Aren't You Supposed To NOT Sniff Paint?: Revlon Parfumerie Review

Last night, after putting together all of my music and altering most of my costume (that's another post, entirely), I had just enough time to do a quick and dirty manicure before bed. I had a producer's run on a show today, and needed vintage nails. Originally, I was going to use red, but it turns out, I don't own a red creme nail polish. Not one. I have red satin and red glitter, but no creme in all the gazillion bottles cluttering up my bathroom. Go figure.

 

Anyhoo, yellow was on the list of historically-accurate colors for the time period, and I'd just gotten my hands on one of the new Revlon Parfumerie scented polishes that I've seen advertised for so long, so I decided to take this opportunity to test it out. The color is Sunlit Grass, and the (freaking adorable) bottle was about six bucks at Walgreen's.



I told you it was quick and dirty. This ain't no pro job, that's for darn sure. In fact, there's still a little glitter left over from the last polish on my pinkie. Nice.

It is, indeed, scented. Whoo, boy, is it scented. I had actually used this before, but on my toes. I don't know about you, but I don't recall the last time I sniffed my own toes, so that wasn't exactly the most useful experience for review purposes. Now that I have the stuff on my hands...I kind of wish I didn't. It doesn't smell bad, but the scent is very strong, and my sinuses are very not happy with me right now. The fragrance is sort of a mix of floral and grass, and would probably be lovely as a spray or rollerball, where you develop a tolerance after wearing for a few minutes. In this case, every time I push my hair out of my face, the scent hits anew. Pretty as the color may be, it's coming off as soon as I can get to some polish remover.

As far as formula goes, I'm not crazy about it. It's streaky, patchy, and took forever to dry, even with a quick-dry topcoat. There are bubbles throughout. That said, the color is gorgeous, vibrant, and very true to what it looks like in the bottle.

Final Verdict: 4.44 out of 10. It's not the worst I've ever used, but it's not the best, and the gimmick is certainly not worth the price. Cute bottle, though.

December Favorites: "In Case of Apocalypse" Edition

I kid.

I know it's a little early for favorites, but I wanted to get these up, in case anyone was still last-minute shopping and needed a recommendation. Plus, I'm hoping to do a Best/Worst of 2012 at the end of the month, so let me know if you have any picks for the list. Here we go!

Eyes:
Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy 24/7 Shadow Pencil
Midnight Cowboy is such a gorgeous color, and that level of sparkle is perfect for the holidays (or everyday if you're me and just don't care about being "day appropriate"). Unfortunately, the fallout from the powder shadow leaves you looking akin to a disco ball. I don't mind a little sparkle on my cheeks, but when it starts hitting my clothes, it's time to pack it in. Luckily, Urban Decay has a stick cream form of the color, with every bit the sparkle--it just stays on your eyes and not your...well, everything else. Use it as a lid color, highlighter, or even a liner! At $20, it's a little pricey compared to the powder form, but if you really love Midnight Cowboy, you can consider the extra couple of dollars a convenience charge.

Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow in Collie
Another super-glittery cream shadow is Buxom's Collie. The shade is described as "sparkling champagne", and has a mousse-like texture. Alone, it packs a glittering punch; on top of the Midnight Cowboy Shadow Pencil, the effect is staggeringly beautiful.

Lips:
Victoria's Secret Color Drama Lipstick in Enamored
I've been eyeing these lipsticks for a while, now, and finally used one of my Secret Rewards cards to pick one up. The packaging is adorable, and the color I chose was a sheer, glossy, shimmery rose. It looks like a gloss, feels like a balm, and is quickly becoming my favorite shade because it goes with almost everything. Want a smoky eye? This makes a great nude. Want a natural look? This is your-lips-only-better. Going glittery? Why, hello, there! It's not the most long-lasting lip color, but that just gives me the opporunity to pull out the pink chrome and black case to touch-up.

Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet
Look, by now, we all know that these things are amazing. All I'm saying here is that, if you want a deep berry lip that doesn't require a ton of maintenance, look no further. That is all.

