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!

L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadows Review

I've tried out five of these new shadows by L'Oreal and I have to say I'm pretty impressed! The are a drugstore version of the Armani Eyes To Kill shadows (which are incidentally also made by L'Oreal Cosmetics but for their Armani brand) and are a very unique texture. They are soft-pressed eyeshadows which actually have a liquid component to their formula, which makes them buttery smooth and slightly creamy. There is a stopper insert below the lid which you can use to press the eyeshadows down.

Clockwise from the top row left: Flashback Silver, Sahara Treasure, Purple Obsession, All Night Blue, Hourglass Beige

The five I've picked out here all have a very frosty, metallic finish, although I think there are one or two matte shades available (I think the black is matte.) The are really pigmented on my lids and last a very long time without fading or flaking. It's best to use a flat, slightly stiff shading brush to pack these down on the lid; I didn't have very good results with a soft blending brush.

Overall I'm very pleased with these. They have a great color pay-off and an interesting finish, and the colours are really nice and can be combined very well with each other. They are on the more expensive side as far as drugstore products go but I think they are also much more pigmented than most drugstore eyeshadows.


Check out my video review for a closer look and swatches!

Drugstore Look: Smokey Purple

Many of your requested to see more videos using drugstore makeup. I don't buy too much drugstore makeup here in Switzerland because a) we have a really crappy variety of colors and products, and b) many "cheap" drugstore brands are insanely overpriced here! (Revlon foundation for $30 USD, L'Oreal macara for $25 USD.)

So when I was recently in the States, I went to town at Ulta and Target, picking up loads of cheap but good drugstore products, most of which are not even available here. In many cases, drugstore products can deliver great results, and with so many brands coming out with hip products geared towards a younger consumer, you should have no problem replicating most of my looks with cheaper alternatives (if you live in a country that has a wide variety.)

Here's a soft and pretty purple look using mostly drugstore products. For some items I just had no drugstore product available to me that suited the look, but in the video I give budget alternatives.

Face
Revlon Colorstay foundation, MAC MSF in Blonde

Eyes
MAC Paint in Mauvism, Wet n Wild Color Icon palette #736 Petal Pusher, MAC Feline kohl pencil, L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes mascara

Lips
Milani Lip Flash pencil in In A Flash, Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss (purple one)

Nails
OPI Skull & Glossbones

Check out the video below!

Watch directly on Youtube here

Christian Dior Spring Summer 2011 Makeup + $200 Sephora giveaway

 

This look was inspired by the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2011 runway show makeup. I loved how bright and colorful the images looked, but also how simple they were. The best part is that I used all drugstore makeup products to achieve the look (except for one.) Here's the inspiration picture I used:

Check out my video below on how I achieved this look! It's really easy actually...

Face
Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory, Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation in Natural Ivory, MAC MSF in Stereo Rose

Eyes
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, Catrice Don't Drink and Dive e/s, Catrice black gel eyeliner, Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara, Catrice Go Charlie Brown e/s, Max Factor kohl pencil in Natural Glaze

Lips
NYX Femme lipstick, Revlon Colorburst lipgloss in Papaya

Nailpolish
Barry M - 119 Baby Pink

Win a $200 Goodie Bag from Sephora!

This video is also a collaboration with the The Frugalicious Show on Youtube , a great channel focused on tips and tricks on how to save money in daily life, also how to save on beauty products. Pretty perfect in this economy, huh?

They are doing a giveaway on their channel right now for $200 worth of department store makeup from Sephora.com, handpicked by myself of course! Here's what you can win:

Nars Blush in Deep Throat
Sephora Deluxe Fragrance Sampler for her (bestselling perfumes)
Urban Decay Book of Shadows
Sephora Give Me Some Lip Sampler (bestselling lip products)
Sephora by OPI Polish in Metro Chic
Sephora by OPI Polish in Read My Palm

You must be subscribed to BOTH our channels to participate. The contest is open worldwide, you must favorite their video and leave a comment on their giveaway video on Youtube to be entered (commenting on this blog entry does not work.) A winner will be drawn at random by the Frugalicious Show. The contest ends on April 20, 2011. Make sure to check out their video below to enter! The winner will be announced on the Frugalicious channel only.

