REVIEW: COVERGIRL & Olay

BzzAgent has been on a roll with some great campaigns lately!  If you haven't checked them out yet, you really need to!  

Being a huge makeup freak, I was thrilled to be offered the COVERGIRL & Olay campaign. COVERGIRL & Olay teamed up to create Tone Rehab 2-in-1 foundation and pressed powder to provide coverage for ageless, radiant looking skin!

Summers are scorching in Texas, so I tend to lay off liquid foundation but I was intrigued with the foundation's claims that it smooths out "rough" surfaces and gives a radiant finish.  I'm in my early 30s so I'm starting to notice a few lines and thought this would be perfect to try out.

The kit arrived in this cool little box

All the goodies inside the box!

I received a full-sized sample of the foundation in shade 125 (buff beige) and the pressed powder in shade 320 (fair/light) along with a ton of coupons to share.  As you can see from the pictures, I received it in late August and now that I've had some time to try out both products I can share my review.  

COVERGIRL & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation
From the BzzAgent guide:
- One pump instantly covers discolorations, lines and wrinkles while the bottle will help improve skin tone over time 
- Available in 14 shades with an MSRP of $13.99

My thoughts:
I've been using the foundation for over a month and have only used about 1/3 of the bottle.  As the product claims, one pump really DOES cover a LOT.  One pump is usually enough to cover my entire face and I pump out a bit more to get extra coverage in certain areas (like my dark circles.)  I prefer a very LIGHT coverage though but you can definitely build up to whatever coverage you want.  Again, the color I received was Buff Beige and at first glance appeared a bit light for me, but once blended it's beautiful on my skin.  I absolutely LOVE how lightweight the product is and how silky my face looks.  It's almost as if I'd used airbrush.  

Although the foundation has a built in serum, I've continued to use a separate moisturizer to hydrate my skin.  The first time I used the foundation without any moisturizer, my skin felt tight and the makeup didn't look good at all.  I don't have any discolorations so I can't speak to the improvement of those nor have I seen a dramatic increase in hydration in my skin but then again I haven't used up the entire bottle.  If I see a difference in this later on, I will report back  I do know that the few fine lines I have are perfectly covered up when I use the foundation.  


COVERGIRL & Olay Pressed Powder
From the BzzAgent guide:
- Gold pearls, yellow iron oxide and silk mica work together to provide natural looking skin with an energized appearance and healthy radiance
- Instantly brightens skin tone and softens look of imperfections
- Provides a tough of brightness without feeling heavy or cakey
- Available in 6 shade

My thoughts:
The only real purpose of this powder is to set the foundation.  The color I received Fair/Light was actually a bit too light for me so I used it sparingly.  It does have a little shimmer to it which gives the radiance it promises.  However, as a setting powder it's not that great.  At least for me, I had to apply the powder a few times throughout the day to keep my face looking bright and radiant.  I would much prefer to use my mineral veil or a different setting powder to this one.   

I used it one day over a BB cream after running out the door and forgetting my foundation and I was pleasantly surprised how nice the powder looked on my skin on it's own.  It provided no coverage at all so I wouldn't use the powder alone but the powder definitely enhanced the little bit of coverage I got from my BB cream. I will definitely continue to use it with the foundation and with my BB cream for low maintenance days but I can't say that this has become my holy grail of setting powders.  

Overall, I'm glad I tried both of these products and I would definitely recommend the foundation.   I have a ton of coupons to share - if you're interested in trying out the foundation & powder, let me know.  I'm more than happy to share.  


DISCLAIMER:  The products were furnished to me free for review but the opinions stated here are my own and reflect my true & honest opinion.  

Sample Society - September 2012

I finally received my Sample Society box for this month.  According to them, it was because of the labor day holiday but jeez, it's almost the end of the month.  

As a small recap, Sample Society is another monthly sampling subscription similar to Birchbox.  It's $15 a month and you receive 5 deluxe samples from higher end brands.  Something I recently discovered, was that I'm actually being charged tax because Beauty Bar has ties of some sort in Texas so I'm actually being charged $16.24 with free shipping.  I hate paying taxes but it's not that bad.  Included in each membership is a subscription to Allure magazine. 

This is my second box and I'm pretty pleased with it.  I like the black box and how the samples are nestled in the paper. 

So what did I get? 

Cellceuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser - Gentle cleanser that removes all makeup without irritating your eyes or skin.  I've never tried this brand so I'm definitely looking forward using it and I'll get several uses out of the bottle since it's 2 oz. 

Borghese B Gloss in the color Fiore - Lush, glossy colour that accentuates lips providing high shine looks.  I've never tried Borghese makeup and this color looks a bit pink in the bottle but it's a beautiful color on.  It's pretty a pretty neutral mauve and not something I would have picked for myself.  It has a nice consistency and is not sticky on the lips at all.  It lasted a good while on which is rare.  I may actually buy the full size of this.  The sample is almost full size at .16 oz.  