Face:
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude
I was not going to try this. It's expensive, and I love my Too Faced Beauty Balm. I didn't need to ever bother letting this into my life...and then I got a 500-point perk from Sephora and really wanted the highlighter in this kit. Well, the highlighter I could take or leave; the tinted moisturizer is fantastic. The coverage is actually pretty decent, the finish is silky and smooth, it doesn't break me out, and I can cover my entire face with a pea-sized amount. This will last for-freaking-ever. Luckily, it's very similar to my Too Faced, so I don't feel the need to purchase the full-size of this product. However, I am planning to get the travel size. Nude is about a shade darker than my natural skintone, so it will make a great Summer color, and the $19.50 price tag for the 1 oz. is a lot more wallet-friendly than buying a darker shade of the $32.00, 1.5 oz. Too Faced. (Ed. note: The travel-sized moisturizer is 1 oz. for $19.50. The full-sized is $43.00 for 1.5 oz. On what planet does that make sense? You could buy two travel-sized for $39, save $4 and get another half ounce of product. Granted, only two shades are available in travel-size, but if you can fit into one of those, you can save a lot of money. Just sayin'.)

Skin Care:
GlamGlow
Buy this on Amazon, from a trusted merchant (I bought it through Amazon proper, so no worries, there, and I got free shipping). You can get it for a less-than-insane price that way. In fact, go in with a friend or family member. Doing so, you split the cost, and get to have weekly hang-time with them. I went in with my dear Thomas, and we were able to pick up a full-sized jar for around $25 each. Yes, that's still crazy. Yes, it's totally worth it. It clears out your pores, helps rid your skin of blackheads, tightens things up a bit, and exfoliates like mad. My skin is now much more HD-ready (which is great, since we're filming right now!), and Thomas has had a lot less trouble with breakouts. Plus, for a few minutes each week, we get to sit around and look like goobers together. Ah, marriage!

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.

Theme Park Makeup, Part Trois

*Ed. Note: This is the third in a multi-part series. The first two can be found here and here. 

Well, we're still waiting on the still-tropical storm, and everything's closed, so I thought I'd post a quick "this would work on water rides" theme park look. I put it on to withstand torrential rains (in case I have to get out in it), so it should be able to handle Universal's Jurassic Park flume. You know, theoretically. Nothing is going to be totally waterproof, but maybe you won't have to run to the ladies' room, bypassing GO and $200, to wash off the raccoon eyes.

Oooh! It's so fuzzy I'm gonna die!!!!  This is the only snapshot I got before realizing the rain had started and the puppy was still playing outside. Seconds after this photo, I dropped the cell phone, and ran like heck to let in a dripping chihuahua, who proceeded to shake all over the living room, and run me all over the house to get his wet T-shirt off of him, then refused to let me put a dry one on him until after I'd let him pick it out first. Yes, he had to choose his own shirt. It has the Avengers logo on it. I'm proud.

Anyhoo, here's what I used:

Too Faced Beauty Balm
Benefit Boi-ing concealer
Benefit Creaseless Cream eye shadow in Sippin' 'n' Dippin' (lid and crease)
Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab (crease and lower lash line)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (upper lash line)
WATERPROOF MASCARA--I still don't have one. I can't decide!!! Anyone have a favorite to recommend?
MAC Cream Color Base in Virgin Isle (applied to cheeks with Real Techniques stippling brush)
Benefit Watt's Up highlighter (brows, inner corners, and cheek bones)
E.L.F. Brow Kit in Medium
Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart
Rimmel Stay Matte powder (just to set concealer and maybe T-zone, if you think you need it)

I used my fingers for everything but the blush, brows, and powder. This is, really, a very travel-friendly look. There are eleven products, but they're all very small, and I threw this look together in less than ten minutes. Honestly, I didn't time it, but it was probably more like five minutes. The most difficult part was deciding which products to use.

Now, you've probably noticed that all of these park looks have been neutral. Keep on the look-out for a very colorful post coming up soon!

Theme Park* Makeup, Part Un

Ed. Note: This is the first in a multi-part series.

I still have almost two months to slog through until I get to visit Hogwarts and trick-or-treat with Mickey and Minnie, and it's just about to kill me. To pass the time, I've started stalking forums, mentally packing and unpacking, and seriously over-planning.

For giggles, I decided to use the crazy temperatures and humidity we've been experiencing to my advantage. Over the past few days, I have played around with several different travel-friendly makeup combinations, to see which was the quickest to apply, easiest to tote-around, most natural, and longest-wearing under our tropical conditions. See, when I go to the parks, I don't like to wear a ton of makeup. Sure, it might look cute when you first arrive, but after six or seven hours of hiking in the heat, you come to realize that, just maybe, the smoky eye or strong lip you started out with wasn't such a great idea. Still, I am going to be taking pictures, and I'd like to look presentable in public, so a little something to keep me from scaring small children is kind of necessary. Anyhoo, here's what I came up with:

There's no good way of going left to right, or clockwise, or whatevs, so I'm just going to list this out.

