January 2013 Glam Bag

Hi beauties!

I just got the January 2013 Glam Bag, distributed by Ipsy (www.ipsy.com). I have tried & reviewed many different monthly beauty subscriptions and Glam Bag is by far my favorite!

For those new to Glam Bag, once per month each Glam Bag subscriber receives about 4-6 samples of many different products, including both high end & drugstore brands, all tucked in together in a very cute cosmetics bag. Maybe sample isn't the right word because almost every month, the Glam Bag includes one or two full sized products. Best of all, you get around $50 or more worth of products for only $10 per month! Shipping is free in the U.S.

After signing up at Ipsy.com, you'll be asked to complete a beauty profile so that the products you receive, especially makeup type products, are in the right shades for your skin tone. You will only be billed once per month. each month you will receive email notice that your Glam Bag has been shipped, usually around the 10th of the month. It arrives very quickly, too! I received my shipping notice on Saturday and received my Glam Bag today, on Tuesday.

Now, time for the unboxing...or is it unbagging? LOL I'll tell you about each product & what my first impression is.

As usual, I am on my iPhone so the pictures will run in order at the bottom of the post! Hope you enjoy!

1- Navy blue makeup bag with a lighter blue lining, dotted adorably with white stars (photos 2 & 11) The glam bag makeup bags are the part of the Glam Bag monthly subscription that sealed the deal for me. Who doesn't want a large variety of makeup bags in different styles & colors? For any purse freaks like myself, these makeup bag come in such a large variety each month that it is easy to have cosmetic bags to match with your purses. In fact, collecting makeup bags is becoming another collection hobby of mine because I love the fact that my cosmetic bag matches my purse and wallet. I have a huge purse collection so it only seems natural that I would love receiving a makeup bag each month! This month's bag is super cute, too!

2- SoHo Ergonomic Design Concealer Brush : Oh goodness was I excited to receive this! Most concealer brushes are so small they don't do much good and I end up using them for eyeliner, nail details and lip brushes instead. But this brush is much much bigger. I used it to dab on a little concealer and it works terrifically by allowing you to apply the concealer directly to the area no matter how large or small. It also blended the concealer out evenly and quickly.

3: Pacifica Body Butter in the scent Tuscan Blood Orange 2.5 fl oz "Intensely Moisturizing Cream": This body butter is amazing! It's smell rings true to the scent's name, reminding me of the beach. It is a thick lotion but rubs in easily and left my hands feeling like silk. It is the perfect size to throw into your purse as a quick, awesome smelling hand lotion!

4: Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play "Volumizing Hair Spray" 1.5 oz: I have tried this product before and unless I am wrong, I have reviewed it here, too. This hair spray offers a great hold but for a much higher price. As I noted in my review, Rave Hairspray in hold #4 ($2 at most stores) offers a comparable hold for half the price. I was thrilled to receive the Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play as part of my January Glam Bag because it is an excellent product and the size is perfect for keeping it in my purse for quick touch ups on a good hair days and hiding the frizz on bad hair, rainy days (anybody with naturally curly hair knows what I mean when it rains!!).

5: Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Bloody Mary: This was my first favorite product from the January Glam Bag! It is a full sized nail polish. As seen in the photo below, it is an amazing true red and the swatch shown on my thumb was only ONE coat! I give this product two thumbs up!

6: Josie Maran Pure Argon Oil "Organic Moisturizer" .17 oz: This is one product I have been planning to purchase and of course, do a review on! I have heard so much about this and was thrilled to finally get it. It is silky smooth. Per the packaging, it had a multitude of uses: daily face moisturizer (which is what I wanted it for because my skin is so dry during the winter), hair treatment for split ends, body moisturizer, nail treatment to soften cuticles and bath oil for smoother skin. I used it on my face and it really was amazing. It didn't leave my skin (or my hands that were used to apply it) oily and my skin just soaked it up almost immediately (proving how dry & thirsty the winter makes it LOL) and left my skin smooth, with an evener appearance. I will let you all know how it works for the rest of the listed uses as soon as I try it out!

