While interning at World Bride Magazine I have been given so many great experiences and opportunities. Recently I was given several grooming products to use and review for the magazine. Here is what I reviewed and my thoughts on the products:
Kevyn Aucoin
The first thing I noticed when I saw the Kevyn Aucoin products was the packaging. The products had absolutely beautiful packaging! All of the products came in shiny gold boxes with brown lettering. The product containers were colored a deep, deep red to black ombre and when you moved the products under a light, they shimmered.
The first product I tried was The Essential Mascara in Rich Black, $32 at Nordstrom.com. When I used this product I noticed that it has a very dark pigment, a very true black color. The mascara’s brush was slightly curved, which made it easier to apply to my eyelashes. The formula was thick which was great for thickening eyelashes at the base and for building body, but not so much for building length. This mascara was a good base mascara.
The Creamy Glow Pravella/Janelle blush duo set, $28 at Beauty.com. This blush was a cream blush. It had two different shades inside the compact. It was extremely smooth and was very easy to blend it onto the skin. The texture of the blush was smooth enough that it could even be used on the lips because it wouldn’t dry them out. The blush had really great pigment and the best part was you could choose to use either color or mix them together for a third option in the palette.
The Matte Bronzing Veil bronzer in Desert Days, $48 at Beauty.com, had great color with no orange-y pigment in it. It went really well with my pale skin tone and paired nicely with the blush. The product blended nicely and was very smooth. It stayed matte on my skin so it didn’t make my skin shiny. It also didn’t have any glitter in it, which was nice because that is typically hard to find in bronzer.
The Lip Gloss in Bloodroses, $30 at Barney’s, was a beautiful color and could p really well with any skin tone. The lip gloss was weightless, wasn’t sticky at all and it smelled really well. It had a great sheer color for when you don’t want to have too much pigment on your lips.
The Expert Lip Color in Faith, $35 at Nordstrom, was an absolutely gorgeous color. It was a very pale, glittery pink. It glided on nicely and after application it didn’t look dusty. It could be used as someone’s nude lip. I paired it with a darker lip liner, it paired very well. The lipstick case had a magnet at the bottom forcing the lipstick to stay closed. I think this was brilliant idea because one too many times I have had a lipstick open in my purse coloring everything it came into contact with.
Carol’s Daughter
I really like big hair, not huge hair, but hair with volume. Sometimes I tease my hair, and sometimes by the end of the day I find that my hair has gone flat. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to try Carol’s Daughter MONOI Repairing System Flexible Hold Hairspray, $9 at Nordstrom.
This hairspray has monoi oil that conditions the hair, vitamin E that helps protect the hair and vitamin B5 that enhances the hairs shine. I sprayed it onto my teased hair and it honestly did have a flexible hold. My hair wasn’t stiff after using it, but it held my style. It didn’t leave my hair sticky and I could run my fingers through my hair without there being any hairspray flakes.
Baxter of California
My boyfriend, Kyle came to visit me for Independence Day so I got to try out some men’s products on him. He doesn’t normally use any products besides the essentials so this was particularly enjoyable for me to introduce him to some.
Grooming Lotion, $20 at BaxterOfCalifornia.com. After he took a shower and had towel-dried hair I applied some of this hair lotion to his hair. He doesn’t use conditioner and he has curly hair so I feel like he was a great test-subject. Once his hair was dry it was obviously a lot softer and his curls were better formed with almost no frizz. The product didn’t make his hair greasy at all and it was extremely light-weight. He couldn’t even tell that I had used anything in his hair. It also has a very pleasant masculine scent.
After Shave Balm, $18. After shaving this shave balm hydrated and soothed the skin. The skin was left soft and smooth. The product was silky and had a pleasant masculine scent.
Clay Pomade, $20. I used this product to style Kyle’s hair. It smelled similar to the Grooming Lotion. This pomade was really thick so I only needed a little to style his hair. It was also quite flexible. Once I put the product in his hair I was able to shape his hair to the way I wanted. The hold of this product was really amazing. It helped keep his style all day even though it was 80 degrees outside and it rained.
Under Eye Complex, $28. I had Kyle try this product on. He doesn’t wear any kind of product on his face so it was a new experience for him. This product doesn’t have a scent. After application the product absorbed into his skin and didn’t feel or look greasy. It was hard to tell if the products anti-aging formula actually worked because Kyle only tried it once. He would need to continue using it.
Tarte
Blushing Bride Cheek Stain, $30 at Sephora.com. I was really excited to try out the Tarte products. I really like cream blushes and this blush was a great shade for my skin’s color. It was easy to blend and the color stayed. It smelled really good too. The packaging for this product was really cute. I loved the design. Instead of having to squeeze anything you push at the bottom to get more of the product, like a push-pop.
Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in Blushing Bride, $28 at Sephora.com. This blush had really great pigment. It was extremely smooth, easily blended and the color lasted all day. I liked the packaging for this blush as well. It was simple and clean.
Not So Slick Tarte blotting papers, $10 at Ulta.com. These blotting papers are made with natural ingredients. The papers absorbed all of the oil off of my face. Instead of my face feeling oily or greasy, afterwards, it felt smooth.
Blushing Bride Lip Surgence Power Pigment, $24 at TarteCosmetics.com. I absolutely loved this product. It was a very easy application because of its packaging. The bottom of this lip tint twists up for more product. The color was beautiful and it stayed for a really long time after application. It went on smooth, matte and left my lips with a natural-looking finish. I also really enjoyed the minty feeling it had after application. This helped plump my lips without having to use a separate product.
Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara, $21 at Ulta.com. This mascara is terrific! The packaging is absolutely adorable; faux leather with a dark purple, snake print design. The formula for this mascara was smooth and very fluid. It allowed for multiple coats which added great length to my lashes. It didn’t clump at all and my lashes didn’t stick together. It left me with a very nice natural look (and some oomph). It was also very waterproof. After swimming and washing my face, the mascara was still going strong before it was removed with makeup remover.
ProfilePRO
ProfilePRO shampoo and conditioner, $49.99 for full sized bottles on ProfilePRO.com. This company sells personalized shampoo and conditioner based on your hair type. When visiting this website, after you create an account, you are given a little quiz on your hair type. It asks questions such as, hair type, hair texture, hair behavior, scalp condition, hair color, hair length and any special concerns you may have about your hair. You also get to choose from five different scents. The shampoo and conditioner I tried out was coconut, which smelled amazing.
When I tried these products out I noticed that the formula wasn’t as thick as my usual shampoo and conditioner. It came out of the bottles really easy and I began to clean my hair. The shampoo didn’t create as much suds as my normal shampoo, but my hair still felt really clean after using it. When I slathered the conditioner on to my freshly shampooed hair, I could just tell that my hair was going to be really smooth afterwards. And it was! After using ProfilePRO shampoo and conditioner, my hair felt clean, really soft and smooth, and it smelled great all day.
