Mighty Duo - NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and MAC Studio Fix Face Powder

Hey there!

Ever since I purchased my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I have used it more than everything else. I love the packaging, I love the consistency and I love the way it blends into my skin. But, every now and then I turn to the other concealers that I have (Bare Minerals,  L.A. Girl Pro Conceal and e.l.f. 4 pan). Then, I pop on my face powder.

I discovered something. When I use concealers and then face powder, after about 6 hours, the area that I concealed turns colors. At first I thought maybe oxidation was an issue. I'm covering dark spots and those spots begin to show and a halo appears around them. I just figured it was a problem that I'd have to deal with it. Then I realized something.

When I pair my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer with my MAC Studio Fix face powder, that doesn't happen. I'd wear my combo all day and even though the concealer would start to fade, the color wouldn't oxidize or change hues.

I'm not sure if it's the type of concealer or the products in the powder. What I'd like to do is pick up a MAC concealer and NARS face powder and check that out. But, for now, my go to duo is going to be the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer topped with my MAC Studio Fix face powder. I might try others but for a night on the town or when I need to look my best, I'm going to go with what works.

Have you noticed this halo effect with your concealer? Is it just in the dark spot area? Has NAR and/or MAC figured it all out? I definitely plan to investigate further.

Shoe Of The Day - Mossimo Supply Co Flats

Hey there!

It would seem that some of you liked my shoe of the day, even though it's more of a "shoe of the moment" instead of day. Because you showed such an interest, I thought I'd show you what I've been wearing/getting ready to wear now. I really like a good flat or sandal and now that it is warming up, my feet are going to be super happy.

I've mentioned that my local Target closed so I have to travel if I want to have a Tar-jay stroll. I had a doctor's appointment a week ago and there was a Target next door, soooooo...I went in!

I stocked up on quite a bit of things that I can only find at Target (or that Target has a better price) and spent a considerable amount of time in the shoe department. Wanna know why? BOGO half off.

BOGO half off at Target is when I stock up on shoes. I hate paying full price for anything and BOGO half off is a GREAT excuse to treat myself. This time I picked up 2 more pairs of Mossimo Supply Co flats. I already owned a pair of tobacco brown flats and a pair of wine suede flats. I love them. I wear them all the time. If I can't wear sandals and it's not boot season, it's time for flats.

These flats come in a myriad of colors and styles. You can pick up patent leather-like, stripes or plain leather-like. This week I added a pair of black and cream striped flats and a pair of basic black flats. They are sooo comfortable, so versatile and they go with almost everything. I keep them by the door so I can just slip my feet in them and go.

The normal price of these shoes is $16.99 but with BOGO half, they were $12.74 each. Not a bad deal, if I must say so myself.

If you have seen these ballet flat and wondered if they were comfortable, let me assure you that they are. They go with everything and with 2 or 3 pairs of them in your closet, you cannot go wrong!

Preview - Gerard Cosmetics - Lip Gloss & Lipstick

Hey there!

I know that everyone has already tried and reviewed the Gerard Cosmetics lip products. I know that one again, I'm late to the party. I didn't try them back when everyone else did because I didn't like the prices. They were a bit too high for me so I didn't worry about it. Then a random sale happened and I jumped on it. The sale was $39 for 4 lippies plus free shipping. That's $9.75 a lippie. Not bad at all.

I studied all the colors online (like I always do) and decided that I'd go for a basic lip. For the lip glosses I got Cocoa Bean and Plum Crazy. The lipsticks are Nude and 1995. I didn't want to go too crazy with new colors. Right now I am liking my "my lips but better" nudes.

At first glance both lip glosses look great. I'm excited about them. The nude lipstick might be an issue but 1995 looks great! I can't wait to try them all. The reviews are that these are creamy and highly pigmented. From the hand swatches, this appears to be true.

I've got a couple of gatherings coming up this week and I plan on making these lip products the star of the show.

Have you tried lip products from Gerard cosmetics? What did you think?

Review - Illamasqua Nail Polish

Hey there!

Almost two months ago I bought 3 Illamasqua nail polishes during a Hautelook Mani Mondays sale. Everyone talks about these polishes and how fantastic the colors and formulas are. I was excited because the Hautelook deal made my polishes $7.50 instead of the ridiculous full price of $23 plus International shipping.

I purchased Harem, Stance and Raindrops. I've only used Harem and Stance so far. Harem is a bubblegum pink that I wore for a week and still couldn't decide if I liked it or not. Other folks liked it but I was undecided. I think if I do wear it again, I'll wear it on my toes.

