Thursday, March 14, 2013

Emerald Eyes Makeup

Hello, Lovelies!
I put together this easy St. Patty's Day look for daytime. Smudge some darker bronze in the outer corner and add some fabulous lashes for evening. I paired it is simple wavey hair and a bright green scarf to stay warm at the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Products used:
• Neutrogena healthy skin in "#70 fresh beige"
• Lorac "behind the scenes" eye primer
• bareMinerals loose pigment in "joy"
• Revlon nearly naked pressed powder in"#30 medium"
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in "sin"
• Jemma Kidd pencil in "04 drama queen"
• ELF blush in "pink passion"
• Wet'n'Wild bronzer in "light/medium"
• L'oreal magic lumi concealer in "medium"
• Tarte lights camera lashes mascara
• L'oreal glossy stain in "191 stubborn plum"

Below is a video demonstrating how I achieved this look:



What are you St. Patty's Day plans?

Love always❤

Monday, March 11, 2013

Classic French Manicure

Hello, lovelies!
I've had a few requests on my Instagram from people asking my how I do my french manicure(s). I thought that I would throw together a quick and hopefully straightforward tutorial on how to achieve this classic look. Let me know if this is helpful!

Items used:



This simple and classic look is a great technique to master as it can be used for several different nail art designs. Mix up the colors or add some glitter. Be creative and have fun!

Love always 


Saturday, March 2, 2013

Wet N Wild Liquid Lip Color

Hello, Lovelies!

This is another one of my first impression reviews. I figured that since my Rimmel BB review was so well received, I'd give you another one to ponder... Wet n Wild Liquid Lip Color.

Let me begin be telling you two things: {1} I, generally speaking, really like liquid lip colors. I love a good stain, gloss, or even occasionally NYX's matte lip creams. {2} Wet n Wild, although amazingly inexpensive, has some seriously awesome gems of products. That being said, this particular lippie is not one of them.

To begin with, there are no claims on the packaging other than it is a "megalast" product, which lead me to believing it is long-wearing. As I said before, I am generally a fan of liquid lipsticks, but this particular formula was unusually unpleasant.

I am not entirely sure what W'n'W was going for. It is one of the oddest textures I've come across yet. At first, it is extremely wet. The built in wiper to remove excess product from the applicator is too wide, so very little product is removed. Before I actually applied it, I thought it might feel somewhat like the Maybelline glossy stains. At first, it did, a little. As it began drying (about 15 seconds later) I felt like I had just painted on a layer of acrylic craft paint. That uncomfortable chalky effect lasted throughout the entire day's wear.

From faraway, this looked decent. Up close was a different story.  I'm not the biggest fan of matte colors, as they tend to exaggerate every crease and line. This did just that. It clung to any area that wasn't extremely moisturized, and sunk into all of my fine lines. The texture was downright awful.

The wear, however,  was pretty impressive. It lives up to the name "Megalast." I had it on for 8+ hours before I decided to take it off. There was minimal to no transfer when eating, drinking, or ah'hem... kissing. But.... and this is a big but: it was nearly impossible to remove. Even when using makeup remover, I essentially had to scrape it off. Once I began scrubbing (literally, I used my diy lip scrub) the lip color began to flake away. Not pretty, and definitely not good for you sensitive lip skin.

The video below shows my first impressions:



Price: $2.99 (with an instant $1 off coupon) at my local Walgreens

Packaging: A clear plastic tube with an hourglass shaped handle. There are no claims or indication as to what the product is other than a "liquid lip color" written on the bottle. The applicator is an elongated doefoot that is extremely flexible. Unfortunately, the wiper or scraper leaves too much product on the wand.

Claims: Other than being part of the "megalast" line, there was nothing to be found on the packaging, or store display. According to the W'n'W website, the formulation is meant to be moisturizing, flexible, and long lasting with a smooth application that is transfer proof.

