Drug store foundation: Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse

I was at the drugstore and decided to try out this mousse foundation. It's something different and I'm always curious about the newest trends in makeup. The great thing about this foundation is that a little bit goes a long way. I thought because it was mousse you would need a lot of pumps to get enough. That's not the case though, less than one pump is completely sufficient for my whole face. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I like about this foundation. When I put it on, it tended to sit on top of the skin instead of blending in and smoothing out to look more natural. I had to really work at buffing it in to get rid of that "foundationy" look. I also noticed that it sunk into the large pores around my nose, which no one wants to draw attention to. I had to do a lot of smoothing to fix that problem. I also really don't like the smell of this foundation. It has a kind of chemically type smell that is just unappealing. This foundation also doesn't really give great coverage compared to other foundations that I have. I think it's a really fun concept, and I wanted to like it, but I was really disappointed overall. This foundation may work better on oily skin because it will blend better with those natural oils than it did on my dryer skin. I did notice my skin didn't really get too shiny when I was wearing it, even after several hours. I really love foundations that look completely natural. I just had to work too hard with this foundation to achieve that look. If anyone has had better luck with this foundation please let me know!
*I used the color Shell. It was a little light for me but it wasn't too far off!

Vote For Me!

Please go to this link the-blog/2012/04/24/real-looks-the-expert-face-brush-contest/ to vote for my picture!! If I win I will do a free giveaway!

***Voting is now open!

Samantha Chapman from Real Techniques makeup brushes invited her followers to create a look using her new Expert Face Brush and make a post about it! People are then able to vote on your photo and you can potentially win 2 sets of Real Techniques brushes! I could NOT pass this up! Real Techniques are my favorite brushes because they are 100% cruelty free, incredibly soft, and each brush can be used in so many different ways. The Expert Face brush is great because it is very versatile. It can be used with cream, liquid or powder foundations, blush, setting powder, highlighter, tinted moisturizer and pretty much anything else you can put on your face! I really like that the bristles are a bit stiff, so it is perfect for buffing product into your skin. This brush is also SO affordable at just $9.00 (MAC face brushes are usually above $30.00).

I decided to create a natural, every day look using my Expert Face brush. I used the brush to buff NARS sheer glow foundation into my skin. I then used the RT Base Shadow brush to apply a shimmery pink shade to the entire lid. I used the RT Deluxe Crease brush to apply a matte sable colored eyeshadow to the crease for definition. I then applied Covergirl LashExact brown liquid liner to the upper lash line and mascara. Finally I went back to my Expert Face brush to apply blush and highlighter!

10 Little Secrets Tag

On Youtube, a lot of the "beauty gurus" that I watch do these things called Tags. They are basically different sets of questions that bounce around from person to person and everyone answers in their own way to the same set of questions. I saw the "My 10 Little Secrets" tag on Fleurdeforce's Youtube channel and thought it may fun to answer the questions on this blog! I thought it may be something different to try! Anyways, here they are:


1. What is one product that makes you feel like a million dollars
              False eye lashes

2. What is your skin care secret/passed down tip
              This was mentioned in another blog post...rinsing my face with ice cold water after washing it, works wonders!

3. what is your hair care secret?
              Letting it air dry a lot of the time. This is mostly due to laziness but I think taking it easy on the blow drying and straightening does help maintain the health of your hair.

4. What is your diet rule?
             Not like anyone is looking to me for diet tips, but I will answer this one anyways. I have never been able to stick to a specific "diet." But what I do try to do is stay away from highly processed foods and stick to foods that are fresh (fruits, veggies) and/or organic. This is not something I stick to all the time by any means, but it is something I am conscious of when I decide what to eat. I also try and cut down on the "extras" like chips, big desserts and lots of snacking. I certainly indulge, like on a weekly basis ;-), but those are the reasonable and practical diet tips I try and live by.

5. Workout tips?
             Again, I am far from an expert in this arena. I did sports throughout my life and that always kept me in shape without having to do a lot of extra gym work. However, since stopping sports I have had to step it up in the gym. I tend to find a routine that works for me and stick to it for weeks and weeks. What I think happens is your body gets used to this and kind of plateaus. I think it is much more effective to switch up your workouts between fitness classes, typical gym workouts, running, hiking, yoga and whatever other physical activities you can do to. I think this probably keeps your body "guessing" and leads to better results. This is something I have yet to implement into my own fitness routine, but it is on the docket for summer!

6. What perfume is your secret weapon?
           I am not a huge perfume collector. I tend to find one perfume I like and use it to death then switch to a different one and repeat the pattern. However, my favorite perfume I have owned is probably Burberry Brit or Ralph Lauren Style.

