Savvy Thinker » Brands http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:15:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Need input: Choosing between brands of mineral eye shadows http://savvythinker.com/need-input-choosing-between-brands-of-mineral-eye-shadows/ http://savvythinker.com/need-input-choosing-between-brands-of-mineral-eye-shadows/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:15:26 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5684

Since there are a bazillion different mineral eye shadow companies abounding, how do you choose which brands you will investigate to wear, if you wear mineral eye shadows?

Repackaging
I understand there are companies that only repackage. I'd prefer not to buy those, and I don't think I have, but I wouldn't mind if I had made an informed choice to do so. That's what's behind Mineral Makeup Mutiny.

Companies I wear:
Aromaleigh
As anyone knows who has been reading my blog, I love Aromaleigh (which I found via a perfume site.) AL is really cutting edge in my book.
Meow
I also like Meow. The colors are lovely, including the blushes.
Fyrinnae
Fyrinnae is lovely, but different in application techniques. Also cutting edge.
Bare Escentuals
Additionally, I like and own many Bare Escentuals shadows and facial colors. BE may not be quite as cutting edge as AL, but they have some beautiful sets.
Mary Kay
Most of MK's minerals are pressed, which have their place. All of the above companies' minerals are loose. I don't consider MK minerals to be cutting edge. They are better than average, but they are more mainstream. Their 2009 Fall/Xmas shadows come in a wand and are loose, but I didn't care for the look when I tried them, albeit I did not have my proper brushes with me.

Outside of these companies, are there others which are not on my radar screen?
Do you find that you can wear some brands, but others you are sensitive to?

Why do you love them?

Are there any you'd like to see me work with?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-11-17 13:45:06.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/need-input-choosing-between-brands-of-mineral-eye-shadows/feed/ 0 FOTD Arbonne Smoky eyes + lips http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-smoky-eyes-lips/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-smoky-eyes-lips/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:35:37 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4496

The Smoky Eye look is one of two eye sets that Arbonne has put together. Judging from how beautiful it looks on the model and how beautiful the Audrey Eye look is in the travel palette and on Shari, I wanted to try this sight unseen. Shari has a palette set up in it, but didn't think to bring it when Book Girl had her last party.

When my palettes arrive, I'll take photos of the sets in the palettes then post the pictures here, on yesterday's FOTD, and in a new post.

You can see the Smoky Eyes on a model here. Aren't they lush!

This set repeats the brown shade (matte) from the Audrey Eye look, but adds a bronzy shade (shimmery) to go with it. If I hadn't seen it on the model, I likely would not have ordered this shade because I wouldn't have thought it would work on me, but it does. It is very pretty combined with the brown, and will be beautiful alone also.

I applied this without looking at the recommended order of colors. Next time I will remember to do it the other way. One change: wetline, not tightline. The other: use the shimmery bronze (Charade) just over the pupil of the eye. Inkling is a beautiful color. It is not as black a navy as it appears; it is a true navy. I applied

Lids: linen, then smudge with inkling, adding Charade a bit over all
Drylined top and lower: Inkling I wanted to bring out the blue
Tight lined top and lower: Eclipse, smudged with smudger on the pencil
Inner corners: Illume. shimmery white
Mascara: Guerlain
Brows: La Prairie pencil

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Primer
Foundation: Revlon Age Defying (one side) Revlon Spa (other side)
Highlight:
Rouge under powder: MK stick
Powder: Guerlain meteorites
Blush: Arbonne Savvy, the soft apricot shade

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Lips:
Arbonne Illusion + Legend 1/2 and 1/2, 1 on each lip, smooshed; then blended well with a lip brush, because it looked like light lipstick with dark liner.

I loved the lip color on the model. I'm going to try this right now, just to see, since my earlier color is gone. Illusion looks quite brown in the tube, not the soft apricot on her lips. Stay tuned for a LOTD post.

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What do you think?

I think this will be very pretty for fall -- and I'm feeling like fall, even though the temps have not broken. It's still hot, hot, hot here.

