Current Fav's

Here are some of my current favorites! I have been using these either every day or just have fallen in love with the look I achieve with it!

This is the Maybelline Eye Studio quad in Copper Chic. These swatches are with no primer, so when you do use one, the colors are even more intense. The shadows in this quad are very creamy in texture, blend very well, and all have a beautiful sheen to them as you can see. I love these colors for my blue eyes.

On the left is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Caramel Cool. I wish this was in the permanent line. Sadly, it was limited edition. It is such a beautiful color. I'm sure there is a Mac Paint Pot that is similar

On the right is the L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush. This is in their permanent collection, so run out and get it if you haven't already! It's the most perfect Rose Gold eye shadow! You will love it! 

Both of these are great on their own, but also look amazing as bases. I use it with the Maybelline quad picture above every time!

I have been obessessed with this bronzer from The Balm since day 1! It's the Bahama Mama matte bronzer. It is a wonderful contouring powder, even for someone with such fair skin as myself. I love using the Real Techniques contour brush with a light hand. 

This is something in my collection that I have recently rediscovered! I was watching a beautiful tutorial by Sam Schuerman and dug this out to try to recreate that look. This pigment if from Heavenly Naturals, I think, and it's called Passion. I just love the way this looks! It's not as intense copper as the one Sam used, but it does the job! I don't see this exact color on their site anymore, but they have something just as beautiful in their fall 08 collection!

This is a wonderful eye liner! It's from AVON and it's the Jullian Dempsey Kohl liner. I have had this forever and it still glides on smooth. And even those it's a Kohl liner, I can use it in my water line without worrying about smudging all over my face! It won't last 12 hours, but if you don't mind touching up, you'll be fine with this. It comes in a really long pencil and I am down to just 3" left. I will repurchase this product! 

I have had a long running love affair with Milani's Baked Blush in Luminoso! These are very domed products and mine is almost flat I've used it so much. As you can see it has the perfect peachy shimmer without having glitter. It's just the perfect summer blush for me.

And the foundation I've been loving is the L'Oreal True Match. I'm in color C3 Cool Creamy Natural. It has medium coverage and looks so natural on my skin. I just love it! I wish it came with a pump, but otherwise, just love this foundation. I don't notice any oxidization and it wears all day. 

I didn't take a swatch of the Garnier Skin Renew anti-dark circle roller because it doesn't really look like much. It's wonderful for under my eyes for a bit of brightening. 

Don't forget to leave me all your current favorites in the comment section and say NV'ious! 

GUEST BLOGGER?

"Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation is a buildable, medium-to-full coverage foundation that perfects the skin without appearing heavy or mask-like. Its exceptional finish starts as a liquid and quickly transforms to perfect the skin’s surface with a silky texture that blends easily with the skin for the desired amount of coverage. Atmosphere Soft Focus allows the skin to breathe and will not clog pores or dry out the skin. Atmosphere Soft Focus also nourishes with Organic Pumpkin and Papaya complex and brightens the complexion with Organic Camellia. It is available in 10 shades to beautify all skin tones."

Vapour Organic Beauty was kind enough to send me some products to try. One of them was this foundation, in color 120. It's too dark for me, so I'm looking for another blogger to review it! If you think this is a match for your skin tone and are interested in trying an organic foundation, please leave a comment below! Blogger must be in the US, please. If multiple people volunteer...I'll just pick someone at random.

GRAFTOBIAN HI-DEF GLAMOUR CREME

This is the Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme Neutral Palette #1.

It is formulated to "yield flawless High Definition results whether or not you are in front of a camera."

1. Bombshell

2. Prima Donna

3. Leading Lady

4.Sweet Heart

5. Glamour Girl

I was very excited to try these Glamour Cremes! I thought for sure, for under eye coverage, I'd need the light ones. Wow was I wrong! I actually use #5, Glamour Girl! I like to apply using a small concealer brush from Sedona Lace. Then I gently pat/roll my ring finger under  my eyes so the heat from my finger will melt it into my skin. I set it with Powderflage and I'm ready to go!

