product review – Page 3

Cut Your Blow Drying Time in Half

March 10, 2014 No Comments

I’m serious when I say, I’ve never seen anything like this brush.

Every time I use it I stare at it – hard – to see just what’s going on inside there. But all I see are regular brush bristles. I’m betting on the fact that there are little hair elves that come out when you use it, then suck themselves back into the core of the brush before you can see them.

That’s the only logical explanation I can come up with.

Regardless of how it does it, it works wonders (wonders I say!) on my hair. I have coarse hair, even when it’s been through the flat iron it’s not silky. It just sits there in coarse chunks (eww, that’s gross).

If I pile on the products and flat iron each and every section at a very high heat, I could probably get it to do the same thing this brush does. But why do all of that when I can simply run this brush through my hair while blow drying? Seriously, it’s smoother than after I use a straightener and saves my hair from all that heat damage!

The even greater thing about it is I can twirl the brush while drying (with other brushes a “twirl” consists of turning off the dryer, setting it down, moving the brush, picking the dryer up, turning it on again…and repeat).

Here’s a before and after picture for proof…

Before

During (with a blow dryer)

After! (Cheesy grin)

Smoother than after I straighten it!

You can buy it at Ulta (here).

If you have a hard time getting the right kind of blow-out, or if you have to straighten your hair after blow drying – this brush is for you.

If you find that after blow drying, you have little fly away hairs that stick up – this brush is for you.

If you’ve always secretly craved shiny flat super model hair – this brush is for you.

It’s probably not for you if your hair is super fine. But you probably only spend 3 minutes under the hair dryer so you can go ahead and parade THAT around town.

(This is not a paid advertisement, but if the makers of “Marilyn Flatter Me Too” brush would like to send me a check, I’d be ok with that).

makeup, natural makeup, product review

My Favorite Concealer

February 26, 2014 No Comments

If ever you are presented with the desert island-what’s the one thing you would take-conundrum, let me provide you with an answer…MAC’s Pro Longwear Concealer.

It masks everything from imperfections to dark circles in the smoothest way possible.

Picture courtesy of maccosmetics.com

It makes your skin feel unbelievably soft. Plus it doesn’t settle into fine lines and provides the perfect base for your foundation to lay.

I bought it a while back, but stopped using it so I had this gem of a product just taking up space in my makeup drawer. Then I heard from a former MAC makeup artist (who had tried every other concealer under the sun) how great this stuff was, so I decided to give it another chance.

You may be alarmed when you first pump it on your finger – there seems to be a sizable amount that comes out. But don’t worry, it ends up being just right.

Put it all around your eyes (even the corners) and at the outer corners of your nose (where it meets your face) to prevent the redness that pops up sometimes at the end of the day.

Also note, the pump is the one to use for under your eyes. The one with the wand is for spot treatment.

You’re going to have to give it a try. It’s $20 but it will last you a long time, and it will make your foundation (or BB cream) work that much better.

See you tomorrow!

hair, overnight hair, product review

The 1 Product That Will Get You Loving Dry Shampoos (and Your Second Day Hair)

February 5, 2014 No Comments

The one thing I don’t like about dry shampoo is that it can sometimes leave your hair feeling chalky.

I do love the boost it gives your strands and the feeling of confidence that you can push your hair washing back another day (or sometimes 2).

But like I said, sometimes the feeling of chalkiness can get old.

That’s where dry conditioner comes in. Didn’t know that existed? Neither did I till it came in my Birchbox last month.

I was very excited to meet the other twin to dry shampoo. And let me tell you, she is just as cool if not cooler than her counter part.

The brand I used is by Serge Normant. It’s got a nice smell (kind of smells like floral hair spray). Speaking of hair spray, this same brand sent their hair spray in the Birchbox a couple months ago and I really feel in love with that product, but that’s another story for another review.

The great thing about this conditioner is that it goes in after the dry shampoo and corrects all the things you hate about dry shampooing. It leaves your hair shiny (where the shampoo can leave it dull); it makes it super soft (where the shampoo leaves it chalky); and it gives it movement without leaving gray matter behind.

All you have to do is spray it all over your head like hair spray (whereas with dry shampoo you’re going to want to only spray at your roots then rub in with your finger tips).

It’s funny how these things go. Two months ago I didn’t know it existed, and now I don’t think I’ll be able to live without it.

Try some for yourself! You can get Oscar Blandi’s version here at Sephora, or pick up the same bottle I’m using here.

Then go enjoy your fresh hair!

bare minerals, beauty products, foundation, product review

Product Review: Bare Minerals

January 22, 2014 No Comments

Like a 15 year-old Chilton snob, I completely mistreated Bare Minerals.

Our relationship was one of the best I’ve ever had with a foundation. We took a break over the summer, I decided to see other people (aka: Clinique’s BB Cream) while I sported a tan.

Then once my summer love had worn off, I returned to Bare Minerals only to find that it wasn’t sitting on my skin the same way. It looked chalky and even rubbed off at the slightest provocation.

I assumed this meant our time together had come to an end, so I returned to Clinique and tried to fall in love with their Even Better Foundation. It’s a great way to go, especially if you like liquid foundation. I, unfortunately, do not like the application process one bit.

So I gave it the whole, “it’s not you it’s me” speech, and when on the hunt once again for a great foundation.

In my tireless searching, I kept seeing one name pop up. It’s rated as one of the best and most beloved foundations. It was as if fate had spoken, Bare Minerals and I were truly meant to be.

But what about the time it hurt me by giving my skin a terrible look and feel? Oh that.

The reason for it (like the miscommunication you see coming in the middle of a Hallmark love story) Bare Minerals is so natural it can actually go bad. And because I hadn’t used it for 3 months, the foundation itself was getting old. It had expired.

Which is something that actually makes me love it even more. Knowing that I’m putting such natural ingredients on my face makes me one happy girl. The fact that it has SPF and an illuminizer that gives my skin a glow are two more things that I just love about the product.

Needless to say, we’re in love again. I wake up every morning perfectly happy to dust it’s fine, illuminating powder all over my face (that’s my favorite kind of application), and it’s perfectly happy…being dusted (I guess the metaphor ran out there).

The lesson in all of this? Sometimes you have to date other products to know what you’re looking for. True in life, true in the beauty world. Try it out if you’re looking for a great foundation. They have a formula for really oily skin too!

beauty products, product review

Gimme Brow Product Review

January 8, 2014 No Comments

One of life’s little mysteries is that hair consistently grows in places we don’t want it, and stops growing in places we do.

I’m sure we can add that to our list of things to thank Eve for later.

I am always on the look out for ways to fill in my eyebrows. So when I started hearing buzz about Benefit’s Brow Wow product line, I thought I had found the answer to all my brow-related dilemma’s.

I’ll go ahead and skip to the end and tell you, that wasn’t the case…at least not for this one product.

What I picked up was Benefit’s Gimme Brow wand. It looks just like mascara only with a short brush on the end for you to sweep through your brows.

It’s the ends of my brows that need the most attention, and when I tried applying the product in that spot it didn’t leave enough color behind.

I don’t know if it’s because the color wasn’t as dark as my natural brows or if I didn’t get enough on the brush. All I know is that I had to keep applying and that didn’t feel good (the brush is a little hard).

I can see where this would work if you have brows that need taming and a little filling in all over, but for me, that wasn’t the case. I just need something to fill in the ends.

Now I know and thankfully Sephora has a great return policy.

I will still be a faithful Benefit fan, just not of their Gimme Brow.

Have a very Happy Wednesday!

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