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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow #2

     Since I already started, I'd like to continue on this 'eyeshadow roll' and post a review on more eyeshadows. I'm sorry for the love fest, but I really liked all of these. There was nothing terribly bad about any of them. I would only choose one brand over another, by personal preference, availability and/or convenience. What I can tell you is that currently in my kit are Coastal Scents and Ofra shadows.
     POP, Gosh. Cargo and Lisi don't really make convenient package for artists or have the range of either colors or finishes I would like to have. Also, Cargo is constantly changing formulas, so that inconsistency scares me.

Lisi $6-$9 per eyeshadow (lisicosmetics.com) LOVE these! I love the brightness of the colors, the pigmentation and wear. I wish they made a palette of these shadows.
     When I first saw them I was struggling on which colors to get, since there are so many, and I only wanted to test a couple, before committing to the line. I was not disappointed.
     Lisi shadows are pigment, especially for the price! The only thing I don't like is that they don't have a palette. The wear on these shadows is excellent! It's a brand, that if you had to, could be used w/o a primer. (Currently having a 50% sale on their website)

Coastal Scents $9-$25 per palette (coastalscents.com) I keep these in my kit at all times. There are so many colors, they are all pigmented and last a long time! Coastal Scents has over 300 colors, that I wish I could get all in a palette. The largest palette is the 252.  For the most part all the shadows last all day, there are a few that might crease, but they're hard to pin point and are almost worth not even mentioning, so just forget I even said it. :) If you can't find a color in this brand, then the color doesn't exist! They have everything. The problem is choosing which colors to use each day.

GOSH $12 for a trio (duanereade, goshcosmetics.com) -This is a Swedish brand here in America. The colors are bright with good pigmentation. The wear is good. These shadows feel  hard, but they are able to be manipulated and blended. It would just question the grouping. The colors they put together are either very slightly different, or supplementary. I would recommend primer, mostly to combat the potential fading of the shadows.




POP $24 (duanereade, popbeauty.com)-I like the palettes, I just think the texture is kind of powdery. Plus, these shadows appear to be very fragile. There isn't a brush soft enough that won't create some type of extra dust when picking a color. Primer is HIGHLY recommended ( a good primer too! i.e. Urban Decay or Too Faced) or the shadows WILL crease and badly!

     Personally, I would prefer NYX shadows because of the amount you get in each shadow and the quality  of the NYX vs POP. NYX is just slightly better, being that they hold up better in the packaging and work with ANY primer.

OFRA $79 per palette (ofracosmetics.com) -These shadows are a few things.
1. Amazing colors- probably the most you get in any brights palette.
2. pigmented- again the yellow is a bit of a problem, but I am slowly accepting the "yellow problem" with any brand of eyeshadow.
3. quality-for the deeper colors (which is most of the palette, with the exception of 2) you only need a small amount.
      Most shadows you usually need to layer, but you don't have to layer the color with these. The shadows come off the palette in full strength. Since the shadows are also large in size, you are looking at having this palette for a LONG time.
     This palette can also be used wet or dry. I tried both ways and the yellow became more pigmented when used wet. Another plus is that these shadows dry super fast if you choose to use them wet. These can be worn with or w/o primer.

Inglot $7-$9 per shadow (inglotusa.com)-Inglot means layering, at least that's how I see it.  Inglot is made for layering and blending, they practically blend themselves. I do like these, they remind me of Lisi shadows, but with more of a color and finish range.   
Inglot shadows are 'creamy' especially for powder colors.
Like I mentioned, layering is a must, I think they are just designed that way. These do crease but, I think the 'creamy' texture makes the creases almost invisible, kind of like the shadow moves itself around on the lid and blends itself back together, LOL. It's weird, I'm weird and that's the best way I can think to explain it.



Cargo $16 single shadow/ $40 per palette (duane reade, cargocosmetics.com)- These are great, but the quality changes over each product. Some single shadows are good, some are bad. The palettes have great quality shadows, but little variety as far as texture. They are all shimmer colors in 'Paris' palette. You don't need a lot of eyeshadow , they are very close to urban decay quality. These also work with any primer, or with nothing at all. The colors are a big deceiving in the palette. I recommend swatching them before applying them to your face.


NYX $4-$6 single shadow/ $8-$30 per palette (ulta, cvs, nyxcosmetics.com)-I have tried a variety of NYX shadows, the palettes, the singles, the primals, WHATEVER!
I love the quality of the NYX singles as opposed to the palettes. The palette colors are just close in tone and will work together, but don't provide much variety as far as dark and light shades. They do have a good mix of shimmer and matte shadows per palette though.
     The Primals, I LOVE. I honestly think NYX should extend the primal range and include the same colors in a shimmer finish. Even without using the NYX white primer these colors are bright and pigmented! My only complaint would be the yellow. Without the whit underneath, the yellow requires a few layers to look as bright as it is in the package.
The singles are great too. They are affordable, small and come in such a variety of colors that you can crate your own palette.
     For all the NYX eyeshadows-they can be used with or w/o primer ( However, I recommend primer to decrease creasing and increase wear) They are a great quality for a great price!


