Frugal Friday: My Favorite New(-ish) E.L.F. Blush/Bronzer Duos



Left to Right: Turks & Caicos, Cream #24601...I mean, #83606. Oops.



A little while back, ELF had a sale on their Studio line, and I took the opportunity to try out a couple of products that I'd been eyeing since they came out a few months ago. For some reason, a buck-fifty each was perfectly reasonable, but three whole dollars (Seriously? Three whole dollars?) was absolutely ree-darn-diculous.

In any case, I picked up the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in Turks & Caicos, and the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream in...um...Item #83606. That's all I got, folks.

Holy Guacamole, Batman! These suckers are fantastic! Talk about pigmentation! Just look below:



Left to Right: Turks & Caicos Blush, Bronzer, #8675309...sorry, #83606 Blush, Bronzer. One swipe each. Crikey!

 But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the packaging. Each duo comes housed in a smooth, black, hard plastic compact, with the ELF logo and product name printed on the lid in white. Inside, you'll find the product, itself, along with a large, fully-functional mirror--not one of those cheapo, fun-house-looking pieces of garbage. All in all, the packaging reminds me (a lot) of NARS, except that the NARS has more heft to it, and the outside is rubberized.

Okay, now for the products. The cream blush is a warm, rosy peach, and the bronzer is a golden medium brown. Neither has any shimmer or sheen, but by nature of the cream, they do impart a nice glow. As we've seen, they're HIGHLY pigmented, so only the teeny-tiniest amount is needed. By that, I mean, don't use your fingers! Obviously, you can, if you want. I won't stand there behind you screaming, or anything like that. That would be creepy, and a little bit illegal, most likely. Grab a stipple brush and barely tap it onto the product. You can always add more, but taking it away's a pain. It's not impossible (said the girl who went to town with concealer and powder after tapping her brush too hard this morning), but it's better to avoid having to.

The shades, themselves, are lovely. The blush is pretty much universal, as far as working with different skintones; the bronzer, less so. This would work on light to medium skintones, but no darker. I also would not recommend this as a contour shade, since it is so warm. It borders on orange-y, and that's just not a good look for a contour. It is wonderful, however, for warming up the skin. Once you've tapped your stipple brush onto (not into, onto) the bronzer, apply the product to the areas of your face where sunlight would naturally hit--just as you would a powder bronzer. The end effect is very natural and sunkissed.

Now, I purchased Turks & Caicos because I'd heard from several places that the blush side was actually more of a highlight shade, and I thought that a travel-friendly highlight/bronzer combo would be awesome to have for out-of-town trips. Apparently, I had gone temporarily insane, and totally forgot that I'm so white, I'm day-glo. My skin lights up on the dark rides at Disney. The only highlighters I can wear are either white, gold, or translucent shimmer. Almost nothing that could be classified as a blush is going to work as a highlighter on me. But I digress...

Anyhoo, the blush is gorgeous, even if it isn't a viable highlighter for me, personally. The shade is a very tawney...I hate to call it pink, because it's just barely pink, but it's not really brown, either. This is a hard shade to describe, but applied lightly, it gives just enough color to wake up the skin, but not enough to compete with, say, a bold lip or a smokey eye. Unfortunately, it's not a universal color, in the slightest. If you're often confused for Casper the Friendly Ghost, then this is gorgeous, and I highly recommend rushing out to pick one up. Medium skintones and up might consider using it as a highlighter, but, sadly, I'd just say skip it.

The bronzer is scary. It looks brown; like chocolate brownie brown. However, if you use a super fluffy brush and an extremely light hand, you can use this as a bronzer (not a contour. Neither of these bronzers are contour shades. I don't know what ELF was thinking calling them "contouring".) even if you're lily-white. This shade could probably work on medium skin, as well, but again, if you're darker, you might want to pass on this. There are tiny flecks of gold shimmer in both the blush and bronzer, but they don't transfer to the skin in an obvious way. You end up with a little glow. Again, the end result is very natural and just downright pretty. I probably don't need to say it, but I will, anyway: these puppies are crazy pigmented! If you use a heavy hand, you're going to look like you've been playing in the dirt. Go easy, and add more as you need to.

The staying power for both duos is top-notch. I've been using them both for a couple of weeks, pretty much exclusively, and haven't had to touch-up at all. I repeat: at all. ELF, as a brand, may be hit or miss, but these are a homerun.

Pros
Cream: gorgeous blush, gorgeous bronzer, highly pigmented, beautiful packaging, fantastic price, natural finish blush, natural finish bronzer, universal blush, glow without glitter
Powder: gorgeous blush, workable bronzer, highly pigmented, beautiful packaging, fantastic price, natural finish blush, natural finish bronzer, slight shimmer without glitter

Cons
Cream: bronzer not universal
Powder: blush not universal, bronzer not universal

Final Verdict: Cream--9 out of 10, Powder--7.5 out of 10. I'd say that these were amazing for three bucks, but they'd still be amazing for a lot more than that.

It's Two, Two, Two Posts In One!

Today is nasty, rainy, humid, and all around ugly. On top of that, it's Casual Friday. Of course, my work environment is pretty relaxed to begin with, so you can read that to mean I traded in my "nice" jeans and "respectable" top for comfy old jeans and a t-shirt. This one, specifically. It made me giggle.

Basically, it's one of those days when I expect the What Not To Wear folks to knock on my door at any moment.

