Archive for November 2010

CND Effects: Sapphire Sparkle

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

2 coats of Sapphire Sparkle over (from L to R): Borghese Almondine,
OPI Mrs O'Leary's BBQ, China Glaze Flyin' High, OPI DS Mystery.

Hello readers! Another nail post today.
I've really fallen in love with Creative Nail Design's Effects polishes. A whole line of colored sparkles and shimmers to transform your polish? Sign me up, please!
Today I have Sapphire Sparkle to show you. Tiny flecks that shift from blue to magenta in a translucent base? I drool a little bit just thinking about it.
Now before we go any further, I will shamefully admit that I've neglected my cuticles lately. The irony is that I'm in nails right now at school... I spend so much time learning about nails and tending to other peoples' phalanges that mine have gone to crap.
I especially like how Sapphire Sparkle looks over Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ. That almost looks like Orly Galaxy Girl, but the sparkle is bluer with Sapphire.

Indoors, lightbox, no flash

And here's what my fingers looked like before the Sparkle Effects:

And of course, a picture of the bottle!

Look at all that delicious color shifting goodness.

CND Effect Sapphire Sparkle was pretty cheap too, $4.50 for a bottle (0.33oz) at CosmoProf. I'm not sure where else these are available in store, but the CND site has a store locater.

What do you think of this flashy, sparkly topcoat?

All products were purchased by me, with the exception of Borghese Almondine and OPI Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ which were gifted to me.

NOTD: Stamped with Orly Rage

Monday, November 29, 2010

Pre Cleanup! 1x Essie First Base, 3x Unamed L.A. Colors purple, stamped
with Orly Rage. Indoors, no flash, lightbox.

I haven't done a stamped manicure in a really long time, so I pulled out my plates last night. For the base, I used this really awesome polish from a $2.99 L.A. Colors set that my friend Mae sent me! It's this translucent purple with lots of flecks- I almost wished I hadn't stamped over it because it was a joy to look at. Once again though, the purple photographed a lot more blue than it actually is. So if you will, pretend that it's a lot more royal purple please!
The stamped shade is Orly Rage, from the Foil FX collection. I bought this color and not the two other foil polishes from this collection (gold and silver) because they kinda seemed almost ordinary and expected, where as the bright rose gold was a lovely surprise.
I used a BundleMonster plate, but I have completely forgotten which one, whoops!

Have you done any stamping on your nails lately? Or used any lovely purple polish?

BeautyBloggers.org Auction!

image from weheartit.com

Hello dear readers!
I just wanted to let you know if you haven't heard of BeautyBloggers.org, to go over there and check it out. It was put together by the Fantastic Karla Sugar of KarlaSugar.net (she's so fabulous that 'fantastic' is capitalized). All the items were donated by beauty bloggers and the proceeds from the auction (now LIVE!) are going to Doctors Without Borders. I really hope that it'll be a huge success this year and that next year, I'll be able to participate!
Please folks, let all your friends and family know about this auction! It's such a good cause and there are so many great items, all new - some rare, discontinued or hard to find.

Thanks!
-Mimi

An Awesome Gift: BarryM Dusky Mauve

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Indoors, light box, no flash. 1x Essie First Base, 2x Dusky
Mauve, 1x Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

Hello Readers! For all you Americans, I hope you've recovered from Thanksgiving Day gorging! For everyone else, well I hope you've had a great weekend too.

On Friday, I received a lovely package from Jian (who used to write Pinkfish Pie). It contained champagne truffles from Charbonnel et Walker (oh I how I loved them! If you ever get an opportunity to taste these, jump on that chance! They were simply divine and excited every taste bud I have. I somehow managed to make them last all weekend) and also a bottle of BarryM polish!

And not just any BarryM polish- it was Dusky Mauve! You know, the Chanel Paradoxal dupe? (Click here to see Lipglossiping's pics!). I was thrilled because BarryM is nearly impossible for me to obtain and there Dusky Mauve was, in my tight clutches.

Now, Paradoxal is a very interesting color, but there's no way in heck that I would have paid $23 for it. Nope, just not happening. I love that dark plummy taupes but I have to maintain some sort of price threshold or else I'd be beyond broke. So for the past few months, I had convinced myself that I was completely over that color. Seeing Dusky Mauve on my nails made me really fall for it again.

