First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream - Review

One thing I'm always sure to buy during Sephora's annual Friends and Family sale is a moisturizer. I haven't yet found a holy grail moisturizer, and like most people, I love a good deal. I picked up First Aid Beauty's (FAB) Ultra Repair Cream in October, after hearing many, many good things about it.

This product is available in 3 sizes - a 2.5 squeeze tube, a 6 oz jar (which I have), and a 12 tub.
This is a fairly inexpensive cream, as it ranges from $15 - $39, with the middle size priced at $28. If I recall correctly, the only size available when I ordered was the 6 oz size.

From Sephora's website: "Safe for even the most sensitive skin. Petroleum-free. Contains Colliodal Oatmeal, the only FDA-approved, OTC ingredient for eczema. It's allergy tested, and contains FAB Antioxidant Booster to combat free radicals." This product has a long list of things it is formulated without, including parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and dyes, phthalates, GMOs, and Triclosans.

A little about my skin:

I have the classic oily t-zone with normal/dry cheeks. My skin isn't sensitive to any products I've used, however if I think about going outside for more than 10 minutes in the summer, I get a sun burn.

I've been using this on and off for the last 2 months or so, as I was finishing up a sample of another moisturizer. I have patches of mild eczema on my upper arms and my neck, which is what drew to me order this (and the price was awesome). I know some people don't like the idea of using the same product on their body as they do on their face, but, hey - if it works, it works.
When I developed a patch of eczema on my face, and exfoliating alone couldn't get rid of it, I figured it was time to pull out FAB's Ultra Repair Cream.

Sephora's website illudes to a whipped texture, which I don't see. This is a fairly dense cream, but it feels weightless when applied lightly. You do not need to slather this on, the amount shown above will work for about 1/4 of my face. This cream does not leave a greasy film on your skin, and would make a great day cream (I prefer to have some SPF in my moisturizer for day time), although I tend to only use it at night. 6 oz may last me for the rest of my life, though.

The small patch of eczema was literally gone the next morning after using this cream. Gone. I was impressed, and still am. Now having been using this nightly, my skin feels smooth and moisturized all day - even though I only use this at night. I haven't developed any new eczema on my face, which is awesome (of course), or any dryness like I tend to have this time of year (we use a fireplace as our main source of heat, and if you've ever lived in a house with a fireplace, you may know what I mean). I'll be very curious to see how this moisturizer will perform in the summer, when my skin isn't as dry.

If you need a moisturizer, and don't want to pay a ton, but still want a quality product, I'd recommend checking out FAB's Ultra Repair Cream. If you don't plan on using it for your face and body, you may wish to purchase the 2.5 oz size, though.

Etsy Find: Noella Beauty Works

One of my weaknesses is eyeshadow, as you'll probably find out. I love eyeshadow. Shadows probably total 90% of my stash. Recently, I've found myself trolling Etsy, to find the next big mineral makeup brand (or, to satisfy my needs for sparkly eyeshadows, which is far more likely). Over the last few weeks, I've taken the plunge, and ordered from several different sellers, both well-established, and the newer shops. Today we'll talk about another one of the latter.

One thing that will almost always encourage me to purchase is a sample or a listing or option to buy multiple items at some discount. Even small discounts will work on me (I guess I'm easy, lol). So when I found the "Blue Eyed Beauty" set from Noella Beauty Works, I immediately picture the prettiest blue eyeshadow look that I had to buy it. Never mind the fact that I have green/hazel eyes, or that I have more blue eyeshadow anyone could ever need (except Mimi from the Drew Carey Show).

So, I purchased the set at $11.49 + a reasonable $1.99 for shipping. My purchase was shipped quickly (within 2 days, if I recall correctly), and beautifully packaged. Jackie, the owner, included a lovely sample of Tidal along with the three colors included in the trio: Dark Crystal, Sleepy Blue, and Golden Neutral.

Full size shadows come in the standard 5 gram clear bottom/black top jars, with a sealed sifter (I remove sifters, to make the shadows easier to access in my opinion). The bottom of each jar has a paper label with the shop name, color name, and volume.

Dark Crystal is a shimmery deep blue (so pretty!), Sleepy Blue is a cool-toned grey blue with a sheen, and Golden Neutral is easily my favorite color, a soft highlight with a gold shimmer. Of the three, Dark Crystal is the most pigmented. Sleepy Blue and Golden Neutral are sheerer. I like that Golden Neutral is sheer, since it's a highlight color (and gorgeous), but Sleepy Blue was a bit of a disappointment. I applied it dry, over MAC's Bare Study paint put with a MAC 272 brush, patting the color on, and needed to apply 2 - 3 "layers" of color until I was satisfied. Also, Sleepy Blue seemed to be the only color that faded and creased a touch on me. I have very oily lids and tend to use both Urban Decay Primer Potion and a paint pot or other color base. For most shadows, this is enough of a foundation, but I guess for Sleepy Blue it wasn't enough.

All three colors blend perfectly. I used Dark Crystal as a liner and in the crease, Sleepy Blue on my lid and Golden Neutral on my brow bone and blended toward the inner portion of my lid. Sleepy Blue, perhaps due the amount of shadow I applied, blended maybe a touch too well. It almost seemed to be blended away when I was doing my final blending with my MAC 224. I also used MAC's Fly-by-Blue pearlglide to finish the look.

