ELF Studio glosses are a lovely surprise! Plus a mini haul.

I did a little shopping yesterday for some necessities, and like always, I ended up buying a few items I didn't need.  Ugh this ALWAYS happens!  In this post I'm going to talk mainly about the ELF Studio lip glosses I found, but I wanted to show you the other things I got, too!

I'm kind of in the market for a new cleanser, although I should stick to what I know works for me.  I ran out of my Aveeno Positively Radiant daily scrub a couple weeks ago.  I have been using my Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel for about a week, but I think it's the reason I'm breaking out in a few areas (which is weird because when I tried it in a sample pack, I loved it).  Anyway, I saw this Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser at Target and picked it up.  I hope it'll be nice for a basic daily cleanser- I love this line of products!

The L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara I will review separately, but my first impression is good.  It gives a lot of length and definition without clumping!  

I was at my local HyVee grocery store and couldn't believe it when I saw an ELF Studio display!  They've always had the regular $1 line display (a four-sided turning stand), but I guess they just recently added one full of Studio products.  I'm not complaining!  They had a bunch of things I've seen online but never at Target- (all Studio line) small angled eyeliner brush, small precision eye brush, pigment eyeshadows, matte eyeshadows, matte lip colors, to name a few!  I was so excited.  The display I found was kind of picked over and some of the shades I wanted were out of stock, but I'll check back in a week or so and see.  I did pick up three things, a Glitter Gloss in Dazzling Diamond, Glossy Gloss in Funky Fuchsia, and Pigment eyeshadow in Innocent Ivory.
I'll talk about the Pigment eyeshadow in a separate post- for now, here are my thoughts/swatches/pictures of the glosses. :)

Glossy Gloss in Funky Fuchsia, Glitter Gloss in Dazzling Diamond, Pigment eyeshadow in Innocent Ivory

I'm totally loving each of these!
The Glossy Gloss in Funky Fuchsia is a gorgeous color.  I go absolutely crazy for shades like this (I love them on my fair skin!).  The formula is soft and smooth, and it applies evenly.  See the applicator below- it's a brush!

This makes it really easy to 'paint' on the lip gloss and get the color to exactly how you want it.  Both the Glossy Gloss and Glitter Gloss have this style applicator, by the way.

You can see by the swatches on my arm and lips below that these are also nicely pigmented.  I was afraid Funky Fuchsia would be really sheer, but fortunately the color stays pretty close to what's in the bottle.  The Glossy Gloss lives up to the 'glossy' claims- it makes my lips look healthy and shiny.  I'm really eager to try more of these!  

They both smell like Jolly Ranchers or some kind of hard candy, so if you're bothered by scents, I'd be cautious.  Thankfully they don't have a taste otherwise I'd lick them off right away. :)

The Glitter Gloss in Dazzling Diamond is just as pretty to look at.  I had a hard time capturing the glitter, but the bottle shots above portray it most accurately.  The glitter is intense, though!  I still find it easy to wear because its in a clear base, but I always love a sparkly gloss.  Dazzling Diamond kind of reminds me of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure nail polish in a lip gloss form.  It doesn't shine as many different colors, but it has that "glowing" effect.  

Glossy Gloss in Funky Fuchsia, Glitter Gloss in Dazzling Diamond

I couldn't capture the glitter in Dazzling Diamond with the flash on, so I had to take it off for that lip swatch.  I hope you can still get a good idea of how they look, though.  Funky Fuchsia is true to color.

Have you tried these lip glosses?  Have a favorite?  I'm absolutely loving them and how affordable they are!

My ELF order arrived! Part one: lip products

I had been wanting to order from ELF for the longest time, but for a number of reasons didn't get around to it until last week!  At first I was waiting for new products to come in, and then when they did come in the other products I wanted were out of stock (and ELF takes forever to restock things it seems).  A few weeks ago Total Beauty featured a daily deal (which I posted about) that was $10 for a $25 voucher to ELF.  I purchased it right away, and that kind of gave me the push I needed to finally place my order.
So, exactly a week after ordering, my package arrived.  Yay! :)

I apologize in advance for 1) the lighting of the first few pictures, and 2) that I didn't take pictures of a few of the products before using them.  I wasn't able to open my package until late last night, and I couldn't get very good lighting for pictures.  And there was no way I was waiting until today to try out the products... haha.  So I'm sorry for that!

