Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

Today I want to show you the new Urban Decay Shattered Face Case that was released along with the Vice 2 palette last month.  Though I usually try to stick to budget beauty products on this blog, this review was requested by Caroline and I’m happy to do it.  I picked up the Shattered Face Case when Urban Decay was having the 20% off friends & family sale that I told you about a few weeks ago.  Keep reading to see what I think about it, and if I think the Shattered Face Case is worth the money.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

A Face Case is a new travel-friendly small palette that contains almost everything you need for a full makeup look.  Each case (there are two, Shattered and Anarchy) contains 5 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 highlight shade, 1travel-size 24/7 liner pencil, and 1 Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color.  You just need to add foundation and mascara and you are all set.  It’s about the size of a sunglasses case, and easily fits in your purse or travel bag.  I think the packaging is ingenious.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

The lid flips up to reveal a full size mirror and your eye shadows and eye liner.  Then that layer also flips up to reveal another mirror and your cheek and lip products.  The mirrors in this case are high-quality real mirrors, not the junky fun-house cheap kind.  Both the travel-size 24/7 liner pencil and the Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color are removable so you can exchange them with any shade you want.  The lip pencil is about the size of a NYX Jumbo pencil, so you don’t have to stick to Urban Decay.  I was also able to fit a Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Color in the slot.

Though everyone is buzzing about Vice 2, of all the Urban Decay products released for Holiday 2013 I was most interested in the Shattered Face Case.  I don’t know why, but it called to me.  I was less thrilled by the $44 price tag.  At first glance that seems really steep.  But, the quality of products is great, and the number of products you get is pretty good.  Let me break it down.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

I love the shades in this palette.  UD didn’t sacrifice quality in any way, and these shadows are just as pigmented, long-wearing, and blendable as I am used to in my Naked 2 palette.  Starting on the left, Shakedown is a dark, smoky gray with brown tones.  Remix is a vibrant, jewel toned purple.  Nameless is a gorgeous taupe-y brown.  Minor Sin is an iced pink shade.  Bleach is a matte beige, the perfect highlight.

(L-R) Shakedown, Remix, Nameless, Minor Sin, and Bleach

As you can see, all of the shades except Bleach are shimmery.  I am so glad that they included Bleach.  If you have read my blog at all, you know how much I love WnW Brulee for a matte cream highlight.  It blends everything out and finishes the look.  I use it all the time.  Bleach is a similar shade and makes this palette so much more complete in my opinion because I don’t have to go outside the palette for my highlight shade.  The shadows are gorgeous and they have the same buttery formula and awesome pigmentation that has made Urban Decay such a cult favorite in the first place.

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

I was speaking to the Urban Decay rep at Ulta, and he pointed out that one of the things that sets the Face Cases apart is that they contain powder blushes.  Other than the Naked Flush palette, UD doesn’t make powder blushes.  The more natural shade on the left is called Overexposed, and I love it.  It’s a beautiful warm mauve-toned nude.  I think it’s a relatively unique shade, and it looks beautiful on my skin.  The pink shade is called Temper and it’s a typical cool toned pink.  the highglight shade is called Glint and it’s a pink-toned champagne color.  It kind of reminds me of the swatches I’ve seen of Benefit Rockateur boxed blush.

(top) Overexposed and Temper, (bottom) Glint

I love, love Overexposed.  It’s pigmented, applies smoothly and looks fantastic.  Temper wasn’t as good.  I thought the formula was a little more chalky and less pigmented.  It’s not bad and is certainly usable, but it’s not as good a formula as Overexposed.  UD needs to work on consistency before releasing a line of powder blushes.  Glint is a lovely shade, though a little dark for a highlight for my personal taste.  I will probably use it as a sixth eyeshadow shade because it would look awesome with Nameless.  Just saying.  It has a smooth, creamy formula and applied evenly.

Zero and Lovechild

The Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color that comes in the Shattered Face Case is in Lovechild and the 24/7 glide on eye pencil is in Zero.  Some people bemoan that UD didn’t include Perversion (which is in the Anarchy Face Case) but I am fine with Zero.  I think Perversion has its place, but I think it is often too black for everyday use.  Lovechild is a medium carnation pink.  Frankly, it is not my color.  Many women will be able to get good use out of it, but it’s too light for my skin tone and looks terrible on me.  I’m going to have to play around with it and layer it with other shades to make it work, but that’s just me.

Lovechild

So, to summarize, I am really pleased with the Shattered Face Case.  I really wanted it and I am glad that I got it, especially for 20% off which put it at a little over $35.  Is it worth the full $44?  Well, The Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color is full size, and retails for $19.  A regular UD eyeshadow is 1.5g and retails for $18, the five shades in the Face Case are .8g each, so a little over half the size.  Each blush is .10 oz and the highlighter is .05 oz so the total weight of the cheek products is .25 oz.  For comparison, the Naked Flushed palette of a bronzer, blush, and highlight is $30 for .49 oz.  If you use the $36 Black Market liner set of 6 travel-sized liners as a guideline, Zero in this palette is worth $6.  Add it all up, and the products in the palette total $85 based on how Urban prices their products.  Do I think it’s worth it as someone who has way more makeup than she needs?  Yes.  But try to snag a sale if you can.  The Urban Decay Shattered Face Case is available on Urban Decay’s website, and through Ulta.  (The Anarchy case is exclusive to Sephora.) I think that it’s a great product.

