Essie Parka Perfect Swatch

When I spotted Parka Perfect, I thought it was a lovely medium greyish blue cream. It has very subtle and very fine silver shimmers. Sometimes I wonder why Essie does that you know. Why put shimmers that don't translate on the nails? It makes absolutely no sense as to why they even bother. Perhaps to trick you into thinking hmm...there's something pretty inside? I dunno.
The formula was not too thick or thin and had fairly good pigmentation. It was a little streaky and even though I probably could've gotten away with 2 coats. A third coat was needed to even out the uneven streaks.
The shade is simple, plain, and probably not the most unique grey you can find but still appeals to me in a way because it would make a nice base for nail designs.

Midi Rings Haul - The New Cool Way to Stack Rings

To be honest, I don't know when this trend started but to me it's new, lol. When my daughter and I spotted them at a couple stores this weekend we sure grabbed a few. I thought they look pretty cool sitting there on the top portion of my fingers rather than at the base. Now I feel like I want more.

So Aldo had some and they were 2 for the price of 1...Roughly about $8.00 for both. The first set here has a little bow with a tiny rhinestone and a band with small heart-shape cut out.

The second set we got from Aldo had an infinity loop ring and double ended arrow.

Charlotte Russe didn't have a large selection but I managed to pick 2 sets. They were on sale 2 for $8.00.
The first midi ring is actually just one ring with a wide band and small coil whirled around it. It didn't grab my attention at first but once I tried it on, I loved it.

The second set had 3 rings. One that said Love, one with a dainty purple flower, and one with a dainty bow. How cute is this? I love this set. You can stack them together or wear them on a different finger.

So what do you think of Midi Rings? Do you like it? Do you own any?

Essie Using My Maiden Name Swatch

I don't know why I keep buying nail polishes and I certainly didn't need another lavender nail polish but Using My Maiden Name is just so pretty! It has a subtle violet shimmer glow that looks more prominent when you look at the bottle. It's probably what attracted me most about it.

Once swatched, the formula is more of a jelly creme with a medium thin consistency. It's a little bit patchy on the first coat but with the 2nd and third layer, it evens out nicely. The violet shimmer is so faint on the nail swatches that you can barely detect it. I wished it was a bit more noticeable like it is in the bottle. Other than that, I think this nail color is lovely. I did 3 coats on the swatches for full opacity.

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?

Mehron INtense Pro Pressed Powder Pigments, Earth Palette and Wind Palette - Swatch and Review

I've been slacking off but now that I am on a short vacation from work hopefully, I can motivate myself to catch up on my blog posts because I will be extremely busy and burn out once I get back.

I don't know much about Mehron but I know that they specialize in theatrical makeup and normally when you think of theatrical makeup, intense and pigmented colors comes to mind. I first heard and seen swatches of the Mehron eyeshadows a few months ago on a blogger's review and when I found out that Cherry Culture was selling them, I have been keeping eye on them. Cherry Culture had a 40% off on their entire website a little while back and I quickly pounced on the opportunity to get them. The Mehron INtense Pro Pressed Powder Pigments come in 3 palettes: Earth, Wind, and Fire. I skipped on the Fire palette because it appears to have more pastel colors.


Packaging

• Each palette come with 8 different shades. Each pan is fairly big. They are about the size of a Make Up Forever eyeshadow. I have included a picture of a MAC eyeshadow next to it so you can see how big they are. 
• The palette is compact and contains a mirror and a synthetic brush. 
• Net weight is .86 oz or 24 gm

Earth Palette

• Earth Palette shades:
• Red Earth - maroon matte red
• Desert Sand - medium matte beige
• Earth Crust - matte orange rust
• Mountain Moss - cool toned matte mossy green
• Carbon - dark matte black
• Graphite - medium matte grey with blue undertone
• Night Sky - light matte lavender.
• Morning Sky - matte light blue
• The only shades that didn't swatch very well were Night Sky and Morning Sky but when I used a brush to apply them on my eyes, they showed  up very well when I pat them on over a primer. They looked a little ashy but I suppose it's because they are lighter in color. 
• The rest of the colors have excellent pigmentation. They all feel very smooth and are a bit powdery but as long as you pat and use a little at a time, you won't get much fall out during application.

