Today's Link Thingies: Labor Day

Happy Labor day, everyone! And if you're in Brazil (where I'm from), happy Independence Day holiday weekend!

I've added some new blogs and websites to my "Beauty Insiders" list (sidebar menu on the left), and in order to de-clutter my Google Chrome browser a bit by not having one gazillion (yet awesome) tabs open, here's a list of some of beautiful things I've been obsessing over the last 24 hours.

Let's call this:
  "Labor Day Weekend Best Of" List:

• 22 Best Facial Cleansers at Total Beauty. 

My favorites: Philosophy Purity Made Simple and Garnier The Brusher Gel Cleanser.

• 13 Best Face Concealers at Productaddicted.net. 

My all-time favorite: Lâncome Effacernes.

• How To Create The Perfect Cat Eye at StyleCaster . 

Very useful. For some reason, I always have a hard time trying to ace this technique.

Source: BecomeGorgeous

• Top 10 Makeup Brushes to complete your collection at Daily Makeover. 

The right tools really do make all the difference.

• 11 Best Drugstore Mascaras also at Total Beauty.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Hydrofuge in Brownish Black didn't make the cut, but it's my pick.

• Cosmopolitan's very own list of Life-Changing Beauty Products. 

Impressive list. Do people still read Cosmo?

Products That Changed My Life: Dry Shampoo

When I was a little girl, my mom taught me the precious trick of dusting baby powder to the roots of your hair when you didn't have time to wash it. The powder absorbs the oil, you can pull the hair into a nice ponytail and you're set for the day. Sounds great in theory but whenever I put baby powder in my hair, I always felt like I looked like this:

Baby powder never disappears completely into the hair, or at least, not mine.

Fast forward to the 2000's and we're granted with the gift of dry shampoos. These days there are several brands to choose from - Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo being the most popular - but basically they come in two varieties: powder and spray.

I've tried both and I didn't have a great experience with the spray form. It still dries as a powder on your hair, but you have to wait a few seconds after application. Biggest issue with the aerosol can is that the nozzle gets clogged up with the powder very often. They recommend you clean the nozzle with a cotton swab or run it under warm water, but if you don't have time to wash your hair in the first place, you probably don't have time to waste cleaning the stupid nozzle. Purpose defeated.

The powder form, on the other hand, is very easy to use. Unlike the classic baby powder, it disappears into your hair with little effort. I stick to the Oscar Blandi version - I buy the 1 oz (28g) travel size bottle and it lasts me at least 6 months. The same size spray bottle only lasted me a couple of weeks. I don't wash my hair every day anymore, not even in the summer. I noticed that with age (which doesn't mean I'm old, just older), my scalp is less oily than in my teens; add to that all the damage I do with blow drying, flat ironing, hair dyes, styling products... I don't have to nor should I wash it daily.

Dry shampooing helps me skip at least one day - two or more in the winter - of regular shampooing (without looking like this) and saves me a lot of time in the morning.

Application:

I usually dust the powder on my hand first (although Oscar Blandi powder comes with a nice precision application tip), then apply it with my fingertips to my roots, behind my ears, along the hairline on my face, where oil concentrates the most. I massage a little bit into my scalp, letting the excess powder blend along the strands of my hair. I finish with the blow dryer for just a few seconds to discipate any remaining residue of powder. Pronto.

Alternatives to Dry Shampoo:

If you don't have any dry shampoo available, you can always do the baby powder trick but hairspray also helps an awful lot. Hairspray dries out some of the oil in the scalp and can help lift roots up combined with a blow dryer and a large round brush. But make sure you use an aerosol spray, not a spray-gel or mist, since it's the alcohol (I know, oh well) in the aerosol that dries the oil out of your scalp.

Spray first and then blow dry and comb through so your hair is not sticky. I like to focus on the front sections of my hair (or bangs if you have them) and sometimes the roots in the crown of my head for extra lift.

Craveables:

Oscar Blandi now has a new product called Pronto Invisible Volumizing Shampoo Spray which I'm dying to try. They say this one is the best so far because it acts as a volumizer AND a dry shampoo without any powder residue, nozzle doesn't get clogged... Sounds perfect. I'm being cheap and I refuse to spend $23 on something like that, so I've been doing the poor man's version of it: I combine my Oscar Blandi original powder and a Pantene Pro-V hairspray for fine hair, but any volumizing spray will do. So far it works alright, but the amazing reviews on Oscar Blandi's product are seriously tempting me to just click the "add to basket" button on the website.

Also want to give Beyond The Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo a go and see if it's any good. It's only 7 bucks. You can get this at Sally Beauty, which is a kind of like Office Depot for salon professionals (not my case, but I don't work in an office either yet I love me some stationery!).

