Impression Confession: What's Up With All The Hype? Jesse's Girl Nail Polish

I have a confession to make...           I never paid much attention to the Jesse's Girl brand as of late. It wasn't until Youtube beauty guru, JulieG started her own spinoff line within the same company that I was slightly curious. I already have my holy trial drugstore nail polish (Sally Hansen Xtreme), but I figured for $2.99 at Rite Aid that I would give this a try.

I purchased the color "JulieG", without even knowing the name, isn't that bizarre!?! I loved the bright peachy pink of this color and thought it was appropriate for summer and grabbed it! I also picked up another Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish in the color "Bite The Bullet", just to see how these two would compare. At Rite Aid they both where $2.99, a stellar deal. But, I was interested in knowing which one would outlast the other.

Jesse's Girl "JulieG"

Wet N Wild "Bite The Bullet"

"JulieG" is such a gorgeous pop of summer fun on the nails, a definite true peachy-pink! "Bite The Bullet" is a grey toned lavender, which I think is so very pretty, for summer and fall alike. 

I have done a review on the Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish in the color "Club Havana" so, go ahead and check it out. 

Small thin brush

Huge paddle brush

What I liked about the Jesse's Girl polish is that the brush is thin and small. Typically, this works best for me, as I am not the biggest fan of the huge brush that the Megalast polish comes with, but to each their own...

Jesse's Girl polish applied streaky, especially the first two coats. It definitely needs three coats to reach opacity, and than it looks very pretty!

Wet n Wild applied smoothly and evenly, reaching its full opacity with just two coats. Beautiful!

Close Up!

I topped my nails off with my favorite quick dry nail formula from Sally Hansen and decided to wait and see how this played out over the next few days. Which nail polish would stand the test of time?

Three days later, this was the result...

Three days later: My right hand, which is my dominant hand

As you can see from this picture, the Jesse's Girl nail polish was more prone to chipping, whereas the Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish held up very well! 

I must say that with the streaky application of the Jesse's Girl nail polish and the unimpressive wear, I am not a fan of this line and I will not repurchase any polish's from this particular line. 

YET, I am curious now about JulieG's nail polish line that she has through Jesse's Girl. They are a dollar more, making me wonder if the application is smoother and the wear time last better!

I hear another Impression Confession coming soon!

Impression Confession: ELF Studio Matte Lip Color

I have a confession to make...          As a lip junkie, it was only natural and expected that I drifted towards the ELF lip pencils when I saw them at Walmart last week. Now, my local Walmart has only a teeny tiny swivel rack in the middle of the walkways beside the makeup isles. Very random... So, they had six color choices, but only three options left because the selections had been picked through.

I picked up mine in the color Tea Rose, which looked on the box like a very pretty rosy natural color that I could wear everyday and get a lot of use out of. In my mind it was $3.00 well spent! I could also tell from the color swatch at the top of the actual pencil that this color was going to be more on the cool side.

As far as how much product this contains, it contains 0.006 oz, which is not a whole lot of product. Compare that to Milani Lip Flash Lip Pencils and you get 0.10 oz for around $6.00, just three dollars and some change more. But, again, for $3.00, I guess you aren't paying for a whole lot of product.

What I really appreciate about this pencil is that, unlike the jumbo lip pencils from Milani and Urban Decay and such, this is a slim pencil that is a twist top! About time we have a lippy that requires no sharpening! Another great feature is the secure top, because it clicks into place firmly and won't pop off nor slide off. I love that you don't have to worry about the top coming off on its own and the product getting all over! 

As far as the product itself, I have to mention that as far as application, this does tug at the lips, it does not glide smoothly on like the Milani jumbo lip pencils. Yet, it is highly pigmented and is easy to outline my lips with and just as easy to fill them in with color. 

Most matte lip products leave my lips feeling dry and uncomfortable, but this felt glossy and hydrating.  ELF's website said that their Matte Lip Color pencils contain vitamins A, C and E, which is what gives the product a moisturizing feel. 

Remember, this does not claim to be a long lasting lip product, so you will have to reapply. There was transfer through out the day, but it wore off minimally and gradually, not quickly, so it has decent staying power.  I liked how as it wore off it left a nice subtle color to my lips. 

Tea Rose

This looks glossy, but it is definitely matte in person!

My only gripe is my own fault... I picked the wrong color for my skin tone, and I should have known, because cool colors do not look pretty on me... It is a cool toned pink, very pretty on someone else, but it looks like concealer on my lips! UGH! 

Would I repurchase this product? For awhile I was uncertain, but this is such a cheap lip pencil and it is matte with a hydrating feel. There are other lip pencils out there that I prefer over the ELF matte lip pencil, but the finish between them is completely different. So, for a few bucks, I wouldn't mind trying one more in the beautiful red color I saw at Walmart. But, I won't rush out and buy every single color in this line.

Hopefully this helps you out next time you find yourself perusing the ELF Matte Lip Color pencils!

