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LORAC 3 Reviews in 1: Natural Performance Foundation, Wet/Dry Powder Makeup & Double Feature Concealer

I went all crazy on LORAC makeup a few months ago and picked up some of her foundations/concealer because several of Carol Shaw's (makeup artist and CEO of LORAC- Carol spelled backwards - get it) products are paraben-free and non-irritating to sensitive skin like mine. I usually like to wear powder foundation because it's easy to apply without the liquid foundation hassle so I got the Wet/Dry powder foundation. I also decided to try the liquid Natural Performance Foundation since liquids do give a more skin-like appearance and my face has been dry lately. FYI: Dry skin + powder foundation = Hot mess.

I got the Natural Performance Foundation in NP2 (light)

The Double Feature Concealer in DF1

And the Wet/Dry Powder Foundation in WD2

Here are the swatches including a shot of my dope wrist tattoo for your viewing pleasure

As you can see, the foundation and concealer are very yellow. I thought this would be a good thing since my face is usually slightly red (yellow tends to even out a ruddy complexion and yellow is also good at canceling out under-eye circles, if you have any yellow undertones...more about this later) I have a pretty neutral skintone but more yellow-based foundations look better on me because they even out my redness.

Natural Performance Foundation: I like this stuff. It has no smell, it goes on evenly, it covers great without heaviness, covers flaws including undereye circles (mine SUCK), and most of all, it does not irritate. It is also filled with antioxidants that are good for your skin. This is a great everyday foundation. It comes in a pump dispenser that pumps just the right amount per application. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is too yellow. I have read several makeup reviews that say LORAC foundations are too yellow, so unless you have very warm undertones, go with another line. There is not a huge color variety in this foundation collection. Therefore, I must apply it thinner than usual or it makes me look like I have a slight case of jaundice. It would be a super awesome foundation if there were more skin-tone friendly variety

Grade: C

Double Feature Concealer: The roll up stick part of this concealer just plain sucks. The formula cakes and slides and the color is off. There is a rollerball in the cap that you are supposed to use to blend with, but it's just...wrong. However, The highlighter is excellent!! It has a lipgloss-like applicator that you dab on and it blends really well. It gives you a slight "wet" look that I like beacuse it looks more natural, instead of a glittery/shimmery look. I love this highlighter!

Concealer Grade: F

Highlighter Grade: A

This is the schizo of concealer/highlighter duos

Wet/Dry Powder Foundation: I really wanted to like this powder foundation, but I don't. It seems more like a regular powder than a powder/foundation. It has very sheer coverage and makes my skin look blaaah. Will I ever find a comparable match to Chanel Double Perfection powder foundation that isn't $50?? My heart breaks.

Grade: C

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New Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipcolor SPF 18 Review

Sunset Beach

Ulta.com color swatches here

about $6

I got a coup in All You Mag for $3 off this lippy which made me giddy as a schoolgirl cuz I wanted to try it anyway. I love Rimmel glosses, so I could only assume, by my powers of makeup deduction, that I would love their lipsticks also.

I got to Ulta to find a nice display of about 24 colors...sweeeet. I love having options. After covertly opening tubes of color I fancied and then swiping them on the top of my hand (you know you do it too), I settled on the color Sunset Beach, partly because I want to actually be on a beach and partly because this color would go so great with my Rimmel bronzer. I think an Ulta lady saw me messing with her products and huffed, "Can I help you find something??!!??" I wanted to say, "No Ho. I'm good thanks. My hands are clean. Get over it." but I just turned bright red and said "I'm good, Thanks!" I'm pretty badass in my head. Moving forward, Rimmel bronzer is the shizz. Get some, it's cheap and the colors are tantastic.

So I like the lipstick okay, it is moisturizing, the color is semi-sheer and it stays put longer than gloss. I really like the SPF 18. SPF is good. It comes in a great range of shades and they have several neutrals to choose from. It's just not any better than any other drugstore lipstick. The only thing I don't like about this lipstick is the cheap lipstick smell. Why do all cheap lipsticks smell the same? Put some fruit oil in your lipsticks or something for Christmas sake!

 If I rated this lippy on a scale of Wet n Wild to Chanel it would be a L'oreal. So it ranks slightly above it's cheapness. Will I buy more? Probably not. I can't deal with the smell for long periods of time.

Besties: Why I Love Bare Escentuals Eye Shadows, and the one reason why I hate them.

