Yes, I will be missing in action for a few days here on The Shades Of U. I don't know if I will be able to blog during that time frame, but I will be back with lots more reviews, looks, and most importantly, Holiday giveaways for y'all! In the meantime, do browse the blog; you can use the Search function located on the right side bar, or check out the labels (or tags) also located on the right side bar. I am pretty sure you will find some article, review, or look that you have not read or seen before.
So sit back, relax, browse the blog and enjoy the pics, and I will be back before you know it!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Gone For A Few...
Hanksin Control BB Cream Review
I was able to try another brand of BB (or blemish balm) cream, Hanskin Control Skin. I've heard a lot of good reviews about this product, so I snagged one on eBay.
Disclaimer:I will not be doing a review on its skincare claims because I have not used this product long enough to make a conclusion on this. I will be doing a review simply based on the finish, texture, coverage and staying power of the BB cream as a tinted moisturizer/foundation.
I liked the consistency of this bb cream. It's neither too runny nor too thick, and it is has a slight sheen even unblended on the skin.
On the package, it says that it "is made from natural material and is gentle to the skin. Continued use will smooth and moisturize your skin revealing bright and firm, healthy skin."
When blended, it morphs into this beautiful radiant finish that gives skin a dewy look. I am particularly happy with the fact that it is neither too yellow, too light, nor too dark, unlike other BB creams I've tried. This brand is one of the better matches for my skintone.
As with my other BB creams, I apply this as follows: I place a small amount on the back of my hand, take my Coastal Scents's kabuki-on-a-stick brush, and apply the product on my face in circular, buffing motions till it is blended seamlessly. I apply another light layer as needed. I top off with a very light layer of mineral foundation, just enough to set the BB cream, then a light dusting of translucent powder to help in oil control.
(A look using Hanskin BB cream and the rest of the review after the jump)
I used a small amount of DreamWorld mineral foundation in Theia over Hanskin Control Skin BB cream.
Upside:
1. Very affordable compared to high end or department store tinted moisturizers; I bought it on Ebay for $35 including shipping for a 43.5 g of product, and you only need to use a dime size amount for each application. You can apply more if needed, but in light layers.
2. Makes skin look luminous and radiant.
3. Can be used as a tinted moisturizer or a makeup base.
4. Perfect shade for my skintone.
Downside:
1. As with most BB creams, if you have sensitive skin, you might break out using this product. This didn't break me out, though, and this is one of the few ones that didn't.
2. Only comes in one shade.
This product also earns a thumbs up from The Shades Of U. I love the radiant finish it gives, and the supposed skin benefits ain't that bad as well.
Banish Beauty Blunders Care Of Ms. Manicure Products
We’ve all been guilty of having a major beauty blunder at least once or twice in our lives. We leave the house with too much blush on, deodorant stains on our black t-shirts, fake eyelashes dangling from our perfectly made-up faces – the list goes on and on. Forgo common disasters and refine your inner recessionista by thinking outside the box with your beauty products. Let Ms. Manicure give you a lesson in how to fix fashion fiascos with these multi-functional nail products.
Knit-Pick Your Sweaters
Don’t worry about hand washing your favorite sweaters anymore. Solve your pilling problems with Ms. Pedicure’s Rock ‘n Sole ($1.99). By rubbing this dry pumice stone over sweaters, the little fuzzies that cause so much distress will be gone. Make sure to lay the clothing on a flat surface before gently stroking the fabric with the stone. Keep the stone clean and dry for future use!
Loose Lashes
Scared your eyelashes might fall off into your dinner plate a la the last date you went on? Give them extra security by applying them with the tweezers from Ms. Manicure‘s Handy Dandy Mani kit ($9.99). First, let lash glue sit for 30 to 60 seconds prior to using. Then, pick up individual lashes with tweezers, dip the ends in glue and securely apply them to the base of the eyelid. Make sure to coat them with mascara afterwards for extra protection!
Save Suede
Spill something on your new suede boots? You might not have to head for the shoe store for another pair just yet. Grab an emery board, like Ms. Manicure’s Call Your Buff ($2.99), and lightly rub the stain. Use the soft, buffer side of this four-sided board to ensure that your boots don’t get damaged in the process. Then, hold the shoe over steam from a boiling pot (or teakettle) on the stove to completely remove it. This works for suede clothing as well!
For a list of retailers and to check out other recession-friendly products, visit www.msmanicure.com and www.mspedicure.com.
