Starting with the positive. It’s an absolutely divine color. I’ll describe it as a warm coral or a salmon with more orange than pink. I can imagine that it would look good on anyone of any complexion, even those who are salmon colored. :) It’s also a cream. Loves the creams!
I don’t know if it’s the age of the polish [an older collection] or if it’s just the formulation but the awesome color is where the good stuff ends.
The bad. It’s extremely thick, but it take three layers to really get the true color. Why? Because of the drag. You paint one layer and it pulls off the previous layer of polish. I’m going to add some thinner and see if it will solve that problem but right now, it’s a pain in the azz! I decided to just keep it on for a few days and see how long it lasts. Last bad thing, it’s not the same color as it is in the bottle. It’s more orange and is a deeper hue. I wanted it to be a little bit paler.
Please excuse the picture, I hadn’t cleaned up the edges just yet.
I purchased Stila’s Kajal Eye Liner in Topaz last week at Sephora. It’s described by Stila as
Kajal eye liners are formulated to mimic the ultra-soft texture of the indian eye darkener of the same name. The luscious formula is silky smooth and glides on perfectly, without dragging across the most fragile skin around the eye area. Delivers bold, clear, true color that blends easily and beautifies.
I found this liner to be very messy and it applied like a melted crayon. I was not pleased.
When I opened the box, I was super excited because it looked so pretty. I couldn’t wait to apply this to my water line to brighten my eyes.
As I do with all new eyeliners or lip pencils, I sharpened the pencil to prepare for use. The tip literally melted before my eyes. Boo! I then shaped it with my fingers to a point *UGH!* and tried to smudge it onto my water line. I then spent the next 15 minutes trying to get that pink pasty mess off of my lower lashes without smudging my eyeshadow. In the end I just raked mascara over it the best I could and covered my water line with black eye liner.
I really wanted to like this product, but it is a true bust for me, it will be going back to Sephora promptly. I’ll exchange it for the Tarte highlighter duo and see how that works out.
Apologizing in advance for the swatches. It’s 2am, I’d just finish polishing one hand for a video tutorial and I was on the phone. The colors in the pictures are not as true as they could be because they were taken in artificial light, but hopefully you get the idea.
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China Glaze Immaterial Gurl China Glaze introduces Immaterial Gurl with six new colors to celebrate non-conformity. Taking inspiration from thrift store materials and blending the concept with the vintage trend, Immaterial Gurl knows you don’t need to flaunt your labels to look lovely. Colors include Designer Satin, Atelier Tulle, Vintage Crepe, Mom’s Chiffon, Second-Hand Silk, and Heirloom Organza.
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I took pictures of the entire collection with a flash so that you could see the depth of the color. I personally liked all of the colors. I am a sucker for creams, and a collection of creams is right up my alley. All except one [Second-Hand Silk] apply like a dream; you really don’t need more than one layer/coating with any of them except for Heirloom Organza. For some reason that one is a little watery. All-in-all, I really like this collection a lot. When everyone is doing neons [China Glaze did theirs first all the way back in March/April] they made a completely wearable collection. As a person who normally wears the most outrageous colors that she can find, I think that ImMaterial Gurl is worth the peek.
I bought the 6 bottles, plus the display for less than $20 at head2toebeauty.com.
I finally decided to try Make Up Forever’s liquid foundation. Since I didn’t have time to color match, I went with the Face & Body Foundation in the clear glass bottle. I compared the color of the MUFE foundation with my Revlon liquid Colorstay foundation and decided to buy Camel #18. Since I purchased it from Sephora, I had no worries if it wasn’t the right color for me because of their awesome return and exchange policy.
MUFE Face & Body is 1.69 oz [a little larger than Revlon Colorstay] and has a pour spout, which is something I’m used to. I’ve never used a liquid foundation with a pump. As for as the color goes, it’s a pretty decent match for me. I am somewhere in between Camel #18 and Caramel #12. If the Sephora I’d gone to had it in stock, I would have gotten a sample of #12 to mix with #18 for my MAC NC45-ish skin.
It has a Lustre finish. [LUSTRE: Demi-sheer with wet-look lustre finish. Very slick. Makes lips look soft, smooth, ultra-moist.] It feels like a lipstick, but has just enough softness that it’s like silk on your lips. It’s also shiny enough to be worn without a gloss on top.
In the picture above, I am wearing Midimauve without gloss and without a lipliner so that you can see the true color. It is a sheer color, so if you have highly pigmented lips, this may not be what you are looking for. But if you want a soft finish, with just a bit of color, this may work for you. For me Midimauve the perfect compliment to cool toned eyeshadows. [Purples, pinks, grays, blues, etc.]
*If you have a lighter complexion than me, Midimauve going to come off more nude, than mauve. I’ve also heard that if you have a fair complexion with lips that aren’t very pigmented it can sometimes appear gray.
*If your complexion is darker than mine, it will definitely be ashy. To solve this, use a brown or red lip liner to bring the color down a bit. Or, use a similarly colored lipgloss.
The next time you’re at a MAC counter, give Midimauve a try, you just may like it.
SPINLASH™ is the first mascara that revolves around you with a brush that gently rotates 360
degrees in both directions to apply mascara on both the upper and lower lashes. Patent pending SPINLASH™ comes in either black or brownish black mascara – or you can use SPINLASH™ with your own brand. The gentle motion of the rotating brush removes clumps with every turn while it separates, coats, lengthens, and volumizes your lashes. Get perfect lashes every time! Suitable for contact lens wearers and not tested on animals.
