Category: cosmetics

Achieve Flawless Skin From NP Set by Napoleon Perdis

“NP Set is my spirited new makeup collection for glamour on-the-go. Think rich colors, cool trends and fix-it products that are easy to use. Are you ready to get Set?”
– Napoleon Perdis

Napoleon Perdis is an Australian makeup artist who launched this more affordable line of cosmetics in the United States at Target stores in August 2008. What’s cool is that you can try these on at the store to see if the colors and formulas work for you. I love the following two face powders products because they help me achieve a flawless face.

Pasarella Powder Foundation ($30.00 USD) — Contains pomegranate extract, shea butter and vitamins A & C and is paraben free.   This gives minimum to maximum coverage and sets liquid foundation well. The double layered compact contains a mirror and a sponge applicator which makes it easy to travel with and touch up during the day. I really like this powder foundation. I use it over concealer and it give me good coverage plus a natural look.   Available in 7 shades to match most skin tones.

Baked Powder ($20.00 USD) This compact includes a  blusher (or bronzer) and highlighter and is baked so it can be used wet or dry. Ingredients includes vitamins A, C and E, jojoba oil, acai oil, Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9, and safflower & sunflower Oil and paraben free. Available in 4 shades: Bronze Set, Blush Set, Peach Set and English Pink Set. I have the Bronze set. It is nice to have a two toned bronzer and can wear the shades mixed together or one shade at a time. Really well-pigmented, but looks natural, too.

Visit www.npsetcosmetics.com to learn more and you can also purchase at Target. Enjoy!

SpaRitual Nail Polish’s Forbidden Collection

SpaRitual Forbidden Collection

 

Want fashion-forward, but healthy nail polish? Try SpaRitual ($10.00 USD). Their nail laquers are vegan and do not contain DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene. 

These polishes are available in great colors and are very chip resistant. I wore a pretty dark purple (Regal) all last week and they only started chipping toward the end of the week. 

The Forbidden Collection contains the following shades: 

Regal — dark purple creme 

Intrigue — tomato red creme, lots of orange in it 

Mystic — mushroom,  taupey creme 

Inner Sanctum –light peach brown creme 

Hush — warm chocolate creme 

Hypnotic — warm charcoal frost  

This is their Fall 2009 collection, but the colors are cool enough to wear all year round. I love dark colors for everyday wear. 

Visit www.sparitual.com to learn more about the products and to find out where to purchase.

A Bevy of Cool Products From Soap and Glory

Do you love Target as much as I do? Then you have seen the retro cool Soap & Glory skincare, bath and body and makeup products there. These creatively packaged beauty items are the brain child of Marcia, the genius who founded the Bliss spa and beauty product lines.

I love so many of these products that it was hard for me to narrow it down to my usual 3 to review. So I have a couple in each category: skincare, makeup and bath and body.

Make Yourself Youthful Super Rejuvenating Face Serum ($19.99) — This is an interesting serum as it is more of a light cream than the usual liquid that make up most serums. It has a light citrusy scent that I love and soaks in so quickly. According to user trial reports, this product gives re-energized, smoother, healthier, firmer and younger looking skin.I use this before moisturizer on my face, neck and (don’t forget) the back of my hands. Soft and glowy skin is the result. 

I follow the serum with the Catch a Wrinkle in Time Age Avoiding Day Moisturiser ($15.99 USD). This makes my skin GLOW! The anti-aging complex “blends natural sun filters, high performance hydrators and clinically proven collagen stimulating tri-peptides, to smooth away wrinkles, rejuvenate, firm and protect your skin”, states the website. I love that after I use it my skin is soft and glowy and ready for makeup, since its sinks right in and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. The only thing I wish this had it is an SPF.  

Eye Maintenence Moisturizing Eye Gel ($12.99 USD) — The first thing I noticed about this eye gel is that it smells (and almost feels) like lemon merengue.  It claims to instantly firm and depuff (keep it cool in the fridge) the eye area. The website claims that , “by deploying our exclusive SWIFTLIFT™ technology, it reduces visible wrinkles almost immediately and fights fine lines long-term too.”  Cool,

Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme-Plump Collagen Lip Shine ($10.99 USD) — I think I am a masochist because I love this tingly, prickly lip plumper! I apply it and notice how great my lips look with the shimmery, shiny gloss. Then the tingles start and my lips plump up! It contains these ingredients: Lipswell™: natural plant oil infusion, Superfill®: Nanovectors and Visivolume™: immediate effect lip filler. I don’t know what all of that means, but I do know that I really love this gloss! 

