Scoring Some Beauty Deals At Big Lots, Swatches Included

Hello Lovelies,

Just a gentle reminder that Google reader will no longer be available starting tomorrow. Don't forget to find other ways to follow your favorite blogs. I'm really glad that I was able to import all of my reads to Bloglovin and so can you. Follow this link to find out how http://heartifb.com/2013/03/15/how-to-move-your-google-reader-rss-feed-to-bloglovin/

I ran out of garbage bags so yesterday, I decided to take a trip to Big Lots. I read on Nouveau Cheap's blog that they currently have lots of new stuff and brands like Zoya, China Glaze, and Essie. Therefore, my second reason for wanting to check out Big Lots.
I got there 45 minutes before the store closes and I didn't have much time to shop but a least I got what I needed and also managed to scored a few beauty deals.

I got some cotton rounds, which I use a lot for removing eye makeup and for applying toner. I also grabbed a pack of Epielle Cleansing wipes. 60 wipes for $2.00. These will be especially handy for removing swatches.

I found a couple of Julie G nail polishes but there was only one color. Never tried Sally Hansen Magnetic polishes so I decided to grab it as well. For that price, there's nothing to feel bad about. I wasn't fortunate enough to find other brands that people have been spotting at Big Lots.

I got one Revlon Colorburst gloss and another brand I never heard of. Both for $1.50 each. Not that I needed them but they looked pretty and again with this price tag, why not right?

And now the swatches...

This is my first Julie G nail polish. It's only available at Rite Aid and online but we don't have Rite Aid here in Wisconsin so I was particularly delighted when I found it. This is the shade Under Mistletoe, a super gorgeous sparkly emerald green. Much prettier on the nails than it looks in the bottle. It's a bit sheer because the base is a light jelly green but has a good color pay off in 3 coats. It has fine green, teal, and gold shimmers in it. It wasn't too thick or too thin and I found the formula very easy to work with.

To be honest, I don't really care for magnetic polishes but I never tried the Sally Hansen ones and even if I didn't want to use the magnet, I thought that the color itself would look gorgeous on its own. Golden Conduct is a taupy brown color with gorgeous bronze shimmers. I like that you can remove the magnet from the cap and has the raised guard to prevent you from accidentally touching the magnet. It makes things easier.
The formula is rather smooth and one coat was enough to give opaque coverage on my nails. One thing I really appreciate about this magnetic polish is that it's probably one of the easiest I've used. The magnet is very strong so I was able to get my nails done quickly and perfectly.

Revlon Colorbust Tinsel Town Hollywood is a sheer lipgloss with lots of gorgeous teal and purple shimmers. This makes a nice lipstick topper. The shimmers are very tiny so they don't look too obvious on the lips.

Hedy's ma.nish.ma holographic lip color. Never heard of this brand before. I'm not sure what's the shade that I have but it looks like a strawberry pink gloss with lots of gold shimmers. It didn't really detect any scent when worn on the lips but when I put the wand close to my nose I smelled a very subtle waxy scent. Doesn't have a funny taste either, which is good. It has a semi-opaque color payoff and applies quite nicely and feels smooth and non-sticky. It is however extremely sparkly! Not something I would wear on a typical day but this is more for those who want their lips to get noticed.

So that's all of the stuff I got from Big Lots. Did you shop at Big Lots lately?

NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover Review

I purchased this makeup remover from Cherry Culture during their sale on NYX products and I've been using it for the past few days so I'm ready to tell you what I think of it.


Packaging

• Clear round plastic container
• 2.8 oz or 80 ml. 

Product

• I typically have good luck with these dual water&oil makeup removers and that's one of the reason I wanted to try the NYX makeup remover. You need to shake it up before use. 
• Does it work? YES! And it worked better than I expected. It removes quite quickly and melt always my waterproof eyeliners and long-wear cream shadows with ease. 
• It's also gentle on the eyes. It does not sting. 

Final Thought

Removes waterproof makeup with ease, check. Doesn't irritate eyes, check. The bottle is rather small. I didn't realize how small it was until I received it. If you use eyes makeup often, this probably won't last very long.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $7.00
Availability: Cherry Culture,

Missha Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hi everyone,

I received my Missha order today so wanted to share with you what I ordered. The sale is still going until July 7th, with discounts up to 75% and almost everything is on sale, the deals are good, so don't miss out!
Shipping is free if your total is $40 or more.

I bought the full size Misa Cho Bo Yang BB cream in the shade No.2 for $23.00, originally $45.99. I previously had the travel size to try and liked it. For review and swatches, you can visit the post HERE.

I desperately needed a face moisturizer and the Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail moisturizer raised some interests so I bought it. It originally sells for $33.99 but on sale for $20.39. The packaging is very fancy looking and heavy.
Along with it, I decided to try out the Sleeping Mask. It was originally $22.99 but on sale for $13.79.

The Secret Recipe Brigthening mask was on sale for $4.80. Not bad and seem like a nice mask to try.

Can't never have too much hair conditioners so I went ahead and got the Dong Baek Gold Rinse, currently on sale for $10.19. I just had to smell it and WOW it smells floral and divine! Plus, I love that it comes with a pump.

