ProductWhores

In the Light Shadow Palette by Stila

Okay everyone if you haven't seen this palette already buzzed about online you are totally missing out!  Available now online, the In The Light Shadow Palette is so beyond gorgeous you're going to flip as soon as you see it in person.  Ten completely wearable shadows and Stila's amazing Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel - a fantastic matte chocolate brown.  The palette comes with an 8 page look book which contains all these great ideas on how to apply the shadows, depending on what you look you want to achieve, but what I especially love about this palette is there are no wrong ways to put together a look!  The shadows perfectly complement each other and whether you go for more sultry or natural, you'll use every single shade (which is an amazing thing to actually have a palette where you equally use all the colors).  The shadows span in shade from the lightest matte cream (Bare) to award-winning metallic peachy/pink (Kitten) to glittery deep blue (Night Sky) to matte black (Ebony).  I created my own daytime bronze look (below) by covering my lids with Bare to act as a base, hit the crease with Gilded Gold (shimmery bronze), swiped lid close to lash line with Sunset (glittery mauve/purple) and, last, I wet my liner brush and applied Night Sky to the lash line.  I can't wait to hear how many amazing looks you all create because if you use this special code (PW4STILA) you can go online right now and order the In the Light Shadow Palette with free shipping through August 1.  Woo hoo!

 

Go Clean

The problem with my beauty addiction is that sometimes I'll either buy or get sent an awesome product, but then not use it for a really long time because I'm so bogged down testing other things.  And then I eventually do get around to trying it and I'm like, "Hey, this stuff is great!  Why haven't I been using it all along?"  That's the way I feel about L'Oreal's Go 360 Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub.  I don't even know if I bought it or it was sent to me, but I just started using it last week and I love it.  I first tried it because I was really tired and I didn't want to do my normal Dermalogica cleanser and Clarisonic routine, but it worked so well (and took so little time) that I've been using it almost every night since.  (It's been a looong week and I just want to fall into bed at the end of every night).  I like its fresh fruity scent, the way it exfoliates without being harsh on my skin, and how clean my face feels after I'm done.  It's definitely getting all my makeup off too because there's nothing left on my ivory pillowcases after I sleep (which makes me very happy - my pillowcases were expensive!)  I think the scrublet thing attached to the bottle looks cool, but I haven't tried it out yet.  (I mean, if I'm going to do that, I might as well drag out my Clarisonic, right?)  Also?  It's like, $7 at your local drugstore.  A total bargain buy because I can tell that the bottle's going to last me a decent amount of time.  I love a good discovery like this (even if it was in my closet all along...)    

Kandy Bag

This is such a great, fun, product!  When I was at IMATS a few weeks ago, I walked into the Eye Kandy booth and was met by the nicest women who took them time to let me play with their Complete Sprinkles Kit.  This bad-boy of glitter is so easy and fun to use, it should almost be illegal (okay, it was almost illegal how loudly I was gushing about it at the event).  You use the thin brush (which comes in the kit), dip into their Liquid Sugar (a water-based solution) and then drag your brush through whatever color glitter you want.  You then can line your eyes and voila, glittery fun!  No irritation for me and definitely a fun product for all ages (honestly, I thought I was way too old for this, but it really looked great, not cheesy).  You could even use this kit for body art which would be so much fun (although I guess I would need an artistic bone in my body to achieve this).  The Kandy Bag Complete Sprinkles Kit is $32.00 and comes with your choice of three colors, thin brush and Liquid Sugar.  So freakin' fun, people.

A Super Hero To The Rescue!

I admit it - when I first heard the name "Super Spot Remover," it kind of reminded me of something I would use to get a stain out of my carpet.  (Being that I am a total klutz and spill something on it pretty much every week, I'm very familiar with these products.  I should really buy stock in Resolve because I get a new can of it almost every time I'm at CVS.  There are seriously four year-olds who don't spill as much as me!)  Then I tried it and all my giggles about the name ended pretty much immediately because this stuff really, really works.   

The Super Spot Remover is an acne treatment gel that you apply to your face when you're having a breakout.  Normally my skin is pretty clear, but about a month after I got a sample of it, I somehow manged to acquire a huge pimple on my chin.  Like, the gargantuan kind where when you talk to people, you can't even focus on what they're saying because you just know they're looking at you and thinking, "My God, that thing's taking over her face!"  My main complaint about gels like this in the past has been that when I've used them, they've inevitably sucked all the moisture out of where I applied them, leaving that skin red and flaky and making the zit even more noticeable.  Not so with the Super Spot Remover.  It managed to clear up my pimple in a matter of days while not at all making my skin peel off.  (A few days might sound like a long time, but seriously, this thing was huge.  There's no way it was taking less time than that.  I actually figured I'd still be covering it up in holiday pictures, that's how epic it was).  The gel contains salicylic acid for the treatment, but it also has caffeine and red algae to help with redness, so once you've applied it, you can just put on concealer and go.  I also love its vaguely medicinal scent - it's sort of clean and refreshing (which is a weird description) but for some reason, the scent just makes me feel like it's working.

The best part about it?  The bottle only costs $13.50, and while it's definitely a small size (.3 ounces) a little goes a long way, so it should last the average person with occasional breakouts a decent amount of time.  (Also, the size is perfect for travel or taking it with you during the day, which is what I did during The Week of the Monster Zit so I could reapply it at lunchtime).  I really hope my skin never does that to me again, but if it does, at least I'll be armed and ready to fight! 

