Lip Gloss Review

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish Review

A while back I was gifted a Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in the shade Margaret and I decided I wanted to review it. Let me know what you think! You can buy it here for $19.00 USD.

Here's the lip gloss packaging. It's very sleek, and I think it looks pretty fancy. I really like the font that the company chose to use. The packaging doesn't leak at all when stored on it's side for long periods of time.

Here's the gloss on my lips. It's quite opaque and pigmented compared to most of the glosses I own, which is actually quite a few considering I don't wear lip gloss very often. You could wear this on it's own and still have noticeable color on your lips. The color is described on Sephora as "mocha rapture". I think the mocha part is pretty accurate (and I drink lots of mochas) but I'm not sure what the rapture part is supposed to mean. They probably threw that in to make it sound cooler. It makes your lips tingle in a pleasant way, just like the description on Sephora claims it does, and I do notice a small amount of lip plumping when I wear it. This isn't good or bad for me, since I'm happy with how my lips look either way. The description also says it contains vitamins A and E, which is great! Both vitamins A and E help smooth your lips, and vitamin E helps with healing them. I'm always looking for things that contain vitamin E for my constantly dry and chapped lips. Overall, I would say that this is a fantastic lip gloss, although $19.00 USD seems a little steep. I would gladly pay as much as $15.00 USD, though!

Eye Makeup Tutorial

Subtle Shimmer Cut Crease Tutorial

I was going to a party and decided I wanted to do a cut crease with subtle shimmer and a dark lip. I used shadows from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette only. Best of all, it only involves two shadows, so it's super easy for beginners!

Step One

Apply the shade "Milk Chocolate" all over the crease.

Step Two

Pack the shade "Champagne Truffle" onto the lid. It's a soft purple-pink with a subtle shimmer.

Step Three

Blend everything very well to soften the look and eliminate any harsh lines.

Step Four

Apply NYC's liquid eyeliner in black, and try to do better than I did. I am not an expert yet.

Step Five

Curl the upper lashes and apply Covergirl's Super Sizer mascara to both the upper and lower lashes. This is only the second time I've used this mascara but I'm quickly falling in love with it.

Optional - Lip Stain, Primer, Setting Spray

I used e.l.f.'s lip stain in "Nude Nectar" on my lips. It took a few coats to get the color payoff I wanted, but It looks gorgeous and it won't budge when I eat or drink. Another optional thing you can do before starting this look is use an eye primer, which I did, as well as use a setting spray all over my face because I'm going to be out for a while without much chance to do touch ups.

Makeup Tutorial

Neutral Eye Makeup With Sparkle Tutorial

Welcome to my first-ever eye makeup tutorial! I decided I wanted to do a nice neutral eye with some sparkle and a red lip, so I created this using only shadows from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette.

Step One

Apply the shade "Salted Caramel" to the crease. Make sure to get it all across the crease and blend it well.

Step Two

Pack the shade "Marzipan" onto the lid. It gives a very nice shimmer.

Step Three

Apply "Champagne Truffle" to the inner corner and brow bone.

Step Four

Apply "Creme Brulee" to the outer corner of the lid. This adds both dimension and more shimmer.

Step Five

Blend, blend, blend! This softens the look and gets rid of any harsh lines.

Step Six

Add winged liner using NYC's liquid eyeliner in black. Mine isn't perfect, but I figured that the more I tried to fix it, the worse it would end up.

Step Seven

Curl your lashes and apply Covergirl's Super Sizer mascara to both top and bottom lashes. Curling is optional, but I prefer how it looks

Optional: A Red Lip

If you want to, you can apply e.l.f.'s lip stain in Hot Tamale to complete the look.

If you want to, you can apply an eye shadow primer at the beginning as well. This will help the look last longer and not crease as quickly.

Contour Kit First Impression

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit First Impression

I wanted to start contouring, and I had some extra money, so I thought, why not get this contour palette I've wanted for a while now? It's $40.00 USD on Sephora, which is pricey compared to a drugstore palette such as the one from NYX, but I was in the mood to splurge a bit. I've only used it three or four times, so it's too early to give a review, but I was excited to share it.

The packaging seems to be made out of a very dense, sturdy cardboard-type material. It feels very smooth and all fancy and stuff.

