Review: Clean & Clear Warming Daily Pore Scrub

I know I've been doing a lot of skincare reviews lately, but that's only because I don't have any other pics taken/edited. Bear with me and I'll get some makeup soon, haha! Today's review is for a warming scrub. I've been curious about these types of products for a while, about how they work and if they are really more effective than normal cleansers/scrubs. I couldn't find anything about how they work but I am assuming it has to do with a reaction to air/water because they are sold in vacuum containers (no air inside). I know the pic above makes it seem as though I've been using this scrub for months, but really its only been a couple of weeks. You'll notice the same with Olay's warming scrub. I have to say that while I am a fan of warming scrubs in general, this one fell short.


First off, it is impossible to get it out of the tube! This is true for most of the warming scrubs I've tried including the ones from Olay and St. Ives. I don't know why the product has to be so thick, but it makes it very difficult to use.


Immediately after you squeeze it out it looks like the pic above.

Spread out:


Add water:


And more water:

I don't know how well you can see, but the crystals are very small and square, almost like sugar. When I first got the product dry on my hand I thought that it'd be very scrubby, but really when you dilute it it ends up much gentler. The heat really does help it clean better. I was skeptical at first because come on, just how hot could it get? Apparently, very hot. You can feel it getting hot in you hands. Thea heat does leave fairly quickly, though, so I think using a regular scrub after steaming your face would be more effective. I did notice that my skin was smoother and my pores were cleaner, but I still wouldn't recommend this product. Why, you may ask? Well, it leaves my face with a sticky/greasy film that is almost impossible to wash off. I swear, my face feels like I spread glue around on it after I use this product, no joke! My face felt sticky, like really sticky. And it too me about 3 washes with a scrubby brush (a facial one) to get rid of the stuff. As well as it works, I cannot recommend it to anyone as it's a pain to use. If you don't mind having to clean the residue off your face, then by all means try this. Otherwise, stay away.

Info:

Price: $5.99

Ingredients: Zeolite, Sucrose, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG-8, Ethylene Propylene Styrene Copolymer, Steareth 2, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Polysorbate-20, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Butylene Ethylene Styrene Copolymer, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Titanium Dioxide.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Update! Back in college!

hey, I know that I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks, but I have a good excuse (this time at least, haha!), I promise. I just moved back to college for the fall semester! I'm glad to be back, but at the same time I find myself missing my privacy, my space, my stuff, my food, my safety, my piece of mind, etc... My roommates are ok. They're nice, but kinda boring you know? Like, I can talk about classes with them and school and the weather, but other than that, nothing. That and there are three of us in what was supposed to be a double room but is now a forced triple, which means that there are only two of everything except for the bed. And guess who got the short end of the stick? Yeah, me. I don't really mind that much, cause I didn't bring that much stuff, but still it's annoying. Oh, and I got bottom bunk. Wow, just saying that makes me feel like I'm five, lol! I don't really mind cause sleeping top bunk makes me feel claustrophobic. Idk, it's ok, but I miss all of my stuff and the convenience of having my own space. I'll deal though. Don't hesitate to comment me if you're living on a campus as well!

For those of you who haven't been reading my blog for a long time, I am a nursing student at a state school in Connecticut. That being said, now that school is back in session I will have to cut back on the amount of time I spend blogging. I will try to post as often as possible, with pics, but I will have to change how I do my reviews cause I don't think I'll have time to take as many pics and edit as much. Plus, blogger is really annoying in how it uploads my pics backwards and on my MacBook it will only let me do one at a time or else it gives me an error. Or the Spinning Beach Ball of Death. Grrrrrrr. Anyway, I hope that everyone had an awesome summer. I wish all those going back to school good luck! And I really hope to be able to update a lot more often than I have been these past couple of weeks. I've just been sooooo busy getting ready (by doing a TON of laundry, cleaning A LOT of stuff) that even just the thought of blogging makes me wanna nap, haha! I wanted to make sure that you guys didn't think that I'd abandoned this blog, and rest assured I haven't! New reviews will be posted soon!!!

