Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette: Holy Grail.

My Goodness!

Thats how I have to start this. I know I'm late on the bandwagon on this one- but my gosh this palette is amazing!

So tiny and compact and yet delivers a nice range of daytime and nighttime looks.

Lets begin by discussing the quality of the actual compact. It is the high quality packaging we have come to love from Urban Decay palettes. It is heavy- not in an overbearing way, but in an "expensive" way, and has a softness to touch. Inside has a fair sized mirror and it clasps shut nicely, which is perfect for travel (think about the original Naked Palette - didn't clasp shut and was a nightmare for opening in my suitcase or carry-on).

So with these two pictures you can see the inside mirror and the color of the shadows. They are, again, as we expect from Urban Decay for quality. Buttery and soft and extremely easy to apply and blend out. All shades except the far left, Skimp, are matte; Skimp has some subtle sheen to it. All are beautiful and it has become my go-to palette to reach for daily.

Just to show you the color payoff - below I have them swatched on my hand without a primer underneath.

Seriously. So soft and the staying power has been immaculate - with a primer (I usually use Smashbox 24-hour photo finish eyeshadow primer), this stuff lasts all day or night without creasing or fading. Well worth the $34 at Sephora Canada.

On a basic everyday look I will put Skimp on my inner corner and brow bone. Stark all over the lid and then place Frisk in the outer corner and blended up into the crease. Then, I will add either my Black Kat Von D Tattoo eyeliner to my top lid OR smudge Frisk into my lower lash-line for a light beachy smokey eye.

For a night out, I'll stray more towards the darker end of the palette. Using Skimp in the inner corner and brow bone again. But then I will play around with Cover and Primal on my lid and crease, and finish off using Undone into the lower lash-line for a more intense nighttime smokey look.

Bottom Line: this palette is well worth the purchase. Can create daytime and nighttime looks in neutral tones, small enough to travel with and a high quality product. I can see this being a staple in my make-up routine for quite some time.

Let me know what you guys think of this palette. Have you tried it? Or do you have any other recommendations, please share!

XOXO

-J

Viva Glam: Miley Cyrus

Hey everyone!

My Viva Glam: Miley Cyrus MAC lipstick finally showed up yesterday and I am sooooo freaking excited. I did not order the lipglass (total fail on my part there).
The packaging, as always on these Viva Glam products, is beautiful. Iconic black MAC tube, pink on the inside, with Miley's signature across. Love it. And sure, it doesn't hurt that I'm a huge Miley fan.

On a side note: just in case you guys didn't know, every cent of the purchase price goes towards those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, so there is also a great cause attached.

On to the lipstick!

This color is described by MAC as a "super-sexy hot pink hue", and my goodness, is it ever. The formula is what we've all come to love from MAC lippies and goes on super smooth and feels creamy on the lips.

This is in no way a lip stain and this does come off easily with eating and drinking - but a quick touch up and you're good to go.
One thing I did notice about this color: although it does come off fairly easily (seriously, be careful wearing white), it does tend to leave a sheer stain on the lips once it has come off. I did not re-apply it after work and I didn't take it off before bed last night as it was pretty much worn off (another fail for me, I know - ALWAYS take off makeup before bed). Anyway, when I woke up this morning, there was a sheer pink stain still there on my lips that was actually a really pretty subtle color. Basically, if you don't have time to re-apply, it does not come off blotchy or flakey, it just kind of.... gently fades away; my kind of lipstick.

Here it is with me wearing it so you can get a sense of the color on lips. It is super pigmented, but you can definitely play with the application to get a more sheer look if you like.

Today I went super simple on the makeup:

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer
Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro
Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara
Anastasia Brow Pomade in Ebony
MAC VIVA GLAM: Miley Cyrus lipstick

This lipstick will be perfect for the spring and summer... and lets be honest, we all know I'm gonna rock this during the end of Winter as well.

As a good friend of mine once said "Once you go MAC, you never go back".

XOXO
-J

Winter Wonderland Nails

Heyyy!

So in this months TopBox, I requested the Essie Prive box and got my choice!
I love when this happens, although, usually I end up choosing to "surprise me with a regular TopBox", I couldn't resist trying to get my hands on these colors.