Pictures taken outdoors, no flash. Here, you can see the hidden shimmer I was talking about in the bottle

The hidden purple shimmer is really lovely, it gives an otherwise flat color a bit of interest.

The formula was really fantastic, I'm really falling for BarryM lacquers! It only took 2 coats for a completely opaque color. It wore really well and didn't chip all weekend.

I'm so jealous of you UKers! I looked at the BarryM site (boy, I wish I hadn't) shades like Emerald Green, Racing Green, Indigo and Mushroom look spectacular!

Thanks again Jian, for such a lovely present!

Have you owned any BarryM polishes? Did you like them?

Product mentioned in this post were gifted to me for my own use.

Review: LORAC AquaPrime Oil Free Makeup Primer

Saturday, November 27, 2010

When I started school last September, I noticed that my foundation wasn't holding up that great. Throughout the day, I would get really disgustingly oily around my t-zone (a room can get hot so quickly when there is 20 blow dryers going at the same time!). I decided to switch my primer because although I loved L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base for its ability to really even out my skin and fill in my pores, it is silicone heavy and really doesn't help an overly slick face.

Luckily for me, HauteLook had a sale on LORAC and I snagged AquaPRIME for $8 (not including shipping). It's 1.35oz, and comes in a tube with a pump at the bottom. I like that the packaging is sanitary, but it wasn't super easy to use- every time I pushed the pump, the product would spurt out everywhere, good thing it is clear!

It's quite watery feeling!

The primer itself is a gel, and it felt exactly like aloe vera gel to me, very water like and odorless. Really, I couldn't tell them apart once squirted on the hand. It kind of left the same slightly sticky texture on my skin too. Though AquaPRIME prepped my skin for foundation and did a good job locking in moisture (with my combination skin, my jaw and cheeks need all the moisture they can get!), it did not do anything for my rather large pores. In fact, it made them starkly obvious once I put on foundation because it really didn't fill them in at all.

Though this primer didn't really have any oil controlling properties, it didn't add to my slick skin problems either. It did help my foundation stay on longer than the siliconey L'oreal primer- my makeup lasted maybe 7 hours or so before it started to fade.

So who would like this primer? People who don't have large pores, with normal oil production, those with silicone sensitivity and are just looking for a primer that helps with the application and longevity of their foundation.

LORAC AquaPRIME is usually $38 at Sephora, Ulta or LORACCosmetics.com

Well, since I guess this primer didn't really do what I was hoping it would- I'll be trying another one soon!

Product mentioned was purchased by me, for my own use.

Lost Item Annoyance (Zoya Kelly, Where Are You?)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Kelly. Image from Zoya.com

Behold, a polish that I can't show you. Wait, why would I even bring it up if I'm not going to show you glorious pictures and assess the formula? Well somehow, I managed to LOSE it in my house. I bought Zoya Kelly last Monday after class- I was so excited! I snagged the last one at the only Zoya Wicked and Wonderful Collection display I have seen around. I brought it home, swatched it on my pinky... and promptly managed to lose it. How is this even possible? It's not like I walk around the house carrying bottles of nail polish and drop them off at various locations. I keep all my makeup and enamels at my desk/cosmetics haven.
Grr! This is frustrating, it's similar to how I manage to lost track of lip balms (though I lose those at a more alarming rate). After all, this -could- be the perfect fall/winter color, how am I going to live without it?
Now, I was so desperate to find it that over the last two days, I have completely cleaned out my desk/vanity and even organized every bottle of polish in my Melmer, bottle by bottle in the hopes that I somehow lumped Kelly with the rest. No luck.
Ah well, if I don't find it soon, I might just buy another bottle- if I can get my hands on one!

What's a product or products that you managed to lose and really miss? Was it a lipstick? Eyeliner? How did it disappear?
Also... if you were my Zoya Kelly, where would you be hiding?

