Battle of the BB Creams: Maybelline

Hi Lovelies! So as promised, here is the 2nd post in my Battle of the BB Creams series! (you can read my first one here!) For the past three or so weeks, I have now been using Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Protector.

First, what does it promise?

BB creams combine skincare + makeup in 1 simple step
8-in-1 Skin Perfector:
• Blurs imperfections
• Brightens
• Evens skin tone
• Smoothes
• Hydrates
• Enhances
• Protects with SPF 30
• 0% oils and heavy ingredients

blobbed on

Blended in (can't even see it!)

 And how did it work for me?
I really do think it did much of what it said! It blurred imperfections (light ones; like the dark circles were still under my eyes, but not nearly as obvious). My skin did look brighter (but that could be the "pregnancy glow"?? lol). Like the L'oreal one, it did even my skin tone to begin with but as the day went on, my rosy (sometimes blotchy) cheeks did start to come through. It definitely smoothed and hydrated! My skin felt fresh even without a moisturizer on prior to it! I can't say that it really enhanced anything? But I do love that it has SPF in it!

So what I liked the most was just how light it felt--it moisturized without being heavy. Since it's still a million (or 90) degrees here, it was good to have light coverage without the fear of it all melting off every time I walked outside. I used the light shade of it and feel like it totally matched my skin and blended in perfectly!

However, having said all that, I still just can't understand all the hype of these things. Like, the convenience is awesome, I just put it on and do some eye makeup and lips and I'm good for the day (so it's perfect for mornings where I choose sleep over doing a lot of makeup;) But it doesn't seem like some miracle product to me! I guess I just felt kind of let down.

It's $7.44 (at Target) so cheaper (and in my mind, all around better) than the BB Cream by L'oreal. But I still don't think it's worth that price. You get 1.0 fluid ounce. ONE! Like honestly, how long is that supposed to last you? I've been using mine for three weeks now, and I think it's starting to get low.

Will I buy it again? Possibly. I do think it's a fab product to have in the summer when you just want light, protective coverage and not a lot of fuss to do your makeup; but don't buy it just because it's a "BB Cream." As I'm learning (and have heard from others) American BB Creams are kind of a bust compared to the Asian ones.

So! What do you think? Have you used this BB Cream?? What's your favorite??

Flashback Friday: Pink and Blue Eyes

Happy Friday!!! There was more sunshine this week, and it was harder to be stuck inside at work:( But! I'm looking forward to the weekend and hoping for some more beach days! Yay!!

When I was younger, I was very impressionable when it came to reading magazines. If Cosmo told me that boys liked girls who wore gorilla suits and pink mohawks, it's quite possible I would've done that. (thankfully, I never read an article that said that;) What I did read, however, was that blue eyeliner made brown eyes pop!

Now, for most of my life, I was convinced my eyes were the color of muddy puddles. You know what a muddy puddle looks like right? Just a dingy brown.. maybe some scum or mold floating around in it... ew. Gross. And that's how I felt about my eyes. They were brown.. but not a pretty chocolate brown. Not some deep color boys would get lost in, lol. There were flecks of green/hazel in them too. And sometimes a yellowish tint... I'm getting sad just thinking about how disgusted I used to be with them (update, I have since grown to accept and enjoy the unique color that is my eyes;) Anyway, if Cosmo said blue would make them pop, I was going to make my eyes pop!

From then on out, it was the same beauty routine on my eyes all the time. Day in and day out. Bonne Bell Eye Style Shadow Box in Girlie Pink (shocking, right? Some things never change... lol) and Wet 'n Wild eyeliner in Deep Blue (or Navy Blue, I can't remember the exact one I was using then. But the eyeliner that was pretty much 99 cents at CVS lol). I rarely used mascara.

I was still all about wearing eyeshadow the "right" way. I would use the lightest pink on my brown bone, the medium pink at the bottom over the lid, the dark pink in the crease for contouring, and the silvery color on the inner corner of my eye. This was my eye routine for my junior and senior year of college... and probably part of my post college life, too...

So... why do I bring this up now...? Maybe it's regression, but.... I'm doing it again. Haha.

Now, I've definitely matured it some! (I'm now using purples instead of pinks; and have upgraded to Maybelline's Define-A-Line eye liner in Navy Blue) But some wisdom from Cosmo is ever enduring, and I really do think that the blue makes my eyes pop!

