L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows

I am definitely late to the game when it comes to these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows.  Honestly, when I first saw these shadows I didn't think much of them because they just looked like any other satin finished shadow.  And because I am not really drawn to purchasing single eye shadows, I just decided to skip this collection overall.

So why did I finally decide to pick these up? While I was at CVS, they were having a BOGO sale for a few of the L'Oreal products, and these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows were part of the promotion.  So when I was looking through the color selection and saw these two I thought they were too gorgeous to pass up.

The two shades I went with were Iced Latte and Golden Sage, mainly because I thought they would go beautifully together for St. Patrick's Day.  Iced Latte is definitely a shade that has been talked about a lot int he beauty community, but I am most excited for Golden Sage, because I don't have anything like it.

These L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows are incredibly velvety, buttery smooth and just apply onto the lids like a dream.  They are a powder shadow that gives a look of a creamy finish, which really makes the eyes pop.  The application is incredibly effortless, and if you can't tell by the swatches the colors are incredibly pigmented.  I would recommend using a synthetic, flat eye shadow brush to pat the shadows on to avoid any fall out.  Then, blend everything out with a nice fluffy brush.

I can't say I would purchase any more of these because all of the other colors are pretty similar to what I have already.  But I will say that I am incredibly happy I picked these two shades up (especially during the promotion), and will definitely enjoy these in the next month.  If any of you are curious about the higher end versions of these types of shadows (i.e. Chanel and Armani make a very similar version of these), but don't want to spend as much, I would definitely say that these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows are worth purchasing.

xoxo,

Eve

Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar

One of my skin care routines for the week usually consists of some sort of clay/mud mask treatment.  It's a great way to give yourself that at home spa feel without spending the same amount you would at a spa center.  I had heard of this Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar from Raeview on YouTube (or The Raeviewer here on blogspot), and because I usually trust her opinions on the products she reviews I decided to pick this up and give it a try.

The Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar is a purifying face and body mask made from 100% Umbrian Clay.  The clay works as a deep cleanser, that works to detoxify and clear any unwanted spots.  The high mineral content in Umbrian clay absorbs any toxins in the pores and is soothing enough to calm any irritation on the skin.

"Umbrian Clay occurs naturally and solely in the Italian town of Nocera Umbra. It has been the basis of therapeutic treatments for centuries, dating back to the 6th century B.C." - Sephora.com

After reading all of the reviews and doing a little research about Umbrian Clay, I was definitely excited to give this a try.  Although I was not thrilled that the product is in bar form (since it gets a little messy to work with), the Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar really does wonders for my skin.  I use it as a once a week treatment (twice a week if my skin is going through a rough time), and I can definitely see and feel a difference.  After every treatment, the mask leaves my face feeling so clean and incredibly moisturized (unlike other masks that might make your skin feel a little bit tight).

The Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar works great for both the face and body, but I mainly use it as a facial mask.  Run the bar under warm water and massage it onto your skin around your face and let set for about 10 minutes before rinsing.  If you're not a fan of facial masks, you can use the Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar as a spot treatment instead, just applying it where you notice any spots.

xoxo,

Eve

Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer

On a daily basis, I usually avoid wearing foundation during the day.  While I am at work or school, I don't find the need to have that added coverage since I'm not really try to impress anyone there.  For a regular day, as long as my skin tone is even and any noticeable blemishes are concealed, I go for the more natural look.

So one of my must have items that I carry around with me is a creamy concealer.  In the past, I have enjoyed my MAC Studio Finish Concealer because it did a great job at covering up any blemishes and red spots.  However, I did not find the MAC Studio Finish Concealer to be long lasting enough.  I was able to notice it wearing off within 4-5 hours after application, so I always needed to have it with me for any minor touch ups.

After searching around a bit, I decided to try the Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer, my perfect shade being Ocher.  I have heard so many fantastic reviews on the product, and for the price I definitely had high expectations for it.  I was first drawn to it because of the packaging. I absolutely love concealers in stick form because it makes it much more convenient and travel friendly.

As for the formula, a creamy concealer for spot concealing is a must for me, and Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer definitely does the job well.  It's formulated with moisture, making the application buttery smooth and just blends so evenly into the skin.  The color and pigmentation is amazing, covering any type of redness or blemishes, making it look like natural skin.  After hours of wear, I do not notice any creasing or fading, which is definitely a plus.

