"Baking" Makeup

Hi!

I recently in the last few months have heard people on Youtube talk about "baking" their makeup. I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. I watched a few videos to figure out what it meant and how to do it. I think I stumbled upon this by watching a Christen Dominique's video about doing this first, then I saw it done on Casey Holmes and then I watched a few others that I can't remember. I can't believe I never thought about doing this. After I found out what it was, I was like duh, that makes total sense. I don't think many beauty guru's on Youtube really used that word or used it very rarely, but now I won't go without it. I wore concealer under my eyes recently without baking it and it has been fairly hot and humid here so I was sweating a lot and the concealer and foundation dripped into my eyes causing irritation. It was a huge mess! My eyes are super sensitive to even the slightest irritation. Now I won't go without "baking" my makeup! I find that it really works for me.

Baking your makeup at the most basic level just means that whenever you put on concealer, primer or foundation, you bake it by applying a powder or eye shadow on top of the concealer/primer/foundation because the powder/eye shadow helps the product to stay in place and it fills in holes and creates a smooth surface that makes other makeup apply smoother. Baking your makeup helps in two ways: 1. it helps the concealer/foundation/primer stay in place and 2. it creates a smooth surface for better makeup application of other products!

I don't think this concept is necessarily knew or not well known because it used to be called setting your makeup and I know I've heard of people applying powder on top of their makeup before, but baking your makeup sounds cute. So I thought I would share it in my blog with all of you =-) Just an FYI to throw out there is that a lot of my makeup is made for long wear times so I'm not sure if that effects the baking or not. I am not entirely sure how baking on non-long wearing makeup works, but I'm sure it does the job for non-long wearing products to make them last a bit longer. But all of my primers, foundations and concealers are all long-wearing formulas. Long wearing formulas plus "baking" makes for really good results that I have seen. Just a fair warning that non-long wearing makeup should last slightly longer than if you don't bake, but not as long as long-wearing products. I just wanted to make sure that information is known.

Baking with Primer:

On clean eye lids apply your eye primer of your choice.
For example: I use the MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre because it works really well for me, but you can use actual eye primer or something similar. Whatever you like to use for your eye primer works. I would apply that all over my eye lids and give it about a minute or so to dry down.
Then you find an eye shadow color that matches closest to your eye lid color.
For example: I use the Coastal Scents Revealed 20 Eye Shadow Palette that I got from my husband's mom for Christmas a few years back. It has a lot neutral colors in it. It is used for more neutral looks which I like. I found that in the top row the fourth color in, they don't have names sorry but it's a tan color. Then you would just apply that on top of the eye primer. This is called baking and it helps to set the primer so it lasts longer and really does create a smooth surface to apply eye shadows on top of! That is basically all you do.

Baking with Under Eye Concealer:

To bake with under eye concealer all you do is apply your favorite concealer like you normally would under your eyes. I have to be careful because I have super sensitive eyes and to make sure no product leaks in my eyes I don't get too close like some people do with their concealers, but if you can and do that works too. I usually leave maybe a quarter of an inch space between my eye and the under eye concealer.
For example: I have used the IT Cosmetics Bye-bye under eye concealer and I have used the MAC Pro Longwear concealer in NW20 that is in the round black container. They are supposed to be waterproof, but I think I got too close to my eye and it leaked in or maybe it was the foundation. Let the concealer dry for about a minute or so. What you would do is find a powder or eye shadow that matches close to the concealer. I apply the concealer under my eyes without getting too close and then to bake it I either apply the Coastal Scents eye shadow the top first one matches my concealer color very well so I use that or I have a L'Oreal Mineral Makeup Finish powder that matches close to my skin color to apply on top of the concealer. It really does help it to stay in place.

Baking Foundation:

This is the most simplest one yet. Take a foundation of your choosing and apply all over the face. Give it a minute or so to dry and do it's think. Take a big fluffy brush and use a white powder or flesh colored power or a powder that matches your foundation and gently apply on top of the foundation on your face. This bakes the foundation to help it keep on your face longer and it may also help with keeping the foundation from breaking down, especially quicker. I will throw a warning out there that I have not tried to do this with non-lasting foundations so I don't know how well it works with those, but I do know that I have used this method with long-wearing/long last foundation and it works really well.
For example: I have used the L'Oreal Infallible 18 hour foundation and the MAC  with the L'Oreal Mineral Finish powder and it helped to keep my foundation from breaking down and it helped to make it last longer. Without baking I don't think it could go a full 18 hours on my face, but with baking it definitely gets closer. As long as it lasts up to 8 hours on my face without breaking down is pretty good in my book.

I hope this helps and let me know in the comments if you tried this with regular non-long wearing as well as long-wearing products to let everyone know how it worked and how how much longer it lasted when you baked and didn't bake. I'm sure it will help others and I know I am curious to know. Thanks =-)

Sincerely,
Marina

Dollar Tree L.A. Colors Nail Polish Haul 06/25/2017

Hi!

On Sunday I had to run to the Dollar Tree to pick up a few things. I have always wanted to try the nail polishes and I found some super cute Summer colors that I just had to try! I bought the L.A. Colors Color Craze nail polish. All of the nail polishes are a $1.00 each! Can't beat that price. I'm sure they aren't good for your nails, but as someone who rarely wears nail polish I figured it would be okay.

I bought the L.A. Colors Color Craze nail polish in #612 Purple Passion, #505 Pink Bubbles, and #534 Hottie. Purple Passion in the bottle looks like a light to medium purple. Pink Bubbles in the bottle looks like a barbie pink, maybe slightly darker. And Hottie looks like a pale orange. If these colors work out I might be going back to buy some of the darker shades for Winter because they had beautiful purple and blue colors that looked really cute. I usually don't go for red, but the red in the bottle looked like a really pretty color too!

I am going to be trying out the purple color this weekend. I will try them out and do a review on them!

Sincerely,
Marina

Bath and Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist Haul 06/24/2017

Hi!

This past weekend I finally made a trip to Bath and Body works. I ran out of the Christmas special body spray a while back, they now call it a fine fragrance mist, but I am just going to call it body spray, they are pretty much the same thing. It was the Vanilla Noel scent or something like that. I love it! I've been wanting to go to Bath and Body works, but it didn't work out until this past weekend! I was super excited. The Bath and Body Works that I went to had a deal going on where if you buy 3 you get 3 free. I think it applied to the sprays, the scrubs, and the lotions, but I'm not big on lotions and I have a Clean and Clear scrub that I use that I like so I decided to buy all 6 body sprays.

I bought 3 of my favorite which is the Warm Vanilla Sugar and then I decided to try 3 new scents I haven't tried before so I got A Thousand Wishes, Beautiful Day, and Magic in the Air. These are going to last me at least 6 months to a year. They are $14.00 each and each bottle has 8 fluid ounces so if you go in and buy 6 fine fragrance mists the total comes out to $88.00 before tax. With the deal they had of buy 3 get 3 free came out to $45.15 with tax included. Instead of being $14.00 at regular price it was like they were $7.00 for each bottle which makes it sound more reasonable. That is still a bit more than I would like to spend on body spray, but it should last me 6 months or so if I use them everyday that's about a bottle a month. I don't have a need to use them everyday so they should last me a while, especially since I probably will use different scents depending on my mood and the occasion.

A few small spritz goes a long way. I think I spritzed about 2-3 times and the smell was very strong and lasted a good while.

They changed the bottles and the scent formulas. I remember the bottles looked like cheap plastic that you would find at like Walmart/Dollar General/Dollar Tree, but they re-did the packaging and the label and now they are super cute! I wasn't able to justify spending $10.00-$12.00 on those and the scents I don't think were as strong either. I mean they smelled good, don't get me wrong, but I think they re-did their scents to make them stronger and the bottles are stronger and look super cute! They are plastic, but they aren't that cheap plastic, but a nice solid plastic with silver spray tops instead of the cheap plastic white tops. Bath and Body Works seems like they really stepped up their game with the body sprays from the last time I bought their products which admittedly was probably 5-7 years ago.

So far I am very happy with my experience, the sale that I got and the products that I purchased! I will do a review on them after I test them out some more.

Overall opinion: the bottles are made out of better plastic, the spray tops are silver instead of white which looks more classy, I think the silver classy look goes even better with the new bottles and labels so it all works very well together, they updated their labels that look super cute, the scent formula seems to be stronger so it lasts longer because they have always had really good scents, and when you find a good deal that made them $7.00 each instead of $14.00 each that makes it even more exciting!

Sincerely,
Marina

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC 25

Hi!

