ProductWhores

Bronze, Baby

I use bronzer pretty much year round because, well, I live in Los Angeles and yet am about as pasty white as a person can be without fading into the wall.  It's pretty amazing how pale my skin can be naturally, so even in the dead of winter I swipe on some bronzer every morning, but it's especially important once it starts getting hotter here in L.A. because otherwise I'd stand out like a sore thumb. (Which incidentally is a really weird expression, if you think about it).  

The newest bronzers I've added to my collection are Buxom's Hot Escapes Bronzers ($28), which are available in two shades - Tahiti (Golden Bronze) and Maldives (Rustic Bronze) exclusively at Sephora.  I've been using Tahiti because it's slightly lighter and looks a little more natural on me, but for anyone but the palest of people, I think Maldives would also work too.  The bronzers themselves have a buildable coverage, which is nice because sometimes I want to look naturally sun-kissed and other times, I want to go full on tropical island vacay, so it's good to have options in a product.  The bronzers come with a cool wave pattern etched on them, but my very favorite part about them is that they're laced with a light coconut scent.  How genius is that?!  And how have other bronzers not done this before?  It's subtle, but when you open the compact and brush it on, you can definitely smell it and it puts me in a good mood every time.  It's scientifically impossible to be in bad mood while putting on coconut scented bronzer!  I kind of wish all my face products were scented now.  Imagine it - creme brulee scented eyeshadow!  Someone needs to get on that STAT. 

Note:  Samples of this product were sent to me by a PR representative working with Buxom 

Buxom Sculpted Lash and Color Choreography!

Buxom's Lash Mascara has been my HG for so long now I can barely remember a time before I was using it!  I always have an extra tube on hand so I know I'll never have to go without it (the horror of thinking I would have to use another).  Because of my intense love affair with my Buxom mascara, when I read about their new release - Sculpted Lash Mascara - I was definitely game to give it a try!  The unique S shaped brush felt weird when I first started to use it but I quickly released the purpose is so that each and every lash is perfectly coated without clumping. This mascara is just as good, if not better, than the original Lash Mascara - great separation, amazing thickening/lenghthening and no clumping.  The Sculpted Lash just adds the additional feature of some shaping so I don't even have to reach for my lash curler.  Amazing!

Buxom also somewhat recently released their Color Choreogrphy Eyeshadow Palettes which are out-of-control amazing!  First of all, no creasing (even without a primer) and I was stunned at how well they last throughout the day.  The colors are really nice but not "traditional" (except for Swing which looks like smokey brown eye colors).  My fave is definitely Belly Dance-  a gorgeous collection of plums and bronze.  It makes a really pretty (and different) smokey eye with some pops of bronze sparkle.  Honestly, all the palettes are really nice so you can't go wrong with any of them.  However, they don't carry them at my local Sephora (gulp) so I had to check them out online. 

Note:  Samples of the above were sent to me by a PR represenative working with Buxom

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

Smoky Eye Sticks

A good, well-done smoky eye is my favorite look for going out at night, but I admit, I'm not the greatest expert at achieving one.  Sometimes when I do it, it looks good, and sometimes I just look like I walked into a wall.  (Sexy!)  Right now, my favorite product for creating a good one is Buxom's new Smoky Eye Stick.  The Smoky Eye Sticks are basically eyeshadow in a stick form, but you can use it as a liner or a shadow, and once it's on, you can totally smudge it and blend it and make it look pretty much however you want.  It has really great staying power too.  Once you put these on, they're not going anywhere!  And when they say waterproof, they really mean waterproof.  (I tested them on my hands the first time just to see the shades clearly, and even after washing them several times and scrubbing at them with paper towels, the shadows were still almost perfect.  (It was kind of crazy, actually.  Someone at work saw the lines of shadow and asked me if it was a tattoo.  Which... would've been a really ugly tattoo, but says a lot for the product!)  I love all the shades too - there are eight in total, which usually means that there's going to be a few in the bunch that I don't like, but all of these are great (there isn't like, a garish neon green that you would pick up and think, "Who on earth would wear this?")  My favorites are Bow & Arrow (a smoky moss), 5" Stiletto (a smoky plum) and Silver Sword (a smoky silver).  I have a feeling this is going to be one of those products that I end up owning in every shade.  (Don't judge - I like complete sets of things!)

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