Bye bye redness! I love this product.

Recently I've seen a lot of youtubers talking about It Cosmetics' product Bye Bye Redness, giving it rave reviews. Since I've got lots of red in my skin that can make it look blotchy and mottled, and since Bye Bye Redness is supposed to be lightweight and either a replacement or base for face makeup, I thought I'd go check it out at my local Ulta.

Here's what it looks like:

                               

It's a lightweight cream with a matte texture that melts into the skin. Basically, it does exactly what it says it will do. Here's the description from Ulta's website:

"Bye Bye Redness Correcting Creme is a red neutralizing and correcting creme that completely cancels redness in your skin...Rich in peptides, hydrolyzed collagen and anti-aging technology, Bye Bye Redness camouflages redness and any red-toned skin dis colorations from rosacea, broken capillaries, blemished skin, irritated skin, sun damage, scars, age spots, physician procedures, and more! It will give perfect coverage that will never crease or crack and is designed to not only cover, but to make your skin appear supple and flawless!" 

From what I've seen on Youtube (you can search for demos there), and how the creme has been working for me for the past two days, I'd say this thing is miracle in a jar. Check it out on my hands, which are red and blotchy:

Before--look at that angry knuckle grrrrrr! 

                               

After---ahhhh much less fearsome

                               

I had my hand in the same spot on the bed and the pictures were taken within one minute of each other. Can you see how less red the second picture is, and how more even my skin looks? That is a thin layer. 

I put this creme on after my moisturizer and before my tinted moisturizer, but today I just wore it after moisturizer with nothing on top of it. It definitely mattifies so if you like things more glowy or dewy you'll need to add some highlighter creme or powder. It's great for around your nose and mouth, where lots of people get red, and on your cheeks if you want to wear blush and don't want your natural cheek color to mess with the color of your blush. 

Overall this stuff has me pretty impressed so far. I don't like the way foundation looks on my skin and this stuff is almost undetectable. 

It's available at Ulta for $32 and at QVC (it comes with a brush if you get it from QVC!). It's a small pot, but it will last you a loooonnnnnggggg time. 

If you're like me and have any red you'd like to say see ya to, this product is worth checking out!

A summer glow in the doldrums of winter

One year ago at this time I still had never used bronzer. !!!!! I KNOW !!!

That just about blows my mind, because bronzer is one of those must-have products for me now and I can't imagine how I ever lived without it. I think I thought it made you look like a desperate cast member of Jersey Shore, that you put it all over your face like fake tanner. I didn't realize that with a light hand and a little subtle contouring that you could make your face look more alive, slimmer, and as if you had slept a good ten hours under a gentle sun. 

Currently, I own five bronzers: four "higher end" and one from the drugstore. My first bronzer was NARS Laguna, a holy grail of almost everyone in the beauty world. It's a great bronzy color without being sparkly, and it doesn't make you look muddy or dirty. I've already got a fair amount of red in my skin, so I don't need to add orange or yellow; Laguna is good to warm things up a bit without making me look like an overtanned St. Tropez beach broad. After buying Laguna I got a few more bronzers--a red one by Bobbi Brown that is really only for the height of summer as it's so dark on me, a Dior bronzer-blush limited edition that barely shows up (a bummer, but it's pretty and pricey so I do use it) and a cream bronzer by Revlon that is pretty dark. All of these I got almost a year ago in a bronzer-buying spate. The best was still Laguna, and if you haven't tried it, you should. 

                           

Laguna by NARS--apart from MAC, NARS is my favorite brand. I pretty much love everything they do. See the shimmer? It's so subtle but gives the skin such a nice sheen. I was so psyched when I hit pan--it was such a geeky moment for me! 

Recently, I started to feel that maybe Laguna was a bit too dark for my pasty winter skin. I had heard really good things about Two Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer, which apparently smells LIKE CHOCOLATE (they also have an eyeshadow palette that smells like chocolate. They infuse their products with cocoa powder). The color is lighter than Laguna and a bit more matte, but it's very finely milled, and if you smell my face you may end up craving a snack. 

                  

                                

Two Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Also comes in darker shades! Loooove the packaging.

                                       

Swatched--the Laguna is on the bottom, Two Faced on the top. Both products available at Sephora and both are in the 30$ range. Sidenote: See how red my skin is? 

