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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