The Beauty Budget

Quick and dirty review of Wet N' Wild Blush in Heather Silk

2010-06-15T00:20:00.000-04:00

I love this. WnW has really stepped up their game recently!

Price: Cheap $2.99 normally I think but you can def catch on sale or use a coupon to get it for even less.

Amount: Plenty. Nice size. Not sure how deep the pan is yet but the surface size is big enough to get your brush in there.

Color: Payoff is great! Lovely shade and intense pigmentation. I actually have to adjust my technique a little use a littler hand with this stuff.

Finish: Matte

Packaging: Nothing special but sturdy, and slim.

Brush: Obviously not the greatest (included brushes never are) but as far as cheapo brushes go it's not that bad. A few shed hairs and a little stiff/stracthy, but ok size and is angled which I like. Normally I apply with my BE tapered blush brush but in a pinch the included brush works decently as well.

Other: Can be a little dusty or have fall out in the pan, but on the face there's no problem so you just have to gently dab your brush in the pan and then tap off excess and blow any residue off pan to keep clean.

Overall: For $2 this is amazing. Not quite MAC but a lot better Cover Girl and other drugstore brands which sell for more. This color is particularly wonderful on me and is one of those shades you can dust on lightly for the day and layer on a little more for an intense and dramatic night look. I think this will quickly become my HG!

Quick and dirty review of Wet N' Wild Color Icon in Vanity

2010-06-14T00:18:00.000-04:00

Price: Cheap $4.99 normally I think but you can def catch on sale or use a coupon to get it for even less.

Amount: Resonable size. Not sure how deep the pan is yet but the surface size is big enough to get your brush in there. I'd say nickel size?

Color: Payoff is great! Lovely shade and intense pigmentation.

Finish: 3 Matte, 3 Shimmer

Texture: Amazing! Soft but not chalky and no fall out. Easy to pick up lots of shadow and blends so smoothly.

Packaging: Nothing special but sturdy, and slim. Brush: Sponge and brush. Obviously not the greatest (included brushes never are) but they work in a pinch.

Other: Amazing! Nothing not to love about this. Great quality and price and nice combo. I think the reviewers complaining about them are crazy. This is my new daily neutral eye and it's effortless!

FOTD with new Wet N' Wild Products

2010-06-13T00:18:00.000-04:00

After reading all the hype I finally broken in a ran out to get a Wet N' Wild Color Icon palette. I wanted Lust but they were out, Greed didn't appeal to me, and Pride looked nice but I'd ify with blues, so I settled on Vanity. I'm always safe with neutrals. While I was there I picked up one of their new blushes and a L'Oreal HIP lipgloss that was 75% off. Reviews coming in the next few days. Here's my simple look using the Vanity Palette, Heather Slik Blush, and HIP duo lipgloss in Ritzy.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Flirt and Hidden Treasure

2010-06-12T23:32:00.000-04:00

2 coats of Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine in Flirt that I picked up on sale today. I don't even know how to describe it. It's a crazy awesome hot purple /fuchsia iridescent fine shimmer/holo? On top 2 coats of Sally Hasen Hidden Treasure flakies everyone is lovin. My nails on fire today :P

With flash captures the purple-ness of Flirt.

Without flash better captures how it looks in real life and the wonderful flakies on top.

Drugstore Haul

2010-06-12T00:27:00.000-04:00

CVS sale and Walgreens with coupons :D

3 Wet N Wild polishes (for .50 each!)
Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine in Flirt ($1 from the clearance bin.. I think it's being discontinued? Which is too bad cause it's amazing!)
L'Oreal HIP lipgloss duo in Ritzy (I'd NEVR pay the retail price of like $11 but it was 75% plus I had a coupon. For under $2 it's not bad at all.)
L'Oreal HIP pigment in Progressive ( Ditto)
Wet N' Wild Color Icon Palette in Vanity (Lovin!)
Wet N' Wild Color Icon Blush in Heather Slik (Lovin!)
NYC Brow Set in Brunette (Normally use ELF Studio brow set but I have it in dark and it's a bit too dark I think...)
Studio Brow Razors (mostly tweeze but I have a tiny bit of fuzzy on the top of my brows that are too fine to pluck)

NOTD: Sinful 24/7 and Wet N' Wild black Creme

2010-06-10T23:21:00.001-04:00

Picked up 2 new polishes on sale the other day at Walgreens. OMG I'm loving this. I did 2 coat of Sinful 24/7. 24/7 is a great HOT pink that was calling out to me for summer. Goes on nice and some but just a tad streaky with 1 coat, 2 coats looked great. It has an interesting finish that not quite matte, but not full gloss either. After it dried I used to tape to cover the bottom triangle of my nail and did 1 coat of Wet N Wild Black Creme on top. It's a great opaque high gloss black. The combo of colors and mixture of finishes is making this mani FIERCE. I will def be doing again.

Without flash (pink is more true here)

With flash (can you see how high gloss that black is!)

FOTD with Pure Luxe Pigments

2010-06-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

Simple FOTD. Use my Pure Luxe pigments in Sunny Side Up, Saffron, Misfit, and Forest. Lips are NCY Lilac Dream. Ignore the shine. This was at the end of a loooonnng hot day and we dont' have AC. Normally I would blot or add a little powder but I was getting ready to wash it off so decided not to bother.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away with China Glaze Atlantis

2010-06-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

Pretty simple here. Used 1 coat of Sally Hansen Blue Me Away and topped with 2 coats of China Glaze Atlantis. Atlantis has a green jelly coat so layering it on top of the the blue gave a cool teal-y color.

Without flash (truer to real color IMO)

With flash.

NOTD: Pink with Staming

2010-06-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

Been playing with my fauxnad plates and decided to do some stamping today. I use a no name/brand pale pink I got as part of a makeup set as a gift for Xmas a few years ago. It's awful and thin, it took 5 coats! But I love the color. I stamped with an old Sally Hansen Chrom polish and my Chinese Konad knockoffs. Then to finish it off I embellish with a little China Glaze Nova. Enjoy :D

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away and Pure Ice Cheatin

2010-06-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

I cheated again :D Added some Pure Ice on top of my old mani again.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away

2010-06-05T23:06:00.002-04:00

I'm rough on my hands/nails at work so I decided to test out Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear. It goes on smooth (almost a tad on the gloopy side) and is super opaque. You could almost get away with one coat if you needed to but I opted to do 2 just to smooth out a couple areas. Unfortunately without a top coat it didn't even last 1 shift so it's not THAT Xtreme, but still a great bright blue with easy application.

NOTD: Essie Fiestia with Pure Ice Cheatin'

2010-06-03T23:02:00.000-04:00

I love cheating and adding on top of an old mani instead of redoing a new one. I took my mani form the other day and added Pure Ice Cheatin, a purple and blue glitter, lightly on top and tried to gradient it towards the nails. I love the gradient look but haven't master it with polishes yet so I find using glitter is a good way to cheat :D

NOTD: Essie Fiesta

2010-06-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here's my nails of the day. This is Fiesta by Essie. It's cute bright pink without being neon. Sorry about the sloppy mani and bads pics, I'm still learning.

Bad Beauty Blogger

2010-05-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm a liar. Swatches did not come yet. Actually I did do them, just haven't had time to label the photos and write up my thoughts. I'm a graduating college senior and it's finals week. But please stick around! After the next week and a half I'm free and I have a great big list of fun things to cover, such as...

-Makeup Alley Swapping (I've started swapping which mean I now have a great big pile of new products I love and hate to tell you about).

- The ridulously old ELF haul. It's been forever but I now have a really good handle on stuff and have a lot of say.

- The 5 in 1 palette of course! Swatches and thoughts.

- A couple of drugstore hauls (bad girl!)

- Possibly my new holy grail foundation!!

And mayyyyyyybbbbbe a giveaway to get a few more people checking this site out? Leave comments to let me know your reading if you're interested in free stuff or not!

Check back soon. This summer I'll be doing multiple posts a day so visit often!

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 Sneak Peak II

2010-04-28T09:45:00.000-04:00

Still no time for swatches sadly, but here's a little more about the palette for you. I promise they will come tomorrow!

The back of the box demonstrating the swapping and portable palette abilities.

A size comparison with my 88 palette. About the same height

(5 in 1 about a 1/4 inch taller) and 5 in 1 is about 1/2 wider.

Thickness comparison. 5 in 1 is about 2 88 palettes thick.

