Bare Minerals Eye Liner + Shadow Review!

Okayyyy if you remember from one of my recent hauls posts I picked up a bunch of Bare Minerals make up while visiting Ohio! 

It's my favorite kind of make up everrrr!  I decided that since I hinted towards the eyeliner I was wearing in yesterday's post, I'd talk about it today!

So here's what I've got to review for you ladies today:

Wearable Browns Eye Shadows

ANnndddddd

The Retro Lounge Powder Eyeliner

I'm actually going to do a comparison of the two liners that I picked up that day, the Retro (seen above) and a pencil called Sage that was featured in the Girlfriend collection (seen in my haul post).

I'll just post all the pictures first and then discuss 'em:

Wearable Light Brown, Wearable Medium Brown, Wearable Dark Brown

Artsy perspective...oooh.  These shadows are all used in the pics below (of my eyes...duh)

Up close of the Retro powder eyeliner + brush

My favorite Bare Minerals eyeliner is a powder eyeliner, so I had high hopes for this one!  Not to mention it came with a brush, albeit much wider than the normal liner brush I use.  It, however, was much darker than the liner color I usually use and it was pretty much a jet black:

 

Retro gave a pretty smooth line...it's a little shaky though 'cause I wasn't used to using the giant applicator brush!

Up close of the Sage eyeliner pencil...you can see (and probably tell by the name) it's a brownish-green color!

This was a very unique color for me!  It's a dark shimmery green.  It didn't give as smooth of a line as the Retro, but I think I like it better anyway:

Dark green/gold = pretty.  It would look better with a gold or bronze shadow

Here is a picture of both of my eyes so you can see the differences in the liners side by side:

I think I'm quite terrible at applying and blending eyeshadow.  I used the wearable light brown above my lids and under my brows, wearable medium brown on the lids and wearable dark brown on the crease.  Here's a few more pics of my eyes, open...which covers up the fact that I suck at applying makeup lol:

Sage

Retro

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with all my purchases!  I really like the three shadow colors, I just need to work on blending a little better.  I don't wear too much vibrant-colored make-up so these neutral browns are just up my alley! 

In terms of color and ease, I loved the Sage eyeliner pencil.  It's so much faster just to swipe on a pencil!  I do think, though, that this would be better suited for a colored shadow!  In this case, I did like how Retro looked a little better.  It ended up being a much cleaner line which suited the neutral colored shadows quite nice.

Also, if you're wondering, the mascara I have on is the Maybelline Lots of Lashes mascara featured in yesterday's post (and my giveaway).

Hope you all are well!
<3

Wet n Wild Eye Shadow Trios Review! Picture Heavy!

Okay SO let me show you the past two hauls I've gotten since my Giveaway Haul.  Let's not discuss the money aspect of it...

Five Below Haul #1 

Okay one of the girls from the Polish-Aholics Anonymous Facebook group requested some of the Funky Fingers polishes, so I went out and got those for her and picked up this stuff while I was out!  Two Art Club polishes in white and red to attempt art with, Funky Fingers Baby Baby Baby (teal holo glitter), Funky Fingers Sand & Stilettos (Silver holo glitter), Funky Fingers Golden Coast (gold holo glitter), and Funky Fingers Down to Earth (Gold Metal).  All those along with three of the Wet n Wild eye shadow trios Don't Steal My Thunder, I Got Good Jeans, and Spoiled Brat. 

Five Below and Ulta Haul #2

On Saturday I went back to Five Below and picked up three more of the Funky Fingers Holo Glitters (Baby Baby Baby, Sand & Stilettos, and Golden Coast), for swaps (Seriously guys, check my swap list if you want to trade for any/all of these).  And I also finally picked up ORLY Out of This World and OPI DS Reserve!  AH.  They're both so awesome.  DS Reserve will be my Pink Wednesday post this week.  It's gorgeous. 

I guess I should also mention I chipped off my blue ruffian before Memorial Day so I didn't add anything to it, but it's all gravy.  What I'm here to talk about today is eye shadows!  I've tried two of the Wet n Wild trios so far: Walking on Eggshells (from Giveaway haul) and I Got Good Jeans!  There are a shit ton of pictures of these, just a warning :)

Walking On Eggshells

Beige and Brown Trio (This is the product picture from google)

Here's mine...already been used :)

Swatched on my hand...this is also outdoor sunny lighting!

