what a beauty hack is? It's a beauty secret or trick or shortcut. I'm a big proponent of beauty hacks -- when they work. Or, probably more correctly -- when I do them right.

I found a beauty hack for making BB cream using foundation and moisturizer. I won't tell you which site I used because it really is probably user error. I've been using a Lancôme BB cream (which I love) and before I plop down another $45 for a tube, I decided to try making my own. I mean, it has to be easy right? It's just two ingredients! It's the moisturizer I use everyday plus foundation that works perfectly with my complexion.

Well, I tried this hack and I got -- ashy skin. Apparently you can't just mix 2 random ingredients and always get a perfect new ingredient. It would appear that sometimes you get a mess instead.

I've tried many BB creams (there are too many posts to hyperlink folks) and I didn't like them. It took me several months to settle with the Lancôme BB cream. I know that I don't want to go through that again! So, I guess that means I'll have to keep plopping down the cash for my current BB cream!

Unless one of you wants to loan me $45?

What beauty hack have you tried and did it work? Do you have a BB cream that you currently love? Seriously, can one of you loan me $45?

Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm Cream

I felt bad that yesterday I kinda bashed a Lancôme product. Well, I didn't really bash it, I just didn't love it. Today I'm going to praise a Lancôme product.

I spent a good bit of time testing BB Creams and I decided that a BB cream is just what I need under my powder foundations. I prefer a powder foundation to a liquid one so mixing a little BB Cream and moisturizer and slathering that on beforehand helps out a lot.

After testing a few BB Creams, I picked up Lancôme's Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm Cream in #6 Caramel ($45/1.7 fl. oz). I use to love the Lancôme tinted moisturizer and the Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm Cream reminded me of that. It is light and blends into my skin very well. I don't like heavy makeup (hence the powder foundation) so the fact that this is light as air is perfect. It doesn't cast a hue even though there is a SPF of 30. There's not really a smell and the color match is dead on. In the summer it may be a bit light but because it's going under my foundation, I don't think I'll need to get another color.

Yes, that's more BB Cream than I'd normally use. It was 6 am
You're lucky I could squeeze the tube at that time!

The only downside to this BB cream is the price point. It is a bit high, but you only need the smallest dab to apply to your face. And, if you do like I do some days, you can mix an even smaller dab with your regular moisturizer and make it last even longer. It's like the concealers that we hate to buy -- that little small pot or tube costs so much but it lasts so long.

I would definitely buy this product again. But, I think it might be quite a while before I have to.

I'll check back in and let you know when!

GWP Freebie Review - Lancôme Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Quad

A month ago I purchased a few things from Lancôme...because I wanted the gift with purchase. I wanted to try some of the skin care items and some of the color items that they had in the kit. After all, isn't it better to test products in miniature form before buying the full size product? Well, I think it's more fun that way.

I decided to have fun. I purchased the Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm Cream and a Lancôme Gloss In Love lip gloss and earned a GWP goodie bag. One of the freebies that I got in my Lancôme freebie bag (yes, it was a literal bag) was the Lancôme Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Quad. Pink Pearls (matte), Makeover (Metallic), "It" List (Matte) and Pink Zinc (Metallic) were the colors in the quad. I have to admit that even though it was a little thing, it sure was pretty. I thought the pink, gold and beige colors looked nice and I couldn't wait to try them. I normally use black or really dark colors sparingly. I like a soft eyelid.

These colors were soft alright. They were so soft that I couldn't get them to show up! I was kinda disappointed. I thought these colors would sing but these were too light, even for me!

But, I recognize these are freebies and not always the same as the full size quad. I've had several of the Lancôme colors and been very pleased with them. I love their browns and pinks. But this freebie doesn't make me want to run out and try a quad though! I wonder why the formulation is different (in MY opinion it's different). If I were purchasing full sized colors based only on this quad, I'd probably run away.

Have you tried any of the Lancôme quads? What did you think? Do you get the GWP? What do you think?