How about you? Do you ever go back to beauty trends you used in the past? What are your thoughts on colored eye liners?

Review: Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam Foundation

By now you've probably seen or at least heard about the Maybelline Dream Nude Air Foam foundation that came out! I'd first seen it advertised in a magazine and then read Kelly's review on it. She wasn't completely in love with it because it was such a light cover. This was the exact reason I was so willing to try it!

I am super thankful to have been blessed with mostly clear skin! Sure I get the occasional zit during certain times of the month, but that's about the way it's been ever since I was in my teens. I do suffer from dark circles under my eyes (booo), but that's probably more from the lack of sleep than from anything being wrong with my skin. Haha. But the point is, I don't need a whole lot of coverage, and honestly, I rarely even wear foundation. It's one of those things that I definitely use if I'm doing "going out" makeup because I like starting with a clear canvas; but every day makeup, I can hardly be bothered.

When I saw this stuff though, I was totally intrigued! It comes out in a mousse-y texture (sidenote did anyone else LOVE playing with foam in the bathtub when you were little?? I had Bathtime Fun Barbie who came with a whole can of foam and these little blue floaty things! OMG one of my favorite Barbies ever)

ANYWAY, needless to say I was excited about getting to play with foam again:) What I first noticed with this, is that when you shake it, it almost sounds like spray paint can because of the ball inside to mix it all up. When you press the button to spray it out, it comes out as a mousse or almost thin whipped cream consistency.

 After squirting the bubble on my hand, I use a triangle sponge to apply it to my face. During this process, the bubble kinda melts...

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Then I blend it all in!

blended no flash

blended flash

So what do I think? There's a lot about it I really like. I love how light it is! I've been using it with primer, but it stays in place on my face for the whole day. I don't have to worry about it fading or melting away. It definitely creates a good canvas for the rest of my makeup. I also love that it has SPF in it! It's not a lot (16), but it's still something. This is fabulous because even though I know I'm supposed to wear sunscreen every day, I rarely do; so having the SPF in the foundation is a definite help for me!

It comes in 12 shades, so you're bound to find one close to your natural skin color. I used "150 Classic Ivory" which blends all right, but I'm so pale I'm wondering if the "110 Porcelain Ivory" would've worked better.

It is kinda messy to apply. It recommends to spray it on to your hand and apply from there, so I've been doing that. But if I don't remember to wash my hands right after applying, my hand is stained with foundation as well lol.

At $8ish, it's not the cheapest of products, but I'm pleased with the results, so I don't see it as a waste of money.

Have you tried this yet? How do you feel about foamy products?

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Review

Hi, lovelies! So here we are! Into the second month of 2012 (and the world hasn't ended yet;) While I didn't blog every single day of January as planned, since a few days had multiple posts, I still had a total of 31 posts for the month! (which is almost as good as every day hehehe:) AND! I'm about 30 pages away from finishing the first book on my reading list for the year! (remember, the goal was AT least 12 books this year; which would be one book per month). So on track for that, too! Yay, success!!

So tonight, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the latest blush to come from Maybelline--their Dream Bouncy Blush.

You may have already read some reviews and have your mind made up. I try to not read a whole lot of reviews when I'm going to review a product, because I really want the opinions to be my own; and really have a clear mind while I'm trying it so I'm not swayed by good (or bad) things others have said.

I've been using two shades of it

05 Fresh Pink

45 Orchid Hush

What Maybelline Claims (from their website):

Why You'll Love It

Freshest flush ever:
• Revolutionary gel formula provides a new bouncy texture.
• Lightweight like a powder, yet melts seamlessly into skin like a cream
• Natural sheer wash of color that is buildable for greater color intensity
• Dermatologist tested, Allergy tested
• Non comedogenic

(I had no idea what "comedogenic" means and p.s. it's underlined red as if it's misspelled... so I wasn't sure if it was even a real word. I looked it up on Dictionary.com and learned the definition: "tending to clog pores and encourage the formation of blackheads." Good to know!)

So hey, that all sounds pretty great right? Who would not want to try something that promises a "bouncy" texture! I didn't even know what to expect for it to be bouncy. I think my first thoughts were like a trampoline and I thought my finger was going to press in and bounce back! (turns out, I just made an indention in it lol) But the consistency really is different than anything else I've felt before. It's definitely more like a cream blush, but so light and soft! I absolutely love the texture.

