Maybelline The Brights Eyeshadow Palette

Hey gals! I wanted to a quick more in depth review on the Maybelline The Brights palette! I picked this up at Target a couple weeks ago in the new-in stand, and for some reason I was really drawn to this! I normally don’t wear a lot of brights, nor do I have tons of bright colors in my collection, so I decided to give this a try. There are a few neutrals in there that you could use, the dark shimmery brown and matte black are actually pretty nice. The white, deep purple, lime green and gold shade left a bit to be desired. Although they are still workable and buildable, there are definitely better bright colored palettes out there. I think Wet N’ Wild has some brighter palettes that they come out every ones in a while! Overall, I still do like this, and when I want to incorporate some color I will be reaching for this! ❤

Current Full face PICKS

Hey girls! I wanted to show you all some current full face picks that I’ve been using lately! I always try and use a mix of high end and drugstore, and I’ve recently picked up a couple new things I wanted to test out! The Marc Jacobs lipstick in Serverine, Jurlique lip balm, the Bobbi Brown bronzer and the Rimmel Shadow Stick are old favorites, but I wanted to incorporate the newbies in the routine! The Revlon blushes are fairly new to my collection and I’ve ben really enjoying them! I like the color range and the finish of them is quite natural. The Loreal Tinted Skin Illuminator is really neat, it’s a liquid highlighter and tinted moisturizer with SPF mixed into one! I really like it because it give the skin a healthy dewy look without looking too oily or sparkly. Also, if you have dry skin, this would be a great one too! The Rimmel Waterproof Wonderlash Mascara with Argan Oil was an impulse buy, I was intrigued by the argan oil in it, and the blue tube. 🙂 It give really natural feathery lashes, and doesn’t feel heavy at all! My lashes don’t feel dry so I’m guessing that from the argan oil. The Wet N’ Wild Fergie primer is amazing. It’s probably one of my favorites at this point and it was really inexpensive. It makes my eyeshadows stick and lasts ALL day! The ELF HD Concelaer I did a review on, and is a close dupe to the Nars Creamy Concealer. Last but not least, the Maybelline The Brights palette! This is a fun little palette, but a mix of neutrals and brights! This is a good palette for those who want to experiement with brighter colors on the eyes without inveting too much. Some of the pigmentation could be better, but it’s not bad by any means. Anways, thanks for reading guys! X

July 2015 Beauty Favorites!

What’s In My Travel Makeup Bag?

Hey lovelies! ❤ I’m currently on holiday in Florida to visit some fam and as well as to get away from the cold winter months, I thought I’d show you a little bit into my travel makeup bag! When I’m away, I tend to be more minimal, especially is warmer climates. I rarely ever use foundation, mostly just sunscreen and moisturizer. I’ve really been enjoying using a bronzer to do a bit of contour and a brighter blush for the cheeks. Also a moisurizing lip balm and groomed brows are a everyday must! My beauty bits: Loreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation 320, Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara, Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Frosting, Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in Chocolate Suede, NYX Powder Blush in Cinnamon, Coastal Scents Classic Tapered Kabuki Brush, Jordana Fabuliner Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Fresh Black Tea Anti Age Eye Cream, NYX Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe, Smith’s Rosebud Salve & Lip Balm, and the Japonesque Velvet Touch Blush #6 . Are you guys traveling this winter?

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Hi everyone! 🙂 I found myself, yet again, perusing the drugstore isles to see if there are any new beauty bits that have come out for fall! Lo and behold, the thing that catches my attention is an oldie but goodie. I’ve actually never tried this concealer, so many people have talked about it! I’m a bit picky with concealers, and I had a few already that I’ve been rotating through, but I decided to give it a go. The color match was great, and the formula is smooth with medium overage. I would definitely set this with a light weight powder to make it last. I want to compare this to my Nars Creamy Concealer, but I think I prefer the Nars slightly more. I think overall, this is a great concealer from the drugstore to try!

