I got a chance to put Philosophy’s new primer, Never Let Them See You Shine, to the test this weekend and the outcome is pretty darn good!

If you have a combination skin type I imagine you know and understand the drama that comes with it. Flaky here, oily there, and sometimes even a normal day here and there! Luckily my skin doesn’t get to oily in the Winter however as soon as the Summer rolls around I’m definately having major problems!

Yesterday was the perfect day to put Never Let Them See You Shine to the rest as it was not only hot but major humid plus I was outside all day. I’m pretty impressed with not only its ability to curb shine and oil but to double duty it as a primer that allows my makeup to stay in place all day without melting away in the Summer sun!

I can’t verify the formula of this because it was sitting on my porch after delivery while I was at work so I’m worried that the texture it now is doesn’t match up with it’s original texture due to the fact it was sitting in the heat for quite a few hours.

The formula is a watery gel and slightly runny which surprised me as I was expecting a similar texture as Smashbox primer considering almost all primers I have tried all feel the exact same way. I have to take myself off to Sephora to see if this is actually the way it’s supposed to be or if it got ruined due to the heat.

Needless to say I am hoping and praying that this is the formula because I LIKE it. Smashbox Primer feels rather weird on my skin plus it pills. If you’re unfamiliar with the term pill it simply means that the product rolls off your skin in gross little balls.

I experienced no pilling with this. It was simply a nice cooling gel that applied easily and felt like I had nothing on at all. It does feel a tad sticky at first but once massaged into my skin it sunk in nicely. The box does say to “pat” it on but I gently massaged it in.

I only applied about a dime size amount probably a bit less but I think I could have used a smidge more. After application I proceeded to apply my SPF, a tiny bit of my foundation mixed with moisturizer, some blush, some gloss, and I was good to go!

As I was out and about I kept touching the places I normally get oily. I normally don’t like to touch my face at all. I’m very obsessive about my skin and touching my hands to it is I won’t do for obvious reasons however I did want to test this out so every few hours I was tapping my finger tips to my forehead, sides of my nose, and chin. These are the spots I get most oily and to my surprise they were very dry and matte feeling.

When I got home I took a quick shot of my face with my camera and compared it to a photo I had taken earlier in the day. I’m happy to say my makeup was still wearing strong after being out all day in the sun! My blush was still firmly in tack, my face was matte and fresh looking, plus the small amount of foundation I had applied seemed to be firmly in place as well as my concealer! Impressive as normally my makeup melts away in the middle of the day or so! The only thing that didn’t fair so well was my gloss which was long since chewed off.

So far after one test I am very impressed and can’t help but be very excited about this product. All and all I definately Muse Approve it for purchase!

The price isn’t bad at $20 USD and it does do exactly what it promises! I have to say that I’m really pleased I don’t have to whip out my powder all day to blot my skin. Although I’ve found some fine blotting powders I just find that the convienance of applying one product on my face that lasts all day really cuts down on the hassle of refreshing, reapplying, etc…etc….

Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine Primer gets a big Muse Approval!

Never Let Them See You Shine is available now for purchase at Sephora and from Philosophy! Grab some up! If you want to battle shin and oil in a major way might I suggest trying out the rest of the line up which includes a cleanser and a scrub!

Tried it?

Love it?

Want to try it?

How do you battle off oily skin in the Summer?

Tell the Muse!

Battle shine further with my raving review for Urban Decay’s new De-Slick Mattifying Powder!

22 Comments

I normally use Sephora Eye Makeup Remover since it’s cheap as day old chips. I can’t really get into the grove of dishing out $26 USD for Lancome Bi-Facil. Although it’s probably the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever tried I really feel like $26 is an over indulgence for something that removes eye makeup!

Hmmmm do you think a hot guy is going to pop out if I peel this off?

Now Too Faced Lash Injection Antidote is just as expensive at $23.50 USD however it’s an entirely different formula in comparison to Bi-Facil and I somehow feel like I am getting a lot more product since I’m using less.

The formula is a cream and you only need a pea size amount for it to work it’s magic and whisk off eye makeup plus waterproof mascara. Too Faced has a possible winner on it’s hands with one flaw that I’ll tell you about in a few.

