Product Reviews

Let MAC Put a Spell on You with Their Pretty Pink Lip Bag

December 30th, 2009 by Karen 5 Comments

Written by Kristen of Sugar Social

Today Kristen of Sugar Social puts a spell on you with MAC’s pretty pink bag.

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MAC’s Put a Spell on You Pink lip bag, part of the Magic, Mirth, and Mischief! holiday collection, makes lip color dreams come true. For just $36, you get a full-size Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks (light pink with sparkles), a full-size Dream lipstick (pearly beige-pink), and a small Dervish lip liner (a neutral-toned pink with flecks of subtle shimmer) — all squeezed into a cute metallic silver bag. Better still, the colors look great on all skin tones.

I have a beauty confession to make… Before purchasing this bag, I never wore lip liner. Not once. I hate the typical lip liner look, with a harsh line circling the mouth and a too-light lipstick or gloss filling in the lips, but I promise you, this bag will NOT give you that look.

The tried-and-true trio of lipstick, lip liner and gloss may seem like a no-brainer, but they can be worn together in surprisingly different ways. Below is my favorite look.

Substitutes

Dervish lip pencil and Baby Sparks Dazzleglass are part of MAC’s permanent collection. They can be recreated with other colors as well like…
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Philosophy The Miracle Worker Worked a Miracle on Me

December 23rd, 2009 by Karen 11 Comments

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

Today Jen of Raging Rouge describes a miracle she saw with her very own eyes.

Philosophy The Miracle Worker

I’m not one to turn readers away, but if you’re under 35 and under the belief that ignorance is bliss, stop reading this now. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go out for a drink with the girls. 🙂

I say that because if I had to publish a description of my relationship with my skin on Facebook, it would be tagged like this: It’s complicated.

After 35, Mother Nature just smacked me in the face with a 4 by 4. Fine lines started cropping up out of nowhere, and (adding insult to injury) I’m still breakout prone!

Now, for those of you who were brave enough to keep reading beyond the first paragraph, let me offer one more hideous thought: if you thought teen acne was bad, just WAIT until you get pregnant!

Days before my 36th birthday I delivered my second beautiful son, and just like my first pregnancy, the skin around my jawline was a mess. Big patches of cystic acne riddled the area, which had always been completely clear before my pregnancioes. The second time around, though, the breakouts didn’t disappear on their own, and drastic times called for drastic measures!

My first step: regular use of a powerful peel.

Step two: I had tremendous success clearing up the left side of my face using the Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Mask but needed something even more powerful along my right jawline. After reading some positive reviews of Philosophy skincare products, I took the plunge.

The superb prices of their holiday value kits also encouraged me to give them a try, like the Miracle Worker kit, which comes with $156 of products for only $85! YeeHa!

I did add one extra ingredient to my skincare cocktail — and this was crucial — Philosophy “Help Me”. It’s a time-release retinol formula known for its strength and effectiveness in clearing up acne and minimizing the appearance of fine lines.

Here was my combined regimen:
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Some of Stef’s Favorite Exfoliators and Cleansers with Kick!

December 22nd, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

Written by Stef

Today Stef of the fantastical We Heart This (a little bit of everything, a whole lot of love) shares five of her favorite exfoliators.

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When my face flakes
When my skin’s dull
When I’m feeling sad….

Gather ’round, children. I’d like to tell you about a few of my favorite scrubs (and I promise not to make your play clothes out of curtains!). That’s right — a good exfoliator can send me spinning on a mountaintop like a modern day Julie Andrews.

But first, why should you exfoliate? Because your skin is constantly shedding dead cells to make way for new ones. The old cells dull your skin, making it uneven and sometimes even dry. So you want them gone, pronto. Exfoliating moves this process along faster. With a good product, your skin will look fresher, you’ll have a smoother surface for makeup application and you’ll get more out of your other skin care products because they will penetrate the skin’s surface better.

Here are my current top five favorites:

1. Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($40)

Multi-taskers, listen up. This little time saver cuts two-product facial cleansing/exfoliating down to a single easy step. Bobbi Brown’s Buffing Grains are made of Japanese Adzuki bean powder, gentle yet powerful little granules that you can mix into your favorite cleanser to make it an exfoliator too.

And for bargain hunters, Angel Face Botanicals makes a version with 4 times as much product at half the price.

TIP: You can buy the bean powder from many health food stores for practically free. DIYers can even buy Adzuki beans whole and grind them at home!

2. Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.50)

Want another time saver? Check out Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, my drugstore scrub of choice. I really consider this to be more of a cleanser with a kick, as it’s not quite the exfoliating powerhouse as some of my other favorites. But here’s why I like it…
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Take the Day Off from Bad Makeup Removers with Clinique’s Cleansing Balm

December 17th, 2009 by Karen 74 Comments

clinique take the day off cleansing balm review

I love PMS.

And by PMS I mean Philosophy’s Purity Make Simple (PMS), their gentle, non-foaming facial cleanser/makeup remover.

I’ve been using it for years, but it hasn’t been working that well for me lately, maybe on account of winter, and how I’ve been wearing a little more makeup than I did in the summer and early fall. As it turns out, now, after washing and rinsing, I still have renegade bits of concealer and mascara around my eyes!

Last weekend, while scouring Sephora for PMS alternatives, I bumped into Clinique’s Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm ($27).

