Review: Benefit's The Big Easy

$38; contains 1.18 fl oz.

I wasn't going to bother with this product initially.  It seemed like an unnecessary product for my makeup regimen, and even though the packaging is darling (per usual, Benefit) and I saw several favorable reviews online and even got a glowing recommendation from a friend of mine, I was prepared to save myself some cash and pass right on by.  I'm not quite sure what changed my mind, but I think it had something to do with the Sephora VIB sale a few weeks ago; 15% off combined with the fact that they had one tube left in my shade just seemed too much like destiny to pass up.

I've been testing out this product for about a week now, and I can safely say that I'm sold.  My skin leans toward the slightly oily side, and I find that this product does set to a nice powder finish and stays mostly matte for the entire day.  I did touch up around 4 pm most of the days that I had this on my skin, but they were pretty minor compared to some other foundations I've tried.

This is certainly a light coverage product, but can be built up a bit.  The warmer weather coupled with some good skin days was another contributing factor to my giving this a shot.  It contains SPF 35 and sits nicely on the skin, making it a great option for those minimal-makeup days.  I posted a picture on Instagram this morning using Big Easy as my foundation, and I really am pleasantly surprised at how much I like it.

After a full work day and one quick powder touch-up: Still looking good!

I'm not a huge fan of applying foundations with my fingers, but both a flat-top kabuki brush and a BeautyBlender work well for application.

The only small complaint I have with this product (and with Benefit's face products in general) is that it has a slight yellow undertone.  As a cool-toned girl, I was the slightest bit hesitant when I first noticed this, but so far it hasn't been an issue.

Have you tried Big Easy?  What did you think?  Let me know on Twitter @glam_scout and follow me on Instagram @edwardscory.

ipsy Unboxing: April 2014

The second I heard that the April ipsy bags would include an Urban Decay eyeliner, my usual quest to stay unspoiled until my own bag arrived went out the window.  I was hearing from all different sources that this month's selection of products were some of the best that ipsy had assembled in recent months; on the whole, I'm usually pretty satisfied with ipsy, but there have been some off months here and there.

Loving this funky bag

Products!  Wee!

Beginning with the products I forgot to take closeups of (it was a crazy morning), there's a healthy-sized can of Big Sexy Hair Root Pump, which I'm excited to try out on my fine hair, and an equally generous tube (for skin care, anyway) of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant (hey, who couldn't use a good exfoliation every now and again?).

On to the fun stuff!

As I mentioned, the item I was most excited about was the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet.  I am powerless to resist a good black liner, be it liquid, felt-tip or pencil.  To date, I've only used the original formula pencil in Demolition (a rich, chocolatey brown), and I've loved it for well over a year now.  I'm excited to play around with this new formula and see how it holds up, especially on my waterline (another perennial quest of mine).

Left: initial swatch. Right: after light smudging with my finger.

A girl can always use a good champagne shadow, right?  This Elizabeth Mott shadow swatches beautifully, and I'm excited to try it out.  A few notes: the packaging, while cute and clear, feels a little cheap, and the pan has already dislodged itself from the glue holding into place.  No matter, though, because the shadow is gorgeous and I can easily pop into a Z Palette instead.

The last goody that arrived in my ipsy this month is an adorable jelly lip gloss from Mary Kay.  I have a couple of MK lipsticks that I like quite a bit, and I recently used up a mascara that I loved but whose name escapes me at the moment.  This gloss is a beautiful nude color, and surprisingly opaque.  I'm thinking it might be nice for a sweet Easter look...

Was your ipsy bag different than mine this month?  What did you love from your bag?

Drugstore Haul: Ready for Spring Edition

The weather in Portland has finally decided to turn the corner toward spring; granted, it won't be consistently sunny until around July or so, but for the next few months we'll have some pockets of gorgeous weather that will make everyone forget that it's grey and rainy seemingly all the damn time around here, and I just couldn't resist picking up some products that will be perfect for the bright, sunny days to come.

The first thing I came across was the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral.  Cream products are so nice for warmer weather, and I was in the mood to make a bit of a departure from my usual blush choices, i.e. many variations of pink.  This blush manages to be both bright and subtle; it takes a bit of working to really get it to show up, but for a light-makeup day in the middle of summer, I think it will be just right.  I also picked up the Real Techniques stippling brush with the intent of using it to apply this blush.

Hey, it's my deck that I should have swept first!

Am I the only one who couldn't find the Jordana display at Walgreens for the longest time?  Every time I was there, I would pace up and down in front of the makeup display and remained completely baffled about this storied inexpensive but uber-quality brand.  Finally, success!  It's next to the register in the cosmetics department!  In my quest to finally perfect a winged liner, I picked up the Fabuliner in black.  It's a nice, firm felt-tip liner that swatched as a deep, rich black.  Excited!

I also got sucked in by the Twist and Shine Balm Stains.  I love my Revlon Just Bitten in Honey, but I've heard such good things about Jordana's version that I figured for $2.99, I didn't have much to lose.  In yet another departure from my standard my-lips-but-better fare, I chose the brightest, fuschia-est shade there was.  It's a lot brighter than I'm used to, but I had visions of throwing on a pair of sunglasses and a bright pink lip and heading out into the sunshine, so there you go.

The last thing I came away with was the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Caramel Cool; I've been on the hunt for this shade for a few weeks now and was about to give up on the dream, but there happened to be one jar left on the display, so I chalked it up to fate and it made its way into my basket.

So. Pretty!

What are you loving from the drugstore these days?

Sunday Bonus: Easter Outfit of the Day

Chambray shirt: Old Navy

Cami: Old Navy

Midi skirt: Amazon (link!)