Glam Bag is the 9th (I think) beauty subscription I have signed up for and paid for out of my own pocket, so that I could give my readers an honest opinion on which beauty subscriptions were worth the buck and which falls short. Out of them all, Glam Bag is my absolute favorite! Aside from a large variety of awesome samples and full sized products, the makeup bag seals the deal for me!

Try out Glam Bag by clicking here! Do you already subscribe to Glam Bag? What are your thoughts on the subscription and this months bag? Comment below!

If you prefer another monthly subscription service or know of a service that you want reviewed, shoot me an email at Missienicole1231@aol.com! I'll be happy to sign up and share what I received as well as my first impressions and thoughts on the subscription.

Hope you enjoyed this review. Click here to see a list of my other beauty subscription reviews on monthly services like BirchBox & Bee-yoU-Tee 4 U.


<3 Missie <3

Top Five Drug Store Nail Polishes

Hi, My name is Missie and I am a nail polish-aholic! Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right? LOL

I own at least a hundred, if not more, nail polishes. As a teenager, I taught myself to do nails by free handing details & did them for everyone. After cosmetology school, I continued collecting nail polishes, tools and other things like stickers, jewels, acrylic, gel nails etc. I practiced continuously until I could do it all from acrylic nails to nail designs that I completely freehand and can do anything you like!

It's an obsession really but I fulfill all my friends & family's beauty needs for everything from hair cuts to pedicures (haha: that was my beauty inspired way of saying head to toe)! After makeup, nails comes in a very close second to my most requested freelance jobs.

Per request mentioned on yesterday's post, here are my top five drugstore nail polishes, including descriptions, store, price and swatches. Photos follow the product list!

I would like to add that the Dollar General where I purchased the first three polishes had a sale on these nail polishes, hence the really cheap price!

1- L.A. Colors Color Craze in the shade Wisteria; Dollar General, 90 cents.

This is a violet shaded polish with a hint of pink undertones. It is heavily pigmented so one coat is all that is needed but if you want to increase the shade to a deeper violet, two coats does the trick! It is an amazing color for Spring! (Photo 1)

2- L.A. Colors Color Craze in the shade Hottie; Dollar General; 90 cents.

This shade is a gorgeous pinky orange color. However, it does require two or three coats to achieve the color indicated by the bottle. (Photo 2)

3- L.A. Colors Color Craze in the shade pink bubbles; Dollar General; 90 cents.

This is a neon baby pink color & I am completely obsessed with it. Pink is my signature color so to speak and this is probably the prettiest nail polish shade I have ever purchased. One coat is that is needed! Loveeee it! (Photo 3)

4: L.A. Colors Color Craze in the color Aquatic; Walmart; $1.

This is a medium blue shade. I would say it is an even blend between baby blue & neon blue. It is a beautiful shade but requires at least two coats to achieve the indicated color. (Photo 4)

5: Art Deco by L.A. Colors in the color Teal Sparkle; Dollar Tree; $1

This is actual a nail design color which means it has a very thin application brush for painting details and designs on the nails. It is a teal shade slam packed with complimenting glitter. I have used it to add details to the nails but I use it most as a top coat to add a beautiful, glitter packed color all over the nail. I just paint the whole nail or tip white and brush on this Teal shade for a hot glitter look. The white really intensifies the color; However, it is a thin, barely pigmented color because the glitter finish is the focal point of this particular shade so several coats are needed.

Have any of you used these brands or colors? L.A. Colors is my number one drug store brand...their colors are excellent with an enormous variety and the $1 price is unbeatable!!

Let me add that the swatches are showing up a little darker than they actually are!

Send me an email at missienicole1231@aol.com for your requests!

<3 Missie <3

Amazingly Affordable Eyeliners

Hi dolls!

Just a quick post to share an awesome find I found yesterday. I was strolling the clearance aisle at Walmart & stumbled across a box of eyeliners (pencil form) in a large variety of colors, marked down to 75 cents. I grabbed it up..8 eyeliners for 75 cents is a deal you can't pass up!!

It is a Christmas special of course but I decided to give them a try anyways and if they were decently pigments and good quality, I would research where they could be purchased. Needless to say, if I didn't love these eyeliners then this post would have never been created!

