Lipstick Parenting

My love of all things beauty related goes way back. I was one of those girls who combed through all the big women's magazines searching for the latest and greatest looks, miracle products, and special "it" products that would make me look my dazzling best. I somehow managed to stretch my morning ritual to an hour and a half (and that was on a good speedy day), to get ready for school.

And then one day, I graduated, moved out, got married and started popping out babies. As I had each kid, I spent less and less time putting on make up, taking care of my skin, or pampering my hair and nails. As my children have slowly gotten older and gained more independence, I'm slowly wading back into beauty/make-up land. I realized that somehow, parenting had sucked enough "me" out of the picture that it left me without a single lipstick or lip gloss. I don't even know how this happened people. That discovery left me dazed and confused until I found myself in the make-up department of a large store. I was so excited I was practically foaming at the mouth as I looked for the perfect versatile day to day lipstick and gloss. Forgive the cruddy lighting here. I'm figuring this out as I go. Consider this a lesson learned - bathroom mirrors and cell phones don't necessarily give the greatest pictures!

 

There's the final poorly lit result. I'm wearing Mac's fast play and Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss 436 Capeline Abricot. 

 Mac's Fast Play goes on very matte and dry. For me the positive to this is how long it seems to stay in place. It doesn't end up leaving a lipstick ring around my lips while the rest of it wears off. I hate that. If I want it to go on a bit smoother I pop on a little chap stick before hand but it's definitely not as long wearing if I do that. 

DiorAddict's Ultra-Gloss 436 is interesting. I love it's sheerness and a little bit goes a really long way. It makes me feel like I'm getting more value out of it than I expected. There's a really lovely gold shimmer to it that my camera phone just couldn't capture. Plus, it smells a bit like bubble gum to me.

My final better lighting shot for you guys.

Who knew parenting could have such a debilitating effect on my lipstick or my make-up bag in general? What I really want to know is what are your favorite go-to daily lipsticks?

I tried it and I liked it

I love make up but I have to confess, I don't wear it very often. I'll go crazy with the eye make up, blush and even lip liner, lipstick, and top it all off with a gloss. But I have to be motivated to it. One thing I almost never use, is foundation. It's mostly because I detest the way it looks and feels. I hate walking around looking like I have a pound of caked on anything all over me. I hate seeing that line of color from the face to the neck, and yes I know all about "blending" it. I have even had the good fortune of finding shades that match my skin tone really well. So many of the foundations though, seem to sit on top of the skin, collect oil throughout the day, or highlight any blemish you might have that's healing. So I have been on the hunt for a tinted moisturizer. I saw a brilliant write up about Clarin's Hydraquench Tinted Moisturizer so I thought, why not? Let's give it a whirl. Here are my thoughts:

It felt light going on and blended fairly well. I've got olive skin and have a little bit of a tan since we've been lucky enough to have some sun lately. I used shade #2 but I can easily see dropping down to shade #1 in the winter. I didn't notice my skin feeling particularly "hydrated" afterwards but I also never noticed any oiliness from it as the day progressed. That's really saying something for me. It doesn't provide the full coverage of a regular foundation so if you're looking for something like that, your journey isn't over. If you're looking to even out the red tones in your skin though, this can do the trick for you. I am also happy to report that I didn't break out from wearing it and I have fairly sensitive skin. 

Overall, I give this product a thumbs up. And no, Clarin's isn't paying me...but maybe they should ;)

Ciao,

xoxo