IT Cosmetics - Bye Bye Undereye Concealer Review

I am always on the lookout for the ultimate under-eye concealer. Thanks to my genes, I have been blessed with annoyingly dark under-eye circles. They are what I am most insecure about. No matter how much time I have to get ready in the morning, I feel like I have to conceal my dark circles before I am comfortable leaving the house. The ultimate concealer in my eyes, is one that provides full coverage, has great staying power, isn't drying, and is easy/quick to use. In December 2009, I decided give IT Cosmetics ByeBye Undereye a try. I have been using it ever since, and it has been the best under-eye concealer that I have found to date. My search has not come to an end though. I love ByeBye Undereye, but I have found that it has a few flaws. I will continue to repurchase until I catch word of the be-all-end-all under eye concealer.

Pros

• IT Cosmetics created ByeBye Undereye alongside Brazilian plastic surgeons to formulate it to conceal facial bruising and swelling on surgery patients.
• It lasts all day. Even after working out, it doesn't budge. It is waterproof, but easy to remove with facial cleanser or eye makeup remover.
• It's pretty simple to pick the correct shade, since 70% of skin tones fit neutral medium. It comes in 4 shades (Light, Neutral Medium, Tan and Deep).
• At $24, it is a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way. I have been using the same tube for 5 months now and I still have about half left. 
• It will not settle into fine lines and wrinkles.
• It does much more than just conceal. It contains collagen (reduces the signs of aging) as well as vitamin C and K (reduces discoloration/puffiness). On the surface it not only covers dark circles, but reduces them over time as well. Talk about a double duty product!

Cons 

• I am not sure if this is the case for all tubes, but mine has a bit of a grainy texture to it. Blending solves this problem though.
• The label wore off completely. (As you can see in my photos)
• It contains parabens
• Some setting powders cling to it and create a bit of a cakey appearance.
• It can be hard to find. I have never seen it in stores. Sephora doesn't even carry it. I bought mine off the Canadian Shopping Channel website. It can also be purchased here at Amazon.com or off the IT Cosmetics website.

Everyday Eye Makeup Tutorial

• Conceal dark circles with IT Cosmetics ByeBye Undereye - Neutral Medium and set with some loose translucent powder

• Prime the eye with Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Don't forget to put a tiny bit under the lower lash line as well

• With a flat shader brush, pack Stila's Sun or a shimmery golden peach on the inner 2/3 of the eyelid

• Again with a flat shader brush, place Stila's Eden (matte pink brown) on the outer 1/3 of the eye lid

• With a blending brush, (ex. MAC's 217) blend Eden into the crease and a bit above

• Using the same brush or a more tapered blending brush, (I used MAC's 222) take MAC's Sketch (burgundy-plum with red shimmer) and put it in the outer V. Keep on building the color until you reach your desired intensity. Make it the darkest at the outer corners

• Using a blending brush use Eden again to help blend out the edges

• With a clean flat shader brush put MAC's Brule (creamy beige) on the browbone

• With a shimmery light neutral color like MAC's Shroom or Stila's Kitten, brighten up the inner eye by placing it around the tear duct

• Using an angled liner brush, line the outer half of the eye with Sketch and then softly line along the bottom lash line as well. Don't go any farther than half way

• Heavily coat your top and bottom lashes with your favorite black mascara. I used Covergirl LashBlast in Very Black

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - Airy Fairy

I finally got my hands on the ever-so popular lipstick, Airy Fairy. Everywhere I looked it was sold out, but thanks to Target my search has ended. I am not usually a lipstick girl. I usually put a lot of effort into my eye makeup and then slap on a pretty gloss. But, I kept stumbling upon rave reviews of Airy Fairy and just had to try it.

For only $5, it was a mega deal; especially since it is comparable to MAC's Viva Glam V ($16.50 CAD). It is a very pretty neutral pink/mauve. It is quite hydrating, and because of this it doesn't feel dry on the lips. It has a silky/creamy texture, but still has a decent staying power. I have heard mixed opinions about the scent, but personally I am absolutely addicted. It has a wonderful fruity bubblegum scent! The packaging feels kind of cheaply made. The cap pops off really easily and it worries me that it might open in my purse. Not sure if that is just mine though.