**This is foundation, but I've just been using it under my eyes...I'm trying to make it last!!!**

I've been able to use the lighter shades as highlights. These cremes are really....creamy! They blend so nice into the skin and really last a long time. For those of you who won't know, Graftobian is theatrical makeup---but many products can be used daily by regular women, like me! I am still obsessed with their Glamour Creme Blush palette! I've seriously used it every time I've worn makeup since I started using it over a month ago! I really like Graftobian products and I can honestly say I really recommend them!

This palette is on the Graftobian site for $21.99. You can buy each shade individually for $11.99 for .5 ounces! How reasonable is that? There is also a really handy comparison chart link here! You can see what colors are dupes for brands like MAC, Cinema Secrets, Visora, and Black Opal. I think I counted 58 different shades---seriously!!! WOW!!

I hope you are all planning on entering my "Sedona Lace your Halloween Face" contest! Deadline for entries is Halloween night, midnight EST.

FTC Disclosure: This was sent to me for review. This is my honest opinion of the products. I was not paid to write this review. I am not affiliated with this company.

AVON HEALTHY MAKEUP FOUNDATION

Introducing

avon healthy makeup

Healthy makeup is… the essence of a beautiful look. A fresh face. Vibrant eyes. Rosy lips. It lets your natural radiance shine through...and your true beauty come alive.

Jillian Dempsey Avon Global Creative Color Director & Hollywood Makeup Artist.

what is healthy

a new color collection designed to enhance the key signs of healthy skin…

Triple Vitamin & Antioxidant Complex

Infused with skin-loving nutrients, such as Vitamins A, C and E, pomegranate and olive leaf

BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS

I was really excited to see this foundation come out! I bought "B", which looks a lot like the Maybelline Dream Cream Mousse foundation--which I have not tried. The packaging looks very similar to my Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse. The texture is very creamy and you can really play with the coverage. Here's my shade!

There are a lot of shades to select from, 12 in all. Though I think AVON is neglecting darker skin tones. Booo!! But I hear that is common with cosmetic companies--which is really too bad!

My most favorite way of applying foundation recently is with my Sigma flat top kabuki brush! LOVE!

It is the perfect size to dip into this pot! I just tap it in there a few times and it picks up the perfect amount.

I'm not wearing too much here, I'd say light to medium coverage. As much as I like this, I still have to reach for concealer for under my eyes. I find that this foundation will last me through a work day, but not one of those horrendous 11 days I've had recently. I notice that it seems to wear off mostly in my t-zone, which is generally not oily, so I'm not sure what is making it come off. Anyhow, this will be available from your AVON rep soon, will be around $9 when it first comes out then will be about $12 after. You can always shop my online AVON store if you are in the US and orders over $30 ship free!

Don't forget to enter my Mary Kay give-a-way!

FTC Disclosure: I am an independent AVON representative. I purchased this product at a discount rate. I was not paid to write this review, this is my honest opinion.

SUNNY BEIGE WHAAT?

If you read my blog regularly, like you know you should ;), then you'll remember that I got some Too Faced Tanning Bed in a a Tube a while back! It didn't turn out so well for me, so I returned it and got some Laura Mercier foundation. The makeup artist there matched me with Sunny Beige!! I'm always Fair or Light in all foundations, so I couldn't believe that this is my color! I know it's just a name, but I was happy!  Wow! I obviously didn't get the Revlon powder blush at Sephora, but I wanted to go ahead and review it along with this foundation.

"Oil Free Foundation

This highly pigmented foundation can be applied lightly for a sheer finish, or layered for fuller coverage. Each shade was designed to enhance the natural undertones of the skin. Ideal for all skin types. "

For $42 for 1 ounce, this better be good! I have read pretty good reviews on this foundation, so I was ready to give it a go when the makeup artist suggested this foundation for my dry skin. Again, I was super excited to wear Sunny Beige, which is a warm yellow beige, for fair to light complexions. It comes with a pump---yeah!! So here's the consistency:

As you can see, it's a bit runny, but I think this helps you apply it pretty sheer if you like. You can also build it up in areas you need more coverage. For me, I need major coverage under/around my eyes! Here's my naked face, in case you missed it last time I reviewed a foundation! Be prepared, it's not pretty!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Bring on the foundation!!

