Friday Favorites

The Short Version

1.  OMG! Foundation Brush by It Cosmetics' for Ulta
2.  Angled Blush Brush by ELF
3.  Lip Liner Stain in Romantic Rose by It Cosmetics
4.  Coral Lip Glow by Dior
5.  Honey Bronzer #3 by The Body Shop

The Long Version

Before now, I've always used my fingers, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (can only be found in a set), and makeup sponges. (Disclaimer: I have yet to try the REAL beauty blender. I just ordered my 1st one that should be coming any day now.)  I've always found other foundation brushes' apply liquid foundation in a very streaky and thick fashion, until I took Tati's recommendation and tried the OMG! Foundation Brush from It Cosmetic's new brush line for Ulta. The synthetic bristles are very densely packed. Although I do find that it's not as soft as I'd like, perhaps after I wash/condition it a few more times, it'll soften up - but the end result is so gorgeous that I still love it. I can't wait to try more brushes from this line! 

Friday's Fab Five

I was wandering through the beauty counters at Nordstrom's last week and met this fabulous gentleman, a self-proclaimed "skin care guru". After spending time picking his brain, getting a mini-makeover, and listening to his recommendations, I am a total follower. He is the skin-whisperer! This week's Fab Five includes one of his recommendations, I'm sure the other will be highlighted as well once I receive it in the mail (it was out of stock).

The Short Version

1. Clear Days Ahead Salicylic Face Cleanser - a gentle cleanser perfect for those with combination skin
2. Super Spot Remover by ORIGINS - this zit fix is heaven sent 
3. Michael Kors Mini Lexington in Rose Gold - a petite and sleek day time watch in the trend of the year (rose gold)
4. Naturally Pretty Eye Shadow Palette by It Cosmetics - my go-to eye shadow palette that I use every day!
5.  Lip Cream in Mudslide by Buxom - the perfect 'your lips but better' color in a pigmented lipgloss

The Long Version

After listening to my skin concerns, Nordstrom's "Skin Guru" knew instantly what product he was going to recommend to me, Philosophy's Clear Days Ahead Cleanser. I expressed to him that I'm always challenged with finding a powerful enough cleanser that will battle my acne (cystic and the more common whiteheads) that didn't completely dry me out. I've been using this for 2 weeks today and I've seen a dramatic improvement to my skins texture and clean pores.

On a side note, if you want to get the best recommendations for products for YOU and YOUR skin, I recommend you look for a "Beauty Stylist" (I think that's what he was called) in your local department store. They don't work for any single product line and will pick and choose from the best products that work best for you. There's nothing that makes me feel more pressured than sitting down at one counter and having the beauty rep try to sell me on everything from makeup to skincare and fragrance. Very rarely is everything from a single line going to work perfectly for what you need.

Staying on the skincare train, this Super Spot Remover is indeed SUPER! Even though I feel like the Philosophy cleanser is doing a great job, those 1 or 2 pimples that sneak through can be treated with this. Make sure to apply this JUST to the spot of concern because it has some serious drying power.

This has been my favorite watch for the past few months. Typically 5 days out of the week, I wear my Michael Kors Mini Lexington in rose gold. The face and band of this watch are petite and feminine, making it perfect for a day time work-appropriate look. I also like the look of mixed metals, so I'll layer a gold and/or a silver bracelets on the same wrist. I swap this out for my larger gold Lexington on days I want a bigger statement.

Since I proclaimed this as "The Best Palette" a week ago, I haven't reached for anything other than my Naturally Pretty Palette. I want all the shadows I need for a single eye look in one palette, I don't want to have to pull out a separate highlighter, and then pull out another single shadow for my crease blending color - this palette HAS it ALL!  All of the shadows are so buttery, blendable, and beautiful; Warmth, Soulful, and Mocha are my favorite shades.

Leave your lip pencil, lipstick, and gloss at home. The Buxom Lip Cream in Mudslide is a gorgeous pigmented gloss that is the perfect rosey, your lips but better color with no glitter in just a single swipe. Just like all Buxom lip products, it has a minty, tingly, plumping effect.

XoXo, Stay Beautiful.

