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Showing posts with label NC 45. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NC 45. Show all posts

Fresh Sugar lip treatments are one of those products I see all the time in Sephora but never pay much attention to. I've heard plenty of rave reviews, but for some reason these never excited me. Probably because of the cost, $22.50 for ONE lip balm? No thank you, lol. 

So instead of getting one full-sized Lip Treatment, I opted for this limited edition holiday set of a Fresh Sugar Ruby mini and a Fresh Lip Treatment mini. And when I say mini, I mean tiny! But, despite their small size, true to everything I'd heard about these before hand, THEY SMELL AMAZING! They also feel really great on my lips. But the smell...sweet and fresh at the same time. I almost wish I could eat, or at least bottle the scent and wear it as a perfume!

Sugar Ruby is a semi-sheer raspberry shade. Its the kind of build-able color that will be flattering on a wide range of skin tones. However it does have a metallic sheen to it if its applied to heavily. When I caught a glimpse of myself after applying it liberally in my car, I immediately wiped most of it off.

Overall, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments are not a must have. They're very nice and provide good moisture on my lips, even when out in the winter chill. But for the price, I won't be repurchasing these once I run out.

You can find Fresh products at Sephora!

p.s. Sephora is currently offering a 3 piece mini set from Fresh as a VIB perk. Use the code VIBFRESH when you spend $35 or more online to claim your free set! I'm not sure when this deal expires.

Lately I've been trying to incorporate more products into my daily skincare routine that are geared toward the eye area. I've always had a few lines and creases under my eyes naturally. But now that its winter, the harsh indoor heat is really sucking all the moisture from my under eye area and emphasizing every teeny tiny wrinkle! I've also been attempting to try and use more natural based products on my skin and body overall. With that said, theres a lot I love about the InstaNatural brand, and the products I've been using.



InstaNatural Hyaluronic Acid Serum ingredients. 
First the Hyaluronic Acid serum. Its 100& vegan, has a simple list of potent ingredients and comes in a huge 2oz. blue-tinted glass container with a dropper lid. Its a thick clear gel that applies smoothly and absorbs in under 60 seconds! I love that its not runny or messy and the dropper ensures that you don't waste any product. Prior to using this hyaluronic acid serum, I'd been using one from the brand Hada Labo, that was extremely watery and hard to dispense just the right amount. 

 This serum penetrates deeply and gives my skin and especially my under eye area a boost of moisture. Because it absorbs so completely, its perfect for layering other products on top of. And since it doesn't leave any shininess or residue behind I have the option of applying my makeup right away if I don't use another moisturizer on my face. 



The Vitamin C Toner. This toner is just plain good stuff! Again like all the InstaNatural products I've used so far,  this toner has a pronounceable and potent ingredient list. I use it immediately after washing my face while my skin is still a little damp. Its got a great spray nozzle so I can just spritz it on without needing cotton balls or squares like with other toners. It feels very refreshing on my skin and has a pleasant, citrusy scent. It removes the dry/tight feeling my face usually has after washing and sinks in super fast. 

InstaNatural Youth Express Eye Gel ingredients
And finally the Youth Express Eye Gel. As I mentioned before, my under eye area is extreeemely dry. This wonderful gel hydrates my eye area and feels cool on my skin. Almost as though I placed chilled cucumbers over my eyes, lol.  Its a great pick-me-up first thing in the morning. It also works well under my makeup and doesn't cause my concealer/foundation to apply patchy or crease.

Overall, I'm very happy with these skin care products from InstaNatural. Since I'm a skin care junkie I'm always on the lookout for something new, but based on the way these have made my skin look and feel, I'm gonna wait until the bottles are empty before adding new products to my skincare rountine. 

Okay, that last part was a lie, lol. But these are really good products at a really great price! They can all be purchased from Amazon.com



Product provided for my consideration. All reviews are my own honest and unbiased opinions.

After the disappointment of the Sephora 24k Gold Mine Brush set I was looking for something to fill my gold makeup brush void, lol. Lo and behold, one of my favorite drugstore brands Sonia Kashuk came to the rescue! 
The "All That Jazz" Holiday 2014 set caught my eye while I was wandering the aisles of my local Target. There are actually a few other pieces in this Holiday Collection, including the smaller 4-piece "Golden Age" brush set and the visually stunning "Deco Starlet" eyeshadow palette (I may go back and get this).

