CVS

Swatches: Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Ehancing Eyeliners for Hazel Eyes

10:16 AM


My absolute favorite gel/cream eyeliners are the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips.  I've reviewed several colors/versions here, from metallics to the basics, and every one of them is fantastic.  The black in the Green Eyes set is my go-to staple black eyeliner every day.  When I saw that they were on the 75% clearance for CVS, I had to snag a couple backups for those I have, and I ended up grabbing the base set for Hazel Eyes since I didn't have it to begin with.     


Like the other sets, this is three colors meant to enhance the color of hazel eyes.  I actually do have hazel eyes, so I was excited to swatch these and see how they looked on.  Also, this set comes with a brown/bronze, which I am out of my Smashbox liner so I needed something to back that up - perfect!


The three colors are brown, a cream/matte plum and black with plum and purple shimmer.  Unfortunately I had a hard time capturing the shimmer in the brown and black below, but the colors are accurate. 


The pigmentation on these are very nice, just as the others have been.  The brown/bronze is gorgeous.  It has just enough shimmer, but is still very pigmented and actually very rich and dark on.  The black is great, just as the others.  I like the plum shade too, and will most likely use it as a lower lashline color. 

The original price on the sets are around $11.99 a three-piece set, so $3.99 a liner.  At 75% off I paid $2.99 for the three-piece set, or $.99 a liner - AMAZING!  I cannot stress enough how much I love these.  If you love cream/gel liners, get to a CVS and pick one up.  You won't regret it!  I'd put these up against any of the high end liners for pigmentation, lasting power, color selection, etc.  They are great!

Lip Balms

Swatches and Review: Revlon Color Burst Lip Butters in Sugar Plum and Cherry Tart

9:00 AM


I finally caved.  Yes, I bought two of the Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters.  I couldn't help it - I've read so many good things about them, it was only time until I snagged one (or two): Cherry Tart and Sugar Plum.


Packaging is similar to the regular ColorBurst line of lipsticks, only the case is semi-clear - kind of like a faceted gemstone.  I think they are really pretty, personally. 


Cherry Tart is a sheer red that can easily become more intense with further application.  Because this is a butter, you don't get a true opaque coverage, ultimately allowing your tones to mold the color.  Truly, this is the neutral girl's red.  Easy to wear, and it feels great too!

Sugar Plum is, as the name suggests, a warmer plum/purple shade.  On my skin swatch below, it almost looks brown, but when applied to the lips it is a beautiful plum to berry shade. 


On the lips below, you can see there is excellent pigmentation to these.  This is two applications, so obviously it's a bit more intense than just one. 



It's official, I love these.  I love the texture - it truly feels like butter, as the name suggests. It melts into my lips, but actually lasts a while once applied.  The color selection is really nice, too.  There are those that are lighter and less pigmented (Cotton Candy and Cupcake, for instance) and those that knock it out of the park...i.e. Cherry Tart.  I will definitely be looking to get a few more of these when the time is right.  These make the perfect addition to your purse or desk drawer in the winter time, when I'm always reaching for my lip balm, but longing for a little bit more... like color!

Retail is $7.99-$8.99, depending on where you shop. 


Did you get any of these?  What is your favorite color? 

Bare Escentuals

Swatches and Review: Bare Minerals Luxury 8 Piece Collection

9:12 AM


A few weeks ago, Bare Minerals had a TSV on QVC that included their new pressed eyeshadow duos.  I've wanted to try these, so I thought I'd pick it up.  The collection is called the Bare Minerals Luxury 8-Piece Collection and includes a clutch, pressed eyeshadow duo, two new waterproof eyeliners, a radiance, two lipgloss and two brushes.  The price was just under $50 for the entire set, which is a pretty good deal considering the eyeshadow duos run $20 a piece alone. 


First up, the clutch this came with is really pretty.  A lot of makeup collections come with some type of purse, clutch or bag, but 90% of the time I have no real use for them.  This time, I think I'll actually use it, which is nice. 

First up in the collection, the new addition to the Bare Minerals line - the bareMinerals READY Eyeshadows 2.0.  These are a collection of pressed eyeshadows.  This particular set is called The Phenomenon, which consists of Azure Iris and Golden Iris. 


The eyeshadows come in a beautiful gold compact.  The actual shadows themselves are described as this:  "The Phenomenon, which includes two powerful eye shadows developed to enhance certain tones of your iris."  Now, Azure is described as illuminating, but in reality it is more of a satin to matte shade.  The Golden Iris shade definitely has more frost in it, but neither of these compare to the illumination of the old Bare Escentuals Glimmers. 


Azure Iris is a satin lavender shade, with the slightest hint of a opalescent shimmer.  Golden Irish is a rich bronze gold.  Both have very nice pigmentation - note swatches below are over bare skin without primer.  The texture of the eyeshadows are creamy, smooth and apply evenly over the skin.  I used the sponge applicator that is in the compact, although a dense brush will work just as well. 


