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Beauty Stat Review: Merle Norman Blush & Lip Products!

Summer is the season for a new look, new makeup products, and fun colors. Today, I have two new products from Merle Norman to share with you that will warm up any look you may have for summer, and add a pop of color to your lips! Stay tuned for swatches….

The first item I have from Merle Norman is the “Long Lasting Cheek Color” in the shade “Peach to the Choir.” I love this! It’s such a great peach/coral color, perfect for summer. There are small flecks of gold shimmer in the product, but I don’t find that they transfer very well to the skin, either when swatching or when used with a blush brush. The application is actually quite nice and leaves a nice sheen to the skin without being too shimmery or glittery. 

The product is a little powdery, and if you take a peek at the swatch you will see that the powder kind of transfers all over the packaging (near where the small brush that is included is held). I did not find this to be bothersome or anything but it is something to note about the product. 

The product lasted the entire day on my cheeks without having to reapply. (For your information, I do have oily/combination skin so this is very impressive) I have been using this blush for quite some time since I received it and I thoroughly enjoy it. It is a great summer shade. The product has little to no scent. It is quite pigmented but not overly pigmented to where you are only dipping the tip of your brush into the product. I like this a lot actually because I’m not afraid to over apply. 

The packaging is very sturdy and classy. It has a somewhat shiny black packaging, with the words “Merle Norman” on the front in silver font. It has a fairly large and very nice mirror on the inside of the package. To the left, you will see the square of blush and to the right, a small and thin brush that is included. I do not particularly like the brush that comes with this much, I find that it does not apply or blend the blush out to my liking but I often just use my own separate brush for applying blush. The bristles are not as soft as I would like and I do believe they are synthetic. The back of the packaging clearly has the color and other product information in a medium sized font which is very easy to read. 

This is a limited edition color so you will have to act fast if you want to purchase. It is part of the summer 2012 color collection.  You will receive 5 grams of product. ***The color is photographing slightly more pink than it actually is. It is a true peachy shade. 

The next product that I have to share is the “Lip Pencil Plus” in the shade “A Flare to Remember” which is a dual-ended product. The lip liner is on one end and the lip color pencil is on the other end. I know what you’re thinking, you’ve seen products like this before and they never stand up to the challenge… but I am telling you – this product is great!

The liner is 1/3 of the pencil and the lip color is 2/3, so you should be able to use them for the same amount of time if used together! The lip color gives a semi-matte finish according to the packaging and I find that to be true. It has just enough shine to look nice on the lips but it is not glossy or shimmery in any way. This is great because if you want matte color, you can have it, but if you choose to go shimmery, all you have to do is add a gloss and you’re good to go!

The liner is a great shade, it has undertones of the coral/tangerine color but it is not overpowering for a liner. It stays put and helps discourage feathering from the lip product itself. The lip color is an awesome pop of color to bring life to any look!

Both the liner and the lip color are very smooth and creamy. I experienced no tugging or pulling when lining the lips or applying the color to the lips. They glide on effortlessly. I enjoyed this product and would love a product like this in a nude shade for everyday use! This was a fun color to wear on the weekend and would be great to wear out for a girl’s night out with your friends!

As for wear time, I was very impressed. This is not a stain or like a stain in any way. It will wear off when you smoke/drink/eat/talk, but the time that it stays on your lips is actually very amazing. I had no issues with feathering while eating either. I found that the product stayed put until I wiped my mouth with a napkin. However, it was not a hassle to reapply. Also, it is not drying in the least. It’s actually quite moisturizing I find.  I really enjoy this product and I believe it will be a great product to have in your summer arsenal for your makeup collection. 

The packaging is very sturdy. I don’t feel like the thick pencil will break with use or anything like that. The caps are also very sturdy and add a little shine to the product. It clearly states the color on the product and also which end is the liner/color for you.  ***This color is photographing slightly pink, but is a very vibrant tangerine shade. 

Also, Merle Norman has introduced several other items with the summer 2012 collection that I have no tested. These include eye color quads, lip polishes and lip glazes, along with a bronzing powder and an expert touch finishing spray. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, please visit http://merlenorman.com. Through the web-site you can locate a Merle Norman store near you. These products are unavailable to purchase online, you must visit a store. I have done a little bit of research on the internet and it seems to be that the stores are franchised. Due to this fact, prices may vary from store to store. Prices are also not listed on the web-site for any of the products listed. This is a slightly higher-end brand, so I would expect a slightly higher price. 