Here's the low down: they are distributed by Markwins, who also distributes the ColorWorkshop & ColorStudio lines. The pack of eight eyeliners runs about $8 on the Markins website. However, this same kit is on both eBay & Amazon for $2-4! Click each of the highlighted words to see the actual product & purchase it for yourself, if you are in the market for a excellent kit of eyeliners, heavily pigmented & available in many awesome colors. They have several kits with different colors than the ones I have.

I love colored eyeliners, especially pencil versions. They make excellent bases for the eyelid to really make your eyeshadow pop! I also like to pat on a neutral eyeshadow shade and then, use a bright eyeliner color to line my eyes; a simple application for an amazing look!

Descriptions, swatches & photos below!! Photos & swatches are in order according to the list.

1- Glimmering Dark Grey Eye Pencil

2- Black Eye Pencil

3- White Eye Pencil

4- Brilliant Green Eye Pencil

5- Deep Copper Eye Pencil

6- Midnight Blue Eye Pencil

7- Dark Brown Eye Pencil

8- Shimmering Silver Eye Pencil

Excellent, inexpensive buy for a great product! Check them out, Markwins is really, really inexpensive but I have always loved their eye & lip products. The first makeup I ever owned at 13 years old was a Markwins ColorWorskhop Christmas kit with 52 pieces. I was in heaven, I thought! LOL

Have an excellent day!

<3 Missie <3

Favorite Drug Store Makeup Products

Hi beauties!

Don't worry; those reviews I promised are coming. I like to place importance on reader requests and if I receive an email request, I will do it first and do my scheduled posts later. So if you have any requests for makeup tutorials, product reviews/information or any other beauty related questions or requests, just email me at Missienicole1231@aol.com.

Back to the topic at hand, I love drug store products and you will see them in most, if not all, of my tutorials. Sure, MAC, Urban Decay, etc are great but I feel much differently than most beauty bloggers. I do not feel that you are required to pay an arm & a leg for products when there are much more affordable products that can create the same look. I have said it before & I'll say it again: for every high end product, there is an inexpensive dupe in same colors and if you learn the tips & tricks to applying these inexpensive products, you can achieve the exact same results as the higher end versions.

Here are my top five drugstore makeup favorites for 2012, per the request of Rosé. Thank you girlie for your sweet email & product request!

They are in no particular order and include where I got it, what I paid & why I love it. Once again, as I am writing this from my iPhone, photos of the product, including swatches, will run in order at the bottom of my post.

1: Almay Smart Shade Perfect & Correct Primer; Walgreens (I think); $5.99 (Photos One & Two)

---I love this face primer! I have tried tons of them and none are even comparable to this one. I have dry skin so I always moisturizer my skin first thing because otherwise my foundation is super cakey. But I have noticed using a moisturizer under foundation tends to make the foundation wear off much quicker and settle into pores & fine lines. Hence, needing a primer to avoid this. But most primers, applied after my moisturizer, leave the skin greasy, no matter how little of the product I use. Plus, concealer & foundation seems to have a hard time sticking to greasy skin & doesn't give a very good coverage. But this Almay face primer doesn't make my skin greasy and allows my face products to give me a smooth, even full coverage.---

2- CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion; CVS; $6.99 (Photos Three & Four)

--This is my new favorite, affordable mascara. The application wand is probably one of the best I have ever used. It adds tons of volume and fullness to the lashes without a zillion layers. However, I do use two coats of Lash Blast Fusion then use two coats of Maybelline Falsies. Most people claim the Falsies mascara is only useful for adding volume but I feel differently, at least for my lashes. When I combine these two mascara product, I have to-die-for lashes and don't need false lashes at all!---

3- e.l.f Translucent Matifying Powder; Target; $3 (Photos Five & Six)

--- I have talked about this product before in previous tutorials. I use this translucent powder to press into my under eye area to lock in my concealer. It doesn't settle into the fine lines and increases the concealers coverage so any under eye bags or discoloration, such as broken veins, are completely hidden. This is my third container of the powder I purchased in 2012 and you can see I have already hit pan again! I use it daily.

