Jessica Revitte

A Drugstore Jamboree! My Weekend With the Almay Smart Shade Products

June 6th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 10 Comments

Wearing Almay Clear Complexion Makeup in Ivory 100, the 140 Trio for Greens on my eyes, Smart Shade Blush in 30 Coral on my cheeks and Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick in 40 Red-Light on my lips

Do you ever want to go to the drugstore and fill your basket with new makeup to try out a whole new look?

That’s something I could never do at a high-end makeup counter, but sometimes it’s fun to take maybe $25 of fun money to buy drugstore colors I’d NEVER even think to purchase from a department store line — you know, just to play. It’s like what I used to do when I first started wearing makeup (at home only, I promise mom!) as a young teenager.

That’s kind of like what I did with these Almay products a couple weekends ago — have frivolous fun and experiment — and I found some things that definitely deserve more attention than they get in the blogosphere!

For starters, I can’t believe I’ve never noticed Almay’s Smart Shade Blushes (about $12). The stars sculpted into the powder are all-American (the brand’s slogan is “the American look”) but also classic Sailor Jerry style nautical stars…so you know that this tattooed makeup lover is all about the way these look.

With these pans, like with regular ombré blushes, you can vary the depth of the shade you want for your cheeks, and the pans also have a shimmery strip that you can glide your brush over when you want to.

I love the look of Coral blended out on the apples of my cheeks with a pop of the lightest shimmering peachy pink on the tops of my cheekbones.

Almay Smart Shade Blush 20 Nude and 30 Coral (about $12 each)

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With Fresh Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30, Be a Sporty Sugar, Not a Sporty Spice

June 2nd, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 7 Comments

Fresh Sugar Sport SPF 30 — Popping on Fresh Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30 ($25 for a 0.2-oz. stick) pre-jog!

Who here loved the Spice Girls?

“Ooh! Me!” *Raises hand!*

And who here LURVES Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatments?

“Oooh! Me! Me! Me! Me!”

Put ’em together, and what do you get? Fresh Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30, brand-spankin’ new for summer 2016 and available now for $25 wherever Fresh is sold!

As a runner, a sun-lover (PSA: I never leave the house without sunscreen, and you shouldn’t either) and a park/beach-going mom, I could not be more excited about this new oversized sunscreen-style take on Fresh’s classic Sugar Lip Treatment.

This bad-@ss moisturizing balm for the lips, face, and eye area has the same Sugar scent we know and love, but it comes jam-packed with skin-friendly ingredients, waterproof sun protection (for up to two hours), and a thicker, long-lasting formula. Plus, it’s safe for ages three and up and fab for the whole family.

So tell me what ya want, what ya really, really want. I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want… It’s this convenient purse stowaway!

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With Their Sunforgettable Sunscreens and Lip Shines, Colorescience Makes SPF Stand for “Sublime Protection Factor”

May 31st, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 13 Comments

Colorescience Sunforgettable Brush on Sunscreen and Lip Shine — Wearing Colorescience Sunforgettable Brush on Sunscreen in Fair ($57) and Lip Shine in Coral ($29)

The steamy summer months can be hard on makeup lovers. Those of us who live in warmer climates may be more adept at making our makeup widthstand the sweltering heat and summer sun, but given that I live in a very cold climate (Wisconsin), I’m not always ready for the onslaught of “glow” (*cough* sweat *cough*) that often compromises the longevity of my makeup.

More importantly, sun protection is a must, and to be honest, as far as this pale-skinned girl is concerned, sun block is always a must (rain or shine, blizzard or heat wave). And it’s important every day, too, and not just on days at the beach or afternoons at the park.

Colorescience calls itself a premium “all-in-one” suncare company, and they’ve combined makeup sun protection, makeup powdering and on-the-go summer life in one convenient package. The brand’s Sunforgettable range is something you’ll definitely want in your beach bag!

Available in four matte shades and one shimmer, Sunforgettable Brush on Sunscreen (broad spectrum SPF 30 or 50) is perfect for sun-conscious on-the-go ladies.

Remove the cap and twist to reveal a brush pre-loaded with powder mineral sunscreen tailored to your complexion.

Fair has become my faithful companion. It’s easy to blend and chemical free. I dust the sunscreen on as a setting powder, and throw the tube in my purse when I leave the house. Rather than reaching for a blotting powder or paper mid-day, I just reapply Sunforgettable Brush on Sunscreen to ensure that I’ve re-upped my sun protection.

