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Showing posts with label nc50. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nc50. Show all posts

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.
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.
I'm not sure how I feel about this color combination, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit. This look was a little too out there for me though and so I promptly washed my face before going anywhere, lol.

Beauty Breakdown:
Mac Pure Creation Paint Pot as a base
Mac Electric Eel eyeshadow all over lid
Sugarpill blended above the crease and under the lower lashline
Lorac Espresso blended into lower lashline
Physician's Formula 2in1 Lash Boosting eyeliner
Ardell false lashes
Make Up For Ever recently revamped their entire line of eyeshadows changing them all to a new formula that they call Artist's Eyeshadows. I've swatched these new shadows and been amazed at the creaminess and color payoff...however the hefty (for a single eyeshadow) price tag kept me from actually purchasing any. 

Enter the Studio Case, a limited edition boxed set that includes 12 (!!) of the new Artist's Eyeshadows, a full size Artist Liner and a booklet with instructions on how to create 4 different eye looks. This set is exclusive to Sephora and although it says "online only" my local Sephora had about 5 of these in stock and so I purchased mine in person. 

In inches the case measures approximately 6x5x1.75 and each eyeshadow is roughly the size of a dime. 
The set comes with a booklet with instructions on how to do 4 different eye looks. 
The case has a nice sized mirror and a slot to keep the Artist Liner. Click to enlarge

The tray with the eyeshadows and liner can be lifted out to reveal a compartment underneath to store other cosmetic items. Even small travel makeup brushes would fit in there! Click to enlarge
Close-up of the eyeshadows. Each row has a different name and co-ordinating look in the included booklet. But instead of names for each individual shadow, MUFE uses a letter/number system. Click to enlarge


Swatches of the right half of the palette. Click to enlarge

Swatches of the left half of the palette. Click to enlarge

I was very happy with the pigmentation of all of these eyeshadows except for two: M-100 (matte black color) and M-530 (matte cream color). These two were lacking in color payoff and were not as creamy as the rest. M-350 was especially chalky and difficult to get a good swatch of without a primer. 

Overall this set is great for trying out the new Make Up For Ever Artist's eyeshadows without paying the full price for each. Even with the 2 dud matte eyeshadows, the rest of the colors in this set more than made up for them. The color variety is great and most of the shadows feel silky and easy to apply. The packaging also makes this an ideal gift for the makeup enthusiast in your life, or for yourself. Since it's a limited edition set, there's no telling how long it will be available so I'd suggest grabbing a set as soon as possible!

The Make Up For Ever Studio Case retails for $59 and is available at Sephora stores (not Sephora inside JCP) and at Sephora.com.
This gorgeous red gloss was the first thing that caught my eye from the MAC Heirloom Mix collection Holiday collection! It's a rich shade that's guaranteed to be flattering on just about any skin tone. Courting Chic is also infused with ultra-fine red glitter which makes it perfect for holiday glamour. 

I knew Courting Chic was going to be similar to Amorous (an older, now discontinued MAC gloss). But when I swatched the two together I could hardly tell them apart.
Top: Courting Chic Bottom: Amorous 
Both are rich, red glitter glosses. Amorous is a Dazzleglass Cream and is probably slightly more pigmented. Otherwise I couldn't tell the difference between the two. 
Overall, if you already own Amorous, then you can probably pass on Courting Chic. But since it's already sold out in most places, if you can get your hands on it then I highly recommend it. 

P.S I'm trying a new DIY lighting setup for my pics and swatches, but I still need to tweak it a bit, lol. 



I'm not sure why my skin is 3 different tones in each of these pics. They were all taken in succession standing in the same spot in front of a window... Oh well, I guess thats what happens when you use a cell phone instead of a real camera, lol. 


