Zoya Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Tomoko

Zoya's Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Tomoko is described as a "romantic champagne silver." The Zoya Pixie Dust formula has a sand-like texture, similar to the OPI Liquid Sands polishes. It has a matte but very sparkly finish and does not require a top coat. Applying a top coat would make it glossy, if that's the look you are going for. This polish is probably the equivalent of applying top coat then dunking your nails into fine glitter. 

It's total awesome!! I love everything about the Zoya Pixie Dust polishes. They are so pretty and interesting on the nails. The color Tomoko is one of the more wearable and chic colors in the collection. The Pixie Dust polishes are probably some of the easiest polishes to apply since you don't have to worry about streaking, uneveness, or even a top coat. If you mess up, it is super easy to fix because the product easily builds up on itself. The wear on this is also nice. One downside is that it is a glittery polish, so it's very difficult to get off. Overall, I highly recommend this nail polish, especially if you are looking for something different but not totally out there. 

Good luck!

Many hugs, 
Coleen <3

 

Marc Jacobs Marvelous Mousse Transformative Foundation

Marc Jacobs Marvelous Mousse Transformative Foundation is the newest foundation from the Marc Jacobs Cosmetics line. It is touted as "rich and creamy, full-coverage, transformative mousse foundation." It contains lots of hydrating and nourishing ingredients, such as coconut water, amino acids, ginseng, and vitamins, as well as Marc Jacobs' exclusive "Melt-On" technology, which allows the product to go on smoothly then dry down to a full coverage powder finish. 

At first glance, this seems like a miracle product: a creamy but lightweight, good-for-you foundation that is full coverage AND you don't need powder? Yes it's possible... sort of. While the product is labeled as a mousse, it's more of a lightweight cream. It has a slight gel-like texture. The many emollient ingredients allow the foundation to glide on the skin effortlessly. As for the full coverage claim, it depends on how you apply it. When I applied with my fingers, it gave a light-medium coverage. When applied with a brush (Sigma Sigmax F82 Foundation Brush), it gave a medium coverage but I could build it up to a full coverage. I haven't tried with a dry sponge yet, but from past experiences with cream foundations, this method tends to give a more full coverage. 

Pros: The great thing about this foundation is that you can build it up without it looking cakey. Even after 3 layers using a brush, it still looked natural. That's the amazing this about this product: it looks so natural!! In the before and after picture below, I literally had trouble figuring out if I had taken an after picture because it didn't look like I had foundation on! 

Another pro is it's ability to balance the skin's moisture levels. If you have dry skin, this will be perfect since it does contain lots of hydrating ingredients. If you have oily skin, like I do, it does a good job at not adding additional oil. Since the product dries down to a powdery finish, you don't have to apply powder. I still do because I have very oily skin, but even so, my face doesn't look cakey or unnatural. 

Cons: This foundation is pretty expensive at $55 for 0.63 oz. of product. Granted it's a cream foundation, so you'll need less product than a liquid foundation, but still... The packaging is also not very hygienic: the product is exposed to the world (full of bacteria and icky things) once you open the jar. You're sticking your fingers, brushes, or sponges into the product and wiping it on your face, so who knows what might be sitting on the foundation. If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, you might want to be cautious using this. Maybe try taking some product out with a spatula instead of using it directly from the jar. 

Also, if you have very oily skin, you will still have to powder and blot at the end of the day, and will look a tad greasy. However, it does not slip off my skin like many other foundation have on me. 

Overall, I LOVE the Marc Jacobs Marvelous Mousse Transformative Foundation!! It's versatile for all skin types and skin tones (it comes in 11 different colors). The finish is natural and actually looks like skin. It's easy to apply and glides across the skin like butter. There is very little that I can complain about the product other than it's price tag. But then again, my holy grail foundation, the Hourglass Immaculate Foundation, is a comparable price; however the Marc Jacobs Foundation fixes all the issues that I have with the Hourglass one. In all, I highly highly recommend this foundation!! 

It is available exclusively at Sephora. 

If you'd like to see me apply it, check out my video here.  

Good luck!

Many hugs, 
Coleen <3

Before foundation

With Foundation

Dior Blush in Corail Bagatelle

New for Dior's 2014 Spring Collection, the DiorBlush in Corail Bagatelle ($43) is a limited edition matte coral-pink blush. The spring collection is named the Trianon Collection; Trianon being a chateau near the Palace of Versailles. Think Marie Antoinette during her heydays. Overall the collection has lots of pastels and pretty pinks. Corail Bagetelle was the only item that really caught my eye. The blush is beautifully packaged in the luxe black Dior packaging and velvet pouch. The bow imprinting on the blush itself is a cute touch too. The formulation was also very nice and easy to work with. It's not powdery or overly pigmented, which is nice because you can gradually build up the color without feeling like you've gone overboard. 

Overall, I love this product and will get much use out of it this spring. I think it would look great on many different skin tones. If you're a lover and collector of Dior makeup, this gorgeous blush is worth a try (it's limited edition so get it while you can)!


Good luck!
Many hugs, 
Coleen 

Too Faced La Creme in Jelly Bean

Too Faced La Creme in Jelly Bean ($22) is a "raspberry red" lipstick. On my lips, it is more of a fuchsia pink. Jelly Bean is a new color for spring from the La Creme line and is my favorite of the four new colors. It does a great job at brightening up my face. The color is bright and bold but still very wearable. The La Creme lipsticks are among one of my most favorite formulas - they are creamy, well-pigmented, and moisturizing. This color was long-lasting compared to some of the other La Creme lipsticks that I have. Once worn off, Jelly Bean left a berry pink stain on my lips. 

Overall, I love this lipstick!! I definitely recommend this color. If this color doesn't suite your taste, the La Creme line has a nice range of options to choose from. 

bareMinerals READY Eye Shadow 4.0 - True Romantic

BareMinerals READY Eye Shadow 4.0 in True Romantic ($30) is the eyeshadow quad in bareMineral's new Spring 2014 collection, True Romantic Trend collection. The quad includes the colors: Love It (shimmery pearl white), Woo is Me (shimmery champagne pink), Louder (warm-tone gold), Head Over Heels (dark taupe or greyish purple).

All the eyeshadows have an amazing buttery texture, but not all of them applied on as pleasantly. Woo is Me is my least favorite of the palette because it had a very patchy application. When swatched and applied on my eyes, the eyeshadow didn't go on smoothly, and there was some glittery fallout. Head Over Heels was also a bit difficult to work with since it didn't blend easily. However, Head Over Heels was very well pigmented. Love It and Louder were awesome in every way possible. 

The packaging is a gorgeous rose-gold plastic and very compact. The only negative is that it's very difficult to open. 

Overall, I think this is a beautiful palette inside and out. If I could create a quad, these would be the colors I would choose. I wish the color Woo is Me was better, but the eyeshadows in general were nice to apply. If you're looking for a compacted, effortless all-in-one eyeshadow quad, I would recommend this. 

Good luck!!

Many hugs, 
Coleen 

Love It

Woo is Me

Louder

Head Over Heels

 

Woo is Me (inner half), Louder (outer half), Head Over Heels (outer corner and crease), Love It (brow highlight)

Dior Diorshow Brow Styler

Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil ($29) is a retractable brow pencil that comes in one "Universal Shade." The color is a light brown and is supposed to work on all hair colors and skin tones. For the me the color is a tad light for my liking, but it still works nonetheless. The formula of the Brow Styler is that of a hard pencil, which is great especially if you want to go for a more natural look. The problem with a lot of brow pencils is they're too waxy, making the brows look drawn on. The Brow Styler allows you to easily create the natural look of hairs. It also has a spooly/brow groomer at the other end. It's not my favorite spooly on a brow pencil but it does its job. 

Compared to the Anastasia Brow Wiz, the formula of this pencil is definitely less waxy. I like the spooly on the Brow Wiz more. The points on both products do not need sharpening, since they're retractable, and have about the same point size. A huge difference is the color availability. The Brow Wiz comes in seven colors, while the Brow Styler comes in only one. There's definitely a lot more versatility with the Anastasia brow pencil. Another big difference is the price point. Both are high-end but the Anastasia one costs $21 while the Dior one costs $29 (and the price is supposedly going to go up some time soon). 

Overall, I like the Dior Diorshow Brow Styler. It gives my brows a natural look, and it is easy to use. I wouldn't repurchase this again mainly because it's expensive at $29. I also think the Anastasia Brow Wiz is a better product and it's cheaper. If you plan on purchasing this, I would recommend going to a Dior counter to see if the "Universal Shade" actually looks good on you before shelling out $29 a pop. 

Good luck!!

Many hugs, 

Coleen 

Without Dior Brow Styler

With Dior Brow Styler

Maybelline Color Elixir in Captivating Carnation

In my recent trip to CVS, I came across a new display for the Maybelline Color Elixirs so I decided to grab this one in Captivating Carnation. Maybelline describes the formulation of this line as "hyper-saturated color, ultra cushiony feel." Captivating Carnation is a pinky mauve color. In terms of pigmentation, it was pretty sheer, even when I layered on more. As for the texture, it was lightweight, non-sticky, and glossy, almost gel-like. This is probably the BEST lipgloss texture I've ever used! The applicator isn't your traditional doe-foot applicator. Maybelline calls it an "angora brush," which basically looks like spatula in felt form. It's very similar to the YSL Glossy Stain applicator. It applies product on the lips incredibly! The applicator in conjunction with the formula creates a beautiful, smooth look on the lips. 

The only downside to the Color Elixir (it could just be this color?) is the AWFUL SCENT. OMG asdfjl;dfg... I case you couldn't tell... I can't stand the smell of this product. It smells like "old-lady perfume" with a hint of artificial grape scent. It's almost unbearably strong. I could smell and taste it even after 10 minutes of applying. 

Overall, I LOVE this product except for the smell, which is agitating enough that I might not purchase another color. Sigh... it was so close to perfection. If you don't mind scents too much, I highly highly recommend you give this a try.   

Good luck!

Many hugs, 
Coleen 

MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Red Necessity

MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Red Necessity is described as a "deep warm wine." It comes off as a bright red with some depth to it, a bit darker than a cherry red. My initial review on the Huggable Lipcolour can be found here. This color is a little too bright for me to wear everyday, but I think it would be great for a special occasion or if I'm feeling bold. It wore for about 3 to 4 hours and left a slight stain after wearing off. The texture has a bit of a sticky feel to it, which I don't mind because it feels very moisturizing.   

Overall, I don't see myself using this one very often, but it's a nice color and texture. If you're aiming for nice bright red glossy lips, yet hate the fuss of traditional red lips, with lip liner, lipstick, then lipgloss, I think this would be a simpler option. 

Good luck!

Many hugs, 
Coleen