"Two Faced"

I hope I don't get dirty looks for saying this but I think I love this Too Faced palette a bit more than my Naked palette. I had been insanely looking for the Naked palette and was absolutely obsessed with it once I was able to get my hands on it but then I rediscovered my Natural Eye palette! I guess that makes me TWO FACED?? I am actually pretty new to Too Faced as I have only used their Lash Injection mascara and Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder. I had always adored their cute packaging and a great selection of products at Sephora so I decided to give this palette a go and I am so impressed!

The palette comes housed in a sleeve which you see on the left. It includes a total of nine eye-shadows which are a mix of matte, shimmery and super-shimmery/glittery. There is a little pull-put drawer which holds a double-ended applicator brush which I don't think was such a necessity. However, I bet you anything there would be upset consumers if Too Faced didn't include this drawer. Hard to please everyone! I personally do not ever really use these applicators.

I love these how-to cards that are tucked under the palette's lid. I think this is a great product for someone who is just starting out with make-up so they can utilize these cards to create beautiful looks. Of course you can get creative and use the eye shadows however you like, there are no limitations in make-up!

Flash

No Flash

I believe Too Faced eye shadows are the softest eye shadows I have ever touched. They really feel like velvet! Because of their super smooth and buttery texture, they apply like a dream and blend very easily! Pigmentation is amazing with the exception of Nude Beach due to it's super chunky glittery texture. With this color there will be fall-out so it must be applied using caution. Nude Beach goes really well layered on top of matte eye shadows, in other words, you can go from day-to-night really easily with it! As I do with any eye-shadow application, I use my Urban Decay Primer Potion as my base under these eye-shadows and I have not experienced any creasing whatsoever. I have semi-oily eyelids, I guess just as much as an average person's, I'm happy to say that they last all day on my lids!

Natural Sunlight

 
DAY

Heaven - Matte/Cream
Velvet Revolver - Matte/Soft taupe (similar to MAC Omega)
Sexpresso - Matte/Dark Brown

CLASSIC
Silk Teddy - Shimmery/Pink-champagne
Push-up - Shimmery/Gold brown
Erotica - Shimmery/Plummy Taupe

FASHION
Nude Beach - Glittery/Champagne
Honey Pot -Shimmery Gold
Cocoa Puff - Shimmery/Chocolate Brown with gold flecks

I am so happy that I bought this palette! I have been so blinded by Urban Decay's Naked palette that I had totally forgot about Natural Eye. It's great that I rediscovered it and loving it more often these days! If you're interested, it retails for $35 at Sephora, Ulta & Toofaced.com.

Do you own Natural Eye? What do you think about Too Faced products?

In the Groove

Hey ladies!

Like most of us, I had also been impatiently waiting for MAC's new collection; In the Groove. I was pretty let down by To the Beach, which I was looking forward to even more than this collection. It feels like right after I see someone's swatches online, my opinion about these collections change drastically. After seeing the photos of swatches I knew right off the bat that I'll be skipping the eyeshadow trios. I am not really a fan of mineralize eyeshadows. I also dissed the liners and most of the lipsticks and glosses. Then I saw Stereo Rose and Jazzed...I just knew they had to be mine! Those were the first 2 products that jumped up at me and am I glad I was able to get my hands on them as they are both sold out right now :/

Stereo Rose was love at first sight and application. I have never used an MSF before besides my MSFN which I also love and use to set my foundation with and as a bronzer. What distinguishes the two is obvious; color! MSFs have multi uses because not only can they be used as blush but also for an over all color and highlight. I even see myself using Stereo Rose as an eyeshadow, why not? I use my MSFN on my crease, sometimes!

Yep, my coral obsession continues...Jazzed is a beautiful Cremesheen pink/coral lipstick and I loves it! Before seeing swatches, I was sure it'll be very similar to Vegas Volt (which I adore) but not quite. Check them out below...

Don't be sad if you didn't have a chance to get Jazzed, you can easily achieve a very similar color by mixing Myth and Vegas Volt! :)

What did everyone else get from In the Groove?

NYC Blushable Creme Sticks

Hey chicas!

