Merry Christmas~!

It's Christmas!  How do you like my little Christmas tree?  I got it from Walmart for $9 and it sits on my dresser.  It already has lights attached to it! (The bright white spots, lol.)  Got the little ornaments on sale at Walmart too.  I think this is a great color combo!  Not your traditional Christmas colors, but still very pretty! ^^  I hope everyone is having a fun and safe holiday~ Relax and be merry! :)

I'm so excited for the upcoming weeks and next few months!  First off, it's the prime of holiday season!  Love this time of the year.  So festive!  And then, I interviewed for an internship on Monday and got it!  So happy and excited for that!  It gives me a feeling of accomplishment to know I'm finally on my way to a future career. :)

Next, I've got to work on my New Year's Resolutions list...Hmm...Well, that's still a few more days away! :P

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

my dog, Jello, dressed in her Christmas pajamas wishes you good night! isn't she so cute? ^.^

HAUL: More Jewelmint! (exciting news for CANADIAN readers!!)

I have some more Jewelmint pieces to share with you!  I debated posting this, because I am quite disappointed with Jewelmint at the moment due to their Reserves sale fiasco (more about this at the end of the post, if you're interested).  But, I thought I would share anyway, because I do like the jewelry and have become quite addicted. O_O  I try not to buy without a promo code though, because I still feel like $29.99 is quite pricey and that I could probably find a similar looking piece of jewelry for cheaper at F21.  But I guess, also, JM's pieces are more well made than F21 ones...

Here's the Silver Swan bracelet I mentioned in my previous Jewelmint post:

These are the re-released/re-done version of the popular Golden Goose bracelet.  I have since also acquired the much-wanted Golden Goose bracelet. ^^  I love them both!  They both have a satin-y finish, instead of a super shiny one, which I love.  The fit is kind of loose as I'm able to slip it on without undoing the clasp, though I don't worry about it slipping off.  The only difference between the two is really just the color.  Both are definitely a great addition to any arm party! :)

Kind of loose...
I did the string/ribbon test, and my wrist measured 5 1/2 inches, if you were wondering.

My next piece is the Wonderland Earrings that I had on my wishlist!  I really liked these when I first saw them, but hesitated on buying them because I wasn't sure how it looked on a person.  The model pictures weren't that great!  But after seeing HollyAnnAeree wear them, they looked gorgeous and I decided to give in and buy them on Cyber Monday, when Jewelmint had $10 off everything.  Even though I haven't worn these out yet, I fell in love with them!  It's kind of Christmas-y to me, because the top looks like and oranment and then there's the bow that reminds me of a present, lol.  I think I might wear them for my family's Christmas shindig. :)

And for the exciting news for CANADIAN readers?  JEWELMINT IS NOW SHIPPING TO CANADA!! Shipping to Canada will start on December 26.  So if you're interested in Jewelmint and from Canada, YAY for you!! :D

If you'd like to know about my Reserves experience, click below:

SPOTTED: New Maybelline Products - Color Tattoo by Eyestudio

So the end of the year means a lot of products for the upcoming year!  I've been following Nouveau Cheap to get the scoop on new collections, and I'm really interested in the cream shadows that the drugstore brands are coming out with now.  I'm wondering if it'll be a cheaper alternative to MAC paint pot.  However, I'm looking for a Painterly type color and have yet to see a neutral/skintone colored one...so we'll see?

Anyway, I have spotted the L'Oreal Infallible display at Target, though it was almost empty.  I did manage to pick one up and will hopefully be able to do a post on it soon.  And today I spotted a big endcap display at CVS holding a bunch of new Maybelline products!

In this display there is a new mascara, new brow pencil in 3 colors, a new liquid liner (?), eye color tattoo in 10 colors, and new Super Stay lip products (lipstick and lip stain).  I didn't really get a close up look at everything, because I was just quickly passing through CVS, so not sure about colors and everything.  I was most interested in the Color Tattoo by Eyestudio.

