Maybelline – Page 3 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Perfect Fall Makeup — Smooth Skin and Smokey Eyes

Fall makeup is a great time to amp up the drama. To do so, it is essential that your skin looks flawless. Once that is achieved, a perfect smoky eye can create a dramatic look for evenings (holiday parties are coming).

The following products were sent to me for my honest review. They can help you look smoking’ this fall and holiday seasons!

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder ($45 USD) — Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder is a breakthrough formula that promises a flawless complexion with its customizable wet and dry coverage. This silky-smooth innovation offers a natural veil that imparts a colour true finish. Details are:

· Blurs fine lines – never settles into them

· Oil free, natural matte finish

· Long-wearing, all day wear (8 hours), waterproof

· Instantly reduces the look of shine at application and smoothes away the look of lines and pores

· Feels creamy, light and fresh on skin throughout the day

· In 20 shades of extraordinary

What I think: This is a gorgeous powder foundation. Worn dry, you get a soft, natural look. Apply wet and it lasts hours and hours. Either way, you get a comfortable feel and beautiful finish.

Learn more at www.lauramercier.com.

Hard Candy Mod Quad ($6 USD on www.walmart.com) — Hard Candy Mod Quad Baked Eye Shadow Compact offers four baked eye shadows in a palette that creates sultry smokin’ hot looks. With a little bit of water, these eye shadows go from sheer to high foil metallic finish.

Hard Candy Mod Quad Baked Eye Shadow Compact:

Highly pigmented
Apply dry and get a sheer finish
Add water and get a high-foil metallic finish

What I think: I have tried the Smoke Mirrors Grey Palette. It’s really pigmented. The two lightest colors work well for days, but all four shades can be layered and wet for a high-shine evening smoky eye!

Available at Walmart stores and www.walmart.com

Maybelline Volum Express Colossal Smoky Eyes ($7.77 USD) The most colossal lashes in just one coat. Lush collagen-enriched plumping formula and Mega Brush instantly build 9X volume, without clumps

• Contact lens safe and ophthalmologist-tested

• Washable, also available in Waterproof formula

Sweep brush from root to tip to plump lashes and achieve dramatic volume. Do not let dry between coats. Removes easily with soap and water or Maybelline® New York Expert Eyes® 100% Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.

What I think: I love the length and fullness that this mascara gave me. My lashes looked amazing! The only problem is, at the end of the day I had raccoon eyes. Which is sad! But, if you don’t mind that, this is a great mascara!

Available at mass market retailers near you.

Sensai Eyebrow Pencil ($28 USD) — Eyebrows frame the face and a well-manicured brow can enhance your look that much more. With Sensai’s Eyebrow Pencil (available in black and brown) you can easily and minimally recreate this stylish look and transform your appearance.

This special oval-shaped lead has soft, powdery consistency and a spiral brush to perfectly articulate the brows. Ideal for natural-looking lines.

What I think: This is a very nice, good quality eyebrow pencil. It is easy to apply, the lead is fairly soft and you can blend it if you need to.

Sensai products may be purchased at http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/ and http://www.neimanmarcus.com/.

Beautyblender ($19.95 USD) — Now you can look like a movie star without the pricey services of a major make up artist. Introducing Beautyblender, the ultimate make up sponge applicator. Invented by top Hollywood make up artist Rea Ann Silva, Beautyblender has been created to leave you with a professional finish and a flawless complexion. Silva knows that the key to a perfect face is simple: a perfect blend. So forget your fingers or sharp-edged triangular sponges, these application methods waste make up and can leave visible streaks.

Beautyblender’s patent-pending elliptical shape makes application foolproof by allowing you to access hard-to-reach areas with stunning ease. Its suede texture is sensual to the touch and its unique curves fit the contours of your face, leaving your make up dazzling and undetectable. Beautyblender is latex free, non-allergenic and odor free.

What I think: This is my favorite way to blend primers, foundation, BB Creams, and even powder foundation. Gives a flawless look!

