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Foreo Issa Toothbrush

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The Foreo Issa is a unique silicone electric toothbrush from the company that makes the Luna, a skin cleansing device that is said to rival the Clarisonic.

My first encounter with this brush was in a Sephora marketing e-mail a few weeks ago where I was kind of taken aback. It isn’t my aim to be crass here, but this device definitely resembles something else and I’m not the only one who thinks so (a review on Sephora’s site proves this). I wrote it off as amusing, but not really worth looking back into. A toothbrush does not need to be chic and aesthetically pleasing (albeit adult-entertainment-looking), as far as I’m concerned…nor does it need a $200 price tag.

Foreo Issa ToothbrushForeo Issa Silicone Pulsating Toothbrush, $200

At some point later, I visited the product’s page again to read the reviews (when I found the aforementioned review); I was planning to write an exceptionally snarky post about it. What I found aside from that was that the Foreo Issa may not be a gimmick after all.

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January 2015 Favorites

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January 2015 FavoritesJanuary 2015 Favorites
1. bdellium tools 714 Flat Definer, $8 / 2. L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara, $8 /
3. Nail Tool Kit (from Amazon 3rd Party Seller), $12 (varies) / 4. Tree Hut Tropical Mango Sugar Body Scrub, $7

We’ve made it through January despite cold weather, colds and sinus fun, and so-so moods – here’s what made into my list of January 2015 Favorites.

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Sigma 3DHD Kabuki

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Currently, I only own one brush from cruelty-free brand Sigma, maybe you’ve heard of it? The highly-highly touted F80 Flat-Top Kabuki is raved about on blogs and on YouTube alike because it is a GREAT tool. The design is such that many other brands have launched similar brushes, and that there are a lot of counterfeits on the market.

I creep on Sigma’s site every so often to see if they’re running any sales or have anything intriguing – even when I’m not trying to expand my collection of makeup, I am always up to try new brushes and tools.

It was during one such visit that I came across this, the Sigma 3DHD Kabuki:

Sigma 3DHD KabukiThe Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush

This densely-packed, chisel-tipped kabuki brush is unlike any cosmetic (or paint, for that matter) brush I’ve ever seen. Though it comes to a defined point in the center, either side is flat and ought to be effective for buffing product in.

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Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X

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Many moons ago, I was the happy owner of an Olay Pro-X Facial Cleansing System. Then, in late 2013, I upgraded to a Clarisonic Mia 2. Before I took the leap, I searched for a good, in-depth review of both systems so I could gauge whether or not it was worth bothering to shell out the money. I found a lot of, “Well like Clarisonic is just, you know, better. And it’s rechargeable. And sonic…but the Pro-X is nice if you’re on a budget!”

So, since I have experience with both, let’s pit the Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X. Be warned, this is a very text-heavy post.

Clarisonic Mia 2 Olay Pro-X
Price $150 $30
Power Rechargeable w\ induction charger AA batteries (included)
Included Heads 1 1
Brush Head Price 1 for $27 (multiples cheaper) 2 for $12 (Amazon)
Included Cleanser 1 oz Clarisonic Gel Cleanser

.68oz Exfoliating Cleanser

Personally, I wasn’t impressed with either included cleanser so that much wasn’t important to me, but the investment in the Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X is very different. The initial output is higher, and the heads are more expensive. I buy packs of four once a year at a discounted price and try to find a decent promo code (like at least 20% off that) and stack it with a great cash-back offer from eBates. Batteries, on the other hand, aren’t cheap – I recommend investing in a set of reliable rechargeable batteries to offset that cost.

Let’s look at the devices themselves:

Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X (Olay pictured left) - backClarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X

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Noteworthy and New at Sephora

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I was browsing, as I often do, and came across some noteworthy and new items on Sephora.com. I haven’t tried any of these products, but they’re interesting enough to talk about.

New at Sephora - Kat von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

Kat von D Shade + Light Contour Palette, $46

The KvD-branded makeup line has released a contour palette new at Sephora ostensibly as an Anastasia contender. It only comes in one set of shades (more similar to Anastasia’s lighter palette) and has spectacular reviews so far. Curiously, the darker pans (for carving out cheekbones and whatnot) contain more product than the highlighting/setting pans. KvD/Sephora also released this dual-ended HaC (that’s Highlight and Contour) brush to go with, priced at $36, though any you prefer, of course, will do.

New at Sephora - Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes, $58

It is no secret that Hourglass repeatedly produces things of beauty. And I don’t mean beauty products; the products and packaging are beautiful, elegant, amazing. Their new eyeshadow palettes are features housing similar to their highlighter and blush trios, and the panless presentation of shades is a sight to behold. The collection, which is currently only available to VIB Rouge members, includes seven palettes with five shades each. I don’t think I could justify this purchase for myself, but they’re really fantastic to stare at.

New at Sephora - Benefit Puff Off!

Benefit Puff Off!, $29

I can’t shake the, “Oh look, another gimmicky item from Benefit!” feeling I get when I look at this. This eye gel has a cutesy clothes-iron-shaped applicator for, “ironing out,” any fine lines or puffiness. Personally, I’ll leave my skincare to the skincare companies, but this will be at home in the collections of Benefit fans. This isn’t only new at Sephora; Ulta has this, too.

