Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon

After standing in front of Revlon's new display for their Pacific Coast Collection (by Gucci Westman), I ended up finally deciding on which Lip Butter to purchase. I think it's built into me to by neutral tones for lips. This time around I decided on Wild Watermelon!

Going out of my comfort zone because I did not know how this would look on my vampire like skin. Haha, wait I don't sparkle, I swear!

Review time!

Polishes: Color Club Angel Kiss, Halo-Graphic and Harp On It

I know I'm late (ok, really late) to the party with this collection, but I lucked out when I went to another Harmon's, they still had other polishes from Color Club's Halo Hues Collection in the store!

In addiction to Halo-Graphic, I got Angel Kiss and Harp On It. They are just as stunning as Halo-Graphic.So, now I'm only missing three others. I have half a collection!

Halo-Graphic

Halo-Graphic, as I mentioned in a previous post here, comes across as a lilac-pink with what appears to be a gold-esque overlay. 2 Coats were used.

Angel Kiss

Angel Kiss, is a sky blue Holo/Halo. I'm really not one for blues, but I had to pick this one up because it is gorgeous. 2 coats were used.

Harp On It

Harp On It is the collections silver holo polish. The silver itself isn't a dark silver, it actually seems to be a white-esque silver. It's extremely vibrant, the photo itself doesn't do this color any justice. 2 coats were used.

Formula: Perhaps it's just the ones that I purchased, but they seem to have a strange formula. All three are runny as the product is quick to pool down the brush and onto the nail. They can be sheered out, or go on very opaque with one passing. Haven't experienced any streaking or balding with the formula.

Do you have any of the polishes from Halo Hues? If so, what're your favorites?

Better yet, what do you think of the formula?

I love the formula. I'm actually wearing Harp On It now with Halo-Graphic stippled over it on the ring fingers. Once I get out of work tonight, I plan on doing some color blocking, or something dealing with scotch tape ;x

Series: Drugstore vs High-end Foundation

I'm back with another Your Preference post! This one was actually requested by Kiera from ClassicQuirk.

At first, I wanted to wait until I had tried some other high end foundations, but I was actually able to come up with an opinion without doing so.

I'm caught in between.

I do believe, when it comes to foundations, it's really personal preference.

My HG (holy grail) foundation is from Tarte, but the foundation I'm loving right now? It's from Wet n Wild.

A downside to drugstore foundations, you aren't sure if the color you're selecting is going to be spot on, or if it's going to be too yellow or too pink. You're basically going on a blind guess.

For example, I'm Fair in Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage foundation, this foundation is spot on color match for me. Fair is the lightest shade the have. So lightest shade in foundations, if I based it on that, would the lightest shades of all drugstore foundations be perfect matches? No. I actually had a Rimmel foundation (Perfect Match I believe) in Fair, purchased it even though it appeared too dark in the bottle. When I did the skin test on my jaw, it actually was a shade and a half darker than my skin tone. Luckily, the store accepted open cosmetic returns.

So, while the downside to high-end foundations can be the price, the upside is that you know what you're purchasing. You can try these products in the store, not to mention asking for a sample to try to see if the foundation is a match and if you like the formula.

What is everyones preference when it comes to high-end vs drugstore foundations?

Which do you prefer?

Have you ever had the same issue happen when you're purchasing a drugstore foundation in your color, and it isn't a match?

Feel free to share!

Review: Studio Gear Invincible Gel/Cream Eye Liner

The last item I received from Studio Gear is their Invincible Gel/Cream Eye Liner. I actually wanted to review this one last of the three because I wanted enough time to give it a real good go. 

My history with gel and/or cream eye liner is such, just smudging it into my upper water line. I've never attempted anything fancy. Once in a blue moon I would do a very thin line along the lashes, but that would be about it. Why is this? I have nerve damage in my right hand and tend to shake a lot, it progressively gets worse when I'm either stressed or trying to concentrate too long. I have come to the conclusion so long as I'm not trying to do an all out straight line, but dab it on, then I'm good. The other reason... my depth perception can be rather off. 

So, with that information, lets move on to the review!

Review: Studio Gear Complete Color Luscious Lip Shine

If you took a gander at my review on the Impactfull T.L.S. Mascara from Studio Gear, then you know that I was sent two other items along with the mascara. 

One of the other items I was sent was Temptress from Studio Gear's Complete Color Luscious Lip Shine line. 

Now as a fair warning, swatches for lip products can go either way. I've been trying to get into a habit (why did I want to type Hobbit there) of doing lip swatches which would be the case for this post. However, my face had other plans, apparently my chin decided it wanted to host a party. The party guests didn't want to go into hiding. So when the party actually decides to leave, I'll then edit this post with a lip swatch. Those darn face parties.

Ok, enough of that, onwards and upwards to the review!

To Dupe or Not To Dupe: Color Club Halo-Graphic vs OPI DS Passion

It's Holo time! Normally, if you know me, in the past I used to throw a particular holo over any polish I had. The polish? DS Passion which is from OPI Designer Series, from the older series that is now discontinued.

