Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Pander Me" (LE) [The Matte Lip 2014]

PURCHASED

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay - remember when I said I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago? Well, for the past week my mom has had fever on and off, and she was finally diagnosed with bronchitis after seeing two doctors. Isn't fall in New York the greatest thing?

Anyway, if you saw my sneak peek post regarding MAC's The Matte Lip collection, then you know that I purchased three of the seven limited edition lipsticks that launched with it, amongst other products. Today, I'm here to share my first of three reviews related to this collection: my thoughts on the lipstick "Pander Me."

In my sneak peek post, I mentioned how "Pander Me" wasn't actually my own pick when I placed my order for part of the collection two weeks ago. It appealed to me at first, and then it didn't, and then it did again and didn't again, et cetera. Even now I can say that if my mom hadn't picked this lipstick, I still wouldn't have had second thoughts about it based on continuously emerging reviews and swatches across the web. Yet here it is with me, and here I am with you to say what my thoughts about this color all amount to.

Let's get right to it, then.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "True Love's Kiss" (LE) [Maleficent 2014]

PURCHASED

Hello! I actually started another post on Wednesday that should've gone up by now, but I never got to finishing it and then this past Friday happened. I ended up with "True Love's Kiss," the limited edition lipstick from MAC's Maleficent 2014 collection.

When I saw what this collection would consist of - and the fact that its only lipstick, "True Love's Kiss," would be a shade of red - I completely ignored it. It released the first week of May, I think - I can't even remember right now. The point is, it's been out for a while, and you can probably still find it in stores because...well...those that don't have reds don't wear them, and those that do have reds likely have a shade of red close enough to "True Love's Kiss" already.

I own four red lipsticks, two of which are samples and two of which I purchased on my own (both of those are from Revlon - one of which was one of my first reviews here). Then I have the orange-reds, pink-reds, and purple-reds, that are much easier reds to wear because they're mixed with those other colors. But red-red, I have no problem turning away from. That is why I totally ignored this collection all of May.

But this past Friday, my mom and I went to see the new movie, Maleficent, that this collection was inspired by, and the movie was awesome in my opinion. In fact, I would watch it again right now if I could. Then there was the fact that Angelina Jolie's red lipstick was gorgeous in the movie. I thought it would be pretty neat to own a lipstick that not only was in the shade of the movie's main character's lipstick, but was from a collection inspired by the movie as well. So yesterday my mom and I went to a Macy's that still had "True Love's Kiss" in stock and each got our own.

I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible, since we're in June already.

Sakamoto Maaya: Hajimari No Umi (LE) + First Press Bonus Details (07/31/13)

**I am a CDJapan affiliate and this post contains affiliate links.**

Hi all! Hooray for Sakamoto Maaya's newest single, Hajimari No Umi, which I would've reviewed sooner except its release date was 07/31/13, and I didn't get my copy of it in the mail until 08/01/13. Super quick delivery as usual, but I was leaving for California the day after! I literally snapped some pictures of the sealed album in crappy lighting the same day so I could open it, and then transferred the songs to my computer. As for the DVD, I watched it at the last minute - probably 2 A.M. or so.

As per the title and some details above, I bought the limited edition version of this single, which differs from the regular edition in the fact that it comes with a second CD: a DVD with the PV for the single's main track, "Hajimari No Umi," and footage from her Countdown Live 2012-2013 - Tour "Mitsubachi" Final (CDJapan refers to it as a "digest" on their website). And, as usual, because I preordered the single when it initially became available for preorder on the CDJapan website, I received the first press bonus.

This post will include pictures of the single itself and the first press bonus, as well as my thoughts on both the songs in the single and the content of the DVD. So, if you're interested, you know what to do. =P

Lips Coral Comparison, Part 2 of 4: Etude House's Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips in POR202

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 brands featured in this post. 

***Click here to see Lips Coral Comparison, Part 1 of 4!***

Hi guys! Hope you're as excited about this week ending as I am. I really just want to sink into the bathtub in blistering hot water to make my leg muscles stop aching, but I can't, as I'm paranoid for my pilonidal incision when it comes to sitting in still water. Boo.

Anyway, continuing my four-post Coral Comparison review is Etude House's Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips in POR202. After finally settling on a Korean BB Cream that I loved the results of some weeks ago, I placed an order on Pretty & Cute, to which I added a skin toner and this particular lipstick for the sake of reaching free shipping. I've heard a lot about Etude House via YouTube videos, and I thought the packaging was adorable for the price (other lipsticks on the site with even cuter packaging were more expensive), so I figured I'd buy it, especially since I don't care to purchase makeup frequently online.

And I'm going to say it now: I'm really happy with my purchase!

Lips Coral Comparison, Part 1 of 4: Inglot's Lipstick (Cream) in 106

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. 

