I am loving........NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

I have been using NARS Sheer Glow Foundation on and off for about a year now. It is one of the best foundations I have ever tried. The reason I wanted to rave about it now is because it has been especially great for me during the last couple months. I get really pale in the winter and I have the hardest time finding a foundation that is light enough for my skin-tone and will blend in flawlessly. This second to lightest shade, Mont Blanc, is a perfect match for me and finish of this foundation is gorgeous.

The NARS Sheer Glow foundation is described as a satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage. It is one of those foundations that does not need a setting powder to look finished although I usually like to set it with my mineralize skinfinish natural by MAC. It contains no SPF so it is great for taking photographs, especially with flash. I would consider it a light-medium coverage foundation as it provides coverage but still looks very natural. My only complaint is that the foundation doesn't come with a pump, so it is easy to waste product when pouring it out of the container. NARS recently started selling pumps for the foundations on their website, so I may be ordering one soon :) If you are curious to try out this foundation, I highly recommend you ask for a sample at your local counter. Let me know your thoughts on NARS Sheer Glow Foundation.

A Little Makeup Splurge: Chanel & YSL

Hi Girls, I am sorry I have not posted in awhile. I recently went shopping and decided to splurge on two high-end makeup items that I have been lusting over for some time. I purchased the YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick in #1 Nude Beige and the Chanel quad in Mystic Eyes. They are both gorgeous and perfect neutral shades for everyday wear.



I originally was interested in the Rouge Volupte color #7 Lingerie Pink but when I tried it on in the store it was way too barbie looking on me. The Nude Beige color is very subtle pinky-nude color which looks good with basically any makeup look. I will admit it that the gorgeous lipstick packaging also suckered me in making this purchase lol. The classy gold tube with YSL detailing is stunning, and it even comes with a mirror on the top of the tube to use when applying the color. Everything about this lipstick is luxe, from the packaging, to the silky texture, to the pleasant smell. This lipstick are extremely pigmented, creamy, and moisturizing which is great, especially in the dry, winter months!



The Chanel Mystic Eyes Quad is pure perfection. Sure you could say this is just another neutral palette, but Chanel always puts together colors that complement each other so well. The Mystic Eyes Quad contains four neutral shades: a light silvery-gray, a soft milky pink, a mid-tone bronzy brown, and a dark chocolate brown. There are many different ways you can wear these eyeshadows. My favorite way is to place the baby pink color on the lid, the bronze in the crease, the dark brown in the outer v, and the silvery gray as the brow-bone highlight color.



Above are the swatches of these products. The first photo was taken indoors and the second one was taken outdoors. I am really loving these products! Yes they may seem expensive, but the quality is outstanding. The colors themselves are not super unique so I am sure you could find similar colors from other companies. Although I cannot speak for the lipstick, I have had my first Chanel quad since high school so I know that this one will last a long time. Have any of you girls tried either of these products? Let me know in the comments.

xoxo-Stacy

Hit or Miss: Clinique All About Eyes Serum

I have been using this product every night for a couple of months and I am sad to say that it is a miss in my book. I have used over half of the bottle and I have not really seen any results. Clinique claims that the All About Eyes Serum helps massage away bags and refreshes eyes, and combats dark circles while brightening the eye area.

To be fair, I don't really have any under-eye puffiness and I purchased this product more for the dark circles and brightening effect. I have not noticed any difference in my dark circles which is disappointing. I have not noticed any brightening effect either. The serum itself feels really nice and cooling on my eyes. It feels very refreshing and helps hydrate my eye area.

In my opinion, this product is not worth the $25.50 price tag since I purchased it to help alleviate my under-eye circles and I have noticed no change in my eye area. I do not plan on repurchasing and I will most likely pick up an eye cream after I finish this bottle. If you have tried Clinique All About Eyes Serum, tell me how you liked it in the comments below.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Single Review

I usually associate Wet n Wild makeup with cheap, sub-par quality products. I don't think I have purchased anything from this brand since I first started buying makeup as a young teenager. However, after multiple rave reviews from other beauty bloggers, I decided to see if the Color Icon Eyeshadows lived up to the hype. Boy was I impressed!

I picked up two Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadows in the colors Brulee and Nutty. Nutty has been compared to Mac's Satin Taupe (one of my favorite eyeshadows) so I knew I wanted to try it. I also picked up Brulee since I have been looking for a light neutral eyeshadow to add to my collection.