Available at http://www.shop.beautyblender.net/

What’s your new fall look this season? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Maybelline Summer 2013

If there is one thing Maybelline New York knows, it’s that makeup is the perfect accessory. IT Girls are all about adding a few key pieces every season to keep their look fresh, gorgeous and on trend.Maybelline New York makes it easy this summer with six hot limited edition collections –available only for the month of May. Stylish women everywhere will be able to add a pop of color to their makeup wardrobe.

Go for the faux: Every IT Girl knows a faux glow is the only way to go, but it’s not always easy to achieve the perfect bronzed look. The limited edition Dream Sun Bronzing collection makes it a snap!

· Dream Sun Bronzing Powder Four Seasons is a unique, multi-tonal palette that creates a customized bronzed look. Choose how light or dark you want to go, or combine the shades all over for a radiant glow. Available in Light and Medium, $8.99
· Illuminate skin with the Dream Sun Bronzing Face Illuminator, a gel formula that reflects light to highlight skin and create a warm, shimmery glow. Available in one universal shade. $8.99
· Perfect for all-over bronzing, the Dream Sun Bronzing Powder Matte creates a natural sun-kissed glow in a matte finish that is ideal for the T-zone. Available in Light and Medium, $8.99
· The Dream Sun Bronzing Powder Glow offers a touch of shimmer that’s perfect for cheekbones and brow bones or to add a touch of sultriness to shoulders, collarbones and décolleté. Available in Light and Medium, $8.99

Seaso-nail Colors: Nothing says summer more than a bright manicure!Color Show Nail Lacquer will be available in 10 show-stopping new shades that will perfectly complement your summer wardrobe. The chip resistant formula will be available in:Azure Seas, Bare Escape, Canary Cool, Midnight Swim, Mint Mist, Pacific Blues, Poolside,Sandstorm, Turquoise Paradise and Urban Utopia. $3.99

Get inked: Make eyes pop with eight bold shades of Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24 HR Cream-Gel Shadow. The semi-permanent gel-cream smoothes on for vibrant, crease-resistant color that wears for 24 hours – a must for steamy summer days. Amp up your look with one of these flattering shades: Blue Paradise, Cool Crush, Icy Mint, Lavish Lavender, Precious Pearl, Seashore Frosts, Shady Shores or Waves of White. $6.99

Up the Drama:Put a spin on the smoky eye with the Eye Studio Master Drama Cream Pencil in Navy Knockout or Taupe Takeover. This eyeliner, which applies with the ease of a pencil and the intensity of a cream, allows for an incredibly bold and long-wearing line. Best of all, it’s waterproof, smudge-resistant and lasts for 24 hours. $7.99

Go light:Get soft, sexy lips with Color Sensational Color Whisper. This lightweight lipstick creates translucent, light color with a kiss of shine. Nourishing honey nectar keeps lips soft and the barely there feel makes this a summer beauty must-have. Try it in one – or all four! – of the limited edition shades: I Crave Coral,Nude Shimmer, Ravishing Pink and Sienna Sands. $7.49

Shine on:Make a statement with six gorgeous shades of Color Sensational High Shine Lip Gloss. This wax-free gloss delivers pure color for saturated look with the ultimate shine. Honey nectar nourishes lips.Coral Heat, Fuschia Sparks, Nude Compliment, Peach Glisten, Peony Sheen, and Rose Lust pack the perfect punch. $7.49

These Maybelline New York limited edition collections will be available at select mass retailers nationwide for the month of May 2013 only.

Nailapalooza — Spring 2013 Colors and a Cool Nail Art Book!

I have been testing some gorgeous spring nail polishes and I thought I would share some of my favorites from Maybelline New York, Hard Candy, Butter London and L’Oreal. And…I have some swatches! Cool, huh? Well…they are a bit sloppy. But for my first time, I think they turned out okay!

Maybelline New York Color Show Electric Nights ($3.99 USD) collection are super-bright colors that are great on fingers or toes! The colors are:

Alluring Rose (right) — Bright rose pink

Blast of Blue — Bright blue frost

Coral Glow — Medium coral

Electric Orange — Bright shocking orange

Flash of Purple — Deep purple

Intense Teal — Bright blue-green

Lustrous Lime — Shocking yellow-green

Mesmerizing Magenta — Deep pink

Passionate Plum (left photo) — Dark bluish purple

Shockwave — Bright turquoise

These polishes are very pretty on. The bright colors are fun all-year long. Learn more at www.maybelline.com and they are available at mass market retailers near you!

