Radiant Orchid Lipsticks & Swatches

I have here a select few Radiant Orchid lipsticks and swatches for you. I've always been a huge fan of berry lip colors so there's no surprise I have them in just about every shade that I can find. These are just some of the few that I find fitting the Radiant Orchid color range.

Click on the hyperlink for additional swatches and review.

1. Lime Crime Poisonberry
2. MAC Heroine
3. MAC Up the Amp
4. MAC Violetta
5. Maybelline Color Whisper A Plum Prospect
6. Maybelline Color Elixir Raspberry Rhapsody
7. Milani Color Statement Up Town Mauve
8. NYC Expert Last Blue Rose
9. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Shine Berry Couture 
10. Revlon Super Lustrous Violet Frenzy

Finding any that you already own or will probably purchase?

Radiant Orchid Eye Makeup & Swatches

I decided to have a little fun by shopping my stash and pull out shades of Radiant Orchids that I already have. Speaking of that, I am a bit shocked that Sephora + Pantone only came out with one lipstick for this year's color. Did I miss something? That is all that I could find on their website. Kinda shocking, considering the past couple years, they did come up with an entire collection. I wonder what's the deal with that.

I find the shades of radiant orchid very flattering, feminine, and romantic. I wouldn't be surprised if you already own a few similar shades.

from left to right: S16, S06, ME05

Here, I have some swatches from the Coastal Scents Winterberry palette. These are quite shimmery but has a smooth texture and nice pigmentation.

Here I swatched a few shades from the NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette - Velvet Rope. They have fairly good pigmentation. A bit shimmery but more like satin finish.

From left to right I swatched:

• Milani Royal Purple
• Make Up Forever #92
• Coastal Scents CM08 from the Creative Me #1 palette
• Prestige Total Intensity Liquid Ink eyeliner Against All Odds Around the Clock
• Wet N Wild On Edge LongWearing eye pencil Ex-Stacey

Did you already find some radiant orchid shades in your stash?
Stay tuned for more radiant orchid makeup posts.

Haul and Swatches - ELF and Milani

It's kinda nice to have some time for myself since I'm not posting every day anymore but at the same time I feel like the more I'm absent from my blog the more I want to slack, hehe. I still make sure I have something up at least 2 or 3 times a week to keep myself motivated.

So for the month of February, I was pretty much on track when it comes to spending and my budget. I was really amazed at myself and even more picky about stuff I decide to purchase. Let's hope March goes well too.

The other day I was browsing around at TJ Maxx and spotted this set of ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow stick. I was debating to get it or not because ELF products are often a hit or miss but I couldn't resist the packaging. They just looked fabulous and the colors were neutral and appealing too. Darn I threw away the packaging but I know it was only around $4.29 for the set so I figure if they're a flop I wouldn't feel too bad.

Swatched from left to right: Little Miss Thing, Turkish Coffee, and Rock Out.
The shades are available individually on ELF's website for $2.00 each. I will do a review on them once I used them a few times.

Milani was on sale last week at CVS for BOGO 50% off and when I spotted this new baked blush, I couldn't help myself but throw it in my basket. This is the shade Bella Rosa. Pigmentation is so intense. You will need to use with caution.

The next item I picked up was the Milani Color Statement lip liner in the shade Fuchsia. My first impression was WOW!! Feels so creamy and super pigmented. Love that color. Looks like the perfect match for Up Town Mauve.

Because I haven't done much shopping lately, there really isn't much new stuff to show and tell. Though I still have a line up of product needing reviews so I'm not completely empty handed either.

Have you tried any of these? If yes, what did you think of them?

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - Review

I've tried a few face primers before such as Smashbox Photofinish, Tarte Recreate, Benefit Porefessional, and none of these have made any difference on my makeup so when I heard the rave reviews on the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, I was curious to see if it will actually make a difference for me. I take good care of my skin and it helps keeping it smooth and hydrated. Aside from that I don't have large pores or sensitive skin. My only skin concern is evening out the skin tone cause it's quite uneven with the freckles and the occasional acne scars. Usually concealer and foundation works the best for covering them up. And lastly, I am a bit oily on the T-zone and I sweat very easily so in warmer weather sometimes I feel like my face is melting off and basically the main thing I look for in a face primer is to help prevent that.


Packaging

• .33 oz or 10 ml. 
• I am so glad that they have a mini size, which allows me to try out this primer and go easy on my wallet. However, it's quite small and only about 1/3 of the full size bottle. If you use primer every day or regularly you are better off with the full size. 
• It is small and travel friendly. It comes with a frosted glass container, a pump, and a cover. 

