What I've Been Wearing

One of my recent goals was to start wearing a full face of makeup after starting my new job. Easier said than done in the morning when I wake up at 5:45am! I've been doing pretty well though and I've been reaching for the same products so I thought I would share.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #13 - I've spoken about the Missha BB Cream before and I am so thrilled that they've finally released a color for us pale girls, #13 is a near perfect match for my skin. It can look a little dry though so I need to moisturize well prior to application. Those that are more normal to oily would probably love it even more. Lasts all day on me. Has medium coverage. I can usually get away with just this and a little concealer on my blemishes and I'm good to go. The only negative is the scent, it is very strong and perfume-y so those sensitive to scents should be careful.

swatch of Missha #13

Any pressed foundation/setting powder - This one is just one I'm trying to use up (see all the pan!) - I swapped for this Lorac powder ages ago and I just want it done.
Yves Rocher Watercolor Effect Blush - You can read more about my thoughts in the link but I love this liquid blush for a fresh look and it's very easy to apply.
Makeup Forever Aqua Cream #13 - I know I didn't speak highly of this product and I still really don't love it but I figured I'd use it, and just a little over UDPP brightens the lid for a really easy daytime look.
Any mascara - No photograph as I've just finished one and need to open a new one.
lipstick and/or gloss - changes daily!

So that's it. I know it's pretty bare bones at the moment but it's been working for me. I have quite a few lipsticks and glosses circulating in my handbag.  I still reach a lot for the Senna ones and I actually recently finished a lip product which you will see shortly as I need to write up and post my Empties post for March!

What are the products you've been wearing lately?

Review: Wei East Hand & Body Perfection

My free-ish Wei East Hand & Body Perfection came in the mail and I have had a decent amount of time to test it out. If you missed my post regarding this freebie, you can still get a free Wei East Hand & Body Perfection here - all you need to do is pay for shipping.

Even though the size of the tube is listed on the website, I was surprised how big it was for a freebie; it's quite substantial!

The cream itself is slightly thick but gets absorbs easily into my hands. There isn't a greasy residue which I appreciate as there's little point to hand creams if I just have to wash them off after a few minutes. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the smell but it could grow on me. It's a strange scent to place but to me, it smells like ginger and chinese herbal tea with a hefty spoonful of sugar. It's quite sweet but still has an herbal tang to it if that makes any sense.

Honestly, if you don't think the scent would bother you and you are need of a good moisturizing and non-greasy hand cream for cheap, I would order this and get your mostly free sample. It should last a long time and you can't beat the price!

UK Swap With Jellyminx

It all started innocently enough when I was whining on twitter about not being able to get a hold of the Sleek Valentine's Day collection. The lovely Kelly of Jellyminx Thinks very generously volunteered to pick the blush from the collection up for me and I then volunteered to pick her up some US goodies and as they say, the rest is history! She went way way overboard and now I feel as though my package didn't compete with the amazing goodies she sent over.

First she sent me a stack of Organic UK chocolate from the brand Montezuma. DH has already stolen a bar and the rest are now in my kitchen so I'm not tempted to eat them all!

And then the huge pile of makeup goodies! Kelly absolutely spoiled me.

I'm super excited to try out items from the Accessorize line. She sent 3 of the nail polishes, #38 Aztec #41 Bronze and #40 Purple Dream

... and one of the Merged Blusher's in #4 Diva

Then she sent the MeMeMe Blush Me! in the color Rouge! I have been dying to try these MeMeMe dupes of the Benefit boxed powders so I was super excited to receive this. I'm planning on picking up a couple from the Hard Candy line soon too.

Bourjois eyeshadows in #93 and #14

A few items from the 17 brand which I believe is the sister brand to the Boots #7 line? Either way, I now am the proud owner of 3 of the Photoflawless eye pencils and the Mirror Shine lipcolor in Belle (!!!).

Yet another bubbled wrapped mini parcel contained 2 shades of the MUA eyeshadows (#13 a deep purple and #14 a greenish charcoal color) and 2 of the Barry M dazzle dusts (#51 which I believe is the ever popular mushroom and #24).

