Nails: Revlon Midnight Sparkle Swatches + Review

December 6, 2012 By StephanieLouise 625Leave a Comment2012-12-06+19%3A11%3A00StephanieLouise

So I showed you Brilliant Bordeaux earlier & this is the 2nd of the 3 I’m putting up today. I loved this color & then I got a bit of “haven’t I seen this before somewhere?” Yes, I think I did. I adore Polish Insomniac & recently I was lurking her Top 20 Nail Polish list & spied Deborah Lippman’s Lady Sings the Blues.

I don’t think it is DEAD ON but it definitely gives me the same look & I’m quite happy with the under $5 price tag. This is so incredibly opaque that you only need 2 thin coats. I used 2 for more glitter. I disected it a bit & found that the glitter is indeed silver & not a light blue or anything. It won’t show up silver though because the inky blue is so…inky!

Revlon Midnight Sparkle: An inky navy base with silver small glitter & silver medium glitter.

You can see from Polish Insomniac’s swatches of Deborah Lippman’s Lady Sings the Blues that it isn’t a dead on dupe because that one is a jelly. This dries super fast, probably because it is so thin & pigmented. I didn’t add top coat but if you did, that would make these two even more similar I think!

I think this is positively perfect for the winter season, almost like a dark skyline. This just goes on perfectly. Love. Although it is definitely the least flashy of the 3 I’m showing you today, I think it is super wearable!

What do you think? Love it or leave it? What do you think of it in comparison to the Deborah Lippman?

Nails: Revlon Brilliant Bordeaux Swatches + Review

December 6, 2012 By StephanieLouise 626Leave a Comment2012-12-06+14%3A56%3A00StephanieLouise

So today I’m goign to be posting the 3 AMAZING Revlon glitters I picked up from ULTA awhile back. I hauled those here on my Instagram…you really should follow me because I compulsively buy things. I haven’t seen much about these which has me confused…they’re pretty much the most original glitters I’ve seen released in ages. I’ll be posting the other 2 (one of them possibly being a Lippman dupe & the other being my favorite-ist!) so stay tuned for those!

Revlon Brilliant Bordeaux- A grey base with black micro glitter, purple micro glitter, thin purple bar glitter (I call these wispies because they’re so thin!), & holo bar glitter.

This isn’t super dense so I put it over Sally Hansen Thinking of Blue. This is one medium coat. This doesn’t have spectacular coverage but I actually like it because you can see the shade underneath. I can’t wait to put it over a lime green or teal. I think it would look great over black as well but I wanted you to be able to see the black micro glitter!

What do you think of this color? Love it? Have you seen this anywhere? I’ve only spotted it at ULTA!

Beauty Box 5 for November 2012

December 5, 2012 By StephanieLouise 627Leave a CommentBeauty+Box+5+for+November+20122012-12-05+20%3A20%3A00StephanieLouise

So sorry about the lateness! Beauty Box 5 arrived a week ago but I didn’t have a card to go with it. I did get one sent to me through e-mail & have tried everything in my box so I am now ready to share! For those who don’t know, Beauty Box 5 is a monthly beauty based subscription box. For price breakdowns, check out Beauty Box 5‘s website because you can snag some sweet deals.

Again, this box had a nice mix of products including some full-sized products.

Swagger Eyeshadow: I didn’t know where this eyeshadow was from (clearly) & now I know it is from Swagger. It doesn’t have a shade or label on it so I have no idea what shade it is. What I DO know is that it is very pretty! This shimmery taupe is a nice addition to my collection & had nice pigmentation. I might even check out some more from the brand.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion: Like I said in the video, I had never tried this before! I full admit to being SICK sick sick & I can’t smell anything so I have no idea about the scent. It honestly didn’t blow me away but it is kind of hard to tell from a sample size. It seems like it would be good for normal skin types.

Envie De Nuef Eye Mask: These are wonderfully saturated! Really great when your under eye area needs a little TLC.

Model Co Lip Shine in Tease: This is a nice sheer pink with a bit of shimmer to it, basically something I would use atop a lipstick. It comes out of the tube a bit stringy almost thick? But it applies super moisturizing & lovely. Not sticky at all. I know some people had something to say about the scent of these…but I’m sick. Sorry guy. I’ve got nothing.

