Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Review - Four weeks of use; Vichy NormaDerm

I have been wanting to try the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for over a year, since I heard another blogger rave about how amazing a product it is.  I resisted purchasing it only because I don't often get around Lauder counters, but I wandered into the bay a few weeks ago and decided that was my  sign that it was time to give it a try.  I've now been using it for four weeks, and here's my review of the first four weeks.
Initially, for the first week or so, I didn't notice much of anything, despite the fact that I believe they see you'll see a difference right away.  Perhaps I just take a little longer to ripen.  After two weeks, I started to notice some great changes in my skin's texture.  My pores SERIOUSLY look smaller, no word of a lie.  There's only one problem: I'm also using these two products as part of my new routine.

Vichy Normaderm Triactiv Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care and NormalDerm Nuit Chrono-Active Anti-Imperfection Care.
I started using all of the products right around the same time, so who knows which one is responsible for what?  Or could it be the zinc I've been taking?  I'm no scientist, determining correlation and causality, all I know is that if something's working, I gonna keep doing it.  And this is working.  My forehead and the centre of my face look so much less congested, more radiant, smooth, and, like I said, my normally large pores are significantly smaller.
MY ROUTINE:
I wash my face with my Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Cleanser (which could ALSO be responsible!), this is after removing makeup if I have some on, and then I tone with a Clear Clinical Toner (I got this from a dermatologist/spa that I went to a while ago).  Next I wait a tick, let all that goodness sink in, and apply the Advanced Night Repair (if it's night, obviously), and after another few minute wait, I apply the NormaDerm.  If it were morning, I'd use my Tea Tree Oil Toner from the Body Shop and the Triactiv lotion instead.  If you have combination-oily/acne-prone skin, this might work for you.  I realize it's a more expensive routine, but I'm the type of gal who alternates things pretty regularly, so I'll eventually go back to my 5% Benzoyl Peroxide gel at some point, this is just what's helping me out now.

FOTD: Rock Show Makeup

So today I went to a concert and decided to do something a little different with my makeup.  I ended up doing a dark liner-type look, but with the help of my Sleek Storm Palette and some "Rock Star" glitter from Bare Minerals, I made a grey liner a lot more interesting and fun.
PRODUCTS USED:
- UDPP and "Soft Ochre" PP for base
- MAC e/s "Mylar" on lid and under brow bone
- Sleek Storm Palette: the med. matte brown, dark matte brown, shimmer deep green, light frosted beigey yellow and matte black
- Bare Essentials Eye Colour in "Rock Star"
- MAC e/l in "Phone Number" and "Pale Yellow"
- Benefit Bad Gal Lash
BRUSHES:
- Quo Crease Brush
- MAC 224
- Bare Minerals Smokey Eye Brush
- Stila Angled Liner Brush
- Smashbox #3

Lipgloss Review: Covergirl Wetslicks AmazeMint

I can't say how much I love these Covergirl Wetslicks AmazeMint lipglosses!  They are offered in a good variety of wearable shades, some more opaque like the top and bottom pictured, and some more sheer and shimmery like the middle pictured.  The best part is by far the minty fresh smell and taste, but these are also great because they are absolutely stick-free!!  I find the colours are just amazing, I have rarely found lipgloss colours I've liked so much.  These don't have the staying power of some of the stickier brands on the market, but I'm totally willing to reapply a little more often if it means I get to forgo a lot of the hair in gloss incidents, or worse, dirt/bugs in gloss fiascos ('cause you're still going to have to reapply, and ON TOP OF THAT you might be walking around with a teeny fly in your gloss).  The value is great, these run about $7 in Canada, and are very frequently on sale at most drugstores where they can be purchased.  Like the Fruit Spritzers, I really can't say enough good things about these glosses!

Lipgloss Review: CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers

The CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers (try saying that name five times fast) are an excellent value for money product, running about $7 Canadian (and most likely $5 American - which is SOOO annoying when the Canadian dollar is at/near parity with the USD!!).  They come in a good selection of colours or 'flavours,' and offer a sheer wash of colour and shine, while giving your lips a lovely smell.  These aren't sticky at all, which is a huge plus for me, and there is a bit of variety in terms of coverage - some are really sheer, which some do deposit a bit of colour on your lips.  These are a great product to carry in your purse for on-the-go touch-ups, as they don't require any sort of skill or care in their application.  Worn alone or over a stain/lipstick, I find these a great, indispensable and most importantly AFFORDABLE product!

Lipgloss Review: Stila Lip Glazes

Next in my "Lipgloss Series" are Stila Lip Glazes.  I own a number of these, almost all of which I purchased in some form of kit.  These run quite expensive at Sephora - $22 online for US and I think perhaps $24 in Canadian stores - but they're almost always available in some sort of a kit, particularly around the holiday season (which apparently starts in October now?!!).  The pluses of these are by far their smell and the shade selection.  The negatives?  Well, they are numerous and pretty much ruin the product for me.  Firstly, I dislike the packaging - it's the sort you need to twist to get the product, and you almost always get too much product.  It's a brush-type applicator, which I do like, but I don't like it when it's full of lipgloss.  Secondly, the lipgloss is really sticky, I mean SERIOUSLY sticky.  And, though they smell great, they don't so much taste great.  There are just too many great lipglosses out there for me to repurchase ones that aren't absolutely worth it, and to me, these aren't. (pictured here are "Watermelon" and "Apricot."

Lipgloss Review: Nars

This is my take on Nars lipglosses as part of my "Lipgloss Series."  I have three of these glosses, and I will start by saying that they are relatively expensive.  I believe I paid something like $28 here in Canada for these from Sephora (they're listed at $24 on the Sephora website for the US).  These are available in a fairly wide variety of colours and at least two different formulas/textures.  The three I purchased are "Chihuahua," "Metis" and "Pillow Talk" (top to bottom).  All three of these are very creamy, opaque glosses, but I'm aware of some less opaque, more shimmery colours in their line.  So the plus of these glosses is that they're strong, thick formulations, and that's sort of their down side too.  I generally like my lipglosses to be more on the sheer side of things, and these are just a little too intense for me.  I usually sort of sheer it out by blending with my fingers.  If you like the intensity of lipstick but the form of gloss, then these might just be perfect for you.  They are only mildly sticky, which is good, and they have fairly good staying power.

FOTD: Plum Liner

Today's face of the day is in fact very similar to yesterday's FOTD, a shimmery lid with winged out coloured liner.  I was in a HUGE rush this morning and just thought I'd do something fun but simple, which this look really is.  I also got to use a liner I rarely use, which was an added bonus.

PRODUCTS USED:

- UDPP

- MAC "Soft Ochre" Paint Pot

- MAC "Naked" Pigment

- MAC "Bordeauxline" Power Point Pencil

- Clinique Powersurge Eyeshadow Quad, deep plum colour (I think it's "Night Plum"?)

- Benefit Bad Gal Lash

FOTD: Simple with a Twist: Navy Liner

Here's today's look: I felt like doing something fun but still totally wearable, and this is what I came up with.  The best part about this look is that I got to use a pigment I rarely use, a liner I even more rarely use, and a shadow I may have NEVER used!  

PRODUCTS USED:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion

- MAC "Soft Ochre" Paint Pot

- MAC "Shimmertime" Pigment

- MAC "Prussian" Power Point Pencil

- MAC "Contrast" e/s

- Benefit Bad Gal Mascara