Oh my... I had a few saved drafts of products that I wrote reviews about, but was waiting to post because I don't like posting multiple in one day unless the products go together or I have to and I seriously thought I got to all of them, but I was just looking through my posted and drafts, guess what? I found this that I completely forgot to post! I feel so horrible. I still love and use this product. I am beyond sorry for not posting it sooner, but I really thought I did.

For my birthday last year I stopped by the MAC counter at my local mall and picked up something I wanted to try for a long time. That is the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer that I have heard a lot of great things about. Every time I go there are new people, but it seems like I get the same attitude. They force themselves on me and I'm just like, "I'm just looking, thanks." I'm nice, I smile, and they just are always seeming to have a bad day or something. I don't know. I went there with a specific purpose in mind and she kept trying to get me to buy other stuff. She asked if I wanted her to match me and I said sure. She asked if I had dry skin and I said yes so she tried to persuade me to buy some slick hydrating foundation. I told her that I could not wear that because even though I do have dry skin, I need waterproof makeup. Then she tried to push another product on me that I did not want. I finally got matched for the concealer that I wanted. She was awfully pushy about what she wanted me to buy. I didn't even ask how much the foundation was, but I was expecting to spend between $18.00 and $20.00 but apparently this concealer in the last few years flew up to the price of $22.00 for a tiny bottle. Yikes! That is some expensive concealer, but I did try it and it was definitely worth it. I really liked it and it held up on my face which is always a plus!

Rating:

Price: 7/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 8/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Covers redness: 10/10
Covers large pores: 10/10
Different skin types: 9/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I repurchase: 10/10
Total rating: 93/100=93%= A

My personal rating: 10/10=100%= A

Comments:
I recently purchased this product at my local MAC counter. I paid $22.00 for this product. I thought $18 for this product was a bit much, but now they charge $22 for it which I think is way too much. The packaging isn't super cute, but it holds the product, it doesn't leak, and it comes with a pump to pump the product out which I like. I'm pretty sure they give the same amount of product as they did when they charged the $18 so I think that if they are going to charge more they should give more product. The longevity of this concealer is awesome. It definitely lasts and it doesn't have to false advertise that it lasts 18 hours or 24 hours. It pretty much lasts until you take it or wash it off. The application is smooth and I haven't had any problems with it, but you do want to work a bit quick with this product because it does dry. I bought this product because I wanted to see how much it covers and it is definitely full coverage! I love it! I think that this product covers my large pores and makes it easier to put foundation on over it. This product is probably meant for oily or normal skin, but I think even dry can use it. I think it covers and goes on pretty much anything and stays there. It might be a bit drying on dry skin though. Overall, this is a great must have product! I can't believe I waited so long to try it. I can wear it alone or under foundation. A match made in heaven, lol. Yes, I would most definitely repurchase this product unless it goes above $25, that is my cut off for a concealer.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, January 2015: Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in Treasure

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about products that I received in my IPSY bag for January 2015. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but they usually have a deal where if you buy a full year then you get $10.00 so you get 1 month free. I just went through the IPSY beauty quiz and they have added a lot of options on there. It's a bit overwhelming. IPSY might be taking the beauty quiz a lot more seriously now because they ask a lot of detailed questions about colors and stuff. That would be really cool! I just logged into my old IPSY account and I can't find anything that confirms whether or not IPSY still has a waitlist or not. I would have to set it up. I don't remember it being like that with the waitlist so I would assume there isn't one, but you never know. I was just looking at their past bags and I am so jealous in October 2016 some very lucky people got the coveted It's a 10 hair product. I probably would not have been one of them, but that kind of makes me wish I was still subscribed to this service.

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in Treasure. At first I was really excited about this product because I like testing out eye shadows and finding good ones. I also love seeing what colors there are. I will admit that when I saw that this was a mineral eye shadow I was not as excited because my eyes are sensitive to products and from past experienced when I used mineral eye shadows they didn't last because I have very oily lids and the product would slide off into my eyes causing other problems. I'm reserved about this product. Although, I just tested out the Cailyn Eye Polish which is also a mineral eye shadow and that one really surprised me because it lasted a lot longer than most mineral eye shadows do on me. The awesome part is that it lasted well both with and without eye primer. The Cailyn Eye Polish restored my excitement that there are good mineral eye shadows out there that are beautiful in color that I can wear! I've heard a lot of good things about Pacifica as a brand and Pacifica as an eye shadow. I am trying to not get too excited because I don't want to get super disappointed.

IPSY does not include descriptions or prices in their insert.

Rating:

Price: 5/10
Packaging: 9/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Pigment on fingers: 10/10
Pigment on eye lids: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Blendability: 10/10
Different eye lids: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 3/10
Total rating: 105/120=87.5%=B

My personal rating: 9.5/10=95%=A

Comments:
According to the official www.pacificabeauty.com website they don't sell this as an individual eye shadow, but it comes as part of a palette that costs $32.00 but does come with a bronzer, a blush, 3 highlighters and 6 eye shadows. Since you can only buy it in a palette I have to use the $32.00. That is way too much. You would pretty much have to invest in the palette but it does come with a ton of different products. The palette is definitely an investment. The packaging of the sample is cute, but feels very flimsy and easily breakable. I took a point off for that. In the sample you get a decent amount of product. In the palette it seems like you get a decent amount of product too. The pigment on the fingers is beautiful. Much to my surprise the pigment actually transferred from the package to my finger to my eye lid. I was really shocked by how well the pigment went on the eye lid, especially a mineral one. I have been wearing it for about a half hour and it still looks the same even though I do have oily eye lids. That is a very good surprise! The longevity of the product is that I think even though it doesn't claim to be long wearing/long lasting/waterproof, especially for a mineral eye shadow, this eye shadow has some lasting power. I think with a really good primer this should last a while. The application was super smooth and even and easy. The texture of the eye shadow is smooth/creamy and light weight. I think this eye shadow blends really well and blends with other eye shadows. I have super oily eye lids so as soon as a product goes on my eye it is guaranteed to come off and quickly. Usually I start noticing a product starts fading, but I have not noticed this product doing that even without primer. I think different eye lid types from normal to oily to dry should be able to use them. Overall, this is a really nice eye shadow. The color is beautiful and the pigment actually goes on the eye lid. Even though this eye shadow is not waterproof, it does seem to have staying power. The two things that bug me is 1. that you can't buy it individually and 2. they want you to buy a $32.00 palette to get it. If I was going to buy one palette I would buy this one because of that eye shadow and the color. Plus it comes with 5 other eye shadows that look beautiful too so I would love to test out the colors of the other eye shadows! I can't see myself going out and buying this palette just for this eye shadow, but if I were to invest in a palette I would highly consider getting this palette.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, January 2015: Hikari Eye Liner in Storm

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about products that I received in my IPSY bag for January 2015. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but they usually have a deal where if you buy a full year then you get $10.00 so you get 1 month free. I just went through the IPSY beauty quiz and they have added a lot of options on there. It's a bit overwhelming. IPSY might be taking the beauty quiz a lot more seriously now because they ask a lot of detailed questions about colors and stuff. That would be really cool! I just logged into my old IPSY account and I can't find anything that confirms whether or not IPSY still has a waitlist or not. I would have to set it up. I don't remember it being like that with the waitlist so I would assume there isn't one, but you never know. I was just looking at their past bags and I am so jealous in October 2016 some very lucky people got the coveted It's a 10 hair product. I probably would not have been one of them, but that kind of makes me wish I was still subscribed to this service.

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing Hikari Eye Liner in Storm. I was excited when I saw that I got an eye liner, but I was disappointed because I have to have waterproof/long wearing/long lasting makeup because of my oily lids and product leaking into my eyes causing a lot of problems. I was pleasantly surprised that this eye liner is a retractable pencil instead of an actual pencil that you have to sharpen. I prefer the plastic pencils where you twist to get the product out. I so wish this was a waterproof eye liner because praise the Lord, it is not red. If you have been reading my reviews of products all of the beauty subscription services for like 4 months straight sent me a ton of red or reddish or a form of red. This color appears to be a dark grey color. I am so excited that it is not red! lol. It looks really cool.

IPSY does not include descriptions or prices on their insert.