 Next up, the blush.  This is a radiance, which are some of my favorite products in the Bare Escentuals/Minerals line.  I use them almost every day, either as a blush or a wash over the skin to add some glow to the complexion.  This particular shade is called Rose Gold Radiance.  It is a pale, warm rose shade with a golden and pearl shimmer. 


This is the first of the products I've bought from BE that actually come in with the ability to open and close. Not only does this keep things cleaner, but it allows you to tap out how much product you really need to use - see below.


Two other new items in this collection are the Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliners.  These, similar to Urban Decay 24/7, Makeup Forever's Aqua Eyes eyeliners, and L'oreal's Liquiline Blast Eyeliners (just to name a few) are the newest addition to the waterproof eyeliners on the market.  The pencils are hearty, with rich creamy and extremely pigmented colors.  The two in this set are 10 PM and Noon. 


The Noon eyeliner is a deep navy with a bit of shimmer.  This leans more to towards the black side than the blue - it doesn't scream "blue" when on the lid.  The other pencil, 10PM is a gorgeous chocolate brown with iridescent shimmer. 


Lastly, the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Glosses.  Another new addition to the line, these are similar to the old Buxom glosses.  The product is nicely pigmented, sticky enough to last but not drying, and has a minty fragrance that cools and slightly plumps the lips.  I have always been a die hard to the Buxom glosses, but these are very nice as well.  I can honestly say, Bare Minerals are my go-to lip glosses when I'm in a pinch.  I have tons of them, between the Buxom, Naturals and now the Moxie's, and I haven't been disappointed yet. 

The two shades in this set are Wild One and Dare Devil.


Wild One is a creamy peach with a hint of shimmer.  Dare Devil is a rich berry, but there is a nice golden shimmer throughout. 


The applicator for this is a large, but bent, doe foot.  I was a little hesitant when I first pulled this out of the tube, but I actually really like it now that I've used it.  I don't need to reapply to get enough on the lips - one swipe and I'm good to go. 


Swatches on the lips below.



The full lineup of colors.  I have not worn the eyeshadows together yet, just individual mixed in with some of my other colors.  I will try and put a whole look together with this set in the near future. 


One more thing in the collection - the brushes!  I love BE's brushes, and always look forward to them when I order a set.  This set came with a flawless face brush and a full, tapered eyeshadow brush. 


So far, I am really liking this set.  I will say, although the convenience and cleanliness of the pressed eyeshadows in the bareMinerals READY 2.0 shadows are nice, I still prefer the loose powders over the pressed.  I think it's a matter of preference, though - not quality.  Over the years I've been leaning more and more towards loose shadows and powders, so by default I prefer the original BE's over this.  With that said, if you got frustrated with the old powder formulas, these 2.0 shadows might be the way to go!  You still get the same quality product, with the convenience of a pressed shadow. 

The lipglosses are beautiful, and the eyeliners truly wear all day without smearing or running.  I love the colors, too. 

Have you picked this collection up?  How about just the bareMineral READY 2.0 eyeshadows - have you tried them?  What do you think?


Cover Girl

Spotted @ Walgreens: New Maybelline and Cover Girl Collections

10:40 AM


Here comes the next round of new products at the drugstores!  I had to run into Walgreens yesterday to reload on my Nyquil stash - don't you just love holiday illnesses?  I've had this one for two weeks...

Anyway, there were a slew of new goodies to snap pictures of.  First, above, the Black Radiance Eye Appeal eyeshadow collections - clearly these are very similar to the Wet 'n Wild 8-pan shadows at Walgreens, but the color lineup is a bit different.  I did not pick any up, but I would have gone for the browns and greens.  They looked beautiful.  These shadows were not quite as sparkly/frosty as the Wet 'n Wild, so these might be a good alternative if you don't want as much shimmer. 

Next up, below, the new Covergirl, Queen collection - new mascaras and eyeliners.  There are six shades of eyeliner, all of which were shimmery.  They remind me of the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils, or the LiquidLast liners from Covergirl, but in warmer shades, and more selection. 



 Below is the new display for Maybelline, including the new Color Tattoo's by Eyestudio.  There are two sets of new lip colors as well.


Below is a closeup of the color selection for the Eye Tattoo's - I picked up #25 - Bad to the Bronze. 


Lastly Covergirl has a new Blast collection of lipsticks and a new Lashblast 24 hour mascara.  I was tempted to pick up the mascara, but I still have a couple new ones to try at home, so I decided to wait.  The lip colors look interesting too - there are two shades to mix and match. 



Have you seen any of these?  I'll post swatches of the new Eye Tattoo by Eyestudio when I get them uploaded.  I love all these new goodies!  Although, I should be on a no-buy after all the Christmas shopping, but oh well...

Mascara

Review: Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in Blackest Black

11:26 AM

I have been pleased with the several of the past mascara release by Maybelline including The Falsies and The Falsies Flared, so I was anxious to pick up and try Maybelline Illegal Length mascara.  Although I am not typically one for length as I prefer volumizing formulas, I thought I'd test this one out for a few weeks and see if I could be converted.


Now, I remember Maybelline having an older version of the Illegal Lengths mascara and it was discontinued a year or so ago.  I think this might be their revamping of the product.  I didn't try the original version, but from what I've read it was a favorite among many, and they were disappointed that it was disco'd. 