Maybelline Color Whisper In Coral Ambition

I have a confession to make...         I adore the color coral, a nice peachy pink that reminds me of summertime and looks good with either pale or tanned skin. That's why I picked up the Maybelline Color Whisper in the color Coral Ambition. The name sounded promising as did the color of the packaging. I had already tried and reviewed the color Berry Ready (click the bold text for my review of the Whisper lipsticks) from the same line and loved the feel and consistency.

When I opened up the lipstick at home, I was in love with this color. I fell completely and totally head over feet in adoration for this. The color alone reminds me of a creamsicle popsicle and of fun in the sun.

Maybelline Whisper, Coral Ambition

The only bummer about this particular color is the sheerness of it. I had heard some people complaining about how sheer these Whisper's are, but I had no complaints because the darker Berry Ready shade is highly pigmented. Coral Ambition has no true color payoff. What you see in the tube is not what translates onto the lips.

This comes off as a sheer pale pink on the lips, with absolutely no coral tint whatsoever. The name of this product is completely misleading. I was a little disappointed, but you know what? The more I wear this color, and I have several times now, the more I do like it. It is easy application. It gives a subtle wash of color that is perfect for everyday wear. 

My only downfall with this product is that it is not the color of the product in the tube...

Yet, I keep it in my purse because it is still lovely! Misleading, but lovely none the less ;)

Impression Confession: Wet n Wild's Megalast Liquid Lipstick

I have a confession to make...        Lippie's are a weakness of mine, and I have a basketful to prove it! When I was perusing Rite Aid earlier this week, I noticed a product from Wet n Wild that I had not tried before, so I thought I would pick one up. Originally, I picked up two but than thought better of it, just in case this wasn't my cup of tea. In my experience, Wet n Wild lip products can be a hit or a miss for me.

So, I purchased mine for $2.99 in the color Pocketful Of Roses. This is an extremely gorgeous rosy mauve shade with definite shimmer. I do like the packaging, with its curved handle. Even the wand itself is to my liking, being a flat spongey paddle brush applicator that makes application more precise. 

There is not a strong smell to this product, just a faint unidentifiable/indescribable muddled scent. Yet, once applied, it disappears into nothing, thankfully!

When it is first applied, it is beautiful and shimmery, so much so that I fell in love with this shade within seconds  of wearing it! The color complimented my skin tone so well, I was in love! It felt wet when applied, and very soothing on my lips, to my delight. But, than...

Such a beautiful shimmery gloss!

Fast forward to a minute later when the product began to set. 

I will give it credit for being extremely opaque in color, which is what I had been hoping for from this lipstick/gloss. But, after it had set on my lips, it began to feel very uncomfortable, as if my lips were wearing a mask. The product felt very drying and tight to the point where I was just itching to get it off. Yet, I persevered, not adding any balm to the top of the product so I could see how long lasting this formula really was. 

First application at 3:00p.m.

As the afternoon wore on and I went about my day, eating and drinking and so forth, I noticed how the shine of the product diminished completely and my lips took on a more flat finish. It was looking very chalky, accentuating every line and wrinkle in my lips, not to mention how it was feeling gummy and even more irksome to keep wearing.

A total of just over five hours is how long I wore this product with ZERO touch ups. I will let the following picture speak for itself:

After five hours of wear

(Yes, the lighting in the picture is different, the sun was setting, but lighting is not the point of the picture.)

As far as wear goes, it seemed to wear off patchy and gummy. It felt as if the product was thick around the inner rim of my mouth, causing the gummy sensation. You can even see chunks of the product that wore off and ONTO my lips. Not at all attractive!

Now, I really wanted to like this product, so much so that the next day I applied it and after it had set, I applied chapstick on top. Yet, the waxy balm only caused the product to transfer and wear off quickly. I was disappointed because the color is so pretty...

I do not like this whatsoever and am glad I did not buy the red one that I was eyeing. Even though it is a cheap product, I still hope for quality. Needless to say, this lipstick fell flat for me!

Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigment In Forest Fatale

I have a confession to make...            I love pigments, because they are so, duh, pigmented! You get an explosion of intense color payoff, always worth the money we spend! When I heard Maybelline came out with their line of pigments, I knew I had to break down and try them.

I picked mine up at Walmart for less than six dollars in the color, Forest Fatale. After having looked at swatches online, this was the color that I was drawn to the most. 

What I do really appreciate about the packaging is that they include a sifter inside, and it is extremely sturdy so I have no worries that it will pop out and spill the product everywhere. What I do is shake the pigment into the lid of the jar and just enough comes out. I do not have to stress about a ton of product falling out and not being able to get it back under the sifter. 

On Maybelline's website they say that the product is double dipped pigments that create double color intensity for your most explosive eyes. Now, I must say, that this is very fine and soft to the touch. Even when it is worn wet it doesn't feel heavy or uncomfortable. It feels like I am not wearing anything on my lids. It's very silky!

Forest Fatale- Left: applied dry. Right: applied wet

The color is very pretty, and I do love the olive-golden color of this green. When it is applied dry it is a soft yet still vibrant color, but when you dip a wet brush into the pigment and apply it, the color is kicked up several intensity levels and applies metallic. This is a very beautiful color and looks pretty with brown eyes, although any eye color could pull this off!

