Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids: Shocking Coral

Swatches & Review

From Maybelline's Vivids LipColor line, I inititally purchased Hot Plum & Brazen Berry (which I have previously reviewed). After seeing how much I loved those, I decided to purchase another one in Shocking Coral.

From the picture, you can see that Shocking Coral is a shockingly bright pink.

Like the other Maybelline Vivids, there are a bit of air bubbles on the lipstick.

You can click on the pictures to make them a bit bigger. Since the image uploader for blogger changed, it does not allow me to manage the size I want it to be to show on my blog
For the first lip picture, I took it in direct sunlight. The other two were taken indoor, with the middle one being in front of the window.

Looking at the lipstick from the tube, it looks like a bright orange-pink, but when it's on the lips, it definitely leans more pink than orange. When I'm outdoor, it looks very pink, but when I'm indoors, the pink looks a little bit softer, but it is still very bright! If your lips are dry, it is better to exfoliate before using this because it will apply looking very flaky.

I have been loving the two Maybelline Vivids I purchased and this is another great addition. I do not normally wear very bright colors, but since spring & summer is around the corner, I am going a bit more out of my comfort zone. At first, I was afraid this will make my teeth look a bit yellow, but it surprisingly did not. The lipstick is very pigmented and it leaves a bright pink stain after it wears off. Like my initial review, my main complaint with these is the packaging. It would be definitely better if these were sealed. Whenever I go look for the Vivids, many of them have been tampered with, so remember to always check the lipstick at the store before taking it home with you!

These retail for $5.50 at Target/Walmart and Ulta, CVS, & Rite Aid has them for $7.49 - $9.99.

What do you think about these lipsticks? Have you tried anything from Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivids line? Which is your favorite?

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theBalm: Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette

Swatches & Review

When theBalm announced that they were coming out with another Meet Matt(e) palette, I was excited especially since it was going to be a all "nude" palette. theBalm is one of my favorite brands of cosmetic products because they have the cutest packaging/names & very nice blushes/eyeshadows. When Hautelook hosted theBalm event on February 1st, it had their newest Meet Matt(e) Nude palette so I had to buy it!

Like all theBalm products, it is packaged with cardboard packaging.

I was super excited when the package finally came, but to my surprise (again), the palette had fingerprints on it!

In this palette, it seems that three of the eyeshadows were tampered with. When I ordered from theBalm's event the first time on Thanksgiving, one of my palettes came just like that too. Honestly, I do not know if it is because theBalm is sending out "defective" palettes, or if someone at Hautelook is going through the palettes before sending it out. When I order any items, I expect it to be brand-new & that I do not have to sanitize it before using. I have ordered multiple times from Hautelook from various cosmetic events and only theBalm products have been having this problem. I contacted Hautelook and they refunded me for the product & they said they will look into it considering it has happened before as well.

Anyway.. swatches!

First row:
Matt Johnson: Matte grey. Pigmented and smooth.
Matt Garcia: Matte red-brown. Smooth, but it applied sheer. Pigmentation is build-able.
Matt Malloy: Matte white. Chalky & applied sheer. Pigmentation is build-able.

Second row:
Matt Rosen: Matte medium brown. Smooth and pigmented.
Matt Wood: Matte dark brown. This was the smoothest and the most pigmented one in the whole palette.
Matt Singh: Matte beige. This was smooth, but it took a bit to show up because the first few layers blended into my skin.

Third row:
Matt Abdul: Matte taupe. This was chalky & stiff. It was not very pigmented, but it is build-able.
Matt Lombardi: Matte pale yellow. This was stiff & did not apply well with a brush. The pigmentation of this was okay, but it was pretty sheer.
Matt Hung: Matte light plum. This was smooth & pigmented.

All of these were swatched on Too Faced's Shadow Insurance. From this palette, I liked Matt Rosen, Wood, Singh & Hung the best. Matt Lombardi looks like it could be a good color, but it was a bit hard to get the color out of the pan for me.

Although some of the colors from this palette is chalky, it is build-able. Most of the eyeshadows were very smooth to the touch. This is definitely a good option for an all-matte palette considering the price (which is 50% off at Hautelook whenever theBalm has an event), BUT I am definitely having a problem with getting my theBalm products from Hautelook since it comes looking like it has been tampered with, which is not okay at all. I like that Hautelook has refunded me for this, but this should not happen to anyone. This happened to be twice & I know of a few people who have also experienced this from theBalm's event.

