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?