Monthly: February Favorites

It's that time again. Monthly favorites!

I did this as soon as I got home from work today so that I didn't forget. I also decided to do this post a little differently. Not too different, but this won't be a photo based post.

Off topic note, I wanted to thank everyone who has visited this blog. THANK YOU! Beauty Parfait has reached a little over a 1,000 page views in two months (I'm not sure how good that is in the beauty blogging world, but it works for me!), I'm entirely grateful to those of you who have visited.

Back on topic, onward we go!

Urban Decay  Get Baked palette. I actually rediscovered this palette after going through my make-up stash. I've used it mostly through the month of February for work. I'm uncertain, but I do believe this is now discontinued. Not terribly sure. It came with a mini primer potion as well as a 24/7 eye pencil.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Champagne. I got this in a gift set that I purchased. Another product that I rediscovered this month that I had, when I was searching for a highlighting powder.

Rimmel London Match Perfection Concealer in Fair. I've only been using this for less then a week (still counts right?) and I love it! I will be doing a review later.

Nicole by O.P.I. Scarlett from the Selena Gomez Collection. I searched all over the place for this polish and when I finally found it, it was the only color I'd wear. I actually received several compliments on it.

M.A.C. This one is an oldie but goodie. Viva Glam Cyndi I (discontinued). Very few reds that I can wear out there that don't make me look like a vampire. This was, yet again, another rediscovery.

Bath & Body Works Love Love Love. I have the lotion at work, which I use constantly. For some reason this month I've been reaching for this one the most out of my perfumes/body sprays. It's a light scent and not over powering at all.


I didn't include prices in this post because I didn't believe it was that important. If anyone does want to know the prices, please feel free to leave a comment.

To Dupe or Not To Dupe: Ingenue vs. Faye vs. It's My Year

Good Evening/Afternoon/Morning!

I'm hitting everything there, for me it's evening and instead of working on my February Favorites (erk!), I wanted to get the third in my series of To Dupe or Not To Dupe up.

A quick explanation, this is basically me going through my nail polish stash and finding colors that happen to be similar or possible dupes. Oddly enough it always seems to be a limited edition polish versus a Zoya polish. Which I can assure anyone, is not done on purpose.

Without further ado! The third in the series! Rather anticlimactic there, boss.

Quick disclaimer - I just wish to apologize in advance as some of the photos (namely the swatch photos) were taken while I was testing out the setting features.

I honestly have to say, I was surprised that I had three variations of this color. And to the untrained eye (like my Mom's), they all appear to be the same.

Base coat that was used, Revlon Post Trauma Nail Treatment. No top coat used.

First up, is O.P.I. It's My Year. This one was released in 2011 and was part of the Miss Universe collection. It's My Year comes across as having a darker purple-berry base compare to the other two. It's a slightly richer shade. The gold duochrome seems to be less compared to both Faye and Ingenue. It's there, it just comes across as more subdue.

It's sheer, using three coats on the swatch to get it opaque. However, I can still see the tip of my nail so I believe a fourth coat would have worked better to get it fully opaque.

Next up, Faye.

Faye was part of Zoya's Sunshine Collection and is a permanent color on the site. Something of which I love about Zoya, they don't retire colors. Anyway, Zoya's website describes Faye as: A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle. Faye is definitely a bronzed-mauve with purple undertones, however I'm not certain where brown comes in. When photograph, I'd have to say it comes across as more of a taupe purple undertone instead. The duochrome of gold definitely stands out far more than It's My Year.

The application was a little tricky with the first coat as it caused some balding by the cuticle area. Three coats were used, but I'll be honest, I should have added two more. It seems a little patchy near the tip edges.

Next! Ingenue.

Last out of the three is Orly's Ingenue. This polish came out in 2011 with the Holiday Soireé collection and is still available on Orly's website. This one is also a bronzed mauve with a purple base. The gold duochrome being just as noticeable as Faye's duochrome.

Two coats were used, where (I'm seeing the trend here, I blame the lighting I use when I do swatches) a third should have been used as the formula is a bit sheer.

The comparison.

It's My Year definitely lacks with the gold duochrome with the purple/berry base being more noticeable. However, I have to say, Faye and Ingenue are practically dupes. The base colors appears to be the same, along with the gold overlay. The only difference would be that Faye appears to have a bit more gold to it.

