The Product Less Used - Benetint

Last summer I picked this up because of all the wonderful reviews I heard. For a month or so I wore it every day on my cheeks and lips for that healthy rosy glow. Once I got to school in the fall I stopped using it as much. Whats interesting is that I didn't stop using it because I forgot about it, because as always this product has a spot in my makeup area right in front of everything else in perfect sight every day. I stopped using this because every morning before class I would apply my face lotion and a face powder with slight coverage. After I applied the powder I didn't want to put a liquid product back on my face and deal with streaky-ness, so instead I would reach for powder blushes.  Well recently I've disregarded that whole thought process and I put this on as blush over or under my foundation, primer, powder, you name it! This product has been formulated to work no matter what is on your face (I haven't read that statement anywhere, just a personal assumption). The best part about this is that it will stay on all day, including when the rest of your makeup slowly dissolves in the heat of the summer.
Here are some swatches and how I apply it:

right out of the bottle, no blending

blended into my arm

The product is as liquidy as plain water. it has a tiny applicator like a nail polish brush, so once you unscrew the top you "paint" some on your cheeks and then quickly blend it in.

tribal markings to rosy tint

You can also use this product as a lipstain. Simply apply it to your bare lips and blend it in.

left-bare lip, right-benetint

Would I repurchase this product? Yes. Although it is a bit pricey at $28 it will also last you a lifetime (personally I don't think I will ever have the need to repurchase it!)

Overall I would rate this product a 5 out of 5. If you are looking for a product that gives you a little more color payoff than my swatches show, then this is not for you. But if you are looking for a product that will give you the right amount of rosy glow, then this easy to apply product will be the perfect match!

"The Product Less Used" is a series of blog posts which I review some of the products in my collection which have gone unnoticed for quite some time and I have recently rediscovered. I have a lot of products I purchased and use nonstop and then found a similar product (and sometimes better) which took it's spot. Or sometimes I purchase a product with the best intentions, and then it doesn't quite work out. Sometimes I find another way to use it, and sometimes I just forget about a it! This series will go in dept on certain products and why I recently started using them again, and why I stopped using them in the first place!

Zoya's Paz

Orange nails + tan skin = summer must have! If you want to bring out your tan then paint your nails orange! And Zoya's Paz is the perfect polish for this. It's a neon orange with super smooth application and dries with a finish that's between matte and shiny.

Zoya's Paz- no topcoat

Zoya's Paz - with Seche Vite

My pictures make Paz look like a creamier muted orange. In reality it is as neon as orange gets. The index finger in my picture with the top coat is a better representation. The solid orange was just a little too boring for me, so I added some designs!

I painted gold tips on my nails with OPI's Gift of Gold, and for the argyle on my ring finger I used Konad image plate M60 and OPI's Thanks So Muchness!
Have you tried painting your nails orange to bring out your tan? How did you like it?

FOTD 7-6-11

Today I'm wearing a neutral smokey eye. I used purple on my lower and upper lash lines to bring out my brown eyes. The first day of my summer class is tonight so I wanted something simple.

To create this look I used the following products and brushes:

A- e.l.f Stippling Brush, B- e.l.f Total Face Brush, C- Estée Lauder 2F Blush Brush,  D- Loew-Cornell's Maxine Mop Brush, E- e.l.f's Smudge Brush

1. I applied Rimmel's Fix & Perfect primer all over my face with my fingers
2. I applied Revlon's ColorStay foundation in 240 Medium Beige all over my face with my fingers
3. Under my eyes I applied Garnier's Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller and blended it out with my fingers
4. Over my whole face I applied e.l.f's High Definition Powder with brush A
5. On my lips and cheeks I used Benefit's Benetint
6. For bronzer and contour I used e.l.f's Cool Bronzer and brush B
7. I blended out e.l.f's Eyeshadow Primer on my lid
8. I used the first color (light pink) in the Clinique pallet as a highlight with brush D. Then all over my lid I applied the second color (pink) with the same brush. I then flipped the brush and used the third color (brown). I think blended the two colors and brought some of the brown into my crease. Then using brush E I smudged the fifth color (purple) to my upper and lower lash lines.
9. For mascara I used one coat of Covergirl's LashBlast Length

For my hair I curled it using Conair's Infiniti Curling Wand, TRESemme's Tres Two hairspray, and Matrix's Gold Heat heat protectant.

How to Have Fun in the Sun - The Safe Way

I must admit that one of my favorite things to do in the summer is sitting outside and reading a book, listing to music, and just plain laying around soaking up the sun. Because there are so many risks involved with extreme sun exposure I always take the utmost caution to protect my skin and body.

