Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil and Lip Liner Pencil

I've been searching for an eyeliner that doesn't start to slide a few hours after I apply it.  All the eyeliners I have tried seems to "feather" on the inner corner of my eye.  Sort of like a lipstick feathers when you have lines and wrinkles around the mouth area.  Well.......not all of you have that problem, but at my age, I do! 

I've tried several products, from high end to drugstore, and had the same results.  I heard a lot of good things about Estee Lauder's Double Wear products, so I decided I'd try the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil.  The color I purchased was Onyx.

This eyeliner is fabulous!  It is highly pigmented and glides on smoothly without any tugging.  Only the slightest pressure is needed to create the perfect line.  The color, once in place, lasts all day and looks good until I take it off.  It sets quickly, which might be a negative if you want to smudge it.  You'd have to smudge very quickly after applying the liner.  I don't smudge my liner, so it isn't a problem for me. It comes with a smudge sponge on the opposite end.  If you are looking for a eyeliner that stays put all day then look no further!!

I wanted to try some other colors so purchased the Bronze and the Black Plum.  They are beautiful colors. 

Since I had good results with the eyeliner, I decided to give the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil a try.  I have that "feather" issue on my lips! Not an attractive look.  I purchased the color Tawny (see color above).  The lip pencil is just as good as the eyeliner.  It goes on smoothly and stays on all day. It does not feather or smudge and it looks great by itself with just a touch of lip gloss. It comes with a brush on the opposite end. There is a nice variety of shades and I look forward to buying more of them.

The cost of the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil is $20.00 and the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil is $19.00.  These are not automatic, twist up pencils, they will need sharpened.  I purchased mine at Macy's.  They are also available at www.esteelauder.com and the shipping is free on any item!!

If you have "feather" problems with your eyeliner or lip products, give the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place products a try.  I think you'll be glad you did!

Take care,

Kat

Coupon Codes and Free Gifts with Purchase

OK, here is my first coupon code post. I might have to take advantage of the Estee Lauder gift with purchase. The free gift would make a nice Christmas gift for someone and I love their Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencils. They are the longest lasting eye pencil I own. Love them!!

Coupon Codes

Clarisonic
Save up to $55 when you mix-and-match two sonic skin care systems.  Free gift with purchase, free shipping, and free engraving.
www.clarisonic.com

Eyes, Lips, Face
40% OFF HOLIDAY GIFT FAVORITES! Limited Edition.
With any $25 order when you use code GIFTFAVES by 11/7/11.

40% OFF BRUSHES..Rush To Brush!
With any $15 order when you use code BRUSH40 by 11/9/11.
Shop Now at: http://www.eyeslipsface.com

ULTA
Free shipping on all orders over $25.00.  Use online code HOLIDAYSHP25. 
www.ulta.com

Nordstrom
Get an exclusive Tracy Reese for Clinique cosmetics-bag duo filled with beauty greats with your $25 Clinique purchase—a $75 value. Online and in store. One per person, while supply lasts. Gift will be added automatically in Checkout and can only be shipped to the same destination as your order. This item cannot be shipped to international addresses. 
www.nordstrom.com

Estee Lauder
Free gift with any $42.00 purchase.  Two gifts to choose from: Warm & Sunny, or Cool & Fresh.  Gift includes a deluxe eye palette, coordinating lipstick and mascara.  You also get your choice of 3 deluxe skincare products and a beautiful purple cosmetic bag.
www.esteelauder.com

Elizabeth Arden
Free shipping on all makeup.  Use online code MAKEUP4
www.elizabetharden.com

Vera Bradley
20% off everything in the Sale section. No coupon code needed. Sale is good through Sunday, November 6th.
www.verabradley.com

Please let me know if you want me to continue to make these posts. Hopefully they can save you a little bit of money.

In Search of the Perfect Foundation

The past few months I've been on a foundation search.  A foundation for mature skin that wasn't heavy, had medium coverage, that would help fine lines and wrinkles, and wouldn't slide off my face in the afternoon. That's not a lot to ask for, right???  I tried a lot of samples and narrowed my choice down to three:  Estee Lauder Futurist Age-Resisting Foundation, Lancome Teint Rénergie Lift R.A.R.E.™, and Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup.

I purchased the Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup and tried it for a week. If you haven't heard of the Hourglass brand, it is a fairly new, high end cosmetic brand.  Hourglass products are developed without the use of parabens, overpowering fragrances or animal-testing.  The Hourglass Fluid Makeup was a beautiful foundation with great coverage, but I just didn't like the way it looked on my skin, so I returned it.  

My second choice was the Lancome Teint Rénergie Lift R.A.R.E.™.  I got a sample of it and used it for about a week.  I really wanted to like this foundation because I read so many good things about it, but it didn't work out for me.  It seemed a bit drying and made my skin look cakey.  

My third choice was the Estee Lauder Futurist Age-Resisting Foundation and I used it for four weeks.  I loved the consistency of this foundation and the coverage was perfect, a light to medium coverage.  My makeup routine is to cleanse, tone, moisturize, wait five minutes for the moisturizer to absorb into my skin, then apply my foundation.  

The problem I had with this foundation was that I couldn't get it blended into the skin.  I used one pump of the foundation and applied it using several different methods, a flat foundation brush, a round foundation brush, my fingers, and a damp beauty blender.  When I applied powder to try to set the foundation, it stuck to the foundation in globs.  I couldn't apply the powder smoothly because the foundation was "wet" on my skin.  I applied the powder with either the powder brush or the powder puff, using a light rolling motion across the face. Nothing worked.  The powder ended up looking cakey and sat in the lines under my eyes, in the corners of my nose and in my laugh lines.  I even tried several different powders, the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Skin Smoothing Loose Powder and the Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder.  I used the foundation with and without a primer (Smasbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light) and it made no difference  After four weeks, I gave up.

