May 31 '12: Face 'n Nails y'all!

Hey, what's groovy?

If I do say so myself, my nails and face are lookin' pretty good today so I thought I'd do a NOTD/FOTD (without using those actual words of course). I'm sorry, but is it just me who's sick of all of these acronyms? FOTN, LOTD..... let's just get a little more creative here, people! Jus' sayin'! :)

Today I did a "Get ready with me" video (oh, the hypocrisy..) which will be uploaded to my youtube page in no time! Please subscribe to see weekly updates: www.youtube.com/healthywithwhitney
I also decided to take pictures, so here's a couple:

On my lips I'm wearing Mac's Ravishing. It looked slightly subdued in this photo, but in reality it's more corally and looks a bit more "bam" than this photo implies. On my cheeks I'm wearing a Physician's Formula bronzer and paired it with Tarte's "Glisten" blush.

For my eyes I'm wearing a Colour Design quad from Lancome. It doesn't really have a "name", it just says Colour Design Colour Focus. This palette is really old (almost too old to have around) so I know that's a little inconvenient, as you probably can't purchase it anymore.

Onto my nails...
Today (and probably for the next couple days) I'm wearing Essie's Navigate Her. I wrote a whole blog post about this, and I once again found myself gravitating towards this polish. It's sooo purty!

As you can see, I've got some fun sparkly madness going on on top of my nails. That would be OPI's Save Me (from the recent Nicki Minaj collection) which contains all sorts of multi-colored glitter "strips".

This is a photo with the two polishes side by side, just cause I wanted to be all artsy :). The OPI polish looks like it would be an amazing stand-alone color, but I wouldn't recommend it. The last time I tried to use it without anything under it, I was sadly disappointed. But I recommend using a black under this polish, I plan on trying it soon and I think it would look amazing.

Also worth mentioning is the Top Coat I use, which is OPI as well. It's the only top coat I use, and I don't plan on buying another one. This works great for keeping color sealed for at least three days longer than it normally would on its own. Plus, something else worth mentioning is that it also keeps glitter from feeling "rough" in texture, creating a smooth barrier.

Thanks for reading!! :)
Whit

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

A recent product that I picked up is the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart.

The packaging of the stains remind me a lot of the Clinique Chubby Sticks. I don't own any of the Chubby Sticks, but I have swatched them in Sephora, and I think these stains definitely top those!

Its fresh, minty smells reminds me a lot of Tarte LipSurgence, however I think this is a softer smell compared. When applied to the lips, the application is very smooth and and it helps hydrate the lips and add shine. The pigmentation is also quite amazing for a "drugstore level" product, but considering it's got a $8.99 price tag, I would say it's on the higher end of lip products you can find at the drugstore.

I purchased this at RiteAid, however I imagine that you can also find these at other stores that sell Revlon. I believe this is a recently released product, so make sure you check the fancy displays with all the newly-launched cosmetics!

I had a hard time choosing which color to get - the shades are all so beautiful and come in a pretty good selection. If I can remember correctly, I believe there must have been at least ten shades to choose from, so I think these are easily a likable product due to such a great selection. I believe there's a coral shade that's just calling my name, and I might just brake the bank so to speak when I get my paycheck. (:

As you can see, it has the same functionality as the Chubby Sticks, in that it's a twist up pencil that looks like a monstrous Crayon :)
I love the shape of the applicator, it's easy to use & is very functional to get into all the nooks and crannies of your lips.

Swatched without blending. Ignore the strange line further to the right, it's just another stain I had on earlier :)
It's not hard to get this level of pigmentation shown here, I think I only swiped the product two times.

Blended out. I can imagine that if you were traveling and wanted some products that have several different functions (such as a MAC Cream Color Base), this lip stain could easily double up as a pretty blush!

Although this product appears that it's marketed as more of a tinted lip balm, the wear time on this product is not bad at all. This will last you a few hours, maybe 4 at the most, before  it would fade dramatically. Because it can be quite glossy, the gloss may diminish quickly, leaving a beautiful stain underneath. I think it looks very pretty and it gives a natural flush to your lips. (:

Thank you so much for reading!
Until next time,
Whitney


*I have no affiliation with any of the brands discussed. I purchased the products with my own hard-earned money, and do not represent any company*

Too Faced Summer Eye palette

Too Faced has released the Summertime Sexy Eyeshadow Collection palette, which is a limited-edition release full of mostly shimmery, highly-pigmented shades perfect for the warmer months. The palette includes  three highlights, three lid colors, and three crease/defining shades.

This palette caught my eye when browsing Sephora, and I decided to give it a go! It retails for $36 and includes three 0.07 oz. shades and six 0.03 oz shades. In grams, this complete palette includes 11.05 grams.

Sephora link: http://www.sephora.com/summer-eye-summertime-sexy-eyeshadow-collection-P309707?skuId=1412584
Too Faced link: https://www.toofaced.com/p-1184-summer-eye-summertime-sexy-shadow-collection.aspx?

This palette includes three highlight shades, which can be used to highlight the brow bone or in the inner corner of the eyes.
Sugar Sand is an exact dupe for Urban Decay's Sin eyeshadow, which is found in the Naked palette. It's very shimmery and has a soft velvety texture.
Peach Fuzz looks like it would be a perfect matte shade for my skintone, but the pigment of this shadow is mostly useless, and only gives off a disappointing wash of shimmer.
Sunbeam is a slightly yellow-toned shimmery shade which is full of beautiful gold shimmer and looks great in the inner corner.

Above includes the three highlight shades, all applied over ELF Eyeshadow Primer.

The three colorful shades are all functional as lid shades. They all include at least a little bit of shimmer, Coral
Crush being the least shimmery (when applied and blended onto the lids) and Plumeria being the most shimmery (when applied and blended onto the lids).