Happy hump day! This is more of a rave than a review, well a little bit of both! Ever since I saw these 'blushable sticks' on YT, I have wanted them or more like craved them! I initially thought they only came in two colors. How would I have known that there are more? I have been to numerous Walgreens, CVS and Target throughout the entire Chicagoland and couldn't find a single one. I was getting frustrated (I know, getting frustrated because you can't find a blush is insane, but I am crazy when it comes to make up and even crazier when I can't find something I want! lol) and I even tweeted about it. Then my lovely friend who you may know as Obsessed.Makup.Addict came to my rescue and got them for me in 5 different shades! She was able to find them all the way in Canada and I couldn't find a single one here.Then a week after I received her package, I go to Ulta and see that they started getting them! So if you're after these babies, you better go check out your local Ulta. They will more than likely have them.

Plaza Pink

I believe Plaza Pink was the most raved about in beauty blogosphere and I don't blame anyone for doing so. It really is gorgeous. I would describe the color as nude pink/coral. I usually wear it alone but if I want a more vibrant color then I layer it under a powder blush such as Benefit Coralista, MAC Dainty and Elf Candid Coral.

Big Apple Blush

This shade is pink but to be more specific I would say it's dusty rose type of color. I personally don't wear this layered with anything else. It's beautiful as it is.

South St. Shell

Don't let the container fool you, as you can see the actual color is not even close to the color of the tube! It's a darker peach/nude color. This blush looks great if you have gone smokey on the eyes and nude on lips. Definitely a favorite for nighttime looks.


Mauvin' Uptown

Bronzey mauve. I don't really wear this in full force (like it is in my swatch above) as I don't want to look like a clown. This color is good for when you're tanned and you want a glow on your face and a tad of color.

Urban Spice

Gold/bronze with shimmer. If you want to draw attention to cheek bones then this is a great tool to achieve that. It's great for highlighting. In addition to using it on cheek bones, I do a quick sweep of this down my nose. This can also easily be used as a nighttime bronzer, just make sure you use a brush ;) I wouldn't use it as a daytime bronzer as it is shimmery.

My thoughts and notes...

Considering the price you pay for these blushes, you get quite a bit of product, great color pay off and pigmentation in one sweep. Because of their creamy consistency, application and blending these are a breeze. While they do end up being sheer after blending, they are pretty buildable to your liking. I personally don't like sheer blushes that much, if I don't see some color on my cheek then what's the point of wearing it in the first place? (But that's just me) When it comes to finish, they are neither matte nor shimmery, so you get the best of both worlds and for that reason they give off a healthy and dewy glow to your cheeks! They are not sticky or greasy after drying, in fact they are pretty light after application. It takes about half a minute for them to dry, keep in mind they are creamy so you don't have to rush to blend them in. On my combination skin, I do have drier cheeks, they last a long time and even longer if I set them with powder blushes. These have quickly become my favorites. They are of very good quality being from the drugstore. I wish they came in more colors/shades though. I am sure they would have attracted  more people if they had a bigger color selection. As far as I know there are a total of 6 colors, the one I don't have is called Berry Newyorker. They also had two other LE shades called, Pink Flash and Wild Berry.

Favorite Pink Lipsticks

Hey ladies!!!

I want to say a huge thanks to the lovely Yuliya, you may know her as cutiegingerbread for giving me the idea for this post. I was actually about to do a look but she convinced me to do this instead! So here I am with my little army of pink lipsticks yay! Like most of us I have a lipstick addiction, in addition to many other make-up related addictions. I love my nudes but pinks (along with peaches/apricots) are my favorite during summertime! They're perfect for a pop of color and have the power to make any girl look "girly" he he My favorites include some high end brands like MAC and NARS as well as drugstore brands some of which I am sure you have seen swatched on my blog before, I just wanted to include all of them under one post!

So here they are...

1. MAC Victorian (Frost)- Cool-toned pink with gold sheen. Sadly it was a limited edition lippie from MAC Spring Colour Forecast collection. Applies opaque.

2. MAC  Angel (Frost) - Pale rosy pink with light sheen to it. Looks super creamy on lips and has no shimmer. Applies semi-opaque.

3. MAC Viva Glam Gaga (Lustre) - Cool-toned bubblegum pink, good pigmentation. Has a glossy look on lips. Applies semi-opaque. Many have compared this to MAC Snob lipstick, I can't tell since I don't own Snob, but it looks somewhat similar yep!

4. NYX Narcissus - Very bright neon, cotton candy/Barbie pink. Creamy feel on lips. Applies opaque.

5. NARS Roman Holiday - Cool mid-toned pink, moisturizing formula. Gives me the feeling that I have lip balm on. Sheer but very buildable.

