Collective (Drugstore) Haul & Swatches - Things I've Hauled While I Was Away

So while I was away, I did buy makeup here and there. I was intrigued by the LA Splash liquid lipsticks so I picked up a few shades. There was many other shades that appealed to me but decided to just pick these colors to see how I liked them. I love and hate these, lol. Will tell you more on my review.

Collective Haul and Swatches (Pic Heavy)

WHHHHEWIE! I'm sowie for being away but while I was away from me blog I was also busy shopping. It's been crazy in my world and needed some serious retail therapy. So here's what I've collected from the past few days.

These new NYX Prismatic eyeshadows are now available at Ulta for $6 a pot. So far, my first impression is wow, these are so pigmented and swatch beautifully! They feel so creamy! Need...to...get...more! It's currently on BOGO sale at Ulta right now.

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadows, Swatch, and Review - Bella Navy, Bella Charcoal, Bella Rouge

Hello! I'm back...I caught the cold few days ago. That was a shocker. I can't remember the last time I got sick. I have this crazy itch in my throat that still continues to bother me. I coughed so hard this morning, I got bloodshot eyes. Kids are back to school and today the weather really felt like fall. Wow! Summer went fast.

I came across these new Milani eyeshadows at CVS a few weeks ago and picked out a couple of these to try out.

Packaging

• Cute, round, with gold detail packaging. The eyeshadow is not flat but has a raised molding. 
• .05 oz or 1.4 g

Product

• Bella Charcoal is a cool tone shimmery taupey grey
• Bella Navy is a shimmery medium dark navy
• Bella Rouge is a bright shimmery pinkish red
• Bella Charcoal and Bella Navy have a better pigmentation than Bella Rouge. 
• the texture is nice, soft, and has a butter smooth feel to it. The pigmentation is good but could be better, imo. 
• They are easy to apply and blend.
• You definitely need a good primer in order for these to pop and last. The color intensity definitely looks better when applied with fingers. Even so, I feel that by the 5th hour, they start to fade.

Final Thought

Nice packaging. Good pigmentation, soft, and blendable color. I just wish the pigmentation was a little stronger and that the longevity was a little longer too. Other than that, it's a fairly good eyeshadow.

Rating: 8.5/10

Price: $3.99
Availability: CVS, Walgreens

Tried them yet? Tell me what you think of them?

Milani Mauve Medley

I picked up this shade about a month ago. It was on clearance at CVS for 50% off. 

Mauve Medley looks slightly dusty in the bottle but when swatched I get a medium dark reddish brown with a creme finish. Definitely looks darker on the nails. The formula isn't too thin or thick. It's pigmented and has a nice flow to it but it looks uneven and patchy on the first coat. The second coat yield a much more even application and full coverage. To be honest, I'm not too crazy about this color. It looks nicer in the bottle than it does on the nails, I think. I'm tempted to top it with some glitter or some kind of design to make it look more interesting. 

Sephora Haul and Drugstore Haul

I just had an itch to spend money, lol, so I stopped by Sephora last week and here's a few items that I picked up.

• Anastasia Dipbrow pomade in dark brown, $18.00. It's been on my wishlist for a long time so I'm glad I can finally scratch that off. 
• Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer, $25.00. Price is a bit overkill but I use this religiously for tightlining and occasionally on the waterline and nothing else works better for me on those areas of my eyes. 
• Sephora Luster Matte long-wear lip color in the shade Cranberry Luster, $16.00. I was very impressed upon swatching it in store. It's super saturated and smooth. I'm already contemplating on getting another shade. 
• Urban Decay Deslick makeup setting spray, $14.00. It's been hot. It's been humid. And I need something to keep my face on. 
• Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer, 100 points. Upon my first impression, I really like the lightweight texture. It also absorbs really fast and doesn't feel greasy. It does have a strong soapy scent to it. I don't mind it though. 

The week before I went to Sephora, I managed to pick up a few things at Walgreens, CVS, and Sally Beauty Supply

• Sally Hanse Insta-Dri Grape Shifter
• Milani Nail Lacquer in Mauve Medley, got it at CVS. I think it was on clearance when I picked it up. 
• Beautique Lip Crayon Mustang. I got this on clearance at Sally Beauty for less than a dollar. 
• Ardell Curvy 410 and 414. I love how it extend and elongate on the other corner. Perfect for a cat eye look. 
• Revlon Colorstay Skinny liquid liner in Green Spark. Spotted this new liner and felt like I just had to try it. 
• Lastly, I ran out of the Sephora supreme cleansing oil and wanted to try out the Garnier Nourishing Cleansing oil. I feel that oil cleansers are much more gentle and effective at removing face makeup.

That's it for now. What have you hauled lately?

