JLB Cosmetics Vamp Your World Lipsticks

Hey all! So I was wandering around Ross on Black Friday and came across a table loaded with beauty products. This set of lipsticks immediately caught my eye. It is from JLB Cosmetics and it is the Vamp Your World Couture Lipsticks.

 

Of course what I noticed right off the back is that they look like they are ripping off Kat Von D lipstick packaging. But you know what? I don't really care! I've been wanting some vampy colors like these but didn't want to pay a lot for colors that I know I wouldn't wear very often. And this set of 5 lipsticks was only $6.99! That averages out to about $1.40 per lippy. I figured that even if the color wasn't great it was worth the risk for the price. And luckily they turned out to be pretty darn good!

L-R: Orchid, Rebel, Scarlet, Bordeaux, Provacateur

And then I took full pics of each one just for fun.

Orchid

Rebel

Scarlet

Bordeaux

Provocateur

These have great color payoff and feel really comfortable on the lips. They have a semi-glossy finish and aren't too thin or slippery. This would have been a great deal at the regular price of $18.00 but for $6.99 they are a steal! If you like colors like this but don't want to spend a lot of money I'd suggest running to Ross quickly.

I hope you are having a great week!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Bonita Tinman's Brew

Hi all! Once again it's been a while. I started a new job a month ago and I've been exhausted. But I had to write a post about this new polish I found a few days ago at Rite Aid. I hadn't been there in a while and was perusing the endcaps of the makeup section when this little beauty caught my eye. It's Tinman's Brew by Bonita.

Tinman's Brew is chock full of multiple colors of glitter, gold shard glitter and a little surprise that I didn't see until I got it outside of the store and into the sun. That was when I saw it... Holy holo Batman! It is full of holographic rainbow goodness. Of course it wasn't sunny today but I was able to capture a bit of it by playing around with the lighting.

I used 3 thin coats for this mani and it applied perfectly. And the BEST part about this polish? It was only $1.49! So if you run across it while perusing Rite Aid I highly recommend that you pick it up.

Have a great week!

'Til We Meet Again...
Rebecca  :)

China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic

*Purchased by me*

Hi again! So, it's finally been getting cooler here and feel like Fall so I'm finally feeling like busting out the dark, vampy polish colors. I had been planning on using another China Glaze polish but when I came across Rodeo Fanatic I knew I had to use it.

Rodeo Fanatic is from the 2008 Rodeo Diva collection but looks to still be readily available online; I think I got mine at Sally's a few years back. This has been one of my untrieds for so long and I'm really glad I chose it. It's such a pretty color that has some greenish shift in some lights and serious sparkle outside.

Definitely check it out if you want a seriously gorgeous Fall color.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Sleek Sunset Palette

*Purchased by me*

Today I have one of my Sleek i-Divine eyeshadow palettes to show you. I have always loved these palettes and have a small collection of them which I hope to keep adding to. Sleek is not available in stores in the US but it is readily available online; I usually order mine from Amazon since there are some sellers you can buy from that don't charge shipping. For the ones not available on Amazon I usually hit up one of my European Facebook friends to pick it up for me and send it my way.

My most recent purchase was from Amazon and I used a gift card that I earned by doing online surveys so technically I didn't have to put any money out for it. This is the Sunset palette.

Swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion 

My one complaint with these palettes is that they don't have the shade names printed on the actual palette; they are usually printed on the plastic insert that covers the shadows. This one didn't have any names on that either and I couldn't find shade names in the quick online search I did so I'm not sure if they actually have names. Regardless, it is a gorgeous palette. The left side especially is full of very Fall colors that I love and the colors on the right will go perfectly with them to create different looks. For the most part the shadows were soft and pigmented (especially the orange shade, it's gorgeous). Although a few required a bit more work than others it was not enough of a big deal for me not to want to use them.

I am definitely looking forward to playing with this palette and seeing what kinds of looks I can come up with. And keep and eye out for more Sleek i-Divine swatch posts; I plan on swatching all of my palettes. 