Stance is a beautiful fuchsia pink that is an amazing color. I wore it for a week as well and knew after top coating it that I loved the color.

Now for the bad news. The formula sucks moose balls. I mean I really wanted to say something harsher. It is the WORST formula I have ever come across. I really needed 3 plus coats because even after 2 coats my nails were super patchy. The polish is really thin and pools and even if you use the best thin coat method you can think of, you are still in for 3 more coats.

I'm not sure what the appeal is. I don't plan on giving this brand a second chance. The first look was just too horrible. Because the colors are beautiful, I will continue to use these polishes but on my toes. I will not purchase another one though. They just aren't for me.

Mini Haul - Zoya Nail Polish

Hey there!

Yeah, I did it again!

So what!

I know. It's a sickness. When Zoya had a nail polish sale (plus free gift) I just had to add to my collection. I couldn't resist. There were a few colors from the new collection that I wanted to try and an older one. I also really wanted to branch out and try the lippie stick that was the freebie.

I decided on Brittany, Brigitte and Tove. Brittany and Tove are from the newest satin collection but a top coat will take care of the matte problem (because in my book a matte polish IS a problem).

Brittany and Brigitte are shades of mauve and I am super excited to wear them (in fact, Brigitte is in cue for this weekend). Tove is a dusty blue that I am dying to get on my fingers. The swatches are 2 coats but I'm almost sure that 1 coat would have been enough. I am pretty happy about this purchase.

And that lippie is looks like a party waiting to happen. It's a bit dark in the tube so I wish I could have had the fall and winter to play with it but it might be sheerer or lighter than I think. We'll see.

The entire package was only $27, shipping and handling included. That's $6.75 per item. Not bad in my book. Just wait for the review and I'll let you know if they are worth it.

Quickie Preview - Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday Gift for 2015

Hey there!

Happy Birthday to me is coming up soon! You know what I do all April for my birthday. Oh yes, it is the month of treats! I am treating myself all month and celebrating the big 4-3! Yes, I said it loud and proud. 43!

In the month of April I treat myself to little goodies that I wouldn't normally treat myself to. That could be makeup but it also could be food, clothes, jewelry, you know, all the little things that you don't really need but you really want. If you need an excuse to pamper yourself a little, use my April birthday as an excuse. Go ahead! It's ok!

My first gift of the year was from Sephora. I went in and picked up my 2015 Birthday gift which is a NARS lippie duo. It's a NARS Satin pencil in Rikugien (.05 oz) and a NARS Velvet Matte pencil in Cruella (.06 oz). I am very excited to try these because I've never had a NARS lip pencil. The normal sizes are .07 oz and .086 oz respectively and they run $26. That's a birthday steal! Almost $50 worth of product for free (well, not free, not really).

If you haven't signed up for Sephora Beauty Insider, you really should, just for the goodies. Even if you only spend $25 for the year (like THAT is really gonna happen), it's still worth it. It's free to sign up. No, they didn't make me say that, I just like to tell you good people about good deals.

And I plan to catch ALL of the good deals in April. Just you wait and see folks! Just you wait and see!!

Make It Up As You Go Beauty Subscription Bag Service - March Review

Hey there!

A few weeks ago I told you all about my Make It Up As You Go Beauty Subscription Bag Service (this beauty subscription bag/box is not a real service!) I didn't have the best luck with Ipsy so I thought perhaps I could do better for me. Well, I did do better, kind of.

I ran across the Proclaim Coconut & Macadamia Nut Oil Hand & Body Lotion ($1.99, Sally Beauty Supply) and was so excited. It smells lightly of coconut but it absorbs well, isn't greasy and leaves your hands very moisturized. I like it. Would I buy it again? Well, if I was in or near the Sally Beauty Supply, I certainly would. If I had to drive past Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens to get there, probably not. It's good but so are others.

I was also excited to try out the Wet n Wild Coloricon Contouring Palette ($3.93, Walmart) in Caramel Toffee. The coloring is very pretty and of course it's buttery smooth. The only problem is it's too light for my complexion. I could just keep it and use it as a face powder but I have too many face powders to make this become one. I'll pass this one along to a friend because it really is a good contouring palette.

I used my Real Techniques Sculpting Brush ($9.98, Wal-Mart) to apply the contouring powder. I used it every day and felt like something was amiss. I couldn't put my finger on what the problem was. Then I began seeing people review it on YouTube and it jumped out at me. It's too densely packed. The brush is too full and when you try to place your contour powder, it wipes off you concealer or foundation that's under it. I tried to pat it in place but that just didn't work. It is a great brush. Well made, great hand feel, it's just not a good sculpting brush. I might use it for foundation or something (I've heard other people try that) but not for contouring.