Just by looking at the pictures above, you can see how pigmented and smooth these eyeshadows are. I have been wearing both of these colors the last couple of days (with a primer) and I can confirm that they last all day and have not faded or creased after 12 hours of wear. I cannot speak for the line as a whole, but I can tell you that these particular colors are worth buying. At around $2 dollars per shadow, you can't really go wrong.

(Brulee and Nutty swatches, no flash)

I also wanted to compare Nutty to Satin Taupe since some people are saying that Nutty is a dupe for Satin Taupe eyeshadow. As you can see from the pictures below, Nutty has a slightly warmer tone than Satin Taupe, the color and finish of the eyeshadows are pretty close.

I eventually want to try out the eyeshadow palettes from this collection. I have read good things about the vanity palette, which contains six various neutral shades. If you have tried any of the Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadows, let me know in the comments below.

Face of the Day (FOTD) - A Neutral Look

Here is a neutral makeup look that I did featuring the Naked Palette by Urban Decay and Venomous Villains Products. I have been wearing this look for the last couple days and it is perfect for the daytime. I love reading face of the day posts on other blogs so I thought you would enjoy :)

Products Used:

Eyes:

• Mac Painterly Paint Pot
  
• Naked Palette eye shadows in the colors Virgin, Naked, Toasted and Hustle
• Naked Palette eyeliners in Whiskey and Zero
• Loreal Voluminous Mascara
  

Face:

• Palladio Herbal Primer Potion
• Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
  
• Mac Studio Finish Concealer
  
• Mac MSF Natural
• Mac By Candlelight MSF
• Mac Briar Rose Beauty Powder
• Clinique Almost Bronzer
  

Lips:

• Mac Innocence Beware

First I primed my face with primer potion and applied my foundation with my fingers. Next I applied concealer and MSF powder to set my foundation. The I applied painterly paint pot on my eyelids. With a flat shader brush I put the color toasted all over my lids. I then took a Mac 217 crease brush and applied naked in the crease and blended it up. Next I put hustle in the crease, focusing on the outer v and blended it out. I then took a Sigma 219 brush and smudged hustle right under the lower lash line. After that placed virgin on the brow bone and on the inner corner of my eyes. I used the double sided urban decay liner that came with the palette and lined my upper lash line with the color zero and my water line with the color whiskey. To finish off the eyes, I curled my lashes and applied loreal voluminous mascara.

With a Mac 129 Brush I placed briar rose beauty powder on my cheeks. I then applied by candlelight on my cheek bones as a highlight, which gives a nice glow from within. With my Sigma 150 brush I applied my bronzer all over my face, focusing on the hollows of my cheeks, temple, and jawline. Lastly I applied the lipstick innocence beware to finish off the look.



I hope you liked it! Let me know what you use for your neutral eye look.

Dry Shampoo

I find it funny that most of the people I know have never tried dry shampoo. I first started using it last year and I don't know how I survived without it. It is great for freshening up your hair without the hassle of showering, blow drying, straightening, etc -you know the drill. I typically wash my hair every other day since its not healthy to wash hair on a daily basis. Now the problem with skipping a day is that hair can sometimes look a little flat, oily, etc on the second day. That is where dry shampoo comes in. You can simply spray a little of it on the roots around the crown area of your hair, massage it in with your hands, and voila, you have fresh looking hair. Luckily, my hair is on the dryer side, so I don't need to use it all the time, I just like the feeling of refreshed hair! If you have oily hair, I highly recommend you try out a dry shampoo.

There are many dry shampoos on the market today. I have tried three brands of dry shampoo: Klorane, Batiste, and Tresemme. My favorite of the three is Klorane. It feels clean and lightweight, it is hypo-allergenic, there is no strong smell (but I love the light scent), and it makes my hair look fresh. The only downside is that it is on the pricier side of dry shampoos.

Batiste is also a good dry shampoo. Out of all the dry shampoos I have tried, it gives the most volume to the hair as well as cleaning it. It also really inexpensive, which is great. The only downside of this shampoo is the scent, if you are sensitive to smells. Some people may actually like the scent, but it is just too strong for me personally.

Tresemme dry shampoo was very disappointing. I was excited to try out this product since the Tresemme brand is very affordable, and because I have enjoyed other products from this line. While the scent was pleasant, the result was not good. The shampoo left my hair very sticky and damp, unlike the other dry shampoos. It actually felt dirtier to me after than before I applied it. I attempted to try it out a couple other times, but got the same results. I feel like the problem with the formula is that it is much more runny, while the other shampoos tend to be more powdery. This product did not work for me and I will not repurchase.