Would I call them dupes? Two out of three, yes.

Price Range: O.P.I. Polishes can range from $6.99 and up. Orly Polishes go for $8.50 on the Orly website. Zoya polishes are priced at $8.00 on the Zoya website.

 Disclaimer: Products mentioned in the post were purchased by myself. None of the links featured are affiliates.

A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle.  - See more at: http://www.zoya.com/content/38/item/Zoya/nail-polish-zoya-nail-polish-Faye-ZP551.html#sthash.MA3oVpeD.dpuf

A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle.  - See more at: http://www.zoya.com/content/38/item/Zoya/nail-polish-zoya-nail-polish-Faye-ZP551.html#sthash.MA3oVpeD.dpuf

A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle.  - See more at: http://www.zoya.com/content/38/item/Zoya/nail-polish-zoya-nail-polish-Faye-ZP551.html#sthash.MA3oVpeD.dpuf

A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle. - See more at: http://www.zoya.com/content/38/item/Zoya/nail-polish-zoya-nail-polish-Faye-ZP551.html#sthash.MA3oVpeD.dpuf

Haul Time!: Target

If it's one thing I've learned, Target is dangerous. Right now they have a ton of cosmetic/polish items marked on clearance. From E.L.F. (you can put that on clearance?) to PIXI. Most of the items however, are with the brands, so keep your eyes on for the red tags!

While I was down one aisle, my Mom had gone off to another aisle, bringing back two other Rimmel London palettes. Now I want to put this out there, my Mom doesn't do make-up. In fact, she's highly allergic to it, including Almay. Not to mention she is colorblind (monochrome stage) as well, yet she always does her best when looking for make-up for me; she just doesn't know what colors she's actually looking at.

So without further ado, here's the haul!

Everything you see, save for one, was on clearance. So like last time, I'll be bolding the actual price I paid along with the retail price from Target.

Rimmel London ($1.98/$3.99) Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow in #026 Precious Crown.  I'll be doing a review on this one for sure being they seem to be black duochromes when I did fast swatches earlier.

Rimmel London ($1.98/$3.99) Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow in #024 Green Sapphire. This one along with another from this haul are going to be appearing in a special post I have planned in March ;x

Rimmel London ($1.88/$3.79) Lasting Finish Pro Nail Varnish in #375 Stiletto Red.

E.L.F. ($.70/$1.00) Custom Eyes Step2 Eye Shadow in #2514 Navy.

N.Y.C. ($1.20/$1.72) In A New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in #240 Midtown.

O.P.I. ($8.48/$16.99) Original Nail Envy. Yes, I nearly fell over at the clearance price practically being HALF the original price. I couldn't pass this up.

Maybelline ($2.94) Stylish Smokes in #165S Antique Jade.

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by myself.

EoTD: Sunday's Beauty Spell

Besides watching the Oscars tonight, what else am I doing? Blog post! Actually I have two, but I figured the other being a haul, I'd do this one first to kind of split up the hauls. 

This post is going to be not only an eye of the day look, but also a review on the Rimmel London Glam'Eyes Quad in Beauty Spell.

Haul/Review: Polish Haul from Walgreens

I want to say, depending on the Walgreens you go to, definitely check in with the beauty adviser there. The one I went to, Sasha was so very sweet and informed me that she had a coupon at the register for Wet n Wild products. From what I understand, this coupon is something they keep near the register and isn't displayed anywhere.

Went to Walgreens for one item, ended up with three. Definitely not a bad thing. Especially since this one had more updated displays and newer products. 

Wet n Wild Coloricon Nail Color ($1.99/$2.99) in Frosted Over.

Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Color ($1.99) in SaGreena the Teenage Witch.

Sinful Colors ($.99/$1.99) in Fantasy.

Now, on to the mini-reviews!

Haul: Mini-haul from both Walmart & Target

Good Evening!



First off, I saw waaaay too many new products at Walmart. Somehow I developed the will power not to purchase everything I picked up (still trying to decide if that's good or bad). The Walmart that I go to is now remodeling their cosmetic area with new shelving units and proper lighting.

Just a quick note, what I got in this mini-haul, I won't have any swatches or anything as I plan on doing reviews for each product.

Rimmel London (Walmart $4.97) Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting Concealer in #123 Fair. I've tried other products from Rimmel before, but nothing from their concealer/foundation lines. I'm super excited about trying this concealer. This is going to be the first product getting a review for this haul too.

