Estee Lauder Summer 2012 Collection - Bronze Goddess Capri

Estee Lauder is one of the few companies that has a summer collection that is stronger than any other collection of the year, every summer this company does a limited edition version of their best selling bronzing products.  Every year, this collection contains products for every facial feature and a matching summer fragrance.  Last year, the fragrance in this collection was my favorite part of it but most of the products were totally sold out before I began self tanning and had enough of a glow to want bronze shades for my eyes and face.  Knowing how fast the products sold last year, I need to plan ahead this year and decide what products I want well before Memorial Day.

"A new collection of sunlit color and fragrance inspired by the seductive beauty of the Isle of Capri."  I can already see several different bronzer formulas (meaning that everyone can find their perfect shade and formula) and a great eye shadow palette to complement bronzed skin.  Other than the perfume (which I never got last year), I am most excited to check out all the bronzers since the one that I am using from Clinique is almost gone.

Here is the best Estee Lauder collection of the year!

Bronze Goddess Luminous Liquid Bronzer - Give yourself a heavenly glow with this super-luxurious liquid bronzer.  Great for all skintones, it includes a unique blend of bronzing pigments in a pearlized, reflective base.  Long-wearing, oil-free formula feels weightless and comfortable as it smooths on a sheer, natural-looking radiance. 

Bronze Goddess Soft Duo Bronzer - Two ways to give yourself a heavenly glow.  This super-luxurious powder bronzer duo includes medium and deep tones for a customized bronze.  The shades blend brilliantly to give face, shoulders, and decolletage a seductive bronze look.  Unique, oil-control complex keeps skin shine-free and comfortable. 
- Amber Bronze - medium neutral bronze/deep neutral bronze

Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer - Give yourself a heavenly glow with this silky, luxurious powder bronzer.  Works with virutally any skintone.  Sweep it on and the smooth, oil-free powder gives face, shoulders, and decolletage a seductive bronze look.  Unique oil-control complex keeps skin shine-free and comfortable.  Bronzer shade is a medium neutral bronze with no shimmer.
Bronze Goddess Soft Shimmer Bronzer - Give yourself a heavenly shimmer glow with this luminous powder bronzer.  Sweeps on an illuminated bronze radiance that's golden and glamorous.  Apply to face, shoulders, decolletage or wherever you want a glamorous highlight.  Bronzer shade is a medium neutral bronze with gold shimmer.

Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee - Turn up the heat.  Innovative tri-blend liquid, powder, gel formula goes beyond face powder to give you a sexy, sophisticated glow.  The perfect mix of pigments and pearls for a multi-reflective finish.  Smooths on as an all-over soft sheen.  Builds for luminous pearl highlighting.
- Shimmering Sands - medium bronze shimmer

Sumptuous Waterproof Bold Volume Mascara - At last a waterproof mascara that gives you gorgeous lashes just the way you love them.  Full, curled, sexy.  And virutally indestructible.  Now lashes look beautiful in all wet conditions, from steamy humidity to a splash in the pool.  Why save it for a rainy day?  Get maximum waterproofing against all wet conditions: water, chlorinated water, saltwater, tears, perspiration, humidity, rain, snow.  Bold Volume Waterproof formula provides all the benefits of original Sumptuous - weightless volume, lift, and curl - plus advanced total waterproofing.  Ultra light, lash-thickening fibers plump even the most sparse lashes.  Lashes are soft and flexible, never brittle or spiky.  Exclusive BrushComber thickens like a brush.  Defines and separates like a comb.

Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Crayon Duo - Turn up the heat with two smouldering eye shades to bring out your inner goddess.  Creamy crayon formula packs intense color impact in every stroke.  For added drama, apply on the lower rim of eye.
- White Sands/Molten Lava - pure white/deep cool brown
Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eye Shadow Palette - Turn up the heat with five seductive summer shadows.  A palette of super metallic shades to highlight, define, and dramatize your eyes.  Apply dry or wet to intensify.  Sleek compact includes applicator and mirror. 
- Bronze Sands - shimmering white/shimmering warm medium bronze/shimmering medium warm champagne/shimmering deep warm charcoal/shimmering bright aqua

