Benefit Lip Plump

Product: Benefit Lip Plump is lip primer for full sexy lips.

Price: $ $ $
This cost $22 at Sephora or Benefit Cosmetics

Packaging: ♦ ♦ ♦
Benefit Lip Plump comes in a 0.09 oz tube with a doe foot applicator. The actual product is a nude/ beige cream.

Claim:

For full, sexy lips use lip plump before lipstick. This neutral-toned lip enhancer helps to smooth and fill in fine lines while building up the contour of the lips, making them appear fuller and younger. -Benefit Cosmetics

Application: According to Benefit
Apply two dots on upper & lower lips. Pat & blend. Let dry then apply lipstick.

Pros:

• Gives Lipstick a Smooth Surface to Stick To
• Keeps Lipsticks from Budging
• Neutralizes Lips
• Allows Lipstick Color to be Truer

Cons:

• My Lips Didn't Look "Plumper"

Final Verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥

I got Benefit Lip Plump from the Realness of Concealness gift set. When I first saw this product, from the name alone, I thought it was going to be a lip plumper. After all, it is called Lip Plump. But after testing it out and actually looking online at the Benefit website, it's actually a lip primer that helps give you the look of plumper lips. Either way it didn't make my lips plump or look plump. What this product actually does is neutralize your natural lip color and gives your lipstick a smooth surface and blank slate to be on. I thought it worked really well for me. My lips have an uneven pink color to them. This effect how some lipsticks look on my lips. With the Lip Plump, it concealed my natural lip color so my lipstick was truer. Maybe since my lipstick looks true to its actual color that it makes me lips seem plumper? Hmmm? I don't know. I guess... Anyways, my lipstick also lasted at least 2-3 hours longer compared to if I didn't have this primer on. Overall, it is a good product but I don't know if I would want to spend the money on it when I can use my regular concealer to do the same job. But if you were looking for an actual lip primer, then I would recommend this product.

16 Best Maybelline Products by Total Beauty

16 Best Maybelline Products

"Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline." Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves -- that ubiquitous adage is forever embedded into our brains. But beyond a catchy ad campaign are exceptional beauty products to back it up. And the proof is in the pudding because our readers give high marks to tons of Maybelline products from powders and polishes to lip and eye makeup

Incidentally, Maybelline is the official cosmetic sponsor for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which makes its move to Lincoln Center this September and we've got some insider-y makeup tips from top runway artists to share with you -- combine them with these winning products and you're sure to look totally put-together and gorgeous:

Tip 1: To help your lip color last all day, apply lipstick with a lip brush and top it with a coat of translucent powder -- three times in a row. It won't budge. You can top with gloss if you'd like. -- Amy Nadine, head makeup artist for mark cosmetics

Tip 2: To make skin glow as if you've been drinking 10 glasses of water a day, highlight cheekbones with a frosted off-white shadow. -- Gregory Arlt, makeup artist for MAC

Tip 3: To tone down a too bright cheek stain, apply a touch of foundation over the stain to give cheeks a more subtle flushed finish -- like you just pinched your cheeks. -- Lori Taylor, Smashbox Regional Training Executive

Tip 4: Under sweltering conditions, don't continuously powder your face or the result will look cakey. Wait until just before you're ready to go out, then blot excess moisture and set with powder. -- Lisa O'Connor, makeup artist

Tip 5: If you want a matte lip look without buying a new shade, simply dust a bit of powder over your lipstick to tone down the shine. -- Sharon Gault, makeup artist for Smashbox

Tip 6: If you don't know what you're going to wear, keep makeup simple, clean and not too done. Apply a touch of an earthy color (such as sage green) on the lids and keep the rest of your face neutral. -- Lisa O'Connor, makeup artist

Tip 7: For a full brow look, even if you've over-plucked, grab brow powder in a shade that matches your brows and a brow brush. Start by brushing brows up, then fill in with powder under the arch for a more pronounced look. -- Sharon Gault, makeup artist

See the 16 Best Maybelline Products

By Molly Roemer

Benefit High Beam

Product: High Beam is a luminescent complexion enhancer

Price: $ $ $
This cost $24 at Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics
(I got a sample size of this)

Packaging:♦ ♦ ♦
0.45 fl oz nail polish bottle. The applicator is like a nail polish brush. The actual product is a shimmery light pink that blends translucent, leaving only a high shimmer.