My video tutorial on Youtube
TheFrugaliciousShow giveaway

Germany Haul and a Giveaway!

I was recently in Germany (twice in November on business trips) and I did some shopping there. I bought some clothes, accessories, and beauty products of course! In this video I'll share my haul with you, and give some details on German drugstore brands - sadly not available in Switzerland.

I also picked up some great lipsticks by P2. It's a German brand and I have to say I've absolutely fallen in love with their lip products. Great quality at an unbeatable price. So I decided to pick up 3 more for a giveaway so that one lucky person might try them out as well. Here they are:

L to R: Kö (a bright berry tone), Regent Street (lovely medium peach), Rodeo Drive (nude)

How to enter to win these lipsticks

Go to my Facebook, "Like" my page (click the thumbs up beside my name at the top) and read my Wall update to see how to enter for the giveaway. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Facebook. This giveaway is open worldwide.

http://www.facebook.com/mizzchievouz

Good luck!

May Favorites + Smooth summer feet

I've compiled a list of my favorite products for May as well as some new nailpolishes I recently purchased from Essence and Catrice.


Nailpolishes:
Essence Purple Diamond
Essence In The Jungle
Catrice I Sea You
Catrice Blues Brother
Essence Clyde

Foot products:
Eubos Foot Cream with 10% Urea
(Please note urea is not urine! It's a compound that is often used for dermatological uses, which rehydrates skin. It is also found in urine but it's not like they put urine into cream, haha!)
Essence Foot Protection Stick


Foundation:
Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup (I would classify this more as a tinted moisturizer and it contains SPF 15 so it's great for light coverage and protection for summer.)

Lips:
NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Sake

Video Link

Revlon Photo Ready review

There's been a lot of talk about Revlon Photo Ready foundation since it debuted earlier this year, and it's been the talk of the beauty community for a hot minute. In the video I talk in depth about the product but here's my short review:

Pros:

• Suitable for normal to dry skin types
• Light to medium coverage that is buildable. You will still need to use concealer with this foundation to cover redness, undereye circles, blemishes.
• Leaves a glowing, slightly shimmery look to your skin
  
• Affordable in North America (Between $12-14, sometimes available BOGO)
• Very light shades are available for fair skinned people.
• pump dispenser is great for ease of use.
  

Cons:

• Not suitable for combination and oily skin as the shimmer will enhance the oily look
• The foundation contains micro shimmer particles that probably don't photograph too well with flash so I wouldn't recommend this for flash photo shoots or anything similar
• If you have problem skin, large pores, or acne, I would avoid.
• Very pricey in Europe for drugstore foundation. (+$30 USD in Switzerland)
• Not a very wide shade range.

Overall I like the foundation for myself, but I can see how it isn't for everyone. We only have a measly 5 shades available in Switzerland, the lightest one available here being Shell 03, which is much too yellow and dark on me. I'll be ordering Ivory, the lightest shade, from eBay most likely. I would repurchase this but only from eBay, this is way too expensive for what it is in Switzerland and the shade range is too narrow.

Barry M Haul

I recently hauled some Barry M cosmetics - a UK cosmetic brand - from their online shop, and today I finally had the time to take some pretty pictures of my loot! Check my video above for more details as well, and you can subscribe to my second channel if you'd like to see more haul videos. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to post hauls exclusively on my ThirdShift channel, or on my regular MissChievous makeup channel as well. All these pics are taken with my Canon 20D SLR and a 50mm lens (I should really use it more, it takes gorgeous pictures!) Click on the images to see them in full size for maximum detail and colour.

