Shakeup Your Makeup

Spotted at CVS - New! Sally Hansen Diamond Strength and Gem Crush Nail Colors

2011-11-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season to start seeing some new products come out for the winter and Holidays. CVS had the new Sally Hansen products displayed - Gem Crush and Diamond Strength. These were not on an end cap, instead they had added a shelf to the top of the cosmetics aisles. I almost missed them, so if you haven't seen these in your CVS, take a look above you!

There are several of these polishes I want - any of the Gem Crush and there were a couple of pretty shades in the Diamond Strength collection as well. What have you picked up? Any suggestions?

NOTD: Studio M (Massini) Nail Polish in "Ego Trip"

2011-11-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Another Studio M/Massini color from Meijer. This time I have on Ego Trip, which was on an end cap with their Holiday colors for this year. There were tons to choose from, many of which I will need to go back for! Lots of metallics and foils. If I had been thinking, I would have taken a snapshot of the actual display, but I spaced it.

Ego Trip is a very deep emerald green with hints of teal. It switches based on the surroundings, although I wouldn't call it a duochrome. To me, it's a very Christmas-y green. The first thing I thought of was Hermey the Elf from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

This was an amazing formula. I could have gotten away with just one coat, but I did two just for good measure. The coverage was fantastic, it dried very smoothly without any streaking from the frost, and the texture was thin enough to make it easy to apply, but not so thin that it was runny. I wish all the formulas were like this, but of course it depends on the color.

(this is the most true-to-life picture for the color)

Sorry for the grainy pictures - my camera was dead so I used my phone. I just had to show this one off! I'm thinking for Christmas I will layer some red glitter over the top. The pictures don't do it justice, though. It is gorgeous in real - life. I will take some updated pictures once the batteries are charged.

A Preview to Too Faced Black Friday Deals

2011-11-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Too Faced will be having tons of great deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday...

Looking for a preview? How about this?

Free Shipping: CODE=BLACK11 (valid 11/23/11 - 11/28/11)

Eye Want it All Collection: $99 (a $165 value!)

Vintage makeup deals: 50% off!

Free Gifts: Every order over $75 from 11/23-11/27 will receive a FREE FULL-SIZE SHADOW INSURANCE EYE SHADOW PRIMER with your order!

Cyber Monday: Customers can receive up to $60 in FREE GIFTS with qualifying order including full-size mascaras, makeup brushes and more!

Manic Monday: It's on! Just as always, the Manic Monday deals will be available!

Sounds like fun! I'll definitely be heading over to Too Faced to check these out!

Swatches & Review: Jordana Easyshine Lip Color "Sugar Cookie"

2011-11-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

I had very minimal exposure to Jordana Cosmetics until Walgreens revamped their set up and put an entire permenant display in their cosmetics department. Until then there was a little rack with eyeliners and lip liners that I would pick up every once in a while. You can see what I have purchased and reviewed here. Actually, some of my most used items are the Glitter Rocks Retractable Eyeliners I swatched and reviewed here, and I got those on clearance for $0.62 a piece!

Now that there is a display at Walgreens, I took a look at the other offerings from Jordana and picked up one of their Easyshine Lip Colors to try out. There are six colors on the display, and I picked up Sugar Cookie, which is a warm, reddish brown cream - no shimmer here.

Actually, if you head on over to the Jordana website, you can see all of the different colors here. The website also has a handy key to tell you what the finish is for each of the colors.

Not only did I mangle the top of the lip color with the lid when I opened it, but my flash totally washed out the color in the tube. It is a much deeper shade, with more brown undertones. This is a smaller stick of color too, similar to the size of the Carmex I reviewed earlier this week.

Swatched on the lips, this is my lips but better. The shine is unbelievable, and unfortunately my camera did not capture this either. It reminds me of a the shine you get from a liquid lipgloss in a tube. Definitely an easy color, it adds a hint of warm red shine, without being over the top. This is a very slick, non-sticky gloss. Lasting strength is minimal at best, especially if you have to talk alot during the day. There is a slight fragrance, sort of a warm vanilla sugar (hence the name), and it is also sweet to the taste.

At $1.99 this is a nice little thing to keep in your desk drawer or purse when you don't want lipstick on. It doesn't tout any benefits (i.e. Vitamin E, aiding or healing chapped lips, etc), but it does feel nice on. These would also be nice for the younger girls that are asking for some lipgloss or lipstick...maybe a stocking stuffer or two from Santa?

EOTD using Avon's Draw the Line set in Sapphire Blue

2011-11-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I posted some swatches of the Avon Draw the Line set of mini eyeliner pencils and I wanted to do an EOTD with the Sapphire Blue. Like I mentioned in the original post, this is a matte liner, so I was intrigued with how it would look on.

The pencil applied nicely - very smooth and creamy. Like I said in the earlier post on it, this is a bit of a sheer shade, so I had to apply it a couple of times to get the intensity seen in the pictures above. The wear was well - I didn't experience any smudging or color loss over the day.

To get the look:

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Girly - inner corner

Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Fierce - middle of lid into outer corner

Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Downtown - outer corner/crease

MAC Eyeshadow Phloof - highlight

Avon Draw the Line Mini Eyeliner Sapphire Blue - lower lashline

Tarte emphasEYES Clay Eyeliner in Black

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara - Black

Swatches & Review: Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm in Sheer Plum Tint

2011-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

It's that time again - time for dry, chapped lips and brisk winter chills. I always have my tube of chapstick in my purse. It's my go to. Actually, I have one on my bedside table, one in my office desk, one downstairs in the "junk" drawer, and one in my purse. Well, what about those times when you want a little color and the benefits of a chapstick?

Enter Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm. Made with Vitamin E, Aloe and SPF15, not only does this nourish and moisturize, it protects. Also, it is available in numerous shades, including two new ones: Sheer Berry and Sheer Plum.

I tend to lean towards warmer berry and plum shades in the fall and winter, so I purchased Sheer Plum to try out. The pictures below actually brighten the color in the tube a bit more than Sheer Plum is in reality, but you get the gist of the color. This is a deep plum, almost warm chocolate shade in the tube. Once applied, as you will see in swatches below, the berry colors really shine through.

The product itself is a thin, non sticky formula. It smells a bit less like menthol and a bit more minty than the original Carmex in the pot, therefore it's not quite as medicinal smelling. Once applied, there is a cooling sensation familiar with Carmex. The product wears nicely and didn't feather after application.

Above is two swipes on the skin for a swatch. Below is two swipes on the lip. See, a nice color, but not overwhelming. The berry color really comes through upon application as well.

Final verdict: Why not? For $2.59 a tube you don't have to give up the benefits of Carmex for a little color. My lips feel soft afterwards, and the color payoff is nice and lasting. There are several colors to choose from, although I think a lot of people would like to see more of a red and less of a berry available. Maybe in the future!

Have you tried this yet? What did you think?

NOTD: Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel "Glitz & Glam"

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

From Revlon's Spice it Up Collection, I picked up the nail polish called Glitz and Glam. This is a cranberry jelly base with silver glitter. It reminds me of one of last year's holiday colors by China Glaze - Mrs. Clause - but I don't own it so I can't do a comparison.

Although the color is a bit sheer, due to the jelly base, after three coats you do have a nice coverage. The dry time was pretty quick, so I suppose it lives up to the name "Top Speed", but I prefer to use a quick drying top coat like Seche Vite as well.

I've posted a couple of different angles/pictures below. I just had one of my nails break, so I had to cut them back - they look so stumpy...sorry. One picture is with a flash and the other in more natural lighting. I will say, being that this is a glitter polish, it really does sparkle! Look at that first picture - see what I mean? You know how sometime glitters end up a bit more matte once dry? Well this one is nice and shimmery, which is great for holiday parties or even just a pick me up.

I also picked up Mistletoe, which is a really vampy olive green - pictures coming soon once I wear it!

Spotted at Walgreens: Revlon Spice it Up Collection for 2011

2011-11-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

I ran across the Revlon Spice it Up collection for this holiday season while at Walgreens earlier this week. There are 8 nail polishes and 8 lipglosses to choose from. On the display there was a $1 coupon off Revlon, so I ended up purchasing two nail colors: Glitz & Glam and Mistletoe. I'll have pictures to post shortly.

Have you spotted this? What did you pick up? I really like some of the nail colors - lots of shimmer and sparkle!

Avon Draw the Line Mini Eyeliner Set - Swatches and Review

2011-11-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

Every year Avon comes out with mini-sets of some of their best selling products: nail polishes, eyeliners, lip gloss, etc. Of all the products I've tried from Avon over the years, one thing I haven't purchased are the Glimmersticks, and I've read some pretty nice things about them. I figured the holiday mini set of these would be a good way to test them out. The collection is called Draw the Line, and it is a set of four of the retractable, 12 hour wear, self sharpening eyeliners.

The four colors in the set are Sapphire Blue, Purple, Bronze and Smoky Grey. Only the Bronze has any shimmer. The other three shades are what I would consider a matte pencil. Swatches of the four pencils are below.

This collection is called a mini-set, and it truly is. The pencils are very small, and actually are a nice way to try out the Glimmersticks for the first time. The set of four costs $7.99 regularly, but I'm sure it will pop up on sale at some point, especially as we get closer to the holidays (or after). Because of the size, I find they would be good to keep in my purse, especially the Bronze or Smokey Grey, simply because they don't take up a lot of room and those two colors are shades I wear a lot and could touch up my makeup easily if needed.

Onto the product itself. The pencils have a nice, fine point, which is good for precision application. Overall, the consistency of the pencils were smooth. I found that Bronze and Smokey Grey were the creamiest and easiest to apply out of the four (Bronze being the best followed by Smokey Grey). Purple and Sapphire Blue were a little drier and a bit more difficult to use on the eye - there was some tugging, but overall the application was fine. I found it easier to apply on the lower lashline because of the size (or lack there of) of the pencils. Overall pigmentation was OK. These certainly don't have the pigmentation or ease of application like the superSHOCK Gel Pencils did (for the record, I still absolutely love these!), but they aren't terrible either. Again, the Bronze and Smokey Grey had the most pigmentation, where Purple had the least. I think you can see that by my swatches above.

So, bottom line, would I buy these again? Honestly, probably not, simply because for the price and quality, I have better products in the same colors or shades. Now, if you are looking to explore and enter the world of colored eyeliners, this might not be a bad idea for you - for $7.99 you get four colors that are a bit outside the box to play with. On the other hand, for those of your seasoned veterans of the eyeliner world, this is not a "must buy" by any means.

For those of you who have this, or any of the other Glimmersticks, what do you think? What is your favorite color?

NOTD: Pumpkin Nailpolish - Pale Pink and Silver Sparkles

2011-11-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Another pumpkin for you today, but this one wasn't quite as seasonal. This is a clear base with pale pink microglitter and very large, silver hexagonal glitter. Similar in texture and makeup as the Pumpkin polish in a bronze/silver, the actual coverage was quite sheer compared to the bronze. This is three coats, and you can still see quite a bit of nail through. With that said, the sheerness didn't really bother me. Because the pink color was more of a neutral, my nails just looked sparkly. It's kind of a safe-for-work glitter, in my opinion. I received tons of compliments on it too, which is an added bonus!

Below are a few more shots from different angles. I actually found this one on sale after Halloween at Meijer, and I think it cost $0.62 - talk about a find!

Enjoy!

Spotted at Walmart: New Kardashian Kolor for Nicole by OPI nail polishes

2011-11-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

I had read somewhere that Nicole by OPI was partnering with the Kardashians, but I didn't realize how many colors there were going to be until I saw the display at Walmart this past weekend. The collection is called Kardashain Kolor. Each of the leading ladies has a set of 3 colors to choose from. There are some basic cremes and shimmers, and some really glitzy glitters.

The display is enormous, especially by Walmart standards. It's very rarely that I find seasonal/temporary display for one product that fits the entire endcap in the beauty department, but this one did! It definitely catches your eye when you walk by!

The polishes retail for $7 a piece and can be found instore or online.

I picked up Disco Dolls which is a golden glitter with hints of red microglitter throughout. Swatches to come soon.

Two Faced Friends and Family Sale Starts today! Save 20%!

2011-11-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

From 11/10/11 through 11/16/11 Too Faced Friends and Family Sale is running - save 20% off your entire purchase with code FF2011F!

Reader Question: Studio M from Meijer - Are the products any good?

2011-11-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

Michelle from Michigan posted a question last night, so I thought I would address it here since many of you shop at Meijer.

"I apologize-this comment is not about Hard Candy. I know that you shop at Meijer.Have you seen the 'Studio M' cosmetic section there? Meijer is the only place I have seen this. I had a coupon & purchased the baked eye shadow-have not tried it yet. If you have tried anything in this brand would you let me know your thoughts? Thanks so much!"

Great question Michelle!

Studio M is Meijer's "house" brand of products - they used to be called Massini, and have since switched over to the "Studio M" name. You will also find some accessories and such in the Massini or Studio M name if you wander around the store.

As for the cosmetics, I have purchased quite a bit of the Studio M products, particularly the nail polishes and liquid eyeliners - you can see some here and an EOTD with my favorite of the eyeliners here. I can say I have not tried the baked eyeshadows before, although every time I pass them in the store I am tempted.

