Reader's Request: Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Balm Review

You know what the number one problem is when it comes to fine lines under your eyes? Dry skin.

The delicate area under your eyes can occasionally become very dry especially as you age this in fact causes fine lines to look worst than they actually are. At least that's been the case for me.

Your best possible defense against dry skin and fine lines is keeping things as moist and hydrated as possible. Believe me I used just about everything and the kitchen sink to keep the delicate skin under my eyes as moisturized as possible but sometimes even that isn't it enough.

Solution?

Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Balm...miracle in a glass jar.




Check it after the jump!

What is it?

It's a herbal scented balm that resembles vaseline but with a harder texture.

What's it do?

Depuffs, moisturizers, hydrates, soothes, protects, and erases signs of fatigue such as dark circles.

Does it work?

Hells to the yes!


Trust me I'm a Doctor, I think David Tennant said that at one point...but anyway....here's the scoop. Yes, it depuffs, yes it moisturizes, yes it hydrates, yes it improves fine lines (due to dryness) under your eyes, and yes it fights the signs of fatigue but no it doesn't erase dark circles.

So.....

I gave up everything I normally slather under my eyes aside from my AM eye cream to use this for a week and a half. Honestly, that's too short a time to really test it out but the fact is I seen such a dramatic difference since I started might as well tell you the good word now.

It sports a consistency of a balm or a salve hence the name eye balm doh. All you need to do is gently pat it under your eyes and go to bed. Next morning you'll be singing in praise how great you look. It gives an intense shot of good moisture to my dry skin, hydrates it, and does a slight depuff action, LOVE! It also makes me look quite refreshed. Actually when I wake up the following morning it isn't totally absorbed into my skin, it kinda sits around and moisturizes all through the night as I sleep. It's rather ideal if you have some serious dry skin going on. Fact of the matter is if I don't moisture well my fine lines look incredibly bad but when I do get proper moisture you can barely see them and thus the case with this balm. It gives me so much moisture that my fine lines virtually disappear making me look younger, fresher, and flawless.










It's not for everyone.

Thing is I love it but I know that people will likely feel it's like slathering vaseline under your eyes. Not the case as it's a balm and it has a harder texture with a bit of a tacky formula. It could prove to be uncomfortable for some or you may get an "ick" factor after use as it never fully absorbs. As for me I could care less since it gives me all the moisture I crave and than some. I can suffer through a little stickiness for that.

It comes housed in a heavy glass jar and yes sadly you'll have to be dipping your fingers around in there...hello bacteria...only thing I can suggest is to be sure to always use clean hands prior to use. I find that swirling my finger in it with gentle pressure will make the product easier to use as first try it is quite hard and feels like you're not using anything at all. A pressured swirl will get it "worked" up so to speak.

It's $60...honestly, that could be a bit much to drop on a simple balm considering for that chunk of change you can invest in a good quality eye cream. For me it's priceless since it simply works and hey that's what I'm paying for right?

So far, it's on my incredible list. After I'm through with this (which won't be anytime soon as the jar is huge with a ton of product since a little goes a long way) I'll be running to the store for another.

Very good stuff, Muse Approval for purchase.



Overall, if you need to tame the puff, erase the fine lines, and get a super dose of moisture under those tired, dry eyes, Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Balm does the deed and does it well.

Loves it.

Budget Mascara Alert: Avon SuperFULL Midnight Mascara

Hey chicas!

Budget friendly mascara alert here with the new Avon SuperFULL Midnight Mascara. Don't you dare tell Armani but this stuff works almost as good as Eyes To Kill....shhhhh our secret k?


Check it after the jump!

Avon has a brand new mascara for $4.99 that's pretty impressive. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot of special about it. It's a regular inky black formula and a plastic straight line applicator. See? Not really special.




However, it performs like a super star.

I'm unsure if it's the applicator or the formula but it's promise of longer lashes rings true. It doesn't offer much in the ways of volume but it creates really great lenght and curl. The applicator fits the contour of my eye nicely and grasps all the lashes in one go. It doesn't smudge, flake, and wears all day. I find the best results are when lashes are curled prior to use.

Overall, it's pretty impressive for a $5 buck mascara. If you're not willing to dish out a pretty penny for the new Armani mascara I say try this. Works almost as good, for serious.




Loving it!

Muse Approval for purchase.

Too Faced Lip Luxury Free Love Review and Swatches

Urban Decay single handedly convinced me I need more nude pink shades of lipstick in my life with it's newest color, Naked.

Suddenly, the Muse's dreams are filled with visions of naked, nude pink shades for my lips. And than Too Faced Lip Luxury in Free Love stepped into my life....!


Click it for the review.

Oh my god dude this lipstick is champagne-infused....w00t! I'm going to party like it's 1999 tonight. Ha!

But no seriously it really is inflused with champagne...interesting concept eh? I've been meaning to try Too Faced Lip Luxury for a fair while now so I'm happy to finally test it out.

It's quite a nice lippie. Good formula with a smooth application. Very creamy and moisturizing, good pigmentation as well. It's incredibly lightweight with a shimmering, sparkling finish.

Of course, the Muse is all about the packaging. It comes in metallic pink tube with a diamond colored rhinestone on the top of the cap. Loves it!






But after all this the very best part is the new shade for Fall entitled Free Love. It's a sweet pale pink shade that's incredible beautiful on lips. It's not dramatic, it's not bold, it's simply a sweet pink that makes lips look fuller, prettier, and just girlish.