Anyway, what do you think of this palette? Have you had problems with your theBalm products whenever you order online directly from them, or from Hautelook?

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Nordstrom Rack Finds

Lorac & Urban Decay

Yesterday, I went to Nordstrom Rack because I was looking for Urban Decay's De Slick makeup setting spray. When I was there, I noticed they added a lot more Urban Decay items (that are currently also on sale at urbandecay.com). If you have been wanting the older palettes that are being discontinued and the old packaging for the makeup setting spray, but don't want to order online, you can definitely check out your Nordstrom Rack!

For the De Slick spray, there were two sizes available. Regular size - $13.97 XL Size - $17.97
All Nighter Spray regular - $13.97
Primer Potion - $8.97
Ammo Palette (old packaging) - $18.97
Mariposa Palette - $18.97
Deluxe Shadow Box - $18.97

They also had Lorac's Wild for TANtalizer set from last summer.

It comes with a palette, a bronzer & a lip gloss. The regular retail id $39, but it is $14.97 at Nordstrom Rack.

What do you think about these items? I am tempted to get the Lorac set, but I am resisting since I have so many colors that are similar to the ones in the palette.


..& here's me with a frog I found at Target! I am obsessed with stuffed animals! I was so close to buying it, but I decided to leave it since I pretty much have no room for it. It was only $5.99 & it's hugggge!

(this is the full post, the click more button still remains even when there is nothing else)

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Color Club: Over The Moon

Swatches & Review

Color Club's Over The Moon is part of their 2013 release of Halo Hues. For Fall 2012, they released six soft Halo Hues shades. For Spring 2013, the Halo Hues have colors that are more brighter than the first release. I decided on getting the Halo Hues for a while now & since the 2013 ones were released early, I decided to buy the whole set.

Over The Moon is a medium blue with a stone holographic finish.
For my swatches, I tried Over The Moon over bare nails, regular clear base coat & Nfu-Oh's Aqua Base.
With the first coat, you can see it applied best with Aqua Base underneath the nail polish. Without any base also applied nicely, but the holographic effect is not as strong with one coat compared to it with the Aqua Base. With clear base coat, there was dragging and bald spots from the nail polish.
With two coats, the ones painted over the Aqua Base & bare nails applied smoothly. The one with a clear base underneath also had some dragging.

With three coats, they all look the same. These are pictured without any top coat. You can see the one used with the clear base coat has a tiny bald spot on it. The texture with that one also does not feel as smooth as when I used the nail polish over the Aqua Base & bare nails.
These are pictured with top coat. When I first applied the top coat, the holographic finish was kind of dull, but after it fully-dried, the holographic effect is still strong like before putting on the top coat. You can tell that the holographic finish of this is strong since you can see it while indoor, but outdoors is definitely when it is best!
Using thin layers, these dry fast. Like other holographic finish nail polishes, these will show your nail lines & all imperfections on the nails without any base on it, so using an Aqua Base would be good. If you do not have any Aqua Base, you can definitely paint it over bare nails, but using a top coat on top of the nail polish would definitely help with streaks of your nail (if you have a lot). I would not recommend using these on top of a regular clear base coat because it drags & creates bald spots on the nail.

Overall, I really like this nail polish. This is the first Halo Hue that I have tried from Color Club and I am in love! I can not wait to try the others. At first, I thought this would remind me of one of my Layla Holographic in color, but after three coats it came out being more of a medium-blue than a light-blue. The holographic finish on this is strong & it does not disappoint. These retail for $10 each, but I purchased mine as a set on enospring.com for $40, which is not bad at all considering it comes out to about $6.70 each.

What do you think about Color Club's Halo Hues? Do you own any? What is your favorite brand for holographic finish nail polishes?

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Stila: In The Know

Swatches & Review

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend gave me Stila's In The Know palette as a gift. Since I have been using matte eyeshadows a lot lately, this was perfect since this palette has all matte finish shades.

This is packaged in cardboard with a magnetic closure.

There is a quote on the top of the mirror. I find it true, haha!

There is 10 eyeshadows in the palettes & they are all matte!