EOTD: Using Some Shades From BOSIII

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I pulled out BOSIII UD<3NYC again today to give it some much deserved love. I was bored after school so I figured-what the heck, I might as well play! Now, I took about 50 pictures, but this is the only one that looks true to life. Actually, it still looks more of a richer green-blue than this, but that's the best I can do.
I used:
Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow
Eyes: UDPP, from the BOSIII- Smog, Loaded, Maui Wowie and a bit of Haight in the inner corner and first 1/3 of my lid. Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero, false lashes and a bit of NYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara.

All products mentioned were purchased by me, for my own use.

New Milani Jewel FX in Gold

Monday, November 22, 2010

No flash, light box. Each nail is topped off with Sally Hansen Insta Dri and a
layer of Milani Gold Jewel FX. Left to right: Bare nail, Hard Candy Mr Wrong,
Wet'n'Wild Black Creme and China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald

I'm not that big on glitters. Especially not when there's like different shapes, sizes and colors of glitter within the same nail polish. When I first saw pictures of China Glaze's 2010 Holiday shade Party Hearty, I was instantly disgusted. To me, it looks like you got drunk with the Glitter Fairy last night, who can't handle her liquor and she thew up all over your hands. And for some gross reason, you didn't wash it off. (Click here to check out VampyVarnish's post about Party Hearty!)
So when I saw the new Milani Jewel FX polishes I was intrigued yet repulsed at the same time. There's two of them, one that contains a rainbow of glitter in all sizes (instant turn off!) and one with large gold glitters. Ok, the latter I could kind of stomach. So I bought it!
What I like about Gold Jewel FX is that it's suspended very well and very dense in the bottle. This is the type of glitter where you don't really do one or two coats- mostly you use the brush to rearrange and dab more glitter where ever you see fit.
To be honest, this glitter just isn't me. If however, someday I was ever stranded on an island with only one item- hopefully it'd be this polish. Why? Because I could do like 4 layers of this on my nails and use the sun's rays to signal any aircraft, it's just that blingy!
If this looks like something you're interested in I'd hop on over quick to CVS or where ever Milani is sold in your area. There were only two slots in the display, so I'm guessing two bottles for each location.

Milani Jewel FX in Gold was $4.99.
PS: This polish is ridiculously hard to get off. Glitter hell.

What do you think of such big, blingy glitter? Or about multi colored glitters in general like China Glaze Party Hearty or Lippman Happy Birthday?

Product shown was purchased by me, for my own use.

New ArtClub (Color Club) Glam Nails

Saturday, November 20, 2010

I just got an interesting email from Color Club about some new decals- and I thought I'd share!
According to Color Club-

Fashion-forward nail designs are a cinch with GLAM. The high-quality, amazingly self-stickable decals lay right over nail, and a layer of top coat seals the deal.
Mix and match patterns, use on natural nails or embed them in gel, or over polish – it’s all up to you!

Doesn't that sound pretty cool? I wonder what the wear is like on these- I'll have to buy a pack to try and review! I'll admit, as much as I like painting my nails and doing designs on them there are some days when I wouldn't mind something like these Glam decals. So far, it looks like only two designs- Mad About Plaid (big plaid pattern) and Total Opulence (white with crystal) decals, but hopefully there will be more to pick form in the future!

Information and pictures courtesy of Color Club.

EOTD: Intense Purple

This is my first time using Make Up For Ever 92 shadow- this amazing bright matte purple, but not without its drawbacks. I'll review it at a later time, for now I just want to post an EOTD.
I didn't wear foundation or anything else, so if you see blemishes in the corners of the photo near my cheeks and forehead, that's why!

I used:
Brows: Maybelline Define a Brow
Eyes: UDPP, MUFE #92, Rock & Republic Chain Link, Rock & Republic Spy, Rock & Republic Paranoid, Rock & Republic Fatalistic, NYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara.

So what are your favorite purple shadows?

Products mentioned were purchased by me, for my own use.

NOTD: Harry Potter Time!

