New Stila sparkle waterproof liquid eyeliners- Swatches

My sister was here over the weekend (along with my parents for Easter- busy busy, but lots of fun!), and the two of us together equals lots and lots of shopping.  The best part is that she enjoys looking at makeup, too, so we love going to Sephora and Ulta to play around.
I hadn't really been shopping much the last couple of months (THE HORROR!), so I had yet to see the new spring makeup collections in person- only online!  I'm sure you can imagine my delight when I was finally able to swatch and see a lot of them for myself.
I was really excited when I spotted these new Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid eyeliners at Ulta- I received the email from Stila a couple weeks ago, and thought the colors looked really pretty.  Yep, they're just as pretty in person, and my silly camera phone pictures don't do them justice.  But I really wanted to share them with you all anyway!

(via stila.com)

Top to bottom:  Flash, Royal, Bora Bora (I think! I can't remember if it was this or Electric exactly), Rock Candy

The four I swatched were my favorite- very sparkly and pretty.  Once they dried down, they didn't move at all, that is until I removed them using a Philosophy Purity Made Simple facial wipe (Stila recommends using an oil-based makeup remover, FYI).

Have you guys tried these yet?  I'm definitely interested- they look gorgeous for spring/summer!

Hair Care Haul & More!

After my nice long walk/jog at the park I stopped at my local CVS to pick up some hair color and ended up with a few other things....

Aveeno "Living Color" Shampoo and Conditioner for Fine Hair

Aveeno "Living Color" Shine Glaze

Pantene "Beautiful Lengths" Smoothing Balm

L'Oreal Sublime Mousse in #30 Pure Darkest Brown

Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil in Black 01

I will have a blog post dedicated to my hair coloring experience.

 I have never tried a "mousse" dye before.

I have also never tried the Aveeno hair care line, so I shall let you know how that is! The Pantene "Beautiful Lengths" collection has by far been my favorite. I can honestly say it helped my hair stay stronger, and in fact my hair did get longer (before I cut it!)

I bought the Milani eye pencil because of a Youtube video by Vintage or Tacky!

Well blog to you all later! Thanks so much for following!
I do have a personal blog - -> http://www.beautifullyfrantic.blogspot.com

Purple, Blue & Black Eye Look!

Here's the finished look... (I apologize, for some unknown reason the photo will not turn the right way. I've edited it on my computer, on Picnik and it still won't work? Who knows!)



Products Used:

E.L.F Eye Primer

Maybelline Eye Shadow inTurquoise Jewel : applied on the lid first with a regular eyeshadow brush

Coastal Scents Shimmer Palette Bright Blue (5th one in on bottom row) : Applied on top of the maybelline eye shadow and bottom lash line

Coastal Scents Shimmer Palette Medium Purple (4th in from the right, up 4) : Applied with E.L.F Contour Brush above the crease and bottom lash line

Ultimo Minerals in Platinum Quick Hit Eye Shimmer (available on Ebay) : for the highlight with a Hard Candy Fluff Brush

Coastal Scents Shimmer Palette Black : Applied with a Sephora Dome Brush in the crease between the blue and purple

Stila Eyeliner in Black : Upper lash line and bottom

Clinique Bottom Lash Line Mascara

Eyelash curler

Maybelline One by One Volum' Express Waterproof in Very Black

Maybelline Collasal Mascara in Very Black over top

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Glitter, Eyeliner & Rock 'n' Roll: China Glaze - Island Escape

Golden Ship

Its a purse, right? My Mum recently went to visit my sister in Canada and returned with this bad boy as a gift for me. My first thought was that it was a purse, wrong. Its a really beautiful Tarte makeup palette. While I had never heard of the brand, I instantly fell in love with the product. And believe me, you can never have enough neutral eyeshadows.

The palette contains ten shadows ranging from day to nighttime shades, and matte colours to shimmery colours. There is also a great mix of neutrals and colourful shades, I even wore the light purple colour today. Shock. Some are more pigmented than others, but over all the quality is really good. They are really blendable and what's lovely is that it comes with a card showing you two daytime and nighttime looks and how to achieve them. 