As for the quality of the products I have tried, I am very happy overall, especially for the price. The nail polish come in a great variety of colors, types (glitters, creams, sometimes duochromes), and I am very pleased with their wear. Some last a bit better than others, but overall, for the price they are great. As for the liquid eyeliners, I use them every day. The color selection is fantastic - there are glitters, metallics and of course the basics. They also have a variety of blushes, foundations, lip sticks, lip glosses, balms, and eyeshadows. The actual size of the display is about the same as Wet 'n Wild in the store, so there is quite a variety to choose from.

Looking around online, it seems like most people are pleased with the quality of the line. What about you, fellow readers? Have you tried anything from Studio M/Massini? What do you think?

Hopefully this helps Michelle!

Spotted at Walmart: Hard Candy LE Nail Polish Collection for the Holidays

2011-11-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Walmart was setting up their holiday gift aisle this past weekend, and I spotted the set of 5-Hard Candy LE Nail Polishes. This is a deep purple shimmer, a bright orange/red shimmer, green glitter, gold glitter and silver glitter. It looks very similar to last year's set too, but I can't find my picture of it to compare. Price is $5 for the set. There were also single polishes for $1 a piece in similar shades to last year.

Spotted at Walgreens: New NutraNail Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel-Color Manicure Sets

2011-11-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Walgreens (looking for the Wet 'n Wild LE polishes none-the-less), I saw a little display of a new NutraNail product - their Gel Perfect 5 minute Gel-Color Manicure sets. I can only assume these are the up and coming "at home" versions of the very popular Shellac Nail system that has hit salons over the past year or so.

Although the display I saw only had four colors to choose from (I picked up Dahlia), there are actually quite a few on the website.

I'm going to try these out here in the next day or two. I am wearing my Chanel Peridot right now, and I can't quite get enough of it.

Have you seen these out? What do you think?

FOTD: Bare Escentuals Pussycat and Gold Leaf, Maybelline Pressworthy Pink, and Laura Geller Como

2011-11-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

Years ago I was introduced to Bare Escentuals, and to this day I consider it one of my standard/go-to brands to use. I was feeling inspired by all the beautiful golds and bronzes of fall, so I fell back to two of the prettiest shades I think BE has: Pussycat and Gold Leaf. Below is how I put the look together.

Face:

Laura Geller Champagne Spackle

Laura Geller Real Deal Concealer "light"

Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten Porcelain Foundation

Maybelline Blush "Pressworthy Pink"

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion "Greed"

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Bare Escentuals "Gold Leaf" - inner corner

Bare Escentuals "Pussycat" - outer corner, crease

MAC "Sugar Shot" - highlight

Tarte Emphaseyes Clay eyeliner - Black

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara - Black

Lips

Laura Geller Dream Creams "Como"

A close up of the eyes below - Pussycat comes across as almost a dirty brown in the pot, but once applied is a beautiful deep bronze. It's beautiful for fall.

My new favorite lip color - Laura Geller's Dream Creams in Como

2011-11-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

I think I've found one of my new, favorite, neutral lip colors for the fall. Laura Geller's Dream Cream lip pallets are wonderful. I have received mine through the Escape from the Tropics Collection I ordered on auto deliver from QVC -- you can see the first set's swatches here. These are stripes of lipstick, for lack of a better term. These are not lip gloss, but instead are fully pigmented and can be applied on their own or mix and matched to create a color you find best suits you.

The color I am absolutely loving is the coral stripe second from the right in the Como pallet. In the pan it looks to be an almost washed out brick shade. When applied, it is a beautiful nude creme with a hit of coral, and I am absolutely in love. It works so well with my skin tone, is easily wearable with most anything, and the lasting power on these colors are fantastic.

If you haven't tried the Laura Geller Dream Creams, I would highly suggest you try them. A lot of possibilities in one little compact.

NOTD: Avon Nailwear Pro "Vintage Boutique"

2011-11-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

Avon Nailwear Pro in Vintage Boutique. This is a deep khaki/gray creme, leaning more on the warmer side. Depending on the light, it can look brown to an almost pale brownish lavender. In my opinion, it's more of a brown with grey undertones, kind of like the color of melted milk chocolate. Although it may look a little dull in the bottle, when applied this is a gorgeous color, especially for fall.

I don't know if Avon has updated the formula or not, but this applied extremely well. This is three coats, although I probably could have only used two. The nail polish dries so shiny too, which is different than some of the older shades I've used in the Avon line.

Side note, sorry for the blurry picture. I used my camera phone instead of my actual camera since the battery has died on it and needs to be charged.

Halloween NOTD: OPI DS "Mystery" and a Pumpkin Black & Orange Confetti Glitter

2011-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween mani with the pumpkin polishes. This time I layered the Pumpkin polish with orange and black confetti glitter on top of OPI Designer Series "Mystery". The OPI is the most unique color, and so hard to capture on film. Unfortunately it's been rainy and gloomy out so I couldn't go outside and take a picture either. The color is a deep purple/almost black with gold micro glitter.

If I could do this again, I would use a lighter shade underneath because you lose the black confetti in the dark color of the base polish. Instead, I might choose a similar base shade, but something more purple and less black. Regardless, the OPI is gorgeous on its own. Too bad the picture can't capture it.

What is your Halloween manicure going to be?

Swatches: The Balm Shady Lady "Jealous Jordana"

2011-10-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today's swatches are of The Balm's Shady Lady eyeshadow in Jealous Jordana. I received this as a birthday gift as well. This is my first go with The Balm, although I have heard very nice things about the brand.

Jealous Jordana is a deep almost black green with evergreen shimmer. This can be used as both an eyeshadow and an eyeliner. The consistency is very smooth and silky. The blending power was very nice as well. Pigmentation is also nice, but to get the most out of it I would definitely suggest using a primer. Using something underneath the shade really makes the color pop.

Swatched below are with (left) and without (right) primer. I used the LA Splash Eyeshadow Primer/Sealer underneath and got really nice results. I think if you used one of the UDPP in Greed or Sin you would get a really nice amplification of the shimmer. It really depends on what type of look you are going for.

The Balm can be found online or in store at Sephora. The eyeshadow singles retail for $16 a piece, but they do have sets quite often that are even more affordable.

Have you tried the Shady Lady shadows? What about any other Balm products?

Swatches: Maybelline Limited Edition Blushes in Stage Glow, Pressworthy Pink and Ravishing Rouge

2011-10-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned a while back that they were renovating the Walgreens near me. Well, while doing so, I was wandering through the aisles and found a section of clearance items. These weren't just old products, or broken products, these were perfectly good products that were marked down substantially. Case and point: Maybelline's Limited Edition Fall 2011 blushes below...marked down to $1.75 a piece, and then Maybelline was BOGO50% off, so I got one of them for $0.87! The moral of the story? Go check out the clearance!

The three I found were Stage Glow, Pressworthy Pink and Ravishing Rouge.

First, Stage Glow. This is a beautiful highlighting shade. The palest of nude pinks, there is beautiful pearl shimmer throughout.

Pressworthy Pink is a true bubblegum pink. There is also shimmer in this blush, but not as much as the Stage Glow. The shimmer is a bit more silver as well, or it could just be because it is against the pink so it stands out more.

Ravishing Rouge is a deep brick/plum shade with a slight pink shimmer. Yes, this is probably a bit dark for me, but I'm hoping with a light hand and a light brush, I can pull it off. Otherwise, this is going to my sister.

All three swatched below - natural light, no flash. The Stage Glow is just beautiful! The textures are creamy, not chalky at all. They blend very well into the skin and the shimmer left behind is a really nice glow in the cheeks.

Have you tried any of these LE shades? How about finding some great bargains like this in your local clearance?

NOTD: Pumpkin Chunky Glitter (bronze and silver)

2011-10-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of the pumpkin polishes I found a few weeks back. Today is called Chunky Nail...actually I think all of them are called that! This is a dark gray jelly base with tiny bronze microglitter and silver hexagonal chunky glitter. As you layer it, the hex glitters look a bit more bronze, but they are truly silver.

(natural light)

(Flash)

This is two coats. The polish covers like a dream - two coats was definitely enough, but you could apply a thin coat on top of a darker shade to add the chunky glitter effect.

What color did you pick up in the pumpkins? Remember, snowmen are around the corner!!

NOTD: L'oreal Owl's Night from the Project Runway Collectioni

2011-10-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

New from the L'oreal Project Runway collection is Owl's Night. This is a deep olive/black base with golden olive shimmer. Depending on what type of light you are in there is orange, gold and green as well...especially in the sun. Gorgeous. That's all there is to say about this one.

Two coats below.

Artificial Light

Sunlight

This is one of those colors I know I won't get tired of this fall/winter. Any type of golden shimmer will look gorgeous over the top as well.

EOTD: Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Mingling, Fyrinnae Otherwordly, and Aromaleigh Solange

2011-10-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

An icy blue EOTD for this rainy day today! I saw my Milani Baked eyeshadow laying lonely in my makeup drawer, so I thought I'd put a little look together around it. Here it is...

UDPP Greed

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Milani Baked Eyeshadow "Mingling" - inner corner

Fyrinnae "Otherwordly" - blended between inner corner and crease shade, wet lower lashline

Aromaleigh "Solange" - outer corner, crease

Milani "Lily White" - highlight

Lancome Artliner Eyeliner "Starshower"

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara - black

Spotted at Meijer: The Snowman Nail Polishes

2011-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to me how every year, the Christmas items seem to come out earlier and earlier. Well, right past the Halloween items at Meijer (including the pumpkin polishes), the North Pole and Christmas are starting to pop up. The aisle that has racks and racks of little knickknacks and stocking stuffers had one lone bin full, and it was full of Snowmen Polishes!

What fun! I overlooked these last year, so this year I picked up four glitters. I'll post pictures and swatches closer to the time - I still need to post my pumpkins!

Happy Holidays (in October)!

EOTD: Fyrinnae STFU, Aromaleigh Amarante and Sassy Minerals Witty Banter

2011-10-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today's EOTD is another mix of Fyrinnae and Aromaleigh and Sassy Minerals. This one is a mix of golds, bronzes and olives as well, but I did it a little backwards.

Face:

Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten in Fair and Porcelain

Laura Geller Bronze 'n Brighten

Milani Baked Blush Dolce Pink

Eyes:

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sassy Minerals Witty Banter - inner corner

Fyrinnae STFU - middle of lid blended into Witty Banter and lower lashline alone

Aromaleigh Amarante - outer corner blended into crease

MAC Phloof - highlight

Boujouis Clubbing Liquid Eyeliner

Loreal Voluminous False Lashes Fiber Mascara

Lips:

Too Faced Lip of Luxury Lipstick "Celebrity Meltdown"

Here's the whole deal. Again, I can't rave enough about the Too Faced lipstick I got. It's such a pretty warm berry shade!

Swatches: Too Faced Lip of Luxury Champagne Essence Lipstick "Celebrity Meltdown"

2011-10-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Too Faced is one of the first higher end brands I had when I was younger . I think I had the original packaging in some of their eyeshadows and maybe a lipgloss of some variety. I have heard great things about their lipsticks, and for my birthday I was lucky enough to receive one of their Lip of Luxury Champagne Essence Lipsticks in Celebrity Meltdown.

The packaging is really cute - the top is bedazzled with a big rhinestone on the cap.

Celebrity Meltdown is a rose base with golden shimmer. The picture above is taken under a light, without flash. It appears darker in the tube compared to how it applies.

The picture below, with flash, really brings out the true color of the lipstick. This is a deeper rose, almost raspberry shimmer base, with golden shimmer infused as well. The pigmentation is wonderful, it's moisturizing, long lasting but doesn't dry out your lips, and I did not experience any feathering of the base pigmentation after long use. Celebrity Meltdown its self is a really beautiful shade. It would be perfect in the summer, but the gold helps it transition into these colder months when I find I tend to wear more dark blacks and browns.

Swatched on the lips below. The golden shimmer really comes out upon application. The lipstick itself also has a nice shine - not quite like a lipgloss, but definitely more than most lipsticks have.

There are a lot of colors to choose from, mostly ranging in the pinks to warmer red shades. I took a snippit of the Sephora website so you could see the options. I've also seen these at Beauty First, if you have one in your area. Retail is $20.

Have you tried Too Faced Lipsticks before? Which is your go-to shade?

EOTD: Fyrinnae Newcastle and Aromaleigh Earthly Delights

2011-10-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today's EOTD is a mixture of some of my favorite brands: Fyrinnae and Aromaleigh. I am anxiously awaiting Fyrinnae's website to post the Halloween 2011 shades - I am sure they are gorgeous!

Anyway, here's my little look from this weekend - enjoy!

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - all over lid

Aromaleigh Earthly Delights - inner corner/lower lashline

Fyrinnae Newcastle - outer corner/crease

MAC Sugar Shot - highlight

Studio M Liquid Eyeliner in Bronze (I think - I need to confirm the name!)

L'oreal Voluminous Fiber False Lashes Mascara

I did a mediocre job at blending, but I find that happens when I'm in hurry - imagine that! I love Newcastle - not only is it one of my favorite beers, but also one of my hands down favorites of Fyrinnae's. The pictures above don't even do it justice. It's just gorgeous.

