Get to know me, and you.

 

This is brilliant, espeically for a new blogger.  It's a get-to-know-you (and your readers) Q&A from brilliant and hilarious makeup and beauty blogger Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog.  Here goes, leave your answers in the comments or on your own blog!  And have fun.

1. One makeup or beauty product that you can't stop hoarding.  La mer.  I have TEN products of theirs that I use EVERY DAY.  Also, on the other end of the expenditure spectrum, I've been hoarding samples of Living Proof's Prime styling lotion and Fresh's SUGAR Lip Treatment every time those come up as 100 point perks on Sephora.com. 
2. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
   Water.  On my way out the door.  This is as a result of lack of time and dehydration, not calorie counting.  I eventually concocted a make-it-yourself mocha using the starbucks machine at my office.  This is a typical routine for me on weekdays. 
3. I’m happiest when ______.  I don't have work hanging over my head.  Pretty much everything is more fun when I can just put it away and stop thinking about it for a while.  My favorite things to do are playing with my kids - pretty much everything is fun when we're hanging out, and of course, shopping. 
4. Don’t be afraid of ______.
   Trying something new.  Don't be a slave to routine, I used to be because I thought it gave me control over the future, but then I realized how mundane and ridiculous that is. 
5. What’s one of your mantras?
   You get what you pay for.  This is true in more facets of life than I ever imagined.  It doesn't mean you have to be a big spender or very wealthy, it just means that you should balance the qualities you are looking for with the amount you are willing to spend and be very critical about making sure your purchases are worth what you're paying.  Indulge in areas that make you happy, be cheap in areas that you don't care much about.  For example, I have 6 Louis Vuitton pieces, a Tag watch, and buy only high-end makeup but I never eat out unless my work is paying for it.  And (confession) I don't love to travel.  So it all works out.  
6. Something that inspires you?
   People who are excited about their jobs.  I'm really happy for people who love their jobs, it's certainly not the majority of us.  It gives me hope that it's possible for the rest of us. 
7. What’s your secret passion?
   This is it.  I'd go to cosmetology school and do a career change right now if I had the resources. 
8. You’d be surprised if you saw my _______.
   Wardrobe and makeup collection in high school.  I was totally out of touch fashion-wise, even for the time.  WAAAY off.  And the weirdest thing was that I just didn't care.  I didn't think about it.  I didn't really become a student of the game until I had money to spend - in other words when I was finally finished with school and got a job.  So you don't have to be born with it apparently.  My little girl though, she's obsessed right out of the womb.  Shoes especially.  It's amazing, she's one and a half.  When I get home from work she toddles over and demands that I take off whatever pumps I'm wearing so she can put them on.  Then she finds some sunglasses and wa-la, instant stylist.    
9. One thing you love about your job?
   ....the paycheck.  I think that's about it.  Also my office is nice, I have door that closes and an outside window. 
10. Something you have to do this week?
    Clean out the garage.  Seriously, it's time. Also, I always have returns that I have to do.  I have a reputation among my friends for being a big returner of things.  I spend a lot of money on things (and make a lot of online purchases) and if it's not just right it goes back.  This goes to my point in #4.  I am very, very loyal to companies with good return and customer service policies.  That goes a long way with me.  On my return schedule for this week is the Shiseido perfect foundation brush and a pair of 7 for mankind boysenberry jeans (I ordered two sizes). 

Foundation brush challenge day 2: Bobbi Brown pulls ahead on a technicality

I purchased the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush yesterday.  It is a work of art.  It has the silky-yet-firm quality you want in a foundation brush and I like how compact it is, though this is a problem for some reviewers.  Despite it's high marks the one flaw reviewers have pointed out might be prohibitive for me since I'm using it with liquid foundation.  I unboxed it last night and gave it an initial rince with the Clinique brush cleaner and stuck it upright in a brush cup overnight and by morning...still wet.  And not just a little damp, really wet.  The density of the design makes it such that this brush may never dry if you're cleaning it every day.  Which, for liquid foundation, is kind of a must.  This is a dealbreaker for me.  I am liking the foundation brush concept so far, even with the daily cleaning.  I've adopted a technique that leaves even less waste and less product to clean out of the brush (this isn't groundbreaking - dispense the foundation on the back of your hand and dip the brush into the product).  But the brush needs to dry between uses to guard against bacteria buildup and keep the foundation application consistent.  So either this is getting returned or I will have to switch it out with another brush every other day.  Given my lack of tolerance for clutter I am fairly fixed on returning it. 

