I.M.O.: CORALLINA BAKED BLUSH

back in August before I went M.I.A., I mentioned about ordering one of the baked blushes from the Milani website (see blog post HERE)... to follow up on that, I wanna share my thoughts on this product...

let's start with the packaging

I personally like that they did a plastic wrap instead of the sticky seal that some buyers tend to peel off at the store in order to do a quick swatch of the product, which we all know is very unhygienic...

the big bold name written around the wrap is also a plus.. this way we don't have to flip it over to get the name of the shade or guess by looking at the product... it says it right durrrr... CORALLINAAA... (in a giant monstrous voice)

the packaging looks so fancy at first... it's gold, it's shiny it doesn't look cheap at all... 

but then when you open it...

you'll see a caramel colored plastic rim.. suddenly it looks cheap.. much like their minerals blushes... 

they should've at least maintained a match of the plastic material used in the backing of the packaging 

& then when you open the bottom part, it'll reveal the compartment for the small brush which of course is a useless piece of doodoo... 

I mean tell me that you can't feel the hardness of this brush just by staring at the picture... it poked me while I was editing this post.... LOL

I mean, it's cute & all but really what's the point of including the brush if you can't really use it?? if I could, I would ask Milani for the $0.99 portion of what I paid & return this brush...

yeah, the whole dual compartment feature is cool, but usually if a product has dual compartment, aren't we supposed to have access to the product itself first before the extra stuff that came in the packaging?? well what made it pointless is that there's more access to the part we don't use a.k.a. 'the stiff brush' than the part we really need..

why? 

because the middle part that holds the blush powder does not sit securely & tightly onto the bottom part...   

& because the latch/opening requires a little pressure, you're gonna have to open the pan with the latch/opening upward facing you... & this will cause the pan with the blush to gravitate towards the top part which will then reveal the mirror &... you guessed it, the 'stiff brush'!!!

this is a comparison of the opening of the two blushes from Milani... as you can see with the minerals blush, you just press the button & it'll easily open the top cover versus the baked blush where you have to pull the tab to open the packaging... 

one advantage that the minerals blush has over the baked blush...

as for the mirror, I don't really care for it... if I have to have a mirror on it, I would rather have it right when you open the package.... I don't need to be surprised with it in a secret compartment....  &besides who would want to keep flipping it over while applying their blush on??? 

I would take back another $1 for the mirror & the dual compartment that is not so necessary...

  

so, technically, in my opinion, this blush should only be worth $6 instead of the MSRP $7.99

other than my rant on the packaging, I'm fairly satisfied with this product

it is uberly pigmented! 

while some might find this excessive, I say it's better that way than for the color to not show up at all...

you just have to remember to use it sparingly... 

the powder is very finely milled but the shimmery gold flecks sit very loosely on top of the powder... 

I personally am not a fan of shimmer on my cheeks because I have a very oily skin & the shimmers emphasize that some more... just by looking at the product from the pan, it looks like it could make your face look like a disco ball... but I was impressed that it didn't do that to my face at all... 

you can control the amount of product that you want to go on your cheeks... with very little product on your brush & a very light hand, you can achieve the natural glowy, rosy flushed cheeks... or do a few extra swipes if you wanna be bold & have bright cheeks!

here's the blush on my cheeks the night I received my Corallina...

 please excuse my face.. I only had a tinted moisturizer on, no concealer, only tightlined my eyes, no mascara, nothing on lips... 

I just couldn't wait to try out the blush 

I'd say the application I did was in between natural & bold.... 

they have tons of different shades to choose from

so definitely all skin tones can benefit from the range of colors...

I would probably repurchase, I have my eye on Luminoso next... but I heard it might be a dupe for MAC's Warm Soul which I already have... so if you have both of these, can you let me know if they are exact dupes?? thanks! =)

do you own any of the baked blushes from Milani?? 

what shade/s do you have?? 

do you like it/love it/hate it???

MAYBELLINE SUPER STAY TRIAL #1

so I finally tried out the Maybelline Super Stay Makeup.... 

& here are the pictures after 4 hours of wear..

can you see Mario in the background?? LOL

PRODUCTS USED:

& the pictures below are after wearing the foundation for 7 hours...

now you can see that my blemishes & dark spots are more visible than before.... but I can say that it's still a pretty good coverage there....

