Goodbye April, Hello May!.. April 2010 Favorites

Here's a round up of the products I've been enjoying all April. Some are new, most are rediscovered treasures that I've been neglecting.

1. LORAC Snakecharmer Palette- One of my first "high end" palettes ever and I still think it's one of the best warm "basic" palettes out there. I absolutely love it. I bought one for my cousin too for her birthday. The packaging is kind of gaudy with the "croc" or "snake" skin and ginormous fake red jewel in the center but I love it. The palette features 4 neutrally shadows and a peachy blush -don't remember each shade's name but it's somewhere in my room (if you wanted to know, comment me and I'll find it.) This was originally $35 (when I bought it) but I noticed it was in LORAC's sale section a few months ago for like $12 or something. CRAZY SAUCE right??! Anyways, it's sold out but there are still plenty of nice LORAC palettes on sale at their site.

2. Smashbox Muse Artist Eye Palette (from MUSE Spring 2009 Collection)- This baby was originally $48!! I don't remember what I paid for it but I got it on sale (around $35?) and now it's on Smashbox.com for only $24. You can also find it on Ebay for as low as $10 (be aware of FAKES though.. more on that soon.) Sigh.. if only I had waited. When I first bought this a year ago, I barely even used it but I've recently pulled it out and started really putting it to use. I love it. The colors are very springy, soft, and sort of water color like. Perfect for if you're more of a neutral gal but want some color.

3. MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in "Black Line"- I've been using this since I got it. It's my every day black liner pencil and I like it. I like my liner to have glitter -for some strange reason I think it holds up better for me. This one works way better on the waterline than the OG Pearlglides and is 10x sparklier. My only gripe is that sometimes I'm not really feeling the green glitter. The gold's fine but I wish they had a black with silver glitter -like Black Russian.

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in "Peach Petal" (from Daydreamer Summer 2010 Collection)- I've been loving this gloss since I got it and am so thrilled that I've found some really good gloss for such a low price. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do and have found myself regularly reaching for it all week. It's such a nice peachy beige with some pink and will work with anything. Love that it doesn't dry out my lips -that's always a major plus. This is limited edition so if you want it, buy it now. They're selling really fast.

5. NARS Duo Lip Gloss in "Giza/Boogie Nights"- I got this in a set of 3 (so you get 6 different gloss colors) awhile back. I just checked right now and I think NARS is discontinuing their duo (double-sided) glosses because the individual glosses are nowhere to be found on the Sephora, NARS, or Nordstrom website. They still have the set at the NARS site though. Kind of sad about that since it's nice to have 2 colors in 1. Anyways, been using the "Giza" side a lot lately. It's a pretty, opaque nectar color (think light peachy coral.) I love NARS glosses because they're pigmented and moisturizing -I can wear it without lip balm. Only downside is the price (like all NARS products) and the fact that it smells a bit like melted waxy crayons mixed with other art supplies.

6. CARGO BeachBlush in "Coral Beach"- I love CARGO blushes and own quite a few so many of them are often neglected. I dug this out earlier this month and to my surpirse, it had never even been used -only swatched! I'm so glad I found it because the color's gorgeous. This BeachBlush contains 4 color "strips" which I mix all together (I guess you can use the colors indivually but the "strips" are pretty skinny so it would be hard to do this with a brush.) This had the perfect amount of shimmer and gives my skin a really nice glow. I'd describe the color as a peachy bronze with a touch of coral. CARGO blushes are blendable, long lasting, and pigmented.

7. CARGO Blush in "Topeka"- One of my favorite CARGO blushes. This is just a solid color (no "strips.") This is an amazing, natural looking blush that gives you that nice "pop." The color is a lightish medium peachy bronze with a hint of rose gold. People with medium/tan warm tones must have this.

8. Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in "Lemon & Chamomile" with SPF 25- I've mentioned my love for Jack Black balms before. I use this stuff on a daily basis and can't see my life without it. Dramatic? I know. It's one of my "luxory items" since I don't think lip balm should really cost 7 bucks. Around the Holidays, they always come out with a slightly discounted set of 3 and I usually buy 1 or 2 of those to get me through the year. I've tried the original mint flavor, lemon & chamomile, and I think the other one's vanilla mixed with something else -can't remember. I was using the mint flavor but for some reason, I just couldn't stand the tingly feeling lately. I opened this one up and fell in love all over again. So soothing and no tingles. It smells like Lemonheads. I wouldn't call this a lip treatment though, it's a balm. It'll help semi dry lips and maintains the moisture. If you have really crusty dry lips, it won't totally cure it but it'll help. I'm still trying to find a lip treatment that will handle those gross crusty days.Also, it contains SPF 25. We all know the importance of sunscreen but it's so often we forget that our lips need it too! Why not get your daily dose of lip SPF from something that smells and tastes super yummy?!

What are your monthy favorites? Share!

Make Up For Ever HD Complexion Travel Kit Review

I’ve been meaning to do this review for over a month! I featured the Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer and Microfinish Powder in my “March Favorites” post. When I saw the little HD Complextion Travel Kit that Sephora was offering, I jumped to get it because it offered 3 products (that had good reviews), was fairly cheap ($29), and I really have a hatred for shopping for “face” products and it was just convenient to get everything in one shot. I’ve been needing a translucent setting powder and a primer for quite some time. The kit contains a 0.5 oz tube of HD Microperfecting Primer, 0.16 oz bottle of HD Elixir, and a 0.17 oz jar of HD Microfinish Powder. The travel size primer and powder alone would’ve been $30 if I bought them individually so the elixir was like a little bonus.

The Packaging: All the goodies came wrapped in black Make Up For Ever tissue paper. That was a nice little touch –kind of like opening a package or present.

1. HD Microperfecting Primer- This came in a little squeeze tube with a black cap. It was basic and I liked the size of it –perfect for travel. It got dirty easily though when I put it in my makeup bag with the rest of my products.

2. HD Elixir- This came in a little bottle with a dropper. You use the dropper to get some of the “elixir” out of the bottle and just squeeze the product onto wherever you need it from there. I thought it was kind of weird since I’ve never had any product like this before. Probably could’ve come in a tube. It was a bit inconvenient to use.

3. HD Microfinish Powder- This came in a little sifter jar with a shiny black lid. Ok, this might sound stupid but you know whenever you mineral makeup and it comes in a sifter jar, there’s a clear sticker to cover the holes (where the powder comes out of) so that it doesn’t get all over the inside of the lid before you buy it. Anyways, I could not for the life of me get the sticker off. I actually ended having to take off the entire sifter cap/thing to get to the powder –which caused the powder to fly everywhere.

The Product:

1. HD Microperfecting Primer- This was my favorite product of the set. The regular sizes of the primer actually come in 7 different colors. The “neutral” one, which is in the set, supposedly “adds natural luminosity to the complexion.” There are others to counteract sallow undertones, lighten dark complexions, minimize redness, etc. I’ve tried the “2 Mauve” and “4 Caramel” before from samples and both smelled like wall paint. This one however didn’t really smell at all –maybe they changed the scent? Not sure.

Anyways, the texture is kind of gel like and felt smooth and moisturizing. I liked the primer because it didn’t break me out. I have such sensitive skin and am always so scared to put anything “all over” my face. I also liked that it did its job as a primer. I guess I saw a little “luminosity” from the primer but not enough to make me go buy it for that reason. The primer is white in color but once you apply it, it blends into your skin.

2. HDElixir- I really didn’t see the whole purpose of this. It felt gel like and I tried applying it on dry patches on my skin as it’s supposed to “hydrate and add radiance to skin.” I guess it made my skin a little more moisturized –but so does lotion and face cream. Also, be careful of applying to much as it can look oily. I didn’t use it all over my face –just on certain dry areas and I only used a tiny “drop” for every area.

3. HD Microfinish Powder- I wanted to use this as a setting powder. You’re supposed to be able to wear it over foundation or on its own. It’s supposed to “slightly mattify skin without changing its natural colors” and “soften the appearance of imperfections.” Also supposed to “completely even out the skin for a glowing, radiant look” and is supposed to work on all skin tones.

