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Monday, November 21, 2011

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes

Image from sephora.com
I love my brows.  They are decently full and usually don't require too much filling in.  Usually I just run some wax or brow gel through them to set them in place.  However, sometimes I want some more polish or drama.  That's when I reach for some brow powder.

A few months ago, I was offered the opportunity to review the Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes kit.  As I am a lighter brunette, I chose the blonde kit.  It comes with 5 brow stencils, an eyebrow powder brush, a brow wax, 2 colors of brow powder and 2 eyeshadow colors.  The eyebrow colors are taupe and light brown.  They can be mixed or used separately depending on how much drama you want.  The eyeshadow colors are a shimmery cream used for highlighting the browbone and inner tear duct, and a matte pink color which can really brighten up and even out the lid. 

To be honest, I really didn't need 5 brow stencils.  A spoolie brush would have been more helpful, or maybe some tweezers.  Otherwise, I loved this kit.  The colors last really well in my brows, almost all day.  The eyeshadows are nice, but not the best in my collection.  Plus, I prefer cream eyeshadows.  I love the brow wax.  It holds my brows in place while keeping them looking natural.  They also don't feel stiff at all. 

This retails for $39.50 and can be found at Sephora.  I really like the kit and would highly recommend this for anyone who regularly fills in their brows.  Anastasia is known as the brow genius, and she did not disappoint here. 


*disclaimer: this product was provided without charge by a PR company. 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Hopi

A little over a year ago, NARS released the Velvet Gloss lip pencils, which, in opposition to the Velvet Matte lip pencils, are more sheer and glossy.  I only recently purchased mine, in the shade Hopi.

These are very comfortable on the lips, cushy and moisturizing.  They are glossy but not to much.  They are not sticky at all, just more slippy, if you know what I mean.  I wouldn't consider them to be highly pigmented but they are not super sheer.  This is one of the lightest colors and it definitely shows up on my medium pigmented lips.

Hopi is a carmelly nude.  It has shimmer but is in no way glittery.  I love to wear it when I am sporting a darker eye, but this is definitely not a concealer lip.  It adds color, and a beautiful one at that.
Look at that gorgeous shine!  Wear time is average for a gloss.  I do find it leaves a bit of a stain behind, which is nice.  I honestly don't mind reapplying throughout the day, though, because it is so comfortable and easy to use.

Overall, I would highly recommend you try at least one of these out.  I wouldn't suggest Hopi for those cool toned ladies, who might prefer Frivolous or Club Mix.  At $24 they are a bit on the expensive side, but they aren't breaking the bank.   Baroque and New Lover are on my list of others to try.  You can find them from Sephora and other NARS retailers. 





*Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.  I did purchase this product myself. 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Becca Beach Tint in Guava and Grapefruit

Hello all!  Sorry for my prolonged absence.  T-minus 1 month until I graduate!!  I hope to resume normal posting by January (cross your fingers).  To tide you over, I have a short post of swatches of the Guava and Grapefruit Beach Tints by Becca.

As you may or may not know, I have been enamored with the Beach Tints for quite some time with my favorite color being peach.  Guava and Grapefruit are two newer colors in the range and are a bit brighter but also more sheer.   I have to build both up a bit to get them to show up with a tan.  I would imagine these would be a dream for pale girls as they wouldn't require too much blending to just get a nice flush.


Both pictures feature Guava on the left and Grapefruit on the right.  As you can see, Guava is a very light pink color with a hint of peach.  Grapefruit is an orangey color with just enough pink to make it wearable for most skins.  Both are subtly fruity scented as are all Becca Beach Tints.

For a more in depth review, reference my review of Peach Beach Tint.  

These retail for $25 and can be found at Skincarerx and Becca's own website.



* This post contains an affiliate link. 


Saturday, November 5, 2011

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color

I know it's a little late, but today I am bringing you Laura Mercier's Caviar Stick Eye Color.  This is her newest cream shadow and it is in stick form.  I found them to be very creamy and highly pigmented.  The only caveat is that most of the colors are very colorful or quite dark.  These are made for impact.  I haven't tried them on my eyes, but they lasted amazingly well on my hand.  


Without further ado, the swatches. Be sure to enlarge them to read colors. 



These retail for $24 and can be found at Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, and other Laura Mercier retails (read: they are not very hard to find).