Recent Purchases

I was really excited when I found a few things at Walgreens...so I splurged a bit.

When Wet n Wild released the Pop Art trios, I was too broke to even look for them, so I put them out of my mind. I never saw them anywhere (and didn't specifically look for them). Today, I was looking for the Fantasy Makers products and I happened to notice the pop art trios on the bottom shelf at my Walgreens! I was really excited, so I snagged 5 (all they had besides the red, black, and white one). You know I love some bright colors, so I am super excited to play with these!

In the middle is a few Jordana eyeliners. I got all the blue, green, and purple shades. They were super cheap, and I wanted colorful liners to go underneath my shadows on my bottom lash line to add a bit of a pop. Excited to see how the pigmentation is on these.

I also grabbed two of the Fantasy Makers glitter palettes. It's getting close to halloween, and I want to add some sparkle, plus it's fun to use on the kids at work.

But the most exciting thing was the Disney Villains look books! My Walgreens does not carry elf, and when I looked these up when they first came out, there were none within 50 miles of me, so I was resigned to never getting my hands on them. But this week, they showed up at my Walgreens! I wanted all of them, but settled on my two favorites for now, Ursula and Maleficent. When they did similar books last year, I got only Maleficent.

These are the pop art trios I snagged. SO PRETTY. I overlook Wet n Wild a lot, but I think I'm going to love these.

Ursula has always been my favorite villain! I love the look of these this year. Last year's were cute, but more awkward and I like the more modern look of these, and the magnetic closure. I also love that the shadow is removable and that they included a lip gloss instead of pencils!

I  like the new items included better! I will use the heck out of that brush. Last year's sets had fake eyelashes, which are nice in theory, but I can't apply them to save my life, so they are a wasted item on me. I love that it comes with primer, liquid, AND pencil liner, as well as mascara.

I think Ursula's shadows are beautiful. I do think it's odd that they included pink lipgloss instead of a bright red...Ursula rocked the reds! But it's a color I'll wear. I also kind of wish the liner was in a teal or aqua or even a purple, but black will do.

Maleficent is my other favorite villain, and as I got her set last year, I had to get the new one. The art on these is so pretty!

This one has the same liners, brush, and primer, but a red gloss and different shadows. Love this look! The black liners make total sense in this one. I have dupes now, but that's to be expected.

I've also recently purchased Real Techniques brushes and Urban Decay's Deluxe shadow box...my makeup collection is happy right now.

Have you bought anything exciting recently?

BA Star Cosmetics Review

BA Star is a company that specializes in performance makeup for dancers, cheerleaders, competitors, or just trendsetters. I was given the opportunity through BrandBacker to try one of their Smoky Eyeshadow Palettes, and I received it this week. This is a brand new company to me, so I was very excited to get to try them out!

Each palette contains 3 matte shadows and two gel glitter highlighters! The palette comes in four color options: Smoky, Natural, True Blue, and Pretty N Pink. I received "Natural", which is bronze, brown, and gold tones! The palette comes with a double ended brush/sponge applicator. I rarely use these, but I appreciate that this one is on the longer side, makes it easier to use, in my opinion.

Now, this palette photographed warmer than it is. It is on the warm side, but not nearly as much as it seems in this photo! The shadows are, in order, Bronze, Cocoa, and Nude. Each is just what it sounds like. I think nude leans toward the champagney range, and it is very pretty!

These feel nice and smooth, and they are decently pigmented! The colors work very well together for a natural smoky look.

The two glitter gels are super glittery and pretty! They are called Gold and Crystal. The first is gold, of course, and the second is white with opalescent glitter - it shines with purple, gold, and green! These have a gritty feel to them, as you can imagine, but they are wonderful for painting over liner for a sparkley pop. They are soft and easy to apply with a brush.

Here are swatches, in order, starting from the top. These swatches were done with a single swipe of the finger on bare skin, no primer. As you can see, the color payoff is not bad!

The glitter gels are very hard to see in the swatch, but in person, they are very glittery and pretty, good for what they're designed to be, which is a highlight.

I am definitely interested in trying out some of the other colors, especially True Blue! Each of these palettes retails for $8.75.

If you are interested in trying out BA Star smoky shadow palettes, you can enter the code "BBSMOKY" at checkout for a 50% discount!

*Disclaimer: I received a product to review free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

Starlooks - Monographic Eyeshadow Palette review

I included this palette in my October favorites, but I like it so much that I wanted to talk about it a little more!

