Hi guys! It's been a long hiatus. I'm currently in the middle of a major facelift for this blog and even renamed it - Kalifornia blog. The blog will take on a new direction (beauty posts will of course still be around) plus some other fun topics. Thought I'd share my latest find. Sephora is currently running a promo for a free Laura Mercier kit on any online order $35+. I picked up the two Besame lipsticks pictured. Use code VIBROAR to score this sweet deal! The code is for VIB and VIB Rouge members only.

The kit includes:

• Crème Smooth Lip Colour in "Audrey"
• Foundation Primer in "Radiance"
• Lip Glacé in "Bare Naked"
• Leopard Print Pouch

On another note, select products from Besame Cosmetics have been available online at Sephora since last year and the lipsticks are absolutely amazing. Last week, they recently released five new colors along with the current line. Please do yourself a favor and check them out asap! Review coming soon.

I'm excited to be blogging! Hoping some of the older readers are still there and of course, welcome new readers.

Urban Decay F&F Haul

I had some credit at Urban Decay and wanted to make use of it during the F&F sale. I really didn't "need" but I did pick up a few things. I think I only spent like $10 for all this (I had some credit from when they messed up an order.)

24/7 "Electric" Travel Kit

Lovechild Lipstick

Sin Primer Potion

Limited Edition Lipstick Cap (free with any lipstick purchase)

Wallflower Lip Junkie (deluxe sample)

Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone. <33

Weekend Presents: MAC Dress It Up Pro Longwear Lipcreme, Stickers, & Friendship Bracelets

Sometimes the best presents are small and thoughtful. Well in this case, only one of the items (the lipstick!) was meant to be a present but friend boy ended up buying me the other things while we were at Walmart. I got the new MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in "Dress It Up" (from the Styledriven collection), cutesy stickers, and a friendship bracelet set.

MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in "Dress It Up"

MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in "Dress It Up"

I swiped on Dress It Up (a pale blue pink) today and it's become on of my current favorites. I love that while it's still a pale pink, it's "dark" enough to wear for fall. As for the formula, it applies smoothly which I really appreciate since so many pale lippies tend to accentuate any dryness/cracks in the lips. I'm not sure about the wear yet -I'll have to test it out more. (Christine's review here)

Now, is Dress It Up different from the other 54935840 pale pink lipsticks in my collection? Not really. However, I do often run into problems with my pinks being too cool or making my lips look super dry (not cute) so this is a winner in my book. It's just a really nice standard pale pink and I urge your warm skinned ladies to give it a try (it'll look amazing on cool toned gals as well.)


Have a wonderful (rest of your) Sunday lovers. <33

CoverGirl NatureLuxe Collection: Liquid Silk Foundation & Gloss Balm

Foundation Grade: A-
Gloss Balm Grade: B-

I'm sure you've noticed loads of new CoverGirl products pouring through the cosmetics aisles of your local drugstores. Today's review is all about the Liquid Silk Foundation ($12.99 for 1 oz) and Gloss Balm ($7.49 for 0.07 oz) which are part of their new NatureLuxe Collection. To be honest, the last time I used a CoverGirl product was probably in high school. Their Lipslick (in a silvery whiteish pink) was a a staple in my makeup bag (I cringe when I look back on it!) and my first foundation was made by them as well.

However, as I learned more about makeup, I preferred other drugstore brands like Maybelline and Revlon. But after trying these two products, CoverGirl has definitely made a comeback in my book -I wouldn't be surprised if some new products showed up in my makeup drawers anytime soon.

Product Description

Ingredients

I'll start off with my favorite of the two -the Liquid Silk Foundation (with SPF 10). This stuff is amazing! I'd describe the foundation as more of a tinted moisturizer or very light foundation. It goes on smoothly and gives light coverage leaving a slightly dewy finish (but nothing over the top.) The foundation is feels so light on the skin -I forget I'm wearing it! It covers all my veins and light marks well and best of all, it doesn't make my forehead look super ashy or gray. Also, it doesn't dry out or irritate my super dry, sensitive skin which is a huge plus.

The foundation does have the standard "makeup" scent but after applying it, the scent fades. It lasts me through an average day (about 5 hours) with minor fading.

I received #350 Oak which was the darkest shade of the five or six BzzAgent offered (there are tons more shades in store). The shade is a little light for me but it works. When the weather gets warmer I'll have to mix it with some bronzing gel.

Gloss Balm in Muscat

The Gloss Balm (with SPF 15) is nice but I'm not amazed. It's nice -basically a (very) tinted lip balm with a glossy finish. The color payoff is good and leaves my lips with a tint of strawberry red with some orange (and subtle red sparkles.) It lasts about 2 hours before it starts to fade but it does leave a very light tint of color. There is a slight artificial strawberry makeup scent but the scent fades once it's applied.

Swatches..

Above (with flash) from top: Liquid Silk Foundation in Oak, Gloss Balm in Muscat

Above (with flash): Gloss Balm in Muscat

I received both products from BzzAgent. Anyone can sign up with BzzAgent. Members are able to sign up for free and join campaigns and receive products to try and review.

