Stila Color Outside The Lines Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner Set - Swatch and Review

I'm definitely playing catching up on my blog this weekend. Don't want to get too comfortable not doing them. 

We are back to experiencing frigid temperatures and for some odd reason I just had this urge to want to take pictures of the snow. There is something lonesome, melancholic, and beautiful about Winter snowscapes. Kind of reflects on my current mood. Perhaps that's why I felt like taking pictures of it. I've been dropping my kids off to school because it's just too cold for them to be outside waiting on the bus. Heck, I am freezing my ass in the car when I'm warming it up in the morning and I'm not even exposed to the windchill while I'm in it.

Ok, let's move on to this review. For the record, I receive this cool eyeliner set as a Christmas gift. 

Packaging

• They come with a handy dandy aluminum case with I think a frosty finish. It has that artist appeal to it.
• There's 5 different color retractable eyeliners. 
• Sadly nowhere on the packaging it tells me how much product is in there.
• Initially, the first thing I did when opening up the package is try to twist up the product. I found that the twist up mechanism is odd or not really working properly. Even after twisting the pencil for like 6/7 times, the product only slightly budged. Once, you get it to move, you don't have to do that many twists. The second problem I found is that you cannot retract the product back into the tube. So you better make sure that you don't twist up more than you need. 

Product

• Stingray - matte jet black. It's available for purchase individually without the set. 
• Lionfish - warm dark brown with bronze shimmers. It's available for purchase individually without the set. 
• Aubergine - shimmery dark eggplant purple
• Navy - navy blue with a slight sheen to it
• Emerald - bright emerald green with subtle silver shimmers
• The first thing I did was of course swatch them and I was very pleased that they felt creamy and pigmented. They also glide nicely on the eyes without pulling or dragging, which is awesome. 
• You can create medium to thick line with these pencils. They don't include a sharpener but if you have one from another retractable pencil, you can create thinner lines if you are able to sharpen them.
• They only take a few seconds to set so giving you a bit of time to smudge them if you like.
• They are described as being waterproof. I didn't find them completely waterproof but more like water resistant. 
• I have moderately oily lids, when used with a primer underneath, they lasted all day with minimal fading and just a smidgen transferring on the bottom lash line. They still performed well without a primer though I would say there's like 20% more transferring and fading after 5 hours of wear. 

Final Thought

There's no denying that I love the colors, pigmentation, and tug-free smooth sailing formula. Personally, I do need to use eye primer in order to make them last better and longer on my eyelids and minimize transferring. If you have drier skin, you may be able to get away without primer. 

Rating: 8/10

Price: $34.00. Great price for the set. One eyeliner typically goes for $20.00.

Availability: Beauty.com, Ulta

Miscellaneous Hauls And Some Gifts

Hello lovelies,

These are some products I hauled a few days ago and was too lazy to post, lol. The sad thing is that after all the damages, there are some after Christmas sales that are still tempting me.

I took advantage of the Ulta 20% off coupon to snag a few things. luckily for me half of these were also on clearance:

• NYX HD Concealer. They were on BOGO and with my daughter using it, my last one ran out quickly. This is a repurchase. I've already reviewed this HERE. 
• Layla Ceramic Effect CE14
• Essie Parka Perfect
• Essie Using My Maiden Name
• Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliners Ultra Black. One of my favorite black eyeliner.
• Elegant Touch Envy Wraps. I found these on clearance. I've never used nail wraps so I'm curious to try.

I picked up these Revlon Nail Appliques at CVS, they were almost $10.00 each. Normally, I don't pay much attention to these because they are pricey but I had some extra bucks coupons that I needed to use and couldn't find anything I wanted so with these being so pretty and BOGO 50%, I got a killer deal on them.

So I missed the boat on the MAC Heroine lipstick that came out a couple months ago. Didn't think I was going to need it but the more swatches I saw the more I wanted it BAD! Well, the good news is that it is no longer limited edition and with Radiant Orchid being the new color of the year for 2014, I guess MAC decided to bring it back make it part of the permanent line. Woo hoo! If you love purple lipsticks, you need this shade! 

I can't believe that my Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour cream lasted me a whole year then again, it contains more products then most eye creams. It's still got some but I know I will run out soon and needed to restock on eye cream. When I saw the NUXE skincare on sale at Hautelook, I was curious to try and decided to pick up their eye cream. I liked the fact that it came with a pump and it was fairly priced. Along with that, I decided to get the Huile Prodigieuse. I thought this was going to come with a spray nozzle but it didn't. I was rather disappointed with that because it would have been easier to apply this oil on my skin with a spray since it's rather thin in consistency. It has a pleasant smell though I wouldn't rave about it. It smells woodsy, floral, and a bit sweet like honey.