Her individual shadows are $3.99 (which is a lot better than those who are asking for $6.95+ for the same amount!), and as previously mentioned, her shipping charges are extremely reasonable. She has introduced foundations, blushes and a finishing powder. Her announcements on her Etsy shop mentions she's going to introduce lip balms and matte shadows (yay!) soon, as well.

I've already begun eyeing some other colors in her shop - and I'm dying get my grubby hands on the set for green eyes. I'd highly recommend checking out her products - especially Golden Neutral.

philosophy hope in a tube eye & lip cream - Review

I'm always looking for a good eyecream. At this point in my life, I don't have too much in the way of wrinkles or concerns in my under eye area. Really, what I'm looking for is something that will prevent dark circles from forming. If I don't use an eye cream, my under eye area looks dreadful. Dark, burple (blue and purple) shadows form and when you're pale, it seems to stand out a little more. All I ask of an eyecream is that it doesn't migrate into my eyes, blind me, or raise havoc with my skin in general. Anti-aging stuff is nice, too.

I generally like a lot of philosophy's skin care, and I've used two full tubes of hope in a tube now. Each tube retails for $33, and you can purchase this anywhere that philosophy's products are sold. Each easy to use squeeze tube has 0.5 oz of product. Like most of philosophy's skin care line, the packaging is fairly plain - in this case, white with black lettering. 1 tube usually lasts me about a year of near-daily usage. This cream is designed to use around the mouth and eyes to counteract signs of aging.

What I like most about the packaging is the opening where the product comes out is very narrow, making it super easy to squeeze the right amount of product out. Since I only use this under and around my eyes, I don't need too much.
The product itself is a fairly thick, off-white cream, yet it spreads over my skin easily. For both eyes, I need very little (maybe a pin head for each eye?). Any extra product I happen to end up with I use in the outer-v area. The cream absorbs quickly, and doesn't leave my skin greasy. And, best of all, it doesn't migrate like some I've used (Clinique, I'll looking at you!). I generally only use an eyecream at night, so I can't comment on how this works for layering with concealor, however I can say within about 5 minutes of application, my skin feels the same as it did prior to application.

Overall, I like this product. I can't speak to the anti-aging claims, but I can say (since I've used 2 tubes of it), I'm fairly likely to repurchase :)

Smashbox HyperLash Mascara - Review

For the last year or so, I haven't bought any new mascaras. The reason for this absurdity became clear at the end of last year (err, 2009), when I was looking for extras for a swap and I realized I had almost 15 unopened, untested sample-sized mascaras, and I WAS CONTINUING TO BUY MASCARAS. WHY?! So, rather than buy any new mascaras, I thought I'd use one sample per month to work my way through them, and to see what I had been missing from all of these other brands. Some I have reveiwed over at MUA. This one, however, will be reviewed here. Behold! I give you - Smashbox HyperLash!!

Alright. Now that that is out of my system, let's continue. My lashes have darker roots and light, nearly blonde, tips. I wear black mascara almost exclusively, because I love a bit of drama (I always wear eye makeup, and don't care how heavy it looks at times - if I like it, I'll wear it, thankyouverymuch). I dislike rubber-bristle wands, as I feel they don't coat my lashes. I don't curl my lashes (*gasp*), mostly because I don't think I have to (or I'm in denial, take your pick), and I'm lazy. HyperLash is the second mascara from Smashbox I've tried, and like the first, LashDNA, I like it. It doesn't wow me, but I'd consider buying it, maybe.

From Smashbox.com: "Rev up your lashes with this high intensity all-in-one mascara that lifts, lengthens, volumizes (sic?), and defines. The unique dual applicator has a brush on one side, and a comb on the other for beautifully full, amazingly long, clump-free lashes in seconds..." Holy adjectives, Batman!

First, the wand:

This does have rubberized bristles, however they're small, fine, and seem to work way better than LashBlast from Cover Girl. My lashes actually get coated with mascara! There are two different "sides" to this wand. One side of the brush features bristles that are all the same length. The other has bristles that get shorter towards the tip, which is awesome for getting the inner corner, unless you like applying mascara to your eye lid.

I like lengthing and definition from a mascara - oh, and I LOVE volume. This mascara seems to do a little bit of everything. It doesn't excell in one area, nor does it fail in any area. It's just a basic mascara. Does it deserve all of the superlatives Smashbox gives? Not really, for my lashes. It is a nice, black mascara, though. It looks truly black, and I don't find my naturally light tips peaking through.

With an MSRP of $21.00, I don't plan on purchasing this mascara on it's own. I'd rather go with MAC's PlushLash or DazzleLash, since they're around $13.00.

**This review is based on a sample sized tube that came from smashbox.com. There is a belief that sample size mascaras are a different formula than the full size tubes, but... I don't know.

NOTD: OPI Cuckoo for this Color

I love me some OPI nail polish. They wear so well on me, usually. Anyway, this was my NYE mani, and I like it. It reminds me a bit of MAC's Beyond Jealous, I think? A blackend teal with shimmer. Blackened colors that still look like something other than straigtup black are awesome. That little bit of silver shimmer in the bottle translates to tonal shimmer on the nail, though. You can see a bit of chipping on my pointer finger and a little tip wear on my middle finger, but still - after 4 days of clacking away at a keyboard at work, my nails still look pretty nice! This color is from the Swiss Collection of 2010.

Top coat: Nubar Diamont