I am a highlighter junkie. One Sunday morning I was perusing the newspaper and saw a circular for Ulta that featured their new Naked Skin Urban Decay Naked Highlighter which retails for $29. I simply couldn’t resist so I decided to purchase.
A few days later my package arrived and I tore into it. Immediately I noticed a pronounced shimmer-very fine glitter. Some highlighters contain glitter however I prefer a sheer, glowing look and was a little scared off, at first. Here is an image of the product packaging:
The Pretty:
– Packaging is very nice
– Finely milled powder is very good quality and goes on smoothly
– The product has the effect of a loose, shimmery powder that is generally found in a loose formula so this
one is good for traveling.
– The swatch reminds me of a slightly lighter MAC’s Soft & Gentle. If you are a fan of Soft &
Gentle, chances are you will like this.
The Not-So Pretty:
– There is glitter. Although there isn’t a strong presence of glitter it is there and I did find some when using on my face. So if this scares you off, you may want to stay away.
– Excellent for travel as there is no chance of having this explode like a loose powder
I am going to keep this item because the color is pretty and I will use it when I want a little extra glow from my highlighter. However on a daily basis, I am going to stick with one of my staple highlighters for daily use which are MAC’s Lightscape or Benefit’s Hight Beam which both offer an excellent glow without any shimmer.
Here are some images of my favorite celebrity looks that have definitely utilized the “magic” of highlighter. See more on Glaamspot!
I am a certified mascara junkie and I am not a snob about it at all. Everything from YSL to Wet & Wild, you can bet I have tried it. With all my mascaras, I have to say that my tried and true HG mascara is the Buxom Lash Mascara.
There are other Buxom mascaras, however my favorite is the basic one shown here:
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| The Buxom Brush |
The PRETTY about this mascara:
- Lengthens like crazy
- Provides awesome volume without looking fake
- No clumping
- Awesome brush allows even application and separation
- This mascara works well from the first application to the last dispensing the perfect amount. You don’t need to wait for it to dry out a bit or worry about too much product getting on the brush.
- Although not super pricey, this mascara does cost $19 which is still a lot in my opinion.
- You can only buy this mascara at Sephora, which can be a bummer.
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| Photos provided by Glaamspot |
Several mascaras I have tried out recently…
I recently went on vacation and somehow lost my beloved eye makeup remover. This is a product that I use multiple times daily – after showers, at night, and for countless touchups throughout the day. I have tried numerous brands – high to low. I have always used a liquid formula and my current favorite is the WalkMart Equate Oil-Free Liquid Eye Makeup Remover.
The claim is that this is the generic equivalent to the Neutrogena Oil Free Liquid Eye Makeup Remover. After using numerous bottles of the Neutrogena brand I decided to try the generic brand and actually found I liked it way better. I also have to add that the Equate brand is $3.97 for a 5.5 oz. bottle. The Neutrogena brand is $5.97 for the same amount. Neither are very expensive, but I truly do prefer the Equate brand. Here are my thoughts about Equate:
THE PRETTY: It works, minimal lash loss (if ever), no harsh smell, inexpensive, the bottle lasts a long time.
THE UGLY: When traveling can be messy.
THE VERDICT: This is my HG eye makeup remover. I will gladly spend my money on other high end products.
I was about to purchase my beloved Equate when I came across a new product by Neutrogena called the New Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion. The cost for this is $6.97 for 3 fl. oz. A bit more expensive than the liquid version, however as I am getting older and I am constantly trying to find ways to keep the fine lines around my eyes at bay, I really liked the idea of a moisturizing lotion to take my eye makeup off. I decided to purchase this and wanted to share my review of what I liked, didn’t like and whether or not I would repurchase.
THE PRETTY: I really like that this came in lotion form, I did find this product to be moisturizing and this did do a pretty good job of taking off my eye makeup. I also liked that this form of remover would likely be much less messy when traveling since it is a lotion and for some reason my liquids can sometimes tend to leak. The scent is an extremely light, fresh and barely there which was nice.