*** I received this products for free for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not endorsing Merle Norman nor is this a paid sponsorship. I am in no way affiliated with this company. I am not promoting Merle Norman. 

Beauty Stat Review: Arbonne Products!

You are probably familiar with companies that offer opportunities for individuals to be independent consultants and what not. There are several out there but today I’m here to review some products from Arbonne for you. They offer a wide variety of products ranging from skin care to cosmetics to health care and diet and the list goes on. You may check out their products at http://arbonne.com. 

First I am going to begin with the cosmetic products that I have tried….

The lipstick I tested is from the Treasures of the Rainforest Collection and is in the shade Nectar. Nectar is a gorgeous orange shade. It is very bright and bold on the lips. The formulation of the lipstick is amazing; it has a smooth and creamy texture. There is absolutely nothing drying about this lipstick what so ever! This particular shade has no shimmer or sparkle in it either. 

As for the wear time on this lipstick, it is only for a few hours. If you are eating/drinking/smoking/talking while wearing it, you may feel the need to reapply sooner. It actually wears off very nicely though and maintains and even coat on your lips as opposed to being blotchy. This lipstick is not scented at all which is a plus, and has no taste to it really (not that you’re eating it anyway!)

The packaging is very sleek. Arbonne is listed on the side in a metallic red along with the Arbonne symbol. The name of the shade is located on the bottom of the tube as is with most lip products. 

The eye shadow quad is called Color Your World (also from the Treasures of the Rainforest Collection), and contains four shadows. All of the shades have some type of shimmer to them, there is no matte shade in this collection. The lightest shade is a nude shade and is called Bamboo, the darker brown shade is called Earth and is a very warm mid-toned brown. The mid-toned teal shade is called Waterfall and is actually a very wearable shade of blue. Finally, the purple shade is called Passionflower and is quite a nice medium shade of purple.

The eye shadows have a strange scent to them that I can’t really put my name on but I do believe it’s because these are natural products. However, as I noted, I did not find this issue to be the same with the lipstick. As far as wear, they did not crease (but of course I used them with an eye shadow primer) and I found them to stay just as bright and vibrant at the end of the day as when I had applied them hours and hours prior. They are all very pigmented and the texture is smooth. I did not experience any fall out while apply these eye shadows. 

The quad actually comes wrapped in a very nice velvety satchel inside of the box. As you can see, the packaging is quite cute and sleek, with the Arbonne symbol in metallic blue on the front of the palette. It does come with a mirror on the inside, but there are no sponge tip applicators with this palette as you may find with others. The name of the palette is on the back of the product along with the individual names to each eye shadow. A small instruction booklet also comes with the quad for those of you who may be new to applying eye shadow. 

The clutch is very colorful and bright. I found that it is not as spacious as it may appear. It snaps shut as you fold it in half (please refer to pictures). It is very sturdy though. You can see that the inside is made of a silky fabric, and has the Arbonne label on the inside. There are some fringes on the zippers, again with the Arbonne logo. The back of the clutch feels to be a suede like material. I do like the colorful design and the fact that it is so colorful and bright. It would be a great statement clutch. In my personal opinion, I dislike clutches because I find they are a pain to carry around being that they have no straps/handles on them. But, if you love to collect clutches, and like bold, colorful pieces, this may be right up your alley. As I have said, it is crafted very well. 

It did have a slightly odd and strong scent of “newness,” for lack of a better word, when I initially opened the package but it has since then faded after use. 

The Treasures of the Rainforest Collection is available at http://arbonne.com for $98.00 and it consists of the lipstick Nectar, the Color Your World palette and the clutch bag. I have not been able to find these items listed on the web-site separately for individual purchase so I believe you may have to buy the complete set if you want any of these items. 

The next few items that I have tested I consider to be a “health food” type of product. I will start off with the Arbonne essentials nutrition bars. They are labeled as dietary supplements. I have tried these in two flavors, “Chocolate” and “Fruit.” I did not particularly care for either of these. The chocolate one had a very bitter flavor, I found it to be so bitter that I could not really eat more than a couple of bites. (This is that typical chocolate/cardboard flavor you find with other dietary bars). The fruit bar I thought was much better than the chocolate bar, but still was a bit too sweet for me somehow. 