Back of the palette. 5 holes for pushing out the individual

color palettes and one for the little travel palette itself.

Mini travel palette in action.

Eye shadow swatches tomorrow!

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 Sneak Peak

2010-04-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

I don't really have time to really test out this palette yet but I couldn't resist opening it and taking a sneak peak, so here it is guys!

Drum roll...

In the box.

Opening the box...

Oh lala! So pretty, so intense and so vivid!

Drool.

Browns and creams look amazing. I can't wait to swatch!!

Colorsssssssss!

Looking at it has got me so excited but I refuse to get my grubby hands all over it until I have time to sit down and appreciate it properly and savor the moment.

Sephora Haul

2010-04-26T09:13:00.000-04:00

I was a bad, bad girl and I ordered a few thing from Sephora that I really shouldn't have. I need to be saving my money right now, but it was a very rough week and I had the 20% off VIB coupon code so I did it. I only ended up getting 2 items so 'haul' is pushing it, but here are my goodies.

Sephora Color Play - 5 in 1 Palette
Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion Pore Perfecting
Samples!

My items and free samples.

Samples

Sample fail. I got the card but no vial inside!

I always get fragrance samples so I wanted to try something

new but I'm guessing this is going to be too dark. Oh well.

Reviews and swatches etc to come soon.

Swatches of the Week

2010-04-25T21:07:00.001-04:00

A quick summary of our Pure Luxe Chocolate swatches of the week. The only chocolate Pure Luxe shades I'm missing are Chocolate and Godiva.

Click any shade to link to the individual swatch and mini review:
Pure Luxe Chocolate Oranges - Usable brown
Pure Luxe Chocolate Cherries - Staple reddish brown
Pure Luxe Chocolate Grapes - Nice violet color
Pure Luxe Chocolate Blueberries - Only real 'miss' of the bunch, washed out and colorless
Pure Luxe Chocomint - Really unique and interesting color

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocomint

2010-04-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Chocomint

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Medium brown with a mint green interference.

My thoughts: This is one of the most unique colors I've ever seen. It truly is both a light coppery brown AND a minty green at the same time. The pictures DO NOT capture this one very well at all. In the artificial light one you can see a hint of mint green, but in real light it is much more noticeable and shiny bright. It's like you are seeing 2 layers at once, as the mint green is not just a sparkle or glitter but almost looks like it is foiled on top of the brown. The name is a wonderful descriptor! I struggle to use it a little because it's just so unusual, but it's just so one of a kind!

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Blueberries

2010-04-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Chocolate Bluberries

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Muted brown base with blue interference.

My thoughts: Muted it right. Of the chocolates I own this is the dullest and least intense. The color is a bit drab and sort of a greyish washed out purple. It might be good for a conservative neutral but I find it boring.

Nails of the Day: Color Club Amp'D Up

2010-04-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

Caution! HOOOOOOT nails coming up. Or at least insanely bright nails coming up. Introducing Color Club's Professional Nail Lacquer in Amp'd Up.

I stumbled across this while going through the dusty part of my collection the other day. I think I've had this polish about a year and aside from testing it out when I first got it this is the first time I've worn it. It's an amazing formula, goes on smooth and 2 coats gives full coverage and it's fairly fast drying (major plus for me!). Plus it's decently long lasting and doesn't show much nail wear. I'm just not sure what I was thinking getting BRIGHT orange. I was going through I neon phase I guess. Well, just in case I ever need a good neon orange nail polish for some occasion I got the perfect one on standby.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Grapes

2010-04-23T16:44:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Chocolate Grapes

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Medium brown base with violet/purple interference.

My thoughts: This shade seems the least 'chocolate' to me. The brown is pretty much gone and light lavender color is much more predominate. Sunlight or with flash capture the color well. If anything I would describe it as a light silvery violet color with a very light reddish amber undertone. Still a wonderful color, good for spring, but not your traditional lavender.

Sally Hasen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment Review

2010-04-23T07:05:00.000-04:00

Found this baby in the Dollar Store and couldn't resist for only a buck! A quick Google Product search places it's price range online from anywhere between $1.49 to $7.99 on Amazon! It claims to make your teeth whiter by contrasting it with yellow pigments while hydrating an conditioning lips. It come in a couple shades at the Dollar Store and I had a tough time before settling on Gleaming, a bright pink with a a purplish iridescent shine in the tube.

My thoughts:
First off the packaging it pretty clunky. It's sturdy, cute and modern with the square shape and the raised circles on 2 sides, but it's a little big and square products never slip easily into pockets or anything. Applicator is the typical doe foot.

Color payoff it pretty good. It can be applied thinly for sheer shine, or layered a bit for more color without getting thick and gloppy. There's a nice shine and faint sparkle/shimmer to this particular color and it's a nice bright pink (which actually doesn't work so well for me, but still it nice). The texture is good, not thick, not sticky, but just right.

What I love the most it the smell/flavor. It's a vanilla mint and it's like an after coffee breath mint. Nice a refreshing without being over powering. I also feel a very, very faint minty tingle like you get with some lip plumpers. I like that feeling but know some don't. I don't notice any plumping but it is moisturizing. The staying power like many glosses isn't too great and it seems to disappear within an hour or two even without eating/drinking, but there's a lot of product in the tube so just reapply.

Overall, not bad for a Dollar Store find. Do my teeth look whiter? Not really. Is it really a 'treatment'? Not so much. Would I pay $7 for it? Nah... But was it worth getting for a buck? Sure. So go check your Dollar Trees ladies.

Packaging: 3 of 5 (Pretty but not bulky)

Smell: 5 of 5 (Fresh!)

Color: 3 of 5
Consistency: 4 of 5
Staying Power: 2.5 of 5
Buy again?: For a dollar yea, for 7 no.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Cherries

2010-04-22T16:40:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Chocolate Cherries

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Medium brown base with reddish/pink interference.

My thoughts: I love this shade. It's a slighter darker brown than the Chocolate Orange with a reddish overtone. The with flash picture is the most accurate. Slight shimmer and good for lid or crease. I find it a pretty unique twist on brown and would get it again.

Urban Decay Primer Potion Decanting

2010-04-22T06:00:00.002-04:00

I know this has happened to a lot of people, but it finally happened to me about 3 months ago... My beloved Urban Decay Primer Potion ran dry, or at least it seemed. There was still penalty of product in there, just no matter how much I jiggled and angled the wand I couldn't scrape anymore of the primer off of the curved sides or reach the bottom. This has been an infamous complaint for the product from the very begining and newer models of the Primer Potions now of course have a curved doe head wand to scoop out the sides a little bit (at least in theory).

For those of you behind the trend curve like me, who are just now running into this problem with the older style I won't bother doing a tutorial on how to decant or get the remaining product out for 2 reasons. First off there are already a ton of tutorials on it (just Google or YouTube it) and secondly, it's not really that hard, you just cut open the tube at the wide points and scoop out product into a new container.

However, I did just want to show a few of my pics because I even thought I had seen and read about this from others I was BLOWN AWAY by just how much product I had left. I had done quiet a bit of jiggling and twisting for a few months so I figured I had actually gotten a fair amount off the side and just had the bottom left. Wrong!

Cutting my baby open. It was scary :(

Holy cow! Lots of product left!

Scooping it out and scraping into a new jar.

The end result.

For anyone wondering I used an old Dr. Hauschka Lip Blam Jar to put it in. (Was a gift, nice stuff but little pricey for my blood to rebuy!) It was a 4.2 g that I filled completely and I still had more product left over!

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Oranges

2010-04-21T16:33:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Chocolate Oranges

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Medium brown base with subtle orange interference and orange/copper glimmers.

My thoughts: The site description is pretty dead on accurate here. I don't have much to add. This was my first color of the chocolates and it got me hooked and coming back for more. It's very easy and wearable and a good light brown color to have in your collection. Sometimes the orange almost looks coppery, but I love it. Pretty and subtle. The photo with flash is the most accurate in my opinion.

E.L.F Haul

2010-04-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Okay this is a way outdated post, as I received this haul over a month ago (I think I got the package on March 11). I had received an E.L.F. giftcard for X mas and had been holding out for a good coupon code to make a massive order. Eventually I found one that was 50% all Studio products plus free shipping (expired now, sorry) so I finally went for it and decided to get all the remaining Studio products and a few other that I've been wanting to get test out for awhile. With the code and gift card it ended up cost me less than $4. That's what I call a deal! I've been holding out on reviewing the products for awhile because I like to really give them some time to get used to them and see if they end up getting incorporated into my routine. After a month I think I have a pretty good handle on most of the products so I'll begin posting my thoughts on the various products in small batches over the next month or so.