The top row has more lighter shades:
Air: Matte cream
Wind: Matte beige (This looks kind of similar to Air on me)
Desert: Peachy matte
Clay: Matte light-brown
Earth: Matte chocolate brown

The bottom row has darker colors & it complements the top row nicely:
Driftwood: Matte dark brown
Fire: Matte red-orange
Rain: Matte taupe
Smoke: Matte light grey
Ebony: Matte black

Out of all ten shades, I found that nine of the shades were very smooth and pigmented. The only one I had problems with was Ebony, which is the matte black. It was kind of rough and did not apply smoothly like the other ones did. The standout shade for me is definitely Fire. Fire is a gorgeous red-orange shade and it really stands out from all the other colors in the palette, which is more on the neutral side. Compared to Urban Decay's NAKED Basics, I feel like the top row of In The Know is similar (minus the last color). Stila's In The Know was released before the Naked Basics, so if you have this already, you probably don't need the Naked Basics.

This is the first time for me to try Stila eyeshadows and I really like these. They are smooth and pigmented. Some had a bit of fall-out, but it was not much. I like how it is all matte, which is what a lot of people are also interested in. This retails for $39 and is sold at Sephora (In-store & Online) & Ulta.

What do you think about Stila products? Which is your favorite?

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Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids: Brazen Berry

Swatches & Review

Yesterday, I reviewed Hot Plum from Maybelline's new Color Sensational Vivids LipColor line. Today, I will be reviewing Brazen Berry, which is the second shade that I purchased from the collection.

Looking at the lipstick. Brazen Berry looks like a bright purple.

There were a bit of air bubbles on the Brazen Berry lipstick. I wonder if it is normal because when I was buying it, I opened one before this & that had two HUGE air bubbles on it. It looked like a mice took two small nibbles off the lipstick, which was kind of weird.

For the first lip picture, I took it in direct sunlight. The other two were taken indoor, with the middle one being in front of the window.

Looking at the lipstick from the tube, it definitely looks a bit more purple, but when applied to the lips, it is more of a pink-purple. When compared to Hot Plum (from my last review), Brazen Berry looks a lot cooler than it. In direct sunlight, it looks more like a lavender-pink, but while indoors, it looks more purple than it does pink, so like Hot Plum, I guess it depends on where you are wearing the lipstick because the shades look quite different. For me, Brazen Berry was a lot more moisturizing for me than Hot Plum was.

Overall, I like how pigmented these are. For my swatches I used one layer & it was already enough. After swatching it on my arm, it left a stain. The swatch I did for Hot Plum yesterday is still stained on my arms (after THREE showers). However, the stain on the lips is very subtle, so it is easier to remove with makeup/lipstick remover. The downside was that I imagined this to be more purple, but this does not look bad either since it actually reminds me of a neon purple. This also had an orange cap (all of the Vivids do), which I am not too big on, and like Hot Plum, I hate that there is no safety seal at all! Other than that, I am thinking about picking up a few more shades since I only bought these two & I really like them a lot.

I purchased mine at Target for $5.21 (regularly $5.49). Walmart has them for $5.49 and Ulta, CVS, & Rite Aid has them for $7.49 - $9.99.

What do you think about Brazen Berry? What Maybelline lipstick would you recommend me (from any Maybelline lipstick line)?

Yes, I really like it ♥ haha!

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Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids: Hot Plum

Swatches & Review

One of the newest lip collections out for Spring is Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivids LipColor. Their line of Vivids consists of 10 super-saturated shades & they are bright!

The Vivids lip line is packaged with a bright orange tube.

The lipstick in the picture looks bright already, doesn't it?

In some angles, it looks more purple than it does pink.

For the first lip picture, I took it in direct sunlight. The other two were taken indoor, with the middle one being in front of the window.

When it is outdoor, you can see that it is more of a fuchsia-like pink, but indoors, there is a slight sheen of purple. When swatched on arm, it is definitely a bright pink. There is a sheen to these for the finish. They feel a bit moisturizing in the first hour, but after a while, they felt drying on my lips so I think moisturizing your lips about an hour before applying the product would be better.
Overall, I am really impressed with Maybelline's Vivids line. I have never actually tried Maybelline lipsticks, so trying Hot Plum as my first color was not bad at all. Although the shade name has "plum" in it, it was not really plummy, which was a bit disappointing for me. There is a slight sweet scent to the lipstick, but nothing too overbearing. However, the lipstick itself was very pigmented. Though it was not the color I thought it would be, the pigmentation of this was amazing! For my swatches (lip & arm), I only used one layer of lipstick & it was already bright.

