MAC MATTE VS. MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL

Today I wanted to talk about MAC Matte. I am sooo oily so i'm always looking for another product to help control my grease-slick of a face. As a frequent MAC shopper, I was suprised that no one had recommended MATTE to me before. It's about $18 USD and comes in a little squeeze tube. I rushed home to try this and was disappointed when I realized that MATTE had the same active ingredient as MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL (Dimenthicone) which runs about $6USD I tried both products on two different days to see if the either of the products looked any different under my makeup.

MAC MATTE

MONISTAT CHAFFING RELIEF GEL

Both controlled the oil pretty well and I still had to blot about twice during the day (pretty normal for me). Also, both products made my foundation go on smoothly, so no real difference there. I heard that Monistat gel has been discontinued but I'm not certain. I'll definitely be scouring the drugstore for something comparible with dimenthicone in it before I shell out another $18 on MATTE.

~Every Woman Is A Goddess~

More Cartoon Makeup

Hey Guys! I did this look for YouTube contest entry. The look had to have been inspired by cartoon characters. Instead of pulling something from from my archives, I decided to do something new and this is what I came up with. This look is inspired by Jem & The Holograms. Rock on!

Eyelash Adhesive Warning (for Individual lashes)

I'm almost ashamed to say that I've been hoodwinked by an Ebayer selling "medical grade" individual eyelash adhesive. I was looking for something a little stronger than the typical Ardell Lash Tite and came upon this new adhesive on Ebay. It was supposedly being shipped from a US seller (at least thats what the listing said) so I felt a little more comfortable ordering from them rather than a seller out of Asia. I spent a hefty $45 for a tiny bottle that I thought would keep my lashes on for weeks but what I got was this:

The bottle had "Made in Taiwan" on the front and the ingredients were the exact same as what is in CRAZY GLUE (or Nail Glue) and The smell is atrocious, just like crazy glue. I couldn't believe that there are Ebay Sellers who are selling this household glue and packaging it, passing it off as eyelash adhesive. It's also scary to think that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE has purchased this glue but we just haven't heard about it yet. I searched the internet for anyone else who had bought this glue but I wasn't able to find anything so I wanted to put this warning out there for anyone shopping around for a decent eyelash glue. After a lot of research I found that medical grade adhesive for individual lashes is only available to people with cosmotology licenses or aesthetic licenses so keep that in mind when you see these Ebay sellers claiming to sell medical grade adhesive. Also, all individual lash adhesive should be made in the USA. This is to ensure that it's been FDA approved!! Stick with the brands Ardell or Andrea (available in clear and black) as pictured below. Your lashes should last for at least a week with these adhesives which isnt bad.

The end result should look something like this:

I hope this helps you guys and save you from learning an expensive lesson!!

"Every woman is a Goddess"

Keeping it all in place... Lets talk about priming

A good friend asked me how to keep her eyeshadow and foundation on all day without having to reapply. There are so many options to answer this question but I'll just go into my personal product suggestions. I do NOT like to reapply during the day and I have spent a lot of money to find products that will help me not have to. As far as eyeshadow goes, I have two 'must have' bases/primers. I first swipe Too Faced Shadow Insurance (Also referred to as TFSI) all over my lids. I let that set for about a minute, then I apply MAC's Beige-ing shadestick on top of the TFSI. Some people can get away with only using one or the other, but due to my super oily skin, i need more assistance. If you find that your shadow is melting away after a few hours or building up in the crease of your eyelid, you may need to invest in some sort of base. The TFSI is like magic! Keeps your shadows put allll day AND gives the color more POP

For face priming, I have several products in my kit but I will talk about the Sephora smoothing primer because it's good for all skin types. The Sephora brand primer is amazing. You can apply it with your fingers or with a cosmetic wedge and the texture is like velvet. After applying the primer, I put on my foundation. I love this product because I can use it with my liquid, creme or airbrush foundation. My last step is to apply my finishing or setting powder and I'm done. I always carry blotting papers (Boscia Blotting Linens) in my purse for oil control but the foundation stays put pretty much all day.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS:

Urban Decay Primer Potion aka UDPP- Another great eyeshadow base with ingredients similar to the TFSI

Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion- I use this with my liquid and creme foundation only becuase it's pretty heavy and has a lavendar tint to it. It's great for minimizing pores and fine lines!

Thanks to Isis for the great question!

Small Weekend Haul @ Ulta and FOTD for 4/11/10

Hey Goddesses, Just thought I would share some of my goodies that I scored at Ulta over the weekend. I spent about $22 bucks and got some great stuff! Revlon Brushes on CLEARANCE so this is a great way for a newbie to start or add to their brush collection without spending a grip. I also discovered Essence cosmetics which I had never heard of prior to last weekend and I was really impressed with the quality although it's like a German drugstore brand. I find that here lately, I'm not the makeup snob that I used to be so I'm all for beauty on a budget. Here's my FOTD using only bargain cosmetics with the exception of foundation(Essence and NYX)

Face of the Day- Going Greeeeeen

Decided to rock out with my favorite color today! Hope you enjoy. Have a good weekend!!

Product Review: Graftobian HD Creme Foundation Palette

I recently ordered the Graftobian 18 shade creme foundation palette to add to my makeup kit (so that I can alternate from the airbrush) and I can't say enough about it! This foundation is AMAZING: glides on like butter, works great with a cosmetic wedge or brush AND you don't need concealer. I did a photoshoot last weekend with a young lady who had deep acne scars and large pores. I applied Urban Decays complexion primer to her face with a sponge wedge and the Graftobian foundation over it and in one swoop, she got concealing of the scars and full foundation coverage. I couldn't believe it! (I will post pics when the photographer sends them to me). This foundation is also great because after you apply it, you can just leave it for a "dewy" look or buff some loose finishing powder on top for a very matte finish. Here is a photo of myself with the foundation and no finishing powder:

CONS: The only "bad" thing I can say about this foundation is that the palette is much smaller than I thought it was going to be and you can't purchase individual palette refills for it.

PROS: Eliminates the need for conceals and covers all in one. Provides medium to full coverage, compact carrying in your makeup kit. So easy to blend and easy to mix with other shades or moisturizer.

I purchased my palette from CameraReadyCosmetics.com for about $65 and got express shipping for $8. Graftobian.com sells this palette but I believe their shipping is more expensive. Instead of the 18 shade palette, you can get a 5 shade palette for about $22. All palettes come in Cool, Neutral and Warm. I have the warm palette.

Definitely gets 5 stars in my book!

Hard Candy is Back!

Hey Goddesses! So maybe I'm late with this, but last week when I was perusing the Walmart cosmetics aisles (as I always do) my cart came to a screeching halt when I spyed this wonderfully, loud and colorful display:

Some of you may remember Hard Candy when it was sold at Sephora a couple years back. Well, a few months ago, I was shopping in my neighborhood 5 Below store and they had an entire display of discontinued Hard Candy cosmetics for $1!!! I cleaned up on eyeshadow palettes and lip glosses. When I got home, I did some research to see what happened to the brand and thats when I discovered that it was being redesigned and would be sold in WalMart stores in 2010. I had been checking WalMart for months to no avail and now it's here! The packaging is sooo cute and all the items have a catchy name. The price point is from $5-$10 so it won't hurt your pocketbook! So, if you were wondering what happened to Hard Candy, it's been revived and is back for a fraction of the price! Stay tuned for some looks with the new and improved Hard Candy!