Pigmentation: Extremely high. I enjoyed the color, and depth.

Application: Patchy. I went back over a second time (after allowing the first coat to dry). This helped even out the coloring somewhat, but made the color look caked on. After patting out the harsh lines with my finger, the coloring was slightly more even.

Finish: Matte. The packaging does not tell you whether the product is a gloss, matte, satin, or shimmer product. I had no idea what to expect.

Scent: Although not overpowering  the scent is slightly unpleasant  It is a chemically, almost plastic-y smell. It does dissipate once dry.

Lasting Power: Amazing. It stayed on for 8+ hours with minimal fading. The very corners of my lips faded slightly. It is frustratingly difficult to remove.

Pros:

  • Color pigmentation and color options (13 shown on website)
  • Long lasting
  • Transfer resistant once dry

Cons:

  • Drying (claimed to be moisturizing)
  • Emphasizes lines and cracks; clings to dry patches
  • Cake-y, chalk-y texture that is uncomfortable to wear
  • Patchy application
  • Off putting scent 
  • Difficult removal


Overall Impressions: In the end, after all of my filming and reviewing, I've decided that I won't cash in and use my $1 coupon. The uncomfortable texture, and extremely difficult removal has officially turned me off to this product. Although I loved the color payoff, the patchy application left quite a bit to be desired. This is not one of my favorites from Wet n Wild. I am confused by their claims of a moisturizing formula that will promote a "healthy-looking, plump pout," as it left mine feeling and looking dehydrated. I think I'll stick to some of their other products that I've found tried and true.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

Love always,









Disclaimer: All products mentioned on this site were purchased by myself unless otherwise stated. I am not affiliated with any brand or company, nor do I receive any payment for my posts unless stated. Any, and all, opinions voiced on this blog are my own. I attempt to deliver honest and thoughtful opinions on all subjects.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Giveback Giveaway

Hello lovelies!
I have a super exciting announcement to make... Over the weekend I passed the 1K mark of Instagram followers! I also have over 150 YouTube subscribers!
As you've probably figured out by now, I'm just about as happy as a clam...or maybe an oyster, since they make pearls. As a way to show my appreciation and give you all a big "thank you" for your continuing support, I've put together a little giveaway. I'm calling it my "giveback giveaway" because it is my way of giving a little to my supporters.

If you are interested in seeing the prizes and learning how to enter, check out the video below:


Thank you all a thousand times, and good luck!

Love always,




Thursday, February 14, 2013

DIY Designer: Kate Spade Studs

Kate Spade is known for her simple and flirtatious pieces. I adore her things. A few weeks ago i was perusing polyvore and came across a crazy cute pair of Kate Spade studs. They're simple, chic, and of course, pink!



Unfortunately for me, they were totally sold out... Challenge accepted. When I think I can make the same thing (and for a whole lot less,) that's exactly what I set out to do.

Kate Spade DIY look-alike earrings...original from Polyvore

Items used:

• 3/8 in. round wood buttons
• Bright nail polish colors (wet n wild "candy-licios", confetti "belle of the ball", sinful colors "San Francisco")
• Clear topcoat (Ulta x-dry)
• Stud fixtures
• Superglue (I used a two part epoxy)
• tape
• tweezers

Watch this tutorial to create your own DIY designer studs:



Total, these little cuties cost under $0.50 each!!! Too exciting... I'll have to come up with a few more "Designer DIY"s. Let me know what you all think.

Love always,


Monday, February 4, 2013

Lovebird Valentine Nails

Hi everyone! I was looking around for inspiration on a valentine manicure. I thought about the ever popular "LOVE" written across my nails. Too bad my handwriting isn't up for that task. Soooo, maybe hearts? A simple ombré look? Not today. I was in the pet shop getting my lovely dog some dinner, when I wondered by the lovebird cage.
They're soooo cute. Always sitting right by their partner and actually kissing! Ok. I know it might just be me pushing imaginary emotions onto the little guys, but they are pretty adorable... Anyhow. I snapped a pic of them and my hand was reflected in the glass. Et voila! A new manicure idea was born.
Unfortunately, when I googled it, I'm not as original as I'd originally thought. Oh, well. I still love how this turned out. It's super cute (and still not as predictable as hearts on every nail).