I received this adorable star ornament from a dear friend. I took a picture of it hanging on one of the flowery light up branches that I keep at my vanity desk. With my 50mm lens and some editing magic, I must say it turned out pretty good!

Another friend gifted me a couple beauty products. She gave me the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner Set and they came with this very shiny aluminum tin container. I'm totally in love with the colors! I'm such a huge eyeliner junkie and the more the merrier so I was very happy when I saw these.

And lastly, the other gift I received is this Josie Maran BearNaked nail wipes. This container is so cute. I don't even want to use it. I'm fine with just acetone and cotton balls but I guess doesn't hurt to have something more portable for traveling. 

So that's it for this post. Got a couple new things but will do a separate posts for them.

What did you get for Christmas?

Stila After Glow Lip Color Vivid Violet - Swatch and Review

I cannot wait for the end of Friday...Almost there. I always get excited when it's close to the weekends. I'm pretty sure you all do too. I have lots of photos and no reviews. I was supposed to work on some reviews last night but I passed out early, napped for 3 hours...then woke up...then couldn't sleep and stayed up pretty much all night. Slept a couple hours and it was time to get up for work. I did not want to get up.
I should've done my reviews last night but instead, I realized that I left my nail swatch gallery in the back burner...Yeah, I'm still working on that and I don't think I'm half way there yet. It's a big project and I might have to retake some swatches...but that's what I did for the rest of the time I was awake last night.

Anyhoo...that's beside the point. I gotta get this review rolling. I purchased this Stila lip pencil a couple weeks ago at Ulta. What grabbed my interest about these lippies is that the sale associate told me they glow in the dark...well technically under black light but I didn't know that  until after I had already bought it. Slapped it on at night,  hoping it will glow but didn't. It's a cool thing for you party people but even if you're not planning on wearing this under black light, it's still nice for day time wear too.

Here's what Stila says about these lip pencils

Dazzle by day and glow by night. Stila’s black light responsive lip color contains florescent pigments that are three times brighter than conventional colors, creating a vibrant pop of color in the sunlight. Once the sun goes down, black light sensitive pigments cause the product to glow when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. 

Features & Benefits:

• Medium, buildable coverage with staining properties for lasting color
• Sunflower seed oil nourishes and moisturizes, while oat kernel extract soothes and calms the lips
• Algae extract helps retain moisture and contains antioxidant benefits
• Glycerin attracts water from the environment and the lower layers of the skin increasing hydration levels
• Natural blend of waxes deliver a creamy, easy-to-apply consistency
• Vitamins C & E provide antioxidant benefits
• Cherry flavored

Packaging

• This lip color comes in a retractable jumbo lip pencil packaging similar to the Revlon Balm Stains. 
• .10 oz or 2.9 g

Product

• Vivid Violet is a bright magenta purple. I absolutely love the color. Reminiscent of MAC Violetta but without the blue sheen.
• The color is buildable and you can wear it sheer or layer it for more intensity. I really like that versatility. On the swatches, I'm wearing it to its full potential. It's not completely opaque but nearly there. 
• It feels balmy but not slippery and has a subtle shine. The color can look a little patchy if you look up close, otherwise it's not really that obvious. 
• It also stains which makes the color long-wearing. It wears up to 6 hours before I notice signs of fading. That's pretty awesome I think. 
• I found the formula fairly hydrating. It did keep my lips comfortable for those first 6 hours. 
• I can detect a subtle sweet cherry scent. I like it. 

Final Thought

I'm a little sad that I didn't get a chance to test this lippie under black light, it would have been so cool. Otherwise, as a regular lip color, I really enjoyed the color, the long-wear, and the staining capability. I also appreciate that it kept my lips hydrated for a fairly long time too.

Rating: 9.5/10

Price: $18.00
Availability: Stila, Sephora


What do you think of this lip color?

Ulta Haul

Hi everyone,

Didn't know what to do with myself yesterday and the weather was perfect so I decided to visit Ulta and came home with more than I anticipated.

Ulta products were on sale for buy 2 get 2 free. After sniffling all of their fragrances, my daughter and I agreed that the Mandarin Mint was the one that smelled the best. It's got a fresh fruity citrusy scent that isn't too sweet. I can barely detect the scent of mint but it surely smells more orangy. We got two body scrub, a lotion, and shower gel. They are regularly priced at $9.50 each but with the sale $19.00 for all 4.