Application with any pigment will warrant fallout, so just save your foundation routine for last and than with a makeup remover wipe, wipe away any loose pigments that fall onto your face before applying your foundation. 

As much as I like the color and enjoy this pigment, I am not overly impressed. It is just like any other pigment out there, and honestly, there weren't any truly unique shades that I just had to have. In my opinion, this is a product that I could easily pass on by because there is nothing special about it that makes it stand out from other pigments, such as the Loreal pressed pigments, which I adore so much more than this one. 

Maybelline has many standout products, but this just happens to not be one of them...

Just A Little Something To "Glow"!

I have a confession to make...        I am not one for laying out in the sun like I used to do when I was a teenager. Every summer it seemed as if my goal was to see how dark I could get, and I would lay out in the sun every chance that I got. I loved being dark!

Than, when I turned twenty-three, I realized how dangerous the sun really is to my skin and my body. Don't get me wrong, we NEED vitamin D, but, in the right way. So, I stopped soaking in the sun for hours on end long time ago. Now, I enjoy being in the sun with sunscreen to protection, and when I am laying outside, I lay in the shade.

What I do miss is the sun kissed glow the sun would give me, so I have tried several self-tanners through out the span of time it seems. Most of them turned me into an oompa-loompa, applied patchy, made me smell super funky, or all three...

Lately I have been hearing rave reviews about the Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer. So, I picked one up at WalMart about two months ago for less than $9.00, and I have been using it pretty regularly. I bought the +Firming Daily Moisturizer, and I can honestly tell you that I notice absolutely no difference in that area, nor did I expect to. It even claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite in as little as seven days... HA! I just thought I would give it a whirl and see if it lived up to that claim, but it was a fail!

Another thing that got me excited was that this claimed to have "great color without the odor!", but yes, it still stinks. Not as strong as some tanners I have tried in the past, but this does have a faint, yet noticeable self-tanner scent. Yet, it is not as bad as you might at first think, you just get a whiff of it every now and than when going about your day. It is something that is so subtle that it doesn't bother me.

This also says that the product applies streak-free and hassle-free, and that is something that I am glad to say is completely true! It comes out of the tube white and goes on the same color, and the product will develop within the next few days. I apply it just as I do my regular lotion, only applying it sparingly to my ankles, toes, knees and elbows. Other wise it will look patchy and obvious! I like to wait about five minutes or so until I feel the product is completely dry before I apply my clothes so that there is no color transfer. 

This is a gradual tanner, not an instant-BAM-your-tan! self-tanner, so don't expect to be a glowing goddess that very day. But, after the second application, the next day, I do notice my legs are darker. But, a word or warning: when I applied it every day for a week, I did notice that my legs had that fake-tan-orange color. So, I have learned to apply it everyday for four days to build the desired color I like and than from there I will only apply it maybe three days a week to keep up the tan.

Overall, I enjoy this product, and it is one of the better drugstore self-tanners that I have tried and liked. I would definitely recommend this because the application is so easy and the results are so natural (as long as you know when to stop!).

So, this is how I got my glow this summer, how about you!?

Impression Confession: ELF's Contouring Blush And Bronzing Powder In St. Lucia

I have a confession to make...      I love two in one products and I am on the look out for products like that because they are easy to travel with. That means the less I have to haul around with me. I had heard great things about ELF's blushes and especially their Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powders. So, I was at Walmart and decided to pick one up. 

I got mine in the color St. Lucia, which looked like a beautiful peachy-pink blush with a pretty intense bronzer. I had heard that even though it may look too dark for your skin tone you can use a light hand and it works perfectly. So, I wasn't scared off!

What I really like is the packaging, because it is so compact and slim! None of those bulky packaging that some company's put out for their products. The full size mirror inside the compact is wonderful to use when applying makeup when traveling and on the run. This is very travel friendly and you can pop it into your makeup bag and you have your blush AND bronzer!

I did notice right off how shimmery the blush was, which I don't mind, but I was disappointed that even the bronzer had it's own shimmer, too. I am not a fan of shimmery bronzers. Can you notice the shimmer in the picture above?

In the swathes you can definitely see the shimmer in the blush, it is highly noticeable. It is almost a little too chunky of shimmer for me. The bronzer doesn't come off as shimmery as the blush, but you can see some fine shimmer to it. 

You can see where I blended out the bronzer and the color mellows out and becomes more toned down and wearable for lighter skin tones. When blended out, the shimmer is almost non-existant, but it is still not completely matte. 

When I apply the blush to my cheeks, it comes off very light, I cannot really notice the color because it is so subtle. So, it is nice for just a flush of natural color to the face. After you pick up some product with your blush brush, it helps to tap your brush off so it can get rid of most of the glittery shimmer.

Overall, I do like this a lot, even though the bronzer isn't completely matte, I love the convenience of this product. I want to try more ELF products in the future now! They really are hit and miss, but I wouldn't mind trying some more blushes!