SUPER SUNSCREEN

It wasn't too long ago I blogged about the day cream by La Roche-Posay. I have discovered another day cream worthy of being written about; Supergoop Sunscreen Day Cream 50+.

This anti-aging day cream promises to deliver ultra strong, antioxidant infused UV protection with its anti-inflammatory olive oils polyphenols combined with pomegranate and green tea extracts.  The hyperalergenic mineral SPF will not irritate sensitive skin.  It is water resistant for up to 80 minutes.

The sunscreen does a good job.  It goes on a little white because of the high concentration of zinc.  Supergoop goes on a little thick but it is not greasy.  I did not have problems rubbing the sunscreen in or feeling it throughout the day.  When wearing foundation, apply Supergoop first.  I read one review where the reviewer put the sunscreen on before her foundation and the sunscreen stopped the shine.  I cannot attest to this.  I do know that when I applied Supergoop before my foundation, I did not have any problems.  It felt fine and did not have a thick feeling when paired with my makeup.

Supergoop is formulated without controversial ingredient choices to provide an environment and body-friendly choice for daily UV protection.  The sunscreen leaves your skin moist and not oily.  It is an excellent way to achieve complete UV protection.

Supergoop Sunscreen Day Cream retails for $16.00.  It can be purchased from www.skinstore.com, www.qvc.com, www.sephora.com or at any Sephora store.

AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT

As much makeup that I own, can you believe I never purchased a makeup set from MAC?  Sure I purchased individual items, but never anything in a set.  Well, when I saw MAC's Stroke of Midnight lip set in violet I grabbed it.  The kit comes equipped with Amplified Creme in Dark Deed, Cremesheen Glass in Art of Seduction and a lip pencil in Vine.  All of the products come in a flat zip pouch.

MAC Stroke of Midnight Lip Set in Violet

From left to right: Vino lip liner; Dark Deed lipstick and Art of Seduction Cremesheen

The lipstick Dark Deed is described as a "darkened blood red".  It is red with berry tones.  I would consider it the red version of Rebel.  The amplified lipstick lasts as long as the rest of MAC's amplified lipsticks, about five hours.

Cremesheen Art of Seduction is described as a "cool nude with gold frost".  It is a beige-brown with light gold flecks.  It goes on great layered over any shade of lipstick and make my lips appear more plump.  The gloss stays on for about two to three hours. as long as you don't eat or dink.  The gloss is similar to the other MAC Cremesheen Glass collection.  It is a little tick in texture, but definitely not too sticky.

The lip pencil in Vino is described as an "intense violet purple".  It is slightly darker than the lipstick.  Personally, I thought the lip pencil was a little dry and wore for about eight to then hours.

I found the trio to be a great buy and good value.  The colors were beautiful and will be fantastic for the upcoming holidays.

The Stroke of Midnight lip bag in violet retails for $39.50.  It can be purchased at your local MAC store or www.maccosmetics.com.

STRETCH OUT YOUR WINGS

L'Oreal has come out with a new mascara in its Voluminous line.  Voluminous Butterfly lengthens, stretches and volumizes your lashes.  The butterfly brush with an asymmetrical lash line shapes, extends and lifts outer corner lashes giving a winged-out effect.  It instantly volumizes lashes at the roots and stretches lashes outward.  The mascara has "cocoon fibers" instantly wraps your lashes in a soft, delicate veil to create silky, spectacular lashes which "flutter".

This mascara is fantastic!  It does exactly what it promises; it gives my lashes volume and length and a great curl.  I had no flaking or smudging either.  The brush is a but tricky at first, but once you get a handle on it you will get lush lashes.  The rubber wand's unique shape allows you to reach the tiny lashes in the inner corners and bottom lashes as well.  The outside corner of your lashes lift up like butterfly wings.  A full effect with no clumping and terrific length.

The Voluminous Butterfly mascara lasted about 14 hours on me.  At the end of the day, it came off easily with makeup remover.

I read some reviews which stated that the Voluminous Butterfly mascara was too runny and goopy.  I did not find this to be true.  The formula kind of reminds me of Benefit's They're Real mascara; which is a great compliment since the They're Real mascara is one of my go to mascaras.

So to all mascara junkies, go out and try the L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara.  You will like it as much as your favorite high end mascara.

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara retails for $8.99.  It can be purchased at your local drugstore, Ulta, Wal-Mart and Target.

MORE MINERALS

Earlier this week, I blogged about E.L.F.'s Mineral Face Primer.  I am continuing that blog with this one regarding E.L.F.'s Mineral Lip Gloss in the colors Au Naturale and Sorority Girl.

