Product Reviews

The Massively Moisturizing Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Shines

February 27th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

Sorry, guys, these new Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shines will do absolutely nothing to keep your socks dry during a torrential downpour.

That’s unfortunate because, as you know, wet socks are the worst!

These Lip Shines can, however, help you in a myriad of other ways. For instance, they can help you stop sounding like a broken record, because if you use them, you won’t have to keep telling people that your lips are perpetually dry… Plus, they can help your ponytail stop getting stuck in your gloss, since they aren’t sticky. And they can even help your lips remain glossy after you have a cup of coffee.

Basically, they’re helpful like that.

Neutrogena recently added these super shiny lippies to their permanent collection, along with the Hydro Boost Tints, which are FANTASTIC, and their Hydro Boost Concealers, which I think are just meh… Thankfully, like the terrific Tints, these are total hits.

Hydration elation

They come in eight shades for $8.99, so they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I really like that they tick the top box on my dry lip lady list, which is hydration.

Normally, I wouldn’t reach for a gloss when my dry lips are like crispy bacon, but I’ll grab these quicker than a tabby can twitch a whisker because they’re mega moisturizing.

Ingredients
Polybutene, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Octyldodecanol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tribehenin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, BHT. May Also Contain: Red 7 Lake, Iron Oxides, Blue 1 Lake, Red 22, Yellow 5 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Red 6, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 28 Lake, Blue 1 Lake

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 60-vibrant-raspberry — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Vibrant Raspberry 60

Look at that pigment payoff!

Especially among the brighter and darker colors like Flushed Coral 30, Vibrant Raspberry 60, Velvet Wine 70 and Deep Cherry 80.

The lighter shades, though — Soft Blush 10, Berry Brown 20 and Pink Sorbet 40 — look pretty similar on my lips, but I’m not hating them. They still apply incredibly smoothly and moisturize like a mofo. Plus, it’s not easy to find light lip glosses that aren’t milky, don’t settle into lip lines, and don’t look weird. And these don’t.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 70-velvet-wine — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Velvet Wine 70

Are they a Chanel dupe?

If you’re a devotee of House Chanel, these might remind you of the Glossimers. They have a similarly smooth, shiny, non-sticky formula, and I swear, they seem more expensive than they are.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 50-flushed-coral — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Flushed Coral 30

Work those biceps!

The only thing I don’t like is the applicator…

The bulky tear-dropped shaped paddle is great in some ways (it covers a large area), but sometimes it’s hard to get it and out of the tube… It’s just plain awkward, but it’s more of a minor aggravation than a major quibble.

The final verdict

These are definitely a DO! For $8.99, I think they’re fabulous. Most of them are potently pigmented, and all of them are comfortable, shiny and smooth. If you happen to want three or four of them, then you, my friend, are my lipgloss spirit animal.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

karen

MAC Work It Out Chromagraphic Pencils in Primary Yellow, Genuine Orange, Process Magenta, Rich Purple, Marine Ultra and Landscape Green

February 24th, 2017 by Karen 3 Comments

What the heck do you do with these things? Are they eyeliners? Are they eyeliners that also double as lip liners? Can I wear them on the water line? WHY YOU SO COMPLICATED, SON?!

The $17 Chromagraphic Pencils from the upcoming MAC Work It Out collection come with an insert that basically tells you how *not* to wear them.

Um…OK!

MAC suggests not using several of the six shades from Work It Out in the lip area, along the water line and, in some cases, avoiding the eye area completely.

Hmm…

I’m guessing that people will do what they will, and use them however they want, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some intrepid makeup artists out there do some off-label business with them.

Still…

mac work it out chromagraphic pencil swatches — Swatches of the MAC Chromagraphic Pencils from the top in Primary Yellow, Genuine Orange, Process Magenta, Rich Purple, Marine Ultra and Landscape Green

Even though I love the nude Studio Chromagraphic pencils, I’m going to avoid the colorful ones from Work It Out because, yes, on the one hand they’re hella vibrant, but they also like to scoot all over my skin and transfer up into my crease, and when they touch my water line, my sensitive eyes water.

mac marine ultra — Wearing Marine Ultra on my upper and lower lash lines

If you’re still intrigued, all six Chromagraphic Pencils arrive with the rest of the MAC Work It Out collection at counters, stores and online on March 2nd.

