Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Maybelline is certainly starting the year full force releasing several new products at once. I was definitely tempted to buy all sorts of makeup products while I was at the drugstore but I was good and just picked up the Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. I've been pining after Clinique's Airbrush Concealer for quite a while so when I saw Maybelline's I had to try it.

My shade is Ivory, one shade over from the palest. The shade selection was decent with 6 to choose from, but it seems that those with the deepest skin tones might still have a hard time selecting a shade. Still, that's a great deal better than the 3 I hear is only available in countries besides the U.S.

NYX HD High Definition Eye Shadow Base

I really don't remember when I bought this primer, but I've been  using it consistently for a couple of weeks now and forming my opinions on it. I first heard about this eye shadow base from Youtube and was able to find it at a store in my neighborhood. This is great since I was hoping to find an eyeshadow primer that was more affordable than my Urban Decay Primer Potion.

The packaging is quite nice and modern, although there is quite a bit of writing on the tube. Around the outside of the tube, NYX was able to include their company and product name, product description, ingredients, and contact info. If anything, the packaging is pretty informative.

Essie: Shine of the Times

I'm a bit of a sucker for things that are iridescent and when Nails Inc. released their Special Effects collection with sets of two nail polishes, I was totally admiring the iridescent "top coats" as they call it. But then I heard Essie also released their own version as part of their Lux Effects collection and I personally prefer to wear this polish over light colors anyways so I went ahead and chose Essie's.

You get a nice range of irregular sizes of the iridescent flakes with this polish and it feels very smooth to the touch after it dries. The drying time is also rather fantastic since it doesn't take very long at all. This polish also has more of the orange toned glow and I'm happy with it. However, I'd like to note that Nails Inc. does have three different types of glow effects if you want some choice. I'm wearing this over Sally Hansen's Barracuda and used 2 to 3 coats of the Essie polish. The overall effect looks wonderful and somewhat appropriate for winter, or is that just me?  I also used my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat over this just in case.

China Glaze Glittering Garland

I couldn't help but pick up another holiday nail polish from China Glaze. I like glitter, but the chore of removing it has me keeping it at arms length. However, I found that China Glaze's micro glitter nail polishes gives me the best of both worlds. I get to have the sparkle of glitter but removal is just like regular varnish. So when I took a closer look of this one, I had to buy it.

This is a deep forest green with lighter micro glitter. I only needed two coats to get complete opacity. Personally, I think this might be a color I prefer to have on my toes. But for the holidays it's a nice festive color to have in rotation with my other seasonal shades.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters Part 2!

I think I went a bit overboard, but this time I did get these lip butters during the Revlon buy one get one 50% off sale. That counts for something doesn't it? Four of them are thanks to my mom since she's been stopping in on every Walgreens and CVS store she sees to look for these lip butters and would call me to read the names of the shades if they happen to be in stock and picked them up for me. So, thanks mom!

If you're looking for swatches of Candy Apple, Berry Smoothie, and Sugar Plum, click: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Sally Hansen: Wine Not

This week's color is a nice rich red color that makes me think of the holidays. Personally, I think this shade is a bit too bright and red to be considered wine. This polish is almost reaching the side of burgundy but it's definitely not a burgundy shade.

I really like that this is not an intimidating red to wear at all. Most likely, the pink undertone is what makes it so forgiving. When I really focus up close on this polish, I see that it has very fine pink toned shimmer. In fact, the first coat of this polish had me a bit worried because it looked fuchsia. In the photo I have on 3 coats, although I think 2 would have sufficed.

If you're looking for a fun red to wear that's available all year around, I'd check this shade out.

Sally Hansen: Save the Date

Today just wasn't my day for nail painting. I had the hardest time since I didn't have a steady hand and had to fix messed up nails too often. But it was time to do them again and I really wanted to try out this new color.

Save the date is a gorgeous rich maroon color with magenta shimmer. It's a great shade for the colder seasons because it's a great pop of color in the midst of gloomy weather but also sophisticated and a little vampy.

If you're a fan of the Diamond Strength line of nail polishes, I'd go and checkout your local drugstore soon. I was able to get this color on sale because my local Walgreens has started selling a repackaged version of Diamond Strength, so I'm assuming they're trying to get rid of all the old bottles. The bottle now has a new design, looking more like a gemstone.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

I have been so busy lately. By the time I get home, there definitely isn't any good natural light left for photographing. Anyways, between my last post and now, I was able to acquire 3 lip butters. My goal was to actually get the deeper colors and the reds, but I've been to at least 10 different Walgreens in San Francisco and only the lighter shades or the browner shades were left in the store. I'm definitely still on the lookout for them since I hear that these will be permanent, but I do want them sooner rather than later. I guess this same mentality is the reason all shades I'm searching for are snapped up so quickly!

FYI, I have since acquired 6 more lip butters and swatches can be found by clicking here: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters Part 2!

First off, I have to say that these lip butters are as fantastic as all the hype brings you to believe. They are hydrating, pigmented, and they give you shine. There is no taste nor any scent, which is a major plus for me. As for staying power, I have no complaints really. They aren't advertised as long wearing so I'm not surprised at all that I need to reapply after my meal, besides that they last just fine for me. These lip butters are just that great and I highly recommend them.