NOTD- Essie's Lilacism

.Essie's Lilacism is a light pastel shade with hints of grey undertones to it. When swatched next to Revlon's Charming you can easily detect which one is which as Essie's is definitely more on the grey side. However, that being said on the nail it looks great. The polish was easy to work with, the first coat was rather sheer but as soon as I applied the second/ third coat any unevenness was smoothed out. 

Have you tried this polish out?

My new love: Quo Back to basics Eyeshadow Palette

I have been using this palette, day after day, it's absolutely beautiful, and versatile! As soon as I saw this on a blog post I knew I had to have it, luckily my best friend beat me to it and I ended up getting it for my birthday. The palette comes with 12 shadows in a rectangular palette case. The colors vary from a frosty champagne white, to a darker black with bits of shimmer in it. For a day to day look I mainly use the brown shades, something light for the inner lid and a shade darker to bring depth to the eye.

Packaging: I love the appearance of this palette, it's elegant with some funk! It's black with beautiful gold detailing all over. The top opens up, and has a magnetic closure which I really like. The case will not accidently open, nor do I think the shadows would break if dropped. The palette also comes with it's own black "all over" shadow brush. It's flat, so it's great for spreading shadows across they eyelid.

Pigmentation: I'm pleased with the over all color pay off of the shadows, a decent amount of product picks up with a swipe. However, you may need to swipe once more for some intensity.

Formula: Smooth and silky, really easy to work with. The palette has two completely matte brown shades which is a nice alternative to the shimmery/ frosty ones.

Price: I think this is such a fairly priced palette, it's stunning and so versatile for a beginner or an expert. I love that it's of great quality, the overall appearance is beautiful and the price is just right coming in around $25!

 

What are your thoughts on this palette?

Lip Loves: Holiday Edition Guest Post!

Hey Guys!

I'm Ashlee from The Makeup Wonderland and I would like to thank Sabina for having me guest post on her amazing blog! She recently guest posted on my blog, where she did an awesome review of the new Maybelline Color Tattoos and she asked me to guest post on hers! I was so excited and immediately started coming up with ideas! I did a Lip Loves: Fall Edition on my blog a few months ago and I thought it would be fun to do a Holiday edition for my guest post!

This is the time of year when I like huddle around the tree, sing Christmas carols, eat gingerbread men and wear festive lip colors!

Red is my quintessential color of this season, which poses a problem because it can be such a huge commitment to wear! When wearing makeup, most times I like to apply and run out the door without worrying about touching up throughout the day, so I wanted to show you 3 of my favorite "low commitment" shades and 1 "commitment " shade.

Firstly, I'll start with the commitment shade which is Covergirl 305 Hot Passion. I picked this color up because FleurDeForce said when she interviewed Taylor Swift, she said her favorite reds are Hot Passion and Flame from the Covergirl line and I'm a huge fan of her and her gorgeous makeup! This shade is very bright and beautiful. I would definitely recommend wearing a lip liner to make this color last all evening.

Next, I have two Revlon lip butters in Red Velvet and Cherry Tart. These are so perfect for the winter months when my lips tend to get dry. These just amp up the moisture while giving a lot of color but wear away evenly giving us the best of both worlds!

Finally, I have Tarte LipSurgence in Enchanted which tints lips and gives a pretty red sheen which is perfect for those of us that do not want to fully commit to a red lipstick.

L-R: Covergirl Hot Passion, Revlon Red Velvet, Revlon Cherry Tart, Tarte Enchanted

L-R: Covergirl Hot Passion, Revlon Red Velvet, Revlon Cherry Tart, Tarte Enchanted

Will you guys be rocking red lips during the holidays? What are your favorite colors?

Thank you so much again Sabina for having me guest post and I would love if you guys came to visit me at The Makeup Wonderland! 

I'd like to extend my sincerest Thanks to Ashlee for guest posting on my blog! I enjoy reading all her posts, and she's become a true friend to me. I hope you all enjoyed her guest post as much as I did. 

December 2012 Luxebox (Winter Seasonal Edition)

This was a total surprise to me, now that Loose Button has changed their service to a seasonal one, I don't even remember when my Luxebox is coming. I mean with the August box I did get sort of antsy because it's was the launch of the new transformation and I wanted my luxebox! My credit will stretch over for the spring box and then I believe I am done. Yesterday I got home from work at 10, I was sitting to eat dinner and I look over onto the counter and there it was, I was amazed because I wasn't even expecting to get my box till the end of the month like summer edition..I also didn't receive any updates or tracking information. So here it is, as always the packaging is immaculate.

As before the Luxebox now comes in a very sturdy, thick white rectangular box. I save mine because they come in so handy. I use the top and bottom for separate purposes; I store some of my nail polishes in them, as well as my face products that sit under my washroom sink! 

