SWATCHES: A Plum Prospect & Berry Ready - Maybelline Color Whispers

These are two of the new Maybelline Color Whispers I had picked up at Target.  The two shades I got are A Plum Prospect and Berry Ready.  Both shades are completely stunning and they are fabulous products.  Then again I am a big Maybelline lover – I think I’d venture into saying they are one of my favorite drug store beauty lines.

In case you aren’t aware the Color Whisper line is Maybelline’s version of a lip butter.  It took Maybelline a while to master a product that can compare to the lip butter rage and I can say from these 2 shades that I own they did quite a good job.  I do like the packaging on these a lot more than the lip butters – they’re just sleek and I love how it has the name in cursive down the front of the cover.  The two shades I picked up compliment my skin tone quite well and I will admit I gaze at the display every time I stumble into a store that has them in-stock.  I’m sure I’ll grace myself with more but for right now I am happy with the two that I own.

A Plum Prospect is a darker pink shade with purple undertones.  Quite beautiful and truly unique.

Berry Ready is a very deep plum/berry shade with a bit of a reddish undertone.  It’s really opaque and attention seeking.  Definitely beautiful!

QUESTION:

Have you purchased any of the Maybelline color Whispers?  If so, what’s your favorite shade so far?

Shannon’s (Belated) Shop Lately Christmas Gift Haul!

A few weeks before Christmas I was looking for gifts for some people but wasn’t entirely sure what to get.  I knew for one individual what I kind of wanted to get (they love owls) but I just couldn’t find anything in the stores.  Plus driving store to store around Christmas time can get quite un-cheerful so I decided to try online shopping.  It was a success because I ended up getting gifts for 3 people on my list as well as a few things for myself.  Along with my order, I received a free gift for some reason – which I wasn’t expecting, so that made me a happy camper!

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Night Owl Bracelet - Antique Gold

-          Live Your Life Love Necklace - Matte Gold

-          Doubled Up Spring Leopard Chiffon Scarf – Black

-          Perfect Pair Wristlet and Scarf Set (Maroon & Black)

-          Cross Trio Bracelet - Gold and Black

Freebie:

-          Disc accented necklace

QUESTION:

Have you ever purchased anything from Shop Lately?

Images are mine do not take or use. Thank you.

Eve's Fabulous UD Giveaway

The lovely Eve is hosting ANOTHER fabulous giveaway this time featuring the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette!  Eve is a very valid contributor to the LUUUX and Blogger community, sharing her hauls, reviews and thoughts on products as well as her fashion pick-ups.  I think this is a great giveaway prize because this is a stand-alone product and it would be a great addition to any make-up lovers collection.

http://beautyandfashiontrends.blogspot.com/2013/01/urban-decay-giveaway.html

Image is not mine it belongs to Eve.

Shannon’s CVS Clearance Haul

This is one of many CVS hauls over the last few weeks.  I’ve been striking up some deals in CVS and scoring some ECB’s (Extra Care Bucks) left and right on different purchases – so that means more spending on fun things at CVS!  These are two things I picked up as part of CVS’ Clearance sale.  I had been looking for a new dry shampoo because my Suave one is just killing me (the odor that is, it makes me nauseous after a while).  Then I spotted a root lifting spray and I know from watching a few YouTube videos a few of the girls I watch talk about roof lifting sprays/powders so I decided to pick one up. I paid under $2 for the two items on clearance, so double score!

Here’s what I picked up:

-L’Oreal Ever Style Alcohol Free Root Lifting Spray

- John Frieda Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo

Shannon’s Mini Target Haul

I popped into Target almost two weeks ago and these are the few items I came out with.  I initially went in to check out the clearance section and picked up a bunch of stuff to put away for next year (candy bags, cupcake papers, etc.) but this is the beauty and random items I picked up.  I went through the dollar section at Target and these little electric cord holders were 70% off and I figured the hamburger was adorable – plus I needed something to wrap my iPod earphones around.  Of course when I brought it home and went to wrap my earphones around it, I found the holder isn’t big enough so my earphone cord tends to wrap around the little holder – but nonetheless it’s more “organized” than it was before.  I then picked up 2 of the new Maybelline Color Whispers.  The formulation is pretty great and I really do want a few more of these … the hoarder in me is like “moooooreee!!!”  The two shades I picked up are: Berry Merry and A Plum Prospect.

