EOTD: Fall-inspired eyes

Hello there, just randomly posting some old EOTD's that I actually took pictures of >_< I haven't had the chance to do eye diagrams like I used to, sorry :[

For this look I made use of a palette from Icing. Usually I stay away from palettes from Icing/Claire's since the quality tends to reflect the price lol. But I was pleasantly surprised with the shades in the palette I used (got it as a gift).

From the Icing palette, I used a rusty red shade all over the lid, black on the outer-V, a shimmery taupe very lightly above the crease, and a shimmery white to highlight below the brow.

Then I went over my lid with ELF Shimmer Eyeliner in Gunmetal to give it a pop of metallic silver.

For lining my eyes, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero on my lashline & waterline, and Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner in Black to do the wing.

The lashes are 2 pairs of Forever 21 lashes layered together.
Sorry I forget which ones exactly! >_<

Review: Perricone MD Advanced Eye Area Therapy

Pssst.... stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY ;)

Price: $95 (buy it here)

What they say:Reduces fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles with Alpha Lipoic Acid and DMAE. 15mL / .5 fl oz. Advanced Eye Area Therapy is formulated with DMAE and Alpha Lipoic Acid to help prevent and correct the early signs of aging that appear around the delicate eye area, making us look older than we really are. It minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness, while diminishing dark circles and discoloration with Vitamin C Ester. Paraben-free.

[ KEY SCIENCES ]
Alpha Lipoic Acid - Patented
• The ultimate antioxidant protects the cell
• Diminishes fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration
• Refines skin texture
• Reduces pore size, puffiness, imperfections and uneven skin tone

DMAE - Patented• Provides ultimate contouring benefits to skin beginning to lose elasticity
• Delivers lifted, tightened and toned appearance to the skin
• Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Vitamin C Ester - Patented• A powerful antioxidant that improves firmness and elasticity
• Diminishes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration
• Imparts a radiant, smooth and luminous appearance

[ CLINICALS ]
After 4 weeks of use: 90% showed less discoloration under eyes
84% reported improvement in under eye moisture (only 3 hours after application)

What's in it:Aqua (Water), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C Ester), Aminobutyric Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phosphatidylcholine, Thioctic Acid (Alpha-Lipoic Acid), Caffeine, Niacinamide, Ceteareth-20, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Squalane, Folic Acid, Tocophersolan, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethyl MEA (DMAE), Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Phytonadione, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Tocotrienols, Hexylene Glycol, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Astaxanthin.

What to do:Dr. Perricone recommends applying gently under the eye in the morning and evening.

The good stuff:

• Hygenic pump bottle
• A little goes a long way
• Very moisturizing & hydrating
• Easy to smooth on
• No scent
• Kept my undereye puffiness at bay
• Seemed to help a bit with my dark circles & fine lines

The low-down:

• The pump dispenses A LOT, so be careful how hard you press it down
• Slight stinging sensation for the first few uses
• Only 15 mL, it's a small bottle (but you only need to use a little at a time)
• Expensive
• Not a CURE for dark circles & fine lines

My take: This product is a light, moisturizing lotion. It is easy to smooth on the undereye area and very little will go a long way. I have to mention though, that although I love pump bottles, this one dispenses WAY too much -- One full pump is too much for BOTH of my eyes, so I only press it down a little to get less than a pea sized amount, which is enough for both of my eyes :)




I have a semi-sensitive undereye area, so the first few times I used this product, I would get a stinging/burning sensation. I'd also get the same stinging feeling if I apply this right after I remove my eye makeup with a makeup remover wipe (due to the rubbing, the skin around my eyes would be extra sensitive and applying the product over it would cause that irritation). The stinging faded after a couple of minutes and stopped entirely after a couple more uses, but if you have sensitive skin, I would try using only a little bit of this product, increasing the amount as time goes on, if you don't get any reactions to it.





This product is very moisturizing and hydrating for the undereye area. I prefer to use it as an overnight treatment since it does take awhile to fully absorb and sink into the skin. This product makes some big claims for stellar undereye improvement, but I must say that I can only speak for some of them -- I've been using this product for about a month now, so maybe as time goes on, the results will become more apparent. So far, I've been liking what I've been seeing though!

Let's take a look at the claims again: Minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness, while diminishing dark circles and discoloration.

Has it been working for me?

