Bag Lady!! Lumene Time Freeze

Hey Beauties!

Things are definitely busy for me this week with work and my best friend's wedding on Saturday. I have sooo much that needs to get done and for some reason everytime I knock off one thing from my list, another "to do" pops up! Arrrgh!

Anyway, enough of that...I wanted to drop in with this product review because it's really been helping a sista get through the stressful, lack-of-sleep nights that I've been experiencing without looking a complete and utter mess. Lumene Time Freeze Instant Cooling Eye Stick is the first thing I reach for in the morning and at night before bed....here's why:

The Claim: "Instant relief for tired and stressed eye contour area! Immediately cooling and lightly moisturizing stick provides relief for tired and stressed eye contour area. This cooling eye stick makes your skin feel refreshed. Helps diminish puffiness and visibly reduce dark circles."
from lumene.com

It also claims to provide firmer skin, less visible lines & wrinkles, moisture protection and helps prevent future signs of aging over time.

The Truth: It works! Aside from being stressed, overworked and sleep-deprived, I've also been very emotional lately (go figure). At a moment's notice I'll just tear up and the water works start! haha! Crazy. This definitely leads to increased eye puffiness. This little stick has been a God-send. I apply it almost every morning and some nights and it instantly makes the area around my eyes feel better. It feels cool and moisterizing and within minutes I notice a difference (especially with the puffiness). My eye area just seems a bit brighter and less "haggard" looking. As far as the long-term claims, we'll just have to see over time. I've only been using this for about a week and a half.

Pros:

• Notice results almost instantly
• Easy to use
• Feels great on the skin
• Has possible long-term benefits
• Soothing
• Easy to find at CVS
• Small and compact (will easily fit in your purse or makeup bag)
• non-greasy

Cons:

• "Drugstore pricey": most of us don't want to go to a drugstore and pay more than $10 for a beauty product (well I usually don't). This one runs about $15.
• Really soft formula so be careful with it in hot areas

Recommendation: If you're a certified bag lady (like me!), try this out. Your puffy, dark, tired eyes will thank you! Seriously feels like heaven in the morning....

Overall Score: 4 out of 5

You can purchase Lumene's Time Freeze Cooling Eye Stick at your local CVS drugstore.

I hope you are all having a great week! We're halfway through...hang in there.

M.

Milan's Rouge Monday! Black Radiance Spiced Ginger

Hey Beauties! Happy Monday.

I'm back with another installment of the Rouge and today's featured blush is Black Radiance's Sheer Blush in Spiced Ginger!

I'm a fan of Black Radiance blushes because not only are they affordable and found at your local drugstore (usually Walgreen's), they are HIGHLY pigmented (don't let the 'sheer' in the name fool ya!), blend like a dream and can hold their own against the quality of higher-end, department store makeup brands.

Spiced Ginger can best be described as a brick/cinnamon color...check it out!


And here it is on yah girl....


I must say I was slightly heavy-handed with this one at first and had to go back over it with some translucent powder to sheer it down. I underestimated the pigmentation of the blush. So just a tip...use a light hand and slowly build up as necessary. These blushes really give good color pay-off with minimal effort. ;-)

Take care, beauties and have a wonderful and blessed week!

M.

Beauty Haul Week! Day 4...MAC Polish and HIP Liners!

Hey Beauties! Happy Friday!!

I'm so happy the end of the week is here. I'm actually off today so i've been enjoying sleeping in this morning and just being plain lazy. Forgive me for the "late" post. :)

Anyway today rounds out the last of the beauty haul week! I've had fun showcasing some of my new stuff and I hope you've enjoyed it as well.

So last up to bat are my new MAC Nail Trend F/W '09 polishes and two of the new HIP Color Chrome Eyeliners.

Here are my MAC babies...they arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I love them already.

(From L-R: For Fun-purple plum; Dry Martini-olive; Beyond Jealous-blackened teal; Cool Reserve-grayish lilac)

*Swatches on these coming soon!*

And finally I grabbed two HIP Color Chrome Eyeliners from CVS...

(Gold Charge and Black Shock)

Swatches! Sorry the camera pic is blurry...need a new one.


Aaaand the swatches after I rubbed them vigorously with a tissue and my finger! Still there....


As you can see the staying power on these babies is great! They are also really smooth and creamy (no pulling or tugging) and the metallicy-chrome colors are vibrant and pretty! :) I encourage you to check them out!

Have a great weekend, beauties!

M.

Beauty Haul Week! Day 3...Wet N Wild Idol Eyes

Hey Beauties!

Beauty Haul week continues today with the new Wet N Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencils that I picked up from Walgreen's a couple weeks ago.

I picked up 3 colors:

(L-R: Graphite, Techno, Distress)

Hand swatches...

(Top to Bottom: Graphite, Distress, Techno)

These were about $.99 cents each when I got them so I paid about $3 bucks and some change TOTAL and I must say...I want my money back. LOL! I really should have known better but I'm a sucker for a creamy eyeshadow pencil and this was no exception. The colors are BEAUTIFUL (check out the hand swatches) but these things are a PROBLEM on the eyelids.

