REVIEW - Mally Beauty - Evercolor Shadow Stick

Get thee to an Ulta and buy this immediately.

Ok let's step back a bit and start with a regular review shall we?  I love pretty shimmery neutral shadows but I am cursed with very oily eyelids so my shadow creases at the drop of a hat - or a blink of an eye as it were.  Normally I have to wear a eye shadow primer (Urban Decay Primer potion or the Wet and Wild Fergie one works decently as well) - otherwise my shadow creeps into the creases of my lids within a couple of hours.  I got a Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in a kit from Ulta because I wanted to try out the Poreless Defender.  Little did I know that this shadow stick was going to blow my socks right off.

I normally write off eyeshadow sticks because they never last.  Never.  Last.  Ever.    I might be able to squeeze 3 hrs out of one if I set it with a bunch of powder shadow but meh.    I got the color Saddle Shimmer in the Mally Bulletproof Essentials kit.  It is a shimmery bronze that just hints at a duochrome but doesn't really look like that on the lid.  I ignored it for many moons because I figured it was just as crappy as all the other shadow sticks I've tried.  

One busy morning I was late getting going and didn't have the time to do my normal eye makeup.  I swiped the Mally Shadow stick over my lid, blended with a finger and ran out the door.  12 hours later,  I get home and wash the warpaint off of my face and my eye shadow is not only still there - it is PERFECT.  No fading, smudging creasing or ANYTHING.  It looked like I had just applied it.

While I was picking my jaw off the ground, I decided that I need to test this shadow further.  The next day I used it as a base for my Urban Decay NAKED palette and my eye shadow stayed put ALL DAY.  No fancy primer has ever gotten that kind of performance for me, even from UD shadows which are pretty darn good quality.  I decided I needed more of these - and then got kicked in the gut - $25 a stick.  So it is pricey.  But even at this price I'd say it is worth it.  Get a color that you love that will work on its own for you as well as work as a shadow base.  My favorites are Rosy Taupe, Taupe and Dusk.  All three go really well together and under my favorite shadow palettes.

L-R: Champagne, Rosey Taupe, Taupe, Saddle Shimmer, Dusk, Gunmetal, Purple Rain

I got really lucky and found a kit on Ebay that had 5 of the shadow sticks in it for only 40$ - an amazing deal and I snapped that up so fast I nearly gave myself whip lash.  The Champagne was pretty but not as pigmented as the others and seemed to not do as well with the rub test.   Purple Rain is just incredibly beautiful, a near duochrome as well but it was more easily rubbed off than the others,  same with Gunmetal.

Rosy Taupe, Taupe, Dusk and Saddle Shimmer are nearly bullet proof once they are set.  Highly highly recommend all four of those colors, and if you had to just pick one - it would be Taupe for me.  It is just so darn pretty.

You can find these as part of kits at Ulta and on QVC - they are well worth the splurge.

Cracked and dry heels? Get thee to Costco ASAP

Summer is coming.  No white walkers to worry about thankfully but my feet are going to be out on display quite a bit with the warmer weather.  This was posing a bit of a dilemma because my feet have been sorely neglected all fall and winter long.

I have dry, cracked, peeling just plain nasty heels.  We are talking they snag on the carpet they are so bad.  Scraggly feet we will call them.  I have tried everything.  Pumice stones, foot scrubs, salon pedicures (this gets pricey!) and the tried and true Petroleum jelly with socks on at night.  The last works ok but soon as I forget a few days, the scraggle feet come back.

It is so bad that I would curl my feet away from my husband's in bed cause I was worried my heels would scratch his feet.  Nasty.

Anyhow.  The other day I was wandering the aisles at Costco, going from sample station to sample station and stocking up on things I have little need for (26 lbs of pistachios anyone?) I stumbled upon an unassuming little foot pedicure exfoliator.

Retails for around $20 at Costco

 You can find it over by the soaps/cosmetics and hopefully the Costco near you carries it, because this my friends, is MAGIC.

Even comes with batteries included!

