Saturday, July 6, 2013

Spotlight: IT Cosmetics Summer Essentials

Products Sent For Consideration (Press Sample)

IT Cosmetics Summer Essentials

IT Cosmetics is a brand I've written about before. They are always surprising me with new and exciting products that shake up my idea of quality makeup.  IT Cosmetics, which stands for Innovative Technology, creates high performance, problem solving and truly unique products. Every single thing that I have tried from the brand is innovative and different, setting them apart from the overwhelming number of brands on the market. Yes, this brand truly does it like no other, and that's why I am super excited to share with you the latest batch of products I've been testing from them.  

Recently IT Cosmetics sent me six products to try; their No. 50 Serum Collagen Veil Anti-Aging Primer, Tightline Full Lash Line & Length Black Mascara Primer, YLBB (Your Lips But Better) Waterproof Lip Liner Stain in 2 shades and Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss in 2 shades. Together, these make the perfect additions to my summer arsenal. 

Here is a look at the products I've been testing: 

No. 50 Serum Collagen Veil Anti-Aging Primer: This primer/skincare hybrid is so amazing that it gives my holy grail primer from another brand a real run for it's money. I pretty much stopped trying primers a long time ago because I have one that I'm happy with and I didn't think another brand could make anything better.  This one really made me reconsider. IT Cosmetics says that this can be used as a makeup primer under your foundation, as a serum to seal in your nighttime moisturizer, or as a replacement for your daily moisturizer altogether.  I tried this silky smooth serum in all three ways, and let me tell you I am extremely impressed. The bottle comes with two different applicators; a traditional pump and a medicine dropper. I think those who use it as a makeup primer will prefer the pump, but those used to serums with a dropper style applicator who want to use this primarily as a skincare item will prefer the dropper method. I personally like the pump.  I am not a skincare expert, nor have I been using this product long enough to speak to it's anti-aging benefits. However, I know makeup and one thing is for sure, your makeup will absolutely look better with this underneath than without it. It has a silky silicone feel and just one pump will cover your entire face.  This primer/serum hybrid is jam packed with 50 key ingredients (hence the name of the product) including lipid-rich oils and butters, key vitamins and antioxidants, anti-aging peptides and proteins as well as more than 40 nourishing botanical extracts!  I am in my 30s and very much into anything anti-aging.  I will be writing a follow up post to this after I've been using it longer so we can see if it truly lives up to it's claims. For now, I'm loving the feel of this primer and since I got it, it has been a must have before my foundation every single day. 

 This primer is extremely lightweight making it an ideal choice for the summer
 IT Cosmetics cleverly included two different applicators so everyone is happy
 I prefer the pump method to the dropper (pictured above)

Tightline Full Lash Line & Length Black Mascara Primer: Speaking of primer, IT Cosmetics is now offering their Tightline Mascara Primer individually!  Originally this was only available in their Hello Beautiful! kit which I reviewed right before it launched as QVC's Today's Special Value.  This product is not new to me, but I was just coming up on needing a new one, so I am super happy that IT Cosmetics sent me a fresh one! I love this product. I have loved it since my original review, and it is a product that I continued to use long after sharing my blog post with you. If you didn't read my original post, I'll link it below. I am happy to say that after using this product for a while now, I still find it innovative, and I still absolutely love it and use it all the time. This game changer mascara primer can be worn alone, or under your favorite mascara.  It's super skinny wand literally tightlines for you without having to bring in any outside eye liner.  It also lengthens your lashes and preps them for mascara if you want to wear one over top.  I think this product holds its own solo and I often wear it without anything else over it.  This product actually made my list of "Top Five New Products I'm Loving" which was a collaboration I did with two other cruelty-free beauty bloggers. That post got a lot of interest, so I am so happy that IT Cosmetics has made this available for purchase separately. This formula not only makes lashes look amazing, but it also contains a lash-enhancing serum that includes peptides, collagen, proteins, biotin, nettle extract, green tea and jojoba. Whenever you are looking at a picture of someone wearing mascara, you always wonder how long her lashes are naturally. So I've been sure to include a picture of my lashes bare so you can see exactly how well this little gem works.  This product is just so easy and effortless, which is what my summer beauty routine is all about. In one swoop, my top lash line is lined, and lashes are longer and more nourished.

