Saturday, March 24, 2012

Guam Beauty News: Beauty Bar opens at Micronesia Mall

Beautybar.com.ph
The other day my mom and I decided to have lunch at Denny's which happens to be connected to the Micronesia Mall. After we ate we decided to go search for the new GAP store that we had heard was going to open up soon.

As we were strolling along searching for it I suddenly came across a bright, glowing store in front of me called Beauty Bar. My eyes lit up as I looked inside and noticed the Japonesque makeup brushes located on the wall on the right. My eyes quickly started darting around the store in excitement and then I noticed a whole wall full of Burt's Bees products on the left and a Palladio table of products in the center. I probably looked like a kid in a candy shop considering how excited I was! I started browsing around to see what else they had and was pleasantly surprised to find a table full of theBalm products, a wall full of Juice Beauty products, a section of Prestige products, as well as some brands I had never heard of such as Youngblood, Supergoop!, Artdeco, and Koh Gen Do

The store is bright, clean, and well organized and the workers were friendly. They have a long vanity table and mirror with about three benches on each side in the center of the store. I guess it's there so you can try on products which I think is really fun and creative.

The store carries makeup, makeup brushes, nail tools, skincare and hair products. The prices looked to be similar to stateside prices which is nice because prices are often high here in Guam, especially for imported items. I especially love that they carry many brands that I haven't been able to find in Guam until now (and trust me, I've looked!).

Beauty Bar is a Philippines based store. Their website only ships items to addresses in the Philippines but I am sooo glad that they decided to open  up a store here! I'm sure I will be going back!

Friday, March 23, 2012

K-Mart Haul: Makeup I Found on Sale!

Hello loves! 

Last week I stopped by the K-Mart here in Guam because I have been on a long-time treasure hunt for the Maybelline Color Tattoos. Unfortunately, they hadn't restocked them and only had the orange & green colors which I don't want. :( I thought it was a failed trip until I found a bunch of Revlon stuff marked down super low! Score! I picked up one of everything because it was all less than $1 each. I'm not sure if these items are still available but I have a feeling they may not be since they were so cheap. :/ But I thought I'd share my finds with you all anyway! You gotta love a sale, right? :) (Oh & my search for Color Tattoos continues...) 

Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Vintage: This polish is a cool-toned berry shade. I haven't tried it out yet but I think I will tonight!

Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Vintage

Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Vintage

Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Vintage


Revlon Double Twist Mascara: I haven't tried this out yet but the brush is very unique as it has half regular bristles and half plastic bristles.

Revlon Double Twist Mascara in Black

Close-up of Revlon Double Twist Mascara brush

Close-up of Revlon Double Twist Mascara brush


Revlon Eyeshadows: I was pleasantly surprised by how pigmented these shadows are; they aren't the most pigmented shadows ever but they aren't sheer either.
  • 015 Shimmering Sienna: A warm bronze with a satin finish.
  • 025 Peacock Lustre: Teal with a satin finish.
  • 035 Glistening Snow: White with lots of tiny silver shimmer specks (more powdery than the other colors).
  • 030 Platinum Glimmer: A cool-toned metallic gunmetal gray.
 
015 Shimmering Sienna & 025 Peacock Lustre

015 Shimmering Sienna

025 Peacock Lustre

035 Glistening Snow & 030 Platinum Glimmer

035 Glistening Snow

030 Platinum Glimmer

015 Shimmering Sienna,  035 Glistening Snow, 030 Platinum Glimmer, 025 Peacock Lustre

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

2 Mini Makeup Hauls + First Impressions + Swatches

Hey lovely readers! :) I recently took pictures of two small hauls from the NEX and from K-Mart which are both here in Guam. I decided to combine both hauls because they would have been so short by themselves! So far I'm loving everything I purchased aside from the mascara which I haven't opened yet (I have way too many mascaras open at the moment so I need to use them up! If you're a mascara addict like myself, then you know how that goes! lol!). Anyway, here's what all I got...  

NEX Haul

Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Tutti Frutti & Cherry Tart

Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara: I haven't opened this product yet so I can't comment on it, although I am very intrigued by the brush!

Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara (close up of the brush) 

Swatches of Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in 015 Tutti Frutti & 070 Cherry Tart

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters 015 Tutti Frutti & 070 Cherry Tart

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: This is a bright yet sheer orange that can be worn sheer or built up for a more opaque look like my swatch above. It's not 100% opaque like a lipstick would be so I think it's a perfect choice for someone who wants to try out a bright color but is a little unsure about something too bright. My lips are pigmented so this doesn't show up as the true orange that you see in the swatch. It ends up being almost a coral/orangy red. So pretty and perfect for Spring & Summer! These aren't long lasting so you will have to reapply throughout the day. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter 015 Tutti Frutti

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart: I think this is the perfect color for anyone who is intimidated to wear red lipstick but secretly wants to try it. It gives a sheer wash of red that reminds me of the effect of eating red candy or drinking red Kool-aid. It's moisturizing and slightly glossy so it feels really nice on the lips. It's not long lasting so it will have to be reapplied throughout the day. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter 070 Cherry Tart


K-Mart Haul

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balms in Caring Coral & Nourishing Nude, ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips, ELF Hypershine Lipgloss in Flirt


Swatches of L'Oreal Colour Riche Balms in 418 Caring Coral & 818 Nourishing Nude

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm 418 Caring Coral & 818 Nourishing Nude

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral: This balm gives your lips the slightest wash of a peachy/coral color that looks really natural. It's glossy but not as much as an actual lipgloss and is super moisturizing. I love these because they enhance the natural color of my lips.These seem to get bad ratings because people compare them to Revlon Lip Butters and obviously these are nowhere near as pigmented. However, I really don't think they're meant to be. These are essentially tinted lip balms which aren't meant to be deeply pigmented. These are sheer and very wearable.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm 418 Caring Coral

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Nourishing Nude: This balm gives your lips a sheer wash of pinky nude. It's really pretty and is also extremely moisturizing and enhances your natural lip color. For me it's that "your lips but better" shade.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm 818 Nourishing Nude

Swatches of ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips & ELF Hypershine Lipgloss in Flirt

ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips: I wouldn't call this a lipstick by any means simply because it's not as pigmented as a lipstick. It is definitely more of a lipgloss and has is a sheer nude-pink color. It feels a bit thick on the lips but not too sticky. I don't mind the feeling but if you don't like thick lipglosses then you won't like how this feels at all. It applies by twisting the bottom so that the product comes out onto the fuzzy angled applicator.

ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips (fuzzy angled applicator)

ELF Hypershine Lipgloss in Flirt: This lipgloss is a really pretty medium pink. This gloss doesn't feel as thick as the Liquid Lipstick but is still a bit heavy but not overly sticky. It applies by twisting the bottom so that the product comes out into a soft lip brush. 

ELF Hypershine Lipgloss in Flirt (brush)

I hope this info was helpful to you all. I'm really enjoying every single one of these lip products and have been wearing one of the six every single day. I will eventually post a review on the mascara once I open it up. Take care everyone & leave a comment if you have a question about any of these products! :) 

*All items from the NEX were gifts. 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day NOTD & EOTD

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE! 

Hope you all have fun today/tonight! Please be safe and don't drink & drive! 

Just wanted to make a quick post showing you all my St. Patrick's nails! :) 

St. Patrick's NOTD using Revlon Emerald City and Nicole by OPI The Next CEO

Revlon Emerald City
 
Revlon Emerald City
Nicole by OPI The Next CEO
 
Nicole by OPI The Next CEO

St. Patrick's EOTD

EOTD Products: 
-ELF Primer 
-MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study 
-all eyeshadows (gold, medium green, dark green, beige) from a Sephora palette
-L'Oreal Voluminous mascara
-Maybelline Colossal mascara 
-L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Green

Friday, March 16, 2012

Beauty News: Sephora previews Sephora + Pantone Universe limited edition collection on the web

In February I posted an announcement by Sephora and Pantone which they released in December of 2011 saying that they would be collaborating to create a limited edition collection centered around the 2012 "Color of the Year" Tangerine Tango. The collection, titled Sephora + Pantone Universe, is now available to view on the Sephora website but isn't available for purchase quite yet. However now is great time to start checking out what you may want to purchase once the items are accessible! The pictures below are the first 12 items that were viewable but they have added more items including a compact mirror, a feather hair clip, a body kabuki brush, and a lip stain, among other items which can all be viewed here.