Tip: Ulta is offering a 20% discount to platinum members through 11/2.  If you received the card in the mail with your account number, you can apply it to the Face Case.

Glamor Cat Halloween Tutorial

Cat Halloween Tutorial

I’m back with another Halloween tutorial, and this time, it’s a cute Cat look.  I wanted to give you some ideas for relatively easy costumes that you could do last minute if you didn’t manage to come up with a plan yet.  A Cat costume is one of the easiest last minute costumes to come by because all you need is a pair of ears and maybe a tail.  Throw on some black clothes and you are good to go.  Cat makeup can be as simple or as complicated as you choose for it to be.  At the most basic, you need winged eyeliner and some painted on whiskers.  The most complicated looks require full face paint and a level of artistry that is beyond my skills.  I went for something in the middle.  This look seems more complicated than it is, but go ahead and adjust it as your skill level demands.  I apologize ahead of time for the weird lighting.  The daylight was going in and out so I couldn’t get the same consistency a I would have liked.  Oh well.  Also, all of my pics can be enlarged by clicking on them.  Enjoy!

Coastal Scents 88 Warm palette

I used the Coastal Scents 88 Warm palette for the entire look, but you can use any eyeshadow in your collection.  It only took four shades.  You’ll need a basic matte white, a brown crease color (I chose a shimmery golden brown), a basic matte black (no close up), and a medium matte(ish) brown for the stripes and contour.  Go ahead and apply your foundation as you normally would.  Prime your eyes with your favorite eye primer.  The eyeshadow for this look is very simple because it’s the eyeliner and brows that really stand out.

Steps 1 and 2

Step 1: After primer, apply the white shadow all over the lid.  You may notice that I have a light tan shade as a transition color, but it ended up not being necessary, so go ahead and skip it.

Step 2: Apply a medium brown shade to the crease.  I opted for a shimmer shade because I love shimmer shadows, but any shade in the medium brown family would work.  An antiqued gold shadow would look lovely here too.  Do what makes you happy, just don’t go too dark.

Step 3

Step 3: Apply a matte black shadow thinly in the crease.  I have hooded eyes, so I placed the black so that it is just barely seen when my eyes were open.  Don’t go too crazy with the black.  You just want to create depth, you don’t want to smoke it out (or at least I didn’t).  Make sure that you can still see the white on the lid.  Re-apply if necessary.

Steps 4 and 5

Step 4: With white face paint, or NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk, draw a V down from your forehead and continue it down your nose.  Fill it in, blend it out, and top with the white shadow.  I didn’t make mine too stark because I have large pores and the white really accentuated them.  If you have better skin than I do, the white is adorable, but you can skip this step if it’s not your speed.  Sorry that this isn’t the best picture, but the full face shots should give you the right idea.

Step 5: With a pointed brush, apply a matte brown shadow to the sides of your nose and connect up into the inside of your lid above your crease color.  This isn’t really about contouring as much as re-shaping.  Cats have squared off, boxy noses and that’s the shape that we are going for.

Step 6

Step 6: Time for the eyebrows.  I used the matte black shadow to fill in my eyebrows like I normally would.  Then with the same angled liner brush, I flicked out the black shadow to look like hair or whiskers.  Cats don’t really have eyebrows, per se, but they have tufts of fur and some whiskers in the eyebrow area, so that’s what we’re going for.  Try to get your brows even, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.  No one is perfectly symmetrical.  Remember, your eyes and brows are sisters, not twins.

Step 7

Step 7: Line your eyes.  I used a black gel liner and an angled brush.  I wanted a thick, dramatic line.  Wing it out, and bring it all the way to a point in the inner corner.  That makes it look extra feline.

Step 8: Lashes.  Here is where I completely fell down on the job.  I had planned to apply false lashes so that they’d stand out against the black liner.  I recommend doing just that.  However, not only did I forget to apply the falsies, but I forgot my lashes entirely!  I didn’t even use mascara.  How did that happen?  I don’t really know what to say about that.  Definitely use mascara if you try the look.  *headdesk*

Step 9

Step 9: With the same shadow you used for the nose contour, draw some “stripes” on your forehead.  Two of my stripes are on the white, two are not.  Make the inner stripes longer than the outside stripes.  You can also use this shadow to contour your cheeks.  I used NYC Sunny, but it was a little too warm.  On the cheeks, keep the stripe theme going and make your contour more angular than you normally would.

Step 10 and 11

Step 10: With face paint or NYX Jumbo pencil, color in your upper lip area all the way up to your nose.  Basically give yourself a white mustache.  Hot, lol!

