Swatches: Lancome Eyeshadows in Sunset Gleam and Daylight Glow

I got these a while ago but I figured I'd share now cause they're really pretty colors for summer and spring. That and I'm running out of pics cause I still haven't gotten another camera :(




And the swatches:

Left, Daylight Glow. Right, Sunset Gleam.

I've been wearing sunset gleam a lot. It's like a warm silver, which is a pretty odd combination. Also, Lancome's got another shade called Daylight, a matte white. Basically, Daylight glow is a shimmery version of that shade. Not too shimmery--it gives more of a sheen.

That's it for now. I'll try to get some more pics up this weekend.

Review: Clinique Gloss Wear For Lips Lip Gloss in Whisper

I actually got this gloss as part of a set from Clinique. It was a set of five mini lip glosses. Of the shades available now, Whisper, Sunset (warm gold brown), and Mystic (a sheer purple) are the only one's from the set that, to my knowledge, are still sold although they are now formulated for the Long Last Glosswear line, which is a lot stickier in my opinion.


The shade is Whisper, a clear gloss with some very pretty silver shimmer in it.

The applicator:

Just your standard doe foot. I have to say that I much prefer these types of applicators than the brush ones. I find that with brush applicators I tend to apply too much gloss and am left with goop on my lips. Plus, with a doe foot the application is much more even in my opinion.

A swatch:

So yeah, as stated above, just a clear gloss with some silver shimmer in it. I really like the formula of this gloss. It's not thin, but it's not too thick either, it almost has a gelly feel to it. I don't usually wear clear glosses alone, so I've been layering it over matte lipsticks. It is very very glossy, and wears comfortably, not drying at all. Not too much to say about this gloss. Solid choice, but again, I'm not a big fan of shimmery clear glosses.

Info:

Price: $14 (for the fullsize)

Ingredients: Lanolin Oil, Hydroxylated Lanolin, Polybutene, Microcrylstalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ceresin, Isopyropyl Lanolate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocophyeryl Acetate, Linoleic Acid, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Arachidyl Propionate, Propylene Carbonate, Tin Oxide, BHT, Propylparaben.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipgloss in Touch of Toffee

Maybelline dabued these color sensational lip glosses last year, I believe, and I have to say, they are pretty great! I have two of them, the one in this review is Touch of Toffee and I also recently picked up Born With It. Both are, at $6.49 (even without any sales), great values!

Here's the applicator:

The applicator is a standard doe foot, but it is slightly smaller I think than the regular ones with is great for added precision.

Some swatches:

Left is slightly lighter application, Right is a bit darker in different light to show shine. As you can see, you can layer these on. They are very pigmented glosses. If you are looking for a super pigmented red, this would be the line to check out.

And on my lips:

This gloss does something magical to my lips. It makes them look fuller and plumper. I swear this is a lip plumper. I'm not even kidding. It smells just like them, it makes my lips look fuller--can you see how there are barely any of the natural lip lines you have from pursing your lips? I don't know if anyone else experienced what I did, but I love this gloss!!! In addition to making my lips look fuller and super duper shiny, it is also very pigmented. Above you can't really tell because I went with a lighter application for a neutral look that wasn't too brown. If I did a full application it would look like I was brown lipstick, no joke. I really wasn't expecting it to be this pigmented. Also, it lasts fairly well. I wore it for 4 1/2 to 5 hrs. before dinner and it was still on my lips. It did wear off a bit, but not like other glosses. And it didn't smear either, which is good. After wearing it my lips felt really soft and moisturized, not flaky or dry. The only negative I can come up with if I really had to is the taste and smell. It's not really that bad, but it smells and tastes like a lip plumper. I don't know if this is just mine because I heard that the others are supposed to smell like the name of the gloss, but mine really didn't. The smell fades after about half an hour so it isn't really that bad unless you are sensitive to scents. Finally, I have to say that I love the packagng. The gloss comes in a clear, slim tube with no writing what so ever on the actual tube, which I like. Too often cosmetic companies plaster their products with odd fonts and pictures. This gloss is sophisticated and chic-- I definitely would not be embarrassed to pull this out of my purse to reapply. I highly highly recommend this gloss! Really, you gotta try it!

Info:

Price: $6.49

Ingredients: Not listed on the product or Maybelline's website. If I find them, I'll post.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Swatches: Summer Blues!

Blue, although not my favorite eyeshadow color, is one that makes a reappearance just about every summer, so I thought I'd quickly share a few that I actually quite like. I know, these aren't the greatest swatches, but bear with me!

First up is Urban Decay's Shattered:

On Sephora.com it's described as a "bright iridescent aquamarine," and it is. Sorta. It's like a muted teal with golden shimmer. It is on the warmer, side, with a lot of green coming through when you apply it. It looks amazing on olive skin tones.

Urban Decay's Electric:

When I first purchased this one, I hated it. I loved the shade but the difficult, uneven application frustrated me to no end. No matter what base I used or how I applied it, it would always look uneven. Last summer, though, I applied it with a damp brush along my upper lash line and it looked and applied absolutely spectacularly. I love experimenting with this shade. It's probably the brightest I own, haha!

