Wet N Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer in Sunkissed

In my last haul, I told you guys about the WnW Tinted Moisturizer I got at Walgreens. I know how expensive a makeup hobby can get and I get so excited when I find quality cosmetics at a really good price to share with you guys. Sure, I love my high end cosmetics (Armani, why do I love you?!?!) but I love a great bargain too :) This TM is currently at a 4.2/5.0 rating with a 79% buyback on Makeupalley. If you're familiar with Makeupalley, you know this is a pretty good rating... especially for WnW. It was only $3.99 plus BOGO last week, so I figured, why not?!

Here's a picture of me with it on in natural light standing by my window. The pictures were resized but that's as far as my editing goes. I mixed the TM with a bit of lotion and stippled it on with my MAC 187, giving me a really smooth airbrushed finish. Love that brush!



PRODUCT:
-Gives more coverage than a TM
-More like a light to medium coverage
-Lighter/sheer and glides on easier when mixed with a lotion
-Clean, natural finish and feel
-Not shimmery, not matte, just natural
-Texture and finish reminds me of MAC F&B
-Has 5.6% titanium dioxide, so some sun protection

COLOR:
-Sunkissed is a medium beige/golden shade, good for NC30-NC37 skintones
-I believe there are only 3 or 4 shades :(
-The color selection is lacking but these do blend in pretty well to your skintone

PRICE:
-Super cheap at $3.99!

PACKAGING:
-1 oz tube(same amount of product as Revlon Colorstay)
-Hygienic squeeze tube with twist off cap


(Image taken from Drugstore.com)


Overall:
Since this is a lighter coverage foundation, it felt clean on the skin and not heavy at all. It didn't break me out... something that usually happens when I test out new foundations, especially heavier ones like Revlon Colorstay. This would be wonderful for the warmer months because it feels so light on the skin. If you're looking to try out a new foundation, this is perfect because it works really well as a light/medium coverage foundation and has a wonderful price point. I love the hygienic squeeze tube bottle. I'd say one downside of this product is the poor color selection. I happened to find a shade that matched perfectly with my skintone. These are light and do blend in really well so there shouldn't be too much trouble as long as you find a decent match. Most drugstores like Walgreen's and CVS will let you exchange or return the product if it doesn't work for you or if you get the wrong shade, even if you've tried it. Just keep your receipt and any packaging. The only other downside I could find was that this was more like a light foundation. Sure, this is better for some of those (like me!) out there who prefer slightly more coverage than a TM but may be dissapointing for those who are looking for a very sheer tinted moisturizer. A solution to this would be mixing it with a bit of lotion. I think I will continue to use this method when I'm having good skin days :)

What I'm wearing:
-WnW Tinted Moisturizer in Sunkissed
-Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
-MAC MSFN in Medium Dark
-MAC Warm Soul Mineralize blush
-NARS Concealer Duo in Custard/Gingerly
-Gunmetal shade from Cargo Hands of Hope Palette
-Andrea Modlash in 13 Black
-L'Oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner in Grey
-L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black
-MAC Lipglass in Lovechild

Here is the MUA link if you'd like to read more reviews or find suggestions on what shade is right for you:

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=65481/Ultimate_Sheer_Tinted_Moisturizer--Sunkissed/Wet__n__Wild/Tinted_Moisturizer

Sephora & Ulta Haul + Cargo Hands of Hope Palette!!!

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed your Christmas! :)

So today I went after Chrismas shopping at the mall and picked up a few things from Sephora and Ulta. Here are my first impressions of each one in case any of you are interested in learning more about each product. Today is the first day I've used the majority of these products so I'll update my opinions later on down the line and keep you all posted.

By the way, I almost always read reviews on Makeupalley before purchasing items. It's saved me a lot of time and trouble by helping me weed out good products from the bad ones and I would highly recommend you register for that site if you already haven't :)



-L'Oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil in Grey:
I have the Carbon Black version of this pencil and I absolutely love it. I bought the grey this time because I wanted to get something that would look less harsh on my waterline for less dramatic looks. These pencils are smooth, soft, pigmented, and stay on for a VERY long time. The Carbon Black shade is as inky and dark as black gets. These remind me of Stila Kajals except they actually last, even on the waterline. Probably my favorite drugstore liner along with Revlon Colorstay.

-L'Oreal Telescopic in Carbon Black:
I have been wanting this mascara for the longest time after hearing so much about its lengthening abilities. I tried it out today. It's SUPER black (love the Carbon Black shade L'Oreal has) and really does give my lashes a lot of length. The wand is unlike any other wand I've tried. It's rubbery but very narrow with a large space between each row of bristles... interesting. I've only tried it once so I'll keep you posted on this one.

