The Glitter Blog

From YouTube: Michelle Phan's Midsummer Enchantment

2011-07-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love these tips and this look from Michelle Phan. A lot of "summer makeup" tutorials can be a bit too sheer and natural; however, this great look promises to be smudge-proof without being too sheer.

Also, can I say a huge "thank you" to Michelle to turning me on to Rosie and Me? I've been playing "Darkest Horse" all day since watching her tutorial this morning. I swear - half of my iTunes collection comes from Michelle Phan videos!

A Quick Beauty Carnival...

2010-06-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

"It's a Ten" Miracle Haircare Review posted at Jenny Sokol

5 Natural Pimple Cures posted at Cure Pimples

RevitaBrow Review (GlitterBlog Note: I need the opposite of this! :-P) posted at Savvy Skin

(Want your beauty blog featured in our next Beauty Carnival? Submit here: carnival submission form.)

Technorati tags:

beauty, makeup, and skincare, blog carnival.

Link Roundup: Sex and the City 2 Beauty

2010-05-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

- Three Beauty Trends Sex and the City 2 Will Start (Cosmopolitan.com)

- A 'Going to See Sex and the City 2' Look (Painted-ladies.com)

- A Review from a Hair and Makeup Perspective (Pretty Cheap)

- Sex and the City Hair (Talking Makeup)

- Products Used by the Cast (The Beauty Bunny)

- A Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda Makeup Tutorial

Beauty Steal: Stila Backstage Beauty Palette - The Runway Look

2010-05-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Just discovered this total steal on the Sephora website. It's the Stila Backstage Beauty Palette, in the color family "The Runway Look." And, it includes a mini onyx kajal eyeliner. And it's leather. With a flower on top. And, it's only $20. Huzzah!

This looks like a great deal for only $20, the colors look pretty, and the customer reviews are all extremely positive. I am definitely going to pick one up.

Pick up this Stila palette here.

Tip of the Day: Dryer Sheet Manicures?

2010-05-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

After your clothes have gone through the dryer, save the used dryer sheet to use instead of Kleenex or cotton balls next time you remove your nail polish. The used dryer sheet is just gritty enough to remove your nail polish without scratching, and it soaks up plenty of nail polish remover on the first try, which means you end up using a lot less.

Bargain Beauty: Revlon Age Defying Concealer (and ColorStay Mineral Mousse - Bleh!)

2010-05-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I picked up two Revlon products on a buy-one-get-one deal at CVS. The first thing I picked up was Revlon Age Defying Concealer (Color: Light/Pale). I was on the hunt for a drugstore concealer in tube form. Most of the concealers I find at the drugstore come in stupid clicky-pen form; you know, a little pen with a sponge tip applicator where you click or twist it to release more product. Bleh! I would rather have it in tube form so I can use my brushes. The Revlon concealer was the only tube concealer I found in the whole store. (I'm surprised L'Oreal doesn't make one.)

This is a pretty decent concealer - by drugstore standards, it's great. It's fairly concentrated, and a little goes a long way. It's pretty blendable, although I find that if I use a tad too much it totally sets into my pores. I definitely prefer it as an undereye concealer than as a blemish/red spots concealer. And it's SPF 25, so can't go wrong on that front. However, I think it's ultimately just kind of average. I'll probably only repurchase if it goes on sale again. While it's great by drugstore standards, it's not that special overall.

However, the other Revlon product I picked up was so ghastly horrible that I am appalled it retails for $13.99 - $.99 would make more sense. I decided to give the Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse foundation a try, and what a nightmare decision that turned out to be.

I seriously cannot even put into words how horrible this foundation is. First off, let's talk about the product itself. If you don't shake it before you use it, the watery silicone separates from the rest of the foundation, and you just get a shmear of translucent clear liquid. Icky.

And even if you shake the product vigorously before use, the ColorStay Mousse is still dreadful. It is a cakey mess that settles into your dry spots and makes your skin flake horribly. And honestly, I don't even have that bad of dry spots - I regularly exfoliate and moisturize. And other foundations don't make me flake up. But this one does - and even if you want to look past the flakiness (I don't know why you would), it's just a lousy foundation. It manages to be both too sheer AND give you that mega-obvious I'm-wearing-foundation-look.