Before the application pics I just want to say that I really loved this trio when I saw it in the store.  Initially I heard about these at Nouveau Cheap, although the one that I really wanted that she swatched was Go for the Gold, so I'm still on the lookout for that one!  But this one is still very pretty, too.  It's pretty subtle and natural so this is what I've been wearing for my everyday look since I got it.

 

Both eyes

Closed

Open!

Closed again

Now I'm not super great at putting on eye shadow.  I have tried every type of brush but I still have a hard time blending!  Do you guys have any brush recommendations?  Honestly, for both sets of trios I've just been using the brushes it came with because I don't see a point in anything else since they all work about the same for me.  I'm willing to try anything new, though!  These colors all work really well and blend together nicely, though, which is why after buying this one, I went out and bought three more :)  And they're only $2.99!!

Anyway, in the pics above I have it pictures with Lorac liquid eyeliner and a combination of mascaras...I think probably Buxom Mascara and Maybelline Define a Lash Waterproof in Black.  They were taken inside, but next to the window so it's like half outdoor lighting.  I really like this for everyday wear!

I Got Good Jeans

Also, I went OUT the other night and decided to try I Got Good Jeans since the colors matched the shirt I was wearing, hah!  I liked how it turned out a lot, but its not something I think I would wear during the day time.  Also, sorry all of these pictures are inside with bathroom lighting or the flash since it was dark when I got ready :)

Wooo look at that dark blue.

Swatched on my arm...outside!

Closed

Open!

Flash to see the sheen

I can't keep my eyes open during a flash lol

Bathroom lighting

Different angle

Anywho--like I said, I like this and didn't have a hard time blending the dark blue in, which was good 'cause I wasn't tryin to look like a skank or anything.  The light blue brow bone shadow was a little TOO blue and I tried to wipe most of it off.  It's a lighter shade but it still gave off a barbie look I wasn't going for.  This color was also paired with the Lorac liner and same mascaras as the other one.

Overall I totally think these trios are worth the $3 you pay for them!  You can get Wet n Wild at pretty much any drug store and I found a ton of them at Five Below!  I'm hesitant to try the last two I bought 'cause they're not really "me" so it'll probably be a while before I test those out :)  I like that they come with a duster brush and a sponge applicator!  Like I said, those are the brushes I've been using 'cause I'm lazy and am not very good at makeup either way!

Let me know if you've tried either of these or are planning on it!  Hope you all had a super great weekend ;)

<3 Whitney

P.S. I also just noticed, but let's ignore the state of my eyebrows at this time! k thanks :) 

Bare Minerals Eye Shadow

Hey everyone, I wanted to update again today because I'm going to be busy working on my thesis this week and may not have time to post again (although I do get distracted easily, so it's possible I'll still be on here!).

Anyway, if you've checked out my favorite products page you'll have figured out that I'm all about my Bare Minerals make up!  So while I was bored at my hotel last night, I decided to get some pictures of my make up routine so I could review some of the products I use on the regular.

Today I'm going to be reviewing two of their eye shadows: Kudos, a gold, and Idol, a plum color.  Both of these came in kits and aren't available for purchase alone, at least not on THEIR website, but they are very similar to the True Gold (glimmer) and Heart (glimmer).  You can, however, find the original colors online elsewhere and possibly in stores.

Idol (left) and Kudos (right) Eye Shadows

As you can see, they're both lovely, shimmery colors.  What I like to do for my "everyday" look is use the gold as my base color (sometimes even using it to highlight under my brows) and then use the plum in the crease and the corners.  It sounds a little odd but the purple isn't dark enough to clash with the gold so I think it ends up looking quite nice.

A few sweeps of both on my hand

Here's a picture of my eye, open and closed, with just the Kudos (gold) applied. 

Gold only, pretty subtle and good for work!

A little more added, you can apply more for a darker color

Like the caption says, you can generally apply a nice coating if you want a little bit darker color.  It's decently sheer and if you like wearing metallic colors but don't want them to be too loud, this is perfect color for you.

