Is Maybelline's Colossal Mascara Magical?

I have a confession to make...    I used to not care about wearing mascara or not (EEK!). Most days, I would do everything to my face minus the mascara. For some reason it just was not important to me. Well, the past few years I have grown up to realize that mascara really does complete the look and it can make your eyes pop, depending on what mascara you are using.

Through trial and error I have tested and tried several mascara's through out the years. Loreal Voluminous mascara was a tried and true favorite until I noticed just how wet of a formula it really is when it is first broken open. Wet mascara for me does nothing for the lashes. I would have to wait a few weeks for the formula to dry down some for it to work like magic. 

Well, about seven months ago I purchased Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Express mascarra in their waterproof version because I was going on a trip to Florida and would be riding water rides. I needed something to make my lashes pretty, hold their curl and not run down my face.

I am pleased to no end to inform you that I have fallen in deep undeniable love with this mascara! The waterproof version proved true to its claim and not once did it streak down my face. It was a pain to get off the lashes, though, I must confess.

I loved it so much that I decided to try their regular version of this mascara for everyday use. I picked mine up at Target, and it was the very last one! I purchased mine in the color Glam Black for about $6.00. 

The wand is short compared to some other mascaras that I have tried. But, I find this to be a benefit because it gives me a feeling of more control of the wand. The wand is not flimsy whatsoever, but is steady and firm so you do not have to worry about it bending uncontrollably during application.

The brush is wonderful! In my uneducated opinion, I believe that the thickness of the brush along with the formula is what gives not only Colossal length but Colossal volume as well. Allow me to demonstrate for you...

Before

After

In the above pictures I did not curl my eyelashes with an eyelash curler before I applied mascara. This is all the mascara's doing! I never knew my lashes could look so pretty!

As far as the formula goes, this is not wet nor dry, but an in between consistency, which is perfect for creating and holding the length and volume! I do not notice any clumping when I wear this mascara, which is great! It gives enough separation so it doesn't look like you have four thick eyelashes.

The curl and length last all day long without my lashes drooping, which is amazing! I cannot say if it would perform the same on your lashes since all lashes are NOT created equal. But, this works so well, that I have repurchased it again and can say that I found my favorite drugstore mascara!

Maybelline has come along way with their mascaras and I will definitely be keeping my eyes on what they bring to us next!

Am I In Love With Nars "New Lover"?

I have a confession to make...       I love freebies and extras that come my way, because rarely does that ever happen, so when it does I treasure them. Well, I had placed an on-line order with Sephora a little while ago and I was able to cash in some of my points for a kit that they were offering. Now, I took my time deciding if I really wanted to do this and if it was even worth it. Well, I can tell you that after a (not so) long debate within my head, I selected the kit I wanted full of samples and, boy I tell you, I have no regrets!

Let me take a moment to explain to you why...

In this kit where many great things, but what I had really wanted to get my hands on was the Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in the shade "New Lover". I had heard for awhile before that it was the best shade and everybody and their grandmother loved it. I just had to see for myself if it really was worth the hype.

First off, let's talk packaging. I will confess that I am not a person suckered in by packaging, nor do I really care about it like I know some do. All that matters to me is the product, BUT.... this pencil presents itself in the sleekest possible manner! It is hard to explain, but the pencil has a rubber-like feel to it even though I am sure it is not rubber. Because of that, it is easy to grip securely. And we know that is a major concern for everybody (haha)!

This retails for $24.00 and there is 0.09 oz of product in the full sized pencil. The one in the picture above is a sample size of 0.08 oz, which is not bad, in my opinion. These pencils come in nine shades total, ranging from neutrals to gorgeous berry shades. 

Going onto narscosmetics.com I was able to find out what they claim this product will do for you:

"...enriched with Vitamin E plus a blend of moisture-rich hyaluronic spheres that make lips appear fuller.

*Ulta smooth, buttery feel on lips
*Contains Vitamin E, hyaluronic spheres and phytosterol esters- ingredients known to moisturize, increase hydration and improve barrier function"

Who will argue when I say that the color is beautiful? I mean, just look at it!

It has a very glossy rich appearance

pretty pink with golden flecks

SMILE

Now, while it is pretty, I do have one complaint about this product. It looks dark and deep, but when swatched and applied on the lips it comes off more light than I expected. Was I slightly disappointed about that? Only a little, because it is still a dazzling neutral color that is extremely wearable for all skin tones. I don't know if you can see, but there are slight flecks of gold incorporated in the color! What is not to love about that?!?!

Because it is a jumbo lip pencil it makes for easy application. Just line your lips and fill them in! The formula of this product is so smooth, it glides onto your lips like butter, which is exactly what they claim it should feel like, so they are right on with that! It is a soft pencil, but not so soft that you are going to use up a ton of product with one application. I used mine quite a few times before I even had to sharpen it. 

