careprost - 6 weeks - Mascara

I don't think people give enough credit to the right mascara. Whenever I want to see the progress of my eyelashes,  I always go back to the same mascara.  Fresh Supernova.  It gives amazing results regardless but O-M-G!  When my lashes are growing, there is no comparison.  See for yourself.

Careprost 4 week update

So as promised, here is my 4 week update.  I'm so happy I decided to document this with pictures.  When you do your makeup every day it's so hard to notice the little changes in yourself...especially something like eyelashes growing.  When you look at the pictures though, it's amazing how much of a difference this has made in only 4 weeks.

I've been using Careprost nightly for the past 25 days and the results speak for themselves.  I have noticed that my under eye circles are looking a little darker but it's nothing that can't be covered with makeup.  Dark under eye circles have always been a big issue for me so this really wasn't that big of a deal at all.  I did decide to dump out the rest of my Urban Decay Lush Lash Serum and put the Careprost in there.  That has made a big difference as well.  The little bottle that I received was only supposed to last for a month but I have barely made a dent in it.  I think it will last at least 4 months if I continue to use it nightly which means I'll reach my lashes full potential in just one little $10 bottle.  Best deal I've ever gotten.  Anyway, without any further ado...

Careprost/Latisse 1 week update

So far, no noticeable difference in length or thickness but that's to be expected.  I was a little nervous that I might experience some irritation or red eyes from using this product but so far, none of that either.  I will say that I have found it difficult to apply with the little eyeliner brush.  The brush soaks up a lot of product and because the drops are the consistency of, well, eyedrops it's hard to pick up any on the brush in the first place.  I've found that applying it directly to my lash line and smudging it around with the applicator tip has become very effective.  While it may not be the most sanitary way of doing it, I only use it on my clean lash line and I obviously am only using this on myself.  I have not had any of it go into my eye and I've made sure not to over-apply it.  I will say that one side effect that I was expecting but hoping not to experience is darker under eye circles.  I do have a cold right now but I somewhat resemble Uncle Fester. Nothing a good concealer doesn't fix though.  Anyway, I'll update again if I see more side effects or when the 4 weeks comes.

Careprost aka Latisse

Lately I've been noticing that there has been a lot of emphasis on lashes.  Long full lashes are so in right now and I've been feeling a little left out.  It's not that I don't have adequate eyelashes...I do and if I were a normal person I would be very happy with them.  Unfortunately, with all of the emphasis on super lush lashes, I've been feeling a little down on my own.  In the past I have tried the Urban Decay Lush Lash system which worked ok.  You can see my review here.  Since I've discontinued using that, I didn't really notice any falling out or anything but they are shorter now and I've noticed that they have not been holding a curl lately which makes them look a little shorter.  I had originally seen a Groupon for Rapid Lash Eyelash Renewal Serum and bought it immediately.  I later decided to look into that product online and found that they had recently re-formulated it and it no longer included the active ingredient that made your lashes grow.  This was little more than a conditioning gel for your lashes.  Fortunately, it was only $25 shipping included so I do not feel so bad about it.

After that, I spent a few hours (days) looking at reviews of the best eyelash serums.  I've known about Latisse and have been thinking about buying it since it came out but I do not have $120/month plus a doctor's visit to spend on it.  I came across a message board while looking through before and after photos of Latisse and someone had mentioned that Careprost was basically the generic version of it and could be found for much cheaper online.  The reviews online are mostly favorable with very few people mentioning a little irritation and eye redness.  While my eyes (just my left one) are a little sensitive, I decided to bite the bullet and order it anyway.  I bought mine from alldaychemist.com for $10 a bottle (I got 2) with shipping being $25.  To be honest, I really should have bought about 10 bottles in order for the shipping to be worth it but didn't want them to expire.  Shipping was relatively quick (about 2 weeks) considering it was coming from India and I did not need a prescription.  Alldaychemist.com was nice enough to throw in a little liner brush which they usually charge $1 for.

Battle! MAC Face and Body Foundation vs MUFE Face and Body Foundation

I'm going to be doing a review/comparison of the Face and Body foundations from MAC and Make Up For Ever.  They have some similarities and some differences. Face and Body foundations are light weight liquid foundations that are intended for the face and body (obviously).  They tend to be water resistant and silicone based.   The coverage is very sheer but buildable because of the silicone allows the foundation to completely set and more layers can be added on top without getting caky. The finish is dewy or satin if you decide to powder. 

MAC:

$33 maccosmetics.com

Spring cleaning! Products I've used up.

I've been collecting some empties over the past few weeks so I could do an empties post.  A lot of these were purchased and loved then left behind for a new and improved product.  Fortunately, I like to switch it up a lot so I have gone back to these and used them all up.  It was not intentional, I wasn't doing any sort of project 10 pan sort of thing, I just happened to finish some things and wanted to share my experience.

Pumpkin Facial?!?!

I know it's not fall anymore but I still long for pumpkin facials.  Since they are a seasonal thing and we are 6 months away from said season, I have to do mine at home.  I found a recipe online that I absolutely love and want to share it with you.  If you google pumpkin facial, you'll see a lot of recipes that include pumpkin puree, honey and milk.  Those are alright but my absolute favorite is below.

Pumpkin is rich in zinc, which helps purify oily, blemished complexions. Pumpkin enzymes also work to gently exfoliate the skin without any abrasive particles.