I was super excited when I found the brand new display for these at the drugstore yesterday. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Pencils are brand new chunky lip pencils that not only add color and moisture but act as a lip stain, leaving behind long-wearing, natural looking color. These are going to be the “next big thing” just like how the Revlon Lip Butters were huge when they were released. These lip pencils are exactly like the more expensive Clinique Chubby Lip Pencils except these are drugstore available and they also leave behind a gorgeous stain of color. To see photographs and swatches of Sweetheart, the color I picked out, read more…

I love Essie nail polish. I’ve had a love affair since they had mostly all neutral shades that were chic, sophisticated, timeless, and a staple for brides everywhere on their wedding day. Since then, the brand has really evolved by creating lush brights that really pop on the nails. The Essie Spring 2012 Collection has a little bit of something for everyone with pastels, a neutral, and rich brights. To see swatches of the entire collection, read more…

Today I bring you an amazing product that I have been so excited about lately. Milani Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencils are super creamy, rich, pigmented eyeshadow pencils that last and last on your eyes. This is the first type of long-wearing cream eyeshadow product we’re seeing that is available at the drugstore, and these don’t budge! They are so rich in color and look so gorgeous when you apply them. Since I’m a bit obsessed with my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, these have totally taken the place in my heart. To see photographs and swatches of the entire collection, read more…

Today was “Diablo Day,” also known as the day Diablo III was released. One little known fact about me is that while I am a huge girly girl, I also love sports and video games. I adore computer games like World of Warcraft and had been looking forward to the release of Diablo III for quite some time. As a result, this post is going to be kind of a mini-post, and I’m going to get right to the point. The Maybelline Porcelain Collection contains this lipstick called Afternoon Tea, which is the perfect pinkish-mauve shade. It’s a wonderful neutral for a natural lip look, and it would be a great lipstick to top off a colorful eye makeup look with. To see photographs and swatches of this universally flattering lipstick, read more…

The Summer 2012 collection from Revlon is called Summer Escapism, and we once again see Gucci Westman create a gorgeous, appropriate palette for the warmer weather. I spotted this palette when I was at the drugstore, ended up passing on it, and then went back to grab it because I really wanted to test out the colors. The shades in this palette remind me of a beach with the soft gray, blue, and brown. “Beach Beauty” is a beautiful array of shades that you can wear together or separately. I put together a quick look using the palette so you can see how the colors perform, as well. To see photographs, swatches, and my eye look using this new palette, read more…

I still remember the first time my best adolescent friend whipped out a lip balm I had never heard of and said to me “You HAVE to try this, it is so minty!” It was Burt’s Bees lip balm, the original, of course. I’ve been using Burt’s Bees since that day, and the brand has really expanded since then. Since I’m a huge fan of their products in general, I decided to try one of their Lip Shimmer products, seeing as how I love to keep my lips super moisturized but still want color to them. This lip balm has the same minty feeling and smell from peppermint oil, but it has a hint of gorgeous color to it. To see “Rhubarb,” read more…

One of my fondest memories growing up is collecting Caboodles to store my “makeup” in. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t always makeup, but more like hair scrunchies, slap bracelets, and whatever my mom would give me from her makeup collection, but the storage was the coolest part. Everyone I knew owned one, and they came in different colors and sizes. Every year I would ask for another one, and every year I would happily wake up on Christmas morning, shredding the wrapping paper open to find a shiny new Caboodles container! Now known as the “Classic,” they still sell Caboodles, and have expanded their brand beautifully. Caboodles is twenty-five years old, and celebrating strong with a gorgeous collection of modern, updated makeup storage and organization. In the above video, I wanted to show you in detail the two products I love, as well as how I use them, and a little bit of my makeup storage. To see photographs of two products from their collection, as well, read more…

Manna Kadar Cosmetics has some gorgeous makeup in their collection, but when it comes to blush, they have this on lock-down. Orgasmic is a stunning pink-peach blush with a luminous golden sheen. It is universally flattering on every single skin tone, and it brightens your complexion like you wouldn’t believe. I’m a newbie to the actual cosmetics line, but their motto is “beauty simplified,” which for my busy lifestyle is always appreciated. This blush can also be used as an eyeshadow, and it would be especially amazing for those of us with blue or green eyes. This blush takes over the spot where NARS “Orgasm” was, because it’s every bit as pretty, and every bit as flattering. To see photographs and swatches, read more…

The other half to Zoya’s Summer 2012 line is the Surf Collection. This one contains six nail lacquers that have a metallic shimmer to them, whereas the “Beach Collection,” is all cremes. I have to be completely honest here for a minute…I was not expecting to like this collection as much as I liked the Beach set. For some reason, they just didn’t appeal to me as much in the actual nail polish bottles. Once I started applying these on my actual nails, though, it was a whole different ball game. These are super opaque and rich in color, and they glow like crazy in the sunlight. You’ll see what I mean after seeing all the gorgeous swatches, read more…

Happy May! I couldn’t have chosen a better shade representation for a summer collection than Zoya did for their Beach Collection. I love that their shades are all bright and colorful, and that they represent the colors of the rainbow. I’ve been storing these on top of my desk where I work because it looks so pretty in the packaging. I may put them back there after this article just because the colors are so cheerful and happy! As I was swatching these, I was blown away by the formula, which was pure perfection. Each shade was super opaque and creamy, the perfect consistency…not too thick or too thin. To see photographs and swatches of the full collection, read more…