Tried it Tuesday-- This Physician has me blushing! Concealer that FITs, and a painful experiment..

Hey everyone!

I hope wherever you are, you're staying warm! We've had some snow/ice so it's been a good time to stay inside and work on some projects that have been put off, like my Magazine Binder~

What's that, you ask? It's a way for a magazine junkie, such as myself, to get rid of numerous issues without missing out on the articles I liked. For example, here are all of the magazines I wouldn't throw out--

Yeah, I might have a problem... or a PASSION! Yeah, let's call it that. ;)

So I went through the OTHERS (haha) and ripped out things I liked-- ads, inspirations, articles, fun clothing combos, etc. and put them in sleeves and then into a 3'' Pink binder I found, yay!

(Oh, and I have another one that's solely for "Beauty" stuff.. do dooo...)

Little tabbies for easy reference! (Not labeled, yet!).

Anyhow! Now that I've had some fun showing off my project, let's get to Tried it Tuesday!!

First up: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Mood and Glow Booster line (as discussed on last week's Want It! Wednesday.) Includes~ powder, bronzer, and blush. $11.95 at Wal-Mart

Available colors: Translucent, Beige, Light Bronzer, Bronzer, Natural (blush), and Rose (blush).

I picked up the blush in Natural: 

ADORABLE!

Brush included underneath-- cute idea, but don't use it. It sucks.

Love!

I absolutely ADORE this blush!! Not only is the packaging to die for, but the formula is wonderful as well! It gives a hint of color and sheen, without being "sparkly"--more of a healthy glow-- and it has a decent staying power.

As far as the "Happiness" from using it? I'd say it's there! Haha-- but not from their science-y additions, but rather 1. The pink compact, 2. The adorable hearts!, 3. The ease of application, and 4. The pleasant scent. For those of you who are worried about that, just know that it only lasts during the time of application-- you don't smell it throughout the day or anything.


Next up: Maybelline's new FIT Me! concealer, $6.49 at Ulta.
What it claims: "Blends seamlessly to cover under-eye circles & imperfections. Matches natural tone, never blotches, never cakes."

Let's take a look!

Nice, clean packaging.

Normal sponge-tip applicator.

Concealer on left side, bare on right for comparison.

Concealer on left side, bare on right for comparison.

I actually really like this concealer! Which is a big deal, because I am very picky with Mascaras and Concealers. It indeed does blend seamlessly (do you see a line? nope!), builds without getting cakey, and has a bit of moisture without disappearing after an hour. They also seem to come in a nice variety of shades (I'm wearing 10-Light). My ONLY complaint is that I got a little crease right under my eye a few minutes after application, but that could be because I applied too much, because when I dabbed it, it never returned.

I'm really excited to try other items from the line!!


Last but not least- my experience with an Epilator, aka your own personal torture device.

Remington Smooth and Silky Epilator Kit, $59.99 at Ulta, ($19.99 at TJMaxx).
What it claims: "Remove excess body hair fast and painlessly at the root. Contoured heads match body's natural curves for expert hair removal. Massaging action gently massages skin once the hair is removed. Two speed settings accommodate both fine and coarse hair textures. Also incorporates moisturizing comfort technology that soothes skin with moisturizing relief. Provides up to six weeks of hair-free results."

I actually don't have many pictures for this, but I will give you a very nice description!
(... 6 weeks my a**. Maaaaybe a week, but not 6.)

First of all, you have to let your hair grow a little bit~ about 1/8 of an inch~ enough to where one of the 42(!) little tweezers can grab it and yank it out. So be sure you do this before a hot date, haha.

Speaking of-- don't do it the night before, either, or else your legs might get irritated and look like this:

 

Enlarged for detail-- see all of the red spots?!

As far as "pain", this really wasn't pleasant. Surprising, I know. Try tweezing your leg hairs and report back to me. I will admit, however, that you do get used to it after a few minutes, haha! Horrifying, huh?! I don't know if that was due to the "massagers" or not, but if really was tolerable after the initial shock. Afterward there wasn't any pain, so to speak, but my legs did itch a bit, and the next morning the red spots were gone.

Epilator vs. Shaving:
-Since the epilator removes at the root, if you normally still have the black dots after shaving, they're gone with the epilator.
- Epilating takes longer (about 20-30 min per leg), but you also only have to do it every 4-6 days.
- Shaving is definitely easier and less painful. 
- For the love of Pete DON'T try the epilator on your armpits-- ahhhhh!!



In a flash!~
Happy Blush: Go buy it! I know I'll be picking up more. =D
FIT Me! Concealer: Definitely worth a shot if you're looking for a new concealer.
Epilator: Only if you HATE shaving with a passion and like pain every now and then.

What do you all think? Tried any of these? Want to? Excited? Not excited? Let me know!

By the way, I've entered some blogging contests recently, so if you have a moment to comment I would LOVE some feedback! =) Thanks!

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Tried it Tuesday-- "Gucci" Hair Products, get excited!!

Hey there!

Well, the other day, I got a lovely text message from my best friend about how she received some "Gucci" (aka, super fancy!) hair products and she wanted me to try them. As much as I wanted to joke and say something to the effect of, "UM NO I hate trying stuff, duh." I just could NOT hold in my excitement!!!!!!!!!!

