Random Vanity: Milani Powder Eyeshadows

Quick reviews of random picks from the vanity...

 

I have had these shadows for quite some time and I must say, I don't think I could go a day without them.
They are smooth, rich, and oh the pigmentation...by far, the best I have seen in the drugstore. I use these neutral shades everyday and even keep them in the top drawer of my vanity along with my concealer and mascara...they're that important to my makeup routine.

Shades...in order from left to right
*All shades have a matte finish...awesome!
White lie-white, duh. 
Pitch Black-black, pigmentation puts MAC's Carbon to shame...SHAME!!
Brown Stone-brown, deep and rich payoff.
French Vanilla- creamy nude, perfect subtle brow bone highlight

White Lie, Pitch Black

 

Brown Stone, French Vanilla

 

White Lie, Pitch Black, Brown Stone, French Vanilla

They do have a few more shades in this line, like a bright purple and blue, but I just wouldn't get the use out of those shades that I do out of the neutral shades.

As I have mentioned before, I top all my cream products (eyeliners especially) with powder products to improve staying power. These are the shadows I reach for without fail when topping and smudging out my black and brown pencil liners. Even if I use a pencil eyeliner and the pigmentation is a little lacking, I top them with Pitch Black or Brown Stone and the pigmentation is instantly improved.They are also my go-to matte crease shades for adding dimension and depth to any of my eye looks. French Vanilla is the perfect transition color for blending out other shadows through the crease and I use White Lie daily as an inner corner highlight.

Definite must-have in my collection.

Would I repurchase...
YES

NYX Plump it Up Lip Plumpers: A Review

 

In a quest to make myself more of a "lip product person", I have been spending more and more time in the lip gloss sections when browsing for makeup recently. I picked two NYX Pump it UP Lip Plumper glosses with the hopes that they would somewhat mimic my beloved Buxom lip glosses. I picked up two shades...Kim, which is a creamy nude/peach shade, and Liv, which is a clear gloss I picked to layer with other lipsticks...should I like the effects of these glosses.

Frame of Reference...
Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish gloss sensation: Oh that's nice, it feels like I just brushed my teeth
NYX Pump it Up gloss sensation: Holy Crap! My face is being stung by bees! I think the active ingredient is pepper spray...I'm just saying

Yep, that sums it up...Buxom has a minty sensation (I wouldn't even call it a tingle) but the NYX glosses definitely have more of a "sting" effect. It was not unbearable by any means, but definitely a step up from the refreshing Buxom feel and my lips did appear a little fuller than before. The feeling lasted about five minutes and then felt like a totally normal gloss. The first time I  applied these glosses, I applied them to bare lips and felt the "tingle" almost instantly. As I have been experimenting with these glosses over the last couple of days I have noticed the "tingle" effect does not seem to be a strong as the first time I used them. Maybe I was use to the sensation and knew what to expect, but it seems these glosses have lost a bit of their potency after a few uses...and the "after tingle" plumping results were not as strong. I also found that if I layered these glosses over a lipstick, I could not feel the tingling what so ever, so my thought process for buying a clear gloss to layer,  was completely pointless.

Shades...
Kim is a pretty peachy shade in the tube but it does apply quite sheer on the lips. Liv is clear and applies...well...clear to the lips as well (shocker). Aside from the shades Kim and Liv, all of the other glosses from this line were very shimmery and even glittery so none of them really interested me. As far as purchasing other shades...I think I'm good with my choices.

Overall, I enjoyed these glosses. Kim gave me a sheer peachy wash of color to my lips and I did enjoy the mild plumping effects. I like the fact that I have options when using these glosses. If I want the tingle, apply them to bare lips for a natural look and if I'm not in the mood to be stung by bees, I can layer them over a lipstick and have no sensation what so ever.

Would I repurchase...
Yes.

Makeup Daily: 2/22/2013

This is just a quick run down of the the products I'm using today. I'm having some dry, irritated skin issues at the moment (after a bad run in with my Clarisonic deep pore brush head) so what's a girl to do? Focus on the eyes. I used a Victoria's Secret shadow trio that I adore, as well as a few products  from the Buxom The Headliners set, which I plan to post a review on soon.

