Review| Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion

We all know that Urban Decay is a cosmetic powerhouse when it comes to eyeshadows, lipsticks, setting sprays, (okay everything), but they also take the cake when it comes to primers. I stock up on their eye shadow primer every chance I get and have never wandered elsewhere. Of course, I should have known better that they would have a primer for lips. If you want your eyeshadow and foundation to look flawless all day, why not your lips?

Well, duh. They've already thought of that. It's called the Lip Primer Potion. Urban Decay claims, "This invisible primer lays a silky foundation for your favorite lipstick or gloss. Color is truer, applies smoother, lasts longer, and will not feather!" It retails for $20 and contains moisturizing Vitamins A, E, and C as well as SPF 15. It has no color payoff and the worst it will do is let your lipsticks apply true to color.



Bold claims, considering how most lipsticks fade unevenly on my lips and leave them looking drier and crustier than a teenage boy's quilt blanket. Disgusting. Even the creamiest lipsticks tend to fade much quicker than intended, even with flawless prep work and Satanic prayer. It's also the reason why red lips haven't become my signature look and fuchsia lipsticks only venture out in the evening. Like, two hours max before I rush home and furiously scrub my lip flakes.

Well, I have to say that this is the best swap investment I've ever made. Take a look at my test run schedule this morning:

• 8:00 AM- Wearily eye bold lipstick stash and wonder when I'll ever use them up. Notice the lip primer in the corner. Test time! I apply it over bare lips (I applied balm in the bathroom), line with MAC's More to love lipliner, and apply UD's Bang lipstick haphazardly within the general mouth area. Wink at sexy clown looking back at me in the mirror.


• 11:30 AM- Head out the house to run errands and get Starbucks. Order a tall iced coffee and their new Spinach croissant. Noms. Immediately look in mirror. The glossy top layer of the lipstick is gone, but the original color is still on! And even! The color is not as "satiny" but is a lovely matte.


• 1:00 PM- First vape of the day. Check in bathroom mirror, color is still there!? Lips feel a little tight, but no noticeable flakes are coming out. I apply NYX's Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee. Usually this starts an awful cycle of peeling and reapplication that cannot be remedied.


• Now (2:00 PM)- Lip line is not as precise as in the morning, but nothing is bleeding outside of the lines, even with gloss. Color is just as vibrant as in the morning and the faint gloss added back the sheen I wanted. No flakes! Woohoo!

I am in love with this lip primer, considering how I've never seen this at Sephora before. I've always thought that lip primers are over-glorified lip balms, but this is the bomb. The formulation feels like a heavy wax based lip balm and takes a bit of elbow grease to apply, but the end result is so worth it. I would rather wear this under every lipstick and take an extra minute in my routine than have to constantly check my mirror in paranoia. Where has this been all my life??

Well, I have another interview tomorrow, and the hubs has finally found work within Orange County. Happy day! I'll be rocking my red-orange lip look into tonight's celebration dinner.

Be

Swap Haul| Priorities, Be. [Part One]

With a new-found interest in swapping my makeup for "essential items", I've neglected the voices in my head telling me to go shopping. With the post office a block away and the Internet at my disposal, I've picked up so much good stuff by swapping away makeup that's been sitting at the back of my drawer (or fridge) for ages.See? Told you I'm on a low-buy. Just a high swap :D I also have to validate it by deluding myself that post office stamps are not worth real money.

This post covers the first half of swap items that's arrived within this past two weeks. Most of these items are lemmings, rather than essentials. A lot of these items are those I've always wanted to try but don't have the funds to do so.

Ready for some serious eye candy?



 



In no particular order: NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Sandra and Wicked, Becca Loose Pigment in Odette, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Taupe, Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzer, Buxom lipgloss in Samantha, Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl and Watt's Up samples, Urban Decay Revolution lipstick sample in Catfight, NARS Albatross/Orgasm duo, Stila It Girl palette (for the iconic Kitten!), Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Perversion (backup number 4), Clinique Moisture Surge, The Balm's Frat Boy blush.

I don't mean to brag, but that is some seriously savvy swapping *pats self on back* At the same time I've managed to clear out all extra samples, try out new ones, hoard up on high end items, and stock up on skincare. I would have never been able to afford Kevyn Aucoin, but with a little fancy fingerwork and shameless swap list browsing, I've been able to find quite a few gems.

