Guerlain Terracotta Gloss in Salsa & Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Clearly Pink

Even though I like those Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Glosses (which I will post about later) I am kind of done with sparkly lip gloss right now. They are fun but for some reason clear gloss has just been calling to me lately, especially as something to wear every day (sparkles are cool but not something I will constantly reach for). Ever since I first saw the promo pictures for the Guerlain Terra Inca Gloss in Salsa I've been wanting it pretty badly (ok this is only like a week but still). I'll still probably get a Balmshell gloss in the future as my every day gloss like that though, since sadly this Guerlain is LE since it's from their summer collection that just came out.

Having said that, if I can get more nice Guerlain glosses I certainly would. This might be my favorite gloss ever. I just put it on so I can't say anything about wear time yet but it's the smoothest least sticky gloss I've ever felt that wasn't claiming to be a balm. Even then it's much smoother. I am going to take a guess and say that this probably isn't a long-lasting gloss since as most lip gloss fans know that long-last lipglosses usually last so darned long because they are so sticky! EDIT: I have now worn this for longer periods of time and it stays nice for a couple hours at least (with no eating), that's quite something considering the non-sticky and moisturizing quality of this gloss.

Such as the other lip gloss I got last night, Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Clearly Pink. It's sticky (but definitely not that bad at all) but it does last a long time and is very sheer, which is why I chose that color since I got it to wear over my fancy Dior and Armani lipsticks (I didn't want the gloss to overshadow the lipstick). I've decided no matter how fancy they are I just can't wear plain lipstick. I could probably wear the Dior on it's own but it's got so much glitter in it that I need gloss to smooth it out. And just in the end I am a gloss girl all the way.

Isn't the Guerlain tube super pretty? I'm definitely not tossing it ever lol. I have to say, it was definitely a big selling point for me.

Not the best colored picture (color is kind of washed out) since it's the front-facing camera on my iPhone 4... My top lip is "nude" and my bottom lip has the Guerlain gloss. As you can see it's a pretty sheer "my lips but better" color. At first I was a bit disappointed it wasn't more opaque but I think it's a really flattering look now. Glad I didn't get the red since I think this "matches" my lip color really well so as to brighten it. Guerlain's official blurb seems to claim what I've experienced so it's definitely lived up to it's claims, a huge A+ from me here!

Here are swatches of the lipglosses I got, the lighter being Clinique and the darker neon being Guerlain, I think this shows better than my in-tube picture the difference in color.

Physician's Formula Mineral Glow Pearls Blushes

I have a bunch of NOTDs to post, but I am dragging my feet--sorry! I got these today though and I just had to review 'em, NOTDs soon I swear! Ok now on to the review :)

Love these things, they were BOGO 1/2 off at Rite Aid (face powders are all like that) AND I had a couple coupons so who am I to turn down a couple of blushes I was wanting? I already love my Happy Booster blushes also by Physician's Formula so I knew these had to be good when I saw them reviewed by Vampy Varnish. From the swatch I did I have to say I think these are even nicer than the Happy Booster blushes! Super shimmery and pigmented, and both are very wearable colors. Rose Pearl is, of course, a rosier shade of pink while Natural Pearl is a more coral/peach color with a bit of pink as well. One complaint about Physician's Formula...can't they come up with blushes not just called "rose" and "natural"? Come on guys, have a little fun...be creative!

Top: Natural Pearl. Bottom: Rose Pearl.

Top: Rose Pearl. Bottom: Natural Pearl. (Click to enlarge)

NOTD: Colorful Pastels For Spring/Easter

After much redoing of my nails I finally settled on one for the rest of the week (or at least until Saturday night). These are all from Color Club's "Reveal Your Mystery" set from their Spring 2011 Alter Ego line. When I first swatched these on the fake nails I thought it was going to be be disappointingly sheer, but they are nicely opaque after 3 coats! I am very pleased since I like the colors a lot. My favorite out of the ones I am wearing here is the lilac. The pink is nice and the orangey shade is alright (nice because it has some subtle shimmer though) but the lilac definitely wins. On the pink and the lilac I layered OPI I Juggle...Men so the cremes wouldn't be too stark with the shimmer. And just because it's lovely.