REVIEW: Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil

I received a bottle of Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil from BzzAgent for reviewing purposes.  I have to say because I have oily hair I was a little concerned with how this would pan out in the end.  I have never used oils in my hair but I was pleasantly surprised.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product is packaged in a plastic 3 fl. oz bottle.  The bottle has a little pump head, which is pretty amazing for an oil.  It doesn’t leak, it doesn’t drip, and it gives you the exact pump quantity of product into your hand.  It also has a cap on the top which keeps the product from squirting all over the place when storing.  Price wise it varies store to store, but you can pick it up anywhere between $5.98 to $7.09.

PRODUCT

The best thing about this product is the styling oil is a little thicker so it doesn’t dribble all over your hand once pumped. It doesn’t have a very strong smell, definitely not something you can smell on your hair once applied.  It has a faint smell in the bottle   I’m not the greatest with scents, so I’m having a hard time explaining what it smells – but it’s definitely nothing offensive and it’s so light, and you only apply 2-3 pumps of the oil in your hair at a time so it’s not something that’s going to linger/overpower.

This does NOT make my hair oily, which I strongly appreciate.  I have rather healthy hair (I don’t color my hair, don’t blow dry it, don’t curl it, etc.) which is naturally shiny on its own, but I find this gives it a little extra of a healthy shine to it.  It is a multi-use product and can be used in the hair a few different ways: before shampooing as a shine treatment, after showering for styling or on dry hair as a finisher.

If you are going to use it as a shine treatment, it’s recommended that you apply 2-3 pumps of product into 3 sectioned off areas of dry hair.  You should leave it in for 5-7 minutes and then shampoo it out.  I have not tried this recommendation as my hair is typically shiny enough so I go for the after the shower for styling.  With that you apply 2-3 pumps into damp hair from mid-shaft of your hair down.  Once it’s evenly distributed you style your hair as you wish.  The part I love is I can let my hair air dry with this and it doesn’t get all over my clothes etc. because it absorbs rather instantaneously.  The last way you can use it is to apply to dry hair where you apply 1-2 pumps and massage into the dry areas of your hair, avoiding your roots.

I find after use my hair is so much softer and it tends to style a lot easier once dry.  I typically pull my hair up into a bun and I’m finding when I do that after using this product my hair tends to spiral curl (which I LOVE).  Overall, two thumbs up!

PURCHASING

This can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Amazon.com, Soap.com, and Drugstore.com.  As always check your stores availability because all pharmacy/retail locations carry different products geared towards their different audiences.

RATING

A

SPOTTED: Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks

Apologies for my absence, I’ve been terribly tired as of late and the thought of typing at the computer was just draining.  The past few days I’ve crawled into bed and immediately passed out.  My body is trying to fight off some sort of cold which is starting to rear its little ugly head.  But … anyway, onto my posting.

Earlier last week I popped into CVS to pick up some things and in doing that, it meant I had to browse around the store.  I’ve seen a lot of YouTube postings about new drugstore items so I wanted to see what my CVS had.  I was surprised they didn’t have a whole lot out yet, but this was one of the newer displays that I hadn’t seen anyone talk about yet.  The product reminded me of the Revlon Just Bitten balms so I was immediately intrigued.

This is the Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks display, which features 8 different shades, which range from lighter to darker.  Quite a nice selection if you ask me.  I will say I like that the caps on these are clear so you can see the actual color of the product – whereas with the Revlon you had to judge by swatches online and/or the cap color (which was slightly different than the color payoff of the product).  At my particular CVS these were $9.29/each but with CVS sales, coupons, etc., you may be able to get a better deal – as pricing and deals vary store to store.