Pure Color Gloss - Lip gloss with the power to light up your face.  True Vision technology transforms ordinary color and makes it extraordinary.  Imagine what it will do for your lips.  In a wide range of wearable shades with lasting shine for a lasting impression.  You'll want them all.  True Vision Color: Maximized color impact; Magnified vibranct, clarity, and dimension; Amplified brilliance.  High impact finishes.  Each Pure Color Gloss shade comes in one of three distinct, multi-dimensional finishes: Mirror Shine, Luminous Shimmer, Dimensional Sparkle; all with sheer-to-medium coverage.  High performance wear: feels light and luscious, never sticky; drenched with conditioners; flexible-tip applicator hugs every curve of your lips; smooths on precisely, stays on perfectly.
- Shimmer Mirage - clear gloss with gold shimmer

Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick - Color so incredible, it leaves your lips wanting more.  True Vision technology takes ordinary color and makes it extraordinary.  In a seductive spectrum of shades, from sublime to vivid.  True Vision Color: Maximized color impact; magnified vibrancy, clarity, and dimension; amplified brilliance.  Indulges your lips in 2 seductive finishes: Satin - lasting creme; Lustrous - lasting shimmer.  Medium-to-full buildable coverage.  Long-lasting wear.  Fade resistant.  Enriched with lip-loving ingredients, including apricot kernel, shea butter, and murumuru butter that leave lips soft and creamy smooth.
- Urban Auburn - deep warm mahogany
- Tiger Eye - warm creamy peach

Pure Color Nail Lacquer - Turn your fingertips into fashion statements with a wardrobe of essential shades to add definition, polish, and style to your fingertips.  Designed by Tom Pecheux, world-renowned makeup artist and Estee Lauder Creative Makeup Director.  Tom combined today's top trends with timeless classics - all the colors he prefers for photo shoots and fashion shows.  Formulated with True Vision technology to transform ordinary color and make it extraordinary.  Rich, glossy with an intense, mirror-like high shine.  Fast-drying.  Long-wearing.
- Molten Lava - deep red bronze with gold shimmer

Bronze Goddess Capri Eau Fraiche Skinscent - Summer's new sun kissed fragrance.  Inspired by the seductive beauty of the Isle of Capri, an alluring floral citrus blend.  Fragrance type: Solar Floral.  Top notes: Cassis, Mandarin, Lemon Leaves.  Middle notes: Jasmine Sambac, Muguet, Peony.  Base notes: Creamy Vanilla, Amberwood, Patchouli, Musk.

Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche Skinscent - The fragrance that worships every inch of you.  A sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot and Mandarin, cooled with Tahitian Gardenia Petals and Coconut, warmed with Amber, Sandalwood, and Vetiver.  All heat.  All desire.  All woman.  Fragrance type: Solar Floral.  Top notes: Sicilian Bergamot, Mandarin.  Middle notes: Tiare Milk - Tahitian Gardenia Petals, Coconut Oil, Orange Flower Buds, Jasmine, Magnolia Petals, Myrrh.  Base notes: Amber, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Caramel, Coconut Cream.

I must have both of these fragrances, I will get use from both the light citrus floral and the warmer, creamier version of the scent.  I especially love the fact that the traditional version of this fragrance contains several versions of coconut notes in it and I love that I can wear a more sophisticated version of a coconut fragrance this summer. 

In addition to the fragrances, I am also interested in the eye makeup and bronzers from this collection.  None of the lip or nail shades really pop out at me so I will be skipping over them this time around.  I love the eye palette in this collection, I know that I will get lots of use from the neutrals in this palette and I am going to try and use the aqua shade as a highlight in my crease and see how it looks.  From the Eye Crayon Duo, I only like the deep brown shade so I don't know if I will purchase this product or not, I can't really justify buying something that I know that I will only use half of.  I am going to try and pick only one bronzer to buy (at least for the beginning of the summer), so I will be picking up the matte version of the bronzing powder.  I prefer matte powders for the day since they are much more natural looking and will work better than the shimmery version.

I think that this is the most excited that I have been for an Estee Lauder collection in years!

photo courtesy of Estee Lauder

Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Malibu Wave Spray

I feel like it has been forever since Bath and Body Works has offered hair care products and I have very found memories of using them in college so I always keep my eyes open for them in the current product assortment.  The new Malibu product line from True Blue Spa contains both body and hair products to help create a beachy, relaxed look for the summer season.  I have tried other products like this in the past and the only one that has done anything positive for my hair is the Beach Waves product from Fekkai, the original beach hair product and the one that still continues to set the bar for this type of product.  I have purchased this product and have been using it over the past few days to help refine my curls in loose, beachy waves.