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If you'd like to order any of these Arbonne products and do not have a consultant, Book Girl would be happy to help you.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com


Originally posted 2009-08-23 13:11:00.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-smoky-eyes-lips/feed/ 0 Review Lancome Visionnaire http://savvythinker.com/review-lancome-visionnaire/ http://savvythinker.com/review-lancome-visionnaire/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:06:17 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=8257

Once in a while a product comes along that purports to do everything you ever wanted a product to do for you, and then some. Such is Visionnaire by Lancome. If you can believe the hype from the company, women say they no longer want surgery after using the product.

Well, all right then! Whoo hooo! Who wouldn't prefer a product to surgery, given the choice!

I never know if the women who give testimonials are ones who have never taken care of their skin before, or if they are like me and always have. That makes a difference in results too.

So, I went for a sample, since a friend had told me that they had foil samples to give away. I used it up over a few days and it was OK, nothing to write home about. (I probably used more than a pump a day, just guessing, and the foil I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be one day only.)

Then I had a mini makeover by the Lancome rep at a local store. She had been using the product for 4 months, and her skin looked quite a bit better to me.

So I traded a product I had not liked toward the cost of Visionnaire ($84 for 1 oz) (more for 1.7 oz) and decided I would try it at night (and I am generally bad about night -- I will often use a night product in the day.)

After two days, I could see a difference. Then on day 3, maybe not (but I had used less night cream on top of it.) I've been careful to use the 'right' amount for my skin (the rep said ONE pump of Visionnaire -- it covers lightly, but if it were me, I'd likely use 1.5 pumps or even TWO) -- I'm using Lancome's Absolue night cream on top, then Genifique in the day time.

So far, I do see a difference. The fine lines are nearly eradicated at the top of my cheeks, after a few days. Here are some super closeups and no one sees you that close:

Not smiling:

Crinkling to a grin:

And now, the way I'm normally seen:

Have you tried it?
I rate it 4 out of 5 star, so far. But maybe the jury is still out. I figure you can always try a product and if you don't like it, return it. OTOH, it might work just super for you, so it is good to try.

Let me know how you like it and how you think it is working, if you have tried it or decide to try it.

I do find, for my skin, that changing products (and even changing back after a period of time) gives a jump start to my skin, and it will look better than ever. How much is this jump start effect, and how much is the superiority of the product, who knows!

Later today, I will try to write up a post about the skin products I will try NEVER to be without, even if I rotate them and don't use them daily. When I do, I will link to this post also, for you to find it easily.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-lancome-visionnaire/feed/ 0 FOTD Meow eyes, NYX lips http://savvythinker.com/fotd-meow-eyes-nyx-lips/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-meow-eyes-nyx-lips/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:24:49 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=2172

I was happy with the way this turned out.

I spread out my Meow samples and thought what did I want to try:

Eyes:
Base: Nude Frost (there is some question as to whether this irritates me, but so far, so good today -- I gave it a rest, then tried again today) then my sparkly eye mix
Lid and Crease: Meow VandalEyes Misdemeanor (lime)
Crease and drylined top and lower: Meow VandalEyes Shoplifting (deep vibrant purple)

The lime is a little lighter and brighter than it photographed. You can see the glitter liner on the eye to your right.

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Lined: Estee Lauder Plum Grey pencil (which turned out to be more grey than I remembered, so I went over the line and past the line with Meow)
Glitter lined over the top of liners: GirlActik Lavender -- gorgeous color, this line was my first foray into glitters, before AL Rocks! glitter
Mascara: (top, to your left) Mark Scandalash Indigo (purple)
Mascara : (top, to your right and lower lashes) Estee Lauder MagnaScopic purple
The EL is a tad darker.
Brows: La Prairie pencil

Finished look:

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Primer: Smashbox Purple Primer
I like the color lift that this gives.

Foundation: Revlon Age Defying Liquid Color 04
I like this foundation and use it often.
Rouge: Mary Kay stick from a limited line
Powder: Lustre Aromaleigh Twilight supernatural powder
Nice gleam. Used my normal powder brush, not a FO.
Blush: Meow Masterpiece Water Lilies Love this color!
Lips: NYX Round Gloss Apricot 19
This is gorgeous and vibrant when applied heavily. Later it softens to a delicious stain-y look, but it is still moist with product on the lip. You can see how it looks here.

