Product Review! Neutrogena's Intensive Moisture Wrap Body Treatment Lotion

Hey Beauties! Happy Friday!

As you can see, I'm back. =)

Today I'll be reviewing a body lotion my sister, Ieesha, sent me a message about last week. She told me it was a must try and suggested I review for the blog. Soooo...I did!

Read on to find out what I thought of this body treatment.....

The Claim:
"Neutrogena Intensive Moisture Wrap Body Treatment delivers clinical strength to relieve extremely dry skin, especially during the wintertime. This concentrated formula contains a unique glycerin-rich complex that instantly wraps skin in comforting moisture and penetrates to heal even the driest skin from both the inside and out. Intensely moisturizing, yet comfortable for daytime use." from neutrogena.com


The Truth:
Hands down this is my new holy grail body lotion. My sissy was right...I LOVE! I actually don't have extremely dry skin...so if your skin is rather "normal", I'm sure you will still find this is for you! I LOVE that it's light but REALLY gets the job done. My skin felt soft, moisturized and silky afterwards. A little goes a LONG way and with this, you're not wasting minute after minute of your time rubbing it in. It blends like a dream without much effort. The after-feel is not greasy AT ALL but smooth and hydrated. =)

Pros:

•  Moisturizes like a dream
• Non-greasy
• Fragrance or fragrance-free versions
• Light
• Blends into skin well (without much effort)
• Keeps skin moisturized throughout the day
• Leaves skin feeling smooth and silky
• Clinical strength
• Dermatologist recommended

Cons:

• As drugstore lotions/body moisturizers go its a little on the expensive side ($10.99) for a 10.5 fl oz bottle. 

Recommendation: Before trying this I didn't really have a "staple" body lotion. I rotated between various brands depending on what was on sale, what gave me the most bang for my buck and what would keep me "non-ashy". LOL. But now I can say I have a staple! I'll be buying this over and over again. Anytime I can get smooth, moisturized skin without all the fuss and hassle of a thick, creamy lotion AND I don't feel greasy after? I'm sold. Try it, beauties! ;)

Overall Score: 4.75 out of 5

You can find this at your local CVS or any major drugstore that sells Neutrogena products.

Have a great weekend!

M.

Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer WINNER!

Hey Beauties!

As promised I am dropping in to announce the winner of the Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer. Drumroll please.............

Congratulations to Carol (cdziuba)! 

Please check your email for further details and information. =)


Thank you to all who entered the giveaway. Stay tuned for more fabulous giveaways in the future. I have much more to share with you. ;)

M.

Don't Forget to Enter the Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer Giveaway!

Hey Beauties!

Just checking in real quick to remind you that the Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer Giveaway is ending soon!! Don't miss out!

You have until midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 17th (PST) to enter to win!

You can view the details and enter the giveaway HERE.

Ciao!

M.

MAC Favorite Series and Killing Several Birds w/One Stone!

Hey Beauties,

Okay so you guys know I'm allllll about the multi-tasking, right? Well this post is really multi-tasking at its finest! I'm actually taking some time off and hitting Vegas soon (I need a break!) but I will be back late next week. In the meantime, I wanted to leave you guys with a post full of info and goodies! So...you will get another 'MAC Fav' series...a Face of the Day (Valentine Pink theme), a MAC Chromaline Product Review and a few other 'Product Loves' allllll rolled into one! Gotta luv it! =) I could have done a few posts each but they are ALL connected by one look...sooo forgive me.
**This post is pic heavy! 

First up! Let's discuss another great MAC Favorite of mine from their permanent collection: Satin Taupe  eyeshadow (pictured below; the browninsh taupe color in the middle)!

Let me give you a little background story on me and Satin Taupe. When I first started getting into MAC eyeshadow and just makeup in general...I HATED Satin Taupe. Yup sure did. I honestly didn't give it a fair chance because I felt like it was constantly being forced on me in MAC limited edition palettes! I think I literally have 4 different MAC palettes that have Satin Taupe as one of the shades (this is the reason I have YET to buy it as a single shadow....I haven't needed to lol). Now that I have given it a fair chance...I LOVE it and I see exactly why MAC uses it in many of their pre-made palettes. It is SUCH a versatile color. It can be light and natural looking or paired up for a great smokey/nighttime look. Its one of those colors that plays well with ANY other color you use and I think its one of the few shades that is UNIVERSALLY flattering. It is one of my favorite MAC shadows. Also, anytime beginning makeup beauties ask me what MAC shadows they should try or if they ask me for recs for a good natural looking color that they can wear every day from MAC...I direct them to Satin Taupe. If you don't have this one in your stash yet...get it! I promise you won't be disappointed. ;)

So this brings me to the Valentine's Day inspired hot pink look I did using Satin Taupe...check it out!

