Milani & Rimmel Haul

The other day, I had a few different coupons for CVS, so of course, I had to step in and take a look -- especially since I had been eyeing the new Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks. I love Milani's traditional Color Statement Lipsticks, so I was super excited for yet another drugstore brand to come out with a matte formula! I also had a couple of things that I actually needed to stock up on too, so I got those while I was at CVS as well, and I thought I would share it!

Starting out with the "boring" stuff, I had to get some face products from Rimmel. Well, really, I only bought one of the items in the picture. My Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher is on its last legs, and I decided to finally try a new powder! I've used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on other people when I've done hair and makeup for various musicals, and I've always been happy with how it performed (buh dum tss). I finally decided to give it a try to myself! I've always been a little turned off by the packaging, but I figure, for the price, I might as well give it a try!

The other two things from Rimmel that I got were my favorite Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. Like I said, I didn't actually purchase these -- Andrew did. When I was back home, every single time I tried to purchase a new one, they were out of stock in my shade! And there's no place nearby here in North Carolina that sells it. So when I received a care package from Andrew the other day, I saw that he had sent me a new one, plus a backup! I had already bought the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in an attempt to replace my Rimmel concealer, so I'll have to use that up before opening one of these, but I'm so glad I have extras now!

For the most part, I don't tend to purchase single eyeshadows. But I had heard good things about the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The colors I purchased are Bella White and Bella Caffe, which are both a Satin-Matte finish. I would definitely say they lean more toward matte, but they are incredibly pigmented! It applies especially well with your fingers. For a matte, drugstore shadow, I'm totally impressed, and I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on more of these, especially since they have so many colors!

I'm so excited about these lipsticks! I literally sat in my room playing with them for an hour or so before I realized I should probably stop procrastinating and just do my homework... Anyways, the new Milani Moisture Matte Lipsticks are phenomenal. They're super creamy and apply like a breeze, but have that lovely matte finish after being on the lips for about 30 seconds. The shades I purchased of the Moisture Matte Lipsticks were "Matte Diva," a super vivid fuchsia color, "Matte Confident," a deeper, blue-toned red (think MAC's "Russian Red," but easier to apply!), and "Matte Orchid," which is similar to "Matte Diva," although a bit more deep and muted.

I also picked up one of their classic Color Statement Lipsticks in "Nude Creme," because my nude lipstick collection is pretty sad (as in, I have like, one or two nudes), and a Color Statement Lipliner in "True Red," because for whatever reason, I completely forgot I had just bought a red lipliner from NYX. Whoops.

What have you purchased lately? Is there anything in the drugstore that you have your eye on?

- D. 

Swatch Fest + First Impressions!

So if any of you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know I've been sick in bed for about a week now. I picked up some horrific cold or flu or something and it just won't go away. And it has led me to online shopping, which is dangerous for a shopaholic like me. What's even more dangerous is telling me that it'll be good for me to get out of the house when I have a $4 off $20 coupon PLUS $5 in ExtraCare bucks at CVS.

...oops? So, as requested, here's a haul of what I bought (not all of it, because like I said, online shopping is dangerous), as well as swatches and my first impressions. All of these swatches were done with no primer underneath.

So these first products were labeled as new products. They were also on the display for new items. And I had never heard of it or seen it anywhere, so I figured, hey, it must be new! Nope. Apparently, these eyeshadow palettes from Wet n Wild that I picked up are actually from the Fall/Winter 2013 collection. These were released with the "In The Spotlight" collection, and because they were limited edition, I can't link you to any where that you can find them. Let's start with the major disappointment called "Lights, Camera, Attraction."

Looks gorgeous, right? I was hoping that cobalt blue would make this palette worth the $4.99, but sadly, it was a total flop. There's just not much to say about these. The only shadows with any real pigmentation were the mattes, but they're extremely chalky. Honestly, not only was this palette horrible unpigmented, it just came off extremely...80s glam. I was hoping for a smokier, richer kind of look.

No wonder I never heard about these palettes...I even tried it with primer, and with my NYX Jumbo Pencil in "Milk", and no luck at all. But then I moved on to "No Neutral Ground."

I bought this palette with hopes that it would definitely play up my brown/hazel/amber/"I don't actually know what color my eyes are" eyes. The lower right hand matte color is actually a deep forest blue-green and isn't showing up true to color, but the rest are.

THIS is more of what I was expecting. The mattes are still a little bit chalky, but they don't just brush away like the others. Still not quite the quality I'd expect from Wet n Wild, but hey, for $4.99, I'll take it. The purple shade almost reminds me of a less-pigmented version of "Candied Violet" from the Chocolate Bar palette.

Now I have found the new love of my life: the Milani Baked Blushes. I picked up two different colors, one in "Luminoso," and the other in "Bella Rosa." "Luminoso" is an absolutely gorgeous shimmery coral color. The best part about it is that it isn't glittery at all. It's very smooth and blends nicely. And "Bella Rosa," while a bit out of my comfort zone, is going to be fantastic for the summer. I recently read that the matte baked blushes, "Bella Rosa" and "Delizioso Pink," are new releases. If that's the case, Milani has seriously hit a home run with the matte baked blushes, because after swatching "Bella Rosa," I'm dying to go get the other!

Moving on to Maybelline, I picked up a Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Metal in "Inked in Pink," which I had been hoping to pick up for a while now. Every time I went in to purchase it, though, it was sold out! Go figure. I love pale pink champagne colors as an all over wash of color, and I feel like this cream shadow is going to be getting a lot of use.

(Although for the life of me I couldn't get a good swatch photo of it...)

