Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe Collection --Swatches and Review-- Holiday 2011

This collection includes six glitter polishes; the perfect pick-me-up to the holiday season! All of these have fine glitter but contain a variety of individual glitter colors that comprise an overall shade.

Colors include:

Gingerbread-- brown, gold, and holographic glitter

Sugarplum Fairy-- lilac and holographic glitter

Jingle Jangle-- purple and blue glitter

Candy Cane--silver, red, and pink glitter

Beyond the Mistletoe--light blue, green, and holographic glitter

Holiday Splendor--emerald green base with silver and holographic glitter

(Click any picture to enlarge)

Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Root Touch-Up and Highlighting Pen

The Product:

 The Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Root Touch-Up and Highlighting Pen is a great way to cover up roots, enhance your highlights, or just add some natural color to your hair. As the title suggests the product comes in a pen form where you click the product up through the applicator (which resembles a Stila Lip Glaze). The formula is both ammonia and peroxide free and and full of gentle conditioners. The application is very simple; all you do is paint the color on! Additionally, the color dries quickly and is waterproof. The pen comes with .16oz of product for $23.00 and can be purchased at BGlowing.com, or anywhere else Oscar Blandi Products are sold.

What comes inside the box.

My Opinion:

 This is a very fun product to use! I have the color Neutral Brown and it is just slightly lighter than my natural hair color which gave me a very refreshing low-light effect. It added extra dimension to my hair that washed out when I shampooed my hair. All in all I can't think of any downside to this product.  It would also be amazing if you do color your hair for in between touch-ups or just for adding more highlights to your hair.

My Rating:

 Ease of Use: 4.5/5

 Quality: 4.5/5

 Packaging: 4/5

 Value: 4/5






*Product provided for review purposes by BGlowing.com.

Go Nails Product Review

Go Nails has been a product that I have been looking into for quite a while. I'm happy to say that it is a product I couldn't live without now. Instead of boring you with all the regular information (like ingredients, how to use it, etc) I'll instead direct you to their website HERE. This is probably the only nail product that I've used where you can see results within two weeks! (all of the hardeners that I have ever tried need at least 8 weeks to really show a change). Here are some pictures to show you the improvement in my nails! Please keep in mind that my middle finger snapped off while playing with my dog (very painful!) You can see the massive improvement in the way my cuticles look and how the texture of my nails smoothed out.

Before

After

After

COUPON ALERT*** Use the code GONSZUC to receive 20% off your order at MyGoBeauty.com

FYI: This was sent to me for review purposes

UNII Cosmetics Palette Review

I’ve been looking at the UNII Cosmetics Palettes for a little while now (the link is in my favorites!). I wanted to give them a try for many different reasons and uses. First, I wanted to see how they’d work at storing/transporting my various nail art paraphernalia. Second, I thought they’d be great for traveling; as I could store a blush, some eye shadows, and other pressed makeup in the palette without worrying about it popping open or leaking if a shadow happened to break. The third reason, you may wonder was simply pure curiosity.

While browsing the website one day I happened onto the page which has some depotting tutorials. I immediately went through to see which ones were posted and they were pretty much all ones that I had seen before. I emailed UNII with a link to my depotting tutorial just as a suggestion, since it is much different than the ones which were posted already. I received an email back a few days later and now, you can view my depotting tutorial on the UNII site as well. (I was sooo excited about this!)

Anyways, onto the review:

The UNII Palette is a more personalized way to store your depotted shadows, blushes, highlighters, etc. The palettes come in five different colors including Pomegranate, Snow, Twilight, Lemongrass, and Eggplant. The colors are bright and vibrant and reflect the creative side of makeup. Each palette has a rubberized seal and lock which prevent leaks and protects your makeup. Each palette also has a thumb grip which can be moved around to fit your hand size and shape and make holding the palette easier, not to mention, each palette comes with a sheet of magnets for your depotted shadows!

