I would like to dedicate Friday's to short, sweet posts about resources. There are so many things out there on the internet, magazines, stores, etc. for you to grab hold of and say "Mine!" The great news is, a lot of them are free or really inexpensive. Some of you may be saying, "Well yeah, but where do I start?" This is where I come in. I am hoping to give you extensive beauty resources by picking a 'theme' each Friday and giving some information.
This week's theme is apps. As in, phone/mobile applications. Almost all of us have a smart phone or iPad/Kindle/tablet/etc. We have busy lives, so we need things that cater to that. Something quick, easy, and fun. I would like to share with a few apps I have found and like.
Beautylish: You do not want to miss this one. Gosh, I love it! They post articles surrounding different beauty concerns (and even post DIY stuff), you can look at videos and photos, see what other people are talking about in the beauty world, get and give advice, and even buy things from their website or app. My favorite part is the articles and DIYs but it is all great stuff. You can favorite anything you like and save it for future use. I would highly recommend this app. It's fun and has a great user interface.
Total Beauty: This app is a review melting pot. You can look up products and see what other people are saying about them. You can search by brand or by category (face, makeup, hair, body). This app is great if you are looking for a new product to try or have a specific brand you want to explore for other products. It is nice because it has a TON of different brands, and not just certain brands like department stores have.
Make Up For Ever Pocket Studio: This app is like a little pocket makeup artist. It has a lot of tutorials so you can learn how to achieve looks for any occasion. It is nice because it also has tips on how to fix those beauty blunders (I seem to have one of those every time I try to do something out of my ordinary makeup routine) and you can save your favorite products to a wish list, if you want. I do not use this app because I rarely do anything awesome with my makeup. But for those of you who like to experiment with different looks, this a cool one!
My Own: Whoa huh hoo, this is a gem. This app analyzes your skin type by taking a picture of your face. Make sure your face is sans make-up, pull you hair back, and take a picture! You can use the front or back camera if your phone has that capability. The back camera produces better results according to the app, but I used the front camera and it seemed to work fine. This is just really nifty to me. It looks at wrinkles and age spots. And let me tell you, I was amazed at what this picked up! It tells you where you are at as compared to your peers and gives you suggestions for lifestyle and skincare changes. This app does more than this but I wanted to give a quick review of it. Check it out and let me know what you think!
The best thing about these four apps... they are free! I only did four because this is supposed to be short and sweet (apparently I struggle with that) and that is a lot of apps to try. Post some of your favorite beauty apps, I'd love to hear what you are all loving right now.
Happy weekending. Wear that sunscreen! *wink*
☮gretchen elizabeth
Please note, I am not paid to do these reviews nor am I doing this for the benefit of any company. It is just my own personal opinions, experiences, likes and dislikes!
Taking just a one-post break from my series. In the next post I will finish up the three-part specific skin concern series.
This evening I wanted to give you a quick run-down of some of the things I am loving for this hot, sunny month of July. Let me know what you're loving right now, too!
Clock-wise from top left corner:
1) Ray-Bans Wayfarer: Well, everyone needs sunglasses in the summer, right? Honestly, the best way to protect those precious mucous membranes is to wear sunglass at all times, even when it is cloudy. According to the Ray-Ban website, all of their lenses protect the eyes "100%" from "UVA, UVB, harmful, and blue light" rays. I am not really sure what the last two mean specifically, not really my specialty!
I put 100% in quotes because the lenses do not wrap around the sides and the top/bottom so they technically do not block the rays that come in from the angles that they do not cover. It is highly important to find sunglasses that have UV protection! They do not have to be expensive, either. Even expensive sunglasses do not always have UV protection, sadly. If you are a known sunglass-breaking offender, buy a case! Once you start to get into a certain price range, they will even come with a case. You can buy these babies a lot of places, mine are from Sunglass Hut. The above link is linked to the Ray-Ban website.
2) Philosophy Eye Hope™ Multitasking Eye Cream: I received a deluxe sample of this so I will give a quick review since I did not have enough to see if it is 'really' working. Six weeks is about what it takes, but this product is sold in a pretty big container for just the eyes so it will last ya awhile! To start, at all the websites I found this product to be sold (Philosophy, Ulta, Sephora, Skin Store, Nordstrom, & more I am sure) it had product reviews of 4 out of 5 'stars' for the average.
I noticed a little bit of a burning sensation when I used it, which I did not like but it passed after about 5 minutes or so. I did not notice a change in lines, wrinkles, or puffiness (this is an anti-aging product) yet but I did notice the skin around my eyes was softer than it was when I was just using moisturizer and the appearance of my sometimes-dark-circles were lighter. Like I said, I cannot give a full on review since I have not used it for 6 weeks but for the short time I used this product, I was really impressed!
3) Burt's Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit: This balm is a winner for me. I like that it comes in a chap stick style tube, because it is the fastest and easiest way to put on lip balm. It has a really smooth, lasting texture most likely because of the Grapefruit Seed Oil (Bonus: Yummy smell and flavor). It is also really moisturizing, so I appreciate that. Summer and winter months are when my skin and lips are the most dry (the climate is pretty dry in Eastern Washington since we are in high desert). I bought my tube at a grocery store here in Spokane called Yoke's Fresh Market but Burt's Bees is sold everywhere, really... gas stations, drug stores like Walgreens, Walmart, their website, grocery stores, etc. This is a very inexpensive, great lip balm for summer that I would give a 4.5 out of 5 stars, taking off .5 because it does not have sunscreen in it.
4) Benefit Cosmetics Watt's Up!: I love their catchy product names. This is an amazing highlighter. I have a smaller, travel size version of it but once I am out I will be getting the full-size. I do not have the blending sponge on mine and I am reading mixed reviews on that so you will have to see what works best for you. I use my finger tips to blend it and that works great. This is meant for cheekbones and brow bones, but I mainly use it for cheekbones. This product lasts about all day, which is awesome. It is also really easy to blend... I just put a line on top of my cheekbones slanting up a bit as I move towards my hairline and then I blend with a finger tip, moving in small circular motions. It literally takes seconds to do this. It is such a beautiful luminizer. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars for me because of the look, feel, staying power, and ease of application. You can buy it at these websites: Benefit Cosmetics, Sephora, Ulta, Makeup Alley, and more.
Let's hear some of your favorite summer time products! *muwah*
☮gretchen elizabeth
Please note, I am not paid to do these reviews nor am I doing this for the benefit of any company. It is just my own personal opinions, experiences, likes and dislikes!
