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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review: BH Cosmetics California Makeup Palette Collection

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I have been advertising BH Cosmetics on my site now for some time and I thought it would be a good idea to try their products out and see it they were any good. When I went on their website I noticed they had three palettes dedicated to California for the spring collection. I quickly snapped them up at $10.00 a piece. I tried each one of them out and am going to show you the results so that you can see for yourself if the brand is worth your money. Housed in these cute little palettes are 16 eye shadows and four blushes.

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The BH San Francisco palette has a lot of muted colors, mostly browns, coppers and blues. I took advantage of the shimmery periwinkle to make my lid sparkle. I used a matte chocolate in the crease and the periwinkle all over the lid and under the eye. I used the matte light pink under the brow. As you can see, the pigmentation is very good. I lined my lids with a black liner and then used a lot of mascara. On my cheeks I used the shimmery rose color on the lower left. It looks great with my cheeks! On my lips I used a nude brown.

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The Bh Malibu palette is a lot brighter. The colors are not harder to put together though. In the crease I used a shimmery copper color. On the lid is a bright matte yellow-green. Under the brow I used a matte cream color. Then under the eye I used a bright turquoise color. I did not line my upper lids, I used only a ton of mascara! Personally I really like this look too. Both palettes are looking to be faves..

 

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When I first looked at the the Hollywood palette, I kind of went “OH!!!!” But in the end I think my eyes look pretty good. I took the deep shimmery magenta red and used it in the crease. I used the dark satin purple in the outer edge of the lid and under the eye. Then I used the bright matte coral on the lid. To make it really neat I used the silver shimmer and blended it up from the red magenta up under the brow (look at the second photograph and you can see that well). I lined with a glittery purple liner and loads of mascara. On the cheeks I used the matte terracotta color and sucked my cheeks in real good then used the bright pink on top. I topped the look off with a buttery pink lip color.

What do you think? I am extremely happy with BH Cosmetics!!!!! I see now that these palettes are $11.00 each but I think that it is still worth it. They are loaded with pigmentation, little to no fallout and no fading. This is a brand I am glad to have advertise on my website! These palettes and more are available at www.bhcosmetics.com.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

SEPHORA HOT NOW

 

The HOTTEST Beauty Picks: April

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether backstage at fashion week, rubbing shoulders with the stars at film festivals or bringing clients the latest and greatest from beauty brands both big and small, SEPHORA is on top of every beauty trend.  Looking for help with which products to choose?  Each month, we bring you SEPHORA HOT NOW, the most buzzed-about beauty handpicked by our experts. From behind the scenes to the doctor's office, these top six picks will easily show you what's at the forefront of our minds and the beauty landscape.

 

This April, discover the word on lips with our #HOTNOW picks:

THE WORD ON LIPS: PLUMPING + CONDITIONING
The first-ever plumping oil and nourishing lip treatment, BITE BEAUTY CINNAMON PLUMPING LIP OIL ($25) boasts a 99.9% natural mix that plumps with cinnamon bark and peppercorn.  With an anti-aging blend of four hydrating oils and antioxidant resveratrol, luscious lips have never felt so young.

THE WORD ON LIPS: ANTIOXIDANTS + SHINE
YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE's ($39) comforting, emollient formula melts into lips while providing buildable color with luscious, non-sticky shine.  Antioxidant rich pomegranate extract protects and restores the lips as you shine on!

THE WORD ON LIPS: HYDRATION + SEMI-MATTE FINISH
Intense color in a rich, velvety base leaves the long-wearing, semi-matte finish of GIVENCHY LE ROUGE LIPSTICK ($38) feeling amazing on your lips.  Designed with a luxe, genuine leather case, you'll look as amazing as you feel!

THE WORD ON LIPS: SATURATION + FULLNESS
BUXOM FULL-BODIED LIPSTICK ($26) offers a cream formula with time-release plumping complex for a full lip look all day long.  Shea butter and coconut oil soften on impact, providing deeply moisturizing, long-wearing color.

THE WORD ON LIPS: LONG WEAR + SATIN FINISH  
The lustrous, hydrating satin sheen of NARS SATIN LIP PENCIL ($30) sketches on for high-impact, 12-hour color.  Soft, buttery texture glides on lasting lip hydration.

THE WORD ON LIPS: WATERPROOF + LACQUER
MAKE UP FOR EVER AQUA ROUGE ($27) delivers intense, all day wear with its smudge-proof, high-pigment liquid lipstick.  The setting gloss locks in color with extreme shine ensuring your pout shines bright!