First of all the packaging on this deserves a big rave. It’s a pump style which I really like. I actually wish that liquids came like this. I know of one remover in liquid form that has a similar style of packaging which is Boots Eye Makeup Remover. I like the idea of pumping a cotton pad full of product rather than tipping the bottle and over saturating a pad with a ton of product I don’t need. In this case I’m pumping the cream onto my finger tips which is fab as I have more control over how much I am using!

This is simple to use and takes very little effort on your part. One pump onto your fingertips, rub around your eye area just as you would do with theBalm Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover that I recently reviewed and swipe off with a cotton pad or some tissue.

Some of you may be worried about rubbing your eye area but this has never been an issue for me. A few people had expressed concern about this with Balms Away as well but I didn’t feel like the rubbing was causing any damage considering the product causes enough friction for a gentle glide rather than full on tugging! We definately want to be as gentle with our eyes as possible, don’t need to be aging before our time now do we?

It does a supremely good job of removing the most difficult mascaras such as Excel’s Mascara which rarely comes off completely no matter what remover I use!

The funky and possibly gross thing about this is you can actually see the mascara and shadow dissolving in chunks off your eye. Mascara sorta rolls off in huge pieces as you rub. Kinda cool in a gross way!

This is actually made for Too Faced’s popular Lash Injection mascara which is pretty difficult to remove! The product works exactly as promised and does a good job at removing everything off your eye however it does burn.

I was disappointed at the burning sensation as I was actually delighted at what a great job it did taking off some of my hardest mascaras! It stings terribly even with my eyes tightly closed and for me that was a flaw I’m unsure I can get over.

The good news is I do actually recommend grabbing some. I think it’s simply a great remover to have around for your toughest mascaras. This isn’t something I’d reach for daily due to the burning sensation however it is a fabulous product to have when you’re wearing hard to remove mascaras and heavy duty eye makeup that you need extra help getting off! In that it succeeds brilliantly with flying colors. If you’re truly sensitive I wouldn’t bother but if you’re ok with a bit of stinging you should be fine!

However, I’m doubtful I’ll use it daily unless they change the formula and make it a bit more gentle to my eye area!

Tried this?

Love it?

What are you using to remove your eye makeup right now?

Share with the Muse!

Find out why I’m not loving Boots No7 Cleanse and Care Eye Makeup Remover!

Click here to read my ravings about theBalm’s Balms Away Eye Makeup Remover!

16 Comments

My little eye spies a new shade of eyeshadow from Too Faced!

Mess in a Dress!

Love that name! It just rolls off my tongue! Mess in a Dress happens to fall right into my Summer Must Have Makeup bag this season! I love bright, bold shades in the Summer and Mess in a Dress delivers!

I was discussing this not so long ago with my reader and friend, Taryn, she had mentioned what a gorgeous shade it was and how she had her eye on it!

Here it is in all it’s glory:

Dontcha just love loud shades for the Summer? So fun!

The Muse sporting some Mess in a Dress:

I’m thinking this can multitask as a blush…hmmmm…must try that!

Too Faced in Mess in a Dress is definately on my Summer Must Have Makeup list! Loving it!

17 Comments

Hello World!

Well the weekend is upon us finally! Is that a happy sigh of relief I hear out there?

How are you liking Beauty on a Budget Week so far? I fear most of my finds weren’t so fabulous! Sorry guys you can’t take the fabulous out of the Muse and replace it with cheap!

Beauty and a Budget Week continues next week as I still have a few items to get through in the way of reviews and I promise something has to turn up good!

It just so happens that next week will also start up Japanese Cosmetic Review Week. I’ve been remiss in reviewing the Summer Collections from Japan, apologies for that!

I have a load of stuff for you up my sleeve so be patient with me and I promise I’ll get to it all! That includes the newest MAC Collections which I am late bringing to you guys!

This weekend I’m heading to Atlantic City so of course I’ll be hitting up The Pier Shops at Caesars so I can gamble with one hand and shop with the other! They have MAC, Lush, Etc..so let’s hope I come home with some cool goodies for review!

How about you?

Whatcha doing for the weekend?

For now I bid you fair thee well and I’ll see you Monday! Happy Weekend!

