Product Review- Studio M Blushes

Disclaimer: I am a paid employee of Meijer, but this product review is not supported by, encouraged by, or in any way involving my job at Meijer. I do not even work in a department in which it would be part of my job to endorse Studio M Cosmetics. While I receive wages from Meijer for my work I do in the store, this review has no relation to my job I did not receive any free samples of the product, and both of these (and any other Studio M products I use) were paid for out of my own money.

For those of you who have no idea what Meijer is, it is a regional chain of grocery/superstores in the Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois area. Basically think Wal-Mart, but privately owned. I've been a lifelong Meijer shopper, and it is where I've always gotten the majority of my drugstore cosmetics. When Meijer released their own line of cosmetics, I was pretty interested. They started out with a line of brushes and tools, which were modestly priced, and pretty decent quality. Then, they started adding the cosmetics. This week, all the Studio M cosmetics were buy one get one free, so I figured this would be a good time to try them out, so I picked up two of the blushes, which retail for $5.99 each

Wish- this is a shimmery rose color with a silver shimmer. The consistency is nice on it. It's not super chalky, and it's really well pigmented, as well as going on smooth. The only downside to these blushes is that they are a bit on the small side, so it makes the particular brush you use important.

Blushin'- This one is a peachy blush with a sizeable gold-toned shimmer to it. Like the other one, this blush is a pretty decent quality with a good payoff. It's not the most unique colored blush, and I probably own a dozen like it, but it's definitely a good color.

Overall, these products are very decent. While they aren't widely available, nor are they available online, if you happen to be near a Meijer, and you need cheap, decent makeup, Studio M is a viable option.

Product Review: L'Oreal Color Riche Le Gloss

 

 

 

 

I am a total sucker for new products. These glosses are no exception. When the displays went up, I spent days lusting after them before I finally decided to buy one. I bought Baby Blossom, because I love light, peachy colors on my lips. I don't usually wear crazy pigmented, bright colors, so I thought this one would be something I would actually wear.

The gloss is a thick, slightly sticky formula that smells just like vanilla frosting. It applies easily, and it seems to stay put pretty decently. It's not crazy pigmented though. I'm left with a light, glazed look on my lips.

My overall thought on this gloss is that it's alright, but its way overpriced. For a basic lipgloss, a $6.99 pricetag is way too high. The gloss itself just isn't that remarkable to warrant spending that kind of cash.

Product Review: Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss balms

I admit it.... Advertising totally works on me. After seeing enough ads for these Natureluxe products, I was curious. Then, I got a coupon in the paper for $5 off two, so my curiosity could be satisfied at a reasonable price. It does't get better than that. I decided to go for the gloss balms, because that seems to be the safest product, and with a retail of $5.99 each, it was the least expensive choice too.

I picked up Coral (Left) and Tulip(Right). The balms themselves are a soft stick, with a cherry candy flavor, that thinly covers the classic lipstick taste that most women are accustomed to. I'm indifferent to this, but I must admit, I wish that it was either a stronger cherry flavor, or it had no real flavor, as the cherry isn't strong enough to cover the lipstick taste.


As far as wear goes, these gloss balms go on pretty smooth, with just a very slight touch of color. They leave your lips smooth, and you get a couple hours of wear before you need to reapply, which is nice. Plus, the color doesn't feel too heavy on your lips, which is nice if you're one of those people who doesn't like to feel heavy makeup on their face.

Top- Coral, Bottom- Tulip

Coral is a medium orange color with a slight gold shimmer. On my lips, it is almost unnoticeable, but it does moisturize and even out the pigmentation.
Tulip is a soft pink, with a hint of shimmer. This is a shade lighter than my lips naturally are, and it is a bit more noticeable than Coral.


Overall, These gloss balms are nice, but they don't do anything magical. That being said, if you want a nice lip balm that adds a touch of color without breaking the bank, these are a good option.

Nail of the Week- Vol 3

Please excuse two things about this week's nails- First, the polish on my fingers; I ran out of remover as I was cleaning it up!
Second- The photo quality- It is really hard to get a photo of the glitter, as the topcoat is crazy shiny- probably as shiny as I've ever seen.

Here's what I used- First I painted my whole nail with the Fuchsia color- Studio M in Vintage Vamp. After that dried, I put on the french manicure nail guides halfway across my nails, and painted the black on (I used the Wet 'N' Wild black) Then, after that dried, I very carefully peeled off the guide stickers, and painted my whole nail with Studio M in Tru Passion. (Which is an almost an identical dupe to  Nicole by OPI's One Less Lonely Glitter)

I have been in a bit of a crackle mode for awhile, so I thought this was a nice change of pace, plus it was a great way to test out the Studio M polishes!.

Product Review: Kat Von D True Romance Palette- Ludwig

Admittedly, I will not  be posting as many photos with this post as I normally do with product reviews. I've had this palette a long time. It's (barely) survived two flights across the world, and TSA playing catch with my cosmetics bag, which most of my makeup didn't survive. :( So I will be using stock photos, except with the swatches.

