Benefit They’re Real Tinted Lash Primer Review

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Rachel

So, for once, I have something to review for you guys before it’s released! I don’t get PR products, but Sephora had promo sample sizes of these available, although they will not be for sale until 2016!

Here’s the package it came in. Pretty hefty claims!

They’re Real Tinted Primer is a lash primer that’s unique in that it can be worn alone or under other mascaras. It is a gel formula that is in a natural medium taupe brown shade. I find that worn alone, it real does define and lengthen lashes, but I wear nothing but black mascara, so I would only use this under other mascaras. I tried to get a photo of it alone, but my camera would NOT focus…

To be fair, I have REALLY long eyelashes to start with, so I feel a little guilty reviewing mascaras. But the definition and separation this stuff gives is excellent. It has a flexible wand, which I don’t love, though I know that’s a popular feature right now. The bristles are the same as They’re Real Mascara, which is one of my favorite mascara brushes of all time, since you can use the spiky ball on the end to really fan out corner lashes.

And here it is underneath Covergirl Clump Crusher! HOLY COW!!!

Like I said, I alread have long lashes, but this result is kind of INSANE.

And with my eyes open…

The great thing about this product is that UNLIKE They’re Real mascara, this stuff is easy to remove! I was able to easily take this off (including the extra coat of Covergirl) with nothing but Simple Micellar Water on a cotton pad. I had stopped buying They’re Real because taking it off at night was a pain in the ass!

Lash primers are a luxury “extra” that I never spend money on, but this product is making me reconsider. If I’m buying this at $24, and Covergirl at $6, then how is that different than a $30 Dior mascara? THAT, my friends, is your introduction to “Rachel logic!”

Do you ever use a lash primer?

Makeup of the day – Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Rachel

So, I needed to replace my Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow that I use as a base, so I made a small Sephora order and got my double points and this adorable Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick mini in Lovecraft. First of all…that name. HELLO. I love Lovecraft’s writing and the Cthululu mythos, so this is one of the coolest makeup names ever. Plus, look at the studded tube:

How cute is that?

The color is a muted, warm rose mauve, basically one of those colors that looks amazing on my cool toned fair skin. It’s also really, really matte. I have heard that some of the mattes in this line apply patchy or are too dry, but this one applies nicely and feels comfortable to me!

I have it on here with MAC Soar lip liner – perfect match!

Have you tried any Kat Von D products? So far, I have loved everything I have tried from the line.

Manicure of the Week

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Kristin

I got some really cool nail polish in this month’s Ipsy bag – Essie’s “Fashion Playground”. It is a neutral toned sea green (or as I like to call this particular color, Art Deco Green) with a subtle shimmer. It goes on a bit streaky, so I needed three coats – but ended up with beautiful coverage. And after a top coat of Seche Vite it is positively glassy and beautiful.

A while back I picked up some interesting looking nail decals from Sinful Colors – a mehendi inspired design with intricate swirly paisley designs in a shimmery bronze. For $2.99 why not? I’ve been looking for a color to put them over and decided this would be great.

Now it really looks Art Deco, which isn’t what I was expecting from a Far East pattern. Love it. I wonder if they’re limited edition (gut instinct says yes).
They go on really easily and stay put, especially if you put a top coat over the top. They are clear and cover the whole nail, they’re not cut-out decals.

These pics were taken after an 8 hour shift at work — stayed perfect and put up to the abuse?! Two! Barista approved.

These are probably a limited edition but I’ll definitely try other Sinful decals after these turned out so nice!

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation 010 Light Porcelain

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Rachel

Soooooo, before I even get started, let me just say, this shade of this foundation is only sold in the UK, as best as I can tell. The lightest shade of this foundation in the United States is Light Ivory, which you can see on me here:

HOLY CRAP, NO!! I totally returned that the next day. How about that fabulous lipstick though? (Maybelline Creamy Matte Siren In Scarlet)

I knew that 010 Light Porcelain existed in the Rimmel Stay Matte (entirely too dry and not long lasting on me at all), so I did a quick search for this color in other Rimmel foundations. Apparently 010 Light Porcelain is sold in Lasting Finish and Match Perfection, just not in the United States. Our shades start one shade darker, because the company hates me. (LOL)

I did what any reasonable person would do, and bought a bottle on eBay. I paid $10.00 USD and got free shipping, so only $3.00 more than what the U.S. version costs, and the UK version HAS A PUMP! And it’s a good pump! BEHOLD, look how the other half lives:

Seriously, Rimmel? Why do you cheap out on us in the U.S.? WE KNOW YOU CAN GET THE PUMPS.