That being said, I honestly think it did most of that. I tried it with tinted moisturizer, foundation, and bare skin. It made my skin did slightly mattify my skin –which I liked since it didn’t make me look too matte or cause my skin to dry out. It also went on “clear” and didn’t give me a white or grayish cast like other “translucent” powders can do. It did “soften” imperfections but don’t expect them to disappear. I have these veins on the lower area of my cheeks kind of near my lips (gross I know.. I’m a bit self cautious of them) and it didn’t make them disappear –just very slightly softened them. It also sort of evened out my skin –like under my forehead and down. My forehead an the rest of my face or 2 completely different shades –like 3 shades apart. This powder did not even out that but did even out the “minor” uneven areas. I don’t feel it made my skin look “radiant” and “glowy though.” How can it make skin look glowy and matte?? (That’s what their product description says.)

There’s been some controversy over this product. The product contains only one ingredient –silica powder, which in my opinion makes this way too overpriced. So many people have been recommending that every one just buy plain silica powder from TKB Trading or Coastal Scents because it’s supposedly “the same thing.” And if it’s just plain silica powder, I’m guessing that it is but then you want to be sure you get “good” silica powder. Honestly I’ve had such bad experiences with Coastal Scents items (I’ve owned like 5 of the palettes) and I’m not willing to risk buying from them again just because their stuff has either always dried my skin out or broken me out. I’m not bashing the company –lots of people have wonderful experiences with their products but I’m not one of them. Anyways, I might go ahead and try one of the TKB Trading silicas though. They’re super cheap and you get a lot more product than MUFE. And maybe their silica won’t break me out.

Overall: The only thing that I feel is worth getting from the kit is the HD Microperfecting Primer. I’m so scared to try face products so if something works and doesn’t break me out or dry me out, I don’t want to try anything else. It did its job as a primer. It didn’t add a bunch of “luminosity” like it’s supposed to though but I’m fine with that. The other 2 products just didn’t do it for me. The elixir wasn’t bad –I just don’t feel it was something I needed and would use. The powder was nice but it broke me out. Also, I couldn’t even get the sticker off the thing! Anyways, if I could do it over, I’d just buy the primer on its own and skip the other 2. However, this is only because it didn’t work for my dry, sensitive skin. I felt that the products did do their jobs. This might be a great kit for others and I think it’s set at an awesome low price. I’d say give it a try if you’re looking for a new primer and powder.

On another note, if you’re only interested in the powder and don’t want to shell out the money for it, you can try TKB Trading or Coastal Scents like I mentioned above. You’ll pay a much lower price for a lot more product with those retailers. I haven’t done this so I can’t say what’s better or worse but I’m suggesting it because the HD Microfinish Powder is just basic silica powder. There are also tons of other places that sell pure silica so it wouldn’t hurt to research other options!

Revlon Daydreamer Collection: Limited Edition Super Lustrous Lip Glosses (Review & Swatches)

Anything pastel, pale, or nude for the lips is a total must-have for me. I've been dreaming of the Revlon Daydreamer collection since I first heard about it a little over a month ago. The collection was due to hit the United States in the beginning of May (showed up at my CVS just this week -end of April.) Daydreamer contains a bunch of pastel glosses, polishes, and a sleek limited edition quad. I ended up with only 4 of the 5 Super Lustrous glosses and skipped out on the quad and polishes. The nail colors from Daydreamer are also really pretty if you wanted to check them out. I'm pretty sure there's 4 in the collection -pastel minty green, pastel lavender, pastel peachy pink, and shimmery gold. I skipped on those since I'm on a budget plus I've never liked any Revlon polishes I've own. There was also a new "Scents of Summer" collection with all polishes. The colors in that collection were mainly pastel and "fruity" colors. Check out Justine's review of some of the LE scented polishes here.

The glosses are each $7.99 at CVS. I guess that's a little on the pricier side when it comes to drugstore glosses but make sure you buy them during a BOGO sale. CVS has Revlon BOGO sales pretty much every other week. Also check Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc. If you're just buying one, check Walmart or Target. Also, for CVS shoppers, make sure to try scanning your CVS card. I know that some "$3 off Revlon products" coupons are printing out this week.

I also have to mention that glosses are going FAST. On Tuesday, the day the shipment came in, I bought the last one of the 4 colors (there's a 5th shade, Firecracker -there were still plenty of those.) So if you see then, grab them NOW. These are limited edition. From what I've been reading online, these are in pretty high demand -especially Lilac Pastelle.