Review: Biore Dual Fusion Moisturizer with SPF 30

If you are a fan of stores like Ocean State Job Lot, Big Lots, and various other discount stores you may have noticed a bunch of the newer Biore products cropping up, and I'm telling you not to hesitate to try them! Biore products are very good as far as drugstore skin care goes in my opinion. While they usually cost a bit more, the ones that I've tried have been very effective, especially the moisturizers and toners. This review is for only a moisturizer but I'll be sure to post some more Biore beauty!

This is a dual moisturizer. This means that it is a combo of moisturizer and SPF, but the products are separated until you actually pump them out and then you mix them and apply them to your face. Supposedly this is supposed to be better as it protects against the degradation of the SPF, but I can't really attest to it.

You can see in these next couple of pics how the product comes out:



This dispenser my only pet peeve with this moisturizer, but I'll get to that later.

Here's what the packaging looks like:

If you think it looks a bit on the small side, you are correct, it is very small, as far as I'm concerned. You only get 1.7 oz of product, which, for a high end brand would be ok, but this is just too little, especially as half of it is the SPF. Keep in mind that this retails for $13.99. This may not seem like too much, but if you do the math it's more expensive that my Clinique DD Gel. The Biore one is about $8.29 per oz, while the Clinique one is about $5.71 per oz, so while I may pay around $24 for the Clinique, I'll actually be saving money in the long run. As great as this moisturizer is, I wouldn't pay full price for it. However, I found this at my local Ocean State Job Lot for $5, which is a steal!!! If you can find it discounted like that, snap it up. Otherwise, it's not really worth it.

Here's the dispenser:

It's got two little holes. One dispenses the sun block and the other the moisturizer. You can tell which is which by the color. The sunblock is white and the moisturizer is green.

The product:

You dispense it and then mix it together before applying it to you face.


When you mix it, it just turns white and then applies clear.


This is right after you rub it in a bit. Ignore the blue shadow in the corner. Idk where that came from :/ It feels really good right after you put it on. My face felt super moisturized, but not greasy/sticky. It feels really light, almost like a gel and absorbs very quickly.

Here's a couple of minutes after I applied it:

My skin feels very fresh after this. The biggest plus for this moisturizer is it's non greasy formula, even though it has SPF 30!!! My biggest pet peeve when using the Clinique DD Gel is that is doesn't have any SPF, so I'd have to layer it over SPF and end up feeling like I've got a ton of product on my skin. This moisturizer goes on very light, absorbs quickly, and doesn't leave me looking oily like almost every other moisturizer with SPF has in the past. Also, SPF 30 is a significant amount of SPF. Usually in moisturizers it's 15. And as it's been proven that we usually don't apply enough of the moisturizer to get full protection, a higher SPF is better. The box also mentions that this is supposed to improve skin tone, but even with continued use (a month and a half) I haven't noticed a reduction in redness, so I wouldn't put much stock in that. This moisturizer is supposedly meant for in between (not a teen, not old enough for serious anti-aging ingredients), but I think anyone can benefit from light moisture and a good SPF.

There really is only one big problem with this moisturizer, and that is how much you have to pump to get BOTH sides of the dispenser to dispense products. If you've used those click pen concealers/glosses you'll know what I mean. You've gotta pump and pump until a ton of product comes out, only here, you've got a ton of product coming out from one side of the dispenser and none coming out from the other side. I must have emptied almost half of the SPF before I wizened up to check out other customer reviews online on how to solve this problem.

Here's what you're supposed to do:

Well let me tell you, tapping the bottle does nothing. I tapped, and tapped, and tapped, and still no green. I Googled the problem and here's what I found:

The dispenser actually removes the show the two pumps that the product comes out of.



You can then pump whichever one you need to catch up (in my case the green) until the product comes out, as opposed to pumping both and wasting a ton of product.

