EOTD: Green & Gold

I was short on time this morning & opted for an eye look in lieu of any other makeup, so I dug out my old UD Book of Shadows and came up with this look... not bad for 6 minutes IMO.

Products Used:

UD Shadows in: Graffiti, Protest and Baked

WnW Vanity Palette (lightest matte color for hi-lite & matte caramel for blending)

Stila All Day Waterproof liner on top lashline

Mark Nowhere to Run liner on waterline

L'Oreal Voluminous Millions Mascara

Here's to having an OUTSTANDING day!

TAG: Products I'm Using Right Now!

Recently, Natalie from Miss Natty's Beauty Diary did a post on the items she currently has in rotation & I thought it was a fun idea... so here we go! LOL

Shampoo: Nexxus ProMend (review coming soon)
Conditioner:  Nexxus ProMend
Treatments: Nexxus ProMend Leave-In & Overnight conditioning treatments

Styling products: Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream, Organic Root Stimulator Edge Control, NYM Kinky Moves Curl Cream
Styling Tools: Boar Hair brush & wide tooth comb for everyday (naturally curly) look, GHD or Brazilian Heat flat irons & Hot Tools 1in curler

Shower Gel:  None, just my ABS  (African black soap) from Nasabb
Body moisturizer: C.Booth Apricot Oil lotion, Burt’s Bees Apricot Oil, Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel (for face)

Deodorant: Secret
Fake Tan: lol None
Cleanser:  NeaClear Liquid Oxygen Wash, ABS

Exfoliator: C.Booth Green Apple Microderm Scrub

Primer: Too Faced Primed & Poreless for liquid foundation or Stila One Step for Mineral
Foundation:  Jane Iredale Loose Base, NARS Sheer Glow, Yaby

Foundation brush:  Sigma retractable flat kabuki for mineral & CS wide flat-top kabuki for liquid

Concealer: L.A Girl pro HD, Milani Secret Cover

Powder: MAC MSF, RR Exhibition pressed powder
Blusher: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: NARS Illuminator

Eyeshadow base: NARS  smudgeproof base
Eyeshadows:  CS 88 Mirage Palette, WnW Vanity palette
Eyeliner: MARK Nowhere to Run, Stila All Day liquid liner/kajal liners
Curler: E.L.F
Mascara:  L’Oreal Voluminous Millions

Brows: Tarte EmphasEYES brow pencil, MARK Nowhere to Run

Lipstick: MAC Underplay or Yash, NYX Antwerp Soft Matte lip cream

Lipgloss: MAC Revealing or Flesh
Nail Colour:  OPI San Tan-tonio

What about you, what's in your beauty rotation? have you tried any of the products mentioned above?

Coastal Scents 88 Mirage Palette: Swatches

After getting a few requests, I decided to sit down and swatch this palette in it's entirety for ya'll. I had some difficulty with the 1st few columns (my own error), so I'll re-swatch and edit later... just wanted to get them up & running ASAP. I truly love this palette, so I hope you enjoy the swatches!!!

**SWATCHED IN COLUMNS ACROSS PALETTE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM (L-R on screen)**

COLUMN A

COLUMN B

COLUMN C

COLUMN D

COLUMN E

 

COLUMN F

COLUMN G

 

COLUMN H

 

COLUMN I

 

COLUMN J

 

COLUMN K 

P.S- Mirage Palette is back in stock, get yours here.

STILA E! Red Carpet Looks palette

I picked this baby up awhile back & am just getting around to posting. There are actually 3 palettes, all of which are gorgeous, but I chose the GLAMOUR GODDESS because it seemed the most useful for me since I like neutral looks for everyday wear, and it came with a liner. Each palette contains 6 shadows, a kitten highlighter & a convertible color + a bonus (either a liner, shadow or gloss depending on the palette choice) for $25. 

