NYX 10 Color Palette Eye Shadow: Smokey Eye Review

While trying to copy Blair (juicystar07) on YouTube, I noticed she used a NYX palette to do a smokey eye, so I headed out to Ulta to buy one, too.

I couldn't find the exact "Night in Morocco" palette that she used, so I settled for this NYX 10 Color Palette Eye shadow for Your Eyes Only: Smokey Eyes. It looked similar to what she had, so I went ahead and bought it.

The colors, let me just say looked absolutely horrible on me. I tried a tiny but of all of them, and I didn't like the quality of the shadows, or the colors. I then tried following the instructions that came with the palette, and that looked even worse. I even looked at tutorials on YouTube with people that had the same palette as me... not impressed.

Obviously, the next day I went back and returned it.

It just goes to show that the smokey eye is a very complicated look, and just being good with makeup does not mean that a cheap palette will work good. If you are serious about the smokey eye, go to MAC and buy a few shadows from there, or ask the people working at Sephora. You need to spend real money (around $50+) for a real, good smokey eye look. I am not serious enough about the smokey eye to spend that much, so I'm fine with using pretty pink and light cinnamon shadows instead.

Pro's: lots of shadows in this palette, cheap price, some of the lighter colors in this palette have nice potential on their own.

Con's: does NOT create a pretty smokey eye look, quality reflects the price, beginners will have absolutely no idea what to do.

Price -- $8-$10

Worth the price? -- No.

Where to buy -- Ulta stores, cherryculture.com, Amazon, Ulta.com

Picture credit to Vampy Varnish.

L'Oreal Volume Shocking Mascara Review

My mom bought this L'Oreal Paris Volume Shocking Mascara, mainly because she just loves L'Oreal Paris, which I don't understand. However, once she realized she didn't really like mascara, and already had two (smart one, mom) she gave it to me. I was excited, I mean hey, it's new mascara. L'Oreal Paris products have never done me justice in the past. Their lip glosses make the skin on my lips all peely and colors of their products make me want to vomit.

However, I was highly impressed with this mascara, and to this day it is still my #1 favorite. So it has two sides, which are labeled 1 and 2. The "1" side has a white base primer on it with a regular wand, which you are supposed to apply first. Then, the "2" side is black mascara, which you put on second. The "2" wand looks kind of like a mini comb, which I had never seen in a mascara before. Nonetheless, they worked great.

My lashes looked noticeably longer and fuller, and everyone at school commented on them, asking me where I got my mascara. (Hee-hee!) Now, there's one tiny problem with this, but it can easily be fixed. After you put on your black mascara coat after the base, the base is still rather visible, especially on the tips of the lashes. All you need to do is apply about 2-3 coats, and then go over just your tips a few times.

At night, this comes off very easily, even with just water in the shower, which is a mega plus. It doesn't even run during the day. I actually cried once while wearing this mascara (I know, weird that I remember it) and my friends said my makeup was perfect. I ran to the bathroom to confirm that and it was true!

P.S: I hear the waterproof version of this is not good so I recommend not getting it. Stick to this version.

Pro's: comes with a base, great wands, lots of volume, easy to apply and take off, stays on during the day.

Con's: base shows up if you don't apply enough black coats.

Price -- $5.99-$7.99

Worth the price? -- Yes, all good drugstore mascaras are this price.

Where to buy -- Amazon, drugstores

NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone Review

Since my old Cover Girl eyeshadow base from 2005 was not doing it anymore, considering it was over 5 years old and had bits of hair in it, I went out to look for a new one. I was already buying a few NYX products, so I figured I might as well grab the NYX eyeshadow base while I was at it. The $7 price was slightly off-putting, but I figured it would be worth it, so I bought it before I could talk myself out of it.

Well, when I opened it, it was kind of hard to scoop out with my finger, and that kind of pissed me off, because more than the the amount I wanted was coming out. I used a tiny bit, and was glad to find out that a little goes a long way with this base, which means this will last me a year or two. This color blended in with my eye lid color pretty well. I put some eye shadow on my lid, and it was definitely an improvement, however the eyeshadow wasn't sticking on as much as I wanted it to, no matter what eyeshadow brush I used. I decided to try a different eyeshadow, and that worked a lot better. The shadow lasted me all day.

This was not phenomenal, but it got the job done, which was all I wanted in the end. I tried out my best friend's MAC Paint Pot in a similar color, and got the same results, which pleased me. Although I must say the MAC Paint Pot was slightly better, they are basically the same thing.

Pro's: gets the job done, holds eyeshadow, comes in white and skin tone.

Con's: only two colors, I don't like the screw-on top, takes a while to get all over your eyelid.

Price -- $7.00

Worth the price? -- No, but I am glad I have it.

Where to buy -- Ulta stores, cherryculture.com, Amazon, Ulta.com

Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral Enriched Foundation Review

There is absolutely no denying that I needed a new foundation, and a good one at that. Rummaging through the clearance section of Ulta, I saw lots of Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral Enriched Foundations. It was marked down to about $3.59, which I considered a good deal for Rimmel products. I tested out a whole bunch of them when the sale ladies weren't watching and found number 200 (soft beige) to be perfect.

The first thing I did when I went home was smeared it all over my face; I couldn't wait to test it out. It did the job that foundations should do with no problem, and I was delighted to see that it didn't come out cakey. Plus, it kind of doubled as a concealer, it covered some of my little flaws, which was great. I wouldn't say it lasted 16 hours like the bottle said, but as far as foundations go, it worked for my skin!

Something I have noted is that this foundation will work best on fairer skin tones.

Obviously I went back to Ulta and found one more sale foundation in my color, and bought that one, too. But as much as I loved this, I wouldn't pay the full price, but maybe that's just me.

Pro's: doesn't look cakey, long lasting, natural looking, easy to apply, good for first time foundation users, professional looking.

Con's: not enough color selection, looks very cakey IF you have very, very oily skin, squeezes too much out of the bottle.

Price -- $3.59 - $7.29 (depending on where you buy)

Worth the price? -- Yes, if you can find it for under $5, but I wouldn't pay more than that.

Where to buy -- Ulta stores, Ulta.com, Drugstores, CVS.com

MAC - Half 'n Half Lipstick Review

Alright, there's no denying that I am a very stingy buyer. And despite my weird attraction to MAC Cosmetics, I try not to buy from there. While looking for a perfect nude lipstick, I decided to check MAC. I tried on so many, most of them being way to nude for my skin tone, until I picked up MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Half 'n Half. It looked a little too red for me, so I wasn't sure about it, but I tried it on nonetheless.

You could say I fell in love.

It was exactly what I was looking for: nude and natural, but not too nude. It looked amazing, and this is the kind of lipstick that I guarantee will look good on most skin tones.

In case you were wondering how the lipstick looks on... lips... then here you go.

The great thing about MAC is that if you live near a store you can go and try on the lipsticks (or any other makeup).

Pro's: great color, very natural, good for the everyday look, great quality, name brand.

Con's: on the expensive side, can look cakey if your lips are dry or if you put too much on.

Price -- $14.50

Worth the price? -- Maybe; if you can afford it.

Where to buy -- MAC stores, maccosmetics.com