Beauty Expiration Dates

Courtesy of the February issue of Real Simple magazine:

Your products won’t last forever, but here’s a comprehensive list of cosmetics and how long you can expect to keep them:

Anti-aging and acne treatments: Three months to a year. Antioxidants are easily oxidized, so be on the lookout for any changes in color.

Body lotion: Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.

Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel: About three years.

Bath oil: One year.

Sunscreen: Check the package for an expiration date.

Mascara and liquid eyeliner: Three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.

Eye and lip pencils: Three to five years. Sharpen them before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.

Lipstick and lip gloss: Two to three years.

Foundation: About two years. Most bottles are designed to last that long. And if you don’t use it, chances are you didn’t love it to begin with.

Perfume: About two years. To get more mileage out of a perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity. Instead, stash it away in a cool, dark place.

Nail polish: One year.

Hairstyling products: Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.

Bar soap: Up to three years.

Shaving cream: About two years.

Deodorant: Up to two years.

American Beauty Super Plush 10-Hour Lipcolor

On a trip to Kohl's recently, I got seduced by American Beauty's Super Plus 10-Hour Lipcolor ($16.50, now on sale for $14.85) in Blushing Rose (a deep-yet-bright rosy pink color that I've somehow come to associate with the holidays). I've been weary of long-wear products in the past as I've had bad experiences of them sucking my lips totaly dry, but lately I've been feeling annoyed by how quickly my normal lipstick or gloss rubs off (especially when I'm blowing my nose with any sort of frequency).

So I tried it. The verdict? Quite good, actually. I applied the color and as it dried 9the instructions say to give it 1 full minute) my lips started feeling a bit dry, but once I put the gloss on top they felt instantly better. The gloss is ok... not great, but not bad either. It actually lasted for several hours, which was impressive. But you can just as easily keep your favorite gloss or balm handy for re-moisturization rather than havw to carry the big lipstick-and-gloss combo here.

The color stayed true for a good 12 hours, with very limited flaking or looking wierd in any other way. By the end of the day I had to use eye makeup remover to get the color off, but it came off faily easily that way (which is nice-- I want something that sticks when I want it to, but comes off easily when I want it to).

So, yeah, I'm happy enough with this that I may go back and buy another color or 2. It's the long-lasting lipstick I've liked the most of the few that I've tried.

Lip Scrubs

I've been hearing a lot lately about "lip scrubs" and "lip exfoliators" lately. I've used the bristles of my toothbrush in the past to help get rid of flaky dry skin on my lips, but that can be awkward and rough so I was actually considering buying one of these new lip products.

Then I was lying in bed this morning and thought "Wait a minute... can't I just make one myself?!?" Now, I'm not normally your DIY beauty product person. I'm not sure why, but I just don't get around to making my own concoctions of stuff. But this one seemed like it could be so easy. So I tried it out. Here's my "recipe":

1. Squeeze some of your favorite thick lip balm onto your finger (I used my Philosophy Kiss Me lip balm).
2. Sprinkle some sugar on top of your glob of lip balm.
3. Gently scrub your lips with the mixture.

It's that easy. Since you're using sugar, it even tastes nice if you get some into your mouth. Then, simply rinse off and- TaDa!!- you'll have gorgeous, soft, plump-looking lips.

Good Skin Megabalm Ultra Soothing Lip Treatment

I LOVE this stuff. Good Skin's Megabalm Ultra Soothing Lip Treatment$9.50) is the BEST. It's so thick that it actually has staying power, and is so amazingly glossy so can be worn during the day as a gloss on its own. I usually slather some on each night, and it's definitely helped stave off dry-lips syndrome. All last week I was fighting a cold that rendered my nose useless as a breathing device. Normally the breathing through my mouth would leave me with dry, cracked, bleeding lips. But thanks to my awesome Megabalm, all I got was a bit of dryness.

Yes, it's a bit pricey for the small tube, but I swear it's worth it!

Clinique Color Surge Impossibly Glossy

I was at Sephora the other day and noticed that some aisles had been moved around... and then I saw the new Clinique aisle! I was browsing around and spotted their lip glosses. Just as I was thinking to myself "Now there's NO WAY I need to be spending $14.50 on lip gloss" I went ahead and started trying out some of their Color Surge Impossibly Glossy glosses.

