Maybelline Instant Age Rewind

I may be seeing another "Is It Just Me?" Giveaway in my future!  I wrote recently about my battle with undereye puffiness (see here) and I picked up a few things to help combat the bags.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind is a concealing product with a sponge-tip applicator.  You twist to get product into the sponge, then apply it directly under your eyes and blend with a finger, brush, or the sponge.  Maybelline claims that it erases dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness.

While I do think this is a nice highlighting concealer for the undereye area, I don't really get the hype.  It's nice, but not revolutionary.  It doesn't reduce my puffiness at all and because I don't have fine lines under my eyes, I can't comment on how well it handles those.  I think it's just another basic undereye concealer.

My recommendation is this - if you're looking for a drugstore undereye concealer, give this one a shot.  If you have one that works pretty well for you already, don't waste your money on this.

Origins VitaZing Moisturizer

I'm a complete YouTube junkie.  Seriously.  I am completely addicted.  My poor fiance walks in the room and I'm permanently glued to my laptop, intensely watching tutorials, reviews, hauls, and more.  I've got my favorites (all YouTube beauty junkies do), and occasionally several of them start professing the wonders of some wonder-product.  A "holy grail" item, if you will.  Sometimes I roll my eyes when I see the pricetag, and sometimes I take note and give it a shot.  This time, paying attention actually paid off.

I have rosacea, which means my face is constantly red and flushed.  I have trouble with dryness and, when it flares up, "eruptions" that resemble acne.  I won't go into all the details about how I've calmed down my rosacea and kept it calm (that's the topic for another blog entry), but I will preach the importance of moisturizing and sun protecting.

After hearing MakeupbyTiffanyD gush about this product (and a couple others, like xsparkage, etc.), I decided to give it a shot.  An old friend loves Origins products, and I've always had pleasant experiences.  This retails for $36, and can be purchased at any free-standing store or counter at department stores like Macy's.  Although it's a little pricey when compared to your general drugstore brands like Aveeno and Cetaphil, you only use a tiny amount with each use and, in my opinion, the benefits justify the price.

The product comes out of the tube white, with tiny flecks of tan (which may not be seen in the above picture).  The amount I have put on my hand above is actually a little more than you normally need to cover your face.  Blended into my hand, I get:

As you blend, the white color fades to clear, but with a slight tint.  It is not orange or shimmery, and it does not smell like fake tanner.  I find that it sort of livens up my skintone in a very subtle way while moisturizing and refreshing my skin.  Even my rosacea has calmed down a little further, and I haven't had the teeniest bit of flaky dry skin since I started using it.

My only advice on the VitaZing moisturizer is this: Wash your hands after you apply it, especially if you used a little too much and there's more left on your fingers.  It does not resemble fake tanner and will not turn your hands orange, but if you wipe your hands on a towel, they can leave marks.  (I hesitate calling them "stains", as I have had luck washing them out in the washing machine.)

Hope this helps anyone who was considering VitaZing but hesitant about the price, or if you are looking for a new moisturizer and aren't sure where to turn.