Musings of a Muse

You guys wanted it as much as I did.

So go get it! Stila Indian Summer Collection is available online now for your purchasing pleasure. And dudes, don’t forget that Stila has a 40% Off Coupon hiding out on this post.

Haul it!

As Summer approaches I’m all about lighter coverage, lighter makeup, just less of everything. I’m really minimal about my makeup regime this Summer and keeping it simple is where it’s at for me. In keeping in the theme of lighter makeup I’m always on the look out for the best tinted moisturizer around but never really found just the right one. I do really love Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer but I’ve cheated on it and tried others in the name of beauty blogging.

My quest brought me to Benefit You Rebel Lite last Summer and ever after it’s played an important role in my “run out of the house with as little on my face as possible” routine.

My sister SWEARS by the original Benefit You Rebel. I’m talking can’t live without. But why is beyond me, because no offense Benefit, that stuff is crazy dark and makes me look like a big blob of orangey bronze badness. When the lite version was released I was all about trying it out for myself and I’m pretty glad I did because it’s one of the very few tinted moisturizers I enjoy using!

Jump for it!

Rather random review isn’t it? Benefit You Rebel Lite isn’t new by any means so why am I reviewing it now? I think it deserves a mention because I’m sure, like me, many of you are seeking that perfect light coverage to get you through the long, humid days ahead. What better way to get that coverage than with a tinted moisturizer? Preferable one that works well.

It deserves to be mentioned my first few tries with You Rebel weren’t exactly great. I didn’t really like the results, wasn’t too keen on the overall look, and wasn’t loving the formula. But it’s since oddly grown on me and I find I reach for alot it more daily even when it’s not hot outside or Summer for that matter. These are the days I want to look flawless but I’m not in the mood to go through the entire process of primer, base, foundation, etc…etc….etc….

Right off the bat it’s greasy and it’s oily. It feels pretty darn greasy going on and has a bit of an oily texture. Don’t say I didn’t warn you kids. Now, putting that aside I will say my skin seems to love it but my skin is dry and it sucks up any moisture it can get so even though it feels greasy as hell on my fingers it ends up blending very well onto my skin. Funny as it’s oil free but indeed that’s the feel of the formula all the way.

Secondly, it has a really low SPF of 15. I suppose you’re not going to get much better than 15 in a tinted moisturizer, 30 if you happen to be lucky which is why you should prep prior with your regular SPF for extra coverage if you’re as anal about the sun as I am.

Aside from these two possible flaws it does manage to even out my skin tone and create a nice, lightweight coverage that I can apply a pinch of blush to and be gone. No insanity, no huge makeup regime. Concealer, You Rebel, and a bit of cheek stain and gloss and I’m good to go! It’s possibly one of the better tinted moisturizers I’ve tried since it’s considerably more pigmented than most so it successfully evens out my skin tone plus erases dullness. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with clogged pores or oily skin as this has the potential to be a bomb for that type of skin. However, if you have dry skin and virtually clear pores or no pores like me your skin should suck it up and enjoy.

I also wouldn’t recommend a tinted moisturizer to anyone who desires extra coverage. The point is it’s sheer, lightweight coverage so if you’re wanting to cover a ton of skin woes this isn’t going to do that for you. Stick to regular foundation for that.

If you’re wanting a simple way to create a good working canvas for a light application of makeup I definitely suggest checking out Benefit You Rebel Lite. It’s one of the better tinted moisturizers I’ve tried out.

Any one a Rebel fan?

Tell it!

My next venture? I’m so wanting to try out DuWop Revolution!

Here’s a little sneaky peek at the Jelly Pong Pong Deluxe Gift Bags I was telling you about earlier!

Victoria’s Secret Pool Party Beauty Rush Lip Butter are available in three shades, have an SPF 15, and are tasty treats for your lips this Summer!

Check out what I think after the jump!

I showered a whole lot of love on the Victoria’s Secret Pool Party Collection when I seen it in stores. The Muse cannot hold out against VS makeup goodies very long. I’d have normally left the glosses in all honesty but something tempted me that day. Could be the allure of a tasty gloss, could be the bright popping colors, could be I was just weak that day. Whatever the case may be I ended up getting two of the three shades available (who knows I’d probably gotten three if the other shade was available at the time). Now, one thing I should mention, I was mistakenly thinking these were glosses but actually they are lip butter. Oh, ok, big difference!

I was kinda juiced at such popping shades in a gloss but as I mentioned, lip butter, big difference eep! No likey the texture or formula on my lips. Feels a tad bit on the silicone side and kinda waxy-like. Mmmm…not loving it sadly! I’m wearing Frostea (orange shade) in my FOTD here if you’d like to see what they look like on.

Aside from the undesirable formula these hold a bit of appeal as they are tasty. I got Frostea and Lemonita. Frostea tastes like iced tea and is a bright popping orange shade where as Lemonita is a tart, fruity lemon and a shade of sizzling pink. Both have decent pigmentation so you can get away without using a lipstick or stain underneath as they do leave a hint of sheer color behind.

Taste is great (love flavored lip products), price isn’t bad at 3 for $15, and the colors are pretty sweet for Summer plus these contain SPF 15. They definitely have a bit of a good thing going for them now I just need to get over the idea that they aren’t a gloss but a butter aka waxy, silicon feeling on my lips, yak! If I can get past that I might be able to recommend ‘em for purchase.

Cute but longing for a better formula here.

Anyone try yet?

Do share it!

