You Ask, We Tell

Introducing our very first question and answer session, compiled from your comments and e-mails. This will be a weekly feature, provided we have questions to answer! Please e-mail us at primpandtell@gmail.com if you have anything you want answered – or even suggestions of products you'd like us to test.

Shannon asks: How do we exfoliate our lips? I use a washcloth lightly in the shower. What do you do?
Missy tells: This may sound silly but I sometimes brush my lips with my toothbrush, after rinsing any toothpaste off of course! Immediately follow-up with chapstick. My lips only get very dry in the winter months and it may be a funny technique, but it's actually quite effective for me!
Kelli tells: Actually both are technically right, depending on who you talk to. I've done both, and in fact used to keep an extra toothbrush just for that purpose. But I've also heard a lot that you should get a wet washcloth and gently rub your lips. I do that sometimes, too. And, yes, immediately follow up with some kind of chapstick or balm.

Sarah asks: I have some acne scars on my chin and a wrinkle in between my eyebrows from squinting that are getting more noticeable to me as I age. You probably have no personal experience about products like this since your skin is flawless, but have you heard the skinny on any good products to address my issues that won't break the bank?
Kelli tells: Spare me, my skin is not flawless! I have the same thing going on with my chin. I found this stuff at Target, brand name is AMBI, and it's supposed to specialize in diminishing scars and dark spots on the skin. I haven't used it much, yet, but it may be something to try. It's very cheap compared to other stuff, too. I bought a scrub and a face cleanser for only $5 each. Or, so far, anything in Oil of Olay's Regenerist line has made me happy – but not totally convinced yet. Still testing that stuff. It's a little more pricey than, say, Aveeno or Neutrogena, but I do recommend both of those. Especially Aveeno. I've never tried anything of theirs that I didn't love. I can always tell a difference really quickly.

Shannon asks: How do you get your hair SMOOTH. Mine has so many fly-aways, and I know I can't get rid of the cowlick, but the rest of it is just crazy. And yours is always nice and smooth. Plus what flat iron do you use?
Missy tells: I always use ceramic flat irons. I bought mine at Sally Beauty and paid full price of $39.99. It's amazing. And I've had it for over 2 years and it's still going strong! I always blow dry with my root lifter and flat iron it straight, finishing with a good non-sticky hairspray. Because my hair is fine, smoothers usually tend to make it greasy. And my hair is only smooth now because it's not 80% humidity outside! See me in the summer and I'll be sporting a pony tail most of the time (or going curly).

Jenny asks: Have you ever found an eye-brightener stick or highlighter stick that you've really liked? What about under-eye concealer?
Kelli tells: I'll get back to you on that highlighter thing, Jenny. As far as concealers, there's actually several I like. My little sister introduced me to one called All Over Brightener by Carmindy for Sally Hansen Natural Beauty. The one I use is actually lavender/pinkish colored and it works really well, believe it or not. You can use your fingers to put it on or with a concealer brush. I bought it at Ulta online. I also use one by Sonia Kashuk at Target. It's part of her mineral line (which I'll be reviewing very soon because it's amazing) and it also works really well. I highly recommend a concealer brush, by the way.

Shell asks: Have you ever bought makeup/beauty products at say CVS that say you can bring it back if you don't like it for 100% refund?
Kelli tells: While I have never taken up a drugstore on the offer, I know a few have that very policy. This is directly from the CVS website, "All CVS/pharmacy Brand products and all beauty products are 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. If you are dissatisfied for any reason, you can return the CVS/pharmacy Brand or beauty product (opened or unopened) along with your receipt or invoice and we will refund the full purchase price- no questions asked." I know Walgreens has a similar policy as well.

Shannon asks: What moisturizer do you guys use?? Mine JUST ran out this morning for my face, and I need something that works? Any ideas?
Missy tells: Right now I'm using Aveeno Ultra Calming moisturizer. It's on my list to review because I'd intended to buy the Positively Radiant by Aveeno but had a brain fart at Target and spent $14 on a moisturizer I don't really like all that much, but am using it because I don't want to fork out the money for the Positively Radiant (which I've only heard good things about) unless I have to! (Whew!)
Kelli tells: I change moisturizers a lot because I like to try new things, but I've been using Neutrogena Visibly Even during the day. It has SPF in it. (Except for this two weeks that I'm using the 14-day Rescue moisturizer.) My favorite ones I've ever used have always been by Loreal. At night, I usually use a much richer night cream. I'm using a lot of anti-aging products right now, because I have a lot of fine lines, so I doubt you'd be interested in that, you young spring chicken, you. I also have to second Missy about the Positively Radiant. My dermatologist recently gave me several samples of it (because it was my birthday) and I love it. I bought the Positively Radiant night cream as well, which I'll report on when I start using it after the 14-day Rescue.