Friday, November 19, 2010

I'm so excited, I get to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) tonight! I love the books, and I'm looking forward to the movie because I have it on good authority that it's the best one yet and that the filming is beautiful. I did a mani for it, crude I know. It comes no where close to reflecting how much I love HP. But, I tried.
I used one coat of Sally Hansen Dazzling as the base color, with OPI Bogota Blackberry on my thumb, pointer, middle and pinky. On my ring finger, I used Sally Hansen Endless Night as that dark, nearly black color. For the green snake (Nagini!) on my ring finger I mixed Confetti My Favorite Martian with the metallic green from an L.A. Colors polish set, and used Sally Hansen Prisms Diamond to accent.
The rest of the designs used a mixture of Sally Hansen Prisms Diamond and China Glaze GR8 for the goldish-silver shade (lightening bolt, lighter accents) and Sally Hansen Endless Night for the glasses on them thumb.
I topped every thing off with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

So are you gonna see the Harry Potter movie? Or are you like Mr. MakeupWithdrawal, who was a little embarrassed by my HP fervor, who thinks the movie/books are just for kids and will be staying home (and not getting any movie theater funnel cake)?

All products mentioned were either purchased by me, or given to me for my own use.

EOTD: A Pop of Metallic Green

Thursday, November 18, 2010

This was my first time using Illamasqua Melodrama, which is this fantastic medium muted teal matte shade. I really liked the color and the liner I used with it which gave the sudden bit of metallic green but I think I could have been neater- as you can see I got the liner all over my lashes. Tsk, tsk. I'll try it again some other time. Also, only about half my lashes are curled. Winner.

I used:
Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow
Eyes: UDPP, Illamasqua Melodrama, Rock & Republic Chain Link, Rock & Republic Spy, Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in 07 ME Green and NYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara.

LORAC Multi-Platinum Palette - Some Comparisons

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Did you see? I swatched for KarlaSugar the Great today! Check it out here. It's a great honor to have my swatches on her site, since she's the ultimate authority on new collection swatches!
While describing LORAC Multi-Platinum, I mentioned some similarities that I noticed between two of the shades in the palette and two other popular products from other brands.
First, the eye shadow Heavy Metal from the LORAC palette reminded me of MAC's Smoke & Diamonds (Starflash Collection, 2008).

Swatched over bare skin, outdoors- no flash.

Side by side, they appear almost identical. They're even similar in texture though I find Smoke & Diamonds to be a tad bit more silky but Heavy Metal to be a little harder in the pan, but longer lasting. If I absolutely *had* to point out the difference between the two, I'd say that S&D is a bit more silvery cool while HM has a tiny bit more of golden warmth. But really, splitting hairs here.

Next up we have the blush in the palette- Couture (which is also in the LORAC Miss Davenporte Showstopper Palette, in case you were wondering). Couture's golden sheen combined with its shimmery pinky base reminded me an awful lot of Rock & Republic's Call Me Contrived Blush, which has sold out very quickly in the last string of half off sales and codes.

Swatched outside, no flash. Bare skin.

This time, the difference is a bit more noticeable. Call Me is less peachy than LORAC, but still very close. In fact, I'd say that the difference is more noticeable in photos than it actually is swatched on the arm- as though the camera amplifies the difference. Both have great pigmentation and are really finely milled.

So if you wanted MAC Smoke & Diamonds or Rock & Republic Call Me but couldn't get your hands on either, I find it safe to say that you'll find good dupes of both in this one LORAC palette!

Did you miss out on Smoke & Diamonds or Call Me? Do these dupes look like something you'd love to get for yourself?

Products shown and mentioned were either purchased by me or given to me as a gift, for my personal use.

OPI DS Mystery

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

3x DS Mystery

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up OPI Designer Series Mystery from Cosmo-Prof. I picked up the bottle in store and was mesmerized by how it looked in the bottle- dazzling bits of gold peeking through a deep turbulent violet.

I brought it home and that's where the attraction ended. It was like bringing home a date home from the dark club and finally getting a good look at him under a bright light and realizing, dang, you ugly. Not that I've ever done that. Ever. I just figured that that sort of disappointment would be similar.

Once I put it on, Mystery stopped being mysterious and started just being really unappealing. That rich violet just looked like a dark inky muck and the golden micro glitter was pretty much completely lost. This is the first time (at least, that I can remember) where I've actually felt let down by a polish. Mystery just had so much potential, and it blew it.

