OCC Lo-Fi S/S 2011 Lip Tar swatches

L to R: Analog, Interlace, Tone, Lo-Fi, Beta, Reverb

One of my favorite cosmetic brands Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics recently released their new line of makeup for the Spring season, the collection is called Lo-Fi and it features new shades of lip tars, loose color pigments, and nail polish. I have the entire new collection of lip tars and I wanted to share a few swatches and my opinions of these pretty new colors!

Swatched on white paper

Swatched on my hands L to R: Analog, Interlace, Tone, Lo-Fi, Beta, Reverb

Analog is a nice brown shade that can be mixed or worn alone (on deep skintones). Interlace is a peachy-beige color that could work on a variety of skintones. Tone is a very pale lip shade, that could be used to customize a nude lip shade. Lo-Fi is a definite standout, it is a pale green that is ideal for mixing. Beta and Reverb are my favorites; Beta is a bright tangerine orange. Bright oranges have been dominating the runways and I think Beta is a great way to bring this runway trend to everyday life. Reverb is a bright red that comes out neutral on me, it's very different from NSFW and Stalker (my other two favorite OCC reds). Definitely a cute collection of colors that would be great for this Spring and Summer!

Check out the entire collection at OCCMakeup.com

Illamasqua Toxic Nature - lipstick & gloss swatches

Here are a few swatches and product photos of the just released Toxic Nature collection from Illamasqua! I'm loving the pretty bright colors, perfect for both Spring and Summer. I recently got Flare and Atomic lipsticks, as well as the gloss in Torture. Flare is a yellow-based bright orange, and Atomic is a bright pink with a blue pearl iridescence.  Torture gloss is a part of the sheer lipgloss formula from Illamasqua, and it's a peachy-orange color. Flare lipstick and Torture gloss look really nice layered together.

Illamasqua Atomic lipstick up close

Atomic swatched on my neutral toned skin

Illamasqua Flare lipstick up close

L: Flare lipstick Top: Torture gloss R: Flare w/ Torture

In the swatches above, you can see Atomic lipstick swatched on my skin, which is more neutral in skintone, while Flare and Torture are swatched alone and then paired together on my sister Amber's warm toned skin. Gorgeous colors that are great for Spring and the coming Summer months!

MAC Delft Paint Pot Review + Swatch

 

I recently got this really pretty discontinued MAC Paint Pot "Delft" from the shop Indulge N Spoil. They sell a variety of older collections of MAC makeup that are no loner for sale. I've shopped with them in the past also and their MAC products are authentic.  This gorgeous color is a blue-ish green spiked with gold. It looks great on brown eyes, making them pop. It can be used as an eyeliner, and it's awesome for a base for green or blue eyeshadows. Here is a swatch of it, on my sister Amber's warm skin tone:

The color looks nice on my cool-neutral tones, but when used on warm toned skin the gold in the color really pops! MAC Delft Paint Pot is sold out on Indulge N Spoil right now, but they have a lot of other MAC goodies, like MAC Silverstroke Fluidline and MAC Moon River Mineralize Blush. They also sell products from Clinique and Bath & Body Works. Indulge N Spoil also offers FREE shipping on every order in the USA! Their shipping is fast and my products always come wrapped nicely. I highly recommend this shop to those who want to purchase older MAC items that you may not be able to find at your current CCO.

IndulgeNSpoil.com

Misikko.com HANAair Professional Hair Dryer review

I recently got a really great professional hair dryer from Misikko.com, it's the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer, and it is awesome! It's imported from Italy, and it features a sleek black finish. An extra long salon quality power cord, and an easy to grip handle. The design is stylish and modern. It also comes with a 2 year warranty. This dryer features two speeds, low and high, and comes with 3 heat settings, including cold. The ceramic heater uses infrared technology and Tourmaline crystals that boosts the shine of your shine. The motor is pretty quiet too, this is the most quiet dryer I've ever used before, my usual dryer drowns this one out in the noise department. This dryer also comes with a concentrator that fits on the end of the barrel.

