Journey to 100! 12-17

Here we are again with another empties post!  I am really pushing hard this year to make it through some of my stash.  For your enjoyment...

From top and clockwise...

Epielle Cucumber Cleansing Tissues from Big Lots -  60 sheets, $2 bucks, godsend for cleansing and swatch removal ;)

Urban Decay All Nighter XL - my go to setting spray, this xl bottle is useful for when I want to decant in my smaller, deluxe sample bottle

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - Always have a tube of this, probably on my 5th tube now...it just works.

Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion in Pore Perfecting - this goes way back in my stash...wow, but what a fantastic primer!

Oz Naturals Age Defying Solar Shield Tinted Sunscreen - Was super surprised by the amount of coverage, and loved how I never experienced a breakout with this (i tend to breakout anytime I use a new sunscreen)

Ahava Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask - This was beneficial for purging and cleansing the skin, all the while being gentle.  Purchased the big size :)

Alright guys, let me know what you guys are using.  If Im using it up, that just means I have more room to put more stuff in...lol

xoxo, D

Tiny Purchase ft Too Faced, Urban Decay (Ulta)

Hello everyone!

Weather is getting warm, days are getting longer and I am actually enjoying it now!  What I have for you today is a small from Ulta.  This was purchased with the 20% off coupon they mailed out a couple of months ago.

Repurchase was Too Faced's Shadow Insurance.  I had moved on from this to try a few other primers...(I am a primer ho!) but find myself coming back to this time and time again.  It is a fabulous workhorse of a primer with an awesome price to boot.  This was purchased for $20.00 USD.

I picked up Urban Decay's Afterglow Glide on Cheek color in Crush.  I had a sample of the color Quickie and had fallen in love with the texture and wear of this product.  I cannot wait to get a full review out to you soon.  This was purchased for $24.00 USD.  I looked on the Ulta site and they are currently not on there, and if you go to Urban Decay's site, the are on sale for $9.00 USD...I do not know if they are getting discontinued (fingers crossed they are not), but I would say stock up now!

Small haul, but one that has made me happy nonetheless.

What you been purchasing recently?

LORAC multidimensional shadow in 3D-licious / Swatch (UD Lounge DUPE)

The purpose of this particular post was to let you know about LORAC's eyeshadow in 3D-Licious, one of a few that came out for their Multidimensional shadow range.  From what I remember, this was a kit that had 3 shadows and a lovely clutch, a palette, and there may have been another kit in there.  This came out a while ago, and I was lucky enough to purchase my shadows from Ulta.

LORAC 3D-licious eyeshadow

This little pot is 1.7g of awesome duo-chrome.  The duo-chrome flash is green, brown and red.  The formulation of this shadow is to die for.  I have always been a fan of LORAC shadows as they tend to be very soft, very buttery and a dream to blend.  The quality extends to all of the shadow formulations...from the matte, to the shimmery, to the satin.  

shadow description

open shadow pan (brown.green.red flash)

open shadow pan (direct sunlight)

This shadow is a combination of a few colors on me.  Keep in mind that I only use a few bases with it.  For true to pan color, I use either LORAC's Behind the Scenes primer or Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  For colored  bases, I use a NYX JEP in a dark color, or MUFE's Flash color Palette in a dark color as well.  My favorites have been dark brown, dark green or black.  This is a shadow I tend to use all over the eye, as once blended, it looks different from certain angles.  


I like to put on my base, pack the shadow onto my lid, and blend the color up into and above my crease.  The lid itself retains all of the duo-chrome gorgeousness, while on me, the shadow falls into a reddish brown gradient in the crease.  

Swatch: LORAC 3D-licious (natural, direct sunlight)

If you are saying to yourself "Have I not seen this color before on this girl's blog, and was it not Urban Decay's Lounge?"  Then yes, you are correct.  I find this to be an exact dupe of UD's Lounge eyeshadow.  To view an eye look with it, please go HERE.  


Here is a side by side of the shadows...

LORAC's 3D-licious vs. UD Lounge shadow

Lounge has a bit more of a reddish undertone on  me than 3D-licious...but boy aren't they pretty?  I am in the process of getting 3 other very close dupes of this color.  Stay tuned :)


What are everyone's favorite duo-chromes?

Tiny Purchase - Urban Decay Last Call

Here with a tiny purchase from Ulta about a month ago.  Urban Decay's Last Call shadow...love the color, hate the formula of this.  The bonus?  Delux mini of De Slick Oil Control spray!  I am banking on not having to do anything this weekend and that the sun cooperates with me so that I can swatch everything I have acquired over the last couple of months.

Have a great day! :)

What's in my makeup bag? 04/2012

I am one of those people that will walk around with a 1,000 lb handbag.  And most of that is my makeup bag, sadly.  I forget to clean it out and it just piles up!