• Urban Decay Naked 2
• E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer
• Benefit Boi-ing concealer
• Rimmel Stay Matte powder
• Urban Decay Primer Potion (travel-size)--Eden is pictured and Original is linked to. Either works.
• E.L.F. Brow Kit
• Benefit Coralista blush (travel-size)
• Revlon Just-Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey
• Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray (travel-size)
• Urban Decay 24-7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero (travel-size)--Full-size is linked to, but travel sizes come in several kits. I have more than one of these guys.
• Buxom Lash Mascara (travel-size)--DISREGARD! Get something waterproof! This is all I had in the house!
• Real Techniques Blush Brush
• Real Techniques Buffing Brush
• Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes

Of course, you're welcome to pack whatever you want. These are merely suggestions. I chose these particular products because of their staying power, size, price (stay with me, here), lack of shimmer, and how natural they looked. A few items also come with brushes, which cuts down on how much stuff I have to pack and deal with.

Now, remember how I said price was a factor? I threw the Naked 2 in for three shades, and only three shades: Foxy (all over), Bootycall (highlight), and Tease (crease and lower lashline).

You can find very similar shades in the much smaller, much cheaper NYX eyshadow trio with Aloha, Mink Brown, and Deep Bronze. They're a little more shimmery than the mattes and satin in the Naked 2, but will still work really well. Of course, if you have the Naked 2 already, it does come with an awesome travel brush. Speaking of brushes, if you take the Naked 2 and the E.L.F. Brow Kit (with actually decent brush), you can get away with only bringing two more brushes along...

...blush and powder. These are from Real Techniques, and please pardon how dirty they are. I'd just used them. I picked the buffing brush for powder because of its small size, but a kubuki would work just as well.

Here's the full look on my seriously broken out, puffy from allergies, in need of an eyebrow shaping face. You're welcome, world. *sigh*

I used my fingers to apply the moisturizer, concealer, and primer potion, and the brushes we talked about for the rest. I purposefully left out anything heavy (like foundation or face primer) because, personally, I feel gross sweating to death in full makeup. I also omitted anything sparkly or shimmery, because after a day in the parks, I'm shiny enough. I don't need to add to it. Lastly, I kept the budge-proof eyeliner thin, and just on the top lashline, because I only wanted a little definition, and not to advertise I was wearing makeup. A little brown eyeshadow (Tease) runs along the lower lashline, and is more than enough, in my opinion. Heck, I wouldn't have even bothered with my brows if they came anywhere close to matching my hair color (they don't), and weren't in such horrible shape.

You will need the eye primer. Even Urban Decay, for all it's pigmentation and staying power, has been sliding right off my lids in this humidity. If you're going to be in Florida, like I will be, it's going to be even worse.

As for the lips, I like the Revlon because it stains. The color sticks around for freaking ever, and if I don't feel like toting the balmstick around, I can just toss a teeny lip balm with SPF in my pocket for easy sun-protection top-offs.

It's not photo-shoot gorgeous, but it's not meant to be. It's functional, and I think it looks pretty. This is just meant to give you enough color and coverage to look polished in the umpteen vacation photos you'll be a party to, and, if you're me, not frighten the other tourists.

OH! Before I forget--toss the face wipes in the fridge. You'll be glad you did. :)

P.S. In case you were wondering what the heck all that stuff is lying on, it's a nifty little makeup bag from Lay-N-Go. I bought mine from OpenSky, and am not being compensated for telling you about it. I just thought it was cool. See, you lay your stuff on it...

...then pull the drawstring closed! That's it! No wondering how such-and-such is going to fit in it, or how on Earth you managed to get whatchamadingle in there the first go-round. Just toss in the stuff and pull. Plus, there are little zippered and velcro pockets for extra-valuables, like jewelry or contacts.

It's not huge, either, so it won't take up much space in the suitcase. For reference, the little red doohickies sticking out from underneath are the corners of a Netflix envelope.

I don't recommend it for toiletries, since they can leak, but for makeup, it's a dream. 9 out of 10.


*or music festival, or art festival, or film festival, or frisbee golf, or picnic, or camping, or flea market, or antiquing, or hiking, or...well, you get the drift.