The Muse was loving all over the Laura Geller Baby Cakes Complexion Palette a few weeks ago. It’s cute size and it’s small price tag definitely made it appealing to say the least. With my great success with the Laura Geller Baked To Go Balance n Brighten I was about ready to venture deeper into the world of Laura Geller baked products so indeed I spilled out my $30 bucks to QVC on the double and waited patiently for the arrival of my little Baby Cakes palette.

And it finally arrived.

You can hear all about what I think after the jump!

No likey. That about sums it up.

Ok, uber cute packaging, loves it! Good job Laura. Love the cute flip top lid, love the idea of three cute little baked face powders available in one spot with a small brush for application. Love the inexpensive price tag of $29.99 too! All good things as far as the Muse is concerned. Who doesn’t think this thing is adorable? I admit I was worried about the kick up of dusty face powder ending up all over the black palette but I overlooked that and just concentrated on the fact that it was rather a nifty, neat little design. I liked the idea of toting around three little face powders with a handy, dandy brush for application. The powders are small, a little bigger than a quarter. This could be a deal breaker for some but for me it just added to it’s appeal and seemed to make it extra travel friendly.

However, all this doesn’t make up for one of the reasons I avoided Laura’s baked products for a long time. The chalky way they apply. Le sigh.

Ok, first off I’m pretty chuffed with the Balance n Brighten. This is the lightest shade in the palette and meant to create a nice, even finish to skin. It does just that and does the job very well. I generally love this product and was happy it was in the overall palette. It evens out my skin tone, brightens it, erases dull spots, and just makes me look flawless.

My beef lays with the Ethereal Rose Face Powder and the Bronze-n-Brighten. I guess Ethereal Rose isn’t really supposed to act as a blush but I suppose I was thinking it would be pigmented enough to work as one. It’s sheer, chalky, and applies a bit on the nasty side. It makes my dry skin look even drier which is not a good look in my humblest. This particular powder is one reason I’ve failed to purchase any of Laura Geller’s products in a long time. The Bronze-n-Brighten is just as bad. It’s chalky and sheer as well but at least it applies somewhat better however you’ll notice no real difference in your skin tone once applied as it’s not pigmented enough to make much of a difference. Disappointing to say the least.

We are purchasing this because it contains three great products but sadly only one of three actually works well so what’s the point? Count this Muse disappointed. This one just didn’t work out as well as I’d have liked and the cuteness and inexpensive price tag just aren’t enough to make me grin and bear it.

Skip.

Not worth it in my humblest opinion.

Anyone try?

Love it?

What are your experiences with Laura Geller Ethereal Rose Face Powder?

How about the Bronze-n-Brighten?

Share it!

A few weeks ago I blogged about the joys of Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover Pads and how excited I was about trying these out. I’ve long since found my HG (holy grail) remover in Lancome Bi-Facil however it’s costly so I replaced it with a bottle of Sephora Waterproof remover and call it a day. Hey, $8 bucks and it works. It’s the best remover I’ve come up with so far that gets my waterproof mascara off and doesn’t cost me much plus it doesn’t temporarily blind me.

Now…it deserves to be mentioned I’ve tried a few pads here and there and most are oily, messy, and do blind me or at the very least give me a mean case of cloudy vision, yes I’m talking about you Almay.

Now my question is does anyone recall a high end brand that makes remover pads? I’m thinking but can’t recall a single one. The idea of a pad that removes my eye makeup and waterproof mascara appeals big time so when I seen these available at Sephora I was all about hauling them home for a test try.

Jump ahead for it!

Love them. Simply love them.

I know many of you were just as curious as I was about these and wondering how good they are and the answer is yes, they are good. I like them, alot. They have one minor problem I’ll get too shortly but let me share the rest of my lust with you first.

First off they aren’t terribly saturated but they contain just enough remover to soak the pad nicely. Each pad isn’t huge but big enough to do one eye, if you’re being stingy you can possibly go for two eyes with one pad but I suggest using a pad for each eye to get it all off. They remove waterproof mascara very well and get all my eye makeup off in a few swipes. I’m trying to decide if the formula is the same waterproof remover I normally buy from Sephora but I’ve come to the conclusion this formula is a tad less oily. It feels like water which is a good thing because that means no cloudy vision. They come in a nice plastic jar, resealable which guarantees freshness for each pad, no dried out pads here. Yes, I guess one can rant that the plastic jar is a big drain on the environment but you can always use it for some sort of storage after use.

Now my rant….

I love these, I really do however I’m trying to decide if they are a good deal or not. They contain 30 pads for $8 USD which gets me a little over two weeks of use when using two pads a day. Now, I normally buy the 4.22 oz bottle of Sephora Waterproof Remover which sets me back $10 bucks. I do think that the bottle lasts me longer than the pads……the pads are cheap however they last alot less longer and I think I’ll be purchasing them more often than my normal bottle of remover. I’ll probably save a buck or two on cotton but I think a bottle gets me through a month or more of use. The convenience of the pads really make me want to repurchase again after I’m done with these but I’m unsure if it’s the best deal in the world.

On a follow up to my own review I seen some bad reviews of these on Sephora which shocked me as I thought they worked darn good. I guess these are one of those things that you have to try and either love or find they don’t work for you. Personally I loved ‘em and think they are ideal for travel. I’m off on holiday very shortly and these will def be packed away with my other skincare bits and bobs.

After a session with my eye makeup!

Repurchase….that remains to be seen but so far loving ‘em just wish they had a bigger size available for around $10 bucks or so. I’d be a happy camper indeed if that was the case!

Anyone try yet?

Love ‘em?

Wanting to try?

Tell the Muse!