Urban Decay Sale Items

In case you are not aware, Urban Decay has some new items on sale and some even lower prices for all of the discontinued 24/7 eye pencils.  Yes, I bought 4 more to add to my collection, which I think is now complete.  Until they add new colors:-)

I also got one of the discontinued cheek tints and one of the new Revolution lipsticks.  I've heard only good things about the reformulated lipsticks and am excited to try them out!

Happy shopping!

theBalm Instain Blush in Lace

Lace is the third and last of theBalm Instain blushes I've acquired.  A cool toned hot pink, Lace almost falls outside of my comfort range.  I tend more towards peaches and corals - or at least warm tones - so I thought Lace would help round out my collection.

Fortunately for me, it's also a color that's more wearable than the color in the pan implies.  However, that is totally dependent on application, as this is a super pigmented blush that could easily go wrong.  Housed in cardboard, the compact nonetheless feels sturdy and comes with an outer cover that guarantees it stays closed, although there is also a magnet in the compact cover.  Coupled with the retro design, I'm a fan of the packaging.

To apply, I tap my brush on the pan once for each cheek.  That picks up plenty of color, and the rest is just blending it out.  Lace is matte, but that does not translate to flat or chalky.  Wear time for me is 7-8 hours, but take into account I've got very oily skin and live in a sub-tropical climate that, short of a hurricane, is currently in it's full blown sub-tropicalness.  I can still see color when I get home from work, but my makeup in general has started to degrade by then. 

The Instain blushes are $22 and I purchased Lace from Birchbox.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara by Bare Minerals

Lash Domination is a new mascara by Bare Minerals that features a spiraled wand that curves around your lashes in order to coat them from all angles.  It claims to both volumize and lengthen lashes by up to 345% while also separating and lifting, all without clumps.  Not only that, it is supposed to wear all day without smudging and flaking.   There is also a clinical test to back this up, but I never seem to be able to find the specifics of those :-)  Not doubting that there is one, but wouldn't it be nice to see the details?

So did it live up to those claims for me?  Well, yes and no.  I've got some before and after pictures, and here are my impressions after using my sample of Lash Domination for the past week.  It was storming the morning I took these pictures, so they are a little bit darker than I prefer.

No mascara

With Lash Domination mascara

I found that this applied fairly easily on my upper lashes, but the large brush made it difficult to coat my lower lashes without also getting it on my skin.  It also clumped on my lower lashes and I had to use a lash brush to comb them out.  It did wear well all day without smudging or flaking.

I've got small eyes, and the large brush was just unwieldy for me.  I did have a better experience than Musings of a Muse, who found that the mascara smudged on her (you can see her review here).  What's interesting is that she has dry skin and it smudged on her, whereas I've got oily skin and it wore well for me.  Skin chemistry is a tricky thing!

I've been wearing this for about a week now, and I think the more mascara the brush picks up as you go along, the more thick and clumpy it becomes.  I can use one application for both eyes, upper and lower lashes, without sticking the brush back in the tube.  As you can see, there was some flaking I didn't catch before taking this picture, and it's getting a bit clumpier.  This was about 5 days in.

I guess I have mixed emotions about Lash Domination.  It does give me longer and fuller lashes, but the clumping and excessive mascara on the brush are problematic.  I don't see myself purchasing the full sized version, which retails for $18.

Disclaimer:  I received this as a sample with purchase.

Neocell Beauty Bursts: Can a Collagen Supplement Help Your Skin?

I originally received a sample of Neocell's Beauty Burst collagen supplements when I purchased drugstore.com's Earth Day sample bag gift with purchase.  I'm going to have to remember to do this again next year, as I've discovered several products I really like! 

A month or so after getting the sample bag, drugstore.com sent me an email saying I could purchase any of the items in the bag at half off, so I decided to get the Neocell Beauty Bursts, as I was intrigued with the idea of a supplement that could potentially help my aging skin. 

These individually wrapped fruit flavored chews contain Hydrolyzed Collagen 1 & 3, Hyaluronic Acid, and Vitamin C.  Collagen 1 & 3 supposed benefits (not evaluated by the FDA, of course) are:

"Provides specific amino acids necessary to replenishing the body’s collagen supply. Helps minimize fine lines & wrinkles, and improves elasticity in the skin.  Builds and supports bone matrix.  Corrects weak, broken, split and damaged nail beds. Thickens fine hair, adds body and slows down hair loss.  Repairs connective tissues for improved elasticity; improves circulation; promotes wound healing. Glycine builds lean muscle to help burn fat while you sleep."  (Source: Neocell)

The question, of course, is does taking collagen orally lead to these results?  Honestly, I had no idea, so I did a literature search in PubMed.  There are a fair amount of animal studies looking at oral collagen supplementation, but few human studies.  The human studies I did find were small and conducted by the parent companies of the supplements.  While that doesn't negate their findings, it does mean there is the potential for bias, and the smallness of the study subject numbers means the results are probably non-significant.  Hmm. 