Update: This really reminds me of my BE Flawless Definition Mascara. This is more of a 'wet' formula so make sure you're okay with that if you plan on checking this one out!

-L'oreal Extra-Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black (WP):
I might go back and exchange this one for the original formula instead of the waterproof I accidentally grabbed up. I usually prefer original formulas over waterproof because I like the consistency a lot more. This is supposed to be very similar to Voluminous, one of my favorite mascaras for volume. Comparing the two wands, Extra-Collagen is a lot larger and the bristles are less uniformed.

Update: Really did not like this. Clumpy and hard to apply. Stick with Voluminous, it's a much better choice.



-L'oreal HIP Duo in Sassy:
The taupey purple shade in this duo is supposed to be an exact dupe of MAC's Satin Taupe. I used to own Satin Taupe way back when, but swapped it on MUA awhile ago since I thought it made me look bruised. It was a beautiful color swatched on its own though.... Then I started getting curious, wondering what other colors it would pair well with. Instead of purchasing another one, I went with the L'Oreal option because if I didn't like it the second time around, it wouldn't matter because I loved the blue color this duo came with too :) Both colors have a pretty sheen and are highly pigmented. This is definitely a higher quality DS e/s than most in my honest opinion.



NARS Concealer Duo in Custard & Ginger: (Medium-Medium Warm shade)
This was in the Sephora weekly special section for $10. I couldn't pass it up, it was such a steal. Originally, this concealer duo retails for $30. It was the only shade available for the special but was actually the perfect match for my skintone. I would say this would work well on skintones between an NC35 and NC42. Those on opposite ends of the spectrum might only be able pull off one color or the other. I I'm about an NC37 so both shades work for me... how convenient! :) I noticed that the lighter shade worked better for my undereye area while the darker shade worked well with blemishes and any discoloration. If you're a little lighter, you can maybe even use the darker shade as a brown base over UDPP or even a cream contour color. If you're darker, you can use the lighter one to highlight, like down the bridge of your nose. These are very creamy without being oily and have a natural finish. Very pigmented, as are all NARS products. I purchased another one for my sister :)

-Cargo Hands of Hope Palette:
OMG!!! This is probably my favorite beauty purchase of the year!!! I'm so glad that I got my hands on this beautiful palette. Seriously, it kicks some of my MAC and UD palettes to the curb, it's that good. I don't even feel the need to purchase the new BOS anymore. My life is complete, LOL! I've never been interested in Cargo but they REALLY caught my attention with their holiday palettes. I was lucky enough to even find one of these in stock. The first two Sephoras I checked today had been completely out of stock since way before Christmas. On the way back home from shopping, we happened to pass by another Sephora, one that was not as popular of a location as the other two. I gave it a shot and got.... THE LAST ONE! Yay! I was soo excited to see my palette lying there all alone in the back of the shelf and literally snatched it up in like a second. I think this one lady and her daughter next to me thought I was completely insane, lol. Now onto the palette itself....



They have a beautiful pearly sheen in real life. The colors are brighter. The purple is more purple in real life. It turned out a little blue/violet in the picture. The camera didn't pick up the colors too well :(

It's hard for me to justify buying a palette if I'm not completely in love with all the colors... and rarely does this ever happen. There's always that one shade that's really off or one you're never going to use. That was not the case with the Cargo palette. I love all the colors in this palette. It's a good mix of bright funky (yet wearable) colors and un-boring neutrals. I haven't played around with the colors too much (the beautiful embossed Hamsa hands also play a part in this) but I've swatched them all and they are buttery smooth, soft, blendable and pigmented. What you see is exactly what you get. The texture reminds me a lot of MAC's Veluxe Pearls. I especially love the purple, green, and taupey brown shades in the top row. There are a lot of unique shades in this palette, which is another plus.



The best part about this palette was the incredible value I got for just $29. In my eyes, this palette would definitely be worth at least $40. The shadows are also HUGE and the embossed packaging is unique and very pretty. Basically, you would be paying $3 and some change for each shadow, which is a great deal. I'll put up some swatches as soon as I get a chance to. The only bad part about this palette is that the individual shadows do not come with names :(

This palette was nearly impossible for me to find and I don't believe they are restocking it since it was a holiday collection. If you're planning on purchasing this palette, try calling the store first. It'll save you a lot of time and trouble. It's still available as of now on the Sephora website but who knows for how long. Seriously, HURRY and get this one before it's gone for good!!