The only downside is that swapping isn't open to completely everybody on MakeupAlley.com I think you have to had been a member of their site prior to a certain date? Ah well. Exclusive makeup illuminati circle is exclusive. It does frighten me when someone asks to swap and I have to look through 30 pages of items. Crazy makeup lady, is that you??

Ah well, time to get back to job hunting. That's all for today, folks!

Be

First Look| MAC Rebel and Diva DUPES

The Internet beauty world is a vicious cycle of researching, eye raping swatches, reading reviews, and stalking other beauty blogs until I give up and just run to my nearest department store to spend boatloads of money. However, since I am on a tight budget, I decided to find dupes for MAC's Rebel and Diva at the drugstore. According to MakeupbyCheryl, Wet n Wild had great dupes for the shades, but they were sold out. After spending a good amount of time perusing the aisles and trying to recollect from my memory which brand has the best formulation, I settled upon Maybelline's lipsticks.

 

420 Deepest Cherry and 410 Blissful Berry

So, as you can see, they belong to the general realm of berries and dark plums. However, these drugstore dupes were $7.99 (Buy one get one half off!) at Rite Aid rather than MAC's 15 a pop lipsticks. As I have no method of transportation at the method besides my weary feet, I didn't want to harass the husband into taking me to the mall to buy something as trivial as makeup (sarcasm).

As you can see from this hideous picture, the colors are rather comparable. Not exact, but comparable. Blissful Berry took a few (okay, four) swipes to show up opaque and Deepest Cherry took two. However, they stain even when wiped off, especially the berry shade. I can see both being dabbed onto the lips to create a Korean ombre milky lip. You can also layer it on for a playful twist on the vampy trend this fall.

Excuse my lined and chapped lips. This is Blissful Berry, the dupe of MAC Rebel. This picture is showing it pretty true to shade, maybe a hair lighter. It's very wearable for my NC40 coloring at the time. I won't show you how Deepest Cherry looks, since it looks absolutely dreadful if you don't prep your lips before wear. While I doubt these dupes are on par with MAC's formulations, they are still half the price of the real thing and very soft, long lasting, and not drying. They smell like crayola, but that's still better than L'oreal's sexy grandma play-doh smell. I did look through L'oreal's collections of lipstick but quickly shied away from the smell. BLEGH!

That's all for today, I'm taking pictures of my swap haul for you guys and will post it soon!

Be

Beauty Blab| Pay Day Yay Day? A Wishlist

Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been going through a rather rough patch lately. I have been doing a lot of makeup swapping and will feature a swap haul within the week.

Well, let's rant. I'm currently on a low-buy due to y'know, living real life and not having two nickels to rub together, much less call myself  a broke college graduate. Times are tough, man. The good news is, my second interview for a very anticipated job at a local private school is coming through. The bad news is, I won't have a car until Friday when I'll have to bus up to NorCal (boo!) and test drive a few Honda Fits (boo!!) and then drive home on Sunday (tomatoes are flying!)

But hey, the father is being a very generous proprietor of his daughter's worth and dowry. Just kidding. I am grateful that I'll have a reliable means of transportation to really get into the interview ordeals and finally land a job. Hashtag wifelife does not suit me well. Besides the ho hum of doing things like pay rent, buy food, and make blood sacrifices to the gas station gods, I have a few things on my wishlist that need immediate funds to acquire. Here are just some ideas for what my first paycheck will be going toward.

Needs

• A good professional business suit. By this I mean full on shoulder-padded blazers, pleated slacks, and starched white shirts. Not sure if I should go to Express or take the budget route and make a beeline for H&M. Which is funny, considering how much I shunned these two stores in the past for their "stuffy" attire suited to "unfashionable 30 year olds who work." Awkward. The good thing is, working at that private school probably means the dress code will be a lot more casual and will only require my boobs to go to boob jail in another ill fitted dress blouse rather than a full on blazer set. How I wish professional clothes were also comfortable, like velour track suits and sweatpants. Not to mention buying slacks are in another body shaming category of themselves. Le sigh.