The cool thing about Bare Minerals make up is that you add a few drops of water it for a slightly different color that lasts a bit longer.  I usually don't have a problem getting my makeup to last all day, but I like having that option!  All of my images are of the dry application, though--I was getting ready to go out last night and didn't want my eyes looking too different!

Here is a picture of JUST the idol on my other eye. 

Idol

Like I said, it's pretty transparent and not "in your face" purple.  I like that it's a more subtle brownish plum color that blends well with the gold (see below).

Idol on Kudos

I was very disappointed with my pictures of the purple and gold together.  You can't really see it, which is unfortunate.  This is my best photo out of about ten or twenty, so I apologize!  It even actually looks like the Idol is on the inside crease of my eye when really I applied it to the outer edge!  Hopefully you can see a little difference between just the Kudos and this picture, though.  Like I said, the plum blends pretty well.

During the day I don't like to have too much of a "shadow" or too dark of a color in the crease of my eye, so this combo works well for me when I'm going to work.  If you're going out at night and want to rock the smoky eye then these colors probably aren't as dramatic for you!  But like I said, I love it for the daytime!  They shine in the sun, which is also a plus.

Let me mention real quick what brushes I use for these shadows:

Brushes!

They both are Bare Minerals brushes but you can use the colors easily with any brush.  The one I use for the gold is actually their Max Coverage Concealer brush and not an eye brush!  I like it because it's really wide and flat which makes for a quick application!  It's pretty thin at the end so I can get the shadow in the spots I want pretty easily!  I like larger brushes for eyeshadow, but that's just my preference.

For the crease and corners of my eye I use their Wet/Dry Eyeshadow brush.  It's small and chunky which helps if you don't want the color all the way across your eye.

Overall, I love these colors!  And the brushes.  Generally their eye shadows run about $13-$18 each in stores and the brushes are $6-$30.  I think that's semi ridiculous, especially because I'm a poor college student, so I highly recommend getting one of their kits!  I've collected about 10 brushes from buying kids which probably saved me something like $200.  Don't buy their brushes alone unless you're desperate!

Their nice concealer brushes and usually an eye brush comes in their starter kit so start with something like that if you've never tried the make up before.  I guess I should also mention that if you can get your kits either online (although then you can't see the stuff in person) or at an outlet mall!

I saved SO much money buying kits from outlet malls, if you get them at the end of the season you still get great stuff for a low price.  I got a $40 kit for something like $13 a few months ago at an outlet store in Maryland!  Love it.

So if you think you can't afford Bare Minerals, I promise you, there are good deals out there.  If you just go in and buy a foundation or eye shadow alone, you're going to spend so much more money.

If you don't already know, Bare Escentuals make up is available at their store, Sephora, online.  Sometimes you can find it at JC Penny if they have a Sephora make up counter!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Have a great next couple of days :)

L'Oreal One Sweep Eye Shadow Review!

Hey everyone!  This is my first post and it's for L'Oreal's new One Sweep Eye Shadow.  If you have any comments and suggestions on how to blog or what I should talk about, please contact me and let me know!

L'Oreal is known for their excellent quality make-up products.  I was excited to see that I qualified to try some of their products for free so a few weeks ago I signed up for a BzzAgent Campaign to receive a sample of L'Oreal's Double Extend Illuminator Mascara and their new One Sweep Eye Shadow.

Pretty colors! (From L'Oreal website)

The One Sweep Eye Shadow I received was number 409, natural for blue eyes.  I've applied it a few times this week and was actually quite disappointed with the results.  The colors go well together, as you can see from the image, however the application technique did not work as planned.  The directions tell you to sweep each side of the applicator brush through all three colors and apply following the curve of your eye.  However, the pink is barely noticeable so all you get is a line of brown and a line of white, which looks awkward.

I've applied the colors separately with a smaller blending brush and the results were much more pleasing.  So overall, I loved the colors and the concept, but the "one sweep" application just did not work as designed. 

The product appears to retail for about $7-$9 in most stores that carry L'Oreal products, which seems a little high to me now that I know the one sweep idea doesn't work like it's supposed to.  However, after looking at the other color combination's they sell, I would be willing to try some of the others, since the colors go so well together.      

I'd give this product a 3 out of 5 for the interesting concept and gorgeous colors.

If you've tried this and have something to say about it, comment please!  Also, I plan on taking my own pictures in the future, so look out for that!