Nail Polish Army

Are you wondering why I even have a nail polish collection because you've never seen me wear any nail polish besides clear in my YT videos? Well, I'm a toe nail polish girl! My current fave is Revlon's Cocoa Shimmer, the shimmery deep brownish-burgundy which is the 3rd one in the second row. This is a limited edition I found at Big Lots for a buck.

I'm a germ freak so I always wash my hands and can't stand when my nail polish is peeling or chipping off a little. One of my least favorite things to do is to remove nail polish so I don't bother painting my fingernails. Since I have good nails anyway, I just like to buff them to a smooth shine with my TRIM nail buffer (#28 in previous post) and only apply clear or a sheer nudish-white for special occasions.


I can fit 19 of my nail polishes in here.

Holy Grail Items- In Categories

I decided to make a Holy Grail post and tried so hard to narrow my list down to just 10 items but there was no way! So I split it up into different categories:
Eyes, Face, Lips, Nails and Skin, & Hair.

1. Too Faced Shadow Insurance: for my oily lids
2. Physician's Formula Color Eyes Cream Shadow Stick in Champagne: the best $1 I've ever spent; great base
   
3. Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette: the most natural-looking brow filler for me
   
4. Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black: lasts all day (except on the waterline but great for tightlining)
5. Maybelline Intense XXL Waterproof Mascara in Very Black: surprisingly does not clump; volume + length (*NOTE* I still love Max Factor 2000 Calorie Waterproof)
   
6. Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black: not waterproof but doesn't flake like #5; smooth formula
   
7. NYX Brown eyeshadow: I practically use this everyday in the crease or just above it to warm things up
8. NYX Barely There eyeshadow: light creamy golden highlight
9. Sally Girl Espresso eyeshadow: for the outer V or crease
10. MAC Satin Taupe eyeshadow: for the lid, crease, or outer V
11. e.l.f. eyeshadow brush: a staple
12. Sonia Kashuk Large Crease brush: for the crease & blending
13. Everyday Minerals Intensive Foundations in Winged Butter, Golden Medium & Olive Medium: right now I use a custom mix of Saffron Olive, 3:1 Winged Butter to Olive Medium
14. Everyday Minerals Tinted Silk Dust (discontinued): as a primer
15. Everyday Minerals Spring Concealer: works for anything
16. Everyday Minerals blush in Swimming Pool: an everyday brownish-pink
17. MAC 187SE: for blush
18. Everyday Minerals Eye Kabuki: essential for undereye concealer
19. Everyday Minerals Flat Top Buffer brush: plush, lush & soft
20. Ulta Flesh lipliner: it's the exact color of my lips
21. Softlips in Vanilla: smells so good and has an SPF of 20
22. NYX lipgloss with Mega Shine in Natural: mauvy-pink with no shimmer
23. NYX Round Lipstick in Rea: to neutralize the lips or to tone down other lipsticks
24. MAC Clear Lipglass: yup it's sticky but this makes your lipstick last so long with a high shine finish
25. MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Modesty: neutral-pink with a wonderful feel & finish
26. MAC Colorforms Lipstick in Naked to the Core: my fave nude lippie
27. NYC Liquid Lip Shine in Sungold Pink: dirt cheap; pretty pink with a gold sheen
28. TRIM nail buffer (I only use steps 4-7): for my ridged nails; don't buy the Revlon one because it wears out after 2 uses! To keep steps 4 & 5 gritty, just wash it after each use
    
29. Revlon Sapphire Blade nail file: don't ever use emery boards!
30. Clinique Take the Day Off: for removing eye makeup
31. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing GEL: light, refreshing moisturizer
32. Aquolina Pink Sugar perfume: vanilla & cotton candy
33. CHI 1" Flat Iron (GF1001): for my wavy hair
34. CHI Silk Infusion: for silky hair
35. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Frizz Serum: to smooth, shine & defrizz my hair
    

That's it. Whew! I could have narrowed it down more but I really do NEED ALL these things. =)

Now that I think of it, I could have added my Italian Badger pencil brush and my Conair Instant Heat spiral curling iron. LoL. Another pic to come...

OMG, I Can't Wait...

Everyday Minerals posted up a new picture of their upcoming items arriving in late January of next year. And oh my gosh, I just can't wait! They'll finally have a stippling brush that's 100% synthetic and you know it's going to be super soft and of good quality, not to mention super cheap if ordered in a kit.

