Category Archives: Makeup Reviews

Saucebox Cosmetics: A Review & a Special Offer!

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Photobucket Click the banner to visit Saucebox’s website!

Hi Dolls!
I hope you’re all having a lovely Sunday night. I’m taking a quick break from studying (it never ends!) to share a couple of great products that I ordered from an up and coming cosmetics company here in LA called SauceBox Cosmetics. I heard about them through my makeup artistry school and decided to pick up a blush and some new shadows. Alla, one of their awesome reps, has extended a discount to my readers that I’ll share at at the end of the post.

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The banner at the top of the post is the artwork on the boxes their products come in, isn’t it adorable? The blush and shadows I ordered come in sleek black snap shut containers that are lightweight and portable.

On to the products:

-Blush in Cocktail: A cool toned candy pink with just a hint of frost. Very pigmented and soft powder that blends really easily. Loved the pop of color this provided. A little goes a long way and as you can see, it photographs well without being grainy/powdery.

-Bold Effect Shadow in Queen Bee: A bright, pigmented yellow with just a tiny bit of frost finish. Also really soft texture that blends very easily. I didn’t have any true yellows before, and I cannot wait to use this!

-Bold Effect Shadow in Torch: My favorite out of the bunch, this is a true orange shadow that’s beautifully pigmented, blends like a dream, and just stole my heart. I’ve been leaning toward citrus colors recently and I’m excited to use this with Queen Bee in an EOTD post.

Pricing:
Blush $15
Shadow $14

I’m really happy with my purchases and I’m looking forward to trying more of SauceBox’s products soon. The customer service was fantastic and thanks to Miss Alla, I’m happy to share a 30% off code with all of you lovely ladies. The code is NLM30 and shipping is free right now with every purchase (will find out how much longer that’s going for). Try them out and let me know what you think!

<3V

Inglot Mini Haul and Swatches

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Hi Babes,
Happy Monday! I’m so excited that this is a short work week, looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at bffs house and sleeping in all 4 days of my weekend. I’m heading out to LA/Hollywood this weekend to pick up some things for my makeup kit as well, so I’m excited to share those with you :).
I was in Vegas for Halloween weekend with my girlfriends, and while walking around the forum shops, I found the Inglot store. After a quick happy dance and some excited squeals, I headed in and picked out some shadows in colors that I didn’t already have in my kit.

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In natural light:
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With flash:
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-Pearl 423- a shimmery deep brown with copper and purple tones depending on where the light hits.
-AMC Shine 09- a gold with a slightly peach/pink shimmer to it.
-Double Shimmer 504- beautiful teal/aquamarine blue. LOVE this one so much.
-Double Shimmer 483- a deep shimmery navy blue.
-Double Shimmer 481- my favorite of the bunch, this is a khaki green that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Creates a beautiful subtle smokey eye.

I’m officially Inglot crazy and cant wait to pick more up at the store in Newport Beach soon. The colors are intensely pigmented, blend like a dream, and last all day long. I picked up the pans for their Freedom System and they came out to $5 each :)–seriously, how could you say no?! I’d recommend these to the newbies and the serious makeup artist looking to build up an amazing shadow collection. Click here to visit their website.

Have you tried Inglot before?

<3V

Review: E.l.f. Zit Zapper

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Hello Lovelies :),
I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend! I celebrated my friend Liz’s bday this past Friday, spent yesterday recovering (fishbowl drinks…so delish, but they come with a side of regret the next day lol), and today I’m being lazy with the bf– getting ready to FINALLY watch the last episode of True Blood.
If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know I LOVE e.l.f. products, they’re amazingly affordable and some of them are really really great quality. A while back, my sister told me she’d picked up the Zit Zapper roller at Target and absolutely loved it so I thought I’d give it a try. This stuff works! If I have a pimple or zit, I just use the little roller ball after washing my face at night; when I get up the next day, my blemishes are visibly smaller and less red. I’ve also started using it under my makeup, applying it right after moisturizer for daytime treatment.
I really love the scent too, it smells kind of like minty tea to me. The e.l.f website lists Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel, and Camphor as the main ingredients. I haven’t experienced any dryness or flaking from using this product, even when I’ve used it a few times a day.
This has become a staple in my kit and I carry it around with me to treat those random blemishes that show up out of nowhere in the middle of the day. At just $1 a tube at Target or on the e.l.f. website, you really can’t go wrong.

Have you tried Zit Zapper? What’s your favorite quickie blemish treatment?

<3V

Product Rave: MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream Concealer

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Perfect pink roses courtesy of my bf last weekend.

