E.L.F. Studio Cream Eyeshadow Swatches

Elf Studio Cream Shadows Clockwise:  Bronzed, Candelight
Teal Party, Purple Pleaser

I just wanted to share some quick photos of the 4 E.L.F. Studio Cream Eyeshadows I bought during their Cyber Monday Sale.  I've been using this product in the shade Dawn for quite some time now and have been completely LOVING it.  In fact it was my summer staple, so I couldn't wait to get more shades.  Read on for more information and swatches!

Review: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

I have to be honest, I had no interest in this foundation until I saw it on clearance at CVS.  I never took much stock in these magic color matching foundations.  They just seemed a bit gimmicky to me.  I tried Almay's Smart Shade foundation when it first came out but I wasn't impressed and pretty much formed my opinion of all color match foundations on that which, admittedly, isn't fair.  However, I have to say this creation from Rimmel has changed everything!  Find out why after the jump!

FOTD: Daytime Mermaid

I was in an "under the sea" type of mood today so that was the inspiration for this look.  I also wanted to test out a few of the new products that I got for Christmas.  The key to this look was fresh & dewy skin and a kind of seaweed effect on the lids for which golden teal and olive colors are a must.  List of products used and more pictures after the jump!

E.L.F. Nail Polish (New and Improved Formula) Review

E.L.F. Nail Polish L-R:  Smoky Brown, Mint, Lilac

As part of my cyber Monday E.L.F. haul, I decided to pick up 3 of their polishes.  I've purchased E.L.F.'s polishes in the past and thought they were okay for $1.  I wasn't thrilled though and didn't have a real desire to get more.  However, a few months ago the company upped the price from $1 to $2 and claimed a new and improved formula, so I figured I'd give them another try.  Find out if the new formula is worth the doubling of the price after the jump!

A God Among Men: Real Techniques Stippling Brush Review

No, what you're looking at here is not a pretty dandelion, it's better than that:  it's the best stippling brush ever made!  I purchased the Real Techniques Stippling Brush as part of an ULTA haul a while ago, so I've had plenty of time to play with it and let me tell you, it's amazing.  I've been a huge fan of the Pixiwoo sisters since I began my journey into makeup madness and I credit them with my ability to not make myself look like a fool when I dress my face up.  So there was no hesitation when I found out that Samantha Chapman was coming out with her own brush line, I knew I had to have them all.  I wasn't prepared to find my holy grail of stippling brushes as I'd all but given up on using stippling brushes to apply foundations.  But I can tell you now that this is one brush you DO NOT want to pass up on your next trip to ULTA!  Find out why this brush will change your life after the jump!

Review: Jordana Easyliner, Bright Eyes Liner, & Fabuliner

I snagged these liners back during the Jordana Cyber Monday Sale.  They are normally a mere 2 bucks but I copped them at 25% off which is even more of a bargain.  Now, for the price and since I had never used Jordana before, I didn't have my expectations too high.  However, I must say for the most part I really like them, although not necessarily for all of their intended uses...Find out what I think some of them work great for and see swatches after the jump!

FOTD: You're a Mean One, Mrs. Grinch...

It's that time of the year again, folks!  So, of course it is my blogging duty to shell out some holiday looks.  Now, I know holiday looks from various blogs/youtube channels can get a little repetitive after awhile so I tried taking a different approach:  The Grinch!  I loved the Jim Carrey version of this classic Dr. Seuss story so I was uber-excited to create a look inspired by the beloved grump.  List of products used after the jump!