Coming soon: after my week long brush challenge I will use one day to test the amount of pumps of product I have been using with a brush against the amount I would have to use with a sponge to answer forever the question of the net waste using a sponge produces vs a brush.  This will be very scientific and exciting so stay-tuned. 

Monday Manicure Breakdown

Sunday nights are typically reserved for doing my nails in front of the tv. I have to do this after the kiddos are in bed, otherwise they beg me to do their nails too. Sometimes I will but I don't scour my polish labels to make sure the ingredients are kid friendly so I try to avoid letting them in on this particular form of pampering.  Anyway, last night's cocktail was: no basecoat. I know. But I'm in between base products right now. I have Guerlain's la base protectrice in the mail so will hopefully be reviewing that next Monday.  For today I have on two coats of illmasqua in Cameo and a top coat of dior's gel topcoat. The cameo is one of those shades that stopped me in my tracks as I was heading for the checkout counter because of its perfection. I have other illmasqua shades and while they aren't super pigmented or thick, they get high marks in the brightness, originality, and staying power categories. The Dior gel makes it worth it to do home manicures in the first place. It's the only thing I've used that can keep my paint chip free for longer than 24 hours besides shellac. It dries relatively fast for a gel topcoat and delivers the expected high shine.

Week long foundation brush challenge: Day 1

Holy streakshow.  I might break down and buy a higher quality brush before the week ends.  There is no reason for streaks with a quality foundation.  I had to use some serious technique to get rid of the lines.  Also I noticed the brush applies the product very shallowly, for lack of a better word.  by that I mean the product doesn't get deposited in hard to reach places like crevaces, lines and pores.  That might seem like a good thing but it actually served to highlight lines and pores since those areas didn't get makeup on them while the surrounding areas did.  Stippling helped that.  Just something to be aware of.  Otherwise the brush makes for a cleaner and more even application than fingers, but so far the sponge still wins on effectiveness, too bad about the waste.  Speaking of waste, when I went to clean the brush there was a lot of product remaining which made me wonder if brushes are really all that superior on this front...if anyone knows of an analysis of brush vs sponge vs finger product waste, please post it in the comments.  The product left in the brush also made for a long cleaning session.  I use Clinique's brush cleaner which is amazing and affordable ($15 for 8oz.) and deserves the rave reviews it gets, but even then I had to do the process twice.  It made for a long morning. 

Sponge vs Brush

I picked up my full size Guerlain Parure de Lumier today, much to my relief, right above the SPF 25 were the words "broad spectrum," which hadn't appeared until now.  They've changed the packaging since taking their marketing shots.  Even the Nordstrom and Guerlain reps I asked over the last week didn't know if the formula was broad spectrum.  Turns out it is.  Or professes to be.

In any case, unboxing the new foundation inspired me to try a week-long foundation brush challenge.  I've always used makeup sponges to apply foundation (fingers for tinted moistruizer) and I love the effect and the low maintenance of sponges for foundation.  Stippling is easy, finish is great, building is easy, and you just throw 'em out after a few days.  I haven't given in to the beauty blender craze just because I hate maintenance (and the idea of spending $20 on a disposeable makeup sponge).  So I've stuck with the white triangulars sponges you can get at your local drusgstore.  But having just spent $70 on a foundation it's hard for me to overlook one of the biggest problems with sponges which is waste of product.  The other biggest problem is bacteria spread and acne promotion but in order for this not to apply to brushes too the brush has to be cleaned basically daily.  So my plan is to switch to a foundation brush for a week with the intent of washing it daily to see if I like the application, if I can stick with the cleaning routine given my limited time in the morning, and whether it improves my skin to have less bacteria introduced then would be the case with a sponge or finger application.  

The only foundation brush I have is from Target.  Seriously.  That's how long its been since I entertained the idea of a foundation brush.  I was a student shopping for makeup implements at Target.  So that's the brush i'm going to use for the challenge. 

