Estee Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliner Duo in Blackened Black and Blackened Cocoa

My deep love for pencil eyeliners is well documented in my blog, and guess what?  I've discovered some kajal eyeliners from Estee Lauder that I really, really like.  I don't know why, but I always dismissed kajal liners out of hand, I guess because I thought they would smudge easily on my oily lids.

Blackened Black

Blackened Cocoa

However, I've now accumulated quite a few of the Estee Lauder kajal liners, and my experiences have been all good.  These are soft enough that they do not drag across my lids, and deposit nicely pigmented color that can be smudged out easily with a brush.  The color is staying true for me throughout the day with minimal smudging.  (Please excuse my peeling eyelids, these pictures were taken during the extreme cold snap and my skin was having issues).

I also like that these are great for waterline use as well.  I don't normally line my upper or lower waterlines, but I've been experimenting with these and I'm liking the effect for a change now and then.  I wear contacts and I'm not having any issues with clouding of my lenses or transfer of pigment onto them, nor have they irritated my eyes.  Wear time is probably 3-4 hours on the waterline, which is not bad in my experience.  I do experience some slight "bleeding" at the outer corners of my eyes and have to make sure to wipe that off, but it's not excessive.

Blackened Cocoa is my favorite of the colors I've accumulated thus far, as it's a nice dark brown matte that works with the neutral colors I'm partial to.  I will have to show you Blackened Sapphire soon, however, as it's a close second :-)

I acquired my duo as part of a GWP, but both colors are available on their own.  The liners are pricey at $22 each, but if you watch for frequent GWP offers, it's not hard to pick some up for a fraction of that.  There is also a lovely black and blue duo liner available on the Estee Lauder site right now for $23.

Sahara Hydra-Crème Lipstick by Le Métier de Beauté

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Le Métier de Beauté (LMdB) introduced their new Hydra-Crème lipstick formula a few months back, and today I've got Sahara to show you.  I picked up Sahara from one of the package deals on LMdB's Beauty Vault, and I can't say it's a color I would have veered towards on my own.  Described as a "sandy coral nude", shades like this can sometimes wash me out.  However, I'm happy to say that Sahara actually works well for me and doesn't leave me with that dreaded corpse look.

The formula is lovely - creamy, moisturizing, and nicely pigmented.  You can build up more color by applying in layers and I like the soft sheen finish.  I can get by with no lip balm on the days I wear Sahara, which is the mark of a moisturizing lipstick in my book.  Nor do my lips feel dry the day after, another good indication.  The formula is paraben free and does not contain mineral or animal derivatives.

Housed in a shiny silver ribbed case, I counted 15 different Hydra-Crème colors on the Neiman Marcus site.   I've got another one in Cashmere, which I'll be reviewing soon.  These retail for $25, which is on the pricier end, but I really like the formula and could see collecting more!

Mushroom by Urban Decay: Smoked Palette

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I've got some confessions to make.  I'm not completely in love with Urban Decay's eyeshadow, even though I own 84 of them.  I don't find myself reaching for them very often, in spite of the lovely colors and generally great formula.  After pondering on this, I think it's because so many of them seem well, frosty, to me.  We won't even talk about the glitter in some of them.

You can see the dips in Freestyle and Kinky, but the rest....

As I get older and my eyelids age along with me, I'm seeing that high shimmer finishes are not really doing me any favors.  But, I don't want perfectly good shadows to languish, so I'm determined to find ways to wear my more shimmery Urban Decay shadows that are flattering.

Mushroom

Here's another confession:  I've had the Urban Decay Smoked Palette for well over a year, and other than the two lightest matte shadows, I rarely touch it.  So, I've hauled it out for the past several weeks and am playing with the other shadows to see whether or not my disinterest is warranted.  Predictably, I started off with the more neutral colors like Mushroom.  Let's see if I can get this lovely brownish gray to work for me :-)

So, I used Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Barely Beige as a base shade, followed by Freestyle to minimize shimmer.  I then used Mushroom on top of that.  The color looks a bit more gray than brown to me, but I do like how it turned out! 

For this look, I used Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt as a base color and then topped it with Mushroom, which definitely amped up the gray tone and deepened the color.  I used Freestyle to soften the edges and Kinky as a brow highlighter.  

