I Love NYC's Park Avenue!

I have a confession to make...    my favorite city in the whole wide world, hands down, is New York City. This is where eclectic diversity and passion for life and art and history can be found. The buildings you will see there are full of the past and have amazing stories to tell. They are massive and ornate, the kind of architechure and detail that we do not see being created in our modern day. Because I love NYC so very much (I have been there twice, but it's still not enough!) I am a sucker for buying anything that proclaims a love for this famous city, it brings back memories and is so very nostalgic...


Well, everybody knows the brand from the drugstore called NYC...Well, it is not my favorite brand out there, I will confess. I think their blushes and lipsticks are decent but that is about it.When it comes to nail polish, I can be very picky about the brand because I want affordable polish that will last and not chip the same day I apply it. So, when Rite Aid had a 40% off NYC sale, I thought that I would try out one of their polishes to see if it was any good. 

I believe this polish is less that $2.00 at your local drugstore.
But prices do vary and look for a good deal!

This is from their In A New York Minute Quick Dry formula in the shade, "Park Avenue". This is a gorgeous taupe-grey color and the shade in the bottle is what you get on your nails. As for the drying time, it does dry quickly and is opaque with two coats. Now, this polish does chip easily, which is a huge bummer. The day after I had polished my nails is when I noticed it was not holding up well. But, I applied a top coat on the nail polish for protection the second time I used this polish, and I found that it did extend the life of the wear by a few days.


Overall, for a drugstore nail polish, it is not as bad as I thought. I have seen worse nail polishes from certain drugstore brands that chip fiercely (Wet 'n' Wild) and others that nicely last for days (Sally Hansen). Will I repurchase this brand of nail polish? Now that I know how to work with it, I will definitely be trying out another bottle to truly see if this could be a new favorite drugstore brand!

Your Perfect Red Lips!

I have a confession to make...    a confession of the retro glamorous kind. Really, is there any confession more seductive? Who doesn't get tingles of nostalgia when they think of the 1930's and 1940's when red lips became fashionable, everyone who was hip enough wore this on their lips, preferably in matte.


Well, I am here to let you all know that I am embracing my red lip for here on out! There is no reason to be shy wearing this bright color on your lip because there are various shades of red out there to flatter every skin tone you can imagine. And, they not only come in matte, but many different finishes. Let me take a moment to share a few reds from my collection that I personally enjoy wearing.


Lets start off with Revlon, my all time favorite drugstore lipsticks. This past weekend I bought this gorgeous shade from their Super Lustrous line called, "Certainly Red". As this is a creme finish, it saturates the lips so well as it applies smoothly and creamy.

Revlon's "Certainly Red"

This red is more of a deep berry red, not bright. It looks like a true blood red in the tube, but once applied to the lips and swatched on the skin, it shows it's true berry red color, almost a deep magenta. This color would look pretty on every skin tone, in my opinion and is definitely for the glamorous night out.


The next red that I am loving is by Avon and it is from their Glazewear line called, "Rosebud". Avon says that this is a liquid lip color and I can stand up for that and agree, because while this is a lipgloss, it almost is like a liquid lipstick. The color is very well pigmented and feels lightweight on the lip, not sticky at all.

Avon Glazewear in "Rosebud"

This red leans more brown than berry so it can be worn during the day since it is not overwhelmingly bright and 'in-your-face'. There is a classy vibe to this lippie, in my humble opinion. Even though it leans on the red-brown side of the spectrum, almost copper, I find even people with light skin tones could get away with wearing this one. 


Then there is the oh-so- famous Revon Lip Butters that are flying high at this moment in history. I was not overly thrilled with these lip butters since they slide all over, but I will say that Revlon did come up with an amazing red called, "Candy Apple". This is not a lipstick, nor a gloss, but somewhere in the middle of the two. These are not at all long lasting, but more for a quick shine of color to the lips. And, yes, they are pigmented!

Revlon Lip Butter in, "Candy Apple"

This is an orange-red lip color that would definitely flatter light skin ones, but in my opinion, this orange-red color looks a little too brassy for me as I have yellow undertones to my skin. I do wear this occasionally, but I blot the color after application to mute it out somewhat. Still, it is an easy wearable color for most.


