Been A Long Time Away, But I'm Back with Some Goodies!

Dear readers:

Many apologies for the amount of time in between posts. Life sure does have a crazy way of piling up! To be fair, I work in education so it should really come as no surprise that the past month has been eaten up entirely by the start of a new school year.

That said, I've been keeping a running tab on a bunch of new products that I'm excited to share with you.

1. Tresemme Climate Control Finishing Spray:

This hairspray is formulated to protect hair from humidity, wind, static, and UV rays. I'm not normally a fan of hairsprays because I can't stand that stiff, sticky feeling it leaves on my hair. This formula actually leaves my hair feeling soft. It definitely holds curls really well, and for the most part it really does do what the marketing says it will. It's not perfect, but my hair is mostly frizz free when I use this. Will definitely purchase this again!

2. L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in carbon black:

I was honestly on the fence when I originally bought this. I wasn't a fan of the itsy-bitsy wand or bristles, and I wasn't excited with the way it applied to my lashes. I tried it once and thought my lashes looked like spider legs. Then a colleague at work complimented my lashes and asked whether I was wearing mascara or not (um, say what?!). I objectively gave this mascara another shot and it's been true love ever since.

It is a small wand, yes, but it's marketed as a lengthening mascara, not volumizing. My lashes are naturally full but pretty short. This formula actually lends my lashes a lot of length and holds the curl really damn well. True, my lashes aren't super full, but they do look long when I wear Telescopic, and I'm loving it at the moment.

3. Neutrogena Complete Acne Therapy System:

I'll be honest, part of the reason I haven't been in the mood to post lately is because my skin has gone totally hay-wire. I've had some really epic nodular acne breakouts that has been kicking my ass for about three weeks now.

I don't usually like Neutrogena because a long time ago my dermatologist told me that Neotrogena products are really terrible for the skin. They're full of parabens and chemicals that only address skin problems in the short term. So I've stayed away from Neutrogena for the most part. Then on one really bad day, I knew I needed something ASAP or else my face was gonna look just like the Himalayas. I purchased this kit because I had a $4 off coupon and nothing to lose.

At first I wasn't sure it was working, but this morning I've noticed a big difference in how my skin looks. I've only been using it for about a week now, and the formula is supposed to be similar to ProActiv's. Fingers crossed it heals my skin because otherwise I don't know what else to try.

4. Yankee Candle Fall Harvest scent: A gift from my awesome SIL Em. Being the good New Englander I am, Fall is my favorite time of year. The food, the smells, the cool, crisp air; it's Heaven on Earth for a few gorgeous, far too fleeting months. This candle is all that wrapped up into one lovely smell. I close my eyes and think of apple cider, burning leaves, pumpkin patches, and caramel. HEAVEN!

5. Estee Lauder High Gloss in 03 Honey:

A sheer, pretty honey gold lipgloss, this product gives a beautiful wash of nude shine to my lips. It's perfect when paired with a rich burgundy eye. Very much in conjunction with my inspiration of Fall-colored makeup looks the past few weeks. This was also another gift from Emily.

6. Loew-Cornell 4650 Spotter brush:

Yeah, I use a paintbrush to apply my gel liner. What? Wanna fight bout it?

I have a background in art, and I'm always pretty retentive about applying gel liner; it has to be perfect! I love precise lines but frankly, the little liner brush that came with my E.L.F. gel liner just wasn't cutting it anymore. I read online about Loew-Cornell dupes for MAC brushes and decided to stop by an A.C. Moore and pick one up. I was not disappointed. This thing is amazing! Way cheaper than the $25 Bobbi Brown liner brush I almost bought.

7. Cover Girl Eye-Enhancers eye shadow in Mink:

This shadow is supposed to be a dupe for MAC's All That Glitters. I don't own ATG so I can't say for certain if it is. It looks like it, based on swatches I've done at the MAC store. It's a champagne-colored shadow with orange-gold undertones and lots of glitter. The formula isn't great, really. The pigmentation is just ok unless you do two swipes  of the brush to really build the color up. But once you pack enough color on, it's really a gorgeous, warm bronze color and it totally loves my green eyes (see the close up of my eye above).

