Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lip Creams in Juicy Melons REVIEW and swatches

I love pretty lip colors but a lot do not show up on my pigmented red lips. And if they do, chances are they are too stark white which leaves me looking like a clown or dry my lips out. Good thing I tried Too Faced La Creme color drenched lip creams at Sephora! They are so buttery and so pigmented. I chose the color Juicy Melons, which is a creamy bright coral color with a hint of pink. It really stood out on my lips. See below for swatches and review.

Too Faced La Creme in Juicy Melons, 0.11 oz, $21

A swatch of Juicy Melons

Chanel Fleur de Lotus Joues Contraste powder blush REVIEW and swatches

As usual, I caved to Chanel's Joues Contraste powder blushes. I told myself that I chose Rose Initiale a month ago and should just be content. However, I keep seeing reviews of it and I couldn't stop thinking about how pretty it looked! Then one morning, I saw an email from Chanel and saw that Fleur de Lotus JC blush was now available online! It was definitely meant to be. This was an Asian exclusive limited edition product from spring 2012 and Nordstroms had it available exclusively for their anniversary sale.  I am glad it is now finally available on chanel.com!

See below for review and swatches!

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder blush in Fleur de Lotus, 0.14 oz, $43

MAC styleseeker Supercontinental blush swatches and REVIEW

I don't think I have ever heard a sales associate be so adamant on a product before when I ask for her opinion. They always shy away and try to get your input on the item first then suggest accordingly. At my recent visit to a MAC counter in Macy's, I was deciding between MAC's StyleSeeker collection blushes in Hidden Treasure and Supercontinental. Hidden Treasure is a rich burnt red color and is very pigmented with a touch of shimmer. Supercontinental is a cute pink color with a sheen finish. Both are gorgeous in my book.

As I stood there swatching and contemplating, the SA came over to ask if I needed some help. I explained to her my indecisiveness on the two blushes. Right away she points to Supercontinental blush and says " That one." Her answer was as fast as reflex. I just started laughing and asked her why. That's when she brought my attention to the beautiful sheen and the unique shade of Supercontinental. Swatched lightly, it seems like a peachy sheen color. Slightly heavier and you can see the fun pink color pop out. I was amazed. Not only was it without shimmers or glitter, but this color can be built up and vary in color? It isn't just a lighter version of a color, but it is completely a different color. She also showed me that the Hidden Treasure shade would be too dark on my cheeks and would look like someone had punched me in the face. I was sold and here is my review and swatch of Supercontinental powder blush. Enjoy!

MAC Supercontinental powder blush, 6g/0.21 oz, $20

A close look at Supercontinental

How to fix your cracked powder blushes and bronzers TUTORIAL

A couple weeks ago, I purchased a 10-blush palette on Ebay. It traveled around half the world and got to me with one cracked blush :(
Sad, but determined to still make use of it, I went ahead to fix this blush. Have you ever dropped your favorite powder blush or bronzer? If you don't want to throw it away, you can actually fix it using this simple method! Read below for a 5-10 minute project :)

End result: blushes looking good as new. Can you even tell which blush was cracked before?

Initial blush palette. The second blush from the left on the bottom was cracked and had pieces thrown all over the place! I was so upset when I opened this. 

To fix, you need:

• a spoon or knife or anything that can grind and mill the powder pieces.
• 70% or higher rubbing alcohol
• paper towel
• flat circular object

Ebay 10 blush palette REVIEW and Swatches

A while back, I was browsing through Ebay and saw this super mega affordable blush palette! I was skeptical, but after a few more successful purchases on ebay, I decided to give this one a try. This palette consists of colors all across the board- ranging from pale peach to bright pink. It also ranges across finishes- from matte to sparkly. All 10 blushes for $6.99, taxes and shipping already included! What a steal! I figured I would give this a try, what do I have to lose? Intrigued? Keep reading to see the swatches and my opinion on this sleek blush palette.

None of the blushes had a name, so I gave it a numbering system. Click on photo above to see the system at a closer look. It starts at the top left corner and then moves down, then up again towards the right.

Blush #1: shimmering rose gold pink

Blush #2: matte stark pink

Blush #3: shimmering pale peach

Blush #4: sparkly coral

Blush #5: shimmering pink with white opaque base

Blush #6: matte muted pink

Blush #7: shimmering neon orange red

Blush #8: matte bright pink

Blush #9: sheer peachy coral

Blush #10: peach sheen

OPI Germany Collection 2012 My Very First Knockwurst and German-icure by OPI REVIEW and swatches

So I finally went to Ulta and picked up some of OPI Germany collection's nail polishes last week. I purchased two of the twelve shades and will be swatching and reviewing them below.

