From the category archives:

Beauty Tools

h2pro flat iron, h2pro news, h2pro reviews, presto flat iron, flat iron reviews, new flat irons, beauty blog, makeup blog, cosmetics blog, beauty news, makeup reviews

Not soon after I published my review of H2Pro’s 1 inch flat iron… this little tidbit of info crossed my desk!

For those of you looking for a flat iron that heats up fast and takes frizz to task… H2Pro has launched their Presto Flat Iron in a 1 1/4 inch version!

Have long, thick hair that needs straightening?  Then you’re in need of a flat iron with larger plates…  otherwise the process will take FOREVER!

Suggested Retail Price: $180
Additional Size: 1 Inch

Visit www.h2probeautylife.com for more info!

{ 0 comments }

mac reviews, magic mirth mischief, brush bags, holiday makeup, holiday makeup collections, product review, makeup review, beauty blog

Every holiday season, I wait with bated breath for the MAC holiday makeup collections. This year certainly didn’t disappoint! From generously-stocked value sets, to pro-quality travel-sized brush sets, MAC Magic, Mirth and Mischief is fabulous to the extreme!

When I was pregnant with my second child, I invested in two brush sets. One was full-sized… and is still in use today. The other was for travel, and was stashed in my suitcase for my upcoming hospital stay. Both were the same brand, so I had no reason to expect different results from the petite version.

Imagine my disappointment, when the travel-sized brushes fell apart almost immediately! I couldn’t even use them, and they ended up right in the garbage. My point is this: Not all travel-sized makeup brushes are the same caliber as their full-sized counterparts.  MAC is the only brand I have sampled that is the exception.  These mini brushes are pro-quality, and providing you give them some TLC they are constructed to last.

Retail price is $49.50 (that’s less than $10 per brush)!  Sets available include Wave of a Wand Sweep and Define Brushes, Do-The-Trick Buff and Line Brushes and Morning, Noon & Knight Everything Eye Brushes (pictured).

Click HERE to shop at MAC online.

Click HERE to buy MAC at Nordstrom online.

Click HERE to shop MAC at Macy’s.

The author of Raging Rouge received press samples for purposes of this makeup review / product review.  For more information on sample policies, please click HERE to read my full disclosure statement.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

tria review, tria reviews, home laser hair removalUpon receiving my Tria Laser Hair Removal System, I was terrified.  Who could blame me?  The contraption (pictured at left) looks more like space-aged weaponry than any beauty tool I've ever seen!  After weeks of glancing at the box and nervously shuffling by it, I finally decided to take the plunge.

Startup is easy, but for safety reasons, you need to call customer service to activate the laser before your first use.  The instruction manual claims this call will last for about 5 minutes.  My call took 5 1/2 minutes to almost the second, and only because I asked a LOT of questions.

"Laser Hair Removal" is a bit of a misnomer for Tria.  Unlike some hair removal processes, Tria requires no growth at all prior to use.  In fact, to use Tria properly, you have to be freshly shaved.  What Tria does promise is that over time, the tool will actually prevent hair from regrowing.

Once activated through customer service, you're ready to get started!

tria review, tria reviews, home laser hair removalEach time you use Tria, you need to activate the system using the Tria skin sensor (pictured at left).  The sensor determines if your skin is acceptable for the Tria to be used.  It also happens to be an excellent way to ensure that the kids don't accidentally play with it!

How to use:  Start on the lowest Tria setting, and work your way up to higher settings until you find the feeling too uncomfortable.  Some can use Tria on its highest setting with no discomfort.  For me, the "high" setting felt hot on my skin, so I kept the device on its medium setting for use.

All three sides of the triangular laser window must be touching your skin.  The device will beep once indicating the start of the process.  Hold the laser in place.  When the device beeps again in a lower tone, you can move on to the next section of skin.  That's it!

It does take a while to effectively cover an entire area, so some patience is required!  The good news?  Treatment is only needed once a month, and over the course of months, Tria promises that regrowth will become more sparse, or even cease altogether.

After use, my skin appeared very mildly red, but didn't feel irritated at all.

Tria is groundbreaking option for women with excess body hair they find embarrassing.  There are some restrictions!  Only those with lighter skin-tones can use the Tria safely!  African-American, East Indian, Native-American or Pacific Islanders can not safely use Tria  Sadly–Tria can not be used safely on the face, so you'll still need to wax that upper lip!

Retail price is $795, but there is currently an Easy Pay program to help lighten the blow to your wallet.

Buy at www.triabeauty.com.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

If you're like me, you may WANT to spend countless hours sampling everything at the makeup counter, but really never have the time. Estee Lauder understands you're busy, and has recently launched this super-cool widget so you can do a home-makeover with Estee Lauder products right on your computer!

