NYX Prismatic Mermaid Swatches

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Weekly Favorites will come on Friday – I goofed my publication schedule.

Not long ago, I mentioned NYX Cosmetics’ Prismatic shadow in Golden Peach being a dupe for Urban Decay Freelove. I don’t own Golden Peach yet, but I did pick up another color from the collection.

It isn’t often that a trend strikes me and makes me go, “I NEED THAT,” but when I saw NYX Prismatic – Mermaid…well, I needed it. I don’t have anything like this opalescent, minty shade, it was on sale, it is fun. So I picked it up.

NYX Prismatic Mermaid - Pan

The saleswoman at Ulta remarked, upon ringing me out, that they had sold a boatload (ha) of this single shadow.

I’m not really sure why it’s trendy (but then again, I never am), but these frosty, iridescent/opalescent minty/aqua-y green-blues are everywhere. I don’t know, I guess it makes people imagine mermaid tail scales (isn’t that creepy, though? Whatever).

Onto what you care about!

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First Look: Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation

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My sincere journey into makeup started with the classic bareMinerals by bareEscentuals (ancient post linked). At the time, I wasn’t wowed by the product, but I wasn’t dissatisfied, either. I used up my pot and did not repurchase.

Prior to that, half-assed attempts at evening out my complexion when it could use a little help were met with Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder. I haven’t used it since I started, “sincerely,” using cosmetics, but it is a good product (unless they’ve changed the formula sneakily; I don’t think they have).

At some point, I was curious about Urban Decay’s Surreal Skin loose foundation (long since discontinued), but I never got to check it out because there wasn’t an Urban Decay counter nearby and there was a dearth of Sephora and Ulta locations in my vicinity at the time.

So, what’s the common factor here? Powder. My early forays into makeup were solely about ease-of-use (even if it meant the color match wasn’t quite right, or that it didn’t wear super well). Not that I feel liquid or cream foundation difficult to use…they just take slightly more effort to blend in, usually. A few months back I went to an Urban Decay event at Sephora with a friend; there, they slapped their new Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation on me. I liked it, but wasn’t in the market at the time.

Naked Skin Ultra Definition - First Look - BoxNaked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation

A dear friend asked for some suggestions on something to help even her out, was lightweight, simple to use, etc. My experience with bareMinerals ended up being that it oxidized quite quickly on me – and other users report the same results, so I am hesitant to recommend it to anyone with more than a modicum of oil in their skin. Based on my experience with the Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder, I included that in my suggestions to her.

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Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System

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First things first – I received the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System free, courtesy of BzzAgent, for testing purposes; so you may consider this post sponsored. More info at the bottom of this post.

Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System - Packaging

I drink coffee. At least two cups per weekday. And I drink tea. Needless to say, my teeth aren’t as white as they could be, so in addition to my regular whitening toothpaste (Crest Whitening Expressions Extreme Herbal Mint) I resort to whitening treatments (I love Plus White gel) from time to time. I had used a couple of products from the 3D White line before; although I liked them, I preferred my Extreme Herbal Mint, so back to it I went.

The newest addition to the 3D White line, Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System, is sold together in some fairly snazzy, eye-catching packaging that is as fabulous as your teeth should hope to be when done with the regimen. Claiming to keep your teeth up to 99% as white as a professional polish/teeth whitening treatment, this product makes some tall claims.

Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System - Products

How To:

The Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System is intended to replace your normal toothpaste and is suggested to be used day and night as a part of your normal oral hygiene routine. First, you brush for one minute with the blue tube of Deep Cleansing toothpaste, clearly-labeled Step 1…

Then, after spitting (I’ll take, “Words you never thought you’d write on your beauty blog,” for $1000, Trebek.), do not rinse, and brush again with the contents of the white tube, Step 2. This is a peroxide-based gel to bump up your whitening.

Pretty simple process, not too many steps, not too complicated.

My Experience:

I haven’t come across a toothpaste I truly disliked – sure, I am not a fan of spearmint or wintergreen-type mint toothpastes, but they didn’t make me see red. This, however? This did.

SUCRALOSE. For the love of cats why did you use sucralose, Crest?! It not only tastes horrible but is a migraine trigger for some people (myself included). Now, granted, you don’t intentionally ingest toothpaste…but let’s not pretend a tiny bit isn’t accidentally swallowed from time-to-time. The way it tastes bothers me…a lot! Every toothpaste I know of uses artificial sweeteners to make the brushing experience more pleasant, but sucralose is not the answer for me. Imagine my delight when I started scrubbing away at my teeth with my Oral B 3000 with that on it… ew.

Beyond the sweetener, I noticed that the paste had a particularly odd texture. More abrasive than a regular toothpaste, it had a strange grit to it that I did not enjoy. The abrasion does help lift stains, but at what cost? Gradually worn-away enamel, sensitivity, etc. Classic problems!

Continuing? The fluoride. No, I am not a fluoride conspiracy theorist, so don’t click away. Fluoride is present in, oh, every anti-cavity toothpaste on the market. Rather than the fluoride we’re used to seeing (sodium fluoride) the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System uses Stannous Fluoride (yes, that is pronounced like Stannis Baratheon). Why is that a point of concern? The packaging tells you:

Other Information:

  • Products containing stannous fluoride may produce surface staining of the teeth…

While staining is not unique to stannous fluoride, the fact that it is prevalent enough that Crest felt the need to make a disclaimer about it on the packaging is kind of, well, hilarious. Here’s a whitening product…that is going to noticeably stain your teeth, maybe *cough*. If you’re someone who has some basically-irreversible discoloration from dental fluorosis as-is, this kind of thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth (you know, along with the sucralose).