Oh. My. God.

They weren't kidding when they put "color surge" in the name. Usually colored glosses only look colored in the tube, and the color is sheer at best once on the lips. Not these guys. It seriously looks more like lipstick with a high gloss shine over it than regular lip gloss. And as for the "impossibly glossy" part? Yup, that's true too.

I instantly fell in love with Braisin, a deep brown color with some rosy undertones that just looked so fab with my complexion and brown hair. Of course, this happened to be the one color for which they had a tester but no actualy merchandise yet (how cruel!). So I went to the Clinique counter at Macy's, and was told that that one particular color was discontinued. WHAT?! Just when I discovered it?? They said that many recently discontinued Clinique items would be sold by Sephora (I guess untill they run out).

Feeling quite defeated, I went home and searched for my discontinued lip gloss color online. Turns out it's still being sold at Clinique.com, so I immediately bought it. The best part? I signed up to be in the Clinique Club (took about 2 minutes and was free) and got free shipping on my order. Woot! I think as soon as I get this gloss in the mail I'lk be wearing it, like, every day.

Cirque de Beaute' at Sephora!

Beauty gift sets galore! Whether you're shopping for yourself, or getting an early start on your holiday gift list, you're bound to find beauty sets to please! So head on over to Sephora.com to check out The Greastest Gift Show on Earth! Let's see, I can already think of one friend who'd greatly enjoy the LipFusion Perfect Pout set ($39), and Philosophy's The Holiday House ($35) has already made it onto my Amazon.com Wishlist. Or how aboput Nars Multiple Orgasm ($49)? ; ) Oooh! And how about Stila The Gift of Glaze($28)! I've been wanting to get my hands on one of their Lip Glazes for a while now!



My goodness.... It's too much! Anyway, get your booties over there now to check out all these goodies!

MeltProof Makeup, Pt 3

This is the third and final installment of my MeltProof Makeup series! After this, I should hear no more complaints about makeup fading mid-day. ; ) Let's get to it, shall we?

Ok, so once you've got a good base for your makeup, and applied beauty products that have substantial staying power, you've done most of the work. All that's left now is to find a little something to "set" the look, keep it fresh and vivid all day long. This is the job of a good face powder. Loose or pressed, it's your choice-- I have always preferred pressed as it's more compact and easier to tote around, but I think it all comes down to personal preference. Once your makeup has been applied, a dusting of powder will take care of nay leftover shine, and help set your makeup so it won't budge. My current fave is Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Transluscent Oil Control Powder ($10.99 at drugstore.com). Many people also swear by Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil ($19).


While perusing the latest Benefit catalogue I came accross an interesting beauty tool- She Laq ($28), a liquid "sealant" that can be brushed over eyes or lips after makeup aspplication to seal in your makeup and keep it in place. It comes with a nifty brush set so you can easily apply the stuff over your eyeliner, shadow, mascara, or lipcolor. I have not tried this stuff and am not sure what to think of it-- I'd love to hear reviews from any of you who may have tried it.

Well, ladies, that's all I've got. I hope this post series has been helpful to some of you. As always, let me know if you've got extra tips for us! Other than that.... have a safe and happy halloween, everyone. =)

Meltproof Makeup, Pt 2

We've already taken a look at how to prep your skin in order to help your makeup stay put longer. Now let's take a look at the kinds of makeup items themselves that have great staying power.

Eyes

Let's start with the eyes. I find that a cream-to-powder eyeshadow formula tends to have better staying power than regular powder shadows. I don't have particular recommendations for this category, so I invite you to leave yours as comments! I know Revlon also has a line of Colorstay eyeshadows that may be worth a try.

For eyeliners, liquid or gel liners are almost completely budge-proof. I have yet to master the art of liquid liner application, but adore MAC Fluidline ($14.50) and Bobbi Brown Long Wearing Gel Liner ($18). Depending on the kind of brush (and color) you use to apply, you can make the line thick and dramatic, or fine and subtle.

