Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year Lipgloss Set - Swatches and Mini Review

I've had this lipgloss set for a few weeks now and didn't even get a chance to play with it much so I'm just going to share swatches with you and my thoughts on the product so far.
If you shop at Sephora regularly or if you are following the new trends, you are most likely aware that Sephora collaborated with Pantone Universe and recently launched this new "color of the year" collection, which is no other than tangerine. I've never really been a huge fan of orange but I must admit that ever since this collection came out, I have been obsessed with this color.

Description from Sephora's website:

• A four piece set of high-intensity lip glosses in tangerine inspired shades.
• What it does: Get a new dimension of gloss with this lacquered lip color that promises infinite depths of crystal reflections. The moisturizing formula will leave lips looking and feeling perfect, while the hypnotic shine creates a constant play on light. The set includes four spirited hues inspired by the Color of the Year, Tangerine Tango, in four must-have finishes. Hydrating and long-wearing, these energized glosses sculpt the lips so they appear perfectly shaped, plumped, and pretty.
• For more info on this product, please click this link http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?skuId=1388107&productId=P307537&keyword=pantone%20lipgloss&_requestid=656965

I've swatched them from the sheerest to most opaque. As you can see, even though they seem to look almost the same in the tube, they do come with different finishes and opacity.

From left to right:

• Tangerine Tango Glaze--sheer tangerine with orange, pink, and gold shimmers.
• Tangerine Tango Opal--semi sheer tangerine with fuchsia and gold shimmers.
• Tangerine Tango Luminous--semi opaque tangerine with orange and gold shimmers
• Tangerine Tango Vivid--very bright and opaque tangerine creme finish, no shimmers.

My overall impression

• The packaging is quite nice and for $20, you get 4 lipglosses. That's like paying $5.00 each! Which is a pretty sweet deal for a high-end product.
• I love the fact that you get a variety of finishes so you can use the sheerer more muted shades for typical days and use the more opaque shades for a more dramatic look.
• The lipglosses have a pleasant sweet fruity scent.
• The formula feels moisturizing and cushy. It's not too thin or too thick and non-sticky.
• I haven't tested the wear time but from what I can tell, don't expect these to make it through a meal or look intact after a couple hours of wear.
• While I was swatching, I noticed that the color was transferring to my teeth quite often. That was pretty annoying so you definitely will frequently need to check your teeth while you are wearing these.
• My favorite one has got to be Tangerine Tango Vivid. It's so bright and pigmented!
• If the colors please you, I think you will like these lipglosses. The formula feels very nice.

So are you in love with this color of the year yet? Have you picked up anything from this collection?


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Black and Gold Arm Candy

Hello,

This is my first arm candy post. I've seen a few people do these posts and I love seeing the stacks of bracelets. It's so pretty and fun to look at. Seriously, it's like having a party on your arm. I have a lot of bracelets so I think I am going to really enjoy this trend. I can't believe it never occured to me to stack them up. I need to do more of these arm parties. This way I don't neglect my jewelries.

This is what I wore on my arm today and definitely got a few people noticing.
I purchased the pyramid bracelet from Forever 21, the small pebble bracelets and flower bracelet from Aldo, and I think the watch was from Kohls. I think the combo is very pretty and elegant. What do you think?
If you've done these kind of posts, let me know so I can check it out.

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Another Fashion Haul...Again!

Yes, I did it again. I went shopping! What can I say? It's my birthday month and I just love spoiling myself.
I stopped by TJ Maxx the other day, just because I felt that I haven't been there in a while. When I spotted these Tommy Hilfiger wedge shoes, I knew I was going to bring them home. They are just too cute. Price: $39.99.

Michael Kors belt, $29.99. Orignally, $45.00.

Betsey Johnson Belt, $14.99. I don't have a white belt and I thought the tassels were a cute accent.

Lucky Brand earrings. $12.99. I thought that the design was pretty and unique.

Faux leather jacket from Burlington Coat Factory, $19.99. I love the pinkish nude color and the price is awesome.

From here down, I purchased these items from Dots. The white capris were $18.80. I'm been looking for the perfect white capris and this is it. It's so versatile. You can dress it up or down.

I quite like how the patterns look on this black and nude skirt. $12.80. It's not too crazy but yet looks interesting.

