Wednesday, September 24, 2014

NYX Love in Rio Trio in Voodoo Love Spells - swatch

*Disclaimer - Item(s) shown was purchased by thepassengerelement blog.  All opinions are my own.  I am not being compensated for my review.*

A good neutral palette is good to have in your collection, kit, makeup bag.  One that is travel friendly is even better.  NYX has the answer to neutrals on the go...

NYX Voodoo Love Spells Trio
Love In Rio is a series of shadow trios from NYX that range from neutral to vibrant.  Voodoo Love Spells is one of 21 trios in that collection.  Voodoo Love Spells (VLS) was purchased from my local Ulta for $6.00 USD.  Total product contained within the plastic compact is 3 x 0.035oz/1g each.  The compact itself is lightweight, but sturdy and the locking mechanism seals tightly.

NYX Voodoo Love Spells - Ingredients
NYX Voodoo Love Spells Trio - direct sunlight
VLS consists of three shadows.   The colors from left to right are a matte taupe, a medium brown, and a charcoal.  Now, I have a bit of a problem with NYX calling the taupe shade matte, as it does have some micro shimmer, that, once on the skin, leaves behind a subtle sheen that is actually very pretty .  The other darker shades are true mattes.

NYX VLS swatches - sunlight/no flash
NYX VLS swatches - direct sunlight/flash
All swatches above done without primer.  From the first picture above, you can easily see that the first taupe shade that is supposed to be matte is actually a satin.  This is a very sheer, very light version of taupe, and cool at that.  I would have chosen a deeper taupe that was high in sheen for contrast, but the color here is gorgeous, and so is the formula. All shadows are soft and feel creamy in the pan.  The first two shades did not give me trouble when it came to layering and blending.  The charcoal shade was a bit patchy upon application and took a bit more work.  Medium brown is just a straight medium brown, but we all need workhorses like this in our collections, especially for smoking out looks.  The charcoal shade, though lovely in the pan, lacks anything special.

With primer, these shadows looked fresh for around 7 hours.  There was minimal fallout when working with them and aside from the charcoal shade, were easy to work with.  I have thrown this into my school bag on mornings when I hit the snooze a bit too much and its been nice having an on the go palette that can go from day to night.

Looking forward to grabbing a few more of these trios...

xoxo, D.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Beauty Blogazon Weekly Roundup 9/21/2014




Thursday, September 18, 2014

it Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Corrector in Medium - swatch

*Disclaimer - Product shown was purchased by passengerelement blog.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being compensated for my review*

it Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye corrector concentrate cream
Under eye circles/darkness are something that has become more of a problem now that I am in my thirties.  Gone are the days of being able to stay up late, in front of a computer studying, etc, without having to cover and spackle my under eye area.  I have never had too much of an issue in the eye area.  Thankfully my parents never had issues there even in adulthood.  But late nights, studying, and stress have caused me to experience a slight darkness that is just horrid!

To help combat this darkness, I purchased it Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Corrector Concentrate in Medium.  I found it at my local Ulta for $29.00 USD.  Inside of the plastic, screw top pot, is 5ml/0.17fl.oz of creamy product.  Medium is one of three shades available for the corrector creams.

"Bye Bye Under Eye Corrector is your 8 hours of sleep in a jar! This creamy, highly pigmented yet lightweight peach based concealer is designed to effectively neutralize, and erase the look of eye darkness, dark circles and even age spots." - itcosmetics.com

itCosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye
Instantly, upon first application, I noticed how incredibly creamy this is.  When I swirl my finger in the pot, it is pretty sturdy feeling, but when on the skin, it just melts.  The peach tone to this corrector allows for it to cancel out any bluish or purplish tones, which helps in erasing darkness.  The cream is lightweight and allows for easy blending in the delicate eye area.  When I first felt this upon my skin, I thought this would never cover anything.  Its creamy, feels like a veil on the skin.  But this gentle corrector packs a punch with pigment.  Easy blendability along with its pigmentation allow for fast and effective coverage of your darkness/circles!

itCosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye - flash/indirect sunlight
For under eye coverage, I am a fan of both using a concealer lighter than my skintone as I feel it brightens.  But I also love to use one that is exactly my tone for days where I want to quickly make up my face and get out.  This product helps achieve that.

itCosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye - direct sun/no flash
Bye Bye Under Eye plays well with other products.  In terms of blending, this melded with my foundations and other long wear concealers fantastically.  No changes in color or formula.  Now, unless it is a heavy duty, super long wearing concealer, I always set my concealer.  With Bye Bye Under Eye, I notice that if I I do not sheer it out enough on my skin, it can crease a bit.  Now, that is only when not blended well.  And this can be layered too.  When I have a bit more time for my makeup, I layer thinly and powder to set.  In this case, I never have creasing or moving of the product.  Though this has a creamy texture, in my experience this lasts an average of 6 hours on my combo/oily skin without touchups.