Cheeks

I've heard claims that powder blush stays better than cream, and vice versa, so this is a bit more trial and error (and may have more to do with the texture and oiliness of your skin). But if you really want flushed cheeks that last, your best bet by far is a stain. Benetint($28) by Benefit is amazing. Another good choice that's a bit mor economical is Sonia Kashuk's Lip and Cheek Tint($7.99 at Target stores). Be careful when using either of these, they're called stains for a reason. Also, be sure to start out with just a little bit (a dot or 2 on the apples of the cheeks) and blend quickly. You can always add more color if you want a deeper flush.

Lips

If you want subtle color that lasts, dab a bit of Benetint (or any other stain) onto your lips. This will be more of a rosy look. But if what you crave is true color that stays put all day long, your best bet is a long-wearing lipstick such as Cover Girl Outlast Double LipShine ($8) or American Beauty Super Plus 10-Hour Lipcolor ($16.50, though currently on sale for $13.20). These can be a bit drying on the lips, so keep the accompanying gloss (or your favorite gloss or balm) on hand for touch-ups. It may also help to put on some lip balm about 5-10 minutes before you apply the lip color.

To help your regular lipstick stay on better, find a lipliner that either matches your lipstick or your natural lip color and fill in your lips entirely with it. This will give your lipstick a little something to cling to. Then apply lipstick with a lip brush. Go for thin coatings of lipstick, and more of them, rather than slathering on a thicker coat. I've been impressed by Revlon ColorStay Soft & Smooth Lipcolor (approx $8 or $9 at drugstores) and MAC lipstick($14).

Wishlist: MAC Holiday Collections

After reading TheMakeupGirl's review of MAC's new holiday gift sets, I think I just may have to run out and get some! I think my favorites are the Lip Kits (in fringe, pleat, beaded, and ruffle). Two lipsticks and a lipglass and a cool clutch for $32?? How do you say no to that?

There's also a Viva Glam lip palette ($32) with all 6 Viva Glam colors in it. I actually remember hearing about this when they had it last year but when I tried to buy it they had already sold out. Perhaps I will make another try at getting my hands on it this year.

Boy, my makeup tastes have been expanding onto more expensive territory, and my wallet ain't gonna be very happy with me...

Wishlist: Holiday Gift Sets!

Ok, so as I was looking through the Sephora website for yesterday's post, I stumbled upon all sorts of new, incredibly yummy-sounding goodies that Philosophy is offering as Holiday Gift sets. And... I want them all!!!

Let's see, first there's The Ski House ($35), which includes a 4 oz Double Rich Hot Cocoa ultra rich, award-winning 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Marshmallow Body Souffle, and a .5 oz Kiss Me Pink peppermint lip balm. I mean, my god, who doesn't want that? If I had Hot Cocoa body wash and marshmallow lotion, I don't know if I'd ever leave the bathroom. Ever.

Then there's Holiday Rescue ($25), complete with an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, plus a 3.5 oz Exfoliating Hot Salt Scrub. Another reason not to ever leave your shower.

And let's not forget some of the men that can make the holidays so sweet... Like The Ice-Cream Man, The Milk Man, and The Gingerbread Man. Each kit contains an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Pampering Shimmer Body Souffle, and a .5 oz. Delicious High-Gloss Lip Shine, for $38. If you're not a one-man kind of wioman, there's always A Few Good Men ($25), a lipgloss trio including one lip gloss in each of the scents above.

I've already added a few of these to my Amazon.com wishlist, and am considering getting them as gifts for friends and family. They just look too cute (and sound way too yummy) to pass up!

Benetint and BadGal Lash and Dandelion... Oh My!

I was at Sephora yesterday (bad Marcy! You know only bad things, and spending too much money, come of this!) and found this adorable and awesome gift set of The Best of Benefit. You get Dandelion (a "ballerina-pink facial luminizer", $26), Benetint (a rose cheek and lip stain, $28), and BadGal Lash mascara ($19), ALL in an adorable little keepsake box. This is a $73 value, folks, for (wait for it) all of $42!!! (Also available at www.BenefitCosmetics.com)

How was I expected to resist this?? ; )

Ok, so I had already been contemplating buying Dandelion, and I bought Benefit's PocketPal a while back so I know of the wonders of Benetint (and am starting to run out, by the way) so this really was a great value.

