Gwen Stefani and Urban Decay.... Yay!!

Birthday gifts galore!

She's got some wicked style. Yes, she does. I've been a fan of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani since I was a teen.  Tragic Kingdom was our high school anthem.  I'm a So Cal girl myself, just about seven miles west of Anaheim.  But, I am no doubt, not nearly as cool or as stylish, as Gwen. Now, with her collaboration with Urban Decay, women everywhere can try to be at least half as chic and fashionable as Gwen.  




I'm "in love" with the new Urban Decay Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette. I hinted to my husband that I would love to get this for my birthday. Guess what?  He came through with this surprise and a few others!!!

I love the colors. They're more on the neutral side. Some of the colors look the same in the palette, but when applied they are distinctly different.  Many reviewers don't like this. From what I understand, they thought she didn't go bold, vibrant or varied enough with color. She's known more for her vibrant, bright lip, muted eyeshadow,thick liner and lashes, not for crazy eyeshadow colors. 

There are fifteen colors in the palette, three of which are Urban Decay relaunches. The Urban Decay website describes the colors as:

Top row:
Blonde:  Pale beige with pink shimmer
Bathwater: pale beige with gold shimmer
Skimp:  Pale nude satin
Steady: Medium rose with metallic gold
Punk: Reddish brown matte

Top Row

Middle Row:
Baby:  Cool metallic rose
Anaheim:  Light taupe-brown matte
Stark:  Nude-pink matte
Zone:  medium brown matte
Serious:  Smokey grey with iridescent pearl

Middle Row

Bottom Row:
Pop:  Pale coral with sparkle
Harajuku: Metallic blue-pink with iridescent sparkle
Danger:  Deep metallic royal blue with blue sparkle
1987:  Bright metallic yellow-gold
Blackout:  Blackest black matte

Bottom Row

My absolute favorite color in the line is 1987. I haven't be drawn to golds in the past because I'm more cool toned, but as I get older, I notice that my formally dark brown eyes are lightening up to a hazel hue and the golds look good on me.  I've already used 1987 and many of the colors in the palette.  The only colors I haven't used yet are Harajuku, Danger and Blackout.  I may use Harajuku and Danger tonight, New Year's Eve 2015.  It is the night to go bold and daring with makeup, right?

The colors go on like butter.  They're so creamy.  I've heard that Pop and Harajuku have a lot of fallout. I've heard the best way to use those two colors is with a wet brush.  

Adorable box

OK palette case

The packaging is just cute.  I thought the box it came in is nicer than the actual palette case. The only issue I have, and this is with ALL eyeshadow palettes, is the shadow that gets on the case. It's hard to clean. I love the large mirror that comes with the palette. The little the message, "Magic's in the Makeup"  happens to be my favorite song from Return to Saturn (I find myself singing it in the shower a lot).  So that was a nice added touch. It doesn't come with any brushes, which is fine because most brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes are cheap and suck. 

I can't wait to continue to play "dress up" and "paint my face" in 2016, especially with the launch of the new line of lipsticks Gwen is collaborating on with Urban Decay. Did I mention that this palette comes with a few samples.  I may have lost those, I'm not sure, but I know I can't find them right now (sad panda, I know, but I don't really like lipstick samples).

"I think women should wear whatever makeup they want for themselves. Makeup should be fun." Thank you Emma Stone for that, thank you!

The Urban Decay + Gwen Stefani Collaboration gets 5 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies.  

Beautify yourself tonight and enjoy ringing in the new year! I can't wait to kiss my handsome husband at midnight. We've been celebrating New Year's together since 2005. Cheers to a fabulously beautiful 2016!!

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick

Bauhau5, Bachelorette, Lovesick

Okay, I really, really tried my hardest to like this liquid lipstick. I've read a ton of reviews and watched a ton of YouTube beauty videos praising it.  Who knows, maybe I did something wrong.  I only put the lipstick on clean, exfoliated, moisturized lips. What more could I have possibly done for a better application?

I asked my husband for the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bauhau5 (pronounced Bow (rhymes with wow) House), a deep raspberry, for my birthday. I just recently bought Bachelorette, in a bright reddish fuchsia, and Lovesick, a mauve nude.