UNII palettes also each have a large mirror, the mirror accounts for much of the weight of the palette. This palette is also thicker than a MAC palette and feels sturdier as the top and bottom have little give when it comes to bending and maneuvering them. I must say that I want to get one of each color! The only downside to these palettes is the price ($29) however, in my opinion they are totally worth it. When looking at the cost think of how expensive it would be to replace the eye shadows in another palette if it spilled open; or think of how long a MAC palette lasts (for me, it’s only a few months before a hinge or the locking mechanism breaks). The UNII palette is basically the cost of 2 MAC palettes which is how many you will most likely go through in the lifetime of 1 UNII palette; not to mention that this palette also has the added benefit of a mirror and fun color choices. If packaging matters to you, why not choose something that reflects your personality?

I’ve taken some pictures which demonstrate the storing capabilities of these palettes.

Pomegranate (Front)

Lemongrass (Back)

Rhinestone Wheel, dotting tool and thumb grip

Thumb Grip

Six Dotting Tools and Thumb Grip (to keep them from rolling)

Ten MAC eye shadows, One MAC blush and, Thumb Grip

14 MAC Shadows and the Thumb Grip

Locking Mechanism

Rubberized Seal to prevent leaks

3 MAC blushes

7 MUFE (Make Up For Ever) Shadows and the Thumb Grip

Size Comparison MAC Palette to UNII Palette

Thickness Comparison MAC (left) UNII (right)

These palettes were sent to me by UNII. I decided to review them after using them and falling in love with them. My opinions are my own. If you have any questions feel free to comment or email me!

Eyeko Vintage Polish Review

I have been craving a mint green nail polish for quite a while now. First, I thought I wanted Essie Mint Candy Apple but unfortunately that polish has long been sold out here. I’d also been wanting to try Eyeko nail polishes in general for a while and since Eyeko had the minty green “Vintage Polish” I decided I should bite the bullet. I also ordered the Eyeko Cream, Eyeko Tinted Cream, and the trio of Fat Balms and Vintage (the polish retails for $5). This is my first experience ever ordering with Eyeko. I actually placed an order about a month ago and received my products in about 2 weeks (regular first class shipping). Back to the polish; Vintage is a mint green nail lacquer which even though it is cool toned looks wonderful on my warm toned skin. I was pleasantly surprised with the color to say the least. It took three coats to get an opaque finish and I should note that this is a cream formula with no shimmer. The polish itself is quite thin when you apply it, almost runny but it still dries fairly quickly. I used my normal base coat combo, then 3 coats of Vintage, followed by a coat of Seche Vite.

In terms of wear:

After wearing this polish for a week I found that my dominant hand (Right hand) chipped significantly on my index finger and middle finger. The wear however, on my left had was nearly perfect with only one minor chip. Here are some pics.

(Above is 3 coats)

(Left: 1 coat     Right: 3 coats)

(Left: 2 coats     Middle: 3 coats     Left: 1 coat)

(Above: Left hand after 1 week)

(Above: Right hand after 1 week)

I hope you enjoyed this review. Unfortunately this specific shade has sold out via the Eyeko website however, there are plenty of other shades that look just as fun like their Lilac polish.

Kat Von D Rock n Roll Palette- A Sephora Beauty Insider 500 Point Perk

A few weeks ago I did a little bit of Sephora shopping. I don't go to the stores all too often because I am generally annoyed by being asked 10 times if I need help. Like a true introvert I prefer to shop online the only problem coming when I want to smell something so off to the store I went.  What I came away with was the Philosophy Pumpkin Spice Muffin 3-in-1, the MUFE Shadow that I gave away here, Juice Beauty Green Apple Nutrient Eye Cream, and a Smashbox HD Concealor. As my 500 point Beauty Insider Perk I received the Kat Von D Rock n Roll Palette which contained four colors and a small double ended brush in a mirrored compact. This is so far my favorite 500-point perk. I also have the Sephora Deluxe Palette from a few months ago but I never opened it. Anyways onto the review:

So here is what the box and palette look like:

The case is rubberized similarly to her full sized palettes and NARS compacts. The shades are listed on the back. The compact also has a mirror on the inside which is makes the compact quite heavy. It measures about 3 1/2" long by 2" wide.