What's important to note about Mink is that it's not a unique shade. I feel like every large scale eyeshadow palette has a similar color. Case in point:

(1st row, L to R): NARS Kalahari duo, MAC Honey Lust, CG Mink

(2nd row, L to R): L'Oreal Lavender Smokes quad, Stila Champagne

(L to R): Stila Champagne, MAC Honey Lust, CG Mink, L'Oreal Lavender Smokes quad, NARS Kalahari duo

Again, apologies for the long absence. I'll try not to let it happen again!

Want to share a product you're loving right now? I'm always on the lookout for something new, so let me know what you think I should check out next!

Putting three notches in my lipstick case

In general, I don't wear lipstick. Typically, I'd slick on some gloss and go about my business. However, my love for that delicately thin smear of shine is never enough to distract me from the things I also hate about lip gloss: the tacky feeling when the gloss wears off, the subtle flavor of plastic, and the hair that inevitably sticks, well, EVERYWHERE the second it comes into contact with the goopy stuff.

So in embracing my inner glamor girl, I slowly but surely began segueing into lipsticks. In my mind, I picture myself all Rita Hayworth-like: full, pouting red lips, with a cocky little smile that you just know is hiding lots of naughty secrets. The reality, however, is not so close to the dream.

There is a catch, though. Lipsticks can be risky. Far riskier than a lip gloss. With gloss, the small wash of color usually tells you what you're going to get, but with lipstick, all bets are off. What looks one way in the tube might be completely different from what ends up on your mouth.

 Left to right: L'Oreal's Gilded Pink, Revlon's Cherries In The Snow, Cover Girl's Baby's Got Lips

Case in point: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries In The Snow.

I wanted to try this color after reading rave reviews from www.makeupalley.com. Lollipop26 also had a great write up about it. So one quick drugstore trip, and voila! One tube of Cherries In The Snow to go, please.

In the tube, this is a lovely ruby red shade with fuschia undertones. One the mouth, this baby is bright pink. We're talking borderline neon. This is a mouth that will get you noticed, if that's exactly what you're going for. Mark my words, there is zero subtlety to this lipstick. I want to love this color, but frankly I'm not sure that I'm sold on it.

Pow! Right in the kisser!

The formula is lovely. It glides on smoothly, wears for quite a long time, and doesn't have that icky lipstick smell. It's just a bright-enough-to-give-me-a-headache color.

To be fair, though, I've also acquired some lipsticks that don't go all chameleon on me.

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Gilded Pink:

This is more my speed. This is what I refer to as, "my lips, but better." Gilded Pink is a beautiful nude-pink with a slight gold shimmer. I'd say this is a highlighter for your lips, and not a straight-up lipstick. It isn't going to make a drastic change, but it will certainly give what you already have a little boost.

Nothing great about the formula. It isn't super smooth, but it doesn't dry out easily, either. Terrible smell though, but truly, I think the smell is just the staple of any L'Oreal product.

The last lipstick up for review is Cover girl's Incredifull lipstick in Baby's Got Lips.

I wore this lipstick on my wedding day, and I loved it. It leant itself beautifully to photos and didn't require constant re-application. Baby's Got Lips is a gorgeous lavender-pink-chocolate hybrid with tons of glitz. The glitz can mean that the initial texture is grainy and at times dry, but the formula takes well to warm lips and smooths itself out quickly enough. Bear in mind, white teeth are essential to the wearing of this shade. It can highlight the yellow undertones of teeth, which as we all know is super attractive, amiright?

Unfortunately, Cover Girl no longer manufactures the Incredifull line, but determined beauty hounds can easily sniff out a tube on Ebay or Amazon.

I've already got my little green eyes on a few other colors, some neutral, some obnoxious, but all girlishly exciting.