 You use it on dry heels, and you just rub it along the dry parts and it sloughs off the dead and dry skin.  If you have a lot there will generate a ton of dust, also known as scraggle powder.  I suggest you lay out a towel under where you will be de-scraggling your feet for easy clean up.  I was dubious at the packaging's claim that it would be a huge difference in just one use.  I purchased a Clarisonic style pedi thing before with a pumice stone attachment and that was an epic fail - so call me a skeptical customer.

After two days of use - NO SCRAGGLY FEET

I have used it for two days and never before have I gotten anything like the results above.  I'm kicking myself for not having a before photo - but trust me, my feet were perma-sock material.  Now I am looking forward to a barefoot summer and lots of footsies with my man.  You still should moisturize your feet, but this will remove that layer of dead skin and make them feel like a baby's butt.

I love this product so much I am getting one for my mom - who is the original Scraggle foot.

Amazing dupe for the Beauty Blender

Now for something a little different.  Foundation application can be a trixy business.  Too heavy an application can give you a masky fake look, too sparing an application can leave you splotchy looking.  The best foundation can suffer from poor application and with the right tools, a cakey looking foundation that clings to your dry spots can suddenly be transformed in an amazing real skin gorgeousness that blurs every flaw.

I've tried about every single method of applying foundation out there short of troweling it on like spackle.  That's next week.    My favorite for most liquid foundations is with a moistened Beauty Blender.  You wet the sponge, wring it out well so it's damp but not dripping, then dab it into your foundation and bounce it all over your face.  It gives the perfect amount of foundation and blends it out so well that it is UNREAL.  The only drawback to the Beauty Blender is that it's freakin' expensive.  One of these babies at Sephora is $19.99.  Twenty bucks!  And since it's a sponge, they are hard to thoroughly clean so you need to be changing them out every so often.  I'd say once every 3 months or so.  That shit adds up.

So being the cheap product whore that I am - I was on a mission to find a good dup for my holy grail Beauty Blender.  I've looked high and low, tried drugstore brands, brands from China via Ebay - you name it - they all were crap.  The imitators all had the same problem.  They were too dense.  When you wet a Beauty Blender - it expands to nearly double the size, and is easily squishable between your fingers.  These barely changed in size when wet and just did not perform anywhere as well as the original.  This made me a sad panda.

Recently I came upon the dup from Real Techniques at Ulta.  I love the brushes that come from Samantha Chapman's line and I was really excited about what she came up with in the beauty sponge space.  The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge sells for $5.99 - not much more than the drugstore version.  I had to try it out of course.

This sponge is a tear drop shape with one edge having a slanted flat edge and it tapers down to a point on the other end. The pointy side is great for blending under eye concealer and around the nose.

Wet sponge squish test

The texture of this sponge feels EXACTLY the same as the Beauty Blender and it behaves the same way when wet.  You can see how much it increases in size below.

Difference in size when wet

It applies foundation just as well and I'm amazed that such an affordable alternative is available finally after much searching.    If you love your Beauty Blender - you need to try this out.  And if you've never used a Beauty Blender - you should try this first.  Amazing!

GRADE:            A+

Performance:      A

Price:                  A

Availability:        A

Tutorial: Applying Jamberry Nail Wraps

Here is the easiest and most fool proof method of applying Jamberry nail wraps that I've found thus far.  It is much easier than using a hair dryer in my opinion and super fast.

Tools:  Cuticle scissors, cuticle stick, nail file, "rice dumpling" and Jamberry wraps

You can make a "rice dumpling" by cutting a square of cotton cloth (quilting squares are cheap and easy to find at any fabric shop) filling it with uncooked rice and tying it into a bundle with a strip of your cloth.  Alternatively, put the rice in a cotton sock and tie off the top of the sock securely.  Don't use synthentic fiber socks (polyester etc) if you don't want your microwave to catch fire.