Ahava Purifying Mud Mask - I've heard nothing but great things about this mask and I'm really looking forward to trying it out!  I love trying out different masks and will report back on this. 

Diptyque Eau de Toilette - I also received a sample of the Diptyque perfume in Tam Dao.  Launched in 1968, Diptyque is the first unisex line of fragrances. This scent is from the "woody" family and smells of sandalwood.Tam Dao pays tribute to the most sought-after of the sacred woods: the sandalwood of Goa (from the company's website.)  It has a clean scent but a little goes a long way.  I think the first time I used it, I may have used too much and it overwhelmed me some.  Today, I wore it and it's pretty pleasant. 

Stila Smudge Crayon - As much of a makeup junkie as I am, I've never tried Stila so I'm looking forward to trying out this smudge crayon. I received the color Umbre which is a coopery-bronze.  It's a gel based primer, shadow and liner that lasts.  And it really does.  It goes on super smooth and doesn't budge until you remove it.  I don't know how you could use it as a shadow as you'd have to be super fast to be able to blend it, but as a liner, it worked great.  

There you have it!  Overall, I was pleased with everything I got and give Sample Society thumbs up for September's box!

9/11

I will NEVER forget where I was when I heard about the attacks.  As a senior at Baylor, I had major senioritis and regularly decided I didn't need to attend classes.  That day, I remember we were having a big review for an accounting final and so I deigned to wake up on time.  The first plane had just hit the tower when my alarm went off that morning, so I woke up to the radio hosts breaking in about the "accident" - at this point we didn't know that that fateful day would lead to one of the most catastrophic events of our lives.  I immediately turned on my television and watched the live coverage as the second plane hit the second tower and I thought 'oh my god, we're under attack.'  I just knew it wasn't an accident and I knew this wouldn't be the end of it.

I immediately started calling my family in New York - especially by cousin whose campus was a few blocks from the towers.  I called for hours and couldn't get through.  I called my parents to check on them and my siblings but was told everyone was okay and as far as they knew, Kevin and Jenny were safe at school.  I decided to go on to campus and found out classes were cancelled.  We congregated around the tv in the lobby and couldn't believe our eyes.  We watched in disbelief as the towers fell to the ground.  I cried like I have never cried before and wanted to head immediately home to my family.  

Today, eleven years after the attacks, I woke up and kissed my daughter.  Remembering all those who lost sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and countless others, I said a prayer for all the innocent people who lost their lives to senseless fanaticism.  I am extremely saddened but blessed to be able to hug and kiss my daughter daily when so many others are not.  And I wouldn't be able to do that without all the heroes of this country.  I am grateful for all they give up to keep us safe.  

For me, it's not just a slogan.  I WILL NEVER FORGET.

I carry your heart ...

My little sister started at UT this past week.  I'm so thrilled that she's off having her college experience.  My brother decided to stay in town so he's at UH this year.  I am the oldest of four kids but there is a huge gap between my brother and sister and I after my little brother passed away.  I grew up basically an only child until I was 11 when my parents had my brother Kevin. Two years after that Jenny was born.  I remember going off to Baylor and missing my little siblings dearly.  I can still remember my brother and sister sitting by the window waiting for me to come home for the weekend.  

At Jenny's graduation party

We've always been close - no matter how we much we fight or disagree at the end of the day there's nothing I wouldn't do for my brother or my sister.  I don't know if it was because I didn't grow up with brother Dennis, but I sort of envied the relationship between Kevin and Jenny.  Don't get me wrong - not in a bad way but in a "I wish I'd had that too" way but I also think it made me appreciate them that much more.  When I was hospitalized before Kayla's birth, Kevin and Jenny were there every day visiting me and checking up on me.  When Kayla arrived ahead of schedule and I was discharged, Kevin and Jenny made sure to visit her with me and helped take care of me while I recovered from my c-section.  I sometimes felt more like their parents than their sister when I had to lecture them about something and felt proud that they were comfortable enough with me to come to me with problems or when they wanted me to buy them something! :)

So, I knew this day was coming but I still felt unprepared for Jenny to leave.  Who was I going to have my Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings marathons with now?  Is this what empty nest syndrome feels like?  If it is, I guess I'll have a leg up on parents when Kayla goes off to college.  I know she's just few hours away and I can only imagine this is how they felt when I moved out after I got married.   Still, I feel like a little piece of me is missing.  I'll leave you with a poem by EE Cummings.  If you've seen In Her Shoes, you'll recognize it.  I think it summarizes my relationship with Jenny and Kevin perfectly.  

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) 

i am never without it (anywhere i go you go,my dear;

and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) 

i want no world (for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

I love you Jenny!  I hope you have a wonderful year at UT.  I'm very proud of you.