Sinful Colors Hazard

Sinful Colors Hazard

Hazard.  Three thin coats.  It's fairly opaque, but it has a rather thick consistancy.  Would be better with a lot of nail polish thinner.  When I got it, I thought that is was peachish, but it's a lot more orange than that.  It's a lot brighter than my camera is showing.  Not quite a neon, though.  Oh. On the ring finger, I have a coat of Chiaroscuro by China Glaze.  It's a gorgeous color, and is amazing for layering.

Face Up to It: MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural

Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark.

MSFN Medium Deep.  I always hear people rave about MSFN's but I've never seen a review about them.  I've been using it almost every day for about a month and I used it in comparison with NYC translucent/highlighting powder.  It's hard to compare these, though, because one is a setting powder, and the other is a powder foundation.  This leads to obvious differences in coverage, but I was testing wear time comparison. Also, it's important to note that this powder is not matte, and that the colors run very light. I would probably be considered a light medium to most people, but in this line I am one of the darkest shade available.

I used two different powder brushes and a kabuki brush to try it out and see which worked best.  When applied with a powder brush, it appeared sort of cakey on my face on top of CoverGirl Naturelux foundation, so a kabuki brush is kind of a must have.  I mentioned in a previous post that when set with the NYC powder, Naturelux is still a little tacky.  It's a little bit less so when used with the MSFN.  The MSFN also lasts a little bit longer. Basically, throughout the day, I don't feel my foundation as much with the MSFN as with the NYC powder.

The MSFN's coverage is rather sheer. It will add a little bit of color to your face, but it doesn't do much extra to cover blemishes or discoloration.  If you want a natural look, which is what this product hints at, than it would be better for you than someone like me, who is looking for something matte and higher coverage.

Overall, I would recommend a Mineralized Skinfinish Natural if you have extra money to spend and want to try it out.  I don't think that it's really worth the money, though.  I won't be repurchasing it.  Much of my dislike for this product, is just because it isn't the type of powder I'm looking for, and so I'll next be buying the Studio Sculpt powder, which promises what I prefer.  If you like a more natural look, the MSFN may work for you.

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover from the Up & Away collection.

Four Leaf Clover.  2 coats. Okay, this color is nearly impossible to photograph.  It's closer to the bottle picture.  It's a blue toned green, kinda a grass green, and amazingly bright.  Almost neon.  It's very opaque and creamy look that softens the bright tones a wee bit.  If you're a green lover, this is a must have.

Wet 'n Wild Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone, outdoor, sunny.  The bottom right color is actually a lot like MAC Club, you can see better in the top picture that it has some teal flash to it.  The green color is more green than this picture shows too.

This palette was about $5.00.  Most of the colors are very pigmented, the least so being the top left color and the color two down from it.  Don't necessarily use the palette as the engraved words say, because it doesn't turn out very well. 

 A wearable smokey eye:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

NYX Chocolate Eyeshadow in the crease

Lower Left eyeshadow along the lashline blended up

Left eyelid and crease color mixed on the upper lid

Right browbone color in the inner crease

Left browbone color in the inner corner

Urban Decay Stray Dog eyeliner on the lower lashline with the right definer color on top

Urban Decay Zero eyeliner on the waterline and upper lashline

CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara

                                                  

Daytime look:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Right crease color in the crease

Left crease color on the lid

Left browbone color on the inner corner and inner crease

CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara

 Left, MAC Club. Right, Wet 'n Wild lower right color. Club is a little darker and the Wet 'n Wild one has more duochrome to it.

OPI Ski Teal We Drop

 OPI Ski Teal We Drop from the 2010 Swiss Collection.

It's a little more green than shown in both of these pictures, and I once again, apologize for my cuticles.  A dusty teal cream, opaque in 2 coats; as shown here.  Nice consistancy.  I also did this nail polish on my toes, and it left them bright yellow.  It was rather disgusting.  And I am nearly certain that I used a base coat, so if you use this color on your nails, don't leave it on too long.

MAC Haul!