Rimmel London (Target $1.98/$3.99) Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow in #023 Beauty Spells. The Taupe-Mauve pulled me in.

Rimmel London (Target $1.78/$3.59) Glam'Eyes Trio Eye Shadow in #747 Dark Angel.

L'Oréal Paris (Target $2.98/$5.99) Wear Infinite Studio Secrets Professional Eye Shadow Quad in #306 Forest Light.

The three items I purchased from Target, I put the price I actually paid for them in bold, then included what Target sells them for as retail. The Target I actually went to had a lot of make-up items marked down for clearance, both on the shelves and at the end aisles.

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this post were purchased by myself.

To Dupe or Not To Dupe: The One That Got Away vs Sarah

Yes! It's another To Dupe or Not To Dupe post. I figured that this could be a little series. I know a lot of bloggers do dupe posts whether it's with nail polishes or with eyeshadows, this isn't anything massively different.

This is basically just me going through my polish collection and seeing if I have any polishes that are close in color to be possible dupes. Especially if they're limited editions and are no longer available, except through online retailers.

So, onward to this edition of the series!

Basically this whole "series" started when I picked up Scarlett on Friday, I had been wearing Zoya's Lisa on my nails, and couldn't figure out if Scarlett had been a dupe. I originally thought The One That Got Away could also be a possible dupe, until I swatched it on a nail plate and realized it wasn't. That encouraged me to go through the rest of my stash to see if anything could be a possible dupe for The One That Got Away. Which is how I ended up here with this post.

Base coat used, Revlon Post Trauma Nail Treatment, no top coat used.

The One That Got Away was/is part of the Katy Perry Collection that O.P.I. released around January 2011 (I actually found mine in T.J. Maxx). This is definitely a rich berry with hints of purple to it, as well as fine micro glitter (although not overwhelming).

The Formula is on the sheer side, and I needed to use three coats to get it fully opaque. As with most polishes (this could be a user problem), there was slight streaking with the initial coat, but once you get the second coat on, it evens out.

Next, Sarah.

I believe this was one of the first Zoya polishes that I purchased from their site. On there, Sarah is described as Pearls of dark fuchsia, red-violet and ruby tones in a bright sparkle finish.  A very rich and different shade of cool red sparkle that will stand out in a crowd. To my (untrained) eye, this definitely leans more towards the ruby (cool toned) family, it has hints of violet, but I would say the fuchsia/ruby dominates. Two coats were used for it to be fully opaque.

The comparison.

I would says that The One That Got Away definitely has more of a fuchsia/purple tone to it than Sarah does. Sarah's violet tone seems to be more low key and not as up front. Swatching these colors on a nail plate, The One That Got Away comes across as a much deeper color than Sarah, while Sarah comes across as a richer ruby berry color. While Sarah has a very sparkly finish, The One That Got Away, finish is much more subdue.

 

Would I Call Them Dupes? Definitely not. While the colors are in a similar family (both berry), one leans more towards a violet berry side, while the other is more of a ruby berry.

 

Price Range: O.P.I. Polishes can range from $6.99 and up. Zoya polishes are priced at $8.00 on the Zoya website.

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in the post were purchased by myself.

Review: BANGO by Pro Beauty Tools

I normally wouldn't do a review on something like this, but I couldn't resist.

My Mother's Valentine's gift for me was something, in my opinion, nontraditional. She purchased Bango by Pro Beauty Tools (retail $14.99) for me. This was something I never seen nor heard of before, but she knows how much I despise going to a salon to get my hair cut (the dying aspect, well she dyes my hair).

For some reason, every time I go to a salon, even with picture included on the cut I want, my hair gets butchered. The last time I went (which was November 7th, 2012), she hair stylist did an ok job. My fringe was the way I wanted it, she kept my length going, but she forgot to add layers in and the face frame. Normally I'd complain, but I was in a rush due to a snow storm that was set to hit.

That had been the first time in a year that I got my hair cut. The time before that, I went to a different salon, and my hair was butchered. Picture brought in, shown, explained the changes I wanted which was simply to keep the length. So I requested half an inch to be cut off the ends and for the layers to be renewed. Just for reference, at that point the length of my hair had been down to the lowest part of my shoulder blades. Guess what. The hair stylist cut off FIVE inches of my hair bringing it nearly back up to my shoulders. The face frame was uneven, and significantly shorter than the rest of my hair, while my fringe was cut straight across and left uneven as well.

