Youtube Giveaway Details (Closed)

Here are the rules and details for the Youtube Giveaway.  You can watch the video after the link in order to comply with all the rules.

To watch the video and learn the rules of the giveaway, click the link.

Happy Halloween Nail of the Day

Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope you all have lots of fun with candy, makeup, and parties.  If you need ideas on makeup, click here.  Let me know what festive things you have planned.  I thought I would post a quick Nail of the Day (NOTD) pic since I'm having fun with my nail polish, especially since this marks the last day of nail polish for me (at least for one month).  It's going to be odd having bare nails...

P.S. If you need a tutorial on how to use crackle nail polish, check out this tutorial.

Influenster New Site Review

Earlier this month Influenster updated their website (thank goodness), and it took a bit to iron out a bunch of their kinks, but it's running smoothly now.  If you don't know what Influenster is, you can look at my post I did earlier or go to their website directly.  If you're interested in signing up, I can also send you the link, just let me know.

For the review, click the link.

Hello Kitty Charmmy Kohl Eyeliner Kit: Review & Swatches

In this day and age, who doesn't love Hello Kitty?  At least that's what it seems like.  I must confess I am a little biased since Hello Kitty is part of my heritage, but she's not my favorite character (I prefer San X characters).  That said, when the cosmetic line showed up in Sephora last year, I was a little curious to try it out. I was expecting the worst quality of products (I remember only too well the gimmicky items that were sold in Sanrio).  But since I try to be an equal opportunist, I went to my local store to try things out.  Let's just say I walked out with the Charmmy Kohl Eyeliner kit ($29).  It has 7 usable liner colors and comes in a cute tin container.

For the rest of the review and swatches, click the link.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint: Review & Swatches

When I did the review for Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain it reminded me of the Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint, so I figured it would be a good idea to do a review on it.  I only have one in the color Peaceful, a nude peach.  I got it in one of my Birchboxes, and I was excited to try it out.  I was curious, but at $24, I could never justify the price for what it is.  You can purchase Lip Tints from Sephora or directly from Tarte Cosmetics.

For the review and swatches, click below.

Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow: Review & Swatches

Now that I have officially finished the worst of my hell week, I can concentrate on more important things, like the Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadows.  As you probably already know Buxom is a spin-off from Bare Escentuals.  I know that BE has a huge following and everyone loves their powder foundation, etc., but I'm actually a bigger fan of the Buxom line.  It seems to fit my personality and lifestyle a little better, and I enjoy the fact that I have an option of choosing a formula that's not loose powder.  They have quality products and best of all just like BE, Buxom has a bunch of great sets as well.  I even got one of these bad boys in a set.  According to the info, these are only sold at Sephora.

To continue with the review and see the swatches, click the link.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock: Review

Today I'm going to talk about one of my favorite topics: sun protection.  Ya I'm a nerd and I tend to nag everyone to put sunscreen on every day, whether it's cloudy/cold or bright/warm.  You only get one go at your skin, and once it's damaged there ain't a whole lot that can be done.  So in my perpetual quest to try to keep myself protected and not feel like I have a layer of tar on my face, I have come up with a decent solution: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer.

To continue with the review, click the link.

Halloween Makeup Tutorials

As Halloween is fast approaching, it's important to have makeup options to complement your look.  Or perhaps you weren't intending on doing anything special, but now you have plans and need a look.  Whatever your situation may be, you need options, so here are some video tutorials.  Just click the links below to be taken to the tutorials, or you can click on the Youtube tab above.  Now prepare yourself and have fun!

Cat: Quick and easy
Vampire
Fairy
Doll (Sucker Punch look)

Myabelline Color Tattoo: Review & Swatches

I'm really liking all these long lasting cream eye products that have been coming out left and right in the last year or so. I appreciate even more that there are both high end and drug store varieties to choose from.  It's a smorgasbord of colors! Maybelline Color Tattoo is probably one of the better choices. There are variety of colors to choose from, and each seem to be nuanced (not just one basic color), they are long lasting, and the price is right ($5-$7). Each jar holds a lot of product in it as well (0.14 oz).

