Product Reviews

We’ve discovered some great products and have beauty news and product reviews to share!

What to Know Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray

August 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Is Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray worth your attention? How does it compare to Elnett? We tested it out and here are our thoughts on What to Know Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray.

How Does Blow Pro Blow Out Serious Non-Stick HairSpray Compare to Elnett?

Blow Pro Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray is similar to Elnett with a few features I personally prefer.

Elnett is a beauty cult-favorite since it can hold a hairstyle and then be brushed out without leaving flakes or gunky residue, allowing a quick restyle or even a second day without re-doing your hair.

The hold property of Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray is similar to Elnett but it does not have the strong, obvious hairspray aerosol smell that Elnett has. I try to avoid wearing Elnett around people with allergies or in a professional work setting since I do not want a very obvious scent to my hair products.

But Elnett does have FANTASTIC holding power, Blow is a bit less hold but it also is not gunky after use so you can easily re-style.

How to Best Use Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray

I held my hair up taut and straight at the roots gave a light spray of Blow Pro and held it upright for about 15 seconds and it gave great volume that lasted most of the day.

The Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray Experience

The spray mist is very fine and does not get hair too wet with product, just a light veil that dries quickly. The scent is largely undetectable which makes it great for situations you wish to appear low maintenance and it is not sticky.

Blow comes in a convenient purse size that is great for travel, carrying in your bag for touchups and for the gym. It also comes in a more economical large size for daily styling use.

Where to Buy Blow Pro Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray

Find Blow Out Serious Non-Stick Hair Spray at Amazon

About This Post

We received this product to test out for our consideration from Lock and Mane.

What You Need to Know Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain

March 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

When Tarte came out with mascara that says it lasts 4 days, this got StyleChick Lyn’s attention. Here is what Lyn has to say about Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain:

I recently tried Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain, which Sephora says is a stain that keeps lashes looking naturally full for four days without reapplying.

Putting mascara on just twice a week sounded like a great time saver. Imagine waking up in the morning with full, thick, ready to go lashes? So I gave it a try and found for me there were pros and cons to the Tarte mascara.

Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain Experience

I did LOVE the way it looked when I first applied the mascara, and thought it was likely to replace my trusty mascara standbys of Imju Fiberwig or Shu Uemura Basic Black.

While Shu Uemura Basic Black is a light to medium dull black the Tarte mascara is very VERY black and glossy. The word stain made me expect more of a stain liquid consistency to the mascara (maybe like Liptini has for lips? Ooh that would be AMAZING) but the consistency of Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is not like a regular mascara or a stain, it has more of a liquefied vinyl feel to it.

Even when I applied it very gingerly, it did have a bit of a vinyl look when it dried, this is more noticeable from the side view of the lashes then the head-on . This mascara was not coming off no matter what and my lashes looked a mile long. My lashes held their post-Paula Dorf eyelash curler curl after the mascara application, which is a plus. I hate when mascara is so heavy that it droops a good lash curl immediately.

The problem was even though the Tarte mascara did not run, it did come to look plastic-y vinyl like on my lashes, making them look a little fake, especially where I was not careful to comb out any clumps. It is NOT a rush and go sort of mascara that you can quickly apply, it requires time.

My biggest problem though was it irritated my eyes as the day wore on, so wearing it for four days was just not going to happen. The vinyl-like feel is also so heavy that I was reluctant to wear it overnight for fear of damaging or pulling out my lashes due to the weight of the applied product.

I really wanted Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain to work and it did look absolutely great when first applied, sort of in an anime girl doe eye way,so I tried the mascara a few times, but each time my eyes got irritated and I got asked if I had been crying or if I was sick. I have never had a problem with a mascara before and I can tolerate most eye makeup and products well (and I have no problem suffering for beautys sake!) but Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain just irritated my eyes too much. It did not flake or run and the actual mascara stayed absolutely intact, so I am not sure of the source of the irritation. The lashes looked perfect even though my eyes looked red and bloodshot and itchy.

As a second beauty idea, I had also hoped the Tarte mascara could double as a grey hair root touch up in a pinch as it says it would last for four days, so I thought I might be able to cover a few pesky gray hairs that refuse to submit to hair dye. Now bear in mind Tarte makes no promises of the sort, but if you had the same idea that I did, I found it too thick and vinyl-like to actually apply to hair. There are some good temporary hair color pens just for this purpose now, I think I am going to just give in and try one of those.

But Tarte mascara looks so good when first applied, that if Tarte came out with a sensitive eye version, I would try it again in a heartbeat.

Where to Find It

Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is $18 at is available at Sephora.com

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Instant Boost Skin Tonic

April 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

You know how much we love the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare line, and I mentioned how great I find. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare’s Instant Boost Skin Tonic previously. In the last couple of weeks I’ve found a great new use for it – instead of wetting your makeup sponge with water, use Instant Boost Skin Tonic to gently pat down your skin between layers of makeup and for blending. Not only does it keep your makeup flawless, the wonderful combination of ingredients – among them being aloe vera, calendula, chamomile, cucumber extract, and Vitamin E – your skin will stay super dewy and nary a line will be visible on your face all day, with no greasiness at all. If your skin gets super dry when you office turns on the AC, I’d highly recommend this technique.

Find this amazing potion at LizEarle.com

Review: Stila Lip and Cheek Stain | We Love Cherry Crush

November 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Review: Stila Lip and Cheek Stain in Cherry Crush

As you know, I’m a huge fan of lip stains like those made by my favorite brand Liptini. So of course I had to give Stila Lip and Cheek Stain in Cherry Crush a try.

About Stila Lip and Cheek Stain

The great things about lip stains is that you can layer them, so you can get just a hint of color with one coat, or a dramatic pout with two or three layers. And while you can add enough layers of Cherry Crush to create a nice pop of color, it gives such a great “your lips but better” look with one layer you may choose to stop there.

The Stila Lip and Cheek Stain Experience

It is formulated to be a color that is universally flattering – and it certainly works on me. Think of that color your lips get when they just look great on their own – after you bit into a cherry or a juice strawberry, after sucking on a cherry popsicle, or after a hard workout – this is the color that Cherry Crush seems to produce on everyone who I’ve seen try it.

One of the ways it works on everyone is by reacting to the pH level on your skin. While there isn’t that much of a difference between one person and the next when it comes to pH levels, it’s enough to cause a change to the color of Cherry Crush.

Add to that the fact that it contains antioxidants and cherry and pomegranate extracts, and you have one impressive product.

Of course, the fact that it reacts to pH brings out the mad scientist in me, so I’ve been trying to see how different products of varying pH levels tweak the color, and the results are pretty cool.

Another pH reactive lipstick line is Lipstick Queen transformative shades. These include the beloved Frog Prince blush, gloss and lipsticks.

Stay tuned for my findings…

Other Stila Lip and Cheek Stain Shades

We also tried Stila Lip and Cheek Stain in Mango Crush and Acai

Stila Crush Lip and Cheek Stain Mango Crush

Stila Crush Lip and Cheek Stain in Mango Crush

Where to find Stila Lipstains

Find Stila Lip and Cheek Stain in Cherry Crush at Sephora.com