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Revlon ColorStay Quad: Inspire (540) Review and Swatches
It isn’t everyday I get excited about a drugstore eyeshadow quad but I was really impressed with this Revlon ColorStay palette. I picked this up from Ulta’s a few weeks ago and it sat in my new product basket for awhile because these colors are really outside of my normally neutral comfort zone. I chose this quad because it reminded me of the Dior Spring 2012 garden collection palette. This was also my first time trying a Revlon ColorStay Quad.
While I initially thought these colors would be to hard to wear in an everyday daytime look I was pleasantly surprised when I finally started experimenting with it. The colors are bright and decently pigmented but they don’t look outrageous on the eye. The dark blue/navy shade looks gorgeous when used to line the upper and lower lashes and makes a gorgeous look all by itself. As I got more courageous though I added the mint green all over the lid (but not going above the crease) and then darkened the outer v with the turquoise blue. Add the cream color as a higlight and you have a wearable daytime eye. Initially I thought this palette needed a brown shade to anchor it but once I started using it I stopped worrying about having a neutral to play with.
The package states that these shades should last 16 hours. Without a primer I got a good 10 hours of wear from these, but I did have some considerable creasing with the lighter shades after a few hours. However, if you use the navy shade as a liner it will last all day.
When I used a primer these didn’t crease at all and lasted until I took my makeup off.
The cream shade had the best texture out of the 4 colors but all applied easily and blended without any problems. The brighter colors go on a bit sheer at first but are easy to build up. These do have a bit of shimmer to them but nothing overly glittery. I also had minimum fall out.
Things To Know:
1. These colors look intimidating at first but are actually easy to wear. Don’t pass this quad up just because you are afraid of color!
2. There are no matte shades in the quad but the glitter isn’t overly noticeable on the eye
3. I find I got the best wear out of these when I used a primer
4. The navy makes a gorgeous liner! I wear this around the upper and lower lash line and then apply a bronze eye pencil to my waterline. It’s gorgeous!
I really loved this palette and the formula of this Colorstay quad. I’m definitely going to be checking out the rest of the quads available in this line!
To view a recent eye look using this quad you can click here
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Review: shu uemura white recovery EX brightening cleansing oil
Hey friends 
So if you’ve been reading my blog you know I ordered and received a shu uemura eyelash curler a few weeks ago. The eyelash curler is wonderful and it came with a 50 ml bottle of the shu uemura white recovery EX brightening cleansing oil. I was really excited when I got this oil because I’ve been reading so many articles that rave about how great they are at removing makeup. I’ve been somewhat hesitant to try any though because my skin is oily and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that using an oil won’t turn me into a grease ball. Obviously this is a great brand though so the second I got it I was in the bathroom taking my make up off.
This is honestly the best makeup remover I’ve ever used. My makeup literally melts off the second I rub this onto my face. I just put a few drops on my fingers and then on dry skin rub this in gently. After I’ve massaged the oil into my skin and over my eyes I use a little bit of warm water on my face and the oil turns into a soft lather. A few seconds later I use a wash cloth to rinse everything off. It takes off mascara and foundation so easily. It doesn’t bother my eyes at all either.
My fear of feeling greasy after was overcome. My skin just feels soft and balanced when I’m done. Not tight and not greasy.
This is supposed to help with skin brightening as well but since I’ve been using it less than a month I can’t make any definitive statements on that aspect. I do feel like my skin has been looking brighter and smoother but I’ve been avoiding greasy food lately and been religious about washing my face and using a moisturizer. So it could be a combination of all those things.
The only con to this product is a full size bottle costs about 80 dollars. Luckily, you need such a small amount that I think my mini-bottle will last me a decent amount of time. If I do see a marked improvement in my skin’s discoloration though it might be worth the 80 dollars when I run out. I’m always hesitant to invest in these pricey skin care items but as I get older I’m beginning to see that value in buying products that actually work. I still love my drugstore brands though too!
Overall I really love this stuff and I’m so glad I at least got a chance to try it. If I don’t end up buying a full-size bottle I’m at least glad I got a chance to overcome my fear of using oil products on my face! I’ll keep you updated on whether or not I buy the full-size product as well
Click box below to get Free Gift With Purchase when you shop at Shu uemura
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March Favorites
Here’s the products I reached for the most this month!
Foundation Combo:
-Makeup Forever HD Foundation mixed with my CoverGirl NatureLuxe foundation. I dotted a little of each on my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin then buffed in with a dome shaped buffing brush. The finish of this is very natural and these 2 colors mixed together matched my skin perfectly.
Powders:
-Wet N Wild Color Icon Bronzer in the shade Reserve Your Cabana 743A. I got this bronzer in a Wet n Wild Haul I posted earlier this month and I love it so much! It’s super pale, I don’t even know how it’s considered a bronzer, but I love using this all over my face with a kabuki brush. The shimmer to this is so slight that it just makes your skin look like it’s naturally glowing. I’m so glad I bought this, it wasn’t a product I would normally look twice at and I only got it because it was on sale. Now I want to buy a couple of backups because it makes me skin look so great!
Lipstick and Lip Gloss Combos:
-Revlon Lip Butter in shade creamsicle topped with a milky pink lip gloss that I got at Forever21. This lipgloss doesn’t have a name on it and I think it smells like plastic Christmas flowers but I really like it with this lipstick so I wear it despite the smell!
