The deal on translucent

The purpose of this post is to clear up the confusion people seem to be having about the meaning of translucent. It could tip into rant territory, but I'll try to keep calm. But I've heard several gurus and beauty reviewer bashing on translucent powders saying, "I think it will show up on darker skin or if you apply it too heavily." "It's not invisible!" Wah, wah, wah. All I hear is WAH. Haha, whoops. Did I already start to slip into a rant? Let's get back on track.

Waaaay back in seventh grade, I learned the scale of opacity. It appears that many people were either sleeping during that lesson or skipped class. If you were one of those, or your school simply neglected to inform you, read on!

1. Opaque

The most extreme ends of the spectrum are opaque and transparent. The picture below looks solid pink, but there's actually a black butterfly underneath it. You can't see the butterfly because the pink is so opaque. Opaque materials block your vision. The majority of materials we use in our day-to-day lives are opaque.

2. Translucent

This is where a lot of confusion occurs. Technically, if something isn't completely opaque or transparent, it's translucent. Looking at the picture below, you can see the butterfly, but not perfectly. The pink makes the image look a little fuzzy, and that's a common characteristic of translucent materials. My favorite example is frosted glass. Sheer fabrics are also translucent. You can kind of see what's behind or beneath them, but it's not completely clear.

3. Transparent

Transparent is where you can see everything beneath the material. Think windows and glasses. If there was obstruction to your view, they would be pointless! Below, you can see the butterfly crystal clear.

Comparison

Let's see those levels next to each other.

Okay, now it's really clear what the difference is. But unfortunately, there aren't only three levels in the scale. In real life, it looks more like this:

And that's why there's so much confusion and frustration. Translucence takes up most of the scale. And where do you draw the line to say that something is opaque or transparent? It's really difficult. If something isn't 100% opaque or  transparent, usually people will say that it's pretty opaque, or it's high on the opacity scale, or pretty much transparent. You get the gist.

The word "translucent" encompasses so much of the scale, and that's why the makeup companies use it. They just slap that word in the title so if you think something is too opaque or not opaque enough, they can throw up their hands and say, "Hey, don't yell at us! We warned you and put translucent in the title."

What I'm really trying to get at is that there is no such thing as an invisible powder. If you can see it in the packaging, you'll be able to see it with enough building up on your face. So be careful. Also, there isn't just one shade of translucent powder. I've seen many translucent powders in many shades, so if you're worried about the standard, light-colored translucent powder showing up on your darker skin, get a little bit darker translucent powder that will blend in with your skin better. When buying a powder, it's better to go for a slightly lighter shade than darker. Leave it to bronzer to warm up your skin.

If you're still scared of powder making you look cakey, I've heard that Mally has a clear gel-like product that is supposed to mattify you. It's called the Evercolor Poreless Face Defender. I haven't personally used it, but emilynoel83 has talked about it a bit and seems to really like it. Just keep in mind that it's more expensive than drugstore products. You can watch this video to see what she says about it. The link will take you to the part of the video where she talks about the product, so don't freak out when it doesn't take you to the very beginning of the video.

I hope this was more informative than it was rant-y. Have a nice day!

~Stacie

Why I like the minis at Bath and Body Works

Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mist Minis in Pure Paradise, Rio Rumberry, Capri Seaside Citrus, and Bali Mango

Hey there! I mentioned my love of mini fragrances in a previous post, but I thought I would elaborate a little more in a single post. I think minis deserve their own post. My love of mini fragrances is mostly due to my already large collection of fragrances. Don't remember? Take a look:

There's a lot of full-sized fragrances there. It's going to take me a loooong time use them all up, assuming some of them don't go bad before I can. I don't know how long a fragrance lasts. I've had some for five years and they seem to be fine. Minis are great because it's less product to worry about using up before going bad.

They're also good for another reason. I'm notorious for liking the way a fragrance smells in the store, getting it home, and not liking it. Especially in a BBW, there are a lot of fragrances going on, and I'm not sure if I can  actually tell what I'm smelling. Also, there's an atmosphere in the store that brings my opinion of fragrances up a couple notches. So for the smells that I only sort of like when I bring them home, I thought I would really like and wear all the time in the store. Minis are a great way to try out a fragrance before committing to a huge bottle.

Speaking of trying out a fragrance, sometimes I find that my opinion of a fragrance changes over a period of time. Some of it might be from the change of chemical makeup in the bottle (breaking down over time, for example), and some of it is probably from my likes in fragrances changing. I've heard that as you get older, your tastes change, in clothes, makeup, fragrances, food--pretty much all around. So to prevent that from happening, I'm going to stick to minis for a while.