And look…oh my god. If you’re a gal with Scots-Irish in ya, I guess you need to buy your makeup from across the pond:

AND THE ANGELS SANG!

As long as this doesn’t break me out, this could become my less expensive replacement for MAC Studio Fix Fluid. I’ve been looking for something that doesn’t dry my skin out as bad as Studio Fix Fluid (which I cannot even wear in the winter) and has a slightly more satin finish. This has that beautiful satiny look once it sets. It supposedly has a “comfort serum,” and I can attest that it’s not drying and doesn’t make my face feel tight. This foundation is a similar shade to NW10 and has more coverage. It’s definitely buildable and blends easily, which is nice. I was able to blend a cream blush flawlessly over this with ease! Most long wear foundations are hard to do that with, as they dry to a very powdery finish. I set this with a loose powder (a super light dusting of MAC Set Powder) and it just looks beautiful. I am wearing it quite full here, but it could be sheered out, too. This does have a light fruity fragrance, but compared to most long wear foundations that smell like paint, I think it’s quite nice. Between the bottle, the feel, and the look of the product, it seems like a higher end product.

Ok, fingers crossed for no reactions or breakouts or dehydration, etc. I will certainly keep you guys posted! American folks, if you don’t want to get this on eBay or Amazon, I have heard this is also carried on Asos!

What’s your go-to foundation?

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick — Siren In Scarlet

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Rachel

So, being a PPP (this is Makeupalley speak for “pale porcelain princess), I tend to really love the way a red lipstick stands out on my light skin. Actually, I tend to think red lipstick looks amazing on any skin tone, as long as you manage to find a suitable tone, but I digress…today, my awesome boyfriend brought home this lipstick for me (he’s a keeper, y’all) and I have to say, I’m absolutely in love!

I’ve yet to try the other shades in the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes line, but I watched a few reviews on YouTube and the consensus is that they are pretty great: Not too drying, very pigmented, not patchy, long wearing. I definitely find that to be true with Siren In Scarlet. This shade is a bright, true red with a blue base, suitable for most skin tones and great for making teeth look whiter (bonus!).

The case is like the other Color Sensational lipsticks, except with a grey top that has a slightly textured, matte look and feel. I really love the case.

When I opened it to get a look, I got super excited…oh my gosh!

That’s frickin’ red, guys!

So, how does it look?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmazing! Siren in Scarlet is a true vintage looking blue-based matte red. If you are looking for that retro “pin-up” red on a budget, this is your lipstick! I’m just so impressed! It truly has a look and feel of a higher end matte lipstick for a budget price.

(PS – please pardon my too dark and too pink foundation – I am trying the Rimmel Lasting Finish which feels amazing, but the US shades only go down to Light Ivory, and I need the Porcelain which is only available in the UK, so I just ordered it from eBay…and now I wait! Sigh…another post for another time…)

In summary: I usually have problems with matte formula lipsticks, but I have had this on for hours with no peeling and uncomfortable feel. I find that it is matte but not with that unattractive “flat” look. This shade is a beautiful vintage red that I think most skin tones could pull off. For about $5.50 USD, why not give it a shot? I do believe I shall have to try another color or two from this line.

Anyone know if these are limited edition? If so, I may need another tube of this red…. *wink*

Have you tried the Creamy Mattes by Maybelline?

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation – Oily, Pale Folks Rejoice!!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Rachel

HAY GIRL HAY! Or guy. Whomever is reading, LOL! I have been away for a few days having a great 4th of July here in the U.S., which for us mainly means cooking things on grills even if it rains, drinking too much, and blowing shit up. WOO, AMERICA! *ahem*. ANYHOO. Now that I’ve reinforced some stereotypes (giggle), I’ll tell you about a few things I picked up at Walmart from the Hard Candy line.

(Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain, Glamoflauge Concealer in Ultra Light, nail polishes in Bachelor Party and Crush on Lava)

So, something bizarre and REALLY unusual happened to me with the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain. Not only did I find a cheap ($7.00) drug store foundation light enough for me, this foundation is TOO light for me. This stuff makes MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 look positively TAN. This is why I had to come on here and tell you folks about this stuff. You guys, this is LIGHT.