 

 

 

First, I primed my eyes with ELF eye primer. Then I used Buxom cream shadow in Pug (from Headliners set) as a base. I used a Victoria's Secret Ultimate Shadow trio in Decadence and used the light pink shade under my brow and in my crease, to help with blending the cream and powder shadows later. I took the the taupe/silver shade and tapped it all over my lid. I ran the deep brown shade through my crease and dabbed a little extra on my outer corner to deepen up the look. I love the contrast between the cool shimmery taupe and the deep matte brown in this palette.

I used Buxom Insider eyeliner in Onyx (from The Headliners set) to line my top lash line, smudged that out into a smudgy wing shape and then topped it with Milani powder eyeshadow in #02 Pitch Black to keep it in place all day. I put a little bit of the Buxom liner in the outer corner of my lower lash line and smudged it out with the brown shade from the palette to give me a softer, warmer feel on my lower lashes. I finished off by running a little bit of the taupe shadow on the inner part of my lower lash line. I used Stila kajal eye liner in Topaz on my water line (I forgot to throw this in the photo...oops) and tapped a bit of Milani powder eyeshadow in #01 White Lie on my inner corner to brighten up my eyes. I finished off with a couple of coats of Buxom Amplified lash mascara in Loud Black (from The Headliners set).

Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream

Quick note on a night cream I've been loving lately. I was visiting my sister in Denver this past year and I neglected to remember that the climate is a tad bit different in Denver than it is in Texas. What an idiot. So my usual night cream was not holding up to those Denver winter nights, so I made an emergency trip to the drugstore for a more heavy duty cream. I picked this cream at random and I have been loving it ever since.

This cream is rich, thick, and has a refreshing milk and honey scent. This gives me the perfect balance of moisture...I don't feel like my skin drinks it up, then feels dry afterwards nor does it leave me with that slick, greasy feeling. In fact, if I'm having a particularly dry skin day, I can apply this cream LIGHTLY to my face to give it that extra boost of moisture but I don't have to worry about it breaking down my makeup throughout the day. This cream is such a pleasure to put on, I actually look forward to it when I get home from a long shift at work and when I wake up in the morning, my skin feels smooth and refreshed.

I will definitely be picking up the Burts Bees Radiance Day Cream once my Olay Complete daily moisturizer is gone.

Random Vanity: NYX Collection Noir Powder Liners

Quick reviews of random picks from the vanity...

 

This is a product I picked up some time ago from HEB (for those of you who don't live down south, HEB is a grocery store chain with a randomly awesome beauty department). I've been trying to break out of my "winged liquid liner" comfort zone I've been living in for some years now. I thought this might be a way on softening up my liner look but still giving my eyes definition.

These liners look like typical liquid liner pots from the outside, but instead of liquid, the pots contain a fine powder. Instead of a small brush applicator, these liners include a thin doe foot-ish/sponge applicator that is used to apply the powder to the lash line. This is supposed to create a smokey, smudged out eye look.

 



My thoughts...I thought the powder was very smooth and easy to "smoke out" but the amount of fall out from these liners is no joke. You HAVE to tap, practically beat, the wand off after you pull it out of the pot or you will look like you were in a bar fight...and lost. It would definitely be best to do your foundation and concealer drill after your eye makeup...which is something I hate. Even after my eye makeup was applied and my foundation and concealer was on, I still noticed a bit of powder on my cheeks. This leads me to believe if you did not use a primer or some sort of sticky base before applying these powders, not only would you have initial fall out, but also fall out through the day.

Now since I am usually a liquid wing girl, I did not think these liners gave me quite the definition I was looking for on their own. I enjoyed applying a pencil liner to my upper lash line, smudging it out with a Q tip then topping that with these powder liners. I finished the look by using what was left on the applicator to smudge into my lower lashes. This gave me a more saturated but still smokey and soft effect. The pigmentation of the black was a little lacking for me. It was more of a charcoal shade, which is pretty, just not black. I preferred the warm tone of the brown liner much more.

 I liked the look these liners gave me but they definitely did not give me the "swipe and go" experience that I expected. They took a lot of work to first build up to the intensity that I wanted, and then clean up the big mess that was left on my cheeks...which is something I'm rarely in the mood for.