This is a 5 color palette by Starlooks! It was sent out in the September Starbox. If you haven't heard of Starbox, it is a monthly program in which Starlooks send out a few of their makeup products monthly. It is $15 a month, and the products are all full sized. They are a small company and they make awesome, high quality products! While many sub programs tend to send out either their most popular products or ones they are getting ready to discontinue, I love that Starlooks sends out some of their newest products...in fact, we got this palette before it was even on the website!

This is a very unique palette, in my opinion! The five shades all have a white base. At first glance, they just look like pastels, but they are actually opalescent shades with gorgeous shimmery sheen. The five shades are gold, opal, pink, purple, and mint green. 

This palette was designed so that the shades can be used as a highlighter, on their own for a light shadow look, or over other shadows to alter their color. They are awesome! Nice and buttery and they are beautiful alone AND on top of other products. They go on sheer (in a good way) but are easily buildable.

Here are the five shades swatched on Starlooks' clear primer. The lighting and angle are weird because I wanted to show their awesome opalescent sheen!

And here they are on a black cream base. I love the way they look on the black. I've also worn them on top of other shadows and I love the way they transform shades (the opal is great for lightening up a too dark shadow, as well.)

This has become a daily go-to palette for me...they make perfect inner corner and browbone highlighters for any look. I'm really interested in trying more of the Starlooks shadows.

What do you think of shades like these? What is your favorite daily palette?

NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact - review

Eye shadow is my absolute favorite makeup item. I can't get enough of it. So the most exciting item in my Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster was the NYC New York Color Individual Eyes Custom Compact.

These palettes are all in one compacts. Each contains primer, luminator, and four shadow shades. They come in a variety of shades designed to enhance your specific eye color.

I received the "Dark Shadows" compact, which is shades of black, gray, and white. Obviously this is a neutral palette and not one specifically for my green eyes, but grays are my neutrals of choice, so I am okay with it!

The quality is decent for such an affordable brand - the shadows are decently pigmented and over primer, they last all day for me. The primer isn't the best I've tried, but it does it's job. I especially like the two lighter shadows, they are nice and the silver is just the right amount of shimmery. The illuminator also acts well as a base and is very creamy.

There is a bit of fallout, especially with the darker shades, but it is easy enough to clean up.

These retail for $5 and for that price, I think they're a great buy. I might pick up another one!

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Influenster. I was not otherwise compensated, and all opinions are my own.

Giveaway winnings - ELF Disney Villains Palette!

So, I was super excited to find out that I won a giveaway hosted by Pretty Squared (which is a great beauty blog run by two sisters, you should follow them!) The prize is the Maleficent palette in the super limited edition ELF Disney Villains collection.

This was great news for me, as there were none of these palettes in my area, they are not available online, and I so want to try this one. Much to my delight, it arrived yesterday!

They sent it all wrapped up in a jack-o-lantern shopping bag with an adorable Halloween card! So cute.

Maleficent is absolutely my favorite Disney villain. HBIC, right here.

The palette includes 8 shadows, eye primer, two lip and cheek pencils, and a glitter gel liner, as well as some awesome lashes and glue. I love the included mirror!

Behind the mirror, it has these tutorials for day and night looks using the products. 

I really love the smokey jewel tones! I've only had a chance to play with them a little bit, but I'm really enjoying them and I think they'll be great for me! I can't wait to play around with this to figure out my Halloween look!

So excited to get this, thanks again to Pretty Squared!  

Vapour Organic Beauty - review

I was recently given the opportunity to try out three products by Vapour Organic Beauty.  I was super ecstatic - I am not only a makeup fanatic, but I also adore anything natural and/or organic. While I haven't switched to completely natural and organic products, I do think it's important to pay close attention to what chemicals we're putting on our skin every day. Finding a brand that combines innovative and luxurious products with healthy ingredients is like finding a goldmine!

Vapour is a company that combines luxury products with pure, natural ingredients. They feature waterless formulations and light reflecting technology. The ingredients they use are 100% natural, 70% certified organic, and 30% vitamins and minerals. They are free of nasty chemicals, parabens, and animal cruelty!

They were kind enough to send me three full sized products to try, and now that I've been using them for a couple of weeks, I am ready to share my thoughts on them!

The three products I received are, from the bottom: Stratus Instant Skin perfecter, Trick Stick professional illuminator, and Mesmerize eyeliner with smokey eye tool.