My E.L.F. box arrives!

From J.A. Cosmetics?... Hmmm.

Invoice list. I wish they would organize it different and actually list product names!

Second page of invoice list.

What's the point of doing this if you fail to fill out a packer name?

Luckily I wasn't missing any items.

Typical E.L.F. packaging. Basically a wad of paper and that's it.

No bubble wrap. No foam peanuts. No padding.

But somehow I've never had anything broken in 3 orders from them.

Most items are grouped together in a large plastic bag.

In the bottom of the box was my 11 piece brush set and brush cleaner and shampoo.

I find it surprising the liquids where not packaged in a separate bag in case of leakage.

The total haul (not pictured the 11-piece Studio Brush set)

Upcoming Swatches of the Week: Chocolate!

2010-04-20T16:10:00.002-04:00

No swatches today and this week I only have 5 for you instead of 7. I want to try to get onto a different schedule, starting Mondays and going till Sunday and have the summary post on Sunday. But don't worry, this week is totally worth it as I'm swatching Pure Luxe's Chocolate Shadows. Yummy. It's nice collection with fun and appropriate names :D. And for those of you who aren't fans of Pure Luxe, don't worry, next week I'm going to switch it up and try some different brands for you.

Swatches of the Week

2010-04-19T15:57:00.001-04:00

Here's a review of the Swatch of the Days for this past week.

Click any shade to link to the individual swatch and mini review:

Coastal Scents A More'
Pure Luxe Dubloon
Pure Luxe Ultimate Rockstar
Pure Luxe After Hours
NYX Yellow Marigold
Pure Luxe Peach Champagne
Pure Luxe Ultimate Amber

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Peach Champagne

2010-04-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Peach Champagne

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: BEAUTIFUL medium peach with yellow gold interference.

My thoughts: Soft pale peach with a strong yellowish gold shine to it. Really POPS in sunlight. Great for using above crease and blending into a highlight, or using lightly for a highlight on the brow bone.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Ultimate Amber

2010-04-18T15:33:00.003-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Amber (Part of the Ultimate Liner Collection)

Cost: $1.25 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$6.00 for 5g jar, $11.00 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: This is a beautiful amber with black undertones.

My thoughts: Really nice meduim chocolate brown with a copper sheen to it. A staple I reach for a lot. Really pops in the sunlight too, but not necessarily glittery or frosty, just a metallic shine. Smooth, good strong pigmentation, and intense. The Ultimate Liners collection is meant to be applied wet, when foiled seems a bit lighter and more on the coppery side but intensity is about the same for both. Really recommend as this works great for a neutral eye for can be worked with other colors colors for something more intense and dramatic.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe After Hours

2010-04-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Dubloon

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Warm orange shade. Metallic highlight

My thoughts: WOW! WOW! WOW! This color pops and has incredible intensity. It's a bright orange yellow gold. It looks foiled even when not. Smooth, creamy, amazing pigmentation. Metallic finish. I'm loving this and it looks great as a liner (use it recently in a EOTD in the inner corner). Beware: Only for the BOLD! The picture does not capture it's intensity and brightness. A bit more yellow gold in person.

Side note: When I applying this I thought it reminded me of my new NYX eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold, however when swacthed next to each other you can see the difference. After Hours is MUCH more intense, brighter, and more yellowy gold. Yellow Marigold (which I still love) looks a little duller in comparison and has a more antiqued gold color to it.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Ultimate Rockstar

2010-04-16T15:17:00.001-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Rockstar (Part of the Ultimate Liner Collection)

Cost: $1.25 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$6.00 for 5g jar, $11.00 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Ultra deep burgundy/black with a 24kt. gold metallic overlay.

My thoughts: Looks more gray or slate to me. Has a little purple glitter in it. Good for a smokey eye, but seems to fade a bit. The Ultimate Liners collection is meant to be applied wet I believe. When foiled seems a bit more burgundy, but still on the gray side, and gold and purple interface slightly more noticeable. Not a major difference however. Slightly gritter than some of the other Pure Luxe formulas.

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Dubloon

2010-04-15T12:12:00.001-04:00

Brand: Pure Luxe

Shade: Dubloon

Cost: $1.00 for 1/8 teaspoon sample,$5.00 for 5g jar, $9.50 for 10g jar

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: Deep khaki in jar. Once applied you will get a smoky antiqued gold.

My thoughts: I don't use this much because it accidentally got sorted with my browns! Not sure how that happened. A dark, mossy natural looking green. Can look a little muddy, but has some nice gold interference with perks it up and keeps it from looking too dirty. Looks lighter in jar but applies a bit more khaki brown.

Metal Mania

2010-04-14T12:08:00.008-04:00

Lately I've been really into golds, coppers, and bronzes and have been favoring metallic looks, as you can tell by some of my recent EOTDs here and here. Plus my reccent NYX buys, a coppery brown Jumbo Pencil in French Fries (swatched here) and the bright Yellow Marigold single eyeshadow I got (swatched here). Anyways I must just be ahead of the trend as Coastal Scents has just recently released their newest 88 palette, Metal Mania.

Metal Mania by Coastal Scents for $24.95

Metal Mania has arrived to Coastal Scents! Embellish, Captivate, Inspire your inner spirit with this new palette collection.
88 vibrant colors that become even more gilded in appearance when using an eye primer. A little goes a long way, the impact is extraordinary, the color combinations are endless.

I'm tempted, but not sure. The colors look beautiful, rich and creamy, but frankly there looks like a lot of repeats from the regular and shimmer palettes and even within the metal palette itself.

Also I'm not sure if everything is really metal, or just frost shades. The video posted on the site has some swatches (around 59 seconds) and they look more pastel to me! Here's a screen capture of it. See what I mean?

I'd love to hear what you think if anyone has tried this palette, but I'm guessing I'll pass and hold out for a few more NYX shades! PurseBuzz has some more swatches if you want to check those out!

Swatch of the Day: Coastal Scents A More'

2010-04-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Brand: Coastal Scents

Shade: A More'

Cost: $7.95 for 2g ($0.95 samples)

Where to get: Here

Official Bulb: A More' shadow has an intense satiny feel when applied with slight lustre shimmer. Rosewood in shade.

My thoughts: Looks like a dark peach in the jar. Applied is a dark pinky peach with red undertone. Nice shimmer. Pigmented, smooth. Swatch picture looks accurate to me.

*This was a free sample I got as a gift with a paid order.

NYX Single Eyeshadow Swatch

2010-04-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

As promised from the other day here is my new NYX Single Eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold and first Swatch of the Day. I've only had it for 3 days now but I'm already in love with both the color and the NYX shadow in general. I see this becoming a favorite in no time. The color is a beautiful light yellow metallic gold. The formula of this shade is great, soft and pigmented, no fallout and little fading, plus it build to super high intensity really quick and easy on top of a base. I hope all the NYX colors are this great and I can't wait to go back and make a haul on CherryCulture where they're only $3.50 a piece and so many colors to pick from!

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold
Left is with no base
Middle is with Urban Decay Primer Potion
Right is foiled/applied wet (pretty much same as with a base)

Get Ready for Swacth of the Day (SOTD)!

2010-04-12T14:39:00.005-04:00

I have a zillion eyeshadows, as they are the most colorful and fun to shop for so I think I'm going to try to swatch and do a mini summary/review of each one everyday (it should last me awhile). No promises on never missing a day but I'll try to do my best. And if you ever see any shades that look pretty similar and want me to do a side by side swatch and comparison just holla out! Also, since I don't want to say it every time I'll always swatch on Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Some of my many, many eyeshadow pigments

As a heads up a ton of them are from Pure Luxe because it was one of the first mineral make up lines I discovered when I was first building my collection and had money to blow. I find it to be a a fun mineral makeup line. I've heard some speculation about repackaging of pigments, but honestly I don't follow that stuff much (and don't really care, sorry I'm a bad consumer). What I love most about Pure Luxe is they offer samples for $1 that come in nice little 5 g jars (not little plastic baggies where you waste 80% of the product). The sample is supposedly 1/8 a teaspoon but they are almost always much more generous than that. I hear some people say that the sample will last a couple applications but I get a lot more than that out of them!!! More like 20+ if you are good about tapping your brush in the lid and not spilling.

