VS Makeup: Hypnotic Beauty Collection

Hey Everyone!  I am back with the Fall 2011 collection from Victoria Secret, it's called the Hypnotic Beauty Collection.  This is a reasonably sized collection that contains a couple lipsticks, blush/highlighter, a few eyeshadow palettes, and kohl/kajal eyeliner.  So what items did I decide to pick up...

*Lipstick: in Exotica- $14
*Blush/Highlighter: Desert Star- $16
*Kohl/Kajal Eyeliner- $15

The packaging is beautiful!  I love the exotic, foreign design and feel to the packaging.  The products are encased in gold and a mix of vibrant colours.  The only thing that I found to be annoying about the packaging was with the lipstick, I did not like that the lipstick does not go all the way down.  Even when your done turning the lipstick tube, the product is still peaking out (as you will notice in the picture below).  When I'm in a rush this can become a problem by getting a little messy and possibly all over my things.  As for the products themselves, I truly love the lipstick shade in Exotica!  It is simply a beautiful rich bronze/coral/red colour.  The formulation isn't to die for, but what it lacks in formulation is definitely made up for in the colour.  I wouldn't say that there is extended wear with this product, and reapplication would be necessary every few hours. The blush/highlighter powder looks like a mosaic, and is almost too pretty to use!  Which works out fairly well for me, because I don't find that the colour of the highlighter is anything special.  And I feel it can be easily duplicated by many products on the market!  So I have decided to just keep this product as an addition to my stash, since it just makes me happy when I look at it.  As for the eye kajal, it is perfect for lining the waterline and the colour is a deep and intense black that is perfect for that smokey sultry look.  And as always, you can click on the picture to enlarge it and get a better look.  And you can also find these products on victoriassecret.com.

My recommendations are for you to go to your local Victoria Secret and test out these products for yourself!

Do you only buy lingerie from Victoria Secret or do you pick up beauty products there as well?

YAY, I FINALLY GOT LIGHTSCAPADE!

 Hi Everyone!  I just got back from a Fall 2011 unveiling party @ my local MAC.  It was a good time, there were a variety of cocktails and hor d'oeuvres being passed throughout the event.  I went with a friend and we were able to test/swatch and view all 3 collections within about 45 mins!  It seemed that Fall with MAC was getting the most buzz.  This is the Cindy Sherman collection with the mineralized skin finishes.  I only attended this event to get my hands on Lightscapade.
I am an avid MSF collector and have been waiting quite a while to add this particular one to my collection!  I got feline khol power as well...Finally!  I have been waiting to try out this product.  Being a MAC collector for sometime now, I am shocked that I it wasn't till today that I had swatched feline for the very first time.  Needless to say it was love at first swatch!  I was also looking forward to the re release of Fleshpot.  So I got my hands on that as well.  I did not really spend much time with the Posh Paradise collection as I had already made my purchases from that collection last wk.  I liked the way the Styledriven collection looked, but it was a bit overwhelming for me.  There was just too many products, and nothing was instantly standing out to me as being unique.  The one product I am thinking to go back for is Driven by love.  It was a beautiful red Pro Longwear lipglass...
All my swatches are down below.  You can find Posh Paradise and Styledriven now at maccosmetics.com
However, Fall with MAC will not be released until next wk.

Above: Lightscapade

Are y'all planning to get anything from these 3 collections?

X+O,

MAC: Posh Paradise Haul and Review

Hey Everyone!  I am back with a MAC Posh Paradise Haul...

As I did not get everything from this haul, I can only speak on the items I purchased and not the collection as a whole.  So, what did I get...

• Paint Pots:  Genuine Treasure (reflects antiqued gold), Nubile (light peachy nude) & Treasure Hunt (light pearled yellow)

• Mattene Lipstick in Delectable (orange-beige)

From what I got I pretty much like everything, and didn't really have much to complain about!  Out of the paint pots I think I will be getting the most use out of Nubile, it is a very neutral colour and can be used almost under any shadow.  But during the holiday season I think Genuine Treasure & Treasure Hunt will be great for those metallic nighttime, as well as daytime looks.  Genuine Treasure will give you more of a bronze or old gold look, while Treasure Hunt will be more on the true yellow gold side.  The Paint pots seem to be very well pigmented and easy to work with.  I really wanted to get Idyllic but I passed on it, since I have been hearing that it is pretty comparable to Artifact.  Artifact is already a colour I have in my extensive collection!  