From Left to Right: Believer, Confessional, Groupie, Motorhead

Believer and Motorhead both contain glitter. Nothing all too annoying but just so you know. Beside those two shades being glittery all the shades are also frosty/shimmery. They are good traveling colors. Easy to wear for daytime (using the first three shades) and you can switch to a nighttime look by incorporating the black. Overall I am happy to finally have a better quality Beauty Insider Perk.

Here are the swatches:

Left to Right: Motorhead, Groupie, Confessional, Believer

Notice how hardly noticable the glitter is!

Red Leaf Handmade Bath & Body Products

I discovered a new Etsy shop that I am absolutely loving called Red Leaf. I initially stumbled onto their page when I was searching for Bubble Bath. Why might you ask did I choose this site in particular? Three words: Bubble Bath Dough--it's looks like playdough, smells fantastic, and makes the best bubbles I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying! They sell more than just bubble bath dough including, Soap and Shave Cubes, Room Spray, Linen Spray, Moisturizer, Face Spray, Lotion, Aftershave and Shampoo Bars. They have a limited amount of scents to choose from however the scents are all around favorites in my opinion.

In my first order, (I say first because there will definitely be more) I chose:

• Full Size (9 oz) Bubble Bath Dough (BBD) in Oatmeal, Milk and Honey ($12)
• Sample Size (4oz) BBD's in Black Tea and Lavender ($3.50 ea)
• Shampoo Bar in Plumeria ($11)
• Full Size (3.5 oz) Soap and Shave Cube in Beach ($5)
• Sample Size (1.5 oz)  Soap and Shave Cubes in Basil and Lime and English Coast ($3.50 ea)

There are also other scents offered like:
Orange Sherbert
Fresh Clover
Unscented
And specifically for Men:
Wasabi
Fresh Orange

So why am I so in love with the BBD:

• Bubbles like you wouldn't believe! Check out the video below to see what I mean!
• The bubbles last and last (in comparison to my Philosophy 3-in-1). After about 30 minutes I still have at least 1/2 of the bubbles that I initially started with in my bath. I usually end up emptying the tube with bubbles still in it!
• Moisturizing--I think that it is the sweet almond oil in the dough that makes my skin feel moisturized once I've dried off. I live in a hard water area so that is saying a lot.
• The Scents--Of the scents I purchased, Oatmeal, Milk and Honey is my favorite followed by English Coast. The black tea frangrance was the only scent that I wasn't thrilled with, not because it smelled bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
• It's not just a bubble bath! This product can also be used as a scrub--yay for multitasking!

In terms of the soaps that I tried:

• Scents lasted on the skin
• Felt squeaky clean (which can be good on bad depending on your preference)
• In terms of a shave cube I actually really liked this product (more so than as a soap). It provided a great slip and lathered nicely.

I am going to give you a bit of a breakdown on the scents I have:

• Oatmeal Milk and Honey--smells very reminiscent of almond extract, almost like marzipan. There are notes of Oatmeal and Honey (I don't know what milk smells of :) ) but the predominant scent is almond.
• Beach-- Instead of salty air I smell the sand and sunscreen. My mind does not immediately go to Beach when I smell this although it is very fresh and bright.
• Lavender--easiest one to review! This smells of fresh cut lavender.
• Black Tea--very woody scent, almost smoky. It reminds me of a wood burning fireplace and the middle of winter.
• English Coast--reminds me a lot of Irish Spring just not as strong. Again this scent is very fresh- a good wake up soap.
• Basil and Lime--I can't quite put my finger on this scent. But it is uplifting, light, and green.

For more detailed scent descriptions check out their etsy store here ShopRedLeaf.

