Monday, February 28, 2011

LORAC 3D Liquid Lustre

Hello Lovelies!

A couple weeks ago, one of my favorite YT gurus (one of the few good ones who is completely honest and real!) , Sam Schuerman , had tweeted about picking up the LORAC 3D Liquid Lustre. And I have never really heard of LORAC too much but was so intrigued by this product!

Its a liquid glitter but it is a classy glitter. Ke$ha has given glitter a bad name but this glitter shows that you can wear it and not look like you're an autotuned trailer trash wreck!

Or as LORAC likes to say:
"Amp up your look with LORAC 3D Liquid Lustre! This paraben-free, long-lasting, shimmering top coat can be applied over eye shadow or alone on eyes and cheeks for luminous, prismatic, 3-Dimensional sparkle and shine. Refuse to be 1-Dimensional and go 3-D with LORAC!"

What I love about it, is how luminous and awesome it is! Its got a gorgeous kind of moonshine glow. Its absolutely stunning and so freaking multi-dimensional!

When you get it (or swatch at the store) its separated into a liquid part on top and a denser part on the bottom where the glitter is. For a little glitter, I just shake it once. More glitter? Shake it more!

The applicator is a little glass dropper and dispenses a good amount of product. It actually has somewhat of a powdery consistency, its is really weird but freaking fun to play with! It does, however, dry a little fast which can either be good or bad, depending on what you are doing!

It is even safe for the eyes! (Ke$ha, its opthamologist approved not gyno approved...) so it glams up any look! I love it alone, but it will need a good eyeshadow base because it will crease! And of course, it will look awesome over shadows, cheeks as a highlight, or even on the chest for a little something! I want to do a smokey eye and then just put this right on the lid, gorgeous!!


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This retails for $16 and can be found on loraccosmetics.com, Sephora & sephora.com, Ulta and Ulta.com!

Anyone else try this or have seen anything like it?

♥ Chelsea


Dear FTC Man, I worked my ass off this summer (we're talking 13 day weeks) and got 10-15% of my paycheck taken out for taxes, so I have gotten my sweet, sweet, tax money back and decided I needed to be glittery. SO SHOVE IT. H&Ks.

Clarisonic Mia Day 2!

Hello Lovelies!

Ok, so I thought I'd do an update on the Mia, I've used it 4x now and I wanted to just share the results thus far and find out if anyone has had the same thing.

Day 2 and my skin is SOFT. Like baby ass soft.

But my pores on AND around my nose are larger and I've got some lovely bumps forming on my forehead. And my nose was full of blackheads this morning. Well more like brownheads because of all the freckles I have.

Is this freaking normal?!

I know I will breakout using this, but for the love of all things beauty, a nose full of black heads?! The reason why this is gonna break me out is because it should be bringing all the impurities (dirt, bacteria) to the surface. This means a job well done!

Everyone says they saw a difference after day one, yeah not me.

So, anyone have the same thing happen? Let me know, pleeeease!

♥ Chelsea

Friday, February 25, 2011

Clarisonic Mia!

Hello Lovelies!

I finally splurged. On the Clarisonic Mia.

I've been thinking about buying one for some time now, and I got my first tax rebate back (snaps for Massachusetts taking out 10-15% out of my paychecks in taxes!) so I figured I'd invest it in something. Like, my skin?

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Now, I have looked at the cheaper alternatives but the verdict remained the same. I read reviews for the Sally's knock-off and the new Olay one but most of the reviews were that they didn't last that long, only lasted a few months. And the brushes were not nearly as soft, and that is crucial for my fair skin.

I've had skin problems since I was 12, I'm 20 now. My biggest concerns are breakouts, oilyness, enlarged pores on my nose (like one of them is so big it looks like it was pierced there!) and also on my forehead and redness.

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I am a little skeptical, but I know Sephora has an amazeballs return policy in case I'm not satisfied so we shall see! But I have only heard amazing things.

Clarisonic claims on their site that the Mia will do the following:

"Sonic skin cleansing improves skin tone, reduces the appearance of pore size and helps skin care products work their best.The Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth skin. In just 60 seconds, the micro-massage action removes 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone. Removing more dirt and oil from your pores also helps products work more effectively."