When I saw the end result, I asked the stylist what she was thinking, this wasn't the cut that I had wanted, she just shrugged and removed the salon cape. I was furious, especially because I had a hair reference photo which she kept in front of her. Hence why I didn't go back to a salon for a year. 

That wasn't the first time my hair had been butchered though, but it was the worst of them.

Anyway, that's the background as to why my Mom bought this product for me. Onward to the review!

To Dupe or Not To Dupe: Scarlett vs. Lisa

I've been attempting to come up with a nice catchy phrase to start my posts off with, so far, I've been failing at it. 

My nails have been bare for an entire day which is a shock (hello stain-age!), but I'm contemplating on dying my hair which is why I haven't done anything yet.

Besides that, as the title of this post says, this is a dupe post! 

After searching high and low for the new Nicole by O.P.I. Selena Gomez collection and only finding the glitter collection at stores, I lucked out yesterday and found the rest of the collection! The only color that I've been dying for is actually Scarlett. CVS had only one bottle of it left, so I snatched it up without even thinking about it.

Coming home though I noticed that Scarlett is rather similar to Zoya's Lisa.

First off, I apologize in advance for the photos. I took all of them with my Lumix camera which I've had for a while, but never really used, that is until yesterday. I discovered the exposure setting (yay!) so the photos don't appear so dark with the flash.

Now I wouldn't say these are exact dupes, they are similar though. Lets start off with Scarlett first.

I want to quickly note that the base coat used was my trusty Revlon Post Trauma Nail Treatment. I did not use a top coat on either swatches.

Although the name is Scarlett (if you're familiar with Selena Gomez then you'll know the reasoning for the name), this is a far cry from a red. I would definitely say that this is more of a raspberry pink, possibly on the cool side. To me it is a gorgeous color.

Upon swatching it, I noticed that the formula is on the sheer side. The first coat took a little to get it even, as there was slight balding (the color pulling away from the areas on the nail care of the brush). It took 3 coats to get the color to become opaque, in fact I'd go as far as possibly applying a 4th coat, as to my eye I could still see part of the nail tip.

Next, Lisa.

This is the color I actually wore on Valentine's Day. Zoya's website describes the color as such, An iridescent combination of deep raspberry pink, bright candy apple red and subtle gold tones in a dazzling sparkle finish. In my opinion Lisa leans more towards red than pink, definitely not a true red though because you can see the subtle pink and gold tones to it in natural light (majority of my photos are taken at night due to my work schedule).

With Lisa, it was opaque after 2 coats. The application being thicker and more even.

Comparison.

It might be difficult to tell with the photo, as I was still figuring out the settings on my camera, but Scarlett definitely photographs with more of a pink tone compared to Lisa. With Lisa, the pink tone is there, but not as noticeable. As I mentioned before Scarlett took 3 coats (a fourth could be applied), while Lisa only took two for full opaqueness. The drying time, also was different. Scarlett taking much longer than Lisa. And with Scarlett I also used. Zoya's Hurry Up drops. Both have shimmer, although Lisa seems to sparkle more, even without a top coat.

Overall result? I love both colors, but I gravitate towards Scarlett more due to the pink raspberry color that the polish is. It's eye catching to me.

Would I call them dupes? Not quite. They are very close though, perhaps if one isn't a nail polish addict (is there a nail polish anonymous group I could attend?), they probably wouldn't notice the difference.

Price Range: Nicole by O.P.I. range varies depending on where you purchase the polish. I bought Scarlett at CVS so the price was $7.99. Zoya polishes are priced at $8.00 on the Zoya website.

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in the post were purchased by myself.

Look: Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, or belated Valentine's Day depending on where you live.

I hope everyone had a fantastic day!

For me, I had to work, otherwise this post would have been up sooner. Instead of my normal 9am-5pm, I worked the "night" shift instead. So, I was able to spend a little more time on my make-up instead of the slap on and out the door that I normally do.

 

Haul: Nail Polish from Walmart

Today has been an up and down day for me. Craziness at work, then excitement on twitter. Truth be told, I'm just now figuring out my other camera that I've had for, I believe, 3 years! I figured out how to take close up macros without it distorting on me. The only thing I'm having an issue with is the flash. I would just love to use one camera!

