Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween.... I don't have my kid dressed up but with hours left to spare I don't know if I will or not... they banned trick-or-treating and make you go to malls now- sorry but my first thought is, that is just so lame... not the childhood I remember that's for sure.

I dont think I have time to fix my nails either, I tried to use Bundle Monster sets but obviously the whole thing isn't working out... 

I've seen a ton of looks online already, but can't wait to see everybody else's Halloween photos!! 

H&M Sale and Misc. Stuff

They have soooo many cosmetic things at H&M now it's crazy! Eyeliners, mascaras, even BB creams...but I'm not really in the mood to try new stuff from them at the moment. I did get these polishes though, nothing special but a flakie is always useful.  My son was not leaving without this shark hat despite it being too small for him!

I also got these bags...I'm all out of the "gwp" ones. I swear I am so tired of packing and unpacking... its not fun after the first ten freaking times!!! I wanted to do at least Halloween nails but I'm running out of time!

I needed to get small bags so I can stuff them into bigger bags without using yards of bubble wrap. really like the blue bag best it totally reminds me of Wonder Woman if I had a sticker I'd slap that on and call it a Wonder Woman bag lol!!

L'oreal Nude Magique CC Cream Anti-Fatigue Review

This is the most frustrating and disappointing product I've used in a really long time. I just really could not get it to work for me. It has these "smart pigment capsules" that is supposed to blend into your skin tone, but it never did for me. I left it on for 4 hours plus overnight just to make sure, and it did lighten considerably, but it never blended fully. It's unfortunate because its supposed to be a color corrector, but orange isn't correct for me. Even with powder on top, it still looked like I had a bit of a sunburn. They do make other types, but they are purple and green, I don't think I'd like to try since I'd be even worse off with a purple or green face!

As far as texture, it was thin but once on it was really dry, not creamy at all. Not a fan of that either. Irrespective of the color issue, I just don't think it did anything for my skin.

Trial Phase- initial application

After four (!!!) hours 

The day I was going to wear it out- I just ended up removing it!

Too Faced Candlelight Glow Highlighting Powder

I tried this at Sephora and thought it was really beautiful. A heavy swatch makes it look way too shiny, but it turned out really pretty for me when I used it with a stippling brush. No way I can apply it with a blush or any dense brush, it's just too heavy that way. Also, I have dry skin so I can't say what other skin types might experience with this.

I tried so many times to capture it well in a photo, but I don't think I ever got it just right. The photo below was my look from yesterday just couldn't get it together this morning haha!

I heard a lot of complaints about this being too sparkly or glittery, but mine isnt like that at all- not in the pan and not on my face, really.  It's more glowy like it says- and not too frosty. I always try to use both shades mixed; I think it turns out better on me that way.

It is supposed to be used in low light and I'd agree with that, with flash or in bright sunlight it really looks overdone like too metallic or something, like a really shiny pearl, and its a bit too reflective if that makes sense.  I didn't have any problems with wear time, but I've used it over other face stuff (primer, foundation or bb cream, etc.) so that might extend the wear time, I can't imagine it looking ok alone anyway though.

White, Pink, Blended 

I thought this photo was pretty good, at least I think you can tell where I highlighted, right? 

Essence Multi-Action Blackest Black Mascara

This is one of those I've had for a while.  The main thing it promises is carbon black lashes.

My results: 

Although I did get black lashes as stated, I felt like otherwise the results were minimal, and I had some flaking throughout the day. Just a very basic mascara, I would not repurchase.  

Dior Minuit and Esence Red Ahead Polishes

I bought the Dior polish as soon as I saw it, and Red Ahead as soon as I could find it. I really love these! Minuit is like a sparkly Black Tie color, really like sparkling grape juice with the first coat. Red Ahead is just beautiful. I got the Dior first but when I got the Essence I new they would complement each other nicely.

I like them both alone fine, but I do like using them layered cause the Dior takes 3-4 coats to look as opaque as them combined.  

Happy to have both of these!! 

Sigma Creme de Couture and Sleek Matte Brights Palettes

I spent a lot of time with this post and really struggled with it! I didn't want to order the Sigma palette at first, since I already have this Sleek matte palette that I never use. I thought the colours were similar, but then I saw that the Sigma palette was more pastels so I went ahead with it. I am not intending on making this a post on comparing the two, but since they're both colorful matte palettes I havent reviewed, I'm consolidating.