Rating:

Price: 6/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 6/10
Pigment: 6/10
Application: 6/10
Texture: 10/10
Different lid types: 6/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Would I purchase: 0/10
Total rating: 66/100=66%=D

My personal rating: 5/10=50%=F

Comments:
According to the official Hikari website, this eye liner is $13.00. I was actually really surprised at how much they want for it because mine doesn't work well. I love the packaging. I always tend to go for eye and lip pencil products that come in a plastic case, that is retractable so you can twist the package to get the product in or out instead of having to deal with sharpening a pencil, and I tend to like the liners better because most of the time they are creamier. Unfortunately, this pencil product feels dry and drying. You do get a decent amount of product in the packaging, but I personally would not pay $13.00 for this. The longevity of this product is none existent since I can barely get it on. I think that this product would not last around my eyes because it would rub off easily or leak into my eyes. The product is very easy to rub off my eyes, but not my hand, go figure! The pigment of this product on my hand the first time the pigment is light, but the second time of going over it the pigment payoff is good. On my eyes no matter how hard I press I can barely get any on my lash line! It is very frustrating! I have to say that the pigment of this product is not good! The application of this product I would expect to be smooth, creamy, and even, but it is not at all. I almost stabbed myself in the eye from pressing so hard to try to get the product on. Yikes! No thanks. The product on my hand applies uneven. The texture of the product doesn't feel bad or heavy or anything. The only reason why it hurts is because I have to scratch my lash line to try to get the product on. But the product itself doesn't hurt. On different eye lid types I think that normal might be able to use this product, but dry and oily should be careful. On oily eye lids this product will just slide off if you can even get it on in the first place. On dry eye lids the product probably wouldn't even go on and if it does would be super patchy and uneven. I really wanted to like this product and if it was described as long wearing and it just dried out I would be a little bit more understanding, but this eye liner is not good at all. Overall, the eye liner product is dry and difficult to work with on the lash line. I love the color and I was excited to try a dark grey color on my eyes, especially since I have blue eyes, but this product would not go on around my eyes at all. I am really disappointed. I would not buy this product.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, January 2015: Malin and Goetz Mojito Lip Balm

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about products that I received in my IPSY bag for January 2015. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but they usually have a deal where if you buy a full year then you get $10.00 so you get 1 month free. I just went through the IPSY beauty quiz and they have added a lot of options on there. It's a bit overwhelming. IPSY might be taking the beauty quiz a lot more seriously now because they ask a lot of detailed questions about colors and stuff. That would be really cool! I just logged into my old IPSY account and I can't find anything that confirms whether or not IPSY still has a waitlist or not. I would have to set it up. I don't remember it being like that with the waitlist so I would assume there isn't one, but you never know. I was just looking at their past bags and I am so jealous in October 2016 some very lucky people got the coveted It's a 10 hair product. I probably would not have been one of them, but that kind of makes me wish I was still subscribed to this service.

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm. When I first saw this product and that it was a lip balm, I have to admit that I was not very impressed. I was just like, "great, another lip balm..." But after I put some on my lips I was like, "Ooo... a lip balm!" lol. I don't know why, but while I was applying this product to my lips I liked the way it smelled, I like the way it applied, and I like the way it feels. As soon as I put this lip balm on I could feel it start working on hydrating and repairing my dry lips from all of the lip products I have been testing for the past couple of weeks. The text goes on thick and the lip balm feels thick, but it doesn't feel like it weighs the lips down and it doesn't feel sticky. I actually really like it. It just instantly put me in a better mood.

IPSY does not include product descriptions or prices on their insert.

Rating:

Price: 4/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Taste: 10/10
Different lip types: 10/10
Overall rating: 10/10
Would I purchase: 6/10
Total rating: 110/120=91.66%=91.7%=A

My personal rating: 10/10=100%=A

Comments:
I'm terrified of the price... oh my gosh, they want $12.00 buck a roos for this product! Yikes! That's like triple the amount of a natural decent lip balm and like 6 times the amount of a chapstick lip balm that are like 2 a piece. I really like this product, but not for $12.00. Wow. I can go buy a giant jar of Vaseline for that price, maybe even cheaper, and make my own, lol. $12.00 for a lip balm. In some alternate universe if I was rich I would go and buy this. The packaging is very simple, but very cute. The packaging is a squeeze tube that you push to squeeze the product out onto the lips. I think that the size of the packaging itself is really nice, but for the price it should probably come in a bigger size. The application of this product is smooth and even and super easy. The package comes with a guided lip application so it makes this product easy to apply to the lips. This is a lip balm and lip balms don't usually have pigment and this one doesn't but I'm okay with that. The longevity of this lip balm compares to any lip balm or lip product. It depends on how much you lick your lips, if you are eating/drinking, etc. This lip balm is a bit thicker so in that way it does last a little bit longer. The smell/scent of this product is very nice and clean. It's not overpowering, but you can tell it's there. It gives off a nice fresh minty scent. The texture is a bit on the thick side and goes on thick, but it doesn't feel heavy or weighed down and it's not sticky at all. It is super smooth. This product doesn't give off any taste really. It definitely does not taste like chemicals of any kind or even waxy. It almost has a very tiny citrus taste to it. I don't mind it. It's not offensive. I really like it! I think this product can be used on different lip types from normal to dry. This product works super well with dry lips and lips that have been abused by testing many lip products on. I feel like it repairs without me having to feel like it's working and it's just very calming with the slight scent and the slight taste. I love everything about this lip balm. Overall, this is just a very nice lip balm. The nicest one I have ever tried. It works and it feels nice and it smells nice and I just like everything about it. If I had some extra money to spend I would invest in this product, but I wouldn't go out and buy it because of the price.

If someone would like to buy me Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm, please let me know so I can set up a P.O. box where you can send it.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, January 2015: Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about products that I received in my IPSY bag for January 2015. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but they usually have a deal where if you buy a full year then you get $10.00 so you get 1 month free. I just went through the IPSY beauty quiz and they have added a lot of options on there. It's a bit overwhelming. IPSY might be taking the beauty quiz a lot more seriously now because they ask a lot of detailed questions about colors and stuff. That would be really cool! I just logged into my old IPSY account and I can't find anything that confirms whether or not IPSY still has a waitlist or not. I would have to set it up. I don't remember it being like that with the waitlist so I would assume there isn't one, but you never know. I was just looking at their past bags and I am so jealous in October 2016 some very lucky people got the coveted It's a 10 hair product. I probably would not have been one of them, but that kind of makes me wish I was still subscribed to this service.

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion. I was not excited when I saw I got this product in my IPSY bag. I don't use shimmer lotion and I honestly don't know what I would use it for. Shimmer lotion on my skin color and skin tone does not look good. If I had a nice tan and I went out to the club a lot I could see myself wearing this, but otherwise, I don't have any occasion to. It was a bit disappointing. But since I got it I might as well try it out. This is my first time reviewing a shimmer lotion so please bear with me.

IPSY does not include product descriptions or prices on their inserts.

Rating:

Price: 6/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Application: 9/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Shimmer on face: 7/10
Shimmer on body: 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I purchase: 0/10
Total rating: 87/110=79.09%=79.1%=C

My personal rating: 6/10=60%=D

Comments:
According to the official Manna Kadar website this shimmer lotion costs $29.00, but if you sign up for re-occuring delivery of this product, you choose how often, then they charge $21.75 for it. Yikes! I think that is a bit much even with the discount and I don't use this product on my face because my skin color and skin tone make the product look weird. Pasty white+shimmer=looking like Edward from the Twilight movie. Unless that's the look you are going for, I would recommend against it. For many people this product makes the skin look dewy and nice, but for me I just feel it highlights my imperfections. The sample product comes in a tube that you squeeze, but the actual product comes in a square bottle. I don't see a pump on the cap so I'm not sure how you get the product out, but it looks like by using your fingers or a makeup brush if you have one. You do get a decent amount of product a 1 fluid ounce bottle which my MAC foundations are 1 fluid ounce and they cost about $28.00 so I would be paying a dollar more for this dewy shimmer lotion. I can't see myself doing it. The application of this product is smooth and even. When the product is first applied it goes on thick but as you rub it into the skin it thins out and blends in. It does take a bit to work the product into the skin. This product is not described as being long wearing or long lasting or waterproof, but it does seem to have a thick enough consistency that worn over decent makeup should last. The product applies liquid-like, but does dry. The texture is a bit on the thick side at first, but thins out as you rub it in and it feels wet and very liquid-like. But it's not sticky or gross or anything. I didn't get any smell from this product and if there is it is so faint that you wouldn't be able to tell. This shimmer lotion on my face without foundation just looks like I'm wearing glitter. This shimmer shows up better on my arm than it does on my face. On the arm this product gives me a nice pinkish glow. On the face it just looks like I am wearing glitter. The product does look better when worn over a liquid foundation. This shimmer makes the Covergirl Trublend foundation look hydrated and shiny. Overall, this product costs more than my MAC studio fix foundation and I don't personally use this product, but other people might. It's not a bad product, just a product that is not for me. I would definitely not purchase this product.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, January 2015: Eco-Beauty by La Fresh Group Day Moisturizer

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about products that I received in my IPSY bag for January 2015. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but they usually have a deal where if you buy a full year then you get $10.00 so you get 1 month free. I just went through the IPSY beauty quiz and they have added a lot of options on there. It's a bit overwhelming. IPSY might be taking the beauty quiz a lot more seriously now because they ask a lot of detailed questions about colors and stuff. That would be really cool! I just logged into my old IPSY account and I can't find anything that confirms whether or not IPSY still has a waitlist or not. I would have to set it up. I don't remember it being like that with the waitlist so I would assume there isn't one, but you never know. I was just looking at their past bags and I am so jealous in October 2016 some very lucky people got the coveted It's a 10 hair product. I probably would not have been one of them, but that kind of makes me wish I was still subscribed to this service.