Everything together!  I will be breaking it down into individual posts, so today will be lip products.  I'll go into detail about the rest of the things I got in a separate post. :)

Essentials lipstick in Nostalgic, Mineral Moisturizing Lip Tint SPF8 in Rose, Mineral lipstick in Natural Nymph

Essentials lipstick in Nostalgic

I've never tried any of the $1 lipsticks before, but as soon as ELF put up the new colors, I knew I had to try this one out.  I noticed my package had been opened (the lipstick was untouched, but the plastic packaging was ripped open) which was weird, but the product hadn't been opened anyway.  My initial reaction is so-so.  The bullet sticks up a little farther than the top of the tube, so I nicked the lipstick right away.  The reviews on the website are right- this lipstick is really fragile.  The color reminds me of my Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Fashion's Night Pout, but maybe a tad peachier.  

Mineral lipstick in Natural Nymph

Having heard so many good things about the mineral lipsticks, I knew I needed to try one!  Natural Nymph has been on my wishlist for a pretty long time.  It's definitely a 'concealer lips' color, and makes for a great nude lip base although it's a little patchy on me.  The mineral lipsticks feel so much better quality than the $1, from the packaging to the product itself.  I'll definitely try out more of these in the future- I have a feeling the deeper shades would apply better.

Mineral Moisturizing lip tint in Rose

This was one of the products I was waiting for to make my order, and unfortunately by the time I actually placed my order, most of the colors I wanted had gone out of stock.  I love this, though, especially being someone who doesn't really like lipstick.  It's pigmented (as you can see in my lip swatch), and gives my lips a lovely rose-y berry color.  I can't wait for these to come back in stock, because I'll definitely order more!

Mineral lip tint in Rose, Mineral lipstick in Natural Nymph, Essentials lipstick in Nostalgic

Stay tuned for the rest of my order, where I'll cover the new Studio Radiance Enhancer, blush, and cream eyeshadows, along with the new smudge brush (I'll be reviewing the Mineral Booster in its own separate post).  

Thanks guys! :)

Revlon ColorBurst lip gloss in Peony

After trying two shades of these Revlon ColorBurst lip glosses (Hot Pink and Bordeaux), I knew I needed to get another one.  Hot Pink was a sample I received in the Target Beauty Bag a few months ago, but Bordeaux is one I own in full-size.  I love everything about these, from the texture to the color payoff.  My first pick for my next one was the shade Pink Ice, but Target was sold out of it today when I checked.
I decided to go with my second choice, Peony!  It's a lovely shade of peachy pink with gold shimmer (it almost reminds me of Nars Orgasm but in lip gloss form).

With flash to show the gorgeous sparkles!

The applicator is like a doe-foot spatula, which I actually really love.  It deposits the gloss more evenly than regular doe-foots in my opinion.  And like the other two I tried, Peony is smooth and non-sticky.  Love!  There's nothing worse than getting your hair caught in your lip gloss because it's too sticky.... but my lips don't feel so goopy with these.  I believe every color has a significant amount of shimmer, so you  gals that aren't fond of shimmer should probably pass.  I personally love the extra "oomph" the shimmer gives to the gloss. :)  One last thing, if you're sensitive to smell, these smell kind of like vanilla cupcakes upon application. I don't mind it, but it depends on your preferences!  

Also, my giveaway ends in about two weeks!  If you haven't entered, click here to do so.  Thanks everyone!  (Side note, for my next giveaway I won't make the running time so long!  I'm sorry about that.  Over a month is really too much time!)

Take care everyone <3 

Review- elf mineral moisturizing lip balm

Blush, Cherry

Blush, Cherry

Nourish, pamper and treat lips with this super emollient, lip quenching color.
This is the newest item for elf's Mineral line.
It is a tinted lip balm with a spf 8, perfect for summer months, were you don't want to wear alot of makeup.
I really like these, you get a very light tint to your lips and it last's a really long time and if you do lick your lips like me, it tastes good (in a lip balm kinda way)
You lips are super moisturized once you apply it.
They have 8 shades to choose from. It comes in a nice black tube with a twist bottom.
I might just have to get more for summer!

