Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil

Home from college for a few weeks, I have been cleaning and reorganizing my room in preparation of another upcoming move. In the shuffling around, I have rediscovered some neglected gems, one being the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse dry oil. I received this from my French host mother back in 2009 so it was about time I tried it out.

A blend of 6 different oils including sweet almond and macademia, as well as Vitamin E, this dry oil can be used on the face, hair and body. Having sensitive acne-prone skin, I have yet to use this on my face, however I can say it works beautifully at hydrating my body and hair. You don't need much with this product; a quarter sized drop is enough for my entire body. I just rub it between my hands and pat it onto my skin. It has worked especially well at soothing a recent sunburn too.

My hair is naturally dry and likely damaged, and I've found it really infuses a lot of shine back in.

Now I am really intrigued by other Nuxe products. Might have to try the blogger crowd favorite Reve de Miel lip balm next! Have you tried any Nuxe products?

First Impression: Maybelline LE Color Tattoo in Seashore Frosts

For anyone surprised to see me churning out another post, I am just as if not more surprised than you. Today while running errands I picked up one of those limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos from their summer collection. The shade I chose was Seashore Frosts.

Hate when the label is off center. Boo

In direct sunlight

Seashore Frosts is a blue and gold duochrome cream shadow with hints of green and pink reflects. This seems to be one of the more popular Color Tattoos in the collection amongst bloggers and I can see why. It is truly gorgeous and unique looking.

Left: One layer swatch / Right: Two layers

The texture is really creamy, more than the other Color Tattoos I own such as Bad to the Bronze and Tough as Taupe. It feels slightly thinner too, which produces a more sheer swatch. However, I think you could build this up slowly if you wanted more opacity.

Direct sunlight

Here I tried to capture the beautiful duochrome but alas my mediocre camera did not want any part. However I think you can pick up the blue/gold vibe going on. I doubt the pink/green reflects would show up on the eyes anyway but I will try it out tomorrow and see if I can make an EOTD happen.

This shade 'Seashore Frosts' was the last one in the display I found (at Rite Aid for $6.99). Since this is only a first impression post, I am unsure if I'm going to like this on the eyes...I never really considered myself a duochrome lover. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and/or newly converted!

Let me know if you picked up any of these up and if you like them!

A Late Night Skincare Lust List & Ramble

 

Just a few skincare bits I have my eye on lately.

 

Been searching for the Hydraluron serum for what seems like ages now in the States and no luck. Heard a rumor that it is being introduced to Walgreens soonish though? Only time will tell I suppose. It's been getting (finally) sunnier in my area, so SPF is even more important than usual. I think the SPF 15 I usually wear will not cut it in the summer months, so I am contemplating this La Roche Posay offering, which provides not only SPF 50 but a tint as well. Even out my skintone and protect me from the sun's rays? What more could you want?

 

Another LRP product is their SeroZinc spray which apparently incorporates active ingredients of zinc and sulfur to hydrate the skin and prevent breakouts. I suffer from acne-prone dry/combination skin, so I am always on the hunt for products that will treat acne but not dry out my sensitive skin. La Roche Posay is one of my favorite skincare brands (sadly when I lived in Toulouse, France 2008-2009, I wasn't as into skincare as I am these days so I didn't exactly stockpile pharamacie products *curses self*) and although the LRP selection in CVS here is slim, I tend to have decent luck shopping online. It's worth the hassle in my opinion!

Lastly I stuck a Mario Badescu toner in there. As it gets warmer, my skin tends to break out more so I have to exfoliate more frequently, with either a glycolic (AHA) or beta hydroxy (BHA or salicylic acid) product. Chemical exfoliants almost always work better for me than physical ones; grainy scrubs end up irritating my skin more than anything. This toner is of the glycolic variety, and seems like it could work well for me. Something about MB products turn me off though...example a: why does this toner have to be blue? Dyes are so unnecessary in skincare, if not harmful. Will never understand that...

I haven't addressed it much on the blog yet (because I suck at posting basically...) however I grew up with pretty terrible skin due to family history (thank you parents) so I am always trying out new skincare ever since I gave up on traditional dermatology. Needless to say, this obsession interest has been brewing for a long time now. I want to post more comprehensive reviews here - just will take time since skincare takes ~2 months to have a full effect.

 

*off to wash my face and pass out* Night!

The Trials and Tribulations of Naked Lunch

Long time no blog = bad self. Haven't really been sticking to my blogging resolutions unfortunately! I could whine and moan about being a no-life-having college student but fortunately for both of us, I finished spring semester a little over a week ago so I have more time to post now!

Back to the topic at hand. If you've never heard of MAC's Naked Lunch eyeshadow, you must live under a rock that lacks wifi. One of the brand's most famous shades, it was one of the first MAC products I ever bought. Unfortunately, I did not see eye to eye with everyone else's raves.