4: Revlon PhotoReady Concealer; Krogers; $3 (This product was part of the after Christmas sales & I think this was the final cost after the discounts, give or take a buck) (Photos Seven & Eight)

---For photos, this is my go to concealer for under eye bags, blemishes & other perfect imperfections. I use it with the Revlon PhotoReady foundation & powder for a smooth, flawless complexion. It really gives an awesome airbrushed look for photos as well as filming videos. I have yet to find a line of products -including both high end & drug store- that compares to the PhotoReady line.

5: e.l.f Brightening Eye Color Quad in Teal Dream, Target, $1 (Photos Nine & Ten; in photo ten, the green & blue shades look similar and do not ring true to the actual color but they are very distinct shades in color.)

--I have eyes that change from blue to green to gray. The green and blue colors in this quad really makes my eyes pop!! I grabbed this eye shadow quad because I loved the highlighter shade included in it but ended up loving all four colors and its very well pigmented, too. Application varies depending on my mood but I can tell you there is sooo many looks you can great with just these four shades. Often I use the gray as a lid color and depending on which color my eyes are that day, I will use either the blue or green as my crease color. Another great look I love with this cheap quad is a colorful smoking eye; Again depending on the dominant color of my eye that day, I will apply a light coat of either blue or green to my lid then use several layers of the gray to smoke out the eye. On a quick & simple day, I will apply the highlight shade from lashes to brow, then, wet my angled eyeliner brush with eye drops and dip it into either the blue, green or gray then use it to create a winged eyeliner & line under my lower lashes. It looks amazing as an eyeliner! In fact, most of e.l.f eyeshadow shades make perfect, heavy pigmented eyeliner just by adding a little eye drops or water to the brush to intensify the color.

I could fill this whole website with my favorite drug store beauty products. I have tons, believe me! What are your thoughts on these products? What are your top five drug store beauty items? Comment & let me know!

Per Rose's request, my next post will be top five drug store nail polishes. Thanks again!

<3 Missie <3

Foundation Tutorial: My Current Winter Foundation Routine

Hey dolls! I just got back into the swing of things here in blog land and already have a makeup tutorial request. Although I don't receive thousands a day like many other beauty bloggers or vloggers, I do receive a fair amount and I never skip a single one of them! So if YOU have a specific makeup style/look you want a tutorial on, a product or brand you want a review on, a tutorial featuring a specific product or color or even the more personal requests, such as what's in my purse or makeup bag or even a question you want answered about me, just jot me a line at missienicole1231@aol.com! I answer every email & fulfill every request; you just name it!

Today, Candie asked me to write a tutorial on my current winter foundation routine, including the specific products & brushes I use! She said my last posted foundation routine worked perfectly with her skin tone and she is looking for an updated routine with new products. Thanks girlie. Here you go!!

1- As my skin is super dry during the winter months which in turn causes my pores to appear humongous, I use both a moisturizer and face primer. I have found two inexpensive, drug store products that I absolutely love at the moment and both work great! First, I moisturizer my face and neck with Clean & Clear Pore Perfecting Moisturizer (review to come this week). Once dry, I place a dot of Almay Smart Shades Perfect & Correct Primer on my cheeks & forehead and blend it out to the rest of my face with my fingers. It's amazing and I plan to do a review over it soon as well. Let face dry completely. (Photo One)

2- Within the last month I have come to adore the CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Foundation in 215. This is another of my newer products and a review will post soon. It is a cream foundation so I use a standard makeup sponge to pat the foundation all over my face. Then, with the e.l.f Studio large stippling brush, I blend in the foundation all over my face and work it down into my neck for an even coverage. (Photo Two)

3- I use two concealers. One for under eye circles and one for any of my perfect imperfections (Ex: pimples lol)! For under the eyes, I apply the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser: Dark Circles using the sponge applicator on the container. I create a triangular shape starting at my inner eye corner, running straight down each side of my nose about half way down for line 1. Line 2 runs parallel with the lower lash line ending at the outer corner of the eye. Line 3 connects line 1 and line 2 at a diagonal angle. Then, fill in the triangle with the concealer and use my ring finger to pat it into my skin. (Photo three is the products mentioned in steps 3 & 4)

4- For any perfect imperfections, I use Neutrogena brightening eye perfector. You can read my review of the product here and see why I don't use it for under the eyes! It has a small concealer brush attached to its container. I use this to brush the product over any blemishes or redness, especially around the nostrils and corners of the lips where women are prone to hormonal redness. I use my finger to pat it into the skin.

