I bought the shade toast, which is a warm yellow-gold color. I had hoped to use it on my lids as a center of the lid highlight to bring some shimmer and life to my eyes. But trying to use a brush with this product is impossible to get any color out of the pot, and even with your fingers the product is much more likely to stick to your fingers than it is to stick to anything else. I had absolutely no luck getting this color to give me any pay off on the lids. It reminds me of a poorly formulated version of the Loreal Infallible shadows, which I will likely replace this color with down the road. I will keep trying to see if I can get it to work because the color is beautiful, especially over my favorite eyeshadow Laura Mercier African Violet, which a review is coming soon on so stay tuned for that!
Back to Elf's Toast, its super soft and appears pigmented in the pot as well as on your finger when you go to swatch it, but it doesn't transfer to the lids over other shadow or on bare skin. I had a bit more luck smudging it onto the inner corner of the eye, but it has a ton of fallout and turned me into the glitter fairy for the entire day. I kept seeing little light reflections on my face when the glitter would fall out and it was all over my under eyes by the end of work. I feel like I have a more workable version of this shade in the elf 144 palette with all the rainbow colors in it. And, if I don't I can always pick up an Anistasia Beverly Hills single to match when I pick up Pink Champagne soon.
As creamy and gorgeous as this shadow appears at first, it seems very picky about how it applies and what it is applied over top of. I'll keep trying, but this has been a total flop so far.
Have fun in the sun, and Stay Beautiful!
BNB
Future me here! This is still something I'm struggling to use, but I have since had some luck in the past few months in figuring out how this product works and applies best. You have to pack it on your fingers by pressing kind of hard into the product because it is essentially a powder shadow with a creamy texture. I actually like it more now than I did, but it still turns me into a glitter fallout fairy mess by the end of the day. Probably not going to buy it again, but it's a fun little product when I use it here and there.
Showing posts with label Eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eyes. Show all posts
Friday, April 28, 2017
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Liquid Metal Eyes
For my birthday I stopped at Ulta and bought myself two of the Catrice Liquid Metal eyeshadows because I absolutely love having super shimmery colors for the lid and the swatches were to die for. I bought 80 Making Mauves and 100 What Do You Sea?.
They're very a very soft and buttery texture. They have great pigmentation. The price doesn't break the bank. And they have a super shimmery finish as well. Or at least one of them does. Number 80 is a beautiful muted purple that has a truly stunning metallic quality to it, however the other one seems to have more of a slight glitter to it moreso than the shimmer. I'm not a huge fan of the quilting and ridges that are in the powder, but the product itself is very good. I hope to pick up the other neutral shades soon, but I think I may end up passing on the green-blue shade (What Do You Sea?) because I don't know how much use it will get from me, but I will keep it for a while and see.
I wore these for an entire work day and they stayed put despite the conditions I work under. I had no trouble applying them with either a brush or my fingers, though I prefer a dense eye brush when I use them. These are some of the smoothest eyeshadows I have seen at the drugstore, and I love the metallic finish. I often use the Mauve one to highlight my inner corner and give it a pop of color (when I'm not using Pink Champagne from ABH, that is). For the price, these shadows can't be beaten, and their similarity to the Bella Eyes line from Milani is spot on in my opinion. I love both lines, however Milani has far more colors.
Stay beautiful Ladies!
BNB
They're very a very soft and buttery texture. They have great pigmentation. The price doesn't break the bank. And they have a super shimmery finish as well. Or at least one of them does. Number 80 is a beautiful muted purple that has a truly stunning metallic quality to it, however the other one seems to have more of a slight glitter to it moreso than the shimmer. I'm not a huge fan of the quilting and ridges that are in the powder, but the product itself is very good. I hope to pick up the other neutral shades soon, but I think I may end up passing on the green-blue shade (What Do You Sea?) because I don't know how much use it will get from me, but I will keep it for a while and see.
I wore these for an entire work day and they stayed put despite the conditions I work under. I had no trouble applying them with either a brush or my fingers, though I prefer a dense eye brush when I use them. These are some of the smoothest eyeshadows I have seen at the drugstore, and I love the metallic finish. I often use the Mauve one to highlight my inner corner and give it a pop of color (when I'm not using Pink Champagne from ABH, that is). For the price, these shadows can't be beaten, and their similarity to the Bella Eyes line from Milani is spot on in my opinion. I love both lines, however Milani has far more colors.