Vanessa asks: I know I should not ask this but, will [Oil of Olay Definity Eye Illuminator] work for guys? My hubby gets dark circle under his eyes. He hates them so I am always looking for something to help him with it. Any input would help.
Kelli tells: I wouldn't use this one for guys, it's kinda shimmery. But some others might work for him. Neutrogena has a good one, and so does Boots at Target.

Elisa asks: Know anything about the brand of makeup that Amy Grant advertises for? Something about hope and positive messages on the product bottles?
Kelli tells: Elisa, I've never heard of it, and after much Googling, I found nothing. But I'll keep my eye out. And if any of you know about this, please let us know so we can pass the info on!
Missy Tells: I wasn't going to let this question goes unanswered! From what I found in this article, Amy Grant is partnering with much-loved cosmetic and beauty company, Philosophy. I'm hoping to get my hands on some of their Kiss Me Lip Balm to help get those dry winter lips summer ready!

Olivia asks: I'm curious about the proper use and selection of a bronzer. I'll check out your Friday postings and home for some guidance!

Kelli tells: Olivia, I'm going to do my best! I have only been using bronzer for a little while, after I noticed I was looking very pasty. I actually bought some super-cheap stuff, $4.99 for N.Y.C. Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder. Using a large bronzer brush, which you can find in any drugstore or Target, I apply it lightly to my nose, chin and jawbone, and forehead. It creates just a nice subtle glow. They have several different colors.

According to The Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown, if you have "alabaster" skin (Gwyneth Paltrow) you should select shimmery pink or peach. If your skin is light (Drew Barrymore) you need beigy brown with a bit of pink. Medium skin tones (Sienna Miller) need browny pink with a tiny bit of orange. Dark-toned skin (Vanessa Williams) need brownish red, and finally the deepest skin tones (Venus Williams) need a brownish blue color. I really think powder is the easiest way to go, if you want to be able to correct any minor mistakes. But bronzers are also available in gels and creams. For gels and creams, you would apply it to the same areas with a very light touch. Also lightly apply some to the areas around the lips, neck and ears. Make sure your hands are very clean!

To everyone – I highly recommend Bobbi Brown's book, The Makeup Manual. It contains a wealth of information – which colors to choose, how to apply, and much more.

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And our lucky winners are...

... Marlana McGinnis and Becky Jones! Congratulations, ladies, we hope you like the CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain as much as we do! Please send us an e-mail with your address and we will ship it out on Monday.

Everyone be sure to check back on Monday afternoon when we'll announce our next giveaway. We also want to reassure everyone that we swear on our favorite mascara we would never, ever sell your e-mail address to a third party or use it in any way that deviates from our original purpose – cross our hearts, hope to die, stick a million needles in our eyes.

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Paul Mitchell Daily Boost Root Lifter

I got my haircut a few months ago at one of those salons that's in the same strip mall as a grocery store. I know that's taking a huge risk, but I'd been there before and they always do a great job. This time they did not disappoint. I got a better cut there than the $40 I spent the few months before at a real salon and for half the price.

Like most salons they always try to get you to buy products before you leave. I always say no. My haircut this time was SHORT so I knew I'd need some sort of volumizing tool. So I checked out their clearance table and picked up a bottle of Paul Mitchell Daily Boost Root Lifter for $6 (half price). The stuff is amazing, but it's a little sensitive. Put on too little and you can't tell a difference. Put on too much and it'll add too much coarseness and you won't be able to slide your flat iron through your hair.

BUT pair the right amount with a round brush and flat iron and you have amazing salon-styled looking hair. I love this stuff; I don't know if I will be able to live without it! I know I'm crazy. But even my husband uses it - it works that well. You can find it at almost any salon and I even found some for around $12 at the salon in the Walmart by our house. If you have thin or short hair - no matter what kind of hair - and want a little volume, I promise you will love it!

