My Favorite sunscreen: Neutrogena Clear Face

I recently got a lesson from my dermatologist about the use of sunscreen. I mean I knew that it is very important to use sunscreen everyday and all but I was not very consistent with using a sunscreen for a couple of reasons. I hated the sunscreen smell and the oiliness. Even if they claim to be oil free, fragrance free I did not have any good luck with liking a particular sunscreen.

It has very light weight texture

Easy to absorb, no oily cast

Neutrogena clear face solves both of my problems. It doesn’t have any overpowering smell and it goes on so smooth almost like a face primer. My skin is on drier side, not super duper dry but still drier than normal. Even then I used to get the oily white cast from most of the oil-free sunscreens. This one does not make my skin super dry or oily. My husband has oily skin and his doctor recommended using a moisturizer which has exact same ingredients as Neutrogena clear face and that moisturizer helps my husband in oil control so does the Neutrogena sunscreen. It has a liquidy texture so it gets absorbed right away. It is good under makeup or on its own.

Just an FYI I saw some program the other day on TV, it was about skin cancer awareness. I heard Jennifer Garner (who is spokesperson for Neutrogena) saying: If you have got sunburned once in your childhood, you chances of getting skin cancer doubles. I don’t know if it true or not but I made this sunscreen part of my daily routine after hearing that J

I use the SPF 55 one. It has a broad spectrum (uva-uvb) SPF 55. The packaging says it is ultra-light, oil-free, water resistant (80 mins) and it won’t cause any breakouts. For me, it behaves exactly like it claims. Definitely a must have for me. I am going to keep purchasing this item forever.  I love this sunscreen.

Forever 21 Eye Brush Set

This is such an unexpected find J I was browsing the Forever 21 accessory aisle few days back and I came across a very nice display of their makeup brushes and applicators. I had seen their eyeshadow and face palettes before but never paid any attention to the brushes. This eye brush set seems nice for $4.80 value so I picked them up.

 Contour blender brush:

I wish it could spread it a little for softer blending but it is not a bad brush. Works more like a pencil brush for me. 

All over eye blender brush:

Feels like a small concealer brush. Dense, stiff but it can be used to pack eyeshadow. In my opinion it is too stiff for blending.

Liner brush:

This is a standard liner brush. 

Mini smudger brush:

I like this brush. It is very good to pack the color on or to smudge the color at the lower lash line.

The brushes seem to be nicely built. The bristles are soft and densely packed. But that makes the brushes pretty stiff. They are soft but they are stiff so they don’t spread out for blending. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I just wanted to mention that. Oh one more thing, they all have a pointy tip. They are tapered to a sharp point. I am using these brushes for over a month now (washed them once) and they did not shed a bristle so far.

All in all they are nice quality brushes, definitely a good value for money. These brushes are a very nice option for makeup beginners. I might pick up their face blushes when I visit forever 21 again. They are made in China.

Hair care: Deep Conditioners (Macadamia oil Deep repair mask, L’Oreal Damage-Erasing balm)

This post is about the hair conditioners I currently love. I have thin black hair that gets oily very fast. I try to exercise regularly. I love exercising but I hate sweaty hair so I was washing it everyday. I thought if I wash them everyday, they will not get oily as much. I was wrong!!!!! Washing with shampoo (however gentle it is) strips natural oils from your scalp. This makes our scalp feel (that’s right it has feelings!!) like it needs to produce more oil because the scalp is dry. So by washing everyday you are increasing the oil producing tendency of your scalp. The result: you get super oily hair super fast. Now I don’t wash my hair everyday and I have noticed that they don’t get oily as much they used to. I wash them 3 times a week and I use a dry shampoo in between if I they get too oily.

It takes a long time to reverse hair damage. I don’t think you can 100% reverse it ever but the least you can do is to protect them from further damage and to take care of the new growth. These are the three conditioning methods I am currently using for hair care.

