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!