Last season they had all the products wrapped up in a silk hankie, but this month they've got their own specialized Loose Button pouch which I think is adorable!

Here is a quick sneak peek..see the Essie polish?!

...and here are all the goods! I must say I was pretty happy, I wish there were more makeup items, nonetheless this month was still pretty good.

I love that Loose Button is branching off and creating their own line of tools. Last time they sent out a Loose Button Loofa pad which was alright, but this Kabooki looks much better in quality. Here are some closer shots of the items I received...

Eyeko Skinny Mini Mascara- I can't wait to try this out but I'm not really sure how it'll perform. The bristle look okay, although it seems some are missing towards the end. It's supposed to be a lengthening mascara so can't wait to see. 

Essie (Butler Please)- I normally don't gravitate towards color within the blue range but there's something about this color that really excites me! It's a beautiful royal blue color, have you guys tried?

Kerastase Hair oil- A cute little vial, will be perfect for me to try out! I know Kerastace products can be quite expensive but I saw a Loreal one very similiar. I honestly don't care too much about hair products, it's the least exciting thing for me. 

Prada Milano body lotion- A very generous sized sample I'd say, the smell is lovely. I have to find a way to use it because I have a bijillion hand creams to use up.

Donna Karan Eau De Parfum-  I love getting perfume samples that come in the cute bottles, the only draw back to this sample is that it doesn't have a spritz top. I find it hard to use then because I have to dot it in.

and lastly..
Kabooki Brush- Such a cute little addition to the box! Loose buttons own cosmetic tools. I hardly use kabooki's but this really nice to have just in case.
Dermologica Cleansing Lotion- This is the coolest consistency ever! It looks like oil, you dab it on, add some water and create a somewhat milky mixture. I've heard that Dermologica is an expensive line, I tried it yesterday and it does such a good job at cleansing. I hope it doesn't cost too much, because if I do like it then I might consider buying it.
Blue Lagoon Iceland Mask- This was another nice sample, and I must say I think there is enough product in it for atleast two applications.s I don't have much else to say other other then I am just about the try it tonight!

That is it, my lovelies I'd say a pretty good box, what do you think?
Did you receive the same things? Let me know I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balms!

I received these little guys as a part of the Sephora birthday program. I recently heard about the brand so I was so excited to see that I could get a trail duo set for free compliments of Sephora. I've been using these before bed and all I can say is that I LOVE them! Personally I don't like lip treatments that are so slick, I just find that they slip/ wear off very quickly. However more waxier/ thicker balms stay on for quite some time. I put either on before bed and when I wake up my lips still have the product on, there visibly quenched, hydrated and plumped. These are mini versions, they are just perfect for on the go, and to slip in your pocket/purse. They not only look but feel luxurious, the packaging weighs a bit more then your average lipstick and the top twists off. The balms have SPF in them to protect your lips which I think is a nice perk. Also, the red goes on somewhat sheer,  it's a perfect moisturizing product with a tinge of color. 

Top: Clear

 Botton: Cherry red color

Have you tried any of the Sugar products? Do you have a favorite item? I'd love to know more about the products they carry!

P.S) Can you buy the balms individually, I've only ever seen them in the set, I really like the honey nude color.

SPOILED by the Best Friend!!

I am just over the moon right now, I just got back from my best friend's house (Lisa) and she totally spoiled me! My birthday was about two weeks ago but because of school stress we weren't really able to see each other. So today after my exam I headed over to her place for a little excitement.  I am so thankful to her and am  just super duper excited to try everything out. The fact that I also finished 2 of my 3 exams is also I relief. I love watching birthday videos on Youtube so I thought I'd share a couple pictures with you all. I'm sure you can still find a lot of the items shown, so if your looking to get one of your fellow beauty junkies a gift maybe something in here can be of inspiration. 

Items from all different areas, I absolutely love variety!

Ahh I'm just so excited haha! Ever since I heard about the Back to Basics palette (Quo) I have been obsessed.  I actually went to Shoppers a couple times but I had a slight feeling that my dear  friend might have gotten it for me so I remained patient (although it was SOO hard). I am a huge lover of the Korres lip butter in "Jasmine" so how awesome is it that I get a back up plus two new colors?! My mom actually really liked the "Wild Rose" so I may just have to get her a set or a single one for her birthday coming up. All the stuff here whether or not I mentioned to Lisa that I wanted were items that I'd been meaning to try for such a long. It's awesome receiving them as a gift so you can try it out and then treat yourself if you really like it.

..Lisa you went absolutely above and beyond, every little random thing I mentioned you got for me, and I am soo grateful!

