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.

Maybelline New York New Clean Express Makeup Remover Review.

Maybelline New York Clean Express Makeup Remover, Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. This little gem was featured in my Mini Ulta Beauty Haul on the first of the month. Since then, I've been using this to remove my eye makeup, giving me time to really form an opinion about it. 

What the back of the bottle says in a generalized sense is: Ultra gentle, quick break technology this dual phase formula instantly breaks up stubborn makeup, even waterproof mascara while the second washes it clean. Due to the quick dissolving power, no harsh rubbing is necessary. Oil free formula leaves no greasy residue. Again it's oil free but also, safe for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes. Allergy Tested. Ophthalmologist Tested.

If you've been with me a short while, I have mentioned in the past that my eyes are...sensitive. More sensitive than I'd like them to be, but hey, what can you do? I was out of my normal eye makeup remover by Wet N Wild, a remover that worked but, stung the hell out of my eyes and it smelled horrible on top of that. But I at least wanted to finish it up, because despite the mild discomfort it got the job done. I stumbled on this when I first walked into Ulta where they had a display of a bunch of buy 1 get one 50% off products. There was another formula that was blue, but I can't remember what exactly it was.

 Removes waterproof makeup, check. Gentle, check. Safe for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes, check. 

I was sold on what it promised. 

The packaging is pretty standard, but has a cute quality to it. The bottle is a light pink, makes it feel a little girly and it's a soft plastic that has some give to it. So if you drop it on the floor (which I have, many, many times) it's not going to crack or shatter like hard plastic containers or caps can. The cap is a white plastic cap inside a bigger clear cap, but it is all one piece. I don't know what it is about it, but it feels more aesthetically pleasing, with the clear plastic cap encapsulating the white cap. Maybe it's just me, but I like it. 

All of the information is printed on two large clear stickers that are stuck to the bottle. It doesn't look cheap, but the stickers themselves are anything real special. I've had the bottle kicking around for nearly a month and they haven't started to peel off or anything. 

The actual product is actually really cool at first glance, in the bottle. You can actually see the two different formulas, since they are different densities. The one on the bottom of course being thicker and more dense than the top layer, so you can see it sitting on top of the other. Now, I have no idea which one does what, but it's kind of cool to play around with the liquid in the bottle. 

There's nothing to worry about the two formulas being separated, since you have to follow the directions; which include- Shake well. Apply with cotton pad to eyelids and lashes. Gently rinse with warm water. 

I didn't exactly follow the instructions. I shook the product well, applied to a cotton ball and gently pressed it to a "closed" eye and let it set for about 30 seconds, before I gently pulled the cotton ball towards my temple, then took a clean edge and gently cleaned up what the initial swipe missed. Followed by my normal makeup removing towelettes and skin care routine. 

Now, this product was 5.99USD at Ulta Beauty and you get 4fl oz (120ml) of product. For that price, I wasn't expecting miracles. 

But...

By far, the best waterproof eye makeup remover I have ever run across. 

This product doesn't irritate my eyes what so ever. I've had no problems with sensitivity, no irritation or burning. And the best part, it works. It takes off waterproof products like a dream. I was testing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Waterproofing Gel (review coming soon) and this stuff, one swipe after holding a cotton ball to it for 30 seconds, it was gone. Waterproof mascara, came off easily. It just an amazing product. I highly recommend this stuff, especially for 5.99USD. It does leave what feels like a not really oily, but a residue. But a quick rinse with some water and it goes away. As I said, I follow up with a all over makeup removing towelette and my normal skin care routine, so the little residue that is left behind doesn't bother me. 

I've even used this to remove the Waterproofing Gel from my makeup brushes, along with makeup brushes where I've used lipsticks or other cream products. Followed by what I normally do to clean my brushes and it removes the product beautifully. 

When all is said and done, go get yourself some of this. It's a good product. The price for the amount you get is reasonable and nearly a steal. 

As always, remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there (though I've been naughty there and not updating much). Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site. Check out the "About" section of the blog and the "Review Disclaimer" for more information.

I'll be seeing you Friday with another post.