• Minimizes appearance of fine lines & wrinkles? As I've mentioned before, I have pretty bad fine lines :( I do think that this product seems to be helping at softening them out, but they are still visible (up close). The good thing, they're for sure NOT getting worse!
• Minimizes appearance of puffiness? Ever since I used Cellnique's De-Puffy Eye Jewel, my undereye bags were significantly reduced. I have since ran out of that product, and started using Advanced Eye Area Therapy, and it has successfully kept the puffiness from returning! It had a similar effect to the Cellnique De-Puffy Eye Jewel though -- it seemed to "flatten" out the puffiness, but also created a sort of "hollow" area beneath my eye. Nothing terrible though, the main thing is that it kept the puffiness away!
• Diminishes dark circles & discoloration? Also as I've mentioned many times before, I have THE WORST dark undereye circles. VERY Severe darkness and discoloration. I have yet to find a product that has worked to tone it down. However, I do think that this product has seemed to have a slight effect at lightening my dark circles A BIT. Maybe it's just my wishful thinking... it's nothing spectacularly noticeable, but it does seem to have helped some at making my undereye area look a little more rejuvenated. Hopefully with continuous use it will get better.

Would I repurchase/recommend:

I don't think I'd need to repurchase this anytime soon, as so little goes such a long way. I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone on a beauty budget, as it is quite expensive. But if you can afford it and you've been looking for a product to combat dark circles and puffiness, I'd say go for it! Although it might not be strong enough for people with dark circles as bad as mine, I do think it would work rather well for people with mild/moderate discoloration. Also, if you're looking for something to fight puffiness, I would recommend this!

The Rundown:
Packaging: 4/5
Convenient pump bottle! Dispenses A LOT though, have to be careful not to press too hard.

Product: 4/5
A little goes a long way, moisturizing, kept puffiness at bay, seemed to help diminish my dark circles somewhat.

Price: 2/5
Very pricey. Not really "beauty on a budget" friendly, but you are paying for quality and results!

Overall:
[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

Disclaimer: the product mentioned in this review was provided to me by Perricone MD. In no way does this alter my opinion on the product, this review is my honest experience and opinion. I am not paid by or affiliated with this company. Please use this product at your own discretion. Just because it worked/didn't work for me doesn't guarantee it will/won't work for you.

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal

This is another one of those products that I'd been hearing so much about, so I just had to try it out for myself! Unfortunately I was rather disappointed in my purchase, read on for why...

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal

Sorry, this picture is after I mushed it around a bit :x

Price: $6.99 from Target

From Maybelline's website:

Why You'll Love It

Freshest flush ever:
• Revolutionary gel formula provides a new bouncy texture.
• Lightweight like a powder, yet melts seamlessly into skin like a cream
• Natural sheer wash of color that is buildable for greater color intensity
• Dermatologist tested, Allergy tested
• Non comedogenic

For Best Results

With your fingertips, blend a small amount of blush onto the apples of your cheeks, applying from your cheekbones to your temples. To build color intensity, apply more blush.
Ingredients: Talc, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Diisostearyl Malate, Paraffinum Liquidum / Mineral Oil / Huile Minerale, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hexyl Laurate, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Phenoxyethanol,Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Tin Oxide. May Contain: Mica, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, CI 77007 / Ultramarines, CI 15850 / Red 7, CI 19140 / Yellow 5 Lake, CI 15850 / Red 6, CI 45410 / Red 28 Lake, CI 77120 / Barium Sulfate, CI 73360 / Red 30, CI 15850 / Red 7 Lake, CI 15985 / Yellow 6 Lake]

The good stuff:

• Interesting texture
• Easy to smooth on and blend

The low-down:

• This shade in particular is REALLY lacking in pigmentation
• Lasting power is less than spectacular
• Very tiny! Too pricey imo for the size

My take: The main reason I was disappointed in this blush is because this shade, Rose Petal, barely shows up on me at all! I was expecting it to be a nice flush of, well... ROSE PETAL color!!! Unfortunately, it's an extremely soft shade of pink that melds into my skintone, appearing as a VERY VERY light pink. On cheeks, it gives the SUBTLEST glow... but just barely. Even after piling on the color, it remains quite lackluster in appearance.

On the upside, I really like the idea behind this blush. The texture is a bit like "clay" -- soft, squishy, kinda springy to the touch. It's easy to smooth on and blend into cheeks using fingers, but I found I got a tad more color out of it using a stippling brush. It's actually more fun to mush around that to actually use... LOL :P Once applied, I wouldn't say it sticks around on me for longer than 2 hours. In this sense, I think it would work better as a base for powder blush.