Nail Paints (L to R): Baby Pink, Lilac, Limited Edition Pink, Baby Blue

My entire Barry M nailpaint collection (L to R):

Limited Edition Pink, Baby Pink, Lilac, Baby Blue, Cyan Blue, Mint Green, Racing Green

Blusher in Pink Orchid

Lip Paints (L to R): Peachy Pink, Black, Dolly Pink

My Barry M Lip Paint collection (L to R):

Baby Pink, Palest Lavender, Dolly Pink, Peachy Pink, Black

I love Barry M products, I have a few more of their things such as one Dazzle Dust loose eyeshadow, and the bronzer, which is amazing! One of the best drugstore lines out there, I think. They make really cool, original colours and the quality of their products is pretty good. If you're thinking of buying a black lipstick to go along with the black lip trend that's so in this season, try this one from Barry M. It's really pigmented and because it's so inexpensive, you won't feel like you've wasted a bunch of money on a higher end brand lipstick that you might only wear a few times. Their nailpaints are also really nice, very creamy and opaque, even their pastel shades.

Please check their website for all the prices, and if you decide to order, make sure to take advantage of discount codes that can be found through Google. You can usually find a code that will give you 15% off your online order. I followed Barry M on Twitter and used a one-day-only 20% discount code they tweeted - score! Shipping was incredibly fast. I had my order delivered 3 days later, and I believe they ship worldwide.

Link to my haul video

Great drugstore lipstick find for Fall! Nivea Beaute

Contrary to popular belief, I do like to browse through and make the occasional purchase from the drugstore or pharmacy. The only products I absolutely do not buy at drugstores are eyeshadows, but I always have a peek at what else has come out from the more budget lines. Recently I was browsing and the Nivea Beaute line had a fall line out called their "Paris" collection. Although Nivea body lotions and some cosmetic products are available worldwide, I believe their makeup line is only available in Europe.

I was instantly drawn to this blackberry plum shade, even though it seemed to be the least popular one of the few colours they had available with this collection, judging by the stock. (Leave it me to me to go for the less popular and slightly less "everyday wearable" shades!)

This is Nivea Beaute Colour Passion lipstick in Nr. 86 Bedtime Plum.

The colour is slightly more cool toned than on these pics, the swatch on the lips is probably most colour accurate. The pigmentation is very rich, the lipstick is creamy and moisturizing without being thin and slippery. Overall I have to say this is a fabulous colour for fall and so on trend with the fall collections where berry toned lips are a highlight.

If you're not sure how to wear a lipstick like this, I showed how to pair such a color with a pretty fall inspired eye look. Click here to check out that video in case you missed it. Of course you could also just wear this with some dramatic winged liner, mascara, some blush and call it a day. I frequently do this when I'm lazy with my makeup but still want to look a bit "done up".

Speaking of drugstore products - has anyone tried that new vibrating mascara that I believe Maybelline just recently released? I hope that becomes available here, I have a hankering for testing out gimmicky products and reviewing them on my blog.

Review: Lip Palettes

Above: 32 color lip palette #2

Price: USD $5.99 (without shipping and handling)

Above L to R: 10 Color Lip Palettes #1, #3, #2

Price: USD $5.99 (without shipping and handling)

Sarah sent me these lip palettes to review; they are available on eBay at her store. Please click on the images to enlarge. Here is my honest opinion of these palettes.

Pros

• inexpensive way to attain many lipstick shades all in one go, making it suitable for beginner makeup users with a limited collection
  
• palette form is easy to use on other people, more sanitary than tube lipsticks when used with a spatula
• formula is creamy and easy to apply
• mixing and custom blending of different colors is very easy
• some are lipgloss textures that could be layered
• mixture of finishes include creams, frosts, sheers and glitters
• large color variety and good combination of color families in the 10-piece palettes

Cons

• not as richly pigmented or as long-lasting as higher end lipsticks
• palette form means harder to touch up on the go
• lack of flavoring to mask the lipstick taste

Overall I think these are a great bargain for the beginner makeup collector who doesn't have a lot of lip colors to work with as the price of these lip palettes are surely a bargain, and work out cheaper than even most drugstore brand lipsticks. However, if you're looking for extremely long-lasting lipsticks I'd probably give these a miss. These palettes are a great way to try out a large variety of shades to see what works on you, or how to combine them with a variety of eyeshadow looks, or if you want to practice doing makeup on other people as the palette form is much more sanitary. These lip palettes are in a much lower price category than higher end brands like MAC or others, so a comparison on that level would be out of place. They are more comparable to the NYX Round Lipsticks in texture and longevity.