So to put on bronzer I use a cheap Real Techniques brush that looks like this:

                                 

And I sweep it under my jawline to create a shadow there, on my temple near my hairline, and in my cheekbones. Sometimes I try to sculpt my nose but I'm still learning how to best do that without looking like I've been sticking my face in a mud pile. The bronzer instantly wakes me up and gives me a subtle glow. I follow with blush on the apples of the cheeks--the overall effect is healthy and natural. Add highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones and you'll look like a beach bunny babe, not a shriveled up raisin. 

If you haven't tried bronzer yet I highly recommend either the NARS or Two Faced, especially for Spring. Both will last you forever and will give you a yeah, I just spent a few hours in the sunlight, so what of it? sheen that will have everyone asking where you managed to find some sunshine in this endless winter. No self tanner or sun damage required!

Turn the winter blahs into winter hurrahs

I've always loved playing with makeup--it's art for your face--and I've always loved before and afters in magazines or on blogs. One blog in particular, maskcara.com, has amazing pictures of before and afters. Maybe it's the weather, but when you've got another gray day on the horizon and fifteen feet of iced up snow outside it's hard not to feel like the before picture in a makeup tutorial.

This is why when I get a bad case of the winter BLEARGHSSS I turn to these products to make me happy and turn me into somewhat of an after: 

1. Pretty sparkly nail polishes: Oh god I have about a thousand nail polishes. These are some of my favorites:

These are all Formula X by Sephora. The one on the left is gold with purple sparkles and is the prettiest color on. Unfortunately I have the worst skills at applying polish ever, so this will never be one of those blogs where you will get to see my perfectly manicured hands clutching a bottle of polish. I won't subject you to the horror that is my application technique. 

2. GlamGlow Youthmud face mask: This one is Tingle-rific and has chunks of stuff in a grayish base that make me feel like I've been hanging out in a mud pit with The Lord of the Flies boys. The packaging is pink because 25% of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer research which is pretty cool as I am one of those people who will be 100% more likely to buy something if it is pink--despite my knowing the sorcery behind the marketing (and despite my being all hypocritically "why does everything have to be pink for girls, rah rah other colors rock rah rah"). This mask makes my face feel tight and fresh and clean. My husband (Random) remarked that I looked "fresh faced" after using it, and he rarely remarks on my skin except (of course) to crow gleefully whenever I have a blemish.  

I mean it's mud + youth and that clearly equals yes please. 

3. Bright lippie: I'm obsessed with bright lips--they just instantly perk up my face, even with no eye makeup. My current faves: Dior Pink Caprice, a buildable blue-based pink with a slight shimmer, and MAC's Girl About Town, a bright fuschia that is not too blue based. I've also been loving MAC Snob, a creamy blue based pink. All of these lippies look great with some neutral eye shadow and black winged liner. 

Top to bottom: MAC Snob, MAC Girl About Town, Dior Pink Caprice 

Left to right: Dior Pink Caprice, MAC Girl About Town, MAC Snob (Swatches in natural light on NW 20 skin) 

4. NARS eye shadow duo in Kauai: this sucker is highly pigmented and the colors just work. You don't think they will because purple and gold on the eyes seems overly dramatic and rockstar-y, but they apply like a dream and blend beautifully. I like the gold washed over the lid and the purple in the crease. The purple is deeper on the skin than it appears in the pan and the gold wakes up tired eyelids. Wear with a neutral lip (MAC Angel or Creme Cup are good choices). I wore this combo the other day and felt ten years younger and put together all day. 

NARS eyeshadow duo in Kauai. Like gilded butter for your lids. 

Swatched on NW 20 skin. 

Well that's it for my winter blah perk me ups.

What products do you turn to when you are feeling BLAH? 

Be shiny on the inside, not the outside: glowy skin in the winter

Everybody needs a good powder, especially when you're all greezed up from using lots of face oils and moisturizer. I've tried a lot of powders; I like a light powder that doesn't cling to dry spots and that keeps me shine free on the t-zone for a few hours at least before needing a touch up. There are a few higher end powders I've tried that work well. I don't mind spending a little more money when it's my skin--as I've entered my forties I think skin needs even more attention and care to continue to look good. There are two powders I like: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, which you can find in different shades at Sephora and read countless reviews about on the Internet (try temptalia.com), and Make Up For Ever's (MUFE) pressed powder. I have head great things about NARS and their powder also. 