My Very First Knockwurst (left), German-icure by OPI (right)

OPI Germany collection, 0.5 fl oz/15mL, $8.50

My Very First Knockwurst is a light nude pink

German-icure by OPI is a deep red brown with gold shimmers

MAC Cremesheen + Pearl REVIEW and swatches of Imperial light, Peach blossom, Pure Zen, Coral Bliss, and Shanghai Spice

So I finally got my goodies from the MAC Cremesheen + Pearl collection. This collection has names that are very Asian-themed. I purchased 5 products to share with you. To see the full collection swatched, click here.

Left to right: Coral Bliss, Peach Blossom, Shanghai Spice, Pure Zen 

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick, 3g/0.1 oz, $15 

left to right:  Coral Bliss, Peach Blossom, Shanghai Spice, Pure Zen 

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian REVIEW and swatches

I have heard so much about this little Lip Cream from Buxom in White Russian. I love milky pink colors and it is hard for me to find one that looks that way on my lips without washing me out. My lips are very red pigmented so I need something opaque enough to show, but not so much so I look like a clown. I decided to give White Russian a try. See below for review and swatches :)

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip cream in White Russian

4.2ml/0.14 fl. oz, $18, sephora.com

Doe foot applicator, very soft and easy to apply. Carries enough product in one go.

A look at White Russian on my hand.
Artificial light on the left and natural light on the right.
You can see how it has a milky pink cream color! It has no shimmer or sheen, just cream :)

Essie Stylenomics Recessionista and Miss Fancy Pants REVIEW and Swatches and Comparisons

While at Ulta browsing at skincare and cosmetics, I came across Essie's Fall 2012 collection: Stylenomics. Stylenomics consists of 6 polishes and I am reviewing 2 of them below while comparing one of them to a Nails Inc. nail polish.

Essie Miss Fancy Pants (left) and Recessionista (right)

0.46 fl oz, $8

Recessionista: a deep plum red with a hint of violet

Miss Fancy Pants: a light dove gray

Other shades in the collection:

Stylenomics: a dark hunter/forest green

Skirting the Issue: deep violet

Don't Sweater it: deep taupe

Head Mistress: dark pink

Benefit Coralista and Sun Beam mini set at Sephora REVIEW and swatches

Many of you may have heard of Benefit's Coralista blush and many of you probably already own this. For those of you like me who still have not tried this beautiful coral shimmer blush, I wanted to let you know that Sephora is doing a trial set of the blush as well as the Sun Beam highlighter. The two comes in a small box and retails for $12! It is a great opportunity to try both of these products for a small cost. I also found the Coralista blush size great for travels! See below for reviews and swatches.

Coralista blush and Sun Beam, $12, sephora.com

Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in Rose Initiale (72) REVIEW and swatches

Chanel cosmetics has always been up to my expectations. After hearing about their Joues Contraste powder blush from other bloggers for a while, I decided to finally get my first JC blush! The blush I decided on was the Rose Initiale. It is a bright pink blush with micro shimmers. The shimmers do not show up on the face at all, but it does a great job of brightening up your cheeks. I was deciding between Rose Initiale and Fleur de Lotus. After swatching it in the stores and having a sales associate put it on my cheeks, I realize Rose Initiale made my cheeks pop and gave my face a brightening effect. Fleur de Lotus was very pretty- it leaned more peach and was a lot more sheer/shimmery.
See below for swatches!

Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in Rose Initiale (72), .21 oz, $43

close up look at Rose Initiale,  you can see the small shimmers

MAC Cremesheen + Pearl Collection 2012 SWATCHES

UPDATE 8/9/12: see closer swatches and reviews for 5 products from this line here

My local MAC counter had the Cremesheen + Pearl collection out today and I swatched all of the colors I could get my hands on for you girls! It is available in US stores on August 9th 2012 and available internationally in September 2012. These are new, but permanent shades! This collection consists of Cremesheen glass and lipsticks and are relatively light/sheer in color.
You can pre-order yours today, but you won't be able to pick them up till next week in stores.

Cremesheen lipstick is $14.50 listed, but I was charged $15 at my local Macy's.

Cremesheen glass is $19.50
(I did not take a photo of the collection stand so I used one of MAC's ad photos)

Swatches!

I labeled the names of each shade in the picture, but they can be a bit hard to see. Click photo to enlarge.

Julep Kelly nail polish REVIEW and swatches

Julep Nail polishes had an amazing deal online a few weeks back. For $14.99 you can pick any two nail polish colors and a Best Pedi creme AND free shipping. Julep polishes retails for $14 a bottle so getting two full sized polishes plus a Pedi creme for just a dollar more is flipping awesome. I have been meaning to try this line of polishes and I jumped at this offer! See below for swatches of the shade Kelly. I also purchased Alicia (salmon peach), which I will review a little later.

Julep Nail Vernis in Kelly, 0.27 fl oz, $14 (retail)

Julep Kelly in artificial lighting, three coats with top coat