Hi everyone. I've had pictures of nail polishes for blog posts on my computer for weeks, collecting virtual dust, yet I waited for the daylight of this morning to take pictures of this product instead - Inglot's Lipstick (Cream) in 106 - because I suddenly felt compelled to share my thoughts on it with you. Also, if you were wondering about this post's title, it's not a new series on my blog. It's just that I've recently acquired two lipsticks that fall into the same color family as this one, and will eventually like to do a comparison of the three. It will be four posts long - one for each of the lipsticks (beginning with this one) and then a conclusive post that shows the three lipsticks side by side. Anyway -

If you've seen my IMATS Haul post, then you've already gotten a taste for my feelings towards this lipstick. As I mentioned there, I've heard countless good things about Inglot, and when I was able to purchase their products at a discount via IMATS, I of course purchased from their lipstick collection - one for myself, and one for my mom. I don't remember the color number of my mom's, nor do I want to bother her for it to swatch on my hand. But I will mention her thoughts in this post as well when I get to my own, because our feelings on this product were mutual. Let's just say our Inglot lipsticks get barely any use.

If you want to find out why, then do continue reading.

Lips: Eve Pearl's Dual Performance Lip Color in "Pink Stiletto"

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 brands featured in this post. 

Hi everyone. If you read my IMATS haul post, then the product in the above picture may be familiar to you. It's Eve Pearl's Dual Performance Lip Color in "Pink Stiletto," and it's the best of the deals I came across at IMATS NYC.

More than that, it's one of the biggest surprise purchases I've had, as this once-unknown-to-me lipstick is now my absolute favorite of all the lip products I own.

I will say now that my preference in lip product texture can vary on a day to day basis, but I still feel confident when I say that this lipstick tops all the rest for me overall. So, if you want to find out why I adore this lipstick so dearly, then keep on reading to find out!

Sakamoto Maaya, Part 1 of 2: Countdown Live 2012-2013 - Tour "Mitsubachi" Final (DVD) + First Press Bonus

To read Part 2, my thoughts regarding the performances of this DVD, click here.

Hi everyone. :) Here is my pretty timely post on Sakamoto Maaya's most recent concert DVD, Countdown Live 2012-2013 - Tour "Mitsubachi" Final (release date: 06/13/13) - a recording of the last tour date of her holiday tour back in December 2012. Before I get into anything, I want to say that this post is going to follow the same format as my Singer-Songwriter review: that is, it is going to be split into two parts. The first, which you're reading right now, is going to focus on the first press bonus details and have a lot of pictures. The second, which I will link here when it's up, is going to focus on my opinions/reactions to the performances/other features of the DVD.

Anyway, I am still basking in the natural high that I get every time a Sakamoto package finally arrives in the mail (lol). The time between preordering and actually receiving feels like forever sometimes! But this past Sunday, I finally got the much-anticipated email saying my package was shipped out (again, I love how early CDJapan sometimes sends out preordered products in relation to their actual release dates - this one was shipped out on 06/10 when the release date wasn't until 06/13). And then, when I was ready to go walking yesterday, I saw this...

Lips: E.L.F. Studio Matte Lip Color in "Tea Rose"

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.

Hello again. I remember when I was in San Diego and my boyfriend dropped me off at the mall before going to work. I was going to do a ton of window shopping to kill time but I ended up coming across this store with makeup. I'm so frustrated that I can't remember the name of it!

This store was AMAZING to come by, though, because it had a huge variety of both e.l.f. and NYX products (including NYX's Black Label lipsticks, which aren't at Ulta). I already knew I loved NYX products, because I ordered some before, but I had been wanting to try e.l.f. - their lip products especially. I had recently seen one of my YT subscriptions say positive things about the Matte Lip Color from their Studio line, so I decided to check it out in the color "Tea Rose."

Sakamoto Maaya, Part 2 of 2: Singer-Songwriter (03/27/13)

Haha...Part 1 of 2 for this topic, found here, was posted a month after the album release date...and now my thoughts on the songs are being released more than a month after that...oh dear.

Anyway, this is the second post dedicated to Sakamoto Maaya's latest album, Singer-Songwriter, known best as the first album written and composed by her. I did purchase the LE/First Press edition of this album, so if you're interested in more pictures of the special casing/extras, again, all of that information is in Part 1. Otherwise, this post, scarce in pictures, will discuss each of the tracks on this album, as well as my thoughts on Sakamoto's progression (IN MY OPINION) regarding her musical compositions.

Lips: Revlon's Colorburst Lipglosses in "Atomic Pink" [LE] and "Pink Ice"

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.

Hi everyone. I was having trouble deciding what to review today (or write about in general, actually) and for some reason I kept gravitating towards products I don't grab for much. In the end, I decided on a product that I was excited to buy but pretty disappointed with after trying it out some weeks/months ago. That product is Revlon's Colorburst Lipgloss.

To be honest, I was never really excited about the Colorburst Lipglosses in general. I was simply excited for one color specifically that came out with a collection this past winter - something like Nude Tips and Neon Lips, I forget. Anyway, the color I wanted to try was not surprisingly "Atomic Pink," the 'neon pink' of the collection. I also ended up purchasing, at a later time, a color from the permanent line: "Pink Ice." I needed a pink gloss to add some life back into a too-nude lipstick, and thought "Pink Ice" would do the trick.