Until Next Time,

Stay Creative. 

Mini Ulta Beauty Haul

I was going to save this for later in the week, but my model for the makeup look I'm working on is sick, so adjustments needed to be made, since I didn't have the time to do it on myself for Monday. 

Oh well, the show must go on I suppose. 

I needed to go shopping for a few things for this future makeup look and I had a coupon for 20% off my entire purchase at Ulta Beauty. The only crappy thing was, I was on such a strict budget that it was almost too sad to be unable to go buck wild like I had wanted to. Despite my budget restrictions, Ultas sales are to die for right now, so many awesome deals.

Shall we get right into this mini haul then?

Maybelline  New York
Clean Express Makeup Remover

I was completely out of eye makeup remover and this was buy one get one 50%. You could mix and match with other brands, I don't remember if I grabbed a qualifying item to go with this or not, but I needed this, especially when I saw it claimed to remove even waterproof mascara. All know that waterproof mascara is murder to remove, so I figured this was worth a try. I tested it out  on the back of my hand where I had tested out a waterproof product and it seemed to work, so we shall see if it works on really set on waterproof eye makeup.

Next, we have some of your standard eyelash curlers. I don't remember the brand, these were on clearance for 1.00USD and the packaging has already be deposited in the trash, so it shall remain a mystery for now. Believe it or not, these are my first eyelash curlers that I've ever owned. I had always felt it was an unnecessary step in my personal makeup routine for the longest time, but after a few dozen videos on some nifty tricks you can do with these by the Youtube Beauty Gurus I subscribe to, I started to lean towards maybe buying some. These were dirt cheap, as I said I have been curious about using these for a while, but didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on one. A dollar for a curiosity? Sure, why not. 

Now we have a Whipped Eyeshadow by Ulta, in the color Whipped Cream. This was bought for possible use in these special little makeup look I'm planning. I don't own any whipped or cream eyeshadows in my collection yet and this is the first. It's a pretty pearl white shade and the texture is a bit different. I've tested it a little when I got home and I'm still not sure what to make of this product yet. If it doesn't work for the makeup look, I may try using this for a highlighter of some sort.

essence Beauty Beats Eyeshadow
I'm Backstage

Another eyeshadow, this one from a company called, essence. I've used a lip liner from this brand before and was very impressed. They're a drug store brand and I was on a budget, so I grabbed this guy. I'm Backstage is another pearl shadow, in an icy blue color. It does reflect blue, but it also has micro glitter in it that appears to be silver, a faint blue color and maybe some baby pink. I'm very excited to use this.

essence kajal pencil
004 White

Something else that I regrettably didn't have in my collection, which is your basic white eyeliner pencil. I would have had a least one a long time ago, but would you believe that every time I go and look for any and I do mean ANY white eyeliner, it's all sold out? Even with my multiple trips to Ulta or purchasing online? I finally got to the store when they had some in stock in my budget range. After swatching this guy on my hand, I was so happy that the eyeliner texture felt as nice as the lip liner I had purchased back in December. I have high hopes for this product, can't wait to see if it holds up to my expectations.

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Pigments
2x Pearl White and Baby Blue

So many regrets it seems and loose pigments aren't an exception. I ogle loose pigments on a regular basis, but always seem to talk myself out of buying any. Not this time though! This was on my top two things I specifically went to Ulta for. I picked up two in Pearl White and one in Baby Blue. One of the Pearl Whites I'm stashing away for the giveaway that's slowly being put together. I've heard a lot of good things about NYX's loose pigments in the past, so do to my budget restrictions these were just what I was looking for. I would have preferred to find a darker shade of blue, but I can make this one work. These are so pearly and glittery, that I want to save the details for a review. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills
Beauty Genius Clear Waterproofing Gel

Nope, no mixing mediums in my collection either. Some reviewer I am...

This was the last thing I specifically went to Ulta for. Now I wasn't looking for this brand in particular, I had hoped for something on the lower end of the spectrum so I could splurge on other things, but as fate would have it, this was the only one I could find at the Ulta Beauty I was at. And I had to have it. I've never tried anything from Anastasia, I've heard many, many, many good things about this brand. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It claims it "bonds, seals and waterproofs powder makeup, loose shadows, micas and glitters." "Safe to to use on the eyelids, face, lips and on the body", directly on the box. I'm going to have to experiment with this, since I've never used anything like this before, but we must use it sparingly.