Global Goddess Upgrade Complexion Face Primer: This is the only foil packet (I don’t count the Eye Masks because those are pretty much full sized) & you get 2 of them. I tried one & it felt just okay, kind of in the middle of thick & thin. Even being sick I could detect a slight scent that kind of reminded me of hair products.

Of course, I love that this box was mostly makeup, always a plus for me!Have you ever gotten a Beauty Box 5 Box? What do you think of what I got this month?

**This box was provided in consideration of review. Affiliate links have been used. This is not a sponsored post.

Let It Snow! Challenge Week #1: Snowflakes

December 5, 2012 By StephanieLouise 628Leave a Comment2012-12-05+14%3A39%3A00StephanieLouise

I tried doing so many things with this challenge, mainly stamping. Nope, I wasn’t having any of that. I seriously went through 3 designs before I finally said “I’M GOING LITERAL!” I decided to go with some dotting & glitter layering. It may not be the most fantastic manicure I’ve done, but it looks like snow to me!

Base: Wet n Wild Root of All Evil
Layer 1: 2 thin coats Nicole by OPI Me + Blue (that’s the holo effect)
Layer 2: Dotting using Essie Tennis Corset
Layer 3: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Glass Slipper

Check out some of the other lovely Snowflake designs below!

China Glaze With Love & Glitter All the Way Swatches + Review

December 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 629Leave a Comment2012-12-04+20%3A40%3A00StephanieLouise

I picked up a few polishes from the China Glaze holiday collection (6 to be exact) & there are the next 2 I have to show you! I already showed you the 2 holos in this collection called Glistening Snow & Angel Wings. Here’s the next 2 I have, one a glitter & the other great brightness!

The Holiday Joy Collection from China Glaze was exactly what I wanted for the holidays, including these 2. Glitter All the Way reminds me of old school Christmas Lights while With Love is a new take on red because it has great application & so pin up styled bright.

With Love from China Glaze: A bright pin-up red. This was opaque in 2 medium coats & leaned a bit orange on me.

Glitter All the Way from China Glaze: This is gold, green, red & purple glitter in varying sizes suspended in a clear base. Wonderful opacity, it took only 2 coats on my ring finger! I love Mardi Gras shades but I don’t have one like this! Love it!

So there you have it! Have you picked these up yet? Interested? I picked mine up at Sally Beauty Supply.

Wet n Wild Sparkle ‘Til Morning 8 Pan Eyeshadow Look, Review + Swatches

December 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 630Leave a Comment2012-12-04+14%3A22%3A00StephanieLouise

So I know I’m a bit late to the party with these but I have acquired SO many palettes lately & wanted to really use each of these new Wet n Wild palettes! Sparkle Til Morning is absolutely beautiful & totally fulfills my shimmering neutral addiction. With the pop of blue/teal & the deep chocolate brown I find this palette really sets you up for a dramatic look, easy look, & endless combinations. This is a dream for makeup beginners because any of these shades could easily get together & make a sweet eyeshadow look.

Left Side Swatches are from top to bottom in the palette: shimmery golden vanilla, light shimmery cocoa, shimmery copper, & a bright aqua/teal shimmer. All of these are nicely pigmented.

Right Side Swatches are from top to bottom in the palette: warm champagne/beige, nearly metallic warm bronze, satin medium brown with cool tones, & a deep chocolate with burgundy shimmer. Great pigmentation.

I went ahead & used the right side of this palette for this eye look. I played with the darkest shade & did half liner instead of using such a fine brush or placing it all the way around. Just switching it up! I loved these, they went on super easy. They are soft & oober pigmented. I feel like this is one of those times when using a sponge applicator or small dense brush really helps. You can get fallout with these shades because they are so buttery which is why I prefer to use a denser tool!

As always, I wish I had the option of a matte shade within this palette but if you love matte you can look WAY back at my eyeshadow look from the I heart (<3) Matte Palette which is the same as Drinking a Glass of Shine. Indeed.

This is a Limited Edition Palette from Wet n Wild which retails for $4.99. I picked mine up at my local Walgreens.

What do you guys think? Did you pick up this palette? Are you still on the hunt?

Clarisonic MIA 2: Two Week Check In Time! + Mario Badescu Skincare!

