Makeup Forever Professional Paris Rouge Artist Natural Review.

Makeup Forever Professional Paris Rouge Artist Natural in N9 Copper Pink

I got this for my Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday gift. I'm always looking to extend the range of brands in my collection and the deluxe samples of this and a mascara are the first Makeup Forever products I've owned. This one was in the shade N9 Copper Pink.

This is what the product looks in the tube. The packaging for the sample is pretty standard, nothing overly fancy and is a bit different from the full size. For a sample, the packing is nice.
Now, for the amount of product you get for this sample, wasn't bad. I was expecting much less, you know it was free and with most, not all, but most samples I feel you really don't get enough of the product to really get an idea if you like it or not. Or if it has some effect that takes a period of time to show results, you never really get enough product to see if it is actually working and worth buying a full size. With this you get enough for quite a few applications.

N9 is a really beautiful burnt rose pink color. I'm not quite sure what kind of finish this lipstick is, but it does leave a nice shine on the lips. In the tube, I didn't think I'd like the color, but once I put it on my lips my opinion instantly changed. Not only is the color nice, but the formula is so creamy, it goes on like butter.
As for lasting power, I did have some expectations, especially with a brand like Makeup Forever. They didn't disappoint. This stuff actually lasted much longer on my lips, than any other lip product I currently have. Not only does the color last, but after its gone, my lips don't feel dried out or feel like there's product caught in fine lines or dry spots if I have any. It also leaves the lips feeling hydrated.

All in all, love this deluxe sample. And I will be purchasing a full size in this shade and probably some others too.

Sorry this was such a short review, but with technology nearly causing my head to explode, between my DSL lines being chewed and burnt and cell phone mishaps, this will have to do. As always, feel follow me on any of my social networks. And I'll see you all again on Monday *knock on wood*

Until Next Time,
May you're technology not make your brain ooze out your ears. And as always, Stay Creative. 

Product Hits, Workables and Fails.

Instead of doing a monthly favorites, I decided to do something a little different. February was such a short month and I had my little hiatus, it feels a favorites post would be a little silly. So, we're going to have a Product Hit, Workable and Fail post. Now, all the products mentioned whether they were a hit or a miss is my opinion. If you love any of the products that I don't, that's fine, all us aren't going to like or dislike the same things. That's what makes us unique critters after all.
Whether products are a Hit or Fail is pretty obvious to determine why. But the difference between Workables from a Hit is that Workables require something extra to make them work or is something that slightly puts me off about the product, but I'm still able to use them.

Some of these products have been featured as a full review, others have not and were reserved for this post in general. Products are going to appear in no particular order.

With that lets get started.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius

HIT

I wrote a review earlier this month on this little gem (Beauty Genius Review). A nice mixing medium for under 20.00USD that truly waterproofs any powder, loose pigment and glitter products. There isn't an odor to the product and some gel products just smell bad, not this one. This brand is Cruelty Free, which is always a nice way to go with cosmetics, so extra bonus points there. And it's the only mixing medium available at Ulta Beauty, at least at mine and I haven't seen any other ones available online.

Our Moment Fragrance From One Direction Sample

HIT

This was a sample fragrance call Our Moment by One Direction.The sample is long gone. I've mentioned briefly that I suffer from migraine headaches and quite often, many scents can trigger them. So I have to be extremely careful with any type of fragrance, especially perfume. I generally stay away from the perfume section of any store just to avoid any possible triggers. But, I got this as a sample in one of my Ulta Beauty Online orders and this is just amazing. I need to get a full size of this. It's a feminine scent, that's very light and not overpowering. It had a sweet, powdery smell that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but this is most definitely a hit. 

Eyelash Curlers- Brand Unknown.

HIT

These were featured in a past haul post. When I wrote that post I couldn't remember the brand, but these were a 1.00USD curiosity. And for a buck, these are a hit. They curl my lashes and if they hadn't, I wouldn't have been upset that I had paid a decent amount of money on a set of eyelash curlers. These are the first I've ever owned, but I will probably spend a little extra money on some in the future. But for now they do their job, what else can I say?