The Packaging: The no-fuss packaging is pretty sleek and is the same as the permanent Super Lustrous glosses. The tube is clear with a shiny black lid. There's a gold "band" under the lid that reads "Revlon." The bottom of the tube contains a clear sticker that states that color, product name, and size (0.2 ounces.) The gloss contains a sponge tip applicator which I like for this gloss.

Something that I don't like, this won't matter to most of you, but the white sticker with the bar code and number is stuck on the side of the tube. I wish this was part of the "plastic wrapping" instead so you could take it off when you unwrap it to use. Most drugstore products are like this though. I just rather not have the bar code sticker on the product -it makes the products look ugly.

The Product: These are probably the best drugstore glosses I've ever tried and I'll actually be using these. Most drugstore glosses I buy usually end up never being used because they're either drying, not pigmented, too sticky, or all around just plain bad.

I wouldn't describe these as "making your lips a whole lot more moisturized" but they will maintain the moisture that you had prior to using the gloss and then some. Does that make sense? When I tried these and had really dry lips, the gloss accentuated the dryness and looked flaky. The gloss didn't feel drying but it sure didn't help how my poor, dry lips looked. However, once I exfoliated and used lip balm and then wore the gloss on top, it looked great and my lips felt great.

The glosses are slightly sticky and my hair did get a little stuck to my lips. Not as sticky as say.. MAC glosses though. I like that there's that "slight stickiness" so it doesn't just slide off the lips. It helps the gloss to adhere to your lips and last longer.

I expected this gloss to be a lot more pigmented and opaque than it actually was. However, I was happy that it didn't just go on clear like many of my other drugstore glosses. I'd say these have light to medium pigmentation but slighty more towards medium. I couldn't really detect any shimmer in any of the 4 colors I purchased except for some light shimmer in Lilac pastelle.

The texture of these glosses was milky and slightly opaque. Again, I'm so happy that these glosses aren't sheer. With just one coat, it might look sheer but the gloss is very buildable. Add a few more coats and you'll be good to go. The outcome will be a slightly opaque look.

Also, this gloss lasts pretty long! After 5 hours (drank coffee and ate some candy), the gloss was still there. It didn't make my lips look as "full" as when I first applied it, but there was still lots of color and shine. On the 6th hour, it started fading.

Something I didn't like was the the gloss kind of sunk into the lines in my lips. I hate when glosses do that. It's really not as bad as some of the other glosses I've tried though and isn't super noticeable unless someone's looking at your lips really closely.

The scent smells like artificial fruit.. Don't know how else to describe it! I've smelled it before and I'm guessing that it smells like the Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglazes. I did a review on them here a long, long time ago. Photos are awful! Unfortunately, I've given them away since I didn't like them much and can't compare the 2 scents. The smell goes away after applying though so no worries.

Swatches..

No flash (from left): Peach Petal, Coral Reef, Pink Pop, Lilac Pastelle.

With flash (from left): Peach Petal, Coral Reef, Pink Pop, Lilac Pastelle.

The Colors: I don't have the best vision so if you buy these, correct me if I'm wrong. I couldn't detect any shimmer in Peach Petal, Coral Reef, or Pink Pop. I almost missed the shimmer on Lilac Pastelle but do see now that it has some light shimmer.

1. 150 Peach Petal- Neutral pastel peachy beige with a touch of pink. This was on the sheerer side but still buildable. It's very pretty for an every day look. Did go on slightly uneven but it didn't take too long to even it out.

2. 170 Coral Reef- Nice coral with more orange than pink -on the warmer side. If your lips are fairly pigmented though, it'll tone down the orange. Definitely one of the more opaque shades from the collection and went on evenly and smoothly with no problems. A bit too bright for me (I'm a nudey/pale girl) but it's a gorgeous color.

3. 180 Pink Pop- Fuchsia bubblegum pink. I expected this to be a more pastel bubblegum so I was a little disappointed but it's still a nice color. Like Coral Reef, this is also one of the more pigmented shades. Very nice springy/summery color. I see this working for both cool and warm tones as it's somewhere inbetween.

4. 200 Lilac Pastelle- Shimmery, pastel, milky lilac shade with the very slightest touch of pink. This is more on the cool side but it can work for warm tones since it's not super pigmented.

