Rare Minerals: Purely Nourishing Facial Moisturizer

Rare Minerals Purely Nourishing Facial Moisturizer

I was not prepared to learn that I had run out of this moisturizer. As you can see, the packaging is not see-through so there was no way for me to know! The bottle is sleek and pretty, sort of iridescent, but I do wish that I could see the amount of product inside.

I don't have much to say about this product other than that I liked it. It was a nice, smooth cream moisturizer that kept my skin happy. It dried quickly without leaving any greasy or sticky residue. It's not a heavy moisturizer by any means. I think it's somewhere between a light and medium-weight formula. It does have a light scent. I always thought mine smelled a bit like it had soured but it was not unpleasant, just a little off. The product still worked nicely and my skin did not have any bad reaction so I think it was probably fine.

It claims to have "skin-renewing benefits" that will make skin look healthier and more vibrant but I cannot vouch for those. I'm still relatively young so it's hard for me to say.

They've since changed their packaging and formula. Mine does not specify the skin type it is designed for but the new ones come in two forms, one for combination skin and the other for normal-to-dry. I don't know what else has changed about the formulas so I can't really make a recommendation. I like what I had and would be open to trying the one for combination skin.

Estee Lauder: Advanced Night Repair Eye

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye

I originally got Advanced Night Repair Eye as part of a gift with purchase. I was blown away with how much I liked it. It is actually my favorite eye care product! I ended up getting the full-size when I finished the sample.

The formula is amazing. It's not a cream, nor is it a gel. I'd say it's more like a serum but denser. It glides on smoothly and leaves the skin feeling silky. It is incredibly soothing, which is why I love it so much because my eyes are easily and often irritated. It dries quickly and doesn't leave any greasy residue. It is basically everything I could ask for.

I can't vouch for whether or not it reduces or prevents wrinkles. I think I'm young enough that those aren't a concern quite yet. I've seen reviews from people saying that it reduces dark circles. I have not personally had that experience but to be fair, I was never looking for it. I just wanted a product that would moisturize and hopefully protect the skin around my eyes. This does that in a very nice way.

I completely recommend this, especially if you have sensitive eyes! This felt so nice going on when my irritated eyes felt like they could not handle any products. A 0.5 oz pot is $49.50, which I think is average for an eye cream but not a trivial amount by any means. Try it out at a counter to get a feel for the texture. I think you'll be pleased!

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye

Essie: Glamour Purse

Essie Glamour Purse

Essie's Glamour Purse is a shade from their new Fall 2011 collection. I don't know what it is about taupe colors that is so darn irresistible. They seem so neutral and basic that I thought I might have a similar polish already, but luckily I don't!

Glamour Purse is a lovely mushroom brown with just a touch of mauve. I find that a lot of other taupes can be so gray that they end up with strong purple tones. However, the brown predominates here, which I am very happy about. In the bottle and in natural lighting, I can see the hint of plum but it is subtle. When I first painted this onto my nails, I actually didn't see any purple at all. It seems that under artificial lighting, the purple tones are not apparent.

The formula was a bit lacking this time, which is too bad because I've quite enjoyed my other Essie polishes. This one was more watery and it took longer to dry. Quite a few of my nails smudged and had to be redone.

If you don't mind waiting a bit longer for your nails to dry and you're a taupe-lover like me, then I think you'd like this shade. For me, it is the only taupe in my collection that looks more brown than it does purple. However, I imagine that there are many comparable shades out there so perhaps check your collection first.

Essie Glamour Purse (with flash)

Essie Glamour Purse (natural light)

Sleek Makeup: Delivery!

Sleek Makeup Package

I could not help myself when I saw that Sleek had released a nude palette. I bought three of their palettes when I was in London and I love my experience with them thus far (especially with Storm!). I had been been hankering for the Oh So Special palette so when I learned about Au Naturel, I decided to go for it.

I padded the order with as much stuff as possible to justify the shipping cost. Postage was really not bad at all. It's marked on their FAQ as being $13.50 but it actually came out to $10. To put things in perspective, I placed an ELF order today (I know, I'm awful) and the domestic shipping cost is $6.95. Relative to that, $10 for international delivery is certainly acceptable. Still, I prefer not to pay shipping whenever possible so I figured I might as well order everything I might want all at once.

What I was really thrilled with was how quickly it came! It was shipped on the 8th with an expected delivery time of 10 days. I figured that to mean 10 business days or 2 weeks so I was totally thinking it would come around the 22nd. Today's the 12th! What a pleasant surprise!

I thought the items were nicely packed too. The eyeshadows in one of my palettes (Bad Girl) did crumble some but it's nothing major. I'm not worried about it.

The order came with a free gift. I don't remember if you have to spend a certain amount to qualify for it. I believe you do. Anyway, the gift is a mini lip gloss (you get a choice of colors) and I was delighted to find that it's actually on a little keychain! That's adorable! I won't be sticking mine on but it's a nice touch.

