Review: bareMinerals Ready Illuminating Touch Up Veil in 'Translucent'

Ehhhhhhhhhh....I'm conflicted. Today's review is of a bareMinerals product and I honestly am feeling wishy washy about it right now. Lemme tell you why! The product is the Ready Illuminating Touch Up Veil in the color Translucent:

This little compact comes in a mirrored case. Its pretty, but not my favorite since the packaging gets streaked and dirty so quickly.

Well hello to you too! The compact comes with a little powder puff (at the right side of this picture). Since this is a touch up powder, it is assumed this is meant to bring with you and touch up on the go, so the powder puff would be important for application purposes. I'm all for no fuss, so I don't want to bring a little brush with me on the go! Unfortunately the little puff is not soft and kind of a throwaway for me...

Here's the powder. This is supposed to be a translucent veil, meaning it should be basically see through on the skin. I thought I could use this to touch up my t-zone (where I tend to sweat the most and get oily through the day/evening).

The powder is soft and finely milled, however I find it to be rather blotchy when swatched and applied  to the skin. In fact, when I applied this to the skin, it is also not translucent but rather shows up white. After vigorous blending, I realized that this powder blended nicely and kind of matted out my skin in a lovely way, but it left behind sparkles! Looking at the powder more carefully I noticed that when you break through the top layer of powder there are big sparkles throughout this product.

Alright...I get it. It's an illuminator so this isn't an all over touch up powder. Trying to be flexible, I used this to touch up my cheekbones, chin, and my nose. It did nicely to mattify those areas, BUT it completely took the color out of my face as the powder is kind of difficult to apply with a light hand. This product also has quite a strong scent to it, kind of like a perfume and I could smell it for a while after application.

All in all, I'm frustrated and a little confused. I feel like this could be a nice product but maybe I haven't figured out the best way to use it for me.  For now, it didn't really serve a purpose for me so I don't think I'll be getting much, if any, use out of it.

NOTD: OPI 'Kiss On the Chic' A Valentine's Day Manicure!

Pink Pink Pink Pink Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink! I love wearing pink on my nails if you haven't gathered that already... my mom surprised me this Valentine's Day with two new nail polishes, one of which I decided to slap on my fingers for a pretty, feminine, V-day mani. It is OPI's 'Kiss on the Chic:'

After the deep and dark colors I've been wearing all Winter, this light pink was well welcomed onto my nails! This pink isn't necessarily terribly unique, but I think the formula of this color trumps other similarly toned pinks I have. This polish took two coats to be fully opaque and I added a very thin third coat on some fingers that had some transparent spots. As I'm writing this, its day two and all nails are dent and chip free! Good stuff :)
Also if anyone's wondering, my accent nail has a layer of Butter London's 'Rosie Lee' on it for extra V-day pizzazz!

xxSJ

Review: Nivea A Kiss of Olive Oil and Lemon Lip Care

Today's review is of a new lip balm I'm trying out by the brand Nivea. I have been using the EOS little egg shaped lip balms for a while, but I realized they really weren't doing much for my dry lips. They would moisturize for about a half hour then my lips would get peely and dry again. I wanted to see if Nivea's Kiss of Moisture brand would suit me better:

The flavor I got was Olive Oil and Lemon... I was nervous about the flavor at first but it really tastes more like a lemon honey than olive oil! I find that this stuff works so much better for me than the EOS lip balms as it keeps my lips moisturized for a couple hours before I have to reapply.

Additionally, the ultra smooth consistency of this balm means that when I apply it, it doesn't tug on my lips at all and I can even smoothly apply it over lip sticks. The moisture gets drawn into my lips through any lip product I'm already wearing. I love that. Also don't let the green color fool you! This stuff applies crystal clear :)

Jake got in on the action when I was taking photos outside :)

Overall, I'm really pleased with this lip balm. It isn't long lasting enough to keep my lips moisturized through the night (still gotta rely on good ol' vaseline for that!) but this will definitely be replacing my EOS lip balms.

I found my Nivea Kiss of Moisture lip balm at Ulta for about $3. I haven't seen them elsewhere so keep your eyes peeled!

xxSJ

NOTD: OPI 'My Favorite Ornament'

Today's nail of the day is from the Mariah Carey for OPI Winter 2013 collection and it is BY FAR my favorite glitter nail polish ever!  It is the color 'My Favorite Ornament:'

This polish is a yellowish gold glitter suspended in a clear liquid base. All the finely milled glitters are all the same size and in my opinion, any glitter polish that can hold its own on the nail is well worth it. This polish is completely opaque in only 2 coats but also looks great layered on top of a color.

This color was a staple for me in the winter time as it was so festive but I can also see me wearing it with some pretty pastels in the spring.

This color is SO stunning and I recommend it to anyone looking for an awesome glitter polish. It works great alone, layered on top of another color, or as an accent nail for a fun look.

OPI nail polishes are $8-$9 and can be found at Ulta, some drugstores and some department stores.

xxSJ

Review: Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow Trio in 'Cover Shoot'

Today's review is of a Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow Trio in the set 'Cover Shoot.'  I knew I wanted to investigate Smashbox's eyeshadows further after liking my first trio so much, so I picked this set out at my last visit to Ulta:

I seriously love Smashbox's packaging... the matte black container snaps securely in place so you know the container won't open on accident. I also love the clear window on top so you can see what colors you're grabbing if you have multiple trios.