5- Using e.l.f Translucent Matifying Powder and a basic makeup sponge, I pat it on each area where concealer was applied, including under the eyes and on any red areas and blemishes. This powder is super light, feels like silk on the skin and sets the concealer for all day wear without settling in the fine lines. The best part of all is it is only $3! (Photos four & Five)

6: With the Stila Powder Brush (#8), I dust on a light coat of Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation in the shade Beige 1. Although it is a foundation, it works great as an all over powder on top of any foundation. (Review to come!) The product as a foundation alone is a very light, almost sheer coverage but is perfect as a light, mineralized all over powder. Swirl the brush into the powder, then tap out the excess powder into the container lid. That way if I need more product I can avoid using too much powder by using what is left over in the lid. you can always add more product but you basically have to start the whole regime over if you immediately add too much!! I start by dusting it into t-zone and work it out to the rest of my face and down into my neck without adding more powder to the brush. I do not want to appear cakey so one dip of the brush into the powder is more than enough; a little goes a tremendously long way with this product! (Photo Six & Seven)

This is my everyday, go to routine for the months where my skin is much paler. The foundation matches my skin tone exactly while the powder is just a tad bit darker. I prefer to add a hint of color this way (my face always seems paler than my body) rather than use a darker shade of foundation that many times leaves bad makeup lines. Who needs that? LOL

After foundation, concealer and powder, it is on to contouring & cheek color. I can post how I do both of those and which products I use, if anyone wants! Just let me know at missienicole1231@aol.com. Because this is my business email, just put in "Request" in the subject line and I will get right to work!

Thanks again Candie! Have an awesome day beauties!

<3 Missie <3

Neutrogena healthy skin brightening eye perfector: First Impressions and Review

Hi gorgeousnesses! Here is another review for you all. Christmas time is great for finding awesome products at discounted prices so I usually rack up! This is the second in a ton of reviews I have planned for you guys. Almost every single product will be drug store. I am a firm believer that makeup shouldn't cost am arm & a leg...there are tons & tons of great, affordable beauty products that are dupes for the higher end products.

This review and first impression is over Neutrogena healthy skin brightening eye perfector (I wrote the name as it was on the packaging in lower caps). It's basically a concealer that is marketed to brighten up the under eye area to reduce the appearance of bags and discoloration. I don't normally purchase Neutrogena makeup products after having some negative experiences with their makeup line, although their skin care products and lotions are amazing and some of my favorites! But this one caught my eye because it was a large amount of product for a pretty low price, about $4, at CVS.

I am pretty fair during the winter and just as equally tanned during the summer as I tan easily. With 4 kids, swimming takes up most of our summer so you can imagine that sun exposure, even with sunblock!! I got this product a little darker than my normal concealer colors that I use during the winter months because I have so many fair concealers that I just didn't need anymore but I could use a few good ones for the summer.

My first impression was that I LOVED the applicator. It comes in a tube that turns to release the product onto a very small concealer brush. I really loved this because the brush fits perfectly in the nooks and crannies that need concealing. For this cheap price, you get a decent amount if product too! In fact, it's huge compared to most concealers, as you can see in the photos.

As far as "brightening and perfecting under eye circles", I am not sure this product is comparable to other drug store concealers that are much more full coverage such as the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles concealer. I would call the Neutrogena brightening eye perfector a more medium to low coverage concealer.

