Bath & Body Works Halloween Liplicious Lip Gloss

I know it's a bit late for these, but I thought it'd be fun to talk about these Halloween lip glosses a little bit for halloween. Well, not really much to say about them, they are sweet tasting, sticky and don't last too long, the colors are a lot of fun though! If you can find these on clearance at your Bath & Body Works, don't hesitate to pick them up!

Sana Hadanomy Collagen Cream

I'm getting super into skincare now that my wishlist of color makeup is dwindling and will most likely soon be only a couple things from LE collections and seasonal collections. I think I probably should have been getting into skincare more before though, since one should probably care for their skin before embellishing it with color makeup. Also, I don't like to/can't really wear foundation or anything like that (even BB cream makes my skin flaky on dry spots) so I really feel that I should make my skin look good on it's own.

It's no secret that I have a love affair with Asian/Japanese skin care and makeup, well it may be kind of vague from my blog here though since I don't have a whole lot of actual posts about it because it's either hard to get, expensive or both. However this Sana Hadanomy collection is neither of those since the most expensive item in the lineup is about $17 and all the Asian markets in my area carry the line, and I actually got them on sale even!

Anyhow, on to the actual REVIEW. I'd been eyeing this line for the longest time because it's just adorable, and I absolutely love cute packaging...the product has to be really awesome for me to ignore it being ugly! But this "cream", which is more of a gel, is not only cute but it is awesome! It does a great job keeping my face's moisture retained and it smells gorgeous when you put it on. It's a citrusy rose scent, usually when I get a rose scented cream (even from Guerlain) it's very overpowering, but this just smells refreshing and delicate. I could sniff it all day! If you have a Japanese market (or an Asian market that sells Japanese goods) definitely be on the lookout for this. It's roughly $16 and pretty darn big as you can see from the picture. 

Stila E! Live From The Red Carpet Breathtaking Beauty Palette

Anybody who is anywhere near a Nordstrom Rack needs to get themselves there ASAP and pick up this Stila Breathtaking Beauty palette for something like $9.75 (or maybe all of them, why the heck not the price is right). It comes with 6 decently sized neutral eyeshadows (in cinema, best picture, film, academy, theater and drama), 1 all over shimmer in Kitten (aka a full size eyeshadow, it's not much good on the face) and 1 convertable color for lips/cheeks in Breathtaking. 

I haven't tried any of Stila's normal non-palette eyeshadows yet, but I understand that these are better quality than the $14 Travel Girl/Beach Girl sets, possibly as good as the normal Stila eyeshadows. The deal on this palette just keeps getting better and better as the convertable color is amazing AND the palette even comes with a full size Lip Glaze in Guava. The lip glaze alone is worth $22, although it is thinner and longer than the only other lip glaze I own they both contain the same amount of product. 

I really like these eyeshadows (I am including Kitten as an eyeshadow here), they are silky and have minimal fallout. The liners are a bit dark and sparkly for me though so I haven't used them yet and I am not sure when I will. Also the convertable color is just wonderful, I can see myself using it apart from when I want to use the palette. The lipgloss is sheer and I realized too late that it was probably meant to be worn over the convertable color on your lips...oh well, I'll try it that way next time :). 

B+C Laboratories AHA Mousse Cleansing Foaming Face Cleanser

I finally ran out of my Biore (Japan) Marshmallow Whip foaming face cleanser, so I was on the hunt for a new one. I really like Asian skincare, Japanese in particular, so I looked at the Japanese market. B&C Laboratories AHA Mousse Cleansing was a couple dollars more (it was about $14) than my old cleanser and most other ones, and a bit smaller too...but being the packaging freak I am I went for this one because it was the cutest. Now, I am not TOO shallow of course I wanted something that would have an effect I wanted too, so I was also interested because it had a sticker/label that said that it has "Mild fruits acid peeling & deep cleansing" and is for sensitive skin. Well, my skin isn't particularly sensitive but when something says "acid" "peeling" and "deep cleansing" I don't want it to be too harsh especially when I use it every day. From what I read AHA would be really good for what I want for my skin, so I hope it helps!

When I first pumped the foam into my hand it was kind of "limp" and watery, quite unlike Marshmallow Whip which is pretty dense (almost like shaving cream). However, when I started to massage it on my face it lathered up into a very luxurious foam where Marshmallow Whip somewhat thinned out on your face. AHA Mousse Cleansing has a strange but somehow pleasant scent, which is nice...it's kind of a "spa" scent in a way. I've only used this once so far, but I hope it shows some results, either way I am pleased with it and will most likely rebuy unless I hear something else is amazing.

There are a few other things in the line which I may check out if this product shows results. I forgot what they were exactly (I didn't look too closely) but there were only 2 or 3 of them.