Essie: Find me an Oasis (I received a Full-Size bottle)

Essie: Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low (I received a Sample-Size bottle)

Find me an Oasis is a gorgeous icy blue color that is so light is almost looks white on the nails, yet has just enough light blue tinge to tone down the brightness.
Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low is a shimmery gold that sparkles. I thought at first this would be like a glitter overlay, but it definitely isnt. This color is very opaque and does not have flecks of glitter, but rather flecks of shimmer.

When applied separately, these colors can be used at any time of the year. Find me an oasis would be a lovely beach color in the summertime, or a pale Winter neutral in the colder months. Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low is similar, as the color would be great for a sunny party, or feel festive for Holiday time.

When used together, these polishes evoke a feeling of cool iciness that just looks amazing for January. (Note: my application was a little sloppy due to the Shepsky puppy trying to help me during application).

One thing I would like to note, is that I actually am NOT a huge Essie nail polish fan.
While I do absolutely love the range, choices, and collection of colors that come out, I really dislike the brush and the formula. The brush feels dated in comparison to the shapes that have some out recently that are designed to make application easier, faster, and less messy (such as the Rimmel Lasting Pro Finish). As for the formula, I find that all essie polishes take forever to cry, regardless of color or finish, and it is definitely the brand that chips the fastest on my nails.
On top of all that, sometimes I really don't want to pay $10 for a nail polish that I will never get to the end of.
 However; sometimes I obviously cave when there is that special color I cannot find matched elsewhere and absolutely "must" have. Again, these polishes came in my January TopBox, so while I did not actually go out and purchase them, I still paid what would have been regular price for them when you factor in the subscription box cost.

XOXO
-J

Winter Fragrance Favorite.

Alright,

So it's been a while. Lets start this back up again with a Fragrance preference.
At the moment, I have a favorite scent. I am so in love with it, I am actually sad to see Winter leave because it is a tad too dark for the Spring and Summer months.
But guys... This perfume though.

When I say I'm sad to see it set aside, I truly mean I might cry.

Elizabeth and James (a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson brand) Nirvana Black. The Sephora site describes it as "an addictive blend of alluring violet, sensual sandalwood, and rich vanilla that strike the perfect balance between masculine and feminine",

That is the most perfect description of this scent. It is beautifully musky and dark yet completely feminine and wearable. I have taken to wearing is every day and adopted it as my new signature scent. It retails for $26, $66, or $90 a bottle on the Sephora site (depending on size) which can seem a little pricy, but is actually on par with most perfumes and is definitely worth it to smell like a mysterious and strong goddess for a day. Yes, this perfume actually evokes particular feelings of strength and confidence for me.

A dab on each wrist and behind the ears and this scent actually lasts all day long (no re-applying after work before going out!). It also does not seem to change its structure, as some fragrances do throughout the day when hit with lotions, hand washing, and sweat.

Currently I have the rollerball and will be re-purchasing that size and a larger size very soon - I like to have both for home and travel :)

Highly Recommend!

XOXO

-J

TVAL Review Pt. 2

Hey Everyone!

Time for Pt.2 of my TVAL product review! Lets just jump into it!
*again, these were sent to me for review - however, I am giving my own honest opinion of each product*

TVAL Cleansing Milk with Geranium

 So I've been using this for about a month now and I feel like it MIGHT have to replace my beloved ponds cold cream. I actually haven't made a final decision on that yet, but I like it that much that it's an option. It has an amazing creamy texture (much like ponds cold cream, actually) and just feels very nice on the skin when you apply it and rub it in. It washes away with no residue feeling, which is nice, as sometimes creamy cleansers can leave a filmy feeling like you haven't washed it all off. Also, I feel like the texture doesn't allow for any moisture to be stripped away, as it is not a drying cleanser at all. This is the kind of product I love in the nighttime (if you've seen my skincare routine you know I LOVE moisture for my skin at night). Now, I will say that it claims to remove all makeup. I have to debunk that unfortunately. I use mostly waterproof makeup on my eyes so I never rely on face wash to get that off. I always use makeup remover. However; this doesn't even really get all of my foundation off. At first  really thought it did, my face looks and feels clean, but then I go in with a toner, and the cotton pad has makeup on it. It is not very much at all, so this does a very good job at getting most of the light makeup off of my face, but it definitely doesn't get all. I assume thats because the formula is so gentle, which in my opinion is actually still worth it as long as you use a makeup wipe before or toner afterwards you will be fine. I will also add that the ponds cold cream is the same way (I never actually noticed before, so I tested it one night and there was definitely still makeup left after). Overall I really like this, but I'm still on the fence about introducing it in place of my beloved Ponds Cold Cream.

