Beauty Women And Fashion: September 2010

Black Smokey eyes

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Salut les filles (et les gars?)

Don't know why it chose to be sideways.

I've done a few test runs for Jodienas's contests, and this is the most recent... Hopefully I'll get around to making an actual video *gasp* within the next week or so.

I actually almost wrote that last part in French too. Hah.

Uhh sideways? Okay then.

xox
Chloe

Makeup Mistakes: Face Mask

DON'T: TOO DARK

My latest makeup mistake is the dreaded face mask. This happens when a person wears foundation or bronzer that does not match their skin tone. You can then see a “mask” on their face, especially from the side, where the two colors meet. To avoid this, don’t go darker than about two shades from your skin tone or blend the makeup better so the line is less noticeable.

DO: MATCHING NECK AND FACE

FOTD

Face Of The Day: This is another everyday makeup look that is very wearable and professional. I think the light colors around the eyes can help to open up tired eyes.

Products used:

1. e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer

2. Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup in Porcelain Ivory

3. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Light 2-3.5: Ivory (undereyes)

4. e.l.f. Translucent Matifying Powder

5. Palladio Herbal Eye Shadow Primer

6. Covergirl Eye Enhancers 3-Kit Shadows in Shimmering Sands (center shade on lid, left shade as contour in crease, right shade as highlight)

7. wet n wild Kohl Eyeliner in white (on lower waterline)

8. Jordana INCOLOR Fabuliner Liquid Eyeliner in Brown (top lashline only)

9. wet n wild Idol Eyes Cream Shadow in Pixie (Used as a highlight on the inner corner of eyes and also using an eyeliner brush to line the lower lashline all the way across.)

10. Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express in Glam Brown (on top lashes only)

11. N.Y.C. Blushable Crème Stick in Plaza Pink (apples of cheeks)

12. Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Citrus Bloom (over crème blush)

13. N.Y.C Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour cheekbones)

14. e.l.f. Studio Cool Bronzer (matte white shade to highlight bridge of nose and high point of cheekbones)

15. N.Y.C. Liquid Lip Shine in Dusty Rose

Review: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne medication

Update:
I refer to my Clean & Clear "Advantage Acne Spot Treatment" in this post, but I actually mean the Advantage Mark Treatment. That's the one I own- sorry about the mix-up!

I bought this Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne spot treatment last week, shortly after reading several rave reviews about it. I was using Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment Mark Treatment but wanted to try something different- that has 2% salicylic acid, as opposed to this one which contains benzoyl peroxide. I was wary about the benzoyl peroxide since I've found cleansers containing it don't work for me, but figured a spot treatment would be worth a shot.

Anyway, I'll just begin to tell you my thoughts on it now. :)

What it is: (From cleanandclear.com)

CLEAN & CLEAR® PERSA-GEL® 10 Acne Medication is a unique formula that goes to work immediately, releasing the medicine deep into the pores where pimples start.

Basically, it's an on-the-spot pimple treatment. I typically get one or two bad pimples, so I use it on those specific areas.

Price: About $6.00, although I think mine was a little over $5 from Target. You also get a full 1oz of product which won't be used up quickly.

Formula: This product, unlike the Advantage Spot Treatment, is a cream. It blends into my skin pretty easily and I don't need any more than the picture above to cover the areas on my face (I currently have two small pimples in between my eyebrows and two on my chin that I use this on).

Ingredients: (From cleanandclear.com- I threw away the box already, whoops!)

Active: Benzoyl Peroxide (10.0%) Inactive: Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Water

So I don't mean to compare this product to the Advantage Spot Treatment one in this review, but this has 10% benzoyl peroxide as opposed to only 2% salicylic acid. Don't use this on an entire cheek, people!

I've found this really dries out the skin around my pimples (my skin is sensitive and can lean on the dry side, but it's not typically dry, just for reference), so moisturizing is a must. The directions say to apply this 1-3 times a day as needed.

How I like it: Although you can use this up to 3 times a day, I usually just apply it at night after my moisturizer. The next morning I have to reapply moisturizer or else my skin peels around where the pimples are. That's the only reason I don't use this more often- I'm afraid of my skin peeling too much during the day. Even if it's only in a little spot, that's not something I want!

As far as performance, it's working well to reduce my pimples. I did have two bumpy pimples on my chin this weekend, and now they're just little dots, which is at least easier to cover with concealer. It hasn't gotten rid of my pimples or anything.
I've read that for other people this just zaps zits- I wouldn't say it does that, but it sure helps eliminate them faster.

I think for me personally I'll rotate this product and my Advantage Spot Treatment with 2% salicylic acid- that one doesn't dry out my skin so much and is better to use more often.

