Beauty Shorts: Things I Need Now - May

I suppose need and want are two concepts that I often have been known to confuse. Either way, check out what's new that you need to know about.





1. Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow Palette has 3 new Stay-There shades, plus the original Mutt, all in a cute little case for $42. I need Pekingese, a lovely blue. I can live without Terrier, at least until someone shows me how to wear something that pink-ish. This line of shadows is one of my all time favorites. If you haven't checked them out before, this is a great (and economical) way to start!




2. The Bronze Azure Collection from Lancome is beautiful. The colors are so bright, yet so sheer and have such sheen...they almost make me drool. The new liquid liners are gorgeous as well, even Scorched, which is a hard-to-describe brown with a golden sheen. I'm not sure why I wouldn't think twice to lay out $42 for 4 Buxom cream shadows but question myself so thoroughly on $42 for this quad (plus an amazing free gift!). I might have to go back for this one.




3. Tom Pecheux's True Color lipsticks are so beautiful. I was powerless against the pull of Ripe Papaya. How could I walk away from this? These lipsticks are truly reinventing the line. If you think of this as what your Mom wears, you need to think again. 


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Two Beauty Bloggers Enter a Mall...and Find the New "Red" for Redheads

Anne Houseman of Beauty Xpose and I went shopping two weekends ago. Our mission? To to find Anne a new foundation, find me a longer fall coat and check out some lip color for fall. We successfully completed our mission and found a few great things along the way.

Anne covered her search for foundation here. Check it out to see what worked for her. For me? I settled on two winter foundations. Bobbi Brown Luminizing Foundation and Dior Airflash. I am not 100% happy with either, so I am up for suggestions!

Then it was off to find me a Fall/Winter Coat that wasn't too heavy or too light, that came past my tuckus and was under $100. We hit the sales at Macy's and found bupkis. I'm still giggling at the fact that I said, with disgust, "I'm not finding anything. I'm too buxom." (I totally am.) But what Anne heard was, "I'm not finding anything. I'm too awesome." I guess it proves the point that if two bloggers are staring at the same thing, chances are opinions will differ. :-) Either way, Macy's was a bust. (Insert rim shot, please.)

Later that day, we made it to Burlington Coat Factory, which is where the world stores its coats for awesome/buxom ladies. After pointing out to Anne the things I avoid in coats (No fake fur, could be dog. No leather after watching an aerial hunting video. Bright colors scare me. Same with patterns. "I'm quirky" was the polite way Anne put it, I believe), we were off, looking for a dark coat made of something wool-like. After combing the racks of coats that fit my exact description, we found a Dereon coat that looked amazing.

While I am not one to jump on celebrity clothing lines (this one is Beyonce's), this coat looked amazing, came with a belt a mile long and was $89.99. Sold! (A serious bargain shopper would score this on Overstock for under $70, but I was happy to find something that looked like it was made for my figure!)

Back to makeup. The other goal of mine that day was to find a new fall lip color. It's hard for me to find something "different" from what I have. If you included all of the old MAC colors that I took out of plastics and put in palettes, I have hundreds of them.

We were at MAC looking at the new long-wearing foundation (fail!) and Anne found a really bright color I would never have picked up. Knowing my love of all things peach, Anne selected Crosswires, a color that she saw as peachy, which I saw as weird old lady too pink/coral.

Always up for a laugh, I tried it on, assuming she was crazy-pants. Then people passing by started complimenting me.


Next, the makeup artist added Passing Fancy, one of the Dazzleglass Cremes in the holiday A Tartan Tale collection. Then she and Anne stood back, sizing me up.

"It's the new red for red heads.", Anne said.

"What? This color? Really? It's so loud." I said, looking in the small hand mirror.

"Will you trust me? It's perfect," she replied.

And my new favorite fall lip color was born. When I looked it other light, in better mirrors, it really was a whole new red for red heads. I'm not sure too many people can carry off this color. But fair-skinned red heads should check this out, stat, before the limited edition lip gloss is gone.


And while you're at it, pick up the My Highland Honey blush from the same collection.


It's one of two of my must-have fall blushes. The other one is called Poison Apple, check it out here.


The big question is, how did both of us manage not to take any photos?


We were shopping at the mall, nothing was sent for review. MAC doesn't test on animals.

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Finding the Perfect Foundation: Two Bloggers on a Mission

by my amiga, Anne Houseman of Beauty Xpose.


Anne and I got together last weekend to hang out and go shopping. Needless to say, goofiness, makeup, and giggles ensued. I'm working on my side of things to share with you later in the week. In the meantime, here's what Anne had to say about our search for the perfect foundation.


Last weekend, I had the long-awaited pleasure of reconnecting with my good pal and brilliant beauty blogger, Kelly Gould (of Gouldylox Reviews). And believe me — just getting together was a feat in and of itself.

While we only live an hour and a half away from each other, it’s been a struggle matching up our schedules. The last time we were supposed to get together, my immune system flipped me the bird and cackled to herself because I had even thought about going out and having fun. But Sunday, the evil phlegm-thrower backed down and let me leave my house for the first time in a week (no joke) so I could spend my hard earned cash on makeup and jewelry.

So shop-til-you-drop time! Our mission was two-fold: Find a new foundation for each of us, and score a stylish fall jacket for Kelly. And of course, if there were other great deals to be had — even better.

On our quest, I learned quite a few things:

Even some of the newest foundations from expensive brands really suck.

I have a severe color identification deficit disorder.

Kelly is a supreme color master.

Wearing certain makeup colors during certain months only is not normal (Note: in my head, purple/pinks are for Jan. and Feb.).

My facial fuzz is overgrown and needs to be weed-wacked before more foundation gets stuck to it, enhancing my wooly-bear syndrome in front of unsuspecting Sephora employees.

