Luuux

July 2012 Favorites

These are my July favorites this year. :) It's a bit of a lengthy video, but that's because I've found a lot of products that I'm really loving! I cover mostly makeup items, but I have a few skincare and hair care products in there along with my favorite nail polish this season! It would make my day if you subscribed! http://www.youtube.com/user/TheScienceOfChic?feature=mhee

I just picked up some new brushes. :)

I've been eyeballing the Real Techniques brush line for about 8 months now and I finally sucked it up and bought a set. I don't know why it took me so long because they're very readily available and aren't too expensive (4 brushes + a case for only $17.99 is actually pretty cheap). I've only just opened them and started using them, but my first impressions are pretty positive. :) I'm going to wait another week to declare any solid feelings though just so I can get a little more experience. Have any of you used Real Technique brushes? What are your thoughts on them? --------------- *all content is mine* Blog: http://thescienceofchic.com/ Follow me on Bloglovin': http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3599544/the-science-of-chic

What's in my Target Beauty Bag?

The Target Beauty Bag is a little bag filled with makeup, skin care, hair care samples, and coupons that Target releases for free every few months or so which takes 8-10 weeks to ship and arrive. I know, I know. I'm the last person EVER to get their Target Beauty Bag so all of this will probably be old news to most of you... but better late than never! Since this was sent to me for free I feel that it's only appropriate that I test and review all of the products enclosed. Let's start with the bag: The design and color scheme really appeals to me, so points to Target for using an attractive bag. The construction on this isn't the best by any means, but it's a lot more sturdy than most little bags companies use (such as MyGlam). The inside has a nylon lining and the outside is also made of a lightly padded synthetic material which I can't exactly place (probably a nylon blend). This bag is actually manufactured by Allegra. Hmm, interesting. Here are the contents of my Beauty Bag: Makeup item: -A small sample of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait Skincare item: -Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF70 Haircare items: -Tresemme Split Remedy Shampoo and Conditioner -Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo and Conditioner -Aveeno Living Color Shampoo and Conditioner Etc: -$15 worth of coupons for various beauty items Overall, I would say not bad considering that I got this for free. The sample sizing for the products (with the exception of the Lip Butter smudge) is satisfactory for me since one use only samples (like the lip butter) really don't cut it. I feel that there is enough product for me to fully test the item so I can get a real feel for how it works for me. I'm slightly disappointed that hair products dominated the contents of this bag, but that's mostly because my hair at the moment is virgin hair which means I can't properly test the color protecting shampoos and conditioners. Bummer. Well, this gives me a bit of an excuse to do something with my locks so I have a reason to use color protecting products. I am, however, super excited about the coupon booklet. I love cheap products and I love it even more when I can save money so this is a real win-win situation for me!

FOTD from yesterday

I wanted to play up my brows yesterday. :) Since I’ve been blessed with dark, full, and arched brows I never really have the need to fill them in because when I do they become the main focal point. Because they were going to be the highlighted feature, I kept the rest of my face pretty neutral. I started out by priming my face with a primer designed to minimize the appearance of pores. then I moved on to perfecting my complexion with foundation, illuminator, and concealer. I then lightly contoured my face with a light bronzer and added a natural looking flush to my cheeks with a cream blush. After my face was finished, I set it with a loose powder that diffuses light which helps to further disguise any imperfections I was unable to get with concealer. I then moved on to my brows. I filled them in by mixing two brown matte eyebrow powders so I could get my perfect shade. After filling them in, I fixed any unclean lines with a concealer and then set the brow powder with brow wax. After my brows were done, I did a very neutral and light eye. After applying an eyeshadow primer, I used a shimmery white to further enhance the arch of my brow my sweeping it on my brow bone and I woke up the inner corners of my eyes with the same shade. Next I applied a shimmery light pink/champagne color to my lid stopping at the crease and along the inner half of my lower lash line. On the outer half of my lid and lower lash line and along my crease, I blended in a light shimmery brown with a slight bronze touch to it. Going over the shadow with a light fluffy brush, I blended everything in. After this, I thinly lined my upper lash line and my waterline with a black eyeliner. To finish up my eyes, I curled my lashes and added a multi-effect mascara to emphasize and elongate my lashes. With only my lips to be done, I swiped on a shimmery rose colored gloss that was similar to my lip color. To add the finishing touch and lock in all of my work, I used a makeup setting spray all over my face. Items used: Face Primer: Too Faced Primed & Poreless Foundation: Revlon ColorStay in Medium Beige Illuminator: Benefit HighBeam Concealer: Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in Light/Medium Bronzer: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Mood & Glow Boosting Powder in Light Bronze Blush: NYX Creme Blush in Natural Setting Powder: MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Powder Brow Powder/Wax: Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar Eyelid Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow: Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (not pictured) Mascara: Essence All Eyes On Me Multi-Effect Mascara Lipgloss: LORAC Lip Gloss in Rose Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Swatched! Urban Decay Primer Potions