Aero Minerale Hydrating Mineral Makeup Mist in bare

FAIL

I wanted to love this product so badly. When it arrived in the mail, I was so excited to try it out. I researched this, read reviews, but darn it this is a FAIL. Firstly, this is suppose to be the fairest shade for those with pink undertones. Just no...It's way too dark for me and I didn't see where this foundation had any pink undertones. I tested this on my neck and the back of my hand, it oxidized on my skin turning me a lovely shade of orange. And this is suppose to be a hydrating foundation? Absolutely not. This stuff made me feel like I was wearing a mud mask when it's ready to take off. It felt like it was going to crack every time I moved my neck or my hand. Then on top of that was the smell. Holy mother of pearl does this smell bad, I mean, like chemicals and mold are the best ways to describe it. I even had my husband smell this to see if it was just me and he flat out asked me if I had put it on my face, because if I had, the way it smelled I better not have. This puppy is going right back to Ulta Beauty. No way is this stuff being sprayed on my entire face.

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Workable

Another product I did a review on ( Ammo Palette Review ), which is the Ammo Palette by Urban Decay. Now in the review, I do mention that this was a gift from my husband, but I had been wanting this palette so badly, simply because I adore the packaging. Plus the shadow shades looked like something I'd use frequently. But, the glitter shades were fallout glitter pixie nightmare. I had recommended saving your money if you had been thinking about purchasing this palette.I went back to this with my Beauty Genius waterproofing gel and this helped out with the glitter pixies and the fallout in general. So, it's now a workable product, because half the shadows need the help of a mixing medium. A lovely palette, beautiful packaging and with the extra step, something I can work with. 

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna

HIT

Come on, you guys knew this was going to be on this list ( NARS Blush Bronzer Duo Review ). I haven't used another blush since I bought this. Gorgeous color and the bronzer is beautiful too. Completely worth every penny I paid for this. 

Pixel Eyeliner Pen in Black

HIT

Felt pen style black liquid eyeliner by Pixel. Never heard of this brand, but I do say I'm quite impressed. It's a good black liquid liner. The felt tip is easy to use and it seems to be holding up quite well to regular use. I haven't seen any issues with it, so a hit. And for 5.99USD not bad, not bad at all.

Kiss Nail Dress

FAIL

*sigh* Remember those stick on strips by Kiss I reviewed? If not, then the review is on the blog somewhere. The point being I mentioned that they weren't too bad, but they smelled terrible. I'm revising my statement. They're bad. And these are the same thing, just in shiny new packaging. They still smell extremely horrible where I can barely stand it. At least nail polish smell goes away after it drys, not these. Nope. Just no.

Lorac Pro Palette

HIT

Much like my NARS Blush and Bronzer, you knew this was making the list as a hit. My current "go to" palette out of all the palettes I own. You can create so many diverse looks with this palette and the quality of the eyeshadows is simply amazing. Love, love, love. Can't say love enough. The full review was my last post, so no link for this one, but it should be easy to find if you're interested. 

 

Stila Lip Palette

FAIL

...A lip palette by Stila. Lip Palette, no other information whether or not it is lip "stick", lip "gloss", lip "tint" nothing. Just "Lip Palette" Look at those beautiful colors. Don't be deceived. I was excited when I got this, you know lip palette, blend colors to make custom ones, but this sadly let me down. My biggest issue with this palette is that there is NO pigmentation. These are basically lip glosses in a palette and I own lip glosses with better pigmentation than this. I've used a brush, my fingers, primed my lips and these just do not have any pigment to them. And for 16.00USD I was not happy. On top of that, they don't even last long and feel very, very oily on the lips. Not in a good hydration way either, but the way where you feel like you just kissed a fryer. This was my first purchase from Stila and I'm not impressed. This is another product that's going back to Ulta.

I'll be posting reviews here and on my tumblr, simplydarkpleasureblog.tumblr.com on the same days and time. So if you'd prefer to follow me exclusively there, then you're more than welcome to do so. As always come find me on Twitter via the widget here or @Blog_SDP where you can get immediate updates on blog posts and general updates from me.

Until next time,
Stay Creative.

Lorac Pro Palette Review

Okay, this review's going to be hard to break down into my normal attempts to be as informative as possible. The honesty and true feelings about this product is there, but ladies...gentlemen? maybe?

Holy cheezits! 

