Tuesday 29 December 2009

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Glosses



Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Glosses:

I must admit these two glosses were total impulse purchases. I was standing in what felt like the worlds longest line around the holiday season and the glosses were on full display, 2 for 12 dollars. I couldn't resist.

The first gloss is a pink color called Lotta Colada and the second is clear with just a hint of gold called Twisted Citrus. The colors are very sheer, but they smell absolutely delicious.

The only problem: STICKY! These glosses feel like super glue on my lips. I can't even wear them if my hair is down because I'll be peeling hair off of my lips all day. I don't think the sweet smells and fairly nice colors can persuade me to wear these too often. They can truly create a sticky mess on my face.

I guess that's what I get for giving into the boredom of the long holiday shopping lines!

Laura Geller Balance-N-Bronze




Laura Geller Balance-N-Bronze:

This is one of my favorite bronzers of all time. When swirled together, the baked powder compact is the perfect hint of bronze. I have tried so many bronzers that make me look streaky, muddy, or just plain orange, but this is the one bronzer I have found that I can use with a light hand for a touch of color in the fall and winter or gradually build up for a sunny glow in the spring and summer.

Battle of the Eye Primers



Urban Decay Primer Potion versus Too Faced Shadow Insurance:

I am a huge fan of eye primers and I use them under all of my eye looks. They prevent creasing, make your eye makeup last longer, and give your shadows something to stick to. These two seem to be the most popular eye primers and I have used them both. I have always been an Urban Decay Primer Potion kind of girl, but I have heard good things about the Too Faced Shadow Insurance and thought I should give it a try. I have used it for about 4 months now and it is safe to say that I am not converted.

The Shadow Insurance often seemed to separate so when I squeeze some onto my finger I just get a finger full of a greasy, oily substance. It also had a liquid-like texture as opposed to the Primer Potion which has a more creamy consistency. I have to say that I prefer the thicker cream of the Primer Potion to the greasier texture of the Shadow Insurance, but to be honest, I don't see a big difference in which keeps my shadow on longer. I think they both work equally well as a primer, but because my skin tends to be more on the oily side, I have to stick with the Primer Potion. For dry skin/eye lids, however, I would recommend the Shadow Insurance.

No clear winner here...just a matter of skin types, I suppose!

MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch



MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch:

There are few words to describe this amazing plum shade. Sketch is a strong shadow and is definitely a night time color for me. Along with Woodwinked and Satin Taupe it makes an excellent smokey eye. I use it instead of a dark gray, brown or black to mix up my night time eyes looks.

Also in my top five MAC shadows of all time.

MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe



MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe:

Another one of my top MAC shadows. This shade also went through the same careful selection process as Woodwinked, but it is a deeper shade that I tend to use as a crease color. It darkens an eye look without being overpowering.

Absolutely in my top five MAC eyeshadow shades.

MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked



MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked:

I am not one of those girls that has an extensive MAC eyeshadow collection. Am I envious when I see people with 8 palettes full of colors? Yes. But for about 15 dollars a pop, I make my selections slowly and wisely after watching multiple shadow reviews on YouTube and visiting the MAC counter about a zillion times.

Woodwinked is one of my top eyeshadows hands down. It is a bronzy gold shade with gold reflects in it and I use it as the base color for many of my shadow looks. It is neutral enough to go with just about any look, but it also stands strong on its own.

Definitely my careful pick for a must-have MAC shadow collection.

MAC Feline Eye Kohl




MAC Feline Eye Kohl:

This is a monumental moment in my makeup history! I have been hearing raves about the MAC Eye Kohl in the color Feline on YouTube for what feels like forever, but it is a limited edition product and only comes out very rarely, but as luck would have it, it was re-promoted this month and I went on an eyeliner mission. I first checked the SoHo Bloomingdales MAC counter, but walked away empty handed. They were already sold out. Then I went to the Bloomingdales near my home and the sales woman took me to the very back of the very bottom drawer at the counter and produced two pencils. She whispered that they were the last two she had. "I'll take both!!!" came out of my mouth much louder than I had planned, but I walked away with the two liners and have used them every day since then.

