Shakeup Your Makeup

For over a month I have been reading about Maybelline Volum' Express "The Falsies", only to be tempted until the product became available at my local drug stores.  Finally, I stumbled across this when I made a pit stop at Walgreens!  The tube is pretty hard to walk past - the bright fuscia and turquoise packaging practically calls your name across the floor.

The Maybelline website says it all: 

Now, back to the flattened head.  This is truly unique in my opinion.  What does this do for you?  Well, let's talk about it...

If you apply the mascara with the wider side grabbing your lashes (see Side View #2), this allows the mascara to coat them from the base to the tip.  Then, turn your wand 90 degrees, and you have the thin side, which also has all the bristles (Side View #1).  This pulls the mascara through and around all your lashes.  Add the flexible joint in the wand, and you can wiggle back and forth, ensuring that you get a good coat of mascara across your entire lashline. 

The formula itself is quite nice.  This isn't thick or gloppy, which I was sure it would be when using the wide-side of the wand.  Instead, it is a very light and smooth consistency that doesn't clump and is very buildable.  Also, although this is obviously a volumizing mascara (look at the name!), I found that this lengthened my lashes much better than a lot of the so-called lengthing mascaras available on the market. 

I've only tried this for a few days, so everything above is my first impression.  I definitely have to say this is one of the better mascaras that has come along, especially since LashBlast.  I will do a full review with pictures in the next few days, once I've played around with this tube for a little longer.

How many of you have had the ability to try out The Falsies?  What are your thoughts?

Urban Decay just announced that their fall products are online....go here and see!

I am instantly drawn to the Naked Palette above - gorgeous!

Look at what I stumbled across when visiting my local Walgreens yesterday....

Who knew that Walgreens was carrying this?  Not only was my Walgreens totally revamped with new displays, but now we have new products?  What fun!

I'm sure you all know how much I love these liners and mascaras, as I have reviewed them numerous times, but just as a refresher, click here to see my posts.

I love finding new goodies!

A very quick EOTD using the Laura Geller "On the Bright Side" collection I posted about on Friday.  (I think these pictures give a better indication as to the colors, where the swatches looked a little distorted to me on the computer).  I am absolutely loving the Eye Rimz in Mystic Sea (below).  This was my first go-round with the Rimz, and they are quite nice.

Just like the other Laura Geller shadows and liners I have used, these are very smooth, creamy, and well pigmented.  The Fresco Pink had a whole different look on, especially when blended with the Mystic Sea.  Honestly, I thought the pink looked a bit warm-toned in the pot, but once applied, it went either way, depending on what was worn with it.  Below, I used the Mystic Sea as a crease shade, as well as a liner, so the pink took on some lavender undertones to blend in with the Rimz.  I also tried the pink with some browns and coppers this weekend, and as a result of that the color took on warmer undertones.  It is quite a chameleon shade.

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Laura Geller "Fresco Pink" - inner corner, blended across lid

Laura Geller "Mystic Sea" - outer corner, crease, and wet as eyeliner

Laura Geller "Milan/Rome" duo - ivory/copper shade used as highlight

Laura Geller ICare Eyeliner "Bone" - lower lashline, waterline

Prestige Blackest Lashes mascara

In retrospect, I don't think I would use the Milan/Rome duo as my highlight, and instead would opt for something a little less shimmery, and more skintone in shade.   I really do love Mystic Sea as an eyeliner - it is multi-faceted in colors and shimmer, so this is a great alternative to the traditional black, while still giving eyes the definition and depth that a typical black eyeliner does.

Thoughts?  Have any of you tried this collection, or any of the Laura Geller Eye Rimz?

I chose the Balance 'n Brighten in Fair.  As I've said in the past, these tend to run a little darker on my skin then the Bare Escentuals Fair, but now that it's summer I find this foundation works quite well, especially when I'm in a hurry and am looking for a quick way to even out any complextion blunders.

