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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Essie "Butler Please" Polish Review (compared to Yves St. Laurent't Bleu Majorelle)

I have been seeing an Yves St. Laurent nail polish called Bleu Majorelle all over Pinterest and Instagram, and I just had to have it. But....it comes with a $25 price tag, and I think that's a bit ridiculous for a nail polish, so I decided to google dupes (duplicate shades that pass for one another) online and found Essie's Butler Please on a few blogs and it is IDENTICAL to Bleu Majorelle....and it's only $8. The Essie polish has a better formula than some of the Essie polishes. I think they've started making their polishes better than they have in the past. Since I don't have both polishes to swatch, I'm going to direct you to Ommorphia Beauty Bar Blog, where she had both shades swatched on the different hands, then on the same hands, so you can see there's no difference whatsoever!

XOXO, Jenni D

Essie "Butler Please"






Yves St. Laurent "Bleu Majorelle"




*Images are not my own. They were found on Pinterest. No copyright infringement intended.

Monday, April 15, 2013

April Birchbox

It's Birchbox time! I got some great products this month and I can't wait to review them for you!!! This month's theme was "Tiny Tweaks, Big Results."

I was really excited with this box because I've been searching for the perfect eye cream, and there's a sample of an eye cream this month.

StriVectin - SD


This product is an eye concentrate for wrinkle which says it diminishes fine lines and reverses puffiness and circles. I swiped some on this morning, and of course I don't have any immediate results to share with you, but it seems to go on smoothly. The packaging states it's only a 2 week supply, and to expect results in 8 weeks, so really...I would have to purchase it to really see any results. I will give a more detailed review of the product later if I feel it works any miracles. Right now, I really can't say much about it....Sorry.  You can read more about it on Birchbox, and pick it up for $65.00, if interested.

Youngblood Anti-Shine Mattifyer


I have the oiliest skin imaginable (and whomever said oily skin doesn't wrinkle is obviously and IDIOT...) so I was excited to receive this mattifying product. It's not a powder or cream. It's more like a lip balm texture. I applied it before my BB Cream on my T-zone, and it seemed to work pretty good, considering how oily I am.  It's not a miracle worker, but seriously, the best product I've ever found for my oily skin is using Milk of Magnesia as a primer. I'm seriously serious. It combats oil better than any primer or mattifier I've ever used. This is considered a mineral product, and as I'm not a mineral make up fan, I doubt I'll purchase this anytime soon. Mineral make up just looks dirty to me. But anyway....You can read more about this Youngblood product on Birchbox, and it's available for $36.00.

Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir

 

This serum claims to cure dry hair and reduce the odds of age-related breakage. Once again, I'm not sure if this works as I've only used it once... It smells really good and made my hear feel soft and shiny. The sample size of this was pretty good, because a little goes a long way. I researched some reviews of the product and found that it really didn't have that great of reviews. I doubt I'll purchase this in the future as I'm happy with my Argan Oil products and my Living Proof Prime Style Extender. (LOVE THIS STUFF....I reviewed it awhile back.) You can buy this Nexxus serum at Birchbox for $20.99, but I'll stick to what I'm using.

Skin & Co Sicilian Body Gel

I wasn't sure what this was supposed to be...a bath gel? A gel lotion? I had to look it up because it didn't really have anything on the packaging to inform me. It's a shower gel. I don't like shower gels. Never have. Never will. I just want to get in the shower, use soap to get clean, wash my hair/face, and get out. Oh, and shave my legs once in a blue moon. This stuff doesn't even smell good. It's supposed to smell like oranges. It doesn't to me. But you check it out if you want at Birchbox for $17.50, but I suggest you don't.

Weleda Body Lotion


I received three scents: Sea Buckthorn, Pomegranate, and Wild Rose. I'm a sucker for anything rose scented, so I of course opened it first. It smelled SO GOOD. I love it, and I plan on purchasing it! It was light, fresh, and nourishing on my skin. The other scents were great, too, but I'm a fan of rose, so that's what I'll be buying. Find it at Birchbox for $16.50.



I know this is rushed...becuase it is. I have to go to the post office to send my tax payments off...JOY!!!







Friday, April 12, 2013

April Ipsy Glam Bag, Sephora's Smokey Eye Studio Palette, My Favorite YouTube Beauty Guru, and Sigma Brushes....

April Ipsy Glam Bag

Let's just get right into it....starting off with my April Ipsy Glam Bag. I loved this month's bag, but it did have it's pros and cons. I was disappointed that it only had 4 products instead of 5, but the 4 products were pretty awesome, so I'll let it slide.  I really liked this "Pretty in Pink" theme. The white bag with pink trim was by far my favorite so far.  I'm only taking one picture and describing the items from left to right.


Miss Professional Nail Sation Lacquer

There were two different shades possible this month: a pink shade and peach shade. I received the peach shade. I've never heard of this line of polish before I received it in my bag. I didn't paint my nails with it because I just had my nails done in a leopard print stamp pattern with gel polish, so I didn't think it would give a good impression. I did play around with it, though, and I really liked the color. It's called "Love at First Byte," and it's a light peachy-pink color.  It went on smoothly and has a great applicator brush. The formula seems to be pretty thin. I'm not sure if that's true for all the polishes, or just the light colors, since I'm not familiar with the brand. I noticed a difference in a lot of the colors with the Zoya brand polishes. They seemed less shiny overall than OPI or Essie polishes, and some were more watery than others. But, this isn't a review on those... I will paint my toes with this later to see how it looks and update in the comments section. You can find these polishes for $5.00 at the Miss Professional website, or on Amazon even cheaper.