The set comes with a double ended eyeliner which is super smooth and pigmented and lasts all day and also a double-ended eyeshadow brush. One end is an application brush and the other, which is my favourite, is a firm crease brush which is brilliant for creating a dramatic smokey eye and placing dark colours in the crease. I find it easier to then use another blending brush, such as my MAC217 to then complete the finishing touches.

This product slightly reminds me of Urban Decay's Naked Palette, as I received a free primer potion with it. Although it has a thicker consistency than UD's, it does the exact same thing, lasting all night and is great if you don't want to spend the money on the primer potion or run out.

Now, the palette was expensive costing my Mum $60 which I don't think I would spend on it myself at the moment. But for the quality of the shadows, the brush, the liner and the primer potion I think its actually quite a good deal and will last years!

Victoria's Secret eyeliner in Dark Forest and an easy "no-makeup" look

Happy almost weekend, everyone!  I go back to school on Saturday and I could not be more excited.  Two of my best friends are picking me up when I arrive at the airport, which is just another thing I seriously cannot wait for.  I've missed them so so much!  (Speaking of them, they were interested in looking at my blog for the longest time, and I finally gave them the link the other night.  I am typically pretty shy/embarrassed about blogging- I don't tell anyone- but they really boosted my confidence!  I'm so grateful for such supportive friends!)

Anyway, today I have a couple different things to share with you.  I was going to make a separate post with the look, but none of my pictures really turned out right.  So, it gets to be combined with my review of the Victoria's Secret eyeliner.  

Let's get started!

Victoria's Secret eyeliner in Dark Forest

(click to enlarge!)

I finally picked one of these babies up!  Let me tell you, working in the beauty side of Victoria's Secret means I have plenty of chances to play with the makeup (well, I'm technically "done" working there for now, as I'm going back to school).  I want to start off this review by saying how great most of it really is!  It feels to me like the status lies somewhere between drugstore and high-end, while the quality is definitely high-end.  The prices are affordable, though, and I think a lot of people either overlook or don't recognize the makeup enough.  

The eyeliners were one of the first things I tried out and instantly fell in love with.  After working there for over a year, I'm embarrassed that I only now own one.  But I digress.  Let me finish telling you about why I love it.

The Victoria's Secret liners are a mere $10.  That's really not bad considering L'oreal HiP eyeliners of this kind are $9.99 (Walgreens) and Covergirl Liquiline eyeliners are $8.99 (Walgreens).  To me, even though they are a dollar or two more expensive than other drugstore offerings, I'm not really comparing the two since they aren't in the same "league", if that makes sense.

You get 0.04oz of product, which is pretty standard in my opinion for a pencil of this type (UD 24/7 have the same).  One end contains the pencil, and the other has a sponge smudge tip, which is just your average sponge.  Not like the Covergirl smudger- but it still gets the job done.

Swatches

Dark Forest is a blackened forest green with a soft metallic finish.  I love the way this looks against my green eyes. 

If you're an Urban Decay 24/7 liner lover, I think you'll love these too.  They have that same creamy consistency and stay-put quality in a pencil form (and are similar to other drugstore brand varieties, like Covergirl Liquiline eyeliners which I reviewed here, although these are creamier than the Covergirl).  Their pigmentation is also really nice; I get full color in one swipe along my lash line.  

The lasting power is AMAZING.  The swatch on the right, above, is after rubbing my finger back and forth.  These eyeliners don't budge, and there is hardly any difference between the two swatch pictures!  Now, I haven't fully tested how long these last on my eyes without a primer, but I did try it out last night and it didn't move after 3-4 hours until I removed it.  

I was curious to see how my swatches would hold up against water, even though these don't claim to be waterproof.  Let's see:

And that was after mild rubbing trying to get it off of my hand, too.  Only some fading going on there.

