SUPER quick post: BIG savings!

I know you guys are probably out partying but I HAVE to post this! I went to CVS on Pam's (from Pammy Blogs Beauty) suggestion and omgggg... motherload of deals right now! They have a TON of new stuff as well as having 50-75% of a load of cosmetics. I went in not expecting much and I was so surprised. I didn't even indulge in everything. Bear in mind that with things like foundation, powder and concealer, only certain shades are on sale. I will say that I noticed it wasn't favoring fair or dark skintones, everything on sale had a variety of different shades between all of the items.

Here is what I hauled: (not all of it for me)



















Pictured:
- M&Ms (1.69oz): .66 cents each! I got two as a bag stuffer for a friend of mine.
- Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips for Green Smokey Eyes: This is also for a friend... $2.82. Dude. Go get one. I wanted the purple one (for brown eyes) but it wasn't on sale. The green and blue eyes ones are...
- Revlon satin eyeshadow in Shimmering Sienna: Looks like a gorgeous brown. Also a gift. $1.25. I really like their single eyeshadows, so.
- Ardell Sydney False Lashes: Normal price, but still awesome. I want to say these are the same as I got Robyn in her little gift bag... will probably wear them and post a look!
- Milani Jewel FX nail polish in Gems: HOLY CRAP, GO BUY THIS. Now. Now. I would have bought like 4 more to give to people but they only had one! AAAAAHHH it's so amazing. Glitter bomb in a bottle.
- Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner in Brown: Not on sale :( Another gift. I have been gifting these as I have really come to love them. Will do a quick review on the Aqua one soon.
- Milani Baked Eyeshadows in Famous and Mingling: GORGEOUS. I had been looking for these for about a month now and they finally had them. Full price at $6.99. Bit steep but Mingling (the light blue) is very nice. I'm giving Famous away in my 300 follower giveaway :)
- Physician's Formula Bamboo Wear Translucent Pressed Powder: Needed it for my MUFE HD Foundation and my Maybelline Dream Smooth... on sale for $2.49. Bear in mind that this is actually the compact refill, but I don't care because I can just keep it in the box. Translucent and their beige shade were on sale, the darkest shade was not.
- Maybelline Define A Lash Volume: Figured why not? On sale for $4.49. Not too bad... I like the regular so we will see what this one does.
- Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Lilac Pastelle: Pammy wanted me to get this, so I did. It looks really pretty in the tube AND it's on sale for $2.19! Purple gloss for that cheap will ALWAYS be mine. This seemed to be the only shade on sale.
- Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Lilac: Not sure how this will turn out, it was fully sealed. I've never tried this line. On sale for $2.45 which is great considering the original price. They had about 6 colors on sale, including "Coral" and a light pink.
- Revlon matte eyeshadow in Aubergine: I have the blue and Vintage Lace, and love them, and this looked like a pretty, matte purple grey. I just got a matte grey from Urban Decay that will pair very nice with this. On sale for $1.25. This seemed to be the only shade on sale.

That's it! Hopefully US girls can drag their hungover butts out of bed and get to CVS to get some of this stuff. Let me know if you get anything and Happy New Year!!!

Collab Series: Purple Lip Product Swatches

Confession time: I'm a bit of a purple lipstick lover. Okay, maybe not just a bit... maybe I have a bit of an obsession. Okay, let's be really honest... if I see a purple lipstick or gloss, I have to have it.

Robyn from Stay Beautiful, Lily from Beauty's Bad Habit and I all got into a discussion about different coloured lips: purple, orange and red. We then decided that it would be neat to do a series on each of our blogs showing each colour. Robyn will be doing orange lippies and Lily will be doing red ones. Check out each of their blogs as Robyn's swatches will be done on Wednesday and Lily's on Thursday!

Stay Beautiful (Orange): http://eyelinerandspraypaint.blogspot.com/
Beauty's Bad Habit (Red): http://beautysbadhabitblog.blogspot.com/

I've swatched my entire purple lipstick and gloss collection for you! It was a bit of work but I think they came out decently well. There are a few I should redo... but dang, I'm tired. I don't know how these bloggers do this on a regular basis! I had to douse my lips in balm after I got done (and that was with putting balm on between each product).

What are your favorites? Am I missing any from my collection? (oh please, don't tell me... I will have to have it...)














1) Barry M - Palest Lavender: This is a pale purple version of Mac's Viva Glam Gaga, to me anyway. The formula is very creamy; you have to be sure to blot this one. It felt like a lip balm going on and was almost a bit too slick. I love this, but it was a bit garish on my skin tone. I will have to work with it.