I guess the application was alright (can't comment on the wear, as I took it off within a couple hours- the ugliness was just depressing).

What's the ugliest polish you own(ed) or have seen?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

EOTD: Using Wet'n'Wild Night Elf Palette's Red

Monday, November 15, 2010

I always feared and admired red eyeshadow. So bold, yet it can so very easily go from Pow! to Look, I Have Severe Pink Eye, Please Don't Come Near. Now I think I have finally mastered (ok, finally attempted a look with it that didn't fail super hard), with much thanks to my Wet'n'Wild Night Elf Palette. This palette, (reviewed here) contains a beautiful vivid crimson shade, the likes of which have never graced drugstores before.

I think the trick was to make the red appear less pink and more vampy, if that makes any sense and to give the eyeball a definitive boundary (in other words, throw down the welcome rug for the black eyeliner) where ever red shadow is used so that the eye looks bright, not irritated and diseased.

For this look, I used:

Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow

Eyes: UDPP, Wet'n'Wild Night Elf Palette (tan, silver, black and red shades), MAC Blacktrack Fluidline and NYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara

Have you tried red eyeshadow before? Or is it a bit too much for you? How about vivid red blush- like NARS Exhibit A? Or scarlet lipstick?

All products mentioned were purchased by me, for my own use.

EOTD with Shiro Link, Rupee and Weepinbell Shadows

Sunday, November 14, 2010

It's times like these that I really wish that I had a better camera, better lighting and some photo taking skills. Why? Because sometimes I really love the way my eye makeup turns out, but I feel like I'm not able to show you how vibrant the colors are, or how interesting the finishes are and I'm pretty disappointed. Somehow, what looks bright and dimensional on my lid turns out dull and flat on screen. Ah well, you gotta do with what you have!
This look used a few of my new Shiro Cosmetics shadows- the greens of which I was particularly fond of.

Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow
Eyes: UDPP, Shiro Weepinbell, Shiro Link, Shiro Rupee, NYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara, Rimmel Soft Kohl Eyeliner

Now, I've realized that I've become pretty enamored with the color green lately. I used to think (foolishly) that green shadows would bring on the olive in my skin or something, so I stayed away. But now every time I see a green eyeshadow, I feel like I just *have* to have it.

What are your favorite green shadows?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use.

Fantasy Makers Black Magic

Saturday, November 13, 2010

1x Essie First Base, 1x Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, 1x Black Magic, 1x Insta-Dri

I bought this sometime in the beginning of October with the intent of posting about it before Halloween since it was a seasonal item. Forgive me. This polish today is from Fantasy Makers, aka Wet'n'Wild's Halloween brand. I picked it up at Walgreens for $2.99 (I think, don't quote me on that) because I *love* hairy glitter, which Black Magic is full of. Ok fine- I know it's called bar glitter but since this variety is so thin, I'm making the distinction between the two and calling it hairy glitter.
This glitter type really appeals to me, it looks like I plucked every leg off of a confetti centipede and added it to nail polish. Gross, I'm not sure why I even sure why I brought that up.

One coat of Black Magic over other base colors. Indoors, flash, under lightbox.

It looks like multicolored hairy glitter in a blackish base, but that base is actually very translucent, making it a great top coat over any base color. When it dries though, it's not as glossy as it could be (which I find takes away from the overall effect, and also hard to photograph) so I topped it off with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.
You only need about one coat or so but if you wanted more hairy glitter action, you could always do more.
Since this was a seasonal item, I don't think you'll be able to find it around anymore. But hopefully, next year if you're a fan of the hairy glitter, you'll be able to get a bottle!

What do you think of this type of glitter? Do you like the thicker bar variety or the thinner hairy glitter?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

Haircut + Simple FOTD!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

I finally got around to getting my hair cut today! It was about a month overdue, pretty ridiculous- I know. It was getting really long, about level with the bottom of my shoulder blades. My teacher actually cut my hair which was really cool because my classmates got the chance to observe. Though she felt bad cutting so much length off- she asked me about 10 times if I was sure.
Unlike some ladies with long hair, I'm not actually that emotionally attached to my locks! I figure that it'll grow back at some point and that I could use a little change of look! I also had red highlights put in the front fringe area, but I'm thinking of going back for some more.
My hair isn't really styled in those pictures yet- I think I'll use some wax spray to make it more piecey and a shine spray to well... add shine. We'll see!