I know there have to be ways to get even the most metallic of shadows to work for me, it's just a matter of figuring it out :-)

Smooth Berry Stay Matt Lip Cream by Essence

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Well hello there, my pretty!  Where have you been hiding and why haven't I noticed you before?  Those are a few of my thoughts when I applied Smooth Berry, a bright raspberry pink liquid lipstick by Essence.  Insanely pigmented, a small dot provides smooth, opaque color.  Comparisons to Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic's lip tars come to mind, but the formula on this is more of a medium cream as opposed to the liquid consistency of lip tars.  As far as a long wearing matte color, however?  Spectacular!

Smooth Berry lasted a good 5 hours on me, and that includes drinking coffee and eating lunch.  I did apply a thin coat of lip balm prior to applying, but overall my lips were comfortable and felt hydrated for the duration of wear.  Smooth Berry does leave behind a stain after color has worn off, and I found the faint vanilla scent pleasant and unobtrusive.

All this at a mere $2.99, how can that be?  Factor in the frequent BOGO sales Ulta has, and I got this at an ever cheaper price.  The down side is that there are only 3 colors available:  Smooth Berry, Velvet Rose, and Silky Red.  I've got Velvet Rose and am interested to see if it lives up to the bar Smooth Berry has set.

You can also wear a more muted version by applying just a touch of Smooth Berry and smoothing it out with your finger.  I like the more sheer, flushed version on it's on or as a base for lip gloss.  I really like Smooth Berry, if you can't tell:-)

January Birchbox: Go Time!

The first Birchbox of 2014 is all about flipping resolutions on their head.  Instead of giving up things, it's about taking on more:  more things to try, to conquer, to integrate into your life.  I can get on board with that:-)

My box contained a nice variety of items, from both high end and mass appeal brands.  On the higher end of the spectrum we find the Meta Revive Dry Conditioner from Serge Normant.   

Just like you use a dry shampoo to revive 2nd day hair, this spray is designed to condition 2nd day hair.  Instructions say to spray from mid-shaft on down, which is a tad difficult now that my hair is short.  Regardless, I used it and did not find it weighed my hair down or made it look greasy, so I should be able to get plenty of use out of it.  A full size will set you back $25, and sample value is roughly $8.50.

I received a full sized nail polish from the UK brand Nail Rock in Moon Silver, along with beads to create a "caviar nail" look.  I haven't tried this before nor would I probably have sought one out, but now that I've got it I'll totally give it a try:-)   Interestingly, while there are 8 colors of the Nail Rock Caviar sets on Birchbox's site, none of them are Moon Silver.  The cost of the duo is a reasonable $7, and if they look as great as they did for Vanity Rouge, I'm all over it.

The Coastal Scents Revealed sampler looks very promising, although I haven't tried them yet.  I do like the colors and I've heard good things about these, including that 17 of the 20 shadows in the full sized Revealed palette are dupes for Urban Decay's Naked 1 and Naked 2.  Apparently the Revealed dupes for the Urban Decay glitter eyeshadows don't contain glitter either, which is a plus in my book:-)  Sample value based on Birchbox's price for the full-sized palette ($34) would be $6.80.  However, I believe you can get Revealed for $19.99 directly from Coastal Scents. 

The Birchbox Find is a mass-market discovery and is an extra "add-on" in addition to the regular samples.  This month it is the Intense Hydration Day Lotion with Clary Sage by Burt's Bees.   I like Burt's Bees and I've used this sample several times already - it's nice!  This came with a coupon for $3 off that can be used anywhere - nice touch.  Sample value is $2.49.

Motivational pin-up cards

It's been a while since I've received a perfume sample, but the ever ubiquitous Juicy Couture showed up in the form of Viva La Juicy.  I've actually received Viva La Juicy from Birchbox before I believe, or at least I've already got a vial that never gets used.  It's actually not bad, but not my preference.  Sample value is $1.32, making the total value of my January box $26.11.  Hello 2014!