NARS And God Created the Woman Palette: A Review

 

 Let me just start off by saying...high end makeup is new to me. I have been a drugstore makeup junkie for years and never felt the need to spend a lot of money at Sephora or department store counters. But recently I have started to become more and more interested in high end...but if I'm going to spend the money, it'd better be worth it. I did some research and Nars had consistently good product reviews but I knew I wanted something more than the typical Orgasm blush or Turkish Delight lip gloss.(there are just too many dupes for those two out there!)  So after some Sephora web browsing, I spotted this palette...small, neutral, shimmery, matte, light shades, dark shades, a primer, and an eyeshadow brush...yep... I figured this would be a good way to try some of the "classy stuff".

 



 

Nars And God Created the Woman Palette

• $59.00 ($105 value)
• Sephora exclusive and limited edition
• described as "and eye shadow kit with six sultry shades, a travel-size Eye Shader Brush (#3), and a medium Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base"
• typical Nars black, rubberized packaging
• palette is slightly larger than the palm of my hand
• includes mirror

From top left:Alhambra, Bellisima, Kalahari

From bottom left: Galapagos, Coconut Grove, Night Clubbing

 

Alhambra-shimmery, pinky champagne

Bellisima-matte, cool medium grey

Kalahari-shimmery, pinky bronze

Galapagos-very warm, medium brown with fine gold glitter

Coconut Grove-matte, deep brown

Night Clubbing-black with fine green/gold glitter

 

 



In order as above

 

 

On the eye...

 

 

 

From this palette I am wearing Kalahari on the inner 1/3 of my lid, Galapagos on the outer 2/3 of the lid, then blended them out with Bellisima and used Alhambra under my brow and in the inner corner. I ran Coconut Grove through my crease and a tiny bit of Night Clubbing in my outer corner. I lined my eyes with Cover Girl Liquiline Blast eyeliner in brown, smudged it out with a Q tip and then topped the liner with Coconut Grove. I added a touch of Milani powder eyeshadow in #01 White Lie to my inner corner to brighten up my eyes and used Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara on my top lashes and Maybelline Lash Discovery waterproof mascara on the bottom lashes.

*I am wearing the Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base(included) as an eye primer*

 

Review...

 

Primer

I did enjoy the primer that came with this set. It went on with a slightly white pearly/satin-ish finish which cancelled out a bit of the discoloration on my eyelid. Once dry, it had a smooth texture (not sticky or tacky) and kept the shadows vibrant and crease free through a 12 hour work shift. Would I purchase the full size primer? Nope...there are too many cheap primers out there that do the exact same thing.

 

#3 Eye Shader Brush

This set also includes a large flat shader brush...really large. I had trouble using this large of a brush on my lid so I used it under my brow bone to apply my highlight. This type of brush is what I like to call a "lazy kid blending brush". It does the duty of applying your highlight, but it's so large that it also blends out your crease at the same time. Less work for me...I'm a fan.

 

Palette

As a first time Nars user, I must say, I'm impressed with the quality of these shadows. They are smooth and pigmented, which makes blending quick and seamless. For my eye look I kept it "everyday wearable" but because this palette includes a variety of shades and finishes, you could easily bump it up a notch by just going bananas in your crease and outer V with Coconut Grove and/or Night Clubbing to make it a much more dramatic look. One thing to note, while the shades Galapagos and Night Clubbing contain fine glitter in the pan, the glitter did not transfer onto my eye...which I actually don't mind...I'm not a huge glitter person anyway. The fall out with these shadows is down right non-existent...another plus. I also enjoy the fact that this is a mostly warm-toned palette with a cool grey shade thrown in, which is the opposite way a lot of other palettes are put together...a bunch of cool shades with a random brown shade slapped in there. As someone who has a hard time pulling off  cooler shades...I appreciate this feature. To me, this would be the ideal "quick weekend trip" palette...Small size (a little bigger than the palm of my hand), sturdy compact with mirror, smooth shadow textures which make for fast application and easy blending, and a decent shade/finish selection gives you a lot of different options without having to pack your whole vanity (GUILTY!)

 

Would I repurchase?

Yes, definitely.