Gel, Pencil, or Liquid which liner are you using

I was never a huge fan of eyeliner I always thought it was pretty but too much trouble for me. I could never get it right, when I tired I thought I looked like a raccoon. On those SPECIAL occasions where I did use liner I would use a pencil because I was oblivious to the other options out there for a long time.  My pencil worked perfectly until I had to sharpen it then I NEVER got the point the way I wanted it. It seemed like it was never the same no matter how new my sharpener was. Once the point was ruined the line was not as easy to control. I tried the ones that were in the tube and raised when you turn it but they would go flat on me. 

When I started getting back into makeup I started trying to learn eyeliner again. I saw they had liquid eyeliner and thought that would be terrible for me and super messy. I'm glad I didn't listen to myself because when I tried liquid I learned it is easier to apply and provides a more precise line than pencil. You can control it very nicely and it is not as messy as it sounds. I have made a mess on my face once or twice but that was from rushing to get it done. I don't know what I was thinking, you shouldn't rush beauty!  It is easy to control the thickness the line but the thicker the line, the higher the tendency to run. The color is very vibrant and it wears a long time but I have one complaint. Sometimes it runs, I see little dots of it under my eyes and sometimes worse. This is not all of the time and I'm not sure of the reason. I can say I do have allergies and maybe my eyes water and cause this.  

Then I discovered gel eyeliner as you can see it comes in a little pot and you apply with a brush. Most of the ones I have seen come with the brush. You won't hear me say this often but this is the HOLY GRAIL of eyeliner. It is by far the easiest to apply, wears the longest, doesn't smudge.  It goes on in a smooth unbroken line with usually one dip in the pot. You can easily control the thickness of the line as well and the color is great. What else can you ask for in a liner?  I have used three different brands, Lancome, L'Oreal and Cailyn. I liked them all and they all worked very well but I can't vouch for other brands. 

I am still not an expert at applying eyeliner but using gel and liquid have made it easier and less frustrating for me to apply. I sit down all of the time and "play" a lot to get better. From the pics you can see I'm a little boring right now with basic black (I have browns too) but I will start experimenting with colors like purple and teal because I think they are beautiful.

Suave vs L'Oreal Styling Oil

What is hair oil? what does it do? These oils are said to heal, banish frizz, condition, and protect hair while adding shine without weighing hair down. To me that was a wow factor because I have to use three to four products to get protection, conditioning, and less frizz so trying a hair oil was a must for me although I never knew it until I was chosen to test one.  There was a little part of me that was very afraid to use the oil because my scalp is naturally oily while my ends are dry but I am pleased to let you know neither of the oils in this post made my hair oily or greasy.

Now if you are anything thing like me once you have decided to try a hair oil your shopping trip goes like this. You are standing down the shampoo isle looking at all the different brands thinking which one is a good one? You grab one or two and there's the little voice in your head that says "but wait this one is half the price of the other one". You're skeptical of buying the less expensive one because you have been burned before. You know the one -- the bottle says "compared to" but it doesn't work anything like that the other one. How do you know? You went back and purchased the more expensive one because you weren't getting the desired results. Although we all know its worth the extra cost if works better there is always that thought... but what if the less expensive product really does work the same?

Lots of people believe the more you pay the better the quality of the product but is that isn't always true. I tried both the L'Oreal Eversleek Precious oil sold for $12.99 and Suave Moroccan oil sold for $6.99 both are intended to cut frizz and add shine. The instructions are almost identical, dispense two pumps in your palm and rub them together then rub evenly through damp hair avoiding the roots. You can use one spray of both in dry hair as a frizz serum.  I thought it would be fun to compare. So going with most people's thinking the L'Oreal would be better right? Lets see.

When I was chosen by All You to test Suave Moroccan Infusion styling oil I was very excited. I couldn't wait to see how it worked. The first thing I noticed is the Suave has a nice consistency but is not very thick and applies very nicely. The minute I put the Suave in my hand I notched the smell was amazing but it's not overpowering. There have been days when I can still smell it in my hair hours after application and that is a huge plus to me. I have noticed an extreme amount of shine and my hair is super soft after using. I have also noticed less frizz with the Suave and my hair was not weighed down.  I would give the Suave an 9/10 on quality and a 9/10 for effectiveness I really like product.

