Lierac Exfoliating, Purifying and Clarifying Mask - Review

This is a review for Lierac's Soins Éclat Express Masque Clarté (Exfoliating, purifying and clarifying mask). I purchased this mask last summer, used it a couple of times and basically forgot about it. In selecting my items for Project 10 Pan, I came across it again and decided to give it another try.

Lierac is a French brand now widely available at chain drugstores like CVS and Duane Reade. This line has a wide range of items, including cleansers, toners, day and night creams, etc. However, for a drugstore brand, it's a bit pricey...this particular product retails for $30.

This mask has a light green tint and contains very fine granular particles. Lierac's website lists its active ingredients as bentonite, bearberry and zinc oxide and recommends this product for dull skin and large pores. It has a very light herbal scent. After cleansing your face, you apply a light film on dry skin (avoiding the eye area) and let it dry about 10 minutes. During this time, you will feel a mild tingling sensation and a tightening effect on your face. Once it dries, you can either rinse it off or do a light circular massage with your fingers tips for deeper exfoliation.

Overall, I thought this product was good. My face had a rosy glow after using it. However, this product didn't overly impress me. I didn't notice a significant difference in the appearance of my pores which has been a long-time issue for me. I could probably get similar results with another exfoliating product that's less expensive.

So bottom line: Would I re-purchase it? I'm on the fence with this one. I may re-purchase if I don't find another product that offers similar or better results. As I learn more about Lierac's other products, I might be open to trying some of their other skin care items.

For more information about Lierac products, visit http://www.lierac-usa.com/

If you have used this product, I would love to know what you think. Feel free to post your comments or any questions below.

Until next time!

Liz :-)

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous - Review

The day after Christmas I stopped into CVS and noticed that several new Maybelline eye products had just arrived and were being put on the shelves. My eye immediately went to the Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Mascara.

I have not tried the original Lash Stiletto Mascara (which is all about length and shine); but since I tend to gravitate toward volumizing mascaras, I decided to give this one a try – and boy, am I happy I did! This mascara is fabulous.

It gives your lashes lots of length and volume and the formula is smooth. I’ve experienced no issues with clumping or flaking. The brush is interesting; it has a slim “wavelike” design. The bristles do a great job of grabbing and separating each lash. I was very happy with one coat but add a second coat and va-va-va-voom!

As a contact lens wearer, I’m always careful about the eye products I use. I’m pleased to say this product did not irritate my eyes and washes off fairly easily.

This mascara costs under $9 and in my opinion, is a great value. As many of you know, I’m currently doing Project 10 Pan and am trying to use up my Covergirl Eyelights. I’m basically alternating between these two mascaras but as soon as they’re both done, I will definitely re-purchase.

If you’ve tried Lash Stiletto Voluptuous, I’d love to know what you think. Please post your comments below.

Until next time!
Liz :-)

A Special Request -- Haiti Needs Our Help Now

Dear Friends,

This week's devastating earthquake in Haiti has left us wondering how something so tragic, so incomprehensible could happen to one of the poorest countries in the world. Most of Haiti's citizens had virtually nothing and now they have even less. The death toll continues to rise at shocking levels. The reports coming from Haiti have left me in tears...watching all the men, women and children wandering the streets in utter shock...with no food, water or shelter. And even more distressing, seeing the lifeless bodies piled up in the streets...and nowhere to give them the burials they deserve. It will be many years before the country can physically recover from this disaster. But emotionally, I doubt they ever will.

Haiti is in dire need of money, food and medical supplies. They need our help, and they need it now.

I ask, from the bottom of my heart, to please open your hearts to these poor souls. Please consider donating to any of the charities providing relief efforts in the area. CNN.com has a list of recommended organizations on their website: http://tinyurl.com/yhhub55

Times are tough and we have many economic challenges here at home. But whatever you can give, even if it's only $10, $5 or even a $1, a donation will go a long way toward making a difference.

May God bless and protect the people of Haiti.

Liz

New Year's Resolution #2 - Project 10 Pan!

Hi everyone,

Well the launch of my blog on January 1st was my first New Year's resolution - mission accomplished! Now I need to tackle New Year's resolution #2 (and it won't be easy) - Project 10 Pan.

Project 10 what???
If you follow some of the beauty vloggers on YouTube, the idea of Project 10 Pan took off after Lisasz09 and lollipop26 launched their own Project 10 Pan experiments. It's basically a commitment to refrain from purchasing new cosmetics until you use up 10 products you currently own. It's a brilliant idea but a scary one as well. No trips to the MAC counter or Sephora for a while??? Yikes!

So I've decided to do my own Project 10 Pan as I've acquired a few too many goodies these last few months and have barely hit pan on most of them.

Before embarking on your own Project 10 Pan, it's a good idea to go through all the cosmetics you own and purge items that shouldn't be used anymore (i.e. mascara older than six months, foundation that's starting to separate, unappealing eye shadow colors, etc.) That will make your 10 Pan selections easier to make. Don't hold on to something that you know doesn't suit you just for the sake of using it up. Once you have your 10 items, it's time to make that commitment to use them and stick with them until you've used them up.

