Today's makeup and rambling

Obviously, in absence of anything really interesting to do today, after i finished all i had to do i went shopping for clothes...and got makeup as well. Nothing fancy, just drugstore products i am a bit excited about.

First off, i renewed my L'Oreal Lash Architect supply (the old one was getting a bit tired) and i also got the Million Lashes one, just to see what's the rave about. 

Another item i got is an Olay cleanser that i most certainly will like- i've already tried their eye makeup remover and all their products are so nicely scented. Next- a Nivea foundation and a bright coral lipstick. Finally found!

The foundation story is as follows: two days ago when i went shopping for the Rimmel goodies, i wasn't wearing any makeup and felt a bit embarrassed inside the store because people were 'staring' at me (they weren't, it's just my paranoia). I picked up the first foundation tester (Nivea Beauty Lift) and slammed it on, then a bit of mascara and that was it, i instantly felt better. When i got home my skin looked surprisingly well- i don't know if it was the humidity in the air, since it was raining, or the fact that i had no primer on (though it's supposed to be otherwise), or that i just slapped it on, no careful stippling/blending (though again, isn't THAT the correct way of dealing with foundation?), i have no idea, but it looked so nice. No pores, no blotches, my skin was positively glowing. 

Checked out some Makeupalley reviews and they all mentioned this effect; the foundation has quite a high score for a Nivea product (most people dislike their products, i don't understand why, but well...) and two or three reviewers actually compare it to Make Up For Ever's HD foundation. I haven't tried that and i would have certainly not purchased this foundation if i hadn't worn it for several hours and loved the effect. Picking up a shade was quite a trip because i hate wearing foundations that are as light as my skin (i know...i shouldn't) because they're just too pale and i like to 'cheat' a shade or two. I picked 060 Amber which isn't the darkest but neither the lightest. I'm really curious/anxious to see what this foundation will behave like on the long(er) run.

The lipstick is exactly what i was looking for. The pictures i uploaded as the depiction of my HG coral lips are obviously retouched and the lighting is way different than the one in my house; it doesn't look as pale as the photos but anything in that family probably wouldn't have complemented my skintone. The lipstick is from a brand named BeYu that produce their cosmetics in Germany (i don't know if it's German); it borders on drugstore/higher end (they have some more expensive items as well). This product is Star Lipstick in nr. 05. 

It's quite similar to Rimmel's Coral in Gold sans the golden frosty finish which i don't like that much, thus a plus. It's also lighter and has that Old Hollywood, late 1940's romantic touch; whenever i see a bright coral lipstick i can't help to think of Katharine Hepburn, Chinese silk and geishas.

Now about the face of the day- especially the Lumene mascara. 

The lashes look a bit spidery because i applied too much, however i am beginning to think this mascara is a real find.

First off, i have half a coat of Max Factor Masterpiece underneath the Lumene one, i couldn't imagine not wearing that one, ever (it's a sort of a 'primer' to me). The Lumene one is thinner than your usual drugstore mascaras (Maybelline, L'Oreal i mean) and creamier. It looks quite thin at a superficial glance and i was a bit worried it might clump the lashes together as Volume Collagen from L'Oreal did- it didn't. 

The brush is huge but it works- it's very soft or at least softer than anything else with that type of brush (even Diorshow..) therefore you can press as hard as you like if you feel like you need it-to prevent clumps from forming. It just glides, setting itself on the lashes and coating the tips with a fine, creamy layer of mascara. It looks a bit 'wet' until it dries, which is quite fast so no worries about that.

It leaves the lashes soft and most important of all, if you're not satisfied with the volume, or you want a true false lash effect, you can apply a thicker mascara on top of this one because it won't clump. The Lumene is similar to Isadora's in this respect- it 'softens' any previous mascara layers and does give a dramatic effect if you insist (uppercase example), but there's no spider effect as it would be with other mascaras.

Olay Regenerist Thermal Skin Polisher review

 This is part of the 'project four pan' that just came to an ending- and a good one. Went through four items i've been meaning to finish at once (not all of them pleased me) and this holds the top of my list.

I found out about this product, a skin exfoliator, to put it simple, from a YouTube user who talked about this and found it to be as close as possible to Estee Lauder's Idealist skin polisher. She actually mentioned having purchased the Olay exfoliator after having run out of the Idealist and discovered how good her skin got along with the former. Well, I had to try it.

The ingredients of the European version are PEG-4, Magnesium Sulfate, Diethylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-300/55 Copolymer, Polyethylene, Stearyl Alcohol, Dioleoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Tocopherol, Carnosine, Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Behentrimonium Chloride, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Hexylene Glycol, Iron Oxide, Silica, Glycolic Acid, Alcohol Denat, Aqua, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Parfum, Benzyl, Salicylate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl, Methypropional, Limonene, Linalool, CI 17200, CI 42090 (source Olay.co.uk). Nothing really natural if you ask me, but this isn't a problem with my skin in general; some natural products have worked and some haven't. It's just a matter of tolerance i guess.

The official site describes the product as 'a skin polisher that achieves the look of a mini peel with regular, daily use. Cleanses from the deeply water-activated formula. Self-heating, gently exfoliates to reveal fresh, new skin. Invigorates and refreshes. Gentle to use every day'.

The packaging is a classic tube i believe contains about 150 ml of product (not sure). It's ok and resistant, no cap cracks or slips, but once you've used half of it it becomes a nuisance to squeeze out the stuff. Another thing-the consistency. The exfoliator is a lavender cream with sparse particles. It is self-heating and you can feel the mild warmth as you're massaging it into the skin. I have both reserves and praises for this product.

First off, it doesn't compare to Estee Lauder's Idealist. Of course, it might have just been one user's opinion but i just thought clearing that up might be useful. I had used Idealist in the past and they're nothing alike- consistency, texture and effect-wise. Idealist worked as a skin buffer above all, removing the dead skin cells and thoroughly exfoliating through a mechanical process so to speak; this one is a tad different, more 'chemical' due to the ingredients and lack of granulation.

I mean that the exfoliating particles are almost absent. You can actually feel their sparseness as you're working the product into the skin-they're barely there. I was initially really put off by this thing and tried to use it as often as possible to get it over with.

However, despite the lack of granules, this product manages to cleanse the skin, open up the pores and prevent breakouts. Ever since i started using this (two months i guess), i had no more skin problems. My skin is sensitive and mixed, but i never experienced breakouts or suffered from acne. However, i always got tiny red bumps on the forehead or chin, randomly, not necessarily related to the period or other happenings in the family. I suspect it was this product that managed to keep those pesky little zits at bay. 

I felt it thoroughly cleansed my skin, although i never used it as a wash-off product but as a 'treatment', so i can't comment on makeup removal efficiency. It opened up the pores and removed dead skin cells, and lived up to what it pretended- plump, rosy skin that felt and looked better after each use.

Whereas i was a bit bummed by the fact that you need a ton of product (compared to other cleansers/exfoliators) each use, so you go through it rather quickly, i appreciated the pleasant effect. I guess the 'chemicals' in it do the job more than the almost non-existing particles. Whatever it is, it was indeed efficient.

So my final take on this is that it's not a miracle worker and might be a disappointment throughout the first week. But then i think it works and does what it says it will, so it just needs a bit of patience and perseverance to make its effect on the skin visible. If you're on the hunt for a good skin polisher at a reasonable price (though quite high for a non-high end product), then i do recommend this product.