Click to enlarge both pictures to better see the shimmer/sparklies.

NOTD: NYC Sidewalkers + OPI I Juggle...Men

Last night I tried my theory on how to fix OPI I Juggle...Men and it seems to have helped, I didn't get any weird wrinkles or fissures although I still got some minor shrinkage but I am starting to think that this is more because of the Poshe top coat than anything, I think though that when I put I Juggle...Men over the not completely dry (but dry to the touch) polish yesterday it just amplified the problem. I am glad I was able to work out the issues with I Juggle...Men because I really really think it's lovely.

As for the color underneath that I used, it's NYC Sidewalkers a medium "elephant" gray creme. It's not bad for the price although I found the formula a little watery (maybe due to this being a 60 second drying formula) and the brush a little stiff. But I mean you get what you pay for so I don't think it's too bad if you want a gray creme, I wouldn't pay too much for this color otherwise just because it's so boring on it's own but I wanted a gray for some reason so I figured why not, generally NYC polishes are pretty passable if you want a cheap polish that is pretty decent although I think my favorite cheap polish is probably Essence just because it was so opaque and creamy, but you don't really get a lot.

Click on the picture to see detail, it's hard to see the pretty sparkles unless you do. PS. Don't mind my hideous cuticles~.

Lipstick Mania

I never used to like lipstick, before I got into lip gloss I tried it just because I was a kid and I didn't know what else was out there. I could never get the kind of finish I wanted (high shine) and it was like it sucked the moisture right out of my lips. Well, fast forward years later and here I am just discovering the wonders of lipstick thanks to that Ulta 40% off sale that I partook in on Friday. I wouldn't have picked up Revlon Temptress otherwise because of my old dislike of lipstick. But it was cheap and it was a nice color that goes with a nail polish I already have so I decided to just give it a chance.

I'm really glad I got that particular lipstick too because from what I'd heard afterwards Revlon is pretty much the best drugstore lipstick you can get. If I'd gotten a lipstick and it had issues it would have just proved me right and I'd never get lipstick again probably. I wouldn't call the formula on these moisturizing but they certainly aren't drying which is fine by me. If my lips are too dry I just put something over it, no harm done! I really want to get more lipstick (since I just have to hoard anything I like) but I am not sure what other shades to get as I think I got a good mix already. A plum, a darkish pink and a wine red...I could always get shades in the middle I suppose.

I know that I'd like to try some other ranges of Revlon lipstick, and I'd like to see if I can find a truly moisturizing lipstick as well, that would be ideal. I think though that the next step is probably for me to get a high-end brand. Oh and it has to have cute packaging. I noticed most of the other drugstore brands have some pretty clunky looking packaging on their lipstick....

L-R: Iced Amethyst, Temptress, Wine With Everything.

Balmshell Consolation Prize

A while back I entered Balmshell's "What's In Your Purse" contest, but I didn't win (just my luck as usual) but being awesome they offered to send everybody who entered a consolation prize. Last night I got it, it's a 40% off coupon and a pack of 4 itty bitty lip gloss samples. Now I LOVE miniatures so I was very excited because it even has the little doe's foot applicator and everything but is just so teeny! I love it. I haven't tried it out yet but I just had to gush about how cute it is. Depending on how the samples go I will see about using that 40% off coupon :).

Guest appearance by my dog, Keoni.

NOTD: Orly Terra Mauve + OPI I Juggle...Men

The colors are a bit off for the Orly Terra Mauve in these pictures but the main point of this post is really OPI I Juggle...Men, which is a really beautiful sheer sparkle which is somewhat duochrome pink/light blue. My only issue with it is that it seems to hate me by causing the most bizarre issues to the color below it such as; fissures, crinkling and intense shrinkage. I thought that this was caused by Poshe last time but it appears to not be the case because all these things except maybe the shrinkage happened before I applied it. Don't get me wrong though I've still had issues with Poshe in the past and will still not be repurchasing it. Apparently I am the only one having issues which is baffling me. I am going to try it over dry polish w/ top coat and see if that helps at all because I really love I Juggle...Men and am desperate to make it work. I do want to say though that Terra Mauve went on like butter and was perfectly opaque in 2 coats although if you aren't picky and are pretty careful you could probably get away with one coat.

