MAC Sunbasque Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Sunbasque Blush

MAC Sunbasque Blush is described on the MAC website as a peach with pearl. It's a little more complex than that - it's a warm, shimmery rosy-bronze. There's red, there's pink, there's peach and a hint of bronze. It's everything you could ever want! Sunbasque is a sheertone shimmer, so there is definitely shimmer present, but it's not gritty glitter and it's not overpowering.

It's kind of like a blush, bronzer and highlighter all-in-one. When you've got Sunbasque on your cheeks, you don't need much else! It's one of those shades that somehow enhances my tan and makes my skin look radiant. It's a great blush to pair with warm eyeshadows (bronze, brown, gold, etc) and warm pink, peach and coral lipsticks.

It's a really beautiful shade, and it's especially nice on medium to tan skin tones. In fact, if you're around the MAC NC30-NC40 coloring and you don't own this blush, I urge you to check it out! It's one of MAC's best sellers, and it's one of my personal favorites.

Spotted: Faux Lashes at my local Dollar Tree!

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to do a quick post about these awesome lashes I picked up at my local Dollar Tree store. I had first spotted these last summer and was SO thrilled to find inexpensive lashes. I wear faux lashes very often, and wearing them often really adds up! The price for faux lashes went up in price in the past year at my local drugstores. It's now over $4 for one pair of Ardell lashes (which is ridiculous!!). I try as much as I can to get them when they're on sale at ULTA or Sally's Beauty Supply. Well, to make a long story short.. (it's actually not a long story at all.. lol) When I went back to purchase more lashes, they didn't have one pair. So I went searching high and low to all of my local dollar tree stores and saw nothing. Just tubes of eyelash adhesive. Big disappointment. I know Dollar Tree carries items that are purely close outs (sometimes there are N.Y.C, LA Colors, ELF, Etc. products) and there is stuff that comes directly from their supplier. You'll know if it's a Dollar Tree item if the label says "Distributed By Greenbrier International, Inc. Chesapeake, VA 23320. These are in fact, Dollar Tree lashes.. not close outs or overstocks of another brand.

Anyhow, I was shopping at Dollar Tree for party favors and came across my beloved lashes again. Thrilled, I picked up 8 or 9 pairs. There were probably around 40 pairs total on the rack of all different styles.

All of the lashes I purchased were the same style. They don't have a specific style number, but they looked the longest, featheriest (is that even a word?) and the most natural. I didn't think to compare bar codes, but in case you wanted to track these down in particular, the code is 639277893550. There also appears to be an item number of 989354 1010. It is most likely though that all of the styles have the same bar code. If you are familiar with Ardell Lashes, lengthwise they are longer than the 105's but shorter than the 111's. Although it doesn't state if they are 100% human hair or synthetic, I can tell you that they are synthetic. I normally don't purchase synthetic lashes for a few different reasons. 1) They can be stiff and difficult to apply 2) Because of the stiffness and plastic material, they can be uncomfortable 3) They can sometimes be too shiny & look un-natural. But, if you find good synthetic lashes the plus side is 1) They hold a curl better and 2) In my experiences, they have lasted longer b/c they are a little less "delicate" than the natural ones. 

I wouldn't be posting about these lashes if I didn't like them. I think they're great.

Here's a closer look..

I have used this style before and they looked super natural and blended in very well with my natural lashes. I typically cut the lashes in half for a less dramatic look. 

So, if you're near a Dollar Tree store on your next shopping trip out and are in need of faux lashes, check them out for yourself! I hope they will continue re-stocking these.. I've got my fingers crossed.

Have you spotted really inexpensive faux lashes in your area? Share in the comments!

Review: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara!

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

THE FORMULA

• Unprecedented Bold Volume™ formula has ultra light, lash-thickening fibers.
• Lifts and plumps even sparse lashes into big, lush lashes that are all lightness and flirtatious curl.

THE BRUSH

• Exclusive BrushComber™ thickens like a brush. Defines like a comb.
• Wraps your entire lash in air-light volume. Lashes soar with 360° lift and curl.

THE LOOK

• Daringly full, sensuously curved, all-out seductive lashes.
• Now take your lashes all the way to big, bold, beautiful.

EL's Sumptuous Mascara has everyone raving. Among all of Estee Lauder's mascaras, Sumptuous is the highest rated on makeupalley. Currently it has a 4/5 rating with a 73% re-purchase rate, which is very good for a mascara. The mascara claims to lift, curl and thicken (doesn't mention lengthen).

I received a tester size of this mascara a couple of months back from an EL counter purchase and haven't tried it until the past few days.

One (1) coat of EL Sumptuous Mascara.

My Thoughts: What is Sumptuous anyway?? Pronounced Suhmp.choo.uhs. It's an adjective that means "Lavish; Luxurious" or "Expensive". First off, let's talk about the formula. It isn't too thick and it isn't too thin. It's the perfect in-between. The formula seemed very wet (most likely because it's new) and coated my top and bottom lashes without having to go for a second dip in the tube. It didn't take long to dry and didn't transfer all over my lids or under eyes. I was able to go back shortly to add another coat. It seems to build volume well - without looking clumpy (Like L'Oreal Voluminous or YSL Faux Cils might). One thing I noticed right away was the richness of the black. It is definitely the blackest black and has a glossy finish - love that!! Although this mascara doesn't necessarily lengthen and the main focus is on the volumizing.. I do feel that my lashes look the slightest longer. Nothing dramatic though. If you prefer a more natural look... you can still use this mascara, but you only need a few swipes. The claims are true that my lashes do feel very lightweight while wearing this mascara. I really like the brush. It is larger at the base and then gets smaller toward the end so you can get extra close to your lashes and get into the small corners of your eyes. The only downside to this mascara was that after a couple hours of wear, I would get black transfer under my eyes. *sigh* This is the main reason I never purchase new mascaras.. because the only one that has never transferred is Covergirl Lash Blast. If you don't have a problem with your mascara transferring, this is a great mascara to check out! Otherwise, if you're like me... you may want to stick with mascaras that claim to be smudgeproof.

 This was last night wearing two coats. My hair and makeup looked terrible at this point because I took the photo after shoveling the snow outside for over an hour.

NOTD: Forever 21's Love & Beauty Nail Polish in Hunter Green!

Lighting: Indoors. Daylight, No flash.

Hey Everyone!

Thought I'd share with you my freshly painted nails. I purchased this nail polish from Forever 21 while I was Christmas Shopping and thought it was a perfect Holiday shade. Hunter Green is a sheer black polish filled with green reflects. At a glance in low lighting, it looks black. But in daylight, or an area with bright lighting the polish looks like a deep, forest green pearl. With one coat, it is quite sheer and the black base is very visible. By the 2nd coat, the color is very opaque and you mostly only see the green reflects.

The polish really reminds me of NARS Night Porter eyeshadow in liquid form (which is a black eyeshadow filled with green reflects) haha!

I applied one (1) coat of Seche Vite Base Coat, two (2) coats of Love & Beauty Hunter Green Nail Polish and one (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Lighting: Indoors, Flash.

As for an update on my previous NOTD (Revlon Cupid).. it wore very well. I wore it for 6 days and I didn't have any significant chips. It just started to chip off very little near the base of my nail by the last couple of days. I could of wore it for a couple more nails but I was anxious to wear a different color. Pretty good, considering I didn't use a top coat.