The stratus instant skin perfector is a very interesting product. They call it their most revolutionary product, and also the original organic BB cream! It is definitely different than any product I've ever used before.

It is a 3-in-1 moisturizer, primer, and no-color foundation. It's designed to give flawless skin without color coverage! It brightens the complexion, evens the skin tone, and has anti aging effects. 

It comes in 3 shades, but all are basically colorless and just contain different tones suitable for certain skintones. I got 902, which is the lightest. It's best for light to medium skin with pink undertones.

This product has impressed me! It glides on the skin and makes it feel instantly soft and smooth. It leaves a dewy finish. While there is no coverage, the slight luminous effect (without being actually glittery) makes my skin look more even and radiant. This is wonderful for a day when you want your skin to look its best without coverage, and it also goes well under foundation! It was made to either wear alone or pair with their atmosphere foundation, which I am very interested in trying next! 

The trick stick professional illuminator is just what it sounds like - an illuminator! It's a great little highlighting stick that is available in four subtle colors. I got star, which is a platinum. This highlighter goes on nice and subtly, and is truly foolproof. I love it on my browbone and cheeks, as well as the inner corners of my eyes. I normally use a powder highlight, and I have found that I prefer this! It goes on much more subtly and is easy to build without overdoing the glow!

And finally, the mesmerize eyeliner with smoky eye tool. This is a nice, creamy black liner that goes on smooth and precise. I love the included blending tool - it works perfectly to smoke out the line or even just soften it! The liner is soft enough to go on without pulling, which I appreciate. I've been using it daily since I received it! A black liner is a pretty simple thing, but sometimes it's hard to find a good one.

Here are all three items on the back of my hand. The liner is on the left, the trick stick is in the middle, and the stratus is on the right. 

This was my first experience with Vapour Organic Beauty, and I have to say I am very impressed with the items I received! I can't wait to try out more products. If these look good to you, you can learn more about and purchase their products on their website.

Disclaimer: I was given products free of charge to review. I was not required to post a review, nor was I compensated for doing so. All opinions are my own.

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream - No. 21 review

I am personally really enjoying the recent BB cream craze that has been going on. I've never been a fan of foundation...I always find them either too heavy and dry, too oily, or just ineffective on my skin. And using layers of necessary products like serums, sunscreens, moisturizers, and makeup every day is not only time consuming, but it literally makes me feel like I'm suffocating my skin. I've always been more of an "all in one" kind of girl.

So when I first started hearing about BB creams, to say I was intrigued would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what a BB cream is by now, but in a nutshell, it's a product that combines skin care benefits like whitening/brightening and antiaging, sun protection, moisturization, and coverage. They have been around since the 60s (when they were used by people who had undergone certain medical procedures to rejuvenate the skin) but they didn't start reed ally gaining popularity until a few years ago, when they became a craze in Korea. In the last year or two, the trend has made its way to the US, and we're now seeing American varieties pop up.

I've posted before about a couple of the American variety, which are in general more like tinted moisturizers with some SPF than true BB creams (I'm not saying that's a bad thing...but I do find it best to consider them their own thing, rather than compare them to the others), but I've also been trying out some real Asian BB creams. This Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream is one of those!

This BB cream comes in very easy to use packaging with a pump. The full size is 50 ML and retails for $29.99 on Missha's US site...of course, prices vary at other retailers. They also sell a mini travel sized version.

I have no. 21, which is Light Beige. This BB cream comes in 5 different shades ranging from Milky Beige to Golden Beige. This is the 2nd lightest. I was a bit concerned that this would be too dark, as I generally require the lightest shade in everything, but that was not the case and it is a good match for my skin! A good thing about BB creams is that the shades are very versatile and adjust to your skin tone.

This BB cream offers an SPF of 42, which is great. It promises whitening and anti-aging, and to help heal blemishes. I have combination skin and I do get occasional breakouts, so I was happy to learn that. 

The product is a great consistency. It's thick and not at all runny, but it's light and easy to blend, as well.  The pump makes it easy to dispense just the right amount. It does have a grayish cast to it when it is first applied, but that quickly goes away as it is blended into the skin. Another notable thing about this BB cream is the scent - it has a nice, soft, kind of powdery scent that I really enjoy.

I found that it blended in to my skin readily and within a minute or two, it was invisible. I have found that it is easy to apply this cream for sheer coverage or full coverage, and it does not look cakey. The finish is not dry nor dewy, but nice and soft. I have had a few people comment on how soft and pretty my skin looks while wearing it!