If you would like to try out any of these palettes or other products from Sarah's shop, please visit her on eBay. She has great customer service and her items are always securely wrapped and shipped promptly, she also offers combined shipping rates for multiple purchases. And - always cheaper than Coastal Scents!

Click here to visit her store on eBay

My Youtube video link for email subscribers

Review: Double Stack Palettes (matte and shimmer)

No flash:

With flash:

I got these palettes from the seller abestlife on eBay and I was happy to add these to my collection. I have the palette in both the shimmer and the matte variety, both palettes have 32 eyeshadows as the top layer, and 10 blushes as the bottom later - 42 pieces total. The blush palette is the same on both palettes, hence why I only photographed it once. The eyeshadow colors, however, vary slightly between the matte and shimmer palette, which I hope my pictures reflect. All the ingredients of these palettes are listed on the seller's eBay page.

Pros:

• very good-value and contains both eyeshadows and blushes
• great pigmentation especially on the shimmer palette
• variety of colors - some neutrals and some very bright colors
• eyeshadows are very easy to blend and apply smoothly on top of a base
  
• blushes are also highly pigmented
• easy to travel with as the case is compact and eyeshadows are not as fragile as the 120 palette

Cons:

• Consistency is a little bit dusty - not chalky though. This is virtually the same for all these types of inexpensive palettes from eBay/Coastal Scents
  
• blushes are a little bit hard to work with because they are so pigmented, need to be applied with a light hand or a skunk brush

I had a good experience with this seller - fast shipping, good packaging, no damages whatsoever. If you want to be on the safe side, get the additional insurance as these items are shipped from China, but the price is still lower than on other sites (ex. Coastal Scents.)

The inevitable questions...

Do you like these better than the 120 palette?
In some ways yes because the consistency of the shadows is better, they are easier to work with, and you get the added bonus of blushes included. On the other hand, you get more colors with the 120 palette so I'll still use that one too.
Do you like this better than the 88 palette?
I only have the matte 88 palette, but yes, I like the double stack ones more.
Which one would you recommend I buy?
I really can't answer that and I don't like telling people which one they should buy. I do have extensive reviews of all my palettes so please click on the tag "palettes" on the side of my blog to read them all, then make up your own mind on which one suits your needs the best.

Drugstore mascaras: The Goodies and Badies (Review)

I finally had the chance to review some of those drugstore mascaras I've been hoarding and trying out. Watch the video to see which ones sink or swim!

Mascaras I tested:

L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion
L'Oreal Double Extension Beauty Tubes waterproof
Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black
Max Factor 2000 Calorie
Covergirl Lash Blast
Maybelline Define a Lash waterproof
Max Factor Lash Lift waterproof
Essence Lash Mania
Essence Volume Boost Base mascara

What is your favorite drugstore mascara? Let me know in the comments!

72 Neutral, 72 Ultra Shimmer and Concealer palettes Review

These are two palettes that I received as a sample gift from my trusty eBay seller jolieeeee (aka Sarah) who I have purchased many palettes from previously with great customer service. On the right in the above picture is the 72 Color Professional Eye Shadow Neutral Palette. The neutral palette is very similar to the 28 neutral palette, which I reviewed earlier on my blog and on Youtube. The main difference between this one and the 28 neutral palette is the size of the eyeshadows, they are quite small but as a trade-off you do get more colors. The color payoff and finish is really pretty much the same so make sure to check out my earlier review.

The palette on the left is the 72 Ultra Shimmer Palette which is the exact same format and size as the neutral palette but these colors are very bright, pigmented, and the finish is shimmery/sparkley. These shadows do contain a lot of sparkle/glitter in them so I wouldn't recommend this palette if you don't like that kind of finish as they are all like that. However, I did use a few of the shades for some looks already and they do look really pretty when combined with matte eyeshadows. I used a sparkley color on the lid and a matte in the crease and for me this was the perfect combination. It's a real mixed bag of colors but this is a great palette if you like sparkley eyeshadow, I could see this being very appealing to younger girls and teens. The finish is similar to MAC Lustre eyeshadows, but I found these apply and adhere better.

