Trying out new Private Selection products!

BzzAgent has sent me a couple of products (and some free coupons) from Private Selection!

First is a package of Classic Water Crisps which are English style crackers that have a light flavor that are very satisfying with some honey ham and Baby Swiss cheese!
They also sent me a bag of Medium-Dark roast coffee called Costa Rican Tarrazu. I've tried it once so far before a busy shift at work and it's got a rich, deep flavor. I recommend it only for those who truly want that dark roast flavor!

I also received coupons to get a jar of olives, cheese, and pasta sauce.
I have yet to try those products, but I am planning on making a dish this week with the pasta sauce and noodles!

(This BzzKit was sent to me for review consideration, however I am not obligated to provide positive reviews as a condition of receiving these products. I am also not affiliated with BzzAgent OR Private Selection.)

Thank you for reading!

Meese! (10/21/12)

A beauty in the bottle... Essie's Antique Rose

I apologize for my lack of posts! It is right at the peak of the semester and I have been studying, taking tests, and of course writing a lot of papers. The other day I painted my nails, which is the first in a month or so, and I realized that I hadn't ever written a blog post about it.

I got "Antique Rose" in a little gift set at Ross that included several Essie polishes.
*Side note: I believe most of them include old formula's, so if you haven't heard of this one or other Essie polishes I may review, that's why!

I took these photos inside when it was dark out, but I believe that with the adequate lighting, it's a pretty good presentation of the color.
It's hard to describe the color, but I would say it's sort of like a rose gold. It has the feel of an old-style color, except it's duo-chromatic and glistens in certain lights.

All-in-all, I'm just not impressed with this polish. The application is fine, but when it's dried there are noticeable brush strokes and the overall look of the polish is dull and washed out, compared to the vibrancy in the bottle. Like I said before, I do believe this is an old formula because I think most Essie polishes have been improved since.

This photo was taken in slightly more "bright" cnditions.
The wear of this polish is not the greatest. I've been wearing it maybe around ~3 days and it's chipped and worn down on the tips. However, I didn't use a top coat (and rarely do) because I truly want to see how the polish lives up on its own!

Anyways, thanks so much for reading!
Whitney

Nails fit for a Friday night: Essie's Silken Cord

Well, it's officially autumn here! Yesterday I started feeling those chilly breezes and needed to cover up with a jacket! Right now it's 60 degrees, but I'm so used to the lovely summer that it feels so much colder than that! Brrr. Hopefully where you live the weather is very comforting!

To start off, I apologize for the endless sea of Essie polishes that I've been reviewing. A couple months ago I found a bunch of Essie polishes at Ross, and have been trying them out ever since.

Today is Friday, and I'm the mood for a night with friends and some yummy egg nog. I thought it would be fun to use a bold red for my nails this time around. 

Silken Cord is a beautiful bright red. If I had to say anything to help describe it, I would say think of Marilyn Monroe's lips. My nails have 2 coats of this polish, but I definitely could have gotten away with just 1. The application is so effortless and the coverage is opaque. It's mainly a blue-based red, but outside (where these pictures were taken), it brings on a slightly less red appearance.

Essie's website says this polish is unavailable, and describes it as so: you've got the world on a string with this stunning risqué red wrapped around your fingers.

Above: a full hand view. You can truly see how red this polish is. It looks pretty shiny, but I do have OPI's top coat on over, so take that with a grain of salt.

Overall I am really loving this polish! Definitely one of my favorites - especially for autumn.

Thanks for reading,
Whitney

Glade Expressions Collection Oil Diffuser + Room Spray

(These products were sent to me by BzzAgent.com. I am not being paid and am not affiliated with these companies. This is simply a review and do not benefit from this review).




 Hey, everyone. I know I rarely talk about anything besides beauty on my blog, but I am being introduced a new product that I'd like to talk about. I am a big fan of room sprays, candles, incense, plug-in scents, etc.

 Right now I am using the Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser in the scent Lavender and the room spray in the scent Pineapple & Mangosteen.

