Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I am absolutely in love with the new Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser! I have tried other warming cleansers, but the Biore one is by far the most warming of them all and leaves my face feeling really clean. Does a great job at keeping pores clean and preventing acne from showing up. For sure one of my new favorite drugstore cleansers!

Check out my pics, swatches, info, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser

Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $6.00 to $8.00 depending where you shop (4.5 oz full size). Available at Walmart, Target, on the Drugstore.com website, at Ulta, Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, and everywhere else Biore products are sold. Click here to find a store near you that sells Biore.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

This soothing, self-heating formula cleanses away pore-clogging dirt and oil as it helps control blackheads and prevent acne. Effectively wash away stubborn dirt, oil, and makeup with a powerful formula containing salicylic acid (2%) and pore-opening warming clay. Oil-free.

Removes over 90% of dirt and oil from skin's surface. Helps reduce skin flakiness in just a single use. To use, just wet face and apply product with your fingers, massing over your face. Then rinse and pat dry. The water is what helps to activate the warming effect, so if you don't wet your face prior to using this you won't be using this cleanser effectively.

This warming cleanser has a really intense warming sensation, which of course doesn't last long so it's tolerable even if you don't like warming cleansers on your face - but yes, for a second or two it's pretty intense. That warming sensation will open your pores and allow the cleanser to clean them out - way better than using a traditional cleanser, which doesn't warm. This cleanser also smells good too! The consistency is almost like a thick gel, but it's easy to massage onto face.

This cleanser doesn't foam, and it's more of a scrub in my opinion, but it's a very gentle scrub. It still gets your face clean - and at least for me, my face felt very clean after using it without feeling dry. I do have combo/oily skin - leaning more towards oily - but I had a friend test this out who had dry skin, and another friend who had sensitive skin, just to see how this reacted with different skin types. Both loved it and felt their skin felt clean after using it. My friend with dry skin said she did feel she needed to use a moisturizer afterward, but that was pretty typical for her because of how dry her skin was - but it didn't dry-out her skin.

I don't use this every day, but I do like it for every other day or basically whenever I'm in the mood for it. I love the warming sensation! Overall, I really recommend this product!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this cleanser? Have you tried this or is this now on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Update on why I've been absent for over a week and what's coming up on my blog!

Hello, Beautiful!

I want to apologize to all my readers for my recent absence, in which I haven't made a post in over a week. I've been going through some personal things in life that side tracked me from working on my blog, and I've been sick again as well. I'm getting back on track now, so stayed tuned for lots of great blog content coming up.

Here's a preview of just a few things coming soon to my blog....

• Milani Color Statement Lipstick pics & swatches of the Plums & Berries, and of the Naturals & Browns -- plus a post showing all 30 shades together.
• LVX Spring 2013 Collection (so pretty!)
• Makeup Dupes
• My drugstore favorites
• Lots of products added to my Blog Sale!
• Big Birthday Giveaway!!
• and so many more product reviews and a few tutorials!

I've been working HARD to find eyeshadow dupes! It has taken days and countless hours -- and a very sore arm -- and I'm still not even through them all. I decided it would be easiest to try and match individual palettes/shadows to drugstore dupes, so that's how I'll list them (like dupes for the Naked 2 palette, dupes for the Sephora Cinderella palette, dupes for the Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever palette, and so on). It's been really fun though, and all I can say is Wet n Wild and Milani are leaders in drugstore makeup dupes!

The Big Birthday Giveaway is also coming soon, and I've been slowly finding products and putting them away in prep for this giveaway. I'll be turning 29 on April 12th, so in honor of my last year in my 20's I thought I'd throw together a nice little giveaway for my readers.

I'm also adding a bunch of products to my blog sale, this time most of them will be swatched/tested products but there are some brand new, never used products too. I just realized it's time to purge and even though I love all my makeup, I know I can't use it all and I'd rather it go to good use and I'd rather get some money for other things I've been saving up for.

So again, I truly do apologize for my absence. I will return hopefully within a few hours with a post on two Biore products I am going crazy for right now!

Talk to you all soon!

Smashbox Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss in Adore Me - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I love Smashbox lip glosses, and their new Love Me collection has two beautiful gloss colors that I think just about anyone can wear. I have the shade Adore Me, which is a fuchsia pink. Love this shade! The formula is of course great, because it's a Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss.

Check out my pics, swatches, info, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Smashbox - Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss
Shade: Adore Me

  

Smashbox Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $19.00 (0.09 oz full size). Available on the Smashbox website, at Ulta, at QVC, and everywhere else the Smashbox Love Me Collection is sold (for some reason at the time I wrote this post this product wasn't available on Sephora's website, which is why there is no link to Sephora).

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

Paint on a lip look to love! Inspired by the work of artist Curtis Kulig, Smashbox's signature gloss is sure to give your pout high-impact, pop-art shine. Limited Edition.

This lip gloss goes on smooth and feels comfortable on the lips. It is really shiny and really pretty!

There are two shades in the Love Me collection; Adore Me (shown in this blog post) and Charm Me, which I also want - it's a nude pink, and it's gorgeous (I've swatched it in person). Both shades I feel are pretty wearable to almost anyone. I'd recommend picking up at least one of the two shades!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this lip gloss? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Milani Eye Tech Bold Liquid Eye Liner in Black - swatches, pics, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Milani has come out with a new liquid eye liner; their new Eye Tech Bold. This liner gives you the ability to create a more dramatic winged look with a single stroke - but you can also go thinner with your line. Goes on evenly with its felt tip applicator, and affordable as always because it's Milani.

