Beauty Product Reviews - In Brief

I got a ton of new beauty products to play with recently! Instead of giving each one its own post, I thought it might be fun to do a sort of drive-by overview (you know your attention span is as short as mine is, anyway):

1. Miracle Skin(TM) Transformer - This lightweight product with antioxidents and SPF 20 acts as a base for your foundation or, if you like light coverage, could act as foundation itself. It's less moist than some of my other bases (which cost a third of the price), but seems to coat evenly and provide good coverage, so I still like it better than primer. Which leads me to...

2. Sephora Perfecting Eye Primer - I've never bought primer before, so you can just imagine how convincing this Sephora sales lady was. I took home a sample of expensive primer years ago, tried it out, saw no difference and forgot about it. This is pretty much the same experience; I put this on my eyes before applying either compact or loose shadow (see below) for long- or short-term wear, and I'm not entirely sure what the point is. Anyone have input about eye primer? Am I missing something?

3. MAC Pigment Colour Powder "Violet" - Now this beauty product, I can get behind. I thought the color might be a little too bright for nighttime wear, but it's the perfect mix of vibrancy and pop for a night on the town, rather than daytime office lighting. I'm pretty much in love, so glad I got a big pot of it.

4. Jane Carter Nourish & Shine - This product reminds me of Burt's Bees; I love the scent but the texture is a little grainy and oily, so I don't want to rub it on my skin and hair as instructed. I can see how it would add shine, but I'm not sure if it's worth the consistency, personally. Maybe for that beach-hair look? However, I love this as a cuticle cream, so it's still a win.

5. Baronessa Cali's Oliva Corpo Body Emulsion - Love this! The scent is pleasant and light, but fades fast before you get sick of it. Perfect combination of lingering moisture but blends into the skin without residue. I really do want to smooth it all over my entire body, as the bottle suggests. I could see it competing with my current favorite, L'Occitane hand cream.

6. MAC Cremeblend Blush "Ladyblush" - I'll stick to my powders for blush, thanks. My skin sort of absorbed the color and I kept putting on more and more but finally gave up. Plus, it doesn't come with an applicator, so I just used my fingers and I'd rather have not. I guess I'd try the product once more in another color to see if it's a matter of function or form.

Next up: Sally Hanson's Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips, whenever I have to time and occasion to apply them!