Minis are also good for seasonal fragrances. I was talked into getting some autumn scents last year that I ended up not wearing all that often. Unfortunately, I bought the big bottles because they were having a Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale (they do that a lot, I've noticed). It was a double hitter for me because not only was I not too crazy about the fragrances, they only appealed to me during the fall and winter months. I don't really want to smell like pumpkins in spring. If only I had gotten minis... I'll know in the future!

I hope this was helpful to you. I think it's a good tip, but that's just me. Have a great day!

~Stacie

PR: Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Hey all! I was using this the other day, and I decided I should do a review on it. This may end up being more of a warning, rather than a review.

This is a cream shadow that you can find at Ulta or wherever else Essence is sold (I've only seen it at Ulta). I bought it upon recommendation from Emily (emilynoel83). She was going on about how gorgeous the color is and how long-wearing it was, and it was so cheap, too! It is cheap, it is long-wearing, and the color is beautiful. This product may have those things going for it, but there is a problem that outweighs its benefits. Let's take a look at a swatch.

As you can see in the swatch, it has a tendency to clump up. It's kind of flaky when it dries. It makes my eyelids look like dragon scales. I do not like the effect at all. And when I think about it, I'm pretty sure that it was like that from the very first time I used it. It's always had a drier texture to it. There are so many other cream shadows in the drug store--some that are just as long-wearing, if not more--that are creamier that I will not be repurchasing this. If you've had a different experience, I would like to know, because I do like that these are pretty cheap.

This was a pretty short review. I hope it was helpful. Have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon!

~Stacie

PS Sorry that there's all those indentations in the product. Hauls will have pretty, new product pictures, and reviews will not because I have to use a product before I can review it. If I've taken a picture of a brand new product in the past, I'll try to use it in the review so things look as nice as possible. Anyway, the little divets and bumps show off how pretty and metallic the shadow is. I just wish it wasn't so dry!

Another haul?! So shameful.

Just when I think I won't be buying any more... I find something else to get. I think I need to go to Makeupaholoics Anonymous. Seriously, it's bad. But at least it's only three things.

Forever 21 10 Shadow Palette in Brown/Natural

Haha, sorry for the patchwork swatches, but I put them all on my hand hoping I could get them all in one shot, but the light wasn't cooperating, so I had to break up the photographs. I also wanted the swatches in order of how they show up in the package, and I swatched them  kind of stupidly. Sorry, sorry, sorry!

The metallic shades are more pigmented than the matte shades. They also have kind of a weird texture that's somewhere between a spongey, gelly and creamy texture. It's crazy and cool. I just can't get over how pigmented they are! There's a great rose gold for those of you looking for a shadow to follow the trend. I wish the pink in the lower right corner showed up better in the picture because the swatch looked more pigmented. All in all, I like it. The lighter matte shades are pigmented, but they're close to my skin tone, so they're having a hard time showing up.

As a side note, I know I'm calling them matte, because I think they're supposed to be, but the bottom right brown almost has a satiny finish. I think they're supposed to be matte because it says "eye shadow and brow kit" on the box, but I don't know. I'm not going to do my brows with a satin shadow.

This is definitely worth the money. It's only $5.80! If you're looking for it in the store, it comes in a box covered in roses. Very pretty.

NYX Roll On Shimmer in Salmon

I got this because Melmphs said she loved it. I was looking for a rose gold, so I thought I'd go ahead and get it. It was only around $4. I love the color, but I'm not crazy about the huge chunks of glitter. I'm trying to find a way of knocking the glitter off before applying it to my lid, but no luck so far. You probably want a base underneath this to help the pigment stay. I like to use Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink. I think that enhances the rosey-ness of the rose gold. Very pretty.

City Color Baked Blush in Guava

I got this from a Five Below store. A college friend told me about them and I hadn't seen them before. When I went shopping and bought the other two items, I saw a new Five Below had been added to the strip mall we were shopping in and I had to go in. My friend had sent me pictures of a bunch of makeup she had bought from a Five Below, and I wanted to see if I could find the same line. I did! So I bought this. I really love the color. I wish it would show up in the picture, but it won't. It really is gorgeous, and it's only $3, so I recommend checking it out (if you have a Five Below near you).

I guess that's all folks. I hope you're having a lovely day, and thanks for putting up with my constant spending splurges. I need to learn some self control!