Already? July Favorites

Well, another month has flown by. My brother starts high school in a couple of weeks, and there are only 69 more days until Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Seriously, where has this year gone?

Anyway, old lady moment aside, here are the products I gravitated toward the most this month. I normally try to choose two items for each category, but this month, I had some clear favorites that blew everything else out of contention. I hope you enjoy!

Eyes
Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Sippin' and Dippin'
I know, I picked this last month, but you know what? It's still awesome. In addition to being a pretty color on its own, it works really well as an eye shadow base. The golden peach shows nicely through bronze shades.

Stila Eye Shadow in Sparkle
Speaking of bronze shades, this is my favorite to layer over the Benefit. It's not glittery, but just shimmery enough to catch the light, and looks fantastic sheered over the lid. Also makes a nice, subtle crease color.


Lips
Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait
I just posted about this the other day, and I can not get enough of this color. I won't bore you with my ravings again. Just go get one.


Face
Rimmel Stay Matte Shine Control Pressed Powder in Transparent
I know I've mentioned this product a bajillion times on here. I keep one in my personal stash and one in my film kit. It is the best setting powder I've ever used. I've tried Urban Decay, Bare Minerals, MAC, Clinique...you name it, and keep coming back to this drugstore pick.

Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray
There is a post coming on this, but here's the short of it: it's supposed to keep makeup from melting off, and it actually does. The end.


Nails
China Glaze in Rainbow
I've really been impressed with China Glaze. I'd never tried them before the Hunger Games polishes came out, and now I can't get enough! This color is an iridescent pink opal that lasts for ages, even without a top coat. Perfect for lazy bones like me.


Body
Ahava Velvet Cream Body Wash in Hibiscus and Fig
This came in my Glossybox, and I've really enjoyed it. I'm seriously thinking of repurchasing when I run out. A travel-size (like I have now) is only $7 at Ulta. That's definitely reasonable.

Satin Care Shave Gel with a Touch of Olay
I've been looking for a good shaving cream ever since my favorite Soap & Glory disappeared, then reappeared at a much higher price. This is it. It's moisturizing, doesn't goop up on the razor, and keeps down nicks and cuts. It's a keeper, and only a few dollars at the drugstore.

Luxury Look-Alikes: NARS Orgasm vs. Revlon Peach Parfait

You know how NARS Orgasm (sorry, Mom!) anything is an instant cult favorite? Well, I found a drugstore product that could easily drink the kool-aid and fit right in. Right now, NARS has two individual blushes, a blush palette, a bronzer duo, an all-over stick (The Multiple), an illuminator, two lip glosses, and a nail polish. You know what they don't have (I mean, besides a partridge in a pear tree)? A lip butter! You know who has one that's a dead ringer* for Orgasm (sorry, Mom!)? Revlon!

I'm not even slightly kidding, folks. It's pretty startling how much these look like each other.

With my well-worn, de-potted NARS Orgasm (sor--oh, you get the point...)

With my newer, still in the packaging, NARS Super Orgasm.

The color is Peach Parfait, and is the shade worn by Emma Stone in the advertisements. The ad image looks nothing like the real deal, and actually almost kept me from buying this. It looks beautiful on her, but the color in the ad looks like an orangey peach. In reality, it's more of a golden peachy-pink.

Credit

Swatched on my lips. You can see that it's much less opaque, pinker, and has tiny flecks of gold running throughout.

Just to drive the point home, I used NARS Orgasm in all of my makeup today. I layered NARS Orgasm illuminator over a golden peach eyeshadow base (Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Sippin' 'n' Dippin'), and underneath a light dusting of NARS Orgasm blush. Highlights courtesy of Stila Kitten eyeshadow, and bronzer by Too Faced in Sun Bunny. There were other products involved, but those are the only real "color" items.



Might I add, it's hotter than Hades with a million percent humidity. I gave up on my hair around July 7th or 8th. I'll care again in October.

Folks, it's the same color. Flat out. If you are a fan of the Orgasm line, but want something other than a gloss on your lips, snap up Peach Parfait. It's a universally flattering color that will be just as appropriate this Fall and Winter as it has been this Spring and Summer. Added perk: it's roughly a third of the cost of a NARS gloss.

Anybody else have a find, dupe, or must-have they want to share? Leave it in the comments. Thanks!