It helps me look alive, keeps my under eye area looking fresh and covers everything I need it to.



*Disclaimer - Product shown was purchased by passengerelement blog.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being compensated for my review*

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Makeup by One Direction - The Take Me Home edition - swatches





*Disclaimer - product sent by company for purposes of testing/review.  I am not being compensated or paid for my review.  All opinions are my own. *  *Powered by Brandbacker*



All of you One Direction fans...get ready as the wait is over!  You can now get your One Direction makeup kits, brought to you by Markwins, in stores such as Macy's, Dillards, Stage Stores, Lord and Taylor, etc!  For $28.50 USD, you get all of this...


This set, Take Me Home, is one of three sets that also includes Up All Night and Midnight Memories.  Take Me Home comes with everything you need for an awesomely sweet look.


One Direction glitter polish in Live While We're Young
Lipstick = Last First Kiss / Lipgloss = Kiss you
The glitter polish is a mix of small and large hexagonal glitters in a clear base that does have a tinge of gold in it.  The lipstick, Last First Kiss, is a really emollient, semi glossy bubblegum pink that is very sheer.  Do not know if that is the case with all of the lipsticks, or I just got a weird batch.  Kiss You lipgloss is a glitter lipgloss that glows under UV light, perfect for a night out.  It is a very pretty, almost neon orange color, and there are glitters here for an extra festive look.

lt - Kiss you lipgloss / rt - Last First Kiss lipstick

The mascara above is Little Black Dress and the shadow pencil is called I Wish.  Little Black Dress is a drier mascara formula, which I actually like.  The brush head is of medium size which made it nice to coat my lower lashes.  The color is a dead on black.  I Wish is a creamy shadow pencil that I used as a base for the darker shadow in the palette.  This was smooth, blended easily, and is chocolate brown.
lt - I Wish pencil / rt - Little Black Dress Mascara
Palette
The shadow palette contains 4 shadows and one cream glitter product:

matte shade - upper lt hand corner = Back For You
peach shade - upper rt corner = Change My Mind
glitter - middle = Take Me Home
dark brown - lt lower corner = Little Things
light brown - rt lower corner = C'Mon C'Mon

palette swatches - flash
All swatches done without a primer.  This is a lovely neutral palette that can easily go night time with the addition of the glitter cream included in the palette.


Enclosed stencils allow for body and facial art for a night out!!!


Here, I am wearing all of the colors in the palette, along with the mascara and the gold glitter cream with a diamond stencil over my blush.  How fun!


Complete soft look...perfect for a night out, date night, girls night, anything!

Remember to head to One Direction's Facebook page HERE to stay on top of all the up to date news One Direction as for you!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Valentia Even Glow Serum - A discount just for you!

*Disclaimer - product was sent by company for purposes of testing and review.  I am not being paid or compensated for my opinion in any way whatsoever.  All opinions are my own.*


Last month, I was fortunate enough to be able to try Valentia's Even Glow Serum...

Valentia Even Glow Serum - Vitamin C
This has changed my skincare routine and skin for the better!  I am very pleased with the results I have gotten using the Even Glow Serum.  Since using it, my skin is more "awake", plumper, and definitely softer. Vitamin C is such an integral and important part to good skincare.

Valentia has sent me a coupon code for you all to try the Even Glow Serum!!!  Because why wouldn't you want to treat your skin better? :)  Valentia's skincare products retail through amazon.com.  You may head to valentiaskincare.com to learn all about Even Glow Serum, or check my review Here.

How to get your serum at 20% off?  Here's how:

1. Go to Amazon.com

2.  Search for "organic vitamin c serum"

3.  We are on page 1 (very easy to find) [ if you cannot find it, click this direct link ]

4.  When you get to the listing, please add them to your wishlist first

5.  Then add to cart and use the coupon code: EV7KG8S7

This promotion lasts until the end of November.  Please follow all steps as they are to ensure you ar getting your serum at the discounted price.

Happy Shopping!

xoxo, D

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Prestige Total Intensity Bold Shadow Trio in Smoke & Mirrors - swatch

*Disclaimer - Product shown was won in a contest given by Prestige Cosmetics.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being paid for my review*

The weather is getting cooler, well...at least here it is :).  This excites me at the prospect of darker lip colors, smokier eyes and layered clothes!!!  To help me achieve that smokier look, I have Prestige Cosmetics Total Intensity Bold Shadow trio in Smoke & Mirrors.

