Watch this video to hear a quick review of the Revlon Colorstay Brow Creator! There’s powder and a liner inside the tube which is what makes it so good. I have a backup of this so I’ll be moving on to my next one.
Do Eye Creams Work?
One of the questions that I always get is whether or not eye creams work.
The short answer is: maybe.
So far, there is no proven ingredient that can really lessen bags or dark circles, and the only things that can help is to drink more water, get more sleep, and use a better concealer. There are some laser treatments available at the dermatologist’s office that offer relief of under eye circles.
However, there is some good in eye creams. Some have a cooling gel formula that can give great relief to tired eyes – perfect for if you’ve had a long day or if you’ve been traveling a lot.
Some creams are thicker than those you would use on your face, so they add more moisture to the delicate eye area. Putting such a cream on your whole face might just make you break out.
Other creams are just an expensive way for you to add to your dresser, and are better left at the drugstore.
Should you get an eye cream? If it alleviates dryness around that area and you’ll use it: sure, get it! If it’s just too much for you to spend or if you’re not one that can be bothered with an extra beauty step, then leave the eyecreams to someone else.
Benefit Lollitint
Benefit Benetint… it’s one of those products that we know we’re never going to be without in this world.
I’ve never really found a tint that I could use on a regular basis.
Until now!
Lollitint is perfect for us medium-toned gals. It is a perfect lavender/pink in a medium tone and very pigmented. Because it’s so pigmented it works on lips and cheeks. In the past, I’ve found that some of the Benefit tints didn’t show up on my lips because they’re already so pigmented, but this one is different. It’s tint is very much a deep stain (deeper than it first seems).
And that leads me to how you need to apply this. At first when I tried Lollitint I dabbed a little on each cheek and then went in to blend. That didn’t work so well because the area that I had first dabbed with the tint had a darker stain than the rest of my cheek. This was impossible to blend and I ended up having to wash it off.
If you’re applying this on your cheeks, I suggest putting some on your ring finger and then blending it into the apples of your cheek in a circular motion. Do each cheek, and then dab on to lips in a patting motion. It’s best to apply using your fingers because that will give you the most control over where the pigment “sets” because once it sets, it’s difficult to really get it to move… which is what we want from this anyway!
The consistency of Lollitint is pretty thin and slightly watery, but it’s thick enough that one can still work with it. There is clearly alcohol in the formula, and you need to be aware of that if you have sensitive skin: this may be drying and irritating to it.
The Benefit tints are best applied to bare skin, so these work well if you’re having a day (or year) of wearing no foundation. They also work well as a base for a regular blush and can add depth to the cheek area. Apply to bare lips and top with a clear or coloured gloss. The colour is slightly deeper on the lips – the stain just seems to sink in and warm up, and the final look is actually super pretty.
I love a coordinating lip and cheek look (and 2014 is going to be ALL about that) and if you haven’t been able to wear Benetint in the past, then you may like this.
Pick it up at the Benefit counter: $40.
Goop G. Day Morning Essentials for the New Year
Happy new year! Again! As it’s still January, I can’t help but be reflective but also think about what this year is going to bring. As much as New Year’s Resolutions will be a thing of the past, I can’t help but challenge myself to do better. I should go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier, not procrastinate. Some things never change, I guess. But also want to think about 2018 and how it ended because it informs some of the trends (backlashes) that we’re already seeing.
I want to share with you the magic of G. Day Morning Essentials. G. Day is created by goop – a brand that fully supports the term “clean” and “clean eating” like I do. Lately, I’ve been using G.Day Ginger + Ashwagandha Energy Body Wash ($45) and G.Day Black Pepper + Rose Hip Energy Body Oil ($84), and together they combine revitalizing aromatherapy with ingredients that take care of your skin.
As the names suggest, the Ginger + Ashwagandha Energy Body Wash and the Black Pepper + Rose Hip oil smells kind of spicy. Not in a foodie spicy Indian food kind of way spicy, but they smell as if you’re walking through a spice field. It’s a refreshing scent that’s different but in a good way. Where most revitalizing products smell citrusy, these smell like they belong in a kitchen. The scents are meant to refresh your mind and they do. They’re transporting in a way traditional body products might not be.
