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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Whatever I Want Wednesdays - Lioele L’cret Miracle Lipstick

 I am an Asian skincare and makeup nut.  For some reason, it just seems better than our stuff over here, at least the drugstore brands.  For what it's worth, my skin reacts better to it, so I spend most of my beauty dollars on various websites and then wait a month or so for my loot to arrive.

That's why I can't 100% remember where I bought my three Lioele L'cret Miracle Lipsticks from.  I just know I love them.  (I suspect it was from f2plus1 where they're currently retailing for 6.68 USD each.)

So, what's the miracle?  They change color.  I know, how cute is that?  It's not really a friggin' miracle, but I just like how excited they are about it.



I got colors 01 (Sexy Red), 02 (Elegant Purple), and 05 (Fresh Orange).





01 goes from a DEAR GOD BRIGHT to a more muted pinky-red.  This one just isn't my color, but it also was scented really ... florally.  Dear god, it smells like perfume that grandmas wear only it's on your mouth so it feels like you're tasting it.  Pass.





02, Elegant Purple, is far more my speed.  The bullet is EEE PURPLE, but it ends up being a gentle, more sheer pink on the mouth.  The fragrance is a bit more mellow and tolerable on this one, which means I wear the shit out of it constantly.



05, Fresh Orange, is a "this is never gonna work" orange in the tube, but it's a really wearable peachy color on the mouth.  The fragrance on this one is allegedly orange, but I can't smell it at all.

It has a more balmy texture than most American lipsticks which is something I absolutely love.  And if you're worried about how long that would last - those swatches were on my arm, and even after rubbing at my arm with a makeup removal wipe, the colors were noticeable the next day after I woke up.  

What kind of lipsticks are your miracle?  Do you enjoy hyperbole?  Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with any retailers mentioned here.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Nail MADNESS Mondays - Julep "Angela"

I think I accrue Julep nail polishes the way some people save for retirement: slowly, until one day you look around and think "hot damn, that's a lotta stuff!".  Only in my case, it's not entirely as useful as a 401k, but hey, it's shiny?

... I just depressed myself with a metaphor.  MOVING ON.

This is Julep's "Angela", which I recently got in one of their surprise packs.  (The surprise pack was about 30.00 USD, and I got a bunch of stuff in it so I think this ended up being about 5.00 USD all told.)  It's a really pretty sort of peacocky blue that has greens in it when you move it around.  It's not fully holographic, but it's got microglitter out the wazoo.






There's only two layers on the swatch, no topcoat, indoor lighting.  This is absolutely something that I'll wear when I get around to it because dear god I have too much nail polish.

Do you subscribe to the Julep Maven program?  Do you trip over your polish horde sometimes?  Tell me stuff!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with any retailers mentioned here.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Whatever I Want Wednesdays - Spring Smells

So, even though it's about twenty degrees outside as I type this (poor Chicago grass!), it's technically almost Spring.  And that means the annual change from my Winter perfumes to my Spring ones.  I have two that are my old faithfuls, but one that I got for Christmas that I'm loving lately.


from tocca.com

According to Tocca's website, this perfume is:

  • Top Notes: Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Pear, Apple
  • Middle Notes: Ivory Gardenia, Crushed Violet Petals, Jasmine, Tuberose, Blue Iris
  • Bottom Notes: Blonde Wood, White Musk
For me, it just literally smells like Spring.  I get the grapefruit and then all of the middle floral notes.  It smells like growing things and makes me feel feminine and pretty, yet also somehow very young.  I'm on my third bottle of this.  (eau de parfum, 1.7 oz, 68.00 USD)

from ateliercologne.com
This says it's cologne, but it's absolutely unisex, I promise you.  According to Atelier:
  • Top Notes: blood orange from Italy, bitter orange from Spain, red mandarin from Italy
  • Heart Notes: jasmine from Egypt, geranium from South Africa, black pepper from Madagascar
  • Base Notes: tonka bean from Brazil, sandalwood from Indonesia, cedarwood from Texas
I'm sure all of that is in there.  What do I get?  At first, blood and bitter oranges, and then as it wears, I get more of the jasmine and geranium.  It reminds me of being clean and of growing things.  However, it should be noted - the only reason I have a bottle of this is because my family got it for me.  It's way too rich for my blood, usually.  (100ml, 105.00 USD)


from fragrantica.com

The newest perfume I dig for spring is hella embarrassing.  It's Minajesty, Nicki Minaj's perfume.  I don't know about the bottle (it's terrifying) but the perfume is floral and fruity and vanilla-y all at the same time, don't ask me how.  I just like it, and tend to wear it around the house or to bed.  (eau de parfum, 1.7oz, 49.50)

Am I crazy for changing with the seasons?  Do you do it?  What fragrance do you wear?

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with any retailers mentioned here.




Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Nail MADNESS Mondays - Chanel "Paparazzi"

Chanel nail polishes are kind of hit or miss for me.  I confess, I own Peridot, Black Pearl, and Graphite.  When Vamp came out?  I was first in line even though I was only sixteen.  When Metallic Vamp came out (which I wish they'd bring back FFS), I got two bottles of it and two lipsticks.  Because backups are important.

But those are their "offbeat" colors.  Most of Chanel's colors are kinda boring, IMHO, which is why when my mother gifted me a Chanel polish I hadn't been coveting, I was sort of ambivalent.  My instincts were dead on.


You'd think with a name like Paparazzi it would be more interesting, no?  But nope, it's a dusky rose with some microglitter in it.  Ho hum.



Nothing super interesting to see here.  I expect this will be one of the few Chanels I bust out for nail art.  Don't get me wrong, it's awesome to get expensive nail polish as a gift.  But on the other hand, Chanel needs to release another "must have" polish for this tightwad to fork out her own money.  (I don't know exactly how much Mom spent on this, but Chanel on their own website sell this color for 27.00 USD a bottle.)

What about you guys?  Do you spend money on "high end" polish, or are you strictly a drugstore fan?

Disclaimer: This product was gifted to me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this company.