Mini Drugstore Haul!

Woot woot! Another mini, naughty drugstore haul. I was driving to work and spotted a Shopper’s Drug Mart which I had never been to so I decided to pop in, and I’m so glad I did! They carried all the name brands as well as Prestige! I absolutely love Prestige, and in my opinion one of the better drugstore brands. The True Metal eyeshadow is SO pigmented, it’s crazy. I highly recommend it, as well as the mascara and eyeliners. The Orange Color tattoo is really fun, a really bright matte formula.The Rimmel lipstick was on clearance so I decided to try it, it’s ok. It feels comfortable on the lips, but it settles in fine lines and dry patches.Here is a full list of what I got: Prestige Total Intensity Automatic Eyeliner in Espresso and Black, Prestige Total Intensity Beyond Lashes Mascara in Jet Black, Prestige Total Intensity Dual Pencil Sharpener, Prestige Total Intensity True Metal Eyeshadow in Copper, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight, and the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy.

Maybelline Color Tattoo leather Review

A little haul for you guys, I saw these while I was picking up some groceries and thought they were worth a try! They are the Maybelline Color Tattoo Leathers, they are supposed to be long wearing and intense color, and they really are. The formula is really smooth, slightly thick, but really blendable. Once it sets, it really doesn’t budge! I even had a hard time removing it with a makeup wipe. The two shades I picked up were Chocolate Suede and Dramatic Black, the colors I would get a lot of use out of . Gorgeous!

My Favorite Felt Tip Drugstore Eyeliners

I wear eyeliner pretty much everyday. I feel like a good brow and nice black eyeliner can make you look made up without wearing too much at all!  These three felt tip eyeliners are my absolute arsenal in creating a fast, easy cat eye. They are: the Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Ink Pen Liner, Loreal 12 Hr Infallible The Super Slim Liner, and the Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner. A quick tip is create the wing by pressing the felt tip at the angle you would like the flick by your eye, then stroke on your normal eyeliner and connect them together. And, that’s it!

March Beauty Favorites 2014!

Another month has come and gone, and I have a round of monthly favorites! 🙂 Firstly, the Lorac Pro Palette made an appearance after a couple months in hiding. I’m really starting to appreciate the warm tones and matte shades in this palette. The Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer has been a solid staple on natural days, and the new Maybelline Color Tattoo Spring 2014 Dare to Go Nude Collection in Sleek & Spice is a must for any everyday eye look. I have also been wearing the Estee Lauder Day Wear as my everyday moisturizer, and the Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume to welcome in spring. The new Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in Obsessed is amazing, almost like a gel manicure in a bottle. The Bath & Body Works Candle in Electric Tokyo was part of their destination collection, and is a soft, sweet floral, cherry blossoms, with a burst of sake.

Everyday Makeup Favorites!

I have been loving some items for my everyday makeup routine this month, and these are a bundle of goodies that just make my day better. I’ve been under the weather lately so these products have really helped me look my best when I don’t feel my best.

YouTube video review and tutorial coming soon!

My Eye Basics Drawer! ♥

Hey everyone! I thought I’d do a little peek inside my stash today! My makeup collection has definitely grown, but now I feel I’m always reaching more my core favorites and only buying things that I know I’ll love and use! My favorites I have to say at the moment are the Wet N’ Wild Single Eyeshadow in Brulee which is a night matte light cream color. I LOVE using this on every look I make to highlight my brow or blend out other colors on my eye. For a high end blending version, love MAC Eyeshadow in Wedge, Mac Eyeshadow Duo in This & That, or Rock & Republic Eyeshadow in Femme.

Another favorite is the Maybelline 24 Hr Color Tattoo in Bad to The Bronze. It’s a very pretty bronze cream shadow, and it is long wearing, does not fade, and does not need to be set with powder. This is a great product to use on everyday lazy days to give you a nice wash over the lid! Another drugstore everyday favorite is the Loreal  Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe, this feels like a high end eyeshadow, very smooth, stunning and shimmery! A high end favorite is the Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Creme Shadow in Stone, and Mac Paint Pot in Constructivist. My favorite eye primer has to be the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I’ve tried so many primers but this one is definitely my favorite!