Finding motivation…

You guys, I’ve been going to that high intensity interval training class at night for going on three weeks now, and I love it! I still miss the camaraderie I had with the people in the daytime class, but the nighttimers are freakin’ hardcore.

I like to find someone near me who’s really pushing it, and I try to keep up with them. It’s so much fun going to a class where people push you, not to say that that never happened in the daytime class, but it’s fun trying to push myself and do things I’m not sure I can do.

And when I go to sleep at night, I’m so tired that I conk out when I fall into bed. Zzz…

I know I talk about HIIT all the time, but it’s been wonderful! It’s very hard for me, but it’s also a lot of fun. If you ever get a chance to try it, go for it! There are a bunch of HIIT workouts on YouTube that you can try to see if you like it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Work It Out Crystal Glaze Glosses in Flex Appeal, Ripped, Love Your Body, Oh My Lunge, Nice Cheeks and Sixxx Pack

February 24th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

The six new MAC Crystal Glaze Glosses from the Work It Out collection, coming March 2nd ($22 each)

I dream of a world where doughnuts are a legitimate pre- and post-workout food. Additionally, in this world, the new MAC Crystal Glaze Glosses from the Work It Out collection would also taste like doughnuts, because how awesome would that be? 🙂

In our actual world, though, there are no doughnuts involved… These taste and smell like standard MAC vanilla.

Be that as it may, MAC’s Crystal Glazes last an unusually long time for non-sticky, moderately moisturizing glosses, which is almost as good as a doughnut… Almost.

Yesterday I put on Flex Appeal right after Connor’s morning snack (dude, babies eat SO MUCH) around 10, had a salad at noon, and after a huge cup of tea at 2 I could still feel it on my lips.

They look bright in their pots, but they’re pretty sheer on my lips. The two brightest of the six, Ripped and Flex Appeal, are the most tinted ones, but all of the lighter shades (soft peach Nice Cheeks, bubble gum pink Sixxx Pack, coral pink Love Your Body and cool pink Oh My Lunge) look more or less the same on my lips.

mac flex appeal — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Flex Appeal

mac ripped — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Ripped

mac love your body — MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Love Your Body

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MAC Work It Out Collection In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras in Sweaty Betty, Hold For 10, Spin & Twist, Squat It Sugar and Well-Toned

February 23rd, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

mac work it out mascara — Five of 16 MAC Work It Out Collection In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras from the left in Squat It Sugar, Well-Toned, Hold For 10, Spin & Twist and Sweaty Betty ($19.50 each)

Oh, I wanted to wear one of these colorful In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras from the new MAC Work It Out collection to my HIIT class yesterday, because why not? It would have been fun to see myself doing split lunges while wearing bright blue lashes. Might as well, right?

But, alas, they aren’t waterproof… 🙁

Darn! I wish they were, because that would take them to the next level.

Bust out your leotards and leg warmers!

For MAC’s new ’80s Jazzercise Collection…

Well, that’s what I want to call it. It’s actually called MAC Work It Out (available at stores, counters and online March 2 – April 13).

Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the 16 In Extra Dimension Lash Mascaras ($19.50 each), six Chromagraphic Pencils ($17 each), six Crystal Glaze Glosses ($22 each), four Lipsticks ($17 each), three Studio Quiktrik Sticks ($34 each) or the three Prep+Prime Fix+/Sized to Gos were made with actual, ya know, sweating in mind.

mac work it out collection — Flashdance flashback!

I think they’re more for looking cute in your leotard and leg warmers while you sip a green juice than they are for actual heavy lifting…which is totally OK. 🙂

Lift those lashes!

Speaking of lifting, I do get a major lash boost from the In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascaras I’ve tried from the collection. They lift my lashes from the roots and keep them lifted, so my eyes look bigger and, dare I say it, brighter.

mac sweaty betty mascara 1 — And that’s just one layer!

Ironically, this formula straightens out the curl from my lash curler, which results in lashes that are lifted at the roots but straighten out toward the tips…

Something like this would normally bug me, but I don’t mind in this case because of the crazy colors and how much thicker the formula makes my lashes look.