In general, I can say that my very cursory review showed animal studies looking at collagen supplementation for diabetic wound healing, joint health, and bone density.  Neocell had no supporting scientific literature on their site, although the Beauty Bursts did win 2013 "Best of Natural Beauty" award from the Better Nutrition magazine.  So, I did a more general Google search and found this:

"When we consume collagen, usually in the form of food, the long chain proteins are broken down during digestion to their original amino acids. Only then can they be absorbed. Once absorbed, these amino acids are available as building blocks to support collagen synthesis throughout the body. So from a dietary perspective, your body doesn’t care (and can’t tell) if you ate a collagen supplement, cheese, quinoa, beef, or chick peas — they’re all sources of protein, and indistinguishable by the time they hit the bloodstream. The body doesn’t treat amino acids derived from collagen any differently than any other protein source. For this reason, the idea that collagen supplementation can be an effective treatment for joint pain, osteoarthritis, or any other condition, is highly implausible, if not impossible in principle." (Source:  Science-based Medicine)

Not sounding too promising, is it?  I can say that these Beauty Bursts taste good and make for a nice treat after I eat, when I'm generally craving something sweet. I haven't been able to tell any difference in my skin since eating them (2 each day), and I'm almost through with the bag.  A bag of 60 chews, which would last a month, runs about $20.  Since I got mine for about $10,  I guess 33 cents a day wasn't too high of a gamble :-)

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

NOTD: Zoe by Julep

Zoe by Julep is a metallic dark copper with gold micro glitter, and it's simply gorgeous!  When I take pictures I usually find 3-4 that I really like, but with Zoe I was like "oh, wow" with almost every single one.

The formula was easy to work with and I used 2 coats over an OPI base coast with a Butter London top coat.  I do think that the gold microglitter gets a bit lost in the polish and even gives a bit of a rough finish at some angles, but it doesn't take away from my appreciation of the overall look.

Zoe's burnished richness has got me fantasizing about fall, as I am sick of the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes I currently experience every time I walk outside.  Cool weather is a good 2 months away for me, however, so I'll have to comfort myself with pretty colors instead :-)

Linking up with The Nail Files hosted by Well Shut the Front Door!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this. 

HauteLook Summer Essentials Beauty Bag

While I've been aware of HauteLook for quite a while, it's only been recently that I've ordered a few items from them.  HauteLook, a Nordstrom company, offers selected collections of items at a significant discount, usually for a 3 day period.  For example, I was able to get some Skynn Iceland skin care products that I'm really liking at 50% off, which I'll be reviewing soon.

Today I'm showing the Summer Essentials Beauty Bag, which featured 13 items in a clear plastic makeup bag, all for $20 plus shipping.  Considering the bag's value of almost $132, quite the bargain!  Hautelook offers these beauty bags on a quarterly basis, but this is the first time I've purchased one.

While there was some variation in the lip item colors, I received:

• Blow Pro After Blow Strong Hold Finishing Spray
• Lashfood Nano-Peptide Natural EyeLASH Conditioner
• L. Erickson Grab n' Go Pony Compact
• L'Occitane Shea Hand Cream
• Diptyque Eau de Toilette Fragrance
• Whish Orange Cream Body Butter (a Nordstrom exclusive)
• TanTowel Half Body Classic Self Tanning Towlette
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Naked
• Lorac Special Effects Mascara in Black
• Crown Brush Travel Brush Set (not shown, forgot to include in photo)
• Miracle 10 AHA Cream
• NYX Cosmetics Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Margarita
• Mirenesse Lip Bomb in #22

The makeup bag itself is a cheaply made clear plastic with a cardboard paper insert (not kidding) and not something I will hold onto unless it's to store items.  I've got a surplus of makeup bags so no big loss there.

I'm most excited about the Urban Decay lip liner, probably because of the flurry of blog posts I've seen recently featuring their new lip sticks and liners.  Naked looks to be a "my lips but better" kind of color, which should make it quite versatile.

The NYX lipstick in Margarita is a pretty coral color with a frost finish.  Not a huge fan of frosts, but it looks better on than I was thinking it would.

Miranesse is an Australian brand that I recently discovered via Birchbox, so I was excited to be able to try another of their products.  There were 4 color possibilities and I received #22, which is a mauve plum shade.  Creamy and intensely pigmented, this looks promising!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Houndstooth Instain Blush by theBalm

I took advantage of a Birchbox discount code to pick up two more of theBalm Instain blushes recently - Houndstooth and Lace.  Today I have Houndstooth to show you.  As always, theBalm's packaging tickles my aesthetic funny bone with the retro print and efficient design.  Each blush has an outside cover that the cardboard compact slides into.  The compact itself has magnets to keep it closed and a small mirror for on the go application.

Houndstooth is described as a mauve, which is fairly accurate for how it looks in the pan.  Mauve is a rather unassuming color that I've never really been attracted to, yet it translates to a very natural rosy flush on.  I could see Houndstooth being the kind of color that I would turn to when I want a more neutral blush that is not going to compete with a bolder eye or lip look.

All six of the Instain blushes are mattes, but Houndstooth comes closest of the three that I've tried to having a bit of shimmer.  The pigmentation is quite good and I just need to lightly swipe my blush brush once to pick up enough color to apply.  The blush applied smoothly and wear time was 8 hours for me before I started to notice fading.  I've got oily skin and during the summer 8 hours is about as long as I can go before my makeup is noticeably dissolving.  Right now, you can almost swim on dry land here in Mobile due to the humidity!

While I've yet to see any true staining capabilities from the Instain blushes, I do find them to be nicely pigmented powder blushes that wear well.  I've seen some reviews that indicated they were difficult to apply, but I've not experienced that problem.  At $22, they fall in the mid-range price category, until you look at the size (.09 oz) and realize they are actually fairly expensive.  In comparison, an Estee Lauder Pure Color powder blush (my favorite powder blush formula) is $30, but you are getting almost 3x's the amount size wise (.25 oz vs. .09).   It's probably a moot point, however, as I've yet to make it through a pan of blush and probably won't in my lifetime:-)

Overall, I like theBalm Instain blushes and Houndstooth is a workhorse of a color that will see lots of use, especially once fall pushes summer aside.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.