January 20, 2011

Oily Skin Products

Hey everyone!

Check out my new video on the best products for oily skin:

OILY SKINNNNN :D :D :D

-- Josh <3

January 18, 2011

Find me on youtube!

Hey everyone!

So, I started a youtube channel!

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoshCollierMUA

Come check it out and subscribe if you'd like!

-- Josh <3

January 17, 2011

Dupe Alert -- MAC Lady Danger Lipstick.

Hey everyone!

So, I've began freelancing on my own and I have assembled a freelance kit, however, I still pick up things that I feel like are essentials if I find them along my way. I have been meaning to pick up MAC's Lady Danger lipstick for a while, as I love orange-reds. However, while browsing the aisles at CVS, I came across the Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Coral - 80.

What's the main reason I bring this up? The lipstick was 75% off! Yes, CVS is having one of their biannual 50%/75% off sales to redo their cosmetic department. So, this lipstick only came to $1.99. The Colorburst formula is very creamy and they do have a bit of a sheen. On the swatch below, it looks a little more neutral, but it is definitely very orange or warm toned:



So, do yourselves a favor and run, don't walk, to CVS and pick up this deal!

--Josh <3

January 14, 2011

Review: Smashbox Anti-Shine.

Happy Sunday! I hope you're all lounging around and enjoying a day off -- I know I am.

On to the review, if you know the slightest bit about me, you know that my skin is always a constant problem for me. I'm extremely oily, very prone to acne, I get the occasional dry patch, and I've got a bunch of acne scars. On top of that, I'm quite fair (About an NC10 in MAC), so, I've got my hands full. Getting my makeup to wear for more than a couple of hours is even a hard thing to do, that is until this little gem came into my life.

I picked up Anti-Shine my second week with Smashbox when I was looking to try to wear something for my long days of work (Trend Shows at Nordstrom can keep me in my makeup for anywhere between 9-12 hours and with my skin, that's never good.) Knowing I was sensitive to silicones, I wasn't interested in try the well-known Smashbox Photo Finish primer. I have tried the Original and the Light version, the Light version definitely being better since it's 60% water and contains much less silicone, however, using it for more than a couple of days in a row, my skin gets a little irritated.

Here's how Anti-Shine works. I'd say it's a primer, however, unless you're very oily, like myself, I wouldn't use it all over. Even in the Winter months, I only use this product on my forehead, nose, chin, and cheekbones. With that being said, it's more like a targeted treatment, similar to MAC's Prep and Prime Refined Zone Treatment, except this isn't designed to minimize pore visibility. This product is silicone free, so, it's safe for those even with fairly sensitive skin. The main ingredient that makes this product work is Magnesium Aluminum Silicate -- or in simpler terms, it's a refined version of silicia, which is a mineral that is known for it's oil-absorbing properties.

Back to being less sciencey, this product works. I can use this and not have to worry about touching up for at least 8 hours -- for oily skin, that's definitely saying something. I'd highly recommend this for at least combination skin to use on their nose as a base. Do be aware, less is more with this products. If you do use too much, you can get a very dry, rubbery feeling base.

Smashbox Anti-Shine is available at Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom counters for $27 (1oz).

-- Josh <3

Review: NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palettes.

Hey guys!

So, I was fumbling through my stash and I realized I never reviewed my NYX 10 Shadow Palettes. I'm going to give you a bit of a spoiler before I go into details: I love these things!

I've got two of these: Champagne & Caviar and Smokey Eyes. Here are pictures of both of them:


So, obviously both of these palettes come with 10 colors, the Smokey eye palette being a mostly gray/silver based palette and the Champagne & Caviar palette is a very neutral based palette. Both palettes contain mostly satin shades, but there are a few mattes and frosts in both. All of the shadows blend very well and there are many many ways to wear all of these colors. The colors in the Champagne & Caviar palette actually makes for a nice smokey palette as well, with the matte black and dark brown included (The black is what MAC's Carbon should be like, however, carbon is dry and flakey)

If you're not a fan of super dark shades, I'm definitely go with the Champagne & Caviar palette. You can go from very neutral looks to very dramatic all with one palette. I can easily see myself using this palette for everything from bridal to editorial looks. I picked up my palettes at Ulta for a mere $11 -- the price of one MAC Shadow in the pan form. So, if you're looking to go neutral, give these a shot. I even reach for this more than my Coastal Scents Warm Palette (88 shades of neutral colors for the most part).