Oh wait, there's more...

My intense desire to try Sleek Pout Polishes is firmly blamed on Cami from Cami Loves Kiwi. Kelly sent me the shade Pink Cadillac and the Scandalous blusher that I had been coveting.

And Oilatum!!!!!!! And Vaseline Rosy Lips which isn't sold stateside.

Whew


If anyone wants a review of any of these items, please let me know! I am so excited to start playing with everything. Still feel a bit guilty as she spoiled me absolutely rotten!

Thank you Kelly for your generosity and also for your general awesomeness.

Review: Haus of Gloi Depravity Sugar Exfoliant

I'm going to apologize in advance for not putting up the rest of the Valentine's Day Haus of Gloi collection. I wasn't too thrilled with the rest of the collection so I wasn't dying to review them all. Either way, I thought I'd review a scent from the regular Haus of Gloi line as you can get that year round!

Depravity is described as:
Pure corruption: clove, nutmeg lurk amongst the sweetest offerings of coconut, on a bed of rich golden amber, laden with dustings of sandalwood and spilled wine.

For those of you scared by the notes, don't be. This is a very light slightly smoky wine scent. It's very delicate. I actually wasn't sure of what it smelled like when I first started using it as I had forgotten the scent description. To me, it smelled slightly fruity with a hint of spiciness. If you like these sort of scents but don't like something super strong, at least in the sugar scrub, Depravity would be something to definitely try. I bought the sample 1oz size at $2 so it doesn't exactly break the bank as is. The full 7.5oz size retails at $10 - very reasonable.

Now for the review of the product itself. I'll cut to the chase and say that I prefer the Bubbling Scrub formulation. The Sugar Exfoliant is definitely more scrubby even under a steady stream of water, however, it left a slightly greasy film on my skin and I had to wash with soap after wards. This is not a big deal but I love how the Bubbling Scrub double duties as a body wash. Thankfully, most scents can be purchased in both scrub formulations so I'll just opt for the Bubbling Scrub in future orders!

Beauty Blog Link Love - 3/26/11 - #30

Miss Beauty Nerd dishes on Asia's hottest and most coveted product - BB Creams!!

Jellyminx shares a Jessie J inspired makeup tutorial.

K from Beautifully Addicted To gives us a look at ELF Mineral Glosses.

Anita over at Pleasureflush sorts through her stash of mascaras to find out which ones are keepers and which ones are heading for the bin!

Fee at Makeup Savvy takes on this year's Spring/Summer key fashion trends with a series of inspired nail art tutorials!

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for March is Epically Epic Soap Co. Learn all about Allison!

Getting downright swatches spring blushes and tries to decide between Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent!

Ooh, shatter! Musicalhouses shows you an awesome black and silver shatter NOTD with Barry M Instant Nail Effects!

Krasey Beauty hobnobs with makeup royalty, and learns of new beauty releases, while she's at it!

Beauty's Bad Habit shares her favourite eyeshadow bases and primers for vivid, 'life proof' eye make-up that lasts.

Checked outELF's black bottles yet? Queen of Turquoise has!

Welcome to your new addiction - Alyson reviews the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams at The Gloss Menagerie.

Tracy at Beauty Reflections gets a 70s makeup vibe with Rimmel Glam'eyes Quad Eye Shadow that fits right in with the 70s fashion trend!

The Pink Sith won't be able to kill your lemming for this new Armani Beauty Eyes To Kill Intense Silk Eyeshadow in # 4 Pulp Fiction.

Who said neutrals can't be dramatic, Madame B Fatale shows you how!

Kimberly takes the Dare To Wear Charity Challenge: For Japan Are you up for the challenge?

Hop in the car for a roadtrip with My Lips But Better and OPI's Fall 2011 collection, Touring America.

Are you  a Kate or a Vanessa? You'll find the answer at Musing on Beauty, by comparing Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and Dior Addict lipsticks.

