Urban Decay: Perversion Mascara (Deluxe Sample)

Hey everyone, happy mascara monday! Hope your week is off to a great start!

Today I have for you a review of the (somewhat) new Perversion mascara by Urban Decay. I received a deluxe sample of this product in an Ipsy bag about a month or so ago. There's a limited edition offer going on right now at Sephora and Ulta where if you buy the full-size mascara for $22 you will receive a deluxe sample of the Subversion primer, so if you decide to buy this mascara definitely purchase it from one of those two stores because, honestly, who doesn't love a freebie?!? You can also purchase this mascara from Nordstrom and the Urban Decay website, but they aren't doing the special bonus. The full size of this mascara contains 0.4 oz of product and comes in the color black.

Now just a quick disclaimer, my review for this product is based on the deluxe sample size of it so I don't know if my pros and cons will be the same for the full size, as sometime the brush and formula are slightly different for the various sizes.

Overall, I really disliked this mascara. I really wanted to love it, since I love most Urban Decay products, but unfortunately this one was a letdown for me. First of all, I found that the bristles on the wand of this mascara were way too soft and they did not allow for you to brush the product through the lashes. The formula of this mascara is very wet and even though I usually like more wet formula mascaras, this one was way to wet for me and resulted in the product being very clumpy. I also found that way too much product came out onto the bristles when you pulled out the tube so it was very easy to apply too much product to your eyelashes and end up with a gloppy mess. Being a wet formula too, resulted in a very messy mascara application. I had a lot to clean up after applying it so I would recommend doing your eye make up before your foundation and concealer when using this mascara. Additionally, I did find that this mascara had a smell to it, but it wasn't unbearable. Just take not if you are sensitive to smells.

Mascara worn alone with no concealer or other face make up. I did clean up the messy application.

Unfortunately, I really think that there's nothing too special about this mascara. I think this mascara received a lot of hype when it was released and unfortunately it didn't live up to that hype for me.  What I really disliked most was that it applied very messily and that the bristles were way too soft. This mascara does look good once it's on, but boy is it a pain to put on! All in all, I would not purchase this mascara again and would recommend others looking for a new mascara to pass on it and try a different mascara.

Have you tried any mascaras by Urban Decay? Do you have any that you would recommend or like to see me review in the future? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Hautelook: H2O+ Haul!

Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to share with you a recent haul from Hautelook of H2O+ products. These are some of my all time favorite products and I've been using them for over 10 years, since high school! H2O+ is a great skincare company they offer many different skincare collections targeting different problems, like oil-free hydration, age repair, firming, anti-aging, oil control, acne & blemish control, brightening, sensitive skin, etc. Personally, my favorite collection is the Aqualibrium Daily Essentials line, but I've also used many of the products from the Anti-Acne Blemish Control line back in high school when I had more breakouts, however, I still use this line when I do experience the occasional breakout.

For those of you that don't know, Hautelook is a website affiliated with Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack that offers short-term sales of lots of designer brands. You do have to make an account, but they offer clothing for men, women and children, and also offer beauty and home goods too.

The H2O+ items I purchased from Hautelook were:
     - Bath Natural Spring Shower & Bath Gel - x2 - $5/each, usually $12/each
     - Aqualibrium Marine Cleansing Gel - $9, usually $18
     - Aqualibrium Sea Mineral Scrub - x2 - $9/each, usually $18/each
     - Aqualibrium Cleansing Face Wipes - x2 - $9/each, usually $19/each - unfortunately these are no longer available on the H2O+ website but you can still buy them from the Kohl's website.

I also recently made a purchase from H2O+'s website of the Sea Clear Mattifying Cleansing Mousse, which retails for $20, so I also included that in this Hautelook haul of H2O+ products.

About H2O+
H2O+ is an amazing worldwide skincare company! It was created in 1989 and based in Chicago with the vision statement of a world of healthy and vibrant oceans that enhance life and beauty, and a mission of supporting the active restoration and preservation of our oceans. Basically, H2O+ is a skincare company that revolves around using marine elements to help infuse skin with natural antioxidants and minerals.