The shades in this collection are as follows:

-          10 Juicy Peach

-          20 Fresh Papaya

-          30 Sweet Watermelon

-          40 Bright Berry

-          50 Warm Caramel

-          60 Soft Raspberry

-          70 Plum Perfect

-          80 Rich Raisin

BzzCampaign: Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil

About a month ago I was invited to partake in a BzzAgent BzzCampaign for Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil.  I opted into the campaign and waited for my package.  According to the website the box was scheduled to be sent toward the end of December -- which I thought was a little odd since the time ticker for the campaign kept ticking away.  By the time I received the package I had 10 days left for review.  Anyway!  I've been advised this is to be really quick review campaign.

This product is part of the new Suave Professionals Moroccan haircare line - which features shampoos, conditioners and a shine serum.  According to Suave the styling oil can be used 3 separate ways -- 1) before shampooing as a shine serum, 2) after showering for styling or 3) on dry hair as a finisher.  I have smelled the oil in the container and it doesn't have a distinct smell to it -- it smells rather odorless but once I start playing around with it I'll be able to tell so.

REVIEW: Covergirl Blast Flipstick

As a part of BzzAgent I was invited into the Covergirl Blast Flipstick BzzCampaign.  Upon receiving my BzzBox I was provided an information packet, 3 flipsticks and coupons to share with anyone and everyone.  I was quite surprised to see 3 tubes of lipstick in my package and I was even more surprised that all the shades I received would work very well with my skintone!  The three shades I’ll be reviewing are: Minx, Stunner and Vixen.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product is packaged into double ended stick – which has a separate shade at each end.  Each tube contains .134 oz of product.  Suggested retail price is $8.49 but of course with store sales and coupons you can get them for a lot less.  They’re also less at stores such as Target ($7.99) and Walmart ($7.98).

PRODUCT

There are two lipstick shades available in each flipstick – one being a cream shade and the other a shimmer shade.  The lipstick shades can be worn individually or worn together and/or blended together to create a unique look (ombre anyone?) for any and all individuals.  Within the line there are 13 different flipsticks available with a number of different shade options.  In this case Minx is a mixture of deep brown and gold, Stunner is a mix of bright pink and gold and Vixen is a mixture of burgundy and a pearl pink shades.  From the swatches you can see the shimmer in one shade, while the cream shade in the other swatch.

PURCHASING

The Covergirl brand of Flipsticks can be purchased at all major pharmacy retailers (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) while they can also be purchased at stores such as Target and Walmart.  They are also available for purchase online at Ulta (they may be available in store as well but I don’t shop at Ulta so I cannot confirm), Walgreens.com, CVS.com, and Drugstore.com.

OVERALL

I find these to be nice lipsticks, they are very smooth and easy to apply.  The color payoff is stellar as it only takes a swipe to get a true color saturation on your lips.  Of course it may take two or three swipes across the lip to fully fill the lip in – but overall it’s a great payoff.  If you choose to go that route, the shades are easily blendable and it certainly brings the intensity of the darker shade down a bit, while also bringing sheen to the lips.  It has a generic lipstick scent, but it’s not gross or plasticy.  They are certainly a nice product, but they can most certainly be daring depending on the color shades you choose to work with.  Even the darkest shade (Minx) can be toned down into a nice shimmery deep brown.

RATING

B

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REVIEW: Bye Bye Blemish Drying Lotion

I had been looking into the Mario Badescu acne care line and noticed they had a drying lotion.  I looked into it (as there are many different items for their acne care/control) and I read that this product is similar – if not the same thing as the Mario Badescu drying lotion.  The general gyst of what I read about the product is that it contains all the same ingredients and is pretty much the same end result.  Since the Bye Bye Blemish sells for about 1/3 of the price of the Mario Badescu I decided to order the Bye Bye Blemish to see if it’d work.