5. Firecracker- Didn't buy this one but in store, it looked like a cherry red with some coral and orange. It looked bright but not flashy bright. Not sure if this contains shimmer but I don't think it does.

Lip Swatches..

(No flash) Peach Petal

(With flash) Peach Petal

Peach Petal: My lips were actually really chapped in this picture. I didn't bother to exfoliate or use lip balm. Notice how patchy it looks. Gross! Sorry, didn't take new "full face" pics of Peach Petal when I did exfoliate/condition. I look really tired in all these full face pics too!

(No flash) Coral Reef

(With flash) Coral Reef

(No flash) Pink Pop

(With flash) Pink Pop

Pink Pop

(No flash) Lilac Pastelle

(With Flash) Lilac Pastelle

Lilac Pastelle

Now here's what Peach Petal looks like after 5 hours of wear time..

(No flash) Peach Petal (after 5 hours)

(With flash) Peach Petal (after 5 hours)

Peach Petal (after 5 hours)

Overall: Seriously, get these NOW while you can. They're selling out so fast and they ain't coming back. These are the best quality drugstore glosses I've ever found (have tried various glosses from Rimmel, Maybelline, Cover Girl, Wet 'N Wild, NYX, Sally Hansen, other Revlon glosses, etc.) so I'll be trying out some of the other Super Lustrous shades in the future. I really love all 4 colors (especially Lilac Pastelle and Peach Petal) and think they're perfect shades for this Spring/Summer. The glosses ooze with luxury -not too sticky, decently moisturizing and non-drying, moderately pigmented, nice smooth texture, and long lasting. The only cons are that they gross smell (won't be gross to all folks though) and the fact that if you already have dry, crusty lips, this isn't really going to make that disappear. Be sure to add lip balm and exfoliate beforehand. This isn't like say... LORAC 3D Multiplex. When I use that gloss, I can actually use it like a lip balm and wear it on top of dry, gross lips and it'll help the flakiness and not enhance it.

Sorry! This review was so long and pic heavy. I started getting really tired halfway through taking all these bazillion pics for the review. There were about 400 pictures on my camera and I had to sort them all out afterwards.

One more thing..

Doesn't this look yummy?? It's a gummy candy fruit kabob! My little sister gave it to me and it's just too cute to eat.

Nudey Tuesday: MAC Honeylove Lipstick (Review & Swatches)

First off, let me say that this new "picture uploading" system with Blogger is really making me mad. I've been struggling with it for awhile now and it just takes so so soooooo long to load. Anyways, today's Nudey Tuesday will be all about MAC's Honeylove lipstick. It's actually one of my favorite nude lipsticks as I find that it gives a very "natural" nudey look. I have a hate love relationship with MAC lipsticks. I love the fact that MAC offers so many different colors (permanent and limited edition) and that they're fairly low priced at only $14 a pop (in the U.S.) -a lot cheaper than many other "high-end" brands. What I don't like are the formulas in general. They offer so many finishes -matte, frost, lustre, glaze, amplified, amplified creme, cremesheen, and satin. Then there's also "Dazzle" finishes being added to that soon. Anyways, with all these different finishes, you think at least one would work out wonderfully for me right? Wrong. None of the finishes really wow me as all of them dry out my already dry lips like mad with the exception of Glazes but I don't really like those anyways since they're usually so sheer. I've been telling myself that I won't buy any more MAC lipsticks (last ones purchased were from Liberty of London) but I doubt that'll last. I love MAC's color choices.

The Packaging: Packaging is pretty standard with MAC lipsticks. Just a plastic black tube, silver ring, and silver "MAC" logo in the middle. There's also tiny silvery sparkles on the tube if you look closely. There's a silver sticker on the bottom of the tube displaying the finish and color name. I've noticed that on some of my MAC lipsticks, the color name isn't always centered -sometimes the writing nearly travels off the sticker.

