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.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Waterproofing Gel Review.

Review time again, today we have Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Clear Waterproofing Gel. 

I purchased this at the beginning of the month for a makeup look that I still do intend on doing, I wear and it never hurts to have a mixing medium in your collection. I know MAC has one and Lit Cosmetics does too, but here in Hickville, we're restricted to mostly online purchasing of products such as these. Most of the time I'm the kind of person that wants instant gratification when I'm buying something, even though I do, do a lot of my shopping online. But, in the entirety of the Ulta Beauty I was in, this was the only mixing medium in the entire store. And I looked everywhere. 

Despite that mild annoyance, Anastasia Beverly Hills is rumored to have the best eyebrow products out there or so I've heard. The waterproofing gel is the first Anastasia product I've ever purchased, so I was going off other beauty bloggers and gurus reviews of this brand when I made up my mind to get this. For 18.00USD...I had to seriously think about spending that kind of money on an item like this. 

Packaging says- Beauty Genius gel bonds, seals and waterproofs powder makeup, loose pigment, micas and glitter. Beauty Genius is safe to use on the eyelids, face, lips and on the body. 

This is what the product looks like out of its box. It reminds me of a standard lip gloss tube, but instead of the foot applicator, this is a like a mini spatula. In the photo and in person, the product looks white in the tube, but it's not, I assure you. I have to admit to being a little irritated when I first opened this and saw white goop, instead of a "clear" gel, but once I deposited some on the back of my hand for testing, it was clear and I was relieved.  

The amount of product that comes out onto the spatula is a good amount. You just pop this on the back of your hand or on a clean palette, mix the amount of powder makeup, loose pigment, ect into the gel and apply. The more of the pigments and so on you add to the gel, the more pigmented it will be.
I tried this out using two of the NYX Ultra Pearal Mania loose pigments and one of my bareminerals mineral eyeshadows. I was very impressed on how easy this was to apply after all the powder products were added. The texture reminded me of a good quality liquid liner. And that also goes for that this stuff does need a moment to set. The time varies between roughly 30 seconds to a minute, but the product on your hand or palette doesn't set as quickly, so you do have some time to do what you need to do before you have to add more gel and more product.

Now, on the box it warns that you WILL need a waterproof makeup remover. Luckily I bought some at the same time I bought this, so I was set there.
The bareminerals mineral eyeshadow does have quite a bit of glitter in it, its micro glitter, but it's glitter. And we all know glitter just flecks off everywhere. When it's in makeup, by the end of the day you look like you've been rolling around the hay with a pixie or some other mythical creature that sparkles. No one (and if you do, I apologize) likes to look like you've mated with a pixie.
It locked in the glitter pixies and they STAYED PUT!
Miracles!
Do to the fact that the pixies were jailed, I'm going to have to give the Ammo Palette by Urban Decay another try using this, since we know that that palette is littered with shadows infested with those little buggers.

Once this stuff sets, it doesn't budge, I'd keep that in mind when applying.
This stuff is very waterproof. I washed some dishes with some swatches on the back of my hand and the swatches didn't bleed, move or smudge at all. They did however start to come off when I scrubbed at them, but I wasn't being gentle either. Yet, when I used my Maybelline New York Clean Express Makeup Remover, which is a waterproof remover, the second round of swatches came off easily with no rubbing or scrubbing.

So, if you're looking for a mixing medium, something that will jail those darn glitter pixies so you can use your glitter shadows without irritation or want your powder makeup to be waterproof, then the Anastasia Beauty Genius is a hit in my book. If you don't have MAC counters or other counters in your area that don't carry things similar to this, then I'd recommend looking for this. Even with it being 18.00USD, you do get a good amount of product I think and you really don't need much when you do use it.

I think that pretty much wraps things 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. 

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. 

Urban Decay Ammo Palette First Impressions and Review

I'm not dead I swear...

Nearly a month worth of unanticipated irritations that I could not have possibly prepared for. Up there on the list was a town wide blackout, where I had no power for nearly a full day in the brunt of winter in Upstate, NY, where we go to work if they're calling for snow that measures in feet and sub-zero temperatures. Like -20F plus windchill. So not fun.

But I'm back with a review. Yay!

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Urban Decay Ammo Palette Back

The Ammo Palette from Urban Decay, can we just take a moment here and admire this gorgeous packaging? Mosaic purple skull! 

Now, before we really get into the nitty gritty of this review, when I saw this palette online and then in person at Ulta Beauty, it was the packaging that caught my attention. I LOVE and I do mean LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Skulls. Any skulls. If it has a skull on it, I want it.

 But! You should be proud of me, I resisted the urge to pick up this palette just because of the packaging alone and I tell you what! It was hard. 

 After weeks of staring at this palette, I finally broke down and decided that the next chance I had, I was going to get it. Since Valentines Day and my birthday were and are coming up, a gift card or a surprise trip to Ulta Beauty are generally one of the things I do receive, either way the Ammo Palette was coming home with me.

Well...for Valentines Day the husband got me both. The palette that I had been eyeballing and a gift card (I see a Haul post in the near future).

