Out of whack...

My last post of anything was in July!  Too many things were happening at the beginning of July.  I had family in town and staying with me off and on the whole month.  I don't remember much of August.  Well...except for a badass birthday party I went to and going to WI at the end of the month for work.  During that trip I was introduced to Instagram and now I am constantly on there posting pictures, following people and looking at everyone's photos.  But it has consumed pretty much any extra time I have.  I do have things I'd like to review, some make up things I have tried out, some favorites to rave about and things on my wish list. I hope to have some time soon and get that going.  Check me out on Instagram: tinaminaxo!

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

I just bought the new L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB cream in Fair.  I got this at Walgreens for $10.99.  I had seen this first come out at Walgreens weeks ago.  The display had a test sample in Fair.  I tried it just to feel the consistency and the smell. The display was right in the front of the store when you walk in so it was the first thing I saw and I instantly put a drop of this on the back of my hand.  I continued to shop and walk around the store.  The cream is on the liquidy side.  Not slide down your arm liquidy but not very thick.  When it comes out of the tube it is white and you can see little micro beads in it.  As you work it into your skin it goes on white and then changes into a foundation color to match your skin tone.  It's very interesting to see it happen so quickly.  Now I am not a fair complexion at all.  But I have heard that the color transformation on some of the other shades leaves the skin a bit orange-y.  I didn't want to spend that much money and have my face looking like an Oompa Loompa.  They were all out of Light and since I really liked the way Fair looked like on my hand, I took a chance on Fair.

The innovation this claims is 4 beautifying actions in 1: PRIMES to a smooth skin's texture, PERFECTS to hide imperfections, HYDRATES for all day moisture and CORRECTS skin for a healthy looking even complexion.  Instantly transforms to your perfect shade for a flawless bare skin finish.  Overtime, more beautiful skin.

Today is the first day I have used it.  I have to say that I didn't see the same soft skin effect on my face as I did on my hand but maybe because I had concentrated it in one small area.  But you only get 1.0 FL OZ (30ml) and you can't put too much on your face right?  I definitely need to try this a bit more before I can actually give my full opinion on this.  I was excited to get this and I wanted to share a little tease I guess.  I hope to have a full review and better photos of this product in action, if I can capture it on my camera.

Mini Target & Kmart haul (mostly Target)

This weekend has been perfect.  The weather was perfect, spent a Saturday afternoon with wonderful friends that are like family.  Did a little bit of shopping and I thought I would share.  Went to Target for a specific pair of shoes that I had seen on their website weeks ago.  I had seen them at my local Target and I tried them on...fell in LOVE with them.  They are the Mossimo Peace Gladiator Leopard sandals.  I didn't get them at that time because they were $19.99 and I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a pair of sandals.  I have a bunch of sandals that are perfectly fine for summer and I really didn't need another pair.  But who am I kidding?  I am a girl, I can never get enough of any pair of shoes if I love them.  But alas, I did pass them up because they were not in my budget to get them.  This weekend Target had them on sale for $14.99!!  I said to hell with it, they are coming home with me.  I normally wear an 8 and even that is not normal.  Before I had my 2 boys, I was a size 7 - 7.5 depending on the shoe brand and style.  After my boys, my foot blew up to a full size 8.  All of my shoes that were even a 7.5 wouldn't fit my fat feet.  The Target I was at didn't have a size 8...BOO!  But there was a size 7.5...such a tease.  I picked them up anyways and walked up and down the aisle in hopes that someone picked up a size 8 and decided to put it back.  No luck.  I went and sat down to try on the 7.5 and HELLO!  They fit!!!  I thought maybe the sandals ran big so I tried something else on in a 7.5 and that fit!  So now I am back to a 7.5??  WTH?!

These sandals are pretty simple but totally gorg.  I love the animal print and just recently I have started getting into gold colors.  I have worn these for 2 whole days and no blister or rubbing problems.  They are very comfortable and so so cute with everything.