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol II Swatches

After receiving my book of shadows I immediately started swatching. What can I say? I had to do it! I have some issues with misconceptions when it comes to texture, color payoff, and quality. If something is from a promising brand and expensive then the shadows have to live up to my expectations or I won't repurchase. I am serious! Sometimes it will take me years to retry a brand because of one bad product--I won't be having that problem with this brand. So far, everything that I have purchased I love!

This palette includes 16 shades, eight of which are exclusive. The exclusive shades include:

• Perversion
• AC/DC
• Nylon
• Mushroom
• Sphynx
• Jinx
• Homegrown
• Misdemeanor

Onto the swatches!

So here is a reminder of what shadows were in the palette (you can click to enlarge):

Here's the top row:

Left to Right: Perversion, Gunmetal, Ecstasy, AC/DC

• 
  
  Perversion is a basic matte black and truthfully not too impressive. This is with several swipes--I prefer my MUFE.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Gunmetal is an amazing charcoal gray with shimmer and glitter. Luckily it isn't crazy glitter-ful or I'd be completely turned off by it. The picture is with only one swipe, so it is very pigmented. The consistancy was soft not chalky. I'd love it more if there was no glitter but that's how it goes.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Ecstasy is a lilac-y purple/pink it is quite sheer but a great soft shimmery color to have.
  
  
  
• 
  
  AC/DC is a high shine purple. Nothing too remarkable but there is a tiny bit of duochrome to this color.
  
  
  

The second row from the top:

Left to Right: Nylon, Sellout, Mushroom, Sphynx

• 
  
  Nylon is a light gold very similar to Blonde's Gold from MAC. A good all around lid color that would be great for a neutral look. This shade is frosty!
  
  
  
• 
  
  Sellout is a shimmery champagne color--another good basic
  
  
  
• 
  
  Mushroom is a taupey brown. Mushroom is similar to MAC Satin Taupe but less plumy. Again this is a shimmery shade.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Sphynx is the glitter bomb in this row (there is one glitter in each of the first three rows). Like Gunmetal from above is not all too glittery so the fallout isn't tremendous but be aware it is there.
  
  
  

The third row:

L to R: Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, YDK

• 
  
  Half Baked is another great gold. A shimmery, frosty mid tone yellow gold is the best way I can describe this one. It is one of my favorite golds that I own.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Twice Baked is an intense chocolate brown. Less frosty then the other shades but similar to Gunmetal in pigmentation. One swipe gave me the intense brown pictured above
  
  
  
• 
  
  Midnight Cowboy... I hate this shade! How is it that this is the shade that UD is most known for?!?! It is a crazy glittery mess. I have no idea how to wear it without have glitter all down my face. I tried it with paint pots, cream shadows and spraying it with fix+, anyway I do it I am a glittery mess. After this swatch was done I wiped my arm clean and, even while writing this I still have glitter on me. GRRR!
  
  
  
• 
  
  YDK is a similar to mushroom except that is actually has the plum to it the Mushroom lacks. This shade is a bit sheer but still beautiful.
  
  
  

Last Row:

L to R: Jinx, Flipside, Homegrown, Misdemeanor

• 
  
  Jinx is a frosty light blue. It is sheer but over a base looks amazing.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Flipside is a bit more teal than Jinx but similar in texture, pigmentation and hue.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Homegrown is a leaf green, frost. I actually don't have a color that is the least bit similar to this one so it is a nice addition to my collection. It is a deeper, brighter Juxt (MAC) eyeshadow (if that makes sense).
  
  
  
• 
  
  Misdemeanor is a great duochrome. Similar to MAC's Club but the shift is not quite as bright green. Again this is a shimmery shade.
  
  
  

What are some of your favorite Urban Decay Shades?

