friday miscellany: beauty and technology

recommended beauty products
1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I had something entirely different planned for today’s post, but various non-blog projects over the last few days seem to have eaten my brain before I could finish it. So instead I’ll share my recent beauty finds from Ulta, and solicit your opinions on something else I’m considering.

1. I’ve raved about this product before, and I still love and use it. My visit to Ulta was prompted by the need to replenish my stash. This It Cosmetics CC Cream is one of the best products I’ve ever tried for smoothing and evening out skin tone, covering dark spots AND providing UV protection. This is always what I’m wearing when I’m complimented on my “good skin.” It has a nice high percentage of barrier sunscreens, which makes my dermatologist happy. While I was there I also grabbed the Travel Sized option which will be plenty for our upcoming trip (a little of this stuff goes a LONG way).

2. While I was at the It Cosmetics display, I noticed this stick blush. Actually it’s called “Vitality Flush Stain Stick Lip & Cheek Reviver.” Say that three times fast! The color “Je Ne Sais Quoi” looks clear in the tube but turns pink on the skin. You can either dab on with a fingertip or right from the tube. I suggest you start slowly until you see how the color develops on your skin. But with the right amount the result is a nice, natural looking flush. (This stick format is another great travel option, doesn’t count toward your carry-on liquids allotment.)

3. I’m always on the lookout for good brow products, and have read many recommendations for Benefit Gimme Brow. This is a gel that both colors and holds brows in place. (If you have one or two of those wayward hairs like I do, you know what I mean.) Because my brows are so sparse, I fill in first with a soft pencil (more on this later) and then use the gel over that to set. What I really like about this product over other brow gels I’ve tried is that the brush is tiny, so makes precise application much easier. The result is a fuller and shaped, but soft and natural-looking brow.

4. After being so delighted with the Living Proof “Perfect Hair Day” Styling Treatment, I wanted to try the shampoo and conditioner from the same line. Rather than buying full-size products to start, I picked up the Perfect Hair Day Travel Kit (which includes smaller sizes of the shampoo, conditioner and the 5-in-1 Styling Treatment), figuring that even if I didn’t like the shampoo and conditioner, at least I’d use the treatment. But I DO like the shampoo and conditioner, so win-win-win! (Just for the record though, although a lower-commitment way to try new products, these are way too large for “travel sizes” unless you’re planning to be in the wilderness for upwards of a few months.)

 

On another note…

iPhone 6 photography

I’m eligible now for a device upgrade with my cell phone plan, and am considering getting the iPhone 6 Plus, mainly for the enhanced photography functions and larger screen. Do any of you have one of these? Do you find it noticeably better than the iPhone5? (I have the “bare bones” version.)

Have you found any superb new beauty products lately? Do tell!

Bon weekend! I’m scheduled for a haircut and am considering a moderate tweak to the style. Fingers crossed, and will report back next week.
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42 Comments

  1. I adore Benefit’s Gimme Brow. As a brunette (greying now that I am au naturel) my lighter eyebrows are making my whole face fade. I love Benefit’s Gimme Brow, it defines and darkens my eyebrows without the harshness of a pencil. If you use a steady hand — and in my case a magnifying glass in natural light — it’s like mascara for eyebrows. No harsh line but plenty of definition.

    I’ll look into #1. My skin is good but my stripey neck shows the outcome of too much sun when I was a teenager.

  2. The iPhone 6 Plus is awesome for searching the web, checking emails, posting, etc., but, it is pretty big/awkward to use as a phone if you have small hands. Most of the people I know who have purchased the iPhone 6 plus are men. Of course, if you always use bluetooth for your phone calls, this wouldn’t make a difference at all. (FYI – the regular iPhone 6 has a significantly bigger screen than the previous version, if that helps.)

  3. I had an iPhone4 and needed an upgrade. My very generous husband bought me an iPhone 6plus. It is big (certainly for getting into handbags) but I love it. It has a great feature on the camera to take square photos ideal for Instagram. I am sure it does far more than I ask of it, I need to spend time practicing .

  4. I had my eyebrows tinted last time I had a haircut. What a difference! Then I read about how easy it is to do yourself. So I (or rather Mr FS!) used a qtip and tinted while I did my hair. So easy! Took about 4 minutes.

