What's in my Makeup Bag?

Hey Dolls!  So I thought I'd give you a quick glance into my makeup bag.  This does change from time to time but these are the staple I have had in my bag lately:

- Makeup bag is a Sonia Kashuk bag from Target
- Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer in Radiant
- NARS Lip Gloss in Belize
- MAC Lipstick in Blankety
- E.L.F. Contouring Blush & Bronzer
- MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof
- Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
- Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss
- NARS Blush in Orgasm
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Plus
- Benefit They're Real Mascara (trial size)
- Travalo Perfume Atomizer (filled with Miss Dior)
- Maybelline Infalliable Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
- Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Sweet as Candy
- NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls
- Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
- Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium
- MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC-25
- MAC Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Black Ice
- Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeliner in Nude
- MAC Lip Liner in Boldly Bare
- MAC Painterly Paint Pot
- Sephora Retractable Lip Brush

I know it doesn't look l like all of this will fit in that makeup bag but trust me it does ;-)

New Product: L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain

How excited was I when i saw the full display of these at my Target? REALLY excited. I had heard that these were a dupe for YSL's glossy stains and they really are! So let's get into the good and then I'll tell you what I wasn't so crazy about.

The good: the applicator is awesome - I really love the slightly pointed doe foot applicator. Just like the YSL glossy stains you apply this in 3 applications - first application, let it set, second application, let it set and then the third and final application. They go on wet and as they set they get slightly tacky - not sticky but tacky if that makes sense. The nice part is that the color panel on the packaging is the actual formula so they come out the color they look. I only bought two neutral colors (go figure) in Pink Perseverance and Eternally Nude but really enjoyed both of them.

Now for the bad - I can't for the life of me understand why L'Oreal doesn't seal their lip products. The idea of someone swatching or using the product before I buy it really skeeves me out. Given that it is a gloss you can't even tell if someone has been all up in it :-/ That is probably the biggest issue for me...

Gloss Balms

It seems like everyone and their mother is making a jumbo gloss balm and they ALL look alike LOL. I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and try some of the jumbo gloss balms myself. I bought one Cover Girl Jumbo Gloss Balm and two Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I must say - I'm kind of loving them. The first thing I like is that they have a nice consistency and glide on nicely - I like that they are a jumbo pencil that provides a nice even application. They have great color payoff and as promised they stain your lips to leave behind a nice color even after the gloss wears off. I REALLY love that all you have to do is keep twisting them up when they get low - no sharpener required. I bought the colors Honey and Sweetheart/Valentine in the Revlon balms and Watermelon Twist in Cover Girl. I will definitely be looking into more colors.

NARS Chelsea Girls...Fell in Love All Over Again

I recently re-discovered my love for NARS Chelsea Girls. I hadn't been using it for awhile because I needed to buy a new retractable lip brush. I also hadn't been using it because it is not the most convenient lip gloss to use since it comes in a pot. This girl is all about the convenience. However, it is hands down one of my absolute favorite lip colors. It is a light mauve, nude pink. It is a universally flattering color good on light or dark skin tones. I have once again fallen in love with Chelsea Girls - this is my holy grail lip color.

Disappointing...OCC Lip Tar

I was so excited when my Sephora started carrying the OCC Lip Tars. I love pinky nude lips and was really excited to try the color Hush. Hush reminded me a lot of my favorite NARS Chelsea Girls lip gloss. If you are not familiar with OCC Lip Tars they are very pigmented lip colors that come in a tube. Anyway, I bought Hush and was really excited about the color. The color comes out true to what it looks like in the tube. What really disappointed me is that the color settled into the lines of my lips and was visibly noticeable. I feel like I would constantly have to check in mirrors to make sure it was still even and covering every section of my lips. Maybe I have to try it over a lip balm or just play around with it some more. I don't know?

Current Favorite Mascara

I am absolutely loving the Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara. I have tiny sparse lashes to begin with so I am always looking for a great volumizing/lengthening mascara. I watched mixed reviews on YouTube. I was in need of new mascara so I figured why not? I had been using Benefit's They're Real and really liked the brush but $23 for a tube of mascara just doesn't seem reasonable. I picked the CG mascara up at Target for something like $7. I must tell you, BEST $7 on a mascara I've ever spent. Not only does it lengthen my lashes it separates them so they don't like like big spiders sitting on my eyes. The brush is a nice hard brush which I like - I find that the fuller softer brushes tend to make my lashes stick together.

