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

ELF Haul & First Impressions

A little over a month ago I had $40 that I wanted to spend specifically on makeup so I decided to order some ELF products online that I had been wanting to try out. I ended up ordering on a day when the ELF website was having free shipping which was awesome! You gotta love all the sales that ELF has! They are always offering amazing deals. It took a while to get my package (about 4 weeks!) but I suppose that's to be expected since I'm all the way in Guam. However most companies get their packages here within 1-2 weeks so I'd say my only complaint about ELF is their slow shipping. Here's what I ended up with & my first impressions of the items. 

What I ordered: Nine Studio blushes, a Studio Cream Eyeliner in Copper, a Studio Matte Lip Color in Coral, two Studio Conditioning Lip Balms in Peaceful Pink and Mellow Melon, and an Essential Duo Eye Shadow Cream in Butter Pecan.

Studio blushes: So far I really love every single one of the Studio blushes! They are super pigmented and really gorgeous colors! I will definitely be doing a follow up post reviewing each color & posting clearer photos of each one. 

Studio Conditioning Lip Balms in Peaceful Pink and Mellow Melon: So far I've worn each color once. They feel smooth on the lips and are not sticky at all. They are also pretty well pigmented which I enjoy because the colors are so pretty. My only complaint is that they seem to have a tingling sensation that was a bit annoying, like the feeling of a plumping lip gloss with cinnamon in it. These don't state that they are for plumping so I thought maybe it was just a weird reaction I was having. I had my mom try them out and she felt the tingling too. It's not painful or anything but does feel a bit strange.

Studio Matte Lip Color in Coral: So far I've only swatched this so I'm not sure how it wears on the lips yet. The color is a lot more "nude" than "coral" though but I still like it. 

Studio Cream Eyeliner in Copper: I've worn this once so far and I liked it a lot! It's very creamy but it's definitely more of a "bronze" color than a "copper."

Essential Duo Eye Shadow Cream in Butter Pecan: I haven't worn this yet on my eyes but when I swatched it on my hand I could already tell that it seems like it's going to be a miss. It's barely pigmented at all. I find this disappointing because when I looked at swatches online before I ordered it, it appeared much more pigmented than mine does. Maybe I'm not applying enough of it. I'm not sure yet so I'll have to test it out more. 

I'm having lots of fun testing out my new stuff! Have you tried any of these products? How did you like them? :)

February Favorites 2012

Well, another month has flown by which means it's time for me to share my favorites with you all! Enjoy! 

Bekah's February Favorites for 2012!

ELF Little Black Beauty Book Volume 1

ELF Little Black Beauty Book Volume 1: I've had this product for 4-5 months but recently I have been grabbing for it constantly. I love all the neutral colors it has so it's always easy to create a quick yet pretty eye look for the daytime. Some shadows are better pigmented than others but I find that most of them work quite well. A few of the colors are more powdery than others so I tend to avoid those but all in all this little book is super convenient! 

OPI Matte Nail Envy & OPI It's My Year

OPI Matte Nail Envy Nail Strengthener: I originally purchased this with the intentions of of using it as a matte topcoat over other nail polishes, but quickly realized that it's not as matte as I was hoping for or expecting (it has more of a satin finish that resembles the natural sheen of your bare nails). I will continue my hunt for a matte topcoat but I found that this works as a great base coat. It really seems to help my nail polishes stay on a bit longer. I can't say whether it has strengthened my nails because I honestly haven't noticed a difference. (Warning! After purchasing this I found out it has formaldehyde in the ingredients. This doesn't frighten me enough to toss it out, but I will not be repurchasing this product.)

OPI It's My Year (Miss Universe Collection): This gorgeous color instantly caught my eye. At first glance it looks purple but it contains tons of the tiniest copper/bronze shimmer specks (the photo above really doesn't do it justice!). When worn on the nails it usually appears purple but when you tilt your hands (especially in the sun) it sometimes appears as if it magically changes into a copper polish. The purple base is somewhat sheer but 2 coats will make the polish opaque on your nails. The only thing I didn't like about this polish was that it stained my nails, even with one coat of base coat, and that hadn't happened to me in years. So make sure you double up on your base coat!

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF 15

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF 15 Light/Medium

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF15 in Light/Medium: I found this tube in my mom's bathroom and she said I could take it since she was trying out a new makeup. After only wearing it a few times I found that it felt really good on my skin. It's not super moisturizing which I don't need since my skin is oily and I live in a super hot/humid climate. I like how it sinks into my skin and doesn't look shiny. It provides sheer coverage which I don't mind because anything too heavy in this climate just melts and rubs off anyway. (Unfortunately this product has been discontinued although I believe Clinique sells new formulas.)

