Maybelline Spring 2014 collection

Well after seeing the chatter on the internet about the new Maybelline Spring 2014 limited edition collection "Dare to go Nude" the Roomie and I had to try Bed Bath and Beyond to see if we would be lucky enough to get our hands on a few of these buggers.  Here is the display thanks to youtube as I forgot to take a picture:

Short story we made out like bandits. Longer story: BB & B had too many new releases in the beauty section so they were only putting out one of the three displays and we were instantly disappointed. The display in easy reach was the one seen above. Out of those I picked up a lipstick in Nude Embrace. It is a beautiful light dusty mauve as you can see here:

I didn't pick up any shadows because I have so many high end nude eye shadows that it wasn't a priority. I also wanted Ravishing Rose which is a very pretty pink, but the Roomie got the last one so I will have to wait to see if I can find it when it comes out in a larger release. So a little defeated we started walking around the beauty section and low and behold the Roomie looked up. There were the rest of the displays. Sitting on top of the shelves. Thankfully I am tall and have no shame cause I brought those buggers right down to our level.  I ended up getting 2 color elixirs in Polished Petal (light almost clear pink) and Radiant Bloom (light to medium peachy pink). Swatches are here:

I also got 4 of the color tattoos in Pure Nude (very light shimmery beige) Sleek and Spice (warm medium shimmery brown) Beige-ing Beauty (warmer light shimmery beige) and Stroke of Midnight (microglitter black). Swatches below:

So a lot of luck and good timing helped with this haul because as I have learned the Maybelline limited edition collections are horribly hard to find. Good luck to all of you who are on the hunt!

XOXO,
Kris

A New Beauty Goodie I just have to share!!

I am a foundation fanatic! I probably have about 5 different types of foundation sitting in my apartment right now. The ones sitting on my desk right at this moment are the Revlon Colorstay Whipped (in Ivory), the Loreal True Match Lumi (in n1-n2), The Loreal Visible Lift Repair Absolute Foundation (thats a mouthful!!) and my absolute new favorite for the winter, dun da da dunnn Cover girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation (in, you guessed it, ivory) Heres what the package looks like courtesy of Google images

I got mine at CVS for 12 and then of course found it at Target for a freakishly low 5 bucks!! I have to say I'm a bit upset I didn't just get it at Target but ohh well. Live and learn I suppose! I have used this for about a week and here are the things I love:

1. It last all day without feeling like a mask. Actually when the day is through my face feels soft and supple and the foundation is still there.

2. It does not gunk up my brush. I know this seems like an odd thing to like but I put my foundation on with a Sigma F80 and when I use the Revlon Whipped my brush has to be cleaned about every other day because the foundation causes the bristles to stick together. This causes streaking for the next application if I don't clean it.

3. It actually matches my skin tone. You'd think paler than pale me would not have a hard time finding a matching foundation but no. For example, the Loreal Lumi foundation I have is the lightest they make and guess what?!?! Its too dark. Apparently I am whiter than a ghost! The Cover girl matches flawlessly and there are no foundation mask lines from a poor matching foundation.

4. Its full coverage. I really wish make-up brands would start telling consumers out right if a foundation is a light, medium, or full coverage foundation. There is nothing worse than spending an average 10 dollars on a foundation only to find it barely covers. I have some pigmentation issues from acne scaring and I personally like a full coverage foundation. The Cover girl fits the bill. It says on the bottle that it has "The lasting power of a primer, coverage of concealer, and blendability of foundation"  and I would agree. I have very little need for concealer after using this product. I still use concealer on my dark undereye circles (I'm coming to the conclusion I'm a vampire. Pale skin and dark undereyes= vampire, right?) but nothing can cover those gems alone. I need an army for that issue lol.

Anyway enough ranting, if you are a foundation lover like me, go to Target and get this foundation! Its amazing and only 5 bucks!


Hugs,
Kristen

Removing Makeup

So I have to confess, I completely suck at taking my makeup off after a long day. Usually taking the face off is the last thing I am thinking about. I know this is horrible and I will get plenty of wrinkles for doing this, but its the truth. So on those nights where all I want to do in the bathroom is brush my teeth then crawl into bed I have two handy dandy tricks up my sleeve. The first is the Burt's Bees facial cleansing towelettes. They look like this:



I have used 5 different brands of waterless cleansing towelettes: Neutrogena (The blue ones), Target Brand, Say Yes to Cucumbers, Simple, and the Burt's Bees and by far this brand is AMAZING and much better than all the rest. First of all it is not tested on our animal friends which is definitely a plus. It breaks my heart to think about the bunnies being hurt for vanity. It is also paraben and petrochemical free, which is super nice. Did you know that "Mineral Oil" is a by-product of the refinery process for gasoline?!?! And I should put it on my face? No Thank You! So I try to steer clear of anything with mineral oil in it. It is also paraben free which is great because parabens have been linked to cancer and to giving you wrinkles!! Isn't that crazy, the stuff we put on our face to keep from getting wrinkles may cause them! errr...wtf mate? If you want to read more about paraben and wrinkles you can start your research here: http://ezinearticles.com/?Truth-About-Parabens-in-Your-Anti-aging-Wrinkle-Creams&id=4674349

I also love the Burts Bees because they are the nicest smelling and feeling towelettes I have used. They smell floral and fresh. They also feel WONDERFUL! All the other ones I have used are a bit rough on my skin, and I don't like using them around my sensitive eye area. But these feel super soft and are made out of cloth so they work great on my skin.