MAC Pinch o' Peach and Pink Swoon Blushes

Since I am trying to beef up my natural/subtle blush collection I turned to MAC since they have such a wide variety of blushes, I was specifically interested in the "Sheertone" finish, because...well...it's sheer! They also come in a few cute (and matte, yay!) colors, such as these two, Pinch o' Peach and Pink Swoon, they look pretty similar here, and they ARE similar but like Springsheen and Peachykeen they definitely look different enough. Pinch o' Peach is a slightly peachy light pink. Like the name states, it's just got a pinch! I saw a lot of complaints on MUA that it really isn't very peach at all...but I think the name makes it pretty clear how peachy it's intended to be! I tend to like my blushes more coral or peachy, so this is a great blush for me to wear when I feel like that look but I want it more pink and more subtle!

Pink Swoon is a pretty basic "Barbie pink" sheer matte blush, I think this is a great color to brighten up your face, can't go wrong with it! If you like pink blushes or a dolly look I think this is a good one to have in your collection for dramatic eye/lip days or just if you don't feel like fussing with blush much. It's a very simple color, and not quite as nuanced as Pinch o' Peach but that's a good thing in my opinion. Sometimes you just want a simple, sweet dolly look with no frills. 

I am really into matte blushes right now, especially if it's a subtle look, because I don't want it to look like I am ONLY wearing shimmer. When I wear a subtle blush, most of the time I want it to look natural (note: I do like and wear subtle blushes with shimmer though). It's too bad matte blushes are so hard to come by most of the time, thank goodness for MAC, Tarte and Illamasqua!

I think if you are rather pale like I am then this sort of blush will not be too sheer for you, however if you already have a lot of color in your cheeks, or are not very pale you may not be pleased with the results, however you can layer and get a decent pop of color. I really like that these are kind of fool proof, in that you can slap a lot on and you won't look like a clown! I mean you might be able to put that much on, but I think you'd really have to work at making them look garish. These blushes, or blushes very similar to them should be in every girl's makeup stash, in my opinion. 

Pinch o' Peach

Pink Swoon

Illamasqua Blush in Hussy

This is my first Illamasqua product, nothing else really called out to me before and I was put off by their "edgy" product names...I am not too pleased with this shade being called "Hussy" but it's pretty tame compared to some of their other/past product names ("Throb" and "Load" I'm looking at you...). I just couldn't turn down this shade and formula so despite the name I picked it up~. It leans a bit more orange in these pictures, but it definitely is on the pinker side of the spectrum.

I am loving matte blushes (and eyeshadows) lately, and this is no exception! It apply smoothly and not chalky at all due to being very finely milled, however powder gets ALL OVER the compact when you put your brush in it. Not a huge deal, but it's kind of irritating. That won't stop me from getting more Illamasqua blushes though, it's not very easy to find so many nice shades of matte blush.

Tarte Amazonian Blush in Dollface

After I got MAC Stunner blush I realized that I really need more subtle/light colored blushes...I've just about hit my limit on bright ones because really...how many shades of bright coral/peach/pink can there even BE??? Also I don't ALWAYS feel like a bright blush, or want to spend time trying to apply it carefully...and I do sometimes wear bold or bright lipstick, and rarely eyeshadow that is not a neutral color. 

So my first subtle blush after making this decision was Tarte Dollface since I am sort of collecting the Tarte Amazonian Blush line. I only need 2 more and then I'll have all of them I want (and pretty much most of them anyway, plus one QVC exclusive shade). These might be my favorite blushes because they apply well, last all day and are not overly shimmery or sparkly, in fact most of them are matte. I also appreciate that when you get it from the pan on your brush you don't get a powdery mess everywhere but the blush is still very soft and pigmented. 

As usual my phone messes with my pictures, even though these are very heavy swatches it's still not that bright or coral, it's a nice peachy pink. It's the sheerest Tarte blush I own, but I bought it knowing that, and that was also part of the reason I bought it since sheerness helps with a subtle look, and is buildable without looking clownish. 

MAC Blush in Stunner (MAC Me Over Collection)

Usually I tend to go for brighter blushes, but something about MAC Stunner blush drew me in, I guess in part because of the fact that I usually get bright blushes...sometimes I just want to brighten up my face a bit without it being too obvious!

This color is actually nicely pigmented, but is a light color...don't be deceived by how it swatches (on my arm it looks much darker and more orange than it really is). It's a really awesome blush that is great for when you want a very natural look or if you want to go with a really bold eye or lip look. It's shimmery but not overly so, just enough to refract light in a flattering way and also give a little highlighting.

I am not sure how nice this would look on somebody significantly darker than I am since it's a light color, it might look a bit chalky. But I highly recommend this blush to my fellow pasty ghostly gals! I think every one of you need to get this blush before it's gone since it's LE.