• Sensible kitten heels in black leather and nude leather. This is sort of a given, but I'm not sure where to look for these without breaking the bank. I'm not sure my Zara strappies are kindergarten children appropriate. I may impale several and face life-wrecking lawsuits.

Wants

• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. Ladies and gents, I am proud to announce to you that I am going straight back to the au naturel look when it comes to my base. My skin has never misbehaved, I don't know why I punished it with medium coverage foundation on a regular basis. I am enjoying my new UD Naked foundation at the moment and will do a review in a month's time. For now, I'm just lemming for the Chanel foundation because people sing its praises from the rooftops everywhere I turn. I don't know how much I'll lighten now that the worst of the heat is over and we're heading to autumn (yet I'm still in SoCal), but if I get anywhere close to NC25, I'm immediately purchasing this.


• Tarte Amazonian clay blushes. I used to have two (Peaceful and Dollface) that I cherished very much. But apparently not really, because I swapped them away for something else and can't seem to remember what for. I've come to realize that these outperform almost every other blush in terms of lasting ability. I may be able to swap for this, so I may not have to spend extra on it in the first place.


• Alexander Wang Rocco bag. Okay, just kidding. I do not have a grand on stacks sitting on my nightstand to blow on handbags. I really covet the design and have found a knock-off (but real leather) version online and may purchase in the near future. I've also been eyeing Phillip Lim's collection at Target, but god knows those mini satchels are probably sold out by now. Oh well, too late.


• A couch. No, really. I want something so soft and comfortable and plain that I can lounge on for hours. My current couch was rummaged from the depths of hell and its faux leather loveseat qualities makes me let the dogs sit on it. Horrendous. I'm guessing Pottery Barn is a little out of price range (lol) so Ikea will have to do.

Bleh, that is all for now. I really have been diligent with budgeting, and the real prize of landing a job is how much I can contribute to maintaining this new household. I'm excited to be buying my first vehicle (one that isn't breaking down and is above 3 grand that is) and going off to job interviews again. I'll get back to you soon with a swap haul!

 

Be

Review| NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation in Stromboli

My lemming has been fed, nothing to see here people. Just another wonderful product that deserves all of the surrounding hype: the NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation ($38 retail for the powder and puff, $10 for the compact itself).

Francois you so fancy but can't afford to give us the compact for free? The baby cream foundation case snaps its tiny little body into a momma case which includes a big mirror and perforated (aerated?) side for the puff to breathe. The outer shell is made of the same rubberized material as all other NARS compacts. Because cream foundations are more sensitive to air, the cream pan has a lid within itself. Pan-ception.

The little amount of product for the price is sort of a boon, but if you are like me and never go through foundations quick enough, you may find that it's the perfect size for a month or two's worth of use. By that time you will have gone up a shade lighter and ready to repurchase a baby pan.

The foundation claims to be very lightweight on the skin but provide excellent (read: medium to full coverage) depending on method of application. The sponge gives very thick coverage, but an application with fingers is the best way to apply this cream. Not very sanitary, but it does help melt the cream into your skin better than any synthetic brush. I found the coverage to be true to its claims all the while feeling as light as a powder foundation. Amazing! No cake batter to lick from the spoon here.

You don't get very much product in the pan, but there is a huge selection of colors (22!) to choose from that is very similar to the coloring system of their Sheer Glow line. I am also a perfect match in Stromboli for this foundation. It is the most olive toned medium shade out of Punjab, Santa Fe, and other medium tones that have too much orange or neutral undertone. I also picked up Ceylan (around a MAC NC25 equivalent) for the upcoming fall and winter season. I think that even very light or very dark skinned girls will have no problem finding a close or exact match. The cream formulation gives my skin a satin finish with subtle luminosity. In fact, it looks very healthy and skin-like. I set with a powder on my T-zone and it lasts throughout the day.

I would have to say that its portability, ultra lightweight texture, performance par liquid foundation, and easy pairing with moisturizer or sunscreen makes this a new found favorite of mine. I love how I can easily touch up through out the day on trouble spots if needed.  It is easy to pick a level of coverage with this product, and I think dry to normal skinned gals will greatly appreciate this foundation.

