Sunday, October 30, 2011

My Shopping Wish List

So, with the holidays coming up I have been investigating different products that I may want people to get me as gifts (or gifts to get myself!).  Mostly I ask for products that I wouldn't buy myself because they are more expensive (the Naked palette, the Tarte for True Blood palette, etc.), but there are also some drugstore products that have caught my interest.

Recently, YouTuber emilynoel83 posted a drugstore haul video that included a new product: revlon lip butters.  After reading a few blog posts on them, it sounds like these buttery soft lipsticks are so good you can't just buy one!  They are described as being a nice sheer wash of color and come in many flattering shades of peach, pink, nude, and red.  Curiously, they are not listed on the Revlon site, but bloggers insist that these lip butters are going to be a permanent part of the Revlon collection.  I have not seen any in drugstores near me yet, but supposedly they will be made widely available come January. 

Another lip product that is causing buzz online is Maybelline's Baby Lips.  These lip balms come in both colored and clear versions.  The YT bloggers from eleventhgorgeous did a whole video on these balms raving about them.  The colored balms seem to take several coats to really show up well, but still give a pretty tint to the lips. 

A third makeup product that has caught my interes is the Milani Liquif'eye eye liner.  I've heard that this pencil compares to the Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils because they are so smooth and creamy they go on like a liquid.  However, I have heard that the pencils that can be sharpened are better than their automatic versions. 

If anyone has tried these products, let me know what you think!  And if there's something else I should be adding to my shopping list, I'm always looking for new products to try!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

5 eyeshadows and a lip gloss...

Ok so I had another day off today (miracle!) and being the makeup addict that I am, I have been checking up on makeup sales goign on at Target and Walgreens.  Turns out Walgreens is having BOGOs this week on Maybelline, CoverGirl, and Revlon.  I had a few other boring grocery-type things to pick up, so innocent me thought that I'd just pick up a couple eyeshadow quads from Maybelline that I have had my eye on.  So...long story short I got caught up in a whirlwind of eyeshadow palettes and bought FIVE eyeshadow palettes (actually six, but one is meant as a gift for my mom haha).  You have probably read on this blog or heard on my YT page about trying to find the perfect green eyeshadow, and 2 of these palettes have green shades that I wanted to try.  The others are ones that I have heard about on YT, and one was just an impulse buy :)  Here are some pictures of the eyeshadows (I also got a random lip lgoss that I grabbed impulsively but I forgot to take a picture of it and my camera battery died so  I will include it in my next haul video).


Maybelline EyeStudio quad in "Mad for Mauve" - VERY SHIMMERY
(the colors here didn't turn out great but basically from left to right there is a baby pink, a mauve-y purple, an olive green, and a deep burgundy)


Wet N Wild trio in "Knock on Wood" - all slightly shimmery
(mauve-y pink, dark brown, pinkish burgundy)


Wet N Wild in "Sweet As Candy" - all pearly shades
(white, deep brown, blush pink)


Rimmel Glam'Eyes trio in "Tempting" - all slightly shimmery
(shimmery forest gree, springy pear color, white with green shimmer)


Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion in "Pink Punch"
(the top shade is a white with pink glitter, next is a plum color, on the left is a shimmery Barbie pink, on the right is a purple-y berry color, and on the bottom is a shimmery soft lavender color)


As you can see, LOTS of pinks and purples with a few greens sprinkled in.  I am LOVING pink and purple on the eyes right now, and I guess my subconscious kicked in while I was picking out shadows.  I'm super excited to try all of these colors. If you are interested, I can include some swatches in another post. I already have the Color Explosion quad in "Caffeine Rush" and absolutely love it, so I'm confident the "Pink Punch" will be another winner.  I LOVE Wet N Wild trios (they are sooo soft!) so I know those will be more favorites of mine.  Let me know if you have tried the other Maybelline EyeStudio quad or the Rimmel trio and what you thought of them!

Are you an impulsive (or compulsive) shopper?  Tell me your shopping weaknesses or a time where you bought wayyyy more than you should have!


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sexy Mother Pucker! (And Gracie talk)

Hi everyone! Gracie and I had a veryyyyyy lazy day today.  It was my day off, so I got some laundry and cleaning done...as well as some filming!

Gracie and I filmed the "Furry Friends Tag" today, so it will be up in a day or two.  In it I will let you know how I got Gracie, her personality traits, and her favorite toys!  Let me know if you are interested in seeing more videos about Gracie, because I absolutely LOVE talking about her.  I also have a lot of tips for dog owners and recommendations on toys, treats, etc.  Like I discuss in the video, I have worked with animals for over 4 years and would love to share any information I can about owning a pet. 