It claims to be a 24-hour gel cream shadow and, like mentioned, it comes in 10 shades.  I was tempted to pick up the taupe one, but decided not to since I hadn't read any reviews on it yet.

What do you think?  Will you be trying any of these new products out?  

I'm curious to see how these Color Tattoos compare to the Infallible Eyeshadows!

REVIEW + SWATCHES: Physicians Formula Universal Look Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio in Nude

I'm supposed to be studying for finals, but I decided to do a blog post instead. ^^  So here are are the eyeliners I talked about in my last post!  I bought these Physicians Formula Eyeliner Trio in Nude when I bought the Shimmer Strips Nude palette, since the sale was BOGO 50% off.  I was very intrigued by the colors and thought them unique for the most part (except the black, of course lol).  

champagne, pewter, black

Since it's a trio, it does come with three colors: champagne, pewter, and black.  The packaging suggests champagne for a natural look, pewter for a playful look, and black for a dramatic look.  I was most intrigued and excited for pewter, and as it turns out, that's the one I like most!  All of these have sparkle in them, but they don't show up too sparkly when applied to the eye.  Also, the black is not the blackest black ever, but it's still nice.

black, pewter, champagne

These are my first eyeliners from Physicians Formula, and they swatched nicely.  When applied to my eye, I didn't have any problems (although I haven't tried the Champagne one yet).  The liners were not super hard or super soft, and the application was smooth and didn't tug at my eye.  Also, these lasted pretty well throughout the time I wore it, which was about 8 hours or so.  To see a look I wore with the pewter liner, check my last post.

Would I recommend this?  Although pricey, I quite like these liners, so I will say yes!  Especially the pewter shade! :)

Availability: CVS
Limited Edition? not sure if it's limited edition or not
Price: $10.99

REVIEW + SWATCHES: Physicians Formula Universal Looks Shimmer Strips Eyeshadow Palette in Nude

I first posted this on my last Wishlist Wednesday, wondering when it would be out.  Well, it's out~!  At the time, my local CVS.  Instead, I found it at another one that I happened to stop at this past week (although I have been to my local CVS again, and they do have it now).  Of course, I had to pick it up.  It was the last one too!

My first impression was that the packaging was super cute!  I love lace, and the black and pink look really pretty together.  Plus it has that cute little bow.  Unfortunately, the little bow fell off of my palette as I took it out of the packaging.  So, be careful when you take it out of the box!  That bow is truly dainty/fragile...

next to the wet n wild vanity palette for size comparison

My next thought was that it was smaller than I was expecting.  This is my first Physicians Formula shimmer strips palette, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  Actually, it's my first time using a Physicians Formula product ever!  I hardly buy Physicians Formula products because they are quite pricey, compared to the other drugstore brands.  I usually hold off until a good sale before purchasing!  (Unfortunately, this sale was only Buy One, Get One 50% off, and I don't think that's a very good sale...)  That's not to say I don't own any other Physicians Formula products.  I do have other Physicians Formula products, like the Happy Booster Blush that I hauled earlier, but I haven't used it yet, lol.  Anyway, enough rambling about that!  The size of each color is pretty small, and it may be a bit hard to get your brush in without picking up some of another color.

w/ a q-tip for comparison...the shadows are very thin/tiny!

These didn't have the greatest color payoff when I swatched them on my arm.  It took me several swipes to get what's in the picture:

swatches on nc-25 skin (I think, since haven't been color-matched in a while)

However, even though they come off as sheer, the colors are buildable, as you can see.  Also, it applies much better on the eyelid (with a brush), more pigmented.  All shades are shimmer shades (since they are shimmer strips) except the black, which is kind of matte.  It does still have a bit of shimmer in it in the pan, but the shimmer doesn't transfer when applied to the eye. 

