NYX Smokey Eye Palette

Happy 2014, everyone!  My personal resolution is to update this blog wayyyy more then I have been.  I hope you enjoy the journey.

Today I have a palette I've had for quite awhile.  It's NYX's Smokey Eyes Palette.  This shouldn't be confused with their other smokey eye palette, which looks like this:

I'm fairly new to the makeup game and I don't have the Smokey palette to compare.  However, my guess is that the one that I have is an older one than the one that doesn't even appear on NYX's website anymore.  However, it's currently on clearance on Cherry Culture for $8.  The question is... is it worth getting this tiny palette?  Obviously, eight bucks isn't a bad price.  However, I'm a huge believer in any and all of your money should be well spent on makeup, whether it's a four dollar lipstick or a fifty-two dollar palette.  So let's go into it.

I bought this palette when Cherry Culture was having a huge clearance on their NYX products.  I wanted to get some essentials, including more neutral color/basic colors.  When I looked at the images on the sight, I decided upon the palette, because it appeared to be colors I could use as a cool toned babe.  Here's how the palette itself looks on the website:

The palette also has "swatches" on Cherry Culture's site that appear as follows:

Pretty silver and cool, right?  For some reason I foolishly decided to not check swatches before I decided to get them.  This was a mistake and I'm very aware of it.  I got my package and was greeted by the following:

The palette is 10, fairly small eyeshadows.  There's a nice sizable mirror, which is great if you actually use those when applying makeup.  I don't, but I'm sure this could be a huge pro, esp because it doesn't look like other Smokey palette has.  It's also a very secure plastic case.  I can easily snap it shut and shove it in my makeup bag with little worry about it falling apart.  It also comes with one of those foam applicators that has a slight curve to it.  But as you can see from my photo... these colors don't quite match.  The "swatches" on Cherry Culture look an awful lot like these colors would have a blue tint.  But as you can see here, there's much more of a brown tint to everything, even the silvers.  Which is... not the end of the world.  I mean, I'm using the palette and everything.  I just wish I researched/the swatches on Cherry Culture were a little more accurate!

When swatching these colors... I realized 1.  You definitely need primer with these babies and 2.  They don't look very... sultry and smokey to me?  Which I assume is why NYX decided to make a new palette, that features the colors I associate with smokey eyes... silvers, blacks, blues, purples... a lot of these come off kind of neutral on me.  I also noticed that some of these colors tend to blend into my skin quite a bit.  Which isn't the end of the world for me, but it does make me wonder if it's able to appear very well on people with darker skin tones.

Overall... I'm not going to cry over making this purchase.  A few of these colors work fairly well on my skin and I really like the way that's packaged for traveling purposes.  It's helped me a whole lot when I was working on my makeup for the holidays, and presumably job-related stuff, but I wouldn't call this palette the go-to for smokey eyes.

Does anyone here have this palette?  How about the other one by NYX for smokey eyes?  What were your results?

November Favorites

I hope everyone is having a decent Black Friday full of sales!  Today I figured I should touch upon some of my favorite products this month.

This month has been somewhat turbulent for me.  I moved into a new apartment and had some issues relating to subletters at my old place.  However, I'm hoping that December will be much better, especially because my student teaching will be wrapping up, the holidays, and my birthday are taking place!  Thankfully, makeup has been something that has gone pretty well for me.  Let's give them a chance to shine.

1.  e.l.f. Power Brush [link] $3.00

I'm fairly new to the makeup game.  Because of this and a small budget, I'm somewhat apprehensive to dabble in expensive brushes.  After reading reviews about elf's brushes, I decided that they were cost effective enough to buy.  Thankfully, the foundation brush is very effective!  It works for both liquid and powder foundation.  The flat top of it really works in getting everything on smoothly.  I strongly recommend picking one up!

2.  L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer in Light/Medium [link] $8.95

My skin tone is pretty stubborn.  I'm fairly light, because I don't go out in the sun like... ever, but I still have a very Mediterranean undertone.  So finding a concealer that would work for me was somewhat frustrating.  Thankfully, I found L'Oreals when I was trying to find a concealer for cosplay purposes.  Now I use it fairly frequently, because it actually makes the bags under my eyes go away!  I want to explore other concealer options, but I'm pretty happy with my purchase and will continue to use it.