My Rating (Scale 1-5 1-the worst, 5-the best)
Quality- 4.5
Packaging- 5
How long does it stay on- It stays on for a good time unless you lick it off of course
Would I buy it again- YES!
Price- $3 USD
Overall- It is a great lip balm and the fact that it comes in 8 colors and has a spf makes it perfect for summer.
Where to buy- e.l.f usa

Challenging myself with bright red lips!

I placed a small order at Darling Girl Cosmetics last night, yay!  I got a blogger sample pack and a couple petit sizes of things, so I'm really excited to receive them and finally try out an indie brand.  She's having a buy 2 get 1 free sale right now so I figured now was as good of time as any.

Anyway, I've been having so much fun experimenting with lip combinations lately!  This one is very... WOW for me.  I can do deep wine/berry shades and nudes, but I always shy away from bright reds.  So to achieve the following red lips I combined two products that I've actually never worn out before- Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Wine With Everything and Revlon ColorBurst lip gloss in Bordeaux.  

Left: Wine With Everything, Right: Bordeaux

I had been trying to come up with a good gloss I could pair over Wine With Everything for the longest time!  It's a little too shiny and bright for me as is, but Bordeaux deepens it and adds a subtle sparkle.  On that note, I love the quality of each of these individual products.  The Super Lustrous lipsticks feel smooth and are richly pigmented; the ColorBurst lipglosses are just the same, if not better in my opinion (I tend to like glosses better than lipstick for some reason?).  No stickiness, yay!  Moving on!

I paired this with a taupe/purple eye and contoured cheeks.  I am loving this lip combination and it's making me want to try more red lipsticks/glosses!  I love my deep berry shades, but red is a nice way to change it up.

Speaking of changing it up, Sophie over at Fresh Air & Fashion is doing a great challenge over the next few weeks- basically, you create 15 new makeup and hair ideas to try.  I think it's an awesome way to get out of a beauty rut, and I'm doing a very loose version of it (I have a bunch of posts lined up to do over the next few weeks otherwise I'd follow it more closely!)- you guys can check it out here if you're interested.  I just thought I'd give the friendly shout out, especially since it's always good to try new things. :)

Are there any new looks or styles you've tried recently? 

xox

Tackling spring/summer makeup trends: Coral lips

Coral always seems to be a big color for spring/summer makeup, but I've been convinced I can't really pull it off.  It seems to look amazing on olive and other light/fair skinned girls!  Same goes with other popular warmer weather trends (teal, bronze, gold), I just shy away from them.  This season I'm determined to make these trends work for me; this will be part one of a short series of posts with my interpretation of them!

My first trial is achieving coral lips in a flattering way.  Tonight as I was playing around with different combinations, I found one that I like a lot!  I layered Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Spotlight Beige and Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Coral Reef.

Left: Rimmel lipstick in Spotlight Beige, Right: Revlon lip gloss in Coral Reef

I got the Rimmel lipstick from the lovely Jamie of Maquilagem Masstige last summer.  I love it as a neutral to pair with my warmer colored eye looks.  It also has a peachiness that pairs perfectly with the Revlon lip gloss, and I can't believe I didn't think of this combination sooner!  Coral Reef is a little bright for me on its own, but Spotlight Beige tones it down a little.  

The color doesn't look very bright in pictures, but it still feels bright to me!  Especially being someone who hardly ever wears lip color (and when I do, it's a deep red or berry).  I actually think this combination is pretty flattering on my skin tone, though, which is what I was nervous about.

I'm going to try and wear this out this week- I'm thinking of pairing it with bronze light smokey eyes and peachy blush.  Or the teal eyes I plan to do.  Not exactly sure yet. ;)

Do you guys think this is a good idea for a mini series?  I'd love to hear your thoughts- I'm really want to try and get more creative with the blog.  I feel like it needs something different! 

Thanks so much!

Lime Crime Review

This is my first ever Lime Crime review.

And I am QUITE impressed with their products.

One unique thing I liked is that they have their own boxes.

Most companies just mail their product to you in a generic mailer, which is fine, but I just think that this is a step beyond :)

The packaging got even cuter!

I ordered three eyeshadows and one lipstick.

These were the eyeshadows I chose...

Troubadour, Lime Criminal, Abracadabra

Swatches...

(Without primer)

I am very impressed with the quality of the eyeshadows. They have a silky soft feel to them and are very vibrant in color. You get 2grams of eyeshadow in each container. I am looking forward to creating some looks with these!