Alrighty! I'll run down the list of products I used to make this look happen in juuust a sec. Let's focus on the MAC Process Magenta Chromaline I used as liner. Seriously...I think I would have LOVED this look had I skipped the Process Magenta (at least on the upper lash line). Me no likey! Let's review...
Here it is in the pot:

Purrty huh? Yeah I think so.
The Claim:
"A waterproof gel/cream liner that provides all the smooth graphic benefits of a liquid liner. Creates precise, long-lasting lines of intense colour with dense matte coverage. Versatile palette offers both vibrantly bright and blackened shades. Applies smoothly, sets quickly." from macpro.com


The Truth:

This is a MAC Pro item that you can find at any MAC Pro store (I do believe this color launched in the fall, however, I don't see it online but if you want it...call around to Pro stores and they can ship it to you). For the most part the claim IS true. The color is intense (they have very vibrant colors to choose from) and it IS waterproof and sets VERY quickly. Check, check, check. Application though? Hmm...not sure I would describe it as smooth. It actually applied kinda rough and crumbly at times...I was a little surprised by that because when I swatched on my hand to do a test run of the "waterproof" capabilities it seems to apply much smoother. Maybe over eyeshadow on the eye things get rough. This stuff has the staying power of a BEAST though. As I look in the mirror today I can still see hints of pink in my lashes and I used makeup wipes and washed my face THREE times since then! LMAO! Now back to this stuff setting quickly...I think that may be one of the reasons I didn't really dig this in the Valentine's Day look above. By the time I got a decent line along my upper lashes (meaning, even) it had dried down making it hard for me to "remove" the splashes of pink color that got into my lashes upon application. I mean...when you line your upper lid close to the lash line you can almost expect some of the color is going to get into your lashes. I usually solve this by taking a thin stiff clean liner brush and "wiping" my lashes with it to remove the color without disturbing the line and then the rest is usually covered up when I apply my coats of mascara. Welp! No ma'am on this chromaline stuff! Once that stuff dries...Bless ya! I got a little bit off using my brush method and I covered SOME with my mascara but yeah...you can still see it. Its a pet peeve of mine because the overall look just doesn't seem "polished" to me. I'm picky. I'm also not sure about the color for me. Its VIBRANT hot pink. Not sure this works as a liner on my skintone. I did use it on my lower outer lash line and liked that better overall...so I think maybe that could be my use for it...or maybe as a base of some sort if I ever do a vibrant pink lid. I don't know. Any thoughts?

Pros:

• Waterproof and smudge proof
• Vibrant pretty colors
• Will probably work well ALONE as a liner or as a base to a vibrant eye look

Cons:

• Not a smooth application in my opinion
• Dries VERY quickly which can work against you if you need to correct mistakes
• Its a MAC Pro only item (meaning you can only find this at MACPRO.com or at a MAC pro store)

Recommendation: Grab these if you are a makeup artist...you can definitely work with it. For other beauties such as myself...unless you are just DYING for a hot pink cream liner or a HOT purple color...you can skip. I don't think they are easy to work with. Also, if you do go for the color factor, please be careful because some of them are not safe for use in the eye area (like the bright Landscape Green color). 

Overall Score: 3 out of 5

Now back to the products I used in my Valentine's Day inspired Face of the Day (with some tips and product loves thrown in!)  ;)
*All MAC unless otherwise stated*

Face
-Studio Finish Concealor NW40
-Studio Sculpt Concealor NC 50
-MSF Dark
-MSF Deep Dark (lightly dusted)
*Quick tip! I am not a fan of foundation AT ALL. I have some, but I've never been one to wear it often. BUT I do like having a smooth, even tone especially when I do an "eye look". So if you are like me, try using concealor ONLY in the areas that you need to even out (not all over)...be sure to blend (mix various shades if you have to). Then use a dusting of mineral powder all over to even things out and set the concealor. This gives me an even "flawless" look without being heavy or requiring the use of a foundation. ;) As you see above I have two different concealor colors and two different Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF) shades. Please know that I am dabbing, blending and dusting a LITTLE bit from each to get my "winter color" here. ;)

Cheeks
-Azalea powder blush (Pro)

VERY pretty vibrant magenta color. One of those you must use a "light" hand with. Its gorgeous though. *Product LOVE*

