Primo Primer

OK... so I got a sample the other day that I'm really kinda excited to try out.  I have a good array of face primers in my cosmetic arsenal and probably won't have an open slot for another for a very long time; however, this little number is campaigning hard for a residency in my lineup.  Besides winning me over with their They're Real mascara, Benefit is a company I don't normally pay a lot of attention to.  But they've definitely garnered my "undivided" with this one.  It's their Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer and I'm liking the initial data I've gathered on it so far...

     

Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer is a makeup saving base from Benefit Cosmetics.  Housed in a twist-up tube complete with polka dot cap, the primer comes as a solid stick to be used directly on the face.  It boasts a maximum of fifteen hours' protection against the ravages of skin oils to help keep your foundation intact and looking flaw-free.

Although peach in color, it applies colorless and glides across the skin with minimum effort.  It felt good going on and I could immediately see its effects as it left a matte stripe down the back of my hand.  It has no discernible smell, left my skin feeling soft and lasted all day on my hand - even after having my hand through the loop of my dog's leash.

So there you have it!  Like I said earlier, all the initial data came back positive on this one.  Cute packaging aside, it seems to take its oil-fighting duties very seriously.  Of course, the back of my hand is nowhere as oil-active as my face, therefore, the real test still remains.  But it did stay put.  And just for reference, my skin type is considered "normal", but I get my fair share of shiny moments... especially when wearing my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer.  So an update is definitely in the works for this soon.

Hopefully, there will be no breakouts where my face ends up looking like the cap on the tube.  But let's stay positive, shall we?  Yes, we shall...

**UPDATE: 2/13/15 -  Well, I have been using this primer off and on for a little over a month now and I'm happy to report that it hasn't broken me out or caused any type of dermal disturbance.  It did a good job in helping me maintain a close-to-matte finish throughout the day, however, I feel that its performance was pretty much on par with my other face primers.  I did notice that my smile lines were less prominent and didn't "crack" my foundation after various bouts of grinning and laughing like they usually do, so that was a plus... but not enough of a merit to warrant a purchase.  I'm so glad I had a chance to give it a go, though, and will happily finish the tube down to its last drop!  

Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer is available at Ulta and Sephora, and retails for $32/ 0.54 oz.

Barbie: I Dream of Jeannie

Hey, guys!  Are you familiar with the TV show I Dream of Jeannie?  Well, if you are and recall it with a certain fondness, have I got a treat for you.  The popular series from the '60s centered around an astronaut who finds a female genie in a bottle while stranded on an island - a beautiful wish maker who happily grants him his every whim (sometimes to his dismay) by crossing her arms and blinking them into fruition.  His wish is her command as she instantly falls in love with the handsome bachelor upon first sight and, after "following" him back to his home, hijinks ensue.  So, in the spirit of having a little tongue-in-cheek fun, I bring to you a doll loaded with nostalgia.  It's the I Dream of Jeannie Barbie from Mattel.

Faithfully fashioned after the iconic television character, this Barbie is a virtual mini Jeannie from the top of her braided ponytail to the soles of her golden slippers.  Every attention to detail has been meticulously paid as even the doll itself bears a striking resemblance (purposely so) to the actress who played her, Barbara Eden.

Dressed in an ensemble that includes a tasseled middriff accompanied by a white trimmed bolero, "Jeannie" is a dream in all pink - a color that Barbie is more than happy to don since this, too, is her well-known signature shade.

A gauzy pair of harem pants with detailing along the waist drape her long legs while a pendant necklace and mirrored gold slippers act as the only other noticeable embellishments being adorned.   

Oh, and we can't forget the vessel she was trapped inside of for many, many years before being found and subsequently released by her "master" Tony.  She started from the bottle, now she's here... living, loving and devoting her affections to the man who freed her from the tiny living quarters she once called "home".

Nestled amidst her braid and high ponytail of long, blonde hair is a pink headpiece that comes complete with a sheer, tethered veil that wraps softly around her face.

And as far as her makeup goes, subtlety is the key.  While her green eyes are allowed some Arabian flair with stark, angled black liner surrounded by a muted brown, her lips blush a docile hue of rose.  The hint of allure is evident, although quietly subdued.   

So there you have it!  Long before the advent of satellite/cable and the raunch of reality TV were shows that teased and titillated without going too far over the top.  You were always in on the ongoing joke(s) and even when the storyline comprised the same comedic formula (boy + girl + wacky friend/neighbor/mother-in-law), it still had your buy-in.  Well, I Dream of Jeannie was one of those shows that you were more than happy to buy into.  And when I saw this Barbie and how it genuinely looked like the iconic character from the iconic show, I knew I had to get her.   She's a visual, tangible reminder of a more innocent time of boob tube watching... and I'm so glad to have her in my collection!

Product Purge - Hair

Hey, guys!  Happy 2015!  How was your New Year's?  Festive and fun, I hope.  Mine was pretty cool; I watched fireworks with some friends.  But now that the celebrating is over, it's time for me to get down to brass tacks.  Once again, I find myself saddled with a horde of products that I either need to re-purpose or simply get rid of - preferably the latter.  This time it's hair stuff.  And instead of embarrassing myself by showing the tons of hair wares that have now found their way into the dreaded "product graveyard", I figured I'd just feature a few notables along with my would-be plans for them to help further my quest to start off the new year junk-free.

First up is Aveda's Shampure Conditioner.  From what I remember, I actually like(d) this... along with the shampoo.  I believe it did well on my hair and I love the earthy, herbal smell associated with most Aveda products.  Since one tends to use up more shampoo than conditioner during a wash cycle, I was left with quite a bit of this.  So my plan is to use up the remaining amount during the next couple of weeks and finally be done with it.

