Giveaway Time -- The Balm Meet Matte Palette, Shady Lady Vol. 3 Palette, and Frat Boy Blush *CLOSED*

It has been a while since I've done a giveaway.

And for no good reason, really.

I've had prizes ready to go for the next two or three giveaways since the end of last year, so I think my spotty posting record over the last few months is to blame.

Whatever the reason, I'm happy to remedy the situation now.

You know how crazy I am about the Balm as brand -- I'm always going on about some product of theirs or another -- so this giveaway is some of their stuff that I think is perfect for spring and summer.

Review -- Stila Countless Color Pigments in Melody

I'm trying not to buy too many eye shadows these days, but if I'm honest, I haven't been as successful as I would like.

That's because pretty shadows catch my eye and I become obsessed and then I convince myself that I just have to have said shadow even though I likely have a similiar shade in my collection.

I gave in when I saw Countless Color Pigments from Stila's summer collection because they're practically works of art.

I actually thought it was something of an accomplishment that I held myself back and only bought one.

Review -- Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (& Airbuki Foundation Brush)

Since my skin has become drier as I've gotten older, finding a mineral or powder foundation that cooperates with it has definitely become a challenge.

They can cling to flaky patches, make my skin look super dull, or just plain look powdery and ashy on face.

In other words, not attractive at all.

That's why, for the most part, I the powder foundations for spring and summer when my skin is more oily and I'm prone to sweating because they're just a better fit then. I do occasionally wear them in colder months over a liquid or cream foundation when I really want full coverage.

Typically, I like loose powder foundations better than pressed versions because they're usually lighter in texture so they don't look so heavy on the skin. That's why I intrigued when I saw that Tarte was coming out with a loose powder foundation -- the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation.

Laura Geller Fresh Brewed Beauty AD Kit #3

I apologize for disappearing for the past couple of days.  It's been a crazy week around here -- unfortunately, Brownie had some health issues crop up and we spent most of the week worrying about her and waiting for test results.

The good news is, she's fine - she just needs some medication.  We're relieved and grateful and all that jazz.

She's the picture of health, right?

When things finally calmed down yesterday and I sat down to write a few blog posts, I realized that the three items I planned to review were all out of stock.

Pretty frustrating.

Two of them, the Sephora Sun Safety Kit and a couple of the lipsticks from M.A.C's Temperature Rising Collection, are not likely to come back in stock so there's not much point in doing the reviews.  The third item, bareEscentuals Ready 8.0 in The Power Neutrals, may come back so I may wind up doing the review anyway.

In the meantime, I received the third installment of the Laura Geller Fresh Brewed Beauty TSV from QVC so I thought I'd do a rundown of the collection's colors in case you're trying to decide if you want the last kit in the AD series.

Review -- CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer

On the hunt for the perfect under eye concealer (which is really an unnecessary search, actually; I have two that I love already), I decided to give the CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer a try.

I purchased it at the same time that I picked up the CoverGirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation (I got them on a BOGO-1/2 off offer, actually) -- I actually think that's a pretty nice foundation for dry skin even if the color match isn't exactly perfect for me, so I was hopeful about this concealer.

It has the same kind of gimmicky formulation that the foundation does -- the concealer is swirled with Olay Regenerist Serum so that it " stays suspended over fine lines and wrinkles, for younger, firmer-looking skin," according to CoverGirl.

Review -- Tarte Amazonian Full Coverage Concealer & Brush

 I am a concealer junkie. 

(I realize that I say that about every type of makeup product under the sun these days.  So it's probably more accurate to just say I'm a makeup junkie and call it a day...)

I have two that I love -- the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer for under the eyes and the Makeup Forever Full Coverage Concealer for spots -- but that doesn't stop me from trying every other one that crosses my path.

That's why when I heard that Tarte was coming out with a new concealer, I knew right away that I would try it.

The Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Concealer is a companion product to Tarte's Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation. My relationship with that product is somewhat complicated -- I love how lightweight it feels for a product that is so full coverage and the Fair shade is a nearly perfect match for my uber pale skin.  However, it's definitely better suited for oily skin as it can look a little cakey and catch on flaky patches on my normal to dry skin.

