Love of minerals

I have been a long-time fan of mineral foundations. They really seem to help my skin quite a bit. Plus, the huge advantage is the fact that I don't need to carry around a messy bottle of foundation. What I can't really get used to, though, are the loose powder minerals, which is why I'm not a fan of Bare Minerals- it's just too messy. I don't want to worry about it opening and spilling all over my makeup bag. So I'm always on the lookout for good pressed-powder mineral foundations.

I've been using Pur Minerals pretty consistently, but at $25 each, it can add up. So, on a whim, I decided to check out one of my favorite stores, Ulta, to see what they had to offer. I use other Ulta cosmetics, so I know the products are a good quality. At $14, their Mineral Pressed Powder foundation is a steal.

One of the complaints I always have with Pur is that the compact is poorly designed. The powder is on top, with a clear lid. Both the puff and the mirror are in the bottom. So, in order to use it, you have to take out the puff, turn it over, open the top for the foundation, then turn it back over for the mirror- definitely not convenient. Luckily, the people at Ulta were a little wiser when designing the packaging. The puff is still in the bottom, but the mirror is on top- with the foundation.

However, what I've noticed most with Ulta's Mineral Pressed Powder is the fact that it doesn't blend or disappear into your skin as well as Pur. It's a little heavier, so you have to be very careful about the amount you use, otherwise you'll have that cakey layer in your drier areas. I've never experienced that with Pur. I think Ulta needs to work on the texture of their product a little. Along with the texture, there's a slight issue with the way the foundation "sets" on your skin (or on mine at least). With the hot, humid weather, it's impossible not to sweat. I looked in the mirror after being outside, and noticed that where ever I had perspired (my forehead), there were streaks of the foundation. Instead of blending into your skin the way most foundations do, Ulta's seems to sit on top of your skin.

That being said, it is definitely going a lot further than Pur does. Because it's a bit heavier, I'm using quite a bit less of it. Now that I know the 'quirks' of the product, I'm having much more success with it.

Side-by-side comparison:

		Ulta	Pur
Packaging		x
Price		x
Texture			x
Ability to blend			x
Natural 'feel'			x
Weight			x
Concealer		x
Value for price		x

All- in- all, they're pretty much even. However, I think I'll probably go back to my old friend, Pur.

Smooth it out

I was browsing through the nail care isle at my local CVS, when I noticed that Sally Hansen, my favorite nail care company, now makes lip glosses. Interesting. I debated with myself about whether it would be a good product (because their nail products are great), or a bad one (because they just recently moved into lip care). So, of course, I had to try it. I chose Sally Hansen Line Smoothing Mineral Lip Treatment in "Kunzite."

Now, I was not aware that lines on your lips were a problem, but apparently they are. Maybe this is because I never wear regular lipstick, so I've never noticed lines before. Or, maybe it's just because beauty companies like to convince us that normal things (like lip lines) are not normal and instead are a sign of...gasp...age.

That being said, I have to say that I actually like the gloss- sorry- mineral treatment. I did not notice any difference in any lines on my lips, but it did plump them a little. I just wish the company would have named the product what it actually is- a lip plumper. Nothing crazy like DuWop Lip Venom (a personal favorite), but a little. They did tingle slightly, and the taste is pretty good.

Now, maybe they were smart in naming it what they did, since most of us (especially myself) are all about the word "mineral" in our products. And truthfully, I probably did buy it because it said "mineral," but all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. At under $10, why not?

Icing

On Carrie M's recommendation, I tried Pantene Ice Shine Conditioner. And I have to say, great recommendation. The stuff is fantastic. It smells amazing, and left my hair silky and soft. I'm not sure that it was 'ice shiny,' but that's pretty impossible with blonde hair (one of the drawbacks to being a blonde- my hair will never be as shiny as a brunette's).

The conditioner was very impressive, especially given that I tried it during a week that we had 250-degree heat indexes (ok, maybe not 250, but definitely over 100). And it handled the conditions well. My hair stayed soft and manageable, without turning into a curly, frizzy limp mess in the heat.

Finally, another non-salon product that actually works on my hair. Thanks, Carrie!

Polished gem

I've become addicted to Biore's Pore Minimizing Refining Exfoliator. It's the perfect solution for those of us who don't have the extra dough to go to a dermatologist every week. I've been using it every other night lately in an effort to get rid of a few layers of dull skin. And to my surprise, it's really working. Unlike a lot of "exfoliating scrubs," which have only a few granules, but are mostly gel, this is an actual, legitimate exfoliator. But a word of caution- it is not for those of you with very sensitive skin.

