Stila & Urban Decay Mascara Review

I've got a favorite mascara... it's magical. Not only does it make my lashes longer, fuller, darker and curlier... it also makes me an all around happier person when I'm wearing it LOL Am I reviewing that mascara? Sadly, no... but I did get the chance to test out two new mascaras, as it never hurts to have a backup (or even find a new #1)

The 1st mascara I tried was Urban Decays Skyscraper . Let me just say that the packaging was absolutely ADORABLE!!! Honestly, that's why I wanted it. The brush is nothing new or original, but helps to comb out and separate your lashes abit. As for the formula itself, I didn't notice any clumping or flaking, and it was very light on my lashes and left them flexible (although lashes started "grouping" together after additional coats). 

 

Two coats of UD Skyscraper

I also tried Stila's Lash Visor (which is a steal at $12.50). The brush, while large, is nothing to write home about... but this mascara is pretty great. It gave me soft, nicely separated lashes, added a bit of length while holding my natural curl, but was lacking in the pigment department. If you're looking for a nice and defined natural looking lash, Lash Visor is definitely for you. Out of the 2 mascaras, this one comes out ahead in my book. 

 

One coat of Stila Lash Visor

Both mascaras are nice in their own right, but I won't be ditching my all time favorite Kevyn Aucoin mascara just get. Hope this was helpful!

NYX 10 Color Palette Review & Swatches

I own more makeup than I could ever use in a lifetime. Do I use a quarter of it? No. Do I have a place for all of it? No. Will any of that stop me from acquiring more? Of course not. Hell, I just ordered some Lorac lippies on Hautelook this morning... but that's a whole different post. Today, to my absolute pleasure, I recieved my NYX 10 Color palette in Champagne & Caviar AND 3 single shadows in HIGH LITE, BROWN, and MOROCCO.

First off, I LOVE this palette!!! The shadows are sooooo soft & apply creamy. I've heard NYX shadows were pretty nice, but I just never got into the brand, so I was a bit surprised at the quality for the price. As its name suggests, the palette contains 10 coordinating matte and shimmer shadows that can be used to create amazing day, night or smokey looks. I definitely believe this is a palette everyone needs to have in their stash... it contains all the staple shades as far as I am concerned & would work well on ANY skintone. I'm still learning how to create eye looks, but I'll be posting a look using this palette just as soon as my baby lets me... newborns run the show!!! ;-)

The single shadows are just as soft and creamy as the shades in the palette, but I did find that I had to do a bit more building to get the pigmentation you see on the swatches. I really like Brown, it's a great matte shade for blending on deeper skintones. High Light is a nice, warm beige color that would look great as a brow highlight or inner eye brightener. And my FAV so far has to be Morocco, which is this beautiful jewel toned blue... it appears to have some purple shimmer in its undertone... I LOVE it so much.... it brings out the green in my eyes like you wouldn't believe!!!! 

Hope you enjoyed yourselves & the swatches!

*ALL swatches done with NYX jumbo pencil in Milk as base.*

NYX Round Lipstick: Review & Swatches

During the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy, I became suddenly obssessed with lipstick. I've always been a pretty faithful lipgloss girl, but for some reason I found myself wanting to buy lipstick everywhere I went. Now that I have had my daughter and am pretty much homebound until she has her first shots later this month, I've re-discovered the joys of online shopping... and cherryculture.com! After hearing some pretty great things about the Nyx lippies, I decided to give them a second chance (I'd purchased Frappaccino before at Ulta and it was dry, plus the color didn't suit me). SO glad I did, because I am seriously in love with them. I bought 8 shades (all but one fairly neutral), and am pleasantly surprised by how pigmented and creamy they are. They also apply pretty darn even, and at $2.25 each, I will definitely be trying more shades in the very near future. Check out the swatches below.

     

  DOLL

                            

HERADES

TAUPE

URANUS

MARS

STONE

ECHO

                            

CREAMY BEIGE

So far, I am really loving Uranus and Herades. I've also recently purchased Hermes, which I will swatch and add later. Have you tried any of the NYX Round lipsticks? What's your opinion of these?