I've never picked up a Stila shadow before, and I should have, because they are GREAT! This brand has been surprising me a lot lately, so you'd think I would just stop BSing and get on board already, right? The shadows in this palette are so pigmented, soft and blendable... and they've arranged them in 2 color coordinated looks for you to pull off.

On the inside left of the palette, there is a mirror and instructions on how to create the featured palette look, which I thought was not only cool... but helpful for makeup newbies like myself. The palette itself is fairly thin, and about as tall as your standard memo/address book with a small magnet closure so it's handbag friendly. The look pictured below was done using the 1st two shadows (glitz & on the list) for the signature look and the crease shade (star) for the 2nd look, as I found it created a more natural and subtle look than the dolled up Glamour Goddess. And let me say, I am in LOVE with the waterproof smudgestick in LIONFISH (a deep bronze liner)... I'll have to grab a few more colors to add to my arsenal ;-)

I'd say it's a tremendous value for what you get, and easy/practical to use... so well worth your money to purchase. I'll be going back to Ulta to grab the other two palettes soon, as well as hitting up my local Nordstroms Rack to get a few Stila shadows.

Has anyone tried these E! Red Carpet Palettes? What do you think about them?

NOTD: OPI SAN TAN-TONIO

OPI recently launched their new Texas collection, and it's actually pretty hot! Though I feel alot of the colors are similar to what they already have in their permanent collection or can be easily duped, I did see a few that I want, such as IT'S TOTALLY FORT WORTH IT (a GORGEOUS lavendar/grey sparkle) and GUY MEETS GAL-VESTON (a bright coral), and the one I've already picked up... SAN TAN-TONIO! It's the ULTIMATE nude shade.

OPI describes it as "the perfect honey tan," and they couldn't be more correct. It looks so great on my nails with my skintone, I'd HIGHLY suggest this color for anyone who loves that nude/natural nail look... would look GREAT on all the NC44-50s!

Take a look for yourself & tell me what you think!

** Please excuse the chipped base coat in the photos... It's a week old & I was too excited to remove it and re-apply before adding color LOL

Are you planning on grabbing anything from the TEXAS collection?

EOTD: AUTUMN INSPIRED LOOK (88 MIRAGE PALETTE)

Here's a quick EOTD using the Coastal Scents 88 Mirage Palette. I was inspired by the colors in one of my child's toy cases lol

For Reference: 88 Mirage Palette

Inner/Lid: E6 & D1, Crease/"V": F5 & H1
Highlight: A4

(top) L.A Colors Liquid Liner (brown/black)
(bottom) MARK Nowhere to Run liner
No mascara

Hope you guys enjoyed the look... Have an AMAZING day!!!!

February Birchbox

I'm a few weeks late on this posting, but here it is nonetheless...

This month's Birchbox shipment was actually pretty darn good, containing a few products I'd actually been curious about in recent months. If you're not familiar with Birchbox, it's a great concept: for a mere $10/month you will receive a shipment of 4-5 deluxe makeup samples from various well-known cosmetics brands. You also get a discount on any full size item from the shipment you buy, as well as loyalty points for rating the products that you can in turn save and use to purchase full sized items. How amazing is that!

In my February shipment I received:

I. Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara
II. Befine Exfoliating Brown Sugar Cleanser
III. Nars Orgasm Illuminator
IV. Pomega5 Green Tea Mattifying Moisturizer
V. (bonus) SweetRiot Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs

I've heard so much about the Nars Illuminator in Orgasm, but just never really got myself to give it a go. I've only used this sample a few times, and it's not at all what I expected, yet I really like it. First, it has such a light and smooth texture to it... you can't feel it on at all. It has a light citrus scent, and the color is a nice, peachy-bronze color that it goes well with any skintone. It also doesn't leave any sticky feeling or residue behind, which is an added plus. I'm not sure if I will be buying a full size of this item since I'm not a big user of highlighters/illuminators, but I will surely use this sample up.