After much deliberation, here's my Project 10 Pan list:
*Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation (Light 1)
*Covergirl Eyelights Mascara (Black gold)
*Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick (Rose Couture 260)
*Benefit FY...Eye! Primer
*Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Liner (Plum Drop)
*Bare Minerals Blush (Rose Diamond)
*Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder (Fair)
*MAC Viva Glam Lipglass VI (Limited Edition Shade)
*Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo (Betsy Baby)
*Lierac Exfoliating, Purifying and Clarifying Mask (btw, will be doing a review on this soon)

I will be realistic and admit that some of these products will take me a while to finish up. If any of you use Bare Minerals products, then you know they last forever. I've had the Rose Diamond blush a year and it's still half full! I will try to post updates on my Project 10 Pan at least every 3-4 weeks. Wish me luck!

I also want to add that any reviews I post in the near future will be of products I've had for a while or purchased over the holidays. I made the decision to begin Project 10 Pan during the first weekend of January and haven't purchased anything since then.

On a final note, if 10 items are a bit extreme for you, how about testing a Project 5 pan? Or if you do aim for 10 items, why not treat yourself to a small reward (like a new lipgloss) when you reach the half-way mark. Set the goal you feel will work for you.

Until next time!

Liz :-)

Laura Geller "The Tropics" Lip Collection

Hi everyone,

Last year Laura Geller debuted the re-release of her most popular lip color on QVC, called "Tropics". She described this lip color as being one of the most popular shades sold at her Madison Avenue boutique.

I recently purchased Laura Geller's "The Tropics" Lipstick and Lipgloss 2-piece set on QVC and I absolutely love it! This collection includes the lipstick in "Tropics" and gloss in "City Lights", a beautiful sheer and shimmery shade. QVC's website best describes "Tropics" as a "burnished coral hue". The lipstick has a somewhat matte finish and in my opinion has great staying power and will work for those with fair to medium complexions. The gloss has a lovely coconut scent, not overly shiny and is a great shade to use over any lipstick you have.

This product can be found on qvc.com and is currently priced at just under $25. What a great deal! (Plus did I mention how adorable the containers are...very chic!) Check out http://tinyurl.com/yzmfrjw

Until next time!

Liz

Covergirl SmokyShadowBlast - Review

Hi everyone,

As a huge fan of Covergirl's LashBlast mascara, I was thrilled to learn that the company was expanding its "Blast" line to include shadows and lip products. When I saw the new SmokyShadowBlast at the drugstore last week, I bought the shade "Purple Plume". This is the shade Drew Barrymore wears in the ad campaign.

This is a creamy shadow product that comes in a two-sided lipstick style container. One side is a light pink shade (labeled Step 1) which is for the lid; the other side is a dark smoky plum (labeled Step 2) which can be used for the crease area. This particular color combination is quite nice.

So far, I've used this product three times; and frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. When first applied, the shadows look really nice. But after only a couple of hours, the shadow began to crease and the color lost its intensity. The first time I used this, I applied my Benefit FY...Eye! primer and the second time I used my Smashbox Photo Finish lid primer. No luck with either. The third time (which was today) I used primer but after applying the shadow, I dusted some sheer powder eye shadow over it. I thought the powder shadow would help set this product and make it last longer. That didn't work either, creasing still occurred after only a couple of hours. :(

My skin (including my eyelids) tends to be oily so I can understand the creasing problem. However, I've never had issues with a shadow creasing and fading so quickly after application. It's a shame because the other colors in the SmokyShadowBlast line are quite pretty and I would have loved to try them. Perhaps someone with normal to dry skin will have better luck with this product. If you've tried SmokyShadowBlast and would like to share your comments, please post them below. I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time!
Liz

Happy New Year & Welcome!

Happy 2010 everyone!

It's January 1st and I'm so excited to launch my blog - yay! I've been wanting to do this for quite some time but kept it putting off - too busy with work, family, yada, yada. I finally decided that procrastination be damned, it's time to make good on one of my dreams. So here I am!

I hope you will bear with me as I get this blog cleaned up and a bit more functional. I've never blogged before, so I'm basically learning the ropes as I go.

So if you're wondering, "Who the heck is Liz?", let me tell you. I'm a native New Yorker and currently work as direct marketer and fundraiser for a non-profit organization. Prior to this I worked in the magazine industry and I used to ENVY the editors who received hundreds of cosmetic, skin care, fragrance products for review every month. It was so cool watching them go through their beauty hauls every day. If we were lucky, there would be a sample sale every few months for employees - and let me tell you what a free for all they could be! But, it was well worth "accidentally" knocking down your boss to get that fabulous Chanel eyeshadow for $2! LOL

When I was in my late teens /early twenties, I mostly used drugstore cosmetics and occasionally Clinique for skinscare. But then Sephora and MAC came on the scene and my life (not to mention my bank account) changed forever. It all became about Bare Escentuals, Smashbox, Guerlain, Stila, Urban Decay and so much more. And so my love affair of all things beauty was born.

I now spend my days keeping up with the latest cosmetic and beauty news and product launches. Each month I wait with baited breath for the latest issues of Allure, InStyle, Lucky, Cosmo and Glamour to arrive in the mail. I love watching my favorite beauty gurus on YouTube talk about their latest hauls and testing some of their recommendations along the way.

On this blog, I plan to post reviews of products I'm testing or currently loving. I promise my reviews will be totally honest - no bias, no bull. In addition to cosmetics, I also plan to review skin care and hair products. If there's an item you would like a review on, feel free to let me know. I can't guarantee I'll be able to do one, but I'll try my best.

So, that's it for now. May 2010 bring you lots of good health, happiness and love your way! Talk to you all soon!

Cheers!

Liz :-)