MUFE's powder is called HD (high definition) Pressed Powder and it's like their cult favorite loose powder, only in a compact form. It doesn't have any color, but it somehow smooths and blurs out your skin so you instantly look more put together. Because it doesn't have color, it's suitable for any skin tone. I don't love loose powder because I feel like it gets everywhere and then I can't take it with me, so this is perfect. I use my big fluffy Real Techniques powder brush (awesome and available at Kohl's and some Bed, Bath and Beyonds) to put it on and set my tinted moisturizer:

So soft, it blurs away all of life's hardships 

After that I sweep some new MAC Azalea in the Afternoon mineralized blush on my cheeks--it's limited edition, a beautiful pinky-peach-gold color that needs no highlighter. Or if I want less color I'll use my Becca blush in Gypsy, a cool light pink with a slight gold shimmer--it's amazing. Or sometimes, when I am feeling particularly nutty and want super duper glowing flushed cheeks I will wear both--the MAC on the bottom and the Becca on the top. 

Becca Gypsy, a cool-toned light pink with light gold shimmer, and MAC Azalea in the Afternoon, a pinky-peach blush a bit like NARS Orgasm

Swatched on my finger--see the subtle glow? So purty. 

The trick to glowing skin in the winter is to moisturize and then lightly control shine, adding highlight strategically to the cheekbones. With these products in colors that suit your skin tone you can shine in all the right ways! 

Wrinkles begone part two! I dream of a good face cream.

Hello my shiny pretties,

Today we are going to talk about face creams and magic potions that will help you stop feeling like your face skin is stretched out on a torture device! You probably have at least one face cream that you already use, but why not use more than just that one and switch it up a bit? There are so many new things to try out and the more you slather on, the more hydrated you can look. Here is what I do every morning, afternoon/ early evening, and night:

Morning--

1. Apply Josie Maran infinity argan oil creme after shower; let it sink in a minute or two. 

2. Apply MAC strobe cream (this is a pearly cream, but it doesn't leave much of a pearly effect at all. Actually, it's packed with antioxidants). This "sets" my face and preps it--it actually makes it less oily. OR, apply Josie Maran Milk, which is a new hydrating treatment that feels oddly cool when you put it on your face and instantly makes your skin relaxed. 

Got Josie Maran milk? Just don't put it on your cereal. This stuff is awesome. 

MAC Strobe Cream (love this stuff) and another good one, Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation which also lightens pesky sun spots; I like it for when my skin's not so dry. 

I used to have really dry, scratchy, tight skin in the winter when getting out of the shower. I don't anymore, and I think it's all because of the Josie Maran. 

3. After MAC strobe cream I might apply my Dr. Brandt ruby glow retinol for face if I'm feeling a bit wrinkly. Often though I skip this step as I do retinol at night. 

The beloved Retinol twins. This is a set, which doesn't cost as much as the full size. I find it lasts a few months for me, as you only need a smidge. 

4. After that I'm ready for my primer and my tinted moisturizer. Because it's been super dry I'm loving Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown BB cream (both of these were free perks at Sephora):

You are both so creamy and you sink into my skin, leaving the cakey part for inside of my mouth, where all cakey things belong. 

A quick note on BB creams, CC creams, tinted moisturizers, and foundations:

I don't wear typical foundation. I actually prefer my skin without it; it looks masky on me. I like light coverage, skin breathing; even though I have some light freckles (okay probably age or sunspots) and wrinkles here and there I find foundation immediately makes you look made up. Plus my skin gets claustrophobic, haha. So instead I usually wear tinted moisturizer, BB or CC cream and spot conceal if I need it. 

BB cream: Stands for Beauty Balm. Originated in Asia and is supposed to be an all-in-one product--treats, primes, covers, protects. I have had meh experience with most brands I've tried. The best ones in my opinion are from Bobbi Brown and Dior. I just got the Bobbi Brown and I really like it. I'll do a more in-depth review of these at some point. 