To see the swatches and read the rest of the reviews, click the link.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain: Review & Swatches

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush (above) and Sweetheart (below)

The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (wow that's a mouthful) is essentially an over sized crayon balm with color for the lips.  In the ads you see Emma Stone wearing it in Love Sick (just in case you're curious).  According to Revlon, it gives smoother/softer lips while lasting "hour after hour".  It retails between $7-$9 depending on where you buy it.  There are 14 different color choices to choose from, and you can even go crazy and get a dark vampy shade since it's sheer.  They seem like a dupe for the Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Colour Balm (yes they spell color in a pretentious way) especially in terms of packaging, but product wise, it's also similar to Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint (for a review click here).  In any case, the Revlon version is a cheaper alternative than either of those.  

For swatches and review, click below.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles: Review & Swatches

Wet n Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles in Stagedive, Sellout, Glamrock

Today I'm reviewing the Color Icon Shimmer Singles.  Besides the 3 shown above there are 4 other shades available in the "Shimmer" series.  The other colors were similar to what I already have in my stash, so I didn't feel the need to get them.  Besides I like bright colors.  At $1.99 each, I wanted to try them out and see if there are as nice as the original color icon singles (I really like mine in Nutty).

To find out my thoughts and see swatches, click the link.

New Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in Captivating Coral: Review & Swatch

Although I'm slowly converting to become a lipstick lover, for many years all I wore was gloss (and there's still a soft spot in my heart for it).  I saw a display of the Color Sensational Gloss and I knew I had to try it out.  There are 14 shades available, and these glosses range in price from $5.50-$8 depending on where you buy it. There were few colors that caught my eye, but since I have a smell issue with lip products, I just got captivating coral to try it out first.

Click the link to continue with the review and see swatches.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Microfinish (HD) blush: Review & Swatches

MUFE HD blush in Quickie and Nip Slip

It seems that there are very few things that MAKE UP FOR EVER (MUFE) doesn't do right when it comes to cosmetics, and the Microfinish HD blush is no different.  These blushes are supposed to naturally sculpt and highlight your cheek structure with mattifying and reflective powders that create a natural, long-lasting flush.  It is a cream blush that dries down to a powder.  The full size blush retails for $26 at Sephora (the place I personally consider a magic land).  There are 14 colors in varying range of shades from light to dark, neutral to bright.

To continue with the review and see swatches, click below.

Maybelline New York Nail Polish- Review & Swatches

Downtown Brown, Twilight Rays

Maybelline came out with some new nail polishes awhile back, and until recently I've looked at the displays in passing without anything really catching my eye.  Then recently I came across a double whammy and found 2 polishes unlike the ones I already own.  I got giddy and snatched both of them up (cost is $3.99).  Fast forward a week later and today has now become a momentous occasion.  

To learn of the momentous occasion and see swatches, click the link.

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color: Review & Swatches

Smokin' Hot Pink, Purty Persimmon, Wine Room, Mauve Outta Here

Continuing on with my Wet n Wild streak is the Mega Last Lip Color.  Once again I took advantage of the recent CVS sale to add a couple more of these babies to my collection (for the other post, click here).  I've seen these on other blog sites and have been curious ever since.  I knew I liked their eye shadows, but hadn't given much thought to the lip products (there's still a part of me that harkens back to my youth when Wet n Wild didn't have much in quality).   I like trying new/bright colors and I find it's easier to invest in colors I'm unsure of if I don't unnecessary put a huge dent in my wallet.  Who wants to spend $20 plus in an "It" new shade only to find out that it looks horrible on you?  Not I.  (Granted you can return many high end cosmetics, but that's just an extra wasted trip).  At $1.99 a pop, I don't have any qualms being crazy/beautiful .

To continue on with my review and swatches, click the link.

Russian Eggplant recipe

I wanted to torture myself a little more by posting a recipe for another tasty dish that I can't eat right now.  It was also part of the Russian food feast that my friends and I had.  You can check out this post if you're curious as to what I'm talking about, along with another yummy recipe.  This is a great dish for vegetarians and meat lovers who are wary of vegetarian dishes.  As a former vegetarian, I appreciate the "meatiness" of eggplant.  It's a rather hearty vegetable that has more oomph to it that should appeal to all types of diets.  Please don't ask me if this is truly a Russian dish, it might be a misnomer.  However, I did find out that sour cream type substance is popular in Russian dishes and so are onions.  Maybe there is a sliver of authenticity? (Pic: allrecipes.com)

For the recipe, click the link.