Coconut oil:

All my life I have been using hot coconut oil as a conditioner for my hair. You heat the coconut oil a little and massage it in to your scalp before you go to sleep. Wash the hair next day with shampoo. Technically it only takes 20-30 mins for your scalp to absorb the oil, you can wash it after a half an hour and you can get the same nourished effect. But since childhood I used to keep it overnight so I stick to it. For maximum effect I recommend wrapping a hot wet towel on your hair for 10 mins after oil application. This will help opening scalp pores hence oil absorption. Make sure you buy a good quality pure coconut oil. Here are a few pointers to know if it is good or not:

-          See ingredient list (Duh!!), should not have any other added product.

-          Good coconut oil should be snow white in color when it is solid and water clear when liquid.

-          Coconut oil has a high melting point. It solidifies below 76 F and turns into a liquid at higher temperatures. If your oil doesn’t get solid at cold temperature it is more refined or has some added things.

Macadamia oil Deep repair mask:

Coconut oil is great but it is time consuming. Sometimes you need just a quick nourishing boost without an oil massage. That is what Macadamia oil Deep repair mask does. I love this mask. My hair gets soft, shiny and silky after using this mask. It has some good ingredients in it. It has castor oil, Aloe extract, Argan oil, Macadamia seed oil, Chamomile flower oil and Tea tree leaf oil. I don’t know exactly how much of these oils are in this mask but the ingredients list clearly has them. I apply it to clean, wet hair and wait for at least 20 mins before washing. The packaging recommends allowing 7 mins of penetration before washing. In my experience my hair gets softer, shinier if I keep it on for 20-30 mins. If I wash after 7 mins, there is a lot of product in my hair to be washed. Whereas after 20-30 mins I find that I don’t have to wash as much to get the product out. So I am assuming if I keep it longer my hair absorbs more product. The only downside is that this is an expensive mask. Usually I am on a budget for makeup related product so the price limits me from using it very often. This mask is $4 for 1 oz packet. Even if you buy a big jar per Oz price is same. It is made in USA and it is a cruelty free product.

L’Oreal Total repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm:

This mask is advertised to repair one year of damage in one use. I don’t know how they can advertise like that!! I mean come on!! The consumer is not that dumb. This is a decent hair conditioner, don’t get me wrong. But it definitely doesn’t repair one year’s damage in one use. Probably after regular use but we’ll see about that. I use this once a week after a wash. I try to keep it for 5-7 mins before washing. It has a regular L’Oreal shampoo smell. It does get my hair soft and shiny. Like the Macadamia mask it doesn’t have any natural oils etc. The ingredient list seems to be all chemical (at lest from the names but hey I am no expert in chemistry). I like this product. It is affordable, does good work, smell great and easy to use. It is $6.99 for a 8.5 Oz jar. This product is made in USA.

Though I like the above two hair masks I try to use coconut oil at lease twice a month. In my opinion it is the most affordable and effective options. I also use some home-made hair masks using fruits and other natural products. That will probably be in my next hair post. Do you have any home remedies for hair conditioning?

Thanks for stopping by,

-Snehal

NYX Cream Blushes

I am in love with cream blushes lately. They are perfect for springtime. NYX cream blushes are wonderful. They are super creamy, pigmented, easy to blend and very natural looking.

The packaging is pretty basic- black plastic compact case with clear top. But the quality and color of these blushes is great. They are super pigmented so you have to be careful when you apply. Less is more for these blushes. I like using a smaller sized stipple bush for these; you can blend them easily with your fingers too. They stay on pretty much all day for me. I top it with a powder blush for a long lasting stay.

 

(L-R) Glow, Natural, Tea Rose

 Swatches (L-R) Glow, Natural, Tea Rose

I have it in 3 colors: Natural, Glow and Tea Rose. All of the colors I have are neutral/natural colors. These are shimmerless cream blushes however they do provide a nice dewy glow to cheeks. My favorite amongst three is Tea Rose because that looks most flattering on my medium skin tone.

All in all I love them!!! I am getting a good use of these. I am using Tea rose more than a year and the consistency of this product is still great. You can buy NYX products at Ulta or on cherryculture.com. They are $5.99 each, they are made in Taiwan. NYX is cruelty free.

