Giveaway time! Win an EnvyDerm product worth $99.95!

Thanks again to KMR Communications for sponsoring another giveaway here at What’s On My Face? This time around, we’ll be giving one lucky winner an EnvyDerm product, worth almost $100! Check out the details about the product:

EnvyDerm is an eyelash growth and conditioning serum that will give you fuller, longer lashes. Who doesn’t want that? I know whenever I see my lashes in the mirror, I wish for more volume. I’ve never used any kind of treatment for my lashes, only mascara, but this one sounds pretty awesome.

How to Use EnvyDerm?
The EnvyDerm applicator is very similar to a liquid eyeliner applicator. One should apply the stimulating serum once a day before bedtime along the upper and lower lash lines.  EnvyDerm does not disrupt the daily application of make-up or other skincare routines. Can be used on brows as well.

What is in EnvyDerm?
EnvyDerm is formulated with active natural ingredients such as bioavailable lipo-oligopeptides that stimulate keratin genes.  Powerful SymPeptide technology lengthens and strengthens natural lashes. EnvyDerm uses vitamins, minerals and amino acids to moisturize and nourish lashes and brows.

When Can I Expect to See Results?
One should begin to see the lash line becoming thicker, fuller and healthier looking in as little as 2 weeks!  In a clinical study, users saw a 25 percent increase in eyelash length during this period.  EnvyDerm will continue to prove results over time if used on a consistent basis.

And, check out this photo of the results of using the product:

So, want to try EnvyDerm? (I know I do!) Here are the details of the giveaway:

• Must subscribe to this blog (through Google Reader, Blogger, etc.)
• Must be 18 years or older (or have your parent’s permission to give your address so we can ship your prize)
• Must live in the U.S. (sorry to international readers!)
• Must comment to this post, telling me which celebrity has the most glamorous look (and it’s probably because of the eyelashes!)
• You can comment as many times as you like, but each comment must be different.
• You can earn an additional entry by linking to this blog on your own blog, or Facebook or Twitter (reply to this post with a link to your post).
• The giveaway will end at midnight on February 28, 2011.

Good luck!

Run — don’t walk — to CVS

I’m testing out my iPhone to blog and wanted to post a quick message about a great makeup sale happening now at CVS!

It’s their 50-75% off sale that happens I think twice a year, and when I checked it out yesterday, I saw great deals from Revlon, L’oreal, Physicans Formula, CoverGirl and more.

The sale will go on till the products are gone, and if you don’t see clearance stickers at your local CVS, take your items to the scanner anyway — they will most likely ring up on sale!

Easy e.l.f. tutorial

I created this image tutorial for a contest on the e.l.f. Facebook fan page and thought it would be fun to share here. It was for a holiday look, but this could definitely be worn every day, although you might want to tone down the shimmer if you’re wearing to work or school. (Click on the photo to make it larger and to read the text.)

MAC Viva Glam Gaga and Cyndi Lipglasses: Swatches and Possible Revlon Dupes!

As soon as MAC released its limited edition Viva Glam Lipglasses (Cyndi – named for Cyndi Lauper, and Gaga – named for, of course, Lady Gaga), I placed an order online and (not so) patiently waited. I love Viva Glam, and I’m trying to build up my collection of Lipglasses — some people think they’re too sticky, and they are, but I actually like that consistency. Plus, they’re pretty pigmented and opaque.

Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass is a red-tinged coral shade.

Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass is a blue-based pink.

I have the coordinating Viva Glam Gaga lipstick, but not the Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick — I thought it’d be tricky for me to pull of such a red shade. Even though the Gaga lipstick is bold, it’s lighter, so I feel like that’s more wearable, at least for me.

However, I think both of the lipglasses are wearable, over natural lips or on top of a lipstick. Super pretty shades, great consistency and definitely must-haves if you love a variety in your lip products. But the price tag? A bit steep at $14.50 (but, 100% of the proceeds from the MAC Viva Glam line goes to HIV/AIDS research).

