China Glaze Sun Worshiper

One of my favorite Beauty Bloggers, Amarixe, did an awesome ombre nail tutorial on her YouTube page last week. It peaked my interest, because I had 2 out of the 3 colors (Sun Worshiper and Flip Flop Fantasy) she used and another that I liked a little better than the hot pink she used (I used China Glaze Pool Party). I was really excited because she used a color that I've had for a while and have never really known what to do with it.

China Glaze Sun Worshiper. It's a gorgeous yellowy, neon orange that is stunning in the bottle but a little sheer on the nail. I'm not a huge orange fan so I've loved it but never used it. She used it over a layer of white and then faded to a coral color into a neon pink. SO GORGEOUS.

I tried it first like Amarixe did with really great results. It's an awesome tutorial for any color of ombre nail. I liked it so well that I actually did it for 2 manicures in a row and then decided to use Sun Worshiper on it's own.

I don't like it as well as I did on the ombre nails, mainly because it's very sheer on it's own. It does need a lighter base underneath to really make it pop. I had to do 5 thin coats to get it to show like this which means it will probably peel within a day or two. But it is a gorgous color and great against a tan. I will keep trying this color in different ways to get it to work the best, so far I like it in small increments such as an accent nail or in an ombre look.

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm

I am such a sucker for lip crayons. It's awful. I see the chubby sticks and brightly colored packaging and it just sucks me in.

I have been pretty loyal to the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, but the 2 colors I have of those are pretty basic. Honey and Precious. Very good daily basics but nothing bright or exciting.

I saw this color at Target and thought I'd give CoverGirl a whirl. Watermelon Twist spoke to me...

I don't know why they describe these as a "gloss". It's not. The color is beautiful and it feels very nice on the lips but definitely does not have a glossy finish. I'd go much more with the "balm" portion of the description. It feels velvety and moisturizing on the lips.

The staying power is average. Less than the Revlon but still fine. When a product is this easy to apply and feels like lip balm, I don't mind reapplying and don't really expect products like this to last all day.

Overall, I do like this product and think it's great that they have different colors than the other brands. I think this is a perfect spring/summer lip product. Low maintenance with great color payoff. Have you tried any of these? What colors are you guys loving?

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I had a gift card for Sephora burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to get something I wouldn't normally buy for myself. So, instead of blowing it on bottles of nail polish, I was smart and actually purchased something awesome.

I know everyone in the blogosphere has already reviewed this, but I thought I'd throw my little 2 cents in there too.

For me, this is a great companion to the other 2 Naked Palettes, but also super great to throw in your makeup bag and have one palette for several different looks. Naked 2 even works great for my brows, so this really can be an all inclusive eye palette for me.

This is my first real adventure with mattes, aside from Naked and Buck in the original Naked Palette. I'm a satin finish kind of girl. But the mattes in this palette have reformed me. It makes such a soft, wearable look. So nice for day/work and I especially like it with my reading glasses. Sometimes the glare off glasses with a shimmery eye look is too much. Matte's just look polished and done.

 

I like them all except for Foxy. It is the only one that feels "chalky" to me and it just doesn't show up on my eyes at all. Even with a primer. I haven't found a good use for Foxy yet, so if you know of one, let me know.

Day to day, I wear W.O.S. on my eyelid, Venus (the only one with shimmer) on my inner corner and browbone and Naked 2 in my crease and lower lash line. Naked 2 packs more punch than you think it would, a little goes a long way. I like using Faint on the outer V, but seriously, just a small amount.