Sarah also sent me the 10 Color Professional Camouflage Concealer Palette that I was really keen to try out. The color range is great, I am lighter than MAC NC15 and I could still find a color in here that was right for my skintone! I am not sure what the darkest shade would equate to in MAC, sorry. So color spectrum - thumbs up.

As to the quality of these concealers, well...they are OK. I still would opt for my Ben Nye concealer wheel over these as far as lasting power and strength of coverage, but these aren't bad either. I was actually surprised at the quality, these are better than some drugstore concealers I have tried out! What I like about the texture is that it is very emollient and easy to spread, but then very quickly dries down to a smooth powder finish. It's almost like a cream-to-powder foundation in texture, but not overly heavy, and could even be used as a foundation.

The only thing is that this palette doesn't come with any color correctors (green, orange, lilac shades) so this would be of limited use to a makeup artist having to color correct, but these would work well to go over a corrector to even out the skintone again. I could see this palette being suitable for a beginner makeup artist just venturing out into the professional world without a huge budget to spend on kit essentials, or someone who just likes to apply makeup on other people, their friends, etc. Because at $6.99 for this palette (without s&h) you can't really go wrong. The quality is admittedly not top-shelf, but considering the price, this isn't a bad purchase for those people I just mentioned.

I have purchased several times from Sarah's shop and have always been happy with my purchases, the customer service, and shipping turnaround time. I would not be endorsing this seller if I did not stand behind her business practices. Her packages are always very well wrapped and I've never received a package with even a single broken eyeshadow. I would recommend insurance though just in case.

Her eBay store:
http://myworld.ebay.com/jolieeeee/

Tutorial: Deep Ocean Blue

This look reminds me of oceans, of holidays and summer. I was playing around with my Mehron pastel palette last night and was just drawn to the bright pastel blue color, and wanted to use it for a makeup look. This is what I came up with! If you don't have the Mehron palette, you can use a light blue creamy eyeliner pencil as a base, or a white base would work as well. The Mehron base just gives it that extra vibrancy. Remember, these Mehron palettes are not traditional eyeshadow bases, they are water-activated face painting products that can also be used as eyeshadow base to make the colors very vibrant and rich!

Face

Bare Escentuals mineral foundation, NYX Angel blush, NYX Mosaic blush in Highlighter Nr. 1

Eyes

ArtDeco e/s base, MAC water-based Mixing Medium, Mehron Paradise Aquacolor palette in Pastel (I used the light blue shade), 88 matte and satin palette from eBay, Maybelline white eye kohl on waterline, generic false eyelashes from eBay, MAC Vellum e/s, Maybelline The Colossal mascara

Lips

MAC Angel lipstick, NYX Lipgloss in Smokey Look

MAC Cremesheen glasses dupes!

I remember when the MAC Cremesheen glasses came out I was excited because I love lipgloss without shimmer and sparkles, but with an ultra glossy finish. Then when I swatched them at the MAC counter, I thought: Eh, I'm sure I can find something like this in a drugstore! I walked out without purchasing anything, and I'm glad I did, because indeed I found something very similar from a drugstore: Margaret Astor Shine Deluxe Prismatic Gloss.

Unfortunately they don't seem to have names but I bought one in a peach shade, the other one in a raspberry shade. They have medium pigmentation, just like the MAC ones, and would look great layered over a corresponding lipstick. They feel very creamy and give a beautiful glossy finish without any duochrome, glitter or sparkle. They sort of remind me of a thicker consistency and better pigmented MAC Lipgelee.

They come in a few other shades, some neutrals, some brown townes, and a really baby pink one as well. I'm not sure of the availability of Margaret Astor products outside of mainland Europe so you'll just have to check your local drugstore. I also don't think they can be purchased online anywhere, as far as I know. The name and packaging of these lipglosses is a bit deceiving because it reminds me of the MAC 3D glosses, but these are definitely more like the Cremesheens in texture, finish and color payoff. You can find swatches of MAC's Cremesheen glosses here.