And here's a look I did, using the 3 colors at the left-most side of the palette + the other PF item I got, the Nude eyeliners from this collection (I used the Pewter shade and will review it next!) :

Would I recommend this?  If you asked me this right after I swatched it, I would straight up say no because at $10.99, it's at the higher end of the drugstore spectrum and I would expect it to have better color payoff.  However, after using it on my eyes several times, I do find that I really like it.  It applies much better when applying to the eye, especially if you are using primer.  If you're a nude lover, I think you'd like this, especially if you love taupe-y colors.  This palette has some really nice looking taupe shades!  But if you're looking for a good, cheap first-time nude palette, I don't think this is it. (Again, the price!)  Try the Wet N Wild Vanity palette instead.  You get 6 shades for half of the price of this one (which has 9 shades).  If you want a palette with a black shadow, you could get the Wet N Wild Greed palette, which has a matte black.  Both of the Wet N Wild palettes are $4.99, so it'll still be cheaper to get both the WnW than just this one!  And actually, they're on sale at CVS for 50% off right now!  If it's a taupe-based nude palette you're looking for, try Maybelline's Natural Smokes quad, which is around $5.  And if you're wondering if this is a good cheaper alternative to the Naked palette...?  I don't think so.

Availability: CVS

Limited Edition? not sure if it's limited edition or not

Price: $10.99

Have you spotted this palette at your drugstore?  What do you think?

DEAL ALERT! CVS Beauty Clearance Event

It's that time of the year...CVS is having it's Beauty Clearance Event!!  That means select products are up to 75% off.  My first time learning about this event was last year, and I went a little crazy buying stuff.  It was great!  So this year, I was waiting for it.  I went the next day after I found out about it on Nouveau Cheap, but my CVS didn't have anything on clearance.  Bummer right?  So I decided to stop by another CVS after class today, and LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!

So what I got (left-right, top-bottom): 

- wet n wild mega last l/s in ravin' raisin $1.49 (orig. $2.99)

- revlon satin e/s in nude slip, peacock lustre, platinum glimmer $1.37 each (orig. $5.49)

- revlon colorburst l/s in crimson $2.62 (orig. $10.49)

- confetti polish in smitten $0.49 (orig. $1.99)

- revlon colorstay e/s quad in nude elements $1.87 (orig. $7.49)

- wet n wild color icon 6-pan e/s palette in lust and vanity $2.49 (orig. $4.99) (my backups, hehe!)

- revlon colorburst l/s in plum $2.62 (orig. $10.49)

I bought all these goodies for less than $20!  (total savings: $41.72!!!)  And there were so many more products on sale!  I just limited myself to these, but I may go back since I now have a $5 coupon. ^^  I have my eye on a couple more ColorBurst lipsticks.  I really hope they're not discontinuing these!!  But it seems that way, since some people are reporting all shades are on clearance at their CVS and I also read that they are on clearance at Target too.

So here's a list of things on clearance, from what I remember:
- all Wet N Wild 6-pan
- Wet N Wild Mega Last lipstick in Ravin' Raisin 50% off (for some reason, this is the only color on sale!)
- select Confetti nail polish 75% off
- select Revlon Satin eyeshadows 75% off
- select Revlon Perle eyeshadows 75% off
- all Revlon ColorStay eyeshadow quads 75% off (probably on clearance b/c they are releasing it w/ new packaging!)
- select Revlon ColorBurst lipsticks (Candy Pink, Baby Pink, Carnation, Crimson, Plum) 75% off (although a lot of other people are seeing ALL shades on sale)
- select Revlon polishes 75% off
- Revlon Matte Blush in Perfectly Peach 75% off (although I've seen others mention other shades, this was the only one left at the CVS I went to)
- Almay eyeshadow trios 75% off
- most Sally Hansen by Carmindy 75% off
- select Rimmel Glam eyeshadow quads (Smokey Blue, Dark Signature, Thrill Seeker) 75% off
- Rimmel blushes (Autumn Catwalk, Pink Sorbet) 75% off

There's probably more, but I didn't have my camera, so I couldn't document exactly what was on clearance.  If I go back, I will be sure to bring my camera!