 The Oil Diffuser hasn't been a total hit in my book, but so far it's been okay. It's not over-powering, but perhaps it's underwhelming. Honestly, I haven't noticed a big difference at all after using it for about a week or so. I really like the room spray. I use it in the kitchen where most of the stinkiness can occur, and whenever I use it, it seems to make a big difference. It's both refreshing and not over-powering. Another important note is that it's not too sweet, neither does it smell like a soapy/generic spray. The spray is a little harsh when it comes out, and it's more of a "hose" type of spray instead of a fine mist. I would say that's the downside.

 Thanks for reading!
Whitney

e.l.f. Limited Edition Disney palette: Sinister Smoky Eyes Maleficent

Are you excited for Halloween? I myself am getting very pumped up for it, and am already deciding who I should dress up as. e.l.f. recently teamed up with Disney to release three palettes based on Disney villains in select Walgreens stores (that already carry e.l.f.) in  honor of the upcoming holiday.

After much consideration, I decided to pick the Sinister Smoky Eye palette with Maleficient, the evil queen in Sleeping Beauty.

The palette is designed around the concept of day to night-time looks, with eight shadows and two lipliner/cheek colors in all that are supposed to reflect this idea. Each palette retails for $9.99.

The left cover of the booklet is a two page spread with one day time and one night time look, with Maleficient's look on a plastic see-through sheet.

In all, this palette comes with a set of eyelashes that are supposed to represent the villain (each palette has different eyelash styles), eyelash glue, four day-time shadows and four night-time shadows, two lip/cheek liners, an eyelid primer, and a glitter clear-based eyeliner.

First up is "Day Evil". Spindle is a satin champagne pink - think Urban Decay's Sin, except a bit warmer. Sceptre is a peachy bronze satin that is on the metallic side. Fog of Doom is a satin purple/blue or a colbalt. Fauna is a satin mid-toned blue-teal. The texture of these are great - very smooth and buttery; think Wet n Wild and you get the idea. Only downside that is visible at this point is that none of these are matte. These also do not have considerable fall-out, so yay!

The lip & cheek color is a mid-toned berry with a matte finish. It is quite a dry formula and would probably work best if the lips were already hydrated.

Below: all four day-time shadows swatched, no base or primer. Below that: day-time lip/cheek color, swatched and blended below.

Next we have the "Night Villain" portion of the palette.

Again, four shadows that are night-time appropriate. Misfortune is a metallic silver - a very dupable shade. Forest of Thorns is a dark black with lots of silver shimmer. Deep Sleep is a satin finish dark purple - definitely a shade that I'm really excited to play around with! Diablo is a very dark purple, almost black shade with purple glitter. Again, I love the texture of these shades! Nice pigmentation, too. Very comparable to high-end eye shadows.

The liquid eyeliner is a clear-based glitter liner. It smells like cheap makeup, but let's be honest - we all expected a dinky product in this product, right?

The lip & cheek color is a dark berry plum that is also very dry and a bit difficult to work with.

Below: all four shadows swatched, the liquid eyeliner right below that, and the lip & cheek color swatched and the blended out below.

Overall, I'm definitely considering buying one of the other two palettes, and would give this palette a 4/5 stars.

An extra bit: Today I'm wearing Sinful Colors Mercury Rising, which I thought was very fitting to go along with this palette!

Thanks for reading everyone! <3

Whitney

First Attempt: Fishtail Braid Nails!

For the first time, I attempted the fishtail braid design on my nails! I decided to twist it up a little bit by doing a different design on each nail! On my middle & pinkie finger on my right hand, I just used Sinful Colors All About You (gold glitter) over Essie Braziliant (neon orange). I really liked how most of the nails turned out!

 The gray base featured on all of the nails (on the hand shown above) is Essie Power Clutch. The beige strips is Essie Saint Tropez, the turquoise is Sinful Colors Gorgeous, and the green is Essie Navigate Her.

Again, the pinkie & middle finger is SF All About You on top of Essie Braziliant. The turquoise is SF Gorgeous, the pink is OPI Strawberry Margerita, the beige is Essie Saint Tropez.

Thanks for reading!