I played with my Barry M Peachy Pink lippie....  

you might disagree but I'm really likin this color on me... =)

anyhoo, first impressions on this foundation,

too sheer for my liking... I had to do two or three layers.. I like full coverage so...

application took longer... it was harder for me to apply because I kept pouring out some more products... 

the shade I'm wearing is the Classic Beige which supposedly is a match for NC30 skin & even though I think it's a good match for my skin tone it still looked ashy on my skin after applying the first two layers.... I guess it oxidizes into the correct shade of my skin?!? huh!?!!

it took a little time blending it in (using my fingers)... I had to keep tapping/pressing the foundation on to ensure that it sticks onto my skin...

it feels light on skin, I wouldn't say "like I'm not wearing any makeup" because I can feel that it's there as my skin feels greasy & sticky after a few hours of wear.... 

the shine on the pictures is probably mostly from the flash, but I can tell you that it does look greasy in person....

that's all I've observed so far... like any other products I review, I'd like to try it a few times before I give it a proper review... just thought I'd try this foundation out & see how I would like it initially.... so far, I'm still in favor of the Fit Me one... =)

NEW YEAR NAIL COLOR: MARINE BLUE

PRODUCTS USED:

Seche Base base coat

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro - MARINE BLUE

Nailene top coat

I mentioned in my last nail post (click HERE to see post) how much I'm lovin the Rimmel London's Lasting Finish PRO line.... well, let me correct that, I REALLY REALLY LOVE this line of nail polishes from Rimmel... I only own 2 but I think it's safe to say that this is by far the best nail polish ever.... yes, I said it!!! better than China Glaze or O.P.I. people!!!

~ a little review ~

according to the Rimmel London website:

Professional polished perfection for flawless up to ten-day colour and shine. Enriched with micro-sized minerals that fill in imperfections on the nail surface, Lasting Finish Pro Nail Enamel creates a smooth and super glossy finish for up to 10 days of maximum colour impact and shine. Advanced micro formula technology with active time-released system enhances shine over time. It captures and reflects light for colour that shines with dimension. UV fade protection keeps colour true. The formula is ultra flexible and long wearing with superior shock absorption and chip resistance. The Mistake-Free Pro brush features a wide angled brush for a fast and mistake-free professional application. With more than 800 e textured bristles, the brush is designed to adapt to any nail shape and require less strokes to apply, while delivering a super smooth finish and truly streak-free results.

things I love about this n/p:

- the colors...

they are uber vibrant!

- the applicator...

which Rimmel called "Mistake-Free Pro Brush".. (the size of the brush covers almost my entire nail bed)

- super smooth...

I love the way they go on my nails... because of the shape & size of the brush, it allows me to paint my nail in one stroke (or 2) per coat which results in less streaking because I don't have to go over the nails quite as much... so it is

- 100% streak free

- they apply so easily, thin or thick coat!!

 - less time consuming (still because of the shape of the brush applicator)

- they last for days & days....

I applied my nails on January 1st & I still have it on right now... with very minimal chipping, I only have two chippings on the the tips that are not even that visible.... no scratches or anything like that... the packaging claims up to 10 days, well they got that right & more, coz mine's already on day 12 & still in very very good shape...

- the packaging...

is very unique... most n/p's have the traditional rounded bottles but this one is squared shape & is very cute in my opinion

- price...

for $3.99 a pop?? + the frequent discounted tags at drugstores?? not bad at all!! I'd say this is actually very affordable for the quality of this product...

some drawbacks:

- limited colors...

according to the Rimmel London website, there are 32 shades available, but unfortunately not all 32 are available at drugstores... the most I've seen is probably around 12 shades...

- the packaging...

despite the cute look the packaging gives, it makes it hard to roll the bottle pre-application, instead you would need to shake it a bit, which is a big no no in the n/p application book.... but there's always ways around it, what I do is shake it & leave it for about a minute for it to settle & so it wouldn't produce bubbles prior to application.... 

other than that, the packaging does not bother me at all...

I am officially in love with Rimmel London Lasting Finish PRO nail polishes!!!!!!!

next on my list to buy are:

Bare Naked

Steel Grey

(& maybe) Hot Cocoa

do you like this line of nail polish?? what is your favorite shade???

-------------------------------------------------

disclaimer:

I am not in any way affiliated to Rimmel London....

the items in review were paid for by me...