For those of you who are purely interested in makeup, I have a new product to discuss with you! I will most likely do a random rants video on it, but I just wanted to give a quick description about it:

The product is by Soap & Glory and it's called the Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss (side note: this brand has lots of clever, borderline inappropriate names for their products).  I LOVE the gloss so much that I will be purchasing the other shades soon! I have it in Candy Gloss, which is supposed to smell like vanilla, but smells to me like caramel.  The other shades are Half Naked (a nude shade with a yummy buttered popcorn scent) and Yummy Plum (a dark coral with a chocolate/raspberry flavor).  The shade I have is a champagne-y shimmery color.  I got it yesterday and immediately put it on...and the same day a lady asked me what lip gloss I was wearing! She said it was so sparkly and pretty she wanted to get some herself!  The purpose of this product is to plump your lips, which I think it does a bit.  When you first put it on it just feels like regular gloss, but the tingle will kick in after a minute or so.  I will share some photos below, including a picture of my lips after applying the gloss:


This is a picture of the packaging.  This brand uses lots of retro images, and I think it is absolutely adorable!


The gloss itself, in "Candy Gloss"


My sexy pucker after using this gloss! (jk, but they do appear plumper and have a nice shine)


Hope you have enjoyed this post and thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to read this!


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

On my shopping list: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

Hey guys! Just a quick post on something that I've heard about and am thinking about buying.  I was watching the latest foundation and concealer video by MakeupByTiffanyD and she was talking about  the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind line of foundations and concealers.  She was absolutely raving about them and said that the concealer is the best she has ever tried.  I have recently been using the Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer and loving it, but I still am always self-conscious about my dark circles.  I'm considering buying the Maybelline concealer, but I want to know if anyone has tried it out and if so, what they thought.  I have SEVERELY dark circles, so I want to make sure it has enough pigment to cover them.  Any thoughts/recommendations would be much appreciated :)  Enjoy your day!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Favorites: Eye Shadow Palettes!

Hello everyone! I posted a new video on YT today featuring 8 of my favorite eye shadow palettes. Unfortunately, I did not have enough room on my arms to swatch the shadows during the video, and the swatches I did try to do did not look the way they do in real life. Hopefully these pictures will show you the true effect these shadows have:

#1 Wet n Wild color icon palette in "Silent Treatment"
  • The top lid shade is a taupe-y purple color, the middle shade is a brown/black shimmery crease shadow, and the bottom shadow is a peachy browbone pearl shade. 
  • Colors are creamy and extremely soft. You definitely will NOT need to keep dipping your brush in these colors to get them to show up. Use sparingly!

#2 CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in "Shimmering Sands"
  • These colors are not as pigmented as the Wet n Wild shadows, but very pretty natural shimmery shades that will look great on everyone.  These shades are perfect to use for a classy school or work look when you want to look polished without looking like you're trying too hard.

#3 Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in "Smoky Hazel Eyes"
  • This palette is absolutely GORGEOUS!  Shades of pink, mauve, plum, and burgundy can be used in combination to create a range of looks from natural to bold.  The colors are very pigmented and I love that you get so many shades in a drugstore palette.

#4 Maybelline New Yrok Eye Studio Color Explosion in "Caffeine Rush"
  •  Another wonderful drugstore palette.  These 5 shades are soo satiny soft and extremely blendable, and I absolutely LOVE the glittery shade.  The shadows can be washed over the lid of a natural look, or packed onto the lid for a more dramatic effect.

#5 mark. Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes All-Over Face Palette
  • As you can probably tell, I absolutely LOVE shimmery shadows.  I think they reflect light in a way that makes the eyes look so much brighter.  This palette can be used as blush, a highlight, bronzer, or individually as eye shadows.  The colors are beautiful, creamy, and pigmented.  Some shades are more bronzy, while others have a rosier appearance.  Either way, you can't go wrong with a prodcut you apply with your fingers!

#6 Sephora Moonshadow trio in "Pixie No. 9"
  •  This trio is absolutely beautiful.  I love the peachy-pink combined with a burgundy-brown color.  It looks soft and romantic, and I love the feminine look it creates.

#7 Sephora Moonshadow baked palette in "In the Nude" (~$20)
  • This is the ultimate palette.  It reminds me of the Urban Decay Naked palette, only costs about half as much.  If you own this palette, there is no need to purchase another eye shadow.  You can create any look in minutes!
  • From left to right:
    • Plum
    • Deep Sienna
    • Honey Brown
    • Deep Brown
    • Silver
    • Taupe
    • Peach
    • Soft Gold
    • Light Bronze
    • Cream
  • Sorry for the weird angle of this picture, I was having a hard time trying to get the shadows to catch the light while getting them all in the picture.