The SPF 30 version, which retails for $57 a tube, includes 11.8% zinc oxide, 21% titanium dioxide, iron oxides and calcified red algae.
The SPF 50 version, which retails for $64 a tube, includes 24.1% zinc oxide, 23.9% titanium dioxide, iron oxides and calcified red algae.

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Play It Tropicool and Go Back to the Fuchsia With Salon Perfect Neon Pop! Summer 2016

May 26th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 8 Comments

Do you remember when I used to paint my nails all the time?

Yeah, me neither. I miss it. I miss having the free time to sit down, manicure, buff, base, color and top coat my nails on the regular.

There just isn’t enough time, and that’s okay. I embrace the people and things that have taken the place of those at-home manicures, and it just means that the opportunities I do have to actually polish my nails are that much more special.

Queue the Salon Perfect Summer 2016 Neon Pop! Collection. These 12 sweet and sour shades (eight shown below) will get you ready for your next afternoon by the pool. At only $3.98 a Pop! (see what I did there?), you can collect ’em all. The challenge will be deciding which one you want to wear first. (Or maybe that’s just me, because I’m like “YAS! Finally, free time to paint my nails!”)

I love the Neon Pop! line’s versatility. A lot of the neon polishes I’ve tried are streaky and consistently dry down to a matte finish that doesn’t last long. They’re also usually only available in warm tones. But Salon Perfect seems to have all that sorted out.

Here are pics of eight Neon Pop! shades alongside their trusty companions — a bottle of Crystal Clear top coat and a white shade called Sugar Cube. To really make the neon-ness of these Pop! shades jump off your nails, apply them atop a white polish, in lieu of a traditional base coat (same idea works for colorful eyeshadows), and then to keep them from chipping too soon or from drying down matte, add a sturdy top coat.

My personal favorite neons (and nail polishes in general) are cool toned, which is why I like the Neon Pop! greens, blues and purples. I’ve been all about calypso teal Mer-Made of Money, which goes five full days for me with a base and top coat before chipping. That’s unheard of for a neon!

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With Laura Mercier Colour Dots and Baked Blush Illuminé, You Get the Glowing Cheeks of a Girl From an Impressionist Painting

May 25th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 9 Comments

I’m often inspired by art when I get ready in the morning — and not always modern art, à la Andy Warhol or iconic images of Twiggy — but sometimes, like during the deepest and darkest parts of winter, I’ll think of a novel or a particular Renaissance painting and try to recreate the spirit of the work or, if it’s a portrait, the glow surrounding the subject.

Sometimes with Laura Mercier I think of impressionist paintings, and it’s not hard to see similarities between some of Laura Mercier’s muted greens, steel blues and rich sienna browns and a color palette used by Claude Monet, right?

That’s perfect for me, as I love that romantic flush on the faces of so many impressionistic heroines. If you gaze at a Renior, you’re sure to see a glowing rose pink, and when my skin is at its most sallow or pale during the winter months, that’s the look I most like to create with my blush.

Thanks to the new Laura Mercier Colour Dots ($32) and Baked Blush Illuminé in Rose ($42), I’ll be glowing like a painting for months.

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With the LORAC Light Source Illuminating Highlighters, the Light Source Will Be Cheekbones

May 23rd, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 11 Comments

Wearing a mixture of LORAC Starlight and Twilight — Wearing a mixture of the LORAC Light Source Illuminating Highlighters in Starlight and Twilight ($22 each)

I don’t know about you, but I think that when we look back at the “teens” (2010-2019), we’re going to remember this era as an era with some very distinct makeup trends, like contouring (duh), strong brows, probably lip plumping and, of course, lots and LOTS of highlighter.

I’m talkin’ more highlighter than J. Lo wore in the early 2000s.

What was once a product that I didn’t think much about has now become one of my favorite products. I have many of them, but I never seem to have enough.

“Why yes, I do need seven champagne-toned highlighters. Thank you for asking.”

Nothing excites me more blingy “in your face” glow products like LORAC’s Summer 2016 Light Source Illuminating Highlighters.

Like the Hourglass Ambient Powders, they’re highly shiny, finely milled powders based around various lighting conditions to give you a gorgeous, radiant glow, and they come in four $22 shades — Starlight, a white opal; Daylight, a soft gold; Twilight, a light bronze; and Moonlight, a pinky pearl.

