Aug 21, 2013

What I bought today…trying new things!

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In my most recent Sephora purchase, I needed a new leave-in conditioner, a new eye primer and a body lotion that was under 3.4 ounces for traveling.

Here’s what I bought…

8-16 purchase

1. Sachajuan Leave In Conditioner

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer, one of the highest-rated Sephora eye primers

3. Sephora brand super supreme body butter in 3.2 oz size

4. Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan oil, you know, just to see what all the fuss is about.

Click any of the links above to try the new product with me! Your purchase gives a small percentage to this blog, which helps fund new reviews, purchases and more! What do you think of those products? Leave it in the comments!

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Aug 12, 2013

Tale of Two False Lashes

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For special occasions, I love fake lashes. I don’t know if I’ve watched too many episodes of the Real Housewives or if I am just running out of special occasion makeup ideas, but it really feels like a party when you put your fakes on.

But! They are most certainly not all created equal. Here’s a move I can’t explain: I bought some lashes online from Sephora.com that had very mediocre reviews. Lashes are tough already without buying some that most of the Sephora community didn’t like.

I bought the Urban Decay Flirt style lashes online for $15, they look like this:

They also come with a tube of glue, which is where most of my problems started. The glue never got tacky enough to stick to my eyelid. Most lash glue after 10-15 seconds, gets tacky and if you stick it to your lid, it will easily stay and you can manipulate it into the right spot. Not this glue! It stayed extremely runny for almost 2 minutes.

My second problem is that the base of the lashes (the part where all the fibers attach) is very stiff and isn’t easily bendable. It has to be bendable because you have to curve it to follow your lash line. So with glue that wouldn’t stick and lashes that wouldn’t bend, it was a no-win.

But I don’t want to leave you empty-handed! The lashes I love are actually Sephora brand. I love the Astonish (and cutting it down a little bit so it is only half that size) and Flair.

Sephora Astonish, $10 comes with glue:

Sephora Flair, $10, also comes with glue:

The glue that comes with these lashes is excellent and the lashes last 2-3 wears if you are gentle with them. For $5 cheaper than Urban Decay, they are such winners. What lashes do you love? Have you ever had trouble with false lashes? Let me know!

Filed Under: Product vs. Product, Review, Special Occasions · Tagged: , , , , ,
Aug 7, 2013

Other eyecreams continue to fall short

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I feel strongly about eye creams and if you’ve been reading Everyday Lipstick for a while, you know all about this. I believe that you get what you pay for, you only have one set of eyes so you should take care of them and that eye cream is an important part of your daily beauty routine.

Despite finding some great eye creams, I’m always on the lookout for something even better. Here are a few I’ve tried in the past two years(eye creams last a long time!):

 

1. REN Active 7 Eye Gel for $30

2. Clinique All About Eyes De-puffing Serum for $28

3. Philosophy Eye Hope Cream for $49

4.  Shiseido ‘Bio-Performance’ Super Corrective Eye Cream for $60

Of those 4, there’s only one I would buy again: Shiseido Bio Performance. In fact, I just ran out of the REN Active 7 eye gel, which I had been using for 21 days. Instead of going straight back to the Shiseido Super Corrective, I’m going to try the Super Contour to see if I can tell any difference. I love Shiseido products and feel you get a lot of bang for your buck. My last Shiseido eye cream lasted me about 5 months.

Filed Under: Beauty Routine · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Jul 31, 2013

How to make your pedicure last longer

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We ladies dish out anywhere between $30 and $60 (or more) for a pedicure and with our toes showing so much in the summer, we tend to get them much more often than in the winter. But how do you make them last longer? How do you keep the polish from chipping and your feet soft and smooth? Even just an extra week or two per pedicure can add up to significant savings.

I did some research and came up with a guide to get the most out of your pedicure and make it last a little longer! For more information about caring for your footsies, check out this great article from Real Simple magazine.