I post on a message board called Long Hair Care Forum [LHCF.] The owner of Roundbrush Hair also used to be a member; and as I recall, she had GORGEOUS hair. Dominican products are huge in the African American community because they have hair like ours and they seem to really care about hair health. Well, for the most part. Their focus is on moisture, softness and ‘hair sway.’ Hair sway: the way your hair moves in the wind when it’s stick straight. There are some products that I had been dying to try, but I am often reluctant to fork over my hard-earned cash to just anybody online. [These products are super-hard to find in a brick and mortar store.] When my parents went to the D.R. last year I asked for shampoo and conditioner.
So I read a review on LHCF about Roundbrush Hair and how the owner used to post and how reliable she is. So of course, I logged into Paypal and placed my order. This was Monday evening. Today is Wednesday, and my products are HERE! Talk about quick and efficient. Everything was in the box and they are in tip-top condition!
If you’ve ever had a Doobie Wrap aka Dominican Blowout, you will know it’s about heat and products. Honestly, if you have the patience, you can do a blowout at home, save your $30 and probably put more care into it that the salons do. So go ahead and place your order what are you waiting for?! If you are unsure Make your first order the Starter Pack or call, she is delighted to help.
So I decided to spend all of my Christmas money today. I bought facial products [cleansers, scrubs etc.,] nail polishes, blushes and some other stuff that I have been wanting.
I went to Ulta and took advantage of the BOGO on L’Oreal HiP that they have going on until January 12. I bought the HiP Color Truth cream eyeliner in black #905.
I just had to try it out even though it’s midnight. Let me tell you, I love it. I even like the brush it comes with that everyone seems to hate. I might take back my Japonesque eyeliner brush that I bought on sale tonight too. [It was $11, I think it's normally $13.] It’s super super thin and the bristles are firm but soft. I will think about it. If I scratch my eye up with this loreal brush or the angled brush that I already have, I’ll keep it.
The key to this liner is use a teensy tiny itty bitty amount. I’m serious,–barely touch the pot. I lined both eyes, twice on the top and the outer corner of each eye. Then I used my black NYC pencil, dipped the tip into the pot and lined my water line. Can we say wow?!? Say wow people! WOW! The picture to the right is after I lined both eyes. I did not touch the pot again after the first dip. It began to fade after the 6th time that I swiped my hand.
Here’s the not so good part, it’s $11 (three dollars less the similar liner made by MAC.) And, it’s not waterproof. Not that I plan on crying or working out with it on, I just don’t want racoon eyes, so for now, I will limit it to the upper lid.
So as a review, I like this eyeliner because it’s smooth and black black. I can apply it a very easily, much easier than my liquid liner. This is a keeper.
I literally stepped out of the house from 11:30pm until 12:10am. I kissed my friends and went back home. good times. I’m old.
I did a New Year’s Eve face, and as usual, it’s all about the eyes. I didn’t spend a lot of time or thought with this one, it shows a little with the eyeliner and blending, but it served it’s purpose. The video for this one is at the bottom.
I ordered some mineral foundation samples from My Minerals Bath and Body a little over a week ago, I received my free samples in three days. Unfortunately for me, as is the case with most people with darker brown skin, the colors don’t match. There really is a lack of color for people of color when it comes to alternative make up.
But despite that, I really enjoyed doing business with them so there will be no doubt that I will order their other products. They have a wide variety of eyeshadows and blushes, and as someone who embraces color it’s perfect for me. For around $4 a piece you get a generous amount of product. And I have heard and read from other customers that the color pay-off in collections such as Vegas Glamour makes you feel like you are getting a steal.
I wanted to try minerals because I have combination skin that during certain times of the month turns into a cesspool of oil, which of course is a breeding ground for bacteria, no make up stays on my face. I am constantly having to touch up, and then the pimple party begins! It’s vicious cycle. Mineral make ups are free of the harsh chemicals and allow your skin to be able to breath. And any sebum that the skin produces, the mica in the minerals helps mattify the oilness.
The downside to a lot of the major mineral brands out there is the inclusion of bismuth oxychloride. bismuth oxychloride is an ingredient cosmetic companies use to combat the matte look mineral make ups yield. And it’s also a cheap filler to give the products bulk without sacrificing color. In the most basic sense, it is a microscopic metal ground into the mineral powders to give it a sheen or a shimmery look. This of course defeats the purpose of minerals because it can cause a lot of irritation, break outs and rashes, especially acne-prone people like me. This is why I wanted to try My Minerals first because they do not use bismuth oxychloride.
For the cost of shipping and handling [less that $3,] why not try My Minerals Bath and Body if you haven’t used mineral make up before. You get an eighth of a teaspoon sample which is more enough for a day and a of half wear. With foundation, you get up to five samples. I only picked three and they sent me two more for free. They will let you sample pretty much everything for free [*limited numbers per order*.] If you are a person of color, I woud suggest that no matter what mineral brand you buy, try it in as many hues as possible. Test the color indoors and outdoors under natural light and then under a camera flash. Minerals and mattifying powders can really “challenge” your complexion and make things difficult for you.
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Thank you and stay pretty!~ Jen
I just had to try it out even though it’s midnight. Let me tell you, I love it. I even like the brush it comes with that everyone seems to hate. I might take back my 