Below are some photos and a swatch of my shade Stromboli (Medium 3):

The shades all look very deceptively dark in the pan but translate to much lighter once on the finger, so make sure you take your time to look at swatches online or in stores. Also, see how disgusting the sponge quickly gets if you use it? I would opt for your own BeautyBlender or tossing the sponge completely before you grow the next batch of biochemical weaponry.

Anyway, I hope you will give this expensive little sucker a try, it really is a game changer for foundation.

Be

Review | L'oreal True Match LUMI

Now that fall is coming, I am back to my glowy skin obsession. I picked up L'oreal True Match LUMI foundation at CVS about a month or two ago and think now is the right time for a review.

Before trying this out, I Googled through pages and pages of review. It seemed like a mixed bag. Some people were saying it transferred. Others loved the natural glow. Some people bashed it like an LA street rioter on the hood of a car. I had to figure out if it could hold its own as a drugstore foundation.

I like the line's concept of offering a color match in actual warm, neutral, and cool tones. Most drugstore foundations always run too grey or pink on my very yellow toned skin and I have the worst time finding a color match in stores, especially since I don't believe in opening the packaging just for my own selfish intentions, hah. However, I remembered that I was a W4 in the original formulation, and hoped it would be a match now. W 1-2 was much too light while W3 was a worthy opponent. I figured it was better to go darker than too light. The W4 color is now a spot-on match for my NC35 tone at the moment, but it was a good fit for NC30 a month ago.



The LUMI foundation, pictured above, is a light to medium coverage formula that applies well with brush or fingers. (Excuse my awful nails.) It comes with a pump bottle and I use one full pump for my entire face. For the most part, I have well behaving skin that is currently slightly combo. I like using a brush since it is slightly liquidy and my RT brush gives me the most coverage and control with this foundation. Note that I do not have major discolorations, scarring, or acne.   I don't need concealer for any spots, and it gives a satiny natural finish rather than any obvious glow to the face.

Unlike other reviewers' testimonies, this foundation lasts a full 8 hours on my skin sans powdering. I do get greasy around the nose and general T-zone if I do not powder. Coverage fades into a natural skin finish by 6 hours. The best thing about this foundation is that it doesn't slide right off the face or cling to dry patches, despite being a luminous finish. Be careful to stay away if you are oily or even have a very oily T-zone. This will work wonderfully for dry-skinned gals, especially for the fall weather that's supposedly coming up.



I used this for the entire month and longer and I did not get clogged pores or acne. Notice how it does get messy around the top of the nozzle. Nasty nasty, not for germaphobes.

LUMI gives a dewy and natural finish and would work well if you're on a budget. I picked mine up for only around $10.25 at CVS. Overall, I've been reaching for this on a daily basis even in the hot weather because it is very lightweight. It's a great liquid foundation when paired with other skin-prepping products and performs at a  solid drugstore quality level.

Be

PS: OMG OMG OMG I am running out to Target right after this post and picking up L'oreal's new limited edition Le Matte and Le Laque lip colors to do a review for you guys! OH MY GOD!

Beauty Blab| Pixie Moment for Life

Growing up, I've always had my weak moments (or hot seasons) where I wanted to chop off all of the dead weight that is my hair. My self-worth has never been in growing the longest, silkiest mane or reenacting a Pantene Pro-V commercial every time I walk down the street. Still, a lot of guy friends groaned and moaned when I lopped off my hair. In eighth grade, the boy I had the hugest crush on (and who definitely had a crush on me!) completely ignored me when I got my tomboy hair cut. It was devastating to my poor teenage ego, and I vowed never to let my hair get above shoulder length. While I watched my best friends transform with short gamine haircuts, I stayed loyal to "long layers and just a trim." I shied away from boy cuts because I always thought that round faces couldn't pull it off.

Now that I'm out of college and past my years of appealing to the male audience, I've decided to get rid of almost a foot and half worth's of hair. My husband gave me his "blessing" and even said, and I quote, "I don't mind if you got like a Pink hair cut." and "Go crazy for once." Says the man whose very opinion kept my hair long and unkempt for the past three years! When we first started dating, he wanted me to grow out my shoulder length hair even longer because it looked "sexier." Sigh. Men.

