Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Lipgloss and Lip Spectacular Set Review

I recently picked up the Bare Minerals Lip Spectacular Set at Ulta.  The set comes with 6 mini-sized Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Lipglosses for $26, which if sold separately would have a value of $54.

The Buttercream Lipglosses are a new item for Bare Minerals and can currently only be found at Ulta.  A big difference between the original Marvelous Moxie glosses and these new Buttercream glosses is that the Buttercreams don't have the same minty tingling sensation that the original glosses do when applied.  The gloss has a traditional doe foot applicator and a light, pleasant vanilla scent.

The Buttercream glosses have a thick texture that makes them well pigmented, especially with the darker shades.  They are not a sticky gloss and have just a very slight tackiness to them.  Since they are on the non-sticky end of the gloss spectrum, the compromise is that the wear is just okay.  They stay on well when not eating or drinking much, but won't survive a full meal without having to reapply.  They do wear fairly evenly though. and seem to stay put and not run outside the lip line.  The darkest shade, Blackberry Current, also leaves behind a bit of a stain to the lips even after the gloss is gone.    

There are currently 12 shades of Buttercream glosses and the Lip Spectacular set comes with 6 of them.  The set has a nice variety of light to dark glosses, so I feel like it's a good sampler set of the entire line.

Bare Minerals describes the shades included in the set as follows:

• Juicy Mango: Coral Pink
• Forbidden Nude: Buffed Pink
• Sassy Sorbet: Strawberry Creme
• Must Have Pink: Antique Pink
• Flirty Mauve: Toasted Mauve
• Moody Berry: Blackberry Current

The mini glosses in the set are 0.07 oz which is slightly less than half the full sized glosses which are 0.15 oz.  After using them for a couple of weeks I accidentally dropped Flirty Mauve from the highest shelf on my makeup cabinet onto my bathroom floor which broke the screw top part of the container.  That's over a 5 ft drop onto hard tile flooring so I don't count that as a strike against the glosses, though do keep in mind they are in glass tubes.  I kept it to be able to photograph the set but it's unusable for me because not only will it not screw securely shut I have no way of being sure that it didn't get glass in the gloss.  Since it happened to be my favorite shade of the set I decided to purchase the full size, which is why I have a photo comparing the two sizes below.  Now that I've filmed my review and taken all the pictures the mini will sadly be headed to the trash.

Overall I'm really enjoying the Buttercream Lip glosses.  As I just mentioned, my favorite shade of the set is Flirty Mauve, especially for the current season, and I would say my second favorite shade is Must-Have Pink.  All 6 of the shades in the set are wearable for me though, so I found the $26 well worth it to be able to try 1/2 of the color line (prior to being a klutz and breaking one them of course).  If you are already a fan of the Marvelous Moxie glosses, or if you liked them except for the tingling sensation, I'd recommend checking this set out at Ulta.  I was able to find them in store as well as online.  I also did a video review of these on my YouTube channel so if you would like to see more swatches, as well as what each of the 6 shades look like on my lips, I've posted the video below.

September Favorites

Once again I put a video up on the Makeup Miscellaneous YouTube page talking about my favorite beauty products from the month of September.

Here are links to the products I talk about in the video:

Bare Minerals Bare Skin Serum Foundation in 02 Bare Shell
Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Divine Wine
Cargo Lip Gloss in Tuscany
Rimmel Stay Glossy in Seduce Me
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Nail Polish in Checkmate
Pink Zote Soap

Ipsy July 2014

My July Ipsy bag arrived yesterday!  July's theme is Sensationally Sunkissed and as with the past few months there was a ton of variety in the spoilers.  Of course I couldn't resist looking at my Glam Room so I knew what products I was getting before I received my bag.  My only disappointment was that given the items in the spoilers there were 3 possibilities to get nail polish this month and I didn't get any of them despite having nail polish checked off on my Ipsy profile.  That said I didn't get anything I dislike either, so onto the bag...