"Have bombshell, beachy hair with our new Malibu Waves texture spray.  With mineral-rich sea salt to boost texture, a stunningly sexy, wonderfully windblown look is yours instantly.  With a UV absorber to help protect hair against environmental damage.  Irresistibly creamy, tropical citrus fragrance."  This product is recommended for use as follows: "Use on dry or damp hair.  Work through hair and use fingers to scrunch and twirl hair for a tousled, un-done, beach-blown style." 

I use this product on wet hair, it performs better on hair that is damp and therefore easier to finger style.  I have a very hard time finger styling my hair when it is dry already, maybe this is easier for someone who has hair with a finer texture than mine.  I have found a very easy way to make this product work and I am so excited to use it when it is very humid in the summer months.  I wash and condition my hair at night and then spary on a leave in conditioner before twisting it up in a bun.  In the morning, I get it out of the bun and then spray this product all over it, scrunching each area of my hair.  I leave my hair to dry naturally and continue to scrunch and refine it over the next hour or two, completing the wavy look. 

The sea salts in this product create a very different texture than most traditional curling sprays, it helps to create and hold the piecey, wavy look.  This product does create volume that I don't really need and I have to watch my scrunching style to make sure that I am not adding too much volume to my hair.  The salts also help to control the volume and I can see this product working very well on anyone with medium to thick hair, I don't know how well it would help to create the beach waves look on someone with fine hair.  One of my favorite aspects of this product is the fragrance, it is a strong tropical scent that I love but may be off-putting to others.  I do wish that certain types of hair and skincare products wouldn't have such a strong added fragrance, it adds little to nothing to the product performance and has the ability to annoy more people than convert them to the product line.

This is a good formula hair product to create loose, beach waves.  This is one of the only formulas that I have ever found that is close in performance to the original product from Fekkai.  I recommend this product be used on damp hair before finger styling, I can't see how well it will really work on dry hair.  I love tropical scented products so the fragrance is a plus for me but this may not be the case for everyone.  Overall, this is a fun, easy product to use in the warm weather and will help to cut out the amount of time that I have to spend on my hair during the heat of the summer months.

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

Too Faced Summer 2012 Collection - Summer Royalty

Too Faced is almost always ahead of the curve for the release of their seasonal color collections so it is no shock to me that this is one of the few beauty companies that has the full summer collection up on their website and fully available for purchase.  Their summer collections vary very little from year to year, they always focus on the bronzing products that have made Too Faced famous in the beauty industry.  This collection contains only five products; one fantastic eye palette and skin products that help to create the perfect summer glow.  Last summer I got way more into the bronzed look than ever before and I am already excited to start fake tanning next month and get my glow back.  This is going to be a great summer for me and I can't wait to have some fun with my new look!

This collection is named Summer Royalty and all five products are all about creating a bright, fun look for the season.  I am most excited for bronzer and the Summer Eye Collection from this company.  I am searching for a new bronzer this season and I have so many positive remarks from beauty industry leaders about their bronzer line.

Here is the first of the color collections for summer!

Summer Eye Collection - This fabulous collection includes fun pops of summer color in coral, pink, and aqua complimented with beachy neutrals and seductive shimmery browns.  With this wide shade range, you can easily shift from a playful beach day babe into a sultry seductive summertime smoky look for cozy bonfires and moonlit dinners with your summer fling.  Fabulous formulas: Nine, pigment-rich shadows offer a range of shimmering textures from sheer pops of juicy color to golden neutrals, to sparkling stylish browns.  How-To Cards: Three How-To Cards show you how to create Day, Fashion, and Classic eye looks for for any summer occasion.  Each look is simplified into 3 easy steps shown on each How-To Card so you have all you need to feel confident and flirtatious all summer long.  Travel-Friendly: This collection is a must-have for summer sleepovers, weekends away, and touch-ups at the pool.
- Sugar Sand - shimmery dusty rose
- Peach Fuzz - shimmery golden peach
- Sunbeam - pale gold shimmer
- Plumeria - vivid pink
- Coral Crush - coral pink shimmer
- Mermaid - muted teal
- Cocoa Beach - plum brown shimmer
- Chocolate Sun - shimmery rich brown
- Toasted Coconut - matte caramel

Candlelit Glow Duo - Inspired by our original Candlelit powder, our newest formula offers a more ethereal glow by using Photolite technology which diffuses harsh lighting, giving your skin a diffused, youthful luminosity.  The powder formula is easy to apply to cheeks, brow bones, and decollete for a quick all-over glow.  Professionally Lit: Photolite Technology filters and fractures harsh light to fight the effect of cold lighting which gives skin a washed out or chalky tone.  Duo Highlighting Shades: The sheer golden powder warms skin tone, while the gilded rose formula brightens and illuminates.  Multi-use: Can be used separately for either brightening or warming, or swirled together to warm AND brighten for instant radiance!

