Empties, 2nd Edition

It's time for another edition of Empties!

These are all the products that I finished during the months of January and February.  I'm finding that it isn't that hard to finish products when you focus on certain ones instead of dabbling in everything.

Holy Grail #1: Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Beauty Bar

We are always on the look out for a holy grail in something.  Fortunately, in beauty, the journey is just as fun as the destination!  I've managed to find a holy grail, and that is no lightweight feat.  I don't throw around the term holy grail much, unless I am talking about the ABSOLUTE BESTEST PRODUCT FOR ME!!!!   Yes, I have to shout about it because this product is worth a try for anyone.

You are my favorite.

Jordana Blush Powder Swatches and Review

I mentioned here that I bought some Jordana blushes as a part of that (shameful!) December haul.

Cheap thrills!

From top, left to right;  Coral Sandy Beach, Blushing Rose, Redwood, Terracotta

These blushes come in small plastic tins with clear, screw-on lids.  They are not taped, so they can be easily opened in-store.  (Definitely a drugstore cosmetic peeve of mine.)  I found these blushes at Big Lots among other Jordana products in a large plastic bin, and a lot of blushes had become loose or totally unscrewed.  Also, the packaging won't protect this blush from thumps and bumps.  When I originally discovered these blushes in-store,  I bought Redwood, Blushing Rose, and Bronze.  After making my purchase, I stuffed my bag in my purse and went home. The next day, I discovered that my Bronze had shattered!   I have to baby these blushes, or at least refrain from shoving, tossing, and flinging them.

Coral Sandy Beach

Blushing Rose

Terracotta

Redwood

• Coral Sandy Beach is a pinky-peach with gold shimmer.  Perhaps it is NARS Orgasm-ish?  In my in-person swatching in Sephora and Googling, I think it is very similar, but not an exact dupe.  This and Blushing Rose have a nice dual blush-highlighter effect when blended on the cheeks.
• Blushing Rose's name is a misnomer.  This is a light purple with pink undertones and gold shimmer.  No blush or rose here. 
• Terracotta is a matte, warm brown with orange undertones.  Terracotta has a "no-blush" blush effect on me, sculpting my cheeks while not looking overtly colorful.
• Redwood is a slightly cool matte red-coral with tiny silver glitter.  The glitter keeps the blush from looking completely flat on the face without my cheeks sparkling. Redwood delivers a natural, flushed, I-just-said-my-inner-thoughts-out-loud look to my face. 

Heavy finger swatches, without and with flash:

Left to right: Redwood, Coral Sandy Beach, Blushing Rose, Terracotta

See how the flash picks up the subtle sheen in Coral Sandy Beach and Blushing Rose?

These blushes are soft and a little powdery.  They are also very pigmented, so proceed cautiously.   One tap on the blush with my brush is enough to do one cheek.  The staying power is also good.  I applied before going to work, and each blush was still visible on my cheeks after eight hours.

I recommend these blushes to makeup wearers of all skintones who love a cheap thrill.  I really enjoy these, and maybe I'll pick up some more in other colors someday.  However, I am definitely considering depotting these to a sturdier palette to protect from shattering.

Jordana blushes can be found at Kmart stores, Jordanacosmetics.com, and other online retailers.

My Stash: Black Radiance Artisian Color Baked Blushes and Bronzer Swatches

Everyone should know about these blushes!

Yummy.

From top left:  Raspberry, Toasted Almond, Plum Sorbet, Gingersnap, Warm Berry

Raspberry

Toasted Almond

Plum Sorbet

Gingersnap

Warm Berry

Black Radiance products are manufactured by Markwins, Inc., the same company that produces Wet 'n' Wild Cosmetics.  Like its sister company, Black Radiance's blushes are amazingly pigmented and smoothly milled.  The packaging is bulky, but adequate; these blushes are not prone to easy shattering like their wet 'n' wild sisters.

Heavy finger swatches, without and with flash:

 

 

From left:  Warm Berry, Plum Sorbet, Raspberry, Toasted Almond, Gingersnap.

• Warm Berry is a dark reddish pink with a satin finish and fine silver glitter.  I love to pair this with my red lipsticks.
• Plum Sorbet is a pinky plum blush with pale pink, deep plum, and violet veining.  It has a shimmery finish.  I love this color with plum, berry, or even blue-toned red lips.
• Raspberry is a rich deep magenta with a satin finish.  Due to its richness, I often pair this with my-lips-but-better colors.
• Toasted Almond is a deep pinky brown with a matte finish.  It goes well with any lip color.
• Gingersnap is a light bronze with gold veining and a hint of pink.  It has a shimmery finish.  This color cannot serve as a contour for anyone due to the shimmer;  I use it as a highlight or a barely-there blush.  It also goes well with any lip color.

A few months ago, I also purchased the bronzers in Blackberry and Rum Spice.  Rum Spice is lighter than Gingersnap and showed up almost champagne on me.  Blackberry is a deep cool purple with gold veining.  If it wasn't for the shimmer, it would be the perfect contour color for dark-skinned, neutral- to cool-toned faces.  I could find no use for them, so I returned them to the store.

These blushes are best approached lightly lest you end up with clown cheeks.  Even so, they are a joy to use because they are not excessively powdery.  I find that these blushes last on me all day until I wash my face, whether or not I am wearing foundation.

These blushes and bronzers can be found at select drugstores (read: stores that serve a Black population),  drugstore.com, and walgreens.com.  Blackradiancebeauty.com has a store locator to help you find nearby stores that carry these products.  They usually retail at $4.99, but I've seen $1.00 off coupons included on the packaging every once in a while.

I highly recommend all who love blushes to give these a try.  I enjoy every color I own.

Trial Size Tuesday: Joico K-Pak Moisture Intense Hydrator

I have a lot of trial- and travel-size items to get through, so I'm instituting a weekly challenge to try to get through them.  Exciting!  Let's get started.


This is my hair.

It's a kinky cloud, basically.  My hair demands moisture all the time.  Unfortunately, I neglected it a bit during the holiday season, leaving it parched.

Enter the Joico K-Pak Moisture Intense Hydrator.

From the label:  This intense hydrating treatment restores moisture to overly dry, damaged hair, seals the cuticle, imparts shine, and improves manageability and elasticity.  pH 3.5.

Sounds good to me!

This conditioner has a thick, lotiony consistency.  Not watery, but not thick enough to call creamy.

It smells just like a hair salon.  Really,  just go to any salon when it's open and you will smell this conditioner.  Fortunately, the smell doesn't linger once the hair has dried.

DIRECTIONS:  Apply to damp hair.  Leave in for 3-5 minutes and rinse.  

When it comes to deep conditioners, I always leave them longer than the label recommends.  In this case, I applied a generous amount to just-shampooed hair, slapped on a plastic cap, and left it on for an hour.

I rinsed my hair and was left with this:

 

 Lovely, defined, fluffy awesomeness.

After styling, my hair shrank some, but the definition and softness remained.  Impressive.

The softness and touchability of my hair is so nice.  The moisture was indeed intense, delivering just what my dry hair needed.  Also, the touch of keratin served to smooth my rough strands. It's definitely going into my deep conditioner rotation.

I recommend this to anyone who needs deep moisture with a little bit of strengthening.  This product can be found at salons and Ulta.