* REVIEW * Benefit 'They're Real!' mascara

As you read from my post the other day,

I've been trying several different mascaras lately.

I'd heard from my best friend that the new mascara from Benefit was amazing,

so when I was in Sephora a couple weeks ago, 

I scooped it up.

Some of it's Claims:

- Lengthens, volumizes, separates, & curls

- Lasts for a long time

- Smudge proof

- No drying out

- Visible lift

Review:

I had heard really awesome stuff about this mascara. 

When I tried it for myself, however... it left a lot to be desired.

I actually felt it made my lashes appear THINNER, of all things.

I also didn't like the almost rubbery way it made my lashes feel.

It was really a pain to take off- and i'm used to wearing long lasting mascaras.

But this was just much more difficult and annoying to remove than others i've tried.

It definitely did lengthen my lashes, but since it made them appear thinner I certainly didn't see a volume increase.

I did however, like the brush. It really enabled me to reach those tiiiiny inner lashes :)

PROS:

- Lengthens

- Great for people with shorter/thinner lashes

- Long lasting (maybe TOO long lasting...)

- Smudge proof

- Handy, skinny brush applicator for smallest lashes

CONS:

- Rubbery/waxy feel to lashes

- Didn't volumize or curl

- Didn't separate much at all

- Hefty price tag ($20- $23), especially for the quality

Verdict:

All in all, I think this mascara works best depending upon what kind of lashes you have.

I'm blessed to have fairly long eyelashes already,

so what I really need is something that just highlights them-

some color, a little volume, and separation.

This mascara DID NOT do that for me, but I think people with shorter or thinner lashes would have a different experience with it.

For the at least $20 price tag, though, I don't think it's worth it at all.

There are some great drug store brands who do a just as good,

if not better, job.

RATING (OUT OF 10): 6

Zoya 'Channing'

When my most recent BOGO purchase from Zoya,

I spotted 'Channing' and knew I had to have it.

Here's 2 coats!

'Channing' is a rust red metallic. Online it looked like a gorgeous, deep red.

In real life however, it has definite orange undertones.

In certain light, though, it def still looks more red,

such as in this picture :)

I like it very much,

and will def be wearing it more this fall & Christmas :)

What do you guys think?

Dupe or No? :: Urban Decay Vice 2 comparisons

So after recieving my Vice 2 palette recently,

I was looking at it and thought... wait a minute.

Some of those look very much like UD shadows I already have-

and ones that aren't old.

So in case any of you were wondering the same thing,

I decided to do a dupe post with some of the shadows from Vice 2 that are similar to other UD shadows.

Here are my findings!

Dupr OR no ?

NO

Upon first glance, I was sure that these two golds were the same.

After swatching them, though, you can see that they are, indeed, different.

The one from Vice 1 is slightly more pigmented and a much brighter gold,

while 'Strike' from Vice 2 is more of a deep gold.

They both are satin-y smooth & great quality,

and would create two totally different looks.

So, in my opinion, no dupe.

Next, Dupe or no?

ALMOST

These two are basically the same except that 'Stash' is a satin shadow while 'Jagged' is a chunky glitter. The shade is the same, though. 'Stash' is MUCH better quality, in my opinion.

So, basically a dupe.

Dupe or no?

NO

These two clearly are not dupes. UD has a few light pinks, but each is slightly different.

You can see that the biggest difference between the new one vs. 'Hot Pants' is that 'X-Rated' is matte and very delicate. 'Hot Pants' is a satin and much more pigmented.

I like them both equally :)

No dupe here!

Dupe or no?

NO.

I, again, at first glance thought for sure that 'Betrayal' was a dupe of 'Omen', which UD released a couple years ago for the first time in their 15th Anniversary palette.

As you can see, though, 'Betrayal' is a much deeper purple, though they both have the same sheen.

No dupe here, either!

Though I don't have comparisons,

some other POSSIBLE dupes from UD's Vice 2 palette to look out for are 'Ambush' & 'Twice Baked', and also 'Derailed' & 'Armor' from Vice 1.

Just something to keep in mind :)

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Did you like these comparisons?

Let me know!

Nail Mail & NOPI Gumdrop polish

I've been eyeballing the Gumdrop polishes from NOPI for awhile now.

They're super similar to Zoya's Pixie polishes & OPI's Liquid Sand.

I finally picked up 'Cinna-man of my Dreams' the other day,

and here's 3 coats + 1 coat of SV.

'Cinna-man of my Dreams' is a mostly warm, rose colored super fine glitter with some other variously colored fine glitters mixed in as well. You can really see the blue and almost holo glitters in the sunlight. 3 coats was best for this polish,

and man, is it gorgeous !! Even without the top coat,

this sparkled like crazy.