Anyone else excited about this sale?  Did you get anything?
Or are you going to get anything?  

For a more comprehensive list of clearance items, check out G's post on Nouveau Cheap!

SWATCH+REVIEW: Revlon Carbonite

I decided to continue with a kind-of Chanel theme for my next mani.  I say kind-of because this is NOT a Chanel polish.  Instead, it is a supposed Chanel dupe!  

Carbonite is a pewter polish with silver and copper shimmer creating a foil finish.  This color is great for fall and winter!  Also, it applied very well!  I was able to get full opacity with one coat, though I used two to be safe.  Below, you can see it photographed both cool and warm, which makes me think it would look great on any skin tone. :)

cool

warm

I think Carbonite is really pretty!  This is supposedly a dupe for Chanel's Graphite polish.  Not dead on, but a pretty good one.  I don't have that polish, so can't do a dupe comparison on my own, but you can definitely Google it and find plenty of others who have done so.  And unfortunately, I am not sure if Carbonite is still available.  You may still find a random one here or there at drugstores and G, from Nouveau Cheap, had posted a couple months ago that they could be found at Big Lots.  So if you're looking for it, I'd say look through the regular Revlon polish display at the drugstore, as leftovers may have been placed there, or check Big Lots.

What do you think of Carbonite?

FAVES: November 2011

HAPPY DECEMBER!  One of my favorite months~

Class was cancelled today because the city declared a citywide state of emergency due to damages caused by the high winds last night.  It's crazy!  So many trees were blown over, as well as street and traffic lights.  And many electrical wires were snapped due to trees falling on them, so many are out of power.  I've been watching the news all day, and they said there haven't been winds this strong in a LONG time.  But it's not over yet!  The weatherman says the high wind advisory won't be over until tomorrow...His advice?  Try to stay inside and avoid driving if you can, as the roads are quite hazardous with the trees and debris littering it.

So heeding his advice, I decided to stay in and work on my blog instead. :)  And here I am with my first favorites post ever!  I actually have quite a few this month!  Let me just say that I am probably an advertising exec's dream come true.  I'm highly susceptible to advertising and pretty packaging, as can be seen in my ever growing stash of makeup and nail polish, lol.  So let's get to it...

I have 5 lippies that I've been loving this month:

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Nicely Nude, Revlon Lip Butters in Creme Brulee and Lollipop,
and Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine and Pink Punch.

I've had this ELF lipstick for a while now, but haven't really used it until now.  It's a great nude pink color.  I find it to be a bit sheer, but buildable.  It doesn't seem drying to me, but it's not exactly moisturizing either.  I haven't tested the wear of it, because I drink quite a lot of water, so my lip product is always being wiped away at random times.  BUT, I really love the color of it, so I've been wearing it quite a bit this month.

These Revlon Lip Butters are new and part of the permanent line, thank goodness!  I got these on sale at Rite Aid when Revlon was 40% off plus you got $2 +UP rewards.  I used the +UP rewards to help buy the second lip butter, so my total for both of these came out to less than one at the regular price, hehe.  I love great deals like that!  The display at Rite Aid was already half empty when I bought my first one, and there were only slim pickings when I got the second one.  Only like 4 colors left by that time.  And all the displays I've seen since (at Rite Aid, CVS, and Target) have been empty.  So I'm really glad they're permanent because I really want to try other colors!

Just like everyone else, I love these!  I was so excited to hear about them from Nouveau Cheap, and was on the lookout ever since G's post.  I'm glad I got my hands on a couple!  The first one being Creme Brulee, which is a nude color, and the second being Lollipop, which is a bright fuchsia color.  Both are quite pigmented, though Lollipop is more pigmented than Creme Brulee.  One time I wore Lollipop, my friends were surprised that it was a lip butter...they thought I was wearing lipstick. ^^;  They are creamy and go on like, well, butter.  It looks like they have shimmer, but when worn, the shimmer does not transfer.  They have a creme finish and are also quite long lasting, especially the fuchsia as it stains a bit...And the packaging is pretty!  I really like the packaging of Colorburst lip products, and this is no exception!

