Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

Naturally Glorious!

When I was a teen, the beauty magazines all focused on "the natural look. " Not to give away my age, but the style then was to appear like you weren't wearing makeup and were magically oerfect. Then the 80s came around and bright blue eye shadow with tons of blush and a magenta lip was in-natural was out. The 90s was a transition period, typically with one area highlighted, either lips or eyes. Shine was more important than color.

And now we have the perfect makeup decade. We wear beautiful colors, we know about blending and tools, we can wear green lipstick or neutral eyes. We have so much to choose from, and everybody can find their own style. Technique is shared. I really wish I was young now to take advantage, but glitter and sparkles don't look well on a woman in her 50s, (although I have been known to wear purple lipstick.)

What does this have to do with the Becca palette? Well, it is full of beautiful colors, perfect for everyday, whether you are young or older. The colors are subtle but earthy and exotic at the same time, like the 70s and 00s. They are finely milled, beautifully pigmented, and there is no fallout. The colors lead to each other, light to dark, like a line of lovely ducklings. You can keep them light or deepen them for smoke. They will go with every skin tone. It has already replaced my favorite Naked neutral pallet. Basically, this palette is timeless.

If you need a palette that is great for work, or just the old 70s natural look, maybe want something for your daughter to get started, want to create light and shadows, or just enjoy plain beautiful colors, this is it. It's my favorite now.

Fab products, amazing value

So, one needs to remember that this is a grab bag. You take your chances-for me, knowing the kind of products Beautylish carries, it's not much of a gamble. Even if I have it or it's not my color, they are all high quality products that make good gifts.

That said, I won't be giving anything away. I loved everything, which included: Becca eye shadow palette, IT pore perfector pressed powder, the most beautiful Kevyn Aqcoin creme blush, Wayne Goss Eyebrow brush set, Nudestyx Blur pencil, and Bioderma make-up remover. I paid $75.00 and while I didn't add it up, I'm sure the value was double what I paid. Not only that, there isn't one thing in the bag I won't use or am not delighted with. Some things I was familiar with-I have many of the IT products and am a Bioderma addict. Some I'd not heard of such as the Becca palette, which I'm wearing right now and love-it's exactly what I like for every day eye makeup. And I got some I knew about but may not have purchased (Nudestyx) but after trying it, I like having it.

For me, the point of this grab bag is to get things I may not have considered purchasing and hopefully get a little bargain in the process. I got both, and then some. I liked my bag last year, loved my Lucky bag this year, and I only hope to be able to buy one next year.

Thank you Beautylish for an amazing value and products I'll love all year.

Addicted

My night time routine has changed because of Bioderma. Now, I sit and watch TV, with a pack of cotton pads and a bottle by my side, and gently remove the day's makeup and dirt, almost like a mini spa treatment. I can do this chore away from my bathroom, when relaxing.

By bedtime, my makeup is off, my skin is clean, and I can complete the rest of my routine, (Retin a and a moisturizer) saving extra time and hitting bed that much quicker. It's gentle on my aging skin, soothing, and removes all but the thickest mascara. (I keep a small bottle of an oil-based remover for those rare days.)

I adore this product and now have several bottles socked away. I can't resist a sale. I'm sending some to my sister so she can become as addicted as me.

Unique Wand

My lashes are precious to me. Having done chemo, I lost my hair but it was losing the lashes that really bothered me. I have babied them ever since they grew back; I tend them like a newborn baby. They are skimpier than they used to be, with gaps here and there, and they're also shorter, so mascara is a must. I also have hooded eyes so have to be very careful with the liner. I was fascinated by the idea of this skinny little wand creating the tightline look without liner. I was more fascinated when it actually worked! No, it doesn't look like you put eyeliner on but it does create thickness at the base of your lashes, giving that illusion. You can get closer to your lashline with this mascara than any other I've ever tried. This skinny wand lengthens and separates your lashes, giving you a great look -not clumpy at all. Because it's a primer, if you want to use a thickening mascara over it you can, and with ease, not tugging through already dried, clumped mascara. Because my lashes still have noticeable spaces, I do often use a thickening mascara on top but I always start with IT's tightline so I can hit the base. I think it is a must have in any makeup drawer.