And the lipstick I chose...

Retrofuturist

Here are a few swatches...

First of all i LOVE the tube itself. It's purple with a glittery unicorn on it. So cute!

The lipstick goes on very smooth and the smell reminds me of MAC lipsticks. Subtle and pretty.

All products can be purchased at www.limecrimemakeup.com

(I was not paid to do this review, I purchased on my own!)

Hope you enjoyed :)







I Love ULTA!

First off..I would love for my fellow Vixxens to "like" my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/Make-Up-Purrceptive-Vixxen/160964553960905

And share to all your beauty loving friends! I just love reading everything I can on make-up etc.

Thanks <3

I went shopping at Ulta yesterday because I had an awesome coupon ($5.00 off when you spend $10.00).

Here's what I came home with:

*John Frieda Frizz-Ease Night Serum

-I've always had slight issues with frizz and it bothers the heck out of me, so I figured I'd give this a whirl. I'll let you know if it worked for me!

*Ulta Self Tanning Face Sunscreen in Lt/Medium

*Ulta Sun Paradise Browning Lotion

(They were buy 1 get one 1 free Ulta sun care products!)

*NYX Glitter liner in Crystal Silver

*NYX Eyebrow shaper pencil

*NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream 03 Tokyo

(NYX was buy 2 get 1 free)

I have so many blog posts that I want to do! Swatches, make-up looks etc!

Feel free to comment and leave some loving and a link to YOUR blog so I can follow!

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/purrceptivevxxn

My PERSONAL blog about Fitness, love, cats etc. http://www.beautifullyfrantic.blogspot.com

Thanks for following! Love you guys :)

Spring lips with Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Hot Pink

I received a sample of the Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Hot Pink inside my Target Beauty Bag a couple weeks ago.  Originally I wasn't too interested, only because I don't wear pink lips... ever (unless it's a deep berry pink like the NYC lip stain I own in Forever Mine Wine- love that!)!  But when Nicki of Sing, Little Bird asked if I would please test it out, of course I wanted to take a closer look. :)
Nicki, I'm so sorry I didn't get to this sooner!

Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Hot Pink

I think this would be a great shade of lip gloss for those of you who like pink lips and enjoy lip gloss with shimmer.  I think it's a pretty and flattering shade, but I'm just so unaccustomed to seeing myself in pink!  

I actually have another Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in the color Bordeaux, which is a deep plummy red.  I haven't worn it enough to give it a fair review, but I can say that both the texture/feel of Bordeaux and Hot Pink (from what I could tell from this sample, anyway) are smooth and non-sticky.  The color goes on easily and is decently pigmented for a lip gloss.  

This looks lovely for the spring season!  A great way to add a healthy dose of color to your lips.  

Thanks for reading! :)

Shaping your lips

shape up your lips

Applying lipliner is not only a great way to define and accentuate the shape of your lips, but also to keep your lipstick from feathering.
1. Begin applyling lipliner at the center of your natural upper lip line to define the bow then work toward the outer corners to complete the line.
2. Start at one corner of your bottom lip then follow your natural lip line all the way to the other corner.
 
Tip: Choose a lipliner that matches your lipstick or a flesh tone shade for a soft, natural look.
Tip: To get plumper, pinker looking lips, do not touch up by drawing a hard lip line; smudge it so lips look fuller! For a more dramatic fullness, choose a lipstick shade with a hint of frost.
Tip: To avoid lipstick on your teeth, put your index finger in your mouth and then draw it out slowly with your mouth closed. What you see on your finger is what would have ended up on your teeth!

MAC Viva Glam Gaga lipglass.... it's MINE!

I don't mean to sound too excited from the title, but the Viva Glam Gaga lipglass is one of those products that I just wanted to own.  Even if it's not something I'd wear everyday I felt like I had to have to.  I loved the pictures I saw on blogs of the lipstick, but in person I think it's just too "unwearable" for me.  I was ecstatic when I heard it was coming in lipglass form!
Yesterday I walked down to my nearest Macy's to see what it looked like on myself.  I didn't buy it right then because I wanted to sleep on it and make sure I really wanted it.  Sure enough, I did!  This morning I made it number one on my to-do list.  :)

!

