Get This Off My Face: A Review / Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Crème Compact

A zillion years ago, give or take a few years, someone asked me to review the new (at the time) Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Crème Compact that I had received as a deluxe sample. A good beauty blogger would have reviewed it from the get-go, taking wonderful photographs of the pristine new product. Clearly, given the below pictured state of my nearly empty compact, I am not one of those bloggers. I simply cannot wait long enough to photograph a product first before I start playing with it.

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On the plus side, however, I did give this product a good go. Judging from its pan-exposed state, I did give it its fair shake before determining...that I hate it. Let me be clear, I am a die-hard Laura Mercier product addict. I love the regular tinted moisturizer in a tube, the translucent pressed setting powder, and most of all the loose mineral powder foundation. (Not to mention eye and lip products in the color range.) But tinted moisturizer in this form did NOT agree with my skin.

This product promised to be LM's best-selling tinted moisturizer in lightweight crème form. This is a very, very different animal to me than the original tinted moisturizer. Though it was slightly lighter than other compact makeups, I did not find this to be lightweight; I actually found it to be quite heavy for a tinted moisturizer. Thus, it was very hard to blend. I have normal to oily skin (this product promises to be suitable for all skin types). It managed to find and cloy to any dry patch I had on my face, while at the same time producing a slightly heavy, masked feel. It did not blend well no matter what method I used to apply it (fingers, sponge, brush). While it lasted as long as any foundation product would on my face and did not oxidize, I was always eager to blot this product during the day and wash it off at night. Though I was not happy with the feel of the finish, the look of the finish was not the worst ever. I felt I could wear this in public and not look like an oompa-loompa, but it certainly wasn't the most natural looking product I've come across. The liquid form of this product definitely wins that award!

In the liquid form of the tinted moisturizer, my shade is nude. Based on this, I chose the nude sample of the crème compact. Though I was able to blend this out with much effort, nude crème compact was not my shade. (Honestly, the first streak almost looked like a light bronzer, though I could buff it into a flesh tone.) I suggest getting a shade match to this in the store, as I don't feel the shades translate across the tinted moisturizer line up. 

One strange note: I also found black flecks in the product. At first, I thought I had somehow gotten dust into this product, so I tried scraping off the top layer. However, the discoloration continued to the last swipe of the product. I'm not sure if this is a defect in the samples or somehow part of the product, but I found it strange. 

This product in full-size form retails for $45 for .26 oz., as opposed to $43 for 1.5 fl oz. for the regular tinted moisturizer. Luckily this was a deluxe sample, so no love lost. The sample served its purpose-to give the customer a go at something new without financial obligation. I was very happy this morning buffing on my trusty Laura Mercier mineral powder.  

Cadbury Egg Nails / Illamasqua Speckled Nail Varnish

I'm poor at maintaining my nails, because they're in poor condition to start with. Nails are too high maintenance for me to do, and I feel like even going to get manicures on a regular basis is too high maintenance. I must make more of an effort.

I normally don't go for gimmicky polishes, but rather solid colors. However, when I saw Illamasqua Speckled Polish, I knew I had to have it. Not only do I love speckled egg shell pattern, but this polish reminds me of Cadbury Mini Eggs, which is my mother's favorite Easter candy. (For me, they're a close second to Cadbury Cream Eggs.) This post is for her! My mother has such impeccable, durable nails that polish doesn't stay on her at all. She does nothing to them and always looks perfectly manicured. I'm jealous from my corner in hangnail hell!

I chose the shade Mottle, a light spring green. The egg shell effect is due to glitter (blue, in this case). While I normally have an aversion to glitter, this glitter is so busy giving off an egg shell pattern that it creates its own diversion. It lasts as long as any typical polish on me--about 2 days or so even with base and top coats. Two coats gives enough opacity, but I happened to use 3 for these photos. I also topped it with Essie Matte About You top coat to give it a real egg look. I much prefer it with matte topcoat. It's not super shiny without the matte coat, but I feel it lends a really natural effect with it.

This was a limited edition polish, so you'd have to peruse your local Sephora to see if they have any left. They're out of stock online, and the store I went to only had 2 of 5 shades available for purchase. It's $16, and I think it's worth every penny.

This was my first Illamasqua purchase, and I'll definitely be back for more. I love the edginess of the brand and their out of the box approach to cosmetics.

As always, this product was Molly-approved.

113 / Great-Grandma's Vintage Jewelry

On 3/13/13, my great-grandmother would have been 113. I'm lucky enough to have some memories of her. She was a lovely lady who kept bowls of favorite candies for each of her children in the cupboards. She wore a girdle two decades after women burned their bras, loved gladiolas, and I have benefited from her excellent taste in brooches. Bet she never dreamed she'd be getting 113th birthday wishes on a computer.

 Her vintage earrings

The brooch I wear every Christmas on my lime green pea coat.

New Glasses / Tom Ford Cat Eye Frames

I have beginner's luck.

