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Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush: A Budget Friendly Beast

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BOW DOWN before the mighty Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush. Marvel at its multi-tasking prowess and how it applies blushes and foundations with ease. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself trembling — with glee! — at the cash register. Not only is this brush amazing, but it’s also cheap — $14.99. Holla!

Billed as a cream blush brush, its synthetic fiber head feels like velvet against my skin. Earlier this week when I used it with Sonia’s Creme Blush, it left just the right amount of color on my cheeks without any streaking. Blending with it was also a snap. It removed harsh lines with ease.

The brush is flat on the top of the head, which is not a totally revolutionary design, but it is one I’d never used before.

I couldn’t help but wonder what else I could use this brush with, so I experimented with it this afternoon. I think it also works great with…
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Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine Lipstick Swatches and Pics

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Lovely ladies, I’d like to introduce you to my latest lipstick obsession: Shu Uemura’s Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine lipstick!

Falling in love with these $23 lippies was easy. They make my lips shine brighter than a glazed doughnut (mmm… doughnut) yet still feel feather-light on my lips. They pack tons of color, and there are a bunch of shades to choose from — 17 in all!

Here are eight of my favorites…

Beige shades

BG 941S
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BG 916S
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BG 901S
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From left to right: 901S, 941S, 916S
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Pink shades

PK 357S
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PK 313S
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PK 301S
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From left to right: PK 301S, PK 313S, PK 375S
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Sonia Kashuk Creme Blushes: Natural, Flushed Cheeks on the Cheap

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Sonia Kashuk’s new Creme Blushes are like buttah, baby. These highly pigmented blushes ($8.99 each — hello, bargain!) feel so soft and creamy to the touch that I’m tempted to grab a knife and spread ’em on toast. I think all three shades are truly bee-yoo-tiful. They pack plenty o’ color for my cheeks and produce a fabulous dewy finish.

Sold exclusively at the House of Tar-ghay (aka Target), these shimmer-free blushes are surprisingly wearable considering how highly pigmented they are. I used a single layer to give my cheeks a natural flush and two layers to creates a bolder pop of color.

I wore two layers of Rosey for my look today.

The three shades, from left to right:

  • Rosey: pink-coral
  • Petal: cool rose-pink
  • Ginger: warm orange-brown

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I’ve been wearing these blushes separately for the past few days. To apply them I’ve used Sonia’s Flat Top Blusher Brush ($14.99). The synthetic fiber brush head grabs just enough color and fits nicely onto the apples of my cheeks.

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First, I applied foundation followed by a layer of Creme Blush and a dusting of loose powder. I followed it up with a second layer of Creme Blush atop the loose powder.

A layer of powder blush will set Creme Blush, giving it a bit more staying power. On my combo oily/dry skin, Creme Blush by itself lasts about four hours, comparable to how long other cream blushes that I’ve tried have lasted.

To push Creme Blush beyond its limits, I’ll reapply around halfway through the day, swiping a finger across the pan and dabbing and blending a little more product onto my cheeks. The compact comes with a small sponge brush, which certainly works in a pinch, but I ended up throwing mine out because it seemed to cause some streaking.

If I’d tried to use Sonia’s Creme Blushes a few years ago when my skin was oilier than it is now, I doubt I would have liked them as much as I do. They’re emollient-rich, and I have a feeling they would have slid right off my uber-oily skin.

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MAC Cosmetics Mulch Eyeshadow Face of the Day

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I started this face of the day with one pan — ONE PAN! — of MAC Mulch Eyeshadow. From there, it quickly spiraled out of control into a look with seven different shades. I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I think it has something to do with an upcoming deadline. The more pressed for time I get, the more makeup I want to wear! I know I can’t be the only one who loves to procrastinate this way. 😉

Here are the colors I used starting from the left and going counter-clockwise:

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The color map below shows where I put the different shades, with the exception of Beige-ing Shade Stick, which I first applied over the entire lid and then layered everything else above it.

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  1. MAC Next to Nothing – browbone
  2. MAC Rich Flesh – crease
  3. MAC Mulch – outer half of crease
  4. MAC Your Ladyship – lid
  5. MAC Showstopper – outer V
  6. MAC Nanogold – inner lid
  7. MAC Mulch – lower lash line

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Because I have to go to the office today (and should show at least a little restraint), I stuck to a light pink cheek and lip. [Continue reading…]

China Glaze Text in Colour 2BHOT: Holographic Hotness

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Have you seen China Glaze’s OMG Text in Colour nail polish collection yet? OMG, these colors are GR8, QT!

The full collection first landed back in February, and I’ve been meaning to talk about it for a while. China Glaze released the collection as two sets, 2BHOT and 2BKEWL, with six colors each. 2BHOT carried the warmer shades; 2BKEWL the cooler ones. To describe the colors, China Glaze used a term I hadn’t heard used to describe makeup before: holographic. And it’s not just marketing nonsense, either. The polishes contain the tiniest little flecks of multi-colored glitter, and they do seem to change color (silver to green to red, for example) depending on the angle you look at them from.

