YSL 4 Colour Harmony for Eyes: A Pastel Dream?

Lately I feel like I've been such a brand whore. I've slowly been trying to get rid of my drugstore items that were laying around, and replacing them with more MAC and such =(. I decided to give the Yves Saint Laurent Ombres Quadrilumieres Eyeshadow Quartet in #6 Pastel ($54) a try. The YSL beauty site constantly has free shipping. The colors were cute, and seemed very spring-like (even though we're fast approaching summer, that's not what it's like where I live).

It's a bit too expensive for my taste, and I don't know if I'll be keeping it. Why? Read on...

While the sturdy golden packaging is lush, and the colors look pretty enough in pan....

It has some of the WORST pigmentation I've ever seen! YSL, I'm so very disappointed in you. This is not quality you would expect from a high-end brand. My drugstore shadows beat this quad by a land slide. These YSL shades are way too sheer. The shadows are also too hard. I had to swipe numerous times to get above swatch. The only real decent color was the brown, which is the smallest portion of the quad. Next time, maybe I'll try the Ombres 5 Lumieres.

A big thumbs down.

FOTD: Simple Golds and EOS World Circle Lens Review

I finally got in my EOS Tri-Color (World) lenses so I was super excited to try them out. I decided to go with a gold look, because I felt that they would compliment the Green lenses. Plus... golds are my favorite lid color. Of all time.

Face:
Maybelline Superstay mixed with Revlon Colorstay
Amazing Cosmetics concealer in Medium
Amazing Cosmetics Powderset
Smashbox Bronzer in Golden Glow
Cargo blush in The Big Easy

Lips:
MAC Peachstock lipstick

Eyes:
Laura Geller Sugared Baked Eyeshadow in Patina (all over lid)
NYX Eyeshadow in Yellow Marigold (crease)
MAC Eyeshadow in Mulch (outer corner and into crease)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
Loreal Telescopic Mascara
Laura Mercier Brow Definer in Soft

On to the lenses...

I really really like them. I've always been used to wearing GEO angels, so it's a nice change to not have a dark ring around the lens. These EOS Greens are very bright and vibrant. They don't have an enlargement factor, since the color is the same size as my actual iris, so they look a lot more natural. The lenses are also very comfortable, like lenses should feel, I can't feel them at all. I haven't worn circle lenses for about half a year, so when I see myself in the mirror I freak out a little bit. I wish the weather was sunnier so my eyes would stand out even more, but even though it's the end of May, it's rainy and 60 degrees.


Have a good Sunday everyone!

CCO & MAC Haul

I finally persuaded my boyfriend to take me to the Cosmetics Company Store on Friday. I was mildly disappointed this time, they didn't have any paintpots. Anywhoo, I still managed to pick up some stuff EVEN though I was not impressed with the stock (just because everything was discounted). 

I got:
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer (I ran out of my old bottle)
MAC Beauty Powder in Blush of Youth
MAC MSF in Cheeky Bronze
Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Blushed Rose
Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream Shadow in Golden Apricot
MAC Eyeshadow in Creme de Miel and Embark

I was really happy that I snagged that last Clinique moisturizer =). I'm not too sure if I'll even use the MSF, because I own a few, and honestly I've never used them They're very pretty, just too shimmery.  Oh, and finding Embark was exciting because it's a permanent line item. Even though I already own it in a palette... I though "why not"? I can't believe I didn't buy a Mineralize Eyeshadow. There was one I wanted, but I guess I forgot to add it to my pile on the counter. I spent forever in the store, because I didn't want to miss anything and regret it later, since I live so far away from the CCO.


The day before I also went to Nordstrom to check out the new MAC To the Beach collection. I know that It was released a few days earlier online, but me being naive, figured I should just wait and get it in stores. STUPID ME. When I got to Nordstrom, the SA informed me that they sold out of the coveted Marine Life Highlight Powder! Not just that, but my entire state was sold out, as well as all stores online including the MAC site. I called the MAC store, and they told me that they sold out that day, and that they would not get anymore stock in, as well as the website, and well, every other retailer. Out of luck! I still managed to pick up a few other items though...

