Review -- e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation

I'm a big fan of e.l.f.

They make a lot of pretty fabulous products that are super budget-friendly and they're always having sales on top of that, so you can score a ton of items without your wallet hurting too much.

But as much as I love e.l.f., I've never had much luck with their face products -- the foundations, concealers, tinted moisturizers, etc. have always been too dark for my super fair skin or I wasn't a fan of the formulas.

There have been a couple of exceptions, though -- like the Studio Moisturizing Foundation Stick. I like that a lot on days when I'm in a hurry to get my makeup on.

Still, I decided to give the e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation a try because I'd heard some good things about it.

And e.l.f. describes it as a hydrating powder, which, to someone with dry to normal skin, is pretty much music to my ears.

Product Alert -- bareMinerals Fresh Forward 8-Piece TSV from QVC

By now, it's probably pretty clear I have a problem when it comes to QVC's beauty TSVs.

I just cannot resist them.

Mainly because they're usually such good values and they're usually from brands that I love like Tarte and IT Cosmetics.

So this month, when I saw that the latest offering was from bareMinerals, it didn't take me long to place an order.

The Fresh Foward 8-Piece Collection will be QVC's TSV starting midnight on March 9th, but I ordered early so if you're curious about the kit, here's a rundown of what's included:

• Original SPF15 Foundation
• Ready Face Color Palette in The State of Bliss
• Soft Focus Face Brush
• Ready Eye Shadow Palette in The Fresh Beginning
• Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliner in Steadfast Slate
• Eye Defining Brush
• Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm in Sorbet Passion
• Makeup Organizer

You get all 8 pieces for $69.95 plus $3 s/h.

Product Alert -- upcoming bareMinerals More Than Meets The Eye TSV on QVC

In just a few days (March 22nd), bareMinerals has yet another TSV coming up on QVC.

And while this is more of "basics" kit in my mind, I had to go ahead and order it early because there were a couple of new products in it that had me intrigued.

You know it doesn't take all that much to get me excited about makeup.

The More Than Meets The Eye Collection contains 8 pieces:

• Prime Time Daily Defense Neutralizing Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15
• Ready All-Over Face Color in Elation
• 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Mineral Veil Finishing Powder Broad Spectrum SPF 20
• 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Blushing Apricot
• Hydrating Lip Stain in Elation
• Angled Foundation Brush
• Flawless Complexion Brush

BE Feel the Love AD #2 (and Small M.A.C. Product Alert)

The bareMinerals Feel the Love TSV, which was originally available back in April, is certainly not the most exciting BE kit that I've ever purchased from QVC, but it has all of the basics necessary to do a complete face. 

Today, my UPS guy brought me the second installment of the auto-delivery series, and I'm pretty happy with the new shades in the collection.  They may not be for everyone, though, so if you've delayed your shipment, you should definitely check out photos and swatches to see if they're up your alley.

Like the original kit, this installment contains three face products:

• Ready Foundation Broad Spectrum in Fair
• Bisque Concealer Broad Spectrum SPF20
• Stroke of Light Eye Brightener in Luminous1

bareMinerals Feel the Love TSV from QVC

Note - I feel like all I do is apologize these days, but I've been having technical difficulties with my camera this week that have prevented me from posting the last few days.  I think I've gotten it figured out, so hopefully I can get back on track after the weekend.  I'll be going away for a couple of days to celebrate Easter with family and friends. 

I know March was kind of a black hole for the blog, but I've got high hopes for April!

I really wasn't planning on purchasing the bareMinerals Feel the Love TSV ($69.96) that will debut on QVC on April 20th.

I knew that the Ready Foundation was sort of the centerpiece of the kit, and though I've recently come to appreciate the foundation a little more -- you can read about that here -- it's not my favorite mineral foundation so it didn't seem worth it to me.

But then I discovered that the TSV contains a product that I've been curious about for several months, a new Ready Blush duo, and a new Moxie gloss, and I decided to bite the bullet. 

bareMinerals Ready Foundation Tips

So the cold that I was trying so desperately to fight off last week has been kicking my butt pretty good since the weekend.

I choose to be positive, so all I keep telling myself is, at least it's not the flu.

That said, I haven't worn a stitch of makeup (unless you count Chapstick) or really even thought about makeup all week.

Still, an interesting e-mail popped up in my inbox from bareMinerals the other day and I thought the info was worth sharing.

I've made it pretty clear how disappointed I was with the new Ready Pressed Foundation here and here.

Best New Products of 2012 (and One Big Disappointment)

If I sat down and tried to write a post about my favorite products of this past year, it would be a novel.

Seriously.

There are tons of products that I loved in 2012, but some of them I've loved for years now and I've already mentioned them more than enough times on this blog anyway.

Instead, I thought I'd focus on new products that I found this year that really knocked my socks off.  Now, I've probably blogged about some of them plenty of times but this will be my last word on them, I swear.

QVC Bare Escentuals Return to Radiance TSV AD Shipment #2

BE Return to Radiance AD #2

Back in March, I ordered QVC's BE Return to Radiance TSV, and because I'm a glutton when it comes to makeup, I signed up for auto-delivery. 

The second shipment arrived last Friday, and I am absolutely in love with it.

As far as which shipment I like better, the first or second, I'd have to say it's a draw - but that's really saying something because the first collection included a peachy-pink blush and peachy coral lip gloss and you know how nuts I am about any and all things peach.

This collection is just so pretty though.

Bare Escentuals' Return to Radiance TSV

Bare Escentuals Return to Radiance TSV

My UPS man made another visit to my doorstep yesterday to deliver yet another beauty related TSV from QVC.

I seriously cannot resist these deals.  It’s a major weakness of mine.

This time, my friendly UPS guy dropped off the Bare Escentuals’ Return to Radiance kit that is scheduled to be the TSV this Saturday, March 3. Again, I couldn’t wait and ordered early. Still, it was a somewhat impulsive buy. I knew that the kit came with a foundation and Bisque concealer, both of which I have plenty of, so it didn’t seem like a good fit for me. The fact that it did contain one of Bare Escentuals’ new Ready Pressed Blushes did have me slightly on the fence because I’ve been interested to see if the pressed blushes are as good as their pressed eye shadows.  Still, I figured I could wait until the blushes were available on their own and pick one up.