A Girls Night Out with Almay- CC Cream Review

For the last year,  BB creams were the beauty-product-du-jour. It seems like every brand came out with one, and ads on TV and in magazines all touted BB creams as THE skin solution.

I had never tried a BB cream because I felt that they wouldn't provide enough coverage for my skin, which is breakout prone. I like to use concealer to help hide imperfections (like blemishes and unevenness) and then top that with a powder foundation for a smooth, matte finish.

About a year after the reign of BB creams, I suddenly started to notice ads and commercials for CC creams.  Promising to offer more coverage and color correction than BB creams, my interest was piqued.

I recently had the chance to test out ALMAY� smart shade CC cream� .  It promises to cover imperfections, correct discoloration in the skin and also to help brighten your skin tone with continued use. It also contains an SPF 35 which is awesome; especially because I live in Texas so extra sun protection is always a plus.

The best part is that the CC cream has Almay's color-match smart shade technology and adjusts to suit your skin tone so there's no guesswork. I used the "light" color and it blends evenly into my skin.  I like that it feels moisturizing but not oily, and it gives medium coverage so imperfections are corrected but your real skin still shows through.  I've always spent the most time on my skin when I apply makeup because I think having a great "canvas" is crucial to the rest of your makeup looking good.   I did add a little concealer on top of Almay's CC cream to help cover a couple of blemishes and then I set the CC cream with a light dusting of Almay's Smart Shade loose powder.

The thing I like about CC cream is that it's kind of an in-between product---not the full coverage of a traditional liquid foundation but more coverage than a tinted moisturizer (or BB cream).  It's one of the products I would reach for if I wanted to look a little more polished for a weekend morning of running errands or if I needed to quickly even-out my skin but didn't want to wear a full face of makeup. 

Using Almay's CC cream, I created a 'girl's night out" look. Now that I have a baby, girl's nights are very few and far between (okay, let's just call a spade a spade and say there have been no girl's nights since Harper was born, unless you count late night bottles and cuddle sessions as a girl's night). So I thought it would be fun to dress up a little...

Starting my makeup with Almay's CC cream and ending with one of their bright pink color+care liquid lip balm (in "pink pout"), I headed to my closet to select the perfect outfit for a girl's night out. It was an ideal opportunity to wear my new peplum top (yep, definitely jumped on that trend train!)

I like this look because it could be worn for a night out with girlfriends but it's not too fussy---and it's incredibly comfortable too. 

My skin with Almay's CC cream and a light dusting of powder- followed by bronzer and blush. You can see a few of the CC cream shades and the gloss I used below!

and here's my girl's night out outfit...

 Top- Anthropologie | Jeans- GAP | Shoes- Zara (old) (similar, similar) | Necklace- Groopdealz.com | Bag- Tory Burch Reva Clutch | Sunglasses- Lulu's c/o

 GIVEAWAY!!
For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, answer this question: How do your create you favorite girls' night out look?

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this postTweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: �#SweepstakesEntry�; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 10/23/13-11/19/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay Brand Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� posts and find more chances to win!

Mommy + Baby in Boden

I heard about the UK-based brand Boden on a style and beauty forum I'm a member of.  I checked out the site about a year ago and loved the fresh, classic styles.

So when Boden approached me about showcasing a mommy+baby fall look, I was delighted to pick out an outfit for Harper and me.  I love that Boden has a baby line too! Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for a 20% discount code!

Shirt- Boden c/o | Skirt- Zara (old) similar, similar | Bracelet- J.Crew (and here and here) | Shoes- Steven by Steve Madden (love them in teal too!) | Lip Gloss- Almay Color+Care in Blooming

Harper's Dress- c/o Boden

...and just for fun, here are some of my favorite picks from Boden's website:

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Before you go, Boden has generously offered a special promo code for y'all! From Sept. 9th through Sept. 12th, use the code DAFB for 20% off of your purchase. Follow this link for 20% off.

From September 13th through September 16th, use the code BD2B for 15% off of your order of $100 or more plus get FREE shipping. Follow this link for 15% off of $100 plus FREE shipping.

Let me know what your picks are in the comments below!

