Beauty and the Review: Mascara #1B

This is the second part of this review, part one Mascara #1A gave a brief intro of the product, part two is going to include the final results and ultimately how I feel about the product. I have been using this mascara for 30 days, a huge commitment for me because I always have more than one mascara in my arsenal, so sticking to just one for a month kind of annoyed me. Rimmel claims that using this mascara continuously for 30 days, your lashes will appear fuller and more numerous. The top photo of my eye was taken the first day I used it, the bottom photo was taken this morning, day 30.

What: Volumizing Mascara

Brand: Rimmel London

Line: Lash Accelerator 

Color: Black

Price: $8, roughly

Application: Wire bristled wand, one side with long bristles for the upper lashes, and the other side with short bristles for the lower lashes. 

Coverage: Pretty good I'd say, you don't need to pile it on

Longevity: When I first apply it in the morning my lashes look longer and slightly fuller than they did with out it but by night time they don't look like anuthing special, certainly not volumized. It can also get flaky by the end of the day, but that could be that I end up rubbing my eyes later in the day. 

Positives: It's nice and black, I tend to think black mascaras are not black enough. Also, it does make them look fuller, but not as full as I want, I think the commercials gave me very high/unrealistic expectations.

Negatives:  A you can see in the photos there is an improvement in my lashes, but not much, like I said the commercial gave me high expectations. Also, it's a clumpy formula, that right there made me want to give up after 5 days, but I found that placing the tube in hot water for a few minutes (more than 5 but less than 10) helped with the clumping. Now I'm note sure if it's the brush or the mascara formula, but my lashes don't really separate, they cling to each other, I'm not very fond of this look (the London look?). 

In a nut shell: This product does what it claims, but does not do what I want it to, I like feathers for lashes, not spider legs. If I could have only one mascara for the rest of my life, this would not be it

Beauty and the Review: Gel Manicure

What: Gel Manicure

Brand: Daisy

Line: N/A

Color: Not sure what the actual name is, but clearly it is bright pink.

Price: $30 at a nail salon

Application: Somebody else does all the work.

Coverage: N/A

Longevity: I have had this for 10 days now, the top photos was taken the day after I got it and the bottom photo was taken at the 10 day mark. Chipped nail polish is very annoying to me, so with regular nail polish I have to redo my nails every few days, not the case with the gel manicure. I did have a nail chip because I was moving into my new plance and banging my hands (and elbows) into EVERYTHING, and only having chipped one was quite the accomplishment. Not to mention my hands were submerged in every kind of cleaner imagineable and the gel is still on there! (I should mention that the top photo is a more true to the actual color)

Positives: It lasts forever and is so shiny.

Negatives:  As your nails grow out, so does the manicure, so getting one every 2 weeks might be in order if you don't want to look like white trash, however, that could get spendy at $30 a pop. I plan to explore DIY options, so stay tuned for that!

In a nut shell: I would reccomend a gel manicure to anybody who asked  my opinion, I love love love it.

Beauty and the Review: Primer

What: Primer

Brand: Almay

Line: Smart Shade

Color: N/A

Price: $9.99 for 1.0 fl oz

Application: Finger tips

Coverage: N/A

Longevity: This product is meant to give you a good base for your foundation (redundant perhaps?) and to help your make up last longer throughout the day.

Positives: This does in fact provide a good base, at least I think it does, however...

Negatives: This goes on pretty shiny, and while it does get less shiny after it "sets" or "dries", but I think my skin looks a bit greasy. But I can't tell if my skin is actually greasy or if the product is what causing the greasy look, just have to compensate with a bit more powder. Oh and it smells bad.

In a nut shell: The greasy factor is less than desireable, but I think my skin just needs some time to adjust and the greasiness look may subside. Then again, I'm not sure it makes enough of a difference to make me want to buy it again.

Beauty and the Review: Mascara #1A

What: Volumizing Mascara

Brand: Rimmel London

Line: Volume Accelerator

Color: Black

This review will be a 2 part ordeal. Rimmel London claims that using this mascara for 30 days will make your lashes "look more numerous". I am not always quick to believe these things. This post is the "before" and in 30 days you will have the pleasure of viewing the "after" AKA the "London Look" and the full product review.