Now that I have thought about it some, the reason this product wasn't as effective as I expected was because of the shade I chose. Being January, my skin isn't very tan and requires a fair concealer to work effectively. Because I chose a medium toned shade in this Neutrogena product, it doesn't really hide or brighten the area but it may not work correctly because it is very similar to my every day foundation shade. If any of you have used this product and it was the correct shade of concealer for your skin tone, please comment on your thoughts, likes and dislikes. I really feel it would have been more effective if I had gotten a lighter shade, which I may do. Then, I'll do a second impression/retry review.

But with that said, it didn't really conceal by itself. I added a couple of steps to the application and it worked great. The thing about adding addition products is that you can never really be sure which one, if any, did the trick!

I used the accompanying brush to dot on a few drops of the concealer to my lower eye area, directly below the very noticeable bags. Using my finger, I blended upwards. Atop this, I patted on a small amount of the Loreal True Match Concealer. Then, using a makeup sponge, I pressed a small dusting of E.L.F Translucent Matifying Powder on top of the concealer. This seemed to do the trick!

As far as hiding imperfections, this product is awesome! I tried the Neutrogena brightening eye perfector on blemishes and it worked perfectly for this! I just patted on a small amount onto each area before applying my foundation and not even a hit of redness was visible. I usually have to add a concealer on top of my foundation to eliminate the imperfections visibility all together but not this time!

Pictures of this product, including swatches are below. At least, I think they are below...I'm posting this from my iPhone so I can never be quite sure how things will turn out!

Have a lovely day!

Back in Business!

Hi lovelies! It has been quite some time since my last post! As many of you may have read, I was expecting my 4th child in September 2012 and had been placed on bedrest due to complications with the pregnancy.

My son decided he just couldn't wait! On July 28, my water broke prematurely and I landed in the hospital on total bedrest, with the exception of bathroom breaks and one fifteen minute shower each day. I was also receiving IV fluids to increase my amniotic fluid and steroids to build my little guy's lungs. Doctors hoped because my water broke 9 weeks early, hospital bedrest would postpone labor and allow my fluids to build back up. My goal was 36 weeks, which would allow a higher chance of my son being healthy. Unfortunately, he had other plans and made his way into the world just a few days later on 8/9/12. In fact, he came so quickly, I had no times for any pain relief methods and the doctor didn't even make it to the room in time! The nurse that delivered him didn't even have time to call the doctor, put on gloves, prepare the incubator or notify the NICU team that he was coming! She threw a washrag over her hand and scoped him up! It was total chaos!
He spent several weeks in the NICU for bradycardia but never required intervention for any normal premature complications such as breathing, feeding, weight gain, etc.
It has been a crazy 6 months but my son is home with his family, my 3 daughters adore him and things are finally resembling normalcy! Time to get back into the beauty world & boy, have I missed it!

With that being said, welcome to the world Linkin Kaylab Rayce (named for my beautiful cousin who gained her angel wings on 11/27/11: Kayla Ray) on 8/9/12! 3 lbs 13.1 oz, 17 1/4 inches long with big blue eyes and the palest blond hair I have ever seen on a newborn! I couldn't be prouder of my lil man who overcame all obstacles and is now a healthy 5 month old, weighing is and 17.5 pounds! <3

Revlon Photo Ready Concealer: Product Review and First Impression

Hi beauties! Today, I'll be reviewing the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer SPF 20 . I usually get my Revlon products at either Target or Walgreens and had never seen that my favorite full-coverage foundation also had concealer and powder products!

Strangely enough, I found the products at Kroger...I was picking up my favorite Herbal Essence shampoo/conditioner as it was on an sale and saw that Kroger had tons & tons of makeup products at 50-75% off! I snatched up tons of face products plus a few other makeup products that I've been wanting to try and decided to do first impressions and reviews for you guys!

I love, love, love the Revlon PhotoReady foundation, especially for photos! It gives a smooth, airbrushed look that allows for an even, flawless complexion. It is thicker than my normal everyday foundations so I don't use it unless I'm doing pics or having a bad skin day, as it covers blemishes so well!

(Here's a tip: if you mix a squirt or two of the PhotoReady foundation with a cream based primer, it thins out the foundation just enough to be used as a lighter, everyday foundation while still giving a fairly full coverage!)