It comes with six colors, three to highlight and three to contour.I got the light to medium palette. I find the highlighting shades don't work as highlights on my skin tone, but they work great as setting powders. I use the bottom right shade to bronze and the bottom middle shade to contour. I haven't found a use for the bottom left shade yet, but I'm sure I will by the time I do a full review on this palette. Overall, my first impression is that this palette is absolutely fantastic, but we'll see if that changes over time.

Biore Pore Strips

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips Review

Although my skin is far from acne-prone (I only get a noticeable pimple every 3-6 months on average, because I'm extremely lucky), I do get some blackheads now and again, usually on my nose, chin, and in between my eyebrows. So I bought some pore strips to remedy that.

This is the combo pack of 12 special nose strips and 12 normal face strips. It's lasted me months since I only use them when my blackheads are very noticeable, as I've heard they aren't great for your skin. I haven't suffered any ill effects because of these, though, so I'm not sure how true that is, at least for me. 

It's a bit gross, but here's one of the nose strips after being used. Even though I had very few visible blackheads, you can tell that it pulled out tons of gunk from my pores. These work super well and I would definitely recommend them, especially for $10.31 USD (purchase them here). If you have lots of visible blackheads that you want to get rid of, then you totally need to try these. Just be careful not to get them too close to your sensitive under-eye area if you use them on your cheeks!

Maybelline Baby Skin

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Review

Ever feel like your pores are too big and too visible? Here's your solution!

This is the Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser by Maybelline. I've found that it works great to smooth over your pores and, surprisingly, it doesn't clog my pores - at least not noticeably or enough to cause acne. 

Here's what a small amount of it looks like on my hand before rubbing it in...

...and here's what it looks like after! As you can see, it's totally invisible, so it'll work with any skin tone. I find it to be a little bit gooey, but it still does it's job, and it even works well as a primer! Although I do prefer my Hard Candy primer, this works almost as well and it blurs my pores. I'm not the best example of somebody with large pores, since most of mine are practically invisible, but I can tell a huge difference when I use it on my nose, where my pores are more visible. You can buy it here for $6.99, and overall, I'd say it's worth the money.

Chocolate Bar Palette Review

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Review

I received the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette as a Christmas gift and immediately fell in love with it. It literally SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE, guys! It was my very first high end palette, and one of my first high end products.

The packaging is fantastic. It looks like a giant chocolate bar! It's made from a hard, sturdy-feeling plastic. It also comes with a little booklet thingy of eye shadow look ideas!

Inside the palette is a plastic insert with the names of the shadows that I have somehow managed to not lose. I wish that it had the names printed on the packaging, like the Semi-Sweet palette does, but it's not a huge inconvenience once you get used to it.

Now we get to the good stuff - the shadows! There's 16 in total, two big highlight shades (I even use the shimmery one as a cheekbone highlight) and 14 slightly smaller than average ones. First is Gilded Ganache, a dark brown shimmer with a slight greenish tinge. Next is white chocolate, a matte cream color. After that is Milk Chocolate, a matte light brown. Next up is Black Forest Truffle, a shimmery dark brown. After that we have Triple Fudge, a dark brown matte. Next we have my favorite crease shade, Salted Caramel, a light reddish-brown. After that is Marzipan, a shimmery rose gold. Then is Semi-Sweet, a matte medium brown. Next is Strawberry Bon-Bon, a matte light pink which is not very pigmented, especially compared to the other shades, which are all highly pigmented. After that is Candied Violet, a dark purple shimmer. Then is Amaretto, a shimmery medium brown. Next is Hazelnut, a shimmery medium brown. After that is my personal favorite, Creme Brulee, a shimmery gold. Next up is Haute Chocolate, a shimmery medium brown. Then we have Cherry Cordial, a dark matte red-brown. Lastly is Champagne Truffle, a shimmery light purple-pink.