The Chantecaille Sea Turtle palette came swimming into Cindy's life, see if she thinks it's worth the $79 price tag.
***
Did you hear? BarryM may come to Canada!! To celebrate Spiced Beauty is giving away a huge 5-piece prize pack.
 Want to win 2 NARS blushes + other goodies? All you have to do is be a follower of StealMyHeartLovee's blog for a chance to win.

Music and Makeup has been going for 2 years! Jo celebrates with a giveaway of some of her favourite products. 

theNotice is giving away a ridiculously glittery Honeycat Cosmetics lipgloss. Whether you're a cat lover or a glitter girl, you *need* to check it out!
 Reply Forward Invite Rae Chen to chat

Bath & Body Works Country Chic

I was in a nearby Bath & Body Works picking up my free monthly gift for the Love BBW Club and happened upon the newest scent from Bath & Body Works. It is called Country Chic and I couldn't agree with the naming more as it reminds me of "old school" scents from Bath & Body Works, back when they had a country cozy image. The minute I sniffed it, it took me back to the time when it was all farm-apple-stand-hay-country-cooking. Country Chic reminds me of two of some of my favorite old school Bath & Body Works scents mixed together: Sun Ripened Raspberry and Country Apple. I will say that I wasn't a big fan of the body spray that comes with the line, it is completely different from the lotion in my opinion, much more floral.

I bought the preview size for $1 which comes with a pretty decent coupon on the back if you want to spring for a full size.

Has anyone tried Country Chic yet? Did you like it?

Review: Make Up Forever Aqua Cream #13

I've been meaning to write this review for ages, but I haven't really been sure of how I felt about the product. Scratch that, I felt that it was strange that I wasn't head over heels in love with this product after so many had been raving about it.

First, I'm going to touch on something very important. Make Up Forever advertises these as waterproof creams. Waterproof is the key word. They did not say these are oil proof. Waterproof implies that if you stuck your head in a bucket of water with these on, they wouldn't budge. However, stick your head in a bucket of oil and I'm sure they'd be goners (if not there wouldn't be anything to get these puppies off). I don't have particularly oily lids but these crease on me if I don't apply my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion underneath and for me, the whole idea of a colored shadow base is on particularly lazy or rushed days, I don't have to apply another layer underneath and or set with a powder. With these I do. Negative #1.

The other thing I wasn't too keen on was the texture. The product in the pots is quite hard and firm. It is nothing like a jelly or cream liner texture. However, once you place your finger in the pot and swirl it around, the product feels slightly thin and greasy and it smells like paint. 

#13 aka Warm Beige is as the name implies, a warm champagne color. If sheered out, the color effect is pretty neutral and eye brightening, if layered, it goes peachy on my skin tone. It also makes anything on top of it warmer, so you if prefer warm toned eyes (I personally don't as I'm more cool toned - if I'm not careful, too many warm tones makes me look sick) you might want to use this as a base to warm up any of your existing shadows you may feel are too cool for you.

I didn't pay full price for this (and I have another shade that came in a set) but I don't think I would, though I plan to at least test out the cheek colors in the line. These retail for $22 and come with 6 grams of product.

Michael Todd Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Michael Todd moisturizer is...

Chompunoot!

I've e-mailed the winner. Thank you to everyone who entered. Regular posting will resume shortly (in fact I'm in the middle of writing a review).

Bloom Promo

I was randomly searching around Facebook and found a new site that is offering a promotion as it's still new. Bloom.com is a site that offers tons of different makeup, haircare and skincare products including brands such as Cargo, Ardell, Alterna, DDF, Stila, Zoya and many others. For a short time, they are offering a pretty awesome deal. If you place an order between now and April 7th for $40 or more, you will receive a $40 credit in your Bloom account.

The $40 back offer is valid for new members who join between March 16, 2011 and March 31, 2011 and place their first order for $40 or more prior to April 7, 2011. The $40 back is awarded in BloomDollars and will be added to your account at the time of purchase. BloomDollars are just like cash to spend on future orders at BloomCircle. Limited time offer. Cannot be applied to previous orders. One per person. One account per household.