I quite like Meow mineral shadows. I am sampling several types, but they all seem to be equally pigmented and equally easy to use.

VandalEyes are our newest, most highly pigmented collection of multi-purpose eye shadows. Silky smooth and designed to be extra long wearing, they're intense and powerful but they are *not* for the faint of heart...Can be applied dry for a bold look, or foiled (applied wet) for the most intense color and sheen.

I'd love to try more of their Masterpiece blush line.

Masterpiece Blush Gallery: Our newest blush collection, uniquely formulated and unlike any other blush you've ever tried. They're sumptuously sheer, and sweep on your cheeks invisibly, leaving only a pure wash of gorgeous colors behind!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-23 13:32:53.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-meow-eyes-nyx-lips/feed/ 1 FOTD AL eyes + AL lips http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-eyes-al-lips/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-eyes-al-lips/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:21:19 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=3481

Finally! I'm current -- this is my FOTD today. I wanted to wear the same eye colors as yesterday.

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Comparing two lower lash mascaras one is Tarte; the other is Guerlain's Le2.
AL concealer.

Back to trying to use up the discontinued Chanel foundation. Primed with Laura Mercier. My usual sparkly mix of powder, then SCA Hyaluronic as a bronzer.

Blush: AL Dolly

I'm trying uploading directly vs. using Photobucket. The images are smaller. But it is a lot faster for me except for waiting for it to upload into wordpress.

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Lips: AL Gala + AL Pinafore (on each lip, then smooshed) + rimmed and topped in center with Beauté Paramour Love this color!

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Day 2 into Arbonne:
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And we finally have some rain around here -- all the ponds are low. I'm going to enjoy the rain!

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, go here.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-18 11:27:19.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-eyes-al-lips/feed/ 0 Comparing 3 green perfumes http://savvythinker.com/comparing-3-green-perfumes/ http://savvythinker.com/comparing-3-green-perfumes/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:44:08 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=6613

I've been hankering for greens in fragrances lately, so I thought I'd do a comparison of 3 that I particularly love. I wore one on each wrist and the third on my forearm. I wanted to see how they wore throughout the day, how other people perceived them, which lasted the longest, and which was my favorite among them.

Chanel # 19 was introduced in 1970. (I have a mini bottle from one of the sets, so this was dabbed.) It's notes include (and I don't smell the tuberose):

bergamot, neroli and tuberose, vetiver, leather and musk.

or

* With floral and green notes of Neroli from Grasse and Galbanum from Iran
* Combines with May Roses and Irises from Florence
* A cypress tone with a subtle and woody note of Vetiver

Vent Vert by Balmain was created in 1947. I have both the vintage version and the more modern version, but for this comparison I used the vintage. It is a spray.

Original:
Top Notes: Galbanum, Citrus, Gardenia, Peach
Middle Notes: Rose, Muguet, Hyacinth, Orrs, Jasmin
Base Notes: Oakmoss, Vetiver, Styrax, Musk

Top Notes: Greens, orange blossom, lemon, lime, basil
Heart Notes: Rose, galbanum, lily of the valley, freesia, hyacinth, tagetes, ylang-ylang, violet
Base Notes: Oakmoss, sandalwood, sage, iris, amber, musk

Ma Griffe by Carven was introduced in 1946, but to me, it still is timeless. At one time it was close to a signature fragrance for me. The gardenia and other florals in it are not particularly strong. In many ways it reminds me of Guerlain's Chamade, perhaps because of all the galbanum. This bottle is also vintage and a spray.

Top Notes: Gardenia, greens, galbanum, aldehydes, clary sage
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rose, sandalwood, vetiver, orris, ylang-ylang
Base Notes: Styrax, oakmoss, cinnamon, musk, benzoin, labdanum

Over the course of several days, I applied the fragrances in the same manner and refreshed throughout the day.

My take
They sure are similar!

