NOTD & Review – Fuschia Chrome (Sally Hansen’s Color Quick)

I decided to try out my Sally Hansen Color Quick Fast Dry Nail Color Pen that I had picked up at the Dollar store not too long ago.  My nails are finally back to a healthy state that I can apply polish to, etc. so I gave this a shot.  At first I was a little leery, I wasn’t sure how this was going to work.  But once I started applying it and found I really loved the application and finish, I am going to pop into a Dollar store tomorrow to see if I can find some more of these.  This product is absolutely AMAZING!

PACKAGING:
The product is packaged in a sleek black tube which looks very similar to a smaller magic marker packaging.  There is a screw on cap and a push button backing (which is in the color of the polish inside the tube).  There is 0.135fl oz of product within the tube – which isn’t all that bad.  The directions state to shake the pen well with the cap on, remove the cap, then click the top of the pen to dispense the color.  Repeating the clicking as much as needed to complete application to your nails.

PRODUCT:
The product is extremely pigmented and applies like a dream.  As seen in the attached picture, one coat and the finish was completely opaque.  One of the things that made me absolutely love this product is it dries SO quickly!  All 10 of my fingernails were dry in under 1 minute.  And by dry I mean COMPLETELY dry, not that sticky, tacky feeling most “quick dry” polishes leave.  I washed my hands after and dried them and did not have any bits of polish chunked up on my nails, etc.  Amazing!

PRICE:
I picked this up at my local Dollar Tree for $1.00.  I have seen them at Big Lots one time ago for $1.50.  Please keep in mind the Dollar Tree and Big Lots spotting were for the chrome finished polishes.  These are priced on the Walgreen’s website at $8.49.

OVERALL:
I would strongly suggest these to anyone who enjoys nail polish, who loves an ease of application and who is truly looking for a quick drying nail polish.  It took me not even three minutes to complete my nails on both hands – most of that time took with wondering if the polish was going to come spilling out of the brush head.  Granted I just applied this product to my nails earlier today, but I’ve washed dishes, made fudge for Christmas, made myself dinner and did chores around the house and I have not had any chipping or peeling as I sometimes find with other brand polishes.  I myself will be going out to find a few more of these pens in different shades – especially since you can’t beat the $1 price tag.

Have you tried these Sally Hansen Color Quick polish pens?  What were your thoughts?
If you have not tried them – would you like to?

Images are mine do not take or use.  Thank you.

My Milani Cyber Monday Haul #2!

FINALLY! My missing/in limbo package arrived! The Monday after I received my first order, I had contacted Milani and was told that I needed to reorder all of my products and submit the order number to another girl in customer service to receive the 50% off and the free shipping. Then a few days later I called to discuss with the person on the phone to let them know I would be submitting my order – I wanted to get it all taken care of at once without any more mix-ups. Well, thankfully I called because the person I spoke to said that my order was in the mail and should be arriving soon. That just made me even more confused. I told the girl thank you and we ended the phone call. This experience has been an interesting one – Milani’s customer service I think is so scattered due to this Cyber Monday sale, plus people are going out on vacation due to the impending Christmas holiday that they’re not completely crossing their T’s and dotting their I’s. Anyway… now I need to wait to see if the $5 charge for shipping has been removed from my account since it states the cost for shipping on my packing list. Sigh.

Incase you are not familiar; Milani was hosting a sale on Cyber Monday which was 50% off all their products plus free shipping in the US. This was a perfect opportunity for me to try their products since I have not used any of their products in the past.
I had heard rave reviews about some of the Milani blushes so I decided to pick up two colors that I felt would work best for me and my skin tone. I ordered the face powder for my mom for Christmas since she’s been talking about wanting a new face powder. Now onto the goodies I ordered!

Products I picked up:
• Liquif’Eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil – Black. Originally $7.99, paid $3.99!
• Baked Blush – Luminoso Originally $7.99, paid $3.99!
• Baked Blush – Fantastico Mauve Originally $7.99, paid $3.99!
• The Multitasker Face Powder – Light Medium Originally 6.99, paid $3.49
The blushes are absolutely gorgeous! I’ll be posting a review and swatch post once I have a chance to play around with my stuff. I have a lot going on this weekend, so we’ll see what I can get done.

Have you tried any of Milani’s products? 

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Review: Tarte’s Smooth Operator (Micronized Clay Finishing Powder)

I purchased Tarte's Smooth Operator (Micronized Clay Finishing Powder) over a year ago at Sephora because I was looking for something that would help reduce the oil sheen on my face. At the time I was using Urban Decay’s De-Slick, but I still needed a little bit of help since I have oily skin and the more the merrier (product to help minimize the oil – not the oil itself!).

  
One of the girls at Sephora recommended I pick this product up because she said she used it all the time. So I purchased it and have absolutely LOVED it ever since. This product now comes in a bronze matte color, but when I purchased this the translucent white finishing powder was all that was available in the line. I believe it was a month after purchasing the bronze came out and I was considering going back to Sephora and exchanging it for the bronze, but I didn’t because I knew I loved the translucent and wasn’t sure I’d love the bronze.


Price:
This product retails for $28. You can get it for a discounted price on the Tarte website when they are running a sale, which sometimes go as low as 30% off.

Size:
You get a decent amount of product in the container = 0.32 oz.

