Hot Cloth Cleanser

Hello Friends!

Lately it seems like everyone is talking about the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. All the talk caught my interest, so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Apparently Liz Earle is only sold on the Liz Earle website in the states, so in order to get it, I was going to have to pay $43 plus shipping. I couldn't do it, so I gave up on the idea, until I found out that Boots No 7 (available everywhere here) had a dupe!

I've been using the No 7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser ($10.49) for about a week now, and I really like it. If you've never used a hot cloth cleanser, you spread 1-2 pumps of the cleanser over a dry face, then moisten the included muslin cloth with hot water, and drape it over your face. The moist heat opens the pores, allowing the cleanser to clean inside them. After leaving it on for a minute or two (the cloth is thin, so it cools quickly), you take the same cloth and scrub it in little circles to remove the cleanser, and then rinse your face and the cloth.

After a week of using it every night, I'm not sure that my skin is clearing up very much, but it's certainly less red than it was before. I missed a day, and the next day my skin rebounded. I'm definitely going to keep using it- if nothing else, because it feels great! The combination of the heat and the clean feeling after I use it feels like a spa treatment. I love it!

There's only two things I don't like about the cleanser. First, the smell. I'm not really sure what it's meant to smell like, but it's just a little strange- although not particularly bad. The second thing is just something I need to fix myself- the cleanser only comes with one cloth. I've been looking around, but I haven't found anything similar yet, so I may end up making my own. I also recommend using a facial wipe or makeup remover before using the cleanser, since any make up you have on your face will stain the cloth.

Overall, I'm happy with this stuff, especially at a fourth of the price of the Liz Earle!

Always,

Nani xx

What skin care products can you not live with out? Leave them in the comments below!

Drug Store Lips!

Hello Friends!

Over the last few months, I've been exploring different lip glosses and lip sticks. When I first started wearing makeup, I was all about lip gloss, but slowly my focus shifted to the eyes, and i fell in to a lip product rut. That's all changed now! Here's the lip products I've been using lately. Note: My lips tend to be quite dry, and all of these products work well for me.

This is the Covergirl LipPerfection lip color in 325, Spellbound ($5-8). (Note to my UK readers- I'm sure some of you know this, but Covergirl is the US equivalent to MAX Factor) I've been seeing this color a lot, and I thought it was time to give it a try.

 It's so fresh for spring! It's so vibrant and intense. I'm very pleased with the wear and the staying power of this stuff (it's also very moisturizing).  Unfortunately, those factors add up to  lip color that stains any and EVERY thing. Here's what it looks like after it was on my arm for 10 minutes, and removed with makeup remover.

Staining that quickly, you can imagine what can happen when you've worn it for hours. The first time I wore it, I had a few dry patches on my lip, and, even after I did a sugar lip scrub, I had fuchsia patches for two days! *sigh* I also recommend applying with a brush, since it does stain, so any mistakes are hard to hide. Staining aside, I really love this product. I'll be on the lookout for a dupe that doesn't stain, though!

This is Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 006, Pink Blush ($4.92). I think Rimmel lipsticks are such a great value for your money. They wear very smoothly! I like this shade for spring as well (can you tell it's on my mind? Spring comes slowly in the Pacific North West!)

It's really a lovely petal color. It's an eight hour wear, but I'd think it was closer to 6, which still isn't bad. My only complaint is that if you have any rough spots, it really... clumps up, for lack of a better word. Otherwise, I'm happy with it.

Kate Moss has joined with Rimmel to design a new line lipsticks ($5.19). They're 8-hour long wear (and I think that's actually accurate) and infused with black diamonds to reflect light. I really like that, since it's reflective without being shimmery.

I picked up number 008 (they're not named, as far as I can tell). It looks a lot oranger in the picture, but it's a really nice neutral. My lips are naturally quite pigmented, so it looks really natural on me. I like it!

Now, for my very favorite- L'Oreal Colour Riche Wet Shine Stain ($9.99, but I got mine on a Buy-one-get-one half off sale with a $2 coupon!) I found out recently that L'Oreal owns the YSL makeup line, and according to beauty gurus, it's almost an exact duplicate of their Rouge Por Courture Glossy Stain ($34). It even has the same applicator- almost a heart shape.