This trio is of the cooler variety and is purple in hue. I grabbed this trio because I thought the colors were all unique as far as additions to my collection and they are all equally beautiful. The only color I was concerned about being a dupe is the right color, Dusk. I was concerned it would be very similar to MAC's Satin Taupe, however it turned out to be much cooler and less metallic than Satin Taupe.

The shadows are buttery soft to the touch and ultra pigmented. I love that the colors are so soft because it makes them easily blendable on the skin.  These colors show up warmer and cooler in different lighting, so take note if you are swatching in store!

The lightest color, 'Flirt,' I would describe as a dusty silvery champagne. On the lid it shows up far more silver than it swatches. The middle color 'Dusk' is a purpley taupe with shimmer. The darkest color 'Haze' is a matte plum color. It is very pigmented and soft so a brush will pick up plenty of this color!

This is the eye look I created using just this trio. I put Flirt all over my lid and concentrated Dusk on the outer third of my lid. Then I darkened up my crease with Haze. I'm in love with the effect this trio gives the eye--a gorgeous purple-toned silvery cool look.  You can easily darken this up using the matte purple or wear it as I did for a daytime look. So much versatility in one little trio.

As I mentioned before, the colors are so soft that they are easily blendable but remain pigmented and don't simply all blend into the same color. The trio may look kind of dark and scary to work with in its container, however I found these colors extremely simple to use to make this pretty look!

We are happy. We are delighted. Who's we? Oh just me, myself, and my eyes. (I think I'm funny...deal with it).

This Smashbox trio is available at Ulta, Sephora, and some department stores for $28. For an upscale makeup brand that has long-lasting power and professionalism in mind, I think that's quite the steal for the quality!

xxSJ

NOTD: Butter London 'Pillar Box Red'

Today's nail of the day is a polish I've had for at least a year but I've never worn it...is that sad? I think it's kinda sad...welp. This little polish had its day recently when I plucked it out of its shelf and painted it on my nails! It's the color 'Pillar Box Red' by Butter London:

This is the type of red I refer to as Wonder Woman Red! Why? Because this is an orange-hued red that I connect with the bright comics and red bodice worn by Wonder Woman...duh.

Why haven't I worn this red ever, you may ask? Mostly because I gravitate toward deeper reds or blue-toned reds... I always am scared that orange undertones will look freaky on me! But then every time I put them on I'm like 'oh that looks nice actually...' As for this nail polish? I put it on and said 'oh that looks nice, actually....'

This polish is bright, shiny, and it has lasted absolutely chip free for 3 days. LOVE! I have bad luck with some Butter London polishes so the lasting power of this guy is awesome. The application of this polish was awesome. Two very thin coats was all it took to make a completely smooth and opaque finish.  think I will definitely grab this polish again next time I want to wear some red...I was pleasantly surprised by how nice this red looked on my fingers and the lasting power is stress and bother free!

Butter London polishes are $15 for 0.4oz of product. Expensive for sure, so pass on this polish if you already have a similar color!


xxSJ

Review: Physician's Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Powder

Check the title....that's quite a mouthful, huh?  BB Creams have been all the rage for the past year and when I saw that Physician's Formula had a BB Powder I was too intrigued to pass it up.  This powder claims to be an 'All-In-1 Beauty Balm Powder' and includes diffusers, UVA/UVB protection, moisturizers, and brightening antioxidants.  Well sure, if this truly has all these benefits then sign me up!

The powder comes in a white compact with pretty reflective circles. The packaging is a shiny plastic and feels nice and weighty rather than flimsy and cheap.

I selected the color 'Light/Medium' because my only other option was Medium/Deep. Having only two colors for a beauty powder is rather limiting, I think, but if it works for my skin tone then I'll be happy!

Don't mind the stretching elephants! The bottom of the compact opens up to reveal a mirror on the underside and a small application brush. I tend to not use little applicators that come with products but the mirror may prove quite helpful and for people that do like to use the brushes then this is a definite plus!

Here is the powder swatched on the inside of my arm. It is sheered out on the left and more concentrated on the right patch. The powder is buttery soft to the touch and very silky smooth.

Oh and did I mention this BB Powder has SPF 30? For this pale skinned lass that is certainly music to my pale little ears!
To apply this powder to my skin, I used a fluffy powder blush that I swirled around in the powder and then pressed this powder into my skin over my foundation. Here is the succession of applying my makeup:

Left photo: Absolutely no makeup on...Gasp! Right photo: Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

Left Photo: Super BB Powder applied over foundation Right Photo: Contouring and brows added

I really like the way this powder applied. It certainly had a diffusing effect which blurred out imperfections and evened out the color of my skin. The powder actually added a bit of color to my skin and if I had a choice, I would choose one shade lighter for my skin. The color I have will certainly work, though, and it will be stunning in the summer time.
Overall I really like this powder. I had my eyes on the Hourglass powders but I think this powder is a cheaper alternative for a similar effect.
Speaking of price, I found this powder for $11.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. Kind of steep for drugstore but I trust the quality of Physician's Formula and the effect the powder gives is lovely.

Two thumbs way up for Super BB Powder! I know...its backwards in this picture...selfie fail.

xxSJ