Maybelline Haul (Walgreens 40% Off Sale)

Last week Walgreen's had a very generous sale on Maybelline products. Usually I opt out of BOGO 1/2 off because I feel it's not that great of a deal (BOGO Free is good, if I want even numbers of items), but when there is just x% off I tend to jump at the chance to partake in a good deal...it's got to be at least 40% though because less than that and it's gotta be something I really really wanted and not something I am trying out. Also I know how I am and I know I'll reach for my high end or mid range makeup items much more often than my drugstore items, so I don't want to pay too much for drugstore items.

In the case of these products they were things I heard were nice and just wanted to try out! I am very glad I did too, they are all very nice products for drugstore brands! I had heard the Maybelline EyeStudio collections were very similar to Japanese eyeshadows, especially the Color Explosion line (which happens to be my favorite). Now, I haven't gotten any Japanese eyeshadows myself because I am not really big on eyeshadow and so I couldn't justify the price...however at the price of these Maybelline shadows I didn't mind at all! I am glad I can experience the Japanese formula, even though it's not truly from Japan. 

My favorite products out of the bunch are the EyeStudio Color Explosion eyeshadow quints (more like quads when you take into consideration the pan at the top that is pure glitter), silky smooth, pigmented and long lasting (over primer, I never wear eyeshadow without it). It's a little hard to get your method of application into the "liner" pan (the darkest colors that is the thin V under the glitter), but it's not too bad. Other than that really no complaints...my favorite out of the 2 I got is Caffeine Rush because it's the most useful for me as I gravitate more towards neutrals on a daily basis, and generally when I wear brighter colors it's just on the outside corners of my eyes with a neutral on the whole lid. 

All the Color Explosion palettes are very shimmery, but not really over the top unless you use the glitter as a wash. They had very minimal fall out, which was impressive. There are only 5 sets out right now and I really hope they make more, in more muted colors, so I can get some more...even the pink which doesn't seem as bright as the others is too bright for me to use on it's own. 

My second favorite item is the blush I picked up from the new Fall 2011 collection, Ravishing Rouge, which is a gorgeous brick red with minimal shimmer. It's supposed to be a dupe of the red Chanel, which is pretty but I knew I wouldn't use this color much so at that price that would have been insane. At $4ish after the 40% discount it was the right price to have just to have, or if I feel like experimenting. It's VERY VERY pigmented, so it's pretty hard to apply, you really have to use the tiniest amount and even then you will probably have to cover a bit with a translucent powder to tame it.

Lastly I'd heard that the EyeStudio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadows were also nice and similar to Japanese eyeshadows, I don't know if the one I got (Strut it Suede) is just subpar or what but I just didn't like it as much as the Color Explosion series. Also the glittery shades were just a bit too glittery for me...it was still leagues above most drugstore eyeshadows though, in my opinion. Very silky and soft, just like the name illustrates :). 

I guess out of all of these though my only MUST HAVE item is the Color Explosion in Caffeine Rush quint. The other items are all nice too though, and I can absolutely recommend them if they tickle your fancy!

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion in Pink Punch (in dusky sunlight & direct LED light)

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow in Strut it Suede (in direct LED light)

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion in Caffeine Rush (in direct and indirect LED light)

Maybelline Blush in Ravishing Rouge (in 'normal' bulb light)

Etude House Follow Me Lip Tint in Passion Pink

I've been trying to get into Asian makeup lately just because it's so cute and fun and the quality is usually very nice! Mostly I've been getting blush and lipstick since I am not that into eyeshadow (yeah, yeah) and I feel like my collection is pretty much complete in that dept.

I wanted to get into Japanese makeup at first, however it can be rather expensive and for my budget it's sadly not worth the gamble, especially if I can't swatch it...and for the price of some of the Japanese lipsticks I could get more of my beloved Dior or Guerlain lipsticks!

So my solution? Get more Korean makeup! Etude House makes very affordable makeup that even marked up 50% on eBay is still very reasonable (I think this lipstick was maybe $5 retail, I paid about $10). Maybe in the future I will try ordering a bunch at once on gmarket, but right now this is good since I only want to get a couple things now and then!

Anyhow, on to the actual product review!

This is the Etude House Follow Me Lip Tint in Passion Pink, apparently this line is promoted by a Korean girl group...I don't know anything about that but I just thought it deserved mentioning if you like Korean music! This lip tint (I hesitate to really call it a lipstick, or even a balm) has a really pretty minty sort of blue color as a bullet, but when you put it on your skin it turns into the prettiest fuchsia! It basically does the same thing as Dior Addict Glow, but Follow Me has the added benefit of the blue to fuchsia contrast for fun, the pink is brighter, and is a lighter formula, not to mention less than half the price. Depending on how many swipes you do you can either have a subtle pink glow, or a pop of bright fuchsia! Also it has a really nice glossy look which lasts a decent amount of time considering the slip and consistency of the product. One thing I really really really love about this product though is that it STAINS your lips really well and lasts awesomely through eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth...whatever! Seriously, I put this on last night around 8pm or so, and this morning my lips were still pink!

