Reviews

Spring Beauty Essentials

I was recently invited, and overjoyed, to be a part of Glam’s Beauty Board and discuss with you some top essentials for spring 2012.  I received a box full of great beauty products to review and share with all of you. 

• Oscar Blandi Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray – I just recently had my hair cut short and had been washing & styling it everyday because it would be so flat the second day.  This dry shampoo really gave me all that volume back without feeling greasy or dirty.
• Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray – Great if you love the flat iron or curling rods.  I used this then curled my second day hair and it turned out gorgeous!
• Aveeno Positively Radiant Eye Illuminator – You could really feel this penetrating and perking up tired under eyes.  Tip: Squeeze slow to distribute a little product at a time–a little goes a long way.
• L’eau de Chloe – I change my signature scent with the season and I have just deemed this one for spring this year.  This scent just radiates spring with all it’s floral notes.  Now if spring would just get here already!
• Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy – Remember my homemade lemon sugar scrub??  Well this lip treatment smelled just like it!  My lips have been so chapped from this dry winter we’re having and they just ate this right up.
• Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes – I haven’t confessed my love to you yet for Neutrogena but I definitely love this brand.  These towelettes are the ONLY ones I get.  They work amazingly and don’t sting your eyes when taking off eye makeup.  Tip: After I take off my makeup I rinse the towelette with warm water and wipe my face down again.
• Neova Breakout Control Swabs – These are just sooooo handy and travel friendly!  Simply snap the one end of the cotton swab and the product dispenses to the other end.  I used it on some red spots I had that looked like I was going to break out and the red spots disappeared without over drying.

• Pixi Glow Fairy Face Palette – Tinkerbell was the muse for this spring line, but don’t let the packaging fool you, this line was made for us older ladies.  The pigments are great and very beautiful.  Great collection if you want something new but like to keep it neutral.
• Pixi Straight on till Morning Liner in 2nd Star Twinkle (goldish green) – This has to be one of the silkiest pencils I have EVER used.  I was done applying it in a snap because it just was that easy to use.
• Jemma Kidd i-Sculpt Shadow and Line in Kings Road (deep purple) - I believe that purple is just universally flattering.  There is a shade out there for everyone.
• NP Set Glamorista Mascara – If clumping is an issue for you then you have to try this mascara.  The brush really combed through my lashes leaving a light formula for a very natural look.

(more…)

Review: Eucerin + Giveaway

Skin Calming Daily Moisturizing Creme

Skin Calming Body Wash

Skin Calming Itch-Relief

by Eucerin

Although here on the east we haven’t been having much of a winter, my skin begs to differ.  I became more relaxed in my winter routine and stopped moisturizing as often as I should and the dry winter air has made my skin super dry.  Shame on me I know.

I wasted no time whipping my skin back into shape and went straight to Eucerin for help.  If you’re not familiar, Eucerin is a great brand if you suffer from extreme dry skin or even eczema.  They’re dermatologist tested and recommended.  Eucerin is also very common product given to mothers to aid in newborns dry skin.

Upon using the Calming Creme I noticed a difference right away.  Instead of my skin just soaking it up right away and needing a new application in an hour, the cream formula slowly penetrated my skin and soothed it.  It was actually repairing my skin.  I tested the Calming Itch-Relief treatment and it had a light cooling sensation to it.  I don’t suffer from eczema but I could see how this would feel amazing on those rough dry patches.  I did rub a little around my cuticles to help repair them like new.  The body wash is infused with powerful omega-3 oils, it lathered very lightly and felt super hydrating.

Now here’s your chance to beat the winter drab and get super soft skin with Eucerin.  Just fill out the below chances to win!  Good luck ladies <3!!!

(more…)

Mascara Monday: Fleur De Lash

Fleur De Lash

by Tarina Tarantino

image via sephora.com

Cost: $19

One of my favorite things to do when I go to Sephora is to grab the nearest employee and get the run down on the brands that are doing big things.  While some recommendations I know right off the bat won’t suit my needs, others work out perfectly…and I can’t resist trying a new mascara.  ;-)

Fleur De Lash features a pretty large brush that worked great at separating and lengthening my lashes.  The formula was a little wet at first and probably would need “the transition“.  After a couple weeks though is when the magic really happened.  Mascara applying time was cut in half!  As you can see in the pics below there is not a huge difference and that’s because this mascara just wants to do a dramatic job right from the get go.  I saw minimal clumping but be careful while doing lower lashes, it tended to want to stick right to my skin.

I would recommend Fleur De Lash for any lady who’s looking to make the jump from a natural look to a louder statement.  It’s great if you’re really seeking voluptuous lashes at a mid-range price.

after one full coat

after a couple coats

xoxo Heather

Mascara Monday: Kickin’ Blue in the Daytime

All That Lash in Kickin’ Blue

By Flirt!

image via kohls.com

Cost: $15.00

I’ve been sitting on this mascara for a while now.  It was a total impulse buy at Kohl’s one time.  I just couldn’t resist the bright blue-purple color and as soon as I laid eyes on it I knew I had to have it.