Both of these bars only have 170 calories for the entire bar, which isn’t too bad if you’re watching your caloric intake. They are formulated to give you a healthy balance of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals and claim to satisfy your hunger and boost your energy. They have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration if that is important for you. The retail price is $24.00 according to the Arbonne web-site and it appears that you would get 10 bars in each pack. 

The other item that I have tried was the energy fizz sticks, perhaps the most interesting product I have tested by Arbonne. I tried these in two flavors, “pomegranate” and “citrus.” I preferred the pomegranate flavor over the citrus but I did enjoy both.

They are quite interesting in comparison to other products sold like this. They actually fizz up when you pour them into a glass of water (so I would be careful when pouring into a full bottle of water). It’s actually really neat to watch, it kind of fizzes up like Alkaselzter. It gives it a nice fizzy kick, almost like it’s carbonated, but I am not sure exactly what ingredient in this product causes it to fizz. The taste was not overwhelmingly sweet but was not flat and boring either. I enjoyed them. 

These energy fizz sticks only have 13 calories in one pack. You can purchase them for $32.00 on the Arbonne web-site and you get 20 packs in each box. Again, these have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products also claim to promote alertness and enhance cognitive performance and endurance. I didn’t find that they gave me as much of a boost as an energy drink would but I still liked them none the less.

As far as the health products are concerned, I would not purchase these because they are very pricey and I didn’t like them enough to spend that much money on these products. 

However, the cosmetics are a great quality product and I would consider purchasing these again. On the Arbonne website (http://arbonne.com) they have many other cosmetic items such as blush, bronzer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, etc. You may not be able to buy the quad or lipstick I refer to in this review separately, but there are plenty of other products that they offer which I am sure are the same remarkable quality. 

My absolutely favorite product out of all of the products I have tested is the lipstick. I would love to purchase a great, everyday nude color from Arbonne. The lipsticks range a little over $20 for one lipstick, but I promise you, the quality is absolutely awesome. 

*** I am not affiliated with Arbonne nor am I a promoter for this company. All products were provided free of charge for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are 100% true, unbiased and my own. I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review. 

Beauty Stat Review: Face Facts by Lori LIP PRODUCTS!

Occasionally we fall into the same every day routine and that consists of the same every day boring nude shades that a lot of us tend to use because they feel safe to us. Today, I’m here to show you girls some new lipsticks and lip liners that can switch up your routine from drab to fab!

These products are from a company called Face Facts. The specific line of lip products is called Lip Facts. They strive to produce all natural, luxury cosmetic products which are made with many organic ingredients. Lori Hoffman is not only a professional make-up artist but also the founder of Face Facts. 

Other information you may want to know about Lip Facts… They do not test on animals. The packaging is 100% recyclable. These products contain mineral pigments. They do not contain: parabens, mineral oil, petroleum, certified dykes or lakes, or lead. 

I will first begin with the Lip Facts Lipstick. The website (http://facefactsbylori.com) says that these lipsticks are 100% natural, color-rich, longwearing, and have an ultra emollient formulation. The creamy base conditions lips and provides a stay-put stay. Botanical ingredients provide nourishing moisturizers, smoothing waxes, non-greasy oils, and vitamins. They are lightly scented with Ylang Ylang. 

First, I will start with the packaging. I really enjoy the packaging and find it to be quite sturdy. The lipstick tube itself has a small beveled area which snaps snugly onto the cap. I have found that the caps do not fall off, which is a fear of all of us if you are like me and enjoy tossing your lipstick shade of the day into your purse. No messes here! As far as the colors of the packaging, it is very elegant. In the photographs, the purple really draws out of the packaging but it is actually a very beautiful maroon type of shade. The Face Facts symbol is on the front of the lipstick in gold. There is also a gold band around the lipstick as well. On the bottom, everything you need to know about the lipstick is there, the name of the shade, weight of the product, where it was distributed, etc. I do wish that the outside of the product did state Lip Facts though, but that really is not a big deal.

The exterior packaging that the product actually comes in also states the name of the company, the shade, some facts about the product and the ingredients. 

Now, let’s talk about the actual product inside. These lipsticks are absolutely amazing! These are basically like long-wear lipsticks, in my opinion! (I did wear these paired with the Lip Facts Lip Liner – will be mentioned towards the end of the review) I have worn most of these colors all day long without having to touch up. Of course, throughout the day, and eating and talking at work, they do fade a bit but they are still surprisingly and amazingly pigmented at the end of the day. I did find that if I paired one of my lip glosses over it, it did affect the wear of the lipstick, but I didn’t find it to be too bothersome to just take a few seconds of time to reapply. No big deal here either. 

