Review: MAC Retro Matte Relentlessly Red Lipstick!

Looking for a rich, vibrant and sassily bright lippie to rock everyone's socks off this Winter? Look no further, this flattering bright vintage shade is here. Your Grandmother would approve! I give you, MAC Cosmetic's Retro Matte Lipstick in Relentlessly Red!

This shade can be found on the MAC Cosmetics website and retails for $16.00. They have a total of 4 fabulous shades that are "Retro Matte" to choose from. (I'm eyeing Ruby Woo)

The color is a bit different in person than it was on my monitor. It's very close to a neon pink--it's that bright!On the website, it looks closer to a true red. Don't be fooled!!! If you are okay with bright pinks and oranges on your lips, you'll love this shade! However, if you want a more traditional matte red, you'd hardly reach for this one.

This shade is such a bright one, that it's almost black light reactive! It's a neon red that borders on "pink." This color is long lasting, matte and glides on evenly. The only downfall to this particular shade is that it's a very dry formula. If you have chapped lips, do NOT wear this! ANY flaw that's on your lips will be extremely noticeable. Since the formula is pretty dry, I apply a small amount of softlips, lip balm, chapstick before applying the lipstick. That way, it will glide on over my lip's sad little wrinkles and look/feel much better than if I applied it without.

On to the swatches!
And ignore the orange lip liner. I didn't really have anything that would go with this particular color.

Notice how it hangs on the chapped part of my lips. Not an awesome formula for those of us who have chaptastic lip flaps! Exfoliation is our friend...

The swatch on the left has been built up with a few swipes. The swatch on the right is just one swipe. The coverage can be built up for opacity, but the color remains the same.


The Bottom Line:
Would I repurchase this lipstick? Probably not. The formula is too drying, and if I didn't have super chapped lips all of the freaking time, I'd love it. However, since my lips are dumb and sad most of the time, I can see this color bringing out my flaws more often than not. I really do enjoy the color though, I just wish the formula wasn't dry as a desert.

Have you guys tried the retro Mattes? What is your opinion on the formula? What do you like or dislike about them?

Indie Thursday! Armoaleigh's Lisette!

Everyone is going crazy for "Indie" cosmetics nowadays (I'm even working on my own indie line!) And I wanted to share a very beautiful pink sparkly shade with you guys. You can check out Aromaleigh's store here. This shade has been discontinued before I was able to review this shade, HOWEVER...there are shades very similar AND the quality of her products are AMAZING enough for me to review a discontinued product! (I do not normally do that because I feel that it's kinda crappy, but seriously the sparkle and shimmer in her products are simply stunning and there are similar shades to try out!)

The color is far more sparkly than the little sample bag leads on.

Here you can see some of the pretty sparkles and shimmers through the shadow.

Swatches Left to Right: Lsette on it's own, over black base, over NYX's White Eyeshadow base. I tried to get the light to catch the sheen of this shade. It looks best when used with a white base.

Out of focus for light-catching particle properties. There are TONS of light-catching particles. Seriously, this is shiny!

The color itself has an irredescent look. The color change goes from this pink to an almost purple shade. It's a medium pink with tiny metallic nude colored flecks as well as tiny blue-toned shimmer. This color has to be used with a base for maximum effect of course, however if you are new to bold colors and are looking for something soft and subtle yet out of your comfort zone, this would be a great time for you. The formula lasts very well with a primer of course (I use the Elf Essential Glitter Glue) and it lasts for around 8 hours.

Here are a few shades (Pictures have been taken from her web shop, and names of shades link to their according eyeshadow) that I think would be close enough in shade to love whole-heartedly:

Aspasia

Bellissima

Brainy Is The New Sexy

Have you tried her stuff? I've yet to actually purchase anything from her store--this sample was given to me by a friend to try out. I'm thinking about making a purchase soon! (It's so hard to just pick a few things, you know? I want to try ALL THE THINGS and I just cannot decide on things for a "blogger pack." Do you have any fave shadows from Aromaleigh? Any suggestions on ones I should try? If so I'd love to hear what you suggest!

And a quick update for my readers:

My Dad had an accident and is in the hospital right now. We were told that he's probably not going to make it, and if by some miracle he does, he's not going to be the same, nor be able to take care of himself. For those of you who knew what has been going on, I want to thank you so very much for your support during this time. I'm trying to keep my shit together, and it hasn't been easy. So thank you guys for the kind messages, the hugs and the shoulders that I've leaned/cried on these past few days. I want all of you, readers, friends and family to know that I appreciate all of you, and if you could send prayers/positive thoughts in our direction it would be lovely. Thank you for being amazeballs.


   Love,
        Nicole.