The Cure for Dry Winter Skin
Find out which top hand hydrators our testers found desk drawer-worthy |
 We spend hundreds on youth-enhancing face lotions -- but when's the last time your hands got some love? "Hands show aging more than the face," says Los Angeles-based dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad. Good point. So we had 10 testers review hand creams for two weeks. Which ones offered the best hydration -- and which were just greasy? Find out in the ratings. |
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The 12 Best Foundations Under $15
| Get flawless-looking skin with these beauties from L'Oreal, CoverGirl and more |
 When it comes to foundation, it really pays to find the perfect product for you. After all, all the eye makeup and lip products in the world won't make you look gorgeous if your skin looks blah. On the bright side, TotalBeauty.com readers have found that you don't have to spend a fortune to get flawless-looking skin. In fact, there are plenty of cheapie products that will give you just that! Read on to see what they are. |
| No. 12: Almay Line Smoothing Compact Makeup for Dry Skin, $14.78 |
| TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8 |
 "It actually does improve the appearance of lines ..." |
| No. 11: Maybelline New York Pure Stay Powder Foundation, $7.99 |
| TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8 |
 "First time in my life, someone commented on my 'beautiful skin' ..." |
| No. 10: CoverGirl Advanced Radiance Age-Defying Liquid Makeup, $10.13 |
| TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8 |
 "I recently saw a friend I hadn't seen for a while and she asked if I had something done ..." |
Brush Love 40% Off Coupon
Brush Love is offering our readers a special 40% discount. Just type in “blog40” during checkout for the discount. Please note that this offer expires on 11-25-09 and does not apply to the Mason Pearson brand.
Have fun shopping and enjoy the discount!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Brush Lab and Satina Brushes Review
Styling hair requires more than just using whatever brush you can find on the counter and a blowdryer. There is actually a science to lush, gorgeous locks. I received some media samples of new tools that will help achieve the kind of professional-looking blow dried hair that I crave. These hair tools were actually designed to create professional salon-style blow-dried hair. They are Brush Lab and Satina brushes from www.brushlove.com. What is good about the site is that there is an explanation as to why the brush was designed that way and how the brush improves hair condition and all-over blow-drying experience:
Brushlab ceramic flow hair brush helps reduce frizz. Its round aerated barrel allows air to flow through the brush instead of bouncing off and blowing hair away from the brush. The entire barrel is ceramic and produces uniform heat quickly. The short, stiff bristles are treated with tourmaline to help break up moisture molecules and help destroy odor-causing bacteria.
My Take: I have flat, baby-fine hair and I need to blow-dry my hair to achieve the volume and body that I crave. I tried this hair brush while blow-drying and I loved how it made my hair all poufy and big, which is what I ever really wanted my hair to be. My hair had body after a whole day at work, which is amazing because my hair turns limp after only a few hours. Of course, I used this brush with the help of other volumizing products, and the results were pretty good.
Satina Bubble Grip Black Tourmaline Round Boar Jumbo Hair Brush
SATINA hairbrush gives you smooth styled hair that is full of body and shine with our professional quality hairbrush. TOURMALINE infused boar bristle brushes produce infra-red negative ions when heated with your blow dryer, restoring shine, eliminating static, and conditioning the hair from the inside-out as you curl or straighten.
My Take: This boar bristle brush is best to use on hair with a lot of frizz because it restores shine on the locks while elimating static, which I utterly loathe. I also use this when blow-drying my hair, and for those particular times when my hair seems dull and lifeless. The boar bristles make the hair shinier without the annoying static.
Brushlab Pretty Pink Dual Mirror Brush Combo Hair Brush 61161
Ultra-fashionable dual purpose hand mirror plus nylon ball-tipped styling/detangling brush. Great size for travel.
My Take: I like to use this brush to detangle my hair. I also like to bring it with me for travel because the size is pretty convenient. Also, love the girly-girl pink color.
Brush Lab and Satina have many different kinds of brushes to suit every individual's hair needs. I have short hair so it's pretty low-maintenance, but for you ladies (and gents) out there with longer locks, you can find brushes that suit your hair's styling demands on the Brush Love site.