All of the shadows except for Strawberry Bon-Bon are quite pigmented, at least on my skin tone - I expect that it would show up better if I had darker skin. Otherwise, even White Chocolate shows up pretty well, although not *quite* as well as the darker colors, since it's honestly pretty close to my skin tone. There is little to no fallout, depending on what brush you use. I plan to do a few tutorials with this palette soon, so look out for those! You can purchase the palette here for $49.00 USD, which I think is a good price for the quality you get.

e.l.f. Brush vs. EcoTools Brush

e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush vs EcoTools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush (Used for Liquid Foundation)

Since I use liquid foundation nearly every day, I need a brush that's good at applying it. That's why I originally bought the EcoTools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush. But then, I found the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush under my bed (like, literally, under my bed. Still in it's package and everything), and I thought to myself, "Wow, this looks just like the EcoTools brush I use for foundation." So I decided to start using the e.l.f. one instead for a little while so that I could compare them, and I'm so glad I did - I actually prefer the e.l.f. one! While the EcoTools one is really good, it can sometimes leave obvious brushstrokes. The e.l.f. one still does that, but not nearly as much, and the lines disappear once I apply powder over it. And not only does it work better, it's cheaper too! The e.l.f. one is $3.00 USD while the EcoTools one is $6.99 USD. Also, I find the e.l.f. brush to be a bit softer and gentler. But neither of them have become my "holy grail" foundation brush, so if you know of a better one for a reasonable price, please leave a comment down below telling me about it!

Walmart Haul

Walmart Makeup Haul

I had to go to Walmart to get a few things, so of course I spent the majority of the time in the makeup isle! I plan to do a review on everything I picked up, so let me know down in the comments what you want to see first.

First I got three e.l.f lip stains to try out. There were five shades there, but I only picked up the shades Hot Tamale, Pink Petal, and Nude Nectar. They were $2.00 USD each. I've heard good things about them, and I tend to like e.l.f. products, so I have no doubt that these will be worth the money.

Next I got a 7th Heaven Green Tea Peel-Off facial mask. I have normal skin and I rarely get any noticeable acne, but I still enjoy a facial mask from time to time. This cost $1.37 USD, which isn't too bad. I chose this one because it's good for all skin types and I've heard that green tea is really good for your skin, so I wanted to test it out.

My next purchase was two Rimmel Keep Calm and Lip Balms in Rose Blush (Keep Calm and Rock) and Pink Blush (Keep Calm and Kiss). I don't own very many lip balms, and my lips are always either chapped or peeling (ew), so I got these to try out. At $2.50 each, they're relatively inexpensive, so I got two. I chose them based on what the side said.

Next I got the new (ish) Covergirl Super Sizer mascara. I love having voluminous lashes, and this claims to increase your lashes' volume by 400%, so I purchased it. I'll do a review and compare it to some other mascaras I already own. It cost $5.94 USD.

I already have a few Wet'n'Wild MegaLast lipsticks, but I didn't have these two colors, both of which I've wanted for ages but could never find - so of course I grabbed them! I got the colors Stoplight Red and Dollhouse Pink. They each cost $1.93 USD, and all the other colors I have are totally worth the price, so I expect that these will be too. I'll do a review of all the ones I own soon.

The purchase that I'm most excited about is the Hard Candy Fast & Fabulous Makeup Setting Spray. I've never used a setting spray before, but I've wanted to for a while, so I got this one for $6.00 USD. A bit more expensive than the e.l.f. one, but way cheaper than one from Urban Decay. I haven't heard anything about this one, but I hope it works well.

Next up are two e.l.f. products I've been wanting to try, the dramatic lashes and the blotting papers. I've only used false lashes once before, and I've never tried any blotting papers, but I'm eager to test out both. Each of them cost $1.00 USD.

After that are two e.l.f. eye shadow brushes, which I got because I don't really have either of these types of brushes. One is the blending eye brush and the other is the eye crease brush. I'm trying to build up my eye brush collection, and from what I've heard, these two will be great additions - especially at $1.00 USD each!

Lastly, I bought the e.l.f. Studio Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths. I've been meaning to get these for forever, so I finally bought them. At $3.00 USD for 20 wipes, they seem to be some of the cheapest makeup remover wipes on the market. My favorites are currently some from Burt's Bees, but I want to try some cheaper ones to see if I like them any better.

Lipstick Review

NYC Expert Last Lip Color Review

A while back, I noticed my lack of pink lipsticks at the time, so I went to pick one up. I also saw a red one and fell in love with it, so I purchased both.

Here they are - the NYC Expert Last Lip Colors in Traffic Jam (the red) and Forever Fuchsia (the pink). They cost $1.99 USD and you can get them here.