The Product: Honeylove has a matte finish -which I do like for the color. Most matte lipsticks are super drying in general so I don't have a problem with Honeylove being dry. However as with all matte lipsticks, I highly recommend applying a generous layer of lip balm before applying -maybe even give your lips an exfoliating session. I don't think it's the dryest matte formula -it's actually pretty nice for a matte finish. It glides fairly smoothy onto my lips (when they're not dry) and lasts about 2 hours (but that's because I eat or drink nearly every hour.) When my lips are dry though, the lipstick sinks into the lines in my lips and enhances the "dry spots." From a distance though (talking distance to someone sitting nearby), you can't see the dryness. It could only be seen if someone's literally studying your lips -which is kind of weird! The lipstick feels pretty comfortable on with some slight "tightness" due to my dry lips. The scent is vanilla -which I actually don't like. It goes away after a few minutes though after applying.

The Color: The color is a pigmented medium beige nude with a "tinge" of salmon and pink. This is definitely more of a natural nude so no dramatic corpse effect here. I think this is one of those nudes that will work well on everyone -I know lots of people have problems with Myth.

Swatches..

(No flash) Natural light.

(No flash)

(With flash)

Lip Swatches..

(No flash) Natural light.

(No flash) ..Crazy how different lighting can make a huge difference.

(With flash)

 Overall: I love this. This may not be the perfect formula and I may not like the fake vanilla scent but I just love the color. I think it's perfect and it'll probably work really well with a variety of different skin tones -fair to dark. The price is just right at $14 for what you get -I wouldn't go buying this for something like 30 bucks. I feel that the formula is also better than other matte lipsticks in terms of "dryness." Remember, if you do decide to get this, put on a good layer of lip balm prior to applying the lipstick and let it just "marinate" into your lips for 10-15 minutes. Also, exfoliating wouldn't be a bad idea either.

MAC Paint Pots (Review & Swatches)

Today I'm doing a review on my thoughts of MAC Paint Pots after I received a few comments about them. They'll run you only $16.50 a piece -I think it's a good price since you get a whole lot of product with these (5 grams/0.17oz) and I swear they last forever. I only own Soft Ochre and Indianwood but I swatched all the available colors at MAC last week. Hopefully this gives you a good idea of MAC Paint Pots.

The Packaging: I don't like the packaging to these. The product looks sleek in little glass jars with black lids (like the Fluidlines) but because they're glass, they're really not practical for travel (especially if you're putting them in your check in luggage.) Mine haven't broken yet (as I pack really carefully) but I've had friends who have broken or chipped the bottom of their jars. The product inside wasn't affected but still, who wants a chipped jar? Another thing I don't like is that I have to stick my finger inside the jar every time I want to use it. It's unsanitary. I know that some folks use a spatula to get the product out but I don't. =P It takes too much time! Plus, I figure that you're still getting bacteria in there everytime you open the lid anyways. I'd much prefer a squeeze tube but I guess I can deal with this. Oh and if you're wondering why I can't use a brush and then brush it onto my lids.. well everytime I use a brush, the product doesn't go on right. Plus I find that Paint Pot applies much better and easier with fingers.

The Product: Paint pots can be used as primers, as a base, or as cream eyeshadows. The MAC website also says that they can be mixed with eyeshadows or liners (I haven't done this.) I generally use these as a base -it goes over my primer but under my eyeshadow.

As a base, I really like these. When I wear this on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion/Too Faced Shadow Insurance (I use both), my eye makeup lasts all day. This will last through school, running errands, shopping, and even an afternoon nap! My eye makeup still looks nice and neat from morning (usually around 8AM) to night (around 8PM) when I take my makeup off. The only thing that might come off or get smeared (after naps) is my liquid and pencil eyeliner.

As a primer, these work for me (meaning I don't apply UDPP or TFSI underneath.) But, I do have really dry skin so eyeshadow rarely creases on me -except for some cream shadows. I don't like wearing them as a primer because Paint Pots tend to have a semi-dry texture and are a little thick -which dries out my skin more. I need that UDPP or TFSI as a "barrier." Plus, when combined with one of those primers, my eye makeup lasts longer. With just the Paint Pot alone, it will only hold (perfectly) for a few hours (around 5.) However, I'm not sure how these might work (as just primer) for those with more oily skin. The texture won't feel as drying as it would for me, but I'm almost 100% certain (in my experience) that Paint Pots will not hold eyeshadow better than UDPP or TSFI no matter what type of skin you have.