The only problem I'm having is that it's a little tough to really scrub. When I tried using my fingers, they got a little sore after the first minute. So I had to improvise and switch back and forth between my fingertips and my palms.

Otherwise, a great product. I saw immediate results. My skin felt smooth and 'freshened' even after the first use. It's definitely something I will be using frequently.

Color Glaze Me

You'll have to excuse the recent absence... I'm coming off a bad hair and skin week. Speaking of a bad hair day:

So Wednesday night I decided to try John Frieda's Luminous Color Glaze (in "Honey to Caramel"), and I'm not quite sure this product lived up to my expectations. Maybe it's because I have fine, curly-ish hair (don't ask- it's a disaster), but it left my hair stringy and dull. I'm 99% sure I rinsed all of it out, but it almost looked like I had left my conditioner in. I definitely didn't see the "glistening shine and silky, luxurious texture" that it promised. In fact, I ended up having to pull my hair into a bun because it looked so terrible.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this product to try on a work day.- I couldn't wait to get home and wash my hair.

In all fairness, though, I can imagine that this product would work very well for someone with thicker hair. Like I said, mine is very fine, so I have to be very careful about the products I use. If anyone out there (namely with thicker hair) has tried this and liked it, by all means, please let me know. I'm curious to see if it works better for someone with a different hair texture.

Not quite a beauty product, but...

Ok, so I have a bit of an issue whenever we (the boyfriend and I) go anywhere. I drink a lot of various beverages and constantly have to use the ladies' room. So then we spend an hour trying to find a bathroom, only to find a very dirty one.

Well, fear no more! This is still in beta, so there are only a few cities on it, but once it's complete, as long as you have internet access on your phone, you can find a bathroom anywhere- and a clean one at that.

What's this incredible site? It's cleverly called MizPee. You can go to the site here and read the instructions, then access the web on your phone, select a city, enter the address (or cross street) where you're standing, and voila- the closest bathrooms and their cleanliness ratings.

Hope this helps my fellow frequent pee-ers.

Miso Pretty

So I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. Actually, a big secret. I never tell anyone what my signature scent is. It's been a secret to everyone except my boyfriend and my roommate (who, out of curiosity, snooped in my room and found out what it was). People always ask what I'm wearing, but I never tell. However, because I like you guys so much, I'm going to tell you. It's from BlueQ and it's called Miso Pretty.

I actually found it by accident and wasn't crazy about it at first. In fact, I didn't buy it after I sprayed it on. I went to lunch with some friends, and after an hour of smelling it, fell in love. I ran back to the store and bought it.

It has an overtone of peony, with undertones of cut grass and tuberose. I also detect a hint of lemon grass. Amazing. It's musky, but not old-lady musky. It's a fresher, incredibly feminine version of an oriental musk scent. And the kicker? It's under $10.

But, uh... please keep it on the down-low. Thanks.

Bombs Away!

I can't express to you guys enough how much I love Lush's bath bombs. I haven't been disappointed by them yet. But beware- if you have fragrance allergies, use these with caution. Luckily, their website has all of the ingredients listed- and most of them are natural products- which I love. The great thing about these is that they are made in the stores, not mass-produced in some factory. So when you shop at Lush, the person you're paying may very well be the person who made what you're buying.

The scents themselves are a little on the strong side, but great nonetheless. My personal favorites are:

• Avobath- an extremely clean, uplifting scent. The oils also make my skin feel fantastic.

• Big Blue- apparently supposed to smell like the Pacific ocean, which I doubt, but a great scent nonetheless. Just be aware that the middle is filled with small pieces of seaweed. I love it, but it can be a little messy. It's probably a good idea to put it in a nylon (knee high) before dropping it in your tub.

• Think Pink- a super- sweet feminine scent. It basically smells exactly like you would imagine pink sugar to smell. And it literally has pieces of candy in it. I love the smell after I got out of the tub- and it stuck with me for hours. Definitely a suggestion for a pre-date bath.

I was reluctant to try Lush's products after working in Georgetown, namely because the smell from the store is very strong- especially when they had the door open in the summer. But I'm glad I did. I genuinely love their products.

Set the foundation

I have tried just about every foundation out there. I used to use Neutrogena's SkinClearing Oil- Free makeup and swore by it. It is pretty light-weight and has salicylic acid to help fight blemishes. However, the coverage isn't so great and like all liquid foundations, it's feels pretty gross in the summer. Plus, with the salicylic acid, you have to be careful around the eye area.