Urban Decay makes 4 different colors of their cult hit eyelid primer: Original, Sin, Greed, and Eden. In the second picture I’ve swatched the primers without blending them first to better demonstrate their color. -Original is a sheer light nude shade which (as you can see in the 3rd picture) blends out to be invisible. -Sin is a shimmering pink champagne shade. -Greed is a shimmering pale yellow gold that has flecks of glitter in it. -Eden is a matte light skin toned nude that sheers out a considerable amount when blended. The color for all of them stays pretty true when they’re blended in (as seen in the 3rd picture), although the flecks of gold in Greed are more evident now. Out of the four, my favorites are Original and Sin since I find that a) they work the best and b) are the most versatile.

My feelings about the new Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup

Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup wear test report: I’ve been wearing this foundation since about 8am (it’s now 12am so It’s been on for far more time than I would normally wear it) and I would have to say that it had completely worn off by about 7 pm which gives me about 11 hours of wear on a balmy and somewhat warm day. It also evened out my skin tone quite a bit. Not bad. Now let’s get to the bad: -The sides of my nose were literally FLAKING within an hour of application (and this is with a primer and a setting spray) -My forehead, nose, the inner half of my cheeks, my temples, and my chin felt like they had a dry mud masque on them even though I took special care to evenly apply and blend in a thin layer of product. -I had large amounts of product settle into my under eye creases within 5 minutes -My under eye area looked atrocious! It had a very dry and cake-y appearance. -My dry spots were made into full on deserts and this formula clung to blemishes accentuating them further. I really don’t like this product. Thank God I saved the receipt because I am returning this tomorrow.

Transform your foundation using a liquid illuminator

If you want to liven up your complexion with a nice luminous glow, mix in a small amount of liquid luminizer with your foundation. Since you will be putting this on your face, make sure that you use a clean surface. You can use a cosmetics plate and mix is with a spatula or you can also use the back of your hand and your finger but only if you’ve taken special care to clean and dry them right before. In my pictures I’m using Revlon ColorStay foundation with Benefit High Beam which is a very pale pink, but you can also use other colored luminizers to your taste. A good ratio for this mixture is 1 part luminizer to 5 or 6 parts foundation when you eyeball it, although you might need to adjust this to more if your have dry or dull skin and less if you have oily skin. As you can see, the foundation hardly looks any different (which is good because if you can visibly see the luminizer you’ll end up with a bad case of the sparkles). I use this trick a lot especially on date nights and during the winter when my skin tends to look dull. I also use this when my skin starts to dry out with seasonal weather because it makes the foundation I use (Revlon ColorStay Combo/Oily) less likely to cling to dry spots. *These pictures are my own*

My Favorite Eye Products Under $5

This is one of my videos in an ongoing series about my favorite makeup or beauty products that are under $5. :) I love getting exceptional quality for super cheap and I know there are other bargain babes out there so I'm just spreading the love! If you like my video, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel. It's been a while since my last movie, but I plan on uploading soon.

