Bronze Goddess Series: Beautisol Need I Glow More

What Is It:

Need I Glow More? is the first ever skin-type-specific face self-tanning lotion. The Normal-Oily-Problematic formulation is for those with oily or acneic skin. The Normal-Dry-Sensitive formulation is for those with dry or sensitive skin. 

What THEY Say: 

• Normal-Oily-Problematic: Absorbs oil and purifies the skin
• Normal-Dry-Sensitive: Moisturizes, hydrates, and revivies
• Delivers a natural-looking, golden-brown tan within hours
• Provides instant color so you look bronzed and picture-perfect immediately, all while your long-lasting tan processes underneath

Features & Benefits:

• Created specifically for normal to oily or problematic skin types
• Infused with Montmorillonite Clay, Lilac Stem Cell, and Niacinamide to help reduce inflammation and improve acne
• Lightweight formula prevents the skin from feeling heavy or greasy
• Pure Scent odor-eliminating technology reduces processing odor
• Guide color allows you to see exactly where you have applied the product and where you may have missed, reducing streaking and application mishaps
• Paraben-free, propylene gycol-free, sodium laurel/laureth sulfate-free, and cruelty-free (PETA certified)

Meet the Guinea Pigs:

Guinea Pig A (aka Me)

• Pasty white (MAC NC15)
• DOES NOT tan. NEVER. Not artificially nor in the sun. My skin doesn't understand the concept of golden brown and my brain is petrified of melanoma.
• Testing Need I Glow More for Normail-Oily-Problematic Skin

Guinea Pig B (aka My Sister Rebekah)

• Medium olive toned skin (MAC NC30)
• Loves the sun and getting a tan in the summer. Does not tan artificially-prefers to give me heart palpitations every time she stretches out in the sun's rays (thus my ulterior motive for recruiting her). 
• Testing Need I Glow More for Normal-Dry-Sensitive Skin

Before and Afters

You are about to witness both au naturel without makeup, so brace yourself. Before pictures were taken at night and after pictures in the morning, hence dark circles and vacant expressions. 

Me Before

Me After

(left after, right before)

                                                          Rebekah Before

                                                         

Rebekah After

(left after, right before)

What WE Say:

We Both Agreed That...

• thought the unique approach of customizing for skin types was ingenious
• instruction cards were comprehensive and extremely helpful, especially for me as a first-time self-tanner user)
• minimized the appearance of skin imperfections and needed to use less foundation to even out skin tone
• tan was noticeable within hours of first application 
• did not stain or transfer on to bedding
• no breakouts or adverse reactions
• slow progression of colour allowed control of colour intensity
• each application lasted at least 3 days before showing evidence of fading 
• product dried extremely quickly making blending a little bit of challenge. We found that working in small areas was best otherwise some streaking occurred. 
• smell wasn't pleasant (although what self tanner does smell good?)
• found that the colour was more flattering on olive skin tones like Rebekah's. 

I Think...

• I liked the healthy glow I achieved after one application. I looked slightly sun-kissed and and my skin was more radiant. When I use this product again, I will do one application every 3-4 days to maintain the colour intensity that I feel is most natural for my skin. 
• I thought that after second application the tan didn't looks as natural on my skin

Rebekah Thinks...

• Rebekah liked the concept behind the product, 
• liked the smooth gel consistency
• not a fan of the application process (dried too quickly)
• thought the colour gave a noticeable self-tanner look after the second application
• wished the colour was more brown based and less golden

 

**Disclosure: Review samples provided by Beautisol**

Forget Being A Bond Girl...TRANSFORMERS Is Defining the New "It" Girl

Move aside Megan Fox, there is a new pair of legs strutting into the spotlight. Rosie Huntington-Whitely is the new "It" girl of action film. Men and women alike are in awe of her stunning features and natural sexiness. She encapsulates the Effortless Bombshell persona that so many try to achieve but always come across feeling forced. 

Here are my favourite looks from Rosie over the past two weeks:

Stila Brings South Beach to Canada

Back by popular demand, Stila Cosmetics debuts a new series of beach-inspired limited edition travel palettes in Canada! 

