Spring is in the air...

Spring will soon be in the air, which means it's time to leave behind that drab winter makeup. Here are three bold, Spring trends that will add an instant lift to your normal beauty regimen.

1. Tweezerman Petite Manicure Set | Get perfectly manicured nails with this set that includes tweezers, a cuticle pusher, and a file.

2. OPI Nail Color in What's With the Cattitude | The perfect Spring blue.

3. Essie Nail Color in Mesmerised | An amazing, shocking blue.

1. Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo | Protects against sun damage and adds shine.

2. Garnier Fructis Haircare Weightless Leave-In Anti Frizz Serum | Frizzy hair is never in. This serum tames fly aways and adds shine and nourishment.

3. Hot Tools Curling Iron Springgrip 1 1/2 | A 1 1/12 inch curling iron will give you big, soft waves.

1. Jergens Natural Glow Face Moisturizer | Bright lips look best with a warm, natural tan. This moisturizer will give you just that.

2. Revlon Moon Drops Creme Lipstick in Hot Coral | The best, brightest coral lipstick I've found.

3. Smith's Rosebud Salve | Dab a teensy bit of this over your lipstick and your lips will stay hydrated all day.

Reat the whole article here at AmericanMakeup.com

Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I'm obsessed with anything that is making my life even the tiniest bit easier. Meet the Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes. Simple product? Sure. Works, works well, and is making me happier? Absolutely. 

These are the ones I'm using. After the first time you can just buy the refill and still use the holder. I can't get over how great these work! Here's what Neutrogena says:

Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes Refill effectively dissolve all traces of dirt, oil and make-up—even waterproof mascara—for clean, fresh skin in one easy step.These gentle, ultra soft cloths contain superior cleansing technology so effective it removes even waterproof mascara. With one step, it leaves skin thoroughly clean with no heavy residue, so there's no need to rinse. And it's gentle enough to use around the sensitive eye area, even for contact lens wearers. Make your skin make-up free the easy way. 

For a normal day when I don't wear a lot of makeup, one of these really does remove all me makeup AND my mascara. I have such sensitive skin I'm always skeptical of something like this going near my eyes, but it doesn't irritate them at all. This doesn't take the place of deep cleaning, but it works great on days where you're tired and just need to get your makeup off and go to bed. Next up I want to try these:

Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes - Night Calming

Read the rest of the article at AmericanMakeup.com

CoverGirl LashBlast Mascaras

Because I have an addiction, I've tried out 3 different CoverGirl Lashblast Mascaras. 

Here's my take on them:

Lashblast Volume Blasting Mascara

The claim:

"LashBlast's patented volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max-out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big lash look."

Lashblast Length

The claim:

  "The Elasta-Nylon™ formula flexes without flaking, giving you extreme, notice-me lashes all day long."

Lashblast Fusion

The claim:

"COVERGIRL's first ever volume + length mascara! The fiberstretch formula and oversized brush make every little lash bigger, fuller, longer -looking and more dramatic."

 My take:

Lashblast Volume - One of the best drugstore mascaras I've ever used. Volumizes and separates. The best of this bunch.

Lashblast Length - Doesn't do anything. If you layer it over Lashblast Volume or Fusion, you do notice a little more length, but not enough to warrant purchasing this even at a drugstore price. It's a skip.

Lashblast Fusion - Is nice, but isn't any better than Lashblast Volume. I don't notice any additional lengthening.

Read the whole article here at AmericanMakeup.com

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

 

My new favorite skincare product is Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. You put it on before you go to sleep and it literally works overnight. It's made for all skin types and doesn't irritate sensitive skin - definitely a plus for me. Before bed, after you've washed and moisturized your face, apply a dab of lotion directly on the breakout using a cotton swab. Don't rub in. Let it dry and rinse off in the morning. DO NOT shake the bottle and apply only the pink sediment on the skin. Easy enough, right? I've only been using this about a week but I can already tell a huge difference. You can see an improvement when you wash it off in the morning! LOVE this stuff!

What's your favorite skincare product? Have you tried this or anything from Mario Badescu?

Guide to Dewy Looking Cheeks

I bought Mac’s Blushcreme in Poesy recently due to the rumours circulating that their days are numbered. Whilst this is true, I now realise that Mac will be bring out some Cremeblend blushes for this spring. So no stampedes necessary to the nearest counter for your beloved backup! Instead, let this guide be an ode to a dying breed of product.

At first, I was disappointed with the application of the cream blush. My combination skin sports a tad bit of shine on the apples of my cheeks and no matter how lovely the blushes looked on application using my fingers, they always fade within the hour. This applies to the other cream blushes in my collection.

Setting the cream with powder is advised, but since I can achieve colour with a powder blush, the whole concept of a cream-based blusher would be superfluous due to the extra steps. Then a eureka moment kicked in.

 I grabbed a stipple brush and tapped it into Poesy before applying the product in a stipple motion onto my cheeks.

Lo and behold – a beautiful glowing finish that was not achieved when I used my fingers to apply and blend. To retain the dewy glow, skip the cheek area when applying setting powder – the colour lasted well into the day and barely faded after six hours of wear. This longevity is due to the fact that the brush bristles and stippling motion compacts the pigment into the pores, in contrast to fingers simply smoothing the product across the skin surface.

 Read the rest of this article here at AmericanMakeup.com

Benefit Boxed Powders

I love the Benefit Boxed Powders, so I thought I'd show you which ones are my favorites!

CORALISTA 
WHAT IT IS:
A WARM CORAL-PINK POWDER THAT WARMS UP YOUR COMPLEXION.

WHAT IT DOES:
TAKE A TROPICAL PLEASURE TRIP WITH CORALISTA. SWEEP THIS WARM CORAL PINK POWDER ONTO CHEEKS ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. MOVE YOUR BRUSH TO THE BEAT & TURN UP THE HEAT... BIKINI OPTIONAL!

SUGARBOMB 
WHAT IT IS:
A "SUGAR RUSH FLUSH" FACIAL POWDER.

WHAT IT DOES:
GIMME SOME SUGAR—WITH SUGARBOMB! THESE FOUR UNIQUE SHADES OF ROSE, SHIMMERING PINK, SOFT PLUM, AND PEACH BLEND TOGETHER PERFECTLY FOR A DELICIOUS "SUGAR RUSH FLUSH."

                                                                           BELLA BAMBA

WHAT IT IS:
A WATERMELON-PINK BLUSH LACED WITH SHIMMERING GOLD UNDERTONES.

WHAT IT DOES:
THIS BOXED BLUSH, WITH A MIRROR TUCKED INSIDE A MAGNETIC CLOSURE FLIP-TOP LID, AMPLIFIES CHEEKBONES AND CREATES THE ILLUSION OF SCULPTED FEATURES FOR A GORGEOUS 3D EFFECT. YOUR FACE WILL LOOK INSTANTLY BRIGHTER WITH JUST A QUICK SWIPE OF THIS ULTRA-FLATTERING COLOR ON THE CHEEKS.

Bella Bamba is my newest addition. As you can see, they've changed up the packaging (lid is flips up inside of coming off completely and there's a mirror) and I'm loving that. I will say, the brushes are more for look, you can definitely find something better to apply with, but they're cute and in a pinch they would work, Benefit products have the cutest packaging, in my opinion. Always fun to look at in my vanity! 

Do you use any of the Benefit Boxed Powders? What's your favorite?

Read the article at AmericanMakeup.com