I also treated myself to a rose gold watch.  I have been wanting a Michael Kors watch but then again everyone has one right now it seems like.  I have also seen a Phosphor watch that is really cute and unique but those bad boys cost $220.  When I was in Kmart last checking out the makeup deals they had I cruised over to the jewelry area.  They had watches on sale for BOGO 1/2 off.  That's where I noticed the new Sofia Vergara line.  I didn't even know she had a line out.  But there was a very nice rose gold watch with a chocolate color face.  The watch was only $29.99 which was a really good price for a decent looking watch.  What do you think?  There is a diamond-like stone over each digit indicator and it fits perfectly around my wrist.  I paired this with a gold color bangle with a crystal encrusted bow that I purchased at a yard sale for 50 cents!

I also got some stackable fabric bracelets from Target.  I got 3 styles only, the pickings were a bit slim since these are really popular right now.  They are $4 each.  I also got the Sally Hansen Magnetic nail polish in purple.  They came out really nice and the magnetic effect was very nice.  The nail polish was on sale for $7.99.  I'm really feeling the purple these days.  Notice the purple comforter in the background..hahaha.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balms Review

Originally I had gotten these Balms first before any of the Revlon Lip Butters.  There are 8 available shades.  I only have 5 and I will explain why in a bit.  Colors I have are Nourishing Nude, Carmel Comfort, Rose Elixir, Caring Coral and Heavenly Berry.  

The packaging is very similar to the Caresse sticks that I LOVE right now.  Just like the Lip Butters, the top is a color indicator and is transparent.  I really like L'Oreal's lipstick packaging.  It's very sleek and classy.  

I really like the texture, very creamy and moisturizing.  More so than the Lip Butters but the color pigmentation is not all that great.  So if you are looking for something that will have some pigmentation, these are not for you.  There is a very slight color payment and if not for the flash on my camera, each shade looks nearly the same on the lips.  For $6.99-8.99 for these, it's quite expensive for a balm.  I do keep a few of these in my makeup bag but these will last me forever because I don't use them everyday.  I had gotten all mine months ago when Rite Aid had the BOGO 1/2 off, plush I had +UP rewards and coupons.  I don't remember how much I paid for these but it wasn't full price which is good because I don't think it is worth paying almost $8 at a drugstore for these.  I do know Target has these for $6.99 but even that is too much for these.  If you can get these on sale, I would recommend getting one.  If you have tried the Caresse sticks, you will like this for a simple everyday lightly tinted balm.  I do enjoy these.

Sally Hansen Vita Lip Moisturizers - update

So a month or so ago I had bought the Vita-A Peach scented lip moisturizer.  Although I loved everything about these, the taste was appalling.  After using this everyday for a few weeks, I have barely noticed the bad taste.  I can't say for sure if it was just a first time user error or my brain has gotten use to the taste over time but I didn't mind it anymore.  I went ahead and got the Vita-B Berry scent.  I love pinks and this one has a very cute pink balm in the clear tube. 

This is what part of the packaging looks like.

I really do like the look of these.  Both are very moisturizing, I don't notice one works differently to the other though.  They are about $4.99 each.  I have only seen them at Rite Aid and CVS.  I tried looking for these at Walmart and Target but they must not carry them.  I can't say for sure if they are worth almost $5 for one of these.  The EOS lip balms I think are a better deal and taste better...LOL

Maybelline Baby Lips Review

Colors: Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, Grape Vine and Cherry Me

Favorites are Pink Punch and Peach Kiss

Each one has a very pleasant taste and smell.  I think each one gives a nice tint of color to your lips but everyone's lips are different when it comes to texture and pigmentation so the color will vary on different people.  The packaging is super cute and they are available at every drugstore, Target and Walmart.  They range in price from $2.49 to $4.99.  Walgreens seems to be the most expensive I have seen these for.  