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing Eco-Beauty by La Fresh Group good day. day moisturizer, ample hydration, fresher and happier looking skin. When first looking at this product it is kind of difficult to know what this product is and what it does. I guess it is a daily moisturizer. I am ready to try it.

IPSY does not include product descriptions or prices.

Rating:

Price: 4/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Smell: 9/10
Texture: 10/10
Different skin types: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 0/10
Total rating: 81/100=81%=B

My personal rating: 8/10=80%=B

Comments:
Oh my gosh. Where does IPSY find these beauty products? They want $40.00 for this product. The sample comes in a pouch bag with a twist cap which I think is pretty cool looking. The actual product comes in a jar with 1.7 fluid ounces. I'm happy with my Clinique moisturizer so I think I will stay with that. For a daily moisturizer that is a lot of money. If you have the money for it, then go for it, but most of us cannot afford to spend that kind of money on a daily moisturizer. Although this website also has a deal where if you sign up for re-occuring purchase you get a discount of $36.00 each time they send it out. It gives a 1, 2, and 3 month options. The packaging seems nice. I love the sample pouch bag with the twist cap. I like my products to come with pumps, especially moisturizers, and this one doesn't seem to. I guess it's a personal preference thing. I think that 1.7 fluid ounces of product is decent, not for the price they are charging, but it should last about a month with daily use. The application of this product is smooth and even. It glides over the skin very well. This product isn't described as long wearing/long lasting/waterproof, but I think that if you wear this product alone or under foundation it should last throughout the day. This moisturizer does seem like it is very hydrating and not drying. To me this product smells like earthly grass/cucumber combination. The smell is there enough for me to be able to smell it, but once applied to the skin you can't smell it at all. Have you ever  been to Panera Bread and got a sandwich and the sandwich comes with this green grass looking stuff? It's not lettuce, that's what the smell reminds me of. It's not bad, I personally don't like it, but it's not offensive or overpowering or anything. The texture of this product is a bit thick when it first comes out and at first appears white on the skin, but when you rub it into the skin the white color disappears. At first this product applies really well, but as it sits on the skin the product dries, but the skin is left feeling soft and hydrated. I think this product would work well with all skin types from normal to oily to dry to combination. I don't think oily would necessarily need this product, but dry and combination would work really well with because it is so hydrating. Normal it would work well with, but may also not necessarily need this much hydration. Overall, this product seems like it does a really good job of hydrating the skin. I am not a big fan of the smell, but I can get past it. The one thing I can't get past is charging $40.00 for a daily moisturizer. I personally would not pay this much for a moisturizer. If you can afford to that's awesome, but I can't.

Sincerely,
Marina

E.L.F. Concealer Brush

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be talking about and reviewing the E.L.F. $1.00 concealer brush. I bought this brush at my local Walmart that carries the E.L.F brand and some popular E.L.F. products. I usually use my finger to apply concealer, but it's difficult so I thought maybe a brush would make it easier and look nicer. The brush is only a $1.00 so it's not like I went out and spent a bunch of money. I find myself using it and really liking it. It's also nice not having to stick my fingers in the product so it keeps it sanitary and I don't cake on product underneath my eye. It's a win-win!

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Quality: 7/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 7/10
Design: 10/10
Bristle fallout: 9/10
Bristle feeling: 7/10
Concealer: 10/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I purchase: 10/10
Total rating: 97/110=88.18%=88.2%=B

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
The price of this product is $1.00 and you honestly can't beat the price for an individual brush. Kudos on the price! The packaging is simple, but cute. It has a white long handle with silver writing on it and a dark yellow/orange bristles. I think that the quality on this brush seems better than my other $1.00 E.L.F. brushes, but it's definitely not state of the art. It gets the job done. The longevity of this brush seems to hold fairly well. I have not had many issues with this brush. The bristles seems to be intact and the brush head has not broken off from the brush handle. The application of the concealer with this brush is a bit stiff because of the bristles, but if you dot the product on and then kind of pat the product in with the brush then it does a good job of blending the product in and then after I give it a light swipe just to make sure it doesn't appear dotted. It's not super smooth, but it is even and if you take your time it gets the job done. A huge step up from using fingers. The overall design is good. I like long brush handles and this one is long, but not overly long so it's just perfect for me. It gives me enough length to get the product where I want it and the brush itself is small so it allows me to get into the inner corner of my eyes by my nose to get some product in there which I really like! I have small eyes and a small brush really does a good job of that. I have not personally experienced any fallout with this brush, but I have with other E.L.F. brushes and the more I use it the more the bristles seem to move out of place, so I can definitely see it happening, especially after a lot of uses, but for the price I will take it. The bristle feeling of this brush is a bit on the rough side. When dealing with the thin skin under your eyes and a brush that is packed tightly together creates a stiffness, plus the bristles themselves seem to be rough so it doesn't create the best of situations, but like I said for the price and for getting the job done, I really can't complain too much. I would say with my sensitive skin it feels a bit scratchy, that's only if you swipe it rather than dab it in. I tried the brush with both my MAC Studio Finish Concealer which is a bit thicker consistency and it worked great. I also tried it with my E.L.F. Tone Correcting Concealer which is more liquid-like and it worked well with that too. I think with the more liquid-like concealer, it was easier to swipe than with the thicker concealer, and that's the only slight difference I noticed. With the thicker concealer you may want to dab it on and into the skin. With the liquid-like concealer you can swipe it on more. Overall, I love the price and I like the brush. It's not super fancy or anything, but it definitely gets the job done! I would definitely purchase this brush again when I need to!

Sincerely,
Marina

Lip Monthly, December 2014: NYC Ultra Moist Lip Wear in #304 Mocha

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the products I received from the beauty subscription service called Lip month for the month of December 2014. Lip Monthly is a lip focused beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month if you jump on their deals. Lip Monthly used to give 4 lip products and 1 non-lip product. This December bag was the only bag that I had not received 5 products in. That was a bit disappointing, but this bag came with only lip products which was cool. They were all full sized which is even cooler.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing the NYC [N.Y.C.=New York Color] Ultra Moist Lip Wear in #304 Mocha. I laughed when I saw this product in my bag because before I signed up for the beauty subscription services I went out and tested a couple NYC lipsticks. It's kind of funny because not only did I buy the NYC Ultra Moist Lip Wear, but I also bought it in Mocha. I guess Lip Monthly does know me because they gave me a product I already bought, lol. Not going to lie, for my last Lip Monthly bag it was a bit disappointing. I was going to do a giveaway with this product on my Youtube channel, but this is the NYC lipstick that has the packaging problem where the tip of the lipstick touches the top of the cap creating a lipstick mess. I remembered one of my NYC lipsticks doing that and it must have been this one. By now I've had it for almost 2 years so I'm pretty sure no one would want to receive a 2 year old mess.

Description:

NYC
Lipstick $0.99 to $2.99

The funny thing about that is, I'm pretty sure I spent $0.93 on this lip product at my local Walmart because that is the place that sells NYC is at the Walmart by me. At the highest, the NYC lipsticks are like $1.18 or something. The lipsticks are very inexpensive, but they do a decent job.