I am definitely going to be checking out more of Rimmel's Lasting Finish lipsticks. Any recommendations? Comment below!

Quick Tip - The Mascara Slip

The Scenario

You're putting the finishing touches on your flawless makeup look, when disaster strikes! The mascara wand just barely touched your face, but now all your hard work is ruined. Or is it? This trick has saved me time and time again. It was the most useful tidbit of information that I learned at makeup school. Never stress about mascara troubles again!

The disaster: A mascara swipe and a tap.

The knight in shining armor: A disposable mascara wand! You can find these at a your local beauty supply store, drug store, or even at MAC counter. I use them daily for separating my lashes and removing any mascara clumps. Definitely an extremely useful tool.

The hardest part about removing the mascara, is having patience. People usually make the mistake of trying to remove it right away. It is very difficult to leave it alone, but believe me, you will be glad that you did. Leave it until it dries completely and then go in with your trusty disposable mascara wand. Gently begin scratching at it and it will flake off.

And problem solved.

My Beauty Pug

Lush - So White Bath Bomb

I finally got around to using my So White bath bomb! I was really excited to try this one out since it is a bit different than a typical bomb. It has bubble bar shavings in it! The smell is very sweet and refreshing. It smells like apples with a touch of citrus. It is supposed to smell of roses as well, but that somehow bypassed my nose.

The Pros

• It is a smallish bath bomb (90 g), but it costs only $3.95. Even with my deep tub, I didn't feel like I needed more. (Not that two wouldn't have been pretty awesome though)
  
• Very moisturizing.
• The scent lingered for a long time after.
• No clean up required afterward.

The Cons

• The bubble bar shavings did not live up to my expectations. Unlike a typical bath bomb, it did not dissolve in a exploding fashion. It just slowly frothed on the surface, creating milky trails. These trails did not remain after the bomb finished dissolving. The surface cleared up completely.
  
• It did not change the color of the water.
  

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Glosses

I got all six of these in a gift set around Christmas time. They can be purchased at Victoria's Secret stores in the US or La Senza stores in Canada. They are priced at around $7 each (2 for $12 or 5 for $20).

The Specks

• Punchy - Intense electric pink color. Shimmery, with no glitter. It smells less like fruit juice and more like a fruit powder drink (think Kool-Aid)
  
• Slice of Heaven - Duo colored. Pale muted pink that reflects a bright pink. Shimmery, with no glitter. It smells like yummy vanilla cake.
• Mango Madness - Sheer pink with silver glitter. It smells vaguely of mangoes. It has a topical sweet scent.
• Cupquake - Purple pink color with blue and pink glitters. It smells of vanilla frosting.
• Sugar High - A clear gloss with blue, green and gold glitters. It has a extremely sweet scent.
• Strawberry Fizz - It is very similar in color to Mango Madness, but a tad bit darker. It has pink and silver glitters in it. It smells of strawberry candies.

The Pros

• There is a lot of product in each tube. 13 grams per tube.
• Vast variety of colors and flavors to choose from.
• Nice sweet flavor
• When used sparingly, they look nice over top a lipstick

The Cons

• These glosses are very sticky.
• I find that if they are not wiped off with a tissue after use, the inside of the cap can get quite messy.
• Not the greatest at moisturizing.
  

$2 Each! Check out your local Lush!

Honey Bun, Fluff Egg, and Hippy Chick!!!

A Lush Morning

I confess. I am definitely a Lush addict. I would like to say that it was a gradual addiction, but once I made my first purchase (The Big Hair Affair set last summer), I was completely hooked. This morning I realized just how deep my addiction is.

I started out my day, by washing my hair with Seanik shampoo bar and my body with Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower gel. After my shower, I made myself look like an alien with Sacred Truth Facial Mask. Once that was all washed off, I treated the skin around my eyes to some Enchanted Eye Cream and my face to some delicious Cosmetic Lad. My legs needed some Lush attention too, so I drenched them with some Vanilla Dee-Lite Body cream. Then to lock in the sweet smell and moisture, I sprinkled them with Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder. Washed my hands with Chox Away Soap and topped them off with some Handy Gurugu Hand Cream.

It was a wonderful morning.