Overall, I think this one would work great if you have monster pimples that need to be erased pronto.

Pros:
- Inexpensive, 1oz size
- A little goes a long way
- Reduces the appearance of large zits (This seems like it would be GREAT if you get a pimple the night before an important event and you need something with maximum strength)

Cons:
- Dries out skin
- Doesn't completely erase the appearance of pimples
- Has a high level of benzoyl peroxide so must be used minimally and in safe areas

Have you tried this? Did it work better for you than it did for me?

New Things Make for a Happy Joolie

A few days ago I received a package in the post of my prize from Kellie's giveaway. Obviously I was ecstatically happy and have been playing around with the things ever since. A massive thanks to her!

I decided to do a FOTD with some of the stuff from her package and will be doing a review of the mascara and some other things too!

So without rambling anymore, here's what I wore:

Face: Mixture of YSL Teint Resist in 4 and Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia
MAC Harmony Contour Powder
Stila Cheek Colour in Hint (giveaway)

Eyes: Stila Cheek Colour in Hint
Stila Eyeshadow in Twig (giveaway)
MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow
MAC Coffee Eyeliner (on top lid)
Benefit Eye Bright
Maybelline Full' N Soft Mascara

Lips: nothing!

Cue ridiculous photos:

This last one is a joke, obv. Couldn't resist.

September Favorites!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

These are my favorites for the month of September and why I have enjoyed each one.

Item:	Why I Love It:
1. Tresemme No Frizz Ultra Light Shine Spray	I love this product for its ability to stave off the humidity and heat that we continue to have in Florida, even through September. It keeps my hair smooth in this weather!
2. N.Y.C. Blushable Crème Stick in Big Apple Blush	No matter what shade you choose (I now have 5 out of the 6), I love these crème sticks for their ability to outlast the heat. Big Apple Blush is a great shade to go with pink or peach powder blush.
3. Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express in Glam Brown	I have actually used an entire tube of this and had to replace it. I love the brush for natural but beautiful eyes. The brown shade is dark but not as harsh as black can sometimes look on my fair skin. I will never be without this mascara in my life!
4. e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer	This is a good primer that is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) and highly affordable.
5. Covergirl Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink	I love this shade as a contour for cheekbones. I think it looks more natural than bronzer on my fair skin.
6. wet n wild Kohl Eyeliner in White	This and coffee are two staples that help me seem less tired after getting up for work at 5:00 AM. Applied to the lower waterline, this brightens and opens eyes, no matter how little sleep you got that night.
7. Jordana INCOLOR Fabuliner Liquid Eyeliner in Brown	This is another product I have used in its entirety. It is user friendly and makes a well defined line quickly and effortlessly. For around $1.50 – 2.00, this is another product I must have at all times.
8. N.Y.C. Liquid Lip Shine in Sun Gold Pink	This is a gorgeous color that just makes my lips look natural and pretty.
9. Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo Eyes	These brushes are amazing for getting into the crease and defining even small eyes. For rather small brushes, they even do a decent job of blending.
10. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Light 2 – 3.5: Ivory	If I had to pick only one makeup item, this would be it. I have horrible dark circles under my eyes all the time and this is one of the only concealers I’ve found that can hide them!

200th post (!) and swatches/EOTD

Guys, this is my 200th post and I have to make it a little sappy- I'm so stinking happy to have made it to 200! Even though I blog and do all this stuff because I love it, it really helps to have such kind readers. It keeps me motivated and buying makeup (Like when I'm at CVS and don't necessarily need anything but "it's for the BLOG!"). ;)
So I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you all who continue to support/encourage me by reading and following. I appreciate every comment I get, every new follower I get, and so on. I'm so honored to be a part of this amazing community of bloggers.

Now, the other half of this post I wanted to dedicate to the swatches for yesterday's "haul". I would have done them yesterday as a part of that post, but my roommate was around and I just didn't get any time to myself. This way I can also incorporate an EOTD, as well. :)

Maybelline Time For Wine eyeshadow quad, Prestige Strong Slate Total Intensity eyeliner, NYX Milk JEP

Yesterday I mentioned that each of the Maybelline quads vary in terms of pigmentation. Unfortunately, this is one that is very light and harder in consistency. The colors are SO PRETTY which is where it kills me! However, looking through my eyeshadow stash I found a Maybelline dupe of the 'outer corner' shade, which is the eyeshadow swatch on the far right (in the picture above). If you remember the limited edition "Diamonds" collection earlier this summer, the eyeshadow duo in Amethyst Duo has a purple that is virtually the same, just softer in texture (and thus more pigmented). I posted about that HERE.

Moving on...