Anyways, wish me luck!

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil Swacthes

2010-04-12T14:02:00.004-04:00

As promised, here are the 2 new NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils I got the other day in French Fries and Yogurt.

-French Fries is a beautiful dark chocolate brown with a lighter copper interference to it. Has a nice metallic shine to it. Really love this color. Be warned it looks NOTHING like the kethcup colored red swacth shown online, but is absolutely beautiful in person. Hoping to put it to use as a crease color.

-Yogurt is a soft, light, girly pink with a silvery frost to it. Not my typical color but looks like it could be a fun highlight in the inner corner of the eyes or lightly on the upper brow bone. Be warned the color is much lighter than the hotter pink swatch online.

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils in French Fries and Yogurt

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils Swatches for French Fries and Yogurt
in artificial light, sunlight, and with flash.

I'm still struggling a little to use them. On someone with greasy lids they seem to slid around and are hard to shape nicely. Such a shame cause the colors and pigmentation is amazing!

Look of the Day: Orange and Purple Eyes

2010-04-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

One of my recently discovered unusual color combos that I think actually looks good is orange and purple (compliment colors). They're pretty striking next to each other. This is another reason I love my 88 palette, I'd never buy or try orange eye shadow but since I have it sitting there I decided to experiment and found something fun that I love.

Products used:
FACE:
-E.L.F. All Over Color Stick (Apricot Beige)
-E.L.F. Studio Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter (Fair) - Just used the concealer
-MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (NW 25) - Small sample, using sparingly on cheeks
-E.L.F. Elements Blush (Flushed)

EYES:
-88 Matte Color Palette
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-NARS Blusher (Albatross) - Used as highlighter
-L'Oreal Hip Color Truth Cream Eyeliner (Eggplant)
-Smashbox Bionic Mascara

LIPS:
-Sephora Perfection Lip Primer
-Avon Lipstick Bullet (Carnation)
-E.L.F. Plumping Lip Glaze (Champagne)

BRUSHES:
-Coastal Scents IB116/Italian Badger Round Crease Brush
-Coastal Scents Chisel Detail Mini Brush
-Coastal Scents C139 Stiff Tapered Crease
-Bare Escentuals Heavenly Eyeshadow Buffing
-Bare Escentuals Max Coverage Concealer
-E.L.F Studio Small Angeled Brush
- L'Oreal Hip Brush (came with eyeliner)

Thoughts on NYX Cosmetics

2010-04-10T18:28:00.006-04:00

So obviously among the makeup community NYX Cosmetics is pretty well known and I think anybody who's done even a little online looking has stumble across NYX at least once, most likely for it's famous and popular:

- Jumbo Eye Pencils- particularly the white shade Milk and the black shade Black Bean which are commonly used as bases

-Round Lipsticks - which are cheap as $1.75 on some sites and apperantly pretty good, not to mention the massive color selection (144 shade currently I believe)

-Single Eyeshadows - many known as dupes for many MAC shades

Overall, NYX is revered by many to be the perfect product balance with good quality and cheap prices, yet for some reason I've never jumped on the bandwagon... Till now.

I've been debating trying out the oh so famous Jumbo Eye Pencils for awhile as well as the Round Lipsticks and Single Shadows but have been waiting for a good sale or coupon code for Cherry Culture where they can be found cheaper than on the NYX site! This weekend I was away in NC for a wedding and ended up getting dragged to Ulta (okay, willingly tagging along) by a friend needing to replace some products. I've been trying to be good and not spend but I had to walk out with something, so I figured I'd dip my toe in the NYX pool. I know the Ulta prices where almost double the Cherry Culture prices but I wanted to test the quality before wasting money on shipping or before ordering a massive haul online (it was also nice to see the colors IRL).

I got 2 Jumbo Pencils and an eyeshadow.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold

Initial Thoughts:

Jumbo Pencils - So far I'm struggling with the Jumbo Pencils. Swatched they are lovely, French Fries especially, a stunning dark coppery brown perfect for the crease. They are soft and glide on easily, but I find it difficult to apply with control or precision (the pencil is larger and cumbersome but they don't seem to do so well on brushes), blending is difficult (as it just rubs off), and OMG they CREASE! In all fairness I've heard this from many people and it may just take some getting used to and applying less, so I'll give them some more time.

Eyeshadow - OMG! Amazing. It's soft and crazy pigmented, and glides on smoothly. Not chalky, not sheer, and no fall out. I can see why people love these and I'll be going back for more for sure. Although it's clear from online swatches that some shades are better than other in this line (some 210 shades currently!).

I'll make sure to post some swacthes of them soon for you guys!

Look of the Day: Lilac Spring Eyes

2010-04-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Now that it's spring I'm using my favorite eye shadow, Pure Luxe Romance, more and more. And today, *drumroll* I even tried falsies again. I still struggle, I think it might be because I have cheapo lashes and cheap glue. Anyways here's a light silvery lilac look that's wearable yet fun and has a little drama with the lashes. It's product light and quick ('cept for fumbling with lashes)

My infamous raised eyebrow look responsible for my
forehead wrinkles at the ripe old age of 21.

Products used:

FACE
-E.L.F Tinted Moisturizer (Ivory)
-Bare Escentuals i.d. Mineral Veil (Tinted)
-E.L.F. Natural Radiance Blusher (Glow)

EYES
-Too Face Shadow Insurance (Sample packet)
-Pure Luxe Shadow Pigment (Romance)
-MAC Eyeshadow (Hypnotizing)
-E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (Black)
-Benefit Bad Girl Lash
-No name cheap lashes

LIPS
-Avon Lipstick Bullet (Carnation)
-Sephora Lipgloss (Precious Pink)

BRUSHES
-Paris Presents Highlighter Brush
-Bare Escentuals Flawless Face Brush
-E.L.F. Studio Blush Brush
-E.L.F. Studio Contour Brush

Wednesday Wish List: Sephora Color Play 5 in 1

2010-04-09T13:50:00.001-04:00

Okay... I know it's not really Wednesday but I couldn't help myself!

I know a lot of people look down on the 88 color palettes (either via Coastal Scents or generic E-bay ones) but for me I love it! It's probably my single most used product. Yes there's a mix of quality and pigmentation, some are a little chalky or sheer, and the sizes are small but overall I'm quite happy with most of the colors. I love the variety and options which sparks my creativity, and in general I'm a fan of large palettes rather than a zillion little single eye shadows that you have to open and close individually, it's way faster and more convenient. My problem lately is I've been doing a lot of short travel, just for a night or 2, so I need to pack light. Larger palettes thus aren't the most convenient thing in the work. Enter my new drool item...

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 for $29.50

What is it? Sephora's latest pallet containing 50 eye shadows (looks like a mixture of matte and shimmer), 10 lip glosses, and 5 blushes.

What's so special about it? It looks like a lot of other generic eyeshadow/blush palettes. It's composed of 5 smaller interchangeable mini pallets that can be taken out and put in another smaller pallet that's better suited for purses and travel. SCORE! I get both sides of what I want, a large diverse palette that easy to use daily and has lots of options but can also be separated and made smaller for travel!

Here's Sephora's official spiel on it.

Color Play - 5 in 1 ($150 Value)
What it is:
A versatile eye, lip, and cheek set featuring five interchangeable color stories.
What it does:
Create a look to fit any mood or style with five sub-palettes, each of which fits easily into a conveniently portable compact. To switch color stories, just pop out the previous look and insert a new one. New Sephora Collection formulations provide long-lasting wear and excellent color payoff for seriously stunning results.

Each of the five sub-palettes contains:
- 10 x Eyeshadows
- 2 x Lip colors
- Blush

I think the $150 value part is a little bogus (where do they always come up with those magical numbers?) but I think about thirty dollars is reasonable for everything the palette has. Obviously it's a little pricer than the 88 by about 10 bucks but it also has glosses and blushes, but I think what you are really paying for is that extra convenience of versatility. I know some people are critical of the Sephora brand products but I can't say too much about them as I've had limited experience (a lip plumping pencil, mini mascara sample, a manicure pen, and 2 glitter pens) and never really tried any of their shadows or blushes. I think I'd go into this expecting about the same as the 88 palette, a couple good shadows, some mediocre, and a few washes.

Another thing I like about the palette is the fun color stories of the individual palettes. There's one that looks good for a smokey eye, one for a neutral look, and 3 more colorful coordinated ones. Each palette has it's own name too.

