Product I Want To Try: Exuviance's CoverBlend Multi-Function Concealer SPF 15

I spotted Exuviance's CoverBlend Multi-Function Concealer SPF 15 on a shelf in the skincare area of my local CVS, and I was intrigued. The minimalist packaging, undereye claims, and sunscreen were all enough to get me to snap this picture as a reminder to look into it more when I got home.

This seems like a gem. It has an 81% would buy this again rating on MakeupAlley, and a rating of 9 out of 10 on TotalBeauty. A lot of people seem to use this for their undereye circles with success, although it also promises to help hide tattoos, acne, age spots, and bruises. Where was this problem when I used to desperately want to cover hickeys?

Unfortunately, it was about $17 at CVS. That is a bit of a splurge for me right now, so I have been holding off on picking it up. Recently I signed my fall 2008 contract for my teaching assistant position at the local university, so I promised myself to wait until my first paycheck before I pick it up. Looking forward to it! Hope I pick out the right shade.

Although maybe it is not such a splurge as I originally thought. Considering that it claims to be "antioxidant-rich Polyhydroxy Acid Gluconolactone to enhance and improve skin tone" and has sunscreen, it might be a good alternative to one of the products on my "Eye Treatments with Sunscreen - Product Roundup" post.

Eye Treatments with Sunscreen - Product Roundup

An eye treatment with sunscreen is a product I have been wanting to find for quite a while now. A few days ago I found myself at CVS yet again absentmindedly staring at the shelves in the skincare section, scanning the products for the key words "eye" and "SPF." I never have found a product by going this route, so I decided it was time to try another tactic.

Google! These are all of the products I found that met my simple criteria of eye treatment with sunscreen. Some of them also touted as treating puffy eyes, undereye circles, able to smooth while protecting the eye area's think skin from the sun's rays. Unfortunately, some of them have very low SPF (even as low as SPF 4 in one case), and not all of them protect against UVA and UVB rays. Plus some are pretty pricey. I hate to break it to La Prairie, but I will not be contributing $145 to their coffers in exchange for their Cellular Eye Moisturizer with SPF 15. However, I am including them anyway so you can see the array of products available. These are sorted by alphabetical order.

• Avon Anew Rejuvenate 24 Hour Eye Moisturizer SPF 25 for $30
• Chanel Precision Energizing Multi-Protection Eye Cream SPF 15 for $60
• Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care SPF 30 for $25.50
• Clinique Advanced Stop Signs Eye SPF 15 for $32.50
• DDF Protective Eye Cream SPF Plus with CoQ1 at $46
• Dior HydrAction Hydra-Protective Eye Creme SPF 20 for $46
• Dove Pro Age Eye Treatment SPF 8 for $14.09, but currently on sale at Drugstorre.com for $11.69 (I think this one might be discontinued as it seems to be on sale or out of stock on different websites)
• Elizabeth Arden Ceramide EyeWish Eye Cream SPF 10 for $45
• Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Eye Moisture Cream SPF 15 for $48
• H20 Plus Aqualibrium Self Defense Eye Protector SPF 15 for $28
• Kiehl's Protective, Moisturizing Eye Gel SPF 15 Sunscreen for $30
• Korres Natural Products Eye Cream SPF 6, Evening Primrose for $34.00
• La Prairie Cellular Eye Moisturizer SPF 15 for $145
• Mario Badescu Skin Care Eye & Lip Sunscreen (SPF-15) for $20
• Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15 for $66
• Murad Eye Treatment Complex SPF 8 for $59
• Prescriptives Anti-Age Advanced Protection Eye Cream SPF 25 for $48
• Proderma Daily Wear Eye Care Cream Spf 20 for $24.99
• Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream 32 PA+++ for $30

Brand loyalty is something I wrestle with (if a brand has served me well in the past, then I want to go to them for new products, but at the same time I do not want to miss out on other excellent products just because they are not made by one of the brands I am already familiar with), so my first instinct is a desire to try Clinique's, Prescriptives, and Shiseido's offerings. I think I might try Shiseido first since I already know their Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++ for the face does not aggravate my skin or my eyes.

So, is an eye cream with SPF necessary? Probably not, so long as you are careful to use your usual face sunscreen around the eyes. But what can I say, I am a lazy person who does not want to have to layer products. If I am already going to be using an eye cream, then it would be great if it was a 2-in-1 product. I will let you know how things go once I start testing out one of these products.

If you are interested in checking out reviews on these products, I recommend trying MakeupAlley or Total Beauty. If you have used any of these and loved them or loathed them or if you know of one not on this list, leave a comment letting us know about your experiences.

Sinful Colors' Daddy's Girl (or alternatively titled, I <3 Friday)

Fridays are awesome. It signals the start of the weekend, and a break from work. Well, technically. One of the part-time odd jobs I am working until I find a full-time job in my field is the sort that demands my attention 24 hours a day, as if there is an emergency then I have to answer the call. Luckily, that job is done from home.

Unfortunately, the other one is in an office. Monday through Friday I have to defer to more office-appropriate looks. But come Friday evening...




Sinful Colors' Daddy's Girl.

LOL at my messy manicure. Sorry, I don't bother with orange sticks, so you'll just have to bear with me.

Bam!

I could not get a good picture of this polish. It is a jelly, and even after three coats there were still some spots you could essentially see through in bright outdoor sunlight. Sinful Colors is one of my favorite lines for a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because the formula is usually really easy to work with. This one was not, unfortunately. But it is still a really fun dark purple color with gold shimmer, and I am not in a mood to be fussy right now so it is all good.

Appropriate for a conservative office job? No way. But perfect for this weekend. Even better, it is a long holiday weekend, so I even get to have some extra wear out of it. Sweet!

Even better, the Sinful Colors line is great for the super frugal at about $2 a pop. I only know of e.l.f. nail polishes that can beat that price. I get my fix of Sinful Colors at my local Wal-greens drugstore where it is $1.99, but you can order them on their website for $2.50.

Finally, Sinful Colors polishes are Toluene, Formaldehyde, Camphor and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) Free. If that is a concern of yours, then this is a great option.

Apparently, they have a shade called "Orlando" #187 - I want it! Orlando pride, woohoo. It looks like a glittery champagne color - too bad they don't have descriptions or larger swatch pictures on their site. I know they do not sell this one at my drugstore, so I will either have to keep an eye out or succumb to placing an order on their website.

Hope you've got great plans this weekend!