A close-up of Strong Slate and Milk (unblended)

ULTA doesn't have testers for the majority of their eyeliners, and the packaging of these Prestige Total Intensity eyeliners makes it so you can't see the pencil tip. I had no idea this was going to be a metallic-y sort of gray color, which was a little disappointing for me. However, I do still love the formula and I don't have any other "slate" eyeliners. I also plan on going back to repurchase another color, so I'll be looking up swatches!

Now onto my quick EOTD. This was inspired by yesterday, actually, when I woke up late for class and had to run without any makeup on. People told me countless times how tired I was. Today, even though I got plenty of sleep, I decided to do a "brightening" eye look. I began with it just neutral and ended up adding the purple to my outer v because it needed something extra.

This is using the Prestige liner, BTW.

I love how the white eyeshadow brightens up my eyes; I finally look awake!

What I used:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- NYX JEP Milk

- NYX Champagne & Caviar palette, shimmery light taupe

- Wet 'n' Wild Greed palette, light shimmery grey

- NYX Ultra Pearl Mania eyeshadow White Pearl

- Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner Strong Slate

- Fresh Supernova mascara

Thanks for reading everyone- hope you're all having a nice night. :)

Recyclebank 1000 points giveaway tomorrow!

If you are a member of Recycle Bank you could win 1000 Recycle Bank points tomorrow. If you're not a member yet, no sweat. You can sign up for free. Just go to www.recyclebank.com and start earning rewards for living greener. Trade them in for free stuff, coupons, sweepstakes entries, and more.

Then, visit the Live Green section of Recyclebank.com tomorrow or the Recycle Bank facebook page on Thursday September 30 for your chance to win 1,000 Recycle Bank points as Recycle Bank continues to celebrate 10,000 facebook fans!

Look for more Recycle Bank news from me in the future. I'm Recycle Bank Insider.

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Makeup Mistakes: Lip Liner

DON'T

This mistake deals with lip liner. I know it's called lip liner but it's actually not meant to be used to draw a line around your lips. Lip liner is meant to create a barrier so that your lipstick doesn't feather or travel outside of the line of your lips. Consider it a fence, keeping your lipstick from wandering away. That said, it is very important that if you use lip liner, you either blend it in onto your lips or line your lips then fill them in with the liner. This way, if your lipstick fades away, you will not have a line left around your lips that is a different color than the rest of them. In the DO photo below, I lined my lips then filled in with the lip liner before applying red lipstick.

SmartknitKIDS Seamless Socks Review and Giveaway--CLOSED

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Seamless socks sounded like a good idea to me. I know sometimes I get that pair of socks where the seem along the toes is kind of bulky and actually rubs on my toes. So when I had the opportunity for my kids to try SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Sensitivity socks I thought, why not?

Their slogan "No Seams to Bug YA!" When I got them in the mail I told my boys that they each got a pair of socks I wanted them to try on so I could review them. I didn't give them any details as to why they might be different than regular socks. My 8 year old put his on and said "Mom these socks are really soft. Can I wear them around the house?" Of course, I told him yes. Then my 6 year old came in and I had him put them on . He wore them for the rest of the night. I also had a pair for the baby (my 15 mo old). I was surprised at how well they fit and stayed on him. Even through his crawling, creeping around on the furniture, and approximately 15 trips up and down the steps that he so enjoys doing.

SmartKnitKIDS was kind enough to send a pair for each of my boys and sent a different color for each. My oldest got white, my 6 year old got Navy blue, and the baby got black.

I already told you that the SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Sensitivity socks have well...no seams but they also have a "no heel" design. Why? Because it keeps little ones from outgrowing their socks so quickly . The "Non-binding Halo Top" won't pinch or bind.

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant I also see the benefit in these for children with Autism or other Sensory disorders. Often things likes seams, tags, backing for appliques can distracting and uncomfortable for a child with a Sensory disorder. SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Sensitivity socks would be a wonderful addition to a child with special needs wardrobe.

Where to buy: You can check here on the SmarKnitKIDS website for retailers--http://www.smartknitkids.com/shop_seamless_socks.html

Or you can click on the pick below to find them on Amazon.com

Review Summary: At $7 a pair the socks may seem expensive. The fact that they will last through several sizes is a plus. My kids loved the comfort of the socks. I loved that I didn't have to keep putting these socks back on the baby like I do with other socks. For a child with special needs these socks could be invaluable.

GIVEAWAY

SmartKnitKIDS is offering one of my readers 3 pair of their own SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Sensitivity Socks. US/CAN

Mandatory Entry: Visit SmartKnitKIDS and tell me in a comment below, what color and style you think you would like to try for you little one.

Don't forget to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. This must be completed before any bonus entries can be counted.

Bonus Entries: Leave a seperate comment for each entry. If there is a +1 for that entry leave one comment. +2 leave 2 comments for that entry and so on.

