Maybelline Sensational Lip Color in Coral Crush

Here is my review of the Maybelline Sensational Lip Stick in Coral Crush.

I had been eyeing this color since they have come out with this color range. I never bought any because I am a lip product hoarder and didn't need anymore neutrals and already had the one red lipstick I would ever need. Coral Crush is the only color that stood out to me. It is a true coral and seemed to be a bit on the extreme bright side. It was very intimidating for me to be honest.

Well, probably a year later, I had a $2 off coupon from a magazine and Rite Aid was having a 40% off sale. They retail at the drugstore for prob $6-8 but with the sale and my coupon I think I paid about $2 and change which is not bad in my book.

I was on my way to work one day and ran into Rite Aid, went straight to the display and bought it without hesitating. I threw it on my lips and strutted into work. It is surprisingly wearing for how bright it looks in the tube. I would say this is on point for trendy spring/summer lips.

Here are a few pics of it swatched and in the tube.





This not the best pic in terms of position but it is the closest I could get to it's true color.


In the next pic I swatched it lightly on the right and heavily on the right. It is slightly on the sheer side but it will def lay some color on the lips. It also seems a lil glossy for a lipstick. It reminds me of a MAC luster finish.





The lasting power is decent but buying it I new it wasn't a "long wearing" lipstick. I also think the finish doesn't aid in it's longevity. Lastly, here is a pic of me wearing (I was on my way to work, hence the car. Always buckle up)





It's worth picking up for a fun seasonal lippie, especially if it's on same ;)

Amazing Cosmestics Concealer

Hi all!

Recently the makeup artist that I work with at my salon and I went on a supply trip to MAC and Ulta for the salon kit. While she had never been to Ulta, I had so I introduced her to some brands she wasn't familiar with. I suggested she try the Amazing Cosmestics Concealer.

She gave it to me to test it out and to see what I thought. Swatching it on my hand it came out a lot thinner than I thought it would. It is a lil bit more on the watery side for being from a tube. I have the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer and that it very thick so that is what I was expecting. It did blend out very nicely. It was smooth and didn't snag on my skin and it smoothed out the appearance of the skin on my hand.

The color is in golden beige.


It is blended out on the top right corner of my hand.


It applies on my eye area very nicely but it didn't seem to smooth out as nicely. It did cover well and my dark circles seemed to not be that challenging for this Concealer. The lasting power was fairly decent (I set it with Bare Minerals Well Rested powder) and it didn't settle into the fine lines around my eyes.

We got the smaller of the sizes which was around $22, the larger was $42 which is outrageous for a Concealer. It is rather tiny and it didn't seem like a lot of product.





That is the size so if you are ordering it you will have an idea of how big (or little) it is.

I hope that helped out!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Essence "Stay With Me" Long Lasting Lipgloss review

I was at Utla recently and as I was browsing I came across the Essence display. I've never had anything from that brand and never really read or see anything on the brand. I was drawn to the Stay With Me glosses because they looked like they would be great cream finishes.

I personally don't like glosses with glitter in the because the texture isn't my fav and once the gloss has worn off the glitter still remains. I don't mind shimmer or glosses with sheen. My favorite is cream glosses. I think they look best in the summer and compliment most lipsticks better.

The finishes in the glosses on display were all creamy with tones from milky pink, coral, plum and red. While the color selection isn't huge, there is still something for everyone. As far as I know, this brand is only sold at Ulta stores and the Ulta website. They retail for $2.29 (which is an odd amount) and are 0.13 FL oz. That is a great price for the amount of gloss.

Now onto the swatches!! I picked up two of them.
#03 Candy Bar and #06 Berry Me.












Candy Bar is on the left and Berry Me is on the right. As you can tell, they are can be applied sheer but can really be built up. They would look fab over lip liner. I have a neutral liner called tiramisu from Rimmel that is a peachy nude that would look great under Candy Bar and any pink or berry liner would compliment Berry Me wonderfully. These glosses are very smooth and not sticky. I will say they are tacky enough to stick around. The lasting power is a few hours which I don't mind reapplying. The Berry Me color fade offs into a nice "just had a Popsicle" kinda stain which I enjoy.


The applicator takes some getting used to but isn't hard to use.

I hope you try these if you are on the fence. They are great and cheap so they are a win win for me. I plan on getting some more!

Water Marble Manicure

Hello all!!

I'm back with a manicure I had done recently. The water marble technique that I had always wanted to try but I could never get up the energy to try it. It's not the kind of manicure that you can quickly do. It takes some serious prep work to pull off. I will link the video that helped me out the most.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=ziUBMEzshgo

You will need the following:

Scotch tape
ROOM temperature water
Multiple nail polishes
Q-tips and nail polish remover for touch ups.