It could be the shades I chose, but both of them were pretty light when applied--which for me is a very good thing because I don't want a huge dose of color on my cheeks, just a light splash:) The color can be built upon by applying additonal layers.

Flash

No Flash

The packaging is pretty fab. It's nice and small, so you can throw it in your purse if you need to re-apply later in the day. What I don't like about the packaging (and this is really the only negative I can think of right now) It closes very tightly (which is good) but the opening is sometimes hard for me to open. Does that make sense? Like, I stick my thumbnails in to pop it open, but it just doesn't "pop" as fast/easily/good as I'd like for it to.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the product. It's about $7ish depending on where you pick it up; which may be a little pricey for the small size of it; but it's definitely something fun to try if you want a soft, light flush to your cheeks. With ten shades to choose from, there's probably a color for everyone:)

**note: the pictures are just swatches from swirling my finger in the blush and rubbing it on my arm. After blending, I could not get a good picture with the lighting to show how it blends in and leaves a light shimmer. Will try to get better daylight pictures to update with soon:)

Have you tried the bouncy blushes yet? If not, will you? Or is this a product you think you'll skip?

New e.l.f. stuff!! :)

Hi Lovelies!! Didn't get a chance to blog last night! (I'm sure you noticed, haha:) I pretty much fell asleep right after dinner! (the sleep was MUCH needed and MUCH appreciated!!:)

Anyway, I went shopping again! This time to Target and picked up just a few new e.l.f. products:) Instead of showing all individual pictures, I'm just going to do a group shot and show more pictures of them when I do reviews! :)

 

1. Bronzing Brush -- $1 -- since I'm starting to play around with contouring, I knew it was time to invest in a good bronzer brush to get the right angle so it starts to look like it's supposed to ;) 

2. Luscious Liquid Lipstick -- $1 -- 2111 Baby Lips -- I'm excited about trying this product. A few years back... well... more like eight years back... I remember using something similar to this from Bonne Bell except it had a brush instead of a sponge for the applicator.

3. Eyelid Primer -- $1 -- I've used this product before and it worked pretty good for a primer; I felt like it ran out quite quickly. But, it is only a dollar and only .17fl oz;)

4. Shimmering Facial Whip -- $1 --1205 Lilac Petal -- Not gonna lie, I kinda picked this up just for the name:) I love the words "shimmering" and "whip" :) lol sounds beautiful and delicious! Its use is to highlight cheeks, eyes, and lips (multi-purpose!:)

5.) Nail Polish Remover Pads -- $1 -- I've already reviewed these and LOVE them:) Using cotton balls last week just didn't cut it; I had to buy more!!

And I didn't get all e.l.f. stuff, I also picked up...

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush 45 Orchid Hush

I know, I know. I just got one of these earlier this week and haven't even reviewed that one yet! I'm not even much of a blush wearer, but I'm enjoying it so far and this shade just really intrigues me! It may not look good at all with my skin-tone, but it's such a pretty color!!!:)

That's all for now! I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to catch up on more posts! 

Mini Walmart Makeup Haul

So I'm kinda swerving from the schedule for a bit, but from the survey results I think you all are okay with that;)

Anyway, I did a little shopping and wanted to do a quick mini-haul to show you what I got! Of course there will be full reviews on all the stuff after I've used it enough!

This is all from Walmart... I went for some groceries and just got sidetracked into the makeup section...

In my defense, I really was in need of new mascara;)

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes in Blackest Black

But along with that, I also got:

150 Classic Ivory

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam foundation. I know there have been some mixed reviews over this. I'd seen in first in an ad in a magazine and thought the concept was pretty cool. After reading Kelly's post on it, I knew I wanted to try it! I'll save all the details for my full review, but let's just say, day two of use and I'm pretty pleased:)

05 Fresh Pink

Next was another new Maybelline product: the bouncy blush! Everyone said it was actually kinda bouncy! I made the mistake of pressing on it thinking it would spring back up (nope, just left a dent hahaha). First impressions, it's very soft and light.

717A Bronze Gold

This was the most random purchase. I'd been thinking about getting e.l.f.'s highlighter/bronzer duo, but I saw NYC Sun 2 Sun Bronzing Powder and figured I'd pick it up yet. I have not even opened it yet! So no first impressions yet:)

Last but not least, I picked up some more eyebrow waxing strips! I'm not sure if this is the same brand I usually use just in new packaging, but I'm hoping they work just as well! An easy/fast/cheap way to get great shaped eyebrows at home!

