Stila Eyeshadow Trio in Gold Glow Review and Swatches

I have a small beauty budget,  so I try to find steals when I want to try higher end products.  This month I was surfing Amazon when I came across an option I had not previously considered- refills!

I found this Stila trio refill being offered for $4.49 and shipped free.  I read the reviews and was disappointed it didn't come in any type of case,  but ordered it anyway.

I'm really glad I did.  These are beautiful,  and I ordered another set of colors right away.  I still haven't come up with a storage solution, but I have been wearing these every day. I just replace the protective dome and place them in their tiny cardboard boxes.

I visited the state fair and wore two of the shades for hours without primer and while it did sheer out the color was still beautiful with no noticeable creasing. I was impressed and very pleased.

Go ahead and buy yours! I am in no way affiliated with the sellers, just sharing this great beauty steal :)

Recommended: ABSOLUTELY!!

L'Oréal Color Riche Eyeshadow Quad in Lucky Charm Swatches & Review

I own one of these L'Oréal color riche eyeshadow quads-at least, I owned one until I found a seller on Amazon offering them at about half the MSRP with free shipping! Then I added a ton to a wishlist and ordered one to start to test the seller. 

This one is called Lucky Charm, and I've worn it twice since it arrived. 

The packaging on these is nothing to write home about.  I find the gold compact to look like a Beetle, and I'm certainly no fan of bugs! The product displayed through the Window looks pretty, but that second color is particularly difficult to get in to.  It is just too narrow, and the curve doesn't make it less awkward. 

The top color is what sold me on this particular quad. I enjoy pinks and don't usually feel they give me the eye infection look I've heard others complain about.  This color is nice and well pigmented.  To my surprise, it sheers to a pretty, iridescent orange-pink. 

The second color is also soft and gives good payoff, making a nice highlight option.  The brown colors are semi-matte and matte.  The lighter one is lovely as a light-handed base topped with the pink.  The Browns are not as soft or pigmented as the other two but are buildable. 

Drugstore Disappointment Reflection

Make up is hit or miss. I know this and remind myself of it often,  but it still stings when I get a hard miss. Even though I tend to do my best to find deals and shop mostly  for drugstore products wasting money on items that do not do their jobs is always disappointing.

This is why my blog goes silent.

Lately I have been spending more on higher end products rather than seeking money savers. I know that my L'Oréal Infallible shadows will make me happy,  but if I have the colors that I'll use then I can't really turn to them for new looks.  Because of this I've added products from Pur Minerals,  Smashbox and Lorac. I won't review these until after my birthday as I plan to wrap them and include them in my present pile,  but I think we already know they'll be awesome.

For a long time I let this frustration keep me from buying beauty products.  Maybe that was the right way to go, but I still feel a strong desire to try everything.

I have some less than glowing reviews coming up,  but first I wanted to have some positive product evaluations.  Maybe because looking at $20 wafted dollars really b makes me want to stop being so shallow.

I probably should,  too.  Just not yet. 

NYX Cosmetics at Nordstrom.com

Nordstrom.com is a favorite online shopping spot for mum thanks to free shipping and great brand selection. I picked up a Pur Minerals palette earlier this year that I plan to review this fall(it was released in the spring but I thought it made a much better autumn choice, so I haven't touched it yet and have it tucked safely away) and just love drooling over their catalog!

If you aren't aware, they offer a selection of Nyx products at retail price, which free shipping makes quite a bargain of for the added excitement of delivering your budget friendly splurge to your door- making it feel like so much more of a luxury!

BUT, mum is excited because they have added a kit of jumbo eye pencils for $20! The individual pencils retail for $4.50 making this kit quite a steal. I plan to order mine this week.

I love pencils that work as shadow! The the more neutral colors plus the black for lining and the white for highlighting make this a great kit for essentials.

Target.com Daily Deal on E.L.F. Cosmetics

Mum's excited! E.l.f. (eyes lips face) cosmetics are featured on Target.com's daily deals today. They are buy 1 get 1 50% off + shipped free! Hurry over and take advantage. I love their brushes!

Most of what I am interested in is not sold online, but I did find a couple of items I'm excited to try out: 5 piece Eyeshadow duo kit & a 6 pan eyeshadow palette for a grand total of $6.95 shipped.

My previous experience with e.l.f. shadows has not been great, but I am always open to second chances.

I'm also looking forward to trying out the 10 piece baked Eyeshadows palette. In my previous post I wrote about my visit to Target this past weekend, where I went over the e.l.f. display but did not find the palette despite Target.com claiming it was in stock. Unfortunately it isn't sold on their site. Bummer!

Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Mocha Latte, Swatches & Review

I'm in love.

I'm hooked.

While my first reviews on Avon Eyeshadows were a mixed bag, my latest purchase has renewed my interest and faith in the True Color line.

Mocha Latte is a set of four brown-family shades that includes two frosty/shimmery shades and two matte shades.

The day my quad arrived on the front steps I had been at Target hemming and hawing over which matte shadows to buy, because some days, I just do not feel like a sparkly 16 year old. There's nothing wrong with being one, but I'm a 28 year old mother and some days I need to look more casual but still put together. This quad makes those options both awesomely available while fitting easily into my bag and boasting a nice sized mirror.

The colors are, from left to right on my arm, Latte, Iced Coffee, Beige and Espresso. Latte is also available in the Chocolate Creme True Color duo, which I also own and appreciate.

The two shimmer shades are soft and apply smoothly. The matte shades are a bit powdery but very soft and easily blended or built up.

I love this quad so much I put three more in my cart at Avon.com and am repurchasing this one to gift.

I'm in love.

Recommend: YES!

Covergirl outlast stay brilliant glosstinis review && swatches, purple freeze

This past weekend I picked up Covergirl's outlast stay brilliant glosstinis in Purple Freeze and Appletini, and now I'm here to tell you what I think of them!

They are tiny. As far as application their size did not bother me. I am a functional novice when it comes to nail polish, so if you have more advanced needs keep that in mind but my small hands were satisfied with their stature. The big benefit to their smallness is that they obviously require very little space in my cosmetics case. Big bonus!

As far as their application I found it smooth and fairly even. Two coats gave nice opaque color.

Dry time, however, was an issue. I am a rather hands on mother and these seemed to need about an hour to set completely. After 10 minutes or so I bumped my right hand on a pair of tongs and made two holes in my thumb and forefinger's polish. Once it set these holes did not seem to present any real weakness in the finish.

24 Hours:

48 Hours:

The polish made it through the 24 hour mark without noticeable chipping, peeling or fading but fell apart between 24 and 48 hours. I had hoped by the 24 hour mark it would make it to 72, but it wasn't even close. To be fair, I washed multiple heads of hair, loads of dishes, weeded my garden thoroughly without gloves and lived my life without concern for my nail polish. I did not use base or top coats. I did not prep the nails. I just polished and "goed". I can paint my nails 2x a week, but 3+ I won't do. In the end, I still have my eyes on Sangria, Blue Hawaiian and Bahama Mama. I will do test runs with buffed nails and with base and top coats to see if it improves wear time on these cuties. RECOMMENDED: Yes, for fun, when on sale.