Limited Edition Maybelline Color Tattoos Summer 2013

Hey everyone! Super exciting post! I literally did a double take when I was in the drugstore today, when I saw these little beauties!! These are the limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos for Summer 2013. There are a total of 8 shades, I was only able to pick up 5 of them  ($7) since the other two available didn’t really stand out to me! I will be looking for one more shade but it was sold out at my location.

These are highly shimmery/metallic color shifting shades, you can use them on their own, or as a base. You could also layer them over other colors to add a color shifting layer on top. The colors are SO pretty, they are very unique to the line, and I could see myself using them as a base for other colors and having them peek through. These are a little difficult to photograph but here they are!

The texture of these shadows are smooth, almost a firm gelly/mousse. They are very creamy and easy to blend and don’t dry completely on the lid which makes them great for a base. They have amazing staying power and are impressive to drugstore standards.

• Precious Pearl beige shimmer with a slight peachy pink shift.
• Cool Crush cool-toned light blue with icy lavender shift.
• Blue Paradise cool-toned medium blue with a purple/gold shift.
• Icy Mint sheer mint green with an iridescent shift.
• Lavish Lavender cool-toned lavender with a pink sift.

Ones still to pick up:

• Waves of White bright white iridescent teal duochrome with a pink shift.
• Shady Shores sheer gold iridescent gold.
• Seashore Frosts green/blue duochrome with a gold shift. (need this!!!)

Swatches L to R: Precious Pearl, Cool Crush, Blue Paradise, Icy Mint, and Lavish Lavender.

What do you guys think!? 🙂

Best Drugstore Products of 2012!

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation – Great smooth coverage with a dewy finish. Comes in nice convenient pump form, comparable to the Makeup Forever HD Liquid Foundation! I use the shade Nude.

L’Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black – Amazing gel liner for the price, just as good as any high end gel liner!! Very opaque color finish, dries quickly, glides on very smooth, and lasts all day. It also comes with a brush, love it!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks – Affordable, great finish, and lots of colors! the colors are vibrant, creamy, hydrating, and lasts decently long.

ELF Maximum Coverage Oil Free Concealer – For $3 how can you go wrong! Surprisingly great medium coverage liquid concealer, great to use in the place of foundation on simple days, love the dewy finish, light feeling, and price!

Revlon Colorburst Lipsticks – Very hydrating, flattering color range, and glides on smoothly! Very versatile lipstick.

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer – Amazing cream to powder formula is a retractable stick form. Great coverage, and light texture. Blends very easily and doesn’t settle into lines or cake up. Lovely!

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Kit – Great 4 color palette with 2 cream concealers, 1 cream color corrector, and 1 translucent setting powder. The ultimate all in one product with great creamy full-coverage formula!

NYX Powder Blush – These little beauties are amazing great price, flattering finish, and nice selection of colors! They are very pigmented, smooth, and easily blendable. Great for everyday!

Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner – Long lasting, opaque colored retractable eyeliner, doesn’t smudge and lasts all day! Glides on creamy, and comparable to other high end long wearing eyeliners!

Milani Baked Blush – Such cute little things! Very smooth, and shimmery blush that gives your skin a luminous glow. Looks great on all skin tones, is very pigmented, affordable, and lasts on the skin.

NYC Smooth Skin Translucent Pressed Face Powder – Great cheap alternative to higher end translucent face powders. Doesn’t cake up, and mattifies the skin. Controls shine, and is ideal for light to medium skin tones.

Milani Eye Tech Liquid Eyeliner – A very compact, nice and opaque, non streaking, and water resistant felt tip liquid eyeliner. Dries quickly, doesn’t budge!

Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer – Very big shimmery bronzer that gives your skin a sun kissed glow. Your cheeks look effortlessly glowy and is a total bargain!

L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows – High quality, concentrated color pigment eyeshadows, with amazing soft texture, and smooth finish. Long wearing, highly pigmented, and oh so flattering.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows – A long wearing, highly pigmented cream eyeshadow, comparable to MAC Paint Pots. Creamy texture, blends easily, and stays on the lids without primer.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils – These fun little beauties are so versatile! Highly pigmented, creamy eyeshadow pencils that are great for color bases on the lids or used on their own. Large colors range, and very affordable!

Milani Easybrow Automatic Eye Brow Pencil – Convenient, long wearing, retractable eyebrow pencil, with nice spooly at the end. Color looks natural, and the formula is just right.

Wet N’ Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana – The best natural looking face highlight for the price. This thing is huge, and looks amazing on the skin. Naturally brightens areas of your face and gives a soft, subtle sheen.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss – Great little glosses with nice color range! Beautiful glossy finish, and stays on the lips fairly long without feeling too sticky. Feels moisturizing, and a great everyday go-to gloss!

ELF Conditioning Lip Balms – Large lip pots with creamy highly pigmented formula. Feels very smooth, moisturizing, and smells like vanilla. Gives your lips a very nice tint!

Nivea Kiss of Moisture Lip Care Balms – Effective soothing, moisturizing, and healing balm. Very affordable, smells great, and makes your lips feel soft and even. Long wearing as well!

Loreal Colour Riche LeGloss Lip Gloss – Another great lip gloss, great finish, fairly long lasting, and pigmented. Smells good and doesn’t feel sticky.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Makeup Brushes – AMAZING makeup brushes. Created by Pixiwoo makeup artist Samantha Chapman, these brushes are to swear by. Comes in a fairly large range and sets.

Sonia Kashuk Makeup Brushes – Very sleek, soft, and high quality dense makeup brushes. Comes is a fairly large range, professional effect.

Eco Tools Makeup Brushes – Affordable, very soft, eco-friendly brushes, comes in nice convenient little sets and singles. A must try for any makeup aficionado!

Boots No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes – Great affordable all in one makeup removing wipes. Doesn’t sting or irritate the skin. Gets even stubborn waterproof makeup off without having to rub the skin.

Whew!

What were your favorite drugstore beauty products of this year?? 🙂

Recent Makeup Swap Haul!! XO

Hello everyone! I had recently written a post about doing a makeup swap and the response was awesome!! Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me and left messages to do one! Here are the recent goodies that I have gotten in the mail. These two swaps were from the US, so all the products are US based.

The first few things I received were these nail polishes and decal! I’ve never tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips, so I was excited to get one, and they’re NEON!!! Yay. Next I got an Essie polish in Shine of the Times, (here’s a great post with swatches) a really pretty holographic flakie topcoat! Next was the Revlon nail polish is Blue Mosaic, a gorgeous multi-shaped blue glitter polish. (swatches) Lastly was the Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order, a really pretty metallic turquoise/teal color! (swatches) Love them all!! 😀

Next were the makeup related items, I really got a medly, by the great thing about doing swaps is that most of the time you get items that you normally wouldn’t purchase for yourself!! I got an Urban Decay eyeshadow in Minx (blue-green shifter with glitter), a Loreal eyeshadow in Taffetta (light frosty pink), a NYX eyeshow in Senusal (dark shimmery violet/brown), and a Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale (a squishy bright red/coral). The NYX shadow was definitely my favorite (Nars Night Shadows dupe!), it’s a deep sultry brown with dark violet undertones.

Swatches: Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale, NYX eyeshadow in Sensual, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Minx, and Loreal eyeshadow in Taffetta.

