New Brows

I need to upload some pictures of this, but I'll do that later. I've recently taken to trimming and shaping my brows. The difference is phenomenal. Looks so great! When I wear makeup (which is mostly) I fill in my brows with a bit of black powder (just been using eyeshadow). But, only a very little so it's not too dark. I think I may switch to dark brown, see how that looks. I'm looking for some brow stencil shapers, because I don't want to accidentally end up shaping and trimming my brows to be too thin while doing it free hand. I suppose Sally sells them?

Anyway, just to let you know (TIFFANY) that I'm not buying any makeup except for nail and brow products until after Christmas. Maybe it will break me of the habit. :-)

A Gift Fit For A Princess

Today, Kevin went shopping for each other's Christmas gifts. It was great! First we went to Gamestop. Kevin is getting a Game Cube, Metroid Prime, and a James Bond game. He also pre-ordered COD5 while we were there (of which he is playing the beta right now. Loves it).

Next, we went to the mall. Tim and Patrick went to the arcade while Kevin and I wandered around a couple different stores before landing at the perfume counter at Belk. We had stopped at VS, but Kevin didn't like their perfumes. At Belk, we tested out basically everything. The top contenders were Estee Lauder Pleasures: Delight; Vera Wang Princess; and Roxy. In the end, we selected Princess. I am sooooo excited! It smells delightful.


What Vera Wang says:
Created for the playful, unpredictable, independent woman who treats every day like an event and adventure. This is a woman who likes to make her own magic, this sheer, flirty blend of water lily, lady apple, mandarin meringue, and golden apricot skin are melded with sheer floral notes, accented with dark chocolate, and finished with a pink frosting accord, amber, warm woods, musk, and vanilla - a whimsical treat.

I actually got one of the gift sets, with a body lotion and a little bottle for your purse. It is TOO cute! :-) I love my Kevvy!!!

I am not allowed to have it yet and he cannot have his Game Cube. After all, it is not Christmas yet. But I know, if he pouted and said please, I'd let him play his games.

I may decide to ask for one of the other fragrances for Christmas. They were all so nice.

Anyway, in addition to the fragrance, after Belk, I dragged all the boys to Claire's and picked up some nail polish. I got a blue that is a really beautiful very pigmented color. I swatched a bright extremely pigmented orange while we were there and it came out matte. I don't see a lot of matte polishes. I also got a set with 5 smaller polishes, bright bright colors: green, yellow, orange/coral, fushia/purple, and blue. They are all a bit iridescent and a bit sheer, except for the orange/coral and fushia/purple. Those are pretty good. They also dry matte, but with a top coat look very nice. Not the wet-shine look, but still nice.

First Glance Review: Kleancolor Vs NYX Blue Mascara

I don't know about you people, but I'm in love with mascara, but I'm absolutely CRAZY for colored mascaras. When I made a purchase from Cherry Culture I got a few colored mascaras. One from Kleancolor in Electric Blue and a few from NYX in Bronze, Baby Pink, and Electric Blue. Yeah. I didn't mean to get two Electric Blues, but oh well. And I was too late to return it (I'm such a procrastinator). So I put them both on to see which was best.

External Packaging:

• Kleancolor: I LOVE the metallic blue tube with silver printing. I do think it's very pretty

• NYX: The NYX mascaras have a more chic packaging with a black tube that is thin and gets a bit wider on the ends, with a stripe of color (the color of whatever mascara it is) around the middle

Brush:

• Kleancolor: The brush is fairly large. Not as big as, say Lash Blast, but still fairly large. I, however, and not one of those people who is really bothered by large brushes. However, this one just seems to be cheaply constructed. I can't explain it. When you pull the brush out, you know it's a cheap mascara.

• NYX: It's a thinner brush, which makes it easier to work with. Also, if you look at it closely, you'll see that one side is curved and another side is not! Weird! One side, the bristles get shorter in the middle and longer on the outside. The other side, they are a mostly uniform length.

Formula:

• Kleancolor: The formula take a while to dry which mean that, for me, I have to wait longer before I can comb my lashes out. (I ALWAYS comb my lashes out after I put mascara in with a mustache comb. Habit. But, also, spreads my lashes out quite nicely.) BEFORE I comb my lashes, it seems like this formula makes my lashes stick to each other more than the NYX. I mean, I don't wait until it's all the way dry to comb it out, but it's much wetter for much longer. This also means I'm more likely to get mascara on my lid if my lashes are curled

• NYX: This formula dries faster, but not so fast that it's difficult to work with. So, thumbs up for that. It's more creamy than just *wet* which is what the Kleancolor feels like.

Lenghthening? Thickening?

• My lashes DEFINETELY looked longer and thicker with the Kleancolor mascara.

Color?

• Pretty similar, but the NYX is a bit brighter.

Guest Review: N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color

N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color Review
by LadyTiffanyAnne

At a Hollywood themed party, I received a gift bag filled with fun little goodies. Among other things, the bag contained a bottle of N.Y.C. nail polish in Purple Pizazz Frost. New York Color is a brand of cosmetics that is generally off my radar. I rarely glance at the N.Y.C section in the cosmetics department and only do so when I need a cheap lip gloss or black eyeliner. The nail polish was fairly decent, though, and so, when I was on a hunt for lip stick, I decided to give N.Y.C. a chance. After realizing that most lip stick runs for a minimum of $5.00 a tube, I wanted cheaper options. This would be my first foray into the world of lip stick since...well...since I don't know when. I'm a lip gloss kinda girl and didn't want to waste ten dollars on a couple of tubes of something I might end up hating. I ended up purchasing N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color in "Caramel".