Sunday, May 25, 2014

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

     HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!! I hope the weather is nice wherever you are and doing whatever you're doing.
     First, I would like to invite you to meet me, if you happen to be in the NYC area! I'll be working at the Duane Reade on the corner of 57th and 6th on Thursday from 12pm-8pm, dishing out beauty advice in real time. Just stop by, and we can check out some great products together.

Let's face it, the  sales last week, weren't what they could be :/, but this week things are a lot better!
At Ulta this is the last week of their sales I listed 2 weeks ago.
NYX is having an up to 40% off sale until the 26th.

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% -Covergirl eye/lip, L'Oreal face/lip, Revlon, Almay eye makeup and removers, Garnier skincare, L'Oreal skincare and suncare.
40% off Physicians Formula
BOGO FREE -Wet n' Wild, Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropics Sunscreen, Thicker Fuller Hair and LA looks gel

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50%- L'Oreal, Covergirl, Revlon, Maybelline, Studio 35 beauty
Cetaphil $7.99
BOGO FREE -Banana Boat Sunscreen and Shea Moisture products

CVS
Biore $6.99
BOGO 50% -Revlon, Trim tools, Lumene, Clean&Clear, L'Oreal skincare, CVS Sunscreen

I think I'm going to start a NEW challenge for June. I'm thinking "1Color for 30 Days".
RULES
-in addition to the 1 color, you are allowed to used black and white
-color can be used in variety of finishes and shades
-60% of the chosen color must be present in the look
-groups of colors are used (ex. reds/burgundys, coppers/bronzes/rusts, blues/turquoises, etc)
-liners can be used as the means for showing the chosen color

I'll post further challenge details on Sunday, which is coincidentally June 1st, the first day of challenge month. Also stay tuned for a video tutorial and review.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

BEAUTY NEWS!!

     HELLLLLO AGAIN! Welcome Back! As always it's good to see you! As the semester comes to it's long awaited end, I will be able to bring you more ON TIME articles.
     I have also started a new challenge. I am using Boots No.7 Lash Serum on my lashes and brows. Over the next 8 weeks my lashes should grow longer and stronger. Since this is an all natural serum I will not experience any side effects. PLUS, the serum is safe to use on brows...I should have bought 2...and 1 for my mom...5 sounds like a good number! I should have bought 5! I still have time since all No.7 products are on sale at Duane Reade/Walgreens BOGO 50% off until May 31st!
 
On to more sales! There aren't that many for this week, but if you need sunscreen this is the week to get it.
 
CVS
BOGO 50%- Roc, Nuance, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Clean&Clear, Acnefree, Olay, Ponds, Simple, Noxema, Wet n' Wild, Neutrogena, Nivea
20% off Burts Bees
 
Rite Aid
BOGO 50% L'oreal, Almay, Olay, artificial nails and lashes, Neutrogena skincare & face/lip products, Covergirl face products, Maybelline
25% off Revlon face products
 
BOGO 50% Maybelline face, L'Oreal skin/sun care, Ponds, St. Ives, Dove, Revlon
Also Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin and Nail pills are STILL on sale BOGO FREE for the rest of the week.
 
     The sales at Ulta from last week are good until the end of the month.
 
     I realized I didn't give you a $1 *GEM* or a Best $10, BAD APRIL! Luckily I have a couple products that fit these requirements. I will get those 2 things to you by the end of the week. I will also have a list of skincare/makeup do's that people feel a little weird about...maybe I'll even add in some don't just for good measure!
 
 
 
 

Saturday, May 17, 2014

WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow


     Out of all the reviews I think this one might be the one a lot of people have been waiting for. To test these eyeshadows, I tried them once, and sometimes twice with a different primer. I used NYX white eye base as the first primer and just to give the makeup a fair chance, I retested the shadows using Urban Decay's primer.
     All shadow will crease, eventually, it's just a matter of how long and what primer will cut down the creasing time and how noticeable the creasing is. I have had some eyeshadows survive overnight, even after a deep sleep...but that's a story for another day :) 
I've had some shadows crease so badly, that they damn near disappeared! I've had others that had such small creases, that it's hardly noticeable.

So where do we start?

Covergirl $3-$6 (drugstores) These shadows don't work AT ALL if you use them dry!!! The brighter colors, like the green and blues work wet, but the pink/purples barely show up wet or dry. The only color that worked dry was the silver. I wouldn't waste time or money on these. I am actually struggling on what to do with mine...I'll probably give them to my niece to play with.


Covergirl Flamed Out Eyeshadows $5 - Now these work! I haven't had to try them wet to 'force' them to work, because they work so well dry. With any primer or alone the colors show up. In the entire collection there are about 12 colors which is a mix of brights and neutrals. I think they should extend this line and totally do away with the regular line. The white was more of a "fairy dust" than an actually white. I still love it as an under brow highlight color though.
There is creasing, (using NYX primer) but it's such small thin creasing, it could be ignored.