Since I already reviewed this product, I thought I would mention it since I received it, but not rate it because I already did. If I figure out how to link the page I reviewed this lip product on then it will be here. I'm not sure how to post it as a link, sorry, but if you copy and paste it should take you to the review! http://marinasmakeupblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/nyc-new-york-color-lipstick-in-304-mocha.html

Final rating: 91.7%=A
My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Sincerely,
Marina

Lip Monthly, December 2014: LA Girl Endless Semi-Permanent Auto Lipliner in Mauvelous

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the products I received from the beauty subscription service called Lip month for the month of December 2014. Lip Monthly is a lip focused beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month if you jump on their deals. Lip Monthly used to give 4 lip products and 1 non-lip product. This December bag was the only bag that I had not received 5 products in. That was a bit disappointing, but this bag came with only lip products which was cool. They were all full sized which is even cooler.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing LA Girl Endless Semi-Permanent Auto Lipliner in Mauvelous. When I saw this product and and that it said it was semi-permanent and claims on the packaging that it is long lasting, all day wear, I was like, YES! I'm not entirely sure what semi-permanent means because then it claims to be able to be worn all day so I'm not sure how that would make it semi-permanent, but I didn't care because I love semi-permanent, waterproof, long wearing, long lasting makeup products! It felt like Lip Monthly knew me, lol. I was a bit disappointed with the color because it comes up a matte dark red on my lips. As you have read by now every beauty subscription service for 4 months had been sending some kind red or redish beauty product. I don't usually wear a lot of red so this makes it interesting of how I am going to use the products without using a lot of red. I also was really excited because I love retractable pencils not the pencils you have to sharpen. Kudos to semi-permanent and kudos to retractable =-)

Description:

LA Girl
Automatic liner $5.00

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Application: 9/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Taste: 6/10
Different lip types: 9/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 9/10
Total rating: 111/120=92.5%=A

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
I think the price of this product isn't bad. It's a bit more than I would like to pay for a lip liner, but with the features that it is of not having to sharpen it you just twist the package and the product comes out, I am willing to spend a couple bucks more for that! The packaging is cute and I love it. As I have mentioned that I love retractable liners because they are a lot easier for me to work with. The product I find tends to be creamier and easier to apply too. I think that you definitely get a decent amount of product even for the price. It's a couple of inches of product. The longevity of this product seems decent. I outlined my lips and put a Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss on it and it looks really good together. I like it. It has stayed on with the gloss. Before I put the Milani lip gloss on it I put this lip liner on and then I put the Magnolia lip product on and it helped the Magnolia product stay inside the lines of my lips and it lasted too. I this this lip liner has staying power. The pigment of this lip liner is pretty dark, it's a dark red matte color. I could definitely see the lip liner on my lips but it doesn't outshine the lip product you apply with it because of the more dull color. The application of this product is fairly smooth, although, there were a couple of times the product didn't want to transfer to my lips so I had to press a little harder to get it on, but otherwise it's smooth and easy. I can't find any offensive or strong smell on this product, so if there is one there, it is not picked up by my nose. I don't think it has a smell though. The texture of this product is smooth, I wouldn't say creamy, but smooth. I like it. The one thing I really don't like about this lip liner is that I put it on my lips and then licked my lips and the product tastes awful. It definitely tastes like bad chemicals. That's too bad because there is no smell like there is taste. It tastes like an old stale pencil. My lips are on the dry side from reviewing so many lip products the past few weeks from my beauty subscription services. I definitely did some damage and they are a bit on the dry side. I think this product goes on well from normal to dry lips. It might not want to put product down, but just apply a little pressure and it should go. It's not perfect, but it does a good job. It's not streaky at all. It doesn't apply unevenly unless in some spots depending on the angle and how dry it is. Overall, I am really happy with this pencil. I like the dull matte but dark red pigment, I wish they did give me a different color than red, but that's okay I can make it work. I would definitely purchase this product to test out other lip liner colors!

Sincerely,
Marina

Lip Monthly, December 2014: Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in #03 Luminous

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the products I received from the beauty subscription service called Lip month for the month of December 2014. Lip Monthly is a lip focused beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month if you jump on their deals. Lip Monthly used to give 4 lip products and 1 non-lip product. This December bag was the only bag that I had not received 5 products in. That was a bit disappointing, but this bag came with only lip products which was cool. They were all full sized which is even cooler.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing the Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in #03 Luminous. As soon as I saw this product and the fact that I'm pretty sure this is a full size product I could not wait to try it. I have heard of Milani, I think it's a drugstore brand but don't quote me on that, but the color looks beautiful inside of the clear packaging. I could not wait to try this product! I think I heard a few good reviews of the Milani lip glosses on Youtube.

Description:

Milani
Brilliant Shine Gloss $4.99

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Taste: 9/10
Different lip types: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I purchase: 10/10
Total rating: 118/120=98.33%=98.3%=A

My personal rating: 10/10=100%=A

Comments:
Oh my... I think I'm in love with this product, lol. I love the price! I have absolute no complaints. I would spend $4.99 especially on this lip gloss! The packaging surprised me because it is freaking huge. I expected the product for Milani to be average or small, but this is a huge package. I honestly think that this is the biggest package I have ever seen for a lip gloss. It is huge! The packaging says this has 0.21 fluid ounces. Most lip glosses that I have seen or reviewed have been about 0.09 fluid ounces. Kudos to Milani! The packaging has a hard plastic exterior that is pretty thick but clear so you can see inside to see the product. The cap is a twist and has a doe foot applicator in the cap like most lip glosses. I definitely think you get above and beyond enough product, especially for the price. This lip gloss is not described as long lasting/long wearing/waterproof so it lasts as much as a normal lip gloss would. It also depends on if you are eating, drinking, licking your lips, etc. The application of this lip gloss is smooth and even. It goes on very well. Since this lip gloss is called brilliant shine I would assume that the focus is on the shine and not on the pigment. This lip gloss has a very faint pigment that is pretty, but the shine is out of this world. If you want shine with this product, you got it! The smell of this lip product is sweet and smells really good. That's the first thing I noticed about it was the somewhat strong sweet smell. It kind of smells sweet like vanilla. The texture of this lip product is that it is smooth, but it does feel a bit thick on the lips. It doesn't feel super thick or anything, but you can tell there is a product on your lips. It doesn't feel sticky or anything. The taste of the product is that it does taste a bit waxy and definitely not as good as it smells. I think that this product should have no problem being applied to normal to dry lips. The glossy super shine covers up a lot of imperfections such as dry lips, if you have any discoloration in the lips, it is gorgeous! Overall, this product really surprised me with the price, with how huge the packaging is, and how shiny/glossy it is! I absolutely love it! You definitely don't have to ask me twice, I would definitely buy this product!

Sincerely,
Marina

Lip Monthly, December 2014: Magnolia Makeup Lipstick in Matador

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the products I received from the beauty subscription service called Lip month for the month of December 2014. Lip Monthly is a lip focused beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month if you jump on their deals. Lip Monthly used to give 4 lip products and 1 non-lip product. This December bag was the only bag that I had not received 5 products in. That was a bit disappointing, but this bag came with only lip products which was cool. They were all full sized which is even cooler.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing the Magnolia Makeup Lipstick with applicator in Matador. I can honestly say that I was excited about trying the brand because I had never heard of it before and I love finding new lip products, but I was not excited that they sent me Matador which looks like a rich red color. As you can tell and as I have gone through reviewing products I received a lot of red colored lip products from Lip Factory to Lip Monthly to IPSY. It got to the point where I was screaming, "ENOUGH RED ALREADY!" I don't normally wear red at all and all the product samples I was receiving were for red products. That was a bit disappointing.

Description:

Magnolia MakeUp
Lipstick w/ Applicator $15

Rating:

Price: 7/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 7/10
Application: 8/10
Pigment: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture: 8/10
Taste: 9/10
Different lip types: 10/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I purchase: 0/10
Total rating: 96/120=80%=B

My personal rating: 7/10=70%=C

Comments:
My usual budget for lipglosses/lipsticks/lip liners is around $10.00 or less unless I am specifically buying MAC or a lip gloss that I absolutely love. I would not spend $15 for this product. The packaging is simple, but cute. It comes in a round clear container so you can see the product inside. Inside the cap there is an applicator, but most lip glosses come with one. I think that you do get a decent amount of product even for the price. The longevity of this product is difficult to put in a nutshell because it is super liquid-like when applied to the lips, but then as it dries, it leaves a stain on the lips. The stain slightly comes off. It's one of those that doesn't claim on the packaging that it is supposed to be a lip stain so I'm not sure why Lip Monthly called it a Lipstick. Maybe because after the water stuff dries up into the lips there is a very matte bright red stain that is left on the lips. At first I was kind of shocked because I was not expecting that at all. But even though it was a bright red stain, the product was still coming off slowly so it appears to not be a full waterproof/stain lip product. The application of this product is not good because it is too wet. I didn't feel confident applying this product to my lips and it was kind of difficult because it did feel like the applicator wanted to slide off my lips. With the color being so red and pigmented and with it wanting to slide off it was not a good experience for me personally. The pigment is so intense that the product lasts on the lips a while, but the stain transfers product when you touch the lip to something. I would call it semi-permanent because the glossy/wet stuff is super dark red and does not last at all, but once it dries it turns into a bright red stain look that stays on but doesn't stay on. I hope that make sense... Both the glossy/wet dark red pigment and the bright red pigment are super pigmented! This lip product doesn't appear to have a smell to it which is nice. I was kind of terrified of what I was putting on my lips. I love lipglosses because they tend to be very glossy/wet on the lips, but this product was over the top glossy, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep it on my lips because it really felt like it wanted to run away. The texture is super smooth, too smooth and liquid-like. I think the lip liner I used has a lot more gross taste than this lip product. I could tell a little bit, but it wasn't overpowering and not super gross at all which I was also surprised about. I think this product is okay for normal to dry lips. If you have dry lips this product should be no problem sliding it on. Normal lip types might find this product to be a bit slippery and I would highly recommend using a lip liner to keep this product in place and definitely from going outside the lip line. Overall, I found this product to be a very strange one. I have definitely never experienced anything like this product before. It can't decide what it wants to be so it tries to be a lipgloss, it tries to be a lipstick, it tries to be a lip stain, all in one. Very confusing. The application of this product scared me because it felt like it just wanted to go all over. When the product is on the lips and you are waiting for it to dry you just want the whole process to be over. It really hurts me to rate a product below 90% because I can usually find at least a few redeeming qualities of any lip product no matter how horrible it is, but this is one of those that I would personally stay away from until it decided what it actually wants to be and doesn't feel weird being applied to the lips like it's super oily that it just wants to slide off. The price definitely doesn't help this product in my book.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, December 2014: Crown Crease/Shadow Brush