Dinner in Paris: Grays and blacks

Coffee in New York: Browns and neutral eye

Shopping in Milan: Purples and pinks, green

Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens

Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

I'm super super tempted for this one but so far I've only been able to find a couple reviews and they're the "I-haven't-tried-it-yet-but-here-it-is-out-of-the-box, the-colors-look-pretty-and-might-be-really-pigmented" type of reviews which don't really do much for me. Right now out of 67 reviews on Sephora it has a 4.7 out of 5 but I generally find the reviews are more favorable on the site and come from such a mix of people (young/old, newbies/old timers) that it's not as specific and useful to me. The past Color Play palettes haven't gotten such good reviews but so far this one does seem to be beating some peoples expectations. I'm dying to see some swatches and hear the quality is at least equal to 88 and I'll dive right in. Who knows, maybe I'll have to take the plunge and swatch it for all you folks. :P

Almay Hypo-Allergenic Eye Makeup Remover Pads

2010-04-08T06:09:00.001-04:00

For the longest time I never used any makeup remover. I just used soap and water or whatever face wash I was using at the time. As I started getting more into makeup I need to get some kind of makeup remover, particularly when I started more waterproof gel eyeliner and mascaras that didn't just wash off. I didn't really know where to start but I had childhood memories of my mom using Pond's Cold Cream to get off my Halloween makeup and I always liked the smell. I ended up with the Ponds cool cucumber makeup remover.

It's found in any drugstore, it's cheap (like $3-4), and it's easy on the skin. Some people find it 'greasy' the first time they use if if they aren't familiar with cold cream products. You don't use it like soap or face wash and it doesn't lather. You apply it to dry or barely damp skin and just rub it on a for a minute. It doesn't rub in but rather on top of the skin and you see it getting dirty as it picks up makeup and dirt on your skin, then you just wipe it off with a tissue or wash cloth. It does a pretty good job of getting foundation off and I love it because it moisturizes too and leave my skin pretty soft. It's worked well for me for 4 years now and it's my keeper makeup remover and I still use it for my face.

However, it's only downfall is it's bit harsh for my eyes. It says it can be used to remove waterproof mascara so I would assume it's eye friendly, and I can and have used it to remove eye makeup but I generally find it stings a little, but I suffered through unaware for a few years.

One night as my boyfriend's I didn't have any makeup remover so I tried some of his Almay Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover Pads (he had them lying around when he did theater and had to wear makeup). They come in a little jar like this.

I loved them! The pads were super moist and my toughest staining eye shadows and mascaras literally just melted off. They seem super greasy when using but if I just gentle towel off my eyes after I'm fine. So I went to get my own but couldn't find the exact same thing anywhere (I guess it was a bit old). I ended up with the Almay Hypo-Allergenic Eye Makeup Remover Pads which look like this.

I like them, but right away I could tell it wasn't the same thing. The pads were much drier and the formula felt more alcohol-y and less moisturizing. They still work really well to get off my eye makeup (+ face makeup when I'm lazy) and they don't cause irritation or burning but certain mascaras don't seem to melt off as effortlessly and if I over use them in one day I notice a little drying in the corner of my eyes (which I have a lot of problem with anyways). For the face they're a little small but if I flip it over and use both sides I can usually do my whole face in 2 or 3 pads. After a little investgation I realized there are actually 2 formulas, oil free (which I got) and moisturizing, which is probably the one I really wanted. The store may have had them both and I just didn't notice or wasn't able to distinguish between them as the packaging is very similar and the font is a little small.

At any rate the one I have still works well as if cheap, 80 pads for $4. I'll keep using it and then when I run out I think I'll try the other formula. Here's an example of how well they work, from the other day when I did my MAC Too Fabulous looks which required a LOT of blush.

Amount of face product remove with just one pass.

Almay Hypo-Allergenic Eye Makeup Remover Pads
Great for removing both eye and face makeup.

Wednesday Wish List: MAC Mineralize Blush Duo Two Virtues

2010-04-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Two Virtues

A few weeks ago I went to LA for spring break so I got to go MAC! (There are no anywhere close to where I live, in the middle of nowhere). I was so excited and slightly overwhelmed by it all but right away the mineralized duo blushes from the Too Fabulous collection. They were so pretty. When I inquired about them the artist suggested Buddy Up or Rhapsody in Two for my light to meduim skin (NW20 or 25).

Mineralize Blush $23.00

A limited-edition Mineralize Blush featuring two shades swirled into an abstract pattern. Delivers the sheer colour and soft, dimensional pearl finish of all M∙A∙C Mineralize powder formulas.

Rhapsody is the light pale pink and light peach. I swatched it and found it to be very light and somewhat sheer. It had a pretty sparkle but not much color, almost more like a very faint highlight rather than a true blusher. I've had the NARS Orgasm for quite awhile and never find it very satisfying and I felt this would be a similar experience. For my money I like some ooommpphh!

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Rhapsody in Two

Buddy Up is a dirty rose and neutral yellow pink. I don't know what to say about it. I swatched it and just wasn't impressed. It's a nice rose, but again, just nothing special or unique in my eyes.

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Buddy Up

What really caught my eye was the Two Virtues, a combo of light blue pink and light violet. The pink really pops. This blush is really pigments and you need only a tiny tiny bit and a light hand but I found it to be beautiful! I felt it really made skin pop and look a little tanner with a glow. The pink was fun and girly but not TOO crazy unwearable (coughcough te powder blush in Full Fushia!), I just loved everything about it and could just sense it would be one of my top items. Unfortunately they were out, and so was the other store we tried the next day! Grrrr.

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Two Virtures

Photoshoped Look of the Day

2010-04-06T11:01:00.000-04:00

The other day I did a silver and purple look before going out in the evening and actually I thought it looked pretty good and dramatic, but when I took some pictures for the blog it really fell short. I just haven't quiet got the photography aspect of this down yet and it's frustrating watching my makeup look so boring when it looks pretty decent on my face. The photo wash out the color and seem to emphasize any flaws in blending that you don't even see with the eye in person. In particular my lashes bug me. In person I think they're fine, but the photo they look so stumpy and teeeeeeeeeny tinnnnny. As you see here.

Hello? Lashes? Where arrrrrre you?
Dark, beautiful, crease contour were did you go too?

So I decided to use a little technology help to show you what it REALLY looked like. Lol (ok, I wish). But honestly, aside from the long photoshoped lashes I think the eye and cheek color here look a lot more true to life. Clearly I need to start working on my lashes though. It makes a big difference!

Look of the Day: Orange POP Eyes

2010-04-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

I was bored this evening after work and decided to play around and do something 'different'. I didn't really have a plan and the result isn't a wearable day look but it's always fun to play with bright colors.

Products Used:
FACE:
-E.L.F. All Over Color Stick (Apricot Beige)
-E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer (Ivory)
-Clinique Sheer Powder Blusher (Sweetcheeks)

EYES:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Coastal Scents Creative ME #1 Palette (Hot Pots CM02, 03, 04, 08)
-Coastal Scent Gel Liner (Silk White)
-Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner Pencil (Pure White)
-E.L.F. Liquid Eyeliner (Black)
-Too Faced Lash Injection (Black)

LIPS:
-Rimmel 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Liner Pencil (Cherry Kiss)
-Chanel Cream Lipstick (Red Dream)
-Petite Potions Orangesickle Clear Lip Gloss

BRUSHES
-Bare Escentual Precision Eyeliner Brush
-Coastal Scents IB116/Italian Badger Round Crease Brush

Look of the Day: Got Back?

2010-04-05T10:40:00.001-04:00

Play time. Recently I've been rediscovering my Coastal Scents Smacks, expect for Got Back?, a dark coppery chocolate color. It's definately not a spring shade but I wanted to try using it for a look so I ended up with this dark copper/gold metallic look. I like the eyes but I think the eyes plus the lips is a bit much unless its for a costume party or something. The gold plus dark lips makes me think of some evil powerful Roman queen or something. Or Angelina Jolie in her earlier days (god what a beautiful woman!)

Products Used:
FACE
-The Face Shop Liquid Foundation (Light Beige) - An old shade that I don't think quiet matches anymore...
-E.L.F. Tone Correcting Concealer (Ivory)
-E.L.F. Studio Bronzer (Cool) - Love the matte color!