Step 11: With a black eyeliner pencil (I used UD Zero), color in the tip of your nose.  I felt like a flat top was more cat-like, as opposed to a rounded top.  Bring the liner down to your lip in a straight line in the center.  Instead of drawing in whiskers, I added dots because I thought it would look better.  With everything else so feline, I felt the illusion of whiskers would suffice.  You can draw full whiskers in if you are so inclined.

Step 12

Step 12: With the same black liner, line your lips and blend the liner down so that you get an ombre effect.  I actually really like the look of my naked lip like this, so you may want to start with a nude lipstick and blend the liner into that.  I ended up using a red lipstick for a glamor cat lip.  The liner turned the red dark and vampy.  Very cool.  One note for safety, if you use eyeliner on your lips, be sure to sanitize it before you use it again on your eye.  You don’t want to cross-contaminate mouth to eyes.  That would be bad.

All Done!

And that’s the look.  You can find cat ears all over the place from Halloween stores, to Target or Wal-Mart, even some drugstores.  Black clothes complete the outfit and that can vary from a slinky black dress for a sexy cat, to a more conservative black pants and shirt.  Or, maybe you hopped on the tuxedo top trend and can be a black and white tuxedo cat (trade out the brown stripes for black or dark gray).  There are a lot of options without having to buy anything, which is great if you are running out of time.

Cat Halloween Tutorial

I hope that you liked this tutorial.  I enjoyed making it and I love how it came out.  If you missed my Jem (80’s glam rock) tutorial click here to see it.  If you try this look, let me know.  I’d love to see how it works out for you.  🙂

Cat Halloween Tutorial

Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils

Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils

Today, I want to finally get around to reviewing the Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils.  Jordana came out with several products for Fall and I’ve been very pleased.  You are probably sick of hearing about the Twist & Shine Balm Stain in Cranberry Crush by now, and I mentioned Continuous Almond from the new 12 HR Jumbo Eyeshadow pencil line in my monthly favorites last month.  Jordana is still on a roll with these 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils.  They are really great.

Here is what Jordana has to say about the 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils: “Intense, Instant Color Eyeliner that is Water & Transfer Resistant and Made to Last (Up to 12 hour wear).  Smooth-Gliding Pencil For Precise Application. Paraben-Free. Made in USA.”  Pencils designed to give you the same intense color as a liquid liner, they have a creamy formula that glides onto the lid with ease.  Even on the waterline, there is no tugging or pulling needed to get the color to show up.  They take a minute to set, so you do have some time to smudge them out and work with them.  Once set, these babies don’t budge at all.

I definitely think that the Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils perform as well as higher end liners like Urban Decay 24/7 liners and Stila Smudge sticks.  You know how much I love NYX Slide-On liners, but these may just be better.  Jordana products are some of the least expensive items in the drugstore. At full retail price the pencils are only around $3.  I really want to stress the low price of these liners because it’s easy to forget when they perform as well as liners that cost $18 or more.

The three shades that I purchased are Charcoal Definition, Jade Jewel, and Espresso Last.

Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Definition

Charcoal Definition is a Steely Gray, metallic liner.  I wanted an alternative to black that was still smoky and that’s exactly what this shade is.  It’s not silver, and it smokes out for a beautiful look.

Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Jade Jewel

Jade Jewel is a gorgeous deep metallic emerald green.  If you like green on the eyes at all, this is a must-have.  Gorgeous!  This jewel tone is also great for a smoky look that is perfectly on-trend.

Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Espresso Last

Espresso Last is a creamy chocolate brown.  This is a perfect brown liner for every day, and I’ll be getting a ton of use out of it.  Of the three shades that I purchased, this is the only one without any shimmer.

(L-R) Charcoal Definition, Jade Jewel, Espresso Last

Here are the swatches of the three shades.  See how pigmented they are!  They glide on so easily.  Jordana 12HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils have my vote as great drugstore bargains.  For half the price of most other drugstore liners, they outshine them all.  Definitely check them out.  I have only ever seen Jordana at Walgreens.  I believe that they are also sold at K-Mart and I know they are available online at cherryculture.com and walgreens.com.  Check out Jordanacosmetics.com for more information.

Truly Outrageous Halloween Tutorial

Jem Halloween Tutorial

Halloween is fast approaching and today I have a tutorial for you.  I wanted to show you some relatively easy looks for last minute costumes and this is the first.  If you aren’t a fan of Jem and the Holograms, you can easily alter this tutorial for a non-specific 80’s glam rocker look that pulls together rather quickly and I’ll talk about that at the end.  First, though, a little refresher course.