H2O+ has partnered with Ulta, Walt Disney World Resorts, Kohl's, and Marks & Spencer (UK), so you may have seen these products previously, and I believe they are currently in the works to sell them at Sephora. I also know people have received samples of H2O+ products in Birchbox and Ipsy monthly sample subscription services in the past.

H2O+ has several product lines and recently changed their product packaging to easily distinguish between them.

I absolutely love that H2O+ works so hard to incorporate natural ingredients into their products and contributes so much to ocean restoration and preservation and other charities. I love that you can mix and match H2O+ products, they all work great together and you can create your own personalized skincare regimen. All the products H2O+ offers contain natural sea derived ingredients and are very gentle which is great for people with sensitive skin.

I thought I would do a quick review of each of these items for you, so lets start with the first one!

Bath Natural Spring Shower & Bath Gel

I have tried several different scents of H2O+'s Shower & Bath Gels and this one is by far my favorite. H2O+ describes this product as "Let the cool scent of a misty ocean breeze whisk you away to your very own waterfront escape." This product contains 8.5 oz and retails for $12. I find that this shower and bath gel is very moisturizing, while gently washing away impurities.

In terms of the ingredients in this shower and bath gel, it is infused with sea botanical extracts and H2O+'s exclusive Marine Moisture Lock technology which helps to replenish the skin's moisture barrier. The Marine Moisture Lock technology is derived from Scandinavian marine algae, and helps fight dehydration by triggering the skins natural instinct to produce the components critical for a healthy moisture barrier, including hyaluronic acid and lipids. Sea botanical extracts in this product provide a nourishing blend of wakame, sea kelp, and red algae which combine to replenish and renew the skin's vitality. It also contains restorative Shea and Argan butters, which intensely hydrate and soften the skin, while Vitamin E nourishes and protects. This product is sulfate, paraben, and dye-free, and has a calming natural scent that's not overwhelming.


Aqualibrium Marine Cleansing Gel
I absolutely LOVE this oil-free cleanser, which foams away makeup and impurities while soothing the skin. I have used this product constantly since high school (over 10 years) and have never found a better facial cleanser. This product contains 4 oz and retails for $18.

This product is a great lightweight gentle cleanser that's perfect for everyday use. It contains a hydrating marine blend of Wakame, Sea Fennel, and Sea Lettuce which infuse the skin with vital moisture and nutrients. It also contains mineral-rich Sea Salt, which renews and purifies skin for a visibly youthful glow, and micro-encapsulated exfoliating beads, which glide across the skin's surface to gently polish away dullness and soften the texture. Finally, this cleanser contains acacia, which is a botanical extract from the pods of the African Acacia tree that helps soothe irritated skin. This product should be applied to the skin by gently massaging with your fingertips or a soft facial brush, followed by splashing with cool water to rinse. You can also use this product to gently cleanse makeup applicators and brushes without damaging bristles or deteriorating sponges.

I love that this product doesn't leave the skin dry after cleansing. It makes my skin feel sort of tight and firm after application, but not in a drying way, just in a clean way. It leaves your face so refreshed and I find that it gets off all the light make-up I wear everyday. I think that this is a great product for all skin types - I have dry skin but it never makes my skin extra dry, which I generally worry about with skincare products. Unlike other skincare products, this one doesn't add any oil to the skin, and actually keeps it very clear and blemish free.

I will say, if you're looking for a deep cleanser this probably isn't it, but if you're looking to combine several different skincare products this is a great starting product and is great for using in the shower.Overall, this cleanser leaves skin smooth and clean without irritation or breakouts. If you have a hard time finding a facial wash that is not to harsh for your face try this one, it's wonderful and in my opinion, can't be beat!

Aqualibrium Sea Mineral Scrub

This is probably the best facial scrub I've ever used! H2O+ describes it as a "mildly exfoliating, oil-free scrub to sweep away dead surface cells and dulling impurities with Carrageenan, Multivitamin Complex and Hydrating Marine Blend." Carrageenan is derived from red marine algae and promotes firmer skin, while the Multivitamin Complex is a supercharged blend of vitamins A, C & E, which helps increase skin’s elasticity while delivering powerful antioxidants to help repair and prevent cell damage. Additionally, the Sea Mineral Complex and hydrating marine extracts of wakame, sea fennel, and sea lettuce help cleanse, condition and soften the skin. The soft, spherical beads of this scrub gently polish away dryness without abrasion or irritation to the skin.