For those of you wanting to try a dry shampoo I would recommend either Klorane or Batiste as they both work quite well. Klorane is available at Sephora and Batiste is available at Sally Beauty Supply. If you use dry shampoo, leave a comment telling me what brand you use.

Mac Venomous Villains Collection

Today I picked up my pre-sale items from the much anticipated Mac Venomous Villains Collection! The collection officially launched yesterday, September 30th and is expected to sell out very quickly. The Venomous Villains collection is rather large, containing four separate collections by villain: Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Dr. Facilier.

I purchased five items from this collection, most of them being from the Evil Queen Collection:

Briar Rose Beauty Powder (Maleficent)
Oh So Fair Beauty Powder (Evil Queen)
Bite Of An Apple Blush (Evil Queen)
Innocence Beware! Lipstick (Cruella de Vil)
Sinister Lipstick (Evil Queen)

Above: Primary Packaging
Below: Product Color

On to the Product Reviews:

• Briar Rose is a cool-toned pink with a hint of violet. It is super pretty on the cheeks and I think it will work great with a darker lip. It reminds me of Azalea Blossom Ombre from the spring color forecast collection.
• Oh So Fair is a soft, clean pink with a slight sheen. It is very subtle on, but it will work well as a blush since I have fair skin.
• Bite Of An Apple is a brightened coral-pink blush with a matte finish. Although it looks very bright in the pan, it can be sheered out to give a light flush. It is kind of similar to my MAC Hipness Blush from to the beach, but the packaging was too cute to pass up.
• Innocence Beware! is a pretty nude color with a pink undertone. It is close to the colors Creme de Nude and Hue from the Mac permanent line. It is nothing special, I just like nude lipsticks.
• Sinister is a soft brown lipstick with a plum shimmer. It is a lustre finish, so the color is sheer on the lips. I have nothing similar to this lipstick and it is a good fall color.
  

Swatches Below:

All in all, this collection is pretty good. There are a lot of bold, fun colors like Toxic Tale, Violetta, the mineralized eye shadows, etc. Although I thought about purchasing those items, I tried to pick things that I would actually use on a regular basis.

Better Late Than Never?!

Okay, I really should have posted these reviews much earlier, since these MAC collections launched in June and July (Fail). Well I really like these products so I am going to do a post anyways :)

MAC: To The Beach Collection

I was looking forward to this collection for months! The packaging is adorable, and the colors and fun and summery, perfect for the beach. I wanted to purchase the whole collection, but I restrained myself and only purchased five items:

• Lazy Day Lipstick
• Easy Lounger Lipglass
  
• Hipness Blush
• Sand and Sun Eyeshadow
• Golden Bronzer

Lazy Day is a soft pink lipstick which looks very similar to MAC’s permanent lipstick in Angel with the exception of the finish (Lustre vs. Frost). It is great for an everyday subtle lipstick. Easy Lounger is a light pink gloss with multidimensional shimmer which works great over most lipsticks. Hipness blush is an bright coral blush, great for the summertime. Sand and sun is a nice peachy color, although the eye shadow is a bit chalky. Lastly, Golden is a nice basic bronzer to have. I mostly just wanted this compact for the packaging lol. This is definitely one of MAC’s better collections.

MAC: In The Groove

I picked up five items from this collection as well:

• Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish
• Jazzed Cremesheen Lipstick
• On The Scene Cremesheen Glass
• Hang Loose Mineralize Blush
• By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish (not pictured above)
  

Below are some swatches

My favorite item by far is Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish (on my cheek in the pic below). It gives the most gorgeous coral-peach glow on the cheeks. It is like a blush and highlighter rolled up into one perfect package. Stereo Rose leaves no obvious glitter on the cheeks like some of the other mineralize skinfinishes. In my opinion, it definitely lives up to the hype, and I highly recommend it.

Jazzed is a beautiful coral-peach lipstick that is neither too orange nor too pink. It looks great paired with on the scene cremesheen glass (pictured below) or by itself. I have been enjoying this combination all summer long.

Hang Loose mineralize blush is a blue-toned pink blush that looks very similar to MAC’s well dressed blush from the permanent line. I have also used the lavender side as an eyeshadow a couple times.

Lastly, I recently ordered By Candlelight. I have not received it yet which is why it is not in my pictures. However, I did try it out in the store and it is a gorgeous pink-champagne color. I plan to use it as a highlighter for my cheeks.