The last lip color I have to share with you is from everyone's favorite brand, on some level, Wet 'n' Wild! Wow, have they stepped it up lately, right? And, I happen to adore their lipsticks and even have a full blog review on the ones I do have, so check it out! But, "Just Garnet" (number 552A) is a deep berry wine color. The texture of this lipstick is creamy and smooth, on par with the feel of the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks. Yes, the packaging is tacky and cheap, but the product makes up for it completely!

Wet 'n' Wild "Just Garnet"

This pretty lip color would be amazing on everybody's skin tone, even the fair skinned girl's out there. It is bright, but if you wear this out at night for a special occasion, no one would look twice; well, yes they would, it is so gorgeous! And, even if you do wear it out during the day, I applaud you, because I would do the same!

Left to Right: Revlon, "Certainly Red"; Avon, "Rosebud";
Revlon Lip Butter, "Candy Apple" and Wet 'n' Wild, "Just Garnet"

Glamour and Glitz, this is one sure way to add retro-glam to your look. So, think of the beautiful stars of the 1940's and how they made the red lip what it is today: Glamourous!

Scented Nail Polish? What Will They Come Up With Next?

I have a confession to make...    I was lured into buying Revlon's scented nail polish in Ocean Breeze, a beautiful dark blue-green color. The deep blue-green color is complimented by a grey, almost but not quite, black, giving it that subtle duo-chrome. When I laid my eyes on this color, I knew that this was right up my alley!

It took two coats to reach the opacity that I wanted, giving me the exact color shade that was in the bottle, which I loved! 
Now, it says that when the polish is dry is when you will be able to smell the perfume in the nail polish. First off, let me tell you just how unnecessary it is for nails to have their own scent. I thought that this concept was a little gimmicky, but I really wanted the color and thought that it would be neat to test this product out and see if it really does give off a pleasant odor. 
Now, I wish that somewhere on the bottle it would tell us what the scent is supposed to smell like, but since it does not, I was more or less expecting the smell to coincide with the name of the polish, "Ocean Breeze". 
But, I what I was smelling was nothing that reminded me off the ocean. When I think of the ocean I think of how the air is salty and there is always that subtle fishy smell in the air; at least where I live, because it is cold on the coast since I don't live near the sunny beaches of California! So, my interpretation of the Ocean is not what I want to smell on my finger tips all day.
The smell was unidentifiable, but it did come off almost like a cool scent, mixed in with a faint smell of paint. Nothing like an Ocean Breeze. I personally was not fond of the scent, but it did fade as the day wore on leaving just a trace of the smell.
One other thing that I was not too keen on, and I have had trouble with Revlon nail polish doing this to me occasionally, is that it bubbled on my nails after drying. I promise that I do not shake the bottle to mix the polish before applying it; instead I turn in upside down and roll it between my hands to avoid the bubbles. 
What am I doing wrong!?!?
Another word of caution: This polish did not last long on my nails before chipping and I even used a top coat. By the end of the day I noticed chipping and I could stand to wear this polish for two days before the chipping was overwhelming and painful to look at.
Would I re-purchase a scented nail polish again? I would give it another try, but not for the scent. If I found a color I loved and it happened to be scented, yes I would buy it. Truthfully, I just think that this is just another way to get people to buy their products, in a way, revamping them selves and trying to make them stand out as a little bit different than other polishes. 
But, scented nail polish, really?

Revlon's New Colorburst Lip Butters

I have a confession to make...     I have been watching every single YouTube video and scanning every single blog that features this new product by Revlon, my ultimate favorite drugstore makeup brand. I have heard nothing but great things about these new lip butters and I love the colors that I was seeing, they are beautiful!

Left to right: Candy Apple and Pink Truffle

I made out a wish list of every single color that I wanted to try out and made my way to the stores to see if I could hunt them down. Finally, at my third stop, Target, I found a small display of these. They did not have all of them, just a handful. I picked up two that I wanted to try out and made my way home with Candy Apple and Pink Truffle.
I have been trying these for a couple of days now and I am ready to give you my full report and honest feelings on these. 
These apply so smooth, they glide onto the lips effortlessly. Your lips are left with a lot of color and a gorgeous shine. I would not classify these as a lipstick nor a lipgloss, but somewhere in between. 
The product is very soft and I would caution anybody to be careful because given the softness of this product, I am not sure how these will hold up. In other words, these may be very breakable, I just do not want to test that theory on my own.