L’Oreal has some really pretty spring shades. Inspired by St. Patrick’s Day, I swatched L’Oreal Colour Riche ($5.99 USD) in New Money with L’Oreal Colour Riche Nail Lingerie in Le Nouveau Riche over it. I really loved the look, but the nail stickers starting coming off the next day. But, still a cool idea and very pretty look! The other shades in the collection are:

Royalty Reinvented — Deep lavender

New Money — Lime green

Orange You Jealous? — Soft coral

Crazy For Chic — Magenta

Not A Cloud in Sight — Medium Turquoise

Members Only — Hot pink

Available at mass market retailers and you can check out the range of colors at www.lorealparisusa.com.

Hard Candy has just launched 45 new shades of Nail Lacquer. There are 5 new collections with 9 shades in each. Glitter, Chrome, Rich tones – something for everyone! The collections are:

Crushed Chrome Collection. Luxurious and timeless hues embellished with a golden textured finish. This collection boasts refinement and sophistication and is infused with a vivacious luster.

Itsy Glitzy Collection. Intense, illuminating, and incandescent hues saturated with the richest and most extreme mica and glitter. Inspired from the runway and now at your fingertips.

Crystal Confetti Collection. A unique collection based on artistic expression. Flourishing, adventurous, full coverage shades with various particle sizes and creative textures. Graffiti is revolutionary; it’s an outlet to create public art. Now take this artistic and creative expression to your nails.

Candy Sprinkles Collection. Suspended in a clear top coat, shimmery flecks sparkle brilliantly with different shapes of shiny glitter. Candy Sprinkles is a fabulous top coat over any color.

Glitteratzi Collection. The combination of confident opposites and intimate tonalities mixed with the right amount of sparkle creates enthusiasm for the vitality of life. The hues are natural and are becoming more evolved and colored. Tasteful tones with all the personality to satisfy every trend setter.

The colors I have swatched are Crush on Ivy, Jubilee (over crush on Ivy), Sparked, and Hip Hip Hooray. They are all gorgeous and so affordable at $3.97 each!

The Hard Candy collection is exclusively available at Walmart and on walmart.com.

The butter LONDON Sweetie Shop collection is a group of pretty spring pastels. The colors are:

Molly Coddled (left swatch) – An opaque, orchid crème nail lacquer.

Jasper (right swatch) – Opaque bright pastel yellow crème nail lacquer.

Kerfuffle – Opaque pink coral crème nail lacquer.

Cuppa – This gorgeous toasted opaque tan crème is both your perfect neutral lacquer and statement maker in one!

Fiver – Opaque icy mint crème nail lacquer.

Fruit Machine – Opaque punchy carnation crème nail lacquer.

As always, the butter LONDON ($15 USD) polishes are beautiful on. Molly Coddled is as beautiful in person as the photo. Jasper was a bit streaky, even after 3 coats. But, still a pretty color. I would like to try Cuppa next, I love a good neutral!

Available at Ulta stores and www.ulta.com, Nordstrom and www.butterlondon.com.

This Spring, indulge in a super sweet (guilt‐free!) treat with LCN’s Blossom Sorbet collection. Inspired by cotton candy dreams and delicate sugary confections, this quad of pastel hues is an enchanting escape
from winter’s dark and mysterious shades. Feminine and fresh, each shade is sure to charm the senses!

Each polish in the Blossom Sorbet collection features LCN’s professional‐grade, long‐lasting and chip‐
resistant formula. What’s more, each polish is also 3‐Free (formulated without DBP, Toluene and
Formaldehyde and Cetyl Alcohol).

The LCN Blossom Sorbet collection includes:

Vintage Rose (on the left)– a rosy pink‐coral

Soft Daisy – a delicate, happy yellow

I Love Mint – an invigorating pop of blue‐green

Lilac Blossom (on the right) – a flirty lavender

With colors this irresistible, go ahead and give in to that sweet tooth!