EYES
-Benefit Lemon Aid Color Correcting Eye Primer
-Coastal Scents Gel Liner ( 24K Gold) - Used on lid
-L.A. Colors 12 Eyeshadow Palette (Traditional) - Found it in the dollar, most are worthless but I like a couple of the darker colors so I keep it around, used the bottom row, right in the crease
-E.L.F. Liquid Eyeliner (Plum)
-Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara (Black Brown)

LIPS
-E.L.F Studio Definer and Shaper - Define side only
-Coastal Scents Smacks (Got Black?)

BRUSHES
-Paris Presents Highlighter Brush
-E.L.F. Studio Angled Foundation Brush
-E.L.F. Studio Contour Brush
-Bare Escentual Precision Eyeliner Brush

Look of the Day: Purple Silver Eyes

2010-04-04T10:18:00.003-04:00

Spring is here! I can go out in the evening without 20 layers on hurrah! A light silvery purple look with one of my favorite pigments of all time, Pure Luxe Romance and recently purchased fun new Illamasqua lipstick!I also 'rediscovered' White Diamonds and am loving it. Ignore the hair, just hoped out of the shower and hadn't blow dried yet.

Products Used:

FACE
-E.L.F. All Over Color Stick (Apricot Beige)
-Cover Girl Balance Complexion Foundation (Buff Beige)
-E.L.F. Studio Bronzer (Golden Bronze)

EYES
-Urban Decay Primer Potion- It's in the little white jar, I depotted
-Pure Luxe Eyeshadow Pigments (White Diamonds, Romance, Ultimate Plummy)
-NARS Blush (Albatross)
-E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (Black)

LIPS
-E.L.F Feather Proof Mositurizing Lip Liner (Bark)
-Petite Potions Orangesickle Clear Lip Gloss
-Illamasqua Lipstick (Underworld0 *Not pictured*

BRUSHES
-Coastal Scents IB116/Italian Badger Round Crease Brush
-Coastal Scents C150 Chisel Angle Fluff Shadow Brush
-Coastal Scents Angle Blush Brush
-Paris Presents Highlighter Brush

Look of the Day: Easter Eyes

2010-04-03T08:11:00.001-04:00

Another look of the day. With Easter just around the corner I pulled out my 'Easter Earrings'. I don't know why, but they always make me think of spring and Easter, probably the light pastel colors. Anyways, they inspired me to do a look loosely based on them.

FACE
-The Face Shop Pore Minimizer Controlling Cream
-Almay Smart Shade Makeup Foundation (200 Light/Medium)
-E.L.F. Studio High Definition Powder
-10 Piece Professional Blush Palette (Bottom row, first on left)
-NARS Blush (Orgasm)

EYES
-Urban Decay Primer Potion(Original)- It's in the little white jar, I depotted it when I couldn't get anymore
-Coastal Scent Creative Me Palette #1 (Hot Pots CM01, 06, 08, 09, 11)
-Coastal Scents Gel Liner (Silk White)
-Pure Luxe Kaleidoscope Shadow (Faceted)
-Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara
-E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit (Dark)
* For those of you with sharp eyes you'll see Bare Escentuals Buxon Mascara is in the pic, that was a mistake! I didn't use it

LIPS
-Smashbox Lip Enhancing Lipgloss (Lovely)

BRUSHES
-Paris Presents Highlighter Brush
-E.L.F. Studio Angeled Foundation Brush
-Coastal Scents IB116/Italian Badger Round Crease Brush
-Coastal Scents Chisel Detail Mini Brush
-Coastal Scents C150 Chisel Angle Fluff Shadow Brush
-Coastal Scents Angle Blush Brush
-Bare Escentual Slanted Liner

Look of the Day: Golden Russet Eyes

2010-04-02T18:58:00.009-04:00

Tried my first look of the day. Lots of E.L.F. stuff from my haul a few weeks ago. What I learned:

-Wow it's hard to accurately photograph makeup. Tips anyone!? Especailly tips from people like me with hooded eyes! I can see my eyeshadow when I look in a mirror but in photographs my lids just disappear! Weird...
-My lashes are TINY! I'm so used to looking at blogs where people use falsies so my look ridiculously dinky in comparison.
- I am very lopsided! My eyes/eyebrows/hooded-ness of eyes and my smile! Hmmm. Oh well.

Full face shot.

Eyes

Close up

Here's the products I used (forgot lipstick)

FACE:
-E.L.F. All Over Color Stick (Apricot Beige) - Cover up spots on cheeks, blend with finger
-E.L.F. Studio Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter (Fair) - Just used the concealer, blend with finger
-Almay Smart Shade Makeup Foundation (light/meduim) - All over
-E.L.F. Studio Blush (Mellow Mauve)
-Paris Presents Highligher Brush

EYES:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion- It's in the little white jar, I depotted it when I couldn't get anymore
-Pure Luxe Eyeshadow Pigments (After Hours on inside corner, Russet on crease, and a self pressed mix of Alloy and Forged on lid)
-NARS Blush (Albatross) - Highter on brow
-Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara
-E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (Black)
-Coastal Scents IB116/Italian Badger Round Crease Brush
-Coastal Scents Chisel Detail Mini Brush

LIPS:
N.Y.C. Ultra Moist Lipwear (Cafe)
E.L.F. Studio 2 in 1 Conditioning Gloss (Golden)

MAC Too Fabulous Look Recreation

2010-04-02T15:23:00.008-04:00

I've been drooling over MAC's Too Fabulous collection for some time (in particular the Duo blushes). Anyways I was playing around today with nothing in particular in mind at first and then halfway through I decided to try MAC's Too Fabulous look.

MAC's Too Fabulous

Here's my recreation of it in about 10 minutes. Unfortunately my camera is whacked at the moment so I had to use my web cam which is really poor quality, sorry :(. And obviously I didn't have anyone to nuzzle up against me sadly.

Here's MAC's and mine side by side. Not too bad considering it didn't plan it out and did it pretty quick. I lucked out and look a little like the model (expect for the nose!). Sadly I used no MAC products for this! Lol. Also I nevvvvvveeeer use false lashes, so that was interesting too.

Products used:

FACE
-E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer (Ivory)
-Cover Girl Balance Complexion Foundation (Buff Beige)
-10 Piece Professional Blush Palette (Unnamed hot pink in the 2nd row, 2nd from the right)
-All applied with Paris Presents Highlighter Brush - Reviewed here

EYES
-Coastal Scents Gel Liner (Silk White) - Used as base
-E.L.F Brightening Eye Color (White from Drama quad)
-NARS Blush (Albatross) - Used as a highlighter on the brow and inner corner of eye
-Cover Girl LashBlast Mascara (Black Brown)
-E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit (Dark)
-E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (Black)
-Unnamed flash eyelashes (from some cheap china based ebay site)
-Bare Escentuals Precision Eyeliner Brush
-Bare Escentuals Eye Defining Brush
-The Face Shop C Brush

LIPS
-The Face Shop Perfect Stick Concealer - To lighten lips
-Unnamed pink lipstick from an old makeup set (maybe from Kohl's?)
-Petite Potions Orangesickle Clear Lip Gloss (from dollar store but I love it!)

And to remove I used Almay eye makeup remover pads (they're for your eyes but I use them all over my face).

I had a lot of fun with this look and I think I might try it again when my camera is working again!

Not So Pretty Perfume Bottles

2010-04-01T13:47:00.000-04:00

Continuing with my perfume bottle scrutiny, here's a few I don't quite get the appeal of.

Ripe Raspberry Candy Apply by DKNY

It's plastic, it's cheap looking, it's tacky, and the little stick is just ridiculous. "Oh a candy apple, how cute," but there's nothing classy, pretty, or sophisticated about it. Pass.

Omnia Amethyste by Bvlgari

I know some people are fan of this bottle but I find it chunky and clunky. I'd rather have a brick on my dresser thankyouvery much.

Missoni Aqua by Missoni

Sometimes asymetry can be artistic and beautiful. Sometimes it's just boring, awkward and lopsided.

Ralph Wild by Ralph Lauren

Nealry all the Ralph Lauren scents are packaged like this just with different color variations. I think it's squat and booooooooorrrring. Also I find something about the font and most of the color combos to be very middle schoolish and unsophisticated. It just comes across cheap.

No Aprils Fool Joke: ELF COUPON CODE!