There are no words to describe how excited I was when I finally, I mean FINALLY broke down and purchased this palette. It was in my twitter feed, my facebook feeds, tumblr, pinterest, you name it, this palette was in my face saying "BUY ME NOW". 

I don't know how long I toyed with the idea of purchasing this palette, but I do know it's been a while. I went into Ulta Beauty and went directly to this palette, looked at it, swatched the tester, then literally left the Lorac section and browsed the entire store. I looked at similar palettes from other brands like, It Cosmetics, Stila, Urban Decays Naked Palettes, Too Faced and a bunch of other ones. Swatched a bunch, but ultimately went back to this one, because I knew if I walked out of that store without it, I was going to regret it and be online at Ulta.com looking at this palette again.

Packaging is simple black paper wrapped palette, with the text in a reflective silver stamped onto it. You can run your finger across it and feel the impressions, very shiny, very nice.  The top is magnetic so you don't have to worry about the top flopping around or coming open if you should happen to turn the palette upside down and of course you get a nice mirror on the backside of the top. 

Inside the palette you get eight matte eyeshadows and eight shimmer eyeshadows. The top row are all the mattes, the bottom are all the shimmer shades, which I like a lot. Also, the shadows for each finish start from the left side of the palette from lightest or highlight shades to the darkest colors. Just from a visual standpoint, this palette has got itself together, very organized, very easy to find the colors you want to use. The only exception to the light to dark shades, are the shimmer shades, where Slate and Deep purple should be switched around, but oh well, it's close enough.

Lorac Pro Palette Top Row Matte Eyeshadows

We'll start off with the top row of matte eyeshadows, starting in order they appear in the palette. First impressions of this first row of shadows were all I had heard and more. Silky, creamy without it being a cream and pigmentation. These swatches were done with minimal swiping, especially Espresso and Black. The lighter or highlight shades are just as pigmented, but with my fair skin it's always hard to get swatches to show in photos. I haven't tried these wet yet, I haven't felt the need to use them this way yet, I may use Black wet and see how it looks in replacement of a black eyeliner on the upper lash-line.

Time to break each matte shadow down...

Though I feel that I'm horrible at trying to describe colors.

White- Can you say, favorite eye highlight? Am I the only one who has a hard time finding matte whites to use to highlight the brow bone? Or am I just that dumb and haven't looked hard enough? This is a beautiful matte white, perfect to highlight the inner corner of the eye and brow bone. Can't say enough good things about this color.

Cream- This a nice off white, slightly peachy pink toned shadow. Another great option in this palette for a matte highlight. Or even a nice lid color.

Taupe- This shade just....ugh! I can't get enough of it. I'm not a huge fan of any taupe like colors, not a fan. But! Love this! Fantastic transition color. Cool toned bisque, peach undertone, light tan color.

Lt. Pink- The name says it all. It's a light pink. A subtle powder, baby pink color. It looks lovely with it's neighbor Mauve.

Mauve- You know what...it's Mauve, no need to describe it any further. Pigmented, just lovely.

Sable- This is a nice warm brown, doesn't appear orange on the skin. Warms up your face so nicely when used.

Espresso- Cool dark brown. You don't need much of this on a brush or finger. Extremely pigmented. Reminds me of a dark chocolate color.

Black- Pretty self explanatory. It's not the blackest shadow I'm sure, but it's black. Nuff said.

All of the Matte finishes just feel amazing on the eyes. They don't streak or crease on me. The pigmentation is great. Now, some like Espresso, Black and maybe one more, have a little bit of fallout in the pan itself when you're using a brush, but if you tap your brush like you should before applying the product to your face, there's little to no fallout.

Lorac Pro Palette. Bottom Row- Shimmer Eyeshadow Swatches.

Now onto the shimmer shades. We all know that I've been put off by the glitter pixie situation. I was scared of these shadows, thus why I toyed with the idea of spending the money to get this palette. But, we'll break these shades down first.

Nude- Without the shimmer, this is darn near a match for my skin tone. Beautiful shade with a pink undertone. I've used this one as an all over lid color and it's very stunning. 

Champagne- Gorgeous color. This is more of a taupe champagne color, rather that a nude or peach. 

Gold- It's a gold shimmer shadow. Beautiful, but its not a traditional gold color, more of a Rose Gold.

