Beauty and Fashion Tech

Redpoint Airbrush Effects Blushwhip

So far, I love just about everything I have tried from Redpoint cosmetics. The Airbrush Effects Blushwhip continues that trend.

Redpoint Blushwhip is a fluffy cream blush, hence the “whip” in the name. The blush is lightly moisturizing, which makes me think that I will like it even more when winter comes and my skin gets dry. It blends well and the color payoff is very good–so good in fact that I use only the tiniest amount on my pale skin. Because of the high pigment factor combined with a light, blendable textrue, I think this one could work for just about any skin tone. Those with light skin tones can use a small amount and those with darker skin tones can build color as needed.

Overall, this is a very nice cream blush!

Shop for Redpoint Cosmetics

By Carleenp Posted in Blush | 2 Comments

Stila Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain

I tend to be a big Stila fan. Their items are expensive, but the quality is usually incredible. Stila’s entry into the area of lip and cheek stain is no different. This is simply one good quality stain.

The picture below is taken in sunlight and shows the stain applied both thickly and thinly. Note that my skin is very pale, especially on my arm! So on most people the stain will not be quite that vivid:

The stain itself is a nice berry red that, like most stains, looks quite natural in appearance on the lips, especially if applied lightly. On my pale cheeks, I needed to use a very light touch, but liked the shade quite a bit.The stain did take a bit longer than some to dry when I tested it, but it then lasted well. The applicator is also wonderful. If you are familiar with Stila’s lipglazes, it is the same applicator–a built in brush that the product is twisted/clicked up into. I love that type of design, but do be careful not to overload the brush!

I count this one as another big winner from Stila!

Comparison Shop for Stila Cosmetics

By Carleenp Posted in Blush, Lip Products | 4 Comments

Review: Nars the Multiple Multi-Purpose Stick

I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to picking up a NARS The Multiple Multi-Purpose Stick in the shade Orgasm. I love stick blushes and I love Nars blushes, so I should have been all over this earlier!

Well, I finally did get one in Orgasm and I do indeed love it. Nars Orgasm blush has always been a great shade for me, but a bit too shimmery for my over 40 tastes. However, the multiple version of it seems less shimmery to me. The general shimmer is still there, but it seems toned down a bit.

As a cream blush, Nars The Multiple blends well and had a good amount of pigment. On the lips, it provides a nice sheer color. Pair it up with Nars Orgasm Lip Gloss (read review) for a double punch of that shade.

Shop for Nars Cosmetics

By Carleenp Posted in Blush, Lip Products | 4 Comments

Review: New Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Cosmetics Inspired by Carmindy

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty has released a wonderful full line of cosmetics “inspired by” Carmindy from TLC’s show What Not to Wear. I am a big Carmindy fan and I liked her book, The Five Minute Face (Read Review). I also have been pretty impressed with Sally Hansen as of late. The new Sally Hansen Natural Beauty line focuses on natural ingredients and is paraben free.

When I saw the line at CVS, I bought a number of items to try. I was left highly impressed and am willing to bet that several items from this line will make my year end best of 2008 list (Read the 2007 list)!

The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty line includes foundation and powder, but I have so many unfinished items of those, I didn’t buy any. Instead, I got the primer, eye shadow base, an eye shadow trio, cream blush, lipstick, and a mascara. The look I created with the products and each item is covered below. All items are worn in the photo below. I am also wearing Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation (Read Review), Laura Mercier translucent powder, and M.A.C. dual edged eye pencil in a blue/gray shade from the Heatherette collection.

The Natural Beauty Luminizing Face Primer is a really nice silicon based primer. It has a lighter feel than the cult classic Smashbox Photofinsh (Read Review), yet worked just as well. I found that it primed my skin quite well in preparation for foundation by leaving it smooth and silky. The luminizing properties are also a welcome addition. At around $10, this primer is an incredible value, and I am not aware of any other comparably priced primers of this quality. Revlon has a decent primer, but it does not provide the perfectly nice skin surface that the Sally Hansen product does.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Fast Fix Eyeshadow Base is another great value product. There are not a lot of drugstore shadow bases out there and this one is quite lovely. It has a light, easy to spread cream texture, that feels like it must have a touch of silicon in it. I found that it made my shadow look smooth and crease free all evening. This will become a staple product for me.

The cream blush is another great item in Salley Hansen’s new line. It is silky smooth, and Bloom, the shade that I purchased, has a nice rosy color. It is pretty well pigmented and builds pretty well, so those with darker skin can likely wear it just fine. At the same time, it also blends well, so I could wear it well with my pale skin as long as I applied with with a light and well blended touch.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Cosmetics Carmindy

The Natural Beauty Instant Definition Eye Shadow Palette comes in basic and fairly neutral color sets. I decided to go for the Ocean Eye Palette, a gray/navy combo, because I seem to have acquired way too much brown shadow. The shadow is decently pigmented, blended fine, and lasted well. I did not have any creasing issues. It seemed like a standard decent quality shadow to me with nothing really outstanding, but nothing wrong with it either.

The Natural Beauty Lift & Define Mascara was nothing special for me. The brush is small (I tend to like that), but has rather wide spaces between the bristles, which I think can make things clump easier. It went on OK, and looked OK. I don’t think it would be my first choice in mascara, but it wasn’t bad either.