FOTD using L'oreal Voluminous Fiber False Lashes Mascara, Le Gloss "Saucy Mauve", and Fyrinnae

2011-10-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a look using some of the new products that I've picked up the past few weeks, including the new L'oreal Voluminous Fiber False Lashes and Le Gloss in Saucy Mauve. I threw in some Fyrinnae because I just love their shadows. Something about warm colors and shimmery sparkles that just makes me happy on those gloomy cold and damp days!

Face:

Laura Geller Champagne Spackle

Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten - Fair

Milani Baked Blush 'Dolce Pink'

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion 'Greed'

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Fyrinnae Druid Werewolf - inner corner

Fyrinnae Sake & Sashimi - outer corner

Milani Lily White - highlight

Fyrinnae Samhain Spirits - wet as liner

L'oreal Voluminous Fiber False Lashes - mascara

Lips

L'oreal Le Gloss Saucy Mauve

Sally Hansen Salon Complete Fall Designer Series: Dupes?

2011-09-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

While I was walking around looking at the new displays for fall/winter in CVS, I noticed a couple of colors that looked like good dupes of the Sally Hansen Salon Completes for the Fall. Don't get me wrong, I love these Sally Hansen Completes, but if I can save a buck or two, I'm game!

First up, Sally Hansen Salon Complete "Shiny Penny" vs Milani's "Bijou Bronze". The Milani version looks a bit more metallic in real life, but the actual copper color is very much the same across the two.

Next up, Sally Hansen Complete in Anenome of Mine vs Confetti's Purple Reigns and Milani's Cool Vibe. All three are warm plum cremes. Comparitaively speaking, I'd say the Confetti is a tinge darker than the Milani version, but they are all extremely similar to the Sally Hansen in the bottle.

I think those are pretty good dupes, what do you think?

Spotted at CVS (Finally!) : Sally Hansen Complete Designer Series Fall 2011

2011-09-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

I finally came across the Sally Hansen Salon Complete Designer series for this fall. There are some really pretty cremes, and a gorgeous copper penny frost in the set. Closeups of each of the shades are attached as well!

Have you picked any of these up?

Also, I discovered some dupes of these shades while I was walking around CVS, so those are coming up next!

Is your Walgreens being remodeled?

2011-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

It seems like all three Walgreens in my area are going through an intense remodel. I went in the store closest to my office the other day, and they were about 75% done, and lucky for me, the portion that was complete is the Health and Beauty department, so I took a couple of pictures to show you what you have to look forward to!
First off, they are putting a big, light up end cap at the front of the Health and Beauty department. This particular store displayed the entire Essie nailpolish collection, and also had the permanent display within the beauty department. The other side of the display had some seasonal display pieces (i.e. the Revlon Expressionists collection, etc).

Also, for those of you who don't have a full-fledged Jordana selection in your local drug stores, if you happen to have a Walgreens that is remodeling, they are getting a whole section in the Beauty section. I really love their pencil eyeliners, especially for the price. I've done a few reviews of their products here, so you can browse through the pictures.

I also saw quite a few new hair and body care lines in the Health and Beauty department as well. I wasn't able to snap pictures of those unfortunately.

Also, if you check out the little clearance spots at the ends of aisles, you'll most likely find a lot of newer products on clearance. I found some new Maybelline blushes, Revlon nail polishes and some eyeshadows, which I'll post pictures of here shortly! The best part - the blushes rang up $0.87 because they were BOGO50%! It is definitely worth checking out!

Review: L'oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss "Saucy Mauve"

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I've shown you pictures of my makeup stash over the past years I've been blogging - there are very few things that I don't have tons of, for sure, but the other thing besides mascara that I love is lip gloss. When the L'oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss display came out, I was automatically drawn in by all the different colors. After passing by several times on my grocery trips, I finally caved in and purchased the color Saucy Mauve.

Review: L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Blackest Black

2011-09-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Up for review today - L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes, the newest line extension from the Voluminous line.

"The power of sculpting fibers give you an outrageous, false lash look from any angle with this fiber volumizing mascara by L'oreal."

Incomparably volumized * Extended new lengths * Infinitely structured * Incredibly curled"

I found this in our soon-to-be remodeled Walgreens (which, by the way, has tons of other goodies coming to it! I can't wait for it to officially *open*!).

The Voluminous False Fibers Mascara is packed with short and long nylon and rayon fibers, which are the same used to make actual false lashes. These fibers help make lashes look fuller, longer, curled and sculpted. The mascara also contains botanical waxes to prevent hardening and flaking.

The brush, pictured below, is quite narrow. It's bristles are stiff, thick, and almost spiral around the brush. Picture a pyramid or a long 3D rectangle that has tapered down to the tip - that's what this brush reminds me of. The end/tip is actual more narrow than the base, so it helps reach the inner corners without smudging along your lashline. Because it is somewhat of a 3D rectangle, there are flat, almost cupped, sides to the brush that allow you to get more volume, and then you pull through the edges of that rectangle with all the bristles, and it pulls through the mascara giving the length and definition - similar to how The Falsie's mascara brush is flat and spoon shaped.

The mascara itself is definitely a thick product. It's almost dry, or maybe it's just that thick that it doesn't feel as thin and liquid as some mascaras do. It definitely takes bit of work wiggling back and forth to get it on the lashes, but once it does it's a nice coat. The fibers don't get in the way, and instead I think facilitate in the volume and lengthening effect of the mascara (hence the name). The thin and narrow brush helps you get the product all the way down to the base of the lashes without hitting and coating your under eye or eyelid with excess mascara. The brush also helps pull the fibers through so that excess fibers aren't creating a bristling effect on the lashes. If you've used fibrous mascaras or primers before, you probably know what I'm talking about.

Because of the dryness of the mascara, it is difficult to apply multiple coats without it looking clumpy. If you are going to do so, make sure the product has dried in between, as that seems to be what causes the clumps. I have not experienced any flaking or smudging, which is a definite plus!

I like this mascara. I've currently been obsessed with The Falsie's, but since I've tried this one out, I find myself leaning towards this more and more. I'm getting used to the consistency of the mascara itself, but I think the brush helps me through that. It's easier to use than some of these big and fat brushes currently on the market. Like the Falsies, I find this achieves long and thick lashes, but the Voluminous version actually defines the lashes better, and more of them! I even get a bit of a curl instead of my typical stick-straight lashes, without using a curler.

Retail is approximately $8.99 at your local drugstore.

Have you seen/found this one yet? What were your thoughts?

NOTD: Sally Hansen Insta Dry in "Bronze Ablaze"

2011-09-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today I bring you Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Color in Bronze Ablaze. This is from the Fall 2011 collection for Sally Hansen. Bronze Ablaze is a little bit of a chameleon, but not necessarily a duochrome. Depending on the lighting and/or what you're wearing it looks like a warm bronze with green undertones, or a deep olive green with golden shimmer. You can see this in the pictures below, depending on the lighting.

Without the flash, the bottle looks green.

Swatch above, picture taken without the flash. This is the "green" version of the polish.

Picture above taken with the flash. This looks more like a deep penny bronze/copper with the slightest hints of golds and greens (in the bottle).

Swatches are two coats. This covers really well, and drys quickly (hence the name). I also added a top coat of Seche Vite just to speed up the process.

Very, very pretty - this definitely reminds me of fall and the changing leaves. A gorgeous, warm shade that might satisfy your need for Chanel's Peridot, although it's definitely not a dupe...just a similar type of color.

EyesOnStreets

2011-09-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

EyesOnStreets

Spotted at Meijer: Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers RIP Nail Colors for 2011

2011-09-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

I spotted the new display of Wet n Wild's Fantasy Makers RIP Nail Colors for 2011 at Meijer last week. I look forward to these every year! This year there is a Glow in the Dark top coat, and three glitter shades.

Purple Potion: A black jelly base with purple sparkles. Similar to Revlon's Facet's of Fuchsia, without the hex glitters.

Black Magic: A black jelly base with iridescent and copper micro glitters.

Creepy Pumpkin: A bright, almost highlighter orange with orange and iridescent microglitter.

Retail is $1.99 a piece. Have you seen these? Which one are you picking up for your Halloween mani?

Swatches: Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Gel Eyeliner Trio in Glam Blue Eyes

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Physician's Formula Gel Eyeliners have become a staple in my stash. I've picked up several of these trios, which you can see swatches of here. The black(s) in these trios are my go-to eyeliner. I tend to lean towards gel and or liquid liners vs. a pencil because I have an easier time applying them, and I feel like they stay put better than a pencil. The Physician's Formula Shimmer Strip Custom Gel Eyeliners are no exception - not only are they all extremely pigmented, but they apply so easily and last all day without budging.

Today I have closeups of the Glam Eye Collection for Blue Eyes. This set includes a pure silver, cobalt blue shimmer and black with just the slightest hint of silver shimmer, although I don't think it translates onto the eye so much.

Below are the swatches, using the broad side of my flat eyeliner brush. I was surprised at how nicely the silver covered. I assumed this would be a bit more sheer, but this is actually a nice depth of color, so it covers very well. If you used a lighter hand, it could be applied over the black to give it a more graphite shade, but alone it is strictly silver. The blue is a true, cobalt blue, and the black is just that...black. You can see the silver shimmer in the swatch below much better than on the eye, but that's probably because it's a broader application.

Have you tried these? What is your favorite set?

NOTD: Revlon Nail Polish "Starry Pink"

2011-09-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Revlon Starry Pink, from the Expressionists Display at Meijer last week. On a side note, I did notice these in the permanent display at Target as well.

Starry Pink is a very pale pink creme polish. It almost borders on pale pinkish-lilac creme, to be honest. There are tons of small silver glitter, and larger hexagonal silver glitters as well. As you paint over each layer, the glitter becomes more and ore muted towards the bottom, leaving those pieces on your last top coat to shine the most. Some say this is not work-safe, but I think that depends on where you work. Lucky for me, I can wear pretty much any color without the questioning stares, but for those that work in a more conservative environment, this does have glitter. Although I tend to go much darker and warmer in the fall/winter, I think this is a nice way to sort of brighten things up without wearing too summery of a color.

Please excuse the chip - this wasn't a fault of the polish at all. I actually had a nail that was peeling a bit, and I must have snagged it on something just prior to taking the pictures. This particular manicure is 3 coats, with a top coat. I didn't have problems with chipping or bubbling. The consistency is a bit thicker than some Revlon polishes, which actually made this easier to apply.

Spotted at Meijer: KISS Limited Edition Halloween Nails and Nail Art Decals

2011-09-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

A few displays of the Halloween Kiss Nails products, including lipgloss, fals nails, nail art and nail stickers. Have you seen these yet?

I love these little nail art stickers/declals - they are so cute!

Spotted at Meijer: New Revlon Edgy Elegance and Revlon Expressionists with Gucci Westman Displays

2011-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

I believe this is the last of the new displays I saw at Meijer late last week. Revlon's Edgy Elegance collection is up first - this is a set of shimmers and foils, which appear to be very chic this fall. The colors are: Girly (pale pink/lilac shimmer), Fierce (warm plum metallic), Punk (butter yellow with green undertones and silver shimmer), Princess (iced pale blue with silver foil), Catty (very pale copper with silver foil), Innocent (warm light pink with silver shimmer), Downtown (slate gray with silver shimmer - this is less blue than Princess), and Aloof (white cream with silver shimmer).

The Expressionist collection is supposed to be available in October, but it seems that a lot of bloggers have seen this popping up over the past few weeks. You'll notice in the picture below, a lot of plums and purples. Also, the nail polish (pictured below as well) Facets of Fuchsia is supposed to be a nice dupe of Deborah Lippman's Bad Romance.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in four new shades: Buffest Beige, Prime Pink, Ultimate Orchid, and Vigorous Violet ($10.99 each);

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in in three new shades: Sky Line Pink, Abstract Orange, and Violet Frenzy ($7.99 each); Revlon Luxurious Color Diamond Lust Eye Shadow in five new shades: Celestial Silver, Plum Galaxy, Starry Pink, Neptune Star, and Night Sky ($4.99 each);

Revlon LIMITED EDITION Bordeaux in the Snow Lip Gloss Palette ($6.99); Revlon Nail Enamel in four new shades: Starry Pink, Smoky Canvas, Blue Mosaic, and Facets of Fuchsia ($4.79 each).

Have you seen any of these collections out yet? What are you going to pick up?

Spotted at Meijer: More Halloween Goodies! Rimmel, Pumpkin Nail Polishes

2011-09-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween is in full effect at Meijer. This time, a closeup of the Rimmel "London's Wicked Beauty" Collection, which includes two eyeshadow quads, two nail polish and the Day2Night mascara. One of the nailpolishes was a black cream, but the other was this really pretty almost evergreen frost, called Rags to Riches. My camera phone takes horrible pictures, but you get the gist of it below. I bought this one, so I'll post some swatches of it when I get around to it.

Also, one of my favorite things to dig through: all the pumpkin polishes! This year there were three bins of them to pick through - some neons, creams, glitters and a few unique ones.

