Make-up Product Review: L'Oreal Infallible Stars Collection Lipcolour

I love me some red lipstick! With that said, I just had to try this product when I read Kandee Johnson's review: L'Oreal Infallible Lipcolour. OMG, she was right! Not only is the color Beyonce's Red a fabulous red but this product is not going anywhere...literally!

It reminds me of a product that I used to use years ago by Max Factor called Lipfinity except that the formula feels much lighter and actually doesn't wear away at all, not even in the center of the mouth after eating & drinking. After Lipfinity was release several other cosmetic manufacturers (Covergirl Outlast Lipcolor, Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor, Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor, to name a few) came out with very similar products but, in my opinion, nothing compared to Lipfinity until now.

I will be trying out other shades from this line. Stay tuned...

note: The seperate conditioning balm is pretty much the same as that of the other similar products out there.

At-home Animal Print Mani!

I love animal print-- leopard, cheetah, zebra-- you name it! My sister recently had an awesome manicure done with leopard print nail art on one nail on each hand. It was gorgeous....but really expensive. I figured that I could definitley do an at-home version for much, much less!

So here what I used:
Out the Door Topcoat
Orly Bonder Basecoat
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish, Choco-Latte
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen, Black and gold
 
I did my usual mani: starting with a coat of Orly Bonder, 2 coats of color, then used the nail art pens to create the leopard print, and then finished with a coat of Out the Door as usual. And ta-da-- a cute mani for the week!
 
 
 
 

Make-up Review #3

I walked into Macy's and couldn't avoid the MAC counter...not that I was planning to. Their Holiday Collection just came out! Eyeshadows to die for, seriously. I couldn't pick just one. So I didn't....and $41 later, I was going home with 2 brand spanking new Mineralize Eyeshadow Duos.

I use the following products to create this look:
* M.A.C.Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo in Midnight Madness and Under Your Spell
* Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla
* L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen mascara
* e.l.f. Feather Proof Moisturizing Lip Liner in Natural Blush
* Revlon LipGlide Color Gloss in Fuchsia Flash (discontinued, I think)
* NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Smokey Plum
* NARS Blush in Orgasm

Review time...

Already reviewed NARS Bluch in Orgasm, Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla, L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara.

MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Duos are fabulous and limited editions! As all of MAC's shadows are, they are highly pigmented. They can be used wet or dry and are extremely blendable. I only used the purple shades from each pot. I use the lighter lavendery purple on my lid and a bit on the lower lash line. Then went in with the darker smokier purple shade and applied it to the crease and blended. Love the effect. The formula is velvety soft and as vibrant as it is in the pot. However I did not use the accent shades yet (copper and gold). Though the purple shades are just extremely shimmery, the accent colors are more glittery. I think that they'll be good to use when I'm going for an outrageous going-out effect. I'll keep you posted.

Of course I used the Avon Big Color Pencil in Vanilla on my brow bone to highlight! I also used a liner on the upper and 3/4 of the lower in a plum. NYC Waterproof  Eyeliner Pencil in Smokey Plum is pretty decent for such a cheap brand. It was smooth and creamy to apply and stayed put all night.

On to lips. I used e.l.f. Featherproof Moisturizing Lip Liner in Natural Blush to give my gloss something to cling to. I've previously review an e.l.f. eyeliner but the texture of the lip liner formula is slightly smoother and easier to apply. Once my lips were lined I used Revlon LipGlide Color Gloss in Fuchsia Flash. It's an older product that I couldn't find on their website an more so I figure that it's been discontinued. This is too bad because it's a great gloss and a really fun shade with staying power. C'est la vie.

So that about wraps up this review!

Make-up Review #2

I was happier than I looked in this pic, I swear

I really don't go out very often. Now that I'm man-free I better gt back into the swing of things. Saturday night I went out for dinner and drink with one of my girl friends. I've been so down because of the man situation that I've just been feeling really ugly. Not exactly in a good place.

 Wish my pics were better...sorry for the dark shots.

I figured that if I wanted to feel good on the inside I better pretty up the outside. I wore my black jeans, a tunic-y t-shirt w/ peacock feather & paisley detailing, 4 inch black wedge sandal (don't have to worry about a short bf anymore!), this necklace, and a black motorcycle jacket. I figured dark and smokey eyes were in order but decided to break up all the black with a dark blue shadow and pale lips.

I use the following products to create this look:
* Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Riviera Blue
* Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla
* L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen mascara
* e.l.f. Brightening Eyeliner in Ash
* e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed
* Avon Beyond Color Plumping Lipcolor SPF 15  in Twig

Review time...

