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!

NYX's Cinnamon Spices Things Up!

I have a confession to make...   I think that pretty coral cheeks are just fine and dandy to wear any time of the year. Who cares if fall is here, even though over here in my area of the world it's still pretty darn hot! Some say we need to embrace the fall like colors now that the season is turning, but come on! Who is it that dictates what we should wear and when we should wear it? Only ourselves, of course!
As you know I love a coral lip and finally found some very gorgeous coral lipsticks and lip glosses to satisfy my craving (for now) but I was also thinking that it would be beautiful to find a nice coral blush to add some peachy orangey color to my cheeks.
Well, I was in luck when a while back I placed an order on beautyjoint.com because I checked out the NYX blushes that they had on their website and let me tell you, pure makeup heaven! I ordered two blushes and one of them was definitely a daring color called Cinnamon. The bright orange is not for the faint of heart, but I knew that this could be the orange blush that I have been on the search for my whole life (okay, exaggeration, but this summer at least...). 

 When I received the product, I immediately swatched it and loved it! I have worn it many times since then and trust me, all you need is a tap of your brush along the top and tap off the excess because this is a highly pigmented blush, much to my appreciation! 

I love how NYX created this product with the pretty diamond peaks!

You can definitely sheer this blush out or build it up and it
is beautiful either way!

This picture was taken more in the shade so the lighting is different
but I thought that it might be good to show this picture anyways to
capture some of the pigmentation. 

NYX blushes have a good variety to choose from for every skin tone and every creation. In this packaging you are getting 5.2 g which will last you years I am sure with how little you need when you go to apply it. 
The packaging is very small and compact so I know we all are thankful that it is not bulky so it won't take up needed space in our collection.
So, even though fall is upon us and it is time to break out our scarfs and sweaters remember not to turn your nose up at those pretty coral cheeks, because with a blush like this one, trust me, you won't be able to wait till next summer to wear it!

Who Doesn't Love A Cupcake?

I have a confession to make...   a confession of the sweet variety, that is! I am a definite girly girl and I love sweet scents and the homeyness that they remind me of; it is definite comfort now that we are heading into fall which is my favorite season!
 I was at Target a few weeks ago and stopped by their candle section because they have such a great selection of candles. I was immediately drawn to these super cute candles by the Chesapeake Bay Candle Company. Now, anything with frosting is my favorite dessert and when I saw their candle, Vanilla Cupcake and took a sniff I knew I was in cupcake heaven! They describe the scent of their candles on the front and the Vanilla Cupcake scent is described like this:

"Moist and delicious yellow cake smoothly finished with a layer of rich, velvety vanilla frosting."

Yummy! I even picked up the pumpkin pie one they have! These retail for $9.99 at my local Target and you get 20oz. for that price. Not a bad deal in my opinion!

Than I remembered a lotion by Bodycology that I heard a beauty guru on Youtube mention as a favorite of hers that I knew I had to try. My Target did not carry that particular scent but my local Wal-Mart carried it. Yes, it is called Vanilla Cupcake, once again.
It smells like vanilla buttercream frosting when you squeeze it out of the tube and apply it to your skin. The company describes the scent like this:

"The delicious scents of buttercream and sugary vanilla provide all the decadence of dessert-without the guilt."

Now, the scent is very light after applied to the skin but subtle enough were you can still take in a whiff of it as you go about your day. I love it!

And just think, you can have your cupcakes and wear that little black dress still!

Loreal De-Crease Vs. Urban Decay Primer Potion

I have a confession to make...   I have been dying to see a beauty showdown between Loreal's De-Crease Eye Shadow Base and Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion to see who comes out the ultimate winner! I have heard Loreal De-Crease has been compared, and dare I say it a dupe, to Urban Decay's famous eyeshadow primer potion and I thought since the high end version retails for about $19.00 at Sephora I would give the cheaper drugstore version a go and see if I could save some cash in the future.