The first item in my bag was the Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow.  This is a new item from Bare Minerals, and while I think the whole "BB" everything trend is getting out of control, I was happy to get this since I've just started trying out creme shadows and am really liking them.  This also has SPF 15, which is a nice addition since I typically don't put my SPF moisturizer on my eyelids.  The color I received is Divine Wine and it is a dark taupey brown color.  This seems a bit dark for me for a full lid color but could work okay for a simple one color look.  This also feels very much like a fall color to me, and I've been doing lots of pinks & light shimmery golds for daytime summer eyes this season.  I'll probably try it out and then put it away until fall.  This is a .03 oz sample size worth $5.40.

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Next I received the Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry.  I own sample sizes of Benefits Lollitint and Posietint and really like them (in fact I have a review of the Lollitint all written up and just waiting for pictures) so I'm hoping I'll end up liking this brands version just as much.  Color wise I'm not sure it's right for my skin tone but it did seem to sheer out quite a bit as a swatch so I'll have to play around with it.  This is a full sized product worth $22.99

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The third item in my bag was the Faith Aromatherapy Citrus-Ginger Anti-Oxidant Body Lotion.  The name is definitely an accurate description of the scent of this lotion and it smells very strongly of ginger.  I prefer my lotions unscented, so I'm not sure about the scent of this but when I tried a small amount it absorbed really quickly and left my hands feeling soft but not at all greasy.  Since it worked so well I'll have to keep using it to see if I can deal with the scent.  I went to their website in hopes of buying a different scent with the Ipsy discount code but unfortunately this is the only scent in this lotion.  If you like a spicy ginger scent with a hint of citrus though I would recommend this.  This came in a 1 oz sample size which is worth $2.11.

I also received a full sized POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer in Secret Sunshine.  I am fair skinned and  used to think bronzer wouldn't work for me, but when I started using Bare Minerals my starter kit came with a small size of their Warmth bronzer, which made me realize that when applied lightly even fair skin can use bronzer. Currently I've been using Wet n' Wild's Color Icon bronzer in Ticket to Brazil and this POP Beauty Bronzer is similar in tone but with a slight shimmer that the Wet n' Wild doesn't have so I think it will make a great summer bronzer with the shimmer. The POP Beauty website also suggests using this as an eyeshadow. This .25 oz bronzer is worth $10.00.

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Finally in my bag was the Pur~lisse pur~protect Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30.  I swatched this on my hand. and it's a very smooth untinted lotion and has a slight sunscreen smell but no other noticeable sent.  I use a moisturizer with SPF on my face daily before applying my makeup so I'm sure I'll use this up.  It does say it's for normal to dry skin though and I have combination skin so if it makes my t-zone too oily I may save it for winter when my skin gets drier.  Unless this performs wrinkle vanishing miracles though I can't see myself repurchasing this as the 1.7 oz full size is $55, which makes this .5 oz sample worth $16.17.  That's too steep for moisturizer for me since I've found several drugstore ones that work just fine.

The bag itself this month is cute, though I've seen many people online referring to it as pink ravioli, which seems accurate.  I'll probably use it in our beach/pool bag for the rest of the summer to hold sunscreen & chapstick, it's not completely waterproof but it has a vinyl type material that would prevent it from getting soaked and is easily cleanable.

I estimated the overall value of my bag this month at $56.67, which is a great deal considering the $10/month subscription fee.  Of course that's assuming it all gets used but based on first impressions I think I'll use most if not all of the items I received.  I'm also still loving my Ipsy subscription in spite of the questionable "Ipsy Match" profile effectiveness.  Send me nail polish in August Ipsy!  If you'd like to sign up for an Ipsy subscription you can do so using my referral link here.

I decided to try something new this month and started a Makeup Miscellaneous You Tube channel.  I am not entirely sure how often I'll post videos but love watching subscription box unboxings so figured I'd start my first video with my Ipsy bag "unbagging".  If you'd like to see me open and swatch this months items I've posted the video below or you can view it on You Tube here.  My Beauty Box 5 is out for delivery today so expect that blog review & video unboxing in the next few days!

