My New Favorite Lipgloss! Smashbox O-gloss!

Okay...

So last week I was in Sephora and I was in need of a "feel better buy". It was the day of my Mint car-sharing debacle and I was so PO'ed about it! Anywho...I saw an ad earlier in my Sephora email newsletter about a new lip gloss from Smashbox called O-Gloss that works off of your body chemistry to create the perfect pink tinted lip gloss color.

So, no lie, I was a tad bit skeptical. As anyone who is brown toned knows...sometimes colors that are toted as "awesome" for the fair skinned masses don't always come up to snuff for those of us with more melanin! So, I was at the Sephora in the Palisades and decided to give it a try. I smeared some on my hands (as I never put tester make up on my face - heeve skeeve that's like putting everyone's bacteria on your body!) and within a minute or so, a very sheer soft pink shade began to appear. It swipes on clear and then you feel minor tingling as it starts to take effect. I have it on in the pic below with the poor boy cap on but it was starting to dry up so I don't know how well you see it - but it was just a hint of color which, on my lips, I prefer. I'm more about doing the eyes up rather than my lips. :)

Okay, so now I'm in love with this stuff! I think it's around $20 a tube but so worth it! Smashbox also has a lip gloss with the same tint regulating properties but it also includes a lip plumper. Personally, I don't need a lip plumper (lol) however I'm sure it does wonders for those who do.

Verdict...big thumbs up! :)

Neutrogena's New Make Up Line

Okay,

So as many of you guys know, I'm a BzzzAgent (www.BzzAgent.com) and my latest assignment was to review a new mineral cosmetics line from Neutrogena. Sadly, I'm kind of doing this under the wire...but I won't tell if you don't!

Anywho...I was given a make up kit to test! Super easy since I'm a make up junky. You can usually find me at Sephora at least once a week. But don't think that I'm kind of make up snob! I'm not...I still have yet to find anything that beats my Wet 'N Wild Liquid Megaliner in black...smooth & precise every time!

The Kit:

This was a four piece kit with the following items:

-Concealer in # 15 w/SPF 20 and loose powder in the bottom

-Nourishing Eye Quad "Tea Biscuit 120/Neutrals w/SPF 15

-Nourishing Eye Liner in Brown Sugar with a smudger on the bottom and a pencil sharpener inside.

-Healthy Volumizing Mascara in Charcoal



So, I gave it a whirl tonight and decided to apply it:

Okay...so the make up had potential but I must say, this set without some additional extras from other make up is a no go if you are of a darker skin tone (such as I am!). After taking the time to apply it, I felt as if I hadn't put any make up on at all. :(

The concealer can appear really light and for a novice (I'm not a novice, I used to work in Sephora and I live for make up), if you apply too heavy, darker skinned users will find that it's super reflective. I only applied a bit under my eyes. It does conceal quite well though. Typically I can have what appears to be bags under my eyes but you can't see any bags which is fab!

Next up was the eye shadow quad. Overall it was farely simple to use (a plus!) and the helpful labeling on the cover and illustrations on the back makes it easy for make up-phobes to create a simple smokey eye without trying to guess what colors go where. But honestly, for my skin tone the colors didn't even do a good neutral look...as you can see from the pics...


Kind of felt like I had raccoon eyes. Granted this is because I didn't mix in any of my other make up stash...until....

I tried to use the Brown Sugar eye liner that I got in the kit but I just couldn't. It matched my skin tone exactly - meaning that you couldn't see it at all. I traded it in for some Almay black mechanical pencil eye liner that I had.

Next up was the volumizing mascara...possibly if I wasn't already a fan of Fiberwig, I would have found this impressive. It did plump somewhat...but if you're familiar with Fiberwig and its abilities...this isn't really competitive.

And finally I cheated and used an illuminizer/bronzer combo that I bought from Sephora...because using just the Neutrogena (even with the Almay black eye liner) made me feel washed out. :(

The final verdict - The Eyeshadow Quad and the Volumizing Mascara are the best bets out of this line (specifically for the neutral palette). If you're not afraid of make up - the Quad is good for any skin tone, but you'll need to work it to make it pop. The Volumizing Mascara provides some decent results...but you won't get dramatic results unless you apply falsies before putting on the Mascara.

The Brown Sugar Eye Liner and the Concealer are too light for darker tones - I recommend them for olive tones or lighter...I think it would have a better effect.