Products I've nearly used up:

I have so many near finished products. :) I’m so proud of myself. Sure, all but two are sample or travel sized, but at least I’m putting a dent in my horrendously large stash of makeup and beauty products! Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (travel sized): I have MAYBE one use from this left. I really like this product and although the full sized version is pricey at $29 I feel tempted to buy it… but all in good time. I already have another travel sized of this but the De-Slick version and most of my e.l.f Setting Spray left so I’m going to wait until I actually need it. I’m probably going to use the packaging to hold some of the e.l.f Setting Spray because this nozzle produces a fine mist opposed to the e.l.f splat. Revlon ColorStay for Combo/Oily skin in Medium Beige: I have maybe 3 uses of this left. Although this is my perfect shade at the current moment, I think I might hold out on buying a second until fall. I’m not much of a foundation person during the warmer months because I prefer a lighter feel to my skin, plus with my skin changing from combo to dry or even to oily at a moments notice during seasonal changes, I’ve found that this foundation can create dry spots on my skin. So far this is one of my favorite foundations that I’ve come across, but seeing as how I don’t really try that many foundations I’m sure that I can find something much better out there. YSL Top Secrets Pro Removers Toning & Cleansing Micellar Water (travel sized): I have probably 2-5 uses of this left, I also have a second one as well. Seeing as how I have a back up and the full sized is $40, I think I’m going to pass this up. It’s great for removing any makeup that got missed when washing my face, but it also leaves a bit of a sticky film over my face (which you’re not supposed to rinse off, according to the packaging) and I’m not much of a fan of that. Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer: I have about 3-6 uses from this left. Although I am a fan of Sheer Envy and it’s only $8, I think I’m going to pass on buying this specific type again because I much prefer the original formula. The Skin Perfecting one gets these little grainy chunks in it after a few months and no amount of shaking can fix that, so when you’re applying this to your skin you get the occasional obnoxious chunk dragging along your skin. Benefit The POREfessional PRO Balm To Minimize The Appearance Of Pores (mini): I have perhaps 2 uses from this left. I quite like this primer. It really does minimize the appearance of pores and mattify the complexion. This works well under makeup, but I also like using it alone when I’m having one of those lazy days. I don’t have particularly prominent pores, but it’s still nice to have a more smooth appearance. I will eventually buy a full sized tube of this (which is $29), but after I’m finished with this one, the other mini I have, and all of the other primers that I like so it may take me a while to get there. SuperGoop SPF 35 Save Face A.M. Moisturizer With Advanced Sun Protection (trial sized): I have about 2 uses left. I. Love. This. Product. With summer rapidly approaching and seeing as the sun has began to visit Oregon more often, having a sun screen for your face is a good thing to have. Now where to start with this… Well, it has a decently high SPF, it doesn’t smell too powerfully like a sun screen, it doesn’t leave a white film on the face, it sinks in relatively quickly, and it doesn’t make you look greasy. This product is a total win. The full sized product is $28, but you get 3 oz so I think that’s a pretty good trade off. I will definitely be purchasing the full sized. Too Faced Shadow Insurance (travel sized): I have about 9 uses left. I like this primer, I really do, but I don’t think it performs as well as others. I got a lot of use out of just that tiny tube, so I can only imagine how long a full sized tube will last. Seeing as how I have about 10 other bottles of primer, I’m pretty set in that sense and I probably won’t have to buy another eyelid primer for the next few years. When If I finally get to the point where I need a eyelid primer, I’m not sure that I would buy this again because, as I said before, I have other favorites. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer (travel sized): I don’t even know if I have one use left. This is probably my favorite facial primers. I like thicker primers and this one can deliver that thickness without feeling too thick or heavy. It does a wonderful job of decreasing the appearance of my pretty average pores. When I get through all of my facial primers this one is going to be the one that I purchase first. :)

Make your Beauty Blender go from EWW to NEW!

I’m pretty good about rinsing out my beauty blender after each use, but as you may know, they still manage to stay a bit stained. Well, I found a way to return your beloved Beauty Blender to a nearly new state! Sure, you can buy that Beauty Blender special cleaner and be set back almost $18… OR you can spend about $5 and get this: Dawn dish soap. Dawn Dish Soap works pretty much like a Beauty Blender spot remover (if you don’t believe me just look at the previous picture). It’s gentle enough to not harm the sponge, but hearty enough to get in there are remove the grime! I had forgotten that my Beauty Blender was that bright of a pink! All you’ve got to do is wet the sponge, drizzle some Dawn on it, and squeeze away (repeat if necessary)! Just make sure that you’ve got all of the Dawn out of the sponge before letting it dry. (Just for the record, I muddied up the “ewww” sponge before cleaning it although I did a very thorough rinse with water to get the majority of the product out before doing the Dawn cleaning)