Color of the Year Creme Lipstick $18, Color of the Year Lipgloss Set $20, Tangerine Tango Brush Set $68



Color of the Year Prisma Chrome Blush Apricot Brandy $16, Color of the Year Collector's Edition Set $68, Color of the Year Eyeliner Set $22
Color of the Year Nail Enamel Set $24, Color of the Year Eyeshadow Quad $28, Tangerine Tango Eyelash Curler $18
Tangerine Tango Faux Lash Set $28, Color of the Year Blush Duo $26, Tangerine Tango Makeup Bag $28
The first item to catch my eye was the Faux Lash Set. I think these feathery lashes are so glamourous and unique (although I'd probably never wear them.. lol)! I am loving the Creme Lipstick, the Lipgloss Set and the Brush Set and would probably consider purchasing these items. But honestly I love almost everything in this collection! I think the Tangerine Tango color is so stunning and fashionable. The only thing I don't love is the orange eyeliner but I suppose it could always be worn as a lipliner, right?

Anyway, what are you loving and/or hating? Will you be purchasing anything from this collection? Let me know! :)

xoxo,
Bekah


*Original images courtesy of www.sephora.com, editing done by yours truly ;) 

Monday, March 12, 2012

Collective Haul & First Impressions (with swatches)

I decided to do another haul post since I've picked up quite a few new items over the past few weeks. Most are items that my mom purchased for me at the NEX (Navy Exchange) here on the Navy Base in Guam. She knows I love makeup so she usually grabs a few random items for me every time she shops. Isn't she sweet?! I got the Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask and the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss a store here called SM. The Dream Bouncy Blush is from K-Mart (Fun random fact: supposedly the K-Mart here in Guam is the largest one in the world!). Now on to my first impressions! 

Collective Haul from NEX, K-Mart, & SM (all in Guam)


Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 170 Coral Reef: I had been lusting over this beautiful bright coral lipgloss that definitely leans towards the orange side of the coral color range. I finally purchased it and just as I expected, I loved it at first swatch! :) Then I fell deeper in love the first time I wore it which was actually just yesterday. The consistency of this lipgloss is so perfect because it's not too slippery but not too sticky and it lasts for quite a long time on your lips!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 170 Coral Reef
Swatch of Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 170 Coral Reef

NYC City Duet 2-in-1 in 430 The Rock A Fellas: This lipstick is so unique and fun because as you can see in the photo below, it contains two colors! One side is a bright cherry pink and the other side is a lighter peachy pink. Each side is creamy and opaque. This lipstick is super cool because you can use each color alone or wear both colors mixed together. That's like a 3-in-1 lipstick which I think is awesome! :) I'm so surprised that I haven't seen more blogs and/or Youtube videos talking about these!

NYC City Duet 2-in-1 in 430 The Rock A Fellas
Swatches of NYC City Duet 2-in-1 in 430 The Rock A Fellas

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral: These blushes received tons of hype when they first came out because of their unique squishy consistency. Although they quickly received less than satisfactory reviews, I wanted to try one out for myself. I've been on a coral kick lately so I decided to try out Candy Coral. I admit, the consistency is very intriguing! When you press down on the blush it squishes just like Play-doh! However, as you can see in the swatch below the pigmentation isn't spectacular at all. The first time I wore it I applied it with a stippling brush thinking it would apply heavily like most cream blushes. Wrong! I ended up having to build up the color quite a bit to get it to show up. It gives a nice, natural glow to the cheeks but personally I've found that I like to use it as a base layered with a coral-colored powder blush on top.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 30 Candy Coral
Swatch of Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 30 Candy Coral

Wet n Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles in Trashed and Stagedive: Trashed is a black with lots of tiny silver glitters and Stagedive is a royal blue with lots of tiny silver glitters. Both eyeshadows are very pigmented but Trashed is a bit more pigmented than Stagedive. Both are a nice consistency and aren't overly powdery. Both came with a mini Color Icon Eyeliner in Black which is a pretty good eyeliner. I tested out the eyeliner a couple days ago and it applied smoothly (although it's not the smoothest I've ever used) and is opaque. I'm excited to experiment with these eyeshadows but I can tell that there is going to be a lot of glitter fall-out based on how they swatched on my hand. 