Beauty and the Review: Tinted Mascara

What: Tinted Mascara

Brand: Maybelline New York

Line: Great Lash

Color: Totally Teal Limited Edition

Price: $5.44 for .43 fl oz

Application: Bristle wand

Coverage: One coat is all I'm wearing in the photo. (One coat meaning I dipped the wand into the tube once and then wiggled it over my eyelashes a couple times)

Longevity: Lasts all day from what I can see, the color doesn't get any less colorful, score.

Positives: It's teal, so it's fun. Also, loading it on is an option because it doesn't get overly clumpy.

Negatives: Would be nice if the color popped a bit more, and I'm not crazy about the lack of feathering effect, but today is all about color so let's just stay on topic.

In a nut shell: I like this mascara, I wear it with navy eyeliner and that makes it much more better (bettah!), in the photo I am wearing just the mascara to show how it stands on its own.

Beauty and the Review: Facial Mask

What: Refining Mask

Brand: Proactiv Solution

Price: $23.00 for 2.5 oz

Color: NA

Application: Using fingertips, apply mask to damp cleansed skin, let sit for 10 minutes and rinse. Use 2-3 times per week, I like to use it as a spot treatment, I put it on before I go to bed and then rinse it off in the morning. (Warning, from what I understand it can bleach your pillow case so overnight may not be an option if you want to use it on your cheeks...or if you sleep with your face directly into the pillow)

Coverage: NA

Longevity: NA

Positives: I had very high expectations for Proactiv since their testimonies on TV appear to be amazing and I was not disappointed. This sulfur acne treatment claims to deep cleans to help minimize pores, and it did just that, well let's be honest it minimizes the look of my pores because it is impossible to actually shrink them. I have trouble keeping the pores on my chin clear, after using the mask just once there was a difference, not just with the look of my pores but a pimple that I had squeezed was almost completely flattened and the redness had almost disappeared. A flat slightly red spot can be covered and I was/am pleased. One last thing to be said, is that the mask seemed to kind of draw out the stuff in my pores, once it was brought to the surface of my skin it was easy to scrub away.

Negatives: I tried using this on a pimple not on my face, it did deflate it but not the way it did the one on my face, but it was still an improvement that has trumped all previous attempts so I'll take it. One last thing for the down side, the mask can dry out your skin, I haven't had it be a problem yet but I can see how it could happen.

In a nut shell: I don't use the whole Proactiv Solution system and don't feel I need to as long as I have this. I highly recommend the Proactiv Solution Refining Mask.

Beauty and the Review: Mineral Foundation

What: Mineral Powder Foundation (crushed not pressed)

Brand: SheerCover

Color: Bisque

Application: Brush

Coverage: A nice finish, not flawless as it is claimed to be, and don't get to close because the powder, unlike a liquid foundation, just seems to hang out on your face, making itself known. Also, this is a foundation so it doesn't cover shine the way a powder does, (yes there really is a diference between powder and foundation).

Longevity: Nothing special, I was told that the make up would actually look better as the day went on because it would be absorbing oil from my face, it should be noted that my face didn't look any worse throughout the day, but I did not see that it looked any better either.

Positives: The thin layer of make up seemed to blend in with my skin very well, I didn't have to worry about conflicting face and neck colors.

Negatives: The man who sold me the product repeatidly told me how I would not have a cakey look to my face, he was not entirely wrong. The areas on my face where I used the concealer (also Sheer Cover) it looked cakey and obvious, I experimentd with the amount of concealer but once I had acheived a non cakey look, the concealer wasn't concealing anything. Fail.

In a nut shell: The good parts of your face will look nice, the trouble areas will look troubled

Beauty and the Review: Lipstick

What: Lipstick

Brand: CoverGirl

Color: Enchantress (365) 

Coverage: "One coat is fine, but I like to do two, because more is much more better 

Longevity: The lipstick kind of stains your lips, so when you wake up in the morning don't be surprised to find your lips still pink (Vaseline and a Kleenex get rid of it). That being said, your lips get a bit stained, so the color is there, but the lipstick look kind of goes away. Perhaps a lip primer is a good idea.