Each polish in the LCN Blossom Sorbet Collection retails for $7.50 and will be available on
www.LCNBoutique.com starting March 15th.

The cure for the common mani!

Black Lace. Summer Citrus. Hot Pink Zebra. Get ready for nails that will get you noticed!

Catherine Rodgers, creator of the popular nail art YouTube Channel Totally Cool Nails, shares her secrets in DIY Nail Art. Packed with easy-to-follow instructions and helpful tips for recreating Catherine’s stunning looks, you can create one-of-a-kind nail art designs without ever stepping inside a nail salon.

Inside this colorful guide to all things nails, you’ll find seventy-five eye-catching designs including never-before-seen styles like Argyle, Light Burst, and Spiderweb Nails.

Complete with step-by-step photographs so you can nail your look every time, DIY Nail Art will have you saying goodbye to the nail salon–and hello to fashion-forward nails at home!

Available at www.adamsmediastore.com.

Enjoy!

Last Day to Enter My CEW and BeautyBar.com Insider’s Choice Box GIVEAWAY!

CEW Insider's Choice Box — CEW Insider’s Choice Box

It’s the last day to enter my Insider’s Choice Box giveaway! Leave a comment on my blog if you wish to enter, and I will choose the winner tomorrow, Monday July 30th! Here are the details:

CEW and BeautyBar.com teamed up to create The Insiders’ Choice Beauty Box, which features 11 products selected as the industry’s most innovative picks during the 18th Annual CEW Beauty Insiders’ Choice Awards.

For a limited-time only, these Insider’s Choice Beauty Boxes will be available at www.BeautyBar.com/CEW. The box is valued at $109 and is selling at a specially discounted price of $25, making it a great gift for the beauty lover in your life, a beach party hostess gift (or simply a nice treat for yourself). Also, if you buy two boxes, you’ll get one free with the promo code: BBCEW (for the first 250 customers).

The Insiders’ Choice Beauty Box contains the following products:

· L’Oréal Paris Youth Code Serum Intense

· L’Oréal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

· Heidi Klum Shine Eau De Toilette, 0.5 oz.

· StriVectin-TL Tightening Neck Cream, Travel Size

· L’Occitane Lavender Hand Cream-1 oz.

· Burt’s Bees Richly Replenishing Cocoa & Cupuaçu Butters Body Lotion

· Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm-Red Dahlia

· Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Neutralizer

· Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer, Travel Size

· Dr. T’s Supergoop! All-Over Everyday UV Lotion for Face & Body – SPF 30+ – 1.6 oz. Travel Size

· Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Color Strips, Animal Instinct-16 count

I will also be announcing a Laura Geller giveway tomorrow — so stay tuned!

Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY! — CEW Partners with BeautyBar.com For An Awesome Beauty Box

The Insiders’ Choice Beauty Box contains the following products:

· L’Oréal Paris Youth Code Serum Intense

· L’Oréal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

· Heidi Klum Shine Eau De Toilette, 0.5 oz.

· StriVectin-TL Tightening Neck Cream, Travel Size

· L’Occitane Lavender Hand Cream-1 oz.

· Burt’s Bees Richly Replenishing Cocoa & Cupuaçu Butters Body Lotion

· Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm-Red Dahlia

· Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Neutralizer

· Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer, Travel Size

· Dr. T’s Supergoop! All-Over Everyday UV Lotion for Face & Body – SPF 30+ – 1.6 oz. Travel Size

· Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Color Strips, Animal Instinct-16 count

This box is a great price for all of the fab products, but how about getting one for FREE! I am giving away a box for one lucky reader! Just leave a comment on my blog saying that you would like to win the Insider’s Choice Beauty Box. I will choose a winner Monday July 30th.

Good Luck!

Want Long, Glossy Lashes? That’s the Claim of Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto

I love the commercials for Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto Mascara ($7.49 USD). The claim is, “The only mascara that does for lashes what stilettos do for legs. ” Sexy lashes, all right! The advertised features of this product are:

The Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle
Elastic formula stretches lashes for provocative length
Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smoothes for black-patent shine
Contact lens safe and Ophthalmologist tested

Hmm. Well my lashes were a little longer, but not stiletto-long and definitely not glossy. They were well defined, although not thickened. Maybe a few more coats and they would have been longer.