  5. I love a phone that fits neatly in my purse or evening clutch or coat pocket. The iPhone 6plus is just is too big for me and is awkward to use as a phone. Its strength is in its size to be used as a mini tablet. I guess it comes down to what you need it for.

  6. I have the 5c and I’m super satisfied with it. I’ll keep it for awhile then inevitably feel I have to upgrade (first world, that’s me) : > The “big” 6 is too big for my style, although my fading eyesight appreciates it. xo

  7. I’ve looked at the iPhone 6 and will probably get one when I need a new phone. Good point about it being large for small hands. I have HUGE hands (for a woman) so it will probably be ok for me.

  8. I have the iPhone 6 plus and I love it. I thought it might be too big in the beginning but it’s fine. I guess my hands are a little larger than normal, I’m pretty tall. I”m quite happy with it and wouldn’t change. I don’t have any problems with it not fitting in my purses unless they’re quite small – I usually carry a LV and it fits fine.

  9. My husband bought the gold iphone 5 for me, which has more bells and whistles on it and I had to take a class to learn how to use it. LOL! A woman had an iphone 6 in the class and I learned there wasn’t much of a difference except for the 6 being a bigger and more awkward to hold. Most purses have some sort of a pocket inside them and they are all about the same size. An iphone 5 will fit in it nicely, but the iphone 6 won’t. You may get a deal on an upgrade, but if you lose it, I believe it is like $700 to replace. If you drop it and it breaks, repairs are a nightmare. Frankly, until they get Suri — who by the way I turned into a British speaking male valet— to respond to more sophisticated demands, I see no need for upgrades.

    1. The biggest difference between the iPhone 5 and the 6 is that the 6 can be set up for Apple Pay…which lots of stores are already using. (A little glimpse of the future right now! Within 5 years, I imagine that very few people will be carrying cash or credit cards around with them!)

  10. I’m a total “It” girl and love their products. I haven’t tried the Vitality Flush stain so I will have to pick that up. Their Celebration Foundation is amazing. It is perfect compact for travel.

  11. I’d love to hear what you decide to get in the way of a new phone, Susan. Love the tip on the It CC cream. Will give it a try when I run out of my La Roche Posay.

  12. I went from an iPhone 4 to a 6. The size and quality upgrade were impressive. If holding and operating the phone with one hand is an issue, you probably will not like the 6+. Likely that neither will fit securely in the cell phone pocket of your purse. And there was talk that a 6+ gets bent when you sit if it is your back pocket,

  13. Per-fekt Brow Perfection Gel in Caramel has changed my world! I got it at Ulta and it fills in and slightly darkens my sparse eyebrows with a mascara type wand. Waaaaay easier to use than a pencil, and more natural looking too!

  14. I pack Rimmel Scandal Eyes eye shadow stick crayons for easy, quick applications. They are especially good when in a hurry and when lacking a decent mirror. They are waterproof and good for beach vacations. I can leave my better cosmetics at home, and not worry about theft.

  15. I have a 6 Plus and love it. It is big, but I use it as a mini tablet instead of our iPad. If you’re primarily using it as a phone and camera, the 6 would probably be fine. I also appreciate having the biggest screen possible for my bad eyes.

  16. I love my iPhone 6plus. First iPhone ever and I hesitated over the size, but I’d been carrying my iPad Mini AND my old cellphone in my purse. With the enhanced screen size in my phone, I can do without the iPad now. I rarely talk on the phone, so size isn’t an issue there. And I have an average hand (7.5 glove)… As the fellow in the phone shop pointed out, it’s actually men who find this phone too big because they tend to carry in pockets. Women carry ours in our bags. Love mine!

  17. Love the Perfect Hair Day products and Gimme Brow also! When I first starting using the Perfect Hair Day styling creme and I went to get my hair done, my hairdresser actually commented that my hair felt thicker and smoother. I have similar hair to yours and with other styling products I would either have smooth, but thick, or thick, but dry and strawlike. Now I can have the best of both worlds! Gimme Brow is awesome, when I forget to use it I see such a big difference. If I’m in a hurry I just use it by itself, if I have time I’ll fill in with a little brow pencil first.