Final thoughts: if you can find it at a discount, then you may wish to try it. It's a great moisturizer with a good amount of SPF in it that doesn't leave your skin feeling oily, greasy, or sticky. However, if you do purchase it, be careful that you don't waste a huge amount of product trying to get both pumps to dispense product. And I wouldn't advise paying full price for this product as it is way more expensive (per oz) than more high end moisturizers.

Info:

Price: $13.99

Ingredients: Octinoxate (3%), Zinc Oxide (3.9%), Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Butylene Glycol, Phenyltrimethicone, Cetyl PG Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Nymphaea Coerulea Flower Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Hordeum Distichon Extract (Barley), Disodium Rutinyl Disulfate, PEG 3 Dimethicone, Polyacrylamide, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Copolymer, C13 14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Stearoxy, PG Hydroxyethylcellulose Sulfonate, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Laureth 7, Propylene Glycol, Iron Oxides, Disodium EDTA, 1,2 Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Tropolone, Fragrance (Parfum), Green 5, Yellow 5, Green 3

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: NARS Lip Gloss in Dolce Vita

I was going through my MacBook Pro when I got it back from the Apple store a few days ago and I came across a large batch of pictures from when I first started my blogger. I mentioned Dolce Vita in my last post, the review on Revlon's Super Lustrous gloss in Cherries in the Glow so I thought I'd post it. I actually photographed them the same day more than a year ago, haha, and then totally forgot about them!


Dolce Vita is my favorite shade of all time. Of all the drugstore and high end mauvy shades that I've come across this one is the only one that has enough pink in it (as opposed to brown) that it doesn't age me if I wear it full on. While the formula isn't one of my favorite,s the shade is perfect for me. It makes my blue eyes look amazing!

The applicator:

If you've never tried any of the glosses from NARS let me tell you, they are very thick, and you really need the doe foot to apply it. This is one of my biggest complaints about most of the NARS glosses. They are very thick and difficult to spread across you bare lips. I usually wear gloss over a balm anyway, but I know that many prefer to apply straight to the lips which can be uncomfortable. I also find it odd how NARS isn't consistent with the formula of their glosses. Some, like Giza, are perfect. They apply very smoothly, while others, like Dolce Vita and Striptease, are thick and difficult to wear. At first I thought that it was perhaps the shimmery ones that apply more difficultly because I don't have any problems with Chihuahua either, but Dolce Vita is matte as well so I've got no idea why there is such a discrepancy in texture.

Anyway, here's a swatch:

As you can see, it is VERY VERY pigmented. Like, crazy pigmented. It's a gorgeous cool mauve shade, a bit more on the rosy side. Really pretty with blue eyes and beige eyeshadow or just black eye liner!

A lip swatch:

It makes my lips look very pretty! It looks great with black eyeliner and mascara. It gives my lips this almost smoky/sultry look without being too over the top. If you like nudes of mauves than this is the must have shade for you!

However, while the shade is gorgeous, there are many aspects of this gloss that I absolutely hate. First off, the texture. Very thick, difficult to spread. Second, it smells, just absolutely reeks. Kinda like plastic and rubber. Ugh. It's not noticeable after a few minutes, but still, gross. Third, the packaging. I loved it at first because it didn't show my finger prints, but after a while you notice how everything sticks to it. Every bit of oil from your fingers, the powder you applied, the bit of glitter from you eye makeup, the pencil/pen in you bag. Everything ends up on the case and I find myself wiping it every few applications.

Not everything is bad, though. One HUGE plus for this gloss is the pigmentation. I apply this one over a balm so it's a lot more spreadable so I don't have to use as much. In fact, a little goes a long way and it gives really good shine. Usually I find that NARS glosses don't apply that shiny, more toned down which is good for work, but I find that this one applies very shiny, almost with a lacquer finish. I would recommend this gloss to anyone who likes rosier mauve shades. Otherwise, you may be too annoyed with the texture and smell of this gloss to wear it. I've been thinking of getting the lipstick version, but I'm gonna try to finish this one first.