They'll also have recyclable pressed powder compacts that look like a regular plastic compact that snaps shut and not that cheap cardboard packaging. No more depotting their pressed powders into a MAC compact for me. LoL. Hopefully it will have a mirror in it but I'm disappointed that it doesn't have an extra area on the bottom of the compact to put a brush or disc sponge like you see in a Studio Fix compact or a Physician's Formula blush compact. =( I'm not too fond of the baby blue color either because it looks a little childish but it's all about function.

I guess I'll wait next year for my next order and pass on their current special called "Yulelikethis." (Enter the code "yule" until Dec. 24th and receive 17% of your order. For orders over $17, before shipping and the discount, you'll receive 3 free sample sizes of a blush and 2 eyeshadows, not to mention a special extra surprise gift that they're keeping a secret. Hmm, pressed powder compact? Probably not though.)

And for those of you who didn't already know, EDM always has a special going on and they post it on their website under the "community" section and under the "specials" section. Hope this helps!

What's On Your Wall?

Are you ready for the new year?! I've been getting the Hello Kitty calendar for the past 5 years. Each year has a theme, like for instance, one year was "how to say hello in different languages" and the current year's theme is Hello Kitty dressing up in fashions from different eras. In the 2009 calendar, Hello Kitty is going to the dogs! Each month she'll be posing with her pooch pals. This retails for $13.99 at any bookstore but since I'm a Borders Rewards member, which is absolutely free BTW, I frequently receive coupons from 20%-30% off in my email so I got this for 30% off. And each calendar comes with a sheet of stickers that can be used as reminders.


Click to see all 12 months

Don't forget, in February MAC is coming out with the much anticipated Hello Kitty collection which I know you've seen pictures of everywhere. =)

Sally Hansen Lipnotic Gem Glosses: MAC Dazzleglass Dupes

Sally Hansen Lipnotic Gem Glosses (3.1 g) actually have real crushed up gems in them, such as tourmaline, citrine, amethyst and ruby! It's available in 10 hypnotic colors and go for about $7.99 at the drugstore. I've had these for a while and love them but I know they look hardly used. I've been neglecting some of my makeup badly.

Here's a closeup of Bejeweled. This color has the most multicolored shimmer in it than the other two I own. It's lighter and peachier than Bling Bling.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Will give you a glasslike finish similar to clear MAC lipglass
• A dupe for the MAC Dazzleglasses
• Slightly gritty but not bothersome; not sticky or tacky either
• Sheer color with a hint of tint
• Cool-looking packaging; the handle resembles crumpled foil (I love the handle!)
  
• Brush tip applicator
• Has a sweet/plastic odor, to me at least, but doesn't bother me
• Twinkles up your lips
• When used on bare lips, it is noticeably numbing but when used over a lipstick it feels less numb (that's the only weird thing about it)
• Packaging is deceiving; when viewed on end, the tube is much skinnier on the inside, kind of like the e.l.f. Plumping Lip Glazes packaging

I've used Rich, a fuschia color pictured below, about 3 or 4 times and it's already gone down quite a bit since the diameter of the inner tube is so slim.

You'll notice the actual level of the product when you remove the brush for the first time. This sucker goes down fast!

Natural light

With flash

Bling Bling- nude, brownish tone with multicolored twinkle
Bejeweled- peachy color with lots of multicolored twinkle
Rich- fuschia pink color with rose and silver twinkle

Other colors available are: Precious, Treasure, Embellished, Lavish, Sumptuous, Sparkling & Glitz. (Pictures on Walgreens.com are better than the swatches on the Sally Hansen website.)

FINAL GRADE: 4 out of 5 stars despite the weird numb feeling

Vicky's Secret Beauty Rush Body Products

I haven't bought any lotions or sprays at Victoria's Secret since I got sick of Love Spell one day after this Secret Garden scent used to be my all time favorite. I don't know, one day I spritzed it on and didn't care for it anymore. Weird.

But now I love their Beauty Rush bath & body products! They come is six different scents at $12 each or 3 for $25. The scents include Candy, Baby; Juiced Berry, Appletini, A Slice of Heaven, Coconut Craze and Strawberry Fizz. I think there are also 3 new holiday scents (which you can find at the stores only): Snowplum, Winterberry and Spiced Apple. I also remember Grapesicle but that might be discontinued. (I'm a vanilla-scented lover but A Slice of Heaven is not smelling so great to me.)

The Body Glimmer Wash (8.4 fl. oz) looks all pretty and sparkly but don't worry, it doesn't leave any shimmer on your skin but only softness. The scent doesn't really last that long even though the fragrance is high up on the ingredients list, but if used in conjunction with the Body Double Mist and Body Drink Lotion (6.7 fl. oz.) then it's all good!

