I Could've Blushed...

Every few years my brain gets this idea that I should try cream blush. This usually happens after a bout of eczema when I'm still annoyed by all the things I have to use to clear it up and just generally annoyed by the existence of it. I start to hate my dry skin and in an angry state I start to create my own brand of science in my head that tells me that cream blush would be better for me because it's a cream!  Right?  Wrong.  So wrong.

This year's cream blush debacle is brought to you by Revlon and their Cream Blush in Berry Flirtatious $9.

The website only shows 2 colors but I know I saw at least 4 shades on the store shelves. However, Revlon has released a new line of cream blushes called Photoready, so I'm unsure if these colors will be faded out of the line or altered at all, I guess I'll find out in a few years when I think this is a good idea again.

The compact itself is simple and sleek. I was wondering what the little button was on the inside when I picked it up and found out at home that it opens up a small hidden mirror on the side! Genius! Except that I never use compact mirrors. But I like knowing it's there. 

The color itself is actually very nice. It's a great rosy berry color in a matte finish, which most cream blushes tend to be. I imagine this would be really lovely on someone fairer than I.

It's not that cream blushes are bad for my skin. It's not that I can't find the right colors, although that's halfway true, my bad relationship with cream and liquid blushes stems from the fact that I can't apply them! Without a brush I am at a total loss and have no idea just how much I should be using. Even after much practice, I just end up using far too much and looking like I've dressed up in a very cheap Rosacea costume. 

It was a nice try Revlon, but it's back to the store for you while I stick to what I know. This time.  

I could still blush. Just not with this one. 

Free Is The Best Price

I don't think there is anything better than free. There can't be. I mean, all the best things are free, ergo, free itself is the best thing, no?? What's even better is when stores give you free stuff for your birthday. Thankfully, Sephora is one of these stores and during a little trip there I was given this lovely Birthday Gift by Fresh.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Mini Lip Duo

These mini lip balms are half the size of a normal chap stick, the perfect size to throw into a pocket or clutch....or to lose in a big bag.  

The duo comes with regular Fresh, which is a clear treatment and Rose, a very lightly tinted rose shade. 

Both lip balms have SPF 15 in them, along with the most wonderful combination of ingredients to make your lips feel immediately soft and smooth, not greasy or heavy, just silky and fully nourished. Also not to be forgotten is Fresh's amazing citrus scent. It smells like a delicious version of Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue Perfume. As a citrus scent lover, this little birthday pack is wonderful!

I feel almost wrong calling these tubes lip balms because they feel far more luxurious than your average lip balm. The way they glide on your lips and how moisturizing they feel without being greasy reminds me of the L'Occitane Lip Balm Stick, which is basically like putting heaven on your lips and surprisingly cheaper than the Fresh Lip Balms, L'occitane being $10 and the Fresh coming in at a whopping $22.50 per full size tube.  I know that seems totally ridiculous for a lip balm, but after using it for a full day, I could absolutely justify that cost. 

Would I buy this on my own? Hm...not totally sure about that. Only because these are so amazing I would feel guilty about cheating on them with some other lip product. And I just can't walk away from my copious amounts of lip products. I can't. I won't. I'm in too deep, man. 

La Vie En Rose

Soo sorry kids! I know my presence has been spotty at best lately, but I haven't given up on this project! Life has just happened to throw some things my family's' way lately, as it tends to do, so I've been spending most of my time in DC helping my sister out with my new niece which has been taking up most of my time and is the reason I'm way behind on my blog here.

But just because the posts paused doesn't mean my love of products has! I've been trying out tons of new things because I'm sooo excited about fall and winter and all the deep and rich colors that come with it.

With that in mind, I decided a few days before my birthday last week that I needed a new color in my hair. Something to ring in my thirty second year and something new for fall. And with that....I went pink!!

Products:

Kaleidocolors Lightener in Blue

Salon Care 20 Volume Cream Developer

Punky Colour in Flamingo Pink and just a tad of Purple mixed in 

I followed the steps I did when I did the teal hair, but this time went far more smoother. 