Fortunately, I’ve discovered some semi-dupes from Revlon that you might be able to use in place of the limited edition MAC lipglasses.

On the right, Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass, and on the left, a possible dupe — Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss in Lilac Pastelle. Of course, in the tube, there are obvious color differences, and the swatch on my hand is the same:

That’s Gaga on the left and Lilac Pastelle on the right. Yes, I can see, and I’m sure you can, too, that Gaga is a baby pink and Lilac Pastelle is more of a lavendar. But, because both are blue-based, they look almost identical on my lips, and if you have darker, pigmented lips, you may notice the same thing.

Full face with Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass on my lips (no lipstick)

You can see, with just the Lipglass, I get a really pinky nude, slightly milky shade on my lips.

Full face with Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss in Lilac Pastelle (no lipstick)

And here? The same effect! Just a touch more purple in the mix. I think it’s a decent dupe!

Now for the Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass dupe…

On the right, it’s Cyndi, and on the left, a near identical dupe — Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze in Continuous Coral.

Here are the swatches on my hand — Cyndi on the left and Continuous Coral on the right. At first glance, looks like it could be the same product, but upon further review, the Cyndi swatch is more reddish while Continuous Coral has a bit more orange to it.

Full face with Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass (no lipstick)

This is a really bold lipcolor, but I love pairing it with a dark or neutral eye to contrast.

Full face with Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze in Continuous Coral (no lipstick)

And on the lips? Exactly the same as the Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass! It has the same, or even better, wear, too. That ColorStay lipgloss really has staying power!

Let me know what you think! Did you get the limited edition lipglasses from MAC? How are my dupes? Have you found any dupes for these?

August 2010 favorites

Just like last month, I’m a tad behind on posting my blog about my favorite products and things from the month of August. Oh well, it’s still in the single digits of September, so I’m not that late, right?

Makeup: Purples & lavendars (nails, lips and eyes)
I’m super excited to hear that purple is trendy for fall/winter makeup this year because I’ve found a way to make it work for me! You know I love a neutral eye look, so I was sort of intimidated to try colored shadow. But, there are some amazing purple shades in the e.l.f. Beauty Book – Neutral Edition that I bought earlier in the summer, and I wanted to make use of them.

I’ve started using the lighter, more shimmery purple (3rd column, 2nd row) as an all-over lid color and sweeping a more midtone brown (like the medium matte brown in the Wet n Wild Vanity palette) in the crease, and then deepening the outer corner with a combo of a darker plum (like the one here in the 4th column, 2nd row) and a darker brown (4th column, 3rd row).

After I dipped my toe into the purple shadow waters, I was hooked and wanted to try more, like the Maybelline Stylish Smokes quad in 06 Amethyst that I showed you in a recent CVS haul.

This is a great, inexpensive palette. Upon first swatch, all the colors seem really pigmented, but after blending out the lid color (top left) is the one that really keeps its color. But, they’re all good to blend and define into a pretty eye look.

I love the unexpected pop of purple! You could go all out and do a really bold colored eye look, but I’m sticking with soft and conservative! Here’s the lid close-up:

I’ve been topping off all of these purple eye looks with the Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Powerful Purple on my top lash line (but still using Bold Brown on the bottom lash line).

Purple has also found its way into my lip products!

I love doing a light eye with a pretty pinky peach blush and a bold lilac lip. I’ve found a couple good options at the drugstore for purple-y lip shades:

• Sally Hansen Natural Makeup Inspired by Carmindy lipstick in Lilac (see this post for a swatch)
• Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Lilac (see this post for a swatch)

I definitely plan on expanding this list over the fall and winter! I’ve also found what is quite possibly my holy grail nail shade in a purple tone:

This is Lucky Lucky Lavendar, from the OPI Hong Kong collection, and I’m in love! I first got a manicure with this last month and have since bought my own bottle. It’s definitely got a pink undertone, but there’s also that subtle, sort of quirky hint of purple that I love. Even though this was a summer color for me, I plan on wearing it into the fall and winter. Won’t that be unexpected and really pretty, to have a light lavendar nail when I’m wearing darker, heavier clothing?

