My skin is loving me right now....

I know, there is no excuse for this lateness! No use diving into detail, but I am much better! Since all is pretty much back to normal at the Lali Amora household I do have thousands of o' things to do with my blog. 

So what have I been up? Well for a few weeks now I've been trying the newest from L'Oreal skincare line...the Youth Code Texture Perfector serum concentrate, Youth Code Texture Perfector day/night cream, and the Facial Oil which I will discuss here in a few. Just wanted to say how pretty is the packaging! The pink duo is to be used together while the oil I essentially use it on it's own with other moisturizers I have lying around. The pink duo I like to call 'Pink iridescent' because the lotion and the cream contain a visible slight pink iridescent that can't be seen once applied to the skin. I have used the duo several times and can say that when used daily will obtain results, my skin felt a bit smoother but appearance wise was harder to tell since my skin always does oddly throughout the winter months.

Serum (the taller bottle). Here is what it does: 

Texture Perfector Serum Concentrate with 2% LR2412, a powerful ingredient, visibly corrects skin by tightening pores, diminishing fine lines and revealing petal-soft skin texture.

- In 1 week, over 70% of women experienced tightened, less visible pores.

- In 1 week, over 80% of women saw smoother, softer texture.
- In 1 month, women state that pores appear smaller, fine lines are reduced and texture is smoother.

- 79% of women report seeing an improvement in skin quality.*

Day/Night cream. Here is what it does:

Texture Perfector with Perline-P, an association of three perfecting actives that optimizes the quality of skin's surface by tightening pores, diminishing fine lines and revealing petal-soft skin texture.

- Instantly skin feels softer and texture is smoothed for a velvet touch.

- In 1 month, women stated that pores appear smaller and fine lines are reduced.
- 75% of women report seeing an improvement in skin quality.*

(info directly from the L'Oreal website) Yes, it is a safe link :)

The actual cream is pink of course!

Now these come boxed and can cost anywhere from $17 up to retail which is $24.99 depending where you buy and if they ever are on sale, sometimes I like to use Beauty Bucks from CVS and buy product as I need them this way. If you have tried out the Pink Duo or any other L'Oreal skincare recently please let me know! I am always on the look out for new stuff to try out. 

How I Rate it: Pink Duo - Thumbs up! But only when used together and daily :)

Let's discuss this Facial Oil shall we? I just may need a few more bottles of this stuff, I wonder if they sell it at Costco? :) My favorite thus far, and not just because it has a heavenly scent but because it actually works on my skin, like magically, even though I know it's pure science, haha. The oil I'm talking about is the glorious Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil. Complete with 8 oils that take over the face skin and surface like butter! Silky and smells divine, my face stays supple and moisturized almost all day.

Mixture of Oils:

English Lavender

Rosemary leaf

Geranium

Orange Peel

Roman Chamomile

Marjoram leaf

Lavandin

Rose flower

Can't you just smell it through your phone screen or laptop? 

This oil I use as a pre-moisturizer, or sometimes I add it along with my favorite moisturizer. You only use 2 to 5 drops, the bottle recommends 4 to 5 drops but I find a little goes a long way. The most I use would be 3 to 4 drops. I think the perfect time to use this oil would be sometime in the morning after washing face, I don't apply makeup in the morning but I do apply the drops before my moisturizer and foundation. Lasting power? Definitely an all day thing, I generally don't like my face feeling greasy or oily at all (I don't think anyone does) but this oil does not leave a greasy or oily feel at all, you can't see oil on the face after application, my skin absorbs it and the result is perfect - skin that is soft, supple, and moisturized...And of course smells amazing.

Not much change cost wise, this bottle will cost about the same as the pink duo, retails for $24.99 but of course depending on the store that carries it.

Just a few details: 

"Restore skin’s youthful glow with Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil. It deeply nourishes and replenishes dull, dry skin with a unique blend of 8 Essential oils. The non-greasy and luxuriously lightweight formula absorbs quickly for all-day hydration.

All you need is 4-5 drops each time you apply. Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil can be used 5 different ways for an all around youthful GLOW:

1. Alone, after cleansed skin
2. Right before applying cream
3. At night, before bedtime
4. Apply on the neck
5. Right before foundation to improve glide."