Bauhau5 is a good lipstick, the color is pretty nice and creamy. It does dry matte and is extremely drying.  Now, Bachelorette and Lovesick. These two colors are horrible.  When I swatched them on my hand in Sephora, the colors were entirely different from what I came home with. The lighting maybe? For the first couple of uses, the colors stayed on for a long time.  It doesn't specify how "everlasting" these lipsticks are.  They did start to break apart after I ate and drank.  The Sephora site says that they dry down to a smooth matte finish.  Not on me! They were dry on my lips, settled into any fine lines or dry patches I may have had on my lips, and were very flaky on my lips (repetition for effect).

Lovesick, yes, sick in the lines on my lips!

I couldn't apply another coat, even to build up the color, because the second coat would never dry.  My lips were sticky all day long and the color would transfer all over the place. If I wore Bacelorette, the smear on my face made me look like Ronald McDonald. It's horribly embarrassing! Oh and while I'm at it, why don't people please let me know that my lipstick has smeared.  I won't be upset, honest. These colors don't even last if I lick my lips.  I heard the only way to remove the color is with oil. Well, last I checked my saliva wasn't oil based! Nope, just regular saliva. Even the application was awkward.  They didn't last at all when I lined my lips with a lip liner.

Bauhau5, Bachelorette, Lovesick

Bachelorette absolutely does not look fuchsia on me, at all! Reddish orange (as in the Ronald McDonald red), yes.  I can see the fuchsia when I first apply the lipstick, but when it dries to its flaky, matte finish, I'm only seeing orange. Lovesick reminds me of NARS Audacious Anna, until it dries. Then it reminds me of death or uncooked liver.

After I got Bauhau5, and before I wore Bacelorette and Lovesick, I wanted to purchase Nasferatu (like the Vampire), a blood red, and Mother, a dusty mauve pink. They are always sold out in Sephora, but I've decided I'm going to pass on those colors. I wasn't impressed with the shades I already own. Besides, I love the Too Faced Melted Ruby, a blood red. Those lipsticks weren't as drying as these.

If these lipsticks do work for you, great, there are 29 shades, sold exclusively at Sephora and retail for $20. You can also pick them up on the Kat Von D website.


Because so many positive things have been said about the lipsticks, it might just be me. Maybe they just don't match with the skin on my lips.  Overall I'm glad that I tried them and I will continue to use the colors that I already own, but this probably isn't going to be a repurchase for me and I'm not going to try anymore colors. My lips are all tuckered out. 

I love this quote from Marilyn Monroe, "Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world."

Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick gets 2 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies. 

Too Faced Melted Lipstick

I'm sitting on my couch watching Can't Hardy Wait, candles lit and Christmas lights on.  My house feels cozy and warm.  I've been holding back on some makeup reviews for a while because I didn't have all the shades I wanted to review.

Too Faced Melted Lipstick

Right now I'm a little obsessed with the Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick. I know they've been around for a while now, but they're new to me. I love the colors, I love the pigment. The Too Faced site states that they have the "staying power of a stain with the intense color of a liquid lipstick". Well, they definitely don't have the staying power of a stain or liquid lipstick, but I'll talk about that later. If I'm not mistaking, I heard somewhere that they were created with the idea of melted tube lipsticks in mind, hence the name. I can't even tell you how many lipsticks I've ruined just because I left them in my hot car to "melt".

Melted Candy, Melted Fuchsia and Melted Jelly Donut

There are 18 colors in the regular line of Melted Lipsticks and there are two new lines, Melted Metals and Melted Chocolate.  Of the regular melted line I have five, Melted Marshmallow, a candy pink, Melted Fuchsia, a bright fuchsia, Melted Candy, a bright fuchsia pink, Melted Jelly Donut, dragon fruit pink and Melted Ruby, a blood red. I still want to get Melted Chihuahua, a dusty mauve and Melted Berry, a berry red.  I may pass on the Melted Chihuahua though. Melted Candy and Melted Fuchsia look similar, but there is a slight difference in the color.  Melted Candy is a bit darker than the Melted Fuchsia. You probably don't need both. Sephora has a Melted Rainbow (magenta) that is a VIB Rouge exclusive.