Which is funny, since they all go apeshit crazy for Halle Berry even though her hair is never past a buzz or close crop. Of course, you also need her damn perfect everything else. 

I like short hair. I like the low maintenance. I like not getting a bicep workout and sauna session every time I blow dry my hair. I like pulling it up into a faux hawk. I like tousling it about when I wake up in the morning and leaving. I like the constant showers I get to take.  I like it on people with dainty bone structure. Ginnifer Goodwin makes the pixie adorable. I love it on people with beautiful faces. I love the boyish charm. And with my curves, I figured it couldn't take away my assets. If men didn't like staring at my hair, they can stare at what they already were in the first place.

But all I ever hear is, "It goes with a certain face. I think you look better with long hair."

"EWWW! You look like a man!!!"

"I don't think I could pull off short hair."

Lies. If someone insulted you on how you did your makeup or the clothes you wore, would you get butthurt? Most likely you would just laugh it off and chalked up their comments to bad taste. With hair, you will feel a whole lot happier if you don't let it decide how attractive you are. If anything, it will highlight a beautiful face and put you in the spotlight when every other girl has hair down their back. If men don't understand my makeup, why should I care if they understand my decision to cut my hair? Is that man-stranger going to run his fingers through my locks any time soon? No. If anything, I cut my hair short to better nail job interviews, because it screams professional adult woman, not whimpering girl.

I also have some tips for the jump:

• If you wear your long hair every single waking moment in a pony tail and try to touch it as little as possible, change it up.


• If you have outgrown braids, pigtails, hair accessories, bows, pins, blah blah blah, cut it off.


• If you can't stand spending thirty minutes a day styling your hair, give it up.


• If your hair blends seamlessly into a pile of hay and straw in terms of texture due to over processed color and bleach, please just lop it.


• If you don't mind going in for a trim every few weeks and is the type to stick with a style for a long time, you should go for it. The growing out phase is tedious/hideous.


• If you think you have the wrong face shape or even body shape for a pixie, stop! There is always going to be a variation on the cut which will flatter you or make you happy.


• If you constantly hide behind your hair and have played it safe, never going to the hair salon, never doing much for your hair besides washing it, and everything is getting nappy ratty ratchet tangles up in that weave gurllll you need a hair intervention, stat!

All of the above was me, and I've never been happier with a haircut before in my life. Even with short hair, I'll still have the liberty to dye and style any way I want. About 6 hours ago, my hair was down to the middle of my back. Now, it's barely fitting into my fingers. I can't run anything through the back, and the front resembles short bangs. I walked into the closest salon with the best reviews on Yelp (rightly so, I'll tell you why in a bit) and asked for a pixie. Now, I feel liberated. You can see the cut on the side panel in my Instagram account.

The salon I went to is a cute little boutique store with very reasonable pricing and excellent service. Martha at The Pink Door Salon in Garden Grove was a Michelangelo in sculpting out the shape and texture of my pixie without compromising the integrity of my hair or trying to morph its texture into something else.  She spent over two hours working with my layers and lengths to get me to the style I wanted. I have two very stubborn cowlicks that would frustrate the hell out of any one else, but Martha just worked her magic on me.

She's also sort of my hairdresser crush. 

• She knows her skills. If you want a certain haircut, you had better know what you want because she will get into details on what she will do to your hair and promptly start on it. Those shears going across your ponytail is very real. Very real.


• She keeps the conversation hilarious and lively without being too chatty or faux-friendly. I get to just sit back and watch the master at work when I want to just relax.


• She's more than happy to share with you how to recreate the style at home and wanted me to leave with something I could work with every day.

Basically, she's like the guardian of my hair from now on, and she's only ten minutes away. Check them out on Yelp if you have a chance, I seriously can't say enough good things about my experience or the people who work there.

And you know really validated my decision to go short, the fact that the salon has asked me to model my hair for them for an event that they're hosting, with cut and color on the house! Hair model? Really? I would've laughed if you took my over-processed hair and told me it was hair model worthy. With my short haircut, I feel chic, elegant, cute, classy, professional, grown up, and playfully young all at the same time. The only adjective to describe my old hair style was long. And how did it make me feel? Like I was hiding my confidence behind it the whole entire time.