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The Skinny on Skin

We are very excited about the positive response we have been receiving about our little brainchild here. We were also mildly surprised, but supremely thrilled, when we started receiving beauty questions through comments and e-mail. In fact, we have decided that once a week on Fridays, we'll be posting all of your questions and our answers for everyone to read. Some of the questions I received yesterday required a little more research - and I had a lot of fun doing it. I am dedicated to helping anyone out there who feels they need a little guidance, and if I don't know the answer or solution, I will search high and low until I find it. I'm here for you, man! On that note, most of the questions so far have had to do with your skin - what type it is, what to do for it, what to slather on it. So here I am to arm you with a little bit of information that I hope will be helpful, as well as point you toward some other resources that can give you a more personalized view of your skin.
While it may seem like a completely obvious statement, I'll say it anyway: Your skin is completely unique. There are really more than the typical combination, dry/normal, oily/normal, acne-prone, extremely dry, extremely oily, etc. That's why so many of us are disappointed in our skin-care routine, or in the makeup we buy. We aren't buying the right stuff! Because one person can have such myriad issues with their skin, it really is hard to get a real diagnosis and know which products will work for our unique chemistry. On top of that, because so many of us are using the wrong regimen, our skin is behaving in a way that is different from its true nature. For example, acne can be caused by skin that is too dry just as much as by skin that is too oily. So someone who has dry skin that causes breakouts may treat their skin for excess oil, thus drying their skin even more and exacerbating the problem. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that exfoliation is an important step for any skin, but how often you do it depends on the type. Citing Bobbi Brown's The Makeup Manual, normal skin should be exfoliated twice a week, dry skin should be exfoliated using AHAs. (If you have sensitive skin and don't wish to use a harsh exfoliating product, I recommend using a baby washcloth. It is a perfect - soft with just the right bit of texture to get the job done gently and effectively.) Also, no matter how oily your skin may be, it still needs a moisturizer, especially one with SPF. You just need to find the right one.

In February's Allure magazine, there was an article called "Type Face" about people with unique skin issues. They each went to a department store cosmetics counter to get the salesperson's recommendation for their skin-type. Dermatologists then weighed in on what they thought of the department store's recommended regimen. It was very interesting, and I tried to find it online so I could link to it, but unfortunately I can't find it. At any rate, the following are a few of their recommended online skin quizzes. Dermadoctor.com covers a wide range of skin issues, and also links to articles by the founding dermatologist. However, it only covers one issue at a time, making the regimes sometime overlap and perhaps conflict. Honestly, I didn't even take it. It seemed boring. The quiz at Olayforyou.com was fun to take (but maybe I'm easily amused), and very comprehensive. You can also print out the recommended products or e-mail them to yourself. Don't take it at work, though, it's an audio quiz, and I don't think you want your neighbor to know you are concerned about the mountainous growths on your face. But then again, if you truly have mountainous face growths, they may also be concerned and therefore relieved you plan to do something about it. You can also find skin care quizzes at Neutrogena.com, SkinStore.com, and TotalBeauty.com.

On that note, I've just bought Neutrogena's 14-day Skin Rescue kit. It's a little pricey at $23.99, but it also contains three products: a cleanser, SPF moisturizer for day, and an intensive moisturizer for night. The regimen is intended as a way to jump start your skin into being healthier, and looking more radiant. So, because it is pricey for us regular folk, I'm testing it for you! Starting today, I will be using these products exclusively so I can give you the scoop lest you are tempted to shell out the dough. At the end of my 14-day skin rescue, you will be the first to know if and how well it works. Keep your fingers crossed - if it works, it just might be a future giveaway...

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CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain

Introducing our First Giveaway!!!

Consider me a product of all of the movies that take place in days of yore, where the heroine is always a fresh-faced, pink-cheeked maiden with beautiful berry lips. Since before I started wearing makeup, I longed for that perfect sheer crimson lip, the one that looks as if the owner of said lips was just born under a lucky star and effused that “flushed and bruised from a good, hard kiss” look.

I really have (almost) found my perfect lip stain. While most others are straight liquid, it is hard to get them to stay within the lip line, and oftentimes they will actually drip. Or they just go on too heavy, not heavy enough, or they fade. When I saw the magazine ad for Cover Girl’s new lip stain, I was beyond excited, and started looking in the aisles when I visited the store immediately. I luckily did not have to wait long, and I promptly bought three different colors: Wild Berry Wink, Teasing Blush, and Flirty Nude. I love them. They work just like a marker – it’s a Sharpie for your lips! You can literally line your lips and just draw it right in. I highly recommend wearing a balm over it, as it can be a bit drying, but not as bad as most other long-lasting lipsticks, which make my lips peel almost instantly. My favorite is the Wild Berry Wink, a gorgeous red that looks bold but not slutty. The darker colors do tend to settle into the lines of your lips a bit, but a tiny reapplication will solve that. Just make sure your lips are well-exfoliated before applying, or you’ll look like an extra in Fight Club, and then finish with lip-balm or lip-gloss. Then go make out for a really long time.