This was the first Kat Von D cosmetic purchase I ever made. Actually, it was part of my first Sephora purchase too for that matter. I fell in love with the colors, and decided I needed it in my life. I bought it on my way to Australia, and on the flight, before I even got to do anything with it, Lucifer, the black shade broke! OH NO. I managed to get it out of the palette without it completely destroying any of the other shadows, but I didn't get to use that color until much later, when I got another palette with it in it. The rest of the colors in the palette definitely made it into my daily rotation really quickly though.

Lucifer- a matte black- It's not bad for a matte black, but it's not the most remarkable matte black I've ever used.
Orbi- A darker green with a gold shimmer- I use this color at least 2-3 times a week because of how much I like it. The pigmentation is great, and it's very buildable.
Dimebag- A brighter, lighter green with a gold shimmer- This color is really fun. Admittedly, it's not as pigmented as I'd like, but it is still wearable, although it goes better with a highly pigmented primer.
Tequila- a soft yellow with a slight shimmer- This color makes an excellent highlight color. It has a subtle shimmer to it, so you won't look too shiny with it.
Clay- a soft yellowy tan with a slight shimmer- I like this color. It is a fun highlight, but it would also be a decent candidate for a subtle almost no makeup-type look
Downtown- a pale, shimmery champagne color- Another really pretty color. This shows up similar to Urban Decay's Sin, but with a slight bit more pigmentation
Baroque- A darker, shimmery brown- From a non-utility standpoint, this is my favorite color in the palette. Leather is more useful for me, but this one is prettier.
Leather- A matte chocolate brown- This is the most useful color in the palette for me. It's the color I use for my brows, and it is a good shadow color as well.

Overall, this palette is pretty fabulous. There are a couple colors that are a bit less standout than others, but it's a favorite of mine because it has a great multitude of looks that can be done with it.

Swatches (primer on top, no primer on bottom):

Left to right- Lucifer, Orbi, Dimebag, Tequila

Left to right- Clay, Downtown, Baroque, Leather

Product Review: Maybelline The Falsies- Flared Mascara (Waterproof)

Let me start off by saying one thing- While wearing this, there is no way whatsoever anyone will mistake you for wearing false eyelashes... Unless they're drunk and gullible. Even then, it's doubtful. Well, let me rephrase that- Someone might accuse you of wearing those really gross, crusty Halloween lashes for the unsexy witch costume. That's more accurate.


I normally love some Maybelline mascaras, but this one... Not so much. In fact, it might take over Urban Decay's Skyscraper as the worst mascara ever. At least when you layered Skyscraper, all you got was one sad, pathetic layer of nothing. With this, I am currently suffering from mono-lash. That's right, I pretty much have one giant, chunky, crusty eyelash. Ew.

This is the "spoon-shaped applicator". I actually like the applicator- it does a pretty good job of getting a nice curl. Too bad the formula is so terrible!

Here's a swatch, after several layers.

I'm hoping that it's just because it's waterproof that the mascara is so bad. Look for a review of the non-waterproof pretty soon!

Product Review: Kat Von D True Romance Palette- True Love

I got this palette as part of the Look in a Box from Sephora. I was curious about the other products, but mostly I just wanted this palette. So much so, actually that I spent days Weeks lusting after it. Finally, on my birthday, I decided to buy it. (Happy Birthday to me!) Here's what I think about it.

It's no secret that I shamelessly love pretty much everything from the Kat Von D makeup line, and this is no exception. In fact, I think this one might actually be my favorite so far. The colors in this palette are so fabulous, and I have found dozens of ways to wear them that I love.

Here's the rundown of the colors:
Peanut- Soft, shimmery gold- the shadow itself is very soft, and a bit crumbly actually, but it's really, really pretty!
Benji- A very bold gold with a hint of copper- This is a cream shadow with a lot of pigmentation. The only downside is that it did dry out pretty quickly, which did make it a bit harder to work with, but even when it's a bit drier, it does still work, it's just a bit trickier.
Rebekah- Medium chocolate brown, with gold glitter- Really pretty, with a lot of pigmentation. The glitter is pretty fine in it, but it doesn't have tons of glitter fallout, which is awesome!
Lucifer- a matte black- As far as matte blacks go, this one isn't the best matte black on the face of the planet, but it really isn't bad. Nothing too remarkable though, just a matte black.
Cholita- a reddish burgundy- This is definitely my favorite color in this palette... Actually, for that matter, I think this is my favorite in all the Kat Von D Palettes. It's so pretty! The pigmentation is nice, and it's very buildable, which makes it even nicer.
Skiba- A medium purple with gold glitter- It's not super bright, but the gold glitter adds a certain level of boldness to it, which makes it really pretty
Babe- A bold, bright, light purple with a subtle blue duochrome- I really like this one as well. It reminds me a bit of Flash by Urban Decay, but a bit prettier.
Missy- A bright shimmery white, with a subtle purple duochrome- This color is really pretty. I use it mostly for highlighting under my brows.


Swatches:

Top row- with primer, bottom row- no primer. (Left to right- Peanut, Benji, Rebekah, Lucifer. Second set- Left to Right- Cholita, Skiba, Babe, Missy)