The one reason I would not buy this is that it flaked so badly that by the end of the day it looked like I didn’t have any mascara on at all!

I think that if you are going to call a mascara “Lash Stiletto” it needs to be fabulous. That’s why I can’t recommend this product.

Polish Your Look on New Year’s Eve With a New Lip Plumper

I was skeptical of lip plumpers for a long time. I have decent lips, why would I need to make them fat. Even worse is the fact that many lip plumpers contain irritants and make your lips sting. Ouch!

Now that they are more popular (and much less ouchier), I have been hearing very good things about some plumpers. One of the claims is that they smooth out fine lines in your lips and make your lips appear smoother.

So I began my research with the queen of all lip plumpers — LipFusion Lip Plumper ($38.00 USD). This lip plumping color shine is formulated with marine collagen micro-spheres that are absorbed by lips and then absorb moisture causing mild-swelling which gives lip a full, plump look. They say results can last for up to 48 hours. I don’t know about that but it did instantly plump and smooth my lips and didn’t sting at all. It left me with a little numbness, but it wasn’t unpleasant, and there are many shades to choose from. If you have $38.00 for lip gloss, I’ll be your friend! And try this gloss, it does live up to the hype!

Another great gloss is bareMinerals Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polish ($18.00 USD). Sephora’s site states, “This mineral-infused polish imparts a luminous high shine with no sticky or tacky feeling. A deep infusion of antioxidant vitamins A and E help keep lips soft, smooth, and protected, while the tingly and cooling sensation reminds you that your lips are getting an immediate increase in fullness.” This does tingle but doesn’t sting (thank goodness). There are about eleven soft shades of this gloss and half the price of the LipFusion, its a pretty good buy.

But if you aren’t quite convinced about this lip plumping craze, try a drugstore brand. A really good one is the Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Lip Plumper ($8.99 USD). This one touts, “Make your lips up to 30% bigger with Maybelline Volume Seduction Lip Plumper. Feel a tingling effect as active amplifiers instantly plump lips for a visibly fuller pout. Available in 10 seductive shades. Not recommended for sensitive lips.” I guess my lips aren’t too sensitive, because it does tingle, but doesn’t sting me. Definitely a good gloss for plumping beginners.

So have fun with your gloss on New Year’s Eve! Go ahead and try something new.

Long Lashes That Don’t Smudge? Try Too Faced Lash Injection Pin Point Mascara!

I love me some mascara! I love long, thick, eye-opening lashes and many of the modern mascaras give me just the look I want. Not natural, or sweet. I’m 40. I need WOW eyes, 24-7.

It wasn’t always like that for me. I used to hate mascara. It would clump and run. And not really make my tiny lashes look much bigger then they were. But so many new, wow formulas and brushes are afoot, and that makes my eyelashes much happier.

One good example of a great new mascara is Too Faced Lash Injection Pin Point Mascara. This is a mascara with a smaller wand that gets even the puniest lashes and lengthens them.

The cool thing about the Lash Injection Line from Too Faced is that “Lash Injection Pin Point’s exclusive 3D polymers build waterproof tubes around each lash that expand and stretch far, far beyond the natural lash while the sleek pinpoint precision brush separates and curls for the most divinely detailed, healthy lash look imaginable. Like paraffin dip treatments, moisture is locked into the lash by each tube, and lashes stay conditioned and hydrated.”

The tubes are cool, but difficult to remove. You need a good, oil based remover to get it all off. Lancome’s Bi-Facil is a good one. But this mascara WILL NOT SMUDGE, so it is worth the work to remove.

Priced at 19.50 USD this mascara is a bit of a splurge, but it is worth it if you like long lashes. Another good skinny-brushed mascara at a cheaper price is Maybelline’s Lash Discovery Mini-Brush Waterproof Mascara. This one is priced for $7.29 USD at Walgreens. It also grabs all of your lashes and is waterproof so it rarely smudges. Both of these mascaras are worth checking out if this is the look you are going for!