Jem and the Holograms

Jem is the title character (also known as Jem and the Holograms), from an American animated television series that ran in the mid to late 80’s.  The show is about the adventures of music company owner Jerrica Benton and her alter-ego Jem (plus her friends/band the Holograms).  If you were a little girl in the 80’s or early 90’s, you probably loved Jem as much as I did.  I can still sing the theme-song. 🙂

Bright Pink Shadows

Onto the tutorial.  You can click on all of my photos to enlarge them if you need to.  Before you start with the eyeshadow, you want to prime your eyes really well.  Bring it all the way up to your brow and around under your eye.  Though I already have foundation on for the sake of the tutorial, you probably want to apply that after you get the pink down because of fall-out.  The first step is to grab some hot pink eyeshadow.  You do not have to use the same products that I used.  Check your collection and see if you have anything that will work.  If not, there are some good drugstore choices from Maybelline and Milani.  The pink in Wet n Wild’s Spoiled Brat trio is a really good cheap option.  I combined some LE shadows in my collection from NYC and WnW, but really, any bright pink shade will work.

Pink shadow

Lightly apply your shadow to get the basic shape of the color-blocking.  Jem’s look cuts down from the middle of the eye and goes down to about half-way down the nose.  It also follows the eyebrow line out toward the temple.  I gave the cheek line a slightly rounded shape because I felt that it would be more flattering, or you can cut it across sharply like the cartoon.  I free-handed the shape, but feel free to use tape or a business card if you feel like you need it.  Also, a good option for guide lines is to lightly use a white or nude eye pencil that ca be easily wiped away or blended in.  That way you can trace out the shape or give yourself guide marks to follow.  Pack on the shadow so that you have bold color and a defined shape.  You want to be sure that both side are as even as possible, but it doesn’t have to be completely perfect.  Do your best, but we can clean up any issues after.  That’s all there is for the shadow.  When you are done with the pink blocking, use a makeup remover wipe to clean up any fall-out and any placed where you may have messed up.  Apply your foundation.  Use a small flat foundation brush to follow the pink blocking to get a clean well-defined edge and the blend down.

Liner and Lashes

Next, you want to line your eyes in black liner.  I used NYX Slide-on liner in Jet Black for the lower lashes and waterline.  I used a liquid liner marker from Be a Bomshell on the top with a small wing.  You really want to define the whole eye because it gets lost in all of that pink.  Also, most of the way through lining, realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of the inside corner of my eye.  You want to continue the pink shadow on the inside in a little spike.  It’s hard to explain, so just reference the picture below.

Black liner

I used a sample of Benefit They’re Real mascara and some false lashes from Revlon (which I forgot to take a pic of, sorry).  This is the first time I’ve used falsies and they take practice.  I need to work on it, but this is a great step in my goal to get over my fear of false lashes. 😉

Eyes, Brows, and Cheeks

I topped my lower lash liner with the dark purple crease shade on the right hand side of WnW Petal Pusher palette.  After doing my brows in my normal taupe shade, I decided that I wanted something else, so I used the same purple shade on my brows over the taupe.  For cheeks, I did an extreme contour by first using WnW LE I’m seeing Triples (still in stores).  I used a large eyeshadow brush mostly with the purple-ish shade and dipped just the corner in the blue.  Then I blended the contour out by using more pink shadow and a small-ish blush brush.  When that was all done, I dusted some glitter (not pictured) all over my face.

Pink Lips

For lips, I used Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten.  You want your lip color to last all night, and Smitten leaves a really nice stain behind.  To define my lips and brighten them up a bit, I used e.l.f. Lip Liner & Blending Brush in Fuchsia over Smitten.  I topped it all off with NYX Megashine Lip Gloss in Pink Rose to added sparkle and shine.

All Done!

And that is my Jem tutorial.  It’s pretty cheap and easy to do.  To finish the look, you can spray your hair pink and punk it up.  Since my hair is so dark, I threw on a pink punk wig that I picked up from Wal-Mart for around $7.50.  Enhance the look further by adding a toy microphone or even an inflatable guitar.  You can wear this look with almost anything, you don’t have to have Jem’s signature pink dress.  Thrift stores are fantastic at Halloween if you need some additions, but you could probably throw something together just by rifling through your closet.  Pink fish net gloves ($3 at Wal-Mart) help to 80’s your outfit up.

Glamor and glitter, fashion and fame

Feeling totally rad instead of truly outrageous?  Is pink just not your color.  That’s fine!  The same steps can be followed using any colors.  Acid green or bright turquoise would look awesome!  You would be surprised with what you already have in your collection.  Be creative and have fun!