Earth Palette swatches, no primer used

Wind Palette

• Wind palette shades:
• Huricane Blue - dark matte blue
• Island Breeze - medium matte orange
• Palm - medium matte yellow green
• Turbulent - medium matte brown
• Tornado - reddish matte purple
• Solar Wind - matte yellow mustard
• Ocean Breeze - medium tropical blue
• Tropical Storm - medium matte teal green
• All the colors are smooth, soft, and have an incredible pigmentation. Even though some swatched nicer than others, when you use a brush to pat them on the eyes, the color payoff is fantastic on all of them especially when you have a primer underneath. 

Wind Palette Swatches, no primer

Final Thought

These are some of the best matte eyeshadows I've come across. They are incredibly pigmented and a little goes a long way, especially with the darker shades and they come in larger size pans so these will last you a very long time. I did the swatches without primer and I guarantee you that they look much more intense over a primer. The texture is soft, smooth, and buttery, very similar to Inglot matte eyeshadows. They are a little powdery and prone to fall out but with careful and patting application you can minimize that. You definitely need a primer with these in order for them to adhere and last longer on your eyes. I used Urban Decay primer and they last 8 hours on my moderately oily lids without fading. If you want intense and quality matte eyeshadows, I highly recommend these. You won't be disappointed. They seem a little pricey at regular price but if you wait for a sale like I did, they are so worth it! All the shades are also available individually for $9.95, then again, you get more bang for  your bucks with the palettes.

Rating: 9.5/10

Price: $52.95 per palette
Availability: Cherry Culture


For makeup looks I did using these palettes please check out the links below:
Smoky Matte Green Makeup Look
Rusted Silver Makeup Look

Autumn Flame Makeup Look

NYC Expert Last Lipstick Swatch and Review - Forever Fuchsia, Blue Rose, and Berry Me

Hello,

I'm so excited for this review because these are new lipsticks that recently launched and I first spotted them at K-Mart so I decided to snag 3 of them.

Packaging

• There isn't really anything special about the packaging. The color of the tube suppose to represent the color of the lipstick. Unfortunately, you can't twist the lipstick all the way down so you always have to be careful when removing and replacing the clear cap. The only thing I liked about the clear cap is that you can actually see the color of the lipstick before you buy but that doesn't always help as we all know that what you see isn't always what you get. At least you get an idea.
• .11 oz or 3.2 g

Product

• Forever Fuchsia is one of the brightest blue pink I own. It sort of looks neon. Depending on the shade, sometimes they can look very clownish and barbie-like on my skin tone but this one looks good on me I think. 
• Blue Rose is more like a fuchsia to me but it also has strong blue shimmer to it. Love it! It's similar to MAC Violetta but pinker. 
• Berry Me is a rose mauve with a slight brown undertone. The first two colors are loud and fun but this is the most wearable shade out of the three. 
• The formula is fairly pigmented and the color pay off is buildable. You won't get intense color from the first swipe but add 2 or 3 more layers and you can definitely reach opacity without feeling heavy. The formula hugs your lips and doesn't feel slippery but rather light and comfortable, which I like. I didn't find it very moisturizing but it wasn't drying either so as long as you're wearing a lip balm underneath, you should be fine.
• They applied evenly and the finish is a bit of shimmery and frosty with Blue Rose and Berry Me but in spite of that, it don't think it's a deal breaker either. Forever Fuchsia had some slight shimmer in it but it appears more like a cream finish. 
• They last up to 5 hours and have some staining power but they tend to fade rather unevenly. 
• They have a sweet marshmallow scent. I didn't find it overpowering or obnoxious and the scent doesn't linger.

Final Thought

The formula has minor flaws but overall I mostly enjoyed them and they deliver buildable color payoff,are light-weight, and long-lasting. Even though the packaging isn't the best, I still find them more appealing than their previous lipstick collections. Really not too shabby for the price! Worth a try for those who look for an affordable good lipstick without breaking the bank.

Rating: 8.5/10

Price: $1.99
Availability: K-Mart