NARS Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base Review

Stop the presses!  I have found my Holy Grail eyeshadow base/primer!  

In the past, I have been loyal to Urban Decay Primer Potion.  But with packaging issues and being harder to blend, I set out to find something equal, if not superior to my beloved UDPP.  I had thought after the re-packaging of UDPP into a tube that it would eliminate the issues from the old packaging.  Not so!  After spending nearly $30 on the professional size UDPP, it dried out in less than 3 months!  But I digress, we're here to talk about NARS.

Let's start with the packaging. I like the packaging.  It's straight forward and I won't have to de-pot it nor worry about it drying out.  It is packaged like a lipgloss with a tube and a doe foot applicator.  The consistency is quite different to that of UDPP.  NARS consistency is more like a mousse.  Almost feeling like a silicone based product (not sure as I have thrown away the box with the ingredient list).

This stuff does not budge.  At. All.  It keeps my eyeshadow in place all day long.  I love it!  But best of all, it makes my shadows easy to blend.  That was a huge problem with the UDPP for me.  It just such a pain to blend my eyeshadow.

This stuff is not cheap.  It retails for $24 but I purchased it during the Sephora Friends' and Family sale and it was 20% off.  If you can splurge on this, I highly recommend it!

Manicure Mondays-Revlon Vixen

Revlon's Vixen is meant to be a dupe for Chanel's Vamp/Rouge Noir (you'll have to google the history behind that color).  It is meant to look like dried blood, a nice dark blackened vampy red.  It is actually more of a dark bordeaux than a red.  If you read my Ins & Outs post, you'll see that I've really been into bordeaux colors lately and Vixen is no exception.  The formula is a tad bit watery, though I only needed two coats for opacity.  I used my CND Stickey base coat and my Diamond Dry top coat.  It wore well, lasting 5 days before chipping.

What To Wear To A Daytime Office Holiday Party

The company that I work for has an annual holiday party but it is during the daytime.  Meaning during working hours, we as a company go to a venue and celebrate the holidays with food, drinks, etc.  The only problem with this is that I have to wear my party outfit to work.  Here are a few basic pieces that can take you from the office to an office party in no time.

A sequin tank-Wet Seal racerback tank top, $20
A bold colored blazer-Blazer
A black pencil skirt-Alexander McQueen wool pencil skirt, $417
Black dressy pumps-Stiletto heels, $85
A satin clutch-Dorothy Perkins black handbag, £10
Gold bangles-Lee Angel Jewelry gold jewelry, $80
Simple,  yet elegant earrings-Kate Spade 14k earrings, $58


For the makeup, I would remember that this event is happening during the day, so I would do a simple neutral eye with a nice berry lip.  In a few weeks, I'll be digging these basics out of my closet for our daytime office holiday party.

Ins & Outs-Vol 2

Here are some things that I am digging and some that I am not...

In:
-Oversized sweaters
-Leggings/tights
-Dark colors
-Bordeaux nail polish
-Smoky eyes
-Comfort food
-Sexy boots
-Christmas music

Out:
-Sleeveless tops
-Shorts
-Bare legs
-Coral lips
-Sandals
-Warm weather

What are some of your ins and outs?

Manicure Mondays-Revlon Starry Pink

I'm not really into glitter polish, but for some reason I was drawn to this color.  I liked the milkiness of the color.  Starry Pink has a milky pink base with large silver hexagonal and small glitter.  I needed three coats to achieve opacity.  It actually would have lasted longer on the nails but I took it off after three days.  I just wasn't feeling it.  I used CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat with Seche Vite to smooth out the glitter.  It was a b*tch to get off though.  How do you feel about glitter polish?

What's In My Travel Makeup Bag

Manicure Mondays-Orly Plum Noir

I think Orly Plum Noir has become my new favorite Fall color.  It's simply GORGEOUS!  It is a deep plum color that is very flattering to my skin tone.  There is no shimmer whatsoever in this color.  The formula (as with most Orly polishes) was buttery smooth and amazing.  Only needed two coats to achieve opacity.  I used CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  This color lasted a full 7 days before chipping!  I purchased this from Sally's Beauty Supply and I believe this is in Orly's permanent collection.  This may be back on my nails for my business trip this week, who knows?

P.S.  Have you noticed the watermark on my photos lately?  I've had some of my images stolen, so hopefully this deters anymore theft!

The Balm And The Beautiful Palette

There has been a lot of talk of this palette in the blogosphere because it has the exact same colors (just different names) as The Balm's Cast Your Shadow palette that was extremely limited edition.  I lucked up and found this at my local Marshall's store untouched and in perfect condition (sometimes their cosmetics tend to be messed over).  It was only $19.50.  It retails for $44.50 on The Balm's website.

The palette has 16 eyeshadows, 2 lip/cheek stains, 1 lipgloss, and 1 dual sided eyeshadow brush.  The theme of this palette is a soap opera so they have cute and cheeky names like 'The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die'.  There is a good mix of neutral colors and vibrant colors.

This was my first time using The Balm products so I was pleasantly surprised to find the eyeshadow texture to be butter smooth and soft.  These colors are nicely pigmented and they blend wonderfully.  I've used the palette about 6 times since I've purchased it.

I was also pleased to find that the cheek colors were nice also.  I used The Perfect Man on my cheeks and it stayed all day.  It gave a nice pink flush to my cheeks.  The texture was creamy without being gloopy.

Here are the swatches:

1st two rows

2nd two rows

Drama Queen, The Perfect Man, Evil Twin

Overall, I would highly recommend this palette, especially if you can find it at your local Marshall's.

Victoria's Secret Hypnotic Kajal Eyeliner Review

I purchased this about a month ago after I saw one of my favorite YouTube beauty gurus "haul" it.  It looked really interesting and the packaging was kind of cute.  So I hopped on down to my local Victoria's Secret and picked it up.

It is basically a black eye kohl but without a pencil casing.  It is packaged in a gold plastic case with an applique sticker.  The kohl twists up and comes to a point.  There is no way to sharpen it.   The liner is very black and soft.  It does not tug or pull at your lids or water line.  It is very easy to smudge and it stays put on my water line.  I honestly can get about 6 hours of wear with this on my water line (which is unheard of for me).

The only drawback to this liner is that (as I mentioned above) you cannot sharpen it.  So to work around that, I apply it at an angle so the tip will not get dull.

This is my first time trying a Victoria's Secret cosmetic and I think I may try some more.  This retails for $12 and can be purchased select locations and online.

Manicure Mondays-Dior Exquis 611

I fell in love with Dior Exquis the moment I saw it in the Holiday 2011 promo photos.  When I got it home, I thought it looked similar to China Glaze Ingrid, but I decided to keep it.  It is a gorgeous taupe with gold shimmer running through it.  It is my first foray into Dior polishes and I must say, I like them.  It was almost a one coater but I used two.  It lasted for a good 5 days before chipping.  I used my standard CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  But I can say it is close enough to Ingrid to wear you wouldn't need to spend the $22 for this polish.

Get Ready With Me

Products Used In Order:

NARS Sheer Matte foundation in Syracuse
NARS Smudge Proof eyeshadow primer
Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Bronze palette
MAC MSF Natural in Med Dark
Milani Liquif'eye eye pencil in Brown
Physician's Formula Jumbo Lash mascara
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Med/Dark Bisque
MAC Pro Longwear concealer in NC 35
MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Finishing Powder
Clinique Bottom Lash mascara
NARS Casino bronzer
NARS Taj Mahal blush
MAC Thrills lipstick
MAC Brun eyeshadow (for my brows)