I love to use my Sedona Lace foundation brush in the areas I really need coverage! Then I like to blend the rest out on my face with my fingers.

So here I am with my foundation and blush on! You can see that I still need some more coverage under my eyes, but I know my Benefit Erase Paste can take care of this! But I think the foundation gives a pretty nice coverage without looking like I'm wearing any. It feels very light too, which I love. You have a small window of time to really spread this on, so using my hands to warm the foundation gives me a little bit more time to perfect it!

I love this blush! The color is Smokey Rose and it's so pretty! The pigmentation is decent, especially since I only paid $4!  But I think next time I'll spend more to get something more pigmented, like my NARS blush in Orgasm. Also, the packaging is SUPER hard to open!! Perhaps it will get easier the more I use it?? Two thumbs down for hard to open packaging! Here's a close up of the blush:

FTC Disclosure: I purchased these items with my own money. I was not paid to write this review. I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned in this post.

COLLECTION 2000 LASTING PERFECTION FOUNDATION

I was sent this foundation and consealer to review from Lollipop26writes.com. She was sent this, but it didn't match her skin color. Her loss was my gain! I've been using this foundation quite a bit in the last three weeks or so. I have worn it just around the house, running errands, swimming, and Zumba class at the gym! 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation claims 16 hour wear that gives flawless coverage, won't tranfer, has SPF 20, and is oil free. This color is in Vanilla 1--which is a tad light for me to my surprise. I am usually the lightest color in most lines of foundation. I was able to fix this problem with a little bronzer! It is a bit thicker than other foundations I have tried, but it still didn't feel heavy on my face. To look at my skin and to touch it, you can't tell I'm wearing anything, which is someting I expect from any foundation!! One pump--which is great by the way--was all I needed to get full coverage on my face. I really didn't even need to use the consealer with this. I usually have to wear consealer under my eyes to cover the darkness, but this foundation really covered that too!

My skin is very dry and a lot of foundations tend to make my skin look a bit flaky in some areas, but I didn't notice that with this one. It really did last for a long as I was wearing it--rarely wear makeup 16 whole hours! I lasted through me being in the pool with my kids for over an hour, lasted through areobics classes, and just through my regular day. Overall, I really like this foundation and I wish they sold it here in the states. I did check out their webpage to see more information about it and was disappointed to see they don't have many color selections--only 6 colors!! None looked like they are for darker skin tones. The price for this is £5.99, is that about $10? I'm not sure!! But if it is, seems like a great price to me!

The consealer, in Fair 1, says it can conseal flaws and blemishes for up to 16 hours and is will not transfer. Like I said before, the foundation covers so well for me, I really only used this a few times to see if it made any difference for me. Did it? Not really. I don't get blemishes **Knock on wood** so I can't say how it covers those. But I do have really uneven skin tone, but the foundation alone takes care of that for me. But as far as the texture and blendability of the consealer, I found it quite nice. Also visited the webpage to see color range for this item and it only had 4 choices. Not nearly enough if you ask me. At £3.99, about $6 seems like a great price to me as well.

A close look at the foundation and consealer:

That is one pump of foundation on the left and on the right is the consealer. You can see how thick the foundation is compaired to the consealer. The foundation looks much darker than the consealer in this picture, but they are more similar in real life.

If this were sold in the US, I'd buy it for sure. But I'm not crazy enough about it to pay for it to be shipped to me from the UK. Maybe in the future I can do a swap with someone and get more that way!

FTC Disclosure: Products were sent from a company for review. I am not affiliated with the company and not paid to write the review. These are my honest thoughts.