I thought that was pretty awesome, especially if you are planning on buying things anyway, plus they have amazing gift with purchase offers. For instance:

Spend $70 or more and receive this free Pangea Organics set... I think that may be the best value gift with purchase offer I've ever seen!

Anyway, I found this and wanted to share.

Shipping is free over $50. Unfortunately they only ship to US (Hawaii & Alaska are included though with slightly longer shipping times) and APO/FPO addresses. Sorry all my international beauties!

Disclosure: This post includes my referral link. If you join and make an order, I'll receive a $10 credit. 

Another Modnique Giveaway!

I recently hosted a giveaway with Modnique.com, an online sample site. Well they contacted me again asking if I wanted to hold another giveaway in preparation for their 2nd Michael Todd sale tomorrow and of course I said yes! So I have a Michael Todd Crème Cleanser to giveaway!

Michael Todd Crème Cleanser, retail $27

Michael Todd Creme Cleanser is specifically formulated for dry skin types. It is formulated with Organic Almond Oil and Organic Jojoba Oil blended with Seabuckthorn and Aloe to nourish the skin without leaving a residue.
* Soothes sensitive skin
* Relieves dryness and flakiness
* pH 6.8

Rules:

1. You must be a follower of Jeweled Thumb either through Blog Lovin' or Google Friend Connect
2. You must 'like' Modnique on Facebook

3. You must fill out the form below
4. You must live in one of the countries included in their Registration pull down list.



This giveaway ends March 17th.

disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Modnique.com; there is also my referral link for the site included.

Hiatus

Aside from the post that I should have up later today (internet on the fritz), I wanted to let you guys know that there won't be many posts up for an unknown amount of time. My back issues that I've mentioned before have returned and I'll admit, I'm a little depressed about the whole thing. I will be back and will miss interacting with you all until that time.

♥ Ivy

Handwriting Game/Tag

I was tagged by the lovely Kimberly of Libby's Pink Vanity to do the Handwriting Game Tag and this may be one of the only tags I actually post since it's fun and I'm also nosy. I write quickly and make a lot of mistakes cause if I think about it too hard, my handwriting will be different than it "normally" is. Does that make any sense? Anyway, onward.

1. What is your name? And your blog?
2. What's your blog URL?
3. Write: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
4. Favorite quote.
5. Favorite song?
6. Favorite band/singers?
7. Say anything you want.
8. Pass this along to a few bloggers.

I tag:
Nouveau Cheap
Jellyminx Thinks
Cutie Gingerbread

And anyone else that wants to do this tag!

Beauty Blog Link Love - 3/12/11 - #29

Want the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara but don't like the price? Come over to Jeweled Thumb to learn how to make your own for free!

Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews loves peach colored makeup. After lots of searching, here are three perfect peaches for spring.

Krasey Beauty visits the International Beauty Show in NYC, and takes you along for the ride!

Does Victoria's Secret Sparkling Lip Gloss light up Makeup Morsels' life? Read to find out!

The Pink Sith Pontificates on the Perfect Peach Pigmented Pucker Provided by Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Sweet Nectar. Quite Possibly the Prettiest Peach in Perpetuity!

Kim Porter takes you inside of QVC's Beauty Breakfast showcasing QVC's top-selling beauty and hair products.

Kimmie at KimmieKarmaLove plays catch up with three brand new looks that are different for her. What do you think?

Mariella at Musing on Beauty falls in love (yet again) with a new foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and tells you everything about it.

Daily Polish thinks she's found the red polish to top all others in A-England's Perceval, take a look and see if you agree (and fall in love with this Cult English Lacquer company!)

Rae swatches and reviews the new Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm at theNotice. Find out if it's bee-utiful, or just a bee-rate product!

Who says you can't wear a smokey eye in Spring? Musicalhouses shows you the perfect forest green smokey eye that's great for any weather!

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed tests out lip colours looking to bring some coral into her spring lip wardrobe!

Retrodiva has been searching for the perfect oud fragrance - find out if Tom Ford's Oud Wood is the one.

