Mark. Mini Haul

Hey guys!

I finally got my mark. rep starter kit today. It came with: satin mini train case (so cute), mini brush set, Make It Big mascara, Juice Gems in Fig, i-mark eyeshadows in Nomadic and Tiki, Good Glowing blush in After Glo, Mezzo SnaptoIt case, Dew Drenched lipstick in Toffee, and a Flip For It palette in Sydney. Unfortunately, the mascara and lip gloss were a bit funky (mascara was dried out and lip gloss had separated) so they are being returned or replaced if possible.

Here's the Snap to It case with the blush and two shadows in it (it's magnetic!):


I really love all the colors in this palette. I see this as being every day material. I had After Glo in college and wore it like, every day. It's the perfect blush for a "natural glow." It looks a lot like NARS Orgasm, too, as I mentioned in my previous post. Here are side by side comparisons:


NARS Orgasm might be slightly more finely milled, but when you look at the two side by side they're almost identical. I'd definitely say that when you compare price ($25 vs. $6) the choice is clear. Here are swatches (I apologize for my crusty winter hands):

L to R: Orgasm, After Glo

As you can see, Orgasm might be slightly peachier with more gold, whereas After Glo has larger chunks of glitter and is maybe a bit pinker.

I also think that the i-mark in Tiki is a great dupe for MAC's Bronze. Here's a side by side shot (without flash):

L to R: Bronze, Tiki

Side by side, they also look nearly identical. The MAC shadow goes for $11 a pop plus tax (you also have to have a palette in which to place it, it has a magnet on the back) and the mark. shadow retails for $4. Pretty big price difference for items that are so similar - and the mark. eyeshadow is bigger!

Here are swatches:

L to R: Bronze, Tiki (without flash)

L to R: Bronze, Tiki (with flash)

See? Pretty similar!

The last item that I'm really excited about is the Flip For It palette in Sydney. It's such a clever idea - one portable palette that includes two shadows, a blush, and four lip colors (two lipsticks, two glosses). Genius! I'm not sure how much I'll actually use the lip colors because they're maybe a bit dark for my super pale skin, but I love the neutral, wearable colors of the powder side of the palette. They're pretty similar to the items in the SnaptoIt case (but the blush here is matte). At $20 retail, this is a great buy.

All in all, I'm really impressed with the items I received. They're wearable, affordable, and downright pretty. When you think about it, isn't that what makeup is supposed to be?

I look forward to buying more products from this brand. After spending nearly $500 on MAC products in the past month (yikes!), I am looking forward to getting my beauty fixes in a less painful way.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Katherine

Tuesday "Blahs"

Hey ladies.

Today it has finally hit me - I will have to clean out my makeup collection this week. I am still hoarding some cheapo Cover Girl eyeshadows that I've had since high school, that's how bad it is. I think it's high time that they be pitched, along with my separating nail polishes and discolored lipsticks (egad!). It's so sad to throw away cosmetics, though - the collection should get bigger, not smaller! It's obvious that I am running out of room, and some of the stuff I have is downright ancient, so it's a necessary evil.

I am also feeling kind of icky because I didn't wear any makeup today. It was that kind of morning - a cold February Tuesday where I just didn't feel like making the effort after taking the dog out, being late, etc. Some days you just have to go au naturale! I like to think that I am letting my skin breathe.

Some exciting news though: I just renewed my mark. cosmetics rep account so I'll be getting a "rep starter kit" in the mail with some of their best selling products. (Their "After Glo" blush is almost an exact dupe for Nars Orgasm for like, 1/5 the price.) Photos and info to come!

And to hopefully reverse the effects of Tuesday "Blahs" -


Hope everyone's having a good week,

Katherine

MAC Hello Kitty!

I finally made it out to my local MAC store to get in on the Hello Kitty madness. My unbelievably awesome boyfriend got me a MAC gift card for Valentine's Day (love!) so I was able to get pretty much everything on my "lust" list while I was there. So here's what I got:

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection. Collaborating with Hello Kitty is pretty great in the first place, but the products themselves are fabulous. There were a few things that I knew I definitely didn't want after swatching them, but the things I liked I really liked.

Beauty Powder Blush in Fun & Games

Fun & Games blush is a gorgeous peachy blush with gold flecks of glitter in it. I chose this over the other pink blush (Tippy) in the collection because I have the Dress Camp palette and the colors were almost identical.

Lipstick in Cute-ster

Cute-ster is a sheer neutral lipstick with a hint of peachy pink in it and some gold and pink sparkles. I originally thought I was really going to want Big Bow lipstick, but even after swatching it, I found that it was just too bright for my super pale skin.

Lipglass in She Loves Candy and Nice Kitty

I'm an unashamed lipglass addict. If it's pink and sparkly, I'm all over it. I chose these two colors specifically because the others were just too intense for me. Again, I have super pale skin so I have to be careful what colors I choose. I just wasn't brave enough to try orange or purple on my lips!

Tinted Lip Conditioner in Pink Fish

Ok, so I love this lip conditioner. The pink is absolutely gorgeous, especially on pale freckled skin! It has SPF 15 which is great, and the packaging is uber-cute.

Glitter Eyeliner in Her Glitz

I'm usually not one for unwearable glitter, but this stuff is amazing. I wore it yesterday with neutral eyeshadow, and it looked great. The bronzey color works well for everyday and the glitter isn't so intense that you look like a disco ball. I just got a subtle sparkle when the light hit my face. Fabulous!

Eyeshadow Quad in Lucky Tom

I love this quad. I chose it over the Too Dolly quad because for me, the colors are much more wearable. I thought I would like the Too Dolly quad better but after seeing it in person, I really didn't care for it. Yogurt didn't show up on my skin at all and I found the other shadows pretty chalky. I am loving the Lucky Tom quad though - all of the colors have a silkier finish (I think - my favorite finish is Veluxe Pearl, yay smoothness!) and are more wearable for me on an every day basis (except maybe Stylin', the bright purple).

Overall, this collection was pretty impressive. Everyone at my local MAC boutique was super excited about it and the accessories (brushes and holder, mirror, doll, bags) were also adorable. Plus, I got an awesome re-usable Hello Kitty for MAC bag - score! My friend Lindsay also got one even though she didn't purchase anything from the collection because I evidently buy there "all the time." Ha!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. :)

Drugstore: Product of the Week

This week's product: Nivea A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care SPF 4. I'm a lip product junkie, so it's only natural that I'd have ten trillion kinds of lip balms. I really like this one, though, and for $2.50 a tube, I don't feel like I've indulged too much.

While lipglosses are great (who doesn't love some sparkle), sometimes it's nice to just go in your bag and grab a great lip balm and smooth it on without any muss or fuss. The packaging for this product is sleek and functional and the light blue tube makes it easy to spot in my makeup bag. I also like the fact that the top snaps on to the white, twisty-bottom part, so I know it won't come apart in my bag and turn into a huge mess.

The balm itself goes on smooth and silky without feeling like I've just slathered on a layer of wax (ahem, Burt's Bees). It has a light feel to it and I'm not overly conscious of the fact that I'm wearing a lip product, which is nice. My lips stay moisturized, though the product sinks in fairly quickly and if your lips are really dry, you may want to keep the tube handy for re-application. I consider this lip balm to be a must-have, especially for this pre-spring months when the weather gets so wacky. Here in Virginia it's been freezing one day, and near 80 degrees the next!

Hope you're all having a great Friday!

Katherine

Review: Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara

I'm always on the prowl for new, potentially awesome mascaras. I'm particularly into cheap-o drugstore finds since it's recommended that you throw your mascara away about every three months or so (otherwise you risk an icky eye infection, ew). After going through the pain of chucking my $24 tube of DiorShow, I decided - no more! Affordable mascaras from here on out. So naturally, I couldn't resist the $8 tube of Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Express mascara in Glam Black when I was in my friendly neighborhood CVS the other day.

The first thing that caught my attention was the bright yellow and purple packaging. It's so cheery! The big fat tube is appealing too - it makes me envision my soon-to-be big fat lashes!

So here's the low down:

PROS

- Big fluffy brush gets even the tiniest lashes.

- The length this stuff provides is pretty phenomenal.

- The formula (it has collagen in it!) goes on very smoothly. The brush sort of glided over my lashes with no pulling or tugging.

- I can distribute mascara to my tiny lower lashes without looking like a racoon. Major plus! (Usually I have to awkwardly maneuver the brush to avoid hitting my skin.)

CONS

- The first thing that struck me after opening the tube was a strange smell. It seems to have dissipated after a day or so, but man, that first application nearly knocked me on my feet.

- Sadly, like most cheaper mascaras, this one had a bit of flake-age after only a few hours. Nothing I can't handle (I've seen worse) but it's not ideal either.

FINAL VERDICT: Give it a try. It's not the best, but it's certainly not the worst. I think I would buy this again before I buy another $24 tube of mascara I'll just have to throw away in a few months. As of right now, however, the best drugstore mascara I've been able to find is Maybelline's Full 'N Soft!

Drugstore: Product of the Week

I give you - Dove Deep Moisture Facial Lotion! This is a great little moisturizer on the cheap (a little over $5 a pop, depending on where you're buying from). It does its job well; that is to say, it moisturizes without feeling heavy or greasy, or leaving an icky, shiny film behind. There is little to no scent (that I can detect) and I think it's a great alternative to pricier moisturizers. (One of my personal favorites for night time moisturizing is The Body Shop's Vitamin E Night Cream.) A plus is that it has SPF 15, so you've even got sun protection!

This is one my favorite drugstore skin care products because of the incredible value. Unlike some cheaper moisturizers, it did not irritate my skin, and all I have to do is touch my face to have it turn red, so that's amazing. I've almost finished my first bottle and will definitely be re-purchasing, if only to have a moisturizer with SPF for day always on hand.

I definitely recommend trying it out!

Itso for Makeup Storage

After wrestling with my warped plastic Sterilite containers for six months, I finally decided to go on a quest for new makeup storage. I searched high and low for small dressers, chests, vanities, and drawered units that would neatly and prettily house my collection. My search seemed to be in vain - either the pieces I found were too expensive or not quite what I was looking for. And then came Target!

I strolled through the home storage aisle and saw the Itso products stacked up on a shelf. I decided that it might be possible to build my own piece of furniture with the modular cubes and bins. What I came up with is below:

I think the piece of furniture itself looks pretty nice, especially since I was just looking to upgrade from plastic. I think the piece overall is pretty sturdy and is definitely strong enough to hold all my items. Instead of getting four individual cubes I got two 2x1 units with shelves and added my own bins. From left to right, starting in the top left corner, the bins hold the following: lip products, eye products, face products (foundation, etc.), skin care products (moisturizer, eye cream, etc.), hair products, and body care products. Everything fits!

I also got some of the organizer trays to go in the bins so everything wouldn't be dumped in together, bumping around. Here are my lip and eye bins, organized with the divided trays:

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. It's functional storage that looks great (I think) and neatly organizes and houses all my makeup. A girl couldn't ask for more!

Is your makeup organized? What are you using? Let me know!

Katherine