MAYBELLINE DREAM PRODUCTS

Maybelline thinks you'll love the foundation because: "Revolutionary whipped formula provides an air-soft, perfect matte finish coverage, with a weightless feel. Color pigments offer superior coverage. Blends effortlessly for a soft, natural-looking, even-toned result. Now in 16 shades."

Maybelline thinks you'll love the consealers because: "Dream Mousse™ Concealer conceals with an amazing air-soft feel. Air-whipped mousse texture feels lightweight on skin and builds opacity for settle-free coverage. Completely covers dark circles, imperfections and redness. Blends and smoothes away imperfections instantly .Oil-Free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested, safe for sensitive skin."  5 shades.

Maybelline thinks you'll love it because: "Air-soft formula provides luminous, long-lasting color on cheeks. Glides on smoothly and blends easily for seamless color and a natural, radiant finish. Air-whipped mousse delivers satin-soft feel on skin. Long-wearing formula will not clog pores."   6 shades

I was intrigued by this product simply because I've never seen anything like this! It looks and feels like the inside of a marshmellow! But of course, it's not sticky. It really is so light to the touch and you have to use very little of it to cover your face--at least I don't, and I need coverage! I'm posting my naked face just so you can see what good coverage it really gives! I was surprised! I find it best to really exfoliate my skin before using the mousse. If I don't, my skin tends to look pretty flaky--I have super dry skin! And of course moisturize and treat my under eyes.

I've been using this for a while and I've hardly used any of the product! I find it's best to get a little dab on your finger then rub it on another in little circles to really "melt" the consealer. For me at least, this makes it go on really smooth. I just use a small amount of the blush, though it's not too pigmented. I find it just gives me a nice little rush of color on my cheeks--the kind that doesn't show up well in photographs! But hopefully you can see it in my pictures. To sum it up, I like these products well enough. I wouldn't say that I LOVE them, but they are nice enough and I am glad I tried them. Who knows, maybe they will continue to treat me right and it will make it's way into my "go to" makeup drawer! It's got to prove itself this summer if it want to make it there!!

Ok, here's my before picture, try not to cringe!!

What a difference a little makeup does!

And here with the blush and rest of my makeup! Much better!!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

ALMAY TRULY LASTING COLOR FOUNDATION

Almay describes this foundation--"tlc truly lasting color™ makeup with SPF 15 delivers up to 16 hours of flawless coverage that won't rub off—even in heat and humidity. Plus, it nourishes your skin with a blend of green tea to protect, vitamin E to help smooth, and lemon extract to brighten...for all day, natural radiance. "

I have been using this foundation for a couple weeks now and I really like it.  First of all, it comes with a pump! It's so much easier to get the product out and much more sanitary. Also, it blends so much better with my consealer. I first tried my Bee Luscious Consealer with ColorStay and it was terrible! Then I tried with Almay's TLC and it was great! TLC also contains green tea, vitamin E, and lemon extract, which are fantastic for your complexion!   

                                                                                    

 Other things I love about TLC, it feels like nothing on my face! I have used my beauty blender and different Sigma brushes to apply this and everytime I walk away with flawless skin! Also, it has a nice range of colors, but not if you have very dark skin--most drugstore companies seem to need to work on that. This makeup really doesn't budge, so you really need to make you use a good makeup remover!

One thing some people may not like is that there aren't as many color selections as some other brands. There also aren't different formulas for dry and oily skin. I have pretty dry skin and this works well for me. I'd be interested in hearing how it works for you with oily skin, so please comment.

Here's my color:

Ivory 01, 120

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

AVON PRODUCT REVIEW

So far I've written several reviews for AVON products that I love. I thought it was time I wrote about a few products I have tried and not loved! **It doesn't mean that they are bad, they just didn't work for me! If you've had different results, please share your story in the comment section.**

This is the 12-in-one eye palette. It's regularly priced $20, but is on sale right now for $12.99. Even at 35% off, I still don't think it's worth it. I was excited to try this back in November 2009, but have just never liked it. My three year old plays with this regularly and is quite pleased! I just find these shadows to be very chalky and the payoff isn't not that good. And don't get me started on the two sponge applicators it comes with, =/

This is ANEW REJUVENATE Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser. I like the way this smells, but it's too drying for my already dry skin. If you have oily skin, this would probably work great for you. For people with dry skin like myself, try a cream cleanser, as it will leave your skin mositurized. I really like (and already reviewed ANEW REVERSALIST Renewal Foaming Cleanser (which I love!).

This is ANEW CLINICAL Advanced Retexturizing Peel, $25. I feel like this is just ok. I've gone through two of these and I can't really say I've seen any improvement in my skin due to these. I think a good exfoliation once or twice a week will due just fine. These make your face sort of tingle when you use them, which feels refreshing, but other than that...I've not much else to say about them.

FTC Discloser: I am an AVON Representative. I purchased these products at a discount rate. I am not paid by AVON, or anyone else, to write this review. All opinions are mine.