And the last two lippies are from Maybelline's Baby Lips collection.  I first heard about these from HollyAnnAeree and decided to check them out.  They looked cute and I liked the idea of tinted lip balm.  These were the first tinted lip balms I got, before the Revlon Lip Butters.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure if these are permanent.  I tried tweeting Maybelline, but they never responded to my tweet.  All the displays I've seen since getting mine have been empty and I haven't seen any new displays/restocking.  I really wanted to try the peach one and the cherry one!  Oh well!  At least I have these, and they are great!  Very moisturizing.  But these are not really pigmented; they just leave a tint, though I find that Pink Punch does have more color payoff.  These are also scented!  I actually really like both scents from the ones I have.  Pink Punch smells like fruit punch to me and Grape Vine smells like grape, of course.

The final items are two eyeshadow palettes and a blush I've really been loving (all from Wet 'N' Wild!):

color icon blush in mellow wine, 6-pan palette in lust, 6-pan palette in vanity

vanity

lust

These Wet N Wild 6-pan palettes in Vanity and Lust are my top two palettes.  I'm sad that they are discontinuing them!  Gotta stock up on backups while I can!  I have been loving Vanity ever since I got it, earlier this year.  It is my go-to palette for a neutral everyday eye.  Lust is a palette I only recently fell in love with.  I use it to switch up my everyday eye look every once in a while.  Also, it's great for creating a not-so-typical smoky eye!  They have great color payoff, and don't crease on me at all.

mellow wine

And another Wet N Wild product I'm loving is this Color Icon blush in Mellow Wine.  This picture is not exactly true to color, as the blush is a bit darker than this.  I have a very round face, so I kind of look for darker blushes, rather than light pinks, that I can use for a double purpose: both blush and contour.  This one works really well for that!

So those are my faves for this month~ What are yours?

UPDATED REVIEW: Jewelmint.com

The holiday weekend passed by too quickly!  I actually didn't get any swatching done, because I didn't want to take of my Thankgiving mani.  It's just so pretty!  I keep looking at my fingers, lol.

Instead, I'm back with an updated Jewelmint review/haul.  If you remember from my last review on Jewelmint, I didn't have such a good first experience!  I had some problems, and it was really hard reaching their customer service!  But, I decided I'd give them a second chance.  They had this pretty good deal on Halloween called the BewitchMint Mystery Bag.  It came with 2 random Jewelmint pieces and you also had a chance to get a number of other prizes, including the Golden Goose Bracelet (which I totally want!!) and other things.  It was $29.99 (price of 1 piece) and I used a code to get 25% off.  I ended up with 2 bracelets that I probably would not have ordered on my own (but I really like them now!) and a $10 off code (which I have now used...lol).  The bracelets I got in my Bewitchmint bag are the Silver Zip Bracelet and the Gatsby Bracelet.  I used the $10 off code to get the Silver Swan Bracelet, which is the Golden Goose Bracelet but in silver.  Love all the pieces I have!

But I did have a little problem again...This time it was quickly and easily fixed.  One of my bracelets didn't come in a box, so I emailed customer service.  I think this is a much easier/faster way at reaching them, instead of trying to get a hold of someone on the phone.  I got a quick reply and they sent me a new box.  So yeah, Jewelmint has gained me back as a customer!  And now, on to the pretties!

First up, the Silver Zip Bracelet:

I was a little hesitant about getting a bracelet from Jewelmint, because I have pretty small wrists.  It's hard to find bracelets that will fit, because most will slide off if my arm is just hanging at my side.  I can't wear any bangles from Forever 21 and have to buy the XS/S ones from H&M.  Usually I buy stretchy bracelets, because those fit pretty well.  But this Silver Zip Bracelet fits great!  This bracelet is great to add to simple casual outfits to jazz it up a bit.  I wish I took a picture of me wearing each of the bracelets, so I could show the fit.  Maybe I will, and then I'll update this post. :)

Next up is the Gatsby Bracelet:

So sparkly!  The Gatsby Bracelet also fits great, and I think this would be great to dress up outfits!  

