~Swatches + Looks~ ~New Makeup for Summer 2013~ Laura Mercier Folklore.....

 Hey Everyone!!

So many people are ready for summer because this "Spring" we got going on, ain't hittin' on NOTHING!! LOL! Its cold one day and hot the next. At least with Summer, its a hot three months, some times four months.

Laura Mercier is definitely ready for summer with a new collection coming soon called Folklore. Check out what she lists as her inspirations for the collection:

"Laura Mercier’s inspiration for the Folklore Collection stems from Aztec influences and fantastical rituals, colours in this collection are reminiscent of ancient symbols and artifacts, textiles and jewelry. When conceptualizing the collection, Laura envisioned the spirit of earth and fire infused into an illuminating new mosaic of colour. The products create a naturally bronzed look, with fiery shades that are perfect for day and night."

The Folklore Collection is available at Laura Mercier's Official Site. Go check out all the pieces of the collection! Today, I'm going to show you what I was sent.:)

 I received two Lip Crayons in Folklore and Burnt Clay and a Gel Liner in Canard......

 Lip Crayons in Burnt Clay and Folklore....

Swatched on my hand, Folklore at the top and Burnt Clay at the bottom....

Burnt Clay is a dark tan brown colored lip color. This Lip Crayon went on buttery and very smooth, just like a lipstick. Its also pigmented like one of the LM lipsticks so I would not compare Burnt Clay to one of the popular "Lip Balm Stains" that are out. This is the 2nd makeup company I have seen do a dark tan brown in a Summer or Spring collection. mark. Cosmetics also has one in their Marrakesh collection. Check out my post HERE!

However, Folklore's texture was different. It applied more balm-ish than Burnt Clay. It was also more sheer than Burnt Clay. Folklore is a bright pink with a purplish tint to it.

 Gel Liner in Canard...

 Canard swatched on the back of my hand....

 This is my first LM Gel Liner. It applies very creamy, almost mousse like. It's glossy going on but dries matte. I found it to move a lot and it smudged all day, I was cleaning around my eye every time I looked in the mirror. I tell you, tarte Gel Liners have me spoiled!!! I wasn't expecting  so much maintenance with this liner. However, the color is gorgeous!!! Canard is a dark teal blue with no shimmer. and I can't think of anything drugstore like it. Maybe high end but nothing on shelves that compare to this color.

Overall....

Beautiful collection to fit this summer's hobo and tribal chic trends. 

Disclosure: These products were sent to me for consideration. I was not paid for this post.

~Lippie of the Day~ NK Lipstick in Camel....

Hey Everyone !!!

Today I wore NK Lipstick in Camel, a spot on nude shade that was only a $1 at the local BSS. NK or Nicka K is available online on various websites.


Jamie

~Fresh Coat~ Hard Candy Jubilee, Hard Candy Party Central and Hard Candy Crush on Amethyst.....

Hey Everyone!!

Finally, I done wearing all of my Hard Candy hauled polish.  Why do I sound relived? Because glitter polish fun to wear but hell to keep up and take off. lol! This is why I LOVE  polish only bloggers, those girls have a passion to surpasses 5 min soaks of cotton, foil and cold acetone polish remover. Bravo divas!!!

 First up....Hard Candy Jubilee....

 Jubilee is a crazy mix of silver black hexagon glitter large and mini, orange long glitter suspended in a green creme jelly.

  I check some other swatches from other bloggers and found that base color was needed. I used Kleancolor Grass Green( the dark green) and Spoiled by Wet N' Wild I Only Eat Salads. 

 I Only Eat Salads is the best pick of the two to showcase Jubilee, however I Only Eat Salads stained my nails yellow( I've also had it over a year).

 Next, I combined two Hard Candy polishes for one look: Crush On Amethyst and Party Central....

Crush on Amethyst is a beautiful chrome dark lavender and Party Central is a glitter packed polish with pink, blue, black, even white glitter in a clear base.

I LOVE Crush On Amethyst. One coat is opaque. The longevity was not good though, it was next day chipping.Party Central can do two coats opaque as a glitter but it will peel with the first sight of water.

Overall, these Hard Candy polishes are innovative, fun, cheap, ready available at a Walmart near you. The wear ability is not good on them though...not at all. Every manicure with these polishes, chipped the next day even with a base coat and two coats of quick dry top coat. Even with thin coats to build up the intensity, there was chipping the next day. I guess that's what $4 will get you. But I know cheap polish that lasts ( post maybe?)!! That's where I'm frustrated!! LOL!!

Got any new Hard Candy polish favs? Let me know in the comments....

~Swatches + First Impressions~ Aqualillies for tarte Summer 2013 Collection....

Hey Everyone!!

I'm so excited to share with you some of the products from Aqualillies for tarte Summer 2013 Collection. When I first saw the photos for the collection, I gasped!! The colors are cool, summer shades... glamorous pool side like the famous Aqualillies synchronized swimmers.

I received Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Splash and Glamazon Pure Performance 12- hour Lipstick in Timeless....

The packaging for this whole collection is GORGEOUS....a collector's dream!!!

Glamazon Lipstick in Timeless...

 Timeless is a bright coral pink. Its definitely leans more pink than orange.

 Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Splash....

Splash is a shimmery blue green.

 I did a bright liner, bold lip look with both products. I used Splash liner on my upper and lower eyelids as a liner and black liner in the waterline to tie in the look. Timeless lipstick was used on my lips with no liner or gloss on top.

Both products are made in tarte's high quality. The lipstick is creamy and doesn't stain. The liner is smooth and didn't move all day, even when my allergies showed up and showed out! However, the color pigmentation of the liner is on the medium side, its not as bright on the lids as it is in the jar. I might try it over a black liner to see if I can get the color to pop more.

So what do you think?? Visit www.tartecosmetics.com to see the  FULL COLLECTION and  purchase this collection. The collection will also be available on Sephora.com and Sephora stores April 2013.

Disclosure: I was sent these products for review. All views are honest and I was not paid for this post.

~Swatches + Impressions~ Iman BB Cream in Clay Medium....

Hey Everyone!!

I think I've gone a little BB Cream MAD! I have about four BB Creams and I go between different ones on different days. Lately, I'm seeing more BB Creams with a dark shades and catering to women of color. I was too excited to hear that Iman Cosmetics was doing one. I think every brown girl blogger, beauty addict, product junkie I know was looking for her BB Cream!

I got the chance to try Iman BB Creme in Clay Medium.

 I chose Clay Medium based on the chart on the Iman Cosmetics website. Go to the site and check out how to select your correct shade. I have gotten very good at  eyeballing my shade and picking it off the shelf or a website without any physical swatches. If that is a talent, I have it!!

But when Clay Medium arrived, I wasn't very sure if this "talent" of eyeballing my shade worked any more.:/

 Before Iman BB Creme in Clay Medium application....

 After application of Iman BB Creme in Clay Medium....

Full face for the day!!

Face in natural light without a flash.....

Impressions and Thoughts:

-The color Clay Medium was very forgiving. The texture is very moisturizer/lotion like so the BB Creme just soaks into the skin very much like a tinted moisturizer.

-Iman BB Cream is 1.0 fl oz and retails around $19.00-$20.00. I think that is steep to be shelved at Walmart.

-The coverage is light and I didn't find it to be buildable. I tried applying it with a brush and sponge but it was still very sheer for my taste.

-If you have oily skin, you will need to either apply a primer before or set with a powder after. Or you can be a oily oil slick! lol! Most BB Creams are not catered to oily skin, hence CREAM( CREME). But if you set after or primer before you will only be a bit glowy in a couple of hours.

Final Thoughts:

I wouldn't buy this again. I like the idea of different shades catered to women of color and not one "dark" shade that looks no one you know. Bravo to Iman on that idea!! However, I fought with the coverage the most with this BB Cream. I'm a full coverage gal, even though I like products like tinted moisturizers and BB Creams. They are great for the summer when I do bring down the coverage. I would love to see how this does in the heat, so I'm going to tuck it away and bring it back out when the Carolina summer arrives. I also thought that $20 for a 1oz product in a Mass Market setting is steep. I would buy this, at the most, $12 or $13.

Have you spotted the Iman BB Creme yet? Have you tried it? Let me know in the comments!!!



Disclosure: I was sent this product for review. I was not paid to post and all opinions are honest.