I have to say, out of all the concealers I have tried in the past, the Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer is definitely a stand out.  The only downside to the product is that their color range can be quite limited.  I was lucky enough to find the perfect match for my skin tone, but I believe that once I get darker in the Summer I will not be able to match any of the other shades.  For a high end concealer, the Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer is well worth the price if you're looking for that all natural look requiring very little makeup.

I am definitely looking forward to trying out Tom Ford's Traceless Foundation Stick and comparing the two products.

xoxo,

Eve

Nails Inc. Chelsea Bridge

With my nail polish collection being so large (hmm should I do a collection post one day?), you can imagine how different shades of red I might have.  For me, I am quite picky with the shade of red I like for my skin tone.  Dark red with tones of purple are ok once in a while, but I am more of the true, bright reds because it is more of a classic color that is definitely eye catching.

One of the red polishes that I have been obsessed with for month of February has been Nails Inc. Chelsea Red, from their Autumn collection.  I have the mini version of the polish, and actually think I am going to finish the entire bottle soon if I continue to love it.

Chelsea Bridge is the absolutely perfect (in my opinion) bright, cherry red that works well for day and evening looks.  It's opaque in one coat, which is also amazing, but I always apply two coats of polish for that extra shine.  And as for the lasting power, I was still rocking this polish 10 days later with very minimal chipping.

Nails Inc. has definitely made a great impression for me, and their polishes have the best high shine, glossy finish that I have ever seen.  You can actually go without a top coat because the finish of the polish is that beautiful, but it's best to never skip the top coat because it does help the polish last a few days longer.

So if you need a new red in your life, definitely check out Chelsea Bridge.

xoxo,

Eve

ANNOUNCEMENT: Urban Decay Giveaway Winner!!!

So without further ado, the winner is....I would like to thank everyone who entered the Urban Decay Giveaway, and also thank all of my readers for their continued support! There is definitely a lot of hype going around with this Urban Decay Basics Palette (along with all of the other Naked products UD had released) so I am so excited to get to share this with someone.

Wendy Smiles!!!

You can check out her awesome blog here: http://infinimentbeau.blogspot.com/


The winner has been contacted and she has 72 hours to claim her prize (or else I will randomly choose another winner).

Thank you so much to everyone that entered and I hope to continue receiving your support in the next year.  Look forward to more awesome giveaways in the next coming months!

xoxo,

Eve

Sally Hansen Salon Nail Effects

I have seen all of these sticker like nail strips out on the market for a while now, but was never really excited to give them a try.  Because I like just more basic, solid colors I just stuck with the conventional nail polish.  However, when I saw the Sally Hansen Salon Nail Effects in the Check It Out design, it reminded so much of a Houndstooth print that I just wanted to give it a try.  I absolutely love Houndstooth print, so I kind of had high hopes for these.

I definitely was worried that the strips wouldn't fit my nail size properly, but they had a great variety of sizes in there that they worked out for all of my nails.  And as for the application process, it was definitely much easier (and faster) than I had expected.  I had all of the strips on my nails in less than five minutes, so these are definitely a great concept for convenience.  The time you spend on getting your nails all polished up is cut down immensely because you don't have to wait for them to dry.

As for the wear, they was skeptical about them lasting up to the 10 days they claim, but after a week and a half of wear I still had these little guys on before minor chipping.  However, I did seal all of the edges and sides of my nails with top coat to prevent any peeling from water exposure.

I definitely am enjoying these, but after seeing them on all of my nails the print did look a little overwhelming (and not as simple as I usually am).  Because I still like these, I think next time I would just use the strips as an accent for one or two nails.  That way, I get more use out of the strips (since they are $8-10 for one box) and I get a little bit of a fun pop out of them too.

xoxo,

Eve

Essie Fiji

One of my go to, must have colors to have when it comes to nail polish is Essie Fiji.  I can honestly say that if I had to choose one color out of my entire nail polish collection that's my favorite, it would be Essie's Fiji.  As long as they don't discontinue the shade, I can continue to recommend this color all of the nail polish junkies out there (and it'll definitely be a sad day if they ever discontinue Fiji).