Recently, I learned how to play Blackjack. By the end of the evening, I had kicked my husband's (read: teacher's) ass and had doubled my "money".

Similarly, with big purchases that require commitment, in the end I tend to go with the first thing I tried. It happened with my wedding dress, my car, and most recently, what I'll have on my face for the next few years. I tend to gravitate immediately to what I end up eventually purchasing, but not before trying EVERYTHING else to be sure.

As with most things, I went in with one thing in mind (conservative, metal Tiffany & Co. frames with a hint of embellishment) and, clearly, came out with something else entirely-the Tom Ford Cat Eye frame. (TF5189 to be exact.) I tried on frames for at least half an hour, and everything seemed to be reminiscent of what I already owned (black, plastic Shanghai Tang frames--which I still love!). These wild things were the first pair I tried on, and what I kept coming back to. At first, I was astounded by how good they actually looked. Then, I had to convince myself to not just think outside the box, but to get rid of the box altogether. "I couldn't..." I thought. "Or, can I...?"

And so, I did.

Thus far, the public approval rating has been high! My husband would likely rather I had chosen something else, as he asked me when the moon landing was scheduled to occur, but I think they're growing on him.

Maybe in 10 years I'll look back and wonder what the hell I was thinking, but right now I'm happy for the throw-back vibe they lend my overall look.

Seriously? Did that just happen? / BeautyBar.com

I am a regular shopper on BeautyBar.com and their affiliated sites. BeautyBar has a beautiful selection from varied brands one doesn't find readily in many freestanding stores like Lord & Berry, Kevyn Aucoin, Juliette Has a Gun, and Tokyo Milk.

Last Friday, while hunting for a gold Stila smudge stick, I found myself on good old BeautyBar. I ordered the eyeliner (and of course, a few other items happened into my cart) and chose my free samples at checkout.

This afternoon I received a package from BeautyBar. Not a bad turnaround time! However, in the way-too-oversized packaging, I found this:

Just the samples.

JUST. THE. SAMPLES.

The rest of my order is shipping separately. And if the confirmation emails are to be trusted (and, judging from this situation, they are) I can only imagine how many boxes I will get for 3 small items.

I'm a frequent online shopper, so I've seen it all. The oversized packaging is just the tip of the iceberg. Never in my life have free samples been rush shipped to me.

I love BeautyBar and their family of sites and I will continue to shop there, but I will definitely think twice about the samples. I certainly can't fault the turnaround time, but I would suggest the company take the path of sites like Amazon and solicit packaging feedback. Amazon also offers the option to receive your items faster or to ship them all together, which would also be a great option for a site like this.

According to their site: Most of the products are all shipped out together in one box and will arrive at the same time. If the order is large and is shipped in more than one package, they may arrive separately-although that is rare.

I know that my other orders have arrived in multiple installments, so I would contest the use of the word "rare" here. However, receiving free samples as a rush shipment is a first! Sites like Sephora offer sample substitutes in the event your chosen freebie is out of stock. I think it would behoove BeautyBar in cases like these, where the samples are housed separately from what was ordered, to forgo the freebie. I'm green enough to make that kind of compromise. At the very least, there was no need to priority ship the items, nor house them in large packaging.

On a final note, I think this is taking the term "soap box" literally...

A Few of My Favorite Things / Clinique Naturally Glossy / The Holy Grail Mascara

In the beauty blogging world there is a term "holy grail", or those products which you just can't possibly imagine going without. Much like Oprah and Julie Andrews, I prefer to call these a few of my favorite things. (Faaaavorite Thiiiiings! Oprah-style.) To use the term "holy grail" edges too close to Monty Python for me! Can you believe an Anglophile like myself doesn't get into Monty Python? Oprah and Julie are more my speed.

In thinking about sharing my beauty favorites, the product I most wanted to wax poetic about is such a staple for me that it was the chicken before the egg...or the egg before the chicken. It is the reason I know and understand what "holy grail" status is and the reason why I decided to write about my "favorite things" in the first place. If you've held a conversation with me about products, chances are I've forced this one upon you like a pusher. I would shrivel up in a corner and cry if it were to go off the market.

I could not live my life without mascara, specifically Clinique's Naturally Glossy Mascara. It currently holds the distinction of being the only mascara I've ever repurchased. I experiment with different mascaras a lot, and when I do I feel like a cheater. (As I mentioned, trying to reign in this free love/experimental attitude with mascara.) I try other mascaras and some I like. Some are fine. Some I hate. But I always go back to Naturally Glossy with my tail between my legs wondering why I've allowed my wandering eyelashes to forsake a favorite. In the mascara world, it is my first and only love.

I'm willing to bet this is the first mascara I ever purchased. I've used it faithfully since '96 when I saved my babysitting monies to get a Clinique makeover at Younkers. It was my first successful foray into make up, having learned the hard way that things can turn Ooma Loompa very quickly. Thanks for nothing but a lesson learned, Jane powder. Whomever did my make up that day at the Clinique counter was a genius and sold me colors that were appropriate for a teenager and colors that I've been able to stick with for a lifetime.

