Archive for March 2011

Short Break

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Hi All!
Recently, I've been really busy taking my life in a new direction. It's caught up to me, I'm no longer able to juggle everything in my life at once. So I'm taking a bit of a break from blogging. I really hate to do this, but I don't feel like I can put out quality content at the moment. I love writing, and I love getting to know readers and other bloggers and can't wait to get back to doing it.

Love,
Mimi

NOTD: St. Patty's Day

Friday, March 18, 2011

Hello!
So this post is a day late, I didn't get a chance to get to my computer before St. Patty's Day festivities were over. A few weeks ago, I treated myself to my first bottle of Nubar polish- Reclaim. It got here just in time for me to wear it yesterday, and what a glorious holo it is! It's a kelly green linear holo. It's interesting because though it's not the most vibrant green, the holo adds extra rainbow sparkle and makes the color really appealing.
I applied it over a base of Nfu Oh Aqua Base (which is totally worth the cost, best thing for holos that dry really fast) and at first though I worried that it wasn't going to apply well, it leveled perfectly. Go Nubar! I'm very impressed.

My first taste of Nubar was absolutely delicious, I can't wait to try more! This was the perfect green for me on this St. Patty's Day, it really brightened up my mood.

Have you tried any Nubar polishes? Is there any that I absolutely have to get?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

BECCA Fine Loose Finishing Powder

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Good Day to You, Dear Reader!
A friend of mine recently showed me a few listings for Becca Fine Loose Finishing Powder in various shades on eBay. My shade happened to be one of them so rather impulsively, I decided to try it out and ordered in Sesame.
I was pretty intrigued by the packaging, like the Pressed Shimmer Powder from Becca that I own, it had a neato spaceship looking dome. As interesting as it looked, the packaging turned out to be the worst part of this powder. But first, the powder itself.
It's very finely milled (as the name implies) and gives me this great satin finish that looks super natural. It really does set foundation perfectly though on my oily T-zone my skin quickly looked greasy less than a half an hour later (in comparison, Rock & Republic Pressed Powder lasts about an hour and a half before I get shiny) so it might not be your best bet if you tend to be oily.

Inside of the powder! See the sticker over the sifter?
The instructions printed on it told me to only tear half of it off!

I also found that this Becca powder worked great at buffing out over zealously applied blush. I simply take a large fluffy brush and a sprinkling of this powder and whisk away any clown cheeks. It seems like no matter how much I put on of this powder it doesn't really cake up, which is ideal for those going for the flawless and natural look.
Ugh, about the packaging. Though very attractive, it's rather nonfunctional. I can never ever get the lid to screw into the base, which means it's rattling around loose my makeup drawers constantly and getting powder on everything. There's holes in a sifter to allow product through, and the instructions say to only tear off the sticker half way to let the right amount through. I find this kind of ridiculous, how about instead of keeping tape on half the container... Becca makes a jar with less holes? Or smaller ones? I hope my packaging is defective, because I certainly can't imagine anyone wanting to travel or ever putting it into their bag. It'd be a catastrophe.

All in all, I find this product so-so. It applies nicely, but it just isn't really suited for my skin type and the packaging is terrible! I don't think I would ever pay full price for this again.

Have you by any chance tried out this powder? I found that in recent years it seems like it's harder and harder to find Becca products (ever since Sephora stopped carrying them, at least!)

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

Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Palette in Comfort Zone

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Hello Readers!
I finally have one of the new Wet'n'Wild 8 pan ColorIcon Palettes to show you! I had been searching for these palettes at Walgreens and Walmart for a month or so now, but every single Comfort Zone palette that I had encountered was shattered in some way. I guess that's a good indication that shadows are uber soft and that they might be a bit too fragile to travel with!
I haven't had a chance to photograph any EOTDs with them, but I did get some swatches while the sun was out today.