Bare Escentuals eye shadows $13 are THE BESTEST, hands down! Why? because they are pure pigment with no fillers (like the extra ingredients used to get pigments to squash together to form a pan). They are yucky-ingredient-free and can be easily layered, mixed, used as lipstick, liner, even blush - just add clear gloss, water or liquid sealer. You can even blend eye shadow primer potion with them to give the color more oomph. They go on so nicely and never, ever crease! These are the only eyeshadows I have used that do not crease. All other shadows say they don't crease, but these ones really don't. Bare Escentuals eyeshadows really don't crease. Am I being redundant yet?
I know MAC and Make Up For Ever has pigments but they give you too much product and therefore, jack up the price ($19.50, $19 respectively), BE has more "real " colors that are useable for everyday as opposed to the bright-orange-crazy-colors and glittery-drag-queen-colors that MAC/MUFE has. Bare Escentuals eyeshadows are just a perfect amount in a little pot. I have had my shadows for YEARS and they are still good as new. A little goes a long way ya'll.

The one thing I hate: The messiness. They get all over the place. You must be diligent with application or your bathroom and your face will be a hot mess. I guess that's the tradeoff.

Tip: Put a cotton round, kleenex, post it note, or your homework under your eye while applying to prevent fallout onto your gorgeous face.

What are my fave colors you ask?

From Left to Right - Queen Phyllis, Wild Woman Melissa, Drama, Downtown, Nude Beach, Snow, True Gold, and Soul. All Gorgeous nude & brown colors that look good on everyone.

Irony of the day: I made a huge mess while making these swatches.


Best Other Eyeshadows that are not loose pigments: Chanel, Urban Decay & NYX (Cheap!)


What are your fave eyeshadows and why? What do you think of Bare Escentuals eyeshadows?
What is your fave color eyeshadow?

Wet n Wild New Mega Chrome Eyeliner Review

Does anyone else think Wet n Wild sound like a porno title? Maybe I'm a perv, but I bet it really is.

Anyhoo, this pencil is literally the crappiest eyeliner I have ever used. It skips, it's too soft and the color does not apply evenly. It's horrible. Stay away!!

Why am I buying cheap, crappy purple eyeliner? Well, I so wanted to do the metallic purple eyeliner look as seen in Allure on Amber Valletta last month, but I just can't bear to spend over $5 for a metallic purple eyeliner that I won't get a lot of use out of. In this case, you get what you pay for. All the good eyeliners (Urban Decay 24/7 and MAC) are just not happening for my penny pinching ass right now.

Lauren Luke's Metallic Purple Eyeliner How-To. She never says what eyeliner she uses. That hobag!

 (For those of you that don't get my sarcastic humor, I'm just kidding - I love her)

Here is Amber from the March 2010 Allure. I love this look!

Does anyone have any suggestions for my cheap metallic purple eyeliner?

Best Lip Plumping Glosses

What? These are my friends. You are so mean!

There are two different types of lip plumpers, ones that irritate your pout enough to cause swelling like DuWop Lip Venom  $16 (the first lip plumper, Lip Venom, is a blend of essential oils, including cinnamon, wintergreen, and ginger, that cause the blood to rush to the surface of the lips) and those that include "collagen microspheres" and hyaluronic acid like in LipFusion that attract moisture to the lips and therefore fattening them. Some glosses have a mixture of the two which is less irritating than the full-on Lip Venom. I hate Lip Venom because it is so intensely irritating to me. It feels like my lips are badly sunburned. Cheaper glosses (drugstore) typically contain the irritating ingredients since they are cheaper to manufacture.

Plumpers are for everyone. I have been blessed with naturally big lips but I still love the lip plumpers because they seem to fill in the fine lines around around the lipline and give a more youthful plump to the lips that isn't outrageous. I have been a huge fan of LipFusion lipglosses, the first ever lip gloss that actually did plump lips without irritating them to all hell. The only complaint I have about these glosses is, of course, the price tag. $38 is completely ridiculous. ARRRRRGGGGHHH. Robbery of the vain!

I've tried many many many lip plumpers and here are the best I've found so far...

LipFusion Micro-Injected Color Shine $38
Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips $18
MAC Plushglass $18


Each of these glosses plumps effectively without irritation and lasts a decent amount of time before you must reapply for the plumping effects.

LipFusion Micro-Injected Color Shine: The first non-irritating plumping gloss. Classic. Expensive. Comes in a wide range of colors. I like Bare and Bloom. These are both extremely natural and real colors that give you that healthy, natural look. Bare for pale-medium skin. Bloom for medium-dark skin. This gloss seems to be the gloss that doesn't last the longest but it has the best texture (non-sticky). It has a faint sweet citrus-y smell.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips: If I had to pick a favorite this one would be it. LipFusion would win hands-down if it had the same price tag as this one ($18) but it doesn't, so it is not my favorite. It has a slightly sticky texture and smells good. This one lasts a long time as far as gloss goes. The plumping effects last the longest with this one. I like the color Amber. It is a sheer peachy gold that looks good on everyone. Smells like caramel.

