LIPSTICK DUPES

Today I am going to talk about two sets of lipstick dupes.  A dupe or duplicate is a low-end cosmetic which matches a high-end cosmetic.  The first set being Mac's Girl About Town and NYX's Louisiana.  The second set of dupes consists of Rimmel's Kate in 08 and Urban Decay's Naked lipstick.

MAC (left); NYX (right)

Rimmel's Kate (left); Urban Decay (right)

For each dupe price, matching of colors and quality of product was taken into consideration for my final decision.

MAC's Girl About Town and NYX's Louisiana were looked at first.

MAC (left); NYX (right)

Both the MAC and the NYX glided on smoothly.  However, when I looked at my lips closely at my lips after applying the NYX lipstick, there were tiny areas of my lips which the lipstick missed.  The MAC lipstick gave me full coverage.  Then there is the difference in price.  The MAC Girl About Town lipstick costs $15.00.  The NYX Louisiana lipstick costs $4.00.  In my opinion, the NYX lipstick did not perform to my expectations.  While it was a nice color, it did not provide the coverage that I like.  Therefore, I choose MAC's Girl About Town.

The second set of dupes involve Urban Decay's Naked lipstick and Rimmel's Kate 08.

Urban Decay (left); Rimmel (right)

The Rimmel Kate 08 went on smoothly and had a great consistency.  It was not sheer and had vivid color. Urban Decay's Naked went on just as smooth as the Rimmel.  The color was not as bold as the Rimmel, but the overall consistency was nice.  The price of the Urban Decay lipstick is $22.00.  The price of the Rimmel lipstick ranges from $4.92 to $5.99.  While the Rimmel's color is good, I prefer a little less color on my lips when I wear dark colors on my eyes.  Therefore, even though it is higher in price, I am choosing the Urban Decay Naked lipstick.

NYX Louisiana may be purchased at Ulta and most drugstores.  MAC Girl About Town can be purchased at MAC stores and www.maccostmetics.com.

Urban Decay Naked lipstick may be purchased at Ulta, Sephora and www.urbandecay.com.  Rimmel Kate 08 can be purchased at most drugstores and www.drugstores.com.

SCRUBS

Now that fall is approaching, I thought I would review two lip scrubs; Laura Geller's Lip Strip in original formula and The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ in Almond Creme.

We all know that cold weather and a dry environment can make you lips dry and flaky. Lip scrubs help make the dry, flakiness disappear.  Laura Geller and Sara Happ have developed lip scrubs for these reasons; get rid of dry, flaky lips and make your lips smooth and soft.

Lip Strip on Left; The Lip Scrub on Right

The first lip scrub I tried was Laura Geller's Lip Strip in the original formula.  Beauty.com describes the product as a, "delicious formula which blends cosmetic quality Brazalian sugar with cooling peppermint in a creamy base."  When I tried the Lip Strip I felt some sugar without that much of a cooling feeling.  It did have an oil which aided in my lips feeling soft.

The next lip scrub I tried was The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ in Almond Creme.  Eskinstore.com describes  the lip scrub as "decadent, elegant and rich.  And if you are like us, irresistible  on any menu.  Hints of warm, burnt vanilla and the lightest, creamy caramel."  I will have to agree with the eskinstore.  When I tried the Sara Happ lip scrub I found it to be just gradient enough to slough off the dry, flaky skin on my lips.  Do not forget the yummy flavor of the Almond Creme.  I could have taken a spoon to that container and eaten the contents (kidding).  After wiping the scrub off, my lips were extremely soft and smooth with no traces of flakes.

So in this case, The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ in Almond Creme wins.  Laura Geller's Lip Strip in the original formula comes in a close second with the oils in the scrub.

You can buy Laura Geller's Lip Strip in the original formula for $20.00-$25.00 at www.beauty.com, www.amazon.com, and www.laurageller.com.

You can buy The Lip Strip by Sara Happ in Almond Creme for $24.00 at Nordstroms, www.beauty.com, www.dermstore.com and www.beautybar.com.