New at Sephora - The Stunningly Ridiculous and Actually Kind of Offensive $675 of Christian Louboutin Nail Polish

Christian Louboutin Starlight (via the Wayback Machine), $675

OH LOOK, more nonsense from the shoe brand. How lucky that they have a few shoe models in such a low, low price-point! Aside from its mere (annoying) existence, this item’s ridiculosity (yes) is compounded by the fact that the polish is the very same that I wrote about a couple months ago…its just that the bottle is adorned in Strass crystals. Not diamonds or anything, just…swarovski. So not just nail polish, but tacky nail polish in a gift box. Yay! Seriously, seeing this stuff on sale at Sephora makes me roll my eyes. How many of these are they actually selling? It has to be the single most expensive item they carry (not talking about sets or kits).

New at Sephora - YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil

YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil, $32

A new twist on lipcolor, Yves Saint Laurent delivers color suspended in oil as an alternative to a more-traditional gloss. Surprisingly, a lot of the reviews report that it is actually drying. Not sure what to make of that – I’d certainly have expected it to be hydrating. I wonder if other brands will enter the fray?

New at Sephora - BITE Smashed Agave Lip Mask

BITE beauty Smashed Agave Lip Mask, $26

Bite’s highly-touted lip treatment now in a rosy-red hue. I’d probably go for the original because I’d wear it to bed (don’t want pinkish red on my pillowcases, after all) but it is really nice to see brands responding to what consumers have been asking for.
 New at Sephora - Dior Cheek & Lip Glow

Dior Cheek & Lip Glow, $37

Look! Dior’s making Benetint! Just kidding. I’ve never tried Benetint, but I know if this product preforms as well as the Dior Addict Lip Glow appears to (at least according to sales), it’ll have a cult following in no time.

And, let’s end on a positive note, because that’s a nice thing to do…

New at Sephora - Sephora Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish Foundation

Sephora Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish Foundation, $24

That’s a mouthful, but this is Sephora’s foray into the serum-foundation game (like bareMinerals bareSkin, Perricone No Foundation Foundation Serum, YSL Fusion Ink, etc). Sephora foundations, at least since I’ve been paying attention to prestige-level makeup, have gotten pretty good reviews and at only $24 the price is pretty damn nice (especially considering that some drugstore foundations are as high as $15 now). My main complaint is that currently this is online only – makes getting a color match pretty difficult. I’m not sure if this serum foundation’s shades are configured for ColorIQ matches, but I intend to find out because I really, really want to try it. It’s honestly my favorite (taking into account I haven’t tried any of this) of what I’ve found new at Sephora.

Have you seen anything new at Sephora – or anywhere else! Anything beauty-related – that was noteworthy?

Worth it? Formula X :: Update

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My first impression of the Formula X System was not fantastic. Despite this, I resolved to give it another shot, and did. Last Saturday (January 3), I slapped the Formula X System and the color Obsessed on the nails of my left hand. A friend of mine had tried whichever red Formula X shade was included with the Sephora VIB Rouge gift this year and had warned me that it stained her nails a bit, so I didn’t want to commit both hands.

I used the whole Formula X system – cleanse, prime, two coats of color, topcoat and took my time. Like before, the polish dried swiftly, which would be nice if the formula is cooperative. Normally, with gel or regular nail polish, I can speed through it pretty decently – but the consistency of the color polish, even after gently rolling it in my hands five minutes prior to use (and then letting it “settle”), was still thick and awkward.

After only three days, this is what my nails look like. Obsessed shows up lighter than it is in flash, but look – sure, there’s a sheen but they aren’t mind-blowingly shiny like they would have you think. The color is uneven; with the flash you can see my “smile” lines and the streaks very evenly:

DSC_0110

There is already noticeable tip wear despite capping the free edge. The corners of my thumb and ringfingers are noticeably chipped. I don’t use my nails as tools, I wear gloves when washing dishes, and this is my left hand – not my right, which I am far harder on considering it is my dominant hand.

Here’s a close up of my thumb. Ooh, that chip, tip wear, and smile line. Real nice for polish this damn expensive. Granted, you can’t see the smile line in regular lighting… but still, I’m really not impressed.

DSC_0111Formula X Obsessed – Chipped in only 3 Days

Disappointed, I removed it the following day – if it is already looking that rough after three days, it isn’t going to get much better. Fortunately, the Formula X polish removed easily with acetone. I didn’t have major staining but my nails did have a pink cast to them, which I don’t dig. I believe my friend only had the polish, not the whole system, though – I’m not sure what she used for a base coat and such. The Formula X system Shine Top Coat was very underwhelming; basically, Seche Vite would kick its arse in a cage fight. Or chess. Or…you know, being shiny and durable and awesome.

My initial opinion isn’t far off. For how much the Formula X polishes and their, “system,” costs, I expected far better. Perhaps it would behave better for someone who has more time (and more patience) to sit there and labor over ever single nail, but I don’t have that kind of time, nor do I want to spend that long painting my nails with regular polish…only to have them chip in 2-3 days.

The colors in the Formula X collection are amazing-looking (their holos collection looks awesome!) but given my experience? I’m definitely glad I got this free or else it would be returned. Unfortunately, the Formula X System is not worth it.