As for the packaging, it's not the heaviest but it's simple and cute and does it's job! The bullet fits perfectly in the tube, no rattling. I heard people say it is cheap and boring but I think it's cute enough, and you can't really complain about something feeling cheap when it's from a budget brand!

This may actually end up being one of the very very few (so far, none) items that I will get a backup for just because it's so wonderful and handy for when you want a pop of color that brightens your face and requires no fuss!

Guerlain Rouge Automatique 167 Guet Apens

167 Guet Apens is the most recent Guerlain Rouge Automatique I've gotten and also the darkest. However it's a very nice reddish berry pink on my lips, even though the bullet looks pretty dark. Also the bullet appears to have some very fine shimmer, which you don't really see translated well to the lips, but I don't mind since I don't like overly sparkly/shimmery lips right now anyway.

While it's probably better suited for fall I feel like this color is still bright enough for me to pull off while it's still summer and pretty much year round. I love this color because it's so very versatile and it's not as bright as some of them can be (such as Shalimar for instance, at least if you do more than one layer).

I really think that overall Guerlain Rouge Automatique are the best lipstick for me due to the wonderful luxe creamy feel of the formula, the lasting power, the perfect midground of opacity and sheerness and of course the design of the tube although I often get some lipstick on it while applying due to the shape, I still love the nifty one-hand application with it and the neat little gimmick of the slider. I also really like the touch of it saying "Guerlain" on the plastic holding the bullet in place rather than laser etched into the bullet itself since it won't get smudged or used up.

The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Blusher OR202

Ok, I am trying to chip away at my drafts little by little...and soon I will do the top 5 summer products I just have to think which are my favorite since I love so many!! So anyway, right now I am going to try and pump out as many of these small posts as I can!

Allons-y everybody :).

After having a nice dinner at the Korean food court I wanted to browse The Face Shop...some things in there are a bit pricey, but the Lovely Me:Ex line is pretty decent, lip gloss is $5 and the blush is $11. I am not sure if there is anything else in the collection, or how much it is though. OR202 is a very nice tangerine blush that I am not sure why I can pull off. I am in love with peach/tangerine blushes right now, even though I am very cool toned and I can't wear anything near an orange on my lips (except for MAYBE the very special melon or coral).

I really like the packaging for this line with the girls on each item. There are a few different girls too. Very cute. I also like how for the blushes the little window is different sizes for different colors, just makes it more interesting.

The powder is very finely milled although if you take too much it can be a little chalky, but it's really good for the price. However the size and shape of the powder is a bit small, but I kind of find it a good thing since when I swipe my brush on the powder it comes off as a strip which helps it apply in just the right spot!

I love this stuff, next time I go to have Korean food I will definitely pick up another color.

Help! I'm Backlogged!!

Help! I am severely backlogged! As you can see I have 19 drafts that I haven't even touched, please let me know which one/s you'd like to see first since I am completely overwhelmed!

(Click picture to enlarge)

Thanks!!

NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizzazz

Really pretty blue-purple jelly with pink microglitter, this is a pretty dark nail polish for me, but it is still pretty cheerful with the pink shimmer and the fact that it's a jelly. I love how blue-leaning it is too~.

Tarte Cheek Stain in True Love

I've been calling July my bad skin month...it's been really patchy and break-out-y. So I thought maybe on days when my skin is being particularly peculiar that I would use a cheek stain, however I really suck at using the normal sort of cheek stain (think Benetint and such)... I just can't get it to blend quickly or evenly and I don't like the idea that my fingers will be stained all day as well.

I used this 3 days in a row last week which is quite a feat for me since I am so flaky! I just can't stick to one thing, I always have like 5 things I want to use! But it was just so nice and worry free and gave me the best natural glow. I had to force myself to go back to my other (powder) blushes just because I have to use them haha.

The Tarte cheek stains are gel and thus more of a cheek balm...the whole thing in general reminds me of a balm since it's in a stick. You can probably use it on your lips, but I haven't and I am probably not going to...it's a really large stick so it'd be quite awkward to use. However for the cheeks I like that it's pretty fat since you shouldn't really rub this stuff in, more like pat it around and blend the edges (unless you want a super duper sheer look). It's slightly sticky to begin with but after a little while it dries down and is only the slightest bit tacky, but not enough that you can really tell, you really have to be feeling for it. I get a great, lasting wear to this stain...once it's on you it's on you really good however it does come off rather easily with water and such so it's probably best to just not wear it if you are planning on going to the beach or the pool or somewhere else wet!

True Love is a watermelon pink that looks vibrant in the tube, but due to the stain's sheer nature looks very very natural when worn. It's perfect for my skin tone and maybe somebody a bit darker than I, but if you have a really deep skin tone it probably won't show up much. I love how buildable it is because you can use it with any lip/eye combo you want! If you want bright eyes or lips, tone down the stain...if you want bright cheeks put a few layers on and don't rub it in too much!

