Rockin’ the RED

I have been noticing a lot of RED lips in my magazines lately. Shocking reds, pinup reds, burnt reds, santa red HAHA I had to toss that in there. Lots of looks with a neutral face and red lips; stained, glossed out, creamy and matte. I also couldn’t help but follow Koutney Kardashian’s lips around the TV screen whenever the Kardashian’s popped on. They seemed to be a character of their own! So now you know one of my guilty pleasures...a little KUWTK on Sunday night before bed to put me into a lull. LOL.

I am not a trend setter or much of a follower, but when I do see something I like I gotta try it. At least once and hope it isn’t an epic fail. But I am not so bold as to go all Cruella Deville with the red lipstick HAHA. So here’s my attempt - I been wearing it this past week and at first I was self conscious of the red but now I like it.

If I have worn red in the past, it has always Revlon ColorStay in Flesh, an old favourite of mine. I think I still have one kicking around here somewhere LOL I will try if I find and hope my lips don`t fall off later HAHA

So I was perusing the cosmetic counter and bought Revlon’s Super Lustrous in Wine with Everything. It’s not really a wine colour despite the name. It has more pinky-orange undertones. It’s not too bright and it not too dark. A very middle of the road red.  It has a nice creamy texture to it but it does rub off quite fast like most creamy lipsticks do L but overall worth the $6 I paid for it.

A little tip I got from watching my mom putting on dark lipstick; pat the lipstick on first using your ring finger, blot and then apply the lipstick from the tube. Now days, I put lipliner on first, apply the lipstick with a lip brush, blot and then apply another layer of lipstick. It makes it last a bit longer then just slapping it on. J

Wine with Everything

Wine with Everything swatch

I wanted to see actual swatches of more red lipsticks before buying another one so I went to Temptalia’s swatch library and found this:

Temptalia Swatch Library - Red Lips

Gotta love Temptalia’s devotion to beauty LOL.  From these swatches I really like MACs Runway Red. EEK maybe a trip to the MAC counter coming up....

Shimmer Me - Part Deux

Back from my mini Vacay! Just drove to Ontario to visit Dad for Thanksgiving. I was dodging fires, deer and road construction! Such a non-relaxing drive LOL My neck is still sore from gripping the wheel so tight LOL.

Anyhooo on to my review...

Tarte’s Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum also came as deluxe sample in my Tarte Radiant and Rested Kit. The deluxe sample came in a squeeze tube .5 oz. The full sized version is 1.7oz.

It is a luminizer that is supposed to minimize oil and nourish dry skin. It too has Amazonian clay, vitamins A, C, and E and has Chamomile Extract to help treat dry and damaged skin.

Smooth Operator (unblended at top)

Well at first I was confused on how I was supposed to use this stuff. It says to use on its own or mix with your foundation. Huh? So I applied it to my face after my primer and before my L’oreal Age Defying foundation. I do not what I expected but I did not notice anything particularly different about my face that day. So that was a bust. So I put it away for awhile while I played around with the shimmering powder. Then I pulled it out again and thought I would try it IN my foundation. This time I mixed it with my Revlon ColorStay foundation. I put the foundation on the back of my hand and then put a squirt about ½ the size of a pea right on top of it. Mix, mix ,mix and then I stippled the concoction on my face. At first I didn’t really notice anything but when I got to work and checked out my face I noticed it had a little vibrancy to it. Dewyish... HMMM interesting.

Smooth Operator (blended)
love the little gold flecks

I have also use this on top of my completed makeup, patting a bit on top of my cheekbones, middle of my forehead and top of cupids bow. I do like using it this way a lot. So easy.

Out of these two Tarte highlighting products from my kit, I prefer the Smooth Operator, but I am not sure I would spend $42 CDN ($32 USD) on it though. It is not at WOWZA can’t live without product. If it was cheaper yeah I would get it but not for $42. I am sure there is a dupe out there ...maybe... we will see how I feel when the tube is done LOL.

Well Shimmer Me

Okay so while I wait for my eyes to heal up (they are a little flaky right now) I thought I would post a little review of the Tarte Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Champagne. Say that 3 times LOL!

The Tarte Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Champagne (.19 oz) came as a deluxe sample size in my Tarte Radiant and Rested Kit. The full sized version is $39 CDN ($30USD) for .32 oz. It also comes in Rose, a opaque pink sheen.

It is supposed to minimize oil and nourish dry skin. It is made with Amazonian clay, vitamins A, C, and E. This is all good but I do not think a person would wear enough of this to benefit from goodies it’s has in it. It is created without parabens and mineral oils and Tarte does not test on animals. ß me like this part alot!

It comes in an adorable quilted cover – compact colour resembles what is in the inside. The larger size compact comes with a mirror and a sponge pad. It is a finely milled pressed powder. The texture is so different; it is a pressed powder but it is creamy. It’s a quite pleasing feeling. It’s like you can feel the clay LOL. Dorky sounding I know haha.

swatch - you can see the golden flecks - this is more than I would normally use but it didn't show up too well with one swipe.

I tried this as a highlighter on my cheekbones using a fan brush or a small face brush. It went on very sheer. At first I couldn’t see it but it is buildable. I needed to apply it twice to see it; it gave a very subtle sheen. Anymore layers and it would have been too bright. I think this is good for skin with some colour to it or over a tan. I do not think it would show up on pale skin tones very well.  

All in all, I do not think I would repurchase. There are other highlighters out there that are cheaper. When I first used this it reminded me of my old Wet n Wild shimmering pressed powder.

But the texture is so unique that I am now intrigued to see what the Tarte Provocateur Mineral Pressed Powder is like. If you ever get to Sephora, try swiping this. by swiping I mean swatching LOL.

Next up to review: Smooth Operator.

So sad - UDPP hates me :(

I bought Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Eden about 2 months ago. I was so happy with it! It is like superglue for eyeshadow! My eyeshadow lasted ALL day long and the colour payoff was fantastic. I think it did make blending a tad more difficult but you learn how to deal with it. The colour payoff and longevity made it worth it.

BUT every time I used the UDPP, I noticed my eyelids getting drier. I am not young anymore so I worry about things like getting crepe-iness etc. I do not want to age before my time LOL. My eyelids are a bit on the dry side so I do not have to worry about oiliness. Anyhooo, if I continued to use the UDPP more than two days, I would start to get a reaction, like super dry patches at the end of my eyes that would burn and itch. And then the dry patch would turn hard?ish LOL and flake off. EWWW.

At first I thought maybe I am using too much but that is not it. I use very little; I squirt the teaniesy amount of the UDPP on the back of my hand and then pat it out and then apply to my eyelids. I was looking for any excuse to make this work! L

I am so pissed, because UDPP does work! AGGHHH so frustrated!!! Now it is back to the drawing board. What do I use now? Maybe Too Faced Shadow Insurance?  Well back to my paint pot in the mean time.

Buggers!

Thank you to Makeup Chic Blog

Recently I entered a contest at Makeup Chic Blog for a Sephora eyeshadow. I won! YAY
But Staci, being so sweet sent me not only the Sephora eyeshadow but one of her favorite Wet n' Wild shadows, Walking on Eggshells. I have been enjoying it this past week! I am amazed at how pigmented they are! AND she knew I couldn't partake in the recent Urban Decay sale because they do not ship to Canada so she sent me a UD loose pigment, Smog, as well. I luvs it! NOW that was truly nice!

So thank you Staci, I love your blog! You guys need to go check it out! :)