Semi-sheer blue top, $16.80. First, I love the color! It's like a royal blue. It looks a bit bright on the picture because I took it with flash. Second, the style is right up my alley! It's different. It leaves your shoulders and arms partially exposed.

Salmon pumps, $24.00. Well that's more colors to add to my shoe collection. The style is simple but the color is not your typical shoe color, which is why I decided to get it. I like the fact that they are actually comfortable and don't squeeze the hell out of my feet.

Sunglass case, $5.50. I thought the case looked pretty cute. The reason I bought this is because I just ordered a new pair of sunglasses and needed this to keep it safe. I will show you the sunglasses once I receive them.
That's it for my fashion haul. Hopefully, I won't buy anymore clothes. I need to lose some weight! It's been hard to keep up with the gym and work is so demanding and draining. I'm working all weekend so I hope that you are enjoying yours.


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Dots "NEON" Lipglosses - Swatches and First Impression

As you may already be aware of, neons are in trend right now. Gosh, I see them everywhere, especially in clothing and nail polishes. However, when I came across neon lipglosses, I was like wow that's interesting! I just had to check it out.
I went back to Dots because I had received a coupon, haha. Yes, coupons are always an incentive for me. I always fall for that. I ended up buying more clothes but that will be on another post. When I was at the register to pay for my merchandise, I spotted these bright neon lipglosses and they were intriguing, especially the yellow one. It reminded me of a highlighter pen.
I asked the cashier if she tried these yet and she said she hasn't. I was wondering if these go on sheer but from looking at the tube, they look like they would be opaque. She told me to give them a try since they are only $1.50 each. At first, I was only going to get the pink one because I was like hmmm...I don't think I'll ever wear neon yellow or orange but given the low price, I decided to get them all just for kicks cause I thought they looked cool, lol....And because I wanted to share with you all.

They come in a squeese tube applicator. You will need to use a lip brush if you want more precise application. There is a pretty generous amount in each tube. 0.35 oz or 10ml to be exact.

Here are the swatches. My initial reaction was like WOAH! they are definitely opaque. What you see is what you get! I like the formula, it's thick but not too thick, non-sticky, and unscented. I was worried that the application may be blotchy and uneven but to my surprise, that was not an issue. I'm also happy that the color doesn't settle in my lip lines.

 

The orange one looks fierce. I like it but I will have to do a bold eye makeup look to be able to pull it off.

The pink one is definitely my favorite. It looks edgy but still wearable. It has this glow to it. I love it!

Ok, the yellow one is the least flattering to be honest but I just get a kick out of it because of it's such an unusual lipcolor. It turns more into a chartreuse color once on my lips. Maybe because of my natural lip color. Now, I think with the right eye makeup, I might be able to make this lipgloss look half decent.

My overall thoughts on these: they are crazy but cool lip colors. Wear them if you dare. The quality is definitely good and the price is dirt cheap. I wished they had lipsticks to match and that they had more colors, especially neon purple!

So now that you've seen the swatches, what do you think? Would you dare to wear neons on your lips?

 

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Birthday Food

 

Many of  you most likely don't know this but my daughter's birthday was the day before mine. She just turned 15. She wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory for her birthday so these are most of the dishes that we ordered.

 

Chicken Bellagio--crispy coated chicken breast and ham over basil pasta and parmesan cream sauce. Topped with prosciutto and aragula salad. This was the dish my daughter ordered and one of my favorite dish from CCF as well. This is so packed with flavors.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. This was the dish my youngest ordered.

Cuban Sandwich--slow roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise on a grilled and pressed Cuban style roll. This was my first time trying a cuban sandwich. It was pretty good.

Fettuccini Chicken Sundried Tomato Pasta. My sister ordered this dish.

Crusted Chicken Romano--chicken breast coated with romano parmesan cheese. Served with pasta in a light tomato sauce. This was the dish my oldest ordered.

Cheesecakes we ordered: red velvet, caramel pecan turtle, vanilla bean, chocolate mousse, and tiramisu.

I ordered the georgia peach cocktail. It was very refreshing and delicious.
Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite place to eat. They have great food, good service, and huge portion meals.