ANYWHO! My Mom and I took a trip to Walmart, and while I was in awe of the FLOWER by Drew Barrymore display, going back and forth to the display, driving my Mother bonkers. I ended up buying three polishes... not from Flower Beauty. Eep! Maybe next time?

I was originally only going to purchase two (Pure Ice & the N.Y.C. polishes), but the CoverGirl Polish caught my eye.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss (yes the bottle says gloss) in Timeless Rubies ($4.97). This isn't a ruby color though, I'd have to say this is more along the line of a rose copper color with silver micro glitters. It translates darker in the bottle than in real life. In the bottle it almost comes across as having a slight duo-chrome, which could hold true with the way the light hits the polish giving it more of a rosy appearance than copper. It's really hard to describe, but I fell in love with the color and can't wait to wear it.

N.Y.C. (New York Color) Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Pink Promenade ($.97). A deep hot pink (with how the flash kept hitting it, I'd say it has a blue hue/undertone to it) creme. It is however, streaky. I had to add a third layer to smooth everything out on the nail plate.

Pure Ice in Come Closer ($1.97). This one is one of the newest 2013 polishes. On the Pure Ice website, Come Closer is described as soft pink hex glitter with light pink & silver holo diamonds in a clear base. This is, without a doubt, true to words. It is gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it. I'm hoping to wear this over another color for Valentine's Day.

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by myself.

EotD: Quick look to go to work

This should probably be called Eyes of the Night simply because I was working 5pm to 10:30pm tonight. Honestly, I wasn't planning on putting make-up on today at all simply because both my Mother and I had been outside shoveling about a foot of snow! Definitely wanted to relax after that. 

Long story short, my Mom and I work for the same family owned business, so she ended up being called in, and I figured I have work that I couldn't get to yesterday because of the blizzard, so I best get my rear in gear and go!

Products Used:

• PIXI Lid Last Shadow Pen in Shell Sheen
• M.A.C. Mega Metal Shadow in Dalliance
• E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow in Earthly
• E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow in Caffeinated
• M.A.C. Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline
• N.Y.C. Show Time Volumizing Mascara in Extreme Black

After applying PIXI Shell Sheen all over the lid, I started with the inner corners using M.A.C. Dalliance. 

Next I used E.L.F. Earthly, basically concentrating it to the center, merging it with Dalliance which was very easy. In fact the way Earthly translates in photos, the green doesn't pick up! I then ran Earthly along the lower lash line, keeping it to the middle.

After that I used E.L.F. Caffeinated on the outer v, into the crease and on the outer corner of the lower lash line, blending it into Earthly.

Finally, I ran M.A.C. Feline into my upper lash line and lower water line. Then applied my HG mascara, N.Y.C. Show Time.

The end result?

What's In My Make-up Bag?

After passing my bag several times to day (namely to go outside and shovel snow), I finally grabbed my make-up bag because I wanted to do this post. I don't know if I'm going to do this as a monthly thing, or every other month because what I carry rarely changes.

I don't carry much make-up (not even powder!), mostly lip products. At least now it makes sense as to when I go in search of a lip stick, and can't find it though. It isn't missing, it's just in its new home!

1. E.L.F. Travel Mirror. The actual logo has since worn off.

2. Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Oil Blotting Sheets. I use these once in a blue moon, mostly during the summer.

3. Selena Gomez Roller Perfume. LOVE IT!

4. Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Plum. Always using this!

5. Revlon ColorStay Soft & Smooth in Satin Rosewood (#295). I got this at Big Lots for, I think $1.50

6. Bloom Cosmetics in Sweet Pea.

7. Tarte Lip Surgence in Sweet.

8. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rose & Shine (#619).

9. Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Moulin Rose. Was given this as a gift.

10. PIXI Tinted Brilliance Balm in No. 2 Magnific Mauve. Use this the most along with Fresh.

11. Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Plum Divine (08)

12. Revlon Just Bitten in Beloved.

I see a trend here... I have a lot of Revlon products!

Review: E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Set in Earthly

Probably about a little more than a year ago, I ended up purchasing one of the E.L.F. Mineral Eye Shadow sets that was available at Target. The set name was Earthly and came as a 3 piece. I believe I only used the shadows once after I made the purchase. This morning though I decided to use them again.