Accountability Sunday: Resolution Progress for the Week v. 3

Senses Day Spa at IP Casino Resort Biloxi (source Spatrips.com)

Did you know that January 17th was "Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day"?  I haven't ditched mine, although some of the exercise induced euphoria from last week has worn off.  Fortunately, I was able to take a 4-day weekend to refresh, recharge, and celebrate my mother's birthday.  On Friday I visited the Senses Day Spa for a deep tissue massage to work out some knots in my neck and back, plus spent time in the whirlpool, steam room, arctic room, and sauna.  Gotta love that!

Whirlpool (source Spatrips.com)

As a refresher, here are my resolutions for 2014:

• eat better:  start cooking more and eating out less
• exercise more: practice yoga/Pilates again, use a standing desk at work
• declutter house
• no buy on makeup/beauty items Jan-March:  can develop a wish list and purchase one or two items from it in April

 

I made no slow cooker dishes this week, but did make some sausage and cheese English muffins.  These satisfy my cravings for their more unhealthy cousin from McDonalds, the sausage egg McMuffin.  I added some bell pepper to 4 crumbled precooked turkey patties and 4 oz. of Colby/Cheddar cheese, nuked it in the microwave, and topped six muffin halves.  You can then bake them (I used my NuWave cooker) until they are slightly browned.  They freeze well and reheat nicely, making a great on the go type of breakfast.  Add fruit and you've got a reasonably healthy and satisfying meal!

I attempted to incorporate running into my work out regime this week, with mixed results.  I used to run regularly but started experiencing tears in my right calf muscle.  I'm surmising it's because the right side of my body is very tight (that's the side my muscle knots are on) due to my slight scoliosis.  I was able to run for 20 minutes one day and 25 the next, but I could definitely feel it in that right calf and was afraid it would go at any moment.  I'm hoping the regular Pilates/yoga will help stretch my muscles with time, allowing me run a few times a week.  We'll see. I should probably consult with some of the Physical Therapy faculty I work with.

I like logging my exercise type and times on a calendar, as it gives me a good visual overview of how I'm doing.  So far so good and I can already tell my strength and form is improving with the Pilates and yoga :-)

I managed to make some baby steps decluttering the house.  Realistically, I'm not going to be able to tackle an entire room at a time unless I've got a whole day to devote to it, but I can declutter a drawer or bookcase.  So, I cleaned out my supplement stash and threw out the expired items.  Ummm, I had stuff as old as 2002, I kid you not.  I go through phases where I'm pretty good at taking vitamins/supplements, and then I'll forget about them and they sit untouched.  For years, apparently.

Before

My other mini-declutter project was my stereo system bookcase, which had accumulated dust and multiple CD's both in and out of their jackets.  Much better and going forward, only the CD's currently in the player are allowed!

After

My makeup no-buy is going strong, and receiving my subscription boxes is helping in that area.  Now, getting something in the mail feels more exciting, as I'm not jaded by multiple arrivals each week:-)  My wish list currently stands at 3 items, but may or may not grow depending on what product Hourglass is hinting at here:

COMING SOON - New this spring is a revolutionary take on color makeup that is out of this world. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/bONedPfn1p

What were the highlights - or lowlights - of your week?  This month is flying by for me and I doubt it will slow down anytime soon, so I'm savoring this long weekend:-)

NOTD: Brocade Crème by Rococo Nail Apparel

Brocade Crème by Rococo Nail Apparel is a deep oxblood red cream - one of those classic colors that never goes out of style.  I clipped my nails back to nubs, and every time I do that I opt for dark, rich colors.  Brocade Crème fits the bill.

The first coat was a bit streaky, but two even things out nicely.  Brocade Crème has a nice gloss to it without topcoat, but I used Zoya's Color Lock System base and top coats for good measure.  That duo does seem to prolong the wear of my polish!

This is my first Rococo polish and I received it as part of Space NK's fall GWP event - you can see the pretty box on the bottom left hand side.  They are on the pricey side at $16.50 a bottle, and I'm not sure I'm wowed enough to pay that kind of money for a fairly standard color.  However, Rococo is currently 50% off at Space NK, so if you've been curious about this brand, now might be the time to snap one up!

Linking up with The Nail Files hosted by Jennie at Well Shut the Front Door!