*GASP!*

Look, look, look!!!

I found them!

If you read my last haul post from Walmart and Dollar General, I was searching and searching for these, only to be met with utter disappointment. Apparently my local Walmart isn't going to carry these awesome, amazing, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips anymore. I had hoped I'd find these when I was at Ulta and I did! The one I ended up grabbing was Queen of the Jungle, which is a giraffe print. Normally, this isn't something I'd gravitate towards, but for some reason it spoke to me. And that darn budget of mine and needing certain things, I could only grab one for now. But, at least my mind is put to ease and I know I can find these again. This is my "go to" fancy manicure/nail art product, if I don't have the time to actually and paint designs myself. Sooo happy!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Darling 

Lastly, we have a balm stain from Revlon. I had purchased one of these in December in a red shade, as a impulse buy when I was looking to explore wearing a red lip again. I thought a stain that was also a balm would be the best way for me personally to test the waters of a red lip again. I ended up wearing that color out to dinner with my husband that same night and I fell in love. I had seen the display for this shade, but at that particular time it was out of stock and I wanted it so bad. When I saw that Ulta had one of these left when I was there, I had to grab it. It's a really nice light purple that leans towards the redder side of purple, so it has slight pink undertones to it. Maybe if I manage to get my hands on a few more of these I'll do a review. 

And that wraps up this mini Ulta Beauty haul. 

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Don't forget to drop a comment on any of my social networks or this post with suggestions for what you'd like to possibly win in the giveaway. 

Until Next Time,

Stay Creative. 

January Favorite Products, Future Happenings.

Today marks the end of January. So what better way to end this cold miserable month than with a blog about my favorite products for January. Or it could be the fact that I haven't developed feelings towards a new product to write about. 

I'll never tell...

Some of these products you've already seen in reviews whether you've loved me enough to cruise to my Influenster Profile and see my semi-daily reviews. Or you've loved me enough to check out reviews here; the home of Simply Dark Pleasures, for my lengthy dribble of words.

Some I haven't mentioned yet and might do a review later on. You never know with me. Even if I haven't talked about them yet, doesn't mean I enjoy them any less for it.

SACK OF FAVES!

Here we have a sack...well more like a makeup bag that never has anything in it, filled with everything that will be mentioned in this post. Every "New Year" I do make a resolution. It's been the same for the last five years or so and that has been, Not To Injure Myself! I never make it a full year without severely hurting myself, and since five days before Christmas I "severely" injured my right arm (we're not going all the way there), I decided to change it. This year I went with something simple. It's vain, it's beauty related and its SKIN CARE. Better skin was this years resolution. So there is quite a few skin care things in this months faves. 

We'll get the big guys out of the way first. This is Equates Three Set Acne Treatment System. My husband purchased this for me, as a start up for my new years resolution. It comes with your Cleanser, Toner and Repairing Lotion all in one kit for around 20.00USD. It's compared to Proactiv, but I've never used it so I can't draw any similarities between the two. What I can say is if it didn't work for me, it wouldn't be in my faves obviously. Another review? Possibly? Maybe?

Moving on...

When I ordered from Ulta.com last, they had this promotion going on if you spent 40.00USD you got this makeup bag stuffed full of samples for free. So, because, I was going to spend 50.00USD to get free shipping, I nabbed it and this was one of the samples. I'm in the "age range" where I do need to start thinking about aging skin (though I hate to admit it) and on top of having dry skin; especially during the winter, I need to exfoliate. I'm nearing the end of this tube already and I'm almost afraid to see how much a full size tube is. This stuff feels so nice on skin (though it is a bit rough, but exfoliates can be) my face feels so smooth after using this. It recommends only using it every other day, but I go about every two days since my skin can be quite sensitive. I'll be sad when this guy is all gone.