I was initially drawn to Essie's Fiji because of how creamy the polish looked.  It's a true milky pink that doesn't lean too pale white.  For me, it's a classic, clean, sophisticated color that also has that slight feminine touch.  It works well for me all years round and I do prefer Fiji to most of my other nude/pale pink polishes because it is the perfect shade for me.

When I can't decide which polish to where (out of my unnecessarily large collection) I will most likely gravitate towards Essie's Fiji because it's an easy shade to wear.  Fiji works well with just about any outfit and any occasion.  Now here's the downside to Essie's Fiji: It's a PAIN to apply! It's definitely not like any of the creamy Zoya polishes that applies effortlessly.  Fiji is not a polish for the newbies to self polish application, so definitely take your time with it.  For me, patiently adding thin layers work best.  That avoids any streaking and unevenness.

Fiji is also a must have for me when I am going to more special events, such as weddings.  It gives that clean look that just works well for me.  So you can always find this in my travel bag.  I love how it wears and lasts on the nails, and you can definitely trust it to last up to one week before slight chipping.

xoxo,

Eve

CVS Haul

I had found a few CVS ExtraBucks Rewards that were expiring soon, so I decided to make my way to the store to check out any new products or sales that were going on.  There were a few promos going on for a few of the drugstore brands, but sadly a lot of items were picked through already (I must have been late on the promotion).  There were, however, a few items that have been released for a while that I have yet to try out.

- Biore Pore Strips

- Maybelline Color Show Nail Stickers: Sapphire Jewels & Metal Prisms

- Sally Hansen Nail Effects: Houndstooth

- Ardell 301 Accent Lashes

- Duo Lash Adhesive

- L'Oreal Infallible Shadows: Iced Latte & Golden Sage

- Cover Girl Jumbo Gloss Balm: Watermelon Twist, Rose Twist, Blush Twist, & Ruby Twist

- Hair Clips

I went there mainly to find more of the Sally Hansen Nail Effect strips because I found myself loving the ease and fun prints.  And while I was there I found that Maybelline had released a similar concept so I am definitely looking forward to trying these out.  

I am also working on a comparison review on a few of the jumbo lip balms/pencils on the market, so when I saw the Cover Girls pencils I wanted to give them a go.

Definitely keep an eye out for future reviews on a few of these items.

xoxo,

Eve

Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads

I have seen Peter Thomas Roth products in Sephora for a while now, but never ventured into trying their products until now.  After watching Raeview's video on products she loves to use for acne, I decided to pick up a few of them, one being the Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads.  

I bought this mainly for the time of the month where my skin does act up.  Because I have been keeping up with my skin care routine, my skin has been healthy and happy for the past few months now.  So even though I had purchased these a little over a month ago, I never really had a reason to use them, until now.  After coming back from my trip to New Orleans, I found my pores a little more clogged and I had quite a few random (cystic) breakouts around my nose and chin.  

I definitely didn't want to have to deal with the breakouts for long, so after exfoliating with my Laura Mercier Flawless Face, I whipped out these pads to give a try.

The Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads were made to clear up pores.  Formulated with AHA and BHA (and a little bit of alcohol), it makes a great clarifying pad the cleanse the skin and clear up any blemishes.  Use the smooth side to swipe all over the face, and the exfoliating side to really work it into the pores.

You can really feel these working once applied.  It's strong enough to show immediate results without irritating or drying out my skin.  After application, I would wait two minutes, and then made sure to follow up with a nice moisturizer to soothe the skin.  I honestly noticed a difference the next day.  My blemishes were hardly noticeable and my skin felt more refreshed and radiant.

I would not recommend using this ever day, unless you have a more severe problem with acne.  I personally only use these when I notice breakouts that have not gone a way in two days with just regular cleansing.  That way my skin doesn't get dried out from treatment.

I have to say I really am impressed with these pads, and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a clarifying pad.  The only negative thing I have to say about these is that I can't stand the Peach Bellini smell of them.  I think they were trying to mask the smell of the glycolic acid by making the pads smell sweet, but I honestly would have preferred the glycolic smell to that of a sweet peach.  Otherwise, these are great to have on hand for those skin emergency days!

xoxo,

Eve