Review: Clarisonic Mia

This is probably the one of the few products I've purchased and was immediately impressed with.  I got it for myself as a late Christmas present, so I've been using it for about 5 months now.  And my skin has never looked better.  I've always been meticulous about my skin.  I had the "required" acne prone skin in jr high and high school (mostly jr high) and then occasional breakouts throughout my 20s and 30s.  When I hit 40, I noticed the texture started changing.  I've always had oily skin, and even now, I have to use blotting papers a couple of times a day.  But I noticed lines that seemed to pop up overnight.  And my skin just looked dull.  I've always used a cleanser and a washcloth to wash my face.  I had been eyeing the Clarisonic Mia for about a year, but just didn't want to spend the money on it ($149).  Finally, in a moment of weakness (and 4 easy pays on QVC) I splurged.  And boy am I glad I did.  My skin feels so "clean".  I take my make up off with a cosmetic wipe (I buy the cheap ones at Big Lots for $2!) and then use the Clarisonic to clean off anything I missed.  It also exfoliates, which is a time saver (and no need for the gritty apricot scrubs lol).  It runs off a rechargeable battery, for about 2 mins, I charge mine about every 20 days.  It comes in a variety of colors, white, yellow, lavender, pink (my choice) and limited time colors also.  It's definitely one of the best purchases I've made.  Except for my lip glosses ;-)

April Favorites (Make up version)

I haven't ventured into the world of YouTube yet, so I can't post my "April Favorites" out there like hundreds of other make up gurus do, so photos and a quick review of the products will have to do......These are the products I tended to gravitate towards during April:

I sometimes use a primer before I put on my foundation, but usually I just use this Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer.  It says it "softens the appearance of pores with light diffusing minerals".  I don't know if it does that or not, but I like the way it feels and my foundation goes on smoothly so it's a keeper.

YSL Multi-Action Concealer in the color "3".  What you see in the picture is all I have left, which is unfortunate, because it's expensive ($35 on Amazon) so I probably won't be repurchasing any time soon.  Although I did just buy Benefit Boiing which is $18.  I apparently have a lot to conceal....

Clinique "Even Better" Foundation, 03 Ivory.  This stuff works great, it is a full coverage foundation, and doesn't turn to that ugly orangy color some foundations do by the end of the day.  I'm about out of this one too, I purchased a matte foundation from Rimmel....we'll see how that one does.

Bella Bamba blush by Benefit.  Very pretty coral color, with a little bit of shimmer.  Very much like the famous Nars Orgasm (which I also have....go figure).  Nice color for spring.

Lorac eyeshadows in Enlighten, Bronze, and Dark Brown.  I've been using these almost every day.  Love them, they are easy to blend, great texture, and have good color payoff. 

Palladio Rice Powder in Translucent.  I absolutely LOVE this stuff.  It makes the texture of my face seem flawless.  I only put it on in the morning, (I touch up during the day with MAC Blot Powder).  It's finely milled and doesn't look "powder-ry".  Definitely will repurchase this one. 

Maybelline Ultra-Brow Brush on color in Light Brown.  This has probably been around since my mom first started using makeup, but it works well and it's cheap so it's a keeper.

NYX Goddess of the Night lipgloss in Sunshine; Hard Candy Plumping Serum in Girl Next Door.  As most of you know, I love my lip products, I think I have about 18 of them in my purse right now, but I've been using these almost every day.  My lips are pretty pigmented so just a quick swipe of one of these and I'm good to go.  Both are under $8 so that's a plus!

 

Cover Girl Volume Exact in Black.  I am extremely picky when it comes to mascara.  As I get older, my lashes get skimpier, so when I find something I like, I stick with it.  This mascara is great for adding volume, not so much for length.  My next big purchase is RapidLash (to help my lashes grow), but it costs $59 so let's keep that one a secret from my bf...shhhhhsh!  (on a side note, I use Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Whiskey, or Bourbon (something alcoholic lol) but forgot to photograph that...)

So there you have it, my favorites for April.  I would love it if you would leave me a comment with your favorites, I love to try new things :-)  I think my favorites for May will be of the food/snack variety....shake things up a bit (I know, I'm all kinds of wild and crazy :-).