OPI/Zoya Dupes

While going through my nail polish collection I found a few dupes that I was unaware I had so I figured that I would share. The three OPI and the three Zoya polishes that I found as dupes were from the OPI Espana Collection and the Fall 09 Zoya collection (So they were basically released at the same time). While I love them all I am more inclined to use OPI just by price alone. Zoya polishes retail for $6 and OPI Polishes are priced around $4.50 from etailers like transdesign, head2toebeauty, and 8ty8beauty. All except Zoya Envy which is my favorite color from recent hauls.

Here's the first set:

Thumb is OPI, Index finger is Zoya

These two were exact dupes of each other except that the Zoya needed two coats and the OPI only need one.

Here's the second set:

OPI is left, Zoya on the Right

These two colors are incredibly close. Again this is two coats of Zoya to one coat of OPI. The Zoya color has a stronger purple undertone than the OPI.

The third set:

Zoya on the left, OPI on the Right

This shade of green is very hard to capture but if these two shade are also almost exactly the same. The OPI is a little more olive but barely noticable. When I swatched the I had to keep reminding myself which nail was which. The difference here was that the OPI actually needed two coats and the Zoya only needed one.

Rescue Beauty Lounge--Concrete Jungle

This color is no longer on my nails--I am so wishy-washy in terms of what colors I want to wear and when but it was on there yesterday. RBL Concrete Jungle is a pale blue gray color that definitely leans towards the cool side of the spectrum. Against my warm skin tone it took a bit to get used to but after about an hour I loved the color. Another great gray from RBL is Stormy which I will be ordering shortly. This polish applies so easily, smoothly and dries quickly. I am so impressed with these polishes that it leaves me wondering why I didn't purchase them before; oh wait! I remember, They are $18 a pop! These are a luxury nail item in my opinion but if you see a color you love go for it--you won't be disappointed!
Here are the pics pre-clean up--I was in a rush!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Matte Top Coat Review

Sometime last week I decided to order some Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes, 5 to be exact and a few days ago they arrived. I haven't been so excited to receive a package in quite some time. I immediately tore open the envelope, ripped through the tissue paper and began to open all the boxes. I picked up four colors (Film Noir, Drifter, Recycle, and Stormy) and while all the colors were gorgeous, I was most interested in the Matte Top Coat initially. With the trend leaning towards Matte this year I didn't want to purchase all new polishes especially when this may be a complete faux-pas next year. While I have invested in a few OPI Mattes and some Zoya Mattes, RBL does not offer any Matte polishes except this top coat which promises to turn your favorite polishes to Matte with just a few swipes. A similar product is offered by Orly and Essie if you are looking for a less expensive alternative. This one was $18 just like all the polishes RBL offers. So onto the review!
The RBL Matte Top Coat is a great addition to any collection, the problem comes when you expect too much out of the product. First I applied RBL Recycle, 2 coats over my Nail Tek II Base Coat. Recycle is a beautiful green, lighter than the Zoya Envy but slightly jelly like and super opaque. Next, I applied 1 coat of the RBL Matte Top Coat. This top coat dries very quickly but, unlike the OPI Matte polishes you do not have the problem of the "brush stroke" look that I mentioned in my previous post. Besides giving you a definite Matte finish there is also that barrier to the polish that you get from using a top coat which you can't get using other Matte color formulations (because a regular top coat will make your Matte finish become shiny). At first the Matte finish is absolutely beautiful and exactly what you would expect but after a day, two at the most, you end up with a satin finish. Now, I know that after a few days your Matte finish will turn Satin with any Matte polish but this one seems a lot quicker. From just hand washing I had two days of Matte perfection but once you throw in using hand cream/lotion (which I can't avoid using here in my dry climate) it was down to one solid day. This is the only problem that I have found with the RBL Matte Top Coat and while it is a pain to reapply top coat it isn't nearly as bad as having to remove all your polish and start fresh. Keep that in mind if you purchase this product.
Overall I give this a 4.5/5 based on price, ease of use and the possibility of repurchasing.
Here's some pics of my Matte RBL Recyle Mani (excuse the pinky--it's finally growing back)...