November Birchbox

This month's Birchbox is about details. The products that finish off a look.  They are also the type of product that can complete change a look and make you look more polished or put together.

These are this week's products.  A face mask from Balance Me that cleanses, exfoliates and brightens.  Seems like a mask/scrub product. You only leave it on for 5 minutes.  A blush and highlighter duo from Coastal Scents. Blush seems like a coral color and highlighter has a champagne tone. They swatch really well but the sample is kind of small. Don't know how I'm going to get a brush in there.  A Ceramidin Cream from Dr. Jart.  I've never tried this brand and am excited to try this product. It suppose to be lightweight effective.  A mascara from Milk Makeup.  I already tried this. It lengthens more than volumizes. Gives a natural but wide-eyed look.  I like it.  Last and certainly not least is the product I'm most excited about; an Analog Cleansing Foam Conditioner from R+Co.  I have tried a dry shampoo in last's month that I truly enjoyed. This month's product is a foam that you use on wet hair then rinse.  It prevents completely shampooing the hair but probably cleans more then a dry shampoo.  I'm really excited about this one.  I like dry shampoo but sometimes its hard to reshape curls without wetting hair.  We'll see...

Birchbox subscription is an online beauty subscription service. It cost $10 a month and is catered to your skin and hair type.  Your preferences are also considered. You fill out a profile when you set up.  Honestly they never really get it wrong. 

www.birchbox.com

Best Stick Foundation

 Always on the quest to discover the next best foundation. I came across the new Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick.

Let me say I've never been a fan of stick foundation. They usually don't blend well on my skin. They are cakey and make my skin look like a grease ball after a few hours. Because of this reason I was a little hesitant to try it. It's $46 at Sephora. It's not an inexpensive product to try out. I went to Sephora and swatches it on my hand. It glides smoothly and has no greasy feel. Color matching was a little difficult. My shades looked too yellow for my skin. After a few minutes. I found my shade.

Let me just say I love this product. It makes foundation really fast to apply. Builds easily and blends well.  It minimizes the look of pores and incredibly leaves a powder like finish.  This product does not crease even though it feels emollient to the touch. Either way I have combination skin so I set it with my Laura Mercier loose powder, but honestly my skin does not feel tacky at all.  It is definitely a full coverage foundation that blends or vanishes into the skin.

Some people gripe about the fact that there is only .25 oz of product versus 1 oz of product in a liquid foundation. In reality you use a lot less of this product to achieve a full coverage face.

If you love stick foundation this is for you. If you think fluid foundations are to messy, too hard to apply or take to long this is for you.

In conclusion this is a great foundation. I recommend you go to a store and swatch it to find your correct shade.  There are a ton of shades so it might take a while.

This is a great buy. Highly recommended. www.sephora.com

Ready For Summer BB Cream

Summer is finally approaching! Yay!!


It's the perfect time to be outdoors and enjoy the weather. We are often busy planning a long vacation or a weekend getaway.  Sometimes we forget the damage the sun has on our skin during these hot months. 


We should wear an SPF on our face everyday to prevent sun damage. But this is especially important during the summer months.  The tricky part is trying to find something that has enough coverage without making the face look greasy. In all likely hood you will get a little sweaty and will not really touch up any makeup.  If you have oily skin and live in a really hot climate like me this is an almost impossible task.


I have tried some BB and CC creams over the years. Some have been OK some have been bad and some horrible.  I recently found one I actually like and can easily replace my foundation most days.  After researching and reading customer reviews I purchased the Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 by Tarte. 


Wow! Just wow.  Let me first say that I love Tarte Cosmetics and have some of their products. Their products have great benefits and are free of many chemicals that many cosmetics have.  You can find out more on their website tartecosmetics.com.  This BB cream though is wonderful. It has a light coverage but more than I have experienced with any other BB or CC cream. It glides on smoothly, sets well and leaves a powdery but not cakey feeling. I often set it with a powder, pressed or loose.  This makes the BB cream last longer. I love using it with my Laura Mercier Translucent loose powder. I can achieve glowing skin which I was never able to do with my oily skin cause my skin would quickly become an oil slick.   I have used this BB cream from 8AM to 8PM and it holds up pretty well.  It comes in a squeeze tube with a wooden screw top. Very typical for Tarte.  It comes in 8 shades and retails for $36.00.  It is not an inexpensive BB by all means.  But I get it. It really acts like a light foundation with SPF. It was also voted Readers Choice by Allure Magazine in 2015.  So I guess most people agree this is a great product.


Looking forward to wearing this much more in the months to come. Highly recommend.


Happy Summer


tartecosmetics.com

Best Drugstore Foundation For Oily Skin






After lots of searching and testing I think I have found the best matte drugstore foundation for oily skin.  This has not been an easy feat.  Although I feel there are much more options for matte foundations at the drugstore now than in previous years. Not all matte foundations are truly matte, not all of them come in a good color range and not all appear seamless on the skin.  Some feel cakey, don't blend well or oxide, making your skin turn orange.




I feel after much searching I have found a really good option. Loreal's Infallible pro-matte.  Let me just say this is truly a seamless matte foundation.  It comes in 12 shades ranging from Ivory to Cocoa. Most shades are beige tones.  The color range is not bad but they definitely cater to more beige skin tone. They could definitely add more colors in the ivory and cocoa shades.


This applies easily with a wet sponge. I use my Beauty Blender or my Real Techniques sponge, which I recently purchased for the first time. I am in love with this sponge for the great design and texture. Of course the price is spectacular. Because it is a matte foundation it dries quickly but not that quickly that it doesn't give you time to blend it. It sets well and does not leave your skin feeling tacky.  I feel it has good medium coverage.  I guess it could become full coverage but I honestly don't know how much more you would have to apply or if it will change the appearance of the seamless look.  It claims it has 24hour.  On my oily skin I would say 8 to 10 hours.  If it is a hot day and I'm outside a lot maybe I have to blot with a blotting paper once during the day. I usually use the Infallible Pressed Powder.  This will definitely help the foundation stay put longer.  At the end of the day it washes off easily. My skin which is prone to breakouts with certain foundations is not really affected with this foundation.  The price is of course on point.  Plus most drugstores or Ulta's have coupons or rewards available that you can get an even better deal on.   So far this is the best drugstore matte foundation I have found. Definitely recommend to anyone with oily skin or those with normal skin but like a matte finish.




As summer nears this will definitely be my go to foundation.


Happy Spring!


http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod11861081