Monday, May 12, 2014

AMAZING Highlight: Essence Cosmetics 3D Eyeshadow Irresistable Vanilla Latte


Just like any beauty junkie I love testing out makeup products ESPECIALLY when they're affordable ones! So when I stumbled upon this little beauty at ULTA (ONLY $3.49) you know my little makeup heart skipped a beat! Although I have excessively oily skin, I still love highlighting my cheekbones so finding a new (to me) highlight that was under $5 was like hitting the jackpot! Essence 3D Eyeshadow in Irresistible Vanilla Latte is packaged as an eyeshadow, BUT I've found it to be an amazing highlight. With Summer right around the corner a gold tone highlight is going to look amazing on a tan, or in my case not so tanned face!
Essence 3D Eyeshadow in Irresistible Vanilla Latte
The eyeshadow is split into two shades. The left side is a true gold and the right side is a soft gold. Both sides can be used as a highlight separately OR swirled together. I find that the right side (the lighter side) is more of a pearled gold as I see a slight iridescence to it. Both are insanely beautiful and give an amazing cheekbone highlight. I'm in love! They have a very smooth texture and is easily buildable depending on how much you like to glow!

Both sides of the eyeshadow swatched separately




Here are the colors a bit more concentrated on my finger tips.

As you can see the left side of the eyeshadow is a true gold and the right side of the shadow is a light gold. In the picture below you can see how both of the shades swirled together and blended out look. It offers a nice subtle gold highlight perfect for Summer (but really you can wear it year round).
Here's s a swatch of both of the shades combined


The shadow looks very similar to Mac's Extra Dimension Skinfinishes (which I absolutely love) and I would definitely say that it does the same job at a fraction of the price. Of course the Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are more finely milled, but when applied on the face I couldn't really tell much of a difference at all!


Here are a few pictures of me wearing the shadow as a highlight so you can get a better feel of how it looks on the skin.








Lipstick: Mac Watch Me Simmer

If you decide to stop by an Ulta and give it a try don't forget to check for an Ulta coupon! They generally always have a $3.50 off of $10 purchase just check on their website before you make a purchase or as the salesperson who is ringing you up! Also don't forget to let me know what you think if you give it a try!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Wet N Wild Fergie Centerstage Summer 2014 Limited Edition Lipsticks

Earlier this week I took a quick trip to Walgreens to take a look at the new Fergie Centerstage Summer 2014 Collection for Wet N Wild. I had started seeing pics floating around online and the lipsticks looked extremely promising so I knew I had to check them out! I ended up picking up all four of the new limited edition shades. First, let me tell you that Wet N Wild has some of the best lipsticks around! If you haven't checked out their Mega Last Lip Colors then you NEED to! They're only $1.99 and all major drugstores constantly have sales on Wet N Wild. I typically only buy them when they're 40% off, which Rite Aid does often.

So its of no surprise that the Fergie Perfect Pout Lip Color lipsticks would be any different. In fact, I find that the lipsticks in the Fergie collection are actually a bit creamier than the Mega Last Lip Color. The lipsticks in the Fergie line are $3.59 but Walgreens is running a 25% off sale till 5/10/14 AND all of the products from the Fergie Centerstage Summer 2014 Collection are 25% for the rest of the month of May! That makes each lipstick ONLY $2.69!
Fergie Centerstage Summer 2014 Collection





































L-R Cray Cray, Turnt Up, Swerve, FOMO































Swatched on my arm in same order as previous picture



























Unfortunately, FOMO didn't really come up on my arm very well but that's because its an extremely nude lipstick. FOMO is definitely what I like to call a concealer nude. As you can tell by the picture the lipsticks are extremely pigmented. I was most excited for Cray Cray because I thought it would be another great option for a radiant orchid lip BUT once I put Turnt Up on my lips I absolutely fell in love!
 Cray Cray is an amazing fuschia color. Another great option if you want to rock the radiant orchid trend. In fact I found Cray Cray to be very similar to Maybelline's Hot Plum lipstick.
















Maybelline Hot Plum has a tinge more purple in it than Cray Cray and Maybelline's Fucshia Flash has more pink in it. I would say if you already have Maybelline's Hot Plum then you don't really need Fergie's Cray Cray as they're extremely similar, not an identical dupe, but close enough to not need both in your collection.
Top: Maybelline Hot Plum Middle: Fergie Cray Cray Bottom: Maybellie Fuchsia Flash
Turnt Up



Swerve

FOMO



















Turnt Up is an amazing orange/red color. I was completely stunned by this lipstick, it is definitely my favorite of the four. If you're looking to make a statement with your lip color then this lipstick is for you! I typically wear more blue based reds, however, there's just something about this particular shade that I'm dying over.














Swerve is a pastel strawberry/coral. In person it leans more coral than pink in the picture. It's a great color for spring and summer and I definitely recommend picking it up!


















I will definatley be returning FOMO. As you can see it doesn't look good on me. If you're into an extremely nude almost concealer color nude (some people can actually pull it off, im just not one of them lol) then this lipstick is for you! I also have more of a mauve/brownish natural lip color so I don't think my natural lip color suits this color.









Wearing Fergie's Perfect Pout Lip Color In Turnt Up
Just in case you needed a little more convincing on how amazing Turnt Up is here I am wearing it! It just pops on your lips! If you're typically not a red lipstick person, I encourage you to give this one a try! At only $2.69 (25% off) you really don't have much to lose! The pigmentation will amaze you, and the formula can't be beat!

If you pick up any of these lipsticks let me know which ones you get and what your thoughts are on them!













Thursday, May 1, 2014

The Every Day Guide to Pantone's Color of The Year: Radiant Orchid Lips

By now I'm sure we've all heard that Pantone has declared Radiant Orchid as the color of the year for 2014, but what does that mean for us makeup enthusiast's?! Today, I'll show you two Maybelline lip products that are great options to sporting the color of the year! You'd be surprised how easy it is to incorporate Radiant Orchid into your every day makeup looks. It's a great color that really should be given some love! Pantone describes Radiant Orchid as, "a captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones," so its PERFECT to incorporate it into your makeup routine!
Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lip Color in Hot Plum
 This lipstick just screams Radiant Orchid! The formula is extremely creamy and is very comfortable on the lips!
Maybelline Vivids Hot Plum




Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids range from about $5.50 (Walmart) to $8.79 (CVS) so of course I recommend picking it up at Walmart or Target!


















Love the color but not quite sure how to wear the rest of your makeup?  Take a twist on the classic cat eye and red lips and swap it out for a Radiant Orchid color! I definitely recommend pairing a more natural blush with this lipstick as we want your lips to pop! I'm wearing a La Femme Blush in Nectar which is a soft pink blush.

























If you aren't the biggest lipstick fan OR you want to slowly and more subtly take the leap into the Radiant Orchid party, Maybelline High Shine Gloss in Raspberry Reflections is a perfect option! Ranges from about $5.50 (Walmart) to about $6.99 (Walgreens). It has a much sheerer wash of color than the Hot Plum lipstick but it's still pigmented enough to offer that Radiant Orchid color we want! I love this line of lip glosses because they're creamy, have a good amount of pigment, and aren't sticky at all!
Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in Raspberry Reflections


Here's Raspberry Reflections on my lips!
Left: Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in Raspberry Reflection Right: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Hot Plum


Stay tuned for the next post on how to incorporate Radiant Orchid into your eye look & cheeks!