#8 Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection ($35)
  • Another stunning palette.  More expensive than the Sephore palette, and has one less shade, but the colors are amazing.  This palette also gives the option of matte, shimmery, and glittery shadows instead of all of the shadows havign the same finish.  Beautiful colors that can be mixed and matched however you please.  And they feel like satin! 

Ultimately, you cannot go wrong with any of these palettes.  Hope this gave you some shopping ideas.  Let me know if you want to hear more about a specific palette or know of one that I need to try out! 

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Book Party!

Hey everyone!  Today I got the privilege of going to the home of author Lisa Scottoline for her annual book club party.  If you do not know who Lisa Scottoline is, you NEED to pick up one of her books.  She writes suspense/thriller books with strong women characters and lots of comedy.  Some of her books include "Dead Ringer," "Think Twice," and "Look Again."  She also writes non-fiction stories about her own life featuring columns written by herself and her daughter Francesca.  These I absolutely love because their family is absolutely insane and Lisa and her daughter have a great relationship.  If you loved Gilmore Girls, these 2 are the real-life version of Lorelai and Rory.  These books are just plain fun to read, and the 2 I love are "Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog," and "My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space."  Lisa is a very generous person, and this party hosted at her own home is a prime example.  She lives in Pennsylvania on a huge farm with lots of animals running around.  To be invited to her party, you only have to take a picture of your "book club" (which can include 2 or more people) holding her latest novel and e-mail it to her assistant.  This year 1,000 people were invited, and the party is split up over 2 days, so about 500 people attend each day.  It's lots of fun and includes plenty of laughter.  I will be posting pictures that I took at her house and go into more detail about the party if anyone is interested, but it was a great experience and if you like her books you will LOVE meeting her because she is such a down-to-earth person and really appreciates people who read her books.  She is interested in the story everyone has to tell and will give you a huge hug when she meets you.  I recommend reading her latest book "Save Me."  Let me know if you are a Lisa fan! 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

New videos!

Hi everyone! If you waatch my YT channel, you will see that I uploaded a video as part of the fall loves tag.  Here's a list of some of the products I mentioned (let me know if you want to see swatches of the makeup products):

Taupe Shadow:
  • Maybelline EyeStudio palette in "Caffeine Rush" 
  • CoverGirl eyeshadow in "Tapestry Taupe"
  • elf cream shadow in "Dawn"

Berry Lips
  • Revlon Just Bitten lipstain + balm in "Twilight"
  • BareMinerals gloss in "Berry Crush"

Exfoliating Scrub
  • St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub Blemish and Blackhead control (for face)
  • Bath and Body Works Cozy Autumn Vanilla creamy body scrub (for body)
  • Clinique 7 day scrub rinse-off formula (for lips)
Moisturizer
  • Vaseline Intensive Rescue Repairing Moisture Fragrance Free lotion
  • Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil (can also use regular baby oil)
  • Vaseline Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning lotion
  • Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula
  • C.O. Bigelow (at Bath and Body Works) Cocoa Butter Lip Butter
  • Deja Vu Dead Sea Minerals Cuticle Oil
Hair Treatment
  • Pantene Deep Moisturizing Treatment Curly Hair Series
Fall Scents
  • Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Spray
  • Slatkin & Co. (for Bath and Body Works) Hot Chocolate scented candle
  • Cozy Autumn Vanilla creamy body scrub (again!)
 Fashion
  • Open-front or "swing" cardigans
  • Boots (UGGs, leather boots, etc.)
  • Scarves!
One fall favorite I did not mention are what I lovingly refer to as "muvs."  These are the glove/mitten/fingerless glove combo that you can find in any store around this time of year.  They are basically fingerless gloves with a separate flap that can button down flat or flip up to cover your fingers like a mitten! Love that!  Gloves make it hard to grip things, and it's nice to have the option of being able to use your fingers while keeping your hands warm. 


Anyway, those are my fall favorites, what are yours???

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Upcoming vids!

Hi everyone! Sorry, I haven't uploaded vids in a few days, I had wanted to film Saturday but Gracie was sick and I had to take her to the vet :(  She seems ok now, she's on some special food and the doctor gave her some medicine so I'm just keeping an eye on her for now.  Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I will definitely put AT LEAST one video up on Wednesday.  The next video I plan to do is the Fall Loves tag and I also recently went outlet shopping, so I will be doing another haul as well.  Hope everything is going great for you guys!  Let me know if there's a topic you want me to discuss in one of my videos!