CC cream: Stands for Color Correcting. Supposed to be BB but a bit more pigmented. Helps fade spots (apparently). Many times has higher SPF than BB. I've tried Clinique, IT cosmetics, and a few others. 

Tinted Moisturizer: The original "BB" type cream. Moisturizer with a tint that provides light coverage and often has SPF. The best best best one is by Laura Mercier. I lurve it. Very dewy. 

5. Then I powder up (face powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter) and I'm done. Woohee! That took about two seconds. I wish. 

Throughout the day--

After I'm done with going out I'll slather my skin up in whatever oily moisture is lying around. The afternoon and early evening is when I try samples and wallow in creams and unctious lotions. One of my new favorites is available at the drugstore, and it's affordable and awesome--L'Oreal Age Perfect Glow Renewal oil. It comes in a glass bottle with a dropper top and is really luxe looking and feeling for the price. A great oil if you have none and want to try one out. It melts into your skin. 

You can't cook with it, but it does make me crave french fries. Then again, when do I not crave french fries? The answer is never. 

Evening--

After barely washing my face (I use a baby wipe and that's it--I hate washing my face and I don't know why--I do wash it in the shower, though) I apply a peel. The one I use is by Perricone MD and it is called Blue Plasma. It looks like a melted slurpee and for that reason alone I kind of love it. 

See how majestic it is? 

It's supposed to be equivalent to a mini-peel and I've been using it a few weeks and like it a lot. I got it in a skincare kit by Perricone MD that also had a neck cream, an eye cream, and a face cream (pictured above) so I use all of those also. If I'm not feeling the sublime blue slurpee or feel especially wrinkled up I use a good dose of Retinol (the Dr. Brandt above) and if I need a ton of moisture I use a sample of the Glam Glow hydrating mud treatment (I can't stress enough how awesome samples are. I have a ton). 

I used to have flaky, patchy skin in the winter; it got pretty bad at times and my face and skin itched and felt super tight. After using these products my skin feels soft and hydrated. I also drink a ton of water (really important for good skin!)

Well there you have it, my favorite skin products besides oils. If you are bemoaning your winter skin, maybe one of these will help. I hope that you find something you want to try and if you do, let me know! Here's to happy skin :)

Jergens new sheer BB body cream

OOOH OOOH IT'S A NEW FUN TOY TO PLAY WITH!

I was at the drugstore today getting my favorite makeup remover (sensitive baby wipes) and I saw this glorious item just sitting out waiting to be stocked. IT WAS NOT EVEN OUT ON THE FLOOR YET. I snagged one and raced to the counter, throwing my money at the cashier. Actually I had many Extra Bucks (CVS rules for those) so it wasn't that spendy. I think it was around $11.99 full price. Anyway here is what it looks like:

Oh that's a riveting photo that there is. I'll read what it claims to do: 

"All-in-one body skin perfection" which has "5 (five!) visible benefits for more beautiful body skin" (as opposed to what kind of skin? Hair skin? Tooth skin?). 

It:

1. HYDRATES and smoothes

2. Brightens and ILLUMINATES

3. EVENS skin tone

4. Visibly FIRMS skin

5. MINIMIZES the appearance of imperfections

(All CAPS are JERGENS' own.) 

I will be testing this miracle cream and slathering it all over my body skin for you in the next week, to report back soon as to its effectiveness. So far I can say I like the smell and the body skin on my legs felt nicely hydrated after I smoothed it all over. I did not see any visible firming of my knee caps nor did I see an illumination of my shin bones but perhaps all of my dry skin itchies were slightly MINIMIZED.

Stay tuned for my full review!

My ten holy grail beauty products. As in I can only have ten items for the rest of time.

BESIDES OIL, cause you know that would be on my list,

What would I pick?

1. EYEBROW WIZ. Because good eyebrows can make you look a gamillion times better. I like Anastasia's products the best--she's the queen of the brow--and I have both her brow powder and her pencil called Brow Wiz, which is awesome and has a spoolie on the end! I fill in my brows with the powder and then outline them lightly with the pencil.

The eyebrow WIZ. Note my excellent photography skillz and the backdrop that looks like upcycled barn door a la Etsy. 