Another sampler from the makeup bag I got from Ulta Beauty, is dermalogica active moist face moisturizer. A facial moisturizer is an essential in my skincare routine, again for dry skin and it's winter in New York. And not the city either. Though my skin is normally lizard like dry, it likes to go fast food greasy on me if I'm not careful with what I put on my face. A lot of facial moisturizers do this to me, but this one does not. Another sample that I'm going to have to get a full size of, since it doesn't clog my pores, doesn't make me greasy and it does what it says it does. I've actually been using another one from Pond's to extend the life of this one. The Ponds one is good, but this one is amazing.

Breaking away from skincare now! But still on the track with a face product.

purminerals Correcting Primer
Prep & Perfect

purminerals Correcting Primer
Dark Spot Correcter

Never in my life have I ever owned a face primer, but I knew I wanted some, but my skin can be on the sensitive side, so I have to be careful. These came in a set of three, all were travel sizes, but for 20.00USD I couldn't go wrong with giving these a go. Let's just say, I'm sticking with these for now on, unless they're discontinued. The Prep and Perfect is great for all over the face and the Dark Spot Correcter has saved me from the dark circles under my eyes. No longer need to use concealer for my under eye area because of that. Needless to say that is awesome. Best part is, is they're nothing in these guys that will irritate my skin in any way, shape or form. It feels like silk being put on the face without feeling greasy. Win! My foundation has never laid better on my face and major bonus, these have anti-aging ingredients in them.

Lorac TANtalizer Highlighter and Matte Bronzer Duo. I reviewed this on Influenster and it most definitely belongs here on the list of my January faves. I'm not much for the "bronzed" look especially during the winter, but I do like the way contouring looks on me.

 And perhaps it's just me, but every bronzing powder I pick up has sparkle, shimmer, glitter or something shiny in it. Or it's WAY to orange on my skin tone. This one appeared more cool toned, there was no shiny bits in it and it came with a highlighter to match. Who could resist that? 

I use this every time I do my makeup these days. The only thing I can negatively say about this is the packaging is that mirror stuff that collects fingerprints like a forensic analysts dream! So it always look's a bit dirty when it really isn't. That's the only iffy thing about it, but the product itself is amazing.

Moving forward to the eyes. We have bareMinerals Mineral Eyeshadow in Sultry. Oh my Cheezit! This stuff is gorgeous! Beautiful, neutral, champagne, sparkly color. And pigmented. A little of this goes a loooooooong way, but it's just so darn pretty. Great for an all over lid color for a netural eye look and if you perhaps want a shiny highlight on the brow. Can't express in words how much I love this.

bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara

An area in which I'm extremely picky.
Mascara.
I've tried my fair share of mascaras and all of them have irritated my eyes or were just crappy all around (clumping, runny, applicator wasn't good). I don't have the fullest lashes on the planet, nor do I have extremely fine lashes. But my eyes, like my skin, are extremely sensitive to products. It doesn't take much to irritate them if something is even near them. I finally found a mascara that doesn't leave me wanting to dig my eyes out with a spoon. I don't know what the heck is the difference, all I know is that there is one when it comes to bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara.

Onto lippy products.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Satin

You know this was going to make this list, if you read my latest review. Besides me grabbing one shade that I didn't care for, this particular shade lives on my person, since I bought it. 

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Contouring Pencil In Natural
&
NYX Round Case Lipstick: In The Nude

I've been on a nude lip kick lately, probably because I've found some amazing products that fit my tastes. The Rimmel London Lasting Finish lip liner has been my go to natural lip liner for the month of January. If I'm not rocking my L'Oreal Lip Balm, this is what I'm wearing on a daily basis, under my lipstick or just on its own. 

Natural (nude) lip, lipstick is one from NYX. Nothing fancy, just their round case line, but this color is fantastic. The formula is creamy and leans towards the peachy side in color. It is a pearly like lipstick so the lips look glossy without the lip gloss. And for NYX prices, this is a steal and something I will be repurchasing again once it's empty.

