Beauty Blender, colors, dupes, and give away!!

So recently we had the opportunity to have a special training with the creator of the beauty blender. She is an amazing person and so much fun. So I decide to share what a learned about the products. As well answer some questions that aren't readily available. 

I have been using and loving the beauty blender for about 7 months now, and before that I had a similar product, so I'll be reviewing and comparing the two at the end of the post.  I had a great time, learned so much, and also got some pretty neat swag.

What the heck is that pink thing?!?

The beauty blender is a makeup applicator that can be used for wet or dry products. It is composed of a special patented material that doesn't breed the bacteria like a regular sponge. It is also less absorbent so saves you makeup. It comes in three colors.

Do I just roll it on my face?!?

To use; firstly take the sponge and run it under water squeezing it gently to get it nice and moist all over. Then you give it a good squeeze to drain as much water out as possible. Then dab it dry on a towel. It will expand and is ready to go. Just dab into foundation then apply to face using a pressing motion for full coverage. Or sliding for medium. 

wet/dry

What are all the colors about?!?

Pink- the original blender made of patented sponge 

Black- because MUAs kept saying pink was too flashy for a kit. otherwise identical

White- for sensitive skin, no dye, the sponge is slightly different material, is less absorbent and more antimicrobial. Also fantastic for applying moisturizers and serums. Sometimes your hands are too harsh on a sensitive day. Use the sponge instead just enough exfoliation and not as much redness.

Okay so how do I clean it?

Easy enough simply run it under tepid water, add some cleanser, rinse and repeat until water runs clear. As a disclaimer some color may bleed the first time you wash it depending on the cleanser you use. If it's bleeding every time it may be too harsh and could be damaging your sponge. 

Okay so what cleanser won't damage my sponge?

BB cleanser. It comes in two forms. The original liquid. Yes it has a smell from the lavender. It is all natural no artificial fragrance is added. I love the large version's pump. But they also make small travel ones.   

Then there is the bb solid cleanser. It's essentially a bar off soap. Just pull it out, rub a rub rub, then rinse. As a note I had only ever used the liquid and had 0 color loss. The first time I used the solid my BB bled pink. This leads me to believe it is a much harsher cleanser. I'm not certain if this is better or worse for sensitive skin. I should have asked lol. Both of these cleansers can also be used to clean your traditional make up brushes as well.

Then just make sure you set the soap out of the dish and on the included round vent plate to dry. Otherwise it will stick to the dish and cause a mucky mess.Set your BB in the cup it came in to dry and your are good to go. Sit it on top don't cram it in or you may damage your blender. You want to clean it after 2-3 uses just like a traditional brush. You can also throw it in the dryer on the air dry setting, but that seems strange to me. Perhaps in a dryer bag would be best.

.Because these were gifted to us as trials we do not get the holding cup, instead they gave us these AIR port driers. I love it, I even purchased a white one after because I preferred the color for skin care. It comfortably fits 3 dry blenders and a bar of soap, or 1 wet blender and a bar of soap. You could squeeze two blenders in wet but it might take longer for them to dry. It has a magnetic closer, and sturdy key chain type clip so that you can attach it to your brush belt. 

 

But it's so expensive you say! 

For cleanser: mix equal parts of dish soap and olive oil. Bam! Clean sponge. 

For sponge: there are a few options. I used to own this one called the finished edge. It isn't bad I loved it. It simply pales in comparison to the branded one. The reason is thrice fold. 

1. Sponge is a sponge! This fella is basically just a different shaped sponge. The material absorbs so much makeup, it is wasteful. 

2. It's harder to clean all that make up it sucked up. It's also much more stiff so you press harder to get stuff out and can damage it. 

3. The sponge is firm. It's harsher on the skin and not the best for the eye area because you have to push too hard and it starts to hurt. 

Well I hope this helped some of you out there answer those burning beauty blender questions, Until next time!

<3 Alice

WOOPS forgot to mention! since I have a good amount that I got, and I all ready had 2 that I purchased my self. I think I'll give a sponge and the bar soap away. If you are interested this would be a traditional pink sponge and a new bar of cleanser. Leave a comment and in a few days I'll do a random drawing. Lucky for you this blog doesn't see much traffic yet so odds are great. lol 

Algenist and Solazyme HQ visit, the Benefits of Algae

On Tuesday, the 26th, I was chosen as one of the 4 in my store to visit Algenist labs in South San Francisco. It was an exciting opportunity that I can't wait to share with you all.

*** right, quick disclaimer, yes I work at Sephora, but this blog and review are in no way affiliated with them. I do this of my own freewill, on my own time. I receive no payment. My words are my own and not a reflection of Sephora, Algenist or it's values***

I was amazed at the level of organization they had considering it was the first time they had done something like this. The bus picked us up promptly and we arrived right at noon. They gave us all name tags as we got basic introductions. We were then escorted into the conference room where a mega tasty lunch was served.

Schedule of events on our testing table

 

meeting Fredric Stoeckel, VP. He was so open, and extremely funny

Oh right! We were not allowed to take photos inside, but they were kind enough to take pictures for us, and even provided a usb drive before we left. So I basically just rummaged through and looked for all the photos I was in.