The swatch on top is heavy on the left and then heavy but blended on the right.

What's In My Purse(s)?

Here are some awful pictures of my stuff that I took at 1am! I just wanted to post something like this, and didn't feel like taking the time to get good pictures since it's not like you guys need color accuracy or anything here! Hope it doesn't look too bad though~.

Anywho, on to my stuff!

Here is everything minus the things in my makeup bag:

Here are the things I keep in the front flap of my purse (Tokidoki brush/mirror, Tocca lipgloss, Burt's Bees tinted lip balm, Smith's Rosebud salve and Nivea smoothing lip balm):

Here is all the medicine stuff etc. I keep in the zipper pocket inside my purse (inhaler, allergy medication, DayQuil, $OPI hand sanitizer spray, eye drops, key to my mom's house and checkbook):

These are the things in the main compartment of my bag...all the small items go in the 2 open pockets (Clinique makeup bag, Coach wallet, tissues, car/house/work keys, lipstick, MAC P&P lips, 2x Clinique Chubby Sticks, chewing gum, compact mirror and compact comb):

Contents of my small makeup bag (Clinique blush/eyeshadow compact, Clinique double ended lipgloss/stick, Essence concealer stick, Tarte tinted lip balm, Palladio tinted lip balm, NailTek nail file, Sephora portable eyelash/brow groomer, pen, Burt's Bees cuticle cream and Tweezerman mini slanted tweezer):

Bonus - My weekend bag contents (Coach mini wallet, Clinique Chunky Cherry Chubby Stick, Nivea smoothing lip balm, Smith's Rosebud salve, lipstick, keys, chewing gum, inhaler, compact mirror and compact comb).

There you have it! What do you guys find essential to keep in your bag?

Only the things in my "weekend bag" are my essentials, in my normal purse I keep a lot of things for "just in case" while I am at work.

My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks - Black Pearl & Bulgarian White Rose

My current skin obsession is these My Beauty Diary sheet masks (from Taiwan). Basically they are some sort of fiber mask (not just paper, they are pretty thick and tough) soaked with serum that have eye, nose and mouth holes that you put over your face and let sit for 30 minutes. They have tons of serum in them so you can use the discarded mask to rub extra on your face/neck/decollete or wherever before you toss it.

I am totally in love with these things and the price point is very decent as well. At my local Asian (but mostly Chinese) grocery store these run $12.99 and you get 10 masks. The box instructs you to use the mask 2-3 times a week, I do it 3 times. If you follow their directions you should be able to get a month's use from one box plus some overlap to buy a new one. However I have bought 2 so I can alternate, and if you want them to do different things you may want to use different ones each time.

I am mostly looking for whitening which is why I chose these 2 as I heard they were the best for that, and from my experience it is true. The very first time I used Black Pearl it lightened some discoloration at the corners of my mouth. It's not completely gone (yet) but that's why I'm keeping up with the masks since I am hoping over time they can help completely or at least prevent further discoloration!

Black Pearl:

Bulgarian White Rose:

NOTD: Essie Super Bossa Nova

I had $3.50 off at CVS so I decided to get another Essie polish since I have recently decided I love their formula...there were some lip glosses I wanted to try too but I am really trying hard here to stick to my "no drugstore cosmetics so I can get more high-end stuff" rule! Nail polish is not included in that rule though, since many great nail polishes can be found in drug stores, and being high-end doesn't necessarily mean the quality or formula is better!

Anyway, although coral has taken over as my favorite summer color I am still in a fuchsia mood...well, Super Bossa Nova in my opinion is more of a bright raspberry but it still fits the bill for reddish shades I am into! Also I've been getting kind of sick of cremes lately...I love the colors and it's great the first day or 2 but then I get majorly antsy to remove it! One of the things that made me get Super Bossa Nova over another Essie color I really wanted (well, several...all coraly/peachy colors) was because of it's pretty pink shimmer! It's just what I needed to keep my interest and possibly have this color on for more than a couple days!

As expected the formula on Super Bossa Nova was amazing, possibly the best yet! It was very easy to control although it looks a bit messy in the picture, but that's because it's my right hand, meaning I applied with my left hand...so it couldn't be helped!

Top: Direct sunlight. Bottom: Shade under a tree.

Don't mind my cuticles, they are terrible right now...this is actually my good hand, my other hand has 2 band-aids over my cuticles :(

MAC Blushes - Springsheen & Peachykeen

I don't know why I didn't try MAC's blushes earlier. It was actually reading that Springsheen was the closest dupe for NARS Orgasm but with a better formula that prompted me to try it out. However when I swatched them at the counter I decided to get Peachykeen first since it was a bit pinker. I ended up caving and not much later going back for Springsheen though.