Lt. Bronze- This is a cool tone bronze, its light, just like the name says.

Pewter- This ones a little hard to describe. I have a few things that are pewter and it's not exactly the same color. This is more of a bronze, grey, purple color. 

Garnet- This is a very relfective rosey, brown, coppery color. It's different enough where I can't draw any comparisons to anything I've seen or currently have.

Deep Purple- This shade is indeed a DEEP purple. It actually looks more purple in the pan than on the skin. But you can tell it's purple. Perfect for smokey or bold eyes. 

Slate- This one is more of a gunmetal shade that leans slightly more blue, but just enough for there to be a difference between this shade and an actual gunmetal shade. 

The shimmer shadows are beautiful. I wish my color descriptions could be better, but the glitter is so fine that it's hard to tell what the color of the glitter actually is. These don't feel grainy, they're just as creamy as the matte shades. The glitter pixies aren't there. I have used the shimmer shades quite a bit and the fallout in comparison to some I own *cough* when used dry or without a primer isn't noticeable. 

The overall quality of this palette is amazing. There's not a single eyeshadow that I won't use. You have your cool tones, your warm tones, beautiful nudes, highlights, transitional colors and smokey shades. This palette cost 42.00USD  for sixteen eyeshadows and it is worth every penny. I haven't touched another eyeshadow palette since I brought this home. I immediately grab this one and I'm ready to do my eye makeup. If you don't own this palette yet, just bluntly go get yourself one if you can. I feel so buyers remorse even with the palette being 42.00USD. Go get yourself one. This is a go to staple in my makeup collection.


I'll be posting reviews here and on my tumblr, simplydarkpleasureblog.tumblr.com on the same days and time. So if you'd prefer to follow me exclusively there, then you're more than welcome to do so. As always come find me on Twitter via the widget here or @Blog_SDP where you can get immediate updates on blog posts and general updates from me.

Until next time,
Stay Creative.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo (Orgasm and Laguna) Review

One of the items in my Birthday/Unbirthday Haul!

NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in the shades Orgasm and Laguna.

I mentioned in my haul post that I had intended on purchasing one of the Ambient Light Blushes by Hourglass, but my Sephora didn't carry them in store. Be as that may, I was still on the hunt for a blush that had a dewier finish and wasn't infested with glitter pixies. The Ammo Palette by Urban Decay has put me off in the realm of glitter, though I should be able to fix that issue with Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius, both products have been reviewed here in the past if you want to see more on those two products. The links to those reviews will open into a new window. ( Beauty Genius Review and Ammo Palette Review )

With some help from DrugStorePrincess aka Hilary, another beauty blogger, we went through a bunch of blushes and even some bronzers, after discussing the fact that I wanted to try the dewier makeup looks, without appearing orange or like I've been mating with a pixie. After finding glitter galore and mostly matte blushes, she mentioned NARS Laguna and then Orgasm. 

NARS orgasm and even Laguna, have a huge hype behind them. I've read and heard amazing things about this product and brand in general, as well as some who weren't all that impressed. I was extremely skeptical when I heard rave reviews, because lets face it, NARS is a higher end brand, quality yes, but ouch on the wallet. More so if products such are this aren't in your budget. I normally shop for beauty products on a tight budget and I'm a huge sales shopper. I want the most I can get, with quality, with the money I have on hand. But, I had gone to Sephora with the intent on purchasing a single blush for 35.00USD to begin with, I knew my budget and I had a little extra and it was for my birthday. I'm allowed to splurge a little.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo
Packaging

The packaging is simple. Though, that doesn't mean it isn't nice. I enjoy fancy packaging just as much as something less extravagant. It's heavier than I would have thought it would be, especially in comparison to my travel size Lorac TanTalizer Highlight and Bronzing Duo. My Lorac duo is slightly smaller in size, but the weight difference is noticeable even with both of the products having a mirror. But, the NARS Duos mirror is much bigger and I think even clearer than my Lorac duo. But, I'm in love with the packaging, just for the simplicity of it and that when I hold it, it feels expensive. And that's always nice.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo
View Of Product In The Pan

The product in it's pan form, doesn't look like anything special. They're nice colors in the pan, but they don't immediately "wow" you if you just give them a quick glance. I know Orgasm comes in a cream or stick form, but of course this is the powder form. I noticed with most of my powder blushes, they do have a, well, powdery smell to them, but this one doesn't. When you go in with a brush to apply this, there literally like, no fall out. Perhaps, the tiniest amount in the pan. You know how you blow off the extra product in the pan if ones powdery or chalky? Don't have to do that with this one.