I've only tried the eyeshadows but the blushes look great also. Have you ever tried Sleek products? What do you think of them? What is your favorite?

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Milani Vivid Violet & Sugar High

*Purchased by me*

Hi! I just wanted to drop in with a quick mani post. Since it was still sunny and warm here last week I decided to do a mani with some bright-ish colors. I chose Milani Vivid Violet with and accent of Milani Sugar High.

This was a perfect mani for the end of the summer. I am really loving the accent nail thing lately; it lets me have fun with glitter without the hassle of removing it from all 10 fingers.

I hope you all have a great week!

'Til We Meet Again...
Rebecca :)

Hard Candy Little Hottie Lives Up To Its Name

*purchased by me*

A few days ago I was putting some new polishes away in my Melmers and doing a bit of organizing. My polishes were still all scattered and fallen over from when we moved 3 months ago and I just hadn't had the energy to fix them yet. I came across Little Hottie by Hard Candy and knew I had to have it on my nails right away.

 Taken under Ott light

Taken outside in sunlight

Little Hottie is such a gorgeous Summer color! It's bright, shimmery, glassy and sparkly and totally comes alive in the sun. At first I was a bit worried that it would be sheer as a lot of this type of polish is on the sheer side. That was not the case with this at all; two smooth coats was all I needed.

Hard Candy is available at Walmart but this is an older color and I'm not sure if you can still get it. But if you get a chance to pick it up I definitely recommend it.

Have a great week!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Chinovi Cosmetics The Tasting Menu Collection

*I received these products as a gift*

Hi guys! Today I have an amazing collection from one of my favorite indie companies; Chinovi Cosmetics. I don't know why it has taken me so long to write a post about them but it has. And unfortunately they are going out of business. But there is still time to purchase some pretties so without further ado... feast your eyes on The Tasting Menu!

This first pic is taken outdoors in sunlight and the second is under my Ott light.

Top Row L-R: Macarons a la Rose, Coteaux Bourguignons, L'Entrecote

Bottom Row L-R: Bisque de Citrouille, Creme de Marron, L'Escargot

I had been wanting this collection for ages but just couldn't spend the money on it. Then my friend Sam from the Kiss My Sparkle blog (who was the co-creator of the collection) sent it to me in a package. I was so excited to try these colors because they looked so gorgeous in pics I had seen. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. The formula is amazingly soft, blendable and pigmented. And the colors are amazing! My camera couldn't pick up all of the sparkle and color shift but believe me they look amazeballs in the sun. You could do so many different kinds of looks with these and I intend to do just that really soon.

So if you love these colors head on over to Chinovi Cosmetics (here). And while you are there check out here other awesome collections. Everything is on sale (at 50% off I believe) until she sells everything so don't waste any time. Happy Shopping!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

Sally Hansen Dabbler With Some Bling

*Purchased by me*

Hello again! Apparently I'm on a roll or something. That seems to be the way I work when it comes to this blog; it moves in fits and starts. Anyway, a while ago my friend Steph from the Imperfectly Painted blog did a post about Sally Hansen Dabbler. I thought it was a pretty color but that I probably owned something similar and didn't need it. The second I came across it in the store I knew I HAD to have it. It's a cornflower blue but it has a dustiness to it that makes it unlike anything in my whole collection. I had to put it on as soon as I got home...

A few days before I did this mani I had picked up a pretty glitter topper from L.A. Colors at Dollar Tree called Speckled and I thought it would perfectly complement Dabbler.

Speckled was a great polish; especially since it was only $1.00. This was one coat and I didn't have to fish for glitter or even place it. And it's a great mix of colors and sizes of glitter.

I absolutely loved this mani and would highly recommend picking up one or both of these polishes if you come across them. And since I only paid about $4.00 for both of them it was quite a deal. 

Do you have either of these polishes? What do you think of them? Let me know!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Avon Aurora

*I received this as a gift*

Hi all! It has been a LONG time and there has been a lot going on. Since I last wrote hubby and I made the huge move from California to Oregon. I really love it here and it's going well for the most part; the finding a job part is proving to be a bit more difficult than I had hoped but I'm sure something will work out. Anyhoo... on to the nails.