Info:

Price: $24

Ingredients: Lanolin Oil, Polyisobutene, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Myristyl Lactate, Ozokerite, Cera Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera Wax), Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor), May Contain: Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491, 77492, 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 15850 (Red 6, Red 7 Lake), CI 45380 (Red 22 Lake), CI 45410 (Red 28 Lake), CI 73360 (Red 30 Lake), CI 17200 (Red 33 Lake), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 15985 (Yellow 6 Lake), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), CI 75470 (Carmine)

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Cherries in the Glow

I know, I promised this review back when I first started this blogger, but the pics just somehow got lost in the crush, you know? Well, better late than never, right? This lip gloss is one of my favorite drugstore shades ever. I don't think I've encountered anything quite like it at the drugstore ever. And if you've been reading my blog then you know how much I absolutely adore Revlon cosmetics, and this gloss delivers!


The shade that I'm obsessing over is 80, Cherries In The Glow. It is a deep, mauvy red that applies fairly sheer and looks stunning! I purchased it because it reminded me of NARS' Dolce Vita gloss, only warmer. It's not all that similar to Dolce Vita, but it is gorgeous in itself. It has just this hint of coral to it that perks up the skin and makes it look more golden. I love how when I apply it, even though I've got color on my lips it doesn't feel like I've got a ton of makeup on because it applies sheer.

If you'll notice as well, all of the newer Super Lustrous glosses have SPF 15 included, which is a big plus in my opinion. Gloss, on you lips, does the same thing that oil on your body does in the sun. Glosses have oils in them that focus the suns rays, damaging skin and possibly causing cancer so it's important to wear SPF on the lips, especially in summer when we tend to spend a lot more time outside. The sunscreen in this gloss does contribute to its scent, but it doesn't reek of sunblock like others do.

The applicator:

Just your standard doe foot. I think it fits this gloss perfectly because the formula is just a bit thicker than your average gloss so you really need something stiff to spread it around the lips. It's not overly sticky, though, so don't be put off by the thicker texture.

A swatch:

Gorgeous right? Most times when drugstore brands do deeper shades of gloss they are so pigmented that they are nearly unwearable. They are almost like liquid lipsticks at times. This gloss, however, is perfect. Lately, I've been wearing it with a smoky eye. Now, you may think that it would be too strong, but as it applies sheer it looks really nice, not too overpowering. I find that if I leave my lips bare or only wear a light color with a smoky eye, I tend to look washed out as my skin is very pale. My eyes then look like I've been punched :/ This gloss is perfect because it's a bit of a midtone, so it's not too dark, but it balances the shadow well.

As far as the formula goes, Revlon got it spot on. It's a thick formula, but by no means is it thin. On me it lasts very very well, usually about 3-4 hours comfortably. I can't stand anything on my lips when I'm eating so I can't tell you how well it will last through a meal, but I've yet to come across a single gloss that lasts through a cup of coffee much less a meal. While this gloss doesn't have much of a smell, there is a bit of a cloying taste, but it's unnoticeable after a few minutes. The only complaint I have about this gloss is shade specific. This shade tends to emphasize cracks/wrinkles on chapped or mature lips as, since it is sheer, the gloss seeps into the lines, making them seem darker. It's not too bad, just make sure that your lips are moisturized. Other than that, this is a great, affordable gloss. Made by Revlon, so there are a gazillion shades to choose from, so even if this one isn't your cup of tea I'm positive you will find something that suits you.

Info:

Price: $6.99

Ingredients: Octinoxate (7.5%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate), Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Malate, Polyethylene, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Vera Leaf Extract (Aloe Barbadensis), Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Serica (Silk Powder), Fragance, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Benzoic Acid, BHT, 1,2 Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Mica, Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Blue 1 (CI 42090) (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470)

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Quick Update: I'm going to a wedding today!!!