How I Rate it: Age perfect Glow Facial Oil - Definitely Thumbs Up! If I had a 3rd thumb I'd have it up too, now that would be weird, hahaha

Clinique Moisture Surge is still and will continue to be my all-time favorite moisturizer, I've gone through many containers of this. Although price tag might reveal Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion to be more affordable (1.7 oz $14.50) I just can't use it....I have found after a while the lotion starts to smell a little odd. So even though Moisture Surge is a little pricey (1.7 oz $37) it still does one heck of a job moisturizing and keeping the skin hydrated. Another personal favorite of mine is the Neutrogena Naturals multi-vitamin Night Cream (1.7 oz $13.99). Surprisingly, not a fan of the scent, but it does a great job. Generating 3.5 stars on Neutrogena's website, many others detest the scent as well. Maybe Neutrogena could work on this? The cream itself is pretty good, maybe tweaking the scent could be beneficial to sales? We shall see if they listen to consumers....

Do you have a favorite moisturizer that you would love to let me know about? Comment and do tell! I'm always eager to try new things, especially face creams! :)

Disclosure: All items with an exception of Clinique Moisture Surge were sent to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Super Slim Infallible black eyeliner and comparisons

I'm one of those gals that really loves a great black eyeliner. A smooth liquid eyeliner that lasts all day, sort of like a tattoo! - I'm not that brave to jump on the tattoo bandwagon just yet, but for beauty, eh, maybe :) I'm here to discuss the L'Oreal Infallible liquid eyeliner called The Super Slim. You can find this eyeliner pen in almost any drugstore and retails for about $8.95. The sleek black pen offers a great thin line, or thick line whichever you prefer...With alot of patience and practice you can keep it as thin or thick as you like with a felt tip applicator like this one. 

Here I demonstrate how I've applied a line using the pen. I kinda like it. I'm not a huge fan of pens because I find they are not fluid enough - and I mean the flow level...but then again some pens are pretty good. Also felt tip liquid eyeliners, in my opinion, are a risk for being a dry out sooner, but not all are created equal. I took the time to compare other liquid eyeliners in my stash for simple color comparisons. 

• The Super Slim Infallible
• Maybelline Line Stiletto (one of my faves)
• Wet n Wild Mega Liner
• Essense liquid eyeliner

But before I dive into the comparisons I must explain the problem I have with The Super Slim. First of all, it's not very fluid. I don't like the way I complete half of the eye and then have to tip the pen for more fluid before I complete the 2nd half of the eye. Of course with similar pens you might encounter that situation but I think only as time goes. With this pen I saw a decrease in flow like the 3rd or 4th time using. The felt tip in my opinion is just too dry. Another problem I have is wear. My line does not last near the ends, so for example the line bleeds near the 'wing' area (outer eye) and bleeds towards the tear duct area. It's so funny because I had the same problem with the YSL Shocking faux cils...

($34) The line would look great but after an hour would melt away and bleed. It's not nice to be out and about with black smudges in the tear duct area. Same problem I had with the Super Slim. Packaging almost looks identical too.

Ok, as for the bad fluid flow and lines that smudge and bleed - Line Stiletto doesn't have this problem. Super Slim and Line Stiletto own the same type of felt tip - Super Slim just might be a tad bit skinnier than Line Stiletto. Honestly, I just really love the Line Stiletto - It's fluid, I can use it over and over again without it drying out on me, and it lasts on the eyelids very well. The last time I needed to buy a replacement was well over 4 months ago and I still have plenty left in the tube.

Essence liquid eyeliner is just one of those great, really cheap eyeliners that you can throw in your purse for on-the-go. The felt tip is fatter than regular felt tips but it is quick to apply (fool proof), fluid, and the color is pretty dark. The Mega Liner by Wet n Wild is a favorite of mine when I need a matte line. The formula cracks a bit if you apply too much (like a second coat) but I love the way the little brush is so thin and the color is dark and matte. Honestly, each liner has its advantages and disadvantages. Essence is too fluid, the felt tip is too fat, and since the handle is sort of small it's hard to handle with my already fat fingers. Mega Liner tends to be too dry and sometimes cracks when I apply a hard line with a 2nd coat - but the matte color and lasting quality is amazing. Line Stiletto's color is too shiny in my opinion, I really like semi-matte or pure matte black, I'm still looking for a way to tone down the shine on the Line Stiletto - but overall is my favorite of them all.

Swatches below are as follows: Top to Bottom - Essence, Mega Liner, Line Stiletto, and Super Slim.

Disclosure: Some items were sent to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Josie Maran Argan Love your Lips lipstick

I know Josie Maran is known for her great natural looking cosmetics-great gems of products but for some reason this lip product didn't work out for me. I love other products in her line, for example the Pure Argan oil, Hydrating body butter and color stick. I'll pass on this one though. I have the color in Fuchsia Frolic which is a semi bright fuchsia color but is still subtle to the eye. Retails for $22 and comes in a few other colors. 