Here’s some link love for you to amuse yourselves with while I’m away gambling my unborn children’s tuitions away at the poker table:

Click on over and revisit with the Paul and Joe Spring Collection! You’ll be happy you did as cuteness awaits you!

See the exclusive face chart that one of the MA’s at Shu Uemura created exclusive for Musings!

Find out why I love L’occitane en Provence’s Verbena Collection!

Tag! You’re it! Click here to visit all my tagged MAC posts! I’m sure you’ll find some collection you’ll love revisiting with!

Visit my Jelly Pong Pong review to hear my ravings about how great some of their products are!

Stila’s “Asia” Only Exclusive haul awaits you after this jump!

Get your bling on with my review of Guerlain’s entire Holiday Collection for 2007!

Take a visit across the pond and find out more about B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful!

Happy Reading!

8 Comments

Am I using the wrong Tinted Moisturizer or are these things WAY overrated?

I don’t see the point.

Even though I’m going to give Physicians Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer an ok review I still feel like the entire idea behind tinted moisturizer has escaped my feeble little mind.

I don’t really feel like I can leave the house wearing a tinted moisturizer and some blush. It kinda feels like leaving the house in pants without underwear on (unless of course that’s your thing!). Am I making sense?

I guess the general idea of using a tinted moisturizer is to even out your complexion while giving you the benefits of SPF but seriously do you feel like you’re looking your flawless best with just the moisturizer and some blusher thrown on?

I don’t.

A reader e-mailed me yesterday and asked me have I tried the latest craze in the Korean market, BB Creams (Hi Jing!). I promptly replied explaining I had indeed and how I never understood the hype about tinted moisturizers or BB Creams. Neither does anything for me. After some discussions she convinced me that I should not make my final decision on BB Creams until I try a few brands she recommended! After a bit of chatter I’ve decided to reinvest my cash flow into some of these brands to see if they are worth my time! So expect a review from me very soon on some BB Creams. If you have no idea what BB Creams are I’ll explain further in my upcoming review.

All the tinted moisturizers (and BB Creams) have always had a few major flaws in my opinion. coverage, color, and formula. In this case Physicians Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer has a range of problems with it. I got the lightest shade available which was Fair to Light but like all tinted moisturizers it turns out it’s a rather ugly beige color that does nothing to flatter my medium fair skin tone. The color is a really dull beige which as you’ll notice on my arm, which happens to be a shade darker than my face, looks very off and unflattering.

I don’t need a whole lot of coverage as my skin is perfectly fine without it and if I so choose I can walk out of the house with a bit of cheek stain and some gloss however I feel very naked without product on my face which is a reason this doesn’t work well for me. This doesn’t cover much of anything. My face is occasionally dull so I depend on my foundation to brighten my face up and make it go from tired to flawless however I can’t depend on a simple tinted moisturizer to do that especially one in an unflattering shade of beige!

Two strikes against Physicians Formula Organic Tinted Moisturizer so far!

So far I’m not loving the color or the coverage options on this and you might be wondering if the formula and texture can redeem my poor opinion of this. Sadly, no go. The formula is very runny and watery. Obviously, since it’s Summer, we are looking for lighter coverage however a thicker consistency would make me feel like I was not only gaining more coverage and longer wear but also more moisture. The watery formula fails to make me feel like I have applied moisturizer at all!

I can’t recall the exact amount I paid for this but it’s somewhere between $7 USD and $10 USD. I think it’s safe to say that you can skip this although I will mention the cons of the product which could change your mind about investing your money in it.

Even though coverage, color, and formula wasn’t what I’d have liked to see in this it still has many redeeming qualities.

The formula is 100% paraben free, organic, cruelty free, and has an SPF of 15. It’s a very green makeup product and since many have jumped on board environmental and organic ranges of cosmetics this might be something you may want to consider investing in. I admit, sadly, that I’m not always attentive to what exactly is going on my face and I definately hand out props to Physicians Formula for breaking into this market and offering a range for those of you that are Vegan friendly.

All in all I just wasn’t loving this and can’t recommend it for purchase!

How about you?

Tried and Loved it?

Love Tinted Moisturizers? Which are your favorites?

Tell the Muse!

31 Comments