Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wednesday Roundup: Best Lip Balms

This past winter was the absolute worst on my lips. I have to admit that I'm usually pretty lucky, since my lips rarely get chapped, but the winter was bad. I tried several products and found a few hits that I will always turn to. Here, a complete list of those goodies I use in a lip emergency, and the tried and true bets I use as an everyday balm. Prices are estimations. These are the prices I paid for mine. It may vary by store and location.

1. Smith's Rosebud Salve
This stuff is incredible. It's been around for years and women trusted it then and still do.
Where to get it: Sephora, Mast General Stores, online
Cost: ~$6.00

2. C.O.Bigelow Rose Salve and Lavender Salve
An easier-to-find alternative to the one above.
Where to get it: Bath & Body Works
Cost: ~$5.00

3. e.o.s. (evolution of smooth) Smooth Spheres
These cute little eggy/ball shaped balms are easy to carry and come in several flavors. I found that the lemon yellow one has a bit of soft grit to it that exfoliates, as well.
Where to get it: Walmart, Walgreens, drugstores
Cost: ~$4.00

4. Aquaphor Lip Treatment
Just like the old trusted skin cream but formulated for lips. THE balm that saved my lips this winter.
Where to get it: drugstores, discount stores
Cost: ~$4.00

5. The Body Shop Lip Butters
These all-natural butters taste like real fruit and are thick and creamy. ALSO: Born Lippy: a more clear, thin bank. Both work wonderfully!
Where to get it: The Body Shop
Cost:~$6.00

Monday, August 27, 2012

Hard Candy Reviews and Fame Perfume

I was looking for a good inexpensive makeup primer to try before fully committing to one. I wasn't quite sure why I even NEEDED one.

What exactly is a face primer? It's pretty much like an eyeshadow primer except it's made to go under your foundation. It's the first thing to go on. It pretty much primes the face and makes it a smooth, easy to work with canvas.

I found Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer for $8.00 at Walmart and decided to give it a try.

It comes out of the tube like a paste. It's white and filmy. When applied to your face, it's clear and leaves a silky texture. Makeup goes on smooth and evenly and it cuts down on the amount of foundation you need to use.

The only bad thing is when it gets just a little too warm where you store your makeup, the primer thins a tiny bit and the tube leaks a little. Nothing major, and the primer firms to original consistency once it cools. But, to avoid the thinning to begin with, store in a cooler place.

I rate it 4.5 of 5 stars.

Next, I tried Hard Candy's Glamoflauge heavy- duty concealer. The package claims that the concealer can even cover tattoos. I'd read it was great, but couldn't find a review to list pros or cons enough to fully convince me. I spent a spare $6.00 to try it myself.

Included are a concealer pencil and a tube of cream concealer. To cover a tattoo, the package says to outline the tattoo with the pencil then color it in then top it off with the cream and set with a powder ( not included). Repeat until covered. I don't have any tattoos (yet), so I proceeded to cover my blasted bothersome under-eye circles. The dark bains of my existence. After applying my primer then foundation all over my face, I outlined and colored them in with the pencil then covered with the cream and reapplied a line of pencil to my inner corners and blended. Now, this is just MY method, but my circles vanished!!

Pros:
🔴 A little concealer cream goes a LONG way. The tube will last a long while.

Cons:
NONE

5 of 5 stars

Lastly.....Lady Gaga released her perfume, Fame. The bottle is lovely and structured, and the perfume is black liquid that turns clear once sprayed.


The scent is amazing. A little sweet. A little exotic. She really outdid herself!!

A large bottle costs about $80 and a small bottle about $55. My boyfriend liked it so much he's decided a bottle will be my next birthday gift!



Confetti Cake Nail Experiment and My Essentials

I pulled out a bunch of random polishes the other day and played around to see what I could come with. I didn't care about perfect dots, I more wanted a look like sprinkles, with little imperfections. So, I used a toothpick to make the spots, dots, and lines.

I used NYC nail polish in French White Tip as my base, then just dotted my random colors on. Once all the dots were dry, I painted on my clear topcoat. Finished!! Image at the end of this post.

Besides nail stuffs, I decided to compile my list of my essentials in my makeup case.
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer
Hard Candy Glamoflage
Hard Candy Eyeshadow primer (sadly, only available in the kits)
Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Estée Lauder Micheal Korrs palette Bronze Goddess bronzer
e.l.f. To Go Single palette in Spotted and Sporty
Clinique Superbalm lipgloss in raspberry
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Pout
C.O. Bigelow rose salve
Wet n Wild Color Icon liner pencils in black & dark brown
NYC Showtime glitter liner in black
Wet n Wild mega protein mascara
Cover Girl professional loose powder
LA Colors Pressed Powder ( for touch ups)
LA Colors liquid eyeliner in black
Bath and Body Works Body Cream in Secret Wonderland
Bath and Body works fragrance mist ( currently using citrus sunflower but it's no longer available :( )
Equate (Walmart brand) makeup remover wipes
Goody Bobby Pins
No-metal hair elastics
Pantene shampoo and conditioner, also hairspray
Bath and Body Works shower gel

These are the ones I usually try to keep stocked.

What are your go-to products?