Seeing how I wasn't really trying with my look today, and had a million (not sure that's an exaggeration) errands to run in the icky weather, I thought today would be the perfect day to try out a sample that caught my eye, as well as a neat DIY hair product. Both are made for quick, easy, natural looks, and that is definitely the name of the game today.

The Magic Bag O' Samples

Somehow--and I honestly can't remember how--I ended up with a sample of L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur. Supposedly, it's a "finishing cream" that you put on after your moisturizer, and can either wear alone or under makeup to blur wrinkles, lines, pores, and other minor imperfections. I have minor imperfections, so why not? I popped open the foil packet and applied the opaque ecru cream to my face.

It's a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm. Flat out. There's a higher SPF and it costs about $14 less, but those are the only differences I found. Unfortunately (and if you click the link you read my review of the UD), it just doesn't do it for me. I can't quite figure out a purpose for it. There's zero coverage, so it doesn't even out your skin, and you still need, at least, a concealer. You could use it as a primer...or you could just use a primer. As I said in the UD review, there are better and cheaper out there. If you have perfectly even skin and just want a little protection or some skincare benefits...you could use an anti-aging moisturizer with sunscreen and skip this extra step. I just really can not find a point to this. But, if you were planning to buy the UD BB cream, L'Oreal just saved you fourteen bucks. There you go.

Frugal Friday

Many of you are probably familiar with beauty blogger and youtube guru PinkSoFoxy. If you're not, you should be, because she's amazing. Her approach to beauty blogging is unique in that she takes a "less is more" approach. Instead of constantly buying new stuff, she "shops her stash" and pulls from items she already owns, rediscovering old favorites along the way. Her videos also show fantastic tips for decluttering and simplifying your space, and in the process, your life. Seriously, I encourage you all to go check out her sites.

Anyhoo, she recently uploaded a video and blog post on how to DIY a sea salt spray for beachy waves. I've been using Bumble & Bumble Sea Spray, but I'm about to run out and thought that this might be fun to try. I had all of the ingredients, anyway, and if it worked, I could save the $25 I'd have spent on a replacement bottle. So, this morning, I whipped up a batch while I waited on my coffee to brew. By the way, I have a Keurig, so that's about three minutes.

Bottom line: this stuff rocks.

After my shower, I towel dried my hair and gave it a rough blow-dry until it was just damp. Then, I sprayed my concoction all over, scrunched, and let it finish air drying. The results are amazing. I have messy, beachy waves that aren't at all crunchy or sticky. My main complaint with the Bumble & Bumble was that it always looked great at first, but as soon as I ran a brush through it, my hair became a frizzy, dry, hot mess. My hair is so soft with this that I can run my fingers through it, brush it, whatever. It still looks pretty and wavy. If you have three minutes, I highly recommend giving this a shot!

The ingredients you'll need are all linked here. I used Herbal Essences Body Envy gel, which is discontinued, turns out. It's a light hold, volumizing gel, so anything like it should work similarly. I omitted the essential oil, because A) I didn't have any, and B) my hairspray is scented, and I thought that might be too much going on at once. For the shimmer, I used (no kidding) a little bit of an old E.L.F. mineral eyeshadow. Worked like a charm. Thank you, PinkSoFoxy, for this awesome DIY project!

Frugal Friday, Deck the Nails Edition: Wet N Wild Lavender Creme

I bought this color to use for a nail art look I attempted to put together--"attempted" being the key word, as it failed miserably. However, the color was so pretty that I had to share it with you. Plus, at only 99-cents, you can't beat the quality.

Seriously! How pretty is that?! And that's dry, without a top coat. It's just that shiny. Turns out, it's almost the exact same shade of fuschia as this year's Victoria's Secret Black Friday tote bag. The formula is wonderful, too. It glides on smoothly, is easy to guide, opaque in two coats, dries quickly, and lasts for about three days with a top coat. Even then, there's very little chipping, and only a little wear on the tips.

The color number is 454D, and I found this bottle at Walgreen's. The color name is Lavender Creme, and that just boggles the mind. Fuschia? Yes. Hot pink? Maybe. Lavender? Are they high?

The nail art may not have worked out, but I can't wait to coat my toesies with this happy color. Have a great weekend!!!

Frugal Friday: Stocking Stuffers $20 and Under

With the holidays in full-swing (yes, we've already had one of them. Remember that day before Black Friday when we all ate pumpkin pie and scoured ads? That used to be called Thanksgiving. It counts as a holiday), now is the time of year when we have to come up with gifts for everyone we've ever met. Some of them even get more than one gift! In hopes of keeping everyone in their credit cards' good graces, I've compiled a list of some of the most giftable stocking stuffers, all coming in at $20 or less each. Hope this helps!

Photo Credit: Sephora

These pretty little blotting linens from Boscia are infused with peppermint essence to help you lift off oil and keep your cool. 100 sheets per pack, $5.

Photo Credit: Sephora

Be beautiful inside and out with this manicure set from Sephora, benefitting Breast Cancer Awareness. Cuticle pusher, nipper, and scissors included in the vibrant pink case. $20.

Photo Credit: Sephora

This is one of the best deals in the bunch, and it's already packaged in a gorgeous gift box! This set includes Tarte's gold eyelash curler (one of the best I've used) and a deluxe sample of their fabulous Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. $16.

