beauty – Pure Sugar

Product & Service Reviews

Review | LipSense Lip Color & Lip Gloss

Posted on October 12, 2017by Carol

I feel like I am constantly searching for a great lipstick. Every few years I find one I love, but then it goes out of production and I have to start from scratch. Well, I am happy to say that after a few years of looking, my current search is over!

I was offered the chance to try out LipSense from Red Gate Beauty and after using it for a few weeks, it’s official: I’m in love. LipSense is not your typical lipstick. It is waterproof, kiss-proof, and smear-proof. The color and gloss are both available in an array of beautiful shades.

LipSense is a long-lasting liquid lip color that lasts between 4-18 hours. I can personally attest to it lasting for 6 hours and lots of talking, drinking, and eating! It is lead-free, wax-free, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and not tested on animals. Plus it is made right here in the U.S.A.!

To wear LipSense, you just have to follow a few steps. First, clean and dry your lips. Then shake the bottle of color. Swipe the color on in one direction (just a thin layer). If you want more color, wait 10 seconds and reapply. (The first time I tried the color I was surprised by the tingling sensation, but that is just the cosmetic-grade denatured alcohol which create a bacteria-free environment in the tube. It wasn’t unpleasant at all – it just caught me off-guard.) Five seconds after you apply the color to your lips you can apply the gloss, which acts like a magic sealer and moisturizer.

My favorite part about the gloss? You can choose from several different colors that adds just a little bit extra to your lips when combined with the color, or you can wear it on your own for a natural look. For my gloss, I chose Orchid, and it really is the perfect topcoat to the Praline Rose color.

In addition to being long-lasting, the color itself is what I love most about LipSense. It is so hard to find color that isn’t over-the-top or really fake looking. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I do like to accentuate my lips. LipSense is perfect for that. And if you want a vibrant color, they have plenty to choose from! Plus, you can mix and match colors in order to get the shade that is uniquely yours!

I’m excited to offer my readers a 15% discount code if you want to try LipSense out for yourself. Head over to Red Gate Beauty and use the code bloggymoms15 at check-out.

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Product & Service Reviews

Trying Out Mineral Fusion Makeup

Posted on April 21, 2015April 14, 2017by Carol

Many years ago I heard about something called “mineral makeup.” It was supposed to be better for your skin, so I gave it a try and loved it. However, over the years I’ve had opportunities to try out other types of makeup so it no longer is my go-to. I was recently offered the opportunity as a Smiley360 member to try out Mineral Fusion makeup, so I jumped at the chance!

Smiley provided me with a full-value coupon to purchase the Mineral Fusion product of my chosing at Target. I decided to try the Sheer Tint Foundation in Neutral.

I wanted to love this product, but overall it was not for me. When I squeezed the foundation out of the tube, watery liquid dribbled out, no matter how hard I tried to shake everything up first. I found that I needed to do quite a lot of blending to get the foundation to look less “caked on.”

Also, the “neutral” is still too dark for my fair complexion. This, of course, is not something that Mineral Fusion did wrong. I’m just naturally pale. The other day I did my makeup using the Mineral Fusion Foundation and my daughter (who is 5) asked if I’d been a the beach. Out of the mouths of babes! But she has a point — I will keep this in my makeup bag until the summer is here and I have a little more color.

I would not totally give up on Mineral Fusion, though. I think I would love their lipsticks and mascaras.

According to Mineral Fusion: “Our products also help protect from environmental damage. We add age-defying antioxidants to all of our products – pomegranate, white tea, red tea and sea kelp, plus vitamins C and E – to defend against free radical damage. In addition, we enrich our products with specialized botanicals to provide targeted treatment that soothes and nourishes your skin. Our cosmetics are free from parabens, artificial colors, fragrances, gluten, phthalates and talc to ensure that even the most sensitive skin stays beautiful.”

Click here for a $3.00 off coupon and try it for yourself!

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Product & Service Reviews
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- Shopping & Deals
- Style

{Review} Prescription Glasses from Firmoo

Posted on August 8, 2014April 14, 2017by Carol

Disclosure: I received a free pair of glasses from Firmoo in exchange for a review on my blog.
All opinions expressed are my own and I received no monetary compensation.

For a few years I’ve been reading blog reviews of various mail-order glasses websites. I always thought it sounded convenient, but I was hesitant. Would my prescription be correct? Would the glasses fit well? I never felt brave enough to try it out. However, a few weeks ago, a rep from Firmoo.com contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in trying out their service and reviewing it on my blog. Absolutely!

Ordering from Firmoo was easy. I browsed their selection for a pair of glasses I liked. Honestly, that was the hardest part because there were several that I thought would look good on me! In the end, I decided to go with a funky pair of frames — something totally different for me. When I placed my order I filled in all the usual shipping information as well as my eyeglass prescription. They have information on their site to help you along and make sure you are putting everything in the right place. I hit “submit” and then waited for the glasses to arrive!