Let me start out by saying that the way the actual lipstick is shaped and designed (the outer layer of gloss and the inner layer of pure color) is NOT the first design to be put out ever. A few years ago AVON put out the first ever 'Outer layer gloss and inner layer color' lipstick....I believe called Shine Attract lipstick ($9) and was a big hit. Pure color wrapped in clear gloss but in Josie Maran's case, her lipstick clear gloss part contains the Argan. I can't compare the both quality and standard since I've never tried the Shine Attract but just got intrigued to try it, especially with the very friendly price tag compared to JM's.

(Avon Shine Attrace lipstick-pure color wrapped in clear gloss)

Here is what I gather: I like the color but I don't like the way it applies so unevenly. I had to maneuver the lipstick a few times on the lips in order for it to apply evenly, if I hadn't then I'd end up with no lip color on the outer edges on my lips and only on the inner lips.....have you ever had a red popsicle or candy that stained your lips after you're done eating it, yep that is what we're dealing with here. So waste of product is not necessary, especially if it's costing you $22+ 

And where is the rest of it? The entire product was only about 3/4ths of an inch tall. 

I really liked the packaging though. And the glossiness was outstanding....Overall I was not impressed and returned it promptly. 

This swatch is about 7+ swipes on the back of my hand. 

Flower Beauty Lipsticks

Am I late or what?

I've been meaning to write a review about the cute and beautiful and new cosmetic line created by the lovely Drew Barrymore but just never got around to it! This is what happens when you have a house, husband, and 4 arguing children to referee during free time :)

Ok, so for now I have 2 Kiss stick Velvet lip colors in So Gladiola and Tender Tuberose. All the names of her items reference flowers which is nice. 

These lipsticks have a creamy and semi matte finish and are scented with grape seed oil. The packaging is nice, a little on the bulky side but cute.

 Retails for $6.98 and can only be bought at participating Walmart stores.

Tender Tuberose (top) and So Gladiola (bottom) swatches

I love the way the colors are shown on the bottom of the lipsticks, individuality is so awesome!

If you own any Flower Beauty items, which are your favorites I'd love to try other products in the line so give me your recommendations!

Lorac Lips with Benefits

While in Sephora I stumbled across Lorac Lips with Benefits lip gloss ($18) simply because I was on a hunt for a super shiny lipgloss that had opague color. These come in about 6 colors but as you can see, in 1 tube a trio of colors make up a gorgeous finished color. I love rocking this because the color is opague and beautiful.

The design is zigzag and funky!

According to Lorac the Lips with Benefits lip glosses are meant to be hydrating and completely comfortable to wear, and as an added bonus will benefit your lips by providing antioxidants of Acai Berry, Pomegranate Extract and Vitamins C & E. There is a sweet creamy brulee scent, not really something I'd expect though for some reason I would have thought they would have a fruity scent, nevertheless it is nice. 

It is super comfortable and very glossy, I loved the way it looked natural!

Red Lipsticks calling my name!

 

Let's start with ELF! ELF's Matte lip color in Rich Red offers the very best of a red color for the lips. It's bright, it's rich in red color and it lasts on the lips. I just love the formula as well as the color payoff. The ELF Matte lip color collection is just a mere $3 (US) and is affordable for anyone looking for a perfect matte red. I came across the ELF line while shopping at my local grocery store and thought I'd give it a try. The lip color comes in a matte black retractable pen, you twist the holder near the product and it slides up. A coordinating color is also found on the bottom of the pen as well as the sticker with the color name.

 

 

 

 

I'm not fond of the taste of this lipstick, although the color is very pretty I don't really like the taste of saccharin which is what I'm tasting here. BUT, I love the way I can throw this lipstick in my purse and the ease of applying is phenomenal... A lipstick pen, c'mon it's perfect...my picture above looks like I've applied lip liner too.

 

I give this lipstick 4 stars out of 5... And I just hope ELF can make more colors just to see them hold up as well as this one.

 

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Another affordable lip color I've been wanting to try were the Wet N Wild Silk Finish lipsticks. These are the ones that cost under a dollar, so yes the packaging is lacking but is not important as far as quality is concerned. I've owned one of the original Silk Finish lipsticks ages ago but have since forgotten what the quality was like back then. These two colors caught my eye the most, #514A Cherry Frost and #509A Cinnamon. Cherry Frost is a true blood red with shimmer with a frost that is not that noticeable but is pretty. Cinnamon I would describe as a deep true blood red with no frost or shimmer and is moisturizing/shiny. My favorite of the two has to be Cinnamon...which does not give any hint of cinnamon-brownish undertone or anything close to it, I'm glad!