Yummy makeup bag insides :)

Way too many lip products!  In order are:

• L'Oreal Color Riche Balm in Nourishing Nude
• Mustela Hydra Stick (used for lips and cheeks)
• Dior Lip Glow and Lip Maximizer
• Rosebud Salve
• Benefit's Benetint Balm

Everyday essentials

Items used daily:

• EcoTools baby kabuki
• NYX lipliner in 828 Ever
• LORAC Front of the line Pro liquid liner
• Makeup for Ever Smoky Lash mascara
• A colorscience sample pot (filled with Coty Airspun powder)
• Estee Lauder Double Matte compact in Medium 3
• Rohto V Ice eye drops
• Stila Kohl Kajal in Onyx
• Stila Convertible Color in Orchid #8 (I think, this is not sold stand alone, I got it in a kit)
• Urban Decay De Slick in a Tube sample size

Am well aware I probably do not need this much.  But then again, you never know when you need to look drop dead gorgeous when you are on the go!!! :)

See ya later xoxo

Empties...thus far 2012

Let's sit down.  I have to admit something here...I am a product whore.  There, I admit it.  I cannot help myself!

HA!  Seriously, there is a lot out there that I will not pass up.  The excitement of finding a new love is addicting.  And what girl does not like to surround herself with new stuff all the time? ;)

Getting the most out of my products means more space for new stuff.  Here are the products I have given a good home to and have now sent to that great, big bathroom counter in the sky!

Empties 01-03/2012

From left to right are:

KMS California moistrepair leave-in conditioner (smelled like a dream, was nice and light, never weighed hair down, and managed my sometimes lion-like mane)

Urban Decay's Clean & Sober (not bad, not great, did a decent job at taking stuff off)

Urban Decay's Complexion Primer Potion in Brightening (nice slip, did not notice any brightening effect, but did make my skin moisturized)

Sally Hansen Lip Quencher Daily Lip Moisturizer (clear nude color was nice, smell a bit obnoxious, decent wear)

Urban Decay Sparkler Pen lip gloss in Firecracker (lovely shade of bright red with big sparkles, lovely scent, this was an older product, no longer available)

Amazing Cosmetics amazing concealer in Medium Beige (opaque, coverage coverage coverage!)

L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle foundation in 530 Sun Beige (really nice consistency and wear, weird color choices, this was closest to my skin tone)

Smashbox Photofinish Light (very nice primer, no heavy feel, makes skin smooth, still feels breathable)

Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream (more gel, no cream.  Light and moisturizing, but misrepresented as a cream.  Perfect for summer :) )

KMS silksheen gloss spray (left a nice sheen to the hair without grease, scent was almost undetectable after spraying)

Wow, that was long :)  What have you guys used up recently?

Ulta Haul - 3/25/2012

How is everyone doing on this calm Sunday night?

We had a quirky weather weekend here in the land of Michigan.  Rain, sun, cold, heat, you name it, it was here. It was also a busy weekend for Mr. R and I as we went shopping, cleaned the apartment, hung out with friends, ran errands.

Saturday brought about a small window of me time and that equaled to a haul at Ulta.  They are having their 21 days of Beauty.  To learn more about it, GO HERE.

Here is the damage... :)

Haulage - Ulta 3.24.12

They had a ton of big name kits on sale!  I decided to go with LORAC's Lashes, Luster, Liner kit ($29 usd) and Cargo's Fresh Face Complexion kit in Medium ($32 usd) This was on sale for $10 off!  [i will be making more in depth posts about these kits]

For skincare, I picked up Exuviance's SkinRise Bionic Tonic pads.  These are a part of my routine and cannot do without them.  From H2O, they had a b1g1 for their products, and I picked up the Oasis mist.  Just a normal mineral spritz I like to use in the summer or to remove any powdery look.

To end with the makeup, Urban Decay's Last Call shadow made it into my basket!  Along with lip liners and a soft matte lip cream from NYX, a LORAC Behind the Scenes primer that was $10 usd this weekend!!!!!  Benefit's Benetint balm was on my wish list...sorry for adding the Fresh Sugar lip treatment, that was from a Sephora haul two weeks ago that I had cast aside.

For the Urban Decay purchase, I received a deluxe De Slick facial spray.

As stated above, I will do individual posts about all the products shown.

What did you guys and gals haul this weekend?

Swatch/Review - Urban Decay Lounge eyeshadow

Here we are with one of the most unique shadows I have in my collection.  Urban Decay's Lounge eyeshadow is a reddish brown with a green, pearl-like sheen.

