ProductWhores

Feelin' Blue

I am completely obsessed at the moment with one of the new polishes from Zoya's Feel Winter Collection.  Kristen is a gray polish with a bluish hue to it that I've been sporting all week (and getting many compliments on!)  I like that it's not just a traditional gray - the blue definitely sets it apart from the other 15 bottles of gray polish I already owned - and it's a nice neutral without being boring.  I was actually over the gray shades after about a year of wearing them constantly, but Kristen's gotten me back on the bandwagon.  Now I wish my ULTA would get their new shades in so I could start loving some of those too...

Stila Rolls Out The Red Carpet

 

I was one of those people who loved Stila's last collaboration with E! and all of their Live From The Red Carpet fun, so I'm excited that they're doing it all over again.  This year, there are four products in the new collection - a Solar Lighted Compact W/All Over Shimmer Duo, a Bring Out Your Glam Eye Shadow Palette, a Smudge Stick Duo + Forever Your Curl Mascara and a Lip Glaze Trio.  They all look really fun, don't they?  I especially think I need the eye palette and the Lip Glaze Trio (because clearly, I need MORE Lip Glazes even though I already have a ridiculous amount of them).  And how cute is the eye palette, with the stars in the middle of the shadows?  E! and Stila have sucked me in once again!

iO Beauty

I swear I've tried about a million different skincare products - some I've loved and some I've hated and some, well, I've just been on the fence about.  I can't remember the last time, however, that I used a new skincare line and had other people comment on my complexion!  iO Beauty, the skincare line behind make-up guru Sue Devitt and nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, has completely changed my skin, and all for the better.  I've been using their entine line for a few weeks and the results have been incredible.  Their Eye Concentrate is super-hydrating and sinks in quickly which I love (so many eye creams I've used are super greasy, but not this one), their Moisture Concentrate is brilliant-  uber-moisturizing and leaves skin so fantastically soft, but the true stand-outs for me are the Treatment Concentrate and Beauty Booster.  I use a few pumps of the Concentrate, mix it with a few drops of the Beauty Booster (which has all these fabulous antioxidants) and put on my skin before the moisturizer.  It smells lovely and really gives my skin a healthy glow.  I can't remember the last time my skin looked this with so little effort.  Love this line so much and am so excited to let you all know that on Feb 17 iO Beauty is launching on QVC!  So excited to see the amazing deals they will be able to offer.

Note: Samples of the above products were sent to me by a PR representative working with iO Beauty.

 

True Hue

I've said it here a bunch of times before, but I normally think that blush is the most boring makeup item to buy.  I don't know why, but I do.  It's just... there.  But recently I've sort of softened my stance on that because I've tried a bunch of different blushes that I like a lot, so picking up more shades of them has been (dare I say it?) almost fun.  (I know!  Who am I?!)  The latest one I've tried out is Buxom's new True Hue Blush.  Available exclusively at Sephora, there are eight shades ranging from Seduction, a bright pink, to Tryst, a shimmering clay.  I tried out four different colors - Seduction and Tryst, plus Shangri La-La, a deep berry, and Breathless, a bright peach, and I'm really liking them.  The color is easily buildable, so you can use a light touch for a natural look or go heavy for a more diva-like appearance, and they last a good 8 hours or so on me before I notice them fading.  They're kind of expensive at $24 apiece, but you do get a lot of product in the pan for that amount, so it's not as much of a splurge as it seems like at first.  I may turn into a blush convert yet!   

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Buxom

Bouncy Blush

When I started seeing the advertisements for Maybelline's new Dream Bouncy Blush I got super excited - who wouldn't want a blush named "dream bouncy?"  I quickly ran out and had to hit up three Rite Aids to even find one (geez, must already be popular!)  I did manage to grab Rose Petal (a delicately irridescent light pink) and Orchid Hush (light lilac).  First of all, the blush has an awesome creamy texture that goes on so smooth it's ridiculous.  Both of the colors I have are pretty, but honestly, I wish I had one of the darker ones because these are both so light I have to layer on a few swipes before I can see it on my pale skin.  My recommendation - go out and buy Dream Bouncy but opt for one of the darker hues (there is a beautiful vibrant coral, but I can't seem to get my hands on it... yet!)

Join L'Oreal's FIrst Ever Twitter Chat!

