Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX 12

I am so happy to have finally gotten my hands on this product…SO happy! One of my beautiful friends (who also happens to be an excellent makeup artist – check her out at Katherine Dela Cruz Makeup) attended The Makeup Show LA earlier in the month and grabbed a jar of Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX 12 for me, and I am forever grateful to her for it! It seems like SX 12 and SX 13 are hard to find in stores around here, which makes it hard to grab samples of them, let alone an actual jar, so I was happy that they had it at the show! It came in the mail on Monday (along with a few other goodies! Thanks K!), and I’ve been playing with it ever since. This is a product that is highly, highly pigmented, and it takes a bit of trial and error to find out how much of the product will work well for you, considering that you don’t need much of it at all to cover your whole face. You can use it alone, or you can mix it with other foundations or primers, especially if you have a foundation that’s not quite your shade and it needs a boost in order to actually match your skin. I have read that some people even mix it with an oil in order to get a more dewy look. Be creative! Find what works best for you when using this product! But once you’ve tried it, you may never go back to using regular foundation ever again! It leaves such a smooth, skin-like finish…it’s beautiful.

Before I get into the photos, I also want to send a huge thank you to The Beauty Professor, and for the post that she has up with swatches of almost every shade in the SSE collection.  She posted photos in regular light and in natural light so you can get a clear idea of what shade or shades will work best for you. Check out the post entitled Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer–All Shades Swatched!, and catch the rest of her site while you’re there! She has a lot of great information on fab beauty products that you don’t want to miss!

Now that I’ve tried it, I would also like to get my hands on SX 13 as well, because I think that if I mix it with SX 12, it would create an even better match for my skin. Especially since summer tan/freckle season is coming. I’m so excited about these little jars of magical colors! Did I mention that one jar will last for an eternity? Yeah. I can see why it costs $45. It pays for itself over and over again. 😉

Okay, photos, right? Now, we all know that I’m not the best at taking photos of myself. I also only got as far as blowdrying my hair this morning. I did not have the energy to flat iron all of that hair. But I will say that shrinkage is something else. Anyhoo, on to the photos!

Bare, tired face:

I would do this on the day that my skin is actually breaking out…lol Ignore the freckles and the moles. Yay genetics.

Sensual Skin Enhancer at full concentration – not mixed with anything. Plus a little blush and some eyebrows!

MUFE HD Primer in #4 (Caramel), which I usually just wear on its own, mixed with a wee bit of SSE.

MUFE Primer #4 and SSE in SX 12

Coverage is a little more sheer – you can still see some of the moles, but even the permanent freckle at the end of my nose seems to be covered up…

In all, I would have to say that I absolutely love this product. I find that it’s easier to apply when it’s mixed with another product in order to give it some slip, but if you’re going for full coverage or a look that’s good for photoshoots, then using it alone would probably be more beneficial. Either way, this is a product that I think everyone should try at least once. At least get a sample of it, because honestly, the sample will also probably last you for for-ev-er! If you try it out (in any shade), please let me know your thoughts, especially if you have easier ways to apply it! Share your tips and tricks with us all! 😀

Masqueology Revitalizing Eye Gel Mask

I received the Masqueology Revitalizing Eye Gel Mask in the November 2012 Birchbox, but really took my time getting around to using it. Clearly, as it is now March 2013. But I woke up this morning with a seriously puffy face and puffy eyelids, which probably happened because I got virtually no sleep last night. So today seemed like the right day to try out this product.

Woke up with a puffy face. Clearly not happy to be awake. But at least I sort of did the eyebrows. That’s as far as I got.

The instructions say to place the gel pads underneath the eyes, and to let them sit for 20 minutes. Then you remove the gel pads and massage the leftover gel into the skin. No need to rinse…

This one kept sliding down. Too much gel?

So after having the eye pads on for 20 minutes and letting the magic happen, what were the results? Survey says…

Yeah.

I even waited an additional 20 minutes after the mask with the hope that it just needed a little extra time to sink in and do what it does.

20 minutes after mask removal…

*sighs* I’m not really seeing too much of a difference here. Maybe it’s because I was super tired? I don’t know. I’m sure this works well for some people, but it didn’t work for me, which is disappointing, as I really like Masqueology’s products. Maybe I’ll try it again when I’m not so exhausted…

Easy High Bun with Mia Bun Ease

I bought one of these yesterday and figured that I should go ahead and try it out. Especially since it’s beautiful outside and I just wanted something quick and easy to do with my hair. They come in Blonde, Brown, and Black, so choose one based what will be the closest match for your hair color. 😉

Inside the package are one Bun Ease (it’s like a hair donut and then some!), an elastic band, and some pins, which are strategically placed inside of the donut. Just remember to take them out before you get started! It also comes with an instruction card, and on the other side of the card are suggestions for how to do a messy bun, a smaller bun (by cutting the Bun Ease to shorten the length), and how to create loose curls with the Bun Ease.