REVLON PHOTOREADY

After reading so many rave reviews and liking Revlon's Colorstay, I thought this was going to be gold for me! I love the bottle, LOVE the pump, and they seem to have a lot of shades for lighter skin. I am usuallly the lightest shade of drugstore foundations, but my Ulta was out of that one. So I bought the next one(Vanilla), which turned out to be too light! Other than the color being off, I have to say...I hated this foundation. I don't know if it's because my skin is so dry, but this didn't work for me in the least. It was very streaky no matter how I applied it; fingertips, sponge, makeup brushes...Nothing worked for me with this. Glad Ulta does returns because this is going back!!

Did this foundation work for you?

Don't forget to enter my NARS give-a-way! if you haven't already! Remember to read the directions first, or your entry doesn't count! =) Happy Hump Day!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

MAYBELLINE INSTANT AGE REWIND: THE ERASER

This is the second time in the last few months I've had to ask myself this question! At least when it comes to makeup. Maybelline has come out with their "Instant Age Rewind: The Eraser" which looks like this:

Ugh! Maybe this might be ok the first time you use it, but what about the next time? Or the time after that? I have not tried this, but I can just imagine how dirty this is going to get. I'm having flashbacks of the Loreal Foudation Roller flashbacks!!! This seems just as gross and gimmicky. What are your thoughts? Have you tried this?

Don't forget to enter my give-a-way!

Have a good weekend ladies! I am going to a wedding this weekend, so look for pictures sometime on Sunday!

MAYBELLINE DREAM PRODUCTS

Maybelline thinks you'll love the foundation because: "Revolutionary whipped formula provides an air-soft, perfect matte finish coverage, with a weightless feel. Color pigments offer superior coverage. Blends effortlessly for a soft, natural-looking, even-toned result. Now in 16 shades."

Maybelline thinks you'll love the consealers because: "Dream Mousse™ Concealer conceals with an amazing air-soft feel. Air-whipped mousse texture feels lightweight on skin and builds opacity for settle-free coverage. Completely covers dark circles, imperfections and redness. Blends and smoothes away imperfections instantly .Oil-Free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested, safe for sensitive skin."  5 shades.

Maybelline thinks you'll love it because: "Air-soft formula provides luminous, long-lasting color on cheeks. Glides on smoothly and blends easily for seamless color and a natural, radiant finish. Air-whipped mousse delivers satin-soft feel on skin. Long-wearing formula will not clog pores."   6 shades

I was intrigued by this product simply because I've never seen anything like this! It looks and feels like the inside of a marshmellow! But of course, it's not sticky. It really is so light to the touch and you have to use very little of it to cover your face--at least I don't, and I need coverage! I'm posting my naked face just so you can see what good coverage it really gives! I was surprised! I find it best to really exfoliate my skin before using the mousse. If I don't, my skin tends to look pretty flaky--I have super dry skin! And of course moisturize and treat my under eyes.

I've been using this for a while and I've hardly used any of the product! I find it's best to get a little dab on your finger then rub it on another in little circles to really "melt" the consealer. For me at least, this makes it go on really smooth. I just use a small amount of the blush, though it's not too pigmented. I find it just gives me a nice little rush of color on my cheeks--the kind that doesn't show up well in photographs! But hopefully you can see it in my pictures. To sum it up, I like these products well enough. I wouldn't say that I LOVE them, but they are nice enough and I am glad I tried them. Who knows, maybe they will continue to treat me right and it will make it's way into my "go to" makeup drawer! It's got to prove itself this summer if it want to make it there!!

Ok, here's my before picture, try not to cringe!!

What a difference a little makeup does!

