Hot NEW Spring Beauty Products: NARS, Pout, Pop Beauty, Jaqua, Benefit and more!
Test-driving Spring Beauty Products!
I have been doing some sorting of products that I have been receiving. I moved offices and schlepping the boxes of stuff to the new office was a major pain —but it was good because I became aware of products that I had forgotten I had but had been meaning to try. This week I managed to test several products that I had wanted to try.
Skincare:
I went back to my basics of exfoliating products and wanted to check out the retooled packaging and products from Jaqua. First thing I pulled was the Jaqua Papaya and Pumpkin Puree Exfoliating Masque. This is a fluffier texture now and I love the newer, more “girly” packaging. It went on nicely and gave my skin that tingle which I amped up with hot washcloths. The result: a much fresher complexion. Yay!! Jaqua Beauty
I had spent considerable time interviewing make-up artists from NARS Cosmetics in the last couple months and each one talked about the Aqua Gel Hydrator Moisturizer. I finally snagged a jar of this stuff and oooooooh, it’s lush! Definitely this water-based moisturizer gave my skin just what it needed: a long drink of H20! Left on all night and the skin was rocking the next day. The effects are more than just temporary too; you get a residual effect from the plumping and deep moisturization from this lovely gel-creme. NARS Cosmetics; Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue
After making my skin feel good, time to start setting the canvas with Pout Illuminator. This cool pump bottle with the trademark lacy Pout packaging helps set up the luminous glow that can be mixed with foundation or applied directly to skin in either the bronze Afterglow or the pearly Loveglow. I used Loveglow both ways: mixing it with some foundation to spot conceal and applied directly to areas that I wanted to highlight like cheekbones, and brow bone. It was a smooth textured product that did exactly what I wanted it too and worked well with the foundation. Sephora.com Pout cosmetics
Christian Dior Cosmetics has lots of new color products and I love to play!
When I apply my foundation, I am very aware of texture, color and how smoothly it goes on. I am looking for something that will even out my skin tone and hide the blotches and splotches (yes I have them too!). I have always liked the idea of air-brushed foundation but unwilling and a bit of an erratic klutz when it came to application. Dior makes it easy with Dior Skin Air Flash Foundation aerosole spray-on foundation.Shake the can, and lightly spray in a circular motion and voila—instant foundation. I did just that and using my fingertips, lightly blended it over the face. Love the fast application and I love the airy, soft as silk texture. It’s definitely something I will be using again. I might go for a darker color. I have Medium beige and it matches pretty well but for summer, I would buy Honey, a slightly darker color to match my darker self-tanned skin tone. Sephora.com
Not to forget that I needed a hint of cheek color, I reached for a Ramy Beauty Therapy Multiple in Afterglow. This sheer berry stick slides on nicely giving just that pop of color that looks like you have spent a day outside. It blends well and can be used for more than just cheeks!
Ramy Beauty Therapy; Sephora
Another Dior product I love is the Dior Addict Ultra Shine Lip Color in Shiniest Pomegranate. This luscious lip color swivels up to show off sparkles throughout the color and it’s sooooo moist going on! Feels absolutely wonderful on the lips. The color is exceptionally sheer. Don’t let the names fool you. Pomegranate isn’t all berry berry dark; it’s more like a berry pink. I am jonesing for the Shiniest
Plum
On the eyes, I went for more color and definition. I started off with a wash of Benefit Show-offs in Meringue. This beautiful loose powder shadow is a reformulation of the original product to make it softer and easier to apply. Use finger application for a swift kick of color or use a brush to soften and sheer out the iridescent color. Meringue is a neutral icy lilac that borders on white. Each little jar will last you a long time.
Benefit Cosmetics; Sephora
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Pop Beauty Peaches Eye Cake is a great little tin of five shades of peach tones. This tin of shimmer eye colors is just what the “cosmetic doctor” ordered for Spring 2005 (or almost anytime). Featuring silky shadows in shimmer shades of soft pink with gold shimmer; peachy copper with gold shimmer; oyster nude with gold shimmer; apricot with gold shimmer; and peridot with gold shimmer, it works exceptionally well for every eye color and the pink can be used as a highlight for cheeks. I used a wash of the pink from lashes to brows, smudged the copper in the crease and took a finger swipe of the peridot and oyster on the lid for a softly glowing eye. The texture is great—silky smooth and it gives you just enough color. If you want more, just layer it on! Sephora.com
As a liner for this look, I used a NARS Kyoto Eye Pencil and smudged that into my lashes. It really made my green eyes pop!Saks Fifth Avenue; Sephora.com
Mascara was the final touch for the eyes and I was dying to try this Estee Lauder Lash XL Maximum Length Mascara which was used on celebrities who visited the Estee Lauder Oscar Suite in Los Angeles
I had my hair colored on Thursday, and my hair while looking like it’s totally blonde self again, I needed to condition it to keep the blondeness looking good. Prive formule aux herbes line is the brainchild of celebrity stylist Laurent D. I tried the Prive formule aux herbes Intensive Mask for about 30 minutes (covered with a shower cap) and then rinsed it out and now have the shining, soft, curly locks that I love having!
(Prive formule aux herbes 866-351-1193)
The next step in my hair restoration was to use the Marc Anthony True Professional hair care line. The latest hot product from this Canadian stylist line is the Moisture Gloss Color Extender Daily Drops that is applied daily to seal in color and prevent fading. Definitely something I can use, I started today. Ulta and major drugstores.
My nails are forever breaking and splitting. I can’t make a polish last 3 days without chipping! I have tried every potion and product out there—or so I thought. A close friend who has the same problem told me she was having amazing success with the Barielle Intensive Nail Renewal Oil. This vitamin rich oil includes Vitamins A and E, Keratin, lecithin, collagen, calcium, thiamin, and riboflavin to make nails strong and keep them healthy. My friend swears by this product so I am giving it a whirl as well. I will let you know how it turns out! Would be lovely to have this improve the condition of my nails so that I can make manicures last longer! Barielle ; Sephora, Ulta and other fine stores
That’s the highlights of my beauty week! I will keep you posted on new product launches as well as how these products are working out for me!
May the beauty force be with you!
Stevie
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