I'm sooo excited! A friend of mine is getting married today so I'll be spending the day at the wedding! I just wanted to let you guys know to expect some pics later on! And I hope that all of you have a really good weekend!

Review: CoverGirl Shadow Blast Cream Eyeshadows

Shades from top to bottom: Citrus Flair (my fave!!!), Bronze Fire, Silver Sky, Onyx Smoke, Tempest Blue, and Purple Plum.

A few weeks ago I received the full set of six CoverGirl Shadow Blasts to review. I know, late in coming, but better late than never, haha! Anyway, if you haven't seen them yet, these are cream eyeshadows. One end is a rounded stick meant for all over color, and the other end is a pointed stick meant for precision contouring but you can use them just about any way that you want. This really does make it easy to apply as all you need are your fingers to blend.

Here are the swatches:

Top to bottom: Citrus Flair, Purple Plum, Bronze Fire.


Top to bottom: Tempest Blue, Onyx Smoke, Silver Sky.

The actual product:

This is step one, the rounded side.


And this one's the pointed one. I suppose that sooner or late it will dull down and you'll either have another rounded one or you can sharpen it yourself to a point, but I suppose that would mean wasting product.

First off, I was very pleasantly surprised with the shade selection. CoverGirl really delivered there with a good selection of brights and wearable shades. My personal favorite shade is Citrus Flair, which is this gorgeous combo of lime green and this absolutely stunning burnt orange, which is all the rage this summer. I'm also really liking Bronze Fire for everyday. I smudge the darker side along the lash line and then highlight my inner corner with the lighter shade. I was really excited about Silver Sky, but it less wearable than I thought it would be. While the purple side is gorgeous, the lighter silver side doesn't apply that well as it is very sheer and glittery so it comes of looking a bit patchy. The purple shade makes up for the silver however, and looks really good as a liner. The one shade that I wouldn't recommend is Onyx Smoke. At first I thought that it could be a good smoky eye shade, but the black is on the sheer side so when you apply it is very difficult to get an even application and it looks messy, like you've had it on all night and didn't bother to wash your face in the morn. Plus, the white and the black seem very stark compared to the other shades.

As much as I really wanted to like these, they have a couple of major faults that make them unsuitable for every day easy use. First off, the cream sticks are a bit on the thin side and have a tendency to break off (sorta like a lipstick can) at the slightest pressure.

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:

I'm not talking putting it up all the way and then using it. I used these very carefully, only putting them up slightly so that the plastic wouldn't hit my eye, and they just kept breaking. I'd say that after the first few tests nearly half of them had at least one side that had broken off. Now, I just shoved them back into the container, but sooner of later they will pop out again or will push to the side as you can see with the purple one above. CoverGirl can easily fix this by making the sticks thicker, but I suppose then they'd have to give you a lot more product as well.

The next greatest fault of these products is lasting power, or rather the lack of it. I was very disappointed with how quickly these smudged, smeared, and creased. Not cool. I would say that these start to crease after 15-30 minutes depending on your eye shape, skin type, and primer. If you have a monolid, very inset eyes, or oily skin beware!!! Now, there are ways to wear this to avoid creasing. The way I've been wearing Bronze Fire is by smudging the darker side along my lash lines and then placing the lighter shade just under my eyebrow and into the inner corner of my eye. This way, there isn't much product in the areas that typically crease, but anything you put on the lower lash line will smudge. I don't recommend these for everyday use. I've been using them when I'm in a hurry and will not be out long. They're perfect for quickly running errands when you'll only be out for a couple of yours and don't want to spend half an hour applying a full makeup.

All is not lost with these. If you're new to makeup and just want to experiment with shades these are great. I love layering eye shadows over the brighter shades or just mixing them on my lid. While I don't wear brighter shades out, I love to experiment and these shadows make it easy. My favorite combination is Citrus Flair and Tempest Blue. The lighter shade in tempest blue goes amazingly well with the lime shade in Citrus Flair, almost giving your eye this mermaid sea green effect, which is stunning!