Would I repurchase/recommend?: I would definitely not repurchase this shade or recommend it to anyone with a similar skin tone. I really would like to try some of the other shades though. The deeper, more vibrant shades seem a lot more promising than this one!

The Rundown:

Packaging: 4/5
A standard compact. Really small though!

Product: 2/5
It feels really interesting, definitely a novel concept. However this shade in particular really lacked in pigmentation and lasting power.

Price: 3/5
A bit pricey for the small size!

Overall:

[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

EOTD: Ultraviolet Eyes

One of my favorite eyeshadow colors to play around with is purple :) For this look I just used a purple shade all over the lid, darker purples at the inner and outer corners, a light brown shade above the crease, and a shimmery white shade to highlight.

Pretty much every time I do purple looks, I use NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Oyster as a base, and also layer it over the shadow to build up the color intensity.

Again, I'm terrible at remembering the style names of which lashes these are, all I know is that they're 2 pairs of Forever 21 lashes layered together ;P

Review: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Charm & Precious

These seem to be all the rage lately! Unfortunately, I've come to find out these lip stains just aren't my thing :( I got these in Charm and Precious.

Left to right: Precious, Charm

Price: around $8 from stores like Walmart or Target

What they say: It’s a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain in an adorable chubby crayon. Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of color that lasts hour after hour. The gel formula comes in 12 vibrant shades that match any look or mood.

-Lightweight Lipstain + Moisturizing Balm
-100% of women who tried it felt their lips were instantly moisturized with a soft stain of color
-Retractable chubby crayon, no sharpener required

What to do:Step 1: Apply Just Bitten Kissable™ Balm Stain evenly to clean, bare lips. Build color and coverage as desired.
Step 2: Reapply as desired for moisturizing shine throughout the day.

What's in it: (Will update w/ ingredients)

Charm is a peachy-nude shade and Precious is a pinky-beige nude shade.

The good stuff:

• Lots of shades to choose from
• Not nearly as drying as I thought they would be
• In fact, slightly moisturizing at first
• Decently pigmented nude shades
• Has a hint of glossiness
• Nice minty smell
• Does stain your lips & lasts long

The low-down:

• Settles into lip lines... doesn't look good over dry lips
• Ends up drying out my lips after an hour or so
• These nude shades stain rather vibrantly... AND NOT NUDE!!!

My take: I wanted to like these, I really did! They start out very pretty but after an hour of wear, things start to change...

Here's Charm:

On my lips it starts out as a pretty nude peach pink shade. I like that these lip stains offer some glossiness. I was also surprised because I was expecting them to really drag across my lips -- my lips are really dry and my lip lines are really visible. However this lipstain was more on the glossy side than I anticipated so it does offer a tiny bit of hydration and glides over my lips without dragging. It does however visibly settle into lip lines. After several hours of wear, my lips also became rather dry. But still, not nearly as dry as I had expected... and my lips dry out from practically any lip product I use anyway. It's just nice that this lip stain does retain a bit of balm-like properties.

The disappointing part was the actual STAIN effect. I had got these NUDE shades specifically because I was under the impression that they would stain NUDE. However, they do the EXACT OPPOSITE! Charm stains my lips a very bright pink-coral-peach color. Definitey not my cup of tea!!! Way too bright for my tastes :/

Charm after 4 hours:

Precious fared a little better on me than Charm. It is a beige-pink nude shade.

Precious after 4 hours:

However, it still stains my lips a rather pinkish peach shade. More subdued than Charm, yes. But it's still not the NUDE that I wanted!

Overall, I really love the concept -- it IS a good lip stain -- but this was just a really disappointing buy because of the stain effect with these particular shades. It's weird because I read a handful of reviews that said these nude shades didn't have any stain effect at all on them. But I also read reviews from people who had the same color-changing issue as me. So maybe it's something to do with our individual body chemistry reacting to these shades? I dunno. I just don't like it.

Would I repurchase/recommend?

I would not repurchase these shades nor any others, as I only was interested in the nudes. The other darker shades seem good as a stain from what I've seen in other reviews though. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a NUDE lip stain. It seems pretty likely that it will a) either not stain at all, or b) stain your lips a vibrant not-at-all-nude color. I would recommend this to anyone who likes lip stains and doesn't mind if it stains your lips a bright shade since it does have nice balm-like properties which would fare better on those who don't have dry, chapped lips like I do.

The Rundown:

Packaging: 5/5
A cute chubby twist-up stick.