Products mentioned in this post: 

Clear Days Ahead Salicylic Face Cleanser by Philosophy  - $21
Super Spot Remover by ORIGINS - $15.50
Michael Kors Mini Lexington in Rose Gold - $195  $127.50 on Amazon
Naturally Pretty Eye Shadow Palette by It Cosmetics - $42
Lip Cream in Mudslide by Buxom - $19

Prime Yo' Face

I am a victim of dry skin, acne bumps, uneven texture, and enlarged pores - making me the perfect candidate for primer!  Lots of people see primer as an unnecessary extra layer of product on their face. I see it as an extra step that I do when I want my makeup to sit nicely on my skin and stay all day. (Including my commute and workday, I need my makeup to last for at least 9 - 10 hours.) So... Primer, get on my face! To help aid in your journey to find a good primer, I am going to share with you some of my favorite and not so favorites that I've tried.

The Short Version

1.  POREfessional by Benefit
2.  Feel the Moment Anti-Aging Ultra Hydrating Sensory Awakening Primer Serum by It Cosmetics
3.  Skin Renew BB Cream by Garnier
4.  Pores No More by Dr. Brandt
5.  Prime Time Primer (original & brightening) by bareMinerals
6.  Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass
7.  All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray by Urban Decay

The Long Version

1.  POREfessional by Benefit - this has my trusty, go-to primer for a few years now. It's lightweight on the skin, helps smooth things out, and isn't that silicone-y type texture. My makeup definitely stays in place and looks better for several hours longer than when I don't use this. 

2.  Feel the Moment Anti-Aging Ultra Hydrating Sensory Awakening Primer Serum by It Cosmetics - I discovered this product when I was in Ulta last week and have been reaching for this instead of my Benefit one every day since. I find it to be more moisturizing on the skin, but it sets quickly enough that you don't feel like your foundation is going to take a slip n' slide right off your face. I also like the fact that it has "serum" in it's name so I feel like it's going to have long term effects (this could be a total marketing scheme but I'm gullible enough).

3.  Skin Renew BB Cream by Garnier (I wear light/medium) - This is the most budget conscious product that I've found works. While it's not a standard "primer", it's a BB cream and they claim to replace your moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, concealer, and foundation. It never actually fully replaces any of those well enough for me to use just this on a daily basis; my personal goal is to get my skin all fixed up so I can one day though.  Hey! We all can dream! I prefer the oil-free formula and it provides enough moisture, with a slight smoothing of my skin tone, and doesn't clog my pores.

4.  Pores No More by Dr. Brandt - I did not like this product. I don't like the silicone formula, I found it to do nothing to improve the look of my crater pores, and it felt really slimy on my skin. Thank goodness I only has a trial size of this, I will definitely not be buying the full-size.

5.  Prime Time Primer (original & brightening) by bareMinerals - Again, this was another primer I did not like. It too has a slimy texture. I felt the brightening formula make me sparkle like a Twilight vampire. Another thing I didn't like about this product was the packaging. It is in a hard plastic container with a pump, so when you get to the last 1/4 of the product, it's difficult to get out and it's hard to control the amount of product with the pump.

6.  Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass - I've gone through a few trial sizes of this; I pick it up every time Sephora offers it as one of the 100 point rewards. I like how luxuriously this feels on my skin, it really leaves a smooth, satin-y finish - it better feel like liquid gold considering the high price tag! I haven't brought myself to buy the full size simply because I'm  still loving my other primers (#1, #2, and #3) and the trial sizes last forever.

7.  All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray by Urban Decay - If you have read this far, clearly you are interested in extending the longevity of your makeup. This setting spray is a game changer!  If I had to choose between starting with a primer or finishing with this setting spray, hand me the spray! It's super easy to apply (spray 3-5 sprays about 8 inches away in a "X" formation and then a "T'" formation, or just go crazy with it!). There is another formula for oil-control (De-Slick) and another for dry-to-combo skin (Chill).
BIG DEAL ALERT: Online at Sephora you can get two 4 oz. bottles (typically sold for $30 per bottle) for $39!!!

Remember, when using any primer, a little goes a long way!  A pea sized amount (or less) is all you need for your entire face. 

Products mentioned in this blog

POREfessional by Benefit - $31
Feel the Moment Anti-Aging Ultra Hydrating Sensory Awakening Primer Serum by It Cosmetics - $38
Skin Renew BB Cream by Garnier - $10
Pores No More by Dr. Brandt - $45
Prime Time Primer (original & brightening) by bareMinerals - $24
Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass (1oz) - $54
All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray by Urban Decay - $30

The Best Palette w/ Swatches

I have a new favorite palette! IT Cosmetics' Naturally Pretty Palette is so gorgeous that I walk into the bathroom just to open and look at it. The formula of these shadows and the colors far surpass my Naked2 and Naked3 palettes - they are just so much more buttery, beautiful, and not glittery. I picked mine up at Ulta, but I'd recommend ordering it off IT Cosmetics' website and use promo code INSIDER to get 20% off sitewide.