Speaking of sharpen, and maybe this is just minor to most people, but I would love it even more if you could twist the top to get the product out like the Clinique Chubby Pencil or even the Revlon Lipstains. After all, drugstore products can do that, why not uber-expensive brands like this? 

As far as the wear time of this product, I say that it wears pretty well. Is it a longlasting product? I don't believe so. While it does moisturize and it made my lips feel smooth, there is a slight tackiness to this product. Not stickiness, but tackiness that I think makes this product last for quite a few hours and than it feels weightless on your lips. 

Nars does have a great Artist Tip: They say to use this as a base for any other lip product to make your lip color wear longer. Because of the tacky feel of this pencil, I can believe that claim and might give it a try for myself!

Overall, I love this product, because not only is it luxurious in looks, but in the feel of the product, too. I just might try a deeper and darker color for more of the color pay-off that I like! 

Oh, and this is the first Nars product I have ever tried, and not because I never wanted to, but because of their price tags. But, Nars hit it right on with their Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, I may just have to try a lipstick or two!

Long Time No Blog...

I have a confession to make...    I am pretty sure that it has been almost a year since I last made a post on this blog. I must tell you that life got in the way and I had to take a break for a little bit which turned into a long while....

But, the awesome news, is that now I am back and ready after a long overdue absence. I am committed to posting regularly here, because my love of makeup never once flickered nor died. Since I have been gone I have tried a lot of new makeup, so I believe that there will be some catching up to do!

Bear with me, faithful followers and pray I'm not rusty!!!

Thanks for your loyal and understanding support!

Now, let's venture on into the dazzling world of beauty and makeup!

Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick

I have a confession to make...    I love Revlon lip products and when I saw that a few of the shades of their liquid lipsticks where on clearance a few weeks ago, I just had to pick one up to see if it was going to be worth me loving enough to pay full price for.


So, I got this in the color "Platinum Petal", a rosy-pink color that looks very beautiful. I am here to let you know what my first impressions of this lippie is.


I like the doe-foot applicator that it comes with, it makes applying the product very easy.

Doe-foot applicator for easy application

Pretty rosy-pink satin color

To be honest, there is a slightly weird smell to this product that I cannot describe. But, I think that most all long-wearing lip products have that certain smell, so it must be a faint chemical-ish (but not really, if that makes sense) smell. But once it is dry on your lips you will not smell a thing!


This is what Revlon claims this product will do for you:

" *Food-proof lip color with a built-in ultra conditioning coat
   *One-step application. No topcoat required for comfortable wear
   *Stays comfortable and wears beautifully
   *Does not feather or fade; no touch-ups required, even after meals "
   

So, I decided to test this theory out and put it through the rigors!


I applied this at 9:00 in the morning, right before I began my workout routine. But, before I applied this I made sure to exfoliate my lips to get rid of any dead skin so that the lipstick would dry nicely once applied. 


Than I applied this once on my lips;  according to directions, one layer is all you need for full coverage. While I waited for it to dry I smiled so that the product would not settle into the lines on my lips and cause them to sand out (a tip I learned on YouTube). 


After waiting two minutes after applying the lipstick, it was dry and I thought that I would do a simple test and kiss a piece of paper to see if there would be any transfer. And, yes there was, as you can clearly see a pink outline of my lips! So, wait longer than two minutes for it it be completely dried, which in my opinion, is too long!

First Application

As I went about my day, eating, drinking, working out, etc...I did not notice any transfer at all! I was pleasantly amazed by that. But, what I did notice was that my lips definitely felt dry and uncomfortable, just like the majority of long-wearing lip products I have tried out. I had to fight the urge to put some chapstick on, just so I could stay true to this products claims that you do not need a top coat since it is supposed to me moisturizing!


 I wore the lipstick until I got ready to wash my face for bed that night, which was around 8:00 p.m. I noticed that the lipstick did fade in color a little bit, and looked very dry on my lips. Despite the dry feeling/appearance, the color didn't look that bad, even after minimal fading!

After all day wear

The down side is that it does look dry and it is irritating to wear products that dry out the lips. I must say, that I will not be re-purchasing this product because of that fact and because it brings out the lines in my lips more than I care.


Long-wearing lipsticks are easy to come by, but a good one is hard to find!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Creamliners!

I have a confession to make...    not too long ago, I ditched my love of pencil eyeliners. Now, don't get me wrong, I still like them and I still use them for the lower lash line and sometimes when I am in a hurry to slap on some makeup and get out the door, I will use pencil liners. But, for that pretty and precise line for the lid, my go-to choice is gel or cream eyeliners. 


To me, they are much smoother and they give more definition, and for the days when you want some extra glamour, they will deliver on that, too!


I came across the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel Creamliner (WOW is that a mouthful!) and it was on sale for $4.82 and I had always been curious about them and heard good reviews on them. So, I figured, why not test it out? For a few bucks I got three colors, two of which I did not have in gel form.