Hipness Blush
Coral Crepe Paint pot (From Pret a Papier)
Dirty Grease Paintstick (From Art Supplies)

Sigh. Not a satisfactory haul to me.

Did you guys get anything from To the Beach? Did you snag the highlight powder? And have you found any treasures at the CCO?

BeautyTicket.com 20% Off Everything

Tomorrow, use code CITY20 for 20% off your total Beautyticket.com order! Beauty Ticket has a lot of name brand cosmetic items at discounted prices, you can pick up products from YSL, Smashbox, Stila, etc.. They also offer a standard shipping rate =). I also want to mention that they'll have an Urban Decay private sale on June 16th-18th (meaning you have to sign up as a member- it's FREE).

Will you guys pick anything up for 20% off?

*I'm really sorry I haven't updated for a while, I was trying so hard to do it regularly. I probably won't undate for awhile. Dead week is next week, and then I have finals, factor in that I'm a full time student and I work two jobs... means that I wont have free time for awhile. Final essays and projects too! I'm trying to make free time, but I can't promise =(.

Laura Mercier's Brow Definer: Framing the Eyes

Now, I usually don't care about my brows. I know, I know, they're important for the face, but I've really never given them any attention, and in truth haven't started defining them until this year. The main reason is because I've always had thick brows, so I never felt the need to. I've tried a few products, and I've been most impressed with my most recent purchase, Laura Mercier's Brow Definer in Soft ($20).

Soft is the medium color that Laura Mercier offers. I really like this brow formula because it's a tinted wax/gel, so I don't have to use a powder and gel seperately.

The color suits me well, and it's long lasting. I went the whole day with out fade.

Ok, I'm going to show you guys a picture of my brows. DON'T LAUGH. My brow hairs are SUPER long because I don't trim them. I know I should, but I just don't. 

Bare brows

STOP LAUGHING AT MY UNDERGROOMED BROWS! I CAN HEAR YOU!Look how long they are... they droop under the arch. I will certainly be trimming my brows tomorrow after seeing my brows close up.

With Laura Mercier's Brow Definer 

As you can see, I mostly just fill in the widest part near the bridge of my nose (are there names for parts of the brow?), which is where I really need it because it's somewhat sparse.

This is a really nice product, but if you're really ungifted in the hair department, stick with a pencil because this formula is really to coat what you have and keep them in place while giving color. Even though I have dark hair, I stick with lighter/medium brow shades, because you should always go lighter, as to avoid harsh lines. Darker colors would look fine with dark skin AND dark hair. I have medium skin so I can't use, say, a black brow product. I wouldn't want to look like I drew my brows on with a Sharpie.

Two thumbs up for Laura!

What do you guys use on your brows?

Smashbox $5 Dollar Deals at Ulta!

Seriously, I come across the greatest deals when I'm trying to cute back on spending. 

I get really bored at work, and so I sit here browsing random makeup sites like a creepy lurker.

Right now, Ulta.com has three Smashbox products for only $5! You can get the Eyeshadow Duo in Glow Getter, Lip Enhancing Gloss Duo in Luster and Pout, and Blush/Soft Lights Duo in Undercover. Yeah that's right, you can get TWO lipglosses for $5 total. Crazy, I know. I'm not a huge fan of Smashbox eyeshadows, but I think I'll give this a go. The only problem is, I hate paying for shipping, which means I have to find another $35 worth of product to get free shipping.. what to get?

I'm trying to cut back and get rid of most of my makeup, and just buy high quality items like MAC, Dior, and Chanel every once in awhile. Quality over quantity! But these deals keep getting to me...

FIVE DOLLA HOLLA!

What do you think? Yay or nay?