Neutrogena Color Sticks

Like all the other jumbo lip stick type products Neutrogena has come up with these color sticks. I got two of them - “Warm Caramel” and “Soft Raspberry”. I think all of the Neutrogena color sticks have a shimmery/metallic sheen. They have rather soft neutral colors and they don’t look flashing bright on the lips. I like that because that makes them very wearable everyday lip colors. I have a couple of Neutrogena lipsticks and I love them very much but sometime last year they got discontinued and I was super sad. I am glad they came out with these.

 

Warm Caramel

Soft Raspberry

Warm Caramel, Soft Raspberry

Warm Caramel is a neutral brownish shade with golden shimmer. And Soft Raspberry is a dusty rose shade with pearly/metallic sheen. I love them both very much. They feel very soft and moisturizing on the lips, they almost feel like a balm. They do not have much staying power; they do not strain the lips. But they have such a comfortable feel on the lips that I don’t mind reapplying them every couple of hours.

 

My natural lip color

Warm Caramel

Soft Raspberry

Things I Love:

-          Glides on smooth, super soft texture.

-          Feels lightweight on lips and leave lips moisturized (In my opinion)

-          They are shimmery but not glittery

-          I like the smell very much

-          Wearable colors

-          Practical twist up tube packaging

Things that could be better:

-          Limited color selection

-          All the colors are shimmery, some of them can look too frosty on you but you can’t tell from the packaging (before applying).

-          Not true to the tube (packaging) color

-          Most of the colors are sheer

Bottom line, I love these color sticks and the soft glow they provide. Though they are not as pigmented as Revlon Balm stains, I love the consistency and how comfortable they are on the lips. Neutrogena color sticks are more comparable with Revlon lip butters in the consistency and feel. I wish they add more color selection and verity of finishes in the future.

They are definitely a must have for coming summer months. They cost $6.49-$ 8.49 depending on the store. I couldn't find where they are made, it is not mentioned on the packaging. 

Milani Lipsticks

Milani has refreshed their lipstick line this year. The new line is called Color Statement lipsticks and they contain Vitamins A, C, & E to moisturize and nourish lips. They have categorized these lipsticks into four categories: Orange & Reds, Pinks & Corals, Plums & Berries and Naturals & Browns. Milani has offered six finishes in this lipstick collection- Vinyl, Metallic, Cream, Shimmer, Pearl & Matte finish.

I picked up 3 colors in this collection last week but unfortunately all of them have same finish. I really wanted to try Vinyl finish but I didn’t pay attention to that while choosing the colors L On the good note it gives me one more chance to buy a new lipstick in future (Like I need more!!!). I have Naturally Chic, Fruit Punch and Red Label. All three of them are cream finish lipsticks.

Naturally Chic, Fruit Punch, Red Label

 They have fantastic coverage, they glides on smooth, have vivid color and the staying power is exceptional for cream lipsticks. They have a faint smell and taste, but it doesn’t bother me.

Naturally Chic: This is nude color kicked up a notch. It’s a fantastic everyday color. I think this can also work as a cream blush because of its texture. Must have color!!!! Love it!!!

 

Naturally Chic

Fruit Punch: This looks very similar to the signature Nicki Minaj color. I wear it at home when I want to feel glamorous J It’s a bright pink color, not flashy but still bright pink. I like it very much.

 

Fruit Punch

Red Label: Oh my God!! I Love this color. I have soft spot for red lipsticks. The formula of this lipstick is very good. It clings to the lips, lasts for long. I have not had any feathering problems with this. It is a classic red lipstic. This color is a big hit for me J

 

Red Label

They are available in drugstores but not every shade is available in every store. I was surprised that not even a single store has the full collection. You can buy all of them retail but you have hop to many stores to do that.

They come in the gold tube and the color is visible at the bottom. I think they are pretty much true to the color on the packaging at least the colors I have. I have not tried all of them but I am very impressed with Milani color statement lipsticks. I will surely try more colors and finishes in future.

They cost $4.99 - $ 5.99. They are made in USA. 