I also debated on whether or not to re-purchase my beloved Maybelline Volum' Express The Mega Plush Mascara. It has been needing to be replaced for a while now, and I wasn't sure if I should just re-purchase it, or try something new. Well, I ended up deciding to try something new. I finally gave in and purchased Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara. I've been resisting this mascara for quite some time now, although I'm not sure why, and I finally just decided to follow the hype! I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but who knows, maybe I'll be a convert.

These are two new products from Rimmel that I've been pretty excited about. I was on a mad hunt for the the Rimmel BB Cream Matte in "Light." Already, I can tell you one major downfall with this product -- there are only two shades: "Light" and "Medium." From what I've read, the UK also has "Very Light," but I mean, can we get some color range here? But any kind of BB cream or tinted moisturizer that claims to be matte has me curious. I also recently picked up the Rimmel Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tint in "Peach Flush," and really ended up liking it. So I decided to pick up another one in "Pop of Pink." 

Clearly that swatch is unblended, but I think this will look absolutely gorgeous under the "Bella Rosa" blush I mentioned above, and will also look amazing alone. These cream blushes are great for a subtle, natural looking blush! 

The last few things I picked up aren't all that exciting, but I thought I'd tell you about them anyways. I've been in need of a new Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm and I finally found the "Shea Butter & Vitamin E" variety! This one always seems to be sold out when I'm looking at them, and this was the last one left. This stuff is my holy grail, my stuck-on-a-deserted-island product. Because, if they find me dead on a deserted island, at least they'll find me with hydrated lips. I also picked up the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in "Hazel," which is a great affordable alternative to the more expensive brow pencils, as well as a basic but essential NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk."

I promise I'll be back to my regular blogging as soon as I'm feeling 100% again. I feel like I've been totally slacking in terms of content in the past month or so. I have quite a few things planned, though, so keep an eye out for new posts coming soon!

- d. 

Face and Nails of the Day -- Dramatic Cut Crease, Vampy Lips, and Nails on Fire.

Happy Monday!

Today, I had the weirdest shift at work, but because of the time that I was scheduled, I had plenty of time to play around with makeup, and today, I came up with this look:

Dramatic makeup is a great way to make any Monday a little less drab. It's always important to remember that if you are going to do a bold lip, neutrals on the eye are important. Neutral eye makeup doesn't have to be synonymous with boring, simple, or "every day." In this look, I used a shimmery taupe and a matte black to create this neutral cut crease.

The key to this look is BLENDING. I wanted to have a sharp edge on the outer corner, to create a cat eye effect, but I also wanted to offset it with a beautiful smokey effect as the shadow neared the brow bone.

For this look, I used my trusty Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette, the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude", and my favorite translucent powder, Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher.

Using a flat shader brush, I applied the shimmery taupe color all over the lid, careful not to go into the crease. Then, I used a MAC 217 brush to apply my translucent powder in the crease, up to the brow bone. This will help the black color blend a little easier. I then took a small pencil brush and carefully applied the matte black color to the outer corner, as well as through the crease. I created a V shape with this color, on the outer corners of my eyes. That is what creates the cat eye effect. Then, taking my MAC 217 again, I began blending away. 

Quick Tip: Use your face powder on a fluffy blending brush to help blend any harsh lines. Your face powder on a stiffer brush will also act as a bit of an eraser. 

After I finished blending my crease color, I felt that the taupe color was losing vibrancy, so I again took a flat shader brush and reapplied the color to my lid. From here, I used my Milani Liquid Eye Eye Pencil in "01 - Black" and smudged this along my upper lash line, being careful to get in between all the lashes. The great thing about this liner is that you have plenty of time to smudge it out, but once it sets, it has great staying power. I also used this to create a small wing on my outer corner, then blended it into the V shape using a pencil brush. 

If your outer corner V isn't sharp enough, take a makeup wipe and clean up the line!

After I decided I was happy with how it looked,  I used my Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude" to highlight under the brow bone and in my inner corner. I blended this pencil and then set it with my translucent powder. Then, I topped off my lashes with a few coats of my favorite Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara.

After this, I moved onto the lips. 

I took an angled brush and applied the tiniest amount of the OCC Lip Tar in "NSFW" all over my lips. Then, I wiped off my brush, and took a dark, warm-toned purple and applied this to the corners of my mouth. This added an ombre effect to the lips that add an extra vampy punch. Don't be afraid to be heavy handed with the purple. After I had the corners to my liking, I applied a light coat of the Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir in "Signature Scarlet" to help blend together any harsh lines created between the lip tar and the purple shadow. 

When I finished with the lips, I went back in and applied my foundation and brows. The same routine as usual:  Too Faced Primed and Poreless face primer, L'Oreal True Match Foundation in the shade C2,  Inglot 358 Matte, and my Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel. I also went in under the eyes with the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in Very Fair, and used a flat concealer brush to help define the cat eye shape even more. Then I topped it all off with my Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher. 

I used my Inglot 358 Matte shadow as my contour shade, which I ran in the hollows of my cheeks, around the jawline, and on the sides of my nose. Then I used my Morphe 10 Color Blush Palette to create a subtle flush to the cheeks. 

In the pan, this color looks very brown. However, when applied, it creates a beautiful, natural glow.

And, as always, I finished everything off with my Mac Fix+!

Now, onto the nails! 

I've been super into The Hunger Games recently, hence the title "Nails on Fire." But I found this polish at Walmart last night and am completely in love. I only wish the photos could do it justice. It's the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Pro Nail Lacquer in the color "Lava Red." It's just this amazing, almost holographic oxblood shade and I am so, so in love. In certain lights, it appears almost brown, and in others, very purple. But in direct light, it is so beautiful and almost indescribable. I wish I knew how to better describe this polish, because it is to die for. And for a little over $3? A total steal. 

- d.