Beauty and Fashion Tech

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Foundation, Concealer, and Powder

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a number of products from the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Makeup line. This new line of cosmetics inspired by Carmindy of the show What Not to Wear, and author of the book The Five Minute Face, impressed me so much that I went back for more! I am pleased to say that Sally Hansen Natural Beauty foundation, concealer, and translucent powder all were of excellent quality.

Sally Hansen Your Skin Makeup is a silky smooth foundation with medium coverage. This makeup simply looks great. From the packaging in a glass bottle, to the smooth and blendable texture, it seems much more expensive than it is. I did find that it takes a minute though to blend in and settle, and I like it best when used in conjunction with a primer (this is true of most foundations for me though). Apply it and let it rest for a minute, and then apply your powder. The effect is quite nice. For fair skinned women, the lightest shade is very light– something I also appreciated. I would like to see a few more shades come out in this though.

Fast Fix Concealer is a nice creamy concealer, packaged how I like it–in a pot. The pot allows for good access to apply it with either fingers or your own brush. It is light and blends well, yet provide surprisingly good coverage for its light texture.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Fast Fix Concealer

Finally, the Natural Beauty Truly Translucent Loose Powder is a nice translucent powder for setting the makeup. The powder itself is lovely, and like just about everything in this line, it seems more expensive than it is, but I do have a gripe with the packaging. This one comes with a powder sponge in the cap that blocks most of the space for the powder to be shaken into the top of the container. The result is that it is harder to use your own brush with this one, not at least without risking a bit of a mess, and I don’t care for the sponge.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Loose Powder

I also tried out the Sally Hansen Natural Shine Lipgloss , which is wonderful stuff. For more on that see my review at Girl Gloss!The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty line remains impressive. You can find it at various drugstores and at ULTA Beauty.

By Carleenp Posted in Concealer, Face Products, Magazines | 13 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Bare Minimum Pressed Powder Bronzer

I have been going through a number of Sonia Kashuk items and will be featuring a few of my favorites. One is the Sonia Kashuk Bare Minimum Pressed Powder Bronzer in Golden, although I recommend it mainly for those with fair skin.

This bronzer is quite sheer, so for a super pale girl like me, it is perfect. I use it for a just a hint of color on my cheeks and forehead, and as a bit of contouring on only my cheeks. It provides a nice tint to the face, without being overwhelming. Because it is so sheer, I don’t know that women with darker skin will have much luck with it though. Even though it appears rather dark in the package, it simply isn’t.

As with other Sonia Kashuk items, the packaging is quite nice. A brush is not included with this, but Sonia Kashuk makes a number of very affordable cosmetic brushes that would work well with the bronzer, such as this Sonia Kashuk Large Contoured/Angled Blush Brush.

Sonia Kashuk products are available at Amazon.com (linked above) and at Target stores.

By Carleenp Posted in Bronzers | 1 Comment

Thymes Gardener Sink Set

I was sent a lovely sink set from the Thymes Company Gardener Collection to try, and I found it rather unique. first, unlike the standard soap and lotion sink sets out there, the Gardener set includes a nail brush, something I made good use of after planting flowers last weekend!

It also has a fresh grass scent that the site describes as: “Freshly clipped grass, aromatic parsley, cool watercress, dewy moss and a pinch of pink peppercorn.” I really like the scent, especially in the lotion. It has a great spring and summer feel to it.The Gardener Collection is full of other interesting products as well, such as cuticle cream, soap pebbles, and a lip balm. Items from the collection would be a perfect gift for the green thumb in your life.Shop for Thymes Bath and Body Products

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body, Misc., Nail Care, Nail Products | 1 Comment

Athena 7 Minute Lift from Greek Island Labs

I was bit skeptical when I first looked at the anti-wrinkle claims of the Athena 7 Minute Lift - Anti Wrinkle Cream (aka Face Lift in a Jar), but the stuff actually does have a noticeable short term effect on fine lines and wrinkles.

The Athena 7 Minute Lift is essentially a strong firming cream. It works by tightening the skin, which in turn makes lines and wrinkles smoother and less noticeable. The claim is that over time, this can also lessen the wrinkles because the skin is not as mobile–sort of like Botox on a much lower level. I can’t speak for that claim since I haven’t used the product long enough, but as a day to day and short term fix, I rather like it!

The 7 Minute Lift comes with a brush that is moistened to apply the product. Then, small amounts are brushed or dabbed on wrinkled areas, either before or after applying makeup. Very little is needed, so while a jar of the 7 Minute Lift is a bit expensive, it should last for quite some time. There is one difficulty with application though–you have to keep your face motionless for 7 minutes after applying the cream. During that time, it goes to work and tightens the skin. That is easier said than done! But I was generally able to keep my face still long enough for things to take effect (try doing something something boring like vacuuming during that time).

The tightening feeling is noticeable, and I felt that it lessened the appearance of lines, especially around my eyes and on my forehead. No, it isn’t a miracle, the wrinkles did not disappear, but they did look lessened. I found the effect to last a a few hours (around three) and then I needed to reapply. That wasn’t too difficult since the product can be used over makeup. The product was slightly drying, but not overly so and the instructions state that if you become dry and flaky, you are using too much.

Overall, Athena’s 7 minute Lift was an interesting item to try and I will definitely keep using it. If you purchase it, be sure to watch the included DVD because following the instructions is important with this one! The Athena website also has a pretty good FAQ.

Shop for Athena Skin Care Products

By Carleenp Posted in Skin Care | 2 Comments

Ten Years Thinner by Christine Lydon, MD. One Month Later Review

It has been about 5 weeks since I finished the six week Ten Years Thinner diet and exercise plan. So here is my promised update.

I spent plenty of time cheating lately by having wine or beer with dinner and going out to eat a bit more. But I otherwise eat fairly well and according to the plan. I also lost 2 more pounds over the past 5 weeks, while my measurements stayed about the same.

I still do the exercise plan a couple of times each week, but have replaced it on other days with a more traditional weight program at the gym, dance class, yoga, and some intervals on the cross trainer. I like the program in the book, but I also like to have a bit more variation and I enjoy the gym. So I do the book program on days when I need to be at home or don’t feel up to going to the gym.

Overall, a month or so out, I still feel that the Ten Year’s Thinner program is a good choice. It provides a nice guide and solid program to jump start weight loss and leave the dieter with a solid foundation when the six weeks are finished. So I give it a big thumbs up!

Jump to: PreDiet Writeup

Week One Recap
Week Two Recap
Week Three Recap
Week Four Recap
Week Five Recap
Week Six Recap

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