ELF NATURAL LASH KIT

Ok, so this is the first time I've tried any "falsies!" I know they aren't perfectly placed, but I think they look alright. They were a little hard for me to put on, even afer watching multiple youtube gurus show me how! But I'm sure with some practice, I'll be a pro in no time!

These are only $1 from ELF, so I figured they would be good for me to learn on. They seem to fit my lid, so I didn't have to cut them. I also didn't use the glue that came with the lashes. I can't remember what glue I used, but it seemed to work just fine. I admit though, I didn't leave them on for very long! They felt a little funny and I was just staying home anyway.

As I mentioned, these are the natural lashes. They also sell dramatic and single lashes; I got two of each kind and I will post my results as I use them. This is something fun I think for going out, not really day to day practical for a stay at home mom--but very fun to play with!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

COVER GIRL EYE ENHANCERS

I have been loving these Cover Girl eye shadows for a while now. The colors are nicely pigmented, they go on smooth and blend really well. I always use Urban Decay's eye priming potion before applying these so they really do last until you take them off. Pictured above are the 7 shades that I own, but there are 25 colors in this collection. All the shades are divided into two catagories: Enhance and Blast. The enhance shades are the more subtle colors (but still pigmented mind you) and the blast colors are to use when you really want to stand out! These range in matte to shimmer to sparkle finishes.

Here's are swatches of the colors that I have:

From left to right:

Shimmering Onyx, Indigo Impact, Brown Smolder, Forver Fig, Mink, Turquoise Tempest, and Sapphire Sparkle

An upclose look at the colors in the pan:

Shimmering Onyx-Blast shade

Indigo Impact-Blast shade

Brown Smolder-Blast shade

Forver Fig-Enhance shade

Mink-Enhance shade (My favorite!)

Turquoise Tempest-Blast shade

Sapphire Sparkle-Blast shade

The colors shown on the Cover Girl website are terrible if you ask me, so that's why I wanted to post my own pictures here. =) Hope this is helpful to anyone who was thinking about purchasing these. I've blended these with some of my MAC shadows and my BH Cosmetic's 28 Neutral palette and they worked wonderfully!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

DON'T LAUGH...

I've always been a Carmex gal, so never really tried anything else. I love the way it makes your lips tingle and keeps my lips really smooth. I've had so many friends tell me that they just love Burt's Beeswax but I was never curious enough to try it out, until today.

Wow! I thought it was just going to feel waxy and maybe taste like honey!! I was so wrong. I'm probably the last person on earth to try this!! So don't laugh!!! But I really like it! Burt has won me over! It still has a tingle and I didn't taste any honey! I like that the ingredients are all natural, though I don't think there is any SPF in it, which is the only thing that makes this not perfect.

 I guess I'm a little slow on getting on the bandwagon with some things, but I'll really have to try to be more open minded from now on. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll try out shoulder pads and tease my hair! ;) What beauty products were you "slow" to catch on to?

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

FOTD-A LOOK BY REQUEST!

A beautiful reader of mine asked me to do a look from the Physicians Formula Blue Eyes Shimmer Palette that I had just reviewed! So here it is!

** For some reason, the pictures look great on my camera, but not so great on my computer. I'll look into that, so bare with me in the meantime!**

Here is what I used:

Face:

Almay TLC Foundation, Ivory 01, 120

Bee Luscious Color Correcter

Almay Nearly Naked Loose Powder is Light 100

Costal Scents Contour and Blush Palette

Eyes:

Urban Decay Eye Priming Potion

Physicians Formula Shimmer Palette for Blue Eyes

Maybelline Cool Effect Eye Shadow/Liner Pencil in Midnight Chill #22

MAC LashZoom in Zoom Black Mascara

Lips:

AVON Posy Pink lipstick

ELF Candy Shop Frosting Fanatic lip gloss

A closer look at some of the products I used:

I used theses two lightest colors on my lid. The lightest one on the inner part and the peachy one on  the outer part of my lid.I used the darker brown one below that in my crease and I used the darkest blue pictured over my creamy pencil eye liner to set it and give it more depth.

Blush, Highlight, and Contouring Powder from Coastal Scents.

I just got this lipstick! It was a little too pink for this look, so I put a layer of Frosting Fanatic over it!

RIMMEL LONDON SMOKEY EYE PALETTE

Sorry the pictures are washed out!! But as you can probably tell, this palette is terrible!! It swatches decent on my fingertips, but I really had to rub them in there to get the product on! Then as you can see on my hand, they barely show up. I am really disappointed with this one. I total waste of perfectly good money. *Sigh* Don't you hate it when that happens?

What has been your biggest makeup letdown?

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

PHYSICIANS FORMULA BLUE EYES PALETTE

I have been using these a lot over the past 7 months or so. I am so impressed with this palette because the colors are just beautiful with my eye color and skin tone. These are very smooth to the touch and blend super nice! These are all shimmery though, so if I were to change anything, I'd make some of these colors matte. I love how I can create three different looks with this small palette! Neutral, colorful, and smokey eyes cover the spectrum, for me at least, very well!