Unlike the lame attempts at virtual makeovers I've sampled in the past, Estee Lauder uses state-of-the-art technology that actually enables users to play with actual colors from the Estée Lauder makeup collection.  Want the most rewarding, instant gratification ever?  Check out the ‘one click looks’ that instantly apply products from new color collections to your image. A warning:  do not use this in the office.  You can easily burn hours playing with this tool!

To download the Estée Lauder Virtual Makeover Widget to your desktop or social media page visit http://www.esteelauder.com/LetsPlayMakeover/or the Estée Lauder Facebook page at www.facebook.com/esteelauder.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Women everywhere are searching for tips to reduce their beauty overhead.  Raging Rouge will be dedicating a series of posts to "Bargain Beauty", pointing fellow makeup addicts into directions that will save them money without compromising results!

My first budget-busting suggestion?  Remember there is always strength in numbers!  MAC super-rich pigment comes in generously sized jars.  Small amounts of pigment are needed for each use, so a single jar lasts forever.  Rather than buy only one shade, gather your three best girlfriends, and hit your local MAC counter.  Each of you should select one shade of pigment, and also buy four travel jars (click HERE to view the version sold by MAC).  Split up the pigment between yourselves using a digital kitchen scale.  For a total of only $25.50, you'll now have a collection of four MAC pigments to use!

The gorgeous shade of purple pictured, Circa Plum, is from the Rose Romance collection.  It's one of my favorite season-less bursts of color, and a shade you may want to consider adding to your arsenal when you use this advice! 

Retail price per pigment is $19.50.  MAC travel jars are $6.

Click HERE to shop MAC online.

Click HERE to buy MAC at Nordstrom online.

Click HERE to shop MAC at Macy's.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Clarisonic Plus, Clarisonic skin care, clarisonic product review, beauty blogI've been itching to get my hands on a Clarisonic for about 6 months, and finally got the chance to add this fine product to my nightly cleansing regimen!

I know it probably seems like a huge splurge, to spend $225 on a product that WASHES YOUR FACE, right?  I mean, skeptics would certainly point out that a washcloth serves the same purpose.  But if you're in agreement with the skeptics, you are truly missing the boat.

From the same company that brought us the Sonicare toothbrush, the Clarisonic uses the same sonic technology to effectively wash the face and improve the condition of the skin.  Clarisonic has a sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second, ensuring that all traces of makeup, oil and dirt are cleared from your pores.  It also makes quick work of removing dry skin.  Not only does this leave skin looking more radiant, but it enables your favorite anti-aging product to absorb better, making them more effective!

The Clarisonic Plus differs from the standard Clarisonic system in that it includes a body brush.  This brush is hard-core!  When placed onto the handset, the Spot Therapy brush head exfoliates the body better than anything I've ever sampled.  Used in conjunction with the Clarisonic Refining Skin Polish, or your favorite scrub, it can eliminate dead, dull skin in only a few uses!  The back of my arms are generally very dry and scaly by winter's end.  The Clarisonic Spot Therapy brush made them soft again after only TWO uses! 

A real surprise was how amazing the cleansers are.  The kit comes with a trial size of each Clarisonic facial cleanser, each ideal for a different skin type.   

Retail price of the Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System is $225.

The set contains:

  • Clarisonic Plus three-speed brush
  • International charging cradle for worldwide use
  • Sensitive brush head
  • 3x trial-size facial cleansers
  • Spot therapy brush head (for the body)
  • Trial-size refining skin polish (for the body)

Brush heads should be replaced every 3-4 months, and replacements retail $25 each.  Clarisonic offers three different brush heads, so you're sure to find the perfect fit for you.  Brush heads are available in normal (for normal skin and shaving prep), sensitive (for sensitive to normal skin) and delicate (for the extremely sensitive skinned).  I have extremely sensitive skin, and use my Clarisonic with a sensitive brush head nightly with no problem.  Next time around, I might try out delicate, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Click HERE to shop for a Clarisonic skin care system at Clarisonic online (if you buy directly from Clarisonic, you can even personalize the system at no charge to you.  This is especially useful in a dorm situation, where others may try to swipe your prized possession!).

Click HERE to buy the Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System at Sephora.com or

Click HERE to shop Clarisonic at Beauty.com.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The Brush Guard

March 24, 2009

in Beauty Tools

product review, the brush guard, makeup brush storage, tips and tricksHere's a genius little contraption that crossed my desk recently:  The Brush Guard.

Simple, easy-to-use mesh tubes are sized to fit most standard makeup brushes, and protect their shape during storage and travel.  I've ruined many a brush to errant zippers over the years.  The brush guard prevents this catastrophe!