I love the Black Pepper + Rose Hip body oil – it is super moisturizing in a way that dry oils are not. The oil actually has a base of Rose Hip Oil where traditional body oils would only use it in trace amounts. It also has jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, almond oil, and a host of extracts to help nourish the skin. The oil is emollient and seals in moisture. I use it on my body right out of the shower, and let it absorb before I get dressed. The bottle I have has lasted me over a month, despite the fact that I use it daily and even let my kids rub it on themselves. It’s a smell that everyone enjoys using with ingredients that are good for everyone.
You can find G. Day online at goop.com.
Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil Review
Even though we are loyal to our Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil , there are times when a new oil comes our way and we just have to try it out.
Boscia’s Makeup breakup Cool Cleansing Oil is one of those, and really, how could we not try it? It has “cool” in its name and that’s due to the peppermint and eucalyptus in the formula. Indeed, the minty oil does give you a bit of a pep at the end of your day as you smooth it on to dry skin to emulsify and rinse off makeup. You wash your face and wonder “why didn’t I do this sooner so that I’ve have some energy left for the end of my day?”
Like other cleansing oils, you apply this on dry skin (as we said before) and then add water so that the oil turns into a lotion and washes right off. Unlike other oils, this one leaves a bit of a residue on your skin which is no good.
However, if you’re like me, you wash with a soapy cleanser afterward anyway so the residue might not bother you. If you have dry skin or dryer than usual skin, or usually take off makeup with cold cream, then this will not bother you either.
All in all, the oil takes makeup off without any pulling and tugging on your skin, and it’s also going to help you avoid that tight dry feeling that sometimes results from taking off makeup, and that’s important.
Pick it up at Sephora, $42.
HBC Les Essentiels Mascara Review Video
Another mascara review for you guys… and what I do when I get a mascara that I don’t love.
http://www.instagram.com/tv/B7L9txIhq2B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Posted in Search for the Perfect Mascara
Tagged HBC, Hudson's Bay, IGTV, Instagram, Mascara, Review
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Fragrance Friday: Citizen Queen by Juliette Has a Gun
Over a year ago, I wrote about a fragrance brand called Juliette Has a Gun. In Canada, available exclusively at Holt Renfrew, the brand was started by Romano Ricci, Nina Ricci’s grandson. It offered a pair of fragrances, both variations on the rose scent – one was dark and spicy while the other was sweeter and more suited for daytime. Beautifully blended with bottom notes that were as fresh as the top notes, the line is for those who want something unusual but pretty.
And now there’s a new addition called Citizen Queen, and this one was designed by Ricci himself. It’s one of those fragrances where I can’t put a finger on any of the notes.
The perfume at first smells very much like a chypre and is smooth and warm, but dries to a more powdery finish. There’s amber in the scent too but it’s not a sweet amber that we’ve been seeing in other lines, and the fragrance still smells wonderfully fresh.
I liked this a lot at first sniff and after using it all the time, it has become one of my favourites. You can pick it up this fall and the hefty silver bottle is the perfect addition of gothic charm to your vanity. My favourite thing about it is the look on the faces of my friends when they ask me what perfume I’m wearing. I love answering: Juliette Has a Gun.
$135.
From the Archives: Lancome Poudre Elephant
This is Lancome’s Poudre Elephant from the Maharani Jewels Collection, this is your chance. The powder came with a gold sheen on top, which looked really pretty on the skin. Unfortunately, once you’ve swirled your brush in it twice, the gold is gone, and you’re looking at what’s left.
This makes a really pretty bronzer/blush and the touch of red is lovely. It’s also easy to avoid the red all-together, which is what I’d suggest if you’re using the bronzer all over your face.
Kerastase Serum Oleo-Relax
I’ve already written about Kerastase’s styling products – I’ve loved all the ones I’ve tried, and I really think that this is one line that you can’t go wrong with.
Most recently, I’ve been using their Serum Oleo-Relax, which is the less-intensive of the hair serums they offer.
Right off the bat, I noticed that there was something different about this. It was less greasy and more liquidy than most of the other serums that I had used and it sank into my hair really easily. The liquidy texture meant that it was hard for me to apply too much and that I could easily apply it all over.
I put this into wet hair and found that when my hair was dry, it looked more conditioned and was less frizz-prone for the rest of the day. It’s one of those serums that’s basically fool-proof and seems to have been designed to use at home with stellar results.
$48 at salons and online.