Photo Credit: Real Techniques

If you haven't tried Samantha Chapman's line of brushes, you don't know what you're missing! This adorable set comes with a multi-task brush, shadow brush, and foundation brush, all in a multi-functioning case/display. $17.99

Photo Credit: Sephora

Looking for something elegant? Try L'Occitane hand cream in one of eleven gorgeous scents. Each comes in a tube designed to represent the fragrance inside. $10.

Photo Credit: The Body Shop

Here's another fantastic deal! You can get The Body Shop's shower cream, body scrub, body butter, soap, and a bath lily in luxurious Shea, and it comes housed in a lovely gift box. $20.

Photo Credit: Shopping.AOL

Got a polish lover? Treat them to Butter London's Yummy Mummy and a bottle of Powder Room polish remover. Added plus: the remover smells like baby powder! $15.

Photo Credit: Sephora

Another one for polish fans, but more for the color collector, Sephora by O.P.I.'s Tinsel Town set. Here, you get four mini polishes with Hollywood-themed names (Already Famous, What Film Noir You In, Dear Diary, and Metro Chic), packaged in an art deco gift box. $19.50.

Photo Credit: Bath and Body Works

For the gal on the go, try this glamorous lip gloss/perfume duo in Forever Red. Pomegranate and Vanilla Rum highlight the rich scent, while the non-sticky gloss will keep her pout the perfect shade of ruby red. $15.

Photo Credit: Beautylish

Finally, for that someone who has everything, give her a place to store it all. This Urban Decay mini palette comes with Melt (peach shimmer) and has room for three more of her favorite UD shadows, plus a gigantic mirror. $18.

Frugal Friday: Cheap (or Free!) Last-Minute Costume Ideas

Wow!!! Halloween is only five days away, and Halloween weekend is upon us!! Over the next few days, some of you may find yourselves unexpectedly invited to costume parties, with no costume hanging in the closet. Oh, no! What to do?! I know the last thing I'd want to do is hit the costume/party/Halloween pop-up store the weekend before Halloween (no, thank you), so I did a little of what I like to call "Closet Shopping" to put together workable costumes out of items I already had lying around the house.

Yes, they are all kind of lame. No, it doesn't matter. It's Halloween. I think you might even get extra points for having a lame costume. Points for what, exactly? Not a clue. I just make this stuff up as I go along.

1. Tourist
Pull out the shorts, flip-flops, sandals, backpacks, fannypacks, and the loudest Hawaiian or theme park shirt you can find. Bonus points if the t-shirt has Marty Moose on it (again, no idea what the points mean. Just go with it). Sun visors, baseball or trucker caps, knee socks, and a dab of sunscreen on the nose (greasepaint or white cream makeup work, too) complete the look.

2. Proud Parent
You know how some Baseball dads and Pageant moms have t-shirts, noisemakers, and a dozen, or so, pins, posters, and the like? What if every club did that? A fun spin (and one not likely to offend any parents who may fit this description--mine did!), is to pick a club where a cheering section would be entirely inappropriate, like Debate, or Model UN. You know, where matches and meets are notoriously quiet and require deep concentration, and where most people show up in business attire. This one may require a trip to the craft store, but maybe not. If you're already a DIY-er,  you might already be all set. The basic costume is jeans and t-shirt. The fun comes in how you decorate that t-shirt, and what props you decide to carry--the louder and crazier, the better. Don't be afraid to use neon, rhinestones, and glitter, all at the same time. Proudly proclaim that you are a Scholar's Bowl Mom/Dad...foam finger and all!

3. Beauty School Dropout
You will need a cheap (five dollar-range) stylist's smock from the beauty supply shop, some spray in hair color from the drugstore or Walmart (look on the Halloween aisle. It's still much safer and far less crazy than going to a party store!), and foam rubber curlers. Spray your hair with whatever color you like (if you go for pink, you could also make a little nametag that says "Frenchie", and wear a pencil skirt or capris with cute flats under the smock), and roll onto the curlers. Then apply the tackiest makeup you can think of. I mean, make the eyes different colors and smear the lipstick (unless you're Frenchie, then stick with cute and 50s-inspired). This also works for guys, by the way. I'm just going to leave you with that mental image.

Have a great weekend!!! 

Costume Creations/Frugal Friday: Frankie Stein from Monster High

My little niece, Tempest, is big into Monster High. It's my fault, too. I got her a Frankie Stein rag doll for Christmas one year, and that was it. To her mother, I apologize.

Last year, Temp went as Frankie Stein for Halloween, and was so darn cute it hurt. In her honor, I thought I'd do a costume look for Frankie Stein, and I wanted to try to do it with all drugstore products. This is not intended to "transform" you into Frankie, nor is it meant to be a "going out" look. This is just to show that you don't need to buy the overpriced makeup kit that is sold alongside the costume to get a Frankie Stein look for trick-or-treating. If you want to see me do a Frankie Stein-inspired "going out" look for adults (since those costumes apparently exist. Who knew?), let me know in the comments, and that can totally be arranged. This one is more "stage makeup" inspired, and intended for ten to twelve year-olds.

For the uninitiated, this is Frankie:

Frankie Stein (Credit)

And here's what I came up with:

I know, the stitches go on the other cheek. Whoops. You'll also want to do your neck and ears, but this was for demonstration purposes only. I love you guys, but Supernatural was coming on. I have priorities. Jensen Ackles is cute.

I'm not a tween, nor am I a model, so this looks silly as heck. Plus, I blinked every darn time Thomas took a picture. As a stage actor, I can tell you that this--every bit as much as the whole "the actors could get distracted, fall, and die" aspect--is the reason they tell you not to take flash photos at theatrical productions. It's because we're unaccustomed to the flashes and make stupid faces. THIS is the picture I look the least stoned in, so here you go. 

