Review: Nair Moisturizing Face Cream Remover

So I looked up reviews of the Nair Face Cream ($5.75 USD) before heading out to buy it myself, but found out that finding a decently informative review was nearly impossible.  Why am I reviewing it?  Because It's freaking amazing!


I have a common endocrine disorder called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) that causes excessive acne, lack of ovulation, irregular periods, insulin resistance, and hirusitism, along with many other symptoms.  Fortunately, I ended up with the better end of the stick, but I still have to go for regular waxing sessions to get rid of the extra fuzziness on my neck and chin.

Aaaanyways.  I had tried bleaching creams for my upper lip in the past and spotted the hair remover cream earlier this week.  Waxing gets old (and expensive) after a while, so I decided to give it a try.  The cream applies very easily and ACTUALLY does what it's supposed to!  Let me elaborate:  On the bottle it says to remove after five minutes, and I as a bit skeptical about the time frame, but man did it get rid of everything!  I used it on my cheeks, upper lip, chin and down my neck and it removed every bit of hair.

My only complaint is about the after effect.  I was honestly expecting a bit of a burn during application, but I found that my skin still felt irritated about two hours afterwards.  I don't have extremely sensitive skin, but those who do might not like it that much.

The verdict?  If you're looking for an effective hair removal cream that can be used all over the face, go for it.  If you have sensitive skin, avoid it like the plague!

Summer Lovin' - Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick in 106M Jolis Matins

So I have a confession to make: I love wearing orange lipstick.  I just defied one of the biggest rules in beauty - don't wear orange if you've got cool toned skin!  

This was also one of my first high end lipstick purchases!  Lancome's Rouge in Love ($26) line was released early last year and with the packaging and color selection, I couldn't resist myself!  I originally wanted Violette Coquette but convinced myself that I would never wear it (true...) so I snagged Jolis Matins.  It's described as a "soft peach", but I think the swatch will say otherwise.

That is orange!  Not quite as wearable as I had anticipated, but still gorgeous for summer skintones.  On my current NW15 skin, it looks quite stark, but on my summer tone, which is around NW25, it's freakin' GORGEOUS!  I wish I had a picture from summer to show you, but alas, I don't :( The texture is beautiful, it glides on like butter and feels like lip balm.  The scent isn't overpowering either, which is a plus.

The verdict?  Definitely try out the Rouge in Love line!  It's lightweight, comfortable, and is chock-full of fun and flattering colors!

bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss on Birthday Cake - Review + Swatches

The moment I first walked into the bareMinerals boutique and spotted Birthday Cake, I knew that I had to have it.  However, it took me literally six months to actually purchase it for myself.  It was one of those glosses that made every client go "WOAH no way!" when I pulled it from the display to show them, but I will say that every single one of them was surprised once they tried it on.






The texture of the bareMinerals Natural Lipgloss line varies significantly, from some shades feeling gritty due to the ingredients, to some shades, like Birthday Cake ($15 USD), that feel so so cushiony and smooth, although still thicker and tackier.  As you can see below, although the color in the tube is a CRAZY fuchsia with subtle blue (!!) pearl, on the lips its a sheer pop of pink that adds extra life to lips.  I can usually wear the Natural Lipglosses for about three hours before it's worn away, and I find my lips feel softer and more moisturized afterwards.

This is one of those glosses that will surprise everyone when you take it out of your bag!  The brush applicator fits lips wonderfully and applies with no scratchiness or streakiness, and the formula is buildable, so you can go for sheer coverage or build it up for more intense color.  I did notice however that it isn't particularly glossy, but that my be due to the thicker formula.

Bare Lips, no lip balm

 Birthday Cake                                                        

 The verdict?  If you're looking for a wearable pink gloss that's moisturizing and doesn't contain any icky ingredients, then totally go for it!  I bought mine at a bareMinerals Boutique, but you can find it online, or at Sephora stores.

Face of the Day: Spotlight on Eyes

Snapped a quick picture before going to work today!  I hardly ever do eye makeup this extensive for work, usually it's just one shade all over the lid and some smokey liner, but I figured I would play with MAC's Lucky Green eyeshadow and make it fun for my all day shift!  

Excuse the little clear button on my nose, that's my nose retainer :)

I would've gotten a closeup of the eyes but my point and shoot really can't give good quality closeup shots.  Sorry!!