A LITTLE CHEEKY

So today I bring to you two creme cheek blushes, Sephora's Double Contouring Creme blush in Golden Spice and Stila Convertible Color Creme Blush in Peony.  Both have decent reputations.

Sephora's website describes Stila's Convertible Color as, "creamy, sheer tint that adds a natural glow to the cheeks."  The website describes Sephora's Double Contouring Creme blush as a blush that, "conditions and moisturizes the skin upon application while providing a flush of color".

To see if the more expensive creme blush performs better than its cheaper counterpart, I placed both blushes on my cheeks, one on each side.  Stila was placed on my right cheek, and Sephora was placed on my left cheek.  Please see picture below:

Upon application of the Stila creme blush, I found the consistency to be somewhat  wet.  When it was on my fingers, it had a tackiness to it.  The blush did apply smoothly and had good pigmentation.

When I applied the Sephora creme blush I found the consistency to be very soft and silky.  I did not feel any tackiness as I did with the Stila creme blush.  Like the Stila blush, the Sephora blush went on smoothly with good pigmentation.

It was almost a tie, but because of all the tackiness and wetness, I am going to have to declare Sephora Double Contouring Creme blush as the winner.

Sephora's Double Contouring Creme Blush can be purchased at a Sephora store or www.sephora.com.  It costs $16.00.

Stila's Convertible Color can be  purchased at Sephora, Ulta or www.stilacosmetics.com.  It costs $25.00.

What's your favorite creme blush?

FRIZZIES GOT YOU DOWN?

A little about me.  I have color-treated hair which is thick, naturally curly and most of all frizzy.  I am not speaking about your average day frizz, I am talk about clown frizz.

Ordinarily I would use a shampoo and conditioner for sleek hair.  But because I color my hair, I need to use products intended for color treated hair.

In my quest to find a product that would tone down the frizz, I have come across one product which finally helped tame the clown frizz.  That product is Matrix Essentials Sleek Look #3 Blow Down Creme Extreme.

Front of Bottle

Back of Bottle

Let me state that using this product will not give you stick straight hair.  But it does help when you blow out your hair at home.

This orange bottle is a miracle in my book.  After washing and towel drying your hair, place a small amount of the blow dry creme in your hair.  Distribute the product throughout your hair and blow dry your hair straight. You should have fewer frizzies than you had before.

I like this product because it does what it claims to do, it has a fresh scent and made by a company with a great reputation.

You can purchase this product at most drugstores, Target, Wal-Mart (in their salon area) and select hair salons.  Prices vary from $14.00 - $20.00.

I hope that this product works just as well on you as it did for me.

LIP GLOSS JUNKIE

I did not attempt this time to count the amount of lip glosses I own.  First, I would not know where to start and second, you would think I am insane (which I am, but that is another story) considering the number of lip glosses I own.  I have lip glosses in all price ranges, all colors and all manufacturers, and it fills a deep, plastic tub.

Everyone knows, or at least thinks they know, that a low end lip gloss has a great chance of outperforming a high end lip gloss.  But does that statement hold true?

I propose to you two lip glosses, Urban Decay's Lip Junkie lip gloss in Naked and NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss in Magnified Mauve.  The first picture, below, is a picture of the two products.  The second picture are the swatches of color on my arm.

Left: NYC; Right: Urban Decay

Left: Urban Decay  Right: NYC

Urban Decay has a long list of followers who swear by the make up.  While popular in its own right, there are some people who have not heard of the brand NYC.  Urban Decay may be found at high-end stores, while NYC is usually found at stores which are known for their low-cost products.  So who do you think the winner would be if the lip glosses went head to head.

For the test, I ate and drank with the lip gloss on, one lip gloss at a time. For the first test I used NYC Big Bold Plumping lip gloss. After eating and drinking, there was still some lip gloss left.  For the second lip gloss, Urban Decay, after eating and drinking, there was less lip gloss left than its counterpart NYC.  In addition, there was more color left.