2) Mac - Hellraiser (Dazzle Lipstick): I almost didn't include this but the base of this lipstick is a pinky purple. The dazzle lipstick formula is quite interesting -- people either love them or hate them. I personally love them as they are like a lipstick and gloss in one; non-drying and smooth. The glitter can flake and get around your mouth though. The effect is worth it!















3) Mac - Courting Lilac (Glaze) (Limited Edition): This is an interesting purple -- it has a gold sheen to it (see the blown up swatch pic), almost like Trax eyeshadow in lipstick form. As it is a glaze, I find it hard to get even coverage, even though the colour is beautiful. The lipstick isn't drying at all and this is a shade I feel would work on most skintones (the gold shimmer warms it up a little).















4) Milani - Grape Tini: I feel that this is a decent dupe for Courting Lilac, if you happened to miss it. The gold shimmer is not as prominent and shows more as loose glitter, but the tones of the lipsticks are quite similar. I like Milani's formula on their lipsticks -- smooth and even. I almost like this better than Courting Lilac in terms of the formula (though I like the Mac shade in terms of colour more)












5) Maybelline Color Sensational - On The Mauve: This is admittedly a very purple mauve, and also a recent addition to my collection. I really love the formula on the Color Sensational line, and this is one of my favorites. The color is a lovely satin finish with shimmer, not so shimmery that it is frosty but enough to be interesting.














6) Mac - Violetta (Amplified): This was a lipstick I wanted for ages -- and I nabbed it with the Venomous Villains collection. It is a bright, creamy purple with a blue flash. I love topping this with a blue lipgloss for a really unique look. Mac's Amplified formula is lovely albeit a bit drying. It's worth it for the color payoff and lasting power (I can get 6 hours with them); you just need a good balm beforehand.














7) Mac - Up The Amp (Amplified): This is probably my all time favorite lipstick. Ever. It looks different to Violetta in the hand swatch but my photo on the lips looks too similar, unfortunately. They really look nothing alike to me. Up the Amp is a lighter, more pink toned purple. The color application is smooth and even with no effort needed. I recommend this shade to anyone who wants to try a purple lipstick that isn't obvious and in your face.













8) NYX Round - Medusa: I kinda hate this lipstick. The lip swatch you see is the only time I've ever gotten it to apply evenly! I like the shade - it's more of a fig/plum shade. It does remind me of figs, which probably doesn't help to me not liking it... very dark and vampy, good for a night out with a sexy black dress.













9) Mac - Go For It (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition): This is the most true purple of all of these lipsticks. It is a heavily blue based purple, but because it is a cremesheen, it applies a little funny. I think they should have made it an Amplified, but the colour would have been insane and garish (probably). I like the shade, but this is another I have a had time getting opaque coverage with. I find that I have to avoid balm before application and gloss over top is a must.














10) Mac Dazzleglass Creme - Gone Romancin' (Limited Edition): I was never a huge fan of the Dazzleglass Cremes. I have Amourous from a prior collection and it's one of those items I use but don't love. This, I love. The sparkle in it is subtle and yet so lovely. It tints your lips a lovely shade of pale purple. I would also recommend this for someone who wants to get into purple lips -- unfortunately it was limited edition.














11) Mac Lipglass - Perky (Limited Edition): I never realized that Gone Romancin' was a dupe for this. I have no idea what collection this lipglass is from -- I found it at my local CCO and nabbed it. I've never seen much on it but I always loved the frosty purple look it gave. I do prefer the formula of the lipglass over the dazzleglass creme, however.














12) NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss - African Queen: I nearly didn't include this as it's more of a magenta shade, but it does have a purple tone to it. The NYX glosses are one of my favorite types of gloss, but the more pigmented shades are a bit tricky. The gloss is very thin and non sticky so it makes it difficult to apply a more pigmented shade. If I were to wear this out, I would put on a lipliner first.














13) Mac Dazzleglass - Funtabulous: Ah yes, the dazzleglass. So sparkly and so pretty... but so sticky. I have a few of these but admit to rarely using them. I do love this one though! It's a pretty pinky purple with tons of blue and purple sparkles. The dazzleglasses may be sticky but they stay around, so you have to weigh whether or not it's worth it.

Pfew! Are you guys still with me? Now I'm tired, LOL!

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Review

Hey everyone! Hope you guys had an awesome Christmas. Get anything special?

I'm back with a review; and have some other reviews and looks planned for you!

I picked up this foundation a while ago with the intention of testing it on my mom. She uses a Merle Norman cream to powder and I was curious to get her to try something else. I ended up picking up my shade as well as they were buy one, get one 50% off.