To learn more about this month's HOT NOW picks go to:  http://www.sephora.com/contentStore/mediaContentTemplate.jsp?mediaId=12200056, follow us on twitter @sephora or check out theglossy.sephora.com

SOURCE Sephora

 

Friday, March 29, 2013

Review: Funked Up Color Mineral Makeup

 

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I have a plethora of mineral eye shadows that sit in my makeup bins and sometimes I get them out to play. I love mineral eye shadows. They have some of the most beautiful sheens that cannot be found in other eye shadows. The other day I found a Twitter follower of mine by the name of @funkedupcolor. The owner Judy has been doing hair and nails for over 20 years, and as she went along in her career she developed an interest in color. With some encouragement from friends she developed her own mineral cosmetics company. This woman is living my dream. She has her own cosmetics company! How many people do you know that can say that? The focus of the line is color. Loads of beautiful color, mostly vegan, with few, if any extra additives.  Especially fun, bright colors!

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The colors I tried were (above swatches are at left dry and right wet):

  • Bubble Gum (bright satin pink)
  • Poppin Pink (bright metallic pink)
  • Red (speaks for itself)
  • Party Time Purple (matte intense purple)
  • It’s A Grape Day (intense metallic purple)
  • Fuchsia Got Funk (pink with purple shift)

As you can see from the swatches they have different characteristics wet and dry. Most eye shadows do, mineral or not. These are fantastic this way.

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I used these colors on my eye for a look. I wanted a sunset look. I tried them dry and boy, they are intense!!!! I really like how pigmented they are. For my sunset look I fused: Fuchsia Got Funk in the crease, then took It’s A Grape Day and used it on the outer edge of the lid and lined under the eye with it. I Party Time Purple on the lid and then put Poppin Pink over that. Bubble Gum went under the brow. To line the upper lid I used MUFE’s liquid liner 11 and I used L’Oreal’s Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara in black. (I find that purples really bring the green out in my eyes, which are blue green. Green is opposite of purple on the color wheel). I did wear the eye shadows over L’Oreal’s Magic De-Crease Eyelid Primer, which I am testing too.

On my cheeks I used a similar plum color, Illamasqua’s Allure, a plum with silver shimmer. Then my lips I used L’Oreal’s Color Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Stubborn Plum, which I am testing out and finding out to be a nice color.

I want to promote any small business owner that is trying to make it in the world of cosmetics. Her products seem to be pretty good. The pigments go on very nicely but there is an issue of fallout, so make sure you either load the brush or tap gently it gently in the container to remove the excess. I had a lot of purple on my face under my eye. It seemed to be just the purple for some reason.

Funked Up Color Mineral Makeup is cruelty free and has many vegan shades. Her colors range from metallics to some in your face, screaming brights. They are $5.99 each. Here website is http://funkedupkolor.com

(these items were given for consideration)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

NEW Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil Colors!

PR_Group Shot_24-7 Eye Pencils(1)Urban Decay is going to satiate your lust for the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil with 13 brand new shades and 14 previous exclusive shades to the lineup making a total of 40 shades. Now you have a plethora of shades to choose from for any mood. With this relaunch, the colors range from shimmering metallics, crazy, vivid eye-catching brights, wear anywhere neutrals and dark smoky hues. The textures range from micro-sparkle to matte. Now Urban Decay is THE definitive authority on eye pencils!

 

 

 

Eye pencil photo, courtesy of Urban Decay.

 

The best thing about these eye pencils is that they offer shade matched barrels so that it’s easy to find the color you are looking for. The 24/7 Glide-On Pencil is made with jojoba oil, Vitamin E and cottonseed oil so that the formula glides on and stays on, they stay creamy for blending and the waterproof formula dries down and will not budge. Can you ask for anything more? Below is a chart of all the colors, and a key shows which are the new, previously exclusive now available as full sized pencils and the revamped shades.

For myself, I am trying to decide how many I can order at a time without breaking the bank! These happen to be my favorite eyeliners in the world! How about you? 24/7 Glide-On Pencils are available from www.urbandecay.com, www.sephora.com, www.ulta.com, www.beauty.com, www.macys.com and Sephora stores, Ulta stores and select Macy’s stores.

 

24_7 eye pencil colors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Color chart, courtesy of Urban Decay.