In this rather unflattering photo, I am wearing nothing on my skin but this BB cream and a bit of blush. It has covered my blemishes and uneven spots. I feel that it has lightened a few acne scars I have, as well, which is a very welcome benefit.

In all, I am very impressed with this BB cream. It is one I will be repurchasing. So far, it is my holy grail bb cream!

What do you think of the current BB cream craze? What's your favorite one?

Maybelline Baby Lips - review

I'm a lip balm fiend. Always have been. I am not at all a lipstick gal, and while I do appreciate a nice gloss, I turn to balms 90% of the time. I have boxes full of them, and yet, I can never resist trying a new one.

When I saw Maybelline's Baby Lips balms start popping up a while back, I was tempted, but having just splurged on some pretty lip tints, I resisted...until a couple of weeks ago, when I saw them on sale at Walgreens. I was intrigued by Maybelline's promises: the balms include a "lip renew" formula, with 8 hour hydration. They also claim to provide visibly renewed lips in 4 weeks.  The packaging was adorable, as well.

 Out of curiosity, I picked up two - one tinted, and one untinted. I've been trying them out extensively over the last couple of weeks and I have had a chance to form an opinion on them.

I chose Peppermint and Peach Kiss. 

Peppermint is exactly what it sounds like - a clear, peppermint infused balm. I found the formula nice and smooth. It goes on with just a bit of shine. It does have a peppermint scent to it, but it's not very strong. I personally prefer a stronger mint scent and flavor, but that's just me. I did find that, with this one, you could kind of taste the sunscreen. It has done a good job of keeping my lips hydrated and smooth. It's a decent product, but I don't think I'd buy it again...there are just other clear mint balms that I prefer. 

I really love the Peach Kiss, though!  It is a sheer peach colored balm with a peach scent. 

As you can see, it's a nice shade...not too dark, not too light. The peachy scent is nice, not overpowering but a nice change for me. I find the formula to be as hydrating as the peppermint, but it has just a touch of shimmer to it!

Forgive the scary skin closeup, but here's how it looks on my fairly pigmented lips. It's a nice neutral peach that works on my cool skin tone as well as it would on warmer ones. 

I really like this one, and I would definitely buy it again. I am interested in trying a few other shades of these balms, though I will likely pass on the other clear one. All in all, I think Baby Lips are pretty decent lip balms with adorable packaging.

Have you tried them yet? If so, do you like them?

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - review

The BB cream craze is still in full effect, and more and more US brands are coming out with their own version.  Now, as many have noted, US BB creams are not really comparable to the Asian variety.  The American variety are basically tinted moisturizers with added benefits, while the Asian creams tend to be less sheer and more focused on actual skin treatment.  I have and adore a couple of true Asian BB creams, but I am not comparing these American ones to those...rather, I'm trying evaluate them on their own merits instead of getting too hung up on whether or not they should use the term "BB cream" for the American product.

As someone who, in general, is not a fan of foundation, I gravitate toward all-in-one products like these and have been trying to try as many as possible. I've decided to start sharing my thoughts on each here! I recently picked up Maybelline's version and have been trying it out for a few days.

This cost me just a bit less than $9 for 1 ounce. One nice thing about the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is that it comes in five shades. This means that darker skinned girls might actually find a shade that works for them! Traditional BB creams come in only one shade and are tailored to Asian skin tones, so they don't suit all Western faces. I am super pale, so I got the lightest shade.

Note that it describes itself as a sheer tint. It does not try to be a full or heavy coverage product. This product promises 8 benefits to the skin: blurs imperfections, brightens, evens skin tone, smoothes, hydrates, enhances, and provides sun protection. It includes SPF 30, which is a great benefit, in my opinion.

When I squeezed some out, I noted that it's a bit thinner than most other BB creams I've tried, but it is not at all runny. I wondered at first if it would be a bit too dark, but that was not the case at all.

Partially blended out, you can see that it is a pretty good match for my skintone (my hands are just a tiny bit darker than my face) and it is pretty easy to blend.

Once fully blended in, I am happy with the color. I am relieved that there is no orange cast, as I've had a couple of other similar products go a bit orange or dark on me. The texture is nice - just a tiny bit dewy, but not at all greasy. 

