My Very First Actual Drugstore Haul!

This is a little silly to admit, but I have lived here for seven years and never been to an actual drugstore!  I didn't even know where there was one, and I think they are new here, like within the past couple of years they were built.  I always get my prescriptions somewhere else, and I really thought people meant Target or Walmart by "drugstore" since the only other thing I could equate was "pharmacy". 

So.... my first trip to Walgreen's was a huge success!!  I finally found my much sought after Wet-n-Wild products!!!  So excited!! 

I have never been in this type of store, but it so reminds me of this store in Germany called Schlecker.  Walgreens was so neat, the first whole aisle was cosmetics!  Revlon, L'Oreal, and Maybelline, I have seen all those before, but then I saw the little Wet-n-Wild section and I was like, omg that's what everyone is talking about!!

Here is what I got:

I got the Wet-n-Wild Megalash growth serum system thanks to Jess at Weighing Down on Beauty. 

Here is a link to her post:


http://icosmeticrn.blogspot.com/2011/02/im-going-to-be-your-test-dummy-notd-and.html


I am really looking forward to her review!


I also got three of their shadow trios, which I've been on the hunt for!  I got I Dream of Greenie, Spoiled Brat, and I'm Feeling Retro.  And a super cute pink glittery nail polish for 99 cents!  I thought it was some kind of misprint! 

I can't wait to try the Neutrogena facial sunscreen, I have been looking for something that I can actually use under makeup without turning my face into a gross mess.

I took my niece with me and she got some toys and stuff too- they had a section at the end of the aisle where they had little lotions, nail polishes and other things for 24 cents!!!  We were actually the only shoppers in the store, so it was kinda weird and I don't know if I'd go back on a regular basis, but definitely once in a while!

MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lippies

Hey there!  A ton of people have been curious about what these lippies look like on different skin tones, so I am just going to do a quick few photos here, the best way I could wear them was layered. 

DRUGSTORE NUDES:  My faves are L'Oreal 800 Fairest Nude and Revlon 070 Soft Nude.

Tokidoki Adieu Cromatico Eyeshadow Palette Review (Archive)

This is my second eyeshadow product from Tokidoki, and this one is definitely one of my new favourite shadows! I am partial to pinks and purples though... The colour pay out is great, and on me that says a lot!!

The only thing I do not care for is the silver glitter, it is sooo chunky and horrible fallout as is the case with almost all chunky glitters that I know of. I used it with a light hand but I dont think I want to use it again. The dark purple is amazing, it has purple glitter flecks too but they're alot more subtle and 100% wearable.

Love the magenta and the purple, the texture is so smooth. Easy to blend.  Gorgeous!

Super cute box too...

Overall, I would definitely recommend this palette if you like these colours, as they are very pigmented, smooth, and have excellent pay out.

Diorshow Blackout Mascara Review

This mascara is named quite fittingly.  It is most well known for being very black.  It is probably the darkest mascara I have ever used. 

This is the brush:

It dries quickly, and not too much product is dispensed onto the brush.  It definitely gives dramatic lashes!  Here is my before and after:

Wow, what a difference!! 

I used to use this mascara a lot, and in fact this is a brand new tube.  It is a very good mascara.  No flaking or smudging, and the application is pretty even with one use.  But honestly, I do not like it anymore.  I just don't like the crunchy lashes that a most mascaras give me.  I know, it may look great, but the feeling isn't worth it.  Even after using a lash comb I still find myself thinking of rubbing at the lashes to get the excess product off, and that is irritating.  There are many other mascaras I like to use that are more natural looking, although admittedly much less dramatic.  I do like the Diorshow Iconic formula much better for daily use.  I feel like my lashes have an ok length and some curl, so if I had naturally black lashes, I would just need a very simple coat of mascara.  Ah, my lash lot in life!!

If your lashes are already black, you probably would not need this heavy of a mascara.  It is great for anyone with light, thin, short, or sparse lashes though, which probably is the majority of us!! 

Overall, this is a highly effective mascara and I would definitely recommend it. 

Diorshow Iconic Mascara Review

I have always used Dior mascaras.  Wow, have they changed!!  The wands, the formulas, they are all fabulous. 

I use this as my daily mascara.  It doesn't clump, flake, or smudge.  It does a great job lengthening.  It really makes my blonde lashes black, which I love.  I use Diorshow Blackout for more volume, but Iconic gives me a more natural look.

The wand is great, the many silicone bristles are close together.

These are my before and after lashes:

(without using lash comb)

I would definitely recommend this mascara!

NARS Makeup Brushes Review: Part Two- Kabuki Artisan Brushes

There are four brushes available in this collection: Ita, Ita Kabuki, Yachiyo, and Botan.  I have previously reviewed the Yachiyo in my Part One- Face Brushes, so it is not listed here.  At this time I do not have the Ita. 

Brush #20  Botan Brush

This brush is HUGE!!!  Here is how it fits in my palm:

It is supposed to be used for loose powder, buffing, and blending.  You can do your whole face in two or three strokes with this brush.  That is not my personal preference, so for me to use everyday this brush is too big.  I did use it several times to try it out, and it is very easy to use and it is effective as well.  I especially liked using it with the NARS sparkling loose powder, that box is very large and the application was much easier than using a typical brush.   Most powder compacts are much smaller though, and this brush would be hard to use on its own,  for example with mineral veil, I applied that using a regular brush first and blended it out using the Botan.  Beautiful brush, for sure. 

Brush #28  Ita Kabuki Brush

Another gorgeous brush!!  Very, very well made.

This is an excellent brush.  It is intended for highlighting and countouring, and it is by far the best brush I have used for those purposes.  It applies effortlessly and evenly with this brush, and very smooth.  I would not recommend it for blush though, because it is quite streaky and the only way I could do it was by brushing downward on my face. 