The packaging was comparable to Benefit’s Badgal Lash with a big fat tube which was accompanied with a big fat wand.  The formula was great and went on with a breeze.  It was super volumizing and the blue really made my lashes stand out.

I decided to give this a go on a Saturday where it wouldn’t feel to crazy.  I did a simple wash of shadow on my lids and wore no liner, I wanted my lashes to really take center stage.  From farther than a few feet away you couldn’t really tell that I was wearing such a vivid shade but the moment you came any closer it was all the more apparent, especially in the sun!

A mascara like this needs tons of coats to get the full impact so I didn’t include any one coat pics.

Special thanks to my bf Dave for taking these pics–more pics coming soon ladies of this fun shoot we did!!

xoxo Heather

John Frieda : Part 2

Hope all you ladies had a beautiful weekend. I can’t believe it’s been three months since I had the amazing makeover from the great John Frieda team. I’m still so in love with my new hair style! I have perfected the super straight look with a simple few passes with a flat iron, to my surprise it’s faster to do then I thought it would be. I recently two weeks ago decided to have a go at using the Precision Foam coloring all by myself…without the JF team…oh yea I was sooo nervous!!! How did it go? Perfect! The no-drip foam is just a god-send to the at home colorist and I did it in a breeze. I can’t believe I was ever so scared to dye my hair myself.

Recently, more then ever, I’ve really been embracing the bright pink lip shades. You might have noticed my post a week ago or so with my red shade picks. Surprisingly I’ve always been apprehensive about brighter shades but we had so much fun at the makeover and the feedback with the neon pink was so great that I’m now hooked.

Ok so let’s get to the good stuff and why I’ve made a part 2. They made videos of our experiences!! oes a happy dance: This is just more than I could have ever hoped for and so greatly appreciate everyone that was involved to make this happen. Ok quick hit play!

xoxo Heather

About: Precision Foam Colour is the first ever premium permanent home hair colour from the John Frieda® Hair Care Experts that uses foam technology to deliver a luxurious at-home colouring experience. Demand gorgeous, salon-quality results — 100% grey coverage and vibrant shine. With 20 flattering shades to choose from, achieving natural-looking hair colour perfection is in your hands.

*The product reviewed in this post was provided gratis by the John Frieda® Hair Care team.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the John Frieda® Hair Care team.

Review: Jouer Luminizing Tint

Luminizing Moisture Tint

by Jouer Cosmetics

Yaaay!  First review of any kind of foundation/tint!  Can you believe that…almost hard to believe myself.  I was recently contacted by Jouer to take a stab at their Luminizing Moisture Tint and to share with my ladies my thoughts.  If you’re not familiar, Jouer Cosmetics are known as the LBD-little black dress of makeup.  They feature some of the best packaging I have ever seen, pieces connect to each other!  Their products are made with rich botanicals and vitamins so I knew right off the bat I was in for a treat.

I applied the moisture tint with a foundation brush and immediately noticed how light and easy it was to blend in.  It seemed to almost disappear into my skin, but I did another quick layer around my nose, lips, and under eyes and I ended up skipping my concealer.  The wow factor in the tint came from the “luminizing” part.  Light-diffusing multi minerals actually reflect light away from any fine lines or imperfections giving you a more flawless and youthful complexion.  Even in more all natural tints I’ve had the tendency to get a slight break out here or there but I didn’t with Jouer at all.  I think because the tint is infused with Ginseng and Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract to help deliver antioxidants to promote healthy skin.

Jouer was kind enough to send me some lip goodies to test out as well.  The first one is a Lip Enhancer conditioning lip balm that I’m convinced makes my lips fuller.  I smear on a nice coat of balm before bed all the time but this is the first time that I’ve woke up in the morning with it still on!  The second is a lip gloss in Peony which may be deceiving in the package, bright isn’t it, but it does go on nice and light.  I suggest adding a second layer for more pop! ha

Their products are all available online at JouerCosmetics.com (and Henri Bendel in NYC).  They even have a sweet feature to show you what colors would look like on 4 different skin shades.

xoxo Heather

Meet Julep Maven & *Giveaway*

Today I’m absolutely so thrilled to share my Julep nail kit with you!  Julep started out being a popular nail spa destination in the Seattle area and now is growing into a powerful girlfriend movement.  They created a full line of amazing nail polishes as well as manicure and pedicure products, all of which are toxin-free!!!  More recently they just announced the launch of their new service Julep Maven!  The Maven program was designed to allow every girl, and girlfriend, out their to receive the same special treatment that beauty editors do.  In each box you get two nail colors, one being not available yet to the general public, and a special treatment.  I just got the Boho Glam Maven box and the colors were gorgeous!  There was Olivia and Miranda (special color not yet released for sale), and a bottle of their Facial for Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub.  The colors were insanely rich and lasted much longer than my normal at-home-manicures, they also didn’t smell as horrible as normal nail polish do.  The hand scrub was soooo amazing, seriously didn’t know what I was missing there, and took my at-home-manicure to a more professional level.