 

Before

After

The Bubble White 5 Minute Effervescent Nail Cleanser ($1.99, Sally Beauty Supply) was nice. It was a treat to soak my hands in warm water for 5 minutes. It softened my cuticles and prepped my nails for polish. It was a real treat. Did it whiten my nails? Well, I purposely waited until after my St. Patty's Day green nails and used it. I still had discoloration after using it. I didn't see where it whitened my nails at all. But still, it is a really good hand soak and the price is right. I would definitely purchase it again.

The final item "in my bag" was an Essence Lipstick in Wear Berries ($2.99, ULTA). Have mercy! Why did I wait so long to try these lippies? I actually purchased 2 of them at the same time and I have been rockin' them like crazy. I love them! They last for several hours. They don't leave my lips feeling dry. They are highly pigmented. I just wish they had more colors to choose from. Even so, I will be purchasing more of these. They are amazing!

And my cute, deep red wristlet? Love it. I've been using this whether I was wearing red or not. It's great!

So, I spent $32.88 plus tax (on stuff I was going to buy anyway) and will forward one thing to a friend. That's pretty good for a subscription box. With my last box, I ended up giving 3 of the 5 items away. Of the 2 items I kept, I haven't used either of them since! This month, I'll give away 1 item and keep using the others.

I did mention that you can do this too. Pick up 5 new to you items. Try them out for a few weeks and then see what you think. I enjoyed finding my 5 items and I have really enjoyed using them! No disappointment here!!

Did any of you try this? Are you going to try it now? Did you think about trying 5 new wines and inviting me over? At least three of you have my phone number. I'm waiting!

Lippie Love - Taking Care

Hey there!

I've been testing out quite a few lippies and even though they weren't the staining kind, I thought I'd test out 2 new to me products (for lipstick stains and lip healing) and see if they had any affect at all on my lips.

I found a Maybelline Superaway Lipcolor Remover at Dollar Tree. Normally when something is at Dollar Tree it means it's on its way out or didn't sell well. Unfortunately for us, this must be one of those items. After swatching several highly pigmented lippies, I wanted to make sure my colors stayed true so I rubbed some of this stuff on and then wiped it off in between swatches.

The fluid in the tube is kind of slick. It's more liquidy than vasaline but works wonders at removing the lipstick. I haven't tried it with a lipstain but I definitely intend to.

And, once I finished swatching 5 or 6 lippies, my poor kissers needed a break. I rubbed my Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 all over them. I think labeling it #1 is a bit much but it did make my irritated lips feel better. It didn't last as long as Aquaphor but it felt better than Aquaphor. The price isn't too crazy and you only need a touch so it might just be worth the $7 investment.

I still have many lippies that I plan on trying so this dynamic duo will be staying for a while. Have you tried either of them? What did you think? Worth it or no?

Toss It Out!

Hey There!

I think I briefly glossed over the fact that in 2 months I'm moving. It's not simply moving from one place to another, I'm moving from one facet of my life to another. The kiddo is graduating from high school. She is running away from home to go to college (well, that's kinda what's happening!). And, when she leaves for college (before she comes back home for winter break) I'll be in a new place.

And what happens before you move to a new place (besides you visit it every chance you get like a crazed stalker woman)? You purge.

Folks I'm purging hard. I've been in my current place for 4 and a half years and I am NOT moving everything with me. Some of this stuff needs to be tossed out. Some of this stuff will get tears as it goes. But, it will GO! So that means you get to watch the purge process and wonder, "Is she like one of those hoarder people, like on TV?" and I will answer, "No. I've never been on TV." So over the next few weeks be prepared to not only see empties posts but purge posts as well.

And, the first purge is from my lip gloss area. I mentioned that I was going to wear one brand of lip glosses for a few weeks, just to see what I use, what I like and what is simply unremarkable. Well, for the last 3 weeks I've rotated my 6 Milani Brilliant Shine Lip glosses and whittled them down to...

2! Yes, you heard me correctly, 2. I wore them all at least twice and then did a one day mega test and decided that 4 of these bad boys can go to new homes. What am I keeping? Luminous and Mauve Fetish. The rest of them are too light or too dark or just really unremarkable.

Have no fear. Between the kiddo and my sister all of them will have good homes.

Wanna know what else I've been wearing to see if they can stay or if they have to go? I tried on all of my Almay lip glosses and they are VERY unremarkable. None of them gave off any color that I could see. So, the kiddo liked them and wanted to gloss up her lips with them.