Calvin Klein Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in the shade Reef, $18.00. This is a very bright and slightly shimmery chartreuse eyeshadow. I believe it is limited edition. I think this color is perfect for summer. Will add a nice pop of brightness to your eyes.

Stila After Glow Color Vivid Violet, originally $18 but currently on sale for $12.00, which is approximately a 33% discount. I actually didn't even know it was on sale until I looked at my receipt. The sales associate approached me and asked me if I would be interested in checkout these new lip colors because they supposedly glow in the dark. I thought that was kinda cool, even if I know I am most likely not going to wear these out at night, lol, but for those who do and want to get noticed, you might want to pick up one or more of these.  There was a bright/neon pink shade I was really tempted to get but I think I'd get more wear out of Vivid Violet so I thought I should try this one first to see if I like it.

Of course, she had to talk my daughter into buying this foundation, the Stila Perfect & Correct foundation Tone, $44.00. That is way too much moola spent on a foundation for a 16 year old. I didn't start wearing high-end makeup until I was in my late 20's. I almost wanted to faint, this really racked up my total. Anyways, my daughter begged me to get it. She tried it on and it looked very light and natural on her so ok. Next time, I just am not going to take her shopping with me. She's making me spend more than I need to. My daughter is a bit darker than me so she usually wears medium, which is not a good match for my skintone. I swatched it just to get a feel for it and it's got a light airy texture and feels moisturizing with a semi-matte finish. I think this might work for people who only want light coverage and just enough color to even out skintone. Anyone tried this foundation?

10 and CE 40

I scored these two Layla polishes on clearance for $4.99 each. I was ecstatic! They typically retails around $10.00 each.

I guess I just don't know when to stop. I picked up another glitter polish, Piggy Polish Never Hide, $7.50.  I mean just look at those glitters. It's hard to resist. I had to bring it home.

Prestige Totaly Intensity Lively Turquoise, $5.99. Ok, you must think I'm on a turquoise kick, but I swear this was not intentional. I think this is a new shade. I haven't seen that one before.

Another product my daughter picked up, Ardell Accent lashes 305, $3.99.


So that's the damage for this weekend. Have you hauled anything? How are you enjoying the weather?

Stila Countless Color Pigments Acoustic - Swatch & Review

Hello Ladies,

I got the chance to try out one of the new Stila Countless Color Pigments and I'm ready to present my review to you. They have so many nice colors and comes in 10 different pot. It was really hard for me to pick one but in the end, I only got Acoustic.

Packaging

• It's definitely what attracted me to the product in the first place. Ok, so I don't really care much for the outside plastic container. It's rather plain and cheap. I just loved the fact that they had 3 different color pressed together.
• .1 oz or 3 g

Colors swatched on their own

Product

• The shimmery reddish brown has very good pigmentation and texture
• The orange has an ok pigmentation, it's matte, on the powdery side, and takes a bit of work to build up the color. It actually looks more like a muted coral now that I look at it more.
• The shimmery champagne is on the sheer side and barely noticeable. You really have to pack it on for this one to show up.
• One nice thing about the way the eyeshadows are pressed is that you can intermix the colors to create a different shade. There's not much variation between colors once they are mix on this pot to be honest. I think the Orange mixed with the champagne yield a gorgeous color that I can see myself applying on my cheeks. 
• These eyeshadows shouldn't be applied wet.

Final Thought

With a good primer, the colors do stay put through most of the day with only minimal fading. The pigmentation and texture leaves something to be desired. I like the idea of the versatility of this product but on this particular pot, the shade variations are rather subtle. I didn't find it amazing but just good enough to get the job done. At the price point, I would expect the formula to be better. Nonetheless, the color scheme and packaging is nice and I would still get some uses out of it.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $22.00

Available at http://www.stilacosmetics.com, 

Here's how Acoustic looks on my eye. If you didn't get a chance to see the full face makeup, you can view it HERE.

Orange Attitude Makeup Look

Hello Pretties,

This look features the Stila Countless Color Pigments Acoustic, which I will be posting the review soon. Isn't that ironic that I used the name of my favorite Color Whisper on the title yet I'm not even wearing it here. What can I say? This look kinda screams orange so I felt that it was appropriate.