Alrighty, I (not being a twelve year-old with perfect skin) started out by applying a moisturizer, then used Maybelline Age Rewind concealer to cover any blemishes and dark circles. Then, I used a NYX jumbo pencil in Milk to prime my eyelids, all the way up to the brow. The white base will help keep the L.A. Colors mineral shadow in a purple color nice and vibrant. Next, I mapped out the shape I wanted for the eyeshadow, then filled in the entire area with purple,including under the lower lashline. After that, I took the pink shadow from the L'Oreal HiP duo "Reckless" and defined the crease area. Then, I grabbed my NYX liquid liner (though a black pencil would work if you're not comfortable with liquid) and created a winged cat eye on the top lashes, then lined the lower lashline, as well. We'll come back to the eyes a little bit later.

For the skin, I used a small, dense powder brush to apply the green side of the L'Oreal HiP duo "Perky" all over my face. This will take you a thousand forevers, but it's a sheerer effect than greasepaint, and easier to find in a close-to-accurate shade. If you have trouble keeping the brush out of the dark navy shadow that makes up the other half of the duo, try carefully covering that half with a little masking tape until you finish with the green. Once you have your face (and neck and ears) covered, take an even smaller brush (like a lipliner) and the same green (the smaller brush will help concentrate the color) to map out the places you want contoured, like the cheekbones and around the nose. Use the bigger brush to blend out the lines. Then, uncover the navy blue side and lightly go over those contoured areas with the bigger brush and the blue. You'll also want to go into your hairline and around your jaw. Next, take a blush brush and a hot pink blush, like E.L.F.'s Pink Passion from the Studio line, and shade the apples of your cheeks. Use the same brush to pop a bit of the purple eyeshadow over the pink, to tie the colors together. Dust a sparkly white shadow, like L.A. Colors mineral shadow, onto the cheekbones to highlight.

Back to the eyes! You're going to have to do a little clean-up, now that the green is in place. I found it easiest to do this with the NYX jumbo pencil in Milk, because it's super creamy, opaque, and you can just draw it wherever you want it. I didn't want to lose the eyeshadow shape, so I used the white pencil as a highlight for the brow, inner corner, and brought it down below the lower lashline. I also used it on the waterline. Then, I applied two coats of black mascara to upper and lower lashes. You could use false lashes, but I know a lot of kids won't sit still long enough for that, so I just went with the mascara.

To finish things up, I used a black pencil to darken my brows and to draw on her stitches. Lastly, I applied Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic to my lips for her signature glossy red pout.

I hope you enjoyed this. Again, if you want to see a more grown-up version, let me know in the comments.

Frugal Friday: Have You Seen Me?



Photo Credit: Sephora



Recently, I rediscovered Make Up For Ever's HD Microfinish Blush. I received a deluxe sample size some time back, and absolutely hated it. Loathed it. Despised it. Tossed it into the deepest, darkest recesses of my makeup case, never to lay eyes on it again...until about a month ago.

Holy moley, what was I thinking?!



I absolutely adore this stuff now. The color I have is #6, Quickie, and it's a beautiful, warm, salmon pink that looks completely natural on my cheeks. I'm totally in love, but there's a problem: the full-size is $26, and I will run out of this at some point.



Photo Credit: E.L.F.



Coincidentally, at the same time I fell for the MUFE, bargain-favorite E.L.F. came out with its own version of the HD cream blush. So, my question to you is: anybody tried this, yet? It's only $3, but I've only been able to find it online. I don't need to place an order with them right now, and it seems silly to pay twice as much in shipping than for the one item I want. If you have tried this, please let me know in the comments. Maybe I can do a comparison on the two one day, if I can get my hands on a bottle.

Frugal Friday: Rediscovery

One way I've been able to save a little bit of money, lately, has been by trying to see some of the makeup I already own in a different light. For example: I have a Vincent Longo Hydro-something-or-other that I almost never use. I tried it as a blush; I tried it as a highlighter; I even tried it as lipgloss and eyeshadow. Nada. Into the abyss--I mean, drawer--it went, probably never to be heard from again...until I saw this video on YouTube:



My Hydro-whozee-whatsit is very similar to the stick product used in the video! Also, that eye shadow looks an awful lot like that weird Snakebite color in my Naked 2 palette! And I'd never thought of lining my eyes with that technique! Now, I'm no Victoria's Secret model, so I didn't follow the tutorial to the letter, but I did use it as inspiration and, using only products that were on-hand, came up with this:


Again, pardon the car. It's the best lit area I have. Seriously. Also, someone please tell me that the model in the above video started out with bronzer in the hollows of her cheeks, and make me feel better. Pretty please?


I really like this! Plus, I now have a use for a couple of products that were previously collecting dust.

Looking for inspiration, yourself? Here are some of my favorite tutorials that I've stumbled upon recently. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! The ladies in these videos are incredibly talented, and a lot of fun to watch. Please click on the "More Info" button at the top of each video for information on how you can subscribe to their channels. Thanks!

Frugal Friday: E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick Review

E.L.F. has eighteen shades in their line of five-dollar mineral lipsticks. I have three of them. Let's play!