Nudey Tuesday: Limited Edition Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout Review & Swatches

Repurchase: Yes
Price: $8.99 (0.13 oz)
Product: 22.5/25
Packaging: 4.5/5
Value: 9/10
Overall Grade: A-

I've been searching high and low for the Revlon's limited edition ColorBurst lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout since seeing it on Nouveau Cheap months ago. My area seems to always be the last to receive any limited edition or new products so I still had high hopes in the beginning of May. Finally, I spotted it at my local Walgreens! I wanted to grab a second to give away but out of the three on display, two had been tampered with and only one was left perfect and untouched. =\

The Packaging: Nothing special here. This limited edition shade is packaged in the same ol' ColorBurst packaging -a square matte black tube featuring a quilted design. The bottom contains a sticker displaying the shade name. And once again, I love the fact that "Revlon" is engraved into the actual lipstick bullet.

Ingredients

The Product: Revlon lipsticks, with the exception of the "new" shades, are generally very pigmented and Fashion's Night Pout is no exception. Along with its great color payoff, it is also buildable, glides on smoothly, and feels nice on the lips without drying them out. Prior to applying the lipstick, my lips were very dry and naked (no lip balm!) so application could've gone better with some exfoliating and a good balm.

Fashion's Night Pout

The Color: Fashion's Night Pout is a slightly warmed pale pinky nude with a tinge of salmon. While the shade is indeed very "nude", it doesn't give off totally corpse-like lips -it's actually one of the prettiest drugstore nude lipsticks I've ever encountered.

Swatches..

Above (no flash): Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout

Above (with flash): Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout 

Above (with flash): Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout

Overall: I've never tried the original "Soft Nude" shade because I've heard countless times that it's very drying BUT I'm beyond happy that I gave Fashion's Night Pout a try. It's better than some high end nude lipsticks that leave my lips looking cracked and dry. For $8.99, you get an amazing formula and shade for a total steal.

Where To Buy: Walgreens

Revlon NEW ColorBurst Lipsticks in Icy Nude, Pink Sugar, Candy Pink, Cherry Ice, Petal Review & Swatches

Repurchase: No
Price: $10.49 (0.13 oz)
Product: 20.5/25
Packaging: 4.5/5
Value: 8.5/10
Overall Grade: B-

About three months ago, Revlon came out with new ColorBurst glosses and a five new ColorBurst lipstick shades. It took me about a month or two to find all the shades (they were sold out at several retailers) -I was very determined. I don't think all the time and work were worth it though. =P

Note: CVS has raised their prices for Revlon ColorBurst lipsticks from $8.99 to $10.49. However, during the last 3 weeks, the scanner has shown that the price is still $8.99 (on sale) for CVS members. So, I think that customers can still get the lipsticks for just $8.99 but only with a card. I'm not sure if other stores have raised their prices.

The Packaging: Revlon ColorBurst lipsticks are packaged in matte black square tubes. The design alternates from a solid to quilted pattern around the tube.

The top of the cap contains a "shade" square representing the shade inside. The bottom displays a sticker stating the shade name.

"Revlon" is imprinted onto the lipstick giving it a high end, classy feel.

Ingredients

The Product: I think the formula has been altered for these new ColorBurst shades. Unlike the original ColorBurst lipsticks which contained no scent or taste, these smell like raw cookie dough and leave a light, artificial sweet taste behind.

Also, I noticed that these shades aren't nearly as pigmented as the original shades. They're quite sheer but still somewhat buildable. Because of the sheerness though, all the lipsticks (with the exception of Icy Nude) apply a bit patchy.

The lipstick is doesn't add any extra moisture but keeps lips soft. Icy Nude and Cherry Ice last for about 3.5 hours and then start to fade. Petal and Candy Pink last for under 3 hours. Pink Sugar, however, lasts for under 2 hours.

Icy Nude

Pink Sugar

Candy Pink

Cherry Ice

Petal

The Color:

1. Icy Nude- Warm caramel brown with subtle silver shimmer
2. Pink Sugar- Light pink with chunky silver shimmer
3. Candy Pink- Bright blue pink with blue shimmer
4. Cherry Ice- Juicy cherry red with red shimmer
5. Petal- Medium neutral pink with silver shimmer

Swatches..

Above (no flash) from left: Icy Nude, Pink Sugar, Candy Pink, Cherry Ice, Petal

Above (with flash): Icy Nude

Above (with flash): Pink Sugar

Above (with flash): Candy Pink

Above (with flash): Cherry Ice

Above (with flash): Petal

Overall: I was disappointed with these new ColorBurst lipsticks. I spent a lot of time searching for them and they didn't live up to my expectations at all. I don't understand why Revlon decided to add a sickly sweet scent and taste and some poor color payoff when the original shades were awesome. I think the saying's true -don't fix something that ain't broken!