Another horrible camera phone picture, but this is a black and orange tinsel glitter. Tons of little strands of tinsel throughout - it looks like it could be really cool on.

This is another pumpkin - this time an irridescent blue/teal/purple jelly glitter. It reminds me of a glitter version of Sally Hansen's HD in DVD.

The last thing I saw, but couldn't find a name on it, were these Duo Nail Polish sets. Depending on how you pull the brush out, you can either get a fine tip or a full brush. All came with black cream on one side, and the other came in a broad spectrum of choice: here a neon green or an orange glitter.

What cool Halloween makeup have you seen/found?

Spotted at Meijer: Happy Halloween! Sally Hansen Salon Effects Halloween Nail Polish Strips

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Looky what I found at Meijer too - talk about a bonanza! I walked in at the right time - the vendors were filling the end caps right when I came in!

I'll be running a giveaway soon on two of sets...keep an eye out! :)

Spotted at Meijer: New Limited Edition Maybelline Color Sensational "The Jewels"

2011-09-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

Another new display at Meijer - the Maybelline Color Sensational Limited Edition "The Jewel's Collection. This is a set of satin shades, in beautiful jewel tones, from pinks to warmer mauves and plum colors.

I didn't pick any of these up, but I think I might go back for "Plum Jewel".

Have you picked any of these up?

Spotted at Meijer: NEW! Loreal Paris Project Runway Collection "Colors Take Flight"

2011-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

So, perusing (give a girl a break-typo's are allowed every once in a while...) through Miejer today and I spotted a TON of new goodies to share. First up, the L'oreal collaboration with Project Runway: Colors Take Flight. This is a set of new blushes, an eyeshadow quad (that wasn't on the display), two new nail polishes and the primer.

I was instantly drawn to the nailpolishes, called Amazon's Flare (a bright fuchsia/pink cream -a this looks pinker than in real life) and this gorgeous color called Amazon's Gold (I think). I picked this one up so I'll confirm with my swatches.

This cell phone picture doesn't do it justice - the shade is so complex - it's like a gold version of Graphite/Carbonite.

Have you seen this collection out yet?

Swatches: Salma Hayek Nuance Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Neutral

2011-09-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

CVS recently debuted Salma Hayek's new beauty line called Nuance. This is a collection of Skincare, Haircare, Cosmetics, and Body care. Originally I saw a display for haircare and cosmetics, but when I was in CVS last week I noticed an end cap with an entire skincare line, including makeup remover, creams, treatments and face wash. A few weeks back, the entire line was BOGO, so I picked up the Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Neutral. The retail price on this is $11.99, but with the BOGO it ended up being $5.99 a piece.

First, let's take a look at the packaging - this is quite unique, isn't it!? It looks like a pod, that opens up to reveal four shadows.

I've pulled all four colors out, but this is a very manageable compact - you can pick and choose which colors you open up if you want. This would require you to label the outside of the pod, though, since there are no labels on the actual compact (just the outer packaging).

Now the colors...

Shimmering Bronze - a deep copper bronze shade with darker warm brown undertones. This is a frosty shade, with copper really reflecting off the base color.

Toasted Almond: The least shimmery of the four, I'd say this is more of a satin. The color is a muted taupe, looking a bit more silvery/cool in the pan, but the warmer tones come out upon application.

Frosted Blush: This is the palest color in the quad. A true champagne shade with a hint of pinkness to it. The frost is ivory, and when blended onto the skin it's a very beautiful skintone color, somewhat reminding me of Stila's Kitten. I'll have to run a swatch comparison.

Golden Champagne: This reminds me of an aged/antiqued gold color. Golden Champagne is also a frost, and a true metallic in my opinion.

Below is a snapshot of the back of the box - there is a little "how to" on creating a neutral smokey eye.

Swatches below. This is over LA Splash's Eyeshadow Primer/Sealer - my holy grail with panned shadows (I use Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy with loose). I tend to default to using a primer, but these are actually quite nice without one too.

So, what's the bottom line here? All four eyeshadows are extremely pigmented, smooth, creamy without being crumbly and blend effortlessly onto the skin and together. I would put all four of these up against some of my MAC single eyeshadow pans in quality, pigmentation and performance. Even better? These are really amazing for the price ... and I'm talking the actual retail without being on sale. At $11.99 for the quad, you are paying $2.99 a piece, which can't be beat. I know, these are basic neutrals, but if you are looking for a go-to product that is easy to travel with, and works well together, this would be a great purchase. Now, if you are into the cool-tones, there is another quad called Smokey that has more cool tones. I tell you what, if these go on sale again, I'll definitely give the other quad a whirl!

Have you picked these up yet? What do you think? What else from the Nuance collection have you tried?

Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin - It's time for Fall!

2011-09-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - Fall! I don't know if it's because the temperature has dropped dramatically by approximately 30 degrees, or just the fact that I've had my fill of summer fun, but I am ready for fall. I knew it was close to that time because Bath and Body Works has put up their Halloween and autumn fragrances online, and in stores. I love all the jack-o-lanterns and woodland-esque animals. I actually did pick up the Wicked Spiced Pumpkin travel size body lotion, which smells absolutely delicious! This is much warmer, and more vanilla than the other pumpkin fragrances in the past, and to me is a really nice change from all the floral fragrances of the summer. I was disappointed to find out it only comes in the travel size, because I would have snatched up several in a full size! But, at $5 a piece, it's not a bad addition to my purse.

My absolute favorite is Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. This is a sweeter, and a bit fruitier than the Wicked Spiced Pumpkin. I look forward to this scent every fall!

Here's where I need your help - have any of you heard that they aren't carrying this in the store? I went in to pick some up this past weekend, and the sales associated to me that they are no longer making the body lotion - only the candles, and the shower gel (pictured below). Now, I am a bit hesitant to believe this, simply because when I search on the Bath and Body Works website, I find the entire gamut of SCP products, including scrubs, candles, shower gels and lotions/creams. Maybe they are only going to carry this online, which I would be sorely disappointed in! So, I am asking you fell readers - let me know if you've seen this in your local BBW - I'd love to know! I keep checking out mine, but so far, nothin'!

What do you look forward to for fall? For me, it's all about the pumpkins - Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and a Pumpkin Spiced Latte for me! :)

Swatches: Wet 'n Wild LE Color Icon Trios in "We're Blasting Off", "Dancing in the Clouds", "Earth Looks Small from Down Here" and "Bright Idea"

2011-09-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!

I'm sure you have all seen these, but just in case you haven't I thought I'd share swatches. I finally found these at a Meijer near me. My favorite two are "We're Blasting Off" and "Dancing in the Clouds".

"We're Blasting Off": A set of pinkier taupes. The browbone shade is an almost matte baby pink, the crease is a deep plummy brown with taupe shimmer, and the eyelid shade is a silvery taupe. The crease and eyeliner are very creamy and pigmented.

"Dancing in the Clouds": A unique trio. The brownbone and eyelid shades are metallic, and the crease is a satin shade. The browbone is a golden taupe. The crease is a bright Easter purple, and the eyelid is a really bright, new-penny copper shade.

"Earth Looks Small from Down Here": The name is a great pick for this set. The three colors really do remind me of the globe in my classroom growing up. The brownbone is a greenish gold. I say greenish, because it has a sort of olive-undertone to it. The crease is a bright denim blue shimmer. The eyelid shade is a bright kelly green with a satin finish.

"Bright Idea": Probably my least favorite of the set. These aren't nearly as pigmented as the others. The brownbone is a bright yellow with silvery shimmer. The crease shade is similar to that above - a kelly green with shimmer, but this time it's a more golden shimmer than above. The eye color is a bright fushia/pink with pale pink shimmer.

The pigmentation was very nice on these. Creamy, colorful and typical of the Color Icon's. I'd say that "Bright Idea" was the lightest of the four. "Dancing in the Clouds" and "We're Blasting Off" were the creamiest of the four I picked up.

What set was your favorite of the newest LE collection from Wet 'n Wild?

Swatches: Avon Duo Reflect Glazewear "Pink Flip"

2011-08-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

New this summer to the Avon Glazewear line were the Duo Reflect lip glosses. There are four shades to choose from, which you can see here on their website. I picked the lightest - Pink Flip. This is a clear base with a shimmer that goes from pearl to pink based on the angle/lighting.

Applicator is a doe-foot, just like the rest of the Glazewear line.

Below are swatches on bare skin. You can see how it goes from sheer to pink in based on the lighting. I had to do this without the flash, because the flash actually washed out the coloring.

On the lips, it adds just the slightest pink hue. This would actually be gorgeous on top of lipstick as well. It also is a nice alternative to just a plain clear gloss.

Formula is the same as normal Glazewears - smooth, fairly long lasting without being sticky, and shiny.

Have you tried these out yet? What is your favorite Glazewear shade?

Swatches: Sally Beauty's Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadows

2011-08-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted pictures of these yet! I'm so behind (or else my stash is getting THAT big that I behind as a result of it...that's probably more the truth!). Sally Beauty's own line is called Sally Girl. This line consists of lip gloss, eye shadows, liners, nail polish...and a majority of it falls at $0.99 a piece! Well, I can't turn down a $0.99 price tag, so I picked up three of the baked eyeshadows to play around with.

First of all - look at how cute and tiny these are. They really are a great size - they are easy to travel with, you aren't stuck with a ton of product that you won't ever use up, and at the price, it gives you the flexibility to try out other colors or products without your wallet yelling at you...

First up - Gold. Gold is a pale gold. It's a silver gold. It's very, very metallic and has tiny silver shimmer swirled throughout. Because this is such a metallic shadow, you can't see the swirls of silver below, but take my word for it, they are there.

Next up - Dark Aqua. This is a true turquoise, in my opinion. Although it is difficult to see in the product shot below, there is a bit of a golden undertone to this shade. I'd say it's more of the shimmer than anything else, but this isn't a real cool turquoise or aqua, but instead is a warmer shade.

Last up - Dark Purple. This is a warmer eggplant purple with swirls of a purple/blue throughout. The shimmer reflects back more of a silver/pewter shade. This is a beautiful color and really reminds me of royalty

Swatches below are on bare skin - no primer. Really, that's not to shabby for a $0.99 product is it? The least pigmented of the bunch is the Aqua. The purple and gold are very pigmented. The product is nice and smooth. It's not exactly creamy, but it's also not dry. I am not concerned about the shadow crumbling in the container, but at the same time, the shadows are easy to blend and work with. You can see the blue shades reflecting through on the purple in the swatch pictures below.

I have to say, I'm impressed. A $0.99 eyeshadow that has a broad color selection, is frosty, and nicely pigmented? That packs quite a punch, doesn't it?

Have you tried these shadows before? What about any of the other Sally Girl products? Thoughts:?

Swatches: Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad "ShowStoppers-01"

2011-08-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Target is my weakness. I try to tell myself I'm going to walk in there for one thing, and I end up coming out with a cart full of goodies. Well, my last trip there was no exception. I noticed some sparkly goodies on the Sonia Kashuk display, so I wandered over and discovered this: Showstoppers.

Showstoppers, a metallic eyeshadow quad, instantly made me think of the holidays: Silver and Gold.

All four colors are metallics - we're talking chunky, glitter metallics. Think MAC Crushed Metals metallics, but only a pressed version instead of a loose pigment. These are creamy. They are almost waxy. I actually think Sonia Kashuk had Maybelline beat when it comes to that shimmery "top coat" they put in their Color Explosion pallets now. These are exactly the consistency of these, only the base has some pigmentation, where Maybellines is more of a "clear" base with glitter.

The four colors are: bright white pearl, deep bronze/brown, cool but pale gold, and intense charcoal black.

These are very much 'foils' - they smooth across the skin very easily, especially when you consider how chunky they look in the pan. I will say blending is a little more difficult with these than a normal eyeshadow. I prefer to use my finger because I think the warmth of your finger against the product helps it blend, but I still have some difficulty with it. Instead, I like to play off of Maybellines marketing genius with the Color Explosion quints, and use them as a shimmering top to my eyeshadow look. If I do a smokey eye, I'll add the charcoal on top to add more sparkle and intensity. I use the gold or white in the inner corners of a look to really brighten and widen the eyes. The brown is just gorgeous, too. I've used a liner brush along my lower lashlines with these too - it works really well.

Swatches are below - one with flash and one without.

Sparkles, foils and shimmers oh my! I love it, and can't wait to use these around the holidays when I tend to use more silver and gold combos.

There are other quads available in an assortment of colors - have you picked any of these up?

Swatches: Hard Candy Glossaholic Sequin Saturated Shine Lip Glosses in Chill Out and Fireball

2011-08-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am a Glossaholic...need proof? Look above - that's one drawer full of lip glosses. This isn't included the numerous glosses strewn throughout the 3-5 randomly placed purses in my house, car and office. Yes, I am a Glossaholic and I know it.

Saying that, it was only appropriate that I picked up two of the Hard Candy Glossaholic Sequin Saturated Shine Lip Glosses at Walmart about a week ago. From the Hard Candy website:

"SUPER HUGE MEGA WATT LIPS One dip covers your lips! Ginormous applicator with gloss cup deposits gloss to your whole mouth in one swipe! These super lustrous lip glosses are infused with prisms of color that make lips appear fuller and plumper. Out of this world hyper-reflective prisms of pearl make lips sparkle like crazy! Feeling tired or wired? Two Glossaholic sparkling clear top coats are infused with mood altering elixirs to help you Chill Out or Rise & Shine! – You can wear alone or as a top coat. "

(this is with the flash - see all the foilies in it?)