The Blush 'n Brighten is a combination of Ethereal Rose (left) and Subtle Sateen Berry (right).  This is not quite as shimmery as other Laura Geller blushes, which I think are similar to the MAC Skinfinish or Mineralize blushes, and instead gives a "glow" without chunks of glitter.  Ethereal Rose is a beautiful pale pink grapefruit color and the berry shade is a mixture of tan, gold, pale pink and raspberry with a hint of shimmer.  The color truely gives you that healthy *just-pinched* cheek color, and adding the Ethereal rose over the top really finishes the shade off nicely.  As you know, I am a fair shade, but this color has so much complexity it should work all the way through the skin tone color wheel without any issues.  Being made in true Laura Geller fashion, this is a nicely pigmented blush, so a nice skunk brush will give you a light wash, where a dense brush will work well on darker skin tones, or to add more color to the cheeks.

The eyeshadow duo, which is Sateen Eyeshadow and Eye Rimz, Laura has created a new texture and finish in baked makeup, which she calls Sateen. This new finish imparts a sensuous, silky pearly glow that washes skin in radiance. Brush Fresco Pink shadow over your entire lid, and under the arch of your brow. With a liner brush, apply a thick line of Eye Rimz around your eye. 

The two colors in this set are beautiful.  The Sateen Eyeshadow is a pale rosey pink.  It actually looks very similar to the Ethereal Rose above, and is a great color to brighten and open up your eyes.  The Rimz shade is called Mystic Sea, and although it looks almost like a black below, it is actually a deep teal with irridescent turquoise, silver, and green shimmer running through.  This color is gorgeous, and makes a great crease shade, but when applied wet is a beautiful deep teal eyeliner. 

A new addition to Laura Geller's collection is the ICare Waterproof eyeliner in Bone.  A creamy, smooth consistency, this has a hint of shimmer to it (without being chunky) and can be lined along the inner eye to hide any redness and really open up the eye.  I've yeard for years that white eyeliners really do brighten an eye, but I haven't found one that actually lasts on the inner rim of your eye, but this one does!  The hint of shimmer also helps reflect light and brighten any dark circles.  Keep in mind, this isn't frosty, there is just a hint of lumincesence to the color.

What a novel idea ... a concealer that cools as you apply to help reduce puffiness!  The extraordinary new Banish-N-Brighten makes dark circles, signs of fatigue, and any bothersome imperfections diminish in a beam of light. Use the cooling applicator to pat and smooth a small amount from the outer corner of the eye inward. Blend. 

If I remember correctly the applicator is rhodium plated, so that is how you get the cooling effect immediately upon application.  It really works, too!  It feels so nice, especially on those days when I didn't get enough sleep the night before!  I will admit, that the formula was a bit tricky to get used to.  As it is cooling as well, my eyes had a hard time getting used to this effect upon first application, but after my second day I was good to go.

The lipgloss is called Opal, which is a perfect description.  This is a thick, not sticky, clear gloss with tiny irridescent shimmer, like crushed Opals.  Add the SPF15 to this, and you can have multiple uses: wear on it's own, or add it on top of your flavorite lipstick to add a new dimension!

The color and shimmer were hard to capture in photography, so I've added a few pictures in different lighting below.

Swatches below.  You can click any pictures to get a larger image.  Keep in mind, for some reason the Banish and Brighten is showing a little yellow on my screen.  It really is closer to the "bone" eyeliner next to it, but somehow my camera made it look wacky!

As you all are quite aware - I love a good bargain!  Well, now you can indulge in the wonder that is e.l.f.'s mineral makeup, which I have shared with you here , here and here.  A great deal - use code EGMIN50 at checkout!