Hello Beauties,
Happy Saturday! Taking a minute this morning to post about my new concealer that has quickly reached Holy Grail product status: Makeup Forever’s Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream. I heard about this from Sam over at http://finallyindigo.wordpress.com/. He posted a great review and I decided to pick up a sample of the stuff at Sephora a couple of weeks ago.

Click the picture to purchase on sephora.com.

*Dramatic pause…*

My makeup life is changed forever. I have not found another concealer with the coverage and staying power that MUFE Full Cover offers. Seriously, it covers EVERYTHING. I only use the tiniest amount to cover under my eyes, around my nose, and any random spots I get. This doesn’t cry off, cake, flake, move, sweat off, sleep off, get oily, or oxidize…it stays put from 6 am when I apply it until 11 pm when I wash it off. I picked up the full size (.5 oz) at Sephora last weekend and couldn’t be happier.

MUFE Full Cover passed the sensitive skin test for me, I have not broken out because of it and it hasn’t made my skin more oily. Another plus is that it comes in 12 shades, and they flatter different undertones so you should be able to find a match. For reference, I’m a shade 4 in the concealer and a shade 20 in their Matt Velvet + foundation.

Although it’s very creamy, I find that I have to work fast with this concealer. Once it’s out of the tube, it gets drier/thicker the longer you wait; I’m sure this has to do with being long lasting/waterproof. This isn’t a deterrent for me though, because the finish is absolutely perfect. Just remember to close the tube correctly and as fast as possible.

At $30, it’s not cheap. I do think it’s worth it if you’re looking for a long lasting concealer that covers everything and stays on through anything; it also photographs beautifully. As I build a bigger kit for my freelance makeup artistry work, I plan on building up a collection of these to use on clients. Because I only need the tiniest amount, this tube should last me upwards of 4-6 months. I’ve been covering spots with it and buffing MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural over it.

Overall, MUFE’s Full Cover concealer gets an A++++ in my book. Ah-mazing. What’s your favorite full coverage concealer?

Off I go on an Ikea and British pub adventure with the bestie. Hope you’re having a fab weekend!

<3V

Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara Review

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Hi Babes!
I know, I’ve been MIA, I’m sorry :/. I go through periods of writers block and it makes me frustrated to type anything other than work documents and those are done because I HAVE to lol. I’ve been working on quite a few posts for the next few days though, here’s the first and the one I’m so very excited about!

One of my best friends, Liz, spent the weekend at my house a few weekends ago and we went out for drinks with the girls. While getting ready, I noticed her gorgeous lashes and asked what mascara she was wearing. She pulled out the Neutrogena Healthy Volume mascara and let me try it (I know, you’re not supposed to share mascaras…but I’ve known her for almost 20 years and we pretty much have the same cooties). I looooved how full and long my lashes looked after a few coats.
All of my regular readers know how devoted I am to my Covergirl Lashblast, so this is a big deal. The formula isn’t clumpy, it doesn’t have a weird smell, and it leaves my lashes really soft, even after many coats. It’s really easy to build up this mascara, so it’s great for a soft daytime look or dramatic lashes for a night out. The brush large, but it’s a pretty standard mascara brush, not a rubbery one like Lashblast’s.
Healthy Volume washes off easily and doesn’t leave smudgies, and it doesn’t irritate my eyes, even when I’ve slept in it. For about $7, it’s pretty amazing and I’d recommend it to anyone.
For extra drama, I alternate coats of Healthy Volume with coats of Lashblast and can build up really dramatic clump free lashes that look like falsies :). Check out the pictures below:

Sad, sad, naked lashes. They’re decent in length, just really light colored…you can’t even see the tips -_-.
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One Coat:
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Two Coats:
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Three Coats:
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What’s your favorite mascara?

Aaand a new beauty item! This was my bday gift from my bf last week and I’m very excited about it. I’ve been wearing Fantasy by Britney Spears for years and wanted a more grown up fragrance that isn’t too grandma or floral. This has Citrus Accord, Peony, Rose, Osmanthus Flower, Pink Pepper, Sandalwood. I smells very faintly sweet, kind of like a muskier vanilla without being vanilla. Okay, I’m awful at describing fragrances, but this one makes me feel seductive, pretty, and a little grown up.
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<3V