Broadway Brush-On Gel Nail Kit Review

After I got a full acrylic set done for my best friend's wedding this past July, I vowed to never set foot in a Nail Chop Shop ever again.  You know the kind of nail salon I mean.  The ones where you leave with your nail bed almost filed down to your skin, your cuticles bleeding, and the gnawing feeling that it's going to take months to get your nails back to their once healthy state.  But hey, for now that fresh french manicure you're rocking looks great and it only cost you $20.  Well, I couldn't take it anymore, and since I can't afford the nice salons where they actually care about the health of your nails along with the prettiness of them, I had to learn to do them myself for now.  So when I spotted this Brush-On Gel Nail Kit from Broadway Nails at Wal-Mart for only $10, I just had to try it.  I'll tell you now, I was very conflicted about this kit after using it.  Find out why after the jump!

Claw Candy: Revlon Starry Pink Polish and Gumdrop Scented Polish

The combo for today is Revlon Nail Polish in Starry Pink on top of Revlon Scented Nail Polish in Gumdrop.  Starry Pink is a gorgeous pale, cool pink armed with silver shimmers and dots of silver glitter.  I love the varying sizes of sparkles in this polish.  It can be built up to desired opacity, but I prefer not having to pack tons of glitter on my nails as it's a pain in the rear to take off.  That's why I chose to put 1 coat of Starry Pink over  1 coat of Gumdrop, which is a light, creamy lilac.  I didn't initially intend on buying the scented nail polishes as I quite like the smell of nail polish and don't see the need of masking it, but it was on sale and I loved the color.  As you may have already guessed, Gumdrop smells like bubblegum.  I have to say I was impressed at the staying power of the scent.  You don't smell much out of the bottle but it dries down to that bazooka gum scent we all love and maintains that scent for days afterward.  The scent even came clearly through the coat of Starry Pink I applied without one trace of the traditional polish smell.  Pretty cool!

CVS Beauty Clearance Time!!!

The Beauty Clearance Sale at CVS is upon us again, so I rushed to the stores near me (there are only 3 in the entire state of Delaware and I'm lucky enough to live near 2 of them) to take advantage.  Sadly, however, I saw no clearance stickers.  But I never take no for an answer so I took some products to the coupon/price scanner and sure enough they had the clearance price.  That's when I grabbed a basket and loaded it up.  All the products you see in the above photo were 75% off!  And believe me, I'm not finished.  I'm going back as soon as an acceptable amount of time has passed that the store employees don't think I'm stalking the store :)  Anyways...here's what I hauled so far after the jump!

My First Trip to Big Lots!

Ok, so technically this wasn't really my first trip to Big Lots.  I went there a few times when I was a kid with my mom, but this was my first trip there when I was the one shopping.  I know one of the only ones who have been sleeping on this awesome bargain shop, but it never even came into my mind to go in there for beauty deals.  So I randomly popped in one day last week and got myself a pretty decent mini-haul for EIGHT DOLLARS!  I couldn't believe the discounts on brand name stuff.  Here's what I snagged:


Bumpits.......................................................$1.00
Epielle Aloe Vera Cleansing Tissues 60-ct................$2.00
Smooth Away................................................$2.50
Pack of 2 Fashion Tweezers...............................$1.00
Bio true Contact Solution Travel Size....................$1.50
Total..........................................................$8.00 :)


What's the best deal you've ever found at Big Lots?

Quick TIP: Having Trouble Blending Your Concealer? Try This!

I'm not a fan of traditional concealer brushes.  I feel like they just plop the product on but don't actually blend very well.  They also can feel a little abrasive on my delicate undereye area.  That's why I switched over to using fluffy eye blending brushes to blend in my concealer.  However I found with those that, while they blended beautifully, I'd lose some of the concealer's coverage on account of the brush swiping the product back and forth.  Then of course there's using your good old finger to pat in the concealer, which provides the best coverage and does a pretty sufficient job at blending as well.  My problem with the finger though is, besides being a little unsanitary, it's not as precise as I'd like it to be.  