Eyes
-Too Faced Shadow Insurance (primer)...is this stuff supposed to be so wet? O_O
-Estee Lauder Double Wear Shadow Cream in Silver Leaf

This is such a pretty silvery taupe color. I love these because they work well as bases AND as shadows alone (no creasing!). I used this as a base to the Satin Taupe in my eye look above. ;) *Product LOVE*

-Satin Taupe e/s (applied with a slightly damp brush for more intense color; all over lid and into crease a bit)
-Malt e/s (brow highlight)
-120 eyeshadow palette colors:

• Hot Magenta Pink for 'outer v into crease'
• Midtone Pink for crease
• Dark silvery grey just a bit to deepen the 'outer v' 

**the 120 palette doesn't have the shadows named or numbered...if you want to know specifically which ones I used, email me
-Feline kohl power (to line my lower waterline)
-Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara (another Product LOVE)

Lips
-Rimmel Purple Shock lipliner (pinkish magenta color)
-Angel lipstick (dabbed on) *not shown in the pic below*
-Petite Indulgence Cremesheen glass (limited edition)
-Funtabulous Dazzleglass

This was the first time I did this particular lip combo and I LOVED the result. Pretty sparkly pink!

Thaaaaat's it! So again, I think I loved this look without the upper lid Process Magenta liner. I was inspired by Valentine's Day pink but used Satin Taupe to give it balance. I may recreate this one for V-Day! ;)

Let me know what you think!

I'll be back real soon, beauties! In the meantime take care of yourselves and I wish you ALL a beautiful and blessed Valentine's Day! =) You are gorgeous, wonderful, special and LOVED.

Milan 

Product Review! Ms. Manicure Handy Dandy Mani

Hey Beauties!

Today I'll be reviewing a new manicure tool set that I have been using: Ms. Manicure Handy Dandy Mani!

The Claim: 
"My Handy Dandy Mani set is a tidy carry-all that has every tool you could require to manicure yourself solo." from packaging. 

Set contains: Washable Emery Board, Nail Brush, 3-Wood Sticks, Cuticle Nipper, Nail Scissor, Nail Clipper, 4-Way Nail Buffer, and Tweezers all in a cute zippered pouch with an extra pocket for polish.

The Truth:
This is a great little set to have for a couple reasons. For those of my beauties (like myself) who do your own nails/manicures...this set comes with every tool you need to give yourself a professional style manicure at home. For my girls that go to the salon for a professional manicure regularly...this kit is GREAT to carry along with you for your manicurist to use. I've been known to bring my own pedicure tools to the salon when I get my toes done so this would be perfect for having your own manicure tools with you just in case you don't want the salon to use theirs! =)

Pros:

• 8 Quality manicure tools
• Inexpensive (about $9.99 at Walgreens or Target)
• Cute waterproof pouch so you can easily carry them with you
• Short of polish, this is pretty much everything you need for a great manicure
• The 4-way nail buffer is a gem (it has #s 1-4 on it to let you know which side to use and in what order)
• Extra pocket to carry polish or any other nail accessory with you!
• Instructions included on the back of the package on how to give yourself a good manicure. =)

Cons:

• This is probably just me...because I'm often remedial but the nail scissors scare me (I never use those and I don't think I've ever seen a manicurist use them on me)
• The tweezers seem kind of random but they are there if you need them! The packaging says these are great for removing splinters. ;)

Recommendation:

A great buy for my nail fanatics out there! If you need a to-go manicure set, a personal set of tools for your nail salon trips or if you just need a great set of tools to use at home...grab this! Ms. Manicure products can be found at Walgreens drugstores and some Target stores. 

Here's my latest at home manicure courtesy of Ms. Manicure Handy Dandy Mani...Purple Xing!

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

M. 

*Product sample was provided for this review*

Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer Giveaway!

Hey Beauties!

Happy Hump Day to ya! I hope each one of you is getting through this week well!

In an effort to make it a little easier i'm dropping in to announce The Rouge's next giveaway! I am really excited to be teaming up with Perricone MD to bless my lucky readers with a chance to win a bottle of their Face Finishing Moisturizer!

"A lightweight, superior facial moisturizer formulated with powerful antioxidants to help firm skin's appearance and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. Face Finishing Moisturizer is rich in texture and feels simply wonderful on the skin, imparting a visibly radiant and smooth appearance. It's formulated with three powerful anti-aging sciences: Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE and Vitamin C Ester. Paraben-free."