December 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 631Leave a Comment2012-12-03+22%3A21%3A00StephanieLouise

Okay guys! So if you saw my Day 1 post, then you know I got a Clarisonic MIA as an early Christmas present! I went over a lot in that post about what I expected & such so if you missed it, check it out here.

As expected, my face has indeed exploded. It is angry. The beginning of the week was definitely the worst though! I had some terrible cystic acne & still have some under my skin. Everyone warned me that this was going to happen so I was prepared! My skin is purging pretty much & everyone has had the same reactions pretty much.

Here I am treating my emerging spots with my BELOVED Mario Badescu Drying Lotion which I’ll be reviewing soon! This is meant to be used onto whiteheads & yes, my skin was indeed freaking out that much. My poor poor combination skin with the random oilyness of the breakouts & the extreme dryness of treating & oncoming winter. Woo! Whirlwind!

My skin is still kind of annoyed & I still have some worry areas visible. I have one cystic under the skin that is absolutely horrible It is painful & irritating & I can’t wait until it is gone.

I’ve been using the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel as my face wash. I love that it doesn’t foam & although it removes the grime it doesn’t dry out my skin. Perfect to use with the Clarisonic. It actually feels great on my skin while washing too. I use this both morning & night.

I’m still using my Clarisonic twice a day, morning & night. As shown above, I’ve been using it on the slightly higher level. I think most people would be flipping out if their skin got this bad but I’m loving it. I feel like it is truly doing its job & pulling everything out of my skin. I needed this so bad. I mean…as long as it clears up eventually obviously haha. I don’t want it to stay like this! But yeah, I am glad I don’t have to go out much & grateful for full coverage concealer.

So far, so good! I definitely needed the exfoliation to go with the acne treatments & my skin is already feeling incredible. I’m so glad I got a Clarisonic …even if this part isn’t pretty! I’ll be updating you guys in 2 week for my 1 month check-in!

Thanks so much to everyone who gave me advice! I was wondering how long it took your skin to STOP breaking out? & if you have a Clarisonic with multiple speeds…what speed do you use?

**Affiliate links to Clarisonic have been used but my Clarisonic was bought by my husband. None of the Mario Badescu links are affiliate links, they’re just their for convenience.

Review: Model Mirror, My New Must Have!

December 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 632Leave a Comment2012-12-03+19%3A34%3A00StephanieLouise

When it comes to mirrors, I seem to be drowning in them. Big mirrors, compact mirrors, bedazzled mirrors, cheap mirrors, cracked mirrors, etc…why yes there are more but I think you get the idea! My favorite mirror now is called a Model Mirror & it has everything I need for on the go & full makeup routines.

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I admit, I am digging cosmetics with lights in them. My main issue? When I travel, I often pack one large bag (for the flight), one shoulder bag (for running around), & at least 2-3 clutches for going out. Guess what will fit in a clutch? My neccessary cards/IDs, a lipstick or gloss, a perfume sample, a few bobby pins, my phone (if I’m lucky), & this wonderful mirror.

Check out this size reference with my floss (ha!) so you can see the basic size.

With 2X magnification on one side & 8 LED lights, I am thrilled to be a proud Model Mirror owner. I feel like I’ve been looking for a mirror this thin but durable for so long! It comes with a drawstring pouch for me to keep it safe in my bag as well. It is big enough for me to apply a full face of makeup (which I’ve done many times before!) but small enough to carry around daily. I love this little gadget!

**Item provided in consideration of review. All opinions are my own.

NEW Revlon FX Nail Polishes in Celestial FX & Hearts of Gold FX

December 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 633Leave a Comment2012-12-03+17%3A24%3A00StephanieLouise

I was SO excited when I found these at our BX ( a store on military bases) & I assume they will be hitting drugstores soon! I picked up two polishes even though many of them were new. I considered getting more but these were the 2 that I knew I needed. I sent in photos to Nouveau Cheap (because I adore her OH SO MUCH!) because I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen these? She let me know she’ll be posting those photos soon so keep an eye out for this display & another Revlon display. This looks like a Halloween display kind of but I checked online & couldn’t find either of these polishes. Both are glitters with shapes!

I didn’t add top coat to these photos & the base shade is Through the Grapevine Megalast Nail Polish by Wet n Wild.

Ring finger & pointer are Hearts of Gold FX. Pinkie & middle are Celestial FX.