Outdoors, no flash

These swatches were done without primer. I did the left side of the palette first, from top to bottom and then the same thing with the right side (basically the sides of the palette correspond to the swatches on my arm). I really liked how soft and easy these shadows were to work with! Over all the pigmentation is awesome (except for the left browbone shade, but I'm ok with that because sometimes browbone shades are too pigmented and you end up with super frosty brow highlights) but the two definer shades in particular just knock my socks off.
I can tell that some of the shades are repeats from the limited edition holiday Pixie palettes, but the colors are slightly tweaked (for instance the duochrome reddish brown/green is a lot more red in Comfort Zone).
I love this palette so much, I can already tell that it's going to be one of my most used makeup items in my stash. The colors on the left side are a bit warmer than I typically use, but I'll have to work with them. The right side is perfect, I swear that Wet'n'Wild has been peaking in my diary and chose those shades for me!

Could this palette be any more awesome at $4.99? Dear Wet'n'Wild, I'd like to congratulate you for securing a place close to my heart!

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

Sinful Colors Green Ocean

Friday, March 11, 2011

With flash, under lightbox

Hello Readers!
Last week while grocery shopping at Wegmans, I found a St. Patty's Day display of Sinful Colors. One of the shades was the awesome Green Ocean that I had been looking for since the previous year. I'm so happy that it was repromoted!
Lots of people call Green Ocean a flakie, but when I look at it closer I feel like it's not an accurate description of what lies inside this bottle. Much like Color Club's Covered in Diamonds, there are large prismatic shards of green and blue goodness. There's also smaller little pieces of that same material (much like the NYX 'Avenue' flakies), some jagged and some square that almost look like glitter and are the same color as the larger shards. Together, they are suspended in a very thick translucent jelly green base.
The base is so thick that it keeps me from getting an even application on all my nails. Some definitely have more pieces than others. Also, the polish is so thick that it takes gosh darn forever to dry. Here I am wearing it over OPI's Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow which almost looks black in comparison to the bright shards.

Without flash, under lightbox

I love how it looks though, like a treasure trove of emeralds thrown into inky black waters. Despite the thickish application, it's still beautiful enough that you should hunt it down if you can! I mean, for $1.99 can you really find any other flakie/shard type polish?

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

EOTD: Robin's Egg

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Hello Readers!
See, I'm making an effort to try to post more!
This EOTD features an Avon true color Quad that I haven't really given it as much attention as it deserves. Lipglossjunkee got me this quad last year in Aquadelic and it's a wonderful set of interesting colors. The shade I used today were the matte blue-teal and the very shimmery satin charcoal. Though the blue isn't super pigmented, it is ridiculously finely milled and it's still more than enough (with a good primer) to provide a soft pop of color. The charcoal is very pigmented and really easy to work with, I think I need to incorporate it more into my daily makeup.

Don't these pictures look kinda green and ashy? I didn't want to use flash because it made the blue look powdery. As a result, my skin looks awful!

I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, L'oreal HiP Loose Kohl liner in black, false lashes and the Avon true color Aquadelic quad.

Have you used any interesting shades in your EOTDs lately?

Golden Rose Paris Holographic #104

Monday, March 7, 2011

Hello Readers!
I haven't been posting a lot recently because I've had some issues with my internet. Also, I've had the end-of-winter blues and have generally been kinda bummed out. Good thing better weather is ahead! I really miss the sunshine on my face and mild spring breezes.
Today I wanted to show you a very interesting holo- Golden Rose Paris Holographic #104. This is from the line of holos that comes housed in a quirky Eiffel Tower shaped bottle. The brush is on the smaller, thinner side but it's adequate.
The color is one I've never seen done as a holo before- a toasty golden caramel! It's a bit on the orange side but really glows outdoors in the sun.

I do regret that I didn't get very good pictures and that this was the only half decent one.
Similar to the Golden Rose holo I showed you last week (click here to read about it), it has a very glossy base and levels well since it doesn't dry super fast like the more matte holos. The particles are fine and it is a scattered holo and a bit dull indoors (and therefore quite safe for work). Though it's a bit subdued, it's still a very interesting color that I bet would look fantastic on a lot of warmer skin tones.

Have a great week!

