Thursday, January 29, 2015

Viva Glam Miley Cyrus: Review and FOTD

Hello all,

MAC recently released their collaboration with Miley Cyrus. Despite whatever you may think about Miley, 100% of the proceeds go to the MAC AIDS fund. You can find it at maccosmetics.com

The goods: 


Lipstick #16 
Tinted Lipglass $15 


The Review: 


This is not a unique color at all but it is a gorgeous color and will look great on most skin tones. For reference I am NC42  and I love the way it look on me. It is a bright pink and the lipglass makes for a gorgeous addition. I was not originally going to get the lipglass but I tried it in-store and loved the way it looked on top of the lipstick. It wears off nicely and stains the lips. 

FOTD: 




Did you pick it the lipstick and/or lipglass? What did you think? Let me know if you have any questions: 

xoxo, 
~Cynthia 



* This is NOT a sponsored post. I purchased all items and the post contains no affiliate links. 

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

QVC TSV: Tarte Miracles from the Amazon 6pc Collection w/ Bag

Hello all,

I recently ordered this upcoming tsv from QVC. It will be available February 13th for $59.96. I do get Q magazine which gives me a preview of upcoming TSVs but if you don't get the magazine but want to keep up with what is coming out, I highly recommend the bog:  Blue Skies for Me Please. There you will find the pre-order numbers for the advertised upcoming TSVs.

For the Tarte kit use: A265526 and A265565

Reviews and a look using the whole kid below:

The 6 pieces: 



You get: 

Be Your Own Tarteist pallet with 6 neutral shadows and a blush
double ended eye brush
Foundation brush 
LipSugence liquid lip shine in exquisite 
Maracuja Miracle founcealer (0.51 fl. oz.)
Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara 
Bag

Swatches: 


shadows 
blush and lipgloss 


The review: 


Palette: This palette comes in super cute packaging. They are neutral shadows so there is nothing too special about the colors. The quality is really nice, they are easy to blend and create looks with. The shimmery shades can be a bit powdery but nothing out of the normal, while the mattes are really great. Tarte has been doing a great job with matte shadows lately. There are only 2 shimmery shades, and 4 mattes :)

You also get a pink blush with peach tones and a bit of shimmer. I tend to prefer matte blushes but this one actually worked really well! 

Overall, not a must have but a nice palette to have. One complaint: the names are printed on a plastic sheet :(


The brushes: These babies are super soft! Especially the foundation brush. It's like angels caressing my face!! I have really been loving the brushes that Tarte has in their QVC kits (I have never purchased individual Tarte brushes). 

The mascara: I am currently using other mascaras and did not want to open a new one with I will post an update once I use this one. 

The lipgloss: I need to preface my review by saying that I am not a lipgloss person. This one however, I love and have been using constantly since getting it. I've actually had to force myself to use other products. It is gorgeous and natural pink/mauve color. I have been loving it over a nude lip liner. 

The foundcealer: I love Tarte foundations and this one is really great light to medium coverage. I have oily skin with a lot of acne scaring and skin discoloration, so I normally prefer a medium to full coverage foundation. I am in the shade Tan and it is a good match for my skin tone (MAC NC42 for reference). 

This foundation lasted a good 8-10 hours on me without making me look oily. After 10 hours I did get shinny but this is normal for oily skin. I did set it with powder but I always use powder and thought it was the most fair way of testing it. I did one layer and got a nice natural coverage.  Note that this is not a full coverage foundation. It does claim to be foundation and concealer and I did not find this to be true. I do think that you will need concealer with this. 

The main thing I did not like about the foundation was the dropper... I really don't know why it needed a dropper. It is very liquidy and runny but a pump would have been better (for my taste).

I will also note that this is about half an oz and most foundations are 1oz. I actually prefer this size because I like trying out foundations and don't like feeling like forcing myself to use them up. 

I do think a lot of people will like this foundation. I can see it working with dry skin because it is not a matte finish, it is not drying. It did work on my oily skin, hurray! So I would also recommend it for us oily people though you might still need a powder.  

The last few foundations I tried have had great effects on my skin. I felt like they didn't just act ad makeup but also as skincare. It is too early to know if this one work in the same way, but I have high hopes. 

Look with all the products: 




Let me know if you have any questions! 

xoxo, 
~Cynthia 

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post and I purchased everything mentioned. 




   

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Urban Decay Vice LTD: Review and 3 looks

Hi everyone!

It was recently announced that the limited edition Vice LTD palette will be available at Ulta so I picked back up and started playing with mine again.

The Review: 


It is a very pretty palette and I remember being excited when I did swatches for an earlier post but then I tried to use it on my eyes and it just did not work well for me.

Things to consider:
1. It is very cool toned and only has a a few warm toned shades so if you prefer warm shadows this might not be the palette for you.
2. You might need a base for them. I have pigmented and oily eyelids and theses shadows are quite light and shimmery so they did not stay on my lids. I finally got them to work by using very creamy bases. Mac's paint pot in painterly did not work really well for me. I found that the Maybelline color tattoos and the ColorPop super shock shadows worked best for me. Once I started using those, I was able to create some nice looks with it.

Overall, I don't think this one is a must have.

Look #1



I used: 
Urban Decay PP
ColorPop Super Shock shadow in Girly 
Last Sin all on the inner half of the lid 
Backdoor on the crease 
Hodoo on the outer half
Laced above the crease to blend out Backdoor
Anonymous as a browbone highlight 


Look #2

I used: 
Urban Decay PP
ColorPop Super Shock shadow in Girly 
Crystal all over the lid 
Nameless on the crease 
Perversion on the outer v
Laced to bled out upper crease 


Look #3



I used: 
Urban Decay PP
ColorPop Super Shock shadow in Girly 
Chase on the middle of the lid 
Disco all over the lid (over Chase)
Deeper on the crease 
Perversion on the outer v
Laced to blend out crease 
Anonymous as a browbone highlight 

I am very happy with the looks I was able to do, so I am keeping the palette. I was able to do wearable looks appropriate for my work environment but also a fin look. 

Let me know if you have any questions!
xoxo Cynthia 

* I purchased all mentioned products. There are no affiliate links and this is not a sponsored post. All thought and opinions are my own.