Top eye with Tightline Full Lash Line & Length Black Mascara Primer, bottom eye without

To see my original review of this product with pictures, click here:
   

YLBB (Your Lips But Better) Waterproof Lip Liner Stain: One thing I don't tend to spend a lot of money on is lip liners. Unless, they are of course innovative and special in some way. The two shades I've been testing of YLBB (Your Lips But Better) are just that. They are a combo of lip primer, lip liner and lip stain. Now whenever companies claim a product does multiple things, it is usually lacking in one of those areas. For example, many tinted moisturizers may provide good coverage, but are not as moisturizing as a regular moisturizer. However, these lip liner stains truly do live up to their claims. This product is a mechanical pencil with a built in sharpener, so you don't have to ever worry about a dull tip.  They work like a lip liner, but actually stain the lips, so you can fill in your entire lip with them and use them solo.  They are matte finish, but not drying in any way as they are formulated with peptides, hyaluronic acid, avocado oil, shea butter, aloe and jojoba.  The reason I think these are a summer essential is that they are completely waterproof. I swatched my hand, and without even waiting for them to set, put my hand under the tap.  After getting my hand completely wet, I tried rubbing the liner off and it would not budge!  I had to scrub it off with a makeup remover wipe, and yes I do mean scrub to get it off!  These are available in 7 shades that last all day.  Every woman should have a go-to "your lips but better" shade. I especially love these perfect nudes as a compliment to a really smokey eye.  The two shades I tested are Nude Light/Medium (cool toned) and Nude Tan/Rich (warm toned). If you are a makeup artist, I think these are great for weddings because once set they are pretty much transfer resistant without ever being drying on the lips. I tested both of these solo as well as underneath IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush (lipstick/stain) and under the Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss.  These absolutely will extend the wear time on your lipstick, more so than a traditional lip liner. 



 Top Photo Nude Light/Medium, Bottom Nude Tan/Rich
 Each pencil comes with a built in sharpener on the end


 Pictured Below: YLBB Waterproof Nude Lip Liner Stain in Tan/Rich (sample) under IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in Damsel (purchased by me)



Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss: Summer is all about effortless beauty. For many of us that means a grab and go gloss. The number one question everyone asks when I review a gloss is, "Is it sticky?"  So many people can't stand a sticky gloss. I am happy to report that these do not have any of that goo factor. They are ultra-moisturizing and feel soft and light on the lips.  Like all IT Cosmetics products, they are infused with skin nourishing ingredients.  These lovely lippies contain skin-loving oils and butters that hydrate and condition the lips.  These glosses are also intended to fill in lines making your lips look more plump and helping to create that bee-stung look.  The two shades I tested are Ruby Slippers and News Anchor Blue.  I love the name Ruby Slippers because it reminds me of The Wizard Of Oz, my favorite movie. I know the thought of a blue gloss may sound scary, but this one is quite sheer, and really just a nice alternative to clear.  The slight blue tint is meant to help your teeth appear whiter, as any lippie with a blue base does.  When applied solo, it looks clear, but my favorite way to wear it is as a topper gloss over another lipstick, liner or gloss. Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss is available in 7 shades:  I Believe, Joyful, Naturally Pretty, Perfect Nude, Pretty in Pink, Ruby Slippers and News Anchor Blue.  

 Pictured Above: Ruby Slippers and News Anchor Blue (sent as a lab sample)



 News Anchor Blue (sent as a lab sample) appears clear on the lips, but helps teeth appear whiter

 Ruby Slippers is a sheer red with fine iridescent shimmer

Pictured Above: YLBB Liner Stain in Nude Light/Medium, under Ruby Slippers Butter Gloss, blotted and topped off with just a touch of News Anchor Blue in the center for added fullness 

I hope you enjoyed this look at some summer essentials from IT Cosmetics. A huge "Thank You!"  to IT Cosmetics for sending me these samples to test out.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, they are available at qvc.com, itcosmetics.com, and beauty.com 

International shoppers can purchase via The Shopping Channel in Canada or PM Studio in Australia. 

As always, thank you so much for reading.  If you have tried any of these products, I would love to know! Please drop me a comment below. Also, please don't forget to subscribe!  It's free and helps support the site.

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*The products reviewed in this post were sent for consideration by IT Cosmetics. This in no way alters my review. All of my thoughts and opinions are 100% honest, and I only share them with you in hopes of helping you make informed purchasing decisions.  I do not get paid to write reviews, nor do I get compensated if you purchase any of the items seen in this post.


5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Sara! I'm so glad I got to try out these liners and glosses, they are super pretty. I'm really enjoying them!

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  2. I love the look of all the lip products! They sound amazing and look beautiful too! I have the Vitality Lip Flush in a few colors and I am really impressed by them - in fact I'm impressed by everything I've tried from IT so far!

    I really want to try the Primer. Sounds amazing!

    Thanks for the wonderful review and all the details of their new goodies! :)

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  3. I really love the idea of the blue toned lip gloss. That's pretty genius. Did you feel like your teeth looked whiter?

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  4. Gayle- for sure! I should have done the picture smiling to show how white it made my teeth look!

    ReplyDelete

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