Shopping Bag -- Tons of Drugstore Lip Products and a Couple of Eye Products

I've been accumulating lip products at a somewhat alarming rate over the past couple of months.

Fortunately, most have been from the drugstore where I'm lured into purchases by the oh-so tempting BOGO-1/2 off offer, so I haven't spent a ton of money. 

Still, I have more lip products that any rational person needs but I've come to terms with that. 

This Shopping Bag also includes a couple of eye products for good measure. 

Review -- Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner (Nude & Light Blue)

I'm not exactly a morning person, so when I have to get up and actually get out of the house early, I'm all about faking a bright-eyed look.

Popping a light colored eyeliner on your waterline is a neat, little trick because it brightens your eyes and makes them look just a bit bigger and you don't have to be a makeup artist to do it.

White liner is a popular choice for this trick and I have a couple that I like but it can definitely look a little stark sometimes, particularly if you're wearing a darker eye look.

Nude or skintone liners are a good alternative, and I've been trying quite a few over the past few months to try to find a shade that really works with my skintone and a formula that lasts for more than an hour.

Now, I historically have terrible luck with wearing liner on my waterline. It can disappears in what seems like a matter of minutes on my eyes -- and that's with budget-friendly options from the drugstore or high end options from Sephora or the department store.

When I heard that Rimmel had come out with a new range of liners that included some promising light shades, I decided to give them a try. 

Review -- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders (Ethereal Light, Dim Light, & Luminous Light)

I knew that I would purchase one of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders as soon as I read about them.

A powder designed to capture, diffuse, and soften the light that surrounds your skin?

Yeah, sign me right up.

We all know that lighting can affect the way our skin looks.

I can't tell you how many times I've nearly gasped when I caught a glimpse of myself in the harsh florescent lights of a public bathroom -- why do they always use the most unflattering lights in those things anyway? -- or how many times I've become embarrassingly enamored with my own reflection when I caught a glimpse of myself in oh-so-forgiving candlelight.

Being able to replicate the look of flattering light with a convenient pressed powder that you can take with you everywhere seems a little too good to be true, right?

Product Alert - bareMinerals Addicted to Peach 5-Piece Color Collection

If executives at a cosmetics ever sat around and asked themselves, How can we get Jennifer, a fairly level headed person, to part with her hard-earned cash on yet another makeup set?, there's one simple answer that would get the job done every time.

Load up on the peach products.

I am sucker for any peach makeup product, as many of you probably know if you've read the blog for a while.

So when bareMinerals recently put out their Addicted to Peach 5-Piece Color Collection, it's like it was made exactly with me in mind.

I'm not going to do a full review on the kit because I've touched on most of the products in previous posts -- I love virtually everything that bareMinerals puts out, honestly -- and anything peach is automatically going to score high points in my book.

Instead, I'll share swatches and brief descriptions for anyone who loves peach as much as I do and may not be aware that this collection is available.

Sales, Sales, Sales -- Le Metier de Beaute Cosmetics on HauteLook & Beauty.com F&F Sale

So the Islanders were eliminated from the NHL playoffs on Saturday night and since I'm still in deep mourning, I could definitely use a little retail therapy to cheer me up.

Fortunately, the shopping gods are on my side because there are a couple of pretty interesting/good sales coming up in the next couple of days.

If you read this blog regularly, you know I'm totally willing to spend money on high end products.

But there are some brands that way too rich even for my blood.

Le Metier de Beaute Cosmetics is definitely one of those brands.

In case you're not familiar with the pricing, a single eyeshadow from the brand goes for $30.

Pretty steep, right?

Still, I'm beside myself with curiousity about the line. The crazy, little voice in my head says, this stuff must be seriously good if they can get away with charging that much! -- and I'm dying to know whether that's true or not.

Now, I may get my chance.

For the first time tomorrow, May 14th at 11 a.m. EST, Le Metier de Beaute Cosmetics will be available on HauteLook.

I have no idea what products will be available or what the pricing will be like, but you'll likely get a pretty good deal on whatever is available so if you've been curious like me, now may be the time to check out the brand.

(If you're not sure what HauteLook is, you can find info here.  If you want to become a member - membership is free - you can do it here.)
 
