REVIEW: IT Cosmetics: Bye Bye Under Eye.

In my honest opinion, concealer can be a girls best friend. Scars, pimples, tattoos .. hickeys! If done right, with the right product, concealer can cover almost anything. I'm always buying & trying new products, looking for the "perfect" concealer. I have a few Holy Grail's in my collection, but it never hurts to have more than one fave, right? I was ecstatic when IT Cosmetics sent me this to review. Mainly because I've heard nothing but raves and good reviews about it.

I've been using Bye Bye Under Eye daily for almost 2 weeks, and I'm in love! It will literally cover anything, with very little product. I mean, just look at the photographic evidence! I already had my face makeup on when I took these photos, so I decided to use my tattoo as an example. My tattoo is black -- a very difficult color to cover, in my opinion, especially with such a light shade. I took a photo of the amount of product I used, and it literally covered my entire tattoo -- you couldn't even tell it was there.

IT Cosmetics offers four shades of this concealer. Light (for ultra fair skin), Neutral Medium (for light medium skin), Tan (for medium skin), and Deep (for dark tan skin). I'm very very fair complected, so it's hard for me to find concealers to match my skin tone. I'd say a good 50% of products that I try, even when in the lightest shade offered, are too dark for me. I got my hands on "Light" by IT Cosmetics, and it matches perfectly. I feel like the other colors offered are a great range, & will fit most anyone. I'm very tempted to buy one in each shade just for my professional kit. I'd love to see what my "clients" think.

With first application, you'll notice how thick this concealer is. I was scared at first, thinking it'd sit so heavy on my skin. I was wrong, though! Being thick, paired with the fact that this is a full coverage concealer, I was pleasantly surprised that it sits and wears so lightly. In most cases, anything described as "full coverage", is heavy, drying, and just plain cakey. I am PUMPED to use this as my Summer concealer. If you're anything like me, when you're hot and sweaty, the last thing you want to do is put on a bunch of heavy makeup. I think, if for nothing else, this is an amazing full coverage concealer for Summer!

I will say, this concealer isn't cheap. For $24.00, you get 0.28oz of product. If you don't mind paying price for quality, then I say GET IT! The fact that you use so little product for application makes it totally worth it for me.

My one and only complaint has to do with the thick consistency. I know I raved about it being so thick and sitting so well, but the fact that it's thick makes it difficult to squeeze out of the tube. I find myself squeezing harder than normal, and fearing the bottom end is gonna break out from pressure. It defiantly doesn't break my opinion, though, and I love this none-the-less.

TAG: Favorite Products

I found this sitting in notepad on my Computer, just waiting to be posted from God know's how long ago. I figured I'd go ahead and post it, just for something a little different.

Pressed Powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder. Hands down, I LOVE this powder. I wear "light 01".

Liquid Foundation: Okay, I literally could NOT pick just one. For the longest, my go-to liquid foundation has been Revlon ColorStay (110 Ivory). But, the other day I was randomly browsing foundation at Walgreens and came across L'OREAL True Match (alabaster). I had tried some other L'OREAL foundations, and wasn't all that pleased, but picked this up on a whim, anyway. Let me just say .. L O V E. I've been using this almost every single day, and it's amazing.

Lose Powder: MAC Select Sheer, in shade NC5.

Powder Foundation: I don't use powder foundation enough to have a favorite!

Pencil eyeliner: L'OREAL Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner. A M A Z I N G.

Liquid Eyeliner: I don't usually use liquid, but the closest (felt tip) I have to a fave is the Jordana Fabu-liner. CANNOT beat this liner for the price.

Mascara: Right now, I'm lovin' the Maybelline Pulse Perfection. I'll usually layer it with something else (whatever I grab), but it's my favorite even by itself.

Lipstick: NYX's "strawberry milk". Perfect baby/barbie pink.

Lipgloss: I'm (newly) in love with Stila's "Apricot" lipglaze.

Lipliner: I don't usually use lipliner. Ooops.

Bronzer: I use "blessed" by L'OREAL HIP 95% of the time, and love it.

Blush: ELF's Studio Line Blush in "Fuchsia Fusion".

Nail Polish: I have way too many polish's to have just ONE favorite. I am really loving "Beautiful Girl" by Sinful Colors, though. It's what I'm wearing, at the moment, and it reminds me of Easter!

Self Tanner: No tans, here. Whatsup, Casper?!

Lip Balm: Warming Cinnamon Lipbalm from HoneyCat Cosmetics. Amazing, to say the least.