I love that this scrub has just the right amount of grit to exfoliate the skin without stripping it of all its moisture and thus drying it out. It's a very mild and gentle yet effective scrub and I find that it limits the amount of breakouts I have on my face. It really does not hurt at all so it's a great scrub for those with very sensitive skin. This scrub leaves my face feeling clean and refreshed and my skin feels oh so soft afterwards. It even works great to remove makeup. It makes the skin glow without looking oily, it's like an inner glow that helps reduce the dullness of skin. I also love the smell of this scrub, like all H2O+ products, it's very natural, clean and fresh.

Aqualibrium Cleansing Face Wipes

I absolutely love these cleansing face wipes! As many of you know from reading my blog, I absolutely love trying out new makeup wipes. I have gone through several packs of these wipes over the years and I'm really distraught that they have decided to discontinue them. If you can still get your hands on a pack I highly recommend them!

According to H2O+, these "oil-free cleansing wipes remove all traces of makeup while refreshing skin with antioxidant-rich marine algae, lavender extract and Provitamin B." These makeup wipes are ideal for all skin types as they aren't drying at all, and I find they actually do provide some moisture to the skin. They are oil-free, alcohol-free and are dermatologist-tested.

There are 45 wipes in a pack and retail for $19 which is probably a bit pricier than I usually spend on makeup wipes but I find that these not only take the make up off your face, but it actually cleanses your face leaving it feeling clean and fresh. The wipes come in a resealable pack which is nice for keeping them moist and is convenient for touch-ups and travel.

Sea Clear Mattifying Cleansing Mousse

H2O+ describes this product as a "water-based daily cleanser to foam away excess oil and pore-clogging debris with Olive Leaf Extract, Salicylic Acid and Oil-Controlling Marine Blend." This is a gentle oil-free product that removes away the impurities on your skin without stopping away moisture and helps to prevent breakouts. The olive tree leaf extract helps to prevent the formation of excess surface shine and allows for a lasting, matte complexion. Olive tree leaf is a natural antiseptic and astringent, which means that it helps to eliminate breakout-causing bacteria from deep within pores. The Marine Blend of Deep-Sea Dulse, Neptune kelp and Gigartina help to neutralize oil in order to banish shine and help reduce the production of excess oil. This product also contains salicylic acid derived from willow bark which exfoliates dead skin and works to thin excess surface oil.

In high school I was obsessed with this product as I had oily skin and tended to get a lot of breakouts. Now my skin tends to be dry so I don't find myself reaching for this product too much unless I'm breaking out. This product is very effective at removing dirt and oil from your face. It is intense since it does have salicylic acid in it, but I found that when my skin was oily this product was rather gentle compared to some other acne targeted products. I love that my face feels so clean and smooth after using it.

As I said, I now have more of dry skin than oily so I tend to not use this product much anymore because it is a bit drying by nature, which isn't the best for those with already dry skin. It's truly ideal for oily skin. I tend to use this product only if I have breakouts because it does a great job of removing excess dirt and oil from the surface of the skin. I think this is a gentle enough product that you could use it everyday if you have oily skin, but those with dry skin I would use it less frequently and only as needed. I would also suggest using a moisturizer after this product just to ensure your skin is hydrated.

H2O+ also says that you can use this product as a cleanser for makeup applicators in order to eliminate pore-clogging bacteria. I also found that this product did a good job of cleaning the make up off my face. All in all, this product not only makes your skin feel clean but it also seems to clean it really well.

Other H2O+ Products
In case you guys are curious, below are some H2O+ items that I have tried and that I want to try out soon! If you guys would like any reviews on specific items let me know in the comments below.