I just got 3 things from MAC in the mail today! Well, actually, I ordered them from Macy's because the lipstick was sold out on MAC's website. I got an MSF natural in Medium Deep, lipstick in Summer Shower, and a lustreglass in Spring Bean.  This is just a first impressions and swatch blog post.  I'll do more in depth reviews in a bit.

These photo's are pretty accurate in color, but the pan picture is a little light. The MSFN is very  smooth, and actually has quite a bit of pigmentation.  It could be used as a foundation alone, to set a liquid foundation if you want really heavy coverage, or just to set concealer.

My lips bare.

Spring Bean lustreglass.  It's very green, but the base is sheer, and the glitter is rather yellow.  Which is perfectly okay! The lip photo doesn't show the glitter in it's entirety, there's a lot more.  The lipgloss is not sticky, but the glitter is quite gritty. It does seem as though it could move off of your lips.

Summer Shower Lipstick.  This is a glaze finish.  It's a little lighter than what the tube picture looks like.  The lip photo is actually pretty accurate.  The lipstick is very hard and doesn't feel creamy at all.  It has the potential to be a little gritty, but on your lips it's not bad.  The shimmer on the lips shows up mostly as blue, not green like the tube suggests. 

As I said before, I'll give full reviews once I have properly tested the products.

Midnight Snack: Orange Treat

I may not be at the time in my life where I need to be extremely conscious of what I eat, but it's good to start early.  If you're like me, than you often want to eat even when you aren't hungry.  My philosophy, is that if you make food that takes forever to make, with little caloric value, and noticeable nutritional value, than it won't harm you much. Of course, it has to taste good too, but this way you are still doing something with food, but you're not eating when you don't need to.

This is an orange cut into disks, covered in honey, with raspberries on top. It tastes amazing and raspberries are high in antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C, and manganese.  Manganese helps keep your metabolic rate high, making easier to burn fat.  They are good for your heart and even have cancer fighting properties. Oranges also are very high in Vitamin C, have some fiber, etc.

After you make it, put it in the freezer for no more than 15 minutes.  Did I mention how amazing this tastes? It's fabulous.

China Glaze Xtreme Thrash

China Glaze Xtreme Thrash from the Ski Collection.  Swatch and review.

China Glaze Xtreme Thrash.  A darker orange with a normal shimmer. Ugh, I apologize for my cuticles, they're a mess here. I don't exactly remember how many coats I used here, but I think that it was 2.  The reason that I love this color is because it's one of the few oranges that my skin can actually handle.  My skin is a little darker than these pictures show. Once again, the color's most accurate in the bottle photo.

Zoya Tiffany

Zoya Tiffany from the Fire and Ice collection.  This is one of the flecks, similar in finish to Crystal and Gloria.

Zoya Tiffany, 3 coats.  A peach foil.  The pictures are fairly true to life, most like the top bottle picture.  This actually was not one of the colors I ordered in the nail polish exchange, oddly enough.  The last shot is to show how wildly sparkly it is.  In really intense light, it pulls many colors, mostly peach and yellow/gold, making it look almost holographic.  In different lights, though, it looks different, sometimes mauve, sometimes orange, peach, copper.  It's a gorgeous and fairly uncommon color; one of my favorites.

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange

Guess what came in the mail!!

 

Colors left to right: Cassi, Keiko, Adina, Yummy, Apple, Freja, Richelle, Snow White

And these are the wonderful, fabulous nail polishes that I am exchanging back to Zoya. An empty base coat and top coat by Sally Hansen, a dried out design nail polish by Color Club, 3 NYC colors, 1 LA Girl, and a petites nail polish.

It's kind of annoying that Zoya claims that this sale is free.  It's really just getting your nail polishes half off with free shipping.  But I'm okay with that! Especially because Zoya is so hard to find in stores.

If you missed this year, I hope you order next Earth Day! Swatches should be up soon.