That's 3 lip gloss brands down (I already went through my NYX Butter Lip Glosses). Stay tuned and see what we sort through next!

Walmart Beauty Box - Fall 2014

Hey There!

My Walmart Beauty box for Spring came in and I'm stoked. I got rid of the other beauty subscription box that I had but I can NEVER get rid of this one! It's $5 a quarter and I always use almost everything inside. Walmart does beauty boxes right!

(Side note, is it just me or didn't Walmart use to have a hyphen in its name? I really thought it did).

My Walmart Beauty box had a Burt's Bees Renewal Intensive Firming Serum ($19.99 for 1 oz) in it. I have been into serums lately. I've been using my L'Oreal Age Perfect Glow Renewal for a month now and I'm totally in love. Not sure that it's doing anything for my skin but it smells so good and makes my face feel good. I'm going to try this Burt's Bees Serum. I'm not sure if I want to love it or not!

I got an eau de parfum in this box. I got the Lady Gaga Fame Black Fluid perfume ($18.77 for .5 fl oz). I'm not a huge perfume fan (I like body oils and sprays) but I think this might be a really interesting one. Something deep down inside tells me I will either really like this or really hate it. We will see.

This month's lotion is the Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion ($4.88 for 21 oz). It's supposed to be packed with sea berries (WTH is that?) and hydrate your skin with a non-greasy formula. I am super excited about this. I love mini lotions that fit in my small purses and this one definitely does!

I have been wanting to try one of the new Caress Fine Fragrance body washes but I'm pretty much on a shower gel no-buy. I'm getting ready to move and hauling all of my bath and shower gels is already going to take a truck of its own. Thank goodness for Walmart Beauty Box! They sent me a mini in Adore Forever, which is probably all that I really need! They list for $5.99 for 13.5 oz at Walgreens because oddly enough, I couldn't find a price at walmart.com. Hmmmm.

I only got 1 set of hair care products. I got the L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner ($3.97 for 12.6 oz). Both contain Ceramide and both claim to rebuild fibers (not sure that that is possible), add strength, add vitality, add silkiness and shine. Mine came in the formula for damaged, overworked hair. That's my hair type so let's try it out!

Along with those items, I got some little sample packs (yippee!). I got a sample of L'Oreal Age Perfect Glow Renewal Serum (you already know I'm happy), Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream (I've got some dark spots for you!), Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion (soooo excited to try this) and Garnier Ultra-Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream (what?? I'm ready!). Oh, I also got $16 in coupons, of which $8 I will use for sure!

I realize that I didn't tell you my thoughts on the last beauty box. I promise to do better with this one. I'm very excited about this box and can't wait to dig in!

Do you currently get this beauty box? If you are on the fence, this one is only $5, 4 times a year. At only $20 for the year it's not bad. Normally there is at least 1 full sized item in the box and several samples and coupons. It's been worth it for me where other beauty boxes weren't.

Quickie Review - Bite Beauty Butter Cream Lipstick - Rosewood

Hey There!

So, I've done it again. I've purchased from a tried and true brand only to have it let me down. Sighhhhh.

I love Bite Beauty lipsticks. I have quite a few in rotation. They are moist and make my lips feel so good. I have to wear the barest hint of lip balm under them and the color stays for quite a long time. Most lipsticks stay about 3 - 4 hours on me. That's my barometer. Bite Beauty Lipsticks last a complete 4 hours, even as I sip coffee in the morning.

Last week I purchased one of the new Bite Beauty Butter Cream lipsticks in Rosewood. I was hoping that it would be a moisturizing, creamy lipstick like the name implies. I had heard reviews that said it did so I thought success was inevitable.

This Bite Beauty Butter Cream lipstick was a big, fat fail. The color was supposed to be a rich mauve color with a gorgeous shade of pink shining through. And it was...for about 10 minutes. Then it changed into this muddy, yukky brown color. Not even a pretty brown. Just ugly.

And, it's so far from moist I don't know what to do. I put on a thick layer of lip balm and then Rosewood and my lips were instantly dry. I had to put lip balm OVER my lipstick. It wasn't comfortable. About 2 hours later I felt that I needed to wipe it off and start over.

At $28, I was hoping for better. I tried it twice and decided that it wasn't worth it. It goes back to Sephora.

Have no fear. I already have my eye on a replacement. Let's keep those fingers crossed!

Why I Didn't Buy It - Rimmel London Un-BB-Lievable BB Cream

Hey There!