Other H2O+ products that I've tried:
     - Aqualibrium Dual-Action Eye Makeup Remover, $18
     - Marine Daily Hydrator, $9
     - Waterwhite Advanced Brightening Eye Cream, $35
     - Anti-Acne Clarifying Face Wash, $18
     - Anti-Acne Calming Corrector, $25
     - Natural Spring Moisturizing Body Balm, $7
     - Natural Spring Shower & Bath Gel, $6

H2O+ products that I want to try:
     - Aqualibrium Sea Mineral Mud Mask, $25
     - Aqualibrium Marine Toner, $18
     - Waterwhite Advanced Brightening Mask, $40
     - Oasis Mist, $18
     - Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment, $36
     - Sea Results Sea Mineral Cleanser, $18

Have you tried any products from H2O+ yet? Any favorites that you recommend me trying? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

BECCA: Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation

Happy Foundation Friday everyone! 

Today's review is of BECCA's Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation in the shade Buff. This foundation is on the pricey side, it retails for $42 for 1.35 oz. of product at Ulta, Sephora, and on the Becca website. BECCA claims that this is a medium, buildable coverage foundation that controls shine throughout the day with its mattifying properties and leaves skin exceptionally smooth and matte. This foundation is designed for combination to oily skin, but I have normal to dry skin and find no problems using this foundation. This foundation blends perfectly into the skin for a long-lasting, soft-focus matte finish that minimizes the appearance of pore and controls shine. The soft focus of this foundation also helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles which is ideal for older ladies.
          
In terms of the packaging, I like that this product comes in a squeezy tube with a very small pinpoint nozzle. With this nozzle you have lots of control over how much product you get out at a time which is great so that you don't waste product by getting out too much at once ! I also love that you don't have to pour this product out of a bottle onto your hand like some foundations. I always prefer foundations that have a pump or are in a squeezy tube like this one.

This foundation is available in 20 shades so there's bound to be a shade that's a near-perfect match to your skin tone. The shade that is a PERFECT match with my skin tone is Buff. BECCA describes this color as being a light to medium beige with neutral to yellow/golden undertones. I've honestly never had a foundation that matched my skin as well as this one. I'm so impressed! I've attached some photos below from Ulta to help you find your ideal shade.

The foundation itself is on the heavier side, more of a mousse-like texture. You can tell in the photo above that it isn't very liquidy and doesn't slide all over the back of my hand like some liquid foundations. As described in the title of this foundation, this is a matte foundation. I find that it is a sort of velvety matte finish in the sense that skin looks perfectly smooth and matte, but not dry and unnatural like some matte foundation. I do find that this is a true medium coverage foundation that can be built up to a heavy coverage foundation where needed.

This foundation does a terrific job of evening my skin tone out, hiding blemishes, and hiding most of the red patches on my face. I do like that a little bit of my cheek redness shows through which makes it seem more natural and like I'm not wearing any makeup on my face. This foundation also does an amazing job of minimizing pores! When I wear it there are no signs of pores anywhere on my face! My skin looks so smooth and flawless. I've honestly had people come up to me when I wear it and compliment me on how nice my skin is.

Sorry I didn't completely blend in the foundation on my hand in the last photo.

I also like that this is a water in silicone emulsion foundation that is free of oil, alcohol, and fragrance. This foundation is great for people with sensitive skin as often times fragrance and scents can irritate skin and cause breakouts. I have not experienced any breakouts from using this foundation.

I tend to prefer to apply this foundation with my fingers and a sponge, like a beauty blender. I find that this product does tend to set quickly so you need to work fast and as a result I tend to apply this foundation to my face in sections. I generally apply the foundation with my fingers and then use a beauty blender or sponge to even out the product and ensure an air-brushed looking result that is natural and radiant. I love that this is a truly buildable foundation that allows you to start with less and build up coverage in the places you need it without looking cakey or unnatural. I first apply a thin layer all over my face and then apply additional product where needed to cover up stubborn areas of redness or blemishes. There's no need to apply a setting powder after applying this foundation but you can if you like. I always love using a setting powder and recently I've been using Too Faced's Primed and Poreless Finishing Veil and my new IT cosmetics jumbo powder brush (see my review of it here).