Where To Buy: CVS, Walgreens

Just the Weekly Drugstore Haul: New Revlon Color Burst Lipsticks, Wet 'n' Wild 8-Pan Palettes, Goody Hair Ties

I stopped by Walgreens yesterday for the 100th time to see if they finally all of the new Wet 'n' Wild 8-pan palettes. I've been checking all of my local Walgreens on a regular basis (2 or 3 times a week!) for almost 2 months now and they've had trouble receiving Wet 'n' Wild shipments -even when they place special orders for the products. I finally found Petal Pusher palette last week and then found the other two yesterday. I quickly scooped up the last Blue Had Me At Hello palettes and two Comfort Zone palettes (one to give away.) I used a rain check too (from the 50% off Wet 'n' Wild sale) so I scored all the palettes for $2.50.

Along with that amazing deal, I also scored two sets of 27 Goody hair ties for $2.99 each. They're on sale right now and on top of that, you get $2 back in Register Rewards -I was able to get $4 RR because she let me get $2 for each since they were different colors and not the same exact set. I also grabbed another set of 17 for $1.59 which I think is stupid now since I only paid 99 cents for a set of 27!! Agh.. That's what happens when you don't think things through when you're shopping.

I also picked up a Jordan Fabuliner for $2.99 -hope it's good! Oh yea, at Walgreens, the cashier also gave me perfume samples -did anyone know that they do this now?!

Then, later before meeting my friends for dinner, I stopped by CVS and found all of the new Revlon Color Burst lipsticks. I scooped up Rosy Nude (don't know if that's new), Pink Sugar, Icy Nude, Cherry Ice, and Petal (x2). I used a rain check so they were each $6.49 with $4 Extra Bucks for each -so basically $2.49 each!

Ok, no more buying makeup for the rest of the week. I really need to ban myself from buying makeup since I have SO MUCH to review already but it's so, so hard. =(

Nudey Tuesday: JK Jemma Kidd Classic Couture Lipstick in A-List Review & Swatches

Repurchase: No
Price: $16.00 (0.106 oz/ 3 g)
Product: 20/25
Packaging: 4/5
Value: 6/10
Overall Grade: C

I've seen Jemma Kidd's "JK" line at Target dozens of times but have never given any of her products a second thought. I've swatched some shades here and there but none were ever interesting enough to buy. A few weeks ago, I swatched the Classic Couture lipsticks and was shocked at how beautiful they looked on my hand under the bright store lights. I quickly looked for Minx (a light pink) but was out of luck so grabbed my second choice, A-List, to review for Nudey Tuesday.

The Packaging: Jemma Kidd's Classic Couture lipstick comes in a sleek, matte black rounded tube. "JK" is printed in large, pink letters with "Jemma Kidd" printed in smaller text below. The very bottom of the tube is clear displaying the shade inside with the shade name underneath.

I like the tube but I don't find it exciting. However, it's a lot nicer than some other plastic-y drugstore lipstick tubes.

Ingredients

The Product: Right off the bat, the $16 price tag seemed steep but I was determined to try at least one of the Classic Couture lipsticks. I initially had high hopes and hopes and dreamt of this possibly being a hidden drugstore gem. On photo shoot/swatch day, I eagerly ripped open the box, took photos, and then happily applied the lipstick to my lips. Total. Fail.

When I applied the lipstick right out of the tube, my lips looked gunky and disgusting. Even though my lips had already been moisturized and were fairly soft, the lipstick made them look so incredibly dry. I quickly wiped off the lipstick and tried again. This time, I applied a thick layer of lip balm (in this case Carmex) and dabbed on the lipstick (instead of swiping it on like the first time.) This application process worked a lot better than the first but still didn't give me the pretty, kissable lips that I had hoped for. The lipstick sunk into my lip lines causing them to (still) look very dry.

However, what you see isn't always necessarily what you feel. The lipstick felt soft and smooth on my lips -totally the opposite of how it looked. Another nice quality is the good pigmentation but that's where the good ends.

Unfortunately, the lipstick fades away in less than an hour. It also contains that kind of artificial, "trying to be" sweet scent and taste that isn't very appealing. Unfortunately, Jemma Kidd's A-List would never make it anywhere near my personal selection of "A-list" lipsticks.

The Color: A-List is a pale, peachy salmon nude with silver shimmer

Swatches..

Above (with flash) from left: JK Jemma Kidd Classic Couture lipstick in A-List (4) layers, (1) layer

Above (with flash): JK Jemma Kidd Classic Couture Lipstick in A-List

Overall: For $16 (and at Target), I expected a really great lipstick. The product itself is somewhere around "B-" level but the value brought the grade down a lot.

If I had known how uninspiring the lipstick would be, I could've taken that $16 and put it towards a bunch of other (better) lipsticks out there. For just a little more than half the price, I could've purchased a Revlon ColorBurst lipstick ($8.99) and gotten some change back and much better results. Or, I could've even picked up a tube of MAC lipstick for only $14.50 -then at least I'd be guaranteed a very pigmented, beautiful shade. I could've also put it towards my favorite lipstick, Shiseido's Perfect Rouge, and added another $9.00 to the total.

The $16.00 was an absolute waste this time around but I really do try to give people (or products) the benefit of the doubt. I have Minx waiting for me to review and swatch so hopefully that goes a lot better!

Where To Buy: Target