3.  Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Maverick [link] $18.00

I got a deluxe sample of this product with my Sephora purchase a little more than a week ago.  I've already made a decent dent in it, because I might have found a "My Lips But Better" shade!  And this is coming from someone who isn't really into nude shades.  It's referred to as "a rosewood shimmer shade" and has a minty tingle to it.  It's not for everyone, but it's certainly something that works for me.

4.  Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eyeshadow Duos in Grey Matters [link] $4.50

I rule with a cool toned fist.  Maybelline helps make this possible.  This duo has become a staple of sorts in terms of my eye shadow wear.  I really, truly love it.  I usually put the lighter one over the base of my eye and then use the darker one for the crease and it creates a pretty complex color that is apparent through my thick glasses.  It's certainly worth checking out.

What are some of your favorites for this month?

Zoya Nail Polish in Tinsley

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!  I hope you're having a wonderful time with loved ones.

Have you ever met a nail polish in a bottle and went, "Gosh, this is going to look great on my nails!" only to find out that it just doesn't live up to its expectations when you put it on?  I have a polish like this.  It's Smoke & Ashes from the Hunger Games collection from China Glaze.  I still don't know how to get the green shimmer to really work on my nails.

Regardless, I decided to take a risk and check out Zoya's Tinsley.  It's a golden/soft pink glass fleck polish that you really can stare at for hours.  I can flick my hand around and it will become an entirely different color.

The only issue with this polish that can be found is that it is a very thin formula.  I put three coats on and I was very happy with the results.  I know this color came from the 2013 summer collection and it certainly has a more summery feel, but I don't care!  This is a fun polish to wear regardless of the season.

Zoya polish goes for about $8 on their webpage as well as at Ulta.  I got mine at Ulta during a buy two get one free sale, so keep your eyes peeled for sales like that!

Maybelline Color Elixir in Vision in Violet 040

I have a problem... it's lip products.  More specifically, I am constantly searching for fun colored lip products.

Maybelline released their Color Elixirs about a month ago.  They have a decent range of colors and go for around $8.99 depending on if you go to certain drug stores and/or Ulta.

Maybelline claims that the product is "hyper-saturated color" and "ultra cushiony feel."  The product is set up as a very pigmented gloss that doesn't quite have all the properties of a liquid lipstick, but does have the pigmentation associated with it.  The packaging itself is super cute.  The product is shaped like lipstick in a clear tube, which I really appreciated.

When I opened this up, I noticed two things.  The first was that the applicator was really cool.  It's a teardrop shaped doe foot applicator that makes putting the product on super easy.  The second was that the smell was something awful.  It smelled like a very strong, artificial grape that took awhile getting used to when applying it.  It's probably the first makeup product I've really put on and had it bother me to the point that I was having second thoughts about putting the product on my face.

When swatching it, I could see that this was certainly a very pigmented gloss.  It's also super slick and catches the light easily.  I will admit that when I put it on my arm, I wasn't entirely happy with the violet as it appeared on my skin.  I went into it expecting a super purple option, but I should be aware by now that purple lip products are not going to be easily accessible at a drugstore level.

Application of this product went fairly okay.  I will admit that it's pretty difficult to even out the color, in spite of the fact that the process is fairly accurate because of the nice applicator.  It's also not terribly long-lasting.  I found myself needing to reapply periodically to make sure that the color was as bright as it looked when I put it on last.  I also wish the color went for a more purple kind of violet.  This color is nice enough and I like that it's blue-based, but I don't think it was really the product to use to suit my needs.

I think what it comes down to is that I'm not much of a gloss person.  I can definitely see why other people enjoy this product.  Also, the packaging is cute!  I just don't think it suits my makeup lifestyle, is all.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic

Iiiiiii hecked up on my last run to Ulta.

