Do You Use Primers? Reviva Labs Makeup Primer Review!

Reviva Labs recently contacted me to do a product review, and they were generous enough to let me select from their vast range of products to decide which one I'd like to sample.

There was A LOT to choose from; this company offers everything from skin firming fluids, to collagen-fibre eye pad kits, to a complete men's skincare line. As foundation primers have recently taken the cosmetics world by storm, and with all the fun I've been having testing them all out, I decided to give Reviva's a whirl:

$19.50 (29.5 mL)

"Apply over moisturizer or instead of moisturizer. Lines fill in, pores are concealed, excess oil is controlled. Skin so touchable, so silky smooth, you will find it hard to believe."

I have used many makeup primers, including L'oreal, Hard Candy, Benefit, and Revlon to name a few. I have yet to try the crowned Smashbox primer, apart from sampling it at the store. This one has much the same consistency and feel as the Smashbox. It is clear and silky smooth.

Here are some comparisons on my skin. Can you see a difference from one to another?

No Makeup:

 

My skin looks lighter with the primer (right pic)^

My chin has always been red and blotchy. You will notice the primer has toned the red down in the second pic as well.

With Makeup:

^ Although subtle, you'll that my skin in the picture on the right has a deeper tone to it. The foundation used for this review was one shade darker than my normal foundation, and it showed up nicer on the primed skin than the bare skin, to show the true color. The foundation blended much better when used with the primer - it went on lighter and I also used less than I did on the non primed skin. With the primer, my skin has a glow to it.

Foundation Used: Estee Lauder Resilience Life Creme Compact in Biscuit

Would I recommend this product?

Yes, I would. While the results were subtle, I did see a difference in my skin, under foundation especially.

If you are looking for a light weight formula that you can't feel, this option would be for you.

Another great thing is that it is non-comodegenic (won't clog pores). Not all makeup primers are, so if you have problems with breakouts as I sometimes do, you will like it even more.

Have you used this primer?

*Disclaimer: This product was sent free of charge from Reviva Labs for consideration.

Reviva Labs Inc. Haddonfield, NJ 08033

Foundation Talk

I love the first few days when I've just baught a fresh foundation. I use MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in N5, and have been for over 5 years. It's the best foudation I've ever tried!
I think there are a lot of high end department store makeup products that are just not worth the price, but foundation is one thing I can never get from the drug store .. skin always has to look tip top ;)



^Here is my brand new fresh foundation =) Kind of like the feeling of fresh washed sheets, it can't be beat!



Here are all my old foundation compacts that I'm waiting to take in to MAC for their Back to Mac program. Hopefully I'll have a couple old lipstick containers I can use as well somehwere to get it sooner!

What they look like on the inside!



Ew! Not looking so great. As you can see, I lay the compacts down the rest about the same time each batch. I hate trying to scrape out the last remnents of old foundation. I was curious to see how much powder these four almost empty compacts would produce, so I scraped out the rest with a butter knife onto a plate:



et Voila: a heavy duty loose face powder you can dust across shiny places in a pinch. Make sure the foundation isn't TOO old before you scrape though, as you don't want bacteria to grow. A tiny amount of rubbing alcohol can serve as a disinfectant.

ALSO

I was on the hunt for an eyeshadow primer. I've seen the Urban Decay one and of couse heard about how amazing it is, but (surprise!) I've actually been trying to curb my makeup shopping and wanted to find an affordable alternative. Well they didn't have any in the drug store, so lo and behold I somehow ended up at MAC and spent more on this Paint than the Urban Decay one actually is =P Apparently it's an amazing primer, I've read so many great reviews on it. I will do a review shortly, but here it is: (Bare Canvas)

And here is a mini review on the latest polish I purchased - NYC Mulberry Street:

NYC Nail Polish is probably the cheapest you can find. I believe this one was $2! .. And boy did it show. I LOVE the sheer "almost there" color of it, but unfortunately it was chipping within hours (literally eating itself off my nails right before my eyes) and it went on like SHYTE. So ladies, I wouldn't recomend, but for a $2 polish, you don't need me to tell you that! (Then again, Rimmel's 60 Second Polish is under $4, and it's my fave ever!)



Hope you have a great weekend!

Plump Up My Lips!

Hi Dolls!
I decided to review a sample I received from Sephora about a month ago. This was part of my 500+ points on my Beauty Insider Card. To read about the free gift, click here.

Anywhoo, the product I'll be reviewing is the Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Polish ($18) in Katie (light baby pink). It's part of Bare Escentuals new "Buxom" line, meant to enhance lashes and lips. (side note: I detest the word "buxom". Never really paid it much thought, and then one night this drunk Scottish guy nearly fell off his bar stool while looking my friend up and down and creepily leering, "I like the Buxom ones". EWWWWW!!! So now whenever I hear the word, I instinctively shudder by association)

Anyway, Back on Topic!


{sorry for the crappy pic, Jolly Old Saint Nick can't come fast enough with a new camera in hand! And by Santa Clause I most likely mean myself on boxing day}

Here is what the Bare Escentuals website says about the lipgloss:

"Plump what you've got with our luscious polish, which naturally creates the look of fuller, more voluptuous lips. You'll know it's working when a tingly, cooling sensation rushes over you."

While this gloss doesn't claim to be a full fledged lip plumper, it does promise to plump lips up a bit! I've heard of products like this and all their tingling sensations but never really thought they'd work all that well. Was this one any different?

You be the judge:

NOPE!