Product

• This is a mineral based primer that claims to be water resistant and create a smooth canvas for makeup application. It contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and is SPF 15. It's free of parabens, oil, and gluten. 
• The texture is very light, like a fluffy whipped cream. It feels silky and smooth on the skin and absorbs quickly. 
• I have small pores so I don't see much difference when I use the primer. The only thing that I actually noticed about this primer is that it indeed helps my makeup stay on my face longer than any of the other primers that I have tried. Whenever I use it, I notice that my makeup last 2-3 hours longer and I am less shiny on the T-zone.

Final Thought

I love the light, airy, and silky texture of this primer. So far it is the only primer that have helped prolong the wear of my face makeup by 2-3 hours longer. I guess in a way it's good and in another way I wished it would hold off a bit longer than that, especially considering I am paying much more for this product. I'm also happy to see that I look less shiny and oily on my forehead whenever I use this primer. It's definitely not a primer I feel that I need to use on a regular basis but one I would reach for on special occasions or on days I need my makeup to last longer because I won't have time to touch up or check my face.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $18.00
Availability: Sephora

L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing Eye Makeup Remover - Review

Happy Sunday!

It snowed a bit yesterday. I didn't do anything so far beside drinking some coffee. It's sunny outside but it looks cold and I don't feel like going anywhere. So here I am finishing up some reviews.

Packaging

• The packaging looks pretty and green. 
• Surprisingly this bottle came with a child-proof cap. That's a little annoying for me personally since I don't have small children but perhaps it was necessary because the opening is pretty wide open so you would need to be extra careful since you could accidentally pour too much product out. 
• 4 oz or 118 ml

Product

• So I have a thing for bi-phase makeup remover because I've found that most of them are pretty effective at removing long-wearing or waterproof makeup. I was pleased that this remover worked out very well. It did quite an excellent job removing my eye makeup, including the waterproof ones.
• It doesn't feel oil. It was gentle and didn't irritate my eyes. 
• I didn't detect any scent. 

Final Thought

It does the job fairly quickly and effectively. What more can I ask for? Oh yeah packaging could be a little better I suppose but not a deal breaker. Love the fact that it's affordable and easily accessible.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $6-$7
Availablity: Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart, Ulta

Tried it? What is your favorite drugstore makeup remover?

NYX Blotting Powder Medium Dark - Swatch and Review

Hello beautifuls,

I'm trying to catch up on some posts and reviews this weekend and I'm not really in the mood for it either, lol, but I keep telling myself that I need to stop bumming around and do something productive. Lucky for me, I've already have this review drafted for the past few days. 

I picked up this powder a little while ago when I was browsing at Ulta. To my disappointment, most of the new NYX products that I wanted to try were empty on the display. Hopefully, they have more in stock now but I don't feel like driving there just yet. 

Packaging

• It comes in a pressed powder compact. There's a good size mirror inside and a convenient sponge applicator. The packaging isn't too bulky but could have been smaller. I personally would have liked it to be smaller to make it easier for carrying and blotting touch ups on the go. 
• .29 oz or 8.2 g

Product

• The first thing I noticed is that these are rather light. I picked up the shade Medium Dark and it turned out to be a light beige perhaps a little more beige than I would like but it doesn't do much as far as altering the color of my skintone so it doesn't even matter.
• The texture is very powdery but at the same time light-weight. I typically don't like using the sponge applicator that are included with my powder compact but for this powder it definitely work better than using a brush. 
• Does it mattify? Absolutely. I like the fact that it doesn't look cakey or like you added another layer of stuff on your face. It pretty much disappears as you apply it and it soaks up oil instantly in the process. 
• Now I am not a huge fan of the matte finish on my face because it makes me look old and dull. I like to have a bit of "glow" but I am moderately oily on my T-zone and it's the area where I mostly use the NYX Blotting Powder. Again, I'm not super oily so I only need to blot once or twice throughout the day. 

Final Thought

This is my first blotting powder so I can't say I'm a blotting expert and I can't really compare it with other products but so far it works for me and it does what I need it to do. It's light, doesn't look cakey, and mattifies. 

Rating: 10/10

Price: $11.99

Availability: Ulta

Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish French Roast Swatch

I've been having some mild migraines, on and off, and dry scratchy throat lately. I don't know if it's the weather or work...maybe a bit of both. I've been sleeping a bit more than usual and it doesn't seem to have helped much either.

I can't believe we are in March now...The good thing is Spring should be arriving soon. This felt like the longest and toughest winter I have ever had and I can't wait to get it over with. 

I picked up this polish at Big Lots for less than $2 a few weeks ago. French Roast is a deep chocolate brown with rainbow colored micro-shimmers. The shimmers are so tiny and muted. I wished they showed up more on the nails because they are so pretty when you look at them from the bottle. The formula leans slightly on the thin side but in spite of that it is fairly pigmented and very easy to work with. You can do either two medium coat or 3 thin coats to get opaque coverage.