Celestial FX from Revlon- Holo fine glitter with holo moons, diamonds, & stars suspended in a clear base.

Hearts of Gold FX from Revlon- Gold fine glitter with holo hearts suspended in a clear base.

I love when drugstore brands put out something with shapes in it! They just aren’t all that common! & although I don’t necessarily consider them holiday-esque shades Celestial is perfect for maybe the Winter Solstice? Love the glitters with diamonds in them! Obviously, these won’t lay super flat & I recommend a dose of Seche Vite or another thicker topcoat!

What do you think of these 2 shades? Will you be picking these up? Have you spotted them? I assume they’ll be popping up at Rite Aid, Walgreens, & maybe CVS soon?

Starlooks Starbox for November 2012!

December 1, 2012 By StephanieLouise 634Leave a CommentStarlooks+Starbox+for+November+2012%212012-12-01+23%3A54%3A00StephanieLouise

Happy Saturday everyone! Today I get to show you guys my November Starbox from Starlooks which I’m always oh so excited to receive! This month things were a bit different because they customized each box by asking us our skin tones & eye colors. Customizing boxes seems to be kind of hard becuse it seems like those survey deals we so often take before ordering get trashed. Not Starbox! They sent out 3 different options in Light, Medium, & Dark.
Look at how cute this box is! I adore this print & I’m not searching for something to store in here!

Here’s where a disclaimer comes into play! So Starlooks let me know that because they had sold out of their “Light” variety quite fast so reviewers would likely be getting either the Medium or Dark variety. Personally, I am thrilled with that. I 100% believe paying customers deserve priority & I’m here to mostly talk about quality & the types of products you get anyway! No qualms here!

So this box contained a quad of eyeshadows (the Dark quad), a Tender Gloss Lipstick, a 3-in-1 Mascara Guide/Applicator, & of course 2 mystic quartz crystals.

The quad is really pretty & contains what Starlooks describes as a highlight (top left), base shade (top right), crease shade (bottom left), & the bottom right is supposed to be used to create “the perfect eye corner” according to my box insert.

Top left is in the shade is Hint of Rust, top right is in the shade Midnight in Mongolia, bottom left is the shade Coffee Bean, bottom right is in the shade Void Echo.

My favorite are the top 2 shades! I love them both & they are very nicely pigmented. Hint of Rust is a warm slightly red toned medium shimmery bronze. Midnight in Mongolia is a shimmering deep cool brown with kind of an antique shimmer. Coffee Bean is a matte shade with a bit of silver shimmer that can be buffed away & I’d describe it as a slightly red toned medium brown. Void Echo is a shimmering gray.

My Coffee Bean is really hard to swatch unfortunately & comes off kind of hard. This is the only shadow I had issues with. I thought I didn’t like Void Echo at first but now I’ve decided I do haha. It doesn’t have very good pigmentation but even kind of sheer it still retains that shimmer. This would be great for someone nervous about beginning to do a smoky eye because it is buildable. Both Midnight in Mongolia & Hint of Rust is gorgeous & look just lovely on. Great pigmentation & easy to wear.

Starlooks Tender Gloss Lipstick in Pearl
I am seriously having the hardest time explaining the coloring on this lipstick! I’ve decided to describe is as a mauve-y bronze-y silver-y with a hint of copper. That is direct right? There is so much going on that I think this shade would work for everyone. It applies sheer but really moisturizing & I’d say it leans more towards a sheer lipstick & balm. It is moisturizing even though it feels like there is nothing thick on your lips. Love this formula & I don’t think I have anything like it!

Top swatch is a few swipes while the bottom is one swipe. My lips are looking pretty sickly so they aren’t very pigmented but you can see it on there 🙂

The bonus items this month were really cool as well! I like the quartz crystals & I’ve been slowly accumulating them to put them in some kind of clear container…maybe with something else? If you guys have ideas let me know! The 3-in-1 Mascara Guide/Applicator is really cool & I don’t have one like this! I like this idea much better than those darn lash card things which apparently I just highly dislike! Plus, you save paper this way! 🙂

So there it is! If you are interested in signing up for a Starlooks Starbox, you can visit their site here. This isn’t an affiliate link but I’d appreciate it if you let them know I sent you their way! This box was provided for review, but as always my opinions are 100% my own! If you got other shades in your Starbox…I’d love to see them!