Naimie's Beauty Haul!

Hey everyone, I know I haven't blogged in what seems like an eternity! I just want to say thank you to those of you who have patiently waited for a blog post. Just to let you know, you can always find me on my YouTube channel, where I make beauty videos twice a week. 

March was an extremely busy month for me! I was mainly spending time with my friends and family for my 20th birthday, they all spoiled me by giving me various makeup related goodies (they know me too well) and that leads us to Naimie's! My parents knew that I had always wanted to experience Naimie's Beauty Center in person, so we made the trip out to Hollywood and let me tell you, IT WAS AMAZING! 

Naimie's has everything you could possibly want when it comes to luxury makeup, haircare, and even skincare. Every makeup lover should experience it, they have endless makeup counters of brands such as Makeup Forever, Kryolan, Smashbox, and Limecrime. I almost didn't know where to begin, but I ended up with a nice little haul: 

Kryolan High Gloss in Blue Lagoon- I'm obsessed with blue, it's my favorite color and I don't have too many lips products to show for it, so I thought that this little number from Kryolan would be a fun purchase. It's a high shine, pigmented gloss that goes on smoothly with an opaque finish. This is my first buy from Kryolan, and I love it! 

Red Cherry #747 Lashes- I really don't need any more falsies, but there was something about these that I just couldn't pass up. They are dramatic and wispy, my perfect combination.

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lipstick in Watermelon- I've never tried Elizabeth Arden lipsticks before, what sold me on this one was the creamy texture and satiny finish. I also really love the mid-tone pink which simple, yet perfect for everyday looks.

Stila Single Shadow in Kitten- I LOVE THIS SHADE! I am a huge fan of shimmery champagne shadows, and kitten has always been on my top 5 list. I've used it palettes before, now I can finally have it on it's own. I have a review coming up on this shadow soon!

Makeup Forever Aqua Black Cream- This is the blackest gel liner I have ever seen. It's also very matte, which is exactly what I want for my everyday cat liner. I've been using this non-stop. It's waterproof, it lasts all day, and I love it. 

Smashbox Shadow Trio in Covershoot- I love the quality of Smashbox shadows! They're velvety smooth without giving me fall-out. This trio really caught my eye, I love the neutrals, two are mattes and one is a shimmer. 

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Berry Pop- This blush was too adorable to pass up! I couldn't resist the beautiful berry shade and the cute flower pattern. The texture is somewhat bouncy, and the pigmentation is fantastic. 

Butter London Color Wink Mascara in Chav- Once again, I couldn't resist the minty blue shade. I have never seen a mascara with this color, so I was sold on it's uniqueness alone. The pigmentation is quite good and it doesn't flake at all. 



So far I've really been enjoying all of these products! I always get a thrill from adding new, exciting products to my makeup collection.  I'm very happy that I experienced Naimie's in person, it's such a cool place to go, especially if you're a makeup lover! 

Thank you again to my parents for taking me out to enjoy my special day, and to those of you who wished me a happy birthday! I also made a video haul, where I show a few little extra things, if you would like to watch it below! 

 | Bloglovin' | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube |  

MAC Riri Woo

Ruby Woo is my favorite MAC lipstick of all time. I just love the way that it brightens up my entire makeup look unlike anything else in my lipstick wardrobe, until Riri Woo came along. Of course they are similar, but I feel that both are fun and useful to own for any matte red lipstick lover! 

Riri Woo is engraved with Rihanna's signature. It's packaged in MAC's regular lipstick tube.

Here are a few comparison swatches: Ruby Woo (left) Riri Woo (middle) Revlon Really Red (right). These lipsticks all look similar in the actual tube, but when applied you can tell that they all have different tones. Rubywoo is a bright blue-toned red with a 'matte' finish, but the overall undertone looks slightly warmer than Riri Woo. Riri Woo is slightly deeper, blue toned red with a 'retro matte' finish. Really Red is also a blue-toned red that isn't as matte as the others. 

Here's a quick picture I took of myself wearing Riri Woo. I think it's the perfect red to really make the rest of your face makeup look pulled-together. 