UD All Nighter Setting Spray Review

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Hello Beauties!
I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend :). I’m loving this summer weather; the blue skies and warm temperatures make me so happy. Honestly, I don’t even have to go anywhere, I’m perfectly content with reading a good book outside while drinking iced tea (or a margarita). The downside to all of this heat is that my makeup can go from perfect to hot mess in a minute if I don’t set it with anything.
A few months back, I bought Urban Decay’s All Nighter setting spray at Ulta for $29. While pricey, I decided to pick it up since I was going to be doing makeup for a few friends and didn’t want them to have to worry about touch-ups. I set their makeup at about 11 am and followed up at 11 pm to see how it was holding up; their makeup had not moved or faded all day. Since then, I’ve used this whenever I go out and whenever friends have asked me to doll them up.
This setting spray has not let me down at all! I’ve gone out for cocktails and dancing all night with friends, come home, and woken up with my shadow and foundation still in tact. While I don’t recommend sleeping with a full face of makeup on, it really shows this stuff’s staying power.
The only downside to All Nighter is that it doesn’t help control oil very well, but a few blotting papers in your clutch/evening bag can take care of that.

*Random beauty tip: When you don’t have blotting papers on hand, you can always blot with the matte side of a clean toilet seat cover. Not sure where I picked this up, but it works and has saved me from crazy shiny face on many occasions.

Overall, I absolutely love this product, and would recommend it to anyone. I plan on picking up the De-Slick version asap to test its oil controlling power.

Have you tried any settings sprays? Tell me about them, I’d love to try different ones :).

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the fireworks!

<3V

June Favorites

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PhotobucketThis is how the bestie and I spent last Friday night, along with watching Mermaids. Therapy at its best!

Okay. I think I have my makeup mojo back. I’m finally feeling inspired, creative, and colorful again :). I think it may have been the new lipstick I bought that kick started my brain up again lol. Here’s to new makeup and the power it can have! Check out some of my favorites from the past couple of weeks:

PhotobucketPhotobucket Crosswires lipstick from MAC. I’m CRAZY about this color right now, it’s the most perfect/flattering coral I’ve ever seen. I can dab it on for a light stain or apply it from the tube for a bold pop of wearable color. My tan younger sister tried it on and it looked great on her too. Try it the next time you’re at a MAC counter :).

Photobucket Can’t get enough Zoya polish in my life. This is the best nail polish I’ve ever used; not only are the colors beautiful, but the wear time on these babies is amazing. I’ve had the same shade of hot pink on my nails since Sunday with hardly a chip. Worth the $8 price tag.

PhotobucketPhotobucket Personal Style blush from MAC. This is from the All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collection from last year. It had been sitting in my makeup drawers for almost a year and I decided to give it a go two weeks ago. It’s a beautiful rosy brown that gives me a little bit of a flushed/tan look that glows. I’m really pale, and very happy that doesn’t get ruddy/orange on me. Perfect for contouring too. I’ve been wearing this every day.

PhotobucketSmashbox Fusion Eye & Cheek in On in 5. Awesome bronzer that looks really natural and blends like a dream. I haven’t tried it as eyeshadow yet, but I’m sure the colors would pop beautifully.

PhotobucketIvory soap. So simple, so affordable (3 bars for $1), and so effective at removing makeup without irritating my sensitive skin. It’s the only soap that removes every stitch of makeup from my face without having to scrub hard or go over it twice. Can’t see myself not using it, ever.

What are some of your favorite products right now?

<3V

Primer Primer (BFF Guest Post)

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Daydreaming of being on this beach with a good book and a good drink.

Happy Saturday, Dolls! Sorry for the slacking, I’ve been studying my butt off for a test I had and working on some projects. Here’s a guest post by my beautiful best friend, Shannon. Enjoy!

Primer Primer

Ok, so textbooks aren’t called ‘primers’ anymore (and this post is far from a textbook) but it made for a nice title. Don’t judge.

I’ve got two primers to review today: a save and a splurge.

SAVE: I ordered e.l.f.’s mineral primer about six weeks ago because Miss Vanessa turned me on to their super affordable products and I thought, “Why not? It’s $3.” When I first used it, the pump wasn’t very forgiving so the product shot all over my hand. And surprisingly, it was runny not creamy like other primers I’ve used.

Click the picture to purchase.

Once I got the primer off my hand and onto my face, it felt slick and oily, and took a while to rub in and absorb (probably because one full pump is entirely too much primer for one face). But when it was rubbed in, it left a powdery-feeling finish. Very clean, very even. After a few uses, the pump became a little worn-in and I could better control how much primer was actually dispensed. By using less, it didn’t feel as oily as the first use and I fell in love.

Fast forward three weeks and I run out of primer. With no warning. The pump just kind of spurted the remaining primer onto my fingers tips and that was it. Less than a month’s worth of use.