They look almost identical in the pan, but don't let that fool you, they are definitely different enough that you need both. As you can see from the swatches, Springsheen is much peachier with a golden cast, and Peachykeen is much pinker with a pink and golden cast. One reason I chose Springsheen over a couple other similar colors (Nars Orgasm and Too Faced Who's Your Poppy?) is that it isn't all that glittery, it has the golden sheen but it's not glittery or too "disco ball/glitter explosion" either. I like shimmer for a natural highlight since I don't use highlighter, but I don't want to go overboard. I've really been into peachy blushes lately and these certainly fit the bill!

I recommend getting either one or both, they are summer blush essentials, in my opinion! Especially if you are like me and don't want to or can't wear bronzers, I feel peachy blushes are the next best thing for a very summery look.

Top: Left-Springsheen, Right-Peachykeen

Bottom: Front-Springsheen, Back-Peachykeen

Feeling Luxe Lately

I've really been into high end lipstick lately, I feel like you get the most luxe experience out of them compared to the other items in the lines. I just can't bring myself to pay for those things...yet...but the feeling I get from applying fancy lipstick out of a fancy tube can't be beat! And formula-wise too I think they've really spoiled me since they are just amazing!

So far this one is my favorite (and my newest) Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar (166). It goes on like a balm but provides the right amount of coverage and lasting ability as well as a slight shine (although not quite as shiny as Dior Dior Addict), it also feels nearly weightless on the lips. I love that there is no cap to have to worry about, and best of all (well ok the color and formula is best) it SMELLS LIKE ROSES. Not overly perfumed like some rose-scented cosmetics tend to be, very nice and subtle!

This lipstick is just wonderful. I love the tube too, so easy to use and I loooove that it's art deco!! Retro items are my absolute favorite. This just can't be beat. I am sure once I get a Rouge G I'll love it too, but nothing can beat the ease of use of this one. Just wonderful and luxurious just like it should be.

Next up we have probably the most normal lipstick of the bunch Chanel Rouge Allure in Insolente. I still love it but it's a more traditional "dry"/opaque lipstick. The color is just beautiful (and fun, and youthful) and of course it has a luxe, fun tube. You push in the gold bit at the end, and up pops the tube with the lipstick! I love the simplicity of the "cap" just shiny black with the white chanel at the bottom. Very classy as expected from Chanel. I just love that I can have fun with this color, but still feel classy!

Up until I got my Guerlain Rouge Automatique these Dior Dior Addict lipsticks were my favorite. They come in a close second though, and there are still more colors I want. They are moist, shiny and last for a shockingly long time with or without a primer. Very buttery (although not quite as much as the Guerlain) they slide on lips smoothly almost like a balm. But of course a balmy lipstick is 1000x better than even the best tinted lip balm, unless you are going for a very sheer look. These feel luxurious and comfy when they are on.

The packaging for these are a little more juvenile and much simpler than the Guerlain and Chanel but they are still fun and I love the opalescent sheen of color on the cap. It's a little hefty, but it doesn't take up that much more space in my bag than any other lipstick. These feel a bit more "my age" in that they aren't as sophisticated looking, but they are supposed to be the "fun" lipsticks so I am not surprised.

The first one here is Show, a Sephora exclusive color. It's a fuchia/magenta sort of color, but since it's rather sheer it's not super bright and is very wearable even for every day. I really love it because I love bright lipsticks but sometimes I don't want to go too overboard.

This next one is Diorkiss which is the one that Kate Moss wears in all promos for this line (and I think maybe other Dior-related promos). Originally I thought this was a Sephora exclusive as well since it was placed with those but now I don't think so...I saw it at Nordstrom too.

I had a hard time capturing this lipstick properly in my pictures, it is actually a very wearable muted/mauvy/rosey pink that depending on the light can look a little bright. It's my favorite "every day" color for when I don't feel like wearing bright lips. I just can't do boring lips, this is literally the most muted I will go!

The best picture I can get of how Diorkiss looks on me is this silly pic I took:

NOTD: Essie Smooth Sailing & Essie Coat Azure

I put off getting Essie Smooth Sailing since I thought it would be too similar to Coat Azure but I am glad I got over it (a $5 coupon helped too) and got Smooth Sailing since other than being blue they are nothing alike. I have Smooth Sailing on all nails other than the accent nail which has Coat Azure which as you can see is not as shimmery and much lighter/brighter than Smooth Sailing. All in all I prefer Smooth Sailing, but if you were on the fence like I was rest assured these colors are nothing alike (like I was told when I was still waffling over it), hopefully this helps. The formula on both is amazing, makes me wonder why I don't have way more of Essie in my collections.

Sorry about my terrible cuticles, yikes!

Recently Hauled Goodies (MAC, NYX and more)

Recently I've been on a lipstick kick. I know I said that before but this time I've really gotten into it. I know what colors I like and what colors I can pull off and I don't find most lipsticks too drying. I was looking for a great reddish coral which is apparently very wearable for me, so when I saw this lipstick I knew I had to get it. Luckily that day my local MAC store just got in a big shipment so I picked it up that night :). It was so very worth it, it's a surprisingly wearable color that isn't TOO red or TOO orange. Also I love the tube, at first I was leery about the collection's packaging but it does look really nice. It has a very nice weight to it and it's pretty cute.