The Body Double Mist (8.4 fl. oz.) is a bi-layer liquid just like a dual layer eye makeup remover such as Clinique Take the Day Off. This is the product that got me interesting in buying VS items again. In fact, they both share the same ingredient of cyclopentasiloxane, but enough of that organic chemistry.

So do you want to know if it feels oily? Not so! And even though this contains denatured alcohol like most body sprays, this product does not give you that initial scent of alcohol where you have to wait for it to evaporate away until you smell the real scent. That's what I love about it! And it actually feels a little hydrating.

Make sure you shake it very well before spritzing it on or you'll waste the bottom clear layer and the upper colored layer will be left lonely. =(

When it starts to separate back into it's layers, the line where the two liquids meet will get bubbly and foamy but the bubbles burst away quickly.

Now this is the scent that I most love: Snowplum! For some dang reason, two VS stores I went to only had 1 of the lotions left and no Body Double Mists or any other product while there were rows and rows of everything for Winterberry and Spiced Apple. Boo!!! So I had to buy the mini sized (2.5 fl. oz.) one for $8. Rip off! But I had to have this scent. See how the holiday scents have the creamy, opaque layer on the top?
Also available are the Body Glimmer Swirl Cream and the Body Souffle Moisture Cream in selected scents.

Charlotte Russe

My fave clothing store is having an online special that's just too good! No code is necessary but I don't think you get free shipping if you ship to a PO Box address.

Charlotte Russe is a clothing store that is very similar to Forever 21.

*UPDATE*: It's currently 30% off everything now!

N.Y.C. Eyeshadow/Lippie Review

I got these a few weeks ago when the eyeshadow palettes were on a "Last Chance 50% Off" clearance so I got the quad for $2 and the duo for $1.50. These are my first NYC eyeshadows and I don't think I'll be buying them again. I've always wondered why drugstores have those yellow clearance tags on certain items here and there. The last time I bought stuff on "yellow clearance last chance special" were the Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadows and they were horrible!

Mod Quad in Far Out Fawns (Reg. Price $3.99)

• Comes with a brown cream liner and three neutral shadows
• "Cream" liner is really hard and dry and not good enough to use as a base for eyeshadow
• Pigmetation isn't that great, as you can see in the swatches
• Highlight color doesn't show up on me unless I really pack it on
• I wouldn't buy this again

(Maybe it's on clearance because it's being discontinued or reformulated)

Eye 2 Eye Duo in Pink Ink (Reg. Price $2.99)

• Powdery texture
• I like the pink more than the grey, which wasn't as pigmented as I would've liked it to be
• I wouldn't buy this again but I was looking for a pink exactly like this so it's OK, it's still usable

Ultra Last Lip Wear in Snowcone ($1.99)

• A light baby pink with shimmer
• I have several of these lipstick and love them!
• Snowcone, Rose Gold & Mousse are my faves
• These are the ones with the square caps and not the round caps, which I don't like because I think the round ones are drier

(I'll have to swatch all my NYC lipsticks and lipglosses later)

Liquid Lip Shine in Cherrywood ($1.99)

• A gorgeous shimmery dark pinkish-burgandy in the tube but lighter on the lips
• Texture is a little thick but still moist when used over a lip balm
• I have 5 different colors and love these for the price
• They last pretty long because of it's thicker texture but it's not sticky or tacky
• The smell to me is like vinyl or plastic, which I don't care for but I'm getting used to it

• My faves include Sungold Pink, Cappuccino, Iced Orchid, Cherrywood & Pearl Glow

Whenever there's a BOGO at the drugstore, I pick up a couple of NYC lippies just to ease my makeup urges without breaking the bank, especially nowadays. For reals...

Mini Accessory Haul

I redeemed my "$10 off any purchase of $20 or more" coupon at Claire's today. I took quite a while getting exactly $20. LoL. Grand total with tax was only $11.34.

Regular price $7.50
18 " necklace- regular price $7.50
Lipgloss with charm- regular price $5.00 (not sticky and smells good!)
Do you ever go to Burlington Coat Factory? They have lots of fashion accessories there also not too mention a lot of e.l.f. makeup kits. These 2-pack comfortable headbands ($2.99) don't hurt the sides of your head and mold to the shape of your head for a perfect fit. I love tortoise shell!
Zorro masks you say? Haha (Here's the aftermath of my pink roses)

I Heart Sally Girl

Sally Girl connecting compact eyeshadows, which are found at Sally Beauty Supply stores, are the best cheapest shadows out there. They are only $0.99 for 1.1g but for some reason in my area they're $1.29 each but I don't mind paying a little extra for these. You can slide the sides of each compact together and create your own duos, trios or quads. Forty-eight colors are available and most of them are very wearable besides the few brighter colors such as Glow Green, Purple Haze and Turquoise. I think anything over 4 eyeshadows hooked together start to sag at the ends but you can hook up as many as you like. These are so portable you'll love taking them with you anywhere as opposed to your depotted round eyeshadows because you won't need a palette for these.

