Shakeup Your Makeup

While I was walking around looking at the new displays for fall/winter in CVS, I noticed a couple of colors that looked like good dupes of the Sally Hansen Salon Completes for the Fall.  Don't get me wrong, I love these Sally Hansen Completes, but if I can save a buck or two, I'm game!

First up, Sally Hansen Salon Complete "Shiny Penny" vs Milani's "Bijou Bronze".  The Milani version looks a bit more metallic in real life, but the actual copper color is very much the same across the two.

Next up, Sally Hansen Complete in Anenome of Mine vs Confetti's Purple Reigns and Milani's Cool Vibe.  All three are warm plum cremes.  Comparitaively speaking, I'd say the Confetti is a tinge darker than the Milani version, but they are all extremely similar to the Sally Hansen in the bottle. 

I think those are pretty good dupes, what do you think?

I finally came across the Sally Hansen Salon Complete Designer series for this fall.  There are some really pretty cremes, and a gorgeous copper penny frost in the set.  Closeups of each of the shades are attached as well!

Have you picked any of these up?

Also, I discovered some dupes of these shades while I was walking around CVS, so those are coming up next!

I also saw quite a few new hair and body care lines in the Health and Beauty department as well.  I wasn't able to snap pictures of those unfortunately. 

Also, if you check out the little clearance spots at the ends of aisles, you'll most likely find a lot of newer products on clearance.  I found some new Maybelline blushes, Revlon nail polishes and some eyeshadows, which I'll post pictures of here shortly!  The best part - the blushes rang up $0.87 because they were BOGO50%!  It is definitely worth checking out!

I'm sure I've shown you pictures of my makeup stash over the past years I've been blogging - there are very few things that I don't have tons of, for sure, but the other thing besides mascara that I love is lip gloss.  When the L'oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss display came out, I was automatically drawn in by all the different colors.  After passing by several times on my grocery trips, I finally caved in and purchased the color Saucy Mauve. 

Up for review today - L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes, the newest line extension from the Voluminous line. 

I found this in our soon-to-be remodeled Walgreens (which, by the way, has tons of other goodies coming to it!  I can't wait for it to officially *open*!). 



The Voluminous False Fibers Mascara is packed with short and long nylon and rayon fibers, which are the same used to make actual false lashes.  These fibers help make lashes look fuller, longer, curled and sculpted.  The mascara also contains botanical waxes to prevent hardening and flaking.

The brush, pictured below, is quite narrow.  It's bristles are stiff, thick, and almost spiral around the brush.  Picture a pyramid or a long 3D rectangle that has tapered down to the tip - that's what this brush reminds me of.  The end/tip is actual more narrow than the base, so it helps reach the inner corners without smudging along your lashline.  Because it is somewhat of a 3D rectangle, there are flat, almost cupped, sides to the brush that allow you to get more volume, and then you pull through the edges of that rectangle with all the bristles, and it pulls through the mascara giving the length and definition - similar to how The Falsie's mascara brush is flat and spoon shaped. 

The mascara itself is definitely a thick product.  It's almost dry, or maybe it's just that thick that it doesn't feel as thin and liquid as some mascaras do.  It definitely takes bit of work wiggling back and forth to get it on the lashes, but once it does it's a nice coat.  The fibers don't get in the way, and instead I think facilitate in the volume and lengthening effect of the mascara (hence the name).  The thin and narrow brush helps you get the product all the way down to the base of the lashes without hitting and coating your under eye or eyelid with excess mascara.  The brush also helps pull the fibers through so that excess fibers aren't creating a bristling effect on the lashes.  If you've used fibrous mascaras or primers before, you probably know what I'm talking about.

Because of the dryness of the mascara, it is difficult to apply multiple coats without it looking clumpy.  If you are going to do so, make sure the product has dried in between, as that seems to be what causes the clumps.  I have not experienced any flaking or smudging, which is a definite plus! 

I like this mascara.  I've currently been obsessed with The Falsie's, but since I've tried this one out, I find myself leaning towards this more and more.  I'm getting used to the consistency of the mascara itself, but I think the brush helps me through that.  It's easier to use than some of these big and fat brushes currently on the market.  Like the Falsies, I find this achieves long and thick lashes, but the Voluminous version actually defines the lashes better, and more of them!  I even get a bit of a curl instead of my typical stick-straight lashes, without using a curler. 

Retail is approximately $8.99 at your local drugstore.  

Have you seen/found this one yet?  What were your thoughts?

Today I bring you Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Color in Bronze Ablaze.  This is from the Fall 2011 collection for Sally Hansen.  Bronze Ablaze is a little bit of a chameleon, but not necessarily a duochrome.  Depending on the lighting and/or what you're wearing it looks like a warm bronze with green undertones, or a deep olive green with golden shimmer.  You can see this in the pictures below, depending on the lighting.

Without the flash, the bottle looks green. 

Swatch above, picture taken without the flash.  This is the "green" version of the polish. 

Picture above taken with the flash.  This looks more like a deep penny bronze/copper with the slightest hints of golds and greens (in the bottle).

Swatches are two coats.  This covers really well, and drys quickly (hence the name).  I also added a top coat of Seche Vite just to speed up the process. 

Very, very pretty - this definitely reminds me of fall and the changing leaves.  A gorgeous, warm shade that might satisfy your need for Chanel's Peridot, although it's definitely not a dupe...just a similar type of color.

I spotted the new display of Wet n Wild's Fantasy Makers RIP Nail Colors for 2011 at Meijer last week.  I look forward to these every year!  This year there is a Glow in the Dark top coat, and three glitter shades.