As a cream shadow, I'm sure these will hold up a handful of hours without creasing. They last fine all day for me (with primer underneath) but those with oilier skin may have different experiences (again, I have super dry skin.) Sometimes I use Indianwood as an all over wash and just add mascara and liner. Something like Constructivist will also look nice applied near the lash line and "smoked out." You'll have a nice, subtle smokey eye -just add mascara and liner.

Back to the texture, I feel that my Indianwood (which is a frost) is slightly smoother and not as drying as my Soft Ochre (which is a cream.) When I swatched all the Paint Pots in store, I found that all the cream finishes were a bit more drying and thicker in texture. The frosts, satins, etc. seemed to be a bit creamier.

The Color: Paint Pots come in a nice color range. 10 colors are currently available online but in store, they'll probably still have some of the discontinued/limited edition shades. I like that these are so versatile and there are colors for every look. If you use say Soft Ochre -you'll have a more "natural look" but if you use Rubenesque -your shadows will look shimmery with a slight frost finish. If you want to go with Constructivist, you'll have a darker, smokey look. Here's a list of the available colors (along with some LE/discontinued shades they had at my store.)

1. Coral Crepe (Satin)- This is Limited Edition and part of the Pret-A-Papier collection. Coral Crepe is a slightly dark reddish coral with a slight sheen. The color is pretty intense but sheered out, it'll be a lot more versatile.

2. Bare Study (Frost)- Permanent shade. This is a very shimmery pearly beige champagne color.

3. Constructivist (Frost)- Permanent shade. It's a metallic-y dark, chocolate brown with reddish shimmer. Great for brown smokey eyes.

4. Delft- Dark turquoise peacock blue color with green and gold shimmer. I'm guessing this is discontinued as it is no longer available on the MAC website but it's still available at Nordstrom and Nordstrom online.

5. Girl Friendly- Matte slightly greyed pink but with a mauve-ish tint. Discontinued on MAC site but still available at Nordstrom.

6. Groundwork (Satin)- Permanent shade. It's a very pretty, soft, slightly taupey brown with a slight sheen.

7. Indianwood (Frost)- Permanent shade. Shimmery metallic golden bronze.

8. Painterly (Cream)- Permanent shade. Matte neutral beige nude with pink undertones.

9. Quite Natural (Cream)- Permanent shade. Matte neutral medium-dark chocolate milk brown. (Think the color of chocolate milk -not just chocolate.) I've heard of people using this for their brows.

10. Rubenesque (Frost)- Permanent shade. Shimmery irridescent golden peachy color. Sort of a rose gold.

11. Fresco Rose- Soft cool pink with shimmer. Discontinued on MAC site but still available at Nordstrom.

12. Soft Ochre (Cream)- Permanent shade. Matte neutral beige with yellow undertones.

13. Blackground (Pearl)- Permanent shade (but no swatch for this.) Very dark black-grey with shimmer.

If you're looking for a nice, neutral base..

1. Light to medium complexions with pink undertones- Painterly.

2. Light to medium complexions with yellow or olive undertones- Soft Ochre.

3. Darker medium to tan complexions- Groundwork. It is a satin but there's only a slight sheen and not much shimmer.

4. Darker complexions- Quite Natural.

Swatches..

With flash (from left): Coral Crepe, Bare Study, Constructivist, Delft.

No flash (from left): Coral Crepe, Bare Study, Constructivist, Delft.

With flash (from left): Girl Friendly, Groundwork, Indianwood, Painterly, Quite Natural.

No flash (from left): Girl Friendly, Groundwork, Indianwood, Painterly, Quite Natural.

With flash (from left): Rubenesque, Fresco Rose.

With flash (from left): Rubenesque, Fresco Rose.

No flash (from left): Rubenesque, Fresco Rose.

With flash (from left): Soft Ochre, Indianwood.

 No flash (from left): Soft Ochre, Indianwood.

Overall: I like Paint Pots. However, I only use them with UDPP or TFSI underneath and never as a straight primer on their own. Paint Pots give your eyeshadow different effects and finishes or can be worn alone without shadows on top. I like the color range that they offer and I think the price is on point for the amount of product you get. One jar will likely last for years. What I don't like is the breakable glass packaging, the fact that it's kind of unsanitary, and that the "cream" finishes seem to be a little thicker and more drying than the other finishes. Overall, I think every one should give Paint Pots a try and it's definitely worth investing in at least one. There's sure to be one for everybody and they're obviously really, really gorgeous. With primer, they make eye makeup last for hours on end with no creasing whatsoever.