These are called Sequin Saturated because of the foiled effect of the gloss. I love this type of glitter in my nail polishes (think Sally Hansen "Hidden Treasure"), and thought it might be a neat effect in a lipgloss as well. The pictures of the applicators below give you a good idea as to the amount of the foil in the actual product - sometimes looking at the full tube (above) can be a bit intimidating. Don't let it fool you - these are very, very wearable.

Swatches on the skin and lips below. The swatches on the skin are pretty generous, so you get more of a feel for the color against skintone. On the lips it is one swipe. You'll notice on the lips you don't get a lot of color. Obviously, adding a little more will give you somewhat of a *pop* of color in the Fireball, but it's not over-the-top. I was actually surprised to find that it was as sheer as it was. To be honest, this would look nice on top of a lipstick - not only is the gloss very shiny, but I think the foils would stand out better against more of an opaque background of a lipstick, versus my actual lips.

Now, onto the little surprise. If you remember above, the description online mentioned a "Ginormous applicator". Yes, ginormous is a word, but we'll address that at another time. The applicator...is...HUGE. Look at it below compared to a "normal" sized doe-foot applicator! Isn't that unbelievable? This is why I was apply to apply just one coat above. At first, this was very intimidating to me, but really it just takes a bit of getting used to. On a side note, for those of you Avon lovers out there, the new Avon SuperSHOCK Liquid Lipshines have the same, enormous, applicator. I need to post about the colors I picked up, but that's for a later date.

Well, what do you think? Are you going to pick up these lip glosses? Retail price is $5 a piece, so really not bad considering the size and amount of product. Of course, you do have to deal with the dreaded Walmart, but sometimes you just have to, right?

OPI Muppets Collection - A Sneak Preview

2011-08-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Click for a larger view.

OPI just posted a sneak peak at their upcoming fall collection - The Muppets.

(Left to right): Animal-istic, Meep-Meep-Meep, Wocka Wocka, Pepes Purple Passion, Designers De Better, Warm and Fozzie, Rainbow Connection, Excuse Moi, Gone Gonzo, Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Divine Swine and Gettin' Miss Piggy With it.

I'm looking forward to seeing Warm and Fozzie, and all of the glitters, in real life. Gettin' Miss Piggy With It...how cute!

Swatches: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils - Electric Blue, Pure Gold and Rock Mountain Green

2011-08-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, you walk into a store and find something new (or at least new to that store) that catches your eye. Well for me it was CVS and a discretely placed display strip of NYX Jumbo Pencils. I read numerous reviews on the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, and what a wonderful eyeshadow base it is, but unfortunately it wasn't on this display. So....I picked up Pure Gold, Rock Mountain Green and Electric Blue.

These are big guys for sure. Very smooth and creamy. The gold and the green were the most pigmented, followed by the blue. These are very blendable with the finger tip as well. Recently I thought I'd give the Pure Gold a go as a primer/base, and was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Not only do you get a nice base color to work with, but the gold came through a bit on the shadow I applied over the top, making the shades work really well together. On top of it all, my shadows didn't move in the humid weather, so I consider that a win-win situation. I haven't tried the other two, but I would expect a similar result.

Right now these are on sale on Cherryculture.com for $2.99 a piece, off of the regular $4.50 price. How many of you use Milk as your primer? What other colors are your favorites? There are plenty to choose from, that's for sure!!

Jordana Glitter Rocks Retractable Eyeliners: Rockabilly Brown, Glam Rocks Green, and Punk Rock Purple

2011-08-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, one of the hidden gems of the drugstore word is Jordana. In my world, I find it at Walgreens, but if you don't have Jordana available around you, it is available online here. While paroozing through the store the other day, I noticed some bright orange "Clearance" stickers on some of the eyeliners, so I picked them up - Jordana Glitter Rocks Retractable Eyeliners.

These are retractable eyeliners, which I really like. Not only are they a fine-tip, but I don't have to dig around for a sharpener since they are retractable - talk about a plus!

The product itself (for all three) are rich, creamy, and extremely pigmented. Rockabilly Brown is a bright copper - think that of a brand new penny. Glam Rocks Green is a frosty evergreen, but brightened up by a hint of teal. Punk Rock Purple is a bright, royal purple and even a bit cool because of a blue base to it. All three have silver microglitter throughout.

I wore the Rockabilly Brown without any smearing or smudging through the day. I'd say that pretty darn good, especially since these aren't advertised as long wearing, or smudgeproof.

What's the best part of the entire deal, though? Take a look at that picture below - $0.62 a piece!! Really, under $1 for a stellar liner in a variety of shades? Now that will make any girl happy! Hurry on over to your Walgreens before these are all gone, and the new products are put in place. You won't regret it!

Have you tried these, or snagged any other good deals on these clearance items from Jordana? For some other Jordana items I've reviewed, take a look here.

Swatches: Wet n Wild "I Got Good Jeans" Pallet

2011-08-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images for a larger view.

I hate when life gets in the way of things I want to do...like blogging. I have been on an un-intentional hiatus the past few days, so I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things here with this beauty of a pallet.

I've been sitting on "I've Got Good Jeans" for months now, and haven't gotten around to take pictures or swatches until now. This is a really nice pallet of blues and a true, 24K gold. As has been typical with these Color Icon pallets, the pigmentation is fantastic, the colors are extremely blendable, and overall, it is just a fantastic product for the price.

The pale blue looks very periwinkle in the pan, but actually comes out with more of a silver/metallic coloring when applied to the skin. The gold is also very metallic, and as I mentioned above, what I consider to be 24K gold (like gold leafing). The deep crease color is a true navy blue with navy shimmer. It isn't chalky at all. All three are very creamy and smooth. The swatches below are applied with the sponge applicator over bare skin - no primer.

What is your favorite Color Icon pallet that you've found?

Swatches: Avon Mega Impact Eyeshadow "Khaki Crazed"

2011-08-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I swatched and did an EOTD with the Avon Mega Impact Eyeliner in Extreme Cobalt, and today I thought I'd swatch the eyeshadow duo in Khaki Crazed.

There are two shades of khaki in this set - think summer chino and fall chino. The lighter shade is an almost steel/gold ivory shade with just the slightest lean towards an olive undertone. The deeper shade is a dark khaki brown with a hint of chocolate and green as well. Both are shimmery and really sway back and forth between warm and cool. Even in the pictures below it's hard to tell the difference. Some look warm (with the flash) and then in natural light the colors tend to lean a little cooler again.

Click the image for a larger view.

The consistency is nice - not chalky like Avon eyeshadows tend to be in my opinion. Instead these are very smooth and even a tad bit creamy. The pigmentation is great - these swatches were done using the sponge applicator and no primer. Throw a primer in there, and I think you might pick up a little more of the olive undertones.

I really like how the two colors work well together. They play off each other really well. I also used an eyeliner brush, wet, and tested out the deeper shade as a liner, but forgot to swatch it. That works out pretty well too.

(natural light)

(Flash)

I'll take some pictures using these shades. I'm pretty pleased, as far as Avon eyeshadows go. I think of the two, the lighter shade is my favorite, especially since it's different from other colors in my collection. Would I buy them again? Eh, probably not, just because I have other brands I prefer over Avon. Does that mean you shouldn't give them a try? Not at all. Especially if they put them on sale!

Retail: $8.00 www.avon.com

There is quite the variety of colors, too, if you're not into neutrals. Check them out below...

Have you picked one of these up yet? What did you think?

FOTD/EOTD using Avon Mega Impact Eyeliner in Extreme Cobalt, MAC Venomous Villains "She Who Dares" and "Idol Eyes", & "Sugar Shot" & Josie Maran "Sunrise" Blush,

2011-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's swatches, I had to put together a look around this Extreme Cobalt. I've said it before, but I'm not a huge blue-fan. I just don't wear it a lot, and even if I do, I tend to lean towards golds and bronzes to pair with it. I stepped away from that for the day to play with a couple colors I've ignored in my arsenal: MAC Venomous Villains "She Who Dares" (the blue side) and MAC "Idol Eyes". Here's what I came up with.

Face:

Laura Geller Champagne Spackle

Laura Geller's Real Deal Concealer "Light"

Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten "Fair"

Josie Maran Cream Blush "Sunrise"

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion "Greed" - all over lid

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - all over lid

MAC "Idol Eyes" - inner corner, lower lashline

MAC Venomous Villain's "She Who Dares" - blue side - outer corner, lower lash line, crease

MAC "Sugar Shot" - highlight

Avon Mega Impact Eyeliner "Extreme Cobalt" - upper lashline

Maybelline The Falsies "Flared" Mascara - black

A closeup of the eyes - isn't that Cobalt, well, blue? It's so bright and creamy. This is one swipe - I definitely could have evened it out, and worked on my flare a little better, but you get the picture. I'm really surprised that my eyes look so green.

So, have you tried out these new Mega Impact liners yet?

Swatches: Avon Mega Impact Eyeliner "Extreme Cobalt"

2011-08-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

I absolutely fell in love with Avon SuperShock Gel eyeliners, and as typically happens when I really like something, they were discontinued. Well, it looks like they have come back in another form - The Avon Mega Impact Eyeliners. There are four colors available: Extreme Cobalt, Black Flash, Golden Fawn and Brown Shimmer. I went with the cobalt, since I seem to have every black and brown under the sun...blue was a color definitely lacking in my collection.

Like the gel eyeliner pencils everyone raves about (think Urban Decay 24/7 liners, Covergirl Liquidline Blast eyeliners, and Makeup Forever's pencils) this is a gel formula in pencil form. The product is very creamy and smooth. The color is very bright and pigmented, and it glides along the lashline very easily.

Extreme Cobalt is a deep, but bright, royal blue with a hint of shimmer to it. The shimmer in this is almost turquoise, but the actual pencil color is not. It just adds a little bit of depth to the color.

This liner lasted ALL DAY on me in 90% humidity and over 100 degree weather. I couldn't believe how easily it applied and how long the liner lasted. If you haven't tried these, or better yet if you really liked the SuperShock liners from last year, it would be worth giving these a try. I really do hope they come out with some different colors. Right now the four they have are quite basic. The SuperShock did have a khaki and a steel shade, so I would think something similar would come in the near future in the Mega Impact collection as well. We'll see!

Well have you seen these or tried them out? What did you think?

NOTD: Chanel Graphite

2011-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's not like we all have seen this a million times before, but I really do love this color. It's so complex and just so pretty. When I put it on, it makes me think about fall - not sure why, but I'm just going to go with it. Enjoy...

NOTD: Wet 'n Wild "Ocean Grotto" (Mermaid Cove Collection) and Pro Strong Millenium

2011-08-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today's NOTD: Wet 'n Wild "Ocean Grotto" from the Mermaid Cove Collection, topped off with Pro Strong's Millennium, which is a holo micro glitter. Ocean Grotto is a lime green metallic/micro glitter. The mani below is three coats of Ocean Grotto with one coat of Millennium. Beautiful. That's all.

I can't even explain how gorgeous this combo is, so it's going to all be said in pictures. Enjoy!

(Flash)

(Natural Light)

Blurry - see the sparkles!

Up close and personal...

This is hands down one of my favorite mani's I've done. Green...sparkly...pretty.

Review and Pictures: New! mark. Lash Out Loud Mascara "Violet"

2011-08-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered a few Avon products, one of which is the new mark. Lash Out Loud Mascara in Violet. I've tried a few others of the mark. brand mascaras, which as a side comment are pretty good, but I was intrigued by the color selections in this one (black, brown/black, violet and wine). I immediately went for Violet, which is a bright almost blue purple (blurple) color.

I have found in the past, that it's hard to get a colored mascara that actually shows up on the lashes, so I was hoping this would prove me wrong. Well...it did. Talk about bright. Below is ONE coat of mascara. Not only is this bright and pigmented, but the mascara does a really nice job of lengthening and volumizing in it's own right.

Price is $10, which honestly is a dollar or more higher than most of the drug store brands, but the color selection is definitely different. I would like to try the Wine shade, as it kind of reminds me of the LashBlast Luxe mascara in Black Cabernet, without the shimmer.

So, what are my overall thoughts? I'd have to say, to try this out as an actual mascara (not just a fun color) I'll have to get the black and give it a try. It's hard for me to tell what the mascara is actually doing for my lashes when it's a color. I think it's adding volume and definitely length, but maybe it's just the color I'm seeing. As for the price, it's kind of pricey in my opinion, but mark does a lot of good sales so it may be something to look for. With all that said, I'd give it a B.

What about you - have you tried this yet? Do you have a favorite colored mascara?

NOTD: Forever 21's Love & Beauty "Glitzy Green"

2011-08-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Click the pictures for a larger view - it's amazing how beautiful this is when zoomed in!