NARS Laguna (Top) Orgasm (Bottom)
Swatch 1

NARS Laguna (Top) Orgasm (Bottom)
Swatch 2

Swatch time. I have two different swatches here for you. On the left, is my original swatch where you can obviously see the lovely pigmentation of both bronzer and blush. On the right, is the swatch here you can see the glow!
Laguna, I admit does take a little work to get out of the pan. And you do need to build the color up a little. But, this bronzer does have a nice glow without it being overpowering and it doesn't appear orange on me. I can work with it and I've actually been using this, rather than my Matte bronzer since I bought this.
Orgasm...I have found my favorite blush of all time. This is a beautiful pinky peach color, with this golden pink glow. There is a teeny tiny amount of micro glitter in it, but it doesn't get everywhere. How did NARS do that?
I need to know their secret.
It glides onto the cheeks, applies evenly and it's pigmented. It doesn't feel chalky or grainy on the skin. So far it's the best blush I have ever used. And I've used this from the moment I got home with it and literally everyday after.
Just gorgeous.

Price. This duo was 42.00USD at Sephora. The individual full sizes of both Laguna and Orgasm are I want to say around 30.00USD a piece. So for the price of the duo you're getting both of these amazing products for less than if you'd buy them separate. Now, if you have a dark complexion than I do, I'm not the fairest person out there, but I'm darn near close, you may want to skip the Laguna bronzer and stick with just the blush. But if you are fair and can splurge/afford this product, you're looking for a more dewier appearance to your makeup, then I'd recommend this.

 That wraps it up for this review, I'll be posting reviews here and on my tumblr, simplydarkpleasureblog.tumblr.com on the same days and time. So if you'd prefer to follow me exclusively there, then you're more than welcome to do so. As always come find me on Twitter via the widget here or @Blog_SDP where you can get immediate updates on blog posts and general updates from me.

Until next time,
Stay Creative.

Birthday/UnBirthday Haul.

Birthday Haul Time!

or...

If you wan t to get all technical, Unbirthday Haul Time. 

I say Unbirthday, since I was born on February 29th, evil Leap Year. And this year, there is no 29th of February. On the pesky non Leap Year, years, I celebrate both on the 28th and 1st of March. So, I went shopping at Ulta Beauty in store, as well as online and I went to Sephora for the first time. Then we have some of the things my husband and sister gifted to me.

First we have a Lipstick Palette from Stila from my online purchases, this palette has six really pretty shades. This palette is quite small, but we'll see how it works out.

Next is the they're Real! mascara by benefit sample/travel size. You're going to see a theme here I think, since I'm looking for better mascaras that won't irritate my eyes, but won't flake off or run. 

Now we have a travel size Lorac Tantolizer Baked Bronzer. I love there Tantolizer Matte Bronzer, but a lot of Matte products makes me look washed out, so I'm experimenting with some dewier looks to see if I like them or not. At the moment Ulta is running a free gift special with Lorac Products online and in store with some items, so with this I also got a sample of their Stay Matte face primer.

Aero Minerale Mineral Makeup Mist in the shade bare. This is suppose to be a dupe for Dior's spray on foundation, along with the one from Napoleon Cosmetics. I was looking for a quicker way to do my foundation, since I do have kids and my youngest is less than six months old. With the reviews and research I did, this looks promising. 

Now an eyeliner felt pen by Pixel. I've never heard of this brand before, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a liquid liner in pen form. This was the cheapest I found I do believe or somewhere around there. I'm eager to try this out, since the brand is new to me I don't have any expectations. I love trying new brands, especially if I've heard little or nothing about them. 