Loved this saying off their bag:

 Powered by Girlfriends.

At Julep we believe in the power of connection.  How together, we resonate.  How we inspire each other to be the best versions of ourselves.  We are a community of women celebrating other women in unison.  And that is beautiful.

*Giveaway*

With that said Julep and I have teamed up to give one beautiful lady a complimentary 3-month membership to their Julep Maven program (valued over $60)!!!!

To Enter:  Visit Julep.com and leave a comment below with what your favorite color polish is.

Want extra entries for more chances to win?

• One extra entry and comment for sharing this giveaway on Facebook!
• One extra entry and comment for tweeting this giveaway on Twitter!
• One extra entry for Liking Julep on Facebook!

Giveaway will be open until November 22, 2011 at 11:59pm.  Winner announced November 23, 2011.

Good Luck Girlfriends!!!

xoxo Heather

P.s.  Julep set up a fancy code for all Behind the Lashes readers.  Using promo code “BEHINDTHELASHES” at checkout, my readers will receive their first Julep Maven Sneak Peek Box for just $5! (valued over $40)

Review: The Make-Up-Matte

This one is especially for all you mineral makeup lovers!  The Make-Up-Matte proves that something that seems so simple can really be so ingenious.  These mattes feature a fun print on the outside and excess powder grabbing microfiber on the inside.  There’s four pockets to hold your brushes and one large pocket to stash your powders.  Roughly the size of a place mat when unfolded it provided a great traveling workspace to do my makeup.  This is really great if you need to do any touch-ups during the day at work or at the gym.  I found that the microfiber inside really helped grab and hold all the loose powder that tends to fly as you’re swirling and tapping.  I stuffed in mine 3 face brushes, 1 eyeshadow, 2 eyeliners, 2 large face mineral powders, 1 mineral blush, and 2 small mineral eye shadows.  That’s a lot of makeup!!!

They are now being sold in a special variety of patterns (shown above) exclusively at QVC.com HERE!

xoxo Heather

Mascara Monday: Lash Lust

Lash Lust Volume Definition Mascara

By Victoria Secret

image via VictoriaSecret.com

Cost: $15.00

I’m a huge impulse shopper, so much so that when VS was offering a free makeup bag with a $75.00 purchase I was all in.  Two items in my purchase I bought to qualify for the bag was an eyeshadow palette and the Lash Lust mascara.  This was my very first beauty purchase ever at VS.  I’ve always been intrigued from all their bombshell looking beautiful ads.  So why the hell not right?

This mascara is really great for the cost.  Don’t let the smaller tube fool you, it’s carries just as much mascara as the other top brands I’ve tested.  The smaller more simple design made it easier to fit in a small bag if touch up were needed later.  The formula was a little wet initially BUT I can tell as you use it will get better.  Because of how wet it is it proved more lengthening than volumizing for me.  But like I said before I think with another week into it and it will be very promising.

The wand was like no other that I’ve tried before.  It is full of bristles but then on two opposite sides it has long plastic comb like bristles that stick out, kinda like the lash separator combs you get in a brush set.  The comb just slid through my lashes, banishing any trace of possible clumping.  It was a little awkward at first but not that difficult to get used to.

All in all this was really a great mascara that I would recommend especially if you have bad clumping issues.  Have you ever bought any impulse beauty items that you now just love??

One Coat:

Two-Three Coats:

xoxo Heather

P.s.  The free makeup bag with my purchase ended up being soooo nice!  I can’t wait to use it haha.

Mascara Monday: Big Fatty Mascara

Big Fatty Mascara

By Urban Decay

Price: $20

I’ve been holding on to this mascara for a good month before doing a review for you girls.  I normally use a mascara for a good two weeks before the review.  The formula for Big Fatty was just to wet and for the first two weeks and I couldn’t get used to using it.  This is the curse of using as many mascara’s as I have, the transition from one to the other can be challenging.

Urban Decay’s Big Fatty uses a HUGE wand similar to the size of Benefit’s Badgal lash but the bristles seem much more tighter.  This poses one problem, the formula lays more on top of the bristles as opposed to in them and when you glide your lashes through you get large amounts of product being distributed at the base of your lashes.  The plus side to this is if you don’t like to do more than one application and you want to get in there and out as fast as possible.

The formula was a very rich black that I haven’t noticed in many other formulas before.  Since it was on the wetter side I would recommend it to ladies that are looking for a more dramatic look with lots of volume.  It’s not really for you if you like a more natural look.

One coat:

Two coats:

xoxo Heather