Essence All About Candies Eyeshadow - Swatches, Review, and Eye Makeup Looks

We got snowed. It wasn't much but still, it has been pretty cold and I am sick and tired of the Winter. I hope Spring arrives early. Too bad this little palette wasn't very uplifting either...Sighh...


Packaging

• mall and sleek 6 pan eyeshadow palette.
• .29 oz or 8.5 g

Product

• The colors look pretty cute in the packaging and reminded me of cotton candy but they are so pale and sheer that I had to layer them several time in order for them to show on the swatches.
• The pale pink, lilac, and peach look very similar to each other when swatched. 
• They last about 6 hours with a good primer.

Final Thought

It's unfortunate that the colors are so pale and sheer. If you can help it, I would say skip this palette, otherwise you can somewhat make it work by using a colored base.

Rating: 6/10

Price: $4.99
Availability: Ulta

1. pale shimmery gold
2. pale shimmery pink
3. pale shimmery lilac. Looks pretty identical to #2 when swatched.

4. pale shimmery peach
5. pale shimmery blue
6. pale shimmery green

I have the pink, blue, and green colors over a nude cream eyeshadow

I used a medium brown cream eyeshadow as base an added the shimmery light gold on top. 

Beautique Gel Eye Pencils Review and Swatches - Navy, Pewter, Rose Gold

Not sure if the review will be relevant to anyone because I got these from Sally Beauty's Clearance rack and I think they may be discontinued? I don't know but I guess just throwing it out there in case you may still find them in store.


Packaging

• I would describe the packaging as simple elegance. It looks nice without looking expensive, if that makes sense. At first glance, I thought these pencils looked unusual because they're slim but the tip is big and wide. Once you sharpen them, the tips do get smaller and take on the shape of a regular pencil. There is one small problem here, the product is a gel formula in a pencil form and the product is pretty soft and will bend or break easily during sharpening. Your best bet is to keep them in the freezer for a few minutes before sharpening. 
• .06 oz or 1.8 g

Product

• Navy is a a dark navy blue with a matte finish
• Pewter is a medium metallic silver grey with a blue undertone
• Rose Gold is a light metallic beige
• What I liked about the formula is that it applies very smoothly just like what you would expect from a gel liner. It's hard to get a thin line with these pencils and because the product is so emollient you'd have to be careful not to put too much pressure or you can also break the tip. 
• They set fairly quickly and once they do they are budge-proof and smudge-proof for hours.
• I do notice a bit a fading after 6 hours of wear but the good thing is they don't migrate or smear. 

Final Thought

The formula is pretty darn good cause it's pigmented, smooth, budge-proof, and long-wearing. I think the packaging is a bit problematic for this gel formula. It's hard to sharpen without breaking or bending the gel. Overall, you'll like this if you don't mind dealing with the packaging and sharpening.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $2.79
Availability: Sally Beauty Supply

Essence All About Nude Eyeshadow - Review, Swatches, and Eye Makeup Looks

I was so tired last night that I passed out right after I ate supper. Feeling somewhat well rested today but the daily demands at work is draining me quickly. I have 2 new staffs that I'm still training and the rest of my staff have been in the position in 6 months and less, including my boss. I wished I could charge a dollar for every question people ask me. That would probably motivate me a little more.


Packaging

• small and sleek 6 pan eyeshadow palette.
• .29 oz or 8.5 g

Product

• Please see below for the description of each shade. 
• As far as texture go, they all feel pretty nice and smooth and blend easily. The pigmentation was decent but the lighter shades are definitely more sheer.
• These last about 6 hours on the lid with a good primer.

Final Thought

If you're on a budget, this palette is pretty decent for the price. I wished they did 3 dark colors and 3 light colors and that the pigmentation and longevity was better but overall, they feel smooth and are easy to work with.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $4.99

Availability: Ulta

1. very light shimmery champagne
2. very pale pink with a satin finish
3. frosty light pink with subtle gold shimmers

4. light shimmery pink
5. medium taupe with a satin finish
6. dark reddish/purple plum shimmer

Oh snap, I completely forgot which color combo I used here but all eyeshadow colors are from the palette. For sure I know the two darkest colors have been used on the crease.

Femme Couture Prime Wear Long-Wearing Lip Creme Spice Up - Swatch and Review

Hello yall,

It's one of those product I purchased on a whim after seeing the sale tag. I'm not even sure if this is being discontinued.

Packaging

• Nothing special about the packaging. It's plastic and does look a bit cheap. You can view the color in the tube at the center of the tube. I didn't realize my lipstick was damaged until I removed the plastic wrap and the cap. 
• .13 oz or 3.8 g

Product

• Spice Up is a medium warm brown with some red undertone and subtle gold shimmers. It's a really lovely color and looks quite flattering on my skin tone.
• The texture is creamy and pigmented. I didn't find the formula hydrating or drying. It will cling to dry skin so make sure you exfoliate and moisturize your lips before application. 
• I got 4 hours of wear before noticing fading
• It has a subtle vanilla scent.

Final Thought

The formula wasn't too bad. It had good pigmentation. It was creamy enough that it applied nicely without pulling or tugging. Unfortunately, it was lacking the hydrating element, which would have been nice. I'm glad that it had a nice pleasant vanilla scent. I wouldn't call this formula long-lasting. The longevity is average, in my opinion.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $7.99
Availability: Sally Beauty Supply

February Haul and Swatches - Sephora, NYX, Sally Beauty, H&M, I Love Nail Polish

Happy week end!