 

Lip Swatch of Cinnamon (no lip liner, no top gloss)

 

Lip Swatch of Cherry Frost (no lip liner, no top gloss)

 

While Wet n Wild makes nice MegaLast lipsticks in pretty colors, with the Silk Finish, not so much. Don't get me wrong there are some pretty colors in the Silk Finish though most of them are frosty or hideous...But rest assured I can choose about a handful of those colors that are worth trying out...like for example Nouveau Pink or Taj Mauve Hal, pretty!!

 

These little gems get 4 out of 5 stars as well.

 

 

Just a little pic of all my favorite reds :)

 

 

 

 

Beauty tips from Celebrity Makeup Artist Claudia Betancur

Claudia Betancur gives her recommendations from the L'Oreal Paris cosmetics line! I have a review of the Lip Caress lip shine/stains, you can check it out here. Reviews of the CC Cream and Eyeliners are in progress! This summer step out of your comfort zone and try something new from L'Oreal. :)

 

For the face! "The ideal look for this time of year is to have skin looking fresh and transparent, this is why I recommend using the lightweight Visible Lift CC Cream from L'Oréal Paris because it is the perfect product for summer, as it helps to match your skin tone providing a smooth and radiant finish- while protecting you from the sun."

 

For the eyes! "Be bold and fearless and use vibrant eye colors.  I’m loving the new Colour Riche Eyeliners from L'Oréal Paris which comes in bold colors such as emerald green, cobalt, violet and the regular brown and black. Don’t be afraid to create a thick line over your eye with your favorite color. To add the final touch to your eyes, always apply a good mascara like the new L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara, ideally apply it from root to tip, and wriggle it in the middle to extend and separate the lashes."

 

For the lips! "Your  lips should always look fresh and cheerful, with lots of shine.  Use L'Oréal Paris Colour Caresse Shine Stain in Pink Resistance."

 

 

 

 

 

This article contains safe links. Products in this article provided for review purposes, all opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur: My thoughts

 

L'Oreal's brand Revitalift recently launched a new product that instantly targets lines, wrinkles and pore size as part of the Opti-Blur technology and over time can minimize lines, wrinkles and pore size (use for 4 weeks) as well as improve skin texture. They have created 2 types of formula, Miracle Blur with SPF and Miracle Blur without SPF that is Oil-free. Besides it working just like a foundation primer I love the ease of application as well as the seamless look it gives. Out of the 2 I would say my favorite would be with SPF, it just works better for me, not too sure why, nevertheless the Oil-free sans SPF one does a great job of blurring as well.

 

 

 

Nice packaging and an easy squeeze tube.

 

Details:

Buy at any drugstore, prices range from $19.97 to $24.99. CVS (24.99 USD), Walgreens (19.99 USD), Target (unknown), Walmart (19.97 USD)

Contains 1.18 fl. oz. each

Contains Opti-Blur technology

Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Packaging reads: "Innovative skin transforming texture blends in seamlessly to create a perfectly smooth surface. Opti-Blur technology diffuses light on skin for a soft focus blurring effect. In an instant visibly erases lines, wrinkles, and reduces pore size, and in 4 weeks wrinkles, lines, and pore size appear minimized. Skin texture appears smoother."

 

 

 

Miracle Blur swatched on the hand. You can see where it is applied and how the wrinkles on my hand are less noticeable on the Miracle Blur part.

 

Above are swatches of the product, Left side is Miracle Blur with SPF and the right side is Miracle Blur Oil-free.

 

 

Just to see the difference I took 2 photos using the SPF Miracle Blur. Pic above is freshly cleaned skin, bare and the pic below is after I've applied SPF Miracle Blur.

 

I know my skin is totally not in condition to be photographing right now but I really wanted to show the comparisons on the Miracle Blur. You can't really see a difference other than in the second pic my skin looks less glowy and dewy. The foundation that I applied afterwards blended pretty well and the pigmentation of my foundation was pretty strong. In my opinion the face looks more matte and less dewy, that natural glow your face has after washing is taken away Miracle Blur. Not a bad thing at all just FYI.

 

In a nutshell, if you like skin primers before foundation I would give this a try. If you have subtle lines and wrinkles or pores that you would like to diminish for a period of time then I would absolutely give this a try. In my book it does its job and is a creative and innovative product.

 

 

 

 

Products in this article provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.