When the blues make you happy

I’ve been testing five of the 16 colors this week, and all of them have been exceptionally pigmented.

My faves, though, are the blues… I absolutely LIVE for these blues. When I wear bright teal Sweaty Betty and bright electric blue Hold for 10, my lashes glow like technicolor fringe!

mac sweaty betty mascara — Wearing Sweaty Betty on my upper lashes and Hold for 10 on my lower lashes

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Speed Is the Name of the Game With Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner

February 22nd, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

It’s the Murphy’s Law of makeup. Whatever can go wrong with your winged liner, will go wrong with your winged liner, and that little kitten flick you intended to make morphs into a giant jungle cat of a flick extending from the outer corner to almost all the way behind your ear.

That said, it feels a little strange to talk about new $34 Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner in the context of speed, and speediness, because, you know, “liquid liner” and “speediness” don’t often go together, but they do in the case of this liner. It makes quick work of liquid liner lines.

So, how does it do what it does? I dunno… It’s some kinda Hourglass hocus pocus.

A new addition to the permanent line, it’s a dark, true black liner with a shiny finish and a waterproof formula, and the color doesn’t have any blue or green undertones.

The tip reminds me of Tom Ford’s liner

The long, thin felt tip looks a lot like the tip of my holy grail Tom Ford liner, which is the main reason I was eager to give this liner a try, but it’s not exactly the same. It’s slightly stiffer (the Hourglass tip) and, because of that, the first few lines I drew with it were jagged, thick and, basically, out of control.

The tip took me a little while to figure out.

Use a light touch

Like, the lightest of light touches — we’re talking butterfly kisses. Once you get that down, it’s easy to quickly draw crisp lines with it in just a minute or two.

SO FAST!

And I think that the intensity of the black color lends to its quickness, along with how readily the liquid dispenses from the pen tip. Even that seems faster than usual for liquid liner.

I mean, it doesn’t gush out like a liquid geyser or anything, but if you press too hard… Not good. Your lines will look thick and jagged.

If, on the other hand, you use a light touch with it, it’s easy to get those perfect, opaque crisp lines.

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Bath & Body Works Tutti Dolci Shower Gels, Fragrance Mists, Body Creams and Creamy Body Washes Are on Sale Now for $6

February 17th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

Let me tell ya…this whole counting calories thing? I’m still trying to lose the baby weight, and it’s the least fun thing in the whole entire world. It’s even less fun/more headache-inducing than being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Richmond Bridge, which is REALLY un-fun, BTW, or stepping in a pile of dog poop in a new pair of shoes.

That’s one good thing about Bath & Body Works Tutti Dolci! — no counting calories. Even though they smell like delicious dessert foods, they aren’t, which means no extra burpees. 🙂 (Side note: Burpees are the devil’s work!)

They’re baaaaaack!

I don’t know how long you’ve been into Bath & Body Works, if you’re into them at all, but if you and them go way back, you might remember the Tutti Dolci line. They’re dessert-inspired, and I think they first showed up around 10 years ago.

B&BW brings them out of retirement from time to time, and this is one of those times. They’re back, at least for now.

Did somebody say sale??

Right meow is a good time to check ’em out because B&BW is currently running a 50% off sale on Tutti Dolci. I thought it was online-only at first, but then I called them, and they said that it’s in-store too. Everything is six bucks! The Shower Gels (regularly $12.50), Fragrance Mists (regularly $14), Body Creams ($13) and Creamy Body Washes ($14.50) are just $6 each.

Hey, sugar

I usually prefer floral and citrus scents to sweet scents. I do like some dessert scents, though, but I’m picky as hell. If they’re overwhelmingly fake and cloying, where all you can smell is, I dunno…intensely sweet buttercream, for instance (like Jessica Simpson’s Dessert Body line from years ago… Remember that?), I can’t do it.

I am a grow-@ss woman, and I don’t need to be walking around with 1) my butt crack hanging out of my jeans and 2) my skin smelling like a Toddlers & Tiaras-themed birthday party.