LORAC also infused the silky powders with anti-aging antioxidants!

LORAC Light Source Illuminating Highlighters (L-R): Twilight, Starlight

Lorac Light Source Illuminating Highlighter swatches — LORAC Light Source Illuminating Highlighters (L-R): Twilight, Starlight

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These MAC Prep+Prime Highlighter Pens Should Really Be Called PERK+Prime! Miracle Workers

May 20th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 12 Comments

I’m guessing that by now you’re all getting tired of hearing me bang on about how tired I am.

But really, it’s a vicious cycle. I recently read a meme on Facebook (don’t judge me) while scrolling through my feed during the wee hours of sleeplessness with a fussy baby that read, “Parenting is the constant battle between going to bed to catch up on some sleep or staying awake to finally get some alone time.”

L-O-L, is that ever true!

Hopefully for this tired mama, MAC’s new $26 Prep+Prime Highlighter click pens can help. They’re supposed to “effectively [bring] a soft, sheer wash of colour to skin.”

But first, can we briefly pause to appreciate the shimmering — dare I say sexy? — packaging? I’m in love with these boxes and tubes…

The MAC Prep + Prime Highlighters in all their glittery packaged glory!

Available in nine shades (including two correctors in peach and rose) to suit a wide range of skin tones, the Prep+Prime Highlighters are MAC’s answer to YSL’s eponymous Touche Eclat Stylo. Creamy and easy to apply thanks to the gentle brush head from which the product is dispensed, these highlighters do dry down quickly and oxidize slightly to a somewhat deeper tone than I’d expect based on the swatches.

Although the two shades on the right are just too deep for my complexion, any of the first three on the left would suit my skin tone, depending on what I want and need. The one called Light, for instance, is a classic highlighting concealer, while Medium would be better suited to cancel out the blue tones under my eyes.

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Blooming Lovely With Clean Blossom, a Rich White Floral Perfect for the Hot Summer Months Ahead

May 18th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 15 Comments

Clean Blossom Perfume — Mid-spritz. Clean Blossom Smells of a warm summer day.

Okay, you guys, I’ll admit it. I’m literally obsessed with perfume. I have upwards of 30 bottles, ranging from Stella to a few Diptyque, Jo Malone and even Serge Lutens, so it’s safe to say that in my time I’ve sniffed a fair few fumes (I dare you to say that three times fast).

One of my greatest pleasures in life is pairing a fragrance with my mood. There are two kinds of perfume lovers; those who find a cherished fragrance and don’t mess with success, preferring to repurchase bottle after bottle, and those who are a fragrance’s fair weather friend, adoring many and exhibiting fickle favoritism. I unquestionably fall into the latter category.

And, of course, as the trees are finally bursting forth from their skeletal winter forms and blooms are popping out of every garden bed it’s only fitting that I reach for a flourishing floral with a strong bouquet, and for that I have recently been drawn to Clean Blossom ($72 for 2.14 oz).

Clean fragrances have been available for over a decade, all owing their popularity to the very first (unsurprisingly entitled Clean), which was said to have been inspired by the beauty in a bar of soap. Since the first smash hit, Clean has released a bevy of “spin-offs” all inspired by simple fragrant pleasures: skin, linen, laundry and rain.

Blossom is the latest release in the deceptively simple range. To my nose it smells of heavy white floral blossoms on a hot summer day. There is a definite dewiness that makes me think of the sunny early morning hours, when the plants are still damp and the smell of night mingles with dawn. Top notes of neroli, lilac and freesia account for the heavy floral burst. Supported by middle notes of orange blossom, lily and magnolia, it is unquestionable that white floral reigns supreme as the chief impression left by Clean Blossom. Musky cottonwood and sandalwood serve as base notes and account for the subtle yet unmistakable deep scent of night that lingers in the floral air.

It’s poetic, and I adore it.

Perfume tells a story, so I always do my best to look up the perfumer’s inspiration. Sephora often provides this information, and I find it provides insight and context into the selected elixir of top, middle and bottom notes:

“Blossom is based on one of my favorite flowers, neroli (orange blossom). Its distinctive aroma fills the air of my childhood places—the south of France, the French Riviera, and the Italian Coast—as well as my current home in Arizona. The name ‘neroli’ is a tribute to Princess Nerola, who made this flower essence famous by using it as a perfume at the end of the 17th century.”

— Claude Dir, master perfumer at Mane and the creator of Clean Blossom

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