Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is a Knock Out

JADED

I recently received a few Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes from Influenster. I have used these products before and own quite a few, so i went into this product testing with a positive attitude. The shades i received complimentary from influenster for reviewing and testing purposes were Red My Lips, Pat on The Black and Jaded.

RED MY LIPS

The Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is just that.. a complete manicure. You can skip the base coat and top coat and get the same results had you used them. This product offers 7 benefits- base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, top coat, chip resistant, and gel shine. Unlike a lot of products in the drugstore this one lives up to its claims.

PAT ON THE BLACK

So, is this product the holy grail of polish or does it have some shortcomings?  Well, it all depends on what shade you use. For example, if you use Red My Lips you will get a perfect application because the formula is thin enough to give you a thin coat that drys fast but opaque enough that you don't have to use more than 2 coats. The flat brush also helps to deposit just enough polish. If you use Jaded, the experience is a little different. This shade lacked the pigmentation of Red my Lips and also Pat On The Black and was very hard to work with. Apply too much.,. and its goopy.. apply too little and its barely there. After 3 coats i finally got an opaque coverage. While that is a lot, i was thankful i didn't have to apply a base coat or top coat to it like other polishes. Pat on the Black, if applied slightly thick, needed only one coat and is great if you are in a rush to paint your nails but have about 10 minuets to let them dry. The other shades only took about 5-7 minuets to dry. Again, the time is still a lot less than if you had to wait for a base coat and top coat to dry.

Overall, i really like this product. There are many other shade choices available, including some gorgeous glitters! You can find these online at www.drugstore.com for about 6.49$ or in your local drugstore.
www.sallyhansen.com

 Demo

and video review

Jesse's Girl Glow Stix Review and Swatches of Red Dawn, Wicked, and Tangerine

Have you ever thought to yourself, how awesome would it be to have glowy, iridescent lips, that had all the shine of a glow stick, but subtle enough to be classy and adult? Well I have and Jesse's Girl has brought back their Ice lip glosses from last year, now called Glow Stix with the addition of a new shade! Perfect!

When you first see this product you may be a little intimidated by this product when you see it in the tube. Don't be. First off this product applies slightly white sheer and you only see the color when light hits it just the right way. You can use these on bare lips, over lipstick, or over liner. While the applicator is a bit tricky to use, especially over lipstick, i would suggest applying over liner. The applicator, which is a doe foot applicator, tends to pick up very little gloss and tends to wipe lipstick off the lips when applied tinting the gloss in the tube. I would suggest popping out the white stopper and dipping a lip brush in. It gives a smoother and more even applicator. My only real issue with this product is how small the tube is. It is just slightly larger than the applicator itself but the tube makes the actual space of product magnified. Above i have applied Tangerine (reflects orange) over maybelline's electric orange color sensational lipstick (upper left corner), Red Dawn (reflects red) over have to have it liner from mac (upper right corner), and i applied Wicked (reflects green) over Brazen Berry by maybelline color sensational lipstick.

Overall i like how these feel on the lips, not sticky, not too wet, and i adore the subtle glowy effect. You can pick these up in Rite Aid or online at http://www.jessesgirlcosmetics.com/

Urban Decay Moon Dust Shadow Review and Swatches

A little late to update this but if you haven't already seen them or got your hands on them, the new Urban Decay Moondust shadows are a must have!

 

What is so special about Moondust shadows? While they offer sparkle and shine without all the mess (though there is some fall out!) Use these shadows wet or dry for a high pigmented look. They have a bit of a moist feeling to them which helps them to adhere to the skin well though i still suggest using a primer. Above i have both Zodiac and Stargazer shades. I love glittery these are!  They do contain reflective micro-glitter and its higher in quality than most micro-glitter shadows.  I would not recommend using a brush that isn't dense to apply these. They Have great pigmentation but are more glitter than shadow.  Overall these are a must have if you like sparkle!They are currently on sale for 20$ on www.sephora.com. Below i have created an eye look using Stargazer on the lid and Zodiac on the crease blended out to the brow bone. I got a full 7 hours of wear with minimal fading.