PACKAGING & PRICE

When purchased, the product comes packaged in a cardboard box which houses a glass 1 oz container.  The vial contains a clear liquid and a pink substance which settles to the bottom of the vial.  The trick is to keep the vial up right to ensure the product stays separated.  Pricing varies depending on where it’s purchased – typically the price ranges between $5.59 to $9.99.  If purchasing online you can get a percentage (varying store to store) of cash back by using websites such as Ebates, etc.  If you don’t have an ebates account you can sign up for one using my referral link: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=ky2d7dwKtlCkZT5PXSb8mw%3D%3D

PRODUCT

The Bye Bye Blemish Drying Lotion is to be used on top of present acne on the face.  The bottle should not be shaken or stirred – it should be kept upright to allow the sediment (the pink product) to rest at the bottom of the vial.  I will say it has a bit of an annoying sulfur smell (the product does contain 10% sulfur!), it can be obnoxious but the scent does fade after it’s been on your face.  It’s not ghastly to the point I feel nauseous but it is an unpleasant scent for a few minutes (particularly if I am applying under my nose or around my mouth).

Before applying the product you should cleanse and dry your face.  You should then use a clean Q-tip and insert it into the vial, the tip of the Q-tip picking up some of the pink substance.  You then apply that substance on top of any pimples on the face.  Do not re-dip the used Q-tip into the container – use another q-tip or flip it over and use the other side of the Q-tip.  Leave the product on your acne spots overnight and wash off the next morning during your normal skincare routine.

The product states use is okay on sensitive skin.  I will say, I have sensitive skin and have not had an allergic reaction to this product.  I do want to point out, according to Bye Bye Blemish: “This overnight spot treatment rapidly reduces the size and severity of pimples. Salicylic acid exfoliates dead skin cells, allowing the all-natural drying agents to penetrate pores and treat infection.”

PURCHASING

The product is available at select stores – but I was not able to locate it at a few of my local pharmacies that are supposed to carry it (stores around me carry select products depending on shelf availability/demand).  Since I was not able to find it in a physical store, the online stores that do carry it are: Ulta.com, Amazon.com, CVS.com, Drugstore.com, Walgreens.com, and Vitacost.com.

OVERALL

I have to say hands down, this is one of the best over the counter acne products I have purchased and tried in a very long time.  I was a little skeptical at first as to if this was going to work, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and have used it since purchasing on any trouble spots that erupt on my face.  This is not a miracle cure, it is not going to completely rid you of acne, but it will help.  I do notice after applying and waking up the next morning, I find the smaller pimples I applied the product to are gone.  Whereas on my larger acne spots (and even some of my cystic acne spots) I find it may take a couple uses before those are minimized. I will say I do find it’s useful to exfoliate the morning after use to help get any dead skin cells off your face.  You will notice the spots the Bye Bye Blemish was applied to the skin will just kind of “glide” off with your fingernail – so definitely exfoliate!  I cannot say enough good things about this product other than I hope to dabble into a little more of the Bye Bye Blemish skincare line.

RATING

A+

Shannon’s Complimentary December Julep Maven box!

Early on in December I received an e-mail from Julep with tracking information on a Maven box.  I got the e-mail on my cell phone so I had to wait ‘til I could get to a computer to open the e-mail to really find out what was going on.  I knew I didn’t sign up for a box.  When I finally got to a computer I noticed I received another e-mail from Julep so I opened that and saw they provided me with a complimentary December Julep Maven box for the holiday season!  To say I was surprised was an understatement!

My American Beauty box arrived and I have to say the polish shades I received were completely GORGEOUS!  I also received a Julep Instant Warming Foot Scrub along with a peppermint puff and a jeweled ring.  I’ll be honest, I ended up tossing the ring in the garbage because it would have turned my skin green in a millisecond (my skin is very sensitive to jewelry). I have not tried the food scrub as of yet because I have a peppermint one I bought a while back in my shower.

The two polish shades I received were as follows:

-          Patti

o       According to Julep, Patti is: a full coverage black multi-dimensional glitter.