As for the Mattene Lipticks I REALLY did not need anymore lipsticks.  So I decided to get only one to test out the formulation.  I like the texture and coverage of Delectable.  It does not seem to need a primer under it and it comes off as a pretty almost nude colour on my lips.  This is a colour I can picture myself using daily, which is why I opted for Delectable.  Below I have included some swatches of the products, if you wish to get a little closer of a look just click on the pic to enlarge it.  You can find all these products at maccosmetics.com

Above: Delectable lipstick; lined with MAC boldly bare lip liner

Did y'all pick up anything from this collection?  What do you think about this collection?

X+O,

Dear Groupon: I LOVE U!

Hey Everyone!  I am in love with Groupon right now!
I have been getting amazing deals on manis/pedis, massages, salon services, teeth cleaning/whitening, slimming body wraps and at restaurants to name a few! 


What is a Groupon?  How does it work?
Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in a free daily email, and they send the businesses a ton of new customers. 
Hot deals in Chicago, New York, Boston and many other cities.

You can check out many other great deals in your local city @ groupon.com

If you already know about groupon.com, do you love it as much as I do?

Review: MAC Me Over Fluidlines

Hey Everyone!  Happy Labor Day!  It's time to talk about the MAC Me Over fluidlines...

I picked up 3 of the fluidlines from the collection: Avenue (charcoal black w/ gold pearl), Dark Envy (blackened green) and Midnight Blues (blackened blue).  They all have excellent pigmentation, as well as texture.  I highly recommend getting these, as they are a quick and effortless way to change up your look!  The blue and green fluidlines are a great way to add a pop of colour when doing a neutral eye.  I already bought the 4th fluidline, Dark Diversion (blackened plum) from another collection.  I was also pleased with the colour and texture of this product.  All in all, I have to recommend all 4 of these!

What do you think of these?  Do you love them as much as I do?

X+O,

Review: MAC Me Over Runaway Red Lipstick

Hey Everyone!  This is the continuation of the MAC Me Over Collection review series.  The only lipstick I purchased from this collection is Runaway Red.  I am always on the hunt for the perfect red and I believe I may have found it.  Runaway Red is a perfect deep red colour!   I have included a few pictures of the products and lip swatches below.  The first lip swatch is of MAC's Runaway Red on it's own.  And the second lip swatch is of Runaway Red, layered with a lip gloss on top.  The lip gloss I used is Loreal H.I.P. Shine Struck Liquid Lip color in Turbulent.  Turbulent is a high shine intense bold red shade.  I really love MAC's Runaway Red with and without a lip gloss layered on top.  It all just depends on the look your trying to achieve.  The lipstick is good on its own if your wanting to a matte look.  The lip gloss layered over the lipstick is also great if you want a beautiful glossy shine.  Have fun with it!

Do y'all like Runaway Red by itself or when it is layered with the gloss on top?

X+O,

Review: MAC ME OVER Eyeshadows

Hey Everyone!  Lets go through my review of the eye shadows from the MAC Me Over Collection.  I bought 3 shades:  Creamy bisque (dirty ivory with pearl), Mythical (frosty coppery red) and Carbonized (frosty dark brown).  

The texture of the Creamy bisque shade is very pigmented and smooth.  It isn't glittery, however it has a pleasant pearlesque sheen to it.  I also like the finish of the unique shade of brown seen in Carbonized.  Even though it is a shade of brown,  this particular shade in quite uncommon as well as versatile.  Carbonized has a certain depth element to it and with it also being veluxe pearl, I simply love it!  As for Mythical, I simply wasn't satisfied with the texture even though it has a vp finish.  It was not as deeply pigmented as I would have liked it to be, and it did not give ample colour payoff.  In my opinion, there are many colours within the same colour family that can give a better effect.  It just didn't seem like there was anything really special about Mythical to me.  I am interested in trying out the other 2 shadows in this collection, Outre and Moleskin...they seem like they would be great for the crease.  If you have either of those, what do you think?

