Beauty Gifts Under $50 : Eye Shadow Pallettes

The holiday season is upon us, and as an avid bargain hunter, I can say this is one of the best times to stock up on all your favorite beauty items. Not only do stores have incredible deals but the online deals combined with coupons..holy moly, I'm in retail heaven.

With the holiday season also comes gift giving time, and from experience I can say that finding that perfect gift for that special someone can be a daunting task, so for the next few weeks, I will be sharing my ideas for beauty gifts all under $50. So lets get started, today I bring you..eye shadow palettes.

Name: Urban Decay Naked Palette

Price: $24-$50 USD (depending on size of palette and location purchased)

Why: The Naked series has changed the way we look at makeup and truly created a huge fan following. With a focus on more neutral and soft colors, any palette from the Naked series is a sure winner for bother beginners and pro's alike.

Bonus: If purchased online, many retailers included free bonus products

Name: Too Faced Chocolate Bar

Price: about $49 USD

Why: A fairly simple palette to play with, the color pay off is amazing, the tin packaging is different from the typical palette and girls of all ages could use this with great ease.

Bonus: IT SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE

Name: it Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette

Price: $40-$45 USD

Why: Like its name this palette truly is very pretty. From the velvety cover to the beautiful shades of purples, tans and blues, this palette is a must have for the girl that loves all things pretty and pink.

Bonus: Besides some incredible color payoff the palette comes with a "transforming pearl" shade that changes the finish of any shadow its put over, which means more bang for your money.

Name: Too Faced La Belle Carousel

Price: about $49 USD

Why: I realize this isn't really an eye-shadow palette, but it was too cute to not include. Besides the adorable packaging the carousel includes eye shadows blushes, bronzers and mascara. A truly all-in-one kit

Bonus: The packaging alone can be used as a decor piece

Name: Lorac The Royal Eye shadow Collection

Price: $38 USD

Why: A phenomenal price point for a higher end product, this collection includes four palettes with beautifully pigmented eye shadows. With whimsical names to appeal to girls of all ages, the collection can be mixed and matched to create looks for all occasions.

Bonus: The palettes are portable making them easy for travel. Also you can split the collection up into four separate gifts.

Name: E.L.F Eye shadow Palette

Price :$10-$15

Why: E.L.F truly has a cult following. Probably one of the cheapest makeup lines on the market, products range form $1-$70, depending on the product, size, and availability. Referring specifically to the eye shadow palettes, even though he quality is not as good as the higher end palettes, the color combinations are endless, palettes can be customized, and they are a great beginner palette

Bonus: Cyber Monday sale, everything is 50% off

LORAC (Holy Moly Awesome) Pro Pallette

I'm on a makeup high and I am taking you with me. Now I'm a sucker for palettes because my delusional a** thinks I am getting more for my buck, but for this pallette, yup just roll me over and take all my money cause it is AWESOME!

WHAT: LORAC PRO Pallette

 

COST: $44 USD (cringe worthy, I know!)

COLOR PAYOFF: Oy where do I even begin? These have to be some of the softest most pigmented colors that I have ever used. The matte shades blend flawlessly and the shimmer/sheen shades are oh so pigmented. Its like butter baby, BUTTA I TELL YA! 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Pros

• highly pigmented
• beautiful neutral shades
• easily bendable
• convenient

Cons

• Fallout, ugly ugly fallout
• some colors easily dupeable by cheaper brands

You know what ladies we have all heard the hype about this palette and I feel that it is well worth the hype because I'm a lazy little bugger that likes all her products in one place. So while I may totally be in love with this palette at the moment because its all new and pretty, don't take my word for it. Go out try  it for yourself and leave me a comment sharing how you feel. Anywhozzles, love you all, till next time, adios my peps :)

Clear off the counters, space saving idea

I'm in a transition period in my life between college student and official adult, and as per obligatory requirement, I live in a tiny, dingy, always smells like...old!? apartment. Seeing as I don't have much room to breathe, let alone clutter my counters with bath products, I have had to resort to more crafty ways to make more space. Case in point, shoe hanger.

