Lazy Day Face and OPI Mermaid's Tears

Hello, dear readers,

Today has been a rather lazy day in the sense that I haven't been able to go out and about. I've mostly been inside doing homework or on the phone. Yesterday was much more fun, as I had two of my friends come to visit me at college. I plan to hula hoop this evening, so that should make me feel better about being so static today. Fingers crossed.

For no particular reason, and despite barely leaving the room, I felt the need to slap on some makeup and attempt to look more awake. After that was done, I thought, Why not take some photos of questionable quality on my MacBook and post them on my blog? So that's what I'm doing. I shall also share a couple of photos of my current nail polish, OPI Mermaid Tears.

An aside: I didn't buy Mermaid Tears when it came out as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, because I was being noble and refraining from purchasing nail polish. However, that meant that by the time I got around to looking for it, it was discontinued. A journey to a nail polish/beauty supply store was to no avail, and all the bottles I found online were ridiculously expensive. Somehow, my mom managed to find one for a reasonable price and sent it to me at college. [Thanks, Mom!] I'm a little bit in love with it, and now I know not to pass up a limited edition nail polish if I'm obsessing over it. 

I tried to adjust the lighting and contrast of some of the photos, but they're honestly still pretty washed out and poor quality.  No color changes or any other sort of editing has been done besides that. Without further ado, here is my face of the day:

Products used:

1. Cover Girl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 805 Fair/Light
2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory                                                                              (under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose)
3. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent
4. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 300 Rose Blush

As you can see, this isn't a flawless face. This is what I use when I want to get my makeup done quickly and efficiently, making myself look much more awake while letting some imperfections peek through. I always alternate the lipsticks, often layering more than one to create the perfect color, but Rimmel's Rose Blush is one of my go-tos for a natural, fresh-faced look. I'm almost out of the tinted moisturizer, so I'll need to bring my back-up to college next time I go home. Apparently, this is now being marketed as a BB Cream. Total sales gimmick, in my opinion.

On to the nail polish:

Despite the grainy quality of the photographs, these are pretty accurate depictions of the color. In the second, the nail polish in the bottle itself appears more blue than in real life.

What nail polish shades have you been loving lately? Are you transitioning to darker fall shades, or do you still play around with all sorts of colors?

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and have more great things in store for you during the coming week!

xEsther

Aaaaaaand...It's a Tag! What's Your Makeup Style?

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Hello, dear readers,


I've been in a bit of a blogging rut, as you may have noticed, so I'm doing a tag today. This one is newer and I found it on Elle & Blair. Here are my answers to the "What's Your Makeup Style?" tag.


1. EEK! You've got five minutes to do your makeup for a date. What's your minimum?
I can usually get some foundation on the center of my face to cover up redness, a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes, and some lipstick on in five minutes. I usually take longer, but I can do it if I'm in a hurry.


2. Pick a trend—crazy cat eyeliner, super hot pink blush, or feathered false lashes?
I wouldn't actually wear any of these, but crazy cat eyeliner would probably look the least certifiably insane of the three.


3. If you had to either give up all makeup for two months or give up your skincare for a week, which would you pick?
As much as I hate to say it, I would give up my skincare for a week. If I break out that week, I can cover it up, and then I'll proceed to be diligent about my skin afterwards. I don't wear face makeup every day anyway, so my skin wouldn't suffer too much.


4. What beauty products are always in your purse?
Lip balm, whatever lipstick I'm wearing that day, and hand cream. I do occasionally forget the hand cream.


5. Are there any beauty products that you keep coming back to throughout the years?
Almay Smart Shade Concealer in Light, L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Tropical Coral, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Rose Blush, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent.


6. Smoky eyes or red lips?
Red lips. I love the look of a classic red lip with my very fair skin and dark hair. I'll take any excuse to wear red lipstick.


7. Lipstick or lipgloss?
Lipstick.


8. Are there any products that you never expected to like but ended up loving?
Beauty UK Lipstick in In the Buff and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure.


