Small Drugstore Haul!

1) Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks in the shades "Pink Please 025" and "Born with It 015". These are Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off at Walgreens till the 15th. I haven't tried them yet.. Pink Please was a color that was recommended to me by one of my lovely readers. I was hesitant at first.. but I decided to try it out. Both shades are light/med toned pinks.

2) Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in the shade "Grey Area 330". Grey Area is a deep Grey that looks darker on the nails than it does in the bottle. In the bottle it looks very similar to Rimmel Steel Grey, but Grey Area is deeper and almost looks navy in certain lighting.

3) Wet n Wild Mega Matte Lipstick in the shade "Just Peachy 903C". A mid toned coral-pink shade. This is the third mega matte lipstick to my addition.. and I love them all! The lipsticks are creamy, very pigmented and no yucky scent! All Wet n Wild is 50% off at Walgreen's till the 15th.

4) Wet n Wild Fast Dry Nail Color in the shade "Gray's Anatomy 237C". The Fast Dry formula is new to Wet n Wild in 2011. There were several different shades that caught my eye.. like a pretty baby pink, a bright blue, a bright coral-red.. but for some reason I picked this one. It's a silvery grey with a purple/blue/green pearl. I'm still deciding if I like it or not.. LOL but I guess we'll have to see once I apply it to my nails & post a NOTD!

5) Wet n Wild Glassy Gloss Lip Gel in the shade "This Too Shall Glass 310A". Cute name.. sounds like a shade of OPI nail polish? Lol This is also a new product for 2011. I really like the formula of this. It's not sticky at all and feels very smooth on the lips. This color in particular is a sheer pink with a golden pearl.

6) LASplash Nail Art Glitter in the shade "Onyx". A very pretty dark glitter.. with a mixture of fine and chunky glitter. The glitter is multi colored.. but mostly appears to be a deep blue/purple/green? I thought it would look very pretty paired with the polishes I bought. Can't wait to share with you a NOTD!

Swatches are yet to come!

Review: Revlon Colorstay Makeup with Softflex SPF 6 for Combination/Oily! + FOTD!

Revlon Colorstay Makeup with Softflex SPF 6 for Combination/Oily in Warm Golden

Hey guys! I purchased Revlon Colorstay Foundation last month while it was on sale at my local drugstore for 40% along with L'Oreal True Match Foundation. This is actually the third or fourth time I have purchased this foundation. Each time I have purchased a different color and wasn't happy with any of the shades. So basically, I gave up on Colorstay due to the color selection. But, I was determined to find a decent match.. which is why I decided to yet again give it a try. It has great ratings and I've seen so many gorgeous faces in the makeup community use this foundation and love it. Many claim that it's the best drugstore foundation. With such positive feedback.. I was very eager to try it for myself.

I did a little research, and found that for MAC NC35-37, "Golden Beige 300" and "Warm Golden 310" were the best matches. One up, "True Beige 320" is too pink and is better suited for NW30.. and the next up from True Beige is "Natural Tan 330" and is best for NC40.

I did a few hand swatches and liked the way "Warm Golden" looked the best.. so that's what I purchased.

I did a few swatches of "Warm Golden" next to MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC30 and NC40. Unfortunately, I didn't have NC35 or NC37 on hand. You can very visibly see that the MAC foundations are much more golden.. where Revlon is slightly more neutral/beige. It may be difficult to distinguish because the undertones don't match.. but Warm Golden is darker than NC30 and would fall in the NC35-37 range.

When I really like a foundation, I know right away. And usually, I'll review it fairly quick. This foundation took a while to grow on me. I applied it in several different ways. I applied it to a dry face, moisturized/primed face.. with a standard foundation brush, duo-fiber brush, fluffy synthetic brush and with my fingers. And I found that the best way for me to apply this foundation for the best result is, by first moisturizing my face prior to application and using my MAC 131 (smaller version of the 187 skunk brush), dampened with water to stipple it all over my face until blended. Applied to a dry face, this foundation looked terrible on me. But, this foundation is meant for combination to oily skin.. so it should be perfect for those with oily skin. I have pretty normal skin.. but I would also call it combination.. because I tend to get an oily t-zone (but not overly oily).. so thats why it applies better with some moisture on my face. 

The foundation itself is creamy.. but a little heavy. If you find it to be too thick, heavy or cakey.. I recommend mixing it with a couple drops of your facial moisturizer or a tinted moisturizer. I tried this with MAC Face & Body and had great results (But my F&B is a little dark for me right now.. so I didn't post a photo).

