Product Review -- Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer

My all-time favorite concealer is the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer.

Part of my love for it is the fact that the Fair shade works so well with my skin tone, but I also adore the formula -- it's super creamy and hydrating, and amazingly pigmented so I only need to use a little to get the job done.

I will always have a tube of it in my makeup collection.

I lay all that praise at the Maracuja Creaseless Concealer's feet so that when I say that another concealer reminds me of it, you'll understand exactly what it means when I compare another concealer to it.

The Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer reminds me a lot of the Maracuja Creaseless Concealer.

Product Review -- Make Up For Ever Artist Palettes Vol. 1 & Vol. 3

A while back -- a year ago... maybe two? Sometimes, I lose track of time with all the new makeup coming out all the time -- Make Up For Ever reformulated their eye shadows.

Of course, I wanted to try them, and at the time, they put out a little rectangular palette that had five or six of the new Artist Shadows in them that I purchased so I could try several shades at once. I liked them quite a bit and kept meaning to try some of the individual shadows.

With all the other makeup out there, I never got around to it.

So when Make Up Forever put out their Artist Palettes, which contain nine shades from their permanent line, I decided I had to give them a try -- because each shadow in the palette contains 0.06 grams of product, while the individual shadows contain 0.07.

Which means you're getting nine, nearly full size shadows that retail for $21 each for just $44.

That's a pretty amazing value.

Product Review -- Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift Foundation

We haven't really had traditional winter weather here in New York this year -- it was nearly 70F on Christmas, for God's sake! -- but I've still been on the hunt for a more moisturizing foundation that would help my skin when it starts to get drier in the cold weather.

It's not an easy task, actually.

Even foundations that claim to be moisturizing or hydrating can accentuate dry patches or require a really heavy-duty hydrating primer underneath to look smooth and flawless.

I decided to give the Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift Foundation a try because their HD Foundation (the original formula; I know that they've recently reformulated and I have a sample, but haven't had a chance to try it yet) has been one of my holy grail foundations for years.

Review -- Make Up For Ever Artist Palette

When it comes to Make Up For Ever, my experience is mostly with their face products.

I've tried many of their foundations, concealers and powders over the years and love pretty much all of them -- the MUFE HD Foundation has pretty much achieved holy grail status for me, actually. But despite the fact that the brand's other products have a pretty stellar reputation, I haven't tried much else.

I have a couple of their old shadow singles, but that's it.

Still, when I heard a few months back that they were reformulating their eye shadows, I was intrigued. MUFE describes the new shadows as a gel-powder formula with a silky texture that makes them super easy to apply and blend and ultra-fine, atomized pigments for intense, super-saturated color.

Sounds pretty great, right?

So I had to give these a go, but because I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, I decided to try their Artist Palette, which features the new shadow formula.

Blogiversary Giveaway (Finally)!

 So back in February, the blog turned two years old.

Crazy, right?

Well, as a way of saying thanks to all of you who've been reading along during that time, I thought that a giveaway was in order.

And it's a pretty big one, so hopefully you're all pretty excited. 

The winner will receive:

(1) Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
(1) stila in the moment eye shadow palette
(1) tarte Amazon Escape Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette
(1) The Balm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette
(1) The Balm Balm Voyage Palette
(1) Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV
(1) bareMinerals Passionate for Pastels 4 Piece Color Collection (includes Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Sweetest Thing, Flawless Definition Mascara, Sorbet Blush, and Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Go Getter)
(1) bareMinerals Enchanting Eyes Duo (includes Mini Prime Time Eyelid Primer and Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Flashback)
(1) stila artful eye collector's edition palette vol 1 (includes eye shadows in oasis, glee, starlight, shell, and grace)
(1) stila artful eye collector's edition palette vol 3 (includes eye shadows in light apricot, umber, aquamarine, soft violet, and ocean)
(1) Make Up Forever Aqua Shadow Duo (includes Aqua Shadow Pencils in 28E and 20E)
(1) The Balm Instain Long Wearing Staining Powder Blush in Houndstooth
(1) tarte lights, camera, lashes! inner rim liner 
(1) Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Sailor
(1) Mally Volumizing Mascara
(1) Maybelline Limited Edition Color Tattoo in Nude Compliment
(1) Maybelline Limited Edition Color Tattoo in Sleek & Spice
(1) IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes! Mascara
(1) IT Cosmetics Vitality Flush Anti-Aging Color Reviver Stain in Je Ne Sais Quoi
(1) IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush

There are a ton of fun goodies in this prize pack that I absolutely love, so I hope the winner enjoys them just as much I do.

To enter, just leave a comment below sharing what the best new makeup or beauty item that you've tried recently is.

Here are the rest of the rules:

No anonymous comments are eligible since I have to be able to identify each entry and I’ll need a way to get in touch with you if you win - and you must follow the blog (through Google, Bloglovin or the email list) to enter.

I'm using Rafflecopter to make the giveaway a little easier on myself, so while the blog comment is mandatory for entry, you can get additional entries by following me on Twitter, tweeting about the giveaway, and liking the Facebook page.