ELF, You're Making Me Blush

A few months ago, ELF released new blush colors in Fuschia Fusion and Pink Passion ($3). Of course I had to get them so I could have ALL the blushes they make. When I opened my package, I was shocked, and a little scared, of how BRIGHT these pink blushes were. The pictures do not do them justice. I'm not much of a pink blush gal, so I shrugged and figured these would just sit in the back of my drawer.

 Fuschia Fusion

Fuschia Fusion is mega sparkly. I'm talkin' theres some major glitter going on, gold glitter to pe precise (Uh, better than silver right?). It's really pretty to look at, but I've yet to put this on my cheeks. I do NOT want glittery cheeks. Pigmentation on this gem is amazing. I've heard some people say that this is a dupe for NARS' Super Orgasm... but I really don't think so. It's got glitter, yeah, but the color's off.

Note: It still bothers me that ELF spelled fuchsia wrong. Seriously? 

Pink Passion

Pink Passion is a TRUE bright hot pink. I mean, this thing is BRIGHT and HOT PINK. Two combos I don't want on my face. It's gorgeous, but seemingly not for me... or so I thought.

Application is a completely different story. Pink passion comes on a lot sheerer, and a lot less scary. You really have to build up the color. Instead of a clown-esque look, you get a nice soft pink. It's actually very wearable (I wore it today, tee hee). It's very pretty and it makes me happy =). I felt super daring because I abhore hot pink. Fuschia Fusion still had major glitter. The color is nice, but the glitter freaks me out, glitter-lovers REJOICE. Yes, needless to say, I haven't tried this on my cheeks yet.

Overall, I really like the new blushes. They're really cute, and it's a nice addition to the plum/coral/peach blushes they made before. If anything, Pink Passion is worth a try.

25% Off All NYX!

 I love NYX stuff. Seriously, I've already hit the 50 single eyeshadow mark. Cherry Culture is now holding 25% off all NYX now through the 25th. Makes me feel stupid for ordering a few weeks ago to get 20% off eyeshadows. Oh well, guess I'll take advantage of this sale too =). Shipping is always free over $40.

Check out NYX at Cherry Culture.

Thinking of snagging anything?

ELF Gives A Lesson On All Things Sparkly

Awhile ago, ELF released their Beauty Encylopedia Everyday Eye Collection ($5), which I also own and really like. More recently, they added a new one, named the ELF Beauty Encyclopedia Sparkle Eye Edition ($5). The "book" comes with 12 eyeshadows, two cream shadows you can use as a base, an eyeliner, and a brush/sponge tip applicator. Sounds good for 5 dollars right?

 When opened, the left flap shows a chart on where to place colors, very helpful for those starting out.

 As you can see, the brown at the very top right hand corner came completely shattered and I had to dump it out! It was such a nice color too. This means that my entire palette is a HUGE mess. That's my first complaint, with these sparkly glitter shadows, you get it everywhere if you happen to get a damaged shadow. Curse you ELF for not being careful with my packaging! Anywho, the color selection looks pretty nice, and you get a large white and pink cream shadow to boot.

The brush it comes with is really small, probably only good for small defining and outer "v". I didn't bother photographing the other side, we all know what a sponge tip applicator looks like =).

First row of shadows 

The first row of shadows was a major pain in the arse to deal with. There was SO MUCH FREAKIN' glitter fall out. I HATE the first two colors. They were basically just chunky bits of disco glitter, and rough to the touch. The second two colors were a bit better though, since they had less glitter.

Second row of shadows

Third row of shadows

I LOVE all of the other shadows in the other rows. They were more shimmery than glittery, and provided excellent pigmentation! The teal is amazing, and the black is so intense, I could swear I was rubbing a piece of charcoal on my arm. All swatches were done without a base (as always) and the colors were great. I was surprised at the quality after having swatched the first few shadows. LOVE.

Cream shadows and eyeliner

The cream shadows were very creamy, but would probably not be suitable alone as a base. I'd have to wear a primer underneath for fear of creasing. The eyeliner is pure crap, as ELF liners usually are. I had to rub it many times to get the above swatch, and the texture isn't soft enough for me to feel safe putting on my eyes.