Overall, I like e.l.f.’s product. It gave an even base and didn’t cause any break outs. It really did give results that Smashbox’s photo finish primer gives, but my mini tube of Smashbox lasted much longer than three weeks.

I would recommend e.l.f.’s mineral primer – it’s inexpensive, it works, but you’ll be making quite a few trips to the store/internet.

SPLURGE: Fortunately, I wasn’t out of primer for long. Shortly after running out, I made a trip to Sephora to pick up MUFE Matte Velvet foundation (that Vanessa also recommended). My rewards card with them gave me the opportunity to pick a freebie and one option was Dr. Brandt’s Pore-No-More Anti-aging Mattefying Lotion. I grabbed it thinking, “Anti-aging? Might as well be pro-active…”

Click the picture to purchase.

It’s AWESOME. Just a little goes a long way – it’s more creamy than e.l.f.’s primer without being oily or heavy. I’ve really noticed that it reduced the appearance of my pores. AND it also reduces fine lines and wrinkles! It gives a great, clean-feeling finish and a great base for make-up. I LOVE it! However, it runs $60 a 1.7 oz. tube. …yikes.

I would recommend Dr. Brandt’s mattefying lotion – if you have money to burn. It’s lasted me longer than three weeks, but I haven’t used it everyday.

<3Shannon

E.l.f. Cream Eyeliner Review

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Photobucket My niece, Elizabeth, enjoying a tostada lol. She hasn’t quite mastered the art of eating like a lady.

Hello Dolls!
Happy Saturday! I slept for a glorious 11 hours last night and feel amazing :-D. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I love e.l.f. brand brushes because of their great quality and budget friendly prices. I picked up one of the cream eyeliners in purple at Target the other day to try out and I’m in love again! The packaging is really cute and the liner comes with a little brush that’s surprisingly good quality. The consistency is really smooth and creamy, almost like a gel; it glides on easily and is nicely pigmented.
One thing that I always check for with liquid/gel liners is their water resistance (I’m a crybaby lol). I swatched the liner on my wrist and let it dry for 5 minutes before I tried washing it off with just water; it didn’t budge, even with rubbing. I was able to take it off with face soap and warm water. For $3, you can’t really go wrong with these, I can’t wait to get all of the other colors. You can find the liners at Target and at the e.l.f. website.

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Have you tried these liners? If so, what did you think of them?

Have an awesome weekend!

<3V

Amazing $3 Makeup Brushes!

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Photobucket Ahhh…just a reminder of the warmth that will be here soon enough!

Hi Lovelies,

How are all of you doing today? I’m at work on my lunch break trying to get some blogging in. I was so excited about the brushes below, I couldn’t wait to tell you all about them! Back in December, e.l.f. had a sale for 50% off of their studio items and I picked up some brushes to give them a try. My expectations weren’t that high, because I didn’t think $3 would be getting me much. I was so wrong! Their studio brushes are really good quality and I can’t wait to get more as backups. Check out the reviews below:

The Stippling/Duo Fiber Brush:

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I know a lot of bloggers and makeup artists have used stippling/duo fiber brushes to apply foundation, but I didn’t really want to use my MAC brush on a liquid…I was worried about ruining it (it was the first quality makeup brush I bought and I have an attachment to it lol). I figured I could finally give the technique a try with my new e.l.f. brush this past weekend. OMG, I don’t think I can ever go back to applying foundation with a sponge or my fingers. The brush was so soft and it picked up just the right amount of foundation and applied the liquid perfectly; I had no blotchiness or caking, it felt like the foundation had been melted perfectly into my skin (I’ve tried it with the MUFE Matt Velvet + and Revlon’s Colorstay foundation). The brush didn’t lose any of it’s bristles and it cleaned up with no problem The brush is currently sold out on e.l.f.’s website, but you can find them at Target too. A+ rating for this one!

The Powder Brush:

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The powder brush really impressed me as well! I used this to buff in my Mineralize Skinfinish Natural from MAC and loooooooved the finish. The powder was buffed in so well that there was no powdery look to my skin, it just looked flawless and airbrushed. The results are amazing over foundation or just my skin after moisturizer. The brush also works with blush, it blended the color so there was no harsh line or powdery finish. The bristles on this are very soft, but packed together really well so there wasn’t fallout. It is currently available online and at Target. A++ rating for this brush because it’s really versatile and made my skin look absolutely flawless.

I’m so excited about these brushes, I hope all of you get to try them (for $3 each, how could you not?!). I’ll be ordering a couple of backups for each for myself and for client makeup.

Have you tried the e.l.f. studio brushes? What did you think of them?

Have a great day dolls, we’ve almost reached Friday!

<3V