Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation & Dream Blender

Maybelline has a couple of new products on the market: the dream velvet foundation and a dream blender.  Thanks to ChickAdvisor, I was able to test both of these products.

I tested the Maybelline New York Dream Velvet Foundation in the shade Ivory.  I am usually an Ivory in other foundation brands so selected this shade.  When I swatched it on my hand, it was very orange looking.  It did blend out to look less orange on my face but it was still a tad darker than I would like.  The shade is still wearable but if I were to purchase it in the future, I would get a shade lighter.

Swatch in the shade Ivory (#15)

This foundation is thick and mousse like in texture.  It does spread evenly on the skin but you may have to work quicker as it tends to dry quicker than liquid foundations.  After applying this foundation, my skin felt so soft and actually velvety.  I was really impressed by this quality.  The foundation also feels lightweight so much so that it doesn't feel like you're wearing foundation.  I found the coverage to be about medium.  I have acne scars which it blurred but didn't completely hide.

I have combination skin right now with dry, normal and oily patches.  I found that this foundation got a bit patchy in the oily areas on my face.  This foundation is suppose to have a soft-matte effect but I didn't really find it mattifying.  In fact, the first day I wore this foundation my sister commented on how nice my skin looked and how it had a dewy effect.  It may not have been matte for me but it certainly kept my skin hydrated.  

Overall, I would probably buy this foundation in the future if there was a great sale on it and I could find it in a shade lighter.

I have used cosmetic sponges in the past but nothing like the Maybelline New York Dream Blender.  It is basically a tear drop shaped sponge on a stick.  I found the sponge to be soft and dense.  I used this blender dry as I wanted a fuller coverage with my foundation.  This blender was a bit awkward to use but it did actually do a good job of blending and spreading my foundation.                                                    

I would have preferred if there wasn't a handle on this sponge as for me this would make it easier to use.  I also would have liked the sponge to be a bit bigger so I could cover more surface area. I did like the tear drop shape as it contoured to the curves of my face and I could get in to hard to reach areas like around my nose.

I did wash this sponge and found that I couldn't get it as clean as I would have liked to.  I found myself worrying that if I scrubbed too hard that it would pop right off the handle.  

Overall, this is a unique tool to keep your hands clean while applying foundation and it does a decent job of evenly spreading foundation without any streaks. Would I purchase it?  Probably not as I think there are others tools that are easier to use.

I received these products free of charge from ChickAdvisor for review purposes.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

I decided to try my hand at making a new kind of muffins.  I like lemon cranberry muffins so thought I would enjoy these orange cranberry muffins as well.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
zest from one orange
juice from one orange
1 cup cranberries

Directions:
1.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together.
2.  In a separate mix wet ingredients: butter, egg, buttermilk, zest of orange and juice of orange.
3.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir till combined.  Do not over mix.
4.  Add cranberries.
5.  Fill paper lined muffin tins.
6.  Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 12 large muffins

Tresemmé Volume & Softness Hair Maximizer

I tried this product in conjunction with the pre-wash conditioner and volume shampoo. It was the final step in the volume system. I used this product on my towel dried but still damp hair before combing through it.

The product has a nice consistency. It is not so runny that you can't apply it nor is it too thick to spread. The product absorbs easily into the hair and leaves the hair with a wonderful fresh, clean scent.

I found that this product really helped my pick comb glide through my wet hair. I usually struggle with getting my comb through my hair due to tangles but this product minimized that issue. My hair also felt light and airy with use of this product as well as the pre-wash conditioner and shampoo.

This product left my hair feeling soft both while my hair was wet and when it dried. I did have extra volume in my hair but it wasn't so noticeable that my normally frizzy hair got huge volume. It was a nice controllable and manageable volume.  I would continue to use this product for the softness it brought to my hair.

I received free full size products from Glam Sense to facilitate this review.

Tresemmé Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo

I really enjoyed using this shampoo. I used it in conjunction with the pre-wash conditioner (step 1) which left my hair soft and smooth and ready for the shampoo.

I loved the smell of this shampoo. It has a fresh, clean scent that lingers in my hair. 

The shampoo has a nice consistency. It is not too thin or too thick. The shampoo lathers so well and makes me feel like I am getting a really good clean. The product rinses easily and completely from the hair after lathering. 

I tend to avoid volumizing products as I have frizzy hair, however, to my surprise this shampoo did not make my hair any frizzier. It did have more volume but it was easily manageable. I found that my hair felt so much lighter even when it was wet. Overall, I liked this shampoo and would continue to use it.

I received free full size products from Glam Sense to facilitate this review.

Tresemmé Beauty-Full Volume Pre-Wash Conditioner

Tresemmé has a new line of products called Beauty-Full Volume.  The system I tried had three components: Pre-Wash Conditioner, Shampoo and Volume & Softness Hair Maximizer.

The pre-wash conditioner is the first step followed by the shampoo and then the maximizer.

I had never tried a pre-wash conditioner before so this was a new experience for me. First of all, I loved the smell of this product! It was such a fresh and clean scent. I have below shoulder length hair and found that I needed about 4 pumps of the product to cover my hair.

The fact that this product comes in a pump bottle is a huge bonus as it makes it so much easier to dispense. After I had wet my hair with water I applied this product. I then waited one minute and rinsed the product out. I found that when this pre-wash conditioner was in my hair, my hair felt so soft and smooth. I was really impressed!

This product was the perfect consistency; it wasn't too thin and wasn't too thick. It was easy to apply to the hair and it rinsed out well. Overall, I would continue to use this product as part of the volume system.

I received free full size products from Glam Sense to facilitate this review.

Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

I came across a recipe on line to make butterscotch pudding cookies.  The cookies turned out well but the dough was so stiff and hard to work with.

 I decided to modify my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe and created these butterscotch pudding cookies.

Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter (or margarine)
1 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 box instant butterscotch pudding mix (113g)
1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips

Directions:
1.  In a bowl combine butter and brown sugar.  Mix well.
2.  Add egg and vanilla until well combined.
3.  Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and butterscotch pudding mix and mix until combined.
4.  Mix in butterscotch chips.
5.  Drop by tablespoon full onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten tops slightly before baking.
5.  Bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes.

Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen

Happy New Year

Wishing you all the best for this New Year 2016!