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Friday, December 30, 2011

MAYBELLINE DREAM NUDE AIRFOAM AND REVLON PHOTOREADRY AIRBRUSH FOUNDATIONS

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I am a big fan of Maybelline’s Dream Nude foundations. This line must be popular with many people since they keep adding to it with different types of foundations. I especially like the Dream Nude Mousse. So I was intrigued to find the new Dream Nude Airfoam. It is $10.99 at Walgreens without any specials this week. I purchased Porcelain Ivory since I am very fair. It has a SPF 16 sunscreen in it, but given that the sunscreen is chemical, I would not count on it for protection. Make sure to use a moisturizer or regular sunscreen with at least 30 in it underneath the foundation for the best protection.

The second foundation I am going to review is the Revlon Photoready Airbrush foundation, which is an extension of their Photoready line that is very popular. I found this in 001 Vanilla at Wal-Mart for $10.48. Unlike the Maybelline foundation, the Revlon one doesn’t have an SPF in it (highly unusual these days) so you will definitely need to wear at least a 15 or higher when using this.
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Revlon on left, Maybelline on Right

This morning, 12/30/11, I decided to use the Maybelline Dream Nude Mousse. The instructions are very specific: shake, hold can upright and dispense onto a tissue the first time. I didn’t follow them. I went ahead and dispensed onto my sponge. Because I have issues with my right hand I found it hard to press the applicator. I am not sure if this will be an issue with everyone. I doubt it. Anyway, I pressed and a HUGE amount of product came out. It was very light at first and then it oxidized into the right color for my skin. Actually, the very first amount of product that came out was white but I threw that away. I found the foundation easy to blend into the skin. I did not, however, have much coverage. This disappointed me.

This afternoon I decided to try the Revlon Airbrush foundation. I must say that there is a major difference in this one. I shook it first and when it came out it was easier and the mousse was definitely less yellow. Also, there was less of it. For me, being slightly disabled right now, it is nice so that I don’t feel I am wasting so much product. When I applied it the mousse melded right into my skin and seemed to cover a little bit better than the Maybelline one.

When you have a mousse foundation you cannot expect it to cover like a liquid, that is the most important thing to remember. Also, because it is aerated, it will not have as much product in the container and will not last as long as other foundations. That said, it is a nice change of pace to have a mousse foundation, similar to the ones that were around in the early 1990’s! I like the Revlon one better, as it has a better tone for my skin and better coverage. I would love to hear comments from you!

Much more impressed with the Revlon than the Mayelline. Tried the Maybelline again today and had same results: a ton of foam came out and it was very yellowish on my skin.. Tried Revlon yesterday on full face and loved it, the foam was more neutral and I didn't need a lot of it for my face to cover the entire thing. I do like the Revlon better.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011



Spring collections are starting to arrive. It is nice to have something to look forward to, with all the snow. I will do my best to have some fun as I get my hands on some key items that I want. I am waiting on my MAC Naturally order to arrive and I will definitely be reviewing that. It looks great for my coloring. So keep an eye out!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

SEPHORA PRISMA CHROME EYESHADOWS

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On a very brief trip to the mall yesterday I ran in to Sephora and saw, front and center, a display for their new eyeshadow line, called Prisma Chrome. These are supposedly high shine beautifully shimmery, almost holographic shadows. I purchased Sapphire Shine No 30. There are 10 beautiful colors to choose from and two brushes. The shadows run $16.00 each. I must tell you, I was so looking forward to wearing this shadow today. I guess I wanted it to brighten my spirits, so to speak. On the Sephora website they run $15.00 for some reason.  http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P298740&categoryId=C17356&shouldPaginate=true

 

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This morning I got up, used my foundation, eyeshadow primer and the Sapphire Shine. My choice for primer was the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which works just as well as the UD Primer Potion (but that is another blog entry all together!!!). I applied the shadow to the lower lid with a brush and used Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic’s Jubilee under the brow. It made for a beautiful eye. I had the pictures all ready to go this morning, then my daughter got the camera and deleted them to take pictures of the dog. So I had to do them again this afternoon! It actually is a good thing because, as you can see the shadow really didn’t last as I had hoped. I am so disappointed. It wore off on the outer half of the eye, even with the primer and I had to reapply. I never have to reapply shadows. This is unusual and for the money I spent I am not happy. I gave you the link to all the colors. Would I purchase any of them again? I don’t think so based on this one test run. I will have to try it again, with a different primer I think. If anyone else has used these shadows I would love to hear your results!

 

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

THE 10 BEST BEAUTY ITEMS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

I think you already know this, but the holiday season brings out my inner beauty nut. Beauty companies compete for our hard earned dollars with fabulous limited edition blockbuster sets that all of us fight to obtain by sometimes staying up late into the night (admit it, you have done this). Today I want to discuss my 10 favorite beauty items for the 2011 holiday season. You have gift cards and you want to spend them, am I right?