The new version of Illegal Lengths is a furmula infused with 4mm fibers, which enhance the length of your lashes, while sealing in the fibers so you don't experience the fall out of some lengthening or fiber-enhanced mascaras. 


The brush is pictured below.  This was difficult to capture on film - not only did I want you to see the actual brush, but if you look hard you can see the fibers in the mascara.  The brush itself has stiff, widely dispersed bristles that come out in different angles.  The brush is actually similar in structure to the Falsie's brush's bristles, only this brush is straight and round.  The bristles look kind of random, but they actually help capture and separate all the lashes, while pulling the mascara and fibers through the brush to give your lashes length. 


Below are several picture to give you some before and after shots, as well as one coat vs. two coats of the product.  Click any images to enlarge.
(Before)

(After - 2 coats)

(Left - 2 coats / Right - none)

(Left - 2 coats / Right - 1 coat)

I will say, this product does a very nice job at lengthening.  The brush pulls the product through and coats all the lashes - I think the first picture with mascara above shows that, especially if you click to enlarge.  The brush also holds the lashes as you pull it through, so it helps curl the lashes too.  Unlike some mascara wands that don't really grab the lashes, this one definitely does.  (Note, I did not curl my lashes for these photos). 

The product itself is on the thinner side, which allows you to build coat after coat without clumping or flaking.  With that said, it dries quickly enough in between coats that you can build some volume, although I wouldn't consider this any sort of a volumizing mascara. 

I wore this all day without any issues of smearing, flaking, or smudging.  Removal was very easy - just simple face wash and water, and I didn't have any residue or raccoon left over.  So far I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and the tube hasn't dried out, gotten clumpy, or caused any of the issues above.  On another side note, I can't say the same for my beloved L'oreal Voluminous Fibre Mascara that I loved so much - it has dried up very quickly and become extremely difficult to work with.  An extreme disappointment considering how much I loved the effect on my lashes. 

Overall, I am really enjoying this mascara right now.  Maybelline has really hit a couple out of the park with The Falsies, The Falsie's Flared and now this addition, Illegal Lengths.  I kind of have the best of both worlds, as I would consider The Falsie's one of my favorite volumizing mascaras, and now the Illegal Lengths is, as the name implies, quite a good lengthening mascara.  I would definitely purchase this one again. 

I know this is starting to pop up in the drug stores now, although Maybelline doesn't have any product information online at the moment.  Retail was $8.99 and I found mine at CVS. 

Have you seen this or purchased it?  What do you think so far? 


Lipsticks

Spotted at Meijer: New from Rimmel! The Kate Moss Collection

1:50 PM


Looking for some new products for the winter at Meijer, and I found this.  Rimmel's new lasting Finish 8-hour collection designed by Kate Moss herself.  There are five sahdes of lipstick - a red, plum, pink, coral and pale nude (for lack of a better term).  Digging around I find out that the collection is the celebration of Kate and Rimmel's collaboration over the past 10  years.  What a nice way to celebrate!

Here are a couple closeups of the packaging and the colors, courtesy of Rimmel and The Daily Mail. 



At first glance, the nude shade looked like a relatively similar color to Fashion Night Pout, but I didn't have mine on me to compare. 

So, have you seen these yet? 
 

Cina

NOTD: Essie "School of the Hard Rocks"

9:00 AM


Essie's School of the Hard Rocks.  This is a dusty gray/teal/evergreen.  Really, the product in the bottle doesn't do it justice.  Applied, this is a very unique and beautiful shade.  This falls into the "greige" category, only on the green side - maybe a "greenge"?  I will say, this was a bit of a difficult color to capture in pictures - it looks more blue in the pictures, and is a bit more green in real life - but you get the idea.


I wanted to add a little bit of a festive look to this color, so I used one of my CinaPro Nail Decals in Peppermint Twist, which I found at Sally Beauty.  They are adorable, and this set has candy canes, snowmen, wreaths and gingerbread men.  There is another one exclusive to Sally that has Santa, Rudolph, and other festive decals.  I believe they retailed for $3.99.

Back to the Essie - the formula is one of the nicer formulas for Essie.  This is smooth and shiny and coverage is very nice.  Above is two coats of polish with one coat of top coat.  I would put this polish as one of the "must have's" for you - it's different enough, but also very wearable. 

Have you tried this color?  What other color from the collection have you picked up? 

CVS

Spotted at CVS: Sally Hansen Nail Polish Sets - a great stocking stuffer idea!

9:44 AM


While I was at CVS the other day (spotting all sorts of new goodies), I saw some Sally Hansen mini 4-pks that would make great stocking stuffers or present toppers.  There are four different sets to choose from: Diamond Strength, Xtreme Wear, HD Hi Definition and Insta Dry.  I believe they are normally $5.99 a piece, but are running 2/$10 right now. 





Really, the Diamond Hard is the most neutral or user friendly of the set.  The other three collections have much brighter and colors.  Really, at $1.25 a nail polish, it's not a bad little deal.

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