**REVIEW** Target "October Eye" Beauty Box

The last Target Box I reviewed was the Summer Beauty Box that came out back in July. This is the October Eye box that was on their site a couple of weeks back. Actually, this was one of 2 boxes. I chose this over the one featuring hair and face care items. You have to check Target.com regularly to catch the new boxes as they come out or you will miss them.

I realize this is the "Eye" box, but I still get a little creeped out by all the strangeness:

This box (and the other choice) was $5 instead of the usual $7 that I have paid in the past. Maybe Target is trying to stay in line with Walmart and their five-dollar beauty box subscription? I hope so. 

This box features 5 items (the other October box had 6)

The theme is, "Hello Bright Eyes":

Lumify Eye Drops
I really like these eye drops. I wear contacts and this stuff not only helped the dryness but actually whitened/brightened my 57-year old blinkers. I will be looking for this in the store.

COVERGIRL Get In Line Liquid Eyeliner
I like having different eyeliners around. This one is not the thinnest I have, but it got the best brush - firm and thin. Love it.

Sonia Kashuk™ Brow Line + Fill Makeup Brush with Spoolie

This is a good brow tool featuring both a bristle head and a filling brush. My niece really loved the brush part. I use the bristle more. Nice touch to have covers for both ends.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
Just when I thought there was no way I needed another mascara... This one has the best ever brush head. It lives up to the claim of fanning and separating. I think it's due to the brush have short, firm bristles. I now pick this as my favorite ever mascara.

Acure Radically Rejuvenating Under Eye Hydrogel Mask

Last of all is the one item I have not yet tried. I don't want to open it until I have the time and energy to do a full beauty treatment - aka: Me Day.

 What makes me want to try these is that I recognize almost every single thing in the ingredients list:

And notice one more time, how clean this product seems to be...

 So, yep, I'm happy with this box. I love that Target seems to have come down from the $7 price. And, remember, the box price is all you will pay - no additional shipping and handling fees.

Peace
--Free

Let's Talk About Lipstick (Dark Ladies Editon)

I've threatened before to blog about lipsticks because I have such a hard time finding shades complimentary to my, um, deep shade of dark! I don't even want to think about the time I spend searching out foundation.

Next time, I will focus on foundation. For now, let's talk lipcolor.

Any woman who buys cosmetics know that prices aren't a great indication of quality. I've spent up to $20 for, say, lip color that was no better than the $2 and under selection at a beauty supply store. I think the main thing any of us want in our makeup is basic:

• A complimentary shade - or at least one that doesn't indicate we should be wearing a rubber nose and comic shoes.
• Something that sticks. To our lips or face and not to our teeth or clothing.
• A decent price.
• Availability.

I have the best luck finding good shades of lip and face color at those little neighborhood beauty supply stores. Unfortunately the neighborhood is usually in a zip code that requires I buy a plane ticket. The best blusher I ever found was in a shop right down the block from a niece of mine who lives in Arizona.

Online shopping is only an option for replenishing shades you've already tried. A shade that looks perfect on my computer screen is not always even close to what I get when USPS delivers the package.

Here are some of the lipsticks that I have used (or tried to). 

The shades are:

• Rose Desire #3229 (by Black Radiance Illusions)
• Amethyst #045 (Maybelline)
• Sultry Sable (Revlon)
• #61 Fatale (Chanel Rouge Allure)
• Jezebel (Pur Minerals)
• Dominatrix  lipstick & gloss (Lorac)
• Shame (Urban Decay)

 Black Radiance

 Chanel

 Pur Minerals

 Lorac (lipstick)

Lorac lipstick only

Lorac (gloss)

Lorac gloss only

Lorac lipstick and gloss

Maybelline

Revlon

Urban Decay

My fave!

See what I mean? All of those are great colors, but not all of them work with my skin hue. I lke to put on my liptick once I'm outside in whatever light there is. So far, my favorite is Urban Decay's "Shame". I like it for whatever time of day it is because it makes me feel fierce. Seriously, I just have a thing for very deep reds.

Though they look very similar by sight, Urban Decay's "Shame" is a much deeper red than the "Dominatrix" from Lorac. "Shame" is a deep color even when applied with the lightest touch. plus it stays on longer than any of the other shades. If I need to tone it down a bit, I can use just about any of the lighter glosses. (Too bad about the name of my fave shade!)

Because I just recently got the Urban Decay lipstick (and it's the first ever time I've tried a U. D. product), I will be checking that brand for other cosmetics. I like that it's great quality and will last me a while - cos I don't have to use so much to get an effect that lasts a long time. 