2. CC CREAM WITH SPF (or tinted moisturizer). If you haven't jumped upon the alphabet craze in skin care yet, try it out (there's BB cream, CC cream; who knows, maybe next they'll have DD cream, HA!) Anyway I'll do a post on these somewhere down the line, but CC stands for "color correcting" and CC Cream is basically a tinted moisturizer with light to medium coverage. I like IT Cosmetics CC Cream--it has SPF 50 and snail secretions, cuz a girl's gotta have her snail slime. (Gross but true. Apparently it's good for your skin. Ugh I just don't think about it.) Laura Mercier makes a wonderful tinted moisturizer also that I lurve. There are a ton out there; one is right for your skin type. The ones I mentioned are good for drier skin. 

My friends. These even out my skin but don't make my skin all claustrophobic or cakey. The LM is a sample. 

3. MASCARA. Drugstore is good; I like L'Oreal False Fiber lashes. I have the wimpiest scrawniest lashes known to anyone. They are like daddy long legs' legs cut in eighths. I have a few mid-to-high priced mascaras and a bunch of drugstore and honestly, the L'Oreal False Fiber is the bomb. I'll do a mascara review soon with pictures and drawings. 

Swwwooooon. I have heard there's a Lacquer color that's really black and shiny. Good stuff this. And again: my photo's composition will land me a job with National Geo for sure.  

4. CONCEALER (for undereye circles). Lordy I've got some dark circles and a concealer is a must. I love Benefit's Erase Paste, which comes in a highly unsanitary pot, but I don't care. It comes with a spatula you can use but meh to that. Also good for those of you who prefer less bacteria in your undereye concealer: Nars Creamy Concealer, MAC Pro Longwear concealer, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eye concealer/ brightener. You can get free (free!) samples of the MAC at counters (get color matched) and they last forever. I am all about samples. 

My wee pot o'germs. At least they are well concealed! 

5. EYELINER. Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and an eyeliner brush. No contest. I love this stuff. I have over the years collected many of the colors and they are just the best eyeliners ever. 

These were purchased over a looong time (years--like ten!) and I've only ever thrown one away soooooooo......I know I need to toss the old ones but I like to hoard them. They are all different colors. They are all so pretty! 

6. GRAY HAIR MAGIC MARKER. I'm old and this year have suddenly sprouted gray hair which has become even more visible because I have darker hair now. I hate the pesky buggers and between hair appointments I use a magic marker called Touchback Instant Root Touch-Up which comes in a few colors. I paint it on and then let it dry; then I brush it through and ALAKAZAM! No more grays. 

See ya dumb grays. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out. 

7. LIPSTICK/LIPGLOSS. MAC lipsticks are my favorite brand ever. Ever ever ever. I have been stalking the Mac counter since I was a wee goth lass of 20 and wore nearly black lippie. I have many. I like their pinkish nude colors so much. Some good ones: Hue, Pink Plaid, Faux, Snob, Angel, Creme Cup. They also make good rosy colors to brighten up your face: Plumful, Capricious, and Syrup are good ones. (I have all of those but Syrup and Angel.) My favorite lip glosses are the NYX Butter glosses, available at Ulta and very affordable. And they smell like SUGAR COOKIE. Unfort they don't taste like sugar cookie or I'd be reapplying every forty seconds. 

Lipstick Stonehenge. From the lower left moving clockwise: oh bollocks I have no clue. Hmmmmmm the picture is upside down and I've put them all away. So you'll have to google image them for their full glory. The lighting is terrible anyway.

8. BLUSH. NARS makes amazing blushes. The colors Orgasm, Sin, and Gaiety are ones I've used and love. I also love Dior Rosy Glow. It's so pink and cheerful! Warning: NARS has naughty blush names. If you have kids hide yer NARS. 

I don't have a lot of blushes; maybe three more besides these. These are my favorite. The tiny Orgasm (haha!) I got for free. "Free" = Sephora points. 

9. EYESHADOW. Urban Decay Naked palettes are the best. I have the original; there are three (plus a cheaper Naked Basics palette). Number one is good for all skin tones, number two better for cool skin and three for warm (although quite honestly they are all good for everyone). Also amazing is the Lorac Pro Palette (I actually use mine more than the Naked as it has more matte colors). 

Can you spot the beauty addict lurking about? Look at those buttery colors. 