What I used:
• Ulta brad base and top5 coat
• Revlon Café Pink5 #60
• assorted pens and paintbrushes in lieu of dotting tools
• basic acrylic paint set
• isopropyl alcohol & cotton pads/buds

The video below shows a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a pair of canoodling lovebirds on your fingertips. Enjoy!



As always, if you decided to give this a try, let me know how it turned out! I love seeing your recreations.

Love always,









Disclaimer: All products mentioned on this site were purchased by myself unless otherwise stated. I am not affiliated with any brand or company, nor do I receive any payment for my posts unless stated. Any, and all, opinions voiced on this blog are my own. I attempt to deliver honest and thoughtful opinions on all subjects.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Rimmel London BB Cream

Rimmel BB Cream
Rimmel’s new BB Cream Skin Perfecting Super Makeup has launched in the US. (Yippee!) I've most recently seen displays for this new Spring 2013 launch in Ulta. Thanks to Rimmel, I got to check this little baby out a few weeks early.

So far I’ve seen it in three total shades however, I understand that the launch in the UK included only two. Colors include Light, Medium, and Medium/Dark. I was sent the shade Medium and it is a perfect match!

The container is a 1 oz size with a very budget friendly price of around $5-$6. I've noticed that Rimmel products tend to be slightly pricier at Ulta when compared to Target.

As with most BB Creams released here in the US it is a tad disappointing if comparing it to a true Asian BB. With that said, if viewing it as a tinted moisturizer/multi-purpose lightweight foundation, I'm in love. Rimmel markets it as a 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Make Up BB Cream. It claims benefits including lightweight coverage designed to prime, mattify and moisturize, minimize the appearance of pores, conceal blemishes and protect the skin with SPF 25.


Check out my initial product reaction in the video below:


If you can get past the “BB Cream” name, the formula is absolutely lovely. If you are going into this purchase never having tried an Asian BB Cream, you will likely love how weightless and smooth a texture this has. It has a nice light-medium coverage that can easily be built up in troublesome areas. The formula claims to conceal and although I'm not sure I would go as far as covering a large blemish, it did a nice job camouflaging my fading acne scars.

This is a light, creamy almost mouse-like texture that reminds me a little of a lighter coverage Revlon Colorstay Whipped Mouse (one of my favorite foundations). with a delicate satiny dry down on skin. It evens out skin tone, blends very easily, and offers a bit of moisture during first application, however with my substantially dry cheeks, I did feel the need to apply moisturizer ahead of time. Coverage is sheer, but buildable, so it can perfect skin coloration and help ease some minor redness. It won't, however hide or conceal major issues such as dark spots, heavy redness on cheeks or face (such as rosacea) and acne.

The makeup settled nicely on my skin and didn't accentuate flaky areas (I have dry/combination skin). It has a smooth, slightly satiny appearance once dry and looks like I’m not wearing makeup at all. The lasting power was not quite as powerful as it claimed, though I was able to wear it for several hours before even thinking about blotting my slightly oily areas or applying powder. I have since adapted my routine when wearing this to setting it with powder (I love Rimmel's Stay Matte translucent powder) from the very beginning. Using a powder has extended it's lasting power immensely. If worn on oily skin, I can't foresee any specific issues, but be warned that the matifying properties aren't spectacular.
After a few weeks of wear, I'm in love 
Overall, Rimmel's Beauty Balm is an awesome tinted moisturizer with a sheer, but buildable coverage. The fairly substantial sun protection factor (SPF 25) is appreciated especially when compared to several other drugstore competitors. The active sunscreens include Octisalate (4%), Octionaxate (4%), Octocrylene (2%) and Avobenzone (3%). If you’re in the market for a weightless coverage that will perfect already decent skin, this is an excellent way to get a natural makeup look. However, those seeking the anti-aging, skin enhancing and highly pigmented coverage of a traditional Asian-style BB might feel this missed the mark. As far as the tidal wave of recent Western beauty balms, this one is so far my favorite.