I purchased this in the shade for blue eyes,
even though my eyes are brown!

I know it is cool that the pots stack one on top of the other and it probably does save on room, but what I dislike is that the lids do not fit back on properly. Gel liners are known for drying out quickly and so it is important to screw the lid back on tightly. There is only a tiny amount of product in each pot, less than you expect from the big packaging, but if these dry quick, at least you had used up most of the product by then, hopefully...But, these do come apart and you can travel with just the color you need and not have to worry about taking the whole stack with you.


The brush is a nice brush and does it job nicely. The bristles are soft and flexible so using this to line the lash line is brilliant. Plus, it fits in your hand easily since it is not big, nor is it too small.

Brown

The brown shade is beautiful looking with flecks of gold in the product. Alas, when worn on my lash line, this brown is not as pigmented as it is when it is swatched. It comes off as a very light copper brown and the golden flecks are lost on my own lids. But, when you want that natural look with no harsh and heavy line, this would be nice. I just expected more of a precise and darker brown.

Black

This black is very pigmented and has flecks of dark blue glitter in it. Do not worry, because the glitter is not chunky nor is it noticeable; it is only noticeable if focusing straight on at it as it is very subtle, since this is a shimmer liner. From looking at the picture above, you would not be able to tell that this has blue flecks in it. Only when you dip your brush inside will you be surprised. This will give a clean and cut line and is easily winged out with definition. 

Blue

This blue is gorgeous! It is a very dark blue, I would almost say it is a navy/purple with blue shimmer running through it. Just like the black liner, this one is easy and precise when applying, it will not disappoint you! The shimmer on this one, at least to my eyes, is not noticeable unless stared at for some weird reason (really, who out there stares at our eyeliner?). But, I love this!


This is what Physicians Formula claims about this product:

" *Three custom shades provide a glamorous look to define and enhance your eye color.
   * Unique gel cream formula glides on effortlessly and smoothly while providing the definition of a liquid eyeliner.
   * Long wearing, water-resistant and smudge-resistant formula provides 24-Hour definition.
   * Includes Pro-Eyeliner Brush for effortless and precise application.
   * Stackable eyeliner pots can be pulled apart for individual use on-the-go. "

The application of these products is extremely smooth and soft. For the brown liner, I think that it is a little too soft as the product skips and does not give a pigmented fluid line. So, it takes two applications or so to get the color neat on the lids. 


When they claim that these liners are long wearing, water-resistant and smudge-resistant, they are right on! I wore these on my lids with nothing else, no primer, no shadow, nothing, and they did not move at all nor did they transfer. These are amazing for all day wear because you will not have to worry about it moving.

From Left To Right: Brown, Blue and Black

A Few Minutes After I Swatched, I Tried Smudging!

You can see from the swatches above just how smudge proof they are. The black did move slightly, but when worn, do not fear, this will stay where you apply it. 


I highly recommend that you purchase these liners because they are easy to travel with and as you go about your day, you will not worry about your liner smearing or running down your face, depending on your activities!


Pretty Confessions of the positive are always fun to confess!

Maybelline ColorStay Tattoo Review

I have a confession to make...    and it centers around the new Maybelline Eye Studio 24 Hr Cream Gel Shadows that came out early last month. Apparently they are like MAC's Paint Pots, but even better. I have two Paint Pots, "Painterly" and "Indian Wood".  I have never fallen in love with them because they crease like crazy on my oily eyelids, alone and when used as a base. So, when I heard that Maybelline came out with an even better version, I thought that for $6.00 it is worth a try.


I purchased this in the color, "Tough As Taupe", at Shopco for $5.99. The color is such a gorgeous matte dark grey color, extremely unique in cream shadow.

This dried relitively quickly when I swatched it on my hand and once it dried, it did not budge, so that was a pleasant surprise for me! 


Maybelline says that this product was created using an ink technology (must be how they get such vibrant pigmented colors!) that creates 24HR wear shadow for intense long lasting color saturation. It is a cream formula that does not crease and keeps its vibrant color and will not fade. It is safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens.


So, I decided to give this a whirl and test this theory out for myself. 


I applied Tough As Taupe to my lids using a shadow brush. I used no eyeshadow primer, so this was going to be the real test, to see how creaseproof this was going to be on me.

10:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

I noticed that this does apply smoothly and quickly dried to my lids, but still was able to blend the edges out. It felt nice and light on my lids and was happy with the results of application. 


Through out the day I would check in the mirror and was pleased that there was no creasing. I would even touch my lid to see if my oils where breaking though and the product was still holding fast and dry.


I decided to wear this product for twelve hours and see how it would hold up. Here is what my eyes looked like at the end of the experiment:

10:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m.