I used Dandelion today, as part of a neutral and light pink makeup day, and I have to say it is quite nice. Gives a very soft hint of pinkness. On those with medium to darker complexions it might be too light to show up well as a blush, but it might still work well as an all-over face powder, lending that hint of a pink glow that warms up your whole face. I think I'm much more likely to use Dandelion as an all-over face powder (as opposed to Dallas, which I use more strictly as a blush since I don't think the color is that great for a full-on bronzer. BTW check out the incredibly adorable limited-edition Dallas makeup palette! $28).

I must admit, I'm almost a bit scared of trying the BadGal mascara. That wand is huge! lol It's definitely a mascara for big nights out on the town. But my best gal friend and I are going to Vegas for a long weekend in November, so I will definitely be putting it to good use then!

Revlon Colorstay Soft & Smooth Lipcolor

With my affinity for Revlon lip products, I have to say I was a bit curious about this new set of Revlon Colorstay lipsticks that hit the market recently. So I broke down last week and bought Revlon Colorstay Soft & Smooth (non-sheer, in the black tube) in Mocha Silk at Target. I apologize that I do not have a price to go along with it, I can't remember exactly what it was and all I could find online was a walgreens website that claims it was $9, but i swear it was cheaper than that at Target... but anyway.

When I applied the lipstick, I noticed that it was indeed quite smooth and soft and creamy. I liked it. The color is a nice soft brown, great for fall. I was also quite pleased at how well it stayed on. The color wasn't quite as true or strong as with other long-wearing lipsticks (generally the kind with the gloss to go along with them), but I had a nice subtle color to my lips all day long, and my lips never felt dry or uncomfortable at all. I found an article online explaining the new SoftFlex™ Comfort technology behind this marvelous little lipstick, which is what allows it to stay on but feel comfortable as it does so.

Bottom line, I think I'll be investing in some more of these little lipsticks.

CoverGirl Outlast Double LipShine

A girlfriend of mine recommended I try CoverGirl's new Outlast Double LipShine ($8 at drugstore.com). Always up for a new beauty item to play with, I soon ran out to Target to buy me one. I have to say, I wasn't immediately impressed with the ad campaign-- the signs in the store advertised this lipstick as lasting "5x longer than the leading lipgloss!" Which made me wonder "what does that even mean??" We all know lipgloss, as fabulous as it is, isn't know for its staying power.

Alas, I wanted to follow up on the recommendation and bought it anyway (in Rose Quartz, a fun. somewhat bold pink color). I tried it the next day, and, well.... I'm not sure it'll be come a favorite. Yes, it did stay on all day long, and didn't rub off onto anything. I mean, this stuff stayed put!

However, it also made my lips feel dry. When I put it on, as soon as the color dried I felt it on my lips-- that feeling of something kinda thick on them, making them feel dry and parched. Even with the gloss applied on top I could feel the drynes underneath (I don't know if that makes sense, but yeah). All afternoon I had perfectly pink lips, but really I was itching to get home and take the stuff off. Maybe I've gotten too used to just wearing light lipgloss, I just didn't like the feel of this long-wearing product on my lips.

So, if you're looking for something that will stay put all night long no matter what, try CoverGirl Outlast Double LipShine. But if you're a girl who prefers having soft, free lips and don't mind reapplying every so often, find yourself something else.

PS- Hop on over to Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint to check out what's in my beauty bag (scroll through past entried from this week to uncover the beauty secrets of other blogging fashionistas)! And have a great Friday 13th, y'all. ; )

Revlon Super Lustrous Goodies

I've been a fan of Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick ($7.99 at drugstore.com) for ages. I've had at least a couple tubes of it in my makeup bag ever since I started accumulating makeup (my current faves are Smoky Violet and Plum Baby). It's smooth, creamy, has beautiful colors to choose from, and has great staying power. What's not to love?