Enter the answer to all those concerns:  the new brushes surfacing that happen to mimic the shape of the finger. Sigma recently came out with an entire brush collection called the Precision Eyes Kit that is meant to replace your fingertips in your makeup application and I just reviewed an excellent Concealer Kabuki from Ecotools that you can read about here.  The brush I use the most however was not necessarily engineered specifically as a fingertip replicate but the idea is the same none the less.  It's the E.L.F. Angled Contour Brush.  Technically it's an eye brush, and I do use it for the eye as well, but my favorite use for it is undereye concealing.  After applying concealer to the undereye area, I use the flat angled top of the brush to pat in the product where I need coverage, and then I swirl the brush in small, circular motions around the edges of where the concealer is applied to blend it in.  The result is a perfectly blended undetectable application with top notch coverage!


What's your favorite method of concealer application?

FOTD: Eyes Wide Shut

So I was playing around and wanted to do something a little different.  Not too crazy, just different.  You can also see the translucent liner in action that I mentioned in my last Quick TIP.  Notice how bright it is in the inner part of my bottom waterline, where the flash hit it.  In the outer waterline, it shows the more subtle look that you will achieve the majority of the time when light isn't directly hitting it.  List of products used after the jump!

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Colors Review

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Colors L-R:  Berry
Colada, Brown Sugar, Fresh Melon, Grape-Tini, Raspberry

I'm writing this today with a great sigh of relief, as up until a few minutes ago, I had somehow managed to lose all 5 of my recently purchased Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Colors.  Luckily I had already taken pictures, swatches & tried them out for a while, but when I finally got the chance to just use them they went M.I.A.  After a week of searching I finally stumbled upon them while looking for something else (which is always the story, isn't it?).  So it is with great pleasure I share with you these $2 wonders after the jump!

Quick TIP: Hate White Liner on Your Waterline? Try This!

Personally, I'm a fan of white liner for some looks, but I realize it can look harsh and completely understand why it's not for some people.  And yes, there's the alternative trick of using a flesh-toned liner that a lot of you love, but they usually don't work for me.  Most of them have a pinky-ness to them that doesn't flatter me, especially since my water line can get really red sometimes and pink undertones will only enhance that.

So I've found translucent liners to be a good compromise for me to get that wide-eyed look.  Liners like E.L.F.'s Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Pearl/Glow give a very good brightening effect without being stark.  It will give your eyes a subtle glow and absolutely dazzle when it hits the light.  Does it look completely natural? No, but nothing you put on your waterline is going to achieve that.

So are you a white liner waterline gal or does your vote go for the flesh-toned liner to brighten up the eyes?

Ecotools Limited Edition Kabuki Set Review

I'm going to start by saying that I have a few posts that I'd planned to do before this one but I couldn't wait any longer to tell you.  This Limited Edition Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set put out by Ecotools for the holidays is exquisite.  I honestly wasn't interested in this as I'm the not the biggest fan of kabuki brushes (can't stand the short handle), but I'm so glad I decided to pick this up last minute because I'm uber-impressed.  Not only are these brushes the cutest little things you've ever seen, but they're also top quality that I'd put next to any drugstore or high-end brush I own.  Details after the jump!

Stila Warehouse Sale Haul Swatches!

Stila had a killer Warehouse Sale last week with up to 80% discounts so I picked up a few goodies.  It was the first of my Cyber Monday purchases to arrive at my door and it certainly set a good tone for the rest of my packages.  I loved everything I got from Stila and I can't wait to share the swatches with you :)  Check it out after the jump!

FOTD: Maleficent Homage

I have a unnatural attraction to Disney Villains.  A number of my friends will openly admit to hearing me, on more than one occasion, refer to Jafar as "kinda hot" and describing Scar as "just having something sexy about him I can't put my finger on".  I have no defense for this:  I'm twisted and always have been so why not just embrace it.  As much as I dig the dude-villains, I have to bow down to the ladies of Disney's darkness.  Oh, the swagger on these women, I could only dream to have someday - Cruella's style (I'm actually half-exaggerating about this, as I could never imagine wearing a coat made of anything's skin, much less poor puppies, but I'm all for faux-fur), and the Evil Queen's perseverance (how many times did she try and try to kill Snow White?  Teaches the kids to never give up!).  Plus, I find it a little annoying/sexist the prevalence of evil stepmothers - a lot of stepmoms are awesome!  Sorry for the rants lol...but anyhow, today we pay our respects to Maleficent, who was extra patient the 16 years she waited for Aurora to prick her finger on that spindle because it was hella rude to send everyone a invite to the Christening but her.  This isn't the makeup look that she wears, but more of a homage to her entire look.  Enjoy more after the jump!