I don't have pictures of the Silver Swan bracelet yet, but when I do take them, I'll be sure to post them up along with pictures of the Wonderland Earrings!  Yep!  I got them.  Decided to cave in and get them on Cyber Monday when Jewelmint had a coupon code for $10 off each piece you buy (no limit!).  Best deal I've seen lately!  (Their Black Friday deals were kinda crappy...)

Anyway, another reason I wanted to do this post and get it out today was because Jewelmint is doing another mystery bag thing.  This time they're calling it the OrnaMint Mystery Bag (for the holidays y'know).  You'll get 2 pieces for sure and it's the same price at $29.99.  Unfortunately, you can't use any codes this time.  They got smart about that, I guess, lol.  If you're interested, you can find it here.  It's going on until tomorrow, Nov. 30 at 11:59 PM PST or until they sell out.  They said they have 10,000 bags and it hasn't sold out yet, so you still have a chance to get one.  They ask for a ring size this time, so I'm guessing you'll probably get at least one ring.  [On a side note, if you haven't signed up for Jewelmint yet, please think about using my personal link to sign up.  (It'll give me a credit to use on the site.) Thanks! :)]  Let me know if you buy an OrnaMint bag~

Anyone else do any Cyber Monday shopping?  I know there were a lot of great deals out there on the interwebs.  I didn't take advantage of any other sales though.  Kinda wish I had, but I'm trying to save moneysss.  So I limited myself on the spending this weekend.  Not something that's easy to do around the holiday season~!  But anyway, until next time~ because I should be studying right now, for the test I'm having later today, hehe...

FYI: Disinfecting Your Makeup

Happy Black Friday!  Did anyone brave the crowds and pick up some deals?

I didn't go out, since there wasn't anything that really interested me.  Anddd, I should be saving money!  But I did recently buy a palette (that I will do another post on soon) from Marshalls.  I hesitated a little since it was open, but it didn't look like it had been touched.  Plus, it was a really great deal, compared to the original price!  Besides, all the eyeshadows were in order, no cracks or missing pieces or dips in the product, etc.  But I thought I'd be safe and disinfect them.  Just in case, since it's better safe than sorry.

I remember reading somewhere that you could take a tissue with alcohol on it and wipe the top layer of your powder products.  But, I wasn't exactly sure and didn't want to ruin the product before I had a chance to use it, so I Googled it.  Found my answer and thought I'd share!






Basically, you spray your products with 91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and let it dry. No damage done and you've got clean products! If you can't find the 91%, I read that you can also use 70%, which is more widely available and what most people have in their medicine cabinets/bathrooms. From what I read, the percentage is just how fast the alcohol will dry; higher percentage dries faster.  Hope this helps~

SWATCH+REVIEW: Chanel Peridot

Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope everyone who's celebrating is having a wonderful holiday!  Today, I'm sharing my Thanksgiving mani which is Chanel Peridot.

I got this for my birthday this year, from one of my closest friends.  I had wanted this polish for several reasons: one, Peridot is my birthstone, and two, it's so pretty!  But I couldn't justify the $25 price tag...and I was so surprised to get it for my birthday!  I have such amazing friends! :)

This polish is a gorgeous golden green color, changing depending on the angle.  The formula was great to work with and it applied beautifully.  Love love love it!!

Gorgeous isn't it? ♥

I'm so thankful for my family and amazing friends; so grateful for the roof over my head, the food on the table, and all that I was blessed with.  Again, Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm off to my Thanksgiving feast soon~  Hope everyone stays warm and safe, if you're planning on Black Friday shopping!