On the other hand, if you want to stock up on some staples or try out products from brands that are a little more mid-range in terms of pricing, Beauty.com is having a 20 percent off F&F sale starting Tuesday, May 14th at midnight PST and ending Friday, May 17th at 11:59 pm PST.

(If you're not familiar with Beauty.com, they carry a lot of the same lines as Sephora, like NARS, Urban Decay, bareMinerals, and Korres, as well as some brands that Sephora doesn't, like It Cosmetics, Kevyn Aucoin, and CARGO.)

The email that I received about the sale doesn't mention a specific code, so I'm not sure if the savings will be automatic or not.  If I receive additional information, I'll update this post.

**Update -- To get the sale offer in your cart, follow this link to the site.  I think that should work.**

I definitely plan to do a little shopping at one or both of these sales to ease my Islanders-related pain.  If you wind up making any purchases, please feel free to share them below.

Happy shopping!

Review - bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free (and Some Odds and Ends)

Last week when I reviewed the Buxom Full Bodied Lipsticks, I mentioned that I've been on a lipstick buying binge lately.

It's a little strange because I've always preferred gloss to lipstick, but I just can't seem to get enough of the creamy opaque look of lipstick these days.

The fact that I've stumbled across some pretty fabulous formulas in my lipstick shopping craze probably has something to do with it.

The bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick definitely falls into that fabulous category.

And color me surprised because I haven't really been a fan of any of bareMinerals' lipsticks in the past.

Review - M.A.C. Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

I am a sucker for a good highlighter.

I know that I say that about a lot of products -- as a total makeup junkie, I am a sucker for most actually -- but there are few things that I like better than a nice, pretty glow on my skin. 

I mean, it's not really there naturally so I need all the help I can get if I want to that glowing look. 

Enter highlighters.

I have an entire drawer full of them, but I've still been coveting M.A.C's Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade since the last time it was available and it sold out before I could get my hands out it.

Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation Review

There are plenty of good foundations at the drugstores these days, but finding one that's a good fit for dry skin can be serious challenge.

Well, at least in my experience.

Recently, though, I'd read quite a few blog posts and watched quite a few YouTube videos about the Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation and the general consensus was that it played very nicely with drier skin.

That makes sense since the marketing gimmick behind the foundation is that it contains a foundation and hydrating serum in one bottle.  As you can see from the photo above, there's kind of a swirled thing going on with the foundation -- skin colored sections alternated with white sections.

The packaging claims that the foundation instantly evens out your skin tone, reduces the look of discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles, while the serum moisturizes the skin.  

Wet n Wild Limited Edition Spring Forward Palettes -- Nude Awakening & Going in the Wild

I never have any luck finding Wet n Wild limited edition products.

Whenever I see blog posts or videos about some interesting looking palette that they have out, I immediately hit all the local drugstores that carry WnW to hunt for them but they are never anywhere to be found.

And it's not like with other drugstore limited edition products when I just get there too late and find an empty display.

I can never find any evidence that they were ever there in the first place.

It's not like I live in the middle of nowhere, either. 

I'm on Long Island, just barely 20 minutes outside of NYC. 

I should be able to find WnW limited edition products, damn it.

The Balm is Back on HauteLook Tomorrow

Starting tomorrow, May 4th, at 11 a.m. EST, the Balm will be back on HauteLook.

(If you're not sure what HauteLook is, you can find info here.  If you want to become a member - membership is free - you can do it here.)

I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the Balm's products, but if you want specific recommendations, I'd grab the Nude'Tude Palette, any of the Shady Lady Palettes, the Balm Jovi Palette, Meet Matt(e) or Meet Matt(e) Nude, and any of the blushes, especially Frat Boy, in a heartbeat if they're available. Mary Lou Manizer is a gorgeous highlighter too.

I think that I have pretty much all of their makeup products at this point, but somehow I always find something new to buy when they're on HauteLook.

(Which reminds me - I still have a couple of items from the last HauteLook sale that I have to review.  I've got to get to those one of these days.)

Happy Shopping!

April 2013 Favorites

In April, I tried plenty of new products but there were a few tried and true items that definitely stood out as favorites for the month.