Ok everyone, so I got a new camera and I'm going to torture you for a few videos until I can figure out all the settings I like, AND figure out the new editing program I'm using. So SORRY if this video annoys you for any technical reason, hahah!
Anyway, I have been using the LaVanila Healthy Deoderants now for probably close to a year. I say probably because I don't actually remember when or where I bought my first one! I just remember being in pain and needing to change things up.
Pain, you ask? Well yeah. I had used antiperspirants for years and loved them, but fairly recently my underarms started to hurt - they were cracked and rashy and itchy and I felt like a monkey by noon with all the scratching I felt I needed to do.
So at some point in the last year, I was at a Sephora store somewhere and picked up a LaVanila deoderant to try. I even remember discussing it with my husband who was interested in the results because he had been reading up on some of the negative effects antiperspirants can have on the body and wondered if they might be triggering my migraines. Turns out they were not linked, BUT within days of trying the new deoderant, my pits started to feel much better and by the end of two weeks, they were all cleared up.
Now, I'm not saying this stuff healed me, but I do think that changing to a more natural product has allowed my body to heal and I am now not introducing any more of those horrible chemicals into my body.
If you're interested in making the switch, but are not quite sure if it'll work for you, check out their website (linked above) and see what you think. There are a slough of reviews online for the products also, so don't just take my word(s) for it. And they don't just do deoderants! This company has everything from lip balm to candles. They even have baby products! And right now if you spend over $100 on their website, they have a 10-piece sample bag for you!
Hello everyone! This is our first of many collaborations.
I’ve done Artemesia and Colleen is doing “the Golden Dude” from 300: Rise of
Empires.
This is not intended to be an exact replica of her look, but
rather my interpretation of how her character wears makeup throughout the
movie. I have adapted the look for my face and eye shape as well.
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Dior Mystic Smokies Pallet,
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, YSL Baby Doll Mascara in Black, Mary Kay Bronzing
Powder in Light-Medium
Eye Brows: MAC Charcoal Brown eye shadow, Benefit BrowZings
in Medium
Face: Veridica it Facial Primer, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in
Beige Tendre B20, Australis Bronzing Powder in Sunkissed, Mary Kay Loose Powder
in Ivory 1, Napoleon Perdis Baked Powder in Peach Set, MAC Studio Finish
Concealer in NW25, Benefit Watts Up highlighter, MAC Night Dusk highlighting
powder (I spilled it in my lap and was choking on the dust during the making of
the video!)
Lips: Lumene Wild Rose Lipliner in Neutral Breeze 08, Mary
Kay True Dimensions Lip Stick in Natural Beaute
All of these products were either purchased by me or I
received as gifts. None were provided for promotional purposes. I was not
compensated for any products or for the making of this video.
Do you like this type of tutorial? Would you like to see another look created? Or a look created "just for you"?? Let us know in the comments below or send us an email!
If I've said it once I have said it a million times. I have greasy skin. It's acne prone, but the major complaint I have is that it is seriously oily, even in the dead of winter. I've tried moisturizing it into oblivion in an effort to "balance out" the oil production and I still kind of think that's a bunch of hooey (but it's important to moisturize! Don't get me wrong, there!). Even when I use a primer, my makeup pretty much slides off of my face by the end of the day in the middle of summer (I get more mileage in colder weather, but only as long as I don't touch my face. If I touch it it will slide off). So, naturally, when I was looking at every single thing my local CVS/Walgreens/Wal-Mart/Target sold I perked up considerably when I saw this beauty on the shelves. Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Foam Wash claims to wash away make up and impurities as well as actually lessen your skin's oil production. I felt like this was going to just be the next bone in my Face Washes My Skin Hates or Tolerates But Doesn't Love Graveyard (it's an extensive collection), but at $10 a bottle, I figured I wasn't going to be out much if it didn't work.