*Note: This is not a dupe for anything in the NARS Orgasm collection. It's simply the same color as everything in that collection. I repeat: there is not a lip butter in the collection, and this is not a dupe for the glosses. Thank you, The Management.

P.S. Do you know how hard it was to come up with a title for this that didn't involve both "orgasm" (unavoidable) and "fake", or worse, "butter"? This could have shown up under some very interesting Google searches...yikes...

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: Discount Rockstar (Featuring NYX Crimson Amulet Palette)

Today, just for fun, I thought I would try a look using almost exclusively drugstore (or the drugstore side of Ulta, anyway) products. It's hot and sticky and gross outside, so I went with a sleek ponytail hairstyle with a smoky brown eye. I hope you guys like it. (And please be kind about my photography and how messy my car is. Thank you, The Management)

Shirt: Old Navy. Necklace: Soixante Neuf for Open Sky. Earrings: JewelMint. Car: Hurricane Erin.

The ponytail is the easiest thing in the world. Blow-dry your hair as straight as you can get it (I like to use a good leave-in conditioner/heat protectant first), then run a little Fekkai Glossing Cream throughout. Gather up your bangs/front section, and tease the underside for a little height and pin in place or use a barrette. Then create a ponytail, as usual, and slick down any flyaways with a little Pantene Classic Hairspray. If you want to fancy it up a bit, wrap a lock of hair around the ponytail and secure in place with a bobby pin.

The makeup isn't much more difficult. Start with E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer, then grab your NYX Crimson Amulet palette (if you don't have one, see if you can still snap one up. It's one of my absolute essentials, now) and pop a little HD Eye Primer on each lid and blend up to the to the brow. I like to add a little under each eye, as well.  

Next, you're going to need the bottom half of the eyeshadow palette. Going left to right, the second shade on the bottom row is your all-over color. The third shade on the top row goes in your crease. The second shade on the top row goes in your outer corner, adds further definition to the crease, and runs under the lower lashes. Finally, the dark brown shade that's second on the middle row completely lines your eyes--upper lashes, lower lashes, and inner corners. Wing it out a bit on the outer corners. For the waterline and a little added definition, I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Whiskey. It's not bargain, but it's all I had. Your brown and inner corner highlight is the first shade on the bottom row.

I pulled out the only other high-end product in this look, next. I used Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer to clean up around the eyes and cover blemishes and redness. Again, it's pretty much all I had, outside of my film kit. E.L.F.'s Eyebrow Kit in Medium filled in and defined my brows, and a coat of Maybelline Falsies waterproof mascara coated top and bottom lashes.

Alrighty! On to the rest! Apply the matte pink shade at the very top of your NYX Crimson Amulet palette to your cheeks, starting about an inch away from  your nose. You don't want too much on the apples. Then dust the highlighter on the cheekbones. Finish the look with a swipe of Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey on the lips.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

UPDATE! Kissing Cousins: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain VS. Tarte LipSurgence

Thanks for bearing with me on Friday. I'm much better now. Of course, my sweet little Ronnie got a spider bite on his eye at 4:00 this morning, sending us to the Pet ER in a blinding thunderstorm, then back home for zero sleep before we had to be up for work, so I'm still a bit loopy. The puppy is fine and dandy, dandy and fine, but I'm zonked. I actually confused my acid reflux medicine with the sugar spoon this morning, and deliberately plopped the pill into my coffee. Couldn't fish it out, so I drank my Zantac, and you know what? Coffee sweetened with reflux meds tastes absolutely terrible. Oh well.

Anyhoo, I did manage to snag a couple of those Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Honey and Sweetheart, so I was able to see how they compare to the Tarte LipSurgence. I haven't tried the Clinique Chubby Sticks, so I don't know how similar they are. I'm sorry.

To start with, I only wanted the Honey, which is a pretty rosy nude. Then I saw that Walgreen's had them buy one get one 50% off, so I snapped up Sweetheart, too, since it looked very similar in color to my Tarte Enchanted. I figured I could really compare them that way. However, when I got home, I realized that the colors were quite a bit off from each other. Since I've not really had much of a call to wear hot pink this weekend, this review is mainly based off of Honey.

Pretty Packaging.
I also noticed that the Revlon is larger than the Tarte. Thought I'd throw that out there, too.

