Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadow- Edgy Emerald, Bold Gold, Fierce Orange

Ok, the beauty world has gone bananas over the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows, and for good reason. These gems have awesome color payoff and are fabulously textured-- they are definitely reminiscent of MAC's paintpots, but for a fraction of the price. What REALLY sparked my interest in these was Edgy Emerald's similarity to KvD's Finland [dried up] cream shadow from the Truth palette.  And, because Ulta was having a sale on these when they came out, I ended up getting Fierce Orange too, since I don't have any colors like that in my collection AND because I love this makeup look from a past Dior runway show:

Lo and behold I liked the formula so much that I also bought it in Bold Gold when it was finally in stock at my local Rite Aid.

While I echo others' reviews that the Color Tattoo shadows are highly pigmented and wonderfully textured, these definitely don't last 24-- or even 8-- hours on my oily skin.  I'd say these shadows only last maybe 3 or 4 without a primer on my oily lids.  Since UDPP exists, this doesn't prevent me from wearing these.

L-R: Edgy Emerald, Bold Gold, Fierce Orange

Edgy Emerald: Slightly metallic bluish-green.  Unfortunately I can't do a comparison swatch with Finland, since it's dried up (and my photos of it aren't amazing), but when comparing just the two colors in their pans, Edgy Emerald is slightly greener and way less metallic than Finland.

Bold Gold: True gold with gold sparkle.

Fierce Orange: Orange with a faint copper shimmer (I have a terrible lighting situation, so the shimmer didn't show up.  Sorry!)

If you want a real bang for your buck, I highly recommend the Color Tattoo eyshadows.  Just remember if you have oily skin like me, you might want to wear a primer underneath!

You don't have to take my word for it, check  your local drugstore or Ulta for these badboys!

Review: Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Hussy

Illamasqua's powder blusher in Hussy is something I've test drove a few times in my Sephora adventures, but I finally decided to buy it. At $24.00, it may seem a bit pricey for a blush, but read on to see why this is deserving of your hard earned dollars.

Hussy is described as a "bright petal pink," but I'd say it's a bright warm medium pink. When applied with a light touch, it gives my fair skin a nice flush, and this is definitely pigmented enough to show up on darker skin tones if you only have a slightly heavier hand.  It's so pigmented that I only have to barely touch my brush into the blush to get enough product out for my cheek (as opposed to say, a MAC blush, where I have to swirl my brush around to get a sufficient amount of product. So, suffice to say, this one is going to last me a LONG time!

 This has a matte finish, and the texture is smooth, which lends to how evenly this goes on-- no patchiness here! It blends out super easily too, which is awesome because sometimes I accidentally put too much of this on my face. This also lasts a good 9-10 hours on my oily skin, which is remarkable since my skin always "eats" blush so quickly!

Illamasqua's packaging is simple yet elegant.  At first, it was slightly hard to open, but I think that was because it was new and the closure had to get "worn down" a little. Even though it was annoying at first, the blush never popped open in my makeup bag!

All in all, I'm SO happy with this Hussy, and I shall be trying other colors of Illamaqua blush in the future!

You don't have to take my word for it!  Illamasqua's powder blusher in Hussy (and lots of other colors) is available now at Sephora.

Review: Glamour Doll Eyes Circus Collection

For a long time I've been hearing about Glamour Doll Eyes (or GDE for short) on various blogs and youtube videos, but until recently I had never really given the company much thought.  It was when  I saw the look from the Circus collection on this guest post on Xsparkage that I knew I had to check out this company for myself. Even though I set out only to get a few colors, GDE has the awesome option to buy sample jars, so I ended up getting the entire Circus collection + two other colors for around $20!!

The Circus collection arrived packaged in a cute little box, complete with a package of cotton candy Poprocks and a raffle ticket! I don't remember what the raffle ticket is for, but that's ok.  The jars also came sealed, which really surprised me considering they were just samples.

Bearded Lady- Shimmering brown with a silver sparkle

Big Top- Shimmering yellow with a faint pink shimmer

Cotton Candy- Light blue with pink glitter

Electric Chair- Shimmering white

Fiji Mermaid- Deep teal with a sea green shimmer

Fire Eater- Orange, red, and gold glitter

(I didn't photograph my swatch of this because, since I didn't use a base, it almost immediately fell off. It's ok because it's pure glitter- no binders or anything- so this behavior was expected.)

