Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Revlon Nail Polish- Valenine

What better way to get into the Valentines spirit than to buy your loved ones little gifts, play romantic music, turn on candles at night, and have your nails painted red. A bold move? For some it may be. But hey its Valentines day; why not? So normally I wear clear or neutral shades but I went all out today and wore Revlon's "Valentine-730" from CVS for $5.79. I tried to stay away from reds for the longest time because I don't think bright reds would flatter my skin tone, so I went for a deeper red shade which I think will suit most skin tones. Even though it comes with a standard size brush, it went on really well. No clumps and the smaller brush gave me a precise application. Best of all, it dries fast. I can't stand waiting for nails to dry. I get really impatient and this formula is perfect for someone like me. The formula is layer-able which helps get an even and rich color. Its long lasting and doesn't chip easily. I don't have any cons about this product besides that it may stain your nails.  Overall, love it!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Eos Lip Balm

Eos- Sweet Mint $4
I've been hearing a lot of great things about the Esos lip balm and have seen many of my favorite beauty gurus using it in their videos. You can't help but notice its cute egg shape, size, and color. A simple but innovative idea indeed. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but once I put it on I fell in love. It left my lips super soft, had long lasting power, a great minty tingly feeling, and a nice minty-sweet flavor. And who doesn't like organic products? Eos lip balm has been said to be a conversation starter once you pull it out of your purse, but in my case its been an activity starter. I bought one for me and my sis in Sweet Mint and handed it to her right before a meeting, which she set aside. Everyone's eyes periodically would fall on it, look up at her and give her a "what the heck is that?" look. They couldn't help but wonder what it was. After the meeting things got pretty crazy when they decided to play catch with it. That Eos balm was flying across the room, rolling under tables, and being tackled for. As you can imagine, it didn't pass the crash test. When my sister checked to see if it was intact, it had slightly slid off center but was still usable. Although it may not retain its cutesy ball shape in its container (which it may not in your purse over time), it is no doubt an amazing formula. Cant wait to get my hands on the other flavors.
Playing Catch with Eos

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Glow Honey...Glow


Elf- Golden Bronzer $3
Ahh I love glimmer powder!When I think of  shimmer I think of smaller specks of glitter but glimmer is like microscopic shimmer that gives a natural glow. Unfortunately, most companies call them face shimmers which may intimidate people into not getting them. So anyways, when I look washed out in the mornings after getting only four hours of sleep, all I want is a little glow to brighten up my look and the Physicians Formula's Happy Booster Translucent Powder ($14 from CVS) does the trick. This may not apply to people with oily skin, but if you have dry to normal skin like mine, a little shine adds a nice glow and natural radiance.
So the first face shimmer I first fell in love with was from my Elf's Golden Bronzer that I got from Target for only $3. In fact, I only used 1/4 of that pallet because I only used the bottom left shimmer since I discovered shimmer bronzers just don't suit me. As you can imagine, the shimmer side hit pan and eventually crumbled into small pieces and mixed together...darn. So I went on a hunt to for a drugstore face shimmer and the only one I found was Physicians Formula's which is unfortunately the "higher end" side of drugstore products that usually don't cost less that $10, but that's ok because it was definitely worth it.
Physicians Formula-Happy Booster:Translucent ($14)


When I first saw the
Happy Booster Translucent Powder I was like " there is no way this will work out because its mixed with pinks, peaches, and browns". For the first week I only used the left side with the white and peach shimmer but I eventually gave up and decided to sweep the entire product to see if it turns out ok; it gave a fabulous radiance! Although I do love this product I will most likely be repurchasing the new Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent that I also just discovered and love! Its basically like the Happy Booster without the extra hint of color. Oh and just a few tips, translucent powders work just as well as other pressed powders to set your foundation without having to worry about the color matching up or looking cakey/nasty. Also, if you feel too matted out after using a regular powder, a little glimmer on the places where the light would naturally hit (your cheekbones, forehead, bridge of your nose, brow bone, and chin) will give your face an amazing natural glow in photos and avoid the cakey look. ;) (Ex: Mila Kunis)
Physicians Formula- Mineral Glow Pearls:Translucent ($14)



Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Dupe of "Lady Like" by Essie

All right, so I've desperately been looking for a dupe to "Lady Like" by Essie. Essie has an amazing color choice but let's be honest, formula wise, it's not worth $8. I'm not even halfway done and its already a pain to apply. It dries out fairly quick and brushes on clumpy. 

Unfortunately the drugstores nearby don't sell opi's "Tickle my France-y", which has been compared to "Lady Like's" neutral shade and has been given great reviews. Insteads I bought Revlon's "Grey Suede-705" for $5.79 at CVS. I'm sure its cheaper at Walmart but I look at CVS's higher prices as a convenience fee. 

When putting it on, it looks quite pale but when it dries it looks a shade or two darker than the bottle. The color is great but the downside might be the formula. It seems like it might clump after a while and it has a standard brush. It's not as purple or as matte as Essie's "Lady Like" but it's definitely an awesome nude shade that will suit most skin tones and something that I wont have to think twice about. Overall, very pleased!

PS: I'll be doing alot more nail color reviews since I've been crazy shopping for nail polishes lately.
 Essie - Lady Like
Revlon- Grey Suede