Let's Talk Foundation for a Minute

I have made it no secret that I adore Lancome foundation. Love the coverage, weight, and longevity. But when I started to read a book about skin in February, I began to look at my choices and try a few of the suggestions listed in the book.

That led me to Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Foundation. The dermatologist recommended it by name, so I picked some up.

Love It. It is light, airy, provides full coverage (I apply it with a large powder brush), and has lasting power. Best of all, it's good for my skin and inexpensive! Can't beat that. I've been using it since about mid-February and have zero complaints. I still love my Lancome, but I think I'll put it aside for a while.

Why I Do Not Wear Nail Polish

I must apologize for the blurry nature of the pictures... Pesky camera phones and shaky hands!

Once I get a little, tiny chip in the polish, I cannot rest until it is all gone. Unfortunately, that typically happens when there is no nail polish remover around. So I pick. And pick. And pick. Until it is all gone.

As a side note, geez, my hands are vein-y! Whoa!

More Favorite Cosmetics

Since I'm on a roll...

Favorite Foundation:
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra

Bronzing Powder:
Isadora's is fantastic!

I simply adore Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color, especially in pale pink and "Chocolate Kiss."

Benefit Cosmetics has several products I'm loving right now:
Benetint (This stuff is awesome on cheeks AND lips and really easy to apply!)
Ooh La Lift
Eye Bright (to be used with Ooh La Lift)
and Georgia

The one area I always seem to have trouble with is my eye shadow. I have palette after palette of eye shadows but always seem to gravitate to one basic look. And that particular look is boring. I am a fan of all-in-one kits and I like having a simplified makeup routine. In fact, my skincare routine takes much longer to do than my makeup.

So in one of my many self-improvement efforts, I am going to clear out the clutter in my bathroom and pare down the makeup, throw out the old stuff, and replace as necessary.

Favorite Cosmetics and Skincare

It's time for me to replenish my supply of cosmetic and skincare items. As I peruse Sephora, I realize that I have a lot of favorites and I'm out of everything!

I may just incorporate this list into my Christmas Wish list as well and just go ahead and ask Santa for gift cards. ;-)

I'm at the end of my NARS blush and lipgloss in Orgasm. I like old-school blush and love the lipgloss. It isn't too gooey and the color is subtle and flattering.

I also need more of my Philosphy skincare. Right now I use the Philosophy Makeup Optional Kit for Congested Skin. I've been going back and forth between that and Obagi, something I've mentioned before. I am, however, all out of everything but Retin-A, so I'm in limbo.

I love Covergirl's Lash Exact mascara and Perfect Point eyeliner.

I have more to bring up, such as foundation, bronzer, eye shadow, cheek and lip stains, etc, but I'm tired of posting links at the moment.

More to come...

I finally *get* the hype...

I received a sample of the La Mer SPF 18 Fluid Tint prior to my trip to Mexico this year. Being a doubter, I pretty much scoffed at it, but went ahead and threw it into my bag at the last minute.

I'm not a summer foundation wearer. My skin, even though I wear sun block all the time, does get darker in the summer, so my regular tint never looks right and my face always ends up looking strangely white. At least it does to me.

I found myself needing some coverage last week, though, so I tried some of my sample and... I have few words other than Amazing. Incredible. Wonderful. and other hyperbolic, and yet totally true adjectives.

This stuff goes on smooth, provides light moisture, sun protection, and the perfect amount of coverage. I could not ask for more. And while I am a notorious about not being able to let go of money if it's for something for myself, I find that I simply MUST shell out $65 for a full-sized tube. It is WORTH it. Plus, a tiny drop the size of a pea is all you need!

Inflation?

The other day, I went out and bought myself a tube of Sally Hansen Lip Inflation lip gloss. I am a sucker for lip gloss and I'm always looking for an excuse to buy more. So I thought, dear readers, that I would be a guinea pig for you guys.

As lip gloss goes, this is nice. It's a bit tingly when it goes on, has decent staying power, and tastes okay.

The drawbacks? It's kind of goopy, which I don't love. I also didn't notice any difference in the size of my lips. No "inflation" at all. Also, my grocery stores and drug stores don't have much in the way of selection. They in fact only carry a blush color and clear. That is a drawback to me because I prefer pinks and reds for my glosses.