-Mimi

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

My Beauty Diary Pearl Powder Mask Review

Friday, March 4, 2011

Hello Readers!
I had been running low on sheet masks so about a month ago, I decided two add a box of My Beauty Diary masks to my Sasa order in the Pearl Powder variety. I've been doing about one a week for about five weeks and to be quite honest, they really don't do anything beneficial for me.
What do I like about sheet masks? They're an instant beauty pick-me-up. Pop a masks on, within ten minutes you can feel your skin soften and the surface plump up with moisture, and somehow your skin looks instantly clearer.
Not so much with the MBD Pearl Powder Mask. I feel like the serum (which is very heavy on the glycerin and you can definitely feel it) just lays on top of the skin and dries up instead of being absorbed. My cheeks instead of looking soothed looked rather blotchy.
In fact after I peeled the mask up off and went about my business, I looked closer at my face and realized that it was drying out and getting kind of scaly on the cheeks while my T-zone was beginning to secrete oil soon after. Yech! My Tjoy masks on the other hand, leave my skin super smooth and plump (which really makes makeup super easy to apply) and my face feels balanced for the next few days.
It's really a shame because I've heard nice things about My Beauty Diary. Maybe I should try some other 'flavors' but I'm not really inclined to after my experience with the Pearl Powder kind.

Have you tried any sheet masks? Do you have a favorite brand?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

Crack Nail Polish Comparison: OPI, China Glaze, Cover Girl & BarryM

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Left to Right: BarryM Instant Nail Effects Black Magic, China Glaze Black Mesh, OPI Black Shatter, Cover Girl Crackle Lacquer in Boo!

Hello Readers!
Yesterday I decided I'd do a post comparing some crack polishes that I have. It seems to be a huge craze right now so I figured I'd talk about the differences between them.

Before topcoat

After 1 coat Barielle No Chip Speed Dry

BarryM Instant Nail Effects in Black Magic- This one is a UK brand crackle. It dries to a very matte finish and is the most unpredictable crackle. Whereas China Glaze Black Mesh and OPI Black Shatter split horizontally and vertically almost every time, BarryM Black Magic cracks at all angles, creating a very raw and graphic look. It definitely 'moves' more than the other ones. I like that you really never know what you'll be getting with this polish! 10ml in size.

China Glaze Black Mesh- This black crackle tends to break off in long, vertical pieces. Application is very easy but this one really needs the base color to be 100% dry before you start applying. Semi matte finish. 14ml in size.

OPI Black Shatter- The most even crackle polish, this crackle tends to break off in large, very geometric looking pieces. It is the blackest of all the ones I've compared today. Black Shatter also applies better over dry bases, or else it'll disrupt the polish beneath it. 15ml in size.

Cover Girl Crackle Lacquer in Boo!- The is the earliest crackle of this group, and the one that stands the furthest apart. It looks darkish navy in the bottle but dries much darker. This one applies better over a surface that is still slightly damp (think like 90% dry), or else it tends to flake off immediately as it dries. This crackle also takes the longest to begin 'moving', almost five minutes to completely finish. Of all the crackles, this one dries glossy. The cracks in this polish look more like tiny thin veins, and shows the least amount of base color. I'd consider this one a 'First Generation' crackle, but it's still really neat. 11ml in size.

Have you tried any crackle polishes? Did you like the effect it had on your nails?

Products featured were purchased by me, or given to me as gifts.

China Glaze Crackle

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Hello Readers!
I haven't been able to find China Glaze's Crack Collection anywhere in stock in my area, but a friend of mine was on vacation in Florida and happened to stop by a nail supply store. Being the awesome and thoughtful person she is, she picked up two of them for me.
So today I did a manicure with Lightening Bolt (white crackle) over black (Wet'n'Wild Black Creme) and Black Mesh (black crackle) over white (Wet'n'Wild French Creme) on my accent finger. I used SpaRitual Multitasker as the base and Barielle No Chip Speed Dry as the top coat.
I loved how elongated the crackle pieces in Black Mesh looked, way different from BarryM Instant Effects and OPI Black Shatter! I was less impressed with China Glaze Lightening Bolt though, it was quite streaky and you could see through many parts of it. I did like how geometric Lightening Bolt's final appearance was though.

Since I have many black crackle polishes (OPI Black Shatter, BarryM Instant Effects, CoverGirl Crackle in Boo! and China Glaze Black Mesh, I'm thinking about doing a comparison post. What do you think?