Benefit High Beam, Sun Beam and Cha Cha tint

These were one of my first high end makeup purchases. I have them in mini travel size portions as I wanted to try them before I spend around $30 each to buy them. High beam and Sunbeam are highlighters while Cha cha tint is a mango tinted lip and cheek stain. All of them have creamy liquid texture and they come in a nail-polish type tube. You get the tiny nail polish type brush as an applicator to dot the product on and then you blend with a brush or fingers.

  

From L to R: High beam, Sun beam, Cha cha tint

High Beam:

High beam is a lilac pink colored highlighter. The color is very pretty with subtle pink. It is lilac but doesn’t look ashy at all. I love the texture of this product but its color is not one of a kind. There are several similar highlighters in the market, the closest dupe I have is elf color stick in persimmon. Hard Candy’s glow is also very similar. High beam, gives you a very pretty, non-glittery highlight which lasts all day. You can apply it on your cheekbones, cupid’s bow area, on the bridge of the nose or wherever you wish to highlight. It doesn’t get oily and blends very smoothly.  I like the product very much but I will not purchase a full size of this as I can buy a very similar highlighter for as low as $1 (elf).

  

persimmon and glow

From L to R: High beam, persimmon, glow

Sun Beam:

Sun beam is a golden bronze highlighter. Again I like it very much but it’s not a one of a kind color. The Benefit website how to apply section they say “Dot on top of cheekbones & blend towards the hairline. Dab under each brow & gently blend.” Sun beam is a nice warm color with yellow undertones. It gives a natural sun kissed look to the skin. You can mix a little sun beam with your foundation for all over radiance and a dewy effect. It blends effortlessly; staying power is very impressive too.

Sun beam and Cha cha tint swatch

Cha Cha tint:

Cha cha tint is mango tinted lip and cheek stain. I love this coral mango color. I am originally from a tropical country so Mangos have special place in my heart. When I heard it’s a mango tinted stain I was super excited to try it. Though I don’t think other than color it has anything to do with mangoes. This is a nice pigmented creamy liquid stain and it doesn’t have any shimmer. It is easy to blend, however, remember to blend it quickly after you dot it on otherwise you will have a blotchy stain. I think this color will look gorgeous on all skin tones. If you are into coral this spring, this is the product for you. Love this product.

I must say all three of them looks very natural on skin. They are very pretty good quality products. They are a bit pricey for my taste but otherwise I like them very much.

Full-size Benefit Sun beam and High beam (0.45 oz) are $26 each and Cha cha tint (0.42 oz) costs $30. Benefit does not test cosmetic products on animals. They are made in France.

Milani Baked Blush Luminoso and Corallina

I think Milani cosmetics is the unsung hero of the drugstore makeup world. They have such awesome long lasting products. After trying Milani Fantastico Muave blush I was much excited to try other blush shades. The only thing trying to stop me was my overflowing makeup drawer L I was trying to resist buying these two colors thinking “I have a lot of peachy golden blushes and I will do a major injustice to them if buy more.” But the Heart Wants What It Wants J Now my makeup collection proudly showcases Milani Luminoso and Milani Corallina as its newly acquired members.

Right- Luminoso, Left- Corallina

Milani Luminoso:

This is a peachy pink blush with golden sheen. It is shimmery but it is very smooth and doesn’t have any apparent glitter (small or large) chunks. It gives a natural glow to the cheeks. This blush works like magic; it illuminates your cheeks and makes you look like a star in an instance. Love love  love this blush.

Right- Luminoso, Left- Corallina

Milani Corallina:

It’s a coral blush. And it is sparkly. Oh yeah!! Coral with silver sparkles. This is a wonderful spring/summer type blush. The color of this blush gravitated more on the orange side but without being intimidating. The silver sparkles in the pan don’t really make your face look like a disco ball but it does look shimmery on the face.

Luminoso is a more everyday, sophisticated professional kind of blush whereas Corallina is a casual, fun blush. Not that you can’t wear either one on any occasion. Both of these blushes are nicely pigmented with great texture. Luminoso is a peach glow and Corallina is an orangy coral color. It is a personal preference which one you like the best but I reach for Luminoso more than Corallina. But I like them both equally.