Amazingly this does everything it promises to do. Makeup and grime melt off, and I can happily say that after two weeks my skin is noticeably less oily than it usually is. Basically, I love this stuff. The foam is easy to work with and distribute across your skin (though I do wish it was a thicker, cushionier foam). I've found that this product still works well with my Mary Kay Skinvigorate brush for a deeper clean, but does a great job of getting the gunk off without stripping my skin by itself.
This is an updated review of the one I did about three years ago on my other channel Sapphire Makeup.
In general I like this foundation much more than I did then. I have since repurchased it twice - both in a summer and winter shade (020 for summer and 010 for winter, which was the original shade I purchased).
There are still some things I don't like about this foundation. I still do find it quite scented and that still annoys me - why do higher end companies feel the need to add fragrance to their foundation and skin care? A good chunk of fragrances are skin irritants, much like the alcohol that is also in this foundation (the third ingredient, in fact) So it is not one I use every day for those reasons. That, and the fact that I have dry skin and because it's such a matte long-wearing foundation, it dries my skin out.
I also still don't like that it sets so quickly - I really would like a bit more time to work with my foundation to make sure it's streak-free. Sometimes I have to build this up more that I might want because it dries so fast.
Otherwise, I do find it is a medium coverage foundation - I previously said it was a light coverage. I do find it is longwearing, though still not as long as some, and it does smudge off on clothing.
It does have both UVA and UVB protectant in it which is very nice, especially since I covet my paleness. That said, I'm almost certain the pigmentation changed a bit when they reformulated the product and it went from Diorskin Forever Extreme Wear Makeup to Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Makeup because it starts off darker on my skin than it used to. I also find it oxidizes a bit more than before, but I can combat this a bit by making sure to use a primer underneath it.
Overall I'm happy enough with this foundation to have re-purchased it twice, so I guess that should say something, hahah!
If you want to try this foundation, it can be purchased (or sampled) at The Bay, Sephora, Nordstrom and any other retailer that sells Dior products.
I am a sucker for a good dupe. Do not get me wrong - I will be the first to tell you that you get what you pay for, and that sometimes when a company really hits the mark and comes out with something awesome and innovative that they really deserve your hard earned dollars for doing so. But I love going on the hunt for a great dupe. I think it's the magical blend of researching, saving money, feeling like I'm smart, and shopping. I especially love it when I hit the nail on the head relatively quickly.
In my Birchbox for February I received a sample of Beauty Protector's Protect and Oil and fell in love. The smell, the texture, what it did to my hair - it was amazing. I love me some science, so I set out to find out what was in this magic elixir that made it so amazing. I basically found a bunch of silicons, some argan oil, and some preservatives, dyes, and fragrance. I would be lying to you if I said I was appalled or whatever, but I don't have a problem with silicones. I do, however, have a problem paying $25-$40 a bottle for something that is mainly silicone, which means it is cheap to produce. I'm looking at you, Moroccanoil.
So after studying the list of ingredients I found that the magic basically boils down to mostly silicones, argan oil around 3rd or 4th in the ingredient list, and then maybe some filler kind of things (dyes, fragrance, preservatives). Garnier makes a pretty similar product, but a lot of people were reporting that it left a weird residue on their hair that was hard to get off, and that the fragrance was WAY too strong. I found a nice product that doesn't have any of those issues.
Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Penetrating Oil (say that three times fast) is the answer. The texture is really close to the original product, the ingredients are right on, it's only about $6 a bottle, and my hair feels as amazing as ever. I take about a dime sized dollup in my hands and concentrate it on my ends, then take about another two dimes to the rest of my hair while it is on the dryer side of damp. From there I either let it air dry or I let the oil sit in there for 10 minutes so everything can penetrate and then blow dry. My hair is light, fluffy, smooth, and smells delicious. This stuff also works great on dry ends that need a boost, but not heaviness. I catch myself petting my hair at work and then have to tell myself to stop because real adults don't do that. I also catch my husband's hands in my hair while he is asleep in the middle of the night, it is that soft. Once my hair is dry, if I braid it to sleep in it I wake up with straight hair. My hair never does that. And don't let me near a mirror if I'm in the sunshine because my color is so vibrant again I can't stop staring at myself. This post is meant to say all sorts of nice things about this product, but I feel like I'm just telling you how distracting it is. Because of the fabulousness. I feel like now is a good time to mention that this blog isn't liable for any accidents that happen when you use products we recommend and they work so well you can't stop staring at yourself in the rear view mirror.
