SOCIAL MEDIA

Saturday, March 30, 2013

OPI Nantucket Mist


Sorry to gross you guys out with a picture of my feet, but I just got a pedicure and HAD to share this color. It's OPI's Nantucket Mist and it looks great on brown skin for the spring.
What are your favorite polish colors?
XOXO,
Haylee
Friday, March 29, 2013

Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream Review

So recently, Anna and I did some major shopping (I will soon be posting a haul video). Anna and I are on foundation overload these days trying to pick products that will look nice on our skin tone. I am particularly concerned about finding a product that isn't too heavy since summer is right around the corner (at least in the desert!) and I hate melting makeup and the sensation of feeling like I have makeup on. Long story short: I decided to try Maybelline's BB cream.

I've wanted to try BB creams for a long time since the are supposedly lightweight formulas that give the wearer the "I'm not wearing any makeup" feeling. The sad part is that not many brands that make BB creams produce shades that are dark enough for most South Asian or African women. It makes sense on one hand since the creams are an Asian cult favorite that are supposed to whiten the wearers skin. On the other hand, it make no sense for AMERICAN companies to make a cream that a large population of women cannot use. Maybelline is one of the few that makes a shade that I can wear. I wear their "Deep" shade which is the darkest shade they have. This is great news for me, but it saddens me that there is a whole range of skin tones after me that has NO BB cream option. PLEASE FIX THIS!!!!


Anyway, the shade is a perfect match on me and lasts all day. It even feels like I have no makeup on which is the highlight of the entire product for me. Ok, maybe not. I like that it has sunscreen built into it. One less thing I have to think about in the morning which allows me to hit the snooze button on the alarm a few more times. The only down side I can foresee is that some people (Anna!) hate titanium dioxide in their beauty products. I will see if she can give us the pros and cons of titanium dioxide in another post. I don't mind titanium dioxide in my beauty products, mostly because I have never done personal research on it's effects and I like to do my own research before I decide if an ingredient is good/bad. 

The benefits of the cream in the picture are what Maybelline claims the cream does. The only thing I might disagree with is "blurs imperfections". I've been using this cream for two days now (I'll keep you guys posted on the long term), but I can still see my scar under my nose both with and without the cream. 

The final thing I wanted to tell you about this cream is that it makes me look oily on camera. I don't know if this is a) Haylee looks bad on camera/thinks she looks bad on camera b) I am applying this cream wrong c) it makes people look oily on camera. Just a thought for you guys. But if the answer is (b) please let me know so I can fix this ASAP.   

Yay! It's Friday! Enjoy your weekend. Any fun plans? My mom is visiting for Easter! XOXO,
Haylee

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Maybelline's New Blush Review and Swatches

So Anna and I decided to try out the new Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes. You should have seen the look on Anna's face when I told her I wanted us to get some. But she's a TOTAL addict now!

We applied the blushes with just our fingers since it is more of a cream blush. It takes a bit of a light hand to apply the blush (we looked like we had joined the circus the first time we applied them!). I think it's my new favorite blush. Anna said she was going to just take the blush out and poke it when she's stressed just because the texture was so interesting. She described it as walking on the moon. The product last a long time and only costs between $6-9 (unfortunately I can't remember the exact price). The two middle colors Peach Satin and Plum Wine blend together nicely for a soft peachy red glow. The swatches below are laid out in the same order the blushes are photographed above (l to r: Coffee Cake, Peach Satin, Plum Wine, and Orchid Hush)


There is a bit of a down side to the product (but I won't stop buying it!). I've only used powder blushes till now so this one takes a bit longer to put on in the morning because I'm using my fingers. For some reason I hate using my fingers to put on makeup. Also Anna and I had to return Orchid Hush and Coffee Cake back to the store and we NEVER return beauty products. The color payoff was so bad that darker skinned girls would not be able to use them. I don't even know if pale skinned girls would be able to either. We also thought the containers were a bit hard to open (note the large crater in Orchid Hush).

Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend! XOXO,
Haylee
Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sample Society March 2013 Box

So my Sample Society March 2013 box review/unboxing can be found here. For a more in-depth review of the products, check back in the next few weeks as I give you guys my long term opinions of the products.

XOXO,
Haylee


200 Follower GIVEAWAY!!!

Hi guys! We have a new contest! We want to do something special for our followers so we are going to have a 200 Follower Giveaway that is open INTERNATIONALLY as well. Currently, we have only two prizes, but we will continue adding prizes (and are open to suggestions!) until the giveaway closes. Good luck!!!! We would like to giveaway a PALETTE of some kind in this giveaway, but we have too many favorites. Please leave a comment and let us know what your would like!

Rules:
1) You must be a FOLLOWER of our blog to enter. To become a follower, look under "Follow Us" on the right hand side of the screen and click "Join this site".


XOXO,
Haylee and Anna


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beauty Giveaway Winner!!!!

Congrats to Liz, the winner of our Beauty Giveaway! You should have received an email by now telling you how to get in touch with us for your prize! :) Thanks for being a follower! And as for everyone else...

Thanks so much for the support and subscribing! We hope you continue with us on our beauty journey and encourage your friends to follow as well. Right now Anna and I are planning an even bigger giveaway with lots of neat stuff for our 200 follower giveaway! :)

XOXO,
Haylee :)
Sunday, March 17, 2013

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

The amazing Jessica over at Love for Lacquer has a polish giveaway going on right now that I want to encourage you guys to enter! :) Copy the address below in your browser or click on The word "Lacquer" above to access her page.

http://www.loveforlacquer.com/2013/03/10000-follower-giveaway-dior-chanel-more.html#comment-form
Friday, March 15, 2013

Best Creams for Eczema or Dry Winter Skin

So winter is almost over. It is actually over for me over here on the West Coast. However, know that it is still a bit cold and snowy on the East Coast so I still wanted to post this. This winter has been really rough (no pun intended!) for me in terms of skin care. I have severe eczema that becomes unbearable in the winter months. I'm sure there are others out there with the same conditions so I wanted to provide you guys with some tips on the best creams I have found.