A little bit different of a look for today, using Taylor Made Minerals in Mirage, Sassy Minerals in Star Struck and MAC Pigment in Quick Frost.  I have to admit, I completely forgot about my Taylor Made Minerals, and they are absolutely stunning.  I have found that they are even more beautiful now that I have discovered the Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, so that is a huge plus!  A lot of the shades from TMM that I have purchased were duochrome, and when applied dry they just didn't *pop*.  Mirage is a prime example.  In the pot, the product looks like a matte white with a light blue sheen.  When applied over the Pixie Epoxy, the shade takes on a whole new life!  (Click here to see pictures of the Taylor Made Minerals in the pot/swatched).  Instead of being just a basic white, the actual shimmer of the periwinkle blue shows up, and it's almost like a light has been turned on.  This is such a gorgeous pale lavender/blue shade with just enough shimmer to stand out.  Seeing as the dress I was wearing had the same pale blue shade, I chose Sassy Minerals "Star Struck" as the darker shade.  In the pot, this color looks like a deep navy/purple with silver sparkle.  Again, using the Pixie Epoxy made this color even more complex and beautiful.  Because I paired it with Mirage, the more blue/navy shades came through.  Add the MAC Pigment as the highlight, and the whole look is tied together.

.

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - base

Taylor Made Minerals "Mirage" - inner corner, blended into crease

Sassy Mienrals "Star Struck" - outer corner, crease, blended along lower lashline

MAC Pigment "Quick Frost" - highlight

Physician's Formula Gel Eyeliners - Black from Gree Eye Set

Ardelle False Eyelashes (do not know #)

In addition to my post yesterday, I also bought essence's Lash Mania Mascara, which retails around $3.99 a tube.  Now, I'm big on first impressions, and when I pulled out the tube and looked at it, the first thing I thought was....

Dior Show Mascara!  Could we possibly have a dupe on our hands??

The brush in the essence Lash Mania mascara is quite similar to the Diorshow.  This is a larger brush, with the spiraled, individual bristles running down the brush.  I did notice this brush is a lot fatter than a typical brush, which is also reminiscent of the Diorshow mascara. 

The product itself is not quite as wet as Diorshow - but...that's not to say that it's dry in the tube.  It's just not as wet/thin as Diorshow.  Application was was a breeze.  Every lash was coated with mascara, and because of the fatness and consistency of the essence mascara, there was no clumping or glopping together of the lashes.  I also didn't get the smearing of mascara on the lid/under eyes that a lot of the fatter brushes tend to present - I think this has to do with the constency of the product as well.

On the other hand, although for the price I think this is an excellent mascara, there are a few things that this leaves me wanting.  For one, I don't think this has quite the lengthing power that some other mascaras on the market have, including Diorshow.  Yes, there is great volume and separation of the lashes, but the length leaves a little to be desired.  The color isn't quite as intense a black as some others, either.  Personally, I find that a really deep, intense, black mascara can really enhance the lashes and eyes, regardless of how thick or long they are. 

Overall, I really can't complain too much about the mascara.  I've been using this for two weeks and haven't switched back to any other tubes in my collection.  The pricepoint is unbelievable - there aren't even any other drugstore brands that come close to the $3.99 price tag this day and age.  The product wears well all day and doesn't flake or smear.  For a simple, not over the top dramatic mascara, this one is definitely worth a try!

Here are a few pictures of the essence haul I got at Ulta a few weeks ago.  I've been using the mascara for a while now, so I'll review that one in an upcoming post.  Today I wanted to show you the XXXL Shine lip gloss and the Crystal glitter eyeliner.

The eyeliner in Dazzling Silver is a mixture of irridescent glitter and silver glitter.  These are not large chunks, and actually apply quite sparingly, which I find to be a huge bonus.  This gives you the flexability of adding a little or a lot of glitz to your look.  The brush (pictured above) is a fine, synthetic hair.  The consistency of the formula isn't runny by any means, but isn't thick either.  If you click and look at the larger image above, you'll notice that there isn't anything chunky or gloppy, so this makes application a breeze.  Sorry I didn't take a closeup of the tube so you could see the glitter - I completely forgot!

I purchased the XXXL Shine lipgloss in Bubble Babe, which is a sheer powder pink with silver shimmer.  There really isn't any pigmentation to the gloss itself, its only the shimmer that has the color.  This is a great gloss for just a lot of shine on natural lips, or to add some shimmer and shine to a lipstick. 

The applicator is an elongated doe-foot.  I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of it, just because it's a bit ackward for me to use.  I actually prefer a brush to a doe foot. 