I was not paid to do this review.....

this is my personal & honest opinion....

HALLOWEEN LOOK + 120 EYESHADOW PALETTE LOOT

for Halloween, my niece Chrystalline, from Washington, wanted to be a Harajuku Girl... so when they were down here a couple of weeks ago for vacation (to go to Vegas), she had asked me to do her makeup & to give her Mommy(Christine) an idea of how to do it on the actual day....

so here's our version of the Harajuku Girl makeup....

I used the 120 Pro Eyeshadow Palette that I ordered from eBay which I received the day before we left for Vegas... talk about perfect timing!!

I wasn't actually prepared to do this look... I only brought a few stuff for me to use for this trip, a few lippies, 4 eyeshadows for neutral & smokey eyes, liners, mascaras, you know, the essentials & not much extra baggage in the makeup department this time... I know!! it's like impossible right?! especially for me, I usually bring 3 foundations, 5-6 lippies, 3-4 eyeliners, 2-3 mascaras, 2 eyebrow kits, 3-4 eyeshadow quads for different looks/colors, 2 different bronzers, 4 differents blushers, fix plus, setting powders & the list goes on..... but not this time.... I think it was coz this trip wasn't really planned for us, we decided to go last minute.... so I just threw whatever I really need in my makeup bag & left...

the only reason why I brought the 120 e/s palette was because I was gonna give it to my cousin, who lives in Vegas, as a birthday present... but I had to open it coz I didn't wanna disappoint this little girly... she was soooo excited about getting her makeup done for this halloween costume... & I'm so glad we did it, coz I had fun doin this look... she was so easy to work with, of course she was uneasy & a little impatient at first, but what 10 year old doesn't get antsy right?! I loved how she was very still & did not complain one bit....

anyhoo, here are the rest of the products I've used (as far as I can remember... LOL)

- I didn't use anything on her face, per her Mommy's request, Chrystalline is only 10 years old so I ain't trippin... we don't wanna mess with a skin that young anyways & besides she has perfect smooth skin that does not need to be covered with any foundation...

- for her eyes, I used MAC's Painterly paint pot & NYX jumbo eye pencil in Milk as base.... I also used the 120 color palette for most of the shadows applied (the colors used are marked on the picture below)... MAC Blacktrack fluidline topped with MAC Carbon eyeshadow is what I chose to line her eyes with.... her Mom, picked out L'Oreal double extend mascara in Blackest Black from my makeup bag & applied it on her lashes.... Christine doesn't wanna touch her eyebrows, so we didn't do anything to them....

- on her cheeks, I used my new NARS blush in Desire (I will do a post on my recent Sephora haul next)... I wish I could've used a cream blush as base so the color would pop out more, but like I said, I wasn't really prepared to do this look & had to work with what I got...

- for the lips, I used MAC studio sculpt concealer in NC30 to erase her lip color... then Petals & Peacocks lipstick to create the small puckered lip effect.... since we didn't use any foundation on her face, the concealer on her lips became very obvious, but this is all just a trial that we did for fun... so I'd say, it's not bad!

hope you enjoy this look....

silly pictures are my most fave... isn't she sooo cute?? to me, she's the perfect Harajuku girl...

& of course, I always save the best for last.... my fave! the silliest of them all...

I can't wait to see pictures of her makeup & outfit for tomorrow... if I get a hold of her pictures from halloween, I would def post some on here....

a little info on my 120 Colors Eyeshadow Palette loot:

I ordered this palette from eBay on the 2nd of October

received it on the 12th, an exact 10 day turnaround time, which is not bad considering it was shipped from China...

I've heard a lot of complaints about a lot of the palettes (from various companies) such as the 120's & 88's comin in with broken pans so I made sure I asked for the seller to package the item securely to avoid breakage... & the seller surely complied to that request...

they wrapped the palette in bubble wrap, then used styrofoam for cushion....

& I am very pleased to see that all pans came in great condition... not one of the eyeshadows chipped...

included in the kit are 2-60 pan palettes wrapped securely in plastic....

which also came with a plastic film protection on top of each of the palettes...

 here are the 2 palettes....

the one on top consists of blues, greens, yellows & oranges



& the bottom palette contains the whites, blacks, grays/silvers, some aquas, purples, pinks, reds & a few browns...

the bottom palette comes with a red ribbon tab (seen on the right side) which allows easy pop-up access...