100% Pure Healthy Skin Foundation

I've never loved the feel of foundation on my face and before I started wearing much makeup I would often just use a little powder instead.  Eventually I started using Bare Minerals Matte foundation and have been loyal to that for almost 3 years now.  However in the last few months I've noticed it just isn't giving me as much coverage as I want and wasn't helping cover the skin texture issues & fine lines I've been experiencing as I get older.

I knew it was time to start trying liquid foundations but still didn't want something super heavy that I would be able to feel on my face, and I also wanted to find something with more natural ingredients.  I've been adding a lot more organic foods into my diet so I figured it might be time to clean up my makeup routine a bit too.

100% Pure makeup is not only oganic but all natural and vegan as well.  They use fruit and vegetable pigments to dye their makeup and the fragrances in their products come from fruits and essential oils as well.  I first heard of the company through a friend of mine who recently started using it.  In fact my friend threw out all her makeup and replaced everything with all natural, organic products.  I don't think I'll be doing that myself anytime soon, but foundation seemed like a good place to start.  100% Pure has a tinted moisturizer, liquid foundation, or powdered foundation to choose from.  I decided to go with the liquid foundation.

There are no 100% Pure stores that sell the product near me so I was at the mercy of internet swatches to choose my shade.  The lightest shade is Creme and while I'm fair skinned the absolute lightest shade in most makeups is usually too light for me.  Based on their online shade chart I decided to go with their white peach shade, which they say is for light skin tones.

When it first arrived and I opened the box I thought there was no way it was a shade match and I would have to return it.  As you can see in this photo of it on my forearm it is way too dark initially.

However, once blended in it matches my skin tone quite nicely and as long as I blend it along my chin there is no line of demarcation.  I realize it may still look a little too dark in the photo of it blended in below, but I made the mistake swatching the entire amount I typically use for my face.

I started out applying it with the same flat head kabuki brush that I was using for my Bare Minerals and that worked well, but since I was using liquid foundation now I decided to give the much hyped beauty blender sponge a shot and ended up liking the more airbrushed finish that gave.The foundation does dry fairly quickly so I dab it on sections of my face and blend it out quickly to avoid too much drying in one spot.  The foundation comes in a pump style bottle and I find about 1 1/4 pumps of the foundation is enough for my whole face (and way too much for an arm swatch).

This foundation has an almost powdery finish and as soon as it's dry I don't feel it on my face at all.  I'm not sure it really needs a powder on top but I like to put on a little powder after I've put my bronzer on so currently I've been setting it with a small amount of my Bare Minerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil since I still have quite a bit left.  Once that's gone I have a couple of other finishing powders in mind that I'd like to try (first on my list is It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores).

While this foundation is build-able I would say at least initially its more medium coverage than full.  I did find when I switched from the kabuki brush to the beauty blender there was a bit more coverage.  It doesn't do a great job of covering redness so I've been experimenting with tinted and  redness reducing primers underneath and it helps give it a much more even finish.  If redness isn't an issue for you though you might find it closer to a full coverage foundation.

Overall I am pretty happy with this foundation, especially considering it is organic and all natural.  It is pricey if you're currently using drugstore foundation, but compared to higher end foundations, including the Bare Minerals I was using, it shouldn't be much of a sticker shock.  The 100% Pure website sells the foundation (1 fl oz) for $35, with free shipping if you spend $50, but I was able to purchase it from Amazon a few dollars cheaper with free 2 day shipping since I'm an Amazon prime member (keep in mind that Amazon prices seem to fluctuate often so it may be more expensive now).

Once I'm done with the current bottle I'm using I might try a couple of other foundations I was considering for comparisons sake, but wouldn't be surprised if I end up sticking with the 100% Pure.  I do plan on trying some of the company's other products in the future; their fruit dyed mascaras sound promising, as do their lip products.  I'm hoping that as the company grows they might become available in retail locations like Ulta.

*Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links*