Phyrra raves about a must-have makeup brush! You need this one, and it's a steal at $3.

Beautywoome divulges the new 'forever' beauty products she found in 2010.

AOYV is mighty impressed with Guerlain's Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner.

Get ready for summer with these bright MAC Cremeblend Blushes on My Lips But Better!

Brighten up your look by following this spring purple and pink makeup tutorial by Socialite Dreams.

Audrey Dao drops by Inglot to check out their Freedom Palettes. Find out what she thought!

Tracy at BeautyReflections is craving Spring and Annabelle Smudgeliner in Limetteis helping to satisfy!

Jenn over at Spiced beauty conquers her fear of falsies and rocks a pair of MAC 38 lashes in her newest FOTD!

Jo at Music & Makeup shows us swatches of her favourite blushes.

Like eyeliner? Like colour? Claire has found some rather lovely GOSH Velvet Touch Liners that fit the bill nicely.

***
Win a huge £300 Boots voucher by commenting here in The Beauty Slice competition.

Anti-ageing eyeshadow? Finally! Cindy at Prime Beauty learns all about the new technology in Anastasia's Illumi8 Eye Shadow Palettes and is giving away one for you to try!

Missha 30% Off Sale

If you've been the least bit curious about the Missha brand, this weekend would be a prime opportunity to make an order as all their makeup is 30% off (I think anything currently on another offer is excluded - the mini BB Creams are 30% off but the full sizes are not)! If you make an account, you will also receive a 10% off coupon code and all orders receive a free foot scrub. I would also highly recommend following them on twitter as they've had several giveaways and flash sales (BB Creams for $9.99, yes please!) and there is always free shipping over $40.

Cherry Culture Makeup Madness Sale

Use code M20 to take 20% off everything on the Cherry Culture site! This code is good from March 10th through March 17th.

Also, does anyone else think the model in this ad looks a little strange?

Dermablend(s) - The Search For A Color Match

Vichy Dermablend has been getting a lot of hype recently and for good reason. The high-pigment product has been around for years and now makeup artists, like Lisa Eldridge have brought it into the consumer spotlight. For those of us that are pasty, however, finding a color match in the range is a bit difficult.

Another brand simply called Dermablend has quite a few more colors than the 4 in the Vichy range and after sitting in traffic I took the road less traveled by and that made all the difference? Or in non poetic terms, I drove by the neighborhood ULTA and popped in to swatch.

I swatched at the store and it seemed I could have picked either Ivory or Fair but then they oxidized. I think Ivory is fairly neutral, Fair is very very pink and then Light looks like mustard to me personally. These were all the Leg & Body Cover Foundation as it seemed the color range for pale skin tones - and others it has 14 different shades - were more extensive and it is $27 for a big honkin' 3.4floz bottle which is awesome. I quickly compared the ingredients from the face to the body formula and there wasn't anything that screamed out to me to be much different. I actually found the body formula a bit more moist and not as dry and crumbly as the facial version. I might actually buy this.

Items in the swatch comparisons:
Becca Dual Concealer in Sherbet
Make Up Forever Mat Velvet Plus #15
ELF Studio Concealer Ivory (too yellow for me)
Prescriptives custom foundation *tear*
Dermablend Ivory
Dermablend Fair
Dermablend Light

All items were swatched on my NW0 (?) hand. Seriously, my skin is ghostly. Now if only Vichy or Dermablend would make a White long wear high pigment foundation for those of us that need the majority of these lines lightened.

Free Wei East China Herbal Hand and Body Perfection

Once again, a mostly free deal. Spend only $2.95 to cover the cost of shipping and get the Wei East China Herbal Hand and Body Perfection free! This deal is thanks to the lovely SiSi Sparkles who has been posting deals up the wazoo so if you don't already follow her, you should!

"This light, high-performance cream uses a powerful Ming Dynasty herbal formula to repair and restore skin's healthy, delicate texture. Not oily or greasy, and unlike cream-based lotions, Hand and Body's benefit lingers even after washing hands. Limit 1 offer per customer.