Which lasted the longest?
Between Vent Vert and Chanel No 19, the Chanel was longer lasting. I tried to apply the same amount to each wrist, though they were in different formats. Both started out essentially the same, equally strong, and both had odd top notes, because both are vintage. But that burned off quickly. I was surprised that even in the beginning they were alike.

I applied more of the Ma Griffe because I applied that to my forearm and transferred it to the other forearm. It lasted about as long as the Vent Vert, maybe a tad longer.

What do they smell like?
Vent Vert and Chanel No 19 are both crisp greens. Ma Griffe is a bit softer.

I brought some fresh flowers into the house this week and cut their stems before putting them in water. I had all 3 of my girls smell the cut edges of the stems because that is the scent that most fragrance houses are trying to put into their fragrances to capture the real essence of cut flowers. Honestly, I could have worn the stems, they were so fragrant, though I bet people would have wondered about me!

Who liked what?
Book Girl didn't like Ma Griffe. She felt it smelled 'old.' I told her it wouldn't as soon as it settled down. It is grownup, though. By contrast, Cathy's favorite was Ma Griffe, which is also mine. None that I asked could smell a lot of difference between the Vent Vert or Chanel No 19.

So there you have it! If you are looking for greens in a fragrance, you can look into these, and you won't go wrong with any of them. It all depends on what you like best on you and the price point.

Have you worn any of these?
Is one your favorite?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-05-03 06:12:23.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/comparing-3-green-perfumes/feed/ 0 FOTD Arbonne + MAC lip liner http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-mac-lip-liner/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-mac-lip-liner/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:08:46 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4132

I received my Arbonne order yesterday. I ordered (and received) 1 more eye shadow to complete my shadow box, as well as tinted moisturizer, so I wanted to try them out, even though I had thought to do AL mineral foundation spritzing the brush with water -- will do that tomorrow or lighten the tinted moisturizer in one step.

FYI is Arbonne's line for teens or young adults ("young individuals"), but the products are suitable for all ages. There are tinted moisturizers; glosses; cream shadows (not in a tube); and 4 different fragrances in shower gel, small spray, body cream, and sugar scrub. I tried the fragrances because, as you know, I love fragrance. More on those in another post. Shari told me how much she loves the tinted moisturizer, so I decided to try it. It looks good on her!

Eyes: Arbonne, except where noted, using new eye shape.
Base: Nude Frost (not Arbonne)(cream in a pot)
Lids: First used the soft gray (I think it might be matte). Then used lime green on top of the gray and alone under lower lash line. I wanted to know if the soft gray looked good by itself (it did) and whether it showed up enough (it did.) And I felt it would deepen the impact of the lime. (It did.) In a way it was like using a dark base instead of a skin tone one, but instead of it being cream, it was powder. In RL it looks more lime than it does in the picture.
Crease: Used lighter purple at top edges.
Mascara: Arbonne, 2 step
Brows: Merle Norman powder
Wet lined left lower: Sephora White; right lower: MAC white -- the MAC is much whiter and brighter; for a more natural look, choose the Sephora, for a more highlighted look, choose the MAC.
Lined top and lower: Tidal Wave, gel liner (not Arbonne) -- This is just a beautiful blue and blends nicely with the lime.
Lined again top and lower: Lancome Micro Palettes -- white (but really sheer) with silver -- I like this to drift down and around under my eyes some to extend the optical illusion of my eyes.
Concealer: Guerlain

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Primer: Forgot
Foundation: Arbonne FYI Light tinted moisturizer -- this is a neat product that came recommended by Shari. It is a tad too dark on me. Comparing it to the Arbonne foundation that I use, the foundation is a tad lighter and pinker. I think this would be sufficient foundation and moisture for a lot of people. I used the RE9 moisturizer first.
Highlight all over face: Chanel liquid -- this made it a tad lighter -- could accomplish the same thing by mixing with regular moisturizer before applying or by mixing this with the tinted moisturizer and applying as one step.
Powder: My sparkly mix
Blush: Arbonne, light pink
Highlight: Guerlain Butterfly perles -- got it as a gwp -- really great color!
Bronzer: Arbonne -- Shari uses this on top of the tinted moisturizer (she uses light-medium tinted moisturizer, 1 shade darker than me.) I'm not sure if she uses powder or if the bronzer is her powder. Shari? The bronzer comes in a large solid compact, but applies softer than the SCA hyaluronic powder, which is very hard so it is difficult to get much product.

