Cheap Accessories

Three this week! Amazing! Lol

I'm trying to steer away from technology and get back to my natural roots. I feel like kids today rely too much on the convenience of technology that if something happened that wiped it out, they would be useless. I read a study somewhere that said that kids now days no longer and taught how to read a clock. I hope that's not true...

Anyways, I wanted to share with you guys this cute watch that I picked up on sale through Amazon. 

Very inexpensive, maybe $9-$10 with free two day shipping. I also spotted a girl who had the same one and she said she got hers at Staples for the same price. 

Anyways, the band is made out of gel. I really like that because I normally wear this watch to school and I HATE the clunking noise that metal or plastic watches make. The rhine stones add a touch of chic-ness that I really like and the white just ties the entire thing together.

This watch comes in practically all colors under the sun, (At least on Amazon).  

It can be quite large if you have smaller wrist. It's very light, and it seems very sturdy. I've had this watch for a little over a month now and I have not had one single problem with it.

If you are worried about the ban being too short, don't be. I have LARGE wrist and when I first read the reviews, I was skeptical if the band would even fit around my wrist! It does! 

Here's the link if you guys are interested, enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U77NN2/ref=oh_o06_s00_i00_details

Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation-Product RAVE.

Its another early morning of no sleep on a busy day. So, since I have a few minutes to spare, I've decided to put up a blog. This time, its on this little gem that I found in my local CVS store.

I try to pick up various shades when I buy foundation because I can tan relatively easy and its difficult for me to just have one "summer" shade. Usually in the summer months, I can go from being as light as an NC35 (in extreme cases, usually I go as light as an NC40) to as dark as an NW45. Sometimes I can go from an NC40 to an NW 45 from just one day at the beach! Bless my skin for being resilient to sun burn, but it can be VERY frustrating when you are an avid make up junkie.

This particular foundation ranges from $4.99-$6.99 at the drug store. Very inexpensive, but for my taste, it is money well worth spending. If you are someone who likes full coverage, or even a medium coverage, I don't mean to waste your time. This is not the foundation for you and I will not be insulted if you click off this page. But for people who like a sheer to light coverage that is buildable to a medium coverage, this might be something worth trying.

I am absolutely in love with the concealer that comes from this line. Usually I tend to shy away from Rimmel foundations because they are so cheap. For me, cheap usually means MEH. But I decided that, since I love and rave about the concealer from this particular line, I might as well try the foundation as well. 

Here are some swatches of the two that I've picked up.

340 Nude

(Top photo: swatched; Bottom photo: Blended out)

520 Natural Caramel

(Top Photo: Swatched; Bottom photo: Blended Out)

This is what the two look like side by side:

As you can clearly see from the picture above, these foundations are very sheer and can look very streaky. So you must be wondering why I call this product a gem?

Answer: It blends out AMAZINGLY.

I use a standard buffing brush; my preferable brush of choice is the powder brush from E.L.F. It's basically a synthetic flat top kabuki on a stick. Dab some on to your face and buffing it into your skin creates a very evened out, flawless complexion that looks like natural skin. And trust me, I am a NAZI when it comes to foundations looking natural. I'm okay with having flamboyant eye shadow, but I am NOT okay with having foundation that is noticeably, well, fake.

The coverage is very sheer at most. I would compare this to a highly pigmented tinted moisturizer (if that makes as much sense as I think it does). If you have fairly decent skin and you just want something to even out redness and a few minor blemishes, go ahead and give this a try. I find that this is even buildable up to a medium coverage if you absolutely need to, but I find that this is a more suitable alternative to a tinted moisturizer.

Now, that last statement must bring up a few questions..why would I need an alternative to a tinted moisturizer? Well, I have combination skin. The outsides of my face tends to be dry while the insides of my face can range from oily to normal. I find that most tinted moisturizers can be too much moisturizer for my skin and causes me to break out. I like the formulation for this foundation because its water, light, yet pigmented enough that I can blend it in without it being so sheer that it does nothing.

Now, like I warned you at the beginning, this is not something for people who are looking for a cheaper alternative to a medium coverage foundation. This is sheerer then Neutrogenas Healthy Skin and a little bit more watery than a tinted moisturizer. I hope some of you found this helpful!

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation

Daylight savings is such a pain to adjust to in the Spring! And today is not the day to get no sleep. Oh well, here's a quick review to start off (well..continue really) my 26 hour day :( I can't wait to get home tonight to take a quick nap before working again tonight. Oivey!

I've been trying out new foundations recently and I decided to go ahead and give this one a shot. There has been a lot of buzz about this particular foundation on Youtube for a few months so I decided to go ahead and try it out. The shade that I selected is 110 Honey Beige. It's the perfect skin color, however it is not yellow enough for my skin tone. #tangirlproblems? Can I get an amen..(AMEN!) I can easily fix that with a yellow corrector, so its not a big deal to me.

Swatches

(Bottom photo: In direct sunlight)

You can see from the photo that this particular foundation is warm toned. The yellow-ness to this foundation (for me anyways) is almost a neutral yellow, so it doesn't pull too yellow if you are someone who has a problem with foundations being too yellow for your warm tones. Sadly for me, I have the exact opposite problem. For some reasons, even higher end foundations are not yellow enough to suite the undertones in my skin. 

I have found, however, that this is the perfect foundation to neutralize your skin tone. 

Blended Out Swatches

(Top photo: Blended in Natural lighting; Middle photo: Artificial lighting; Bottom photo: Flash)

This foundation gives a light coverage to medium coverage, at most.  I do not see, in any way, how this would be considered a full coverage foundation. I prefer a lighter coverage then this, and I found this to be a medium coverage for my taste. If you are some one who likes complete full coverage, this is not the foundation for you.

I did find that this is very long wearing and blends in beautifully. I could feel it sitting on my skin, but it wasn't so heavy where it bothered me or even seemed to be a problem. Once this foundation sets, it doesn't really budge either. I had this particular foundation on for about 12 hours, having to blot once, and managed to make it work. It evens out your skin tone, but is still light enough where it feels great and you skin can breathe. 

As far as photos goes, I'd definitely give this foundation a pass. This is more of a foundation that should be worn on a day to day basis. It's very light, blends out to a natural finish, and is appropriate for day to day wear. However, the white cast when using flash is horrible. So if you are looking for a night foundation, or something to wear while going out, give this one a miss unless you are looking for a natural finish with minimal pictures taken.

 Price wise it runs between $12-$14 at most drugstores, however I suggest picking this up on sale. I managed to get my$9.00 including tax)

Overall I really like this foundation. I've been on a foundation kick lately and I have been trying a few out. If you've tried it, let me know what you think and how you apply it. I apply mines the standard way, I'll link my tutorial when its uploaded on youtube!