-- Josh <3

Review and some news!

Hey everyone!

So, I've been gone quite a while and I think I'm finally getting back into the swing of things! I'm off a few days a week unlike this Fall/Holiday season, so, I've got some time to get back into blogging and hopefully keep up with it!

So, where have I been and what have I been doing? Well, for starters, in early September, I began freelancing for Smashbox. Yes, it's totally as fun as it sounds. I love every minute of it but it's not easy. The holidays kept me majorly busy and if that's not enough, I also freelanced a bit for Pur Minerals. So, Smashbox had me in and out of Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta pretty much 2-6 times a week throughout October-December, but now that the holidays are over, things have slowed down a bit. I'm starting to freelance on my own a bit now too -- I did a shoot on January 4th which was super fun! Here's a link to the designer's page(Octavia is awesome and her clothes are amazing!), but I'll post some pictures with this as well :]

But yes! I'm keeping quite busy! My website is also going to be up very shortly, which a link for is here :D. Now that I'm back though, expect reviews and postings often! I swear I'm not leaving this time! Now, review time! Here it is:

ELF Studio Cream Eyeshadows - $3


So, I picked up two of these with my last ELF purchase -- I was getting some disposable mascara wands, lip wands, brushes, and other stuff for my kit, so, I figured I could pick these up as neutral bases for powder shadow. The two shades I got are Candlelight (A golden ivory shade - frost) and Dawn (a light taupey brown with a golden sheen - frost). The size of these cream shadows are about twice the size of the ELF Cream Liners, which was a major surprise to me. Now, how do I feel about them????

They're pretty average. I don't find that the wear time alone is very long, but set with a powder, these should last at least 6-8 hours. Personally, I'd never wear them without powder shadow over them. I do find that without a primer beneath them that they do crease, so, it's not something like a Paint Pot -- the texture of these is a little less dense. The color payoff isn't terribly great and with it being a cream product, don't expect to just layer them to get more payoff, since they're definitely crease.

Are they worth it? For the $1.50 I paid for them (50% off studio coupons are always floating around!), they're worth it. They work nicely in a pinch as a base for shoots for me and they also do work nicely on a lazy day. If you're looking for a good base, I'd still suggest a primer, a paint pot, or a MUFE Aqua Cream (I LOVE THOSE).

-- Josh <3





August 16, 2010

Review: tarte Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer.

Hey everyone!

So, I recently tried the tarte Smoother Operator Tinted Moisturizer after hearing all the positive things about it. I haven't had the best luck with tinted moisturizers as I don't have the best skin, so, while I like the idea of a lightweight foundation that diffuses your flaws while feeling like you aren't wearing makeup, I dislike the fact that a majority of my acne-scarring shows through.



Smooth Operator used to be known as one of tarte's foundations, but after a packaging change and an increase in shades, they finally changed the name to tinted moisturizer. I'm not sure if I agree with this. The coverage is light and definitely on the heavy side of light, but it still feels like a tinted moisturizer. Complaints? None here!

This tinted moisturizer is oil-free, so, it's good for combination, oily, or acne-prone skin types, offers SPF 20, and has become a really big favorite of mine. I love using it and setting it with either a light dusting of mineral makeup (Origins Multi-grain review coming soon!) or a pressed foundation like my Make Up For Ever Duo Mat, as they just give me just the amount of coverage without heaving powder makeup or heavy liquid makeup.

$36 isn't cheap for a tinted moisturizer, but be sure to purchase off of tarte's website, as there are always coupon codes floating around online for tarte (at least 30% off normally!) I suggest heading into Sephora, swatching some shades or get a sample, then ordering off of tarte's website. That's your best option!

Josh <3