I have actually had people tell me what long full lashes I have - ha, I won't tell if you don't ;-)

MAC Painterly Paint Pot vs. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded

On days that I am going for a more natural look I like to use a natural wash of color on my lids just to give them a little bit of color. My two favorite colors for this look are MAC's Painterly Paint Pot and Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Barely Branded. They are both pale flesh toned colors.
Painterly is a matte flesh toned color that has the tiniest pink hue to it really evens out the color of your eyelids and gives the impression of a nude eye.

Barely Branded is more of a champagne color with shimmer. I tend to use this one when I'm looking or a bright eyed natural look. I use it all over the lid and then a tiny bit in the inner corners of my eyes. It really opens them up - with this color I don't line my lower waterline with a dark liner but line it with Rimmel's Scandal Eyes in Nude. The liner mutes out any redness and gives a big open eye look.

They are both great nude colors but I think my preference would have to be Painterly. I really like that I can swipe this on with my finger and not fuss with it too much.

Product Rave: Urban Decay Super Saturated High-Gloss Lip Color

Guys - run don't walk to get these awesome lip pencils. They have amazing color and even though they are a pencil they aren't matte. They have a nice glossy sheen and the colors are vivid, flattering and gorgeous. I bought Naked, F-Bomb, Apocalypse and Love Child.

Naked is a very pretty natural nude color, F-Bomb is a great fire engine red, Apocalypse is a deep vampy purple and Love Child is a pretty light nude pink. They are creamy and glide on nicely. My only tip would be to wear them over a lip balm. If you have dry lips these will show where you may have dry skin. The only other thing I'm not crazy about is that they aren't self sharpening. You do have to use a large sharpener - I use the Urban Decay Grind House sharpener. I wish that these were self sharpening like the Tarte LipSurgence or Revlon Glossy Balms.

Product Rave: Revlon Lip Butters

This is not a review of a new product since the Revlon Lip Butters have been out for awhile now. My purpose in posting this is to rave about this awesome lip product. If you aren't familiar with them the Revlon lip butters are a hybrid between a lip balm and a lipstick. They give great color while moisturizing and hydrating your lips. I love them because I can toss one in my purse and use it all day for my lip balm and my lip color. They go on with ease and I rarely need a mirror to apply them - I really appreciate that in a lip color.

I currently have seven of them and a looking for some of the new Summer colors. The colors I have in my collection:

- Raspberry Pie
- Red Velvet
- Fig Jam
- Creme Brulee
- Sugar Frosting
- Pink Truffle
- Cupcake

Of the seven that I own I think my favorite is Fig Jam. It is a gorgeous deep vampy reddish purple color. It is an extremely flattering color.

Liquid Eyeliner Woes

 Am I the only person in the world that has issues with liquid eyeliner? No matter what the brand they all seem to fail me. Let me first start by saying I have small eyelids so lining my lids is a challenge to begin with. I can never seem to get the perfect line that I hope to. Perhaps my hand is too unsteady? I currently have in my collection:

- Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Liner
- L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liner
- Maybelline Master Duo Liner
- Urban Deacy 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

I can't say I am in love with any of them. I try to love liquid liner but it always falls short no matter what the brand. I also tend to think that black liquid liner is intense of a look for everyday wear (on me - on others it looks great).


Any suggestions for a good liquid liner? Technique? Colors?

MAC Archie's Girls Collecion

I am an absolute sucker for the fun MAC collections. I recently picked up some items from the new Archie's Girls collection. While I think it is absolutely adorable I don't think that I am really impressed with the actual products themselves.
I'll first give a quick listing of what I bought and then give you my impressions. I bought:

- Betty Powder Blush: Cream Soda
- Betty Lipstick: Girl Next Door
- Betty Lipglass: Summer Sweetheart
- Betty Lipglass: Kiss & Don't Tell
- Betty Lipglass: Stay Sweet
- Veronica Lipglass: Strawberry Malt

I was more drawn to the Betty collection because I typically like lighter pinks and nudes.
So, let's dive into my reviews. I'll start with the good - I love the Cream Soda blush. It is a gorgeous peachy nude color which I think is going to be really pretty for the Spring and Summer months. It has great color payoff and the packaging is adorable.