 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Review: L’Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur

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Already a popular product and it just came out! L’Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur is an instant skin smoothing priming cream that is supposed to erase pores, fine lines and wrinkles. It keeps skin matte all day and It has an SPF 30, broad spectrum chemical sunscreen.
The idea behind this is not new. Primers have been around for a while now. But lately the idea of the primer is to take it to the next level. The primer erases everything undesirable about the skin and leaves a nice finish so that foundation doesn’t have to work as hard. Of course now companies are also coming out with foundations that also have primers in them too!
Revitalift Miracle Blur is for the woman who doesn’t have any acne blemishes on her skin, as this doesn’t cover those. This product is a silicone based product, so if you cannot handle any silicones, then it will not be for you.




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The primer is very thick and semi-opaque, almost like a paste. It is soft though and slippery somewhat. The amount needed for the full face is the size of a nickel. Apply after your moisturizer and sunscreen (if you feel you still need sunscreen). Still use separate sunscreen on the neck, since you would not need primer on your neck. While applying smooth out and use even under your eyes so that concealer applies evenly, just be careful not to get to close to your eye. As soon as it is applied it kind of melts into the skin. It has a matte finish.

You will find that with this primer your foundation applies so much easier than with a more moist primer, due to the silicones. I think that it is not a bad thing, rather a good thing.The best thing is that it lasts all day long. I like that my foundation applies nicely and all day long. If you have trouble with silicones clogging your pores, then it is not for you. Revitalift Miracle Blur does “blur” pores, lines and wrinkles instantly as it says on the box. Personally I love how it feels. I challenge you to see how it feels too and let me know. You can get Revitalift Miracle Blur from any drugstore or at www.drugstore.com for $24.99.

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(this item was given for consideration)

Monday, March 25, 2013

Review: L’Oreal Magic De-Crease Eyelid Primer

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For some reason even in these days of technological advances, eye shadows do not usually stay the whole day. Sometimes it is as simple as the fact that some people have oily eyelids. So we need a product that will help our gorgeous eyes to stay gorgeous the whole day long. Enter the eye shadow primer. This product, applied prior to our eye shadow, locks in the eye shadow so that we look beautiful from sun up to sun down.
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Many companies have their own version of eye shadow primers now. I was given the opportunity to try L’Oreal’s Magic De-Crease Eyelid Primer. Is it up to the task of keeping eye shadow in place and to keep it from fading? I have been trying the product for a solid two weeks. I think that would be enough time to see if the product works. I apply it prior to my eye shadow. Just a little bit of it on the lid and then blended in. I then apply the eye shadow. Nothing else is needed. I check the mirror at various times of the day to see how my eye shadow is doing. No creases. A subtle bit of fading. The final test: washing my face at night. Every night for two weeks my eye shadow has been crease free. Sometimes there is some fading to the eye shadow but I think that has to do more with the type of eye shadow that I am using. Light eye shadows tend to fade more than darker eye shadows.
So the verdict is that this product does work. The eye shadows did not crease during the day. Sometimes some of the eye shadows did fade. But I really do think that has to do with the pigmentation of the eye shadow.
L’Oreal Magic De-Crease Eyelid Primer is available at any drugstore. It can be used with powder or cream eye shadow. www.lorealparisusa.com
(this item was given for consideration)

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Review: emerginC Vitamin C serum

DSC01931I have always loved vitamin C serums, ever since they came on the market about 20 years ago. I have been searching for the one product that will give me the results I need. Real results! Most Vitamin C serums only show minor differences in helping hyperpigmentation or taking away fine lines and wrinkles. I was lucky enough to receive a sample of this  emerginC Vitamin C serum to review and show you.

Vitamin C has been the one ingredient that has been the hardest for companies to stabilize. Once stable, Vitamin C serums are great at doing a few things: combating fine lines and wrinkles, helping with hyperpigmentation and fighting free radical damage. emerginC has been searching to create a stable form of Vitamin C for years. Once they were able to do this they created a serum with 20% Vitamin C!

This liquid gel serum is great at helping to get rid of most skin problems. It also works as a preventative anti-oxidant to neutralize free radicals from creating any future damage and has anti-inflammatory benefits. Vitamin C is also a co-factor in the production of elastin and collagen. The emerginC Vitamin C Serum has a stable concentration of Vitamins E, F, 20% Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate. This is a level that no other serum has.

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Above you can see photos of my forehead as they are today, without makeup. There is significant change in the amount of hyperpigmentation (freckling).

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This is a prior photograph of my forehead. You can see the freckling on it, from years of sun damage.