Hellooooo, pretty purple packaging!

And since I’d never used a so-called cleansing balm before, I thought I’d give it a try.

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A cleansing oil in solid form, Clinique says it’s suitable for all types of skin.

Just scoop it out with fingers and apply directly to a made-up face, gently massaging it into the skin.
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Yes, Clairol Herbal Essences, You May Tousle Me Softly

December 16th, 2009 by Karen 46 Comments

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Since my haircut a few weeks ago, I’ve been on a kick to try new hair products and different styles, like the messy, sexy hair look (controlled chaos) common on Victoria’s Secret runways.

Hoping for hot-mama hair of my own, I started using the shampoo, conditioner and spray gel from the new Clairol Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Line ($4 each).

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The answer, Ry-Ry, would be “yes.”

I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice, but you gals have such a good eye! After I put up this face of the day, a few of you asked in the comments what I’d done differently with my ‘do.

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The Tousle Me Softly shampoo, conditioner and spray gel are part of a six-piece line of cleansers, conditioners and styling products made to work together for soft, sexy, mussed-up hair.

A fine line…

But here’s the thing about the messy hair look: there’s a fine line between “just messy enough to be socially acceptable,” and “plain ol’ jacked-up, busted bed hair.”
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Make Room for the Korres Never Too Many Set

December 14th, 2009 by Karen 44 Comments

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With a tube for each of the 12 days of Christmas, the Korres Never Too Many Holiday Gift Set ($40) just might be the answer to a procrastinator’s prayers.

For Korres, considering their typical prices, it’s a limited edition budgetary bonanza (breaks down to just $3.35 per bottle).

You get a dozen travel-friendly 1.69-oz bottles of their shower gels and accompanying body butters in the following fragrances — Jasmine, Melon, Mint, Lemon Basil, Guava and Clementine Orange.

All of the scents are light and not overly synthetic, smelling to me just like the real things. I like all six of them, but I’m kinda stuck on Jasmine… I think it’s my favorite one. 🙂

korres-never-too-many-box-jasmine

Now, the main packaging probably won’t win any awards for its design (just a transparent plastic box with a few white snowflakes sprinkled around), but I think the bottles are kinda cute.

Don’t they look artsy and creative? 🙂

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About the shower gels, I’m a fan, but the body butters — ooh, baby! These body butters take the cake! Their light, lotion-like texture absorbs quickly without leaving any yucky greasiness behind, yet they still moisturize like monsters, keeping my Saraha-dry shins ash-free for hours.
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Urban Decay’s Big Holiday Bang: The Apocalyptic Nail Kit

December 12th, 2009 by Karen 8 Comments

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

Today Jen of Raging Rouge reveals her hidden edgy side with Urban Decay’s latest *BIG BANG* — the Apocalyptic Nail Kit.

Urban Decay Apocalyptic Nail Kit

My personal style is total “suburban Mom.” My everyday look is classic, maybe even a bit boring: caramel balyage, neutral eyeshadow, jeans, flats… sometimes I even wear pearls! My point is, I generally don’t stray from what most would consider “ordinary.”

But in spirit, I’m part rock star and part punk, sporting goth-black hair, tattoos — and perhaps some sort of weapon concealed in my cleavage.

It’s that hidden inner edge that has me heralding Urban Decay’s latest big bang. Their nail enamel is back on the market, and just in time for the holidays. The Apocalyptic Nail Kit, an adorable mini nail enamel kit, looks great for gifting OR for keeping!

Think you can’t pull off these in-your-face shades? Do what I do. You can still look the part of suburban Mom by using these nail lacquers for your pedicure. It’ll be our little secret. 😉

Retail price is $26 for the seven small bottles of nail color, and all are DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde-free.

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Meltdown: This electric shade of purple has a shimmer that dances in the sunlight.

Big Bang: Love pink? Love glitter? You’re in the right place! From Urban Decay’s original collection, this polish is a sizzling hot pink packed with tons of sparkle.

Apocalypse: A dark, inky, almost black purple. Piss off an octopus, and this is the color of his defense.

F-Bomb: This shade (my personal fave) is a smokin’ sex siren red with a shiny patent-leather finish. The only thing sexier would be a pair of stilettos in this exact shade!

Grunge: Generation-Xers are rejoicing over this hopelessly hip evergreen shade. It appeals to the Kurt Cobain-loving Seattle-dweller within us all.

Gunmetal: This polish is a super-dark titanium with brown undertones. Urban-Chic fashionistas will die over this way-better-than-black shade.

White Widow: This snowy, frosty pale white with a cool gray cast should be perfect for wearing on the slopes!

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

This post was written by Jen of Raging Rouge blog. A part-time beauty blogger and full-time mom to two completely fearless boys, Jen got hooked on makeup at seven years old when her parents let her have her first little lip balm.

Let Korres Delight Your Lips with Moisture and Sheer, Shiny Color

December 8th, 2009 by Karen 37 Comments

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Gah! This freezing cold’s been suckin’ the moisture clean out of my lips. If it’s not the dry chill in the air outside, it’s the heater running indoors all night long. My lips need help!

I’m hoping these new Mango Lipsticks from the Korres Delight Your Lips Set do the trick because I love the way they look.

Korres released several holiday value sets this year. This one comes with four hydrating lipsticks in earthy warm tones, all of them broadcasting natural, shiny color.

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