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow is a nice rich dark blue shade with a very matte finish. I layer the shadow from my lide to the crease, keeping the color more concentrated closer to the lash line. I do like this formula, especially for $4.99, but it can be a little hard to blend. I think that that may be true for most highly pigmented matte shadows. Lots 'o' blending! I really like this color though.

L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara is one of my favorite dramatic formulas. It thickens and lengthens dramatically. It is the only formula that I've found to date that can compare to L'Oreal Lash Architect, which I haven't been able to find in ages. According to the website it doesn't appear to be discontinued but where, oh where art thou?

I already review Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla here. I won't bore you with the details. I used it on my brow bones, but not on the inside corners this time. I wanted to keep the effect smokey.

e.l.f. cosmetics are comparable to NYC, the cheapo drugstore brand. e.l.f. has a great selections but the quality is just mediocre. What do you expect when most of the products are $1!? I found the liner to be dry and hard to apply. I tried to warm it up a bit and then apply to upper and 3/4 of my lower lash line. The warming up seemed to have helped a bit. Though it's not the best liner.

The bronzer is really nice and subtle. It gives glow and creates radiance but doesn't look orangey and/or unnatural. I used it in place of blush and applied it to each side of my face in a number 3 motion (about 1:35 into video) to create a natural sun-kissed look.

Slicked on and blotted Avon Beyond Color Lipcolor SPF 15 in twig for an understated lip. This formula is very velvety and not the least bit drying. This shade is very neutral, which is exactly what I was going for.

I need to remember to smile.

My First Makeup Review!

I LOVE eye make-up. I don't always wear it but when I do I like to apply it creatively and have fun with it. I'm addicted to buying all kinds of eye make-up products-- especially when I find them on sale. I mostly buy and wear drugstore brands but do occasionally splurge on more up-scale brands. I have a weakness for Sephora, but usually just browse unless I'm specifically looking for something.



I use the following products to create this look:
* L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous Mascara
* L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense
* L'Oreal H.i.P. high intensity pigments Bright shadow duo in Brazen
* NARS Blush in Orgasm
* Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla
* Mark by Avon Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint



Review time...

I'm a big fan of high-pigment eyeshadows. It's tough to find this at the drugstore but there's the occasional exception. L'Oreal H.I.P high intensity pigments Bright Shadows are pretty decent for the money. I purchased Brazen-- a duo of bright pink and chocolate brown, which is what I am wearing in these pictures.

These shadows are true to the hues in the pot and are pretty blendable. Not as blendable as my Urban Decay singles are but considering that they are half the price at $7.99, these shadows are well worth their cost.

Avon Big Color pencil in Vanilla is a great shade to use as a highlighter. I applied it to my brow bones and the inner corners of my eyes to brighten my look. It's a nice blendable formula and a great shade. Just wish it didn't have little flecks of glitter. Shimmer is fine but glitter isn't really my thing, though it's not terribly noticeable with this product.

Last week CVS had a special on L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous mascara Carbon Black Lineur Intense. $4.99 each sounded good to me so I brought them home. I'm not a huge fan of L'Oreal Voluminous mascara usually because I find that it's too natural, but I wanted to see if Carbon Black was more dramatic. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than putting on makeup and not being able to tell that it's there. I guess if I wanted "natural" I forgo the makeup!

Let me just say that I really like the long, thin shape of the felt applicator that the Carbon Black Lineur Intense has. It makes it much easier to apply the liquid liner with precision and creates a thin line that you can gradually build up by adding a little liner at a time without it becoming caked on and flaky.

The Carbon Black Voluminous mascara needed a couple of coats and wasn't as dramatic as the L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen mascara but the formula applies very evenly and NO CLUMPS! This, I like.

NARS Blush in Orgasm is totally not something I would normally buy just by seeing the shade. This shade has gotten a lot of hype from people saying that it is a universal shade that is flattering on everyone. When I first saw it as Sephora I thought that there was no way that this peachy-goldy tone could look good on me until I tested it. And...I loved it. It's now my go-to blush.

Mark's Glossblossom ripening lip tint is a nice thinner-consistency gloss that "ripens" to a rosy pink shade once applied to the lips. It's actually a knock-off of Smashbox's O-gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss, but I think that it is actually a superior product comparatively. I like the consistency of this product better-- O-gloss is a bit sticky-- and I like the Glossblossom's shade is slightly more intense.

So there ya have it.

Any suggestions for what I should review next?