Due to the nearly non-existent bathroom space I have, my hanger has become my new bff. Not only do I have a special pocket for all my hot tools, but all my other accouterments, that would have cluttered my counters, now have a special home of their own.

Whats more, this handy dandy andy can be used in many more space saving ways. I have used one to organize my belts, scarves, bangles, accessories and leggings. 

Furthermore, I have seen it used to organize spices in the pantry, in the garden as a hanging planter, in the garage to organize tools, the list goes on.

So think outside the box and invest in a $6 shoe hanger, trust me, you will appreciate all the free space :)

HUGE E.L.F HAUL!!!

I'm covered in swatches and I'm loving it!!! I love getting goodies in the mail, especially if they are free or I got a great deal. In this haul I got both!!! YAY!

For about $30 USD I got all the following and yup you better believe my face is going to be or is already decorated with all these goodies :)

These are all the goodies

• 1 Blushed and Bronzed Kit
• 5 Nail Polish
• 1 Natural Lash Kit
• 2 Shimmer Lip Gloss
• 1 Hypershine Lipgloss
• 2 Lipstick
• 1 Mineral Infused Face Primer
• 1 Eyeshdow Lid Primer
• 1 Angled Eyeliner Brush
• 10 Mineral Eyeshadows

MINI REVIEWS/ SWATCHES

Packaging and product is a wanna be dupe for NARS Laguna/Orgasm. Don't know if it really is, but on my light/medium skin this looks great :)

Just the right shade of bronzer and really nice blush

Top to Bottom:  Hypershine Gloss in Joy, Shimmer Lipglos in Inspire and Fantasize

Really like the colors, the top one is a really nice transluscent type of effect but hate the brush on applicator. It's supposed to look  and work like the Stila lip thingy majigers, but it doesn't. The middle one is a really nice baby pink that I actually really liked and the bottom one has a nice sheen affect, but the once again the doe foot applicators were so flimsy, they seemed like they would snap.

Left to Right: Light Pink, Mint Cream, Coral Dream, Dark Navy, Party Peach

The light pink is invisible, the coral dream is a gorgeous creamy orange, the mint cream is a long distant relative of For Audrey by O.P.I, the party peach is a neon red-orange (more orange) and the dark navy is....dark navy :)

Top lipstick is Classy bottom is Charming. Classy is a wanna be impersonator of the MAC Viva Glam Nicky/Gaga Family and charming is a great neutral coral color for me because it is just a few shades brighter than my natural lip color

(Epic swatching and photo taking skills at their finest ladies and gentlemen:)

All the shadows are very glittery/frosty and require a good base. Expect a lot of loose fall out because they are loose pigments, but the color pay off is wonderful and they are very blendable/wearable. Would look AWESOME on darker skin :) (Sidenote: these were all "free" with ELF's 10 mineral shadows for free promotion)

Left to Right:

Sweet- A soft baby pink

Elegant- Cream colored, great for highlight

Bronzed-Reddish/Brown bronze

Trendy-Gorgeous Mauve

Wild- Earthy brown tone

Glamorous- Deep pinky plum color

Wild-combo of mauve and purple

Earthy- gorgeous earthy green....LOVE

Royal-Blue

Dreamy-teal

Ya'll I am having so much fun playing dress up right now, I can't even explain :)  More detailed reviews will be coming up shortly as soon as I am done playing :)

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs

Woke up Monday, looked outside, nice sunny dress wearing weather. Looked down at nice white legs.....yeah not happening.

I'm not a fake tan kind of girl. I always found them to look so orange and fake on others that I never wanted to try it out myself. However, I'm a curious kind of spirit and I love trying new things and this month it just so happens I'm into dresses and dresses require a nice pair of legs.

Now while I'm willing to expose my thick hammy calves to the world, I refuse to subject the world to their blinding whiteness :)

So off I went to Target and picked up this little bad boy for $7 USD.

Packaging: Metallic aerosol container, product squirts out like thick hairspray

Product: As I said above the product is like a thick hairspray that kinda bubbles and foams, depending on how close you aim it. Basically you spray it into your  hands and rub  onto desired area. You can apply a light layer or thick, depending on the affect you are going for. The product does dry quickly so work in small patches and work fast. Also it says its water  proof, which it is to some extent. Just don't wear white or go swimming and you will be fine :) Oh,  use a hand soap and it comes off your hands easily when done applying.

