Milani Eyeshadow in "Girls Luv Pink"

I've been wanting to try Milani eyeshadows. I have tried (and liked) other Milani products so I chose this pretty light pink called "Girls Luv Pink" to give it a whirl...

Essence Gel Eyeliner Review & Swatch

When I ran out of my MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack," I wanted a cheaper alternative to try (all my recent posts are starting out like this, do you see the sad, sad trend?) so I selected Essence's Gel Eyeliner in "Midnight in Paris." (or... Black.) The 0.1 fl oz pot goes for a mere $3.99. So... I didn't expect too much...

NYX "Set it & Don't Fret it" Matte Mineral Finishing Powder

With my super oily complexion, I cannot really sing the praises of setting powder enough. I've cycled through a few brands now and this time I went the frugal route and bought this $9.99 finishing powder by NYX.

Most setting/finishing powders I've used have been translucent and WHITE in color. This powder comes in two shades and is not pure white powder. I use the "Light/Medium" but it also comes in "Medium Dark" for what seems like a very small range of tones but these should blend to invisibility--and Light/Medium does do that for me.

Maybelline Color Whisper "Cherry on Top" Lipstick

I'm a big lipstick girl. I especially love high end lipstick but lately I've seen Maybelline popping up on blogs in a way that dazzles and excites me (or something close to that). I have been into sheer color and I perfer a sheer lipstick over a gloss most of the time so I thought I'd give the "Color Whispers" a go. Sounds sheer, right?

I thought "Cherry on Top" was the perfect kind of cheerful pink I've had my eye out for right now. It's very bright and fun and youthful--but I wouldn't say only for the younger ladies.

A Small Haul with a Re-Appearance!

Sooooo... I took a long hiatus but I think I'm totally ready to jump back into the beauty blogging game. Thanks for coming back and reading again!

I've been grabbing little beauty purchases here and there when I'm out and I see something I really, really like. Being on a tight, no-real-income kind of budget right now, I have to be really choosy. I went a little bit nuts the other day when I took a trip to Ulta and Sephora on the same day.

I bought:

• Maybelline Color Whisper Lipstick in "Cherry on Top" (As well as "Pin Up Peach" for my sister.)
• NARS "Tolède" Lipstick (Something I had been wanting for awhile, it was the main reason I went shopping to begin with!)
• Bite Beauty Lipstick in "Pastille Rosebud" (My first Bite Beauty purchase ever, they have some really pretty colors and this red was to die for.)
• Neutrogena MoistureSmoth color stick in "Juicy Peach"
• Yes to Grapefruit Exfoliating Towelettes
• Sephora Brand concealer brush (Not Pictured)

Reviews of some stuff coming shortly... Let me know if you'd like to see something in particular or if you're loving any of these products :)

Feels good to be back!

Sweet Libertine Mineral Eyeshadow Review & Swatches

Many months ago, I took advantage of a deal going on at Sweet Libertine Cosmetics and ordered two of their shadows for a penny I think it was. It was a promotional thing and I didn't get to choose the colors. I remember them saying it would take a while to get the shadows and they were right about that... It took many weeks to get it and when it showed up, I had forgotten about it. I'm not saying this is their normal delivery system, I don't know how that goes but it did take me awhile to get these and then as long or longer to write about them.

Benefit "Hervana" Powder

I've been a big fan of Benefit's Coralista blush for a long time now and when I saw Hervana, I knew it was something I wanted. Stat.

I find the the way Benefit does blush--in boxes--to be very appealing. I like that there's no fall out when you're swiping your brush.

Requiem for Some Makeup

I'm a bit ashamed to say that I hold onto old makeup, gross brushes and empty containers (none of them being used, just sitting around) far too long. Today I was doing a bit of cleaning and I was living out of my travel makeup roll for awhile but now that is over and I chose (for some reason) to share with you the items that didn't make it.

bareMinerals Mineral Concealer I didn't seem to review this item for some reason but I did use it all up (a long time ago). I would be happy to do a full review if anyone was interested but the short and sweet version: nice enough but not enough coverage for me.

Five by Five Comeback (Oh and Also a Tiny Bit of Makeup)

ACK!

Okay, so I started this blog, I kept up with it very consistently and then I dropped the ball. I thought about throwing up a reason on here time and time again but that seemed pointless so I just waited until I felt like updating again and I finally do. I kinda went through a rough spot (personally speaking) and for awhile makeup was the last thing on my mind. I won't get into anything any more than that. I'm feeling better. It's a new year. I'm buying makeup again. I'm reading about it. Blah, blah.

So, hello again!

The first thing I'm going to post is the small little haul I made after taking my makeup hiatus. Not a big deal but it was so nice to get a package in the mail again after having been very, very, very broke for a long time.

I purchased these items from Ulta.com. Ulta's website often gives me issues but I love how you can use PayPal.

Pictured:

Essence gel eyeliner in "Midnight in Paris" I was running out of my MAC "Blacktrack" fluidline and it's difficult for me to re-purchase staples like that because it's not fun and there goes $16... So I decided to try out Essence's liner instead which is much cheaper... Review soon.

Benefit "Hervana" blush I bought this while they did a one-day sale of this blush before its actual release. It's available now.

NYX lipstick in "Margarita" Love the price of NYX items and I think I'm going to try to acquire more NYX products in 2012.

So just a tiny little haul but it really lifted my spirits at the time. Do any of you have Hervana? I haven't used it in a look yet, only swatched.

To wrap this up... I'm glad to be back and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Pop Beauty Sweet Goodmorning Kiss Lip Exfoliator

Hello! Wow, it's been awhile, I know. I wanted to take a short break and a short break turned into a really long break to the point I was asking myself if I wanted to keep doing this. As it turns out, I do. As I was taking the photos for today's review, I fell right back into the process comfortably and I think stepping away was just what I needed. I was mostly stepping away from the internet, not so much from this blog specifically. Also, I haven't had the money to buy any new makeup or beauty products so that was definitely hindering me too. It will continue to hinder me seeing as I still don't have a job but that just means I'll have to improvise and work with what I have. Okay. That being said... Let's get back to business here.

I bought this Pop Beauty sugar scrub lip exfoliator "pen" because I really liked the idea of having the product in a tube that you could apply to your lips without the direct use of fingers. I reviewed one of Lush's lip exfoliators and while I do really like their little jars of sugary goodness, it does get a little messy so you have to use it over a sink or something.

So this product includes sugar, shea butter and vitamins and works by twisting the bottom to disperse a bit of product and then rubbing the applicator on your lips in a circular motion.