Overall, I think these are seriously a great item to try out if you like eyeliners that are:

- Creamy

- Pigmented

- Long-lasting

- Smudge-able

- Affordable

(Side note:  I purchased this with my own money.  Although I work for Victoria's Secret, my review isn't bias or sponsored.  All opinions are 100% what I feel is true about the product.)

And finally, onto my quick and easy "no makeup" look.  I had to get ready quickly this morning (I overslept and my mom and I had plans to go out to lunch), so I figured what better time to do minimal makeup?  I wish the rest of my pictures had turned out, but I just couldn't capture this very well.  

Face:

- Neutrogena oil-free moisturizer for sensitive skin

- Victoria's Secret Mineral powder in Light 30

- ELF Studio Complexion Perfection (the VS powder has some shimmer to it, so I added this to tone it down)

- NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink 

- Benefit High Beam (on cheekbones, along bridge of nose, brow bones)

Eyes:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- Nude matte eyeshadow from Coastal Scents 88 Matte palette (as allover wash- my eyelids get a little red in color so this evens everything out.  If I had a pigmented nude eye base, I would use that!)

- Medium brown eyeshadow from 88 Matte palette (pressed into upper lash line)

- MAC Eye Kohl in I Get No Kick (along upper and lower lashlines and inner corners)

- Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara in Black

Lips:

- C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve 

My main focus was creating glow-y skin and brightened eyes.  I nixed foundation and just buffed in a face powder, then used a cream blush on the apples of my cheeks.  I highlighted my cheekbones, brow bones, and the bride of my nose with a liquid highlighter like Benefit High Beam.  

My eyes were kept really simple with two coats of mascara, a brightening eyeliner along the lower lash line, and a matte nude eyeshadow to even out the area.  I just applied the medium brown along my upper lash line to give a little depth!

Have a great night, guys!  Thanks for reading.  :)

Jane Be Pure Mineral Gliding eyeliner in Coal

A bunch of Jane products are on sale at Walmart right now, along with the CQ brand.  I heard about the CQ sale from Shop My Stash last week and decided I should go over and take a look (I picked up some eyeshadows from them so expect a post on those, too)!
I've been seriously needing new eyeliners lately, and one color I wanted to buy was a charcoal gray.  I think it's a great alternative to my typical brown!  Anyway, this was only $2.50 so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Jane Be Pure Mineral gliding eyeliner in Coal

I wasn't expecting miracles from this guy, but I was hoping that he would stay put relatively well.  As you can probably tell from the picture above, it's not a creamy pencil.  I needed to warm it up for a few seconds with my hair drier before trying it out on my eyes (which allowed it to apply without tugging).  While this usually isn't a great sign, it does mean it will probably be less prone to smudging and migrating.  Was it?  Behold:

Normal swatch

Swatch after rubbing back and forth for 10 seconds

Nice!  Basically just some fading- virtually no smudging.  And this was before it had totally "dried"; I tried rubbing it again about 10 minutes later, and it didn't move an inch.  It requires soap and water to remove.  

On my eyes, it successfully stayed all day (around 9 hours was how long I had my makeup on that day) with no migrating OR fading.  Awesome!

Overall, I'm quite impressed.  This set me back a mere $2.50 and although it's not a creamy pencil, it is workable and has great long-wearing qualities.  And it's a lovely shade of charcoal without shimmer! 

I'd say these are definitely a good buy if you see them at your Walmart on sale.  Have you tried them before?  

Covergirl Liquiline Blast eyeliner in Violet Voltage

Usually when it comes to buying makeup, I go through phases where I look for one thing over anything else.  In late December/up until just a few days ago, it was highlighters and powders.  Every time I'd go to the drugstore or look at makeup, they were the first thing I'd examine.  Do you guys get this way at all?  

Well, I just realized that my eyeliner collection is in serious need of a revamp.  The few I brought home with me for break stay put for maybe four hours, and even that is after I top it with a matching eyeshadow.  And I don't have matching eyeshadow for most of my eyeliners.  I don't want to have to do that all the time.  So, my current 'makeup' obsession is long-wearing eyeliners- they are what I've been looking for first during my recent drugstore trips.  I've heard decent things about the new-ish Covergirl Liquiline eyeliners, and because of their affordable price, I decided to pick one up today.