I love the look of a matte face. I know some people prefer dewy, but I just love a natural matte face. I find that this product isn't powdery and doesn't look cakey on - it's very natural so even those of you who prefer a more dewy look might like it. Here are some face swatches where I have the foundation on one half of my face and nothing on the other half. I did not use any primer on my face so that you could see how the foundation by itself.
In Natural Light:

With a flash:

Final Verdict:

All in all, I'm totally in love with this foundation! It's the best foundation I've ever tried so I can't recommend this product enough! I absolutely love this foundation for everyday wear and for special events. I know I can count on it to last all day. I would repurchase this foundation instantly and intend to do so once I finish this tube. This foundation is great for covering up and evening out skin tone without looking like you're wearing makeup. I love that it gives such a flawless and effortless look to your skin. I think with 20 colors in the collection you're bound to find one that is a perfect match to your skin tone even if you've never had a foundation that perfectly matches your skin tone before, like me! I'm so obsessed with this foundation and I highly recommend it!!!!

Have you tried this foundation or any other BECCA products yet? What foundation are you loving right now? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Palladio: Herbal Matte Blush

Hope everyone is having a happy Thursday!

Today's review is of the Palladio Herbal Matte Blush in the shade Peach Ice. This blush retails for $7 on the Palladio Beauty website and is currently on sale for $5.99 at Ulta. I've never tried any products from the Palladio Beauty collection before, so I thought I would pick up one of their blushes the last time I was at Ulta to give it a try. Palladio Beauty is known for having herbal and vitamin enriched beauty products. According to the Palladio Beauty website, this blush was the winner of a Best Beauty Buys award from Family Circle magazine in 2014.

This blush is available in four shades - berry pink, bayberry, peach ice, toasted apricot. I purchased the color peach ice thinking it would be a nice subtle blush color. Unfortunately, this isn't the right shade for me as it's much too light and not very peachy on my skin. It enhances the natural redness of my face which I'm trying to cover so it's just not the right shade for me. I think this color might look best on very fair skin tones. While I do think that the blush has decent pigmentation, I don't think it would show up too well on darker skin tones. For being a beach shade too, it's not too orange based which depending on what you're looking for could be a good or bad thing.

Palladio beauty describes this product as, "An enhancing blush brushes onto cheeks smoothly for a soft matte look and an even finish. Satin finish flatters the face and helps hide the appearance of line and wrinkles shimmer blushes may enhance." Also, this blush is formulated with Apricot Kernel, Ginseng Root Extract, Aloe and Chamomile Extract to help condition and protect the skin from free-radical damage, and Kaolin Clay and Zinc Oxide to help deliver flawless, velvety coverage. I do find that this blush is very blendable, but I find that it doesn't have the longest wear time.

I do really like the packaging of this blush, it's a nice slim plastic compact with a see-thru lid. It feels and looks like a higher end blush. I also like that the blush compact is a decent size - I have a pet peeve of when blushes are too small so it's hard to get your brush (which is then too big for the compact) decently coated in order to apply it without looking patchy.

I'm sorry I don't have any swatches of this product, I actually returned it before I had the chance to photograph it. If you would like to see swatches of all four shades of the blush, I recommend checking out this video by Krystal Lynn on youtube. If you see her hand swatches of all four shades, I think you can tell that the shades Berry Pink and Peach Ice are much more sheer and less pigmented than Toasted Apricot and Bayberry.

Final Verdict
I apologize for not having my own swatches of this blush! All in all, I wasn't all that impressed with the pigmentation of this blush and decided to return it since it was not the right shade for my skin tone. I am intrigued to try out the shade Toasted Apricot, but at the same time I have many other drugstore blushes that I prefer over this one in terms of formula, color, and texture - like the City Color Cosmetics Matte Blushes which retail for only $5. I don't hate this blush but I really don't think it's anything too special.

Have you tried any of the Palladio Beauty blushes yet? Which color do you like most? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

NYX Cosmetics: Dark Circle Concealer

Hi everyone!

Today's review is of the Dark Circle Concealer by NYX Cosmetics. I recently stocked up on a bunch of NYX Cosmetics products during Ulta's 40% off sale so you'll be seeing me review several of their products over the next couple weeks. But honestly, how could I pass up a deal like that?!?

