Eyes: MAC's Eye Shadow in "Artistic License" (Veluxe Pearl) (LE) [Moody Blooms 2014] + Comparison

PURCHASED

Hi! I'm finally back, and I apologize for not posting reviews in a long time. I'm glad to be writing again, though, and have a lot of reviews that are due, so let me get to the topic of this post.

Also: I know, I know, for some of you I may be wearing a target on my back. When will you review makeup that ISN'T from MAC?! I still buy outside of MAC, but they do produce my favorite lipstick formula(s), and they happen to be releasing a lot of collections that I've purchased products from. I realize the imbalance between makeup brands in my reviews (and the imbalance between general categories in my reviews, hah), but do rest assured: my blog is not going to become MAC-exclusive, or even makeup-exclusive. I kind of just review what I'm using, or reading or listening to, as it comes.

Of course I bring that up because today's post, and the one planned to go up next, both have to do with MAC products. Both are products from one of MAC's recent collections, Moody Blooms, which was released the very end of June. This post will be focusing on the limited edition eye shadow that I picked up, "Artistic License," with the addition of a swatch comparison to a cheaper option I noticed in my collection.

Lips: MAC's "Fleur D'Coral" (LE) [A Fantasy of Flowers 2014] + Comparison

PURCHASED

Hello! I'm finally here with the last of the reviews for the lipsticks I bought from MAC's February collection, A Fantasy of Flowers. Then all I have left to review from this collection is a blush!

Today was one of those days that I can't stand, where even though I slept more than enough the previous night, I'm still exhausted. I ended up napping from 6 until after 8. That's why this review is going up so late in the day...what a waste though!

On the bright side, the lipstick I have for review today is "Fleur d'Coral," my unexpected favorite from the A Fantasy of Flowers collection. That's not to say it's the easiest color to use, but yeah - it's undoubtedly my favorite!

Lips: NYX's Butter Lipstick in "Fireball"

PURCHASED

Hi! Hope you've all been having a great week. With 2014 settling in, cosmetic brands have been coming out with their usual new year releases, and one of the releases I was most excited for was NYX's Butter Lipstick. NYX came out with their Butter Glosses last year, which seemed to be one of the popular releases for 2013. I, too, purchased one - you can see my review of it here. I also purchased one of their Butter Balms - the second installment to the "butter" line - but have yet to review it. Not surprisingly, as the lipstick fan that I am, I was most excited for the lipstick addition to the line.

NYX's Butter Lipsticks have been showing up in Ultas on displays with a selection of colors, but NYX has recently launched the full line of colors on their website here. The color I'll be reviewing today, "Fireball," is the color I picked up from my Ulta's display. It was the only one of three colors left, and the other two were pale, chalky pinks that I could never pull off, so I settled for "Fireball," which I convinced myself was more than a red, my least favorite color in lipsticks.

Thankfully, it is.

Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in "Maple Blondie"

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post. 

*Phew.* So I read about changes in disclaimer policy recently and I thought I'd start putting disclaimers on my post, whether they are or aren't necessary since...well...I don't see myself receiving free products for review anytime soon (or anytime period, haha).

Anyway, when I first heard about the NYX Butter Gloss, a new lip gloss from NYX, I thought wow, that sounds delicious, haha. And when I stumbled upon it in Ulta, I couldn't resist. I purchased the shade "Maple Blondie."

These glosses are described as having "creamy sheer to medium coverage...without that sticky sensation" (as taken from the NYX website). How do they stand up to these claims, and how does this product perform overall? Keep reading to find out!

NYX Haul

Yep, this is an awkward time to be posting. I should be going to sleep in about 30 minutes for work tomorrow but I received my NYX package in the mail today and just opened it tonight. I thought I'd share what I got since I've been doing a terrible job keeping up with my blog. Simply put, I've been feeling down/stressed out with work, and today I had a huge allergic reaction on my face that required Benadryl. And you know what that means...*yawn.*

On Packaging Eyeshadow & Cherry Culture Open Box!

Hi everyone. :) This post is (mainly) an open box of a small order I placed with Cherry Culture.

I normally don't post about purchases, but I guess what convinced me to do it this time was the way my order was packaged.

After placing an order with Sephora for an eyeshadow single and receiving instead an obliterated, powdery mess, I formed an opinion about ordering eyeshadow online: don't do it. But I've had two separate experiences (this being one of them) and decided it's not shipping eyeshadow that's a problem...it's Sephora.

(Sorry to those of you who like Sephora! This is just my opinion which may very well be ignorant since it's based on a single past experience.)

So, Sephora, considered the next part of this post a dedication to you. And for anyone who happens to read the rest of this post, hope you enjoy my open box! :)

Red Lips for Fall: Which to Choose?!

Hi guys, I'm finally keeping up with posting daily [[for now, gah]]. This post is pretty much inspired by, as the title says, red lips for fall. But first, *ahem* *THIS IS NOT A POST THAT DISCUSSES AND RECOMMENDS DIFFERENT RED LIPSTICKS; THIS IS A POST ABOUT ME DEBATING WHICH RED LIPSTICK TO PICK UP FOR MYSELF* ... :D

In the past I was totally obsessed with lip gloss - and not just lip gloss, but clear lip gloss. Now, almost a decade later as I'm getting back into my hobby of makeup, I'm interested in moisturizing lipsticks/balms. And among the usual "my lips but better" pinks and browns that I pick for myself, I've been curious to finally pick up the infamous red.

What really set my curiosity off was a picture in a thin beauty-only magazine from Macy's that came in the mail last week. One of the trends they were advertising was called "Retro Glam," which focused on bold, red lips. As such, they included a page-size advertisement for just one department brand lipstick, Chanel, in six shades of red.

Chanel's Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour, if you're curious. $34.

The first from each row on the left caught my interest, but the $34 price tag scared me off. Until I have a steady job and live on my own, I don't think I could ever justify spending $34 on a single lipstick. o_o;