Sally Hansen Insta Dri Review

 I'll start with my usual nail polish disclaimer.  Nail polishes work differently for different people.  What works for me may be terrible for you and vice versa.  That said, I hate pretty much everything about this nail polish.  It is very thick.  So thick that I thought the first bottle I bought must have been opened in the store and dried out some before I bought it.  Nope.  The second bottle was just as thick.  It applies in very thick coats, but still will not cover in two coats.  The picture above is two coats, and you can see that the coverage is uneven and not opaque yet (it is also really sloppily applied and all over my skin, sorry).  This polish does not self level.  If the polish is not level when it is applied, it will dry bumpy.  It is nearly impossible to apply level.  The top surface of this polish will dry quickly, but the bulk of the nail polish takes a long time to dry.  It stays malleable for quite a while, maybe an hour or two.  I end up with dents and impressions in the manicure from where it gets bumped while it is drying.  It wears pretty well for me, 6ish days.  I'm not really a fan of either color.  I thought a Barbie pink (Fuchsia Flare) might be fun once in a while, but this color is too yellow for me.  Luckily, my preschool niece loves this color. I thought I could put a glitter over the white (Whirlwind White) and it would look like new fallen snow on a cold winter day.  It didn't look like that.  It looked like I painted my nails with white out and put some glitter on top.  I was not a fan of the formula or the colors I picked.  I will not be buying Sally Hansen Insta Dry again.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Compact Foundation Review

All good beauty bloggers know that the first thing you do when you bring make-up home is take a picture of your new pristine make-up for your blog.  I...am not a good beauty blogger.  There wasn't even a single speck left.  But I took a picture of the empty container.  That's better then nothing, right?  Sorta?  Maybe?

Product Name  Neutrogena Healthy Skin Compact Make-up in Classic Ivory 10
What my skin type:  Normal to slightly dry in the winter.  Products with lots of lotion-y type moisture (technical term) will sometimes make it act as if it were oily.
My experience with this type of product.   I’ve tried several types of foundation formulas and different drugstore foundations.  I’ve tried several cream to powder foundations specifically.
What I look for in this product.  I usually prefer cream to powder foundations for winter.  I like a medium to full coverage.  I want a drugstore foundation that matches my very pale, warm skin (NC10 A.K.A lightest color in the drugstore).
My rating:  3 sit and spins

  





What I like about it.  I love, love, love that neutrogena put their helioplex sunscreen in this product (SPF 55).  Helioplex is an excellent sunscreen with great UVB protection.  The color is also a nice match for me (NC10).  One note about sunscreen in make-up, you only get an SPF 55 if you use a 1/4 teaspoon on your face.  It is unlikely you will use that much, therefore you will not get the full SPF 55 protection from this foundation.  But, every little bit helps.

What I hate about it.  I don’t really hate anything.  I wish this had more coverage.  It applies unevenly and sorts of skips as you apply it.  It is somewhat difficult to blend.  Both of these improve if I use a primer first.  Although this is not a bad formula, it is one of the worst cream to powder foundation formulas I’ve tried.  For me, cream to powder foundation is like chocolate.  Even when it is bad, it is still good.

Would you buy this again?  Probably not.  But you never know, I might.

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation Review

When you read the reviews of pale skinned people for Revlon Photo Ready on Make Up Alley, you hear the same word over and over:  Cullen.  What is a Cullen?  Cullen is the family name of the vampires in the Twilight books/movies.  The vampires in that series are pale and sparkle in the sunlight.  I planned only to wear this in the winter when I’m mostly indoors and there is a lot of cloud cover..  My plan did not work out.  Despite not being in direct sunlight, I’m still a Cullen with this foundation.  

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation
My Skin Type:  My skin type is normal to slightly dry in the winter.  But, my skin doesn’t seem to like a lot of lotion-y/moisturizing products.  Those products will make my skin act more like oily skin.   
My experience with this type of product. I’ve tried lots of different foundations and different styles of foundations.  I’ve only tried drugstore foundations.
     
What I am looking for in a foundation:  Number one, I’m looking for a foundation that matches my very pale, warm toned skin (NC 10).  There aren’t many drugstore options, and I really want to stay with inexpensive foundations.  I want a medium to full coverage.  I hate light coverage foundations.  I put them on and I can’t tell that I did anything at all.  What’s the point?  I tend to prefer cream to powder formulas in winter.

My rating:

   
What I like about it.  This is the exact right color for me!!!  And it looks nice when I first apply it (although too sparkly).  I love that this is in a pump bottle.  It is easier to use and more hygienic that way.  I plan to keep the bottle when I finish the foundation to pour another foundation into. .

