Wednesday, May 31, 2017

ybf Gel Us Eyes - Eyeliner Kit




ybf has us covered with eyeliners for Summer swelter with this cute new set of longwear eyeliners.

Tucked in a thin , light metal case (  I'm reminded of a vintage cigarette case) are 5  twist up ,self sharpening eyeliners. The liners are mini coming in at 3 3/4 inches long .


These are  well pigmented and gel based gliding on eyes with no tug and with the self  sharpened point easily apply  on the eyeline. They have according to the brand, reflective pearls for dimension along with being oil free and water resistant.


  I have huge issues with makeup melt  as I mention all the time. Little lasts well on my eyes. These did really good .  I did get minor smudging after about 4 hours  but most of you will get longer . I've yet to meet anyone who can smudge and wear off eye makeup like me.


The cute tin allows for these to be stashed in your weekend bag or tote to take wherever you go.  The weigh nothing and the colors are all you'd need for many looks. Included are onyx pearl, beYOUtiful bronze, cheering chocolate, stunning silver and wonderful white.


ybf Gel Us Eyes is $ 28.80 at HSN and ybfbeauty.com 





Monday, May 29, 2017

Dolce and Gabbana Miss Sicily Lipstick



 
When I posted these on Insta I called them an almost perfect lipstick . Dolce and Gabbana's new Miss Sicily ticks all the lipstick boxes for me.

The new formula with Color and Care as part of it's full name,  feels great on lips with loads of  moisture that feels balm like , shine and slip that glides on.  The color is semi- sheer to medium and on lips it adds more color than my swatches show.

What's  great here is that is also wears long. That's very unusual for a formula like this. I have wear issues with  satin or semi matte formulas that have more "grip" so I was  happily surprised that not only did the moisture , balmy feeling last but so did the color for several hours without needing a touch up.  I would tuck  the lippie in my pocket on the way to the bathroom mirror after a couple hours but nope didn't need it .


All three shades I have are  very wearable  nude/pinks .There are also deeper shades available. If you struggle with dark wine lips in a matte formula this is the way to go.

Shown are Anna -   a light pink coral, Angelica - a medium bronze nude and Antonia - a golden nude.

Dolce and Gabbana Miss Sicily Lipstick is $ 36




Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Chanel Ombre Premiere Cream Eyeshadow



Chanel's Ombre Premiere Cream Eyeshadow is a revamp of their  Illusion D'Or shadows and newly released as part of a large collection devoted to eyes along with Ombre Premiere  Long Wear Powder Eyeshadows.

The new formula is very close to the old but less shimmery than the old and with  a slightly different feel in the pot, a little firmer than before.

 Illusion D'Or was an all time favorite of mine that I wore a lot for their long wear and ease of use.  These are no different.  I need long wear in my  shadow, and for me that's not easy to get.


These all go on like a dream and blend with a finger, brush or the included sponge ( it used to be a brush in the old version. Too small to use I always thought, the sponge is better). The pigment is medium to full  and buildable.

Three of  the new shades are :  Noire Petrole,  Poupre Profund and Scintillance, which has the most shimmer  and is a great highlight shade.  Poupre Profond is purple brown, not easy to describe and it looks different in the pot and swatched.

All  are available now at Chanel.

Chanel Ombre Premiere Cream Eyeshadow  are $ 36





Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Matrix Style Link Boho Air Dry Creams




With warm weather  here I can finally  air dry my hair most of the time.  I just can't give up heat drying when it's cold out and I  like the blow out finish . I also like the slightly tousled  look my hairs get when air dried so I switch up for the seasons.

Matrix new Style Link Boho Air Dry Creams  are great air dry helpers.  There are three formulas for whatever finish you're looking for. These latex polymer based lightweight creams go in wet hair and have light hold along with a touch of conditioning .  They work right into hair with no heaviness or sticky/tacky feel.


Texture and  wave enhancing  is what I want so Wild Boho is my pick. With this my hair dries with less "pouf"  and tackles any frizz I get (  mine is  fairly minimal).  It seems to settle hair but also keep  the waves I naturally get when air drying.


 Chill Boho for smoothing, does really help defeat any frizz and keep hair smoother than air drying often will do. It  kept my waviness down,  I was surprised at how less wavy my hair was with this.

Twisted Boho is curl defining and since my hair is more straight than not I didn't try this one. I am at some point thought to see if I can enhance my waves a little more.


 My one beef here is I wish the tubes were bigger. I have a lot of hair and I did need to use a good bit to get it all in. It'll be interesting to see how long a tube lasts. Then again, that's why there's an Ulta down the street , right ?


Matrix Style Link Boho Air Dry Creams are $ 18 at Ulta and wherever Matrix is sold.