So that's it for now! Like I said, full reviews to come soon! How 'bout you? Any shopping lately? Find any fab new products? You must share!:)

First Giveway--25 Follower My Favorite Things

Yay! It is finally the moment we have all been waiting for!!! My first ever Glitter, Gloss, and Glaze Giveaway!!! As promised, I said when I hit 25 followers I would do this! (as this week has gone on, I think right now I have 31 followers, so even more exciting!!)

For this first one, I wanted to give one lucky person some of my favorite things--and all things that have been mentioned/reviewed/loved by this blog. (****All items were purchased by me with my own money****)

Here's the overall item picture and then itemized pix of everything:

Ta-da! Some of my fave things!

Cosmetics Bag

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint

Sinful Colors Extra Shiny Lip Gloss in Creamsicle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover Pads

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Violet

One of my favorite polishes of allll time is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Lilac. It looks great with stamping; it did an awesome job with water marbling; it looks pretty by itself; it's pretty with glitter on top; it's doesn't chip very easily--it truly is my favorite polish! Sadly, I couldn't find lilac today, but Violet is just a pretty color and even has a little sparkly glimmer to it:)

So Rafflecopter is going to help with my first giveaway! The rules are pretty simple. You must leave a comment on this post in order to be entered. You can write a random fact about yourself or what one of your favorite products is. Then if you want additional entries, you can Like my Facebook page, Follow me on Twitter, and/or Tweet about this giveaway! So, that's a total of FOUR chances to win!

You do need to be 18+ and in the continental United States. Sorry to all my international lovelies, hopefully my later, bigger giveaways will be open to you, too! You have until next Saturday, January 14, 2012 at midnight EST time to enter! I'll notify the winner and he/she will have 48 hours to provide me with their contact/shipping information. Good luck!!!

Baby Lips ~ Review!

Okay, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Are my lips actually baby soft?! Here is the "before" picture

So not horrible. Perhaps a little chapping in the corners, but not terribly rough or dry.

Now the claims from the "four week clinical study" are: 

82% visibly less dry

94% less rough

77% more supple

77% better looking

I should put in a disclaimer that I did not use this product ONLY during the 4 weeks. I continued to use my other lip products (Hard Candy Glossaholic, Mary Kay lipstick, and a couple random Bonne Bell Lip Smackers) So it's possible I didn't get a completely clean "clinical study," but I still think it's close enough.

Here's what I liked--the price! At Wal-Mart it was only $2.99 and there are some $1 off coupons roaming around the interent. The packaging--they are all so cute and colorful and fun! The size--perfect to fit in your purse, pocket, or anywhere else so it's always with you! The SPF--since I'm in Florida the sun is almost always out, so I love that my lips are coated and protected! 

Here's what I didn't like: the texture--now this is just a personal thing. I am more a gloss girl than a balm girl, and this is definitely a balm. I don't know how to explain it, but it's almost like it feels thick or gummy on my lips. The taste--I know this was a plus for some people because the flavor is not very distinct, but I'd prefer to have a "taste" to it than just the balm-y basic flavor. 

Here's things I'm kind of indifferent on: the color--sometimes it was a light pink and I really liked it. Other times I felt like it almost hot pink and a bit much, (obviously this would change if I got an un-tinted one which I would definitely try). The lasting--I know it claims to give "8 hour moisture" or whatever. And it may actually keep my lips moist on the inside that long; but I felt I needed to reapply every few hours (obviously more if eating, drinking, etc.)

Here's my after pic, then I'll let you know I feel it stood up to all the claims

So, less dry? YES!

Less rough? YES!

Better looking? SURE!

More supple? well... let's take a moment... I guess when I think "supple" I think "lush" and "full" and "beautiful"! Basically, I was hoping for Angelina Jolie lips (that did not happen..) But when I actually look up the defintion of "supple" it means: "bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed;pliant; flexible:" and for that? YES! 

When I run my finger over my lips, they really do feel soft! I've always had pretty soft lips, but this is definitely a more soft! Overall, it's a great product. I probably will continue to use it daily. I will tell you, my favorite time to use it is to put it on right before bed. I feel like it soaks into my lips over night. I know, I know, clearly I don't need the SPF while I'm sleeping:) Also, I'll probably pick up another couple tubes of it. I do recommend this product! Two thumbs up! Yay!!!

Next lip product to review? 