Claims: "Colour plus texture for the lips that made M·A·C famous. A trio of limited-edition shades created by Rihanna."
Finish/Texture: The finish of Riri Woo is matte and the texture is dry. I like to prep my lips before I wear this lipstick, otherwise the dryness is too strong.
Lasting Power: This lipstick lasts about eight hours before it needs a touch up. 
Scent: This smells like all MAC lipsticks, sweet vanilla.
Packaging: The packaging is just like any other MAC lipstick. Sturdy and sleek.
Price/Availability: My mom surprised me with this, MAC's website, $15

Likes:

• Beautiful blue-toned red color
• Looks great on any skin tone
• Intense color/matte finish
• 'Retro Matte' finish feels slightly less dry than MAC's usual 'matte' finish
• Makes teeth appear whiter

Dislikes:

• May be difficult to apply for some, using a lip brush is best
• Feels drying on the lips
• Lips need to be prepped beforehand/ emphasizes dry skin

Overall
Riri Woo is one of my favorite reds in my red lipstick collection. I honestly like this shade more than Ruby Woo, the deep richness will truly flatter any skin tone. It's more blue-toned and cooler than Ruby Woo, which is another reason that I absolutely love it. The Retro Matte finish is only slightly less drying than the usual 'matte' finish that Ruby Woo has.The lasting power is incredible. I don't mind the dryness as long as it doesn't look dry, if that makes sense! 

Yes, Ruby Woo and Riri Woo are similar, but it's not surprising since Riri Woo was inspired by Ruby Woo in the first place! I'm definitely not a Rihanna fan, but I love this lipstick. I've been pulling this one out of my collection every time I feel like wearing something matte! 

                        | Bloglovin' | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube | 

Lime Crime Japan LA Event!

JapanLA, a cute little store on Melrose, had a birthday party for their seventh year in business.  LimeCrime, one of my favorite makeup brands, had a 'pop up shop' which is basically a little display full of products! Of course I wanted to go because the founder of LimeCrime Doe Deere and her cute crew was there, and I loved meeting her at IMATS LA. Plus, I will always take advantage of being able to swatch all of their bright, playful lipsticks, glitters, and lipglosses...  ok I just wanted to swatch everything!

Here's me standing in front of the Lime Crime 'pop up shop'! 

Here are some of the Lime Crime Opaque Lipsticks! (There were tons of people at the event, also swatching things so that's why some items are missing from the picture).  I currently own two shades, Airborne Unicorn and Retrofuturist. They are amazingly pigmented and super creamy. I can't wait to get more shades! 

This is me with Doe Deere and Katie! I love their dresses, I feel like I should have worn something with a bit more poof! Haha, but I still love this picture. 

The lovely Traci Hines was also at the event! I'm happy that I had the chance to see her again too! We talked all about Disney and her singing career. She is so nice, like I can't even begin to explain it. I really hope we get to talk again soon! 

Here's a photo of Doe and I that I found on the Lime Crime blog, which you can check out here for more photos of the event! 

I was so happy that I had the chance to talk with Doe again! The first time we met I could only think of a few questions to ask, I was so overwhelmed at with the fast-paced environment at IMATS. I asked her about what Lime Crime has planned for the future, and it sounds like there are some exciting new products in store! As we talked, I found out that she is huge Dita von Teese fan like me! We also talked about music, hair color, and how we both think Airborne Unicorn lipstick is universally flattering. Basically, Doe couldn't be any more awesome in my eyes! She is such a fun, sweet person to be around. I can't wait to see her again! 

I love how interactive that Lime Crime is with their fans. I have never had the chance to talk with someone so openly about their products before, and I honestly think that more companies should be as hands on. Doe was so kind to me! It really makes me feel valued as a customer, as a blogger, and as a long time fan. Doe even posted a picture of us on her Instagram, and if you follow me on there you know I was so flattered! Plus, I kind of freaked out that Lime Crime and Doe are now following me, AHHHH! :D ♥

I promise that I will review the two Lime Crime lipsticks that I have soon. I've been wearing them non-stop, so I will have a very detailed review for you! I also wanted to quickly mention that I found and bought the entire Maybeline Baby Lips Electro collection yesterday! I will have a review coming on those soon as well! 

Hope you all have a great week! I have many exciting posts/videos coming up, be sure to stay in touch with me! ♥ 

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Urban Decay's first all matte eye shadow palette is here! If you are a fan of neutrals and matte eyeshadow, then you might want to take a look at Urban Decay's newest eyeshadow palette, the Naked Basics. I was thrilled when I first saw pictures surfacing on the internet, but now that I have actually used it, I'm having second thoughts. 

From what I understand, this palette was created to make up for the lack of matte shadows in the other Naked palettes. However, I feel that the Naked Basics isn't unique from the matte shadows already featured in the Naked and Naked 2. 