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First, let’s talk palettes. I have three palettes that I think are part of this holiday’s best offerings. Two are from Urban Decay. I am loving their Naked 2 palette (http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/12/yippee-urban-decay-does-follow-up-with.html) and their 15th Anniversary Set (http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/07/urban-decays-15th-anniversary-palette.html). I chose this over their Book of Shadows IV because of the newer shadows it had in it. Finally, the third set is a Too Faced kit that has almost everything in it, Too Faced Sweet Dreams (http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/11/too-faced-sweet-dreams-sephora.html), which is a Sephora exclusive.

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Other items I am think are particularly special right now are: MAC False Lashes (www.maccosmetics.com), $19.00. I am a huge fan of mascaras and I think this one really makes lashes look long and lovely. Usually I don’t promote hair care products very much, but there are times when I cannot wash my hair because I am not feeling well. I have found the ultimate dry shampoo. It is Oscar Blandi’s Invisible Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray, $23.00. A few sprays in and around the scalp and my hair is good to go for another day. And I have asked hair dressers many times, they keep telling me that constantly washing the hair can cause it to be too dry. I have mentioned before that my glowing skin is due to philosophy’s Microdelivery Mini Peel (http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/07/philosophys-microdelivery-mini-peel.html ), which used every day gives me the look of skin that is eternally 30ish!, $35.00 One other product I like from philosophy right now are their Miracle Worker Retinol pads that are applied in the evening. They come with a bottle of retinol that is poured over the pads and you use them up. Very nice! (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P254602&categoryId=C10462) $70.00

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I am also a big lipstick and lipgloss fanatic. This season I have been digging around looking for sets that have some great colors. Lorac has one that is only $25.00 and is available at Sephora.com (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P295483&categoryId=C106). It has six colors in it that have a good range. This would be great for that gift card you get! These next two items are not sets, but I have to include them because they are the best made lipsticks out right now. Illamasqua and Inglot both have wonderful lipsticks. I love Illamasqua for their color range and the pigmentation they have. These lipsticks are available at www.illamasqua.com or on www.sephora.com. Well worth the price. They are a little dry but you can wear lipbalm underneath to counteract that. As for Inglot, their lipsticks have a creaminess and pigmentation that are amazing but they are harder to come by. You have to either live near a store or order directly from www.inglotcosmetics.com. They also have a HUGE color selection. Both of these lines also have wonderful eyeshadows. I wanted to pick those but I really wanted to pick the palettes as gift items that you should get yourselves!

Well, this is my pick for the best out for this holiday season. I hope you like it. If not, would love to hear what you have to add as your own. I know there are so many more products. I didn’t even get to talk pigments like OCC! I guess I will have to make another list soon…

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

REVIEW: TARINA TARANTINO’S DOLLSKIN CHEEK PALETTE

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I had been eyeing this on Sephora.com for a month now due to the fact that I liked the Tarina Tarantino eyeshadow quint so much. I thought the blush would also be as smooth and pigmented as the shadows. You know what, luckily I was right! This palette of four blushes is so cute, that it makes the price worthwhile! It runs $45.00 but that makes it $9.00 for each blush.

The blushes are (from left top to right bottom): Feather, Parasol, Carved Rose and Candy Cameo.  Candy Cameo is the only shimmery one. Today I wore Parasol and I really had to tone it down some because the blush had so much pigmentation. I think these blush would look so cute on their own, worn with just a little mascara on the eyes and some black liner and then some light pink gloss on the lips. I am so happy with this brand that I expect to purchase some more eyeshadows, lipglosses and lipsticks. It looks like everything they put out is well worth the money!

Friday, December 16, 2011

L’OREAL MAGIC LUMI REVIEW

A few years ago, right after the holidays, Revlon and Prescriptives came out with some Illuminating makeup that took the cosmetic world by storm. The idea was all about small pearls that reflected light off the skin to make it dewy and glow. Well, it has been a few years and we are in need of dewy skin again I guess.

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L’Oreal has three items in their collection: a primer, a brightening concealer and a fluffy mousse blush. The primer comes in just one color, a white shimmery liquid. I mixed it with my foundation to add the brightening effect. I found that it did brighten the foundation but any shimmer product will do that. The concealer comes in three shades. I purchased the fair and as you can see, it BARELY shows up in the swatch photo. I took a number of photos to try and get it to show up. This means it is a very light color. I applied it under my eyes and it indeed made any dark circles disappear.

