Category Archive for: ‘Shopping’

{From Valerie} Mia Mariu is a US-based company that makes cosmetics, skin care products, botanical supplements, and more.  They are committed to empowering women all over the country with their products and their business opportunity.  Mia Mariu’s products can help you pull off some of the latest bridal beauty makeup trends, including ombre eyes, smokey eyes, Hollywood glam, and others.

The products I had the pleasure of reviewing included the following:

1. Uniquely you deluxe touch up kit – this kit is a conveniently sized compact containing a mineral pressed powder, blush, and three eye shadows (perfect for a smokey eye).  The kit would be ideal for a bride to carry in her purse on her wedding day for touch-ups.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the pressed powder because it’s very shimmery and made my skin look shiny rather than a smooth, matte finish.  The blush is great and so are the eye shadows.  The compact does not come with any applicator brushes, however, so you’ll need to pack those along as well.  The only negative to the touch-up kit is the cost.  At $46, it’s certainly not unreasonable, but it is more than I would personally spend on a compact like this.
2. Mineral loose shadow liner, in rosa – probably the coolest product I’ve seen in a long time.  I picked the light pink color because of its versatility.  It can be used as an eye liner for a soft accent color, or it can be dusted over the entire eye lid for a natural, pastel shimmer – perfect for spring and summer looks.  There are several colors to choose from in the Mia Mariu catalogue – I’d love to play with more of these!
3. Eye shadow brush no. 15 and no. 25 – two must-have tools of the trade.  You’ll need brushes like these to pull of the high-fashion eye looks you see online.  Brush no. 25 is a wet/dry eye liner brush.  Simply get the brush a little wet and it will completely transform the mineral loose shadow liner from a shadow into a liner.  Brush no. 15 is a multipurpose brush that is designed to apply eye shadow directly the crease of your eye, exactly where you want it, especially for a smokey eye style.  I recommend picking up both of these brushes.
4. Volumizing mascara – To be completely honest, I wasn’t impressed with the mascara.  It’s basic, it leaves your lashes looking beautiful and very natural, but I did not notice any type of volumizing effect.  The brush applied the mascara very evenly and smoothly.  I would not recommend this mascara for a high-glam look, but it would be great for a natural look or every day wear.
5. Luminous lip gloss, in tentacion – it is like no other lip gloss I’ve ever tried.  It goes on and stays on like a lipstick but it’s lightweight and glossy like a lip gloss.  I went for the boldest color choice just to try something a glamorous, and I love it!  It even wears well for a casual look with a few blots of a tissue to dull it down.

I decided to use these Mia Mariu products to create a glamorous makeup look for myself.  It’s not often that I wear makeup, let alone wear a smokey eye shadow, blush, and bold lipstick!  What do you think?

{From Whitney} Valerie and I recently had the opportunity to tag team this awesome post, and I could not be more excited. As someone who wears makeup almost every day, I’m always on the lookout for products that make me look smokin’.

That being said, I am super picky about what goes on my face. I’ve always had weird skin, and what may work for a few months may one day make me break out. At the end of the day however, whatever products I use need to feel clean and light – there’s nothing worse than feeling weighted down with a 1,000 pounds of makeup – especially on your wedding day.

The products I tested included the following. I used/wore all of these to my husband’s company party, which is just as rough a testing ground as a wedding – 300 people packed in an indoor space for several hours, with lots of eating, drinking and dancing. Oh my goodness, all the dancing.

1. Restauracel-C Thermal Microdermabrasion Set – Before applying any cosmetics, you have to start with a great foundation. Your skin needs to be healthy and as smooth as possible. Genetics, diet and water intake play a big part of this, and your skincare regimen is not to be underestimated! This set aims to resurface your skin using heat and special spheres to remove dead skin cells, scrub your pores clean, and allow for a smoother application of any other products. Mia Mariu was also kind enough to send me two suncreen sample packets along with the set. Yay for samples, y’all! This product was definitely effective – you can feel the heat working, and it left my face feeling cleaner than it did when I started. The only downside for me is that my skin is super sensitive, and this product was a little rough on my face after the first few uses.
2. Perfecting Finish Mineral Primer – If you’ve never used primer before, all you need to know is this – primer is your best friend, right after great skin. A great primer will even out your skin and prime (ha! See what I did there?) your face and neck for the application of foundation and the rest of your cosmetics. This is a great little primer – a little too wet for my taste, but it was quick to absorb and allowed for smooth application of my foundation. I probably won’t be switching from my current primer, but this is a great starter primer for someone with different skin needs.
3. Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Foundation in Vanilla – Two things about this foundation, right away. It didn’t dry out my skin, which made me do my little happy dance. It also matched my skin tone very well, which is something I have had issues with in the past since I usually end up buying two different shades and mixing them together to get what I want. The only downside was that the application of the foundation itself wasn’t incredibly smooth and left me wishing I had tried the liquid foundation. The foundation held on throughout the night until I got about hour 2 into dancing – I was jumping around and sweating so much (sexy and glamorous, I know) that I ended up rubbing or sweating a lot of it off. It held on longer than most foundations, which caused me to be plesantly surprised.
4. Loose Mineral Shadow Liner in Marino – I used this powder as a liner. I loved how sparkly the shadow is, and I wet my angle brush to use the powder as a liner. I also used it to create a smokey eye. Raccoon eyes are the bane of my existence, and I tend to shy away from darker powders because they create that effect more often than not. Which just makes me sad, no one likes to see their makeup run. I’m happy to report that the Loose Mineral Shadow Liner surpassed all my expectations. I had layered it on extra heavy before the night began, and it was almost all still in place by the end of the night – and no raccoon eyes! Be still my little eyeliner-wearing heart. For $14, this liner is on point.
5. Hydrating Stick Gloss in Diva – This lipstick is great. True to the name, it is incredibly hydrating and kept my lips moist, but not sticky. Sticky lips are no fun for anybody, my husband included – kissability is very important when it comes to what’s on my lips! My only sadness was that I didn’t feel the photo on the website was true to life, as the lipstick in person pulls more of a darker reddish pink than a true red. I ended up layering it with a red pencil to give it an extra boost.

Like Valerie, I used this opportunity to create a more dramatic look for myself than what I normally wear. I was really very happy overall with the quality and the feel of Mia Mariu’s products. I chose not to include a before and after photo for one fact – after all the bouncing around and sweating at the party, it was 2 am and I looked a total mess. I’m not a particularly vain person, but I didn’t want that on the internet!

P. S. Check back later this month for a chance to win a $150 shopping spree with Mia Mariu!