Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Not Quite an FOTD


So the other day I was gussying up my face (a girl likes to do that every now and then) and I decided to do a dark green smokey eye and a hot pink lip. This is the result.


I decided to share these pictures because it's a different look then what I usually do, and I quite liked the effect. I don't remember all the products I used but here's what I know.
Lips: Kat Von D Lipstick in Backstage Bambi
Eyes: BH Cosmetics (surprise surprise!)
Face: A Maybelline Foundation (not sure which, sorry!)

Close-ups of the main elements of the look:


In the close-up of the eyes I'm wearing false lashes by Sonia Kashuk. However, they were irritating my eye like crazy so I had to take them off :( In most (or all) of the pictures, the lashes are my own, but with mascara.

The look made for surprisingly (and somewhat hilariously) sexy pictures. Here's my best stuff haha!




Hope you enjoyed!


TheBalm BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18

 Recently I went to Sephora and picked up a sample of TheBalm BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18.

I was interested because I've been looking for a nice tinted moisturizer to give me some coverage and a natural look. Also tinted moisturizers are a less-cakey alternative to foundations, and I've always wanted to get up in the morning and throw on some tinted moisturizer on a good skin day and get out the door.

I was also particularly interested in TheBalm's tinted moisturizer over any others because the product looked creamy and had a lot of nice pigmentation to it. It looked just like a foundation when I squirted some out from the tube onto my hand. I was also interested because I love TheBalm products. TheBalm brand is somewhat of a surprise, because it is rarely talked about but has great, effective, and well-priced products, and their packaging is thoughtful, clever, adorable and vintage-y.

Here's the run-down of BalmShelter on Sephora's site.

BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18
What it is:
A Tinted moisturizer with SPF 18.

What it is formulated to do:
A superior formulation that provides long lasting moisture, BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer gives you the perfect polished look while leaving your skin feeling silky.

What else you need to know: BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18 has Broad Spectrum protection, which means it protects skin from both UVA and UVB rays. BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18 is non-comedogenic and will not clog pores.


Size: 2.25 oz
Price: $25
Range: The BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer comes in three colors: light, light/medium, and medium.

My thoughts:
I really didn't care for this product. :( I hate to say that, but I didn't. It's an okay product, and I got some coverage out of it but I didn't get excited when applying or about the after result. The reviews on Sephora gives it a 4.5 stars out of 5 which is a very good rating. Unfortunately I don't feel the way most people seem to. Yes it gave some coverage, and in the sample jar it looks very creamy and promising, but when applied I just didn't care for the texture or the way it spread or even looked for that matter. It's a thin watery-ish texture with a little tackiness to it. I wasn't having a good skin-day the day I photographed the before and after, so my skin was never going to look flawless in the results (nor should it be expected to with a tinted moisturizer) but I just didn't like the product and felt that it didn't do much to improve the look of my skin. The shade also wasn't a great match, it was a bit too orange-y. I think my sample was in medium. Maybe light-medium would have been the way to go. Anyway, it could just be that maybe I'm not a tinted moisturizer girl, which I'm starting to think I'm not. However I would not re-purchase.



                                  Before- Bare Skin                      After- BalmShelter

                                                         


The product applied on my hand in three different ways- a stripe, a slightly blended out circle and a dab. First pic is without flash, second pic is with flash.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

3 Weeks Later...

3 weeks later, I'm writing an update on how my hair is after dyeing it with L'Oreal Sublime Mousse.

Here's the video.


The following are all pictures of my "41 Iced Dark Brown" dyed hair taken within the last week. 
Just for reference, this is 41 Ice Dark Brown on the box.

 
 My hair July 2010 . My hair before dyeing with Sublime Mousse. My hair 1 hr after dyeing. Hair 3 weeks after
The color has faded a bit from three weeks ago, but it still looks very dark and does not match the color on the box you see above.


I went to Central Park the other day, and in the beautiful sunlight my hair looked this color :)

This is how it typically looks, on an everyday basis.

Using L'Oreal Sublime Mousse has damaged my hair. Look at my poor hair ... disgusting :(

 Styling does camouflage it though, thank God

Overall, my feelings stayed the same as they were 3 weeks ago. I feel slightly less negative about my hair, but it is still super dark and not the color I wanted or expected.

To see my post (includes pictures and video) from three weeks ago, click this link! :) 
Thanks guys