E.L.F. Mineral Lip Gloss is not too sticky and not too thin.  The lip gloss is unscented and has no taste.  All of the lip glosses come with a doe foot applicator and a short wand.  There are some people who prefer a shorter wand because it is supposed to give you better control.  Personally, the length of the applicator does not matter to me.

The pigmentation for the lip gloss is remarkable.  There is just enough color to allow for a pretty sheen.  The gloss glides on smoothly and has decent staying power.  It stays on for a few hours, but not as long as MAC or some of your other high-end products.

My main complaint is that when you go to apply the lip gloss, you do not get enough of the product on the wand for just one application; you have to apply it a few times before you get any color payoff.
To sum up, the E.L.F. Mineral Lip Glosses are pretty good.  Granted, they are not as great as your higher end lip glosses, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck.  I would recommend giving them a try.

E.L.F. Mineral Lip Glosses retail for $3.00.  They can be purchased at www.eyeslipsface.com.

MAC HAS COMPETITION

Inglot makeup is on the rise and on the heels of MAC cosmetics.  For the past year or so, I have been building up my collection of Inglot's eyeshadows and totally ignoring their line of lipsticks.  However, while I was in Las Vegas last week I visited the Inglot store and purchased two lipsticks; #216 and #239.  #216 is a pretty mauve-goldish color and #239 is a cool, bright pink.  The lipsticks come in the following formulas:  lipstick, lip paint, lip gloss and lip liner.  Instead of names, Inglot uses numbers instead of names to distinguish all of their makeup.  The downside is when shopping on Inglot's website, it is hard to tell what color lipstick you are really buying.

Left: #239 a cool bright pink Right: #216 a goldish-mauve;

The packaging is fantastic. The lipstick is encased in a shiny black tube rather than a matte tube.  I have had problems with my matte tubes becoming dirty while in my makeup bag.

The lipsticks stay on your lips for about six hours without eating.  I have heard that some people experienced dryness after two hours   I did not have this problem.  Should you experience this problem, go ahead and put on some lip balm.

Inglot is also cheaper than its competitor MAC.  While MAC sells its lipsticks for $15.00, Inglot's lipstick costs $12.00.

It is affordable, colorful and long lasting.  All are good reasons to go and try Inglot lipsticks.

Inglot lipsticks retails for $12.00. It may be purchased at www.inglotusa.com and Inglot stores around the States.

PRIME & PREP

As soon as corrective primers came out on the market, I began using them.   Corrective primers are primers which come in the colors pink, purple, green and yellow.  Each color has its own meaning.  Green adjusts color tone, pink and purple brighten and yellow gives an overall glow.  Lately I have been using Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer in pink.  However, when I wish to save money or I am out of my other primer, my go to primer is E.L.F.'s Mineral Infused Face Primer in Brightening Lavender.

ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer - Brightening Lavender

The E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer smooths out your face and prepares it for makeup.  If you are in the age group of 35-45, you don't want your makeup seeping into those fine lines you may have.  This primer will make sure that doesn't happen and will brighten your complexion at the same time.

TIP:  IF YOU MIX YOUR FOUNDATION WITH YOUR PRIMER ON YOUR HAND, YOU WILL GET A DEWEY LOOK AND YOUR MAKEUP WILL SIT "ON" YOUR FACE RATHER THAN IN.  My skin is dry.  When I used the process I automatically look fresh and bright, rather than dull and flaky.

As for its lasting power, the E.L.F Mineral Infused Face Primer lasted about 8-10 on me.  If you want to compare it to Make Up For Ever primer, that lasted 2-3 hours more.

The texture is very smooth and soft; not greasy.  It is silicon based, much like that of Smashbox.  The bottle is smaller than it looks on the computer.  But don't let that deter you, because you only need a few pumps.

I really wasn't sure about this primer at first, but decided to take a chance because of all the positive reviews I read.  And boy I am glad I did!  The E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer goes on smooth, lasts a long time and is very affordable.  You cannot go wrong.

The E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer retails for $6.00.  It may be purchased at www.eyeslipsface.com.

HOLIDAY TRIO

I am back from Las Vegas.  My husband had a conference there and we decided to stay for a few days more to celebrate our four year wedding anniversary.  I absolutely love Las Vegas in the fall.  The weather is perfect for shopping, eating and drinking.  How could you not like that?

Anyways, before I went to Las Vegas I purchased the EOS Lip Balm Sphere Holiday Ornament Gift Pack.  In the pack there are three scents: vanilla, sweet mint and pomegranate raspberry.  The lip balm is pack with nourishing shea butter, vitamin E and jojoba oil for super soft, smooth lips.