Socks: Your new best friend

Obviously, you don’t want to wear socks when you go out because it covers up your pretty toes! But the second you walk in the door, switch from flip flops to socks. Even better, rub some of your favorite lotion on your feet before putting the socks on.  Pedicure Saver: Prevents dry feet.

Have a clear coat on hand

Depending on how your polish is looking, have a clear coat ready for touch up, especially for swipe around the tip of your toes to seal the polish and prevent cracking and chipping. The Sephora Mirror Shine Top Coat will help hide any small chips and prevent new ones. If you got shellac on your toes, check out this article on Shellac Manicure Maintenance and apply those tricks to your toes! Pedicure Saver: Chipped Polish

Invest in the best foot file around

There are foot files and then there are foot files. This foot file is the real deal. I tried all sorts of pumice stones from $2 to $20 but when I splurged on the Diamancel file at Sephora, I threw the rest away. The full size (shown below) is $49, but the smaller size is available for $29. Pedicure Saver: Calluses and dry heels

Filed Under: Beauty Routine, Spa Treatments · Tagged: , , , , ,
Jul 26, 2013

Comparison of two cheek highlighters

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I love cheek highlighters for special occasions. But recently, I’ve decided I also love them in the summer for no occasion at all! When you have been outside and maybe have just a bit of a tan, a subtle little glow or shimmer on your cheek is so pretty. I’ve always had the Smashbox Halo Wand in my makeup drawer and recently got the Benefit Watts Up in a trial size. They are so different but I love them both!

First up: Smashbox Highlighting Halo Wand, $32, Sephora

It comes in two colors: Pearl and Gold. For my skin, gold is the better choice but if you are more fair or have more pink tones in your complexion, pearl might be a better choice for you. I purchased this before my wedding actually because what better time to have glowy, dewy skin than on your wedding day?!

With one push of the bottom button, a perfect amount of highlighter is distributed into the brush to cover all the spots on your face. It gives a subtle golden, iridescent glow and even though it’s a liquid, it doesn’t crease after wear.

Second in line for a review: Benefit Watt’s Up! Highlighter, $30, Sephora

Watt’s Up comes in one color that is more similar to the Smashbox Pearl. Of course the travel size didn’t have it, but the full size product has a

blender sponge on the bottom to help spread out the product. Unnecessary because your fingers work well, but nice touch. I would also guess the sponge would pick up a lot of the color in the process…

It’s a completely different consistency than Smashbox, it’s a solid instead of a cream or liquid. I actually think it’s slightly easier to apply because of this.

Overall, Benefit is a more subtle product and useful for daily wear (if you wear it right) while Smashbox is more of a special occasion highlighter because it creates a more dramatic effect.

The verdict: if I could only have one, since they are nearly the same price, I’d buy Smashbox. It’s a bigger impact and perfect for highlighting your cheeks and brow for a special night out.

Click here to buy Smashbox Cheek Highlighter from Sephora.com and click here to buy Benefit Watt’s up!

Filed Under: Product vs. Product, Special Occasions · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Jul 22, 2013

Dior Extase Makes the Perfection List

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How has it possibly taken me this long to get Dior Extase on the Perfection List? It’s been my go-to, tried-and-true mascara for years now and after testing a few samples of other mascaras, it’s always right back on top.

The latest and greatest Perfection List can be found here, or in the top navigation of this blog!

I tested it in this post against Buxom Amplified Lash mascara and in the past 6 months I’ve tried Bobbi Brown Everything mascara, Urban Delay Super Curl mascara and a few others but Dior always comes back as #1.

Click here to buy it from Sephora! Remember, your purchase provides a small refund to this blog to keep me testing and reviewing!

Filed Under: Everyday Product · Tagged: , , ,
Jul 12, 2013

Latest updates to the Everyday Product and Everyday Lipstick lists

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Have you checked to see what I’m using on my Everyday Product list? How about the latest additions to Everyday Lipsticks?!

There have been some fab changes and fab additions lately so click here for what I’m using now or here for the best daily lipsticks.

Happy Friday!