Step 1:  Prep your nails by washing and drying your hands thoroughly.  Then use a cotton dipped in Alcohol to clean your nails.  Make sure there's no residual cotton fibers on your nails from the alcohol.  (Optional: Use a cuticle remover as directed, I like Sally Hansen's)  Push your cuticles back with a cuticle stick.

DO NOT SKIP THE ALCOHOL STEP.  If you do you may have issues with the adhesive not sticking to your nail well and have bubbling along the edges and premature lifting of the wrap.

 Cut the entire sheet of wraps directly down the middle for easier application.  One half of a sheet is enough for one manicure and one pedicure.

One half of a Jamberry sheet

Cut in half again

Step 2:  Take your Jamberry sheets and lay them over your nail to figure out which fits what nail.  Unless your nails are very long, each wrap can be cut in half to save the rest for another manicure. 

Cut the wrap you are about to apply from the strip and trim it down if needed before pulling it off the sheet

Step 3:  Put the rice dumpling into the microwave for about 25 seconds.  It should be just uncomfortably hot but not burning.  

Step 4:  Lay the selected wrap onto your nail, making sure to leave a little room between the wrap and the cuticle, aligning it so its straight on your nail, and press it into place, pushing to remove what bubbles you can.  There will be some extra that hangs over the tip.

Try to keep it straight as possible and smooth out the bubbles

Wee bit of over hang that we will get rid of shortly

Step 5:  Take the hot rice dumpling and starting with dabbing motions, press and smooth it over the nail, stroking down toward the end of the nail and over the tip.  You want to use the heat to bond it to the nail, and the pressure to help get rid of any last bubbling.

Much better now that it's bonded to the nail bed

Step 6:  Using your nail file, file away the excess at the tip of your nail using up down strokes while holding the file directly perpendicular to your nail.  This is important to avoid damaging the design with the traditional sawing back and forth motion.

File up and down, and pretend I'm holding the file with my other hand instead of taking a photo

Step 7:  Use the rice dumpling one last time to smooth out any ridges and over the tip of the nail to really seal the bond.  (reheat a bit if you need to)

Voila!  

Repeat for your other nails, and that's it!

NAIL WRAP MANIA - Jamberry vs Kiss Nail Dress vs Sally Hansens Nail Polish Strips

A friend of mine recently became a Jamberry retailer and gave me a couple of samples to try out.  Being the product whore that I am, I figured what better time to try out the other brands and really test out to see if its worth it.  

I love nail polish and having my nails look pretty.  Being a mom to two active boys, it is REALLY hard to get the time to paint them, wait for them to completely dry and rinse repeat every 3 or 4 days when the polish starts to chip.  After a while my nails start getting brittle and yellowed from the constant layer of polish and use of polish remover on them.  The smell of nail polish and nail polish remover always gets a lot of complaints in my house hold as well.

Nail polish chipping after 3 days, wraps no chips!

Paying $20-30 for a manicure  at a salon gets pretty expensive fast. 

I love the idea of doing a wrap on my nails where they get a break from polish, zero dry time, and no chipping!  

On the docket today:

Kiss Nail Dress: $6.99 for 28 wraps (approx 3 manis) - 4 designs @ the drugstore

Sally Hansen Polish Strips: $9.99 each for 16 wraps (approx 2 manis) -  4 designs @ the drugstore

Jamberry Nail Wraps: $15 each or buy 3 get 1 free (4 for $45) $11.25 each for 18 wraps (approx 2 manis and 2 pedis) - 300+ designs and ability to design custom wraps

Nail wrap Battle Royale!

The first two you can buy at any drugstore, the Jamberry wraps you buy from a consultant but more on that later.  You can cut the strips in half if your nails aren't very long and stretch out the package to get another manicure out of it, but you'll see soon some weren't worth the trouble.

All three styles benefit from prepping your nails in the same way before applying so that you get the best adherence to the nail.  Wash your hands and dry them well, soak a cotton pad in alcohol and wipe down the nail beds to remove any oils.  Use a cuticle stick to push your cuticles back and file your nails so there are no raggedy edges and are the basic shape you want for your nail.