MICA Beauty Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow

I received the MICA gel eyeliner a few bags ago and I've been using it religiously for the past two months, however....I'm not sure if it is because I changed eyeliner brushes or what, but it seems like it's drying up and not applying as well. So, I don't really know if I'm excited about another MICA product. This is a powder form mineral shadow that is so shimmery and shiny. I received the color Earth, which is a shimmery pink, fitting in with the pink theme. What I found to be the neatest thing about this product is that it's multi-purpose. You can mix it with clear polish to make a nail polish...you can use it on your eyes as a shadow...you can mix it with clear gloss for your lips...mix it with clear mascara for your lashes.  How cool is that??? I'm actually going to try it out as a highlighter on my cheekbones tomorrow. It may be too pink to be a highlighter, but the color is just SO GORGEOUS that I want to put in on my cheeks and not on my eyes!!! You can find this product on the MICA website for $14.95.

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal

I love Sexy Hair products. I've reviewed their Powder Play before, and it was one of the products sent out this month, but I received the Soy Renewal instead. I was pretty bummed at first because I love the Powder Play and really wanted it, but since I've been using this the past few nights, I'm glad I received it! The product page describes this product as "a nourishing styling treatment made with Moroccan Argan Oil that addresses moisture, frizz, smoothness, elasticity and shine concerns." It does it all. It also claims to shorten blow dry time. I'm not sure if I agree with that, but since I don't typically time my blow dry time, I cant' say it DOESN'T do that. It makes my hair soft, less frizzy, and smells so good! The only complaint I have is that the sample bottle is really hard plastic and can't be squeezed to get product out, so I had to take the top off, and now it's leaking. But other than that, I love it. You can find this at Ulta for $21.95.

Be a Bombshell Blush

When I first saw this hot pink blush I was like, "Whaaaaaaaaaaat the......??????" because it is HOT. PINK. BLUSH. Some people received a lighter pink version. I received the color "Beach Please." I loved the name! I decided to try this out, even though it was HOT. PINK. BLUSH. I used it VERY sparingly, just tap-tap-tapping the brush in the blush and lightly applying it on my cheeks....and I LOVED IT. It was so pretty!!! I can see that if I went to heavy handed with it, all I'd need would be a side ponytail, a pair of leg warmers, and a loose sweatshirt to be a stand in for "Flashdance." The only complaint I had with it is that it wasn't very compatible with my oily skin. By the end of the day, it was not as pretty as when I first applied it. It almost looked muddy. I can't explain it. You could just tell it absorbed the oil from my skin, and it wasn't flattering. But, overall, it was a really pretty blush. You can find it at the Be a Bombshell website for $16.00.


Okay...that's it for the Glam Bag....on to other things....

My New Favorite YouTube Beauty Guru, Jaclynhill1

I just wanted to quickly tell you about my new favorite YouTube make up artist I just stumbled upon when surfing the net. Her name is Jaclyn Hill and she's a make up artist for MAC somewhere....and I love her. I have never bought MAC cosmetics because I am such a whore for Sephora, but I've found myself purchasing 3 concealers (2 for highlighting, 1 for actual coverage,) 2 lipsticks, a lip gloss, a sheer powder, and their blot powder. I'll review those another day as it's a blog post in itself!!! I usually stay away from the MAC counter here in town because when I've stopped by in the past I've had crappy service from the MAC workers, and that makes me irritable. That really hasn't changed, but now I go in knowing exactly what I want (from this chick's YouTube videos) and just tell them and buy it and I'm done. However, I do like the guy that wears make up that works at the counter. He's pretty awesome. The others either don't know WTF to do (I had to teach one girl how to apply concealer as a highlighter...) and there's this one older chick who's make up always looks like shit on a stick, so I definitely don't want her make up advice.... But anyway, you can find Jaclyn's tutorials here. Watch them and enjoy them!!! I love her and I think you will, too!

Sephora's Smokey Eye Studio 2

You need this. End of story. It has 16 eyeshadows and 15 lipsticks and this cool little removable compact in the middle that you can put your favorite shadows/lipsticks in to travel with you. You need it. Need more convincing??? It is only $25.00. YES you read that right!!!!!!! The shadows/lipsticks aren't huge, but you have SO MANY COLORS that you can play with!!! It is endless fun! I love it! They have great pigment and apply easily. This is a great palette to buy to have a variety of colors to use and play around with. I think it would also be great for a teenager who is just learning how to apply make up. Get it here on Sephora's website, before it's GONE!

Sigma Brushes

I recently purchased some of the Sigma make up brushes that the make up artist I told you about above recommended...and I love them. But....alas...it's almost midnight and I'm tired, so I shall review them another night! But if you want to have a look, you can check them out on the Sigma website. Watch Jaclyn's brush tutorial on YouTube. She tells about the brushes. They are like MAC brushes, but cheaper. I'm loving mine!


XOXO, Jenni D


















Monday, April 1, 2013

Hi, I'm Jennifer, and I'm obsessed with YouTube tutorials.

I'm currently OBSESSED with makeup tutorials on YouTube! My favorites so far are from Jaclynnhill1, LittleKiva, MichellePhan (who does a fabulous Zombie Barbie makeup tutorial using Kleenex, latex, makeup, and fake blood...it's awesome!), Fleur de Force, and Nicole Guerriero! Those are all their YouTube channel names, so you can just go to YouTube and search for them. I'm thinking of starting some video tutorials...but I really don't know where to start. I have a friend who has asked for a fishtail braid tutorial...maybe I'll start there! Hopefully I can try this weekend!