February 2011 favourites!

These favourite posts are a work in progress for me.  So they may appear differently from month to month until I find a format that I like.  Anyway, here are the things I've been using more than others this month! 

FACE

Foundation: Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse with MAC MSF natural to set - still loving this combination, especially as my skin is a bit more dry with all this freezing cold weather

Concealer: Lancome Effacernes Concealer-got this with my Lancome gift with purchase, review pending

Eye primer: MAC's Painterly paint pot-love, this is a must have product


Highlight: Tarte Smooth Operator illuminating serum-been putting this on before my foundation, beautiful results

EYES, LIPS, CHEEKS

Eyes: Nars Ashes to Ashes; Benefit's Creaseless Shadow in Skinny Jeans - recent purchases I've been testing, reviews pending on both

Cheeks: Maybelline NY Expert Wear blush in Plushed Plum - not sure if this was being discontinued because I got this on a clearance sale last fall, gorgeous deep plum color that I use as both a blush and contour; Hoola by Benefit - I forgot how much I love this bronzer, I've been scraping the last bits of it from the bottom of the pan, I haven't been using this on my cheeks as much but a few sweeps across my forehead to just to warm up my face a bit

Lips: Revlon Soft Nude; Balmshell mini gloss in Shopaholic; Aquaphor - not a lot of color I know but Soft Nude looks great with a bit of Shopaholic over top and Aquaphor is just great at keeping my lips nice & soft

HAIR

Just a quick hair product suggestion.  I use whatever I can to keep my hair feeling moisturized in this dry, cold weather.  This is a great little leave in conditioner that smells amazing to boot.  Even better, you can usually find it for under $4 at the drugstore.

So what about you, what are your favourites this month?

Product I regret buying - Perfekt Skin Perfection Gel review

I just don't get it.  The reviews on this product are generally favourable, but this just did not work for me.  


Here's the story.  I bought this at a Sephora in Florida. The product was expensive, $57USD for a 1oz container.  Maybe the heat got to me because it is very unusual for me to spend this much money on one product.  Let alone one that I haven't researched!  It comes with an airless pump, which I like, but some report that the pump doesn't work well after a while.  

Sephora happened to have the rep for Perfekt in the store that day.  This rep swayed me into believing that this was the product I needed to own.  She applied it to my face & she convinced me that it did what she said it would.  She said this would replace the need for foundation, give my skin an even tone & leave my face feeling like silk.  I kind of felt like I was making a mistake when I bought it, but I still somehow left the store with it in hand.  I bought it in the shade 'luminous', which is described as a very light natural shade, ideal for fair skin tones.


This is how you're told to apply it; 
Use after moisturizer. Simply pat, smooth and go!  Pat a pearl-sized amount onto face and neck, smooth with fingertips.  DO NOT RUB. No sponge or brush is required. Use sparingly as Skin Perfection Gel blends easily and is not diluted with water. If more coverage or perfection is desired, Skin Perfection Gel is buildable.

Well I did that, or tried to do that.  I'd just like you all to try and pat a product all over your face.  It just gets tedious. Your inclination is to rub or blend but patting..not so much?  I did attempt to pat it on & then smooth it lightly with my fingers but it looked like I had nothing on my skin.  I can definitely tell you that the rep also used a lot more than a pearl sized amount on my face.

I also tried stippling this on my face with a stippling brush.  That just left it looking blotchy in some spots & bare in others.  I threw in the towel on the patting & just rubbed it in, nope.  I also used my Sigma F80 to stipple it on then buff it in.  NONE of these methods worked.  At least not the way the product is represented to work.

This is what their website says about it;
A skin perfector that instantly per-fekts and enhances the appearance of the skin offering an easy alternative to traditional foundation, primer, color corrector and powder.

How does it work?
This multi-tasking, modern gel-mousse glides on effortlessly to instantly improve skin tone, help maintain hydration, and reduce the appearance of redness and discoloration, enlarged pores, fine lines and shine. Antioxidants; Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamins A and E help to protect the surface of the skin from free radical damage. Skin Perfection Gel provides natural, buildable coverage and leaves the skin with a smooth, airbrushed finish.