10. HAIR SMOOTHER. I need something to make my hair slippery because otherwise it knots into a snarled mess. I have tried a lot of products and right now I am loving Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum which helps smooth it out as well as Kerastase oil (I got a mini size of that to try it out since that brand is ridiculously expensive but also ridiculously amazing). 

(No picture because that one came out all fuzzy but here's another lippie pic!!!) Hurrah! 

*pets the screen* hello my sweeties 

Well my beauties that is it for now, my list of ten holy grail items (although I think I may have cheated a bit, this one goes to eleven). I am working on Part Two of my skin care post as well as some reviews (new Butter Glosses just came out!) but I have to go clean my kitchen now as it's a disaster. Sad face! 

What are your Holy Grail products??? 

Buttery smooches,

Karen xo

Looking old is sooooo last year. Wrinkles begone! (Part one)

Part one: face oils!

I hate it when celebrities are all "I love my wrinkles because they tell a story." And meanwhile they've probably had Botox or have really awesome face products and a dermatologist living in the north wing of their compound. If the story your wrinkles is telling is something like "man oh man I stayed up way too late last night squinting at my candy crush game" then maybe it's time for a rewrite.

I have always been a sucker for a good face whatnot and have moisturized forever--but I am lazy so it has to be a fast and quick application. And I am impatient so I like instant results. My skin care routine uses quite a few different products but face oils are my favorite by far. They make my skin feel gooooood and give an instant glow. Wrinkles fade into the background of your plump dewy skin. Birds chirp, butterflies spin, and the clouds open up to reveal the glorious sun. (Which you stay out of, right?!)

I know it seems counterintuitive to slather your face in oil but face oil is amazing to plump and glow-ify your skin. It's a cliche but I recommend you try before you buy: get thee to a Sephora, check out the face oils, and get three mini samples. Take them home and try them out; depending on your individual skin type and need there's one for you, even if you're oily. Then you can get a full size, but even then if you don't like it Sephora has an incredible return policy (just bring the receipt and they'll take it back even if you've used the product). This gives you no excuse not to try ALL OF THE THINGS. Or at least one of them. Also, oils don't just moisturize, they also treat. 

Enough of my blathering! Here are the face oil products I currently use to keep wrinkles where they belong--ermmmmmm--on bulldogs (do you know there is actually a thing called "bulldog wrinkle wipes"? Well now you do).

     Top face oils:

• Josie Maran Argan infinity cream (I slather this puppy all over my skin--it comes in a tube and is super moisturizing and awesome. Just mush the bottom of the tube occasionally to mix the oil and the creamier parts together). You can use it on your hands too! And your feet! And anywhere! Well maybe not your eyeballs.  
• Bobbi Brown face oil (I like this one but it's a bit pricy. Has good reviews). 
• Tarte pure maracuja oil. I have had two deluxe samples of this and I love it. It has a lovely dropper that makes putting on oil fun, if putting on oil could ever be described as fun. 
• Dr Dennis Gross active vitamin D serum-oil---ehrmehgod I love this. I rub it on my face and BAM instant rosy. I'm almost out of the bottle I've had for a year. It's errmazing. 
• Boscia tsubaki beauty oil. Just got a big sample of this and I already divorced my husband (let's call him Random, haha) and married this oil. It has great reviews and is relatively cheapish as far as oils go. It really does make your skin look so good right away.

Sephora is currently running a whole "oil is awesome" campaign and has a bunch on special display--if you are interested in getting or trying one now's a good time. There's an Algenist one that looks promising. They also have a sample pack of oils with a ton of different kinds (it's like those "best of" boxes they do now and then). 

If you want budget, L'oreal has one out that's around $20--available in drugstores and I've heard it's very good and comparable to the higher end ones. 

Don't worry that you will look like Oily McOilerson. I was scared until I tried a drop and watched my skin drink it up like a parched desert. If you decide to try an oil--or if you have personal experiences with oils--let me know!

Here are my beloveds: 

Oh hai you pretties! Left to right: Dr. Dennis Gross, Josie (she started it all), Tarte, Josie Maran argan infinity cream, boscia oil, Bobbi Brown oil. 

Lots of oily kisses,

xo muwah,

K