So we've established that the packaging is awesome, even the cardboard holder is pretty darn sturdy too. It also conveniently tells you what shadows and other things you get in the palette. What you actually get are ten eyeshadow shades, a travel size eyeshadow brush (which I have miss-placed so no picture) and a travel size eyeshadow Primer Potion. 

Shadows Starting from Top Left: Smog, Mildew, Oil Slick, Chopper,
Maui Wowie, Shattered, Polyester Bride, Grifter and Sin

Unfortunately, out of all ten shadows you don't have any matte shades. I can live with that. The colors look beautiful in the pan and even swatch nicely on your fingers. Even inside, the packaging is nice, the design that's on the cardboard holder is actually what the inside of the palette looks like. You have all ten shadows lined up in rows of five and below them is the little slot for the eyeshadow brush, which I have again miss-placed. The palette also has a mirror and for obvious reasons I didn't photograph. It's a small mirror, great for travel and it doesn't feel cheap at all.

I used the travel brush a few times, before it was miss-placed. It's an okay brush, but I found it to be rather stiff and hard. It wouldn't be something I'd purposely grab for at all, but nice to have I suppose if you had nothing else. I'd rather use my Real Techniques brushes or some other ones I have from Essence.

Urban Decays original primer potion. Everyone raves about this product and I find that this primer works with almost every eyeshadow I have in my collection. The only shadows I found that creased to high hell with this primer are the Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows by Tarte. Other than those, it works amazing. And the travel size will last you a while, you don't need very much of this product. It's a good primer, enough said.

Top Row

As you can see, these swatched amazingly and these were done without a primer underneath. These are the first shadows by Urban Decay I've ever owned, I've heard so many glorious things about the pigmentation and overall quality of their shadows. I wasn't disappointed. These are so pigmented that it's insane.

Smog- is a coppery, smokey brown color. It's pearly with some micro glitter, but it's so silky and has hardly any fallout if you remember to tap your brush. This one is probably my favorite out of this entire palette.

Mildew- is a light mossy green color, another pearl finish with micro glitter. It is a pretty green, probably a shade I wouldn't use often, if at all. Maybe I'll go out of my norm and play with this color a little more. It has the same texture as smog, so I'd assume that it would have very little to no fallout with proper brush tapping. 

Oil Slick- is a black glitter shadow and by glitter I mean disco ball glittery. I do love this color, but holy molly fall out central! Even with proper tapping of my brush, glitter just falls all over your face. Luckily I always do my foundation after my eyes are finish, but man. The glitter fallout isn't too bad throughout the day, but there is a little bit, so be forewarned. The last thing is that it feels nice on the eyes, but in the pan it's a bit powdery where you do have the blow on it to get rid of the flaked bits from dragging your brush through.

Last Call- is a pearly finish dark rose color. It appears much darker in the pan than it swatches. It does have micro glitter in it as well, but another one that doesn't have much fall out. This was one I thought I wouldn't really like, I don't wear a lot of reds or rose colored shadows, but this color is quite stunning when used in the outer corner of the eye. It's on the warmer wide in color, another reason I thought I may not like it much, but I love the effect it plays with my blue eyes.

Lastly for the top row is Chopper. It's a neutral brown pearly glitter shadow. This is another one with the amount of glitter that is in it, has a decent amount of fallout when applied to the eye. The glitter flakes all over your face. Again, foundation last ladies, when using the glittery ones.

Row 2

Maui Wowie- fun name to say, but meh. I'm not too crazy about the color. I guess its suppose to be a taupe, transition type color, but it looks a bit too yellow on me. It's one of the ones that does have the fallout issue but this one out of the entire ten, even with the fallout issues is my least favorite. Don't have much to say about this one, other than I'd pass on it.

Shattered- is a light powder blue pearl finish shadow and for some reason showed up for green in the picture. No fall out issues, but another color I wouldn't use or haven't found a use for yet. I have blue eyes, so wearing blue shadows washes my eye color out. It appears much more vibrant in the pan, than actually transfers onto the lid, but these shadows are build-able, so you may be able to achieve the vibrancy if it was layered enough. It'd be a shame to not find a use for this shadow, since it is so nice, we'll see. 

Polyester Bride- is a frosty white glitter shadow and another one that the fallout of glitter is a bit of a pain. I love this color for the inner corner of the eye. But the amount of glitter is...too much. Once the glitter is finished flaking off, it is a really pretty pearly shadow.

Grifter- another holy hell fallout glitter shadow. It's a gorgeous lilac purple. So soft and pretty, once most of the glitter again flakes off when its applied. I've used this shadow quite a bit, despite the glitter issue. It's just too pretty to be annoyed with. 

Finally, we have Sin. Sin cool neutral brown. It's a nice transition color for Chopper or a nice all over lid color. A pearl finish and one of the shadows that doesn't have much fallout. 