Covergirl 415 Siren, Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Pop, Wet n Wild 514A Cherry Frost

Covergirl 415 Siren (top), Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Pop (middle), Wet n Wild 514A Cherry Frost (bottom)

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 415 Siren: This poor lipstick hadn't seen any love from me since last summer so I decided to pull it out and start using it again. It's such a fun, bright, beautiful pink that is perfect as we begin to transition into wearing Spring colors.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Pop: This lipgloss makes a perfect partner for my Covergirl Siren lipstick! It also looks great alone because the color shows up really opaque. It's definitely buildable so you can wear it very sheer or build it up to be opaque like the swatch above.

Wet n Wild in 514A Cherry Frost: This is my absolute favorite red lipstick. It is a true cherry red (I wish it didn't show up as magenta-ish in the swatch above! The photo of the lipstick in the tube is much more true to color.). It has tiny gold micro-glitter specks but it's not noticeable on your lips whatsoever (so don't be afraid if you don't like glitter). I love the cool tone of this red because it makes your teeth appear super white!

Nail Polish Remover Pads in Jasmin

Nail Polish Remover Pads in Jasmin: I found this at a gift shop at the Micronesia Mall here in Guam and wow wow wow these little things work amazingly! What I thought was cool is that they don't contain alcohol or acetone which we all know are damaging ingredients for our nails. They have an oily consistency and take off nail polish sooo easily! And smell amazing! They are made by Natural Products and can be found here. I believe they can also be found on Amazon.com.

Top 5 Oscar 2012 Makeup Looks

The red carpet was filled with barely there, "naked" makeup looks this year and bright red lips were popular as well. I honestly didn't see one look that I didn't like but I wanted to narrow it down to five so here are my favorite makeup looks! 

#1 Emma Stone

Not everyone is daring enough to match their lips to their dress and their cheeks to their eyeshadow but Emma broke both "rules" flawlessly! Her face is glowing!  

#2 Shailene Woodley 

I am absolutely loving bronze/brown eyeshadow lately and I adore how Shailene's smokey eye makeup lights up her light brown eyes. 

#3 Rose Byrne 

Rose had sultry, dark smokey eyes and beautiful peachy nude lips and pulled it off perfectly.

#4 Jennifer Lopez

It wasn't until I looked at photos after I watched the Oscars that I really noticed Jennifer's 60's-esque eye makeup. This classy retro look seems to be showing up more and more.

#5 Rooney Mara 

I am in love with Rooney's porcelain-like complexion and I think she pulled off the neutral eye with bright red lip combo exquisitely. 

Beauty News: Sephora creates limited edition collection with Pantone

"Tangerine Tango" Swatch

Every season Pantone, a company that has created a standardized collection of colors, releases a new list of colors as a forecast of which colors will be popular in industries such as fashion, cosmetics, home design, textiles and paint.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Pantone will be teaming up with Sephora this year to create a limited edition cosmetics collection primarily featuring the Spring 2012 color “tangerine tango” (aka Pantone 17-1463 TCX) which is said to be the “it” color of Spring/Summer 2012.

The Sephora website refers to “tangerine tango” as, “…juicy, vibrant orange marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

Women’s Wear Daily says that if all goes well, Pantone will continue with future collections for Sephora. The collection is scheduled to launch in March. Products will sell for $18 to $80.

I am looking forward to bright colors this Spring, especially to wear on my lips. This collection seems to be right up my alley and I can’t wait to see what they come out with. "Tangerine tango" lipstick or nail polish would be perfect! 

Spring 2012 Nail Polish Trends

It may not quite be Spring yet, but all the Spring clothing and beauty collections are popping up which means fun new colors and trends to immerse ourselves in! I particularly love following nail polish trends because it is such an affordable way to be "in" every season. But even if you don't like following trends, new nail polish colors are always fun regardless! Here are some of the main colors you will be seeing on nails this Spring. 

Nudes & neutrals: Think light beige shades that are similar to the color of your skin tone, creamy whites, super light grays, and pale pinks.

(OPI Samoan Sand, Deborah Lippmann Amazing Grace, Essie Chinchilly, Sephora by OPI The Way Tutu His Heart)

 

Creamy neons: The new neons have white added to them which makes them appear much more creamy than the typical neons you might be used to.

 (Essie Orange, It's Obvious, OPI Did It On 'Em, China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic, American Apparel Neon Blue) 

Glitter: While glitter isn't exactly a new trend, it's now showing up in tons of fun new colors and shapes and sizes.

