Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara

$21.00 USD for approx. 0.4oz/11g

Totally fabulous. Simply, elegantly, totally fabulous. The formula of Sumptuous Bold is particularly awesome because it is smooth without being runny or too thin to give you definition. The thickness is just enough to gently coat and re-coat lashes sans clumping together, so it's about as good to me as a "tubing" mascara. Sumptuous bold can be layered throughout the day, but one application lasts me through a 12 hour day...layering would easily get you through the rest of the night. For me, one of the best parts about this mascara is how naturally it looks (and holds on) and how easily it comes off with remover; no raccoon eyes the next morning!

No under-eye black in the morning, Sparky, none!

Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✪✪✪
Available online and at Estée Lauder counters in retail stores such as Saks, Macy's, and Nordstrom.

Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil Duo in 05 Soft Brown

$23.50 for Brow Duo (includes 2 pencil ends) and $12.50 for refill

It's unfair that I've been using this for nearly two months (without needing my refill yet) and have not mentioned a word about it, but really, this replaced my Dior BrowStyler after it ran out and I no longer wanted to use straight eyeshadow. Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil Duo is comparable to the Brow Styler from Dior in it's shape, use, etc. and the color 05 Soft Brown is very nearly identical, but there are several big differences.

Wearing Estee Lauder Brow Duo in Soft Brown 05, MAC Sweet Sunrise Lipstick, Hard Candy Tiki on lids, Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara, Nars Douceur Blush, and MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in N3

Estee Lauder Time Zone Day and Night Creams

$58.00 for 1.7 oz. Day Cream and $62.50 for 1.7 oz. Night Cream

Estee Lauder Time Zone Line and Wrinkle Reducing Creme SPF 15 (available in Normal/Combination and Dry formulas) and Time Zone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Creme are designed to make your skin "look more lineless, radiant and rested," two claims of which I can actually vouch for. Both Day and Night formulas (Normal/Combo skin) have a super-smooth, creamy texture that absorbs quickly into the skin, and I felt as though deeper layers of my skin were nourished by the end of testing.

Both of these products were an incredibly pleasant surprise as part of a gift-with-purchase. I received 0.5 oz of each and immediately used them nearly everyday and night for several weeks; not only did a little go a very long way, but my combo/oily skin didn't go nuts in the process, not too oily, not too dry, and no unexplainable breakouts in site. As an added bonus, both of these smell wonderful and were relaxing to my skin and senses upon application. Truth be told, I would absolutely use these on a regular basis...if I needed the wrinkle-minimizing effects...that I cannot vouch for because I don't have wrinkles...

Estee Lauder Equalizer Smart Makeup SPF 10

$35.00 USD for 1.0fl. oz/28g

Anyone with skin as pale as mine has had the problem of finding a liquid foundation; there isn't just the paleness of skin but the undertone to consider, which, if wrong, can look exceptionally bad on a pale face. If you have medium or dark skin and the foundation doesn't match your skin tone, usually your skin will look muddier and lack-lustre; with super-light and fair skin, if the depth of color (usually just this side of white for me) is correct but pink (I have yellow undertones), I not only look like I have muddier skin, but look like an utterly crazy person wearing dark face paint because the simple combination of the pink and yellow makes where I applied the product darker (than just this side of white, yes?). Moral is: find the right color--depth and undertone.

Now...the right formula on the other hand...that's a whole other category I loathe to try and combine with the sentiments above, which brings me to Estee Lauder Equalizer Smart Makeup for Combination Skin SPF 10. I've finally found a color light enough in EL's line of foundations (sometimes it looks like the brand has dozens of types) to suit my skin, and in theory this is also the perfect formula--oil-control where and when you need it but hydrating over the course of a long day of wear. Yes, well, unfortunately that's not what I've experienced so far...

Mask of the Month: Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Mask

$40.00 for 2.5 oz.

I haven't done a MotM in so long, probably due to my obsession and religious use of the Borghese mask that literally changed my skin into something I don't hate, but today's little diddy is well worth a gander!

Estee Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Mask is a thick, creamy, iridescent mask that smells good, like a light musk/floral infusion (but I am very bad with scents so don't go by my description of that). Over a year ago, on my bf and I's road-trip, cross-country move, I used this mask every night to relieve some of the stress of all-day driving that my skin was definitely suffering from. My under-eye circles were almost purple by the time we got to our hotel rooms each night, and that is where the lovely EL Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex (below) came in super handy. But for the moment, lets go back to our lifting mask...

I'm not even to my mid-20s yet, so I will be the first to admit that my face does not need to be "lifted" at all, but one of the claims of the Resilience Lift Mask is that it "brighten[s] up the look of tired skin," which is most certainly a category my skin fits into about...oh, I don't know, all the time! While Resilience Lift sits on my skin I feel tightening, but it's not uncomfortable. Mostly, the aroma is relaxing, and my skin seems to be absorbing that iridescent glow from the cream. Usually, I left this on for as long as I could before I had to rinse and moisturize in order to actually fall asleep, but I also noticed that my moisturizer seemed to absorb more quickly after this mask. My skin also seemed much better hydrated in the morning after using this mask. Although I started with a sample size tube of 1 oz, I will be purchasing the full size when I have the funds and run out of other masks. It's worth it, bottom line.

The eye cream/gel is like liquid gold though! You seriously need to try this stuff if you have not because every night I put a tiny amount of this under my eyes, I woke up the next morning with absolutely no under-eye darkness of any sort. Literally, I looked like I had a full-coverage layer of concealer already on, but not as though I had makeup on, you understand; I just looked rested and like a photo-shopped model...at least in the eyes, well, the under-eyes... This goes into my all-time favorite skincare products category, and I strongly encourage you to see if it works this well for you! At $49.50 for 0.5oz, it certainly costs like liquid gold, but I used a 0.1oz tube over four weeks with no skimping (a very little bit goes a very long way).