I also stopped by Walgreen's again and picked up a WnW tinted moisturizer in Sunkissed after hearing so many amazing things about it on MUA. I'll keep you guys posted on that as well :) And the little sample jars in the picture are Benefit's High Beam and Moon Beam, which I'll be trying out this week.

Oh and one last thing...
I've also been really interested in purchasing MAC's Spring Bean lipglass. It's a bright shimmery green in the tube but when applied to the lips, it neutralizes the red in your lips and leaves you with a honey nude lip. Does anybody own this lipglass? If so, what are your thoughts on it??

Wet N Wild 'Craze' nail polish review

Ugh. I totally know what you're thinking... Wet N Wild??? Really??? Yes, I know but seriously, some of their new products are DEFINITELY worth checking out. Typically, when I think of Wet N Wild I think of broken eyeshadow palettes and middle school... *shudders*

Well... not anymore!

I've been hearing some wonderful things on the MUA boards about WnW's Creme Liner and Craze nail polishes. I already have the creme eyeliner, and it is AWESOME. It's a great, cheap alternative to Fluidline and in my opinion, lasts longer. I even went swimming in my friend's pool with this stuff on and one hour later, it was still as perfect as when I had applied it! Did I mention it was only $3.99????

Back to the Craze polishes...
These are really high quality nail polishes and cost just under $2.00 each at my local Walgreen's. The best part was that Walgreens is having BOGO this week! A high quality nail polish for $1.00??? That's like so much better than those dumb mini bon bon polishes you see at Walmart! LOL. I picked up two for me and two for my sister. There were only nine shades to choose from but I happened to find two that I REALLY ended up liking.

I got...

Morbid (L) and Shield (R)


Morbid was the one that drew my attention out of the bunch. I'm a huge fan of vampy shades and this was the perfect dark forest green my collection was missing! It has very fine shimmer particles of green and gold. The color is so opaque, I could even pull off using just one coat.

Shield is a pewter-taupe. A very unique shade and reminds me of OPI's You Don't Know Jaques! mixed with a gold metallic sheen. I'd love to see this color as an eyeshadow, it reminds me of MAC's Smoke N Diamonds. I tried one layer on top of the OPI polish and it looked very soft, pretty and sophisticated.

I love that both shades have that fine shimmer. It gives the polish a lot more dimension and makes them look more interesting.

In this picture, I used 2 coats of Morbid and drew 2 slanted line designs on each nail with gold glitter nailpolish. It was hard to capture on camera because the sparkles reflected so much light and took over the rest of the picture...



So here's a little rundown of the polishes I bought.

Pros:
-SUPER cheap!!
-Great staying power (1 week w/o chipping)
-beautiful metallic sheen
-nice, opaque formula

Cons:
-Brush is short, kinda hard to see what you're doing
-limited color selection

Check these out next time you're at your local drugstore, they're a total steal!!

Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland BOS!!!

It'll be out December 28th! With packaging like that, how are we supposed to resist???? The Alice In Wonderland theme is ADORABLE and I've still been kicking myself for not getting the BOS II. The shadow names are so cute and all related to the book/movie (white rabbit, alice, drink me eat me, curiouser, etc) :) The packaging is pop up and will look so cute on my vanity.... I already see it now! Haha!

Oh yeah... the colors are nice too..... LOL

Anyone else as excited about this as I am??
All my other planned hauls are going down the drain to save up for this baby!

Velcro Rollers: Volume & Loose Curls

I feel like such a newbie at blogging, LOL. It's sad, I seriously get lost on this site all the time. You have to start from somewhere though, right??


This is my straight hair before and without falsies:


Alright, so today I'm going to show you guys the products I picked up today and also talk about how I created the following hair look. After velcro rollers and falsies:

Loose flowy curls with volume




In case you're wondering, I'm wearing:
-MAC Sumptuous Olive (lid)
-MAC Embark (crease)
-MAC Moss Scape paint pot (base)
-BCBG cashmere long sweater
-Andrea Mod Lash 13 Black

Ok, so I went to Target today and browsed around. I decided to pick up the ELF Hollywood eyelash kit since I'm gonna need some dramatic lashes for New Years! :D Plus it was only 3 bucks so I figured why not? I love the look falsies give you, it can completely change your eye makeup and really expand and brighten your eyes up. The only problem is, I HATE having them on. I just don't like knowing that they are glued onto my lashline or feeling it, ugh! I don't know how you ladies do it... I guess it's something that you just have to get used to.