So, the search was on....again!  I went to Sephora and Ulta and couldn't find anything I wanted to try.  I walked by the Saks Fifth Avenue store and saw their Chanel makeup section through the window.  I had never shopped at Saks before - there is never anything in there I can afford!  But, I figured why not, I'll check out the Chanel makeup.  I explained to the Chanel makeup artist what I was looking for and she recommended the Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup ($65).  She did a color match and I made the purchase.  I also purchased the Poudre Universelle Compact Natural Finish Pressed Powder ($45) and the Eclat Lumiere Highlighter Face Pen ($40).  

The next morning I did my usual makeup routine and used the Chanel Makeup.  OMGosh!!!!  This foundation is amazing!!!  It is weightless medium to full coverage, has a natural luminous finish and it goes on beautifully. The description of the foundation on the Chanel website is:   "A SOFT CRYSTAL LUMIÈRE™ complex visibly diminishes the look of wrinkles and fine lines, setting makeup imperceptibly and controlling shine without a hint of chalkiness. Emollients deliver essential hydration, and firming polymers provide skin with an impeccably smooth surface and the look and feel of an immediate 'lift'."  Let me just say, that is the truth!!!  My skin looks amazing and my fine lines and wrinkles are less noticeable!  Yahoo!  The Poudre Universelle Compact Natural Finish Pressed Powder is translucent with a natural matte finish and has a wonderfully soft feel.  It makes my skin look soft and smooth.  I use the Eclat Lumiere Highlighter Face Pen on my dark circles, my laugh lines and the corners of my nose.  It also reduces the appearance of fine lines and covers my dark circles beautifully.  It gives my eyes a nice brightening lift.

I'm happy to announce that my search for the perfect foundation is over.  The Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup will be my go to foundation for a long time.  It is a bit expensive but it is worth every penny.  If you can only afford to purchase one high end makeup item, save your money and buy this foundation. It is the perfect foundation for mature skin!! 

Take good care of yourself.....

Clarisonic Mia Review

Clarisonic Mia Review

Pores, pores and more pores.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed the pores on my face have gotten much larger.  My skin looks dull, I have oily spots, dry patches, and lines.  My skin just looked old and tired!  So I got online and started doing some research for products to help with these skin issues.  What did I find?  A Clarisonic Mia!

My Mia did not come with the blue brush head, I purchased it later.

I read about what the Clarisonic could do for the skin and I read a lot of reviews and tutorials.  Not many people had negative things to say about it.  So, I went to www.clarisonic.com and purchased the Clarisonic Mia.  I’m a very skeptical person but there was a 100% money back guarantee, so I figured I didn’t have much to lose.  It was $149.00 and it came with the charger, a trial size of the Gentle Hydro Cleanser and one “sensitive” brush head.  The Mia comes in 10 different colors, I got white.  It holds a charge for at least a week, longer if you only use it once a day, as I do.  Great for travel!!
 
I started using the Clarisonic and I have to say, within a few days there was a noticeable change to my skin.  My skin feels firmer, the lines aren’t as pronounced, it has reduced the appearance of my pore size, and my skin just looks and feels better, even a little younger.  Yahoo!

The directions say that it can be used twice a day but I only use it in the evenings.  I remove all my makeup first, then I use the Clarisonic.  I rub it all over my face with light pressure.  It will stay on for 60 seconds then will shut off.  The inner circle brushes of the brush head rotate while the outer, taller brushes don’t move at all.  They are to keep the cleanser from splashing in your eyes.  I haven’t tried the Gentle Hydro Cleanser  yet, I use the Estee Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser.  I cleanse my skin with the EL Soft Clean Cleanser and make sure all my makeup is off. I wet my skin again, put a little more cleanser on my hands and apply to my face.  Then I use the Clarisonic all over my face.  The directions say to put the cleanser directly on the brush head, but I find that it uses a lot more product then if you put the product directly on the face.  I go through 1 ½ or two cycles, splash my face with water and pat with a dry towel.  That’s it!  My skin looks and feels soft, clean, and wonderful (as wonderful as can be at this age, anyway).  I’ve noticed my skin care creams seem to work a lot better, too. 

Clarisonic says to purchase a new brush head every 3 - 4 months.  I’ve had mine for four months and I can just now see the bristles getting a bit out of shape.  Sort of like a toothbrush that’s been used for awhile.  I purchased a new “Deep Pore Cleansing” brush head for my Clarisonic at www.skinmedix.com and got it for $18.00 plus free shipping (It’s the blue brush head in the picture above).  Clarisonic sells it for $25.00 or you can buy two for $40.00. 

Since I don’t use the Clarisonic in the morning, I use the Purity cleanser by Philosophy on my face in the morning when I’m in the shower.  It is a nice cleanser and is very gentle for the skin.  I just think the Estee Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser is a more robust cleanser for removing all the makeup before using the Clarisonic.

Purity in the morning, Estee Lauder in the evening.

So, if any of you out there want a change in the appearance of your skin, I highly recommend the Clarisonic.  Check out their website to learn more about it.  Search for YouTube videos on the Clarisonic, there are a lot of reviews there.  You can also Google “Clarisonic Mia” and might be able to purchase it at a different store using an online coupon code.  I think Ulta and Sephora sell it as well.

Take good care of yourself….