Sounds wonderful, huh? I am dying to try this out! Dr. Perricone Skincare is a leader in anti-aging skin products that promote healthy, glowing youthful results and this Face Finishing Moisturizer is one of the best sellers of the line. It is also valued at $65 so I encourage you all to jump in on this giveaway so you can win a chance to try it!

Here's what you need to do!

1. Be a follower of the blog

2. Be a resident of the U.S. or Canada

3. Simply leave me a comment on THIS post (with your name and email address) sharing why you want or need to try the Face Finishing Moisturizer.

That's it! You have from now until Wednesday, February 17th at midnight (PST) to enter!

One winner will be randomly selected and announced on the blog on Thursday, Feb. 18th.

Good luck, beauties!


M. 

I am in no way affiliated with Perricone MD company, nor am I receiving payment for this blog entry or contest. All products will be shipped directly to the contest winner from & courtesy of Perricone MD. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE. 

Best Blog Award!

Hey Beauties!

My girl blkprincess87 over at 'So Many Words, So Little Time' recently gave me the Best Blog Award you see here (Thanks girl)!!

There are some rules to getting the award...I think I'm supposed to nominate other blogs, however, I'm so humbled and honored to have received it...I want you all to check out blkprincess' site, follow her blog and show her love. She deserves it!

Thanks again girl. =)

Also, I'll be updating my blog roll very soon...had to do some cleaning and adding/removing links. Once I do, I encourage you to check out all the blogs i'm loving and follow them as well. ;)

M.

UNII Cosmetic Palettes Giveaway WINNER!!

Hey Beauties!

As promised I am announcing the winner of the UNII Cosmetics Palettes giveaway...*drumroll*

Congratulations to:


The Pretty Brown Girl (CaShawn)!! 

Your name was randomly selected as the winner of two UNII Cosmetic palettes!! Please check your email for further information. =)

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and to all my blog followers! I have more goodies in store for you so stay tuned. I'll announce the next giveaway this Wednesday! You won't want to miss it!!

Take care!

Milan

MAC Colour Forecast Swatches, Thoughts, Must Haves....

Hey Beauties!

Happy Friday! TGIF!! Another week down. I hope everyone is well.

Today I want to discuss MAC's Colour Forecast collections a bit and give you my overall thoughts, show you some swatches and let you in on what EYE think are the must haves.

I believe this collection officially comes out next week Thursday, Feb. 11th, however, it is available for purchase online now (be sure to browse each of the 4 collections). I was able to go to a pre-launch/reveal party at my local MAC store on Tuesday so I got to see the collection, swatch some stuff and make purchases. Honestly, I haven't been excited about a MAC collection in a while. They come out with so many and lots of times the products are completely dupable and/or nothing stands out as a must have. This collection is different though. Its actually four collections (Spring Colour Forecast 1-4) that make up the whole story and I think there are a number of great products that you may want to check out!

Each mini collection is centered around a specific color: Pink, Coral, Plum and Amber. I think if you're a lipstick/lipglass girl you will find more than a few colors that you may want to grab. Here are some swatches of SOME of the lipsticks:

Okay from top left going down (Raddicio, Phlox, Laughalot, Bubblegum); Top right going down (Rose Maiden, Victorian, Colour Me Coral)

At the very bottom here is Fresh Salmon


For the lipsticks I think that they are all very pretty, however, for my girls of color...my brown beauties, you may want to avoid Phlox,Victorian and Colour Me Coral. Phlox just doesn't show up well enough to make it worth it in my opinion. Victorian runs super cool so I don't know how flattering it will be. If you want you can try to warm it up a bit with a deep colored liner. Colour Me Coral looks like it may show up as ashy on most brown beauties. Just my thoughts!

The other colors are really pretty and I think would look great. My favorites here are Fresh Salmon and Rose Maiden. =) **These are not ALL the lipsticks in the collection, just the ones I was able to get swatches of** I would also like to mention that I did take a look at Beigeland and Bronzilla and both are really pretty. If you're more of a nude/natural lip girl...these are gems.

I'm sorry I didn't get to swatch some of the lipglasses but from what I could see they are great as well (it was crowded in there! I don't do well with crowds so I took a peak and kept moving! lol)

Okay for eyeshadows. Again, great stuff here. I think Colour 3 and Colour 4 quads are fantastic. I'm more of a palette as opposed to a single shadow girl so if you're like me...these are good buys. The colors are very pretty as well. For the single shadows...in Colour 1, Da Bling eyeshadow is permanent so I think you can hold off on that one until later if you want.

