Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Leave it to the Pore-fessionals!

This is one of my latest discoveries, and it is living up to be one of the greatest. benefit makeup can be found at any beauty supply store (ulta, sephora, etc.) When I first met this product it was love at first use. The Porefessional by Benefit is a must.
I don't know if any of you have used the "smudger" tool on photos to eliminate pores but this does essentially that. The consistency seemed weird at first and I have to admit, breaking out was an enormous concern of mine seeing as the product pretty much fills your pores with wax. (sounds gross I know, but bear with me) I have been using it for a while and I'm happy to say: not one blemish. This product seemed a bit pricey for how small the tube was. It's weighing in at a whopping 0.75 oz which is slightly bigger than a lip gloss from Bath and Body Works and it's ringing in around $30. I know what you are thinking, what the heck? But I promise you it does something that NO other product ever has, it completely erases every pore on my face, The best part is that you only have to use a tiny amount for your entire face. I give it an enormous thumbs up.

Tips for use:
The product is meant to be used as a pre-makeup product but on the back it has directions if you ever wanted to use it after applying makeup (I wouldn't recommend doing this). I start by washing and moisturizing my face. (I didn't used to do this before every makeup application but it makes an enormous difference!) After my face is prepped I apply a tiny amount (less than pea sized) of the pore balm to my CLEAN fingertip. I use my finger to rub it on. Apply to porous areas of the face until you've reached your satisfied results. Apply makeup as usual. 
BONUS: This product not only works on my pores but it also evens out my wrinkled areas leaving me feeling younger and more beautiful.

OPI Sand

If there is one thing I know, it's glitter! I love glitter and I dreamed of the day they would put it into nail polish. I have tried several glitter polish combos and almost all of them fall flat. The glitter usually stays in the bottle and you end up polishing your nails with clear polish, it is absurd. OPI Liquid Sand gives a nice even coat of glitter across the nail bed and you could get away with only one coat. HOWEVER, base and top coat are both necessary. I tried it once with only a top coat and it chipped off within a week or so because of all the glitter. I would highly recommend using OPI Chip Skip base coat which I reviewed here. But any quality base coat will work. Applying a top coat allows you to have the gorgeous glitter look without your nails feeling like... well, sand.

Tips for applying to receive the best results:
Buffer the nail, apply one even coat of OPI Chip Skip followed by 2-3 coats of OPI Sand. Top it off with a smooth THICK layer of OPI Top Coat or OPI Rapid Dry top coat (reviewed here). (Remember, allowing 5-10 minutes drying time between coats will prevent chipping and smudging.)

OPI Rapid Dry Top Coat


What is Rapid Dry you ask? Only the most convenient nail product ever made. OPI Rapid Dry is amazing. I love nail polish but I never have time to wait around for it to dry, and there is nothing and I mean NOTHING more frustrating than smudging your nails after you spend 45 minutes polishing each layer to get a flawless finish. Luckily, rapid dry is the end of those frustrations. After applying the top coat you mist your nails with Rapid Dry spray that comes with it and they are dry in under a minute. Miracle worker? I think so. Find Rapid Dry here.

OPI Chip Skip

This product is like double sided sticky tape for your nails. I have never found a better base coat in my life. HOWEVER, the first time I used Chip Skip I was disappointed, because I had no clue how to use it. My sister initially used it on top of her polish to prevent chipping, but this product isn't intended to cover polish.

HOW IT WORKS: 
Put a thin, even coat across the nail right before polishing with color. Let it dry just until it becomes tacky and then apply your color directly to it. You will find that the polish will adhere to the base coat and stay stretchy rather than hardening and later chipping off. After applying 2-3 coats of your color, finish it off with a top coat for best results.