There is a slightly typical lipstick scent to these lipsticks. I didn’t find it to be really strong or anything, but it’s just something to note that these do have that smell (at least I thought so).

I do enjoy the formula to these lipsticks I must say. They are very creamy (with one exception which I will get to later). 90% of the time I am wearing these, I do NOT wear a lip gloss over top! You just don’t need to. They have an awesome creamy finish and they are not drying to your lips at all. Of course, I do moisturize my lips before putting lipstick on which I suggest everyone does.  

I  have tested all of the shades that Face Facts currently offer, and you can see them swatched in the photograph here. From top to bottom, they are: Berry Mauve, Almond Cream, Soft Autumn, Plum Brandy, Passion Fruit, Ivory Frost, Bronze Shimmer and Raisin.

My favorites out of this bunch are Almond Cream and Passion Fruit. Almond Cream is the perfect nude shade! It’s not too light and not too dark. Passion Fruit is a great deep pinky mauve color however swatches a little bit different than its true color. It looks amazing on the lips. Bronze Shimmer is another great color, but it is a deeper, darker bronze shade and would look great on deeper skin tones. 

Most of these colors are bold but they do offer two nude shades (Almond Cream and Soft Autumn). I do however think all of these shades are wearable regardless of the pop of color that comes alongside most of them! 

I just wanted to note that the texture of Ivory Frost is almost gritty to me. It’s basically the shimmer/glitter in it that makes it feel this way to the lips. However, this color cannot be worn alone (unless you have a very bold personality!) I have worn this over top of other lipsticks, applied with a lip brush, or on my lips as a lipstick and then paired with a pink lip gloss over the top, which actually creates a very nice baby pink shimmery lip. When wearing Ivory Frost, as it wore off, it did not leave residual bits of shimmer/glitter on my lips. (Totally a plus)

Lip Facts lipsticks can be purchased at http://facefactsbylori.com and they retail for $14.99 each. 

Now, I will move on to the Lip Facts Lip Liner. According to the Face Facts website, these colors are made from harvested California Cedar Wood. They are designed to prevent fading, bleeding and feathering. You can also use these as a base coat before applying Face Facts lipstick for longer lasting coverage.

The packaging for these is similar to the lipstick in color. You get that gorgeous maroon shade on the pencil end, and it comes with a classy gold top. Again, everything you need to know about the product is on the label; the name of the shade, where it was made, etc. These actually do not have the Face Facts logo on them but actually just say “Lip Facts.” The cap fits snugly on the pencil and does not fall off in your handbag or purse.

The exterior packaging that the product actually comes in also states the name of the company, the shade, some facts about the product and the ingredients. 

I find these lip liners to be just as impressive as the lipsticks. They are creamy, they are pigmented and they don’t give you that “catch and drag” feel when you apply them. They are great to use as a base for your lipsticks and I do find that these actually help the lipstick last longer, and prevent fading. 

Something to note is that these lip liners do have a strong “woodsy” scent when you open the packaging, but they are made with California Cedar Wood so that would be the end result of that obviously. I did not find this to be bothersome or irritating. They are not retractable lip pencils and will therefore need to be sharpened. 

I have these in five shades, although six were sent to me. One was packaged in a box that said Cranberry, but it was actually Praline. (Sad face) The shades that I do have though are: Praline, Plum, Mocha, Hazelnut, and Wine. These are listed from left to right to correspond with the swatch photograph of the lip liners. You will notice there are two swatches of each lip liner in the picture. One is a one pass swatch to show how it will actually apply to the lips when used as a liner once, and the more rectangular swatch is actually me building up the color and shading in to show you how it will look if applied as a base to the lips. 

The Lip Facts lip liners retail for $10.99 and are available at http://facefactsbylori.com. 

Overall, these products did amaze me. I have fallen in love with them and if more shades were available I would probably purchase them. 

The price may be steep for some of you, but if you think about the prices that you would pay at a drugstore for a lipstick and/or lip liner, they really are not that steep. They have around the same price point as a MAC product. Drugstore lipsticks average for anywhere from around $7.00 to $10.00 so these are only a few dollars more and definitely worth it! 

**** I am not affiliated with Face Facts nor am I a promoter for this company. All products were provided at no charge for the purpose of reviewing. All opinions are 100% mine, true and unbiased.