Well maybe if you had perfect skin, in that case why would you even need this.  I felt it gave me very little, if any coverage.  In fact if I tried to build on it, it would almost start to roll up into little balls of foundation on my skin...not exactly optimal.  It also left my skin greasier & greasier feeling, the more I applied.

Bare hand

About one pump of the product on the right side of my hand

Product 'tapped' in to the right hand side of my hand.  Slight difference but barely noticeable.

At best, it acts like a primer. I used it one day under my Laura Mercier mineral foundation & it was okay but wouldn't even be my primer of choice.  This product contains silicone, which gives a slip on your skin, but if you don't like silicone primers you also won't like this.  It ended up feeling quite greasy on my skin & like it was just never fully absorbed.

So in the end, it was a big fat fail for me.   I actually had thought I would just chalk it up to an impulse purchase that didn't work, until last week when I was at Sephora.  For those that read my haul post you might remember that I mentioned how much I didn't like this product to the Sephora sales associate.  She explained that I can bring it back, even if I purchased it in November in Florida.  I am stoked.  It kind of feels like found money.

If you are one of the many people who have enjoyed this product, I'm happy it worked for you. I'd love to know your secret.  To those considering it, I did see a sample size of this at Sephora for $17CAD, which would be a much less expensive way to give this a try.

Have you tried this?  What did you think?

Friday's Fabulous Find

It's Friday!  I've been thinking about doing a regular series on Fridays & was trying to come up with something brilliant, or at least inspired.  I tossed a few ideas around, but once I saw a certain post this week, I knew I had found it.   

I'm going to try & post a Friday's Fabulous Find every, wait for it,...Friday.  Or at least most Fridays anyway.  This is intended to give a shout out to a great blog post I read during the week, not only sharing the information but highlighting a fellow blogger.  It may be about a product, a look, fashion, food, whatever strikes me as fabulous that week.  


This week's Fabulous Find is a post that AmericanBridget (Jones) wrote, that made my week.   If you aren't familiar with this blog, her header says it all 'A deliciously cynical view as life as a Singleton.  And, there's no such thing as a bad pomegranate martini'.  Love it.  

This week she wrote a post that had me laughing out loud.  Do yourself a favour & check out this week's Fabulous Find, one of the funniest things I've read in a long time....Yoga & the Virgin.  

Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara - review!

When I first heard about this I was really curious & excited to try it.   This was the first I had heard of a mascara specifically designed for just your bottom lashes...genius really.  

I don't know about you but I don't need, or want, the look of really long spidery bottom lashes, but I do like them defined.  I find with a lot of my mascaras that the wand is a great size for the top lashes, but then too big & bulky for the bottom.  Which can result in some clumpy looking lashes or spots of mascara below my lower lash line..neither is preferable.  I also find that sometimes there is just too much length, resulting in that feathery look that I don't prefer.   Typically I end up pulling off excess mascara with my finger tips to avoid this.  Don't judge me if this is weird.

Anyway, I set off to try this after reading a bit about it on the Clinique website.  This is what it looks like; 

My pinky nail for comparison!

How freaking adorably cute is that little brush, it is so teeny, tiny.  Which is one of the things I love about it.  Despite being so small, I found this was actually quicker to apply on my bottom lashes, than a regular wand mascara, because it is so precise.  You can cover even the tiniest of lashes with this little wand.  I can go over my lashes quickly & easily and get a perfectly defined look every time. I've never had an issue with clumping..really how could you?  It also didn't flake or leave any residue, after a full days wear.  

I attempted to get some photos of my bottom lashes to show you this mascara in action.  I hope you appreciate how hard this was for me and Mr. J., total comedy of errors!  I need to work on my eye photos so bear with me here.  

This is me without any mascara, or eye makeup I might add.  The things I won't do for this blog!

This is about one & a half coats, gone over in a few spots but that's it!

Sorry for the exposure, quality, etc., but I hope you get the idea.  I have only the bottom lash mascara on, nothing on the top lashes.  

This cost me $12CAD and I think it's worth it.  This comes in Black and Black/Brown.  I know some people may think that it's a pain to use two mascaras, and yes okay that is a valid point.   Honestly though that doesn't bother me because this is so quick to use & just makes applying mascara to your bottom lashes so much easier!