Shopping: Target clearance!
Target put a bunch of its more high end makeup brands (Sonia Kashuk, pixi, Jemma Kidd, Napoleon Perdis) on clearance in August to make room for new products from each line. And I scored!

This was just Round One…I went back to different Targets many times throughout the month and built up a little stockpile of clearanced goodies! I also got some cosmetics — NP Set Lipstick (favorite is in Minneapolis, a creamy pink). I’ve only used the big powder brush from Sonia Kashuk above, not the brush set, but I’m really loving that particular one to set my foundation using the e.l.f. High Definition powder.

I’ve seen a few stragglers from this big Target cosmetics clearance in the endcaps along the health/beauty aisles, so be sure to check those out and you might be able to score, too!

Reviewing: All-in-one products
In August, I was really fortunate to review a ton of great products, and the highlight were a couple that I consider “all-in-one” products. Whether they’re intended or marketed that way, these two items have helped me to consolidate at least two products/steps into one, and that’s definitely a favorite!

I just posted a full review of the pixi Lid & Line, and it’s definitely one of my favorite all-in-one products of August. It’s a pen that has a matching shadow and liner, plus a smudger to make it nice and smoky — what more can you ask for? I’m also loving pixi’s YouTube channel where makeup artist Amanda Bell has videos about priming your eye and creating the perfect smoky eye. Really useful videos!

I’ve also reviewed (and loved!) the RUSK Deepshine Oil this month. For me, this was totally an all-in-one product because it gives me the benefits of two different products that I used to use as a hair treatment — argan oil and CHI Silk Infusion. It’s an argan oil-based product, so that takes care of that, and it gives me the same (maybe even better) results as the CHI Silk Infusion that I used as a styling aid to tame the frizz and increase shine when I blowdry. Love this stuff!

Fashion: Business dress with a twist!
I wish I’d been able to photograph more OOTDs for you guys in August because I had to come up with a ton of looks that were appropriate for business meetings and events, but I was able to style them so I still felt cute and comfy.

One standout for me was this awesome grey dress from Express Last Hurrah (an outlet version of Express) topped with a black blazer with 3/4-length sleeves and two buttons at the waist. I got the blazer at ROSS and love adding it to a really simple dress, like this one, to add that final element to tie everything together. It’s also good to top a summery dress or skirt to make it more business/office appropriate.

That’s it for August favorites. Thanks so much to everyone for sharing this month with me and reading my blog. I’ve been having so much fun posting about my favorite products and beauty finds. Stick with me in September. I’ve got tons of great posts planned, along with a giveaway or two!

 

Giveaway!: Top 15 Drugstore Beauty Products!

Do you like free stuff?

Do you like makeup/skincare/hair treatment products?

Great! Then you’re going to LOVE this giveaway! That’s right, What’s On My Face? just completed our first giveaway, and we’re rolling out the second. This one is for not one…not two…but FIFTEEN items! By entering, you’re competing to win one of every item from my Top 15 Drugstore (aka “Won’t Break the Bank”!) Beauty Products!