Black Russian Cake Recipe

Although my friends and I bond over many things, what we have in common the most is food.  Perhaps it's a way to escape the realities of life, but we enjoy stuffing our faces and then veg out in front of a TV and watch a movie.  To make our food feasts more entertaining, we have a cultural theme and try to match the movie to it.  Most recently we did a Russian food feast.  It stemmed from wanting pierogi, which we later figured out was actually Polish.  In any case, one of the items we feasted on was black Russian cake.  In reality it's not Russian either, but Kahlua is involved, and they do like to name their beverages with the word Russian in it, so why not cake?  In fact originally the recipe is supposedly off the Kahlua website, although I procured it from food.com.  Irregardless of where the recipe originated from, it's to die for.  It's moist (the only time the word moist doesn't sound gross) and decadent, but with the ingredients included, it would be pretty hard not to be.  I didn't wan't to deprive the world from yummy goodness so here's the recipe.  (Note: there is alcohol in the recipe, but the baking process burns off the alcohol content- you won't get drunk from eating it, unless you're drunk on chocolatey heaven).  Now I'm hungry, gah!  (Pic: Chef Petunia/food.com)

For the black Russian cake recipe, click the link.

GeoDeo Natural Deodorant

The last, but not least of the items I received complementary from Influenster natural voxbox is Geodeo, a natural deodorant.  You can get more info from their website, but you have to buy it elsewhere (like drugstore.com) for $5.99.  It contains 2.3 oz of product, making it safe to take through airport security without TSA snatching it up and accusing of trying to sabotage the plane.  It is meant to be an invisible solid with 24 hour protection that is moisturizing.  It's also supposed to have a detox complex to get rid of the effect of long term, synthetic deodorant use.  There are two other fragrance options besides the one shown here.

To read my thoughts about Geodeo, click the link.

New Sweetner on the Block - Nectresse, a Review

Maybe this sweetner isn't actually a new kid on the block (I haven't heard about it until recently), but I received it complementary form Influenster natural voxbox.  For all the ins and outs, go to their website. Nectresse's main spiel is that it's completely natural (made from monk fruit), zero calories, and tastes like sugar.  It's made by Splenda, so it essentially runs along the same line along with every other sweetner on the market.  Price ranges from $3.99 (40 servings) and $6.99 (140 servings).

To see if I liked it or not, click the link

Salsa Lessons with Wet n Wild Mega Shield Lip Color, Review & Swatches

Recently CVS had a "buy one, get one free" sale and I just couldn't stop myself.  I already have a problem trolling the cosmetic aisle of ANY store that sells cosmetics whether or not I need them, but when I saw the sale, my eyes bugged out.  Wet n Wild products are already dirt cheap, but when you can get 2 items for less than $3, the bargaining Asian comes out in me full force.  So one of the items I picked up was the Mega Shield Lip Color in Salsa Lessons.  Orange is my favorite color, so I'm totally stoked that it's one of the Pantone colors of this year.  Anyway, back to the product at hand.  

To read more about my thoughts and see swatches, click the link.

The Orignial Dish Drying Mat Review

This complimentary product from Influenster natural voxbox is of the non-edible variety (sad face).  It's a dish drying mat, which makes great sense, but not something I've ever tried before.  I guess it's like laying a towel down to dry dishes, only more absorbable.  The mat I received is off-white with a dimension of 16" x 18".  There is a larger option available (and other products) if you go to their website.  These are conveniently sold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $4.99.  I even made myself do the dishes to see how well this works.

To read the rest of the review, click the link

Country Life Maxi Hair Supplement Review

 This natural product that I received complimentary from Influenster voxbox is a supplement.  You can find out about all the info you need from the Country Life website along with other supplement choices.  This is a vitamin and supplement combo that is meant to bring hair, nails, and skin to a livelier condition.  Besides the everyday recommended vitamins, it contains B-vitamins, biotin and MSM to concentrate on dermatological benefits.  It contains 60 tablets in a darkened glass jar (one month supply), costing $17.99 (quick internet search showed that the price range is $10-$25).

To find if it even works, click the link.

Quick Fixes for Chipped Nail Polish

Does your nail polish look scary like this?  Do you have issues like I do with picking off your nail polish or just chipping them because you're not careful?  Well you're in luck since I have to deal with this rather frequently, which means I can pass on my tricks along to you.

You ask: "why should I care about fixing chipped nails when it's useless, ESPECIALLY when it looks like that?"  (And yes, my roomie told me that I should think about fixing my own nails before doing a tutorial on it....)  My answer is: "nothing is impossible mon ami".

