Why Do I Stray?

Why is it that I have products that I go back to, over and over? Answer: Because they work! They do what they should and I'm just easily distracted by shiny, new bottles and tubes.

One of the lines of which I speak? Clinique's basic skin care:

I love these products! They're not too ridiculously priced, there aren't a ton of steps or directions, and they tingle. They make this line for EVERY skin type (I don't know if they all tingle, but I've heard great things about the others) and they do it fabulously. So why do I stray? Because I sometimes need something specific (Ex eye cream, pore reducer, skin firming/tightening...), then I think "Hey! There's an entire line that goes with that! Buy it!". Then I read the reviews on Sephora. Just an FYI, almost everyone LOVES everything that they purchase from there. So read the negative reviews to see the "cons". A lot of those five star reviews are from people who tried samples. Do you know what you can tell from 1-3 days worth of product? That's right, nothing. This is how I end up with one of everything. While my rational brain knows not to buy something because the package is a beautiful shade of blue, my impulse control fails.

The moral of the story? I need to stay away from Sephora...or someone to cut up my credit cards...or I need some self control. Any of those things would make my shelf space a lot less congested!

This Will Be Awesome...or Really Gross

I'm up in the air about this one.  It's going to be really great...or really gross and terrible.

UPDATE: This was terrible. To benefit from this, your pores would need to be extremely clogged. It did pull out some gunk, but not in that area between your face and end of nose (you know, that awkward, inward, side nose curve area), just like the nose strips miss. Your goal would need to be to use this until your pores are fully unclogged, then tackle the pore reduction.

Speaking of pore size, I'm very upset to say that this actually seemed to put me back at square one with my Pore No More, Blue Sphere of Magic (as I enjoy calling it). I nearly panicked when I saw my nose after peeling this.

The site for it claims that the tube will last for dozens of applications. Just to do my nose and about one inch out onto my cheeks took at least 1/2 teaspoon. With a 3.4 oz tube, that is not dozens of applications. I'm thinking it would do your entire face maybe 1/2 dozen times. You need it to not have your skin showing through, which is surprisingly a lot of product.

I was so displeased with the product, I immediately emailed their customer service about it. This is something that I don't really do, unless the product (whatever type of product it might be) is terrible. Usually, I just throw it into my drawer of failed gunk that I'll no doubt try again later.

It could be just me, who knows. It has great reviews on Amazon , but I'm not liking it.

Love It or Hate It?

I couldn't really decide on whether to pick something that I love, or something that I hate...How about we go with both? His weekend I'm going to go grand spectrum and pick lip stains. Now, you need to go into this knowing that I'm not a fan of lipstick. I don't like the feel and texture of it. It feels like it's smothering my lips.

Here are the candidates:

Now, before we get to the stains, let's skip all of the awkwardness and admit about how awesome this bear is. He is adorable and a great little helper.

From left to right:

Too Faced Lip Injection: We've already established that I love this! It's smooth, moisturizing, and comes in great colors.

Tarte LipSurgence: I've heard all kind of praise about this one, which is why I bought it. Personally, I just don't like it. It just feels wrong. Too thick, maybe? It also does nothing to prevent dry lips. I actually thought that it seemed to contribute to it. It does stain your lips, but not very evenly. I guess I just don't see in this what all of the great reviews are about.

Revlon Just Bitten Balm: I've found this to be alright, but is also too thick for my liking. It's more of a lite lipstick than a stain. In the stain department, it's a huge fail. As a balm with color, it's pretty good.

Sephora Gel Stain: This goes on kind of sticky, but once you let it settle on, you can't feel it at all. One downfall is that you will need to reapply this repeatedly throughout the day. However, I still recommend it. It's a great stain, for how much you pay for it.

Revlon Just Bitten (Roller): I love this product and can't imagine why it got discontinued. Other than the roller ball being an awkward way to apply it (not very accurate), it felt light on the lips, didn't dry them out, and stayed put all day. If you see this on Amazon or EBay, give it a try. The tube lasts forever, but you need to apply it with a brush. An added bonus is that most of the staining function comes from fruit concentrates. Imagine how great that is for the flavor and smell. I simply loved this product. It worked and only cost between $6-8.

Maybelline Color Sensational: I'm not sure that they still make this & hope that they don't. I think that it was replaced with the 10 Hour Wear (a product I don't have pictured, because I used it once and threw it out). The applicator means well and by all rights should work. It's designed like a felt tipped marker. Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver the color to the tip quickly enough to apply nicely. I believe that Revlon tried this same thing after the stain of theirs that I loved. It stained ok, but was also drying. Overall, I give this a "no".