Oddity- Lime green with yellow gold shift

Sword Swallower- shimmering light silver

Across the board (minus Fire Eater, because it's all glitter) that these shadows are very finely milled.  When I put my finger in the jar to make the swatches, I couldn't tell when I had dipped into the product!  Because it felt so barely-there, I was worried about color payoff; but, I'm happy to say that all of these shadows have great pigmentation. Also, to get the colors to REALLY pop, a sticky base works wonders (I put these over my trusty UDPP while it's still "wet," and I have also used my NYX Jumbo Pencil).

All in all, I think this collection is definitely worth your hard-earned dollars. Plus, as I previously mentioned, there are a lot of different price options: $8 will get you the entire collection in sample bags, $16 will get you the entire collection in sample jars, and $32 will get you the entire collection in full-sized jars.  You also can purchase full sized individual shades for $6 (it doesn't look like you can buy samples of this collection individually).

You don't have to take my word for it! The Circus Collection is available now (for a limited time!) at Glamour Doll Eyes.

Looks featuring Mi Vida Loca Palette

Hi! These are looks I wore today and yesterday featuring shades from Mi Vida Loca.  The shades built up enough for my tastes, but if you're looking for Sugarpill or Makeup Forever quality here, you're going to be disappointed.  Any who, these are looks I came up with. One is using the left half of the palette, and the other is using the right.

Look 1: Harlequin eyes

What I used:
eyes
Mad Max- outer half
Sparklehorse- Inner half
Dublin- crease and lower lash line
Altruism- highlight
Wonderchild- top lashline and waterline

Lucifer- eyebrows
Urban Decay Urban Lash mascara

cheeks
Benefit Coralista blush

lips
Coral Castle painted love lipstick

Look 2: Hologram eyes!

What I used:

eyes

Wonderchild- waterline and lower lash line

Drama for Your Mama- lower lash line, outer V

No Regrets- blended into DfyM on lower lash line, and into crease

Marya- inner half, blended into No Regrets

Swan Song- highlight

also used:

Lucifer- eyebrows

Sephora Full Action Extreme Effect mascara

MAC Pink Swoon blush

Viva Glam Gaga lipstick

Gunshine Lightning sheer lipgloss

(I spared you from a full face picture for this because my left eye started leaking and ruined my makeup. You're welcome!)

How would you wear this palette?  Let me know in the comments!

Review: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca True Romance palette

Mi Vida Loca is the first new True Romance eye shadow palette from Kat Von D for Sephora for 2012! It's a collection of rainbow hues, inspired by the 80s. As with every True Romance palette, there are eight shadows. Included in Mi Vida Loca is a completely new eyeliner: Wonderchild.

Left to right:

• Swan Song: Cream with pink shimmer. This is VERY sheer, but had a velvety texture. 
• Marya: Frosty pastel pink. This was a bit sheer, but had a good texture.
• No Regrets: Shimmery rasberry. Better color payoff than the previous two, but the texture wasn't as good.
• Drama for Your Mama:  Purple with faint shimmer. The texture was a bit dry.

l-r: Swan Song, Marya, No Regrets, Drama for Your Mama

Left to right:

• Mad Max: Matte electric blue. Sadly, this was a bit chalky, but had decent color payoff.
• Dublin: Shimmery yellow-based grass green. Color payoff and texture-wise, this was the best of the bunch.
• Sparklehorse: Shimmery golden yellow. Good color payoff, good texture.
• Altruism: Shimmery pale butter yellow. A bit sheer, but had a good texture.

l-r: Mad Max, Dublin, Sparklehorse, Altruism

• Wonderchild: Metallic navy. 

The right half of the palette performed much better than the right half, but it wasn't so bad that I'd recommend skipping Mi Vida Loca.  I didn't build up the color in the swatches, but the colors (with the exception of Swan Song and Marya) can all be built up so that they look truer to the pan.  As for the eyeliner, the formula is no different than the other Autograph pencils I've tried: it's creamy, waterproof, long lasting, and has great color payoff. 

The packaging is no different than the last set of True Romance palettes that have come out. It's still the same metal case with the big mirror that won't stay propped up if I need it to.

All in all, if you are a fan of rainbow shadows, I feel there are better brands from which you can get your multicolored fix (namely Sugarpill).  However, if you are curious to test the rainbow shadow water, I'd say Mi Vida Loca is a pretty good start. Plus, that eyeliner is preeetttyyy amazing and isn't available on its own.

You don't have to take my word for it! The Mi Vida Loca True Romance palette is available now for $34 at Sephora.

Review: Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick- Jeffree

Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick is one of the brand-spanking-new-to-the-brand products launched for spring 2012.  Of the six shades offered, I chose Jeffree A. because it didn't look like anything else I have B. its namesake, Jeffree Star, is a devastatingly fabulous creature.

 If you're not familiar with who he is: Jeffree is a makeup artist, musician, and model. Truthfully I'm not a fan of his music, but I'd let him do my makeup any day!

Jeffree is a matte bright coral. In the tube, it looks like a tame color that my grandmom would love, but on the lips- wow! It is opaque, and really lives up to its title of "long lasting."  I put the formula through the following tests:

• The swatch on my arm was rubbed (hard!) and scratched at. It did not flake or budge!
• I drank two glasses of water. It didn't transfer on the glass, nor did any come off.
• I smooched the back of my hand. Still on.
• I ate delicious, but greasy, Indian food. I also blotted the lunch off my mouth (I'm a messy eater haha). STILL DID NOT BUDGE!!!

 The formula offers no additional moisture to your lips.  I put this on lips that were already in need of balm, and it was not a good look! With that said, it didn't dry my lips out more.  It surprisingly applied smoothly and evenly, it just sort of emphasized how dry my lips were (as most matte lipstick would).

As texture goes, the formula is a true liquid--very thin, almost watery. The first two times I had put the wand back in the tube,  some product tried to escape from it.  Considering the backlash that happened with the High Voltage mascara, which had the same problem and was ultimately discontinued, I foresee the same thing happening with Everlasting Love l/s. Hopefully I'm wrong!!

The packaging itself is just skinny plastic tube that houses 0.18 fl oz of product.  Inside there is a doefoot applicator wand. I really like how you can see the product through the tube-- it makes it easier to find in a sea of lipsticks or the black interiors of my bags!

When I read about the launch of the Everlasting Love liquid lipsticks, I immediately thought they would be a re-packaged version of Sephora's cream lipstains with a bigger price tag.  Hear me now: THEY'RE NOTHING ALIKE! Despite the leakage that happened, I would still recommend these. The formula is fantastic, and I personally can't wait to buy more colors.

Don't take my word for it, all six shades of Everlasting Love liquid lipstick are available now for $18 at Sephora.

Review: Kat Von D High Voltage Lacquer- No Regrets

High Voltage Lacquer is the first nail polish offered from Kat Von D for Sephora.

0.25 fl oz of product is contained in this stubby cylindrical bottle. I don't have a huge nail polish collection, so in comparison to the brands I have, this bottle feels really small. The brush is a good size despite the small bottle.  It applies even color to an entire nail in about 2 strokes (it may take 3 strokes if you have a wider nail bed). 

No Regrets has superfine hot pink glitter suspended in a hot pink base.  It definitely has a blue undertone to it.  Now that I'm thinking about it, the sparkliness of it reminds me of sparkly vinyl handbags. I'm usually not a fan of glitter polish because with polishes I've used before, not only did the glitter create a rough texture on my nails, but it was also was annoying and difficult to remove. Probably because the glitter is so fine, the surface of this on my nail is relatively smooth. The formula is thin, but applies very evenly and smoothly.  It takes two coats to reach opacity. Drying time per coat was under a minute!

UPDATE: 1/13/12: I noticed my first chip on my right middle finger. Truthfully, the polish started wearing off at the tips by the second day in, but I wanted to wait until I actually saw a chip to update the post. I don't have a base or top coat on my nails, so the color would probably last longer if it had those helper products to keep it in place.  On top of that, I'm in the process of moving, so my nails have really been through the ringer the past few days.

Overall, I like this nail polish, but I don't love it.  I feel for a $12 price tag, there should be something better about it-- Bigger bottle/more product? Opaque in one coat? Better wear time? Plus, due to my ignorance to what's out there in nail polish land, I don't really know how unique the four shades are.

You don't have to take my word for it, High Voltage Lacquer is available now at Sephora.