Overall: I can honestly when I first tried this "tan in a can" I hated it! It made me look like I was wearing orange nylons and made my legs look like I had purposely rubbed foundation on them.  But then something wonderful happened. After about ten minutes, after the product had settled, my legs looked great :) The tan looked "natural"  and all the little discoloration I had from sports scars were covered. 

Whats more, I even got comlimented.....BY A BOY!  (it was a good friend of mine who I adore)

So should you buy it....yeah why not. You have to work with it a little, but remember to use a light hand and pick the right color for the affect you are going for and you'll be fine.

SIDE NOTE: This is just a cosmetic fix product so with gentle exfoliation it washes off easily so if you are looking for a long term tan then this is not for you, but if you just want a quick tan for the day then go for it :)

I wore my tan all week but forgot to take pics, so here's a borrowed picture from online showing how the tan works.

NYX Lip Product Review/Rave

OH NO!!!!! Ladies..ladies...ladies, tisk, tisk, tisk. I'm ashamed to even be telling you all about this, but today during lunch with my girlfriends, while taking pictures....I made..THE DUCKFACE!!! AHHHHHH!

But I SWEAR on all my makeup, I have never done this before! I don't know what happened, one minute the nice waiter was saying  "say cheese,' and the next my lips took on a life of their own and.....sigh, the duckface.

But you know what, after looking at my atrocious picture  and thinking about why in the world I would pose my face in such an idiotic manner, I realized I am not to blame. It was my lipgloss! Yes, ladies, my lipgloss made me do it! :)

NYX Extreme Lip Cream

 

Packaging: Typical. Tube & doe foot applicator. One interesting thing though, the cap is almost the same size as the container the product is in

Product: This is exactly as described on the packaging. This is not a lipstick, this is not a lipgloss, but rather a really creamy combo (haha eww). It's a liquid lipstick and the lasting power of this sucker is  crazy! I put it on in the morning and by lunch time all though it was a little faded, the color was still there.

(This is BUTTERY NUDE a really nice mauve/coral combo, an exaggerated version of my natural lip color)

So why the duck face? Because I loved the way my lips look with this product on. It's a little glossy, a little matte, very pretty.

Overall: Buy it, Try it :) I bought one to try, and loved it so much I am going to go buy more. A little tip though, they can be a little drying at first so make sure lips are very well hydrated and do not just gloop this product on like a lipgloss! It is very thick and dense so I normally just dab dab dab, and press my lips together.

:) :) :) :)

MY FIRST JULEP MAVEN BOX!

I'm a sucker for nail products especially nail polish. So after reading about all the lovely ladies subscribed to the Julep Maven box, I  just had to get in on it.....Oh did I forget to mention it only cost me 1 penny!!!! what!!! Yup!!!!

Meet my Julep Maven Box....shes so sleek :)

Do not tell me there are goodies inside a box and  then expect me to patiently open it. NOPE I tore the box open and look what came out :)

This is the Julep glycolic hand scrub. Think St. Ives Apricot Scrub but more citrusy smell. it left my hands feeling very soft and slightly hydrated

Now to the nail polish!! On the online test, I tested as BOHO GLAM. While the words sound exactly like me, I wasn't too in love with the nail colors, but I am so glad I stuck to the BOHO colors because I really really  love one of the colors.

The grey is called "Meryl" and  it is a very nice creamy grey. While I like the muted color, I already have a grey that is an exact match for this.

The yellow one is called "Blake" and I love Blake :) Normally  I love crazy vibrant colors on my nails, but this the PERFECT buttery yellow to make me turn towards pastels

OVERALL: For a penny I love what I got! I mean how can you complain when you literally paid nothing. However would I become a monthly subcriber.......for $2o/month probably not. Ouch, I know. I love nail varnish but I mean come on I can go to the drugstore and pick up polish for like a buck, so sorry Julep Maven, although your introductory offer is AWESOME, I just can not see myself paying that much each moth for nail polish and hand products.