And here it is on my otherwise bare face after about 15 minutes. As you can see, the coverage is sheer. It does even out my skintone well, but don't count on it to hide a breakout. It feels nice on my skin, and the color never oxidizes on me.

In all, I think this is a pretty good product! It's more sheer than the Garnier version, but has a much nicer finish and color variety.

Have you tried any of the new US BB creams? What do you think of them?

Sircle Samples

A while back, I posted about a new site called Sircle Samples. Basically, you earn points by filling out surveys and a beauty profile, and you spend those points on beauty samples. I've gotten quite a few things from them over the past few months, including lip glosses, eyeshadow, moisturizer, and eyeliner. Here are the three items I got today!

The elf super glossy lip shine is a really pretty pink shade! It does go on super glossy, thick but not too sticky. It lasted for a while for me.

The elf shimmer gloss is my favorite! It is a little thinner than the super glossy, but it is a gorgeous shade perfect for summer, and has just a bit of shimmer. It's not a glitter bomb or anything!

The NYX gloss isn't really my shade...it's called sand dune and that's just what it looks like...beige sand. I did try it, though, and it goes on sheer and is actually wearable. It'd be great to tone down a too bright lip color. The formulation is nice!

Sircle Samples does have a waiting list, and sometimes you have to wait a while until they have new samples available.  The good ones tend to go fast! The site is still in beta, so there are also sometimes technical issues. I've personally had nothing but good experiences with them, though, and who doesn't love free makeup? Here is my invitation/referral link if you're interested in trying them out.

Little Black Bag - July (makeup edition)

So, when it comes to LBB, I tend to go in phases. First, I was all about getting some cute handbags to liven things up. Then I was determined to get my jewelry collection to...well...exist. Then I was focused on sunglasses and wallets. But one of my favorite categories available on the site is makeup, and I recently decided to go for an all makeup bag - specifically, an all Cargo bag. I succeeded! Here's what I ended up with.

As always, everything was wrapped up neatly in black tissue.

They always have everything well wrapped with bubble wrap, as well. This is the first bag that I've received that has EVER had a damaged item!

I was really excited to finally get my hands on this color quad in Vienna! I am really lacking in the neutrals department, and Cargo eyeshadows are quickly becoming my favorite. The packaging is beautiful, too. Really happy with this!

Aaaand here's the part that brought a tear to my eye. Despite being well packaged, my Amalfi blush was crushed. The good news is that their customer service is great, and after I contacted them and sent them a picture of the damage, they gave me an exchange item credit for use in my next bag.

And, with the assistance of some rubbing alcohol, I was able to repress the blush. It doesn't look as pretty in the tin anymore, but still usable (and gorgeous when worn!)

I got the Smoky eye duo in Brazil because I am sorely lacking when it comes to brown liners, and I thought the idea was cool. The cream side is nice and smooth and goes on well, and the powder side is silky and easy to use. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the black and gray versions of this, as well.

This is the BeachBag Beauty set. I basically traded my soul away for this!

It included a full sized tinted moisturizer in the shade "Nude". First of all, this is huge! 1.7 ounces. The formula is smooth and silky and feels great on the skin. Unfortunately, it is way too dark for me. I hoped to find someone to trade it with, but I haven't had luck so far, so I guess I'll keep it to mix with foundations that are too light or too dry for me. Unless one of you is interested. Then you should email me or comment. :)

Also in the kit was a color stick in Maui. I LOVE THIS. I now regret that I didn't get some of these when they were on the site a while back. It is awesome - not too wet, not too dry, goes on like a dream and easy to blend.

The color is beautiful. I have used it both on my cheeks and my lips, and it's flattering on both. I use it most often on my cheeks!

Finally, a full sized Better than Waterproof mascara. This is my first Cargo mascara, and I love it! And once again, I now wish I'd grabbed a few when they were on the site alone a while back. It lengthens, thickens, and defines. It lasts all day and can be removed without much trouble. 

The brush is nice and big, and really grabs your lashes and pulls them up. I've been using this pretty much daily since I got it.

And, as an added bonus, LBB teamed up with Redken this month and gave everyone a deluxe sample of a product. I go the Shine Flash 02 spray, and everyone and their brother wanted to trade their Redken sample for this and I kept it. LOVE.

Here's all the Cargo I've gotten from Little Black Bag in the last two months (minus a lipgloss I keep at work). Awesome stuff. Have you tried it?

As always, I'm happy with my bag. If you haven't signed up yet and want to try it, here's my referral link! :)