I would love to see any of you do this tag. Again, I apologize for being such a lousy blogger. I really haven't been able to think of any great ideas, nor have I had the chance to figure out what to do for an updated skincare routine post. 


I hope you've all been enjoying June; I know I have! Have a lovely start to the week.


xEsther

Vacation, Foundation, and General Ramblings

Hello, dear readers,

Long time, no type! I'm sorry I've been gone for the past few weeks without any notice. I think I just wanted to enjoy the first few weeks of summer without thinking too much, though I'm still writing for CHAOS Magazine [In the Models: The Girls and Life: Party Time sections]. I was also setting up an editorial internship with an extremely nice girl I met at my brother's graduate school graduation. I'm interning for an independent publishing company, aptly named The Little Things Publishing, LLC, and I'm excited to get my first assignment in a couple of weeks or so.

I've been looking for other writing and editing outlets, because it's something I really love to do. Besides, there's nothing better than writing about things you love or being part of a big project like a book publication. That's the case for me, anyway.

I was in the Twin Cities in Minnesota from June 2 until June 10, and it was a pretty interesting trip. A little mix-up with the hotel turned out to be for the best, as it left my parents and I with a studio apartment. This was absolute heaven for me because I got my own bathroom, and I take longer to get ready than both of my parents combined. It's not even because I have an elaborate beauty routine; I didn't even wear makeup every day, and when I did it was super quick and minimal. I'm just not a morning person, and my skincare takes up time.

Did I mention that I ended up with a handicapped room? It was quite roomy and comfortable. Probably my favorite part of the trip, besides the great time I had on the last day, was seeing Jon McLaughlin in concert. I mentioned this in a previous post, but I was bummed knowing I wouldn't be in town when he came to my area, so I happened to browse his other tour dates. Luckily for me, he happened to be playing in Minneapolis while I was there! It was so fantastic, and my mom had a good time as well. It was at the Varsity Theater, which I just happened to write about in this post [shameless self promotion alert]. Here are some pictures from the event; I tried to pick the ones that were of a decent quality:

The reasons I haven't yet posted an updated foundation routine are:

1) I haven't been wearing makeup very often.
2) The foundation I was using [the palest in the collection] was slightly too dark for me.
3) I wasn't sure if my foundation was breaking me out.

Due to an unfortunate near-death, car-towing experience, my parents and I had to stay in a hotel without any of our belongings. We went to a nearby ShopKo, and my mom insisted on getting me a foundation. I got the Cover Girl CG Aqua Smoothers Makeup in 705 Ivory, and it turned out to be a perfect match! When I wear makeup, I put the product mostly on the center of my face [nose and surrounding area, chin] and blend out. Then I use Almay Smart Shade Concealer in the lightest shade, just under my eyes, and finish with Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent dusted all over my face.

I'm not using Hard Candy Glamoflauge right now, because it really is quite obviously yellowish and makes my eye area look sallow when surrounded by foundation that actually matches. I will be doing an updated skincare routine post as soon as I can.

Is your summer starting out wonderfully? I hope so. Let me know what you're up to.

xEsther

Mini Review: Physicians Formula Mineral Wear® Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30

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Hello, dear readers,

I'm sure that after reading the title, you're not looking forward to reading another one of my rambles. This is the longest cosmetic title I've probably ever seen. In any case, as a Physicians Formula "buzz maker," I received a few products in the mail for the purpose of review. Don't worry; I'm not suddenly special. You, too, can become a "buzz maker" if you go on the Physicians Formula website and click the tab that says "Buzz." I'm not sure if everyone gets picked, or if it's random, but it's worth a shot if you're a fan of the brand.

Before I tell you my thoughts, let's have a look at the product description and claims from the official webpage :

Claims

Hypoallergenic. Fragrance free. Paraben free. Non-Comedogenic. Dermatologist approved.

Description

Ultra-fine mineral powder delivers impeccable coverage for a flawless airbrushed finish.

Visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, pores and sun damage.

