Drugstore Gem: Lumene Time Freeze Instant Cooling Eye Stick

I hesitate to call this a drugstore gem because although it can be found in a drugstore, it has the price tag not uncommon to a department store ($21). To be fair, the price hovers somewhere in the middle. The brand Lumene can be found at CVS.  No stranger to having to buy something every time she sets her foot in a store that carries beauty products, I picked myself up the Lumene Time Freeze Instant Cooling Eye Stick. I have to admit the words "freeze and cooling" really drew me in. Maybe it was because it was 100 degrees out and we just got done spending the day at the pool and so I was in the mood to be frozen and cooled. And I was depending on this one inch high little stick to do that for me. Have you ever looked in the mirror after coming back from the pool/beach/similar activity? Even though I am adorned in sunglasses and a big hat, my eyes always look haggard out and dry when I've been out in the sun for too long. I needed something. And since I'm no stranger to impatience, I ripped that sucker open when I got in the car and applied the product to my under eye area. Ahhhhhh.... instant refreshment. I dabbed it on all around the eye contour area and then rubbed it in gently. Even if feeling amazing is the only benefit to this product (and I'm not saying it is), that's good enough for me. Its not sticky at all, it rubs in nicely and I actually felt like it brightened me up a bit. I checked the reviews on MUA when I got home and was surprised to see that not everyone shared the same love for the product as I. Others found it to be drying and had a problem with it balling up. I had neither of these issues and, trust me, I am the reigning queen of dry skin. 


A little trick to make this product even better: 

I put this in the refrigerator to make it even cooler when I apply it in the morning. I don't suffer from eye puffiness but its my opinion that the combination of the already present cooling capability coupled with the cooling in the refrigerator will make it an instant de-puffer. This whole "put it in the fridge" concept is amazing for summer time and is a good thing to do for any eye cream to give it a little bit more power in the morning on those puffy eyes. 


What it does:

Infused with Arctic Heather, it aids in taming those dark circles and puffy eyes. This lightly moisturizing stick works to relieve stressed and tired looking eye contour area. Natural Arctic Heather is an ingredient that aids in long-term wrinkle reduction and the protection against future signs of aging. 

Take it for what you will, but on a hot day this stuff feels fantastic.

*don't leave it in your purse if you plan on leaving your purse in the car or being outside w/ your purse, it will melt like a chapstick. 

Nails of the Day: Revlon Blue Lagoon

Love this color. Don't love Revlon nail polish staying power. But I love the sky blue with the ever so subtle shimmer. Its a nice deviation from the otherwise very creamy matte shades that Revlon usually produces. Now, I am very picky about blue nail polish. Its either love or hate and very rarely do any make it into the love category. Although blues are a tricky shade for me to enjoy, I've been lucky with Blue Lagoon as well as Essie Lapis of Luxury which is a shade of blue that has more of a purple hue to it. These two have been my go-to shades this summer if I want blue. Three coats is a must for this one as the first and second coat goes on streaky with a semi- rough texture. You need that third coat to smooth it out. Besides being a beautiful shade, its a great balance in that it looks like a matte shade from a distance but up close you can see that very understated shimmer that is periwinkle as well. I have tried the yellow color in the same collection that featured Blue Lagoon and I was not impressed. Its the same concept in formula and faint shimmer but something about yellow nails just doesn't work for me. Yellow makes me think my nails are dirty. Pretty on others, doesn't work for me. I am going to pass up the orange and the pink shades from that same collection because I don't find them necessarily special but Blue Lagoon is a must-have ladies! 

The other shades in this collection, minus the pink one. 


BLOG SALE link below, if you're interested in checking out some of my items there are still some great things left! 

Unnatural Beauty: A Humorous and Opinionated Beauty Blog: Welcome to My BLOG SALE!! Various Items & Brands like MAC, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Benefit, NARS, Dior, and MORE!

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http://makeupsessed.blogspot.com/2011/05/time-for-june-contest-win-bnib-mac.html#links

New Lipstick Love: Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Cream (Fable) + MAC nudes shade comparisons!

I'm a MAC lipstick girl all the way. I love the shade selection, formula variety, vanilla scent, and cost effectiveness. Every once in a while I will pick up a new lipstick in the drugstore but as far as high-end choices go, MAC has always had my heart. But recently, I've fallen for another. I deliberately set out to cheat on MAC and spice things up when I got my golden ticket, a $25 gift card to Sephora. The exact amount that screams, "go buy a lipstick." As I do with most of my cosmetic endeavors, I did some research, and in doing so, came down to either Guerlain, Hourglass, or Dior. After sifting through reviews, the highs and the lows, it was the Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Cream lipstick that remained standing. And I knew exactly the shade I wanted before stepping a foot into the Sephora store: Fable. To be fair, I did swatch a few others that caught my eye (Grace, Whisper) but in the end I trusted my instincts and picked up the beautiful beige-nude lipstick, Fable, and haven't looked back.

I love this lipstick. Why do I love this lipstick? I love the cool, sleek, weighty packaging. I love the fact that you can buy lipstick cartridge refills for $24 rather than spend another $32 on a new tube. I love the texture, so smooth and so dreamy creamy. I love the scent which is almost identical to the MAC lipstick scent that we all know and love. I love the moisturizing formula that stays moisturizing and doesn't turn dry and cakey or gather in the corners of the mouth or grooves in the lips. In addition, the formula is great because it isn't too slippery and it isn't too thick. And the shade, Fable, is a perfect beige- nude with pink undertones. Surprise surprise, another nude lipstick, just what I need. But I'm glad I chose it because it is now my new favorite nude and that says a lot because I have a LOT to compare it to. I have one teeny tiny con to throw in to be fair and accurate. I do not love the shape of the lipstick. It has an extremely steep incline thing going on that makes the application side totally flat and oddly shaped to fit one's lips. I read somewhere that this shape was created specifically to make it easier for people to use a lip brush with it. Personally, I think more people DON'T use lip brushes when they apply their color. But whatever, I can overlook that quality and move on with my gorgeous new find.


To Put it in MAC Lover's Terms:


How does it compare to MAC nudes? Basically, its closest to Creme D' Nude but warmer and pinkier. If you feel you can't totally pull off CDN but you are almost there, then Fable is your nude. If you can pull off CDN and/or Myth then Fable will be a piece of cake. On the other hand, if your nude preference happens to be in the darker shade genre like MAC Blankety, L'Oreal Fairest Nude, Revlon Soft Nude, or something similar than take a chance on Fable because although it is probably a couple of shades lighter than what you are comfortable with, there is a beautiful sheen to it that detracts from the chalky look that beige-nudes can sometimes appear to have. That was one long sentence, I need to take a breath after that one. See below for swatch comparisons. As far as texture and formula go, its close to a cremesheen but smoother and thinner as well as more moisturizing with a nicer sheen, nice enough to for-go a lipgloss. I personally like MAC cremesheens and lustres the best and I think Hourglass Femme Rouge is the best of both words. But better..

Hourglass Fable, Mac CDN, Myth, Playing Koi, Revlon Soft Nude

Revlon Soft Nude, MAC CDN, Hourglass Fable, MAC Myth & Playing Koi

L2R: Mac CDN, Hourglass Fable, MAC Myth