Mally Beauty review

This brand is quickly becoming one of my favorites. "Mally Beauty" is the cosmetic line by celebrity makeup artist, Mally Roncal!

Life, Love and a Really Great Lipgloss single in "Life Is Fuschia"

This gloss is a gorgeous sheer candy pink. It smells amazing, like cotton candy! Looks gorgeous with MAC "Dollymix" sheertone shimmer blush. So fresh and girly. This gloss pairs beautifully with my pink/pink-based neutral lipsticks. It also looks amazing on its own.

City Chick Smokey Eye Kit in "Brownstone"

I love this color coordinated smokey eye kit! The lid color really brings out the golden flecks in my eyes. The crease color is similar to MAC's Espresso eyeshadow. You can also use the darkest shade as an eye liner or to fill in brows. Another winner from Mally Beauty!

Ultimate Performance Professional Foundation in "Fair"

This stuff is amazing. I usually have to top my foundation with light finishing powder to make the color match better. This stuff is a near perfect match. It conceals redness, undereye circles and evens out my skintone. Perfect. I recommend this to anybody in search of a foundation with great color, great coverage and a great formula.

Poreless Perfection Skin Finisher

This powder is the perfect finishing touch after I complete my makeup routine. It matches my skin perfectly when used with foundation or a light dusting on its own. This is great, it's like powder airbrushing!

Check it out!



-ashley

OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) review

First, let me give a HUGE thank you to OCC Cosmetics for sponsoring my latest contest! I love this brand!

Lip Tar in "Clear"

First, let me say that the available shades are gorgeous. I used the Lip Tar in "Clear" to mix with the loose powders to create lip gloss shades. You can mix the powder pigments with clear lip tar and make your own shades. I was experimenting with some avant garde makeup styles, and I mixed two shades of the loose color concentrates with the clear lip tar and applied some to my cheekbones. The effect was amazing.

Loose Color Concentrates(click for product)
I tried "Pollencount", "Cherry Bomb", "Glisten" and "Ironic":


"Pollencount" is such a striking yellow, it's extremely rich and the pigment is out of this world. "Tesoro" is gorgeous as an overglazed lip color over a peachy pink or nude lipstick. Love love love it.


"Ironic" is a gorgeous shimmery gray/silver, it looks amazing with a silver smokey eye. It really makes brown eyes pop, so I'm sure the contrast next to blue or green eyes would be amazing also. "Cherry Bomb" is a gorgeously intense fuschia pink infused with red shimmers. Mixed with clear lip tar, it is a very similar shade to MAC's lipglass "Style Minx" (from the Heatherette collection).

Nail Lacquer in "Rhythm Box"

I have lately been super interested in nail polishes, this is a bright violet shade. It's very sheer, but very buildable. Ever since I've been wearing lots of bright pink lipglosses and lipsticks, this really fits together with my overall 'look'.

Check OCC out!!

Erno Laszlo review

Sorry I've been away for awhile! I have a lot of catching up to do!

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Regular Normalizer Shake-It in "Porcelain"

This is awesome. It's a toner and delivers sheer coverage, almost like a foundation but since it is water based, it doesn't feel heavy or anything like that. It pretty much is the opposite of what I hate about foundations, how some of them feel heavy on your skin and always like your skin is suffocating. The water-based formula of this takes care of that. So because of this, I am extremely happy with it. The color matches my natural skin tone, and is available in 10 shades to pick the perfect one! Besides offering lightweight coverage, it also is a great oil controller/toner for normal to oily skin!

Multi-pHase Blusher

This is an extremely universal blush. It is gorgeous, and there are many colors that mix beautifully together on your skin (colors ranging from peaches, light rosy pinks, medium rosy pinks, light berries). I love this, this has earned its place in my 'favorites' of my makeup collection. I love love love love love this.

To find a store that carries these products, check here.



-ashley

Pur Minerals review

I'm so excited with this review! Finally a mineral makeup brand that works for me!

Pur Perfection Starter Kit

I have tried a few different brands of mineral makeup, but none of them have ever been extremely impressive. Due to my thyroid condition, I have patches of redness on my cheeks. They're a pain to cover up and usually mineral makeup only settles on the patches and gives the appearance that my skin is flaky (even after I exfoliate). So with that being said, I am extremely pleased with PurMinerals! This covered up my redness without looking flaky, cake-y, and I even applied some under my eyes with a smaller brush and it definitely reduced the appearance of any under eye darkness. Also included in the kit is a blush, and a bronzer. Finally a bronzer that isn't orange or shimmery (a shimmery/orange glow is far from authentic looking!). The blush is beautiful and gives a healthy dose of color to the apples of the cheeks. I am very very happy with this.

4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation with SPF

This 4-in-1 pressed mineral makeup in "Porcelain" is much closer to my natural skin tone than the "Light" shade. I actually used this shade a bit more than the "Light" one that I tried in the starter kit. This is perfect for girls who are a bit too fair for most other foundations (including drug store lines, and even MakeupForEver!)