Review: Tarte 24-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush

I'm a super huge fan of the ALL of Tarte's blushes. I could rave all damn day about how great the pigmentation always is, how amazing the quality happens to be and how awesome the ingredients are, but that would take ALL DAY and you guys would call me a freak. Is it that good? Yep, it's THAT good. This 24-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush is perfect--it's a beautifully pigmented pink shade, it's matte, it stays on FOREVER, (Well, okay, maybe not forever, but I've NEVER had to touch up my cheeks when wearing this stuff) and it's like, my Holy Grail Blush. So let's get down to business!

The packaging is nice, thick and sturdy. There is a tiny hole in the back of these where you can use a pin to pop out the pans which makes depotting easy-peazy.

Can't you just hear angels singing!? Simply stunning!

Such a nice pink--this shade will compement EVERY skin tone and it's matte! Having a decent matte blush in one's collection is a MUST. Just look at that print! Quick--over there! Is that a monkey!? J/K, but in all seriousness, this is just as pretty in it's packaging as it is on one's face.

And the swatch. Nice medium pink, matte-y goodness.

This is with 2 quick sweeps. I applied this blush 8 hours ago--and it STILL looks as if I just applied it! I didn't do any touch ups at work. Obviously the color is buildable, and light as a feather. It doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything at all. Nice, light, quality ingredients--what more can a gal ask for? This blush gets an A+  from me. I will continue to add more colors to my collection! This blush runs for $26 at Sephora and TarteCosmetics.com

What's your fave Tarte blush?

Fave Winter Products Part 1: Sweet and Feminine and Light-Catching!

These products are perfect for the transition of Fall to Winter. Soft and Girly, a bit of Glitz and Glam to make any outfit shine this Holiday Season! So let's get into what they are:



Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette:

Why it Rocks:
This palette of amazingness brings such a nice innocent and youthful glow the skin. It's perfect for highlighting, sweeping all over the face, light contouring, and so much more. The light reflecting particles just illuminates one's skin perfectly! You can be confident that you are going to get a nice subtle glow every time you use it, and there's really no way to over-do it. The palette has a shade for everyone!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Singles in Snatch and Midnight Cowboy:

(Right: Snatch. Left: Midnight Cowboy)

Why Snatch Rocks:
This color is the perfect flirty peach with gold glitter. It has a pearl-like shine that's light attracting and the gold glitter keeps this shade interesting. It's soft yet very pigmented and the glitter is sparse enough that you could wear this to an evening party, or even work without looking like a glitter-bomb went off in your face.

Why Midnight Cowboy Rocks:
This shade is a bit more pale in comparison to Snatch, and has silver glitter instead of gold. This is more of a nude peach that is universal enough to work with any skin tone and shade. If you have a deep shade of skin, apply this shade on the lid as well in the inner conrer of your eye to catch a bit of soft light. The glitter is sparse, so yet again, no need to feel like a glitter-bomb went off in your face. It's just that classy.


Sephora X Nail Polish in Ice Princess:

 Why Ice Princess Rocks:
The shade is flirty and fem, with a tiny gold shimmer mixed with a surprise of 2 different sized Rose Gold glitters. It catches light, and prevents ,your nails from being boring. It's soft color compliments any skin tone, and in my opinion would be the PERFECT main mani color for New Year's and Thanksgiving. It's soft, it sparkles, it's awesome.

What will you guys be wearing this Holiday Season?

Review: OCC's RX Lip Tar

I've hopped on the blue train, and this shade is so pretty and daring! As much as I love this color, it feathers terribly. I have been using the Elf Lip Lock Pencil to help keep this bad boy from wandering all over my face, and it works wonders! This product is opaque and bright--just what is needed when wearing a bright hued lippie! On to the swatches!

This brightly hued Lip Tar REALLY packs a punch to the eyeballs. It's sooooo bright! It has an amazing consistency--non sticky, lightweight and comfortable.

As you can see, the feathering can be super redonkulous without a clear lip liner or an adhesive medium. I absolutely LOVE this color and will be wearing it to work very soon. I purchased it from Glambot.com to use with my other blue Lip Tar, Technopagan. I do have to reapply this color every few hours, but honestly I don't mind doing so for the opaqueness and vibrancy of the product! I have been extremely impressed with OCC's Lip Tars so far! The feathering was a huge turn off, but honestly it's completely fine if you can get your hands on a clear lip liner. :)

How do you guys feel about crazy colored lipsticks? Have you tried any? Any recommendations?

Review: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Peaceful

Like most of you guys, I've been going through my collection and rearranging products to use for this Winter/Holiday Season. I'm hoping to have a HUGE post of all of my fave blushes for this time of year up in the next week or so, but I felt this blush needed a pretty good review and I just couldn't wait to post about it!