So, I'm turning into a nailpolish blog recently! I went into Forever 21 to pick up some earrings for an outfit I had purchased and discovered some nailpolish in a big plastic bin by the cashier. There were tons of other makeup too, but this was the first time I'd seen the Love & Beauty line there. I picked up two colors, one a deep burgundy with gold glitter for fall, and this called Glitzy Green for now.

Glitzy Green is a pale, almost sea foam or mint green with glitter and flakeys in it. The glitter and flakeys are all iridescent, and the base is a sort of a jelly. I was really hoping for this one to have more color to it, and ultimately end up more like in the bottle, but after four coats I gave up and went with what you see below. It's really a gorgeous color, and I am looking forward to putting it on top of some of my summer colors (I'm thinking Wet 'n Wild's Garden Hose) to really maximize the color and glitter. The polishes are $2.80 a piece, which really isn't too bad, especially when you take a look at the color selection and types: everything from cremes, glitters, metallics to even scented polishes. I'm sure I'll get suckered into some more of these at another date.

Have you bought any of these colors? What was the payoff like for you? I'm really hoping some of the others are more pigmented. I will say the actual polish lasted quite well and dried quickly. Considering I have four coats on here, I had minimal chipping or bubbling.

My Patriotic NOTD - NYC "French White", Nicole by OPI "OMB", Nicole by OPI "Me + Blue" and NYC "Starry Silver"

2011-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

So, I'm posting this about a month late, but I guess it's better later than never! For the July 4th festivities, I decided to play around with my manicure and get Patriotic! Here's what I did:

First I applied 2 coats of NYC French White. I then used some scotch tape to line off a "straight" line to apply the blue. The blue is Nicole by OPI "Me + Blue", which is from the Justin Bieber collection. This is a bright metallic cobalt blue with just enough holo micro glitter strewn throughout. Unfortunately for me, this picture doesn't do it justice, so I might just have to put a mani together on this particular color alone. I then used a fine brush from the art store to apply 2 coats in a streak of Nicole by OPI "OMB", also from the Bieber collection. This is the most gorgeous color, and you can see a mani of it here. On a side note, this to me was one of the prettiest colors from that collection...one of those shades you have to see in person. It's a bright cherry red metallic with a sort of duochrome effect. It's beautiful in person! The last thing I did was apply 2 coats of NYC Starry Silver to add some glitter.

Talk about a lot of polish - this one was a doozie to remove! I have to say, it was a lot of fun to do. I just wish I had more time and patience to play around with more nail art and decor. Some day...

Spotted at CVS: New Essie Fall 2011 "Carry On" Collection

2011-08-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

I know it's already August 1st, but it's hard to believe that Fall is just around the corner! Well, my pit-stop over lunch to CVS just reminded me: Essie Fall 2011 collection is out, called Carry On. This is a set of four creme shades, which can be seen below. Click for a larger view.

From left to right: Case Study, Carry On, Power Clutch and Lady Like.

Missing were Very Structured (a terre cotta/tan shade) and Glamour Purse (a warm pale gray).

Have you seen these yet? I picked up Carry On and Power Clutch. Gorgeous.

EOTD: Maybelline Color Explosion Quint "Forest Fury" and Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Liner "Emerald"

2011-08-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

Today's EOTD is a bright pop of color. I needed something to brighten things up - the weather has been hot and humid, I haven't really wanted to wear makeup, so this was my attempt to get out of a makeup slump.

For the look I used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion "Greed"

Maybelline Forest Fury right triangle - inner corner

Maybelline Forest Fury middle "v" - outer corner, crease

Maybelline Forest Fury left triangle - lower lash line

Maybelline Forest Fury lower triangle - highlight

Maybelline Luminizer - all over shadow

Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Liner "Emerald" - eyeliner

Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara "black"

Again, like the Color Explosion Quint in Caffeine Rush, this quint is full of pigmentation and versatile colors. With Forest Fury, you get a bit of warm and cooler greens to work with. I find that the bright lime green I wore on the lash line is a bit out of sync with the rest of the pallet, but it is a really pretty color in it's own right, so I won't hold that against it. These colors do have a bit of shimmer to them, but nothing over the top - you really add the *pop* of shimmer and sparkle with the luminizer, so this is definitely multifunctional: if you want a more subdued look, don't add the luminizer; if you want it to shimmer and shine, go for it! The shadows wore all day, without creasing. I found them easy to blend together, and again the Luminizer didn't smear or smudge the shadows when applied.

I need to try and add this luminizer on top of a liner with a liner brush and see if I can turn my basic black liner into something with some sparkle. Have you tried this? Did it work?

NOTD: Revlon Scented Nail Polish "Pineapple Fizz"

2011-07-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Revlon expanded their scented line for the summer to include some sparkly, scented polishes - all in some sort of "Fizz" flavor. I picked up Pineapple Fizz: a yellow jelly base with flakey shimmer. When I say yellow, think your highlighter-yellow. The flakes are like a smaller version of the Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, so they ultimately pick up the color of the base. Below is three coats - I could have definitely put this on top of something, but I wanted to see it on it's own first.

The pictures don't really do this justice. It's so bright, that it almost looks like it's lit up, to be honest. The smell is subtle, but there. It's definitely tropical, and reminds me of summer!

Did you pick any of these scented polishes up? What do you think? What is your favorite color?

NOTD: Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Color "Teal of Fortune"

2011-07-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Wet n Wild Teal of Fortune: a deep teal jelly-based shimmer with multi-sized and shaped iridescent glitter throughout. I think I'd actually call the shimmer more of a glass fleck/flakey than shimmer. The picture with the flash (above) has more of a blue tinge to it, where in reality it has a bit of green throughout (below).

Dry time was fine. It is a bit sheer, probably because it's a jelly base. This is three coats, but I can definitely see some of my nail through the picture above. This is a really nice color, and a budget-friendly alternative to Zoya's Charla or (maybe?) OPI Catch Me In Your Net?

Swatches: Milani Lip Flash in Hot Flash and Flash Light

2011-07-26T04:23:00.000-07:00

I recently decided to pick up two of the Milani Lip Flash lip crayons when I saw some posts about them online and on their Facebook page. I have always liked the concept of a lip crayon, but just haven't dabbled in them very much. I usually just go for my standard lipsticks or lip gloss and move on with my day. After drying these, Milani's Lip Flash have definitely found a place in my makeup bag.

There are eight shades to chose from, from a pale pink, bright fuchsias, reds and a really pretty bronze. I picked up two of the reds. I've been trying to find a red lipstick I can pull off, so I figured I'd give these a whirl!

These Lip Flash are big chunky pencils. The tips are thick, and make application really easy. It doesn't require a lot of application to fill out the lips.

Below are swatches of each - each swatch is one swipe! This is what I am asking for when it comes to pigmentation! Even better, if you want more color on your lips (let's say in the case of Flash Light), just apply another coat to your lips and the intensity is amped up.

Hot Flash is a gorgeous warm red with coral shimmer. I think you can see the shimmer on the picture below if it is enlarged. Flash Light is in the same family as Hot Flash, only a more sheer, lighter, and just a bit more coral version. This also has shimmer throughout, but it isn't over the top. Just enough to add a hint to the lips.

Below are the lip swatches. I find that Flash Light is my more wearable color out of the two, but Hot Flash is definitely a gorgeous red, that I feel I can actually wear.

Like I mentioned above, the pigmentation on these are wonderful. The consistency is so creamy, but it doesn't feather and spread out from the lipline. I couldn't be happier with the wear on these - they are so surprisingly long wearing! But, amazingly, the Lip Flash didn't leave my lips dry or flaky. I suppose the wear and pigmentation comes from the fact that these pencils has some body to them - the product itself is actually quite dense - like a less "wet" version of a lipstick, so they wear very similarly to a lipstick. Obviously, the darker the shade, the more residual color there is on the lips once the product is long gone, but I suppose this is another facet of the long-wear for these crayons.

I think I may have to pick up one of the pink shades, just to see if these are wearable on me as well. I don't typically go for the bright colors - I'm more of a neutral shade kind of girl. I really hope Milani comes out with some other shades.

Have you tried these yet?

Bethenny Frankel to Debut budget skin care line: Skinny Girl Face and Body Solutions

2011-07-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Expanding upon the huge success of the Skinny Girl Margarita, Bethenny Frankel will soon be debuting a skincare line under the Skinny Girl name, according to the Daily Mail.

Simple packaging and even easier on the wallet, all items will retail for under $15. The products will be developed with the beauty company, Lotta Luv, and will be carried through Walmart beginning in November.

Also, interestingly enough, she isn't pawning these items off as miracle workers. Instead, each item is and its purpose is straight forward and made for a reason. Below is a peek at the packaging - it's cute, and goes right along with the Skinny Girl theme.

image courtesy of WWD.com

Well, what do you think of that? Interesting, huh?

When looking for Carbonite...

2011-07-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Make sure you check the actual nail polish display in the MAIN aisle. I bought mine at Meijer, and although the display picture I posted is quite picked over, I bet there were at least six or seven bottles in the main display as well.

Just an FYI while you search!

Happy hunting!

Spotted at Meijer and Swatch Comparison: Revlon "Carbonite" Nail Polish - A Chanel Graphite dupe? Let's take a look...

2011-07-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

First of all, what is graphite, besides what is in your pencil? Well above is a picture of it...

Above is the display that the Revlon Carbonite comes on. This is another one of their Limited Edition colors, just in line with Black with Envy and Perplex. This is a dupe of Chanel Graphite, and since I have Graphite I thought I'd show you some side-by-sides of the two.

Actually, this is a really good dupe. There are slight differences, which I'll get into here shortly, but overall, when you look at these side-by-side, it's hard to tell them apart.

Both have a deep pewter gray base with silver micro-glitter. Chanel's glitter/shimmer is a bit larger and more complex than the Revlon. Chanel has hints of very pale, almost silver-gold glitter, giving it a hint more of a warmer tone than the Carbonite. Where Graphite has the golden shimmer, Carbonite has hints of darker gray shimmer though out.

With the flash, below, you can really see how much shimmer is in the Chanel. I think what is really *lighting up* the bottle there is that pale gold shimmer that is in Graphite, that isn't in Carbonite.

OK, now onto so side by side swatches on the nail. I didn't clean up these swatches, so please ignore the mess.

See that hint of gold above?

In this picture, you can really see the difference in the microglitter size in Chanel vs. Carbonite. Where Carbonite is really a true metallic, Graphite borders on being a microglitter polish.

Then again, when you see them in natural light, side by side, there is very little difference. I will say, the Revlon is a bit thicker and more intense upon application, where Chanel is a thinner and a bit more sheer of a polish. Both are two coats, but I think the Chanel could afford three. I am going to be doing a full fledge manicure with Chanel shortly, so I'll post those pictures once completed.

Well, what do you think? Does Revlon Carbonite match that of Chanel Graphite? Have you seen the Revlon Carbonite displays yet? In my opinion, if you see this and have been lusting over the Chanel Graphite, I'd definitely pick it up - it's worth the spend, and can easily satisfy your need!

Mally Beauty Just Heaven 8-piece Brightening Collection

2011-07-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

A few months back Mally had a TSV on QVC for her Just Heaven 8-piece Brightening Collection. Now, I'm a total sucker for her mascara, which I've posted about here. It is one of the blackest, richest, and most volumizing mascaras I've ever worked with. I have also wanted to try her primer, so with all the goodies in this set, I had to buy it!

The collection comes with the following, several of which are exclusives to QVC until next year:

0.07 oz Evercolor Endless Eyeshadow in Sunglow, a bronze-brown; includes 0.03 oz powder and 0.04 oz cream shadow--exclusive to QVC until 1/1/12!

0.12 oz High Shine Liquid Lipstick in Just Heaven, a sheer peach shade--exclusive to QVC until 1/1/12!

0.18 oz Effortless Airbrush Blush & Highlighter in Afterglow and Purelight, a peachy-pink blush with golden highlighter--exclusive to QVC until 1/1/12!

0.39 fl oz Volumizing Mascara in Black

0.35 oz Visible Skin Bronzer in Lighter or Deeper--exclusive to QVC until 1/1/12!

0.5 oz travel size Perfect Prep Primer in Glow

0.01 oz Automatic Liner in Black Navy

Double-ended shaping brush

Zippered makeup clutch: measures 7-1/4"L x 10"W x 2-3/8"D; 45% cotton/45% low-p PVC/10% polyester; wipe clean

First up, is the primer. This is truly the consistency of whipped cream. It looked like it too! Almost good enough to eat. The size on this is a deluxe travel size, so it's not the full sized primer, but it is definitely enough to try it for a few months. This is also the Glow version of the primer, so there is just the slightest shimmer. For a "glowing" primer, this definitely has the least amount of shimmer on the skin once applied, compared to some other ones I've tried, so this may be the one for you if shimmer isn't your thing.

Again, the consistency is like air - it just blends into the skin and really makes makeup application a breeze. I found that it smoothed out the skin, and really helped the makeup last through the day. I don't really have oily skin, so I can't say much for prevention of that, but when it came to warm/humid days, I found that my makeup didn't travel or come off as a result of the weather.

Next up, the bronzer. This is a matte bronzer, and the light is very easy to wear on my fair skin. This isn't orange, and I actually find this shade quite useful for contouring since it's a paler bronzer. I'd liken it to Stila's Sun Highlighter (Shade 2), but without the shimmer.