Stay beautiful Ladies!
BNB
Monday, July 11, 2016
Better Than Sex or Mega Effects?
The review you've all been waiting for is here. The verdict is in!
I can't say I hate the Better Than Sex mascara, but I have a lot of problems with it when I look at it and its packaging in comparison to my ride or die drugstore mascara.
My Mega Effects mascara from Avon completely blows my mind. It gives me the best volume, length and curl I have ever seen for a drugstore mascara that's only 10 bucks. The wand was terrifying looking at first, but after a few cautious applications I am completely in love, and it is absolutely effortless. The handle bends so that you can apply it from whatever angle makes it easiest for you, and the wand it three dimensional with longer rows of bristles faded to shorter ones towards the ends. The formula is very liquid-y which I think helps it to apply smoothly and avoid clumping. The black part of the tube where all the product is is pliable so the product gets low you can get the most of the it out by squeezing it. I have a little bit of trouble with transfer while the product is wet, but once it sets it is almost impossible to remove without an oil based remover which is awesome. When waiting for the product to dry I usually just hold something under my eye to help keep transfer from getting on my face, but it's easily removable.
The amount of times I have stabbed myself in the eye with the wacky bristles on this wand is far too high. It's not a day with this mascara until I've poked my eye out at least once while using it. I've got a lot of problems with this mascara, but the formula is not one of them. It's the perfect consistency, and lasts all day, but I did have some issues with transfer over the course of the day where it smudged on my lower lashline. The bristles on the brush aren't nearly as straight as they are in the picture, and the curve is so minute in the wand that it's hardly noticeable and does little good to help with application. I know people rave about this mascara, so please don't hate me, but this is not one of my favorite formulas, and for the price of a full size I can't see myself being willing to shell out the dough to get another tube.
I can't say I hate the Better Than Sex mascara, but I have a lot of problems with it when I look at it and its packaging in comparison to my ride or die drugstore mascara.
My Mega Effects mascara from Avon completely blows my mind. It gives me the best volume, length and curl I have ever seen for a drugstore mascara that's only 10 bucks. The wand was terrifying looking at first, but after a few cautious applications I am completely in love, and it is absolutely effortless. The handle bends so that you can apply it from whatever angle makes it easiest for you, and the wand it three dimensional with longer rows of bristles faded to shorter ones towards the ends. The formula is very liquid-y which I think helps it to apply smoothly and avoid clumping. The black part of the tube where all the product is is pliable so the product gets low you can get the most of the it out by squeezing it. I have a little bit of trouble with transfer while the product is wet, but once it sets it is almost impossible to remove without an oil based remover which is awesome. When waiting for the product to dry I usually just hold something under my eye to help keep transfer from getting on my face, but it's easily removable.
Stay Beautiful and enjoy the summer heat!
BNB
Friday, July 1, 2016
Happy Birthday To Me! - From Sephora
I picked up my birthday gift not too long ago and I am overly excited about it. It's quickly become a favorite. I had a choice between a Marc Jacobs mini makeup set (lipstick and eyeliner) or a deluxe sample set of Fresh skincare product. Even though I'm in the market for some new skincare, I'm always a little hesitant to try things without doing thorough research on what's in the products because my skin is so sensitive to so many ingredients in skincare products. With that being said I went for the Marc Jacobs set which came with a mini Le Marc Lip Creme in 216 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and a mini Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer.
Let me tell you... This is a wonderful birthday gift to get when you're someone who has trouble splurging on yourself. This lipstick is so long wearing, creamy, and opaque. It's a fun pink that's a few shades brighter than my natural lip color. It's easy to apply, and let's be honest, the mini size of it is absolutely adorable. Even for a deluxe sample size it will still last a long time!
The eyeliner stayed in place all day on the waterline without smudging or ending up in my eyelash roots giving me raccoon eyes, but it's just a mini matte black eyeliner. While I can't justify spending money on this expensive of an eyeliner, you can bet that I will be using this one up without complaining. It's opaque and creamy, and probably well worth the price for it's quality, but I can't do it.
Thanks Sephora for a lovely birthday gift on my first month back in Sephora stores!
Stay Beautiful!
BNB
Let me tell you... This is a wonderful birthday gift to get when you're someone who has trouble splurging on yourself. This lipstick is so long wearing, creamy, and opaque. It's a fun pink that's a few shades brighter than my natural lip color. It's easy to apply, and let's be honest, the mini size of it is absolutely adorable. Even for a deluxe sample size it will still last a long time!