The packaging is very similar. The color of the stick is the color of the balm; both are retractable, but the Revlon has a pretty silver-toned twister, and the Tarte has a pretty silver-toned cap. The balm itself...well, there's really no comparison. The Tarte is much more transluscent, and feels more like a solid gel than the crayon-like texture of the Revlon. Both are highly pigmented, but the Tarte's pigmentation is just a little bit better, and much truer. Both felt very moisturizing, had lovely mint flavors, and proved to be long-lasting, but the Revlon does feather and slide more than the Tarte. Of course, the price points are wildly different, as well. Tarte will run you a steep $24, while the Revlon is just $8.99.

Swatch of Honey.

Here's the thing: I really like the Revlon. A lot. I've worn Honey almost exclusively this weekend, and loved the way it looked and felt. It's a great product. It's just not as great as the Tarte. It's also not anywhere as expensive, either. I just don't want anyone to get this thinking they're getting the exact same product for a third of the price. They're also not getting a cheap copy, either. The two products are similar, but they're not the same. As I remarked earlier, the Tarte is more of a gel stain, and the Revlon is more of a crayon balm. Again, both are wonderful products, but they are not the same.



Me, wearing Honey.
No, the funky angle doesn't mean I'm going through an art photography phase. I just can't shoot worth a flip.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a moisturizing stay-put stain and have the extra money, go with the Tarte. If you just want long-lasting, lightweight color, save yourself a lot of money and go with the Revlon.

Final Verdict (not as a comparison): 8 out of 10. Keep one on hand this Summer.

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.

Lingerie For Nails

Remember that great Zoya polish that came in my Glossybox? Well, I decided to jazz it up a bit.

How cool is that? The holographic glitter top coat is White Noise by Warpaint Beauty. I found it on clearance at Hot Topic for $1.99, and figured, "what the hey? It'll be fun!" Now, I'm in love with it, and it's been discontinued...of course. So, now I'm on a mission to find a replacement for it. But look at how pretty it is over nude nails!

Seriously, this makes me think of that mesh material designers use on red carpet gowns. It's like lingerie for your nails, and it's so easy to do. Swipe a thin coat on the top third of your nail (you may have to "set" the glitter where you want it), then add a thicker coat on the white tip only--like a French manicure. Add a clear top coat to seal. I used Finger Paints in Natural Talent for the nude base. It's very sheer, so what you're seeing is around five coats. Feel free to find something more opaque to save time.

Moving on, let's dip into the ol' Magic Glossybox o' Samples to check out the Burberry Lip Mist in Copper. One word: Gorgeous. This is less a lipstick and more a butter. It's sheer, but pigmented, a beautiful Summery bronze, and oh, so moisturizing. My only complaints are the flavor, which is far too perfume-y for my taste, and the thirty dollar price tag. It's very similar to the Revlon lip butters you can get at the drugstore for less than a third of the cost. In this case, you're really just paying for the Burberry name and packaging. I'm definitely enjoying my sample, but I won't buy a full-sized one.

Summer In the City: May Favorites

First off, I want to congratulate my awesome, amazing, and way too darn tall baby brother on his 8th Grade Graduation! Not only that, but he won the Technology award for his class! Don't ask me what that means, because I'm a bad sister who has no idea. Still, I'm impressed, and couldn't be prouder.

And yeah, I cried.

Buckets.

I love that kid.

 

Photo Credit: Sally Beauty Supply

 

Okay, now that I've embarrassed the pants off my younger sibling, let's move on to something new! Since it's the end of the month, and I've had the opportunity to play with some new things, I thought I'd put together a little "best of" list. These are the products I've found myself reaching for the most this month. I tried really hard to choose both high-end and drugstore products for each category. Think of it as a mini-review/recommendation list. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, let me know, and I'll try to keep this up. I'm trying to tailor this blog to what you guys want to see, so please, do a girl a favor and tell me what  you want, what you really, really want.

Eyes

Photo Credit: Sephora

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Rehab: Toss this is in your beach bag for one-step, no fuss, boho smoky eyes. Run this bronze-y brown all over the lid and under the lower lashes, smudge it out, then use it to line upper and lower for added definition. No brushes, primer, or neatness required! $20, Sephora.

NYX HD Eye Shadow Base: Surprise! This is the only primer I've ever used that could really cut down on glitter fallout. I adore my UD Midnight Emergency palette, but Midnight Rodeo and Midnight Cowboy (my favorite shades, wouldn't you know) tend to turn into mini Tinkerbell-explosions that no amount of clean-up can fix. On a whim, I used the sample size primer from my Dark Shadows palette, and ended up with only the tiniest bit of fallout on my cheeks, instead of the disco-ball shrapnel I'm used to. Awesome stuff, guys. $6.99, Ulta.