13 Most Outrageous Celebrity Updos
| Check out these gravity-defying hairstyles on celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Fergie and more |
 Most celebrity hairstyles garner praise and admiration, but these horrible hairstyles left us scratching our heads. Why on earth would any A-list celebrity take such a crazy risk by sporting one of these over-the-top styles? Probably because they wanted to stand out in the crowd, right? Well, we guess it worked -- just not in a good way! |
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Dermatologists Launch New Web Site and Game to Teach Kids About Healthy Skin, Hair and Nail Habits
"Sammy The Skin Cell"
Dermatologists Launch New Web Site and Game
to Teach Kids about Healthy Skin, Hair and Nail Habits
Sammy the Skin Cell is the Star Avatar at KidsSkinHealth.org
SCHAUMBURG, ILL (Nov 2, 2009) – A unique new Web site created by dermatologists lets kids learn how to practice good skin care virtually, or risk the consequences of pimples, greasy hair, a poison ivy rash and sunburn. The interactive game, “It’s a Skin Cell’s Life,” is just one of the many features on the American Academy of Dermatology’s (Academy) new Web site www.KidsSkinHealth.org, which provides information about caring for skin, hair and nails to kids ages 8-12 and their parents.
“The Academy is committed to teaching children and their parents about skin, hair and nail care, and an interactive and engaging Web site is the perfect way to do that,” said dermatologist David M. Pariser, MD, FAAD, president of the Academy. “The Web site, which was created with feedback from children and their parents, helps us encourage the development of lifelong habits that ensure good health, such as using sunscreen for protection against the harmful rays of the sun.”
The KidsSkinHealth.org home page features two portals: For Kids and For Grown Ups.
Kids Portal – Sammy the Skin Cell guides kids through the site, which explains how skin, hair and nails work, and how to take care of them. There’s information on conditions that can affect them as well as fun facts, answers to common questions and a dictionary that includes audio pronunciations courtesy of Sammy. Kids can play “It’s a Skin Cell’s Life” as the avatar Sammy or Suzy the Skin Cell and earn points by using their new-found knowledge to take care of their avatars, search for words, test skin knowledge, catch bugs, explore mazes and zap ultraviolet rays.
Grown Ups Portal – Paralleling the information on the Kids Portal, the site guides parents in helping their children care for their skin, hair and nails, and provides information about adult conditions, such as rosacea and psoriasis, and how to care for aging skin. The site also includes activities for parents to do with their children and answers to common questions.
To develop the Web site, the Academy surveyed kids and moms about what they’d like to see on a site about skin, hair and nails. The top-rated response for the kids was games (86 percent) but they also wanted information about:
-what to do if your nail gets hurt or bruised (60 percent)
-what makes hair grow (54 percent) and
-information about bug bites (49 percent)
Moms wanted to know that the site is run by a respected health organization (92 percent), for their kids to learn proper hygiene for skin, hair and nails (49 percent) and to have an area where they could interact with their child while learning about health issues (39 percent). It’s all there on KidsSkinHealth.org.
The Academy solely developed the Web site’s content. The following industry supporters helped underwrite the cost of the Web site’s creation: Beiersdorf, Inc., Dermik Laboratories, a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, Galderma Laboratories, L.P., Graceway Pharmaceuticals, LLC, Intendis, Inc., Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, Ortho Dermatologics, PharmaDerm, a division of Nycomed US, Inc., Procter & Gamble, and Stiefel Laboratories, Inc.
About American Academy of Dermatology
Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 16,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or www.aad.org.
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My Take: As a mom, I welcome these kinds of websites to inform the youth about how to take care of their bodies. A website focused on skin and nails for kids is a very fresh concept, and I love how they make the topics kid-friendly and at the same time informative. There are a lot of tips on how to stay healthy and how to care for skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema. If you are a mom or a concerned sister or aunt or even grandma, check out this cool new website.
Holiday Stocking Stuffer Ideas From Hard Candy
![HolidayImage[1]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/4072754102_130ccccf35.jpg)
During the holiday season, girls everywhere will be thrilled to unwrap Hard Candy cosmetics. Rather than the expected fragrances, CD’s or themed socks, Hard Candy is a colorful, addictive and tempting collection that keeps on giving.
Since its launch, the Hard Candy brand has been scooped up by consumers, loved by editors and respected by beauty industry leaders. Recommended to showcase the holidays beautifully.
-Lash Tinsel Glitter Mascara the ultimate holiday accessory. Santa’s helper never looked so gorgeous!
-Just Nails – festive fingers in stunning shades
-Curl Up & Dye – Long lasting curl and a twinkle of glitter and all eyes will be on you
-Painted Lady – A work of art in a perfect little package. Kiss boring stocking stuffers goodbye
-Eye Candy Cream Glitter Shadows, the perfect accessory to a dazzling dress
Easy to find exclusively at Walmart and easier on your holiday budget (everything priced $10 or less), Hard Candy should be on everyone’s holiday list. And why not pick up a gift for Santa’s helper while you’re there? You deserve it!