The other thing that I love this mascara for, is those little lashes at the very outer & inner corners of your lash lines, both top & bottom. This works like a dream for that.  I love highlighting those lashes, it just adds such a nice pop to your eyes when these lashes are defined and this is the perfect tool to do that.   Overall I would give it a thumbs up!

Have you tried this mascara?  What do you think?

I finished it..not once, but twice! ELF body lotion in Vanilla Coconut

I don't know if I'm alone here, but I do love this product. I am on my 3rd tube of this lotion, in less than a year. What is it? ELF bath & body lotion in Vanilla Coconut.

I believe the 235g size lotion is the same size as Bath & Body Works creams. It retails for $4 on eyeslipsface.com. I have found this at some Zellers stores in my area and it costs the same as the website price...$4, no mark-up. Gotta love that.


What I love about this lotion? The smell first of all, it is addictive and I can't get enough of it. It leans much more heavily towards the vanilla, than the coconut. So if you aren't a vanilla scent fan, then you won't like this. It just reminds me of a tropical scent, one that I would use after a day on the beach.


Second, the lotion itself. It comes out extremely thick, but not so thick that it is difficult to get out of the tube.

Hopefully you can see the texture, see how it doesn't drip from the container? The amount on my hand is enough to do both of my arms, easily.


This lotion is infused with almond oil, coconut milk and coco butter. It's a creamy lotion that absorbs quite easily, but not so quickly that you don't even know you applied it. It isn't at all greasy, but just leaves my skin feeling silky smooth. I tend just to use this on my arms. I find if I use it on my legs as well I obviously run out of it much quicker than I like, but it can be used all over if you choose. I also use this every night on my hands & even Mr. J has commented on how much he likes the scent. It has kept my over washed hands very soft, despite the harsh winter weather we've had this year.


These lotions are made without animal testing, here are the ingredients;

I love that I can get this locally & don't have to order it online at eyeslipsface.com. Although I was alarmed that my usual Zellers didn't have any last week, I hope that isn't a sign of things to come.


Have you tried any of the ELF lotions? What do you think of them?

The Dangers of Dirty Makeup Testers

What is up with the dirty make-up testers?

Taken by me at a local WalMart, you could tell this was fairly new & hadn't been out long,
 yet someone had put big gouges in it already!

Photo Source: http://fashionindie.com

Nothing turns me off more than dirty, gummy makeup testers.  I fault the store somewhat, but even more I fault the people who are gunking these up.  Who are you?  Who would smush a lipstain, etc, into an unrecognizable stump and just leave it.  Or who would take the lid off something & not bother to replace it?  Worst of all...who the heck is opening the items that aren't testers, ruining them for purchase.  I was at a Canadian grocery/household goods store last week & the makeup testers were pretty much all a disgusting mess, such a turn off. I would never apply any of these things to my face, even with a separate applicator, but I don't even want to put some of them on my hand.  Let's stop the madness!    

      Photo Source: http://fashionindie.com

The following article is a good reminder that we need to protect ourselves at the make-up counter.  As disgusting as this is, it's important that we educate ourselves about the dangers of dirty make-up!

Dr Oz & Paula Begoun Reveal the Dangers at the Makeup Counter & How to Protect Yourself

It’s scary but true:  A recent study found 100% of all the products that were tested were contaminated, some with E. coli.  WOW!  Dr Oz tested products from his local area and also found strep and yeast in the products.

A 2-year study of germs at the makeup counter found that 100% of samples were contaminated with bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus(Staph), strep and E. Coli (the poop germ). It didn’t matter if the store was on Fifth Avenue or Main Street says Dr Oz. 

Dr Oz says every time you touch one of those contaminated testers you risk making the biggest beauty blunder of your life.

The Bacteria at the Makeup Counter - Those pretty shiny testers are touched by hundreds of women who may harbor pink eye, herpes, a cold or flu, or simply hands that weren’t washed after going to the bathroom. They're loaded with bacteria and feces and even e-coli says Paula. She said there is no evidence that your actually getting sick from it, herpes or anything, but most germs are there and just because it's not recorded doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Dr Oz triangle of death (your eyes, nose and mouth) is when bacteria goes through the mucus membrane straight back to the brain. Bacteria, virus's and fungi, all of which were found on the samples, can get right into our blood stream.