So in this case, the high-end lip gloss wins, Urban Decay's Lip Junkie lip gloss in Naked mainly for its staying power.  Color and consistency of the Naked lip gloss comes secondary.  If you are on a budget (and who isn't) then I would go with the NYC.  It did leave some gloss, just no color.  All you would have to do would be to reapply it after eating/drinking.  Plus, the NYC Big Bold Plumping lip gloss in Magnified Mauve is a decent dupe for Urban Decay's Lip Junkie lip gloss in Naked.

Urban Decay Lip Junkie lip gloss retails for $19.00 and may be purchased at Sephora, Ulta and www.urbandecay.com.

NYC Big Bold Plumping lip gloss in Magnified Mauve retails for $3.99 and may be purchased at Wal-Mart, Target and www.newyorkcolor.com.

TIPS FOR COMELY OMBRE LIPS

So this week I decided to try ombre lips. Because it was my first time, I thought maybe I should let a professional do it. The Sephora consultant did an okay job. I personally think an ombre look should begin or end with the dark shade, and gradually fade into its opposite. I thought in my after shot, the color was to stark from one shade to the other, but this is just one ombre lip look. As far as the Urban Decay products we used, they are creamy and would be awesome for dry lips, but as an individual color and not ombre lips. The UD colors I used were Shame and Native.

Onbre Lips

Here are some additional examples of ombre lips. For all of these, I suggest using a professional lip brush and lip products that are classified as "stains." It is important to do any blending quickly, while the product is still wet. Allow plenty of time to apply, and practice with your colors before you actually go out with your new ombre lips!!!

Gradual Descending Color

Darker Outer Lips and Lighter Inner Lip

AND THE NEXT TOP MODEL IS....

The next top model is.....Model In A Bottle Make-Up Setting Spray. If you haven't heard of a makeup setting spraying then you are missing out.  A makeup setting spray will help your makeup keep from melting and look freshly applied for many hours.

According to the Model In A Bottle website, it is "resistant to smudging, tears, humidity and water."  Now if you live in the South, like I do, resistance to humidity is extremely necessary and regarded as the Holy Grail.

According to its description it "dries with a translucent matte finish, absorbs excess oil and doesn't clog pores, is fast drying and NOT tested on animals (which is fantastic for those that only use cruelty free makeup).

To use, just apply the makeup on your face as you would normally do, then spritz your face with the Model on a Bottle.  A couple of spritzes is all that you need to keep your makeup from melting.

Front of Bottle

Back of Bottle

When I tried Model In a Bottle, I gave myself a couple of spritzes.  It had a fresh, clean, flowery scent to it.  After that, I went on about my day not thinking about if my makeup is melting.  When I got home at the end of the day (about 10 hours later) there were two things I needed to reapply, my lipstick and powder on my nose and forehead.  I knew that the lipstick would need to be reapplied, but I was a little disappointed that I had apply powder to my nose and forehead.   However, the rest of my makeup looked the same from that morning.  The eyeshadow did not fade, the eyeliner did not budge and the mascara looked like I just applied it.  There was no melting.

Overall, I would give this product an A.  It is very simple to use and for the most part it did as it said, it stopped my makeup from melting.

Model in the Bottle retails for $14.99.  It is sold through www.modelinabottle.com, www.amazon.com and www.cherryculture.com.

Have you tried Model In A Bottle?  What was your experience?

FOUNDATION REVIEW - NYX vs L'OREAL

I decided to review two low end foundations, L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation in shade W3 and NYX's HD Studio foundation in soft beige.

According to Ulta's description for L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation it is "40% water for all day hydration, with antioxidants, vitamin C and E for improved clarity and skin tone."

The Ulta description for NYX HD Studio foundation is "the airy foundation is infused with tri-peptides that promote collagen production, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles and helps rejuvenate skin".

Both foundations claim to improve the appearance of your skin and to be good for your skin. I am going  to put both foundations to the test. I want to find out which foundation gives good coverage, has longevity and is truly good for my skin.

Below are the foundations in question:

Left is NYX foundation; Right is L'Oreal foundation

I am going to try wearing the Loreal foundation on the right side of my face and the NYX foundation on the left.  I want to find out which foundation is better for my skin.  I will not be applying a primer as I want a more accurate result.