1. Follow SmartKnitKIDS on twitter and leave your twitter handle: @smartknitkids (+1)

2. Like SmartKnitKIDS on facebook (+1)

3. Follow FFCM with Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, RSS feed, and/or Email subscription all located in my Right Column (+1 for each one)

4. Enter the SmartKnitKIDS giveaway on Precisely Mine (+2)

5. tweet using RT button in upper left corner of post or you can use this message: ( you can tweet 2x per day at least 2 hours apart) leave a link to you tweet in a comment below.

" @smartknitkids seamless socks with "No Seams to Bug Ya" #giveaway from @angiewith3 http://bit.ly/Smrtknt ends 10/14 US/CAN "

6. Follow me on twitter and leave your twitter handle: @angiewith3 (+1)

7. Enter any of my other current giveaways and leave a comment telling me which ones you entered (+1 for each one)

8. Like FFCM on facebook (+2)

Giveaway will end Oct. 14, 2010 at 10 PM EST. 1 winner will be chosen using random.org and notified by Oct 15 via email. Winner will have 48 hours to reply to winning email. If no reply in that time frame, a new winner will be chosen.

***I received 3 pair of SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Sensitivity socks at no cost for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own.***

This Product Was a Free Giveaway
Sponsored by Tomoson.com

RANDOM.ORG DREW NUMBRE 59. WINNER HAS BEEN EMAILED AND HAS 48 HOURS TO RESPOND OR ANOTHER WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN.

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Fashion Find: Metallic Border Scarf

This weekend I went to the outlet mall and found a great deal at New York & Company. I found this beautiful taupe scarf on clearance for only $5.00. Then I did some research on the internet and found that the same scarf is still available through their website for only $2.99! The one I chose is the Brown Excursion shade. The scarf is very soft and has square metallic studs along the border. It is triangle shaped and I think the point looks great in the front. It has metallic threads under the studs that are around the outside border. Below the thread are a row of feminine fringes.

Mini haul from ULTA (My favorite!)

I love doing haul posts, or just sharing with you guys new things I've recently purchased. Today I made a little trip to ULTA to "treat" myself, yet again- I've done well not spending too much this month, so I thought I deserved this! And I also had that $3.50/$10 purchase coupon they always have floating around. That combined with the deals they have going on this week and you can get a great deal!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (FINALLY!), Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner in Strong Slate, Maybelline eyeshadow quad in Time For Wine

After my last sub-par experience with Maybelline eyeshadows, you'd think I would have stayed away from this. The colors were too pretty in person to pass up! The eyeshadows aren't the softest, but after testing out several of these in the store, I found that it varies palette to palette. The quad Enchanted Forest was MUCH smoother. This one I can work, though.

I've heard raves about these Prestige eyeliners for the longest time, but I hadn't looked close enough in ULTA to know they were there! For $5.50 I figured I should just try it. I got mine in Strong Slate, which is a metallic-y grey, and I just love it. Smooth and doesn't rub away when I test it on my hand.

Lastly, this is the highly popular NYX JEP in the color Milk. I used it under the Maybelline quad just a few minutes ago when trying out the shadows, and it really does help make them more vibrant. I'm going to need to invest in a big pencil sharpener, but I'm glad I finally got this!

The Maybelline eyeshadow was on sale for 40% off, bringing it down to $3.47, the NYX JEP was also 40% off making it $2.51, and the Prestige eyeliner was regular priced at $5.50. After my $3.50 off coupon, my total was only $8.76!

I'm definitely going back for more of those Prestige eyeliners- which other colors should I get?

Tons of new products at ELF!

I really apologize for the less frequent posts the last few days- my social life suddenly got crazy, in a good way, but schoolwork picked up at the same time. Perfect, right?
Anyway, I checked my email this morning and saw one from ELF talking about all the new products they just added to their site. I love when they send out different emails- it always seems like I'm getting the same alerts about promotions they have going on! I just thought I'd do a post about some of these new things, in case anyone isn't subscribed to their newsletter. I'm quite interested in the palettes, especially!

They have more new things on their 'what's new' page (20+ to be exact?); these four items are just a few that I thought looked interesting.

- 32 piece eyeshadow palette, $5

- 10 piece brush set, $10

- a bunch of new 'get the look' sets, $5 each

- 100 piece eyeshadow palette, $15

Most of these say they are limited edition with limited quantities. Anyone else interested in anything? I think I've gotten over my ELF obsession (I've only made 2 online orders but after making my second one I seriously wanted to place another), but if I hear good reviews about anything I'll probably be tempted!

You can find them all on this page:

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/makeup/new

(All images taken from eyeslipsface.com)