Now it's not Naked by any means and the Muse does so think you need both Naked and Free Love in your beauty arsenal this season! Where as Naked is more of a perfect pale pink minus shimmer, Free Love is a sparkling nude shade that's subtle and mod chic.








If you're a lover of nude pink lips Too Faced Lip Luxury in Free Love will be your best girlfriend this season. Pair it up with a cat eye or a dramatic smoky!

Loves it!

Muse Approval for purchase.



I know quite a few of you already hauled this.

Do share.

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Giorgio Armani Greige Collection Review: Giorgio Armani Manta Ray Eye Shadow Review and Swatches

The Muse told you all about the Giorgio Armani Greige Collection a week or so ago. Honestly, it wasn't exactly something the Muse was interested in when she finally got some products to test.

I received one lipstick and one shadow both of which looked incredibly dull and boring.

But wow...after I tried both out I was so floored by how simply pretty the shade on my eyes was and the lipstick just added to it.


Loving all over this collection!

Jump ahead for the deets!

Like I mentioned above, I wasn't particularly delighted when I got my hands on a few pieces of the collection. The first item was the Giorgio Armani Manta Ray Eye Shadow Duo in 3 which is a soft light lilac and a deeper purple lilac. Honestly, the shades totally devastated me as they seemed so terribly dull. Boy was I wrong.

The shadow has a wonderful silky texture which blends smoothly and evenly. Pigmentation is subtle nothing dramatic but just enough to fancy your lid up with a pop of color. Although I was worried about the dull factor the colors actually lent a certain mystery to my eyes that was very natural and fresh. I was honestly very impressed with the results. The color duo kinda of reminds me of something Farrah Fawcett would wear it has a certain vintage 70's feel. My brown eyes are just subtly touched with the colors, quite a nice effect.










Now Armani purposely created a subtle eye look for Fall as their focus was on lips. Bolder, dramatic lips are very in this season as they are the past few Fall seasons. Armani plays on this with a new shade of Armani Silk Lipstick in 92. 92 is the only release for Fall so it's perfectly suitable to pair up with any of the Armani Manta Ray Shadow Duos. It's a deep plum which can be applied sheer or layered for more intensity. I choose to apply it with a heavy hand and blended it down to a sheer layer using a heavy layer of gloss. The formula is quite beautiful and applies seamlessly. Darker shades are sometimes difficult to apply without getting it all over your teeth, face, etc...but this applies smoothly and evenly. The shade contrasts gorgeously with the shadow.








Overall, my first look at Giorgio Armani Greige Collection left me feeling meh but after getting a few requests to please swatch and review I ended up going ahead and testing out. Ever so glad I did as I'm truly pleased. I'm already filling my cart with too more shades of the shadow in hopes I'll have equally fabulous results as I did with shade 3.






Loves it.

Fantastic look for Fall, Armani.

Muse Approved for purchase.



Anyone indulge in Armani Beauty Fall 2009?

Share it.

Laura Geller Baked Eyeshadow and Liner Duo Review and Swatches

Laura Geller Marble Cakes Baked Eyeshadow and Liner Duo makes it so easy to shade, line, and define my eyes with a great little kit that even includes a dual ended brush. Likey!

The Muse enjoys simplicity packaged in one box don't you?




Jump for it!

Although Laura Geller Baked Eyeshadow and Liner Duos are readily available on Sephora for $23 bucks, the Muse highly recs checking 'em out on QVC (Item Number A86595) as they contain not only a baked shadow/liner duo but also come prepackaged with a dual ended brush for application.

After my foray into the world of Laura Geller's Baked products with a kit I recently purchased I'm kinda lusting all things from the line. These duos are super as they are affordable and have great color payoff. The shadow comes housed in a chic black compact with mirror. They are split down the middle with the shadow on one side and the liner on the other. Honestly, if you're wanting to you can easily use the liner side as a contrasting shade of shadow as well. The shadow side has a slightly sparkle finish where as the liner is more matte but not difficult to work with as it blends rather beautifully. Both shades are super smooth, silky, and very easy to work with. Could be the baked formula but they sport a beautiful formula. The basic idea is to use the shadow side as a color wash all over lid and crease and follow up with the liner to define eyes. Lining with the enclosed color proves a little difficult since the shadow shade is so similar in color however it does end up working very well when used wet as you'll get a bolder more dramatic finish. Color payoff on the shades I tried were very good.

The kit also includes a dual ended brush which has a fluffy shadow shader on one side and a flat angled liner brush on the other. Both brushes are good quality with super soft bristles and no shedding.








The colors I tried were SugarSky/BlueBerry and Unearthed/Dark Chocolate. Sugarsky is a shimmering sky blue and Blueberry is a deep navy blue. Unearthed is a sparkling golden brown and Dark Chocolate as per it's name is a velvety dark chocolate.


























For my look below I used Unearthed all over my lid and followed up by lining my lower and bottom lash line with Dark Chocolate. I didn't wet Dark Chocolate so the results aren't as dramatic as they could be.




Overall, these are great little shadows and quite a super deal if you purchase the set for $26. Sephora has a total of four shades including a green combo that I'm wanting to indulge in where a the QVC sets are only available in the shades I have reviewed and swatched for you here. I liked these very much and deem them worthy of a Muse Approval.



Loves 'em! Great deal, beautiful pigmentation, and superb formula to work with.