Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Crème

love love love love love this product!

I have naturally straight long (and very tangly coming out of the shower) hair. I ordinarily avoid shine serums and such b/c I tend to have oily roots and since my hair is straight it can look weighed down w/shine stuff in it. I also avoid spray detanglers b/c they leave hair feeling sticky and funky once it dries (in my opinion anyway). So I was skeptical about glossing cream, esp since its made w/olive oil. But I use literally a dime to nickle size dab when I get out of the shower and massage it in w/my hands (and never get it near the roots, I start the application at about ear level and focus more on the ends) - its an absolutely fabulous detangler. Even if I do not blow dry, using just a little bit as a detangler never makes me hair appear oily or weighted down. If I'm going to blow dry, I use a bit more to protect my hair from the heat. I bought a full size tube of this product ~1 year ago, and I just ran out today so if you use little amounts of it like I do it will last FOREVER. I like also that it is not an overly perfumey smell and the consistently is really like cream (rather than oil or serum).

February 8, 2013

TanTowel Half Body Classic Self-Tan Towelettes

pretty good...just wish the tan was darker....

I have post-traumatic stress when it comes to self-tanners. This almost always goes on evenly, and I love that you can buy exfoliating towelettes to use prior to the tan towel and you can exfoliate in or out of the shower. I do have fair skin, so I'm scared to use the tantowel evolution (which is for med-dark skin tones) but I do wish the tan towel for fair skin gave more color. I was using one towel daily and still barely saw a difference after 3-5d.

October 19, 2010

Covergirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara

I was not impressed.

This mascara was my first cover girl mascara, as I usually use lancome or makeup forever. I suppose my standards are too high, but I found this stuff to be clumpy and sticky and the brush was crappy and not helpful at all for separating the lashes. I guess I should not compare drug store mascara to higher end mascara, its probably not a fair comparison.

October 19, 2010

MAC Viva Glam Lipstick

love the color, lasts a long time, but very drying to the lips

My go-to evening red lipstick is a mac viva glam (I don't have it with me right now to look @ the exact color name). I love how bright it is, how long it lasts once applied (it dries quickly and therefore does not come off easily on glasses when drinking and such). However, my lips are usually needing chapstick or lip balm daily, so I MUST put a layer of lip balm on before I use the viva glam b/c otherwise the matte viva glam lipstick just settles into dryness and looks hellish. However, this problem w/matte lipsticks is common across the board, not just with MAC products. Plus the viva glam is for a good cause (Aids).

November 11, 2009

Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder

does last for several hours, but not very much coverage (compared to bare escentuals)

This powder foundation is nice b/c it is definitely made to be more hydrating than the bare escentuals powder foundation (which can be cakey, esp for those of us w/some fine lines on forehead). However the bare escentuals powder foundation gives infinitely better coverage for my occasional pimples, and even using a concealer brush w/the halo on the exact area of the pimples, I still got very poor coverage of blemishes w/halo and had to use a separate cream concealer in addition to halo. That being said, when my skin is clear - halo is a great product and I have no complaints. You can even put it around eye area and it doesn't cake or look weird. It has lasted me a long time so far, and is definitely less messy to use than the bare escentuals powder foundations (since I generally do my makeup in the car on the way to work). It is a great LIGHT powder foundation w/minimal coverage so would not recommend it for people like me who get a few pimples about once weekly.

November 11, 2009

Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant

I bought this on a whim, and I'm in love!

I have perpetually chapped lips all year long and this stuff is just great! Its a mild sugar-type scrub but there are enough oils in it to make your lips feel perfectly moisturized when you are done scrubbing lightly. I have used it both in the shower (wet) and also dry and it works great either way. The tube I bought about 10 months ago still has some left so it does last quite a while - a little goes a long way. Also, it has a lovely minty smell but unlike other minty products it does NOT leave any cold feeling on your lips. The only negative thing about this product is the little black sesame seed things that are suspended in it (not sure why) - they really do not add anything to the exfoliation or moisturizing process and they sometimes got in my mouth, which was annoying.

November 11, 2009

MAC Strobe Liquid

love love love this stuff!

While I have tried several highlighters, this one has a nice thick consistency and is not too glittery or crazy for day wear. I had previously tried a prescriptives brand moisturizer w/the same idea behind it but it was very thin and therefore didn't achieve much highlighting. For the price, this stuff lasts forever and its a good sized container. The only criticism I can come up with is that I wish it did have SPF, since I do live in s Florida.

November 11, 2009