Studies found the highest levels of contamination were samples on the weekend, the lowest levels were on Thursday afternoon. 

What can you do?

Use single-use applicators - Have an alcohol spray or ask at the counter for one and spray the tube of lipstick before trying it on and swab it from the side.  

For lip gloss in tubes squeeze out a little bit of it and use a single use applicator to apply.

Disinfect lipsticks, pencils and brushes.  Use a Kleenex to wipe off the top layer of eye shadows, blushes, and powders and apply with a cotton ball or individual applicator.

Take your own mascara for a makeover - everyone is re dipping the same applicator in the mascara and applying it to the eyes and then it is used on someone else.

Test makeup on your wrist or the back of your hand instead of applying it directly to your face.

Wash your skin immediately after trying on makeup.

What do you all think?  Are we all shuddering just a little bit after reading this?  

Source: http://dailyhealthweb.blogspot.com May 20, 2010

Sephora Haul - I used my gift cards!

In an effort not to squirrel things away or hold on to them forever, I decided to use two Sephora gift cards I got for Christmas.  I have been making a list of items I wanted to try, excitedly deciding what I would buy.   Want to see what I bought?  

For so much money it's hard to believe it all fit in this little bag, you can't really tell from the picture but it's t t t tiny!

Well hello Skinny Jeans Creaseless Cream Shadow by Benefit.  I've been 

wanting you for so long!  Supposed to be great on it's own or as a base, can't

wait to try it.  $24CAD

Multiple award winner & highly rated reviews for this next one, Fresh 

Supernova & Firebird Mascaras.  $11.50CAD (these are the minis)

My first full sized Bare Minerals product.  I got the small size Mineral Veil illuminator in my 

Glitz & Glam kit, now I have the original Mineral Veil, an all over finishing & setting powder that is said to give you that air brushed finish. I actually wanted Well Rested but they were completely out & she said they haven't had any in stock in ages...! $24CAD

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine, smells as yummy as they say..I couldn't help

but try it right away!  Has a slight pink tinge & is said to make your lips so soft.  Not a big fan of sticking my finger in things, but these kinds of products I save to use at home.  $13CAD

My first ever NARS eyeshadow, in the much talked about & highly

raved about color...Ashes to Ashes, said to be the perfect taupe colored shadow. They also gave me a NARS poreless primer sample, as a Beauty Insider. (Which is a free program that you have to join if you shop at Sephora) $26CAD

They were out of the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening powder, which I was intending 

to buy as a setting powder for my under eye concealer.  On the plus side the sales associate gave me a very generous sample to try!

Philosophy's Pure Grace rollerball "because nothing smells better than soap and 

water clean"...I couldn't agree more.  I love the Grace scents, perfect for those that like a more 

subtle, fresh scent. (You reading this Fairygirl?)  And the rollerball is so easy to 

carry in your purse.  $23CAD

All in all a great day, I felt so spoiled and thankful.  A great makeup shopping day is rare for me these days, because I'm on a strict budget and trying hard to stick to it.  All of this cost me just over $7....so even more exciting!  

A couple of things that were disappointing.  Sephora lately has been a bit lacking lately, is this just me?  I found they were out of a number of items, the samples were a bit messy and the sales staff were less than knowledgeable.  One salesgirl was getting me some makeup remover for all the samples on my hand, and got distracted by her reflection, stopping to fix her hair.  And not just a quick fix, but standing there staring at herself lost in space & totally forgetting about me.  Wow.  Also they no longer carry some lines that they used to like Cargo or Lorac, which is disappointing.  There were very few, if any, collection kits.  These are those kits that have a number of different products in them, usually in a sample size (like the Glitz & Glam).  I was looking forward to looking at these and there really weren't any there.  


On a happy note, I told the sales staff that I was not in love with the Perfekt Skin Perfection Gel, that I had bought in Florida. That review is a story for another day.  

I didn't think I could return it since it was bought in the States & I would be returning it in Canada...3 months later.  They told me that Sephora stands behind what they sell, and that if I didn't like it I could bring it back.  I have the receipt, so I can either exchange it or get my money back.  I already know what I'm going to get with the refund, but I'll post about once I do the exchange!  Needless to say though, this made me very happy.  