Milani Color Statement Lip Liner 08 Fuchsia and 04 All Natural - Swatch and Review

I picked these up a while ago when Milani was BOGO 50% off at CVS. I typically don't use lip liner much but in some cases, I know they are necessary when you want to prolong the wear of your lip color and prevent feathering. But on a typical day, I usually skip them.


Packaging

• Traditional pencil that requires sharpening. Packaging color matching the lip color and gold accent cap and lettering. 
• 0.04 oz or 1.14 g

Product

• Fuchsia is more of a medium toned down fuchsia / berry color.
• All Natural is a medium nude with a more of a cool brown undertone. 
• These lip pencils quite impressed me when I first swatched them. They are very creamy and pigmented. Something I am not used to when it comes to drugstore lip liners. They don't drag or pull and apply nice and smoothly. 
• You could wear these alone and all over your lips for a nice matte lip color if you wanted to but even though it is creamy, it isn't hydrating so I would suggest a good lip balm underneath. 
• They give my lips a nicely defined edge and prolong the wear of my lipstick.

Final Thought

If you're tired of dried and poorly pigmented drugstore lip liners, you must check out these new Milani Color Statement Lip Liners because they're pretty much all I ever wanted in a lip liner...smooth, creamy, and pigmented formula. Love it!

Rating: 10/10

Price: $3.88
Availability: Milani, CVS,

Fuchsia

All Natural

Milani Lip Intense Liquid Color Pink Rave - Swatches and Review

Happy Easter and I hope you're having a wonderful weekend. The weather has been really nice and the birds seem to really enjoy it. I can hear them chirping all day, lol. 

I went to see God's Not Dead yesterday and enjoyed the movie. It's probably not a movie everyone will like but if you are one of those who wonders about the existence of a higher being or have lost some faith, you might like it. 

Otherwise, let's move on to the review. I've had this product in my stash for a few weeks now and finally got around to testing it. 

Packaging

• I think the packaging looks kinda cool and the shape is different. It's nice that the packaging matches the color inside and it comes with a doe foot applicator.
• .20 oz or 6 ml

Product

• Pink Rave is a medium fuchsia with a cream finish. 
• My first impression when I swatched it was WOW. It is so richly pigmented! Definitely has that liquid lipstick quality to it. 
• It feels and applies really smoothly on the lips. Another thing I was really pleased with is that it doesn't feel heavy at all. It's lightweight yet really packs a punch in pigmentation. 
• I didn't find it very moisturizing but it's not drying either. It does feel very comfortable though. 
• I was able to get 4 hours of wear before it started to fade. I also noticed some bleeding as it was fading. This shade stains a bit and the stain last for a few more hours. 
• It has a subtle coconut scent to it. 

Final Thought

The smooth, lightweight, and richly pigmented formula was a hit for me, especially for a drugstore product. There are only 4 colors to pick from and I really wished they had more and also included a nude color. Pink Rave would be great for the weekend or parties. It's a bit too bold for the office, which is why it took a while for me to test it out. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Price: $6.49

Availability: Milani, Wal-Mart, Walgreens

What do you think? Would you try these out?

Milani Power Lip Mango Tango - Review and Swatches

TGTIF (Thank God Tomorrow Is Friday, lol)!!! Looking forward to the weekend of course. It's my favorite days of the week. I just got back from Sephora, didn't really get what I wanted but got something I needed. Boo! I guess I'll look on the website.

I picked up this Milani lippie a couple weeks ago while I was shopping at Wal-Mart. I was actually surprised they had them in stock. I can't find these at CVS or Walgreens in my area yet.


Packaging

• It comes in a pen like packaging with coordinating shade to match the lip color. You need to twist in order to dispense the product. The first time I had to do that it look like 20 something clicks before the product started peaking out of the brush applicator.
• The brush applicator is nice I think. It's very precise, not too big or too small. 
• I find the pen a little short. It would have been easier to handle if it was a bit longer. It is just a bit taller than a MAC lipstick.
• .09 oz or 2.5 g

Product

• Mango Tango is a lovely warm coral pink shade, no shimmers. I am totally digging this shade. It's bright but looks very flattering on my skin tone I think.
• As you can tell from the swatch it is super pigmented and opaque and has a nice shine to it.
• The color applied evenly. The gloss is a little thick but overall comfortable and non sticky
• I didn't find it very moisturizing so I would recommend you use a good lip balm before use.
• I get about 4 hours of wear before the top layer starts to fade. This also has a pretty good staining power that remains on the lips for an additional 4 more hours.
• it has a very subtle sweet scent. 

Final Thought

This lip product is a combination of liquid lipstick, gloss, and stain all in one. It applies evenly and has a pretty strong staying power due to the staining ability. My only complaint is that I didn't find it very moisturizing and that the pen is a little short for handling and twisting

Rating: 8/10

Price: $6.49

Availability: Walmart, Milani