TO GET IN ON THE DEAL TYPE IN COLOR2012 when you check out!!!!

Saw it, tried it, NAILED it! Tattooed Nail Art :)

So for the past week I have been rocking pure white nails. Kinda tired of the lack of color on my nails, I found a video online that shared this idea and BADABING!  A quick way to spruce up my plain white nails :)

What you will need:

• White Nail polish
• Clear Nail Polish
• Press on Tattoo
• Scissors
• Cotton Pad
• Water

1. Paint you nails white.
2. Pick a tattoo design that you like. I had these laying around but they also sell them at the  dollar store.
3. Cut the design of your choosing into smaller pieces to fit your nails. Mix and match you choose.
4. Press on nail and hold down with wet cotton pad for a few seconds.
5. Peel off and TADA look how easy and pretty :)

Quick tips and tricks:

Apply a top coat to seal in design

Excess tattoo can simply be pulled off or even rubbed off

Tattoo sticks best to slightly tacky polish so just before nails are all dry, apply tattoo and embed it into the polish.

BeneFit "Hello Flawless" Cover up Powder

If I was a face powder kind of girl, then this would be the one. Oh the simplicity, the coverage, the SPF....yes, we could've been a great match :)

Now before I start sounding anymore like a perv, on with my review :)

Packaging: The powder comes in a cute little box within in a box. Although BeneFit products as a whole aren't necessarily on the top of my favorites list, I must say, their packaging is always cute. 

Included with the powder are a typical brush and sponge applicator. While the brush is okay  if you have absolutely nothing else, most definitely throw out the sponge. Don't want all your face oils getting caught in it when you use is.

Product: The face powder itself is a  soft consistency. Where I have found other powders to be very chalky and streaky, this powder is soft and blends in very well. As written on the box, with a brush the powder gives a very sheer coverage and with a sponge its a great spot cover-up. Plus the SPF 15 doesn't hurt either :)

Pricing: Here's where I hesitate. If it was twenty dollars cheaper, I would be all over it, but at $34 USD, it's definitely a could've, would've should've  kind of product.

Overall: I have never been a powder kind of girl. I have always found them to make my face look chalky and overly done.  Honestly can't even think of the last time that I used a powder, other than a translucent one to set my foundation once in a while. 

However, after experimenting with this powder, I think maybe I should change my mind. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the effect it gave over my foundation, on its own, over some primer and tinted moisturizer I found this powder to be great. We all have those days, when we just don't want anything heavy on our face and I think for those days, this powder is great. It helped cover my small imperfections, without going overboard and let my skin breathe.

I would recommend this powder cover up  for girls looking for a major setting powder that just won't let your foundation budge, as well as girls looking for a light airy look.  Remember the secret is in the application :)

:) :) :) 3/4

MASSIVE $255 MAKEUP HAUL!!!!

Oh dear lord, what have I done!!! Yes, you read right, my dumb butt just bought $255 worth of makeup. WHAT!!! But to save face, I swear it wasn't ALL my fault. The evil lady at ULTA, distracted me with her caked on makeup and spiderlashes and fooled me into buying stuff I didn't even need:)

I went in originally to buy some higher end products for my lovely mother. It's her birthday in a few days, and gosh darnit, the woman deserves some pretty products as well. However, I got selfish. Whoops. If you've been to ULTA then you know that they sell higher end products on one side and drugstore products on the other. So jee, hmmm where do you think I ended up? Yup!

I practically skipped to checkout line thinking I had done fairly well, but when the handsome man behind the counter said " That will be $255" I literally passed out. Seriously, my evil sister who I only see every other month and had egged me on to buying half the stuff, literally had to grab my hand, cause I was seeing stars before my eyes.

Sighhh......so what does one get with that much money? Not much.

Ladies, ladies, ladies. Luckily ULTA has a really good return policy, because there is no way I could live with myself if I spent 1/3 of my rent money on MAKEUP! I mean I love cosmetics, but I love a roof above my head more :) And, yes some of you may be thinking, why didn't I just return some products then? Well, soorrry,I got I selfish again. I thought it would make for some reviews, so be prepared :)

Benefit Hello Now, Oxygen WOW Foundation

No. Nope, don't want to look like a confused Oompa Loompa. Nope, sorry not me, and I'm so darned sad that's exactly how I feel in this foundation....Sometimes....Confused? Me too.

