Too Faced Beauty Experts Darlings

Hello again readers!

I'm very excited when makeup companies make cute little sampler kits to try out a variety of products, without having to buy a full-size with hopes that it'll work for you. I picked up the Too Faced Beauty Experts Darlings set from Ulta for $20, and immediately cracked it open to see how well these products worked for me.

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Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

The Chocolate Soleil bronzer is a cult classic. It's been shown by a large variety of beauty gurus and their collections. It's something that smells so delicious and heavenly, since the bronzer has cocoa powder in the formula.

The bronzer is pigmented, and incredibly smooth. Just a tap, and product is picked up. It seems like a good plan, but for someone like me who is very pale, it can be very bad. Just a tap on the brush, and a bunch of pigment is picked up. I have to be very careful with this bronzer, because just a dab will do me.

The bronzer is too dark and warm for me, but it blends out beautifully. It'd be better suited for those with a medium skin tone.

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La Creme Lipstick – Dolly

The Too Faced La Creme lipstick in Naked Dolly is a nice, light nude. Sometimes it can wash me out, but when I pair it with a lip liner it's much more wearable. The formula is very creamy, moisturizing, and easy to wear on the lips, but it does fade very quickly with how creamy it is.

The biggest thing that I hate about this lipstick, is that it smells like soap to me. It's really off putting and very odd, and then I can taste it. I'm not a fan, and it stops me from wearing it as much as I would otherwise.

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Better Than Sex Mascara

The Better Than Sex mascara was something I really was looking forward to try. So many people raved about how beautiful their lashes looked  after using it, and I had to agree – at first.

When I first applied this to my lashes, it was a little hard to handle. The formula is very wet, and if I wasn't VERY careful, it'd get all over my lower lash line and my eyelid and on my cheek without me moving too much. It was frustrating, and ended up with me scratching at my face with a spooly brush to get the dried mascara off.

The other thing that I did not like about the mascara, is that it's a fiber mascara. While it left my lashes looking long, full, and beautiful, it also made them flake throughout the day, so i'd have little flakes of fiber and mascara sprinkled all over my cheeks and face. Very unflattering. It also smeared throughout the day so I was also left with those flakes and smudged mascara under my eyes. It made me look tired, and messy.

It works for so many people, and I was bummed when it didn't work for me.

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Shadow Insurance Primer

 I have a couple of reviews of this product, here and here. Like I've said, not my favorite, but I won't toss it away either.

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Overall, I really enjoy kits like these. I like the little deluxe sizes of products (not only are they cute, but they're enough to get a good feel for the product without committing to the price of a full-size just yet). Unfortunately I wasn't wild about any of these, so I won't be buying larger sizes. Too Faced just isn't my brand, I suppose.

Thanks for reading!

Makeup Geek Pigment - Insomnia

Hello again readers!

I wanted to throw out a quick review of the one (and only) Makeup Geek pigment: Insomnia.  I've been wanting to try out Insomnia for a long time, since it's raved about so much on the internet for being a MAC Blue Brown pigment dupe. Now, I love my MAC Blue Brown pigment, and I don't mind the healthy competition that goes up against it. Anyway to cut corners and save some of those pennies, right?

I have the Insomia in the smaller jars (the jars that hold 2g of product), that retailed for $6 a piece. They now have Insomnia in the new jars, which they say holds 6g of product, for $12 a piece. Cheaper than MAC, that's for sure.

The inside of the jar, has a sifter, in the form of a small hole. I already fell into issues with small openings with my Sized-to-Go pigments, because the openings are SO SMALL. It helps control spilling, but it's really hard to just dip your brush into the pigment. It's a little frustrating, because it's harder to control how much comes out, even if I'm just taping some into the cap.

Now the pigment itself is definitely lower quality than MAC. The color isn't as vibrant, and the texture feels different. MAC's pigment feels very smooth, while MUG's pigment feels more powdery. 

On the eye it needed a tackier base to really build up the color on the lid, but it did blend out well just like the MAC pigment.

Now it really comes down to price. You can get more in the MUG pigment, compared to the MAC pigment, so if you're looking to save money MUG is the way to go. If you're looking for quality, MAC is definitely what I'd recommend.

Thanks for reading!

L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner

Hello again readers!

I have a little review of a new eyeliner that I have recently added to my collection, the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner. The liner isn't too new, but it's definitely new to me, and I can never trust reviews that say 'oh this will stay on forever!' because of how oily/wet my eyes are. It's tragic. I do however really enjoy trying new liners, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

The Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner comes in five shades: Navy, Espresso, Slate, Bronze, and Blackest Black. Naturally, when I try a new liner, I almost always go for the black, so I picked up Blackets Black to try out.

The liners retail for $7-10 depending on where you purchase them, and I picked mine up for $6 during one of Ulta's 40% off sales for select drugstore cosmetics (L'Oreal was included at the time). It's always a good idea if you're money conscious to wait for deals to pop up, since there's always something going on!