NYX Lip Pencil in Plush Red
&
NYX Matte Lipstick in Pure Red

I normally reserve a bold lip for special occasions or if I'm going out with my husband and I want to look extra snazzy. I find that regular red lip products bleed on me no matter what I do, I do know a few tricks to prevent and even stop this, but sometimes I just want to slap my face on and get out the door. 

A lip liner for a red lip is a necessity, so I grabbed Red Plush from NYX in there standard lip liner pencil. It's a good liner and it's kind on the wallet too. It's a blue toned red, so it'll give the illusion of whiter teeth and is nice for fairer skin. 

NYX Matte Lipstick in Pure Red...Love! I thought maybe a matte red lip would help with the bleeding issue I have and it made a huge difference. To be honest, I don't have any other Matte lip product to compare this one to, but this one works for me. And I have used this on date nights with the husband and on the few rare days where I wanted to rock the bold lip just for the fun of it. Any other future Matte lip color I try is thanks to this one. I haven't worn this alone without a liner underneath, so as to whether it's drying to the lips, I don't know. It works, I love it and so it is a favorite. 

That wraps up my January favorites. I hope you enjoyed this post. I'm trying my best to get better quality photos for you guys, but until I save up enough for a new camera, what I've got is going to have to work.

Coming up, I'll be doing a small giveaway via Rafflecopter. I want to know what YOU would like to win and I'll go from there!
Also working on Simply Dark Pleasures first inspired makeup look, so keep checking for updates on that. Still working out the kinks on going about doing that via a blog post, but it's going to happen.

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm Review

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm

And more LIP STUFF! Yes, it seems I have been obsessed with lip products lately, probably because it's winter, the airs dry, it's cold and my lips need some love. I mentioned in the haul post that I've noticed that this winter season a lot of, if not all cosmetic brands are throwing up tinted lip balms. So you don't have to sacrifice moisture if you want some color, with the tinted balms you get both. 

Yay?  

I've always been a little skeptical when it comes to tinted balms and I don't really know why. With that skepticism added on to the fact that I've never been a huge fan of L'Oreal Paris. *shock, gasp!* I know a lot of people adore this brand, but personally we've never seen eye to eye. I've always felt that the quality of their products verses the price is a bit fishy. Remember those eyeshadows I was going to review? Yeah, they were from L'Oreal and weren't that great, but hey, I can forgive. So I ended up playing it safe with some lip balms to give these guys another go and see if my opinion of the brand could possibly change. 

First Impressions

The packaging from L'Oreal Paris generally does impress me and these weren't any different. It looks swanky and a little luxurious, with its reflective tubes that were a pain to photograph, but when you're pulling these puppies out to use, it gives a better feeling than whipping out that tube of chap stick. The caps are plastic and also tinted with the same color of the sticker at the bottom of each tube. So if you're sticker falls off, which does happen, you can have the tinted cap to remind you of the color without having to pop tops off. And you got to love the safety seal, which these do have and aren't a pain to remove.

 For the product itself, L'Oreal Paris you have stunned me. These are super creamy, that I was shocked by it when I first used one. The lip balms also have the slightest hint of a vanilla sweet smell to them. Just a little bonus I suppose, since I love anything vanilla scented.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm Swatches

Do to my skepticism I only grabbed two, just in case I hated them. 

Tender Mauve, again I seem to be on a mauve kick as well. Lip liner, lipstick and now a lip balm. Where will it end?!?! The shame! I digress...

Tender Mauve is more pigmented than I would have imagined for just a tinted balm. It's not as pigmented as the lipstick I recently reviewed, but still for what it is, I was again shocked by the color payoff. The color is washed out purplely pink with silver glitter that amps up the shine of this balm. When I purchased this I thought it'd be something I would use often, but frankly I have only used this particular one for review purposes and haven't grabbed it since. Maybe the washed out color isn't doing it for me...But, I can pass it off to my mother in law who'd get good use out of it, after I sanitize it. 

Pink Satin on the other hand is a completely different story. In two weeks it's more than half gone. It's a glass pink color with darker pink glitter and I LOVE IT. This one goes with me everywhere, whether it's in my purse or pocket. If I'm not wearing lipstick, this has been my go to product. There's just enough color to where it does add something to a complete look, it goes with everything and it's a lip balm of course. When it's gone I'm going to have to repurchase it, even if I find something that wows me in this same area of product.

