Maybelline Color Sensational VIVID Lipsticks Swatches and Review

From The Company

Now bright goes gorgeous, never garish. Brighter color from our exclusive vivid pigments. Creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar.

My Thoughts

I was very excited to try these out, the colors looked absolutely gorgeous in the ads. I was hoping that the color payoff wouldn't disappoint. 

Maybelline VIVID lipsticks in "Brazen Berry", "Hot Plum" and "Pink Pop"

I was not disappointed, they are fabulous! The colors are rich and the formula is very creamy and moisturizing. I purchased three shades, "Hot Plum", "Brazen Berry" and "Pink Pop". 

 "Hot Plum" is more on the pink side to me. I was expecting it to have more of a purple tone. I really like how it looks though. I feel this shade is universally flattering on all skin tones.

"Brazen Berry" is a vivid purple. This color is what I though "Hot Plum" would look like.

"Pink Pop" is a very pretty bubble gum pink. This is a perfect spring shade! It kind of reminds me of Maybelline's lipstick in "Pink Please", but more intense in color.

I definitely recommend these if you want to experiment with bold lip colors without breaking the bank. And drugstores are constantly having BOGOs so these are a steal.

Pantone Edgy Emerald FOTD

I did another look inspired by the color emerald green. This time, the color was more of the focal point instead of just an accent color. I love how wonderful this look makes my brown eyes look. I paired it with a peachy-nude lip once again. This is perfect for a night out.

Products Used

FACE

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz"

Bare Minerals Bronzer

Milani blush "Luminous"

Maybelline stick concealer "Beige"

MAC Pro Longwear concealer "NW35"

LIPS

Loreal lipstick "Fairest Nude"

Sephora lipgloss "Flushed"

EYES

UDPP

Loreal Voluminous Smoldering eyeliner "Black" (crease and lower waterline)

NYX eye shadow "Black" (blend in crease and lower lash line)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadow "Edgy Emerald" (lid)

MAC eyeshadow "Humid" (lid and lower lash line)

Urban Decay eyeshadow "Foxy" (highlight)

Revlon lash adhesive

Red Cherry lashes #510

Milani Easybrow brow pencil "Dark Brown"

Maybelline Colossal Mascara "Black

Jennifer Lopez for Harper's Bazaar Inspired Makeup

Jennifer Lopez graced the cover for the February issue of Harper's Bazaar and of course she looked fabulous. As expected. I loved her makeup on the cover and decided to recreate my version of it. I used the NAKED Palette 2 for my eyes.

Products Used:

FACE

Maybelline stick concealer "Beige"

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz

MAC Pro Longwear Concealr "NW35"

Bare Minerals bronzer

Ben Nye Banana Powder

EYES 

(all shadows from NAKED 2 Palette)

Bootycall (eyelid)

Foxy (under brow)

Snakebite (lower lash line and crease)

NARS bronzer in "Laguna" for blending

Loreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner "Black"

Yanqina Dense Ultra Resistance Volume Mascara (review coming soon!)

Milani Easy Brow Eyebrow Pencil "Dark Brown"

LIPS

Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick "Purty Persimmon"

Pantone Color Of The Year: Emerald Green

This year Pantone chose the Emerald Green as the Color of The Year for 2013. Pantone describes the color as "Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony." 

I think that emerald green is a rich and vibrant hue that works wonderfully as an accent color. I created a look inspired by the color of the year. It's a great way to brighten up a neutral look. 

Products Used

FACE

Urban Decay NAKED Foundation shade 8.0

Maybelline FitMe Concealer "Medium"

Ben Nye Contour No. 2

N.Y.C Blushable Creme Stick "Mauvin Uptown"

Love & Beauty blush (From Forever 21)

Ben Nye Banana Powder

Nars bronzer "Laguna"

EYES

UDPP

MAC "Bold & Brazen" eye shadow (lid)

Urban Decay "Bootycall" (inner corner), "Busted"(outer corner) eye shadows from Naked 2 palette

TooFaced "Cocoa Star" eye shadow from Natural At Night Palette

Wet n Wild Idol Eyes creme eye shadow pencil "Envy" (base for lower lash line color)

Wet n Wild eye shadow "Envy"

LIPS

Revlon lipstick "Soft Nude"

Sephora lip gloss "Flushed"

The Wet n Wild creme eye shadow pencil and single eye shadow in "Envy" are cheap and great ways to get your emerald green fix. As both an accent color and an all over eye color. We can expect to see this color everywhere in makeup and in fashion as well.

iHerb.com Haul

I have wanted to try Real Techniques makeup brushes for awhile, particularly the face brushes. After shopping around, I found that iHerb.com had the best prices and cheapest shipping. I also bought a fragrance mist; I'm a sucker vanilla scents! iHerb.com is an online pharmacy that sells vitamins, eco-friendly products and pet supplies at discounted prices.

