My new powder is Clinique Perfectly Real Compact Makeup, Shade 114 (N). Oil FREE! I think it's great. It randomly streaks a little bit sometimes, but maybe that's because my moisturizer hasn't dried yet when I apply it (?). The coverage is superior to the Super Powder Double Face Makeup powder, which is my previous fave. The reason I made the switch is twofold: 1) the shade is much more "summer" -- the Double one didn't come in an intermediate shade that would have been appropriate for me, and 2) the saleswoman at the counter talked a lot about it being oil free, which is always appealing. I'm not opposed to going back to Double in the winter. Or maybe I'll just deplete my supply and start to cultivate a summer/winter collection of THIS one! Clearly my current trend is to use powder instead of liquid foundation, and I think it makes a difference in terms of clear pores.
I have a new fave shade of my new fave nail polish. I came to LA with only ONE polish, but the red I brought wasn't doing it for me, so I bought a bottle of Pinkest Pink in the Milani Nail Lacquer that I described below. I think it's a special edition because it was out on a display instead of included with the rest of the Milani polishes. This is a fantastic color. I used to have an almost identical color made by Naturistics, which no longer exists, much to my immense disappointment. It has been my subconscious quest ever since to find a replacement pink. It's a perfect bubble gum bright light pink with slight purple undertones, which flatters my skin nicely and will look INCREDIBLE with a tan. I didn't feel at all guilty about buying it because I'm in LA and I'm here for a trial and we flew here first class and all of my expenses are taken care of, so I feel like I have endless extra money to throw around on fun stuff like CVS cosmetics. Plus, I was away from home with only ONE nail polish color, which wasn't appealing to me at the moment, so my purchase was completely justified and satisfying and not accompanied by any of the slight twinge of buyer's remorse I usually get when I know I'm buying something I practically already own. And it's true, I own a LOT of fabulous pink nail polishes, but NONE have been a near-perfect replacement for my Naturistics one of yore! Until now!
I wish I'd done my toes too but I did those Toe-Mato Red, the one color I brought with me, which is pleasing too and happens to be the SAME BRAND! Incidentally, I bought Toe-Mato Red with Maybelline's Juicy Tomato color in mind, which I still own but which is sticky and unusable. I've been unable to throw it away because it's a perfect summer red-with-a-hint-of-orange, but now that I've found a replacement, I'm extremely happy. I guess I could have just re-purchased the ACTUAL Maybelline one, but since Maybelline is a little tacky and cheap-o, I kind of shied away from re-buying it. Problem solved once again by Milani Nail Lacquer!! You can see I've found a TRUE new favorite.
As a base and top coat, I've begun using Nailtiques Protein Formula 1 (for maintenance of healthy nails) or 2 (for treatment of soft, weak nails). REALLY incredible! It's also great by itself. I don't have the energy to outline the pros and cons right now, but I'm happy with it and you should try it if you have problem nails of any type. Just make sure you match your formula to your nail type! The only tip is that you should take it off and reapply after a few days/coats, because it peels off easily with wear.
Last, I'll touch on a newish (past 6 or so months) fave lip product. Neutrogena MoistureShine Soothing LipSheers. A) Moisture, B) Color, and C) SPF is a hard combo to come across but Neutrogena has hit the nail on the head TWICE now; the first such product is Neutrogena MoistureShine Tinted Lip Balm, which I've used since the day it was unveiled in Glow -- a perfect nude. The LipSheers, being new, of course had to be sampled immediately as well, and temporarily eclipsed the tinted balm in my repertoire, but both are fabulous and it's mostly a matter of color preference that dictates which I gravitate towards. It's such a simple choice for daily wear because it has EVERYTHING in one tube! No need to reach for a separate moisturizer to go with a sticky color, or to sacrifice color for moisture. I have the LipSheers in Pink Splash and Sparkling Nude, and each is perfect for a different look. The Nude gives a very pulled-together finish to a minimal-makeup look, and the Pink is smashing for work or even no-fuss nighttime wear.
So there you have it. Enjoy, sample, give me feedback!
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