I really like this trio.  Each balm smells like what it is supposed to smell like.  However, if you are hoping for the trio to have some sort of taste, do not get your up.  While it smells wonderful, the lip balms do not have any flavor.

The EOS lip balms are unlike any other lip balm.  They are not a cream and they are not glittery.  It is a solid balm which has kept my lips nice and smooth.  It is paraben free, gluten-free and petrolatum free.

I do recommend the EOS Lip Balm Sphere Holiday Ornament for yourself or for a friend.  It is smooth, soft and the formula will keep your lips super soft and smooth.

The EOS Lip Balm Sphere retails for $9.99.  It may be purchased at Ulta and www.drugstore.com.

The vanilla reminds me of vanilla extract (don't laugh) when I baked cookies as a kid.  The sweet mint reminds me of spearmint breath mints and the pomegranate raspberry smells more like raspberry than pomegranate.  The lip balms have long-lasting moisture and smoothes on clear.

HIATUS

Beauty On The Bayou will be on hiatus from November 9, 2013 to November 17, 2013.  We will return November 18, 2013.  Thanks!

Erica K

YOU LITTLE TARTE

I just recently purchased the Tarte High Performance Naturals eyeliners.  It comes in a package of five eyeliners; three skinny smolderEYES Amazonian Clay waterproof liners and two smolderEYES Amazonian Clay fat waterproof liners.  It also comes with a deluxe Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara.

The smolderEYES pencils go on like butter.  There is no need to pull or tug your eye when applying the liner.  The colors are very wearable and can be worn as a natural everyday look to create a dramatic evening look.  Here's the sticky point.  I hardly ever wear eye makeup without primer so I cannot say how long it would last and look without primer.  With primer, the eyeliners lasted almost all day without smearing or smudging. It was about six hours before I noticed any fading and/or smudging.

The colors in the set are gorgeous.  I have auburn hair, hazel eyes and light/medium skin complexion.  I had no problems wearing every color.  My favorite color in the skinny eyeliner collection was Purple Garnet (plum).  And out of the fat eyeliners my favorite color was Taupe.  I have used the skinny ones as an eyeliner and the fatter ones all across my lid like a shadow.  Please make sure that you do not touch or rub your eyes after you have just applied it.  I accidentally made this mistake and it smeared.  I would wait a couple of minutes after application to apply your mascara.  The colors have just the right amount of glitter and sheen too.  It doesn't look too cheap.  It has the appearance of a rich and luxurious makeup.

 The Tarte High Performance Naturals were great in the end.  The liners stay on for six or more hours, the colors are beautiful and glide on perfectly.  If you are looking for a nice Christmas gift for a friend or relative this would be a good buy.

The Tarte High Performance Naturals eyeliners retail for $39.00.  It can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta and www.tarte.com.

PUT YOUR JEWELS ON

Usually I do not purchase ELF eyeshadow because I am never impressed with them.  But when I was surfing the web not too long ago, I came across an eyeshadow palette that was worth taking a second look.  It was the ELF Prism Eyeshadows.

Smoke Palette

The ELF Prism Eyeshadows are a set of six eyeshadows which are ultra silky and luxurious.  One interesting thing about this palette is that the shadows are not named.  These shadows look like a powder but feel like a cream.  The Prism Eyeshadows come in Naked (set of neutrals), Sunset (set of pinks and golds) and Smoke (set of blues and greens).

Swatches from Smoke Palette

I was pretty satisfied with this ELF palette.  The eyeshadows are creamy and have lots  of pigmentation.  Also, these shadows are mostly metallic, but there are some that are frosty.  My previous experiences  with ELF eyeshadows have been as good as this eyeshadow palette.  Even though these eyeshadows have micro-glitter, there is very little fall-out.  This really impressed me because in the past shimmery eyeshadows created a lot of fall-out.  The dark colors in this palette are deceitful in that they are very reflective and appear lighter than they are.  One thing I did not like about this palette was the sponge applicator.  When I first opened the palette, there was glue all over the mirror.  Apparently, the applicator fell apart and the glue got on the mirror.  Not that big of a deal since I use brushes to apply my eyeshadow.

When I applied the shadows, I used a primer and a brush.  When I applied it this way, the colors came out very true.  The colors lasted all day long and needed to be freshened up in the evening.   The colors were also blendable.

Overall, I would give the ELF Prism Eyeshadow palette an A.  The colors were a pretty jewel-tone and I was able to create awesome looks.  This palette is worth trying.

The ELF Prism Eyeshadow palette retails for $10.00.  It can be purchased at www.eyeslipsface.com.

CAN FALSIES BE ACHIEVED WITH MASCARA?