This is the amount of product you get - 3.2 grams. I've used a little bit of it, but this is pretty much the amount you get. The website claims that they last at least 6 hours, and I find that to be true, especially if you wear a lip liner. They're pretty easy to apply and somewhat creamy. They aren't too drying as long as you wear them for less than three or four hours, and they don't tend to feather much.

Here's Traffic Jam on my lips. It's a very pretty warm red. It has a semi-matte finish.

Here is Forever Fuchsia on my lips. It's almost a "barbie-pink," but not quite purple enough. It's also semi-matte, but a bit more matte than Traffic Jam.

Real Techniques Brush Review

Real Techniques Core Collection Brush Review

About four months ago, I purchased the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes to use for my makeup. I had been applying my foundation with either my fingers or a disposable wedge sponge, and it just wasn't looking as good as it could be. I was using a very old, cheap brush for my blush, and I no longer liked it. So I set out to Rite Aid to get some nice new brushes, and this is what I picked up. You can buy the set here for $18.00 USD.

Here's the case they come in. It's quite dirty since I've had it for so long, so please excuse that. It was very clean when I bought it. It's got a string on the side you can use to carry it, and the closure is Velcro.

Here are the brushes. None of them can be purchased separately, and all of them have synthetic bristles (I believe that all Real Techniques brushes do). First is the contour brush, which I use for blush. It's actually great for that, despite its small size. Next is the pointed foundation brush, which I used to use for foundation, but now use for blending my under-eye concealer. I found that it made my foundation look way too streaky and painted on, so I ended up using my fingers to blend it anyways. After that is the detailer brush, which I rarely use, but it can be used for concealing pimples or applying lipstick. I've used it for both and it works well for both. Finally, we have the buffing brush, which is my favorite. I use it to apply powder after my foundation to set it, and it's absolutely great for that. It blends the powder into my skin super well and makes it look natural.

Is it worth the price? To me, yes. I use three out of four brushes regularly, so let's pretend the other one doesn't count. That makes each brush worth $6.00 USD. It's more expensive than the average e.l.f. brush, but way less expensive than, say, a Sigma brush, and a bit cheaper than most Morphe brushes. I don't own any Sigma brushes, but I've heard nothing but good things about them. I own some Morphe brushes, and I actually prefer the Real Techniques ones (I still love the Morphe ones too, though!). I own a few e.l.f. brushes as well, and these are just a bit better than those. If you absolutely love e.l.f. brushes, then you'll probably like these too.

Lip Balm Review

Yu-Be Stick Lip Balm Review

I made a Sephora order a few weeks ago and purchased the Electric Palette, but I wanted free shipping. My total came to $49.00, and free shipping is $50.00 Shipping was a bit over $5.00 USD, and this lip balm was $5.00, so not only did I get a lip balm, but I was saving, like, 19 cents! Woohoo! You can get it at Sephora, or you can get it here for the same price.

Here it is. It's very moisturizing, and it contains vitamin E. Not only is vitamin E moisturizing, it also has some healing properties, so it's great for my constantly chapped lips.

This is how much product you get - quite a bit compared to a lipstick. Total, it contains .15 ounces of product, which is the same amount as an original ChapStick.

Here are the ingredients. Like I mentioned, it has vitamin E, as well as coconut oil, which is also moisturizing. When I first used it, I noticed that it had a very strong scent. Not unpleasant, but certainly unusual for a lip balm. I suspected it was rosemary, and when I checked the ingredients I expected to just see something like "natural and artificial scents," but it actually says rosemary! It doesn't taste like rosemary, but it definitely smells like it, so if you don't like rosemary, don't get this lip balm. But if you don't mind, then I totally think that this lip balm is worth the money. It may be more expensive than the average lip balm, but it contains nourishing ingredients that the average lip balm doesn't.

Brush Washing!

How I Wash My Makeup Brushes

I've heard that many people dread washing their makeup brushes, but I can't seem to relate to that. I don't love it, but I don't dread it either. There's something satisfying about seeing a dirty brush turn clean again. It's important to regularly wash your brushes because when you use them, they colloect oil, dirt, and bacteria from your face. When you re-use them, you're just re-applying all of that gunk to your face! Although you don't have to wash them every single day (since that would be quite impractical), I wash mine about once a week.

The Soap

I usually use any old liquid hand soap, but this time I used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Pure-Castile Liquid Soap, and let me tell you, this removes cream and liquid makeup WAY better than the hand soaps I had been using. Plus, it makes your brushes smell like peppermint! I used the 16-ounce bottle, which you can buy here for $10.99 USD. It's currently on sale for $9.34 USD, so hurry to get it! Most soaps can make your brush dry out over time, but this one is less likely to as it contains coconut and olive oil, which condition and re-hydrate the bristles. Other things you could use include baby shampoo or brush cleaner. If you use any type of soap without coconut or olive oil, I recommend also using some extra virgin olive oil mixed in.

The Brushes

Here's the majority of the brushes I had to clean. One is an e.l.f. Powder Brush, and the rest are from sets. One set is a Morphe set, but it was a Hautelook exclusive. The other is a Real Techniques set, which will be featured in an upcoming post if you want the details.

Step One: Wet the Brush

Please ignore my badly chipped nail polish - I have to get around to removing it. I start out by wetting my brush so that the soap can work up a good lather when I use it. This can also get off the tiniest bit of makeup, but it's mainly so that the soap works better.

Step Two: Soap

Next I put a few drops of soap into the palm of my hand and swirl the brush around in the soap. Do this very gently so as not to damage the bristles. Use no more force than you would if you were washing your face. Make sure to get further up into the bristles too, in order to get out all the makeup. Repeat this step until no more makeup is on the brush. You can tell it's clean when the lather is no longer discolored.

Step Three: Rinse

This step is very important. You don't want to get any leftover soap on your face because it can be harsh or irritating. Make sure to hold the brush with the bristles pointing downwards so that the soap and/or water doesn't get into the ferrule of the brush. This can dissolve the glue that holds the bristles in the brush and cause hairs to fall out over time. Rinse and occasionally squeeze the bristles until no more soap comes out.

Step Four: Dry and Reshape

Dry the brush by gently rubbing it in a swirling motion on a towel to remove most of the excess water. Again, use no more force than you would washing your face. Once the brush is as dry as you can get it, reshape it. Try to eliminate stray hairs, as these can make it hard to evenly apply your makeup. This is especially important for eye shadow brushes.

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any feedback you have for me, so if you do have any, please leave a comment! I also have a Twitter now, which is @makeupwmaggie.

Urban Decay Electric Palette Review

Urban Decay Electric Palette Review

I purchased the Urban Decay Electric Palette a couple of months ago because I love wearing bright colors, and it is FULL of bright colors. I had never tried any Urban Decay product before (I'm more of a drugstore girl), so it was definitely an investment. But it was one I was willing to make, since the reviews were all pretty good. First off...

The Packaging

I'm in love with this packaging. I feel that the bright colors represent the pigments inside. It's made of plastic, but it's a hard, sturdy plastic. It seems to be solid if you tap on it. I have yet to drop it, but I have no doubt that it would survive if I did. The font is pleasant on the eyes as well.

The Inside

It comes with ten colors, all labeled, which I like. First you have Revolt, a very glittery silver. Next you have Gonzo, a satin medium blue. After that you have Slowburn, a slightly shimmery bright red. Next is Savage, a matte hot pink. Then is Fringe, a satin teal color. Next up is my personal favorite, Chaos, a slightly shimmery electric dark blue. Next is Jilted, a satin purple-pink. After that one is Urban, a slightly shimmery dark purple. Next is Freak, a satin light but bright green. Lastly we have Thrash, a matte yellow-green. All of them are very pigmented, even Revolt, although that one has a bit less pigment than the others. I like to use it on my inner corner. Although the back of the package says not to use certain pigments around the eye area, I have used every single one on my eyelids without problem. However, this is because I don't see a bit of staining as a problem, since I don't really mind it. If you don't want your eyelids to be slightly stained, don't use these pigments. The "worst" staining comes from using Chaos, Slowburn, and Savage. Overall, there is occasionally some fallout, but generally very little. Personally I think that this palette is well worth the money, as I get a lot of use out of it. But if you don't use bright colors on a regular basis, you may not want to invest in this palette. I would recommend a cheaper palette if this is the case for you. You can buy the palette here for $49.00 USD. It also comes with a double ended brush!