At Hot Beauty Health you can find a little break down of the "Top 6 best dry shampoos".

Today's Link Thingies

• New and creative uses for bathroom items at Shine Yahoo!.
• While on the same topic, I must add that you can use stick deodorant on your ankles before wearing sandals or shoes to avoid blisters.
• Another use for Vaseline: just a dab can transform your powder or compact eyeshadow into a creamy one.

• What is HD makeup? Is it for us, mere mortals? Web MD has some answers.

• While doing some image research for my last post, I came across this very useful foundation application tutorial at Wellsphere.

This I Tried: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse

I'm one of those people who swear by Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. That being said, I will avoid what could be a 5-page rant about how amazing and life-changing this makeup line is and (try to) go straight to my product review.

Besides my tendency to accumulate cosmetic clutter, it seemed reasonable enough to find a drugstore brand - more affordable - that I could wear to work and then save the BE for outings and such.

I'm reluctant to change because one of the amazing benefits of authentic mineral makeup is that it keeps my acne-prone skin from further breakout. There are a lot of brands these days that market themselves as "mineral" but when you read the ingredients, you find out they're still adding talc, alcohol etc. So, when you choose a so-called mineral makeup that is not Bare Escentuals, keep that in mind.

Revlon Colorstay foundations (mineral or not) are very good. I used to wear the Colorstay Active, which I believe is now discontinued and replaced with the Colorstay for Combo/Oily Skin with SoftFlex, and I loved it. It was high-pigmented so provided full coverage and it lasted all day. But then I abandoned liquid foundations altogether and that's another long story.

Never tried Revlon's line of mineral makeup (they first came up with the loose powder form) and I was about to buy their Photo Ready Foundation to see what the High Definition makeup brouhaha is all about but changed my mind last minute. I picked the mousse version so I could try something different from powder, in order to achieve a perhaps more "dewy" finish, while maintaining 4 properties I look for in a foundation:

• Full coverage
• Lasting power
• No pore-clogging
• SPF

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse has one gazillion ingredients, including alcohol, while still writing "mineral" on the bottle. I'm no scientist so I don't really know what ingredients define a makeup as mineral, but let's just say this one is not "pure". Whatever. If it clogs my pores I can always return it.

So onto the test:

Texture:

Texture is soft and indeed mousse-like. First ingredient on the list is dimethicone, which is a silicone that gives you that smooth sensation on skin. This foundation feels a lot like Philosophy The Supernatural primer, which is the primer I use under foundation. That's a good thing.

Shade:

There aren't a lot of shades to choose from - be warned - but the one I picked, 020 Fair/Light seems to match my skin tone without issue. When it comes to everyday makeup, always choose a shade that disappears on your skin. Now for pictures (say, if you have a wedding to go to), I would say pick a shade slightly darker than your skin tone, since the flash lights are never very kind on us, especially the pale faces like moi.

Application:

This mousse dries out fast without feeling too cakey. Another rule of thumb: when you use powder foundation, put concealer (liquid, powder or otherwise) on first. When you use liquid foundation, apply it first all over face and then concealer over it, only where you feel the need for more coverage.

Coverage with this foundation is good, I used the dot method, applying with my fingertips, blending in all the way to my neck to avoid the mask look. Had to go back a few times to cover some stubborn redness and zits but I forgot I can always use my concealer for it. With Bare Escentuals, it's all one product, you just switch brushes. So is it buildable coverage? Yes, but you don't want to stuff your face with the product, so don't skip concealer if you need.

I followed with Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer (which is really good, comparable to Lancôme Effacernes, but one slice of the price) and Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil in Translucent, which are both products I use even with my BE foundation.

Quick Tip:

The good thing about liquid or mousse foundation is that you can play with cream blushes and highlighters without streaking. It's easier to blend. If you're gonna use a cream blush, leave the setting powder for last. If you choose a powder or compact blush (or bronzer), apply a setting powder first.

Everything seemed to blend in okay.

The Look:

Please excuse the low-quality of these pics. My camera broke, my cell phone camera is a joke and so is the lighting in my house.

From top left: bathroom lighting, bathroom lighting close-up,

natural light and natural light profile.

You can notice in the pics that there are still some minor visible (acne) scars on my cheeks. I try not to go overboard with foundation for daytime, but you can always build more coverage whether with this foundation or a concealer, or both.

Performance:

I picked a very interesting day to test this makeup out. Ironically, I locked myself out of my house and had to walk to work. Granted, it's only a mile away, but it was a sunny Florida Hurricane Season summer day. In other words: hot, humid and windy. Add to that the greasy kitchen environment I usually work in and Revlon was in for quite the test.