 If you want to get any of these eye shadows they can be found on maccosmetics.com

Take: Creamy bisque and Carbonized

Leave: Mythical 

X+O,

Review: MAC ME OVER Blushes

Hey Everyone!  Here are the swatches for the 2 new blushes from the Mac Me Over Collection.  This was the collection that were showcased in stores last week.  There are 2 shades that were released in this collection, Stunner (light coral pink) and Equilibrium (light bronze).  I was more excited for the shade Stunner, as I love all coral/pink shades of blush.  When I layer Lilicent (cream blush by Mac) under Stunner I get a perfect not overdone look.  As for Equilibrium, I have not found a way to get it to work for me...any suggestions?

So for now, I would only recommend Stunner.  At least until I can make Equilibrium work for me...

But with blushes I always tell all the women in my life (my mom, aunts, cousins and friends) to try on a blush and see how it looks on them!  What looks good on me, may not work for you and vice versa...

You can find these new goodies on maccosmetics.com

Have a fabulous day!

 X+O,

Review + Lip Swatches: Bare Escentuals Pretty Amazing Lipcolor

Hey Everyone!  Hope your wk is off to a great start!  I visited my local Sephora this past wkend and found these Bare Escentuals lip colors which I found to be interesting.  They are in lip gloss packaging but have the coverage of a lipstick.  The 2 colours I picked up were: Charisma (coral pink) & Ambition (hot pink/fuchsia).  Below I have swatches of both colours on my hand as well as on the lip, to give you a better idea of the colour and coverage.

You can find these on sephora.com, along with 10 additional shades.  

Pros:

* Sleek packaging

* Coverage of a full coverage lipstick (ie MAC's amplified finish)

* Many colour options

* Hydrates and repairs, while it also plumps and firms lips simultaneously

Cons:

* Cost $16

So what do you think?  Would you pick these up?

 X+O,

URBAN DECAY: 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Hi Everyone!  Got this palette a while ago and have been getting tons of use out of it!  I have included swatches as well, and like always you can click on the pic to enlarge it.  Lets get down to the pros and cons of this product, so you can decide if you need to make this palette a new addition to your collection!

Pros:  

* Wide range of colors, from neutrals to blues/teals to pinks/purples

* The amount of looks you can create with this palette are endless

* Creamy, buttery, high quality texture 

*Richly pigmented with excellent colour payoff

* Beautiful gun metal filigree designed packaging with a secret compartment for storage

* 15 X's .05oz eye shadows for $55

*  All shadows will work with every skin tone

Cons:

* Cannot just throw it in your purse/ Not travel friendly

*  Whenever there are multiple shadows in a palette it can get messy and colours can mix

* Some of the colours are limited edition

Have y'all picked up this palette?  How does it compare to the Urban Decay NYC palette?

X+O,

MAC: MAC ME OVER!

Hi Everyone!  It's been quite some time since I've posted...but things have been so hectic lately!  This new collection filled with fall hues really excites me, so I ended up purchasing much more than I expected...

What I got:

*Brushes 226 & 211

* Lipstick in Runaway Red

* Eye khols in Teddy & Smolder

* Blushes in Stunner & Equilibrium

* Fluidline in Dark Envy, Avenue, Midnight Blues

* Eye shadows in Creamy Bisque, Carbonized, Mythical

Haven't had a chance to play around with the colors, since I picked them up today.  But everything that I picked up appears to be of high quality and well pigmented.  Planning on testing out the products and then reviewing them.  

What did you pick up??

X+O,

Review: LaVanila The Healthy Deodorant

I had recently been looking for an alternative to my trite and true Secret Clinical Strength deodorant.  I have read so many horrible things about the aluminum in deodorant that I thought I would give a "natural" deodorant a try.  I decided to start with Lavanila's The healthy deodorant that I had seen several times at my local Sephora.  This is what Sephora.com says about this deodorant.

The Healthy Deodorant
What it is:
A clinical-strength deodorant that is 100% natural, safe, and effective.

What it is formulated to do:
LAVANILA The Healthy Deodorant uses beta-glucan technology to effectively fight odor while soothing, conditioning, and strengthening the skin. It goes on clean, with no sticky wetness, and delivers long-lasting, luxurious results.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This dermatologist-recommended, non-irritating, allergy-tested formula does not contain aluminum or mineral oils.