A few tips that were helpful to me was to peel the tape on and off the back of my hand so it wasn't so hard to pull off after pulling out if the water.

Another was to use a paper cup because nail polish will collect on the sides of whatever container you use. So using a small paper cup is easy clean up.

You will also want to keep a paper towel near by to wipe whatever tool you are using to swirl the colors. It can be quite messy but keeping a paper towel on hand will def help keep the mess at a min.

Don't paint a top coat on right away because it might ruin the design that you've created. That was a mistake I made when I was practicing. It muddled the colors together and ruin some of the swirl.


Also, have fun with the base colors. Marbling options completely open up once you start playing with the base color.







My base color for this manicure was a light pink and I used various OPI polishes for the marbling but there was a teal, gray, fushia, baby blue, etc.





If you have tape, an old water bottle full of water, and some time to practice this is def something I think all nail buffs should try. It's a great way to use those polishes we all buy cuz they are trendy but get long forgotten. Watch jens video for the step by step. She inspired me to try it so hopefully everyone else checks it out!!

-Nicole :)

Well, well... Look who is back!!

It appears that I only update this blog once a year which I apologize for. I fully intended to update often but it is more work than you would think.

Anyhow, I saw a video on YouTube a few months back on a Cupcake Manicure and this was my take on it. I hope this simple post will get me back in the swing of things. I have a few ideas for some posts I want to get up. Stay tuned!!


P.s. Here is a lil something sweet I found in my miso soup recently.


Stay happy an beautiful!

-Nicole

2011 Inspiration: Pixie Lott

As 2011 approaches, I find myself needing to simplify things for day to day but playing it up more for nights out (does that make sense?) I have gotten so used to a "routine" that my day face and hair has become my go to for night and vice versa. I'm lost in a sea of smokey neutrals and loose waves. What a serious problem, right? Its rather silly but with all the product I've have been hoarding, I am not utilizing it properly.

Stumbling around on the Internet, I came across Pixie Lott and am obsessed with her look. I feel the need for a center part, sparkly pantie shorts and winged liner. Well, maybe not the sparkly bloomers but I am definitely going to head in this direction for 2011.

Review: Its a Ten Miracle leave in treatment

Hello All!


Well, after a year of not even logging into this blog, I have decided to start showing it some love. Lately I have purchased some items that I am completely obsessed with and I have no outlet to pour my love for them into.

Which leads me back to the blogging world. My first post back will be an absolute RAVE of the "Its a Ten Miracle Leave in Treatment"

The Claims:

1.) Repairs dry damaged hair
2.) Adds shine
3.) Smoothes & controls frizz
4.) Seals & protects hair color
5.) Detangles
6.) Prevents split ends
7.) Stops hair breakage
8.) Creates Silkiness
9.) Enhances natural body
10.) Flat iron spray & thermal protector

I love, love, love this stuff. I work in a hair salon and have access to high end hair products such as Goldwell products, KMS California, Aquage and MoroccanOil. I can get these products at cost but still they are more pricey than items I am used to using. I could not bring myself to commit to a whole bottle of MoroccanOil and tried the One and Only Argan Oil from Sally's. Even though I enjoyed that product, it was a smidge messy and I didn't like the fact I couldn't quickly apply it. I would have to take the time to wash my hands and even then I was left with residue which would get on my blow dryer and brush, etc.

I have always been interested in trying "Its a Ten" and recently through our product rep at work, I got a small bottle to try out (we do not carry the brand in our salon.) I had read a few reviews that boosted that it made their hair feel "thicker." While I have long and thick hair already, since it is layered, the ends tend to feel rather thin if worn straight.

After showering and prior to blow drying, I applied a few squirts throughout the ends and mid shaft. First off, the smell is amazing. It smells similar to a Ralph Lauren perfume in "Ralph" which is very pleasant. The consistency of a light spray however opening the cap, it is a thick liquid, almost like a thin conditioner (it is very hard to shake in the bottle.) Second, it did make my hair very manageable and detangled it very quick. After blow drying was finished, my hair was so bouncy and had so much body. The claims of split end prevention and protection of hair color will more so be noticed over time, however, since it delivers immediately on most the claims I believe it will do everything it claims to.

All and all, I think this is a must for all ladies. Especially those who use heat on their locks. I will never be without this item and would suggest it to everyone, even over the MoroccanOil Oil treatment. Ladies who dislike to use a lot of products would benefit from this because it does 10 things for hair that are beneficial long term and it is so easy to use. There is no risk of using to much and ending up looking AND feeling like an oil slick.

A++
Its worth the price (it is also cheaper than most high end styling products that are only one purpose items.)
It delivers on all claims.
Smells Amazing.
Easy to use.



Thanks for reading!