Check out my pics, swatches, info, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Milani Eye Tech Bold Liquid Eye Liner
Shade: 01 Black

 

Milani Eye Tech Bold Liquid Eye Liner Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $7.49 (0.08 fl oz full size). Available on the Milani cosmetic's website, as well as drugstores across the country like CVS, Walgreens, and more.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

The next installment of Milani's best-selling Eye Tech series goes bold with the new Eye Tech Bold Liquid Eye Liner!

The bold felt tip point creates a variety of dramatic winged looks in one stroke application. Smear & Smudge-proof, this liner lasts all day. Paraben-free.

This liquid eye liner went on really fluid and evenly, without being messy. It was super easy to use and gave me a great bolder winged look without a lot of work. I was able to go thinner on the inner corner - like I prefer to do - so it's not strictly for bolder looks, although the tip isn't as thin as their other liquid liners.

The black color was nice and bold - although not the most intense black I've used, but it certainly wasn't dull. Lasted all day on my eyes. On their website they say to store this horizontally, so be sure to do that to make it last as long as possible.

If you like a bolder liquid line, then give this one a try!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this liquid eye liner? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

FOTD: Makeup for when you're tired & sick - pics, before & after, product list & steps

Hello, Beautiful!

Ever have those days where you're getting over a sickness, you're tired, and you need to go run errands? I've been having those days pretty often lately, as I've had back-to-back sicknesses over several weeks. I decided to show you all a FOTD inspired by that.

In the "before" photo -- which I'll warn you ahead of time, it's scary lol - you can see how sick and tired I look, including my messy, no shower hair. But the "after" photo shows a much more presentable option for running errands (and how powerful makeup can be). Believe me, I don't always put in that much effort when I feel sick and tired, but sometimes it makes me feel better to make myself look better. Does that make sense? I don't know, but it does for me.

A list of all products used is listed under the photos. If you have any questions just leave a comment or send an email. Enjoy!

FOTD: Simple & Sweet
For When You're Sick & Tired




PRODUCT LIST & STEPS:
If I've reviewed/showed a product on my blog from the list below, I'll link it so you can check out pics, swatches and a review.

FACE & CHEEKS

• Erno Laszlo - Phormula 3-9 Repair Cream, all over my face as my moisturizer.
• Mally - Perfect Prep Poreless Primer in Glow to areas where I don't use the next primer, smoothed onto my face with my fingers.
• Benefit - The POREfessional Primer, only to areas where my pores are noticeable - I tap this into those areas.
• MAC - Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC30, applied with the e.l.f. Studio Powder brush.
• Tarte - Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium, applied with the Jemma Kidd #10 brush.
• YSL - Touche Eclat Highlighter in #2, applied after concealer in a triangle under the eyes and on bridge of the nose. I just use my finger to pat it in.
• Benefit - Hoola, applied as my contour shade with the Sephora 133 Face Contour Brush.
• Tarte - Amazonian Clay 12hr Blush in Fearless, applied with the Tarina Tarantino #12 Powder Brush.
• The Balm - Mary-Lou Manizer, applied with a Too Faced brush (not sure what its called), as my highlighter on my cheekbones and bridge of the nose.
• Tarte - Smooth Operator setting powder, applied with a fluffy Iman powder brush.
• MAC - Fix+, sprayed all over face after all my face products are on, and after my brows are on.
• MAC - Studio Fix Powder in NC30, applied with a fluffy Iman powder brush - applied lightly at the very, very end of everything (after all makeup and hair) just to add a finishing touch before I go out of the house and to bring with me in case I need touch-ups. 

BROWS

• Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, tapped into sparse areas of the brows with my finger.
• Billion Dollar Brows - Brow Powder in Taupe, applied with an Iman angled brush.

EYES

• Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, tapped all over lid with my finger.
• Urban Decay - Booty Call (from Naked 2 palette), applied all over lid with a Mirabella Flat Eyeshadow Brush.
• Urban Decay - Tease (from Naked 2 palette), applied with the crease end of the included brush from the Naked 2 palette into the crease and outer v.
• Urban Decay - Snakebite (from Naked 2 palette), applied with the same crease brush to the outer corner.
• Urban Decay - Half Baked (from Naked 2 palette), applied with the flat end of the same brush to the center of the lid, and use the crease brush end to blend.
• Tarina Tarantino - Sparkilicity Pure in Gold, applied from the inner corner and to the center of the lid, tapped on gently with a Tarina Tarantino #43 Pigment Brush. Spray MAC Fix+ on the brush first, then dip it into the  product and tap on to apply. Blend with the Mirabella Flat Eyeshadow Brush.
• Milani - Powder Eyeshadow in 02 Pitch Black, applied with an Iman flat shadow brush, pushed into my upper lash line from outer corner inward, not going all the way into the center. Lightly blend it upward to soften that line.
• Illuminare Cosmetics - Beyond Black Everlasting Eye Liner, applied to top lash line and lower waterline using the Sephora Pro #22 Angle Liner brush.
• Mally - Volumizing Mascara and Mally - Instant Impact Mascara, one layer of each, applied to top and bottom lashes.

LIPS

• Smashbox - Lip Enhancing Gloss in Adore Me from the Love Me collection.

HAIR

• Spray Chi 44 Iron Guard onto hair to protect it from the heat, and brush through.
• Separate hair with clips or claws, whatever you have on hand.
• Curl your hair however you like. I used the Jilbere de Paris Nano Ceramic Silver turning curling iron. I believe it's 1" or 3/4" barrel, I'm really not sure. I don't really like to use clamp curling irons, but for this look I decided to use this one.
• After you're done curling all your hair don't touch it. Let it fully cool, then spray it with hairspray. I used Blow Pro Blow Out Spray.
• Then take a paddle brush and lightly comb out your curls, which will blend them all together and give you a softer look.