Left to right: Pink Truffle and Candy Apple

Pink Truffle is a light mauve-brown color but shows up darker in this picture.
Candy Apple is a subtle red color that can be worn about town during the day since it is not dramatic!

Left to right: Pink Truffle and Candy Apple
The color payoff is fantastic and yet it is still build able

Now, while these colors are gorgeous and they apply beautifully and come in a vast range of colors for everybody, I did find some down falls to this product that I must share with you because this could be a deciding factor for you.
When wearing these, the color does not last long at all. Just like a gloss, you must reapply it every once in awhile through out the day. And, I do find that these slide a lot. Not just a bit, but a lot. I have never had issues with my lipgloss or even lipstick rubbing off on my teeth, but both of these did. Thankfully, it was my hubby who had to warn me when we were out in public about to hang out with friends. YIKES!
Another thing I noticed that surprised me, because everybody was saying that these are just like tinted moisturizers but better, is that after wearing one that day, my lips felt dry. Now, I am a lip balm addict and  I always have Chapstick or something to that effect on hand to moisturize my lips, plus, I exfoliate my lips once a week or so. I think I take decent care of my lips, but I was still left with a nagging dry feeling after wearing these lip butters. 
Needless to say, I was not pleased. 
Honestly, I wanted to love these just like everyone else was loving them, but because of the facts that they rub off on my teeth and dry out my lips, I will not be repurchasing anymore of these lip butters. 
Sorry, Revlon, but these are no-go for this girl.
These lip butters don't melt on these lips, they just  slide right off. Maybe you'll have better luck with these than I did.

Have A Cupcake And Wear One, Too!

I have a confession to make...    I have a sick obsession with anything that has a cupcake on it! I feel like I am fourteen years old all over again when I freak out over a pencil set that has sweet little cupcakes with cherries and sprinkles wrapped all around it. And what about those cute cupcake erasers that out there! Don't worry I did refrain from buying those things because seriously, what would a girl my age do with things like that? (I'm sure I could figure it out!)
I recently bought a cupcake piggy bank at Target and that is when I realized I have an illness. What am I going to do with a cupcake piggybank? I'm serious! I resorted to using it for my two year olds change that he finds, because I have a perfectly good coin purse I use for my change I hoard.
So, when I saw those adorable pajama bottoms at Ross yesterday, I knew I had to buy them. They are perfect for winter, especially since the cold weather has finally started to kick in and snow has decided to intermix with our rain here. The material is so fuzzy and soft, I feel like I am wearing my favorite comfortable blanket. 

And guess what? It was only $8.99!!!

Now I can wear cupcakes and eat them, too! Someone please tell me, can life get any sweeter than this?  Not by much!

Revlon's Gold Coin Nail Polish

I have a confession to make...    I was at Walmart just yesterday buying a few items that I needed for the pantry and of course,  had to go and check out the makeup isle! I was actually on a mission to seek out a specific hard to find product that just hit stores a few weeks ago but is not readily available in everyones area yet (that would be my area!).
So, instead I settled on looking at nail polishes, another love of mine. I was drawn towards the selection that Revlon had and seriously, I could have bought more than I did that day. But, I was good and I only bought two. One of them I was just dying to try for myself when I got home. 
It is called "Gold Coin", and I cannot tell you just how long this nail polish has been available from Revlon, but I have to let you guys know that it is so pretty!
It is a metallic finish, just as the bottle says and WOW does this polish shine! To me, it almost looks like it has extremely small barely there glitters in the polish. Maybe it does, but whatever it is, it sure does reflect gorgeously! And it dries super fast, which for me is always a plus because I am constantly doing something and honestly, I hate to sit around and wait half an hour for my polish to dry. 
Another plus, this is the second day that I have this polish on and it has not chipped in the slightest. So, great lasting wear so far!

Revlon seems to be coming out with some nice colors lately and not bad for the price. I paid under four dollars for this bottle. Because of that I bought two nail polishes since I have always been a fan of their polish, so I knew I would not be disappointed.
This is definitely a fall color, so hurry out and get your "Gold Coin" before they run out!

Eggnogg'n Tea! Don't 'Nog' It Til Ya Try It!