Lips

Photo Credit: Sephora

Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Tint in Enchanted: I picked this up to wear during a voice recital, which is basically an hour straight of singing. Correction: it's basically a solid hour of beating your lips together, interrupted only by brief, yet frequent, periods of chugging water. Anything that goes on your lips has got to have serious staying power, and this definitely did the trick. Not only that, but my lips stayed soft, moisturized, and the prettiest shade of fresh strawberry pink. It's pricey, but given the circumstances, worth it. I do want to compare it to the new lookalike, Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm. $24 (nearly choked!), Sephora.

Photo Credit: Drugstore.com

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Lollipop: Speaking of Revlon, I am absolutely loving their new lip butters. They feel like a balm, look like a sheer lipstick, and come in really pretty, color-coordinated packaging, so no fumbling around looking for the right one in a sea of black containers. (I'm looking at you MAC and E.L.F.!) Lollipop is a super bright fuschia that can be worn sheer for a wash of color, or built up for maximum impact. It's gorgeous for Summer. $5.99, Drugstore.com.

Face

Benefit Boi-ing: I'm just going to say this: I ran out one day (okay, so I accidentally dropped it in my coffee while I was half-asleep and trying to get dressed in a hurry. Grace and dignity, right here), and had to use another concealer I had lying around. I figured that would get me by for a few days, at least, right? Nope. By nightfall, I'd replaced it, and have no intentions of ever being without it again. It's just that good. $19, Sephora.

ELF Mineral Foundation: I use this to set my beauty balm and concealer, and honestly, I like it better than the UD powder I was using. Plus, I feel like I'm doing something good for my skin by using the mineral powder, and it's a heckuva lot cheaper. $5, eyeslipsface.com.

Body

Photo Credit: Sephora

Super by Perricone Supermodel Legs: I won't go out in shorts or a skirt without this, if I can help it. It's leg makeup, pure and simple, but it's so easy to use, and your legs look fabulous. This is a lightly-tinted, weightless moisturizer that you just rub on for a subtle sheen that reflects the light and masks imperfections. I'm not going to say that it does anything other than that, but for this day-glo white chick with cellulite, that's enough. It's on sale right now, and I plan to pick up a few more bottles. $15, Sephora.

Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen with Shimmer: I live in the extreme deep South (any further South, and you'd be swimming). It's hot. It's muggy. It's downright miserable, and while I feel that everyone, regardless of location, should wear sunscreen every day, there's really no way around it down here. You go outside, you fry. End of story. This feels nice, coats well, protects really well, and leaves you with a pretty glow. The smell's a little too sunscreen-y for my taste, but I can live with it for all the other benefits. $9.99, Drugstore.com. (Available in several SPFs. I like 40. 'Cause I'm Casper.)

Hair

Photo Credit: Sephora

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray: My technique for beach waves: Spray this in towel-dried hair, then roughly blow-dry until just damp. Let air-dry the rest of the way. Do. Not. Brush. Looks like I just spent the day at the Gulf, and it's so fast and easy! $24, Sephora.

Bumble & Bumble Prep: I use this is conjunction with the Surf Spray, actually. That's why I have two high-end products for this category. The day after you Surf Spray your hair, spritz this all over to reactivate the product, then brush through for soft waves that last all day, or use as a base for hot rollers or a curling iron. You can also use this on its own as a style primer, but I love it for reactivating product. It really came in handy a couple of weeks ago during filming. Travel size is only $6 at Sephora.



Photo Credit: Buy.com



It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In: The drugstore pick is as expensive as the high-end! That's madness! I hate, hate, hate, that I got this as a deluxe sample. I used it up, fell head over heels in love with it, and then found out how much it cost! It's completely worth it, though, and a bottle will last months. Spray it in freshly washed hair for detangling and added softness and shine. I don't know how I lived without it. $21.99, Target (I believe Ulta is less, but I can't find it on the site).

Nails 

China Glaze in Watermelon Rind: This is a super fun, unexpected pop of color for your toes. I don't recommend it for fingers, but this bright teal glitter shade looks beyond beautiful peeping through flip-flops. Check it out at the top of this post. $6.49, Sally Beauty Supply.