Sephora V.I.B. Sale Part 2: Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish & Kensington Caviar Top Coat

I'm not even going to keep you guys in suspense with this....I love this stuff.  I'm haven't been too keen on some of the nail trends that have been popping up - and by that I mean crackle polish.  I don't know why but I just couldn't get down with that stuff.  However, I stand completely behind these magnetic polishes.  With only 3 steps you've manicured an optical illusion right on your nails.  Full review of this and Nails Inc.'s Kensington Caviar Top Coat after the jump!

I NEED THIS!!!!!! (Great Gift Idea)

This is the SPI Manicure Desk that is depicted in the ULTA Holiday 2011 Catalog that includes a lap desk, nail dryer, and nail drill/buffer.  I do not own this.  This is a problem.


It's an even bigger problem because it's not sold online, apparently only in stores, and the nearest ULTA is over an hour away from me :(  And yes, I realize that I could just buy a lap desk, nail dryer, and nail drill separately and have the same thing.  But that's not the point.  Not only would this be awesome for me (I could've really used this last night, my supposed manicure turned out to be a mess), but this would make a GREAT gift idea for anyone in your life who ever paints their nails or, if they're like me, can't stand having to sit at a desk doing their nails and therefore not being able to watch American Picker reruns at the same time - I like to multi task, what can I say?  Ultimately I'm probably going to just get everything separately and maybe some poster tabs to stick the dryer to the desk, because I really do think the concept is a simple yet genius idea.  But if you spy this guy at your local ULTA, think about picking 1 up, or maybe 2 or 3 for the DIY nail addicts in your life.


Have you come across in great beauty gift ideas for the holidays?

Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Review

A couple months ago I picked up the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer from my local Target at the suggestion of a couple of my favorite Youtube Gurus.  I really prefer my foundations to be on the light coverage side, and as my skin is on the dry side, tinted moisturizers seem like the perfect idea.  Unfortunately I've never had great luck in the tinted moisturizer department for some reason, and this product is no exception Details after the jump!

Buxom Lash Hurrah Kit Review (and what happens when you just type "Buxom" into Google without thinking)

First of all, I can't tell you what a great deal this Lash Hurrah kit is.  For $18, you get a full-sized Buxom Lash Mascara and a mini-size of their new Buxom Amplified Lash Mascara.  FYI - if you were to buy the Buxom Lash by itself, it would cost you $19.  If you're planning on buying just the Buxom Lash, the kit would actually save you money.  This was a last minute purchase for me during the Sephora VIB sale so that I could use up the rest of my store credit.  And as always with situations like that, it turned out to be one of my favorite things out of the haul.  It also prompted a very, um...interesting Google Image Search.  Check out more after the jump!

FOTD: Miranda Kerr Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2011 Pink Carpet Makeup Inspired

Please excuse the faux-chola/borderline duck face I'm making here, it was the best picture I could salvage from an day full of bad lighting.  Anyways...even though I'm the only person who doesn't make a point to watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show every year, I did happen upon a picture of Miranda Kerr killing it on the pink carpet and I couldn't pass up the urge to recreate the vampy russian doll look she was rocking.  Now, I couldn't find a shot of her face up close, so a lot of the eye makeup was just what I figured went well with the prominent winged-out shadow that I could make out of her pictures.  List of products used after the jump!