The Perfect Gift for Moms or Moms to Be

Recently, I was introduced to a new subscription service for moms like me...moms who care about being healthy, about the health of their children, about the health and wellbeing of our earth.

That subbie box is Ecocentric Mom.

 

What is Ecocentric?

Urban Decay's NEW Perversion Mascara vs. Better Than Sex Mascara

In my August Ipsy Glambag

I got several cool items...

  I was very excited that we got to sample Urban Decay's NEW Perversion mascara so SOON after it just came out. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, Ipsy!

 

Anyways, I did my unboxing video:

 

You can see all the things I got, plus, watch as I apply UD's Perversion on one eye while I follow up with Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on the other eye.

What were the results?

Makeup By One Direction..."Up All Night" Collection Review & Tutorial

I've been stuck in a makeup rut.

Brown, gold, beige, taupe, bronze.

I don't often venture into bold, bright colors when it comes to makeup. Sometimes my lips get a little wild and colorful...but not my eyes. At least not often.

I had the opportunity to get out of that rut with the fun, playful new Makeup By One Direction. I had a blast creating some club-worthy looks with the "Up All Night" collection.

Watch the video to see the peacock-inspired eye look I created with these gorgeous, quality shadows:

In the video, I also give all the details on the performance of each item in the collection: eye shadow palette, liner/crayon, lipgloss, lipstick, mascara, nail polish and vinyl stencil set.

Here's my swatching of the colors of this collection:

Check out these shots of a more tame, everyday look I also created with this same palette.

And here's one look that's a bit between the two, using the neutrals above with that gorgeous, deep blue.

If you're interested in finding out more about these collections, check out the Makeup By One Direction Facebook page.

US RELEASE DATES: Macy's - August 11th Stage Stores – August 25th Dillards – August 25th Beauty Brands – August 25th Lord and Taylor - August 25th

I really like all the stuff in this collection, though the pink shade of the lipstick isn't really right for my complexion.

HELLLLOOOOO LIPS!!!

 I did find that when I put the lipgloss over the lipstick, it suited me a little bit better.

I'm more comfortable in neutrals/browns, though I will sometimes go bolder for fun. How about you?
Do you like to wear bold colors or neutrals best?

Disclosure: I received this product for review purposes from BrandBacker. I received no other compensation for this review, and my opinion is, as always, my own.

e.l.f. Ariel Beauty Book Review, Demo & Giveaway!

I am a fan of e.l.f. cosmetics...and I also have 2 little girls, so I'm a Disney Princess fan, too.

Of course I was attracted to these awesome new e.l.f. Disney collaboration products!

 

I picked up 2 of the Ariel palettes (aka Beauty Books), and one of the Snow White palettes.

The Perfect Nude Lip Revealed?

Last year I fell in love with a lip duo I received in one of my Glossyboxes.

It was my introduction to a Nude Lip. I'd never done a nude lip before, and really wouldn't have known how to create one, other than lip balm, which really doesn't qualify. Why? Because

a nude lip isn't truly nude, it's just a very muted color.

I tend to be drawn to colorful lipsticks, so I probably wouldn't have run across the makings of a nude lip on my own...

so thank you Glossybox!

 

Let me introduce you to ModelCo's Lip Duo in Dusk & Striptease.

Have You Found YOUR Red Lipstick for Fall?

All over the fashion and beauty blogosphere, it rings out...

this year, fall is all about

red

 

and

purple.

Some of my purple for Fall!

 Just as with spring, "they" have chosen to put forth colors I can embrace.

Had "they" chosen chartreuse...well, I don't think so.

But red...and purple? Oh yeah. I can so-go-there!

$22.50 Lip Balm? Is Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Worth It?

A couple of months back I stopped in at Sephora for my Beauty Insider Birthday Perk. I was totally excited to get this year's perk, a duo of mini Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments.

 

One is Rose (a lovely pink tinted shade), and the other is sans color...just plain, clear lip treatment (balm).

 

The Pros:

Easy Summer Face: Stila & Stainiac

For lots of us, summer means looking less made-up. We want to streamline our beauty routine, and we don't mind looking a bit more natural, even if we're not ready to go completely bare.

Just in time for my extended summer vacation in South Florida, I got several of my subscription beauty boxes. While they were all awesome, I'm going to focus on just one of those boxes for this post because it really helped me nicely achieve that less made-up look. My Birchbox contained several deluxe samples I was VERY excited to try out.

Photo: Birchbox

It had quite a few good things, but I was most excited to try:

theBalm® cosmetics Stainiac

and

stila one step bronze