Jergens Shea Butter- I have used this cream for YEARS with positive results. It is the best cream out there on a budget for controlling eczema. My doctor even recommended it saying that it was one of the best in a study he had read. The other drugstore alternative is Vaseline, but I cannot personally recommend it since I have not used it. I layer on the Jergens very generously after my showers after I have patted myself dry. I also reapply it before changing clothes and whenever I start to feel itchy. The bonus of having such a large bottle for so cheap is that I can layer on a hand full anytime I want and the bottle will still last me at least six months if not a year. This might not be so if you share the bottle with a family member.


Lush's Dream Cream- I tried this cream out for the first time this year and I must say I am amazed. Although the cream is pricy ($26.95 for 8.4 oz) it is very effective at stopping the itching and irritation thanks to some very soothing ingredients: oat milk, olive oil, cocoa butter, and chamomile oil. It also disinfects since it has a bit of tea tree oil. In addition, it has minimal (if that) preservatives since it is from Lush. The only downside in my opinion is that it does contain parabens which have been found (but not linked to!) in breast cancer tumors.

(Picture from lushusa.com)

CeraVe- I was first introduced to this lotion while visiting my boyfriend's family. I had run out of cream and needed something fast. His cousin handed me this miracle. This cream is accepted by the National Eczema Association and is produced by Coria Laboratories. I don't usually flaunt science on this website, but I will this time since as a biophysicist I feel that this is a product that has the right science behind it. First it has hyaluronic acid which is what makes skin soft and supple. Two, it uses vesicle technology to deliver the product to the skin and keep it there so it penetrates deep into the skin to repair it. My guess is that it might also have a delayed release system so that the user feels relief over an extended period of time. It is also non-comedogenic and non-irritating. The only downside in my opinion is that it has parabens. This seems to be a common trend in today's market when it comes to cosmetics and body products.


True Blue Spa's Too Shea Body Butter (from Bath and Body Works)- I don't know if this product can still be found at Bath and Body Works. However, when nothing else soothes the skin, I like to pile on this super greasy product. The oiliness is great for even the worst types of eczema. I apologize for the horrible pciture quality/dirty product. I use this a lot and it gets kinda sticky and oily on the outside so dust tends to stick to it. :(


Finally, my last tip has nothing to do with cream, but is still a great tip for eczema. Try to wear as much cotton as you can in the winter or whenever you have an eczema flare up. It will not only prevent the flare up from getting worse but it will also sooth your skin and help the chaffing. I find that jeans are the worse thing to wear in the cold months so I usually stick to cotton leggings/yoga pants. If it is too cold for you to wear just leggings try wearing them under your jeans so that they are the only thing that your skin is directly in contact with.

Sample Society Box February 2013

So beautybar.com has outdone themselves with this month's AMAZING box. The theme was "date night" which was very appropriate considering Valentine's was approaching. Here's a look at what I got:

LaRocca Skincare Hibiscus Cream Cleanser with AHA- An exfoliating cleanser that they designed to go with the next product. The full size is $36. The bottle is kind of tiny (7 ml). I haven't tried it yet to see if it is any good since my skin has been kind of funky lately. It's been getting really oily which is not normal for me.

Immunocologie Treatment Creme Venomax- This cream really intrigued me since the main ingredient in it is a peptide derived from snake venom!!! It is supposed to tighten and brighten skin. This more than paid for my box. The sample was one ounce. I believe the full product is 1.5 oz and retails for a whooping $275. So far the only thing I can see from using this cream for about a week is that it is causing me to break out. I don't know if it is the cream itself or the fact that I have been using new moisturizers as well. I am giving my skin a break and then I'll try this product again to see if I notice anything miraculous :).


Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Mousse- haven't tried the product yet, but I'll keep you guys posted!!!

Exude lipstick gloss in Brown No. 3-this is my absolute FAVORITE product in the entire box!!!! I love how the lipstick smells like mint and it glides on smooth and is not sticky. The color is a pale brown and gives my lips a hint of shimmer. It is great by itself or over one of my other lipsticks. The way the product is packaged is unique as well. I love how the gloss is in a tiny glass/plastic tube that has a tiny hole on top where the product can come out. That way you'll never mash the lipstick or gloss into the cap on accident when you close the tube. By the way did I mention the product is FULL SIZE and retails for $29!!!!


Maya Water Facial Mist-So this is basically a little mist on water that you can use to set your makeup. It's really ridiculously expensive water in my opinion. I would never buy this. I am saving it for the summer, however, when the temperature climbs like crazy so that I can give myself a refreshing spritz when I am out and about on a hot, busy day.

These boxes keep getting better and better every month. This is quite an amazing box for $15 dollars. The lip gloss alone paid for my box. If you haven't subscribed, I encourage you to do so now. The March box which I will get Monday has a FULL size Butter London polish I hear! :) If you use the code NETH2067, you will also be donating to Make-A-Wish Foundation with your purchases! Also if you look under the Promotional Codes tab, you can get $15 off a 50 purchase from Beauty Bar as long as one of these brands shows up in your online shopping cart.

XOXO,
Haylee :)