The NYX HD Studio foundation is on the left side of my face.  Please see the picture below.  This is after an 8 hour period:

NYX foundation applied to the left side of my face

The NYX foundation came out a little thick, but did apply easily.  The foundation felt a little heavy but silky at the same time.  I wore the NYX foundation for a period of 8 hours.  In the beginning, the foundation covered any discoloration on my face and the redness around my nose.  At the end of the day, the foundation still covered the discoloration and the redness around my nose. The NYX foundation is a little heavy but it did hold up well for eight hours.

The L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation was very runny and gave a sheer finish when I applied it to the right side of my face.  At first it appeared to cover the discoloration in my face and the redness around my nose.  However, after an eight hour period the foundation wore off and it looked like I had no make-up on.  You could see the all of the discoloration in my face and the redness around my nose.  Please see the picture below.

L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation applied to the right side of my face

It is hard to see, but there is redness around my nose and some discoloration around my temple.

For me, the clear winner is the NYX HD Studio foundation.  Although it has a thick consistency, it covered the redness around my nose and the discoloration around my face for an eight hour period.  I will admit that the Loreal True Match Lumi foundation has a nice consistency.  It feels light and airy when applied.  But it did not hold up well.  After an eight hour period, the redness returned and the discoloration could be seen.

What is your opinion of the Loreal and NYX foundation?  I would love to hear from you!

HERE KITTY, KITTY

As we discussed, I have an addiction to makeup.  This love has transferred into a love of palettes.  One of my first purchases of a high-end palette was a NARS palette.  This love has even gotten me into depotting MAC eyeshadows and creating palettes for them.  I even went as far as to color coordinate these shadows as "pink", "green", "brown", etc.

The other day I went into Sephora (God's store as I refer to it) to do a little shopping.  I spent a little over two hours there.  Among the things that I purchased, was the Kat Von D Saint True Romance eyeshadow palette.  The colors begin with a neutral shade and graduate to a deep brown color. The True Romance palette also contained an eyeliner in the color Puro Amour, a black colored eyeliner.

Here is what the palette looks like:

Colors starting from left: heavens, enjoy the silence, <3, downtown, sunny, pray for me, bookworm, caravaggio

Here are the eyeshadow swatches:

Eyeshadow colors starting from the left: caravaggio, bookworm, pray for me, sunny, downtown, <3, enjoy the silence and heavens

The Kat Von D True Romance palette is terrific!  The eyeshadow comes in 8 colors and has plenty of pigment.  The colors are easy to blend and will help you create that romantic look you want to achieve, at least according to the package.  Personally, I have been using the palette to create an everyday look (sorry Kat) which you can wear to work or to the mall.  The liner which came with the palette is one of my favorite liners to work with.  I just wish they had more of an array of colors.  Anyways, the liner or "autograph liner" glides on smoothly and goes on with one swipe.

My overall experience with the Kat Von D True Romance palette was great.  The colors are beautiful and can create an everyday look or a soft romantic look for the evening.  The liner was easy to use and glided on perfectly.

The palette retails for $36.00 and can be purchased at Sephora.  I checked around to see if any other stores sold the product, but came up empty handed.  If you know of any retail stores which sell the Kat Von D line, please let me know and I will post it.

Have you tried the Kat Von D True Romance palette?  What is your opinion of it?

MY SEARCH HAS ENDED

For years I have been searching for the right face cleanser.  Something that doesn't make my face more dry (I suffer from dry skin), doesn't make my face break out and definitely something that I can afford.

One day I was talking to my cousin April, and she told me about the Strivectin line and how much she enjoys using it.  April was an esthetician, so for me it made my decision to try the Strivectin SH Replenishing Cleanser much easier.

The Strivectin cleanser comes in a cream like consistency with a faint, pleasant odor.  Now for people with dry skin like mine, creamy cleanser is great. It is very moisturizing and doesn't strip your face like a cleanser that lathers.