Sorry I did such a messy job, again I did it rather late and I had no patience for it, not that it mattered in the end but yeah...I am going to aim for an earlier time so I can be a bit neater!

You can see in these pictures some of the shrinkage although it's not easy to see, but on my ring finger and my thumb by the cuticle you can see as good of an example as I can capture but it's also pretty mild compared to some of it. The crinkles and fissures are really hard to capture, especially on a darker color like this, so just try to imagine it...

Revlon Lipstick + Maybelline Mousse Blush

Here are a couple of pictures of me wearing the blush and lipstick I got at Ulta the other night. The shimmer on the blush isn't showing up too well in this picture, but it's subtler than I first thought, definitely very wearable for me since I loooove golden shimmery blush and although I have a couple that aren't like that I mostly reach for that. I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Translucent Powder to seal it, since I'd heard that the wear isn't as good if you don't...so it's even MORE shimmery haha. Love it.

The lipstick is very nicely pigmented, the shimmer doesn't show up so much on the lips but that's ok. It's a deeper pink, the coverage is very good and it's not very drying at all! I think I might try some other Revlon lipsticks in the future, maybe a plum shade since I think that's the most flattering on me (I do love my pinks though). Maybe next time CVS has a good deal on Revlon, like buy one get one half off or something.

Ulta 40% Off Sale Haul

After hearing about the 40% off sale on a few brands (NYX, Maybelleine, Revlon, Almay) I headed off to Ulta earlier tonight!

I always use those Almay eye makeup remover pads, so I figured I might as well get the big one on sale....usually I don't get useful things when there are fancy sales, but I'm glad I did!

I'd been wanting to get Revlon Cloud for a while, it's a very very light lavender polish, I like it a lot but I definitely still want a darker one. I also got Ocean which is a shimmery teal, not too unusual but it's super shimmery! They also had a scented one called Ocean Breeze but I am so sensitive to smells sometimes I thought it'd be better to not get it...I am still curious what it's supposed to smell like though.

I don't usually care for lipstick and 99.9% of the time stick to gloss, but I have kind of been thinking lately about starting to get lipstick, but I don't have any idea what's a good one to get that isn't too drying which is in general my issue with lipstick. Anyways, I got Revlon Temptress, lipstick version since I have the matching nail polish (both from the Fire and Ice collection). I love retro so I figured I couldn't go wrong. The color seems very pretty, pink with shimmer, much like it's matching nail polish. I haven't used it on my lips yet but I have swatched it on my arm (below).

Last but not least I got Maybelline's mousse blush in Pink Frosting. From what I can tell by swatching on my arm (below) it's a very cute/barbie pink with a bunch of golden shimmer, almost glittery in a way. I think it's really cute but I think the real test is when I wear it during the day. I love pink and gold blush so I am sure I will like it, but usually the shimmer is a bit more subtle so we'll see. I think I can get away with it though since I'm 25...somebody who is a bit older may want to see if they can get a less sparkly color. For some reason I was shocked by how the consistency was actually that of a mousse, very airy! I wonder how it will go down the road, like for instance how long will this pot of product last me? If it doesn't last very long at all I probably won't repurchase, if I like it a lot I may get it in a more natural color down the line (I'd prefer on sale but I am not going back to Ulta before Saturday and I need to cool it a bit)!

Lighter swatch = blush, darker = lipstick. Click to see a bigger picture.

Essie French Affair Accent Nail Fix

So I ended up painting over the pink on the accent nail last night with Essie French Affair like I was thinking about. It looks much better now even though it's twice as thick, but I just didn't feel like removing the polish before fixing it so meh, next time I'll just plan out what color I want to use a little better ahead of time... I kinda want to do pastel "skittles" but I don't have a lavender or a light blue (both of which I REALLY want right now) and it'd be nice if I had a yellow (well I do have one yellow, but it's not pastel at all).