Ariel Storylook Palette Review and Swatches

Boy do I feel lucky! This morning the UPS man dropped off this beautiful new palette from Sephora. Ariel is the newest addiction to the collection of Disney Reigning Princessss and this palette does not disappoint (aside from a shade or two). 

The back of the box displays all the shades that are included. They are generous in both number and finish. The names are from the Disney film which adds just the right amount of childhood  to this big girl palette

Once opened the palette itself features a beautiful aquatic scene of Ariel gazing at the surface where she longs to be. Both dramatic and beautiful, this was an excellent choice for a cover. Inside there is a navy colored velvet box which the shadows sit upon. The pull tab is silver ribbon. Just the right touch. 

The shadows themselves have an, overall, great quality to them. They are

Soft and easy to blend, yes even the mattes. Those shades which do lean a little sheer like Flounder, Sebastian, and treasures untold are the perfect contrast to the more pigmented Flotsom, Jetsam, and Sea Witch. Each row could easily be an eye look by itself or colors from all over the palette could be combined. I love the inclusion of shades like Fins , a glittery mermaid green, Sha La La, matte dark fuchsia,  Blue Lagoon, shimmering opaque blue, and Triton, shimmering gold.  The only shade I had a major issue with was Sick of Swimming. It was crumbly, hard to apply evenly, and not very pigmented. It would have made a good highlighter shade had it not been so hard to apply. Your Voice, which has micro glitter, gave me a lot of fallout. I didn't have this same issue with Triton which is similar in formula. 

You can purchase this palette at Sephora for 55$

Overall I liked this palette, the nautical themed shades, perfect for summer. Loved most of the finishes and overall formula. If you love Disney, the little mermaid, beautiful makeup or just love beautiful packaging, this is a must have. So place this baby right next to your Cinderella and Jasmine! It's story time.

Here are some looks!

Ariel Storylook Palette Look- Wearing Atlantica on the lid, fins on the crease, and sick of swimming on the inner corner of the eye. Ruby Woo by mac on the lips lined with Sephora nano liner in Choco Chic

Ariel Storylook Palette Look- Wearing Atlantica on the lid, fins on the crease, and sick of swimming on the inner corner of the eye. Ruby Woo by mac on the lips lined with Sephora nano liner in Choco Chic

Ariel Storylook Palette Look- I used Unfortunate Souls on the middle lid, Your Voice on the inner corner of my eye, and Sea Witch on the outer corner. I used Heroine on my lips by MAC lined with Nightmother lip liner.

Ariel Storylook Palette Look- I used Unfortunate Souls on the middle lid, Your Voice on the inner corner of my eye, and Sea Witch on the outer corner. I used Heroine on my lips by MAC lined with Nightmother lip liner.

Ariel Storylook Palette Look- I used Scuttle on the lid, Caspian Seas on the crease, Treasures Untold on the browbone and Sha LaLa under my lower lash. I also used Sushi Kiss by MAC on my lips.

 

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box Review and Swatches

I am a big fan of the Urban Decay Deluxe shadows. High quality, ease of blending trendy shades and cute packaging. While having individual shadows is nice, sometimes you just want everything in its compact little place. This palette offers the beauty of Deluxe shadow shades with the convince of a mini palette.

This Box contains 9 shades altogether: Fishnet, Honey, Ransom, Graffiti, Zero, Peace, Shag, Scratch, and Underground. There are four 5 bright and fun shades and 4 neutral shades. This palette has flexibility in that you can use it to have a pop of color in a neutral look, a full neutral look, a full bright look, or neutral pop. You can do smokey eyes, bright eyes, or even use these as liners. Included is a small sample of primer not pictured here (see back of outer package above).

The packaging of this product is a purple velvet lined box.that closes magnetically. Since there is no locking closure you can not just throw this in your purse. The front has a metal mesh while the back is bare and with minimal information. Inside there is a mirror, two sponge applicators, a bird and flower design along with the shades and their names.