I actually like the doe-foot applicators in lipglosses.  I'm not very particular just as long as it's not flat- I like that these are slanted.

I told the MUA that I was so excited for this because I was too afraid of the lipstick, and she said this was "sheer".  Maybe it's sheer to her, but in my opinion for a lipgloss this is pretty pigmented (Maybe it's because I don't normally spend much money on lipgloss?  I don't know).

I just adore baby pink/nude lips.  I think this is the start of a mild obsession.

<3

FOTD: Girly Pink and Purple

Happy Saturday, guys!  This is a look I did yesterday.  I actually ended up with red lips before heading out the door, but I wanted to do something a little more fun and "girly" since I haven't been experimenting with looks much.  I had a few errands to run yesterday, including stopping by the MAC counter several blocks north and testing out Viva Glam Gaga lipglass (I don't know why I didn't just buy it, don't ask)!  So this lip combination is tiding me over until I get myself back to the counter and purchase it.  I think it has a very similar, bubblegum-pink effect- something I don't normally love on myself but do at the moment.
Anyway, onto the pictures.  (FYI: I'm still getting used to the difference in lighting in my dorm, and these pictures reflect that.  Thanks for bearing with me!)

(LOL, weird angle)

Face:

- Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation, light #2

- Revlon Colorstay blemish concealer, fair

- ELF Studio Golden bronzer 

- ELF Studio blush in Blushing Rose (my current favorite blush!)

Eyes:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- ELF eyeshadow quad in Nouveau Neutrals, light champagne color all over lids and browbone, light brown color on outer crease

- ELF mineral eyeshadow in Royal (deep purple), used damp as eyeliner using EcoTools eyeliner brush

- L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara in Black

Lips:

- EOS lip balm

- Wet 'n' Wild Mega Last lip color in Think Pink

- Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Peach Petal

I've been doing some kind of purple on my eyes pretty much daily since I got here last week.  I love this ELF mineral eyeshadow for lining!

Thanks for reading, everyone- have a great day.  <3

Wednesday Weekly Favorites: No Theme!

I've actually been using a lot more this week, but they've been posted about several times already.  :)  Like, my L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara, Maybelline Amethyst single eyeshadow, Covergirl Eyelights Vivid Ruby eyeliner, etc.  While I'm thinking about mascara, I just wanted to share a trick with you- I'm a big fan of Clumps Of Mascara.  B is so funny, and hers was actually the first makeup blog I followed.  Anyway, she posted about this trick when applying mascara that really wowed me!  You swipe the brush up your lashes, but stop at almost the ends of them, and hold for several seconds.  It really helps "lift" them!

OK, back to my favorites.  :)

(ELF Neutral Eye beauty book, EOS Lemon Drop lip balm, NYC Shimmer Color Wheel face powder, Jane Blushing Earth Sheer blush, Maybelline Jade Unstoppable eyeliner)

ELF beauty book- I posted about this here (See that post for swatches, too).  There are so many lovely combinations with it!

EOS lip balm- I bought this a few weeks ago, and ever since it's been my favorite lip balm.  It smells just like a lemon bar and keeps my lips moisturized nicely.

NYC mosaic face powder- This color, Shimmer, was I think a limited edition one a year or two ago.  It's pretty pigmented and has been working nicely as a bronzer for me.  In the swatch below it looks orange, but the little amount I use doesn't show up that way.

Jane blush- This is the perfect "glowy" cheek blush, in my opinion.  It's shimmery but not overly so, and it's sheer so the color is buildable.  It gives me the right amount of color (Just a little!).

Maybelline Upstoppable eyeliner- These were on rollback at Walmart a couple weeks ago, and since I wanted a nice dark-green-but-not-teal eyeliner, I grabbed it.  It sure has good staying power!  It's not 100% budge proof (If you really dug your finger over it it would lighten a little), but definitely better than most I've tried.  

Swatches:

(Jane Blushing Earth Sheer, NYC Shimmer, Maybelline Jade)

(Jade eyeliner after rubbing my hand for about 10 seconds)

That's all for now!  Hope you're all having a nice day today.

(And if anyone is interested, my recovery so far has been wonderful.  The Vicodin is taking care of the pain because I haven't felt any yet.  My cheeks are swollen, but not too bad.  I feel so lucky, lol; I know so many people who just felt like death after getting their wisdom teeth out.)