About two months ago I was browsing the aisles of Ulta when I ran across this new line of makeup from Sally Hansen. I actually only stopped because I recognized Carmindy’s picture that was on the display. It is called Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy. I had to check it out. I am a big fan of the What Not To Wear show on TLC and love watching their makeup artist, Carmindy transform women from blah to gorgeous in matter of minutes. I prefer natural looking makeup, and she always enhances their natural beauty without making them look too made up.

Ulta had the makeup on sale so I thought what have I got to lose. I was looking for a new foundation any way, so I thought why not give this a shot. I haven’t had the best luck with finding the right shade of foundation in the drugstore ever before because you can’t try them on in the store. On that trip, I purchased the foundation, powder, and concealer. The foundation was in a frosted bottle, which made it even more difficult to choose a shade.

When I got home I tried on the foundation and realized that I had selected a shade that was too dark. Fortunately, Ulta allows you to return stuff, so off I went to trade my foundation in for a lighter shade. I picked the second to lightest shade and also picked up a lipstick, eye shadow set, and eyeshadow base, and blush. Hey, the sale was buy one get one 50% off. Why not try several things?

The next morning I tried the foundation on so I could check it in the natural light. I had picked the right shade this time. Hoorah! I waited to post my opinions on these products just to make sure that it didn’t cause me any breakouts or other problems. Here’s the rundown on what I liked and didn’t like about this line.

First off, the Your Skin Makeup foundation matches my skin tone beautifully and still looks good hours later. I like the fact that the bottle has a pump for sanitary purposes, but I do wish that the bottles were clear and not frosted. I waited to post my opinions on this product to make sure that it didn’t cause me any breakouts or other problems.

The Fast Fix Eye Shadow Base will definitely be a part of my makeup collection for a long time. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t ever discontinue this! It works better than the L’oreal De-Crease eye shadow base that I have been using and keeps my eye shadow from creasing or fading all day. You just apply it with your finger, let dry, and move on to your eye shadow. You can even wear it alone to just even out imperfections and darkness.

I didn’t actually “need” more eye shadow for my collection, but the Instant Definition Eye Shadow Palettes looked so enticing that I had to get at least one. The palettes come with three color coordinated shades to use on the lid, for contouring, and highlighting. I selected the Metallic eye shadow palette. The eye shadows are finely milled so they feel great going on and are easily blended.

I love using my Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen for concealing my dark circles under my eyes. I haven’t found another concealer that helps to diffuse those dark shadows without looking cakey or making my fine lines look more evident. I chose the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty concealer in All over Light. Maybe I am just too partial to my Dior concealer, but I didn’t really like this. I thought it looked cakey and just plain bad on me. I am not giving up yet on finding a concealer from this line though. I will give the All Over Brightener a try next because I think it might be that I just prefer a product that brightens rather than just conceals.

This line offers blushes in powder and cream form. I had a tough time choosing because I liked almost all of them. I ended up choosing a powder blush in the shade Ethereal. This blush feels great going on, is very sheer, and looks completely natural. I have fair skin so the sheerness factor is a big plus for me.

For a powder, I had a choice between the Luminous Matte Pressed Powders or the Truly Translucent Loose Powders. I selected a matte pressed powder in the neutralizing light shade which is yellow. Again, the powder was finely milled like the eye shadows and blush so it went on like silk. It kept my forehead shine-free for hours.

I saved my favorite product from this collection for last. The Color Comfort Lip Color lipsticks are well pigmented and very moisturizing. They feel creamy going on and my lips still felt great hours later. I always hate when lipsticks leave your lips looking and feeling dried out after you have had them on for a while. Not a problem with this lipstick. I picked out the Champagne Rose shade, but I don’t plan to stop with just that one because this lipstick just feels so great on.

If you are on a budget or just want to try out something new without breaking the bank, then this line is definitely worth checking into. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by some of the products. The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy line is also paraben free.

Check out this video to see Carmindy demonstrating her Five Minute Face technique using this line of makeup.

Filed under: Makeup | No Comments »

On a recent post, I told you that I was giving up my salon hair products for a while to check out more budget friendly ones. I wanted to see if I could find drugstore hair products that could give me the same results as my expensive ones. I started with the Tresemme Heat Tamer spray which to my surprise was actually better than what I had been using. ( I won’t name names, but it cost me ten dollars more than the Tresemme).

In addition to purchasing the Heat Tamer Spray, I also picked up the Tresemme tres two ultra fine mist hair spray. I was using a hair spray that cost eight dollars just for the travel size, which should give you an idea of how much the full size container is.

Can I just tell you how much I love this hair spray. I LOVE this stuff! Who knew you could find such a great hair spray for four bucks. I spend that much just buying a caffe mocha at Starbucks. Okay, I know some of you have already discovered how great this product is, but for those of you who haven’t, you are really missing out.

The Tresemme ultra fine mist hair spray has a water-free formula so it goes on dry. I prefer flexible-hold hair sprays, and this provides plenty of hold without the stiffness factor. It is also frizz and humidity resistant which is an absolute must for my frizz-prone hair. I can’t give an opinion about their ultra hold or extra hold hair sprays because I didn’t try those.

So will I go back to my old hair spray when I am done with this one? Never say never, but for now I think that I may just stick with this one. With all the money I save, I can buy all the caffe mocha’s I want!

What do you think? Are salon hair products really better than the drugstore brands?

Filed under: Bath & Body, Hair | 2 Comments »

A few years ago I discovered Stila Cosmetics eye shadow in the shade Kitten which quickly became one of my all time favorite eye shadows. This shimmery pink nude shade absolutely made my brown eyes pop. Apparently, my opinion is shared by many because the shade Kitten was one of In Style magazine’s 2007 Best of Beauty Buys.

As if that wasn’t enough, Stila has gone one step further to make this number one best selling eye shadow even better. Drum roll please……. Introducing Stila Silk Eye Shadow Wash in Kitten ($22; beauty.com). This portable liquid-to-powder eye shadow wash is water-based and enriched with silk proteins.

The pink and gold tones in this eye shadow are universally flattering to everyone. You can choose to wear it alone or use it as a highlighter. A new twist on an already fabulous product. What’s not to like!

Filed under: Eyes, Makeup | 1 Comment »

Clinique has come out with a new cream to powder blush that comes in a convenient stick form for quick, easy application. The colors glide on and are easily blended to look completely natural on your skin. Available in four different shades, which include a bronze shade called Glow Blush that you can use to give your skin that all over glow effect.

Clinique’s Blushwear Cream Sticks ($18.50; clinique.com) are oil free and non-drying. Using your fingertips, you can blend it to suit your own preference of sheer to moderate coverage. If you travel frequently or are a busy mom with very little time to do your makeup, this would be a great option for your hectic schedule.

Filed under: Cheeks, Makeup | No Comments »

Prescriptives has joined the Mineral Makeup realm with their own long wearing powder foundation. The new Prescriptives All Skins Mineral Makeup ($32.50; prescriptives.com) offers completely natural coverage that feels weightless on your skin.

This long-wearing powder foundation comes in eighteen different shades so finding one to match your skin tone should be no problem. It offers SPF 15 protection and is completely free of oil, talc, fragrance, and nasty pore-clogging ingredients.

What does it have in it? Vitamins, gems, and minerals which work to give your skin a natural looking healthy glow. If you are in the market for a mineral foundation that is good for your skin, then this one is definitely worth checking out!

Filed under: Face-Makeup, Makeup | No Comments »