Emily

Filed Under: Obsession · Tagged:
Jul 10, 2013

REN Vita Mineral vs REN Hydra Calm Day Creams

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There’s a new day cream in town. You know me, I love REN products but I wasn’t sold on their Vita Mineral Day Cream. It was a great day cream. Easy wear under makeup, just enough moisture and never greasy. But, it wasn’t special. So I went looking!

I had been interested in testing REN’s Hydra Calm Global Protection Day Cream and recently bought a bottle.

From REN, here is the description of Hydra Calm: An antiaging moisturizer for skin that is delicate or affected by everyday stressors like smoke and pollution. An optimal cream for sensitive skin, this moisturizer hydrates and replenishes skin, leaving it protected and looking beautifully healthy. Skin feels calmed and soothed. Antioxidant ingredients protect against free radicals to combat the signs of premature aging. Free of: Fragrance, parabens, petrochemicals, sulfates, synthetic colors, silicones, glycols.

After two weeks, here are my thoughts:

REN Hydra Calm smells better, it has an herbal, clean smell

REN Vita Mineral is thicker, but that doesn’t mean it is more moisturizing

REN Hydra Calm seems to absorb more easily and more quickly

Price difference: Vita Mineral = $45, Hydra Calm = $55

While it’s a little too soon to tell if it actually makes a visible difference on my skin, so far, I’m a big fan of Hydra Calm. If you have sensitive skin, REN has an entire Hydra Calm line of products, from an anti-aging serum to a cleansing milk.

Filed Under: Everyday Product, Product vs. Product, Review · Tagged: , , , , ,
Jul 9, 2013

Makeup Travel Bags

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What do you use to carry your makeup when you travel? Do you have a hanging bag that folds and has tons of clear pockets? Do you have a hard case? Or maybe (I hope not) you toss all of your beautiful makeup in a Ziploc and call it good.

I’ve used a few makeup bags over the years and my standby for the last 5 or so has been the Vera Bradley large makeup bag. (below) 

Vera Makeup

When shopping for a makeup bag, I look for the following…

1. Plastic lining

2. Long enough to fit full-size shampoo bottles

3. Soft sides and easy to put in a suitcase (even if the suitcase is too full and you have to stuff it in there)

4. Big enough to fit all the makeup and the majority of the beauty products I take with me on vacation

I recently made the decision that it was time to replace the Vera Bradley bag. It’s had its time. It’s also looking a little grungy. I love all the Kate Spade accessories. From umbrellas to this crazy cute Kate Spade picnic basket so I thought Kate Spade would be a good place to start looking for a makeup bag.

I bought the Le Pavillion Small Natalie when it was on sale for $40. It’s still on sale for $60, down from $88. The dimensions are comparable to the Vera Bradley case but the Kate Spade one is much more square and I do think will end up holding more.

kate spade makeup bag

 

kate spade makeup 2

 

Next trip, I’ll be trying it and giving you a full review!

Filed Under: Review · Tagged: , , ,
Jul 8, 2013

Bobbi Brown Warm Beige Out Nationwide?

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After a quick trip to my Nordstrom Bobbi Brown counter to re-up on Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Beige, I was dismayed to hear that color of the foundation is becoming hard to find nationwide. Apparently, not enough was made it it’s scarce until the next shipment is available. However, I did discover you can buy it here from Sephora.com. Sephora doesn’t carry Bobbi Brown products in their stores so that’s good info to have.

The Bobbi Brown skincare lady did a foundation match for the next closest shade, Naked.

Naked is slightly more yellow and less peachy, which could potentially work better for my skin in the summer. But after giving it a try for a few days, I’ll be buying my next bottle online if that’s what it takes!

To read more about Bobbi Brown Skin foundation and my switch from Dior foundation, click here!

COLOR UPDATE 7/9: Turns out, “Naked” does match my summer skin! I like the every-so-slightly darker shade and think it brings my face a shade closer to the color of my neck and arms. For the summer, it’s a keeper. But I’ll be going back to Warm Beige this winter.

Filed Under: Everyday Product · Tagged: , ,
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