6. Rimmel Pink Chic - Cool blue pink, glides on smooth, subtle sheen, fine silver shimmer to it, moisturizing formula, applies semi-opaque.

7. Revlon Colorburst Carnation - Fuchsia/pink, smooth formula, sheer but can be built up to a vibrant color, semi-opaque.

8. Rimmel Pink Blush - Bubblegum pink, smooth formula, glides on, shimmery, highly pigmented, applies opaque.

9. Maybelline Pink Please - Mid-tone milky/baby pink, creamy consistency, goes on smooth, applies semi-opaque.

10. Rimmel Pink Champagne - My newest pink lippie, it was love at first swatch! Reminds me a lot of Viva Glam Gaga even though in the swatches above they don't look that similar. It's also not as cool toned as Gaga. Creamy formula, highly pigmented, great lasting power!

Favorite Drugstore Lip Products

Hey girls!!!

I personally haven't been "collecting" drugstore products for a long time. However, lately I am getting more and more cosmetics from the drugstore. So far, whatever I have purchased (at least in terms of lip products) turned out to be great, both color and quality wise! As we all know, most of the time it's impossible to swatch lip products let alone see the color, unless of course it's a lip-gloss since they're in clear containers. So sometimes it is difficult to find what you like! I have just been lucky with everything I got and love each and every one of them! So here they are!

Revlon Super Lustrous Ligloss - Coral Reef 

Gorgeous coral color, very pigmented, goes on smooth, non-sticky (Does look darker than it actually is in the pictures, if you have a chance definitely check it out in stores!)

NYX Megashine Lipgloss - La La  

Subtle peachy bubblegum pink, non-sticky, smooth, bit shimmery, smells like cherry cough syrup (lol), looks great on top of a nude colored lipstick.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick - 220 Pink Chic

Cool blue pink, glides on smooth, subtle sheen, fine silver shimmer to it, moisturizing formula, rose-y scent

 

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick - 025 Pink Please

Mid-tone milky/baby pink, creamy, smooth, pigmented

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - 006 Pink Blush 

Bubblegum pink, smooth formula, glides on, shimmery, non-drying, 

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick -  070 Soft Nude 

Perfect nude color, creamy and smooth formula, will not wash you out AT ALL

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - 025 Carnation

Fuschia/pink, Smooth, has a sheen to it, sheer but can be built up to a vibrant color

What are YOUR favorite lip products from the drugstore?? Do share! <3

Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes

Hey girls!

Recently I was at Walgreen's because I wanted to pick up another color from Revlon's Colorburst collection (these lipsticks are seriously really good, wish there were even more colors though!) and these Wet 'n Wild palettes caught my eye. Honestly, I didn't really think anything of them at that time. For the price they are, I thought they will probably just another palette and not worth spending money on. But I was wrong! Then I came home, googled them and absolutely loved what I saw. So I went back and picked up two because they were BOGO half off which made the already low price even a better deal. The two palettes I picked up are Greed and Pride. All palettes have 3 matte colors on the left side and 3 shimmer on the right as well as 2 applicators (1 sponge + 1 brush) which I don't think I will use.

GREED 

Greed palette has more neutral colors as you can see. The shimmery colors minus the black one on bottom right aren't as pigmented as I'd have liked them to be. They do have tons of shimmer but they seem to be pretty sheer. You can see that these two colors do not show up that good on my hand. However, I really love the other colors. Especially the matte beige and peach colors look great on me! I love to use the beige one in inner corners and even as highlight.

PRIDE

Pride palette is gorgeous and I think the greens and blues are total summer colors :) I have no complaints about this palette since all the colors are very pigmented. I love the color pay off with this one!

There are 2 palettes called Vanity & Lust. I actually wanted to get Lust as well but didn't. It has pretty shades of purple which I loveeee! Check them out here

Hope everyone had a great Monday! <3

What's in my MAC palettes?

Hey ladies!

Like most of us I have an ever-growing eye-shadow collection and yep mainly MAC ones. I know, it's like a disease without a cure! I don't even wanna think about how I'm going to cope with the temptation of wanting to buy everything from the new collections that will be out in the coming months. I'll make a list that way I'm not tempted when the time comes. If I already have ten neutral eye-shadows or pink lipsticks I guess I don't need another one even if the packaging is cute (is there such thing as having too many eye-shadows or lipsticks? I have no answer to this!) Anyhow, here are my eye-shadows that I wanted to share with you girls who knows maybe there is a color you wanted to see swatched or thought about getting. Hopefully this will be useful and can give you some ideas. I will put an * next to the ones that are my absolute favorites, I know you can tell a few of them since I hit pan on them!