(Information gathered from Sephora.com)

Here are my thoughts.....

Pros: 

• Smells amazing!  The one I purchased and used up was in their lavender vanilla scent.  I would have liked to try their grapefruit vanilla scent as well.
• It is not a "wet" deodorant.  It goes on dry and pretty much stays that way.
• The packaging is adorable and sophisticated.
• Void of any  nasty chemicals such as aluminum!
• The formula is smooth.  It feels silky as you glide it on.
• Unlike using my Secret deodorant, I was able to wash off the residue of the Lavanila easily in the shower.  I'm sure that feeling was a side affect of the aluminum or the other chemicals my old yucky deodorant.

Cons:

• Unfortunately, this deodorant did not last all day.  I had to reapply mid day.
• The price is kind of steep for deodorant ($18)
• This deodorant also caused a rash under my arms.  I know, I should have discontinued it's use, but I wanted to use it all up!
• Both a pro and a con, the scent somehow mixed with my body chemistry and developed into an awful smell towards the end of each day.  Am I just weird??
• Since the formula is somewhat creamy, it did cause white deodorant stains on my shirts and under my arms.

Guess I have to keep looking :(

Have you tried this deodorant? 

Do you have any other suggestions for a "natural" deodorant?



Review: Crazy Rumors Lip Balm

I can't even tell you how much I love these lip balms! I recently began hauling lip balms about two months ago. I don't know what came over me. I didn't have money to buy makeup, so I figured lip balm was cheaper. Little did I know that I would be buying tube after tube. I bought so much lip balm, I'm ashamed of myself!

These lip balms can be purchased on the Crazy Rumors website. It's a cute website, and easy to maneuver through.

This balm company was started by a nice little couple looking for the perfect lip balm. I think they found it!

This formula is just amazing. Smooth, buttery, never grainy, and not oily. It's moisturizing without being heavy. And, good for my husband that the balm is not super shiny. He can give me a kiss and not worry about looking like he just put on some lip gloss!

One of the best things about these balms is that they are organized on the web page according to their "collection". Do you like tea? Coffee? Ice cream flavors? Yes! Then you will love navigating through the website trying to figure out which balms you're gonna pick up.

The scent is subtle. It's not going to knock you in the face, but it does linger for a little bit. If I could think of one complaint I would simply want the scent and flavor to last a little longer.

It was very difficult for me not to buy just about everything on that website. From the moment I first used a crazy rumors lip balm, I was hooked. If you're a lip balm junkie like I am, I suggest you check it out!

Review: Sigma Dry & Shape

I'm back! I apologize for not blogging for so long, it's been a crazy couple of months.

I recently hauled some things from Sigma, and one of the items was their new dry and shape. I was really excited to use this since it's just a pain in the rear to wash and dry my makeup brushes.

The texture of this product is exactly like their brush rolls. It's not leather, but it feels like leather. One of the biggest complaints I have about this material is that if you get powder on it, it can be difficult to rub off. The powder particles seep into the small lines and grooves that are naturally in this material.

As you can see from the picture above, I was really disappointed when one of the seams tore the first time I used it! I tried to contact customer service but since my mother bought this for me, I didn't have the invoice number. When I asked if they could look it up, they never emailed me back...... Very disappointing. Usually I'm quite impressed with Sigma's customer service.

Even though I had the issue with the torn seam, I was quite impressed with how quickly my brushes dried. I tried to use synthetic brushes since I knew that these usually take the longest to dry on their own.

The large bulky handles of my pixiwoo/Sarah Chapman brushes did not fit in the bottom portion of the dry and shape. I just kept the handles out and it worked out fine.

Within four hours most of the brushes were completely dry. Even the most dense of the synthetic brushes was about 90% dry.

Overall, I really like this product. I'm not in LOVE, but I'm in like. If it wouldn't have torn on it's first use, it would have been a different story. Not only does it dry your brushes faster, but it also shapes them as well. I forgot to take pictures of my finished brushes, but if you have some brushes that are frayed or spread out due to too much use, this product would shape each and every little hair back into place. They would look new!

Do you have this product? How do you like it?