M hair is invincible.
Do you love dupes? What's your favorite dupe? What was your best hair day ever like? Colleen is flipping her hair over on Twitter @bevilledeggs.
I mentioned before that Colleen and I both have direct-sales businesses. One of mine is Mary Kay. I've been selling for about a year and a half, now and I love it! (I am a makeup addict, so it helps when you can get great prices on product!) I really like the majority of the products, and I am absolutely IN LOVE with the spring lineup!
Some of the new permanent products are a Black gel liner which replaced the liquid liner that was in the catalogue for years. I honestly love me some gel liner, so I am super pleased with this! The color is super black and goes on very smooth. It does come with a brush, but it's not a really good one for applying gel liner. I would either invest in a slanted eyeliner brush, or a slim eyeliner brush. Mary Kay does sell a slanted one, and other companies like MAC or Real Techniques also do good ones.
The CC creams replace the tinted moisturizer that was a long-time product. I will be doing a review of this since I had mixed feelings on the old tinted moisturizer but I love me my cc creams. Stay tuned for that one. (NOTE: There are 4 shades of CC cream. I ordered the light-medium because that's where I normally fall in BB/CC creams - this shade is rather dark for a light shade and I may actually need to get me the lightest one, but I'll let you know how it goes!)
Another new permanent product is a new pair of bronzers. These are now twice the size of the old ones and come in two colours rather than the four that used to be in the catalogue. (Pictures here). The two new shades do have some light shimmer to them - almost like a pearl finish so if you're looking for a completely matte one, these may not be your friends.
The White eyeliner on its own along with the retro rose lip colour
The Light-Medium IS in fact too dark for my skin.
The rest of the new permanent products are from the relatively new Mary Kay at Play collection which is geared toward younger customers. Frankly, I like the products for the most part. The jelly glosses are fabulous and are super moisturizing, though a little sticky. They match the lip crayons for colour and are called Poppy Love and Violet Vixen. These replace the darker red and purple in Crushed Plum and Hot Tamale from last season. The lip crayons come in 4 gorgeous shades (and the two new shades - an orchid in Purple Punch and a coral called Coral Me Crazy- are super pretty!) but they are not as moisturizing as some other brands are. The two new crayon colours replace Violet Love and Candied Apple from last season.
I love the baked trios because they are a really inexpensive baked eyeshadow set that comes in the season's hottest colours - purples, blues and corals. The two are called Electric Spring and Sunset Beach. The pigmentation is really great on these, and unlike some baked products, they are not super flaky and don't cause a lot of fall-out. They wear well alone, or get super intensified over top a white base. These two trios replace Tuxedo and Ocean View from last season.
The eye crayons come in two new colors as well - Over the Taupe, which is more of a bronze, and Teal me More. These replace the Green Tea and In the Navy crayons from last season. The colour payoff is good, but do be careful to set them with powder though, as they do crease a bit, and primer is not quite enough to keep them from playing slip and slide.
As for the Limited Edition products - I love the colours and packaging! I have tried all the products in the past few days, so I could give you all a first impression as well. My absolute fave LE product from the Hello, Sunshine! collection is the white gel eyeliner. The brush that comes with it is not the greatest for eyeliner, but the colour payoff is fantastic. AND it makes a great base for underneath any eye shadow that you want to intensify! (I used it under the Electric Spring eyeshadow trio from At Play collection in the picture above. I also used the Coral lipstick for that picture)
The springy eye duos in Stonewashed and Summer Sunset are very pretty, but I will have to play with them more to figure out how to get them to stay where I want them. I tried the Stonewashed (blue and brown) the other day, and within an hour it had creased and settled and smudged out. I'm thinking of trying it over top the white liner, so I'll let you know how that goes. I may have a full out review of these products because I really want them to work!