As you can see, there was some fading and some obvious creasing; so for my extremely oily lids, it did not last for twelve hours completely. Yet, I normally do not wear makeup for twelve hours so for a "normal" day, this product would last about seven or eight hours on my lids with no dramatic creasing and fading. 


Mac Paint Pots are no good on my lids because they crease within three-four hours, no matter how little I apply. The Color Tattoos last much longer, so overall, I am satisfied with this product!


What is great is that the Color Tattoos come in vibrant colors as well as a few more muted colors and they are very affordable! I would definitely purchase this again and use it on its own as a sweep of color on my lids. 


Drugstore products are amazing me more and more each day! long lasting tattoos for our eyes? What will they come up with next? Whatever it is, I cannot wait!

A Pretty Collective Haul

I have a confession to make...    I went out last weekend and spent some money when I swore I did not need anything and was going to rein myself in from giving into the hype of all the great new beauty products on the market right now. But, I had a moment of weakness...


Thankfully, I only came back with a small collection of beauty things, because, believe me there was a lot more out there that I wanted to get my hands on. So, let's start with what I purchased!

Just a small haul!

First of all I ended up in Target for something totally unrelated to beauty (we were buying my hubby new shirts!) and I just had to make my way over to the beauty department. Thankfully I did because they had a ton of clearance stickers on a bunch of beauty bands.


I first picked up two lip products from Revlon, my favorite drugstore lippies! I decided to try for the first time their ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in the color, "Platinum Petal", which is a pretty rosy pink color. I purchased this for $4.48 and it is normal $8.99. Yea!


Revlon claims that this is a one-step lipstick that is food-proof and will last up to 24 hours. In a future blog post I am going to show you guys the results that I come up with when testing that theory! So, stay tuned for pictures and details soon!


Next, I picked up another Revlon Colorburst lipgloss in the color, "Gold Dust". It is a beautiful muted peachy color with tones of gold sparkling through it. This is an amazing color!

Revlon Colorburst lipgloss

"Gold Dust"

And I only got it for around $4.00. I took the clearance sticker off, so I cannot tell you the exact numbers. But, this normally retails for $6.49. I am not attracted to this color but for the price I thought I would try it out and I am happy I did!


Next I purchased a lipgloss from Maybelline, a brand that I do not gravitate towards. But, I saw that they had a few lip glosses on clearance so I decided to try one and see how I liked it. It is from their ColorSensational line and the color is called, "Cranberry Cocktail." It is a very wearable red that can be sheered out or built up.

Maybelline ColorSensational in "Cranberry Cocktail".

"Cranberry Cocktail"

It has a nice feel on the lips and isn't sticky, so this product will have to be reapplied regularly. It has an extremely subtle fruity scent to it that reminds me of fruity gum. But, it is barely noticeable and goes away quickly. Overall, this is a nice gloss, not as opaque as you would think.


Than I took a look at what Physicians Formula had on clearance and, low and behold, they had their Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel Cream Eyeliners. Even though I have brown eyes, I got the package made for blue eyes because I thought that the colors looked a lot more fun. 


It comes with a blue, brown and black+blue shimmer liners that are very pretty. I am not going to go into much detail about them because I have a review on them coming up, so don't miss out on that one either!

Physicians Formula Gel Cream Eyeliners for Blue Eyes

This normally retails for $9.64 and I was able to get this on clearance for $4.82. What a steal!


Than later I found myself at Shopco and I saw the Maybelline Color Tattoo's there for about $6.00. I was debating weather or not to buy these, but I heard so much good things about them that I had to try out just one for now. If I like this one enough than I will definitely buy more.

"Tough As Taupe"

I bought this in the color, "Tough As Taupe" and am really liking the dark grey color. I am testing the longevity and the wear of this produce today so very soon you will see what my opinions of this are. 


That is all I have to show for this little haul of mine, but I feel that there is so much to talk about when it comes to these products, so check back in the next day or two to find out what I think about these as I wear them and test them out! 


Until the next Pretty Confession, take care!

Beauty Confession Time!

Okay, I have a confession to make...    here is the opportunity for you to get to know me a little bit more and find out what my take is on the Beauty Tag that has been going around YouTube for awhile now. There are different versions of this tag, I believe, but here is one I found from Juicystar07 on YouTube.

So, without further ado, here we go!

1. Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice makeup, or nice hair and no makeup?

Well, let me say that while I adore makeup, I would much rather go out in public with nice hair and no makeup on. I say this because I think that if you have nice polished hair you can pull your whole look together. I am confidant, even with some of my skin imperfections, to forego wearing any makeup. Messy hair and nice makeup kind of negates the effort involved in creating a pretty makeup look.


2. Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?

This is an extremely difficult question...Hmm...I am against shaving my eyebrows, my mother did it when she was younger and they never grew back (I think it was a trend back in her day...). I would have to say that I would rather my eyelashes fall out. There is always false eyelashes that I could wear instead and thanks to modern cosmetics, there is now serum for eyelashes to grow! So, easy fix, if you will.