The eyeliner stayed in place all day on the waterline without smudging or ending up in my eyelash roots giving me raccoon eyes, but it's just a mini matte black eyeliner. While I can't justify spending money on this expensive of an eyeliner, you can bet that I will be using this one up without complaining. It's opaque and creamy, and probably well worth the price for it's quality, but I can't do it.
Thanks Sephora for a lovely birthday gift on my first month back in Sephora stores!
Stay Beautiful!
BNB
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Drugstore Haul and Mini Reviews
I picked up a bunch of products in the last few months from Milani than I had been eyeing and gave them all a try.
I picked up 3 blushes, 3 single eye shadows, 2 liquid lipsticks, 2 lip oils, a lipstick and an eye shadow palette. The gold packaging feels very elegant and expensive and I love to have these products around on display. Some of the packaging I find to be bulky (like the blushes) but regardless they are wonderful.
The first blush is from the rose blushes line and is in Romantic Rose (01) and although it has a slightly weird and chemical scent it is a gorgeous color and very difficult to over apply as it had a lighter pigmentation and a buildable formula. The cool toned mauve color is perfect and very unique at the drug store.The next two blushes are from the baked blush line in the shades Red Vino (09) and Bella Rosa (11). Red Vino is a red blush with gold shimmer and Bella Rosa is a vivid bright pink matte. This formula is by far my favorite baked blush formula. Unlike most baked products these are still soft and extremely pigmented. Red Vino does require an extremely light hand on fair skin, but the color is gorgeous even when applied lightly, just be careful of overdoing it. Bella Rosa also requires a bit of a light hand, though less so than the other color. but both colors last a long time on the skin and apply evenly and easily.
The single eye shadows I haven't played with too much, but they're from the Bella Eyes collection of gel powder shadows. I picked up specifically shimmers and metallics because they seemed like things I would use the most. First up is Bella Rouge, a metallic red; then Bella Gold, a metallic yellow gold; and finally Bella Chiffon, a metallic creamy white. The formula is very interesting and is said to be simlar to the colour pop shadows, so before springing for those I decided I would test the Milani formula first in case I didn't like it. It's definitely applied best with the fingertips in my opinion, but a brush may work well for some colors. All of the colors are very pigmented and blendable with each other and other shadows. I find I like them best as an accent on the center of the lid or in the inner corner of the eyes to bring dimension. I plan to pick up Dolci the 31st shade in the line which is a beautiful rose with a gold metallic shimmer in an order online in which I will hopefully pick up some of the new metallic liquid lipsticks.
The Amore Matte Liquid Lipsticks I have a love-hate relationship with. I own Loved (12) and Obsession (18). Loved is a medium nude brown color, which I love, and obsession is a red-toned purple. Both colors definitely dry completely matte, however they may dry too matte. After a drink of water I can feel the lipstick suck the leftover moisture out of my lips. The formula is quite patchy when I apply it, but I find it to be less noticeable in the nude color than in the deeper purple shade. Before it dries it looks fine and then when it dries it becomes streaky and patchy. the mousse-y formula is wonderful and soft to apply without dragging, but stains outside the lipline if it finds its way there so be warned. The scent is to die for; it smells like vanilla cake icing.
The lip oils are definitely one of my favorite products. I use them before applying lip products to help moisturize, and then again after I take off my makeup to replenish moisture and repair any damage or irritation from longwear products. I have moisturizing coconut (01) and repairing rose (05). Each oil is supposed to do different things, and while I haven't seen these do different things from each other I still think they are a great product to help hydrate and care for your lips.
I also picked up the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 38 Double Espresso. This deep brown with gold shimmer is the perfect 90's lip color in my opinion. It is glossy and moisturizing but does not find its way outside the lipline or fade quickly after application. It is not long wearing, but doesn't require constant touchups either.The scent of this product is also delicious, but is more of a fruit candy scent.
Finally, the palette I chose was the Everyday Eyes palette in Earthy Elements (05) which consists of 6 shades of warm tones. 2 shades are matte (a burnt orange and a warm fawn brown) and 4 are shimmers (a deep reddish brown, a peach champagne, a warm dark brown, and a cream). All the colors are pigmented and soft. They kick up a little bit of powder when used with a brush, but not extremely much. I wish one of the darker shades was matte instead of shimmer because the palette feels slightly off balance without it. This palette is one of my go to's for when I need warm colors, but I do have to pull other colors in due to the lack of mattes. The brush in this palette is not cheap and useless like most palettes in the drugstore. It's one of the few brushes I have actually have kept and frequently use during makeup application.