MAC Plushglass:  This is the gloss that lasts the longest. The plumping effects last a good while too but not as long as Buxom Lips. It is the most "irritating" of the glosses, but it is very tolerable. Smells like caramel and cinnamon. My favorite colors are Ample Pink (bare pink without shimmer) and Power Supply (healthy pink with gold shimmer). I wore this color for the first time and my BF said..."Whoa, You look pretty!" Score.



What are your favorite lip plumpers??

Rimmel MAX Volume Flash Mascara

From Rimmel: Take your eyes to the max with the supersized, perfect-fit brush that works in perfect synergy with the exclusive quick setting Lash Expand formula. The cushion-like collagen effectively binds to each individual lash, while the keratin works to smooth the surface of the lashes, leaving them stronger, sleeker and shinier. Capture that edgy London look than with big, bold attention-grabbing lashes.

Ok. The only thing I really love about this mascara is the hot pink packaging. This makes it easy to find amongst the ridiculous amounts of makeup in my bathroom drawers...and I like hot pink. I am a girly-girl. 

The mascara is pretty good. It is more of the type of mascara that lengthens and separates nicely, but if you want that dramatic volume you'll have to add a couple of coats. For me this is time consuming, and I want a mascara that does it all and fast like DiorShow or Cover Girl Lashblast (although these mascaras have a tendency to clump if you are not careful). I am searching for a mascara comparable to Dior Show or Cover Girl Lashblast that isn't ridiculously expensive (Dior is $24) that does not test on animals (Cover Girl does). I am having a hard time with that. Some girl at the nail salon told me that Maybelline Lash Stiletto was good too, but Maybelline tests on animals so I refuse to buy.

Some mascara's I've tried so far that are pretty good are Revlon Fabulash and MAC ZoomLash, but I am hoping to find something better.

PROS

Cheap, no clumps, very black, separating and lenghtening, hot pink tube, good brush, non-irritating

CONS

need several coats for volume, average mascara in comparison to everything else out there

Still searching for the cheap holy grail of mascaras.

Favorite New Body Wash - ShiKai Moisturizing Shower Gel

Whole Foods was having a BOGO sale on these body washes the other day so I picked these two up - Coconut and Cucumber Melon - after test-smelling the entire line, of course. When I tried them out on my big giant white bath poof I was not expecting to be so impressed with these, but they are great! They foam up fantastically unlike some other brands I've tried and they smell delish. They are also free of all yucky ingredients. Very eco-chic

Price $8.99 each (unless you get a BOGO deal like I did)

From the Website:

These shower gels moisturize as they clean so your skin feels soft and smooth all day. (mmmm.ok) The exclusive formulas combine natural colloidal oatmeal, rich emollients and gentle cleansers. (sure) The oatmeal binds moisture to the skin soothing it and leaving it itch-free. (I did not experience any itching, so ok) Use as a body wash in a shower or even a shaving gel. (yes I will, thank you)

Rich in aloe vera & colloidal oatmeal.
Gentle, soap-free formulas.
Safe for baby's and children's tender skin.
Leaves skin noticeably softer & healthier .

Available in 8 luscious natural fragrances...Coconut, Cucumber Melon, Pomegranate, Honeysuckle, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Gardenia, and Yuzu ( I dunno)

Pick them up at Whole Foods or on ShiKai's website.

Chanel Noir et Or Paris-Shanghai Nail Polish Collection 2010 & Knockoffs

I saw this combo on the All Laquered Up Blog and could have DIED!

Chanel Black Velvet + Illusion D'Or  =  Sexy Disco Vampire

 I wasn't about to spend $50 ($25 each..WTF?) for nailpolish so I headed for Ulta to see if I could find a comparable knockoff. I trolled the nail aisle and the OPI and Essie sections and couldn't find a damn thing until I happened to eye a new little makeup display called LA Splash. Hmmm, funky, okay let's see...and Voila! I find 2 nalpolish colors called Black Sea and Treasure Splash

 

 Black Sea             Treasure Splash

Word. I'll see what I can do with these. Ring me up Ulta lady!

So I head to the nail salon and ask them to paint me up.

This is what it looks like fo' reals

Let's Compare

My resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me.

$8 vs. $50?

Uh huh. You're Welcome.



Update: I was at Walgreens last night and I found a few more Knockoffs you could try.