There was only 2 flavors I didn’t have which were the clear color ones: Peppermint and Quench.  I saw Peppermint at Walmart while I was going nuts on Revlon lippies so I picked that up also.  It was on sale for $1.99 (regular price at $2.49) so I said why not?  I LOVE LOVE mint flavor, minty smells, everything mint.  I did not care for this unfortunately.  The smell was nice and it has the same balmy feel as the other Baby Lips but there was no tingly feeling when you normally wear something with peppermint in it.  And the taste was like chewing on Spearmint gum for a long time and you really should spit it out.  By far my favorite mint balm is EOS Sweet Mint.  I can’t get enough of that stuff.  But this was ok for what I paid for it but it's not purse worthy which I do carry Pink Punch with me at all times.  

Revlon Lipsticks - June Haul

Revlon was on sale at Walmart and I was with my mom and aunt that day.  So I had a handful of lipsticks and I was trying to decide which 2 to get cause I was trying to control myself.  Bless my mom and my aunt for understanding how hard it was for me to decide, they bought me everything I had in my hands.  How do I possibly begin to say thank you for something so amazing?!  First up are the Super Lustrous lipsticks.  I got 2 cremes and 1 matte.  Colors are Certainly Red (crème), Primrose (crème) and Really Red (matte).  Ok, I know what you are thinking; why in the hell would I buy 2 reds when I have expressed that I don’t wear red?  I thought the same thing when I picked them up.  I had watched a YouTube video (sorry I can’t remember who it was I watched) that was reviewing these colors and my mind went to the dark place telling me I had to have them.  Nothing more other than to own them and to see them sitting in my lipstick drawer looking pretty.  Sickness…I know.  I like the quality of the cremes and matte lipsticks.  I'm not a fan of the pearl selection so I don't any of those.  I do like the richness of the red, although in the swatches, they look almost identical. I have tried both of these one and worn them out of the house.  I enjoy the attention I get :)  Primrose is a nude-pink color.  It's ideal for everyday wear.  

Next up are 2 glosses: Bellini from the Escapism collection and Shine City (I think this is from their core collection).  It was difficult to capture these two.  Bellini is a soft pastel pink and Shine City is just a high shine gloss.  In the tube you can see shimmers but they don’t show on the lips when on.  I use both of these as top coats over a main color.  

Finally are Lip Butters.  I had done a full review on the shades that I had and I was still interested in other colors.  I now own 13 out of the 20.  3 shades I do not care for at all which I had mentioned 2 in my other post: Peach Parfait, Berry Smoothie and now Sugar Frosting.  These 3 have shimmers in them that I just don’t care for the texture on my lips and I dislike even more the shimmery, unflattering residue it leaves behind when the color is gone.  No likey!  There are 6 that I do like that are new but…damn they look like the same color side by side and in the photos.  Colors are Cupcake, Strawberry Shortcake, Gumdrop, Sweet Tart, Lollipop and Crème Brulee.  Out of these Strawberry Shortcake, Cupcake and Crème Brulee are my favs.  Sweet Tart and Lollipop are very bright pinks but can work with Shine City gloss on top.  I do like Gumdrop and everyone on YouTube was saying how great it was on so I had to get it.  I’m not use to the purple I guess so I can’t say I love it but I don’t hate it.  It’s a shade lighter than Darling from the Kissable Lip Balm stain collection. 

I do love Revlon products in general and their lip products are super nice quality that I have tried.  I've don't normally get disappointed in Revlon lip products (except for those 3 lip butters).  I think I am done with collecting anymore lipsticks from Revlon until something new comes out.

