Nivea Lip Butters: Caramel Cream Kiss, Raspberry Rose Kiss, and Vanilla Macadamia Kiss

I use Nivea products everyday in my beauty routine, especially their Kiss of Moisture lip balm. Nivea seems to rarely come out with new products. I was surprised when I saw these on the shelves, and decided to purchase the three out of four that looked most interesting. 

The three flavors I chose are Caramel Cream Kiss, Raspberry Rose Kiss, and Vanilla Macadamia Kiss. They are colorless on the lips, and come in well-filled tins! I adore the tins and the names. I really wish there would have been more fruit flavors. The one I didn't buy was original, but I love the formula on these, so I may buy it in the end.

Caramel Cream Kiss has a very strong kettle corn scent, which was too intense for me. Raspberry Rose Kiss, my favorite, smells like fresh raspberries with a faint scent of rose. Vanilla Macadamia Kiss was my least favorite. The scent was overpowering and smelled nothing of vanilla or macadamia, instead it was like a musky candle. 

Claims: "Rich formula melts onto lips providing long-lasting nourishment to make all your kisses better. Enriched with Shea Butter and Almond Oil to intensely moisturize and soothe dry lips for long-lasting care."
Pigmentation: They are colorless, when evenly applied to the lips. If applied thickly they can give a white cast that looks odd.
Finish/Texture: The finish is shiny, just as most lip butters are. The sheen quickly fades as the lips soak up the product. The texture is what makes this product amazing. It feels like silk, it will make you want to reapply all day long, even though you won't need to.
Lasting Power: Depending on how much I apply, I can get a whole day worth of moisture. The butter is so thick, that you only need a bit to moisturize the lips.
Packaging: They each come in a round, metal tin that is filled with product. The lid easily comes of but stays on securely. Make sure to have clean fingers since you will have to dip directly into the product before applying. 
Price/Availability: I paid $2.50 each at CVS

Likes: 

• Smooth, rich texture
• Hydrates/moisturizes the lips 
• Extremely comfortable to wear
• Easy to use, sturdy packaging
• Don't need to be reapplied
• Softens lips

Dislikes:

• I wish there were more to choose from since Caramel and Vanilla Macadamia didn't work well for me. 

Overall:
Raspberry Rose is one of the best flavors I have ever found in a lip product. It smells exactly like fresh raspberries and roses, but it's subtle. The formula is rich and silky, and almost becomes addicting to reapply throughout the day. I love the way that the lip butter actually softens my lips and soaks into them, unlike other lip butters which just sit on top of the lips. Only a small amount of product is needed to completely moisturize the lips, so this small tin will last me quite a long time. I am really happy that I discovered Raspberry Rose, it's becoming a favorite! 

IMATS LA Haul

Finally, my IMATS haul!
I must admit, the lines were terrible. I intended on buying products from MAC and Sigma, but I didn't have the patience to wait in line for three to four hours! I am very happy with what I did manage to purchase. I stuck well under my budget, and even picked up some things that I had no intention of getting. I guess that's what happens when you shop at IMATS! 

The Haul: 

• 10 Inglot Freedom System Shadows- $50
• 2 Limecrime lipsticks-$26
• TooFaced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush-$18
• Graftobian Translucent Powder-$6.50
• City Color High Shimmer Shadow Palette-$2
• Makeup Geek Treats from Marlena-Gift
• 2 Makeup Geek Eyeshadows-$10
• 4 Jcat Beauty Lipsticks-$5
• Sugarpill Chromalust-$10
• Gorgeous Cosmetics Lipstick-$5
• Act5 Cosmetics Lipstick-$6
• City Color Lipstick, Merle Norman Samples, and Sigma Brush-Gifts

Total: $138.50 

I thought I was going to spend $300 at IMATS, but in reality I did well without having to spend that much. I made sure that I got what I wanted most first, and then walked around to see everything. Meeting and talking with people was my favorite part of it all. The deals are good, but some are better than others! It all depends on what you really want, and how much time you are willing to wait in line.  

It was so overwhelming! Since it was my first time I really didn't know what to expect! I actually walked around the place five times and stayed for the entire event until closing. I spent most of my time looking around at everything, while taking pictures, and shopping all at once. It was crazy, and I was tired at the end of the day, but it was worth it. IMATS is definitely something that every makeup lover should experience! 

Read my full post about my IMATS LA experience here.

Maybelline Baby Lips: Melon Mania and Yummy Plummy

Maybelline Baby Lips are one of my favorite drugstore lip balms. When they first came out I was thrilled to try them, and was even happier that they worked extremely well! When the first round of limited edition shades were released a few months ago, I bought them all. This time, I did it again, and I'm just as excited as before!

The two new shades are Melon Mania and Yummy Plummy! I always enjoy the cute names and colorful designs on the packaging. The lid is my favorite part of the packaging. It's so big that I can never misplace it, and it's clear so it shows the pretty design on the balm itself. 

Although the balms are much lighter on the skin than in the tube, the color can be easily built up to a medium coverage. I prefer to wear these sheer, because they are quite glossy and I just adore the natural flush they give to the lips.

Melon Mania, my favorite of the two, is a sheer hot pink that can look very bright when layered. It has a delicious sweet scent that reminds me of gummy bears! Yummy Plummy is a sheer brown-purple that is a bit too dark for my skin tone. It has a grape scent, which was disappointing since there is already a Baby Lips called Grape Vine that is very similar. 


Pigmentation: These are very sheer tinted lip balms, but they can be layered to a sheer-medium coverage. I prefer no to layer them too much, because they are very glossy.
Finish/Texture:  All Baby Lips have a glossy sheen and a buttery smooth texture. 
Scent: Melon Mania smells like gummy bears and Yummy Plummy smells like grape. The scent does fade rather quickly, it only lasts a few minutes.
Lasting Power: I get about 3 hours of color and shine with these, and I don't mind reapplying. 
Packaging: I love the colorful tubes with the cute logos. The cap is amazing, because it's nice and easy to remove and has never cracked one me like other lip balms have. The lip balm twists up and down with ease, and allows you to use every last bit. (Always a huge plus).
Price/Availability: I paid $4 each at Walgreens. 

Likes:

• Functional, cute packaging
• Wonderful formula that softens and hydrates lips
• Tinted just enough, can be layered easily
• Nice scents that aren't overpowering
• The glossy sheen lasts just as long as the color
• Feels comfortable on the lips
• Color wears off evenly and doesn't stain the lips

Dislikes: 

•  $4, which is generally expensive for a lip balm (but totally worth it)
• Limited edition shades, like these, are sometimes hard to find

Overall: 
Melon Mania is definitely my pick of the two! I'm crazy about the sheer hot pink shade and the gummy bear scent. I don't have any other tinted lip balms that look like Melon Mania, sheer hot pink is unique for a lip balm. Yummy Plummy is pretty, but it doesn't work well with my skin tone. Maybelline Baby Lips are my favorite tinted lip balms on the market. They actually make my lips look plush and feel comfortably hydrated, even when my lips are chapped. The subtle tint and sheen last an impressively long time for such a moisturizing lip balm. I'm so pleased that Maybelline keeps adding more colors to this line that everyone can enjoy.

Now, If Maybelline would make a strawberry, or raspberry flavor/shade I might go insane.

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. 

IMATS LA 2013

Yesterday was my first time experiencing the International Makeup Artist Trade Show, IMATS. It had always been a dream of mine to attend. I'm so happy that I finally had the chance to go and see everything. I met some of my favorite makeup artists and beauty gurus, saw fascinating art, and also got some great deals! It was absolute makeup heaven! 

First stop was at the Too Faced booth. The newly released Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush was on sale for $18 (instead of $29). I can't resist anything heart-shaped and I'm not even going to try. The color is so gorgeous, I can't wait to review it!

My next goal was the Inglot counter. I've heard so many great things about their eye shadows. I bought 10 different shades, all neutrals! They had everything out to swatch, but it was a madhouse. People were pushing and everyone was all over the place.

I made sure that I stopped by the Makeupgeek booth, because I've wanted to try their shadows and meet Marlena! She was really sweet and her manager gave me a goodie bag since I waited so long for her to get there! The Sigma booth was absolute madness. I didn't even bother, because I don't really need any brushes and I didn't feel like waiting in line for 3-4 hours. Tiffany from MakeupByTiffanyD was doing makeovers and I'm really happy that I got to meet her in person! 

I'm so happy that I bumped into the super cheery Koren of EnKore Makeup! I stopped by the Eve Pearl booth and watched Eve do a live demo. She made the woman look like a model, I was blown away. They were both really down-to-Earth and kind people.

I made sure to stop by the Lit Cosmetics booth! Just look at all of the different colors of glitter! Everyone here was really nice and helpful. I didn't buy any though, because the base liquid was  expensive and I don't wear glitter much. However, I did enjoy looking at everything!

Ah, Limecrime. I've heard so many mixed reviews, sometimes it's hard to decide about a brand until you experience it for yourself. I had always been interested in Limecrime lipsticks, but I wanted to see them in person. I had the chance to meet Doe Deere and she was nice enough to help pick out which shades would look good with my complexion. 

Here's Doe and I! She was so nice, I'm really happy that I had the chance for her to explain to me what Limecrime is all about. She even shared our photo together on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and I thought that was cool. It just goes to show that sometimes you really need to look into things yourself and form your own opinion. Isn't her hair awesome? 

I ran into the amazingly talented Cora of Vintageortacky and Phyrra, the infamous beauty blogger! Bunny of Grav3yardgirl was just as hilarious and quirky in person. When I walked up to her she was staring at me, and I thought something was wrong, but she said "Oh my god you need to have a Youtbe channel, so I can watch your tutorials." I told her that I'm planning on it! 

 Here are some really cool creatures that were walking around! 

Here's the Sugarpill gang !I had never tried Sugarpill before, so it was really nice getting to see all of the products in person. It's was also cool to talk to Amy Doan, the owner! 

I needed a picture with the queens! Porcelain was so awesome to talk to. He was answering all of my drag questions! Haha, I loved how he even changed outfits later on. 

Here's a close up of the Sugarpill booth. The pigments and shadows in the middle were teasers, they aren't being released until sometime later this year! I bought the Tiara pigment, and I can't wait to start using it. 

I also had the chance to meet Glenn Hetrick, a special effects makeup artist and judge from the popular tv show Faceoff. Traci Hines, a spokes-model for Limecrime, was super nice to talk with! She also does a ton of Disney modeling, she is most known for portraying Ariel.

Well, that concludes my IMATS experience. I'm so happy that I finally had the chance to accomplish one of my dreams! IMATS was something that I had been wanting to go to for a couple of years now. It was definitely worth it! I had never experienced anything so interesting, fast-paced, and fun! It's like the Disneyland of makeup!