Update: Sherri says:

I always use powder to set my makeup and then I bronze.

Lips: Arbonne Prep and Plump Gleam + MAC lip liner, more at my LOTD post.

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I'm happy with the look. It takes me longer to write it up than it does to apply it.

Do you use a tinted moisturizer?
Mary Kay makes a very nice one too. My MK consultant uses tinted moisturizer under her MK mineral foundation. It looks good on her.

If you use tinted moisturizer, do you use it with your regular moisturizer or by itself as the only moisturizer?

To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don't have a representative, just ask.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-22 12:02:52.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-arbonne-mac-lip-liner/feed/ 1 L’Oreal ad banned in Britain for being dishonest http://savvythinker.com/loreal-ad-banned-in-britain-for-being-dishonest/ http://savvythinker.com/loreal-ad-banned-in-britain-for-being-dishonest/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:03:02 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=8237

How about that! L'Oreal ad banned in Britain for being dishonest.

I've wondered when they would stop showing mascara ads where the model, for sure, for sure, for sure, is wearing false lashes. Honestly! They expect us to believe it?! OTOH, I know what mascara can do -- I don't need the ad pumped up with false lashes. I wouldn't mind seeing with and without the mascara though. Some mascaras are thicker than others; some have tiny fibers to extend the lashes, etc. Everyone who wears mascara has their favorite 2 or 3 (or 5.) Different ones for different occasions or different feelings for the day -- or different activities for the day.

Take a peek at this:
http://www.aol.com/video/rachel-weisz-loreal-ad-banned/517260847/?ncid=wsc-video-cards-image

What do you think?
I know many products do deliver. They also have the disclaimer, "Not all results are typical" or some such. But some products are more hype than not. Of course, they would make the biggest difference on someone who has not taken care of their skin.

And they make the biggest difference if they are designed for your skin in mind. For me, nothing for oily skin. For someone with oily skin, nothing for dry skin. And after a while some products for mature skin are better than not for skin that looks like it needs a boost.

Cudos for Britain to have the chutzpah to actually do something about false advertising! It's about time!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/loreal-ad-banned-in-britain-for-being-dishonest/feed/ 0 FOTD AL + Lashes + MAC lips http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-lashes-mac-lips/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-lashes-mac-lips/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:54:19 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5833

It's kinda fun to wear lashes again and to get out my stash.
Eyes
Base: Nude Frost + BE Queen Phyllis
Inner lid: AL pavane en pointe
Outer lid: AL odile en pointe
Upper lined inner corner: MAC blackgraph pencilto fit into lashes
Lower lined: Clarins Midnight Flashpencil
Lashes: Ardel Sophisticated
Glitter dry lined: Lancome Hologramme Micro-pallettes (white with multi glitter) to match into glitter line of lashes
More lashes
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You can't really tell from the picture, but there are tiny bits of glitter through the lashes. Time will tell if it sticks or falls off.
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Lips
MAC Love Alert Dazzleglass
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Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-11-28 09:32:07.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-al-lashes-mac-lips/feed/ 0 FOTD Sunday Lancome + Arden + glitter pencil rimmed on lips http://savvythinker.com/fotd-sunday-lancome-arden-glitter-pencil-rimmed-on-lips/ http://savvythinker.com/fotd-sunday-lancome-arden-glitter-pencil-rimmed-on-lips/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:28:45 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=3576

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Lined top and lower with Peacock gel liner.

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I really liked my lips. I don't know if you can tell from the photo.

Lightest color in Arden Palette rimmed with Hard Candy Pink Glitter Eye pencil; outer corners Tony and Tina Pink Gold glitter eye pencil

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I hope you had a good weekend! I was busy beading and etc. And I'm reading a cute book that I need to get back to.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-26 23:28:28.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fotd-sunday-lancome-arden-glitter-pencil-rimmed-on-lips/feed/ 0