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing products that I received in my beauty subscription service called IPSY for December 2014. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month or I think if you purchase all 12 months at the same time you get one month free. Unfortunately, since this service is so coveted, they usually have waitlists. I was on the waitlist for at least a month or month and a half before I had the opportunity to bypass the waitlist if I allowed IPSY to post on my facebook and I subscribed to a bunch of youtube videos. I was glad to do it to get off the list. You get decent sized products and I have always received at least 5 products in my bags. IPSY does have a beauty quiz that you take and you can review products that is supposed to help customize your bag, but I guess doing it for 4 months wasn't enough for it to get customized or they don't pay attention to the beauty quiz. I eventually cancelled my service because they were sending me a hand lotion, a face product, and a hair product in one bag and then two items may or may not be what I wanted to actually try.  I did not request any of those products on my quiz. It was really disappointing. I also have specific needs when it comes to eyes my mascaras and eye liners have to be waterproof otherwise it causes a lot of problems.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing Crown Crease/Shadow Brush. The brush comes with one handle and has each attachment on opposite sides. It's essentially a brush that is two in one. One side has the eye shadow brush and the other side has the crease brush. I don't mind two in one brushes. I was okay with getting a brush because I saw that I got eye shadow in the bag so I figured they included a brush because of the eye polish. I did specify on the beauty quiz that I did want to try out beauty products. I can't complain I guess.

IPSY does not include on their insert descriptions of products and prices.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Bristle fallout: 10/10
Bristle feeling: 10/10
Eye shadow brush: 8/10
Eye crease brush: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 7/10
Total rating: 112/120=93.33%=93.3%=A

My personal rating: 8.5/10=85%=B

Comments:
According to the official Crown website they sell two versions of this brush, I'm not entirely sure what the difference is besides the price. One is $5.59 and the other is $6.99. The $6.99 says the C476 Crease/Shadow brush, but the other one doesn't have the letter and numbers. I usually buy the cheap E.L.F. brushes that get the job done for $1.00 or $3.00 a piece so I don't really see myself spending $6.99 on a brush, but it does come with two brushes so that's about $3.00 a piece. I guess if you think about it that way then the price doesn't seem so bad. The packaging is simple, but cute. The bar inbetween is black with silver bristle holders. The quality of the brush seems a lot better than the E.L.F. brushes, even the $3.00 studio versions. I have used this brush a few times to test it out and usually if the brush is not good then there is a lot of fallout no matter how much you use or don't use it. I have not experienced any fallout by using either brush. The application of the eye shadows is very good. The brush picks up product, but doesn't swallow the product so a lot of product does end up on your eye lids which I really like. I hate when brushes swallow product and you have to keep getting more and more. A lot of the E.L.F. brushes, especially the $1.00 I find not only have bad fallout but also swallow product. It's a good idea to have a decent brush because then you are not wasting a lot of product. The design of this brush is simple, but works. It's not too long and it's not too short for me personally. I think the shadow brush is a bit fluffier and a big bigger than it should be especially for my small eyes, but it works when I want eye shadow all over my lid. I love the crease brush because even though I have small eyes the crease brush fits right in my crease to put product in without it creating a mess. I would definitely recommend the crease brush, especially for people with small eyes like mine. It would work for people with bigger eyes too because then it would just give even more precision. I have not personally experienced any bristle fallout. I think the bristles feel really soft and not overly stiff to where it makes it difficult to work with. They are just right. I personally would like the shadow brush to be a bit smaller and a bit less fluffy. I love the crease brush because it fits in my small eye crease. I couldn't ask for anything more. Overall, these are not bad brushes. I am thinking about switching to this brush instead of the E.L.F. ones. I would definitely consider purchasing these.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, December 2014: Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish in #5 Orchid

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing products that I received in my beauty subscription service called IPSY for December 2014. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month or I think if you purchase all 12 months at the same time you get one month free. Unfortunately, since this service is so coveted, they usually have waitlists. I was on the waitlist for at least a month or month and a half before I had the opportunity to bypass the waitlist if I allowed IPSY to post on my facebook and I subscribed to a bunch of youtube videos. I was glad to do it to get off the list. You get decent sized products and I have always received at least 5 products in my bags. IPSY does have a beauty quiz that you take and you can review products that is supposed to help customize your bag, but I guess doing it for 4 months wasn't enough for it to get customized or they don't pay attention to the beauty quiz. I eventually cancelled my service because they were sending me a hand lotion, a face product, and a hair product in one bag and then two items may or may not be what I wanted to actually try.  I did not request any of those products on my quiz. It was really disappointing. I also have specific needs when it comes to eyes my mascaras and eye liners have to be waterproof otherwise it causes a lot of problems.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing Cailyn Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in #5 Orchid. Initially I was uberly excited when I saw the color of this product because I love it and would wear the heck out of it. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the color is, I have to be careful wearing this product because I have super oily eye lids. Mineral makeup plus oily lids equals a mess. The product slides off and around and gets in my eyes. I am so disappointed! I wear have to wear a really good eye primer and eye base with this product for it to even have a chance of surviving on my eye lids.

IPSY does not include item descriptions or prices on their insert.

Rating:

Price: 7/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 9/10
Pigment on fingers: 10/10
Pigment on eye lids: 7/10
Longevity: 9/10
Application: 10/10
Blendability: 9/10
Different eye lid types: 9/10
Quality: 7/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 7/10
Total rating: 102/120=85%=B

My personal rating: 6/10=60%=D

Comments:

Yikes! According to the official Cailyn Cosmetics website they want $15.00 for this product. $15.00 for a product that I can't wear. It says it is all natural which is good, but I would not spend $15.00 on a mineral eye shadow. The packaging is super cute! It is different than the packaging I have seen before. It has a clear container so you can see the product inside, the design of it is unique and cute. What I like most about the packaging is that when you untwist the cap and lift it off there is a cute little wand inside so that you can use the wand to apply the product! I wasn't expecting that at all the first time so I was completely shocked. I like the wand it came with. It works very well with the product! That was a cool surprise. You do get a nice size of product even for the amount. You can definitely get quite a few wears out of this product. I am so in love with the color of this product! It's very light brown tan with a ton of shimmer. On the fingers the pigment shows up well. On the eye lid the pigment gets lost especially when applying with the cute wand it comes with. It looks pretty, but very soft , but you can definitely see the goldish shimmer in it. It's a very soft pigment on the eye lid. I used an eye shadow brush and the pigment showed up much better but as it sits the pigment fades out. The eye shadow is inconsistent because without eye lid primer the pigment lacks but the shimmer shows really well and the pigment looks light brown pink with gold shimmer. With the eye lid primer the color shows more of a pink/red with gold shimmer. The color changes. I don't like when products do that. Surprising this product is lasting a lot longer than most mineral eye shadows that I have used in the past. I also cannot use cream eye shadows unless they are specifically waterproof. I think with a really good eye primer you could get a decent amount of long wear out of this. The application is super smooth and even. I think this eye polish has blending abilities. You can blend the product out itself or you can blend it with other shadows. With good eye primer and/or eye base this product should be okay. I'm really surprised. The quality for longevity seems to be pretty good, but the quality of the pigment seems a bit inconsistent which I don't like. Depending on eye primer it changes colors from looking more brownish/tanish/pinkish to brownish/redish. Overall, I love this color and I think the packaging is super cute with the wand, although, the wand doesn't work with this product very well. I might try this eye polish with a clear gloss to see what it looks like and how it works because I think it would be really pretty on the lips. I can't see myself purchasing this product for $15.00.