I admittedly didn't pay much attention to the crushed metal pigments or the nail polishes so if you have thoughts on these please share them in the comments section ;)

Now on to my FAVORITES of the collection! The Blush Ombres! I was VERY good and out of all the great yummy-ness I saw...I walked away with just two items that I ADORE. The blush ombres are the true jewels of these collections in my humble opinion. Especially if you're a blush/highlighter girl like myself. They are gradients of buildable color from light to dark that when swirled together create a beautiful shade of blush. Separately the lighter portions can be used as highlights for the eyes and cheeks. LOVE!

Each mini collection has a blush ombre to go with it: Azalea Blossom, Ripe Peach, Vintage Grape & Springshine. From jump I had my eyes on Ripe Peach and Vintage Grape because the early swatches I saw were beautiful and they looked like the two colors that would go well with my skintone and give me the most color. I did take a peak at Azalea Blossom and Springshine and although those were pretty...I passed because they weren't as vibrant as I wanted...for "us" these would serve well as highlighters but I wanted BLUSH so I went for Ripe Peach and Vintage Grape.
Here are the Beauties!

This is the booklet we got for the collection at the launch party and Vintage Grape and Ripe Peach blush ombre!

Aren't they pretty?!

This is a swatch of Vintage Grape (sorry so blurry! Folks were bumping me in the store...interfering with my WORK! haha!)

So ladies...I recommend you grab these. If you're only going to grab one...make that one Ripe Peach. I honestly STILL haven't gotten a good swatch or picture of it on my cheeks but it is BEAUTIFUL. I adore it and I wouldn't tell you wrong. As soon as I get a really good picture of it that does it justice I'll do a "Rouge" post for it. I can only describe it as a warm, natural glow with subtle shimmer. ;)

Okay that's it for now. Let me know your thoughts on this collection, what you ordered or purchased so far or what you plan to get (if anything)!

Happy Friday! =)

M.

Let Me Cater To You...Valentine's Day inspired guest blog post!

Hey Beauties!

I just wanted to hop in and let you know that today I did a guest blog post over at my girl Krissy's beauty site! Check my Valentine's Day inspired post HERE. Its definitely all about the men, ladies. ;)

I also encourage you to browse Krissy's site and follow! She has tons of wonderful, yummy beauty-related stuff on her site. You can literally lose yourself there. Check her out!

I hope you are all having a blessed and wonderful week so far.

Take care.

M.

New Series! MAC Fav: Girl About Town & MAC Red Lipstick!

Hey Beauties!

I'm starting a new series called 'MAC Fav' here at The Rouge. I will be highlighting various PERMANENT MAC cosmetics items that I love. If you're a MAC fan or even mildly familiar with them, you may have noticed that they launch MANY collections throughout the year. Oftentimes, these collections are packed with limited edition items that once gone, are gone for good (unless and until they are relaunched later with another collection). I've actually scaled back A LOT on purchasing items from new collections that launch unless it's something really special and unique. I think MAC has MANY great permanent products that shouldn't be overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the new collections that come out. The great thing is that if you get attached to a permanent product, there's a good chance you'll be able to continue to buy it once you run out. So hopefully, this series will help you make good decisions when heading to the MAC counters/stores. =)

So today I'm showcasing two lipsticks from the permanent line that I really love. MAC's 'Girl About Town' and 'MAC Red' are two very distinct, VERY bright lipsticks but I think they look lovely especially on brown girls.

Girl About Town is a hot pink amplified creme that will probably scare the faint of heart. However, it is beautiful and I'm glad the MAC Makeup Artist convinced me to get this soo long ago. He was right! It's a must have....check it out!

I lined my lips with MAC's Magenta pencil lipliner (another great permanent item) and then I applied Girl About Town and topped it off with a thin layer of Style Minx lipgloss (limited edition) from the MAC Heatherette collection that launched couple years ago.

Next up! MAC Red lipstick is a beautiful blue-red satin lipstick that I love. Check it!

For this one I lined my lips with NYX pencil lipliner in Cabaret and I topped it off with a Givenchy's deep red pop gloss. Love!

Don't be afraid to go for color on your lips, beauties! Be sure to keep your eye makeup simple if you're going to do a strong, bold lip. I usually will just line my eyes with black liner and put a couple coats of mascara and that's it.

What do you think? Do you own these MAC items? If not, grab them!

What are some of your favorite MAC lipsticks from the permanent collection? Let a sista know!

Have a great day.

M.