Belt: Target

Ankle booties: Jessica Simpson

Necklace: Target

Bracelets: lia sophia

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I tried to be good; really, I did.  The VIB sale is one of those times that I just can't resist heading into Sephora, since stuff never goes on sale there.  That said, all in all the damage was pretty reasonable (at least, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been had a lot of the products that I wanted were already picked over by the time I got there - had I had better timing, the NARS setting powder would be included here).

I spent a lot of time waffling in front of the Hourglass display (the Ambient Lighting blushes are gorgeous in person), and ultimately ended up walking away with a sample of the Immaculate foundation that I mentioned in my Spring Wish List.  Once I give it a good road-test I may end up biting the bullet and going back for it at full price (gulp).

1. Benefit The Big Easy Liquid to Powder Foundation, $38
I've been hearing a lot about this over the last few weeks and I had planned to pass it up entirely, but I realized that with the warmer weather coming, I'm going to want a more lightweight option with lighter coverage; it's also something I've been wanting for those good skin days that have magically been happening more often lately.

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed, $26
The reason I initially made it over to the Tarte display was to check out a different blush shade entirely; I had read a review of the shade Natural Beauty on Buy Now, Blog Later, and the pop of strawberry red on the apples of the cheeks seemed like a great option for spring and summer.  While I would still love to get that shade at some point, something drew me to Exposed instead.  Maybe it was the slightest hint of a pink undertone, or maybe it was the wearability factor.  Either way, I wore it today and was super pleased with it.

3. BeautyBlender, $19.95
I held off on BeautyBlender for a long time.  It seemed like a lot of cash for a makeup sponge, and between Sigma and Real Techniques, I'd been very pleased with my foundation application tools.  For real, this was pretty much just an impulse buy.  Damn you, Sephora, for putting such colorful goodies near the register!  And damn you, Ulta, for always being sold out of the Real Techniques sponge!  All kidding aside, I was really pleased with how the BeautyBlender performed this morning.

4. Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream, $6 for 1.7 fl oz.
Ahh, an old friend.  My Curel hand cream that lives in my purse is just about gone, and since I was going to get something to replace it anyway...  This performs well and you can't beat the scent.

What should be on my list for the next time the VIB sale rolls around?
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Outfit of the Day: Chilly Spring Day

The last OOTD photos taken before my closet doors were removed to start the renovation of our master suite.  Fingers crossed for better lighting soon!

Anyway, my first day back in the office after spring break was strictly a management-only day of meetings and trainings.  Not necessarily something that required a super professional dress code, but on the days when there are no kids in the building, I usually like to take advantage of being able to wear heels and pendant necklaces.

These pants were the inspiration for my visit to Old Navy a few weeks ago; they're skinny, stretchy, black pixie pants that fit beautifully and are a nice alternative to jeans for work days.  Pro-tip: the tag says to hang dry - I learned that that is more than just a suggestion.  I laid them over my drying rack the first time I washed them, and there were weird creases just below the waist and right around the knees.  They're also not completely fitted to my leg, so any boots taller than my beloved Chinese Laundry ankle booties give that weird bunching around the knees and just look silly.

The top was a TJ Maxx find well over a year ago.  I bought it a size up because I tend to like that looser, flowy-er look paired with a slimmer pant.  The mint cami underneath came from Old Navy.

My husband said that I shouldn't hold the camera in front of my face anymore...

As for jewelry, I broke out an old Lia Sophia necklace that I'd never actually worn before (left over from my days selling jewelry) and my favorite go-to silver disc earrings sprinkled with tiny crystals.

 

Top: Cynthia Rowley (at TJ Maxx)

Pants: Old Navy
Boots: Chinese Laundry

Necklace: Velveteen by lia sophia (discontinued, I believe)

Earrings: Sugar Dusted by lia sophia

Glossy Box Unboxing, March 2014

I usually make a pretty concerted effort to avoid being spoiled about what's in my ipsy or Glossy Box each month.  This month, I was not so lucky.  I was late to the GB game, so I didn't get mine till the beginning of April, which left a lot of time to stumble on photos on Intstagram and to notice the bracelet on my friend's wrist, ask her about it and immediately kind of regret it.

Still, what has been seen cannot be unseen, and I was super anxious to get my GB this month!  Normally with subscription services, there's one or two items that instantly get shoved into my samples drawer where they will remain for the rest of time, but I really think I'll be trying out all the products included this month:

1. Alex and Ani Scent 7 Body Mist -- This one needed a few minutes to grow on me; I sprayed some product out to get a good sense of the fragrance, and my first thought was "Hello, when did my kitchen become an Aveda salon?"  It's got a woodsy, rosemary-y scent that's very similar to Aveda products, but the more I smell it, the more I like it.

2. Alterna Haircare Bamboo Plumping Strand Expand -- I remember someone raving about this product (or possibly something similar) on YouTube a while back, and I recognized the brand right away.  My hair is fairly fine, but there's a lot of it, so I'm excited to see how this works on my head.

3. Etre Belle Cosmetics Liplift Peel -- Who can't use a good lip exfoliator?  I generally use my own concoction of olive oil and brown sugar, but I have no qualms about replacing my homemade remedy with this little guy for a few nights.

4. Nails Inc Brook Street Nail Polish -- This is such a pretty color!  I've been toying with the idea of picking up a good pinky-coral nail polish for spring, and now I don't have to!

5.  Sisley Paris Black Rose Cream Mask -- An anti-aging mask with a delightful rose scent?  Why not??  Here's hoping I don't completely fall in love with it, as the full size is $158...

6. Alex and Ani Charm Bangle -- I've heard a lot about this brand lately, and I'd been wanting to look into getting some of their pieces.  Now that I've tried this Energy charm bracelet, I'm anxious to get some more and start stacking!

What subscription boxes do you get each month?