And here with the blush and rest of my makeup! Much better!!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

ALMAY TRULY LASTING COLOR FOUNDATION

Almay describes this foundation--"tlc truly lasting color™ makeup with SPF 15 delivers up to 16 hours of flawless coverage that won't rub off—even in heat and humidity. Plus, it nourishes your skin with a blend of green tea to protect, vitamin E to help smooth, and lemon extract to brighten...for all day, natural radiance. "

I have been using this foundation for a couple weeks now and I really like it.  First of all, it comes with a pump! It's so much easier to get the product out and much more sanitary. Also, it blends so much better with my consealer. I first tried my Bee Luscious Consealer with ColorStay and it was terrible! Then I tried with Almay's TLC and it was great! TLC also contains green tea, vitamin E, and lemon extract, which are fantastic for your complexion!   

                                                                                    

 Other things I love about TLC, it feels like nothing on my face! I have used my beauty blender and different Sigma brushes to apply this and everytime I walk away with flawless skin! Also, it has a nice range of colors, but not if you have very dark skin--most drugstore companies seem to need to work on that. This makeup really doesn't budge, so you really need to make you use a good makeup remover!

One thing some people may not like is that there aren't as many color selections as some other brands. There also aren't different formulas for dry and oily skin. I have pretty dry skin and this works well for me. I'd be interested in hearing how it works for you with oily skin, so please comment.

Here's my color:

Ivory 01, 120

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

AVON SMOOTH MINERAL FOUNDATION

"Contains pure mineral pigments...and enriched with vitamins. Free of talc, oil and fragrance. Great for all skin types, even sensitive. After one week, skin looks healthier and more radiant, with visibly reduced redness…even after you take off your makeup! Medium coverage of a liquid. Featherlight feel of a powder. Natural luminous finish. Improved sifter design for less-mess application. .20 oz. net wt. "

I was really excited to try this product, as I have used Bare Minerals in the past and hoped to find something as good for much less. There are 10 colors to choose from ranging from very light to fairly dark. I first bought the lightest shade, soft ivory. It was way too light for me, I felt like a geisha girl! So then I ordered the next darkest shade, nude. Well, that one was too dark and looked a bit orange in tone. I suppose I could blend the two together, but who has time for that?

Aside from it not matching my skin tone, the texture of these powers are really smooth and they blend very well into your skin. These, and probably most mineral foudations, really only look great on skin that has been exfoliated and moisturized well. I noticed sometimes when I wore it, it looked a bit flakey because I hadn't exfoliated. What I don't like about this foundation is that it is not matte. I don't really want my whole face to have sparkle to it.

AVON also has a transparent glow and a bronze mineral powders in this line. I like both of those very much. Even when I wear liquid foundation, these go on really nice. Just be sure to use a light hand with the bronze mineral powder!! Each of these go for $11 for a large pot. They are on sale right now for $7.99, so now might be a good time to try it. You can find this at www.youravon.com/avaladares or try ebay!

FTC Discloser: I am an AVON Representative. I purchased these products at a discount rate. I am not paid by AVON, or anyone else, to write this review. All opinions are mine.

REVLON COLORSTAY

Like most of you out there, I am constantly looking for a better foundation. After seeing a lot of reviews from youtube gurus I decided to give Revlon's colorstay a shot. I always have a hard time selecting the right shade, so I like to buy foundation somewhere I can either try it out first or return it with no problems.

 I've been testing this out for about 4 weeks now and overall, I like it. The formula goes on really smooth using my beauty blender (which I love!) but doesn't go on as well with my SS190. This foundation gives medium to full coverage and is pretty blendable. It doesn't dry too fast or too slow, so I'm very pleased with that aspect. The coverage really lasted me all day and I never felt like I was wearing any foundation at all. Even to touch my face, you can't tell I'm wearing anything! I notice that when I use my beauty blender, I can get pretty light to medium coverage and build up to full coverage. When I use my SS190 to apply, I feel like I use a lot more product. It really wears all day, but would need to be touched up if going out at night. I personally prefer to remove all makeup and start fresh. I've already noticed that my skin has become lighter, so I'm already due to purchase another shade.

I can't remember how much I paid for this at CVS, but CVS online it sells for about $14. I don't remember paying that much in the store, but I could be wrong. You can find this at most drugstores, Walmart, and the like.

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.