Announcing the 2013 Color of the Year: Emerald Green!

As a green-eyed lady, I'm loving this choice!  What do you think of the announcement of Emerald Green as the color of the year?  Have any opinions on the products above?  Let me know in the comments!

Review: Maybelline XXL Extensions® Washable Mascara

OVERALL RATING:  8/10

PROS:  Drastically lengthens lashes, brushes are easy to use, comes with both a primer and mascara

CONS:  Actual mascara may make lashes a little spidery, clumps easily if not applied carefully


I ran out of my go-to Covergirl Lashblast Fusion mascara a little while ago, and while I believe that the Lashblast mascara definitely does its job, I wanted to try something else out for a change and to see if there was anything better out there that I was missing.

Review: Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow

OVERALL RATING: 6/10

PROS:  Easy to apply, nice color selection, stays on all day, very pigmented color

CONS:  Feels a bit gritty after a while, difficult to remove, hard to get it to look exactly right


As you can probably tell by some of my previous posts, I'm a little bit of a Maybelline addict.  I've been really happy with the new products that they've been coming out with lately, so it was only natural that I would try to go out and find their newest cosmetic item.  The Eye Studio® Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow (which is quite the mouth full) was out of stock for a while at my local drugstores, but on a recent shopping trip--which, if you're like me, is originally intended for food and other necessities, but ends up turning into a makeup haul--the display was fully stocked.  I couldn't resist, and grabbed some of the Color Tattoo shadow in Pomegranate Punk.  I went home and put it on right away.  Sadly, I have to say that this product didn't quite live up to the recent Maybelline hype.

Review: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush

OVERALL RATING:  9/10

PROS:  Fun texture, melts into skin, easy to apply, beautiful color selection, stays on all day, sheer color, buildable, dermatologist and allergy tested

CONS:  May be difficult to get used to at first for those used to powder blush, a lot is needed for a more dramatic look


I have to say, Maybelline is on a roll lately with their new products!  They're introducing a lot of really great, quality stuff, and the Dream Bouncy Blush is another example of this.

I've never really been a big blush wearer myself, although I knew that it would probably be a good idea to use a bit.  If I felt like adding a little natural flush or playing up my cheekbones, I'd just swipe on a tiny bit of powder blush and go.  When I first heard about the Dream Bouncy Blush, though, it definitely caught my attention.  There's something about the word "bouncy" that suggests a fun, youthful product, and it made me curious (good job, Maybelline marketing department).  How could a blush, or any makeup product for that matter, be "bouncy?"  Curiosity got the best of me, and on a shopping trip to my local CVS, I decided to pick some up.  I'm glad I did... I'm loving it!

My Dream Bouncy Blush in #40, Pink Plum

I chose to get the blush in #40 Pink Plum, shown on the right.  With my extremely fair, cool skin tone, I need to be careful to get blushes that are more pink hued, instead of peach.  Pink Plum has proven to be an excellent match for my skin.  Fair skinned ladies, don't be afraid of how bright it looks in the pan!  It's a nice, light pink that goes on very sheer, so it gives me a pretty, natural flush that makes me look more energized and alive.

The first thing that I noticed about this blush is the texture.  You apply this blush with your fingertips, so when I went to pick some up for the first time, it caught me a little off guard.  I actually started giggling... They weren't kidding when they decided to call this blush "bouncy!"  It has sort of a jelly, sponge-like texture, but picks up just like a cream.  I spent a few minutes swirling my finger around it, just because it's so fun to feel!

To use this blush, you pick up some of it with your finger (by rubbing or swirling your fingertip on the blush), then use your fingertip to pat and blend the color onto your cheeks.  I find that if I apply it to the apples of my cheeks first and blend outwards and upwards towards my temples, it gives the best effect.  Because you use your fingertips to apply the blush, you are entirely in control of where the blush goes.  It may take a little while to get used to for people who are used to applying powder blush with a brush, but because of the color payoff and the more natural, less "makeup-y" look, I think it's definitely worth it.

The blush melts easily into your skin like a cream, providing a nice wash of color that looks natural instead of just sitting on top of your skin.  The way it applies reminds me a lot of the Tarte Cheek Stains, but this is obviously a much more frugal option.  I think it looks just as good as my Tarte Cheek Stain in Flawless!  It also appears to last just as long as a stain.  I wore it all day to meetings, a physically demanding rehearsal, and then a night out, and it kept me looking fresh-faced the entire time.

The Dream Bouncy Blush does go on very sheer, but the color is buildable for a more dramatic look if you so choose.  To the left is a swatch on the back of my hand (taken in yellow lighting).  The bottom left side of the swatch is what it looks like after two layers are applied, and the upper right side is just one layer.

This blush also comes in a wide range of colors suitable for many different skin tones.  There are light pinks for the fair skinned, peaches for those with yellow undertones, deep pinks for the darker cool-toned skin types, and even reds and browns for the deepest skin colors.  All of the colors are lovely, and the right shade will give you a beautiful, natural, youthful flush.

The Dream Bouncy blush is available at most drugstores in the U.S. (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc.), and also at some select specialty stores such as Ulta.   It retails for about $7.99, which in my opinion, is a steal when you look at the price of some comparable products.  For more information and to see all of the available shades, go to www.maybelline.com.

Maybelline is quickly becoming my favorite and my go-to when it comes to drugstore cosmetics.  After trying out the Dream Bouncy Blush, I can definitely say that it is going to become a daily part of my makeup routine.  I will, without a doubt, be purchasing this again!

Have you tried the Dream Bouncy Blush?  Which shade looks best on you?  Let me know in the comments!

Face of the Day: Winter Classic

Hey, all!

I ended up pretty happy this morning with the way my makeup turned out, so I thought I'd share.  I did a very simple, wearable look that will enhance your features without making you look too made-up.  The shades I used are really nice for winter;  The sparkly shadow will give your eyes an icy, snowy look, and the deep pinkish-red lip gloss will make your lips really stand out. Sorry that the photo quality isn't the best, but you should be able to get the general idea!

Eyes

• Shadow:  Urban Decay's Naked Palette.  Sidecar all over the lid, Smog on the outer corners, Naked on the brow bone, and Virgin under the brows and on inner corners.
• Brows:  ELF's Eyebrow Lifter and Filler in Medium
• Mascara:  Covergirl LashBlast Fusion
• Eyeliner:  Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner on both upper lash line and waterline.

Lips

• NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in 580 Rivington Rose (I LOVE this stuff!  It's my new go-to lip gloss.)

Face

• Tarte Cheek Stain in Flawless on the apples of the cheeks

Hair

• Showered at night, threw my hair up in a tight bun, went to bed, and woke up with some nice waves.  :)

That's all there is to it!  Let me know if you guys try this makeup combination.  I'd love to see how it works on some different complexions!

Review: Maybelline Eye Studio® Lasting Drama™ Gel Eyeliner

OVERALL RATING:  9.5/10

PROS: Glides on smoothly, incredible pigmentation, extremely easy to apply, waterproof, doesn't smudge, very nice packaging, can be used on waterline, lasts all day.

CONS: The included brush isn't great for eyeliner; I tossed it.


After squeezing every last drop out of my Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner Pen recently, I decided that it was about time to move on to a new liner.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to get the Revlon pen again--It did its job just fine, but it usually required a few coats for a deep color and my shaky hands made application a little difficult.  I started asking around about different liquid liners to try, and even purchased a different brand (which was a TOTAL flop, review to come), but I wasn't seeing or hearing of anything that looked like it would work well for me.  I was lamenting about my search for the perfect liquid liner to my fellow cast member on the way home from rehearsal one night, and after detailing how liquid liner tends to frustrate me so much, she offered a simple piece of advice:  "You should try a gel liner."

I had only heard about gel liners before, and had never actually tried one.  They looked intimidating to me--when I was so used to pens, crayons, and brushes, how the heck was I supposed to know what to do with a little pot of liner?  However, at this point, I was running out of time to decide, so I chose to go for it.  I did a quick Google search for "drugstore gel eyeliners," found one from Maybelline, and went out and bought it.

Best. Decision. Ever.

A quick note about gel liners for those of you who are new to them like I was:  They're different than what you're used to, but that's actually a great thing.  The liner comes packaged in a tiny little pot, and you use a brush to apply it.  You just dip the tip of your brush into the pot, wipe any excess off on the sides, and use the brush to apply the liner.  The brush that is included with this product is useable, but definitely not the best option.  I would recommend the Small Angled Brush from the ELF Studio Collection, or something very similar to it.  Also, don't expect to get a ton of product.  The pots that these come in are tiny, but since you use just a teeny bit of product on each application, it should last you a long time.

Maybelline has really stepped up their product quality recently, and the Lasting Drama™ Gel Eyeliner is no exception.  The liner is creamy and amazingly smooth, and SO easy to apply.  I was worried about how I would handle a brush since my hand is so shaky with a liquid pen, but I actually found it much easier to use.  Using the brush makes it so you can hold it close to the bristles, reducing shake and allowing for a clean application.

My absolute favorite thing about this product is the pigmentation.  One sweep across the lash line delivers all the color I need, whereas I used to have to go over my liner several times before it was intense enough for my taste.  Be warned, though;  The black is VERY black.  If you, unlike me, don't like a dramatic black look, I'd recommend going for this same eyeliner in one of their other, more subtle shades, like brown.

The packaging on this product is the best I've ever seen on a Maybelline product.  I wasn't happy at all with the packaging on the Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow, but the packaging for the gel liner is enough to make up for it in my book.  The liner comes in a small glass pot with a sturdy plastic lid, which makes me feel confident that I won't have to run out and get a replacement due to a packaging malfunction.  It looks pretty classy, too;  It fits right in looks-wise with some of my high-end makeup.

I've been wearing this liner every day for about a week now, and I'm extremely impressed with its lasting power.  The liner is waterproof (confirmed after a weepy spell), and won't smudge unless you touch it (even then, it's hard to smudge).  It's even perfect for use on the waterline.  This is the only liner I have ever used that stayed on my waterline ALL DAY.  I wake up, put it on, go to classes, take a nap, go to rehearsal, come home late at night, and after all that, it is still exactly where I put it when I did my makeup in the morning.


Needless to say, I've been converted.  I don't know if I'll ever go back to liquid liner now that I've found gel!  I wouldn't worry about going out and buying some of the other (very) expensive gel liners out there.  I can't think of anything that this liner doesn't do that those could!  The only reason this product didn't get a 10/10 is because of the silly little brush that could be redesigned to be much more efficient.  The liner itself is definitely a 10!

Maybelline Eye Studio® Lasting Drama™ Gel Eyeliner is available at most drugstores in the U.S. (Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, etc.), and retails for about $7.  The liner comes in Blackest Black, Brown, Eggplant (medium purple), and Charcoal (medium gray).  For more information, visit www.maybelline.com.

Bravo, Maybelline!  I will be buying the Eye Studio® Lasting Drama™ Gel Eyeliner from here on out.

Look: Subtle, Pretty "Green With Envy" Eye

The other day, I did a review on the Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow, and as promised, I'm back with a look I created with one of the shadow quads!  This look uses the "Green With Envy" quad, and is a subtle and pretty look.  This is a super quick and easy look, great for mornings when you don't feel like putting much effort in or want something you can do in under five minutes.  All of the colors were used dry here;  if the colors aren't intense enough for your tastes, just wet your brush a bit and you'll get all the pigmentation you need!

Subtle,  Pretty "Green With Envy" Eye

1. Prime the eyelid with an eyeshadow primer, liquid foundation, or concealer.
2. **I skipped this step in the above photos, but if you'd like a slightly more dramatic look, take the darkest shade in the quad and apply it along the upper lash line, slightly thicker than you would apply eyeliner.**
3. With a flat/c-shaped eyeshadow brush, take the bright green (second from the right) color and pat it on to the outer half of the lid, bringing the color just a tiny bit past time middle of the lid.
4. With the same type of brush used in step three, take the darker golden (second from the left) color and pat it onto the inner half of the lid.  In the middle of the lid, where the two colors meet, blend the gold over/into the green in an outward sweeping motion.
5. Using a small precision brush, take the bright green color and apply it on the outer half of the lower lash line.
6. Using the same brush in step 5, take the deeper golden color and apply it to the inner half of the lower lash line, blending in the middle where it meets the green.
7. Using a flat/c-shaped OR domed/fluffy eyeshadow brush, apply the lightest color in the quad to the brow bone and the inner corners of the eyes.
8. Line the upper lash line with a liquid liner (I used the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner Pen in Black), and the waterline with a pencil/crayon liner (I used the Revlon Colorstay Crayon in Black).
9. Apply mascara (I used Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion), and you're done!

I hope you guys like this look as much as I do!  Leave a comment to let me know how it works for you!

Review: Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow

OVERALL RATING:  9/10

PROS:  Fantastic pigmentation, great color selection, well-coordinated colors, silky-soft shadows, great shimmer, easy to blend

CONS:  Poor packaging quality

Having green eyes means that there are a few certain color palettes that can really make your eyes pop, with shades of purple being one of the best selections.  I always try to keep some purple shadow in my makeup case for days when I want to really play up my eye color.  When I ran out of my last purple eyeshadow from L'oreal (which I really wasn't crazy about), I headed over to the drugstore to pick up some more.  I usually do well with Maybelline products, so I looked over their selection, and picked up their Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow in Virtually Violet (formerly known as "Purple Icon") on a whim.  When I tried it the next day, I was blown away.  I immediately went out and bought two more colors that same evening.

I had never used a drugstore-brand product that I was actually THRILLED about until I found this eyeshadow.  When I dipped my brush into the pan for the first time, I was shocked at how much shadow was immediately picked up--I didn't have to scrape and struggle to get it onto my brush!  When I swept the color onto my lids, I was even more excited.  The colors are so pigmented that they appear on my lids EXACTLY the same as they look in the pans.  The colors smooth on like butter.  The shadow is so soft, and glides effortlessly over the eyelid.  Blending them is a breeze--you can use the shadows to create a beautiful ombre effect on your lids.  I would go so far as to compare these shadows to the shadows from my Urban Decay Naked Palette;  Yeah, they're that good.

The Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow comes in a total of 12 different color combinations, each coordinated for a beautiful look with a variety of shades.  I personally own Virtually Violet, Green With Envy (which I happen to be wearing right now), and Mad for Mauve, and I definitely want to get more.  The shadows come in quads, and can easily be blended together or worn separately for a wide variety of looks.

All of the shadows in this collection are shimmery, so if you prefer matte shades, you probably want to look for something else.  The shimmer is certainly not overwhelming, but is definitely noticeable, and draws attention to your eyes.  

Here are some swatches from the sets I own.  Note that all of these were applied dry;  when wet, the colors become even more intense! 

Virtually Violet

Green With Envy

Mad for Mauve

The lightest shade in this set happens to be extremely close to my skin color.  It shows up much better than this on darker skin!

The bottom line is that these shadows are fantastic.  Before I got the Naked Palette for Christmas, these were the shadows I wore every day, and now I alternate between the two.  The major difference in quality between these shadows and the Naked Palette is found in the packaging.  The Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow packaging is made of really cheap plastic.  I have to handle it pretty gingerly because I feel it might crack or break apart at any second.  Really, though, this is a minor detail for such an awesome product.  I adore these shadows, and I HIGHLY recommend them for anyone who wants high-end quality on a drugstore budget.

These shadow sets retail for between $7 and $10, and you can find them at virtually any drugstore in the U.S. that sells makeup.  Visit Maybelline's website for more information or to buy!

I will definitely be posting looks/tutorials for the shadows I own in the near future, so stay tuned!  For any of you that own other colors of the Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow, feel free to share your experiences or photos in the comments!