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Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:15:26 +0000

Since foundation can truly transform the look of your skin, we certainly don’t judge anyone who’s willing to spend a lot on it. We tried Chanel’s latest foundation – Perfection Lumiere. At $55 it’s pricier then many of the foundations we review but we decided to give it a try. It has a very pleasant light fragrance which is a nice touch. Now, does it give you perfect skin like the model in the photo? We found that it does have a perfect mix of a natural finish with full coverage. In other words, you look like you’re not really wearing much makeup but your imperfections are covered. We think it’s most likely the finish to the makeup, which mimics the texture of skin (not too matte, not too dewy). Lumiere Foundation is also available in 20 shades, so more likely than not, they have a shade for you. This is a long-wearing foundation, but if you have oily skin, you may find this not to be so. This foundation doesn’t stop your face from being greasy. So if you have normal to dry skin, we think this is truly an amazing product! Also remember that department store makeup counters are happy to give samples (which is last for a few days to a week) so you can be completely sure before buying. If you have oily skin and want full coverage that lasts all day, we recommend Estee Lauder’s Doublewear foundation. The only thing that stops it from being perfect is that it’s a bit drying, which is a good thing for oily skin.

To see other foundations we’ve reviewed click here.

La Roche-Posay Mela-D Serum

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:39:12 +0000

The primary purpose of La Roche-Posay’s Mela-D Serum Anti-Dark Spot Concentrate is to correct skin discoloration and even skin complexion. However, what we loved to most is how it improves the texture of your skin. Sometimes you don’t realize how clogged your pores are until you use a product like this. The product contains kojic acid and glycolic acid. This is one of the milder products we’ve tried with glycolic acid so it’s a good product for those with sensitive skin. The directions called for applying once a day during morning or evening, but if in the morning apply a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. In our experience, you get the most benefit out of using this product at night under your favorite moisturizer. It seems to make your moisturizer more effective. At almost $60 this drugstore product isn’t cheap, but in our opinion the product quality is as good as high end skincare lines such as Natura Bisse. We like to use this 3 times a week to maintain the great effects this serum has on our skin.

Click here to see our product review for La Roche-Posay’s Mela D Dark Spots, which you can use as a daily moisturizer.

*UPDATE You can now enter to win the new Spot the Difference with Mela-D Pigment Control on the LaRoche-Posay USA Facebook page

Got2b Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Blow Out Lotion

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:32:58 +0000

At the salon when you get your hair blown out your hair is lustrous and silky. At home it’s easy to get discouraged when your hair starts to get that dried out straw look every time you blow dry. And then afterwards you have to use a curling iron or flat iron just to get the same look that your hairdresser can wield with a blow-dryer. Although we’ve used many heat protectant products, we found Got2b’s Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Blow Out Lotion to be the only one where you could actually see that there was less damage. You blow dry your hair, without the smell of torched hair in your bathroom! With this product we got admirably close to salon blowout. To use, you just spray on sectioned damp hair first, and then blow dry your hair. We appreciated that it was a spray, because it’s hard to get an even application with lotions. The Blow Out Lotion has a nice scent but it’s not overpowering. Got2b also has another product, Got2b Guardian Angel 425° Heat Protect Flat Iron Balm (we tried this one too and it gives great shine and less frizz) that protects your hair from the flat iron. However, since they are both spray on products you may be able to just get away with using the Blow Out Lotion only when styling.

Caress Fine Fragrance Elixirs Body Wash, Scarlet Blossom

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:27:13 +0000

If you like body wash with a bit more fragrance (i.e. Bath & Body Works) then you’ll enjoy Caress’s new Fine Fragrance Elixirs Body Wash. We tried the body wash in Scarlet Blossom and thought the scent was a great quality – it didn’t smell ‘cheap’. The scent is a unique blend of red lychee and patchouli oil. This body wash also has silkening moisturizers so you don’t have to choose between moisturized skin and smelling great. It’s clean-rinsing and we think it’s appropriate for most skin types except extremely dry. If you are a Caress fan, you should know that we are also giving away Caress Body Wash, Exfoliating Burnt Brown Sugar & Karite Butter; and Caress Body Wash, Moisturizing Daily Silk in our contest of the month, enter to win here!