Find this BB at your local Ulta or Ulta.com for $6.99.

Have you checked out Rimmel's newest addition? What did you think? What is your favorite BB?

Love always,




Thursday, January 24, 2013

DIY Chevron Nails

The chevron pattern has taken over the beauty and fashion world. It is a craze that I am more than happy to join. It's such a classic print that can be added to anything for a fun, girly, artsy vibe.





Chevron nails are one of my favorite ways to add this trend into my daily look. It's simple, chic, and über cute. Here's what you'll need:
• Base coat (Ulta basecoat)
• Top coat (Seche Vite)
• Bright main color (Wet n Wild Megalast heatwave)
• Metalic color ( I used two: Sally Hansen Gilty Pleasure and Wet n Wild Glamorous)
• White polish ( OPI Alpine Snow)
• Black polish ( Sinful Colors Black on Black)
• Tape
• Zigzag craft scissors or pinking shears

Watch the video below for a step-by-step tutorial:

Chevron nails. Book is: Strange Fruit by Rey Otis
What do you think of the chevron trend? How do you like to wear it?

Love always,





Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara

Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara
The Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Show Off Mascara is my very first mascara from Rimmel London. I love many of Rimmel's products, and was delighted when they sent me this product to sample and review. Although I'm still searching for my HG mascara, this is one I'm definitely happy to have added to my makeup arsenal.

Mascara Wand
The packaging of this mascara is particularly adorable. It comes in a raspberry purple tube with the Rimmel crown logo on the top of the cap. The logo gives it a more girly and fun feel. I always appreciate it web a brand puts a little effort into their packaging. It makes me want to put things on full display.

According to Rimmel, this is the first mascara that combines both lash plumping and defining bristles with a unique play-ball brush. The flat, more traditional side plumps lashes, while the ball shaped tip is meant to lift and curl the lashes.
The bristles are made of the ever popular rubber, almost comb-like material. Personally, I much prefer a more traditional style brush, however, the amazing little ball tip is absolutely PERFECT for grabbing the lashes in your outer corner and fanning them out like no ones' business.

Mascara tube
The formula is infused with collagen and keratin to help pump up the volume. It has also been ophthalmologist tested showing it to be suitable for sensitive eyes. Rimmel claims this particular mascara to be both flake and smudge proof. The volume-boosting effects are definitely apparent, however I didn't find my lashes to appear significantly longer. They took on a very nice girl-next-door look. My lashes stayed soft, ad had no unwanted crunching or flaking. I wore this for an extremely long girls' night out and can attest to these claims. Not a raccoon eye in sight, which makes me a happy girl.

Top: Before
Bottom: After
Left: Before
Right: After
Overall, if you are looking for a mascara that is going to give your lashes a natural, but significantly enhanced look, this is a wonderful mascara. If you are looking for a mascara that is going to give your lashes a ton of length along with thickness, you might not enjoy this mascara as much.

You can find Rimmel London
Scandal Eyes Show Off Mascara for
$6.99 at Ulta or your local drugstore.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara
Have you tried this mascara? What did you think?

Love always,










DisclaimerAll products mentioned on this site were purchased by myself unless otherwise stated. I am not affiliated with any brand or company, nor do I receive any payment for my posts unless stated. Any, and all, opinions voiced on this blog are my own. I attempt to deliver honest and thoughtful opinions on all subjects.

