Product Review -- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer

One of my favorite face products of all time is the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream.

I love how lightweight it feels and how natural it looks on the skin -- and I love that unlike most CC creams, it really does deliver some pretty impressive coverage.

Now, I know it's not for everyone -- it has a pretty dewy finish, so if you have oily skin, it's not the best option -- but for me, it's a face product that does pretty much everything I want and need.

So I was curious when I saw that It Cosmetics was coming out with a new product, the Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer -- because it seemed like it would be pretty similar to the CC+ Cream and I couldn't really figure out why both would be necessary.

Product Review -- NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

As a general rule, I don't believe in spending a lot of money for on a tinted moisturizer.

They're basically just a super light coverage foundation, and while I always try to use products that contain good ingredients for my skin, I don't think you always need to spend an arm and a leg to do that.

That said, I have bought a couple of high end tinted moisturizers over the years so when a friend told me how she loves the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, I got a little curious.

It's $44, though, which is a hell of a lot to spend on a tinted moisturizer in my book, so I waited until NARS was recently having a 20% off sale to pick it up.

Review -- bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

I love playing with makeup, so on an given day, I'm probably wearing more than the average person.

And I'm fine with that.

But when it comes to face products like foundation, concealer, and powder, I do like to wear as little as I need to so my skin get a chance to breathe.

I'd say that light to medium coverage foundation, whether powder, liquid, or cream, is probably the most-used option in my makeup drawer, but I do love a good BB cream for a lighter look -- and when my skin is really behaving, a tinted moisturizer.

But despite the relatively simple concept, a good tinted moisturizer is pretty hard to find -- at least in my experience.

Too often, they offer way too little color so you're almost left wondering if you've applied anything to your face at all.  My favorite up until now has been the Josie Maran Argan Tinted Moisturizer, which I find has just the right amount of coverage and hydration.

When I heard that bareMinerals was coming out with their own tinted moisturizer, I knew that I had to give it a try. Their first liquid foundation, Bare Skin, has become a favorite of mine, so I was curious to see what they'd do with a lighter face product.

July Favorites

July goodies

Since tomorrow is August 1st (it really is terrifying how fast time starts to go as you get older...), it's time to share my July Favorites.

But I should preface this post by confessing that I've already written about every item on my list before - some of them pretty recently, actually.  I just don't have it in me to fake a favorites list of new items, though.  These were my honest to goodness favorites this month, so I'll share them but just keep the blabbering to a minmum.

Or try to anyway.

I do tend to ramble. 

Summer Makeup

Some of my summer makeup favorites.

The other day, I was procrastinating (as I am I known to do) and poking around on Refinery29's website when I came across a slideshow about switching up your makeup for the summer.

You can check it out here if you're interested.

Now, I do adjust my makeup routine slightly when the weather warms - for one thing, I can get away with wearing powder foundation all on its own, something I usually can't do when my skin is super dry in the winter - and I definitely prefer to use products that have a lighter feel on the skin.

So I think you do need to think about your makeup a little differently in the summer.

But what about days that you're going to be outside for several hours in the blistering heat whether at a beach, pool, park, barbecue, etc.?

Friday Favorite: Favorite Tinted Moisturizer

Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer with SPF30

I tend to think of myself as something of a tinted moisturizer (TM) connoisseur.

There were so many years when I stayed away from traditional foundations because I was worried heavy face product would make my acne worse or that I wouldn't be able to find a shade that matched my super fair skin  - and during that time, TMs were my best friend.

Since they're on the sheer, it's easier to find a color that can work with my skin tone. I like that they add just a little bit of moisture to the skin.  And I absolutely love how lightweight and natural they feel on the skin.

Over the years, I've tried pretty much every TM under the sun (I remember distinctly that Neutrogena's was my very first at the ripe old age of 14.  Isn't it funny how certain memories stick in your mind?) so I feel like my choice of favorite in this particular makeup category is the most informed that I can offer.

This and That: BB Cream Update, Red Lips & Tarte/Sigma Giveway Update

I'll warn you ahead of time that this post is going to be all over the place. There are a couple of things that I wanted to mentioned that don't really warrant a post of their own, so I thought I'd combine them all in an odds & ends sort of catch-all.

My Current Wishlist Or: Items I'm Interested in Trying

My foundation drawer's already overflowing, but more than half of my wishlist is face products. Crazy!

I try to responsible when it comes to the money that I spend on my makeup – I generally give myself a budget that I’m allowed to spend each month and try my hardest to stick to it. Now, admittedly, I’m probably only half successful. I have a habit of buying things kind of impulsively. So far in the new year, I’ve been pretty good, though. One of my tricks for sticking to my budget is keeping a running tally – a wish list, if you will – of all the items that I’m interested in so when I have money to spend, I know what I’m going to get. Here are the things I’m interested in trying right now (in no particular order): 

Brand Spotlight - Hourglass

Hourglass Goodies

I had heard about Hourglass Cosmetics for a while before I actually tried anything in their line.

All the chatter was pretty positive, but the brand is kind of pricey, to my mind anyway, so I was hesitant to buy anything. Then one day, a friend and I were just kind of window-shopping at Sephora. When we passed the Hourglass section, I pointed them out to my friend and told her that I’d heard it was a really nice line. Just at that moment, a sales person came along - as they always seem to – and she talked me into letting her try the Illusion Tinted Moisturizer on me. I had no intention of buying it even as she was applying it, but once I looked in the mirror and saw my friend’s reaction (she insisted the girl try it on her right after!), I was a goner.