Sleek Makeup Sparkle Eyeshadow Palette Review

The Sparkle palette is a limited edition eyeshadow palette.  It has 9 sparkly shades, a matte black, gold and silver.

Most of the shades were very pigmented and long lasting.  So much so, I felt like they were eye dyes!  However, I did have a couple of issues with this palette.  First, the silver and gold were ok, but they had very little staying power compared to the others, and other shadows in general.  Second, the sparkles wore off after only a short time as well. 

Swatches:

If not for these issues, I would have liked it as much as other Sleek palettes.  However, this does detract from the palette overall in my opinion. 

I also tried one of the shadows, Star Light, wet, to see what it would do (and also because it broke to bits when I dropped it on the floor), and here's how that turned out:

It was very intense!  The only problem was, it didnt stay that way on my eye. 

Here are (little blurry- sorry, yes I think I will invest in a new camera instead of getting my cousin a $700 Iphone) the sparkles:

Overall, I don't think this is one of the better palettes from Sleek, but it is still nice. 

Sleek Makeup Rose Gold Blush Review

Ok, I admit it.... not only do I love Sleek palettes, I also love Sleek blushes!!! 

Rose Gold is so gorgeous!!  It is almost like one of MAC's MSFs, it really does have that gold sheen to it, without being too sparkley.  It is a peach-rose gold blush.

Pardon the reeeeally bad photo of the top of the compact, somehow my camera just would not pick it up!!

A lot of comparisons have been made between this and NARS Orgasm blush, so I will do the same. 

The first thing is, NARS blushes are 0.16 oz of product for $24, while this is 0.27 oz for $6.50.

The Sleek blush compact is very sturdy, thick plastic which withstood travelling across the ocean and many states, with absolutely no damage. 

The Sleek blush is very pigmented, excellent texture- very smooth, easy to blend, and fantastic colour pay out. 

It has a teeny bit more shimmer to it than Orgasm, and is a tad peachier. 

It was very difficult to get them swatched on my arm:



So, this is how Rose Gold appeared on my face:

I really liked this blush, it felt like I had a peachy glow on my cheeks!!!   Would I be as impressed if it had another name or price on it?  Definitely. 


The only negative I found was that I had to reapply a little more than halfway through the day. 

Sleek Makeup Good Girl Eyeshadow Palette Review

Well, the verdict is in .....  I LOVE Sleek palettes!   Excellent texture, pigmentation, and payout! 

However, if I could change a couple of things it would be 1. They are made available to purchase in the U.S. and 2.  Until then, if they could somehow improve their ability to be mailed. 

I got the "Good Girl" palette to use on Valentine's Day, as I wanted a bright pink and red look.  Bright pink, yes!!  Red, well.... I had to use something else but these colours are still very vibrant!!

Yes, I did get two broken pans, I am in the process of getting them back in shape, but I am not really affected because these were the two highlighting shades.  Still usable, still pretty! 

Here are the swatches:

TOP ROW

BOTTOM ROW



I was in fact a little disappointed that there wasn't a true red in this palette after all, but luckily I already had a Sugarpill red I used.  These are still shades I will use a lot, and I am very pleased with the quality! 



NARS Makeup Brushes Review: Part One- Face Brushes

I recently acquired several NARS brushes, which I really love. 

Brush # 1   Powder Brush

This is an excellent brush!  It does a superb job of picking up powder and distributing it evenly. 

Brush # 27   Yachiyo Brush

This brush is just so eye-catching!  It is great for contouring, or for blush.  I like it for blushes that just need a light sweep of colour. 

Brush # 6  Blush Brush

This is a very dense brush!  I like using it for lighter blushes or even highlighters, as I find I actually get too much colour using it for richer blushes.



NARS Spring 2011: My Top Two Picks

I was so excited to finally get my NARS package for Spring a couple weeks back.  I didnt make a huge order, but these are my two favourites:

Nana Lip Gloss
Nouveau Monde Eyeshadow Duo

First, the gloss.  It is amazing!!  I loved it before I even saw it in person!  It glides on so smooth and is not sticky at all.  It doesnt have any plasticky taste like some of the NARS lip glosses do either.  The colouring has the same rich pigmentation as Strawberry Fields.  LOVE!!

Here is how it turned out on my lips, worn alone:

I just love it!!!  It looks like grape juice!  I am sure it may look a little 'vampy' on me, so darker complections may really appreciate this gloss. 



The colour lasted on my lips for about 5 hours!  The glossiness, however, did not.  It was about half that. 

Next, I picked the Nouveau Monde eyeshadow duo:

I love this combo!  It worked out so well on my lids, but I amped it up by using UDPP in Greed.  With original UDPP it looked a little more silvery and gold, less of the lilac and olive came through.  These shadows are super pigmented, very rich!  I love that they are shimmery but still apply like silk.  They are super easy to blend and are one of my favourite brands of shadow. 

This is how it turned out with Greed:

I liked them together, but I would definitely use them with other shades as well.  Very nice shadows!

Products I Wish I Would Have Passed On: 

Celebrate Soft Touch Shadow Pencil:  Appears and applies like slime.  Eeeeeeewww!

Calanque Eyeshadow Trio:  Total waste of $45 in my opinion!  I do not need a sheer glitter for this price!  The other two shades were nice even though not very unique, but they were also small compared to the glitter, they could have made it a duo and it would have been better. 

I ordered my products directly from NARS, but Sephora has some great box sets with items from the Spring collection worth checking out.  They are $59, and there are 3 full sized products and a mini in each kit, even an Orgasm/Super Orgasm blush duo I wish I would have known about!!