Primed and Poreless Pure Oil-Free Skin Smoothing Face Primer for Sensitive Skin - Our colorless, oil-free formula mattifies surface oil and minimizes redness from irritated skin while it erases the appearance of pores, fine lines, and other imperfections.  As always with our primers, foundations and powders stay in place all day, colors stay true, and skin has a smooth and poreless finish.  Sensitive Formula: Pure is 100% oil-free and includes special soothing and mattifying ingredients so those with sensitive or oily skin get all the benefits of priming without the risk of congestion or irritation.  Mattifies Skin: Evermat technology provides balancing benefits by regulating surplus oil production to the skin's surface, minimizing shine, and helping to the skin's overall texture.  Soothes and Brightens: An innovative ingredient Sepi-Calm soothes inflamed skin and gently works to brighten complexion while reducing future pigmentation concerns.  Poreless and Flawless: Our lightweight formula virtually erases pores and imperfections.

Royal Oil Coconut Oil Body Bronzer - Our nourishing bronzing body oil gives the skin a sexy warm glow.  It absorbs quicky, hydrating dry skin with an innovative combination of Mangosteen fruit and coconut oil which nourishes and protects skin with easy-to-absorb anti-oxidants.  Color: The perfect bronze tone tints skin with a subtle luscious warm glow; perfectly adjusts for very pale to deep skin tones.  Mangosteen Oil: Known as The Queen's Fruit, this potent anti-oxidant protects against harsh environmental factors.  Versatile: Can use all over body and face to refresh dull skin after a long dry winter; also great to comb through ends of hair for a subtle shimmer and a bit of extra protection to dry ends before jumping into salty or chlorinated water.  Hydrating and Healthy: Replenishes skin with natural coconut oil to moisturize and nourish.  No transferring: Absorbs quickly into skin so that is does not transfer to clothes or sheets easily.

Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder - We've combined the natural detoxifying effects of real cocoa powder with our signature Too Faced bronzing pigments to create matte bronzers perfectly suited for pale to deep skin tones for a touch of summer warmth all year-long.  Matte Formula: Choose between the original Chocolate Soleil (deep matte bronze) and Milk Chocolate Soleil (light matte bronze) to achieve a perfect sun-kissed, shine-free warm glow.  Chocolate-scented: This tan-in-a-compact excites the senses with our signature, natural chocolate scent.  Real Cocoa Powder: The neutral cocoa shade tones down red and evens skin tone, naturally.
- Milk Chocolate - light matte bronze
- Chocolate - deep matte bronze

I am so excited to try the Chocolate Bronzer, I love the new shade in it.  And being able to wear chocolate on my face is so much fun, hopefully the product won't make me crave it all day long.  Milk Chocolate will be my shade, my skin doesn't get very dark even with the use of self-tanner all summer.  In addition to the bronzer, I also want to buy the new primer to use this summer.  I need a light, mattifying primer for the summer months, I am almost finished with my tube of Benefit's Porefessional and I would like to see what other types of primers are on the market. 

The eye shadow palette is another top choice of mine, I love the mixture of the neutrals and the brights.  I know that I will use the brights for the rest of the spring and summer and then I will use the neutrals well into the cold weather. 

So glad that Too Faced decided to start us off for the summer beauty season.  Now I am just looking forward to the rest of the bveauty companies following suit...

photo courtesy of Too Faced

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator

I think that I finally have my spring skincare regime set in stone, Korres and Boscia (remember the black face gel that I reviewed last fall?  I have finally brought it out again!) will be ruling my skincare regime and I shouldn't really be needing new products until I begin self-tanning next month.  This is the last new skincare product that I will be trying for the next few weeks until my skin changes again for the summer weather.  Clinique's Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator is their newest facial moisturizer and is among one of their most hydrating.  Why this company choose to release this product going into the warm weather months is well beyond me since it would have been more appropriate for use in the cool weather months.  I received this product as a massive sample from one of my Sephora online orders, I recently ran out of night cream so I decided to try this sample and then purchase the full size product next fall if it worked out for me.