The first day I tried the purple Techno color. I was just going for a wash of color on the eyelid to be "work friendly". I made the horrible mistake of not using ANY type of eyelid primer (my staple is UDPP). I didn't realize my mistake until after I applied the creme shadow and was headed out the door. Oh well. I pretty much knew it was going to be a mess because I have oily lids but I placed the blame solely on myself to be fair (after about an hour my eyelids had pretty much soaked up all evidence of Techno...I just had a faint hint of purple "liner" near my eyelashes). I decided to test them out again using lid primer and a base to give it a fair shot.

So today I broke out the full aresenal. I applied my UDPP, next I applied one of my favorite "neutral" bases MAC's paint pot in Quite Natural and THEN I applied a wash of Graphite creme pencil over it. I crossed my fingers and headed to work. Soooo...yeah....I've been here less than 2 hours and my eyelids are fast at work eating this stuff up. The color has faded some and it's creased already. :-( BOOOOO! These are a no go for me. I wouldn't even bother to apply shadow over them because I think it would still be a mess and really...I shouldn't have to work that hard to, in the words of Tim Gunn, "make it work". Feel me?

So anyway...this "throw it in the bag" purchase...no matter how inexpensive..was a disappointment.

Have you tried these? What do you think? Do you have any absolute FAVORITE cream shadow pencils?

Have a great day!

M.

Beauty Haul Week! Day 2...Urban Decay Love

Hey Beauties! Happy Hump Day!

Since Monday was a holiday, this week is speeding along REALLY fast and I definitely appreciate it. ;-)

Next up for this week's beauty haul showcase are my newest Urban Decay goodies!

Now I've been a fan of Urban Decay eyeshadows and eyeliners for a while now but I've never really tried anything else from the line. I'm glad I finally stepped out of my "Urban Decay box" and picked up a couple of lippies and one of their new creamliners, Ink for Eyes.

Let's start with Ink For Eyes...I've been looking for a really creamy, dark brown liner for a while. Most of the brown liners I have are ok but they tend to wash out on my eyes because of my skintone. I needed a dark brown color that would look bold on my brown lids. That's where Urban Decay Ink For Eyes in Demolition comes in..

The case looks like a little coffin lol

The goodness inside. Look how creamy that brown is!

A hand swatch...bold brown.

This liner is REALLY creamy and the color is very pigmented. I will say if you tend to have oily lids (such as myself), you should apply a lid primer first and after applying the cream liner, pat some dark brown shadow over it to set. ;-)


Okay next up are my new Urban Decay lipsticks! Seriously, Urban Decay has THE most fabulous lipstick cases on the market! Hands down...I'm just sayin...

Purple casings!


The metal dagger on the bottom...LOVE!


The colors...Vinyl (plummy violet) and Rush (mauvy nude)


Hand swatches...Vinyl (top) and Rush (bottom)


The lipsticks are really creamy and smell like cocoa. :-) Rush is like my new favorite nude right now...

So what are some of your Urban Decay favorites?

Have a great day, beauties!

M.

Milan Rouge Beauty Haul Week!

Hey Beauties! Happy Tuesday.


Most of us are coming off a holiday weekend and back on the grind at work. I took my Labor Day Monday off yesterday so Milan's Rouge will resume next Monday. ;-) Stay tuned for that.


So lately I've been doing a lot of "throwing it in the bag" when it comes to makeup and beauty products. For those that aren't familiar with that Fabo song...that means I've been HAULING beauty products like its going out of style (I SWEAR I was on a monthly beauty budget! lol). For some reason, I just always seem to run into a "must have" item or something on sale, or something on sale that's a must have that I've always wanted to try...haha.


Anyway, I'm devoting this week to showcasing some of the new stuff in my stash. I'm starting off the week with my haul from the Cosmetic Company Outlet (CCO) in Las Vegas and my latest nailpolish haul from the past 2 weeks. Here we go!

First up the newest additions to my nailpolish stash!

(From Left to Right: Milani 'Disco Lights', Sinful Colors 'All About You', Orly 'Red Flare', Orly 'Plum Noir', China Glaze 'In The Limelight', CG 'Sacred Heart', Maybelline Salon Expert 'Cutie Pink')

**The Orly and China Glaze shades were picked up during Sally Beauty's nailpolish sale last week and the others were purchased at Walgreen's drugstore.

Next up...Vegas CCO haul....

I went to Vegas over the weekend and decided to check out the local CCO to see what they had. I was pretty impressed with the amount of Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC and Origins products they had. I think those that missed ANYTHING from MAC collections from Jan to now would have been pleased to find some of those "sold out" items there (also items from the past couple of years were still there as well). I ended up picking up a few Bobbi Brown lippies and a lippie from MAC Fafi collection that I never picked up...

MAC Fafi l/s, Bobbi Brown Lipgloss and Bobbi Brown lip crayons!