The Striking in South Beach palette amazingly costs only $18 and features a set of 4 eyeshadows, blush and bronzer (new product addition) in fun South Beach themed shades like Ocean Drive and Cabana. Each palette includes a mirror and how-to face chart with pro tips from Stila's Global Director of Artistry, Sarah Lucero. A new travel palette will be released each month until Fall. 

Striking in South Beach (images attached) will be available July 1st (CANADA DAY!) at Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques and Murale.

Will you be travelling with Stila this summer?

Maybelline One by One Has Won Me

The one type of product that I don't think you can go cheap with and still get amazing results is mascara. I really love Maybelline's mascara range, first with the Falsies and now with their One by One Volum'Express. I think that this mascara is a perfect more affordable dupe for my beloved Clinique High Impact (which is almost triple the price). 

                             

PROS
-separates and lengthens every lash giving a fanned out appearance
-fullness to the lashes even without curling
-no clumps and buildable without lashes feeling brittle
-narrow bristles at the tip of the applicator make it easy to catch fine hairs on the inner corner
-smudge free

CONS
-some flaking

Link Love for 18/06/2011

At Musing on Beauty, Mariella tries the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brushes and tells you everything about them.

Ever wonder how to airbrush your own makeup photos? Well, now you can - check out theNotice's basic Photoshop tutorial for your exclusive look behind the scenes of a beauty blog!

Now that summer's in the air, Musicalhouses shows you a Summer Eye Look and a Summer Lip Look for cheap!

Need melt proof makeup? Check out the new Summer collections from Tarte. Gouldylox has the swatches and details.

Madame B Fatale shows you how to use a conical wand!

Tired of eyeshadow and blush pots taking up too much space? Try de-potting them using Kajal Couture's de-potting tutorial and place them in palettes.

Phyrra's Independent Spotlight for June is with Belén from Lost in Makeupland!

Addicted to Beauty gets serious tween envy when she spies the Happy Faces hair salon. Who wouldn't want to get their hair done whilst sitting in a pink chevrolet?

Amy Antoinette shares her top tips for dealing with Keratosis Pilaris.

Lovelaughlauren tells us her favourite products from the last few months.

Prime Beauty discovered Burberry's newest lipstick formula, Lip Mists and has some insider info for you!

At Eyelining Obsessions Claire finds her perfect pink bluch while trying some ELF Barginous Blushes.

Rachel McAdams sends Lydia from Perfectly Imperfect running to the NARS counter. Find out why!

The coveted Asylum by Sugarpill is back in stock and in the Christina the Glitterholic's hands!

Looking for an affordable gel eye liner? Be sure to check out this fabulous Gel Eye Liner by Essence at Makeup, Beauty & More.


Handmade Reviews is hosting a Sigma Summer Giveaway with over $300 in prizes and winners every month.

Beauty Crazed is giving away 5 Lancome Desert Rose Blushes - they still think they are too pretty to use but maybe you aren't that squeamish so enter to win one!

Giveaway: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

As a lifestyle blogger, I find it important to have relevant and interesting pictures accompany my posts. Finding pictures on the internet to use on your blog without crossing ethical lines (ie inadvertently taking from another site) can be difficult, especially when using search engines like Google images. If there is one thing that raises the spine on a blogger's back (mine included), it is to see our content pop up on other sites without permission. 

Fotolia is one solution to this problem. It is one of the top stock photo houses in the world and offers royalty free images and HD videos. This site helps to protect bloggers, writers, and online media from breaching copyright infringement and still producing aesthetically pleasing and creative posts. Also, if you are looking for photos online for decorating or educational purposes, these images are of better quality and won't distort when you enlarge them. I have been using the site for a week and have already accumulated a reserve of beautiful pictures for future posts and for digital scrapbooking. 

Fotolia has graciously offered a two-week free trial subscription to three of my blog readers. I will be randomly selecting one reader from this blog and two from my book blog.

Instructions:

1) Leave a comment below telling me why this site interests you. 

2) Include an email address where I can reach you with the activation code. 