Body Spray: I usually learn towards by Love Spell spray, but with the warmer weather, I've been sprizing daily with BBW's Coconut Lime Verbena. Both are lovely smells, though.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! If you have any questions, or need to know where to find these products, lemme know!

QUICK TIP: When To Toss Your Makeup.

Do you still have the eyeliner you were wearing the day your husband proposed to you? Still hanging on to that tube of lipstick Aunt Fern gave you when you were six? Oh no, honey! Some don't know that cosmetics DO have an expiration date, and they expire quicker than you'd think. WHEN IT DOUBT, THROW IT OUT. If, before it's expiration date, any of your makeup changes drastically from it's natural shade, developed a rancid smell, or changes consistency in a major way, throw it out! NO makeup item (cheap, or expensive) is worth risking health issues. Check out the list below as a reference to when to toss your products and re-purchase.

Mascara: 3 months, TOPS. You can keep your mascara from during before it's expiration date by NOT pumping your mascara wand in and out of the tube. This exposes your product to outside air, which in turn kills it faster.

Eyeliner: A pencil liner, when sharpened regularly, can last you up to three years. You should toss your liquid and cream eyeliners after just 3 months.

Eyeshadow: We can salvage our powder shadows for three years! Our cream shadows should meet their (trash can) demise 3 months after purchase.

Foundation: You'll be glad to know an oil based foundation can keep for 18 months. A water based needs to be trashed after 12 months, though.

Powder: Pan, and lose powder will stay good up to 2 years.

Blush & Bronzer: Powder cheek products can last 2 years. Creams should be thrown out in 18 months.

Concealer: Keep concealer for up to a year. Ask for one every birthday, and you should have no problem re-stocking your fave!

Lipstick: Keep those sexy reds, and friendly nudes, for 2 years.

Lipgloss: 18-24 months. Keep an eye out for the above-mentioned signs to make sure you aren't using a rancid gloss.

Lipliner: 3 years!

Nail polish: 11 or 12 months. An expired nail polish is very easy to spot, so just check your older polishes regularly.

I've found a few sure fire ways to make SURE your makeup is in the trash by it's expiration date. One, you can place a sticker, with the date you purchased the product, somewhere on the container -- along with that, add how long the specific item is supposed to be kept. Two, you can simply write "Throw away: DATE HERE" in the same manner.

Hope this helped any questions you may have had about expiration and use-by dates in regards to makeup. Any questions? Have anything to add? Just drop me a comment. :)

REVIEW: H. Wood. Beauty Cream Blush.

Wow, people! My first review since my long "hiatus". I am SO glad to be back into the swing of things.

As my "welcome back" review, I want to introduce you to a WONDERFUL company -- H. Wood. Beauty! Rhonda over at H. Wood. Beauty sent me over some wonderful products to try out, and I'm giddy with excitement to share them with you. Today I'm going to be reviewing one of their fabulous Cream Blushes. They offer there different shades, priced at $22.00 a piece. I was able to try out "snapdragon" & I LOVE it.

I'm usually pretty iffy about cream blushes. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but I've had many issues (too solid, not solid enough, greasy, etc) with them that kind've just turn me off. When I opened this 0.53OZ jar from H. Wood. Beauty, I instantly knew it was one of the "keepers".

Before even trying it, I could already tell it'd be easier than most to work with. "Snapdragon" was just the right consistency for me. I usually use my MAC 188 for cream blush, as I find stippling cream blush on easier than actually brushing it on. My brush went right into the product (without sinking in and wasting a ton) with very little pressure, and I was able to pick up just the right amount of product. I, per my usual cream blush routine, stipple the product onto the apples of my cheeks, then, using the same brush, I blended it in and up my cheek bones.

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty scared of this color at first. I am VERY fair complected, and didn't know how this shade would work with my skin tone. As you can tell by the pictures, it's a GORGEOUS color you can work with, working it up or down. It turned my cheeks a very soft pink color, with a hint of orange as well. In my opinion, this is a PERFECT shade for all skin tones.

All in all, I loved this product. 5 out of 5 stars! I cannot wait to try the other shades. My one and ONLY complaint being that the lid is sometimes a tad difficult to maneuver into the tracks of the container and screw on. If you're not careful, you could end up with a (sad) dried up product! Be careful.

If you like the looks of this blush, check out the H. Wood. Beauty website for it, and other wonderful products.

Well ..

I'm back.