 I am not one to wear super bright colors, so this gives me nice pigmentation in "safe" neutral colors. The Physicians Formula webpage says you can use these dry or wet. I personally think these are so pigmented already, I don't see the need to use wet. But for those of you who really like to amp it up, this is a great option for you. Also, if you use the sponge tip applicator that comes with this palette, you won't get much color payoff. I like to use my SS252 from Sigma to really pack on color to the lid.

You can also get similiar palettes for brown eye, green eyes, and hazel eyes. These retail for approximately $9.95.  You can find these at most drugstores or at http://www.physiciansformula.com/

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

ELF CANDY SHOP LIP GLOSS

From top to bottom: Candy Fix, Frosting Fanatic, Melon Mayhem

I totally fell for the cute packaging of these Elf Candy Shop Lip Glosses! These are pretty good for a $2 lip gloss. They feel a little heavy on the lips, kind of like a balm would, but I don't mind that. They also feel pretty moisturizing and help my dry lips recover. This is definately the time of year I need some extra moisture! I was looking at the ingredients on the back of the packaging though...parabens present. So if that is a problem for you, then you'll want to pass on this one.

I like how they give you a nice hint of color and love the way the blend into my lipsticks. I love to use Melon Mayhem with my CoverGirl True Shine lipstick in Nude Shine---so pretty!! I actually found all three of these colors in a pack togeher at  Big Lots for only $3 or $4, so don't forget to check out these kinds of places you may not normally think of! You can really find some good deals!

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

AVON MINERAL LIPSTICKS

This is Apricot Glow, a mineral lipstick from AVON. I love love this lipstick!! It's not too intense, yet not pale in the least---does that make sense? I'll have to swatch more colors later!! This is the only one I have, so far, in a full size. It's got pertty good staying power. It's not going to last all day, but for a mineral lipstick, I think this is a really good one. It goes on really smooth is isn't sticky in the least. There are 10 colors in this line ranging from this light apicot glow to dark bronze.

What's also great about this lipstick is it has a SPF 15 built in! Yeah!  It's has nuturing shea butter and conditioning oils to keep lips smooth. It's also dDye-free and preservative-free. Wooray for AVON! This one is good! This is $8 and you can find it here: www.youravon.com/avaladares. Please do not select representative shipping unless you live in Fredericksburg, VA. Shipping is usually about $3 and up--much less than if you bought it from Ebay or Amazon!!

FTC Discloser: I am an AVON Representative. I purchased these products at a discount rate. I am not paid by AVON, or anyone else, to write this review. All opinions are mine.

HARD CANDY LIP TATTOOS

Color: Fantasy 166

I saw this color on the shelf and thought it was just so pretty! I didn't actually notice from the label that it's actually a lipstain, not a lip gloss. So imagine my surprise when I went to apply it for the first time, it was not creamy at all, in fact--it felt a bit like I was putting water on my lips! Then I finally took the time to read the whole label--something you should do before buy anything!!--I realized what I actually had.

Now, knowing that this is a stain, I feel much better about my purchase. This color isn't too intense, so it looks great when you want a more subtle look. If you wait just a minute for the color to settle, you can easily apply a coat of breath freshening gloss. I like that the color side has a felt like tip and the gloss as a brush applicator.

But even before I put on the gloss, I had really nice, even coverage on my lips--which is a huge plus if you ask me! But after putting on the gloss, which smells just like mint, you get a really nice shine. It's not goopy or stiicky, just really smooth. I will be trying other colors soon!

But as far as staying power, I don't really feel it lives up to the lip stain name. It comes off easily with a tissue. I know other lipstains I have tried were very hard to remove. It stays on better than just a colored lip gloss, but not even close to a "real" lip stain. I still enjoy it though!

You can find these at Walmart for about $6.00.

FTC Discloser:Products mentioned in this post were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with any brands or companies mentioned.

FOTD-COCO BRONZE

Here's what I used:

Face:

AVON Magix face perfector

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Classic Ivory, Light 2

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer Ivory, Light 2-3.5

AVON Smooth Minerals Transparent Glow M01

Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer 129 Tiki

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush 126 Pin Up

Eyes:

Urban Decay Eye Priming Potion

AVON Sparkling Eye penscil in Coco Mauve

AVON Smooth Minerals Bronzestone e/s M105

AVON Smooth Minerals Cocoa Glow e/s M107

AVON GlimmerStick in Cosmic Brown G40

AVON SpectraLash Mascara Black Noir

Lips:

AVON Smooth Minerals l/s Apricot Glow M400

Nivea A Kiss of Shine Natural Glossy Lip Care

ELF $5 COUPON ALERT!!

I just wanted to let you all know that if you go onto the ELF Blog right now and make a comment, they will send you via email a free $5 coupon to use at ELF.com! I just got mine and I'm excited to use it. I've been wanting to try the Studio HD Powder and now here's my chance to try it for free! Yeah! Coupons will be good until 2-14-2010!!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/blog.asp?blog_id=1000566&pagenum=1