If you need a refresher, here’s a quick bulleted list of the Top 15:

• Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation (the winner specifies the shade)
• e.l.f. Blending Eye Brush (these have unfortunately been out of stock on the e.l.f. website and I can’t find them in any of my local Targets, so a backup will be the Studio Tools eye blending brush — a nice substitution!)
• e.l.f. Custom Compact
• 1 Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner (in either Bold Brown, Fearless Teal, Powerful Purple, Strong Slate or Intense Olive)
• 1 Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss (in a color chosen by me)
• e.l.f Studio High Definition Powder
• Milani HD Advanced Concealer
• Wet n Wild ColorIcon eyeshadow palette (in Vanity)
• CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume (orange tube)
• TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray
• Sally Hansen Natural Makeup Inspired by Carmindy lipstick (in Baby Pink)
• L’oreal HiP Jelly Balm (in a color chosen by me)
• Clean & Clear Moisturizer, Dual Action Oil Free
• Olay Daily Facials Express Wet Cleansing Cloths
• e.l.f. Beauty Book – Neutral Eye Edition (limited edition, and I think you can only find these in some Target stores)

Check out the Top 15 post to see what I think of all these products.

The only rules I have are:

• You must subscribe to this blog (Google Reader, RSS, whatever).
• You must be in the U.S. or Canada (sorry international readers, but shipping can get expensive).
• You must be 18 or older, or have your parent/guardian give permission. I’m going to need your address to ship out the prize if you’re the winner.

So, what do you have to do to enter? You have a few options…

• Reply to this post, telling me your favorite drugstore beauty products. You can do this as many times as you want (one entry per response), but each response must be a different product/tip.
• Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to my blog. (Make sure to reply to this post letting me know you’ve tweeted so that I can count it as an entry.)
• Post on your blog/YouTube channel/Facebook about this giveaway with a link back to my blog. (Again, I need you to reply separately about this so that it’s counted as an entry.)

The rest of the info…

• This giveaway will be open for one month — until August 31, 2010, at midnight CST (it’s a big giveaway, so I’m hoping to get lots of entries!)
• I’ll use random.org to generate a winner and will notify the winner through a blog post and by email (so make sure you leave your email address in your replies).

GOOD LUCK!

The fine print: I purchased the products for this giveaway with my own money and was not provided with products by any company.

Wake up…with makeup!

You know the drill. You meant to go to bed at a decent hour, but for whatever reason (couldn’t stop watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall on cable, lost track of time watching beauty gurus on YouTube, trying to cram every morsel of information about biochemistry into your brain before that major exam), you ended up getting no sleep whatsoever.

And it’s called “beauty rest” for a reason. You just look better when you’re well-rested. Your skin has time to replenish itself, the bags under your eyes are minimal or nonexistent, etc. But, we all have those mornings when we wake up, look into the mirror and see this:

But, don’t worry — you don’t have to leave the house looking like you need a few more minutes with the alarm clock. Here’s what I’ve found works best for me to wake up my face…with makeup!

Concealer
I have a naturally ruddy complexion, so I use concealer most days. But, I go heavy when I’ve had too little sleep because my face is more red than usual if I’m tired. Concealer also helps to disguise darkness and bags under the eyes, and you might also try putting some on your lids if you’ve got discoloration there. I always use concealer under my foundation instead of on top; I just find that it gives me a more even coverage. Here are some concealers I’ve used and that have worked for me:

• Milani Secret Cover Concealer Cream (this is a very smooth, creamy concealer that comes in a pot. You can apply with a brush, but I think it’s easier to dab a bit on my fingers and blend in where I need coverage)
• Lancome Effarcernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer (I’m currently using this for undereye coverage. Because it’s waterproof, I find that it stays put throughout the day and keeps my undereye area looking bright and even.)
• Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette (Hands down, my favorite concealer! This palette comes with three creamy concealers — a lighter peach, a darker peach and a greenish corrector — and a translucent setting powder. There are so many options with this palette for whatever type of concealing you need to do, whether it’s covering a blemish, canceling out redness, concealing undereye bags. It’s awesome.)