So when I purchased Halo-Graphic from Color Club (Halo Hues collection) while I was at Harmon's, I was shocked because I believed it was an exact dupe for DS Passion.

Question is, is it really a dupe?

Halo-Graphic vs DS Passion

DS Passion is from OPI's Designer Series that is now discontinued, I believe this series is from any formula changes as this polish and another I have, have a very distinctive smell of chemicals (smells like permanent marker, not a sharpie, but the real smelly ones). The smell on this one isn't as bad as the other one though. 

Anyway, DS Passion is a mauve-pink holo. The holo is there, just not very distinct, it photographs just a little bit, all over the place. It is on the sheer side, so when I painted the nail plate, it took 5 coats to get it opaque.

Color Club's Halo-Graphic from the Halo Hues series. Looks like a lilac-pink (with gold overlay?). In the bottle though the base color looks similar to DS Passion, but going on not so much. 

Can we just stop for a second and look at that holo! It is insanely amazing! And that's only in the bottle!

Depending on how much you load onto the brush, it can either go on sheer with the first coat or very opaque. On the nail plate I used 2 coats.

Halo-Graphic's holo/halo (which is it?) bursts when the flash hits it. DS Passion's is more subtle, and you can see the base color more so with Passion than with Halo-Graphic.

Would I Call Them Dupes?: Not really. The base color may appear similar, but they aren't dupes. Maybe close to dupes, if you couldn't find DS Passion, Halo-Graphic would be a perfect replacement. In fact I lean more towards Halo-Graphic anyway. The formula is amazing, and the holo/halo is out of this world.

Price: I believe Harmon's sold Halo-Graphic for $7.99, but has it on sale for $3.98. Being the older Designer Series is discontinued, I did however purchase this from Harmon's as well for $5.99 They had a slue of this collection discounted.

Press Release: Wait! New release from Milani for May?! Woohoo!

From Milani Cosmetics -

We are excited to announce that next month (May) we will be launching two limited edition collections: Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils and Tantastic Face & Body Baked Bronzers.

Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils will be available at select Walgreens, HEB, and Fred Meyer stores. The collection will also be available on www.milanicosmetics.com.

Tantastic Face & Body Baked Bronzers will be available at select Walgreens, HEB, and Fred Meyer stores. The collection will also be available on www.milanicosmetics.com.

Ok, who is excited?! I already have my eye on Golden Bronze, Espresso Line and Sand Dunes. AND Fantastic Illuminator, hopefully it won't be too dark. Yes! I'm already shopping :D

What product[s] does everyone have their eyes on?

Review: Own Renewing Firming Silk Concentrate

Back on April 5th, I received my second item from the iFabbo shop. This time around I selected Own Renewing Firming Silk Concentrate. 

Now! Of course, as I've mentioned before, I zero in on any skin care item that claims it brightens skin...yeah the firming didn't do it, ha! Of course, that's just what attracted to me in selecting this product.

I swear, anything could say brightening on it and I'm like, gotta try it! :D

Review: E.L.F. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

Another day, another concealer. I've been getting rather frustrated with my concealers lately (why won't you cover!), so when I spotted the E.L.F. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter, I figured... why not.

Of course, my apprehension comes in the form of, is fair really fair or is this fair two shades darker than my skin tone. Luckily, it just appears darker in the tube than how it really is in real life (yay!). So, fair is actually fair.

Anyway, review time!

Manicure: Peachy Gold

I have a love/hate relationship with peach/coral colors. They look so vibrant in the bottle, but dry down darker. Not looking for a dark peach color! When I was at Target, I came across one of Sally Hansen Insta-dri polishes called Peachy Breeze, figured why not!

I was definitely iffy because of my track records with peach/corals, but luckily Peachy Breeze dried down to exactly as it appears in the bottle! Such a vibrant, spring color! So completely happy with the color.

Now I've used the Insta-dri polishes before, love the colors, get frustrated because they always seem to streak with me, not to mention due to the fast dry down time. They can go uneven easily if the polish isn't applied quickly enough. This might not happen to everyone, but it happens to me.

Anyway, now for the manicure!

I only did an accent nail because of how gorgeous the color is. Originally I was going to do the gold on every nail because I figured the color would dry down darker, but nixed that after seeing it. I used two coats of Peachy Breeze. Although on my right hand, certain nails have a light third coat due to unevenness. This polish can be streaky and cause balding if you apply a second coat too soon.

Accent nail

Accent nail, I applied scotch tape along the cuticles/outer edges of the nail to protect the skin and so that clean up wouldn't be all over the place. I used the sponge method again, instead of using the "dry polish" technique. 

For the gold I used Wet n Wild Fergie Gold Album, starting from the cuticle and stippled up to the middle of the nail, then concentrated around the cuticle again to make that gold more opaque there.