Contest of the Week – CoverGirl Mascara and L’Oreal Lipstick

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:17:21 +0000

This week, we are giving away CoverGirl Exact EyeLights Mascara in Black Ruby for Green Eyes and L’Oreal Infallible Le Rouge Lipcolor in Infinite Spice – one of our favorite nude lipsticks. To enter, just comment below with your best tip for making nude lipstick work.
Here’s ours: If you’re pale, go for peach, pink, and beige shades. If you have olive tones, go for warmer shades with brown tones.
One winner will be chosen by 11/23/2011 and notified by email 11/30/2011. U.S. residents only. Odds of winning are 1 out of number of comments on this blog post.

Scunci Effortless Beauty Fashion Headbands

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:45:53 +0000

Have you every worn a headband and then had to take it off after a few hours because it gave you a headache? There’s no shortage of cute headbands but it’s hard to find ones that aren’t too tight but also stay in your hair. We found Scunci Effortless Beauty Fashion Headbands at Walgreens on sale for $2.99 and thought they were amazing! These headbands are the most comfortable ones we’ve tried to date. They come in assorted colors with a snake print pattern (each pack comes with 3), and they have teeth in each headband that keeps your hair in place. If you use the teeth to go through your hair when you put it on it actually makes the look neater! We didn’t see these headbands on the Scunci website so we’re hoping that doesn’t mean they’re being discontinued! You can check out the headbands on the Walgreens website at http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/scunci-effortless-beauty-fashion-headbands/ID=prod6026738-product.

La Roche-Posay Mela-D Dark Spots

admin — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:03:51 +0000

It used to be that most skin lighteners contained hydroquinone. However, in 2006 FDA proposed a ban on the over the counter sale of cosmetics with this ingredient that was so popular to reduce age spots and blemishes. So why the ban? Studies showed some evidence that hydroquinone had some cancer causing properties. 2010 studies also showed that there was a link between hydroquinone and ochronosis, a condition where the skin gets dark and thick. Skin care companies have since found alternate ingredients to use for skin lightening. For example, La Roche-Posay’s Mela D Dark Spots contains Kojic Acid and LHA. You can use this as a daily moisturizer for age spots, sun spots, liver spots, and freckles. It’s also safe for sensitive skin. We tried this for a week and noticed a difference. We really liked that since it’s non-greasy we could use it in the morning beneath our makeup and at night. We noticed a nice improvement, but found that their other product, Mela-D Serum, gives faster results. If you haven’t heard of La Roche-Posay it is a skincare company that bases its products around healing thermal spring water. Their products are all designed not to irritate delicate skin so they are fragrance free and tested on sensitive skin.

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CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:17:21 +0000

Lipstick and lip gloss have a completely different look and feel. If you’re searching for something that’s in between you may want to try CoverGirl’s NatureLuxe Gloss Balm. The subtle color in this Gloss Balm is not as strong as a lipstick, and it’s not as shiny as a gloss. You also get the benefit of SPF 15 and nurturing mango and shea butter. We thought this was a great formula for going to the office, going to the gym, or anywhere where you don’t want to look like you have obvious makeup. Thankfully, our lips were soft but we didn’t have to go through the stickiness that gloss can have. We tried NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in shade Grenache (235), which is a very natural looking plum shade.

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Lumene Excellent Future Deep Repairing Serum

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:46:32 +0000

In terms of getting the job done with fighting aging, serums are the way to go. Many people ask what the point of using a serum is when you can always use a moisturizer with anti-aging ingredients. But the anti-age ingredients aren’t as potent when mixed with a product that is also tasked to moisturize your skin. So what goes on first, the serum or the moisturizer? You put the serum on first, and then the next layer is your moisturizer. When you have oily skin, sometimes a serum is a great way to have something to protect your skin and you can skip the moisturizer. We found that Lumene’s Excellent Future Deep Repairing Serum gave skin great texture and as promised reduced the depth of existing wrinkles. But what we liked most was that it’s fragrance free and 90% natural. We tried it on sensitive skin and didn’t see any irritation. If you haven’t heard of Lumene before, it’s a Finland based company that makes skincare from Artic berries and plants which are said to be very resilient.

Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion SPF 30

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:18:34 +0000

It’s good to see that more anti-age lotions that are lightweight enough for oily skin are coming on the market. One of them is Dr Lewinn’s Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion SPF 30. Protecting your skin against the sun is key, and this moisturizer has an SPF of 30. But what we liked the most was that the formula quickly absorbed into our skin, and wore well under makeup. We expected a greasy look since this product emphasizes moisture but we got great results, even on our testers with more oily skin. Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion SPF 30 is said to work by restoring skin structure so the surface holds on to more water. We saw younger, more dewy looking skin. But if you have deep wrinkles or creases you may want a heavier product.