Naked Lunch: the criminal in question

The pan of Naked Lunch I have is without a doubt one of the hardest eyeshadow to work with in my collection. It has poor payoff, is pretty sheer and usually creases on me, even with a primer underneath.

So, like any other lazy consumer, I let it go untouched in my palette for over a year. In this divorce period, I actually found not only a dupe, but a better version...found in a Wet n Wild trio that retails for $2.99. Yeah...

Top: Wet n Wild "Eyelid" from the Walking on Eggshells trio / Bottom: Naked Lunch

Voila the proof above. Don't get me wrong, MAC is one of my favorite brands, especially for eyeshadow. Hence why I was very let down by ol' Naked Lunch. Nonetheless, I am determined to finish Naked Lunch...for the past few months I've found a great way to do so.

 

Using a small powder brush, I have been applying the shadow as a cheekbone/nose/cupid's bow highlight. Being a pearly, pink shade, it works quite well. I don't find it too stark and think it could work on a variety of skintones.

So that is how I intend to finish up Naked Lunch...I hate wasting things I spent money on so I always try to experiment with other uses. Just because something is marketed as a certain product doesn't mean you can't try it in a different way!

I hope this post was helpful to anyone else that got stuck with a bad pan of Naked Lunch. Definitely check out the Wet n Wild trio if you want a similar shade too! I should really write a quality control letter to MAC while I'm at it...

Ciao Google Reader

Unless you live under a rock that lacks wifi, you probably heard the news; Google Reader is shutting down July 1, 2013. Personally, I really enjoy the GR interface, so this is a sad day. But, the show must go on, so I thought I'd mention some other blog reader sites you can use.

1. Bloglovin'

By far one of the most popular readers, Bloglovin is well organized and not too dissimilar to Google. You can use the link below to transfer your GR subscriptions automatically.

http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader

2. Hello Cotton

Another awesome interface, Hello Cotton is easy to navigate. I've never used it but I've heard great things.

3. feedly

Also have heard good things about feedly. An option for those who like actual list formats.

So, there are a few options for you bloggers out there. I have been using Bloglovin on and off for a few years now, and it has improved quite a bit. Its respective iPhone and Android apps work well too! Can't speak for the other platforms but I'm sure developers are busy right now perfecting with GR on its way out.

If you're interested in keeping up with my blog, I have Bloglovin linked on the right hand side. Thank you for following, I look forward to everyone's posts on there. Good luck! x

Copper EOTD Inspired by ChelseaWears

Before we begin with today's eye look, I will be the first to admit the obvious similarity between this EOTD and my last post's. But hear me out - this eye makeup is different AND inspired by none other than the gorgeous, hilarious Chelsea of ChelseaWears. She posted a new "Get Ready With Me" video today (watch here) and immeaditely after watching, I felt the urge to bust out some coppery eyeshadow. This is the result...

Forgot concealer...big fail.

 Now, I am aware that this pales in comparison to Chelsea's look but this is what I ended up with. I mainly used Mac Sable and Urban Decay Toasted as the base. Both shades have a coppery pink base, and they are honestly quite similar (Sable is a bit darker however). I layered them in hopes to create more dimension.

 

I darkened the outer corner/crease with Urban Decay Hustle to add depth. Finally I lined my upper lash line with a brown eyeliner and smudged a mixture of Mac Bronze and Sable over top. This is something I rarely do; I enjoy a defined black liner, but a change is nice! Lastly, I couldn't leave the lower lashline naked since it was/usually is the piece de resistance of Chelsea's looks. She makes a valid point; a defined lower lashline really does wonders for those of us with slightly hooded lids. I just applied more Sable and then Hustle to the outer third.

Voila! Hope you enjoyed this EOTD inspired by Chelsea. Definitely check out her blog/YT channel if you haven't already...she is hilariously entertaining and has an amazing style.

MAC Bronze

The majority of my MAC eyeshadow collection is housed in a 12 pan palette, but I do have a few pots lying around. I decided to showcase a few of my favorites.

MAC Bronze eyeshadow

In the swatch, Bronze to my eye looks like a true bronze gold shade; not too warm nor too cool. It definitely has a brown base with some orange thrown in.

On the eye, Bronze's orange undertones do shine through more, however this is most noticeable at this time for year for my paler skintone. Personally, I would wear Bronze all year round, but I am sure it looks especially stunning in summer when I am darker.

An oldie but a goodie, I am happy to have Bronze in my collection. Although there are most certainly dupes on the market, it's one of those shades that I love against my brown eyes, and definitely consider a staple. When I want a more toned down version, this looks great diffused in the crease and/or outer corner with something complimentary like Patina on the lid.

Are there any shades that you always come back to? I'd love to know more suggestions for spring/summer which is slowly but surely approaching. x