Overall, I cannot recommend these shadows. While they're fun to experiment with, they are not practical for every day use, which is what they are marketed for. I really wish that a drugstore brand could come out with something like MAC's Paint Pots. A cream shadow that actually has some decent lasting power. Until then, I'd stay away from drugstore cream shadows as almost all of them (from all the many many brands I've tried) crease like crazy:(

Info:

Price: $8.49 (retail for one)

Ingredients: Isostearyl Neopentanoate, C12 15 Alkyl Lactate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Tribehenin, Silica, Ozokerite, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Carnauba), Nylon 12, Propylparaben, Tocopherol, May Contain (+/-): Alumina, Aluminum Calcium Sodium Silicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Carmine (CI 75470), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 1 (CI 42090)

Disclosure: This product was provided for consideration. This blog is not compensated for writing reviews. All opinions presented stem from personal experience. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: MAC Coral Crepe Paint Pot (Pret-A-Papier)

When I first went to MAC my intention was to pick up a the Constructivist Paint Pot. However, when I got there I saw this baby and was just hooked. Coral Crepe is from the Pret-A-Papier collection which features a lot of warm neutrals for the most part. It is a soft coral paint pot that is absolutely gorgeous!!! At first, I was a bit wary. I mean, come on, orange on my face? Not likely. Until now. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it translated on my face and I've been using it all over, not just on my lids.



Here's a couple of swatches:

It's actually a bit of an odd shade. In the container it looks almost cool toned. You can see in the first picture that it looks like its predominately filled with silver shimmer. However, when swatched the gold really comes through and it almost looks a bit like a darker version of Nars Orgasm. Don't be intimidated by this shade. It is entirely wearable. I've been wearing it smudged just past my crease wit a bit of brown liner along my lash line and Shroom in the inner half of the eye and highlight. I'll post pics when I get my laptop back.

I really like how versatile this Paint Pot is. I've been using it as a shadow, blusher, and lip color. If you want to use it on your face I would advise you to work quickly. The shadow sets in I'd guess about 30 seconds and then it's almost impossible to blend it. Do one cheek/lid at a time and work quickly. It sets to a powder finish and DOES NOT BUDGE for the day. I put this on without any other base and it held up against my super oily lids until I took it off before going to bed. That's amazing in my book because no cream eyeshadow I've tried has lasted this well, and I've tried the ones from Bobbi Brown, Benefit, and MUFE. If you're planning on wearing this color on the lips, which looks really pretty and bronzy, it can be drying. I first put on a lip balm, then the paint pot, and then another layer of lip balm because if you don't it will set and the finish will feel dry and crinkly, almost. As a blusher and lip color it works best on lighter skin tones. If you're really dark it may was your lips out, so be careful.

WARNING: do not wear this color if you have red eyes or haven't gotten enough sleep. Seriously. You will look like you've spent the night crying. It's a great color, but I think everyone knows that when you've got irritated/tired eyes to avoid any reds because that will only make it look worse. Also, I'd advise that you apply this with a brush, because I've noticed that it looks a bit patchy when I apply with my fingers.

Other than that, I highly recommend this to anyone with blue eyes. It makes my eyes look like I'm wearing contacts, no joke! And it's a great base of neutrals. I'll post a couple of looks later on.

Info:

Price: $16.50 (for 5g/.17 oz)

Ingredients: Isodocecane, dimethicone, polyethylene, hydrogenated polyisobutene, quaternium-90 bentonite, dimethicone silylate, octyldodecanol, silica, trihydroxystearin, retinyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, lecithin, carnauba wax, propylene carbonate, triethoxycaprylylsilane. May contain: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride, blue 1 lake, carmine, chromium hydroxide green, chromium oxide greens ferric ferroxyanide, manganese violet, ultramarines, yellow 5 lake.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Sad :(