I ended up with the Ivory shade in the Glamoflauge to try, and I did some swatches. The bottom swatch is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10. The one above that is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Ivory (this too is lighter and more yellow than NW10!). The one on the top is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Porcelain – you can see it’s super light and very yellow. Just for fun, over to the left I put Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless in Porcelain. It’s also very light and yellow, but not as extreme as the Hard Candy (also much lighter coverage).

So, here I am in the Hard Candy in Ivory. It blended out so easily over the NYX Photo Loving Primer I always use. The Hard Candy foundation has a liquid texture, but has very high pigment and a solid medium coverage. It dries quickly and is not really buildable after it dries, so you have to work fast. I’m used to fast drying foundations so this isn’t an issue. I used my Beauty Blender with this; I do not think it would blend as well with fingers. It does not need to be set with a powder.

Unfortunately, the formula of this foubdation does not work for my 44-year-old skin. I’m combination to dry with some fine lines, and this foundation showed off every wrinkle I have. I think, however, it would be a fabulous foundation for younger, oily skin. It also really exacerbated the dehydrated skin of my cheeks and made them feel very uncomfortable and tight. To be fair, Studio Fix Fluid does this too, just not this bad. All in all, if you’re very fair and have oily skin, you may love this. Sadly, there were not many deep shades, which really sucks. Step it up, Hard Candy.

I went out today looking for something more suited to combination/dry skin and came up with Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation, so look for a new review in the future after I try that for a while!

I’m going to try these nail polishes over the next couple of days. Hope they are as awesome as they loo in the bottles.

Oh!! Sad to say, the Ultra Light Glamoflauge Concealer doesn’t really color match the foubdation, so it’s sort of useless. I exchanged it as it is just too dark. If your shade in the foubdation is “Fair,” you may like it.

What’s your go to foundation this summer? Or is it too hot where you are to wear it? (Looking at you Kristin)

Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer — First Impression

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Rachel

I got a sample of this foundation primer with my last Sephora order and kept forgetting to try it! I finally got around to using it today. Here’s what Sephora has to say about the product:

What it is:
A lightweight, water-based face primer that hydrates, smoothes, and protects skin while it reduces the appearance of pores—creating the perfect canvas for long-wear foundation application.

What it does:
Get locked-in hydration, locked-up comfort with this fast-absorbing, water-based primer. It’s the ultimate prep step that hydrates, protects skin, and smooths the appearance of pores for flawless makeup application. This innovative, lightweight formula is formulated with advanced polymers that help even out the skin’s surface while it provides a flexible, protective barrier to prevent foundation from settling into fine lines and pores. Scentless, colorless, and weightless, it delivers essential hydration and its infused with vitamin B5, aloe vera, jojoba, and shea to bring nourishment to the skin’s surface, leaving it feeling refreshed and comfortable all day—even underneath long-wear, full-coverage foundation.

My take:

I sort of had a feeling this product was not going to be for me, but I wanted to give it a shot. I felt like maybe this was going to be more suited to normal to dry skin types and I am more normal to combination. This is a water based primer, but I was not prepared for it to feel like…well, it just feels like lotion. Just plain old straight up…lotion. Like lightweight plain old buy-it-at-the-drugstore lotion. I guess I’m not used to primers that don’t feel…primer-y. Like, oil controlling, or siliconey with some slip, or something. I was putting this product on and kind of not seeing the point? It didn’t really blur pores or minimize fine lines or anything like that. It definitely felt hydrating, which is nice, but I get properties like that from my skincare, which I always use before I use a primer. I suppose if you are extra dry and need that little boost of moisture, this could be great. But, this is an extra step for $32.00, and as far as actual foundation priming, I didn’t see it doing much. It did give a dewy look to the skin, which can be nice. In my case, in the summer, I need something that will control oil and fill pores, so this product isn’t right for me in the first place. If you’re very dry and like a dewy look to the skin, you may love this. I would definitely get a sample first! I for sure was shiny in the t-zone in no time and I had to powder my face more often throughout the day than I do with my Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. Like I said, I’m not really the target audience for the Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer, so give it a shot if you’re looking for a water based primer for dry skin. (Note, this is water based but it does contain dimethicone halfway down the list, so it is not totally free of silicone based ingredients.)

What’s your favorite primer? Do you even use one? Sometimes I skip it altogether, but lately I’ve been switching between the Smashbox one (thanks, Ipsy) and NYX Photo Loving Primer (the two are very similar).