And ya'll know I love me a good sparkle ;)

NOPI brushes are some of my very favorite out there,

so this definitely applied like a dream.

I can't wait to try more from the Gumdrop collection.

NEXT UP, NAIL MAIL !

Being that Fall is upon us and Halloween is just around the corner,

it was time to get some new indies :)

Here's my most recent Halloween/Fall nail mail!

Can you guess which amazing indie maker made these babies?

;)

Stay tuned for swatches of them all in the next few weeks!

* REVIEW* Covergirl LashBlast Clump Crusher mascara

I am constantly changing mascaras and on the look out for the next best thing.

After using the same so-so waterproof mascara this summer,

I was ready to try something different for Fall.

Thus, I settled on the fairly new mascara from the always reliable Covergirl-

Clump Crusher by LashBlast.

*pic from Covergirl.com

Some of it's Claims:

- Zero clumps

- 200% more volume

- New, curved, double sided brush to comb through lashes & prevent clumps

- Comes in 4 shades

- Gives you volumized, "beautifully separated lashes"

Review:

I've used several Covergirl mascaras before that I loved, 

so I had high hopes for this one.

I'm blessed to already have pretty long lashes,

but they can get clumpy easily depending on the formula of the mascara.

SO, I've really been looking for something that can straighten them out, so to speak.

When I saw Covergirl was coming out with a clump crushing mascara,

I knew I had to try it.

And this bad boy did NOT disappoint!

PROS:

- Actually DOES brush through and separate my lashes

- I'ved used it several times, and have YET to have ANY clumps :DD

- Great price, from $5-$7, depending where you go

- Neat, super effective new brush design. Definitely saw the difference!

CONS:

- If I HAD to pick a con,I suppose you COULD say 

that I'm not sure it gave me 200% more volume.

Verdict:

This mascara gave me exactly what I was looking for. It totally separated my lashes like I need, and definitely gave me ZERO clumps.

 It also gave me the added volume I was looking for.

Honestly, this is a super simple mascara that is exactly what it says it is (and no more),

and does exactly what it says it does.

If you're exclusively looking for something that prevents clumps,

this mascara is for you :)

RATING( OUT OF 10): 10

Skyrim Makeup Series- Alduin

I've been itching to do another look for my Skyrim makeup series.

There are innumerable possibilities for this series,

but this time I decided to do a look based on a creature...

and not just any creature- a dragon.

BUT HEY, not just any dragon (for there are many in Skyrim),

but the head honcho- Alduin.

Alduin is the main antagonist in Skyrim and is the Nordic god of destruction.

He is the fiercest of all the dragons in the game,

and was the first dragon to ever rule over men.

Needless to say, he's a mean mofo.

Knowing all this, this is the look I came up with:

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

SYN Cosmetics' 'Savage'- inner corners

UD's 'Black Market' & 'Lovesick'- lid/crease

Sugarpill's 'Love+'- crease/highlight

UD's 'Dope'- browbone

Covergirl Line Exact eyeliner

Covergirl Lash Blast Clump Crusher mascara

Being that Alduin is mostly black or dark, I wanted this look to be the same.

The red eyes in the picture (along with his general bloodlust and evil qualities)

inspired me to do the red. All in all, I was rather pleased with it.

What do you guys think?

I freaking love doing this series!

Fall Apple Picking

Today is the first day of Fall!

Finally :)

In honor of that, I have my first official Fall indie polish for you today.

This is actually a polish from last year,

but my blog was still in it's infancy when I first swatched it,

and I figured it'd be good to go back  and swatch it again :)

Here's 1 coat of 'Apple Picking' from Oopsie Daises over Zoya's 'Flynn '.

^ in shade

'Apple Picking' is a clear base with red & green microglitter

and medium sized orange, yellow, red, & green hex glitter.

It's perfect for Fall, and I really loved it over' 'Flynn'.

Formula from 'Apple Picking' couldn't have been better,

and it applied awesomely- no toothpick to dig glitters out here!

What do you guys think?

Zoya 'Neely'

One of the polishes I bought in Zoya's last BOGO event was 'Neely'.

Now that i've finally gotten around to swatching it,

here it is in 3 coats.

'Neely' is a delicate mint green creme. 

I really liked the finished result,

but getting there was a little disappointing...

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand:  Zoya

Type: Creme

Formula: Pretty good

Opacity (1-5): 4

Application: Pretty streaky :(

Price: $8

Get This: ULTA or Zoya.com

What do you guys think?

Look w/ Lancome Color Design 'Mint Jolie' palette

So among some other awesome Lancome goodies I got for my birthday

was this gorgeous palette: Lancome Color Design in 'Mint Jolie'.

Gorgeous, right?!

You can see it gives you 5 shimmery shadows along with two mini brushes.

I've never used an Lancome products,

 but was super stoked to try this bad boy.