Primed and Ready

You won’t regret that you took care of your skin when you are old, but you might regret not doing so. (Ask me how I know!) The IT No 50 primer makes skincare so easy - combining so many skin-loving ingredients in an effective primer - that even a busy mom has time. I'm prone to breakouts so using a morning moisturizer and a primer meant I was in danger of clogged pores and then breakouts, not pretty when you are over 50. I was thrilled to discovered IT's Anti-Aging Primer, which does double-duty. Not to mention, you can instantly see and feel results, so if you are like me, and need instant gratification, look no further. It comes with a pump and dropper which means you choose how you like to apply it. I pump a couple of drops into my hands after I wash my face in the morning and gently rub into my skin and neck. It sinks right in, with no greasy residue, and has a wonderful fresh scent. It leaves my skin baby soft, prepared for foundation, but if I choose not to put foundation on, my face isn’t an oil slick the way some primers can leave you. It just has a nice glow. My skin is definitely softer after using this product regularly, as it should be with all the vitamins, antioxidants and other goodies that are in it. Just a drop or two will cover your whole face and this bottle is large enough to last a long time, making it a good bargain. I'll never go back to the moisturizer/primer routine.

Pores really do vanish!

As a result of skin abuse (sun, medication, breakouts), my pores are huge, and huge pores make you look rough in a way that even wrinkles don’t. I was using a pore blurring primer which did minimize them, but it left my face a grease slick. I’ve tried setting powders in the past, but they usually end up enhancing pores, not minimizing them. When I gave up my greasy blurring primer I figured I try again, and went for the Bye Bye Pores Anti-Aging Micro-Powder. It’s a universal shade and is infused with collagen and silk, of all things. I like the idea of putting silk on my skin! I do my makeup as usual, starting with my new love, IT’s CC cream, and then get a big, fluffy brush and dip in the powder, tap off and just lightly touch the areas where my pores are large – nose, center of forehead and cheeks. Bam. Smooth, poreless, flawless skin with no dots of powder settling in my wrinkles. I really can't believe how good this product is. It looks kind of beige in the container, but it goes on perfectly translucent. It comes with a little puff, but I prefer a fluffy brush. It sets makeup as well as minimizes pores. The one thing I don’t know is if there will be photography flash-back with this as there is with other HD powders. That's not a problem in my daily life but something to test before a wedding day. Since I started using the It CC cream and the Bye Bye Pore setting powder, I have been getting so many compliments on my skin, and I don't even have to touch up my selfies! My sister is especially shocked at how good I look because she’s seen my skin problems all our lives. Can’t recommend it enough.

Health and Glow

Makeup is all about illusion. We are creating the look of great skin, of light and glow. The older you get, the more illusion you need! At this point, I need so much illusion that even David Copperfield would struggle. I’d heard great things about this CC crème, so I was happy to try it. I got it in medium, which was the perfect color for me.

I’m strange about my new products – I always like to do a half face first, to see how much it improves my skin and to see where it might be going wrong. When I first got the IT cosmetics CC crème I first dotted it under my eye area, then around the right half of my face. I just patted it in with my fingers, leaving a line right down the center of my face. I like to use fingers for foundation anyway, to warm it up. I stepped back to look and Whoa! On the right, my undereye circle was gone. My red acne marks had disappeared. Most impressively, the product hadn’t settled into my “fine lines” or even the grand canyon wrinkles. My skin looked smooth and healthy. I could see no fails where my skin looked better anywhere without it. I was seriously impressed. So, I did the left. It is a full coverage foundation so you need to be careful with application, but it doesn’t look cakey or clotted or dry at all. When on, it feels like your face, not like you have covered it up. The SPF of 50 is a plus. I grew up in the 70s where we tanned every day and I’m seeing the effects now, so I try to prevent further damage. If you are trying to create the illusion of vibrancy and health, then this CC crème is for you. It is now my daily foundation and I'm a user for life.