Beauty Breakdown:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance all over the lid up to brow. 
All Too Faced eyeshadows, 
Icon all over lid
Hopeless Romantic blended into crease
7 Year Itch on inner corner
Pink Diamond on brow bone

Physician's Formula 2in1 Lash Boosting eyeliner

Ardell #120 false lashes

Tarte Amazonian Clay gel liner on brows applied with an Anastasia Beverly Hills #7 angled liner brush


This set comes with 15 eyeshadows, a black pencil eyeliner, deluxe sized Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer and 3 cards with detailed instructions on how to create specific eyeshadow looks. However I'm only going to review the palette (feeling lazy today)

The palette case is a very sturdy hard plastic with a mirror inside and a slot for the eyeshadow look cards to slide behind the mirror. This is a very handy feature for keeping the cards close at hand, but out of the way. The case snaps closed securely and in the short time I've had it, I've already dropped it several times, but nothing inside has cracked. 

All of the shadows in this palette are shimmery with the exception of the shade "pink diamond" They're all soft and silky in texture, but also have an annoying amount of fall out when used without a primer. However the colors are so gorgeously pigmented that I'm willing to overlook the fall out, lol. 
The eyeshadows in this palette are broken up into sections (The Bombshell, The Icon and The Ingenue) with each section containing a certain "color story" All of the shadows were swatched without primer.


Overall The Return of Sexy set is a great value for the amount/quality of the eyeshadows, the eyeliner and eye shadow primer. It retails for $49 and is available at Sephora!

As the title suggests, I don't know what to call this look, lol. It started out with just a simple green eyeshadow, but then I darkened the crease and blended some purple above that...

Beauty Breakdown:

All Urban Decay Eyeshadows:
Damaged all over lid
Smokeout in the crease
Voodoo blended above the crease
Righteous under brow
Vengeance in crease

Mac Pearlglide liner in Undercurrent on waterline
Sephora "Mink" lashes (I know I said I didn't like these, lol)

Tarte Brow Mousse in brows

Although I'm a skincare product junkie, this was my first time using a Vitamin C serum from any brand. The Kleem Organics Intense Rejuvenating Vitamin C serum promises to moisturize, tighten and brighten the skin for a more even complexion. I was surprised at first by how thin/watery the formula was (did I mention that I'd never tried a serum like this before?) but after the first few uses I realized what a great thing that was. The serum soaks in ridiculously fast. It goes right into the skin leaving no residue or stickiness behind. This is ideal for me because then I don't have to wait long before applying other face products and drag out my morning routine. 


So far I've been using this serum for about 6 weeks and I've noticed an improvement in both the texture of my skin and the evenness of my complexion. My skin also feels really soft after I've used this in the morning. I've also noticed that I'm using less foundation to do my makeup (1 pump as opposed to the 1.5 pumps I used to use) I not 100% sure that's due to this serum, but I know having a more even skin texture means theres less surface to cover. 

The Kleem Organics serum is reasonably priced at $19.99 and is available on Amazon. After 6 weeks of daily (sometimes twice a day) use I'm only half way through the bottle! 


I also really liked the fact that this was a mostly organic product. The ingredient list is pronounceable and its easy to understand what each ingredient is.  

Overall what I most like about this Vitamin C serum is that it works. I can't attest to the anti-aging or age spot reduction benefits it claims, but for me its delivered on everything else it said it would. 




This product provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions
This was inspired by the lovely Sharon at sharon-871sher.blogspot.com. She posted a gorgeous pic wearing Mac Heroine lipstick. Purple lipsticks are a favorite of mine (I probably have more purples than any other color) and even though I've had Heroine since it was re-released I don't wear it nearly enough!

This time I decided to mix it up a bit my adding Mac Pure Heroine lipstick (from the Lorde collection)



Beauty Breakdown:
Mac Pure Heroine used as a liner
Mac Heroine in the center
Beauty Breakdown: 
"Custom" all over the lid
"Blush" on the inner corner and also on waterline
"Fresh" under the brow bone
"Noir" used as smokey black liner
Physician's Formula 2in1 Lash Boost Liner in Black
Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara
Sephora "The Mink" false lashes

These Sephora brand "The Mink" lashes were very hard to use. As you can see one started peeling off on my inner lid. The lashes have thick, stiff bands which make them difficult to apply and keep on even for a short amount of time. 