Like I said, this post is just for lipstick (mostly because I got tired halfway through taking the photos!), but we'll get to foundations one day. 

One last thing about the subject: In the case of lip color, you can sometimes tweak one shade by adding another shade or product. With foundation, that can be a disaster. You might get a better matching shade but usually you end up looking painted up rather than prettied up. I prefer wearing all-over color that looks and feels natural. If I didn't mind being plastered with goo, I could get a great look all the time.

Do other women struggle as much as I do with the whole makeup issue? I hope not. I mean, I've just written a whole blog post on the subject...

Peace

--Free

* I might not have purchased the items shown from the same sources.

**About Makeup** Another Cream B.B.(bites) the Dust

I was completely on board with the lady who wrote this article a couple years back about B.B. creams. Not too much has changed since she voiced her thoughts.

With all the progress (maybe) in cosmetic offerings, you'd think there'd be more diversity in there somewhere. For some reason, most major cosmetic manufacturers think that all women come in shades of Gwenyth Paltrow to Sandra Bullock and Queen Latifah to Beyonce. I'm so excited about Lupita Nyong'o coming up in the entertainment world, I could just pee myself. She's so much closer to my shade of "brown" than the other women I see in the makeup adverts. Because I am deeply brown - not 'beige', 'light' or even 'medium'. If I were a cup of java, there'd be a lot of sugar but very little cream.

Today, in between some badly arranged appointments, I had a couple hours to kill so I hit Walmart and Walgreens in search of some makeup. (My current makeup hasn't really been 'current' since Bush was president. I know, right?)

This is what I saw at Walmart:

nice range, not dark enough

(not a BB cream, but) foundations are getting better...

but... nope, still no match

I found L'oreal's BB cream in 'medium' and 'deep' but I didn't like the grainy texture while applying. And it still was not-deep enough. I ended up with an ashy, un-natural look. My sister did well with the 'deep' shade, even though she is several shades lighter than I am. Cool.

Big sis likes this, but in the "Deep"er tone

I gave up on finding a BB cream (or a CC), and I didn't think to look at the DD creams. Why bother, right? None of the creams by Olay, Neutrogena or Aveeno came even slightly close to a shade suitable for my skin. (By the way, I think my problem is that I don't need a BB (balm) so much as I need a really good, lightweight foundation.

What I ended up with is this:

LOVE it! 

And I have a winna! Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam Foundation lives up to the "nude" and "air" in its name. (I was totally surprised at the poor reviews here, which is why I think you have to try things for yourself.)

I usually can't wear "Cocoa" shades, and that is not a consistent shade across the different cosmetic brands, but I like this foam. It goes on very, very light and smoothly. There aren't the streaks that I get with some liquid foundations. While, by itself, it leaves a little bit of a shine, I find that it pairs up just perfectly with this powder:

Maybelline, I might be in love with you!

That's the Maybelline The photo is not a good representation of the actual color, which is very deep and rich, with my reddish-brown (ocher) undertones. (Here is a better photo of the "Mocha" shade I got.) I haven't liked a makeup this much since I used to (occasionally) wear Flori Roberts foundation.

this is what the foam looks like**

seems like the color might be off a bit, but...

... blends in really well.

What I like most is that the makeup is not obvious and it doesn't make my skin feel coated.  I don't look like I have on foundation and powder. My sister said that my skin looked really natural and toned.

What I love about the powder is that I can, if I want, wear it alone. I don't really need the foundation, but it will help when I haven't had quite enough sleep. Even better, neither of the products is messy. Once applied, I didn't have to worry about transferring streaks of color from face to paperwork.

A funny thing about the foam: the first time you dispense from a new jar, the foam is going to be white. I didn't know this. I rubbed on white foam, expecting to see results, but all I got was a shiny look. I guess that initial foam is for the "practice" pumps the instructions talk about! (Yeah, I can be so silly.)

A bonus find (while cruising Walgreen), was this beautiful lipstick by Wet 'n Wild (for just under 3 bucks!):

Shade: "Cherry Bomb" (#918D)

It's such a gorgeous shade of brick red - which is so hard to find. I am returning the L'Oreal BB cream and getting another couple tubes of Cherry Bomb. You know how it is when you find that shade of lipstick you just love and all of a sudden you can never get it again. (I think that women of all skin tones can wear this. It may be a bit more dramatic looking against lighter complexions, but it's a nice day look with my dark skin.)

Anyway, I'm happy that I didn't have to spend more than $20 to get a foundation, powder and lipstick.

Peace
--Free