   
Next up is another conditioner that's missing its shampoo counterpart - Caviar Anti-Aging Moisture Conditioner from Alterna.  This product, too, I ended up liking a lot.  True to its name, it was moisturizing and left my hair soft.  However, clearly I didn't like it enough for it to totally usurp my then longtime staple, Fresh Soy Shampoo, as I found myself running back to it after purchasing sets of Caviar twice.  (By the way, have I mentioned that Fresh discontinued the full-size version of their Soy poo and now only sells a teeny, tiny travel size of it?!  Yeah.  Color me mucho disappointed on that one!)  Anywho, I plan on using this one up right after I finish with the Aveda.

This one I bought in the hopes of it being the same as the original.  But, alas, the company changed hands, they changed its formula and, in turn, lost me as a fan.  It's Arosci Leave-In Conditioner and it used to be the BOMB!  I'm so serious.  Not only did it leave my hair feeling like and acting like an angel had touched it, but it smelled divine, too!  Ugh!  Why do things have to change?  WHY?!  Well, like I said, this redo ended up being a re-don't; I can't stand the new version's smell and it does absolutely NOTHING for my tresses.  So I will not be holding on to this one at all!

  
OK, this one I don't think I ever used.  Well, maybe I used it once, but definitely not often enough to remember whether it was a yea or a nay for my hair.  I bought this Elasta QP Design Foam years ago when I first started getting serious about my hair.  Back in the day I used to wrap my hair wet (as opposed to wrapping my hair dry like I do now) and thought this mousse/foam would help with my wet set.  I honestly don't recall whether it did or not, but my ex-boyfriend's daughter took a liking to it as she was the one who ended up using most of the product.  I may try using it on a wet curl set, but I rarely even do those... so this one's most likely a goner, too.

Now, when this serum first debuted, I was so excited to try it.  However, my excitement was soon abated as I found it to be more than disappointing.  I was looking for something light to use as a gloss-inducing heat protectant with my flat-iron, but this Triple Moisture Shine Serum from skincare giant Neutrogena fell woefully short.  It failed to give my hair the mirror-like shine I was used to via other serums and the smell wasn't a win for me either.  Needless to say, I won't be holding on to this any longer.

 
Speaking of shine, I bought this last hair product years ago after hearing so many great things said about it.  The name alone was alluring enough, but BioSilk's Silk Therapy Shine On just wasn't the "gloss-in-a-can" I was looking for.  I found it to be very heavy in spite of it claiming to be the opposite; it left my hair looking and feeling greasy even though I didn't use a lot, and its heavy-handed, perfumed scent is extremely overwhelming to me.  But "different strokes for different folks" as my sister is actually fond of this finishing spray, so it will most likely be finding a new home with her.   

Well, there you have it, guys!  Even though I started this de-cluttering thing a long time ago, I am still discovering things I desperately need to let go of.  I do realize it's an on-going process that I'll probably never be completely done with.  However, I am determined to have a fresh start for the new year and purging these unused, unwanted hair items is a great way to keep the momentum going.   

Brow Wizardry

You know, normally I give my brows a modest tending to: I trim, I wax, occasionally fill them in with a brow pencil or dark-brown eyeshadow and call it a day.  They're usually covered up by my bangs anyway, so I really don't even bother making too much of a fuss over them.  But after surveying some products as well as speaking with my sister, a self-professed eyebrow aficionado, I decided perhaps it was time to put in a little more effort.  I remembered becoming enamored with Anastasia's Dipbrow Pomade after trying it out during an excursion to Ulta, so I copped a jar to see it in action.  And boy, oh boy, am I super glad I did...

   

Dipbrow Pomade is a smudge-free, waterproof cream formulated to add color and definition to eyebrows.  It is just one of the standouts in a stable of brow-centric products from Beverly Hills based eyebrow guru Anastasia.  Boasting a range of shades to deftly accommodate a multitude of skin tones, Dipbrow dually acts as a primer, adhering to brow hairs while effortlessly depositing long lasting color.  Chocolate was my shade of choice, which is a warm, dark-brown.

  

For application, I used an off-brand, medium sized angle brush with a narrow tip for precision.  I only needed to tap it into the Dipbrow to collect an ample amount of product to both line and shade my brow, and the cream was a dream to apply as it simply glided across my skin without tugging, pulling or patching.

Unadulterated brow (left)

Dipbrow (left)

Unadulterated brow (right)

Dipbrow (right)

Dipbrow (right)

I played around with the shaping of my left brow and made it slightly more boxy just to see how it would suit me.  And the pic above is the total amount of product I used to fill in both eyebrows.  BOTH!  Umm... yeah, so I see this jarful lasting me a long, loooong time, which is definitely a great thing!  Oh, and when they say "waterproof", they're not playing.  My brows not only stayed put throughout the day without a single smudge in sight, but also remained immaculate after taking a shower!  #IMPRESSIVE!

Whether going for the dramatic or something a bit more natural (like I prefer), Dipbrow Pomade certainly delivers big on gorgeous, manicured looking brows.  I really like how natural it looks on and now that I've tried Chocolate, I think I want to try the Auburn and go for something even warmer/redder.  But for right now, I'm completely fine being stationed under the spell of my current shade.  Dipbrow Pomade has upgraded my entire eyebrow game and I'm so happy to have it in my cosmetic collection. 

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade is available at Ulta, Sephora and beauty.com, and retails for $18.