 










Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Lorac Pro Palette Review and Swatches


LORAC PRO Palette

Happy New Years! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season. Today we'll be going over one of my favorite goodies that Santa delivered: 
the LORAC PRO Palette.


Let's just get this out of the way: I'm a bit of a sucker for a good neutral eyeshadow palette. And since this fit the bill, it was right at the top of my Christmas wish list.
❤  It was love at first sight. 

 But I'm jumping ahead of myself...


Left side: matte Right side: frost
This little gem comes in a slightly textured,satiny, black case that closes magnetically. I really love the sleekness of it. Just be aware that it attracts dirt/dust/fallout much like NARS packaging. It's around 1/4" smaller than the Urban Decay Naked palette length and width wise. Happily, the Pro is almost half as thick as the Naked palette, making it much more travel worthy. It has a long rectangular mirror under the lid that is plenty large enough to do your makeup on-the-go or while traveling. There's also a clear plastic sheet included as a barrier between the mirror and shadows. I've elected to keep mine, as it helps minimize the dirty look.

The layout of the shadows may be my favorite part of this palette. Two rows of eight shadows are arranged from light to dark, with matte colors on the top, and shimmer/frost below. This makes navigating and finding the exact color you want much simpler. The standout feature of this palate, in my opinion, is the equal number of frost and matte colors. One of my biggest qualms with the UD Naked palettes (both the original and #2) is the high proportion of shimmer shades. I have nothing against shimmer, but having and equal amount of each, in a large range of colors, makes the Pro a much more versatile palette.

Right side of palette.
Left side of palette.
The majority of the colors are neutrals, however there are a few fun shades to play with. Namely garnet (a fun shimmer red,) and deep purple (a dark aubergine shimmer).

The formulation of the matte colors was quite nice. They aren't the silkiest shadows I've ever come across, but they are smooth enough, and extremely pigmented. The shimmer shades are exceptionally creamy. They glide on like a dream and have the same high quality pigmentation as the matte colors. There is a fair amount of fallout, but a quick tap of the brush fixes this little issue.

Top Row: White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink,
Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black
Bottom Row: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Light Bronze,
Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate
At a quick first glance, many of the colors could be seen as dupes for the original UD Naked palette. I couldn't find many true individual dupes. As a whole, this palette won't replace UD's Naked. There are, however, many colors that can easily be substituted for one another.
The list below is not dupes, but rather viable substitutions.

❤ Lorac Taupe: UD Buck
❤ Lorac Pewter: UD Toasted
❤ Lorac Mauve: UD Tease

❤ Lorac Nude: UD Sin

❤ Lorac Slate: UD Gunmetal
❤ Lorac Gold ( slightly peachy): UD Half Baked (more of a true yellow toned gold)

❤ Lorac Black: UD Blackout



The last part is a lovely little tube of primer that comes with the palette. The consistency is extremely similar to Tarte's Clean Slate 360° Creaseless eye primer, in that it is a creamy formulation. It helps to prevent creasing and colors to stay on, but doesn't seem to affect the pigmentation of the shadows. In the end, I still seem to gravitate towards my MAC Paint Pot.

Lorac Behind The Scenes
Eye Primer
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this palette. The consistency of the shadows are on par with what you'd expect from a high end company, and the neutral colors allow for daily use. Because of its large percentage of matte colors (when compared with UD's Naked palette) I would recommend the Lorac Pro. I have already gotten a ton of use out of this little baby in the few weeks since receiving it. The Lorac Pro palette is quickly becoming my new favorite (as far as neutral palettes go).

The Lorac Pro Palette retails for $42 anywhere Lorac is sold.

Let me know how you feel about this palette and why your favorite neutral palette is!



Love always,








DisclaimerAll products mentioned on this site were purchased by myself unless otherwise stated. I am not affiliated with any brand or company, nor do I receive any payment for my posts unless stated. Any, and all, opinions voiced on this blog are my own. I attempt to deliver honest and thoughtful opinions on all subjects.