I also got a couple of NYX round lipsticks to try, I like them quite a bit although now that I am trying to stick to high-end makeup more I am not sure how many more I will get...maybe I will just get crazy colors I won't wear much but want to have for fun from NYX or something :). Anyways I got Haute Melon and Shiva, surprisingly Haute Melon is very wearable despite it looking quite orange. But worn it truly is a cantaloupe shade on me. Pink enough that it doesn't look strange. Shiva is a blue toned fuchsia with a blue flash, very nice and also very wearable at least for me. I think if you are afraid of brights either wear it very lightly or stay away.

I'd also heard that Sinful Colors' new summer collection "Adventure Island" had a few dead-on dupes for OPI's "Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" collection. From what I saw they are the same, but personally I don't have the OPI ones to compare it to. The formula is great and the wear time is great so at $2 you really can't go wrong here unless you have a strong moral objection. However I found that I didn't really want to pay close to $9 for straight cremes and since I already got the color from OPI I wanted most, this was the best way to get the stragglers.

Star Fish is the dupe for Sparrow Me The Drama

Seaweed is the dupe for On Stranger Tides

Verbena is the dupe for Planks a Lot

Spring/Summer Color Obsessions

Ok, so I started to go on about this on Twitter but I think I want to blab about it a bit more on the blog to expand on it.

Eyes: Mostly neutrals. Sometimes with a little hot pink, blue, teal or green on the outer corner as a bit of an accent. I haven't been feeling mascara too much for the past week or so for some reason, so I've been leaving my lashes bare.

Lips: BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT! I've been huuuge on bright lips ever since I found out I could pull it off (yay for cheap NYC and Wet n Wild lipsticks to experiment with). My absolute favorites have been fuchsia with a blue cast to it and coral!

Cheeks: I don't really have a lot, but of course CORAL CORAL CORAL haha. I've also been into bright "dolly" pinks, light pink but bright.

Nails: Coral again, of course! I don't actually OWN any but I am trying to change that very soon :). Also pink and sea-foam green. Lately I've been into gold but it feels like sort of a phase and not an obsession!

Overall I think I've just been crazy about fuchsia with a blue cast and coral. I've just been rabid for those colors!! I am still amazed that they are flattering on me. I'd wear them every day if I could (well, COULD but I like to change it up).

Blush & Eyeshadow Hiatus

I've come to a realization that I can only have so much blush and eyeshadow. I have 3 things on my wishlist right now, 2 of which are blushes. I think after I get those I am going to have reached critical mass on blushes. Yes, I use blush every single day but I also have like 20 of them that I've hoarded in a pretty short amount of time. There are really only several colors of blush I can pull off: pink, rose, peach and coral. How many shades of that do I need? They mostly look similar being worn anyway. I have a wonderful coral already (Milani Corallina) but I still need a nice peachy one which are the last 2 I want on my list. I think after that I'll have PLENTY of shades of blush to choose from. Heck, I already do.

Then since I got the Urban Decay Naked palette last night, I honestly don't actually need more eyeshadow. I only really wear neutral colors now, and I use such a small amount of brighter colors that my existing collection should really cover it. So really, how many neutral colors do I need? I even have plenty more neutral colors than in the Naked palette that I had previously. Similarly with the blush, how many variations on a theme do I need to have?

Anybody else feel like that too?

That's not to say that I won't still have beauty related things to post, I just think I need to cool it on the hoarding for a while! I'm also not saying I'll never buy another eyeshadow or blush again of course. So stay tuned~.

EDIT- Ok, maybe I will stick with blush a little longer, but I am holding my ground on eyeshadow for now. If I get another one it'd have to be AMAZING and I can't really say what would be that amazing now that I have plenty of neutrals... I just feel that sometimes I have too many things on my want list that I just forget about the things I already got. And I am not rich, I can't just buy and buy, I want to be a little bit more frugal while still getting things I want.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Ok, I know I am super late to the game on this one, but I finally picked up the Urban Decay Naked palette last night at Macy*s. I just couldn't bring myself to spend so much (although technically a very good deal) on neutral eyeshadows before. However, lately I've been playing around more with eyeshadow and realized that neutrals are better for me in the whole scheme of things. Also bright colors make me look stupid and clownish and I feel like Mimi from the old Drew Carey show, yuck!

Mostly blue does this to me, however the bright eyeshadow I want to wear most of the time IS blue or teal, so this makes me just want to give up on bright colors. I think I can pull it off with just a hint of color on the outside V of my eyelid, but no more than that and it has to be a neutral for the base. So this palette is a good idea for me even if I do decide to wear a little color. Only thing I feel it's missing is pink, which I love. But I have other pinks so it's not really a big deal at all...it'd just be nice to have one in there is all.