How I learned to love the MAC 190 foundation brush

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Rachel

I’m a former MAC artist…ok, that was many years ago, but I still use some brushes by MAC (as well as many by other less expensive brands). The 190 foundation brush is a flat, paddle shaped foundation brush that has always vexed me a bit when I try to use it with liquid foundations, especially ones with a texture like Studio Fix Fluid that can be prone to streaking.

The MAC 190 foundation brush is a natural fiber brush (horse hair) and great for application of liquid and creams, but blending was where I was having a problem – this is because I was using back and forth “painting” type motions to work the product onto the skin and continued trying to blend this way. Eventually, I became disenchanted with my somewhat streaky results and stopped using this brush altogether, which sucks, because it’s expensive ($34.00 USD). One day I was feeling bummed out about it and started looking around YouTube for some tutorials on how to get better use from this brush. Low and behold, Wayne Goss (I love him!) had tips including using the side/tip to stipple and pat any streaky texture away once the product is on the skin, working in small areas of the face. This absolutely works wonderfully! I feel like I’m having a renewed love affair with an old brush now, as I have gotten my 190 out and have been using it for days.

Awesome!

MAC 190 brush with Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation in Porcelain with MAC 134 brush and Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent

Have you rediscovered any old favorites or learned to love something you thought you didn’t like?

Seche Restore nail polish thinner – I love you!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Rachel

Ok, so see this bottle of Milani glitter nail polish? It’s dead. Well…maybe it’s just pinin’ for the fjords.

No, this bottle of nail polish is not just merely dead, it has ceased to be.

It has gone to meet its maker! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! Its glittery processes are now history! It has kicked the bucket, shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain, and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX NAIL POLISH. But wait, what’s this…

Enter, stage left:

Seche Restore is a nail polish thinner that’s made especially to work with the quick dry top coat, Seche Vite. The awesome thing about this stuff, however, is that it works brilliantly to thin out regular nail polishes that are past their prime. Seche Restore comes with a glass pipette that is separate from the bottle, since the cap needs to stay extra tight so the chemicals don’t evaporate. That’s the only slightly odd thing about this product for me, but I don’t mind it, because:

*choir of angels sings* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Just add a few drops, or a dropper, or however much your bottle needs to get to the consistency it needs to be to apply nicely again. Close it up tight and roll the bottle between your hands and then check the consistency until you get it just right. Voila! Amazing!

Just a note…Seche Restore does contain tolulene, so if remaining 3-free or 4-free or 5-free with your nail products is a big deal to you, then you’ll want to steer clear of this polish thinner. Then again, Seche Vite does contain tolulene also. I had tried to go all 3-free until I realized my nails do just terribly without my Nailtiques strengthener, so I am back off that train until I find a replacement (Citra did not work for me, so I’m open to suggestions).

I did this mani with this glitter polish, though I took it off a day later. I didn’t do the neatest job, but see that cup of coffee there? I think I’d had about 4 of them. 😉

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Rachel

MAC has released a few versions of this beautiful pressed mineral powder highlighter over the years. I have the current version in the permanent line with the new magnetized compact (MAC, please do this with all your compacts – never another broken nail!). There is a limited edition version where the powder top is texturized, but I’m not sure how it compares to this one.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

The product itself is beautiful. You can see ribbons of gold, blue, and peach swirled throughout the yellowish base.

Swirled together, they come out to a very light champagne color, a light shade leaning slightly warm. This highlighter is actually light enough to highlight fair skin, which is hard to come by! I’m a MAC NW10 and this is perfection on me.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Lightscapade swatched heavily

This product can be worn heavily for a metallic sheen, or applied lightly for a barely there glow that’s suitable for daytime. It’s shimmer without glitter; this will not emphasize imperfections in the skin like something that’s frosty might.

I wish my iPhone could show how it looks on me…I will get my fancy camera out and get a photo in the sun! I’m wearing it here, but my house was so dark, it’s hard to tell. 😉

Lightscapade on high points of the face, worn with Urban Decay Bittersweet Blush and MAC Up The Amp lipstick

This compact comes with a whopping 10 grams of product. It’s going to take ages to go through it, which is one reason I allowed myself to shell out $32.00 for a highlighter. Next, I’m going to try it as an eyeshadow highlight.

MAC makes this great product in other gorgeous shades for darker skin tones and even colors that function like bronzers. Do you use the Mineralize Skinfinishes? How do you like them? For me, I’ve found a new daily staple. I only wish I had splurged sooner!

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