I have no idea why I didn't use them besides that one time before! In fact, I can't recall why I didn't use them more often.

In the set you get two mineral eye shadow (loose) and one eye shadow brush. I own several other E.L.F. brushes and love them, sadly though this one came defective. I'm not sure if it was just the set I purchased or if this happened to anyone else. It's an easy fix though.

With that aside, onto the shadows!

What E.L.F. says about their mineral eye shadows:

Bring a touch of natural beauty to your eyes with these natural mineral eyeshadow shades that add subtle highlights for daytime or increased drama for night. With key vitamins A, B, C & E these eyeshadows hydrate and minimize the appearance of fine lines. Available in an array of light-reflecting color options they can be worn wet or dry, together or alone, for countless shimmering styles and trends. The all natural consistency makes them incredibly easy to apply and blend for a flawless finish. All our mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.

- [source]

The first shadow that the Earthly set comes with, is the sets namesake. Earthly.

Color: I would describe this as a sage type color with a gold sheen to it, along with silver glitter particles.

 

Texture: Smooth, buttery with a powder-like feel. There is glitter in there, but it's almost like a finely milled glitter.

Pigmentation: Completely pigmented! For the swatch, I didn't use any primer on my hand. 

Next color is Caffeinated

Color: A rich bronze-brown with the same silver glitter particles mixed into it.

Texture: The very same as Earthly.

Pigmentation: INSANELY pigmented! Letting the swatch wear off, it does leave a slight tint to my skin, I'm sure this is only due to me not washing it off or removing it with make-up remover/baby wipe.

Overall impression of both shadows? I absolutely love both, even more so in love with Caffeinated. Both are rich in color and in pigmentation, it's insane. They blend easily, and look beautiful together. These two make me want to purchase more from the mineral eye shadow line!

Price of the set: I believe it was around $5.00

Price of individual shadow: $3.00

Essential Eye Shadow Brush: $1.00

Would I suggest these Mineral eye shadows to someone else? YES! As long as you don't mind shimmery eye shadows.

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this review were purchased by myself.

Beauty: Everyday Make-up

While waiting for my batteries to charge on BOTH of my cameras (they have a knack of dying when I want to take photos for a review), I loaded up the memory card to my laptop and pulled one of the photos I took before the batteries died. Wasn't planning on doing this, but it'd break up the review mood I've been in.

This post is dedicated to my everyday make-up. Just the products I wear everyday. The only thing that I constantly change is my eyeshadows. I don't have a set eyeshadow that I wear to work all the time. The weekend is another story.

So, onward and upward!

Foundation: My HG foundation is normally Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage in Fair, however I ended up running out (cries), so now what has taken it's place is Revlon Colorstay Whipped in #110 Ivory. It isn't up there with my HG foundation, especially in this blistery cold weather, it dries out my skin more. But I do like it, the cover is good, and the color match doesn't make me look like a martian. I apply this using my Buffing Brush from Real Techniques (not pictured).

Concealer: M.A.C. Studio Finish Concealer in NW15. This is my second one and I love this concealer. I use it for any spots or discoloration. For that I use my Pixel-Pointed Eyeliner Brush from Real Techniques (not pictured. Wait what? Yes, I use an eyeliner brush for any spots, it works best for me in that sense. Even using this for my under eye area (aka dark circles because I stay up too long, whoops), using Base Shadow Brush from Real Techniques (not pictured) to apply it, then I blend in with my ring finger.

Eyeshadow Primer: PIXI Lid Last Shadow Pen, in either Peach Pavé or Shell Sheen [review]. I normally don't have to do any blending, but if anything I just use my finger to melt the product down slightly.

Eyeshadow: Varies. For work though, I don't wear ultra bright colors, it's normally real simple and neutral.

Mascara: My HG mascara (yes I'm declaring it right now I LOVE IT) N.Y.C. Volumizing Mascara [review]. Two coats and trying to get as close to the lash line as possible to avoid having to use eye liner. Normally works.

Blush: I do change my blush at least twice a year. I have a spring/summer blush then a fall/winter blush. So, right now I'm using M.A.C. Bite of an Apple which was a limited edition from their Disney Villains collection. Love, love the color, but it is BEYOND pigmented (super duper gentle hand needed with this), a quick pat onto a stippling brush (No name from Target), and that serves as enough for both cheeks.