FREE tube of Hand & Body Perfection (normally a $14 value). You just pay $2.92 to cover the cost of shipping. Use coupon code PERFECTION at checkout for the discount to be applied to your order."

Zoya Intimate Women's Day Offer!

Wow, Zoya was hinting at an awesome deal for International Women's Day and they definitely delivered! My inclination is to believe that this will sell out quickly just like the previous deal so if you want this, don't wait!

Basically, go here, add to cart, enter code ZOYAWD, check out and you're good to go! You will receive the entire Intimate Collection for $25 and free shipping (very nearly half priced)! 

Please check the Zoya blog for more thorough instructions!

The Magic Of The Fluffy Brush

For some reason writing out this post title made me think of "Puff The Magic Dragon", so perhaps I will call my brush, Fluff the Magic Dragon (Brush)!

I'm a huge fan of the Pixiwoo sisters and they nearly always blend in concealer with a brush in lieu of their fingers. I always thought it was partially for the fact that as they are makeup artists, when applying makeup on other people, brushes are preferred. I have almost always applied concealer with my fingers and since my skin has been reactive lately, I've been using thicker, more pigmented cream concealers instead of easier to spread liquid ones. Last night, I washed the brushes I used for my Inara look and this morning I had the idea of using the big fluffy crease one to blend in my concealer.

OH MY GOSH GUYZ

It was awesome. It kept the medium-heavy coverage, but it all blended in smoothly, no patchiness, it was amazing!

And no, I didn't use a MAC 224 (their preferred one) or even the Illamasqua which is synthetic but equally as pricey, no I used the Mark blending brush. Which is honestly a bit too poofy (or fluffy) or puffy(?) for blending crease work, but it is absolutely perfect for concealer. I used it on my blemishes and under my eyes and it didn't go cakey or patchy or anything. It was amazing.

And the best part? The price, of course. $6 - you read that right. $6!

The angels sing, everyone joins in in great exultation! Ahhh!

Inara Eye Look

It's been really gross here today, lots of rain, flood watches/warnings... basically I didn't want to step outside but I'm easily bored. So I decided to yet again be crazy and do something fun. I had done one of the looks I found while watching Firefly reruns and decided to try out the other one, the dark and smoky one this time.

I didn't do the whole face, but it looks like she is wearing a deep brick reddish raspberry on the lips and a lighter berry on the cheeks.

I basically did it from memory and she has no liner flick, just kind of a rectangular shape, but her eyes are more almond shaped than mine so I'm giving myself a pass.

As with all my 'looks', it's messy since unless I'm doing work on a client or on myself actually leaving the house (not like I would wear this out!), I am super impatient and don't really care how it looks! The above photo with the flash really accentuates the cool gold glitter I used on the eyes. It looks like Inara's lids are glittery even though the shot isn't up close.

What I used:
Milani Liquif-eye Metallic Eyeliner in Black to line, tightline & base
Bed Head Black eyeshadow patted over the liner to set
Illamasqua Incite patted over the black lightly to highlight the lid
Mary Kate & Ashley Sequin Dust in Pure Sparkle over top for added sparkle
Many layers of Cargo Lash Activator Mascara (trying to use up)

I was going to put on falsies but I couldn't find my lash glue, guh!

Hope everyone's Sunday has been less dreary and rainy than mine! Now to remove all of this, should be fun!

Review: Revlon Photoready Compact Makeup Ivory

I've always had a problem with what are called cream foundations. Most are very drying on me and they tend to cake. While many have full coverage, that coverage usually involves layers; multiple skin swipes + dry skin makes for an unsightly mess on my face. Fine when my skin is looking good but horrible when I actually need the coverage. I bet you can already sense how I feel about this Revlon foundation.

Revlon Photoready Compact Makeup (10 grams/.35oz) claims "complete coverage" and "superior blendability" with a "lightweight powder finish". The first thing I want to mention is the color of the cream in the compact is a bit different to how it appears on the face. I don't know how, but the Ivory, while scary in the pan, is a pretty good match for my skin tone, similar to the regular Photoready makeup.

