Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Week 4 Beauty Box Results

Happy February Everyone!  Mr. Groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter...  Boo!  Looks like another rainy Spring here in the South again this year.

We are finally all thawed out from the massive freezing/rain/snow storm last week.  Which honestly, was pretty remarkable from a Northern transplant standpoint.  I know the Northern States were making fun of us for canceling schools for 4 days, but in all seriousness, it was pretty bad down here. We all saw Atlanta on the news.  Kids sleeping on school buses.  OMG.  Our schools were cancelled Monday night.  The freezing rain hit later Tuesday afternoon for us. 

I'm always a bit skeptical of weather forecasts.  There are so many variables.  But something told me to go ahead and grab milk and bread.  And good thing I listened, stores were closed for 4 days as well...  Base shut down and even my husband got a few days off only to work on the weekend though.  It was a nice relaxing Stay-cation and the kids had a blast!

We were out in the streets sliding on kayaks and wake boards on 2-3 inches of solid ice.  It does not make for good driving or walking conditions for that matter.  Even the dogs wouldn't walk on it!  Paired with the lack of snow plows and sand/salt trucks, we just had to wait until the sun melted everything.  Which took until Friday.  The sun finally made an appearance that morning and by 1pm, the streets were cleared.

That being said, I hardly wore any makeup last week.  And my skin was not happy about it.  Let's dive in, shall we?

So here is a little reminder of what I started Week 4 out with:


Here is what I ended up with:


I don't know what my skin reacted to, but I attributed it to the Dr. Jart Skin Saver.  It was the only sample I tried.  I didn't do any masks or other treatments.  By Tuesday, I didn't have a breakout, but small white bumps, just bumpy skin in general.  On my nose, cheeks, above my eyebrow.  Just random places.  As soon as I stopped using it after 3 days, my skin finally cleared on Saturday. I will have to do some research on what ingredient it could have been but the active ingredient in the set is ceramidin.  It is said to hydrate which my skin definitely needed and then with the cold Polar Vortex blast... 

I had to bring in the big guns and slather up with Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre.  It truly saved my skin.  My skin cleared and felt much smoother.  Very happy with the results and my skin is much hydrated but not too much.  It's perfectly balanced at the moment.

If I did throw on makeup it was my Ponds Luminous Finish BB Cream which normally is super hydrating, but wasn't even enough last week.  I am truly wondering if my skin is changing.  As much as I can't stand my oil producing facial glands, I am missing them!  Dry, flakey skin is not a good look on me!

I can't seem to get a good match with the L'OREAL True Match.  W3 is too dark/orange on me.  Lumi in W1-2 is too pink, or it just doesn't neutralize my natural pink/redness enough.  The N1-2 is super pink on my skin and when I did try it, way too light.  Why can't they just come out with a W2?  Mixing W3 and W1-2 isn't the perfect solution, it's really unnaturally pink.  I've tried!  I like the feel of it, it's light-weight, a bit silicone-like...  I'm just tired of needing at a minimum 2 different shades of foundation to match my skin.  Does anyone else run into this problem?  I will still try out foundations, but I would like  just one to be able to slap on and run out the door!

I did try out the POREfessional Agent Zero Shine but I bought this way prematurely.  Should have waited until Spring.  Dang 20% off at Ulta!  And I didn't get my free gift with purchase.  Ugh.  So far it seems like any other powder.  I don't really have an opinion of it at this time.  Only that I have a million other setting powders and it is not needed right now.  It does have a color to it, not completely translucent on the skin, on pale skin for that matter.  But I like the packaging.  It seems easy to apply on the go.  I will do a separate review but I think that this is going to be a return.  I would much rather spend my money at Sephora.  My last trip there was truly unbelievable.  The store was literally trashed.

Because my skin has been so dry, cream bronzer and blush are the only way to go!  I do not have much experience with cream blush.  This one by NYX in Boho Chic I've used a handful of times.  The first time was a hot/humid day and it sort of slid off, never really fully absorbing.   It seemed to blend in better this week.  I either use a stipling brush or my fingers.  I think the brush works best.  It's pretty sticky, almost like an opaque cream gloss that you would use on the lips.  I find with my fingers, by the time I have blended (rubbed) it into my cheeks, my cheeks are red from the manipulation (is friction a better word?) and it's difficult to see how much I have applied until my redness subsides.  I'm still on the fence about it. With the Super BB Skin 79, my face looks a little flat so contouring with the Sonia Kashuk cream bronzer is a must even on a "no makeup" day!  ;)  It blends with minimal effort as well. Overall, it is a nice product.

I added in the UD Naked Basics as the Bare Minerals does not have a lighter matte shade.  I like to use the dark matte brown called Black Tie Optional as a liner but I still need a highlight and a transition shade to help blend out all the shimmer!  My favorite shade is Invite Only, a taupey moss green.  It's a shimmer, but not glittery.  The shadows are smooth and buttery, the perfect amount of pigment.  Just a lovely palette overall that I would recommend.  I don't believe it is still available unfortunately but if you can find it, it's a nice palette for your collection. bareMinerals READY eyeshadow 8.0 The Cocktail Hour.

So nothing too exciting last week and I don't even have any empties to share.  Shocking I know.  But I already have a couple items for Week 5 that I have finished up during the last couple of days...

Are your samples out?  What are you trying this week?!

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