Covergirl Liquiline Black eyeliner in Violet Voltage

I know L'Oreal makes some pretty awesome eyeliners of this style (HiP and Extra-Intense liquid pencils), and Milani has their Liquif'eyes, but for various reasons I decided on the Covergirl.  Besides, I needed a new purple eyeliner as my Mary Kay one just ran out!  (I sulked for a few minutes when that happened.  The last little bit fell out of the pen- it's an automatic pen eyeliner- and rolled into my sink.  So sad.)  This was the most easily accessible for me and best price point at $7.49 (0.033oz) from Target.

Violet Voltage is a deep, matte reddish-purple.  I don't think I've ever tried a purple quite like this before. The name instantly reminded me of my L'Oreal HiP Chrome eyeliner in Violet Volt, although the two are very different colors and have different finishes.  

Liquiline's have that cool, rubbery smudger at the opposite end of the pencil.  My Neutrogena Nourishing eyeliner has something similar to this, too, and I find it works really well for smudging (So that's why they call these smudge-tips!).  

Otherwise, the pencil is pretty much like the other drugstore 'dupes' of Urban Decay 24/7 liners.  Smooth, creamy, and long-wearing.  Look at my swatch/smudge test!  It's amazing!

On the left is the regular swatch, and on the right is after lightly rubbing for a few seconds.  This makes me so happy!  

Covergirl Liquiline Blast eyeliners also come in the colors Black Blaze, Brown Blaze, Silver Spark, Blue Boom, and Green Glow.  I don't know if I'm interested in trying any of them out as they're not really my style, but who knows!  

Thanks for reading!

MAC Cham-pale & Stylishly Yours purchases

Guys, the second I saw promo pictures for the MAC Cham-pale collection I knew I had to indulge.  An entire collection devoted to shimmery, brightening makeup looks?  Totally down my alley.  Since I didn't specifically ask for a lot for Christmas, my mom said she'd buy me a couple of things from Cham-pale.  So when we went to Minneapolis earlier this week I went running for the MAC store.

Edit:  I just realized I kept thinking Too Chic was from Cham-pale, when it's from Stylishly Yours.  *hand to forehead*.  My bad.

I got the I Get No Kick eye kohl from Cham-pale and Too Chic beauty powder from Stylishly Yours.  Love!

I Get No Kick eye kohl ($14.50)

This gorgeous, champagne-colored eyeliner is the one thing I wanted before anything else.  I saw pictures/swatches a couple weeks ago on Temptalia when Christine reviewed the collection, and immediately fell in love.  I can't believe I don't have an eye pencil like this already (seeing as I love anything "champagne"-looking for eyes)!  It's really pretty on my waterline and inner corners to really brighten up my eyes, though.  I've been pairing it with MAC Naked Lunch eyeshadow on my lids- it kind of reminds me of Naked Lunch, just in pencil form. 

Too Chic beauty powder ($22.50)

It was hard for me to get Too Chic to show up in swatches on my skin, but it leaves this really subtle glow on my cheeks- just what I was going for.  I had originally planned on picking out one of the Special Reserve Highlight powders, but they looked pretty frosty, and I've never tried beauty powders before.  I love using this all over my face, and even on my brow bone for a highlight.  

I think the paint pots look interesting from Cham-pale, and I might splurge for either Chez Chez Lame or Rose Ole highlight powders (even at $28 each... ouch!).  I'm also considering testing out some more of the Stylishly Yours collection, because those cream color bases look gorgeous!  Christine (Temptalia) did say in a comment thread that MAC has like 10 or so collections coming out by May, though, so I should really hide my wallet.  

Have you guys indulged in either of these collections?  

Oh!  Also, quick question: I have that $25 Sephora gift card I got for Christmas burning a hole in my pocket.  I went there today and looked around, but there are just so many things I want that I can't decide what to get.  I was thinking about a Nars blush, maybe Oasis?  But anyway, if you guys have any suggestions of products you swear by that you think I should look into, it would help me so much!  I'm fine with anything up to like $35.  Thank you!