I used this product as a night cream, at this time of the year it is must too thick to wear during the day.  "Rich, oil-free cream-gel instantly rehydrates.  Skin stays comfortably plumped, even 24 hours after you put it on.  Daily use helps fortify and repair skin's moisture barrier to keep moisture in, environmental irritants out.  Better barrier, happier skin."  This product is only recommended for dry to very dry skin or skin that is very stressed out by climate change or recent air travel.  This product's recommended use for dry skin is once to twice a day or as needed to fight dry skin.  Otherwise, it is recommended to just as needed around climate change until skin returns to its normal hydration level.

This is one of the few Clinique moisturizers that I didn't love, this line has contained so many hits for me over the years that I actually just expected to love this product as much as I love the original formula.  The original is a gel product with a thick jelly texture that absorbs right into the skin without leaving a greasy residue on the skin.  This product has a thicker texture, closer to that of a balm than a gel or cream, I have to use very little of this product to hydrate my whole face.  You have to pay attention to the amount of this product that you apply to your face, it has the tendency to just sit on the skin if too much is applied at any one time.  The texture is nice and I like how well it hydrates but I just wasn't a big fan of it, I have used better products that provide the same hydration level and I would rebuy the original over this one.  This product doesn't moisturize all that much more than the original but the texture is harder to work with.  I prefer the original version of this product and would be much more likely to buy it than the new version.

I was very surprised that this product had a noticeable fragrance to it, Clinique's facial care products have always been fragrance-free in the past and that was the expectation that I had for this product.  My jar of this product had a strong, sharp chemical smell that I really dislike, I wonder if I got a bad jar of this product since Clinique makes only fragrance-free skincare.  Really disliked this aspect of the product, if I liked the texture enough to repurchase it I would have to make sure that my new jar doesn't have this smell to it. 

This is one of the few let-downs in the whole Clinique facial care line, as I already stated I typically love their facial skincare.  The texture of the product is nice but I prefer the original product's performance to this one.  The scent is what really did it in for me but I still wonder if I got a bad jar of the product...

photo courtesy of Clinique

Zoya Summer 2012 Collection - Beach and Surf

It may only be the second week of April but I have already began thinking about summer vacation and what I want to do in my three months of freedom from grad school.  To match my looking forward to the summer months and hitting the beach, the summer makeup collections are beginning to come out and have been further adding to my excitement.  I have never really loved summer collections as a whole and this is one of the first times that I have been really excited for the summer months.  What I have been the most excited about so far is shopping for bright nail polish shades, starting to fake tan, and adding some sunny highlights to my hair.  I thought that it was very appropriate that I started with a summer nail polish collection, the newest collection from Zoya.

Zoya's summer collection is named Beach and Surf and is actually divided into two collections; one named Beach and the other named Surf.  The Beach collection contains cream finish shades and the Surf collection contains a series of metallic shades with the popular foil finish.  I think that I am the most excited about the Beach part of the collection, I prefer cream finishes when I wear bright polishes.  On the Zoya website, the collections can be bought in individual bottles or in sets of six polishes.

"The new color of fashion, Zoya Nail Polish combines the most sought-after fashion nail colors with the longest-lasting, safest technology in nail care.  Zoya's 300-plus stylish nail polish are all formaldhyde, toulene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and camphor free.  The cutting edge formula has also won a Women's Health Magazine independent panel award for longest-lasting polish.  The release of Zoya's four seasonal polish collections is always hotly anticipated by beauty editors, beauty lovers, and the salon and spa community alike."

The Beach part of the collection...
- Reagan - Deep cool fuchsia pink with subtle blue undertones and an opaque cream finish.  Reagan packs a lot of color without being excessively bright and is soft but not overaly muted.
- Lara - Medium magenta rose pink with subtle yellow undertone and a soft cream finish.  A soft shade, but with a candy-like pop of color to ensure that it doesn't look flat.
- Shelby - Soft but colorful cherry blossom pink with an opaque cream finish.  A light girly pink with enough tint to keep it from looking pastel or washed out.
- Arizona - Softened bright citrus orange with a muted cream finish.  This orange is bright but also very soft, giving it a fun, orange sherbet-like look on the nails.
- Tracie - Faded, yellow-toned pistachio green with delicate silvery shimmer for a frosted pearl finish.  Great for a fresh-looking twist on vintage avocado green.
- Wednesday - Faded dirty medium turquoise with green undertone and an opaque cream finish.  A very stylish shade with a funky yet easy to wear vintage look.