Melted Ruby, my FAVORITE color.

Of the colors I have, Melted Ruby has to be my favorite.  I'm very fair skinned and this color makes my lips really pop. It looks great for the Holidays.

The lipsticks go on as a liquid and do tend to dry, but not as a matte.  There is quite a bit of transfer, but after a few hours the lipsticks tend to stain my lips. They aren't like a long lasting liquid lipstick, where if you reapply, your lips get dry and flaky. You can reapply and they'll be all right.  I noticed that Marshmallow has a much creamier texture than the other colors that I own.

They're labeled as a "liquified long lasting lipstick", however, they aren't that long lasting. These colors do feather and get into the fine lines. That I don't like. They do come off after eating, drinking, and just plain old kissing my husband. So, there's A Lot of transfer, at least for me.

They have a slight fragrance. I can't seem to place it, but it's warm and comforting. The packaging is cute and easy to carry in my mini makeup bag for my purse. The applicator is just ok. Start off slow and build up the product. Be careful, it can get messy! I recommend using a liner with all of the colors, even the lighter lipsticks. I have a few lip liners to match the darker/brighter shades, other than that I use a clear wax liner. I heard they work even better with a lip primer, but I've never tried it so I can't comment from experience.

I don't care for the Melted Metals, they don't seem to be as pigmented at the Melted Lipsticks.  I have no experience whatsoever with the Melted Chocolate line. I'm a little curious about the Melted Honey and Melted Cherries, but I haven't seen them in any stores to swatch. I've only seen them on the Sephora website and there isn't much of a color description, or any description for that matter. I know that three of the six colors are like the Melted Metal line. I'll pass on those!

At $21 a piece they're bright and fun and I feel like you totally get a lot of product for the price. These aren't as great at the NARS Audacious Lipsticks (but they are cheaper), because those are my absolute favorite lipsticks of all time!

Melted Marshmallow, Melted Ruby, Melted Jelly Donut, Melted Candy, Melted Fuchsia

You can't see the difference in the Melted Candy and Melted Fuchsia in this photo, but you can see the slight difference in color in the photo above.  The Fuchsia is a bit brighter.  In this photo you can also see the different consistency of the Melted Marshmallow compared to the other colors.

Happy Movie Monday!

To quote Melrose Place actress Heather Locklear, "You can't keep changing men, so you settle for changing your lipstick."

Too Faced Melted Lipsticks get 4 out of 5 Gerber Daisies because the wide range of colors are vibrant and fun, but there's a lot of transfer and I don't care for the Metals (that's just my preference).

Wet N' Wild

Wet n' Wild Smokin' Hot Pink & Spotlight Red

For the last couple of months I've been on the hunt for the perfect lipstick.  I'm not sure what it is that I'm looking for. Is it the color, texture, staying power or price? It's actually a combo of all those things.  In a previous post I reviewed the NARS Audacious lipsticks. Those are by far my all time favorite lipsticks, but at $32 a pop and on my salary, I try to limit the NARS lipsticks I purchase.   

Right now I'm obsessed with watching beauty YouTube videos.  There are three beauty experts that I watch religiously. I'm not sure of the protocol with regards to posting their information on my blog, so I'll refrain.  One of the Vloggers reviewed the Wet n' Wild MegaLast Lip Color and that peaked my curiosity.  I haven't used a Wet n' Wild product since I was in high school.  I loved the deep vampy blue that was all the rage in the mid 90's.  For .99 cents you couldn't beat the price.

A few months ago I bought four of the MegaLast Lip Colors.  Two of the colors are posted above. I also bought Cherry Picking and Don't Blink Pink.  The lipsticks were on sale at CVS, buy one get the other 50% off.  At 1.69 regular price and the second 50% off,  I couldn't pass up the bargain, so I bought four.

According to the Wet n' Wild site the MegaLast Lip Color lasts 4 hours and feel rich and velvety on the lips. They are not supposed to bleed or feather and are a semi matte cream.  I loved the fact that they are a matte lipstick.  I know that matte lipstick are extremely popular right now.  