-Maybelline SuperStay 14 hour lipstick in the shade Perpetual Peony topped with Lorac lipgloss in the shade Muse. This is a great combo because it lasts a really long time without any touch-ups and the pink is very easy to wear everyday.
Blushes:
-Laura Gellar Baked Cheek Dreams Highlighter and Blush in the shade Neapolitan: This is a great little color trio! The pink is very bright and the the highlight color looks good on cheekbones and under brows. I usually use the darker shade as a contour under my cheekbones and chin. I think these colors look best NOT swirled all together
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Peaceful: This is a pretty orangey peach. I’ve been reaching for this on days I wear a smokey brown eye or when I need my blush to last all day.
Mascara:
- Almay Intense i-color in Black Emerald: I picked this up because I thought it would be a fun alternative to black mascara and I absolutely love it. The formula of this mascara is great and adds a lot of length and thickness. The dark dark green looks really pretty with a smokey eye but I find myself reaching for this as my everyday mascara as well. The color is subtle enough that you can see a slight emerald look when the light catches it but not so in your face that you couldn’t pull it off at work.
Concealer:
- I’ve been loving my Rimmel Match Perfecting 2 in 1 concealers. I’ve been using the shade fair/light under my eyes and then Light to cover any blemishes or spots I have. These are great drugstore concealers. They blend easily and have pretty decent staying power.
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Lorac: Naked Lace Eye, Lip, Cheek Collection
Just a quick review on another value set I purchased recently. This one is from Lorac and I mainly purchased it to try out the mini lip glosses that it came with. I’ve been hit or miss with Lorac eye shadows but the ones that came with this set are amazing! The baked Lorac eyeshadows that I tried were super chalky and the ones that I had in a palette broke right away. However, this set came with little shadow pots and I can’t say enough good things about them.
First, the lace clutch this came with is so pretty. I love anything with black lace and nude color so I instantly liked this. This doesn’t feel low quality at all and I could see myself using this as an actual clutch for a night out. Packaging gets an A+
Next, the lip glosses!!! I’m obsessed! The colors this came with are Vintage, which is a true nude shade, Trend setter which is a peachy pink with a slightly shimmery look but no actual glitter, and last Muse which is a great nudey pink. These are available to purchase in full-size outside of the set and I have to buy them. The smell of these are amazing. It’s like a cinnamon marshmallow? Haha I don’t know it’s hard to describe, but if you’ve used the Lorac Tantalizer Bronzing lotion it is the exact same smell. These are very creamy and do have some opaqueness to them. While they are thick enough to be pigmented they don’t feel sticky. I need to buy Vintage and Muse, they are so pretty and perfect colors on me. I’ve been wearing these alone and over lipsticks and they work great either way.
From Left: Vintage, Trendsetter, Muse, Negligee, Boudouir, Rendezvous
These eyeshadows are great everyday shades. The texture is very creamy and they blend like butter. If you aren’t very good with eyeshadows these would be very easy for you to use. While these colors are not available outside of this set I believe these are the same formula and packaging as Lorac’s normal single eyeshadows. Boudouir is actually a more taupey plum than in this swatch and it makes a perfect crease color. Negligee is a champage cream color and makes a great highlight because it isn’t overly shimmery but I also have been wearing this all over my lid or in my inner eye. They are just great, easy to use shades.
The blush is a great classic peachy pink called Rendezvous. It works really well with the other items in this collection and just gives my cheeks a nice natural flush. It’s not matte but the shimmer in it is still wearable everyday.
Overall I think everything in this set is great quality and it’s a great neutral collection to have. You can wear everything and look super natural but you can also use boudoir to smoke out your eye and easily transition to an evening look. I think this is an excellent group of items to keep in your purse for fast touch-ups at work and to take you from a day to night look. I’m really pleased I didn’t miss out on this ( I got it during a sale on hautelook) so if you see it for sale online or at a store grab it!
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Not Your Mother’s: Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo
This post is for one of my best friend’s Alana. I’ve known her since we were little babies and she is one of the most naturally gorgeous girls I’ve ever met. She’s this amazing natural looking version of Jennifer Aniston and I love her. Anyways, she recently asked me some advice on how to help her hair hold style and volume better and I suggested a dry shampoo. I’m a number one fan of dry shampoo and I think they work wonders for all hair. They absorb oil and dirt so you can wash your hair less ( washing hair everyday is a big don’t) and gives squeaky clean hair that second-day dirty hair texture so it will hold volume and style longer.
Recently I’ve been loving Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo. This costs 6.99 and can be found at Ulta, Wal-Mart and CVS. It’s a much cheaper version of my other favorite Tigi’s Dirty Secret and I think it works just as well.
This does have a powdery white cast but if you brush it out you can get it to look invisible. Personally I prefer the powdery versions of dry shampoos as opposed to the clear versions even though I have dark hair. I have no real reasoning behind thinking this it’s just my personal opinion. I feel like the powder absorbs oil better or something.
I also really like the smell of this product. It isn’t overpowering and it doesn’t linger all day. It makes your hair smell clean but then it dissipates and you forget you even sprayed it on.
I use this everyday before styling to add texture and volume to my hair. If my hair is clean it helps my hair hold style and if it’s clean it freshens everything up and adds volume. After I apply I either run a brush through my strands or just use my fingers to tease my roots.
Overall this is a great dry shampoo. It’s affordable, easy to find, and really good quality for a drugstore product. I highly recommend this brand and dry shampoo in general!
Hopefully this helps you Alana
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