Next we have the Creamy Lip Color lipsticks in Carefree Coral and Retro Rose. After trying both of these, all I can say is I am in LOVE! The pigmentation is beautiful, the staying power is amazing and they leave the lips feeling very moisturized. There was a similarly formulated product 2 summers ago that I believe would be the closest comparison. Otherwise, I have nothing to compare them to! They are unlike most other lip products I've tried because the formula feels really thin and moisturizing on the lips almost like a balm, but the colour lasts and doesn't cake up and crease. These are probably my fave lippies in awhile!
The only product from the LE line I haven't tried yet is the lip gel in Cherry Twist, and that's just because it's SO BRIGHT that I haven't found occasion to try it. So I shall make it my mission this weekend while I'm at the Mary Kay Career Conference to try it out.
Finally we have the mani-pedi products that come out every spring and summer. The pedicure set is always similar - it comes with foot soak tablets that fizz in the water, a pumice stone, a toe separator, an emery board and a foot gel all in a cute little bag. This year's smells like Lemon Parfait and it is heavenly! The nail polish colours are cute, too and come in super springy pastels: Lemon Parfait is a washed out yellow and Carefree Coral is a washed out orange. Neither really works for me since they are quite warm-toned, but they are definitely worth looking at!
And there we have it! If you would like more in-depth reviews of any of these or other Mary Kay products, let me know!
I apparently don't have enough upper lip to get it to stay putsies by itself.
Do you ever get ridiculously picky pants about a product for no good reason? And then it becomes a challenge. You will Indiana Jones the crap out of your department stores, Target, drug stores, and anywhere that even smacks of possible cosmetic sales just to find some random item with all sorts of contingencies attached to it just so you can feel triumphant. Or is that just me? If it is don't tell me. I decided that I NEEDED tinted brow gel. NEEDED. I am generally pleased with the shape, thickness, ect, of my brows, but I feel like they need to be a touch darker whenever I wear more makeup or want to wear a brighter, bolder lip to balance my face out. Every time I try to use a pencil or powder the effect is just way too harsh for me. I already have bold brows. I don't want to look like the situation isn't all mine, ya know?
So in an effort to fix my brow woes in a way that was fast and fool proof early in the morning, I sought out some tinted brow gel. I thought for sure it wouldn't be that hard to find. I was so wrong.
I immediately thought of Benefit's Brow Zing as a great solution and decided that it was a great option that I was going to tuck away in case I couldn't find a suitable drug store alternative. I searched high, I searched low, I found a lot of clear brow gel. I thought about getting some clear gel and putting some matte brown eye shadow or even some eyeliner in it to tint, but that was a cop out. I would not come so far to stoop so low. I was going to find it, it was going to work, and it was going to be at a drug store pricing.
One day I was trying to spend my whole paycheck at Target and found it. Sonia Kashuk's Tinted Brow Gel is about $6 and perfect. I was scared that the color would be a bit too ashy for me, but it really isn't noticeable at all - it just makes my brows look naturally thicker and fuller. I put this stuff on after I've finished my face and powdered everything, so if any setting powder got into my brows it will make them look thicker. I have sleepily mistaken this for mascara before, realized what I was doing, and then put the real deal on. My eyeballs didn't fall off, so that's a great sign. If I sleepily slop a little bit of gel onto my skin it wipes off with a finger really easily.
After.
Before
I honestly have kind of been kicking myself for not thinking of Sonia Kashuk sooner, since they tend to have great products, UNIQUE products, that work and are nicely priced. I found a great Benefit's Watt's Up highlighting cream stick from them (the lighter color. The darker color is a great dupe for Nars Laguna) and a matte cream bronzer that is great for contouring, and I am plotting to get my hands on a liquid lip and cheek cream thing.
SO have you ever gone on a crazy man hunt for a product? Did you find it? Was it everything you had hoped for and more?