 I've been really impressed by this line. I first purchased 184 Rose On and On (the middle shade in the picture above), which I liked so well (and which Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter has also reviewed here), that I went and bought two more, 188 Coral Tattoo (top), and 183 Pink Resistance (bottom). The shades are swatched in the same order below.

This stuff is FABULOUS! The color is intense, but sheer at the same time, if that makes sense. It lasts like a stain, but wears like a non-sticky gloss- perfection. I applied this at 4 pm today, went to dinner, and now, at 11:30 pm, it has just begun to fade, so I'd say it has six solid hours of good color. Also... Remember the one above that stains? This one actually is a stain. This is after... MAYBE five minutes.

Anyway, these are my favorites! What color(s) have been you been loving this spring?

Always,

Nani xx

Ulta Haul, Part Two- The Brushes!

Hello Friends!

Here's part two of my Ulta haul, focusing on the brushes!

The first brush I picked up was the Precision Face Brush by Bare Minerals/Bare Escentuals ($28). The lady who helped me at Ulta used this when she put my new foundation on, and I really like the way it worked. The top of the brush is entirely solid, there's almost no tapering of the bristles.

The smooth top makes it so I can actual squeeze a little bit of foundation directly on to the brush (the foundation is quite thick) instead of putting it on a palette or the back of my hand, therefore wasting less that I was with my last foundation brush. It also seems to absorb less make up.

The brush itself is cut at an angle, with makes it easy to get into the contours of the face. I feel like it makes it easy to buff the makeup onto the skin, and it doesn't streak. I'm really happy with it. I am curious if other kabuki-style brushes might work the same way, but I think it was worth it. The one odd thing about this brush is that the tips of the bristles are a rosey-pink. I'm really not sure why. Unfortunately, this kind of makes the brush look dirty all the time.

I have been watching a lot of Pixiwoo tutorials lately. Sam Chapman, one half of the Pixiwoo duo had designed her own line of brushes, Real Techniques, and they use them in the videos. I've been intrigued, so I thought I'd give them a shot, since they're very inexpensive.

The Real Technique brushes are all synthetic, but the bristles are very high quality- they don't feel plastic-y at all. I was really surprised by the quality of these brushes for the price- $6-10 a brush, or $17 for a set of 3-6).  I've washed them once, and NO bristles came our. None. I was blown away. The other quality the that really sets them apart is their handles. If you notice in the pictures, the ferule (the metal part) extends down most of the length of the brush. This makes the brushes incredibly light. They're also a bit wider than a lot of brush handles. While I like those features merely out of preference, it really makes the difference for my mom, who has arthritis, and finds it hard to hold on to some smaller brushes. The ferules themselves are also color coded, which makes it easy to find what you're looking for. The gold handles are for base products, the purple are for eyes, and the pink are for finishing (powders, contours, etc). Most of their individual brushes also have flared handles (see the stipple brush below) that allow you to stand them upright "for display," should you want to do that.

The Real Techniques Travel Essentials set ($17) comes with three brushes and a padded carry case that doubles as a stand.

In this set, the gold brush is their Essential Foundation brush. I'm not a huge fan of this brush, but that's probably because I'm rubbish at applying foundation that way... I can't stop the streaks. It might be better with a thinner foundation. It works alright for concealer though. 

The purple brush is the Domed Shadow brush, and I love it! it's a nice, fluffy brush with a good taper. I like it for both base shadow and eye contouring. 

Finally, the pink brush is the Multi-task brush. It's a basic dome brush, and it really is good for multi-tasking. I've used it for bronzer and setting powder, and I like it equally well for both. It's very full, but I don't find it too fluffy for contouring.

I bought three other Real Techniques brushes.

This first brush is the Lash-Brow Groomer ($5.99). I've never really been one for eyelash combs, but this one is different to any others I've seen, since it has metal tines... almost reminiscent of a louse comb (gross, but true). I actually really like it, and it works really well. It comes with a little cover that snaps on over the tines to protect them (and you!) in your makeup bag. The brow side is is pretty average. All in all it was definitely worth what I paid for it.

