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.

Redken Shine Brilliance Shine Flash 02 Glistening Mist

Ok the first thing I want to say about this product (which I received in sample form from July's Birchbox) is that "brilliance" is misspelled. I googled this product to see if maybe Redken had purposely misspelled it for some strange reason but I couldn't find anything that said "Shine Brillance" so... Smooth move, Redken.

Moving on!

This mist is supposed to add shine to your hair while remaining "lightweight." I've tried this spray a couple of times now and my initial thought about it is that I really don't feel compelled to ever buy the full-sized product.

Suave Professionals Shampoo for Dry or Frizzy Hair

I was at the drug store the other day and I needed to pick up some new shampoo. I kept remembering that Suave commercial where the hair stylists are using "unknown" products and they're loving it and then they find out it's Suave and they're all surprised and their opinions are changed forever and blah blah blah. Plus, this ginormous bottle of shampoo (32 oz) was only three-something and it is a huge bottle, I have a hard time picking it up with one hand in the shower sometimes, haha.

I chose the one for dry or frizzy hair and I've been using it for several weeks now.

Milani "True Black" Eye Pencil

These days money has been tight and I'm rediscovering my drug store's cosmetic aisle in search of cheaper prices for my makeup staples, especially; the things I re-buy over and over... Such as, in this case, black eyeliner. Based on a recommendation from Tiffany of Will Work for Makeup, I picked up a Milani eye pencil to try out.

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Makeup

For at least the past couple of years I've been going up and back between Makeup Forever liquid foundations and have been pretty happy with them. However, a few weeks ago, my skin was going so crazy I had to find and visit a dermatologist. It's at least worth noting here, because of the mere probability of it, I was surprised that the one I finally decided to go with was one that I really liked. I don't like doctors, usually, and I was surprised to learn just how much I liked my new dermatologist. Anyway, let me get to the point... She had me run down my current skin care routine including cleansers, moisturizers and makeup. Then, she basically told me to trash all that and gave me a new list of products to buy. "Get rid of the hope," she told me--throwing me a pun after I said I used Philosophy's Hope in a Jar moisturizer--"you don't need it."

So, on her recommendation, I immediately made a trip to the drug store (a place I had been avoiding for years now) and bought a new kind of makeup (among some other things). She told me to pick up Revlon's ColorStay liquid makeup so I chose the shade that looked right (Golden Beige, in my case) and got a bit of a thrill from the price tag. I'd been spending $40 for the same amount of makeup that now cost me $13. A definite plus given my current financial state, which isn't good.

Tangle Teezer

After reading several very positive reviews on the Tangle Teezer hair brush, I knew I had to try it for myself so I ordered the purple one and have been using it for a couple of weeks now and just let me say to begin with: this baby works!