Beauty finds you in the most unlikely places, like this tucked-away alley in downtown Mill Valley.
When You Least Expect It
Sally Hansen Ultra Soothing Lip Tint: My Lips Are Soothed, but Where’s the Tint?
Sally Hansen usually rocks when it comes to lip products (you gotta try the Color Comfort Lip Color lipsticks, yo!), which is why the Ultra Soothing Lip Tints from the Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy line ($10) threw me for a loop.
I didn’t expect Cranberry (peach), Pomegranate (red) and Melon (hot pink) to provide full-color coverage, but I expected them to pack at least a little pigment.
I should have known something was up from how sheer they looked in the swatches on the back of my hand…
They yielded almost no color on my lips. The tint’s M.I.A., just like Joaquin Phoenix’s good sense!
The lip swatch below shows Melon, the brightest shade of the bunch, after one layer. Apart from the shine, I think my lips look like they’re bare.
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Drugstore Elegance with Physicians Formula Cosmetics
Earlier today I set my mind to doing a shimmery gray eye and pink cheek look with a few items from Physicians Formula.
I wanted a friend to keep me company, so I asked Tabs. He shot me a dirty look for waking him up, but he shoots me dirty looks all the time; I’m used to it. 🙂
Elegant isn’t a word I always associate with drugstore makeup, but when it comes to the looks possible with these four items from Physicians Formula (each about $12), I think it fits.
My favorite part of the look is the eye. I think it’s something I’d wear out to a fancy restaurant, assuming, of course, I ever go to one (yes, El Hub, that IS a hint!).
Shimmer Strips in Smoky Brown Eyes ($11)
The overall look relies heavily on Shimmer Strips in Smoky Brown Eyes ($11), a palette of nine coordinating eyeshadow shades from cool-toned brown to gray and silver.
I feel like the shadow colors totes resemble Clinque’s and offer the same soft, non-gritty texture with medium pigmentation. Gotta love the delicate shimmer, too. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Organic Wear Mascara in Black Organics ($10)
To accentuate the gray eyes, I reached for a black mascara, applying four coats (!) of Organic Wear Mascara in Black Organics ($10). It boasts a formula that’s free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives and parabens.
This baby builds crazy good, with absolutely no clumping or flaking, and the stubby brush managed to grab even my wimpiest lashes.
I love the definition Organic Wear delivers, and it lengthens and thickens well enough, but it’s not going to satisfy someone with dramatic drag queen lash lust. If you already have long, full lashes and just need a lil’ something-something to define them, look no further. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
Organic Wear 2-in-1 Bronzer & Blush ($14)
The Organic Wear 2-in-1 Bronzer & Blush ($14) powder duo comes in the same cute beige and green packaging that the Mascara comes in, and it makes the same claim about having all-natural ingredients, too. I’m not always influenced by those kinds of claims, but when a product performs well, particularly a drugstore product, and just happens to be all-natural, it’s icing on the cake.
The product comes in a variety of shades. Pink Rose, part of the Light Bronzer/Pink Rose duo, is a matte peachy pink that looks light and natural on my cheeks, lasts all day long and layers with ease.
Unfortunately, Light Bronzer turned out to be too light for my skin and doesn’t really work for me as a bronzer, but I do like the fine texture of the powder. In the right shade, I’d like it a lot, thanks to how natural it looks and how easily it applies. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
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A Trick to Remember Names in Social Situations
Don’t you just love it when you make your big entrance to a party or a restaurant for cocktails with friends and before you know it you’ve been introduced to 10 new people whose names you immediately forget?
Then, for the rest of the evening you dance awkwardly around conversations with those people hoping to hear their names again in passing because you waited too long to ask them to repeat it?
Okay, maybe that’s just something I do, LOL! At any rate, this (click for the video) is how I avoid that dreadful party trap. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Sometimes I Wish…
Tabs could tell me how he got that chip in his ear.
The Scarlet Letter
The former English major in me wonders what symbolism lies in these personalized file folders from Anthropologie ($10).
A Drugstore Makeup Jamboree! Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy
Where are all my drugstore makeup loving girls at? This week I’m doing a ton o’ testing, testing one-two-three on products from drugstore lines like Rimmel, Physician’s Formula, Cover Girl, N.Y.C. New York Color and Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy (what a mouthful!).
Bring on the budget reviews!
I’m in the thick of testing and will post more extensive reviews of these products over the next couple days, but I couldn’t wait to show you a few pictures of the Carmindy stuff I swatched today.
Making a good first impression
Check out the intense color of the Forever Stay Eye Pencils in Blue Indigo (matte royal blue) and Prue (matte violet).
I couldn’t believe how smoothly the tips glided across the back of my hand…
Now, those of you with a highlighter addiction, please stand up. I’m right there with you, girl. I sure hope Carmindy’s Natural Higlighters deliver. I’ll let you know soon, but for now…
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Caring for Oily Skin
It’s ironic how something so valuable — oil — can be such a nuisance sometimes. I have combination dry/oily skin now, but in my early-20s it was more oily than dry. Halfway through the day my skin would look shinier than Mr. Clean’s bald head!
Flash forward to 2009. Now, I have the worst best of both worlds, LOL! One week I’ll be wrestling with dry skin, and the next it’s a struggle against oil.
If you’re trying to deal with oily skin, keep your chin up. There’s a silver lining, albeit an oily one. They say oily skin tends to age better, with less dryness and fewer wrinkles over time. 🙂
Caring for oily skin
- One challenge with oily skin is avoiding the urge to over-cleanse, which can confuse the heck out of skin, making it either crank up the oil production or swing between oily and excessively dry. Experts recommend avoiding alcohol-based cleansers, which can strip the skin. Instead, reach for gel cleaners and wash no more than twice a day. I may also use a gentle exfoliating product, but not more than once a week.
- Even though moisturizer might seem like the last thing oily skin needs, think twice about skipping it. Oily skin gets thirsty, too. Don’t forget to moisturize your neck and decollete, as these areas show the first signs of aging. When my skin was uber-oily a few years ago, I liked light oil-free moisturizers without rich mineral oils and cocoa butter.
- I’ve always been pretty good about wearing sunscreen, but many are oil-based and can worsen oily skin. I opt for non-greasy, broad spectrum sunscreens with a minimum SPF 15.
- When my skin’s all about the oil, I reach for oil-free makeup, particularly foundations and powder. I like to use a makeup primer under my foundation, and if I’m using a cream blush, then I’ll top them off with a similar shade of powder blush. Same goes for my eyeshadows, too.
- When I get breakouts with oily skin, I’ll use cleansers and toners with salicylic acid. My skin tolerates SA better than any other topical acne treatment.
Oily skin can still be dehydrated
Some oily skin products to consider
Over the years I’ve tried gazillions of products for oily skin. Here are some of my favorites.
Cleansers
- Basis Cleaner Clean Face Wash, $5
- Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, $30
- Clean and Clear In-Shower Facial, $7
Moisturizers
- Dermalogica Active Moist, $35
- DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew, $38
- Oil of Olay Complete UV Protective Moisture SPF, $10
Salicylic acid products
- Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion, $11
- Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment, $7
- My Blend Accelerated Acne Antidote, $75
Makeup
- MAC Blot Powder Pressed Powder, $21
- Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper, $17
- Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer, $42
Oily-skinned ladies, would you care to share your favorite treatments or products? Help your oil-slicked homies out!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy Caring for Dry Skin, 18 MAC to School Makeup Tips and 10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials.
P.P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