I went to the display with Revlon's new Matte Balms and accidentally grabbed one of their older lip stains.  While I was somewhat disappointed with my blunder, I decided that I was due for a product like this.  Most of the lip stuff I own is purchased after I ask myself two questions ("Is it cool-toned?" "Is it obnoxiously bright?").  Having a subtler product like a lip stain is probably a pretty good idea.

The first thing I noticed about this was the packaging, which was both good and bad.  I love chubby sticks a whole lot and I will always be a lot more interested in a product if it's packaged as such.  However, I noticed that the twist part shakes around and makes a clicking noise of sorts that always makes me nervous.  It appears that the balm itself is untouched by this, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

Upon opening it, I noticed that it faintly smelled of peppermint oil.  I'm a huge fan of the scent and would have even liked it being a little stronger.  However, I know not everyone feels that way.  The scent remains on your lips for a short period of time when you put it on, however, it does fade away fairly quickly.

The color of the balm is kind of difficult to judge when you're in the store.  There isn't really a window to really look at it and decide what you got (which is kind of nice, considering that it's wrapped up and ensures nobody gets into your stuff before you purchase it).  I assumed that it was a matte balm that I didn't see swatched yet, so I went "WELP, LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS" (don't be like me, please, it was a foolish mistake).

I wish there was a way to make swatches of just one product look less... like this.  Anyway, swatching this was fairly easy.  I was a little nervous, because it felt pretty waxy when I put on one layer of it, but it was super buildable and wasn't anywhere near as stiff-feeling as it did after the initial swipe.  However, I noticed that the color when I put it on my lip initially changed as it dried.  It became a somewhat orangey color, which wasn't entirely great for me.  That's kind of a color that I avoid aaaaaa.  It also seemed to dislike filling in evenly toward the inside of my lip, which is a little noticeable in the picture I took.  It's not the end of the world and I get it's supposed to be sheer, but it's definitely something to think about.

Also, in terms of the stain... it didn't really do too much for me?  I mean, it did turn it somewhat red, but I think my lips are pretty pigmented from the start, so maybe this wasn't the absolutely perfect fit for me and my lip lifestyle.

Overall, I'm okay with the product.  Considering I ended up with something that was definitely not what I went into get, I ended up doing all right.  I don't think I'm going to get anymore balm stains, because I'm a pissbaby that prefers things that are louder, but I'm happy they exist for anyone that's into this type of stuff.

Zoya Giovanna

Did you know that trying to run a beauty blog while student teaching is really, really hard?  Luckily, I have made the decision to just swatch as much as I can today, because I have a nice short week coming up thanks to Thanksgiving.

Last week I went to Ulta and saw that their Zoya polish was on sale at buy two, get one free.  While I've been very curious to check out Zoya's polish selection prior, I've really only ever owned one other polish by them, which is Goldie.  

Zoya describes the color as "emerald metallic green," and I absolutely agree.  the color really stands out in the bottle, which automatically grabbed my attention when I was looking around.

Putting it on was fairly easy.  I've found Zoya polishes to be rather thin, but not to a point that it's infuriating.  The finish of the polish is absolutely beautiful, as well.  It seems to actually glow when I'm looking at it on my nails.  To prove my point, I took a picture in the sunlight:

My only real gripe with the nail polish is that the wear time seems to be pretty pathetic.  I'm already seeing tip wear on my thumbs and I put it on yesterday, even though I have a base coat and a top coat.  However, I do think that the color is absolutely gorgeous.  It's also worth noting that their formula is probably the most pleasant-smelling polish I've used.  

The polish itself goes for $8 a bottle and is available on their website or at Ulta.  I plan on swatching the other nail polishes I got, Sailor and Tinsley, shortly.

How do you feel about Zoya polishes?

Banished lip gloss by Geek Chic Cosmetics

(please thank Lily, my model for today)

Hello, everyone!  I'm sorry I haven't put up a review in awhile.  Real life has been kind of awful.  But I wanted to take advantage of this day off to review something!

A few weeks ago Geek Chic Cosmetics had their Reckoning sale, which meant that they were retiring several of their collections.  When I realized a lipstick I wanted was already sold out, I decided to comb through their lip collection and choose something else.  Thankfully, I found Banished, which was priced at $4.99 in the store.