2010-04-01T13:23:00.005-04:00

Now until April 15th get 50% off all E.L.F.Mineral products on orders $15 or more! Code: EGMINX. I've yet to try out the Mineral line but I've had some luck with their general dollar line and a lot of success with the newer Studio line. I've heard good thing about the mineral lipsticks and I'm kind of on a lippie kick right now so I might try out a few. Here's my maybe list. How about you?

E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick. Regular Price $5.00

Now you can hydrate your lips and get a lasting soft color naturally! This nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, vitamins and plant extracts create the perfect moisturizing formula. The sleek lipstick has superior color payoff, glides easily onto lips, and is long wearing. Lips stay perfectly hydrated and soft throughout the day for no fuss, lip loving happiness. All our mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.

Natural Nymph

Prime Plum

Royal Red

Cheerful Cherry

Barely Bitten

Perfumes to Own Just for the Bottle

2010-03-31T21:39:00.000-04:00

In my post yesterday I briefly talked about how I love the simplicity, and mix of classic/modern of my Dior Pure Poison perfume bottle. The athetics of it's shape, weight, coloring, and proportions are, well just pretty to look at while also being practical and conveniently shaped and sized. It's pretty no? At first I thought the iridescence was a little tacky but it's grown on me after looking at it for 3 years. Of course I am ridiculously biased for particular perfume.

Pure Poison by Dior

Anyways it got me thinking about other bottles I've owned and/or seen (first hand or through adverts only) so I thought it would be fun to do a few posts on perfume bottles. Today I thought I'd do ones pretty enough to keep and display on your vanity even after using them up. Just as a note, I'm only talking about the bottles and am no way promoting the scents themselves. A few I don't like (and that's why I haven't gotten them even though the bottle is pretty) and a few I honestly haven't even smelled. While I love my Pure Posion I'm not sure I'd say the bottle is vanity worthy without it's contents, so on with the list!

Lola by Marc Jacob

I love this girly bottle with a sense of coyness, flirtyness and a little bit of fashion flare and fun. Plus it's a lovely shade of purple. It's a little outrageous and over the top, but that's what makes it fun for the counter, assuming you don't already have too much clutter!

The bottle's exquisite, multi-layered cap is a bursting bouquet with bright modern colors that pop against a matte black background and rope-inspired, gold metallic neck. The silhouette is inspired by Marc's fashion collection.

Princess by Vera Wang

The first few times I saw this bottle I thought it was kiddish and clunky. But it's grown on me. It's like a massive diamond and it brings out that fun, youthful, girly charm in everyone. Come on, deep down every woman deserves to be a Princess :D. And again, it's purple. I got a purple thing I guess.

J'adore by Dior

A classic and ionic bottle. Tall, eloquant, and spohicated without being old ladyish. My old roommate had this sitting on her dresser everyday and I love the smooth curves of it (plus this is one scent I can vouch for!). My only warning, this is one you absolutely can't lose/break the cap for, because that's essentially where it's all at. If you've you ever been in the fragrance section at Sephora where the tester is de-capped this bottle is utterly boring and almost unrecognizable.

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

Very similar J'adore but with a slightly younger more modern twist. I think it looks a bit plain in the picture, but in person the curvature, coloration, and weight is lovely. It's another shockingly simple one, but it's got class and quite elegance and maybe a hint of innocence? It makes me think of large egg, but in a good way, smooth and natural. The cap is a little over sized and ehh... but this is another one that I think the fragrance might be influencing my decision.

I guess overall I generally prefer simple, elegant, and balanced bottles. Any other pretty ones you suggest adding to the list? What are your favorite 'pretties'?

Wednesday Wish List: Dior Pure Poison

2010-03-31T21:24:00.000-04:00

Current wish list item:

Pure Poison by Dior
1 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $59
1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $75
3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Spray $95

Pure Poison has been my main scent for about 2~2 1/2 years so far and I ran dry of my current 1 oz bottle in early December. Sadly, current budget crisis after my recent holiday mean I can't afford even a 1 oz bottle. It's such a lovely unique scent though that doesn't 'tickle' like some of overly powerful florals of fruity scents. It's described as:

... a modern floral based on a white flower bouquet, infused with fresh amber. A radiant scent, it emits both purity and seduction with a first impression of soft flowers and the lingering allure of woody-amber and sexy musks.

It's primary notes are: sweet orange, bergamot, mandarin, orange flower, jasmine, gardenia, sandalwood, white amber, and musks. I'm a fan of musks and I can definitely detect that as well as hints of the amber, gardenia and maybe a little of the jasmine. It's said to have a "luminous, textured, and seductive" style. I agree with seductive for sure. I love it because it's professional and light for everyday use, yet also a little sultry and sexy if applied slightly heavier in the evenings. It's a versitile scent, at least with my particular skin chemistry.

As a side note I like the bottle. I've always been fascinated with pretty perfume bottle and once dreamed of being a 'perfume bottle designer'. Lol. It's simple, yet pretty, not over the top, and not so bizarrely awkwardly shaped in an attempt to be 'artistic' or different. Overall, it's classic yet a little modern, inside and out. I'd recommend it to anyone in the market for something new, and I can't wait to get my hands on another bottle again, hopefully soon!

MAC Art Supplies: COUPON CODE!

2010-03-31T14:10:00.000-04:00

I got a MAC coupon code for you all: SUPPLIES. It gets you free standard shipping on any order until April 4th. Go forwth and shop!

MAC's new Art Supplies release includes pencils and markers items. It includes:

Greasepaint Sticks $17.50 (8 colors)
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner $14.50 (6 colors)
Clear Lipgloss $14.00
Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker $16.00 (11 colors)

You can check out the limited time collection here, but frankly nothing really wowed me. Some of the eyeliners did look intense but I pretty much stick to creams these days. Also I've never had a good result with lipstains, I always just look like I ate a Popsicle. What do you think of the collection? Any must haves on your list? Let me know.

N.Y.C. Ultra Moist LipWear

2010-03-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

During my 'mini haul' on Saturday I picked up 2 Ultra Moist LipWear lipsticks. N.Y.C. is a really 'picked on' and ignored brand and one I've never really even tried, but I was in the mood to buy stuff and broke so I went for the cheap stuff, $0.98 each. Sadly this lipstick only comes in 10 shades of the original 20 (see them here) and of them only 5 were in stock. It contains Vitamin E which is suppose to moisturize and condition and give 'a kissable shine.' I got it Violet Shine and Cafe.

I've heard some people complain about the cheap case (seriously, what do you expect for a dollar?) but I actually like the clear cap. Yea, it looks a little cheap and I suspect it could crack pretty easy in a bag, but I like the fact it's clear. I have so many lipsticks and I can never remember exactly what each shade looks like so this way I can just look without the hassle of taking off all the caps.

Violet Shine on the left, Cafe on the right (sorry about the bad quality).

Swacthed on my forearm. Cafe on the left, Violet Shine on the right.

Violet Shine on the lips. A rosey, red tinted pink.

Cafe on the lips. A light bronzey/coppery brown.

As you can see both colors are pretty frosted with a silver shine to them. Because of the frostiness it seems to accentuate any roughness or cracks in your lips so make sure to smooth them out and put some balm on first. Both go on a bit sheer and so creamy that you have to work a little bit to get color, but they are definitely moisturizing. As with a lot of cream based lipsticks I find it doesn't seem to 'stick' to my lips very well. Both are soft colors, a little bland, and not very sharp or defined like matte colors. Also due to the consistency the staying power is nothing special, the color seems to disappear quite quickly even without eating or drinking. Violet Shine is a misleading name, but a very pretty color and I find both are quiet wearable for me. Overall, they make good casual everyday lip colors I think, not for going out or special occasions, but for class, work, and to the grocery store. I think I consider them more of a tinted lip balm than lipstick. While they were nothing amazing they were dirt cheap and not absolute rubbish so no real complaints here.

Packaging: 3 of 5
Smell: N/A
Color: 3 of 5
Consistency: 3 of 5
Staying Power: 2.5 of 5
Buy again?: Probably not

N.Y.C. Light Beam Lipgloss

2010-03-29T21:54:00.000-04:00

Several months ago my friend got several Rimmel Light Beam After Dark Lipglosses. They're slightly chunky squares with a small mirror on the side and an LED light in the cap that can be turned on but a small button in the cap. While they are a little on the tacky gimmicky side I really liked the idea and thought it would be handy to have one kicking around my purse is soley for the light and mirror. Yes I don't really NEED a light to put lip gloss on, but it could be useful in dark bathrooms and clubs etc. I've been looking (somewhat passively) so them ever since she got them but never manged to find one.