This was a very fast FOTD. Basically I slapped on lipstick and false lashes and called it a day.
Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow
Eyes: MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Rock & Republic Fatalistic shadow, Korean false lashes from eBay.
Lips: MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick
Face: LORAC AquaPrime, MUFE Full Cover, MUFE Mat Velvet, Lacura Compact Powder, MAC Marine Life.

So, how attached to your hair are you? Would you cry if it was cut too short?

Evolution of Smooth Lip Balm Sphere Review

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Ah, EOS lip balm, how very round you are. I saw an ad for this lip balm on the the top banner of MakeupAlley and had to try it out. The spherical shape intrigued me (even though it's terrible for tucking into the pocket of your jeans, it makes you look like you have a cancerous lump on your hip) and the whole "natural" ingredients thing sealed the deal.
I picked the pink one- the Summer Fruit flavor.I like the application, instead of smearing over my lips, one at at time- I opened my mouth and went in for a big smooch. The first thing I noticed as the balm neared my face was the smell. Oh cheese and crackers- THE SMELL.
It smells like decaying fruit! I should know- I had a fig tree in my backyard this summer that became over ladened with ripe figs and they fell on the ground and rotted. That's what this balm smells like. I can't even bring it in towards my face without getting a whiff of that terrible scent. And here I was expecting it to smell like fruit punch or something.

The texture is somewhat waxy, not really what I'd describe as moisturizing. In fact, in the few times that I managed to stomach putting this balm on, I'm pretty sure it dried my lips out more. But if you can get over the smell (maybe pick one of the other ones?) I've found that this balm makes a fantastic lip primer. In fact, it's better than my $20 Urban Decay Lip Primer.
So in short, as a lip balm I find EOS Summer Fruit to be disgusting and horribly lacking. But it does make for a cheap and effective lip primer. So if you don't mind the scent- give it a try!

Speaking of scents- are there any products out there that just smell absolutely horrible to you?

Product was purchased by me for my own use.

Not Just Another Black Polish: Chanel Black Satin

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Behold, another polish in this series of posts about black polishes that aren't just plain black! Upon first glance, this polish may pass for a black creme but upon closer inspection it reveals itself to be a very fine shimmer. Black Satin is a bit sheerer than say, Wet'n'Wild Black Creme (which is a one coater), and takes two coats to get to total opacity. Somehow, this black doesn't seem to be as stark as some of the other ones out there- a gentler black if you will.

Two coats, topped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

I didn't buy this polish, my makeup fairy godmother gifted to me a few months ago- it has a steep price tag! $23, whew. I think that if you really wanted this polish- you could easily make it by combining 3/4 bottle regular black polish with 1/4 bottle of a really fine white shimmer polish.

After I put this polish on to show you, I actually really wasn't feeling it. So I topped it off with the fantastically flakied Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure.

I love the way the light reflects off the flakes in Hidden Treasure, the dark color beneath it really brings it out. What do you think of this black polish? Or the flakies topped on top of it?

Black Satin was gifted to me, Hidden Treasure was purchased by me for my own use.

Sleek iDivine Storm Palette

Monday, November 8, 2010

This is another item that was in my swap package (remember how I wrote about I swapped with Jess of Blogger Fae Glasgae?). Sleek palettes get a lot of love on MakeupAlley, but for the last year, I didn't give them a second glance because... their waffling patterns aren't aligned. Take a closer look at the picture to the left to see what I mean.
Isn't it absurd that this was my only objection, the only thing holding me back? Yes, I know- but I'm picky about packaging and product orientation like that- when ever I saw a picture of a Sleek palette, I wanted to rip out the shadows and glue them back in properly.
Well I finally got over my stupid reason for not getting a Sleek iDivine palette, and am I glad that I did! Each palette contains 12 shadows about the size of a nickle, a mirror built into the case and a long, double ended, sponge tip applicator. I picked Storm because it contained a lot of shades that I like- dark jewel tones with some neutrals. The pigmentation is incredible in these palettes! There's three matte shades and all the rest are high frost/metallic, and every shadow in Storm is super rich in color.