(Other things I was thinking about- UDPP, some kind of matte or subtly shimmery bronzer, a Benefit boxed powder or something else from Benefit, Makeup For Ever Aqua Eyes liner- ahh, I can't decide!)

They've Dried Up!

I've been meaning to post this for a while..After a year of trying out this product, its time to talk about it.

When I first bought the Bobbi Brown liners, I had never used a gel liner before. The sales assistant slicked it on my eyes and I fell in love. For months, I have been using it on nights out and it really is amazing.

Only one little glitch: they dry up so quickly. I bought Chocolate Shimmer Ink about a year ago,within a month or two it had completely hardened and what I was left with was a hard, cakey mess. I decided to let this go and bought two more in a gel liner set (I can't find the brown one atm).

Should have learned the first time! Not only did the same thing happen again, but it has began to flake. Trying to get any products out of these babies is absolutely impossible. And I've tried everything, wetting the brush before I use it, putting them on the radiator before use. You name it, and I've tried.

And its such a pity, because the range has some beautiful colours and when they are new, they truly are stunning. But at 23euro a pop I won't be making the same mistake again and repurchasing. From now on I'll be buying a cheap drugstore brand so that once it dries up I can buy it again without the hefty price tag and I won't be so disappointed. Any recommendations?

Black Ink Liner



Chocolate Shimmer Ink Liner

Review: Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliners

Now that I have two of these Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliners (I purchased Sapphire yesterday at Walgreens), I figured I should tell you guys what I think of them.  And Maybelline is also 40% off at Walgreens this week so it's the perfect time to try them if you've been wanting to yourself!  The first one I got (Jade) was one of those "on a whim" buys- it was on rollback at Walmart a few months ago and I decided to try it.  I've been pleasantly surprised by both colors I own!

(Top: Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Sapphire, Bottom: Jade)

What it is:  From Maybelline.com- "Waterproof liner glides on to define your eyes effortlessly for ultra-smooth application."

Essentially this is a waterproof, smudge-proof, retractable eyeliner designed to stay put wherever you apply it.  Hence the name, "unstoppable!"

Price: Retail $6.99 at Walgreens, but are currently 40% off.

(Left: Sapphire, Right: Jade)

If you've noticed in my more recent reviews, I do eyeliners a little differently.  I include a section for "formula" and another for "wear/quality", because I feel like these are the two most important criteria for eyeliners.

Formula:  These aren't for anyone who requires a "creamy" eyeliner.  In comparison to my Mary Kay eyeliner they are harder, but warming them up on the back of my hand helps alleviate this issue.  I do wish they were creamier, however they don't tug on my eyelid.  

Wear/quality:  This is where these eyeliners excel, in my opinion.  I can apply one in the morning and have it last all night.  Today, for example, I took a shower in the evening and it even stayed through that.    And despite being "smudge-proof", you can still get that smudged look as long as you work quickly.  My favorite way to wear these is applying a thick line to my upper lashline, then smudging it out and then going along my bare lower lash line with the color left on the smudger.  I've never tried them on my waterline (I don't line my waterline), but on the upper and lower lashlines they really work well.

Swatches:

(Left: Sapphire, Right: Jade)

Swatch after lightly rubbing my finger back and forth:

(Sorry for the blurry-ness!  I didn't realize it until uploading the picture)

You can see that after rubbing my finger back and forth the swatches do lighten up a bit, but on my eyelid the color really stays put.  I also only waited about 20 seconds before doing the test.  They still maintain their brightness, though, and hardly smudge.

Here's a picture of a look I did yesterday using Sapphire:

(Click to enlarge)

Pros:

- Affordable and easily accessible

- 6 colors to choose from

- Long-lasting formula that you can work with

- Retractable liner (In my opinion this is a pro- you don't have to sharpen it like you do a standard pencil!)