Pur Rocks

These "Pur rocks" are awesome! You get a gorgeous rosy glow after applying. I like to use them on my cheeks and lips...the color is build-able and so natural looking!

If you like mineral makeup, you will LOVE PurMinerals!

To find a retailer near you, click here.



-ashley

Obsessive Compulsive Nail Lacquer Giveaway

I am loving the new nail polish colors from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics! Their "slate gray" nail lacquer in 'Dangerous' is the hottest trend right now. Dark colors on the nails are the trendiest thing this season. Don't get me wrong, I love bright colors too, but I'm so interested in these fun colors that are taking the runway by storm. OCC has fun colors such as Black, Red, Violet, Dark Green, Gray, and more.

WIN IT!
Want to win your own bottle of Obsessive Compulsive Nail Lacquer? Just check out the OCC website and let me know what color you like best. I'll choose three winners to receive the color nail polish of their choice!

Giveaway begins right now, April 14th, and ends at noon EST on April 21st. One main entry per person, plus as many extra entries as you want! US and Canadian residents only please.


EXTRA ENTRIES:
- follow my blog
- follow me on Twitter
- subscribe to my RSS feed
- comment on another one of my blog entries
- tell me another item you like from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

Liptini review

In case I haven't made it clear enough just how much I adore lip glosses, consider Liptini my newest addition to the list of brands that I adore.

The liquer lip and cheek stains are amazing. I have super pale lips, so anything to give me a base color for lipstick/gloss or to wear on its own is a winner for me. I have found that multi-purpose product in this. I have been asked if I was "feeling well" before because of my extremely pale lips, but I will definitely look way more healthy if I continue to use this stain. It's a fresh berry 'just bitten' shade, I think it is very universal and would work on virtually everyone!


And the cordial shimmering lip and cheek tints? Those are beyond awesome. Especially if you love love love shimmer. It blends very easily as a cheek tint, and looks gorgeous on lips.


Onto the "Topper lip glosses"...these are my FAVORITES. I freaking love them!

Topper lip gloss in "Strawberry Rita"

I could not stop smelling the applicator. The scent isn't quite super strawberry, but it's definitely something yummy. This looks beautiful over my pink and pinky-nude lipsticks. It is sooo pretty though.

Topper lip gloss in "Sugar Rim"

At first, I was a little bit nervous about how this color would look on my lips after looking at the color in the tube. It was the color of glittery lemon-lime gatorade! But then I applied, and WHOA. "Sugar Rim" slightly reminds me of a MAC dazzleglass. The glittery effect is beyond gorgeous! I love it over my light (and bright!) lipsticks such as MAC's Lollipop Loving, or NARS Schiap. Oh my. I am in love for sure. For the love of lipgloss, I highly recommend this shade (and the entire lipgloss line!) to any cosmetic junkie like myself. It goes with everything, and it's just sooo pretty to look at after you apply it!

*Another awesome thing about the "Topper lip glosses" is that you can get a coordinating nail polish to go with your favorite shade!

To find a nearby retailer, click here.
To place online orders, click here.

Lipstick Queen rave #2

I know I already wrote up a bit about Lipstick Queen, but I can't help but sing the praises of that awesome brand just one more time.

I tried two more products: Saint Lipstick in "Saint Pink" and Shine Hard Core Gloss in "Clear Sinner".

It was love at first swipe with "Saint Rose". So I decided to try "Saint Pink". I'm constantly looking for a lighter color for my lips, I usually don't like many light shades...I usually pull out my trusty MAC "Russian Red" or "Girl About Town". But now I have found myself a "holy grail" light pink lipstick. It could pass for a nude on me. Most nudes on me look too dark, but this is actually a pretty close shade to a nude on my lips. My lips are very light and not very pigmented anyway, so most colors show up true to life (how they look in the tube) on my lips. But that is always how it is with Lipstick Queen. Thankfully, LQ is one of those brands where 'what you see is what you get' is absolutely true.

I loved the "Shine- Hard Core Gloss" in "Red Sinner". So I decided to try something that could go with more than just my red lipsticks. And "Clear Sinner" did not disappoint. I don't find it to be annoyingly goopy or sticky, I actually like the texture. It ensures long-time wear and it doesn't move or migrate to underneath my lower lip line like so many lip glosses do.

Lipstick Queen, you have a fan for life.

If you haven't already, check them out!



-ashley

Kissable couture review

First let me say that I loveeee the packaging of these lip glosses. Love love love it. And the names of the regular lip gloss line are all cleverly named after boys. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Kissable Couture also has a nudes collection, a smooches collection and transitions collection. I am reviewing two shades from the newest collection "Everything Love Inspires: A Spring Collection". I love the two-toned color of the actual lip gloss tube, and the names for this collection!

Lip gloss in "Fantasies"

This is a stunning, attention grabbing shade of red. It reminds me of NARS Bloodwork, although the formula/finish is a bit different. The color however, is very similar. I love red lipsticks and lip glosses, so this will make a great addition to my collection. I love wearing it with 'cat eye' winged eyeliner. Classic.