Lips: Since the first I've been reaching for my Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Plum. It just gives a hint of color, while moisturizing. Definitely needed being it's been cold here in New Jersey.

And that's it, those are all the products that I use, and I'm normally done and out the door in 7 minutes (I don't count doing my hair because that's the most time consuming task of the morning).

Nothing really changes during the weekend, I just take more time on my eyes because I'm not in a rush to get to work.

Review: The Color Workshop 4 Palettes

After tossing this back and forth I figured why not. Back in December one of my co-workers gave me one of The Color Workshop gift sets which came with four (6 shades) eyeshadow palettes, a mascara, a liquid glitter eyeliner, and I believe a brush as well (I don't rightfully recall). Sadly I had thrown out the box, but I do believe it was part of the Dazzling Eyes collection. And just so it can be noted, every single eyeshadow is a frost.

Quick Review: Fabulous Flamingo

First off, Beauty Parfait now has a facebook fanpage.

Second, on Friday I ended up going to Big Lots, and while I'm there I always go to their little cosmetic area. They had received a new shipment of various cosmetics, among their new stash was several Orly polishes... for a $1.00!! One warning, check your bottles, I came across several that had polish all over the outside. That might not be a big deal, but I just wanted to put it out there.

Not quite a hot pink as it dries down a bit darker. I'd want to say that this is a reddish or warm tone pink, almost like a watermelon color. It is gorgeous, but definitely on the sheer side. At first it seemed to have dried matte with the first layer, but after the second it stopped. It took four coats to achieve full opaqueness.

I haven't been able to find the Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez polish yet, but I am wondering if this would be a possible dupe for the Scarlett color of that line.

Ring finger has light layer of Goldeneye with Strobe Light on top.

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post was purchased by myself.

Review: Pixi Beauty Shades of Taupe

I've had this little quad since the beginning of October of last year. It was when Target had several Pixi items on clearance (as well as Jemma Kidd items). As it always is with beauty items on clearance at Target, majority of the items I was interested in, had either been open and out of the box or severely damaged. I lucked out though, finally finding a quad that was still intact. Out of all the palettes I own, I reach for this one the most, and I'm sure any one can tell that by the little dips in the shades (oops!).

Quick note, PIXI offers three of these Shade Quartettes (retail for $22.00). This one, Shades of Peach and Shades of Nude.

As the name implies, Shades of Taupe, this quad is exactly that. Three shades fall into the taupe family with a very light dusky pink. I almost want to say it can be viewed as a gradient wheel of sorts. The PIXI website describes their Shade Quartette as a tone-on-tone. Which in my opinion is spot on.

For the record, I cannot say anything bad about this quad, I absolutely love it!

Very Light Dusky Pink

Dusky Light Taupe

 The first shade, is the very light dusky pink shade. No matter how much product I put on to swatch it, it basically blends into my skin (I guess I'm a very light dusky pink ha!). This is a matte shade, I want to say that it's a matte-satin though because it isn't completely mattefied. There is a slight sheen to it, but one would hardly notice it. This would be lovely as an inner corner highlight or to highlight the brow bone.

The next shade (to the right of the pink), starting to go into the taupe field is a dusky light taupe. I almost want to say it is a light gray taupe. This has the appearance of being matte, but upon closer inspection, there are some subtle shimmer in there. Not BOOM in your face shimmer, more along the lines of a satin. This is a gorgeous all over the lid color, I actually use this the most often.

Bronze-Taupe

Deep Rose-Taupe

The third shade (to the left of the pink), comes across as a bronze-taupe, and it is a shimmer. This as well is a gorgeous color and would work well as an all over the lid color or even a crease color.

The last shade, which is directly across from the pink, is the darkest shade in the quad. I want to say, to my eye, it's a deep rose taupe. There's definitely a pinkish rose sheen to it in the quad. The same with the third shade, this one is a shimmer as well. Perfect for the outer crease and lower lash line for a smokey look.

The texture on all four of the shades are wonderful, very smooth and silky. Not chalky in the slightest with no fall out. 

Depending on your preference, each of one these shades can be worn on it's own or all together. This is an absolutely gorgeous quad and I'm still very happy with it. I actually want to get the other two as well.

Disclaimer: Product mentioned in this review was purchased by myself.