Lastly are the lip items and other beauty/makeup items. I got a Loreal Colour Riche Colour Caresse Lipstick in Sheer Linen, a Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, a deluxe size Ojon Revitalizing Mist, and a Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer. I was super excited about the primer because it was one of those items that I always passed at the drugstore because primers usually break me out. However this one didn’t, yay!! The Ojon Hair Mist made my hair softer and left a pleasant scent in my hair. Also helped with tangles! The two lip products I was super happy about because again, these are two items that I kept passing at the drugstore!! I love the Loreal Caresse formula, and the Revlon Lip Butter is awesome!! I have one in a nude color, but this one definitely breaks me out of my comfort zone, which is good! 🙂

Swacthes: Loreal Colour Riche Colour Caresse Lipstick in Sheer Linen, and Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

And for those who are interested…

Some Basic Makeup Swapping Rules!!:

• Always discuss your preferences, brands, skin types, facial features, hair color and type, ship dates, budgets and locations before hand!! It’s really important to create a relationship with the person you are swapping, so you can build trust!!
• Specify on getting items that they specifically requested or make it a surprise! Sometimes it’s a combination of both, which I personally like!
• Always buy and send NEW/UNUSED items, unless stated otherwise. It’s not nice to send used products, it’s not hygienic, and it makes the other person feel very disappointed!
• Always uphold the budget value and ship time. Also communication is key!! If something comes up or you have a change, let the other person know!!
• Pack your items carefully! The post office is usually not nice when it comes to packages, it’s up to you the pack the items safely and securely! It’s also nice to include a note/list of items.
• Enjoy your items! Be happy that you received such an awesome package, and hope the other person likes your gift as well! 🙂

Most of all, have fun with it! It’s especially fun to do swaps from different countries because you get to try things that you don’t normally see in your area! I got introduced to tons of brands and items that I LOVE through swaps, also been able to get things that I’ve been lusting for buy couldn’t get!

What do you guys think?!

Pretty Blue Spring/Summer Haul!

Yaay pretty, cool blues!! I don’t know if it’s because it’s getting warmer, but I’ve been attracted to the cool blue tones! Even thought I’ve always had an affinity for blue colors, the summer bring a great opportunity to wear them, since I’m a bit tanner. Here’s what I got in my little haul!! 🙂

This is the Maybelline Eye Studio Baked Duo in Navy Narcissist, and Mac Moon’s Reflection. I absolutely love these colors, they just remind me of deep tropical pools somewhere on the planet. The Maybelline Duo was a surprise, as I’m always a little hesitant about Maybelline products, but this was beautiful. I got it on sale at Target and it has two gorgeous blue colors, one a deep pacific blue, and the other is a shimmery multi-toned light blue. The Mac Moon’s Reflection is amazing. I love this color. It’s really wearable and the texture is very smooth and pigmented!

This is Revlon Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon, I LOOOVE this color so much! It’s a light baby blue with tiny blue and silver reflects.  I was having a hard time choosing between this and Revlon Whimsical Nail Polish, but in the end I chose this one because it was more opaque and I thought it was much more flattering. Highly recommend this if you like blues on the nails!

This is Wallflower refill from Bath & Body Works, it pops into a wall air freshener and I absolutely love the smell! On the website it says, “A refreshing concoction of island pineapple, banana and fresh kiwi, infused with spiced rum and coconut.” I bout 6 of these since they were having a promotion, 6 for $24, and I can’t stop sniffing this! I have it plugged in my kitchen and I get a good whiff of it every morning. I LOVE this!

These are the NYX Jumbo Pencils in Baby Blue and Pacific. NYX Jumbo pencils are incredibly smooth and pigmented, and are a pretty good value. I looove using this under my lower lash line and on my water line. You can also use this all over the lid by itself, or as a base. These are amazing, can’t say enough good things. 🙂

Swatches: Maybelline Eye Studio Baked Duo in Navy Narcissist, Mac Moon’s Reflection, NYX Jumbo Pencils in Pacific and Baby Blue

Wearing NYX Jumo Eye Pencil in Baby Blue under my lower lash line.

What do you think?!