I have a confession to make...   When the weather outside turns into cold and blustery days, I love getting comfy and cozy on my couch and wrapping myself up in my Snuzzle. Yes, I said Snuzzle. It's a knock off of the Snuggle that my hubby found at Ross and I laughed at him for buying it. Long story short, I fell in love with the Snuzzle and have become very territorial over it. That is another subject....
Any-who, I adore a nice hot cup of tea during the cold weather when I am snuggling up and getting cozy on the couch. I have a variety of teas in my pantry ranging from peppermint to orange-spice to peach etc...But one tea that comes out only once a year right after Halloween when the stores set up for their Christmas rush, is Eggnogg'n tea from Bigelow. My mom got me hooked on this tea two years ago when she bought it and thereafter I have searched many stores for this box and came up empty handed. Let me tell you, it is a very popular drink and it goes FAST. 
I happened to be at grocery shopping two weeks ago and had it down on my list. I was planning on buying two or three of these to stalk up on for this winter. Well, guess where I happened to find it? On the same display as the Pumpkin Spice tea by Bigelow (that I had already purchased weeks ago) and this was the only one among the dozens of Pumpkin Spice! So yeah, I snatched it up and I did search through the other boxes to make sure it wasn't buried under the Pumpkin teas. 
I searched the tea isle and the other displays in the store and this was the only one I found. Wow, these suckers go quick. I am glad that I was able to get my hands on this one and hopefully when I go back they will have more on display. 
Why is the such a coveted tea, you may ask? Well, besides the fact that it only comes out once a year, it is such a unique flavor. Now, I hate with a passion eggnog in general. My husband, he loves the stuff and always has to buy a jug of it at the store when it comes out. What I do love about eggnog is the smell. To me, it smells just like buttercream frosting for some reason. Yummy! 
This is what this tea delivers on. It has that subtle scent and taste of frosting and it tastes great with a little bit of sugar mixed into your cup. Seriously, you cannot go wrong with this tea. It is the go-to tea that you will want every night after your day is done and it is time to unwind before bed with your favorite book or TV show.
So, what's your favorite drink that makes you feel all peaceful and warm during these cold months ahead? I know what I'm snuggling up with tonight!

Lemon Butter For Your Cuticles From Burt's Bees.

I have a confession to make...   Yes, there are times when my hand look less than girly and more like a rough and rugged rancher man's hands. But, that's because of the cold weather and washing my hands incessently several times a day. We all know just how drying that can be on our delicate skin.

So, I have to make sure that I take notice of how bad it is getting before it gets worse and I must moisturize moisturize and moisturize before skin begins to crack! A product that I have been in love with for over a year now and am on my second tin of this, is Bert's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. Let me tell you, I have not purchased anything else from this product line before but heard great things about it from the YouTube community and decided that since my cuticles were in dire need that I might as well just give it a go.
I purchased mine at Target, although I have bought this from Walmart before and it retails for around $6.00 depending on your area and place of purchase. In this tin you receive 0.60oz of product and from my experience this will last you several months, but of course it depends how much you use and how often you use it.
This is what the packaging on the back reads: 

"A soothing blend of natural ingredients to nourish weak nails and soften dry cuticles. Massage cream into and around nails." 

The product itself is a waxy balm and it applies smoothly into the skin with a nice faint lemon scent. Honestly, you don't need a lot of the balm for it to work, just swipe your finger onto the balm and rub it into your cuticles and you will notice immediately how soft they get. Even the appearance of the nails seems improved!

For myself I may use it once during the day but I always apply it before I go to bed at night. I rub lotion into my hands first to moisturize my hands and after that I will apply this product onto my nails paying much attention to the cuticles. The results are much more soft and pleasant feeling skin. 
The product itself is a waxy balm and it applies smoothly into the skin with a nice faint lemon scent. Don't worry about feeling greasy because I promise you, you won't. The cuticle cream is just like butter in the sense that it will melt right into your skin.
This is something that I use not only in the winter when I get really dry skin, but I use this all year round to help with the appearance and feel of my nails. I highly recommend that you give this a try; your nails will thank you!