I do struggle with dark under eye circles and I'm always trying out new products to see which work best at covering them. I love trying out drugstore products because I'd love to find a cheap option that works well and that I can recommend to people to try out. So far I'm still on the hunt because unfortunately this product did not work for me. Nonetheless, I am reviewing this product because I know it does work on some people. This product received a 3.8/5 based on 90 reviews on Ulta's website and a 3.8/5 based on 44 reviews on the NYX website, which shows that for some this product is amazing while for others it just doesn't work.

Okay, so to start this product retails for $5.99 at Ulta and $6 on the NYX Cosmetics website. The concealer contains 0.10oz of product and is available in four different shades - fair, light, medium, and deep. I selected the color light, which will be the shade described throughout this post.

This is an orange-toned product which is suppose to counteract the blue and purple tones of under-eye circles. Since I have a significant yellow undertone to my skin, I didn't find that this orange-toned product wasn't all that color correcting on me. It actually seemed more like a regular concealer to me, as the orange was very faint. I think this product would work best for those with neutral undertones who don't need much help with color correcting. I was honestly expecting the product to be much more orange based than it actually is, more like the Ben Nye Mojave Adjuster in Sienna Orange, Adobe Brown, or Apricot.

The formula of this product is very lightweight and creamy, and it contains coconut oil which helps moisturize and hydrate the under eye area and keep it from getting dry. Unfortunately though, this coconut oil does end up making the product feel a bit on the oily side. When applied, it made my under eye area seem very oily and shiny, and since I have dry skin so I can only imagine how bad it would look on those with oily skin!

This concealer claims to be full-coverage, but I think it is much more of a light coverage product, as my dark circles seemed to still show through even after multiple layers of it. However, when you use multiple layers of this concealer it looks very cakey and unnatural. This concealer does have some light-deflecting particles in it which help to brighten the under eye area, but unfortunately on me, all these did was illuminate the area where my dark circles weren't covered - not a look that I want! I also did find that this product settled and creased into the lines under my eyes, so I wouldn't recommend it for older people who may have more fine lines and wrinkles than me.

As I said briefly above, I was disappointed in the orange-tone of this product. Since it claims to be an orange based concealer, I was expecting much more of an intense orange shade. In the photos below (left is a light swatch, right is a heavier swatch), you can see that the concealer actually seems more pink and salmon in tone than orange on my skin. I think you can also tell from the photos below how sheer and light coverage this concealer is. Also, you can see that it has an oily sheen to it, even in the natural light photo which was taken without a flash. I honestly don't see any difference with it applied to my under eye area.

Final Verdict
All in all, I like the creamy texture of this concealer, but there's no coverage or pigmentation so even when you apply multiple layers of this product it still shows your darker circles through it. I thought the formula was a little too oily and too lightweight to do much color correcting or providing much coverage. In all honesty, I will probably return this item as it doesn't seem to do anything for me and I know I won't use it.

Have you tried any NYX concealers yet? Are there any that you would like to see me do a review on? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Tarina Tarantino: Lash de Fleur Mascara

Hi everyone,

Today's review for Mascara Monday is Tarina Tarantino's Lash de Fleur Mascara. This is the first product I have tried by this brand and I received this mascara in my September BoxyCharm box (review here!) and I decided to give it a go! You can purchase this mascara from the Tarina Tarantino website (the packaging of the mascara is slightly different on there) for $19 for 0.47 oz of product.

Overall, I think this is a great mascara, but with that said, I do have a couple problems with it. I'm going to go over my top three positives and negatives of this mascara and then show some photos with this mascara on my eyelashes.

Okay, so lets first start with the positives! 

1) Firstly and most importantly, I really like the look that this mascara gives me. My lashes look very dense and full, which since I have very short and not full lashes is something I'm always striving for. The formula of this mascara is on the wet side, which I prefer because it seems to stick nicely to my lashes to give them great length and thickness.

2) I also like the bristles of this mascara. They're somehow soft yet firm at the same time which allows them to be nicely brushed through the lashes in order to apply the product. This mascara does have the traditional style of bristles, not the rubberized kind, just something for you to note in case you much prefer one type over the other.