The only thing no towelette does well though is remove eye make-up. They will all get the mascara and eyeliner off (eventually) but there will be some scrubbing involved. To solve this problem I add a little Witch Hazel and Almond oil to the cloth after I am done taking off my concealer/foundation/powder/blush. I personally use a 50/50 mixture of these two brands:



I get them both at a natural food store such as Whole Foods or Wegmans. The Thayers Witch Hazel is usually around $10 and the almond oil is around $5. And this will last you forever!!! I am still going through my first batch. I mix them in that little blue bottle, shake it up (because they will seperate, the whole water and oil thing) and apply it to the towelette. Then I use it on my eyes. My eye make-up comes right off. And it makes my eye area feel nice and soft. Almond oil is amazing and one day I will write a post about the 5 different ways I use it, but one reason I love it is it will not clog your pores. When my face is really dry, I will actually apply the oil directly to my face! The witch hazel i get is the rose petal, which smells devine and exactly like roses! Its lovely!

Anyway, so here are three products I am crazy about and hopefully I gave you some ideas as to how to take off that makeup when you are just too tired to stand in front of the sink and splash water everywhere! I will catch you all later! Hope you are having a fabulous week!

The Lotion Quest

I, like probably many women and girls, have been on a life long quest for the perfect lotion. Or really anything that will make my legs feel more like silk than sand paper. First of all I have extremely dry skin and legs. Without any moisturizer my legs could just about sand paint off of wood. So I have been on a quest to find the best moisturizer since middle school. And I have probably kept Jergens, St. Ives, and Bath and Body Works in business through the recession because of my quest. Sadly, none of these brand have worked like I wanted them. I hate lotion that is overpowering in smell. Even if it smells great at first, the smell usually gets old after a while. I also am not a fan of lotion that takes FOREVER to sink in. I don't have time in my life to sit and rub lotion on my legs for 20 years. And then there is always the lotion that works for all of 5 minutes. You know the one. You rub it in, and then 3 minutes later, you would never know you had lotion on cause your skin is dry and scratchy again.

Enter a "real-housewife" of New York. I loved Betheny Frankel when I first started watching that train-wreck of a show (You know the shows that are just so bad you have to watch?) I thought she was hilarious, and said the things that I am thinking. Well apparently in addition to making booze (Skinny Girl Margaritas) she is now making soaps and lotions. I saw this soothing body oil and thought I would give it a try.


I honestly did not have much hopes that I would like it. Past experience told me that it would be too perfumed, too oily, or wouldn't moisturize enough. Well boy was I surprised. First of all, while not organic, it its made of only oils and perfume. Safflower oil is the first ingredient, with sweet almond oil and coconut oil next on the list then perfume and squalane which is an oil from plant and animals.



This body oil is supposed to be for pregnant women to use on there growing baby bumps. But who say's only to-be mommies can use it? Especially when it works so very well and doesn't over power you with a smell. Speaking of, the smell is quite pleasant. It is very light and floral. I have been using it for about a month on my legs and I am a very happy camper. My legs feel like a baby's bottom! In fact they have never felt this soft. The oil sinks in pretty quickly, and never stains my pants. And the smell works really well with any other perfume I put on because it is so light.

I usually use it right after I get out of the shower and towel off and in just the time it takes me to put my hair in a towel, it has usually already sunk into my skin. I definitely recommend giving this oil a try if you are like me and need something to moisturize your skin without being a headache.

If you want to give it a try you can get it at most Wal-mart's or here online: SkinnyGirl

So I would give SkinnyGirl Soothing Body Oil 5/5 stars!

Introductions and a Quest

Hi, my name is Kristen and I am on a quest. A quest for what you might ask? Well let's begin with a story. I began this quest when I was about 14 years old. That is when I realized that I would never be able to wake up and simply brush my hair and go out the door. I was "blessed" with curly hair. Over the years I had to learn how to style my hair which was a bit difficult considering I am the only one in my family or group of friends with this particular blessing. I cannot count how many times I left the house looking like a poof ball because I didn't know you shouldn't brush dry curls, which would inevitably result in my hair in a ponytail or bun so I didn't have to deal with it.

My hair, in a bun with a headband to keep the bangs out of my face (i.e. a day when my hair frustrated me!)

So when I started high school, I started my quest to find the best hair products for my hair (dry and curly). I am still on that quest today lol. I have tried just about every thing to get beautiful non-crunchy (you know, the hair that has so much gel in it one looks a little like Medusa?) curls. This blog will be a testament to what I have tried and what succeeded or failed in hopes that maybe it can help someone reading it!

My second quest is similar to the first. In addition to dry hair, I have also been blessed with extremely dry skin. You know that Jergens commercial where we see a little girl constantly scratching and then she grows up, finds the perfect lotion and she never has to scratch again? Yea that girl is me. In the winter I am constantly itchy because of my dry arms and legs. So my second quest of life is to find the perfect moisturizer. This quest is difficult though because I hate lotion that takes forever to sink in (so you look like you have white streaks all over), is sticky, or is way too perfumed. This quest has lead to quite a collection of lotions in the hopes of finding the perfect one.

Finally my last quest is mostly for fun. I love makeup. I love buying new colors, different types, and trying new products. I am constantly searching for the perfect foundation, concealer, and powder because none work perfectly. They either don't match my coloring, wipe right off, or sink into my fine lines and make me look much older than 27. I also love painting my nails, and playing with colorful eye liner. So this last quest will involve some reviews of my favorites in make up and some products that just did not work for me.

See how pale I am? Not a good foundation match!

Just one last note before I go, I promise you I am affiliated with no company. I am actually a graduate student who just needs to write about something other than healthcare and thought this would be a fun experiment! If I write about a product, that means I bought it with my own money. I love reading product reviews and I know the feeling when you find out that the reviewer is biased because they make a profit off of you buying the product, so I promise you, if I recommend something, that means I went out and purchased it myself!

I hope you are having an awesome weekend and be sure to check during the week cause I will definitely have some reviews for you!

K