Product:
The product is a micronized clay finishing powder. It’s made with Amazonian clay which a lot of Tarte’s products are now made from (particularly their blush line) due to this the product is known to last and to last all day. The product is colorless (unless you get the bronze and it’s tinted to a bronze color) and is made to mattify and minimize the size of your pores. According to Tarte’s research it’s supposed to minimize your pores by 20% after a four-week period.

Purchase:
This item is available for purchase on Sephora’s website/stores, Ulta’s website/stores and Tarte’s website. It might also be for sale on some discount beauty websites – but I am not sure of any.

Overall:
I give this product 4.5 stars and would recommend this to anyone who’s in the market for a finishing powder or even a powder which is going to mattify and help minimize the size of their pores. It really does a great job at helping reduce the amount of oil sheen on my face. I admit there are some days where I’m oilier than the next and I could use another application of this (but I’m talking 6-7 hours later).

A little of this product goes a long way. When you first open Smooth Operator there is a small hole at the center of the pot., I leave the cover on and turn it over and give the bottom one small pop or even shake it and it shakes a bit of product into the cap. I swirl a powder brush into the powder and then apply on my face. Quick and simple. If you apply a lot of powder onto the blush you will notice the white on your face, but just buff it out and it’s translucent!

I’ve purchased “translucent powder” in the past that has made me look like a ghost – so I give this one two huge thumbs up for being exactly what it states it is.

Have you tried Tarte’s Smooth Operator? Or would you?

Images are mine do not take or use. Thank you.

Review: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

 

I picked up Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara in Very Black while it was on clearance for $1.67 at Target. I had a $1.00 off manufacturer coupon so I only paid 67 cents for this. I figured I’d give it a shot since I’ve got a minor obsession with mascaras going on at the moment. I figured worst case scenario if I don’t like it, it only cost me 67 cents.

I used this product and I like it in some aspects, but dislike it in others. But what I will say is this is definitely not a mascara that you want to apply if you are in a hurry or don’t like waiting for your mascara to dry before doing anything else with your makeup. The reason I say this is because this products formula is VERY wet, it goes on wet and stays wet until it sets. I have naturally long curly top lashes and I opened my eye too quickly (thinking it would set like most normal mascaras) but not this one! It left nice black smudges on my eyelids. I like the applicator, but then I also don’t like the applicator – but I think the applicator works since the formula is so runny.

Overall I would suggest this product to someone who likes wetter formulations when it comes to mascara – but other than that I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone to purchase. In my honest opinion – this is give or take product for me. I would use it if I HAD to or if it was what was in front of me and I didn’t want to look for my other mascara, but it’s not something I would recommend anyone to run out and pick up. I give it 2 stars.

PROS:
• Long lasting wear
• Keeps your lashes looking very natural – just darker
• Does not flake
• Not thick feeling on the lashes (to touch)
• Removes easily with a simple makeup removing wipe
• Applicator tip is smaller so it allows for a more precise application.

CONS:
• Formula is VERY liquidy
• Have to wait for this to dry before doing anything (even blinking)
• Easily smudgable while wet (I had to slide a tissue under my lower lash line since the product on my lower lash line would touch my face)
• (As mentioned a Pro above, but also a con) The applicator is smaller so it takes more swipes than a normal mascara applicator to get your lashes coated.

Have you tried this product? If so, what were your thoughts?

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Review: Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer

I picked up this concealer during a haul at Wal-Mart because a fellow luuuxer recommended me trying it out. It’s said to be the closest dupe to Kat Von D’s tattoo concealer. I figured for $6 I would give it a shot because if it was a close match I would stick with this over Kat Von D’s tattoo concealer since hers runs for $25 at Sephora.

Price:
These retail for $6.00 at Walmart. Not a bad price for the product you are getting. These are available for purchase both at Wal-Mart store locations as well as on Walmart.com.

            
Size:
Each tube of concealer contains 0.71 oz of product.

Product:
Product is packaged with a tube of heavy duty concealer and a mini concealer pencil. The formula can be a little runny on the first two squeezes, but after that it comes out relatively thick. Trust when I say that a LITTLE of this product goes a LONG WAY! It blends in extremely well and does not leave an oily finish on my skin. I have oily skin and did not find I was shiny in the areas I applied this to conceal trouble spots. I also found that it does a decent job at covering blemishes, it doesn’t cover everything 100%, but it does a good job. It might leave a slight shadow of an imperfection, but applying a foundation over this product would wash that imperfection away.
This product is only available in three (measily) colors: Light, Medium and Tan. Sadly there is no concealer option for anyone with a caramel skin tone and darker. I find that the tan color actually darker looking in the tube, but when applied it’s a lot lighter than what you see in the packaging. Unless this EXACTLY matches your skin tone, this is not a product you can apply after you’ve applied your foundation, etc. This is something you’d have to apply first, with your foundation (liquid, mousse or mineral) over it.

Overall:
I’m not entirely sure if I love this product or if I don’t love it. I think my biggest hold up is the fact that their color selection is SO incredibly limited! The darkest color they sell and market (Tan) is a shade or two too light for my skin. It’s a decent product and it does a nice job, but I just wish Hard Candy would expand their color selection because it would definitely expand their horizons and would ultimately create more sales (my marketing side is coming out, apologies!).

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