the playlist

When bare escentuals announced that they were releasing pressed shadows I was so excited. When they launched and came with a sponge applicator I will admit I was disappointed. One of the main reasons why I was so excited about the pressed shadows was so that I could easily travel with my beloved BE, but with the sponge applicators I still had to bring extra brushes. So when I saw the holiday 8.0 palettes came with a double ended brush I knew I needed them...both. So I bought them at the preview sale because there was no way I could wait to have them.

So I have had both the playlist and the cocktail hour for a while now and I have to say, I have no complaints. While I have not traveled with them yet, they have been my go to eye shadow when I am at all in a hurry. Rather than having to find a bunch of different pots and opening them separately, I just grab this and all the shadows I need for a complete eye look in the palm of my hand. The colors are so pigmented and gorgeous. It comes with, Pumped, Chart Topper, Max Volume, Louder, One Hit Wonder, Most Requested, Remix, Speaker Box. So here are the pictures and swatches of the Playlist. (the cocktail hour is soon to come!)

Also the packaging is beautiful and festive!

Top Row: Pumped, Chart Topper, Max Volume, Louder

Bottom Row: One Hit Wonder, Most Requested, Remix, Speaker Box

       

tried and tested: be exfoliating cleanser

Initial Thoughts:

After spending half my summer covered in sunscreen my pores are really taking a beating. My face has just felt so clogged lately so I decided it was time I try the be exfoliating cleanser.





Trial:

I was so fed up with my face feeling clogged even when I got out of the shower! So last weekend I got out of the shower and realized that I hadn't washed my face so it was the perfect time to run in my bedroom and grab the exfoliating cleanser and try it out. At first I had a little trouble getting the right ratio of powder to water but once I got that right I was able to apply it to my face and really scrub clean.

Reaction:

This worked wonderfully! My face felt so clean and refreshed and had that tight feeling afterward. I felt like I could apply my makeup to a clean face for the first time in a long time. I still love my BE purifying facial cleanser for everyday use but plan to use this to exfoliate a couple times a week. Also it can be used as a mask and I plan to try that very soon.

smiling bright teeth whitening system

I bought the Smiling Bright teeth whitening system when livingsocial.com had a special deal to get one at home whitening system with LED light for $29 when it is regularly $180. I had been wanting to whiten my teeth (I have used the crest white strips before but not for a year) and this was just such a good deal I couldn't pass it up!

The instructions were very clear and easy to follow:

• prep your lips and gums with the provided vitamin e
• insert the tray and make sure your teeth are pressed right into the gel
• put the light right up against the tray and inside your lips
• turn it on for 20 minutes
• remove tray and rinse out your mouth

I took before and after photos (see below) and of the kit, but because it has been raining here for the past couple of days the photos are not that great. I will post a follow up after photo once we see the sun again! Also I took the after photo right after and I think with some time they might become whiter. But I think you can see the difference, top one is the before and bottom one is after.

My overall opinion is that it worked! There was some tingling during and after the process but nothing too bad. My only warning is that you can't breath through your mouth for 20 minutes which I didn't think of so it was kind of a problem for me because I was so stuffed up today! But the LED light can be reused and you can purchase more tray and they sent a coupon for 50% off the refills, so maybe I will do it again.  

Also I would highly recommend joining Livingsocial and Groupon because they have some really good deals in your area and new ones everyday such as this and you don't want to miss out. 

*I purchased this myself and can not guarantee that you will have the same results that I had* 

loreal lash boosting serum: after

I used this morning and night for 4 weeks as the directions said to for best results. After the four weeks I could notice a difference in my lashes. They were longer and it seemed to me that I had lashes in spots that used to be bare or sparse and they appear to be darker.

Pros:

• The applicator is made so that you can apply it to your lashes and the lash line which I like rather than just applying the serum to the lash line like some other brands do.
• Did not have any problems with it irritating my eyes at all and I have VERY sensitive eyes.
• In my experience it delivered on its promises and for an affordable cost.

Cons:

• In the morning you have to wait for it to dry before applying mascara and I don't always have that kind of time.
• Sometimes it would glob up on the lashes once dry and flake off while I was applying my mascara. But I would usually just pick it off and it wasn't a big deal.

Overall I really like this product and have continued to use it at night only to avoid the drying time and just to keep up the results I have seen. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to try a lash serum but is hesitant or doesn't want to spend a lot of money. Now for the before and after photos:

Before

After

loreal lash boosting serum: before

I am always in search of a product that will give me more defined, voluminous, longer lashes. So when this product came out I tried it right away and saw results after a month of use. That was almost a year ago and I have been using it off and on since then. So when I started this blog I wanted to take before and after photos to share my results. As far as I know this is the most affordable of all the lash products, as it retails for around $12-$14.

The directions say to apply to lashes morning or night to bare lashes. You use the applicator to sweep it over the lashes and then apply above the lash line like an eyeliner and to allow it to dry before applying mascara. For best results use both morning and night. And that is what I did for a month straight, morning and night. Results to come soon. Here is the before photo of my lashes without mascara. I have curled my lashes otherwise they just stick straight out!