One thing I do hate about these were the packaging. It was packaged in a orange tube. I would have liked it better if the color of the tube matched with the shade (it would look very fun too), but another thing that I was not okay with more was the fact that they were not sealed! A lot of drugstore lipsticks are not sealed with shrink-wrap, but even Revlon has a sticker to make it harder for a person to open it in the store (though people still rip off the sticker to try), these had NOTHING! No shrink-wrap, no sticker to prevent someone from opening it. I has to go through three of these at my Target to find one that was untouched. I find it interesting that even Wet n' Wild had shrink-wraps for their $1 lipsticks and Maybelline could not even put a sticker on for a lipstick that costs way ore than WnW? That was one of the main negatives from this.

For drugstore lipsticks, they are normally more on the neutral and darker side, so seeing bright shades at an affordable price is definitely a plus in my book. I have been trying shades out of my comfort zone lately so these came at the perfect time. I purchased mine at Target for $5.21 (regularly $5.49), which is a good price for these lipsticks. Walmart has them for $5.49 and Ulta, CVS, & Rite Aid has them for $7.49 - $9.99.

What do you think about these lipsticks? Have you tried anything from Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivids line? Which is your favorite?

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Urban Decay: Theodora Palette

Swatches & Review

The two newest palettes released from Urban Decay is based on the new upcoming movie, Oz the Great and Powerful. The two palettes are Theodora and Glinda. Out of the two palettes, I only purchased one since I see myself using the colors in Theodora more.

The two palettes are in Urban Decay's Build Your Own palettes, but for the movie, they have limited edition designs on them.

Each palette consists of 6 full-sized Urban Decay eyeshadows, four of them being single shadows and two being duo-shadows & a travel-sized eyeliner. A lip color is also included in the box, but there is not a slot for it in the palette itself.

The first row consists of three single shades:
Broken: Frosty soft pale beige. The color payoff of this was good. It applied smooth & pigmented.
Beware: Matte medium brown. Swatched, the brown looks very soft. It applied smooth & pigmented.
Bewitch: Slightly frosted dark brown. It applied smooth & pigmented.

The second row consists of one single shade & two duo-shades:
West: Metallic burgundy brown. This looks kind of similar to Bewitch, but this is definitely more red then Bewitch is. It applied smooth & pigmented.
Spell: This eyeshadow has the duo-shades exclusive to the Oz palettes. Half of it is a metallic yellow gold & the other half is like a blackened brown. Both of them have glitter in it and the glitter has slight fall-out. I found these shades to be a bit on the rough side and did not apply as smoothly as the other eyeshadows.
Jealous: This is also a duo-shade, both being green. Half is a pastel green & the other half is a darker green. Both of these have a frosty finish & they applied smoothly.

Overall, I really like how pigmented most of these eyeshadows are (which is all except Spell). The duo-eyeshadows are a good concept because instead of getting 6 shades in a 6-pan build your own palette, you are getting 8 shades! The Theodora palette is more on the neutral side, while the Glinda palette is more on the pastel/light shades side. I still really wish Urban Decay came out with more fun shades since they have been coming out with a lot of neutral shades lately, but the pigmentation on these were fantastic! The design on the palette is nice, but the palette itself is kind of flimsy. It is a bit hard to close the palette because the holes do not align straight with the closure buttons (I don't know what they're called) on the top of the palette, so when closed, it looks kind of crooked. The value on this is amazing! Each eyeshadow itself retails for $18, the palette itself is $18 and the lip pencil is $19, so six full-sized eyeshadows, a travel-sized pencil & a lip pencil for $49 is not bad at all.

You can buy this from Urbandecay.com, Sephora (in-store & online), Ulta (in-store & online), & select Macy's (in-store).

What do you think about these palettes? Do you think you are going to buy these limited edition palettes? Are you Theodora, or are you Glinda? (or maybe both!)

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theBalm on Hautelook

Beauty Deal:

theBalm is on Hautelook today! Whenever theBalm is on Hautelook, they are sold at 50% off. In their sale, they included theBalm's new Meet Matt(e) Nude palette, which I am super excited for! I placed an order this morning & if you are interested, you should definitely check out their site! On Monday, they will be hosting an event for Urban Decay, which starts at 8AM PST.

If you do not have hautelook & would like to join, you can join by clicking on my referral link: http://www.hautelook.com/short/2fJuE*

The referral link would give me a $10 credit once the person who signed up through the link has made their first purchase. If you do not wish to sign up through my referral link, you may also sign up at hautelook.com :)

(this is the full post, the click more button still remains even when there is nothing else)

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