~Swatches + Comparisons ~ A $1 MAC Yung Rapunxel Dupe and More....

I skipped on purchasing MAC Yung Rapunxel for the simple fact that it look dupeable. lol! That's no shade to MAC because the deep, dark purple shade is on trend for the season and I absolutely love dark lippies in the fall and winter.

Per my sis Rai of GlamMorena, I purchased to closest dupe of Yung Rapunxel ( in her opinion), Revlon Va Va  Violet.

Check out the video below!!

  I also pulled out  CoverGirl Queen Collection Fine Wine, which I already owned and I purchased another color from my local beauty supply, Nicka K NK lipstick in Amethyst.

Nicka K NK lipstick in Amethyst was only $1 at my local beauty supply!! In the last couple of years, Nicka K has stepped their lipstick WAY UP...there are tons of dupes hiding in those lippies!!

Swatches of Fine Wine, Va Va Violet and Amethyst on my arm. Looks all the same right? Well, check them out on my lips...

Revlon Va Va Violet

CoverGirl Queen Collection Fine Wine

NK Lipstick Amethyst

Looks like Amethyst is the closest to Va Va Violet and Va Va Violet is the closest to Yung Rapunxel! lol! Ah, the way the makeup weaves its way through the universe. :)

So what do you own Yung Rapunxel or Va Va Violet or Fine Wine or Amethyst? Let me know!

~Review &Swatches~ L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Luminous Lipcolor in Violet Chiffon....

I've been eyeing the L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Luminous Lipcolor for while at my local CVS. There is a whole display of these, untouched for like, two months. Literally, not one color purchased. LOL!

Until, I bought Violet Chiffon.:) 

One of the reasons I hesitated to purchase the Caresse Lipcolors is that I thought they were like the L'Oreal Le Balm colors that came out the 1st of the year. The Le Balms were glorified lip balms and not made for my pigmented lips. I just didn't want to end up with another dud of a product.

 Violet Chiffon is a dark lavender. Very pretty but I wish it was a tad bit lighter in shade. For reason, lavender lip colors are hard for me to wear.

 (With flash)

I thought Violet Chiffon was very glossy in texture and buttery in feel. The pigmentation was nice, I got a opaque coverage on my lips.

(Without flash)

Consensus:
I thought Violet Chiffon was a pretty shade but a little off on my complexion. Like I said, my skin tone is funny about lavender lip colors. I also wasn't keen on the glossiness of the texture. I think this will be the last shade I buy in the Caresse colors.:(

Do you own any Caresse lippies? What colors? Let me know in the comments!

~Review~ Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Creme Compact.....

 Hey Everyone!

Today, I'm bringing you a review on Laura Mercier's NEW Tinted Moisturizer Creme Compact with Broad Spectrum SPF 20 in Walnut.

Check out the details on the tinted moisturizer that's in a compact!


This lightweight, SPF-rich formula leaves a dewy, sheer-to-moderate finish for flawless skin—wherever you go. Available in a range of shades for all skin types, this lightweight formula moisturizes and hydrates the complexion, softening fine lines and providing buildable coverage with a hint of color to impart a healthy and natural look. This expert formula applies evenly, does not oxidize, and visibly brightens and evens skintone by diminishing dark spots and imperfections. Broad spectrum SPF 20 provides UVA and UVB protection.

(Shade: Walnut from the Sephora website)

Ms. Mercier put her best selling tinted moisturizer( which I've had a Sephora sample of and it was AMAZING) and put it in a compact. I think that's pretty genius. No more squeezing out of a tube or bottle.

 I choose Walnut as my shade. Here it is swatched on the back of hand, if you can see it. Walnut melts right into my skin like most LM foundation shades. If you are ever on the look out for a perfect shade as a Woman of Color, PLEASE give Laura Mercier a try.:)

 My bare face....

 My face with only the Tinted Moisturizer Compact. The coverage is about in the medium range but one more layer and it could have been  full coverage. I don't do a lot of concealer, unless I'm looking extra tired, so I loved the coverage of the compact.

Finished look. I set my face with a translucent powder.

Pros:
- Absolute amazing coverage for a tinted moisturizer.
-Very smooth application. I applied it with several different items over a month's time: a sponge, a flat top foundation brush and my fingers. I prefer the flat foundation brush for a flawless finish.
-Spot on color match.
-Its still a moisturizer! It might go on as like a creme to powder finish foundation, but when I removed it at night, my face felt amazing, smooth and hydrated.
-Didn't affect my oily skin. I wasn't extra oily because of the tinted moisturizer. No super oil slicks or nothing.

Cons:
-NONE! The price might be high for some at $45, the quality level is worth every penny. Even at 35 years young, I'm just learning quality or quantity in some aspects in my life. A perfect match of skin tone of a foundation shade is worth it!

Are you getting Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Compact? Let me know!


Disclosure: The product was sent to me for review.

~Makeup Haul~ Drugstore Lipstick Dupes of High End Lipsticks......

#1- I'm addicted to Pinterest

#2- I'm a sucker for makeup "dupes" or duplicates of a high end product.

I swore off dupes at one point. I spent over $50 buying all the drugstore dupes of Urban Decay Naked Palette that bloggers were talking about when I could have purchased it. In the end or "At the end of the day" ( LOL!), I bought the Naked Palette!! And I love it!!!

So after the Naked episode, I swore off dupes and just tried to purchase the original. Then I came across this pin that lead to this tumblr.

And here you have my drugstore lipstick haul based on high end lipsticks.:)

 I actually got these four shades at Walmart. Revlon and Covergirl is wayyy cheaper there. I picked up:

Revlon Coralberry- MAC Vegas Volt dupe

Revlon Wine Not- ***not a specific dupe of anything I know of, but I liked it***.

Revlon Stormy Pink- MAC Pink Nouveau dupe

Covergirl Spellbound- MAC Girl About Town dupe

Coralberry, Wine Not, Stormy Pink and Spellbound swatched......

I've always wanted MAC Girl About Town but it looked so much like other bright pink lipsticks I owned so I never purchased it. I went through all of my bright pinks and I have nothing close to Spellbound.

I've seen some other dupes on that tumblr...so look out for some more hauling. lol!

So which ones of these colors do you own? The high end, drugstore or both? Let me know!

~Review~ L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation in C6- Soft Sable

Hey Everyone!!

I have had L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation for over a month and I wanted make sure I had a good assessment of it before I bought before my RGBL Family.:)

I purchased mine at Wal-Mart because they had a variety of shades whereas some the drugstores in my area only had up to the  meduim light shades and none of the darker shades. Here's the thing with me and ANY True Match product: I've never found the right shade in their foundation for my skin tone. I basically eye-balled the shades in Wal-Mart and picked Soft Sable.

 The foundation is 1.0 fl. oz. and its a glass bottle with a pump. It has a clear plastic top but I think threw mine away. lol!

 Here's a swatch of Soft Sable on my hand. My hand is much darker than my face...I have that "car tan" on my left arm.

 Before applying the foundation.....

 After applying the foundation and setting it with clear translucent powder......

Pros:
-it's a light to medium coverage which gives me the option to go light or go almost full faced.
-it covered alot of the discoloration and scars on my face without extra concealer application. I was very impressed by that.
-the price was reasonable. I think I paid $8.99.
-blended well with a brush and with a sponge.

Cons:
-where is the "lumi"? I didn't see any illumination of my skin like a highlighter would do. I don't see that claim.
-some days I would wear it, and see a white overcast on my skin BEFORE I would apply any setting powder. I think that might have been the "Lumi" effect or maybe its the broad spectrum SPF 20 in the product.

Overall....

I really like L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation! Great buy with a range of coverage you can build. If you can find your perfect shade, its a great buy for a drugstore foundation.

~Dazed + Adorned~ My Birthday Wishlist from Etsy

Want to buy the doll something for her birthday on Sunday? lol!

Check out my ultimate wishes from Etsy-Land HERE!! Including....where I and you can get the necklace above!:))

~Fresh Coat~ New Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in Socialite and After Party....

I'm finally get around to these two new Revlon nail colors that I picked up probably around the first of August. I think they had been on that display at CVS even longer than that!

First up....Revlon Top Speed in After Party ( the green shade)

 After Party is a creamy light wintergreen shade. This is two coats I'm wearing....

Next, Revlon Top Speed in Socialite( the beige color)

Socialite is pretty nude with shimmery base but way more creamy than shimmery. This is two coats, as well.

I like both shades but I like Socialite alot better. I'm partial to nude polish.:)

Anybody owe these shades? Let me know!!

~Shopping My Stash~ tarte Puttin' On The Glitz LE Collection( Holiday 2011) Girl's Night Out Revisited!!

After my great experience( and still experiencing) with tarte's Call of The Wild Palette ( Click HERE to check it out), I dug up some of my tarte shadows to give them another whirl. I'm not the biggest fan of their shadows but looking back at the COTW Palette photos, I noticed that they photograph really well. I can't explain it, but the colors come off more vibrant under flash and lens than I ever noticed!

I pull out one of the palettes from Puttin' On the Glitz Set from Holiday 2011. Out of 18 shadows of this set, I liked 10 of them and most were in the Girls Night Out Palette below.

My look from December 20, 2011.

 My look from September 10, 2012

The look on the lids from December 20, 2011

The look on the lids from September 10, 2012

I will say that my technique is ALOT better! lol! Plus, I used a different highlight ( a concealer) under the brow and a different bridge color in the crease.

I still really like Girls Night Out! Still a keeper and I must wear purples more often.:)

What do you think? Let me know......




Disclosure: These products were sent to me for review.

~Fresh Coat~ Fergie by Wet N' Wild Blue Eyed Soul....

 With flash 

I got like a bucket load of new polish. More like a basket of new polish, but ya'll get the picture. lol

The Fergie line for Wet N' Wild landed at my CVS and I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Most of the shades have already been done. This little pretty, Blue Eyed Soul, stood out to me.

Blue Eyed Soul was one coat, opaque, but I opted for two. It also has one of those square "pro" brushes for an easy application. Its definitely not long wearing, next day chipping showed up on time.

Without flash outside

Anybody own any other colors of Fergie's Wet N' Wild Polish Collection? Let me in the comments what colors are worth the pick up!

Rural Style: Hpnotiq Primp & Prep!!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hpnotiq for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.



I always tune in to my Pandora app on my Kindle Fire when getting ready for the day, church even going out for a bite to eat or even getting ready for a night out with the ladies. Now there is an entire website devoted to prep and priming you for a night out! It’s called....CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE POST....

~Natural Hair~ Five Ways to Use Oil On Your Hair....

November 11 will mark three years with natural hair and can truly say that I’ve learned so much along the way. I know there are tons of natural hair vlogs and blogs but I hope encourage  someone and share some of my lessons and tips on how I care for my hair.

I have 4c type ( kinky, coarse)  natural hair. The strands are coarse and kinky but I have regular density so it’s not “thick” as I’ve always thought.  I’m not chasing any length goals anymore. I stopped a year ago. That’s another post for another day!  I do, however, would like to maintain the hair I have on my head. My main struggle has been moisture retention. Some 4c’ers struggle with porosity because of how our strands are genetically constructed. So, I have to stay on top of moisturizing  with the correct regimen and products. One of best products that helped me along the way is hair oil or oils and how I use them in the care of my hair. 

Here are FIVE ways I use oil on my hair:

1     1)      I used Olive Oil to detangle before a wash to loosen my ends and rid of shed hair that can cause knots during the washing process. I picked this tip up from a natural hair blogger. I saturate my hands and start at the ends of my hair. It’s worth the time to do if you are trying to retain length.

2    2)       I pre-poo (pre-shampoo) with Castor Oil. I picked this tip up out of magazine when I was relaxed from a celebrity hair stylist. I coat my hair with Castor Oil, paying attention to the ends. Then, I cover my hair with a plastic bag and sit under a hooded dryer for 30 minutes. You can also do this overnight and wash the next day. Pre-pooing gives my hair extra protection and moisturizing when washing.

3   3)      I add Coconut Oil to my deep conditioner for an extra strengthening treatment. I just use about a tablespoon in a mixing bowl with my deep conditioner, mix well and apply to my hair. Then I sit under the dryer for 30 mins and rinse well after wards.

4   4)      I apply Jojoba Oil  to my scalp when I get “tension bumps” from pulling my hair too tight in puffs or when I wear braided extensions. Tension bumps are little bumps that develop on the scalp from pulling the hair too tight. I apply a bit of Jojoba Oil to these bumps and it clears them up in 2-3 days.

5   5)      When I wear braided or twisted extensions, I use Tea Tree Oil to disinfect the scalp and soothe itching. I use Olive Oil as a base oil and then add as many drops of tea tree oil as I like and apply it to the parts of my scalp that need the treatment. A well maintained scalp is just as important as well moisturized strands.

Let me know what other Natural Hair topic you would like me to address in the comments!

Disclaimer:
This is a sponsored post for Couture Colour, however, all the points and views are my own.

~Real News~ China Glaze Real Nail Appliques...

Looks like China Glaze is jumping into the nail polish strip game with their Nail Polish Appliques. I just spotted these on their FB page...so click HERE to see all the designs!

I love this one with the Cherry Blossoms!!