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover

I have a confession to make...    I have not been purchasing much makeup lately because I have finally convinced myself that I have more than enough; so much that I most likely will never use it all in my lifetime. When I think about it that way, it is kind of depressing...
So, I have been going through some of my tried and tested products that I already have and decided that I can still review some of these products because they are still available in a store near you!
We all need to take care of the appearance of out hands and nails, especially now that the cold weather is setting in and that typically causes my skin to dry out along with my cuticles. They need some extra special attention and love. 
So, about a year ago I discovered a great product from Sally Hansen called, "Instant Cuticle Remover", and it claims to 'dissolve dry cuticles in 15 seconds'.
The directions state:

"For cuticles, squeeze a thin strip around cuticles and under nail tips. After 15 seconds, begin to gently push back cuticles with a cuticle pusher or manicure stick. Wash away excess immediately and throughly with warm, soapy water.
For calluses, apply to callused skin for one minute. Wash away excess immediately and throughly with warm, soapy water."

Let me tell you why I love this product and am on my second bottle. This is a very thick formula that sticks to the cuticle and softens the skin. After about a minute passes, I use the Kiss cuticle sticks that I bought on sale at Walgreens for 99 cents to push back the cuticles around my nails and the gross skin under neath the tips of my nails.
It makes the process of refining your cuticles a breeze as it is so effective. Once I wash the product off I use a cuticle product that moistens the cuticles and keeps them in shape, especially before I go to bed at night. (I will talk more about the cuticle product that I use for this step in a later post)
You can buy this product at Walgreens for about $5.49 and you get 1 fl oz that lasts you a long while. The price of course will vary by store and location. But, no matter what you pay you are saving yourself a lot of money and can buy yourself a bottle of a pretty nail polish to go with your new manicure!
Try this out for yourself and you you will be left with gorgeous-just-came-from-the-salon looking nails in pretty perfect shape. 
Nobody will know that you did them yourself at home, but once you tell them, they will sure be jealous!

Wonderful Wax Warmers To Warm Your Senses

I have a confession to make...   I am sitting in the comfort and coziness of my home right at this moment wrapped in my Snuzzle (yes, I said Snuzzle, a knock off of the Snuggie) enjoying the warmth and relaxation of a Spiced Pumpkin Pie. Not of the dessert variety ( I wish!) but of the candle variety.
My hubby and I went to Walmart last night and I am the type who cannot pass by the candle section of a store, especially when the store has an entire isle top to bottom full of candles! I had heard good things about the Better Homes And Gardens Scented Wax Warmers and wanted to give them a whirl and see if they are as fragrant as people say they really are.




I was impressed with the selection of Wax Warmers that they had on hand and I chose a rusty red colored one to go with the decor of my living room. That was not the hard choice, I admit. The hard choice was trying to figure out which two scented wax cube packs that I wanted to try. Of course, the hubby says he doesn't care, so I had to go it alone on this one!

There was TONS of scents to chose from: from the fruity to the fresh to the sweet and to the citrus. I love the smell of sweets and also pumpkin, so needless to say, I picked the Spiced Pumpkin Pie and also the Butterscotch Maple Cream. YUMMY YUM YUM! 
We burned the Butterscotch Maple Cream last night and after ten minutes of burning, the scent was thick through the air, it was amazing!
And the great thing about these cubes is that even though they melt, when you turn off the warmer and are left with this puddle of melted scented wax, all you do is take the top plate off of the warmer and pour the melted wax back into the pack were it came from and leave the lid open over night and the next morning it has hardened back into a cube! So, you can re-use and re-use! But, it does say that the fragrance cubes can become depleted of fragrance after reusing so many times, but when that happens, discard it and move on to the next cube!

EXAMPLE in the back of box what to do with the melted wax! EASY!

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Fragrance Cube

I just manipulate the packaging so that one cube will break apart from its space and I can slide it out easily. I am sure that using a kitchen knife would work just as well, if not easier.

The top lid goes on top of the vase

See how the cube is so cute, waiting to be melted! Just put the lid on top of the vase and plug it in. The lightbulb inside will heat the wax and in just minutes the fragrance cube will start to melt and make your whole house smell yummy!

After twenty minutes

Doesn't it look like a little pat of butter!

It melt so nicely and even after you turn off the warmer, your home will still smell great for a long while after! 
Honestly, these are way better than any candles that I have ever bought. Not saying that I will never buy a candle again, because I think that candles bring another level of romance and warmth to your home, but if you want lasting fragrance, pick up one of these Wax Warmers. I got mine at Walmart for $15.00, which in my opinion is cheap and worth while. The wax fragrance cubes are only $2.00 a package and will last you a very long time. So, the most expensive thing to buy is the warmer, but even then, it is not that bad a price at all and totally worth it!
Its that time of year when candles are just yearning to be burned.The leaves are falling and cooler weather is setting in. Who doesn't want to sit in a homey house reading a book and relaxing as they smell their favorite fall like scent drifting aromatically through the air? 
Count me in! Next package I want to pick up is Cupcake!