 Sonia Kashuk put a lot of great detailing into the "All that Jazz" brush set, while making sure the brushes were still practical to use. The black and gold design on the handles is just awesome and the textured gold ferrules completely won me over. At $34 for 10 brushes, this set is also a steal. It's currently sold out on Target.com, but most of the stores in my area still have plenty of sets on the shelves. 

From left to right: Powder Brush, Flat-Top Blusher, Angled Duo-Fiber Face brush and Foundation brush.

Foundation brush, Eyeshadow brush, Blending brush, Crease brush, Angled Duo-Fiber Eye brush and Precision Eye brush.

Eyeshadow brush, Blending brush, Crease brush, Angled Duo-Fiber Eye brush, Precision Eye brush and Lash/Brow Groomer.
The quality of this set is on par with other Sonia Kashuk brushes. However, I do feel like the 15th Anniversary brush set released earlier this year is slightly better quality than this set overall. 
With this set, I feel like the eye shadow brushes are the weakest link. They work better for blending rather than packing on color. Also after I washed a few of them, the hairs looked a little frayed and I had to reshape the brush heads while they dried. The two smaller, pointed eye brushes didn't have this issue. 

The angled duo fibre eye brush also held up being washed just fine, but to be honest, I'm still figuring out this brush. I guess its for blending in the crease/under the brow bone, but for me it just feels awkward. It is however, very soft and picks up only a small amount of product so no worries about being heavy-handed while using this brush. 

The face brushes fared much better. My overall favorite is the angled duo-fiber face brush. Its super soft and does a great job both applying and blending powder products ( I haven't tried it with liquid foundation yet). The foundation brush is standard, nothing special. The flat top face brush and large powder brush are both very soft and perform great. 

The bottoms of each brush are imprinted with the "SK" logo. 


Overall, If you can find a set of these at your local Target then don't hesitate to buy them! Not only are they gorgeous to look at, they perform well. For the price they'll make a great gift for some one or even yourself!

My hair is hands down the most neglected part of my beauty routine. Aside from my trusty blow dryer I don't normally use any other hair appliances on a daily basis. But over the last few years as traditional "clamp" curling irons have been replaced with wands and automatic curling devices, I've been thinking of upgrading to one of these newer, easier to use type of curling tools. And I finally did!

The Kiss InstaWave Automatic Curler claims to create "effortless curls at the touch of a button" it also says there "no need to be a pro" to get "long lasting, tangle free curls." Sounds like a winner to me...! 

So first, the InstaWave is not just a regular curling wand. Its clamp free, but features an added "automatic" curling mechanism around the base. This winds your sectioned hair securely around the rod to achieve the perfect curl.  It heats up super fast to 420 degrees (there's a low setting as well), and it has a light which turns blue so you know when its ready to use. I like that the curling "action" can be done in both directions (left and right) so no matter which side of your head you're working on, the direction of the curls will match up.

This curler also features a rotating cord and it shuts off automatically after 90 minutes.


The directions are simple enough, but in reality there is a learning curve when using this curler.  The curler must to held vertically against the hair, otherwise it won't rotate around the hair like its supposed to. It took me a good 10 mins to figure out how to get my hair to "curl" around the rod properly before I realized how I had to hold the curler. Once I got my hair to curl around the rod,  the rest was simple. Just let the hair sit on the rod for a few seconds (the box recommends 5-10 seconds depending on the type of curl you want)  and then pull the InstaWave down vertically, letting the hair out. 
Top: InstaWave used correctly. Bottom: This is what happens when you don't place the hair at the correct angle on the InstaWave. 

I also had a friend use it in her daughters hair so I could get some pics of the Instawave in action. Because of the various heat settings, the InstaWave performed equally as well on my hair 3c/4a hair as it did on my friend's 2a/b hair.

Overall the Kiss Instawave is a lot of fun to use, however if you already own a curling wand or even an older curling iron, I think you can pass on it. It can be purchased from Ulta, Amazon and even Walmart!






Product provided for my consideration. All reviews are my own honest and unbiased opinions.


Get this palette!! Seriously.
 I probably own about 10 Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes and with the exception of Naked2, this is hands down my favorite. The texture of these shadows is buttery (think Lorac Pro) and the pigmentation is really, really good. There's a decent mix of matte and shimmers and all perform equally as well on me. Also a huge bonus: it comes with a deluxe sized Primer Potion AND full sized Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Perversion (it was in my purse when I took these pics). I don't know about you, but I can always use another black eyeliner, especially one as pigmented and creamy as Perversion. 
The palette includes a mirror and comes in fabric zippered case, which I thought was unique. The word "Smoked" is embossed (?) on the fabric so it has a cool black on black effect. 