Bright Eyes
Even if you love a dark, smokey eye, if you’re trying to look awake, you should steer clear of the darker eyeshadows and liners, at least in the inner corner and half of your lid near the inner corner. Smoking out a bit on the outer v of the eyelid is cool, but the darker the color is toward your tearduct, the smaller and more closed your eye will appear, emphasizing your tired look. Try these eye-opening tricks:

• White eyeliner! Lining your waterline (the inner rim of your bottom lashline) with a pure white eyeliner will work wonders in eliminating “tired eyes.” If you haven’t slept well, chances are, your waterline is red, but the white eyeliner will open up your eyes and make your whole face look refreshed. I use Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Pure White.
• Highlight! Don’t forget to highlight the heck out of your browbone, above your cheekbones, and even your undereye area. You’ll want to use a product like Benefit High Beam for your browbone and cheekbone highlighting, but for your undereye highlighting, try to avoid shimmer. Instead, use something like the YSL Touche Eclat (or the Milani HD Advanced Concealer, a drugstore dupe for the YSL). These are both clickable pen-like brightening concealers that you can blend under your eye after you’ve put on your foundation and before you’ve applied setting powder, to give your face a really nice pop of brightness.)
• Shimmery shadows! Like I said above, even if you’re a fan of darker, more matte shadows, try dabbing a light, shimmery shade on your inner corners and across your lids to brighten your eyes. MAC Phloof! and Brule are great for this, and so are NYX Ultimatum, the lightest shade in the CoverGirl Shimmering Sands trio, and Flirter and Flutter from Lorac (those last two are in the Social Beautyfly Palette). But, across the board — in all price points — you can find a shimmery, light shadow like the ones I’ve mentioned. I use in inner corners and all over the lid, and darken in the crease and outer v with slighty darker colors to achieve this bright-eyed look:

So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, try these simple concealing and brightening tricks, and let me know if it looks like you got another half hour of zzz’s!

target haul!

I popped into Target on my way home from work today, just to browse and see what looked good (always a dangerous thing in Target!). I didn’t actually get too much, just a couple good deals.

On with the haul!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef (limited edition) - $5.94
These lipglosses are amazing, as I’m sure you’ve heard or read by now. I have a couple from the permanent line, but their limited edition colors for summer are really fun. Coral Reef is my third from the line, pictured below:

I also have Peach Petal (far left in the pic above, it’s a really pretty, milky nude that is great on its own or over a nude lipstick; I’ve even used it to tone down darker or brighter lipsticks), and Lilac Pastelle (the one on the far right — don’t be afraid of how lavendar it looks in the tube! This is a gorgeous gloss that gives your lips the pinkest, palest shimmer. So pretty).

Coral Reef is just as great as the others that I’ve tried. The consistency is really opaque and creamy, kind of like a MAC Cremesheen (my favorite formulation of MAC gloss). And the pigmentation? Insane! My lips look like I just ate a watermelon popsicle, awesome for summer:

I also picked this up at Target:

Studio Tools Crease Brush – $1.99

Not too glamorous, but I needed an inexpensive, fluffy eye brush for blending color into the crease. I’ve been using my $1 e.l.f. Blending Eye Brush, which I love, and I planned to get a backup at Target, but I couldn’t find it in their e.l.f. display. So, I went with this one that looks pretty similar. I love using these types of brushes for the crease because I don’t like a really strong, bold wash of color in that area…I like it to be really soft and blended.

US Weekly – $3.99 and People – $3.99

Not beauty-related, but I gotta have my fix of gossip magazines! I buy these two every week. Excited to read the People cover story on Carrie Underwood’s wedding — she made a gorgeous bride, and I hope they have info on which products they used to create her look.

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Bronzer & Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 50 (Fair) – $0.74

Saved the best for last, I think! That price up there is NOT a misprint! I totally scored this gift set, around $14 regularly priced, for under $1! How’d I do it? Well, it was in the clearance section for $3.74, which would have been a great score on its own, but a few of the PF products in the regular display had peelies for $3 off any PF product, so I got it for $0.74! I’ve never used PF foundation or tinted moisturizer or bronzer, so not sure if this will work for me, but I dabbed a bit of the tinted moisturizer on the top of my hand, and the consistency seemed really soft and light, which is a good thing for me. Plus, I like that it has SPF! I’ll have to do a review or update after I use with my thoughts.