Here’s the timeline:

Order placed: July 10
Order shipped: July 14
Order received: July 23

The glasses came from China, and I was impressed with the speed in which order was produced and delivered. They arrived well-packaged in a lovely hard case, complete with a special cloth to clean the lenses.

The frames themselves were just what I expected! They are fun and different, and fit exceptionally well. In fact, I’m considering ordering another everyday pair from them.

If you are interested, you should check out Firmoo’s First Pair Free Program. This is for new customers only.

If you’re looking for an extra pair of glasses, or some fun fashion frames, I would definitely give them a try!

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Product & Service Reviews

{Review} Kiss Everlasting French Manicure

Posted on June 19, 2014April 14, 2017by Carol

One of the items in my Spring VoxBox that I was most excited to try was the Kiss Everlasting French Manicure. I don’t wear fake nails often, but sometimes there is a special occasion (a wedding, a Christmas party, something like that) when you want to have a pretty manicure.

The first thing that caught my eye was the length: short! Really long nails make it impossible to do even the simplest tasks. There were also a variety of nail sizes and I found several that would work with my nails.

Application was quick and easy and the result looked fabulous! I wore them for my daughter’s 5th birthday party and several people both complimented me and asked if I’d gone for a salon manicure. The nails were also really comfortable. In the past when I’ve worn fake nails I couldn’t wait to get them off. The Kiss nails definitely fit a lot better.

One of the marketing points is that the nails are “no chip.” Maybe I was really hard on them during the party because unfortunately the white part of one nail started too peel back, and I had to replace that nail. The set lasted for about two days before the first one came loose.

I was a little disappointed they did not last longer, but it could have been user error. Maybe I needed more glue, or I was especially hard on them with all the washing and wear-and-tear from the parties. With that said, I would still purchase these next time I have something special to attend. It’s so much easier and faster than doing my own nails, and a lot more convenient that going to the salon.

KISS everlasting French Manicure is available for $6.49 at CVS, Kmart, Rite-Aid, Target, Walgreens and Walmart stores nationwide. For more information and how-to videos, visit KISSusa.com

Disclosure: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Product & Service Reviews
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- Shopping & Deals
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Spring Influenster VoxBox

Posted on June 17, 2014April 14, 2017by Carol

I was so excited to be chosen to receive my Spring VoxBox from Influenster! It was full of fun products for me to try out and review and so far I’ve liked everything.

My box included:

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara
Kiss Everlasting French Nails
Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie
Playtex Sport Fresh Balance
NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion

Some boxes also included the Softlips Cube. Sadly, mine did not 🙁 I made an unboxing video when I received it. Check out my first impressions! I’ve been testing everything and sharing my thoughts on Instagram, and Twitter. So be sure to follow along!

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Shopping & Deals

sweet deal on mineral makeup

Posted on February 23, 2011by Carol

I love, love, love using mineral makeup, but it can be pretty expensive. However, there is a great deal today on Eversave Worcester — get a voucher for $32 worth of of natural beauty and skin care products from Smoky Mountain Minerals for $16! Plus, new subscribers to their e-mail get a $2 credit AND there is a $3 coupon code for Facebook fans today, bringing the price down to $11! (If you’re lucky enough to have the original $5 e-mail subscriber credit sitting in your account, it makes the deal even sweeter at $8!)

Shipping is free on orders from SMM, so I jumped on this Eversave deal since I desperately need new makeup anyway. I’m can’t wait to try it out.

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Product & Service Reviews

nice ‘n easy foam hair color review

Posted on February 22, 2011April 14, 2017by Carol

So last week I colored my hair. Nothing drastic — just to cover up the grays. It was another mess, believe me! I was able to snag one of the Facebook coupons for a free box of Clairol’s new Nice ‘n Easy Foam hair color. I thought it sounded like a great product, but… it wasn’t.

Thankfully the color itself came out well, but the process was not easy. The color stained everything from my temples to my neck to my shoulders. I also feel that it wasn’t wet enough to totally saturate my hair, nor was it very “foamy.” I expected a consistency reminiscent of mousse, but it was more sudsy. If you continually shook it, the color maintained that foamy consistency, but who wants to be shaking the bottle every five seconds? It also burned, which was slightly alarming. I’ve used other Nice ‘n Easy colors in the past and really liked them so this was a huge disappointment.

Were you able to get the coupon? I’m curious about others’ experiences.

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This & That

what a mess…

Posted on February 18, 2011by Carol

Although you can’t really tell from this photo, Laura got into my makeup bag the other day. I like to use natural makeup, which tend to be in powdered form, so you can only imagine the mess! Let me assure you that the Bare Minerals Warmth sticks to pretty much everything. She also managed to find my favorite eyeliner and used it as a crayon. At least she couldn’t open my lip gloss!

Irritating as it was, the fact is that I need to replace my makeup anyway. It’s old and let’s face it — with spring on the way, some new shades would be a nice pick-me-up, so I think I’ll be treating myself. It will also be an opportunity to pare down a bit. I do wear makeup almost every day, but I can do without a zillion eye shadow shades and colors of gloss that just sit around in my makeup bag. Time to keep it simple!

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