The pigmentation is awesome and the texture is smooth and not powdery like NYX in my opinion.


I picked up three new shadows recently in Peach, Auburn and Charcoal. More warm colors to add to my collection! Espresso, Charcoal and Auburn are my favorites so far.

COLOR DESCRIPTIONS

• Peach: matte light peach
• Auburn: shimmery terracotta
• Charcoal: shimmery light-medium silvery grey
• Green Apple: shimmery mid-tone lime/kiwi green
• Orange Crush: shimmery mid-tone orange
• Copper: shimmery mid-tone golden orangey-bronze
  
• Espresso: shimmery medium-dark brown with warm undertones
  
• Onyx: matte soft black or deep charcoal
• Cinnamon (not shown): shimmery light-medium tan with peach undertones
  

The mortise on the right side of each compact (groove pictured on the right) and the tenon on the left side of each compact (pictured on the left) is how they slide together.
Simple Sally Girl Daytime Neutrals

Highlight: Peach
Crease: Espresso
Lid: Charcoal
Tearduct: a bit of Charcoal & Peach
Outer-V and Liner: Onyx
Lower Lashline: Copper

For a more smokey look, use a darker base (like black or gray) on the lid and apply Charcoal and Espresso more heavily. Then apply charcoal on lower lashline instead of Copper. Use Onyx more heavily on outer-V and outer lower lashline. Then use your favorite black eyeliner.

Final Grade: 5 out of 5 stars <3

New Mascara: Maybelline Lash Stiletto

I was thumbing through the Sunday ads and came across a new mascara called Lash Stiletto. I love the slim tube that's shaped like a stiletto heel! I always hate when mascara tubes are big and fat. This one looks very sleek and this seems to be a lengthening mascara. After checking out the Maybelline website and not finding the product there, I did a little Googleing and found out that it's supposed to stretch out your lashes and add a patent gloss. It comes in three colors: Very Black, Soft Black and Brownish Black. I'd run out and get it if I didn't already buy Max Factor Volume Couture, which I haven't even opened yet.

Review: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Eyeshadow

Have you noticed I buy a lot of eyeshadows? I know huh. But I like to try out different brands. I heard some pretty good things about the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty eyeshadow palette so I snagged one up when it was 25% off. The regular price is $8, which is higher than most drugstore brands but I got it for $6.

This line was inspired by Carmindy, who is the makeup artist on the TV show "What Not To Wear". She wanted to create a makeup line with all-natural ingredients and NO PARABENS. Some of the "nutrients" in this line include avocado oil, bamboo powder, cork oak extract, papaya extract, olive leaf extract and pomegranate.

Click pic to see ingredients

But on to the eyeshadow palette review...

PACKAGING:
You get 3.5g of product but I wish they'd give you an even amount of each color. The case is kind of big and bulky, it's almost as big as my palm but it's flat so it's stackable. It comes with a cheap sponge applicator that sits right on top of the lower eyeshadow and gets in the way.

PRICE: $7.99 at most drugstores. I think that's a little high for a trio, especially this one.

PIGMENTATION: Well-pigmented

TEXTURE: Powdery, not smooth and I found it a little hard to blend.

INGREDIENTS: Talc is the first followed by CORN STARCH, which is not common in most eyeshadows. Maybe that's why I didn't like the texture of it?

THE OCEAN EYE PALETTE: This is one of the 8 trios and features a med/dark grey with slight blueish tones, an ivory highlight and a royal blue. All three are shimmery but not frosty.

FINAL THOUGHTS: For the price, I was not impressed with these shadows and I did not like the texture. I don't think it's worth $8 but at least I got them for $6. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. They're ok but I don't think they're anything special. However, I do love the colors and the other trios have very wearable colors.

FINAL GRADE: 3 out of 5 stars

(Swatched over a NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese)

Other products in the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty line are the Fast Fix Concealer, Always Perfect Liquid Eyeliner and Color Comfort Lip Color which have had great reviews. I'm definitely trying out their lipstick but they're pretty pricey at $9.99 each.
Here's my review of their AMAZING Color Comfort Lipsticks.