Hana Salon Air Hair Dryer Features:

• Ion Technology- condition hair & reduces static electricity
• Tourmaline & Titanium Oxide Technology- natural ions promote healthier hair
• Silver Nanotechnology- for antibacterial Protection
• Scratch Resistant Shell with black metallico finish adds durability and is easy to clean
• Long life motor with low noise
• Gyroscopically balanced for easy handling
• Fiberglass concentrator
• Italian Design

This is hands down the best hair dryer I've ever owned. I feel like I get a salon quality blow out each and every time that I use it. Not to mention, as someone with long hair, my hair can take awhile to blow dry. With this dryer, my drying time was cut in half, at least. I noticed my hair dried quicker, and my hair looked more shiny and manageable. The dryer was comfortable to hold in my hand, and the buttons were easy to use. There are two switches a blue Off/On and a red Off/On one powers speed and the other powers temperature. My sister used this dryer and thought that it made her dry damaged hair more manageable and she noticed that she got fewer knots and snarls in her hair while using this dryer. When it comes to my hair, which is pretty thick and long in length, I tend to spend a lot of time blowing it straight and often end up with waves in my hair where my hair was still damp because I had given up on drying it. This didn't happen with the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer, it felt like all of my hair was dried in a fraction of the time it usually takes, even when using a flat brush to blow dry it straight.

I highly recommend this hair dryer to anyone who is looking for a good product that is quality and gets the job done. My hair feels better and I just enjoy using this dryer in general. It's a little more costly than a drugstore blowdryer, but once you use it, you'll see, you really do get what you pay for. This dryer retails for $314.99 but you can buy it at Misikko.com for $194.95! They also offer FREE shipping and super fast service. They are a family run company and they really put a lot of time and energy into each order. They even sent me a bunch of freebies such as a flat iron case, nail files, hand sanitizer, and more. Misikko really cares about their customers and that makes me feel good about sharing them with my readers!

Check out the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer, which was picked as a Customers Choice product from Misikko customers, at Misikko.com - they have a wide variety of hair dryers to choose from. Looking for a Hair Straightener? Youll find a wide variety of those there too!

Rococo & Caffeine giveaway

Rococo & Caffeine is having a fun LUSH giveaway!

http://www.rococoandcaffeine.com/2011/03/lush-life-giveaway.html

Shahada's giveaway

The lovely Shahada is having a fun giveaway on her beauty blog. Check out her blog she has great swatches and her opinions and makeup advice is great!

http://shahadakarim.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-mac-quite-cute.html

Gumballs.com Gum Ball Machine review

Look at this cute gumball machine I got from Gumballs.com! I am going to be having a candy themed party soon, and I really wanted to feature a fun centerpiece, so what better than a cool retro looking old fashioned gumball machine, right? This antique gumball machine comes with a stand, so you can put it in the corner or anywhere else in the room you want. The stand along with the machine stands at 37" tall. The entire machine and stand is made of quality material, and there is nothing "cheap" about it. It's sturdy and doesn't teeter or fall over, the stand is firm and easy to assemble. The machine fits on top with ease.  The King Carousel Gumball Machine fits gumballs of .62 size, you can even fill it with candy or nuts. I love my machine, it's so fun to use and all of my friends get a kick out of it. It's perfect for parties too. Here is what it comes with:

King Carousel Gumball Machine Features:
• Real glass gumball machine globe
• Cast metal gumball machine base, lid, and coin mechanism
• Accepts any coins (quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies)
• Includes instructions for "free spin” to work without coins
• Works as a gumball bank - retrieve coins when full
• Anti-spill gumball chute door cover
• Dispenses small gumballs (.62" or smaller), candy, or nuts
• Gumball capacity: 5 lbs. of .62" gumballs
• Machine comes fully assembled in a gift box
• Includes all-metal pedestal stand (assembly required)
• Dimensions: 37"H x 8”W (with stand)
• Weight: 13 lbs.
• Color: Classic red finish
• 30-day money back guarantee

I got a 4 lb box of refill gumballs to fill up the machine. The cool thing is that you can let the machine accept coins, OR you can set it to a free spin, where coins aren't needed. Gumballs.com also has bulk candy, other candy machines, gumballs, and even bouncy balls. I want to get a few more of these gumball machines to make a "candyland" or "willy wonka" themed party this summer. You're never too old for candy! ;)

Gumballs.com offers super fast shipping, great customer service, and they packaged my order with care. My machine came in perfect condition, and it was a snap to put together. I really like this store and that's why I'm sharing my experience with them on my blog, for any of my readers who love sweets just as much as I do.