The last one I'm sharing is actually a duo from YSL, #19, in Oatmeal and Petroleum:

I really like the Petroleum (dark blue shade) because it is slightly green, so it looks nice and warm rather than stark, like other shades of navy. On the Sephora website it is actually described as "a rich green navy," and that description is spot on!

That's it for now! Lemme know if you like these kinds of posts and I'll try to do more of them in between reviews!

Hit Pan! Mini Review + Swatches of My Laura Mercier Palette

So I finally hit pan in a lot of my Laura Mercier eyeshadows. I bought the palette and the pans at Sephora around Christmas last year and thought, based on the huge eyeshadows, that I'd never finish any of them. Much to my surprise, except for the blush and one eyeshadow, I've dented all of them!!! I always feel so accomplished when I hit pan just because it proves to me that I'm not just hoarding makeup. I'm actually using it, you know? I know many other makeup lovers out there feel the same way. It's like you buy, and you buy, and you buy, and one day you look up and you're like, "What the heck happened!? How did I get THIS much makeup!?" I've really been focusing lately on finishing a few products as opposed to using a little bit of everything I own, and it's working!

Ok, so back to the palette. One of the reasons I chose to buy this palette from Laura Mercier because it reminded me so much of Bobbi Brown's customizable palette. They're both dark, come in a variety of sizes, and you can fill them with whatever shades you want. In my opinion you get much more variety with the Bobbi Brown palette as you can also put in cream foundation, concealer, and lip colors (with overs so they don't get gross!) while with the LM palette you're limited to eye and cheek powders, as well as some cake liners. However, I do like LM products very much and decided to try it out. Be prepared for a ton of pics, too!!!


One downside of the packaging--shows every single print and smudge. The upside? It's a dark color (dark shimmery reddish brown black) that is very simple, sophisticated, and elegant. I wish it was black, but that's just my preference. It also comes with a really big mirror which is very convenient.

Here's the inside:

I got the one that fits six powders--there's also one that fits three. I only bought five to put in the palette, and they were crazy expensive. One of the huge downsides of these customizable palettes is that each part costs a lot. Each eyeshadow was $22, the blush was $24. I was going to get a cake liner in black for $22, but they were out. The actual palette was only $10 (the one that fits three is also $10).

Here are the shades I got:

Vanilla Nuts is just a matte beige:




Deep Night is a purple based black:



It looks like it's got shimmer, but it's just matte. I've been using this one and the next one, black plum, which is actually a dark brown, as eyeliners (by applying them with a damp brush), which is why they look kinda weird.

Black Plum, unlike the name, is actually a matte, cool brown:




Rose is a light pink with golden shimmer:



It looks really nice with Black Plum (the brown) if layered into the crease.

And finally, Rose Bloom, which is my lone blush:

It really is more orange than rosy.



Some swatches:

L to R, Vanilla Nuts, Rose, Rose Bloom, Black Plum, Deep Night.

As you can see, with the exception of the Rose eyeshadow, they are all really nice matte shades. One thing I really like about the eyeshadows especially is how pigmented by hard they are. A lot of eyeshadows, while pigmented, are really soft and tend to crumble. I've got no such problem with these. I just barely touch the powder with a brush and there's enough for wear, which is great cause they'll definitely last. While this is great for the eyeshadows, you kinda have to be a bit more careful with the blush. It is very pigmented so it's easy to apply too much. And this stuff is pretty heavy duty, so fixing a mistake like that is difficult. On the other hand, the lasting power of these blushes and eyeshadows is superb. I put them on in the morning and they are there till I take them off. Often times, when I apply an eyeshadow with a damp brush as a liner the lasting power is not so good, but with Deep Night, if I apply a winged liner in the morning, it lasts and lasts. Overall, Laura Mercier products are of great quality and I highly recommend them. There are a lot of great shades to choose from in different finishes, not just matte, so there is something for everyone. And I have to say that the fact that the product ingredients were listed right on the site was very helpful! There are also some hints for application withe just about every single product, so check them out here. Wow, I just realized this wasn't such a short review, haha!

Info:

Price (eyeshadow): $22

Price (blush): $24

Price (palette): $10

Ingredients (eyeshadow): Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Silica, Dimethicone, Isonoyl Isononanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethiconol, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Synthetic Beeswax, Tetrasodium EDTA. (+/-): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines).

Ingredients (blush): Talc, Dimethicone, Nylon-12, Methicone, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Silk Powder (Serica), Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499). (+/-): Carmine (CI 75470), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140).

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: Lancome Le Rouge Absolue Lipstick in Chateau Peony

I know I promised no Lancome for a loooong time, but I still haven't gotten a new camera so I'm running low on pics. And this review is for my Le Rouge Absolue Lipstick in the shade Chateau Peony--I love the name of the shade!

The packaging is really pretty. The case the lipstick is actually held in is gold and the cover is a navy blue. I kinda wish it was black instead.