Urban Decay $52 (Sephora, ulta, urbandecay.com) - These palettes are 50 bucks a pop for a reason. There are pigment and lasts all day with or without primer and no creasing. When you break it down $52 for 12 eyeshadows
 (not including double ended brush and primer/lipgloss added to the package) it's about $5 a shadow, which is as much as you would pay for a single eyeshadow in a drugstore. Plus, you need so little of the product it will last a long time. My ONLY complaint would be about the inconsistency of the blacks as you cross reference them from palette to palette.


Wet n' Wild $4-$6 (drugstores)- The matte colors crease HORRIBLY and they aren't pigmented. The regular shimmer/ glitter colors are better, but their pigmentation varies. The deeper colors seem to be better and of course silver the is good. Even with primer the colors fade throughout the day.





Victoria Secret $30 (Victoria Secret)- Victoria Secret makes makeup? Who knew?! I went in the store with a $10 off of $30 coupon to buy underwear, but ended up dropping the 'draws' to buy makeup instead. I picked up this palette, because of the colors and it even came with a card showing a couple of  'how to' looks. You could have some real fun with this palette. The pigmentation is great and the shadows last all day. Overall, the Victoria Secret eyeshadows are a quality product and area a good contender to other popular brands
 ( I wouldn't say MAC or UD, but Stila, Smashbox, POP would be a good comparison.)



Physicians Formula $12-$14 (drugstores)-All the colors are light. Light in texture and variety of colors. There are a lot of golds, silvers, metallic in general. PF is meant to be light and buildable. The palettes are great learning or beginner colors. They are not very strong colors, but universally flattering for all color eyes. I would only recommend this palette for adolescents and older adults.


Shades by Gal $46 (shadesbygal.com)-This palette, the colors selections, pigmentation, quality, and combination of the universally flattering satin and matte colors, IMMEDIATELY reminded me of Makeup Designory. Makeup Designory is classic and rivals any brand in quality, Shades By Gal colors can compete with them as well!
The eyeshadows blend very well and are easily buildable. Just a little goes a long way! Naturally, the colors last all day. *this palette is no longer available on the website, but there is a spring palette available as well as individual colors*



ELF $1-$15 (eyeslipsface.com)- ELF is hit or miss, some of the colors are true to their original color, Some are a totally different color once they're on. I recommend primer. The "bright" colors aren't as pigmented as they seem. The browns, metallics and pinks are good. The purples are often hard to tell from the blues, and both are a different color once actually applied. Of course these shadows crease, but with a combination of concealer and primer it can be avoided.
    



 I know this isn't ALL the eyeshadow brands, but I'm slowly and surely getting there. I just wanted to give a mix of price points with this first review. There will be MANY more of these, so let's call this version 1. Plus this review would be entirely too long with 20 brands on 1 page.
Here are brands to come: (please comment with any brands I may miss)
-GOSH                   -Sephora
-Revlon                  -Beauty Gems
-Maybelline           -Cargo
-L'Oreal                 -NYC
-POP                      -Lauren Luke
-NYX                     -Inglot
-Stila                      -Coastal Scents
-H&M                    -BH
-Forever 21            -Hard Candy
-Clinique                -Lisi
-Estee Lauder         -Prestige
-Ofra                       -Micheal Marcus
-Sigma                    -Impulse
-Mac                       -MUFE
-MUD                     -Sugarpill
-No. 7


Monday, May 12, 2014

BEAUTY NEWS!!

     HELLO EVERYONE!!! It  feels go to be back! I missed out on this article last week, I got a little stressed out, but I'm more relaxed...than I was and I'm back and updating you on what's been going on.
     Last Sunday, I attended The Makeup Show. Unfortunately, for me, I have a makeup show curse, where something goes wrong with my bank account preventing me from "being all I can be" at this event. I did get some things for my kit, especially silicon mascara brushes, acrylic cases and beauty blenders. I also got this AMAZING brow gel from Ofra! I'm officially obsessed with my brows now.
     I have a rant to post. I never rant on here, but I have one and can't let it go :/ hopefully you'll still love me after you read it. :)

NOW, SALES!!!

Ofra is having a 40% off sale until May 21st, I would take advantage if I were you.

Ulta
15% off skincare
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Neutrogena, Revlon
BOGO 50% Physicians Formula, NYX, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Jane, Palladio
Buy 2 Get 2 FREE Ulta cosmetics

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50% L'Oreal, Covergirl, Yes, Garnier, Revlon, Boots No. 7

CVS
BOGO 50%  Revlon, Milani, Physicians Formula, Almay, Maybelline, Covergirl, Rimmel, Lumene, cotton products, Biore, Clearasil, St. Ives, Simple, Ponds

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% Revlon lip/face/eye, Ecotools, NYC, Cetaphil, Olay
BOGO FREE cotton products, tools, nail polish removers
20% off L'Oreal skincare

     I have some challenges up my sleeve, I'm just getting things together. Also, later in the year I would like to do another palette for 30 days...and a challenge all about liners...I have a few ideas. PLUS school is ending and I can not wait to have that free time to experiment with more stuff! 

     One last thing, I hope you are following me on instagram @ aprilmaykup. If not, you should...like yesterday! In the meantime come back for my rant and review later in the week and HOPEFULLY a new youtube video or 2.