Neutrogena Shine Control Makeup

I have been patiently waiting to get my hands on the new Neutrogena Shine Control makeup.  My hubby was nice enough to buy it for me even though I put up a fight, it’s not cheap especially for drugstore but consistent with Neutrogena’s pricing.  Everything was $12.99 each at Target.  I got the Shine control powder which only comes in Invisible 10, the primer and the liquid foundation in Buff 30.  I was really excited for the shine control primer.  I have been wanting to try NYX Shine Killer forever now so when I saw this I had high expectations.  I was disappointed.  It doesn’t do anything for my oily skin.  The foundation color I got is a shade too light for me.   I should have gotten Nude or Natural Beige but I made it work.  Everything looks amazing when first applied but on a hot day like today, it did not last 8 hours as it claims.  It does look good for the first 4-5 hours but I have to touch up and use blotting tissues. The packaging is sleek in the black matte finish look.  The liquid foundation is in a glass jar, like the Revlon Colorstay foundation.  I have been using this for a week and have experimented on different ways to make it  stay matte longer but I have yet to come up with a combo that works.  Right now the weather is very hot and I don't think any type of foundation or tinted moisturizer is going to look right on my face.  Any advice?  I'd love some help.  

This is the display at Target where I got these items from.  The prices are underneath the plastic banner under the display.  The Primer and liquid foundations are $12.99 each.  The Powder is $11.99.  

 Liquid Foundation

 Invisible 10 Powder

  

Primer

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Sticks - HAUL

Sorry I have been M.I.A. lately.  Such a little thing called “Life” has me dealing with reality and so I haven’t been able to post anything on my blog for nearly the whole month of June.  But the good news is that it didn’t stop me from obtaining any new items.  I have been dying to put up a new post because my loving family has fueled my obsession.  I got a couple of gift cards for Target and since that is the only place that has my latest love-  L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Sticks, well I couldn’t stay away.  I was also gifted a few things that I will post on a separate post.  I have been wearing a lot of what I am going to show you and I hope to post a June Favorites at the end of the month which is this weekend???  I better get on this show then shouldn’t I? 

So I started with 2 shades: Sheer Linen and Rose Taffeta.  These 2 are my favorite shades out of the 12 shades I was able to find.  From left to right as usual: Merino Mauve, Cotton Pink, Pink Cashmere, Pink Vinyl, Rose Taffeta, Sunset Angora, Blushing Sequin, Velvety Fuchsia, Cherry Tulle, Sheer Linen, Silky Java and Satiny Cocoa.  You can check out my first post about the feel, finish, lasting power, taste and smell.  I can’t express it enough how much I love these lipsticks.  There are 4 shades that I have passed on and it was hard to pass because these were in general hard to find.  I was diligent and stopped off at 2 of the nearest Targets on my way home from work twice a week and on every weekend.  The shades I declined to add to my collection was Plush Pink, Violet Chiffon, Fiery Veil and Cardinal Plume.  The Plush Pink is VERY light pink and Merino Mauve is already too light for my skin tone.  It looks ok with a pink gloss to brighten it up but I couldn’t wear it by itself.  Violet Chiffon is a very dark purple and I did get Satiny Cocoa which is too dark for my liking.  If you have read my other posts about red lippies, that’s part of the reason I passed on Fiery Veil and Cardinal Plume.  Another reason is because they have an orange base it looks like.  I had bought Rendezvous in the Revlon Kissable Balm stain and it was way too orange for me.  Just wearing it for a few minutes looked cute but I couldn’t wear it all day. 

Cotton Pink is a very cute baby pink.  Pink Cashmere is a slightly brighter pink than Cotton Pink, I would consider this one a “Barbie” pink.  Pink Vinyl reminds me of Nicki Minaj lips, it’s very hot pink.  Sunset Angora also has a subtle orange base but it’s very lovely and natural looking.  Blushing Sequin is the color the model is wearing on the display for these lipsticks.  It looks so nice that I had to get it.  In the color indicator on the tube looks to be very HOT pink.  And on the lips it is very bright but you can play it down with some gloss or use a very light hand when applying.  The swatches on my arm doesn’t really show the true color of these.  I have taken another picture of just the pinks.  On top is Blushing Sequin, Pink Vinyl, Sunset Angora and Velvety Fuchsia.  Out of the 4 Velvety Fuchsia is the hardest for me to pull off.  I think it’s mostly cause I am not use to such a bright color on my lips.  But it’s a fun color and I don’t mind that it sits in my collection 