Plumeria is a cool-toned pink that reflects high-shine when exposed to sunlight. When applied alongside Sugar Sand, it appears to be a great compliment to the highlight and possibly the same color but several shades darker.
Coral Crush is a cool-toned coral shade with more orange than pink. It includes golden shimmer and is velvety smooth.
Mermaid is a dark, cool-toned teal shade with exceptional shimmer. It appears to have a grey undertone and includes small silver flecks of shimmer. This shade along with the other colorful colors is highly pigmented and easy to work with.

 Plumeria, Coral Crush, Mermaid (all swatched over primer)

The crease/defining shades are all mid-toned to dark brown shades.

Cocoa Beach, Chocolate Sun, Toasted Coconut (all swatched over primer)

Cocoa Beach and Chocolate Sun are both highly-shimmery shades, and Toasted Coconut is the only true matte shade in the palette.

Cocoa Beach is a dark, cool-toned brown shade with visible silver shimmer. 

Chocolate Sun is a few shades dark than Cocoa Beach, but very similar in texture and tone. It includes more shimmer (including gold shimmer) than Cocoa Beach.

Toasted Coconut is a warm-toned mid-toned brown, with red undertones when applied on the lids. It is the only true matte shade in the palette, which no visible shimmer. 

Thanks so much for reading!

Whitney

Lush Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

Hey all! Today will be a special review on the Lush Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly. I got this about 2 1/2 weeks ago, giving me plenty of time to think of things to discuss about it!
I want to point out that I didn't purchase this product myself, but rather the very nice lady at Lush offered it to me for free because I am a regular at my local Lush. So, woo hoo! Free stuff! :D

This product is in a 3.5 oz container and it retails for only $5.95. In my opinion, this is not a bad price at all, as I would expect that if you used this product correctly and didn't waste any of it, this would last a good month, possibly more depending on how much you use. They also offer a 8.5 oz container, retailing for $10.95.

Above is a list of all the ingredients. I don't know how all of the ingredients function, I am no expert on these strange names! But I wanted to point out a couple of ingredients that might give you a taste of what this product smells like.

- Cherry Infusion
- Coconut Infusion
- several oils

This product smells amazing, it reminds me of a mixture of something like black cherry and possibly licorice? I don't know, it super hard to explain, but I highly recommend you visit a Lush store and smell it for yourself!

Although its not indicated on the package, I recommend using this product in a loofah. As you can see, I don't have much product left because I didn't know how to use it. Initially, I was using the entire chunk to later all over my body, using it somewhat as a bar of soap. However, this is a very wasteful process, which includes tons of the product going right down the drain. Not very environmentally-friendly or cost effective! I was going to write a negative review on this product, until I realized yesterday that if you break off a little chunk of it, it can be used easily in your loofah!

As you can see, it recommends you can use it chilled or at room temperature. Using it cold is a great idea for the summertime - it feels luxurious if you're feeling super tired or need a boost! It also says you can use it in your hair; I haven't tried it but I plan on it!

This product makes your whole shower smell amazing when using it - it's very therapeutic and should definitely be noted as a luxurious product that you can save for a special occasion when you want something that packs a punch of great aromas.

When using this product with a loofah, it lathers beautifully, and only a small chunk of the product will lather all over your body, leaving you feeling very clean and refreshed. I have not noticed any residue that this product leaves behind, making it great for those with sensitive skin or want a product with no yucky residue.

Overall, I am very impressed with this product and I am definitely considering purchasing this for myself! I think it's very cost-effective (even being just a small container), especially considering it's only six bucks for a pretty good amount! I wish I could show you what it looked like initially when I got it, but I will direct you to the Lush website to see the product: http://www.lushusa.com/Sweetie-Pie/9999903143,en_US,pd.html?start=1&q=sweetie%20pie

Thanks for reading!
Whitney

Essie Navigate Her & Shine of the Times

It's been a while, but I'm back :)
I want to get more into blogging, particularly showing off new products or doing mini-reviews. Today, it's all about Essie nail polish. I only own three Essie polishes, mostly because of the ridiculous $8 price. In my eyes, many lower-end brands can be just as good with a huge price difference. Both of these polishes are new Spring releases, Shine of the Times being part of the Luxeffects that was released earlier this year. Navigate Her is also a recent release, however Essie.com doesn't reveal what collection it's exclusive to.

Navigate Her is described on Essie's website as a "light, bright green". Its creamy, pastel qualities is what most attracted to me most about this shade. When applied to your nails, it looks like a creamy avocado/guacamole shade with just a hint of a brighter green added to it. It contains no shimmer or duo-chrome effect, leaving your nails looking very matte yet glossy.

In these photos, the polish has been worn on the nails for about 24 hours. In a couple of photos, you may be able to see that it has chipped finely on a couple of nails, and slightly faded at the tips on a couple others. However, this is a wear-time with no top coat or base coat, so this time I'll let it slide! ;)

I haven't featured Shine of the Times in any posts, and I thought it would look super pretty if I added the polish to my ring fingers on top of the creamy green color. Essie's website describes Shine of the Times as a "scintillating opalescence" - pretty fancy!

This polish is extremely hard to photograph - the photo above is in the sunlight. Looking closely, you may be able to pick out the several colors that this polish picks up, especially when exposed to light. Sometimes it looks like a rainbow, filled with orange, red, green, and blue. This polish can be used as a top coat or on its own for a sheer wash of color.

Above the polish is shown on my ring finger. The small specks of color in this polish resemble a strange fish scale-y texture that can look very strange over certain polishes. However, because of its green duo-chrome, it looks nice over Navigate Her. :)

I hope you enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading, and please follow my blog for more updates coming soon!