I didn’t use the elastic band that came with it, because it was kind of thick. I prefer to use smaller elastics on my hair.

First, figure out where you want your bun to rest, and then pull your hair into a ponytail and tie it with the elastic band. Pull your ponytail through the Bun Ease. It was a little difficult at first to pull the ponytail through, but maybe that’s because I didn’t flat iron my hair, it is two months post-relaxer, there’s a bunch of new growth, and my hair is really fine, but super dense. Meh.

Then, according to the instructions, you’re supposed to roll the Bun Ease material upward, then spread the ends of the ponytail around the Bun Ease, tuck, and roll downward, and then pin loose hair with bobby pins. That…did not work for me. But I am 99% sure that it was due to user error, which means that I’m going to have to document this again when I learn to do it the right way. What I did instead, after being somewhat frustrated by something that is probably so simple that a child could do it, is I fanned my hair out around the Bun Ease and pinned it that way.

And voila! We have a huge bun!

If you happen to try the Bun Ease, and you have any tips or tricks, please feel free to share them! Happy Friday! 🙂

Bought, Sampled, Tested.

Sooooo, it was finally warm again, which meant that going outside was absolutely mandatory. Going shopping was not, but I did it anyway. 😉 Made a little trip to Sephora for one thing, and came back with a few samples. Honestly, I love the fact that you can sample pretty much anything in the store before making a commitment. Try before you buy!

MUFE HD Powder – what I actually went in to get!

Sample of NUDE Progenius Oil – radiant skin, anti-aging, etc. It feels beautiful on the skin…

Sample of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel – forgot I had a bunch of Beauty Insider points to use. And here we are.

Sample of Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough – I used to use this a few years ago, but I couldn’t remember how well it worked. Yay samples?

Sample of Philosophy Miracle Worker – anti-aging eye repair

Next up was a quick trip to TJ Maxx – hey, don’t pay full price if you don’t have to, okay? 😉

Mia Bun Ease – it’s supposed to be an easy way to create a full bun. I did try it out today. That will be in the next post…

H2O+ Face Oasis Ultra Hydrator – I really like this one so far. I needed a new moisturizer (changing seasons and all), and I love the products that H2O+ has to offer. In fact, I need to restock a few items…

Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm – I haven’t used this one in awhile either, so I figured I’d grab a bottle…at a discounted price. Love how this makes my hair feel…

And then there are the samples that came in the mail last week of Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Instant Thickening & Strengthening Serum, which I first tried out through Birchbox and loved. I found a sample 10-pack on eBay and couldn’t resist.

🙂

Vintage Post: New Shoes! New Shoo-oo-oo-ooooes!

(August 21, 2010)

Okay, I am SO unbelievably behind on posting entries around here. Please forgive me! *falls to the ground in tears, picks self up, pretends she wasn’t crying*Ahem. With that being said, a lovely friend of mine gently suggested that I post a little somethin’-somethin’ about, what else? New shoes! I’ve made two separate trips to DSW over the last week, and I found a few things that I liked. So I bought them. So there. 😉

Pair No. 1: Carlos by Carlos Santana Regent Bootie

I love. *sparkles* The heels are 4.5″, plus 3/4″ in the platform. Wearing these shoes makes me feel like a tall person! There is also a zipper in the back, which I can appreciate. Normally I wear an 8, but they only had a few pairs left, none of which were an 8, but the 8.5 fit pretty well, so I snatched them up and put them in my bag before anyone else could get their eyes on them! Check them out, buy a pair! You know you want to!

Regent at DSW – $59.95

Pair No. 2: Steve Madden Karro Patent Pump

I DOUBLE love! Definitely a grown up shoe, that’s for sure. These are in Taupe, and this shoe also has a 4.5″ heel and a 3/4″ platform. They are simple, classic, and sexy. It is a sexy shoe, I’m telling you! I purchased these in an 8, and they fit wonderfully well. I thought that they would need slip guards, but they actually did pretty well without them. The last thing that anyone needs to do is slip and fall while wearing a pair of heels like these. But if you do fall, stretch out your arms and protect your face! Protect. Your. Face!!! 😉

You know you want a pair of these too. Go ahead, click the link. Buy a pair or two. Hey, they also come in Black, and I believe there’s a glittery pair out there as well! 😉

SM Karro in Taupe at DSW – $59.95