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

Sin So Well

When I first saw the new Halloween products up on Bath and Body Works' website, I started a little mini rant in my head.  It went something like this...  "How is it time for HALLOWEEN products already?  It's July, people!  July!  That should be illegal.  We should have to wait until at least August before seeing such things.  What are these companies doing to me?!"  And then mid-rant, I stumbled upon the new Sinful Vanilla Body Lotion and stopped ranting and raving and started oohing and aahing.  You guys, it's a body lotion that's described as an "indulgent blend of vanilla bean, whipped marshmallow and vanilla cream."  How amazing does that sound?  I must have it immediately.  I have something in my car to return at the mall and I was going to wait until at least this weekend to do it, but now I am totally going after work today and crossing my fingers that the Halloween products are in stores as well as online.  I think I need a little Sin in my life.        

Dare-ing Palette Perfection

I am LOVING this new palette by Sigma Beauty.  The colors are ridiculously gorgeous (even more vibrant in person than in this pic), the case is made of sturdy cardboard (yep, fell off my dresser and no dents), comes with an out-of-this-world high-quality brush with two ends for shading and contouring, and all the shadows look amazing on (even the orange which almost made me scream in fear).  The palette is perfectly named Dare because you almost have to dare yourself to wear it... at first.  The moment I started to swipe the colors on my eyes, I was completely in love with the shades.  Who knew I could ever wear such warm colors without looking sick.  I am extremely pale with light blue eyes and these colors (yes, even the red and orange) look amazing on me.  I am seriously impressed at all the different looks I have been able to create from this one palette.  Dare has definitely jumped to the front of my line for must-have products this fall.  Absolute perfection and so surprisingly stunning.  Retails for $35.00 and is worth every penny.  I would double-dog dare you to try this palette, but I don't believe in peer pressure.

Note:  A sample of this palette was sent to me by a PR representative working with Sigma Beauty

Stila For L*Space Swim

 

I completely love the naturally gorgeous and softly pretty look on this model from the L*Space Swim Show last week at Mercedes-Benz Swim Week.  It was created by the Stila Pro Artistry team, which was led by celebrity makeup artist Sarah Lucero (no surprise, since I always adore her looks).  Here's the face chart so you can see for yourself what shades she used:

 

I'm all about the coral right now (I'm dying to try Stila's new Custom Color Blush in Coral) and pairing it on cheeks and lips with a bronze smoky eye just shows off the shade even more.  Now if only I could look that good in my bikini...

Shatter For A Good Cause

 

OPI has just announced the release of this year's Pink of Hearts shade - Pink Shatter.  (And as a side note, I am a total shatter polish convert.  I always thought I'd hate it, but I really, really don't.  I especially love using Shatter shades on my toes in funky colors.  So fun!)  Here's all the official info:

OPI launches the limited-edition Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure in its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.  The 2011 Pink of Hearts Edition will follow in the footsteps of its namesake 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Nail Lacquers in raising awareness of breast cancer for the fifth year in a row, during the months of September and October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month).  Unlike previous shade incarnations, this year's Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer marks the debut of fan-favorite Shatter coat in OPI's first pink shade.

Every bottle of Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts will have a special pink ribbon tag and pink cap wrap to draw attention to breast cancer awareness, and OPI will also be making its annual donation of $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to aid in their quest to save lives and end breast cancer forever. 

I love when companies do things like this, and at only $8.50 a bottle, it's an easy way to help the fight.  (Plus, you get a gorgeous shatter color in return.  Win-win!)

Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts will be available in stores and salons throughout September and October 2011.   

Primed & Poreless

Too Faced's Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer is such a fantastic change from the usual clear primers I've used.  This one has a slight tint to it, which fades right into skin and because of the slight color really wakes up the complexion.  I love the way feels (so smooth) and am especially impressed with how it makes my foundation work (completely hid all those nasty blackheads on my nose).  I also love that I can use it alone and still have a bit of coverage (really not much color when used alone, but definitely woke up my skin).  A great product and one that's always been under my radar for far too long.  On the pricey side at $30.00 but worth it!  Seriously, I've dropped $30.00 quickly in a lot of unnecessary ways, so at least this one makes my face look great.

Fall Flavors

 

Uhm, how amazingly delicious do all the new Slatkin & Co.'s fall candle scents sound? 

• Pumpkin Caramel Latte - A frothy blend of creamy pumpkin, sweet vanilla cream and rich pralines is topped with a spiced caramel swirl
• S'mores - Layers of gooey marshmallow, melted dark chocolate and sweet graham crackers
• Apple Crumble - Baked Granny Smith and McIntosh Apples topped with vanilla crumble, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - Fresh baked oatmeal blended with sweet raisins, caramelized brown sugar and vanilla extract

Forget candles, I want to drink a pumpkin caramel latte!  How have I never consumed one of those before?  I am so adding caramel to my pumpkin lattes when they come back to Starbucks in the fall!  (Although oddly enough, it's the only one not showing up on the Bath & Body Works site, so I'm not sure what's going on there).

But yeah, I love the sound of each and every one of these candles.  I pretty much either burn clean-scented candles or food-scented ones, so these will fit in at my place very well.  Especially because I'm trying to be healthier these days and eat a lot of fruit, but I've been oddly craving s'mores lately, so maybe if I burn the candle, that'll quench my cravings?  Yeah, let's go with that...