Truly Outrageous

I hope that you enjoyed my Jem tutorial.  I am hoping to get two more tutorials up for Halloween.  It largely depends on how much I can get done before I leave for vacation and if the weather behaves.  Cloudy days make shooting tough!  I’ve got my fingers crossed.  🙂

Favorite Fall and Winter Lip Colors from the Drugstore

Today I want to talk about my favorite lip colors for Fall and Winter.  I am a big fan of cold weather, and Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons.  I don’t believe that there are any hard and fast rules where makeup is concerned- wear what makes you happy- but in general lighter and brighter shades are for the spring and summer months.  When the temperature drops, the deep reds and purples tend to come out to play.  In this post, I want to take you through some of my favorite Fall and Winter lip shades, suitable for a variety of skin tones and ages.  (Not everyone can rock a vampy purple lip, y’know?)  I have ten lip colors to recommend, and all of them are from the drugstore (plus one bonus).  I broke this list up into categories and will take you through the browns, reds, and berry/wines in my collection that I think will work for you as well.  Any of my photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

NYX Ulysses and Revlon Fig Jam

Let’s start with brown.  (I did not include any dark nudes or mauve shades because I wear those all year round and it isn’t hard to find examples of them here on the blog.)  I still like to keep my makeup on the warm side in the Fall.  Basically, up until around Thanksgiving I like to play with green, warm browns, reds, and oranges on my eyes and lips.  I know some of you hear the word “brown” and flash back to the 90’s when deep brown lipsticks were where it was at.  As much as I loved to rock that look in high school, those shades aren’t flattering on everyone.  Now that I’m older, especially, I need a brown with some red or pink undertones.

NYX Ulysses(L) and Revlon Fig Jam(R)

NYX Round Lipstick in 523 Ulysses is a beautiful red-toned brown that can be built up for major impact.  It pulls more toward red when worn lightly and deepens into a deep warm brown when layered.  NYX Round Lipsticks have a smooth, creamy formula and they are a cult favorite for a reason.

Revlon Lip Butter in Fig Jam is a good way to explore a brown lip color without going all out.  The sheer finish and pink tones make this extremely wearable for almost anyone.  It’s a great choice for Fall.

NYX Ulysses (top) and Revlon Fig Jam (bottom)

Ulysses looks a lot more red in this picture than it is in real life, but you get the idea.  The shades would really warm up the face and look great with a variety of Fall eye looks.

(top L) Revlon Romantic, (top R) Revlon Adore, (bottom L) Revlon Red Velvet, (bottom R) e.l.f. Royal Red

Red lips are beautiful in Fall and Winter.  November and December especially, are great months to wear red.  What red you choose depends on your skin tone.  Again, most of the reds that I recommend are warm-toned or neutral.  I find that it is very hard for most women to pull off a cool-toned true red.  If you can, more power to you.  Some of these shades are lighter, and some are more bold, but all of them are flattering and good for a beginner.

(L-R) Revlon Romantic, Revlon Adore, Revlon Red Velvet, e.l.f. Royal Red

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic is a sheer tomato red with orange tones that is a great choice for early Fall.  It’s still bright and light enough to look great with warmer-weather clothes as you transition toward the cooler months.  I know that some places in the country are still experiencing temps in the high 80’s and will for a bit longer.  If that’s you, Romantic is a great red option that won’t remind you of Christmas in the slightest.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Adore  is a little redder than Romantic (which can sometimes be too orange for some).  It is still warm, but it is deeper and closer to a true red.  This is a  great shade for someone who isn’t used to wearing red.  You can sheer the Balm Stains out so that you just have a hint of color on your lips.  This is a great every day, daytime red.

Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet is a neutral true red that is pretty pigmented and really lovely.  You can sheer it out, but it goes on opaque.  Because of that, Red Velvet is a good choice for a casual look with a pop of color on the lips as well as a great Holiday color.

e.l.f. Mineral Lipstick in Royal Red is more of a dark brick shade with some neutral brown tones.  It is a deeper shade than the other three, but still quite wearable for a variety of skin tones.  It’s a shade that would work well in the late Fall and in the Winter months.  I feel like this shade works well for older women who want to wear red.

(top L) Revlon Romantic, (top R) Revlon Adore, (bottom L) Revlon Red Velvet, (bottom R) e.l.f. Royal Red

No matter what shade of red you choose, be sure to line you lips to keep your lip color from migrating and to get a precise line.  (I didn’t do that for swatching.)  If you have fine lines, you may want to pick up a clear lip pencil to line the outside of your lips to keep color from feathering into lines.  E.l.f.’s lip locker pencil is a good choice, and I believe MAC makes a good one as well.

(top L) Jordana Cranberry Crush, (top R) Jordana Sugar Plum, (bottom L) NYX Narcisse, (bottom R) Maybelline Berry Ready

Berry and wine shades are very popular this year, but I tend to wait until Winter to pull these shades out.  I think they look best after Christmas, in January and February.  But, that’s just my opinion.  I personally can not pull off a purple lip to save my life, so I don’t own any purple lip colors.  Purple is a very difficult lip color for many people, though there are some beautiful purple shades on the market this year.  Here are some beautiful berry shades that are right on trend.

(L-R) Jordana Cranberry Crush, Jordana Sugar Plum, NYX Narcisse, Maybelline Berry Ready

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Cranberry Crush has been mentioned many times on this blog, so I won’t go into too much detail.  It’s a light berry that can be sheered out for a easy any time color or built up for a slightly bolder lip.  Cranberry Crush is such and easy shade to wear and it is flattering on almost anyone.  It will also make a great transition shade from Winter into Spring.

