UPDATES!

thank god it's Friday readers! today i've got the scoop on a few products i've mentioned previously in my blog, starting off with MAC's new Mineralize SPF 15 Loose Foundation (check it out here). i finally got to a MAC counter Wednesday night to test this out and i'm very excited about my first impression! now we all know that sampling a product at the makeup counter is a lot different from actually using it at your convenience in your own bathroom, but usually you can get a fairly good idea of how the product will work for you. the foundation comes in 9 shades and i was matched to Light which seemed to work pretty well on my NC20 skin. the problem i'm anticipating with the shades is that someone with skin lighter than mine may have a hard time finding a good match because Light is the palest shade they have and it's not that light. the powder seemed to apply really smoothly considering i already had my Maybelline Mineral liquid foundation on, and for the first time since i started using mineral makeup i could see that 'soft focus glow' that Leslie Blodgett is always raving about with Bare Escentuals. however, i've never achieved that kind of glow until i tried MAC's mineral makeup. i couldn't get a great idea of the coverage since i already had makeup on but it did seem to mask the redness i had on my cheeks and didn't look cakey, powdery or pore-magnifying at all, a problem i've had with Bare Escentuals that really bothers me being that i have very small pores. i figure if something makes my pores look big it would be hellish for someone who had bigger pores already! what i really didn't like about the Mineralize Loose Foundation was the packaging; i can't see myself using that sponge to apply the powder as i far prefer a brush and even if i did like the sponge, i feel like it would get very dirty and bacteria-filled. i don't think washing it would be easy since it's attached to the plastic lid of the packaging. it also seems like it would be very messy to apply if you chose to use the sponge. don't get me wrong, this wouldn't stop me from purchasing, but i would probably transfer the powder to another jar and apply it the regular way (swirl, tap, buff my dears). value-wise the MAC mineral makeup costs $4 more than the same amount of Bare Escentuals, but i wouldn't mind spending the extra few dollars to get a product i liked much better. i will probably purchase this when i have a chance (and some cash!) and report back further on how it's working out for me.

i also finally got my very own pot of Erase Paste! yay! i'm still very excited about this product and loving it, so if things change i'll be sure to fill you in.

when i was stalking the MAC counter i happened to take another look at the Heatherette Collection and ended up falling in LOVE with the Bonus Beat lipglass! this annoyed me greatly because i feel so relieved when nothing from a collection appeals to me since that lets me save some money! i had also tried this particular lipglass on before and felt very 'meh' towards it, but now i'm thinking that's because i tried it on over the Fleshpot (aka hideous corpse-like concealer-looking) lipstick. anyways, it's a gorgeous golden-beige gloss that gives you the most perfect summer nude lip ever! i am obSESSED with nude lips as i'm sure you'll learn from future posts and this one is going to be the most gorgeous summery looking lip to go with a (faux) tan.

another item that shoved it's way onto my To Buy list was Shiseido's eyelash curler. i know, i know, it's all about the Shu lash curler says everyone i know and every magazine i read, but i'm telling you i had absolutely NO luck with the Shu at all! it didn't fit my eye correctly and so i couldn't grab my lashes at the root and it was a big disappointment after i'd dreamed about how great it would be for years. i've been using a Japonesque curler for quite a while now (and i do like it a lot) but since i'm always looking for the next best thing, i decided to try the Shiseido and it was fab! i really loved it and it even curled the very outer lashes on my top lids which i usually have a problem getting curled in one shot.

so that's what i've been up to, what new beauty discoveries have you made this week? have you tried out MAC's new Mineralize Loose Foundation and if so, do you love it or hate it? i'd love to hear what you think so don't be shy!

by the way, the photo above of the MAC Bonus Beat lipglass was borrowed from Ebay since i couldn't find another picture of it anywhere!

copy and paste!

ok readers, i know i promised you part two of Tool Time today but it's getting postponed because i am soooooo incredibly amped about this product! sunday i made a special voyage to the mall just to check out Benefit's new concealer, Erase Paste, $26, because of the amazingly positive reviews it's been getting on MUA, and i was not disappointed!

i guess i should do some background info on why i'm so thrilled by this find: since birth (not exaggerating), i have had horribly dark circles under my eyes. now i'm not talking about the 'i didn't get enough sleep last night so i have a slight darkness' circles, i'm talking about 'hey Kitten, did you get punched in the face, TWICE, last night?' circles. these are inherited (thanks Dad!), genetic circles, possibly exacerbated by allergies, that don't respond to sleep, change of diet or vitamin-intake. they go the whole way around my eyes and even darken the skintone on my eyelids. not fun! so i've been concealer searching since the age of 13 and when i find one that really performs, i tend to get overly excited.

there are a lot of good concealer options out there, some of my favorites being Bobbi Brown Correctors (what i have been currently using), which actually neutralize the color of your circles so they blend in with your skin, and then there's the Bobbi Brown Concealer, which you're supposed to use over top of the Corrector (but i just use the corrector and it works wonderfully). Laura Mercier Secret Concealer was one i used for a few years faithfully, and it is good, but i think the Bobbi Brown is better. Amazing Cosmetics makes an AMAZING concealer that is really heavy duty coverage and i like to use it on the very darkest bits of my circles that peak through even after using my regular concealer, etc etc etc. so yes, there are many good concealers out there, but usually if a concealer works really well for concealing dark undereye circles, it doesn't work for red spots, blemishes, discolorations, and other common face ailments. here's where Erase Paste is different! Benefit claims...

"Signs of stress & fatigue are a thing of the past with this innovative formula. This concentrated, creamy, blendable concealer instantly brightens & camouflages all-in-one. The three brightening neutral shades give every gal correction perfection."

to really test out this concealer and see if it was worth it's hefty price tag, i went to the mall completely bare-faced except for my eye makeup (eye shadow and mascara)! yes girls, this is what i will sacrifice in order to bring you the real 411 on new products! so when i got to the Benefit display and snatched up the Erase Paste in #1 (Fair), i had very dark circles PLUS several red spots and splotches to conceal. all i used to apply this concealer were my fingers and i was literally shocked by how well it covered everything i had to hide! it completely concealed my dark circles without looking cakey or mask-like and managed to brighten up the whole eye area, too. for the red spots on my face, only the tiniest dab was needed to even them out and make them pretty much invisible, plus the areas i had covered didn't stand out against the rest of my bare skin. it didn't look too shiny or moist like some concealers can, so in my opinion powder is not needed over the top to set the product. without the help of a powder, it managed to last until late that night when i washed my face and it still looked pretty good. the jar that it comes in contains a TON of product and since it's very concentrated, you only need the teensiest bit, making the price actually pretty reasonable. they also include a tiny spatula so that you don't have to stick your fingers into the jar if you don't want to. i am wow-ed by this concealer, and it is #1 on my Next To Buy list!

have you tried Erase Paste? if so, let me know in the comments and tell me what you thought of it! if not, what's your go-to concealer? i'm all ears!

Erase Paste is available in 3 colors and retails for $26. you can find it at Macy's, Sephora, or the Benefit website.