As part of their special sale, if you spend over $60 you get 5 Pure Source sheet mask and 5 Real Essential sheet masks for FREE! These can also be purchased on their own.

They also threw in a little sample of what I believe to be the MISA Cho Bo Yang Toner. It was lost in the Styrofoam peanuts and I almost tossed it out in the garbage cause I didn't see it.

Did you already take advantage of the sale or will you be ordering? 

theBalm TimeBalm Skincare White Tea Almond Microdermabrasion Face Exfoliating Scrub - Review

The day is almost over and I feel like I got nothing done other than nail swatches. I feel like I need to get out but before I do that, I have to deliver a couple of posts.

I was fortunate enough to get this scrub from theBalm back when they had that 50% off sale for 24 hours. I was so frustrated that I was going to miss out cause their site crashed and there was no way of knowing when it was going to be back up and running unless you were stalking them a few times a day, lol.

Packaging

• 2.36 oz or 70 ml plastic jar

Product

• Infused with almond extract and anti-oxidant from white tea.
• Paraben-free, cruelty-free, phthalate-free, synthetic dye-free, sulfate-free.
• Direction: wet face and apply a nickle size amount to finger and massage over face and neck for a minute and then rinse. Use weekly. 
• The scrub wasn't too thick or thin and I found the grainy little beads quite fine and somewhat smooth. They give a gentle friction that help exfoliate and scrub away dry dead skin for smoother skin. The direction says to use weekly but I think it's gentle enough for more frequent use.
• One thing I don't like is that the little beads like to get stuck inside my nails and they don't rinse off easily either. You'd have to dig them out. Getting product stuck inside my nails is always a pet peeve of mine, which is why I really dislike jar containers. 
• The scent is a little strong and sweet. I can detect the scent of almond in it but I can't really put my finger on the rest of the scent but the least I can tell you is that I didn't find it offensive. 
• I like how clean and smoother my skin feels after using the scrub and I also like how it doesn't make my skin feel dry afterward.

Final Thought

Overall, I like it. It's scrubby yet gentle and leaves the skin feeling renewed, smooth, fresh, and clean. It's quite pricey so I definitely wouldn't repurchase unless it's on sale.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $36.50
Availability: theBalm

Tried any of theBalm skincare?

Sephora + Pantone Universe Astral Lip Glaze Set - Swatch and Review

Yay Friday! I've been wearing these almost all week. Wanted to get this review out as soon as possible and what better way to end the week with a review on these new Astral Lip Glaze from Sephora + Pantone Universe...Excited?


Packaging

• Rectangular tubes
• Doe foot applicator
• .22 oz or 6.5 mL in each tube

Product

• The first thing I noticed is the thickness of the gloss. The good thing is, they apply smoothly. I don't know I'm not really loving the texture. It does feel heavy on the lips.
• The glosses are also pretty pigmented and have a sweet coconutty smell. Personally, I don't love it but I don't mind it either. 
• It feels kinda sticky but not that sticky. 
• If you look closely, they have a bit of that holographic shimmer in them but you won't really notice that from afar. 
• What's interesting about these lip glaze it how they look when worn. They give my lips more dimension and a fuller appearance. The nuance in the colors are subtle but quite noticeable under bright light. I don't have any lippies with this kind of finish so I'm actually really thrilled about the unique formula.
• They are very shiny and some of them look pretty frosty but for some reason they still look good. I usually don't like lip colors that are too frosty but I like these and probably not everyone will. They're  more for those who don't mind flashy lips. 
• They can get on your teeth so make sure you check yourself. 
• They last well without eating and up to 4 hours even with occasional drinking. They do fade a lot after a meal so you would need to reapply after you're done eating. 
• I found them somewhat hydrating. 

Brandied Melon. The color reminds me of a cantaloupe. I was afraid this shade might look too light and weird on me but I'm glad it didn't. It's a light orange color with green shimmers in it. I don't know if you can tell from the picture. Pretty unique shade. I don't have anything like it on my stash but it's a shade most people probably won't like.

Mauvewood is undeniably mauvy but with more red undertone to it and also has green shimmers.

Chrysanthemum is pinker and brighter than Mauvewood. Also this shade is frosty looking but in bright light, the green shimmers really come out and looks quite duochromey. I know you can't really see in these pictures but in real life it is. I wore it the other day to work and didn't see the duochrome effect until I went out to lunch. It was bright outside and I took a look at my lips in the car visor to see how the color was holding up and didn't realize until then how much duochrome potential this lippie had.

Arabesque...Now this one is a true duochrome. I can see it in any light. The color shift is very strong and noticeable. I wasn't expecting that because it did not look duochromy in the tube so this was a pleasant surprise. Can you imagine how ecstatic I was? LOL...My first REAL duochrome lippie! Had to take another shot of it so you can see what I mean. It's the only gloss from the pack that does not have green shimmers. The color shifts from bronze to pink. Think of it as Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Lava for your lips.

Final Thought

I love the colors and the way they look on my lips. The holographic effect is very subtle but these also have an interesting duochrome effect to them as well. They are very shiny and frosty looking but they look good and make lips look fuller. The only thing I didn't like was the thick, heavy, and bit tacky texture but overall quite unique lip colors.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $24.00 for the set of 4
Avalability: Sephora