Finally, I loved the Color Comfort Lip Color! Perfect Pink, Rose Parfait, turned out to be perhaps one of the best pink shades I have found in some time. For a full review of it, head on over to my post at Girl Gloss!

The bottom line: The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Cosmetics line is a welcome addition to the available drugstore makeup choices. I particularly recommend the primer and shadow base. These items are comparable to, or perhaps even better than, other much more expensive products. The rest of the line is quite nice as well. Well done Sally Hansen!

Look for the new Sally Hansen Natural Beauty at drugstore and at ULTA Beauty.

By Carleenp Posted in Blush, Celebrity Looks, Collection Looks, Concealer, Eyeshadow, Face Products, Lip Products, Makeup Primer, Mascara, Palettes and Collections | 21 Comments

True Cosmetics Luminance Collection

Spring is a great time for luminous and sheer looks. That also happens to be the theme of many of the 2008 spring cosmetic collections. For those who want a great luminous spring look all in one palette and don’t mine a bit of a premium price (I think this one is well worth it), read below.

True Cosmetics (also known as beingTrue cosmetics) has a gorgeous limited edition palette out for spring, the TRUE Cosmetics Luminance Collection. At $86 it is a bit expensive, but I absolutely adore mine and find it well worth the price.

Being True Cosmetics Luminance Collection Spring Limited Edition

The collection is based on peach, pink, bronze and gold tones that are naturally found in all skin tones and when worn together compliment and add luminance to any complexion. It comes packaged in an attractive silver case with a mirror and includes 2 eye shadows, 1 eye definer, 1 blush, 1 bronzer, 1 face highlighter, an instructional guide, and a press definer brush.

The colors appear a bit strong in the palette. In fact, when I first saw it, I thought “this will never work on my pale skin” But boy was I wrong on that count! Do not be afraid of these colors–they blend incredibility well for a luminous spring glow.

The shadows consist of a light, but quite neutral matte peach, a shimmery neutral pink and a pretty brown for both lining and for use in the crease. I thought they looked on the warm side in the palette, but they worked perfectly well on my neutral to cool skin.

For blush, the kit allows for a nice mix of bronzer, highlighter and bit of blush color. There is a well pigmented rose pink that is dark enough and bright enough for dark skin tones, yet blends well so that those with pale skin like mine can also wear it if it is applied with a light touch. There is also a bronzer with pretty much the same characteristics. What really grabbed my attention was the gold highlighter. I don’t always wear gold well on my cheeks, but this one, when mixed with the blush and bronzer, worked very nicely.

The kit comes in a nice package with full instructions for use to create a look that should work well for most skin tones. True cosmetic really did a bang up job putting this together.

I truly love this palette and think it is one of the best limited edition items it this year. The only downside to it is that it is a bit pricey, although you do get generous full sizes of each color with this one, which actually makes it a pretty decent value. If you don’t mind the price and want a nice spring palette, get this one while you still can!

Shop for more True Cosmetics

By Carleenp Posted in Blush, Bronzers, Eyeshadow, Palettes and Collections | 1 Comment

Revlon Spring Collection, Nice Colors at a Nice Price

Revlon has a number of really nice items in their Spring collection. I picked up a bunch and have made good use of them.

Revlon Soft on the Eyes Palette Eyeshadow

For the eyes, I purchased a set of Revlon Soft on the Eyes Sheer Loose Shadow in a palette with beautiful pink and brown shades. This loose powder is great for a sheer, light look. It isn’t as well pigmented as say M.A.C., Stila, or any of the better mineral shimmers out on the market, but for a quiet, daytime look, it is just fine. It also comes packaged with a very usable brush. If you like loose powder shadow and are on a budget, this one is worth checking out.

Revlon A Floral Affair Sheer Powder Blush, in Pinking of You is another excellent sheer color for Spring. I adore all of the pretty pink sheer blushes that Spring is bringing in and this one is a current favorite. I have seen quite a few people raving about this one.

For the lips, you can get some incredible shine with a hint of berry red color from Revlon Mix & Mingle Lip Palette, in Chatty Cherry. For more, see my review over at Girl Gloss.Finally, there are some great spring shades in the Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss line. Revlon is generally my favorite drugstore gloss. It has the shine and quality of many of the better and more expensive glosses, yet carries a decent price tag and has a great selection of colors. Revlon also tends to put out particularly nice limited edition shades. This season is no different. There are some gorgeous new shades available!

Revlon cosmetics are available both online and at major drugstores and big box retailers.

Shop for Revlon cosmetics

By Carleenp Posted in Blush, Eyeshadow, Lip Products, Palettes and Collections | 2 Comments

M.A.C. Beauty Powder Blush

The M.A.C. Beauty Powder Blush Collection has eight shades of blush, providing something for everyone.

In the usual M.A.C. style, the blush is highly pigmenting, so I found that even with a light apricot shade like Shy Beauty, I needed only a small and well blended amount. Interestingly, I have seen the peachy shade Joyous compared to NARS Orgasm, but I think Shy Beauty is equally close and perhaps a bit more wearable.In any event, if you are in the market for some new shades of blush, take a look at this collection. M.A.C., of course, has many additional blush shades in their permanent collection as well.

Shop for M.A.C. Cosmetics