3.Would you rather be forced to shop at MAC or only Spehora for the rest of your life?

Easy for me! I like MAC but it is not my all time favorite brand. Sephora has several different brands that I love way more than MAC. Sephora has the variety that I like and I could live there, if it was legal...

4. Would you rather wear the lipgloss/lipliner look or an 80's perm?

Neither? Is that an option? I had the 80's perm back when I was eleven years old and it wasn't in the 80's, it was the 1990's...Let's just say that for a whole year I was depressed as I waited for it to grow out. Never again would I do that to myself. So, I will gladly rock the lipgloss with the lipliner look!

5.Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?

Definitely not the foundation line, I hate those! I would have to say I would rather look like a clown and have overdone blush. I love blush and I think overdone blush could look better than an obvious foundation line. Get color matched people!

6. Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants in public or biker shorts in public?

Biker shorts please! I never liked those parachute pants, even when it was popular back when I was a little girl. I would rather go for the "sporty" look with super tight shiny shorts. I'm sure not everyone would be pleased to see me wearing those, but I would definitely not be comfortable in fluorescent balloon pants!

7.Would you rather have a bad orangey spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered up?

This is a no brainer for me. I despite it when I see girls who look orange. It makes them look almost like they have a dirty face and it is waaaayyyy to obvious that they tried too hard to get some color (the wrong shade!) on their body. I would rather have weird tan lines because at least it would be a natural shade from the sun and not from body spray! YUCK!

8. Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?

I have had both in my lifetime and both seemed just as equally worse when they both happened. A bad haircut can take awhile to grow out and brutal to live with. I would rather have bad hair color because that can be fixed faster than a bad haircut can.

9. Would you rather have YouTube or Twitter taken away forever?

Not hesitation here because I am not into Twitter at all, just a personal opinion. I don't have a account and I do not follow anybody because I do not need to know what someone is doing or thinking at every moment of their life...I would be lost without YouTube since I believe that is a great way to connect with an audience and I love watching videos. I do that almost every single day...

10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?

I think mascara is essential for a great look because it opens up a person's eyes and just brightens up their whole look. So, I definitely need mascara in my life! I could easily learn, through trial and error, how to use my fingers to apply makeup. Foundation...eyeshadow...blush...highlighter...bronzer...I'd much rather give up makeup brushes!


So, those are my opinions on the ten Would You Rather Beauty Questions. Those are always fun to do and fun to see/hear/read what others have to say! 


So, tell me, what would YOU rather do?

Impressions Of Loreal's "Fairest Nude" Lipstick

I have a confession to make...     I have always loved a nice pop of color on people's lips, not just mine. There is something bold and daring when someone has the confidence to strut around with radiant red lips and a punch of pink on their pout. But, I was noticing that a lot of beauty gurus on YouTube have raved about Loreal's "Fairest Nude" lipstick for ages (apparently this is a cult classic in the beauty world, so I am far behind times).


Even though I am not much of a 'nude' kind of girl, if you will, I was intrigued by the raving of this lipstick. Even when seeing it on the girls in he videos, it looked natural and pretty. I thought that for a toned down look I might want to have that lipstick around in my collection. So, I trotted down to my local Target and picked this baby up.


First impression, not impressed. On my skin tone, it made me looked washed out. It came off as almost a grey toned nude color. On me, it did not look as great as it did on the other girls I saw wearing it. It pretty much blended in with my skin tone, which I thought was kind of weird.


I will say this about Loreal lipsticks (this was my first!), they apply very creamy and effortlessly. And for a nude color, it did come off very opaque (even though it blended in with my skin tone). I would definitely try another color from this brand because I adore the creaminess and feel of this lipstick.

Fairest Nude

I was definitely bummed out because I wanted to like this lipstick soooo much, you have no idea! So, a few days later I decided to give it another go, but this time with a touch of gloss on top because I felt like on its own, it made me look a little DEAD.


So, I too out my sample sized Urban Decay Lip Junkie gloss in "Wallflower" and applied it over the top of "Fairest Nude" and oh boy! It was a whole different story! Let me just say that I was in love!

Best Lip Combo Ever: Fairest Nude with Wallflower!

I know that the lighting in both pictures is different, but my opinion remains the same! With this nude lip combination, it made my lips look more of a light creamy pink color, no shimmer and no glitter. Just a opaque milky pink. When I wore this, my hubby told me that my lips looked very inviting (TMI). And ever since that day, this has been my go-to hue lip color combo that I have worn when I don't want overly dramatic lips. Just very sexy and sumptuous lips! 


Everyone has their own perfect nude shade and lip combo, and it may not be this one. But, for now, I have found a nude lip color that I can definitely reapply over and over again! Who would have thought that I would ever 'go nude'? hahaha!