I've looked at some other reviews on this foundation, and they all seem to be in-line with my opinion. The ONLY way I could see someone liking this product would be if their skin was really, SUPER oily. And even then, I have to think that they're are better options out there.

Pick up the Age Defying Concealer here. And, if you must, pick up the Mineral Mousse here.

Fragrance Lust: Bath and Body Works Lemon Vanilla

2010-05-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

I am not typically a huge Bath and Body Works fan. I don't have anything against the company, but they don't have that many scents that I positively lust after. A lot of their fragrances are very hotel soap-ish. You know, good and pleasant, but not great and lust-worthy. (However, I always have a bottle of the Eucalyptus Spearmint Body Lotion on hand)

But, I love, love, love the Lemon Vanilla scent, from the Summer Vanillas collection. And because the universe is obviously against me, this scent is limited edition, and NOT available as a perfume. Ahh! I have never in my life written a letter to a company before, but I'm strongly considering it...

So, why am I so obsessed with Lemon Vanilla? Because it is the freshest, most youthful-but-not-childish vanilla fragrance I have ever gotten a whiff of. Since I got the body spray two weeks ago, I have been dousing myself daily. I have actually been calling it my "lemon meringue pie perfume," because that's exactly what it smells like - but better. This may just be my favorite body spray that I've ever purchased.

The scent is also available as a hand wash, body wash, body lotion, and cooling spray, which is apparently for refreshing sunburned skin. I am planning on picking up a bottle and giving it a try.

Check out the Lemon Vanilla fragrance here.

Review: Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation

2010-05-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have been using Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation for the past three months - not as my nighttime/going out foundation, but rather as my day-to-day go to class foundation. I have read a ton of positive reviews for this foundation. I picked it up because A) the reviews were good and B) It was Goodwill days at Boston Store, and Lancome was offering a 20% discount PLUS a free gift. (I still regret not picking up this lip gloss in Electric Pink - going to get it has been on my to-do list for a while).

Anyways, my opinion of this foundation is really mixed. I think by this point, everyone and their mother knows that this is the infamous "vibrating" mineral foundation. That in and of itself is a definite draw for the product - the novelty factor is high. (BTW, never try vibrating razors. Yes, they exist, although I haven't seen them in drugstores lately. They give you the worst razor burn in history!)

Since we're on the subject, I'll start with the vibrating factor. (Lancome would probably prefer I call it the "oscillating" factor - or, le oscillating factôr) I am still undecided if the vibrations are really doing anything to help blend the product. I think it doesn't hurt, but I still feel like I'm buffing the same way I would if I were using a standard mineral foundation and a Kabuki brush.

And - no offense to other beauty bloggers - but I think a lot of people are giving too much credit to the product itself because they're so impressed with the vibrating aspect. The foundation itself is just okay, in my opinion. I have the color Ivory 20, which I will say is one of the few perfect colors I've found for my kinda-pinkish kinda-yellowish pale skin. This foundation is very sheer - like, very, very, very sheer. I usually need a good two or three applications to get the coverage I want. Plus, this does very little to cover the redness on my cheeks, and without concealer, it does nothing to conceal pink acne scars and dark under eye circles.

This product is not all that long lasting, either. Usually by 4 PM, I need a second application. It's very sheer.

But there are some pros to this product as well - like, it's very sweat and weather proof. Also, while I do have some critiques about how much I have to use (and have been using) to get the coverage I want, I still have a helluva lot of product left, even after three months of heavy use. I think ultimately that I will probably keep this in my collection as my school makeup. I will never wear liquid foundation to class, because it's just way too much hassle in the morning. So, it's either this or Bare Minerals, and the Oscillation Powerfoundation is way less time consuming, way less messy, and you go through it waaaay less quickly. (I can go through one of those teeny tiny Bare Minerals foundations in a month!)

Pick up the Lancome Oscillation Foundation Here

(Tip: If the little holes in the Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation get clogged up, don't shake it - that just makes it worse. Instead, put the cap back on and give the side of the bottle five or ten little smacks. That will loosen up the trapped makeup. If it's still clogged, try unscrewing the lid and rotating the little buffer against the holes. Then, put the lid back on and give it a few more taps.)