Boots No. 7 Protect and Perfect Intense Serum Review

I've been hearing tons of buzz about Boots No. 7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum's, from it being a celebrity cult favorite product, to rumors that Target can't keep it on the shelf.  So of course, I went to Target hoping I would find it.  There were very few left, but I saw a few different options: The regular version, and an Intense option.  I chose Intense, because who doesn't want more wrinkle fighting/skin perfecting power? 

There were also two different packaging options- either a pump or a tube.  I decided to go with the tube because I find them easier to use, but it's nice to have the option of being able to choose. 

I did some research into the ingredients and learned that this has some super potent wrinkle fighters in one serum.   It contains: 

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Palmitoyl-Oligopeptide. When used together, they boost the growth of the connective tissues and increase the production of collagen in the skin. When the production of collagen is increased, the skin can heal and rejuvenate itself.

Lupinus Albus seed extract: This has the ability to increase the synthesis of collagen to give skin firmness and elasticity.

Sodium PCA: This is a naturally occurring humectant found in human skin derived from amino acids. Sodium PCA has high water absorbing properties, and also has the ability to absorb moisture from the air. It can also bind moisture to cells, and hold several times its weight in water.

Sodium Ascorbyl phosphate: Very stable form of Vitamin C that waits until it’s absorbed before it turns to ascorbic acid.  It may also stimulate collagen and has whitening properties to help clear up dark spots.

Galactoarabinan: Galactoarabinan is extracted from larch trees. One of its properties is that it reduces particle size, which helps ingredients disperse into the skin, and can improve the SPF properties of a product with sunscreen. Studies have shown it can minimize fine lines, perhaps because it acts as a gentle exfoliant and inhibits moisture loss.

Cyclohexasiloxane: An emollient. When applied to the skin, it gives a silky & slippery feeling to the touch and acts a mild water repellent by forming a protective barrier on the skin. It can also fill in fine lines/wrinkles, giving the face a temporary “plump” look.

Here's a shot of the packaging: 

As a serum, the texture is light, and feels velvety soft on application.  My skin was super soft and smooth immediately after use, and it helped my makeup to glide on smoothly as well, almost as if I had applied primer.  

Here's what the product looks like after it's dispensed: 

And after it's slightly rubbed in- you can see the light, yet almost balm-like texture:

After using this for about a week, I've noticed that my skin looks better- smoother, and more even toned.  I'll post a follow up after I've used it for a month to see if it's decreased my wrinkles at all.  So far, I'm really impressed by the potent ingredients, the texture/feel, and the results I'm already seeing.  

I'd love to know if any of you have tried this, or are using it, and what your thoughts are! 

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NYC Cosmetics Ultra Moist Lipwear Review- Violet Shine and Petal Swatches

I was in the mood for a new lipstick the other day, and spotted one by NYC that cost .99!  Yep, that's right- less than a dollar! So, I bought two. 


It's called Ultra Moist Lipwear, and according to the NYC Website :
" Built-in conditioner creates a creamy, dreamy texture on your lips for an ultra moisturized feel". 


The colors I chose were Violet Shine (#319) and Petal (#314).  A lot of the colors were sold out- not surprising at that price! 

The packaging feels a little bit cheap in the sense that it's very lightweight plastic, but no big deal- I mean,  it is cheap. I did like the look of the packaging though- it's clean and modern looking.

Here's the lipsticks swatched on paper: 

Violet Shine is on the left, and Petal is on the right.  I would call Violet Shine a rose with a hint of plum in it- not really violet.  Petal is a pinky-beige, and while I liked the color, it had a little frost in it, which I'm not always crazy about.  Violet Shine was my favorite of the two colors. 