I recommended it to Missy, and she bought the Cinnamon Smile, which I have since also bought, but I’ll let her put in her two cents.

Missy's take: Kelli introduced me to this great lip stain a few weeks ago and the very next day I headed to Target to grab one in Cinnamon Smile, but they were sold out. Luckily, Kelli found one at her Target, and picked it up for me. You can usually get them there for around $8 or for about $10 at the drugstore.

The first time I put this on I was instantly thrown back to being about 6 or 7 years old. I loved scented markers because they had a funny taste to them and would often use them as lipstick, much to the dismay of my mother. It is honestly so much like those old markers that it kind of weirded me out at first! But I was sold when I realized that it works perfect and lasts a long time!

I don't like a really deeply tinted lipstick since I have smaller lips so I use this mainly as an under-layer for my gloss to give it a little more color. I love the Cinnamon shade since it's brown with just the right amount of red tinting to it. It glides on smooth and you can saturate it for a really dramatic look or put on a thin layer for something more subtle.

Please e-mail us at primpandtell@gmail.com to enter our giveaway. We will be giving two of you a CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain. You have until Thursday at 5 pm to enter, and we'll announce the winners Friday before 10 am! Good luck!

**This giveaway is now closed! Thanks for entering!**

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3, 2, 1, LAUNCH!

Missy and I are so excited to launch our labor of love, Primp and Tell. We have been working on this for a while, and hope it can be a resource to which you come to help influence your primping decisions. Several times a week, we will be reviewing our latest drugstore buys. Our aim is to bring to your attention the products that we love or hate - and tell you why. To celebrate our first month online, we will be giving away one of our favorite picks each week. Please check in over the next few days to find out which pick is going to be this week's giveaway. Once we post that review and announce the product for this week, please leave a comment on the review post to enter. After our first four giveaways, we will still hold a new one each month. Please spread the word to anyone you know who loves cosmetics, girl talk and a great buy. Welcome, and we hope you have as much fun with this as we have.

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Oil of Olay Definity Eye Illuminator

Ooooh, this stuff is amazing. First of all, if you like pretty things, just buy it to look at it. The bottle is clear and it has the prettiest swirl of luminescent serum in the middle. When I put that serum on my eyes, it instantly perked them up and made them brighter. I woke up the next morning and looked much more well-rested, with faded dark circles. A lot of this is achieved through the luminosity of the product, but it WORKS. In fact, last week when most of us here at home were sick and I had no time for actual makeup (an occasion to mourn, I promise), I just put this on, and I didn’t look as tired and haggard throughout the day. This is a product that is a little more pricey than things I usually buy, but it's definitely worth the extra money you'll shell out.

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Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara

I have naturally long curly eyelashes. Most of my sisters have to use eyelash curlers so I have no idea how I got so lucky. So ultimately when I'm looking for a new mascara I go for a little more length, but I also need a little volume. I'd seen commercials for this Maybelline mascara and was really excited to try it. It's around $8 at the drug store which is higher than the usual $5 I like to pay. (I know I'm cheap.)

First glance this mascara is cool. Sleek black packaging, cool metallic red tip. Right away it made me think of Christian Louboutins. Shoes I could never afford. I love great product packaging and containers and will half the time pick one product over another because it looks cooler.

Anyway. My first reaction to this stuff is that it stinks. I've never thought of mascara as having a smell before, but this stuff definitely has a smell to it, and it's not a good one. And considering you have to put the stuff so close to your nose, that doesn't bode well for the final product. Unfortunately, the smell wasn't the worst thing about this mascara. The brush is spiky with short bristles. Which is pretty much how it made my eyelashes.

I think it tries to "pull" and "tug" on your lashes to make them longer which actually kind of hurts. And the fact that the bristles are so short makes it harder to get the volume I like in a mascara. It takes a lot of coats to get a proper look but it's flaky and doesn't hold up to hours of wear. Needless to say I'm totally disappointed. I actually went back to my old soon to be nearly dried out mascara till I can find a new one I like better.

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Contact Us

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