Is the New Revlon Colorburst lipstick really YSL?

This lipstick is super snazzy! Described as luxurious, rich color that feels virtually weightless. 'Tis true.

I was pleasantly suprised to find a drugstore lippy as smooth and silky as Yves Saint Laurent. No shittle. (If you have not ever tried Yves Saint Laurent lipstick before, it is like freaking butter. You must own one atleast one before you die.) Plus there is a $3 OFF coup here so you can get your own. I got my shade in Blush, which perfectly enhances my own natural lip hue for an au naturel look. It wears great and doesn't dry my lips out. It has virtually no smell. LOVE!!!

N.Y.C. In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish Review

This is shade 242B Uptown

Ugh, I have a super snot-filled cold going on, so I decided to paint my nails a bright, indulgent shade of girly-girl pink to make me feel better. I had a BOGO coupon for this N.Y.C. " In a New York Minute" quick dry nail polish and WOW I am impressed! This pic is after just ONE coat! AND it really does dry fast. Not in a New York minute, but more like a minute in Idaho, or maybe North Dakota.

I usually apply polish coats in thin layers, but the trick with this one is to apply in one even, thick layer.

Best $1.79 I ever spent!

Some other cool colors to check out for Spring are SoHo (peachy-pink), Wall Street (bubblegum pink) and Park Ave (lilac) check out all the colors here.

New Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipcolor SPF 18 Review

Sunset Beach

Ulta.com color swatches here

about $6

I got a coup in All You Mag for $3 off this lippy which made me giddy as a schoolgirl cuz I wanted to try it anyway. I love Rimmel glosses, so I could only assume, by my powers of makeup deduction, that I would love their lipsticks also.

I got to Ulta to find a nice display of about 24 colors...sweeeet. I love having options. After covertly opening tubes of color I fancied and then swiping them on the top of my hand (you know you do it too), I settled on the color Sunset Beach, partly because I want to actually be on a beach and partly because this color would go so great with my Rimmel bronzer. I think an Ulta lady saw me messing with her products and huffed, "Can I help you find something??!!??" I wanted to say, "No Ho. I'm good thanks. My hands are clean. Get over it." but I just turned bright red and said "I'm good, Thanks!" I'm pretty badass in my head. Moving forward, Rimmel bronzer is the shizz. Get some, it's cheap and the colors are tantastic.

So I like the lipstick okay, it is moisturizing, the color is semi-sheer and it stays put longer than gloss. I really like the SPF 18. SPF is good. It comes in a great range of shades and they have several neutrals to choose from. It's just not any better than any other drugstore lipstick. The only thing I don't like about this lipstick is the cheap lipstick smell. Why do all cheap lipsticks smell the same? Put some fruit oil in your lipsticks or something for Christmas sake!

 If I rated this lippy on a scale of Wet n Wild to Chanel it would be a L'oreal. So it ranks slightly above it's cheapness. Will I buy more? Probably not. I can't deal with the smell for long periods of time.

Wet n Wild New Mega Chrome Eyeliner Review

Does anyone else think Wet n Wild sound like a porno title? Maybe I'm a perv, but I bet it really is.

Anyhoo, this pencil is literally the crappiest eyeliner I have ever used. It skips, it's too soft and the color does not apply evenly. It's horrible. Stay away!!

Why am I buying cheap, crappy purple eyeliner? Well, I so wanted to do the metallic purple eyeliner look as seen in Allure on Amber Valletta last month, but I just can't bear to spend over $5 for a metallic purple eyeliner that I won't get a lot of use out of. In this case, you get what you pay for. All the good eyeliners (Urban Decay 24/7 and MAC) are just not happening for my penny pinching ass right now.

Lauren Luke's Metallic Purple Eyeliner How-To. She never says what eyeliner she uses. That hobag!

 (For those of you that don't get my sarcastic humor, I'm just kidding - I love her)

Here is Amber from the March 2010 Allure. I love this look!

Does anyone have any suggestions for my cheap metallic purple eyeliner?

Chanel Noir et Or Paris-Shanghai Nail Polish Collection 2010 & Knockoffs

I saw this combo on the All Laquered Up Blog and could have DIED!

Chanel Black Velvet + Illusion D'Or  =  Sexy Disco Vampire

 I wasn't about to spend $50 ($25 each..WTF?) for nailpolish so I headed for Ulta to see if I could find a comparable knockoff. I trolled the nail aisle and the OPI and Essie sections and couldn't find a damn thing until I happened to eye a new little makeup display called LA Splash. Hmmm, funky, okay let's see...and Voila! I find 2 nalpolish colors called Black Sea and Treasure Splash

 

 Black Sea             Treasure Splash

Word. I'll see what I can do with these. Ring me up Ulta lady!