Prestige Total Intensity Bold trio - Smoke & Mirrors
The lovely Smoke & Mirrors trio is one of four in the trios found in the Total Intensity series.  The trios can be purchased for $12.50 USD and can be purchased anywhere Prestige Cosmetics are found, such as Ulta, Ulta.com, Prestigecosmetics.com, and more.  The three buttery shadows are enclosed in a plastic, clamshell case that is of a medium weight that has thankfully protected my shadows during 2 falls.  In the compact, you receive 0.09oz/2.85g worth of product.

Prestige Smoke & Mirrors trio
Smoke & Mirrors consists of three shadows that, as mentioned before, are super buttery.  The shadows have an almost creamy consistency to them both in the pan and upon application.  When swatched or used on the eyes, I had no issues with fallout.  All shadows are very fine and there were no discernible chunks or glitter or shimmer anywhere.

Prestige Smoke & Mirrors - finger swatch - no flash/overcast lighting
The lightest color, is a pale white with golden sheen.  The middle shade is a hyper taupe that looks silver in the pan, but swatches with hints of purple and brown.  This is the most complex shadow in the trio and is also the creamiest in consistency.  The last shade is a flat, matte black that is soft, yet not as highly pigmented as the others.  I do not mind having to layer a shadow, especially one so soft and blendable, and was able to get nice pigment with two layers.

Prestige Smoke & Mirrors trio - no flash/natural light
The swatches above were done without a primer.  All swatches are one pass over the shadows and a single pass over the skin.  From the swatches here, the first two shadows did well without primer in terms of pigmentation  and coverage.  The black shade was a bit patchy, and though soft, was a bit streaky in application.   The shadows kept a fresh look for hours with the help of my usual primer.  I have not worn these sans primer and cannot wait to put them up to that test.  I will say this about Smoke & Mirrors...these shadows are extremely blendable!!!!  It was a dream to blend these in with themselves and played well with other shadows.  I did not have any additional trouble with how creamy these shadows feel with the addition of primer.


Try these out now!

xoxo - D


*Disclaimer - Product shown was won in a contest given by Prestige Cosmetics.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being paid for my review*

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Stained gloss in Rhythm Box - swatch

*Disclaimer - Product shown was purchased by passengerelement blog. I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being paid for my review*

OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss in Rhythm Box
When it comes to Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars...I am a bit late on joining the bandwagon.  After checking out tons of pictures, blogs, reviews, videos...though pretty, I thought I would never purchase one.  I am loyal to my matte lipsticks and do not see a need for green or blue lip products in my personal makeup bag.  But they kept calling my name.  Here today is my latest acquisition...OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss in Rhythm Box.

OCC's Lip Tar Stained Gloss in Rhythm Box was purchased at my local Sephora for $18.00 USD.  Rhythm Box is part of the Stained Gloss grouping of lip tars, which also includes a matte group and metallic group.  Contained inside the zippered slide pouch, you receive a squeeze tube of stained gloss that has 0.33oz of thick, liquid product.  You also get a small lip brush.  As with all of OCCs lip products, they are all 100% Vegan and Gluten-Free.

OCC Rhythm Box - pkg details
Stained Glass is the perfect way of describing these Stained Glosses.  Though full of pigment, they produce a lovely, sheer coating of color, that can be built up.  Do not expect full opacity with this product.  The texture of the Stained Glosses is that of a slightly sticky (only upon application) gloss, that "dries" down to a semi glossy effect.  Once the gloss has faded, you are left with a beautiful stain.  OCC Stained Glosses have a very subtle tinge of peppermint smell that fades to nothing, so if you are sensitive to scents, you may want to spot try this first.

OCC Stained Gloss in Rhythm Box - indirect sunlight/no flash
Rhythm Box is a translucent burgundy color.  In the swatch above, it is reading a bit more red than it is in real time.  When layered, this has an almost balanced mix of burgundy and intense fuchsia.  When faded or lightly applied, it sheers to a fuchsia/magenta shade that can be vivid, depending on how much you layered.  The gloss faded after a few hours, with normal activity (talking, eating, drinking), but the stain lasted for about 4 hours after that.  I did feel the need to use a lip balm after the gloss had worn away as it was a bit drying, but did not cause me to have any flakiness afterwards.

If you are looking to venture into OCC lip tar territory and want to put your feet in slowly, but awesomely at the same time?...Then the Stained Gloss Lip Tars are for you!



*Disclaimer - Product shown was purchased by passengerelement blog.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being paid for my review* 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Beauty Blogazon Weekly Roundup 8/31/2014