~Stacie

PR: Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Washable Mascara in Very Black

Can you believe it? I'm actually doing a review instead of a haul! What a shock. Maybe you should sit back to recover for a few minutes before continuing to read the post. ... Okay, is your heart rate back to normal? Yes? Good--let's get on with the post.

Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Washable Mascara

This mascara is definitely not waterproof at all. I know they said washable, but dang! It's not even water resistant a little bit. I think it also kind of smudges depending on the weather. If it's a really humid day, don't bother with this guy.

Here I just wanted to put the wand next to the tube to show how big the bristles are. They're not big width wise, but the part of the wand covered in bristles does seem a little longer than some I've used. I know some people don't like a really long-bristled mascara wand, so that's a plus if you're one of those people. I'm not. It's not that I search for a super fluffy brush, I just don't care either way.

I just wanted to take an up-close picture of the bristles because I read in a magazine recently (Allure, Glamour, something like that) that they were raving over a certain time of mascara because the bristles were in a spiral staircase patter as if it had never been done before. Well, this mascara has bristles like that, and I've seen it on other wands and spoolies, too. This was a recent magazine. I don't understand why they were talking like the pattern was a totally new and innovative thing. It isn't. If you're having a hard time seeing the pattern, try clicking on the picture to see it enlarged.

Over all, I'm not impressed with this mascara. I think this will probably be the last Maybelline mascara I try because they've pretty much all let me down. I think the Lash Stiletto kind was pretty good, but I've found better for cheaper.

What the Turbo Boost mascara does for me: Darkens my lashes. There's no clumps (which is good because it claims to be clump-free), but the formula is not buildable. I don't even feel like it covers my lashes completely to the tip. Very annoying. I guess I just need a mascara that provides both length and volume, but this didn't even seem to provide volume. I will not be buying this again. Nope, nope, nope.

Well, I hope this was helpful information. Sorry that my actual opinion on the mascara didn't seem to come until the end of the post! I'm just a rambling woman. I guess it would be good for someone with amazing lashes if they wanted to darken them, but there are probably still better mascaras for that. Just don't waste your money on this one.

~Stacie

Bath and Body Works Haul

I really, really, really need to stop buying fragrances. I pretty much own a BBW with all the body mists, lotions, and perfumes that I have. If you don't believe me, take a look:

I don't think this properly displays just how much stuff I have. And I think there are some fragrances missing (hiding away in random places I've left them). Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to go through all those fragrances in my whole life. Well, maybe in a few years...

Anyway, BBW had some new fragrances (seasonal ones to boot) and I couldn't help myself. I figure since I have so many, if I'm going to get a new one, it had better be limited edition or seasonal. I'll give you the pictures in chronological order of when I bought them.

I got these when I got back from a break and went back to college a couple months ago. My small group leader lived in a suite and we used the sort of "living room" as the meeting place. Anyway, a suite full of girls means lots of nice smelling things. They always had a candle melting on a candle warmer, and I wanted to do that for my room. BBW was having a Buy 3 for $10 on minis, and thus the pictured items were purchased. The candle fragrances are SO YUMMY. I want to eat them, but that's not good for your digestive tract. I jumped on getting the sprays, too, because they're seasonal.

At the same time I got the lip conditioners mentioned in a previous post, I got these. When I got the mini of Rio Rumberry, that BBW didn't have any of the full sized products. When I bought this in my home town's BBW, they had full sized of all three of the seasonal fragrances. And this was a good month or two later! I would've thought everything would've been sold out by then. But I was happy to get a full sized container. I also picked up a hand sanitizer because I always sanitize my hands before applied makeup and I was running out of mini sanitizers.

This part of the haul was brought on by a coupon I received from the haul before it. I got a "Spend $10 and get a Free Signature Collection Item," so I had to. I wanted to get the new Pure Paradise fragrance, and I needed more mini sanitizers to go in my cute little sea turtle-shaped holder I got a year or two ago. The minis were 3 for $10 again, but one of them went to my friend for her birthday (we went shopping together on her birthday). The sanitizers were 5 for $5, which I think is awesome. The cashier said that promo is pretty much always going, so I don't get why they don't just make that the price. Probably so we buy more. Spending $5 to get each for $1 is more than spending $1.75 for just one. Oh those tricky marketing people.

I really like the new summer fragrances out, so I recommend heading to your nearest BBW and checking them out! Have a great day and I'll talk to you later.

~Stacie