Also not pictured is Stila Lip and Cheek Stain: I purchased this and went through the entire tube in a week. Not because I loved it, but because I needed to use so much of it. It barely showed (admittedly, I got a light pink...but still) and needed to be applied frequently. I liked it, but would never buy it again. It just isn't nearly worth the amount of money it cost.

And now for my favorite straight up stain...

Urban Decay Lip Envy: Love, love, love this product! The applicator is great, it goes on tacky (but can't be felt once it sets), doesn't dry your lips, and stays on all day (even if you use a lip balm over it). I literally need to use my toothbrush to remove this stain. My only complaint about this product is that there are not more colors. However, you can change the shade by putting on more than one layer of it. I'd still like to see a lighter pinkish option.

If I had to pick my three favorites, they'd be the Urban Decay, Revlon (Roller Ball, not balm), and Too Faced Lip Injection...sometimes a combination of these products just for different looks.

• Well...that's that. Of course this is just my opinion and I'm sure that some people would disagree. Those people would probably be wrong, but whatever...Just kidding (kind of). Lol

We'll See...

I started using this today:





I'll share my experience with it, once it's been given s fair trial period.

Personally, I like facial products marketed to men. Men don't mess around with buying something that doesn't work, so they're usually more effective...IMO

My New Favorite Lip Balm...Too Faced Lip Injection Color Bomb!

Two weeks ago I discovered one of my favorite lip products so far.  These are a lip stain, plumper, balm, and gloss in one.  In my opinion, their best feature is that they're a balm, everything past that is a big bonus.  If you're looking for a great lip plumper or rich, vibrant color...keep looking.  If you're looking for a nice tint of color that feels great on your lips, you've met your new best friend.

I started this new addiction by purchasing the two on the far left (Bigger Better Berry and Eastwood Red).  Being a fan of the dark red/purple shades, I thought that the Bigger Better Berry would be the one I fell in love with, but Eastwood Red ended up being my favorite. 

It's not a bright red, like I expected, but rather a subtle hint of flush red lips.  These colors manage to make your lips look to be a natural color, even though these are not colors that would be found in nature on lips.  The all blend so nicely and settle onto the texture of your lips so well, it looks like it's your natural born color...but still in an unnatural way.  And the smell is delicious.  You know that smell that's been embedded into your childhood memories?  The one that was infused into your Strawberry Shortcake dolls, as well as your brain, as a child?  That's what this reminds me of.  The familiar berry/vanilla scent that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy...No? Just me?...Well anyway...We're all aware that no one is born with pale pink lips, but this makes it look like you just might have been.  As a plumper, they're ok.  As a stain, I have no complaints.  As a lip balm and tint, they are fantastic. 

The price on these is a bit up there ($21 a pop), but do yourself a favor, try one.  You will not regret it.  I prefer to purchase most of my facial products at Sephora .  If for no other reason, they have a great points program...and (if you order online) samples.  I live for samples.

Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow

Let's jump in the game with Stay-There Eyeshadow by Buxom. Mostly because I have a very love/hate, coming/going relationship with this product. The colors are fabulous. They're vibrant, rich, sparkly, go on smoothly, blend well...everything you'd want in a fun eyeshadow.

Unfortunately, I could never get these shadows to go on the right shade. They always either turn out too bright (think Mimi) or too light. There seems to be no "just right" amount. I prefer to use my fingertip to apply shadow, but I got the brush made for this, because I'm a sucker for that kind of marketing.

This brush proved to be useless with this shadow. Since its kind of a cream/gel like texture, the brush seemed to just take chunks out of the container and not apply them smoothly. I now use this brush with other brands of shadow that I'd like to use as liner. For that, it's perfect! Having said that, it was also difficult to use your finger. If (like me) you have any little bit of nail, it will get stuck up under it...a lot of it. IMO That adds up to a lot of wasted product.

They also claim to be an all day wear product. I've not found this to be true. Even with a good primer, they start creasing after a few hours. This is not a deal breaker for me, since I don't mind smoothing it back out, as long as I love the color.

I remain in a love/hate relationship with this line. I love the way these colors look in their containers. They are gorgeous and bright. I hate how disappointing it is when you use them and realize that, unless you really layer it on thick, they're the same boring shades as any other drug store brand. I've parted with all of mine but the Black Lab. I'm still holding onto the hope that I will one day use it and it will decide to be as fabulous as I really wanted this line to be.

Why am I Here?

Why am I here? Good question. I'm here because I have a tendency to drone on and on about makeup and skin care products that I've bought. Love 'em or hate 'em, I could go on all day! Today it was politely suggested that I start a blog about this. Not being the first time that someone suggested this (most likely as a nice way of saying "Can you shut up about that lip gloss already? We do have a job, you know), I thought I'd give it a try. So, I'm going to decide on a recent purchase and tell you all (lucky devils!) about it...Just not today. I do have a job, you know!