Aveda Inner Light Mineral Dual Foundation

$22.50 for 0.24oz/7g (shown center)

Take a wild guess which color I am, I dare you! That's right, the lightest, 01 Cream...

Aveda Inner Light Mineral Foundation is a shock in two ways; one, because it has buildable coverage that I have rarely seen within the brand, and two, because it can, and does, last all day when treated correctly. The powder compact's formula is lightweight and can be applied sheerly with a fluffy brush for a slightly skin-tone-even-ing glow or heavier with a sponge to get concealing coverage that is at least medium. While this powder blends very nicely with other powder products, I have been unsuccessful in finding a good way to keep it from rubbing off during the day. Inevitably, something gets smeared on my clothes from trying to get an itch without using my hands or simply from pulling my apron over my head.

without makeup

wearing Aveda Inner Light Dual Foundation in 01 Cream (single layer)

Estee Lauder Mini-Haul!

This may look like a decent sized haul, but really I only bought two things: Equalizer Smart Makeup for Combination Skin and the full-sized Advanced Night Repair Eye serum I've been lusting after (yes, I bit the bullet after this month's mask post). I couldn't help myself.

Hopefully the Equalizer Foundation proves to be the EL foundation I've been hoping for for about a year now, i.e. an actual color match to my neutral/yellow toned, super fair skin. Wish it luck!

In this haul is Time Zone SPF 15 (day) and Time Zone Night Cremes, Advanced Night Repair (for face), Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara, Soft Clean Tender Creme Cleanser, Pure Color 46 Barely Nude Creme Long Lasting Lipstick, an eyeshadow quad with my friend Pretty Penny, and samples of Pleasures and Sensuous Nude (perfumes).

Gotten your haul on recently?!

NARS Douceur Blush--Totally Natural and Multi-Tasking

$27.00 USD for 0.16oz/4.8g

I was on the hunt a good while ago now for something special, something to give me a glow without the shimmer and shine of a "glowy-glow." Well, I found it inside a rather unsuspecting blush because Nars Douceur is a very versatile blusher. For me, it changes into a sort of bronzer sometimes that has a dustier quality without looking like I put brown/tan on my very fair skin. The pigment in it can pack a punch, so I think darker lovelies will find plenty to like while still being more natural and flattering.

NARS Douceur Blush

 The very finely milled powder, I find, does need to be worked a tiny bit with your brush to get it started on the pigment intensity I am usually looking for (then I blend the leftovers as 'bronze' at my temples, etc.). That is not to say that the compact is hard--just that the powder inside is very subtle and has a melt into your skin texture which can sometimes make it harder to tell where it's gone on without layering.

Douceur heavily swatched on left, blended on right

Kirkland Signature by Borghese Mineral Loose Eyeshadow & Mineral Eyeshadow Base

$17.99 for 0.53oz/15g & 2 brushes

At Costco, magic happens; there is really no denying that. You get to fulfill those long-suppressed fantasies of binge-shopping and have next to none of the guilt. In fact right now all I feel guilty about is not getting the anti-aging wrinkle defense serum in conjunction with my night cream, oh and I really want Fango--not a real reason, but it sounds like a do-it-yourself spa day in a jar.

But COSTCO, my love, this is a lovely birthday present for me! You shouldn't have! Count 'em: 4 full size eyeshadows (0.07oz/2g each), a full size/larger base (0.25oz/7g), AND TWO FULL SIZE BRUSHES. And honey, I've paid more for a single brush that's done less for me and my beauty than even just one of this seven piece kit!!! Lordy, my personal heaven has arrived, and it's a warehouse.....?.....

without eyeshadow or primer, only concealer

Setting aside my personal love for everything Costco, first, the two included brushes a perfect for use with these eyeshadows and every other eyeshadow you own. That's versatility for ya. One is a liner brush with medium firm bristles that will not scratch the lash line and have a dual fibered look (coloring, not composition). The other is a tapered slightly fluffy blending brush for both all-over and crease application, again with dual coloration, and both are fantastic at what they do.

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.

e.l.f. Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter- 2 products for 3 bucks and a "meh"!

$3.00 USD for 0.34oz/10g

As many of my other posts on e.l.f. products have shown, I'm not sure whether I rate and review products differently all together because of its price/brand. Knowing that eyeslipsface products are meant to be held to the 'higher standard' (or the standard of a higher price range) but cost a lower price, I can imagine, that while not entirely without bias, I am giving a pretty accurate description of how well the product works and what it is worth to me.

I mention all this because e.l.f. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter is one of those products that I want to describe correctly to show it's real worth. Does this product work? Yes, in many ways it does, but does it work better or as good as more expensive alternatives? No, I don't really think so.

First, the formula of both of these products is a little thinner than I expected. If you haven't noticed, a good rule of thumb with concealers are two things need to be present: thickness and pigment. Even if a formula is really pigmented, too thin of a consistency will mean that blending moves coverage away from areas you want; if a concealer is thick but lacks pigment, you have to layer and layer to get coverage and end up with patches of your face or body looking like you slapped a wax sticker on them. This concealer/highlighter is the former: it has decent and tone-correct pigment but too thin a consistency to concentrate the coverage. If I put this concealer all over my face, I would call it a good foundation, but this whole tube would only cover my face twice before being empty.

e.l.f. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter; Concealer above, Highlighter below

A Double Whammy From Britain--Rimmel Max Volume Flash and Soft Kohl

$7.49 for 0.29 oz mascara and 0.04 oz pencil

Since I've finished school and been on the hunt for a job, I've definitely been pinching my product purchasing pennies, so when I found a 'free gift' package on the Rimmel display, I grabbed it fast! I don't know that I needed or even wanted the two products included (well, I was looking for a new mascara), but man, am I glad I stopped to try them out.

Rimmel The MAX Volume Flash Waterproof Mascara had me a little worried upon first try; my lashes looked like absolutely nothing had been done to them which is not a good sign :-/ Then I took a moment to swish the wand around quite a bit around the sides of the tube, and presto! Beautiful volume!!! I'm excited by this mascara because it isn't overdone, i.e. it gives volume but not "I'm wearing fake lashes" volume. That always makes me feel like I'm trying too hard...or at least that I look like I'm trying too hard. Also, even though it is waterproof, it is not that hard to remove and doesn't seem to be as harsh on my lashes or in smell (because sometimes the smell will sting my eyes upon application).

Wearing Rimmel Soft Kohl Jet Black and Volume Flash The Max Waterproof on eyes, and Burberry Lip Glow in Nude Beige on lips