UD Lounge e/s

This shadow comes in the token packaging that most all but the deluxe shadows have.  The pot contains 0.05g worth of product and it retails for $17.00 USD.  You can find this at Sephora, Ulta, etc.  I have had my shadow for over 2 years and find that I still have not made a dent in it.  

Swatch of UD Lounge eye shadow

UD's Lounge is an extremely pigmented, soft duo chrome eye shadow that lends either a reddish brown effect, or can come off a sheeny grey brown.  This is all dependent on what color base you use, as well as how much of the actual product you use.  I tend to use darker bases for this.  I find that black, dark green, and blue bases give this shadow a slightly different color variation.  For the lid, I tend to layer the shadow heavily which will cast a medium green sheen pearl that really catches the light.  Do make note that because of the reddish tone of this shadow, it can come off as that once blended.  When I use this for a one shadow look, I blend this up into the crease and find that it shows red/brown.  Altogether, it makes for a gorgeous eye!

UD Lounge e/s over black cream base

UD Lounge e/s in natural lighting

What other duo chrome shadows do you like?

Product in Motion - Urban Decay Lounge eyeshadow

This has been one of my go to's for what seems like the last month.  I find it to be an awesome fall color, and is especially gorgeous for night time looks.  Urban Decay's Lounge e/s...

This combo here, which is UD Lounge e/s with MAC's Push the Edge pigment lining the bottom lashes is such a pretty, slightly smoky eye. The duochrome effect of Lounge is so unique!  Full story later...

July Favorites 2011

Hello guys and gals!  GAH!  I feel like I have been away for too long...and I have.  I know this is beating a dead horse, but it has been sooo hot!!!  To top it all off, I live an apartment where the AC likes to blow a fuse every week...ugh!

Enough of that, let us get on to favorites.  This month, with the heat being what it was, I noticed a change in what I usually I use.  I started using a new gel liner (clinique), got my hair cut from it being down to my butt to just above my shoulders(ahhhh), and made my routine quick and summer easy.

I have broken my favorites down to eyes, face,lips and brushes.

Face:

FACE - July Favs

FACE:

• Benefit Cha Cha tint (double duty on lips this summer as well)
• Smashbox Face and Body highlighter in Allure
• Stila Sun powder bronzer in shade 02
• MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Eversun
• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Pore Perfecting (light despite being thicker formula)
• MUFE HD powder
• Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer

Lips - July Favs

LIPS:

• Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Wallflower
• Soap & Glory Mighty Mouth Exfoliator/Balm
• Maybelline Colorsensation Pop balm in Fruit Punch 130 LE (I wish more people liked these, I love the balm formula and the color it deposits).
• NYX ip liner in Bloom (fuchsia)
• Softlips lip balm
• Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Intriguing (a gorgeous matte Fuchsia...I cannot stop using this!)
• Dior Lip glow
• Revlon SuperLustrous Lip Balm in Peach Crystal LE
• Tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm and Stain in Donutella

Eyes - July Favs

EYES:

• MUFE 12 color Flash Palette (amazing for cheeks and as eye bases)
• Smashbox eye shadow single in Nude
• Smashbox Waterproof shadow liner in Ideal Eyes
• Stila Prime Pot in Taffy (nice under shadows, but really nice on its own, so pigmented for a base)
• MACPRO Pigment in Steel Blue
• MAC Pigment in Spiritualize LE
• Clinique Brush on Liner in True Black
• WnW Color Icon single in Nutty
• LORAC Behind the Scenes primer 
• Benefit Instant Brow
• LORAC Special Effects Mascara

BRUSHES:

• Smashbox #33 smudger/precision 
• Sonia Kashuk small tapered face
• Revlon All over shadow 
• Sonia Kashuk small duo fiber 
• Bobbi Brown ultra fine eye liner
• Stila double ended 
• Smashbox #28 shadow
• Ecotools flat concealer

Alright guys, let me know if anyone has any questions about the aforementioned products.  I also am working on a hair care product favorites post...this new haircut has me using all different sorts of stuff.  Hope everyone is staying cool!

June Favorites 2011

Happy Wednesday!  It is so bloody hot out.  Thought I would cool down by staying inside in the AC and letting you all know what my June Favorites are...