Beauty Newb Rating: (mask)✪✪✪✩✩ (eye cream)✪✪✪✪✩
Available at Estee Lauder counters (and online) in Macy's, Nordstrom, and other fine retailers, and also online at Estee Lauder.com for the mask and eye serum.

Brilliant Bronze for Cheeks & Eyes - Estée Lauder Signature Bronze Shimmer Palette

$36.00 for 0.35 oz.

With e.l.f. Week over, I'm really trying to stay on top of the reviews; I can barely decide what to review each day, plus I'm going to need to stick with drugstore brands for a while (budget and all). Yet, I still have a few gems to show you, like this multi-tasker extraordinaire! Estée Lauder Signature Bronze Shimmer Palette is a huge win for me, not perfect, but going to last and be used for many things. I use this for blush, bronzer, and eyeshadow, and the five shades are very neutral, not cool or warm so it's good for all. Seriously consider this if you'd like bang for your buck and space in your makeup drawer!

From top left corner to bottom right:

-light pink with gold sheen

-rosy pink with bronze sheen

-bronze with frost sheen

-plum-rose with bronze sheen

-blackened-bronze plum with bronze sheen

Estée Lauder Pure Color Gloss Stick in Summer Melon- A Mid-Winter Pick-Me-Up I Can Really Get Behind!

Oh wow, I had a fantastic shopping trip to my local Nordstrom on Monday, and when I was feeling a bit low in confidence too. Since I had tried to make myself a little more lively with the smoky eyes, but I wasn't feelin' it fully, I was super surprised to get several remarks about how good it looked (and my bf said I looked pretty) :). Among the items I purchased was this unassuming little lippie called Summer Melon ($18.00 for ), an utterly mouthwatering coral-orange that just screams "bold and beautiful."

So, Summer Melon is one shade of a formula I have been dying to try out, and I was not disappointed. Estee Lauder's Gloss Sticks are semi-opaque, slick lippies in a lipstick form with high-gloss shine. Summer Melon is a bright, ripe cantaloupe colored gloss with what looks like a pale gold micro-shimmer, but when applied, it just looks really glossy.

Estée Lauder High Gloss in Honey

03 Honey ($16.00 for 0.27 fl oz.)*

What a pleasant surprise this gloss is! Don't let the initial tackiness/stickiness fool you because once this mirror-shine gloss warms up to your lips it is smooth and buttery and super comfy. I always have that immediate gut reaction of "gross, it's so sticky," but several times now I have reached for this color and been hit again with the realization: oh yeah, I like this one.

Honey is a semi-sheer beige gloss with a bronze lean and a whole lotta shine. You can see from the pictures this is not a gloss you mistake for someone just licking their her lips--this is High Gloss, and thus an appropriate name. The shine lasts about 3-4 hours depending on what you're doing with your lips (eating/drinking, talking, kissing, etc.) and most of the time the color is undetectable about an hour after application. However, a big bonus with the comfort of this gloss is how hydrated my lips feel; even if they aren't plump with moisture, they never feel dry with this on.

Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadows in Honey Drop and Copper Penny

Single shadows are $20.00

Remember the reviews of EL products so far? Well, most of those were from the same purchase/gift with purchase and this is no exception (see also the High Gloss review, coming soon). I'm glad that I didn't just the Wild Sable line by it's cover--and by that I mean, I'm glad I didn't realize both were the same type of shadow because it may have tainted my decision to get the good brown of the matte Wild Sable. These two shadow from the sample palette, 47 Honey Drop and 54 Copper Penny, are another story all together.

Serum Saturday: Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher

($46.50 for 1.0 fl oz.)

Oh man, all I want to do right now is tear into my newly arrived Vogue issue and screw the posting for the day, but alas, I have a Serum scheduled and have important things to say about this one. Maybe just a peek at one article....NO, BAD BLOGGER, bad bad blogger. Focus!

Today, we have a great serum to take a look at with Estee Lauder's Idealist. It's soft and smooth, absorbs easily and leaves your skin feeling very fresh. Here's what the brand's website describes (from EL.com):

A Look at Estée Lauder Signature Lipstick in Mocha

Mocha Lipstick with flash

Estée Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick ($21.00) usually comes in gold ribbed tube which has (I'm guessing) about 0.14 oz, but I got this in a gift with purchase. In terms of formula, it's not the most moisturizing lipstick and pulls just a touch at my lips when I don't add a bit of balm underneath. Since I didn't purchase it specifically, I didn't expect the color to be a shade for me; I'm not that lucky.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow in Wild Sable

Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in 04 Wild Sable ($20 for 0.07 fl oz.)

I've had an up and down love-hate-disappointed-pleasantly surprised relationship with Estée Lauder over the past year or so. I was so sold on certain things, and it was the first counter I stopped by in my blossoming search for foundation six months ago. Alas, the very nice SA who recommended I try a full coverage before a sheer, lighter formula foundation not only didn't give me what I came in asking for but gave me the absolutely wrong color for my skin. I returned the foundation, the brush I got to go with it, and everything else I bought at the time of that purchase because I was so frustrated she hadn't listened to me at all (or given me the right color eyeliner I had asked for). From then on, I don't ask for a makeup touch-up when I go in because I really think the SAs WAY over-do the product, but I am very hesitant to buy a single thing, even when I like it.

This eyeshadow, however, I do not regret. It's a matte taupe, and it's literally perfect. The powder is very fine, well-pigmented, smooth and blends very well. I am simply sold on this. I will say that this light-medium brown will most likely not show up on darker skin tones as a depth color, but may just be the overall color you're looking for on your lid (for a base or a no-makeup look).