Well, needless to say, she now uses this as an undereye concealer and I'm not 100% sold on the product.









































If you've seen any other review on this product, you know there is some wasteful packaging, blah blah blah... I agree, I think they could have put the product in the top and made a tiny compartment for the sponge in the bottom... but they were going for some kind of aesthetic... thing.

I picked up the shade 110 Ivory, which is an okay match for my skin, albeit a bit orange for being the lightest shade.

The product retails from Walgreens for $8.99, you can probably find it a little cheaper at Wal Mart. You get 0.49oz, which is less than the average liquid foundation but more than the average pressed powder foundation.

When I first got it, I had a problem with figuring out how to apply it. I first tried the included sponge, and I got not only an uneven application but also a really thick one. I then tried a synthetic kabuki, which was too light coverage. I now tend to use a flat foundation brush (like the Mac 190). I'm still not 100% pleased, so I bought a duo fibre stippling brush, but that is a story for another day.

I'd say this is a medium coverage foundation. You can build it up, but you will definitely be able to see the foundation on your skin. I like this, but only in the colder months of the year. When I tested it in summer (more like late September), it was too oily on my dry skin... which is hard to do. By the time I got to work, I could -feel- the makeup on my skin and it was sitting on top of it instead of settling. But now that it is colder, I feel more comfortable wearing it as my skin isn't trying to sweat it off. I am looking at getting a translucent powder and trying that on top of it to see if it helps.

I applied it for the review and asked my ever helpful husband to look at my skin and see what he thought. He said my skin looked nice but when he got close, he could see that I had foundation on. I'm not personally a fan of that look so I am a bit self conscious while wearing it, to be honest.

Overall, a pretty basic review... if you have dry skin and it's fall/winter (or even a chilly Spring), go for it. If you have oily skin any time of the year, stay far, far away.

Now... pictures. The first is half and half (no foundation on right side of pic and foundation on left) and the later photos are full face and close ups.

Holiday Look: Photo Tutorial and Intro Video

I did this look for a contest on Specktra - turns out there weren't many entries but I still had a ton of fun doing this. It's super festive! I made an intro video for kicks and to see if the loads of glitter I packed into the look would show... unfortunately it didn't, but you'll still get the intro video:



What You'll Need:
- Gold eyeshadow base
- Matte skintone
- Pale gold
- Foiled gold
- Metallic olive green
- Medium emerald green
- Darker emerald green
- Matte black
- Gold glitter eyeliner, or some kind of glitter adhesive
- Loose gold glitter
- Black liquid liner
- Gold eyeliner
- Mascara of your choice

For this look, I used NYX Pure Gold jumbo pencil, Accessorize gold eye dust, Urban Decay Mildew, Wet n Wild Envy, Sleek Intoxicated and Envy mixed, and Sleek Noir (all from Bad girl palette) eyeshadows. I also used MUA glitter liner Shade 2, Morgana's Crypt Marigold loose glitter, Maybelline Ultra liquid liner, Ulta Golden Eyes eyeliner and Maybelline The Falsies mascara.

Feel free to use what you have!

Step 1: Prep your eyelid for color and place the gold eyeshadow base all over the lid. Try to get it even but this is really just a base for shadows.





















Step 2: Apply the foiled gold all over your lid, keeping it away from the crease.




















Step 3: Apply the olive green shade into the crease using a contour brush.





















Step 4: Add the medium emerald green into the crease, but don't cover the olive green.




















Step 5: Continue to build the olive green and emerald shades to your desired intensity.






















Step 6: Add in the darker green shades into the outer V and crease, and add the matte black just along the outer V. You want to build these colours slowly to add depth.



















Step 7: Layer the darkest green and lightest green onto your lower lashline, and add the foiled gold to the inner half of the lower lash line. Add the pale gold shade onto the inner corner of your eyelid and blend upwards. Lastly, add the matte skintone highlight to your brow brow and blend out any mistakes.




















Step 8: Put down a fine layer of the glitter eyeliner. Do not apply directly to the lid, but instead to your finger first and then begin dabbing onto the lid. After this point, reapply any of the foiled gold that may have come off or needed to be touched up.





















Step 9: Apply the black liquid liner, creating a thick wing on the outside edge.




















Step 10: Apply the gold eyeliner to the lower lash line. Dab on another layer of the glitter eyeliner. Instead of letting it dry, apply the loose gold glitter directly over top with a brush, focusing the glitter on the lid but letting it fade into the crease. (photo is purposefully blurred)




















Step 11: Finish off the rest of your face with foundation and concealer. Apply a natural shade of blush in the contour area of your cheek (the hollow) and apply a pale pink highlighting blush to the apples. I used NYX Terracotta as a contour and Hard Candy Living Doll as my blush.

