Jewelmint Persephone Pendant Review with Lots of Photos!

Jewelmint Persephone Pendant

Alright, Jewelmint time of the month y'all!

I wasn't too crazy about the February selection of Jewelmint jewelry. I was hoping for cuter items in spirit of Valentine's Day (even though I'm 23, I still love anything heart shaped). None of the items were really of my taste. I suppose that's better for my wallet, though!

There was one item that struck my interest, and that is the Persephone Pendant. I'm kind of a sucker for little trinkets, mini bottles - anything miniature, really, so this perfume bottle pendant was totally my taste. Although the shape of the bottle kind of resembles a flask, and I'm hoping I won't be mistaken for an alcoholic.

Wrapped around the pendant is an adorable flower design (daisies?) which is perfectly suited for Spring. The cap of the bottle has a little white stone (plastic), which is a nice little touch of detail. The silver coloring is oxidized like many of Jewelmint's pieces to give off an aged/vintage appearance. The chain is 30" in length, and lays right below my chest.

Jewelmint Persephone Pendant

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush ($20) is a re-promote in MAC's newest Cook M.A.C Collection (online now, and hits stores on the 9th in North America) from their previous Lillyland 2010 Collection. 

Optimistic Orange is a vibrant tangerine orange. It's actually a fairly cool toned orange, that lacks a strong yellow tone. On the cheeks it has a reddish-pink tint to it, so it looks more like a coral-orange, rather than just plain orange. When worn in a sheer layer, it's a lovely peach shade. 

A little goes a very long way with this blush, as it's very pigmented. My favorite way of applying this blush is with a duo-fiber brush, such as the MAC #131. I lightly dip the tips of the bristles in the product, then lightly dab the brush on a piece of paper (or the back of my hand) and then lightly dab it on my cheeks, and blend in  small circular motions. The reason I dab it off before applying it directly to my cheeks is to prevent applying too much color at once. If I've applied too much, I'll go back over the area with a kabuki brush and a little finishing powder to lighten it up.

Christian Dior Rosy Tan 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos and Swatches!

Christian Dior Rosy Tan 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette

I've quickly turned into a Dior junkie ever after trying my first quint (Crush Glow). Thankfully, Dior doesn't have a huge selection of colors in their permanent line that are tempting enough for me to go nuts over. I find warm toned palettes with shades of golds and browns to be hard to resist, which are more common in their seasonal palettes.

Some of the palettes are a hit or a miss pigmentation-wise, but I've had very positive experiences with Dior so far. I love their buttery soft texture, blendability and luminous finish.

Believe it or not, I've had my Urban Decay Naked Palette for quite some time now, and I barely ever reach for it. And honestly, I'm not even sure why. There is a decent selection of colors and all, but it's definitely a highly raved product that doesn't get much love from me on a weekly basis.

I'm very "pro" convenience/low-maintenance products, and I find the convenience of the Dior 5-color palettes very appealing. They are housed in a very sturdy mirrored compact and contain 5 shades of shadow that compliment each other for a variety of looks. They also contain two double-sided applicators, which believe it or not - I actually use each time I use my Dior palettes. One side of the sponge is large for applying color all over the lid, and the other side is smaller for lining the eyes and/or applying color through the crease. It's everything you need, in a small compact.

With a couple Sephora gift cards I had left over from Christmas, I treated myself to the Rosy Tan 5-Colour Eyeshadow palette.

Rosy Tan contains a warm brown with fine gold shimmer, a light pink pearl, a velvety taupe-brown, a silvered metallic brown and an icy champagne-pink pearl. All of the shades work very well together for a soft, neutral look. I'm especially loving the middle shade - it's probably the prettiest color I own for an inner-corner and brow bone highlight. My second favorite shade from the palette is probably the silvery brown on the bottom left. 

Christian Dior Rosy Tan 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette

Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit for the Face!

Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit

I rarely ever look at the brushes on my weekly trips to CVS, but on a visit, some new packaging for the Essence of Beauty brushes caught my eye. I know this is old news, as they introduced the new packaging mid-2011, but I believe my CVS was pretty late on the bandwagon and haven't stocked any of the newly packaged brushed until recently.

You may be familiar with the older style brushes - a beige handle with a black ferrule (reminiscent of Bobbi Brown brushes). It looks like they might be phasing out that style for a sleeker black brush with silver textured ferrule. Kinda nice if you're particular about having all of your brush handles the same color. I personally prefer black handles.

If you're not familiar with Essence of Beauty, it's basically the Ecotools of CVS - they are affordable and good quality for the price you pay. They range from around $5-$10 each. I only own a couple, and I really dig them.

Anyway, I had a few extra-cash bucks to blow, so I decided to pick up the Starter Brush Kit and give it a whirl.

The Essence of Beauty Starter Kit comes with three brushes (a foundation brush, blush/powder brush, double-sided eye brush) and a small brush roll.What drew my attention to that particular kit, was the small foundation brush. I figured it'd be the perfect size brush to apply my under-eye concealer since it's smaller than a standard foundation brush and much larger than a standard concealer brush.

Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit

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