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Birthday Haul - Beauty

I received a few beauty products as birthday gifts and just had to share with you all

• Aveeno Positively Nourishing body lotion, pomegranate + grapefruit. Smell fruity and citrusy. I love Aveeno products.
• A very cute mug with some Bath and Body Works goodies: Malibu Heat lotion, Pink Chiffon lotion, and Pink Chiffon fragrance mist. The mug is adorable. What a perfect gift to give a friend. I'm also excited to try these new scents.
• $40 Sephora gift card. Wow, that was such a generous gift. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends. I'm not too sure at the moment what I will be getting with the gift card but you know I will most definitely share with you my future haul.
• $25.00 cash, not pictured.

I went to Sally Beauty Supply to look for that Tangle Tamer brush because I heard such great thing about it. When I tried it for the first time, I can definitely see a big difference in the way it feels as compared to other hair brushes. It's a lot more gentle and quite effective at brushing out the hair tangles.
Of course, I couldn't help but purchase more polishes since they had a buy 2 get 1 free sale. I picked up 3 China Glaze polishes: Sun Worshiper, Sunshine Pop, and Flying Dragon (Neon).
I also came across this handy dandy tool that I thought was interesting. Basically, what it is a tool that you use to grab your cotton ball and remove your nail polish without ruining your manicure. This is great for removing toe nail polishes or removing polishes from that one nail you messed up.
I don't remember how much I paid for these items anymore. I can't find my receipt.

That's pretty much all the latest beauty newbies I've gotten. Do you like to receive beauty products as gifts?

Birthday Haul - Fashion

Hello dear readers,

I've been quite busy in the past few days. My birthday was actually yesterday but I did get a head start on the party, hehehe. I wasn't really planning on shopping but my friend asked me if I wanted to go down to Chicago last weekend to celebrate our birthdays. I was definitely down for that. My co-worker suggested that I wear a dress so I decided to go shop for one. With that said, I did some last minute shopping and here are the things I bought for myself.

From DOTS

• Blue/Green strapless dress, $22.00. This is the dress I wore when we went the club in Chicago. It looks very flattering on me and wasn't too short. I paired this dress with a pair of sky high green pumps. I wanted to find a white blazer to go with the dress but I didn't have any luck so I ended up wearing a white cardigan instead. I wished I had taken pictures but then again, we've been rushed and too busy dancing to be taking pictures. After a few minutes on the dance floor, I was a hot mess and I really didn't want to be caught on camera looking like I just came out of a sauna, lol.
• Sequin leopard print skirt, $9.00. I guess this will be part of one of my future girls night out. I like that it's flashy and edgy. I usually prefer to wear pants but I'm going to incorporate more dresses and skirts for parties.

• Lace cami, $7.00. I think it goes so perfectly with the silver skirt.
• Silver satin skirt, $12.00. I love how flattering it looks on my figure. It also comes with a belt.

From Maurices

• Peach satin blouse with lacy back, $19.20.
• Light pink cami with ivory lace, $14.98.
• Half sleeve teal top with lacy back, $9.95.

I spotted this gorgeous floral shirt at JcPenney for $25.00. I normally don't go for this style shirt since one side of my arm and shoulder is completely exposed but because the print was so pretty, I had to make an exception.

From Wet Seal

• I picked up this black short sleeve top, 15.00. I might pair this with the sequin leopard dress next time I go out. I haven't tried if they would go nicely together but by picturing it in my head, I think it might work.
• Floral print cami, $10.00. I fell in love with the watercolor floral print. It's too cute.
• Lace mint top, $15.00. I don't have a color like this in my wardrobe. I'm a sucker for lace because I think it's sexy and feminine.

I received a $5.00 coupon from DSW for my birthday and figured I needed to see if I can make some use out of it. Honestly, I am a bit disappointed that they only sent me a $5.00 coupon. They made so much money out of me already. I shop there quite often. Anyways, there wasn't anything I really wanted as bad as these Michael Kors sandal heels. I normally rather wear a size 8 but they didn't have it so I tried a 7 1/2 and fortunately, it still fit. I would have been more comfortable with an 8 but half a size smaller was still doable. I just love how classy and sophisticated these shoes look. I paid roughly $115.00 for these.

I received a $10.00 birthday coupon from Victoria's Secret and I went and bought 5 pairs of undies. They were on sale 5 for $26.00. I didn't include pictures of them since I feel kinda weird posting pictures of my panties, lol.

Hope you enjoyed my haul. Thoughts?
Stay tuned for more birthday posts.


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