As always, click to enlarge!

Swatch pictures taken outside, direct sunlight, no flash

Everything is swatched over bare skin because the pigmentation is nice enough that I didn't feel the need to do it over primer.
Top Row (warm colors), left to right: a soft metallic golden beige, a frosty vanilla, a matte medium beige, a metallic yellow gold, a frosty pink and a metallic burgundy.

Bottom Row (cool colors), left to right: a coppery metallic brown, a metallic blue-charcoal, a dark metallic green, a metallic blackened indigo, a matte medium brown and a matte black.

You could do so many looks with this palette, my mind can't even fathom all the capabilities. The only problem I'd have with this palette is that the metallic shades can get a little crumbly when applying- especially with loose fluffy eyeshadow brushes. I really have to use a patting motion with these shadows to keep fallout from dusting my cheeks. Using the applicators helps too. But, for $10 (US dollars) I'm not really complaining too loudly.

People who aren't super fond of high frost might not want this palette- that's kind of the appeal of Storm, mixed in with a few essential matte shades. For that sort of folk, I'd suggest another Sleek palette instead- that's the great thing about them- there's many to choose from!

Do you have any Sleek Palettes? What do you think of them?

Product was swapped for in an even exchange.

Wet'n'Wild Holiday LE Night Elf Palette + EOTD

Sunday, November 7, 2010

I have my hands on one of the most sought after palettes this coming season. No, it's not $30, $40 or even $50 like some of the palettes you'll find at Sephora. It's only five dollars and it's a true drugstore gem. This season (rather, right now) Wet'n'Wild has four limited edition palettes to celebrate the holidays.
Now, I bought the palette named Night Elf. Now, to be perfectly honest I didn't think this palette was really well coordinated like the other palettes. There's everything from a bright red to a shiny silver and even a brown/green duochrome in there- kind of mismatched. That's ok though, all the colors are of such good quality that I don't even mind. Another thing is that the name, Night Elf seems... odd, for this set of shadows. To be fair, when I think of night elves- my World of Warcraft playing kicks in and I think of a seven foot tall purple Alliance player with long ears that can Shadowmeld, but that really has nothing to do with beauty or anything, and I'm guessing the average eyeshadow wearer doesn't think of that at all.
Back to the palette.

Pictures taken outside, no flash, direct sunlight.

There's a frosty cream shade, a shimmery tan, a reddish brown/green duochrome (supposed MAC Club dupe), a metallic silver, a shimmery bright red and a black with silver sparkles.
So far, I haven't come up with a way to use that awesome red shade or the impressive silver. I did however, use the cream, tan and the Club color in an EOTD a few days ago.

Brows: Maybelline Define A Brow
Eyes: LORAC Behind the Scenes Primer, L'oreal HiP Cream Shadow Paint in Steely, Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in ME Green, Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara, Wet'n'Wild Night Elf Palette

This palette also comes with a ColorIcon black liner. It's not half bad- super soft and smudgey but at least it doesn't drag on my eye lid like some other waxy liners.
So once again, I want to stress how great a palette this is. All the shades are very pigmented and easy to use. There's a lovely duochrome shade that I'm especially fond of, as well as a stunning red- and good red eye shadows are so hard to find! All this for $4.99. What a steal! Now, I found this palette at Walgreens and I've also seen it at Wegmens (for those of you living on the East Coast area). Definitely pick this palette up or any of the other LE holiday palettes if you get a chance.

Have you seen Night Elf anywhere? Or any of the other palettes? Do you like it?

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use.

NOTD: Essence Denim Wanted! Fivepocket Grey

1x Essie First Base, 3x Fivepocket Grey, 1x Essie Matte About You

I've really liked greys lately, especially on nails so yesterday, I decided to paint mine a nice medium shade. I had bought a polish from Essence's Denim Wanted! Collection for $1.99 called Fivepocket Grey that I wanted to try out. It was a nice creme shade and all, but I decided to top it off with Essie Matte About You Topcoat just to make it more interesting.
Speaking of this collection, I noticed that there were a few gel liners in it- has anyone tried these? They were only $2.99 and I remember there being a grey shimmering shade. I kind of want to go back to get it now!