Be

Review | Maybelline Eye Studio in Copper Chic

I am not a drugstore eyeshadow person. When I walk by drugstore counters, my eyes automatically look for mascaras, foundation, and lipsticks, simply because the packaging for eyeshadows tend to be so cheap. In high school, a close friend used drugstore shadow quads and I always felt like they were too sheer or too chunky in the glitter department. The snob in me doesn't appreciate plastic caps that snap off when dropped.

However, after a few reviews on YouTube complimenting these Maybelline quads for their buttery texture, I figure it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. I picked mine up at Wal-Mart for $7.41 (so precise) but I believe they are below $10 at most stores.

Swatches: Refer to pictures below. These are taken under natural lighting indoors (oxymoron, but I have a skylight).

Packaging: First I like how these include four shades (and a cursed foam applicator) for portability. From left to right, you have just enough colors to create two or three eye looks with dimension. For seven bucks, a mirror is too much of a demand, I guess.

Color: As I'm drawn to neutrals, I really enjoy the colors of the quad because they are not too cool or warm. The highlight shade is very subtle despite how it looks it the pan. The darkest color, a mauve-y warm burgundy, is not too dark for a daylight look. They are all sparkly (figures) rather than matte but not garish.

The payoff is noticeable and not shabby at all for a drugstore formula. The only problem is making these last, but a primer held them up for 4 hours and some fading after that mark.

Application: These do much better patted on in a precise manner and then blended out with a separate brush. They are liable to fly everywhere and cause fall-outs if you pack it directly onto a blending brush and go straight for the lids. In this respect the small foam applicator actually works well for inner corners and creases.

Overall, despite the cheap packaging, these are a step up from the drugstore eyeshadows I remember and abhor. I still wouldn't purchase another quad just for the hell of it, but if you're on a budget or want to add some shadows into your collection without breaking the bank, you can definitely rely on these.

Be

Review| L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extension mascara in Waterproof Black

I am always on a quest for new wonder-mascaras, and as we all know, the drugstore actually has some great mascaras on par with high end brands. For me, a lengthening mascara that holds a curl and doesn't smudge takes the cake. Though I already have many great mascaras in my arsenal, I'm always looking for something that lengthens even more than it gives volume. I was a little wary of this, since my last rendezvous with the Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara left me depressed and disappointed. While Maybelline's The Rocket and Falsies are both very well made and frugal choices, I needed something that would let me forego wearing false lashes. I picked this baby up for $7.97 at Wal-Mart. You can find it at a local drugstore or Ulta.



The packaging is rather cute and whimsical. It looks like a tiny telescope. I'm not sure what the connection is with telescopes and eyelashes, but I'll go with it. Thinking about it, the name of this mascara is apt. The extension it gives to my lashes are indeed shocking, as is the amount of pain you receive if you accidentally poke yourself in the eye. One shaky hand movement and it feels like a thousand porcupine quills into the eyeball. This is why I was so in hate with the LashBlast mascaras hyped over years ago. It was big and dangerous, a bad combination especially for anything going near your eye. (Wow, that sounded almost dirty..)



The wand itself is a skinny plastic brush with tiny little teeth, meaning you can also use it for bottom lashes for a doe-eye effect. Tiny little teeth grab onto the lashes and create false length when pulled upwards. It is also curved to the shape of your eyelid for easy application. The long and small brush also means I can reach into my inner eye corner and pull the lashes out.

The mascara liquid is thin but not watery and can be layered when wet. It is a little wetter than my Definicils but because of this, does a much better job of layering even when dry. I pull from root to tip without much wiggling of the wand, since I'm not trying to build volume. Of course, this doesn't clump unless you're over-eager and try to layer on five coats at once. It's better to just coax the length out at the very tip once you give everything the once-over.

The result is a very long lashed look that doesn't flake (like many fiber based mascara formulations) or smudge onto my undereye (like many cheap mascaras). If I'm feeling industrious, I like to curl before and after this mascara. If not, a light layer opens up my eyes in the morning. I think I will be holding onto this mascara and getting much more use out of it than any other one in my stash.

So, what do you think? Is this a drugstore treasure that I'm late to jump onto the bandwagon with?

Be