Makeup Withdrawal

Review: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

Sunday, August 8, 2010

stock image from Seche.com.
I was gonna show you a picture of mine, but who wants
to see a bottle of half used Seche Vite?

I own quite a few Seche products, so I figured that while I'm on this nail polish kick, I could tell you about my experience with them!
First up, Seche Vite! This product has totally changed nails for me. I honestly never used to do my nails because I always smudged them and nails never look good embossed with my sticky fingerprints. Sometime in May, I grabbed a bottle of SV off the shelves of CVS somewhat impulsively. I'd never heard of it before (and actually had no idea how to pronounce it).
When I got home, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, while it does reek of chemicals, but it goes on easily and dries my polish within a minute. Usually, I do 3 coats of colored polish and wait about 3 minutes between each coat and the final top coat immediately after the last coat, before it's set all the way. The thing I like the most is that SV doesn't smudge my previous coats (except for those cheapie brand-less nail art pens, but I blame the pens, not SV!).
Now, I can't really tell you exactly how many days it extends my manicures for two reasons-
1) I'm hard on my fingers. I'm always washing dishes, doing yard work, etc. People talk about going 3 or 4 days without chips and the same color, but that's probably never going to happen for me, unless I pour liquid Teflon onto my nails (does Teflon even come in liquid form?).
2) I like to change my nail polish on average, once a day.
But I can say that if I want super duper invincibility, I'll even do 2 coats of Seche Vite. I also love the glossy high shine it gives, and it doesn't yellow my nails. It doesn't really require extra scrubbing or anything, it comes off as easily as other glossy polishes do.
There is one problem, after you get through 1/2 of the bottle, it starts getting really thick and goopey. It doesn't change color or anything, just gets thicker and more difficult to apply. I had to buy some Seche Restore to adjust it's consistency, but once I added a few drops and gave it a good shake- it returned back to normal. (I promise a whole 'nother post about Seche Restore!)
Now the best part about Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat is that it's $7 and has lasted me about 3 months, even though I use it almost every day!

P.S.- It's pronounced 'Sesh Veet'!

What's your favorite top coat?

FOTD: NARS Rajasthan Duo

Saturday, August 7, 2010

I love this duo to death. Since getting it a few weeks ago, I've already put a dent into it- the color combination is just impossible to mess up and so sultry!
Face: L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base, MUFE HD, La Femme Soft Beige blush, e.l.f. Complexion Perfection
Eyes: UDPP, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, Fyrinnae Japan, NARS Rajasthan Duo, LORAC Persuasion, UD 24/7 liner in Zero, UD Skyscraper mascara
Lips: BECCA Giselle

Special thanks to my makeup fairy godmother for the lipstick, all other products purchased by me for my own use.

EOTD: Maroon and Gold

Friday, August 6, 2010

I had a fun time playing with MAC's Heritage Rouge pigment today. It's such a gorgeous, beautiful color- shimmering maroon with enough plum in it that it doesn't look super red.

Eyes: UDPP, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, Fyrinnae Polar Bear, MAC Heritage Rouge Pigment, MAC Melon pigment and Etude BR324 (gold) shadow, UD 24/7 Zero liner, UD Skyscraper mascara
Brows: NYX brow powder Taupe/Ash

NOTD: Color Club Wild and Willing over Black

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Click to Enlarge!

CC Wild and Willing is another one of my favorite layering polishes. I got this a couple weeks ago, but it's from an older collection (Wild at Heart, 2009) and I've seen pictures of it look really good over a dark color, so I thought I'd try it out! 1x Seche Clear, 1x Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, 2x Color Club Wild and Willing.
It's this interesting metallic copper foil in a clear base. When layered heavily, they have this neat color changing effect (kind of like engine oil on a water puddle) where you see hints of green and yellow. I love, love Wild and Willing!

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation Review

This is the first Maybelline foundation I've tried in a long time. In fact I think the last one I used was the Pure Makeup foundation which was quite watered down and didn't provide very good coverage. However, this new foundation came out a few weeks ago and due to initial good reviews on MUA, I decided to give it a try.
I had gotten tanner and wanted to find an NC25ish foundation that was pretty cheap so that I wouldn't feel wasteful (Pfft, I'm not the sort to drop $40 on a summer bottle of MUFE HD!).
I liked that CVS had testers, because I was able to find the right color on the first try. It comes in a compact/jar style contraption, with a flip top with a spot for a sponge and a screw off base with the actual foundation inside.

For me, mousse (cream, really) foundations need to be applied a little differently than regular liquid foundations. I tried stippling it but that really messed with the coverage. Instead, I used a wet sponge to lightly pat the mousse into my skin.
The first thing I noticed was a slight tingling sensation (should have paid closer attention to that, actually). Then I peered into the mirror and second thing I noticed was hot damn, the finish was beautiful! Dream Smooth indeed! Really, my skin looked really smooth despite blemishes and scarring. The coverage was pretty decent, medium I'd say and I was really happy with the color match. I picked Classic Ivory (the second shade from the light side) and it just about matched NC25. The compact comes with a sponge, but it stains easily, so you might have to buy a bag of disposable sponge wedges.
Four hours later, uh oh. My face feels rather slick. Parts of my cheek and forehead feel swollen and tender, like right before an outbreak of zits. I can practically hear my pores screaming. I washed all the foundation off quickly, but the damage was already- 3 or 4 angry little breakouts. I'm not sure what ingredient really broke me out (usually it's the SPF, whether it be chemical or physical). Ahhh, what a pity- if it didn't break me out I would have tried to control the oil and have tried to work with it a bit. Now we'll never know.
(Actually, in the interest of full disclosure I ~~bravely~~ stupidly tried this foundation again a few days later. Repeat performance- acne with a few hours. But yes, I can manage the oil with a bit of silica powder on top.)
I won't say that just because this foundation broke me out, you shouldn't try it.
Since different people react differently to different things, I have no idea how it'll work for you. It was $9.50, but there was a manufacturer's coupon nearby for two dollars off. The crappy thing is that the color range is REALLY limited. Keep in mind that quite a few of the foundations are the same light/darkness, but are various undertones.
Bottom line is- if it doesn't break you out and you can find a shade that matches, it's a great finish for a drugstore foundation. Perhaps especially for dry skin, since the formula is so creamy.

Have you tried this foundation yet?
Products mentioned were purchased by me, for my own use.