The giveaway is open to both U.S. and international readers. If you’re under 18, please get your parents’ permission to enter since you’ll have to give me your mailing address if you win. The giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM EST on Saturday, March 29, 2014.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and thanks again for reading the blog! 

December Favorites

 I can't believe that it's time for my last monthly favorites post of 2012.

Where did this year go?!

But on to my favorite products for December...

Favorite Foundations for Dry Skin

When I was younger, I had seriously oily skin and I was locked in a constant battle to keep my foundation on my face and shine-free.

Then I started using Retin-A (and getting older) and my skin started to get dry.

Not seriously dry, but depending on the season and what skin care treatment I'm using at a given time, I can have flaky patches that look cakey and gross if I don't use the right foundation.

So I've realized that having dry skin is no picnic either.

MAC Face and Body Foundation vs. MUFE Face & Body Foundation

MAC Face and Body Foundation vs. Makeup For Ever Face & Body Foundation

Before I get to the main event, I want to apologize for being MIA this week. I had a deadline with a work project this week, which had me scrambling - and stressed to the max.  Fortunately, I finished on time, but I needed a couple of days to recover. 

Now, on to the the important stuff ... makeup.

When the weather turns warm, I generally prefer lightweight face products. These days, that usually means tinted moisturizers or foundations with light to medium coverage since I can't really wear powder foundation on its own now that my skin has become drier.

For a while, I've been wanting to try both MAC Face and Body Foundation and MUFE Face & Body Foundation because they're light, water-based (and water-resistant or -proof) formulas.  At the end of last summer, I had a Sephora gift card so I picked up the MUFE F&B - but I only used it a few times before the cold weather insisted that I use something a little creamier and more moisturizing on my dry skin. 

March Favorites

March goodies

I'm having a really difficult time believing that March is essentially over.

It feels like February just ended.  Now, I'm not really complaining - warmer weather should be coming, baseball season's starting, and it seems like some work-related things are picking up in the coming months - but it seriously freaks me out how quickly times passes as you get older.  Way, way too fast.

But at least there's still time for fun things like monthly favorite lists...

Products I Wouldn't Want to Live Without

It would be impossible to give these goodies up!

I'm a serious beauty junkie, so there are tons of products that I love.

However, there are a select few that stand out as being so good that I don't have anything else in my collection that performs the same way or gives me the same results. 

These are the products I wouldn't want to live without.

(Obviously, I could... if I had to... but I really hope that I never have to try.)

February Favorites

Favorites for Feburary 2012

I always like to do a post about some of my favorite things on Fridays, but instead of focusing on a specific type of product, I decided to join the monthly favorites bandwagon and share the products that I’vve loved throughout the month of February. I love these types of blog posts or videos because it’s always so interesting to see what products are getting love from fellow beauty junkies.

Everyday Makeup Bag

My everday makeup essentials

I have a ton of makeup. 

More makeup than any one person needs, really.

When you’ve got so many products, it can be really difficult to find a particular item that you need when you’re in a rush to get ready in the morning.  I try to organize my makeup as best as I can but that’s not really one of my strengths. To cut back on the time that it takes me to get ready, I keep all of the items that I use on a regular basis in a makeup bag so I only have to grab  face products, shadows, blush and lip color for the day when I’m getting ready.

Favorite Concealers

I have two main weaknesses when it comes to makeup – foundations and concealers.

Well, actually, that’s not exactly true since I also have a weakness for blushes, highlighters, peachy lipsticks, navy liners, and glittery polishes.  But foundation and concealers, those are my two biggies.

I suppose it has something to do with the fact that my skin is far from perfect – lots of blotchiness, old acne scars, large pores, etc.  I’m willing to try anything that can fake the look of a flawless complexion. When it comes to concealer, I usually use it just on my dark circles or areas of redness. If I have a breakout, I typically let my foundation cover as much as it can and leave it alone since I can’t seem to prevent concealer from looking cakey on a zit.

Holy Grail Found: MUFE HD Primer

I have been really and truly obsessed with makeup for nearly 20 years (yikes!), and in all that time, I’ve never really found a Holy Grail product. 

Not makeup, not skincare, not a hair product. 

Nothing.

Nada.

Foundations for Fair Skin

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall... What's the palest foundation of them all? 

I have fair skin.

Actually, saying it’s fair may be an understatement. I am Casper the Friendly Ghost, Edward Cullen sans shimmer, Frosty the Snowman- white.  It’s a combination of being naturally fair, staying out of the sun, and smothering myself in SPF of at least 50 every time I’m even thinking of setting foot outside. (I had a few bad sunburns as a kid so I’m slightly paranoid about skin cancer.)

I don’t really mind being pale – I hate self-tanners and have a hard time finding a bronzer that looks natural on me - and in fact, I’ve started telling myself that given the current obsession with bronzed skin, my super pale complexion is kind of exotic.

But as much as I like my fair skin, it does present a significant challenge – finding a foundation shade that matches just right.