road test: Fresh face palette

There's nothing more frustrating than getting stuck in transit. After work yesterday I raced off to a master's program social, only to get stuck with the slowest bus driver of all time. Fortunately I had Fresh's A Kiss is Just a Kiss palette in my bag, so I took the opportunity to see just how easy the cream blush, lip gloss, and pearly highlighter are to use on the go.

Even through potholes and abrupt stops, the petite 4.5x2.5 case was easy to hold with one hand without compromising mirror size. The blush went on beautifully, using two fingers to dab it onto the apples of my cheeks. I skipped highlighter on my cheekbones, but a swipe on my brow bones and the inner corners of the eyes made me look like I just got up from a nap. I even used a little on my upper lip just below the cupid's bow, a maneuver favored by makeup artist Dick Page. After a swipe of gloss I looked fresh and glowy, even if my mood was barely improved.

Overall, this is a good investment- all the color cosmetics you need are housed in one slim package. The textures are not only totally effortless to work with, but the lasting power was good too- I had to retouch the gloss after eating and drinking, but the rest lasted until bedtime. Plus, the colors are perfect for a cloudy spring day (i.e. almost every day in Central New York). Definitely check this out if you find yourself regularly doing your makeup on the go.

road test: sally hansen natural shine

My manicurist back home was a firm believer in nail polish, used in moderation and not re-applied every few days, as a way to protect nails from harsh winter weather.  Until I moved to Central NY I found that to be true and could generally maintain my nails on a manicure scrub and coat of Revlon Sheer Snowflake Pink or Essie Ballet Slippers once a week.  But now that we've had a couple weeks of rain/snow and it's down to 9 degrees outside, I'm finding even using nail polish remover once a week is too harsh.  It seemed like the perfect time to try one of the new vitamin-packed protective nail polishes.  I opted for Sally Hansen's Natural Shine Instant Nail Finish because it boasts purse-portability, speedy drying time, and all sorts of beneficial ingredients from white tea to Vitamin E.

But to really put this product to the test, I packed it along in my messenger bag for a week to see if this product is really an on-the-go fix for beat up nails.

Sunday- Applied two coats. The low-viscosity gel dried to a buffed look with one coat and a reasonable shine with two.  One caveat: the dead skin on my nail beds wasn't masked at all; clear polish usually does the trick, but not so with this product.  I should have used a manicure scrub beforehand.
Tuesday- It was starting to look a little flaky on the sides by the cuticle, so I applied a quick and stealthy coat in about a minute during a coffee break at work. I was concerned the fumes would give me away but it was dry enough to type after about 30 seconds and was completely set in about a minute. After a dab of lotion my nails look perfect.

Wednesday- The temperature dropped and wrecked my cuticles, so I experimented with using a manicure scrub with the polish still on.  My cuticles looked great and it didn't seem to wreck the polish at all.

Friday- By the end of work the area around my cuticles was chipped beyond repair, so I removed it.  My nails seemed a little less brittle, but not much.

Overall this product's fast drying speed is a huge bonus, but it really didn't do anything to mask the dry skin at my nail bed.  If you're not a big polish wearer, I would definitely recommend this for a quick spruce-up before an event but you'll only get a perfect manicured look if you use a scrub before application.  If you like the look of lacquered nails, this product is probably not for you.