IT's All About You! IT Cosmetics Review

I have been dying to try IT Cosmetics for a while now, seeing the beautiful Jamie Kern Lima on QVC so many times creating a flawless complexion on herself and the models. I would see blemishes, rosacea, birthmarks, anything covered up with ease and with a natural finish. Plus, Jamie's enthusiasm was infectious. The price tag was the only thing standing in my way. IT is not cheap.

A few months ago, however, I got my chance with a Today's Special Value of a five piece IT Cosmetics set for a very (incredibly) reasonable price. It included a Celebration Foundation (I have the shade Fair), Bye Bye Undereye Waterproof Anti-Aging Concealer, Brow Power Universal Eyeshadow Pencil, CC+ Radiance Palette, and the Heavenly Luxe Dual-Ended Complexion Perfection Brush.

I debated whether to go for it or not, as I am quite happy with my current foundation routine, but in the end I ordered.

When I tried it at first, I was really unsure how I felt about it. There is a definite learning curve with most of the products except the foundation. The foundation was a no-brainer, and melted beautifully into my skin. I love the texture of it, and the shade is an absolute perfect match for my extremely pale skin (I know the photo looks like just a reflection in the compact, but no, it's actually just that light!).

I had heard such rave reviews about the Bye Bye Undereye Concealer, I was very excited to try it. The first time I used it, however, I used WAY too much. When I applied it, it was sticky, cakey and awful. Less is more with this one, no exaggeration. A pinhead sized amount is perfect. Let it warm up on the back of your hand, and then with a light touch, use the concealer brush to dab the tiniest bit onto the end of the brush and apply to the face. I find dabbing works better than swiping with this concealer. The tiniest amount goes a long way, and although you may think a pinhead size amount won't cover everything, it really does. Once I got this routine down, I fell in love with this concealer. It lasts all day, doesn't crease, and covers everything really well. I've had a recent recurrence of acne (see my plight here) and the Bye Bye Undereye has covered it up better than my HG bareMinerals concealer (I can't believe I just admitted that!).

My education into IT continued with the CC+ Radiance Palette. This generously-sized palette includes a blush stain, a matte bronzer, and a CC+ Brightening Finishing Powder that according to the packaging promises to "color correct your complexion and give the look of healthy, glowing, younger-looking skin."

The bronzer is a universal shade that I think could help contour all skin tones. It's very easy to use, and is subtle yet buildable. It definitely gives the look of being out in the sun, but without overdoing it. The trouble with this palette, however, started with the blush stain. I was already unsure of this shade because it is super bright and has a lot of orange tones. Being so pale, shades like this can make me look like a clown if I am not careful, as my usual blushes are more pink.

I had to learn my lesson the hard way that less is more with this product as well. I made the grave mistake of swirling my Heavenly Luxe brush (which is awesome) in the blush stain. It was so much blush on my cheeks I could have been mistaken for Bozo the Clown! I panicked, my cheeks super bright, and tried to wipe some of it off, but as it's a stain, nothing was coming off! I tried to hide it a bit by putting some foundation over it, but that was the best I could do since I was already late for work and couldn't start over. I was so embarrassed (which didn't help the redness of my cheeks). So now, I only dab my brush in the product a few times and I get the perfect amount! Swirlers be warned: tap, tap, tap! Now that I know the proper application, I actually love the shade. It's a great summer color.

The only part of the palette I'm still not sure of is the CC+ Brightening Finishing Powder. It is a great setting powder, and does a fantastic job of the ever-important final blend. I would equate it to bareMinerals Mineral Veil, where it gives an airbrushed look to your makeup. However, I have noticed no brightening or color correction of my skin at all.

I have no use for the Brow Power Universal Eyeshadow Pencil, as my eyebrows don't really need filling in. The concept of this pencil is very cool, though, where the color of the pencil depends on the amount of pressure you apply when shaping your brows. The lighter you press, the lighter the shade. You can expect this item to be included in a future giveaway.

I am so happy I got the opportunity to try IT Cosmetics via this Today's Special Value. I wouldn't say I like it better than bareMinerals, but these are all products I would definitely consider repurchasing. Especially the Bye Bye Undereye. It's a really great concealer not only for those pesky dark circles, but it works great on covering acne and discolorations.

Have you tried IT Cosmetics? Any favorite products?

Bloggers Day Out

This weekend I treated myself to a day romping around my beloved NYC. I haven't had a chance to wander its streets in such a long time, I was excited to have the opportunity yesterday. I had to give my favorite Broadway show, Newsies, a proper sendoff before it closes later this month, so I bought my ticket and decided to make a fun little outing for myself.