 (Essie A Cut Above, American Apparel Supernova, OPI Save Me, China Glaze Techno) 

Pastels: Pastels are always a Spring staple and the "it" pastel this year is definitely pistachio green. You'll also be seeing light, buttery yellows and pretty lavenders.

 (Essie Navigate Her, RGB Vellum, Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy) 

Reds: Reds ranging from burgundy to true red to fire engine red are hot and are even hotter when you match them with your red lipstick!

 (Chanel April, Butter London Come To Bed Red, Essie Ole Caliente) 

January Favorites 2012

I can't believe January is over already! I hope you all had a great month & are sticking to your new years resolutions! Here are some of my favorite makeup products from this past month. Enjoy & let me know what your favorites were!

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium: I wasn’t sure what all the hype was about a face powder. Powder is powder, right? That’s what I thought too until I gave in and tried out MAC’s infamous “MSFN.” And let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. When I first applied this powder I thought, “Hmm I can’t even see it...” But then I noticed the light coverage and the way my skin just looked naturally pretty. Then it dawned on me, maybe you’re not supposed to see the powder on your face! Hmm, what a concept! I mean, isn’t that a girl’s number one complaint about powder? No one wants to have a powdery film on their face. That is what is so amazing about this product; it offers light coverage and mattifies while allowing the subtle sheen of your natural skin to shine through. 
•  Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose: I admit it, the claim that this blush could “boost your mood” was intriguing to me. I’m not really sure how it could do that, but it definitely doesn’t work. I figured it wouldn’t but honestly the cute packaging, floral scent and beautiful glowy rosy pink color boosts my mood regardless! I love that it’s a darker shade of pink than I would usually wear which looks really pretty in Fall/Winter for that rosy glow as if you’ve just been outside on a crisp, cold day.

• Rimmel London Lasting Finish blush in Summer Fever: This blush quickly caught my eye because of its three stripes of color. I usually swirl all three colors together on a brush (each stripe is a little too small to apply individually) and I love the plum color is gives my cheeks. However, unlike what the name implies, I think it’s much more of a Fall/Winter shade. 
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30: This is a little pot of magic! No lie, it’s the best concealer I’ve ever tried because of its amazing full coverage. It’s also long lasting so you don’t have to worry about it rubbing off during the day. Some people don’t like to use it under their eyes since it’s a thick concealer, but I find that as long as you warm it up with your fingers that it is possible to use under your eyes. I don’t know how I ever survived without this!
  

• MAC Eye Shadow in Satin Taupe: I had been admiring this color for such a long time so I finally gave in and purchased it. It applies so softly that it’s almost creamy rather than powdery, it’s highly pigmented, has a lovely metallic sheen and is simply the most beautiful shade of taupe I’ve ever seen. 
• L’Oreal Paris Double Extend Eye Illuminator Eyeliner in Black Emerald: I typically don’t branch out from my trusty black eyeliner, but this dark forest green is the perfect baby step to trying out a colored eyeliner. It applies smoothly and is darkly pigmented. And I love me a 2-in-1 product! The other end is a creamy off-white that can be used on the inner corner of your eyes or on your waterline to make your eyes really pop and look wide awake. 

• Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Water Resistant in Very Black: This is my favorite mascara ever! It volumizes, separates, and lengthens my lashes and is super dark black. What more could a girl want in a mascara? I didn’t mean to buy the waterproof formula but I actually don’t mind it because it’s not hard to remove at all. I didn’t think I’d like the fat, short bristled brush but surprisingly it applies the product really well. I haven’t had any clumping or flaking issues either.

• Mary Kay Vanilla Mint Hand Cream: I’m not much of a hand cream kind of girl but I gave this one a try since I got it for Christmas. It’s such a velvety soft cream and is super moisturizing. I love applying it onto my hands at night. It feels expensive and luxurious and the yummy, minty vanilla scent relaxes me and makes me fall straight to sleep.

• Nicole by OPI in The Next CEO: This nail polish is a combination of ultra fine gold and silver glitter but shows up as a beautiful metallic gold. It’s not your typical yellow gold which is what I like about it since it comes off almost as a champagne color because of the silver mixed in. I love the short, thick brush which makes application so much easier than with a typical flimsy nail polish brush. I usually apply 2 coats but 3 coats would make it 100% opaque.

• Petites Color Fever in Peach Blush: I purchased this color because it instantly reminded me of my beloved Nars Orgasm blush! It’s a peachy pink with a pearly sheen of champagne-gold. It applies a bit streaky at first but after a second or third coat it looks fine.

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