L'Oreal Paris claims that the product supplies 8 hours of moisture, even after it wears off. Unfortunately, no, it doesn't, but it doesn't mean its not a great lip balm. After it wears off, you're lips do still feel nice, but you will have to reapply throughout the day just like your standard balms or chap sticks. It is very moisturizing, it's pleasant to wear, it smells nice and it does come in a good variety of colors. Oops on my part for buying a color I wasn't fond of, that's not the companies fault, it's mine. Bonus is that it does have an SPF 15, which of course is good, because sun exposure is bad. No one wants leather lips. 

As for price, I paid 5.97USD at Walmart for each and you get 0.10oz/2.9g of product. For a tinted lip balm the amount of product you get plus the quality and packaging, it's good in comparison for higher end brands. 

Totally recommend this, if you hate lip gloss like I do (even though I own a ton of it), if you're looking for something that you don't have to compromise color for comfort or heck if you're not comfortable wearing lipsticks/can't wear them for reasons unknown to me. 

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative.

Wild N' Wild Lip Stick Review.

Wet N' Wild Lipsticks

Wet N Wild is a brand that I'm extremely familiar with. I believe it was the first cosmetics brand I ever purchased back in my early teens in the form of nail polish. But we're not here today to discuss nail polish. Today we're looking at another lip product. Lipstick! These were a part of my haul from Dollar General, along with the Kiss Stick On Strips. I've purchased a lipstick from Wet N Wild in a "holy hell" pink shade (not the actual name, again I'm lazy and don't want to go find it right now) in the past, but it seems I've been on a lip product spree as of late and I bought some lip liners (Rimmel Londons Lasting Finish), so I needed some lipstick to go with them. 

First impressions, the packaging is pretty basic, black tubes with a clear plastic top with the brand logo stamped across it and stickers on the bottoms. Stickers eventually fall off, but I'm not all the worried about that, I rarely choose my lipstick based on the name anyways, as long as I can see the color. Which is where I like the clear plastic caps. Though it does seem a little cheap, at least you can get a good look at the "actual" lipstick inside. These do have a safety seal on when they're on the shelves in stores, so no need to worry about tampering, but you're still able to see the product. This is something I enjoy, so I don't have to play the "does this indicator match the actual lipstick" game. I can't count the number of times I've bought a lipstick with a safety seal (no testers available), have it be WRONG and be bummed out about it. My only complaint about the packaging is that the product doesn't retreat all the way into the black tube at first, so if you're not careful when placing the caps back on these, you can catch the sides and smear lipstick on the insides of the lids. Though once you've used the product enough, that issue will go away.

As for the product itself, these are great lipsticks, the pigment is amazing for a drugstore brand and for 2.00USD you can't go wrong and you get 0.11oz/3.3g of product for that price. Whether you're a beginner or a professional these are worth it. These are a cream lipstick, with no shimmer to them at all and no pearly sheen. 

Wet N Wild Lipstick Swatches

We're going to work from the bottom, up, starting with the swatch of Just Peachy (903C). I've touched very briefly about my natural lip color being more on the pink side and nudes tend to be very brown on me, even the fleshy colored ones. Just Peachy is a nice flesh like color with a hint of pink in it, where I'm able to wear it as a nude lip paired with a liner or on it's own.  The formula is very creamy and doesn't seem to dry my lips out, as long as I moisturize with my daily lip balm before applying. 

Mauve Outta Here, is a muted purple that leans slightly towards pink side. There's no glitter, shimmer or pearl like sheen, but it does pair nicely with Rimmel Londons Lasting Finish Contouring Pencil in Mauve Shimmer. I haven't worn this one much since it was purchased, not because I don't like it, I don't think I've done a look that would do this color justice. 