Mally's Effortless Airbrush Blushes are next. These are an interesting twist on blush. The ultimate purpose is to give you that airbrushed look with your blush, without having to use the technique. The consistency of the blushes are interesting - they aren't powders and they aren't creams. Instead, they are a mix of both. You do use a brush to apply, so this isn't too complicated. It's just the consistency that's different. Because these are quite pigmented, a little gives you a natural glow. The blush, AfterGlow, is a warm peachy pink. The highlight, Purelight, is gorgeous pure pearl. I like to use this not only as a higlighter over the blush, but just all over the skin to give it a brightening effect.

The eyeshadow is a new concept, at least for me. This is a three piece set - including the cream eyeshadow, applicator, and powder eyeshadow with sponge applicator. It actually all connects together and looks like a pen/marker. Sunglow is a deep bronze. This is really shimmery, lasts ALL DAY, and has such versatility. If your looking for major impact, use both the cream shadow and set it with the powder. If you're looking for a little bit of color, just use the powder. The cream shadow can also be used as an eyeliner, if you dip an eyeliner brush into the pot (pictured below). Outside of the mascara, this is my favorite piece in the set.

None of my pictures of the set came out, so I had to borrow the picture from QVC (above). Below you can at least see the pot with the cream shadow in it. See all that shimmer? The sponge applicator has a spring to it, so you actually *punch* it into the lid and it gets the powder shadow on it, and you dab it across your cream shadow to set it.

Although none of my other swatches transferred over to the computer, at least you can see the shadows below.

Last up, the pencil. This is a "bullet proof" liner in Navy/Black. The concept of Navy is that it helps brighten the whites of your eyes, widening them and making you look more awake. This is something I tend to need A LOT! The liner is truly bullet proof, too, as Mally would say. It's creamy, applies easily to the lash line, as well as the waterline, and lasts!

Like I said earlier, my swatches didn't transfer over - user error I'm sure. I'll put a post together with a FOTD using these items, and put some new swatches together for that post, too.

This set also comes with a lipgloss (in the missing pictures), a double ended brush and a really nice sized makeup pouch. The brush is really nice - it's not as dense as a lot of other blush brushes, since it doesn't need to be to apply this blush. To me, it's nice to have another brush in my set that I can use with my more pigmented blushes. The makeup pouch is huge! Plus, it's lined so it is easily cleaned if something should spill in travel.

Have you tried any of Mally's products before? I have to say, I am really enjoying these. The items are multi-functional, from the blushes and highlighters to the eyeshadows

EOTD: Maybelline Color Explosion Eyeshadow Quint "Caffeine Rush"

2011-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a very quick, simple, and totally wearable EOTD using the Caffeine Rush from Maybelline's Color Explosion Quints.

To creat the look I used:

LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer/Primer - all over lids to prime

Taupe Shimmer (right triangle) - inner corner, all over lid

Brown shimmer ("V") - outer corner, crease

Ivory Highlight (lower triangle) - highlight

Beige Shimmer (left triangle) - lower lashline

Luminizer - all over lids

This lasted all day, without any fall out from the luminizer. The taupe is by far my favorite color in this set - it's gorgeous.

Swatches: Maybelline Eye Studio Color Explosion Quints "Caffeine Rush" and "Forest Fury"

2011-07-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

When I spotted the new Maybelline Eye Studio Color Explosion Quints at Walgreens the other day, I picked up the green, Forest Fury, and brown, Caffeine Rush, sets. These boast four coordinating eye colors, and a shimmering/luminizing "top coat" to put over the look to add sparkle to the look. I was very pleased with the Eye Studio Quad's I'd picked up the past few times at the drugstore, so although these retail for $11.99, I figured I'd try them out.

First up, Caffeine Rush. This is a gorgeous set of brown/taupes. My favorite color is by far the taupe in the right triangle. There is also a shimmery beige (left triangle), a milk chocolate brown ("v" in the middle), and a warm ivory shade to highlight (bottom triangle). The luminizer is an ivory sparkle, which is the top triangle. This is not a powder, but instead is almost a cream shadow that isn't wet at all. I'm not sure how to describe it, although it is reminiscent of the NYX Glitter Cream pallets, but with a much better staying power, in my opinion.

Swatches are applied on bare skin - no primer. If you use a primer, the colors stand out even more boldly.

Forest Fury is a gorgeous set of greens. These are a bit on the cooler side, and less olive in color as compared to the Maybelline Eye Studio Quad in "Green with Envy" I posted earlier. Still, these are warm enough to be work without looking too over the top. The far left is a satin lime green. The far left is a shimmery, medium forest-turquoise. The crease color in the "v" is a deep forest green with a hint of shimmer. The highlight is again a warm ivory, but with just the slightest green shimmer. The luminizer is also a pale warm white base with iridescent green and gold shimmer.

Again, swatches are on bare skin.

I am so glad I bought these two quints. Not only are the colors beautiful and extremely pigmented, but they wear well, the luminizer adds some gorgeous shimmer, and the luminizer actually lasts without creasing or causing any discoloration to your actual eyeshadow application. I really think I would like to get the purples next. The colors in that quint look a lot different than some of the other purples/mauves I have.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

NOTD: Essie Coat Azure

2011-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Essie's Spring Collection, A French Affair, included several beautiful pastels, and also this beautiful periwinkle blue with a hint of silver shimmer called Coat Azure. I'm not usually a blue nailpolish girl, but this one definitely converted me.

This is a medium blue. Just the slightest shimmer - it really takes the right lighting (i.e. natural light below) to capture it. The formula is great - very smooth and easily applied. Below is two coats.

The color reminds me of spring, specifically the little vinca vines or myrtle that pop up around here in my garden - beautiful!

Swatches: Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Liner "Emerald"

2011-07-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Revlon has expanded their Grow Luscious line to include four colors of lash liner/eye liner. I picked up Emerald. Per website, the eyeliner

"Delivers ultra intense color impact in one stroke. Botanical and vitamin rich formula nourishes and supports healthy lashes."

Emerald is a very deep deal with golden shimmer. I tried to capture the shimmer in the pictures, but everything came back looking overly-turquoise. This is truly a beauty, and something very different than most of the drug-store brand pencils available.

The pencil is extremely creamy, smooth and pigmented. This is one swipe of the pencil. When applied to the lash line, there is no tugging. I didn't experience any smudging or traveling on the outer corners. I did use this on both the upper and lower lashline, without any irritation when used along the waterline of the lower lashes. I love the color. I really love the shimmer.

I hope that Revlon comes out with some other colors. I would love to see a plum shade and possibly a green (like true green, not olive).

Have you tried these yet? What was your experience?

Swatches: Josie Maran Earth Day Essentials Kit

2011-07-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here's to another post that should have been done months ago! On Earth Day this spring, Josie Maran had a fantastic special on her Earth Day Essentials Kit, so I snagged one for myself and for my mom. The kit included a deluxe sized Argan Oil, and full sized cream blush, mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss. I have watched Josie's show on QVC several times, and never bought anything, so I was very anxious to get my hands on these items to try everything out! In particular, I was interested in the oil (obviously), as well as the cream blush.

The Argan Oil is what Josie is known for. This oil can be used for numerous things, from a lightweight moisturizer for the skin and face, as a treatment for cuticles and nails, to alleviate the burden of split ends and help add health and youthfulness back into your hair. For a few years now we have been hearing about these benefits from Argan Oil, but I haven't actually tried it until this kit. Josie Maran's Argan Oil is one of the better known options available on the market as well.

Now, I have used this on my hands at night, and can drastically notice a difference in my cuticles. They are not as dry and prevalent as usual. My nails seem to be more hydrated, and thus aren't breaking along the sides like they typically do. I wouldn't say they are thicker, but they definitely have more resilience, which prevents breakage from every day activities. I have used it on my ends, to help the dry and frizziness that I tend to get from being outside. I, personally, have used this as a treatment overnight, and then washed it out in the morning, but I know some people put it on once they are done styling and head out into the world. This oil is that versatile. There isn't a real fragrance or odor. This soaks right into the skin and doesn't leave it feeling greasy or slick.

Although I know this comes in a larger size, I really like this mini-version because I can drop it in my purse and use it during the day after I've washed my hands, etc. It's a nice alternative to a tube of hand cream.

Next up is the Cream Blush, which is another of Josie's hallmarks if you watch her on QVC. I have a love-hate relationship with cream blushes. I tend to love how they look initially, but by the end of the day they seem to be absorbed into my skin and have little color left behind...I hate that. The two brands I have had pretty good success with from a cream/stick blush standpoint has been Laura Geller's Real Deal blushes and Tarte's cheek stains.

Josie Maran's cream blush in Sunrise is a warm pink flush. There is just the slightest hint of shimmer, but absolutely nothing sparkly, shiny or disco-ball about this. It's just the slightest amount to blend into the skin and give a subtle (and I mean subtle) glow. The cream blush, instead, blends right into the cheeks and gives a gorgeous flush. If you want some shimmer, apply your favorite highlight over the top. If you want to add this to bare skin to give it a hint of color before you walk out the door, that works as well. It even worked nicely as a light lip balm. I can honestly say, I am extremely pleased with the cream blush. Not only is it easy to blend and natural looking, but it actually lasted during the day. I think this shade, Sunrise, is extremely versatile, too. If you need more color, just add a touch more blush. If you are very fair, like me, use a minimal amount.

The kit also came with an eyeliner pencil in black. Pigmentation was very nice, and it lasted fairly well, although by the end of the day I did have a little bit of smudging and smearing towards the outer corners of my eyes. Of course, this isn't marketed as a "budge-proof" liner. Instead, this is Argan infused and beneficial for the skin and lashes around the eyes.

Similar to the eyeliner, the mascara is also infused with Argan oil. Again, this didn't have a *wow* factor for me, but if you are looking for a nice, natural mascara that has some lasting benefits, this is a nice option as well.

Josie's Natural Volume plumping lipgloss in Daring was another hidden gem in this set. I immediately think of cooling (and sometimes burning) sensation with a plumping gloss, but this doesn't do that. Instead, its a very natural gloss. The color is a very natural pink, with just the slightest hint of shimmer. I really enjoyed this, and would liken it to the Bare Escentuals Natural Lipglosses available right now (not the Boxum's, as they tend to have that cooling sensation).

Swatches of the relevant products are below.

Did you pick up this kit? What do you have from Josie Maran?

Swatches: Milani Baked Blushes "Dolce Pink" and "Terra Sole"

2011-07-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I posted the picture of the three Milani Baked Blushes I had already picked up. Today I wanted to post two more - one I bought (Dolce Pink) and the other I won on their Facebook page (Terra Sole).

I believe Terra Sole might be an online exclusive, or at least it was at one point. This is a warm, very much terra cotta, shade. Although it isn't completely matte, it's almost-matte. There is just a hint of sheen to this blush. No glitter, no chunky shimmer. Just the most subtle sheen. I wouldn't call this a muddy bronze, although the picture might make it look that way. When it's applied, I actually get a bit more pink out of it. This is definitely a dark and pigmented shade (for me anyway). I can use it during the summer to contour, and maybe lightly apply as a bronzer, but as a blush I found it too dark. If you are a darker shade than me (I'm Porcelain to Fair in Laura Geller's BnB, Fair in BE, and honestly couldn't tell you what I am in MAC), then this would probably work a lot better on you. The consistency is nice and smooth, and it blends very easily into the skin as well. I just need to see a little more sunshine, or visit the bottle of sunless tanner, before I can wear this on a regular basis.

Dolce Pink is the color I had been lusting over after I saw Nouveau Cheap's swatches. I finally found it at Walgreens and snatched up the last color. Honestly, I've been looking for something to fill the void for the MAC Love Rock mineralize blush that I didn't pick up for myself, and I am hoping this will do the trick. This is true pink, with warmer champagne colored shimmer thoughout. It's basically bubble gum pink, but more neutral. I'm not sure that all makes sense or not, but it's definitely worth seeing. This gives my cheeks a bright pick-me-up. Like the others, the pigmentation is great, the consistency is blendable and smooth. This definitely has shimmer, which I love. It can easily be buffed off if you don't want it, though.

Again, I am happy to report Milani has brought us another round of great products. Just as the other ones I posted (Corallina, Luminoso, and Berry Amore), these are beautiful shades at a nice value compared to other baked blushes out there. What do you think?

Swatches and EOTD: Maybelline Eyeshadow Studio Quad "Green with Envy"

2011-07-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted some pictures and swatches of Maybellines Eyeshadow Studio Quad in Mystical Mermaid. I really liked the colors and the pigmentation of that set, so when Maybelline was on sale at Meijer a few weeks back, I picked up Green with Envy.

This set is a little bit more up my alley - more neutral, warmer, and olives. Olive green is my weakness. Throw in there some light neutrals I can wear, and I'm sold!

The highlight shade is a very pale warm pearl. Reminds me of a warmer version of MAC Vanilla Pigment. Next up is a very pale bronze/gold. This shade is perfect with the highlight. The third shade in is a bright olive green. This is a light enough shade to completely wearable all the time, but throw in some deeper colors and this really makes a gorgeous smokey eye. The last shade is a deep black with golden and olive shimmer. It reminds me vaguely of Fyrinnae's Bastet meets Dokkalfar, but not as dark.