Positives: This color is a very pink, very bright, very Barbie. I love it.

Negatives: I wish this color had some sheen to it, but that's what clear lip gloss is for.

In a nut shell: I used to never wear lipstick, now I do

Beauty and the Review: Dry Shampoo #2

What: Dry Shampoo

Brand: TRESemme FreshStart

Line: Smoothing, for Straight/Normal Hair

Application: "Aerosol", spray on roots all over scalp, rub in

Effectiveness: Sub-par

Longevity: Longevity is difficult to determine as the effectivenss was um...not effective? I guess it should be noted that it does not get worse as the day goes on, hair still looks kinda dirty after application and stays that way

Positives: Can't seem to find many, the only thing that this product has going for it is its scent, it's not amazing, but it's not overpowering either, I can appreciate that. TRESemme has more than one dry shampoo, so maybe the Smoothing for Straight/Normal Hair, is not a good one, I may explore their other options in the future, but right now I have very little faith.

Negatives: I used this product several times, I tried using a "regular" amount, I tried the "less is more" approach and went at it with a "more is much more better" attitude, none of these proved to work. When I used a lot, it made my hair look dirtier and when I used very little, my hair looked dirty because it was still dirty. Using what I thought was a "regular" amount I got a combination of the too much product and not enough product looks. Dirty. 

In a nut shell: I would not suggest you purchase this particular line, but I think it's too soon to write of all types of TRESemme dry shampoo

Beauty and the Review: Dry Shampoo #1

What: Dry Shampoo

Brand: Suave

Application: Aerosol spray (OK I know it's not really aerosol but I don't know how else to describe it), spray at roots all over scalp, rub in

Effectiveness: Hides dirty, greasy hair very well, I'm a believer

Longevity: Lasts as long as I've ever needed it to, which has been all day (by all day I do not mean a 24 hour period)

Positives: As I said, the Suave dry shampoo hides greasy hair very well, it also adds volume which is hard to come by on a day of not washing hair. I've used it up to 2 days after shampooing and it works just as well on day 2 of not shampooing as it does on day 1 of not shampooing.

Negatives: The smell reminds me somewhat of pineapple, I have a very sensitive olfactory nerve, therefore it is slightly nauseating during and shortly after application. Also, the powder (that's the form in which it sprays out of the can) can lighten your hair where you apply it, this may prove to be a problem for darker hair, I've noticed this right after applying but it does not seem to be a lasting thing, again, may vary for darker hair. Final thing, hair isn't as soft after using, it becomes slightly stiff, but I don't really consider this a negative but it seem more appropriate to put it under negatives.

In a nut shell: Negatives are not a big deal, you need this

Beauty and the Review: Gel Eyeliner

I've decided to start doing reviews on my beauty products, I've pondered the idea since having a blog but just haven't really gotten around to it. I will provide the product name and other major details, review the product based on a few criteria I find important (criteria may vary based on type of product but for the most part will be the same), give a few comments and/or critisizm I feel necessary.

What: Gel Eyeliner

Brand: Maybelline New York

Line: EyeStudio

Color: Blackest Black

Application: Easier than liquid, slightly trickier than a pencil

Coverage: One swipe and done

Longevity: Lasts all day without fading or cracking

Positives: The gel liner is thicker than liquid so when there is more room for error during application, so if your hand is a bit shaky it won’t be totally obvious than if you were using liquid. The color lives up to its name, very bold black which I appreciate very much. With pencil eyeliner I find that the color seems to “bleed” down under my eyes throughout the day and I can never seem to prevent it, not an issue with the gel liner.

Negatives: The brush that comes with the liner is not as fine as that of a liquid liner, so if you want to do a thin line or cat eyes, it can be challenging, but for the most part has not been a problem. Another set-back is potential smudging, the eyeliner doesn’t dry the same as liquid so if you rub it accidently it can smear a little.

In a nut shell: Great for bold lines, not for smoky eyes.