I also picked up some Tresemme Extra Hold hairspray. I've heard great things about it and I used to use it about 3 years ago. It's funny because the smell brings me back to that time! LOL it's kind of sad that a hairspray will do that for me when it's usually something like a perfume that brings back memories! I usually use Big Sexy Hair's Spray and Play but I'm going to try this one out since I ran out of the other one.



Then I went to Ulta and picked up a Hot Tools Thermal Ceramic Roller 12 Pack. It was $10.99 but rang up a little less than $9.00. I was somehow able to use my $5.00 off coupon too, so altogether, I got these for about 4 bucks! :) Very happy about that. I wanted to pick these up and give them a chance to use with my Conair 3 pk jumbo rollers, just some extra ones since my hair is pretty thick and long. I was never really good at using velcro rollers or hot rollers but with practice over time, they became a lot easier to use. I really think traditional hair rollers are the best way to get that "Victoria's Secret supermodel" hair. I find this to be the only way to get incredible sexy volume and curl in one. Anyways, the set comes in a zippered plastic tube, great for travel and storing. It comes with 4 blue jumbo rollers and tucked inside each of them are a pink medium roller and a yellow small roller. They are thermal ceramic rollers so they retain heat and distribute it more easily throughout your hair.

Next, I went to Sally's. I can seriously just stay in that store and look at all the cool beauty products they have, there is just soo much. Love it! At the Sally's locations I've been to, the staff always seems pretty knowledgeable about the products they carry in the store. I usually go to the older ladies because they always seem to know the most and suggest the best products. I asked what their best teasing comb was. I was holding up the two that I thought would do the best job when she directed me over by the brushes. She pulled out this neat brush...

The Spornette Little Wonder!


She said it was the best for teasing and volume, even better and easier to use than a rattail comb. It's the Spornette Little Wonder and it only cost me $3.49 with my pro card. Without a pro card, it would still only be about $4.00.



You can see in the pictures that this comb has three rows of bristles with a sectioning tail at the end. The bristles are black natural boar hair (boar hair bristles give you great shine and smoothness) and there are also blue tourmaline bristles between the boar hair for conditioning. It was soo cute and unique I just had to get it!! I used it as soon as I got back home and I LOVE IT!! Next time you are at Sally's be sure to pick up this brush! I've seen some YouTube gurus use brushes like these that were purchased online for like $20. The Spornette one is SUPER cheap and works like a charm. It's so easy to use and I feel like it doesn't knot up my hair as much as a traditional rattail comb.

So on to the look.........



1.) Tease small section of hair with teasing comb. I'm using the Spornette Little Wonder I purchased today. Curl that section of hair with a 3/4 inch or 1 inch curling iron. Hold for 10 seconds.

2.) Immediately after curling that one section, wrap it in the velcro roller in a downward motion away from your scalp. I like to start from the top middle section of my head, work back to the neck and then go down on each side of my head. I use bigger rollers near the top to get more volume and smaller ones as I work my way down the scalp to produce more curl. Use a section of hair that is wide enough to cover the roller but thin enough so it actually rolls and sticks onto the velcro. Pin the ends of the rollers to your hair if you're having trouble with your hair staying on the rollers.



3.) Repeat in sections in the order stated in step 2 until there are no loose strands remaining. I usually do four down the middle and four down each side using jumbo rollers for the top layers. Make sure to spray each section with hairspray. Spray once all over with hairspray. Make sure to hold the can 10 inches away so it doesn't look or feel hard. Remember, we're going for LOOSE curls!

4.) Use a blowdryer on low speed and high heat and blast each roller for 3 seconds. Do this with all the rollers. Then wait about 15-20 minutes or until the rollers are cool again. The longer you leave them in the curlier and better they will look. I usually do my makeup while they're cooling.

5.) Carefully take out each roller by winding them out of the roller in the direction of the curl. Don't just pull them out, you want to keep the definition of each curl.

6.) We're all done! I usually flip my head upside and spray once more with hairspray to give it more volume. Then I like to shake out the curls with my fingers and adjust them until I'm satisfied with the way the curls look together! You can also tease the roots a bit more if you'd like.









Finally, a swatch of Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in 271.....



I love it! This is a swatch on my bare, slightly pigmented lips with nothing else underneath. It's the perfect girly pink and has these tiny slightly cool silver shimmers. I love the consistency of Dior glosses and Chanel glossimers. They are sooo smooth and not sticky at all *cough, MAC NARS, cough!* Though I kind of like a tacky feeling on my lips too since it makes it feel like the product is lasting throughout the day.




Question of the day: What's YOUR favorite way to get supermodel volume and curl??
(I would say... first hot rollers, second velcro rollers!)