Product Used

Face

• Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Blissful
• NARS Orgasm Illuminator

Eyes

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• Stila Countless Color Pigments Acoustic
• The champagne shade on 2/3 of the lids
• The orange shade on the crease
• The brown shade on outer V
• Physicians Formula Eye Booster Ultra Black on upper lash line
• Sally Hansen Forever Stay Eye Pencil Deep Jade on waterline
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencil Sin on lower lash line
• L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow Golden Sage on lower lash line
• Revlon Brow Fantasy Dark Brown on brows
• Peter Coppola lashes

Lips

• For the lips, I decided to play up some colors so I did an ombre lip color. 
• I applied Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense #40 all over lips
• I applied a layer of Motives Rich Formula Lipstick Raspberry Burst on the edge of my lips and blend them in. 
• I used a bit of a neon orange gloss from Dots on the center of my lips. 

This looks very summery. Isn't a bit sad that I'm digging more the lip color than the eye makeup? Even though the eye makeup is a bit colorful, I think it's simple enough to wear during the day if you pair it with a muted lip color.

What's your favorite lip color combo? Have you tried the new Stila Countless Color Pigments?

Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color Set - Review & Swatches

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope your weekend is going good.

I was so excited when I was able to snag this lip color set for 20% off during a sale couple weeks ago. Hello! Look at the gorgeous colors! I couldn't help myself. I did look up some review before actually purchasing and didn't read any negative so I proceeded with my purchase.

What Stila says about this set...

A collection of four pigment-rich, creamy-matte, liquid lip colors that deliver intense moisture with bold, long-lasting color and stay in place for up to 6 hours of continuous wear.
The texture is weightless on lips and delivers superb comfort and its color-rich formula will not bleed or transfer. enriched with vitamin E and avocado oil, stay all day™ liquid lipstick hydrates and softens the lips so they look and feel beautiful!

Packaging

• Simple and cute! They have a nice weight to them and the amount is generous for what you're paying.
• Doe foot applicator. 
• Each tube contains .10 oz or 3 ml, which is a generous amount for what you're paying.

From left to right: Petal, Coral, Caprice, Muse

Petal is a somewhat bright matte medium pink with blue undertone. Honestly, I did not like how it looked on my skin tone. I looked like a clown, lol, seriously! That's frustrating.

Coral it is but this one had like a pearly finish to it. Looked so obnoxious on me. I can't even look at myself without wanting to barf. This is another color that made me look like a clown. I wasn't expecting that. I need to top this off with some kind of gloss. I would not leave the house with this alone unless I plan on going out with an 80's theme look. Maybe I should do an 80's makeup look with this...Hmm that might just work...

Caprice is a slightly muted darker fuchsia with a matte finish. Now this color, I loved! It's my favorite out of the pack. That's more like me! It's fun and flirty.

Muse is a mauvy rose shade with a heavy grey undertone and matte finish. I'm a bit on the fence with this color. It doesn't look clownish at least but I don't feel like it suits me either...IDK, perhaps I can make it work with a different makeup look, like a smokier darker eye look.

Product

• Finally! Now on to the fun part and the real deal about these lip colors. I tried really hard not to spoil it at first. The shades all looked really pretty in the tube but they didn't really translate that way on my skin tone. That partially killed the excitement for me. However, I'm hopeful that with the right look, I can manage to make them look halfway decent. 
• Colors are very saturated and feel smooth and creamy before it sets.
• Application was a bit of a nightmare and requires some speed and accuracy. First, the applicator was a bit too small so what I did was start with the top lip, apply a generous amount on the center and then quickly spread the color with a wider lip brush. Then repeated the process on the bottom lip. The color sets rather quickly, within 10 seconds or less, you will actually need to be quick before it sets otherwise, you end up with uneven and patchy color. If you make a mistake, you're better off wiping off and doing it all over again. A second layer can't fix it, I tried. It makes things worst actually. 
• Once it set, I feel like it sinks and wraps around my lips, making my lip lines looking more obvious. You must exfoliate and prime your lips prior to using these. 
• It feels heavy and dry but it didn't make my skin look dry or flaky...It's weird. I dunno how to explain it.
• I got up to 8 hours of wear with minimal fading. The fading mostly occurred after I had a meal. 

Final Thought

Two of the colors make me look like a clown. I am not a fan of the texture, it feels heavy and dry, yet it's not drying. Application was tricky because the color sets way too fast. The only good thing is that they are truly long-lasting but the lack of comfort makes me reluctant to reach for them. 

I'm actually disappointed in these because I had high hopes for them and what shocks me even more is that most of the reviews were good so IDK, I guess you either gonna love it or hate it. 

Rating: 7/10.

Price: $32.00
Available at http://www.stilacosmetics.com/,