It Cosmetics Bye, Bye Foundation review and bachelorette weekend in North Hampton!!

9/25/16

Hello beautiful souls!

I am feeling relaxed as I draft tonight's blog entry. I spent the last two nights in North Hampton, Massachusetts. If you are unfamiliar with the location then open a new tab and google it right now. Picturesque right? 
This past weekend we celebrated one of my very best friend's bachelorette party. It involved ghost stories, hipster shopping, campfires, psychic visits and flower crowns.
It was the perfect relaxing getaway before the wedding next week. 
Honestly 2 nights wasn't enough time there in my opinion. I definitely plan on doing another long weekend trip there so I can really get out into some of the hiking trails. Maybe a yearly girls trip is in order.

One of the Silly but still PG photos

On to the beauty review:
Over the past three days I have been applying the It cosmetics Bye, bye foundation, tinted moisturizer. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this product it is supposed to be a full coverage moisturizer. Meaning that, it will give you the same coverage as a full coverage liquid concealer while still moisturizing your skin and protecting it with an SPF of 50++. 

Shade: Medium Retails on Website for; $65.00

Applying: Now although it was recommended to apply with fingertips I couldn't bring myself to do that. So the first day I applied it with a beauty blender. It wasn't amazing. I thought I had to put a lot on even though it had a quite thick consistency. The next two days I applied it with a dense buffing brush and it covered quite nice.
Coverage: So when you pump this product out it is very thick and opaque. It does cover nicely like a foundation although you do have to work it in a bit more than with a liquid foundation. I assume that is because that is because it has so much sunscreen in the product. I would have to say all in all the coverage is excellent when you consider that this product is a tinted moisturizer. 
Wear time: Now on the back of the product it says that you should apply every 2 hours as needed. Now this is really the biggest drawback to this product. I feel like putting something on your face every two hours for lasting coverage is very inconvenient. Most consumers work and applying face makeup during work hours is a waste of valuable time. Not to mention I know that I would feel pressured to hurry and do an awful job blending it back in. I found that this product lasts about 4 hours on the skin before it starts wearing thin. I will say that my skin has been feeling quite soft after using this product.

An Hour into wear time.

Final impression: Alright time to wrap this up because I am one tired flower child. This is definitely a product that is different from others and has way more coverage than any other product in the same category.  However, I feel like you have to use a lot of this product for a single application and at a $65 price point that can get over the top expensive. At that price you could buy a facial moisturizer and a nice full coverage foundation that would last you twice as long. I have used drugstore bb creams in the past like the one by Maybelline and Rimmel cosmetics. Both lasted 4-6 hours which is comparable to the It cosmetics except... I spent under 10 dollars on the other ones. I will still continue to use this product because it's not that it isn't good its just underwhelming. It does do what it says it does you just have to decided if it is the product that meets your beauty and fiscal needs. When I watched the infomercial I was soooo excited to try it too....wah wah.

Thanks for reading! I will catch you later Mermaids!

On a Tuesday product review: Estee Lauder Double wear foundation and my Learn French app!

Bonjour!

Hello all,

Hope everyone's work week is going well! I don't know about you but, I feel like it is moving by really slow. Alas, I am here again procrastinating unpacking and talking about my latest beauty find.
So let's get into it.

Estee Lauder Double wear foundation:

I am in shade Shell Beige Price $39.50

Alright so first off I realize that this foundation has been around FOREVER but it's new to my life so this is a current review.
Quick backstory, I went shopping with my friend at the mall a couple of weeks ago to go to Sephora. We parked at Macy's and on our way we noticed it was gift week at Estee Lauder. I don't know if you are familiar with gift week at the beauty counters in Macy's but it's worth waiting for. Typically there is a spending limit for the free gift but the gifts are generous and gives you chance to try out some sweet products that you normally wouldn't splurge for.
My friend is just as much as a makeup junkie as I am so of course she came over prior to hang out and glam up before we went shopping. This is an important part of my story I promise. Back to Macy's, I had been on the hunt for another higher end foundation, I had finally found the perfect drug store foundation (blog to come) and now I wanted a solid long wearing foundation. I had heard amazing things about the Estee DW and wanted to swatch a few shades for consistency. The girl at the beauty counter was such a love, she gave us very generous samples of a couple of shades she swatched on our neck. I did tell her that I had a full face of makeup on but she thought the small patch she removed on my neck was sufficient. I was matched in a neutral shade called spiced sand. It was the darkest foundation I had ever purchased but I wanted to have faith in the Estee's rep confidence. Also, the bottles are frosted glass and it can be tricky to define the true color.
I woke up the next morning, injected coffee, played with my kittens and started my face routine. Tommy and I had plans to go shopping for some things for the new place.
Although I think I have good lighting in my bathroom nothing compares to the honesty of sunlight. I finished my makeup thinking it was slightly too tan for my skin but I made it work. I got into the car looked in the mirror and I was... orange.
I am a Cape Verdean girl and my complexion on my neck is darker than most of my face. I instantly new that wearing a full face of makeup to go buy foundation was a mistake. I could only laugh at myself and suffer through the rest of the afternoon.