I'd really like to know what you guys think!!
Hope this post was at least helpful to some of you out there who aren't sure what to do with their velcro rollers :)


EDIT: Don't get the ELF set! Save your three dollars! LOL The lashes were complete rubbish. The only part I liked was the eyelash holder, but is that really necessary???

Favorite Drugstore Quads/Trios

There are soo many high quality drugstore products out there that are often times overlooked. I'm going to be focusing on trios and quads today. I've found some with awesome pigmentation and creamy blendable textures. I thought I would share a few of my favorites:

-Milani Quad in Earthly Delights
For some reason, it's getting harder and harder to find Milani where I live. So sad because they really do have some good quality eyeshadow quads and singles. They do sell Milani on Cherry Culture though. I love that the colors are soo pigmented and they coordinate really well with one another. This is a great quad to own if you're into the neutral brown/green smokey eye. Sometimes I use the yellow gold highlight shade as a cheek highlight. It's a great dupe of NARS Albatross! The matte green shade reminds me of camo. The golden brown shade has a lovely pearly sheen to it and the dark green shade is GORGEOUS... my favorite :)




-Maybelline Trio in Caramel Coast
Maybelline's new formula is AMAZING. These are just as creamy as my Stila shadows and MAC's veluxe pearl formulation. The copper shade is similar to MAC Amber Lights. The middle shade is a beautiful cranberry color. The last shade is one of my favorite highlight shades ever! It reminds me of MAC Nylon. It has the most beautiful yellow gold frosty sheen.




-NYX trios in Aloha/Mink Brown/Deep Bronze (LEFT) and Barely There/Champagne/Root Beer (RIGHT)



I just got these and I'm so impressed! Now I understand what the NYX raves are all about. I love the pearly sheen the shadows have. The quality is awesome for the price I would love to try out more, especially the purple trio! Supposedly the single shades are better quality than the trios.

Aloha/Mink Brown/Deep Bronze is your classic neutral palette. I love using Aloha as a creamy highlight. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with highlight shades?! lol) The colors work great together and blend out to a nice, smooth finish.



Barely There/Champagne/Root Beer is also a great trio to own. Barely There is a little chalkier than I would like it to be but the other shades make up for it. Champagne has this really pretty pink undertone to it. Root beer is by far my favorite. It sort of reminds me of MAC Satin Taupe. It's a pearly taupey brown with a hint of plum. It's surprising really great for shading in brows! Weird, I know, but try it.. you'll be surprised at how natural it looks! The root beer single eyeshadow is a different color, it's more plum. Isn't it strange how the singles and trios have the same shade name but sometimes they're different??



Sorry the swatches are not that great. I had to turn the flash off for the second trio. The colors are a lot brighter and pearly in person.

What are your favorite drugstore eyeshadows??

New Blog!

So I FINALLY decided to get this blog started! I've wanted to start one for the longest time but I didn't know how I'd take pictures since I accidentally washed my Nikon in the washing machine.. (yeah, still kicking myself for that one!) Until I save up for a new camera, I'm gonna be using this really old, crappy camera... sorry! I'm still pretty shaky on the whole blogspot thing so if there's a massive sized picture up or my blog suddenly disappears one day, don't be surprised, lol.

A little bit about me...



-My name is Diana (duh)
-I live in and go to school in Chicago.
-I LOVE Chicago. The shopping is amazing, the architecture is beautiful and the people are a lot nicer than in most major cities! The only thing that sucks about it is the weather, especially our winters. The CTA (public trans) can be a real drag too, especially during rush hour.
-I'm a shopoholic. My favorite places to shop are (of course) Michigan Avenue, Lincoln Park, and Bucktown. I love the shops over by Damen, North, and Milwaukee. Plus we've got the PRO store over on Armitage, woo!
-I'm an English major with a concentration in Media.
-I'm Korean (100%) and that seems to surprise everyone :)
-I have an adorable little white and black Shih tzu named Doldolee, he's my baby!
-I'm completely obsessed with anything makeup, hair, or fashion related.
-I read reviews on MUA (Makeupalley) before buying ANYTHING. That site has seriously saved me and my wallet!
-My favorite cosmetic lines are MAC, NARS, Urban Decay, MUFE, Stila, NYX, Giorgio Armani, and Laura Mercier. There are also some really great drugstore brands as well. There are soo many more to love!

MAC NC35-37, MUFE 153, GA 6, BE Medium Beige, Revlon Warm Golden



Well, that's all for now. I'll be updating this blog a lot more regularly since I'm on winter break and all. I'm gonna be doing reviews, hauls, tutorials, etc. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy! :)