There are six shadows featured in this palette: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint, and Crave. Venus is white with a satin finish, and is very similar to Bootycall from the Naked 2 palette. Foxy is a yellow cream matte, and is also featured in the Naked 2 palette. Walk of Shame is a pinky toned matte, and was featured in the Build Your Own Palette. Naked 2 is a cool dusty brown, and my favorite shade of the group. Faint is a matte warm chocolate brown. Crave is a deep matte black, that is similar Blackout from the Naked 2 Palette.

Swatches from left to right: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint, and Crave.

Pigmentation: Urban Decay shadows have always delivered excellent pigmentation. In this palette, all shades were true to pan and were opaque. 
Finish/Texture: I was a bit disappointed that Venus was more of a satin finish than a matte. This palette was advertised by Urban Decay as an all matte palette, so that is what I expected. Plus, foxy is a bit too yellow for my complexion and a white matte shadow would've been perfect for me. The texture of each shadow was creamy and smooth, as most Urban Decay shadows are. They are soft and buttery, that is my favorite quality of UD shadows!
Lasting Power: I usually get all day wear with UD shadows, about 8-9 hours until fading (without primer). I always wear a primer under my eyeshadow, so lasting power isn't too important to me. Urban Decay Primer Potion was actually the first primer I started using.
Shade Selection: I honestly thought that this palette could have been more unique. There are two shades that are complete repeats! Venus, Faint, and Crave are easily dupable. Naked 2 was the only shade that I thought was interesting. 
Price/Availability: I paid $30 with tax at Ulta.

Likes:

• I like the concept of having an all matte palette
• The packaging is durable
• Shadows are great quality
• Neutral shades are good for everyday

Dislikes:

• Venus isn't a matte shadow (more like a satin)
• The shade selection isn't very unique
• There are two repeated shades (W.O.S. and Foxy)
• I would've liked to see a full range palette (12 shades instead of 6) 

Overall:
I feel like the Naked Basics could have been better. Honestly, if you already own the Naked and Naked 2 palettes, you aren't going to see much variety here. The purpose of this palette was to make up for the lack of matte shades in the previous palettes, so I don't understand why Urban Decay would repeat shades. If the range of shades were completely different from the other naked palettes, I would have enjoyed this palette more. The quality of shadows is great, there is nothing wrong with them, it's just that I felt bored with this palette. I am a total neutral shadow girl, but the Naked Basics didn't have much to offer since the shades are so similar (some even repeated) to the previous naked palettes. The Naked Basics is very basic indeed, but if you are  new to Urban Decay, or just want to build up your neutral collection, you might want to give this a closer look. 

My First QVC Purchase: Laura Geller's Ethereal Duo!

About a week ago, I found myself bored to death scrolling through my tv guide, and then I saw the title "Laura Geller Makeup". I had always wanted to try Laura Geller's Spackle and her baked blush, so I was ecstatic when I saw this duo for $40 on QVC. Both of these products alone are at least $40, so this was a great value. The more I watched, the more I was tempted to buy. That should be the QVC slogan!

This is the cute packaging! The name "Ethereal Duo" is due to the satin finish of the blush, that promises a natural flush. The primer in this duo is the newest edition of the Spackle family: Ethereal Spackle. It's an illuminating face primer that gives the face an "ethereal glow". 


What's Inside:

The Spackle actually is colorless, but in the tube it looks like it has a flesh tint to it. The blush is composed of two beautiful shades that can be used together, or separately. 

About the Blush:

The peachy shade is "Ethereal Rose" and the pinky shade on the right is "Subtle Orchid".  Laura Geller describes her blush as a "Sateen finish" which is comparable to a satin finish. It's very glowy, not shimmery. The texture is smooth, and not powdery at all. This is the perfect blush for people who want luminous color without shimmer. 

Swatches from left to right: Ethereal Rose and Subtle Orchid in natural light. As you can see from the swatches, this blush is perfect for giving a subtle glow. 

About the Spackle:

I've been dying to try Spackle for a while now, and I'm really excited that I get to try the newest edition of the line: Ethereal Spackle. This primer is to be used under makeup, and it promises to give a " brighter and extra-luminous" glow to the skin. I will also be posting a full review on this product after I use it enough. I'm having high expectations for this one, so I'm going to be wearing tomorrow on an all-day trip to Disneyland! 