I purchased Loreal's Shadow Base at my local Walgreens for $7.99, a price that was very friendly to my pocket book, so I left the store with a smile (and a few extra goodies)! As you can see, the Loreal product comes in a lipgloss like packaging with a doe foot applicator. I find the packaging convenient since the slanted applicator ensures that you will be able to scrape the inside of the plastic tube that the product comes in.
There also was only one shade available, for all skin tones which I found to be true for my skin as it applied invisibly, much like the Urban Decay Primer Potion which is transparent. The consistency feels almost identical, very smooth like velvet. I did find I had to wait a few seconds for Loreal's base to set.
This is what Loreal claims this product is going to do for you:

"Use this unique eyeshadow base to prevent creasing or fading, and to extend wear up to 8 hours. Can be used with powder, cream or gloss shadows. One universal shade for all skin tones."

To Use:

1. Use wand to apply base to lid.

2.Using fingertip, blend base from lash line to brow.

3.Allow base to set for a few seconds and then apply shadow.

Loreal De-Crease comes with .20oz while the Urban Decay Primer Potion comes with .37oz. We can clearly see who is giving more quantity, but what about the quality of the product you say? Is Loreal really an affordable replacement for the much loved expensive higher end luxury item?
Lets find out...

These are the products I used today in my experiment

 I decided to go for a vibrant eyeshadow color today so that you and I could clearly see the color payoff that both Loreal and Urban Decay primers offer. I feel that will show us more clear any fading or creasing that could happen.
I applied the Loreal De-Crease Shadow base on my left eye and the Urban Decay Primer Potion on my right eye. This is what I came up with today!

Left eye at 11:00 in the afternoon using the Loreal product

Left eye fresh and ready to go!
Loreal used on this eye

Right eye at 11:00 in the afternoon using the Urban Decay Primer Potion

Right eye, Bright and Ready!

So, I went through my normal day, played outside in the hot summer sun with my toddler and did all of the normal day to day things...
Than, just before 8:00 p.m., almost nine hours later, I was going to wrap up my day and take off my makeup. I snapped a few quick pics to show the wear and tear, so sorry for the quality of the pictures but I had to hurry because I had to put two little boys to bed for the night, so I did my best!

Right eye after 8 1/2 hours of wear!
Using the Urban Decay Primer Potion

Right eye

Left eye, after 8 1/2 hours of wear
Using the Loreal De-Crease Shadow Base

Left eye

I know that Loreal claims that their shadow base will last for up to eight hours with out creasing and fading and I stretched that time frame out by thirty minutes, but still...the product broke down pretty badly were as the Urban Decay Primer potion stood the test of time strong!  The electric blue of the shadow was still bright with no noticeable fading and definitely no creasing. 
Sadly, the Loreal product did not even come in close to a chance. Yet, I think that a person might use this particular product for when they will be out for a limited amount of time and they need their eyeshadow to stay in place. Because, truly, how many of us with work and life are going to be out facing the world for less than eight hours?
I believe Urban Decay knew that we needed something that would be long lasting and worry free!
So, I recommend that you purchase the Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion because even though it is pricier than a drugstore primer, a little bit goes a long way so this will last you a while. And this product will not dry out to my knowledge so you don't have to worry about wasting your hard earned money. Anyways, who uses their eye primers everyday unless it is work or special occasions?
Nice effort, Loreal but Urban Decay is hands down the champion!

Have You Been Bitten Lately?

I have a confession to make...  remember when I was on my lip stain kick in the beginning of summer? Well, I thought that I would try a lip stain of a different variety than the gloss that came in the tube. I have seen many reviews and many videos (not to mention commercials with Jessica Biel) either promoting this product or giving opinions on this product. It got to the point that I figured I should check this out for myself to see if this is something worth raving about.
I picked up the Revlon Just Bitten lipstain + balm in the color Passion, a gorgeous yet daring bright berry pink color. This was at my local Target for about $7.99, crossing my fingers that this was going to be worth the almost ten dollars I laid down.