I was pretty scientific about this review, so I tried it over each of my tinted moisturizers as well as over concealer alone. For reference, the tinted moisturizers I used were the Clinique Moisture Surge SPF 15 in shade 01, and CG Aqua Smoothers in shade 805. Both are the lightest shades. When I went with just concealer, it was the Hard Candy Glamoflauge in light, also the lightest of the three shades offered. I received the powder in the shade "Translucent." See a pattern here?

As far as claims go, "hypoallergenic," "non-comedegenic," and "dermatologist approved," do not, I hate to say it, guarantee that your skin won't have an allergic reaction or break out from the product. This goes for every single beauty and skincare product out there, so I'm not digging on this brand alone. The powder is paraben free, and I'm really happy with the SPF ingredients included. This uses both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, mineral sunscreens that should block all UV rays from penetrating the skin. If you're afraid that it will leave a whitish cast, don't be; it doesn't leave any sort of white cast on the skin.

As far as the description goes, I honestly cannot comment upon whether it reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, or sun damage, because I don't see any signs of those issues as of yet. However, I do find that it gives very good coverage for just a pressed powder. I actually think I prefer this over concealer alone, because, wait for it...it gives my face a bit of color. I know this is a translucent powder, but for someone as pale as I am, this product will definitely add some pigment to the skin.

Worn alone over concealer, I honestly don't think it reduces the appearance of pores. I have pretty visible pores right around my nose and on my forehead, and they didn't seem to disappear. I do really like the coverage, though, and it does a great job of working with the concealer to cover up discoloration and created the look of even-toned skin.

With the Clinique tinted moisturizer, it blends seamlessly over the top, but gets slightly cake-y on the sides of my nose, which tend to get dry. It looks more cake-y around my nose when used over the Cover Girl tinted moisturizer, so I'm going to have to blame this on tinted moisturizer. With any powder I use, my skin can look flakier if it's over a tinted moisturizer. For me, the less makeup, the better. Besides the t-zone area, the combination of the products makes my pores appear smaller, as makeup tends to do.

This is not a mattifying powder, nor does it claim to be, so my t-zone area still looks shiny. Of course, the more makeup I wear, the more noticeable the shine. Therefore, I prefer wearing this powder over concealer alone. It gives enough coverage that I don't need the extra makeup, anyway. I find it to be very long-lasting despite the shine, and it really only separates slightly on my t-zone after several hours.

The great thing about this powder is that this shade is actually neutral, not too yellow or pink. The only downside about the shades is that there are only three offered, all on the light to medium end of the spectrum. As for the packaging, I think it's adorable but unnecessarily bulky. I don't use the mirror inside or I'd be flipping back and forth to reload my brush. I don't use the brush that comes with it, either, because it's really long, thin, and dense. I don't understand how anyone can use that. Instead I use an all over face kabuki brush that's meant for mineral makeup.

Overall, I think this is a good powder for those with dry-combination to dry skin, because it won't hide the shine of oily skin. It has fantastic sunscreen ingredients and gives pretty great, long-lasting coverage. The directions on the package are reminiscent of directions on the back of sunscreen, including the warnings about not using the product on broken skin, and it's convenient that you can use this if you forget sunscreen and not have to worry about it.

That's it for this "Mini Review." I should probably start calling them "Long, Rambling Description," but that doesn't have quite as much of a nice ring to it.

Let me know if you've tried this powder, or if you have another favorite.

I hope the first week of the new year has treated you well.

xEsther

Mini Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Hello, dear readers,

Today's post is a review of Rimmel London Stay Matte pressed Powder. Let's get right to it and start out with the claims from Rimmel's website:

STAY MATTE PRESSED POWDER

MATTIFYING PRESSED POWDER FOR UP TO 5HRS OF WEAR

No chance to shine with Stay Matte Powder. Goes on smooth to even out skintone. Offers a natural, matte finish. You won't go out without it!