Instead of using gold glitter, I used Pure Ice Dazzle Me, which is a silver glitter with hexagon holographic glitters.

Sealed everything with Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat and done!

Products Used

• OPI Nail Envy (not pictured)
• Sally Hansen Insta-dri in Peachy Breeze
• Wet n Wild Gold Album from the Fergie Collection
• Pure Ice Dazzle Me
• Sally Hansen Insta-dri Top Coat (not pictured)

Tutorial: Iron Man Mark 42/47 Inspired Eye Make-up

 

Red and gold time! Took me a little bit to figure out which Mark this was because I hadn't seen it anywhere despite it being the main armor in Iron Man 3. So far I've seen it as Mark 42 (XLII) and Mark 47 (XLVII). Can be that Mark 47 is simply the latest model of Mark 42. Ok, who's confused now? Raise your hand! I'm just going to call it Mark 42/47 to avoid confusion. 

The primary color for this armor is the gold, with the metallic "hot rod" red becoming an accent color. That's what I tried to do with this inspired look. Hopefully, it came out well. I was rather please with it at least!

Mark XLII/XLVII

1. To start, I primed my eye first using Milani Eyeshadow Primer. Then placed scotch tape, under my lower lashes at the corner of my outer eye so that I could get a nice crisp line. I did take some of the tackiness away by sticking the tape to the back of my hand twice.

2. Urban Decay Twice Baked. I wanted the red that I was going to use to be dark enough, so I start off with a base shadow. Using Twice Baked, I creased the "wing" then blended it into the crease, outer V and then smudged it along the lash line going all the way to the inner corner.

3. NYX Rust. In years past for Iron Man, I've always used Rust as the "hot rod" red, although it really isn't as metallic-y as I would like, it works fine though. I packed this on over Twice Baked, making sure all the brown was covered up.

4. I then removed the tape, getting the nice crisp line that I wanted. Going to Rust again, I smudged that along the lower lash line.

5. For the next steps, I used two different golds. First using Urban Decay Half Baked. I started filling and blending in the bare area going from the outer corner inward.

6. I then went over Half Baked with the gold half of Urban Decay OZ; taking both Half Baked and OZ down along the inner portion of the lower lash line, connecting them both to Rust and blending.

7. Because both Gold colors kind of washed out Rust, I went over again, with Rust to get the red to stand out again. I combined Rust with NYX Pearl Mania in Penny which is similar to Rust, but more glittery. I also took Gold OZ up above the crease, blending it from the tip of the wing around to the inner corner. I then used Illusion from Urban Decay to blend OZ upward.

8. For the inner highlight, I took (again for the Iron Man series!) the white blue shift of Aura from Urban Decay. Not pictured here is that I also took Aura and ran it along the underside of the wing to highlight it.

9. Liner time! I first used Rimmel London Scandaleyes in Blackmail, smudged it into my upper waterline and along my lower waterline. After that I took a very flat, straight eyeliner brush, loaded it with Studio Gear Invincible Onyx eyeliner and gingerly ran it along my lash line.

10. Last, but not least. Mascara!!! I used Studio Gear Impactfull Pro T.L.S. mascara (review coming). Two coats to the upper lashes, then coated the lower lashes. Then, you're done!

Products Used

• Milani Eyeshadow Primer
• Urban Decay Twice Baked
• Urban Decay Half Baked
• NYX Rust
• NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Penny
• Urban Decay OZ
• Urban Decay Aura
• Urban Decay Illusion
• Studio Gear Eyeliner in Invincible Onyx
• Rimmel London Scandaleyes in Blackmail
• Studio Gear Impactfull Pro T.L.S. Mascara

Review: Studio Gear Impactfull Pro T.L.S. Mascara

Last Thursday when I got home from work, I received a package in the mail from Studio Gear, with two items and a travel/sample size of one of their mascaras. Can we say excitement?!

Anyway, I decided which order I was going to review the products, starting out with the mascara first. Which is their Impactfull T.L.S. Mascara.

I love mascaras, but I'm always iffy when it comes to the full size of a top line mascara. So, this is why I'm so very glad that this is the travel/sample size.

Right now, I can say I'm torn with my holy grail mascara! Can one have multiple HG mascaras for different purposes?!

Video Tutorial: Metallic Hot Pink & Gold Manicure

I'm revisiting my metallic hot pink and gold manicure and this time, I actually did a video tutorial! Ha ha!

I did my very best with the tutorial, but my lighting isn't the greatest, I kept getting in the way of the light from behind me. Whoops!

Anyway, enjoy! :D

 

 

 

Products Used

• OPI Nail Envy
• Hard Candy Little Hottie
• Wet n Wild Fergie Gold Album
• Pure Ice Endless Fortune
• Wet n Wild Fergie New Years Kiss
• Wet n Wild Fergie Glamorous
• Sally Hansen Insta-dri Clear Coat Top Coat

For Clean Up

• Target Nail Polish Remover
• EcoTools Angle Eyeliner brush