My very very new MacBook Pro crashed. Idk what happened so I took it to the Genius Bar at Apple. Hopefully they'll fix it. In the mean time, however, all those posts I put up in the sidebar under the heading "Upcoming Posts" aren't so upcoming anymore. It may be a while before I can post them as all of my pics were on my laptop :( I'll post with what I've already uploaded into drafts, so I'll still be posting, albeit not from my beloved MacBook :(

Review: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Petticoat

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago at the MAC counter at Macy's and I've been wearing it just about every day since. It's such a gorgeous powder and using it everyday is easy as it's so multi-purpose. I use it as an eyeshadow, highlighter, bronzer, and blush, so the possibilities are endless. This is just a review, but I'll post a some looks when I get the chance.



A couple of swatches:



L to R: Lightest area, darkest veining, a mix of the two.

As you can see, it looks different depending on how to pick up the product and the lighting, which I think is great. It's a very versatile product. I have a bit of trouble finishing blushes, highlighters, and bronzers, so anything that I can see myself using till the end is good. A lot of the other MSF's don't have nearly as much color variation so they aren't as versatile. Of course, this does depend on your skin tone. I am very pale so all of these colors show up great on me. If you have more tanned skin then this may be more of a highlighter and blush for you and may not be dark enough to be a bronzer or even a blush if you have a very deep skin tone. I was pleasantly surprised by how warm this MSF is. The pink in it had me picturing it a lot cooler, but it is very warm and works well for summer.

As far as the actual powder is concerned, the texture varies. The lightest part is a very fine powder, but the darker veining, particularly the gold, can be a bit gritty. If you tap the brush before you apply however, you shouldn't have any problems with that grittyness translating onto your face when you apply it. And while it is a bit gritty, I wouldn't say that it is glittery. I didn't see any glitter particles, but rather a fine shimmer. I was also pleased with how well this lasted on my oily skin. Most highlighters or blushes/bronzers with shimmer tend to just make me look oily and then slide off. This lasted on my face and eye lids throughout the day.

I highly recommend this to anyone with very pale skin because not only is it gorgeous, but it also saves me a ton of time in the morning. All I need when I'm in a hurry is this MSF, tinted moisturizer, powder, mascara, and two brushes (eye and face). In under five mins I look gorgeous. And it looks like I've got something different on every part of my face as opposed to the same color everywhere, which I absolutely love! The only warning I give is that it is a very high shimmer, almost metallic finish, so if you dislike that, don't purchase it. When applying, use a light hand so that you don't look like a disco ball. While it is a bit pricey it is well worth the money, especially with how much product you get.

Info:

Price: $28 (for 10g/.35 oz)

Ingredients: Talc, nylon-12, dimethicone, polysorbate 20,m isopropyl palmitate, simmondsia, chinesis (jojoba) seed oil, yeast extract,tocopherol acetate,retinyl palmatate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate magnesium aluminum silicate, bht, dosium dehydroacetate, phenocyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and other ingredients vary per color.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

My Teenie Tiny MAC Haul!

I stopped by the MAC counter at Macy's a couple of weeks ago and picked up a couple of pretty items. Not much of a haul, I know, but if you've been reading my blog for a while now you know I usually purchase my cosmetics at Sephora or the Drugstore, so this is special.

I picked up two items:

L to R: Coral Crepe Paint Pot and Petticoat MSF

Some closeups:

Petticoat MSF


Coral Crepe Paint Pot. This baby is absolutely stunning. I don't have anything even remotely close to this color in my collection so I'm pretty excited, haha! If you haven't gotten it yet, run to the counter! Especially if you've got blue eyes!!!

That's it for now. Reviews are coming soon!!!

The view from Mt. Skinner in MA!!!

I just wanted to share a few beautiful pictures from a few days back when a group of friends and I hiked up Mt. Skinner in MA. I'll be honest, I'm not the most outdorsy adventurous person, but I'd heard that the view was gorgeous. It's not that big of a mountain, but the view was absolutely stunning. I hope you're all having a great summer so far! Feel free to share what you've done so far in comments!