YSL Lip Vault


If you were going to break the bank on lipstick this vault set from YSL might be the way to go.

You  get nine lipcolors in three of the brands  formulas . All three are pretty darn good but I have special love for Rouge Volupte Shines.


The set contains:

 Three  Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Le Rouge (blood red), Rose Dahlia (coral orange), Corail Urbain (medium peach orange) 

Three  Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick Lipstick in Corail in Touch (creamy orange coral), Rouge Tuxedo (cherry red), Nude in Private (spicy warm beige) 

Three  Vinyl Cream Lip Stain in Rose Mix (light pink), Rouge Vinyle (true red), Rhythm Red (electric orange)


The YSL Lip Vault is $ 250 at Sephora ( online only)

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Chanel Ombre Premiere Long Wear Powder Eyeshadow




Chanel goes solo with the launch of Ombre Premiere  Long Wear Powder Eyeshadows . There are a multitude of shades in a single pan compact.

These new beauties are a silky, smooth formula that's  long wear with rich, deep pigment that blends easily. They do have a little fallout,  but it's minor.  They come in satins ,mattes and metallics.


I have three of the  new shades . Noir Satin is a medium deep black, Desert Rouge , a pink tinged red and Talpa, a perfect wear everyday , always looks good Taupe.  Desert Rouge is the metallic out of the trio.  I found that Noir Satin didn't go on as fully pigmented as the others and needs more building but it's also a more wearable black than a super dark one might be ( at least for me)


You can probably guess that Talpa is my favorite here. One eyeshadow  to get it done every AM when I have little time or energy to blend, mix, contour etc.

Also new are two eye brushes.  I haven't explored Chanel brushes much before and now I am wondering why?   Shown is the dual ended retractable Blender/Shader.

Chanel Ombre Premiere LongWear Powder Eyeshadow are $ 30 each

Retractable Dual Tip Eyeshadow Brush is $ 42





Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream W/ SPF 30



One of Kiehl's most popular facial products now has  SPF.

Ultra Facial Cream now comes in a version with SPF 30 . The cream is known for it's 24 hour hydration properties using ingredients including squalene , glycerin and  fountain plant ( this plant is said to  helps hydration and  thrive in dry weather).


The cream itself, while moisturizing feels light on skin. It has an almost whipped consistency.   My skin immediately felt moisturized but not greasy or sticky.   That makes it nice for warmer weather when we especially want SPF but not something that will weigh on skin.  I wasn't sure if it would be too heavy for my normal/oily skin but it worked well ( I didn't use it on my T Zone though) .


The SPF is chemical and broad spectrum.



Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream W/ SPF 30 is $ 47.50 for 50 ml jar







Tuesday, May 16, 2017

It Cosmetics Travel Sizes


It's easier than ever to take all of IT with you when you hit the road this Summer.

It Cosmetics has made many of their favorites in travel sizes to stash anywhere you need them, beach bag, overnighter or tote.

You can grab minis of Brow Power pencil , No Tug Waterproof eyeliner , CC+ Cream, Bye Bye Under Eye , Confidence in a Cream and Brush Love.


Most of the tubes come in at about 3 " long with the pencils longer. Confidence in a Cream is 0.5 oz .


Confidence in a Cream  is $ 16
It's Your Brush Love & Brow Power are $ 12 each
Bye Bye Under Eye is $ 10
CC + Cream w/ SPF 50 is $ 15

**All prices are for travel sizes 




Sunday, May 14, 2017

Demeter Petrichor




Tired of waiting for a Dr. Who inspired fragrance? Demeter has created a fragrance just for Whovians. Well, ok maybe for fragrance fans too but let's face it we'll get IT.

Petrichor  "For The Girl Who Is Tired Of Waiting"  channels the scent of  rain hitting the dry ground. Demeter is known for creating scents around unusual inspirations and they usually work really well.

Petrichor smells dry, earthy and mineral but also aquatic.  I get juniper, soap, wet clay. Maybe there is some vetiver in there too. It's unisex and leans more masculine .


Amy, Rory and Eleven may be gone  but Petrichor can help you remember and will look nice sitting next to your mini TARDIS.

And yes that is a Peter Davison pin in the pic. A relic from my convention days when I almost met him . I loved him as the Dr.



Petrichor

By Viromnibus
The world where I stood was a desert
longing for a kiss that never came.
Not until you did.



Demeter Petrichor is $ 20 for 1oz spray. More sizes along with body lotion and shower gel available at demeterfragrance.com 





Thursday, May 11, 2017

Murad City Skin Age Defense SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen




I loved Murad's new City Block Overnight Detox Moisturizer . A new daytime companion has arrived with  City Skin Age Defense SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen .

This is serum like, lightweight and lightly moisturizing  . It has glycerin and argan oil along with Vitamin C for moisture, antioxiodants/brightening. Murad also says it helps protect against blue light , infrared radiation  and pollution.




It  has a slight tint for some color correcting. It's barely noticeable on so don't worry if it's your shade or not, it won't show up once blended in but just give you a bit of "perfecting".   With plenty of slip it sinks in fast with a slightly tacky finish at first but that goes away fast. It does have titanium ( 2.7%) and zinc oxide (10.0%) so it needs just a little blending to get that set but it does not leave or have a white cast.

For me this doubles as SPF and daytime moisturizer as my skin needs less moisture in Summer and is already getting oilier.  If you have drier skin you can layer this with your regular serum or moisturizer.


The bottle comes in at 1.7 oz and  you don't need a  lot for each use so it should last awhile and is also sized to easily keep in  a purse or weekender bag.


Murad City Skin Age Defense SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen is $ 65




Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Touch GermBlock Sanitizing Spray


 
We're all familiar with hand sanitizers, those alcohol based gels we  keep at desks or in purses. How about if there was one that lasted  6 hours? That's the claim for new Touch Germblock  Sanitizing Spray.

The aerosol spray comes either unscented or in three scents and is easy to spray on hands or surface areas where it can also be used.  The formula uses organic shea and almond essential oils for moisture so this has a tacky feeling at first but dries quickly. That also means it doesn't dry out hands like the others as it is alcohol free.  I found it totally unnoticeable after it dried  and loved that there was an unscented version . I've even used it on my keyboard.


It forms a barrier and lasts on hands for 6 hours so you don't need top keep reapplying and is said to kill 99.99 % of germs .The main ingredient is benzalkonium chloride 0.13%.


To use, spray well over hands , holding the container about 5 inches away and then rub hands together to make sure fingers are covered too .  The bottle is small enough to tuck in pockets ( great if you work in a medical office) and purses or stash in a desk drawer.  It'll be handy too for all the Summer traveling you might be doing.


Touch  Germblock Sanitizing Spray is 5.99 at Walgreens, CVS and Meijer

Read the science info here 






Monday, May 8, 2017

Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Vert Portofino & Horizon Stylo Yeux Eyeliner




Green is the color to make eyes pop with Chanel's Summer collection.

It's been awhile since I used a green mascara but I am glad I tried  new Vert Portofino because it looks great on me and really helped accent my green eyes even more. The color isn't super  bold green, it's just noticeable and I think that makes it very wearable .


You can pair it up with new Horizon Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner. This new liner is a gorg shade of deep blackened green.  Chanel's formula is a long wearing , making this a good pick for the warm weather to come.


Both are LE.

Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Vert Portofino is $ 32
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in Horizon is $ 33





Sunday, May 7, 2017

Chanel Golden Sand Rouge Coco Shine & Sepia Rouge Coco Stylo- Summer 2017


Chanel Cruise/Summer is here with lots of new. There's a great mascara and eyeliner that I'll talk about next but first up , it's lip colors because who doesn't love a new lipstick?


Two of the new colors for Summer are Golden Sand Rouge Coco Shine & Sepia Rouge Coco Stylo . Both creamy, easy to wear formulas that I love.

Golden Sand is one of those perfect Summer nude shades. It's not a pale beige  , it's a little deeper golden light brown with slight shimmer. This is an everyday , always going to look good color.

Sepia is deep, rich reddish brown , reminiscent of those '90s browns  but with sheen thanks to the Rouge Coco Stylo's formula . It goes on with  semi sheer medium pigment and benefits from a little blending.


Both of these make a nice addition to our stashes for Summer and I will be wearing Golden Sand  especially, a lot.

Chanel Golden Sand Rouge Coco Shine is  LE and $ 37
Chanel Sepia Rouge Coco Stylo is LE and $ 37

PS -Want a look at the hottest nail color from the collection? I've got a look at Sargasso over on my Insta.



Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Flamingo Fever



Flamingos are everywhere this season,  I am sure you've noticed. What's not to love about their hot pink cuteness? 

One of my most complimented jewelry pieces is a sparkly flamingo ring I picked up at Charming Charlie two years ago. I've been on this flamingo bandwagon for awhile. 

Want to add some of this bright bird to your stash and  everyday style? Here's a few picks:

This small charm necklace from Charming Charlie adds a touch of gold and fun without being too bright or big. 8.00

Your makeup bag is ready for the tropics even if you are stuck at the office with this bag from lolo  at Neiman Marcus. 45.00


A flamingo lip balm? Yes , please.  It's beyond kitchsy but I freely admit I want one and it's shaped  like a pool float no less.   felecia the flamingo by taste beauty At Sephora for 10.00