Get Runway Eyes Like A Haute Model From NYX Cosmetics!

I have a confession to make...   I have been wanting to write this post for a vey long time and I am just now getting round to doing it, what with everything going on in my life keeping me busy, I am finally doing it! 
I think that we can all tell how huge of a fan I am of NYX cosmetics and I absolutely love trying their products and sharing with all of you what I love, like and could live without. With that said, let's get this review underway! 
I know I have reviewed one or two other NYX eyeshadow palettes, but honestly, the NYX Haute Model palette from their Runway Collection was the first ever palette I purchased from the brand. I wanted to test out a few different shadow colors and figured a palette was the best way to go about doing that. 
I picked this palette because it had a vast variety of colors, not just neutrals or brights but a subtle mix of the two.
What immediately drew me to picking this palette was the bright turquoise blue and gorgeous greens. 

FYI: Silly me, I photographed this upside down,
but we are going to roll with it!

Pretty colors!

What I really love about these eyeshadows are the pigmentation and build-ability of the colors, with the exception of the pale pink shadow. Pinks are hard to like because they can be either transparent and barely there. The pink in this palette comes off as more white with a touch of pink hue that is hard to pick up on. 

Top Row (Upside Down)

I have to admit that not all the dark colors come off true to color. I wish that the purple applied true to color, like a dark plum purple, but it comes off as more of a dark grey. Same with the emerald green; I have seen more true to color emerald green eyeshadows and this one applies more as a dark brown on the skin and lids.

Bottom Row (Upside Down and backwards, still!)

I must say that the bottom row is more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get eyeshadow row. I was surprised at how aqua the turquoise color really is and applies exactly as I would have hoped. I really like the second to last shadow, the bronze is very pretty.
My overall verdict is that these shadows are good, especially for the price. I got ten eyeshadows for $11.00. A steal, for sure! They are highly pigmented in color, definitely not sheer. And the packaging is slim and compact so you could definitely travel with this palette and it will not take up any room in your purse or travel case and that is a plus. 
The downfall, and this is a biggie for some people, and this is what kind of leaves me hesitant to use this palette often, is the tremendous fallout I get when applying these shadows. The consistency of these shadows are ver chalky and there are sparkles in the majority of the shadows, so the eyeshadow and sparkle will end up all over your face. 
You must take precautiouns when applying these shadows if you are going to use them. Tap off your brush before applying and for extra caution, apply a layer of lose powder (any kind will do, cheaper the better) right underneath the eyes to catch the fall out so that you can sweep away the powder along with the excess fallout after you are done making up your eyes.
I think that these are fun colors to add to your collection and you can make a pretty smokey eye with these dark colors, but you will need to incorporate some softer matte colors into the look for a balanced eye look.
This is a fun palette and if wearing these shadows helps make you feel like a runway supermodel, more power to you! That's what makeup is all about, making us feel confidant and pretty while having fun!

How Do You Control Oil?

I have a confession to make...   of the not so pretty kind. I have oily skin. Not just here and there on the T-Zone oily, but all over my face oily. I envy those who complain of an oily T-Zone because they have so much less oil to contend with than I. 

I have tried a few different things through out the years, but one constant that has remained forever faithful to me are my Clean and Clear Oil Blotting Wipes. Yes, it is true, they are not a topical lotion for my skin to prevent oil from spilling out of my pores all day long, but they have been great at getting rid of the oil that is produced while leaving my make up in tack and my face feeling clean and matt. 
They come in a sleek packaging that can slip right into your purse. When you peel the sticker off inside it sticks to the sheet on top so when you open the packaging a sheet pulls out for your convenience. 
Clean and Clear claims:

"Instantly removes excess oil. Won't smudge makeup. Invigorating fragrance."

Of course, you can purchase the blue packaging that is fragrance free and works just as well. And let me tell you, it lives up to it's claims so much so, that I have been using these for over ten years now!