In each liner purchased, you get the liner, which is contained in a glass jar with a silver lid, and an eyeliner brush. The brush included isn't bad by a long shot, and I remember fondly when I first started wearing gel/cream eyeliners (the Maybelline Eye Studio was my first love) and a similar brush was included. It gets the job done, the handle is long enough for good control, and the bristles are soft and don't tug on the eye. It's a nice companion to the liner, although I do use other brushes when I apply it.

It applies really easily, since the formula is so soft, but it also goes on a bit streaky too. I have to go over it twice to get full, opaque coverage. It dries down to a vinyl finish, which isn't too noticeable until hit with direct lighting.

It's definitely not waterproof. I have oily lids, and my eyes (especially my right eye for reasons unknown) water like crazy during the day. If it's sunny, or windy, or even just cold, my eyes start dripping like a leaky faucet. If this liner comes into contact with my tears, it disolves.

It also is not smudgeproof. I don't touch my eyes as much anymore, but when I do it's VERY easy to wipe away this liner.

I was really hoping this would work out for me, but it didn't. I'm not broken hearted about it, I'm just a bigger fan of matte finish eyeliner. I have used better liners and now I can cross this off my 'liners I have tried', list.

Thanks for reading!

September Favorites

Hello again readers!

Another month passed us by, and onto my favorite month: October! It's very fitting for fall here in the Midwest, and it gets colder (and creepier!). I'm really excited for Halloween, and  I'm even working in a Haunted House! It's really exciting, exhausting, and rewarding. Of course, I'm always very sore now.

Maybelline Insta-Age Rewind Concealer - Fair:

Yet another product that I used up, and then I ended up missing very much. I really love how this looks on my under eyes, and makes me look wide awake and healthy. Easy to apply (even if you take the sponge off, which I do after a while) and blends into the skin with ease. A no-nonsense product that I don't see myself going without again anytime soon.

MAC Paint Pot - Quite Natural:
I picked this up at a makeup outlet shop in Branson, and I was really happy that I did. This is one of those shades that when I was going through the MAC site, I just wasn't interested in, but being able to use and swatch it myself, I loved it! It's really creamy, and blends out well, but sets quickly. It's a shade that's great to wear on it's own with some mascara, maybe even some liner for a softer sultry look, or as a base for a more dramatic eye look.

Olay Fresh Effects Soak Up The Sun Protection Sun Screen:

I've been outside more often in September, for the Haunted House auditions, practice, and orientation so I wanted to make sure my skin was prepared. I'm definitely not used to being outside for long periods of time, but this product ensures that I don't end up burning to a crisp from the sun. It has a perfume scent to it, which isn't ideal, but it blends in really well and has a formulation with a moisturizer, so I don't worry about my skin having itself a revolution and drying out while I'm trying to protect it.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer:

So cheap, and SO effective. This has been my favorite primer I have ever tried! It goes on with a thick texture, and it's a bit of effort to get it to blend in, because it works immediately. I have really been relying on this to keep me looking matte while Summer had it's last ditch efforts to hold onto the control of the weather, and it keep the oils on my face at bay, and left my makeup looking amazing. 

Disney Pocahontas Spinning Arrow Bronzer:

Not a surprise to see this again so soon. Easy to use, makes me look healthy, and such a good product. You'll have to pull this out of my cold dead hands.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Reserve Your Cabana "Bronzer":

I don't use this as a highlighter, but rather as an all-over face powder. It sets my foundation, and leaves me with a gentle glow. It's really wonderful to use, and looks really healthy without being too shiny.

Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner - Black:

I have used a variety of different liners, from drugstore to high-end, and so far nothing really worked for me... until I tried this. Even with how great this liner is, it does wear off through the day, but it also stays in the waterline FAR better than even my Urban Decay liner! I'm really pleased with it. Soft, pigmented, and long-lasting. A great addition to anyone's collection.

NYX Eyeshadow Single - Nude:

I never reached for this as an eyeshadow, but I really love this as a highlighter! It adds a really nice subtle glow, and really catches the light. It adds a bit of color, but over blusher it's barely noticeable, leaving only the glow.

Essence Gel Eyeliner - Midnight in Paris:

This is the best gel liner that I've ever used. It's black, so creamy, and it doesn't budge. I put this on for orientation even for the haunted house, ran around, sweat, and by the end of the night the wings were still in place and looked almost as good as when I first applied it, just a little faded by the end of the night. A phenomenal product.

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Single - Panther:

I'm a huge fan of the Wet n Wild single eyeshadows, so many of them are on my holy grail makeup list, and this is no exception. Panther is such a pigmented, matte black. It's perfect for setting liner, for deepening an eye look, or creating a smokey eye. For a dollar? Hell, it's almost impossible to resist!

Thanks for reading!