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, December 2014: NYX Butter Lip Balm in Ladyfingers

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing products that I received in my beauty subscription service called IPSY for December 2014. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month or I think if you purchase all 12 months at the same time you get one month free. Unfortunately, since this service is so coveted, they usually have waitlists. I was on the waitlist for at least a month or month and a half before I had the opportunity to bypass the waitlist if I allowed IPSY to post on my facebook and I subscribed to a bunch of youtube videos. I was glad to do it to get off the list. You get decent sized products and I have always received at least 5 products in my bags. IPSY does have a beauty quiz that you take and you can review products that is supposed to help customize your bag, but I guess doing it for 4 months wasn't enough for it to get customized or they don't pay attention to the beauty quiz. I eventually cancelled my service because they were sending me a hand lotion, a face product, and a hair product in one bag and then two items may or may not be what I wanted to actually try.  I did not request any of those products on my quiz. It was really disappointing. I also have specific needs when it comes to eyes my mascaras and eye liners have to be waterproof otherwise it causes a lot of problems.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in Ladyfingers. I was also super excited and thankful to IPSY for sending me the NYX Butter lip balm to try out. I have heard a lot of people raving about this product on Youtube and I am so glad that now I get to try it. I feel like there might be a NYX lipgloss that I bought or saw at the store that was named Ladyfingers, or I could have made that whole thing up. Who knows, but I love the smell of NYX lip products!

IPSY does not include an insert with descriptions or prices of the product.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Taste: 9/10
On different lip types: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I purchase: 10/10
Total rating: 117/120=97.5%=A

My personal rating: 10/10=100%=A

Comments:
According to the official NYX Cosmetics website this product is $4.00 each. Yikes! I do feel that even though $4.00 is not a lot of money, it does seem to be a lot of money for a lip balm. Although, the smell, the pigment, and the buttery smooth feeling this lip balm gives I would totally spend $4.00 on it. Usually I like to stick to $2.00 and under for lip balms, but I have never found a lip balm that smells so good, has a bit of pigment but not overwhelming just a little bit of color, and that doesn't taste like chemicals. For a lip balm it is a bit pricey, but for me personally, totally worth it! The packaging is simple, but cute and it seems to work. I do think that you get a decent amount of product for this lip balm and even for the price. This butter lip balm is not described as long wearing and I think it wears like a normal lip balm, maybe slightly longer because it has pigment. Usually lip balms don't have pigment, but this has a nice touch of pigment where it's not overly pigmented, but it definitely adds a little bit of color to the lips. It's very pretty. The application of this product is smooth and even. I love the smell of NYX lip products they always smell so good! It has a strong scent to it and I can smell it while wearing it on my lips, but it smells so good that I don't care. The texture of this lip balm is smooth and it feels light weight on the lips no matter how many layers you apply. The other nice thing about this product is that even though it doesn't taste as good as it smells, it doesn't have that icky chemical fake taste that other products have. This product does have a bit of a waxy taste to it. I think that this product should work well with normal to dry lip types. It is a lip balm so if it didn't work well with dry lips then I would not call it a lip balm. It is very nice and smooth and soft and not sticky. I love it! Overall, I have no major complaints about this product. The pigment is slightly there and it doesn't seem to be very buildable, but for a lip balm, I'm okay with a cute nice color. I wish these tasted as good as they smell, but then I would be licking it off my lips constantly, lol. I would definitely purchase this product and in different colors!

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, December 2014: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara in Black

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing products that I received in my beauty subscription service called IPSY for December 2014. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month or I think if you purchase all 12 months at the same time you get one month free. Unfortunately, since this service is so coveted, they usually have waitlists. I was on the waitlist for at least a month or month and a half before I had the opportunity to bypass the waitlist if I allowed IPSY to post on my facebook and I subscribed to a bunch of youtube videos. I was glad to do it to get off the list. You get decent sized products and I have always received at least 5 products in my bags. IPSY does have a beauty quiz that you take and you can review products that is supposed to help customize your bag, but I guess doing it for 4 months wasn't enough for it to get customized or they don't pay attention to the beauty quiz. I eventually cancelled my service because they were sending me a hand lotion, a face product, and a hair product in one bag and then two items may or may not be what I wanted to actually try.  I did not request any of those products on my quiz. It was really disappointing. I also have specific needs when it comes to eyes my mascaras and eye liners have to be waterproof otherwise it causes a lot of problems.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing Tarte Cosmetics Lights, Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara in Black. It looks black to me, but the packaging doesn't actually say. I was super excited that I got lucky enough to get a Tarte product to try in my bag! I felt special, lol. My excitement lasted only a moment until I realized that this product doesn't specify waterproof which means I probably will not be able to actually use this product, but I am still excited to try it out. I am just thankful I get to try out a Tarte product. Tarte is out of my price range and I'm a pretty big MAC fan so I will splurge on MAC products as I need to but mostly I try to go for the cheap stuff when I can. I know I'm a dork, but I am really happy to be trying out a Tarte product.

IPSY does not have descriptions or prices of products.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Formula: 9/10
Eye lash fallout/breakage: 10/10
Wand: 10/10
Volumizing/lengthening: 8/10
Smell: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I purchase: 9/10
Total rating: 124/130=95.38%=95.4%=A

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
Oh my... they made a limited edition of this product in waterproof! I would love to buy the heck out of that. I would have loved to get that version of this product to try. According to the official Tarte Cosmetics website this mascara is only $21.00 that is actually not bad. I was expecting $30.00 plus for it. I'm pretty sure my MAC Splashproof mascara that doesn't exist anymore was around that price. So that's actually not bad. The packaging is purple on the outside and has writing in gold. It has a design on it. I think it look super cute! I think that you get a decent amount of product for the price. This product does not claim to be waterproof/splashproof, but I have had it in my eyes while I have been writing this and I have not had an issue with the product leaking into my eyes which is a good start! I think it is a bit on the long-wearing side. Definitely a lot more than my usual drugstore brands that last about a half hour before deciding to leak into my eyes causing problems. The application is super easy. I barely had to touch the mascara wand to my lashes and the product was going on. The product went on smooth and even. The product and wand naturally wanted to grip my lashes to apply product. It was actually really cool how it felt that it did that. Even though the product goes on and the pigment is nice, I feel that it does need a couple of coats for the pigment to really show up to it's full potential. But if you apply a first layer and then wait a few minutes to let it dry, the second application is even easier. The pigment and the volume are definitely buildable with a few layers. The pigment and length is the first thing I noticed. The formula/texture of the formula feels wet and slick, but not oily, but slick enough to be able to slide the product on the eye lashes easily. The good kind of slick. The product stays on the lashes even with the second coat applied. I can usually tell a bad mascara fairly quickly because I have used some mascaras that literally caused breakage and fallout of my eye lashes after the product dried on my eye lashes. I was horrified. The formula was so stiff and dry and I will admit that I have weak eye lashes and the combination is not good! But this mascara does not do that with my sensitive eye lashes, YAY! As you apply multiple coats for volume the product starts feeling a bit heavy on the eye lashes, a little bit heavier than I'm used to or would like, but it's not terrible. I've experienced worse. I will be 100% honest with you when I say that I have never loved a mascara wand as much as I love this one. I don't know what they did with it, but I wish I could give it a 50/10 because I love it that much. There are a ton of bristles that are compact, but work so well with my eye lashes. I don't know if this is a feature or just my eye lashes, but this wand literally seems to grab and hold my eye lashes as I apply the product like it wants to go on my eye lashes. I have never had a wand work so well with my lashes before. I am beyond amazed! lol. The wand is big enough to apply mascara to my top lashes, yet small enough to apply on my lower lashes. I don't even know how to begin to describe the experience. Wow! I will admit that this wand works better with my top lashes than my lower, but I have seriously never experienced something this wonderful with mascara before. It's nice. I think that this product does a good job lengthening my eye lashes, and that it does lengthening better than volumizing. Adding layers does help the volume, but it's not like anything shocking or outstanding. It does a decent job. I noticed and was happy when I saw the mascara lengthening my eye lashes. It's a subtle length, it's not anything overpowering or terribly noticeable, but I can tell that it did lengthen a bit. I usually don't do smell for mascara, but this mascara has a fairly strong smell to it that I have to comment and rate it. This mascara to me smells like alcohol and soap. It's kind of citrus and it's kind of sweet. In the packaging you can smell it, but once applied to the eye lashes I can't smell it. It's not a strong offensive or overpowering smell, but it does have a noticeable scent. I am not going to say that this is the best mascara I have ever used, because quite frankly it does fall a bit short of the hype of Tarte cosmetics, but the wand is out of this world. Wow! It's worth it to buy this product just for the wand, lol. I think the formula could be a bit better and deliver what it promises, but now that I know my MAC Splashproof mascara has been discontinued, and the price of this product is similar to the MAC, and this Tarte mascara does come with a waterproof option, I would definitely buy this product and use it. I hope it comes with the same wand! I will be purchasing this product in waterproof to test it out and I may have found my new go to mascara! Thank you IPSY =-)

I absolutely adore and love the wand of this product!