Overall Thoughts:

The Blush:
I can't wait to see what this blush will do to brighten up my complexion. There are so many ways that I can pair these colors up on the cheeks! I'm not sure if I'm going to swirl the two colors together, or if I want to use them separately. I'll be doing a full review after I get to use it a couple of times! 

The Spackle:
I'm hoping that this primer will be able to make my makeup last all day, as well as provide me with a bright, luminous, glow to my face. I've heard so many great things about this product, and I hope that it will perform the way that I'm expecting it to. It's also one of the most expensive primers I've tried, and I hope that it doesn't turn out to be a waste of money.


If you're interested in trying this Laura Geller duo from QVC, just click here.

Urban Decay's Build Your Own Palette!

I'm so happy that Urban Decay FINALLY came out with the Build Your Own Palette. It's nice to have a completely customizable palette filled with your favorite shadows! I have both of the Naked Palettes, and I love them, but this is so awesome. I'm really excited to start filling up my very own palette with shades that I chose myself. 

Urban Decay has recently re-vamped their entire eyeshadow collection! The shadows now include purple chrome packaging that can be easily de-potted. The formula has changed too! Now all of the shades are even smoother and more pigmented than ever before. They're almost creamy to the touch and are even easier to blend. I never would've thought that Urban Decay eyeshadows could get any better..

Look at the pretty box! I wonder what took Urban Decay so long to come out with a customizable palette.

The Outside:

This is what the tin itself looks like, brushed metal with the Urban Decay logo. This packaging reminds me of the Naked 2 Palette. I feel like the tin case is going to last me a long time, and I won't have to worry about it getting dinged up. 

The Inside:

What sealed the deal for me was this full-sized limited edition eyeshadow, "Walk of Shame", that comes in the palette for free! This palette pays for itself when you think about it. An Urban Decay eyeshadow alone costs $18 (without tax) and this palette was $18, so it's kind of like getting a free eyeshadow and mini brush. 

"Walk of Shame" is a matte peachy shade, described as "the perfect nude". It would make a great matte highlight, or could even be a great base shade to swipe on all over the lid. If it doesn't quite match your skin tone, you could use it to mix with other shades to lighten them. 

It would've been really cool if they let people actually pick their first shade, because I know this shade isn't going to work for everyone. It works nicely on my skin tone though, yay! Whenever packages automatically come with pre-selected shades, they are almost always never a perfect match. 

Likes:

• durable packaging
• customizable
• comes with a limited edition shade
• the palette pays for itself! 
• comes with a brush
• full-sized mirror

Dislikes:

• The shade it comes with might not work for everyone

Overall Thoughts:

The bottom line is, if you're an Urban decay eyeshadow lover, you're going to want to pick this palette up. Since all of shadows pop out anyway, it would be handy to keep them all in the same place. The fact that the palette pays for itself and comes with a brush, it's definitely worth the money. Urban Decay eyeshadows are some of the best quality shadows available on the market, so if you haven't tried them, you should! Haha 

My First Bobbi Brown Purchase!

My Pot Rouge in "Pale Pink" with flash

"Pale Pink" in natural light

I received the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for my 18th birthday in March. I've been using it EVER SINCE. I use clean fingers to apply it to the upper part of my cheekbones for a light, natural, flush. I've used a foundation brush to apply it, and that works too, but I like to use the warmth of my fingers to blend it in. Using a foundation sponge just seems to soak up all of the product.

Claims:
"Our best-selling, multi-tasking cream color just got even better. It's now in a mirrored flip-top compact for on-the-spot application. Blend it on the apples of your cheeks for a just-pinched look. Blot it on your lips for a soft, stained finish.For drier skins, be sure to moisturize skin first. "

What it really is:
The "Pot Rouge" is a cream blush. Most cream blushes I've tried have been too sheer, but this one is somewhere in between sheer and opaque coverage. It's medium coverage that is very buildable. I never apply my cream blush over powder, because it looks cakey.  I usually apply this after I have done my foundation. If you don't wear foundation, it would still look great on bare skin. (Which is great if you're in a rush). It's very natural looking, and there are shades to suit everyone. It's effortless to blend, especially with fingers. I wore it for my prom and the color looked fresh all night!

There are 10 shades:

• Blushed Rose
• Calypso Cora
• Chocolate Cherry
• Fresh Melon
• Milk Chocolate
• Pale Pink
• Powder Pink
• Raspberry
• Rose
• Uber Beige

I love that they can be used for both, lips and cheeks! I don't like the screw on lid, but this is the old packaging. The new packaging is in a compact. They changed it right after I bought mine, go figure.