Final opinions...I do love the Ammo Palette, but I wished I loved it more. The five ultra glitter shadows have a ton of fallout. I can forgive it, maybe if I use them wet, the fallout issue may become less, since I do like most of the shadows that are like this. The other five pearl finishes are amazing, even if there are a few that I may not use, but because they are good shadows, I'll make them work somehow. The palette is 34.00USD at Ulta Beauty and you do get your moneys worth in products and a good range in colors. I'm kind of on the fence about this palette, though I believe if it wasn't for the packaging I'd probably be less in love with it. So personal feelings aside due to packaging love, I'd have to say, save your money and invest in a different palette by Urban Decay or settle for buying the full sized shadows that don't have a ton of glitter in them. 

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 too and not updating). 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 try to be good and post on schedule, I promise. 

Until next time, 

Stay creative. 

Equate Beauty 3 Step Acne Treatment System Review.

I'm running late I know it, hush. Real life gets in the way sometimes and I was having the worst day on Tuesday that I couldn't focus on writing, let alone what even to review. Though, as promised Wednesday's review post is here, even if it is a little later in the day than I normally have it up. 

As for skincare, I've never really struggled with acne much at all, even as a teenager. I'd get the stray breakout every month or if I was under a lot of stress, but never anything that required regiments or medication. Then I had my kids, my second was the destroyer of my once maintenance free skin. During the pregnancy and afterwards my skin went spastic on me. Breakouts, blackheads, oily, dry, combination, it wouldn't make up its mind. I think I may have actually cried, because I had never had such much trouble with it before. After a few months, it seemed to settle once hormones started to return to a semi-normal frequency and I had to change my skincare. 

I researched and researched before I set foot in the store, familiarizing myself with what were the best active ingredients that worked for skincare.

This product set was featured in my January 2014 Favorites post, as the first step towards my pretty vain New Years resolution of better skin care. I had mentioned my husband purchased this for me (with me present to make sure it was what I wanted), as his way of supporting me in what I wanted to accomplish. You get a Cleanser, Toner and Repairing Lotion in the set, all marked as to which step of the process it is for. I've been using this system for around 7 weeks now, so I would have an accurate review, since it can take up to 6 weeks for skin to respond to a new routine.

Step 1- Cleanse, Benzoyl Peroxide Cleanser

It says to use morning and night, but if you have sensitive skin *raises hand*, then to only use it once a day or every other day. Or of course it makes your skin dry or it starts to peel. I ended up just using this once a day, since my skin is generally on the dry side. It doesn't smell to bad, it does smell like chemicals, but it isn't overpowering. The product is almost like a lotion consistency, but when you message it into the skin you can feel little granules. So you get some mild exfoliation and I didn't find it too scratchy on the skin. Rinse with warm water after messaging for 1 to 2 minutes and your done. Right away my skin felt cleaner and more refreshed after using this.

Step 2- Soothe

Toner time. That sounded a little cheesy...kind of like in Jingle All The Way "It's Turbo Time"? Okay...
Apply to freshly cleansed face with a cotton ball or pad. This helps remove any remaining dirt or oil that the cleanser didn't take care of and also it is suppose to help even out skin tone. This stuff actually smells quite nice. It has a very fresh scent, that makes me feel like just from it's smell alone my skin would feel fresher and rejuvenated. I've actually used a few toners in the past and never like them, because the made my skin tingle after applying them. This one doesn't do that, after it drys my face feels so good and the mild smell is very pleasant.

Step 3- Moisturize Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion

Lastly, we have step three which is the repairing lotion. This you apply after you've let the toner completely dry on your face, though it says you can use this up to 3 times a day if needed. Again if dryness or irritation occurs use it once daily, recommended to start at a single application and build towards two and three. The medicated moisturizer smells a lot like the cleanser does, but with the general "lotion" smell that unscented ones tend to have added to it. I only use this once daily, it seems to be enough for me at the time so that's what I've been sticking with. Though, after applying this my skin doesn't feel, well, moisturized. Perhaps do to the fact it is medicated with the Benzoyl Peroxide is the main reason I don't feel that the moisturizing part is very accurate. After I use this I do apply my regular face moisturizer.


Now that I've broken the system down, the generally overall preformed of this system is more than I expected for the price. It's compared to Proactiv, but I've never used their systems before so I can't judge on their products on a personal level. Though I did a little research online, I compared prices for a similar system and the Equate system is half the price of Proactive. The three step system from Proactiv is 29.95USD when Equates is 11.97USD. The cleanser and toner for both systems are exactly the same as far as ingredients and percentage amounts. The repairing lotions are the only thing that is different, Proactivs is a Salicylic acid based, while Equates sticks to the Benzoyl Peroxide formula.

In seven weeks that I've used this system I have noticed a huge change in my skin. It's softer by far than it use to be. I haven't experienced a breakout in weeks and my overall skin tone has evened out dramatically where I'm using less foundation or just switching to a homemade BB cream to counteract some natural redness I do get. Since the cleanser does mildly exfoliate the skin combined with my daily moisturizer my dry skin is gone, as long as I remember my moisturizer.

If you are looking for a daily skincare routine line of products that is very affordable, I would highly recommend checking this system out. I purchased mine at Walmart and I do know that their website also has this system available to order online as well. Again, I highly recommend this, especially for the price and the results I achieved.

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. 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 that's coming soon.

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.