Urban Decay Naked Palette Review

I am so happy that I finally own this much anticipated Naked Palette from Urban Decay…and yes ladies, this palette definitely lives up to the hype. Unlike many other neutral palettes which contain one or two “eh” shades, all the colors in this set are gorgeous and highly pigmented.
This palette comes with twelve full size shadows, with shades ranging from delicate champagnes to dark gunmetal, and textures ranging from glitter to shimmer to matte. The palette is packaged in a dark brown velvet case with the gold words “Naked” across the top. It contains a mirror inside, the shadows, and an double-ended eye liner in the colors zero and whisky. A travel sized primer potion is also included.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw this palette is the great value for the price. This kit costs only $44 which is an amazing price when you consider that a single Urban Decay eyeshadow costs $17 and you are getting 12 full size shades plus extras!

The Naked Palette includes:

• Virgin (satin chamois)
• Sin (champagne)
  
• Naked (matte buff nude)
• Sidecar (cocoa with golden sparkle sheen)
• Buck (matte nutmeg)
• Half Baked (subtle, lustrous bronze)
• Smog (deep coppery bronze)
• Darkhorse (bronze patina)
• Toasted (rich copper)
• Hustle (plum brown satin)
• Creep (onyx with gold sparkle)
• Gunmetal (gunmetal gray with silver glitter)
• Zero (black) and Whiskey (creamy rich brown) eyeliner double-sided eyeliner
• Primer Potion
  

Below are swatches of the shadows:

Picture taken inside Picture taken outside

The eye shadows are pigmented, smooth, and blend easily. The Naked Palette is perfect for creating everyday, office-appropriate neutrals, summertime bronzy looks, or sultry smoky eyes for a night out. It is ideal to take when traveling and the color options are endless! I really can't say anything bad about this palette, everything about it is just right, I love all of the colors.

If you have not had a chance to pick this palette up, I highly recommend that you do so. Fortunately, the Naked Palette is a permanent Urban Decay item so you should eventually be able to snag one.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss

I discovered these glosses a couple months ago on a trip to my local CVS. I typically do not purchase drugstore makeup, mostly because I can't try it out first like at a department store. Out of the few times that I have picked up something on a whim, I have been unimpressed with the product. Not the case with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses. I have to give Revlon major props for stepping up their game. These glosses are amazing! They are non-sticky, moisturizing, pigmented, have no offensive smell/taste, and come in a variety of pretty shades. The packaging is also really nice. The tubes are very chic, no cheap looking like other drugstore varieties. They closely resemble the Chanel Glossimer packaging with the square tube shape, and black glossy twist off cap, and gold detail.
The shades that I picked up are: Coral Reef, Pink Pop, and Lilac Pastelle. These three shades have a cream finish and are comparable to the Mac Creamsheen Glosses. They vary in price from store to store but I believe I paid around $8 per gloss at CVS. All three shades are beautiful. (swatches below)

These glosses are pigmented enough to wear on their own but also look lovely paired with a corresponding lipstick. You could also tone down your lips with a nude lipstick and layer one of the glosses over it if you really want true color payoff.

Below are pictures of the lip glosses applied on my lips:

Coral Reef is a bright true coral color

Pink Pop is a bright fuchsia pink color
Lilac Pastelle is a wearable light lavender color

Lilac Pastelle is the most unique color and my favorite of the three. It is very wearable and looks great layered over a light pink lipstick. I will definitely be repurchasing these glosses! Go check them out, you can thank me later ;)

Essie Summer 2010 Collection

I am so excited that I finally got my hands on the summer collection by Essie since I had the hardest time finding it in stores! I picked up the mini polishes since I could not find full sizes anywhere. This set came with four colors from the summer collection: Haute As Hello, Knockout Pout, Demure Vixen, and Pretty Edgy.

Haute As Hello is a gorgeous light peach/coral color (pictured below on my nails). It was definitely love at first swipe and I highly recommend that you get your hands on it if you can.

Knockout Pout is a bright barbie/flamingo pink color. It is stunning as well, but not quite as unique as some of the other colors in this collection. It is a must have summer color and looks great on the toes if you are looking for a fun splash of color.

Pretty Edgy is a vivid palmetto green which is pretty, but green nail polish is not really my thing. I am sure I will find use for this one around Christmas or St. Patty's Day, but that's about it.

Demure Vixen is iridescent cocoa mauve, and the softest color of this set. The subtle iridescence in it makes the color interesting and unique. I will definitely be using this color come fall since I am on a bit of a bright color kick this summer.

If you want to snag any these shades, get on it now because they are limited and won't be available much longer, although there is always eBay!