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Let’s talk about the blush. It comes in four colors. I picked a nice light pink tone. If you look at the swatch it looks like I put a ton on my hand. I did. Try putting that on your face. Then it seems to meld into my skin with repeated applications. I find that I don’t want to have to reapply a lot of blush on my skin. At first it looks okay and then it suddenly wasn’t there. I think I will just take this color and not purchase any more. So basically, I am happy with one product, the concealer. Now these products are not inexpensive anymore. I was lucky that L’Oreal was Buy One Get One Half Off at Rite-Aid so that I saved a lot of money. The primer,concealer and blush each run around $12.95. They will likely also be available at other drugstores very soon.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! PLEASE TAKE TIME TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY: http://iamthemakeupjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-giveaway-think-of-me-as-your.html

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Holiday Giveaway! Think of Me as your Santa!!!

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For the holiday season I am giving a nice little set of fun stuff. Here is what you get:
Korres Shower Gel in Japanese Rose
Bath and Body Works Shower Gel in Sweet Pea
Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mist in Japanese Cherry Blossom
Bath and Body Works Shower Gel in Country Chic
Bath and Body Works Body Lotion in Wild Honeysuckle
L’Occitane Soap in Verbena
NYX Blush in Silky Rose
NYX Mega Shine Gloss in Trendy
NYX Eyeliner in Black
Claire’s Nailpolish in Red Slippers
All you have to do to be entered for this giveaway is leave a comment saying what you want for Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Other Holiday to be Named Here. This giveaway ends on January 1, 2012.

Thanks to Vicki, she is the best!

UPDATE: I am adding some secret items to the giveaway. This gives you even more reason to enter!!!! 

The December Giveaway was won by Wendy W. Thanks for entering and I have a new Giveaway up now, you my enter that one!
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Win Miracle Skin Transformer for Your Christmas Gift!

This holiday season, Miracle Skin Transformer is giving away four popular products to one lucky winner every day in the month December! Simply post on their new Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcnamarabeauty what you are thankful for this holiday season to be entered for a chance to win.  A winner is chosen every day!

Treat & Conceal – Available in 3 shades to treat, protect and enhance the skin.  Ideal for under eye and blemishes. $36

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Body SPF 20 In 3 shades for all skin tones, this tinted body lotion has natural silicone, and other ingredients to leave a soft glow to skin all year round. $34

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Miracle Skin Transformer SPF 20 This multi-functional formula comes in 7 shades.  It is a natural-silicone tinted moisturizer for all skin tones that works to hydrate, protect and enhance skin. $48

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Personally, I am a huge fan of the Miracle Skin Transformer for face. I love the range of shades and it works like a BB cream. Even for the price, a little goes a LONG way. That makes it a great bargain. It is available at Sephora and www.sephora.com.

Friday, December 9, 2011

TOO FACED IS IN YOUR DREAMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

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Too Faced has put out a couple of cute offerings for your attention this holiday season. Frankly, I am really happy with them both. As I mentioned before, I love palettes! This one is called In Your Dreams and is available at www.sephora.com or www.ulta.com for $39.00. The palette has nine eyeshadows, three blushes and three lipglosses.

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The palette is divided into three looks. The eyeshadows for Natural Beauty are named: Silk Stockings (shimmery cream), La Cage (shimmery taupe), Rapture (shimmery brown). The blush is Wanna Play (bright shimmery pink-peach) and the lipgloss Give It Up (a very shimmery pink). The second look is called Feminine Flirty. It’s shadows are Pink Peacock (shimmery pink), Swing (shimmery olive brown) and Fishnet (shimmery charcoal). The blush is Girly Show (pink) and the lipgloss is Pink Ice (shimmery mauve pink). The last look is called Seductively Smokey and the shadows are Full Moon (very shimmery silver), Dream On (shimmery eggplant) and Seduce (shimmery navy), the blush is You Hold The Key (shimmery nude pink) and the lipgloss is Heart On (shimmery pinky-gold).

 

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For this look I used La Cage in the crease, then Rapture deep in the crease and on the outer edge of the lid and under the eye. I used Pink Peacock on the lid and under the brow. Believe it or not I didn’t use any liquid liner this time (shocker I know!). And for mascara I used Maybelline’s Great Lash Lots of Lashes. I really like this mascara!!!! On my cheeks I used Girly Show and then on my lips I used Pink Ice.

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This is a second look I did with the palette. For this look I used Swing in the crease, and Dream On in the deeper part of the crease and on the outer edge of the lid and under the eye. Then I took Full Moon and used it on the lid and used Pink Peacock under the brow. I used Mercury liquid liner from Chanel, and L’Oreal’s False Lashes mascara. On my cheeks I used Wanna Play? and on my lips I used Give it Up.

 

As you can see, both looks are definitely different. I found that the shadows have different levels of payoff, with some being better than others. I think that other Too Faced palettes have been better honestly. The blushes are very nice, having great pigmentation and payoff. Also, each lipgloss is creamy and pigmented with good lasting power. It is a cute palette and would make a cute gift if you have that much to spend on someone or you really wanted it for yourself.

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