Birthday Haul

I have awesome friends and family! Almost all my presents (pictured above) were makeup related. They know me so well! I wanted to share my gifts with you, not to brag, but because I will be doing reviews on these products in the near future. I posted a video with a general overview on YouTube. Check it out!

Let me know if theres anything you want to know about a specific product. Have a beautiful night!

Recession Special Beauty: Eyeshadow Palettes

Check out my YouTube video!






The first product I purchased was L.A. Colors palette in Tease. I have seen this palette in a few stores, generally priced around $3. I saw it in Dollar Tree for $1.50 and purchased it. The low price and bright colors interested me. The palette contains 5 colors: yellow, orange, pink, blue, and green. They are supposed to be shimmer colors, but the shimmer is gone after one swipe. After trying these out, I must say that I was impressed. The colors are very pigmented and did not crease or fade with a primer. The texture is a bit chunky, but you can work with it. My biggest disappointments are that it tends to mush together when you blend, and also that the pink stains the lid. If you are careful with blending and have a stron makeup remover, neither of these issues will affect you. I was honestly shocked at how much I ended up liking this.

Look created with 3 LA Colors shadows:



Wet'nWild Color Icon Palettes:

Vanity & Greed-

I picked these up for $4.99 at Walgreens. I had high hopes for these after using the Color I con Palettes in Pride and Lust. Unfortunately, these did not meet my expectations. Vanity is a brown/beige/gold palette with matte and shimmer colors. They can be used for dramatic or neutral looks. I found the colors to be flat and not flattering. The browns were too deep and the gold too yellow. Greed is a black/peach/gray palette with mattes and shimmers, as well. The peach colors are pretty, but when applied they tend to look more like conjunctivitis than makeup. There is an odd blue/gray color that has a gold sheen when swatched. This unique color would make the palette worth it, but the texture is chunky and there is immense fallout with this shade. The blacks and grays are lovely, but I just can't get a decent, cohesive look out of this palette. While some shades in these palettes are nice, I'm very disappointed with them as a whole.

June Favorites - 2010

Wall Flower Shaving Cream - $4.95 - Target
LUSH Love Lettuce Mask - $5.95 - lush.com
LUSH Godiva 2-in-1 Solid Shampoo - $9.95 - lush.com
Too Faced Champagne Infused Lipstick in Pink Flamingo - $19 - toofaced.com, Sephora
Stila Charmed Eye Shadow Palette - $15 - Urban Outfitters, stila.com
MAC Pro Palette Refil in Orb - $11 - MAC Pro Stores
Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser - $14 - Sephora

Thank you for the request! Keep the feedback coming! I'd love to know what you would like to see on my channel/blog.

Stay beautiful!

Summer Beauty Haul

So today was a big shopping day for me - I was celebrating the end of the retail diet! For more information on my 'diet', head to the bottom of the post. For products and where to find them, read directly below.

Here are the beauty items featured in my YT haul video:

e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips - $1 - Target, eyeslipsface.com
e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash $ Brow Clear Mascara in Crystal - $1 - Target, eyeslipsface.com
Goody Spin Pins in Blonds - $5.99 - Target
Healthy Sexy Hair - Soy Renewal (trial size) - $2.99 - Essentials Beauty Supply
MAC Amplified Lipstick in Girl About Town - $14 - MAC Pro Store, Macy's, maccosmetics.com

LUSH Products (in Macy's, can be found at www.lush.com)
Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb - $3.95
Ring Of Roses cut soap - $10.95 (price will vary depending on size you request)
Q10 Toner Tab - $1.95
Seanik Solid Shampoo - $9.95
Godiva 2-in-1 Solid Shampoo - $9.95
Solid Shampoo tin - free (with purchase of 2 solid shampoos)
Sole Revival fizzing foot bar (information unavailable on site)- $3.95
Love Lettuce facial mask - $5.95 (also not on site, I believe this is correct)
Turkish Delight Body Polish- free (sample)


Retail Diet:
After the MAC To The Beach preview party, I realized that I was spending a lot of money without thinking. I decided to tighten the purse strings a little bit. The next day I found myself at Sephora, checking out palettes. I realized then that I had to take a break. I have plenty of makeup, clothes, shoes, etc. I don't need to spend each extra dollar that I have on things I probably don't need. I decided to stop spending money on anything that wasn't necessary, meaning anything that wasn't food or a gift. There were 3 birthdays I needed presents for, 3 bills that needed to be paid, and an annoying parking ticket I didn't want to deal with. The diet began May 18th. I bought nothing. Not a dress, not a blush, not one single shoe. The only shopping I did was for groceries and, at wen the birthdays came, for 3 gifts. I quickly realized how much extra money I had. I was able to pay my bills without flinching. The parking ticket was a piece of cake. I had enough extra cash that I started putting some in an envelope. I made a list of things that tempted me during the diet. At the end of the diet, I would pick the items that I still wanted and purchase them in celebration. I found that my wants changed quickly. An eyeshadow I lusted after for the first week was forgotten by the second, a shoe I practically stalked online wasn't as pretty up close. I learned to truly think about what I was buying. At the end of the diet, I had double what I had expected saved in my little envelope. I put half in my savings account and went on a planned and controlled shopping spree with the rest. This has definitely taught me to think before I purchase something. I may keep up the diet, with a once monthly shopping trip. Hope this was interesting and helpful!

Stay beautiful!