Product: 2/5
Nice concept, but rating solely based on these nude shades... it's just not what I expected nor wanted. Has balm-like properties but stains way too vibrant for my tastes and dries out my lips.

Price: 5/5
Affordable.

Overall:

[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

Review: NYC Ultralast Lipwear - Rose Gold & Red Flame

Price: Online, I find it for $1.99 but I'm pretty sure when I got this from Walmart, it was $1.79.

What they say: Super-charged color. Glide-on, stay-on lipstick! N.Y.C. New York Color Ultra Last LipWear gives you incredible color with real staying power. Beautiful high-fashion shades with a hint of berry fragrance give you the most luscious, kissable lips ever. Available in twenty long-wearing lipstick shades... build a wardrobe of lipcolor!

Benefits: Moisturizing formula conditions lips with color and shine.

Application tips: Apply N.Y.C. New York Color Ultra Last LipWear directly to the lips or apply with a lipstick brush.

Key ingredients: Vitamin E for conditioning.

Full ingredients list: Ricinus Communis Seed Oil Castor, Octyldodecanol, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax Candelilla, Tridecyl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, PEG-4 Diheptanoate, Polyethylene, PEG-8 Beeswax, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil Jojoba, Beeswax, Tocopherol Acetate, Propylparaben, Tin Oxide May Also Contain, Silica May Also Contain, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Red 6, Red 7 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Carmine. (from Ulta.com)

The good stuff:

• Inexpensive!
• Applies easily
• Sheer but buildable color
• Great for layering
• Semi-moisturizing
• Many shades to choose from

The low-down:

• Color doesn't show up well on me unless I use concealer first
• Average staying power

Left-Right: Rose Gold, Red Flame

ROSE GOLD
Shows up as a rosy (slightly coral-y on lips) pink with gold shimmer.

RED FLAME
Shows up as a blue-toned red with gold shimmer.

SWATCHESLeft-Right: Red Flame, Rose Gold

My take: I am so glad I picked up this lipstick after reading Angelique's review!!! They are such a steal too! I'll start off by saying that I bought Red Flame for my mom, so I don't use it. So sorry there are no lip swatches of that! I specifically wanted to try Rose Gold after seeing how it looked on Angelique, and I am happy to say that I LOVE IT : )

But -- yes, there is a but! -- On its own, it does not show up very nice on my lips. It makes my lips look slightly darker and a bit frosty (reminiscent of my last disappointing NYX lipstick haul). Sooo... for me, it takes prepping to make this lipstick work, but boy, does it work!What I have been doing lately to make lip color show up better is layering over DHC Rose Beauty Eye Zone Treatment Retouch Q10 (I have not reviewed this yet). Sounds weird, because it is meant for the undereye area, but it wasn't working too well for me and my dark circles. So on a whim, I decided to try it on my lips and lo and behold, it yields truly awesome results!

Once I prep my lips with lip balm and the concealer, Rose Gold layers on nicely and the color shows up a lot better. It starts off sheer but is buildable. It glides on lips easily and doesn't feel waxy. It feels somewhat moisturizing... prob. because I prep with lip balm first anyway, but still, it feels a tad moisturizing on it's own. Nothing super creamy or hydrating, but not drying, either. Also, you can feel a slight grit from the glitter; nothing bothersome though. Very similar to my Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in Jupiter Brown. It is also similar in color, except more pinky. Another thing that I'd like to note though, is that despite the "Ultralast" name, the staying power for me is only average. A few hours at best, even less if eating/drinking.

Although layering over concealer makes the color show up better, the finish is still a little too frosty for my liking. Btw, I realize in the past couple paragraphs I sound like a total contradiction of my claims that I love this lipstick. But here's the kicker.... I layer over it again with a sheer gloss. And for me, that completely perfects this lipstick. Now, if you like frosty lipsticks, of course this is completely unnecessary and I'm sure you'll love these lipsticks. But for me, doing these extra steps makes the color more vibrant... just the right pop of color, but still natural and wearable, AND tones down the frosty-ness to a shimmery, glossy sheen... I love it ♥

Would I repurchase/recommend? Yes, I would definitely repurchase these lipsticks; I would like to try more shades. I hope they make new shades too! I would definitely recommend this lipstick to anyone wanting to add some drugstore gems to their lippie collection!

Below, I used: EOS Lip balm, then DHC Rose Beauty Eye Zone Treatment Retouch Q10, then NYC Ultralast Lipwear in Rose Gold, and then YSL Golden Gloss #10 - Golden Peony (sorry for the bad lighting).

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