Here's another great use for The Brush Guard.  When you shampoo your brushes, rather than lying them flat all over your bathroom counter for drying, slide a Brush Guard onto each brush and place them upside down in a cup or two.  They'll dry without losing their shape!

The Brush Guard is available in five sizes: extra small (for shadow/liner brushes), small (for blush brushes), medium (for foundation brushes) and large (for powder and kabuki brushes). A package of five brush guards retails for a mere $5.50. What an inexpensive way to protect your expensive brushes!

Click HERE to visit The Brush Guard online.

Like what you just read? Be sure to head to the Raging Rouge Beauty Blog homepage for more makeup reviews, product swatches and beauty news.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

becca, half moon brush, santa rosa collection, spring 2009

Rebecca Morrice Williams, the founder of BECCA, made a name for herself by accentuating the natural beauty of women everywhere. Her tip for achieving this type of look successfully?  Use superior tools! This Spring, BECCA has introduced the Half Moon Brush as part of their Santa Rosa collection, and if you had to use one word to describe it… superior would certainly fit.

The Half Moon Brush is extremely thick, with the highest grade of goat hair hand-layered with super fine white synthetic fibers.  BECCA's latest brush is for blending, buffing, highlighting and contouring. So many uses for one little brush!

I am amazed by the blending prowess of this brush.  It's the last thing I use every day before heading out the door, to ensure my makeup is as natural looking as possible!

The BECCA Half Moon Brush retails for $45.

Click HERE to shop the BECCA online.  Other retailers include Neiman Marcus.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Simple Human, product review, beauty blog

My shower caddy had seen better days.  The plastic coating was beginning to crack, and the metal beneath was starting to rust.  More importantly, the tiny caddy never really housed all of the products in my shower.  Similar to yesterday's post about my train case, it was time to find a better solution.

I stumbled upon this brilliant contraption by simplehuman.  This shower caddy has two fully adjustable racks.  By fully adjustable, I mean they can move from side to side, or up and down, to accomodate even the most unusually shaped products you love and use.  Each rack also has holes so that shampoo and conditioner bottles can be left upside down, to ensure you get to use every last drop of your precious product.

Click HERE to read more about the three-tier shower caddy on the simplehuman website.  Retail price is $49.99. 

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

borghese makeup brushes, kirkland signature, contest, giveaway, sweepstakes, beauty blogOut with the old, in with the new!

A new year is the perfect time to reinvent yourself, and Borghese is doing just that!

Kirkland Signature by Borghese will be launching a brand new brush set that will be sold exclusively at Costco and Costco.com for $21.99.  In order to make room for this updated version of an old favorite, Borghese has offered one of the original brush sets to a Raging Rouge reader!

The Kirkland Signature by Borghese 14-Piece Set up for grabs includes the following products:

  • Mineral Shimmer Powder
  • Fan Brush
  • Powder Brush
  • Blusher Brush
  • Foundation Brush
  • Brow/Lash Groomer
  • Eye shadow Brush
  • Precision Eye shadow Brush
  • Flat Eyeliner Brush
  • Angled Eye Contour Brush
  • Eye Smudger
  • Lip Brush with Cover
  • Kabuki Brush
  • Black satin Roll Brush Case w/magnetic Clasp

    new borghese brush set, kirkland signature, reader giveaway, beauty blog

    The new Kirkland Signature by Borghese Set (snapshot above) includes some interesting new additions: 

    1)  a HUGE face and body brush filled with Mineral Shimmer Powder (how amazingly portable)

    2)  a pearlized faux leather roll brush case with a magnetic silver buckle.

    The new set also includes: Large Powder Brush, Duo-Fiber Blending Brush, Foundation Brush, Flat Eyeliner Brush, Eye Blending Brush, Eyeshadow Brush.

    Kirkland Signature brushes by Borghese are made with professional-quality, synthetic, cruelty-free bristles treated with an anti-microbial formula to prevent bacteria and mold growth.  Brushes are easily cleaned using warm water and mild soap! 

    HOW TO ENTER

    Subscribe to the Raging Rouge newsletter!  Winner will be randomly selected from the Raging Rouge subscriber list on January 19, 2009.  Sorry for my international gals, but this giveaway is for US residents only.  Winners must be over 18, and must explicitly agree to a disclaimer.  Raging Rouge reserves the right to substitute any prize with a prize equal or greater in value, if need be.

    Like what you just read? Be sure to head to the Raging Rouge Beauty Blog homepage for more makeup reviews, product swatches and beauty news.

  • { Comments on this entry are closed }