Happy Valentine's Day to me!! My Birchbox arrived on the 12th and I've been sampling my little heart out. I really am enjoying this month's box. I will say I was a tad disappointed when I opened the box, because my hair oil had leaked everywhere. I still had the majority of the sample left, but it had gotten all over everything else. Normally they put the smaller or more fragile items in a little cardboard box to help cushion some things, but I guess they decided not to this go around, when they really should have. Because of that, I threw the box and wrappings away immediately (well, after rubbing them on my ponytail in an attempt to save the oil) I didn't take pictures right away, but I did manage to get some after.
Beauty Protector Protect & Oil
I was most excited about this little guy coming to me this month. I've loved everything that I've sampled from Beauty Protector. Their heat protecting spray is the best smelling thing ever. Ever. This hair oil boasts that it works on every hair type, protects against UV rays (very important for color treated hair, especially in the summer), heat, and breakage. I've not had a chance to jump on the Argan Oil train yet, so I was very excited to give this a go. I tried putting some on my dry ends and then running it through my damp hair. Oh, the SHINE! It did a great job on my ends, but it really made my hair super soft when I let it air dry in my damp hair. I think I don't have much of a choice on this one. My hair will revolt if I don't buy the full size. My only complaint is that this product is chock full of silicone, which are cheap to make, yet the full size bottle is $25. What gives?
COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face
Birchbox loves COOLA sunscreens. I loved that this was a tinted sunscreen with a matte finish. I do not love that the coverage is pretty sheer. This would be great for someone who just needs a little oomf, but not a lot of coverage. Unfortunately, I need some extra coverage. Even if I use half the sample trying to build up coverage on my skin it doesn't do a whole lot. I'm going to pass on this one.
Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish in Kitten Heels
I've sampled a different color of this polish earlier and loved the formula. There are some issues with the color changing piece to this polish, mainly that a top coat really interferes with it (and no top coat means no longevity). I love this hot HOT pink and it was perfect for Valentine's Day. I've had this color on for 4 days straight and it is just now starting to show some wear. Not bad!
Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Mascara
I'll be honest, I've not sampled this one yet. Since you're supposed to pitch your mascara every 3 months I thought I'd save this one for when mine needs to go and use it for 3 months. But the sample size is deluxe and that excites me.
Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Palette
This was my Beauty Extra and it was...not very extra. I would have preferred a smaller selection of colors to sample, but more product. This card has a nice selection of shadows (matte and shimmer) but not a ton of product. Not very thrilling, and I'm glad this didn't take away from my actual samples.
What was in your Birchbox this month? What's your favorite item? Do you like it when other people shop for you?
Hello again, lovelies! Feel free to watch the video review on these products here:
Or continue reading for the wordy version!
Ok I mentioned in a previous post about the Almay Concealer and Highlighter that I'm looking for the perfect under eye concealer. Well, I think I've finally found it! A couple of weeks ago, I picked up the Ultimate Concealer in the colour Medium by a company called YoungBlood Mineral Cosmetics. I find a great selection locally at the Pharmasave in the town where I work.
Swatch of the Ultimate Concealer in medium
After trying the concealer for the past couple of weeks, I am so very much in love! It has a thin, creamy texture that blends like a dream. It also doesn't settle in my fine lines around and under my eyes, which has been a problem recently with some of the other concealers I've been using. It also has enough pigmentation to actually COVER the under eye circles. Now, it doesn't completely blank them out, so I still look human (which, in my opinion is what you want). I set it with the YoungBlood Pressed Mineral Rice Powder in Medium, which I picked up at the same time as the concealer because I was literally scraping the sides of my Korres Olive Oil and Rice pressed powder that I've been using for about a year now. (A side note, I LOVE that powder, but cannot find it anywhere anymore which is why the switch). I also love that the concealer is an excellent match for my skin. It still amazes me that I have to use a medium because I am so pale (comparable to MAC NC15 or Mary Kay Ivory 3) But, hey! It matches, so who cares!?