Happy holidays from Hard Candy!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Purple and Pink Eye Look Using Aromaleigh Mineral Eye Shadows
Belated Happy Halloween! To celebrate it, I wore a predominantly purple eye look using Aromaleigh shadows. I honestly love Aromaleigh shadows because they are very pigmented and are a dream to apply and blend on the skin. They are not just mini mica explosions with all sparkle and no color pay-off. There are also over 300 eyeshadow colors and textures to choose from. I also don't need to wait weeks just to receive my online order; I get them almost always within three business days.
Anyways, I used mostly shadows from the Les Papillons collection. I also used a Rocks! Sonic eyeshadow in blueorchid, I believe. I am not sure because the label is peeled off. 
For the lid color, I used Soulmate from the Valentine 2009 collection.
I also used Baby Petals to highlight from the MAC Heatherette Trio 2 palette.
Anyhoo, here is a step-by-step. All eye products are Aromaleigh unless otherwise stated.
Apply MAC Bare Canvas paint all over lid. Apply MAC Fresco Rose paint pot on lid. Foil Soulmate on lid using the Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8" (MAC 239 dupe) using MAC Charged Water. 
Using the same brush, apply Ephemeral Violet dry on outer lid and crease.
Using the same brush, apply a little Dormant Dream to mix with Ephemeral Violet. Blend with MAC 224 brush.
Using the same brush, add blueorchid. Blend carefully using the 224.
Using the same brush, apply Emergent Beauty foiled on the outer lid using MAC Charged Water. Wait to dry and blend with 224.
To retain the purple tones, add a little bit of Vigil of Change dry using the same brush.
Using the same brush, apply Soul Takes Flight dry on outer lid. Blend with the 224.
Using Stila No. 5 brush, apply MAC Baby Petals to highlight the browbone.
Line upper lashline with L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner (my favorite liner of late).
Rim eyes (waterline and tightline) using Urban Decay 24/7 glide on kohl pencil in Zero. Apply Red Cherry false lashes #903. Apply mascara. 
FACE:
Dr. Denese SPF30 Tinted Defense Day Cream
Buff'd mineral foundation in Almond
Aromaleigh ultra resolution finishing powder in Translucent
MAC Sculpt powder to contour
MAC The Perfect Cheek blush
MAC Perfect Topping mineralize skinfinish on top of blush
LIPS:
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC lipstick in Masque
MAC lipglass (I forget the name; check back tonight to find out!)
Winner of Sothys Hydroptimale THI3 Hydrating Cream and Hydrating Mask
Finally, we have a winner! All entries are in, and one winner was randomly chosen by the Contest Machine to win Sothys Hydroptimale THI3 Hydrating Cream and Hydroptimale THI3 Hydrating Mask .
And the winner is...
(*Drumroll*)
(Name of winner announced below the cut)
Katie in NC
Congratulations!! Please check your e-mail inbox (and your spam box too just in case) for notification e-mail from and The Shades Of U. Please reply within 72 hours to the e-mail with your mailing address so the prize can be sent to you expeditiously. Your mailing address shall be provided to the sponsor, which shall then mail the prize to you.
Thank you very much to all the U.S.-based readers who participated. Stay tuned for more giveaways!
Best and Worst Medium-Length Cuts for Your Face Shape
| Match your face shape with one of these celebrities', then see the best (and worst!) cut for you |
 Medium-length hair is the most popular length among women for good reasons. It's flattering, low-maintenance, sexy and versatile. Finding the right cut for your face shape, and avoiding the worst, is essential. |
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Celebrity Hair Color Hall of Fame: Best Brunettes
| Considering a color change? Peruse these photos of Megan Fox, Jennifer Lopez and more to inspire your new look |
 Joel Warren, L'Oreal Professionnel Hair Color Ambassador shares expert advice on how to get these standout brunette shades in the comfort of your own bathroom, for less than 20 bucks. |
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Last Chance To Join Sothys Hydroptimale Giveaway
To all The Shades Of U subscribers and followers in the U.S.: this is your last chance to participate in this blog's Sothys Hydroptimale THI3 Light & Comfort Hydrating Cream and Hydrating Mask Giveaway. One lucky winner in the U.S. will win amazing prizes from Sothys U.S.A. All you need to do is subscribe to The Shades Of U via RSS feed, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook or Google/Blogger, and follow the contest rules set forth in the blog entry via the link above. Deadline for submission of entries is Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 11:55 p.m. EDT.
Goodluck!
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