I have normal everyday lashes; not extremely long but not short either.  When I buy mascara, I look for a product which will both lengthen and thicken my lashes.  Recently I purchased L'Oreal's Voluminous False Fiber Lashes thinking it would give me that false lash effect; the look that all women want to achieve when wearing mascara.  The packaging went as far as to claim, "Our lash sculpting fiber formula adheres to lashes for a volumized, sculpted lash effect.  Lashes appear fuller, longer, sculpted and curled at every angle."  See why I could not resist trying the mascara.

When I applied the False Fiber Lashes my experience was the complete opposite of what L'Oreal promised.  After applying the first coat I could barely see a difference in my lashes. They looked a little darker, but that was about it.  So I went ahead and applied a second coat of mascara.  I did see a difference with the second coat, but not in a good way. My lashes appeared clumpy and flakey.  There was no curl and my lashes did not look long.  They were sculpted all right; sculpted into the "spider-eye" effect.  I even tried to comb my eyelashes to try to get rid of the spider eyes.  No such luck.  It still looked like crap.

I would recommend trying L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes or Maybelline's Great Lash Lots of Lashes.  They are two terrific drugstore mascaras.  But do not waste your time and money on L'Oreal's False Fiber Lashes.

BRINGING OUT THE ARTIST IN YOU

For the most part, when I purchase eyeshadows, I purchase them in palette form.  I just feel that you get more for your money when you buy a palette.  As of late, I have been purchasing neutral palettes.  Name a shade of brown and I most likely have it.  So this month I decided to shake things up a bit, and I brought the 2013 Laura Mercier Artist Palette For The Eyes.  With this palette you get 12 eyeshadows in various shades of brown, pink and purple.  There are shimmery shadows, matte shadows, dark and light shadows.  There is even a large mirror; larger than most palettes that is.

Closed Palette

All twelve colors (pinks, purples and browns)

Palette with Mirror

The eyeshadows are velvety soft and glide across your eyes with little to no fall out. You can compare these shadows to Urban Decay or Too Faced in terms of pigment and texture.

From Left to Right: Sparkling Dew; Guava; African Violet; Plum Smoke; Kir Royal and Violet Ink

From Left to Right: Vanilla Nuts; Primrose; Fresco; Bamboo; Truffle and Espresso Bean

With the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer, the Laura Mercier eyeshadows lasted well over eight hours.  I put the eyeshadow on around 9:00am and saw some fading around 6:30pm.  I have not tried it with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but I am willing to bet it will last just as long.  Out of all 12 shades, my favorite color is African Violet.  The color is a purplish-brown color with a hint of shimmer.  I found myself reaching for this color most often.  The rest of the colors are complimentary and top quality.

All in all, this palette is fantastic!  It is comparable to the Urban Decay Naked palettes.  Only in this case you are getting pinks and purples with your neutrals.  This palette is an excellent buy.

The Laura Mericer Artist's Palette for the Eyes retails for $48.00.  It may be purchased at Sephora's, Macy's and Nordstroms.

OH JOY

When I purchase eyeshadows, almost always buy a palette.  I just feel you get more bang for your buck, and I love the fact that you get multiple shadows for one price.  My latest purchase is Too Faced's Joy To The Girls eyeshadow palette.

My first reaction when I saw this palette was one of awe. There were so many colors in various hues that I did not know where to begin.  The palette comes with 15 eyeshadows, a full-sized Lashgasm mascara and three helpful glam guides showing how to achieve looks for the weekday, the weekend and party time.

From Left to Right: Spike the Punch; Chimney and Coal

From Left to Right: Powder Sugar; Too-Too; Yule Log; Chestnut; Twinkle and Joy

From Left to Right: Cookie Dough; Cheers!; Prancer; Sugar Plum; Mulberry and Snow Angel

Some past Too Faced palettes have had spunky pops of colors.  However, in this palette Too Faced played it a little safe and relied on neutral colors.  It is very girly and not too harsh or too edgy.  In addition to neutral looks, you can create sultry looks or more of a festive look.  The shadows are highly pigmented and has finishes which include shimmery, matte and metallic shades.

The mascara, Lashgasm, has a thin, rubber wand.  I liked how long it made my lashes appear and that it did not get overly clumpy.

Joy To The Girls makes going holiday glam amazingly easy. The palette come with universally flattering shades and van be worn alone or layered beautifully for endless possibilities.

Too Faced's Joy To The Girls retails for $46.00.  The company lists the value as $275.00.  They have discontinued  a majority  of their shadow singles, so it is difficult to say if the value is accurate.  You can buy Joy To The Girls at Sephora, Ulta, www.toofaced.com and www.hsn.com.