The Gist behind Algenist

In a nut shell Solazyme discovered that Algae has a surrounding layer of cells that protects it immensely; from all forms of environmental weather changes, toxins, and free radicles. They harnessed this power and named it Alguronic acid. They researched it and figured out how to make it treat your skin like it does algae. Then a few years later they went beyond that and harnessed the inner cells into an incredibly restorative oil

A list of their products

And this is what we got. They are so generous

I own a few of their products all ready but I will give a full review once I try them all for the required 10 days. They have a 10 day turn around on the effectiveness of their products.

This wasn't just a meal and lecture, it was an actually an all inclusive tour of Solazyme the parent company of Algenist, they make everything from fuel, to food, all our of algae!!

we got to see how they test on the algae

and the vats they are grown in

it takes 4 days grow a strand of algae into a 600 litter vat like this!

The liquid is then dried with intense heat, only about 25% of the liquid can be solidified, the rest is just water that evaporates. That is then pressed into sheets that get crumbled, then pressed into sheets gain to remove as much oil as possible. The flakes smell like an ice cream cone but crumble like powdered milk, then if you squish it, it turns to liquid. 

They basically press it repeatedly until the oil as clean as possible, the less flake and more oil, the lighter in color it gets, and the thinner in viscosity. (Ten points for slytherin for using a science word!!)

We even got to taste the food they make. they can remove egg, butter, and milk and make products that are juts as tasty, but have less calories. I loved the candy and ice cream, the cookie was good and soft but I prefer crunchy cookies. 

And that was my day at Algenist Labs

<3 Alice

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection; Snow White

For the past 3 years Disney designers have created some magnificent dolls for us. Last year it was villains. I was extremely curious to know what the next set would be, since they had all ready done princesses. I was excited to see that this year it will be couples, focusing on their happily ever after moment. 

They will be $130 and like the year before will be released separately. For information on how the doll acquiring process works, and it IS a process, call your local store or read here on The Buzz, the official Disney blog. 

Designer Fairytale Doll Collection Release Dates

Snow White Designer Doll Set, available in Stores August 20 and online August 21

Tangled Designer Doll Set, available in Stores September 3 and online September 4

Aladdin Designer Doll Set, available in Stores September 17 and online September 18

Beauty and the Beast Designer Doll Set, available in Stores October 1 and online October 2

The Little Mermaid Designer Doll Set, available in Stores October 15 and online October 16

Two weeks ago I stood in line for my Snow White set, I was first in line and to my surprise, not many people showed. It's pretty understandable I suppose, since it is the first doll of the set and that doll doesn't usually generate as much hipe. Not to mention Snow isn't as popular with this generation IMO.  It also didn't help that a special edition set was released for this couple during D23 and that's what most people want ATM. I imagine her value wont be very high but it's all right for me because I'm not looking to sell.

She just looks so much more regal this way, even Charming's gear looks more authentic. 

I got the lithographs as well, I'll show them individually with each doll to make it more fun, these are sold out online and in most stores, so get them if you can.

Beautiful art on the case as always

The loving couple, Still available online, one per purchase, per household

With their matching lithograph

And my full set. The only sad part about setting this up, was the realization/regret that I didn't get every doll in the last sets. So I don't have complete sets of all of them. It wasn't fully my fault though, since many princesses wont be getting couples and some didn't even get villains, like Jasmine, and Belle. I personally think Ja'far would have been a bad ass designer doll. Maybe some day right? Any characters you wish had made it into the collection?

<3 Alice

Give AWAY!! Riri Woo for FREEEEEE - and tiny review

 Since I am lipstick obsessed I normally buy back ups for limited edition lipsticks. The reason being that I know that when I test it if I love it, by the time I get back around to the store it will be sold out. Then I'll cry and have to run around to 15 other stores or have my friends stalk their stores. So much unnecessary drama. The flip side of the coin is; sometimes I dislike the lipstick, but others might love it so I pop it in my kit or give it to a friend  Other times... I hate it, think it shouldn't live, and I return it. I try my best not to rerun LE items because most stores wont resell it. They have to toss it even if it's brand new and untouched.

So lucky you that stubbled upon this fairly new blog. I ordere 2 RIRI WOOS and I am not a fan

1- It is practically identical to Ruby Woo. The color isn't unique enough to be worth the struggle.
2-  The packaging isn't even special. The stick has her signature but it will fade as you use it. :(
3- OMG IT IS DRRRRYYY. When you put it on it pulls something horrible. My lips were preped and moisturized and it still was a pain.
4 - It's so dry that you have to dig into it to apply with a brush. I don't like putting reds straight on to my face because my skin is light and tends to stain. I use a lip brush for accuracy and it was just impossible to achieve more than a light stain.
5 - It dries you out so have that lip balm ready


I do love that once it is on the texture is velvety. Retro Matt is a great finish formula, but for some reason it was just bad on this particular product. The color is darling but again ruby woo is just very similar. It is very pigmented and has great color coverage though!

So here it goes! I'm using Rafflecopter since I've never given anything away so lets see how it goes. I also started reusing my Facebook so I added that to a way to earn points. Its pretty barren at the moment but keep a look out.