So really, it should be no real surprise that when I finally got around to trying their Super Lustrous Lipgloss ($6.19 at drugstore.com), I fell in love with it, too! I'm not sure why I hesitated for so long... maybe because of my ability to immediately become incredibly undecisive when faced with several color choices when trying a new product? I don't know. Anyway, I finally bought it (in Shine City), and I love it! Very light and non-sticky. I think this may be my new favorite lipgloss. I've been considering going out and buying another tube, just so I can keep one with my makeup at home and one in my purse. Which, at $6, won't break the bank... something I always appreciate in makeup! ; )

Back to Basics

Sometimes the most brilliant beauty solutions are the simplest ones. I have to send a bit Thank You! to The Beauty Brains for reminding me of what a useful little product good ole petroleum jelly can be, and pointing me over to this site full of pointers for how to use it. Such as....

Moisturize your lips and more--If you don't want to pay a lot for expensive lip balm, makeup remover, or even facial moisturizer, then your answer is a tube of petroleum jelly. It can soothe lips, take off foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and more. It will even act as a moisturizer on your face. (I've also heard it can be great as a conditioner for your eyelashes).

Lengthen the life of perfume--You've picked out a great scent to wear on your night out, but it's got to last. Worry not. Dab a bit of petroleum jelly on your pulse points. Then spray on the perfume. Now you can dance the night away and not worry about your perfume turning in early.

Soften chapped hands--If you're constantly applying hand lotion to your tired, chapped hands, but then taking it off again so you can get more work done, try this tip. Apply a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to your hands just before you go to bed. By morning, they'll be soft and smooth.

No more messy manicures--During home manicures, it's hard to keep the nail polish from running over on your cuticles. Petroleum jelly can help your manicures look more professional. Dab some along the base of your nails and the sides. If polish seeps off the nail during the manicure, all you do is wipe off the petroleum jelly and the sloppy nail polish is gone.

Smooth wild eyebrow hairs--If you have runaway eyebrows -- the ones where the hairs won't lie flat but curl up instead, control the wildness with some petroleum jelly. Rub a dab into your brows. They'll calm down and behave.

Stop hair dye runs--There's nothing more embarrassing than a home hair color job gone awry. Imagine finishing applying that new auburn shade to your tresses when you notice that you've dyed your hairline and part of your forehead too. Next time, run a bit of petroleum jelly across your hairline. If dye seeps off your hair, the petroleum jelly will catch it.

Heal windburned skin--You've just had a glorious hike through the countryside in autumn. And as much as you enjoyed the changing colors of the season, the hike has left you with an unpleasant souvenir: windburn. Grab a jar of petroleum jelly and apply it liberally to your face or wherever you've been chapped. The jelly helps relieve the pain.

Click here to see even more uses.

I actually feel silly realizing that I don't have any Vaseline in my home at the moment, but I think I'll have to go out and buy a tub of it.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lots of beauty brands, big and small, have been launching special editions of their products to help fund Breast Cancer research. I was going to put together a post full of such products that I've come accorss, but then found that other blogs have already done so-- and possibly done a much better job than I could! So here are links to some great posts highlighting products that support breast cancer research.

Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint

Beautiful Makeup Search (this looks like it'll be an ongoing series of posts, so be sure to check back over the course of the month)

The Product Girl

If I find others along the way, or if I spot products that aren't already spotlighted in any of the above, I'll be sure to mention them here. Shop to your hearts' contents, gals, it's all for a good cause!

VS Very Sexy Makeup

Victoria's Secret recently launched its own makeup line, Very Sexy. I had a $10 off coupon I recieved for my birthday recently, so I went to my local Victoria's Secret Beauty store and checked some of their new products out.

I have a mosaic eye shadow kit that I bought from VS before they had their own official makeup line, and I adore it. So I was curious about some of their new mosaic compacts-- they have eye shadow, bronzer, and blush (left) powder mosaics, plus mosaic lip palettes ($18 each). If you like playing with blush, you may really like these-- they had a good variety of different shades in their mosaics that looked very fun. I liked the shadows-- they go on surprisingly sheer, and the colors are very pretty.

I also spent a good bit of time looking at their eye shadows ($12), and was very temped to buy Blindfold (a pale lilac) and No Strings (a darker, shimmery purple). They would have gone great worn with their sparkling eyeliner ($10) in lilac flash. I actually was very tempted by these eyeliners, they would be so fun to wear for a night out on the town!