The swatches are above - lipgloss to the right and glitter eyeliner to the left.  I find that the eyeliner is great on top of black just to add some shimmer.  I applied two coats of each - can see the shimmer in both the gloss and the sparkles? 

I'll say that the price of the items in the essence line are really quite reasonable.  If memory serves, they ran from $0.99-$4.99 a piece, depending on the item. 

 

Bora Bora is a beautiful bright coral with silver shimmer.  The shimmer is very hard to capture with a flash, and seeing as we had rain the day I did this manicure, I couldn't get the picture taken in natural light.  As mentioned above, the bottles are smaller than the original Color Craze nail polish, which I appreciated, especially with the $0.99 price tag!  The consistency is very smooth, although a bit sheer.  I was concerned that I wouldn't get good coverage in two coats, but was pleasantly suprised once I applied.  Although the first layer went on thin, the second layer applied just the right amount of color.  Because of the thin consistency of the polish, the tips didn't get gloppy.  I was also worried that the silver frost would end up making the polish somewhat chunky, but this wasn't the case either.  Really, a great buy for $0.99, and a beautiful color for the summer, and could easily be applied ontop of darker shades to create a new look all together. 

Here is a close up of the bottle so you get a better idea as to the silver shimmer running through the polish - so pretty!

The two Limited Edition Solar Heat baked eyeshadows I picked up were Singe and Fiery - retail $1.99.  These are beautiful eyeshadows, which remind me of a smaller version of the Jesse's Girl Color Your World baked eyeshadows or the Maybelline EyeStudio Color Pearls Marbelized Eyeshadows.  Swelter is a swirled mix of ivory, bronze, sage, and olive green.  Once applied, it becomes this beautiful olive-taupe.  Fiery is a swirled mix of peach, gold and purple.  This one applies as more of a true taupe shade.  Both are pearlescent, so there is shimmer.  If you are looking for less shimmer, I would suggest the Maybelline versions. 

(Click to enlarge)

I wanted to compare the sizes of these to something we all know, so below is a shot of the Wet 'n Wild next to a MAC eyeshadow.  They are comparably sized, although the Wet 'n Wild does have a "domed" shape (see below), so you might get a little more shadow in it than an a MAC. 

Swatches below - the colors are gorgeous.  I will say, that Wet 'n Wild eyeshadows tend to be hit and miss, at least in my earlier experiences.  I absolutely love the Sand Castle palette, which is one of my every day go-to items.  I have not tried the new eyeshadows that have replaced their old formula, but would love to.  I have read such wonderful things about them, and the price is great for being on a budget. 

With that said, if these LE baked shadows are any indication of the new lines available, I'm totally sold.  These were smooth, creamy, and very pigmented.  The colors blended together effortlessly.  Where sometimes these types of mixed-shades have one color that overwhelmes the rest, not in the case of the two I picked up.  The colors worked together to create two beautiful, neutral shades.  I have tried these out for two days (one for each shade), and both wore the entire day without creasing, smudging or smearing.  I will run a couple of EOTD's so you can see the shadows on in the near future.

The colors are really quite beautiful in person.  The base of the liner has the hint of color (for instance, look at the swatch of Lavender below - see how the background shows the bright purple shade?).  The glitter then compliments the overall shade of the liner.  Because of their basic transparency, these are beautiful on their own for a subtle look, or you can apply over your favorite liner to add some *umph* to the shade.  I personally love to use these over black, but they are just as beautiful over any deep shaded liner. 

Disco Queen is a deep, almost-black, shade with various irridescent shades of glitter.  I get lots of blues, red and greens when I look in the tube, but upon movement you also see crystal, silver and golds.  This is a beauty of a shade! 

Lavender is just that - a bright and gorgeous irridescent purple.  There are also hints of blue, pink and turquoise in the liner as well.  This is so pretty on it's own, but I applied it over a basic purple liner and it just made it pop!

Below are all the other colors available, and from my memory, these are very true to life.  I just love the variety!