REVIEW: Milani Brow Tint Pen

Hello everyone! New review on the Milani Brow Tint Pen in Dark Brown.
I picked mine up at Target a few weeks ago and have been using it consistently since then.
I was quite skeptical about using a "brow marker" on my eyebrows, but it actually gives a natural, well defined look to the brows.
Unfortunately, the brow pen has been lost to the dark depths of the messy abyss I call the trunk of my car, but I was able to use it enough to get a good feel of how to use the product.
Since I don't have any pictures to put up, i'll try to be as descriptive as possible! So please bear with me!



LONGEVITY: I used this product during my long 12 hour days as well as a graduation and a few parties. It didn't smudge, color payoff looked just about the same as when I applied it that same morning, just with a tad bit of fading. I would assume that it's not waterproof, but I would say that this lasts a good amount of time. I didn't experience any smudging, either. 9/10

APPLICATION: I imagined the marker and the color payoff to be similar to that of a regular crayola marker from my childhood days. But this actually comes off as an almost "faded-brown" so it isn't an intense dark-brown shade and in my opinion, looks very natural. The marker is thin, and I found it to be a bit difficult to get used to. The felt tip was wearing down a bit, but that is to be expected with constant use. 9/10

IS IT WORTH IT? I purchased the product for roughly $6 USD with .07 oz/2.1 grams of product, and I would say I would repurchase it after I go through my list of brow products to try. For those of you with thin sparse brows, I think that this product would really help you in easily creating great looking arches because of the natural look it gives. My brows are quite full, but I find that this gives me a good amount of color and definition to really keep my brows looking freshly done up. TRY IT!

--This product comes in two shades, Taupe and Dark Brown. If you have medium-dark brown/black hair, the brow tint in Dark Brown would work best for you. Anything lighter, I would probably go for Taupe, but that's just for reference and to stay on the safe side if you are purchasing these online.--

UPDATE- 8-29-2012: I've used this product consistently and it still seems to have enough product to last me another month or so. So far, it has not dried out. Be sure to store it horizontally!

REVIEW: Clean and Clear Finishes:Oil Free Mattifying Moisturizer [PICTURES TO BE ADDED LATER]

Hello!
Another review, finally!

So last year, I purchased the Clean&Clear mattifying moisturizer after seeing it on Casasanchez's Youtube channel. I have sensitive combination/oily skin and had a problem with having my makeup last through my long 12-13 hour days. So anything that helps keep the oils away sounds good to me!

(Please excuse the condition of the container, I threw it into my makeup bag and my eyeshadow got everywhere)

LIKE:
-Oil free
-UVA/UVB protection
-Quickly absorbs into the skin
-Relatively thin consistency

DISLIKE:
-White cast/lightening effect
-Does not live up to "all day shine control" claim (What product does, anyway?!)


Okay, so to keep this short and sweet, it works. Somewhat.
If you have light skin/light-medium and are looking for a simple moisturizer that won't give you a greasy feel, this is or you. You would be able to pop this on your face in the morning and not have to worry about anything else, like a normal moisturizer. Now for those of us with medium-tan/dark skin, we have to put in a little extra work. I find that this leaves a noticeable white-cast, or light color on the skin.
I feel that the product has been blended in well, but the white cast is still there. So I only use this I will be applying foundation on my skin to cover up the "lightening" effect.

 It leaves a smooth finish to the skin and keeps my oily skin matte for about 4-5 hours (alone) but that lightening effect just kills it for me. It's not a terrible product, but not something I'd be picking up again.
OVERALL: 7/10

Bare Minerals Matte Foundation Review

Sephora: Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation

The link will take you straight to the Sephora site.


I first came across Bare Escentuals during my weekly sneaky trip to my mom's cosmetic drawer. Those were my pre-scarrednastyugly skin days, when anything I slapped onto my face essentially did nothing for me since there was nothing to cover up. After a couple of years, I started using the original formula to cover up some redness and acne scarring, and I really loved the formulation. It was a creamy, smooth, light-feeling powder that pretty much melted over my skin and got the job done, the right way. No cakey-ness, melting, nada. It lasted through my long, 12 hour day without coming all the way off of my face. But I really didn't like having any sort of "sparkle" or shimmer on my face, so a couple of months ago, I purchased the bareMinerals Matte formulation. It retails for $28 US, $3 more than the original. After using it consistently for the past 4 months, I have decided that I will not repurchase this foundation. It just didn't live up to my expectations and didn't provide me with the results the original formulation had.
I find this foundation to be:

• Light- medium coverage
• Thick/"cakey" looking
• Harder to blend

I don't like the fact that I have to apply layers of a product to get the coverage I want/need, for any product, not just this one. It lasts just as long as the original formulation, but I feel that it doesn't apply as smoothly and blend in as well as it's predecessor.  The light to medium coverage that it offers makes me want to apply a bit more, which when using mineral foundation, isn't a lot because I usually apply this in small amounts. But even my first layer looks like it just sits on top of my skin, not even blending in. So as I add on a few more "layers", the more thick and "cakey" it appears. BUT I do have to say, it does look GREAT after a bit of wear throughout the day. I had this on during my 4 mile run, and it looked perfect. My skin looked luminous, almost, and I wished that it looked the way it did when I first applied it earlier that morning. Anything that your skin secretes or maybe a bit of humidity, makes this work a bit, I think it cancels out the thick look in a way. But who actually wants to wait throughout the day to have that smooth, clean, canvas of a face?

Verdict?

It's not a terrible foundation, it just didn't live up to my expectations. I personally wouldn't pay the extra money for it again, but for those of you who aren't looking for a lot of coverage and a matte finish, I'd try this one out.

Money is money, and I've had this for waaaaay too long to be able to return it. So...
To make this work, I apply my primer, a thicker moisturizer, and a sunblock/sunscreen that sets a bit more oily. I then wait for about 10 minutes until the sunscreen has set into my skin for a bit and then apply the foundation using a duo fibre brush. I find that this brush applies the product in smaller amounts and gives me a better application overall.


If anyone is actually reading this, (lol) please please please let me know what you think! What works for you, what doesn't and any other product suggestions would be great. :D

Hope you all have a lovely day!

REVIEW: Hard Candy Glamoflage Concealer

Glamoflage Concealer (not blended)

Left: MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC 35

Right: Hard Candy Glamoflage Concealer in Tan

I came across this product a couple of months ago and being on my drugstore concealer hunt, I figured that I'd give this a try.

So glad that I did.

This stuff is great; It reminds me of my trusty MAC Studio Finish Concealer (I'm an NC 35, got this product in the shade "Tan") coverage wise despite the different consistency. The Glamoflage concealer has more of a liquidy consistency, but leans more on the thicker side and in that case, would best be suited for covering discoloration and acne scarring, not for use underneath the eyes because it would accentuate any fine lines or wrinkles because of it's thickness. Can look a bit cakey, but I avoid that by applying it with a small blending brush which saves a lot of product but still gives a nice effect. It's very pigmented and gives just great color payoff. You also get a lot of product in the tube: 20g or 0.71 oz for $6. The downside to this is that there are only 3 shades out: Light, Medium, and Tan. Tan would be best for those at around an NC 35 skin tone <--MAC reference because so many people use MAC. I had to wait until I got a lot lighter to be able to use this because I was too tan over the summer. So for my tan/dark skinned ladies out there, sorry, you're gonna have to miss out on this one.

DAISO: Brow Powder and Pencil

Ever Bilena Brow Powder in Black/Grey tone, $2

"Fain Eyebrow" Pencil in Grey, $2

Alrighty, so here are the brow pencils and the brow powder that I got from Daiso. I've been looking for something new to use on my brows ever since my unknown name brand yet amazing asian eyebrow pencil disappeared. I tried out the Rimmel brow pencil, Maybelline Expert Wear Duo Pencil, and I've been trying to find the Maybelline Define-a-Brow these past few weeks but almost all of the Targets, Wal-Marts, Rite-Aids, etc etc ARE OUT. It's pretty ridiculous. Do they know how much gas costs nowadays?! Uggggh. Anyways! So I saw these babies and had to get them. I remember watching a video on YouTube about some of these and read some pretty good comments about them, so I decided to pick up 3 pencils and 1 eyebrow powder.

Me likey. :)

I'd say I like the powder a lot more since it looks a bit more natural and easier to blend, but the pencil is good, too.

I wish the powder was a bit lighter or more cool toned but it seems to work out alright with my hair color. The gray tone of the pencil is on point though, but it's not as creamy as I'd like it to be. Maybe it's just really cold where I live and made it harden a bit...?

But either way, I like both of these and if you're a dark haired girl in search of a cheap eyebrow product to use, check these out (if you have a Daiso in your area).