Maybelline One By One Volum' Express Mascara

Hi Ladies! I needed a new mascara last week so I found myself in the makeup section at the drugstore. I tend to choose a different mascara every time I purchase because I like to see what is out there. If you have a beauty addiction like me, I am sure you know what I am talking about ;) I decided to go for the Maybelline One by One Volum' Express Mascara since it had been popular on the youtube beauty community and because I was curious if it would live up to the hype.

Here is what Maybelline promises: Bold lashes without the bulk and clump free volume. The exclusive lash by lash brush coats and cleans every single lash for the most refined volume from root to tip.

Overall, I think this mascara is pretty good. The rubber wands seems to separate and lengthen lashes better than the traditional pipe-cleaner style wands. I have used Loreal Telescopic mascara in the past which has a rubber wand it works the same way. The formula is on the "wet" side but it's nothing special. I would say that the brush is what makes this mascara different.

Maybelline One by One is very good at separating lashes and avoiding clumping. It seems to hold my curl all day when I use my lash curler. The one thing that annoys me about this mascara is that it seems to take more swipes to make my lashes perfect. I feel that I spend at least a minute on each eye, which is ridiculous. I am usually in a hurry when I do my makeup in the morning and I want fast results. Another thing I noticed is that it sometimes flakes a tiny bit a the end of the day.

Aside from my complaints, the finished result is nice and it is definitely one of the better drugstore mascaras that I have tried. I would give it an 8 out of 10. Have you ladies tried the Maybelline One by One Mascara? Or do you have a favorite mascara that you recommend I try? Let me know!

What I am Loving: Essie Turquoise & Caicos

I absolutely love springtime, with it's blooming flowers and warmer weather. I especially love that bright nail polish is back in again, because in all honesty, I am not the biggest fan of dark nail polishes. In the spirit of Spring, I purchased Essie's Turquoise & Caicos nail polish.

Turquoise & Caicos is a gorgeous, bright turquoise cream nail polish, and I am obsessed! This polish reminds me of the beach and it seriously has me longing for a tropical getaway. The formula itself is good and the color is pretty opaque. I used two coats of polish in my pictures but I would probably do three next time. Essie polishes stay nice for several days without chipping when I use a top coat. I have worn this polish for five days, and as you can see in the pictures, there is minimal chipping. Pretty darn good in my book ;)

Turquoise and Caicos is similar to China Glaze's For Audrey but I personally prefer the Essie polish. I was also considering Essie's Mint Candy Apple but Turquoise & Caicos is more unique and I like the color a little better. I know this color was from a collection last year, but I have seen it in several stores, including CVS and Ulta so it shouldn't be too hard to find. What are your favorite spring nail polishes? Let me know in the comments below.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Chance

Chanel recently released a new line of lip colors called ROUGE COCO SHINE Hydrating Sheer Lipshine. This brand new line contains 18 shades which range from light beige colors to deep berry hues. Chanel describes the Rouge Coco Shine formula as a moisturizing, high-shine lipstick with a lightweight texture.

I was in Nordstrom the other day for a back-to-mac lipstick when I got sidetracked at the Chanel makeup counter. The Rouge Coco line was out for display and I couldn't help but stop and swatch a couple shades. I immediately looked for the shade Boy in the line since that shade has been hyped up by beauty editors and bloggers alike. I bet some people will probably disagree with me, but I honestly do not see what the hype is all about. The color is okay, but it's nothing special in my book. However, a couple other colors definitely caught my eye. I tried out Chance, Aventure, and Evasion, and they were all pretty. I ended taking home Chance because it was my favorite of the three.

Containing only 0.1 oz and costing $32 a pop, this is an expensive lipstick. But then again you can't put a price on Chanel ;). The packaging is definitely luxe, with a sleek black case with gold detailing. I love pulling this out of my purse, Chanel is so elegant and timeless. The lipstick formula is great as well! It feels lightweight, almost like a lip balm, and applies very smoothly on the lips. The color itself is sheer, but it is definitely buildable to about medium coverage. I put about three layers on in my swatches to show the color.