And lastly from my online shopping, I got the Dr. Lin skincare Acne Cleansing Pads. I'm not afraid to admit to myself and to anyone that I'm extremely lazy when it comes to nighttime face cleaning. Washing my face the traditional way, wakes me up. I don't want to be awake at night when I want to settle down. So, I have cleansing wipes that I use, now I have something that will replace my toner at nighttime. Also has 2% Salicylic Acid in them, so I can amp up my skincare, even though I love my Equate Beauty skincare line. 

Now on to my in store purchases from Ulta. I had my rewards certificate to use and I don't yet have a Kabuki brush. So, I grabbed this one by Ultas professional line of brushes. The brush is pretty soft, I haven't gotten around to using this yet, so we'll see how it holds up to my other brushes.

Forgive my poor editing, but I don't think you wanted to see my floor. 

Ultas Rewards Club birthday gift for February was a full size CK Cosmetics Mascara. So, of course I grabbed one while I was there. I'm REALLY excited about this mascara because of the wand. It's different. I've never seen another wand like it before and I'm dying to see how well it works. 

Lorac Pro Palette...

Let's just take a moment to enjoy those words.

This palette has been on my MUST HAVE list and because, it was my birthday I decided to splurge on it. This also came with a free sample, which was their eyeshadow primer. 

Now, on to what I got at Sephora. I only grabbed two things and one was my Beauty Insider Birthday Gift from Sephora, but still, it counts.

For my Beauty Insider gift, I chose the Makeup Forever Mascara and Rouge Lipstick mini's. It was this or something from benefit. Since I already got a mascara from that brand, I decided to go with a brand I haven't tried before. Thus, my reason for getting this. 

NARS Blush and Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna. This wasn't my original reason for going into the only Sephora in my area. I had gone intending to purchase one of the Hourglass Blushes, but my Sephora didn't carry them in store. I don't own a lot of blushes, I normally use my lipsticks or a few matte blushes that I do own. As I said before, I've been looking to try more dewy looks, but I didn't want a blush chocked full of evil glitter pixies. And sadly, most "dewy" blushes are. DrugStorePrincess aka Hilary was there and helped me go through blushes. When NARS Orgasm was brought up, I've heard a lot of hype about the product, both good and bad and I hadn't really considered getting it. Well, I was won over by the swatch, so I ended up purchasing the duo, since it made more financial sense, because I liked the bronzer too. 

Now, onto what my sister got me.

We have some Kiss Nail Dresses in neon colors with neon polka dots. I assume these are different from the Stick On Nail strips I've already reviewed, but I do really like this design. We shall see how different these are.  

A hand cream by bodycology in vanilla sugar. Sorry for the crap photo, but you get the point, it's lotion. Now this stuff smells heavenly. I love anything vanilla scented and these types of scents tend not to aggravate my migraine headaches, where a lot of perfume or candle scents do. So far, I love this and it's still winter and I need all the moisturizers I can get my hands on.

Finally my husband got me some clothes. Now, I'm ridiculously picky about dresses or skirts. From the material, to the length, cut, you name it, I nitpick. But, it seems, my husband tends to find the ones that I love. He's found two others that always hit the dirty laundry, as soon as its clean, this one is no different. The shoulder pieces are a soft mesh and the rest of the dress is this soft t-shirt like material. The length us just above the knee where I don't feel overly subconscious, but it doesn't make me look shorter than I already am like long skirts or dresses tend to do.  

Here's the closeup of the pattern on the dress. It's sugar skulls, crosses and some type of flower. I looks like a rose, I'm pretty sure that's what it is, but I could be wrong.

I'm a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan. And he found me a pencil skirt with the ending scene of the movie on it. The skirt is another just above the knee length and the cut of a pencil skirt is very slimming and flatters my figure. It's also made of a material that doesn't restrict you when you walk, which is very nice. 

Last thing is another pencil skirt, same fabric and cut. This one is just has a different pattern, which is different colored stained glass windows and crosses.

That's the end of my birthday haul, I hope you enjoyed it and it's not bragging by any means, but if you like these types of posts let me know or let me know what you'd like to see next. I'll be posting reviews here and on my tumblr, simplydarkpleasureblog.tumblr.com on the same days and time. So if you'd prefer to follow me exclusively there, then you're more than welcome to do so. As always come find me on Twitter via the widget here or @Blog_SDP where you can get immediate updates on blog posts and general updates from me.

Until next time,
Stay Creative.