It has been gorgeous here so I had to bust out one of my many holo polishes. A few months ago my very awesome, generous friend Jessi sent me a care package filled with nail polish including five of the Avon Cosmic holo polishes. I'm really into purple so I chose the purple of the bunch: Aurora.

Aurora is a lovely, fine (as in small, not "hey you're fine"), scattered holographic polish. It didn't have a lot of the rainbow goodness of some holos but it is very sparkly and pretty in the sun. I will definitely try the other colors while we still have sun for the next few months. Oh, and this was the longest my nails had been in literally a year and I am NOT used to having nails. So a few days after this I had to chop them; I kept cutting myself and they just felt really strange.

I hope you all are doing well.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Zoya London

*Purchased by me*

Hi! Today I have Zoya London to show you. It is a polish that is their awesome PixieDust formula and was released in 2013. Now, I know a lot of people are over the texture polish trend but I am still totally obsessed with it and love it as much as the first time I saw it!

As you can see, London is a gunmetal gray shade. When it is in the sunlight it has some seriously sparkly silver bits that pick up the light. It reminds me of asphalt and I love it!

Now, supposedly Zoya is discontinuing the PixieDust line but it is still on their website. So if you like it, run and pick it up.

What do you think of textured polishes? Do you love them or loathe them? Let me know below!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca

Colour Pop Swatches

Hi! So, unless you've been totally absent from the makeup world recently you've more than likely heard of Colour Pop by now. I was finally able to place an order to see what the hype was about and color me impressed!

First off, I love the packaging; it's simple, graphic and the inside has a cool pop of color. (Ha! Pop of color, Colour Pop... get it?) Anyway... onto the swatches. First up are the eyeshadows.

L-R: I Heart This, 3, Partridge, Hammered, Bae

This was one swipe of each color on bare skin. The color shift on these is amazing and the texture is so cool. It's a semi-moist consistency that feels really bouncy to the touch. Then it dries down to a powder that stays on like nobodies business! I tried to wipe these off with a dry paper towel and they didn't go anywhere; even after soap and water I could see the stain of the color. When I actually wore them I used primer I didn't have any staining though. 

And now on to the lippies...

Top pic is Grind which is matte.

Bottom pic is Corset which is semi-glossy.

Top pic is I Heart This which is matte.

Bottom pic is Wet which is semi-glossy and slightly metallic.

The formula on all of the lippies was great! They all feel comfortable and wear really well. Bonus: they smell like cupcakes!

So there you go. I am a Colour Pop convert for sure! The eyeshadows, lippies and matching lip pencils (which I haven't yet tried) are all $5 and the new blushes (which I also haven't tried) are $8. It is such a great price for awesome products! They offer free shipping with a $30 order and you can use the code THANKSBABE with your first order for $5 off. 

Have you tried Colour Pop? Do you have any favorites? Let me know!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadows

*Nothing to disclose*

Recently Sugarpill released some new loose eyeshadows. I had seen a few previews online and they looked super pretty but there is now way I could justify spending the money on any of them; I have so much makeup that I just don't go through it and the jars of loose eyeshadow are huge! So I was really excited when my friend Sam from the Kiss My Sparkle blog started a decant group for the shadows in a Facebook group that I am in. (And if you haven't checked out her blog you totally should here; she does beautiful swatches and comes up with some amazing looks). So I was able to get decants of 6 of the new shadows. All of them are swatched over UD Primer Potion and photographed under an Ott light. It was actually raining here today (which is a miracle) so there was no sunlight.

L-R: Charmy, Strangeling, Countess

L-R: Mint Soda, Hug Life, Clickbait

These colors are amazing! They are so sparkly and have such pretty color shifts. I can't wait to see them in sunlight; I bet they look amazing.

I took a picture of my decant for size to show just how huge these jars actually are. This jar is 1/8 of a full jar and it is definitely more than enough for me. And for about the price of a full jar I was able to get 6 colors.