-          Julia

o       According to Julep, Julia is a: purple orchid with golden micro-glitter metallic.

Shannon’s Belated Avon Haul

First – my apologies as this is an older haul.  The photos have been sitting on my camera waiting for me to post and I’ve been neglecting them as I’ve been going after the more recent photos lately.  But neglect aside – this is an Avon haul/purchase I had made.  For a while I was obsessed and ordering Avon every 2-weeks when a new campaign arrived.  Since I haven’t been given a new campaign book I haven’t purchased anything in a while.  Which reminds me … I need to contact my Avon representative.  But enough rambling aside here’s what I picked up:

-    Avon Nail Pro+ Nail Polish -  Jade
-    Avon Nail Pro+ Nail Polish -  Sunshine
-    Avon Nail Pro+ Nail Polish -  Lagoon
-    Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad – Caribbean Sunset
-    Avon Ultra Luxury Lip Liner – Chocolate
-    Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner – Soft Black

REVIEW: Lush ➡ Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

This is a review waiting to happen, but better late than never, right?  My last haul at Lush was kind of an unexpected one.  I went in to get some treatment for my hands and left with a slew of products – one of those products being the Lush Cupcake Fresh Face Mask.  This mask is packaged into containers, which are refrigerated, so this can only be purchased within a Lush store location.  This also has a limited shelf life (roughly 3-weeks ~ mine was already a week into expiry when I purchased it :/).  The tub does look smaller, but it’ll give you at least 3-4 masks which will last you a good 2-3 weeks since it’s not a use everyday type of product.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product is packaged into the signature black sleek Lush screw top containers.  The tub contains 2.1 oz of product.  It retails for $6.95 each.  I admit it can be a little pricy but I feel it’s worth the splurge once in a while.  Also the one great thing about Lush is if you save your containers (any screw top lid container) you can bring 5 empties into the store and get a FREE Fresh Face Mask. So there is incentive there if you enjoy their products!

PRODUCT

Cupcake got its name because of its distinct smell of peppermint scented cake batter.  It smells so good you want to eat it – but you shouldn’t, it’s not made for that.  It is geared towards oily, problematic (blemished) skin.  From what the company states the creator whipped up a batch for his teenage daughters slumber party and it was a hit.  Cupcake includes sandalwood oil, rhassoul mud, glycerine, linseed infusion, talc, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, fresh mint, and vanilla absolute.

The description and directions for the product are on the top of the lid: "To calm breakouts, this Rhassoul mud cleans and soothes, while cocoa butter, linseed and cocoa powder softens the skin.  Balancing peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oils complete the effective deep cleansing experience.  Smooth onto dry skin, avoiding the eye area.  Leave for five to ten minutes, then rinse away with warm water.  Keep chilled."  The website directions are as follows: “Cleanse your face and pat dry. Smooth a good dollop of Fresh Face Mask over your entire face, making sure to avoid the eyes and mouth. Leave the mask on for five to ten minutes.  Wash off with warm water.”

PURCHASING

As previously mentioned this can only be purchased within Lush store locations.  The item is showcased on the company website, but due to this having to be refrigerated; it’s only sold in-stores.

OVERALL

I enjoy this product but the only thing I dislike is the limited shelf life.  It’s expected because the ingredients are natural – but I think part of me is just bummed because I was sold a tub that was already a week into its expiration date, which meant I had to plow through using this a lot faster than I would have liked.  The end results from the mask are quite nice.  I do notice my skin is less oily after use and it’s not very oily in the morning either.  It’s not drying as most oil calming products are.

I will say, I’ve used this as directed, cleansing my face and drying, then applying the mask.  Since the mask is refrigerated it is cold when you apply it, but it warms to your skin tone.  As it sits you can feel the slight tingling from the mint.  After 10 minutes I do rinse this off.  Sometimes I find it easier to just jump into the shower to rinse it off or I’ll rinse my face over the sink.

RATING

B+