Spring is on its way. I don't like wearing foundation anyway so that's when I wear a thin layer of BB cream. I have a Lancôme BB cream right now that's waiting for its turn. I'm more than happy to try another brand. Aren't we always looking for the next new amazing product? 

I ran across a display for Rimmel London Un-BB-Lievable BB Cream the other day. They had BB Original, BB Radiance and BB Matte. Each BB cream offers something different (24 hour hydration, radiance and an oil-free formula that controls shine). Do you want to know what they didn't offer?

SHADES FOR WOMEN OF COLOR!

The darkest shade that they had was Medium. I had my sister squeeze the tube for me. As you can see by her hand, that shade was too light for her. It was also too light for me.

I was disappointed honestly. Normally cosmetic lines have at least one shade of a product for darker skinned women. You can tell from the display that the darkest shade that they had was medium. You wanna know what happens when you go to the website and search?

THE SAME DAMNED THING!

I'm not sure why I'm a little ticked. Maybe it's because I buy so many of their lipsticks and lip glosses and nail polishes and face powders that I kinda thought they'd think about me when it came to bb cream. It's like the neighbor that you always go out your way to sign for their packages and bring them brownies when you make too many and water their flowers when you water yours. And then, when they see you pulling up the driveway, they turn their head in order to make sure that they don't make eye contact with you.

Rimmel London isn't making eye contact with me! I'm slightly disturbed by that. Kinda.

But, nevertheless, that is why I am NOT buying this product.

Because I can't.

Unless I lighten up about 2 shades.

And summer's coming so that ain't gonna happen.

So I'll avoid this product and let someone else have all the fun.

It's A Haul Y'all! - Bath and Body Works

Hey There!

I know that I said I wasn't going to get the wallflowers from Bath and Body Works but my sister made me do it. Yep, she made me do it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My sister and I stopped by a Bath & Body Works and we were only going to smell the candles (ha! no one believes that!). We did smell candles and then we bought a whole bunch of stuff that we didn't need but really, really wanted.

I know that I said I wasn't going to buy the wallflowers because I have Glade plug ins but see, what had happened was... I lied. I lied because the last time I went to Wal-mart to buy new Glade plug in scents, they didn't have anything new and exciting. When my little sis and I went into B&BW they had TONS of scents to choose from AND they have even more on line!

So, I purchased 2 wallflowers and then 4 scents for my wallflowers. I picked up Pineapple Palm Grass, Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut, Guava Colada and Vanilla Bean Marshmallow. They had a sale and the lady at the counter gave me an additional 20% off coupon. I couldn't pass it up! That would be like a slap to the face!

I also picked up 3 things for $12 (minus 20%). I picked up a Moonlight Path shower gel (I'm going to be doing some traveling soon and I need a little mini shower gel), a Cherry Blossom Sangria candle (one of my YouTube gurus loves it) and a Black Cherry Merlot hand cream (my hands are gonna smell delightful).

So not only will my hands smell delightful, my house will too. I'm pretty darn excited about that!

Quickie Review - bareMinerals Mineral Blush in Luminary

Hey There!

I'm going to just begin this post telling you how disappointed I am. I never thought this product wouldn't work. I have purchased quite a few (I mean QUITE a few) products from bareMinerals and to date, everything has worked beautifully...except this one.

I got my bareMinerals Mineral Blush in Luminary as part of a boxed set. The reason that I purchased the boxed set was because of the lipstick and lip gloss duo AND I wanted to give my mom the mascara as part of my holiday gift to her (a bunch of mascaras cause Mommie has problems finding the right one). I saw this blush as a bonus. I was wrong.

The color is beautiful. It's a berry wine color that you just know is going to be perfect year round. I thought that I'd use a touch during the winter months and once I get my summer color, I'd use a bit more.

And, that probably would work just fine. The color isn't the problem. The color is great. The first problem is the chalkiness. Yes, I said that a mineral blush was chalky. I've had mineral blushes before and normally they go on smooth. The powder doesn't stay powdery. This one did. Maybe the kit was old? Is that a thing for mineral powder?

The second problem was that because it was chalky, it was also patchy. I had to really work to get this all over my cheeks evenly. I finally got the lightly pigmented color on my cheeks after much buffing and tapping and stamping. The surprise came 2 - 3 hours later when the color began to fade. I very rarely have that happen to me. I've had blushes that didn't last long but normally they are the cheaper blushes.

I must say I'm still shocked. I expected a bit better from this product but you know, not everything that you purchase will be a winner. This is not a winner. I think I'll stick to the other products that bareMinerals does well and leave this one alone.