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Color in Sugar Plum is a surprisingly dark neutral berry shade.  It packs a lot of punch for how cheap it is.  Glossy and moisturizing, it has a great formula for a bold lip because it doesn’t sink into lines.  Sugar Plum is easier to wear than one might think, so even if you are afraid to try a bold lip, don’t rule it out completely.  Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Colors are only a couple dollars, so it’s a great way to experiment with shades that you wouldn’t normally try without much risk.  It’s so gorgeous and comfortable that it get’s my vote.

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Narcisse is my only real vampy shade.  It’s not the easiest shade to pull off, but this does fall into  that plum wine category that is popular right now.  Younger lips will look best with this type of color and it does sink into lines.  Topping the shade with a gloss makes it more wearable for those with dry lips or lines.  Though it may take a little TLC to look it’s best, Narcisse can be very pretty for a daring, powerful look.

Maybelline Color Whisper in Berry Ready doesn’t really whisper in my opinion.  It shouts fun, flirty, and fabulous!  This is a gorgeous raspberry shade that is extremely pigmented for a Color Whisper.  It’s a little lighter than Jordana Sugar Plum, so you may find it a better option if you don’t usually wear bold shades.  The Color Whisper formula is fantastic, so this is an easy shade to wear because it won’t settle into fine line or accentuate dryness.

(top L) Jordana Cranberry Crush, (top R) Jordana Sugar Plum, (bottom L) NYX Narcisse, (bottom R) Maybelline Berry Ready

I do have one final shade to show you, and it’s a gloss.  Though it doesn’t fit into any of these categories, I really love this product for Fall and Winter.  I have a travel sized tube of Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Gloss in Dare Devil.

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Gloss in Dare Devil

Dare Devil is a gorgeous berry shimmer that would look fantastic on a variety of lips.  Though not drugstore, I wanted to include it because I do recommend checking it out.  The Marvelous Moxie Glosses have a minty taste and smell, but do not sting like a real plumping lip gloss.  I thought that I’d throw Dare Devil in as a bonus because I do really like it.

And that’s it for my Fall/Winter lip color recommendations.  Almost all of these products can be found at the drugstore.  E.l.f. Royal Red is available at eyeslipsface.com, and possibly Target.  NYX Narcisse is available at cherryculture.com, and possibly Ulta.  Dare Devil should be available anywhere Bare Minerals is sold.  I hope that you liked my picks.  What are your favorite lip colors for Fall and Winter?  Let me know in the comments below.

Ipsy October 2013

Ipsy bag for October 2013

I finally got that big pink envelope in the mail that can only mean one thing- it’s Ipsy time!  If you are new to this blog, Ipsy (formerly My Glam) is a subscription service where you receive a cute little makeup bag full of 4-5 deluxe samples and often full-sized products to try out.  They also provide exclusive offers from the brands that were featured for the month.  It’s a really good way to try out new products and brands that you might not otherwise be able to.  The theme for October is “The Art of Beauty”.  From Ipsy: “Get ready for a month of masterful makeup tricks and delightful beauty treats. Whether you’re headed to a fancy Fall ball or impressing the crowd with a jaw-dropping avant-garde costume, this month’s brand partners have something to help perfect your Look!”

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush: “The Coastal Scents Shadow Brush is a medium sized brush made out of natural fibers that is wide in shape and condensed to allow an even distribution of eyeshadow on the lid. This professional cosmetic brush can be used for shading the crease and highlighting the brow bone with complete precision.” This is a full sized product that retails for $2.49 at coastalscents.com.  For those wondering, the natural bristles are made of pony hair.

Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel

Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel:  “The Sexy Hair Blow Gel is an alcohol-free gel that thickens hair while adding volume. It also helps retain moisture so your hair never feels dry. Delivers a light to medium hold.  To use, apply to damp hair from roots to ends and blow dry to expand volume.”  Ipsy uses Ulta as the distributor for Sexy Hair brand products.  This 1.7 fl oz bottle is the travel size, priced at $5.00 at ulta.com.

La Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes

La Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes: “The La Fresh® Eco-Beauty® Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes gently cleanses and detoxifies skin. Contains pineapple, vitamin E, cucumber, marshmallow, oat, aloe and chamomile extracts. These wipes are biodegradable, compostable and are packaged using clean, renewal solar energy. Paraben-free.”  I checked lafreshgroup.com to get the approximate worth of this sample pack of 10 wipes.  The pack of 30 wipes is priced at $9.99, which makes the worth of the sample $3.33.  However, lafreshgroup.com is also offering 10 individually packaged wipes for $5.99.  I’m going to use $3.33 when I calculate my overall total at the end if the post, but this product may be worth more, depending on how you look at it.