3) The third thing I love about this mascara is the packaging! It comes in a sleek gunmetal gray tube that has the Tarina Tarantino name written on it in silver font. The tube also has a little weight which makes it feels luxe and high-end.

Now onto the problems I have with this mascara...

1) My biggest complaint about this mascara is that I find that the wand is way too big for applying mascara to my eyelashes. For me, this really slows down my eye makeup application as I have to slow down in order to be more precise with it since there's much more room for error with a large applicator. One little wrong move and you'll have a large mistake to clean up.

2) My next fault in this mascara is that it can be a little messy to apply. I'm generally not the neatest at applying my mascara, but this product is very messy and I find that I always have a lot to clean up afterwards. I love a wet formula mascara, but this one is just too messy. I would recommend using this mascara first (and do all the rest of your eye makeup) before you apply your concealer and foundation. Otherwise you'll just have to reapply it after you clean up the unwanted mess this mascara leaves behind.

3) My last complaint is that this mascara does have a slight smell to it. It's by no means unbearable, but it is there so if you're sensitive to mascara smells do take note of that.

Alright and as promised, here are some photos of me wearing this mascara.

Alright so time for the final verdict: Would I purchase this product again?
           I didn't mind using this mascara and I'm glad to have been able to try a product from the Tarina Tarantino line, but this is not a holy grail or staple product for me and I don't feel the need to always have it in my collection so I think I probably wouldn't buy this mascara again. All in all, I did enjoy this mascara, but it's by no means my favorite and I have plenty of other mascaras that I like a whole lot more that I would repurchase first.

Have you tried any Tarina Tarantino products yet? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Urban Decay: Naked2 Basics Eye Shadow Palette

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of the Urban Decay Naked2 Basics eye shadow palette. I had been debating for a long time whether not to get the first Naked Basics but I wasn't sold on it since I have the Naked2 palette and I wanted more matte shadows that I could use with that. Well, once the Naked2 Basics came out, I knew I had to have it! This is a palette of 6 neutral eye shadow colors that can be worn alone or paired with the Naked2 palette. I'm in love! This palette costs $29 and you can find it at tons of stores, including Ulta, Sephora, Macy's, & the Urban Decay website.

The biggest difference between this palette and the original Naked Basics palette is that this palette features shades that are cooler in tone and more suited to match the Naked2 palette. The eye shadows in this palette are taupe-hued matte neutrals. Five of the six shades in this palette are brand new, never-before-seen colors. The actual packaging of both Naked Basics are the same in terms of size and materials.

Five of the six shades are completely matte, but the lightest shade is a satin, which I actually find is very nice for highlighting the brow bone and inner corner of the eyes. I love that no two colors in this palette are identical or are too similar so you can really get lots of great different looks from it.

The six shades included in this palette are:
          - Skimp: pale nude satin
          - Stark: nude-pink matte
          - Frisk: warm gray matte
          - Cover: muted red-brown matte
          - Primal: muted brown matte
          - Undone: deep, smoky brown matte

In terms of the formula of these shadows, they're just amazing, like all urban decay eye shadows! The texture is velvety smooth but I do find that it can be a little powdery, so I think it works best if you tap the excess off your brush before applying it to your eyelids so that you don't have any fallout on your face.

I love the packaging of this palette. It's so compact and sleek that it's perfect to travel with and take with you in your purse for touch ups. It's durable yet practical and cute all at the same time. For such a small compact, I'm very impressed they were able to get such a large mirror inside. Honestly, when I travel this is all I take with me because I can get so many great looks with it, from a neutral day look to an intense smokey eye. If I know I will want more nighttime looks while I travel, I'll just bring a small eyeshadow quad with shimmer shades with me and voila so many looks without bulky makeup taking up all your suitcase space! I haven't tried this yet, but some people also say that they use this product all over their face, like for filling in your brows, which once again makes this a great product to travel with since it's so versatile.

In terms of longevity, I find that this palette does provide long lasting coverage, especially when used with an eye shadow primer. Every time I've worn eyeshadows from this palette they lasted all day long and they didn't crease throughout the day. Also, I do have sensitive skin and eyes and I found that the eyeshadows in this palette doesn't irritate them so it'll be great for those of you who also have sensitive eyes or skin.