If I stick with it, I've already picked out the better quality brushes I plan to choose between.  The Shiseido 'Perfect' Foundation Brush ($30), and the Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush ($38).

The Shiseido has a unique shape and is best used only after watching a YouTube tutorial.  It won' InStyle's best foundation brush award for 2013.  The Bobbi Brown is as tried-and-true as the rest of the brush line.  These brushes both have stellar reviews.  Let me know your vote in the comments! 

Foundation round-up

First, in the way of background (and in the way of a confession), I haven't actually been using foundation lately.  I've been riding the wave of the less-is-more trend and converted from high-coverage fluid foundation to tinted moisturizers about a year ago.  The switch inspired me to take better care of my skin and just looks more natural overall.  I have very light skin with red undertones which has proven hard to match so my primary problem with most foundations I've used is just that I can see them.  Here are my thoughts on what I've been through in the last couple years.

 

Dior Forever Flawless Perfection Wear ($47) - I love Dior products.  Especially their Hydra-Life moisturizer line and their nail polish.  But this formula is not forever, it's not even less transferrable than other high-end foundations I've tried, and the lightest color is not light enough for me.  It's actually a little orangey.  It is high coverage though and high quality so if you can find a color match this might be for you.  No SPF by the way. 

NARS's Sheer Glow foundation comes in in TONS of colors.  you'd think that would have solved my matching problem but NARS on the whole is a little too yellow for me, I've found, particularly in the lighter skin colors and highlighters.  I tried Siberia and discovered that for the first time in my life I had found a makeup line whose lightest color was (gasp!) too light for me.  Impossible.  But it was true, I looked like a mime.  So I tried Mont Blanc and that was better.  I should mention that I have no time or patience for mixing, I don't think that will ever happen. The foundation does give a sheer glow and stays put well.  One thing I really love about it is that it's super buildable.  Again no SPF.

I've had an amazing experience with Smashbox's high-def consealer, it's one of my 'don't leave home without' products (I actually have three on hand - one at home for morning spot treatment, one in my makeup bag, and one at work).  This is one of the few products I'm using right now that is a repurchase.  Since the concealer has worked for me, I tried Smashbox Studio Skin 15-hour wear hydrating oil-free foundation ($42).*  This is a great foundation for its price.  Great coverage, buildable, and looks really natural once it sets.  The lightest color is just a smidge darker than I'd like but I've worn this for months at a time without letting that stop me.  The coverage on this is so great in fact that when I'm using a lighter tint all over I sometimes use this as a spot-treatment consealer on trouble areas.  The only reason I gravitated away from this is because I was looking for something with lighter coverage.  I still pull it out for nights out and photo shoots. 

Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer ($43) is constantly hailed as the best-selling, best of the best, holy grail type of tintend moisturizer.  It's ok, but I didn't like it as much as the others I've tried.  The coverage is good, it has a broad spectrum SPF of 20, but it's not illuminating (they do have an illuminating version that I haven't tried), and - here's the dealbreaker for me - it does concentrate in pores as you're applying it so you get those tiny light dots that I don't get with Chanticaille's Just Skin or the NARS tinted moisturizer. 

Chanticaille's Just Skin ($66) has proven to be amazing for me.  This is my top choice tinted moisturizer.  You get what you pay for, right?  It looks so natural, no collectin in pores, it has great illuminating properties (NOT sparkly) and while the color choices are not many, color choice is a little less important with a sheer tinted moisturizer like this.  Alabaster (lightest shade of course) was a great match for me.  The only thing I'd change is the SPF, it's only 15 and it isn't labeled broad spectrum which is usually a hint that it's not. 

Seeking a higher SPF and a lower price tag I turned to NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturizer with broad spectrum SPF 30 ($42).  It comes in lots of shades which is nice because this is a high-coverage tinted moisturizer.  It has better coverage than some foundations.  True to its name, it does leave a radiance and that dewy glow that I love.  Again with the yellow tint though.   