Another great item was the Befine Cleanser. Now, I've used a few products from this line, and have been pleased with them all. And I've seen this cleanser in stores and while it sounded lovely, I've stayed away from it (and any other sugar cleanser/scrub) because I HATE the feeling/ residue that they leave on my skin. And while this smells great and actually exfoliates well, it STILL left me with that tacky feeling I dislike from sugar scrubs (no matter how well I wash it off). But if sugar scrubs and cleansers are your thing, this is absolutely something worth investing in.

I'll be doing a more in depth review on the BE Mascara and Pomega5 Moisturizer (excited about this) as I use them. As for the candy, I'm not a fan of dark chocolate, but I'll update once my SO has a taste LOL

Have you subscribed to Birchbox yet? Tried any of the items? I'd love to hear what you think!

RAVE & REVIEW: L.A Girl Pro HD Concealer (cherryculture HAUL)

YES, YES.... YESSSSSSSS! I have found my HG concealer in L.A Girl's Pro HD Concealer... this stuff is down right AMAZING! I recently went and got the Kat Von D concealer, and frankly wasn't too impressed. It had really great coverage, but I found it to be cakey, and fairly drying... plus I had to end up mixing ALMOND & CARAMEL to attempt to find a match... and let's be real, at $25 a piece... I expect for it to be perfect. Needless to say, Kat Von D was a major FAIL for me.

Then , while browsing cherryculture.com during one of their promotions, I saw the L.A Girl pro concealer and decided that at $2.50 a pop I could pick up a few and hopefully find some luck... and I did! First off, the swatches on the site need some work. The colors are pretty off, but the undertones of the shades are pretty correct. I ended up picking up 7 shades to try, totaling $17.50, which is $7.50 cheaper than ONE Kat Von D concealer.

Did I find a match? Yes! How's the coverage? This stuff is so opaque, you only need a little, and it spreads/ blends so easily. As for the texture, it's not runny at all, but also isn't too thick that it applies patchy or dry. Ready for the best part... it lasts ALL DAY!!! ALL.DAMN.DAY.... for only $2.50!!!!

Now, let's talk about how much product you get in L.A Girl compared to Kat Von D. Kat Von D yields .58 oz, while L.A Girl contains .25 oz of product. But when looking at value, although Kat Von D has more than double the product that L.A Girl contains, L.A Girl is clearly the better value. Fact is, you can buy two or three of the L.A Girl concealers to match the product content of the Kat Vond D concealer and STILL come out between $17.50-$20 cheaper than purchasing ONE Kat Von D concealer. And you have 18 color options to choose from, whereas Kat Von D only boasts 8 colors shades.

And out of the 7 shades I picked up, I found a couple dupes for the Kat Von D shades I bought previously! I definitely think this was an amazing buy, and will be picking up a few more in my shade to have on hand, though I feel one tube will last awhile since a little goes a long way.

If anyone is interested, I will be selling the shades that were not a match for $3.50 (shipping incl.). A couple have been opened and swatched 1X, while the rest are unopened and sealed still. The shades being sold are: ALMOND, TOAST, TOFFEE, BEAUTIFUL BRONZE.

I also grabbed a few eyeliners that I'd been eyeing for awhile, but are almost always sold out. I picked up Styli-Style's Bullit Kajal liners in BLACK/BROWN & SOFT BLACK, and Jordana's semi permanent liquid liner in ENDLESS BLACK & NONSTOP CHARCOAL. I was VERY shocked to see how small the Kajal liners were... smaller than my pinky finger, but it's ALL product. And trust me when I say a LITTLE is all you need. I simply DOT (not glide) it on in a few places since it's so soft & smudge or blend to cover the entire lashline. I have not tried the Jordana liners yet, so I'll have to do another review once I've tried them a few times.

If you guys want a few swatches of these items or anymore info, leave me a comment.