The Surf part of the collection...
- Kimber - Rich, bright and saturated medium magenta pink with strong gold metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish.  A huge hit of color and a shot of shiny gold metal make this polish look electric.
- Carly - Very rich, bold, red-toned dark purple with iridescent red and silver metallic shimmer and a dense foil finish.  The bold color and sparkling foil finish make Carly like gift wrap for your nails.
- Rory - Medium mauve pink with lilac tones, gold and silver reflective metallic shimmer accents and a foil-like finish.  The gentle color of this polish gives the foil finish a softened appearance.
- Myrta - Warm medium orange coral with a red undertone, gold and silver metallic shimmer, and a foil-like finish.  The coral color of Myrta is soft, but the foil finish gives it an added warmth and glow.
- Meg - Light yellow-toned mermaid green with heavy gold and silver metallic shimmer and a sparkling foil finish.  A light and fresh looking green with added sparkle and shine.
- Zuza - Deep, saturated, oceanic turquoise with gold and silver metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish.  A beachy, colorful, foil-like shade with the perfect balance between blue and green.

I am thinking that I could wear the cream shades on my nails and the metallic shades on my toes.  The collections appears to offer each shade in a cream finish and a metallic finish, I am envisioning some great matching manicure and pedicure looks at the beach and on the town this summer.  From the Beach collection, I want the bright pink (Lara) and the aqua (Wednesday) shades.  I do want to see how close Wednesday is to China Glaze's For Audrey and Aquadelic, two shades that I have been wearing this spring.  From the Surf collection, I love the pale pink (Rory) and the aqua (Zuza) shades.  The bright pink foil from Surf is a bit too warm to be flattering on my skin so I think that I will skip over it. 

I am so excited for the aqua shades in this collection, I have a black halter bikini and a black strapless dress that I am dying to pair these shades with.  This is a great start to the summer collections!

photo courtesy of Zoya

Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

The final time that I used my Sephora VIB 15% coupon (it is finally expired!) was to actually purpose a product that I really needed, I had no tinted moisturizers in my collection and I found that my primer/foundation/concealer/loose powder routine was not the best choice when I had to get ready to go in a huge hurry.  I needed a product that I could use quickly in the morning and still create a flawless face.  I have used the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in the past and I really liked the finish and coverage that it gave me, however the makeup artist at the counter used it on me and showed me a concealer to use with it so that I cover add an additional layer of coverage to red areas or dark circles.  I was undecided whether or not to just rebuy the Laura Mercier product since I really liked it but in the end I decided that I wanted to try a product from a different brand.  I then decided that I wanted to try a brand that I don't own very much from.  After wandering around the busy store and looking at every single tinted moisturizer that I found, I decided to try the product from Stila.

I found a great description on this product on the company's website.  "Stila's iconic tinted moisturizer got a makeover!  Introducing the new and improved Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 that is now WATER RESISTANT!  It's more than just makeup; it's sheer lumimous color infused with light-diffusing pigments to help diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, plus it includes skin-enhancing ingredients such as ginger root extract, gingko biloba leaf extract and chamomile for anti-oxidant protection.  This revolutionary oil-free, tinted moisturizer multitasks as a skin-hydrating, skintone-perfecting, SPF-protecting complexion enhancer.  The micro-fine light diffusing pigments create a sheer wash of natural color and help diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles.  Its oil-free formula melts right into the skin and dries down, creating a gorgeous glow without the tackiness or greasiness."

This product is available in ten shades, not quite as big a shade selection as Laura Mercier but most people are still able to find a good match to their skintone.  My shade is Fair, the palest shade that is recommended for porcelain to fair complexions.  I tried this shade on one hand and the Bare shade on the other hand.  The Bare shade was made for fair skin with neutral undertones, it was slightly too dark for my skin and didn't look as natural as the Fair shade.  The other product that I tried was the Urban Defense product from Urban Decay, the coverage and SPF are comparable but the Halo (light) shade was too warm and too dark for my skin.  The shade choice was what pretty much made my decision to purchase the Stila product, I won't be able to use the Urban Decay product unless more shades are introduced.

