Value your skin and health...Be aware of where you purchase your makeup!

In a past post I discussed makeup (as if that is a shocker) and the discussion in question is where to purchase your makeup.

I admit that makeup, especially the good kind, is hella expensive. If you don't buy drugstore brands then your wallet takes a hit. And I'm not bashing drugstore brands as there are a lot you can find which are amazing dupes for high end makeup.

There is one thing you should NEVER, NEVER do however and that is buy makeup on Ebay, an overseas website or any of the other "discount" sites. Why? Because those are rife with impostors and that $20 savings could turn out to be a very costly mistake. Costly in the wallet for doctor visits and wasted money.

Do you see the common thing about each of these? They are all super cheap! Win...right.

No, I'm afraid not. First let's take a look at the first picture. Lime Crime is a great makeup that is highly pigmented, vegan and all natural. You are never going to buy the legit Venus I and II palette for that much. Take a look at the packaging. Notice anything other than price? There is no name. Now take a look  here and check out how the real packing comes.

Let's move on down to Younique, Too Face's Peach palette and the Jeffree Star Skin Frost.

Once again you have bargain basement prices. I'm not saying that you will always crap out when shelling out a few bucks for makeup but you'll never get the same quality. In fact most of the dupes come from China. I have a big issue with that just on the animal cruelty side of things. China tests on animals and that is a no go for me.

Second, and this is the most important, China and other countries that offer dupes will recreate the formula with cheaper material. Check out this link to read about the dangers. You could be putting lead on your eyes.

Not good.

The most popular brands all have scams. Even if you luck out and don't wind up seriously sick, you are still not getting the quality you expect.

Here is my suggestion, and I hope you take it: Buy from reputable websites and sellers. Ulta, Urban Decay, Sephora, Younique, Too Faced...etc, you get the drift, all will gladly sell you the real deal. Always go to your trusted sources. It may cost you more but you will be buying the real thing.

Trust me on this one. If you want great, safe makeup then buy directly, through a reputable website or store, or your local Younique gal.

Modern Renaissance Palette, Makeup Forever, Lipsense and Urban Infusions

Happy November 3rd my Kats and Kittens!

Halloween is in the rear view member, it is a glorious Fall day and I have some product reviews to share with you.

The products for today's discussion are:

Anastasia: Modern Renaissance Palette
Urban Infusions Moisturizing Lotion
Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes
LipSense in Nutmeg
tarte's tarteist Clay Paint Liner
Jeffree Star's Ice Cold Highlighter
Makeup Forever in M-540 Taupe

So let's get down to business and let me embarrass myself by putting a picture up. Note: I take horrible selfies.

The video, if it actually plays, is me rubbing my lips and then showing you that there is ZERO transference. None. Zip. Nada. It's the LipSense. I love long lasting lipsticks. I have many in my makeup arsenal but this one doesn't break apart. And no other lipstick I've ever tried can say the same. There is always breakage around hour 4. They start to flake up, get chewed off or wind up on my coffee mug. *The video sucked and I'm not showing it*

Not this one. You begin to see breakage on the inner portion of your lip around hour 6. Around hour 8 is where it doesn't look as great but it is still there. Bonus! The one caveat is that you need to make sure and reapply the gloss. The gloss is what gives it moisture and not feel like a desert has taken up refuge on your lips.

There are three things that I do not like about the product though and one is the initial burn. It has alcohol as one of its ingredients and there is a slight burning sensation. I've been told, and read, that this doesn't last for long and it is working to rid your lips of dry and flaky skin. Crossing my fingers on that one.

The second and third things are minor. The color is long lasting and if you decide, in a few hours, that you want to change out of that color and go for a different one...it is hard to remove. I'm sure there are easy ways but everything I have tried has involved vigorous scrubbing. Like I said though, that is a minor concern. Most people wear their lipsticks out and then reapply.

The third thing is finding the right color for your needs. LipSense has a ton of different colors in shimmers, frosts and mattes. I lucked into seeing my colors in person by having a wonderful friend that is selling the product. However...there are so many you want to swatch and test out and unless you have someone that has samples of all the colors, you are out of luck. Unlike Sephora, Ulta, Macy's, Nordstroms, Mac etc...you don't have that ability. My suggestion would be to pick a shade on the chart that closely resembles your favorite lipstick color and try it out.

Next up: Anastasia's Modern Renaissance Palette

This palette is a makeup enthusiast's wet dream. It screams FALL! The warm tones can be worn by absolutely everyone. The transitional shades are easy to blend out and packing on color is incredibly easy. The only thing I caution on is that these are highly pigmented eye shadows. That means you take only the barest amount and blend, blend, blend before picking up more.

Divine. Using this and the Naked 3 palette ensures your eye shadow is on point for any occasion. Pick this one up and you will definitely not regret the purchase. I am not going to lie to you, the price...it's up there. Take a look at the Sephora website Anastasia Modern Renaissance

Next on the review is Urban Infusions' Moisturizing Lotion. I had the great pleasure of working with one of the owners and I wanted to try some of their lotions. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love lotion. I have been a dedicated Bath and Body Works user for over a decade. Even though BBW is a great body lotion, it can be overpowering. And it does leave a residue on your hands that can be very off-putting.

Many people avoid hand lotions because of the feeling left behind. You know the one. You put it on and it takes forever to be absorbed and then disappears in an hour.

Not this one and to test it out...I've been using it on my face as well as my hands and feet. I have extremely sensitive skin and this absorbs beautifully. There is not sticky residue. Your hands and face feel satin smooth.The scents are mild and pleasing and it is an all around fantastic product. I cannot urge you enough to try this out.

The website doesn't feature the lotions at this time but you can visit the Urban Infusions Facebook page to learn more. Trust me...you are going to want to try their products out. It is plant based and all organic. Your skill will love you for this!

I will tag my LipSense provider in the posting and you can visit her party page for details on how you can purchase a LipSense product. The same goes for the Urban Infusions products.

Try these out and let me know how YOU liked them.