Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Eye Shadow Primer Review

Although the initial hoopla with the new-ish Fergie Collection of Wet n Wild has passed, I figured I would give my two cents on the products that I have. I wanted to try it out in different situations before I made my final thoughts. First off is the Take on the Day Eye Shadow Primer, which is a mouthful of name.  These retail for about $5, which is wonderfully a fraction of the cost of most primers (an attribute that drew me to the product). It's a flesh toned primer that becomes clear once on the eye lid.

To continue the review, click below.

Happy Easter NOTD

Happy Easter everyone! I figured I would do a quick Nail of the Day (NOTD) post.  The theme I was going for was Easter egg laying in grass.  The grass portion didn't quite happen, but live and learn. I'll use a more opaque green next time. The products used are Essie Borrowed & Blue with Revlon Whimsical on top, and Pure Ice Sheer Luck as my grass. Hope you're having a sunnier Easter than I am since it's dark and dreary here.  I want spring!

Renting Nail Polish?

Maybe I'm just slow on the game, but I was flipping through my Self magazine when  I came across a blurb on renting nail polish.  It got me a little interested, so I thought I would share the info for those of you that're curious like me.  It's through Lacquerous, and for $18 a month you can try three high end brand polishes (NARS, MAC, Chanel, etc). From what I can gather on the website, each month you get nail polishes sent to you of your choosing. You can use each one only 3 times in the given month (apparently they check the amount), then you send it back in a pre-paid package to get your next set. Now this can be ingenious, or completely disgusting depending on your  take on hygiene.  I think it's nice to be able to access high end nail polish that you may not want to shell out for.  At the same time, you're using the same bottle that other subscribers have used. I will be honest and say that I tend to err on the side of being a germaphobe, and the idea of using nail polish that people I don't know have used is a little gross.  I mean what if they have fungus? Once you get nail fungus, it's pretty much down hill, and it is possible (although very unlikely) to get fungus from fomites (inanimate objects) such as nail polish (Picture: Lacquerous).

Bottom Line: The concept grosses me out, so I would never partake in a monthly nail polish "renting" scheme.  However, I think it's important to be well informed of your options, so here ya go.

e.l.f. Cream Liners: Review & Swatches

 Cream/gel liners are one of those staples that all gals should have (in my opinion). Of course you need your everyday shades such as the blacks/browns/greys, but sometimes you need a little splash of color.  Here comes in these little lovelies, the e.l.f. Cream Eyeliners. At $3 a pop, you can get nearly whatever color you want, including the basics (11 shades currently).

To continue reading the review and view swatches, click the link below.

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara: Review & Swatch

There are many cosmetic items that are the "take or leave it" type of things, but the one thing that's universally flattering is mascara.  Finding a great mascara is often like finding "The One." You have to go through a bunch until you come across one that's suited for you. That said, I'm a fickle mistress, so I'm constantly on the look out for alternatives.  I've always enjoyed Too Faced Cosmetic products, so I figures I would give one of their mascaras a go.  I got mine within a kit of some sort or another, but on its own this runs $21.

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

NYX Gel Liner & Smudger in Teal: Review & Swatches

Last suggestion for some St. Patrick's day flare for those of you who just want a hint of green is the NYX Gel Liner & Smudger in Teal. For those of you who missed out on the other options: you can go for green eyes or turquoise nails. The NYX gel liners have 4 color options currently (black, brown, and blue besides the teal) and retail for around $7-8 wherever NYX products are sold (I got mine at Ulta).

To continue the review and see swatches click the link below.

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise: Review & Swatches

Next on the journey of St. Patty's Day pizzazz is China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise nail polish.  Nail polish is a great option for those of you a little shy about going all out with colorful peepers.  This particular shade of polish is of the China Glaze neon range so it dries down matte.  I don't have too much experience with matte shades, but it's always good to branch out right?

To continue reading the review and see swatches, click the link below.

Wet n Wild I Dream of Greenie: Review & Swatches

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, and no one likes being pinched, I figured I'd take this opportunity to do a few reviews on fun green cosmetic options to wear. First off on the list is the Wet n Wild I Dream of Greenie Color Icon Trio.  These are wonderful little trio palettes in general, which should be no surprise as these have been touted all over the makeup community since it's existence.  However, this particular trio doesn't get much love.  Maybe because it's a bunch of greens?  I dunno.  But what better day to pull out this bad boy than St. Patty's?

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

Ipsy Glam Bag: First Impressions

I've been contemplating about different monthly subscriptions recently and whether or not I want to add/change/continue what I have.  I currently subscribe to Birchbox and SquareHue. What made me think about subscribing to Ipsy Glam Bag is that Birchbox has been really hit or miss lately, and I thought why not try something else to see if I like it.  At the same $10 a month, with good reviews and seemingly a stronger cosmetic theme, I figured why not?

Click the link below for first impressions and pictures.

Revlon Sparkle Aplenty (Ritzy) Nail Polish: Review & Swatches

Revlon is one of the drug store brand of polishes (besides L'Oreal) that I think has really stepped up their game in terms of quality and unique shades.  Sparkle Aplenty happens to be one of their glitter polishes that  is meant to be a dupe of a high end brand nail polish (OPI Metallic 4 Life). I know some find it an affront that companies are "ripping off" others for a profit, but I say so what? All forms of marketing or similar products follow each other's lead, and if something works, why not find a cheaper alternative? On that note, these Revlon polishes run around $4-5. One more thing to keep in mind is that this polish might be called Ritzy now.  I don't know why they changed names. Something to do with the transition from a limited edition to permanent? No clue.

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

Luna Fiber Chocolate Raspberry Bar Review

One of my most beloved thing to do is eat.  I try to be good and eat healthy like most people claim.  So to keep up my "healthy" habits when I snack, I try to stay away from candy bars.  I often like munching on Fiber One granola bar varieties, so when I got the Luna Fiber Chocolate Raspbery Bar in one of my birchboxes, I was excited to give it a go.  I figure that fiber is always a good thing to have in your diet, and fresh produces are the best source, but supplementing is never a bad thing. 
To continue the review, and see close up of the bar click the link below.

L'oreal Nail Polish in So Chic!: Review & Swatch

It's not often that I'm drawn to a neutral shade of polish, but sometimes I'm surprised. L'Oreal So Chic! happens to be one of those rare occasions. This was part of the December holiday display, but I still find them in stores like Walmart/Target. These retail for about $5-6.

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

Newest Maybelline Color Tattoo Metallics: Review & Swatch

Barely Branded, Inked in Pink

For those of you who have viewed my humble blog, one thing probably stands out. I like me my Maybelline Color Tattoos. You can check out my past posts of the bright colors here, and the original ones here.  Needless to say I'm a glutton for these, and I had to get a couple of the most recent metallic editions.  I was good though, and stuck to colors that I don't own. With this collection, there are 5 new metallic shades that are generally lighter in color with one darker navy blue.  I went for the two most versatile shades of the bunch.

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

SquareHue March Box: Review & Swatches

Today I have my second month of the SquareHue nail polish subscription service. To find out the basics of how it works, you can check out my original post here. The March collection in homage to St. Patrick's Day is called the O'Hue Collection. Once again it comes with 3 polishes that are meant to be on trend for the month of March.  This time around all the shades were metallic/shimmer, and there were no creams.

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

Urban Decay The Glinda Palette: Review & Swatches

Now that Oz the Great and Powerful is out in theaters, I figure I should do the review of one of the collaboration palettes with Urban Decay before it's no longer available. Urban Decay came out with two versions of a limited edition palette for the different witches, and I have The Glinda Palette. They both are lovely palettes, but the overall colors of The Glinda Palette spoke to me more than The Theodora Palette. You can buy these wherever Urban Decay products are sold for $49. It comes with 8 shadows (couple of the shadow pans have 2 colors in it), a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, and a Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color. The eye shadows in the palette are the new formulations and it is encased in the "Build Your Own" palette, so you can easily pop the shades out and put new ones in.

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

Orly Sec 'N Dry Review

I have been a long term user of the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat, but after having to continuously thin it out after the bottle is halfway done, I decided to try out a new quick dry top coat.  I like Orly nail polishes, so I figure that it would be worth it to try out one of their many top coats.  The Sec 'N Dry is marketed as a top coat that penetrates all nail polish layers to dry it quickly and leave a hard, protective top coat behind. Now that I have been using this for a bit, I have found it to be an alternative, but not a replacement for the Sally Hansen.  I both like and dislike the fact that the Sec 'N Dry is thinner. I don't think it will thicken up to the point of being unusable halfway through the bottle, which is great; however, it doesn't create as thick of a coat of shininess on top of the nail to make the polish pop. It does allow the true nature of the polish to come through without adding much shine to it.  I haven't tried it over glitter polishes, but I have a feeling it might just get lost in it. In terms of being a quick drying top coat, it lives up to it's claim. My polish dries without much effort on my part.  One thing I did notice though is that with some polishes, the Sec 'N Dry picks up the color of the polish. The nail polish color will bleed slightly onto the top coat brush.  So far, this hasn't discolored my bottle and doesn't affect the way it applies, but I am worried that my top coat might be completely discolored in the future.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for a thinner top coat that only helps to quicken drying time, this might be for you.  It's not what I'm personally looking for in a top coat, so once I use it up, the hunt will continue.

Milani Shadow Eyez in Brown Deluxe: Review & Swatch

It's always great to find similar products for cheaper.  The inner bargain queen in me wants more for less. Milani Shadow Eyez are the drug store copycat to the Urban Decan 24/7 Glide-on Shadow. It's an user friendly jumbo shadow pencil that can be used as a wash of color over the entire lid, or as a liner.  The dual function of this pencil makes it highly versatile.

For the review and swatches, click the link.

Maybelline Color Show Nail Sticker in Divine Crocodile Review

I realize that nail sticker/decal/thinger-ma-gigers have been around for some time, but I have been slow in joining in on the fun.  My main drawback was that I couldn't justify spending around $8 for one time use products no matter how cool they look.  That said, since these were on sale $2, I just had to try them out. These nail stickers apply much in the same way as other similar products.  You peel the sticker off, fold the excess over the nail edge, and file the left over off.  There are plenty of sticker sizes to choose from to fit your nails properly.

For my review and nail swatches, click the link.