 


So here I was, blissfully ignorant to the fact that there are quality and matchable foundations out there.  Here's the thing I've noticed after my year of tinted moisturizer.  While it works for the dewy sheer look, it also can look a little too dewy after half a day and just melt right off your skin (this of course could be helped by setting powder but I personally can't stand all-over face powders - they make me look so old).  If you're like me and do a lot of moisturizing, you don't need tinted moisturizer for the moisture.  There is such a thing as too much moisture.  And it turns out tinted moisturizers are not the only way to a sheer luminous finish.

There is a better way.  And that way is Guerlain!  Yesterday, a trip to Neiman's beauty department to pick up something else altogether (isn't that always the case) introduced me to the holy grail of light-coverage foundations. After years of trying to find a natural, sheer, luminous product, I think I may have found it in Guerlain  Parure de Lumier Light Diffusing Foundation ($59). 

The coverage is light, the color is amazingly natural - Guerlain seems to have really gotten that 'skin shade' that everyone else has trouble with.  The finish is luminous as advertized and it stays put and looks less oily than a tinted moisturizer.  The downsides are that it is not particularly buildable.  This is a true base layer.  Also the SPF 25 is not broad spectrum.  It has some UVA protection but not as much as the UVB SPF 25.  Also it's scented, as I think most Guerlain makeup products are.  It's a beautiful scent and doesn't linger (it won't compete with your perfume) but that might throw some people off.  Since I was looking for a true light base layer the lack of buildabilty doesn't bother me and I have resigned myself to using a broad spectrum SPF lotion on top of my moisturizer so any added SPF from the makeup is a bonus.  For me, it's the obvious choice. 

So how about you all?  What are your go-to base layers? 

*As an aside, I'm not particularly plussed about whether a foundation has oil or not. Oil used to be a bad word in the skincare world and now it's the fountain of youth. I am more concerned about how it works - does it look good, does it stay put, does it irritate my skin. The fact that it does or doesn't have oil in it usually doesn't tell me much about how it works and is not an automatic breakout sentence.

Product Review: Me Smooth

I. Hate. Body. Hair.  Hate it.  Hate it on me.  Hate it on him (a little is ok, but seriously, not a requirement and I'm not offended by males who shave or trim body parts other than their faces).  I shave everything every other day without exception even in the winter except on the weekends when maybe I let it go two days.  All this ridiculousness is costing me precious morning minutes.  It's hard enough to get out the door as I have 100% of the childcare duties in the morning - I would love to get back the hour or so per week that I spend shaving.  Especially because minutes in the morning seem to be worth more than minutes at any other time of day for some reason.  I had considered professional laser hair removal before but the expense and formality of it scared me off.  After all, I don't have a hair problem.  I have light, wispy hair (darker on my legs), no facial hair problems, I don't even wax my eyebrows because tweezers once a week is more than enough.  But I am human and I do have hair.  And I want to be smooth at all times.  So when I saw the Me Smooth on Sephora and it's stellar ratings, I considered the benefits of an at-home treatment.  My initial thoughts - probably if you stick to it it will save you money over professional treatments.  Will it be permanent?  Judging from the manufacturer's inserts, probably not, but it will probably save you a lot shaving time.  Particularly if you're a "good candidate" - light skin with dark hair, from my cursory research, although the Me Smooth supposedly works on all skin types.  I won't be able to test that claim.  I'm as white as it gets.  It's also nice to be able to do something as private as hair removal in the privacy of your own home.  Not to mention the convenience of not having to make appointments and drive somewhere.  The system isn't cheap - I paid $399 plus tax and every cartridge refill is $50.  But I hey, I have a job and if this thing means I only have to shave once a month or less, It'll be more than worth it.  I went for it.

Like I said, the reviews on Sephora.com were good, but I noticed that a lot of them were written as soon as the purchaser took the thing out of the box.  The reviews were basically reviews of the purchaser's excitement rather than of how well the system works.  People liked the large window of the "laser zapper" wand and they didn't like the placement of the power button because it's easy to accidentally turn off mid-treatment (this turns out to be really annoying but not a deal breaker).  They also like that it says that it works on all skin types (but does it really?).  And it's painless and easy (but does it work?).  One or two people said it really did what it said and was worth the money.  So to settle all my questions I'm going to do my own review, I'll set out the first few and last few treatments in excruciating detail for those who are interested.  If you just want the bottom line, you can skip to the last paragraph.    