Confessions Of The Pretty Kind 2011!!!

I have many confessions to share with you and it is all about my most loved and reached for products of 2011! The majority of these products did not make their debut in 2011, but still, oldies can be goodies and you can always tell a goodie when it has been repurchased more than once. Remember, that my opinion is only one opinion of countless thousands, but these are my standouts. So, without further delay, lets  get down to "Confessions Of The Pretty Kind 2011"!!!


Lets start with the best foundation of 2011 and for me it was a definite toss up between Revlon's Colorstay foundation and Almay's TLC foundation. Now, I love the staying power of Revlon a lot, but I have found that if I wear it exclusively it will break me out so I use it for only special occasions when I need firm staying power. But, I have found that Almay Truly Lasting Color 16 Hour Skin Nourishing Longwear foundation is a great alternative to Revlon. I reach for my Almay foundation on a day to day basis and it does not break me out, so it is very skin friendly. The staying power of this foundation is awesome, definitely long enough for an eight hour day!


 This is comparatively the same price as Revlon foundation and just as excellent quality and has a full coverage finish, which is what I want when I wear foundation.

Not everybody likes to powder their face, but an oily skinned girl like myself needs some extra oil absorption and I have found that after applying foundation if I sweep some powder over my face it will help prevent my foundation from sliding off for awhile. So, what is my best setting powder of 2011?


For years upon years I was using Physican's Formula pressed powder for this and while I do still love it, my powder of choice now is Almay Line Smoothing Pressed Powder. This powder has a silky and lightweight texture, it feels great on the skin and compliments my Almay foundation beautifully. This is the kind of powder that pairs excellent with foundations since it is not a heavy foundation powder and offers light coverage all on it's own. This is my second purchase of the powder, as you can tell from the picture below!


This is the claim that Almay makes regarding this specific powder:

"Hides minor imperfections and reduces shine with a natural finish.
It never appears dry or flaky and won't settle into fine lines.
Great for touch-ups through out the day."

Basically, I bought this so that my makeup would not settle into my fine lines, but lets not believe all the hype, people. Regardless, I still am in love with this powder and recommend this to everybody! The packaging is not the prettiest, it comes off as cheap and unimpressive, but the quality of the product is outstanding.

Who loves the perfect eyebrow? Who plucks and re-plucks, not always with satisfactory results and than needs a little help filling in the sparse spaces...Yeah, that would be me! So, what is the best eyebrow product of the year? Why, that would be NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder!


What I love about this product is the fact that this is perfect for traveling because it is slim and compact. It has everything that you need to create your perfect brow and fill in areas that are lacking. The wax in this palette helps to smooth down unruly stray brows and also helps the powder to stick to the areas you want it to stay and not budge.


It comes with a cruddy applicator brush that was useless so it got thrown away and replaced by an angled brush that I love using instead.


The fact that this palette has two different shades of brown, a dark and medium, this will suit everybody that has dark brunette hair because you can mix the shades (or not) depending on what color is right for you. My palette is Dark Brown/Brown, but it also comes in a lighter palette.


I bought this from cherry culture.com  a year ago and it still has plenty of product left, I almost wonder if I will ever run out. This is definite must have!

Onto the best eyeshadow primer and hands down, everybody, it is (no surprise here) Urban Decay Primer Potion!


I have oily eyelids and having a "no-fail" primer is a must have if I want my eyeshadow to stay and not slide off. I have tested a few different ones this year and know that all Mac paint pots crease like crazy on me, as does the Loreal De-Crease eye primer.


Urban Decay Primer Potion is the one and only primer that makes my shadows stick and stay until I want to take off my eye makeup. Down side is, if I use this primer everyday I find that my eyelids can get dried out, flaky. So, I use this primer when I am going somewhere that I want my shadows to pop and stay on my lids, like a night out.


This is my holy grail eyeshadow primer, guys! I purchased mine at Sephora for $19.99 and was worth every cent!

What is an eye primer with out some eyeshadow, right? So, what was my favorite eyeshadow palette of 2011 and, not to mention, my surprise favorite eyeshadow brand of 2011? Well, ladies and gentleman, let us begin with my favorite eyeshadow palette...


It is none other than NYX Nude On Nude palette!!! I have not given into the Urban Decay Naked palette hype quite yet, although I have been on the brink. As an alternative, I tried out the NYX palette instead because for one, I love NYX and also, I wanted an affordable dupe for the Naked palette and I think that I found one, but also one that is better. Why, do I say that it is better? Well, for one, there are a ton more eyeshadows and they are all highly pigmented. Even though the eyeshadows are smaller in size to the Naked Palette, remember that a little goes a long way, so you are getting great quality for an excellent price.