The next close ups are to me the darkest and pigmented out of the bunch.  From the top is Cherry Tulle, Silky Java and Satiny Cocoa.  Cherry Tulle is a dark toned red but it’s very nice on.  It’s in your face red but it’s enough color for days I am feeling like I need to put some life into my lips.  Silky Java is a nice, creamy, coffee brown hence the name.  I have worn this quite a bit.  Satiny Cocoa is new and the swatch appears to be dark on my arm but it’s very nice on my lips.  It is on the dark side though.  I do like it and you can definitely sheer the color out with a gloss if you wanted to.    

Shout out to everyone that helped me locate these lipsticks in the different shades.  Hope this post helped anyone decide whether to invest in some.

UPDATE 6/30/12: I just saw these at my local Walmart and they had every single color but only 2 of each shade.  I have also seen a post from another beauty blogger that Walgreens has a display just for new L'Oreal products.  I only have one Walgreens near me and they didn't have the display unfortunately.  Walmart only had the lipsticks for 1 cent cheaper than Target.  

Revlon Lip Butters

Ok, I know I am late on this band wagon but of course everybody was doing a review and I was too busy watching those reviews to see which colors I wanted to get. I decided to pull out all my Revlon lip products to do one big review but then decided each one needed its own special attention.  So here we go.  In normal review fashion starting from left to right: 025 Peach Parfait, 001 Pink Truffle, 050 Berry Smoothie, 035 Candy Apply, 040 Red Velvet, 020 Brown Sugar and 030 Fig Jam.

These are very moisturizing like a balm but there is so much pigmentation like a lipstick.  As you can see I have 7 out of the 20 shades I think they offer.  If I had it my way I would have bought all 20 but there are some shades that I wouldn't be able to pull off and some of these have very noticeable glitters within the lipstick that I do not like.  You can kind of see it in the middle photo.  Peach Parfait to me is super bad in texture because I feel all the grit on my lips and when the color wears off, your left with this glittery residue which is just a mess to me.  Berry Smoothie and Brown Sugar have these built in shimmers but they aren't nearly as bad as Peach Parfait which is too bad because I love the color.  I just wish they didn't have to add the glitters in it.  My favorite shades are Pink Truffle and Fig Jam.  I bought Candy Apple and Red Velvet but I have yet to wear it out of the house.  I want to get Gumdrop and Creme Brulee if they don't have the glitter particles. I haven't had a chance to look and it looks like these are still crazy hard to get some places.  Rite Aid is my go to spot for all lippies but I wait till a sale is happening which is normally a BOGO 1/2 off, I live for their 40% off sales which I just missed out on :(  Super sad face.  These hold up to their claim and with all of the color selection available, you are bound to get a couple that will look amazing on your lips.  I'd be cautious of the glittery one's... just saying!  I'd love to hear which colors you own and what your thoughts are.

Revlon Colorburst and Superlustrous lipsticks

First up is the Colorburst Lipsticks.  The shades I have are 065 Rosy Nude and 060 True Red.  Now if you happen to read my Rimmel Lipsticks post, at the end I mention about contemplating buying the Red shade from that line.  I did however dare to get the True Red in this line.  Honestly it was the packaging that drew me in.  All of the new Revlon lippies have the cutest packaging ever!  I love the color indicator on top and the woven/mesh design on the outside. It's just fantastic. You can see below that I have used Rosy Nude quite a bit.  Let it be known that Rosy Nude was my very first lipstick purchased when I started this rediscovery journey into makeup.  This was never a color I would have chosen in the past.  I always chose the dark burgundy, vampire-ish color lipstick.  Stuck in the 80's in my high school days when that look was in but didn't look appropriate for anyone.  So out of the selection Rite Aid had to offer (and there was a BOGO 1/2 off sale) I chose the lightest shade I thought I could pull off and this Red.  I have photos of myself in my teens rocking this bright red. To tell you the truth, it's difficult to rock this now in my 30's.  I'll be honest, it's a special occasion lipstick for me.  It is just that bright!  Rosey Nude has just enough color to not be a washed out nude on the lips.