I was so excited when I came across this kit at Nordstrom Rack for the bargain price of $11.97, less than half of its usual $34 price tag! Sadly my excitement was short lived once I got home and actually tried this kit on my brows...

First the good: This kit comes fully loaded with 2 brow powders (Blonde and Brunette, you're supposed to mix them to create your perfect shade) a brow wax, highlighting powder for under the brow, mini tweezers, mini spoolie brush, mini angled liner brush, mini reddish-brown brow pencil, 4 reusable stencils and step-by-step instructions on how to shape/fill/pluck and set your brows to perfection all packaged in one purse-ready kit (whew!)

Now the reality: The kit is too big and bulky to realistically carry anywhere in anything other than a duffel bag (I'm exaggerating, but still) Next we have the brow powders with really poor pigmentation, or I should say only pigmented enough for folks with medium blonde/brown eyebrow hairs. Those of us with deeper brunette and raven-haired brows will find that all these "Brow Envy" powders do is make our brows look ashy. I never knew ashy brows were even possible until trying this kit, lol!

The brow powders are by far the weakest link in this kit. Now on to the rest!

The highlighting powder is surprisingly creamy and pigmented. I was worried the pinkish tone wouldn't work with my yellow skin undertones, but this matte powder looked extremely flattering on my brow bone. It also blends well.

The setting wax is harder than other brow waxes I've tried and is just okay. I had to really dig it out to get enough product on my brows.

The tweezers are great, I really love them. Sturdy and easy to handle they're a real standout in this kit.

Spoolie & angled brush: Both above average. I wasn't expecting much from either because let's be honest, in kits with multiple tools, parts and pieces things are often thrown in as "filler."

Brow pencil: as I mentioned before, it's more of a reddish brown color and would probably work really well for those with similar hair color. The pencil is not too dry and applied evenly on my brows.

The brow stencils I haven't actually used so...but they seem like they'd work well for those who have a hard time getting their brows to have a certain shape/style.

The step-by-step instructions: Great for beginners or for those growing out their brows. My brows are due for an overhaul and if I attempt to do them myself and not go to a pro (I live on the edge!), I'll be using the Brow Envy instructions as a guide.

Overall, even though I was super disappointed in the brow powders in The Too Faced Brow Envy kit, the other parts of this set kinda make up for it. However, I would not recommended paying full price for this! Not even half price.

**edit**
After I posted this review I received a super helpful suggestion to mix the "Brunette" Brow powder with the brow wax in this kit to create a more intense color. I tried it and I love the way it came out! No more ashy brows 😜
Much better than my original attempt at using the Too Faced Brow Envy Kit! 

 This look was inspired by the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna palette. The palette comes with 5 cards each with detailed instructions on how to create a specific "look" using different color combinations.
"Look" card from the Anastasia Beverly Hills palette
The instructions printed on the back of the card are very simple and easy to follow which is excellent for beginners.

I'm not crazy about how this "look" turned out on me (mostly because my brows were being wretched) However it was nice to try something new with the Arabic-style liner in the inner corner. This style has always been tricky for me to pull off because I have an epicanthic fold (think Asian) on my inner eye lids.


The Tamanna palette retails for $29 and can be purchased at both Sephora and Ulta. I'll probably post swatches of each color later this week. 

Not sure how I feel about these lipsticks. I love the other Mattes I have from Mac like Riri Woo Flat Out Fabulous and Smoked Purple, but these aren't as great to me. 

I don't mind the dry texture of the matte lipsticks and I do love how long lasting they are. But something about these particular ones is not working for me, lol. 

Mac Damn Glamorous Matte Lipstick

Mac Fashion Revival Matte Lipstick