REVIEW: Laura Mercier Illuminating tinted moisturizer

Ok, I'm in love! This is a spring and summer must have! No stranger to being hailed as best of Allure and Sephora, Laura knows what's up when it come to flawless skin. Any one who has ever tried a Laura Mercier foundation, concealer or tinted moisturizer can attest to the quality you get with the products. This product is no different.
This tinted moisturizer has been hanging out in my makeup case for a few months, just waiting to see the light of day. I tend to stay away from overly dewy and highlighted skin in the winter months, because it usually contradicts the matte look I favor when it's chilly out. But, when the sun comes out and the mercury starts to rise, i ditch my full coverage base for a lightweight tinted moisturizer. This year, this one is mine! I love that the coverage is buildable. You can dap a dime size, or even less, amount on you fingers and rub it on, or you can squeeze out a larger amount and apply with your favorite foundation, stippling, or buffer brush for more cover. I like to squeeze out a nickle size amount onto my hand and mix in a little bit of my laura mercier oil free foundation and pat it on with a buffing brush (large, flat topped brush often used with bronzer) for a 'good as full coverage' airbrush look for the evening. I am actually doing makeup for a few weddings this summer and the aforementioned technique is a staple in bridal makeup. I definitely recommend this product and think you should try it.
BEFORE YOU BUY: Skip this one if you have oily skin. I almost never recommend using anything that has is illuminating if you do have oily skin. The light refractive properties in the product do just that, reflect light. In other words light is drawn to and reflected off of your face when you have this on. Which on normal, dry to combination skin gives your face a young, dewy finish; whereas on oily skin, you'll end up lookin' like a pizza face half way through your day. OH! Also, don't forget to dap on a little rice powder or any pressed or loose powder before you head out. This will absorb any oil hanging out on my skin and set the product for the day. Crucial step, yall.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: This, being a tinted moisturizer, is SPF 20. It comes in 3 shades, which are very blendable. I am almost fair skinned and my roomie is South American and currently rockin' a sweet tan, and we wore the same shade. This product cost $42.00 BUT is well worth the money! It last alllllll day, and when I wore a primer under it (highly recommend you do), it was even sweat proof. I wear it almost everyday, and I expect it to last me through the summer. When it comes to this, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! If your still questioning the price, I have a little tip. Go to the Laura Mercier counter in your local high-end department store OR in any Sephora and ask for a little sample. They will give you one.
Sorry for this post being so long, I just really needed to lay it all out there for you since this isn't going to be coming out of pocket change. I hope you try this product, or if you already have, I'd love to know what you thought about it!

TreSemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

I want to tell everyone about this fabulous product! I'd scream it from the mountain tops if we had mountains here lol. I have been a dry shampoo user for years. I was pretty addicted to the Oscar Blandi product. It never let me down, and always kept me happy. That is except, when I had to go out and buy it. That junk was expensive! So sometimes I'd fore-go the product and stick with the old baby powder method. That is until I stumbled upon this gem of a product at the drugstore a few months ago. If you have color treated, bleached out hair like I do, and can only wash your hair a few times a week, this is a must! Or even if you don't dye your locks, and you just wanna stretch out your washes, try it! It leaves a great, fresh smell and soaks up oil around your scalp. It's treSemme, so you know it's cheap, and since I'm giving it a thumbs up, you know it's good!

VERDICT: If you've never tried a dry shampoo, give this a go. And once you've mastered the art of not washing, AND you have cash to blow, try the higher end products. At a price around $3.00 verses $22 with the Oscar Blandi product, you'll come back to TreSemme. Of this I'm sure :)

REVIEW: new MAC pearlglide eye liner pencils (Art Supplies line)

So I was beyond excited when the girl at the mac counter at my local nordstrom, showed me these new metallic eyeliner pencils. I'm loving all things metallic for spring and thought they would be fabulous with my new coastal scents metal mania 88 palette. So i purchased one at $14.50, Almost Noir was the color. It is a deep purple, almost maroon-ish color with tiny gold glitter flecks. I tried it the next morning. I outlined my upper lash line and the bottom lash line, just under the water line, and smudged it out on the bottom with a pencil brush. It looked GREAT! About an hour later, at work, my eyes really started bothering me. My vision was suddenly cloudy and my eyes were super irritated. I ran to the restroom only to find a thin layer of the little gold glitter flecks all up in my eye! I wear contacts so I took them out, washed off the eyeliner (not easy to remove at all) but that only seemed to make the glitter spread throughout my eye. I spent the next few hours flushing my eye with saline. It made my whole afternoon SUCK. No bueno.

VERDICT: Beautiful color, not worth the discomfort. Vision comes before a pretty color :) Don't waste your money, cause the fine people at mac are not too crazy about returning used products.