Go Red For Women – Part 1

Hey everyone! Happy February!

February 5 is Go Red for Women Day. This is a national movement founded by the American Heart Association to promote awareness of heart disease for women. You can support this day by wearing red on Friday, February 5. Check out the Go Red website for more ideas and ways to support awareness.

Each day this week, I'll feature a suggestion and link where you can either learn or participate! I'll also feature a "red" beauty suggestion.

Today's Link: Become a Member of the Go Red Movement! Sign up and receive a free pin, hints for a 12-week BetterU Makeover, and take a quick heart check up!

Red Beauty Suggestion: The folks at Rimmel London suggest a bold red lip with Lasting Finish Intense Wear Lipstick. Suggested shades: Red Alert and Tempting.

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Thursday Lipstick Party (aka Random Lipstick Post and Review)

It seems that I have become a lipstick fiend over the last few months. I still love my glosses, but lately I have been downright fascinated with the super grownup, glam, ladylike vibe of the lipstick tube. (Most of you know this already, since my blog has reflected my lipstick craze.)

Well believe it or not, there are still quite a few tubes that I tried out, but still haven't found time to review. So in the hopes of getting "caught up," I decided to talk about a few of them (non-reds!) today. So let's get the lipstick party started!

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Intense Wear Lipstick (In Amethyst Shimmer)

Blurb: “Intense-Wear” formula enriched with 50% more long-wear color-boost pigments. Lasts up to 8 hours! Vitamins C and E provide essential antioxidant protection.

I don’t usually pay attention to fragrances in lip products, but this one smelled really good – but with no flavor. The formula is very creamy and the color is a mauve/pink with a soft shine. I like it during this time of year because it's a nice break from the usual fall/winter colors. It feels silky smooth going on and wears well.

Smashbox Photo Finish Lipstick With Sila-Silk Technology (In Exquisite)

Blurb: Indulge lips with silky, rich color and lasting moisturization. Our innovative, exclusive sila-silk formula is enhanced with light reflecting polymers and silica for exceptional shine and flawless application. Vitamin E and Tahitian flower provide non-stop hydration and plush, cushion-like comfort. It’s like moisturizer for your lips! Winner of a Self Magazine Healthy Beauty Award and a Glam Beauty Award Nominee for Best Lipstick.

This is a beautiful Pinky-Brown color. A great everyday shade, and a wonderful formula. Smashbox combines moist shine with pretty good staying power. (And I know I'm not supposed to talk about reds in this post, but if you come across "Lavish," snap one up…just sayin).

Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick (In Cranberry Cream)

Blurb: The creamiest, richest, smoothest lip colour you can imagine. Our revolutionary gel formula delivers the shine of a gloss, the comfort of a lipstick. Drenches lips in moist, lush colour that glides on buttery-soft, feels luxuriously smooth.

This is a great holiday shade. It's a sheer, yet vibrant cranberry in Clinique's super comfy, shiny, moisturizing Butter Shine formula. I love the soft shine combined with the flattering (and festive) cranberry color.

Laura Mercier Shimmer Lip Color (in Fresh Brown)

Blurb: Laura Mercier Lip Colour - Shimmer now changes the way you feel about lipstick in one swipe in the newest, revolutionary lip colour formula. The wide range of shades and finishes enhances your lips appearance, protects them from the elements, provides hydration and cares for the lips like skincare.

This is another excellent everyday shade. It's a pretty, shimmery brown that goes with absolutely everything. Instead of a glossy shine, it has a sophisticated shimmer. I especially like wearing this outdoors in the colder months because it provides a bit of a shield against the elements.

Urban Decay Lipstick (in Oil Slick)

Blurb: Lips are sealed with decadently creamy, long-lasting color, a wide variety of textures, and a sweet lick of crème caramel. Armored by a menacing dagger, our Lipstick is a weapon of love.

Yes…it's black. I'm a huge fan of UD everything, including their lipsticks. The formula is fantastic and this shade is especially awesome. It's a sheer black with a silver shimmer. It looks fabulous (and flattering) by itself and thoroughly glams up any other color you might want to layer it over. (BTW: UD also has shadow, pencil and liquid liner in this shade…also awesome.)

I still have a few unsung lipstick heroes sitting on my vanity waiting for their moment of glory, but I'll save them for another time. Thank you for coming to my little lipstick party, and happy Thursday!
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Eye Feel Pretty...At the Drugstore: Rimmel London (review)

I keep trying things from Rimmel London and I keep liking them. Besides being budget friendly and incredibly hip; there's always some new cute innovative thing that I just want to pluck off the shelf and take home. Recently I tried out some seriously bag-worthy items. Please read on…

Color Rush Trio Eye Shadows:

Blurb: Fine light weight powder formulation glides on to lids. Contains jojoba oil, Vitamin E and lanolin to moisturize and nourish. Available in Trio and Quad color palettes for endless mix and matchable options.