Lip gloss in "Dreams"

This is such a pretty soft, sheer light pink. It is almost angelic/ethereal. It provides light and airy color, it's so pretty. Perfect for daytime with a 'no makeup' look, or for nighttime with a smokey eye. You can wear this gloss anytime, anywhere. It's gorgeous! I'm usually not really a fan of light lip colors, but I believe this may have converted me!

To find a store near you that carries this awesome brand, click here.



-ashley

Pop/Pixi review

I'm a sucker for cute packaging. I love love love it.

Goddess Clutch

First of all, the black clutch is adorable and I love the material it's made of. You can also pop out the makeup and use it as a regular clutch for a night out. Awesome, awesome. Now onto to the contents of the clutch...There are a few matte eyeshadows as well as sparkly, two blushes, and one clear sparkly lip gloss. I love the gloss, it wears well throughout the night, and goes with everything. The blushes are two healthy looking and natural shades (peachy pink, baby pink). I love the sparkly/matte finishes off the eyeshadows and the colors, especially the deep gorgeous teal!

Lid Pastels

This palette features six fun pastel shades. When you flip open the top, there are three suggestions for looks you can create using the palette. I love the lightest shade (the shimmery white one), it's a great highlighter for super fair skin just like mine! I'm constantly on the look out for a good highlighter, and I usually always find them in the most unlikely products (my favorite highlighters tend to originally be eyeshadows)!

Lip Lust in "Flirty Fuschia"

If you want to try out bright lip colors but you're afraid of something that is too pigmented, you will love this. If you're a fan of bright lip colors (like me) and want to add another color to your collection, you will love this. It's a bright pink fuschia but it's very sheer to medium coverage, not very opaque so it's definitely a 'safe' bright color. It's incredibly moisturizing though!

Pixi Gel Liner in "Jade"


This reminds me of MAC's Fluidline eyeliners. I love green eye products: shadows, liners, etc. They're amazing for brown eyes. This gel liner comes with a little brush to apply it with. Normally, it is advised to throw out the applicator brushes but this brush is actually pretty good. It's small so you can have more control over the color and the application.

Neutralizing cover up kit

This is perfect for any and all skin imperfections. I mostly use the green to cover up some redness that I get from my hypothyroidism. I put a thin layer over the redness, then cover it up with concealer and that's all. It reduced my 'redness covering up' routine to only two steps.

Sheer Cheek Gel in "Natural".

This product is just like it's name. It's a very natural pink shade, what I love most about it is that the application is so sheer but very easily buildable so you can control the pigment. A little goes a long way though, so it's probably best to start with only a dot or two on your fingertips or on a cosmetic sponge. I like to put this on the apples of my cheeks very lightly (as a natural shade) and then brush MAC's Dollymix over it as a bright shade for a 'pop' of color. I got that trick from Bobbi Brown's latest book (Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual)




-ashley

Becca Cosmetics review

I officially love Becca Cosmetics. So does Glamour, Elle, Lucky, and Vogue magazine to name a few. They sell a variety of products for your complexion, eyes, lips, multi-use, and they even carry a line of brushes!
I am currently loving their Lip Tints. With seven shades to choose from varying from various nudes to sheer black currant. Even the darkest shade (lip tint in "Milla") isn't overpowering on my porcelain complexion! What I love about the several nudes to choose from, is that none of them wash me out. Each shade delivers a natural tint to your original lip color. The lip tints are not very opaque, but not so sheer where you can't even see the color payoff. I normally would find it hard to justify a $24.00 sheer lip color, but personally, I think that this is definitely worth the price tag.



*I think the "Last Chance" feature website is awesome, giving customers a chance to stock up on their favorites before they're discontinued.

Click here to find a store near you that carries this fab brand!



-ashley

L.A. Colors

My first introduction to LA Colors was a beautiful (and colorful!) one. I first saw the display at "Five And Below", an awesome store on the east coast that features tons of cool stuff for $5 or less! I immediately ran over to the display of the nail polishes and loose powder eyeshadows. I guess the bright colors caught my eye. So I picked up a few shades and created some crazy colorful looks when I got home. My favorites are "Sunshine", "Black Pearl", and "Spring Fling". I actually used "Sunshine" on my lower lashline in my entry Rai's 80's themed contest.



I love the 'Nail Art', it's a long tipped brush so you can make your own designs on your nails. I like to paint my nails red and put black dots on them to look like ladybugs. Or one color like pink with a contrasting color like the gold glitter or white. I also like to paint white stripes on top of a base color and go over the white stripes with the gold glitter, it looks soo cool!



LA Colors recently came out with mineral eyeshadow duos. I tried a dark smokey one, and an ocean blue duo. I love mineral anything, so those of course made me very happy.

If you ever see an LA Colors display in any store similar to a store like "Five And Below", definitely check it out! Although I'm sure the bright attractive colors of the display will lure you in anyway...

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a place on the official website to place online orders or a store locator...so all I can say is keep your eyes open for an LA Colors display near you and check out the website!