Each of these shades had flawless application. Even without primer these shades had fantastic pigmentation. They felt almost a little moist when applying to the skin. Without primer they last about 4 hours on the lid before fading with primer they can last about 8+ hours without fading. I did not find these to crease and i did not experience fallout.

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadows in Fishnet, Honey, Ransom, Graffiti, Zero, Peace, Shag, Scratch, and Underground. Bare Skin No Flash.

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadows in Fishnet, Honey, Ransom, Graffiti, Zero, Peace, Shag, Scratch, and Underground. Bare Skin with flash.

Overall if you are looking for great quality shadows in both brights and neutrals, this product is ideal to pick up. The only downside is no secure closing but aside from this product does not disappoint. You can purchase it on the Urban Decay Website for $16.

Lip Factory Inc March Review and Swatches

After being blown away by my first Lip Factory Inc box i was a bit shocked when i was even more blown away (is that even possible??) by my second Lip Factory box. Only one sample sized product nestled between 7 full sized items (yes, you heard me SEVEN!!!!) make this box a deal that most other beauty boxes will have a bit of trouble rivaling.

I feel that this box really goes back to the roots of what this box is about. While i love the items for other parts of the face there is just something special about getting a box filled with products just to perfect the pout. The range this month was outstanding lip pencil, lipstick, gloss, liquid lipstick, lip sheen, even a lip brush and exfoliater!

What was included in this months box!

OFRA Cosmetics Lipstick in Berry Sexy-
Ever since i became spoiled with the wonderful world of MAC, it has been very hard to please me with other brands of lipstick. I gave the OFRA Cosmetics lipstick in Berry Sexy a try and i really liked how pigmented it was and how creamy it was. A nice full coverage lipstick in a dark berry red. A great for fall. 

Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Kiss Off
This sheer pink, glittery, gloss is so much fun. Non sticky and just enough shimmer to be great for spring and not enough to border on middle school. I like the happy medium of this adult glitter gloss that can be worn on its own for a sheer wash of baby pink or layered over a lipstick in the similar shade range.

 NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Deep Red
I am not sure why this box (released in spring) has so many dark fall shades but you can never go wrong with a classic deep red. It's name is very true to it's shade in that you honestly get a deep red shade on your lips. This color is true to the pencil. This shade glides on creamy and effortlessly without bleeding, feeling heavy, or sticky. 

LASplash Cosmetics Diamond Lipgloss in Forbidden
This is your average drugstore gloss. Not fantastic not bad. I did not find this gloss sticky but it did have a little tack. I had a hard time getting enough product on the doe foot applicator and this lead it taking quite a while just to get enough gloss on my lips. Since there was a lack of product on the brush applying this over lipstick just whips the lipstick away. The gloss itself is a sheer pink.

Korres Liquid Lipstick in 13
On the Lip Factory website this product is mistakenly marked as a lip gloss and it most certainly is not. This product is an opaque liquid lipstick that glides on velvety smooth. This nude shade is perfect for spring. Easy to apply with a doe foot applicator that gets just enough product for smooth application. This is great to have in your purse if you are afraid of lipsticks melting or breaking since it allows you lipstick without the worry.

Designer Skin Cosmetics Lip Shimmer
This shimmer is more of a normal sheer lip gloss. I am not sure why it is called a shimmer as there is minimal shimmer. This product comes in a turn and click tube that allows you to brush the product on without any tools needed. You can click as much as as little as you need. 

Dermalogica Lip Renewal Lip Complex Sample
This was the only sample sized product this month and it made my lips feel smooth and free of imperfections. 


Extra:
Lip Factory Lip Brush
Since receiving this box i have used this brush for everything from OCC lip tars to using lipstick as liners!

Overall this month really was all about the lips. I wish there would have been more seasonal appropriate products and not so many sheer items. Did you get this months Lip Factory box? If so what did you think?