Beauty and Fashion Tech

Weekend Contest at The Budget Fashionista

I just got the following information from The Budget Fashionista:

This August, The Budget Fashionista fashion blog is launching weekend
contests, featuring prize packages worth over $500 in value. Starting
the weekend of August 3rd, visitors who leave a comment on the blog
from 12:01am Friday to 11:59pm Sunday, as well as their email
addresses, will be automatically entered to win that weekend’s
contest.

Here’s some of the great contests we have planned:
- A Dooney & Burke Travel Bag filled with the latest releases from hot
indie label Defend music, tons of beauty products, and lots of other
goodies
- Two $250 gift certificates to accessories store Angela Moore
- A bra wardrobe from Playtex

To enter, visit The Budget Fashionista every weekend in August.

By Carleenp Posted in Contests, Sale or Promotion Notices | No Comments

Review: Rimmel Cool Matte 16 Hour Mousse Foundation

Rimmel Cool Matte 16 Hr Mousse Foundation gets merely an OK from me, although I think those who want something really sheer might like it. I absolutely love Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation and thought that perhaps the Rimmel product would be similar. It turns out that the two products really are not much alike. Maybelline provides good coverage that is not too heavy, while Rimmel’s mousse is very sheer.

The Rimmel foundation, although labeled as a “mousse,” really has more of a cream/lotion texture to it. It does appear to be a bit whipped, but not much. I found that while the shade I tried (#100, Ivory) was about right in tone for me, it barely provided any coverage. This stuff was as sheer as some of the tinted moisturizers that I have used. The sheer nature of the product could be a good thing for those who desire a sheer coverage foundation, especially in a matte form, but it did not work for me. I also did not get 16 hours of wear from it. I doubt that I even got eight, but it was hard to tell because the product had so little coverage to begin with. With all of the long wearing stuff, I tend to just cut the promised time in half for my expectations. Personally, I have found that none of them really seem to meet their claims and the companies would be better off leaving an hour figure out of product names. Why make promises that you can’t keep?

The product did go on pretty matte, and that is a nice feautre in a sheer foundation, since many other products this sheer are things along the lines of tinted moisturizers. I simply need more coverage because I have hyperpigmentation and melasma. In the end, if you are looking for a fairly inexpensive foundation that is very sheer and matte, this might be worth a look. But if you want much coverage, take a look elsewhere. As for that 16 hr thing, just ignore it and expect a normal length of wear.

By Carleenp Posted in Makeup | No Comments

BlogHer Report

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the BlogHer Conference in downtown Chicago. The conference had around 800 in attendance, with more attending in Second Life, and was the largest blogging conference to date, regardless of gender. Attending provided a wonderful opportunity to meet a wide variety of interesting people, including a couple of women from the Beauty Blog Network, and to acquire some very useful blogging knowledge. I attended mostly technical sessions, but also went to one on storytelling for a change of pace. The food was great, as was the location. A few of the most interesting or fun highlights:

It was a joy to meet Erika, publisher of the site Makeup Bag, and Christina from B5 Media and eBeautyDaily.
Erika and I shared a table at the cocktail reception with Laurie from Not Just About Cancer. Laurie is a really fun woman with quite an interesting story. Check out her blog for some reading that really is not just about cancer!
At the vendor tables, I learned about something I really had no clue was a problem: Cough syrup abuse in kids and teens. Check out FiveMoms.com.
Conferences such as these can provide some great leads on upcoming projects. At BlogHer, I enjoyed gaining insight about an upcoming new website that sounds quite exciting. Visit TotalBeauty.com for a sneak peak and to sign up for release information.
I got lots of swag! I have a few things I saved aside and am going to add to for a reader giveaway. Keep an eye out for that in a week or two!
I also shared a table with Carol Lin of Carol Lin Reporting and talked to her a bit about online communities. I kept thinking she looked really familiar and wondered where I might have met her before. I noticed later that she is a former CNN Anchor.
The best session for me was on blogging workflow tools and tricks from the women behind the hugely popular blogs Engadget.com and LifeHacker.com. They have most of their links to a variety of useful tools on their Blog Tools Wiki, which is well worth looking at if you are a blogger.

The conference was a great experience. I am already planning to attend again next year!

By Carleenp Posted in Misc. | 2 Comments

Going to BlogHer!

It is nearby and full of people who I want to meet! So I am headed to downtown Chicago Friday for the BlogHer conference. That means the weekend roundup will be on Saturday instead of Friday. Stay tuned!

By Carleenp Posted in Misc. | No Comments

M.A.C. Cosmetics Rushmetal Collection

I spent part of a morning enjoying myself as I played with the new limited edition M.A.C Rushmetal Collection. This collection of metallic pigments and lipsticks is quite amazing.

Based on metallics, the collection is obviously full of shimmer. But don’t let that scare you. In true M.A.C form, the color can be built upon itself, so it is easy to start sheer and work up.

The lipsticks come in four shades. As is usually the case, it is hard to tell what the shades really look like from the pictures. Fast Lane is a rich metallic plum shade. It is a bit darker, but not overly so, and I think it is probably the most universally flattering lip shade in the collection. Soft Lust and Frenzy are both peachy gold shades and look nearly identical in the tube, with Soft Lust being slightly more pink/peach toned. Thrills is a richer copper coral shade that I particulary liked. It is quite warm, so those with obviously cool skin tones might want to stick with the Fast Lane shade.

The pigments are amazing. They are high in metallic shimmer and great for either sheer use or for building, and the colors are gorgeous! I spent some time playing with a few different looks. For an eye-popping day effect, try a light neutral matte eyeshadow and then add a bit of your favorite pigment shade to either just the upper lash line, the inner corner of the eyelid, or in only the center of the eyelid. Blend the pigment into the matte shade fairly well. The pigments can also work for day by using them all over the lid as a sheer wash. For a more dramatic evening look, line your eyes with a pigment and build it up to intensity. For even more intensity, try using the pigments wet for this! The white toned pigment, Quick Frost, also works well as a highlighter either under another color or alone.

M.A.C is also featuring two brushes with this collection. Number 249, the large shader brush, is good for applying a sheer wash of color. With its firmer bristles, Number 239, the eye shading brush, works well to build the intensity of the color. I also used this brush to set a fairly intense line of pigment just along my upper lash line. I did that one with the brush dry.

I have also been playing with the new Flashtronic Collection and will post about that in the near future. M.A.C’s limited edition collections are quite fun and well worth a trip to the store to play with!

Shop for more M.A.C Cosmetics