Milani Nail Art Laquer $3.99 in Black Sketch 703 and Art of Gold 701

Mix Art of Gold 701 with Milani Nail Laquer in Diamond Dazzle 40 to get an exact knockoff

Also:

Wet n Wild Wild Shine $1.99 each in 424A Black Cream

and 469 Hallucinate (Note: You still need to use a gold glitter polish like Art of Gold)

Go Ahead, Pop That Pimple—Just Be Careful How You Do It!

Go Ahead, Pop That Pimple—Just Be Careful How You Do It!

Here's a new article that I just love telling you how to pop a nasty white head pimple... like anyone would just let one hang out on their face all day!

It recommends the use of a comedone extractor, which I own and love. My boyfriend loves it too. Everyone get zits once in a while and you just can't help but to try to pop those suckers.

When I get one, I warm the pimple with a washcloth that I soak with hot water. I let the pimple warm for about 2 minutes and then use my comedone extractor. After that I use some Neosporin and sleep on it. Even though you will have a bright red spot on your face, I am sure the pimple starts to heal faster after it has been popped and treated. I recommend popping your pimple at night so it has a little time to heal before morning.
Comedone extractors are great for blackheads around your nose too. They hurt a little more because you have to apply a little more pressure to get the blackhead out. Do this at night, too. You will have tiny red spots where the blackhead was, but they should usually disappear within 12 hours.

Want to cover that zit?? Use Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer. It's the shizz.

Read my review on it here

DIY Custom Makeup Palette & De-Potting Your Makeup

I love Z Palettes! They are magnetic palettes that are fully customizeable. All you have to do is de-pot your current makeup (eyeshadows/powders/blushes, ect.) and stick them in these palettes to downsize and organize your makeup collection. I am so glad I found these because they are super cute (hello zebra and pink!) and they have a see through top so you immediately know what's in them. They are reasonably priced at $20 for a large palette (shown above). If you are a makeup artist you can get a pro discount at LeCosmetique.com and get them for $17 each. They also come in a smaller size.

I love that you can take practically any brand of makeup, de-pot it, and stick it in. No more just buying MAC, stila or Make Up For Ever pots.

Confused about how to de-pot your makeup?? I can help.

There are 2 ways I de-pot. One is with a simple candle and one is with the oven. The method you choose to use should depend on the makeup packaging. MAC products are the easiest to de-pot and just require a candle and some simple tools to get the pan out effectively. Other brands are usually a lot harder to de-pot so you will typically need to melt the entire container to get the makeup pan out.  

EASY DE-POTTING METHOD

(for MAC and other brands where you can see a seam in the product casing that will easily allow you to get the pan out)

You will need:

A lighter, a candle, tweezers (not shown) and a teeny set of screwdrivers (for eyeglasses)

This is a MAC eyeshadow. See the "seam" in the packaging?

Stick a flat tipped screwdriver in that seam and pry the pot out. Be careful. Powders tend to crumble if you mess with them too forcefully.

Voila!

Now light a candle and hold the pot over it (use tweezers) until it burns a small hole through the bottom revealing the metal of the pan

Now flip the pot over and push it out with a screwdriver/pen/toothpick. It should drop out pretty easily. If not, hold it over the candle flame a bit longer.

There is usually some adhesive left over on the bottom of the pan. You can clean it off with Parian Spirit, Goof-Off or alcohol if you want. I just plop it into my palette, but before I do I label the bottom of the pan with a sharpie marker so I know what brand/color it is.

Now stick it in your palette!

Keep your empty MAC pots! You can return 6 of them to a MAC counter and get a free lipstick!!

Back to MAC

OVEN DE-POTTING METHOD

You will need an oven, a baking sheet and tin foil for lining and an oven mit, a knife and some tweezers.

1.Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cover baking sheet with tin foil (Sorry no more pics!)

3. When oven reaches 350, place makeup item on sheet (for example, an NYX or L'oreal blush). If you want to de-pot more than one item, space them about 2 inches apart. Make sure the lid is OPEN away from the pan itself to avoid the container melting onto the makeup pan. If the packaging comes in a compact with a mirror, break the compact in half and throw away the mirror part so that the only thing left is the actual pan with the immovable plastic packaging around it.

4. Place baking sheet with items in oven for about 5 minutes and then check to see when the plastic packaging starts melting away from the pan.

5. When this happens, take out the baking sheet (with oven mit...duh!) and carefully use a knife to press the melting packaging away from the pan. Be careful it is HOT!!! Use tweezers too if necessary. The plastic packaging becomes pliable and the pan should come out fairly easily with some maneuvering. If not, place back in the oven until the packaging melts a little more and repeat.

6. Let pans cool on a paper towel before putting them in your palette. You can also remove the leftover adhesive and label them as stated above.