I do need to mention that it is a little pricy as YoungBlood claims to be a luxury company, so the $30 price point will certainly be a turn off for some. BUT if you consider that the line is touted as a very natural line of cosmetics, it might not be a bad price point for many. Here's a quote from their website: "Our products are free of talc, parabens, oil and fragrance, and have
earned numerous awards including "Best Foundation" (Beauty Launchpad)
and "Best Mineral Blush" (NewBeauty). We are herald by professional
makeup artists, celebrities and customers alike for our comprehensive
assortment of natural-looking shades that are easy to use, long-lasting
and able to stand up to heat, humidity and perspiration." As for the longevity of their products, it's winter so I can't really speak to it, however I can say that once it's on, it doesn't move around like a lot of other products do.
And I love the packaging. It's sleek, the concealer and powder both come with a mirror for convenient application, and they store and stack nicely.
The powder, also in medium, is lovely. It's $33, so comparable in price to other higher end companies. It's Rice based and has no talc in it. It is quite finely milled, so you do get a bit of dust kicked up when you apply it, but it goes on like a dream. It really mattes down the skin and I find that I only need to touch up at around mid-afternoon if I apply my makeup at about 7 in the morning. So for the longevity of this one - in the winter, anyway - I'd say is pretty good!
The other product that I have by the company is one of their cream
blushes. It's actually a highlighter, and it is gorgeous! It's quite
comparable in colour to MAC Shell, though MAC's product has larger
particles and is a little more chunky looking. I really love this highlighter. I've had it for several months now, and use it very regularly. I like to apply it with a brush to the top of my cheekbones, and use my fingers to put some down the bridge of my nose and at the top of my cupid's bow. The price on these puppies is $27 and you get quite a bit of product. Also, because it's cream, a little goes a long way!
Cream Blush in Champagne Life
Swatch of the Champagne Life
Overall, I think YoungBlood is really onto something. The prices are
quite reasonable for what you get, and the fact that the company was
founded by a medical aesthetician (Pauline Youngblood), it stands to
reason that the products should do what they claim to. In my opinion,
they do, and I can't wait to try more products from this company!
So many people are all over dry shampoo these days, but I cannot for the life of me get it to work. I have very dark hair, and none of the ones I've tried do a darn thing for me other than leave a greyish white cast over my hair which looks nasty. I will admit I haven't tried one formulated for dark hair, but I have tried everything from sprays to powder. The powder ones have a better texture in my opinion, since the propellant in the spray ones seem to leave my hair even greasier by the end of the day, but I still can't really make them work. So long story short, I give up on them!
I do not, however, give up on lazy day hair! I want to roll out of bed and go! I have curly-ish hair (it's actually more wavy at this length and the climate right now is super dry, so the curls don't stay) which makes it naturally dry. This in combination with dry skin, means I do not shower every day (gasp!) I will bathe every other day, be it a shower or a bath, but I wash my hair only 2-3 times per week usually. My regular hair washing schedule is Wednesday morning and Saturday morning, with another day in there if I've gotten gross and sweaty or if I've been sick. But I'll admit that by the end of the 3 or 4 day period, my hair is sometimes a little gross at the scalp (somehow I still have dry scalp, even when I have oily hair o.O) So what do I do for that last day or two? I put on a headband to cover my roots!
I started collecting Lululemon headbands last year because I was looking for something to keep my hair out of my face and the frizzies down while I was skating. I figure skate and there's nothing worse than hair in my face when I'm trying to concentrate on not falling flat on my face. So my cousin who is a Lulu
connoisseur suggested the bangbusters because they have a wider front and will work to keep more of the hair out of my face. I took her suggestion and purchased my first one. I put it on as soon as I walked out of the store. 10 minutes later, I walked back in and bought another one, I loved the first one that much!
Since then, I have added 2 more to my collection, as well as 3 other ones in 2 different styles. I've included a picture of 6 at the bottom of this post. You can check out the video above for the 7th one I have as I'm wearing it in the video.
I will admit that these headbands are a little pricy. A Lululemon headband will run you anywhere from $12 to $18CAD. Admittedly, you can find cheaper ones at the drugstore, or even the dollar store. BUT I have yet to see a silver lined one or a reversible one at the drugstore. And they're nowhere near as cute!