Get to the point CLO!
Long wear hey!
So later on while Tommy was snuggling his little oompa loompa I got up to shower and noticed there was no transfer on his black shirt from any of my makeup. Say what!? I had been wearing that foundation out in the late summer weather for about 10 hours and my love was slightly sweaty from moving boxes. The foundation was just as full coverage.
Two days later I did go back to Macy's and exchange the unopened foundation (I used the sample) for the correct shade. That evening with nowhere to go I did my makeup. I LOVED IT. It was  fabulous, full coverage yet natural enough looking and not heavy at all.
If you are looking for a great full coverage and satin/matte finish for the cooler seasons then I definitely recommend this one!
Application tip: Use a damp beauty blender. A little of this product goes a long way and the beauty blender is the best way to distribute this foundation evenly.
I hope you guys enjoyed this review, by the time I post this it won't even be Tuesday #insomnia. Thanks for reading my ramblings!
Below is a couple of selfies with the new foundation. Foundation only in the first pic and then with additional makeup the second :)

Fun note: I downloaded a speak french app on my Iphone and I am having so much fun with it! It has become my new lunch time hobby. As if I didn't already have enough.....xoxo

Don't forget to follow on instagram @metal_mermaid31

My beauty lessons this summer.

Hey Guys!
Welcome to the new and improved blog!

After my web cam pooped the bed I took the summer off from blogging but during that time I was able to get re-inspired and really expand my beauty knowledge and collection.

The YouTube channel: So about 6 months back I started my YouTube channel "Clo's Color Corner." I was so excited to finally be acting on something that I was passionate about so I watched a couple of "how-to" videos on starting a channel, bought a good webcam and off I went. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the "rules" of YouTube as well as outdated some of my makeup techniques were. I am not saying that it was bad, I have always been blessed with doing makeup well, I am just saying that I definitely picked up a wealth of knowledge. Below I will post a picture of how I did my makeup then vs. now.
Then:

Now----------------->

Summer Concerts: So like every summer in New England all the great bands tour the area. Outdoor festivals make for great memories and experiences. I was lucky to be able to go to several outdoor concerts with some of my very best friends. During this time I acted like a sponge being open to all forms of style that was set before me. I admire the bravery in being unique. I feel like if people were more comfortable expressing themselves then they wouldn't judge those who already do and we could all learn from each other. O.k. sorry for that little segue I just took. Back to my beauty lesson, being that it was the summer and temps during the day can run in the 90's it was more important than ever that my makeup lasted through moshing, crowd surfers, and the combination of alcohol and sunshine. I am happy to say that I learned how to be bullet proof, well my foundation anyway. I will be sharing new tips in upcoming posts on methods to achieve whatever finish you are looking for.
Warp Tour Selfie, I got to attend two this year:

Summer Sun: Summer days can provide the absolute best and honest lighting that there is. Some days the rays can stream over your face in a way that no Instagram filter ever could or, other days it can highlight every hair or imperfection that you have on your face. Doing your makeup next to a sunlit window is always preferable. To help hide the imperfections I found pore minimizing primers and translucent powders can be your best friend with out adding additional cakey layers!

A no Filter Sunshine friendly day.

Best Summer beauty staples of 2016: The two things that I will take with me as I move into the next semester of fall beauty is Highlighters and metallics! Metallic liquid lipsticks and eye creams have really changed the way I plan my makeup looks. There is nothing more flattering than a pop of metallic cream shadow in the center of the lid and inner corners. Metallic liquid lipsticks give you the most glam lips without going into the glitter territory....ugh I love.
On to highlighters...what can I really say? They make you glow in any spot that you desire. The good ones can make your innerlight shine out of your face a like a romantic dream! I am just a little passionate...

THE FUTURE: All caps just to be dramatic. The next few months I will be teetering away! Tommy and I just recently adopted two little furry angel kittens Comet and Nova. They are too adorable for words. Also we just moved 3 weeks ago! So, of course I am still unpacking and procrastinating like whoa. Between all this is my herbalife diet. I haven't really spoken about it because I like to diet in private haha. It has been successful for me so far so I plan on really giving it all I got again before the holidays. Most importantly, I will be dedicating the time into my beauty blogging, instagramming and YouTube again. I have a fresh take on things and am excited to share this journey with all of you!
Thanks for reading!
xoxo Clo
Instagram: @metal_mermaid31