They have a small compartment for blush brush and attached mirror beneath the blush pan. They cost $6.99-$8.99 each depending on where you buy. They are made in Italy.

Flower Ready Set Glow Blush/Bronzer Duo - Shimmering Goddess

Flower beauty is a new makeup line by Drew Barrymore. Their philosophy is to provide high quality makeup at reasonable price. Flower beauty products are only available in Walmart stores. This brand is on the pricier side of the drugstore products. So far I have just tried their blush and bronzer duo in Shimmering Goddess and I love it.

I have noticed that almost all the flower beauty products have cute but bulkier packaging. The bush/bronzer duo has a flower petal like shape. It has a white and rose gold plastic packaging which looks really cute and high end. The shade I purchased is called Shimmering Goddess but ironically it’s a matte duo J It costs $10 and net wt of product this duo is 8 g. Usually drugstore blushes are 4g net wt so I think size wise its good value for money.

Less is more with this duo as it is insanely pigmented. I love the color too; it has a very pretty pink blush and a nice brown bronzer. Though the blush is in pink category it is not a girly pink color, it is kind of mature women pink color J Both the blush and bronzer are very finely milled so they have a nice soft creamy texture.

I have been looking for this duo for quiet some time but it was sold out in all Walmart stores in my neighborhood (believe me I went looking for them). Also it is difficult to get hold of unopened products in the store as they do not have any safety seal. Walmart has started putting seal tapes on them lately but still people open it!!! So frustrating!! Anyway I have it now and I absolutely love it, so it was worth of all the hunting work.

Bottom line this duo is fantastic. It is super pigmented, matte, smooth and worth the money. It costs $9.98 and it is made in USA. Flower beauty products are not tested on animals. 

Elf 80 piece Day to Night eyeshadow palette (NEW)

I was in Target the other day and I saw a new shelf added in the elf cosmetics section. They have added several new Elf products in Target. They now have baked eyeshadows, jumbo lip gloss sticks, lip exfoliator and a few limited edition palettes. I tried my best to ignore all the new goodies and tried very hard not to get sucked into the temptation of buying them but I saw this Day to Night palette and I had to get it. That’s the only thing I bought that day I swear J

I have Elf’s 32-eyeshadow cool palette and I am not very impressed with it. I mean its good value for $5 but still many of the eyeshadows were too shear and flaky for my taste. Then why buy this right? But I thought that this is a new palette they must have improved the pigmentation and formula. Also this palette looked so much like the BH and Coastal Scents palette. I don’t own any of the BH and Coastal Scents because I don’t really like buying makeup online- sometimes the product is not same, quality sucks, shipping cost, broken things, too many reasons. So I got tempted to buy this one. I feel like I am giving too much explanation about why I bought this palette. But bottom line I bought it. And so far I like it J

 This 80-eyeshadow Day to Night palette is a new spring 2013 limited edition palette. It has two trays with 40 eyeshadow in each tray. The packaging is decent, sturdy plastic black case with two eyeshadow trays and a humongous mirror. The packaging doesn’t specify which tray is for day or night; it just says this: “The interchangeable compact includes 80 must-have eyeshadow shades that are perfect for creating both day and night looks. The sleek palette design is great for travel or on-the-go beauty touch-ups. Includes 2 palettes with 40 eyeshadows each (80 total colors) and a compact case.”

Some random swatches from Day to Night palette

It has wide variety of color selection from neutral colors like peach, browns, grays to fun colors orange, pinks, greens, purples. The eyeshadow texture seems to be softer and creamy than the 32-eyeshadow palette. Pigmentation is improved too. These are not the best pigmented eyeshadows available but they are pretty good. Of course like every palette this one also has some misses but all in all I like it and for $10 I think this is a great palette.

I bought it from Target for $10. This is also available on http://www.eyeslipsface.com/ for $15 and currently they have ½ off sale on spring 2013 items so this is a good time to get it if you what. Elf does not test on animals.

Thanks for stopping by,

-Snehal