The only thing is that there are so many colors in here I don't even know where to start! I mean, I managed ok but I am interested in what other people have done with this palette.

Some New Goodies

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, I've been busy watching/thinking about Doctor Who pretty much every waking moment when not working! I'll try to be better, since I am finally almost caught up :).

I recently found a wonderful diptych app for my phone, which also helps me out quite a bit with pictures for my blog since I can just upload one picture with several shots in it :). Love it! Of course if I need to put separate pictures I still will, but I think this makes everything more compact and easy to see. Especially if I do comparisons (not that I really have yet though, but whatev!)

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First off we have L'Occitane Pivoine Flora in Cerise which is a very nice darker red with subtle shimmer. For some reason I can't make it smooth on my lips half the time, but the formula is very moist and glossy.

However THIS is my favorite of the two, and is much more wearable on a daily basis. L'Occitane Pivoine Flora in Fushcia. It's pretty sheer but gives a very nice color to your lips again with a subtle shimmer. It's nice and buildable too although it never gets super bright. The formula is amazingly moisturizing for a lipstick. I love it. My only complaint is that the cardboard cap is a bit loose. I don't feel like cardboard makes it cheap or anything, but it would be nice if it had something to hold it on there a bit better.

A couple weeks ago I did this really need sorta skittles (thumb and accent nail are both the same color so it's not exactly skittles) manicure with Milani Holographic polishes just because I wanted something fun and sparkly! Even though I haven't had this on in a while I thought I'd share it still, since it looked so pretty in the sunlight.

I love this stuff, it's the Hello Kitty x Sephora Apple Balm, unfortunately the container is TERRIBLE and just sucks at opening, so I had to depot it losing it's charm and Hello Kitty-ness. Good thing the balm is amazing and wonderfully pigmented otherwise I'd be disappointed.

Hard Candy Glossaholic Lipgloss in Gorgeous

I heard that this Hard Candy Glossaholic lipgloss had flakies in it so I had to try it even though I recently realized I hate glitter lipgloss (well pretty much anything with glitter, I love shimmer though).

The flakie shimmer is very funky and unique, but I don't think I will purchase this stuff again as it's the first lipgloss I've ever worn that has had glitter migrate like crazy, and it's stuck to you like glue too. It got all over my chin, then my neck/chest, then my son, then my husband. It got on to my husband FROM my son, not from me kissing him by the way.

My only regret is that I didn't get the "Chill Out" one because it has these crazy blue flakies, but I decided to not get it in addition to "Gorgeous" (I only saw "Chill Out" after I got "Gorgeous") because of my eternal hatred of glitter even though in theory I like it I know it'll turn into a big mess.

I am not saying people shouldn't get this stuff, or it's bad. It's not sticky but it does have a chemically sweet taste but if you like flavored gloss the taste is not unusual, I am just picky. I think if you happen to be at a Walmart or are doing a Hard Candy haul you should go for it since it's unique, or if you are a lover of glitter lip gloss.

Excuse my gigantic nose closeup and focus on the flakie effect on my lips! Click the picture for better detail.

Benefit B.Right Sampler Kit

Lately I've really been trying to take better care of my face, using a nice face wash every evening and using moisturizer. I was just using whatever moisturizer which was laying around, a Clinique one that I got in a GWP a while back...but it did pretty much nothing at all for the dry patches on my face, which are really quite dry and flaky. I got this little Benefit b.Right sampler kit at the Benefit counter at Macy*s to try out, it was $12 and 2 of the containers are glass so I figured if it was as fail at least I have a couple cute bottles!

I think my favorite out of the bunch (and as it seems, most peoples') is the "Refined Finish Facial Polish" as it seems to have the most obvious effect. It's also the best exfoliator I've used in that you can feel it working but your face isn't raw afterwards. Generally if my face wasn't raw in the past the exfoliator wasn't very effective anyway.

I really like both of the moisturizers, the "Triple Action Facial Emulsion" is very nice and lightweight while the "Total Moisture Facial Cream" (in the pot) is thick and luxurious. I think the Emulsion is best suited for day while the Cream is better for night. I don't want to get them all because they are on the pricey side (except for the Polish, which is actually a decent deal), but I might end up doing so as they both have their merits for different times of day...and I can't really see myself using one at the other time of day. Both of them eliminate my dry patches all day long, I only apply the Emulsion in the morning and the Cream at night.

Busy, busy.

Sorry I haven't been updating as much as usual, the past couple weeks have been quite busy and tiring due to my company's office moving but I am hoping to get back on track very soon, I have a lot of makeup I want to talk about!

The Contents Of My Helmer

Just a quick summary of what's in my new Helmer from IKEA:

Blushes (except for my new ones from this weekend)

Lip products

Eye products

Bottom 3 drawers are all polishes :).