If you have tried Tarte's blushes, you already know what I'm about to say--they are freaking AMAZING, and I'm super in love with them!

Here it is in all it's GLORY. Beautiful, shimmery, and the color itself is natural and universal meaning that it will be so gorgeous on any skin tone and shade! The packaging is sturdy and has a tiny hole on the back for those of us who enjoy depotting our stuff.

The swatch on the left has been lightly blended in. The swatch on the right is a straight swatch to show the true color of the product before being blended.

I have olive skin, and this blush just has such a nice nude flush! It lasts for more than 12 hours, and the ingredients are phenomenal for your skin. The price point is pretty steep, but I feel it's worth every single cent. you only need a little bit at a time because this blush is awesomely full of super pigment that is easy to blend and it stays put!

Ignore my nails and my blemishes, lol. For those of you who are interested:

Products Used:
Lancome Eyeliner in Black Coffee, Urban Decay Eyeshadows in Snatch, Busted, Cherry, Walk of Shame, Elf Mineral Infused Mascara, Tarte Lipsurgence in Wonder, Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium, MAC Brow Duo in Brunette, Elf Smudge Pot in Pearls of Wisdom and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light. The review will be up on Youtube in the next few days, so check my channel out soon!


This blush has won a permanent spot on my vanity top and I'm going to use it pretty often this Season!

Have any of you tried Tarte's Blushes? If so, what's your fave shade? What do you like the most/Least about this product?

MAC Flat Out Fabulous Lipstick

Every girl absolutely needs a super friggin bright, sassy matte lipstick in her makeup collection. Go bold, or go home, am I right? Well calm your tits, because MAC delivered! This shade is beautiful guys, absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Wait, did I mention that it's BEE-YEW-TEE-FULL!? I think by now, you are getting the point. It's matte, it's almost a neon orchid shade, with a teensy touch of blue hue. It's not very creamy at all. I think that's a good thing sometimes! If a lipstick's formula is overly creamy, the pigmentation fades waaaay faster than if it's balanced. If it's too thin, it's going to be dry and shitty. And sheer. Or opaque and cakey as hell. Either one is not a good time. Anyways, I need to show you how amazing the opaqueness actually is, and make you wish you it on your vanity table, like RIGHT NOW.

What makes MAC's Lipstick so unique is the fact that they all smell like vanilla. Mmmm.
Isn't it so freaking pretty!?

Opaque, matte, long-lasting AND smells like vanilla? Awesome-sauce.

Forgive my super-sad chapped lips. It's been so cold here in Missouri that I feel like my lips are going to shrivel up and die. Anywhoooo, look at that color! It's pink-violet with a nice blue hue. It's bright, bold and absolutely sassy! The staying power is better than most brands, but not as long as a stain. It actually lasts longer than other MAC lipsticks that are not matte, which is a plus! I wore this for 5 hours at work before needing a touch-up.



Would any of you wear this shade? Do any of you own this shade? If you do, what eyeshadow looks to you pair it with? Let me know!

REVIEW! Too Faced Country Nashville Nudes Eye Shadow Collection!

Oh Too Faced, how I love thee. I absolutely LOVE the color selection in this palette! I'm a huge fan of nude shades (I'm sure that some of you are surprised by that, aha ha ha!) and this palette is perfect for my work-friendly makeup style. That's why it's the very top drawer of my vanity. (That's where the most beloved/used items of my stash hangout)

Quality: This palette is for those of us who are needing a nice everyday palette in collection for of course, super girly/nude/work-friendly looks. (Don't be fooled though, this palette is fully capable of giving you a very nice blue/grey/purple smoky eye as well that will off the hook this Winter!) The formula is smooth and buttery, but I must say that the 3 shades on the very right hand side of the palette have a different consistency. It's not bad, but I feel that Too Faced had intended these 3 shades to be used wet as a liner as well. They feel the exact same as the ones on the right hand side of my Cat Eyes Palette, but they are not labeled Wet/Dry like the ones in my Cat Eyes Palette.

EDIT: Yes, they are to be used as a liner if wet. I will update this post very soon with swatches. Sorry for the misinformation, and hooray for having versatile shades!

The formula is long-lasting, and I've heard a few people say that the pigmentation wasn't that great...in my personal opinion, I feel that's because these shades are light. I'm not sure if others are using a primer or not, but on the bottom half of the top picture, I'm wearing Elf's Smudge Pot in Pearls of Wisdom as a primer, and the top half I'm using the Elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer in Sheer. Shows up well for me. I want to rave about the shade Paper Roses; it's a BEAUTIFUL duochrome, and I did my best to show that in a few of the below swatches! It's pink with a golden shift...seriously amazing!