An Alternative to MAC Paint Pots..

Another thing is that since these can be drying for those with dryer skin, I often switch off between Paint Pots and Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows. I actually own Honey Bunny (comparable to Paintery Paint Pot) and Recess (comparable to Soft Ochre Paint Pot) so there's not much of a difference in color when I switch between the two products. Benefit's Creaseless Creams feel a little silkier (they're more of a satin finish with light shimmer) than the "cream finish" Paint Pots which are matte. Using the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows give my eyelids a break from the dry texture of my Soft Ochre Paint Pot while still keeping the same color. The only thing is I feel that Paint Pots last a tad longer than the Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows.

Happy Saturday, Quick Sephora Haul, and 10% Off at Sephora!!

I just wanted to do a little post for the "gift hauling" I did at Sephora yesterday. I only bought one thing for myself (and it was on sale!).. the rest was for all these upcoming events. My Mom's birthday happens to be just a few days before Mother's Day (so that's 2 gifts.) Then I have my God Mother's present (1 gift.) And THEN after that is my Dad's birthday on June 14th and then 6 days later is Father's Day!! So yea, it's pretty hard getting 5 different gifts when you're broke.. *sigh. It took be forever to find presents since everything was pretty much out of stock (probably because of the 15% off sale that ended last week.) Was major disappointed because I could've saved almost $30 if I had just bought everything last week.. but the bf didn't want to go!! =( That could've been a Givenchy or Dior lipstick right there.

Anyways, here's what I got:

1. Bliss Softening Socks- $48 (Pretty darn expensive but you get 50 uses.. I feel it's kind of weird to re-use over and over though- Mom's Mother's Day present)

2. NARS Lipstick in "Afghan Red"- $24 (Will add this with a CARGO palette I bought for my mom's birthday to make it a nice little set.)

3. Laura Mercier Shimmer Lip Colour in "Plum Wine" (God Mother's Mother's Day present)

4. Azzaro "Chrome" Eau de Toliette Spray- $35 (Dad's Birthday present)

5. Sephora Brand "Poppy" Makeup Bag in "Purple" -$20 (For myself!!)

So I still need another thing to add to my God Mother's Mother's Day present and then another gift for my Dad for Father's Day. Ughh.. It's really hard finding presents for them.

Ok so then today I was having a really bad day and feeling all down and out and I wanted to buy myself something as a little pick me up. The only thing is I didn't want to spend any "real" money so I used the rest of my Sephora gift card. I was also feeling bad that I missed out on the 15% off last week at Sephora so I skimmed RetailMeNot for some good deals and promos. Nothing caught my eye. I saw that someone had recently put up the 10% off discount (which you can use for your first V.I.B. purchase of the year.) I already used the code a few months ago but decided to try it anyways and guess what, it worked!!!!! Omgosh I was so excited.

Here's the code:V227BL

I can't guarantee it will work for you but it did for me and I already used it back in like February (and supposedly you can only use it once per V.I.B. account AND it expired too a few months ago.) Not sure why it worked today but gotta love them computer glitches right?? I'd give it a try.

And another thing.. this is so weird but I ended up having to only spend $1.20 out of pocket (after the gift card was used.) Lucky me! Anyways, I put in my boyfriend's address -he lives in another city by mine (less than hour away) and for some reason using his address, the total (after gift card) was only 50 cents! And the thing is, we both live in California but the tax comes out different for some reason. I still ended up using my address though since I wanted it ASAP and didn't want to wait to go to his house after it was delivered. So....... I'm just wondering if that happens to anyone else.

Have a nice Saturday night. Have to go study now. =(

P.S. Will do review on MAC Paint Pots soon.. hopefully by tomorrow. Went to MAC the other day and swatched all of them! ..And forgot to take pictures of Pret-A-Papier swatches. =P But honestly, none of it interested me when I swatched -I wanted Instant Chic blush but in store, it looked powdery and un-promising.