Now on to the reason I don't use my Sleek palette. Do you know how you see a tutorial for rainbow eyes or something really cool and you'd like to recreate it...but your reaction is ohh (insert expletive if desired), I am NOT dealing with that (again expletive) palette again!! That's kinda how I felt about the Sleek palette. First, it was totally inconsistent- the blues and greens were awesome, even the purple was good- but the last three shades were useless, and the pinks I had to use the 'dig and crumble' method... You know, scraping the shadow until it comes loose just so you can get any colour out of it. I totally hate that, it's a real peeve of mine. The orange was like that too but the payoff was worth it- its actually the best and brightest matte orange I have. I didn't think the same way with the pinks- they werent that great even after my best efforts. So that left me with 7 out of 12 shadows I felt fine about. Still, not bad for ten dollars, really.

Some of the shades are similar, but no dupes.  

Sigma Redberry Rose, Sleek Pucker, Sleek Pout 

I ended up swatching both of the entire palettes again since I didn't find any more similarities.  Here is the Sleek palette- bare skin: 

I never swatch over primer so people know exactly what to expect, but in this case, there is no choice but to use a primer when you use these eyeshadows, so I've swatched everything over primer.  First, the Sleek palette again: 

Next, the Sigma palette: 

I realized that some of the Sleek shades I liked the most, I had similar Inglot shades.  Inglot is basically my encyclopedia for eyeshadows. I have a matte pastel yellow, I think its 364.

Inglot is on the right here:

Same thing with the Sigma.  Here, Inglot is on the left: 

Texture wise, I do like the Sigma and it was more consistent, which was great- Elderberry was the bad apple for me, it was so patchy and chalky, not a unique shade in my collection so no point in me using it. Although, its fine for a crease or blended with something else. Violet Whip is the one shade that's always eluded me- I really really love it, even in nail polish, and I have similar eyeshadow shades in different finishes, but never a good matte one.

I dont want to exaggerate otherwise why am I here, really, they're decent, I didn't have to scrape any of them, and they're even a bit softer than my Inglots, but with Inglot the resulting color payoff is so much better that they aren't in the same league. I really had to build most of them up- I had to do six or seven layers with some of them and still not get what I usually consider nice. I tried everything under these. I don't own a white base- both of the Nyx ones crease on me badly- and I can't find any other pure white one. Usually my go-to for fussy shadows is MAC Bare Canvas paint, but even that didnt work, and its shimmery so kind of negates the point of these being matte.

Here is one of the more decent looks I got out of using both palettes: 

Basically as the name states, the Sleek palette is brighter, and the Sigma palette is more pastel and neutral, and I like that it has crease shades, which is why I find it more wearable- all depends on what you're going for.  They are both palettes of patience and ultimately potential frustration, so with either I think it would come down to if the colours are worth it to you. I actually worked out the math, and they are exactly the same price per gram, but the Sigma palette is more product. But if you want my brutally honest opinion which may sound rude.... skip both of these and save yourself the headache.

Essence Soft Touch Eyeshadows

I totally forgot I had these, and I'm sure they're discontinued by now, but Essence does have 'soft touch' eyeshadows in some of the limited editions, like the summer's 'sun kissed' collection.

I thought this product was really awesome, but different than what I expected.  It's almost the consistency of a gel eyeliner- really creamy but thick.  I can actually use this as an eyeliner.  The issue with it for me was layering- too much looks intense but it becomes uncomfortable to wear- very cakey and hard.  Before it dried, I couldn't use it with any other products or it would get clumpy and rub off. For these reasons, I was unable to use it as a base for any other shadows, which was disappointing, especially the white shade.   

My lighting must have been really, really different...I dont know what that's about!! 

I ended up putting on more eyeliner but I didnt like it with gel; I'd prefer it with a pencil liner just so the texture isn't so stiff.

Hakuhodo's Christmas 2013 Set

I still like the rose gold ferruled set from last year better.

Bourjois Beauty'Full Mascara Review, Photos

I remember a couple years ago when my aunt was helping me pack, she asked me "Why so many mascaras??? Can't you just pick the one you like and stick with it??" At first the question itself was confusing... Then I thought, no... I don't think I could really! Even if I found one I really, really liked, I'm so used to testing out mascaras now that I'd still get different ones to compare.

This is one that I really, really like. It's probably the only mascara I've ever tried that comes close to "falsies look", even though it doesn't even claim that. In fact, what it does claim-flexible, soft lashes- is completely false. I got very stiff, but full and long, lashes. It felt like it was a really strong, thick coating. I especially liked that it lifted my lashes out more than up like other mascaras. It was also easy to remove, definite plus.

On another note, I'm not sure why a lot of my photos have a disgusting bumpy grey skin tone (its not real, I swear!) but I'm looking into my camera settings to fix that.

Gosh Velvet Touch Lipstick: Bourgogne

This lipstick is really awesome! I would like to try more shades but I mostly saw brights... Which I am stocked up on hehe...

It is really smooth and creamy, and surprisingly long lasting. The most pleasant surprise for me is that it's vanilla!

This is really a staple shade for me- I was worried it might be a bit too frosty but its just right.