These retail for anywhere from $4.89 to $6.50, depending on where you purchase them. Thankfully I have a Big Lots down the way from me and I am able to purchase mine for $3.00 and they always have them in stock.  
About a year ago I also tried a product from Proactive called Daily Oil Control. It is a non-comedogenic product that it says helps to eliminate shine.This is what Proactive claims this product will do for you:

"...gently balances oil levels, while keeping skin hydrated, healthy looking and shine-free. our light, oil-free formula contains skin conditioning ingredients specially designed to reduce sebum levels while controlling acne blemishes."

I have to say that this was not a stand out product because after not too long  noticed oil spilling forth. Overall, it did not control the shine or oil as well as I would have expected it to.

This retails on Proactive's website for about $26.00. Big bucks and big fail. But than again, my skin is out of control oily.
Recently, I tried De-Slick from Urban Decay by Skindinavia, having high hopes for this high end product that I shelled out, was it $30 bucks or so, for. I tried it for a week and unfortunately it was another product that was not strong enough to hold fast against my permeating oily glands. I will say that it kept the oil at bay for maybe three hours and I had great expectations, thinking I found my holy grail. But, my oil did eventually seep through (yes, gross) sooner than I hoped.

Urban Decay claims regarding this product:

"...uses an innovative oil control system that both absorbs excess sebum and controls surface shine...mists on, feels weightless, and sets makeup so it lasts all day...even through moisture, wind and heat!..contains a powerful cocktail of high-tech ingredients: a cooling agent that chills makeup so skin feels as fresh as it looks, and light dispersing particles that deflect shine and deliver a matte look for up to 16 hours."

Holy Mole-y, that is a lot of promises to live up to. I have honestly heard great reviews on this product, but for my super oily skin, it did not work one bit. When I had read the back I had big hopes thinking that it would solve all my problems, but alas, no go. 
I am thinking of trying the Proactive product underneath the Urban Decay mist to see if that will work better, so I will keep you informed.
But, over all, I think that I would spray this product on when going some where nice when I want my makeup to be a little fresher a little longer. 
And the great thing about this product is that it is safe for you to use as it is paraben free. And for acne-prone ones out there, like myself, this product is oil-free. So, maybe you can use this product and not break out while controlling shine. 
And, lets remember, what works best for others may not work for you. 
Until then, I will continue in my battle to fight oil and we shall see who will win!

Oo-La-La-Lovely Lips!

I have a confession to make...    I am loving glossy lips! Now, personally, I have grown to become a lipstick fanatic only because I love the color payoff of lipsticks. Once in awhile I do break out my gloss and  find myself gravitating towards them a little more often. 
Well, I found some very much raved about glosses from E.L.F. that when I saw them in person at the store I knew I just had to have them. The E.L.F. glosses that I purchased I found in a package of three at Big Lots for $3.00 which I believe is the going rate for them at Target, and online I believe they are a dollar a piece. So, I snatched the prettiest set there and came home and fell in love.

My favorite of the three is the baby pink one, and unfortunately the name of the gloss is not on the package. But, it is super shiny and pretty. When it is applied it gives my lips a subtle hint of pink.
The next one, going from lightest to darkest, is a watermelon shade that has glints of glitter. The glitter does give my lips a reflective look, which is beautiful. 
The next is the darkest of the three, yet the sheerest. In the packaging it looks like a spectacular pink fuchsia color, but it sheers out on my lips. Disappointing, yes, but for a dollar I will wear it over lipsticks to give them a shine.

This is a picture of the gloss going from darkest to lightest of the three

Am I thrilled with these? Um...yes I am! I am happy that they are so cheaply priced and they smell like a lollipop, giving my lips a special little treat. I know that there is so many more shades to chose from online at the E.L.F. website and now that Target is carrying the E.L.F. brand it is more easily accessible. 
The texture of these is hard to describe, as it is thick, but does not slide on my lips. It has great staying power. Are they a sticky? Yeah, a little bit, but not to the point were it bothers me and I will never wear it again.
Next, I purchased two Milani Lip Flash gloss pencils on cherryculture.com  for $6.99 a pop. I have been salivating over these babies since I saw Cora from Vintageortacky on Youtube talking about these and swatching them. She has all of the swatches for every single Lip FLash, so check her out!
I purchased the colors Hot Flash and Lip Flash after many hours of debating. 