Stay Tuned!!

xoxo,

A Li'l Randomness

I've been making lists of all these things I want to blog about--several products I want to review, topics I want to discuss, nail designs I want to share... but today has been a super busy day and there is just too much going on in my mind to sit and just blog about one thing. So, I'm just going to share a few random things with you.


As of this Saturday, my 4-week "clinical study" of Maybelline's Baby Soft Lips will be complete! I'll have a whole full review of that shortly. So stay tuned!:)


My nails are still the same pink and black that I showed you a few days ago--and I still LOVE it! I feel like my nail art options are a million times more than they used to be thanks to these stamping design plates. Totally my new favorite thing!


I went to Bath and Body Works today--oh I could spend so much money in that store! Thankfully, they always have fab sales and plenty of coupons:) Today I stocked up on some winter-y wallflowers for 6 for $24! 'Tis the Season, Gingerbread, Holiday Gum Drop.. and then some of their fall ones were 50% so I picked up a couple Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (that became one of my favorite scents last month). AND I picked up the Twisted Peppermint Candle! It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas ;)


I got some materials to make my new nail polish stand! Gonna try to work on it this weekend! Very, very excited:)


Let's see... what else... today is the Marine's birthday and tomorrow is Veteran's Day! Happy Veteran's Day! And thank you to all that have and are serving in our nation's armed forces!! 


Before I wrap up this post, hopefully you noticed the poll over to the left... just lemme know what topics you'd like to see more posts about:) [obviously, I can just babble about anything on my own; but I'd like to focus on what you'd like to read:)] Also, I posted some other blogs that I enjoy--so feel free to check them out as well:)


xoxo,

Soft as a baby's.... lips??

So everyone has heard (and probably used) the phrase "soft as a baby's bottom." I'm not sure how often we say, "soft as a baby's lips"; but I imagine baby lips are probably pretty soft! That's the plan behind Maybelline's recently released Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm, which touts accomplishments such as "82% visibly less dry, 94% less rough lips, 77% more supple, and 77% better looking lips." Who wouldn't want to enjoy all those things??

Now, let's back up just for a moment for a little background on the lip issue. Lip gloss has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. My first glosses were Bonne Bell Lip Smackers in orange and watermelon--and maybe 'cause it was my first, but to this day, some 20+ years later, Lip Smackers are still my go to choice of a basic lip gloss. I claim that my lip gloss "addiction" started around 8th grade... it was again Bonne Bell, but it was a little jar of "Watermelon Falls." That went with me everywhere! I was using lipgloss first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and of course right before I went to bed. I had the softest, smoothest, most kissable lips around! When I was sixteen or so, my mom found this article in the newspaper that talked about lip gloss addiction. OMG! That is what I had! The article said it was all "psychological," but I knew better. I knew the burning sensation I had if I went too long without reapplying. I knew how fidgety I got if my lips felt dry. I'd never smoked, but I figured this is what it felt like to try to quit smoking. There was no quitting this addiction, I was hooked.

I've been through a variety of brands and flavors and at one point even had a "lip gloss inventory" which I documented every tube I had, how full it was, when I got it, and rated it on a 5 star system. (lip gloss dork alert!) 

The point is, I'm kind of a (self proclaimed) lip product connoisseur, and when I saw the advertisement in the November 2011 issue of Cosmo, I knew I was going to have to try "Baby Lips."

It comes in six different "flavors" and I chose "Pink Punch" which is a pretty, light hot pink color. It comes in a pink tube with yellow letters. All the packaging is really catchy which makes the product fun and girly! At Wal-mart, it's $2.97 so even if it were horrible, I wasn't going to be out a whole chunk of money. Reading all the claims, I was pretty impressed to start. However, my lips were already "less dry" and "less rough" to begin with, so I wasn't really sure what results I could expect from it. The smell and flavor is sweet and just like a tropical punch. It goes on smooth and is not too thick or heavy. It does have a hint of color, which I haven't decided if I like or not. As a balm, it is not shiny or glossy but does feel very nourishing. The 20 SPF sunscreen is a nice touch!

Since the claims are all based on a "clinical study after four weeks of use," I've decided to do my own "not-so-clinical study of four weeks of use" and document the status of my lips.  Today is day 3. I'm expecting at the end of these four weeks, I'll have lips much more supple--like those of Angelina Jolie. Will keep you posted and give a complete review of the product at the end:)