The Beauty Sample

««Press Sample»»

Everyone knows that spring is a time for renewal and rebirth…a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. Why shouldn’t that philosophy extend to your skin, as well? Let’s face it: no one feels like their complexion is the freshest or brightest straight out of the winter season. Everyone needs a little TLC come spring, and that’s where REN’s Radiance line comes in. REN’s Radiance range consists of 4 products: the Resurfacing AHA Concentrate, the Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, the Radiance Perfection Serum, and the Micro Polish Cleanser. Today, I’ll be showing you the Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask.

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

When it comes to eyeliner, I tend not to experiment too much, finding a formula that works well (or well enough) and then sticking with it. Longtime readers of this blog know that I have very oily lids which can take down some of the most “long-wearing” formulas out there. For this reason, I’ve been mostly just using Make Up For Ever’s liners since discovering them some years ago (thankfully, they have a rather extensive selection of shades so I don’t get bored sticking with just one brand). Recently, I gave Giorgio Armani’s Smooth Silk Waterproof Eye Pencil a try too and was really impressed. Still, when it comes to new eyeliners, I think I will always remain wary, no matter how many rave reviews it may get. So when Gorgeous Cosmetics sent me there iINK Liquid Eye Pencil in Carbon Black to review, I was excited because of the name (Liquid Eye Pencil? So interesting!) but, as always, was ready to be disappointed.

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

Now the Spring has officially sprung, I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to playing with more glosses–nothing too matte or heavy, just a touch of color and some dazzling shine. For weeks, I’ve been playing with different products on my lips, looking for the perfect product that will a.) add subtle color to the lips, b.) actually feel nice on, c.) add a little bit of moisture, and d.) stay put without feeling sticky and/or heavy. That’s kind of a tall order when it comes to gloss but luckily, I found the perfect ones. Say hello to 2 of Jouer’s newest releases: the Tinted Lip Enhancer and Pearl Lip Enhancer.

Read the rest of this entry…

I recently found myself wandering the counters at Nordstrom when I came across a large display for the Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colours. I fully planned to walk away because despite all the glowing reviews that I had read for the product, I still just didn’t trust that it would be all that different from any other cream shadow on my oily lids (read: pretty but nowhere near long-lasting). But at the last minute I decided to have a little play and oh. my. gosh…it was seriously love at first swatch!

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

I am a big fan of powdered exfoliators–I find them fun to use (there’s just something about mixing the product with water to form a paste that brings out your inner science-geek/child ), gentle, and really effective. It took a long time for me to get over “the bigger the grains, the more effective” type of mindset that I had when I was younger but once I started playing around with exfoliators with more refined grains, I never looked back. It’s just like sandpaper–the finer the grit, the more even the polish. TATCHA’s is one of the most refined powders I have tried–it’s super gentle but surprisingly effective.

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

Rouge Bunny Rouge is a brand I have been dying to try for ages. I have not once read a bad review ever for any of their products! In fact, quite the opposite–apparently everyone who has tried Rouge Bunny Rouge falls madly in love with the brand, so I knew it was just a matter of time before I got my hands on something–anything, really–from the brand. So when they sent me their Devotion Ink Quartz Eyeliner in Amethyst Essence, I just about had a heart attack! It’s every bit as gorgeous as I thought it would be…

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

I don’t know if you guys have noticed or not, but cream shadow crayons/pencils seem to be all the rage these days. Hot on the heels of Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour (which was released in 2011, I believe, with some new shades out for spring) and Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick (released last month), respectively, comes a similar release from another one of my favorite brands–Jouer Cosmetics.

Read the rest of this entry…

I was tagged by the stunning Joanne P. of The Convenient Beauty to do the 11 Questions Tag! Here are my questions:

1. What is the first beauty product you bought?

I dabbled with drugstore makeup for a few years, but I remember they were all given to me by friends–I was probably 12 or 13 and my mom didn’t let me wear makeup because she thought I was too young. So I had a bunch of makeup from friends but none that were really my own or that I had chosen for myself. When I was a little older, my mom finally let me wear just a little bit. I remember we were at the mall one day and we passed by a kiosk called True Colors that sold these stacks of pigments. I was surprised when we stopped and she told me to find something I liked–I went with these. I loved these pigments so much and wore them every day! Later on, I got another stack of pigments as well as a few empty jars so I started mixing my own shades and playing with making my own polishes, glosses, etc. It was so much fun and really was my first experience with falling in love with makeup!

Read the rest of this entry…

««Press Sample»»

Hey guys! Today I want to introduce you to a new brand that recently launched at Nordstrom–Gorgeous Cosmetics! If you attended The Makeup Show in L.A this year, you will have seen Gorgeous Cosmetics there promoting their U.S launch. Apparently the brand has been around for a while and has been a wild success in Australia so they decided to finally hop on over to the U.S! I was sent some of their products to review and so far, I am really liking what I’m seeing! Today, I will be showing you the Colour Pro Blush in Peach Glow.

Read the rest of this entry…

Truth be told, I actually picked these shadows up during a sale at Target almost 7 months ago (…or longer??). I stashed them away in my little drugstore-makeup-to-be-reviewed-box and then promptly forgot about until now. Whoops! But really, when I rediscovered these the other day while cleaning, I remembered why I was so excited about them in the first place. Look at them–they’re so pretty! I don’t have any experience with Pixi cosmetics but the packaging was just so cute and the shades were so very “me” and they were on sale…so I went ahead and bought 4.

Read the rest of this entry…