Here, we have Ripe Rose, Barely Bitten, and Cheerful Cherry. I have to say, in the tubes, they look fairly similar. Barely Bitten is obviously the lightest, but the other two are darn near identical. I do detect a hint more brown in the Ripe Rose, and a teeny smidge more berry in the Cheerful Cherry.  Let's see how they swatch, shall we?

Oooh! Now, I can see a difference! Ripe Rose is definitely more of a dusty rose, with brown tones. Barely Bitten is more of a true rose, and Cheerful Cherry is a gorgeous berry red. They swatch easily, are nicely pigmented, and are almost impossible to remove. They should last a good, long time on your lips. So, how do they feel and look on the lips?

I only swatched one on my lips, because I was literally running out the door. I ended up just wearing this one as my lipstick du jour. This is Ripe Rose. It's not as brown on my lips as it was on my hand. Here, it's just a really lovely rosey shade. While I am glad that it's a pretty color, I am a little perturbed that it doesn't match the swatch on my hand, or the shade in the tube. Still, it feels like butter on, and has lasted all day, even through lunch, with only minimal touching-up.

Pros: packaging looks very high-end, moisturizing feel, beautiful color and pigmentation, long-wearing, great price point
Cons: not even slightly true to color

Final Verdict: 8.3 out of 10. For five bucks a piece, snag a few of these high-quality lipsticks and play around with figuring out the colors.

Frugal Friday: Sinfully Smashing Gold Glosses

The other day, I was walking through Walgreen's and noticed that they stocked Sinful Colors lip glosses*. I knew about Sinful Colors nail polishes, through my little niece, but had no idea they made a lip gloss. I'm probably just behind the times, but I thought I'd pick one up to see how it fared. The three available colors were a light lavender, white-ish clear, and a pale gold shimmer. I went with "Peachy Sheen", the pale gold shimmer.

Once I got home, I realized that I already had a pale gold shimmer in a Smashbox deluxe sample. For fun, I thought I'd see how the $2.99 drugstore gloss did against the fancy-schmancy, $19.00 high-end one (full-size is a good bit larger than the one you see here). You might be surprised, so stay tuned!


They don't look it, here, but just wait. They match up pretty nicely. That Smashbox reallly does have gold running through it. Also, I really need to clean off my dresser...

 Let's start with some swatches. Here they both are, straight out of the tubes:


Left: Smashbox, Right: Sinful Colors.

The Smashbox Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss in Star is thicker, and the Sinful Colors has a teeny bit more yellow to it. They both sparkle nicely, though you do have to pack on the Sinful Colors. The Smashbox only needs a dab to cover well. I will say that the Smashbox took forever to wipe off my arm, but more on that in a minute. Here are the same glosses, this time swatched on my lips:


Smashbox



Sinful Colors (apologies for it being slightly out of focus. I had no idea until I saw it here)

At first glance, there's not much of a difference, is there?

The Smashbox has more glitter, and I didn't need much product to coat my lips. The Sinful Colors, again, had to be piled on, and the shimmer is much more subdued--there aren't any chunks, in the Smashbox. That said, the Sinful Colors is much more comfortable on my lips. The Smashbox is so thick, sticky, and sweet, that it felt almost like I'd smeared Kayro Syrup all over my lips. Even after tissuing the gloss off, I still had to use a face wipe to remove the residue and remaining glitter. It's long-wearing, but feels awful. The Sinful Colors felt silky and moisturizing, even after the shine had worn off. I did have to reapply frequently, though, and the smell and flavor are a little too chemical for my taste.

Honestly, I don't think one is better than the other. I think they're both great for different purposes. The Smashbox is a great gloss...for camera. Of course, that's where Smashbox excels, so that only makes sense. Once that gloss is on, it's on, and it's going to look beautiful and perfect for as long as you need it to. That's awesome for a photo shoot; not so great for a date night. You definitely don't want to kiss anyone while you're wearing it. Brides, steer clear of this one for the big day (but go for it for pictures!).

If you're not looking for something for camera, go with the Sinful Colors. It's a heckuva lot cheaper, just as pretty on, and feels a lot more comfortable. True, there's less glitter, but the shimmer is lovely, and a lot more wearable.

Nutshell Review of Sinful Colors Lip Gloss in Peachy Sheen
Pros: Moisturizing, silky feel, pretty shimmer, lovely packaging, super affordable
Cons: Not a lot of color payoff, not long-wearing, odd flavor/smell

Final Verdict: 6 out of 10. It looks and feels nice, and for $2.99, you could do a lot worse.

*I'm not linking to the Sinful Colors site because it's still under construction, and Walgreen's doesn't have this product online. Actually, I haven't found it anywhere online. If you spot it, please let me know in the comments.

Frugal Friday, Thursday Edition: Wet N Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil

One of my favorite go-to products is the Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil. You can apply straight from the pencil, smudge it out with your finger, and head out the door. It pops easily into a purse or travel bag, and the color lasts forever with zero creasing--no primer needed. It's a must-have, god-send, holy grail product. So, imagine my delight when I saw that Wet N Wild had their own version, with a beautiful $1.99 price tag. Drugstore dupes for the UD pencils are popping up everywhere, but this is the least expensive version I've seen, yet. I snapped up one in Techno, a gorgeous opalescent purple, and gave it a go this morning. Here's how that went down:

This is super saftey-sealed! I ended up having to go all "HULK SMASH!" on it to get into the product. Pro tip: have scissors handy.