To top that all off, the gel is a fairly standard peroxide-based whitening gel, not unlike my beloved Plus White gel. The suggested use for Step 2 is to apply it to your regular toothbrush and brush for one minute. I followed the instructions (like a fool) and was uncomfortable. Gels of this nature are often used with trays to isolate the gel to the surface of the teeth because peroxide isn’t the kindest to gums. The packaging warns that this might happen, but brushes it off as acceptable, calling them, “signals.”

You may experience temporary signals with the use of this breakthrough system, such as: white spots on gums or other soft tissue, and/or oral discomfort.

Signals? If your gums are turning white after peroxide exposure it is not just a, “signal,” or something to ignore. Whitened gums are an indicator of tissue damage and if you experience it you should discontinue using the product in question immediately, not keep using it! In addition to whitening, peroxide can also kill bacteria/germs…but peroxide isn’t, “smart;” it cannot tell gums from contaminants. Unfortunately, this gel turned my upper gums white in the single minute I used to brush.

The Bottom Line:

I won’t be using it again, and I definitely would not buy it. The second step of the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System might be useful as a whitening gel in a tray that can help keep it only on the teeth, so I will try that so the whole kit doesn’t go to waste.

I’d say it is probably fine to use if you:

  • Do not have an aversion to sucralose
  • Do not have any degree of deep-set staining due to dental fluorosis
  • Already have generally healthy, strong teeth with no sensitivity issues
  • Only wish to lift everyday stains (coffee, tea, red wine, whatever)

Unfortunately, given the bad experience I had with the product I was unable to use it long enough to say whether or not it would have a huge impact on lifting the superficial staining my teeth have. I imagine it would, yes, but the cost of doing so is simply not worth it for me. I would also say that it is unlikely that the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System, an OTC product, is going to have the same results as in-office whitening done by a dental professional…but that’s marketing for you.

Although I received the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2-Step System free from BzzAgent I was neither compensated nor otherwise coerced into sharing. The other Crest/Oral-B products mentioned have nothing to do with the BzzAgent Campaign; I’ve used those products before this blog existed.

Tip2Toe Electric Callus Tool

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I am a fan of flip-flops.

Seriously, you don’t know. I wore them in the winter until I moved somewhere Truly Snowy in the Winter (and have since wised up). I have a $50 pair of Rainbows and they are joy.

(I never claimed to be fashionable.)


 Tip2Toe - Box

Anyway, as a result of being flip-flop-focused, I need to pay a little more attention to pedicures. Last Christmas, my husband got me a Tip2Toe Electric Callus tool (knowing my pedi-obsession) from Amazon. It is a high-powered (and I do mean high) electric rotary tool that you use to buff dead skin from your feet. I had actually considered just getting a dremel (not because my feet are atrocious, but because I’m lazy) – but I couldn’t figure out what grit(s) would be safe to use.

The Tip2Toe has a long cord with a GFI switch at the plug (like a hairdryer) to protect you – like I said, this sucker is high powered. You need to be very careful or you will hurt yourself. To use it, you attach its little, yellow, proprietary buffing discs (it comes with a few)…

Tip2Toe - Disc

After soaking your feet to soften them (or, you know, showering – that’s usually fine), you can go to work. It works. It smooths them, but for me, didn’t remove the excess like I so desired. I am anti-Credo blade, anti-grater. But then, I figured it out!

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Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain

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Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain
I received the Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain at the same time as I received the Josie Maran Argan Infinity Duo – and I was just as skeptical about this as I was about them. In fact, I may have been moreso.

Rather than a cream formula, Tarte’s cheek stains are gel-based in a stick form. Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain, specifically, is a translucent, colorless stick. Once you haphazardly smear it onto your face (well, your skin), a color develops.

You see, Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain is kind of one of those, “slap it on and develops into a color that suits you,” type thing. Mood ring voodoo. Novel, yes, but not something I’m slapping on and wearing out without any idea of what I’m getting into. So of course, I swatched it:

Tarte Energy Skintuitive Cheek Stain Forearm Swatch

Going on, it kind of feels like one of those clear sunscreen sticks…or what I imagine a glue stick feels like. But that’s what the color looks like on me. Not really my most flattering shade; cool tones aren’t my best bet for blush.

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Brows on What?

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Confession:

The term, “fleek,” makes my skin crawl.

I don’t love it.

Not for sculpted, perfect eyebrows. Not for flawless, gorgeous highlights. Not for sharp, crisp winged liner.

“On point,” I can dig. But for some reason I just can’t stand, “on fleek.” I’m not anti-slang, it’s just this specific term.

Research suggests the term has been tossed around since at least 2003; but it came to prominence after a Vine user mentioned it to describe her own brows while en route to a party. Somehow, it blew up and became this meme-esque slang phenomenon.

I don’t get it. Maybe I’m getting old?

Brows on what? Listen, dear – your eyebrows, highlight, and winged liner look fabulous and masterfully executed…but stay out of my dang hyacinths and azaleas, alright?