Arch De Triumph Shaping And Highlighting Brow Crayon ($9.99 USD) — My favorite part of this product is the highlighter it is soft and blendable and I love to apply it in my inner corner of my eye, under my brows and especially used as a liner on the inside of my lower lid. It makes me look AWAKE! The brow pencil is nice, too, but a little hard at first. I warm it on my skin to get it soft enough to work.  

The Daily Smoothe Dry Skin Formula Body Butter ($14.99) — This skin-softening body butter is perfect for my dry, winter skin. It contains Rosehip Seed Oil and Cocoa Butter to soothe. It is scented with Mist You Madly’s™ notes of Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Magnolia, Freesia, Vanilla and Musk. It smells soft and fabulous!

Clean, Girls Skin Softening Creamy Body Wash ($9.99 USD) is also scented with Mist You Madly. It is pearly and very moisturizing. It works great for shaving, too. 

You can learn more about these products at www.soapandglory.com and purchase them at Target in the United States.

GIVEAWAY!!! CARGO EyeLighter in Gold!

EyeLighter in Gold

Announcing a CARGO giveaway! I have 5 — count them FIVE — CARGO EyeLighters in Gold ($20.00 USD) for 5 extremely lucky readers!

What’s an EyeLighter, you ask? Well its a cool little pen-like product that dispenses highlighting powder on both ends to brighten your peepers. The pointed tip lets you easily apply matte gold powder shadow to the outer corners of eyes, the lower lash line (instant awake!) and under the brows. The rounded tip applies a shimmering gold shadow to the inner corners and under the eyebrow, if you would like a more dramatic look. To use, twist of the cap where the product is kept, and it is automatically dispensed by a spring-loaded tip that gives the perfect amount of shadow. Very cool!

To win one, please leave a comment letting me know why you need to brighten up your eyes — kids won’t leave you alone, long hours at work, dog barks all night — and I will send on to the 5 most deserving ladies (or I’ll pick names from a hat if you all need it)!  I will notify the winners on Monday March 8th. Good Luck!   

To learn even more about this product and other cool items from CARGO, visit www.cargocosmetics.com. CARGO is also on Facebook and Twitter, so go and say hi!

Try the New and Revolutionary Cosmetics Company Ellis Faas

Cool new makeup company alert!  Ellis Faas brand was created by famous Dutch makeup artist Ellis Faas. She has worked for influential cosmetics companies such as Clinique, Lancome and MAC. In 2007 Ellis began working on her own makeup company, and its revolutionary cosmetic holder.

The Ellis Holder is really cool. Here’s a great description of the holder from the Ellis Faas website:

“The Holder is a lightweight container that fits a maximum of eight Ellis Faas products – and it is completely up to you to decide which ones you want to carry around. You simply “load” the Holder, placing the Skin Veil foundation in the middle and six pens around it. The indicators on the back of the pens show you which product is what, and by turning the base of the Holder, the pens come up and down individually to make it easy to take them out. The lid contains a mirror and holds a space to put the compact powder and sponge, or your shopping list, your pills, or whatever.”

When closed, the container looks like a bullet thermos and the pens itself look like silver bullets. They are so cool and very easy to use. I have tried the Creamy Lips liquid lipstick, Creamy Eyes, and the Blush. The Creamy Eyes and Lips have a brush applicator and the Blush has a little sponge. They are all easy to apply and can be blended with a brush or fingers for a soft look. All of the products are fairly long-lasting, too. And the eye shadow doesn’t crease, which is a plus!   

Check out the website to learn more about the products at www.ellisfaas.com. To purchase in the United States, you can visit Bergdorf Goodman.

Got Something to Conceal? Try These New Products from the CoverGirl Simply Ageless line!

CoverGirl and Olay Simply Ageless Corrector

Looking for products that will make your eye area look flawless. Look to CoverGirl! The CoverGirl Simply Ageless line has done it again with two new products infused with Olay Regenerist Serum, The Simply Ageless Concealer and the Simply Ageless Corrector ($10.99 USD each). Alone, they cover wonderfully, but together…fabulous, smooth and dewy skin is yours for the buying!   

To make your eyes look perfect no matter what you’re age, start with the Simply Ageless Corrector. This product contains specially blended pigments that can cover even extreme dark circles. It comes in one shade that works for everyone and has a soft, creamy texture that make it easy to blend. I dab it underneath my eyes to cover and on my upper eyelids as an eyeshadow base. I also use it for red areas on my chin and around my nose as it is very effective.   

I use the Simply Ageless Concealer over the Corrector for a flawless finish. This has more of a cream to liquid formula and it covers imperfections, conceals under-eye circles and visibly brightens skin. Available in four colors: Very Light, Light, Light/Medium, Medium/Dark.

 I highly recommend these products. This is probably my favorite concealer now! Visit www.covergirl.com to learn more about these products. They are also available in drugstores around the country.