Little is written about it. Any reviews I've found in recent Google searches yielded pretty old reviews. I think the reason this gets little hype is because we live in a Kardashian-lashed society. Or, to use another phrase from Oprah, young women today seem to go for "Bessie-the-Cow" lashes. (Tori Spelling, Number One Suspect.) I will admit to wanting dramatic lashes sometimes, like when I'm going for a 60s look. But never have I wanted my lashes to wave in the breeze, hanging on by a strip of glue. More often than not, I just want a darkened, natural lash to play up what I have and take me to the office.

Granted, the reviews I have read have copped to the fact that this mascara is for lovers of the natural lash, who probably already love the lashes they were born with and just need a light coat of something simple to darken them. But I think this mascara has a lot to offer lovers of clean, clump-free mascara, too.

Description from Clinique.com:

Gel-based formula defines lashes naturally. Lengthens, glosses, enhances. Lashes stay silky, pliant, clump and flake-free through multiple coats. Ophthalmologist tested.

Formula

This is a gel-based formula, which is not something I see often. I think this formula is the reason why it's never, ever flaked on me or given me raccoon eyes. This mascara is so slick, it doesn't even clump on the brush. (Suck it, DiorShow.) It gives incredible definition. The description on the website is accurate--I can coat and coat and coat and coat my lashes some more, and it never flakes or clumps. It also holds a curl. My hair and lashes are poker straight, so they definitely put up a fuss when attempting any sort of curl. This mascara will hold it for me! (My hair, I give up!) I don't need much in the way of extra length, but it does give some. 

Packaging

The packaging is beautiful and sleek. It comes in a silver tube. There is a "C" stamped in the top of the wand, and a product details sticker on the bottom. Good things come in simple packaging.

Color Selection

Two colors are available: Jet Brown and Jet Black. I always have both on hand and use whatever I'm in the mood for. The brown gives a slightly softer look than the black.

This is the cleanest, slickest mascara I've ever encountered. If you're tired of heavy, volumizing mascaras that make you look like a Kardashian, I highly recommend this product. This is great for lovers of natural and classic looks alike.  

Retail Price $16.00 USD

I Love the 90s / MAC Dubonnet

I have waited (impatiently) through the Renaissance of 1980s styles today's youth find hip. I think it's in everyone's birthright to hate (whether or not they chose to) the decade of their birth. I find little charm in the 1980s and have found little I would like to resurrect from that time in terms of fashion and beauty. (All rights to anything Princess Diana reserved, of course.) Knowing the sequential laws of the universe, I have patiently waited my turn to bring back the 90s: that heroine chic-cK waif-babydoll T-and combat boots-time that I was never really waif enough (even as a 90 pound middle-schooler) to fully embrace but did anyway. And I'll embrace it all again. People Style recently heralded the inklings of its return with an article on combat boots. As I anxiously await the full blown return of grunge, I decided to jump the vamp lips trend this fall and winter. Enter MAC's Dubonnet.

Dubonnet is my first MAC lipstick. I know! Let's take that one step further and reveal that I bought it as a gift to myself for turning 30! Let's all take a moment to let that sink in! By the time I was able to afford to splurge on MAC, I was over the whole teal glitter up to my eyebrows thing. Frankly, I did very little club trolling in college anyway. I always wished I had the guts and the funds to wear those little peacock tinted loose pigments...but it never happened for me. So, it is with a sigh of ripe old age that I say how very little into MAC I am. I'm a seasoned cosmetic counter patron with very little patience for their ever-limited latest collections. The turnover is obnoxious. Downright slutty, if I may say so. But I am willing to be swayed by their permanent selection.
I've only been willing to wear bold lip colors within the past couple of years. My makeup wearing years went full-tilt in the nude- and frosty-lipped late 90s, but I always admired those gutsy enough to wear shades from the vampier side of the spectrum. Upon the urging of my previously mentioned friend, Manicure Maggie, whose signature shade is Nars Cruella, I dared to try red lipstick. As she predicted, it changed my life. It started with a classic red (Make-up Forever's Moulin Rouge), but before I knew it, I owned Revlon's Black Cherry. Then when I saw a favorite YouTuber of mine (essiebutton) wearing MAC Dubonnet, I had to have it.

I underestimated how much translucent hair I have on my face...

This bordeaux beauty is one of MAC's amplified creme shades. It gives bold, creamy color with a hint of shine. I pair this with their lip liner in Brick to prevent feathering and prolong its wear. I get a few hours of wear with this, but I don't mind reapplying product. As it's such a bold red, it wears off pretty evenly and fades into a stained look (which looks quite pretty).

It gets the dachshund sniff of approval.

Overall, I'm very, very happy with my first ever MAC lipstick. I am a changed woman because of red lipstick (I call it my whore of Babylon look) and, as is my nature, I appreciate anything that can make me feel like I've gone back in time! Taking vintage literally is my greatest skill.