I think Tutti Dolci gets it right. The products have notes of honey, praline and white mocha, but there are also lemon and citrus and musky notes that cut down on the sweetness, and make the fragrances more sophisticated (to me) and appropriate for grownups.

There are four different Tutti Dolci scents.

There’s Golden Honey Praline, which smells like two scoops of pralines and cream ice cream with hot espresso poured all over them (mmm…). It’s my favorite, by the way, and I use the Shower Gel, Body Cream and Fine Fragrance Mist, which are all warm and cozy and very rainy weather appropriate.

I also love the Pink Peony Creme scent, which smells like peonies (obvs), lilac and an extra tart key lime pie.

Then there’s Sweet Lemon Buttercup (mmm…), which smells like shortbread cookies, lemon bars, a hot cup of tea and white musk.

And White Mocha Kiss, which is the sweetest of the bunch. I think it smells like vanilla latte foam drizzled with caramel…

Side note: Are you as hungry as I am right now?

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Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

February 17th, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

Hydration? Concealer? Hi, my name is Karen, and I immediately want to try anything and everything that moisturizes and hides my dark circles.

It’s my lot in life, and perhaps the sole reason why I was put on this earth — to try every under-eye concealer ever made by man and woman kind.

So…I wanted to love new Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer from Neutrogena because I’m all about their Hydro Boost Tint (seriously, it’s one of the best drugstore face products I’ve ever tried), but eh — it’s not my fave.

Like the foundation, it contains moisturizing hyaluronic acid, along with a special moisturizing core in the center of the tube.

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating concealer before and after — With concealer on the left, and wearing the shade Medium 40 on the right

I’ve used it a couple times so far… Yes, it feels and looks lightweight, so it’s not going to hang out in your fine lines or look caked-on and obvious (yay!), but the thing is…it doesn’t really cover very much. It’s SO sheer.

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating concealer swatches — Swatches from the top in Fair 10, Light 20, Light/Medium 30, Medium 40 and Deep 50

I just like my under-eye concealers to be more opaque. When I put a good amount under my eyes, my inner voice says, “MOAAAARR.” It also straight-up disappears as the day wears on.

At least it isn’t too expensive. It’s only $12.99. If you’re curious (it’s good if you think you can get away with sheer coverage), there are five shades in the line, and they’re available at drugstore and online now.

Shoes for the Coywolf

I have to buy the Coywolf some shoes…

She’s almost a year old, and every single pair of shoes I’ve put on her, she pulls off. She sits there and takes them off. Socks too.

But now that she’s walking, I wanna take her outside more to explore with me, so I gotta get her some shoes…

She does have one pair of kitty moccasins that she got as a gift for Christmas, and she kindasorta can’t take those off, but she’s almost outgrown them.

I was looking at the Carter’s website and saw these cute little kitty shoes…

Yay! They’re 50% off today!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint Is a Lovely, Lightweight Medium-Coverage Tinted Moisturizer

February 17th, 2017 by Karen 22 Comments

Is new Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint as fun as…sliding down the Summit Plummet at Disney’s Blizzard Beach or hiking to Wailua Falls on Kauai and frolicking in the secluded pool?

Hmm…maybe! It’s fun if your idea of fun is having your foundation look completely natural.

If I saw a friend, and he/she was wearing this foundation, I don’t know if I’d be able to tell. I’d just admire how even-toned and dewy his/her skin looked. Then I’d ask their secret!

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint doe foot — That’s a BIG doe foot

Ultra smooth…

Hydro Boost is an oil-free tint/foundation with hydrating hyaluronic acid to plump skin for up to 24 hours, but ya know…the texture is the real special sauce. It’s fluffy, mousse-like and incredibly easy to blend. When I use the over-sized doe-foot applicator to dot it on my face, then blend it in with my fingers, it glides and creates a thin, even layer, which is then undetectable, even on my cray-cray dry skin.

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint swatches 1 — Swatches of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tints from the top in Classic Ivory 10, Natural Ivory 20, Buff 30, Nude 40 and Soft Beige 50

neutrogena hydro boost hydrating tint swatches — More swatches from the top in Natural Beige 60, Honey 85, Caramel 105, Cocoa 115 and Chestnut 135

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