First, here's a quick look at the pencil, itself, with a Revlon lip butter for size reference. I didn't photograph the pencil against the UD for size comparison, simply because my UD are deluxe travel size and not standard length. It wouldn't have been a true assessment. For the curious, the WNW is about the same size as the UD deluxe travel.

Now, here's a swatch. The shade is really, really pretty. The pigmentation could be a little better, but it's certainly not bad, and the lilac color payoff is just lovely. With the opalescence, it practically glows. Gorgeous.

Here it is before I set it with shadow. Pay no attention to the lack of any other makeup on my face...ugh...

I wish I could leave it at that, but I can't. There's, unfortunately, a downside. The product is downright oily. It feels greasy on your skin, and slides around badly. That swatch on my hand wiped right off with a tissue. I tried to set the pencil with a matching powder shadow from the Too Faced Glamour To Go Dream Edition (it's a perfect match), and had problems with my brush wiping off the pencil!!! Seriously!!! Even with the shadow, it creased like crazy, and has required multiple touch-ups. I'd take a picture, but I'm pretty sure I'm down to only shadow now. It just didn't work.

Can it work? I think so. I think it could work over a very dry primer, like UD Primer Potion, and set with a colorless powder, like Ben Nye's Neutral Set.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 10. The color and price are amazing, but it's going to take a lot of work to wear it well.

Frugal Friday: Checking Out Wet N Wild's Megas!

If you've been around here for any length of time, then you'll know how much I love Revlon lip butters. They're beautiful, moisturizing, last a decent length of time, and the packaging is precious. Still, I do love a good bargain, and I'd heard that Wet N Wild had their own version. I didn't know the name of the product, though, so I picked up two items that looked similar to the lip butters (I've since seen a third, a lip lacquer, but have not had the opportunity to try it) to see if there was any comparison. Let's take a look, shall we?



Left to Right: Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy, Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne




Top to Bottom: Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy, Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne

 I think you can tell by looking at these swatches that neither one is a lip butter, so I need to keep looking. Still, since we're here, and since these are only $1.99 each, let's take a look at these.

Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy
I really hate this product. There it is. I said it, and I'm incredibly sorry. It's going in the trash can. The swatch isn't bad, but on your lips...okay, let me describe it this way: when I was about 12, my Mom and Dad let me start wearing lipstick. That was it; just lipstick. Immediately, I became enthralled by the Wet N Wild display at Phar-Mor. I'd say at least 75% of my allowance went to different shades of lipstick, each pinker and tackier than the last (I was 12!), and my favorite was called Petal Pink. It was this godawful Barbie-pink, chalky, super-dry abomination that make my lips look like I'd coated them down in Pepto-Bismol, and I thought it was fabulous.

This looks exactly the same, only slightly more orange. In 20 years, only the packaging and my taste have improved.

Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne
In direct contrast, I'm really enjoying this lip color! It's closer to a CoverGirl Gloss Balm than a lip butter, but that's just fine with me. In addition to being a lovely shade, the product is very moisturizing, has no discernible flavor or scent, and contains the all-important SPF. It's not very long lasting, though. That's really the only drawback I've seen. This is also a much more pigmented product than I originally thought it would be. There's nothing sheer about this pink!

I thought the packaging for both products was very pretty, though both caps are difficult to remove, and I finally gave up on ever getting all of the plastic off of the Pink Champagne.

Final Verdict: Skip the Mega Last, but pick up every color you can of the Mega Shield. They're beautiful, feel good, give protection, and are less than two bucks a pop.

Wearing Pink Champagne.

Frugal Friday: Who Painted the Kitten?*

E.L.F.: Take $10 off any puchase of $25 or more. Use code TENOFF. Exp. 6/11.
Ulta: Ultamate club members earn 3X their usual points on purchases of Naked or Naked 2 palettes by Urban Decay. No code necessary. Friday and Saturday only.
BeautyMint: First time buyers receive a free JewelMint Parisian Dream necklace with their orders. No code necessary. Today Only.

I'm sick, y'all. I think my sweet, little puppy must roll around in pollen before he jumps in my lap. Currently, I'm beyond drugged. We're talking fuzzy-wuzzy, singing along with the Spice Girls (when no music is playing), look at all the pretty colors, dopey. The fact I can sit up straight astounds me.

I'd planned on reviewing the new Revlon just-bitten...is that right? The new Revlon...um...that thing that's like a Clinique Chubby Stick or Tarte LipSurgence, but I can't think of the name right now, and I just plain don't feel like looking it up. You know, that product. Unfortunately, my Ulta doesn't carry it, yet, and the Walgreen's I stopped by before I realized that I probably (definitely) shouldn't be driving was out of the color I wanted to try. I'm not spending nine bucks on a color I don't want, so we're all sort of s.o.l. on this one today, I guess. There's a Walgreen's by my house, so I'll try that one when Thomas can drive me. If I find it, there might be a surprise post tonight. Or, I might do what I did last night and take my meds and pass out on the couch watching Jurassic Park. Thomas got the trilogy, so I have a few opportunities to do just that. We'll see.

Well, that's about enough excitement for one post, I think. I'm going to go ask this cookie why it's dancing. Goodnight, everybody!

*Points for the title reference.

Frugal Friday: More Bing, Bang, Boom For Your Buck!

Bath & Body Works: $10 off any purchase of $30 or more with code ENJOY1050. Exp. 6/3.

Starbucks: Free tall drink when you buy a pack of Starbucks VIA Iced Coffee. No code or coupon needed. Exp. 6/3.