I have this in the color 001 Transparent. I've been wearing this over just my regular concealer for the past couple of weeks, and that's all the makeup I've had on. I can say that this powder definitely goes on smooth and does a great job of smoothing out skin tone and blending with the concealer for a matte finish. I know for a fact that, at least on me, this powder looks natural because my mom couldn't tell I was wearing makeup when I had it on. She's my harshest critic when it comes to makeup, and she has no qualms about letting me know if my makeup is noticeable.

The trick to a good powder with me is that it won't make my dry areas noticeable, and this doesn't. The skin on the sides of my nose is quite flakey, especially in the winter, and that area, as my mom says, is the "giveaway." This powder doesn't accentuate dry skin for me.

As for the "up to 5 hours of wear,"I think that's brilliant advertising. Why? Because they never tell you that it's a guaranteed five hours of wear; they just say anywhere up to five hours. I'll be honest and tell you that I haven't measured the hours. I have, however, worn this out all day and it doesn't wear as badly as the other powders I've tried. Sure, after seven hours it fades on my nose and chin, but I still consider it a great powder.

As for the shine factor, this keeps my face reasonably matte, bearing in mind that I have mostly dry to combination skin that's even drier in the winter. If you have very oily skin, I can't say if it will keep you matte for an extended period of time.

A word of caution: This product does contain fragrance, which I don't normally condone, but it's a very small amount. If you want to know the ingredients, Beautypedia lists them in its review. I do have quite sensitive skin, and it hasn't been bothered by the fragrance, but if you're worried about sensitivity, there are other powders out there without fragrance. Personally, I like the scent. It's very fresh and clean.

The only other issue is that there are only three shades, all rather light. I know there are people with medium skin tones that do like this powder, but I don't think it's quite fair that so few drugstore brands cater to darker skin tones. Luckily, this one does work for those with very pale skin, a color that isn't often represented enough either.

Overall, I'm a fan of this powder. Until I find something better, of course. 

Have any of you tried this product?

To complexion perfection.

xEsther

Faking a Flawless Face

Hello dear readers,

As you know, it's been a while since my last post. Today I thought I'd talk quickly about my essentials for perfecting my complexion. Lately I've been getting lovely compliments on my skin. One told me it looked "glowing," and another said I should never get a tan because my skin is perfect the way it is. Well, I have news for you: my skin is certainly not perfect on its own. I have heavy dark circles from genetics with an added dose of sleep deprivation, redness on and around my nose and in little patches on my cheeks, and a gorgeous case of hormonal acne on my chin. To be honest, without makeup my skin doesn't look as terrible as I'm making it sound, but it looks much more dead and uneven, and a far cry from glowing or perfect.

After cleansing and applying acne spot treatment, I use one of my Olay moisturizers, mentioned here and here. If I have time in the morning, I wait ten minutes or so for it to set in. Otherwise I wait closer to one minute before applying any makeup.

The next step is my CoverGirl tinted moisturizer, reviewed here. I smooth a small amount all over my face, making sure to blend into the jawline. Though it gives only the slightest hint of color, I still don't want to risk a different colored face and neck.

Then I attack discolorations, undereye circles, and acne with Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer, reviewed here. It's the best concealer I've used so far, and I only use the tiniest amount.

The last step for my skin is to even everything out and minimize shine, so I use Physician's Formula 

Powder Palette® Multi-Colored Face Powder in Translucent, the lightest shade they have. I swapped out the powder puff for a brush that came in their green powder palette, which I would not recommend. I'll do a mini review on the powder palettes in an upcoming post. I buff the powder into my skin and down the jawline as well.

This is the only recent picture with decent lighting that I could find of me with this makeup on, as the routine is fairly recent, but you can get something of an idea of what my skin looks like at the end. I think my lipstick faded off in this picture as well, but that's just as well because I don't remember what I was wearing that day!

Insert crazy picture here: 

It's not, perhaps, the best picture to demonstrate because of the shadows, and I'll probably be uploading a different picture when I get the chance, but it gives you an idea. 

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Have a beautiful day.

xEsther