Julie G's Peep Toe Pumps and L'oreal Magic Topcoat "The Holographic"

Happy New Year everyone!!

      I did my nails for the new year so I thought that warranted a post. :)  I've never owned or tried a Julie G polish before but I picked this up awhile ago at Rite Aid when there was a good deal. It was $3 and there was a $3 UP Reward backs so I thought I'd give it a try. The berry color was what drew me to this one. I was surprised and pleased with how easily and smoothly the formula applied. People with smaller nails may be able to get away with one coat. It is quite opaque for one coat. I applied two coats because for my nails I find that two coats are usually needed for full opacity. It was a very nice berry color, purplish with red tones. It's a very nice color all year round I think, but especially for the fall and winter. In the first picture, it appears redder on the nails than it does in person. I couldn't quite get the camera to capture the color exactly as it appears.

Peep Toe Pumps by Julie G
Left: One Coat
Right: Two Coats

      I got a L'oreal Magic Topcoat awhile ago too that I never got around to trying so I decided to try it out on top of this nail color. It took me awhile to find this polish after it was available for purchase. I finally found it in Target where it retailed for around $7 if I remember correctly. What you will get from this polish are mostly blue holographic flakes. The flakes will leave your polish not smooth and  with a dull finish, so for those who love their nails with a shiny finish, a top coat will be needed. I used Essie's Good to Go Top Coat. My initial thought was that I wasn't too impressed with how you only manage to get a few flakes with one coat. I needed two coats to get the amount of flakes as seen in the photo and that's still not a lot. Looking at the bottle, it seemed as if one coat would produce a lot of flakes. However, I do like how the holographic flakes look on my nails. They give the nail polish a cool dimension.

Left: the holographic (L'oreal Magic Topcoat)
Right: Peep Toe Pumps (Julie G)

2 Coats of Peep Toe Pumps by Julie G,
2 coats of 'the holographic' L'oreal Magic Top Coat

      I hope everyone has a great New Year's! Stay safe, warm and be merry! Hello 2014!

December 2013 Birchbox Unboxing!

Hi everyone!

      I've been busy for most of December with school, finals, the holidays and such which is why I have not posted anything in awhile. That is also why this December Birchbox post is quite late too considering it is almost Christmas, but better late than never right?
      First thought when I got this package was that the packaging is different and holiday themed! Usually, it comes in a pink cardboard box but this month's is gold with a little Happy Holidays design. The actual box is also different too. It says "Sparkle and Shine" which is cute and the inside has gold stripes.

New Revlon Products - Age Defying Foundation, Wrinkle Ready Line Filler, Targeted Dark Spot Concealer, CC Cream

Hey everyone!

      Just a quick little post to share! I saw this new display in Rite Aid today that I haven't seen elsewhere so I thought I'd share with you guys if you haven't seen it already. Excuse the first blurry picture, I didn't realize it was so blurry when I took it. It is the age-defying line containing a foundation, Wrinkle Ready Liner Filler, and Targeted Dark Spot Concealer Treatment. The dark spot concealer contains a sponge applicator which is interesting. The price tags were not shown at the drugstore so I can't tell you how much they cost. I like how they have a tester of the foundation on the side since you don't find that a lot in drugstores, although it is only one shade. I did give it a try and on first impressions, it feels pretty lightweight and seems to be light to medium coverage. This was only swatched on my hand so I can't attest to how it really is. There were a total of 10 shades.

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      I thought I would also mention the new Revlon CC creams. I have seen them awhile ago, maybe a month ago in Harmon's, but this was my first time seeing it in a drugstore.This also contained a tester too! Maybe this will be a new favorite for you CC cream lovers?

      Let me know your thoughts if any of you have tried these products! Have a great day! :)

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms (Coquette and Enticing)

Hey everyone!

      I finally picked up the new Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms at CVS. I chose 150 Enticing and 110 Coquette. They retail around $9.49 - $10.49 in drugstores from what I saw. I have never tried a crayon- like lip balm so this was new and interesting to me.

110 Coquette and 150 Enticing

amount of product, 2.7 g weight

Left: Enticing, Right: Coquette

Top: Coquette
Bottom: Enticing

Coquette is a soft, baby pink that should look flattering on most people. It is not too bright or overwhelming. I was a little weary that it might be too blue-toned but it surprisingly was not. It had a minty feeling when I first put it on that gave my lips a cooling sensation. Is this how lip plumpers feel like? It contains sparkles which you can see in the second picture above.

Enticing is a slightly deep, candy apple red. It's not too bright but very pigmented. I was worried that it would be too bright of a red but it wasn't and is a very flattering color. This also contains sparkles but they aren't very apparent on the lips. It appears a little more pigmented and darker on the lips than as shown in the picture above.

Pros:

• Moisturizing, not drying, not sticky
• Creamy and pigmented
• Nice, shiny packaging; easy to twist up and down
• No bleeding
• Easy to apply 
• Product

Cons:

• Not that great for dry lips, especially the lighter colors
• Staying power isn't very long, especially the lighter colors

They both do have a minty taste/ feeling to them, the Coquette one more so than Enticing for some reason. This could be a con for some people.

Overall, I was pleased with them. I think they're interesting products to try if you've never tried crayon lip products before. The formula and pigmentation exceeded expectations. Considering it is a balm and not a stain, the lasting power is about what you would expect of a lip balm. For the price though, I'd say wait for a sale or see if there is someplace that sells them for a little cheaper. So these are my thoughts, have a great day everyone!