Any who, the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer is definitely on my favorite drug store product list! It is awesome!

It comes in a stick form, which normally I wouldn't chose because most stick concealers tug at the under eye area and are very hard to blend out because they tend to be way too thick. BUT the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer is the exception. It glides on smoothly and blends in quickly and easily.

My next impression, once the product had been applied, was how even my under eye area looked! The Revlon PhotoReady Concealer gives a full coverage very similar to its foundation counterpart. With one exception: the concealer can easily be worn everyday where the foundation isn't as wearable.

I did two trials of applying the product. The first, I used the Revlon PhotoReady foundation, concealer and powder. The second, I used a very light coverage foundation from Mary Kay, the Revlon PhotoReady concealer and a translucent powder by E.L.F. Despite the difference in foundation coverage, the concealer worked with both methods to conceal these baggy, purple circles I have gained since I spend most of my nights up and down with a baby!

As per the "rule" (and I use the term rule lightly, as I do not believe there are any "rules" in makeup, only tips & tricks), I did go a shade or two lighter in the concealer color to brighten my eye area. Normally in concealers, I chose a "neutral" shade, usually labeled light or light to medium. This is normally perfect for my skin tone and compliments my foundation perfectly. However, with the PhotoReady concealer, this shade appeared much, much too light. Even when blended out well, it was a very noticeable change in my skin tone (as seen in photo 2). But I fixed this minor flaw my patting on a very, very small amount of my foundation over the concealer and it worked perfectly!!

Here's the application method for using the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer that worked best in getting the most from the product! To show that it will work well with most any face product, I did not list any specific products used.

1- Apply a moisturizer to the T-zone, blending outwards to the face and neck.

2- With a stippling brush, buff in foundation all over face, blending well around the hairline & ears and working it into the neck for even coverage.

3- Apply the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in a small triangular shape to under eye area directly from the tube. Dab over any blemishes, scars or other perfect imperfections. Use your ring finger to pat/blend the concealer into the skin unless you have found a great concealer brush then please share which brush it is. Using my finger to blend concealers & foundations thins out the product too much but I have yet to find a decent concealer brush. I mean seriously...what are they thinking with those hard, tiny tiny brushes labeled for concealer? Those brushes might be great to hide a freckle but for concealing anything else they are useless.

4- Add a very, very small amount of the foundation previously used to the back of the hand and use a standard foundation brush to pat the foundation over any areas that were covered with the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer. Blend well.

5- Use a small makeup sponge and gently press your chosen powder into the areas where the concealer was applied.

6- Dust your chosen powder over your T-zone with a large powder brush and work it out to the rest of your face and neck. Complete the rest of your makeup routine.

After wearing the Revlon PhotoReady concealer all day, it never faded or creased. I did notice the areas where I used it appeared very "shiny" after several hours and it appeared to soak of the top layers up the foundation and powder to reveal the much too light shade underneath but dabbing on a little face powder here and there immediately fixed the problem without looking cakey and the coverage stayed the same.

This product will definitely be added to my "products I love" list and will be used often. I love it's smooth consistency and its full coverage!

Here's the low-down. The Revlon PhotoReady Concealer runs about $8 at most any local drug or department stores. I paid $3.75 because it was on sale that day. I liked it so much I went back and bought two more at this discounted rate. I did a little research and discovered that you can get this product for about $7 on Amazon & $5 on eBay. It's pretty popular and prices may vary but the eBay price is awesome for this amazing product!

Tell me what you all think about the Revlon PhotoReady concealer and the rest of the PhotoReady line!

Here are the pic descriptions, as I am writing this from my iPhone and it doesn't allow me to place them where I would like in the post.

1- Revlon PhotoReady Concealer with matching PhotoReady Foundation.

2- The Revlon PhotoReady Concealer alone.

3- This photo shows how much product you'll receive for the cost. A little goes a long way!

4- This is a Revlon PhotoReady concealer swatch in the shade fair. It looks different & much lighter on my skin tone...the swatch is actually done on my daughter's hand as she loves to help & at 11 years old is becoming a true fan of all things beauty!

Have a great day beauties!