The swatch below looks to have some mauve in it and that's pretty accurate.  These are very pigmented and I love the finish.  I had to put Rosy Nude away because I was afraid of using it all completely.  Silly isn't it?  Since this first purchase I have bought many shades of nudes that I reach for and I forget about this one.  But I know it's there.  

Next up is the Superlustrous lipsticks, this is part of their core line.  I have 2 shades in matte and 2 shades in creme.  I LOVE these lipsticks. The shades I got seem to be on a darker scale than I normally would go for now but I got these after the Colorburst lipsticks and that BOGO 1/2 sale was still going on.  And I couldn't pull away from the dark shades.  From left to right is Mauve Over and Cocoa Craving in the matte finish.  Then Mink and Rose Velvet in the creme finish.  The swatch I did on my arm was with a light had but these are definitely build-able to a dark shade.  Cocoa Craving is really pigmented almost a dark chocolate brown if applied heavily.  Mauve Over and Mink are my favorite shades.  Rose Velvet is nothing like Rosy Nude in the Colorburst line.  It's more purpley than Rose color.  There are a ton of shades in this collection and recently Revlon had a 40% off sale to clear out their inventory to bring in the new collections for summer.  Many colors were discontinued, I think the colors I have showing below are still in the core line.  If not, I am sorry now that I am posting about it :(  They do have a wide selection of pearl finishes which I am not a fan of so I don't own any of those.  I do highly recommend the matte and creme finishes.  The next time Revlon is on sale and I have the funds to do so, I will venture out to the other colors instead of sticking to this nude, mauve, brown shades.  But hey I know what works for me!  I will be more daring next time around.  

Neither of these lipsticks have a scent to them.  The taste is a unique flavor to Revlon but it's not terrible.  Go get some of these!  

Rimmel Lippies - Nude shades

So I have been reading the craze on these Rimmel lipsticks especially the Kate Moss edition.  There is a small selection of colors available and can be found at Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens.  In my experience, Rite Aid has a wider selection...well the one by me does.  Target carries these also but it always seems like there is slim pickings there.  Some Walmarts do carry them also.  I have 2 from the Kate edition and 1 from the Lasting Finish line.  Color shades below from left to right: #14, #08 and #070 Airy Fairy.  They do look very similar to each other in the picture below.  But they are very pretty in their own ways.  As you can tell these were the most attractive to me.  There are other, brighter shades but those didn't appeal to me and a lot of Beauty Gurus on YouTube had one of these shades or all 3.  So of course I had to get the 3 to see what the hype was.

My favorite shade is #14 (I think it's strange that the Kate lipsticks only has numbers to reference instead of including a color name like they did with Airy Fairy).  #14 is a true nude color and goes well with my skin tone.  #8 has a bit of mauve in it but very nice on the lips.  Airy Fairy is a lighter pinky nude shade.  This one is a little harder for me to work with because I feel it's too light on my lips.  I normally have to add a pink or nude gloss over this.  The finish is smooth and the staying power is ok.  Pretty standard and comparable to other drugstore brands.  The one con I have with these is the scent.  I had done a review about the Maybelline Colorsensational lippies and mentioned the perfumey scent.  Rimmel by far has the most overpowering scent lipsticks.  It doesn't last long, usually 10 minutes after application the smell with dissipate. I heard that if you leave the cap off for a day or 2 the smell will just go away from the tube all together.  I haven't tried it yet so I can't say if it works but that's what I heard.

Overall I think these are worth the buy.  They retail between $4.95 to $5.99.  They are more expensive at a drugstore vs Target or Walmart but for a nice nude lipstick, it's a good price.  If I am brave enough, I want to try the bright red in the Kate line.  I just don't know if I will use it though.  I own many Red shades and they sit in my collection, nice and bright but I almost never go for those when creating a look.  It's something to think about...