The website says all the shade are mattes, but I think they wear more like a satin. If you dip your brush in your color and then in the Transforming Pearl shade, it becomes more shimmery (I noticed it tends to dilute the color a bit too). I'd recommend tapping your brush into the shadows rather than swirling it, as these shadows are incredibly soft so swirling would create a lot of fallout.

A few looks I've tried so far:

Rosey Neutral Eye - Warmth (crease) + Soulful (lid) + Mocha (outer-corner) + All Heart (lower lash line)

Purple Smokey Eye - Violet (crease) + Soft Light (lid) + Iconic (outer-V + along top/bottom lash line) + Sheer Joy (brow bone + inner corner)

2-Shadow Coral - Soulful (lid) + Sunset (outer 1/2 of lid + crease)

I am yet again very please with the quality of IT's products. The one negative I have is that the outer packaging is like a soft pink suede type of material, which I can imagine is going to get and look dirty very quickly.

Spoiler Alert! On the bind of the palette it says Vol. 1, which means they are planning on coming out with at least one more! ... or it's just a cruel, cruel joke.

I definitely recommend grabbing this palette. When you do, let me know some of the looks you've created? Help me help you Be More Beautiful.

Products Mentioned in this blog:

IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Volume 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eye Shadow Palette - $42  $33.60 w/ promo code INSIDER
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette - $54
Urban Decay Naked3 Palette - $54

Am I Glowing With Glam? (w/ BIG DEAL)

 

Bloggers, YouTubers, and just us Normals have our heads spinning with all this talk about GLAMGLOW -  "...designed for exclusive professional backstage use in Hollywood", "'no name' magic mud", "a product just for their actor friends, not for sale to anyone, not for retail to anyone"... Oooo fancy! So you're tell me if I smear this mud on my face I'll be as pretty as those Hollywood starlets with perfect skin ready for an closeup in HD?! 

So is it worth all the hype? I can tell you I have seen some less-than-miracle-level results... but I have seen results! I have dry-to-combo skin that generally has patches of flaky skin but also blackheads, mild breakouts, and the occasional cystic acne (those terribly painful under the skin, sore, swollen lumps that you can never pop and seem to take forever to disappear). Because of that, I have steered away from the YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment since I read in reviews about how drying it was and some people felt the tingling experience to be intense and uncomfortable. Even when I've taken a whiff of it in Sephora, the smell is just not pleasant to me. 

First mission, tackle dryness. My GLAMGLOW cherry was taken by the THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment. I use this as an overnight mask (as opposed to the recommended 20 min. mask) and wake up with very moisturized, fresh, and plumper skin and LOVE IT!  It doesn't harden like a typical "mask" would do, the smell is devine, and the color of the product soaks into your skin and essentially disappears, making you not so scary looking to whomever you share your bed with. The packaging seems small, but it will last you several dozen treatments, worth your money!  Mission complete!

Since I had such great experience with the hydrating treatment, I figured I'd leave it up to GLAMGLOW to help me with my clogged pores so I emptied my wallet on the POWERMUD Dual-Cleanse Treatment. My skin just must not be a good candidate for this product, because I have not noticed much of a difference after using this product after nearly a dozen times - at least not $69 worth of results. Call me a tough sell, but I'm just not blown away by the mud-to-oil formula like many of the reviews rave about - it hardens like a mask and then you wet it and it gets melty and oily, what's so magical about that?  I can think of lots of other things that change states when wet as well (e.g. cotton candy, dirt, marshmallows, cats). I find myself reaching for my ORIGINS Charcoal Mask much more. Perhaps I need a more focused treatment that can stand up to my problem skin. I'm going to trust that GLAMGLOW knows their stuff and pick up a sample of the SUPER-MUD Clearing Treatment next time I'm in Sephora. Mission incomplete!  

BIG DEAL! If you are interested in trying GLAMGLOW products and also like to save money, check out Costco.com.  I just saw they have the Eye Treatment and the Tinglexfoliate Treatment available at a highly decreased price! [takes a bow]

Products mentioned in this post:

THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment - $69  $37.99 @ costco.com - currently sold out

SUPER-MUD Clearing Treatment - $69

YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment - $69  $36.99 @ costco.com

ORIGINS Charcoal Mask (1.7oz) - $17

BRIGHTMUD Eye Treatment - $69 $37.99 @ coscto.com

Disappointing Products:

POWERMUD Dual-Cleanse Treatment - $69