KISS NAIL DRESS

These were the least expensive kind of wraps at the drugstore.  I saw about 4 different designs and thought they were super cute.  I was most excited about these cause I love me some cheap alternatives to salon manicures.  Unfortunately, these were god awful.  Out of the three brands, they had the most stretch to them when applying.  These do not bond to the nail bed well, and as a result have a lot of trouble with bubbles and securely sticking to the nail.  

Cute design, awful wrap, bubbling on both sides of nail

Shrinking away from the nail tip after 1 day!

Serious shrinkage!  Dry hands too ugh!

After a day or so they would shrink back from the tip of your nail which looks really bad.  They were only a slight step above putting regular stickers on your nails.  Waste of money,  do not bother.  So much for the cheapo option being a good mani replacement - these seriously were terrible.  These are removed by peeling the wrap right off like a sticker, and peel them I did.

SALLY HANSEN Salon Effects Real Polish Strips

There were about 4 designs at the drugstore, 2 were really ugly and this was the least busy of them all.   Applying this brand was kind of tricky.  The wrap did not have much stretch to it and getting it over the tip of the nail and trying to bond it around the edge was difficult.  I was most frustrated applying these  but realized that the wraps were better bonded the next day (wha?).  The bubbling problem I had with the KISS wraps was minimal.  There was wonkiness at the edges but no shrinking and they seem to wear pretty well.  

See the weird bit at the tip of my index finger?  

Pretty cute manicure over all tho!

Since this is an actual strip of nail polish,  I'd recommend putting a top coat over it and sealing the tip of the nail to make it last even longer on your nail.  You can squeeze out about 7 days from this brand if you aren't too hard on your nails.  This gets removed with regular nail polish remover.  Between the two drugstore brands this one is better option, just work past the application fussiness.

Jamberry Nail Wraps

These blew the other two brands out of the park honestly.  When I first tried them out, my friend Ashley gave me a couple strips to test out and there is a learning curve to putting them on.  I had a bit of trouble with bubbling along the edges and getting them to adhere to the nail tip.  My first reaction was ehhhh.

After I tested out the other two brands I came back to Jamberry again to give it a fair shot since I had been able to practice with the others.  She gave me another set of test wraps and after a bit of watching application videos on YouTube, I gave them another go.  Holy crap these are awesome.

Sample wraps in super cute designs!

These are vinyl wraps which become more malleable and bond to the nail after being heated up.  The instructions tell you to use a blow dryer or the Jamberry heater (of course another purchase right?) to warm them up for a few seconds until they are flexible, apply them to the nail and then use a cuticle pusher to work out any bubbles.  Pull the strip over the tip of the nail and press it down to the nail to bond the strip to the nail, and file away the excess using vertical strokes to avoid damaging the design of the wrap.    This didn't work well for me.  I found the whole blow dryer thing to be a bit of a pain, and I wasn't going to buy a dryer.  (ha! you kidding me?!)  

Here's the best method I've found to putting these things on well, and they last 2 weeks easily  on your nail (you will change them out due to your nail growing away from your cuticle before any wear issues):

Match up the wrap to the nail that fits.  Put a cup of uncooked rice into a cotton sock (no polyester blends please!)  and tie the end up, then microwave it for 20 seconds.  The sock should be pretty warm, just bordering on uncomfortable but not burning hot.   I made my rice heat thing out of a scrap of flannel and tied it like a wee dumpling.

Hot rice to bond your wraps!

Apply the nail wrap slightly above your cuticle, (it wont bond well if it's sticking to skin) and press it down with your finger, trimming off the excess leaving it just a bit longer than your nail tip.   Then use the hot rice sock to press and dab over the nail to warm up the wrap.  It will make the wrap become like shrink wrap, and keep pressing and dragging the sock downward over the nail to squeeze out any bubbles. 

Let your nail cool off to allow the adhesive to bond.  Then go over it with the hot sock again to smooth out any remaining bumps or bubbles, paying particular attention to the tip of the nail as well as the edges.  You want a really good bond so that it won't start to peel in a week.