I love how Chance looks bright and fresh while still looking natural on my lips. It is a beautiful color that is perfect for spring. The lipstick has a slight floral smell to it, but I am super sensitive to lipstick smells and this does not bother me at all. I hate it when lipstick tastes like soap or old perfume (yuck!). Anyways, Chance is a great product so if you are in Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, etc. check out the colors in the Rouge Coco Shine collection. If you are looking for something more affordable, this may not be for you since there are many other great less expensive options out there (such as MAC and Revlon). But if you can splurge a little, treat yourself to one of these lipsticks cause they are really nice.

If you have tried any of the Rouge Coco Shine Lipsticks, let me know in the comments below. As always, thanks for stopping by. xoxo-Stacy

Rave: NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Boho Chic

Hi Lovelies! I was wandering the isles of Ulta two weeks ago when I noticed that the NYX section had just about doubled since the last time I had been there! I was really excited to see that Ulta was now selling NYX cream blushes since I had been wanting to try them for awhile. I picked up the color Boho Chic, a natural soft pink color that will work with almost any look. I own a couple of the NYX jumbo eye pencils but I have never tried anything else from this brand.

Well guess what? I love this cream blush! It goes on velvety smooth, blends easily, and gives a dewy natural glow. The formula is very light and creamy; it does not feel the least bit greasy. I just used my fingers to blend the product into my cheeks and looked flawless.

Boho Chic looks great by itself and it also works as a good base for powder blush. It is super affordable too....I think I paid only seven dollars for it! In my opinion, this blush is pretty comparable to the MAC cremeblend blushes, but much less expensive. If you are in the market for a new blush, try this one out for a dewy spring look :).

MAC Quite Cute Review and Haul

photo credit: www.allurabeauty.com

Have you ladies checked out Mac's newest collection Quite Cute? Well if you have not, you should because it is adorable and it is going fast! I had a huge list of things that I wanted to purchase, but I am trying to cut back on makeup spending so I limited myself to a couple things.

If you are a sucker for pastels and hearts, this collection is for you. It is bright, fun, and perfect for spring. The collection consists of mineralize blushes, plushglasses, lipsticks, lip liners, and an eyeshadow quad. I ended up purchasing the pink blush called Giggly and the lavender lipstick called Quite Cute. I also own In Synch lip liner, which I had purchased when it was first released last year.

My Thoughts on the Collection: The mineralize blushes are adorable, but the actual product quality is so-so. Don't get me wrong, these heart blushes are the to die for, but the pigmentation is lacking. All of the blushes are super sheer on the skin, and very powdery. I had to pack on the blush to see any color on my cheeks. Giggly was the most pigmented of the three so I ended up buying it.

All of the plushglasses are beautiful but I can't use Mac plushglasses because the formula irritates my lips. Definitely test out the product before buying it if you can to make sure that your lips handle the formula. I really liked the colors Fashion Fanatic (the pale yellow-based pink) and I Love You (the soft lilac gloss).

The lipsticks are also gorgeous and I wanted them all! Candy Yum-Yum is really pretty but it is a little too hot pink for me. Playing Coy is a nice light peachy nude that is super pale on the lips. St. Germain is a pretty pastel pink that looks gorgeous in the tube but looks a little cartoon-ish on me. It's too bad since I really like the color :(. Playtime is a bright violet color which looks really nice on for a bright pop of color. Lastly, Quite Cute is a pale lavender which reminds me of Lavender Whip, a color I missed out on a couple of years ago. I just had to have it. While it is a nice lavender, it is a little to purple on it's own so I must pair it with a pink lip gloss to make it wearable.

I passed on the nail polishes only because I already own similar colors from Essie and OPI. The eyeshadow quad is not very pigmented so I passed on that as well. I am not a huge lip liner person so I did not purchase any of the lip liners in this collection. However, I do own the In Synch lip liner from a previous collection. It is a pretty yellow-based pale pink liner.

I am really happy with this collection and I love when MAC releases really girly stuff like this. I almost wish Mac would have done special packaging (Pink Perhaps?) because that would have made this collection even better. What did you girls pick up from Mac's Quite Cute Collection? Leave me a comment :)