If you see anything you'd like a review on, please let me know!  I'm excited to try it all and give you my thoughts.  And I still have one more generous gift card, so while I have some ideas I'd love to hear all of your suggestions for future purchases.

Check out Amber's birthday giveaway!

Hey everyone, check out Amber's giveaway over at Lipgloss-flipflops.  She's hosting this great giveaway in honour of her birthday & has included a lot of ELF products, including one of my favourite blushes! 


Click on her blog link to check it out, you have until March 11th to enter.  Good Luck to everyone.  

I'm feeling the love!

Just a quick note to say I reached 100 subscribers (now 101 & counting), on Valentines Day Eve.  Wow, I'm truly blown away!

Image Source: weheartit.com

My 100th subscriber was Rainy Days & Lattes.  Go check out her blog, she just did the cutest  Valentines Day look, where she tells you about a dupe for Nars Giza, a beautiful nude colored gloss.  Oh, and she's also similarly obsessed with finding the perfect concealer.


Thank you so much to everyone who follows my little blog.   I have really enjoyed this whole blogging world & have met so many fabulous & interesting cyber friends from all over the world.   


I won't bore you with the all of the reasons why I started this blog.  I will tell you this has come at a great time in my life & I am truly thankful that anyone would want to read what I have to say.  To share these things with people who truly love beauty products & not just force it upon my poor friends/family has been wonderful.  I have also found some great non beauty related blogs, that inspire me daily.  I had no idea that the blogging world was so vast & talented! 


My intention is to host a little thank you giveaway soon, that I hope you will all enjoy.  I have been slowly buying things here & there and want it to be just right before I post it.  I can't wait, stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'm having a great time and I look forward to all that is to come.  I appreciate you all who take the time out of your busy lives, to stop, read, and comment on what I have to say.  So thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Review of the Sigmax brushes from Sigma Beauty

Well this review has been long overdue.  I got the Synthetic Face kit from Sigma, as one of my Christmas gifts last year.  This kit comes with the three Sigmax high density brushes.  Here's what they look like; 

        F80  Flat Top Kabuki      F82 Round Top Kabuki        F84 Angled Top Kabuki

According to Sigmabeauty.com, these brushes are intended for high definition, flawless makeup application.  The Sigmax filament is specially designed to apply both powder & liquid products without absorption into the fibers.  The shape, density and height of the filaments were carefully engineered to perfectly buff products onto the skin, resulting in a high definition effect.

Their description is truly accurate.  I have never used such dense brushes before.  While they are dense they are all incredibly soft & feel so nice on my skin.  I have read that some people find these tougher to clean because they are so dense, but I didn't really find that to be the case.  I use baby shampoo diluted with water in the palm of my hand.  I swirl the brush around until clean & then rinse, careful not to allow water past the ferule.  I do have to be sure to rinse these thoroughly, just to ensure I remove any trace of the soap.  I find they take a bit longer to dry, than most of my brushes, but that doesn't bother me...I just have to plan ahead.

Breaking them down individually, let's start with the the F84 (F=face in their brush numbering system).

The F84 is the Angled Top Kabuki and the one I have been using to apply my contour bronzer.  I typically daub the brush into my bronzer and then turn it on it's side, so I'm applying it using the length of the brush first.  I then hold it so that I use the entire span of the brush to blend it in.  This works great for me (if you can picture it) and makes blending so much easier.   It blends the product in so well that it's easy to remove any obvious lines, even with products that don't blend as easily.  I think it might be a little tougher to use when applying blush as you could easily overdo it, but you just have to be aware of that.  These brushes can really pack on the product!

Next is the F82

The F82 is the Round Top Kabuki.  It might be hard to tell from this picture, but you can see from the top photo how small the actual brush is.  It is very domed & densely packed.  This is the brush I have the most trouble with.  First after only a few uses, the ferule came loose & it started to wiggle back and forth-I hate that.  I did contact the company and they said they will be sending me a new brush (I'll keep you posted on that).  Also I can't quite figure out how to use this properly.  I have seen reviews that say they use it to buff foundation around their nose or that they use it for cream blushes.  This brush is so densely packed, so in trying to buff my foundation around my nose I ended up removing most of it.  The same goes for the cream blusher & I also removed most of the foundation underneath it.  I'm going to have to work with this a bit longer to try and figure it out.  