TVAL Pore Refining Toner

This stuff I really love. This is the toner I've been using at night that made me realize there was still a little bit of makeup left on my face after using a cleanser. I just pour a little bit on a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face. Compared to the toner I use in the morning (see morning skincare routine), this one actually does give the slightest tingle/tightness, but very very small amount, nothing like the Green Tea toner from The Body Shop. I feel like I can actually tell that it is doing what the name says, refining my pores, without completely drying out my skin. There is little more to say about this. It doesn't have a strong scent, if any scent really, it does exactly what the packaging says, and I have not had any breakouts at all using it. I have to say, TVAL pretty much knock skincare out of the park.





TVAL Dry Shampoo (for Brunettes)

Ok. So this stuff just looks ... weird. Dry shampoo that looks like baby powder that has been dyed brown. I was veryyyy hesitant on using this as I didn't really even know how to apply this without powder going all over the place. But, I had to try it and I have to admit, I was insanely surprised. The application is as I imagined, not easy at all. You kinda have to just try to get a little bit in your hands and apply it where you want the dry shampoo on your scalp, or use a makeup brush to pick some up and then apply it where you want. I don't have an extra makeup brush that I can just dip into this and apply to my head - I would need to figure out a good size/shape and buy one, so I just used my hands instead. This is where my negativity ends. I used it one morning when I didn't have time to wash my hair before work. Wow. Not only did it get rid of all the oil and buildup I could feel, but my hair had insane amazing volume. I actually couldn't believe it. Seriously, my hair looked great. I love that they tinted the product too because I have black hair and sometimes lighter dry shampoos actually make my hair look like I have dandruff or hairspray buildup. Despite the light brown color against my black hair, the product was not visible at all. I do really like how this product performs, again, I'm just not a fan of how you apply it. I would even be alright with having to use a brush like they suggest on the packaging, but it would be nice if a brush came with it for application. This size shown here is a sample size and it also comes in a shade for blondes.

TVAL Smink Eyeshadow Trio for Brown eyes

Truthfully, I'm just not a very big lover of pigment style eye shadows. I always feel like they're going to just cause a lot of fallout flakiness. I'm going to make this product review fairly short because I can't give much of an opinion in comparison as Iusually avoid this style of shadows. I will say that I really like the color payoff. The swatches shown are without a primer and the colors show fairly true to the pots. I also have to say that I really really like these colors a lot. The lighter and middle shades are very shimmery and the charcoal is matte. I like that the darkest color is not quite black, but almost a deep grey; it helps tie the colors together very nicely. Because the lighter shades are so shimmery I would probably find a similar color to help blend them out a little bit. Although I expected a lot of fallout and flakiness from these, they actually went on fairly smooth and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll probably use these for a night out look soon and show you what it turns out like! Overall, I do like these, but this style of shadow just isn't my favorite to work with for some unknown reason so I will definitely use these because the colors are so pretty, but I'm undecided if I would go out and get more once they're gone. Who knows, maybe after using these I'll get used to the loose pigment style shadows and end up buying them all the time, but right now, I just enjoy the packed or cream shadows a bit more as I do find they are easier to use.


So there you have it. My review of the TVAL products sent to me. Again, although these were given to me for review, I still gave my honest opinion. Some products I loved, others weren't things I'd repurchase, but as I always say, Just because they do or do not work for me, doesn't mean they won't for you. In store TVAL usually lets you sample things etc. so you can decide if it's something you would like. If I were to recommend products from this brand, I would definitely say the facial skincare lines are amazing and are a definite must. After trying these products I am dying to go back down and pick up some bath and body products; bath bombs, body butters, things like that as I am hopeful of similar results.
If you don't live in the area, again, TVAL provides online shopping and will ship to you!

I hope this didn't sound too preachy about the brand, I actually just really like (most) of what I tried and have been using this in my skincare routine since before anything was sent to me.

Anyway, let me know what if you guys have tried anything and what your thoughts are!

Thanks for Reading! Love!

-J