Milani Color Statement

One of the newest products that Milani Cosmetics has come out with is the color statement lipsticks.  I’m a big fan of Milani Cosmetics because it’s an affordable, cruelty free, colorful line of makeup that is of good quality.  You can get a great range of colors with this line that others dare to venture into.

So let’s get into it- I purchased five lipsticks two colors are much more bold and the other three are on the pink/nude side.  I was very happy with all five colors which were all very wearable.  I’m very fortunate that CVS has their beauty club rewards program as I was able to get each one which was regularly priced at $5.99, at 25% off.  That’s about $4.50 each and it was well worth it.  Here are the five colors I chose: 26 Nude Crème, 01 Sweet Nectar, 11 Fruit Punch, 29 Teddy Bare, 19 Raspberry Rush.

I tried on a few of the colors for you.  As you can see I have an olive skin tone.

Raspberry Rush

Sweet Nectar

These are the bold colors.  They're also striking and beautiful.  And if you're someone who's afraid of bright colors I say take off your blinders, there's more to the world than mauve and nudes.  I'd like to pick up one more.  My cousin Liza Chung (makeupmattersbylnc.blogspot.com) really liked Best Red from this line.  I think that'll be my next one.

I think all in all, this a very long-wearing, good quality line of lipsticks that's worth trying.  I've used this on two clients so far and they were very pleased with the color as well as the longevity of the wearability of the product.

So until next time...

Stay beautiful,

Makeup Maverick

Model21 Lash Review

I've mentioned this company before in one of my posts (Lashing Out). A few years ago I discovered a fan-tastic  affordable false eyelash company called Model21 Eyelashes.  These are the only lashes I wear, I can'lt say enough good things about this company.  Drug store eyelashes can run you anywhere from $3.99 to over $20 for one pair.  I've tried over five brands of lashes and they all seemed to be reusable with the proper care. 

I was sent a sampler pack of lashes from this company several months ago for review but due to my busy school schedule, I'm finally just now getting around to it. My sampler pack came with a nice variety, 5 different lengths and styles. I'm pretty comfortable wearing longer, more dramatic lashes, I think it's part of the fun of makeup.  That is, once you get past caring whether or not people know you're wearing them.  I got pas that a long time ago and made wearing lashes a fun experience.

I will admit that it will take some practice to properly learn how to apply lashes but that is no reflection on the lashes. I first started wearing individual lashes which was a big mistake.  I personally think these are more difficult to manipulate. A full lash strip can be easier to put on and remove. I watched plenty of tutorials and kept at it and now it only takes all of 5 minutes to have a beautiful set of dark, luscious lashes.  And at less than $1 a pair for reusable lashes, it's a no-brainer to complete your makeup look.

I think one of the really cool things about Model21 lashes is that they always have free shipping with the purchase of three boxes (which contain 10 pair) and a free box with the purchase of 4 boxes or more. I just haven't seen this anywhere else.  This is a great deal considering the quality. I love the black lash line that you put the glue on, it can double as eyeliner.  What a great idea.

The lashes I received for review were the following style numbers: 2T, 40T, 19T, 63, 3T.  They were all different variations f the criss-cross style lashes.  This gives your lashes a more natural appearance instead of all the lashes going in the same direction. The lashes come in a strip that's nice and long so you can trim them to your own size.  You can even cut them in half and get 20 lashes out of each box!

I should also point out that these lashes are cruelty free.  I'm learning more about this topic thanks to my

cousin Liza (makeupmattersbylnc.blogspot.com).  

You can oder yours from www.Model21eyelashes.com

*This post contained samples sent for consideration by Model21 Eyelashes. This in no way alters my review. I only share items with you that I truly love and think are worth buying. I do not accept money in exchange for reviews. I do not get any commission or kick back if you buy these products.

Milani Makeup Review

I’ve had my eye on Milani Cosmetics for a while now and I found the perfect opportunity to try out some new products.  My local CVS had a 75% off sale which I assume means they are discontinuing certain products, either way, I’m still game.  I’ve owned two products (an eye shadow and a blush) from Milani that I purchased once and a nude gloss that I buy over and over and those three products happen to be some of my go-to products.  Both the blush and the eye shadow that I own are super pigmented and in my opinion, great quality.  My Mango Tango powder blush is in a million pieces but it looks so vibrant on my skin.  The purple eye shadow in Shock (15) has just the right amount of shimmer, almost borderline iridescent.  They’re both a good time.  But the gloss is my favorite – Milani Crystal Gloss in Secret.  It’s small so it fits in my purse and so affordable.  It’s also the perfect nude for my brown skin color.

But it’s a new year so out with the old and in with the new.  Let’s talk about new Milani products.  These are the products I picked up:

·Cream-To-Powder Makeup in Medium Beige (07)

·Multi-Tasker Face Powder in Light Tan (04)

·Lip Flash Shimmer Gloss in Star Flash, Hot Flash, and News Flash

·HD Advanced Lip Color in Raspberry Blush, Rich Caramel, & Lovely Rouge

·Color Perfect Lipstick in: Pink Passion, South Beach, Barely There, & Red Label

As I said, I purchased my Milani products at CVS but they can also be purchased at www.cherryculture.com.

I’ll start with the Cream-To-Makeup Powder.  I like the way it transforms from cream to powder.  This is not new to the makeup industry but it’s still appreciated.  It reminds me of my Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker.  Milani being the more affordable at $7.99 and the Beneift was part of my Cabana Glama kit which I paid $19 for.  So I can’t tell how much the mini version would cost  (.06 oz. vs. .34 oz) but the regular size will run you $30.  For my money, I’d go with Milani.  I literally did half of my face with each product and I couldn’t tell the difference.  Let’s move on.

Cream to Powder

With such a profound title like multi-tasker, I’m going to expect a product to do more than one thing.  That was not the case with my face powder.  I can’t figure out what the multiple tasks are that it’s supposed to do, but I did discover one of them: create a dirty-looking canvas for my blush.  Needless to say, I was unimpressed and I would like my money back.  But I only return makeup if it’s the wrong color and that’s not really a return, it’s an exchange.  So that was $8.99 that I’ll have to write off to my entertainment expense account.

Face Powder

Now onto the Lip Flash Shimmer Glosses.  I thought these were a good buy, especially at $1.89 after the 75% off discount.  I’ve got an Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss which has the same texture.  Both are very creamy and offer great color.  My only problem is the shimmer.  And it’s not really a problem; I would have just liked to have seen some colors in non-shimmer.  I wanted more options but I was still very happy with the colors.  As far as staying power, I think it did pretty well.  Overall, I’d give it a 4/5 stars.

Lip Flash

Today I purchased three HD Advanced Lip Colors and I also got them at the splendid price of $1.99 (75% off retail price).  I should also note that my purchase today was discounted by an additional $5 due to my beauty rewards club membership.  For every $50 I spend at CVS, I get $5 off.  This makes me very happy.  But let’s get back to the Lip Colors.  Let me point out these are not lipsticks, they’re more of a tinted balm.  And I like them.  I’m not a frequent purchaser of tinted balms but I’m glad I made this purchase.  It opened my eyes to the world of tints.  But I think I’m going to stay in the slow lane on this one.  Although I’m happy with the product, it’s not very exciting.  I need a little more pep to my lip products.  Let me put it this way, when I discovered the Lip Tar in Pretty Boy by OCC, my life was complete.

Rich Caramel, Raspberry Blush, Lovely Rouge

And last but not least, the Color Perfect Lipstick.  I was really happy about finding a gem in this Milani clearance haul – Barely There (53), again at $1.89 ea.  These lipsticks are moisturizing and the pigment was wearable.  I only chose colors that were on sale but I would wear all four of them.  I also really love the smell of these too.  It’s nostalgic for me; it reminds me of my mother’s lipstick that I wore as a kid.  One particular color, Pink Passion, would be perfect for the office for me.  I always want to wear a bold, bright color but I have to remember that my coworkers don’t wear sunglasses in the office.  So this would be a good choice.

Color Perfect Lipstick: South Beach, Pink Passion, Red Label, Barely Nude

All in all, I'm very excited to start using all of my Milani products and anxious to try more.  So if you have any experiences with Milani products, I'd be happy to hear about them.  And as always, keep...

Staying Beautiful,

Makeup Maverick

Icy Summer Look

I love this look for the summer.  It’s a soft, feminine, cool look.  The pale colors used on the eyes and lips are just right for the summer.  On my lips I used White Russian gloss by buxom but of course I always offer a lower cost duplicate (a.k.a. dupe).  The Buxom gloss retails for $18 while I found a similar look using E.L.F.’s Ballet Slippers (retails for $3).  One of the keys to this look is the highlighted cheeks.  Bronzer is important but as you can see there’s a glow to the cheeks created by a product called (aptly named), highlighter.  I will admit that I chose two products to create this look that are not budget friendly but I can assure you, they are a great investment.  I used the Bronzed & the Beautiful bronzing palette.  I’ve used it daily for over a year.  Perhaps I’ve held onto it past its prime (since it’s not sold as a trio palette anymore), however the items in the trio are still sold separately.  I’ve seen it on Amazon.com for $27.99 but since I haven’t purchased it from there so I can’t tell you if it’s the real thing.  This bronzing palette has worked well for every skin color I’ve used it on.

On my eyes, I used several powder blue and silver colors as well as a stila eye liner in Indigo which I received as part of my Birchbox.  I’ll explain that in a minute.  I’d prefer to talk about the harmony of the colors instead of the exact colors I used so that you can focus on the concept instead of the replication of the look. Although I’m happy to give instruction, I’d like to encourage experimentation as well.  All of the colors used were pale, from the shadows to the cheeks to the lips.  In the picture I took the eye shadow all the way around the eye instead of just on top.  Try this and you’ll see how it really makes the colors pop.

Back to the Birchbox.  This is one of many monthly beauty subscriptions.  It’s only $10 per month and I always end up with at least one product I’ll use (usually more) that’s worth way more than $10.  For example, that Stila eye liner came in the box and it’s worth $20.  It comes with about 5 products to try and although some are trial size, there’s usually at least one full size product.  If you can afford the $10 per month, it’s a great value, not to mention it’s always fun to get new beauty products in the mail.  So as always, keep…

Staying beautiful,

Makeup Maverick

Icy Summer Look

Shadow of a Doubt

I have to share my latest makeup application experience with you.  It has to do with one of my favorite cosmetic companies at the moment, E.L.F.  My best friend recently allowed me to practice some eye shadow techniques on her and I decided to try out a new palette I purchased called the 141 Piece Master Makeup Collection which retails for $45 but we all know I never pay retail.  I happened to get this palette along with two others (83 Piece Essential Makeup Collection and 27 Piece Mini Makeup Collection) for $33.  The eye shadows were the only product I had yet to try from E.L.F. and I’m glad it was. 

I used eye shadow primer on my friend and used the proper brushes for eye shadow application.  So I’m pretty sure the eye shadow was the problem.  I chose several beautiful purple shades to create a smoky eye with.  The first problem is that the colors aren’t named or numbered.  The second and bigger problem was that the consistency of the product was chalky.  So as I dipped the brush into the eye shadow and the shadow did not adhere to the bristles.  It fell off onto the palette and my friend’s face as I applied it.  The colors lacked pigment and the overall appearance left much to be desired.  Needless to say I was disappointed.  I now own 84 shadows (in this palette alone) that I just can’t use, not even to let my niece play dress up with.  But here’s the good news: I have already found a gem of a company that makes a huge variety of wonderfully pigmented colors at very reasonable prices.  Here’s my favorite: 120 Color Shany Eye Shadow Palette the Bold and Bright Collection.  It retails for $18.99 on Amazon.com.  Let me do the math for you, that’s about $0.16 per eye shadow.  With 120 colors in the palette, if you can’t find one to coordinate with your outfit, you may want to reassess your outfit.  As long as you use a primer with these shadows, the colors will appear as vibrant as they do in the palette and stay put all day and night.  If you’re looking for an eye shadow that can be purchased in a drug store, I’d suggest Milani.  There’s a palette that retails for $7.99 at Target and comes with six colors.  The colors are beautiful and it’s a good value if you choose not to make purchases online.  The bottom line is that you don’t need to spend $18 on one pot of eye shadow to create a professional look.  Spend your time learning technique and not your money on high end product.  And as always you should be…

Staying beautiful,

Makeup Maverick

The Post Post

Airbrushing seemed to be easy for me to pick up.  I’m not sure if this will be the same for everyone but the reviews seem to agree with me.  I tried the foundation first and then the eye shadow and eyebrows.  I’ve enclosed a picture of my eyes to show you the results and I think it came out well for my first time.  I’ll be practicing more daily but for now this seems to be fun and innovative.  It’s not any quicker than my current routine with brushes but I’m confident that that will change.  So I’ll keep you posted on my practice.  I’m looking to work on blush and bronzing next.  So until then, keep…

Staying Beautiful,

Makeup Maverick