Shimmer Single in Trashed, mini Color Icon Eyeliners in Black, and Shimmer Single in Stagedive
Swatches (no primer) of Trashed (top), Stagedive (middle), & Eyeliner in Black (bottom)

Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Kit for Browns: This eyeshadow trio contains a metallic bronze, a shimmery taupy-purple, and a champagne with tiny specks of golden shimmer. This color combination is supposed to enhance brown eyes. I must say, these are surprisingly more pigmented than I expected. I wouldn't say they are the most pigmented shadows ever but they definitely aren't too sheer. I haven't worn the bronze or taupe on my eyes yet, but I wore the champagne color yesterday and it was subtle yet pretty and showed up better on my eyelids than it did in the swatch on my forearm below. I think all three colors are gorgeous; not a bad little trio!

Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Kit for Browns
Swatches (no primer) of Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Kit for Browns

L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Green: This short, chubby little eyeliner is so cute! I like that it comes with its own sharpener since not everyone owns a large pencil sharpener. It's a very dark forest green that almost appears black. I haven't worn it on my eyes yet so I'm not sure how it wears. It applied somewhat smoothly on my hand but I've definitely used smoother eyeliners. I like that when you tilt it and swipe it on its side, it applies a thicker line. I think I'll have fun experimenting with this little guy!

L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Green (sharpener included)
L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Green
Swatches of L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Green

NYC Individual Eyes 938 Union Square Created for Brown Eyes: This palette struck me as unique because it contains an illuminator (aka highlighter) and an eyeshadow primer, both of which aren't very common to find in drugstores. The illuminator is a shimmery white cream that seems like it would look too white if used on the cheekbones but I think it would work well as a brow highlight. It may even work well as an eyeshadow base but I'll have to test it out. The primer is a creamy nude color that almost seems like a super sheer concealer. It would be nice to know that a drugstore brand has a decent primer, but we'll see how it works out. The actual eyeshadows are decently pigmented (not the best but not the worst). There is a deep plum purple with slight silver shimmer, a metallic bronze, a matte light brown, and a light beige with a pearly sheen.

NYC Individual Eyes 938 Union Square
Swatches (no primer) of NYC Individual Eyes 938 Union Square

Wet n Wild Color Icon 248 Lust Palette: I heard the 6-pan Wet n Wild palettes were getting discontinued so I had to snatch this one up. Plus, it's full of MAC dupes which is always fun. It contains three matte shades on the left: a pale pink (dupe for MAC Yogurt), a purple plum (dupe for MAC Fig.1), and a super dark purple that almost appears dark gray or black (dupe for MAC Shadowy Lady). On the right side there are three shimmery shades: an off white with tiny silver specks (dupe for MAC Vanilla), a dark metallic blue (dupe for MAC Knight Divine), and a black with purple shimmer (dupe for MAC Beauty Marked). All the shades are gorgeous and have amazing pigmentation. If you see one in your drugstores I recommend that you grab one before they're gone forever.

Wet n Wild 248 Lust Palette
Swatches (no primer) of Wet n Wild 248 Lust Palette

Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask: I've used this cleanser about three times since I purchased it and I absolutely love the cooling effect it has on my skin! It contains menthol so it feels cool and refreshing. It's creamy and has a nice lather which I wasn't expecting. I'm not trying to exaggerate but it feels quite luxurious! The active ingredient is Benzoyl Peroxide which is why I purchased it because Benzoyl Peroxide seems to work very well to keep my occasional acne at bay. I also purchased it as a blackhead treatment so I hope it turns out to be successful. Blackheads can be such a pain! I haven't tried it out as a mask yet but I like that it's a 2-in-1 product because in my opinion that makes it a better value.  

Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask 4.2 Fl. Oz.
Blob of Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask

I hope you all found this information to be helpful! 

Have you tried out any of these products? Do you love them or hate them? Let me know!

Also, leave a comment if you want to see a more in-depth review of any of these products. 

Take care loves! :)

xoxo, 
Bekah