I LOVE the pink! And I'm excited that it actually came out the color I wanted, which was something of a hot pink, but not flat, more of a true magenta, and that's what I got!  I love it so much that I wish I had bleached more area to have more pink, but I did this the day I got a haircut after 10 months and after losing 2 inches of hair it felt short, so I stayed conservative with the bleach......this time. 

But now I have new hair, a new year and a new season. All things I love! 

I'm Finally Ready!

I think Bare Escentuals has changed my life no less than 5 times this year, and they've done it again with their new launch of Ready Foundation.

Bare Escentuals Ready Foundation $29 and Retractable Precision Face Brush $22

If you've somehow missed the Bare Minerals infomercials or the QVC spots, the regular commercials, online advertising or general mineral makeup take over of the last few years, Bare Escentuals was the first mineral makeup to hit the market with a foundation in a loose powder form. Although the foundation is amazing, and even though they added the click close top to the small pot of foundation, it's still not the easiest thing to pack into a clutch and can be a bit messy when opening the jar after a long flight or bumpy car ride. 

But Bare Escentuals fixed that problem with the new Ready line of foundations created in perfectly sized compacts with no loose powder! 

 Ready Foundation in Golden Tan

I went as soon as I could to my nearest BE Boutique and had the makeup artist there color match my skin tone since not all of the colors in the regular foundation are the same in this line. We found that Golden Tan was the perfect color replacement for my Medium Tan foundation. 

Retractable Precision Face Brush

Along with the new colors they have also gotten rid of the "swirl, tap, buff" and added a new Precision Brush to the line to work with the compact perfectly. Instead of the 'swirl' now you place the flat angle of the brush onto the foundation and gently...wiggle! It picks up the foundation very easily and you find that you don't need very much. With no need to tap and no need to buff, this goes on soo fast with gentle, sweeping strokes and covers just as well as the original foundation.  The brush feels amazingly soft and great on the skin and the angle of it really allows you to use it with precision, like around the eye or nose.  I picked up the retractable one because it closes up so nicely and is perfect for travel.

The original foundation comes in Original, which leaves more of a dewy complexion and a Matte finish,  but this Ready line is something right in between. 

For those who have never tried mineral makeup, this is a perfect starting point but also a great upgrade to those of us who have been in this arena for quite some time. With all the benefits, plus the addition of another 5 more SPF points bumping it up to SPF20, and none of the mess and a easy take with you compact, Bare Escentuals have revitalized the mineral makeup market for sure!

But I think I am going to miss the 'buffing' a little. 

Adult Bonne Bell

Many apologizes for the unannounced hiatus, but I'm back and I have plenty of reviews coming your way!!

Have you ever sat around drinking a beer after your grown up job and think....man...I wish it was socially acceptable to use Bonne Bell Lipsmackers still. And I wish they had some better tints to them. And I wish they sold it in drugstores so I could get it easily and also moisturized my lips as well as any good lip balm?

No? is that just me?  Well, someone was listening because my prayers have been answered by Maybelline!

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch $3-$4

 I'll start with the best part...the smell!! The one I picked up is Pink Punch and it smells like the best Fruit Punch with a hint of Pink Lemonade I've ever smelled! This needs to be a popsicle flavor. 

Second, this is a great lip balm! The package says it gives 8 hour moisture and has lip renewal. After wearing this for 2 days my lips feel smooth and the moisture did last a very long time.  And if that wasn't enough, this has SPF20! I love SPF! 

And of course, the tint. The Pink Punch has a very sheer light baby pink hint to it that goes on effortless as a lip balm should but isn't so opaque or overpowering on the lips as a color. It's got a nice sheen to it without having a shimmer or frostiness to it like many tinted balms that leave my lips looking like they've arrived from the late 80's. 

The sheer pink tint of Pink Punch

These fun, brightly colored tubes are 4 bucks a pop but sell at Target for $3.  I can't wait to try the other flavors/colors!

Thank you Maybelline!  Finally, an adult lip balm that proves that growing up is totally overrated!