Overall, I really like these Margaret Astor lipglosses and I might go back for a few more. The colors I picked up will look great layered over lipsticks, or just by themselves for spring. This just goes to show that MAC is not always better and more innovative than less expensive drugstore brands, and sometimes you're just paying a premium for the label.

Nailpolish I'm wearing: OPI - Tickle My France-y

Drugstore haul and mascaras

I've been wanting to pick up a bronzer for a while now but didn't have time to go to the MAC store and also wanted to see if a drugstore product would do the job. I settled on one by Nivea called Stay Real because it swatched smoothly on my hand and wasn't too dark - a common problem for fair skinned people. I tried it out tonight for the first time just to see and first impression seems ok. No annoying sparkles and glitter, and no orange glow. So far so good!

I also picked up 2 mascaras: L'Oreal Double Extend waterproof and Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express. I've been wanting to try out some of these new mascaras on the market to see if they are any good. I don't buy high end mascaras anymore, I don't find them any better than drugstore brands and they all dry out eventually, so I don't see the need to spend lots of money on something I replace frequently.

I have a tendency to amass lots of drugstore mascaras though. I was thinking of doing a comparative review of popular drugstore mascaras soon. These are all the ones I have right now, and I might buy a few more - who knows!

In order from top to bottom: Essence Volume Boost base mascara, Essence Lash Mania, Maybelline The Colossal, Covergirl Lashblast, L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes waterproof, Maybelline Define a Lash waterproof, Max Factor Lash Lift waterproof, L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black, Max Factor 2000 Calorie.

Stay tuned for a review on which ones I like and which ones....well....suck! Hah!

Easy Easter look with some colour

This is a very simple to achieve but pretty look for Easter, when you want a bit of color but don't want to go overboard at a family Easter brunch. Of course spring greens are a must; I've been on a green kick lately which is odd because green is not an eyeshadow color I reach for very much. Hope you enjoy the look!





All NYX products are from www.shopcraze.com and they will likely be stocking the entire NYX line soon, so I have heard. They also do international shipping!

Products:

Face:
Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory, MAC Studio Fix powder NC15, NYX Angel blush, NYX Mosaic powder in Highlighter (Nr. 01)

Eyes:
NYX Jumbo Eye pencil in Horse Raddish, NYX trio in Serengeti (Nr. 44), NYX trio in Aloha, Mink Brown, Deep Bronze (Nr. 15), Covergirl Lashblast mascara, Maybelline white eye kohl, MAC Brow pencil in Spiked

Lips:
NYX Lipgloss with Megashine in Smokey Look

Nailpolish:
China Glaze - Raspberry Festival

Review: Essence mascaras

In a recent video I talked about these mascaras from Essence, a very inexpensive drugstore brand here in Europe (it's a German brand.) Even drugstore makeup can be a bit pricey in Europe with some mascaras from Max Factor running to around $20 USD a pop, so Essence caters to the lower-end price spectrum and is popular with teenagers.

Essence Volume Boost Base Mascara

I had high hopes in this drugstore fiber mascara base, because of how inexpensive it was and how much I have heard about fiber mascaras. A fiber mascara is essentially a mascara that contains small fibers inside (I don't know what the fibers are made of), which stick onto your lashes to add length. They are very popular in Asian countries but are largely unknown on the Western beauty market. Some high end fiber mascaras include Fiberwig and Kanebo. This one by Essence was dirt cheap so I was very excited to try it out.

Sadly, I was unimpressed by this. This product made my lashes very brittle, and while the fibers seemed to add length, they also made them very uneven, almost bumpy looking. It was very hard to coat the lashes evenly with mascara after. This mascara base is white and it didn't dry clear, so it was hard to fully cover up the base with a black mascara. It did add volume but it also made my lashes look really bumpy and just not....smooth and luscious. It also did nothing for waterproofing or at least smudge-proofing; I didn't feel like my mascara performed any better with this on. In fact, I think my mascara looked better without this product on!