If this goes well I have tons of other LE BUs that need new loving homes so stay tuned,

PS: I went to the MAC Marilyn Seminar today so a post soon. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BABY the stars shine bright - walking stick - for when you just need a little more swag

That's right! It's real and can be yours for the LOW LOW PRICE OF ONLY 36,750 yen!! Lucky for you the dollar is up so get it quick while it's only $359 american dollars.

Honestly I can't think of any legitimate excuse for purchasing this...well, con season is coming up and with all the creeps abounding a sturdy beating stick might be use full... Dont worry BABY has thought of this! and has even given us the kill stick option. Sparing no expense mind you, this stick will have a gold "B" emblem engraved on the head. Is this secretly a Malfoy family colab? 

Also is it just me or does that logo look like the clear stickers you get when you make a purchase?

Speckled Polish Illamasqua , and dupe comaprison

 In February Illamasqua launched a special type of polish for their spring 2013 collection

With nail art still going strong companies are trying hard to capitalize on the DIY factor. Everyone wants that DIY look without the three hour turn around time. This speckle polish has done just that.

Gives you a mega cute DIY look in minutes with a chip free award winning formula. Needles to say I fell in love with this polish. So much so that I got every single color. About $19 each at Sephora with San Francisco tax.

These took a surprisingly long time to release in my store. Something about a delay in the signage and the product not being able to be put out without it. Because of this I had to have an awesome friend of mine purchase some of the colors near him.

Colors;

 Scarce, Fragile, Freckle, Speckle, Motie

two coats

Mottie (green) put up a huge fight! It was very thin compared to the others and I had to pick at the glitter flicks to even get any on my nail. Fragile(blue) was easier to work with but gave me a few streaks, it shaped up after the second coat.  Speckled, scarce, and freckled all applied smoothly, the flecks dispersed beautifully on their own and I love the texture. It is creamy and just lightly sheer so you can still see the specks underneath ever so slightly.

I got about a week's worth of wear from this polish with no top coat and minor tip wear. Some chipping on my thumb and index but I use my hands at work for 8 hours so all nail polish has a hard time with that. For reference I get about 4 days from OPI with no top coat before my hands start to look hideous. 

To the packaging 

The uniqueness of the Illamasqua polish always attracts me. I adore the bottle shape, it's so easy to store  and no awkward rolling if they fall over in your drawer. 

I don't know what happened, but with this collection I got a lot of this

The caps over turn, it made me sad. So of course I tried to fix it or it was going to bug me for the rest of my life

yes this happened 

Thankfully it popped right back on, so I just placed it on in the proper direction and now she's perfect again. I screwed and unscrewed it a couple times and it's good as new, I even tried popping it back off and it refused to budge 

 My only other packaging complaint is that the bottom of the bottle doesn't have the name on it.

 

It is written under "Nail Varnish" I cant see it without glasses on and it was very hard to photograph.

THE DUPE!!

Then a few months later (earlier this week) I discovered this guy!! He is available at Urban Outfitters and only comes in Bohemian Summer (blue) so far. (sadly my least favorite of the colors)

$5 or 2 for $8 

okay let's nit pick!

I'll start by saying that if I had paid $19 for the UO I would have returned it upon first swatch. However for 5 dollars it's great for on a budget beauties. Or a good chance to try the look for a lower cost in case you're on the fence about it.

Just from the bootle you can tell the dupe has more flecks in it, but is otherwise identical. Yes and no. I would say the amount of flecks is very similar but the Illamasqua one has 3 different fleck sizes where the urban one only has 2. 

The urban polish is missing the "medium" fleck and has an over abundance of the large one.

The polish its self is substantially more liquidy and sheer. I had to do 3 coats to achieve the opacity of the Illamasqua one. Because of the larger flecks your nail gets more black in it, since the polish is thin it makes the flecks on the under coats more apparent. I like the scarcity of the Illamasqua flecks because it makes it look more egg like. The UO looks like a unique glitter top coat on your nail. This could be a pro for you if you like that sort of thing :)

one coat UO(left) one coat Illamasqua (right)

you can see the Illamasqua all ready looks creamy

pinky two coats middle three coats (see how black the flecks look?)

This is after 1 day at work all ready some minor tip wear and pieces where the flecks have ripped off.

Overall I'd say this is a good polish. Because of the consistency it feels a little grainy from the flecks and they tend to snag, something that could be fixed with top coat, even better with a gell coat. If I hadn't bought all of the Illamasqua ones all ready I would probably have skipped the blue and gotten this one(since blue is my least favorite of the colors any way). I feel like a light hand and some top coat make this one just as good. 

TL;DR

All of the colors with the exception of green (it was much thiner and the flecks were hard to grab) , applied smoothly and with tiny to no streaking. One coat was enough because although it is on the sheer side it is closer to cream. I applied two coats anyway for brightness and to add extra flecks. 

 9/10 for this one. 

7/10 for the packaging because of turn cap issues.

PS: Since I all ready have the blue I'll probably be giving away the UO one so stay tuned.

<3 Alice