I finally got around to swatching and photographing the six 2BHOT colors yesterday. Unfortunately, since their release the colors have become pretty hard to find, but you can still purchase all of them individually from Amazon for $4.20 (shipping extra) each.
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Lip Look: Avon Glazewear in Juicy Apricot, On Sale Now

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When did Avon get cool, ya’ll? Did it happen while I was in the potty? As far back as I can remember, Avon was something that “mature” women wore (aka my grandma), but lately I’ve come across a number of Avon products that are well, kinda awesome. Take the Glazewear lipstick pictured above. Pretty, yah? That’s Juicy Apricot.

Not quite a lipstick, not quite a gloss, this shimmery peachy-coral shade delivers shiny, sheer color that feels light on my lips. Avon calls it feather-light and says the non-sticky texture has to do with their Color-gel formula.

The formula stays put for about 3-4 hours and comes in a sleek, slim black tube. Lately, I’ve used Glazewear as an alternative to traditional, thick, goopy lipglosses. They pack plenty ‘o shine without the thick gloss look.
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Stila Strikes Again with Stila Silk Shimmer Gloss in Kitten, Silk Eye Shadow Wash

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Fellow Stila fans, I just let out a big ol’ MEOW! Guess what? The company has just introduced two new products in Kitten, their cult classic shimmery shade of pink.

Kitten is one of those pinks that looks good on a range of skin tones. Kitten’s flexibility helped make Stila’s original Kitten eyeshadow the company’s best selling product.

Both of these new Kitten products appear light on my skin, delivering just a hint of color. On lighter skin, they’ll look a little more pigmented than this.

While I adore both the shimmer gloss and the eyeshadow wash, I fell hardest for Kitten Silk Shimmer Gloss.

A light makeup look with Stila’s new Kitten lip and eye products…

Stila Silk Shimmer Gloss in Kitten

Subtle color and smells yummy!

I’m a little touchy about scented and flavored glosses, but Stila got the fragrance perfect with Kitten Silk Shimmer’s really sophisticated, non-cloying vanilla scent. It’s rich and smells almost good enough to eat.

And because it smells flat-out delicious, I thought it might taste pretty good, too.

It doesn’t. Matter of fact, it doesn’t taste like anything at all, and now that I think about it, that’s a good thing.

As for the packaging, Stila deserves props for including a handy brush applicator with the wand. They also did a great job with the texture, as it doesn’t feel sticky at all on my lips.

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How do you feel about the tiny multi-colored flecks of glitter? I think they give my lips a subtle, natural-looking sparkle. In these pics I’m wearing the gloss without liner or lipstick, and it feels like that was just enough to show a little color without trying too hard.

Silk Eye Shadow Wash

A lil’ challenging to work with, but makes a great cheek highlighter

Like the gloss does for lips, the Silk Eye Shadow Wash delivers a subtle, there-but-not there shimmer on the eyes. Not long ago I tried and fell in love with Clinique’s Quick Eyes Cream Shadow. I praised Clinique for including a doe-foot brush applicator. Maybe Stila heard my cheers because they included a doe-foot brush with Silk Eye Shadow Wash, yes!

But the doe-foot applicator is where any comparison to Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow ends. Being water-based, Silk Eye Shadow is thinner than Clinique Quick Eyes, making it a bit more difficult to apply.
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I layered it directly onto my lids with the doe-foot applicator, and then used a finger to smooth it around. Unfortunately, it ran all over my eyelid and resulted in uneven, splotchy color. Eventually, though, after trying several different eye brushes, I worked it out.

How to Apply Stila Kitten Silk Eye Shadow
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Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief: This Great Moisturizer Doubles as a Mask

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As summer approaches and we leave winter far behind, my skin feels progressively better every day. I find I’m able to replace the thick, heavy-duty creams I rely on in the cold winter months with lighter moisturizers like Clinique’s new Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, a fantastic face moisturizer half way between a gel and a cream. I can already tell it’s going to be a star in my summertime skin care routine.

Fast acting; not sticky

With the exception of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, which breaks me out somethin’ fierce, my skin tolerates Clinique moisturizers very well. Knowing the brand, I wasn’t worried at all about potential pimples when I slathered peachy Moisture Surge Extended Relief all over my face before bed a few nights ago.

Right off the bat I noticed it felt a little lighter and more refreshing than my beloved Clinique Moisture On-line, which I used regularly last fall and winter. Moisture Surge absorbs faster than Moisture On-Line does, is nearly as hydrating and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.

After a couple days of use, my skin was clear and blemish-free, and I’ve been slathering it on at least twice per day — in the morning before applying sunscreen and at night before bed.

Blinding you with science…

According to Clinique, Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief is more moisturizing than the previous version. I’d never used the last version of the product, but now I wish I had.

Rapid temperature and humidity swings wreak havoc on skin. When we leave a heated building and head out into the cold, or enter an air conditioned building on a hot day, our skin works to maintain its moisture balance, and while it’s adjusting to environmental swings, skin will delay its own ability to repair.

Clinique claims that Moisture Surge maintains the natural balance of moisture in skin during environmental shifts, thanks to ingredients like sorbitol, trehalose and glycerin that bind extremely well to water. While in a proper state of moisture balance, skin becomes more receptive to beneficial ingredients and also stays in its optimal repair mode all day long.
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