Cons:

- Not very creamy, requires 'warming up'

Overall, I really love these.  I might have to pick up one in the color Pewter- I've been really wanting a grey eyeliner! 

What are your thoughts of these eyeliners?  Have you tried them? 

:)

Review: Rimmel Spark It Up! eyeliners

I've had these eyeliners for quite awhile now, but for some reason I didn't get around to reviewing them.  I meant to sooner, though, because I used to use them frequently in EOTDs and other "favorites" posts.

These are called "gleaming eye darkening liners", and have noticeable amounts of shimmer in them.  

Price: $4.99 at Walgreens

Availability: In most drugstores- anywhere that sells Rimmel.

(Black Gold, Tiger's Eye, Peridot)

I apologize for not being able to sharpen these for pictures!  I know I brought my pencil sharpener along with me to college, but I can't seem to find it right now.  I've been using mostly retractable eyeliners so I haven't had to use it yet.

I have these in the following colors:

Black Gold: An antiqued olive that shows up darker and less "olive" on your eyes

Tiger's Eye: A bronzed brown

Peridot: A darkened green

They also come in Ultraviolet (purple) and Lapis (blue).

Swatches:

(Top: Peridot, Middle: Black Gold, Bottom: Tiger's Eye)

Formula: These eyeliners apply very smooth and evenly.  They are creamy, so they won't tug and pull at your eyelids.  They are definitely shimmery, but not "glittery"- there aren't chunks of glitter or anything like that.  I'm thinking that's why they still apply smoothly.

Swatches after lightly rubbing back and forth:

Wear/quality: They actually wear quite a bit better than they appear to in the above picture, however they aren't completely budge-proof by any means.  After lightly rubbing my finger across the swatches they smear a little, but on my upper lash line (where I usually wear these), I get a good 7-10 hours wear.  This is with a good primer underneath and no crying or touching of my eyes.  They aren't waterproof so my guess is that they wouldn't stand up to any wetness.  

The colors are beautiful, though, which is half the reason I drag these out again and again.  Black Gold is maybe my favorite olive-colored eyeliner that I own.  I absolutely love olive eyeliners, but they usually aren't dark enough or are too green.  This one is muted and dark enough for me. 

Pros:

-Pretty colors (5 in all)

-Average lasting power

-Easy application/creamy consistency

-Affordable

Cons:

-Not waterproof/won't hold up to a lot of wear and tear

-Shimmery; if you don't like shimmer in your eyeliner I wouldn't recommend these!

Have you tried these eyeliners?  Did you like them, hate them?  

<3

EOTD: Shimmering Neutrals & Black Liner!

Tonight I'm posting about a look I've been doing variations of this past week.  The thing that makes it way different from my normal looks is that it's using black liner (it's eyeshadow used as liner, but you get the point)!  I never ever wear black eyeliner anymore- I did when I first started using makeup years and years ago, but usually I don't think my light skin can pull it off.  I've really been liking it for a change now, though (at least the way I've been doing it with eyeshadow instead of regular eyeliner).  So this is one way I've been doing it.  :)

It's just using shimmering neutral eyeshadows to help make the black line around my eyes "pop" more.  And for some one like me who is "scared" of black eyeliner looking too harsh, I think using black eyeshadow is a great way to pull off the same look but in a softer way.  I just used my EcoTools eyeliner brush for this and it's super easy!

All eyeshadow colors are from my ELF Eye Brights beauty book:

How I did it/What I used:

- VS eyeshadow primer all over eye area

- Eyeshadow #2 all over eye lid

- Eyeshadow #1 in inner corner and brow bone for highlight

- Eyeshadow #3 in crease and blended into my outer "v" area

- Black eyeliner smudged (very thin line close to my upper lash line just so the eyeshadow has something to stick to).  I used the black eyeliner that comes with this ELF beauty book.

- Eyeshadow #4 applied with angled eyeliner brush to line my upper lash line and outer half of lower, smudged 

-L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara on upper and lower lashes

I'm really loving this kind of "glammed-up" neutral look!

As always, thanks for reading.  <3