Even though the undertone doesn't have that much yellow - it works perfectly fine for me right now since my coloring is a bit lighter than usual.

The coverage is pretty good. It's a medium coverage that is buildable for a heavier coverage. I prefer the way it looks when it is sheered out a bit with a moisturizer or thinner foundation. I find myself using this pretty often in conjunction with lighter foundations to over areas that need extra coverage.

It claims to last for 16 hours, which I think is a bit of a stretch. MAC Studio Fix Fluid definitely lasts longer on my skin than this foundation. This foundation can probably get me through a full work day.. but I don't agree that it will look flawless until I take it off at night. For me, after some hours (maybe 6?) it starts to fade and areas that were once concealed aren't very well concealed any more. What I really like is that it keeps my face matte.. and I have no signs of oil on my forehead or nose. So, again.. a great foundation for those with oily/combination skin. 

I prefer setting it with a setting powder, as it made my face feel a little wet? tacky? after application. 

Overall, I do think it's a nice foundation and in terms of coverage.. probably has the most out of any drugstore foundation I've used. Also, I love the fact that it keeps my skin matte. My only complaints are that I'm not really fond of the chemical smell (yuck), there is no pump (my bottle is looking a little messy), I don't like the way it fades after hours and I wish there were more golden/yellow shades.

Here's me wearing it... (excuse my pjs)

FACE:

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW25

Maybelline FIT ME Concealer #20

Revlon Colorstay Foundation #310 Warm Golden

Rimmel Stay Matte Transparent Powder (to set the foundation)

NARS Madly Blush

Benfit Hoola Bronzer (just a tiny bit in the hollows of my cheeks)

MAC New Vegas Mineralized Skinfinish (LE) (highlight the top of my cheek bones)

BROWS:

Ardell Medium Brown Brow Powder

MAC Girl Boy Brow Set

EYES:

MAC Point Black Liquidlast Liner

MAC Gilt By Association Mineralized Eyeshadow (LE) (smudged under eyes)

Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

LIPS:

MAC Stripdown Lip Liner

MAC Pink Fish Lip Conditioner (LE)

OCC Cha Cha Lip Tar (tiny bit)

Revlon Life's a Peach Lipgloss (LE)

*(LE) = Limited Edition shade.

NOTD: Rimmel Lasting Finish Steel Grey! + Photos!

This was a very popular color last year, but I never purchased it because I was loving my Orly Mirror Mirror and Essie Chinchilly. Since I absolutely love Rimmel Lasting Finish polishes, I decided to give Steel Grey a try. I wear grey very often.. almost every day, so I love wearing grey nail polish! Steel Grey applies very nicely - not too thick or thin, and it dries fairly quick between coats. The color is a dove grey - it almost looks like a neutral, dusty purple.

I applied 3 thin coats (although 2 was fine) and 1 coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. I never apply 3, so I hope it's not going to be too thick on my nails and peel off. 

Have you tried this polish or anything similar??

Maybelline FIT ME Foundation & Concealer Review, Photos & Swatches!

Maybelline FIT ME Foundation & Concealer

The first time I caught a glimpse of this line was at Wal-mart a couple of weeks ago. I was right away very interested because of the sleek packaging and the golden-yellow shades this line had to offer, which is very hard to find in drugstore foundations. I didn't see a price though, so I passed it up. It wasn't until last weekend when I was at my local Jewel/Osco browsing the cosmetic aisle, I spotted the display - the foundation was on sale for only $5.99!! So, I found my match and purchased a bottle.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Maybelline FIT ME Foundation

Blends beautifully for an undetectable finish. It does not clog pores. Leaves your skin the way it is supposed to be.. Fresh, Breathing & Flawless. The secret to the weightless coverage & natural finish is the translucent base & ultra light weight pigments. Fit Me's translucent base is less opaque so your natural hues will come through for a better match. Sheer to Medium coverage that is buildable. SPF 18. Comes in 18 shades.

Maybelline FIT ME Concealer 

Apply to spots, blemishes & dark circles. The concealer uses similar technology to the foundation so you can cover imperfections seamlessly. There are 6 shades that coordinate with the foundation shades.

Maybelline FIT ME Powder

Like the foundation, the powder is never cakey & completely natural looking because the ultra light pigments are so blendable and gives skin the most natural finish with the perfect shade match. Comes in 18 shades, that coordinate with the foundation colors. Apply after your foundation and concealer for a flawless look for the day.

Maybelline FIT ME Blush

Designed to find the right shade that will compliment your skin tone, rather than clash with it. Comes in 12 shades of blush and 3 shades of bronzer.

(Source: Gabriel Almodovar)