So next I got some bath and body treats from LUSH! I had gone to Lush a while back with another friend and had told Lisa how much I loved the snow fairy shower gel and what did I get..just that!. It's the perfect winter sweet scent, on top of that she also threw in a beautiful bath melt I believe. Have you guys tried either the shower gel or the bath melt? 

Here is the assortment of Nail and Hand goods..

I I have been dying to get Turquoise and Cacos's  and a light lavender color and now I have one. I think Turquoise goes so well with Set in stones and every since I saw both colors being paired together I was just in love. The O.P.I creams are absolutely adorable, they smell delicious and they make such cute stocking stuffers! This is actually my first Cake hand cream and lets just say that I'm going to have to buy another when this one is done. It comes out like a normal cream  ( not to hick or wet) but it's ability to moisturize is lovely, the smell is also soooo nice!!

Of course she just had to throw in a candle! This is such a nice candle, even without it being lit my room is smelling heavenly. It's sweet with a tinge of cinnamon, right up my alley.

I can't wait to test all this stuff out!! So many lip products, cheek products and eye products to choose from. YAY

Review: Hard Candy Blush in Skinny Dipping

This was one of my most recent makeup purchases along with the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows. Every time I saw this duo I would contemplate buying it but finally gave in after much deliberation. I never thought twice about the brand to be honest I thought a lot of stuff looked really punky. I was really off though, there are some beautiful products within the collection, this blush being one of them. I'm not sure if you've noticed but these blushes are being talked about highly in the blogosphere.

Fox in a Box blushes are housed in a sturdy cardboard box much like Benefit's. The packaging is sturdy, and well made. I really like that the top has a magnetic closure because it ensures that the box is closed. If I were to drop this I wouldn't ever have to worry about it shattering or breaking. I really wanted this blush primarily for the orange color, I've been eyeing Taj Mahal (By NARS) for quite some time now. I think that orange toned blushes look so good on medium skin tones. It gives that golden glow without being to over the top.

Skinny dipping like I mentioned is made up of two really nicely pigmented shades, an orange, and a light brown color. Swirled together it gives you the perfect blend; a light orange with slight pink undertones to it. The texture is super smooth and it gets applied to the skin effortlessly. The blush comes with it's own applicator (again similar to Benefit's), it does a really good job at picking up the product. However because of it's shape sometimes when applied onto the cheek without blending it can resemble a harsh straight line. Although I do like the applicator I find it a little awkward to use because of it's size. I apply the blush with my Quo blush brush, with one swirl I have a brush loaded with product!

Quick Description: Blush in a box! Made up of two colors that swirl together to create a beautiful shade. You can also use the colors separately if preferred.

Packaging: The blush comes in this funky patterned cardboard box. Super lightweight and durable, also has a magnetic lid.

Pigmentation: For a cheap product it definitely does a good job! Not hard to apply, and product picks up very well without being chalky and experiencing fall out.

Formula: Powder blush, smooth & soft

Price: I believe it was only in the 5 dollar range (maybe even 4).

With other duo's/ quads to choose from, I'm sure many of you looking for a nice drugstore blush will like these. I'm very pleased with it and could definitely see myself picking up another one!

Have you tried any of the Hard Candy Blushes..

NEW Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks

These babies are the newest addition to the Revlon lip collection! When I saw these I was all excited, like any new product, it is extremely hard for me to resist. The first thing that caught my eye was the large variation in pink and dark toned colors. There are so many to choose from, there's everything from soft baby pinks, to bright bold pinks and same goes for the darker colors. There are light and dark plums as well as maroon toned shades. The only thing this collection is lacking in my opinion is more nude shades. There is only one color called "private viewing" that is a light brown color. I love a neutral lip, and although some colors did really appeal to me I'm not sure if I would wear them.

The packaging is pretty average, it's encased in plastic and the bottom portion of the lipstick is the same color as the actual shade. I think the Revlon lip butters look much more nicer and I would rather dish out my money on those then these ultimate suede lipsticks.  Nevertheless, I bought 'Private Viewing' any way and lets just say that if your going to spend $10.96 on a drugstore product you want to be impressed or at least enjoy your experience using it. Sadly that was not the case for me. I'm disappointed because I do enjoy Revlon products and this was somewhat of a miss for me.

The problem lies in the formulation; at first when you apply the lip stick goes on with such ease. It's smooth, velvety and kind of wet, it's no where as creamy as the butters but it still feels nice. The color is beautiful and overall it seems like a nice product however, within 5 minutes you notice the smooth texture start to dry and tighten your lips. When I first tried this lipstick I thought it was because my lips were severely chapped so I wasn't too worried although it did look nasty on. When I tried it later on my lips were in better condition but the same thing happened. A couple minutes after applying my lips were so cracked, every fine line was visible and it just felt like my lips had been plastered, not a great feeling.