And, after I paid, I got a register coupon!

$2 off a BOOTS product! Score. BOOTS is a really popular brand in the U.K., and they have a limited version of their line available in the U.S. in Target. I’ve tried one or two things from this line, and I’m excited to try something new. I’ve swatched lots of their things in Target, so I know I like the pigmentation and texture of their cosmetics. Any suggestions for a great BOOTS product to try with my coupon?

e.l.f. Beauty Book — an A-to-Z neutral eye look for $5!

If you’re the least bit into makeup, and you are even a slight fan of saving money, you need to know about (and probably already know all about) e.l.f. Cosmetics — that stands for eyes lips face, by the way! These are great quality cosmetics for a crazy good price; everything in their standard line is $1 (yeah, that’s a dollar sign, followed by a 1), and their studio line products are $3.

For the longest time, you could order e.l.f. on their website (which is awesome, by the way; they always have coupon codes and they do great giveaways and promotions on Twitter and through their mailing list), but it was difficult to find the line in a brick-and-mortar store. Every once in awhile, the dollar store had a few things, and Target carried a couple of items around holiday time, but the pickins were slim!

Fortunately, earlier this year, Target started carrying just about every e.l.f. goodie you could want (as if Target needed to do something else to be my favorite store of all time). I was shopping there a couple of days ago when an endcap in the cosmetics section caught my eye — it was a ton of new e.l.f. products, all themed “back-to-school,” including this lovely $5 deal:

There were a few different e.l.f. Beauty Book palettes, including one for creating a smokey eye, but I’m a neutral-lovin’ gal, so I picked up the (duh) neutral eye version. And the verdict?

I’m in love! These are gorgeous colors, highly pigmented and blendable. Plus, there’s a good mix of shimmery highlight shades, taupe-y lid colors, medium browns for the crease, darker browns for the outer v, and some really pretty light, shimmery and darker pink options, too.

If you want to see how the shadows look on, here’s my face of the day. Warning – my camera is inexpensive and doesn’t do a good job of picking up detail, so you probably won’t really see much happening on my eyes in terms of which color is placed where. But, I used the one in the top right corner of the palette to give a sheer wash across my lid and to brighten my inner corners. Then, I added the shimmery pink (2nd row, 2nd color) in the middle of my lid to add some shine, followed by the darker brown lightly blended into my crease with a fluffy eye blending brush and on my outer v.

I really love how this palette gave me a truly neutral eye look. There’s enough color so that in person, my eyes are brighter and really pop, but it’s neutral enough to wear to work. I wanted to show the color on the lid better, so I attempted a shot with my eyes closed…

Excuse the goofy photos — wish I had a really nice camera and a cameraman to get good blog photos, but this is what I’ve got to work with, so I’m working with it!

I definitely want to hit up Target again and grab the other Beauty Encyclopedias. It’s a bargain you can’t pass up — 12 gorgeous shadows for just $5! The kits come with a dual-ended applicator and an eyeliner pencil, too, but to be honest, they’re not really worth mentioning; the shadows are the real winners in here, and they’re definitely worth a Lincoln!

Not sure if these Beauty Books are exclusive to Target. On the e.l.f. website, they’ve got a line of Beauty Encyclopedias, which seem similar to the Beauty Books, but they include cream shadows. There’s also a Beauty Encyclopedia for face that comes with shimmer creams, bronzer, blush and concealer, and a Beauty Encyclopedia for lips. Anddddd, until 7/19, you can get the Face & Lips Beauty Encyclopedias free with an order of $25 or more on their site (use code EYESLIPSFACEBOOK).

UPDATE 8/9/2010: Want to win one of these e.l.f. Beauty Books (Neutral Eye Edition) for free — along with 14 other awesome drugstore products? Check out the What’s On My Face? giveaway here to enter. (contest ends 8/31)