Overall, this palette is a great purchase. It's cheap and you get so many colors! I probably won't reach for it much because it's become a mess due to the broken shadow, but this is perfect for those who love shimmery/sparkly shadows and don't mind the fall out. If you don't like Urban Decay's (awesome) eyeshadows, you'll want to pass on this.

Thumbs up!

ELF Eyelid Primer VS. Urban Decay Primer Potion

I decided to give ELF's Eyelid Primer ($1), to see how it would compare to my darling Urban Decay Primer Potion ($18). Plus, it was only a buck. If this primer works out, I will feel incredibly stupid having three backups of UDPP.

The wand is just a normal wand, a lot like a lipgloss applicator, much like UDPP's old one. It feels cheap, and for some reason, product doesn't hold well on it, which makes application on the eyelids feel a bit rough.

ELF on the left, Urban Decay on the right 

They look relatively the same right? I'm not talking about packaging, because ELF's is a cheapo little tube. It had the same color, and creamy consistency. While ELF's version is thinner, It certaintly FELT like UDPP on the lids. I decided to do a test to see how eyeshadows showed up on the primers, as well as to time how long they lasted. I did a swatch test using MAC's eyeshadow in Mulch.

Mulch on bare skin, on ELF's Primer, and on UDPP

First of all, I just realized what CRAP Mulch looks like alone. This is why I ALWAYS wear primer. I wasn't expecting it to look so lame alone. When I applied it on both primers, the color was equally vibrant. The ELF swatch did go on easier though. So far, so good.

This is what the swatches look like 5 hours later. It's not great picture quality because I woke up at 3 in the morning to take this picture... Don't ask =). As you can see, the lone Mulch swatch is virtually gone, the two primed swatches both held up, EQUALLY! I can't evaluate creasing, because I never have much of a problem with that. From my experience, using these primers on the eyes yeilded almost identical results. I did find blending with ELF's version easier (probably because it is thinner), but I still somehow feel safer sticking to my Urban Decay Primer Potion. But don't mind me, I'm a Urban Decay whore.

I highly recommend trying out ELF's Eyelid Primer if you want to save $17, what do you have to lose?

Uh, a dollar I guess.

Tarte Sale on Hautelook

Starting tomorrow at 8 am PST Hautelook will host the Tarte Cosmetics sale for 48 hours.
I love Hautelook. I've scored way too much discounted makeup from there.
As always, here's my personal referral/invitation link for those who aren't members : http://www.hautelook.com/invite/JHuynh175

I'm really looking forward to snagging the "Lights, Camera, Lashes" mascara since I've heard such good things about it.

Hautelook says:
 "Tarte is the leader in high-performance natural™ beauty, a concept pioneered ten years ago by creator and natural beauty expert Maureen Kelly. Ten years later, tarte is still proving that glamour can be good for you by offering the widest selection of healthy and clinically-proven cosmetics full of natural, skinvigorating™ ingredients. Tarte’s luxe compacts are more than just pretty packages; they are post-consumer recycled, recyclable or reusable to help reduce environmental waste. This eco-friendly company is further helping reduce environmental waste by using sustainable resources, charitable partnerships and customer recycling initiatives. So remember to be green, be smart, be tarte!"

Thinking about checking the sale out? Or are you gonna pass?

Super Cheap Nars Albatross Dupe

Nars Blush in Albatross ($26) is my HG highlighter. It makes me happy and I can't help but coo and sigh when I tickle it with my brush. God, I'm psycho. E.L.F. recently came out with three new blushes, with one that looks strangely similar to Albatross. I spotted it on the website under the pseudonym "Gotta Glow". Now, I'm already aware that E.L.F. totally ripped off Nars (think black flat packaging and products such as their Blush/Bronzer duo- Orgasm/Laguna anyone?). E.L.F.'s Blush in Gotta Glow ($3) is basically Albatross' sister in cheap clothing.