I was a little disappointed in the Girl Next Door lipstick. It looks like it would be a great pale pink color but I found that it is almost very sheer and doesn't show up on my lips at all. It is a lustre lipstick so I didn't expect for it to be super pigmented but all in all I think it was a miss for me.
And finally, the lipglasses! I do really like two of the colors - Kiss & Don't Tell is a great bright pink melon color and Strawberry Malt is a nice wash of red gloss. Kiss & Don't Tell is going to be a really great summer color to wear with a nude eye and maybe a little black sundress. Strawberry Malt really does remind me of a great cherry lipgloss that makes your lips nice and red and juicy. Interestingly enough I was not a huge fan of the two lighter pink colors. Stay Sweet was a little too milky in color for me. Summer Sweetheart was just too similar to other glosses that I already have and didn't impress me that much.

I am glad that I picked some things up from this collection but overall I was not in love with it. I didn't pick up any of the eyeshadow palettes or pigments because again I felt the colors were too similar to colors I already had in other palettes or by themselves. I am however, REALLY looking for the Rihanna and MAC collection coming out in May (I think).

NARS Turkish Delight Dupe?!?

I am in LOVE with all things NARS. I am particularly fond of their lip products. My favorite lip colors include Turkish Delight and Chelsea Girls. I love the colors but don't always love paying $25 for lipgloss. I have been searching for a dupe for Turkish Delight. I have heard a lot of people saying that Bonne Bell's Lip Lites in Strawberry Parfait is a great dupe so I set about searching for it. Let me first say - this stuff is not easy to find! As I understand the only place that sells the Lip Lites is Walmart. 

I must have been to at least 5 different Walmarts looking for it! I finally caught a break and found it at a Walmart while I was traveling for work. Needless to say I bought their entire stock before I even tried it - I figured if I loved it I didn't want to go through the hassle of trying to find it again when I needed to replace it. I know, crazy. I'm glad I bought as many as I did because I fell in love with it. While it not an exact dupe of my beloved Turkish Delight it is pretty darn close. The Bonne Bell gloss is a slightly darker and a tiny bit deeper in pink but ever so slightly. The NARS Turkish Delight is a very milky pink but I actually like that the Bonne Bell gloss has a bit darker of a color. What it lacks in being an exact match it makes up for in scent and taste. It smells like a strawberry soda and tastes like one too. I hadn't used Bonne Bell products since I was in middle school and putting this on my lips takes me right back to the days of Lip Smackers! The price on these is right too! I think I only paid $3.49 for each one - this girl loves a good bargain!

Battle of the BB Creams

I have recently gotten caught up in the whole BB cream craze. If you aren't familiar with what a BB cream it is a BB cream is a beauty balm. It is popular among Asian women and has become popular in the US. BB creams claim to prime, moisturize, protect and perfect the skin.
I tried three different BB creams - a high end, middle of the road and drugstore brand. The high end is the Dior Hydra Life BB Creme, middle of the road is Urban Decay's Naked Skin Beauty Balm and then the drugstore is L'Oreal's Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.

My favorite of the three is hands down the Dior BB Creme. The product feels great on my skin and provides really good coverage. It provides as much coverage as a foundation and blends really well with my skin tone. I have read that some people have trouble with this one because it does have a yellow undertone but that isn't an issue for me. The biggest drawback about this product is the price. I bought mine at Sephora and paid $56 for 1.7 ounces. Needless to say I don't use it on a daily basis which I think defeats the purpose. If I only use it sporadically then I am probably not reaping all of the benefits it claims to provide.

The next one I tried is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm. I really like this one as well but find that it doesn't provide quite as much coverage (or "perfecting") as the Dior BB Creme. I use my Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush when applying it and blends beautifully. Like the Dior BB Creme the UD version is tinted but again that isn't an issue. It blends into my skin tone well. While not nearly as expensive as Dior the Urban Beauty Balm is still a big pricey at $30 for 1.18 ounces.

Of the three, my least favorite was the L'Oreal Skin Beautifier BB Cream. It feels and covers a lot like a tinted moisturizer. The product itself comes out white but starts to develop it's color as it is blended into the skin. I have found myself using this as a base under my foundation lately. In that respect I do like it but on it's own as BB cream I am not crazy about it. I don't think it's likely that I will purchase this product again.

