Beautypedia is now free!

Have you heard of Beautypedia?  Regular readers of this blog will know that I have referred to Paula Begoun more than a few times.  Paula is the author of the 'Don't go to the Cosmetic Counter without me' books.  Along with her own product line (which I plan to try but haven't yet), she & her Cosmetic Cops team also have a website called Beautypedia.com.  

On this site you can find reviews on beauty products, skin care advice, information about product ingredients and much more.  Up until this past week, you had to pay a subscription fee in order to access the site.  Not anymore!  It is now free for everyone.  


There is a huge amount of information on this site, so be prepared to be there a while if you check it out.  Here is their website description; 

About Beautypedia

Beautypedia is the definitive online source of reliable, in-depth researched information on cosmetic products. You’ll find thousands of candid, research-supported reviews from international best-selling beauty author Paula Begoun and her team. You’ll enjoy access to detailed, scientifically validated cosmetic critiques you won’t find anywhere else online! From major name brands to smaller boutique, home shopping, infomercial, and spa lines, it’s all here so you save money and find the best products for your skin.
Beautypedia.com offers:

• Thousands of skin care and makeup reviews from well-known and niche brands
• An easily searchable database and intuitive organization to quickly find what you're looking for
• Dozens of new product reviews added monthly, plus daily updates as needed
• Complete ingredient lists for every skin-care product in the database
• Documented research about ingredient efficacy (or lack thereof)
• A Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary of over 3,000 common and obscure ingredients
• Access to Paula’s latest articles about skin care and makeup
• A mobile version to use with your iPhone or Android smart phone device

Paula Begoun is recognized worldwide as The Cosmetics Cop. For the past three decades she has tirelessly reported on the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly side of the billon dollar cosmetics industry. Her candid reviews are backed by published scientific studies and countless interviews with cosmetic chemists, dermatologists, oncologists, toxicologists, regulatory experts, raw material suppliers, and numerous industry insiders.


Like anything, you'll find some things you agree with and some you don't.  But overall it's another great resource you can use to help you decide how to spend your beauty dollars.  


Have you ever used Beautypedia?  What sites do you use for your product research?

My favourite way to apply it - Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation

Here is the latest edition of 'My favourite way to apply it'.  This time it's about how I apply my Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation.  I've tried a few different ways to apply this foundation, but have now settled on a routine that works best for me.  This is how I do it;

I use my beloved Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki brush! 

I daub the brush straight up & down into the foundation, then I stipple it on my face.  I only need to tap it into the foundation a few times, as the product sits on top of the brush & doesn't absorb into the bristles. 

 I tap it a few times on each cheek, my chin and forehead.  Once I've tapped it on, I start buffing it in.  This blends beautifully and seamlessly this way.  Here's the process demonstrated on my hand.

Bare hand

Foundation dotted on hand

Buffed in


For heavier coverage, you can repeat the process but I usually just do this once.  If I need more coverage after one application I use the MAC MSF Natural as a finishing powder, as that also provides some coverage.  

I was using my ELF flat top kabuki before the Sigma brush & that works fairly well, but the F80 just blends better & gives the skin a polished finish.  I think the difference is in the density of the brush & how easy it is to get rid of any edges on lines when you use this.

How about you, do you own this foundation and how do you apply it?

Is your skin glowing yet? Cod Liver Oil Update

As you may remember I'm on a quest for healthy skin and recently started taking Cod Liver Oil. You can read my original post and raves for this product here.  Just as a reminder, I originally bought this; 

I have been taking CLO for about two months now & have a few updates.  First, I believe my skin is shinier (in a good way), healthier & happier.  The only problem here is that it's hard to attribute this to just one thing.  It could be my skin care, my Clarisonic, the Cod Liver Oil, diet, stress, etc. and likely is a combination of things.
  
However one of the points that stuck with me in the original raves about using Cod Liver Oil, was how successful it was at curbing hormonal breakouts, especially those ones like I tend to get on my chin.  I do think that taking the CLO helped curb those a bit, along with everything else I've been doing.  But unfortunately I've still had a few breakouts and didn't have the absolute success that they talked about in the article.  


I went back and re-read it and thought that maybe the quality of the CLO I got, wasn't quite up to snuff.  I sort of suspected that when I got this, but I wanted the Costco brand to work wonders given that it cost me about $6 for that big tub!  So off I went to my favourite local health food store and found a new source of CLO to try.  This is what I bought;

Nordic Natural Arctic Cod Liver Oil
90 Soft Gel capsules

The sales associate at my health food store immediately recommended this one to me, after hearing what I was after.  There were other lines that they carried, some more expensive than this one.  This cost me $25CAD for 90 capsules. If I take one a day, this is roughly a three month supply or a month and half at two capsules a day.  Still affordable in my mind. 