Sponsored- A Girl's Night Out Look with Almay

Today, I'm sharing a new video via BlogHer and Almay featuring Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog showing us how to get a pretty look for a girl's night out (and she uses one of my favorite glosses---Almay's Color+Care Liquid Lip Balm in the color "blooming") I hope y'all enjoy her tutorial!

Have a great Tuesday and enjoy this shortened week!

Sponsored: A Pretty Weekend Look

Today I'm excited to have been asked by BlogHer to share with you a second video in the Almay sponsored series called  �Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.�

The video below shows a casual weekend look using minimal makeup to achieve a polished face that's quick and easy.  You may remember I shared my five minute makeup routine recently, so this video was right up my alley.

Speaking of Almay, I cannot wait to share a review with you all of Almay's latest Color+Care glosses that I have coming up soon.  They are amazing and I can't wait to show you photos and swatches of the shades I got to test out---they're pretty much my most favorite products I've had the chance to test out lately!


 
Watch the video above to learn how Kate Bryan from The Small Things Blog uses Almay's CC cream, bronzer, mascara and gloss to create a laid-back and pretty weekend look.

Thank you for reading and wishing you all a wonderful week!   

Sponsored: A Date Night Look by Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog

You might remember a recent date night makeup look I posted when I was still pregnant using Almay products.

Lately my "date nights" have been all about cuddling with our sweet little newborn Harper so today I'm delighted to have been asked by BlogHer to share an Almay-sponsored video series called �Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.� In the first video, you'll learn to re-created a date night look by Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog.

And speaking of date nights---let me know when you had your first date night with your husband post-baby!


Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Creating a Date Night Look with Almay's Smart Shade Mousse Makeup

Now that we're in the home stretch of my pregnancy, my husband and I have been spending a lot of time getting ready for baby.  One thing everyone told us is to make sure to go on a few date nights before the baby comes.  I think that's such great advice, because your life as a couple is about to dramatically change as you bring a new life into the world (sleepless nights, most of your attention devoted to baby, new routines, etc.), so it's nice to spend some quality time together as a twosome before baby's arrival.

Recently I got to test out some new Almay products to create a "date night" look and it was really fun to step outside of my typical makeup routine and test out some new products.

The first product I tried is Almay's new Smart Shade Mousse makeup.  I had never tried a mousse makeup before and I never wear liquid foundation so I was curious as to how it would work on my skin.  What's amazing is that the foundation is white in the packaging---but as you rub it into your skin, it instantly transforms into your ideal shade, right before your eyes. I used the Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light."  I was really surprised at how much I loved the texture since I'm a powder girl.  It goes on really smooth spreads evenly and gives your skin a nice, airbrushed look.  It provides medium coverage---I could still see some of my freckles through it (which I love). I followed the mousse makeup with a touch of concealer to cover some blemish marks (hello pregnancy!) and then sealed it all with a light dusting of Almay's pressed powder (also in the color light).

Almay's Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light"

Almay's pressed powder

 

To complete my look, I was sent Almay's intense i-color eyeshadows in the "bold nudes" collection, which was right up my alley.  The long-lasting shades are nicely pigmented and make application easy because all three colors are meant to complement each other.  I actually chose to combine two palettes to create my date night look.  I used the dark brown from the palette on the left to line my top lash line (I dipped my brush into water first to get an even bolder line) and then I used a combination of the two purple shades on my lower lash line---first lining with the darker plum and then going over that with a lighter purple which had a beautiful iridescence to it.  Finally, I used the shimmery ivory shade from the purple palette to make the inner corners of my eyes and my brow bone pop.

To get a sunny glow on my skin, I swiped Almay's smart shade bronzer onto my cheeks, the sides of my nose and in my hairline.

Here was my final date night look:

 

A close-up of the eye makeup---it's hard to tell from far away, but up-close, you can see that I have a bit of an olive color mixed into my eyes---and this gorgeous purple shadow really brings that color out. Maybe I need to wear purple more often!

 

I hope you liked this look!  

 

Check out Almay's website for more information about their products and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

"What's your go-to date night look?" Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/16/13-6/16/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� reviews and find more chances to win!