In conclusion: If you're curious about fiber mascaras, give it a go as it's so cheap, but overall I wasn't impressed with this at all.

Essence Lash Mania mascara

This is essentially trying to copy at least the packaging of Dior's Diorshow mascara, and it has a similar fat brush as the Diorshow. But I think that's pretty much where the similarities end. I do not own Diorshow so I can't say how they compare, but overall I wasn't impressed with this mascara. It did have a very nice deep black color and I didn't have any problems using the wide brush, but it didn't do much for my lashes. This mascara was just OK. Not horrible, but not wonderful. I have better results with Covergirl Lashblast or Max Factor 2000 Calorie. Once again it made my lashes very hard and brittle, and sort of clumpy looking. This did nothing for separating and defining the lashes, and it was hard to do my lower lashes with the fat brush. The mascara also flaked after a period of wear.

In conclusion, I guess if you're on a super tight budget then give Essence mascaras a try, but there's plenty of other drugstore mascaras out there that are just better. I don't think I will foray into Essence mascaras again.

NYX Haul! Round Lipsticks and Tinted Lip Spas

NYX Round Lipsticks & Tinted Lip Spas

I recently ordered some NYX lip products and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of these lip products. For mere dollars per lipstick, these are great! They NYX Round Lipsticks are cheap as chips and have amazing color payoff, though the longevity is definitely not the same as MAC or other higher end lipsticks. These are the type of lipsticks that you will have to reapply frequently, and for the darker colors, using a lip liner pencil might be essential.

The Tinted Lip Spas are wonderful, I got Sake and Juicy. They have a light menthol tingling sensation, but not to the point where it burns. I would compare these to MAC's tinted lip balms. They don't have a glossy finish, but leave a nice color glaze on those days where you want to keep things low key, with the added benefit that they are very moisturizing on the lips. They are great to just throw into your purse and use them essentially like a lip balm, but they add a bit of color as well. My favorites from this order are Sake Tinted Lip Spa, and the lipsticks in Thalia, Femme, Georgia and Chaos.

If you want to order NYX products online, I would try out Shop Craze or Ms.Cuppycakes for etailers, both ship internationally and have good prices. I ordered these through cherryculture.com and had to wait a month and a half for my order! Totally unacceptable, I never have to wait that long for orders from the States, so I do not recommend.

Swatches (please click for full size)

Review: 26 and 88 eyeshadow, 28 blush palette

Please click the pictures for full size.

Finally I've had some time to upload pictures of the other 3 palettes that I haven't reviewed yet, including the 28 blush palette, the 88 matte & satin finish eyeshadow palette, and the 26 blush and eyeshadow combo palette. I've also added a picture (first one) of all my eBay palettes together, including the 120 color eyeshadow and the 28 neutral color palettes. There isn't a whole lot that I can add that I haven't already said in my previous reviews of these types of products. These palettes are all great bargains for the low-budget category, they are highly pigmented shadows and blushes mixed in with a few duds, that may not be the longest lasting cosmetics out there but they are a great bang for your buck. The blush palette is a bit harder to work with as the quality is not so amazing, but still a fairly decent purchase for the price. The size of the blushes in the 28 blush palette is the size of medium-sized eyeshadows, so you may need to use a smaller brush with it.

Which palette do you prefer, the 88 color or the 120 color?

I really can't say, it depends on your criteria. I would recommend the 88 matte and satin finish if you aren't too keen on lots of shimmery and frosty shadows. However, the 120 has a lot more color variety and I just like the colors that are offered more as there are some more unique shades. The downside to the 120 is that it's incredibly soft and the shadows are very fragile and I wouldn't really take this along traveling with me. The 88 palette is pressed a bit firmer so it would be more suited to travel.

Where did you buy these palettes?

I got all these palettes (except the 120 palette which was a gift from my sister) from THIS seller on eBay and had a very good experience. I highly recommend buying these palettes on eBay to get the best prices.