Hope you enjoyed!
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EOTD: ROSE GOLD & OLIVE LOOK USING THE 88 MIRAGE PALETTE

I received my Mirage palette from Coastal Scents a few days ago, and have been in absolute LOVE with it since I opened the package! It is so much more beautiful in person... photos truly do it no justice. I checked the site a few days ago and this palette was sold out, but they will be restocking by the end of this month, and I STRONGLY suggest you pick this palette up... it's THAT great! Beyond a shadow of a doubt, THIS is my favorite palette... EVER! It contains a nice mix of matte, satin and shimmer colors, and ALL have excellent payoff. If you guys want to see swatches of the palette then let me know and I'll try to set some time aside to make that happen.

Anyways, here's a simple look I did using the Coastal Scents 88 Mirage Palette. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the lid color is a GORGEOUS pinkish-gold! I was asked if you can skip this if you already have the Metal Mania palette, and honestly, I'd say HELL NO!!! This palette has so many wonderful colors that you cannot find in the metals palette (like the deeper greens,purples,and blues) as well as some that are close in shade, and the finishes of a lot of them give you the same effect. So really, if it comes down to choosing, I say go for the Mirage Palette... unless you're recession proof and can swing them both LOL

And now that my initial review is done... on to the look!

For Reference: 88 Mirage Palette

On Lid: D8, Crease: I5 & I6, Browbone: E2

To highlight I used the matte cream shade from the W&W Vanity palette
To deepen the crease I used my Palladio Herbal Shadow in Black Onyx
I used Stila All Day waterproof liner on the top lashline &
MARK Nowhere to Run liner in Jet Set (lightly) for the bottom lashline and
topped the look off with Voluminous Millions Mascara

Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*All products were paid for by ME for my own personal use*

FOTN: Purple & Coral look

In the spirit of trying new endeavors, I've decided to give it a go at posting my very 1st EVER Face of the Day/Night!!! Tonight happened to be the birthday of the man who gave me the greatest gift ever (my child ;-D), and since he's into more natural looks, I kept the look pretty soft and focused on the eyes using mainly purple & coral shadows from my coastal scents 88 palette.

For reference

Products Used:
Revlon Camera Ready Foundation
Rock & Republic Exhibition Pressed Powder
Milani Secret Cover Concealer
MAC Gingerly Blush
Coastal Scents 88 Palette: A6, I2- I5, K7
ELF waterproof liner pen
L'Oreal Voluminous Millions Mascara
MAC Oak liner
MAC Revealing lipglass



Hope you guys enjoyed the look!

VOTE for ME: Black Opal True Beauty Contest

Hey everyone! If you haven't already heard, Black Opal is hosting their True Beauty contest until Feb. 28th!!! Why is this important? Well, besides being a leader in the cosmetic industry for WOC, they are giving one lucky woman the opportunity to be the face of their new campaign, an all expenses paid professional shoot in NY a $20,000 college scholarship as well as a year's worth of Black Opal products.

What can you do to help? That's easy... I need you to VOTE for me!!! And it's easy, simply go to Black Opal's website, register (which will take all of 30 seconds), and cast your VOTE for ME! You can vote ONCE a DAY, EVERYDAY, so don't forget to go back and vote for me... and tell your friends too!

I'm kind of going out on a limb by submitting my entry, but life's about taking chances... you can't expect to do great things if you're too scared to make a move, right? So, if you'd be so inclined as to go here and register, and click HERE to vote for me, I will truly appreciate it. And if you're interested, enter yourself... you never know what can happen :-)

Remember, you can VOTE once a day, everyday until Feb. 28, 2011

Thank you for taking the time to support me, and good luck to anyone else who have entered!

CoastalScents 88 Mirage Palette

So.... I just got around to checking my emails and saw one from coastal scents advertising their new 88 Mirage palette. Upon first glance, I was smitten. It's full of deep, rich jewel and earth tones.... in all honesty, this is probably their best palette to date. Needless to say, I bought this baby! They will be on sale for $21.95 through midnight EST on 2/7/2011 so I'd suggest you pick it up by then if this tickles your fancy, otherwise it'll jump up a few dollars to it's reg. price of $24.95

Look for a review and swatches/photos  later in the week...