SyntheticElegance

Maybelline Baby Lips

2011-11-11T19:15:00.000-06:00

Via Tumblr

Baby Lips. First, these lip balms melt nicely on my lips when applied, and it didn't feel greasy, waxy, or sticky. Shea butter is exceptionaly great for your skin and when I found out that Baby Lips contained shea butter I was definitely looking forward to trying them. They also contain anti-oxidants, a vitamin complex (that helps in preventing the oxidation of lip molecules and restore damaged cells), Centella (an Asia plant that hydrates while replenishing elasticity), and SPF 20.

My current lip balm has SPF 15 and I've had a hard time finding a different lip balm that: (1) works, (2) has a higher SPF, and (3) is reasonably priced - as I refuse to spend a fortune on anything. So I was really glad that Baby Lips has SPF 20 and actually works in healing my lips. The company claims that it will renew your lips to your natural condition in four weeks, giving you baby-smooth lips. But mine only took three days! It made my lips super smooth and kissable, and gave them a nice sheer shine.

The only downside would be is that I thought they would be flavored, but they're not (well, I couldn't taste anything). They smell quite nice though, but I did find myself having to reapply it after eating or drinking, but that's pretty normal among lip balms, so meh.

As a BzzAgent I received 5 of the 6 Baby Lips varieties. They come in 2 clear varieties (Quenched and Peppermint) and 4 tinted varieties (Cherry me, Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, and Grape Vine).

Here's a small breakdown of what I thought of each: (I don't have the best sense of smell, so bare with me).

Quenched - To me it smells like a cross between watermelon and bubblegum.
Peppermint - Gives your lips a nice minty feeling.
Cherry me - Nice cherry smell and enhanced the color of my lips.
Pink punch - Smells like bubblegum/punch. A nice light Barbie doll pink color. I usually avoid pinks since they tend not to look so good on me, but not this one.
Peach kiss - The first applications felt somewhat grainy. Gave my lips a very light peachy sheen. In a way it just slightly toned down the color of my lips which I liked since I'm a fan or nudes.
Grape Vine - ?

The only one I haven't tried out yet is Grape Vine. But of course, as soon I purchase it I will share my thoughts. My skin tone is on the light side but I do see the some of the tinted ones being more noticeable on darker tones.

Finally, get your $1 off coupons HERE!

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes

2011-11-09T11:37:00.010-06:00

Lots of Lashes. The first thing that drew me to this product is the applicator. From the moment plastic applicators have been out in the market they have become my essential beauty product. If a mascara wishes to draw my attention, it must have a plastic applicator or I will simply move on. I received this product in the mail as a BzzAgent, and wanted to let my readers know what I thought of it.

I like the plastic applicator and the shape of the wand is an added bonus. It really helps getting those lashes in the corners of your eyes without having to worry about accidently smearing formula on your eyelids (something I do a lot). I don't care how good the formula might be, if you don't have the right applicator it will not look good. It's like trying to apply foundation - the wrong tool will make it look streaky.

The color I received was Very Black (141), and black masacaras are my favorite. The formula is a bit on the wet side, but that's not an issue. I don't particularly care about the smell of mascara but in case anyone wonders, I could barely smell the formula. I literally had to hold the bottle up to my nose to even smell it. So it's good for anyone who's picky or sensitive to aromas.

The packing says to not let it dry between coats, so I did exactly that. The formula gave me some volume, but it definitely did make my lashes noticeably longer. Also, the formula and wand do such a good job of coating each lash from top to bottom that the wiggle method isn't necessary. If you apply it using the wiggle method it will clump. Usually the wiggle methods works wonders but for this mascara I found that applying it the old fashion way (straight up) worked best. As in personal preference, I prefer the soft feathery look, and this somewhat worked but not to my standards. It didn't necessarily clump, but rather made a few lashes stick together into one.

Also, the tip of the wand tends to hold more product, so make sure to wipe off any excess there. Results: At the end of the day I only had one tiny flake, ONE flake! And don't forget, DO NOT let it dry between coats, apply while it's still wet for flake free lashes!

Oh and Maybelline is giving away $1 coupons on their Facebook page HERE!

I was also be doing a review on Mabelline's Baby Lip balm soon, so stay tuned!

Syntheticelegance is not financially endorsed to review products.

Zero

2011-06-13T22:01:00.002-05:00

Aesthetics

2011-06-13T18:26:00.000-05:00

Whenever someone would ask me what my least favorite color was I would always answer "gold". I found it as a color that is most people sought after when getting jewelry, and whatever people liked the most, I liked the least. Even my aunt made a funny face when, as a gift, she gave me the opportunity to pick between a gold and silver ring.

Welp, not anymore. I like gold.

I was lucky to come across this necklace you see here as while back when vintage shopping with my mother. She thought it was ugly (at first). But to each their own, and I just had to have it (and it only cost a couple of bucks).

It it quite an elegant piece with tribalistic details, and I haven't had to chance to wear it out because the occassion hasn't popped up, but it is definatedly a piece I will always keep.

Random Inspiration

2011-06-13T15:45:00.001-05:00

Via Tumblr

Erotic Realism

2011-06-08T23:47:00.001-05:00

Opinion

2011-05-30T15:06:00.005-05:00

Sorry if I upset anyone with the deletion of previous posts, but I wanted a clean slate.

On another note...I enjoy browsing through blogs and seeing editorials, tutorials, etc, and well I have a tumblr that consists of images that inspire me, and I decided to browse around tumblr just for the heck of it. What's sad is that I noticed some images tagged "thinspiration" ,"thinspo" or something around those lines and I thought wft?. So I tracked these tags and I managed to find a few blogs where most of the photos consisted of ladies with bodies such as those of Victoria's Secret, the typical model, etc. Those types of photos didn't bother me, what bothered me that among these photos there were photos of unhealthy/anorexic/freakishly thin girls. Images that make you say omg.

I've always known this type of problem existed but actually finding someones blog where anorexic type images are used as inspiration, where followers ask how to purge properly because all they do is gag when they stick a finger down their throat, stuff like this makes your stop and think geeeeezzz people. It makes you want to help them get out of such self disctructive behavior but at the same time you just want to smack some sense into them.

Though keep in mind that not everyone that is thin, is thin because they want to. There are people out there who are natually thin and have trouble gaining weight. I *raises hands* am one of them. Ever since I can remember I've always been on thin side (not the freaky thin, just thin). Fortunatedly, I've been weight training and have managed to gain a number of pounds in muscle mass and thus looking more normal.

AND on another note, it ceases to surprise me that a lot of girls STILL think that weight training will make them "bulky". It won't.

Romantic

2011-05-30T13:27:00.001-05:00

(Source: Tumblr)
Not exactly a big fan of pink, but I'm liking this outfit.

Fresh start. My first post.

2011-05-28T13:07:00.000-05:00

Synthetic - may imply being prepared or made artificially, in contrast to naturally.

Elegance - the attribute of being unusually effective and simple.

-Wikipedia