In the end, though I'm not entirely disappointed in the line of glosses as a whole, I was let down by "Atomic Pink" and remain indifferent to "Pink Ice."

Lips: Yet Another Maybelline Color Whisper in "Sienna Sands" (Summer 2013 [LE?])

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. 

This post sucks for those of you that hate the Maybelline Color Whispers and are sick of everyone talking about them, haha. I do like the Color Whispers for days when I want to wear a lighter-feeling lip product, though I don't make it my goal to own every color, LE or not, from the line. In fact, I almost passed on all four potentially limited edition colors released in the Summer 2013 collection: "Nude Shimmer," though a pretty light pink in the tube, was sure to turn up clear on the lips (think "Twinkle" from the Maybelline LE Baby Lips), "Ravishing Pink," my initial choice, looked far too similar to the already-permanent "Lust for Blush" (and after a previous experience with LE Maybelline lip products, I passed), "I Crave Coral" just didn't interest me at all, and "Sienna Sands" was interesting but I wasn't sure if it was worth buying.

In the end, I did decide I wanted to own "Sienna Sands," the color this post is dedicated to. If you're interested in my thoughts on the Color Whispers in general, view my initial Color Whisper post here and, for more swatches of other colors, view this post.

Lips: CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in "Hibiscus"

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. 

I took pictures of this product for review weeks after buying it, and the pictures are dated October 15, 2012. Could I be reviewing this any later? Haha.

I do remember purchasing the CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm - it was at my local CVS and I spent about 20 minutes looking through all of the colors before settling on "Hibiscus." I remember it taking so long because none of the colors looked that appealing, and the ones that did weren't very interesting. In fact, "Hibiscus" seemed like the only one that would work for me (under the circumstances of my love for pink lip products).

But really...even on the official CoverGirl website the colors look fairly...dull.

With that aside, I was pleasantly surprised by this product.

It's advertised as having sheer, glossy color with the light feel of a balm, plus the added benefits of SPF15. 

Nails: L.A. Girl's 3D Effects Hologram Nail Polish in "Teal Dimension"

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.

I've been hearing a lot about holographic polishes lately and wanted to try them out, but most of the ones I read about cost more than I was interested in spending. So when I saw a display from L.A. Girl's featuring holographic polishes for $4.50 each, I was excited to pick one up. Only three colors were left on the display, and the one I picked was "Teal Dimension."

Nails: Sinful Colors "Green Ocean"

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.

"Green Ocean" was my first polish from Sinful Colors, an affordable polish brand in the drugstores retailing for about $2, and I will say now that I bought it the second I spotted it because of how many people love it. Apparently this color comes every year in a small St. Patrick's day display, so while it isn't necessarily limited edition, it isn't readily available year-round like permanent shades.

Nails: Maybelline Color Show's "Lustrous Lime" (Color Goes Electric LE 2013)

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.

I've been getting into nail polish lately, and trying to add different finishes to my small collection, since I initially was drawn towards shimmery colors. While I've been successful with that, I was automatically won over at first sight by Maybelline Color Show's "Lustrous Lime."

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!

Stephen King: Rose Madder

This review is long past due, as I finished reading this book months ago. I picked up a copy of Stephen King's Rose Madder for my trip home from San Diego. I find that, from experience, reading a good book during emotionally painful flights helps trick the mind from thinking about the pain.

Lips: More Maybelline Color Whispers in "Lust for Blush" and "Pin Up Peach"

Hi all. :) I recently decided to pick up two more colors from the Maybelline Color Whisper line of lipsticks and I wanted to share pictures/swatches of them with you. The colors are "Lust for Blush" and "Pin Up Peach."

This post will only focus on the colors. To read a full review, including details on weight, price, packaging, scent, texture, and wear-time, check out my previous post on "Mad for Magenta."

Late Night Alumni: The Beat Becomes a Sound

On January 29, 2013, Late Night Alumni released their newest album, The Beat Becomes A Sound, on iTunes. It's the album featuring the track from their latest single, "Shine," which is why I ultimately held off from purchasing the single. I was anticipating my purchase of the album instead. [[ Look for the red text if you want to skip my small rant/problem with this album and get straight to the review itself. ]]

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips LE in "Yummy Plummy" and "Melon Mania"

One of my earliest reviews on this blog was my post on the Maybelline Baby Lips, where I wrote about and shared pictures of colors from the permanent line (excluding "Quenched") and two of three limited edition shades at the time (the third excluded being "Pink Wink"). Well, I finally came across the two newest limited edition shades - "Yummy Plummy" and "Melon Mania" - at my local Rite Aid. I picked both up for two reasons: (1) they were BOGO50%, and (2) I instantly fell in love with the radiant pink that peeked through the clear cap of "Melon Mania."

This review will focus on the colors and scents of these two products, as well as provide comparisons between these LE colors and permanent/other LE colors from my previous review that they remind me of. For details on the product overall (consistency, wear, etc.), please refer to the previous review here.