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

I recently became interested in LUSH products after watching a video on YT that described the Dorothy bubble bar. My mother is a big Wizard of Oz fan, so I knew I had to find it. When I arrived at LUSH, I was immediately impressed. The products are arranged as fruit would be at a roadside stand, i.e. in baskets. The sales people were helpful and attentive, not at all snooty. They explained each product ad even offered samples of soaps to take home. I purchased a 2 bubble bars (Dorothy and Armandopando) for myself, as well as Mother's Day presents for family members. I also received cut samples of 2 soaps (Honey I Washed the Kids and Karma).Each person who received a LUSH product as a gift has since called me to tell me how amazing they were. Here is my personal review:

Dorothy- adorable design, wonderful smell. It smells like gardenia and jasmine. I have not used mine yet, but my mother said that hers turned the water blue and produced amazing bubbles.

Armandopando- white bubble bar with a dried rose on top. Sweet and romantic. In the store, I could only smell the rose scent. Once I used it, the citrus scent exploded into the bathroom. It smell was lovely, but I would have liked more roses. I used half the bar and the tub was full of bubbles.

Honey I Washed the Kids- this soap had a honeycomb on top. It smells sweet and rich, like a honey dessert. It feels soft and moisturizing. One sample has lasted me 2 weeks.

Karma- this soap has a strong patchouli scent. I am not a fan of this scent, so I gave it away. It smells woodsy and spicy, very masculine.

Mums- I purchased 2 'Mums' bath bombs as gifts for Mother's Day, one in pink and one in yellow. The scent was light and sweet. The tag on the flower 'stem' had wildflower seeds and can be planted in the garden. Both recipients loved it and said the smell was amazing.

Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar- I purchased this as a Mother's day gift for someone in a house with 2 boys. She said the tub filled with pink water and pink glitter, which made her feel girly. The vanilla scent was relaxing and sweet.

I am not one for bubble baths and bath products, but LUSH may have converted me. Keep an eye out for another LUSH haul/review coming within the next 3 weeks. To find a LUSH new you, visit www.lushusa.com Enjoy and have a beautiful day!

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows Re-release

Hello, lovelies!

Urban Decay is re releasing their special edition Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows along with the DVD release of the Disney film. The BOS was originally $52. It includes 16 shadows, 2 24/7 liners, and a mini primer potion. The re-release will be sold as a set which includes Sparkling Edible Body Powder, Razor Sharp Finishing Powder, De-Slick in a Tube, Big Fatty Mascara, Pocket Rocket Lip Gloss in Kirk, Primer potion in Eden, and Heavy Metal glitter liner in Midnight Cowboy. The set is currently priced at $211. I added up all the products included and discovered that there is no discount in buying the set. If you bought all of these items separately, not in the kit, it would still cost $211. The price may be steep for some, but for others it may be a chance to get your hands on this beautiful palette, as well as a few full size favorites.

I received the palette as a gift after the original release (from the boy- thanks, honey!) and have been using it since. It was the first Urban Decay product I ever owned. I was very impressed by the quality and pigmentation of the shadows. This palette inspired me to purchase many other UD items.

The palette contains 16 shadows, which are all available for individual purchase. Many of these colors have been used in previous palettes, so if you already have a palette from UD, chances are you will end up with repeat colors. The colors have been given 'twisted' names to go along with the Alice In Wonderland theme. Here is a list of shadows, AIW name first, followed by real name and description:

Underland = Flash - bright purple with velvety sheen
Alice = Painkiller- bright blue/teal with a hint of shimmer
Oraculum = Baked- metallic gold, very pigmented, very opaque
Queen = Last Call - purpleish cranberry with a frosty shine
Chessur = Chopper- beige with silver glitter
White Rabbit = Polyester Bride- creamy off-white with silver and gold glitter
Wonderland = Maui Wowie- pale olive green with silver glitter
Curiouser = Grifter- vivid lilac with silver glitter
Muchness = X- peachy gold frost
Mushroom = Mushroom- Taupey gray frost
Midnight Tea Party = Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - frosty beige with silver glitter
Vorpal = S&M - frosty gray
Absolem = Homegrown- frosty kelly green
Drink Me, Eat Me = Sin - shimmery beige
Mad Hatter = Twice Baked- dark brown with gold/bronze glitter
Jabberwocky = Oil Slick - black with silver glitter

This palette is probably best for fun or beauty looks. Due to the fact that all 16 shades have either shimmer or glitter, it is probably not work appropriate. While there are some neutrals (Mad Hatter, Drink Me, Eat Me) the color is predominantly bold and colorful shades that are not to be ignored. The color payoff is amazing. I definitely recommend trying out UD shadows, either in the AIW BOS or individually.

I hope this helps in your decision. Have a beautiful day!

MAC To The Beach: Part 4- The Look

I posted a video on YouTube to show you what I feel this collection looks like. Its a simple look focused on glowing skin and a simple colored eyeliner. I wanted the look to be something you could actually wear to the beach without looking too fussy. Here are the products you can use to achieve that look. Watch the video for dupe ideas!

Face:
Neutrogena Sunscreen SPF 50
Hard Candy Sheer Envy in Light
MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel (mixed in)
MAC Fix+

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
MAC Eyeliner Pencil in Float on By
MAC Eyeliner Pencil in Rosemary and Thyme
Maybelline Volum Express Mascara in Glam Black
Covergirl Exact Eyelights in Black Sapphire

Lips:
MAC Glaze Lipstick in Beachbound