First similarity: Packaging. Nars has an icky rubber plastic that attracts fingerprints that I can't stand, but looks a lot sleeker. ELF has a clear window on the outside to see the color, and a mirror on the inside.

Albatross on the right, Gotta glow on the left

Albatross (top) and Gotta Glow (bottom)

NARS has better pigmentation, and the gold is more prominent in the ELF blush. However, when I actually applied them to my face, I seriously could not tell the difference. Plus, you save $23 dollars by buying Gotta Glow. For those of you who are lemming after Albatross: Here's your solution! If you already have Albatross, pass, because that thing will last you ages. I knew I had to have Gotta Glow just because I love anything that closely resembles my beloved. Plus, I wasn't losing much with spending three bucks. 

Do you guys have either? What do you think?

Last Week's Haulage

I get some haulage each week, and my haul posts are an opportunity for you to pick and choose what you'd like swatched and more in-depth information about.

Again, I'm posting up all item names so you guys can request specifically what you'd like reviewed.

Urban Decay @ Hautelook:

Hall of Fame set (x2)
Surreal mineral makeup in Trance (x2)
Apocalyptic nail set
Loose pigment in X and Gunmetal

Cherryculture.com :

(All NYX):
Single eyeshadows: Midnight, Sahara, Antique Gold, Sensual, Nude, Cryptonite,  Exotic Green, Dune, Golden Amber, Frosted Ocean, Gunmetal, Smokie Mountain
Powder blush in Sand
Rouge Cream Blush in Boho Chic
Mega Shine Lipgloss in Smokey Look
Round lipstick in Honey
Not pictured: The Runway Collection palette in Catwalk

EyesLipsFace.com :

 

Single Studio Eyeshadows in : Every color

Quads in : Day 2 Night, Hazy Hazel, Ivy, Luxe, Rocker, Punk Funk, Glam

Eye Primer

Beauty Encyclopedia- Sparkle Eye Edition (this came broken =(! )

Studio blushes in: Fuschia Fusion (BTW they spelled Fuchsia wrong), Gotta Glow, and Pink Passion

I feel like I need help. My makeup spending is getting ridiculous. I only post up bigger hauls (specifically those I get in the mail). Therapy please?

Just comment below if you're interested in reviews for any of the above products =).

ALL Nordstrom Mascaras Buy 2 Get 1 Free!

Awhile ago I had blogged that MAC was having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on their mascaras on the 20th of this month. My co-worker (Hi Chelsea If you ever manage to find my blog) informed me that Nordies is actually running the deal on ALL mascaras! Obviously, the MAC associate was trying to con me into thinking it was only MAC so I would buy from her -__-.


The 29th is the time to stock up on all your favorite department store mascaras!

I'm thinking: Dior Diorshow, Lancome Definicils, and maybe a YSL one?

Are you guys thinking about checking out this deal?

EOTD: Urban Decay Inspired Boho Summer

Awhile ago I was browsing through Sephora's site (as always) and came across the "Get the Look" section on the Urban Decay page. I immediately fell in love with the "Get Baked" look. The eyes just seemed to pop, and I'm way into bronze looks. There's a tutorial of it HERE. I decided to recreate this look by doing a more wearable version that wouldn't make me look like I'd gone color happy.

 From Sephora's Urban Decay page

Products used:

UDPP

Lorac eyeshadow in Beige (highlight)

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Baked (all over lid)

NYX eyeshadow in Cedar Wood (crease)

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Bourbon (upper lashline)

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Flipside (lower lashline)

Loreal Telescopic Mascara

As you can see, my makeup is a lot more toned down, Urban Decay's liner lines are a lot thicker and bolder. I really like the look, but *sigh* it looks bangin' on the blonde model. This look is more suitable for blondes with paler skin. I'm a tan brunette and I feel like it was a bit much with my complexion and bronzer.