I started out at Schnipper's Quality Kitchen on 8th Ave and 41st, very close to the Nederlander Theatre where Newsies is housed. This is an awesome burger joint. Serving traditional fare such as hot dogs, fries, and shakes, it even has Sloppy Joes and mac-and-cheese. I splurged and went with the Bacon Cheeseburger and fries.

Oh my, it was tasty. The bacon was so crisp (I hate soggy bacon!!), and the burger was perfect. The fries were shoestring style, crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. McDonald's wishes they could make fries that good! I also had a lovely conversation with the woman at the next table about the beauty that is a Vera Bradley bag. I was sporting my Plum Crazy patterned purse, and she had a soft pastel pattern. Her timing could not have been more perfect, as she asked me about my purse at the very moment I sent a text to my mother commenting on the high number of women in the restaurant with Vera Bradley bags! And don't let my photo fool you, I finished every morsel of that delicious meal.

After lunch it was off to the theater to pick up my ticket from Will Call. I am absolutely heartbroken that Newsies is closing. This was my third time seeing the show, and each time is better than the last. I had always been a giant fan of the original Disney movie, starring Christian Bale as newsboy strike leader Jack Kelly. For years I waited patiently through all the rumors of the movie coming to the Great White Way, and finally in 2012 my prayers were answered. Although different from the movie, Newsies the Musical is a few hours of pure joy that captures the heart of every member of the audience. The music is wonderful, the story is inspiring, and the dancing is both athletic and magical. Although I take solace in the fact that it is not closing forever and instead going on a national tour, I am going to miss this show so much. I was on the verge of tears during the curtain call, but I held it together.

I even stayed at the end with the other fangirls and got autographs from the cast! At the top is Ben Fankhauser, aka Davey, who I think would make the original movie actor, David Moscow, very proud. Below him is Corey Cott, aka Jack Kelly, who truly makes the part his own. And at the bottom is Liana Hunt, aka Katherine, who is as beautiful and graceful as she is talented. I was so starstruck, and so impressed how patient and gracious each member of the cast was as they went down the line of waiting people. They each made sure that they autographed the program of every person there. I have been at stage door autograph sessions many times, and rarely do the actors show that much consideration and appreciation for their fans.

My mission was to say goodbye to Newsies, and I think in my heart I did...... but if someone wants to give me some tickets so I can go again before it closes, I wouldn't turn them down!

And no adventure through Manhattan would be complete without some beauty stops! Birchbox, the monthly beauty subscription box service, recently opened their first physical store in SoHo, and although I've been disappointed in the boxes I've been getting as of late, I had to visit the shop and see what's what.

It's a gorgeous shop, with beautiful displays categorized into such areas as makeup, haircare, fragrance, men's, etc. Like their website, the store sells the full-sized versions of products they feature in their sample boxes, plus offers hair and makeup services. I had to avert my eyes when I walked past the display featuring the samples from the August box, since I haven't gotten mine yet and I like to be surprised. I also like that they have a section reserved for their top selling items. I will say that, like many other cosmetic stores, the try-me items were in a sorry state. For example, I opened one of the cheek and lip color palettes from theBalm, and it was sticky and disgusting, as if someone had taken their fingers and just smushed it haphazardly from one pot to the next. Gross.

I was most excited about the BYOB section: Build Your Own Box. For $15 you can purchase the same size box as the subscription service, but fill it with the samples you want. First, Birchbox should probably replace some of the bulbs in the sign (see above; didn't the store just open?). Second, no one was there to assist me (in fact I was pretty much ignored by the 99% of the staff the entire time I was in the store), so I'm not even really sure how it worked. And third, they had a few paltry samples in the display case, were they the only samples you could choose from for the BYOB (oh wait, I wouldn't know because no one was there to help me)? If so, the samples were not exciting enough to spend the money on.

So the Birchbox store was, like their boxes recently, underwhelming. But then I noticed this gem across the street:

A real Benefit boutique!! Like the elusive Sasquatch, I had only seen such shops in photos, never in person. In my area, the closest thing I have is the display at Sephora. Nothing like the perfectly pink playground of these boutiques. I think I made the staff uncomfortable when I walked in grinning from ear to ear! They asked if I was looking for anything in particular, and me being the creeper I am, replied that I just wanted to see how pretty and pink everything was in person. They backed away from me slowly... just kidding, they laughed and treated me very nicely! PS The sign, in case you can't read it in the photo, says "If you like it then you better put a wing on it," which I thought was adorable.

By this time it was getting pretty late and I was exhausted, so I headed home. My day-cation was so enjoyable. I really needed it, as this past week was completely awful (among other things, I got into a car accident!), and this escapade through the city was the perfect medicine.