So I head to the nail salon and ask them to paint me up.

This is what it looks like fo' reals

Let's Compare

My resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me.

$8 vs. $50?

Uh huh. You're Welcome.



Update: I was at Walgreens last night and I found a few more Knockoffs you could try.

Milani Nail Art Laquer $3.99 in Black Sketch 703 and Art of Gold 701

Mix Art of Gold 701 with Milani Nail Laquer in Diamond Dazzle 40 to get an exact knockoff

Also:

Wet n Wild Wild Shine $1.99 each in 424A Black Cream

and 469 Hallucinate (Note: You still need to use a gold glitter polish like Art of Gold)

Essie Tart Deco Knockoff - Essence Colour and Go Nailpolish in What Do U Think? I think YES.

i have been intrigued by this new line, essence,  at ULTA for a while now. the line seems to be geared towards tweens and teens (this says to me, "crappy cheap makeup...avoid") with their 'moxie girl' cartoon character advertising. regardless, i decided to buy one of their products...colour and go nailpolish. this color What Do U Think? $.99 (YES $1!) really caught my eye for spring and is fairly similar to the new Essie Tart Deco color for spring 2010.

pastels are so hot right now.

The essence bottle claims "1 second per nail' and it was pretty much true. it dried fast but looks a tad streaky and thick. you will need 3 coats. so it's really more like 3 seconds per nail, but for $1 i can deal!

no animal testing! and they make a big deal about it on their website...love that!

i will def be reviewing more of this line in the future.

2 Smashbox O-Gloss Knockoffs!

the original smashbox o-gloss $22, black radiance perfect tone lip gloss $4.99, and mark glossblossom $6.50

i love smashbox o-gloss. the texture is divine, it smells delish and the extra goji berry c complex makes me happy. the price, however, does not. i just can't be spending $22 on a lip gloss. especially when there are some great cheap alternatives out there!

i was at walgreens the other day because they were having a great sale on revlon colorstay foundations (LOVE) and i noticed this black radiance perfect tone lipgloss. for $4.99 i decided what the heck?! i had previously purchased the mark glossblossom online and loved it but left the tube in the pocket of my jeans and yes, washed them. idiot. not only was my glossblossom peril to this tragedy but many of my clothes were victims also. i hate buying just one product online and paying for the shipping. i am a cheapster coupon queen and fanagled a way to get free shipping but jeez-it's just a pain in the rear...then you have to wait for it to arrive. i have no patience!

anyhoo, i am thrilled to find this black radiance lip gloss at the local walgreens. easy AND cheap. does it get any better? the black radiance lip gloss does not smell as nice or have the great texture that o-gloss and glossblossom have, but it has the exact same effect- a perfectly pinky peach just bitten lip color custom made for you. i love the color it produces. i like it for that no makeup 'i am naturally gorg' (wink wink) look.

according to the black radiance web site you can purchase their products at k-mart, walgreens, rite-aid and wal mart. 

mark glossblossom can be purchased online here or through your local avon/mark rep.

if you like to waste your cash for the brand name status and cute packaging (no judgement- i do it all the time!) go to sephora or ULTA to get smashbox o-gloss.

none of these products are tested on animals. mark glossblossom and smashbox o-gloss are paraben free.
black radiance lip gloss has propylparaben in it and they all have artificial coloring

My Favorite Beauty Products from Whole Foods

i frequent whole foods for many of my skincare products and spend a shameless amount of time in their beauty aisles reading product ingredients (and otherwise looking like a weirdo) because I like to buy products that aren't tested on animals and that are free of controversial ingredients like parabens and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates. i don't necessarily believe parabens cause cancer, i have read much scientific literature from both sides that is ultimately inconclusive. i just try to avoid parabens (it's hard to do by the way!) as a precautionary principle and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates (also known as SLS/SLES) are extremely irritating ingredients - i try to avoid sls/sles because i have sensitive skin and color-treated hair. sulfates strip your hair incessantly causing your color to fade quicker. 

i find a good bit of the beauty products at whole foods to be crap for anyone without genetically blessed skin. take Dr. Hauschka for example, almost all the products are loaded with oils, butters, fragrances and plant extracts which are horrible for anyone with acne-prone or sensitive skin. i think all skin should be treated as "sensitive" as repeatedly irritating your skin is a leading cause of aging. furthermore, "natural" and "organic" products are not any better for the skin than synthetic ones. many of the lines at whole foods are similar (and just as crappy) to Dr. Hauschka - just take a minute to read ingredients.

cosmetics ingredients database if you are interested here

anyhoo, there are some very good products (some i couldn't live without) at this organic shopper's paradise that are great for sensitive skin and as an added bonus are also good for the environment. some are cheap, and some others not so much!

 here goes...