Aren't these pretty? Do you have a favorite? I really don't think I can choose; they are all so gorgeous. If you want to get some of these for yourself you can find them here and you can get a 4gm jar for $13. Let me know if you pick anything up and how you like it!

Have a great week!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

HPB Presents... A Valentine's Day Mani Link-Up

Hi! I'm so excited that I finally get to post this Valentine's Day mani! I did it last weekend and am absolutely in love with it but I had to wait until it was time to share. I belong to a group on Facebook called Hobby Polish Bloggers and we do a monthly link-up (the last time I participated was for Halloween). It's a really great group and is a good way to meet new people and learn new things about blogging.

I'm not big on Valentine's Day. I personally think it's over-rated and corporate; but I also love all of the colors and symbols of the season. So I sat down to do my nails and this is what I came up with.

And the polishes I used were:

White - OPI Alpine Snow

Light Pink - OPI Chic From Ears To Tail

Dark Pink - SOPI It's All About Me

Red - Zoya Sooki

Black - Wet 'n Wild Black Cream

I did the designs with dotting tools and striping tape. I am actually shocked at how well they turned out and I haven't been able to stop looking at my nails! 

Now my right hand is a different story. I didn't even want to attempt to do this with my left hand but I still wanted it to look festive. So I used some of the above colors and used some toppers to add some interest.

And the polishes I used for this hand were:

Thumb - Zoya Sooki topped with Ninja Polish Candy Cane Floam

Index Finger - OPI Chic From Ears To Tail topped with OPI Minnie Style

Middle Finger - OPI Pussy Galore

Ring Finger - OPI Chic From Ears To Tail topped with KB Shimmer Candy Cane Crush

Pinky Finger - Zoya Sooki topped with Nubar White Polka Dot

So what do you think? Like I said I'm pretty proud of it and I still have it on actually. It's chipping a bit but it's actually holding up pretty well. Make sure to check out the manis from my fellow Hobby Polish Bloggers using the links below.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rebecca :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Cult Nails Love At First Sight And Nail Art

It's been sunny and gorgeous here in California for most of the past few weeks. So when I got my Cult Nails order (unfortunately my last, since they are going out of business) I was drawn to the brightest, most cheery color that I had ordered. That color was Love At First Sight...

It's such a beautiful color and I probably could have gotten away with one coat but I decided to do two just because. Then I decided to do an accent nail with a color I came across while doing swatch sticks: Sephora by OPI Sparkling Personality. Then I figured...what the hell? Let's add some rhinestones! And this is what I ended up with.

I'm kind of in love with it! I pretty much suck at nail art and being creative so accent nails are about as fancy as I usually get. But even though they are simple I think they look great. And throw in some rhinestones and you can't really go wrong.

I hope you like it. Let me know what you think!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

Geek Chic Cosmetics Go Boldly Collection

*I purchased these products myself*

My hubby and I have been on a major Star Trek kick lately. We've been watching the TV shows Voyager and The Next Generation as well as random movies here and there. So I had to bust out my Geek Chic Cosmetics Go Boldly collection which is based on Star Trek.

I don't know why I've never posted about Geek Chic before; it is one of my absolute favorite indie brands. The collections are nerdtastic, the colors are amazing and the owner is an absolute sweetheart. So without further ado... the Go Boldly Collection.

I love that the artwork looks like the control panels on the starships. So cool!

L-R: Sleeping Bucket, Continuum, Mind Meld

(over Urban Decay Primer Potion)

L-R: Galactically Banned Ale, Naked Wedding, Blood Wine

The colors all have such great shimmer and shift to them and are just so damn pretty. Once you turn the jars over you come to one of my favorite things about the packaging... Tribbles!!

I remember watching the Tribble episode as a kid and I've loved them ever since so I was super excited when I saw this awesome little detail.

Unfortunately, the Go Boldly collection isn't available anymore but there are plenty of other amazing goodies on the website here. Definitely check out this amazing company if you haven't already.