My lips look exactly the same, just shinier! I think the only thing this gloss does in terms of plumping is reflect light, which anyone knows adds size/dimension!

I give this product 0/5 as a lip plumper, but

4/5 as a general gloss.

Why?

It feels amazing on my lips with the tingly sensation, it's really moisturizing, shiny, and lasts a long time!

Note to Bare Escentuals: Axe the whole "plumping" bit and market it as a simple gloss to keep customers from feeling they've been mislead. It really is a great gloss and sales are sure to increase with a simpler approach;)

Have you tried Lip Plumpers with any success?

Let me know!

"Wet to Dry" Flat Iron Review!

Hot Stylers Wet to Dry Styling Iron

I purchased this flat iron for $39.99 at Winners, however because Winners is a discount store, this isn't a reliable price point for you. You can visit the HS website for more info.

http://www.hotstylers.com/

Product Description:

The Wet to Dry Flat Iron has 1 1/2” ceramic plates that emit negative ions to seal moisture in. An advanced far-infrared ceramic heater for gentle penetrating heat, and special channels and sixteen plate vents allow steam to quickly disperse. It also has temperature settings from 140° F to 392° F (80° C to 200° C)
Product Features:• 160 watts• Lightweight – only 12 ounces!• Insulated fingertip pads for greater styling control• One year limited warranty

I really like the look and feel of this iron. The larger plates make it faster and easier to straighten a larger amount of hair, and it's comfortable in the hands. It heats up fast, with orange lights that let you know it's on, and when it's reached the right heat.

Here are the products I used to aid in the straightening process:

Pantene Pro-V Curls to Straight Shampoo and Conditioner
My hair isn't exactly curly, but it definitely has a wave to it. This shampoo's main goal is to loosen the curls in the hair, and prepare it for straightening. It worked amazing on my hair, I think I am going to do a review on this too. If you have wavy hair, I'm sure this curly to straight shampoo will aid in smoothing and getting the hair better ready for the straightening process.

Joico K-Pak Style Smoothing Balm
To Straighten and Protect

After washing my hair I applied this straightening balm to further aid in the styling. It helped a lot.

Ready for Straightening:
I sectioned my hair using a large clip and, starting on the bottom section, began to straighten the damp hair. (NOTE: My hair was about 40% dry when I began straightening it - more damp than wet. I had applied my makeup, which took ten minutes before straightening.) I created a slight curl on the ends of my hair by turning the iron inwards slightly at the bottom.

Result:

I loved it!

I was actually very surprised by how well this product worked. I was indeed very skeptical, but it made my hair shiny, smooth, and silky, and looked even better than when I blow dry it.

Pros:
-Works great at producing shiny, sleek, straight hair
-Faster than blow drying and straightening, cutting your time in half
-reasonable price
-Style locks in, and lasts all day
Cons:
-Makes a slightly discomforting "sizzling" sound as it straightens the hair

So yes, it does make a sizzling sound as it straightens your hair, which can worry some. This isn't "burning" you hair - it's simply the heat reacting with the water and styling cream, much like how a hot pan will sizzle when placed in water.

There are mixed reviews on whether this type of straightening appliance is safe for you hair. Hair is weaker when it's wet, and some argue that using this straightener may damage the follicle over time. I personally think that the amount of damage caused to the hair cannot be much worse than blow drying beforehand and then straightening. The difference is that this way saves time. ( I HATE blow drying my hair).

Like any product still relatively new to the market, you need to use care and caution - I wouldn't use this product every day, but then again, I don't blow dry my hair every day. Just use common sense. For the days when I fancy a smooth blowout, I will use this product. I will do a follow up review after a few months to let you know how my hair has fared.

I rate it 5/5.

Have you used a wet to dry iron?

What did you think?

Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments =)

NAIL POLISH REVIEW - Rimmel 60 Second Portobello Pink

Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in Portobello Pink

Kind of a funny name .. when I hear Portobello, I automatically think of giant mushrooms. But apparently it is also the name of a railway station in Scotland, and also the title of a book by Ruth Rendall.

Anyways .....

I love finding a beauty product that stands out from the pack, I'm sure you'll agree it's rare!

Rimmel's 60 Second Polish won me over the minute I first tried it this summer.

It has an amazing applicator that makes the polish go on seamlessly, the consistancy of the polish is perfect, and (best of all) it dries in a minute and doesn't chip!

I definitely want evey color in this collection.

This product gets 5/5 stars from me!

Review: Maybelline "Falsies" Volum' Mascara

After seeing the commercial for a mascara that created "false eyelash effect" lashes, I thought I would give it a go.. Could something this good be true? I decided to see for myself. ($7)

The brush is super bendy. They call it a "spoon brush" as it bends like a spoon to cup your lashes when you apply it.Left eye: bare/Right eye: with "Falsies" mascara.

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Below: Both lashes with "Falsies".

Overall, I was definitely unimpressed. The mascara did nothing in terms of volume, as you can see, it pretty much just went straight over my own lashes, making them darker. It did nothing either, for length or volume as fake lashes would. A good mascara, and certainly one that claims a false eyelash effect, should allow you to "build" your lashes, increasing the length and volume, but this did neither of the two.

I understand a $7 mascara will not work miracles, but why call this product "Falsies"? It had nothing in common with false eyelashes at all, and in my opinion the name is slightly misleading.

My Rating : 4/10.

It's not bad as run of the mill mascaras go, but don't expect a full false eyelash effect like the package implies.