I noticed no makeup meltdown as I sweat through the 90F+ weather. One thing I also like to use as a test for a new makeup is people's comments at work. If someone says something about my makeup at work (positive or not), I know it's not looking natural. When I go to work, I try my best to keep it looking like I have no makeup on, even though I spend about 20 minutes putting it all on before I leave the house. No comments that day. Second test passed.

Later that night when I came home, I noticed my makeup still looked reasonably okay, despite the usual oily spots that just happen no matter what I do. Nose, chin and forehead, nose being the first one to go. I'm too lazy to use oil blotting sheets at work, but I'm sure that would help and I recommend them, especially for touch ups. Other areas in my face could use a little concealer touch up as well, but overall, it looked decent.

Verdict:

Pretty satisfied with the product. Was my mind blown? No. Is it life changing? Meh. Is it better than Bare Escentuals? No way.

Like most liquid foundations, you still get that strange feel that you're wearing something on your face. A feel you only know exists once you try Bare Escentuals on. It's a fact. I'm very spoiled now and I love wearing makeup that doesn't feel like I'm wearing makeup. It's like switching from pads to tampons. Just being honest.

Is it worth the buy? Sure. For $12 for a 1 FL Oz/30 ml tube, it's a competent everyday makeup that will look natural on your skin (if you find a shade that matches). I Probably would not wear it to go out or for a big event because you can certainly find better (I will still give the Photo Ready foundation a shot someday). Also, don't expect the dewy "red carpet" look, because this will give you a more matte finish than anything else. Can you wear to the gym, for instance, or a beach barbecue? Absolutely. I noticed no makeup meltdown and it contains SPF 20.

Will I buy this product again? Hmmm, not sure. I'll keep shopping around. It's a maybe.

* ~*~ *

"My Makeup Reviews", in Australia, has a detailed review on this product, with swatches and comparisons.

This video can be pretty helpful too.

Products That Changed My Life: Garnier Skin Renew The Brusher Gel-Cleanser

I've been trying different facial cleansers for as long as I can remember, constantly switching and having multiple ones at one time for different uses. In the morning, I like to use a milder kind (like Philosophy's Purity Made Simple) , just to prepare my skin for the day. At night when I come home from work, I need the heavy duty stuff (currently using this Boots Botanics one), to remove all my makeup and excess oil. In the shower, I like to use a mild scrub (Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub), but nothing too harsh for daily cleansing.

Anyway... That's a lot of product clutter if you ask me, not that I ever had a problem with that. But I think I finally found a cleanser that combines all my needs in one cute little 5 Fl.Oz bottle: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew "The Brusher Gel-Cleanser". Long name. Amaaazing product!

First of all, whoever designed this bottle is a genius. The rubber scrubber brush is super soft and easy to clean, making this cleanser versatile and hygienic - for those of you bacteria-phobic freaks. The gel per se smells really good and fruity and so far my sensitive skin is loving it.

It's easy to use - believe me: I'm very lazy. I first tried it out to remove my makeup at night (except for eye makeup, of course, but I'm assuming we have common sense here) and it worked wonders. I simply moisten my face with lukewarm water, twist the cap where brusher is located, squeeze out some of the gel, twist cap back in and start-a-scrubbin'. It's so simple (dare I say... fun?!), mess-free, and the bristles give you a nice little facial massage... I'm in love!

I noticed how clean my skin looked and felt after rinsing. It's really more powerful than cleansing your face with your bare hands and as effective as scrubbing but less harsh on skin. I wear mostly waterproof makeup and it literally removed everything.

The best part of this godsend: it's only $.599 at Tarjhay!

Conclusion: this product does exactly what it claims: deep cleans and exfoliates, smoothes skin after 1 use. All true. It also claims to have Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and Green Leaf Extract. Now, I'm no expert, but I don't take all these vitamin things into high consideration when it comes to cleanser because after a few seconds, you're literally washing all those properties down the drain. But sure, thanks for the extra boost of vitamins, Garnier. The detergent properties are mild and have not caused my skin to dry. I'm super acne-prone and so far, no new breakouts. I also noticed some pimples vanishing faster after each use.

I read a few reviews on this product, saying they recommend a makeup remover first because it doesn't provide a super deep clean. I beg to differ since I always wear moisturizer with SPF, makeup primer, waterproof makeup, endure hours of kitchen sweating and grease and this thing worked like magic. But each skin is different and I urge you to try for yourself.

I just wanna buy this product to all my girlfriends, mom, relatives and spread the love around. Thank you, to the genius team (I'm gonna assume it was a bunch of experts) who created this!