While typing this review I wanted to try it out again; I only had my Baby Lips on which I wiped off and I applied this Revlon Lipstick. When I applied this product directly on top of chapstick it didn't do much. When my lips were moisturized for a bit and then I applied this I noticed that it lasted a bit longer without getting dry but ultimately it still did happen. Right now my lips look matte and they feel tight the smoothness has disappeared. While I think having your lips moisturized and scrubbed is a good idea, I don't think it changes the overall effect of the lipstick. In the end my experience was the same and for that reason I would not purchase another  one. I don't hate it, but It's disappointing to see that it doesn't live up the my expectations.

The Good...
- Amazing color selection
- Decent packaging
-Good for a stain (Will dry matte and the color will stay although the feeling isn't too pleasant  I would suggest adding a gloss over top to add a bit of moisture)

The Bad...
-Expensive
- Not every moisturizing or hydrating
-Makes lips feel plastered and tight very fast


* I had applied Baby lips when doing my makeup and my lips were still visibly hydrated when I took this picture*

*..and this is the horrendous after pick, I look so sick! Although drying didn't visibly occur right away I still felt the velvety texture disappear*

UPDATE: I would suggest adding a clear chapstick on top instead of underneath the lipstick, it works way better, I have watched videos on Youtube and many people have mixed opinions. While it dries out some find it uncomfortable while other's do not. At least I found a way to wear with it being bearble hah. It's so beautiful though, such a shame? I'm curious to know if anyone has had similar experiences as me. If you have tried this out let me know what you think. Will you be trying out Revlon's newest addition ?

Trinkets that make great gifts!

With the holidays just around the corner I'm sure many of you are looking for gift options for your fellow family and friends. Here are some small items that I received that would be perfect for things like stocking stuffers, and mini presents. I personally love having an assortment of trinkets; it's more exciting for me and I get to try out several things as opposed to one. Along with that you can mix and match different categories such as beauty, body & nails if your looking for a girl's gift..

1) Cake Scrub- This is the biggest thing out of the items displayed,  it is Cake's Strawberry Cupcake body scrub. What girl doesn't like some paper time? It's nice because this is one of those things that you can quickly use in the shower yet it leaves your skin so smooth and soft. The grit is soft enough to use on all parts of your body, and it's effective. The smell is also a hit, sugary, vanilla, and absolutely scrumptious! I personally love the stand up tube as opposed to the tub because it allows you to squeeze out the desired amount without dipping into the whole pot.  Instead of ordering online (for Canadians) pay a quick visit to your local Winners. You can often times find Cake items below $10. 

2) Fox in a Box Blush (Hard Candy)- What a coincidence that some of my blogging friends were telling me about these blushes just a couple days ago. Fox in a Box is a line of extremely pigmented blushes by hard Candy. Some are duos, and some are also quads including 4 colors that you can swirl together much like Benefit blushes. There inexpensive, versatile and lovely to give to a makeup lover. 

3) Body Shop Mini gift set- Speaking of pampering time I think this is a perfect little set. It's got a body butter, shower gel, and scrubby puff included. The scents especially for winter are divine and it'll leave you thinking of the winter weather. I think body shop has the best  pre-made sets, I absolutely love their lip butter ones as well as these ones. They come in a vast assortment of flavors, surely there's something out there for the girl on your shopping list. 

4 )Baby Lips (limited edition)- So this was super exciting for me because I love these balms. My sister actually purchased one pack for me (the two standing up ones) for my birthday and I went back to Wal-Mart and got another one. I know my lips get really dry so this is nice to have handy at all times. The limited edition colors are beautiful; there is one called coral crush, pink wink, and twinkle. This is one of those items that is perfect for all ages, I know my mom loves

 them and I know my sisters enjoy them just as much.

*whoops mistake on my part the third baby lips (from the left) is NOT peach kiss, it is called pink punch*

5) BBW Candle holder- No matter if your candle is holiday scented I think holders can really dress up your candles. Not only do they look adorable it instantly gives off a festive and winter vibe depending on the season. I usually like to get sleeves for different times of the year especially for the holidays, there just so darn cute! 

6) Nail Polish- It doesn't have anything to do with this one in particular which is Loreal's Wishful pinking, but adding nail polish to a gift is always lovely. There are many winter sets out  that are simply stunning.

7) ...and CANDES!- I am an absolute junkie! I think candles are so relaxing and they help you wind down. Nothing beats cuddling up in your softest pajama's, sipping a warm beverage and enjoying the fragrance that is spreading throughout your room. A personal fave of mine is Spiced Apple Toddy. It's heavy in a sense that it spreads throughout, it's got apple cinnamon notes to it with a dash of spice YUM!

Have you started holiday shopping? What's on your shopping list?