The second brush is the Setting Brush ($7.99), which they recommend for a "controlled dusting of powder." Personally, I don't use it for that, since I like a big fluffy brush for powder, but one of my favorite things about the brushes is that they're all multi-use, and even the girls from Pixiwoo use them for all sorts of purposes. I mostly use this brush for highlighting or concealer. I find that using a fluffier brush gets around the blemishes better, and makes the coverage more even. 

The third, and final, brush is the Stippling Brush ($9.99). The Pixiwoo girls use this for foundation a lot, but I like a heavier application. I do, however, LOVE this brush for cream blush. It gives an incredibly even look, and it doesn't pick up too much product. It is also one of the brushes that is able to be stood up.


That's it for the brushes, and the end of my Ulta haul posts! Next week, I'll be doing a lip product haul/review. See you then!


Always,

Nani xx

I (re)Discover Drugstore Makeup!

Hello Friends!

Okay... Confession time:

I am a makeup snob. I never use drugstore makeup.

I don't mean sometimes, occasionally, every once in a while... I mean never.

When I was first allowed to wear makeup, my mom insisted that I only use Clinique, since sensitive skin runs in our family. This did two things. Firstly, it allowed her a high level of control over what makeup I owned, since, at twelve, there was no way I could afford to buy it (good thinking, Mom!). Secondly, it instilled the "you get what you pay for" value very deeply into my soul.

Once we determined that I wasn't allergic to most makeup, I was allowed to buy drugstore brands (still with Mom's supervision, thank goodness... although, there was that hideous electric blue mascara... but I digress). Since at that point, most of my money was from babysitting jobs (and I was a young teen), I gravitated to the cheaper, teen-oriented brands, like NYC and Jane. (the culprits behind the shocking mascara)

I liked the drugstore makeup, but I could feel the difference. The Clinique was smoother, had more pigment, and lasted longer... but the NYC was so much cheaper.

This carried on until I was 15, when we got a mini-Sephora in a larger department store in our mall. There were (in my mind) so many brands, and so many colors.. and they encouraged -or helped (!!)- you to try it out! I was in heaven. Then, a few months later, the mothership landed. We got our very own GIANT Sephora store.

Since then, I have rarely bought makeup anywhere else. It's an addiction. You've had the best, and it cost $39, so how could a $7 product compete?

Well... Here's where it gets real:

I have never found a foundation that I liked for more that a few months. I always find something wrong with it- wrong color, wrong texture, didn't last long enough (I'll never forget coming out of class with a perfect hand print of makeup missing my freshman year... yikes!)- there will be something. When you're paying $20-40 for foundation, switching every few months really adds up!

So when my latest foundation purchase, the new Make Up Forever Pro Finish powder (see my initial review of it here), ended up disappointing me after only a few weeks, I snapped.

I bought drugstore foundation.

And yeah- I only only spent $7 on it. And I LOVE it.

No, it's not the perfect foundation. No, it's not an exact match. But it's pretty darn close. SO. without further ado, I give you my new foundation:

Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation, in 120 Ivory (about $7 at Target).

After doing some research (read: watching Youtube reviews), I had decided on the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, but I'm pretty sure we don't have that here in the US, so I settled on this one. 

Application:
The first thing I noticed about the foundation was it's smell- it's fruity, and really pleasant. It's a thin, liquid foundation, which goes on really smoothly with a "precision"/beautyblender type sponge. I haven't tried it with a stipple brush yet, but I'm intrigued to see how that goes.
Like I said, it goes on smoothly, and, maybe because it's so thin, it layers really well. 

Wear:
When it first goes on (at least on oily skin like mine), it's almost... sticky. Not like honey... more... tacky. I really dislike that, but with a light dusting of setting powder, that goes away, and doesn't come back.
It doesn't last very long on it's own, maybe 6 hours, but with powder, and especially with a setting spray, it can last close to 12 hours. 

Removal:
This is my only concern with this foundation. Not that it's hard to take off, but the opposite. If you leave it on for a long time, like I do, then it can kind of disappear into your face, and lull you into complacency with your removal process (it's gotten me twice!). Always, ALWAYS remove your makeup before bed or a shower!


Anyway, I love the foundation, and now that I've broken down my prejudice, I went back for more. Today I went back to Target and picked up three lipsticks for spring! (Review to come!)

All this to say... Don't rule out anything completely.

Always,

Nani <3