Cherry Picking was my impulse buy. The photo above shows it being a medium pink when in real life it really isn't. I wouldn't go to say it's the color of a real cherry, since it does appear darker pink on the lips and cherries are red. It reminds me more of a highly pigmented red raspberry juice stain...which is a gorgeous color, but not a cherry. It's a bolder berry color, that I wouldn't necessarily wear all the time, but would pull out if I was feeling sassy or wanting more focus on my lips. I don't regret purchasing this color, I didn't have any "berry" shades in my collection and tastes change, so perhaps I'll feel bolder in the future. 

~Lipstick Tips~

And because I like to toss in tips and tricks about products or certain types of products, I have some tips about lipsticks for you today. I don't know how advanced my readers are with makeup, some of you guys may already know this, some might not, but we'll touch on it anyways.

1. You can use any lipstick as a BLUSH! Cream blushes are out there, but if you're working on a budget makeup can get costly. Use you're lipsticks as blushes, whether it's shimmery, pearl, matte, or cream. Blend out with your fingers or makeup brush. This also applies to contouring colors or bronzers if you prefer creams to powders. Just because it says "Lipstick" doesn't mean you can't use it for other things. 

2. Sanitize! Keep your lipsticks clean and bacteria free. Not only will it prolong your lipsticks, but it'll keep everything germ free. Cora at Vintage or Tacky as a great video on sanitizing lipsticks Click Here For Lipstick Sanitizing Video and say Simply Dark Pleasures sent you if you enjoy the video. 

And I do believe that wraps things up for this post. 

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,

Stay Creative.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Contouring Pencils Review

Rimmel London Lasting Finish
1000 Kisses Stay On
Lip Contouring Pencils

 This time we have some lip liners or "Lip Contouring" pencils by Rimmel London. I'm familiar with the brand, I've tried a few things, but I've never been very impressed. If anything, I've been more weary of the brand especially after trying one of their foundations that was horrible. When I was at Walmart, these caught my attention, as I was browsing Rimmel Londons section pondering whether or not to even give these guys another chance. In the end, I picked out three lip liners that I could possibly wear on a daily basis in the colors Natural, Rose Quartz and Mauve Shimmer. 

These are your standard pencil liners that you will have to sharpen with a makeup sharpening tool, but I found that pencils run cheaper on the wallet and work just as well as their self sharpening counterparts.

Lasting Finish Lip Pencil Swatches

I was actually quite shocked when I swatched these. The color payoff is really good and the formula is soft so you don't have to dig into your skin to get them to deposit color. Even the plastic color indicator on the bottom of the pencils are probably the closest I've seen in comparison to "true to color" of the actual product. Rimmel London you've pleasantly surprised me.

Natural

The lip pencil in Natural is a really nice nude shade. Generally, nudes are too brown for me to be able to wear them, since my natural lip color is quite pink, but this one has enough of a peach undertone that I'm able to wear it and not have it look like I've been rolling around in mud.

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is a light natural pink shade, which is only a few shades darker than my natural lip color. This one I find myself just filling my entire lip in with, then slapping on a little bit of clear lip gloss (though I'm not a huge lip gloss fan) and I'm my lips are ready. Again the formula is very soft and this pencil glides on with little effort.

Mauve Shimmer

Mauve Shimmer, makes me think of a muted wine color. There is a bit of shimmer, but it's not overpowering and it does add a little something extra. I like mauve's on me, for something a little more bold, but not as bold as say a bright red lip or even a berry color. So when I do my makeup and I want the focus to be on my eyes without sacrificing lip color, I reach for something like this. Or I don't care and grab whatever I want, but you get what I mean.

As for the 1000 kisses?

These won't last 1000 Kisses.  The husband was kind enough to help with this experiment and yes I did actually count to 1000.
.

 Even still, these do last throughout the day. Once the product has set they are smudge resistant. I haven't noticed any bleeding or feathering while I've been wearing them, though eventually it does fade. They do dry out the lips a little bit, but with any lip liners that is normal. Just make sure to moisturize with your favorite lip balm before applying and after removal. If you're lips are chapped, these will settle into those dry areas, so I wouldn't recommend filling the entire lip if you do have some dry patches.