Claim: According to Benefit

Benefit High Beam is an ethereal pink liquid highlighter that creates a radiantly dewy complexion. For an angelic sheen, this pink shimmering lotion adds a soft, natural afterglow.

Application: According to Benefit Cosmetics
For spot highlighting, dab on cheekbones and brow bones for a beautiful angelic sheen. Or mix with your moisturizer or foundation for an allover glow. Blend along the bridge of your nose to slimify.

Ingredients: Water, Propylane Glycol, Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Oil, Mica, Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Lanolate, Stearic Acid, Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Polysorbate 60, Cetyl Alcohol, Jojoba (Buxus Chinensis) Oil, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Corn (Zea Mays) Starch, Triethanolamine, Talc, Oleth-20, Iron Oxides, Lanolin Wax, Simethicone, Sorbitan Stearate, Cellulose Gum, Methylparaben Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, BHA.

Pros:

• Nice Shimmer
• Easy to Blend
• Multi-Uses

Cons:

• I Don't Like the Packaging

Final Verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I don't really have prominent cheekbones so I like to use a highlighter to emphasize them. I got a sample size of High Beam when I bought the "Realness of Concealness" gift set. I was excited to try it. I like the that it's this pretty pink color but it does blend translucent so it doesn't effect the color of you blush. This very smooth and blends easily. This shimmer is very fine and not chunky like glitter. It gives a nice white shimmery effect when the light hits it. It really does live up to its name. Though I like using this product I think it would look better to those with cool undertones. I only wish that it didn't come in a nail polish bottle. When I first saw High Beam in Sephora I thought it was nail polish. I think it would have been better in a tube with a doe foot applicator. Other then that I would definitely recommend this product.
FYI: They have a similar product called Moon Beam. It's the same thing but a pale yellowish color with a golden shimmer. I want to try it because I have warm undertone to my skin.

HauteLook Sales

HauteLook is having some great cosmetic sales this week from brands; Stila, Yes to Carrots, and Urban Decay. Check it out at HauteLook.com

Stila sale started yesterday but there's still plenty of items left. Items are up to 70% off their original price. This sale ends tomorrow ( 8/25/10) at 8 AM PT.

Starting today Yes to Carrots items are up to 30% off their original price for these skincare products. This sale ends Thursday (8/25/10) at 8 AM PT.

Starting tomorrow HauteLook will have Urban Decay products on sale for up to 75% off their original price. This sale starts tomorrow (8/25/10) at 8AM PT.

DIY: Lip Scrub

Just as we exfoliate our body and face, we also need to remember to exfoliate our lips. Exfoliating your lips will keep them kiss-ably smooth. But why pay for an lip scrub when you can do it your self. Here are 3 do it yourself options that I've tried that work just as well as any lip scrub you buy.

Option 1: DIY Lip Scrubber
Materials: Washcloth, Soft Bristled Tooth Brush, & Vaseline

Step 1: Take a warm soaked wash cloth and place it on your lips. Keep it on your lips until they become soft.
Step 2: Put a little Vaseline on the tooth brush and gentle scrub your lips in a circular motion.
Step 3: Gently wipe off you lips with the washcloth and apply a lip balm (i.e. EOS, Carmax, etc.)

Option 2: Sugar Scrub
Materials: Vaseline, Sugar, Teaspoon, Small Container

Step 1: In a microwave safe container heat a teaspoon of Vaseline for approx. 20 sec or until it becomes soft enough to stir.
Step 2: And a teaspoon of sugar to the Vaseline and stir well.
Step 3: Apply your sugar scrub to your lips in a circular motion.
Step 4: Gently wipe off the sugar from your lips ( or lick it off) and apply a lip balm of your choice.

Option 3: Natural Sugar Scrub
This option is similar to option 2 but with natural ingredients.
Materials: Teaspoon, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Honey, Sugar, Small Container

Step 1: Using the teaspoon, mix equal parts olive oil, honey, and sugar in a small container.
Step 2: Follow the instructions from option 2 steps 3 & 4

FOTD: Puple Haze

Purple is my favorite eyeshadow to play with. Here I'm using different shades of purple to get this look.