'Til We Meet Again...
Rebecca  :)

*Edit - I just found out from Geek Chic that Naked Wedding is still available in the Single Player section of the website; so if you like that color it's still available! *

China Glaze Little Drummer Boy

Last week when it was actually cloudy/rainy and a bit chilly I decided to reach for a dark polish to go along with the weather. I decided on China Glaze Little Drummer Boy which is from the Winter/Holiday 2010 collection 'Tis The Season To Be Naughty And Nice. Even though this collection is from 4 years ago, and I bought it when it came out, it was still an untried for me.

Little Drummer Boy is a gorgeous blackened blue. In the bottle I could see some silver shimmer but that did not transfer to the nail at all. I didn't really mind though because I love a good, dark polish. And the best part about it is that it was a one coater! I almost did a second coat out of habit but I looked at my nails from all angles and just didn't need a second coat. Yay for one coaters!

I have been swatching all of my polishes onto swatch sticks and am realizing just how many untrieds I actually have... I need to get on polishing my nails more often so I can use them. And as I do I'll take pics and write a quick post. You can go on my untrieds journey with me.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Once Upon A Time From Darling Girl Cosmetics

Hi again! So yesterday I came home to a package from Darling Girl Cosmetics. At first I thought it was the small birthday order that I recently placed but as I was opening it I realized that it was a bit too soon for that to be coming in the mail. Then I read the postcard that came with it and realized that it was a care package from the Susan (the creator of Darling Girl Cosmetics). She knows that I have been down a lot lately and sent me a package to help cheer me up. She is such a sweetheart and I love her to death; she's like my sister from another mister and we share an (un)healthy obsession with Duran Duran. We've never met in person but I hope someday to get the opportunity so I can give her a giant hug

There were 3 eyeshadows in the package that I quickly realized weren't from any collection that is out now; they are from an upcoming Once Upon A Time collection and haven't been released yet! Of course I quickly ran to Facebook to message Susan and thank her from the bottom of my heart. She told me that she will be doing mini collections for Once Upon A Time. The 3 shadows I have will be joined by a gloss and she will also be doing a villains collection to go along with it. On to the swatches...

 L-R:  If I Only Had A Heart, Hot As Baelfire, Let's Hook Up

Natural Light

 Ott Light

Sunlight

These colors are amazing! I have yet to watch Once Upon A Time (it is in my Netflix queue) so these names don't mean much to me but that doesn't keep me from loving the colors. If I Only Had A Heart has a light greyed-taupe base that turns into a crazy golden shimmer at the right angle. Hot As Baelfire is a matte, purply taupe that is gorgeous. And Let's Hook Up is a blackened olive with crazy gold sparkle.

These shadows, as well as a gloss and the villains to go along with them, should be released some time in February so definitely keep an eye out for them. Darling Girl Cosmetics is one of my all-time favorite indie companies and you could not be supporting a nicer person when you buy there. Susan's colors are all crazy beautiful and complex and her collection ideas are awesome. I have a ton of her pretties so maybe I'll just start doing some swatch posts. 

Head on over to Darling Girl Cosmetics and check out the sparkle!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

Formula X Pedal To The Metal

Hi guys! It's been a long time! I know I have never been the most regular blogger to begin with but it's been a rough couple of months. Life can get difficult you know? But anyway, I was lucky enough to get a job at Sephora over the holidays (but unlucky enough that they couldn't keep me on afterwards). It was super crazy but fun and I hope to work there again. I did get some gratis in the short time I was there though and one of my bags was filled with quite a few mini Formula X polishes. The one I absolutely had to try first was Pedal To The Metal.

It's such a great glowing, shiny purple shade that is just gorgeous. And I was pleasantly surprised with the mini bottle. I've had such bad luck with minis being super difficult to work with; usually because of the brushes but this wasn't like that at all. The brush actually held enough polish to cover a full nail without having to re-dip into the bottle. And it was almost a one coater. There's probably enough left in the bottle for another 2 manicures but if I ever run out I will definitely consider getting a full-size bottle; I like it that much!

So, yeah, thanks for reading and I hope life is treating you well. I have some things that I want to do more posts about so hopefully I'll hold myself to it. Happy New Year!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)