Bella Terra Mineral Cosmetics Mineral Shimmers in Emotion

Bella Terra Mineral Cosmetics Mineral Shimmers in Emotion: “It’s easy to create a variety of looks with Bella Terra Mineral Cosmetics Mineral Shimmers! As an 8-in-1 product, the Mineral Shimmers are a creamy eye shadow, matte eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip color, nail polish, mascara, body glitter, and hair color for fun hair streaks! Available for purchase in 60 luminous and luxurious shades.” The full size product is 2.5 g and is priced at $14.99 at bellaterracosmetics.com.  This sample size is 2.0 g and is worth $12.00.  Emotion is a gorgeous rosy purple shimmer.

Zoya Nail Polish in Neve

Zoya Nail Polish in Neve: “Part of the Fall 2013 CASHMERES & SATINS Collection, these shades are created to work together with this season’s most stylish runway designs and luxurious fabric blends. These ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE – free of toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).”  This is a full size bottle and is worth $8.00 at zoya.com. Neve is a subtly metallic sapphire blue.

The total worth of my  October Ipsy bag is $30.82, plus the makeup bag.  For those who can’t tell, the bag says “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.”  At first I wasn’t too thrilled with my October Ipsy bag, but I’m warming up to the products that I received.  I am really pleased to have the Zoya polish, and that’s my favorite part of the bag.  I’m also happy to get the Coastal Scents brush.  While I have several Coastal Scents products, I haven’t gotten around to trying their brushes, though I’ve wanted to for a while.  I’m also excited to try a natural bristle brush because the overwhelming majority of my brushes are synthetic.  I do really like the eyeshadow, but I may end up gifting it because I have someone in my life that would love it even more.  Otherwise I would have swatched it, but I didn’t want to open it in case I do decide to give it away.  I’m not a fan of LA Fesh wipes because they make my eyes sting like crazy, but I can always use them to remove swatches so they will get used.  I could have done without the blow drying gel because I don’t blow dry my hair usually.  Would you be interested if I included that I my next giveaway?  I’m not sure what to do with it otherwise.

October may not have been my favorite bag, but I still think that Ipsy is the best subscription service out there.  The price is great at only $10 a month, and the samples are a very good size.  There are similar services, but they are often twice the price, or the samples are small and the products are kind of lame.  Ipsy definitely still gets my vote.  If you are interested in signing up for your own Ipsy bag, please use my referral link.  I definitely think that it’s worth it.

E.L.F. Facebook 400K 40% off Sale

40% off sale

E.l.f. is offering 40% off of any purchase over $25 through midnight to celebrate getting 400,000 likes on facebook.  Enter FB400K on all orders over $25 and get 40% off at checkout.  E.l.f. is also now permanently offering free shipping on orders over $35 (after any discounts).  There are a few interesting new products, so you may want to head over to eyeslipsface.com to check it out and take advantage of the sale.

Spotted: Revlon 2014, LE LOreal, CoverGirl and Christmas

Continuing from yesterday, here is part two of all of the new displays that I found while out and about.  This is the time of year when the market gets saturated with new products and while at Rite-Aid and Walgreens I found so many new collections that I need to split it up over two posts to keep them at a manageable size.  Yesterday I showed you all of the Disney Villain products exclusive to Walgreens that I spotted.  Today, I have some new displays for Revlon 2014 products, limited edition products from L’Oreal and a lot more, so let’s get started.

Revlon Collectible Craveable Color collection

While at Rite-Aid I found three new displays from Revlon, the first of which is the new Collectible Craveable Color collection with Laquer Balms and Matte Balms.  This is the new collection of lip balm sticks, like the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, but slightly different.  The new Laquer Balms will be a lot more glossy and shiny than the original Balm Stains.  The Matte Balms, as you can probably guess, will have a matte finish.  I’m not sure if they are supposed to have a staining effect like the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, but my guess is yes.

Revlon Colorstay Shadowlinks eyeshadow

Another fun new addition from Revlon are the new Colorstay Shadowlinks eyeshadow pans.  These cute little single shadows interlock so that you can create your own palette of favorite shades.  Mix and match to customize anything you want.  I love that this is in the drugstore because they remind me of Jouer cosmetics that interlock to make it easier to take them on the go.  Gimmicky?  Maybe, but so freaking cool.

Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamels

Finally from Revlon are the Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamels.  Okay, on the plus side these bottles are the cutest things ever!  I mean, just LOOK at them.  But, scented nail polish is usually a fail for me.  It’s been done before.  The scent never lingers after the polish is dry and often the smell is just… off.  I don’t want to knock these Revlon polishes before I try them, but I am not as excited about these as I am for the other two collections.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte and La Laque lip colors

New from L’Oreal are the Colour Riche Le Matte and La Laque lip colors.  These claim to be a “Lipstick + Liner in One” because they are thinner than a typical jumbo lip pencil and come to a soft point.  Of course, that point will round out and disappear with wear, but whatever.  Similar to the Revlon Laquer Balms and Matte Balms, the Le Matte and La Laque lip colors have matte and super glossy finishes respectively.  I have heard great reviews on these products already and they are said to have great staying power.  Right now, the display claims that these are limited edition, so you may want to jump on them.  I don’t see why L’Oreal wouldn’t make them permanent though, especially if they take off like I expect them to.  We shall see.