On Face: bareMinerals Matte Foundation in Fair
bareMinerals blush in Awestruck

Eyes: MAC Lucky Green (lid)
LORAC Pro Palette shades: Cream (brow highlight), Sable (crease 1), Espresso (crease 2), Black (depth shade in crease)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (inner corner)

Lips: MAC Lipglass in Nymphette

Review: MAC Face & Body Foundation - N1

I've mentioned in one of my past reviews that MAC's Face & Body Foundation is sorta amazing.  Welp.  It is!

Face & Body Foundation ($27 USD) was made permanent after the release of MAC's Face & Body Collection in September.  Honestly, this was a collection I completely ignored.  None of it appealed to me at the time and I had seen horrible reviews about the pressed pigments, so I put it to the back of my mind and moved on.  When I went to my local MAC counter, I curiously asked to try out a foundation as I always had a bad reputation for MAC foundations in my head.  The associate matched my preferences to Face & Body, shade matched me, and voila!  It was love!

The texture is very watery, which results in sheer coverage that dries very quickly, but it is buildable to medium coverage.  I find it applies quite evenly without streaking both with a brush and fingers.  Color-wise, N1, which is the lightest shade in the neutral range, is just the tiniest bit too dark, I have to avoid blending down my neck since my neck is even lighter than my face and makes the shade difference look even crazier!

And the packaging!  YES!!!  Very minimalist, yet functional.  If it all depended on me, all foundations would be packaged like this!

On Face: MAC Face&Body Foundation. Cheeks: bareMinerals Awestruck Blush

On Eyes: Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo, Clinique High Impact Mascara

On Lips: bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Show Off

The verdict?  If you're looking for a sheer foundation with non-gimicky packaging, you're in luck!  Face & Body is a part of the permanent line and is available at MAC stores and counters.

Review: MAC 188 Duo Fiber Stippling Brush

I went WAYYY too long without investing in a stippling brush.  I was told that it is the idea tool to use for applying liquid foundation and even knowing that fact, I still avoided making the investment.  MAC's brushes, as many of you may know, are insanely expensive yet so worth every penny.  Instead of going for the big guns and grabbing the 187 ($42 USD), I ended up getting the 188 ($35).

Man I'm glad I went with the smaller size!  It does work very well with liquid foundation, and it fits well into the nooks and crannies around my nose, however since it doesn't cover much surface area, I actually prefer to use it for blush application.  

The smaller size works incredibly well on my cheeks and very lightly applying heavily pigment blushes.  I have not tried it with a highlighter, but I'm sure it'll work wonderfully!

The verdict?  Yes and no.  Yes for someone who tends to gravitate towards heavily pigmented blushes, and no for someone who wants it to solely apply foundation, in which case I would recommend going with the 187 :)

Tune in Soon! There's Lots on the Way!

Since I still have about two weeks left until I start school again, I plan on devoting most of my time that I spend watching Law and Order: SVU to posting reviews for you all!  I have been seriously behind on posts for a few weeks now and I really want to get back into the swing of things!

Hang in there!

~ Lauren

Review: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light

Getting back into the swing of things!  It's much easier to keep up on posts now that I'm working from my own laptop as opposed to a desktop computer!  I promise to keep up with reviews. :)

I'm constantly on the search for the perfect foundation, and I feel like I've gotten pretty darn close since Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream and MAC's Face & Body (review upcoming) are rocking my world as of lately.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream ($7.44-$8.99 USD) is described as an 8-in-1 skin perfecter that promises to do everything PLUS walk the dog and take out the trash..

Well, not exactly the last parts, but Maybelline seems to be making some serious claims to back this one up. It promises to blur imperfections, brighten, even skin tone, smooth, hydrate, enhance, and protect with SPF 30, and have 0% oils and heavy ingredients.

Left: Swatched lightly and blended. Right: Swatched heavily

As you can tell from the swatch, the texture is quite creamy, so those with oily skin will HATE this.  My nose is the only oily thing on my face and I find the formula separates after about two hours of wear.  Wear time I found was about eight hours of looking fresh after setting with a setting powder before needing a touchup, so pretty decent in my books. However, the coverage is very sheer.  Anyone who just needs a perfecting base will find that this does the job well.  It evens out the minor redness I have around my nose well, as well as brightening my skin nicely without ever feeling heavy.  I did actually forget I was wearing it once and went to a Zumba class with it on (BIIIG no-no in my book!), so it feels remarkably light and airy.  As for shade selections, Light is just the tiniest bit too dark and warm on me, but if applied with a light hand, then it works out nicely.

The verdict?  For those just needing something to even out their skintone and brighten their skin, I would say go for it!  The formula is a dream to work with and lasts a good amount of the day.