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. 

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.

Influenster....Beginnings.

It's finally time to do something with this post. 

Influenster?

 I stumbled upon a post from a friend on Facebook one day and happened to be sucked into this website. I've been messing around with the site on and off since before Christmas to get a proper feel for it. Plus with a bum arm (we won't go there) I have some extra time on hand to mess around with things so I don't go completely insane.

It's a free to join website where you basically turn your social media happens to possible rewards by reviewing products from makeup to places to travel. You can also answer questions other Influenster's may have or even ask a question yourself. All in the interest of possibly be rewarded with free products from brands you love or may come to love once you give something a try and telling people about it through social media. 

See where I may have been sucked in? 

Free stuff and all I have to do is spam my Facebook and Twitter with my opinion? Yes please!

Though qualifying for rewards is a little tougher than it sounds. You're competing with every other member on the site for free goodies. 

Though, the site is very helpful if you're into researching anything you may be wanting to purchase or just plain curious about. And I do mean anything. 

Want to know what someone else's experience was with that fancy new gizmo you saw advertised? Odds are that it's somewhere on Influenster with reviews from people who thought it was amazing or not so much. Want to try a new snack? Yep, reviews for that too. Companies aren't dumb, they know that 99% of their business comes from consumer word of mouth. If you're best friend tells you not to buy something, because it's utter crap and they have valid points to why it's crap, you will generally steer clear of it. No matter what it is. 

But free stuff for you're opinion right?

Yes, but you need to be active on the site, and that doesn't mean filling out a million reviews in one day. Or you could, but the site does allow you to focus on what interests you the most. The site breaks things down your interests by having you unlock "Badges", such as Influenster Badge, Expert Badges, Lifestyle Badges, VoxBox Bages and Brand Badges. I'm not going to get into much detail with the badges, since the "About" section on the website explains it WAY better than I could. But it's pretty simple once you get the hang of things. Each Badge has little surveys to fill out and the more you do with them, the higher your badge score. The premise of this is to have a high badge score so you qualify for those free goodies. The site does take time to update your badge scores though, which is one of my only complaints. Unlike here...*cough* I'm more active on the site and I find it does take a while for the website to update.

Not only do you need to be active on the site itself, but you NEED to be active on other social media sites like, Facebook, Twitter and other major social sites. It helps to have a blog or Youtube channel where you blog or vlog about your points of interest. This is probably where I fail big time, since I can't remember to update anything in regards to social media. And even then, there no guarantees for free stuff. The website actually doesn't hide that fact either, which is nice. 

Any and all information is upfront about joining. There's no hidden fees or obligations to purchase anything. I found it was easiest to start with things I've used for years or places I've shopped at for years. As well as, things that I'm not so fond of. Honesty is key. 

So far I haven't qualified for any free things yet, which is okay. I'll keep myself occupied by periodically go through and leaving reviews and maybe even updating the blog for a change. 

All in all this site isn't bad. It's actually a bit of fun if you have some time to spare or if you do stuff like this for a living. I would recommend at least taking a looksy around the site, I've provided a little link thing below for you to click on if you do wish to. It'll take you to my Influenster profile and you can see what I've been reviewing, then go on to browse through the site.

Until next time I remember to update this blog.
Stay creative.