Face:

L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Natural Tan
Revlon Colorstay Press Powder in Medium/Deep
ELF Studio Blush in Mellow Mauve
Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil

Lips:
MAC Prep + Prime Lips
NYX Lipliner in Natural
NYX Round Lipstick in Thalia
NYX Round Lipgloss in Real Nude

Eyes:
Too Face Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk & Lavender
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin, Grifter, Ransom, Last Call, Zero, & Polyester Bride
Mabelline Gel Liner in Black & Eggplant

FOTD: Taupe Temptress

This was more of a neutral look then I would have wanted but this wasn't the most pigmented eyeshadows.

Face:

L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Natural Tan
Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Beige
Revlon Colorstay Powder in Medium/Deep
ELF Blush & Contour

Lips:
Nivea A Kiss of Moisture
NYX Lip Liner in Natural
Maybelline Color Sensational in Nearly There

Eyes:

Tarte Eyeshadow Primer
Maybelline Studio Quad in Taupe Temptress
-Lightest Shade on the Browbone & Tear Duct Area
-Cranberry Shade in & above the crease
-Taupe Shade All Over the Lid
-Darkest Shade Corner & Lower Lash Line
L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner
Too Face Lash Injection Mascara

MAC Prep + Prime Lip

Product: MAC Prep + Prime Lip

Price: $ $
I bought this product online from MAC Cosmetics for $14.50

Packaging: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This lip primer is 1.7 grams and is a clear product. It is in a sleek black tube that twist up (and down) to reveal the product.

Claim: A colour-free base to wear under lipstick. Adds light moisture, smoothes and refines the lips. Improves the appearance of applied lip products.

Pros:

• Glides on smoothly
• Makes my lips feel soft

Cons:

• Don't See a Difference
  

Final Verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥
I've been looking for a lip primer to keep my lipstick & lip gloss last longer through out my day. I was excited to try this to see how it would work. First, this product does not claim to make your lipstick/gloss last but instead give it a base to make it look better and truer to its intended color. I could live with that. Our lips isn't a clear slate, it has color and texture. It would be great to have something that would make my lipstick true color stand out. Did this product do that? Honestly, I really couldn't tell. This to me was an expensive lip balm. It's good to use a lip balm before applying lipstick because it gives a the lipstick a smooth surface to adhere to. I could get a regular drugstore lip balm to get the same effect. Ok, MAC's Prep + Prime Lip goes on and feels better then a regular lip balm but I don't think I need to pay $14.50 for a lip balm. I really do like this but I would have rather spent my money on something else.

FOTD: Grey Smokey Eye

Face:
L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Natural Tan
Maybelline Dream Mousse in Soft Plum
ELF Blush in Mellow Mauve
Hello Kitty/MAC Tahitian Sand Beauty Powder

Lips:
Nivea Lip BalmNYX
Lip Liner in Natural
MAC Lipstick in Hug Me

Eyes:

Tarte Eyeshadow Primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
NYX Smokey Eyes Palette
-Shade #1 All Over Lid
-Shade #2 Outer Corner & Crease
-Shade#3 Outer V and Upper & Lower Lash Line
Sephora Eyeshadow in Aspen Summit
Maybelline Gel Liner in Black
L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara

TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

Product: TRESemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo for Oily/Straight to Normal Hair

Price: $
I bought this for $4.77 at Walmart.

Packaging: ♦ ♦ ♦
This product comes in a 5.7 oz. long black aerosol can with a lime-yellow color top. The product itself is a mixture of mineral clay and citrus.

Claim: Don’t settle for limp or unruly hair every time you skip a shampoo. Now your hair can have that just-washed look and feel without a shower. Whether your hair gets oily or frizzy in between washes, these products will make your hair feel ultra clean and refreshed. Put that baseball cap away for good!

Do not miss a fresh look and feel even on the second day. TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo is the perfect solution to clean hair without water anytime. The unique formula, with Mineral Clay and Citrus, refreshes your hair by removing oil and odor while injecting volume. Just a quick spray transform lifeless, limp hair into clean, fresh hair with full of bouncy body. It also helps to maintain hair color with less washing. With TRESemme Fresh Start, refresh your hair anytime, anywhere.

Application: According to Tresemme

• Shake can vigorously before use and in between sprays.
• Lightly spritz roots with product to inject volume & spray evenly all over air, holding can 8-12 inches from head.
• Leave product in for 1-2 minutes to allow time to soak up oil.
• Brush through hair to remove excess, then style as usual.