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The products I'll be using it with are:
  • Philosophy's Purity Made Simple (Review)
  • Witch Hazel for my Toner (Review)
  • Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
I'm gonna try to do weekly updates for a month and at the end do any actual review!

But first, anyone have a Clarisonic already?

♥ Chelsea

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Witch Hazel & You

Hello Lovelies!

STOP. SPENDING. MONEY. ON. TONER.

Facial toner, I don't know crap about printer toner.

Because I want to introduce you to my friend, Witch Hazel.

You see, we met last year. My new roommate was putting some of her stuff in the fridge and told me to not be weired out by the witch hazel. I asked her what it was. She said she used it as a toner to clean her face and for an extra coolingness, she refridgerated it.

So, naturally, I wanted to try. But first, research.

Witch hazel is used to help wounds, bug bites, control itching and even reduce bleeding. So why put that on your face?!

Because acne, zits, and all those other lovelies are formed from bacteria. Yum! But we put witch hazel on our cuts and scrapes to clean out the cuts and scrapes. It cleans out all the nasties with the aid of the alcohol in it!

In fact, that is all facial toners do. But witch hazel is more natural. And a lot cheaper. Most toners will say on it "astirgent" which is exactly what witch hazel is.

I get mine at CVS for around 4 bucks for the store brand (totally doesn't matter) and it really helps my acne by bringing all the bacteria and puss up to the surface (thus whiteheads!). And I have super sensitive skin, but it doesn't bother it!

My nightly routine is wash (Purity Made Simple) and then pat dry and soak a cotton ball with witch hazel and rub it all over my face! Once it is all sunk in, finish off with a moisturizer! I like Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion!

Clean, fresh face!

So lovelies, anyone ever try this old trick? While it doesn't need to be in the fridge, it freaking feels awesome when its nice and chill!

♥ Chelsea

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tarte's Smooth Operator

Hello Lovelies!

Let me first shamelessly say, when I first saw the name of this product, I kept mentally singing "Smooth Criminal" in my head rather than "Smooth Operator".

Now that thats out of the way.

I have been searching high and low for a good tinted moisturizer. I've tried just about every drugstore brand, but run into the same problems. The lightest shade is either too dark or orangey or it makes my face look like an oily Slip N' Slide. Neither are attractive, unless you live in Jersey.

I also detest liquid foundation. So I end up wearing MAC's Studio Fix. But I've been craving a tinted moisturizer.

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So I decided to do a little interwebz search for higher-end tinted moisturizers. I looked and found this one from Tarte. I then did a little digging and I saw something. THEY HAVE MORE COLORS THAN LIGHT, MEDIUM AND DARK!!!

I then saw it, the first shade named "Agent 00" a shade for fair/porcelain skin with cool undertones. THATS ME! I have cool undertones and fair skin! And this is a tinted moisturizer?

Oh yes, it is. But it gives me the coverage of a light to medium liquid foundation but without feeling like one! And it has calmed my redness and done an amazing job covering it. THIS IS A TINTED MOISTURIZER, LADIES and maybe dudes. I was super hesitant to try it so when I went into Sephora and swatched it, I knew it was love.

Not only that, but it doesn't make me look oily! Its natural matte finish! LOVE. Even better is that its free of all sorts of crap!

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Now, I'm no tree-hugger when it comes to makeup, but its nice to know I'm not putting crap on my face! Sooo, bonus! And it has a SPF of 20!

I'm not done yet! IT LASTS ALL DAY. Yes. Well, at least a typical day for me and its been cold and dry out. But I put this on in the morning and I can see it when I take off my makeup at night (which is usually technically morning since it is after midnight). AMAZEBALLS. (That is balls full of amazing). And that is without a primer!

And I don't need to moisturize in the morning!

But the biggest downfall? This is the most expensive single makeup item I own, its $36 and nearly forty-bucks with NY's tax. Yikes. But you only need a little bit!

I'm seriously LOVING this! It is the best tinted moisturizer ever, but it gives me the look of a foundation. Amazeballs. It also has awesome good-for-you-naturalness going on, like apple extract for redness!