It truly lives up to all the hype. I normally use MAC's Eye Kohl in Smolder which is the black pencil liner in their permanent collection, but I have left Smolder in the dust for Feline. It is as jet black as a liner can possibly be and stays just where I put it all day long until I take it off with remover at night. It's still a kohl pencil so it smudges well, but it makes a precise line from the start.

I think I may just have to stake out a few more MAC locations to see if I can stock up on the liner now that I know how truly difficult it can be to find when it comes out. This time, I'll try to use my inside voice.

MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot



MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot:

I am absolutely in love! I have been wanting to buy this paint pot for a long time now and I've finally done it. It is everything I could have hoped for and more. The paint pot, which can be used as a base for other eyeshadows or as a cream eyeshadow by itself, is a fabulous mix of creamy corals, golds, and pinks. I have been swiping a bit on my eyes when I wake up and using it as my sole eye color for the day. It brightens my eyes the second I apply it and it stays put throughout the day without creasing.

Now I have a new obsession to pine for: The MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Feelin' Good




MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Feelin' Good:

This lip conditioner (which has an SPF of 15) is part of the Warm and Cozy limited edition collection this season. I fell in love with the soft pink color at the MAC store, but after using it for a couple of days I have to admit that I am having a hard time seeing any color at all. The pink is so sheer that there is hardly any pigmentation in the balm. If I don't pack it on with multiple applications, it may as well just be a clear gloss.

I do like that there is an SPF in the balm and I find it keeps my lips fairly moisturized, but if I had to choose between using this or my old stand-by, Rosebud Salve, I think I'd stick with the salve.

Nars The Multiple Shade Sticks




Nars The Multiple Shade Sticks:

These three shade sticks came in a set, packaged together, in the colors Orgasm, South Beach, and Copacabana.

I was initially wary to try these creamy sticks because my skin tends to get pretty oily over the course of the day and the thought of putting cream makeup all over my face has never been something that I have tried before. However, these sticks go on the face and immediately feel just like powder! They become velvety smooth and do not feel thick and creamy at all.

The Orgasm shade stick should sound fairly familiar because it is the shade stick version of Nars' best selling blush. I also have the powder version of the blush, but I may just love it better as a shade stick. I apply it to the apples of my cheeks and blend it out. It blends very easily and delivers a stronger pop of color as opposed to the powder blush that I have to gradually build to get the application that I get right away with the shade stick. The only down side of this being that it is easy to apply too much color too quickly.

South Beach is the bronzer of the trio and I was worried that it may look streaky in a cream stick form, but I found that it was very easy to blend and made contouring a whole lot easier as well because I was able to precisely place the bronzer just where I wanted it before I blend it out.

Copacabana is the highlighter in the set and I was pleasantly surprised at the shimmery taupe shade. I find that some highlighters can be too white and look like a sparkly white smudge on the face, but this shade blends in well with my skin tone and gives the tops of my cheek bones just the right amount of shimmer.

Overall, I could not be happier with the purchase! The shade sticks were easy to use and came in three great colors that, when used together, create an easy look for the entire face.

The Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette




The Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette:

This palette was a holiday gift that I had my eye on for months! Not only are there 88 different eyeshadow shades, but the whole palette cost less than 20 dollars from CoastalScents.com. I actually would beg to differ that this palette has 88 colors. By combining colors, I think the potential number of shades is just about endless. I think I could create new shadow looks for the rest of my life!

The palette is made up completely of warm tones from stark white and jet black to coral and deep brown. Many of the shades have some gold reflects in them, but the majority of the shades are matte. The colors are not individually named so to point out a specific one takes a bit of geography. I love the gold shade 5 in from the left side and 4 down from the top and the peachy coral with specks of gold fourth from the right on the bottom row, but I really could not pick a single favorite from the entire palette. All of the colors of very pigmented, but easy to blend.