Purple Potion:  A black jelly base with purple sparkles.  Similar to Revlon's Facet's of Fuchsia, without the hex glitters.

Black Magic:  A black jelly base with iridescent and copper micro glitters. 

Creepy Pumpkin:  A bright, almost highlighter orange with orange and iridescent microglitter.

Retail is $1.99 a piece.  Have you seen these?  Which one are you picking up for your Halloween mani?

Physician's Formula Gel Eyeliners have become a staple in my stash.  I've picked up several of these trios, which you can see swatches of here.  The black(s) in these trios are my go-to eyeliner.  I tend to lean towards gel and or liquid liners vs. a pencil because I have an easier time applying them, and I feel like they stay put better than a pencil.   The Physician's Formula Shimmer Strip Custom Gel Eyeliners are no exception - not only are they all extremely pigmented, but they apply so easily and last all day without budging.  

Today I have closeups of the Glam Eye Collection for Blue Eyes.  This set includes a pure silver, cobalt blue shimmer and black with just the slightest hint of silver shimmer, although I don't think it translates onto the eye so much.   

Below are the swatches, using the broad side of my flat eyeliner brush.  I was surprised at how nicely the silver covered.  I assumed this would be a bit more sheer, but this is actually a nice depth of color, so it covers very well.  If you used a lighter hand, it could be applied over the black to give it a more graphite shade, but alone it is strictly silver.  The blue is a true, cobalt blue, and the black is just that...black.  You can see the silver shimmer in the swatch below much better than on the eye, but that's probably because it's a broader application. 

Have you tried these?  What is your favorite set?

Revlon Starry Pink, from the Expressionists Display at Meijer last week.  On a side note, I did notice these in the permanent display at Target as well.

Starry Pink is a very pale pink creme polish.  It almost borders on pale pinkish-lilac creme, to be honest.  There are tons of small silver glitter, and larger hexagonal silver glitters as well.  As you paint over each layer, the glitter becomes more and ore muted towards the bottom, leaving those pieces on your last top coat to shine the most.  Some say this is not work-safe, but I think that depends on where you work.  Lucky for me, I can wear pretty much any color without the questioning stares, but for those that work in a more conservative environment, this does have glitter.  Although I tend to go much darker and warmer in the fall/winter, I think this is a nice way to sort of brighten things up without wearing too summery of a color.

Please excuse the chip - this wasn't a fault of the polish at all.  I actually had a nail that was peeling a bit, and I must have snagged it on something just prior to taking the pictures.  This particular manicure is 3 coats, with a top coat.  I didn't have problems with chipping or bubbling.  The consistency is a bit thicker than some Revlon polishes, which actually made this easier to apply. 

A few displays of the Halloween Kiss Nails products, including lipgloss, fals nails, nail art and nail stickers.  Have you seen these yet?

I love these little nail art stickers/declals - they are so cute!

I believe this is the last of the new displays I saw at Meijer late last week.  Revlon's Edgy Elegance collection is up first - this is a set of shimmers and foils, which appear to be very chic this fall.  The colors are:  Girly (pale pink/lilac shimmer), Fierce (warm plum metallic), Punk (butter yellow with green undertones and silver shimmer), Princess (iced pale blue with silver foil), Catty (very pale copper with silver foil), Innocent (warm light pink with silver shimmer), Downtown (slate gray with silver shimmer - this is less blue than Princess), and Aloof (white cream with silver shimmer).

The Expressionist collection is supposed to be available in October, but it seems that a lot of bloggers have seen this popping up over the past few weeks.   You'll notice in the picture below, a lot of plums and purples.  Also, the nail polish (pictured below as well) Facets of Fuchsia is supposed to be a nice dupe of Deborah Lippman's Bad Romance. 

Have you seen any of these collections out yet?  What are you going to pick up? 

Halloween is in full effect at Meijer.  This time, a closeup of the Rimmel "London's Wicked Beauty" Collection, which includes two eyeshadow quads, two nail polish and the Day2Night mascara.  One of the nailpolishes was a black cream, but the other was this really pretty almost evergreen frost, called Rags to Riches.  My camera phone takes horrible pictures, but you get the gist of it below.  I bought this one, so I'll post some swatches of it when I get around to it.

Also, one of my favorite things to dig through: all the pumpkin polishes!  This year there were three bins of them to pick through - some neons, creams, glitters and a few unique ones. 

Another horrible camera phone picture, but this is a black and orange tinsel glitter.  Tons of little strands of tinsel throughout - it looks like it could be really cool on.

This is another pumpkin - this time an irridescent blue/teal/purple jelly glitter.  It reminds me of a glitter version of Sally Hansen's HD in DVD. 

The last thing I saw, but couldn't find a name on it, were these Duo Nail Polish sets.  Depending on how you pull the brush out, you can either get a fine tip or a full brush.  All came with black cream on one side, and the other came in a broad spectrum of choice: here a neon green or an orange glitter.

What cool Halloween makeup have you seen/found?

Looky what I found at Meijer too - talk about a bonanza!  I walked in at the right time - the vendors were filling the end caps right when I came in!

I'll be running a giveaway soon on two of sets...keep an eye out! :)

Another new display at Meijer - the Maybelline Color Sensational Limited Edition "The Jewel's Collection.  This is a set of satin shades, in beautiful jewel tones, from pinks to warmer mauves and plum colors. 

I didn't pick any of these up, but I think I might go back for "Plum Jewel". 

Have you picked any of these up?