Here's the swatches on my arm (Petal on the left, Violet Shine on the right: 

The texture of these is sheer and definitely moisturizing.  The color goes on pretty sheer with a little shine, which goes away after about 1/2 an hour on me, but the color hangs on for quite a bit longer.  It felt nice on my lips- it wasn't heavy or waxy at all, and didn't feel like a coating.  It also didn't sink into lines or catch in dry spots, which is a big pet peeve of mine. 


My only (small) gripe is that the lipsticks don't twist all the way down into the tube, which increases the chances that I'll hit into the bullet while replacing the cap. See picture below: this is as far as it rolls down. 

But honestly I'm really glad I bought these!  It's a really nice, sheer lipstick, and it's so cheap, you can try out different colors without breaking the bank.  
Have you tried these lipsticks?  Or any other NYC lipsticks?

NYX Iced Mocha Eyeshadow Review and Swatch

I've been addicted to NYX eyeshadow singles ever since I found out that Ulta carries them (they are super hard to find!).  This shade, Iced Mocha is a gorgeous matte shadow that has amazing pigment and is the perfect toasty shade of brown.  

Here's the swatch on my arm: 

What's your favorite NYX shade?  

Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio Review and Swatches- Walking on Eggshells

I was looking for an eyeshadow palette that would create a subtle weekend look, and I decided to go with Wet N Wild's Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells.  I love these palettes- they're foolproof-  the shades are coordinating and they even give you a guide on the back that shows you how to apply the shades.  
This one contains a light shimmery beige for the brow bone highlight color, a pretty light mauve shade for the eyelid, and a light bronzy-brown for the crease.  

The colors are way more pigmented and soft than you'd expect in a palette that costs only $3.99!  
Here are the swatches- in order of brow bone shade, crease, then eyelid.

What's your favorite Color Icon palette? 

Spotted in Stores! Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Foundation, Concealer, and Powder

At CVS today, I saw a new line of foundations, concealers and powders from Physician's Formula called Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Makeup.  It claims to make you look 10 years younger- who wouldn't want that!?

The foundation actually comes with a brush to apply it with, and I saw two shades, fair and light.  It looked like there were some products missing, so they might have a darker shade as well.  They also had a rebate coupon on them so that you can basically get it for free. 

The concealer consists of a stick on one side and a cream on the other.

They also show pictures of two women's before and afters when using the products...pretty dramatic results!

So what do you think?  Are you willing to try this?  Do you think it actually works?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Spotted in Stores- Tresseme Split Remedy Shampoo and Conditioner

Today at CVS, I saw new TreSemme Split Remedy shampoo and conditioner.  I wonder if this could be a dupe for Nexxus Split End Repair.  I've had pretty good luck with TresSemme products in the past, and I like how inexpensive they are, but also, how huge the bottles are!  You really get a lot for your money. 
Has anyone tried this yet?  I'm dying to know if it works!

Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer Brightener Review

Revlon's new Photoready eye primer and brightener is new for 2012, and reminds me of two other products that just launched from Maybelline (Dream Lumi) and L'Oreal (Magic Lumi).  I had mixed results with the other two, so I was hoping that this one would be the best of both worlds.


Here's some shots of the packaging/ingredients: 

  It comes in a twist up pen form, and like other products packaged this way, you have to be careful not to twist up too much, or it'll dispense too much product.  

This has a pink tone to it, which is great for my skin, but I'm not sure how it will work for those with yellow undertones.  The Maybelline Dream Lumi was yellow based, which was my one complaint about it, so I was happy that this one is more pink. 
Here's a swatch on my arm (not rubbed in):

And below, is a swatch on my hand that's rubbed in more- but not all the way, so you can see where I put it.  The formula is really light, yet moisturizing, and it doesn't seep into pores or accentuate wrinkles.  It actually seems to diffuse light in that area and give the skin a soft focus look. 

And now for the before and after shots!  I have no other makeup on yet- this is right after I applied moisturizer this morning, so please excuse my skin if it looks awful!


Before: You can see some redness under my eye, and also on my eyelid.  