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Anywhozie, this can be found at Sephora, Sephora.com (clickie), Tarte's website and QVC for $36. I know, its freaking expensive! But worth it? I think so!

♥ Chelsea

**I am a savy student who knows not sell last semester's books back to the bookstore but rather online to make money to buy this lovely product! YAY!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Philosophy's Purity Made Simple

Hello Lovelies!

In case you haven't noticed, I NEVER review skincare items on here! Why? Because my skin is a warzone. Its acne-prone, hormonal, baby skin. Yes, baby skin. That is the name I earned from the girl who waxes my brows because my skin is so delicate and when she waxes the ginger caterpillars above my eyes, she exclaims "OH, SO SORRY! YOU HAVE BABY SKIN!". To say it gets red is an understatement.

I've tried every cleanser. One of my roommate's even let me try her Proactiv, which lead to an allergic reaction. Nothing. Nada. Every single acne-fighting cleanser does nothing but leave my baby skin red and irritated.

Until I met Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Cleanser. This stuff is GENTLE. G-E-N-T-L-E, GENTLE! It doesn't irritate my skin! It genuinely cleans it.

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Its a rich-milky lather that just cleans my skin. It removes my makeup and leaves my skin feeling fresh and not irritated! Yeees!

Now, it hasn't helped with my acne, but now I'm planning on getting a pink Clarisonic Mia to really help with that. But Purity just cleans my skin!

I mean, its so gentle I can use it in the morning to clean my eyes do get the mascara hangover off! And do it with my eyes open! AND THEY'RE NOT IRRITATED EITHER!

No burning, no nothing, just a great cleaning milk-like lather! LOVE!

I know I'm saying this for the 2533161x but it just CLEANS my skin! Its such a nice feeling and to clean my skin and not have it be irritated?! LOVE!

It comes in a few sizes, a small trial-size for $10 and up to a Costco like ginormous size! I have the 16oz which is the same size as their body washes (which I equally adore) and it retails for $32. But I started with the little $10 trial and fell in love! Sephora even gives out the little mini-travel size as a 100-point perk! WOOHOO!

So yes, lovelies, I love this. While I still have blemishes, this helps their redness!

This can be purchased at Sephora, Sephora.com, QVC, wherever Philosophy is sold!
3 oz - $10
8 oz - $20
16 oz - $32
24 oz - $40

♥ Chelsea

** I am a savy student who knows not sell last semester's books back to the bookstore but rather online to make money to buy this lovely product! YAY!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I FEEL CHEATED!

Hello Lovelies!

If you're like me, you love Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Its the best thing ever. It primes and preps your lids so that your shadow lasts all day. It even works on oily lids. AMAZING.

But the cute packaging? Not amazing. That little barrel near the top? Yeah, its hoarding all your primer potion. I was in denial, since now UDPP has an angled applicator and I thought it was scraping everything out. Well I was running on empty on my beloved UDPP and figured before I dropped money on a new one, I'd slice and dice it open.

And being that I'm in my dorm, I used my pink Swiss Army knife, and let me tell you, not a good idea. Use a huge cutting knife. Don't slice your finger, like me!

I'll let the results do the rest of the talking! There had to be over a tablespoon of product! MY WAND WAS COMING OUT DRY! (That's what she said)

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So lovelies, do you depot your UDPP? Or just use a tube primer?

♥ Chelsea

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Review: Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in "Frisky"

Hello Lovelies!

I have to admit something. Whenever I buy something from Sephora, I WANT to fall in love with it. Because Sephora goodies are treats. And I want to love my treat! So when I find something and purchase it from the magical Sephoraland and up loathing it? Well, that very rarely happens. But it finally did. I WANTED to love it. I really did, but I just can't.

I've been wanting to try new brands and everyone raves about Tarte's lipstains so I thought I'd give them a go. But then I saw in the Tarte section, their new shimmery-glittery lip lusters. OH YES. Note how I didn't say stain?

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Yup, that's how this review begins. Despite looking almost exactly like their lipstains, these, my loves, are far from it. I was blown away by the beautiful color when I swatched and figured it would be epic.