Rimmel Light Beam After Dark Lipgloss $6-8

Enter New York Colors (N.Y.C.). During my idle visit to Wal-Mart Saturday I saw a small display of NYC lipglosses on sale. The N.Y.C. Light Beam Lipgloss looks exactly like the Rimmel version, but only $2.50 instead of $6+. I have no idea what they normally retail at, they aren't even listed on the N.Y.C. site when I looked just now, so I take this to mean they are discontinued? Anyways, for that price I grabbed one, not even expecting much out of the lipgloss itself but just for the sake of having a little emergency light and mirror in my bag. A clear gloss would have been ideal but they didn't have any so I picked up a light pink shade called Runway Lights.

N.Y.C. Light Beam Lipgloss $2.50
Little mirror on the side

Small light power button on cap

With the LED light in the cap on

Small LED light in upper left corner of cap, not on.

Overall the packaging seems a little clunky for me. The square shape is a little thick and squat, but it's lightweight. The lipgloss smells wonderful, like bubble gum! Application is on the sheer side, but still a noticeable shine and a little sparkle without being middle schooly glittery. The consistency is a little sticky but not too thick. It doesn't spread well and it took me a lot of dips back into the bottle to apply a coat all over my lips. Between the tasteyness, texture, and fainter color the staying power is pretty limited, but once again I didn't really buy this for the gloss. Overall I'm happy with it and got exactly what I expected; a fun handy container and some run of the mill gloss.

A very sheer nude color on the lips.

Packaging: 4 of 5
Smell: 5 of 5
Color: 4 of 5
Consistency: 3.5 of 5
Staying Power: 2.5 of 5
Buy again?: For the same price, Yes.

Paris Presents Highlighter Brush

2010-03-28T17:10:00.000-04:00

The first item from my mini Wal-Mart haul yesterday was a 'highlighter' brush.

Paris Presents Highlighter Brush $4.98

I put highlighter in quotations cause that's what it says on the package but I think it looks more like a brush for liquid foundation and that's what I plan on using it for. I've been aching for a nice duo fiber brush such as MAC's 187 for awhile but haven't been willing to drop $42 for it yet. I figured I'd give this a try as it's under $5. I could tell right away it was no true dupe as the handle is shorter and thicker and head seems shorter and wider, but I just wanted a brush that could do the same job cheaper.

MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush $42.00 (drool)

At first I thought it was just a no name brush but after looking for a minute I found Paris Presents on the back in small writing. I've personally never heard of it before so have no idea about the brand. Have you ever heard of it? It's not even listed as a brand on MakeupAlley (my beauty bible for reviews so to speak). According to its website it "creates and distributes makeup tools, bath and body products, travel accessories, nail and specialty beauty products at affordable prices." I looked over the site and there didn't seem to be much there. Apparently they have several brands but none which I've heard of (Body Benefits, Body Image, Razz, Ms. Manicure, Ms. Pedicure, Ms. Makeup, and EcoTools). The brush I bought isn't even listed on the site.They do have some eco friendly 'green' options so if you're into that kinda stuff I'd say check it out.

Back of the package

The brush comes in a nice pretty thick plastic case and even has a metal button snap so I suppose you could save it and use it for travel etc. However as soon as I started to pull it out of the case my hope of finding a MAC dupe were crushed. I've felt a MAC 187 they are soft and flawless. This, not so much. As soon as I touched it I could feel how coarse and rough the black natural hairs were. The way the package is you have to pull the brush out against the grain of the hairs and many were badly bent and sticking out at odd angels. It started shedding right away. Looking at it close (which I hadn't done in the store) you can see the black hairs are uneven across the top of the brush. The white synthetic hairs however are very smooth, soft and even however, so it's too bad the black hairs ruin it.

In the above shot you can see some of the hairs sticking out on the sides, shedding, and the uneven cut of the black hairs in particular. And honestly, I think this picture looks much better than it does in person.

Here's another shot of the head but on a darker background to give you some contrast for the white bristles.

Another bummer with this brush is it's not round. It's suppose to be, cause both the handle and the ferrule are, but the actually head has been squashed and I can't seem to bend it back into shape.

In other thoughts about the brush the handle is nice, unremarkable, but nice, and the brush has a nice overall weight and length to it. Unfortunately the texture and condition of the bristles has instantly turned me off of this brush. I guess you get what you pay for after all. In all fairness I haven't washed it yet, so hopefully it will finish shedding, soften up and bit, and round out. I'll test drive it for a bit more and give another update later after I've given it a fair chance.

Packaging: 4 of 5
Handle: 4 of 5
Bristles: 2 of 5
Overall: 3 of 5
Buy again?: Not right now. I'll try it out for a bit more before I make my final call though.

Mini Wal-Mart 'Haul'

2010-03-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

I hate to even call this a haul as only I only got 6 items but I really needed something to finally get me started on this blog. I've had the name set aside for a bit but been too busy (ok, lazy) to actually get started on everything I want to do with it. So anyways, it was a boring Saturday and I was online fantasy shopping and racking up some very $expensive$ fantasy shopping cart bills so I needed to get out of the house to distract myself so fantasy online shopping didn't actually turn into real online shopping cause for me that DANGEROUS! There's not much where I live so I hit up my much visited Wal-Mart makeup zone. I've perused it hundreds of times, but I can still always find something I've looked over before. Here's what I ended up with today.

~Paris Presents -'Highlighter' brush (which I plan to use for liquid foundation)
~N.Y.C. - Light Beam (Runway Lights)
~N.Y.C. - Ulta Moist Lipwear (319B Violet Shine)
~N.Y.C. - Ulta Moist Lipwear (301B Cafe)
~Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear (Blue Me Away!)
~Pure Ice - Nail Emanuel (Cheatin')

I'll review them piece by piece so stop back to check them out!

The Beauty Budget

Quick and dirty review of Wet N' Wild Blush in Heather Silk

Quick and dirty review of Wet N' Wild Color Icon in Vanity

FOTD with new Wet N' Wild Products

NOTD: Sally Hansen Flirt and Hidden Treasure

Drugstore Haul

NOTD: Sinful 24/7 and Wet N' Wild black Creme

FOTD with Pure Luxe Pigments

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away with China Glaze Atlantis

NOTD: Pink with Staming

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away and Pure Ice Cheatin

NOTD: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away

NOTD: Essie Fiestia with Pure Ice Cheatin'

NOTD: Essie Fiesta

Bad Beauty Blogger

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 Sneak Peak II

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 Sneak Peak

Sephora Haul

Swatches of the Week

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocomint

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Blueberries

Nails of the Day: Color Club Amp'D Up

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Grapes

Sally Hasen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment Review

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Cherries

Urban Decay Primer Potion Decanting

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Chocolate Oranges

E.L.F Haul

Upcoming Swatches of the Week: Chocolate!

Swatches of the Week

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Peach Champagne

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Ultimate Amber

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe After Hours

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Ultimate Rockstar

Swatch of the Day: Pure Luxe Dubloon

Metal Mania

Swatch of the Day: Coastal Scents A More'

NYX Single Eyeshadow Swatch

Get Ready for Swacth of the Day (SOTD)!

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil Swacthes

Look of the Day: Orange and Purple Eyes

Thoughts on NYX Cosmetics

Look of the Day: Lilac Spring Eyes

Wednesday Wish List: Sephora Color Play 5 in 1

What it is:A versatile eye, lip, and cheek set featuring five interchangeable color stories.

Coffee in New York: Browns and neutral eye

Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens

Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

Almay Hypo-Allergenic Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Wednesday Wish List: MAC Mineralize Blush Duo Two Virtues

Photoshoped Look of the Day

Look of the Day: Orange POP Eyes

Look of the Day: Got Back?

Look of the Day: Purple Silver Eyes

Look of the Day: Easter Eyes

Look of the Day: Golden Russet Eyes

MAC Too Fabulous Look Recreation

Not So Pretty Perfume Bottles

No Aprils Fool Joke: ELF COUPON CODE!

Perfumes to Own Just for the Bottle

Wednesday Wish List: Dior Pure Poison

MAC Art Supplies: COUPON CODE!

N.Y.C. Ultra Moist LipWear

N.Y.C. Light Beam Lipgloss

Paris Presents Highlighter Brush

Mini Wal-Mart 'Haul'

What it is:
A versatile eye, lip, and cheek set featuring five interchangeable color stories.