Good for Silver Sisters

I have grey hair. I sometimes can’t believe it, thinking I’d never give up the dye bottle. I did it the easy way though – chemotherapy. Unfortunately cancer relapsed and I’m on treatment forever - so no more coloring. I confess, I kind of like the color! But it is hard to find a brow product for grey hair. IT’s Brow Power says it is a universal shade, and adjusts to every hair color, including grey, so I had to try it. One end is an oval shaped pencil in a taupy color, and the other end is a spooly. You draw your brow, less pressure for light and more for dark and use the spooly to swipe and even the color. It really did show me that I’d been going too dark – this color created by this pencil is much better than what I’d been using and my face no longer looks unbalanced. I also don’t seem to need a wax sealer either, which is a plus, I don’t like the shiny brow look.

Best of all, for every one of these they sell, IT donates one to the American Cancer Society’s Look Good, Feel Better program. I was able to take that class during my first rounds of chemo, and it is so helpful. You have no idea how important that class can be when you are going through something so traumatic. So try this pencil, because it is a good product and your brows will be pretty and the right color for you. And also because you are supporting women with cancer across the country, and they will get to try one too

Magic!

I’m lucky in that I have full, Kylie Jenner lips and don’t even need to go sucking in Pringles containers to get them. I’m unlucky in that full lips tend to get chapped, so I am a total balm addict. Last thing I do when I go to bed is put on balm, first thing in the morning and often during the day. I am careful with my lip colors too – I love a stain but they tend to be drying and pretty soon, my lips are peeling. I love a gloss but they don’t last long on me. Lipsticks can skew either way – too drying, too short lasting. You see the issue - I’m sure Kylie can relate.

Along comes Vitality Lip Flush to solve my problems. Swipe a bit on and your lips are moisturized and full looking, and in just a few seconds, they begin to flush, deepening to a very pretty rose. On your lips, it doesn’t look like a color or stain, it looks like your lips are this natural, pretty color with a nice shine. It has an emollient feel, no goopy, gloppy stickyness, just soothing. The color lasts hours and reapplying is a breeze. This is now my go-to, every day product.

I don’t know how they did it as the product in the tube appears to be a very, very pale pinkish clear, you would never think this color could appear from it. There is some lip alchemy going on, but I highly recommend it.

Easy and Quick

I have a weird habit of removing my makeup while watching TV at night. I use various wipe removers and oils, and then run into the bathroom to wash with a cleanser, which usually tightens my skin so then come back and use a vitamin mask. It's multitasking at its finest. (I do this while watching TV so my skin has time to dry before I put my Tretenoin creme on before bed.)

When Beautylish advertised this new French product, I googled to see what it was. The term "holy grail" came up repeatedly, with stories of people travelling to pick this stuff up. So being in search of the holy grail, I had to buy it. Because it came in a large and small travel size, it seemed to me like I could keep the travel one near my chair so I could easily take my makeup off while watching Jane the Virgin, and not have to run and wash afterwards, nor remoisturize.

I was also intrigued by the idea that it was fragrance-free and a "water." I bought it and as usual, got it two days later. Amazon has nothing on Beautylish.

I tried it that first night - I soaked a cotton pad and wiped my right eye, which had Urban Decay Primer, Mac shadows, Stila waterproof eyeliner and Lashes to Die for (a very messy mascara). My foundation is Cailyn BB creme. My makeup came off easily and quickly, with no tugging, no black crumbles anywhere. I squirted some on another pad and tried the second eye, and oops. I had soaked the pad too much, dripped the product in my eye and it burned. The pain lasted the rest of the night too, so I warn you about over doing it. You can wipe it on your eye easily, but don't drip it in.

Still, it removed the makeup quite well and it was my fault I had over-soaked the pad, so I didn't give up. I've used it nightly since, and it does everything it claims. It removes makeup easily, it is safe for my breakout-prone skin, is easy to use and leaves the skin moisturized so I don't feel I need to add stuff back after cleaning. It's a great product and the best makeup remover I've tried to date. At my age, anything that avoids tugging and scrubbing is a good thing. As an aside, many of the oil-based ones leave your eyes greasy, not something you want when watching TV. This one is clean.

Is it my holy grail? Time will tell. So far, I think it was a good buy - that large bottle will last a long time. I will certainly repurchase.