The cleanser did as it promised and removed all traces of my makeup. My mascara, lipstick and all that icky dirt was gone!  It even made my skin feel softer after it had been washed.  Also, Strivectin claims to preserve the skin's protective barrier to keep it looking soft and healthy.

The con is that I needed a washcloth to remove the cleanser.  It has to do with the oils and the emoillients in the product.

Now, the Strivectin-SH Replenishment Cleanser is not drugstore cheap.  The cost is $29.00, which to me is worth every penny.  It can be purchased at Macy's (although I haven't seen it there lately), www.qvc.com, www.skinstore.com and www.beauty.com.

If you have tried this product, please let me know your opinion.  Did it work for you as it did for me?

THE FINISHING TOUCH

By now everyone knows that the best way to achieve a finished look is to fill in your brows.  The question that lots of people have is which is better, brow pencil or brow powder?

I am going to investigate this by wearing brow powder on one eye and the brow pencil on the other eye for a period of 8 hours (an average workday).  Let's see who comes out on top, the pencil or the powder.

The products I will be using are the Prestige Ideal Match in medium/dark, and Urban Decay's Brow Box in brown sugar.  I applied the the Urban Decay to the left eyebrow and the Prestige to the right eyebrow.

Urban Decay Powder (left) and Prestige Pencil (right)

Here is a photo immediately after I applied the brow pencil and brow powder:

Eight hours later, this is what I looked like with the brow pencil and brow powder:

At the end of the eight hour period, the edge of the left brow upon which I applied  the Urban Decay Brow Box faded.  The Prestige Ideal Match lasted all day without fading.  I should say that the beginning and middle part of my brow remained the same during the entire eight hour period.

I am a HUGE Urban Decay fan.  I have almost all of their palettes and eyeliners.  But the Prestige Ideal Match beat it.  If you don't mind a quick touch up at the end of the day, then I would suggest the Urban Decay Brow Box.  If you want to save some money and have a product that looks the same all day for less, then I would go with the Prestige Ideal Match.

You can purchase Urban Decay's Brow Box at Sephora, Ulta and www.urbandecay.com.  It retails for $29.00.  Prestige Ideal Match can be found at Walgreen's, WalMart, Ulta and www.prestigecosmetics.com. It retails for $5.49.

I am going to continue to use my Prestige Ideal Match.  I want to save money for Urban Decay's next palette.

SEX

Great! Now that I have your attention,  let's talk about Too Faced's newest mascara, BETTER THAN SEX.  For the past couple of weeks, I have been wanting to try Too Faced's BETTER THAN SEX mascara.  Well I finally broke down and went to my local Sephora store and brought the mascara.

I have 13 mascaras (yes, thirteen) from various brands.  And yes, I admit to being a cosmetic hoarder.  If I go into a Sephora, Ulta or drug store, chances are I am buying something related to cosmetics, hair care or even skin care.  The reason why I love mascara, it makes your eyes pop!  It is that finishing touch that brings your look together.

Well back to the BETTER THAN SEX mascara.  It is very black in color and the brush is shaped as an hourglass to help your lashes separate and curl, and give you tons of volume.  I mean tons.  You can get away with one coat of mascara, but I am a two coat kind of girl.  When I put on my second coat of this mascara, BAM!  My lashes were deep black, curled and totally delish.  Now to be fair, Too Faced's box for the BETTER THAN SEX mascara states that you may put up to three coats.  When I tried it, my lashes look heavy and slightly clumpy.  So I am sticking and recommending two coats.

Here is a a photo of the mascara wand and tube and a close up the wand:

Tube and Wand

Close Up of Tube

Here is what it looks like before the mascara:

Without Mascara

With One Coat of mascara:

One Coat

With two coats of mascara:

Two Coats

Too Faced's BETTER THAN SEX mascara is priced at $23.00.  It can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta or www.toofaced.com.  It is totally worth the price.  It lasted all day (8 hours) without reapplication.  While it is pricey, it is a mascara that it worth its cost.

What do you think of the BETTER THAN SEX mascara?  I welcome all comments.