It only lasted an hour on my lips. But for that hour it slightly plumped my lips, and left them feeling peppermint-tingly. So I reapplied and hour after application I decided to drink from my water bottle. It looked like a halo of gold glitter around the nozzle. Stain? Nope.

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And then today, about 2 hours after applying, I had a chicken wrap and I took a bite and BAM, that beautiful color on my lips was now on my whole wheat wrap. Uhm, no. And I later went to the bathroom to see that the glitter transfered.

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(This photo doesn't capture the shimmery-glittery goodness!)

It looked like I had a gold glittery soul patch and a like I just snorted some freaking pixie dust (not the illicit drug but the magical dust of the fairies, I suppose). And had some gold glittery residue on my lips.

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So lovelies, while this product was tempting and beautiful. I've gotta say, I was disappointed. But I do plan on trying Tarte's regular lip STAINs not LUSTERS. Since those seem to be the real deal.

The color I bought was "Frisky", a bright pink with peach undertones and goldish shimmer/glitter (but not gritty glitter!). Think Benefit's "Bella Bamba" blush but a tad more pink!

Have you tried any Tarte lipstains? Any recommendations?

♥ Chelsea

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Spring Nails!

Hello Lovelies!

Ever since I heard that Essie was bought by L'Oreal and making it more mainstream rather than select stores, I've been on the hunt! I heard Walmart and Target carry Essie now, but right now its mostly online and in select stores. So I was bummed that my Target didn't have any but I found some at CVS and had Extra Bucks, yeees please!

I have to say for my first Essie purchase, I'm pretty impressed. I really like the formula and brush for my short stubby nails. The color I have on for this post is Essie "Nice is Nice" from their new Spring Collection. However this color didn't really WOW me like the other did. I found it a little sheer and streaky and needed 3 coats.

Its a gorgeous light lavender color but its not super unique. It looks nice by itself, but I wanted to add a little sparkle with Sephora by OPI's purple-glitter-awesomeness polish, "It's Bouquet With Me".

3 Coats of Essie's "Nice is Nice"
2 Coats of Sephora by OPI's "It's Bouquet With Me"
1 Clear coat

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What Essie polish colors do you recommend? Love it? Hate it?

♥ Chelsea

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Glitter Nail!

Hello Lovelies!

I thought I would try the glitter nail trend. That is, have only your ringer fingers have a sparkly-glitter shade! I like the combination I tried and have got to say, I may just do this glitter polish on all my nails!

Anyone have any luck finding Katy Perry for OPI's "Teenage Dream" polish?! Sheesh, that baby is no where! Oh well this polish is somewhat similar!

Glitter Nail: Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in "Rockstar Pink"
Rest of Nails: Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in "Posh Plum"
(These polishes are like $2-$3, so mega win!)

I did two coats of "Posh Plum" on all my nails, except for my ring finger which has one. And then 2 coats of "Rockstar Pink" on top of the "Posh Plum" on my ring finger! And then a clear coat!

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Without Flash

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With Flash

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BAM! Zoomed in nail!


So are you guys digging this trend? I'm sucker for glitter polish!!

♥ Chelsea

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Urban Decay Liquid Liner in "Perversion"

Hello Lovelies!

Ok. I have a thing for black liquid liner. In case you haven't been noticing, its kinda my must-have. And I think I may have finally found the ONE.

The one that doesn't, smudge, budge, fade, transfer. Nada.

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According to Urban Decay's website, they describe their liner as "Clear inkwell-style bottle looks sleek, and the handle fits in your hand perfectly . . . a steady hand means perfect lines! Formula dries quickly and leaves a beautiful, subtle shine. Liquid Liners can be worn alone, or smudged together to give you unlimited options."

Its a traditional liquid liner, yeah none of that felt tip business! That gives crisp, sharp, patent leather black lines. And doesn't move. Or fade. It stays that good all day.

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Formulatextureheader

The liner's formula is a bit on the wetter side. It needs a couple extra seconds to dry to its patent leather black. But once it dries, it stays. Usually I line, then do my under-eye concealing and then it should be dry, you can tell if its wet. But once it is, I'll curl and apply mascara.