For lips, I will show you two different options. For the natural lip, I just used Mac Nymphette lipgloss on bare lips. For the red lip, I lined my lips with Prestige Brick liner and topped that with NYX Chaos lipstick. To make the lips more festive, I lightly applied Mac Springbean lustreglass over top and added some of the loose gold glitter just to the center of the lips... Here are the two versions:































































































That's pretty much it for the tutorial! Which lips do you prefer? The natural or the red? Both my mom and husband preferred the red!

Random blooper video:

UK CP Haul, Other Purchases and Return Dilemma

I'm gonna dive into what you guys probably clicked this post for... Accessorize/MeMeMe/Barry M haul!

My lovely friend Chloe was nice enough to do a CP for me, so when the items arrived, I eagerly ripped into them!








































This is Barry M Antique Gold (I think) and Palest Lavender lip paint(LP129). I say I think it is Antique Gold because I am confused. The packaging said Fine Glitter Dust, but if I look at the list of Fine Glitter Dusts, nothing that looks like this is on there... lol! So I'm not 100% sure, it may be a dazzledust. Even so, it's a nice colour. I was hoping Palest Lavender would be more purple, but this may be a good dupe for Viva Glam Gaga for any UK ladies that can't afford Mac. Will do comparisons soon.




























































Just some pics of the Accessorize items (how gorgeous are the marbleized items?). The top row is the marbleized eyeshadow in Golden Caramel, the "merged blusher" in Pretty Pink, and pressed eyeshadow in Acid Lime. I was expecting Golden Caramel to be a little darker, but it seems close to Urban Decay Sin so that is a possible dupe there. Then again, I've said that before about Sin and was dead wrong... anyway, Pretty Pink is absolutely gorgeous. I think it's a good substitute for Hard Candy's Living Doll. Living Doll has a darker pink base but the glow it imparts on fair skin is quite similar. Last, the Acid Lime eyeshadow is awesome! I love it.

The bottom two swatches are their eye dusts in Orange and Gold. Orange is pretty standard -- but Gold is FANTASTIC. It is so perfect over NYX's Pure Gold jumbo pencil. The pencil is a bit orangey so it tones down the super antiqued effect of the eye dust, and you get an amazing foiled gold. I have wanted a gold like this for ages and am excited I found it! Excuse the terrible swatch.





















She picked up the new MeMeMe baked quads for me... they were on 3 for 2, I originally only wanted 2 but 3 works as well, lol! I have to say that I am little disappointed in these. They did not swatch very well. I haven't had a chance to test them over a primer yet so we will see... I got Electric Eyes (the one with the yellow), Ocean Eyes (green set) and Goddess Eyes (brown set). Looking at the other options, I wish I had gone with Drama Eyes and Fire Eyes... but I will play with these and see what I can do. Here are swatch pics:





































As for other purchases, I've picked up a few bits here and there... notably, Wet n Wild went on sale for 40% off at Rite Aid so I nabbed Pride and Lust, which I've been eyeing ever since PinkboxMakeup did her swatches and FOTDs on them. I also picked up a couple of bits from Cherry Culture since I bought some gift items from them (free shipping ftw)... including a new lip product from NYX that seems really good so far (review to come). I'll be doing further reviews on some of these items in the coming weeks.


















Items pictured:
- LA Splash nail polish in Golden Coral (seems kinda crappy, we'll see)
- Milani Liquif'eye liner in Aqua (omg, gorgeous)
- Milani HD Advanced Concealer in 01 Light (good so far)
- NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo
- NYX blushes in Desert Rose and Terracotta
- Milani lipstick in Grape-tini (smells like grape bubblegum, nom nom)
- Wet n Wild palettes in Pride and Lust
- LA Colors palettes in Devious and Lollipop (found these at a random clothing store for $1.50... figured why not?)
- Urban Decay All Nighter spray sample
- NYX jumbo pencil in Horseradish
- NYX eyeshadows in Antique Gold, Wildfire and Red Bean Pie (all seem pretty so far)

Are there any reviews you guys would really like to see from that list? Let me know!

Last thing... I need your help with something. I purchased a corset blazer from Macy's online and I've gotten it, and I'm not sure if I like it. It's cute... the style of it, but I thought it was a solid, taupe like color. Turns out it's like... plaid. Kind of an old lady plaid. I'm also not sure if it is very flattering. The brand ran small so I ordered a Medium, and that means the arms are insanely long. I'd have to get them tailored, and a button on the sleeve removed, which will cost probably $15-$20. Is it worth it? I would really appreciate your opinions! Here are pics: