L'Oreal The Matte Velvet Magic Topcoat

This is another one I found in the bottom of a bin at the store, not sure why. It wasn't on sale (I paid $5.99) so I'm assuming the store was just moving merch around but they only had one bottle of this.

I applied it over one of my all time favorites, L'Oreal Greyt Expectations and did gold on the ring fingers.

I actually really like The Matte Velvet. I prefer a matte topcoat over a matte nail polish because I think it gives you a lot more options. Practically doubles your nail possibilities.

It goes on easily and matte's as it dries. Very minimal brush marks. The only thing I'd say about this one is that I'd do 2 coats of the topcoat. One coat resulted in shinier tips for me after a few days, almost like the polish wore off or was worn shiny again in places where my nails get friction (from typing at work). Overall, this is a really nice velvety matte polish and does exactly what it says it will do.

Daily Makeup-Mostly Drugstore!

It's been a while since I did a little "Daily Makeup" post. I think the last time it was during the spring and A LOT has changed since then.

Obviously these all change if I'm doing anything special, this is just my daily "head to work" face. I can get it done in about 5 minutes and don't have to touch up other than lips at all during the day. These together really work well for me and I am super impressed with the Covergirl foundation. Full review on that coming soon. This is a very quick and easy look for me but one that looks polished and pretty.

CoverGirl 3-in-1 Foundation (Creamy Natural)
Rimmel Stay Matte powder (Creamy Natural)
Maybelline Age Rewind Under Eye Concealer (Fair)
Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Cream Shadow
Urban Decay Naked Basics for browbone and eyebrows (Venus and Naked 2)
Maybelline The Falsies mascara
Rimmel ScandalEyes Liner in Nude on the waterline
NYX Dusty Rose Blush
Milani Luminoso for Highlighter
Vaseline Rosy Lips (Coveted on Pinterest, finally found it and bought a ton. Adorable and amazing little pot of pink goodness!)

L'Oreal "Sexy in Sequins"-Gold Dust Textured Polish Collection

Ugh.

I was not paying attention to the display when I bought this. I just totally fell in love with the color in the bottle. It's stunning. All kinds of plummy, moody, glittery goodness.

As soon as I opened the bottle at home I knew I had one of the Gold Dust textured polishes on my hands and was instantly annoyed. I've tried the Sally Hansen ones before and while I think they are fun for a once in a while, I don't think they are pretty. They are lumpy and there is no shine which defeats the purpose of a sparkly textured polish entirely. This color in particular looks like acid is eating your polish leaving a gritty, pocky finish that totally diminishes the sparkle in the bottle. Apart from the larger glitter that is completely dulled, it has a definite golden reflect in the bottle that doesn't really transfer to the nail either.

I applied it over one coat of Essie "Damsel in a Dress" because while there is a ton of sparkle, the actual base color of "Sexy in Sequins" is a milky plum/grey. I thought a plum base would help the prettier color shine through. This brush also felt wider than the regular L'Oreal brushes and kind of made the polish go on goopier than I'd like.

I did 2 coats of "Sexy in Sequins" and definitely got the sandy/gritty finish.While these textured polishes do stay for a long time on your nails that also makes them a nightmare to remove.

Overall...not a fan of this one. It looks gorgeous in the bottle and if you are into the sandy finish polishes, this line is one of the better ones I've tried but overall, this was an "ugh" for me.

What are your thoughts on the sandy polish trend?

My Daily Skincare Routine

I thought since January is all about fresh starts I'd take a minute to show you guys my daily skincare routine and talk a little about some newer products that I'm loving.

One of the newer items is the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover cream. This stuff is a revelation. It's not greasy at all. None of that gooey, grease feel you normally get from eye makeup remover, and it works on waterproof mascara. BONUS. Quickly and easily removes eye makeup without feeling harsh or greasy and leaves my eyes and eyelashes happy. Really good find.

Next is the Clean and Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub. Do you know how hard it is to find just a basic scrub that isn't geared toward anything but exfoliation. HARD my friends. I like this because it's got a lot of scrubbies without feeling harsh and also has a cool tingle which just makes your face feel super clean.

That teeny itsy bitsy bottle is the Philosophy Clear Days Ahead cleanser and can I just say one of the best cleansers I've ever used. My skin freaked out over the holidays...I think the stress of the rebuild, the holidays and the super cold temperatures did a number on my problem areas (my cheeks). This is one of the first salicylic acid products I've used and liked. I will definitely be purchasing the larger bottle when this baby one runs out.

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control toner. HOLY GRAIL STATUS. This reminds me so much of the original Proactiv toner that I loved. This one has a slight cucumber scent to it but it's not a burny-painful toner. It definitely works and has helped clear my cheeks up in record time. I can't say enough good stuff about this toner. I know the Acne Stress line can be hard to find (not sure if they are discontinuing??) but this toner is great and if you see one, I'd highly recommend snatching it up and trying it out.

Amena Bean Glycolic Moisture Cream. I've done a full review on this before, it's still the bees knees in my book and one I use every night with great results!

Origins Make a Difference cream. I use this in the morning and it helps keep my skin supple and hydrated without getting greasy or over moisturized. It has a slight satiny quality to it and I just love this stuff.

Clinique All About Eyes eye cream. I only use this at night and a little goes a long way. I use this more preventatively than anything else, just to keep the wrinkles away not to really treat anything yet. It's lightweight and effective and does not irritate my eyes.

Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow Palette "The Naked Truth"

I was so excited when I saw this in the store. It's totally the neutral colors I love and I've always been impressed with the other Coloricon palettes. Walking on Eggshells has been a long time favorite of mine and Comfort Zone is awesome but it's a tad cumbersome to keep in my makeup bag. This has 5 colors but is the same shape as the 3 color palettes which are easy grab and go's.

The Naked Truth has a shimmery ivory browbone color, a light peachy matte base shade, a warm chocolate brown definer shade, an icy taupe eyelid shade and a coppery gold flecked crease shade.

I never use these how they recommend, I just use them however I like the look of. Sadly, these are not as great of quality as the other Wet n Wild palettes I love. Some of the shades are the normal buttery consistency of WnW eyeshadows and give decent payoff (the browbone and base shade) but others are chalky and produce a ton of fallout (the definer and crease shade).

Overall, I'd say this is an average drugstore palette but has a good selection of colors and would be one I'd grab for a weekend out of town or an overnight trip to have in my makeup bag. Average quality and convenient packaging, also great price point. I think I got this for less than $3 at Walgreens.

Have you tried any of the other new 5 shade Coloricon palettes? Any you'd recommend?



Cheers!!

 

Happy New Year!! So glad to have had a wonderful holiday season with our family but very ready to get back on track and back into the swing of the things I love. Starting with this blog!!

 

We spent New Years with some of our very best friends and all of our kids this year, which was lovely. I didn't get too dolled up but did want something fun for my nails. Do you ever know in your head exactly what polish you want to find but have no idea if it exists or not? Yeah, that.

 

I knew I wanted silver with black and silver glittery topcoat. I searched 3 stores and finally found 1 bottle of this fun stuff in the bottom of a bin at Walmart. Not sure why, I think these are fairly new?

 

 

It's the L'Oreal Magic Topcoat in The Sparklicious. I used it over a holographic silver from Nicole by OPI and then used black on my ring fingers. I did use 2 coats of this because it's a lot of clear with sparse glitters but the effect was really fun and perfect for New Years. It has silver and black chunky glitter with holo bars in there too. Sparkle city!

 

I also got the L'Oreal matte top coat and am anxious to try that one out as well.

 

Any other new fun polishes you'd like to see reviewed? Let me know!