Review: L'Oreal 24 Hr Infallible Eye Shadows

I have had these for a while now and thought that it would be a good idea to do a review on them, especially since new colors have been released in the newest L'Oreal collection.  :)

These L'Oreal 24 Hr Infallible Eye Shadows hit stores at approximately the same time as the Maybelline 24 Hr Color Tattoo Shadows. They are very different in the fact that these are much like pressed eye shadows.  It comes in a plastic pot with a lid to hold the packed shadow in place.  The texture is silky and buttery smooth.  It is also extremely pigmented - one swipe of the product and you'll be set with a nice wash of color on the eyelids.  I haven't tested it to see whether it stays up to 24 hours like it claims, but the color does last for me throughout a normal 9 to 5 work day with a primer underneath.

From L to R: 

892 Amber Rush 

890 Bronzed Taupe 

333 Golden Sage

I personally like using the Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe together or individually as a single wash of color over the lids - especially if I am in a rush.  I like pairing the Golden Jade with other colors for a more polished look.  While the Golden Jade is not an everyday color, I do love that it makes my brown eyes pop.  

These have been likened to Giorgio Armani's Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow and I can understand why.  However, I do believe that while they are similar, they are still very different.  I own a couple of both and while the texture of both are very smooth, the color options are very different.  Most of the Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows are complex and multidimensional.  They are unique in that you can see a mixture of different colors to form one complete color.  In comparison, the L'Oreal 24 Hr Infallible Eye Shadows are simple and yield one shade of color.  

It ultimately depends on how much you are willing to spend and what your taste preference is.  If you prefer a more multidimensional and unique color and are willing to spend the money, head on over to an Armani beauty counter and pick up one of the Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows.  If you are looking for a simple everyday color, definitely give these L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows a try! 

Review: NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Pink

Hi everyone!
I picked up the NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Pink as a last minute addition to my basket at IMATS last weekend.  The only reason I decided to pick it up was because I saw an attendee apply some to her eye and I knew that I had to have it -- especially since it was only $4.00! It's not a very practical color, but I thought it would be a fun color to wear, especially during the summer! 

Crystal Pink is a glittery pinkish purple with a sheer pink color base.  Having worn this for the past week, I have found that I need to layer it at least two times to properly show off the glitter.  It can apply a bit sheerly and patchy with just one coat, so be sure to apply a second (or even third) to make sure that the color pops! I also tried wearing on top of a black gel eyeliner and an eggplant purple pencil eyeliner, and found that it helps to enhance the color. 

For the price, it is a nice addition to my collection and will be fun to wear during the summer months.  :) 

Review: Inglot Freedom Palette

Having heard so many rave reviews about Inglot, a Freedom Palette was the very first thing on my "Must Have" list when I attended IMATS this year.  There happens to be an Inglot store about an hour and a half away from where I live, but I just couldn't justify making a purchase like that, especially since I already have more than enough eyeshadows to last me a lifetime.  But... I figured that since it was my very first time at IMATS and there was a discount, why not? 

The colors from left to right: 

397P (shimmering pink champagne)

337M (matte light beige tan with purple undertones)

420P (pearly light violet)

434P (shimmering dark greyish purple)

423P (shimmering medium brown with red undertones)

I can understand why Inglot was a very popular booth at IMATS.  These eyeshadows are buttery smooth, apply like a dream, and blend very easily.  My favorite part about this is that I can choose my own colors and create the kind of palette I want.  The only cons I can say about this product is the packaging.  While I like the magnetic closure and the fact that you can stack different palettes, it is difficult to travel with.  During a recent trip, I found that if you don't open it correctly, you can end up scratching the eyeshadow.  However, once I got the hang of opening it (I like to push the lid off at the same angle as opposed to pulling it up at a 90 degree angle), it became more manageable.  


There are only a couple of Inglot stores throughout the United States, but I would definitely consider stopping by one if you have the chance.  If not, they are available online; however, it is difficult to choose what colors you want without swatching them first hand.  

Haul: IMATS Los Angeles 2012

The International Make-up Artist Trade Show (otherwise known as IMATS) came to Los Angeles this past weekend, June 23-24.  I was unable to make the show on Saturday as tickets sold out for that day a week and a half in advance; however, I managed to buy tickets for Sunday.  

Before going to IMATS, I did some research to see what it was like and what things I should expect to see.  It's kind of like going to Disneyland because you had to make sure you knew where you wanted to go and which you wanted to see the most! 

After reading tweets from Saturday's show, I expected to be stuck in hour-long lines so I made a plan with my friends to go early on in the day.  It opened at 10am on Sunday and we arrived at the Pasadena Convention Center at 10:30am.  We stood in line for about 20 minutes before getting in the door, but had to wait in another line inside for an additional 10 minutes.  The lines went faster than I thought, but I assume it's because it was Sunday.  

Once we got in, my friends and I made a beeline for the Inglot booth.  I had heard that it is usually one of the most popular booths at IMATS, along with Make Up For Ever, MAC, and NYX.  I assumed there would be a line, but when we got to the booth, it was a mass of people hovering around, swatching what they could.  There was a piece of paper that you could fill out to place your order.  Once you did that, you simply had to hand your piece of paper to a worker and they would fulfill your order.  While it took awhile to get in to swatch some eyeshadow colors, other attendees were very polite and we all took turns trying to see what we liked best.  In the end, I made it out with a 5 shadow freedom palette.  A word of caution, however: they were sold out of some of the colors and make sure to double check to see if they gave you the correct colors! 

After being there for three hours, here's what I managed to walk away with: 

Overall, I can't remember the exact discounts that were given, only that there were discounts at most booths.  When we arrived at the Sigma booth, they were sold out of all of the Synthetic Kabuki Brushes.  I had raved about them to a friend, but we were unable to procure any that day.  However, they did give us a coupon code for 15% off an online purchase so maybe I'll put that into use sometime soon! 

Oh and I definitely cannot forget to mention the highlight of my day! IMATS is a popular event where you can be sure to find many YouTube Beauty Gurus, and just my luck -- I got to meet both Tiffany from MakeupByTiffanyD and Tracy and Stefanie from eleventhgorgeous! They are such amazingly sweet and incredibly down-to-earth ladies and I am so happy to have had the chance to meet them!

This was my very first IMATS experience, and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to go back next year.  They're changing up the dates, so IMATS LA 2013 will actually be held in January 2013.  If you're curious, I highly recommend you give IMATS a try -- you won't regret it! 

Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme

I picked these up last year at my local CCO and have been using them on and off throughout the year.  Instead of paying the regular price ($18.50), I picked these up for only $13.00.  However, I would consider paying full price for these if a particular color came out that I knew I could see myself wearing often.  

These ShadowCremes come in a glass jar and contains 0.17 oz/5g of product.  The packaging most resembles YSL's creme eyeliner jar, except larger.  The only issue that I have with the packaging, as I do with all jars, is that you have to make sure you close them tightly to prevent drying out the product.  The three I currently own are: 

02 Silver Leaf 

04 Antique Gold 

12 Silver Star 

These ShadowCremes can be applied both for a sheer wash of color or it can be built up to be worn as an opaque color.  With the Silver Leaf, I like applying it sheerly on the lid and topping it with MAC's classic Satin Taupe.  The contrast of the eyeshadow with and without the ShadowCreme adds a bit of dimension to the eye look, but keeping it simple when I'm in a rush to make it out the door! Antique Gold is beautiful in its own way and this is one that I like to wear as an opaque color, also when I'm pressed for time.  Lastly, Silver Star is one that I use as a base for when I need my eyeshadows to stand out a bit more than usual.  It's not one that I reach for often, to be honest, but I am still glad to have it.  Another thing to note: these ShadowCremes will not budge once they are applied.  I have gone a full 9-5 day with it on without a primer and saw minimal fading.  Overall, I think that these are simple can-do-no-wrong shadows that can achieve a polished look in a small amount of time.  

Hope you're all having a wonderful day and thank you for taking the time to read this! :) 

Review: June 2012 Birchbox

In the past year, subscription beauty and fashion services have been coming out left and right.  Fashion subscriptions, including stylemint, jewelmint, shoemint (the list goes on!), have become just as popular as the beauty subscription box services.  I recently joined the bandwagon, thanks to my good friend who bought me a three-month subscription to Birchbox as a birthday gift, and just received my second box this month.  

The theme for June's Birchbox is "Jet Set," for which they've included products that will last through a long flight or items that they've found on their global travels.  Each month there is at least twenty different variety of boxes that can be sent to you.  It all depends on the beauty quiz/survey that you take when you sign up.  For this month, I received:

Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive 

Stila One-Step Bronze  

theBalm Staniac in Beauty Queen 

Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck 

Luna Bar Mini 

I haven't had the chance to try out all of the products, but I don't think I will be trying out the Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive. Since I am already tan (it's hard to avoid the sun in California!), it would be pointless for me to use these so I may end up giving them to a friend. 

In regards to the Stila One Step Bronze, I was surprised to receive a full sized product in the box! At first, I was wary of the bronzer because it looked rather drab in the bottle, but when I used it for the first time on my face, I was surprised at the subtle tan glow that it gives.  This will definitely be a staple in the upcoming summer months!

From other reviews that I have read and seen on youtube, I've heard that Birchbox is known to give many fragrance samples.  Since this is only my second box, I can't comment on the frequency, but I must admit that I do enjoy Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck fragrance.  It's not necessarily something I would gravitate towards, but it is always nice to sample something and be surprised at how much you actually do like it! 

There's not much to say about the Luna Bar mini except that I ate it as soon as I opened the box! As an "extra," I don't think it was anything special, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable!

Lastly, I've been recently impressed with theBalm eyeshadow palettes, so it was nice to receive a product from them in this month's box.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as taken with this product (theBalm's Staniac in Beauty Queen) as I was with their other products.  When I applied the stain on my lips, I could not see any noticeable difference on my lips.  Not only that, but I detested the initial taste of the product as it was very bitter.  On the positive side, I did like using it as a cheek stain because it stayed on for about 5-6 hours before it began to fade.  So while I will not be using this on my lips, I think it would be very beneficial for my cheeks during the summer months.

I was initially disappointed when I opened up my box this month; however, I must say that I was thoroughly surprised at how much I did end up liking the fragrance and the bronzer.  For $10/month, I believe that it is a nice service to have, but not a necessity.  Once my three-month subscription ends, I will highly consider paying for this service myself -- especially if next month's box is as good as this month's.  :) 

Review: theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 1 Eyeshadow Palette

I recently took advantage of theBalm's Memorial Day sale with a buy one get two free deal.  If you bought theBalm's Shady Lady Vol. 1 eyeshadow palette ($39.50 for 0.60 oz), then you received both the Shady Lady Vol. 2 and Shady Lady Vol. 3 eyeshadow palette for free! I have been wanting to try them out since reading Temptalia's rave review and figured this would be a great opportunity to do so! 

The palette contains nine eyeshadows: 

Caught in the Act Courtney (shimmering dark brown with golden sparkles)

Shameless Shana (satin medium tan with red undertones)

Luscious Lani (shimmering light pink champagne)

Jealous Jordana (satin dark emerald forest green)

Risque Renee (dark matte blue with blue sparkles)

Curvy Cami (shimmering fuschia purple with gold sparkles)

Jet-setting Jennifer (shimmering light gold champagne)

All About Alex (satin grey khaki green)

Easy Wheezie (satin blue grey)

The palette itself is made of cardboard, containing nine eyeshadows.  It is very lightweight and easy to travel with; however, I find that the cardboard is not very durable and can create dents in the eyeshadow.  The eyeshadow's formula is very pigmented when swatched with a primer.  However, its pigmentation without a primer is a little problematic and less pigmented than what I expected. It glides on the eye smoothly and blends with other shadows without much effort.  Initially, I was afraid Caught in the Act Courtney would be a fallout nightmare, but I was surprised to see that like the other shadows in the palette, it only had minimal fallout.   Curvy Cami was slightly difficult to work with and had a harder texture compared to the other shadows.  Overall, this palette has a variety of colors to choose from and proves to be very versatile.  I highly recommend you check these out!