3) Deadline for entries is tomorrow (June 15th) at midnight
4) One entry per person on each blog

What You Will Get:

1) Two week free trial subscription

2) 3 free downloads per day

If you would like to learn more about Fotolia, please visit the following site: http://fotolianews.com

Lip Treatment or Lipstick? Who cares! I Love Dior Addict Lip Glow

Dior Addict Lip Glow is a product with a split personality: it is one party lip treatment and one part unique lip colour. 

Lip Treatment

The treatment begins with the calming sweet minty smell. It has a balm texture that smooths over the lips like melting butter. There is a slight tickling  as the products begins to work its magic (as opposed to obnoxious tingling or stinging like other products in this category). Within minutes your lips are noticeably smoother, softer, and appear plumper. If this product is used on a regular bases, you will notice significantly less dryness or cracking on your lips. I even use it at night as a moisturizing treatment while I sleep! 

Lip Colour

A made-to-measure lip balm that beautifies and durably enhances the lips’ natural color. A customized color result : thanks to its Color Reviver technology, Dior Addict Lip Glow reacts directly with the unique chemistry of each woman’s lips before releasing its color ingredient. Lips seem revived from within, amazingly fresh, full and radiant. In addition, its SPF10 formula enriched with wild mango and luffa cylindrica continuously protects and moisturizes. A universal balm for all lips

There are several other products on the market that claim to do the same-Smashbox O Glow, for example-but this is the first one that has actually showed drastically different colours on different people when I tested it. 

Before

After 1 Minute

After 1 Hour

The glossy finish does wear off after an hour, but it leaves behind beautiful and natural flushed lips that are silky smooth. This product is definitely a winner!

My Name is Lydia and I Am a Dior Addict

Step 1: Admit you have a problem
Step 2: Ignore the problem and buy more Dior Addict Lipsticks

Yes my lovelies, they are that incredible. The new Dior Addict lipsticks are officially my favourite lipstick formulation ever. They have dethroned my beloved Chanel Rouge Coco and relegated MAC to third place. 

What makes them so unique? These new versions of the Dior Addict line have 25% less wax than other lipsticks and this allows them to literally glide on in a smooth gel-like consistency. 

(left to right: 253 Basic, 249 Diorissime, 260 Rose Deshabille, 454 Parisian Chic, 972 Rose Shocking, 750 Rock 'N Roll, 797 Stiletto, 971 Fourreau

PROS

-vast colour range means that there is something for everyone
-light reflective shine that gives the illusion of plumper lips
-rich in pigmentation without being heavy or opaque
-gloriously moisturizing
-4+ hours of wear time with natural fading
-sophisticated sparkle
-luxe multi-chromatic packaging

CONS

-you will want all 56 colours!
-some shades are exclusive to particular stores, so some hunting is required
-many of the lighter shades look similar when swatched and only have slight variations in undertone, although they do look different once on the lips (try on before buying because hand swatches won't truly reflect the beauty of the colours)
-ils sont chers! $32 CAD

**Disclosure: Dior compact was a promotional gift**

May 2011 Favourites

This has been a good makeup month. I have enjoyed rediscovering some old products and pairing them with my new summer favourites. Sometimes I get stuck in a makeup rut for what is quick, easy, and convenient and this month I really made a point to experiment and rediscover my creativity. 

Face and Cheeks

-Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cream Ivory (review to come but this product has holy grail potential)
-NARS Luster Blush
-CHANEL Bronze Rose Soleil de Tan
-Beautisol Face Self-Tanner for Normal-Oily Skin (review to come)

Eyes

-MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Tweet Me layered on top of Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Sippin and Dippin
-LORAC TANtalEYES Palette (review to come)
-Annabelle Liquid Eyeliner
-Clinique High Impact Mascara
-Dior Nude Tan Quint (review to come)
-Lise Watier Bora Bora Eyeshadow Palette

Lips

-Dior Addict Lip Glow (review to come)
-Dior Addict in Rock N Roll and Rose Shocking
-Stila Longwear Lip Color

Perfume

-Lise Watier Bora Bora
-Boyfriend by Kate Walsh

Brushes

-Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman
-Sigmma HD Synthetic Face Kit