I'm very sorry to all my followers, subscribers, and friends. I also want to apologize to the companies who have sent me products for review. I'M SORRY!

In the time that I was gone .. I lost, and found myself. I felt pain, suffering, hurt ..but also love, happiness, & joy. Life has been, literally, a roller coaster!

But, as I've said .. I'm back, my loves. I'm in the process of totally revamping the blog. For now, I'm leaving up my favorite (and you favorite) posts, and marking the rest Private until I decide weather or not I'm keeping them. I've deleted past comments -- not to be mean, or rude .. but because of an html error (on whose end, I'm not sure) 99% of them were a jumbled mess that you couldn't even read.

READERS: If you have any requests, please let me know.

COMPANIES: If you sent me any product(s) for review, I WILL be reviewing them. I'll be working my way through the products I currently have, as well as adding new ones into the mix. If you're interested in having me review any of your products, please just contact me.

Enjoy the future, ladies & gents .. I can't wait to get back into this!

REVIEW: Honeycat Cosmetics frisky kitty bath time fizzy

Ever since I was little, I've loved baths. I'd rather soak in a hot bath than take a quick shower any day. Being a bath lover, I obviously became quickly obsessed with Lush. Their bath bombs are my absoulute favorite. Sooo, that being said, I'm ALWAYS looking for other fun alternatives. This bath fizzy has got to me one of my favorites. Turn the water on, toss it in, and wash away last nights dirty little secrets!

PROS: Yummy smell. LARGE product. Insanely adorable packaging. Moisturizing. NEVER tested on animals; especially sexy felines.

CONS: Slick/oily tub. Little to no lasting color in the water.

PRICE: You can pick this up for $10.00 at the Honeycat website. Aside from the one (Lilac & Honey) that I have, they have three different kinds; Oatmeal, Cocoa butter, and Rose & Lemongrass.

PACKAGING: As with the other Honeycat products, this packaging is adorable. The fizzy comes in a big pink box -- kitty themed (sexy kitty + paw prints) of course. You'll find the name (Frisky Kitty Bath Time Fizzy), scent (Lilac & Honey), ingrediants and other misc. (price, barecode) things all over the box. Inside the box, the fizzy is wrapped in paw print covered plastic celepahin.

PRODUCT: Today was an icky day, so I figured what batter time to test this out? I filled my tub a it, and tossed this big boy in! It swirled around and did it's thing under (unlike Lush, it actually stayed under the stream of water) the faucet. The first thing I noticed was the lack of color in my water - at first, my water was a light pink color, but by the time I got in, it had pretty much faded. No biggie, though! The smell hit me next, and it was yummy! I defiantly smelled the lilac, and a slight floral undertone. I noticed right away how oily my water was, and it made me a bit nervous. I hopped in the tub, anyway. The oil felt a little odd against my skin at first, but it actually became really nice and moisturizing. When I got out, and dried off, my skin was left feeling soft without being oily like I thought it'd be! The oil did, however, stay in my tub. When the water drained, a thin, slick film was left over. BE CAREFUL, this could be a slip hazard if you don't wash it away. The smell lasted on my skin for a good couple of hours! I was very surprised at how much I loved this fizzy, and cant wait to purchase the other scents!

COMPANY, SHIPPING & CUSTOMER SERVICE: You can read all about this company on their website, or on my previous review for Honeycat Cosmetics warming cinnamon lip balm!

OVERALL: Nine out of ten stars; I only deducted one because of the oily tub!

<3

This past week or so has been very stressful for my family & I. On the Tuesday before Christmas, my mom had a heart attack. It was a small one, but it was a heart attack none-the-less. She was taken into surgery after finding out two of her major artiries were blocked. One was blocked 80%, and the other was blocked 100%. It takes very little math to realize how much blood WASN'T pumping to her heart. During her surgery, they removed the blockage (very easily as it hadn't hardened), and placed two stents in their places. She recovered very quickly, thank God, and was able to come home on Christmas day. As of now, she is doing wonderfully, and has very little damage to her heart. We had an amazing Christmas, with mom coming home so soon being the greatest gift of all. I'm still attatched to moms hip (I'm close to my parents, sue me!) for a while, so excuse my lack of reviews. I promise, I'll be back into the swing of things soon! Look out for upcoming reviews about L.A Colors, Graftobian Makeup, After Inked, Juice Beauty, and much more. Also keep your eyes open for an upcoming contest or two! P.S; Sorry for the weird structure of the post -- blogspot is being funky and doesn't wanna work with me tonight.