Today's Frugal Friday tip is probably a no-brainer, but I thought I'd throw it out there: Value Kits. If you love high-end makeup, but hate high-end prices, value kits are definitely the way to go. In case you're staring at the screen, wondering what in the world I'm blathering on about, value kits are small collections of coordinating products. Sometimes they're full-sized, sometimes they're deluxe samples, and sometimes they're a combination of the two (see Benefit's Rare Beauty kit). No matter what, you're getting a lot of product for less than you would normally have to pay.

Now, there are a few cons to going the value kit route; namely, you can't pick your colors or products. You might end up with something you absolutely hate! There's also the fact that some of the products can be miniatures, and a lot of folks don't care for that. Personally, if there's a product I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like, but the overall set is amazing, I'll save that product for someone else who'll go nuts over it. If you haven't opened it, save it for a stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift. As for the minis, I personally prefer them. Rarely do I finish a product before it's either expired or out of season. Plus, I like to keep my most used products in a counter-top organizer. Minis take up less space and cause less waste. Anyway, if I end up using it all up and loving it, I can purchase the full-size without feeling like I'm gambling away my money.

Here are some of my favorites out there right now. The most expensive is $50, and the least is only $12!


Buxom Beach Bound Lips & Lashes: $12, Sephora

You can't beat this deal with a stick. You get a full-size Big & Healthy Lip Balm in Copacabana (nude) and a deluxe mini Buxom Lash Mascara in Blackest Black. Normally, the balm alone costs $15, so basically, you're getting a $3 discount on the balm, plus a free mascara. Yeah, it's a mini, but it's a good-sized mini that will last you a while. 

Photo Credit: Sephora



Benefit Legally Bronze: $38, Sephora

Another amazing deal here: four full-sized products, and they all work together for a nearly complete look! Hoola bronzer (a $28 value all by itself), BADgal Brown mascara, Gilded highlighter pencil (which works well as a shadow/liner), and High Beam liquid highlighter, all in a cute, reusable makeup bag.



Photo Credit: Sephora



LORAC Elite Collection: $38, Sephora

I picked up a LORAC set once on a whim, and fell in love with the brand. In fact, just this week, I pulled out one of their baked blushes to add to my Summer staples. It makes a fantastic bronzer on my crazy-pale skin. Anyhoo, in this kit you get a blush, three shadows, lip pencil, lip gloss, mascara, and mini eye primer, all in gorgeous neutrals. Everything's full-sized except, obviously, the mini eye primer. If you only like two or three products, you've gotten your money's worth. If you like them all, just add foundation and powder for a complete look. Bonus: comes with a sweet little makeup bag.



Photo Credit: Sephora



Smashbox Beauty Exposed: $39, Ulta

A mix of minis and full-sized products, this is another kit that will give you almost an entire look. You get a palette with five neutral shadows, a mini Photo Finish face primer (which will normally set you back $17 on its own), a pretty pink blush, medium-sized coral gloss, and a brown eyeliner pencil. Fantastic kit for someone just starting out with makeup, or who is interested in trying neutrals.

Photo Credit: Jules Darling

Sephora Favorites Beauty & the Bride: $50, Sephora

This is really the most hit and miss of the bunch, but I still think it's pretty darn awesome. It's a sampler of 11 mostly miniature products (there are a couple of full-sized, though), housed in a "keepsake" box (meh). These are all different brands, but, oddly enough, you could do an almost complete look with what's in here. There is so much stuff, I'm not even going to try to list all of it, but you can click the link for full details. This is also a kit that would be very easily broken up into several small gift sets. 

Photo Credit; Sephora


Have a great weekend, y'all!

Frugal Friday: Window Shopping Challenge!

Happy Friday-Before-A-Three-Day-Weekend!! Major sales happening over the next few days. I won't bore you with those, since they'll all but slap you in the face if you're out and about. Instead, here's the scoop on some extra special savings that you might not know about. Let's get to it!

TooFaced: Free Shipping all weekend with code THANKYOU12. Exp. 5/28.
Sally Beauty Supply: Take an extra 50% off all red tag clearance with code 555100. Exp. 5/28.
Bath and Body Works: $1 Shipping on orders over $25 with code MEMORIAL25. Exp. 5/28.

Question: has anyone here ever paid full price for anything at Aeropostale? That store seems to be in a state of perpetual clearance, and that's just fine and dandy, dandy and fine with me. Today, I looked and about half the store was 70% off. Just for giggles, I hopped on Polyvore and gave myself a challenge: put together a Memorial Day BBQ outfit for under $50, using only Aeropostale items. Here's what I came up with:

$50 Memorial Day BBQ Outfit by adorablenapalm featuring nyx lip gloss

Not bad, if I do say so, myself. Dress, shoes, bag, and two accessories (that ring is precious, and I like the way the curve in the sunglasses mimics the curve in the bodice), and the total came to $44.10. For coming in so far under the imaginary budget, I imaginarily treated myself to an imaginary lip gloss, bringing the final bill to $49.60. Heck, I'm so proud of myself, I may go try this on at the real Aeropostale this weekend. You can't beat twelve bucks for a dress.

I hope you all have a truly wonderful holiday, and please take a moment to remember the reason for the day. See y'all next week! If you're interested in any of the products mentioned, there are links below. Bye!