What I hate about it.  Obviously I’m not a fan of the sparkling.  The sparkles and foundation eventually settle in my wrinkles and pores.  After a few hours, this will often start to look slimy on my skin.  This is probably a better foundation formula for dryer and darker skin types then mine. (almost everyone is a darker skin type then me:)) This formula is not terrible, it just isn’t for me.

Would you buy this again?  No.  I have winter foundation options that I like better.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Polish

I have two bottles of Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Polish.  I have Midnight Blue and Purple Rain.  I'm in love with the color Midnight Blue.  It is exactly what I wanted this color to be.  It is light enough in color to read navy, and not black, in all lights.  But it is not so light in color that it only reads royal blue instead of navy.  This is a fine line to walk for dark polishes.  The picture of the three nail polishes illustrates this point.  The Wet n Wild is royal blue on my nails, the Rimmel is navy in all lights, and the Orly is Navy blue in bright light, but black in most lights (Pic 3).   I've added one picture of  Midnight Blue on my nails with a regular top coat (Seche Vite, pic 1) and one picture with a matte top coat (Hard Candy Mattle-ly in Love, pic 2).  I'm a fan of how this polish looks with both finishes.  I think this is a particularly nice color on pale skin.

I wanted Purple Rain (Pic 4) to be a similar polish, but in a purple.  This color was a disappointment.  It just skews way too brown for my taste.  Midnight Blue makes me feel sophisticated.  Purple Rain makes me feel like a 40 year old who is trying to be a disgruntled teen.  I know that dark or black polishes are now acceptable for all age groups, but I just didn't like this one on me.

This formula is a winner for me.  It wears 5-6 days without any noticeable chips.  This is basically my one and only true criteria for judging nail polish.  Other then that, it preforms the way you expect nail polish to preform.  I'll add my declaimer that nail polishes preform differently on everyone.  What works for me may be terrible for you.

See also my post on the Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro color Gold Silk and Rags to Riches.

Wet n Wild Fast Dry in Gray's Anatomy

Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy is a really interesting color. This has a duochrome finish.  The base is gray.  But depending on which way the light hits, it looks either purple or green.  This is gorgeous in the bottle, but didn't fulfill all of my hopes and dreams on my nails.  It is still a very nice, unique color.   This polish is very sheer.  It took me 4 coats to get this opaque.  My guess is that it is designed for people who prefer to see some of their nail bed through their polish.  This is a very thin polish, so even after 4 coats, it isn't thick on the nail.  It really is fast drying.  By the time you finish nail ten, nail number one is dry and ready for a second coat.

Before I go further in this review, I'll point out that nail polish formulas work differently for different people.  What wears well for me, may chip on you.  What takes forever to dry on me, may dry quickly for you.  The only way to know what works best for your nails is to experiment with different formulas yourself. 

With that disclaimer, this nail polish peeled of in sheets for me after I wore it for a few days.  :(  Like most polishes that don't wear well on my nails, it wears perfectly fine on my toes.  I will probably try this again in the future with a different base or top coat to see if the results are different.  I also plan to try is layered over a gray or black polish.  This is a fun color and it is only around a buck if you want to give this one a whirl.
EDIT:  I tried this polsih with Essie All Bases Covered base coat and Essie Good to Go top coat and it did not peel off in sheets.

EDIT:  The duo chrome is really brought out when you later Gray's Anatomy over a turquoise polish. 

Lipfinity 3D Maxwear Lipcolor Review

Lipfinity 3D Maxwear Lipcolor At least that's what I assume mine is. I threw away the box, but this is the only product that looks even close on their website.
Experience with stay on lipstick: I've used several brands. I love stay on lipstick. I hate reapplying make-up. I've never met a stay on lipstick I hated before. Well, I have hated a few colors, but not the lipstick itself.



My rating: 0 out of 5 sit and spins.
What I like about it: Nothing.
What I hate about it. It doesn't look glossy or shimmery. The look is flat out greasy, greasy, greasy, greasy. I never kept the lipstick on for more then a minute. I hated the lipstick so much I never wore it. I thought I could possibly salvage it using the first step lipstick and a regular lip gloss for the second step. No dice. They ended up in the trash can without ever being worn. I'm glad I bought these on clearance.
Would I buy this again? No way.

I meant to casually mention that the lipstick looks like you've been bobbin' for fried chicken in the video. Well, I mentioned it a might more then I'd planned and I don't know why I don't iron that sheet either.