Let's get on to the swatches:

From Left to Right:
Cowboy Take Me Away, Y'All, Dolly-Wet/dry Liner shade, Famous In A Small Town, Paper Roses, Rhinestone-Wet/Dry Liner shade, All American Girl, Nashville, Bluebird-Wet/Dry Liner Shade.

Trying to show off how awesome Paper Roses is! Look at how pretty that pink is when it shifts to a pale gold!

Would I repurchase this palette? Yes. This palette has so many of my go-to shades for my lid, crease and highlight. I'm also NOT a super big fan of pink eyeshadows, (if you watch my tutorials, then you know I'm into bold pinks, but not so much light and girly ones) but I gotta say that there's a soft spot in my heart for Paper Roses. I've worn that shade 3 times last week, which is not typical for me. There's just enough bolds in this palette to keep someone like me who loves bold smoky eyes interested, yet it's also perfect for people who like to wear soft, subtle and neutral looks when it's business time. The staying power is always amazing for me with any eyeshadow I use because I always use the Elf Smudge Pots as a primer/base. I'm talking like 16+ hours, so with that being said, I'm in love, and it has a special place in my vanity where I will reaching for it almost every workday.

Have you tried this palette before? How do feel about it? What would you change if you could? What makes it awesome?

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette/Powders Review and Swatches!

Hourglass has taken the beauty world by storm. I'm sure that all of you have at least heard of the coveted and well sought after Ambient Lighting Powders. I swear by these, and though I tend to stick with a reasonable budget, these are worth every single penny. The palette itself runs around $58.00 and the single powders run around $45.00. Let me just say that if you want beautifully glowing skin with a subtle radiant finish, these are a must have! These are similar to MAC's Mineral Skinfinishes but BETTER. The tiny light reflecting particles are more fine and evenly distributed throughout the product--the powder reflects just the right amount of light and makes any skin tone appear more radient, even and youthful. I love these so much that I actually have a total of 2 palettes now as well as 2 single powders in Luminous Light. I also have the brush that you can purchase for smooth and even application. (I will be reviewing it soon) These powders are the Holy Makeup Grail in my kit. I use these daily on myself, my clients,  and I could not be happier with how much of a difference they make! There's only subtle highlight pearl shimmer, no glitter. It's more fine than "micro fine" and is the best and most finely milled powder I've EVER used in my entire life. They work wonderful with high flash photography, studio lighting, outdoor lighting, even florescent lighting.

Packaging: Super simple and sleek. Luminous Light on the left, Palette on the right.

I absolutely LOVE the compact design!

The actual compact design has a mirror-like finish. Bad for leaving fingerprints and smudges, but it's still so beautiful, and they curve on the sides. Very comfortable to hold in your hand.

The palette is a bit over 5 inches long and around 2 inches wide.

The single Ambient Lighting Powder compacts are about 2.5-3 inches long/wide.

Isn't it just gorgeous!? these colors are suitable for EVERY skin tone and color imaginable. Perfect for anyone to even use all three! I use the lightest as a highlight, and the darkest on the contour of my cheeks as well as on the sides of my nose. I also use these as a highlight for my brow bone when barely wearing any makeup just for a nice natural hint of light. I do apply this all over my fave as well for videos and pictures.

This palette comes with three lighting powders.

DIM LIGHT (Left): A neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tones.

INCANDESCENT LIGHT (EXCLUSIVE TO THE PALETTE In The Middle): An opalescent pearl powder that brightens the complexion with a celestial glow.

RADIANT LIGHT (Right): A sun-kissed golden beige that enhances the overall complexion with believable, subtle warmth, and also extends a summer glow.

Create your perfect light with this palette featuring three shades of Ambient Lighting Powder. Each of the high-tech, soft-focus finishing powders recreates an exquisitely flattering light source. The powders can be applied individually or layered to imbue skin with a multidimensional glow.  

What it is:A palette featuring three shades of Ambient Lighting Powder, the high-tech, soft-focus finishing powder that recreates the most exquisitely flattering types of light.What it does:Ambient Lighting Powder is a groundbreaking collection of finishing powders that capture, diffuse, and soften the way light reflects on skin. Unlike traditional powders, which merely cloak imperfections, Ambient Lighting Powder utilizes photoluminescent technology to filter out harsh light and refine the appearance of the complexion. The powders deliver a multidimensional luminescence to every skintone, making it appear softer and lit from within. The finishing powders enhance skin in any type of light, including flash photography. With three universal shades available in the Ambient palette, you can create any desired effect. 

Here is the Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light.

On to the Swatches:

The Ambient Lighting Palette has 3 shades, Dim Light which is on the bottom, Incandescent Light which is in the middle and Radiant Light which is the top swatch.

Hourglass Luminous Light Swatches