• You should NEVER experience prolonged sun exposure without applying sunscreen. If you have skin that burns easily, or you are in an area closer to the Equator (more direct UV rays hit closer to the center of the world) I would recommend a SPF 45 or higher. My skin does not burn easily and I am in New York so I use SPF 35. SPF stands for "sun protection factor" and it is measured by the combination of chemicals in the lotion. The higher the SPF number the more UV rays are absorbed or reflected by the lotion before it hits your skin, aka, the longer you can be outside before you burn. UV-A rays are the ones that penetrate deep into your skin and lead to skin cancer and other diseases whereas UV-B rays are the ones that penetrate the surface and cause tanning. SPF only applies to UV-B rays, so always check that your sunscreen has protection against UV-A rays also! 
• Apply your sunscreen 15-30 minutes before you plan on going outside and reapply after sweating and swimming. I use Banana Boat's Sport Sunscreen. Once I go outside I will apply Banana Boat's Protective Tanning Oil. (Note that when you layer SPF you get the average of the SPFs combined. Thus, SPF 35 sunscreen and SPF 15 tanning oil becomes SPF 25). 
• Don't forget your lips and face! This skin is very sensitive and thin so take extra precaution! Most facial moisturizers have built in SPF. For example, I always apply Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer which has SPF 15. My foundation has SPF 6, and my face powder has SPF 15. If I do not have a full face of makeup on I will put the sunscreen on my face, luckily my skin is not sensitive and does not break out. On my lips I use Palmers Swivel Stick with SPF 30. 
• Protect your hair! There are many products out there you can apply and then provide protection for your hair from UV rays, but I choose to wear a cute sun hat instead. This also provides extra protection to my face and eyes which can never be a bad thing.
• Never look directly at the sun! We were always told this as kids and it still applies now. Most, if not all, sunglasses on the market provide UV-A and UV-B protection. Check to make sure your sunglasses do in order to avoid cataracts, cancer within your eyelids and eye area, and macualr degeneration. 
• Drink drink DRINK! Summer weather is hot and dry. Even if there is a breeze and you don't feel sweaty your body is still loosing moisture and you can get dehydrated very fast. Always keep a bottle of water by your side. I fill up my Nalgene bottle and try to drink the whole thing every hour or so that I'm outside. On a day where you are outside a lot and active drink a gallon of water (double of the recommended 32 ounces in a day). 
• And lastly, have fun! Summer is one of the most carefree times of the year, so enjoy it! Taking these simple precautions can prevent many diseases at a later age so you can have many more healthy summers to come.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert on any of this information. All the information I have shared is what I have learned over the years by my own research to protect my body. I hope you find it helpful :)

The Product Less Used - CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast

"The Product Less Used" is going to be a series of blog posts which I review some of my products in my collection which have gone unnoticed for quite some time and I have recently rediscovered. I have a lot of products I purchased and use nonstop and then found a similar product (and sometimes better) which took it's spot. Or sometimes I purchase a product with the best intentions, and then it doesn't quite work out. Sometimes I find another way to use it, and sometimes I just forget about a it! This series will go in dept on certain products and why I recently started using them again, and why I stopped using them in the first place!

I'm starting this series with the CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast. I bought this item in "Citrus Flair" a year ago- before I saw all the reviews on how bad it creased. At that time I did not know about setting all creamy liquid products with a powder. I was so confused as to why it would crease even when I applied an eye shadow primer. I stopped using it for quite some time because I was fed up with it's staying power. It was very disappointing because the colors were gorgeous! Here are some swatches:

With flash.

Without flash.

So what do I use this product for now? I use it as a base. After applying a primer I will apply a small amount of the green or copper and blend it out. Over that I use shadow and I find that there is very little creasing after an eight hour work day (although other cream products I use provide zero creasing). Whats unfortunate is that this product is advertised to be used alone. Drew Barrymore is shown applying this and having the perfect smoky eye all night...I would never recommend that. Not only with this product but with any cream shadows. I'm sure that I am not alone being someone who picked this up thinking it would be a one-step product with amazing results. It's quite shocking that they have been advertising it the same way for over a year now considering all the bad reviews this product gets.
Would I repurchase this product? Yes, if I found it on clearance because for around $6 it is not worth it. Because of the false advertising and disappointment with this product I have also shied away from all other products in the ShadowBlast line.
Overall I would give this product 2.5 out of 5 stars. It's not a totally unusable product, but in no way can you use it for what it's intended for.

Independence Day Mani!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

I know I showed you all my Fourth of July manicure yesterday, but then I went to work (and considering I work at a kennel) and all my nails chipped! But that's okay cause it gave me an excuse to do another design!

I started out with Sally Hansen's "Baby Blue Crystal" Chrome Nail Makeup. I recently re-discovered this polish, and although its very pretty, its very hard to apply and avoid streaks. This was three coats.

On the tips of my nails I used Zoya's "Robyn" and OPI's "Vodka and Caviar". The large glitter chunks are from a polish I got ages ago at like Old Navy or CVS for a few bucks but it added the perfect sparkle for the holiday! 

My dogs were also feeling the Americana spirit today with their manicures and pedicures!

 

Iason had a cute pattern of red white and blue. His back paws carried on the pattern. Surprisingly he sat through the whole thing! Normally he jumps up and tries to run away after every nail.

 
Nibby has one paw white and the other blue with one toe on each being the accent red nail! His back paws were the alternating color.
Please note that I have been painting my dogs nails a few times a year since they were tiny puppies. Not only that but my dogs are very calm and will put up with me being all sorts of annoying to them. Painting dogs' toenails is not natural to them and if you believe your dog may not like it then by all means don't try.

Fourth of July Inspired Mani

Happy Independence Day to those who celebrate :) I created this fun, but not screaming "Americana" manicure to show off my spirit!

 I started out with Zoya's "Robyn" for the blue, and OPI's "Vodka and Caviar" for the red. Over that I used the plaid image on the Konad M60 plate with Sally Hansen's "Baby Blue Crystal". This was one of their Chrome nail polishes from forever ago.

What are you guys sporting for the 4th?