I applied this product to bare skin with my hands, in the past I have used tinted moistuizers on top of skin cream or primer however I felt that this type of use actually detracted from the product and made the wear much worse but didn't add to the benefits of the product.  This product gave better-than-average coverage for a tinted moisturizer (major reason that I chose this product based on product recommendations from the associates at Sephora) and lasted all day.  I haven't tried the water resistant aspect of this product yet, I have only worn it out running and around the house on my day off.  This product held up well when I was sweating during my run so I can see that it would perform well on a rainy day or at pool party.  This product was hydrating enough to make my skin soft, but I can't see that it will be hydrating enough in the fall and winter months.  This is going to be an exclusively warm weather product for me, the time of the year that I try to wear less makeup anyway.

This is a good choice for a tinted moisturizer if you want a product that still gives medium coverage, this one could be too heavy for ladies who hate foundation but it is a great product for ladies who typically wear foundation every single day.  I like the shade range of this product, it was pretty easy for me to find a really close match to my skintone.  I still wish that tinted moisturizers had no SPF in them, they don't cover well enough for the SPF to be effective and having the SPF 20 in this product dilutes any other SPF that you would use during the day.  An SPF 20 is not high enough for me when I am out running in the summer months and would be much too low at the beach or pool.  Why do all tinted moisturizers contain an SPF 20?  Does anyone have an answer to this question?

photo courtesy of Stila

Chloe L'Eau de Chloe

I have been very silent regarding perfumes and fragrances lately, in fact I haven't purchased a new fragrance this spring up until last week.  The reason behind this fact is that I have so many half-used bottles of perfume and I have been trying to use them up and clear more room on my dresser.  You could accurately state that I don't even have room for one more bottle in my collection.  I was determined to get through the spring and use up at least one entire bottle and begin to make a dent in my pile of samples before I bought anything new.  That resolution went well for a few months, I tried a few different fragrances on when I was at Sephore but nothing was really catching my eye and I was working through my sample pile without being tempted to order any of the fragrances in their full-sized bottles.  I did well until I smelled the new Chloe scent, L'Eau de Chloe in a beauty magazine.

I really liked it on the page in the magazine and decided that this would be the fragrance that I tried on my wrist the next time that I went to Sephora.  This fragrance has a prominent rose note in it so I knew that I would love it before I even put it on.  And I did love it from the moment that it began to dry down, knowing that eventually I would be adding to my collection this spring.  I held out for a month but that Sephora VIB 15% coupon killed me (there was another trip after the first...) and I bought a bottle of this about a week ago.

"L'Eau de Chloe is elegance injected with a modern twist.  It's an utterly innate sense of chic with the fresh feeling of springtime pastels, light dresses, and rose petals.  This smooth and comfortable fragrance is a totally addictive floral mix.  Made with 22 percent natural rose water, the scent is fresh, carefree, and totally feminine with a delicate and lively mix of rose, floral notes, and green outdoorsy notes." 

The notes of the fragrance are: Grapefruit, Cedrat, Peach, Violet, Rose Petals, Natural Water of Rose, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber.  The strongest note when I first spray it on is the grapefruit note.  The fragrance then dries down into a strong rose and violet fragrance, the base being rounded out by the cedarwood note.  I barely smell the peach and patchouli notes of this fragrance on my skin, a good thing since I haven't been really liking some of the peach notes that I have been smelling in many of the new fragrances for the spring.  The rose note is the strongest, making this a great fragrance for me.

This was marketed as a lighter, more springy version of the traditional Chloe fragrance.  I don't own the original fragrance but I remember it to be a rose fragrance that was still light enough for the warm weather.  I think the addition of the grapefruit was what set this fragrance apart from the original.  Grapefruit notes don't always work well with my skin chemistry but the rose notes in this fragrance temper it enough that it works well on my skin. 

This is one of the lighter fragrances that I own and the lasting power is fair.  Several sprays last about four or five hours on my skin, not great but longer than some other fragrances last.  So far I have only found this fragrance in an EDT form, perhaps it would last longer in an EDP form.  The lasting power is my least favorite aspect of this product, I wish that Sephora would bring it out in rollerball form so that I could throw it in my purse for touch-ups.

I still need to keep working on using up some of the perfumes that I have open on my dresser already, I only opened this product to try it out and to test out the wear of the product and then I put it back into the box since I still have no room for the bottle.  My goal is to find the room for this product by the end of the month of May, this fragrance is great for spring and will work very well all the way through the summer months.  Last note - the Chloe scarf on the bottle just makes me feel lovely and I just love the simplicity of the square bottle design.

photo courtesy of Sephora