After: I put the product on my eyelid as well as underneath the eye.  I used a generous amount to see if it would sink into fine lines, and it didn't- I love that!  Also, it evened out my skintone and brightened the area quite a bit.  

It didn't conceal everything, but I'm happy with the results. Just being able to brighten the eye area without the product sinking into lines and pores is fantastic.  I can always add a tiny bit of concealer if needed.  
Has anyone else tried this?  What do you think?

Spotted In Stores! Wet N Wild Megashield Lip Color SPF 15

I saw these new Wet N Wild Megashield lipsticks at Rite Aid today.  They're only $2.99 and have SPF 15.  The display said that they "deliver hours of sheer to moderate coverage that glides on buttery-soft for a smooth, moist-looking pout."  Sounds great to me!  I'm definitely going to pick one up to review soon.

Spotted in Stores! Wet N Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles

Today at Rite Aid I saw these new Wet N Wild Color Icon shimmer eyeshadow singles.  They're only $1.99 and come with an eye pencil!  How can you beat that??! 

Love the colors too! :) 

NYX Highlight Eyeshadow Review

The other day, I posted a review of NYX's Hunter Green eyeshadow, which was part of my Ulta haul, and today, I wanted to show you another color I got called High Light.  This is supposed to be a highlighting shade to wear on the browbone.  

It looks really yellow in the package, but it more sheer on the skin.  This is a matte shade without sparkle, which is really nice.  A lot of highlighting shades are too shimmery. 

Here's a swatch on my arm: 

I think that this color would work best as a highlight on someone with a darker complexion with yellow undertones, as opposed to someone like me with a lot of pink in their skin.  


On the other hand, I was able to use this as a base color on my eyelid, and it actually helped to cancel out a lot of the pink, similar to the idea of Benefit's Lemon Aid, which is a yellow primer meant to neutralize the eyelid before applying shadow.  I just swept this on first, and then added my other shades over it.  


All in all, this is another hit from NYX.  For $6, their shadows can't be beat for pigmentation and wear.  

Physicians Formula PH Matchmaker Blush Review

Yesterday, I posted a review of the new Physicians Formula PH Matchmaker lip gloss in Pink, and today, I'm reviewing the PH Matchmaker blush in Natural.  I didn't get the bronzer, and definitely want to try that as well, but for now, I'm just having fun with these products and especially with the super-cool light up packaging.  

The color is a gorgeous peachy pink shade with a little bit of shimmery flecks, similar to Nars Orgasm.  The dots around the edge are basically shimmer, so if you want, you can sweep the brush over them for a bit of glow, or just use the middle for a more matte finish. 

The packaging has some cool features.  First off, there is a brush hidden in a compartment below.  This is the only thing I'm not crazy about with this product- it's a wide, flat brush, and I prefer to apply blush with a rounded blush brush.  But that's just personal preference- I would still use this brush in a pinch, and it's at least wider than many other brushes that come with blush.

The other cool feature is that this compact lights up in case you're in dim light, or in the dark- there are led lights on either side of the mirror and a little switch to turn them on and off.  Here's a picture with the lights on. They are actually very bright in the dark, but it's hard to tell that from the picture, because it's light already.

Here's a swatch of the color on my arm- this is very pigmented and you can see how dark one swipe of the finger is.  The shade is much lighter when applied with a blush brush.

  So did this change with the PH in my skin?  The answer is a little bit, but I didn't see as much change as I did with the gloss.  I applied it to my cheeks and waited the 60 seconds according to the package.  It deepened very slightly, but on me, the color was pretty true right away.  Either way, I love this blush- it's soft velvety powder glides on, and has great staying power.  Also, I just love the perfect peachy pink shade.  


As for the claim that it looks the same in every light, I would say that's true also.  I checked out my reflection in the car in the sunlight and the color looked pretty much the same as it did inside.  
Has anyone seen these out in stores yet?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Also, if anyone has tried the bronzer, please share! :)