Happy Fourth of July all! While out and about this weekend, don’t forget your sunscreen!

Personally, I recommend Badger Sunscreen SPF 30 for both face and body (Read Review), or if oil control is an issue, try DermaQuest ZinClear (Read Review).

For a powder that can be applied over makeup, look at ColorScience Powder (Read Review).

Need more suggestions? Try the Sunscreen Category!

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

When I first heard of SpinLash Mascara I was a bit skeptical. How could a spinning brush possibly be easy to use and not create a mess? I kept envisioning little specks of mascara being flung onto the mirror, or worse, my face! I also have to say that if you browse the blogs on this one, you will see mixed reactions. Some people are not really keen on this product. But when I tried one, I loved the thing!

SpinLash is a battery operated rotating mascara brush. It comes with its own adequate mascara, but it really shines when used with your favorite brand. It doesnt really spin in the sense of fast rotation. Instead, it very slowly rotates, so all those fears of flying mascara can be erased. The bristles of the brush are quite fine and rubbery, something that I think works particularlywell. The result for me using SpinLash was very evenly applied mascara and lashes with great definition.

One downside is that SpinLash doesnt appear to have a replaceable battery, so when it dies, a new purchase is required. But I suppose that unless religiously cleaned, it would be ready to be replaced by then anyway.

Spinlash retails at around $15 and can be found in various drugstores, big box retailers, and online.

Here is fun item for the do it yourselfer, mineral makeup lover, or craft maven: Make Your Own Mineral Makeup Kits from Bramble and Berry. I spent a morning playing with the neutral and metallics kit and had a lot of fun. I also got some decent eye shadow from the process.

Below are some of the items before I got started (I supplied the larger measuring spoons and larger baggie). The entire kit contains: Titanium Dioxide, Dry Flo, Kaolin Clay, Sericite Mica, Super Pearly White, and the following pigments: Gold Sparkle, Bronze, Honeyed Beige, Sparkle Copper, Cappucino, Heavy Metal Gold, Vintage Grey, Patina Sheen, & Luster Black Mica. There are also 2 eyeshadow brushes, 5 mini measuring scoops, and 10 black containers to fill with your creations.

The kit contains all that you need to custom blend mineral foundation in varying levels of coverage and a variety of eye shadow shades. It also includes a booklet with recipes for various shades and well written instructions. I decided to make a light, medium and dark brown.

To get started, I followed the directions for a matte base and then added color from the included pigments according to recommendations in the book. It is fairly easy to increase or decrease shimmer by changing the mix of the base. The kit also contained a light brown sample. I didn’t end up matching that, but I liked what I got. My attempt at light was more of a neutral beige and my medium and dark turned out to be differing shades of taupe. Then I decided to make a darker brown/gray by adding a bunch of the darkest pigment. Mixing is pretty easy. Simply measure into a ziplock baggie, seal it, and shake! However, for mineral foundation, using a food processor or coffee blender to thoroughly mix the makeup is recommended.

Below are my finished eye shadows, the one on the far left is the light brown sample that came with the kit:

Here are skin swatches in the same order:

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this kit and I liked the results. It would be a great gift or something fun for your inner do it yourselfer. There is also a kit for vivid eye shadow shades.

Bramble and Berry actually specializes in soap making supplies, so if you have an interest in that, also take a look at the rest of their site. In addition, they have a lip balm kit, that I just might have to try for Girl Gloss!

Comparison Shop for Mineral Makeup

Total Beauty sent me samples of a couple of new L’Oreal Skin Genesis Items to try. Both are nice feeling products and have been getting pretty good reviews.

L’Oreal Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer is an oil-free light lotion with Pro-xylane (don’t ask me what that really is, because I don’t know and L’Oreal doesn’t clearly say) and Hyaluronic Spheres. I found it to have a nice light feel and it absorbed very quickly, but because it lacks SPF, it won’t be my everyday moisturizer. I actually have used it some at night, and primarily tested it during that time.

The Skin Genesis Daily treatment is a lotion-like serum, also with Pro-xylane and Concentrated Hyaluronic. I found it similar to the lotion in terms of a light feel and quick absorption.

After a few weeks of use, both products left my skin looking good and I had no issues with breakouts. I rate them as above average items in terms of drugstore moisturizing and anti-aging skin care products. So these certainly are some decent value items.

Comparison Shop for L’Oreal Skin Care Products