A bonus with this NYX palette is that it has a tray on the bottom that slides out that has an array of ten different lip shades that you can choose from. Colors ranging from pinks, to peaches to reds even! Loving this! I am traveling in two months and this is one of the must have palettes that I am taking with me!


On to the surprise eyeshadow brand of the year for me, and that would be Wet 'n' Wild! Just a year ago, I bought my first eyeshadow palette from them in years! Their quality surprised me greatly and I not only have the Comfort Zone palette, but also three other palettes, and I am sure I won't be stopping there. My ultimate favorite from them is the Comfort Zone palette and have already hit pan on that one, but for my favorite pop of color palette that would have to go Petal Pusher! I love purples, especially with my brown eyes; it is one color that really makes them pop! With eight different shades to choose from, pinks to purples of all shades, you can create a dramatic gorgeous look anytime!


Only draw back with Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadows is the crazy fallout that you will get with application. My advice is to do your foundation lastly and just use a makeup wipe to wipe away the fallout before applying your face makeup.

Best palette and best surprise brand of the year!

NYX Nude On Nude palette

Wet 'n' Wild "Petal Pusher" palette

I have to give an honorable mention to Loreal Hip eyeshadow duos because they are also amazing! I promise, drugstore makeup is stepping it up and I am loving the high quality you and I can buy for an affordable price. I did an in depth review on Loreal Hip eyeshadows already so check it out, but I am sad to have recently heard that they are discontinuing a bunch of their eyeshadow duos! So I need to book it to the nearest drugstore and buy out a bunch so I can stock up before it is too late!!!

Loreal Hip Eyeshadow Duo in "Sassy"

An eyeliner has to be smudge proof and pigmented in order to be any good to us at all. Who wants their liner to smear half way down their eyes mid day? So, what are my favorite eyeliners of the year that I have reached for over and over again? 


As far as a pencil liner goes, the award is presented to Maybelline Unstoppable waterproof eyeliner in Onyx! This eyeliner is so good that I have repurchased this over and over countless times for the past three and a half years. This is what I have used when going to hang out in the pool, the water parks, on hot summer days, and it will not budge! Another holy grail, guys!


The best gel eyeliner is hands down, Maybelline Eyestudio Gel liner in Blackest Black! This has not dried out yet and I purchased this roughly six months ago and it is still creamy, smooth and pigmented. I have had gel liners that dried out in two months and became useless to me and money wasted, but Maybelline shocked and pleased me! Here's to a great year for you, Maybelline!

I love to experiment with makeup and try new things, so some may wonder, what is my best discovered product of 2011? Well, after debating weather or not to try out the NYX Jumbo Pencils and than deciding it would not be worth my money since I heard that they crease like crazy, I hunted for a better alternative.


So, along came Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencils! OMG, was I thrilled beyond the moon about these suckers! I read great reviews about these on line before purchasing and I knew I had to try one out for myself! They are much more expensive than NYX Jumbo Pencil but, the staying power of the Urban Decay Shadow Pencil is 100% better and worth the $20.00 you will pay for just one of these pencils.


I purchased this color in Delinquent, a beautiful shimmery purple. The shimmers in this come off as a light pink to me, which is just about the best combination ever! The application is super soft and will not budge! You can use these as a base for eyeshadows to make the shadow more vibrant or you can use these as a waterproof eyeliner. I highly recommend these to you if you like fun colors that will not fail you! 

Mascara's are always a personal matter, you know what I mean? Everybody's eyelashes are different and stubborn in different ways. So, for me, what is the best mascara of 2011 that I can never live with out? 


Well, the best mascara for me has to be Loreal Voluminous Original, because no matter what mascara I may be loving at the moment, I always go back to this one. The formula is thick but not goopy, so it does not dry funky on the lashes and flake off later. I tried the Maybelline Falsies mascara and loved it for a long while until I got frustrated with how clumpy and flaky my lashes would get as the day wore on.


Loreal dos not do that for me. It is tried and true for years on and off and gives my lashes the perfect lift and leaves me smiling with the satisfaction of knowing that I will not have to worry that it is flaking all over my face by mid day.

Oh, nail polishes...who can spend tons of time just gazing at the rainbow of colors in the nail polish section of a store, just hunting for the perfect shade? But, we all have learned that the prettiness of the color is not what matters. What matters is the brand of nail polish, right? Because I have learned that certain brands are notorious for chipping and flaking the same day of application. So, what is my favorite nail polish brand of 2011?


Many times over it would have to be Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color! Sally Hansen has such great fun and trendy colors that anybody can be pleased with the selection. This polish does not bubble, does not chip easily and dries in a fair amount of time. I have had many polishes from this brand and am always looking for an excuse to purchase more!

I am a lipstick lover and prefer this over lipgloss the majority of the time. Lipstick is so much more pigmented and lasts long on the lips. Lip gloss is definitely a must have, though, but it has to be pigmented and feel smooth, not sticky on my lips. I have several brands of lipstick and lipgloss that I love, but what is my ultimate favorite lipstick and lipgloss brand of 2011?


