Nubar Reclaim Swatches (Green Holo!)

Nubar Reclaim may look a little familiar to you if you read my last post. It was the polish I was wearing in the picture holding the palette. Now this is a polish I've wanted for years. 3 years, 5 months, and 4 days to be exact. Which is the date I read about the Going Green collection from Nubar at Scrangie's blog. And was this polish ever worth the wait! It's green and it's holo; what more is there to say? My only regret is that I waited this long!

This was 2 coats with base and top coat.

Nubar Reclaim

This polish doesn't have the most intense holo effect, but it is visible. Typically holos ship easily on me, but this wore really well. I'm in love with formula on the 3 Nubar polishes that I've worn.

Nubar Reclaim

Nubar Reclaim

Nubar Reclaim

I love this polish and i think it's one every polish fanatic needs in their collection. Even in the 3 and a half years this polish has been out, it still seems pretty unique. I'm not sure I've seen another holographic green polish exactly like this. I bought this polish on Amazon for $5.49 with free shipping. Not bad considering Nubar polishes retail for $8 on their website and you still have to pay shipping.

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette Swatches and Review

I bought this palette along with a few other Tarina Tarantino items when I first found out that they were 40% off. This palette had been on my wishlist since I saw Phyrra and Temptalia post about it. For $36 I was never quite willing to pull the trigger. But for $22, there were no second guesses.

I don’t know if the quality of the shadows in this palette is indicative of Tarina Tarantino’s shadows across the board, but I certainly hope so as these are AMAZING. I think I may like the formula better even than Urban Decay’s. The shadows, even the matte brown, are smooth, almost buttery but not too soft that they're powdery, and uber pigmented. There is no fallout and they apply easily and exactly where you want them to go. I know it is a bit of a cliché to say something practically applies itself, but that definitely fits here.

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

 I know quite a few people have complained about it, but this palette is HUGE. Here is is compared to my hand and I have quite large hands.

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

This was taken indoors with the flash so the colors are a little washed out.

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

This was taken in weak sunlight.

Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

The swatches are dry over bare skin. You can see how nicely they apply just in the swatches. My swatches are usually incredibly messy and these are smooth and even. They may not be the most unique colors, but they are really pretty and the formula is amazing.

I think I used all the shadows but the matte brown here. The eyeliner is MAC Undercurrant.

I HIGHLY recommend this palette. The colors are beautiful, work well together, and the formula is one of the best, if not THE best I have ever used. You would be doing yourself a disservice not to purchase this palette. As of right now it is still available on Sephora’s website, but I’m not sure for how much longer. So don’t wait!

Del Sol- Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween everyone! I don't have much time to write this post as I waited until right when I needed to go to sleep to start it, but I wanted to share this awesome polish with you. It's the perfect Halloween polish!

You've probably heard of those gimmicky polishes that change color in the sun right? Well, this is one of those. But it's WAY better than what you're probably thinking of. Out of UV light, the color is tiny orange and holographic glitter in a clear base. But out in the sun the clear base turns into a deep, dark black. It's so cool!

This polish is sold on Del Sol's website. It usually sells for $10, but right now it's $7.50. I rarely buy backup bottles because I never use up a bottle of polish, but I'm greatly tempted this time.

This is three coats with base and top coat.

Del Sol Trick or Treat

This is in the shade before the sun had a change to change the color.

Del Sol Trick or Treat

I took this one the instant I stepped into the sun and you can see the polish has already started to darken.

Del Sol Trick or Treat

This is about half way through the transition.

Del Sol Trick or Treat

And this is the darkest the polish gets. I almost wish it looked like this all the time! A bad thing about this polish is that you can't see the polish on your cuticles until you get out in the sun and it turns black!

Del Sol Trick or Treat

Here is the polish in the shade before the base starts fading back to clear.

Oh, and GIF TIME!

So any plans for Halloween? Not for me, I'm just going to stay home and be boring. Like usual! ;)

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek Palette Swatches and Review

Being the huge blush fanatic that I am, I craved Tarina Tarantino’s Dollskin Cheek Palette from the moment I saw it. And then the overwhelming positive reviews came pouring in. I was *this close* to ordering it from Sephora many times, but never ended up pulling the trigger. And then I found out that Tarina Tarantino was being phased out at Sephora and was selling for 40% off. There were many items I wanted (and ended up ordering!) but this blush palette was listed as sold out at the time. I was crushed. But undeterred I checked Sephora daily to see if it would come back in stock. And it did. I was ecstatic. Okay, I know how ridiculous it sounds to be ecstatic over blush, but if you’re a fellow makeup addict (and if you’re reading this I’m assuming you are), you’ll understand. (Of course, as of writing this post the blush palette is no longer listed. But keep checking, it might come back! I do see it listed on Amazon for $32, which I definitely think is worth it. Still cheaper than it originally was!)

The palette definitely lived up to the hype for me. I LOVE it.


The palette comes in a grey and pink box inside a holographic sleeve. It's pretty, but I definitely think it's a little over-packaged.

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek Palette

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek Palette

The palette is HUGE. I was expecting the blush pans to be about eyeshadow size, but they look amost like full size blushes to me. I compared the size to a Zoya nail polish bottle so you can see how big it really is.

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek Palette

There are two peachy-coral blushes and two bright bubblegum pink blushes. I wish the names of the blushes were listed somewhere on the palette. The blush colors are/were also sold individual so names would be helpful.

Feather (the top left) is a peach coral shimmer. Parasol (the top right) is a bright pink coral simmer. Carved Rose (the bottom left) is a bright pink matte. Candy Cameo (the bottom left) is almost the same color as Carved Rose, but has heavy silver shimmer. This is definitely the most shimmery of the blushes.