I love vibrant colors and if I am going to pay that much for a lip product I want it to show up. Fortunately Revlon has a good variety of colors in all their lines, these lip stains included.
I like how this product is packaged because it has an easy 'marker tipped' applicator that is seriously fool proof. Just draw the color onto your lips and pop the end car off the other side of the marker and you have a handy moisturizing lip balm for convenience. You don't have to worry about taking along a separate lip balm with you because it already has one for you to use.

I am not positive how long it takes until this product dries out since I only purchased mine a week ago. But I will say that this tint lasts all day on my lips with some fading, but when it begins to fade it does not look patchy or bad. Plus, this is very comfortable to wear, it does not feel heavy at all. Sometimes I even forget I am wearing it because it just sinks into the lips! The balm is moisturizing, but I have heard that it can easily fall off if not careful, so heads up on that one.
I had absolutely no transfer issue with this product, not even the slightest. I kissed my hubby, I drank my water and nothing! And even when the lip balm wore off, the color stayed true and comfy!
 I will dare to say that I like this lip stain way better than any other's I have tried in the past, even more than the very best one that I tried this summer! I will tell you, this is a definite re-purchase!

I don't think that this makes you look like you have been 'just bitten', how very silly! But they do deliver in all the important areas and give a great pop of pizazz! 
So, tell me, are you ready to get 'bitten', too (haha!)?

NYX Nude On Nude Go To Palette

I have a confession to make...    I was this close to buying the Naked palette from Urban Decay last weekend! I went to Sephora on a mission to buy a few things from Urban Decay and the saleslady there tempted me with the absolute last Naked palette they had there. She told me that a lot of people had come in that day to buy it and she showed me the last one! I seriously considered it, but I maintained willpower and refused, walking out with my intended purchases instead. 
Now, how many times have I come close to buying it? Too many to count. As I have said before, neutrals to me are boring; a must have, but boring. Do I really want to spend $48.00 on a neutral palette that comes with only two matte shadows among the twelve that are in it? Granted, yes, you now get a high quality Urban Decay brush, but I already have brushes I like.
So, I went home and the next day decided to order the NYX Nude on Nude palette that they have because I have always been a tad more interested in their version, if you will, of the Naked palette. I ordered from beautyjoint.com since they offer NYX products at the cheapest prices I have found. I purchased this product for $20.99, over half the price of the Naked palette.
When I opened it up I was in love with the range of neutrals they offered, not to mention the quantity. There are twenty shadows included, eight shadows being matte, the rest shimmery. 

eyeshadows

First section of ten

Second section of ten

While the shadows are beautiful in the pan, I wondered what the color payoff would be...

Top Row

Bottom Row

I swactched these on my bare skin, no primer and no base. Initially, these are just like any other NYX eyeshadow I have worked with; they are chalky and do have considerable fallout, but they are very build able in color. Overall, these shadows are very nice, maybe not as pigmented as Urban Decay shadows, but still very nice for a cheaper dupe of their famous palette.
What also drew me to the NYX palette was the fact that it also comes with ten lipstick shades! I love lipstick!

I like how the lipstick drawer opens up under the eyeshadow drawer separately

First five colors
Pretty Pinks!

Last five colors (the second red from the left is a gloss consistency)
Bee-U-Tiff-Ul!

When I swatched these lipsticks on my arm they came out so creamy. I noticed that some were sheer but build able in color while many are very opaque. No complaints here!

First five colors

Last five colors

This palette comes with your basic drugstore double ended sponge tip applicator and a tiny double ended lipstick brush. the lipstick brushes bristles are stiffer than I like and not my favorite to apply lipstick with, so be prepared to tote around your own fav lipstick brush if you take this palette traveling.
This is definitely a great palette worth purchasing because it is so versatile and comes with shadows and lipsticks in a variety of shades flattering for many skin tones. 
I have the NYX Nude On Nude Natural Look Kit that is teeny and fits in the palm of my hand and I love that one, too and have traveled pleasantly with it many times. Let me tell you something, this: This Nude on Nude palette is small enough to carry in your purse still! Trust me, I will travel with this one next time I am going on a trip!

Even comes with a narrow mirror for application!

Give this one a try for half the price!!!!