I don't know if I'd call it a con, but just something to keep in mind! It needs a couple extra seconds! And then its good for the WHOLE day!

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The packaging is a cute little ink well! But what I really love about it? YOU GET A QUARTER OF AN OUNCE. That is a ton of product! A TON. Compare it to L'Oreal's Carbon Lineur Intense Felt Tip liquid liner? That liner only has .05 oz of product, this liner has 5x more product! For only double the price, that's a freaking steal!!

Like I mentioned, this has a typical liquid liner brush! Not those felt tip marker applicators! This took a little getting used to but its definitely worth it! Its a life skill! Haha!

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priceandavailability

The liner retails for $18 and is available at Sephora, Sephora.com, Urban Decay retailers, counters and urbandecay.com. So worth the money! L'Oreal's Lineur Intense Felt tip? .05 oz for $9, UD's liner is $18 for .25 oz!

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Overall, I love it! May be my HG! Crisp, black line? No smudging, budging or fading? LOVE! If you're new to liquid liner, I'd probably stray away, its a little tricky at first but then its awesome!

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Have you ever tried this liquid liner? It comes in a ton of colors! What is your favorite liquid liner?

♥ Chelsea

Benefit's High Beam: TO GO!

Hello Lovelies!

I tried a sample of this a little while ago and I savored it! But instead of splurging $24 for the full size bottle, I opted for the cute little To-Go! Why? I prefer the applicator, its a doe foot and the full size has one that is similar to that of a nail polish brush! Not to mention its cute and less money! And this may just be a must have for your purse...

Whatisitheader

Here is what Benefit has to say about the full size on their website, "Our satiny pink liquid highlighter accents cheekbones and brow bones for a radiant glow. It's known as the "supermodel in a bottle"!" and it says that its made to compliment all skin tones!

Agree! Its a beautiful pale pink pearl highlighter! And I love their suggestion to mix it with tinted moisturizer for an all over glow! NEED TO DO THAT! Well when its summer. Because that glowy-fresh-dewy look does look natural in slushy Metro New York! But fabulous idea! Love!

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The formula is very light, and the color is a beautiful pale pink which has a gorgeous pearl finish. The great thing about the light formula is that it makes it much easier to blend and perhaps mix with your tinted moisturizer (SUCH.A.GOOD.IDEA.).

I apply it in the morning and when I'm taking my makeup off, I can still see that beautiful pearly pink sheen!

Ok, the more I write this, the more I WANT to buy the full size. Ha ha!

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packagingheader

Like I mentioned earlier, this is the To-Go version! It is much smaller than the full size. However its about the size of a lipgloss, with a doe foot applicator. I prefer this applicator to the full size one because its much smaller and easier to get into smaller areas that you may want to accentuate and highlight.

But the size of this, makes it great to throw in your purse! And of course, this is much easier to pack in your makeup bag then the full size when you're traveling! But this is good to keep close-by for mid-day touch-ups!

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applicationheader

While cheek bones are the most traditional place to apply this and all highlighters, I have a few other ideas!

For one, under the browbone! I'll do a wash of eyeshadow all over and then under my brow I'll dot a little on! Also in the inner corner of the eye, not the inner tearduct, but by the bridge of the nose! (You'd think as someone who is taking anatomy, I'd be able to describe that better!). Both these areas brighten the eyes.

The nose and cupid's bow are also great to highlight but I have a warning! If you have an oily-acne prone T-Zone, avoid these spots! We don't want to accentuate any oilyness or redness or even worst, a zit.

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priceandavailability

Ok, at this point of this post, I've basically convinced myself that I may need the full-size. For now I'll give you the specs on the To-Go!

Its $10 at Sephora and Sephora.com! Little FYI, this isn't with the regular Benefit stuff, its actually in the travel section. You know, those bins lacing around to the check-out? This is up there!

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Overall, this is a gorgeous highlighter for every skintone! A great pick me up for dull or tired skin! And this little to-go version makes it great to try out, without shelling it out! Though I just may...

Have you tried this highlighter? Love it? Hate it?! What do you use?

♥ Chelsea