Real Techniques brushes by Samatha Chapman: blush brush, stippling brush and foundation brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush (close-up)

One of the brushes was already discounted and I found a $5.00 coupon on Retail Me Not. So I only ended up paying about $20.00 USD for all three brushes. Their shipping was super fast too. At checkout they did warn that there might be delay of about 48 hours for shipping but mine shipped within one day. I paid for USPS Priority Mail and received my package 3 days later.


So if you want to try Real Techniques brushes, I would definitely recommend IHerb.com. If you enter the code FSZ220 at checkout, you can save up to $10.00!

A more in-depth review will be posted soon!

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation Review

From The Company:

Sometimes you do have something to hide and this creme foundation housed in a portable stick can make camouflaging problem areas on the face that much easier. This Broad-Spectrum SPF 15, hypoallergenic formula protects skin from UVA/UVB damage. It delivers the maximum coverage for perfect, even skin tone. It won't clog pores and blends smoothly to give you the flawless face you've always wanted. Paraben-Free, Fragrance-Free.

My Thoughts:
This is a great foundation for women of color who desire more coverage. As a woman of color, I can definitely relate to color-matching, especially with drugstore formulas. This foundation comes in a variety of shades with golden and red undertones. The formula is really easy to blend, I love using it with my ELF Studio Powder Brush. The dense bristles leaves my face really smooth and flawless. I use the shade "Truly Topaz" for my face and "Hazelnut" for contouring. This is a great alternative for Revlon Colorstay, which is my HG for drugstore foundation. And with the Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation, there is no funky smell to deal with. 

The only negative I found with this foundation is that it does have a tendency to transfer. I would suggest priming your face and setting it with powder for long wear. I would definitely not wear this in the Summertime because my face gets super oily and I would have to constantly retouch it. I prefer lighter formulas for the Summer anyway. But for cooler months, it's perfect and it leaves you with a really nice, velvety finish.

Black opal True Color Stick Foundation retails for about $8.99 USD and can be found at most drugstores. I know Duane Reade and Walgreens carries Black Opal products.

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz"

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz"

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz" (swatch not blended)

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz" (blended out, it even covered the scratch I received from my bunny)

wearing Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz"

wearing Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation in "Truly Topaz"

Pros: affordable, easy to blend, variety of shades, great for women of color, affordable, easy availability
Cons: transfers easily, not recommended for Summertime
Overall: 4/5

New Year's Eve OOTD

LOVE Marcella dress (find it here)

Luichiny "Eye Doll" shoes

Spiked bracelet from Dusk Jewels

Happy New Year! First OOTD of 2013 and it is what I wore New Year's Eve. You guys should know by now that I LOVE dressing up for the New Year. I love welcoming the new year dressed to the nines.

I wanted to wear white to try something new. Searching for the perfect white dress was a little tough though. And then I found one, nice and simple with enough details to make it interesting. AND it was on sale, woo! I ordered this dress In Love With Fashion. It is a site based in the UK and they have great clothes. This is my second time ordering from them and I've been very satisfied both times. I got my items super quick! The prices are great and they are always having sales as well.

I only got one good picture of my makeup. I wanted a J-Lo inspired glow. I mostly used the Naked Palette 2 and I loved how it came out!

PRODUCTS USED

FACE

NYX Photogenic Primer (purple one)

Black Opal Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz"

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW35

NYX cream blush "Glow"

ELF Blush "St Lucia" from bronzer/blush duo

Urban Decay eyeshadow "Vanilla" (as highlight)

Ben Nye Contour No 2 Powder

EYES

UDPP

Maybelline Color Tattoo "Bad to the Bronze" (lid as base)

Latina Bella eyshadow "Flan" (highlight)

Urban Decay "Suspect" (lid)

Urban Decay "Tease" (crease)

Urban Decay "Blackout" (outer corner)

Urban Decay "Hustle" (lower lashline)

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner "Perversion" (lashlines and lower waterline)

Red Cherry lashes #505

Maybelline Falsies Mascara 

LIPS

NYX Slim Lip Pencil "Natural"

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick "Nude Delight"

Wishing everybody the best for 2013!