It's been so dang cold here, it's depressing. Anyways, while I was away from my blog I accumulated a few new goodies and finally found the time to show them to you. So here they are the new products I picked up this month!

Sephora

• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof liquid eyeliner Siren ($10). There are 8 shades to choose from that are almost at 50% off. Siren is no doubt one of the most beautiful dark teal shimmer liquid liner I have ever seen. 
• Sephora Collection Colorful Duo Reflects eyeshadow ($13 each)- Mermaid Tail, Stormy Seas, Siren's Charm
• Sephora Teint Infusion Cream ($24)
• Sephora Crayon Jumbo Liner 12 hr Wear dark taupe shimmer ($14)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Primary Pack Lip Tars ($29)
• First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser (100 points)

These are new and limited edition eyeshadows from Sephora. The texture is rather gritty and dry. I had to swatch them over a glitter primer in order for them to show. There's a lot of shimmer and sparkling multi-colored micro glitters in them. Super pretty I think but you really need that glitter primer to make it work. I really wish the texture was better and not as dry. The fish scale design is cute and fits the mermaid theme. I was only gonna get Mermaid Tale at first, which is by the way the only one that's actually duochrome, but after I saw how sparkly and pretty the other two are, I decided to pick them up as well.

Dark Taupe Shimmer is lovely, creamy, and pigmented. I love these Sephora Jumbo liners. I like them much better then the pencils.

When I saw this new Sephora foundation I just can't help myself but wanting to try it. Honestly, I haven't had much luck with the drugstore take of these new liquidy foundation. I'll get back to you with a review once I have a good feel for it. So far all I can tell you is that it wasn't as liquidy as I thought, it doesn't feel drying, and it's pretty light-weight but with a buildable light to medium coverage. I picked the shade cream (20) and I think it suits my skintone.

They had this set during the holiday but I totally missed out on it so when it became available again, I ordered it right away. I'm really happy that it came with a long handle lip brush. All the other lip tars I got, came with the short version. This is just what I need to customize my lip colors. I'm ecstatic!

I redeemed my Sephora points for this "deep cleanser". I haven't tried it yet but I am sure curious to find out how good it would cleanse the skin.


Nordstrom Rack

• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof liquid eyeliner ($9.97 each) - Retrograde, Sabbath. No photos here but I promise you I will do a review with swatches. So far I have acquired 4 of these UD liquid liners due to the sale prices.

Ulta

• NYX Intense Butter Gloss ($5.99 each)- Toasted Marshmallow, Chocolate Crepe
• NYX Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade Brunette ($6.99)
• NYX High Voltage Lipsticks ($5.99) - Wine & Dine, Flutter Kiss, Twisted, Dirty Talk, Feline, Playdate. 

So I'm not much of a gloss person but I was intrigued by these new Intense Butter gloss from NYX so I set out to get the two shades that I was most interested in. Toasted Marshmallow is a medium plum with a slight brown undertone. Chocolate Crepe is a medium nude with a red undertone. These look amazing on! Stay tune for my review. 

I definitely didn't need this but heck I just had to try this out so I can compare it with the Anastasia brow pomade. I will do a review and comparison for you, hopefully soon.

Of course, I couldn't help myself but had to try out these new High Voltage lipsticks. These 6 shades are the ones that appealed the most to me. My first impression is I think a lot of people will like these. Additional swatches and review will be coming soon.

Sally Beauty Supply

• Femme Couture Prime Wear Spice Up ($.99)
• Beautique Lip Crayon ($1.99) - Blackberry, Raspberry, Copper
• Beautique Gel Eye Pencils ($2.79) - Navy, Pewter, Rose Gold
• Yellow Flowers Nail Art ($1.59)

I'm so bummed that this lippie was kinda messed up. I wasn't aware of that until I unwrapped the clear plastic around it and removed the cap. Aside from that, I was pleasantly surprised with the nice creamy formula and pigmentation. Spice up is a medium warm brick red. Personally, I like the color.

So I took a chance and gave these Beautique lip crayons a try and wow and I am loving them! I do not hear anyone talk about these but they are some pretty damn good affordable lip liners! If you are on the look out for inexpensive but good lip liners, go to Sally Beauty and grab a few of these.

I grabbed these eye liners from the Clearance section and thought they looked pretty. I was worried that they might turn out bad but for the price, I was willing to take my chances. I'll definitely do a more in depth review but so far so good.

Probably wouldn't have paid full price for these nail art flowers but seeing them on sale made me want to try them.


H & M

• H & M Blushers Pinks ($5.95)
• H & M Bronzing Powder ($5.95)
• H & M Nail Polish Confetti Rain (

Ok guys, I'm mot gonna lie, I got totally sucked in by the packaging but man I'm rather disappointed at the formula. It was dry and sheer. Oh well, at least they make cute decoration pieces on my vanity.

Confetti Rain is cute a cutesy little bottle. I forgot how much it was and I threw out the packaging. Will swatch this one as soon as I get a chance.


I Love Nail Polish

• Ultra Chrome Flakies ($12.50 each) - Electric Carnival, Supernova

Say hello to my new besties...they look amazing! Stay tune for the swatches. My nails are finally long enough to do swatches, smh.

So what do you think? Which one of these products do you look forward to the review or look forward to try?