Click on the link to learn all the secrets to chipped nails

LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer Review

This is the third (in no particular order) of the items I received complimentary through Influenster Natural voxbox.  You can find the basics on the LypSyl website.  It's once again a natural product.  This product is  made from Swedish beeswax (how that differs from any other beeswax is a mystery to me), shea butter, and some vitamins.  According to the promo, LypSyl is meant to give long-lasting protection while penetrating the moisture deep within the lips.  The cost is about $3 (there is a price range based on where it is purchased).  I was excited about using this product because I'm a little bit of a lip product (especially balm) junkie.

Does it really moisturize? Click the link to find out.

Beauty Fixation Nail Polish Touch-Up Review

I love using products that are fool proof and a "one-stop-shop" kind of concept.  So when I got the Beauty Fixation Nail Polish Touch-up in one of my Birchbox subscription boxes (can't remember which month) I was stoked.  This was definitely THE item that I wanted to try out.

Beauty Fixation has multiple on-the-go cosmetic and touch-up products.  You can't purchase the item from their website directly, but the product is available on Birchbox, Boots, and BeautyBar.  This product is in a case that is about the size of a deck of cards (little shorter in length and not as wide), and contains 24 swabs which comes out to the grand total of $5 before taxes.

To read more on how it works, click on the link below.

Does EBOOST Give you the Energy you Need?

Next item on the list of items I received complimentary through Influenster is EBOOST.  For the specifics on this, the best place to go will be their website.  They have multiple flavor choices to choose from: Natural Orange, Pink Lemonade, Super Berry, and Acai  Pomegranate.  To buy a box with 20 packets through their website costs $28. It has natural ingredients and is meant to boost your energy/help the immune system without creating the crash that caffeine or sugar gives.  It has "good for you" ingredients like vitamin C, D, B-12, folic acid, green tea, etc.

This isn't the first time I've tried EBOOST.  Both times have been the Natural Orange flavor shown above.  Taste wise, the orange is not my cup of tea.  It's very chemically and if you dissolve the packet in a regular glass (as shown in the top left corner), it's very unpalatable.  (Keep in mind that I am rather sensitive to tastes and smells).  The strong taste is diminished if you dissolve it in about 1L of water.  I personally had to fill up a Nalgene bottle.  In terms of the energy claims, it seemed to work.  Most recently I used it during a long afternoon of classes, and I perked up gradually without crashing afterwards.  Perhaps it was a placebo effect, I don't know.  It just seemed to work.

Bottom Line: At the price point and my dislike of the taste prevents me from buying this again.  However, if I was given a different flavor to try, I wouldn't turn it down.  As of now I'll stick to my coffee and take my risk of crashing and burning.

CleanWell Natural Hand Sanitizer Wipes Review

The CleanWell Sanitizer Wipes is one of the products that I received complimentary through Influenster Natural voxbox.  As you can see on the package (and based on the name) it's a natural hand wipe that sanitizes without alcohol and can be used on the face and hands.  For more info and to buy these, go to their website.  You can find other sanitizing products such as soaps of different scent varieties.

The basics: wipes are 5" x 7", so plenty big to easily clean both hands or your face.  Individual packs retail for $29.99 for 50 pouches.  In my opinion that's a little steep in price, but there is a better alternative (Hand Sanitizer Pack) that costs $19.99 and includes 5 different items (2 packs of 10 wipes, 2 sprays and 1 from).

To find out how these perform, click the link below

Natural Voxbox from Influenster

On a whim I joined Influenster about 1.5 months ago, and I was lucky enough to get the Natural voxbox.  The basic idea is that if you qualify or a good fit for a certain themed box, they send it out to you for free with multiple products to be reviewed. The more you participate in the reviews and the more active you are in the Influenster community, you're able to increase your "points" which allows you to potentially qualify for future boxes.  Like I said, for the specifics check out the link.

The contents that I have for review are shown in the picture, and I'll review them honestly in following posts. Once again, I did not buy any of the products for review, it was sent to me for free.  However, I won't be touting false claims about any of the products.  So look forward to seeing the posts!

To go directly to the reviews, follow the links below.

CleanWell Wipes
EBOOST
LypSyl
Maxi-Hair
The Original Dish Mat
Nectresse
GeoDeo