Hands down, it would have to be Revlon lipsticks and lip glosses! They have a variety of different colors to chose from and many different finishes of lipstick, even matte, which not every brand at the drugstore carries. These lipsticks and glosses last a long time on the lips and the texture is lightweight and smooth. These are products that can be worn with out frustration or irritation! 

Favorite red lipstick "Certainly Red"

"Certainly Red"

Favorite Lipgloss "Coral Reef"

"Coral Reef"

I will confess right now, that a few years ago, I was not a blush kind of a girl. I would not even use bronzer, so you can imagine how pale I must have appeared to the outside world when I would parade around town with nothing but my foundation and powder on! I have no idea as to what got me to wearing blush and bronzer, maybe it was YouTube, but I love the stuff and have to wear it always whenever I wear foundation. So, what has been my favorite blush of 2011?


Actually, there are two that I am in love with and wore a lot this past summer, and I even wore it last night, actually! They are both by Lorac and came in a beautiful purple makeup clutch that I purchased on Haute Look almost a year ago. Unfortunately, I have no names for these blushes since I long ago got rid of the information paper that came with the palette.


But, regardless of that, there is a pretty bright pink that I love to wear on my cheeks for a flush of color. It looks almost unwearable in the pan, and it almost could be if you used a heavy hand with this because it is so pigmented! So, just tap it in the pan and you will have a pretty pink wash to your cheeks!


The other color that accompanies the pink blush is a orange-coppered colored blush. Some might mistake this for a contour shade, but it is beautiful worn lightly in the on your cheeks to bring a glow to your face. Imagine wearing this shade with your summer glow?


There is shimmer to both of there blushes, but it is not glittery, which is a relief. The shimmer makes your face appear to be lit from within when you wear these colors well. The formula is very silky and smooth which makes for great blending! This is a highly pigmented product, so be wary! 

Lorac palette the bushes come in

Fvorite Blushes By Lorac!

Lorac blush swatches

Lorac blush swatches blended out

Makeup is one of those things that a person can have fun with and be creative when using it. There are a lot of fun products out there that can add to the enjoyment of letting lose with your makeup and adding some jazz to a look. What is my fun product of 2011 that I love to play around with?


That would be Glitteratzi Eye Glitter Gel by Hard Candy! If you are a glitter lover and have not discovered this item, I think you need to try this out because it gives you as much or as little glitter as you want on your eyes. The opacity of the product is up to you since I have found it to be buildable. The only bummer about this product is that there is not a variety of colors to chose from. I have this in the color "Maniac".

There is always that one product that you cannot live without, because it has saved you and continues to rescue you over and over again with out fail. You know that if they ever discontinued it, you would roll over and shrivel into a prune in agony. (Dramatic, yes!) What is the product that I can never live without? 


I have said this before and I will say it again, but it is the Clean And Clear Oil Blotting Sheets! I have tried two different brands that I was disappointed in because they did not absorb as much oil as I would have hoped for, while the Clean And Clear sheets absorb so much oil, they leave my face feeling smooth, no longer slippery! I hope that these never get discontinued because they are so affordable and I would die if I had to pay fore money for something that I use to blot my face and than throw away!

Smelling good should be everyone's priority, and if it is not, well, read this section because I am going to share with you what the best perfume of 2011 is that will make you smell divine! It is none other than Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture!

I have my favorite perfumes for different reasons, (Burberry For Women is a fav, because it reminds me  of Michael Buble since I was wearing this perfume the first time I saw him in concert-and it smells heavenly!) but Viva La Juicy is this years favorite perfume!


I am not good at describing scents, but it smells, sweet without smelling like a young teenager wearing cotton candy body spray. I can almost smell a subtle hint of caramel along with floral notes. This is a light perfume but it lasts a long time on my skin. When I wear it, people always, without fail I promise, tell me I smell great and ask what it is that I am wearing! 

So, since, I am a disaster at describing perfumes, this is what the website says the main accords of the perfume are:

Sweet
White Floral
Caramela
Citrus
Vanilla

"The perfume Viva La Juicy was presented as a gourmet floral fragrance, which opens with notes of wild berries and juicy mandarin. The heart encompasses a floral blend of honeysuckle, gardenia and jasmine, while the base notes await us with a gourmet rhapsody of amber, caramel, vanilla, sandalwood and pralines."

Yummy! This is a perfume I am going to have to repurchase over and over, just as I do my burberry! 

So, we saw 2011 come and go and with it some amazing beauty products enter our lives. Thankfully there are suckers like me who want to buy and try out every new invention that comes onto the market. Because of that I am looking forward to 2012 and all that it is going to bring for us in the realm of beauty. I am sure I will have a ton more pretty confessions to share with you all very soon!