I almost wish they had left out Candy Cameo (I can just wear a highlighter over the matte pink if I want shimmer) and chose one of their other blushes, like Neapolitan Lane or Charm.

From left- Feather, Parasol, Carved Rose, and Candy Cameo

For each color the swatches are applied heavily on the left and blended out on the right.

The formula on all of them is pigmented, soft but not powdery, and easy to blend.

From left- Feather and Parasol

From left- Carved Rose and Candy Cameo

I recommend this palette to those who are blush obsessed and those who aren't. There is a variety of colors and finishes in this palette that will keep you from getting bored. I'm so glad I was finally able to get this!

Pink Glitter Sammich

I was just checking in my blog post draft folder and I have probably close to 30 potential blog posts. Yikes! I'm so behind. I paint my nails, buy new things, play with makeup, take pictures... and never feel like editing them and writing up blog posts. I don't know why! I guess because I feel like I don't have anything interesting to say and I'll just bore everyone. I still don't know how I used to manage to post EVERY day.

It's been so long since I wore these polishes that my nails had time to grow out from being nubbins and be really long to go back to being nubbins (their current state). It's been so long I almost didn't remember what polishes i used. But luckily I took a picture to remind me.

First I did a base of a nude polish, Zoya Kennedy. Then a layer of Revlon Sparkling, a pink tinged base with pink hex glitter, and small pink and holo glitter. The second glitter layer was Sally Girl Later (I've also seen it called Chunky Gold Glitter) which I wore in this post. The last glitter layer was another Revlon polish- Starry Pink (also known as Popular) which is silver hex and smaller glitter in a milky pink base. I followed all this with a coat or two of Seche Vite.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia Swatches and Review

I've really been embracing bright and bold lips lately. Working at a cosmetics counter has given me access to colors I never would have bought myself. Also, I can get away with wearing pretty much any colors, as long as they're executed well, and no one will blink an eye. Getting compliments on my bolder lip choices has increased my confidence in colors I never thought I would wear.

I bought these L'Oreal lipsticks a few months ago and instead of going for my usual tame colors, I picked up two of the brightest in the new Colour Riche Caresse line. I wasn't expecting much from them as I had bought a few of  the Colour Riche balms (which came out around the same time as Revlon's lip butters) and I didn't like them. They were thin, sheer, and wore off quickly. These, and it may be near blasphemous to say, I like better than Revlon's lip butters. The formula is balmy and moisturizing, but not thick. They aren't the longest lasting lip colors, but I find that both colors I chose leave a flattering stain on the lips that lasts a good while. Both Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia are brighter, but have a juicy translucency to them. Neither is opaque. The both have a near invisible shimmer (Blushing Sequin's is golden, while Velvety Fuchsia's is blue) that just adds a bit of depth. I didn't detect a flavor, but they are scented with an unobtrusive fruity fragrance.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

 Okay, this picture is near useless as my camera insists on turning everything that is even remotely bright into neon. So just imagine the brightness ratcheted down quite a few notches.

Left- Blushing Sequin, Right- Velvety Fuchsia

Unlike the picture of the lipstick tubes, the swatches are very color accurate. You can even see the different color micro-sparkles in each one.

Bare lips (for reference).

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick Blushing Sequin

While once I would have considered Blushing Sequin too bright for me, I now see it as more subdued. I think this would be a good color for those just venturing into brighter lips. It is a very flattering color and is never "too much".

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in Velvety Fuchsia

This is my favorite of the two. It's bright and bold, but not overpowering. Plus, I'm a sucker for bright fuchsias/hot pinks with blue flash or shimmer.


These retail for $9.99, which is a bit steep for drugstore lipsticks, but if you manage to catch a buy one, get one half off sale they're worth it.

FOTD- Intrepid Old Gold

Ugh, so tired! Of course it's my own fault... if I could go to sleep at a decent hour I wouldn't be so exhausted. But my body seems to insist that days are 28 hours long instead of 24, so each night I want to stay up later and sleep later the next day. It doesn't hurt that I had like the worst Monday ever. I would say that two of the things people hate most is going to the dentist and going to a car dealership. Monday I did both. I woke up at the ass crack of early (aka 9 am, but early if you went to bed at 5 am) to go to the dentist. I got two fillings and two crowns. Cost me $1400 WITH insurance and I still need a crap ton of dental work to go. And apparently I got too much of the numbing crap so until 7pm that night it looked like I had a stroke because the left side of my face would not move. Which made for much merriment for my brother, whom I had to take to the car dealership to buy his first car. So not even a car for me. By this time I was nauseous from the numbing crap, having had 4 hours of sleep, and not having ate that day yet. And this whole time half my face was frozen like a victim of botched plastic surgery. We were at the dealership for 6 hours. I finally got home from the day from hell and fell asleep at the ridiculously early hour of 11:30 pm (I'm not being sarcastic. That is early for me).

So, this story has nothing to do with the makeup I'm going to show you, since I wore it last week, but I just wanted everyone to commiserate with me on my horrible day, haha.

My hair looks weird because it was wet!

Here is what I wore:

Eyes- MAC Old Gold pigment on the lid, L'Oreal HiP pigment in Intrepid, and Tarte Amazonian Clay eyeliner in Rich Green

Cheeks- Geek Chic blush in Strawberry Shortcake

Lips- Wet n Wild MegaLast lipstick 902C Bare It All and Kiss My Sass gloss in Caribbean Escape

I'm glad my facial paralysis was only temporary. Or I'd have to wear one of those half masks like the Phantom of the Opera guy.