~Review & Swatches~ tarte Girl Meets Gloss 5-piece Maracuja Gloss Collector's Set.....

Hey Everyone!!

I'm getting in a quick review of tarte Girl Meets Gloss 5- Piece Maracuja Gloss Collector's Set before I watch the Presidential Debate. After the debate comes on and goes off, I have no focus at all!!

 tarte's Girl Meets Gloss set is a QVC exclusive. It includes 5 full size Maracuja glosses for $34.50. One Maracuja gloss is $21, so the price is a steal.

The shades in the kit are:

 (left to right) Bubbly, Curious, Preppy, Chic, and Sparks

 Bubbly

 Curious

 Preppy

 Chic

Sparks

Pros:
-the price of the kit is awesome! $35 is , again, a steal for glosses that costs $21 for one.
-the applicator is brush with a pumping action to get the gloss up to the brush. I love this because I used to be a huge fan of Stila glosses that are of similar packaging.
-the formula is not sticky and the minty smell is very faint.

Cons:
-the pigmentation is zilch. When I do wear gloss alone, I want my lips to be opaque with the color. I don't know what tarte was doing when they made a $21 gloss clear...5 glosses at $21 a piece fairly clear. They probably look better on less pigmented lips. Here's an example.
-the formula is a bit heavy. I applied the gloss on top of a couple of lipsticks and it was too much for me.


Consensus:
If you like pigmented glosses, skip Girl Meets Gloss. The beautiful packaging, the great price and it looks like any other $1 gloss at the beauty supply store. However, this would be the perfect gift for a teen who's just starting out wearing makeup and is trying to keep it subtle and pretty. This also be a perfect gift for the all around lip gloss lover who loves gloss regardless of formula.


What do you think Girl Meets Gloss Set?

Disclosure: These products were set to me for review. All opinions are my own.

~Swatches & Review~ Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection in Green With Envy.....

Hey Everyone!

I got the Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection in Green With Envy to show you this time. If you haven't seen my review on the Hard Candy Top Ten Naturally Gorgeous palette, click HERE to check it out!

 I don't own alot of green shadows. Green With Envy reminds me of Black Radiance 8-pan in Urban Jungle. Green With Envy consists of ten shadows at 0.04 oz a piece. I found it interesting that there are five green shades and five neutral brown shades in Green With Envy. All of the neutrals in this palette are repeats from Hard Candy Top Ten Naturally Gorgeous palette.

 I came up with this look yesterday....I used the dark green shadow in the palette and a brush wet with MAC Fix + to line the bottom lash line. LOVED IT! I had wayyy more fun with this palette!

 Another similarity with Naturally Gorgeous are that the lighter shades are just light as a feather with very little building power.:(

 I did find that the middle shade was a very close dupe to MAC Sumptuous Olive ......

MAC Sumptuous Olive on the left, Hard Candy olive green shade on the right.

Sumptuous Olive is a bit darker, but they are in the same olive green family.

Pros:
-I liked this palette the best! The darker colors, which are all of the greens are beautiful and easy to work with.
-$6 for 10 shades is still a good deal and they can be found at Wal Mart.

Cons:
-The lighter shades, which are the browns, were not good. Good thing is that there are all two "light" shades in this palette.


Consensus:

Green With Envy is GO BUY!! Pick this up if you don't have any or not alot of greens in your collection and you want to add or play with them in your collection.:)

Are you planning on buying Green With Envy?

~Swatches & Review~ Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection in Naturally Gorgeous....

Hey Everyone!!

I've been playing with the two Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection palettes I bought last Sunday all week. I didn't even know these existed until I saw DivaMakeupQueen post them on her Facebook page. What would I be without the power of social networking??:)

 I picked up Naturally Gorgeous ( the neutrals) and Green Wtih Envy ( the greens and neutrals).

 Naturally Gorgeous consist of ten shadows at 0.04 oz each. I would venture to say that the palette is set up like Urban Decay Naked palette, light to dark in color. There are no mattes, all shimmers. I didn't even bother to compare the two. *shrugs* If want me to do that, compare UD Naked and Naturally Gorgeous, let me know in the comments ( I did see some "similar" shades in each palette when just looking at the two).

 I wore the palette about three different times and I will say, this was the best look I came up with...

 Here are a few swatches. I tried to swatch a couple of light shades and some the dark shades....

Pros:

-$6 for 10 shade and its available at Wal-mart. Great price and great location.
- the shades are a variety of pigmentation from light to heavy, so many looks can be created.
-sturdy packaging and good mirror for the price gets a thumbs up.

Cons:
-the variety of pigmentation can be frustrating. It was for me.
-the light shades are harder to work with blending and application.


Consensus:
You get your $6 worth with Naturally Gorgeous. Its not something to go out and stockpile and I know with the Hard Candy makeup at my WM, its always getting restocked. I couldn't help but to notice that I've had palettes from the Beauty Supply Store for $3 better than this palette. *shrugs*  Its hit or miss for me.


Are you picking up Naturally Gorgeous soon?

~Rural Living~ Five Ways to Restart Your Weight Loss.....

Hey Everyone!

After losing weight and gaining most of it back this year, I’m here to tell you that I will be starting the weight loss journey over soon. However, I want to make sure that I’m dedicated and focused like I was before. Yes, I was focused but I also got lazy after I lost a significant amount and I slacked off with my eating and exercise.

There is nothing wrong with starting your weight loss journey over! Here are some tips I plan on using to get back on track and get the weight off.

1       1)      Reset goals- I’m going to go back and pull all my food diaries and goal diaries to see what I was focusing on back then. Also, I going to look for in those diaries what worked and what did not work.

2       2)      Take measurements and weight- The last time I lost the weight, I only took my weight but not my measurements like bust, hip and waist inches.  Those numbers are just as important as the scale numbers.

3       3)      Research new food alternatives to weight loss- What worked for me last time was portion control and water intake.  There are so many great ways to eat and lose weight  that have showed up in the last year: juicing, xango super fruits, smoothies, and many more. You never know what can happen for you unless you try.

4      4)      Challenge myself- Whether it’s a two week exercise challenge, a water intake challenge, or a 30 day no coffee challenge, it is important to believe that you can do it! Challenge yourself for a better self!

5      5)      Save the date- When you have all the goals and all the research done, set the date to start again. Celebrate this day as the day you became strong enough and wise enough to realize starting over is a fresh start!

I’ll be back really soon with my “Save the Date” for my renewed weight loss journey with goals, ideas, and all my research done. My grandma “Granny” used to tell me that “There is nothing wrong with falling down, it’s staying down there that is the problem”.  She was so rightJ.

This is a sponsored post for Xango, however, all the points and views are my own.

~Pinterest DIY Beauty~ How To Make Your Own Satin Hands Scrub.....

I love Mary Kay Satin Hands...but I don't love Mary Kay representives. lol! No shade, but they are a pushy bunch. However, Satin Hands is an awesome product. I haven't owned it in years due to my avoidance of reps. *shrugs*

When I saw this pin...I immediately pinned it under my DIYs. DIY hand scrub ala Satin Hands?? Yes!!

The pin is from One Good Thing By Jillee and she calls it "Gardener's Scrub"

 You will need:
-a container of your choice. I used a short Mason or Ball jar.
-dish detergent. She's suggests Dawn with Olay Beauty Hand Renewal. Wal-mart has a generic brand of it. I didn't know that!
-sugar
-a spoon

 I filled the jar half way with sugar....

 Then I filled the jar 1/4 up with detergent. I wanted my scrub to be pastey but it was a bit liquidy. Use less detergent and more sugar to get the pastey consistency.

 Stir with your spoon....

 And you are done!

I used my scrub with Lumene Sensitive Touch SOS Cream. I put the scrub on then topped it with the cream, rubbed my hands together and rinsed. Just like you do Satin Hands. My hands felt AMAZING! You can tell I haven't given them a treatment like that in a while!!

Cool DIY, eh? Will you be trying this? Let me know!

Next week.....DIY Nail Polish with old eye shadow. Whoooaaaaa....LOL!