Finally the F80

The F80 is the Flat Top Kabuki and my absolute favourite brush of the bunch!  I do love my flat top brush from ELF, but this is better..hands down.  The ELF brush is not nearly as dense & does not buff as well as this brush does, nor is it as soft.  The F80 buffs both cream & powder foundations into my skin beautifully, especially the cream ones.  I do feel like it gives some of that air brushed effect when I'm done.   It's not a miracle worker mind you, you're skin is still your skin.  But the product just looks less obvious and seamless on your face.  

None of these brushes have any issues with shedding.  In fact I've barely lost a hair on any of the three, which is impressive.  I am happy to own these brushes, but if you could only buy one I would highly recommend the F80, which retails for $16USD on the Sigma beauty website.  

I will definitely buy more brushes from this site, and have my eye on the small contour F05, the tapered highlighter brush F35..oh and the retractable kabuki, to name a few. 

I also got the Naughty in Black travel kit as a gift, but I haven't used those brushes enough to give you a full review yet.  We all now know my issues with putting nice things aside & keeping them pristine and I'm really wanting to save this kit for actual 'travel'.  

Sigma really promotes their brushes among the beauty community, so just to be clear I was not sent any of these brushes and I have no affiliation with the company.  These opinions are my own.  

Do you have any Sigma brushes?  Which ones are on your wish list?

Comparison of the ELF Golden bronzer vs ELF Warm bronzer!

This will be a quick comparison of the ELF Golden bronzer & the ELF Warm bronzer.  

I have owned the Golden bronzer for months now & just bought the Warm bronzer at a local Winners.  Quick side note, it was $6.99CAD which is a large mark-up as you can purchase this online at eyeslipsface.com for $3USD, plus shipping.  But, I really like the Golden bronzer & wanted to try the other bronzers in the mineral line for a while now.  I don't have an ELF order pending, so I decided to buy it now.  

I primarily use the Golden bronzer, swirled all together, as more of a highlight.  There is some color to it but it is subtle.  I don't use it to contour or on my forehead, because it has quite a bit of shimmer in it.   You can use the colors individually, but because of the shimmer in them I typically don't do that, except to use the top right pinkish color as a cheek highlight on it's own.  

This is how they look along with the website descriptions of these products;

Golden Bronzer- An illuminating shimmer that is subtle and radiant. Ideal for summer or year-round. 

Warm Bronzer- The warm shimmer that will bring a glow to your face. Ideal for summer or year-round.

After reading the descriptions I wondered who (besides me) would even think they needed both, other than one is supposed to make you subtly shimmer & one gives you a shimmery glow.  Hmmm.  Now in my defence I will admit that I originally thought I had found the matte bronzer from ELF, but it turns out that is the 'Cool bronzer'.   

Here they are side by side, you can see the Golden actually looks like it has shimmer & it's more subtle in the Warm; 

Golden Bronzer                  Warm Bronzer

Colors from bottom to top of my hand: 1) Top left color from golden 2) Top left color from warm 3) Top right color from golden 4) Top right color from warm

Left shades from bottom right of bronzers: Bottom from Golden, Top from Warm

Right shades from bottom left of bronzers: Bottom from Golden, Top from Warm

I need help with labelling of these swatches so I hope that makes sense.  What sticks out to me is that the color payoff was stronger for each individual color from the Golden bronzer vs. the Warm.  That is surprising considering that the Warm bronzer actually looks a bit deeper in color in the pan.  

This is my attempt to get a swatch of all the colors swirled together; 

Can you see it?  No?  I know, it's barely visible but if you look near to the top side of my arm you can see a slight shimmer.  That is the Golden bronzer & the Warm bronzer was to the left of it.  Sad...I know, but I tried.  

Bottom line for me is that I don't think there is a need to own both of these bronzers, as they are incredibly similar. The only real differences come when you swatch them individually & primarily that was only for the bottom two colors.  The top colors swatch as pretty much identical.  I also can see a bit more shimmer from the Golden bronzer when swirled together, but it is barely noticeable.  Otherwise they are exactly the same to me.   

I do plan on getting the Cool bronzer eventually, and will be curious to see if there is much of a difference there.  What do you all think of these?  Do you own the any of the bronzers from ELF?