I was pleasantly surprised by these lipsticks.  They did feel velvety like the site said they would, and they didn't feel over drying like the MAC retro matte formula. When I would reapply my MAC Retro Matte lipstick, the color would just peal right off, I didn't notice that with these. I felt that they didn't tug my lips or accentuate any dry patches I may have had on my lips. They didn't quite last 4 hours, but they did last longer than some other lipsticks I own.  I noticed the color would start to fade in the center of my lips. Even though they don't bleed, I like to use a lip liner.  I use the MAC Candy Yum-Yum with Don't Blink Pink and an e.l.f  lip liner with Cherry Picking.  

I absolutely HATE the packaging.  The plastic lid is annoying.  It can easily crack and looks messy after a couple of uses.  Of the four colors I purchased, I only kept two, Cherry Picking and Don't Blink Pink. The two in the photo above, I gave to my mom. They looked more coral than pink against my skin tone.  I  don't like that I can't color swatch the lipsticks before purchasing them,  but at $1.69 a piece, I'm not going to complain,

A couple of months ago I went to Las Vegas with my husband and decided to only take my drugstore lipsticks, nothing "high end".  These colors worked out amazingly well.  It just goes to show you don't have to spend a million bucks to look a million bucks.

Wet n' Wild MegaLast Lipstick gets 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies 

"The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides"
Audrey Hepburn

MAC, It Was Fun While It Lasted

Oh MAC., how you've failed me!  I remember how, in the in late 90's and early 2000's, I loved MAC and being able to purchase a MAC lipstick was a big deal. They are one of the cheaper "higher end" makeup brands out there. I loved their exotic colors and artistry. I had so many of the Lip Glass-- Gloss, Oyster Girl was my favorite, and their shadows were all the rage! But in the end, the Lip Glasses would just be a big hot, sticky mess and my hair would always fly into the goo.  Flash-forward to 2015 and oh how my opinion of this brand has changed.

They still have all of the funky colors, but they just don't last.  In my search of a dupe for my favorite lipstick, I came upon a YouTube video, where the Vlogger swatched the MAC Matte Lipstick brand. I was interested in a few colors so I went to the MAC store at the mall, not the MAC counter at Nordstroms, mistake # 1. 

Every time I've walked into this store I have been completely disappointed with their inadequate service.  It doesn't matter if there's no one else in the store, or if it's filled with people, it's always so difficult to get someone to answer my questions, say hello or help me.

Since I already had a few colors I was interested in, I just started swatching on my arm. Finally a sales associate asked if I needed any help.  I whipped out my favorite NARS color, Greta, and asked if they could match it.  At MAC's $16 a tube I didn't mind buying a dupe from their store. The sales associate was showing me colors she liked, for her skin tone. I'm fair, she wasn't, get my drift? The colors that looked good on her, were not colors that looked good on me.

I settled on a matte color called All Fired Up, which the MAC site describes as a "bright fuchsia matte". I don't know, maybe I bought the wrong All Fired Up, because in the tube it looks like a brick red, on my arm it looks like a brick red, and on my lips it looks like a brick red. Oh and swatched next to Greta, it looks like a brick red. 

Now the formula. I know that they are matte, so I didn't expect a shiny or creamy finish. This lipstick felt chappy, easily rubbed off (and I applied a liner) and was one of the most drying matte lipsticks I've used this summer.  You can't just reapply if it wears off because then it gets cakey. The second time I applied this lipstick, I could see it settle in the lines of my lips. It's not advertised as a long lasting lipstick, so I expected that.  I had to take it off the second time I applied it because it was just too drying. 

One swipe of Greta, takes 10 swipes of All Fired Up to get a similar look. 

Below is a color swatch of Greta and All Fired Up.  You can see that this is definitely not a bright fuchsia. 

The matte color is All Fired Up (bright fuchsia), from MAC and the creamy finish is Greta

I don't know about you, but to me that's not a bright fuchsia. That is only one swipe of Greta and four swipes of All Fired Up.