 The rundown:

• LORAC TANtalize Me baked bronzer (so beautiful)
• Smashbox Face and Body Highlighter in Allure (glowy x1000)
• LORAC Caribbean Heat Bronzer (great trio of shades)
• MAC Melon Pigment (need I say more?)
• Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion in Brightening(very light)
• Smashbox O Gloss (the cutest pink stain)
• Sonia Kashuk Showstoppers eye shadow quad (beautiful,glittery, creamy colors)
• Maybelline The Falsies in Blackest Black ( total drugstore HG)
• Revlon Just Bitten lip stains in Gothic and Flame (these have taken over for summer lips)
• Stila Mineral Matte eye shadow in Nanda Devi (perfect for brows)
• Fusion Beauty Illumifill Line Filling Luminizer (so perfect for under eyes and cheek h/l)
• LORAC TANtalizer mini bronzer (been using as a peachy, gold eye shadow, its to die for)
• Smashbox eye shadow single in Nude (the perfect neutral)
• Tarina Tarantino eye dream hypershadow in Victorian Punk (drools for purple)
• Smashbox shadow liner brush # 30
• Crown Precision Detail brush #C431
• Maybelline Moisture Extreme lip liner in # 95 Nude
• Sonia Kashuk Flat Top brush

What have all of you been digging on?

Summer Lips featuring Tokidoki and Urban Decay

Hola!  Here's a quick post about what my favorite summer lip colors have been.  I have not worn much outside of this combo, and am loving it!

L - Tokidoki Gelato Balm in Donutella / R - Urban Decay's Lipstick in 5150

 

 

 

The duo above is Tokidoki's Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Donutella, which is a Peach color with a Melon flavor.  I have seen this retail for $9.00 USD.  I picked this balm up earlier this year, and am very happy I did.  This is a true balm, that gives a slight shine to lips.  The color of this is a sheer peachy melon color.  I find that it moisturizes quite nicely.  The biggest surprise is the nice stain it leaves behind once the product wears away.  It really does give a nice stain to the lips. 

Gelato Balm Stain in DONUTELLA

There are no huge chunks of glitter or shimmer in this, which is a huge plus.  The balm stick has broken once, but I have repaired it using the freezer method, and have had no trouble since.  The packaging does not feel too sturdy, but I have had no accidents with this opening in my pocket or my purse.  The cap has the cutest Tokidoki characters on it.

Urban Decay's lipstick in 5150 is not only a summer favorite, but also a stash discovery I made a few weeks ago.  This was something I had in my stash that I had not touched for a long time.  I almost felt like slapping myself for not touching this earlier.

Urban Decay's 5150 lipstick

The color of this lipstick is a red coral, with a bit of pink/orange to it.  It is the perfect summer color.  It does contain glitters in it that are gold, but it does not make the formulation seem too gritty.  When the lipstick wears away, you notice the glitter a lot more.  The packaging for this is very heavy, metal tube, with a decently thick plastic covering.  The lipstick itself has "urban decay" printed into it, sooo cute, which may be why I did not use it as much before.  In the summer, I can tan really dark, and this color never looks bad on me.  I have also seen it on lighter ladies, and it still looks wonderful and juicy.  Once applied, it does have some shine.  This formulation is also scented, though it is not too annoying.  I have seen this retail for $22.00 USD.

Donutella / 5150

5150 / Donutella

Thanks for stopping by! :)

May Favorites!

Hey guys and gals!  Here is the best of the best for the month of May.  Some of these products I use all the time, others I have just started obsessing about in May.  

Just a few things to obsess about :)

May Favorites:

1. Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray - This stuff locks your makeup DOWN!  No joke!

2.  LORAC Tantalize Me Baked Bronzer - bronze/gold, ultimate cheek sheen

3.  Fresh SUGAR Rose lip treatment - Def in my top 3 favorite lip balms

4.  Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash in Extra Black - Fake lashes in a tube.  Amazing formulation.

5.  L'Oreal MagicSmooth Souffle in 530 Sun Beige - Major coverage for something so light and airy

6.  Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #15 - The most summer friendly shadows!!!

7.  Anastasia Brow Powder duo in Brunette/Dark Brown - I have yet to find something better.  HG!

8.  Tokidoki Gelato lip balm stain in Donutella - coral, moisturizing, and leaves a stain like no other

9.  MAC pigment in Rich Life - Dark espresso brown with silver reflects.  Easy to blend, amazing for smokey eyes

10.  Tarte Amazonian 12 hour blush in Tipsy - This is an orange creamsicle on my cheeks.  Pictures do not do this blush justice

11.  LORAC eyeshadow in Cappuccino - the most adorable, teddy brown neutral

12.  Benefit boxed powder in Dallas - plummy, glowy color for my cheeks.  Contours well!

13.  Amazing Cosmetics Concealer in Medium Beige - I keep coming back to this.  Great opacity, blendibility, and good color range

14.  Urban Decay Lip Junkie gloss in Wallflower - cools, plumps and the prettiest nude

15.  Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel eyeliner in 27 Caviar Ink - Smooth and inky

16.  Wet N Wild Color Icon shadow single in Brulee - HG highlight

17.  Make Up For Ever #55N large Duo Fiber brush - For cheek color, highlight, it cannot be beat!