Back to School / College Makeup

As we're heading closer to September, a lot of students will be heading back to school, either high school, college or grad school. I always get a lot of requests at this time to show some back to school makeup ideas, using affordable products. So here's a really simple and easy look I came up with. This shouldn't take you any longer than 10 minutes in the morning to do, and uses only a minimal amount of products. I hope you enjoy it!

I hope you have a wonderful start back to school, and please let me know if you want to see any other Back to School type of videos - maybe even some non-beauty related? Share your ideas in the comments!

Products used:

Maybelline Age Rewind concealer
DM Ebelin makeup sponge
MAC Pro Longwear powder Light
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil Milk
Maybelline The Nudes eyeshadow palette
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Whiskey
L'Oreal Shocking Extensions mascara
Catrice Apropos Apricot blush
NYX Tiramisu butter gloss
L'Oreal Rose Finale lipgloss

Nailpolish: Maybelline - Uptown Blue

Watch the video on Youtube here.

Maybelline Vivid Lipstick Swatches + Review

Well gosh darn it, if I'm not the last person in Beauty Blog-o-land to write about the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks!!

I originally heard about these on Youtube and Twitter from some American girls I follow, because living in Ye Olde Europe means we're always way behind when it comes to new drugstore product releases. I heard a lot of people raving about these, so after oggling over pretty pictures on the Internet, I bit the bullet and ordered four of them on ebay no less. Imagine, even with jacked up ebay pricing, plus worldwide shipping, these were still cheaper than buying them locally in Switzerland! :-O

(I added one more lipstick bullet to my collection when they finally arrived here.)

Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red

The packaging: bright orange see-through lipstick bullets

Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red

Let me tell you, they are soooo lovely! If you are into bright colors as much as I am, then these lipsticks are a great drugstore purchase. The colors are very well pigmented, they feel very comfortable to wear with a creamy but not too creamy finish, and last for a good amount of time on my lips before I have to reapply. Sure, they don't last as long as my Rouge d'Armani, but they are definitely better quality than some other drugstore lipsticks I own.

The color I reach for the most is Shocking Coral, and I recently picked up Vivid Rose, which I think will be another contender in my lipstick rotation. I've read a few of these colors are dupes of certain MAC lipsticks (Candy Yum Yum I think?) but I can't compare because I don't own those shades. The only one I'm not crazy about is On Fire Red - I just think I own some nicer reds in my collection already, but it's not a terrible color or anything. I just don't reach for it as much as the other colors.

So, two thumbs up for these lipsticks from me! A definite drugstore bargain purchase that packs a punch. :)

Do you own any of the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks? If so, which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Review

I know these new Maybelline cream eyeshadows / bases have been talked about a lot, but I just wanted to add my piece! I discovered these over Christmas when I went shopping in the States, determined to hunt them down as everyone was raving about them. Back then I picked up 2 colors: Tough as Taupe, and Pomagranate Punk. Today I finally spotted them in a Swiss drugstore, so I picked up two more: On and On Bronze and Timeless Black.

Please note that the European market names differ from North America, and I think the black one is unique to Europe at the moment since I didn't see it in the States or Canada when I was there. The black one is not the same as the Asphalt one available in North America, which is a shimmery dark grey. On and On Bronze may be the same color as the bronze colored one in North America, I'm not sure.

Top row L to R: Pomegranate Punk, Timeless Black

Bottom row L to R: On and On Bronze, Tough as Taupe

Tough as Taupe (bought in USA)

Pomegranate Punk (bought in USA)

On and On Bronze (bought in Europe)

Timeless Black (bought in Europe)

L to R: Tough as Taupe, On and On Bronze, Pomegranate Punk, Timeless Black

Here's how I would describe the colors and finish of each of these.

Tough as Taupe: True medium colored taupe, dries to a matte finish

On and On Bronze: Medium golden bronze, dries to a strong metallic finish

Pomegranate Punk: Warm auburn shade with a slightly golden shimmer, slightly metallic finish

Timeless Black: True black with blue micro pigments, dries to a matte black finish

These products can be applied with an eyeshadow brush (I prefer the MAC 217) or with your fingers. They work as stand-alone cream eyeshadows, or can be used as a base for layering powder shadows on top. They are very comparable to the MAC Paintpots. While I've heard some not-so-great things about the brightly colored ones (especially the purple one), the darker and neutral colors I have here are very pigmented, apply smoothly, don't crease and last a really long time on my eye. The color is buildable, and can be applied lightly with a brush for a wash of color, or more intensely for an opaque pay-off.

The black one is really interesting to me, as it is comparable to the limited edition MAC Greasepaint Stick in Slick Black, although the MAC product is a stick form (which can also be applied with a brush) and is slightly stronger in pigmentation and longevity. Here a quick comparison swatch.

Left: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Timeless Black

Right: MAC Greasepaint Stick in Slick Black

Overall I think these are a great drugstore product and definitely recommend them, at least the colors I own! I've heard some hit-and-miss things about the colorful ones.

Do you own any of the Maybelline Color Tattoos? Do you like them? Share in the comments!

Revlon Lipsticks and Glosses

Today I've got some swatches for you of some Revlon lip products that I tried out. First up we have the Colorburst Lipsticks, which I believe originally were launched last year in a variety of colors. Switzerland has a rather small selection of available colors, but I think in North America there are many more shades available. They go on smooth, creamy and feel comfortable on the lips. My favorites are the brighter shades, I'm not 100% sold on the nude shades.

Above left to right: Soft Nude, True Red, Fuchsia, Blush

 Above left to right: Fuchsia, True Red, Blush, Soft Nude

Above left to right (swatched on paper): Soft Nude, True Red, Fuchsia, Blush

Next up I have the Colorburst Lipglosses for you, which are sparkly glosses that come in a long square tube, again in lots of colors. Some have compared these to MAC Dazzleglasses but I don't think that comparison is all together accurate as the shimmer and sparkle in these glosses are sort of one-dimensional and not as multi-colored as the MAC Dazzleglasses. My favorite from these is probably Strawberry, which would be a great summer shade. They are overall very shimmery and sparkly, so if you prefer a cream finish, I would skip these.

Bottom left to right: Strawberry, Papaya, Sunset Beach, Hot Pink, Crystal Lilac, Pink Ice, Gold Dust

Lastly I have a few of the Revlon Lipglosses to swatch for you. These are a regular cream finish without any sparkles or shimmer to them, and are quite well-pigmented. These would be great on their own, or layered over lipsticks. I really love all three of these shades!

Bottom, left to right: Coral Reef, Peach Petal, Pink Pop

My main gripe with all these lip products from Revlon is the taste and smell of their products. They just don't have a nice smell or flavor, they sort of remind me of old-ladyish perfume mixed with a sickly sweet scent. Revlon products are very pricey in Switzerland, comparable to MAC prices, and for that price, I just wish their lip products tasted better. The lipsticks are passable, but the glosses taste like flavored plastic.

Still, the quality of the lipsticks and some of the glosses (especially the more colorful ones) are pretty good, and I can't wait to wear some of these colors especially for spring and summer.