Cover Girl Hunger Games Catching Fire Collection

This is the Cover Girl Hunger Games Catching Fire Collection (The Coal Mining Look).  To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed in it.  There is the Flamed Out Mascara in the normal packaging as well as LE packaging, but it is the same product.  The two Flamed Out Shadow Pencils in Gold Flame and Silver Flame are also part of the permanent line.  There are four new shades of Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Glosses in Turn Up The Heat, Violet Flare, Glow For It and Firecracker.  There are also four LE Glosstinis in Sulfur Blaze, Rouge Red, Pyro Pink, Seared Bronze.  I’m waiting to see if any of their other looks will have more interesting products in the display, but so far I am not impressed.

Rite-Aid Snowman polishes

Something that made me laugh out loud were these two displays with Rite-Aid’s Christmas Snowman polishes right next to the Halloween Pumpkin polishes.  Christmas arrives earlier and earlier every year, and this was too funny not to share.  Here is a closer look at this year’s Snowman polishes and candy cane lip glosses.

Rite-Aid Ornaments polishes

Also for Christmas are these displays of Ornaments polishes.  The full-size bottles are bejeweled and quite festive.  The tubes of five mini polishes would make a great stocking stuffer for a younger girl.  I may have to pick one up for my niece.

That’s it for this round of new displays.  There is plenty more where that came from, so b sure to keep your eyes peeled for new products and spend some time in the beauty isles of your local drugstores.  This time of year, you are pretty much guaranteed to find something new that you want to try. 😉

Spotted: Disney Villain Merchandise at Walgreens

I told you in my last “Spotted” post that this is the time of year when the market gets saturated with new products and the drugstore is no exception.  I popped into Rite-Aid and Walgreens to see if there was anything new in the last week or so, and sure enough, I hit pay dirt.  I found some of the new collections from Revlon and L’Oreal, as well as a lot of other fun stuff.  So much, in fact, that I need to split it up over two posts because otherwise this post would be ginormous.   Today I am going to start with Walgreens where the Disney Villains are taking over.  (Be sure to check back tomorrow to see the other displays I found.)  To my knowledge, all of the Disney Villain merchandise is exclusive to Walgreens.

E.l.f. Disney Villain Look Books

Two weeks ago, in this post, I showed you the new E.l.f. Disney Villain Look Books.  Here is a look at the display that I found at Walgreens.  Be sure to refer back to that post for more detailed photos of each set.  The look books retail for $9.99 each.  In addition to the e.l.f Look Books I also found some other pretty cool Disney Villain merchandise.

Ardell Disney Villain Lash sets

There are four Villain themed sets of false lashes from Ardell to represent the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil.  Each set contains three pairs of lashes inspired by each respective Villain and some lash glue for $7.99.

Kiss Disney Villain Nail Art Kits

Kiss got into the action with some nail art kits inspired by the Villains.  Each set includes: a Flat Brush (used to create unique designs or gather glitter to lay onto nails precisely), Foil Tape, Nail Art Sticker Sheets, Rhinestones, HD Glitters, and Caviar Beads.  These sets are $9.99 each and they look pretty great.

Scunci Disney Villain Ponytailers sets

The final Disney Villian product that I found (though I know that there are makeup bags from SOHO Beauty that weren’t at my Walgreens) were these 7-piece sets of “Ponytailers” from Scunci.  Four of the bands in the set are like Twistbands or any number of similar pony-tail holders that can also be worn on the wrist as a “fashion” accessory.  The other three are traditional bands but with a themed charm attached.  The sets are $7.99.

I hope that you liked this spotlight on the Disney Villains products that are taking over.  Come back tomorrow to see new displays from Revlon, L’Oreal, and more, including the Cover Girl Hunger Games Catching Fire display.

Amazon Luxury Beauty Store

Amazon Luxury Beauty Store

Amazon launched it’s new Luxury Beauty Store yesterday.  This is a new and refined shopping experience for discovering tons of products including makeup, skin care, hair care, men’s grooming and fragrance.  The new store features enhanced search options, detailed product information and editorial content, and clear images that make shopping for higher-end beauty products convenient and more customized than ever before.  Some of the 24 prestige brands that have signed with Amazon are NARS, Dr. Brandt, Jack Black, and Deborah Lippmann.  I’m sure that there will be more to follow as Amazon gets this new division off the ground.  Amazon was already a great place to research online beauty purchases and now everything is all in one convenient location.

In addition to the comprehensive product descriptions and thousands of reviews that we are used to through the regular Amazon store, the Luxury Beauty Store will also offer customers the ability to read up on beauty techniques and try new products with free samples.  Unlike Sephora, Ulta or even beauty.com., Amazon offers free shipping on orders of only $25.00 and that can be combined with non-beauty items.  They also offer free two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members.  This is great if you only want one or two things at a time.

Check out amazon.com/luxurybeauty for more information and to begin shopping.