Another thing I hated was that when I opened my MAC package, I had the wrong color and had to go back to the store to exchange it, that made me a sad monkey.  They couldn't even grab the correct color.  When I swatched these side by side in the store, the color was almost the same.When I got home  and in the natural light, it looked orange. 

When the sales girl asked me what color I brought in to swatch,  I simply replied, "Only the best color and lipstick on the planet." 

Because of all the mishaps and mislabeled colors I give MAC's matte lipstick, in All Fired Up, 2 Gerber Daisies out of 5.

“Nobody looks good with brown lipstick on.” 
― Frank Zappa

No Frank Zappa, they do not!!

NARS Audacious: Daring Colors Finding the Perfect Lipstick

I'm obsessed with makeup. What can I say, except that I feel better when my face is "done up". I have fair skin, dark eyes and dark hair, so a little bit goes a very long way.

I am so behind on this review. The NARS Audacious lipsticks have

NARS Audacious in Greta

been out for over a year, but I never got around to writing a review.

I love NARS makeup.  I always have. The Audacious line is my absolute favorite brand of lipstick.  I wish I could purchase all the colors that I love, but at $32 a tube, I have to control my urges.

The lipstick itself comes in a sleek, all black tube and has a magnetic lid. Surprisingly though, in my purse, the lid stays on better than other lipsticks I've owned. The NARS label is stamped right on the lipstick. When these lipsticks were launched back in September 2014, there were (and I'm assuming still are) 40 shades. Some were exclusive to NARS Boutique Stores and Barney's, while the others could be found in Nordstroms and Sephora.

I originally read a review of these lipsticks in Elle Magazine and instantly fell in love with the colors Fanny and Greta.They're described on the NARS site as a  "Rich Berry" (Fanny) and "Wild Azalea" (Greta). I went to Sephora first, hoping that both colors would be in stock. While there, I only found Fanny and was so disappointed to learn that at that time, they didn't sell Greta. Fanny ended up being way too dark for my skin tone. The salesgirl recommended that I try Janet, described on the NARS site as being a "Deep Magenta". The color looked good on me, but my heart was still set on Greta. So with that, I was out the door without my lipstick (sad panda).

I decided to try Nordstroms next. I was so happy to discover that Nordy's did carry Greta. The color was so amazing on my skin tone, my mother even encouraged me to buy the lipstick and that's a rarity! I still regret that I didn't pick up Janet because that was a beautiful color too. **Now, Greta can also be found at Sephora, which makes me a happy panda.

The range of colors for this brand is absolutely stunning. There's a perfect color for every girl, or boy. They range from barely there nudes to deep vampy. I would have loved Liv, a "Deep Aubergine" during my 90's "Goth" phase.  Everybody on YouTube seems to love Dominique, a "Pink Lilac", but I just can't seem to like the color.  First off it would make me look dead and completely washed out. But Dominique seems to be the color that sells out the fastest and I think that's a color that can only be found at the NARS Boutique Stores and Barney's. They can keep that color because I hate it.  I am curious about Michiyo, a "Vivid Pink" because that color looks beautiful as well.

NARS Audacious in Greta

The formula of the lipsticks can only be described as perfection.  Whatever NARS did, they did right.  They glide on so smoothly and they don't bleed or feather. Most dark, vibrant colors in other brands feather on me. I really hate the extra step of a lip liner, so if I can do without, I'm a happy girl.  I really don't need a liner with these lipsticks. One or two swipes is good enough, because they are so pigmented. I really can't rave enough about them.  I use a brush to scoop out all of it so that it doesn't go to waste.  I did try on Michiyo and that formula felt a little different.  It didn't seem to be as creamy. I wore it around for a bit, but Greta is by far my favorite and I haven't been able to find a dupe for it. 

All in all, I can't rave enough about this line of cosmetics.  I'm always looking for amazing bargains, however I will fork out my $32 for my Greta and maybe one day I'll buy another.

**Updates

The NARS Audacious lipsticks get 5 out of 5 bright pink, Gerber Daisies!   

To quote the very beautiful and very stylish Audrey Hepburn, "I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick."