Wet n Wild Silver Lake Collection Palettes

I will admit it - I'm a bit of a makeup snob. I usually wouldn't look twice at a Wet n Wild collection. But when I saw the Silver Lake collection for spring, the California Roll palette really caught my eye - I HAD to have it. Of course, I saw it like two months after it came out, and I ran around to a ton of drugstores trying to find it. I finally lucked out at a Rite Aid near me, and of course then I saw full displays at my local Wegmans. But I digress. I found the palettes for this collection to be super cute, so I picked up two!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque in 04 Viens Si Tu Roses - Review

Since I'm a big fan of the Bourjois Rouge Edition line, I had to jump at the chance to have a few of a new Aqua Laques sent to me in my recent Bourjois Haul that was facilitated by the lovely Pigmented Lips.

Viens Si Tu Roses is a raspberry red pink shade with a very glossy finish. The formula is a little thicker than a YSL Glossy Stain. The product comes with a doe foot applicator, and the gloss formula goes on smoothly. The gloss is quite pigmented and very, very shiny. There is a slight fruit scent that does fade after application. I wore this with my usual lip primer underneath, but with no lip liner. There was no bleeding or feathering. The formula felt light and mildly hydrating, not drying at all.

Since the formula is super glossy, it does transfer easily. The product left a stain on the lips, and the remaining product felt like a balm on the lips after the gloss transferred off. If you want the super glossy look all day, you will have to reapply more frequently. 

I liked this product a lot. It isn't on the YSL Glossy Stain's level by any means, but it's definitely a cheaper alternative for those looking for a similar product and not wanting to drop that sort of cash. Unfortunately, Bourjois is a little harder to come by if you're in the US (Walgreens is starting to carry it, though!) so you'll need a friend to send it to you if you want this specific product. (Or you know, order from Boots, etc.)

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Leaves a stain
• After gloss fades, has a balmy feel
• No bleeding/feathering

Cons:

• Gloss transfers
• Gloss fades fairly quickly

Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque in 04 Viens Si Tu Roses - £8.99 for 0.26 oz

Review - 4/5

Sephora "Extraordinary Rewards" Point Perk Release

Extraordinary Rewards Promo

If you're anything like me, you do quite a bit of shopping at Sephora, even though after every mishap (like sales where you feel you deserve more off, or bungled orders, etc) you swear you're going to shop there less. So since you shop there quite a bit, you probably have a few points saved up, since the regular point perks aren't really anything to write home about. About a week or two ago, Sephora sent out the above promo via email, letting everyone know that WORTHWHILE, AMAZING REWARDS ARE COMING! (Brace Yourselves!) The email said that another email would follow letting you know when the rewards would be available for Beauty Insiders to redeem, and they gave vague hints as to what would be available, such as sets from Kat von D and the pictured Urban Decay Naked Vault.

But...that email never came. (At least for me...the emails are technically still rolling out. As of this post, I haven't gotten mine.) The point perks silently went live on May 5th, at 4 AM EST/1 AM PST, and were snatched up within seconds. Canadian customers were barred from the majority of the perks. People waking up at a decent hour logged online to see forums already fuming at the fact that the perks were gone, and then they joined the masses in complaining that they didn't get a chance. I myself called the Rouge hotline and wrote a strongly worded email that I didn't even have a chance to try and redeem my points, because I was asleep like a normal human being.

Sephora, of course, handled this with their usual grace and aplomb no coordination or idea of what to do. Some people heard from Customer Service Representatives that there would be more perks on the way. Others heard that people "hacked" the site to get the rewards, and that their orders would be cancelled. Some people called to voice their complaints and were given points to smooth things over. (I was not offered points on either of my calls.) One of the Representatives I spoke with said they had "No idea what they were going to do about the situation," and that "Some people managed to get access when the perks went live early by mistake." Clearly, Sephora has made a mess of things, as usual, and is scrambling to make a recovery.

Once again, being a VIB Rouge has not paid off whatsoever, since I haven't even gotten the email that states the "extraordinary rewards" are available. As of right now, there is one reward currently left - a Josie Maran set with three products that do not have noted sizes (most likely deluxe minis) and an autographed cookbook by Josie's favorite chef. You can see why this is the last perk left - it's value is not worth the 1000 points it is listed for.

Right now, I am just waiting for Sephora to apologize for royally screwing up (again) and for possibly being offered some sort of token of their appreciation for being their customer through another one of their messes (yeah right.) But the drama sure is making the day go by quickly!

Bourjois Haul and Swatches!

When Boots has 3 for 2 deals and your friend in the UK offers to mule some things over for you, you jump at the opportunity! Here's my recent Bourjois haul:

I had been wanting to pick up the Healthy Mix Foundation for ages, so I made sure I got it! I got the lightest shade 51 Vanille Clair. I also got two of the new Aqua Laques, which are from the Rouge Edition line. I picked shades 01 and 04. 

The Aqua Laques are really interesting - they're not as pigmented as a Glossy Stain, but they are very glossy, which I like! The foundation looks neutral enough to be a match, I hope it works out. Be on the lookout for reviews soon!

MAC lipstick in Fusion Pink - Review

So last week, I blogged about my first Back 2 MAC experience, and I picked up the shade Fusion Pink for free. I finally got around to wearing it (I say finally, but it's been what, a week?) so here are my thoughts!

MAC Fusion Pink lipstick

MAC Fusion Pink swatch

Fusion Pink is described as a "bright pink" and is apart of the Amplified Creme finish family. Fusion Pink is indeed a bright pink with warm undertones, and it has a pearly iridescence to it that keeps it from being a flat shade. However, it does not turn frosty, which was a concern. The application was smooth and the formula is slightly sheer yet still pretty pigmented, which should be a given considering the Amplified finish. You still get full color with one swipe. When applying, there is a definite scent to the lipstick, the traditional MAC vanilla mixed with the scent of lipstick, but it fades away.  The wear is quite comfortable. I paired this with no lip liner, and did not experience any bleeding or feathering. I also paired this with my trusty MAC Prep and Prime lip. I did, however, experience some color gathering into the lip lines, as well as some highlighted flakes on my lips. I didn't experience the formula to be overly drying, however.

I wound up needing to reapply later in the day, as the lipstick was transferring onto my cup, even after blotting. The formula has a definite amount of slip, most likely due to the Creme portion of the Amplified Creme finish. This isn't the longest wearing MAC lipstick I have, but a lot of the issues such as the product collecting into the lip lines can be fixed by pressing the lips together. I like that I was able to put it on without a lip liner.

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Smooth application
• No bleeding/feathering

Cons:

• Lipstick/vanilla scent (it fades, though!)
• Collects into lip lines
• Prone to transfer

MAC lipstick in Fusion Pink - $16.00 for 0.1 oz
Review - 3/5

Spotted at Wegmans - Wet n Wild Silver Lake Collection!

While doing my weekly grocery shopping, I stumbled upon several nearly full displays of limited edition Silver Lake collection products from Wet n Wild at Wegmans!

I was super surprised to see the full eyeshadow palette display, since those have been out since February and I had a hard time tracking them down last week (before getting lucky at Rite Aid!) If you're still in the market for these and live near a Wegmans, check it out! 

April 2015 Favorites!

Another month has passed, so it's time for another month of favorites! Only one actual makeup item this month, but everything on the list is something I've seriously been digging!

1. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster - I'm not super old, but I'm getting to the age where I'm worried about starting to age. And I know once I get there, I'm going to be like a Disney villain about ageing - super passionate about being young forever or something. So during the recent Sephora spring sale, I picked up this serum which is supposedly fantastic due to the Vitamin C that's included. Vitamin C is a great skincare item due to its many benefits - reducing dark spots, reducing inflammation, helping to boost collagen production, and fading post breakout redness, to name a few. After using this for the past two weeks, I am seeing some definitely improvement in my skin. Also, it smells like oranges!

2. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50 - What a mouthful. This is my go to sunscreen that I apply every day after my moisturizer, under my makeup. It's easy to apply, absorbs quickly, doesn't smell overly like sunblock, and doesn't leave a white cast. It is a Japanese product, but it's easily found on Amazon at a price that won't break the bank. I'm currently finishing up my first bottle, and I will be purchasing my second soon! (Also it must be great, look at all the ++++++!)

3. Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang  - I've already posted a full review but I wanted to include this lipstick on my favorites list. I'm really impressed with this formula, so much so that I purchased another lipstick in the family during the Sephora sale (and OMG! wait til you SEE IT!!) Every time I'm at my local Sephora this shade is sold out, so I can't be the only one considering it a favorite! Do yourself a favor and swatch it in store if you haven't yet, it's definitely worth trying!

4. Simple Cleansing Wipes - I picked these up on a whim at Target, since I needed to toss something into my gym bag to take off my makeup before my workouts. I love these! A few quick swipes and these take off most everything aside from my waterproof mascara. I have to scrub a tiny bit to get my morn stubborn liquid and gel liners off, but the wipes don't need anything extra to get those off! My skin isn't left overly dry or irritated from the wipes either, which is a big plus.

5. WEN Lavender Cleansing Conditioner - I've heard a lot about "co-washing" and heard that this stuff is the best of the best, and held out til the sale to pick it up, because $32 is a bit much for a conditioner. Unfortunately...I love it. The directions say to use an inordinate amount of pumps to cleanse the hair (like 10-16 for my length hair) and then half the amount to sit in the hair while you finish up your shower. This feels like I'd be using the entire bottle in like five showers, and sometimes I shower like twice a day, so I don't use that many pumps and my hair still feels clean (even with my 309843084 thickening/volumizing products!) I think I will still shop around for something cheaper, but I know I definitely do like this product. There are different scents/flavors/whatever you want to call it, and each coordinates with a hair type - lavender is for fine hair, so make sure you buy based off of your hair type for optimal results!