What I love about these is that they are in a fool proof pencil form, so you can trace your lips and color them in; so simple and easy! You do need a jumbo sized pencil sharpener to sharpen them as you use them and I just recently purchased a dual sharpener that I am loving by Loreal that works perfectly and doesn't break off the tips.
These go on so creamy and smooth and are highly pigmented. What you see is what you are going to get. 
Lip Flash is a gorgeous almost purple-brown color with flecks of gold sparkle that gives it an even more unique appeal.
Hot Flash is an extremely bright hot red-pink color that delivers on pigmentation! There is no sparkle to this only shine, which I think is brilliant. 
I like how the packaging explains that this is a full coverage shimmer gloss pencil, kind of like a lipstick and gloss in one handy product.

Hot Flash and Lip Flash

Do I love these? Yes, please, I do! I would purchase every single one of these bad boys, they are that amazing! I just wish I could find them locally instead of having to order them online and waiting a week or two for me to actually get my hands on them...

So, yes, everybody, this is what I give to you, a gloss for every lip to enjoy!

NYX's Glitters and Pigments!

I have a confession to make...   I have five little bottles of goodies that I am obsessed with. And they all are so very pretty that I just cannot keep them to myself; I must share my love of them with the world so that they too can discover the beauty in these bottles!
I am talking about NYX's Ultra Pearl Mania pigments and NYX's Glitter Mania eye glitters. I must start by proclaiming how very much I adore pigments because they are so, well, pigmented of course! And glitter, come on! What girl doesn't want a touch of  glitter to glitz up a look every once in a special while?
What I rave all the time about NYX is the fact that they have such creative high quality products that are affordable for those of us who are on a budget but still want to look pampered and pretty.
I purchased these products through beautyjoint.com, a website that I am sure you know I love because I talk about it all the time. They sell NYX products (the cheapest I have seen anywhere!) as well as Milani products now, too. 
I picked out two pigments out of the vast variety that I had to chose from. The colors I picked were Walnut, which is a gorgeous deep coppery brown color with a brilliant sheen to it. The second was a color that I had always been drawn to that I love but am not sure I could ever pull off but am still daring to wear, is Jade. It is the prettiest, brightest almost sea-foam green I have ever seen before.

Walnut and Jade pigments

Jade and Walnut

With the pigments they are highly pigmented but you can also choose to build the color intensity up or sheer them out depending on how you feel that day. I have worn the Walnut color and have gotten many compliments on it already!
The lose glitters are just as glamorous, as you will see for yourself in the pictures. When I look at them in the bottle they look unpromising and boring. But, when you put them on your lids you can see just how these glitters can really kick a look up a notch or few!
Now, I used clear gloss to adhere the glitters to my skin in the swatches but a glitter adhesive that I love and is really inexpensive is Sally Girl's Glitter Glue. I believe the tube is just under a dollar and a little goes a long way, so I recommend using that for your glitter looks.

Silver, Gold and Purple

Left to Right: Purple, Gold, Silver

I really like how you can use as little glitter as you want for a subtle shimmer or you can use layers of it for an intense look, almost like shimmery foil, if you will. No matter how you wear these, you are definitely guaranteed to catch everybody's eye!
The Ultra Pearl Mania pigments on beautyjoint.com are $1.99 each and they have thirty shades to chose from. Some are shimmery and some metallic. For the price you pay you receive 0.06 fl.oz. Not bad, I do say!
The Glitter Mania lose glitters on beautyjoint.com retail for $1.99 each, also and you are paying for 0.09 fl.oz of finely milled glitter. The website says:

"The Glitter Powder is vibrant yet soft and non-irritating. A double-shot of glitter to sparkle it up!"

That is something that I can agree with!

Left to Right: Jade, Walnut, Purple, Gold and Silver

The only thing that I absolutely despise about these products is the packaging. The bottles that they come in are impractical for use since a person has to turn it upside down in order to get product out which wastes a lot of unnecessary product. The opening of the bottle is thin and small so not even a brush can fit in there; not that you would want to put your brush in there, as that would be unsanitary. But, what I am going to do with these is buy small round containers from the craft store to put the pigments and glitters in to solve those issues!
Overall, I am obsessed with these bottles of beauty and am looking forward to buying even more (just don't tell my husband, wink wink)!
So, guys, kick your look up a few kicks with colors and glitters that are sure to please!