I used the emerginC VitaminC serum for two weeks straight, every evening all over my face and neck. It is kind of a sticky serum but blends nicely. I used it straight after cleansing and toning. (I have been using my Ole Henriksen line but I am giving myself a break for now to test some new products). After this serum, I used a new retinol cream. I am extremely happy with the results of this serum. More so than with any other product I have ever tried. I have noticed results in just a few days. Even under my eyes the freckles have started to disappear. I am hoping that I can keep up with having more of the hyperpigmentation dissipate so that I can finally have a nice porcelain face that I have always wanted to have. You see, when I was little I had too much sun and look where it got me…a ton of freckles!!!!

The emerginC Vitamin C serum is one of those rare products that I am going to put on my best list, as best skincare. This is available from www.emerginc.com, spas and physicians’ offices. The price is $89.00.

(This item was provided for consideration)

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Santalia Announces 30 Day Clear Skin Challenge

We are excited to announce that Santalia, a natural, sandalwood based skincare line, is hosting a 30-Day Clear Skin challenge to inspire clean, acne-free skin. Check out the following link below for more information on the Santalia website about how to join: http://www.santaliashop.com/take-the-challenge/

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Santalia will also be hosting a weeklong giveaway in conjunction with the challenge on Facebook.  Simply “Like” the Santalia page and enter once per day for a chance to win! One winner will be chosen every day this week.

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Skin Care Expert and Jan Marini Skin Research Founder, Jan Marini Will Be Live Chatting on Facebook

Jan Marini will be on hand to answer your skincare questions & concerns and discussing the benefits of her breakthrough product line

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Founder of breakthrough solutions and dramatic technological advances in skin care, Jan Marini is committed to providing a line that delivers measurable results. To understand more about how Jan Marini came to create JMSR, as well as discover answers to some of your most challenging skin care questions, here is your chance!  

 Join Jan on Tuesday, March 26th at 5PM EST / 2PM PST to hear more about her product line and what drove her to develop her line of products. Simply “Like” Jan Marini’s Facebook page in order to participate: http://www.facebook.com/JanMariniSkinResearch

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Review: Skinetica Anti-Blemish Lotion

 

I have to admit something. At age 41 (almost 42), I still get acne sometimes. To be personal about it, it is due to a hormonal issue with my IUD. I take such good care of my skin that the only time I get acne is when I have been sick and I have not taken good care of my skin for a while. I might get an inflamed comedone or two. I was very happy to receive this sample from Skinetica, an anti-blemish therapy company in the UK. I looked at the ingredients and was immediately intrigued by it.DSC01674

Acne has always been difficult to treat. Mild to moderate acne can be treated with salicylic acid or some of the alpha-hydroxy acids. But when we are talking severe acne, with cysts under the skin, that is another story. There are therapies that hurt the skin and cause suffering. How about benzoyl peroxide 10%? What about prescription medicines that can cause severe side effects?

Lately there have been a number of new acne therapies that I have come across that are beating out the traditional benzoyl peroxide, sulfur or salicylic acid. There is a new sandalwood therapy that works very well. There are therapies based on light. And now lasers that do work very well but are very expensive.

The problem with benzoyl peroxide is that it bleaches hair and fabrics. It also can cause sensitization after a long exposure to it. Salicylic acid, while great for mild acne, doesn’t begin to touch severe acne. Sulfur is extremely drying.

Skinetica is somewhat different. It doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals and is non-toxic when dry on the skin. It is chemically inert and doesn’t have any detrimental effect on the skin. It works for 12 hours at at time, so you only have to apply it twice a day. It is safe to use and non-allergenic. One of the best things about Skinetica is that it can also be used for dry skin, redness and chapped skin; as it is so soothing.

To use: apply with a cotton pad to the area and let dry. Do not apply on top of makeup or creams, as it will not work. Repeat every 12 hours. It is non-staining and will not discolor clothing, towels or bed sheets.

Skinetica is anti-bacterial. It will work better on inflamed and infected acne blemishes. If you have blackheads or whiteheads, your therapy would best be salicylic acid. Each type of blemish has its own therapy. Please read my blog post on acne blemishes (http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/p/even-though-i-often-discuss-makeup-i-am.html).

My favorite thing about Skinetica is that it is non-drying to the skin. I used it on one blemish (sorry, I don’t really get that many) and darned if it didn’t clear it up by the next day. The literature says it soothes, calms and clears. It really does. I was very shocked at how good it is.

Skinetica is available in a 100 ml bottle through www.skinetica.co.uk for 11.29 UK pounds and they accept PayPal.

(This item was given for consideration)

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(product photo courtesy of www.sephora,com )  SEPHORA PRO Palette in Warm $68.00 This deluxe eyeshadow palette with 38 warm color...

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