First, I must say I was surprised. I actually liked it. It's a good lipstick. But, really, isn't that like saying Sarah Palin did good in the VP debate? Well, I had low expectations and the lipstick didn't completely fail or embarrass me. So...it's good. I cannot compare it to a nice lipstick because, well, I have no experience with nice lipstick. But as a stand alone review, this "ultra last lip color" indeed lasted--albeit with a bit of fading--for some hours until I had a spaghetti lunch. No surviving that. It wasn't dry. It didn't flake off. It had decent staying power.

The color? I love it. It isn't aptly named, though, because it looks nothing like caramel. Maybe more of a shimmery cafe au lait--not that the name really matters. I'm vary careful of the colors I choose because I don't want to look like a fool. This lipstick makes me feel pretty and, really, isn't that why we wear makeup in the first place?

Product: N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color in Caramel

Price: $1.72 at Target, $1.99 at Ulta

Awesome MAC Facechart Tutorial: UnZipped

So, one of the gurus I subscribe to is Petrilude. He does some amazing looks and right now, he's really diving into Halloween. Today, he posted a tutorial video for one of MAC's Halloween Face Charts from last year. It's "UnZipped." Amazing! Check it out!

Beauty Survey

I found this survey on EmilyNoel83's Beauty Broadcast. I thought I would fill it out. Why don't you fill it out too! Fill it out in your blog and leave me a link or fill it out in the comments.

♥Beauty Favorites♥

Make Up:
My Foundation: Wet'n'Wild liquid foundation in Cafe; it's got eucalyptis oil in in which smells awesome. Goes on really awesome with my CS pink stippler.

My Mineral Foundation: Everyday Minerals: and Coastal Scents minerals. EM: I like Golden Fawn; CS: I mix Silk 1.2 Light and Medium. Don't use these too often.

My Powder: CoverGirl Clean Pressed Powder, the original one, in classic beige. I LOVE the fresh CLEAN scent! I will put it on over my foundation or tinted moisturizer. I keep it in my backpack to mattify my face during the day.

My Mascara: Too many to pick from! My go-to mascara is Max Factor's 2000 Calorie. Makes my lashes FAT. haha

My Blush: I LOVE Amuse Shimmer Mineral Blush in Coral and Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Peach Satin. Those mousse blushes blend so beautifully!!!

My Eyeshadow(s): I love my CS 78 pc palette and LA Colors shimmering loose shadows. I also make my own shadows (video coming soon!)

My Lip Product(s) (I added this one because it wasn't on here!): Amuse Tinted Lip Plumper in ANY COLOR, NYX round lipsticks. I want Indian Pink, but it's been sold out.

My Day Cream(s): ProActiv Oil Free Moisturizer; Jane Tinted Moisturizer in Fair

My Beauty Product Brand(s): Amuse, NYX, ELF, Wet'n'Wild

My Essential Beauty Product: Boots Time Dimensions Clarifying Facial Exfoliator, Instant Eye Reviver, Refining Toner Water

My Favorite Makeup Product(s): Mascara and eyelash curler! Can't live without 'em! Also, a nice, well tinted lip gloss that's NOT sticky.

My Perfume: Victoria's Secret Dream Angels, Mary Kate and Ashley-- I know but it rocks! I don't know the name, it just has a number (1); any number of body mists,

My Nails: I LOVE bright colors: Sinful Colors, Rimmel, and I would love to try China Glaze. I prefer bright pinks or pale shimmery colors.

My Feet: I wear flipflops almost everyday during the summer (college student!) so I don't paint my nails too much. Wears off too fast. If I'm not wearing flipflops, I'm wearing trainers.

My Hands: This inexpensive no-name brand antibacterial moisturizing lotion I got at Walmart for $1.50! It's cucumber melon! Mmmmmm. See, I hate cucumbers, but I love cucumber melon scent. Why is that? I guess it doesn't smell too much like cukes.

Three Products to bring on a deserted island: Sunscreen, tinted lip balm (well, if I'm bringing a lip balm, I might as well bring a pretty one!), and a razor.

Women I admire for their beauty: My TWIN SISTER! OMG She's GORGEOUS. She looks, well, just like me! Hahaha. :-)

Woman with the Best Sense of Style: I nominate my favorite YouTube subscriptions. Because their beauty styles and tips got me to where I am in my exploration of makeup. Namely: XSparkage, XTeener, Panacea81, and of course EmilyNoel83

My Favorite Fashion Publication(s): Glamour and Allure!

Who did you get this from?: EmilyNoel83

I'm So Awesome

I was just mentioned in my very first youtube video that's NOT BY ME! It's a video by EmilyNoel83, whom I totally love. She's got great videos and tutorials. She's very articulate, explains things well. She's a news anchor, no wonder!

Anyway, her question of the week last week was guessing the brand of certain eyeshadows that she had swatched. Of the 199 guesses, 15 views guessed the right brand. ONE VIEWER guessed the right shade. GUESS WHO?

I don't know why I'm so excited, but I am.