MAC High Top l/s (sheer lilac with sparkle), BB Heather L/g (mauvy brown), BB Red Plum and Nude Berry lipcrayon

And the Swatches!

(Top to Bottom: Heather l/g, Nude Berry l/c, Red Plum l/c, High Top l/s)

Beauty Haul week continues tomorrow ...stay tuned!

Duwop (That Thing)!

Hey Beauties!

Remember that Lauryn Hill song (Doo Wop, That Thing)? Yeah...everytime I think of cosmetics company 'Duwop'...I think of that song. But I digress, this post isn't about music.

Duwop has launched four translucent lip treatments called Icedteas! Now if that doesn't sound lip yummy I really don't know what does.

I was in Sephora over the weekend and just as I was heading to the checkout counter, convinced there was nothing else to see or "throw in the bag" I passed the Duwop icedteas display and was intrigued by the translucent colorful "lipsticks" sitting there.

What it is: "A translucent lip treatment that has an exotic fruit flavor, a subtle cooling effect, and the slightest hint of tint."

What it does: "DuWop Icedteas Translucent Lip Treatment hydrates lips with jojoba oil, aloe, and green tea extract while also containing sunscreen to protect lips. It has a sweet, exotic-fruit flavor and delivers a subtle swash of color to the lips." from sephora.com

Hmmm...definitely interesting. And i'm also convinced that a girl can never have enough lip balm or lip treatments. So I proceeded to smell them all and swatch them on my hand (they are ALL translucent...meaning clear...no color). They really all smelled so yummy but I decided to go with 'passionfruit' because that was more my speed. These things are smooth and moisterizing (non-sticky) and they really make my lips feel nice, hydrated and supple. They also contain sunscreen.

You can purchase Duwop's Icedteas Translucent lip treatments at any Sephora store or HERE online for $19 bucks.

Take care.

M.

Product Review: Origins Modern Friction Dermabrasion

Hey Beauties! Happy Tuesday!




Today I'm bringing you my review of Origins' Modern Friction dermabrasion. I got an email the other week from my very good friend (and line sister) Nicole. She was raving about this product and suggested I try it. So over the weekend I just so happened to be near an Origins store so I stopped in to check out Modern Friction and snag myself a sample! The saleslady gave me a quick demo on my hand and after seeing (and feeling!) the results I knew this was going to be special....

The Claim:


"Here’s age-smoothing exfoliation without irritation. Skin-refining Rice Starch, cushioned in cream, shows real affinity for rapidly removing sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolorations. Lemon Oil kick starts the process of illumination. Another age-sweeping action: skin-menacing molecules are mopped up. All while Aloe keeps skin calm and comfy. There’s no ouch, extra steps or other complications. No redness or flaking follows. The before-and-afters are amazing. Signs of fine lines and size of pores appear to shrink in size. Skin looks perfectly polished, smooth and luminous. And the perk-me-up aromas of Bergamot and Peppermint help you look on the bright side." from origins.com



The Truth: In english? All that and a bag of chips. I didn't need much to cover my whole face and although there are large granules, my skin didn't feel irritated or rubbed raw after I massaged it in. The true beauty of this product though is that once you rinse it off, you not only FEEL the difference in your skin but you can actually SEE the difference! Shut the front door! My skin was smooth like buttah AND it was MUCH brighter. Almost like dipping an old penny in copper cleaning solution and coming up with a bright shiny new coin. :) My face felt like that bright, shiny new coin. You just never realize how much dead skin you're carrying on your face until you use a product like this and see the after effects.

Pros:

• Left my skin feeling smooth and brighter/healthier looking (Wow!)
• Easy and quick to use
• Didn't require much product to cover my face
• Rinsed off easily
• Non-irritating
• Pleasant smell
  

Cons:

• Relatively pricey for a jar ($37.50)
• Must purchase online unless you have an Origins store near you
• If you accidently get some in your eye you will hate yourself**

How To Use: Two to three times a week, scoop onto fingertips and massage over dry, clean skin in circular motions. For sensitive skin, massage over damp skin. Add a splash of water and work into a gentle lather. Rinse well. from origins.com

**So...if you don't know by now...you really should. Your girl here tends to be clumsy. The Origins saleslady TOLD me to be extra careful around the eye area because this product contains lemon oil and if it gets in the eye it will sting...bad. I am here to tell you firsthand that it did. :( I wasn't so careful when I rinsed it off and I got a small fleck of product in my eye....wooo saaaah! Talk about painful. I flushed my eye out with water and things were right with the world again but for one excrutiating minute I hated myself. So be EXTRA careful with the eye area when using this product.

Recommendation: A definite must-have in your beauty/skincare arsenal. Origins says to use it about 2-3 times a week but in my opinion that might be a tad excessive. I would go with once a week...MAYBE twice if you space them out (beginning and then the end of the week). The results are remarkable and it really makes a difference in how your skin responds to facial cleansers and moisterizers.

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

Have you tried this before? What are your thoughts?

M.