My Revlon Grow Luscious 6 week challenge

Hey everyone,

This week I picked up Revlon's new Grow Luscious Mascara in Blackest Black. Since there are now several lash growth products on the market, this product piqued my interest. And I'm really hoping that Revlon will redeem themselves after last year's launch of their disappointing Double Twist Mascara.

The packaging states that "96% saw instantly longer, more lush lashes". Lash enhancing formula complements the natural growth cycle of your lashes and improves their overall appearance and condition with each use."

I recently tried L'Oreal's Lash Boosting mascara. I opted not to try the serum as I tend to have sensitive eyes and didn't want to leave anything to chance. I did see minor results with this mascara but afterward noticed some lash fall out after I stopped using it. I'm not saying that this product caused that to happen; but as with all other lash enhancement products, you need to continually use them to maintain results.

So with that said, I'm laying down a challenge for myself. For a six-week period beginning tomorrow, July 1st, I will use the Grow Luscious Mascara and keep track of my results. Every couple of weeks I'll let you know how I'm doing!

So stay tuned - should be interesting!

Until next time!

Liz :-)

Favorite Inexpensive Summer Lip Products

Hey everyone!

Hope you are all having a great start of summer so far...can't believe Fourth of July is this weekend! It's been unbelievably hot in NY these last few days. BUT, I'll take this over winter anytime!

So it's been a while since my last post and I want to make up for lost time. Today I'd like to share some of my favorite inexpensive summer lip products. During the summer I tend to stay away from heavy lipsticks and just go with glosses or tinted lip conditioners. I recently found a few that offer great pigmentation and are also very moisturizing. These products are pretty inexpensive...from $1 to under $10!

L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipgloss - The color featured here is Camellia (#250); this is the limited-edition shade Eva Longoria is wearing in the ad campaign. This particular color is a shimmery rosy pink that's not too bright and would flatter most skin tones. It looks spectacular on Eva, especially with her tanned skin. According to the package, this gloss has six-hour wear. I've worn this gloss several times and found that it did last a few hours but not quite six. I needed to re-apply after 4 or 5 hours and especially after eating. It has a sweet scent that reminds me of cotton candy. It's a great gloss to keep handy in your purse and for a retail price of $9.59, is a pretty good value. L'Oreal just released several limited-edition shades for the summer; they're all so pretty!

E.L.F. Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15 - I recently read that it's not a good idea to wear non-SPF lip products (especially gloss) during the summer months. We now know that all those years we fried our skin with suntan or baby oil wasn't such a good idea; so when you think about lip gloss, isn't that the same as applying oil on your lips? That's why I was so excited when I found this product at the dollar store! I picked up two shades, Candlelight (pictured right) and Goddess (pictured left). Candlelight is peachy-nude shade with a hint of shimmer; Goddess is a metallic mauvey-pink (my fave of the two). Both shades have decent color payoff, offer a good amount of shine and do last on your lips a while. These glosses also have a candy-like scent; nothing offensive. For only $1 each, why not stock up?

Wet 'n Wild Natural Blend Lip Shimmer - The color featured here (pictured at bottom) is #104 and is basically a sheer berry color with a hint of shimmer. This is a fairly new product to the Wet 'n Wild line. The color glides on well and is not overpowering. When I first tried on this shade I thought it was going to go on really dark; instead it applied smoothly, gave me significant but sheer color and felt very moisturizing on my lips. It's a great daytime lip product and very inexpensive - only $2.99. I was pleasantly surprised with the color selection at the drugstore - I may go back for a couple more!

So there are my go-to products for this summer. I hope you found this review helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below. And if you'd like to share your favorite inexpensive lip products, don't be shy...let me know!

Until next time!

Liz :-)

May Favorites & an Honorable (But Sad) Mention

Hi everyone!

Hope you had an awesome Memorial Day weekend! Couldn't ask for better weather here in NYC.

Well, it's that time again - favorites! I've selected three products I used quite frequently during May and am really loving them. And here they are...

1) Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light: I so love this primer! I'm on my fifth bottle so far. This is the oil free version; at first I used the original one which worked great but it felt heavier on my skin. The oil-free version is perfect for my acne prone, oily skin.

In my opinion, this product really smooths out and preps your skin for foundation application. It can be used with any foundation you have. I primarily use this with my BareMinerals Foundation but I've also used it under liquid foundations such as the Revlon ColorStay and PhotoReady foundations. I especially love using this product during the summer months when my skin is oiliest...it helps your makeup maintain a matte finish all day. Plus, not only is it a cosmetic product but it also doubles as a skincare product that contains Vitamin C and peptides! The 1 oz bottle retails for $36 and can be found at Sephora or Ulta. It's a bit pricey but definitely worth every penny!

2) Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in "Sun Light": I've been testing various bronzers for a while and finally found one that doesn't look orange or "dirty" on my fair skin. "Sun Light" is the lightest of the three shades they carry and it's a matte bronzer. As with any bronzer you use, a light application is best; but, I've found that this one is more application friendly and gives you a beautiful natural glow. I've also tried the shade "Sun Dance" which is similar to "Sun Light" but it has shimmer which many people do not like. This product retails for about $6 and can be found at any chain drugstore like CVS and Walgreens. For a drugstore brand, I'll grab this over my pricier department store bronzers anytime!

3) Korres Lip Butter in "Wild Rose": There have been so many mentions of this product on YouTube and in various magazines. At first I wasn't planning to buy it but I ended up caving in and picked up the shade "Wild Rose" which has a sheer red tint. It smells lovely and it's quite moisturizing on your lips! There are several other "flavors" available and I may pick up another one in "Jasmine". One of my favorite YouTube gurus, BelleDuJourNYC, picked up several after a rumor went around that they were being discontinued - yikes! Fortunately, Sephora told her it was not true; but regardless, I don't blame her for stocking up! Korres Lip Butter retails for $10 and best of all, it contains no parabens or sulfates! Who doesn't love that!

And now for my honorable (but sad) mention...

NYX Eyeshadow in "Skin": Just before I took this photo my poor little eyeshadow had a terrible mishap - it slipped out of my hand and fell on my hardwood floor! :(

So as you can see, it totally crumbled. Fortunately, the compact didn't open when it fell so I didn't lose the eyeshadow. I think it's still usable - I just need to store it in a sifter container so it won't fall all over the place when I try to use it.

Anyway, I really love this shadow. Like it's name, it's a natural flesh tone color that works as an all-over eye color and it's especially good for blending out darker shadow colors. I find it works great with most of the shadows I have, especially my various brown and plum shades. Long live the Skin! LOL

So those are my May favorites. Hope you'll give them a try - you won't be disappointed! If you have any questions or comments about these products, feel free to post them below.

Until next time!

Liz :-)