Review: Tarte Awake Your Complexion Customizable Kit

Tarte is quickly becoming one of my favorite makeup brands. Admittedly, I had been a MAC/Urban Decay snob for quite awhile but was introduced to Tarte through a Black Friday special at Ulta. I bought one of the Black Friday kits that included an Amazonian Clay blush. I tried the blush and was hooked! I have since bought some more Tarte products and loved each one of them.

I have been wanting to try the Maracuja Oil but was hesitant to buy it because the full size is such a large bottle. I was afraid if I didn't like it I would be wasting so much product. I was at my local Sephora recently and was excited to find this kit. I was most excited because the kit includes a small sample size of the Maracuja oil. When I say small sample size I really mean at least a month's supply of it - you end up using so little that the amount they give you in the kit will last. I was also really excited about the value of the kit - also included in the kit is their Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (you pick your own shade), a sample setting powder and a Tarte brush. The whole kit was $32 which is an awesome value considering the concealer alone is $24. I had bought the concealer by itself a few months ago and fell in love with it - it has become my go to concealer. It provides excellent coverage and goes on smoothly and blends really well.

I wanted to try the Maracuja Oil - so now that I've tried it what are my thoughts? Another homerun for Tarte. This stuff is seriously amazing! I apply 2-3 drops at night after I've removed my makeup and washed my face. It is an oil but my skin absorbs it and it doesn't leave behind a greasy oil slick feeling. After using it for only a couple of weeks my skin already feels softer, more supple and appears brighter. Not only does it moisturize my skin but it has helped clear up some cystic pimples that I get around my chin area. On top of the product being amazing the packaging is perfect. The product comes in a glass bottle with a little glass stopper. The glass stopper dispenses the right amount of product so you aren't wasting any. This size bottle is perfect because I travel a lot for work so I can pack this size in a carry on. I will be buying the full size as this has become a staple in my skin care routine. Way to go Tarte.

MAC Pro Longwear vs. Revlon Colorstay?

So, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on the MAC Pro Longwear foundation as well as the Revlon Colorstay foundation. I have been wearing both for awhile now and this really is a close one for me.

I really do like both products and I think they both do what they promise...provide long lasting coverage. I wear NC-25 in the MAC foundation and Early Tan in Revlon.

For me, the MAC foundation seems to be a bit thicker and takes more effort to blend. I have found that this foundation must be blended really well or else it will look streaky. It is also a fast drying foundation so I have to work pretty quickly to get it all blended out. I think this is the one thing that keeps me from really loving this foundation. I tend to wear this foundation on days I know I am not going to be able to touch up my makeup. I can put it on in the early morning and by the end of my work day it still looks just as good as it did when I first applied it.

Revlon's foundation blends much more smoothly but I don't think it has the same staying power as the MAC foundation. I find myself wearing the Revlon and also carrying my MAC Studio Fix powder foundation to touch up during the day. Please don't get me wrong, the Revlon foundation does last but not as long as the Pro Longwear. My other complaint about this particular product is the difficulty in finding my shade - I typically steer clear of drugstore foundation because I am terrible at matching my on shade. I think I had to buy 3 or 4 bottles of foundation before I found my color.

My final verdict would be...Revlon Colorstay.  For the price the MAC Pro Longwear foundation is too high maintenance.  When set with a good matte powder the Revlon Colorstay can last a good 6 hours without any issue.  

New Product: Milani Color Statement

I stopped into my local Walgreen's yesterday and came across Milani's new Color Statement lipsticks. I was looking for a wearable color rather than something super bold and bright. I ended up only picking up Nude Creme but let me tell you I am sure to go back and buy more!

First of all, I LOVE this color. It is a perfect nude lipstick. The color payoff is incredible - I only had to apply one thin coat to get the full color. It went on smoothly and has a great smell to it. It has a subtle watermelon scent which I find really pleasant. The price is right too - I would expect to pay much more for such a great lipstick but at my Walgreen's these little gems were a steal at $5!

MAC Snob? No really, MAC Snob!

Quick post on one of my current favorite lip combos. No, no I wasn't calling myself a MAC snob in the title :) it's the color! The Snob lipstick is one of their satin finishes so it has a nice rich color payoff. The lipglass is also in Snob and is just the lipstick's lipglass equivalent. The color itself is a really nice pink - it is not quite a nude pink but more a baby doll pink. This has been my favorite lip look with a nude eye lately.