I haven't yet tested any of the products (not even swatching) other than the free lipgloss but reviews will be coming. I just wanted to share my experience ordering through their website. I understand that people may have reservations about placing international orders. I know that I do. However, I'm very pleased with this transaction! I'm excited to try out the products!

P.S. I plan to do a review of neutral palettes since I've collected quite a few, from drugstore options to higher end brands. It will probably take me a while to test everything extensively, not to mention my perpetual lack of time. Still, I think it will be fun and informative! Keep an eye out.

Free gift: Mini High Shine In Your Dreams

Sleek Pout Paints: Minx, Peek-A-Bloo, Pin Up, Port, Peachy Keen

Sleek Pout Polishes: Perfect Plum, Electro Peach

Sleek Palettes: Au Naturel, Oh So Special, Bad Girl

Sleek Nude Collection Au Naturel Palette

Sleek Oh So Special Palette

Sleek Bad Girl Palette

Project Pan: Bare Minerals Foundation, Philosophy Hope in a Jar

I just wanted to record some products that I finished off.

Philosophy Hope in a Jar

I went through my second tub of Hope in a Jar, which I have reviewed before here. I mentioned in my review that the product that gets stuck on the lid dries up and gets tacky. You can see in this picture that I lost a good amount of product that way because I took this traveling with me.

Bare Minerals Foundation

I also finished off a pot of Bare Minerals Foundation. I'm not sure about this but I feel like they've changed their formula because I have a newer pot that applies better than this one. There are a million reviews out there already but to keep it short, I do really like this product. It was the first foundation I ever tried, and it is the only mineral one that I have ever used. I think these are very safe for beginners because they blend in easily and look natural. You don't have to worry so much about color matching or disguising color lines like you do with liquid foundations. These are also natural so they're great for when your skin isn't faring well. I'll probably always keep one handy even though I mainly wear liquid foundation these days.

I really need to do a true project pan because I have an overload of stuff. I went crazy swatching yesterday and realized that I have some pretty awesome things that I never, ever use! I just hoard, which is terrible. I don't appreciate what I have when I keep getting new things so I'm going to do my best to stop!

Chanel Black Pearl Dupes: Urban Outfitters Ashtray, Revlon Black with Envy

Urban Outfitters Ashtray, Chanel Black Pearl, Revlon Black with Envy

Urban Outfitters Ashtray, Chanel Black Pearl, Revlon Black with Envy

I raved about Chanel's Black Pearl a little while back. I was so fascinated with the color that I could not help myself when I saw Ashtray at Urban Outfitters, as mentioned in this post before. It looked incredibly similar. A bit of Googling led me to someone's observation that Revlon's Black with Envy also seemed similar. I already had this color but had never gotten around to wearing it. I decided to compare all three at once.

Index finger: Revlon Black with Envy
Middle finger: Chanel Black Pearl
Ring finger: Urban Outfitters Ashtray

Index finger: Revlon Black with Envy
Middle finger: Chanel Black Pearl
Ring finger: Urban Outfitters Ashtray

As I hope you can see, both are pretty good dupes for the coveted Chanel polish! Ashtray is closer in color and finish. It seems to have more shimmer to it than Black Pearl but the end result has some of the same pearlescent quality. Ashtray's formula is nicer as well compared to Black with Envy. I am not very good at analyzing polish formulas because I tend not to notice unless a formula is pretty awful or very impressive (like Black Pearl). Ashtray was not remarkable to me in any way so I think it is standard in the way of formulas. It was not bad but it was certainly not like Chanel's. However, at $4-5, I really can't complain.

Black with Envy looks charcoal gray in the bottle but the deep green tones are present once applied to the nail. It is visibly darker than Black Pearl, though I doubt anyone would notice the difference unless I pointed it out. I don't think this one has any hint of a pearl finish. It is just a shimmer. Its formula was definitely the weakest. It is quite thin and watery. I have had problems in the past with watery Revlon polishes so I think this is just the way it is with their nail lacquers.

In summary, I am quite impressed with how close these dupes are to the real thing. I'm not sure whether to feel glad or sad, since I did pay $25 for a dupeable polish. The quality of the Chanel polish is far superior but as I mentioned above, I am not a formula-oriented person. I care most about color and finish. If you're like me, then I think you'll be very happy with Ashtray. Between Ashtray and Black with Envy, Ashtray is more similar, has a better formula, and might even be cheaper. It is $4 when you buy 2 from Urban Outfitters, or $5 for a single bottle. The Revlon polish is darker and has a different finish than Black Pearl. It might have been a limited edition shade so I'm not sure about its availability. I think Revlon polishes go from $5-6. Ashtray is the way to go!

Ring finger: Urban Outfitters Ashtray
Middle finger: Chanel Black Pearl
Index finger: Revlon Black with Envy


Ashtray on left, Black Pearl on middle finger, Black with Envy on right

UPDATE 9/6:

I tested my boyfriend to see if he could tell the difference in my nail colors. He could easily pick out Revlon's Black with Envy but he was not able to tell the difference between Black Pearl and Ashtray. To be fair, I only had one nail painted with Black Pearl but I still think they're a close match!