Note:  N/N = no name. For reference, I noted the non-MAC ones by brand, so rest of them are by MAC.

 1) Naked Lunch* 2) Jest  3) Grain 4) Era* 5) Femme-Fi

6) Retro-speck 7) UD Baked 8) Goldmine 9) Coppering 10) Antiqued*

11) Brown Down 12) Print* 13) Club* 14) Carbon

   1) N/N Lancome 2) Aquavert 3) Humid 4) Steamy* 5) Shimmermoss 

  6) Plumage 7) Prussian 8) Freshwater 9) Digit* 10) N/N Jane

 11) N/N Body Shop 12) Shale* 13) Nocturnelle* 14) Shadowy Lady 15) Pink Venus

P.S.: I also have the Birds & Berries eye shadow from Give Me Liberty of London collection, which I probably won't depot, at least not anytime soon because I love the packaging. 

                                

MAC Spring Colour Forecast I & II - Small haul

Hey lovies!

As some of you may know, few weeks ago I swung by MAC to turn in my empty containers (18 of them!) to get some lipsticks in return and actually ended up getting 2 eyeshadows and 1 lipstick. One of the eyeshadows "Rose" put questions in my head after coming back home in terms of its freshness (I complained about the fact that the container didn't specify the finish of the eyshadow AND the color wasn't on MAC's website so these lead me to think it may be old) So today I stopped by to exchange that for something else and really went in to get the Lovelorn lipstick. Did that happen? What do you think? The answer starts with N and ends with O. lol I tried on bunch of lipsticks with the help of the lovely MUA (who helped me last time as well, she's such a doll!) I definitely tried on Creme D'nude (I know many people like this color but I didn't like it on me at all!) because they opened a new box since they ran out of it, I don't remember the other ones I tried. Anyhow, she asked if I liked anything from the Spring Colour Forecast Collection and even though when you walk into to this particular MAC it's right in front of you when you walk in, I didn't spend too much time looking at any of the items from this collection. I briefly looked at the lipsticks and saw that one of blushes said "sold out" on it, but that's it. Well I am glad she took me back to the new collection and I actually ended up getting two things from it! I got the Cultureclash Tinted Lipglass from the PINKS (Forecast 1) and the Victorian Lipstick (Frost) from the CORALS (Forecast 2) and I also got the Dollymix Blush. Victorian + Cultureclash = HOT! I'm in love with the combination. Here are the swatches so you know what I'm talking about (if you don't already :))

Essie The Art of Spring Collection 2010 - Van D'Go

Hey everyone!

Ever since I have seen Essie's new colors for spring, I have been crazy in love with Van D'Go and naturally couldn't wait to get my hands on this lovely shade! Luckily I received my $3.50 off a $10 purchase coupon from Ulta so I ran to the store and picked it up, love it when I receive these coupons right on time yay! I also wanted to get Neo Whimsical and Pop Art Pink but they didn't have any left (*tear) well I guess those colors will need to wait for the next coupon lol Ok so moving on to what's annoying me about this collection...Red with all these pastels? I don't see the relevance? It looks bad next to all these colors, I thought exactly the same when they came out with Mint Candy Apple for Winter 2009, I don't understand what this color has to do with winter, is it supposed to be the mint? Yes they serve peppermint mocha at Starbucks during holiday time but we also eat mint ice-cream during summer, so one can't say mint is related to only one season.To me, this color should have been next to all these, for the spring collection, in stead of the red. Red is more of a holiday color than pastel mint green in my opinion.

   1)Pop Art Pink 2)Lilacism 3)Neo Whimsical 4)Van D'Go 5)Tart Deco 6) Nouveau Red

They're so cute together!

                                 

End of my Back to MAC Collection + what I got in return!