Despite having an amazing camera in my Droid X, I forget to take pictures.

Upon beginning our foundation-finding foray, we set out to find a color that would better match my lightening skin (and yes, I used SPF all summer!). I had been using Estee Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme ($36.50), and I absolutely loved it, but as the intrepid beauty blogger you’ve all come to know and love, I couldn’t pass up trying out two much-hyped foundations: Lancome Teint Miracle ($37) and MAKE UP FOR EVER (MUFE) HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40). Kelly, on the other hand, was determined to find a foundation at MAC that was a better match than the too-dark color she had been coaxed into purchasing by a well-meaning, but colorblind, sales rep.

Our first stop: the makeup mecca (Sephora). Since Kelly is a regular at the store to the point where she is Facebook friends with staff members, we were treated like royalty the moment we stepped inside. It was fantastically ridiculous, and I know what Lady Gaga must feel like (I love you all, my little makeup monsters!). Ahem. Inflated ego aside, when we explained my makeup mission, the helpful Sephora staff immediately ran into motion and challenged my face to a Foundation-Off.

In the left corner, we had Lancome Teint Miracle:



And in the right, we had MUFE HD.



Both were applied to my face (one on each half), which was primed with the MUFE HD Microperfecting Primer in green to minimize any redness. It’s so funny how you can immediately tell the difference between foundations after a side-by-side comparison. You know what else is funny? Not taking pics. I’m a dope.



Visual approximation of my skin with MUFE HD

Both colors the Sephora team selected blended in as if they were one with my skin (very Zen). However, it was immediately apparent that the MUFE HD was a heavier coverage and dried down to a more matte finish instantly. The Lancome side was a medium coverage, though it didn’t seem to be as “cakey” heavy, so it was deemed the winner of the round, as I prefer a more natural looking finish. But did it win out overall? Unfortunately, no.

After determining the Lancome was our better bet, we removed the MUFE and applied the Lancome to the entire face, lest I look like I have a cakey, dry skin disorder on only one half of my face. Then, I decided to continue shopping while wearing it to see how it held up after time. Unfortunately, before we even left the store, I saw that it was already settling right into my forehead lines, and my dry skin was starting to look “chalky,” as Kelly so eloquently put it. Ten minutes later and the foundation was clinging to every possible dry flake (oh and my fuzzy facial hair) to the point that it looked like my skin was begging for a drink of water.



Visual approximation of my skin with Lancome Teint Miracle

As you can imagine, this is not the look I’m going for.

So you know the old adage, if it ain’t broke…? Time for me to heed that advice and return to the Estee Lauder counter to pick up the right shade of their foundation, which I love to bits and pieces for its medium coverage, smmmooooth application and natural finish (I swear it’s the hyaluronic acid that makes it stand shoulders above others).

As for Kelly? Well, she wasn’t finding much luck in the MAC department (”chalky” seemed to be the problem of the day), so she decided to test out the Estee Lauder herself and left with a 10-day sample supply. I’m hoping she comments here so we can find out how she feels about it!

Alas, I’ll spare you the remaining details of our adventure, though it included a search for similar colors of purple lip gloss (colorblind fail) and an attempt to figure out why a trench coat’s belt seemed 30 times too long (trend recognition fail). But tell me — have you ever tried a Foundation-Off? Which foundation is rocking your world right now?



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Fun Things I Forgot to Mention: September

Sometimes I go on shopping sprees and forget to tell you what I loved. I suppose happens when you are always on the prowl for new goodies...Anywho, here are my new discoveries that you should know about.

1. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner. I am sure that this shampoo and conditioner is leaving a residue behind on my hair, similar to what Pantene is rumored to do. I don't care. It makes my hair feel totally different from anything else I use on a regular basis. My hair swings, gets stuck in my lip gloss (it's long enough to do that now!) and is so soft it is begging to be touched. I still alternate with my beloved Peter Lamas products, which are still making my hair grow at unprecedented rates. But every other shampoo and condition, it's this magical blue bottle for me.

2. Bare Escentuals Buxom Travel in Style with Monica Buxom Gloss and Athens Big and Healthy Lip Stick. I love Buxom. I love peach colored cosmetics. These two together create a beautiful bright peachy smile that lasts for a respectable amount of time. The color isn't so bright, isn't too much, but instead is politely bright, even for an outwardly shy gal like myself. I love how the color brightens up my whole complexion and just makes me look happy. You can't look bummed out in this color, it's impossible!

3. Lancome Oscillation Powerbooster and Lancome L'Extreme. This mascara and conditioner combination are amazing. The Powerbooster isn't making my lashes grow, but the combination of the two products makes my lashes look amazingly perfect for 12 hours. I can't believe I ever purchased the vibrating wand lash primer but I did, and it is amazing. It seems like such a gimmick. In all honesty, I went to the Lancome counter at two different stores a few times each to look at it, without being able to pull the trigger on the price tag. I was certain it was not worth the cash. Two months later, I still love it.

(SIDE NOTE:I was just reading the fine print on the website for this product and realized that despite the well worded copy that leaves the impression this causes lash growth, it in fact, does not do any such thing. It just makes it easier to see natural lash growth.)

The L'Extreme Mascara claims to attach fibers to each lash and maybe it does. I am not seeing too many fibers when I look at the wand by itself, but the end result is longer lashes. I don't get how this combo works so well for me, and I would never have believed it if I hadn't tried it.

4. This season is about the red and I have found yet another red lip gloss I adore. This one is from the True Color Collection from Estee Lauder, Wet Cranberry Shine. It's another red that makes your teeth whiter, your skin brighter and blue eyes pop. There are a myriad of great reds out there this season, but this is one of my favorites!

I bought all of these products with my own nickels.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2009-2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.