Nyx lip gloss
$5.50 - nyxcosmetics.com

Floral Halter Dress
$12 - aeropostale.com

Aero Surf Vertical Tote
$10 - aeropostale.com

Jelly Quarter Strap Sandal
$7.35 - aeropostale.com

Vented Shield Sunglasses
$9.75 - aeropostale.com

Sparkly Jelly Ring
$5 - aeropostale.com

Frugal Friday: No Fakes Allowed!

Ages ago, I posted about a couple of discount clothing and makeup sites that made Recession-Era retail therapy a whole lot easier. Well, add one more to the list: allcosmeticswholesale.com. I've ordered from them before, and I can tell you, without reservation, that they are the real deal. This is not a knock-off, fake, or whatever you want to call it kind of shady site. If you order a MAC eyeshadow, you're going to get a MAC eyeshadow. You're just going to pay a heckuva lot less for it.

Give it a look-see and tell me what you think. In the meantime, I'm taking the rest of the day off. I've got a performance tonight, and I'm trying to stay as relaxed and rested as humanly possible. In other words, I'm only very strung-out instead of incredibly strung-out.

Have a great weekend, and happy bargain hunting!

Frugal Friday: How Glossy Is Your Box?

...wait...that doesn't sound right...

Hey! There's actually STUFF this Friday!! Check out these deals!

E.L.F.: $1.98 shipping on orders $15 and over. Use code 198SHIP by 5/12/12.

BeautyMint: Get $15 off, plus free blotting papers with your first order. Use code BMBLOT15. Today only.

TooFaced: Friends and Family Sale! Take 20% off your purchase with code FFSPRING12. (Fine print says "select items" but email says "everything". I say, pick what you want and give it a shot.)

And a head's up: Stila sale on Hautelook Monday!! Starts at 10AM CT, and the good stuff will go quickly! Good luck!

Photo Credit: Glossybox

If you're a sample junkie like me, have I got an early Christmas present for you! Glossybox, the sampling program popular in over fifteen countries, has finally made it to the US! I'm not talking those little packet samples that get tossed in with your Sephora purchases, either. These are deluxe mini, travel, and sometimes FULL sized products.

The way it works: Place your order ($21/month, $115/6 months, $220/12 months), and Glossybox will send you five (or possibly more, from what I've seen online) products to play with. Cancel at any time. You'll also fill out a Beauty Profile, which asks about hair and skin, and stuff like that.

I've never used the service before, obviously, but I have signed up for the very first edition as an early birthday present to myself, and will happily share all the details of my experience with you. I can already tell you that this won't be a monthly thing for me, since it's not exactly pocket change, but it might be a nice way to stock up on minis before a vacation. This month's box supposedly holds products from C.O. Bigelow (love them!), O.P.I. (yay!), and Kryolan (oooh! That's stage pro stuff! I can use that!), among others.

Have any of you used a sample service before? Birchbox? Test Tube? How'd it go? Leave your experiences in the comments below. Thanks!

Frugal Friday: Help Me, Hautelook!

It's time for Frugal Friday!!!!!  Yay!!! Here are this week's major deals!!!!

Bath & Body Works: Take 20% off your total with code SPRING2050.

Wow...that was certainly anti-climactic.

I don't know about you, but these days, I am broke. B-R-O-K-E, broke. Most everyone I know is in the same boat, so I'm not beating myself up about it. I just have to tighten things up a bit and be smart about where my money goes. That said, I still like to shop, and still like to have nice things. What's a girl to do?

Well, this girl--a girl who was raised by a Grand Champion bargain hunter, who was raised by Lady High Ruler Of All Things Sale Related--has upped her game a bit, so to speak. You may have noticed me mention a site called Hautelook once or twice on this blog. If you are into designer...well, anything, this site's flash sales may be just the ticket for you.

To give an example: I love Urban Decay cosmetics. All of them. I've yet to use a UD product I didn't just love. Every now and then, Hautelook will run an Urban Decay sale. About a week prior, the announcement will be made. Then, the day of, the sale will start at 8AM Pacific on.the.dot. At that time, the products up for sale will appear onscreen, and they will be heavily discounted. I picked up an Urban Lash set, including a travel 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero, a mascara made specifically for false lashes, and a set of Urban Lashes in Minx for $7. The lashes alone are usually $15. That's what I'm talking about. (And yes, before you ask, I really did need the lashes. See yesterday's post for details.)

Now, not everything from the brand in question will be up for grabs. That is important to remember. You will only have a small selection of items to choose from. In the case of UD, all of the products offered were already on sale at the brand site. Still, the Hautelook price was cheaper. The products won't always be sale items, though. Recently, I picked up a Vincent Longo eyeshadow quad in colors I've been searching for forever. It normally retails for $42. I paid $15.

Stila, Kinerase, TanTowel, DKNY, Calvin Klein, American Apparel, Laura Ashley, Betsey Johnson, William Rast, NYX, Puma...even E.L.F. (and I didn't think they could get any cheaper!) are just some of the brands that host events on Hautelook. You do have to act fast with these sales, though. They only last a few days, and items can sell out quickly. Also, once you place something in your cart, you only have 15 minutes to checkout, so decide on everything you want before you snap up that first item. Shipping rates can vary, but mine have always been in the area of $5. Shipping will take for-freaking-ever (be ye warned!), but it's worth the wait for prices like these. Plus, it's like a mini-Christmas every time I see the Hautelook label in the mail. This site has proven to me that, even though I'm on a budget, I can still have my favorites and save a few bucks at the same time. I don't know how they do it, but I'm not complaining.