  18. The Perfect Hair day products are great! I did the same thing you did – go the travel set from Ulta. Then I bought the full sized products, then I bought a few more things! I am hooked.

  19. Some things I love from iT. Bye-Bye Undereye Concealer is perfection for people like me with terrible dark circles and crinkly undereye skin – just a beautiful result. Their small dual concealer brush really does a fine “airibrush” looking finish on the concealer -so easy. Their Antiaging Creme Illuminizer is the best of any – ever. Just recently tried their Vitality Lip Flush lipstick – very emollient balm which reacts with your own lips to reveal a slight tint. MLBB !! Although color, performance and finish have always driven my cosmetic purchases, I’m starting to pay more attention to ingredients. Like it that iT products seem to have less toxic chemicals and more beneficial ingredients.

  20. I haven’t upgraded to the 6 because of the size. I can use one hand to operate the 5, but need two hands for the 6. I also like to carry the phone in my pocket, and the 6 is too large for many women’s pockets. One of those subtle situations where tech favors men. If they kept the smaller sizes I wouldn’t say that. But they eliminated the small sizes while calling the large sizes an “improvement”. For whom, I ask?
    How do you normally carry your phone? If you always carry it in your purse you may be OK. Are you OK holding a larger device to your ear? See if your hand will cramp on longer phone calls. You may have to use ear buds for those calls instead.

  21. My new favorite product is the Edward Bess Matte Artist Eyeshadow Palette. This is the BEST eyeshadow I’ve ever used, including Chanel and Dior. It blends beautifully and stays put.

  22. My husband has the 6 plus & I have the 6 (in gold it’s too fabulous). I find the 6 plus too large but the 6 is perfect. Larger than the 5 & photography much improved. I also love the fingertip technology saves all the fumbling swiping & entering pass code.

  23. For those that used the Perfect Hair day…do you have thick hair? I have fine and too often these products weigh my hair down.

    1. Karen, my hair is Very fine and wispy and this product doesn’t weight it down. If anything, it gives more volume and body without stiffness.

      1. Une Femme,thank you for the advice and tip of trying it in travel size first. I enjoy your site. There’s a lot of good information here.

        1. Karen, I have fine, thinning, straight hair and I love Perfect Hair Day! I started with the travel sizes first too. Found that I didn’t love the PHD shampoo but I do LOVE the PHD conditioner and 5-in-1 styling treatment. I bought full-size bottles of those.

  24. Three of my favorite products are
    1. Kate Somerville Quench serum. It provides wonderful hydration.
    2. Oribe Volumizing Shampoo.
    3. Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray. I have very fine hair and these two products help provide body to my otherwise limp mop.

    So many products out there. Thank you for sharing your finds.

  25. Does anyone know how the It CC cream works on medium to more tan skin? In the reviews, I only saw comments from fair skinned gals.

    1. Lisa, they do have several colors available. The mid range looks as though it would handle medium to tan skin.

  26. Say it ain’t so! Have you fallen out of love with Nars tinted moisturizer? Or do you still use it, but just for a different purpose? actually, I alternate between the Nars and a Korean BB cream, Sanshim. Both are great, but the Nars is a little dewier.

    1. Sisty, I find that the It Cosmetics CC cream has a bit more coverage, however the Nars tinted moisturizer feels and looks better when the air is really dry. I alternate between those two and the Clarins Extra Comfort foundation.

  27. I’m a big fan of the Living Proof line: but I use the Frizz(with a line through the word) for frizzy hair. Shampoo, conditioner and leave in straightener are all great! Well, nothing will make my hair really straight….but these are good products. Also love the scent!

  28. Thanks for the heads up on Gimme Brow by Benefit. My eyebrows have been doing odd things. Thin in places, wiry in others and this little gizmo did the trick. I love it!

  29. I have the Gimme Brow, love it. Also love my iPhone 6. The 6 plus was just a little too big. The 6 takes great pictures, and email is large enough to read easily.

  30. I am very sorry to be off-topic but I keep getting several years old comments posted as new in my inbox . I wouldn’t mind but they come in lots of 100-200 at a time and not in any particular order ! Is there anything I can do about it ? Deleting by hand seems to be encouraging them right now – I’ve deleted 600+ in the last half-hour !