You should now have a bit of excess that is folded over the tip of your nail.   Use a nail file and file straight up and down against the tip of your nail to shave off the excess from the end of your nail.

These can be removed by peeling off the wrap, or using a bit of nail polish remover to soften the adhesive if you want to change it before the bond starts to wear down.  I'd say you can get easily 2 weeks of wear from one manicure before your nail grows long enough for it to look a little funny.  No chips the whole time tho!  Try to say that with regular manicures.

Jamberry mani in Raspberry Sparkle with Teal Mini Polka on the accent

You can barely tell that this is not a traditional polish manicure, and within 3 minutes of finishing the last nail I was on my computer typing up the last of this post.  Try that with regular polish and not smudge it.

I am glad I came back and gave these a second shot after my first application because the way I described above was so easy, super quick and I had to text Ashley that she'd gotten me hooked.  I made the mistake of looking at the catalog she left me and there are 300+ wrap designs.  300!  And they even have "Mommy and Me" designs with mini version for the little girls in your life.  I am totally gonna be the most awesomest aunt EVER.  I was a little worried that all the designs would be super busy looking like the samples I got to play with but you have such a huge range of designs to choose from and even lots of solids that just about every taste can be accommodated.  There are even some U of WA wraps for you Husky ladies out there.

I ended up ordering a few and by the time I finished testing for this blog post, I was OBSESSED.

With the 18 wraps (which you can cut in half if you have short nails) you can get 2 manicures, and 2 pedicures for $15.  This comes out to about $3.75 per mani/pedi compared to a $25 salon manicure.  The number of designs, ease of application and removal, no damage to my natural nails, pretty much has me sold on this one.  There is even a special if you buy 3 wraps you get 1 free so they end up being $11.25 per wrap which is barely above the cost of the Sally Hansen polish strips.

The best drugstore alternative was about $10 for a set of Sally Hansens which gives you maybe 3 manicures manicures for about $3.33 per manicure.  Since there were only a few designs available with this brand, and the finickiness of the application, the drugstore brand came in a distant second.

I loved these enough to sign up as a Jamberry consultant and will have a step by step application tutorial up next.  Wheeee excited!  Here's that tutorial!  

If you are interested in checking them out, head to my Launch Party and join in!  Shoot me an email or leave me a message on Facebook if you'd like to try out a free sample.

Foundation Review: L'Oreal Magic Nude

It's rare that I find a product that I am just DYING to blog about but this one fit that description to a T.

These days I've streamlined my makeup routine quite a bit and generally sport the "no makeup" makeup look.  Foundation that is light enough to look like my natural skin but gives me just enough coverage to blur the sun damage and even out the ruddiness in my cheeks and redness around my nose.  Add some eyebrows, a sweep of lipstick, blush and masacara, then I'm done.  Ready in 5 minutes or so.
I have a few requirements for a light foundation.  It can't set in my fine lines or enhance my dry patches, the color needs to reasonably match, it can't break me out, and it needs to wear down nicely.

I had run across some reviews of the relatively new L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder foundation ($12) and was eager to test it out.  It has been described as a dupe for the Armani Maestro Fusion foundation ($64), and since both are owned by the same parent company, entirely possible.

Since it was brand new I didn't have a good feel for what color might match me (MAC NC25-30ish) so I picked up shade 318 Natural Buff and 320 Natural Beige.  318 worked well for me during the winter and as I get a little color this summer I'll use the 320.
Here's what the blurb on the website says about it:
"Get the ultimate un-makeup look with Magic Nude Liquid Powder Bare Skin Perfecting Makeup with SPF 18. Revolutionary liquid transforms on contact, leaving a soft powder like finish. This foundation is so amazingly lightweight it's like wearing no makeup at all! Just shake and apply – it’s magic!" So how does it live up to that bit of fluff?  Ladies, (and gents out there)  it fucking does.  It has a super lightweight feel to it and blends into your skin like nobody's business.  It sort of has a bit of that silicone primer slip to it, and does seem to get a powdery feel without a powdery LOOK once you've blended it into your skin.  Magic folks.  MAGIC.