But here's the best part. This palette is currently on sale for $20! Put in perspective, one full sized liner from Urban Decay is $20 and you're getting that included with this palette! Last time I checked this was "temporarily" sold out on both Ulta and Sephora's websites, but 2 of my local Ulta's had this palette in stock.  

From left to right: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt, Kinky, Freestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor and Blackout. 
Overall, don't miss out on this palette. Even at full price ($49) I'd still recommend getting it. At the sale price, its a no brainer. Its got a great mix of everyday practical colors as well as some fun colors.
Essentially these are just a more sophisticated version of a glitter eyeshadow. But the formula Urban Decay uses feels silky to the touch and makes these a joy to use. The glitter itself is more finely milled and the effect is sparkly, but not disco ball level. At $20 each, they're not a necessity (I waited for a sale before purchasing) but they are a nice addition to a standard eyeshadow collection.

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadows in Stargazer and Space Cowboy.

Although I only purchased 2 of these, I did swatch the entire collection (forgot to take pics, boo!) and they all swatch more like the color "Space Cowboy." Meaning they're more on the sheer side, but can be layered over themselves or another eyeshadow to intensify the color. "Stargazer" was the only color that looked more opaque on its own to me.

Overall, these are not a must have. They're fun, but not super practical for everyday use. Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadows can be found at Ulta, Sephora and most department stores.

Secret Brightening Powder applies semi opaque 

It blends in quickly and transparently leaving no white "cast" or residue behind
I've seen this little gem raved about by bloggers, makeup artists and youtubers but I could never find the shade #2 in stores to try it out for myself. The Secret Brightening Powder comes in 2 colors, #1 is a white powder ideal for fair skinned beauties and #2 has a yellow tint ideal for darker skinned beauties.

In any case I happened upon it at my local Laura Mercier counter and finally got to see what all the hype was about.

Secret Brightening Powder lives up to the "secret" part of its name. It brightens the skin in the most natural, undetectable way. Think of it as the anti-Banana Powder (which I also have and love)

SBP is nearly impossible to cake on. I've tried multiple layers and my skin maintained a smooth cake-free appearance.

I was also worried about this looking ashy, but that hasn't been the case at all. I've used it alone and over concealer with great results both ways. Of course on bare skin it won't completely cover dark circles on its own.

Overall this powder is perfect for daytime, work appropriate makeup. It will subtly brighten under eyes and make you look refreshed and more awake without the obvious reverse raccoon eyes heavier highlighting powders tend to create.
"Fall" red lip using MAC Riri Woo lipstick and MAC Vino lip liner.

These aren't new releases, they're just new to me! I love transforming the look of a lipstick or gloss by adding a complementary or even contrasting lip liner.
I'm hoping Vino will be the perfect fall companion for some of my brighter, more summery lipsticks. And Beet was just too pretty to pass up!

This is a great, wearable little palette! The $34 price tag kept me from purchasing it when it was first released, but it's since been marked down to $16 on urbandecay.com and it's absolutely worth ever penny!

Vengeance is probably my favorite shadow of the bunch. Its a rich cocoa color without any red undertones, which has been surprisingly hard for me to find. If I had to choose a dud, it'd be Anger. The pigmentation doesn't seem to be as good as the other shadows. Overall though, I can see  this entire palette being used pretty much on a daily basis.








To be honest I hadn't heard of this collection until the day it was released online. Of course the items I wanted were sold out within a few hours. Thankfully the nationwide store release was still a week away and I was able to stalk my local MAC counter to get what I wanted! I came away with 4 items: Heavenly Hybrid ls, Snapdragon ls, Sassy Moss and Phlox Garden fluidlines.
The lipsticks are luster finishes which means they lean more towards the sheer side. But the good news is that both colors can be built up for more saturated look. Although they feel nice and moisturizing going on, in my experience with MAC lipsticks, the tend to dry my lips out quickly. I'd recommend using a lip balm first, then applying the lipstick. 

The fluidlines are very nicely pigmented and set quickly! However, they will stain your skin. Its been hours since I swatched them and my arm still has visible green and purple lines despite me scrubbing it until my skin was red :(