Overall rating? For doing what it says it will do: D

For being a decent lip gloss: B+

Revisiting Nail Polish

So folks, here, I told y'all about Sally Hanson's Diamond Strength "No Chip" nail color. I believe my exact words were: "New Favorite Nail Polish"

Right.

Let me begin by saying that while my toenails haven't been without nail polish on them in, like, YEARS, I can count about three times since my three year old son was born that I actually polished my fingernails.

Because this stuff was so great on my toes (and still is great there), I decided to give it a whirl on my fingernails (it was Christmas, after all, and I wanted to be festive).

Day 1: Fine. Looks good.
Day 2: One nail has chipped. It could be my application. No big deal.
Day 3: All but three nails have chipped.
Day 4: All nails have a chip or five.
Day 5: I'm going out and don't have time to re-do my nails, so I apply another coat on top of my nails. BIG mistake. Three coats of polish apparently turn it into some soft and waxy, never-quite-dry sludge. After three hours, it still wasn't hard. Or dry. So I took it off.

I don't want to give up completely on this stuff, so I will try it again on my fingernails. I still love it on my toes, too, so I'm sort of 50/50 on it right now. I'll let you know if I have a better experience the second time around.

Looking to get me a gift for Christmas?

Yeah, I didn't think so...

But in case you were wondering, anything from here (or maybe a gift card) would do nicely.

Foundation update...

I mentioned Here that I really loved Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra foundation. I still do. But being lazy, cheap, and not one to turn my nose up at free stuff, I rummaged through some of the samples my mother brought me at the same time and found this:



On my hairdresser's suggestion, I had purchased IsaDora bronzing powder ages ago and it is still a staple in my daily routine. The sample of the "Sheer to Cover" foundation that my mom brought over was the right shade as well, so I decided to give it a whirl.

It goes on as smoothly as the Lancome and stays all freaking day (just like the Lancome). I will be purchasing this for myself.

New Makup Goodies...

My mom brought me the Jane Iredale PurePressed Base yesterday. Love it! http://www.janeiredale.com/products/bases.html

I went to Sephora yesterday and purchased the following items:

Tarte Cheek Stain in "Blushing Bride"

Smashbox Eyeshadow Trio in "Shutterspeed"

Plus, the lovely people who work there gave me TONS of free samples when I asked. I got a Cosmedicine eye cream that I'm trying out, plus some Dr Brandt Vitamin C gel, and tons of Cosmedicine moisturizers. Hooray! I love samples!

New Favorite Nail Polish

Admittedly, I was initially drawn to the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color because of the sparkly rhinestone on the bottle. What can I say? My eyes are drawn to things that sparkle. :) But then I saw the new fall/winter colors and got hooked. I puchased the color "chocolate kiss" (sorry, I don't have a picture of it), which is actually more red than chocolate, but a lovely, rich, deep brownish red that is way too flattering for words. I put it on my toenails almost two weeks ago and it is still perfect. Good stuff!

I love this stuff!!!

From softening my lips, to smoothing my cuticles, this stuff is incredible. There are some who say that this product is a trifle overrated, but I'm definitely not one of them. I keep it by my desk at work, in my purse, and by my bed. And for around $6, really, can you ask for more? It keeps my hands smooth in a non-greasy way and is even working miracles on my husband's dry, cracked skin. It definitely works hard for a small pricetag.

My New Favorite Foundation!

From the Lancome.com site:

TEINT IDOLE ULTRA
Enduringly Divine & Comfortable Makeup 14-Hour Retouch-Free, Oil-Free
Discover a 14-hour ultra-resistant makeup with divine comfort. This retouch-free, oil-free foundation features innovative highly resistant pigments for 14-hour wear. SoftFeel™ technology glides on to comfort skin with flawless full coverage that lasts all day.

I have used so many different types of foundation (powder, liquid, cream, mousse, expensive, cheap, you name it!) and this is far and away the best feeling stuff I have ever tried. It goes on evenly with just my fingers, evens out my skin tone, and stays on all day! I've been using it for about a week now and I absolutely love it!

*Thanks, Mom, for giving it to me!*