See what I mean regarding the color (especially the sliver of the used sponge on the left)? It looks way too dark, but I will agree with Revlon that this is very light and very easy to apply. A slightly pressured swirling motion will release the cream from behind the screen. Personally, I don't really like this as you are basically required to use a sponge and with cream/liquids you are going to need to replace said sponge with every use. You can't really use a wet sponge as the water might seep under the screen and cause bacteria to grow.

When applied, this foundation is very light. You can hardly feel it being applied to your skin. So if you dislike heavy makeup, this may be for you. It also blends in very easily which is nice. My only qualm is seconds after I applied this, it looked dry and patchy. And to add another layer for more coverage? Even more dry and more patchy. After awhile, my skin starts feeling slightly tight, especially around my cheeks.

Photoready Compact Makeup applied - nice color, eh? This is 1 application all over and a second on my bad spots (the chin).

But this is how it looks close up! It doesn't even look like skin! It looks like I have textured spackle on my face and it's already collected around my blemishes.

Basically it makes my face look dry and crusty.

This is going back. Unfortunately, it looks like this doesn't really work on super oily skin either as Ms. Nouveau Cheap also had a problem with this. I think the only people that this will suite are those with normal to slightly oily (or shall I say healthy looking?) skin that don't really need heavy coverage. A light layer of this might look better than trying to build it up like I did to coverage spots and redness. But then again, I'd imagine a tinted moisturizer would be more pleasant if you don't need heavy coverage or maybe just some concealer.

The only pluses are the SPF 20 and the cool screen that manages to be more of an annoyance. At least with the regular liquid Photoready you can apply it with a damp sponge or brush.

Big Lots 20%

 Big Lots is having their Friends & Family sale tomorrow, Sunday March 6th, which means if you've signed up for their e-mail subscriptions, there should be a 20% off coupon sitting in your inbox right now! If not, they tweeted the coupon so I figure it's fair game. I know lots of people have been seeing items such as Revlon Perplex and other limited edition releases at Big Lots for quite cheap! I'm so happy that this coupon is good all day, I hate when they have set hours for their promotions. I can never get out there during those times!

Personally, I tend to be quite boring during these sales. During the last one I bought no makeup, only some trash bags and Windex.

Zoya Green Promo

Get 3 Zoya green polishes for $5 (Shawn, Ivanka & Suvi). No code necessary. Standard shipping applies (I believe it's $5.95 so your total will be $10.95 so basically the polishes will be half priced). Here is the link to the Zoya site. Great opportunity to get some Zoya polishes if you haven't tried them before and love greens!

Deal runs from  March 4th through March 7th.

Update: Apparently the Zoya promo is sold out.

February Empties

I've decided to post an empties post at the end of the month instead of haphazardly. February was honestly a bit of a disappointment, however I do have quite a few products that are almost empty or reaching that stage so hopefully March will be more productive!

Korres Quercetin & Oak Anti-Aging & Antiwrinkle Night Cream (Sephora lab sample) - Sephora occasionally offers not yet released products to their Beauty Insiders, hence the drab label. I wasn't the biggest fan of this night cream. It didn't spread well and left a white cast that took a long time to sink in, but I didn't find it super moisturizing either. I expect heavy rich creams to sink in more slowly than lighter emulsions, but this didn't seem rich. Quite an odd consistency to be quite honest. I wouldn't purchase the full size.
CVS Detoxifying Cleansing Toilettes - The knock offs for the Garnier wipes. I believe I picked these up on sale. I've had these before and I think they are decent enough. I'm currently using the Yes To Cucumbers  ones. So far so good but I'm a little less keen on the smell.
Pangea Organics Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom Lipcare Stick - This took it's sweet time being used up. I applied this before bed every night for ... awhile. Proper review linked.
Haus of Gloi Eggnoggin Soft Bubbling Scrub - I mentioned in another post that I started liking this a lot more once I stopped expecting it to smell a certain way. I'd repurchase this next holiday season if it's back.

Only 4 items, quite wimpy. Have you finished anything recently?