Final verdict:
All in all, this is a phenomenal eye shadow palette! I think if you prefer cool-toned neutrals rather than warm-toned neutrals this is the palette for you. By being all matte shadows (and one satin) these eye shadows can really be used by all ages and I think they would flatter all skin tones. I also find that I'm liking and using my Naked2 palette a lot more now that I can pair it with this palette. I highly recommend the Naked2 Basics palette, I really love using it and for only $29 it's actually a pretty affordable higher-end eyeshadow palette.

Are you a fan of the new Naked2 Basics palette or do you prefer the original Naked Basics? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Sigma Haul!!! B05 Body Brush & F82 Round Top Kabuki

Hi everyone,

Today I have a small haul from Sigma to share with you! A little while back I got an email from Sigma saying they were having a flash sale for 30% off select items for 24 hours so I decided to pick up two brushes - one on sale and one full-price, so that I could get free shipping and the free gift.

The brushes I purchased are:
     - B05: 18K Gold Body Brush
     - F82: Round Kabuki

The B05 body brush was on sale for $34.30, originally $49, and I purchased the F82 brush full-price for $24. For the free gift with purchase, I received a mini Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove with a coupon code for $5 off purchasing the full-size one (which I will list at the bottom of this post). I will review each brush separately for you.

B05 - Body Brush
First, the B05 Body Brush - I think it's totally unnecessary that this brush only comes with the 18K gold ferrule, but it does make for nice packaging. Like with all Sigma brushes, this brush comes with their signature black handle with their logo and the brush description on on side. Special to this brush, the other side of the handle has the word extravaganza on it in the same gold color. The bristles on this brush are cream colored.

This brush is very large, dense yet soft and rounded on the top. It is intended to be used for buffing body products, like bronzer and shimmer powder, onto the skin. I use it to make apply bronzer to my neck and chest to make sure that I'm perfectly blended out and don't have a line of difference between my neck and face. I know this is probably an unnecessary purchase, but I actually do struggle with making sure that all my makeup is blended out nicely so it definitely makes putting on my makeup much easier. By no means should you rush out and buy this brush, plenty of other brushes could do the same thing, but being a makeup brush junkie I had to have it. If you struggle with "the line of demarcation" as I call it, I highly recommend this brush. It's so large that it really nicely and evenly applies bronzer without looking patchy or fake, which is often the case when bronzing your neck and chest with smaller brushes. All in all, I really enjoy this brush and use it everyday so it's quickly become a staple in my brush collection. I had a need for it, but I know not everybody does so I would recommend it to people who like bronzer and looking more tan than they are.

F82 - Round Kabuki
The F82 round kabuki brush is a small dense face brush with a rounded head intended for buffing powder foundation and mineral products into the skin. The bristles in this brush are synthetic so you could use it with wet or dry products, though it's intended for powder foundations. I was surprised to see how SMALL this brush was when I first got it. It seemed much larger when I watched the video of it on Sigma's website. I thought it would be a great brush for me since I tend to wear powder foundation on most days when I don't want a full face of makeup. However, since the brush head is so small, I think it would take forever to use it on your face - the total opposite from the B05 - ha! I honestly think I might return this brush since I'm not totally happy with it, but then again maybe I just need to keep using it for a little bit. We'll see...

Here's a comparison in size between the two brushes.

Extras!
For my extras, I got an envelope full of different leaflets: a thank you for purchasing card, a card with a makeup idea and what products you need, an information card about their near 3DHD brushes, and a small brochure with all of Sigma's products.

Also, since my purchase was over $35, I received a mini version of Sigma's famous Spa Brush Cleaning Glove with a coupon code for $5 purchasing the full-size glove. I have not used this yet, but I'm very excited to give it a try. The full-size glove is kind of pricey at $35 so I'm very excited to try this sample to see if it's something that would make cleaning brushes easier, because lets be honest, no one actually likes spending a lot of time cleaning their makeup brushes.

Which Sigma brush is your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Sigma Coupon Code for $5 off purchase of their Spa Brush Cleaning Glove: SPAGLOVE (expires 12/31/2014)