Shakeup Your Makeup

e.l.f. Luscioius Liquid Lipsticks: Raspberry & Perfect Pink and Mineral Lipgloss in Bare

2:59 PM

Who doesn't absolutely love a bargain...especially when it's a great product!? Well, e.l.f. Cosmetics had some new shades of their Luscious Liquid Lipstickss available, and I decided that at $1 a pop, it was due time I tried them out. I am so glad I did!

The Luscious Liquid Lipsticks are like a smooth, liquid, creamy and sheer version of a true lipstick. These particular lippies come in a twist bottom tube, where the product comes up through a large doe-foot applicator (there are close-ups of this process below). The colors are very well pigmented, but not over the top. You can easily apply one coat and have this be a simply sheer color on your lips with a hint of shine, or apply another coat over the top and get those wet, berry-kissed lips that look so beautiful in the summer - kind of like you've been sipping on a strawberry daquiri! I purchased two colors: Raspberry and Perfect Pink. I also picked up a Mineral Lipgloss, as I have been eyeing these for quite some time. The shade I chose was Bare, which is truly that - a rich skin-toned shade with little to no shimmer.

Below are some close-ups of the applicator. I find that this can make or break a product. Although I tend to lean towards brush applicators, the substantial size and felt covered applicator of the Luscious Liquid Lipsticks actually make these quite easy and efficient to apply, without overdoing it.

With the simple crank at the bottom of the tube, you release the product into the applicator at the top. Keep in mind, that your first go around will require 10-12 good twists to get the product to release on the applicator, but from that point forward, one to two twists will give you enough for an application.

Below are the two shades I purchased: Raspberry (top) and Perfect Pink (bottom). There appear to be two different amounts of products, but in reality this is the difference between cranking up the product to be dispersed out of the applicator (Raspberry), and how "full" your product looks prior to twisting the bottom (Perfect Pink). Now, don't let this deter you from ordering this product - they are only $1...yes...$1 a piece, and this product is so silky smooth, it will go for miles! Also, the fragrance is a light, sweet, mint. It reminds me of an old bubble-mint gum flavor I used to love as a child, but of course, they don't make any more!

I also purchased the Mineral Lip Gloss in Bare. I wanted to compare this product to the Bare Escentual Natural Lipglosses, which I absolutely adore. Bare is a deep skin tone or natural shade. It reminds me of a lighter terre-cotta color in the tube, although on the lips it turns out to be a beautiful deep lip shade. There are hints of silver shimmer in the tube, but in reality once applied, all you see is shine. No sparkles, grit, or shimmer is left behind or makes you look like a disco ball. This would definitely be the shade to go for if you are looking to enhance the natural shade of your lips with a hint of color and some shine.

The applicator is your standard doe-foot (below). I will say that the formula is much thinner than the Bare Escentuals Natural Lipgloss, but the e.l.f. Mineral Lip Gloss still lasts for quite some time on the lips. There is not any minty flavoring - if anything I smell a hint of vanilla.

In addition to swatching on the arm (above), there are lip swatches of each lipgloss below. Please disregard the silly freckles I have - I have no foundation on and must have been sitting out on the patio during the day, making my little freckle-friends appear! :)

These are absolutely beautiful. I would highly suggest you pick up the Luscious Liquid Lipsticks if you plan on placing an order with e.l.f. anytime soon. They are beautiful, leave your lips soft and supple, and have just the right amount of color. The tubes, easily the size of a fat pen, fit perfectly in your purse - what ease at $1 a pop!

Who else has tried these? What is your favorite e.l.f. product?

Cover Girl

Review: NEW Cover Girl LashBlash Fusion Mascara "Very Black"

10:06 AM

As mentioned yesterday, I stumbled up on the new Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion mascara at my local CVS at the end of last week. I couldn't believe that my store would actually have something new in a timely fashion, so I was very excited to get this and test it out!

What actually drew my eye to the display was the beautiful, pearlescent purple tube! I mean, how can you walk by something that bright and shiny and not purchase it?! Upon closer inspection, I read on the package that this mascara is supposed to lengthen AND volumize my lashes, so it was an instantaneaous sell! I'm such a sucker for all-in-one products and pretty packaging! Cover Girl, you did a great job on that one!

The actual tube itself is the same as the bright orange version of the original product, LashBlast mascara. It is thick, has a thicker wand, and the same bristle-packed brush, although it appears to taper a little bit more towards the end than the original or Luxe versions do -- click here to see my review of the LashBlast Luxe, which has a closeup of the brushes.

The product itself comes only in Black right now, although the website does indicate that more colors are coming soon.