So here's this fancy foundation that I originally bought for my mom, because the cakeface lady said its good for mature skin. She even applied it on my sister in the store and it looked great, but when I got it home and tried it, it was another story. Apparently if I'm not standing under fluorescent lights 24/7, then I can't rock this foundation.

Packaging: The foundation comes in plastic, pump style bottle. Unlike most foundations which come in glass  bottles, the plastic Benefit bottle felt so cheap and flimsy. Inside the box is a sample of the POREfessional Pore minimizing cream, I will have a review up for that shortly.

Pricing: $34 USD

Product:

Pros

• Very light. Feels almost non-existent on the skin and feels undetectable to the touch
• Looks great in pictures and at a distance
• Easy to remove
• SPF 25!
• Oil Free

Cons

• Very runny, gets all over if you pump too much

• OXIDIZES! Within minutes I noticed a color change and the foundation started turning orange
• Not consistent Applies like a liquid, turns chalky/powdery then wears like a liquid foundation
• Settles into pores and fine lines
• Cracks around dry patches/zits
• Looks cakey
• 9 colors to choose from

Overall: I am sooooo confused. I had read some raving reviews about this product. Ladies claimed that this was the best thing out there and they had found their holy grail product. I thought none of this.  While the application is flawless and the feel is heavenly because it seriously  feels  like you have nothing on, I didn't like the way it  looked on  my skin. I wore this while bridal shopping with my cousin for her wedding, and throughout the day she kept commenting on the changing  appearance of my face.

One minute I was shining, the next I looked matte/flat  and then I looked powdery. Then mid-morning it startled settling into my pores and I had a whole another problem on my hands. As  I write this review, I feel so jipped by the sales woman, because her selling point was that its great for  mature skin because its light and moisturing.....yeah, not happening. I tried this foundation on my mom who has near perfect skin, and the poor lady looked like a mature version of Snooki with ten pounds of makeup on with huge crows feet.

I would recommend skipping this foundation for sure. However if you MUST try  it, I would recommend this for people with flawless skin and no wrinkles looking for light to medium coverage. I would not recommend this to individuals with dry skin because it will crust around the dry patches, and for oily skinned individuals, it will sink into their pores een with a primer.

:)

E.L.F Eyelid Primer

I put some eyeshadow on, eyeshadow comes off. So, I put more eyeshadow on, even more comes off. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!....My darn oily eyelids is what is going on :)

I just recently got into makeup, and one of the first products I bought was cheap eyeshadow, because I thought that would make the biggest difference in my attempted dramatic change. But instead of these epically awesome eyeshodow colors sparkling on my eyes, hence captivating all the boys attention, I managed to create clumpy, chalky  messes all over my eyelids.

What  I figured out eventually was my  greaseball butt needed to use some eyelid primer to help my eyeshadows stick and last all day. Therefore, I began my journey on finding the perfect  eyelid primer.

What I discovered however, was that primers work almost the same, and while I do own higher end primers, I can't afford to use them eveyday, so I found this E.L.F eyelid  primer, which in my opinion is a great substitute :)

Packaging: The primer comes in a typical tube type of style. with a doe foot applicator. The color comes off very beige-ish and the consistency is comparable to that of a liquid foundation.

Product: After applying the primer, I usually wait about 20 seconds to let it dry just a bit, and then I apply my shadow however I wish. For a typical 8 hour work/school day, this primer fairs pretty well. I have some creasing and color lose by the end of the day, but you  have to remember I have greasy eyelids. On the other hand, my sister also uses this product and has normal/dry eyelids and this primer helps her eyeshadow stay on all day perfectly fine.

Overall: If you are looking for a cheap eyelid primer, that has no gimic and does the job, then this is the product to try. It stays on for a long time and even with the eventual creasing at the end of day, its well-worth the $1-$3 USD!

:) :) :) 1/2