Quite the pile pf products!
Always enjoy your beauty and whatever products you choose to use.
BNB
I picked up 3 blushes, 3 single eye shadows, 2 liquid lipsticks, 2 lip oils, a lipstick and an eye shadow palette. The gold packaging feels very elegant and expensive and I love to have these products around on display. Some of the packaging I find to be bulky (like the blushes) but regardless they are wonderful.
The first blush is from the rose blushes line and is in Romantic Rose (01) and although it has a slightly weird and chemical scent it is a gorgeous color and very difficult to over apply as it had a lighter pigmentation and a buildable formula. The cool toned mauve color is perfect and very unique at the drug store.The next two blushes are from the baked blush line in the shades Red Vino (09) and Bella Rosa (11). Red Vino is a red blush with gold shimmer and Bella Rosa is a vivid bright pink matte. This formula is by far my favorite baked blush formula. Unlike most baked products these are still soft and extremely pigmented. Red Vino does require an extremely light hand on fair skin, but the color is gorgeous even when applied lightly, just be careful of overdoing it. Bella Rosa also requires a bit of a light hand, though less so than the other color. but both colors last a long time on the skin and apply evenly and easily.
The single eye shadows I haven't played with too much, but they're from the Bella Eyes collection of gel powder shadows. I picked up specifically shimmers and metallics because they seemed like things I would use the most. First up is Bella Rouge, a metallic red; then Bella Gold, a metallic yellow gold; and finally Bella Chiffon, a metallic creamy white. The formula is very interesting and is said to be simlar to the colour pop shadows, so before springing for those I decided I would test the Milani formula first in case I didn't like it. It's definitely applied best with the fingertips in my opinion, but a brush may work well for some colors. All of the colors are very pigmented and blendable with each other and other shadows. I find I like them best as an accent on the center of the lid or in the inner corner of the eyes to bring dimension. I plan to pick up Dolci the 31st shade in the line which is a beautiful rose with a gold metallic shimmer in an order online in which I will hopefully pick up some of the new metallic liquid lipsticks.
The Amore Matte Liquid Lipsticks I have a love-hate relationship with. I own Loved (12) and Obsession (18). Loved is a medium nude brown color, which I love, and obsession is a red-toned purple. Both colors definitely dry completely matte, however they may dry too matte. After a drink of water I can feel the lipstick suck the leftover moisture out of my lips. The formula is quite patchy when I apply it, but I find it to be less noticeable in the nude color than in the deeper purple shade. Before it dries it looks fine and then when it dries it becomes streaky and patchy. the mousse-y formula is wonderful and soft to apply without dragging, but stains outside the lipline if it finds its way there so be warned. The scent is to die for; it smells like vanilla cake icing.
The lip oils are definitely one of my favorite products. I use them before applying lip products to help moisturize, and then again after I take off my makeup to replenish moisture and repair any damage or irritation from longwear products. I have moisturizing coconut (01) and repairing rose (05). Each oil is supposed to do different things, and while I haven't seen these do different things from each other I still think they are a great product to help hydrate and care for your lips.
I also picked up the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 38 Double Espresso. This deep brown with gold shimmer is the perfect 90's lip color in my opinion. It is glossy and moisturizing but does not find its way outside the lipline or fade quickly after application. It is not long wearing, but doesn't require constant touchups either.The scent of this product is also delicious, but is more of a fruit candy scent.
Finally, the palette I chose was the Everyday Eyes palette in Earthy Elements (05) which consists of 6 shades of warm tones. 2 shades are matte (a burnt orange and a warm fawn brown) and 4 are shimmers (a deep reddish brown, a peach champagne, a warm dark brown, and a cream). All the colors are pigmented and soft. They kick up a little bit of powder when used with a brush, but not extremely much. I wish one of the darker shades was matte instead of shimmer because the palette feels slightly off balance without it. This palette is one of my go to's for when I need warm colors, but I do have to pull other colors in due to the lack of mattes. The brush in this palette is not cheap and useless like most palettes in the drugstore. It's one of the few brushes I have actually have kept and frequently use during makeup application.
Quite the pile pf products!
Always enjoy your beauty and whatever products you choose to use.
BNB
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