I find that testing new mascaras is a difficult task because it usually takes days to master the techinique and applicatioin of a new product - and mascara is no exception. The actual formula of the Fusion version seems to be drier and more difficult to work with than the original LashBlast. I have found that I have to add layer upon layer of product to achieve the desired fullness in my lashes, that to be quite honest, would have taken one or two swipes of the original version. I'm not sure if this is because the product itself is thinner, or if it is due to the fact that it dries so quickly and becomes difficult to manipulate upon application. I really didn't see that much of a difference in length, either. I honestly haven't tried the LashBlast Lenghth (in the yellow tube), although I had read rave reviews online upon it's release. But, in comparison to other lengthening mascaras, this one would receive an *eh* in my book.

On the bright side, this mascara did not clump, flake, or leave any residual product around the eyes, even after hours of use. Because of the consistency and lightness of the formula, it was a breeze to remove with just water and my facewash - no makeup remover or extreme scrubbing needed. Also, because the formula dries so quickly, I didn't get any excess mascara on or around my eyes during or inbetween application of coats, which sometimes becomes quite the problem with thicker or *wetter* versions of mascara.

Below is a closeup of the product on, this being three coats. As I said, it didn't clump, which is nice, especially since I had to apply three coats to get the desired thickness. The product does coat pretty much every lash, as well, which gave me that desired "fringe" effect that everyone is looking for in mascara.

Retail Price: $8.99 - $9.99

Where to purchase: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart

Product: 3.5 out of 5

Price: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Would I purchase again? Upon my first week or so of use, I would have to say no, but I am going to give this a few more weeks of trial before I finally make my commitment one way or another. As I said, I prefer the original formula of LashBlast to this new version, so I would tend to go for the bright orange tube before this purple one. I think it's simply a matter of ease of use, and I don't find this particular formula to be as user friendly for me as others. Just note, this isn't to say that it would be for you, though!

I'd love to know if you have tried this and what your thoughts are - please let me (and all my readers) know!

Cover Girl

New LashBlast Fusion Mascara and Wet 'n Wild Berry Shimmer Blush

8:59 AM

I heard that CVS was having some good specials this week, including BOGOFree on their Wet 'n Wild, 40% off Physicians Formula, and BOGOFree on Rimmel, so I thought I would see what my tiny store had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to see a display of NEW LashBlash Fusion Mascara and a new Wet 'n Wild Blush called Berry Shimmer. Although the blush may or may not be that new, I decided to get it for the summer. I had yet to read anything about the new LashBlash mascara, either, so this was an immediate purchase seeing how much I love the original formula.

I will review the LashBlash Fusion Mascara tomorrow, but today wanted to swatch the new Wet 'n Wild Blush in Berry Shimmer. As many of you may remember, Pearlescent Pink is a supposed dup of Nars Orgasm blush, which I posted about here (along with a few other drug store dupes). The Pearlescent Pink is one of my favorite blushes I have, be it high-end or drug store. The color, pigmentation and consistency is great, and at $3.99 retail (or on sale if you are lucky!), you can't beat the price.

Seeing as the Wet 'n Wild display was all BOGO, I thought I'd get myself another Pearlescent Pink blush as backup. When I looked at the other blushes, I saw a "NEW" sticker on one (at the very bottom no less), and pulled it out. Berry Shimmer, the newest color blush in their collection, is a much deeper and shade of pink with golden shimmer. Berry is a great description for it! The pigmentation is just as good, if not better, than the Pearlescent Pink, the shimmer is apparent but not over-the-top, and the blush wears all day long. Since I am a very fair skintoned, I had to use a very light hand and light brush - I would suggest a skunk brush of some variety...whichever is your favorite! This allowed me to apply this color without looking like a clown. I will say, the deeper your skintone, the better this shade will look, so I am hoping for some sunny weather soon so I can get a little bit of a tan! :)

Since many of you own the Pearlescent Pink, I wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of the two. Below are the actual blushes in the pan, and below that are the swatches.

Like I said, this is very pigmented. I also used my fingertip to swatch this blush, so you get a little more *umph* in the swatch when done this way. But, needless to say, you get the idea about the color. It is an absolute beauty, and at BOGO, why not give it a try!

Something Non-Makeup related...

11:57 AM

One of my other major passions is gardening. Living in the midwest, I have to find a way to enjoy this hobby in the winter, so about 8 years ago I became pretty intrigued with orchids, and to this day they are somewhat of an addition. Although quite a challenge to grow, the reward is well worth it when these beauties bloom. This past weekend there was an annual orchid show at one of the conservatories downtown and I brought my camera along to take some pictures of the flowers on display. The colors and varieties are absolutely amazing, so I had to share! Enjoy...hopefully this will bring some much needed springtime into your homes as well!

Feel free to click any picture to enlarge!