First treatment 7/8.

I assembled the wand and followed the instructions to power up the machine, which are ridiculously easy.  If you somehow lost the instructions you'd probably be fine.  I did a test on low as the instructions recommend.  No irritation. So I went forth and did a medium treatment.  I guided the wand up and down my legs, bikini area, and under arms slowly and methodically, making sure to get every inch.  I tried to go in a continuous motion as instructed but i was being so meticulous that I felt compelled to stop and let the flash happen before moving again.  The instructions aren't totally clear on this point anyway.  They say move the wand as you would a razor, you don't need to stamp...but should you pause?  I typically do.  The wand basically flashes and clicks simultaneously every second or so as you move across your skin.  The flashes are seriously bright.  The brightness is probably my number one complaint about the machine.  I wore sunglasses and tried to look away the whole time and I still got blinded quite a few times.  I'm not sure why it wouldn't be feasible to provide shields so the user doesn't get flashed in the face 2,000 times per treatment (disclaimer: I'm not actually sure what the average flashes per treatment are, I was too involved in the RH of OC to count, I'm sure there is a statistic out there on the interwebs).   Aside from my own annoyance at the flashes I was sure I was going to get a knock on my door from the neighbors wondering if there was some silent alarm going off inside my house, or a police car parked out front.  I was sitting next to a sliding glass door and I'm pretty sure you could see these flashes from space. 

The other complaint I have is how long the treatments take.  As advertized, it takes "just minutes!" to remove all your hair. Forever.  Or at least that's the implication.  In reality, it took forever to slide that thing all over my parts and then, re-reading the instructions, I realized I had to do the same thing 3-4 times!!  In one sitting?  This could take hours.  And it pretty much did.  About two hours.  This will definitely not save time over shaving in the short run.  And then you have to do that 7 weeks in a row.  And once a month after that.  So if you're contemplating this purchase, be sure you have the stamina to stick with it long term.  The price tag was sufficient motivation for me to use it. 

Second treatment 7/15. 

As an initial matter, my hair kept growing during the first week.  Part of me thinks it's thinner but that might be all in my head.  It's only been one treatment after all.  The idea is that different hair follicles grow on different cycles and so if you do a weekly zap session for several weeks, you're bound to get all of them at the right stage.  But just doing it once will make very very little difference. 

I started the treatment on my legs on medium this time.  Since it didn't hurt I tried it on high and it was fine for my legs but got a little "zappy" as I neared the inside of my knee and the bikini line.  But still tolerable.  I'm one of those people that wonders if things work when they're not hard/painful enough. As I was playing around with the low/med/high settings this time I noticed that the flashes came very fast on the low setting and gradually got slower (and more intense) as I changed to the high setting.  As I was bound and determined to keep the setting on high, the slower flashes made for a very, very long treatment.  It lasted over an hour to do my legs three times.  and that was just my legs.  It was getting to be so long that I decided from now on to stagger my legs treatments and my bikini/underarms treatments.  I would have been there all night if I had tried to do everything.  And probably would have burned out the mechanism.  It was really hot by the end of the session. 

Mid August

I have dutifully done Monday leg treatments and Wednesday underarm/bikini treatments for the full seven weeks.  I don't have to shave my legs between treatments.  My underarms are getting to that point and don't have that in-between stubble that seems to grow out 24 hrs after shaving.  That means shaving once a week with much smoother skin in previously hair prone areas.  It's pretty miraculous.  I am very smooth.  I am going to give it about two more weekly treatments and then do a review one month after that (apparently, after about 7-10 weekly treatments you can move to the more leisurely once-a-month frequency).  So mid-October (where is my life going?!).   Bottom line so far is that this thing delivers on smoothness and reducing shaving sessions.  Whether it has long-term effects as remarkable remains to be seen but I am hopefull.  On the price factor, it costs a lot.  Not just the $400 or so for the machine (i think you can get it cheaper on @maz0n, but also the $50 per cartridge.  I am going through about 1.5 cartridges per treatment.  I am very meticulous though, I'm not saying this is a necessary consumption but I want this thing to work, darnit.  Others might get great results with less time and fewer cartridges.  Stay tuned.