THE UGLY: I felt like I had to use a lot of this lotion to get a full eye makeup removal. Although my skin felt soft after removing, I also felt that I was wiping and tugging at my eyes, which is NOT a good thing. I also used this for some touch ups during the day which was messy and goopy. With the liquid form, I simply stick a q-tip in the bottle and dab up any smudges. With the lotion, I felt like it was getting everywhere. I also lost a couple of eyelashes when using – this could be a complete coincidence, but I love my lashes and hate when they shed.
THE VERDICT: The Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion is a pretty good remover. I will keep this for travel and when I am in a pinch. If you do like lotion eye makeup remover please give this a shot as this was not a bad product by any means, just not my choice for removing eye makeup.
Hopefully this helps in the event you were in the market for a new eye makeup remover or if you were wondering about this new Neutrogena product.
All the best,
Catherine
I love pretty, pink lipsticks. They are girlie and remind me of my Barbie dolls growing up. I remember one of my first lipsticks I began wearing in middle school was called Zinc Pink. It was an ultra nude, ultra frosty Revlon shade that my girlfriends and I wore incessantly. The look was so 80’s and so not good. Ah, live and learn…
I recently became obsessed with these princess pink shades of lipstick. I like to put a sheer, mauve colored gloss over them to achieve a shiny, feminine look. Two of my favorite lipsticks of the moment are YSL #7 in Lingerie Pink and NYX #595 in Strawberry Milk. The price difference between the two is quite shocking – the YSL can be found at department stores and Sephora for $34.00, whereas you can pick up a tube of NYX for $3.99 at your drugstore or Ulta. From a quality perspective, they are relatively equal. I do feel that the YSL lipstick is a bit more moisturizing and YSL packaging is second to none. That said, you could save $30 and pick up a NYX tube and be perfectly content in my opinion.
As you can see from the swatches below, the two colors are nearly identical. If you are looking for a pretty pink lipstick you can’t go wrong with either of these pretty shades.
Here are some celebrities featured on Glaamspot sporting some beautiful princess pink lips:
I am always searching for dinner items that my boys will eat while satisfying my husband and I. These Skinny Sloppy Joe’s with Skinny White Cheddar Sauce are dynamite and a perfect weeknight menu item and they are “skinny”.
In order to lighten these up I used lean ground turkey and the cheese sauce has a roux base with skim milk so there is no cream. You can use any kind of bun you like, or if you are going low-carb skip the bun all together. For these pictured I used a bag of Kings Hawaiian Rolls. I love the soft texture and sweet flavor of the buns combined with the tangy meat and creamy cheese sauce.
These are a delicious treat not only for a busy weeknight, but at potlucks or when you are watching a game. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family and I do. One quick side note, I actually read a tip on AllRecipes where a reader stated that if you fill the cups in a muffin tin with the leftovers and freeze. When frozen just pop them out and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Each one is the perfect size for a bun and ready to microwave at a seconds notice.
All the best,
Catherine
Skinny Sloppy Joes with Skinny White Cheddar Sauce
Ingredients
For the meat mixture:
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup ketchup
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1 t. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 t. Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 bag Kings Hawaiian Buns
For the cheese sauce:
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1/2 to 3/4 c. skim milk at room temperature (to desired thickness)
3/4 c. white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat to medium high. Add ground turkey and cook until brown. Drain any fat and discard.
Add onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until they begin to get soft. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Taste and salt & pepper to your hearts desire.
For the cheese sauce, take a small saucepan and heat butter on medium heat. Once heated, add flour and cook for a few minutes. Once butter and flour have combined, whisk in the milk in a slow, steady drizzle. Add cheese, cayenne and dry mustard and whisk together. Turn heat to low and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Gently warm your rolls and top them with a healthy portion of turkey mixture and cheese sauce. So good, so yummy, so easy!