Pros:

• Does Remove Some Dirty & Oil
• You Can See Where the Product is on Your Hair

Cons:

• Doesn't Totally Clean Your Hair
• Has A Very Strong Citrus Scent
• The Product Can Be Hard to Remove From Your Hair

Final Verdict: ♥
I have oily hair. I have long hair, so I have the dual problem of having oily hair on the top of my head but my ends get dried out. Usually, I wash my hair every other day to keep it from being to greasy while trying not to dry out my ends too much. I decided to try out a dry shampoo to help keep my hair clean in between washes and maybe go for a longer period of time of actually washing it. This is the first time I've tried a dry shampoo so I can't compare it to anything else.
I was excited to try this product. I like TRESemme products in general. However, when it came to actually using it and seeing the results, I was let down. I tried using this product several times and in different ways. Each time I was left unsatisfied or annoyed. The scent was killer. If you use this product you have to be in a well ventilated room or you might feel like you're being choked to death by a lemon. This dry shampoo is made of mineral clay in an aerosol form. If you have dark hair you can actually see where the clay lands on your hair when you spray it. This is a good and things. It's nice to know where you're spraying the product on your hair so you can evenly coat your hair, but I found that it was also hard to fully brush the clay off. If your using this product lightly, it's not as hard to remove the clay but your hair will still be greasy. If you use a lot of this product, you will have a hard time removing the clay from your hair and you'll end up looking like you have dandruff. Definitely, DO NOT use this if you have other products in you hair already, like gel or hairspray, the clay will stick to those products and get clumpy on your hair. You'll end up having to wash your hair and basically defeats the purpose of a dry shampoo. I will say that maybe if you have light colored hair that isn't very greasy, this product might work for you. However, if you have dark oily hair, I say skip trying TRESemme Dry Shampoo. It's not worth the trouble.

FYI: For Dry/Curly hair TRESemme has a Waterless Foam Shampoo. I did not try that product so I can't say whether it works or not.

Olay Quench Body Lotion

Product: Olay Quench Body Lotion

Price: $
I bought this product at Walmart for $5.00. A great price for the amount of product.

Packaging: ♦ ♦ ♦
This product comes in a 11.8 fl oz tall, plastic bottle. Each bottle is a light purple color and comes with a pump head. This is your typical lotion bottle.

Claim:Helps stop the cycle of dry skin with 24-hour moisture. • Replenish skin with fast-absorbing moisture • With continued use, skin becomes more resilient to dryness •

Quench Daily Lotion has a fast-absorbing, non-greasy formula containing a vitamin complex. It provides skin with an immediate burst of moisture that continues for 24 hours. Then drawn deep into skin’s surface, it repairs and nourishes the moisture barrier to break the cycle of dry skin. After just one use, you'll get all-day dry skin relief. In just one week, your skin's ability to maintain moisture will improve. And once you finish the bottle, your skin will become resistant to future dryness. The result is beautiful, deeply hydrated skin with a sheer, fresh feel.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Isostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycine, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Theronine, Arginine, Lysine, Glutamic Acid, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Dimethicone Flower Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetylalcohol, Panthenol, Aluminum Starch Octenysuccinate, Polyethylene, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Ceteraryl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethiconol, Disodium Edta, Stearic Acid, Peg 100 Stearate, Sodium Pca, Betaine, Sorbitol, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, C12 13 Pareth 3, Laureth 7, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Tin Oxide, Mica Titanium Dioxide

Pros:

• Nice Sweet Smell
• Non-Greasy
• Does Absorb Quickly
• Does Keep Skin Soft
• Affordable

Cons:

• None

Final Verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
This is one of my favorite body lotions. Even though this product has been out for a while, this is the first time I've tired it. What I really like about this product is that it really does keep my skin soft. Lotions will always make your skin feel soft at first. The true test is if your skin still feels soft an hour afterward and through the rest of the day. With Olay's Quench Body Lotion it does. It absorbed well by my skin and didn't feel greasy. With body lotions I prefer that they be unscented but the smell with this lotion is really mild and sweet, so it doesn't bother me. I think this is a great lotion for people to have.

Tarte Friends & Family Sale

Tarte is having a Friends & Family Sale on their website. Everything is 40% off until Aug. 9, 2010. Use the code FFAUG. Check it out here.