She explained that the difference was in the quality of the oil, which of course makes sense.  She said that with Costco brand CLO you're likely getting a blend of oils and can't be assured of the getting the purest CLO.  When I went back and re-read the article it basically says the same thing, but of course I had to try the less expensive route first.  


I'm not saying that the Costco brand didn't do anything for me, but I think it can be even better.  I have been using the new CLO for less than two weeks now, so not enough time to give a full review.  I'll keep using it & keep you posted.  


How about you, have you started taking Cod Liver Oil?  Which one do you take?

Friday's Fabulous Find - I got mail!

So this week's Fabulous Find is about a package I got in the mail.  Don't you love getting packages...always exciting, well almost always anyway.  This week I came home to find this, sticking out of mailbox, for all to see I might add. Sigh...yes Mr. Postman please don't attempt to put it fully in our mailbox, where it wouldn't be seen.  Please leave it propped up on an odd angle, poking out as if to say..no one is home here. You could come & take this and no one would likely even notice. But I digress.  Where was I?  Oh right, getting a package.  

So exciting!  

Have you guessed what it is already?  You might remember from my Sigma Sigmax brush review, that I mentioned that the ferrule had come loose on my F82 round top kabuki brush.  

You can see my full review here

So I contacted the company on Jan. 12th, they answered me the next day and said that I must have received a defective brush.  They said they would send me a new one, once I provided them with my initial order invoice.  I sent that to them the same day and that was that.  By Feb. 10th I still hadn't received my brush so I contacted the company via email once again.  Again they answered me right away and said they would send me a new brush.  Well this week it finally arrived!  

Even though it took them a while to make it right, I do appreciate that they did.  I had offered to send my original brush back to them but they did not require that, which saves me the hassle of putting it in the mail, etc.  So even with the delay, I'm happy with service I received from Sigma and so happy with my Sigmax brushes.  

Oh and in my first review I hadn't quite figured out what to do with this brush.  Well I can tell you now, it's a dream for blending in foundation or concealer in those hard to get areas around your nose.  Works perfect for that.  Also nice for blending cream blush, just be sure to use a light hand because this brush is so dense that you could end up blending it all away.  

Happy Friday everyone!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Skinny Jeans - Photos & quick review

Benefit's creaseless cream shadow/liners are a favourite of many & a multiple award winning product.  I have been wanting to try one for a while now  & finally got my first one in the colour Skinny Jeans.  Here is what it looks like; 

Skinny Jeans is a lovely grey, taupe, silver shimmery colour that is easily worn lightly for a daytime look or built up for a more dramatic look.  This shadow is creamy and easy to apply, either with your finger or a brush.  These shadows come in 11 colors and are able to be worn on their own or with other shadows.  


Benefit claims that these are creaseless & smudge proof.  I have worn this shadow on it's own with and without a primer, also over a paint pot, and with other shadows layered over top.  I haven't had any issues with creasing or smudging, no matter which way I chose to wear it!  I also used this as a bottom liner one day & it stayed exactly where I put it, without straying. 


I did find the shadow faded a bit over time when worn on it's own, but it didn't disappear entirely.  If I applied it over a paint pot or a primer, it stayed pretty true the entire time I wore it.  

Without flash: Left-No primer or base  Right-Over MAC Painterly Paint Pot
More muted when applied over the Paint Pot, less shimmer showing through

With Flash: Same as above, Right side over Painterly
Appears a lot lighter over Painterly, but it actually appeared to be just more of a muted, lighter grey in person

On it's own Skinny Jeans has more shimmer to it than when put overtop of a paint pot.  Over Painterly it's a more matte, subdued look with a slight shimmer.  On it's own, I can see the shimmer on my eyes but it doesn't drift down onto my face, like some shimmery shadows can do.  


I have read so many great reviews on Skinny Jeans, but it wasn't until I saw a particular video on youtube, that I was completely sold.  

This video is done by the lovely MakeupbyAlli, you can click here to watch her Glowy Grey Eye Makeup video, where she uses Benefit's Skinny Jeans.  If you watch a few of her videos you'll she uses this product quite often in her eye looks and demonstrates how different it can look depending on what you pair it with.  She is a gorgeous girl with movie star looks, if you're unfamiliar with her on youtube you really should check her out.  


This cost me $24CAD  for .16 oz.  I know it sounds expensive but I believe I will get my money's worth.  I love something that is versatile & this product delivers on that.  I can use it on it's own, with other shadows, or as a liner.  How much more can you want?  I have my eye on RSVP, Samba-dy loves me, and Strut next.   

Here is the link to Benefit's website, if you wanted to have a look at all the colours they offer and read more on this product.  


How about you, do you own any of these shadows?  Any colours you'd recommend?

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?