Also, I don't know if it's Poshe or what, but even after going to bed like 3 hours later I woke up with dents from my pillow/blanket...wtf? I did 3 coats, yes they were a bit thick but what's the point of a quick dry top coat that doesn't help hours later? Once I am done with this bottle of Poshe I am going back to Seche Vite for sure, and getting some Restore as well...but I will probably pour it into the Poshe bottle since it's a lot better.

NOTD: Revlon Minted + Revlon Temptress

I was actually originally going to use $OPI Mash Up last night, but it kept messing up because I had to do like a million layers it was so sheer, even after 3 there was still VNL...dunno if I'll be using it again, kind of wish I got the Katy Perry version, since Mash Up wasn't even that duochrome.

So I decided to go another direction completely and do pastels! I forgot how dark of a pink Temptress is though, although I like the shimmer. I am thinking maybe I should do some Essie French Affair instead maybe? Still thinking about it... Anyways, Revlon's formula was a little watery and took 3 coats to get opaque but wasn't too bad. Their brush is a bit thin with stiff bristles but wasn't the worst ever. I could have also had trouble since it was like 1am when I did my nails though (also pardon the messy job I did, I had no patience for it at all by that point).

As for the colors I really love Revlon Minted, it's a really nice mint green. Temptress I only really got because I wanted the retro bottle/color from the Fire and Ice collection. It's not a bad color just a bit intense. I really love the slight shimmer to it, makes it a little more interesting than a creme, but still mostly creme-y.

What do you think, keep the pink or change it to a more pastel shade?

Clinique Color Surge Quad "Spicy" + Gift With Purchase

So I finally caved and went for the Clinique gift with purchase. The item I bought was the Color Surge Eye Shadow Quad in "Spicy". I was a doofus at first though and asked for "Pink Chocolate" when I got home I was very disappointed as there was almost no pigmentation for any of the colors but when I tried it on my arm in the shop there was plenty. That's when I FINALLY realized my stupid mistake (read the name of the quad below it...or above it, I forgot) and took it back the next day. Spicy is MUCH much better. Don't ever get Pink Chocolate guys, even though the name is super cute.

Bronze, Gold, Brown, Rose. All shimmery.

Swatched on my arm in the same order in direct sunlight, in my car because I couldn't wait to swatch it and make sure it was the right one.

I also chose the pink set of the gift with purchase, which came with small and large makeup bags, moisturizer, eye/lip makeup remover, black mascara and these 2 beauties:

Eye shadow duo + Blush.

Lipstick + Long wear lip gloss.

Misa Dirty Sexy Money = Coach Aegean????

SO I was on the way to a movie today when I had my hand on my purse, and I realized that my nails are almost exactly the same color as my purse! Who would've guessed? Makes me even happier I got Dirty Sexy Money now!!

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, NOTD & Review

After hearing so much good stuff about Misa Dirty Sexy Money and being a lover of this type of color I had to pick up a bottle off of eBay. This color is discontinued so if you want it you need to head over to eBay as well, or try and find it elsewhere. The price wasn't TOO bad though.

Dirty Sexy Money is a lovely dusty green with a bit of a blue tinge to it. It sounds like it's supposed to be the color of money, but as my husband pointed out it's more like the color of the Statue of Liberty. Regardless of what it resembles it's a very pretty color though. The formula was slightly runny but still controllable and pictured is 2 medium-thick coats as you all know that is pretty unusual for me so yeah, the formula is nice and opaque.

EDIT: So this is the morning after application and sadly I noticed a bunch of bubbles so I had to do another layer...but that's so weird, I know it's not me because I've done tons of creme NOTDs that had no bubbles. Luckily this color is worth the trouble but I am still a bit disappointed :/

In natural light.

All 3 pictures in direct artificial light.

NOTD & Review: Zoya Breezi

So after hell...er...glitter removal I opted to go for the furthest thing from a glitter, a creme. I love my glitter polishes but holy cannoli maybe I will limit glitter polishes for my toes (which I don't change as often).

