Thursday, October 24, 2013

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 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

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