I didn't get to do any swatches because I decided to just give it to Christine so she can use it on Chrystalline for halloween, but I can guarantee you that all the colors are highly pigmented & very vibrant & you can take my word for it....

I got this awesome palette for $0.99 +  $11.99 S&H = $12.98 total

I've compared prices with different companies selling these kinds of palettes (Coastal Scents, BHCosmetics, Sedona Lace & etc.), & this is the cheapest I've found so far...

I was very happy with this purchase & I can't wait to get my own....

I will be purchasing 2 more of this palette, for my cousin in Vegas & for moi....

if you have any questions about this purchase (like the name of the seller), just shoot me a comment & I would be glad to give you the info as much as I can...

hope you all have a fun & safe halloween!!!

8TY8 BEAUTY SUPPLY HAUL & ORDER OVERVIEW

in my search for a website where I can purchase some O.P.I. nail polishes, specifically the You Don't Know Jacques color, I happened to stumble upon the 8ty8 Beauty Supply website again, a website that I've had a wishlist of all kinds of different nail polishes from.... & because I could not find a decent website, that offers decent price on O.P.I.s, I just decided to satisfy my 8ty8 Beauty drool list that I've been keeping for a while now....

I must say I was very happy with the whole experience with this company... aside from the very cheap prices of the nail polishes, the delivery time was very fast...

• I placed the order Saturday, September 18th... I received a confirmation email that same day... 
• given that the order was placed on a weekend, they probably did not start processing the order until Monday, the 20th... (they also informed me that one of the items I ordered was unavailable - China Glaze Midnight Ride, it was a total bummer coz it was one of the few that I really really wanted to get... so I just decided to replace it with the Re-Fresh Mint....)...
• I received an invoice that same day...
• got a shipping notification the next day, September 21st..then received this package from the mail on Friday, September 24th...

so the total turnaround time was 5 business days..... that was super fast in my opinion

shipping fee for 9 bottles is $11.00, next break is $13.00 for 10 - 24 bottles....

most of the China Glaze nail polishes are priced at $2.68 per bottle....

$24.12 for all 9 bottles that I ordered + $11.00 S&H = $35.12 altogether....

they didn't charge me any sales tax...

so that means I paid $3.90 for each bottle... which beats Sally Beauty Supply's price of $4.49 + tax for Beauty Club Card holders.... I say that's a helluva good deal!

the items were very carefully packaged....

secured in a plastic bubble wrap...

then placed in CG signature boxes that they even filled with papers to hold the bottles in place...

here are the colors I got....

from L - R

INGRID, WAGON TRAIL, GRAPE POP

 SUGAR HIGH, VIII, V

PEACHY KEEN, LIQUID LEATHER, RE-FRESH MINT

here is an image of the nail polish that I was supposed to get instead of the Re-Fresh Mint... isn't it gorjjjj?!?! I was so disappointed to learn that it wasn't available... so I shall add this on to my drool list... =)

MIDNIGHT RIDE

& here are the other ones that I am adding to my drool list... they are also out of these at 8ty8 Beauty... =(

SIDE SADDLE

BRANDING IRON

oh yeah & just a teaser, this is how WAGON TRAIL looks like....

**gasp** uh-maazing right?!?

images are stolen from Scrangie's blog, another nail polish blog I loooove... doesn't she have mad n/p application skills??? damn! I wish I can apply my n/p's that nice & neat....

all four of these are included in the Rodeo Diva Collection from Fall of oh-eight! I'm so glad they are still accessible until now... (if you haven't seen this collection, click HERE to see complete swatches at Scrangie's blog)... all colors from this collection are to die for!! doncha think??

thanks for sharing these awesome swatches Scrange! (notice how I called her Scrange?? like Ange is to Angie?? just like how people shorten a close friend's name... LOL... yeah, me & Scrange are tight like that!! hahaha)

as for my own swatches, I would do it as I go with my NOTWs or NOTDs... whenever I feel like wearing whatever color...

and to conclude this purchase, I say I had a very good experience with 8ty8 Beauty Supply company.... the transaction was very smooth... I'm glad I purchased from them & I can confidently say that I will be repurchasing in the future....

have you ordered from this company before??? was your experience pleasant like mine??

what color are you most excited to see me swatch???