For my first time playing with this,

I just used the shadows in their recommended areas.

Here's what I ended up with:

I also used Lancome 'Red Stiletto' on my lips.

I don't have much mint green colored shadows at all,

and I REALLY loved how this looked on my eyes.

The shadows applied easily and were great quality (as to be expected from Lancome).

The only thing I didn't like was the highlighter shadow.

Though gorgeous, it's a bit too chunky of a glitter for me & is a little hard to apply.

Other than that, however- i love this palette!

The lipstick is definitely a kick ass red ;)

Love it.

What are your thoughts?

Have you tried Lancome?

Let me know!

GIVEAWAY WINNER

And the winner is....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats! She has 48 hours to send me her contact info before another winner will be chosen.

Thanks SO much again to everyone for entering and being a lovely follower!!

I'll have another soon :)

Urban Decay's Vice 2 palette & swatches!

YAYAYAY.

UD always has and very well always may be one of my favorite, if not my top favorite,

makeup brand(s).

So when I found out they were releasing the next installment of their Vice palette,

I was beyond stoked.

TWENTY MORE BRAND NEW SHADES?

Yussssssss.

Behold, Vice 2:

Swatches!

(swatched on bare skin, dry, with no primer)

THESE ARE ALL LIKE BUTTAH.

But really. No grit. No chunky glitter.

Just all smooth, buttery amazing-ness.

By the looks of it, possibly the very best palette UD has released yet.

I'm uber impressed!

These are all wonderful shades for the upcoming Fall & Winter season.

I cannot freaking wait to create some looks with these!!

What do you guys think?

Birthday Haul pt. 2

I got some more goodies with some of my birthday money,

and had to share them with you, of course :)

First, my little CVS haul:

Many of this is not brand new, but stuff i've been lemming for :P

ANDDDDD my prestige/indie cosmetic haul:

Can you guess which Carousel Gloss this is?

^^ AHHHHH SO STOKED!

& some awesome free samples :)

I CANNOT wait to swatch the Vice2 palette.

Stay tuned for that in the very near future!

Cozy Sweaters

FINALLY, finally it has felt like Fall here in TN.

In honor of that, I painted this mani to celebrate the coming season & use some of my new polishes :)

Here's 2 coats of Essie's 'Don't Sweater It' & 'Beyond Cozy (accent).

'Don't Sweater It' is "warm, cozy, creamy mauve" from their Fall 2012 Stylenomics collection. It almost looks brown in some light, but I love it both ways. Definitely a prefect polish for Fall.

'Beyond Cozy' is a fantastic "silvery gold glitter" from their Winter 2012 collection. The sparkle in this is insane, and I love that it leans gold or silver depending upon the light.

Definitely gets me in the mood for the holidays! :)

What do you guys think of these polishes?

Have you tried them before?

I really love them together :)

Sephora/Bday Haul

So thanks to some extra money and my bday,

i've been able to score some pretty awesome products in the past week.

;P

These three little numbers from Sephora:

The foundation is something I already use & have been for awhile now,

but the other two products are totally new to me :)

Also, I was gifted this amazing beauty gift set from Lancome!

Ahh! Just look at all the goodies!

I cannot wait to try them all.

I've never used Lancome but know it's a great brand,

 so I'm really stoked :)

Have yall tried any of these products here?

What are your thoughts?

Let me know!

*** FALL GIVEAWAY! ***

It's been WAY too long since i've done a giveaway.

Even though my fb/blogger traffic has died down a bit,

I still have faithful followers on both AND lots of new followers via IG & twitter that I want to thank!

Thus, my new Fall giveaway:

*not my picture

Y'all know China Glaze is my favorite of all the bigger brands,

and these new Fall 2013 polishes are amazing.

I can't NOT share them with you :)

RULES

1. Must be 18 or older to enter.

2. NO CHEATING. I verify all entries, so it really will get you nowhere... not to mention disqualified from any of my future giveaways.

3. Open to ALL followers, even those outside the U.S. :)

But, please be aware of your country's shipping regulations.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck, everyone!!

Zoya 'Faye'

Happy Saturday!

I have an UH MAZING polish for you today.

I recently grabbed some Zoyas from my local ULTA,

& this was one of them. Wow!!

Here's 2 coats of 'Faye'.

I mean, BAM!

'Faye' is a "bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones, flooded with bright gold sparkle". And they are not joking. This thing sparkles like nobody's business, which is one of the many reason I love Zoya. It's ridiculous how much sparkle this gets in the sunlight.

Just beautiful!

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand:  Zoya

Type: Metallic

Formula: Awesome

Opacity (1-5): 4

Application: Fantastic

Price: $8

Get This: ULTA or Zoya.com

What do you guys think of this polish?