Face Up to It: Cover Girl Natureluxe Silk Foundation

After realizing that I only had about one more use of my liquid foundation (Revlon Colorstay) I decided that I might need a new one.  After hearing good reviews about the Cover Girl Natureluxe, I decided to give it a try.

I am the shade 340; maple.

A very inaccurate color swatch, but correct finish and texture.

"Redefine natural beauty with our lightweight silk foundation. With a touch of cucumber water and a hint of jojoba and rose hip extracts, our light yet luxurious formula takes heavy weight out of your polished finish." Cover Girl Official Website.

I actually find this foundation to be quite heavy.  I applied it using my fingers as well as a sponge.  Both times, it never felt as though it fully dried, leaving a tacky, heavy feeling, even when set with a translucent powder.  The finish doesn't reflect this, though.  It has fairly heavy coverage, but doesn't look cakey at all.  This may be related to the tacky finish of the foundation. The finish is mostly matte, but does give a slight sheen where the light reflects. I also found that it had a little bit of a strange smell, and not a very pleasant one, as it smells like food and flowers.  Odd mix. 

The packaging is also a bit of an issue, because the foundation color is only has a small window of visibility, so it's hard to match it to your skin (which you should do to your neck, not your face.) On the other hand, the small squeezy tube controls the flow of the foundation quite well.  It holds 1 fluid ounce of product.

The longevity is good.  It lasted at least 10 hours, and I did a trial run for a few hours and mowed the lawn, which it lasted flawlessly through. 

I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind being able to feel the foundation on their face, because other than that, it's really fairly good. It seems to be best when applied with your hands, when it's given a chance to warm up, letting it blend, thus not being so heavy.  I've found it from between $6-$9.

Thumbs up. Only because I don't mind feeling my foundation.

Midnight Snack: Parfait

 One of my favorite things to eat is a parfait.  Unfortunately, I don't really like them, I just like the idea of them.  But I made one this evening, and I actually really liked it.

I made it with strawberries, raspberries, bananas, honey, plain yogurt, and granola. Parfaits are a healthy form of carbohydrates and the banana's add potassium.  Red fruits also tend to be particularly beneficial to the heart and have Vitamin C.  Always use plain yogurt instead of vanilla, because vanilla has a lot of sugar.  If it takes you a while to get used to it, you can sweeten it with honey then ween yourself off of it, if you will.  The granola is Bare Naked Fit triple berry crunch.  It's actually pretty good for you, and I recommend this for breakfast along with a source of protein.

Easter Butterfly Manicure

Just a little Easter manicure that I did. It's supposed to look like a Monarch butterfly.  Hope it does! It literally took 3 hours, though.

Sorry for the messy cuticles! I had to take the picture before it got dark. The base color is China Glaze Xtreme Thrash.  It's a miracle unto itself that I even have an orange nail polish, because I dislike the color, and it often looks terrible on me.  This one's just dark enough, though.  I don't have a black or white nail polish yet, though I just ordered Snow White from Zoya in their nail polish exchange.  I hope to get my new polishes to post photos of before the exchange is over, though!  Anyway, so I used normal black and white paint, since it wasn't touching my nails. I used toothpicks to make the design!  Ah well, at least it worked.

L'Oreal Cobalt Smokes

So, the other day, I was digging through my stash of eyeshadows, looking for a navy blue, and even with my plethora of makeup-- especially eyeshadow- I couldn't find one.  So I ran off to Target with my mom and bought this

L'Oreal quad in Cobalt Smokes.  I believe that it was about $6.00.  The pigmentation is varied, though the gray is the sheerest.  All colors do a lot better with a base of a similar color, and the colors in the quad work very well together.

Okay, imagine the crease being darker, and some blue in the lower portion as well as in the outer corner.

Products used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Urban Decay eyeliner in Straydog blended as a base
MAC Espresso through the crease
The grey color on the lid
The pearl color on the inner corner
The medium blue in the crease and outer corner
NARS Coconut Grove in the outer v
Revlon single eyeshadow in Vintage Lace as a brow highlight
Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero on the waterline
Some Wet 'n Wild mascara