Products shown were purchased by me, for my own use.

NARS Wicked and Cheyenne Duos ($10 Each!)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Sephora had recently put two NARS duos on sale for $10 each as a part of their weekly specials. I managed to combine that with the last day of the F&F sale (as well as Ebates!) and got a great deal on them. Now, these aren't exactly colors I would have normally picked for myself (to be honest, they'd be at the bottom of my NARS duos-to-buy list) but I'm actually quite pleased with how much I like 'em.

Pictures taken indoors, under light box, with flash.

Cheyenne has a marmalade orange side and a shimmery burgundy.
Wicked has a shimmery pale yellowish shade as well as a light key lime green side.

Despite being colors that are somewhat out of my comfort zone, they're very nice shadows. They're well pigmented and easy to work with, though Wicked's shades looked better to me as sheer washes rather than as heavy built up color but that's just my opinion. I really can't wait to start incorporating these into my EOTDs.
If you hurry, you can still get either of these duos for $10 at Sephora.com still!
What do you think of these NARS duos? Like the colors? Or prefer other NARS shades?

Products were purchased by me, for my own use.

One Year Blogging Anniversary! (And Also Hair Haul)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Today is a very important day. Ok, that's kind of a lie, November the 3rd was technically the One Year Anniversary of my blog, but I completely forgot about it. So I'll say it's on November the 5th (easier for me to remember anyways, Happy Guy Fawkes Day!)
So what have I learned in this one year? A few things. First, you'll meet the greatest people blogging. Readers and other bloggers have so much to offer and are interested in such a wide variety of things, I've never been bored in the last year. There's aways products and techniques to read, write about and comment on! Other bloggers are so supportive and it's such a great community. Readers' comments are not only insightful, but provide great feedback as well as suggestions to other things that I might like.
I've also learned to always take more pictures than I think I'll need! In the last year, I've learned that if your digital camera uses batteries, you should invest in a few sets of rechargeable ones! To put it into perspective, I've used up 31.5 gigabytes of memory on my computer, just on pictures of makeup and nails.
In short, I've become so immersed in the world of beauty, and have made such great friends with people online that I would have never encountered in person. Thank you so much, dear readers!

And here's what I bought today- from the pro beauty supply across the street from my school. They had a grab bag sale- pay $25 for the bag and stuff as much clearance items as you possibly can in it. Finally, a use for my suitcase packing skills! A lot of the stuff is professional use for school (like protective base cream, nail tips and salon hair treatments) but I did get a great deal on shampoo, hand cream, hair masks, conditioner, hair oils and other odds'n'ends! I'll be reviewing a few of these products in the upcoming weeks/months.

Once again, I want to thank you for reading my little blog,

Love,
-Mimi

Zoya Mimi - It's Like it Was Made For Me!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Ahh, you know how when you were young and anytime you went to a gift shop, there was always personalized mugs, key rings, snow globes and other souvenirs? I could never ever find anything with "Mimi" on it. Not that I wanted a tacky tourist knick knack personalized just for me or anything, but it just felt like they skipped me. Behold, Zoya Mimi. All my years of being left out from not having a common name is finally at an end, and I'm being rewarded for my patience.
I was given Zoya Mimi from my friend Mae (thanks again!) and I'm more than pleased, I'm downright thrilled.

The funny thing is that even though it's a grape purple polish with small glitter flecks that shift from lavender to pink and finally pale gold, I can't get it to photograph the right color! All my pictures turned out blurple!
Mimi is such a rich, royal looking color that I feel like Zoya must have looked deep into my heart and created a color just for me. (Ok, I'm not really that self centered, but I like to entertain such notions like that every once in a while, just for fun).

The wear on this polish was pretty good, and I used 3 coats to get the most out of the glitter bits. It wasn't super hard to remove or anything though, nor did it stain on bare nails for me.

What do you think about Zoya Mimi? Do you know of any other products named after you? Do you like them?

Product was given to me from a friend.