I'd recommend these and will probably be going back to grab a few more colors. These were 4.95USD a piece I believe at Walmart. From what I've seen it's an average price for a drugstore brand. I may be brave and try the Lasting Finish lipsticks from Rimmel London, since this brand has slowly redeemed itself and I'm glad I gave these guys another go.

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com .

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative.

Shopping Haul, This weeks coming reviews.

Today's post is a little different than previous posts so far, that's because I had a review on some eyeshadows I got recently and I really couldn't come up with the right words that would accurately describe my feelings towards them.
So instead of pulling my hair out trying to forcefully write about something that just wasn't working, I went shopping. Now, unless I travel literally forty-five minutes my options are pretty scarce. And by scarce I mean that I live in the middle of nowhere and the closest places to shop are Walmart, Family Dollar or Dollar General. Even then, to get to Walmart is a half hour drive from where I live.

Walmart Haul

Our local Walmart unfortunately isn't stocked as nicely as I've seen others, but it is a small area so I can't blame them. I went in for my normal stock the house up on things shopping, plus all of this. Not everything will be reviewed this coming week, but this is the collective of things that gathered up just for me.

 First was this box of WARHEADS Sour Dippers Pucker Packs. These were in the Valentines Day section with all the different bags of edible Valentine exchange things for kids. I'm a WARHEAD junkie, I LOVE everything WARHEAD, minus the gummy cubes. Yuck... (*shudder*). I'm the kind of person that drinks lemon juice straight with no type of reaction and receives all the odd sideways glances when I don't make the normal lip puckered expression, when you've obviously have gotten a taste of something tart/sour. So I live for this kind of stuff and this I've never seen. For flavors you get Sour Blue Raspberry Sticks with Sour Cherry Powder and Sour Watermelon with Sour Green Apple Powder. And for 2.96USD for twenty-six pouches of delicious sour sugar, I wasn't walking away without a box. You will also notice the Cadbury Creme Eggs in the group photo...They don't get their own picture, since I've probably already eaten them. If not I'm going to very very soon.

 Off to the craft section of Walmart, I stopped and grabbed some thick yarn in black and pink mixed with smalls bits of blue, yellow and green. I'm currently working on crocheting a blanket for myself and I needed some more yarn. I actually got two of each color, but only thought the need to take a photo of each color I grabbed. These were 2.97USD a piece, I believe and since I don't have them right next to me at the moment, I can't remember the brand it is and I'm too lazy to go look at the moment.

Next are some lip liners by Rimmel London...because my local Walmart seems to no longer carry the Sally Hanson Salon Effects Strips. Quite frankly it made me angry and had been the only reason I wandered my happy ass into the cosmetics section. So to ease my irritation, I picked up these, which are the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Contouring Pencils. (Ha! I'll be the judge of that!) I grabbed 007 Rose Quartz, 049 Natural and 009 Mauve Shimmer.

 And lastly, L'Oreals Color Riche Tinted Lip Balms. Winter is evil and I've noticed that a lot of, if not all cosmetic brands are putting up these tinted lip balms. I have one from Revlon that I do enjoy, but again I'm always out looking for those "Holy Grail" makeup item must haves. And I was still fuming over the nail strip ordeal, so I grabbed two of these in 118 Pink Satin and 518 Tender Mauve.

Found my nail strips. Though I ended up stopping at the Dollar General that is about five minutes away from home to see if maybe, just maybe my Sally Hanson ones were there. So of course, because I went in there looking for one thing I came out with five things instead.

Kiss Stick On Strips were what I found, instead of what I was exactly looking for. I hadn't seen these either, so at this point I was just happy to find something that resembled what I had intended to buy at Walmart in the first place. These I will be reviewing Monday so come back and see.

Finally, some Wet N' Wild Lipsticks in Just Peachy, Cherry Picking and Mauve Outta Here. These were bought to pair with the Rimmel London Lip Liners and Cherry Picking was an impulse buy since the color caught my eye when I was browsing the rack.

Since most of these I'm going to do an more in depth review I didn't really want to give too much away or do swatches until I have a good idea how I feel about them. So haul post finished. Hope you're having a good day or evening, wherever you are.

Until next time. Stay creative.