NOTD: Essence glisten up over Maybelline extreme black currant

I wouldn't have posted this NOTD if it weren't for the absolute amazing-ness of this combo! I realize that it is a little sloppy, but this color was just incredible, I think my favorite of all time.

As a base I used 2 coats of Maybelline Salon Expert 'extreme black currant' which is a deep blackened violet jelly (pictured above on the right).

Essence glisten up is a super sheer aqua with tiny glitters throughout and flakies. The flakes didn't show up much in the pictures, but I got this amazing greenish teal cast of 'glow' when I layered this over the black currant that took my breath away.

2 coats Essence glisten up over Maybelline extreme black currant:

I have over 100 nail polishes and I think this is my favorite color - EVER. It's just so bewitching!

What do you think?

Sleek paraguaya palette EOTD

Just like their blush, Sleek eyeshadows are great! Here is a quick shimmery peach EOTD I did using this gorgeous paraguaya palette.



This palette is pretty intense, lots if peach and orange toned colors. I love it!

Have you tried any Sleek palettes?

Estee Lauder double wear light foundation review

One foundation I tried during the summer was Estee Lauder double wear light.
I wanted something that would last all day and still look natural.
Unfortunately, even with a light summer tan I could not get a color match in this foundation.
I ended up with intensity 1.0, and it's much too orange for me.

Swatch of intensity 1.0 :

blended into my skin :

It is disappointing that Estee Lauder doesn't make lighter more neutral shades in this foundation.
The only way I can get this to work is if I use a lighter powder on top.

The coverage is good, and the finish is really nice and natural looking. It's satiny and looks a little bit dewy.
It lasts about 8 hours without any fading or shifting on me. Keep in mind this is humid summer weather, and I sweat a lot at my job.

Wearing double wear light after 8 hours:

You can see after 8 hours my skin still looks fresh, but the foundation has slightly started to wear off from my cheeks and nose area. This is most likely from me blowing my nose a lot from allergies.
I didn't have any irritation or break outs from this foundation.

I like double wear light, but I would rather stick with my Revlon colorstay for 1/2 the price. It works just as well for me, and I can actually get a proper color match! You can see my colorstay review here.

repurchase? no

rating: 3.5/5

price: $40 CAD

MAC velvet teddy lipstick photos and swatches

I'm on a matte lipstick kick. They wear much longer than glossy colors, which is handy when you don't have time to reapply every 2 hours.
I am enjoying deeper nudes and neutrals this season, and I thought velvet teddy would make a nice addition to my collection.

MAC says it's 'deep-tone beige'. I'd say it's more dusty rose beige. Either way, it's a nice beige color. Fairly neutral, but leans warm.

Velvet teddy swatch:

wearing velvet teddy :

I like this color but I'm not in love with it. MAC why are your lipsticks so drying? I mean to the point that my lips hurt. Maybe I'm allergic.
I am very in love with my Kat Von D lipstick in lovecraft, which I wear practically every single day. It's more mauve than beige and it suits me better. Maybe I'll just stick with that for the rest of my life... hmm I doubt it!

Sleek pan tao blush photos and FOTD

Sleek blushes rival the quality of NARS. They are super pigmented and come in a variety of bright and fun colors.
Pan Tao is a limited edition color from the Sleek avoir le peche collection for spring/summer 2011.

It looks super bright orange in the compact! It is truly a nice bright matte tangerine color.

It's very pigmented and a little goes a long way on fair skin! I find that when sheered out it makes the perfect peachy flush.

Wearing pan tao blush on my cheeks:

I love this blush because although it's bright it blends so nicely into the skin and makes my face look fresh and healthy.

I'm on the hunt for more sleek blush, I can't say enough good things about them! And for $6.50 a pop they can't be beat. Sadly sleek is only sold in the UK, but can easily be found on eBay.

Benefit they're real mascara review

The latest mascara I'm using is Benefit 'they're real'. Anything that even hints at creating a fake lash look is always a must try!

I have developed a love and hate relationship with 'they're real'. It has some very good points, but some irritating ones as well.

The brush, well I couldn't get a good close up shot; but I will try and describe it.
It's got fine plastic bristles all over but at the top of the wand it sort of fans out into a spiky circle.
At first I thought this was odd and unnecessary, but wow, it helps to catch every single lash!
I don't think any mascara I've ever used has really grabbed every lash in just a couple swipes.

The brush:

The formula, is very unique. It is sticky, and it doesn't really completely dry. I find if I use a lot of layers my top and bottom lashes will get stuck together. I hate that!
It's also not the easiest to build up, you can only really do 2-3 coats before it just starts to get so thick and sticky it looks like your lashes are all one big fat eyelash. Well not quite but you get the idea!

Wearing 2 coats of Benefit they're real:

Do my lashes look fake? nah I don't think so.

They're real gives longer slightly thicker lashes with decent separation. Nothing too amazing. It holds curl ok, but it doesn't 'lift' them up as claimed.
The wear of this mascara is really good. It doesn't flake, smear or smudge at all!
That's because it's waterproof. Gimmicky that they don't advertise it, but it is absolutely a waterproof mascara. It is so hard to get off my lashes I always wake up with left over black panda eyes the next day. I hate that so much.

I love the fact that I can put this on and 8 hours later my lashes still look great, and I don't have to worry about it flaking down my face at work.
I hate the fact that they put so much hype on it when it's performance is actually quite average, my lashes don't look anywhere near fake, doesn't lift lashes, and they don't mention that it's waterproof.

Overall, I will use it up, but I don't think I'm going to be trying things from Benefit anymore.
I find I am almost always disappointed in their products for the price, and they are just too gimmicky.
For $30 I would much rather grab myself a tube of diorshow black out, thank you.
I think if you are curious and don't mind waterproof mascara or a hefty price tag go ahead and try it. Otherwise, I'd say pass! It's really not that impressive.

repurchase? no

rating: 3/5

price: $29 CAD (OUCH!!!)