My back to MAC collection was rapidly growing and honestly those empty containers just sitting in a bag were causing me to lose sleep because I was constantly thinking what lipsticks I will get once I turn them in! So today I decided to get rid off them and went to MAC. The MUA there told me, while this varied from store to store, at this particular MAC they were actually offering either lipstick, lipgloss OR an eyeshadow for every 6 containers you bring in. They didn't care about the whole metal pan in or out dilemma, which was great. (If you're in Chicago then it's the MAC on Armitage :)) 

I went there with 3 lipsticks in mind and was going to get Vegas Volt, Lovelorn and Creme D'nude, buuuuut when I heard I can get an eyeshadow, I gave up on the lipsticks except for one and that is....VEGAS VOLT! I absolutely love it, it's the perfect color for spring/summer though I don't really care too much about the whole color/season combo. I also wear bright pink nail-polishes during winter. So I ended up getting two eye-shadows and they are: Rose & Club. Though I have heard of Club before, I can't say the same for Rose. While I like this Rose color, I am sort of skeptical about it because if you google it, this color doesn't come up but more importantly it's nowhere to be found on MAC (Pro) website. I thought it may be a Pro color, but nope. So this got me thinking the color may be old or something. Another detail I noticed was that on the bottom of the container there is no specification for the finish (ie: satin, matte etc.) Am I crazy for thinking this way? I'm seriously thinking about taking this back and getting another color. What do you guys think?

MAC & Lush Haul

Today I have been to MAC and LUSH like the title says (they are seriously right across the street from each other, so if you go to one it's nearly impossible to not go to the other!) I have actually been planning this visit for a while and just found the chance to go today! Like most of us I have an unnecessarily long wish-list of products (mine are mostly MAC eye-shadows he he what are yours??) so I thought it was about time to cross off a few of those items, here is what I got...

From MAC:

Antiqued (Veluxe Pearl) Ash brown with bronze

Era (Satin) Soft golden beige with shimmer

Goldmine (Frost) Intense gold with shimmer

...and I also got another pro color palette!

From LUSH:

Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar ~ Smells like bubblegum, has glitters all over it and it's pink, so girly!

Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar ~ Vanillary in white parts, Yummy Yummy Yummy in red cap, or in plain English vanilla+strawberry scented

The Ex Factor Bath Bomb ~ Vanilla musk scent, he is too cute to use up!

Godmother ~ Smells sort of like Snow Fairy, but better in my opinion...smells like candy/gummy bear/juicyfruit/berry-ish

Also, the lovely ladies at my local Lush threw in a couple samples for me and they are: Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Gel and American Cream Conditioner.

What are your favorite Lush products, any suggestions for my next visit? :)

10 lip products my make-up world would be incomplete without!

1. MAC lipstick - Angel

Angel is my one of my go-to lipsticks. I have to be honest I didn't just discover this color when I was at a MAC counter. I actually found out about it when I was watching one of Kim K's make-up videos. It looked great on her (well what doesn't?? she's gorgeous!) so I thought I'd give it a try. Ever since that day I have been lovin' this frosty soft pink lipstick!

2. NARS lipstick - Roman Holiday

I love this color for summer! It's a cool toned, pale Barbie pink. It's pretty sheer if you only apply one layer, so I apply at least 3 layers to get the color I want. It looks great with smokey eye, and has a 80's feel to it.

3. NYX lipstick - Tea Rose

Pinkish Coral color ~ perfect for those days when I don't want my lips to look bubblegum-y or simply when I want a change.

4. MAC lipglass - Underage

Very girly sheer lipgloss, it's wearable with many lipsticks but I usually prefer to wear it alone especially if I have too much going on on my eyes...

5. MAC lipstick - Blankety

Perfect nude with just the right amount of pink in it!

6. MAC lipstick - Impassioned

Love to rock this during summer nights, looks awesome on tanned skin and with neutral eyes.

7. NYX lipstick - Narcissus

Perfect bubblegum color, that's all I have to say!

8. NYX lipgloss - La La

Shimmery, sparkly, pink lip gloss that I like to wear by itself...most of the time!

9. MAC slimshine lipstick - Bare

Unfortunately being discontinued, I am so sad to see this go! (I hope I'm just having a nightmare about it being discontinued) I especially love Bare because it pretty much completes any look, if I don't know what to wear on my lips, Bare is one of the two lipsticks I will go to, the other one being Angel of course.

10. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lipbalm

Wear this daily...it's a must for bloody Chicago winters, definitely recommend it to anyone who needs to moisturize their chapped lips! Love the soothing mint flavor and scent. I especially prefer Burt's Bees because of their human-friendly ingredients!