Okay, first, these palettes are just so little and adorable! And the shadows: very sheer, pretty and fresh. Great for every day when you want color, but need to keep it understated. I tried three color sets. "Tempting" (a set of greens) really worked with my brown eyes. "Maritime" (blues) were pretty and flattering, and a hint of grey kept the colors from being too cutesy. Fever (violets) was my favorite. I loved it with my dark eyes and hair, and I also think it would be killer on someone with blond hair and fair skin. These colors are very sheer, but I also got more saturated color by applying them wet.

Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer
Blurb: Blendable liner that exaggerates eyes for a bold, strong effect. Built-in smudger and mechanical sharpener. Available in 6 summer shades.

The liners are another example of Rimmel’s extremely user-friendly packaging. Each liner has a sharpener and smudger securely attached. So perfect for your bag (because maybe you don’t feel like having a sharpener rolling around getting everything all smudgy). The definers also have nice small points – very easy to get close to the lash line.

"Emerald Sparkle" - love this color. It’s an iridescent teal/emerald green that reminded me of mermaids. I tried it with the greens, but I’m thinking of pairing it with the blues next time. "Purple Shock" - this color really pops. It's kind of a plumy lavender – extremely cool.

Both the liners and the shadows had great staying power. They lasted through really long, hot, humid days, and I even rubbed my eyes a few times. Everything stayed right where I put it, until it was time for…

Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
Blurb: Clear, fluid formula that gently and effortlessly removes all types of eye makeup. Enriched with moisturizers and pro-vitamin B5. Helps calm and soothe the delicate eye area. Oil-free, suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Dermatologically and Ophthalmologically tested.

This does a great job! It completely removed the shadow, liner and mascara with a few gentle wipes. It worked so well, I may try using it to remove my stage makeup. I also appreciated the handy flip top.

Rimmel London can be found in drugstores like Walgreens, CVS, duane reade, etc. and on sites like drugstore.com. Also, check out their website to see all the other cool stuff, and enter to win a tube of their fab Sexy Curves Mascara (which I reviewed back in April).
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Rimmel London (review)

Oh, it is Monday and I am very, very tired. But not too tired to attend to my beauty junkie duties and let you all know about some products I tried out. That’s right, I am going to show off my staying power (get ready for a lame segue way) by talking about 3 products with…wait for it…staying power!

My 3 items are new from Rimmel London. (FYI: This post is heavy on the blurbs because I used up all my brain cells coming up with that first paragraph.)

First item up for inspection: Rimmel London Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation

Blurb: Don’t let the summer heat melt away your makeup. Try Rimmel London NEW Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation. It's a fluid, shine-free formula that provides up to 12 hours of flawless and fresh skin! Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation is formulated with SKINPURE Complex, which combines a gentle dose of salicylic acid to clear up imperfections and botanical extracts to nourish, for visibly purified skin! This light-weight formula blends with ease hiding blemishes and imperfections without clogging pores which is vital in the summer heat.

I was very pleased with this foundation. The formula goes on evenly and has a really smooth finish (I got the best results by buffing with a kabuki brush). It felt good and stayed put through a very long day. The finish is definitely matte, but it doesn’t look dull. And I really love that this foundation contains salicylic acid (what with my complexion issues and all).

Next up: Rimmel London Sexy Curves Mascara
Blurb: Sexy Curves is the pin-up girl of mascaras that delivers up to 70% curlier lashes full of sexy, voluptuous volume! Its exclusive Lash Inflation Formula is collagen-enriched containing the protein, vitamins and conditioner that strengthen and amplify boring lashes. When paired with Rimmel’s breakthrough Triple Plump Brush applicator Sexy Curves Mascara delivers the curliest, thickest and sexiest lashes ever.

Ooh la la! That is some sexy blurb! I already have curly lashes, but I did notice some extra curl going on. Extra volume too. And very, very black (I used "extreme black"). But what I really loved was the brush. Possibly the most user-friendly applicator I’ve ever come across. The curvy brush gets rid of all the excess as it comes out of the bottle, and the curves make it easy to get every single lash.

And finally: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Gloss

Blurb: long-wear color gloss-- in over drive. An ultra-soft applicator glides on glossy color, while a one-stroke brush on the other end magnifies the color with a tinted crystal shine gloss. Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay is completely kiss-proof and food-proof giving lips magnetically kissable color for up to 10 hours! Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay is available in 12 vibrant shades, including ‘All Night Flirt’ which is perfect for summer lips!

I’m tired and I want to say, “just go buy this,” but that would be seriously lazy. But really, you should just go buy this – because it's an excellent duo. The deeper color goes on very smoothly, and the shine gloss has a smooth, glassy sheen with a little sparkle. It sets extremely well and my lips feel moist. I wanted to test its staying power properly; but there was no one around to kiss at the time(!), so…I opted for the highly effective “carrot cake” test. (I really should have opted for the “green salad” test, but I was weak.) Anyway, it stayed put! I've been wearing this for the last few days and it has fabulous staying power (even in non-cake situations). The shine gloss even lasts when worn alone. This is a really good find! I tried the "Crystal Rose" gloss which is a pretty, fresh pink. I may check out a few more colors this summer.

Rimmel products are available at CVS, Target, Ulta, Walgreens, KMart, and drugstore.com.