Here's some pics:





I've had mine for a while, so it's all beat up. The only complaint I have about the packaging is that it shows every single finger print and smudge, which gets annoying really fast.

Here's an example:

See what I mean?


The shade I have, Chateau Peony, is a muted pink with a bit of orange in it--just a tiny bit. It does have shimmer, but it's not really noticeable.

The lipstick itself:

I've used quite a bit of it.

Swatch on my hand:

On the left, a light application. On the right, a heavier one. Sometimes I just dab a bit of it on my lips to give me a pretty hint of color.

On my lips:

This is a heavier application. It is a bit brighter in person.

This is going to be a quick review. This lipstick, first off, is a bit of a bright pink. I know you can't tell from the pics (the lighting is horrible, I know) but it is more of a mid toned pink. As far as lipsticks go, this one is ok. I purchased it more for the shade than anything else. And compared to other Lancome lipsticks,I would say that the Le Rouge Absolue line isn't as moisturizing or creamy. The actual formula is thicker, so if you apply over dehydrated lips it will highlight every flake. It lasts about as well as your average lipstick. Since the formula is thicker, I feel that it sticks up to food/drinks a bit better than other Lancome lipsticks. What I also like about this lipstick is the pigmentation. It's very pigmented, so one swipe and I'm done. I think that Lancome has redone the fourmula of this lipstick. Chateau Peony, the lipstick I own, doesn't have SPF in it, and yet all the new ones do. Also, from what I've seen the new formula is creamier, more moisturizing as well, which is good if you're considering purchasing one. Overall, it's an ok lipstick for me. I feel as though you can get better quality for a much lesser price with, for example, a Maybelline or Revlon lipstick. As already stated, I purchased this one more for the shade than it's other qualities, and as far as that goes, I've been wearing it more than most of my other lipsticks. I'm actually about half way down the tube. It doesn't sound like much, but really, since I've got like thirty plus lipsticks, that really is something, haha!

Info:

Price: $26

Ingredients: Bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, polyisobutene, octyldodecyl neopentanoate, microcrystalline wax, isostearyl isostearate, triisostearin, polyethylen, PEG-45/dodecyl glycol copolymer, arachidyl propionate, disteardimonium hectorite, linalool, geraniol, silica, cholesterol, tocopheryl acetate, disodium stearoyl glutamate, hydrogenated lecithin, hydroxycitronellal, citral, citronellol, benzyl alcohol, methyl 2-octynoate, hexyl cinnamal, BHT, fragrance. May Contain: Red 22 lake, red 28 lake, red 7, mica, titanium dioxide, blue 1 lake, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake, carmine, iron oxides.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty By Carmindy Always Perfect Liquid Eyeliner in Teak Brown

So this is a review for Sally Hansen's Always Perfect Liquid Eyeliner. It is from the Natural Beauty by Carmindy line, and the shade I own is Teak Brown. I saw these in all different shades--purple, blue, etc, which I think is great. The line is also 100% paraben and fragrance free, which is always a good thing, especially for those with sensitive skin. All this and you'd think it'd be an awesome product wouldn't you!?

The applicator:

Honestly, the applicator is probably the biggest problem with this product. First off, it's a brush, which I'd like if, it was tapered. Instead, the bristles kinda go out. The end is flat, so it is very difficult to get a fine line with it. I find it odd that they included the word "precision" in the product description for this product because honestly, there is nothing precise about this brush at all. The bristles just aren't stiff enough either. The brush absorbs an enormous amount of product (I've even had the brush drip!!!) so that when you press down, the product is released and just goes everywhere. You can see the huge amount of product it releases in the pics below.

Here's a couple of swatches on my hand:

Honestly, the swatch on the left is the thinnest line I could get. That's not really a good thing... However, I really do love this color. It is a rich, shimmery brown. It comes across greenish in the pics, but it has just enough red to it that it really brings out my blue eyes.

Another swatch:

This is what I was talking about above with the brush. The swatch on the right, where you see the reflection, is a glob of eyeliner that was just completely wet. Keep in mind that I had wiped the brush off on the opening of the container before swatching--that should give you some idea of how much product the brush holds. The first time I applied, honestly I made the biggest mess!!! The formula, in addition to the applicator, also isn't very good. It is very watery, very thin and tends to run. I've also heard that people using this liner had reactions--they complained of redness and itching, so if you have sensitive skin, BEWARE!!! And finally, the lasting power wasn't great either. After about four or five hours I noticed that the outer and inner corners had worn off. It doesn't come in a waterproof formula either. I just wouldn't advise that anyone purchase this product. I honestly had a pretty bad experience, even though I honestly expected to like it as I've like countless other SH Natural Beauty by Carmindy products. Just not this one.

Info:

Price: $7.99

Ingredients: (to be posted)

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Revlon's got a crazy selection of lipstick!

Just added Mobile Blogger=super excited! I was at Christmas Tree Shop a few days ago and was a crazy selection of lipsticks from Revlon. I heard that they have close to 70 or 80 different shades!!!

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