Ojon and Kerastase?! Yes PLEASE.

Picture of the glorious gorgeousness:
(Click to enlarge.)















Closer up:






































Background on these brands:
Ojon--
From the remote tropical rainforests of Central America, an ancient native secret to naturally beautiful hair has been discovered. In their native language, they are called Tawira, or "the people of beautiful hair.™"
The secret to their beautiful hair and skin is Ojon®, a rich oil extracted from the tropical Ojon® tree. This unique tree is native to the Mosquitia region of Central America.
Ojon® is proud to work closely with MOPAWI – a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the native Miskito and Garifuna populations in the Mosquita region of north–eastern Honduras. La Mosquitia is home to the indigenous tribes that harvest the ingredients used in Ojon® products.

Kerastase
Since 1964, Kérastase has been creating new haircare services developed with the most advanced formulas. Dedicated to enhancing the natural beauty of the hair, Kérastase is based on 4 essential values: Performance, Expertise, Personalization, and Beauty.

Ok, so here's the breakdown of all of the products pictured above, with prices, in case you are entranced as well!

Products by Kerastase:
Bain Oleo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo for Dry and Rebellious hair, 8.5 fl oz. $34
Oleo-Relax Ultimate Controlling Elixer for Very Rebellious, Dry hair, 1.7 fl oz. $36
Mousse Nutri-Sculpt Bodifying Hair Foundation for Dry, Sensitized hair, 5.1 fl oz. $30
Serum Nutri-Sculpt Lustrous Repair for Damaged and Sensitized ends, 1.0 fl oz. $25
Oleo-Relax Anti-Frizz Mask, 6.8 fl oz. $58
Products by Ojon:
Shine and Protect Glossing Mist, 2 fl oz. $28
Revitalizing Mist, 4.8 fl oz. $26
Leave-in Glossing Cream, 4.25 fl oz. $30
Restorative Hair Treatment, 1.5 fl oz. $21

See? Gucci! =D

Since there were so many to try, I paired them by what hair type they seemed to go with.

Round 1: Kerastase's Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner mask, bodifying hair foundation, and Controlling Elixer.

Results?: OMG AMAZING.

Keep in mind, I have naturally straight, fine, medium-thick hair. Not what you would call "rebellious" by any means, and only slightly dry from heat styling.

This day I used just a round brush to blow-dry my hair *note NO straightener!* to test out the anti-frizziness:










































So impressed!





















I can't believe how GREAT my hair feels! I really hate how much I love this, haha!!

I also adore the bodifying foundation mousse. My hair doesn't feel like it has any product in it at all, and I feel like it gave me some good volume and staying power, (since my hair is at that awkward length where it wants to flip), while truly feeling the silkiest it has in a long time. Oh, and no static!!!! That's my big concern in the winter, and today I had NONE! =D

Round 2: Ojon Mask, Leave-in Glossing Cream, and Shine mist.

Results?: Does what it says, but nothing too impressive.

The mask was interesting in that it's almost a solid, and you scoop some out and rub it in your palms to warm it up and make it oily. You then apply it to dry hair and leave on for 20 or so minutes, then shampoo as usual. It definitely left my hair soft, but not as soft as the Kerastase.

After blow-drying with a round brush, before glossing cream:





















With glossing cream:





















The cream didn't seem to do too much in the "glossing" department, but it did help tame flyaways. Also, the shine spray didn't do a whole lot but make my hair smell kind of weird.. I can't quite place it, but it's almost herbally? But in a bad way, haha... and very strong!

In a flash~
Kerastase: If you can afford it, it's AMAZING. Really truly impressive.
Ojon: Didn't work much better than drugstore brands, and was too fragrant.

If you have any questions on specifics, leave 'em in the comments or email me at beautymaven8@gmail.com and I'll try as best as I can to answer! I didn't want to load up this post with too many pictures~

What do you think? What's the "Gucci-est" product you've owned/tried?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven

Tried it Tuesday-- Will you choose Essence's "Choose Me!"?

Greetings! =)

For today I have Essence's Colour & Go Nail polish in "Choose Me!" It's available at Ulta for a whopping $0.99~ Is it worth that pretty penny? Let's take a look!

Swatches:
*The color is off!! Read descriptions, please!*

The bottle is smaller than normal, but I still really like the size of the brush and the quality of the polish. Two coats is more than enough for even, opaque color.
















See how the bottle is more green? This polish is blue-based (which you see on nail) with green glitter, making it almost a turquoise. For some reason my camera was being a punk.






















Blue base~ this was after 2 days wear WITHOUT base coat/topper. Not much chipping!














Here is a better picture from another blog of the TRUE color:












And mine without flash, so you know I'm not a liar. ;)











It is an excellent dupe of OPI's Catch Me In Your Net:
(photo courtesy of beautyjunkiesunite.com)




























Such a gorgeous color! Maybe not for those of us who are still in Winter, but it will fit in nicely with all of the Peacock colors we will be seeing in the spring!!

What are you wearing on your nails?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven