Hello all!

So...did you know, that when you need to save money for school, you should just spend it all on random make-up and clothes instead? YOU DIDN'T?!?! *Gasp* Well, honey, your doing it all wrong...

Moral of the story is...I will live in a cardboard box...with lots and lots of lipgloss! Woo!

I found this 5 pack of lipgloss by ELF (eyes lips face cosmetics) at Giant Tiger for a whopping 3$!!! I have seen it at Winners for around 8$ I believe, so for 3$ I couldn't resist!

If you haven't heard of ELF it's a make-up line, sold mostly in the U.S at places like Target (with a huge online store that does ship to Canada...read on for more about that soon!). The brand touts high quality make-up for cheap because they don't waste moola on fancy packaging and all that non-sense! I have heard great stuff about the brand, and recently started finding it at places like Winners (and Giant Tiger!). The brand's regular line is full of items that are only 1$, the studio line is a bit more expensive, but still VERY affordable! The web is full of reviews and what not, so I urge you to google it up/watch reviews on youtube of ELF cosmetics!

Anywhodinger. I found this 5 pack of lipgloss for 3$ are le Giant Tiger (Canadian discount/cheap/awesome store) and I am impressed! It's the 'Super Glossy Lip Shine' gloss from ELF, and the box I got was called 'Bare Basics'!

Left to Right: Malt Shake, Watermelon, Goddess, Pink Kiss, Candlelight

For comparisons sake...here are my lips with NO product

Let's have a swatch, shall we?

Malt Shake

Watermelon

Goddess

Pink Kiss

Candlelight

Here are all of them on my hand..

Left to Right: Malt Shake, Watermelon, Goddess, Pink Kiss and Candlelight

Opinions...

• fantastic price!!!!

• scent is kinda funky. very artificial-fruit smell...but it fades away

• colour pay off is better than I expected--and these would layer really well!

• not sticky AT ALL --very pleasant, moisturizing consistency without grittiness or tacky texture

• plastic applicator makes it difficult to apply precisely, so if you are worried about going outside the lines...you may need a lip brush (for me, I just globbed it on...!)

Would I buy again?

Absolutely! These are awesome and cheap and a nice way to add some colour and shine! The paler colours like Candlelight and Pink Kiss would look awesome over a nude lipstick to add some shine and dimension!

NOW! For the exciting part...right now there is an awesome sale!!!

Until August 30th you can get 50% off the Studio line which has amazing blushes, bronzers, brushes and more!!! I have personally fallen in love with the 'warm bronzer' and the blush brushes and eyeshadow brushes!!

For info on how to score the deal with cheaper shipping you need to go here! Which will tell you how it's done :)

Hope this helps some of you!

Much love,

XOXOXO

Unless you have been sleeping under a rock...(you HAVE? good grief girl, come stay with me, I have room!) then you have noticed the whole grey/greige/neutral nail trend that we saw last fall with OPI's 'You Don't Know Jacques' and other popular nail colours! See swatches here!

Oh how I wanted to jump on that bandwagon...I was running after it--with bells on! But i could never find the ever elusive mushroom/taupe shade every blogger was blogg-abbling about!

Alas. Enter Sally Hansen 'Commander in Chic' the drugstore answer to my prayers! I believe I paid 6$ or 7$ for this polish--which you can find almost anywhere (Wal-mart, Rexall, Shoppers Drugmart...etc)! It's part of the new 'Salon' line by Ms.Hansen (God bless her heart!). And this polish looks to me like it will be on the nails of every trendy gal come fall! It's unusual, moody and daring and I LOVE IT!

In the picture, that's two coats--and too be honest, next time I will do 3 coats...I feel like there is some patchiness...hmmm...

Other than that, I am seeing some light tip wear after 3 days, but it's not terrible. Too be honest I love the colour so much I don't mind!

A note: I have little nails...and the brush for this is very very FAT and thin. Unusual--I guess it's to make application a more one-swipe-quick-and-easy deal...but I found the brush picked up too much polish...so be wary!

Commander in chic (left) compared to my Sally Hansen Top/Base Coat brush

If your looking for a cool taupe/mushroom colour for fall, pick this up!!!

Talk to you soon!

XOXOX

Oh dear inter-weebz...How I have missed you!

So many posts...and so little time! And by little time--I mean plenty of time, frustrated, curled in the fetal position...wishing my laptop would stop freezing!!!

It's summer time.  HOW CAN YOU FREEZE IN THE SUMMER TIME?!? Absolutely redonkulous.

Anywho..here is an 'ocean'-esque...inspired nail!!

The pictures make it look realllllyy obvious--but the gradient was  much more subtle in real life!

Items used:

• Turquoise base colour (Sephora by OPI 'Mermaid to Order')
• Black for the tips, sponged on using a make-up sponge (Wet'n'Wild Black)
• Blue glitter on top (OPI in 'Absolutely Alice')
• Random Kiss Nail Art polishes to do the flowers
• Rhinestones from the dollar store!

How to:

• Apply base coat (I use Sally Hansen Anti-Aging top/base coat)

• Apply two coats of the turquoise polish. Allow to dry (2 minutes)

• Using a make-up sponge (I used the ones from the dollar store!) take black polish (pour some on a scrap paper or something!) and spong on the tips, around 1/2 way down the nail, fading gradually. Do this on all your nails and let dry

• Apply glitter polish all over nails. This helps blend the black in with the blue more, to give you a 'gradient' effect

• If you want, add a flower on your thumb nail, followed by rhinestones pushed into the nail--in any design you want! Follow with top coat--et voila!

Hopefully more stuff coming soon..if only technology would co-operate (okay okay..i'm also technologically incompetent...shhh!)

XOXOXO

Here is a little round up of some of this week's posts that have me drooling!

• MAC has a new collection coming up this fall called Venomous Villains--featuring Maleficent, Cruella and more!!! See Temptalia's awesome pics!

• Karen at the Makeup and Beauty Blog has the 411 on Estee Lauder's new collection for fall called the 'Blue Dahlia Collection'--check it out!

• Michelle from All Lacquered up has the 411 on the OPI Swiss Collection for fall--I kinda want 'em all...drool over these fun blues and greens and these beautiful reds!

• I am in awe of the shocking colours in MACs new 'Dare to Wear' collection! Check out Christine's video here and remember it's available online at the mac website, www.maccosmetics.ca (free shipping with code: DARE until August 1st!)
  

Oh internet...why must you tease me so?! Enjoy this week's link lovin'!

Hey all!

So, as promised, this is a review on the 'lipsliders' lipgloss from NYC--i bought the two shades shown below! These sleek little squeeze tubes are an interesting format from most doe-foot applicator glosses. You squeeze the product out, and the applicator is plastic, so you just swipe, er...slide? the product on your lips.

Top: Plaza Punch, Bottom: Park Avenue Princess

Pros:

• small, portable size tubes
• affordable (around 4-5$ CDN)
• very moisturizing formula
• high shine gloss
• sheer for those not looking for high pigmentation
  
• scent is pleasant--not too over powering
  
• available at most drugstores and places where NYC is sold

Cons

• the sparkles are very large and obvious--remaining behind after the gloss is gone
• the squeeze tube makes it possible to squeeze too much product out at a time leading to wasted product/goopy lips/a mess...
• Park Avenue Princess didn't change the colour of my lips at all--hardly showed up!
• Plaza punch is a pretty berry shade, but it didn't apply 100% evenly to my lips, and the silver glitter particles were large and obvious
• marketed as a 'high color and shine' gloss--but i found the pigmentation in these to be very sheer, which, can be good or bad depending on what your looking for!

Plain lips--no product!

Park Avenue Princess on its own-- see? Very sparkley and sheer. OoOo shiny!

Plaza Punch on its own-- to me, the shimmer particles over power the berry shade...hmmm!

Overall: These didn't *wow* me really, and for around 4-5$ I'd rather just save my cash to buy a lipgloss I like! But I'm going to probably stow these in my bag for a quick fix, or use them as a layering product over other lipsticks and such! Plaza punch will probably look nice over berry shades of lipstick--i can see it adding to the colour and giving a good shine. Park Avenue Princess might be nicer on paler complexions--and it does add good shine over pink lipsticks. I would get these if you want a drugstore gloss that is shiny and glittery--but not if you want something that is very pigmented! Also--if you prefer the applicator wands of most lipglosses, these are in a squeeze tube--so keep that in mind!!

Hope this helps some of you...hope everyone is doing well!!!

Take care,

XOXOXO

So...if your a youtube addict (like I am...) than you probably will get caught up in the hype of certain products. Case and point: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Revlon Colorstay foundation, NYX single eyeshadows, Sigma brushes, Coastal Scents--and on and on!

Especially if it's people you trust--you value their opinion dearer than your own--hop in your car and drive to the nearest drugstore, grocery store, ANYWHERE to get your hands on aforementioned product (unless its online..ohhh curse you online shopping..you beautiful, beautiful creation!)

Anyway--NYC is one of those cheapy brands that I delve into every now and then, and I heard great things about their new cream blushes and lipgloss. Just FYI they have a matte bronzer called 'Sunny' that is pretty awesome and usually under 5$! Anywho--I picked up 2 cream blushes and 2 lipglosses and was SO SUPER PUMPED! Only to be so super deflated. Well, maybe only slightly deflated? haha

I purchased the NYC Blushable Creme Sticks in 'Berry New Yorker' and 'Big Apple Blush' and the lip sliders lipgloss in 'Park Avenue Princess' a cool toned pink with shimmer, and 'Plaza Punch' a shimmery berry shade.

First, the cream blushes--which actually are pretty nice overall if you like cream blush--and don't have super oily skin (which I do not!). I will do the lipglosses with swatches in the next post!

Pros:

• I like the tube that you can roll up and down (kind of like a lipbalm..or a deoderant?!..woot!)
• super creamy consistency--makes it easy to apply with fingers (like i do) or a brush--doesn't settle into fine lines or wrinkles
• very pigmented-- a few dabs goes a long way--then you just pat on your cheeks until the colour is blended
• affordable--i paid 4.50 CDN at Rexall drugstore for each blush
• nice neutral shades that can work on many skin tones
• buildable--you can easily add more colour if you prefer
• a lot of people are raving about these--so depending on what your looking for in a blush--these may be just what your looking for!
  

Swatched here in natura lighting: Left to Right--> 'Berry New Yorker' and

'Big Apple Blush'

Cons:

• easy to over blend--causing colour to disappear
• work better as a base under another blush to help extend the colour--which is great, but then what's the point in getting all the fun colours?!
• need to be set with some kind of powder--which can dilute the colour
  

Overall: I think these are super nice for a cheap cream blush--and if you like cream blushes, it's nice to have a drugstore option because there aren't very many cream blushes for this price! Nice to use as a base underneath other blushes--but then you lose the true colour of the cream blush. These also may not be good for overly oily-type skinned individuals as they are very emolient. That being said--they are pretty cheap, and very pigmented, and therefore worth trying (at least 1) to see if you like 'em!

Available at most drugstores, Wal-mart and anywhere NYC products are sold! Also keep your eye out for the LE bright summer shades (that i didn't see :( )

Take care dolls,

XOXOX

Revlon Super lustrous lipgloss happen to be one of those products that are totally amazing for drugstore lipgloss--but I never hear much about them! Which is unfortunate because they are my 100% fave drugstore lipgloss (of all time.ever....in the world.) Recently, i was at Fortinos (Royal Canadian Superstore--etc. for my fellow Canadians) and I noticed these were half price! This usually means they are getting rid of a product because its discontinued!!! I was mortified, so I picked up 3 (i know, ONLY 3. I must be out my damn mind...).

According to various websites on the inter-weebz (oh yes) Revlon is discontinuing all of the previous shades and releasing a bunch of new shades which are very popular among the American bloggers! Sadly...(of course!) I haven't seen these in Canada yet--but if your local drugstore is clearing out the old shades--I'd snap a few up! I'll show you the 3 that i bought (for 4.50 CDN btw!)

Also, for those interested in the NEW shades---check out PinkieCharm on Youtube--who is AWESOME! She did a whole video review with pictures, swatches and the whole sha-bang! See Pinkie's Video!

Left to Right: Pink Pursuit, Life's a Peach, Pink Whisper

Want to see what they all look like on the lips?! Keep on Reading!