Then last summer, on my first visit to Ulta (now one of my favorite stores), I discovered Pur Minerals' 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup. This stuff is amazing. I haven't been back to liquid foundations since. The coverage is great, but it doesn't feel heavy during the summer. And, since it's a powder rather than a liquid, it's less clogging to your pores. And you really can control the amount of coverage. The foundation can be used as a concealer, and since it's a powder, there's no need for a separate powder...or a sunscreen for that matter- it's SPF 30. I love it so much I've been pushing my friends to get it.

Another great foundation is Philosophy's the Supernatural. It's also a powder/mineral foundation, but unlike Pur, is loose powder. In that it's loose powder, it does sometimes leak from the container, which is unfortunate, because the applicator would be great if it wasn't for that one small flaw. Other than that, it gives great coverage, and like Pur, there's no need to use those annoying pressed powder compacts. I'm loving the extra space in my makeup bag. My only problem with it is that it's all-or nothing. Unlike Pur, which you can either use for light coverage or, by just applying a little more, go for full coverage, and use as a concealer, the Supernatural does not have those options. There's no 'light' coverage about it. But other than that, I would definitely recommend it.

Lipgloss Maven

As most of my friends can tell you, I am a lip gloss fanatic. At any given time, you can look into my purse and find at least half a dozen different lip glosses. Probably closer to a dozen. It's really hard to pick favorites, but I do have a few that stand out in my mind:

Urban Decay XXX Shine Gloss
This one's great, but be careful with the application. It is uber-shiny, so you need very little- that is, unless you want your lips to look like a solar panel. My favorite color is 'Quickie,' a hot pink. Have no fear about the colors- most of the brighter ones are sheer, so even the brightest only adds a small amount of color.

Estee Lauder Pure Pops
For some reason, these are not on Estee Lauder's site, so please excuse the amazon link. All of the flavors are delicious, but I've been on a peppermint kick lately, so right now the peppermint flavor is my favorite. The 'Blush On Color' is cool, and I like having an applicator brush attached to the tube, but I will warn you- the cap comes off very easily, and after tossing around in your purse, the brush gets very gross. All in all, though, a great product.

Borghese B Gloss Lip Gloss
Now, I had never heard about this company, but I always enter the monthly drawings on Luckymag.com. This was the first time I won anything and received a bag full of Borghese makeup and skin products (which I will definitely be reviewing soon). In the bag was a lip gloss (as if I need any more of those). Lo and behold, I'm a convert now. I love the stuff. It has just the right amount of shine, but without getting that solar-panel effect I warned you about with the Urban Decay. It also tastes great, and is one of the few lip glosses in my purse that don't go on sticky. I highly recommend it.

So why "My Beauty Mistakes?"

So I am constantly trying new beauty products- anything and everything. I must spend a fortune on products. And do I really need to? No, most of them don't work anyways. So I thought I'd turn my beauty mistakes into a blog that (hopefully) will help other people out there.

Now that we've got the 'why?' covered, onto some products.

I'm definitely a junkie when it comes to hair products, and my shampoo and conditioner are no exception. At any given time, you can look in my shower and find at least 4 different sets of shampoo and conditioner. That's because I firmly believe that if you use the same product day-in and day-out, your hair ends up looking dull and lifeless (or, at least mine does).

So some of my favorites:

Korre's Natural Products- Rice Proteins & Oligoelements Shampoo and Silk Milk Conditioner
These two products make my hair look and feel amazing! I have long, wavy, fine hair, so normally my hair ends up looking dull and limp. But the shampoo definitely adds some body and the conditioner is great for shine. I will warn you, though: Do not leave the conditioner in for very long and make sure you rinse it completely out of your hair. I made the mistake one time and dealt with oily hair all day.

Redken- Body Full Shampoo & Conditioner
Great for fine hair. In an effort to add body, most products for fine hair end up drying it more than helping it. Not this stuff. I've been using it for a few years and still can't get over how great it smells- fresh and clean. I catch whiffs of it throughout the day and love it.

Aveda- Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner
Another fantastic smelling product. And, as an added bonus, it makes your scalp tingle. And the fact that it's from Aveda (one of my favorite companies) and is mostly natural makes me feel like I'm doing something good for myself.

Dove- Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner
The only grocery store brand I use. It's gentle enough for my dry hair, and, like most of the others, has a nice, clean scent. I actually use a lot of Dove products and pretty much endorse anything they make.