You are not going to get a full coverage look to this, and even medium coverage is pushing it.  However if you are looking for just a light-medium evening out of your skin tone, this is your lucky day.  If you have blemishes or really dark circles, concealer will be needed to cover those.

You can see the splotchy cheeks and redness around my nose.  I can't emphasize wearing sun screen enough ladies, the years in the sun will turn you into leathery shoes if you aren't careful.

Some tips on application, shake it well.  Then shake it AGAIN.  The formula can be streaky if you don't shake it up really well.  I usually don't bother with a primer, but DO moisturize first, and wait a few minutes for that to sink into your skin before applying.  This doesn't cling to your dry areas too much but if you are flaking all over the place, any foundation will look awful.   Apply it with your fingers.  I know I know, some of you out there hate using your fingers to apply foundation.  Wash your hands well first, and USE YOUR FINGERS. 

The texture of the foundation is REALLY runny.  I nearly spilled it all over the place the first time I used it, so be careful.  Why this doesn't come in a pump I have no idea.  Pour just a dime-quarter sized amount into your palm and that should be plenty to cover your whole face and blend down your neck a bit.

Dot it on your cheeks, forehead, nose and chin.   Blend it into your skin in circular motions, and areas you need a teeny bit more coverage you can pat a bit on, but don't go overboard.  It's supposed to be light coverage remember.  

It isn't a long wearing foundation but it fades evenly by the end of the day so you don't have weird patchy areas that sometimes happens with the long wear kinds.  I have combination to oily skin and by the 8 hr mark I have a bit of a glow to my T zone but nothing that screams to be powdered or blotted away.  

This is a really nice every day kind of foundation to have.  I love that it applies smoothly and looks great without any work required.  Pretty in natural light dontcha think?

Packaging: C+

Color Match: A+

Longevity: B

Finish: A+

OVERALL GRADE:  B+

DISCLAIMER:  I bought this with my own money and am not affiliated with L'Oreal at all.  All opinions are solely my own.

Battle of the Top Coats: Seche Vite vs Out the Door

So I've been a die hard fan of Seche Vite (~$8-10 at your drugstore) for years.  It is the top coat I return to time and again after straying and trying to find a cheaper yet equally awesome alternative.  There are a few unique characteristics of Seche Vite that I haven't found in other brands. 

You apply it while your polish is still WET and it bonds to the color and smooths out any ridges and leaves a wet shine like no other.  It lives up to its name and dries fast within just a few minutes, and if you leave it to cure for at least ten you won't have any issues with smudges. 

One of the problems with Seche Vite is that the formula thickens up really quickly in the bottle.  I never get more than half way thru a bottle before it's so thick that it gets tossed or needs Seche Restore to thin it out.  So that's another $8 to keep it from getting goopy.  For someone who buys nail color on impulse and usually sticks to the cheapo $1.99 Sinful Colors polishes, I hate shelling out that much for a top coat.  However since I do use cheap ass polishes, they start chipping before even a day is out.  Thus the catch 22.  Use a good top coat to squeeze out a couple extra days from a manicure.

This time a top coat that I'd read from a beauty blog that might compare to Seche Vite was Out The Door.  I'd never heard of it before and was immediately intrigued.  I found it at my local Walgreen's for only $4-5 and had to try it out.  Just to test with some of the most chip prone polishes I own, the color is Oceanside from Sinful Colors.

Upon first application I could see that the Seche Vite side leaves you with a thicker glossier top layer.  All the ridges that happen when a polish doesn't auto level well are nicely disguised and  the color just looks better.  The drying time was very similar though and I didn't have any issues with smudging in the hours after application.  

After 5 days of wear, both showed chipping but there was a definite improved wear on the Seche Vite side.

I would normally change my mail color after 3 days and Out the Door might work in a pinch but Seche Vite still wins the Battle of the Top Coats over all.