The loose shimmer powder ($18) looked cool, too, but it didn't seem to come with a built-in applicator meaning I'd have to buy a separate brush for it. For $18 I'd rather it be a complete package. I also liked the gel eyeliner duos ($12, right), gel liner is such a great way to achieve a dramatic look that's much easier to use than liquid liner.

As for lips, they had a fun selection of lip gloss($12) and lip lacquer($12, left). I liked the lacquers, particularly Crush and Get Lucky, though these also did not come with any sort of applicator so you'd have to use a separate lip brush or your fingers. There's even a lip plumper (I'd expect no less from VS) for $18. It apparently has "Self-adjusting pigment [that] reacts with skin's pH to enrich natural lip color." Hmm.. asounds interesting. Perhaps I should've tested this one....

In the end I settled for an eye liner ($10) in Exotic Plum. I like that these eyeliners have a built-in smudger at the end.

Sephora Lip Gloss Pencil

I love lip gloss. Adore it. It is seriously one of my favorite makeup inventions EVER. So when I heard that there were these new contraptions of lip gloss made in a pencil form, you bet I was interested!

So I went out and tried Sephora's Lip Gloss pencil ($10)... and it's pretty sweet. Goes on nice and smoothly, gives very nice color with a good bit of shine. It's not *quite* the same as wearing gloss, but it's also a heck of a lot less sticky or messy, and you can carry this pencil around in your bag all day long and never have to worry about it spilling onto anything else.

My only complaint? The color selection leaves a bit to be desired. I have mine in 05 (plum shimmer) which is nice, but it's a fairly bright pink-- great for going out, but definitely not much of a day color (unless you like being bold). It was really the only color that appealed much to me. But that may just be my personal preference... and my difficulty in buying new makeup formulas in colors that I already have in something else (which really can make it hard to shop, since there's only so many colors! lol).

Best of Sephora 2006, PLUS Sephora Blog!

I recently went over to the Sephora website to discover their new homepage listing all their Best Products (voted on by 150,000 Sephora shoppers)! Check out results such as Best Cleanser (Philosophy Purity Made Simple), or Best Lipstick (Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita). And there's much, MUCH more where that came from!

AND get this... Last week Sephora launched its own Beauty BLOG! You bet your booty I'm adding them to my bookmarks list!

Is it silly how excited these 2 findings have made me? I'm positively giddy... lol! I guess that's what a growing addiction to beauty products will do to ya... ; )

MAC Lipglass

I've heard enough raves about MAC's Lipglass ($14) that I figured it was time to go out and try it myself. So I headed out to the mall and went to the MAC counter at Nordstroms. I looked through the selection of different shades of tinted lipglass, and settled on one that intrigued me-- Viva Glam V, a sort of shimmery nude color. I was somewhat surprised, though, to see that the usual arrnagements of tissues, q-tips, and other applicators for testing purposes weren't readily available, which made me self-conscious about wanting to test out any of the colors, and we all know how hard it is to tell what a color will look like just from looking at the tube. One of the makeup artists came over and helped me out, and let me try the lipglass along with a lip liner I was interested in, and I was pretty sold.

I liked how the gloss felt on my lips- light, non-sticky, but still moisturizing and nicely shiny. I have to say, though, that I'm not sure it's really superiod to Flirt!'s Plushious Liquid Velvet Lipcolor ($10). I wondered if this would be the case, knowing that both MAC and Flirt! are owned by Estee Lauder, and have some of the same playful feel to their products.

So, while I'm happy with my MAC purchase (especially since it was a Viva Glam color, and therefore went towards AIDS research), I think my future purchases will be with Flirt! instead, and save myself the $4 per tube of gloss. Also, with Flirt! I'm limited to Kohls stores only, but I can browse and test to my heart's content, which I can't do at MAC stores. I like being able to do my own thing when looking at makeup and not have to rely on a makeup artist to help me test different products. I understand why MAC may do that (help match up people with the right products, etc) but it's just my shopping style and what makes me most comfortable.