Happy Halloween!!

Well it is official! I'm back (and with any luck - for good this time!)

Things have been C-R-A-Z-Y around here but now as they seem to be settling down again, I have been re-invigorated by some awesome new finds and am so excited to blog!!
Before I jump right back into today's post let me just tell you a few things. In the next few months there will be some awesome and fun new changes here at BGND. We are getting a new look, a new layout and more fun columns and features. I hope you guys are as pumped as I am....

So what you may ask brought me back from my blogging slumber? A FABULOUS new product by Lancome that has me thinking about and looking at my skin in a whole new way. I had recently been feeling a bit lost when it came to my powder and foundation. I am getting older (aren't we all..sad...) and while my skin still looks pretty good, I have felt lately like I needed something a little bit more involved than what I had been doing in the past. I wanted something light but with enough coverage that I would be evened out but not caked over. And what did I find?

Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation SPF 21 - $48





This is the new IT product. I had seen little mentions of this here and there and thought ultimately this might be just what I was looking for. I headed straight for the nearest Lancome counter, got a fabulous tutorial and walked away with a new lease on my skin. This product is simply put, a wonderful vibrating powder puff that gently applies mineral powder foundation, while softly buffing and smoothing your skin along the way. It gives me great coverage (which like all mineral make-up I can customize) and blends seamlessly. And hello - SPF 21!! Overall a killer new powder foundation that I think will be hanging around my make-up kit for quite some time.

Now of course (as with most new products) there are downsides...

1 - The PRICE! YIKES!
$48 is insane for a tiny little container of powder but I guess that lovely motor causing the puff to vibrate does not come cheap.

2 - The Amount of product/durability of the motorized puff
The nice sales associate at Lancome was a pro with application of this new wonder but could not give me a straight answer as to how long the motor in the puff with last. You can't replace the battery so when the motor dies it dies. Also, you cannot buy the powder separate from the motor so I see imbalance in the future.

If you buy a new motor before you have used all your powder you will have a surplus of powder continually. Or if you use all the powder before the motor runs out you will end up with extra motorized puffs. Annoying and a downside but not a huge issue since a) you can always apply your extra mineral powder with a traditional kabuki brush and b) we all do not replace our applicators when we should so the motor dying causes us all to throw out the bacteria filled old applicator and get a new one.

Regardless of these two downsides, I am loving this new Lancome beauty. Hey- it brought me back to the blog so you know I am seriously into this thing!

If you decide to try it out - make sure you check out the online tutorial at www.Lancome.com or talk to a sales rep - there are a few techniques to know for application.

Have a great Halloween and keep looking fabulous!
BGND

P.S. If you do any fun Halloween makeup tricks on yourselves or friends or family - send me the pics and I will post them!

Daily BGND - Giveaway!!

Did you guys get this morning's Daily Candy? Not only are they recommending my go-to travel essential (the cleanser towelette) they are having a fab giveaway! Partnering with Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes they are offering some great travel essential gifts as prizes. Plus, you can print out a $1.50 coupon even if you don't win.

Now usually I use the Garnier cleansing towelettes but for $1.50 off I will definitely be trying the Ponds wipes.

Click here for all the info on the giveaway - good luck!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Budget Swap

As all you BGNDers know- I love me some face scrub. I consider it to be one of the best ways to not only keep your skin healthy, but to make it glow with less lines and younger texture all around. Well today, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of a scrub that I have heard loads about.

Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub - $7.49 (Drugstores nationwide)
This scrub is fantastic. Not only does it smell wonderful, it has the small microbeads that are so hard to find in the less expensive scrubs. I found this scrub to be more runny than my favorite Clinique scrub but to have the same essentials- tiny, tiny microbeads that polished my skin just enough. A great exfoliator but definitely gentle enough for everyday use.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone who loves the Clinique scrub (like I do) but needs something for less money (who doesn't) and is sick of the St. Ives (who isn't). St. Ives makes a great product but sometimes you just want something new.

Go get this- totally worth the money!

Have a great Monday and keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Disappointment of the week - July 16th, 2009

I have a sad review to deliver today. I was pretty excited to try this product being as how I loooove mascara. And while I can't give this lash beautifier a perfect score by any stretch of the imagination- it is not all bad. Which is why I am still reviewing it today but calling it my disappointment as opposed to my product of the week.

Revlon Double Twist MascaraLet's start with the good of this mascara. The formula is actually excellent. Seriously defines, lengthens, thickens...all the things you want a mascara to do. It is actually one of the best formulas I have ever used. It doesn't flake or smear and it can easily be layered for a more dramatic effect. If I was simply reviewing the product inside the tube - this mascara would be an A+.

Now for the bad news...the brush is HORRIFIC. I know that is what they were going for when designing and marketing this product but the brush is the downfall of this Revlon item. First off, it is huge. You can barely get it through the opening in the tube. And the combo of the thickening brush and the silicon separators just creates a clumpy mess. When you pull the brush out of the tube the top half of the brush is cleanly covered with mascara while the bottom half looks like you spread the mascara on the bristles with a thick Spackle. It is BAD.

The only way I have managed to still be able to use this mascara is to clean off the bottom bristles with a tissue when I pull the brush out and then try to focus the application with the upper bristles. You waste a ton of product when doing this so sadly I am not expecting this tube to last very long.

So if you have a coupon for this mascara and you need one....I say go ahead and buy it. Or perhaps if you don't care about the brush- the formula is still worth a try. But really- it is just a big fat disappointment.

Keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Bad Bad Blogger

Sorry folks!! I know I have been totally MIA recently...I am getting married and was out of town doing wedding madness!!

However, I am back and ready to blog! Today's fun tidbit:

Benefit's Summer Sale-Abration!



Benefit is having a HUGE sale right now! 50% off a giant selection of Benefit Cosmetics products and major discounts on countless others - totally worth a look. Plus, with every $35 order you get a FULL SIZE California Kissin AND if you enter PRETTY50 at checkout you get free shipping on orders over $50.
Now that IS a Sale-abration!

Happy Shopping!

Keep

Spring Break lives again!

So do any of you folks out there have some old shot glasses gathering dust?
Perhaps they say something like "Cancun Spring Break 1999"?
It's going to be okay, I promise. You are not alone in your shame.

Now there is a legitimate use for that sad little relic of your college binge drinking past....(Not that shots are off limits now - they are just served the right way now- hidden as martinis- ha!)....

Drum roll please.....
Sunscreen serving utensil!! That's right ladies and gents. As I am sure you have read, you should use at least a full shot glass full of sunscreen to cover your body when heading out into those UVBs and UVAs. And recently I read a fabulous tip about actually using a shot glass to portion out your sunscreen...not just guesstimating a "shot glass amount" as most of us have been told to do. But literally keeping a shot glass in your bathroom next to your tube of sunscreen. And when it's time to protect that lovely skin - fill up that shot glass and go to town.

So now, not only are you guaranteed to be protecting yourself in the right way with SPF, you FINALLY have an excuse not to throw out your old mementos - no matter what your boyfriend or wife might say....

Keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Follow Up

Hey all...
I don't know if you remember but a while ago I did a blog posting on bikini waxing?
(Click here for the original post.)

Well yesterday MSN.com had a great article about the same topic that I think is worth the read - especially now that bathing suit season is here.

Bikini Waxing (according to MSN.com)

Keep looking fab - in those swimsuits!
BGND