Sincerely,
Marina

IPSY, December 2014: Bumble and Bumble Bb Straight Blow Dry for Coarse/Curly/Frizzy Hair

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing products that I received in my beauty subscription service called IPSY for December 2014. IPSY is a beauty subscription service that costs $10.00 a month or I think if you purchase all 12 months at the same time you get one month free. Unfortunately, since this service is so coveted, they usually have waitlists. I was on the waitlist for at least a month or month and a half before I had the opportunity to bypass the waitlist if I allowed IPSY to post on my facebook and I subscribed to a bunch of youtube videos. I was glad to do it to get off the list. You get decent sized products and I have always received at least 5 products in my bags. IPSY does have a beauty quiz that you take and you can review products that is supposed to help customize your bag, but I guess doing it for 4 months wasn't enough for it to get customized or they don't pay attention to the beauty quiz. I eventually cancelled my service because they were sending me a hand lotion, a face product, and a hair product in one bag and then two items may or may not be what I wanted to actually try.  I did not request any of those products on my quiz. It was really disappointing. I also have specific needs when it comes to eyes my mascaras and eye liners have to be waterproof otherwise it causes a lot of problems.

In this blog I am going to be reviewing Bumble and Bumble Bb Straight Blow Dry balm for coarse, curly or frizzy hair. When I saw this product I was really disappointed because I don't blow dry my hair, I let it air dry, and I guess I could fall under the category of having frizzy hair so I could use it if I really wanted to, but I just don't. The packaging came in the envelope because it does not fit in the tiny bag. I thought maybe it was an extra item or something really cool, but that led to disappointment. I'm pretty sure I considered doing a giveaway for this product. I didn't sign up to receive hair samples so that was a thumbs down. I was also getting a lot of brushes, but that could have been my fault because I did specify on the quiz that I wanted to try beauty tools. I don't think I have ever reviewed a blow dry product before so please bear with me!

IPSY does not include descriptions or prices of items.
But the Bumble and Bumble product came with it's own insert that on the front reads, "Bumble and Bumble. Prepare to be Blown Away." On left side: make short work of smoothing and frizz-fighting rituals with this heat-protective styling balm that keeps blow dries soft and sleek for up to 3 days. On the right side: to create your perfect style, work evenly through damp hair then blow-dry with your favorite Bb. Brush. Start small (try a dime-sized amount) then build as necessary. Bottom middle: Straight. Blow Dry. For coarse, curly, frizzy hair. Visit www.bumbleandbumble.com for video blow-dry tips from Bb. Stylists. The product is glued to the center of the writing.
On the other side it reads: Bumble and Bumble. Get the best Blow Dry, Cut, and Color in town. BB. Network Salons across the country are home to exceptional hairdressers schooled in our philosophy of cut, color and styling. Chances are, there's one near you. Find your Bb. Network Salon at Bbsalonsnearyou.com

Rating:

Price: 8/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 8/10
Smell: 7/10
Texture: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
On different hair types, specifically frizz: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I purchase: 5/10
Total rating: 86/100=86%=86%=B

My personal rating: 7/10=70%=C

Comments:
On the official Bumble and Bumble website this product is listed for 2 fluid ounces for $15.00 or 5 fluid ounces for $30.00 which The $15.00 sounds better to me, but you do get a decent amount of product. My hair is on the long side so it probably would only give me a few uses, but for shorter hair it would probably be a decent amount. Lets just say I have seen worse than $30.00 for a hair product. The packaging is cute and is a squeeze tube to get the product out. I think the amount of product for the price is decent for this hair product. I do like that you get two choices for how much you want to spend on this product. Honestly, I don't even know what to look for when it comes to blow drying products. The smell of the product in the packaging smells like bad soap chemicals. On the actual hair it smells pretty strongly, you can definitely smell the product in the hair, but at least it smells like flowery soap instead of chemical soap. The texture of this product is a bit on the thicker side, I wasn't expecting a cream, not sure why, but it smooth and it doesn't feel heavy. It doesn't appear to dry crunchy. The application of this product is smooth and even, especially when applying to wet hair. The longevity of this product they say that it is supposed to keep you frizz free for up to 3 days. I think that is awesome. This product seems to work well with and on frizzy hair. I'm sorry I don't have coarse or curly hair so I cannot speak on that. I think it should work well and it seems like a product that would. Overall, this product seems like it would be worth the money, unfortunately, those of us who wear our hair long or super long this product could get expensive. I require a lot of product in my hair to get it all the way through. The price for me is definitely an issue. In the packaging the product smells awful, but as you rub it in your hair it comes alive and smells like a flowery soap and even though it is on the strong side, it is not offensive to me. When hair products smell sometimes I get sick, but this is a nice pleasant aroma. I am definitely interested in this product. The only reason why I hesitate on this product is because of the cost. This product could get quite expensive very easily with long hair.

Sincerely,
Marina

L'Oreal Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Frizz Taming Serum

Hi!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Frizz Taming Serum with Oleo-Keratin 72 Hours smooth frizz control. High shine, anti-humidity, intense serum for all hair types. I have had this product since I bought with the sale of all the other L'Oreal advanced haircare products of the dry oil and the hair mask. I think I used it a few times because I had a lot of hair breakage so I had little pieces of hair that would fly around and look silly so I bought this product to kind of mat the flyaway hairs down. I recently found it and started trying it out again. I put it in my hair and I think I put too much of it in my hair because my hair looked oily wet. Next time I am definitely not going to use as much. When I first applied it I didn't mind the smell because it smells like soap, but as it sat in my hair, I started getting sick every time I got a smell of this product. It starts smelling like chemicals. There is no other way to describe it. The smell was very strong and very offensive. I think this a fairly inexpensive product that gets the job done.

Description of Product:

According to the L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Frizz Taming Serum the description of the product is: instantly polishes and smooths frizz, strand by strand, while creating a humidity barrier to help block-out frizz and lock-in-shine. Tames even out of control frizz.

Directions:

After using Smooth Intense Shampoo and Conditioner, apply 1-2 pumps to damp hair and distribute evenly. Style as usual. On dry hair, use a small amount to smooth fly aways and add shine. Do not rinse. 

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Smell: 7/10
Texture: 9/10
Longevity: 10/10
Frizz control: 10/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I repurchase: 7/10
Total rating: 79/90=87.77%=87.8%=B

My personal rating: 8/10=80%=B

Comments:
I bought this hair product as part of a deal that my local Walgreens was having, but I don't remember exactly what it was.  According to the official L'Oreal Paris website and Walgreens website, the product is between $6.79 and $6.99 each. I don't think that is a terrible price, especially when you see some other hair product prices. Yikes! If you can find it as part a good deal where each product is like $3-$4 each then that's even  better. The packaging is cute and holds the product. I have not experienced any product leakage or anything. It comes with a pink pump on top to get the product out. The design is sleek. I think that you get a decent amount of product. The packaging reads 3.4 fluid ounces. You can definitely get a lot of uses it out of it when you use it the right way unlike me when I doused my hair in the product. The texture of the product is a bit on the thick side, but smooth. When applied to hair it doesn't feel thick or heavy, but it does smooth out hair and mats down flyaways. When the product dries in the hair it does feel like you have something in your hair, but it's not obnoxious or overly noticeable. This product lasts a long time with no problems. The product does dry in the hair, but you can still smell it and it still flattens flyaways. I wore it in my hair overnight and it worked all night. I woke up in the morning with no hair sticking up or out. Once the product is in the hair it stays in the hair until you wash it out. I think this product controls frizz and flyaways  very well. As I said above I slept with it in my hair overnight and I woke up in the morning with smooth hair with no flyaways. Overall, for the price and how the product works I have no major complaints. The only complaint I do have is that when you initially put the product in your hair it smells strong, but like soap. Like you just took a shower. But once the product wears in the hair it starts smelly strongly of chemicals and to the point that I almost puked every time I could smell it. Ugh. Word of advice: use a small amount. Do not douse your hair in this product. I would purchase this product and especially if my local Walgreens does a deal on this product.

Sincerely,
Marina