This is very exciting!  L'Oreal Paris is going to have their first ever live Twitter chat next week!  Leading the chat will be their Consulting Dermatologist Dr. Gervaise Gerstner and she'll be chatting about all things skin care.  (Her first L'Oreal Paris ad for the new Youth Code Dark Spot Correcting & Illuminating Line has just started airing, so it's the perfect time to pick her brain).  She'll be talking about everything from hyper-pigmentation to acne and rosacea and what types of products are perfect for different skin types.  It'll be like having your very own expert right at your fingertips!  The chat will take place on Friday, January 27th from 3-4pm Eastern time and all you have to do to join is follow @LorealParisUSA on Twitter and tweet your questions for Dr. Gerstner to answer.  They'll even be giving away 25 Youth Code Dark Spot & Illuminating Serum samples over the course of the hour, so you might even win something.  Mark it in your calendars! 

Get Yourself Camera Ready

 

BB Creams are the hot new product in the makeup world, but Smashbox's new Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is the first one I've tried.  Basically, they're sort of a hybrid of skin care and foundation, with Smashbox's version promising to "hydrate, prime, perfect, control oil and protect" skin.  What I like about is that it's an all in one formula, perfect for weekends or mornings when you only want to put one thing on your skin instead of going through all the steps of your routine.  I also like it as a primer - it definitely keeps my skin smooth and oil-free all day, which I kind of consider a bonus.  As far as a foundation, it leans more towards being lighter coverage - I would almost compare it to a tinted moisturizer - but it does get a little less sheer the more you put on, so you can build up more coverage.  I also love that it has an SPF 35 in it.  I'm militant about always wearing sunscreen and most makeup has (at best) an SPF of 15 or so in it, so to get one with more protection makes me very happy.  (Especially if I layer it over my actual sunscreen that has an SPF 50 - total overkill, but like I said, militant).  It's also fragrance-free, dermatologist tested and non-acnegenic, so anyone can use it and it's perfect for my sensitive skin.  Overall, I don't know if this'll replace my actual foundation every day, but it's awesome for the weekends and I'll definitely take it when I travel since it'll mean packing one tube instead of at least three or four.  More room for another pair of shoes!  I love beauty innovations!  

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Smashbox 

Make Me Full Of Fortune

 

 

Fun!  I'm playing around with Typepad's new image editing software (you don't even want to hear my saga of how I've had Photoshop, then not had Photoshop, then refused to pay hundreds of dollars to have it again...)  I just sniffed Philosophy's Full of Fortune Cookie 3-in-1 this past weekend at Sephora and I've been thinking about it ever since.  It's an orange and almond scent that's desserty, but not overly sweet, and so, so delicious.  If I had ANY room left in my product closet, I would buy it, but I just cannot purchase one more shower gel until I've cleared out some space out because it's starting to approach epic levels of crowdedness.  Maybe this'll motivate me to give some stuff away... 

Glitter The Night Away

Uhm, how fun is this Eyelicity Glitter Liner from Tarina Tarantino?  I might have mentioned a few (or ten or so...) times here how obsessed I am with glitter lately and these liners are only adding to my obsession.  There are three shades - Glitter Mist (a micro iridescent pearl glitter), Black Diamond (a black liner with iridescent glitter) and Magic Mirror (a micro silver glitter) - and each of them is more sparkly and fun than the last.  I'm terrible with liquid liner, but I love these so much that I had to buy two of them anyway (I made myself pass on Glitter Mist only because even I could not justify getting all of them).  I love that the shade you see in the tube is the shade that goes on your eyes.  You know how sometimes you buy something fun and sparkly and then it goes on almost matte and you're like, "Seriously, company?!  I just paid $20 for that?!"  Don't worry about that happening here.  The liners are a full on glitter bomb on your eyes, so they're definitely not for work (unless it's the 70's and you work at Studio 54) but they're so much fun for a night out.  Just be careful to let them dry before you do anything else or they'll smear, but that's a common liquid liner problem anyway.  Now I just need to get invited to an event where glitter liner is called for and I'll be all set!       

Go Nude

I am seriously coveting this palette!  I saw Lorac Unzipped online and have been dreaming about owning it ever since (think a trip to Sephora is in order).  I know, I know, I already have about a thousand different nude shadows, but this palette has so many gorgeous wearable shades and all in the same place.  I get excited at the very throught of all the shading, blending and smokey eye-ing I can do with this bad boy.  And bonus, it's only $40.00!  I can think of a million worse ways to spend that money - like on oil changes or groceries...