And, just a quick look, using the colors as you would expect with the lineup. The bronze shade is on the inner corner, darkest shade on the outer corner/crease. I used the green to line my lower lashline and then the lightest cream/ivory shade as my highlight.

Like with the other set, the pigmentation is quite nice on these. They are very smooth and creamy, and make blending a breeze. I am very pleased with the new colors and collections Maybelline has come out with recently - they really have done a nice job in upping the quality and color selections.

Spotted at Walgreens: New Loreal, Revlon, Maybelline and Wet 'n Wild Sets

2011-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Walgreens had some new displays out this weekend that I thought I'd share. First up, above the Revlon Scented Nail Polish and lipglosses in the "Sweetly Seductive" line. I bought the yellow, Pineapple, scented polish so I'll post pictures of that one.

Next up, below are some sests of Wet 'n Wild, each including a lipgloss, mascara, eyeliner and Color Icon Trio in "I'm Getting Sunburned". Total price = $4.99 for the set. I would have been highly tempted if I didn't already own the shadow trio.

I finally found the new Maybelline Eye Studio Color Explosion Quints - I picked up the green (Forest Fury) and the brown (Caffine Rush).

Loreal's LeGloss lipgloss tubes were also out. These looked very promising - have any of you tried these yet?

Lots of new goodies to try out! I'm anxious to give those Maybelline shadows a try. We'll see how it goes!

FOTD: Milani Baked Eyeshadow "Mingling", Baked Blush "Corallina", Laura Geller "Black Cherry", and Revlon "Fashion Night Pout"

2011-07-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put a FOTD together using some of the newer shades I've posted swatches of recently. So....here's what I decided to try to use: Milani Corallina, Milani Mingling, Laura Geller Black Cherry and Revlon's Fashion Night Pout.

Face:

Laura Geller Champagne Spackle

Mally's Cancellation Concealer - Fair

Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten "Fair"

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion "Greed"

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Milani "Mingling" - inner corner, lower lashline

Laura Geller "Black Cherry" - outer corner, crease, lower lashline

Milani "Lilly" - hilight

Lancome ArteLiner "Starshower - eyeliner

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara

Cheeks

Milani Baked Blush "Corallina"

Lips:

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick "Fashion Night Pout"

Click any images for a larger view

Blues aren't typically my thing, but I liked this combination - bright but not over the top. The blush is really pretty - it's a very nice light coral when applied with a lighter hand/brush.

What is your favorite baked blush by Milani?

Swatches: Wet 'n Wild Limited Edition Color Icon Trio: Gilded Age

2011-07-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted pictures of the new Summer Limited Edition collections from Wet 'n Wild at CVS. I ended up buying the Color Icon Trio in Gilded Age, a set of three bronze/gold colors.

The three colors are smooth and creamy, just like the other Color Icon Trios that have come out this past year. The three colors are gorgeous together, and a beautiful set of glamorous neutrals. The browbone shade is a warm pearl with a hint of pink undertones. The eyelid is a true deep bronze and the crease is a deep chocolate shimmer. All of these are extremely shimmery. Pigmentation is strong and the lasting power is great too.

Swatches above we done with no primer. This is one swipe of each. (Evidently, I can't spell - should be Gilded Age, not Guilded. Whoops!).

Did you find this while it was out? How about the bronzer? What did you think?

Attention Wet 'n Wild Fans! SPOTTED at Walgreens: Wet 'n Wild "The Perfect Couple" Nailpolish Duos

2011-06-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love Wet 'n Wild, especially their polishes, I saw this display at Walgreens today. This was in two locations (both end-caps) at my store. The set is called "The Perfect Couple" and includes one of the new Fast Dry Nailpolishes and a Fast Dry Top Coat: both for $1.99!

I don't know about you - but that's a fantastic deal! There was quite the variety of colors to choose from - it looked to me like they were all from the core line, but a couple looked like shades from the Mermaid Cove, but I didn't look hard enough.

Have you seen these yet?

Swatches: Milani Baked Blushes: Luminoso, Carollina, and Berry Amore

2011-06-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Milani never ceases to produce great products and a nice price in the drugstore realm. Most recently they have introduced their Baked Blushes, which immediately became a hot commodity and difficult to find out in the market. I came across these three at a Walgreens about a month ago and picked them all up. (The other shades were unavailable/out of stock). The three I found were Berry Amore, Corallina and Luminoso.

Berry Amore is the deepest, and probably most pigmented (in my opinion) of the three. This is a swirl of pinky-mauve and bronze. Both are shimmery, but not over the top. The color reminds me a little bit of the Laura Geller Blush 'n Brighten in Subtle Sateen Berry, that came in her "On the Bright Side" Collection from a while back (you can see pictures and swatches here). The Milani has a little more bronze in it, and the Laura Geller has a bit more pink swirled throughout, but once blended you get the same effect.

Corallina is a beauty. This is a true, intense coral swirled with straight up pearl sparkle and shimmer. On it's own, the coral portion would probably be over the top, but the pearl swirled throughout really tones it down, gives a nice added glow, and gives this particular baked blush more shimmer than the others. Personally, I really like this one. Used with a light hand you can achieve a perfectly natural warm glow to the cheeks.

Luminoso is the baked version of Milani's Luminous blush (you can see pictures and swatches here and here). Although the original has more of a pink undertone and golden sheen to it, this baked version is a very nice, neutral blush. This is less bright and orange version of Corallina, as you can see in the swatches below. I wouldn't say this is less pigmented, I just think it is more neutral so you can have a heavier hand when applying Luminoso versus some of the other colors available.

Swatches below are swiped with my fingertip to get the intensity of the colors. I'll post a FOTD using a couple of these in the future so you can see them applied with a brush.

I couldn't be more pleased with these blushes. All the raves I've read online couldn't be more accurate. These are extremely pigmented, there is quite a variety of shades to choose from, and the value is really nice. I'd compare the pan size to that of a MAC Mineralize blush. I'm not sure of the actual product amount compared to each other, but just side by side that's about right.

If you can't find these around, you can see the entire collection online here at Milani's website. The lovely Nouveau Cheap also has some great snapshots and swatches here, here and a dupe alert here. I absolutely need to find Pink Dulce after seeing her swatches. It looks beautiful!

So, have you stumbled upon these yet? What color is your favorite of the collection?

Swatches: Revlon Color Burst Lipstick "Fashion Night Pout"

2011-06-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet. I'm sure you all remember when Revlon launched a limited edition lip stick called "Fashion Night Pout", which was basically a dupe of the MAC Gaga2. This was launched at the same time as the limited edition nail polish called Black With Envy, which was a dupe of the Chanel Black Pearl nail lacquer. Well, I walked into Walgreens one day and there were both the lipstick and the nail polish, so I immediately grabbed both.

Fashion Night Pout is a creamy-peachy-nude/beige. That's about the only way I can describe it. It's been described on the blogsophere as a nude that everyone can wear. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I can actually wear this - I thought I would be too fair-skinned to pull off a nude, but it is actually a nice color, just a bit more nude than my actual lips.

This isn't quite as opaque as some lipsticks, which I think probably makes this a little more wearable on everyone - you're natural color kind of *shines* through the lipstick. I really am liking this - it's an easy lipstick to pull off, goes well with most any looks, and is just so very natural.

Did you find this color when it was available?

Swatches: geoGIRL VeryBigSmile Lipgloss in "Sub-Lime"

2011-06-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I posted a picture of a geoGIRL endcap at Walmart. From that display I decided to pick up a lipgloss for my purse, and since I'm a sucker for anything lemon/lime, I went with "Sub-Lime". This is a pale lime green gloss with hints of shimmer.

As with the other geoGIRL products I have swatched here before, the packaging focused on recyclable products. The lid is cardboard and the plastic portion containing the gloss itself is made from recycled product. The outer packaging was also card board and had the cutsie little sayings and ideas on how you can better the environment as well.

The applicator itself is a doe-foot. As you can see in the picture below, the product isn't really all that green - its really quite sheer.

As for the swatch, it is below. See how this is really a true gloss, with just a hint of shimmer. I'm definitely not sporting green lips! The scent/taste reminds me of a margarita. It smells really fresh and lime-y, but it isn't so overpowering that you smell like you've been cocktailing it up during office hours :)

I like the shine, the hint of shimmer, and the size of the packaging. The product didn't last too terribly long, but that's not really the point I suppose. Really, it's not a bad deal for $2.97. Plus, if you're not a citrus-girl, there are tons of other summery flavors to choose from, all of which look to be a nice sheer gloss with out a lot of overpowering color.

Have you tried these out? What's your favorite flavor?

Everyday Naturals Lemon Symphony No. 1 Natural Cuticle Butter

2011-06-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore all things lemon. There is something about it, which probably stems from my youth and a little product called "Love's Fresh Lemon". Every day I would give myself a spritz of that fresh citrus scent, and now that I'm all grown up, I still look for a fresh lemon scent to pick me up.

Recently, an online e-tailer by the name of Everyday Naturals (of Everyday Minerals if you enjoy their mineral makeup) had a cuticle butter in a lemon scent. Somehow or another I missed out on this little guy, but luckily my mom didn't, so I now am the proud owner of this little pot of lemony goodness.

The product came wrapped in a little cotton pull-tie bag. I am actually keeping this in it, because the bag makes the stuff easier to find in my bottomless pit of a purse. The product, Everyday Naturals Lemon Symphony No. 1: The Romance of the Cuticle is described as the following on their website:

Super concentrated for intense hydration -- a must for cuticles. You will find yourself enraptured by the refreshing lemony scent. Indulge your cuticles with rain forest Brazilian butters for the ultimate in moisturization. We also included plant oils, Pumpkin and Argan to make it extra fantastic!

This comes in a 0.37 oz pot, and retails for $4.00.

Now, this is indeed lemon scented, but because it is a butter, I picked up some vanilla and other "warm" fragrance in the product as well. It is rick and thick.

When I stick my nail in it, you can see how dense the product is. This isn't a cream, or a lotion, or a typical cuticle product. This is definitely reminiscent of the consistency of Carmex Lip Treatment in the pot. Intense. Fragrant. And yes, definitely moisturizing and nourishing on my cuticles.

A little goes a long way. Don't think you are getting ripped off by such a little pot. This stuff is truly intense, and that bit on my finger tip there will be enough to nourish one hand of dry cuticles. The product isn't overly oily either - meaning it doesn't leave a long lasting residue on your hands once you've put it on. Give it about 5 minutes, and you are good to go.

I've been using this for about two weeks now, and it is definitely helping my cuticles. Now, I know this isn't a treatment, per say, but because I love the fragrance so much, I am inclined to put it on first thing in the morning every day. Typically, I throw on some moisturizer, but my hands are dry by mid-morning. With this, my cuticles stay moisturized, I haven't had nearly as many hang nails or snags, and my nails are looking much better.

Do you need it? If you love lemon like me, I'd definitely say it's worth the $4 splurge to try it out. Better yet, do some shopping with their mineral makeup as well! They have some beautiful colors, and I'm particularly partial to their blushes. Theme Park is a beauty!

How many of you have tried Everyday Naturals/Minerals? What is your favorite product?

New Milani Limited Edition Products Coming in July!

2011-06-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on Facebook, Milani posted some upcoming collections that will be Limited Edition. First up (above), the Milani Color Streaks Hair Mascara. Looks like there will be 5 colors to choose from.

Secondly, below, the High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Nail Lacquers.

Lastyly, four Limited Edition (July only - in select stores) Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer LipGloss. Swatches below as well.

Personally, I am really excited for the lip gloss and the nail polish. I love the colors, and think that Milani have really nice polishes for the price.

What will you be looking for?

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre: Swatches

2011-06-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up Lorac's 3D Liquid Lustre when I got the Urban Decay Primer Potion from Sephora a few weeks back. Although I haven't tried this out yet over eyeshadow, I did swatch it. Pictures and closeups are below.

First up - a closeup of the bottle/product. This is a very watery (hence the name "Liquid" Lustre) product, that is jam-packed with sparkle. Like Sephora states, this is "a long lasting liquid shimmer that can be applied over eyeshadow or worn alone on eyes and/or cheeks for a luminous, prismatic and three dimensional sparkle and shine". I'd have to emphasize prismatic - this is an extremely iridescent sparkle!

The applicator itself is a dropper. Mine actually was clogged when I got it, but I've used a needle to help push the glitter in and out of the dropper, and allow it to actually mix into the product in the bottle.

Some swatches below - with and without flash. Like I said, this is a very watery product, so I am anxious to see how this works over eyeshadow. I can see how it would add some nice sparkle to the lid alone, or maybe applied over eyeliner to add some shimmer, but I would think the product would smear eyeshadow around, and ultimately make a mess. I guess I'll have to give it a whirl!

A few people have tried this out in the blogging world. First, Scrangie - she's is where I actually saw it first and why I decided to buy it. Also, JoMakeMeBlushDotCom had some pretty looks (as well as a dupe to the product).

Have you tried this yet? How do you use it?