Then I got the  L'Oreal Eversleek Precious oil treatment in a compensation package for a product testing I completed through the L'Oreal consumer test panel. The L'Oreal is a very thick consistency but does apply very nicely. The smell is pleasant but not very strong. I have noticed less frizz, my hair is super soft, and has a nice shine. I also noticed that my hair is not super wavy if I let it air dry plus my hair was not weighed down. I would give it an 9/10 on quality 9/10 on effectiveness so I really like the L'Oreal oil as well.

So my opinion is there is not a clear winner in this case they are both very effective and do what they claim. The Suave Moroccan oil smells amazing while the L'Oreal has a pleasant smell but in this case I would not spend the extra for L'Oreal because the Suave is great and does exactly what I wanted it to do. With less expensive brands stepping up their game sometimes you can get quality effective products at a lower costs.

Stay tuned for more vs I will have a lot more coming. If this review was helpful, leave me a message. If you have used a different type of styling oil that you loved let me know.

                        Like alwaysblabbing on  FaceBook for the inside scoop on the best product testing sites and contest that are coming soon.

L'Oreal Consumer Participation Panel

 I signed up for the L'Oreal consumer participation panel site a few months ago.  It is free to join and you complete and application of sorts. Then you are emailed a user name, password, and link to sign in.  Once you sign in you complete a few start up surveys and wait for a survey to appear on your profile. Sometimes you get informational surveys or product testing surveys. They even send you products just for taking five informational surveys. If you are chosen for a home study they mail you the product you test it for the duration they specify then they send you additional product(s) as compensation. What could be better then testing beauty products for free THEN getting paid with other beauty products? They also do In-House studies in their facility but it is way too far for me to drive.

After about what seemed like a million surveys. I was so excited to finally be chosen for a home study. It was a foundation that I was sent to test for a week. It was more like a BB cream then a foundation but under another foundation I really like it. Too bad I will never know what I tested because it made my face feel amazingly smooth and soft. After a week of use they sent a final survey that took about 5 minutes to complete. The best part is they send you products as compensation the product I received a L'Oreal True Match Blush in Natural and I really love it. I just recently qualified for a ten week BB Cream study. I received ten sample sized BB creams to test and complete a survey each week and at the end of the study I will be compensated with a bag of assorted products. I can't wait to see what my compensation is.   Click here to sign up and let me know if you are chosen for a product test.

Magic or a hoax? - L'Oreal Magic BB Cream

 
L'Oreal Magic BB Cream is an all-in-one beauty product is formulated to prime (to smooth skin's texture), perfect (hide imperfections), hydrate (for all day moisture), and correct skin tones (for a healthy looking even complextion). The price is between $8.00 & $11.00 and is available at stores like WalMart or your favorite drug store. And just incase you don't know BB stands for Beauty Balm

first application




Is this BB Cream Magic? I hope this will help you decide. My normal beauty routine is probably very similar to yours, it consist of facial soap, toner, and some type if not more then one moisturizing lotion/cream. I started using BB Cream under my foundation about a month ago. I loved the way it made my face feel but didn't like the way it made my face look very oily and shiny after a few hours of use. I read a lot of post by others and figured it was just a con of wearing BB Cream. I expected the same from this BB Cream.

As with any new make up I tried a little on my hand (as pictured above) and was very impressed with the way it blended but that was not a huge concern with my other BB Cream. This one starts off white (which freaked me out a little) and then turned the color of my skin tone. The shade a received was light 812 and it blended very nicely.

Of course, the next day I couldn't wait to apply my new BB Cream and started with my normal beauty routine. I applied the cream with my fingers like is suggested with most BB Creams. It took very little to cover my entire face but I find that it was not as creamy as my previous one. I also found that it for lack of a better explanation dried pretty fast and once it dried you had to press a little harder to spread it. But once a little was applied it blended nicely and matched my skin tone beautifully. Just to warn you, if you use too much it will have a chalky look to it. There is little to no smell and if you are like me the smell of a product makes a difference.

I still need my foundation to provide enough coverage for me to be comfortable but this provided a nice primer. I loved the way it stayed on all day and in turn my foundation last all day too and my face was not oily after a few hours. If applied sparingly it provides smooth even coverage and is very light weight. But I have not seen a huge difference in my skin and it does not provide SPF protection. I don't know if I love the L'Oreal Magic BB Cream because the only magic I see is it doesn't leave my face oily. I probably I will not purchase this product and over all I give it a 5 out of 10. Honestly If it made my face oily that score would be much lower.

I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from SheSpeaks but the opinion in this post is my own. http://www.shespeaks.com/