SKINCARE

Whole Foods brand 365 Shower Gel- Unscented $3 - This stuff is great and CHEAP! I use it to wash my face and body. it is fagrance-free, artificial color-free, no sls/sles or parabens. it foams well too. it does not irritate whatsoever. my body & face loves this stuff...but my nose doesn't. :( it smells, well, weird. a slightly chemically smell that is pretty faint. it does not make your body smell this way though, don't worry! i wish it smelled better, but for the greatness of the product i will deal with the smell. you could add a Wyndmere essential oil -see below- so it's not so weird smelling but be careful cuz fragrance can irritate. they also have versions with lavender, herbal and citrus scents

Jason Naturals Red Elements Gentle Gel Face Cleanser $8-10 for 8 oz.

not all whole foods carry the red elements line. find it here

Avalon Organics Aloe-Unscented Hand and Body Lotion $8 for 8 oz. my "eco-chic" alternative to Cetaphil lotion

Avalon Organics Baby Gentle Tear-Free Body Wash the body wash i use most of the time, it has some citrus oils in it but they don't irritate. this one smells great!!
Desert Essence Organics Shampoos & Conditioners around $6 for 8 oz. i love the green apple and ginger thickening and volume versions of the shampoo and conditioner. they leave my fine, color treated hair silky, shiny and smelling like fresh green apples!
Wyndmere Essential Oils around $6 for 1/3 oz. (instead of perfume) the scent lasts all day! a great and cheaper alternative to expensive fragrances. i like grapefruit & mandarin
Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk and Shea Butter Body Bar $4 smells creamy, lathers well and soothes


MAKEUP

Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lipgloss $6 tube. these glosses are super emoillent and aren't sticky. these glosses won a Natural Health Beauty Award. the colors are VERY sheer.
Mineral Fusion makeup - they have really great glosses, mineral foundations and blushes with great colors. a little pricey though.

STAY AWAY FROM
the whole foods 365 brand of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion...ew!
Bur't Bees shampoos..gross!

MAC Viva Glam GaGa Knockoff!

I just discovered an NYX shade similar to MAC's new Viva Glam GaGa

it is called Narcissus (perfect!) Narcissus on my top lip, MAC Gaga on bottom lip. NYX is slightly pinker while gaga is milkier but you can barely notice.
UPDATE (2.27.10): NYX.com is sold out of Narcissus
go here or to your local ULTA store

do with this information what you will...

YES! Revlon Colorstay Lipliner

For about 7 bucks at wal-mart you can have a great lipliner that really stays on and doesn't bleed or feather. there are good neutrals and a variety of colors. i like "blush" and "natural" (similar to subculture by MAC). i put it to the test. all day. it passed. it's cheap. just do it.

NYX cosmetics - my new favorite makeup line and it's CHEAP! YAY!

you might have heard of NYX cosmetics before, but i have just discovered them...well, i have seen the line in ULTA stores before but passed by thinking it was just another cheapy makeup line. i recently tried the line b/c a lot of makeup artists rave about them and... WOW! impressive! especially the powder eyeshadows, lipglosses and powder blushes. the eyeshadows and blushes come in an ENORMOUS array of colors-matte & shimmer, which i love. i am not a big fan of shimmer blush as far as makeup for photography is concerned b/c it looks bad on camera. there are 2 types of lipglosses that have almost identical packaging. the one that says "Goddess of the Night" on the tube is fragrance free, which i think smells gross so i opted for the other lipglosses that just had NYX on the tube. they have a much better smell. paula begoun - my favorite "cosmetics cop" rated their eyeshadows, doll eye mascara & lipglosses as paula's picks. it's so wonderful to find quality makeup for cheapo!! you don't even know! coincidentally, after this great discovery ULTA decided to have a BOGO on NYX so i drove deliriously happy to my nearest store and went a little crazy. i can't say so much for the eye pencils and lipliners, they, well, sorta sucked. anyhoo the "round" lipsticks are AWESOME, pigmented and a great creamy consistency that wasn't smelly. i wasn't too fond of any of the shimmery colors (overly shimmery gloss doesn't look good on anyone over 28)  and picked up a bunch of non shimmery ones. to further add to my excitement, the nice people at NYX gave me a pro discount so i just placed an huge order for some 10 eyeshadow palettes!! check out the line at nyxcosmetics.com