7. An item of clothing that always turns heads
          Probably my shirt from Barking Crab in Boston that says "I've got crabs" on the front. This shirt has been relegated to bedtime for that reason, but I love it :-)

8. Most treasured peice of jewelry
          My Tiffany's infinity heart necklace or the first bracelet my boyfriend got me

9. Who is your style crush?
          Rachel Bilson is the only one that is coming to mind right now

10. Tell us something we don't know about you
          I played violin in the school orchestra until I graduated high school

Hope this was remotely interesting! Feel free to leave your responses in the comments section!

Drug Store Gems: Covergirl LineExact Liquid Liner

I am LOVING Covergirl LineExact Liquid Liner lately (whoa alliteration)! It is a very fine felt-tipped liquid liner that makes application super easy. I have found that this works just as well as a high-end liquid liner but for half the cost! This product retails for around $8.00 at the drugstore, but I see sales almost every time I go so you can probably get it for less! Regardless, it is still cheaper than the high-end brands which go for $20.00 and up. I bought this product in the Black Brown shade which is a nice alternative to black liner. I like to wear this with bronze eye shadow for more definition. This product will last all day even with oily eyelids! I think liquid liner is flattering on just about everyone so if you have yet to try it I highly recommend going out and picking up one of these Covergirl liners! Enjoy!

Opalescent Nails with Sparkly Tip!

Loving this fun nail polish combination! I used Essie's Pearly White on the entire nail and Essie's Set In Stones on the tip. I then went over it with a clear top coat!
(Try to ignore my awful cuticles ;-) )

New MAC Eyeshadow $-saving technique!

My sister and I were looking around MAC over Easter weekend and were introduced to the new collection of shadows (Extra Dimension). The website claims that these shadows : Are a liquid-powder Eye Shadow with prismatic reflections in ten shimmering tints. Impact ranges from sheer crystallized light to a highly polished metallic effect. Lasts up to 6 hours.

 We were very intrigued by these eyeshadows and they were absolutely gorgeous when swatched. However, they were larger than the typical MAC shadow and $20.00 for one! We decided that there is no way we could use up the entire large eyeshadow, and $20.00 is super costly for one color. So, we chose to take a gamble and buy 2 shadows and try to split them in half! The desired end result was both of us having 1/2 of each eyeshadow. This way, we could get 2 colors for the price of 1! After thinking about the best possible way to split these shadows, my sister chose to use a needle. She started by carving a line with the needle down the center of the shadow. She then carved around the outside of the shadow and gently underneath it. After just a minute or two the 1/2  of the shadow came out seamlessly! We then transported each half so that we both had 2 colors in one pan! Although MAC probably would not approve of this method, it worked surprisingly well and allowed us to get the benefit of both colors without paying the $40.00! Hope you guys enjoyed this tip and definitely go check out the new line of shadows!

Make your lips look bigger!

A few simple steps to plump the look of your lips!

-Mute the color of your lips with a light coat of foundation
-Apply a nude lip stick (I used Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee)
-Line right above the upper lip with an off-white pencil
-Blend the white line
-Apply a highlighter to your cupids bow
-Apply a plumping nude/light pink lip gloss (I used Buxom lip gloss in Samantha)

Before

After

Garnier BB Cream review!

BB (beauty balm) creams  have been increasing in popularity and showing up in more and more brands this past year. They originated in Asia and have been picking up momentum in the US. BB creams claim to improve your complexion and increase the brightness and luminosity of your skin. They have been largely limited to the higher end brands (Smashbox, Clinique) until Garnier debuted theirs just a few months ago! So far, I am really loving this product. It is right in between a foundation and a tinted moisturizer in terms of coverage. I was actually surprised at how much coverage this product gave! It really does help to even out your skin tone and lightly conceal blemishes while still maintaining an extremely natural look. Garnier claims this cream will give you an "airbrushed look."
 I definitely wouldn't go that far...but it is also very hydrating so this product is great for people with dry/combination skin. It's also perfect for people who are not fans of wearing foundation but want a little something to achieve a more even skin tone. This product leaves a very nice luminescent glow after application and doesn't sink into fine lines or show up heavily on the skin. I like it because it gives more coverage than a tinted moisturizer but it doesn't have the "made up" look of a foundation. I think this BB cream will be a great option for summer because it has the protective properties of SPF 15 and has the lightness that we want during the hot weather. Yet another perk is the shade-choosing process. It comes in 2 shades, light/medium and medium/deep. So all you have to do is choose your general shade and the product will blend into your skin. You shouldn't have to worry about it not matching your skin and looking unnatural. It almost goes without saying but one of the BEST features of this product is the price!! Smashbox's BB cream retails for $39.00 and Clinique sells theirs for $37! I picked up my Garnier BB cream on sale for $10.00 from CVS. Needless to say, I am super happy with this purchase thus far! Hope this was helpful!