Have You Tried Pixi Yet?

You should! Makeup artist Petra Strand has over 20 years experience and created the Pixi brand over 10 years ago.  Pixi’s fresh makeup was made to enhance a woman’s natural beauty.  

Some of the most recent Pixi products I’ve tried are:

Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal ($35.00 USD) This is a nice tube of tinted moisturizer with matching concealer in the cap. The tinted moisturizer also contains and SPF 20 to protect and luminates to give you a pretty glow. With the full coverage concealer this is the perfect product when you need to leave the house quickly. It will also be great for summer.

This product is also good for your skin. The tinted moisturizer contains ginseng root extract, ginko biloba extract, Vitamin C, Lysine, titanium and zinc dioxide to revitalize and protect skin. The concealer contains  Vitamins E and A, Aloe Vera and Vitamin C for anti-aging. This is very impressive for cosmetics!

Last Booster ($19.00 USD) is a lash defining, lengthening and thickening water-resistant mascara that coats lashes with carbon for long-lasting color. The cone-shaped brush is claimed to coat each lash evenly for the ultimate smudge free lashes.

I like this mascara, because it thickens and makes my lashes darker, but it didn’t lengthen them. And since my lashes are so short, I do need some lengthening.

Lip Booster ($18.00 USD) I love this maximizing lip gloss. It is touted to “provide maximum hydration and help restore collagen, adding volume to improve lip contour. Improves lip fullness 40%, decreases lines 30% and improves lip moisture 60%”.

This does make my lips look fuller, but does not sting, which is a big plus. It comes in many gorgeous shades. I have #5 Trixie, which is a pretty peach. I definitely recommend this non-sticky gloss!

Visit www.pixibeauty.com or www.target.com to purchase these fab products and many more from Pixi.

Try e.l.f. for Affordable Yet Quality Makeup

Have you tried e.l.f. cosmetics yet? You can find them at Target or buy them online. The cool thing about these products is that they are both extremely affordable and high quality. Single items run between $1.00 – $3.00 and kits will cost you $5.00 to $50.00. I’ve tried a few of these products and my favorites are:  

Complexion Perfection ($3.00 USD) — This neat powder is color-blocked with yellow, blue, green and pink shades to create a balanced and radiant complexion. I like this because the formula is  lightweight and it evens out the skin tone and absorbs excess oil. To use I swirl a big powder brush in all for of the powders and sweep it all over my face. I have been using this instead of translucent or a normal colored powder, and it really calms down my redness! 

Mineral Infused Mascara ($3.00 USD) — The brush on this mascara is silicone and is very easy to used. Add to that a great formula that both lengthens and volumizes my lashes and you have a really great, affordable mascara. My lashes stay clump-free all day and don’t smudge.
 
Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths ($3.00 USD) — These great cloths clean all of the makeup off of my face without irritating my eyes — a big plus! They are infused with Aloe Vera Extract for deep hydration and moisture and smell very fresh. 20 Pre-moistened cloths included.
 
Visit www.eyeslipsface.com to learn more and to purchase these products and many, many more!

Anastasia Illumin8 Eye Shadow Palette

Illumin8 Eye Shadow Palette

Anastasia Soare is an eye brow genius who has lately been branching out to skincare as well as cosmetics. She has recently launched Anastasia’s Illumin8 Eye Shadow Palette ($40.00 USD) makeup and anti-aging skincare in one great compact!

This palette is clinically tested to lift the appearance of skin, hydrate and refresh the sensitive skin of your eyelids with Youthful Synergy Complex. This essential complex is created from vitamins A, B, C, E and F, as well as naturally rich Brown Algae, Sea Whip and Macadamia. Featuring Anastasia’s exclusive antioxidant-rich Balkan Botanical™ Infusion of rare plant and herbal extracts, these powders have added power to soothe and soften. It is also paraben and fragrance free.

The shadows in the palette contain diamond core powder to diffuse light, minimizing the appearance of pores and wrinkles and make the eyelids luminous. There are 8 subtle colors in the palette ranging from bronzes, pinks and purples. It also contains a Mini Professional Brush with a broad end for sweeping shadows across the lid and on the brow bone and a tapered end for the crease and lining the lids.

The clinicals studies for this product showed reduced lines and wrinkles after an hour of wear. After 4 weeks 100% of women reported  an improvement in overall eye beauty.
  
What I think: These shadows are soft and pretty, but not extremely pigmented. They are appropriate for daytime and the office. I do notice that my eyelids look smoother when I am wearing the shadow, but if I don’t apply an eye base or concealer, they wear off very quickly. I recommend this for the way it makes the eyes look.

Visit www.anastasia.net to purchase and to learn more about the palette.