ANYWAY, the reason I am making this post before my backlog of posts is that I am having a weird issue with this polish. It went on like a buttery dream, opaque in one coat but I did 2 just in case (I always do 3 so this is a big deal) however this morning it seems like just looking at the polish has caused it to chip (right thumb and ring finger) and get a gash that spans the whole nail (left thumb). The chips on the right were a bit weird but I did hit/scratch my hand on something relatively rough so I didn't fret about it too much, but the gash on the left thumb really weirded me out as all I did to get it was reach into a box of sugar packets and get a handful of them out. I didn't touch the cardboard or anything, just other sugar packets. WTF? It's also scuffing like crazy.

I think I may have to begrudgingly go back to Seche Vite after I am done with the bottle of Poshe since I can only blame the top coat...one issue was enough (with the polish on my thumbs peeling off earlier) but two really makes me wonder. I never had ANY chipping or anything at all before. I might just start pouring the Seche Vite into the Poshe bottle or something so that I have the perks of the bottle, since that was the main reason for switching anyway (I didn't mind that I'd have to get Seche Restore eventually).

I do have to mention though that like I said earlier application was absolutely perfect, and I just love the color so I do reccomend Zoya Breezi since I am not sure if it's the top coat that caused the issues anyway.

Cosmetic Cupcake's Glitter Gal Giveaway!

The lovely 'Chelle of Cosmetic Cupcake is hosting a giveaway for Glitter Gal, I entered and you should too! She's very sweet, and it can't hurt to try to win something right?

NOTD: Sparkly, Neon and Bright!

Last Friday I decided I wanted to do a wild and crazy NOTD, although in the end I wasn't too big of a fan it was fun while it lasted :). Color Club neons with some NYC and Essence sparklies on top! While this was short lived it was fun...I think I would have kept it on longer if I didn't attempt to, and somehow mess up, using OPI Black Shatter over this and having to fix it...it was just kind of a mess and I think soured me on the whole manicure... Click the pictures below for a closer look :).

OPI Sorbet Layered Over Glitter

So, this is my 1am polish emergency solution (yes, my China Glaze Atlantis on my thumbs decided to peel around 1am). OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y over Urban Outfitters Afterhours. The very sheer jelly formula of the OPI "sorbet" is perfect for layering over glitter, as they suggested on their Twitter. I think it made a world of difference, since the glitter was very gloopy and gritty this made it much more palatable for me, but I had to do a layer of a thick top coat (Poshe) before I used the "sorbet" to make sure it wasn't absorbed by the glitter and went on smoothly. It's a really nice effect.

Artificial light, no flash.

Artificial light, with flash to show sparklies.

China Glaze Atlantis = LOVE

Got this stuff super cheap ($1.99) in the clearance bin at Sally's....usually they don't have anything good there so this was quite a treat! Pretty green-leaning teal jelly base with tons of holographic glitter this pretty much hits my 2 favorite things, teal and holo!

Formula was awesome on this one except for some balding and it being a bit gritty...but it's a glitter so I can't really fault it for that, however after a couple days the polish on the thumb nails started peeling! I finished the job, then painted something else on my thumbs (which I'll cover in a separate post) since I couldn't just look like a weirdo with "nude" thumbs! The rest of the nails have been fine except for some tip wear as usual but nothing crazy...I think my thumbs are just weird!

In artificial light.

Blurred (in artificial light) so you can see the effect of the holo glitter better.

Blurred in natural light.

In bright natural light.

In the bottle, blurred at the bottom to show the holo effect.

The bottle, completely in focus.

Mini CVS Deal Haul

Today I was able to use my CVS coupon...it was only $2 though so I didn't get to go crazy like I was hoping! At least I was able to get 2 things since the Rimmel Lash Maxx mascara was 75% off which is nuts, it was originally almost $10 and ended up being about $2.75. Hopefully the other one is still there tomorrow, I really want to pick it up since this is actually pretty good stuff! That one had a busted up brush though, so I am hoping nobody is desperate enough to buy it.

I also got a Milani blush in Sweet Rose which is the only one they had there...if I see any of the other colors I might pick at least one more up since it's really pigmented and not TOO bad of a price at $6.50. Sweet Rose is a nice dusty rose color with a matte finish, it's good for a more natural understated look. I prefer something darker and/or more shimmery so I would really like to try another color if I can find it.

Comparison, one eye "naked" one with the mascara.

Another comparison :).