Thursday, February 27, 2014

Colorful Smokey Eye

Hey everyone!


A few days ago I posted a colorful smokey eye tutorial on my YouTube channel and today I am sharing the products and photos with you. If you haven't watched it, please click the link above to see an easy step by step guide. I know smokey eyes can look and sound difficult but really it's not. With the right tools and products, smokey eyes can become your go-to look. I prefer a more natural approach to makeup looks versus super dramatic and not so every day type of looks. As you probably already noticed from watching any of my tutorials, I like to take a wearable approach to makeup.

Here are the photos of a colorful yet wearable smokey eye:




Products used:
* theBalm Meet Matte Nude palette
* Revlon bronzer in "Bronzed & Chic"- for crease and face
* Urban Decay "Aquarius" single eyeshadow
* Avon Ever lasting shadow stick in "Aquamarine"-used as colored base under eyeshadow
* Loreal Infallible liquid liner
* Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara
* Ardell accent lashes in #305
* theBalm instain blush in "houndstooth"
* NYX brow kit in "Brunette"
* Maybelline fit me concealer in "#10 Light"-used as eye concealer and foundation.
* NYX Butter Lipstick in "sugar wafer"
* Maybelline Color Elixir in "Caramel infused"


As you can see from the photos the colored eyeshadow is not an everyday type of color but adding soft neutrals in the crease makes it wearable. Also, wearing a softer lip color makes this look totally doable. It was actually very easy to do so the best way to learn is to watch my tutorial

Stay connected with Me via Twitter & Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi
**Don't forget to Subscribe, it's Free :) :) 

Thank you for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi


Sunday, February 23, 2014

MILANI "Bella Rosa" Baked Blush Review

Hello everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you my thoughts, swatches and photos on this new baked blush by MILANI Cosmetics in the color "Bella Rosa". On the brands website, this blush is described as a bright raspberry shade and I think that's dead on with the color. I know a raspberry colored blush may sound and look scary but this one isn't at all. You can find this product and others from MILANI at local drugstores and on their website (link is below). This product retails for $7.99, which is great for the quality, size and pigmentation.

Let's talk packaging....


"Bella Rosa" Baked Blush
It's basic and functional packaging. I think the outer packaging is cute and simple. Underneath the blush there is a compartment that holds a mirror and an applicator. It's not photographed but the mirror is tiny and the applicator isn't the best for this product. I'd recommend using a soft fluffy blush brush to apply this shade.




I know this looks crazy but the color is truly beautiful. It is hands down the brightest and boldest color I own in my collection. I have used this blush a few times and I'm really enjoying the soft natural flush it gives my cheeks. As you will see in the photo below, this doesn't appear too intense when sheered out. Of course the first swatch is more intense so that you can get an idea of what we're dealing with here. This baked blush has a smooth matte finish which I happen to love. It's great to be able to find matte blushes with actual color payoff. It swatches and applies very nicely and has a soft feel to it. 


Top: one swipe of color
Bottom: sheered out swatch

Literally the top swatch is just one swipe of the product applied to my arm. It's crazy how pigmented this blush is. You really only need just a tiny bit in order to get a great natural color as if you just came back from a nice jog. I will own this blush for the rest of my life! I really love finding great products that are affordable and readily available at the drugstore :) 

Overall, this baked blush is a winner in my book. The price is great, only $7.99 at local drugstores and at Milani Cosmetics website. The pigmentation, smoothness and creaminess is right on. Truly a great find for me. I hope this quick review was helpful. Please leave any feedback, I'd love to hear from you :) Watch my beauty related videos on YouTube and subscribe, it's Free!!!

Stay connected with Me via Twitter & Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi

Thanks for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

NYX Butter Lipsticks

Hey everyone & Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on these new NYX butter lipsticks. They have been out for a little while but are new to me. You can purchase NYX cosmetics at Ulta or on the NYX website. I would recommend shopping for NYX at Ulta because they offer good sales on drugstore makeup brands. This brand has been in my makeup rotation for several years and it seems like they're getting better with formulations and makeup products. Also, NYX is a very affordable makeup line with lots to offer.

I have been testing out these new lipsticks that I got from Ulta a week ago. I paid around $6 a piece, which is very good for the quality and pigmentation. The displays at Ulta were picked over so I was limited with colors to choose from. I think this must be a good sign :) I liked these so much that I picked up a deeper shade a few days ago. Here are my thoughts with swatches on my first two butter lipsticks!


The packaging is very simple and I like the clear plastic around the center which makes seeing the color easy. I do have to give NYX's bonus points for making the color on the tube match almost exactly to the color of the lipstick inside.

$6 a piece
(L) Butter Lipstick in "Pops"
(R) Butter Lipstick in "Sugar Wafer"


NYX Butter Lipstick in "Pops" is a mauve color with a hint of berry. It's very pigmented, soft and creamy. The finish is a slight sheen on the lips without shimmer or glitter. It glides on like...well butter! haha

NYX Butter Lipstick in "Sugar Wafer" is a nude color with a peach undertone. It's a little brighter than other nudes I own. But this can be toned down with a gloss if you find it too bright. Again, it's pigmented, soft and creamy. Makes for a good go-to staple item in my collection.

Overall, I am very happy with these new lipsticks. For the price, you can't go wrong. I actually prefer these over other NYX lipsticks I own. I will be using these in upcoming makeup tutorials so check out my YouTube channel for other makeup related goodness. Please subscribe while you're there, it's Free :) *Stay connected with me on Twitter and Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi

Thanks for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi

Saturday, February 15, 2014

February Ipsy Glam Bag!

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share the goodies that came a few days ago from Ipsy. As I've mentioned before, Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service that costs $10 each month. They deliver a great mix of full size and deluxe sized makeup items based on your beauty quiz responses. If you are not familiar with this quiz, it's basically a series of personal questions like eye color, hair color, skin concerns, skin tone, etc. The answers will help Ipsy formulate a monthly glam bag that's perfect for you!

Here's what I got:

February Glam Bag!
Only two items were deluxe sizes and everything was full size! I am loving the pink theme this month!

The blush from City Color is huge, 8.9g size to be exact. I'll have this blush forever, haha. It's very smooth and creamy feeling. There is great color payoff from this product and I love the color.

"Fresh Melon"
I've noticed over the last few months that Ipsy really likes to include Pop Beauty products in their glam bags. Although, I don't mind using stuff from this brand, I am however, ready for another new brand to be thrown into the mix. 

This plump pout gloss is very creamy and opaque. It feels nice and smooth on the lips. I'm assuming based on the name "plump pout" that it's suppose to make your lips fuller.  It does not have a tingling or warming sensation when applied as you'd probably come to expect with plumping glosses. This is not a go to shade for me but it's a good mauve with some tones of berry. 




This next brand is one that I have never heard of, it's called IPKN NewYork. This is a BB cream that claims to be brightening and provide wrinkle care with an SPF 45. While this all sounds good, the shade is a little too dark for me. When swatched, I picked up hints of an orange-y tone which is not cute. The packaging is basic but I did notice this product feels extremely light, almost like there's not much inside. More pictures are below....



"02 Light"

This next brand is also new to me :) This is why I really enjoy Ipsy, I get exposed to new brands every month. This brand is called Eyetini and I received their cream shadow. Although, I am not a cream shadow person, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to using this. Plus the pigmentation is crazy good. Now let's hope the staying power is good too. 

Basic but functional packaging with
doe foot applicator.

Color is called "Ambrosia"

I didn't photograph the Zoya nail polish in "Dot" that I got but it's a pale pink color. I have used Zoya polishes before and this one just adds to my collection. So that's it, overall, I am happy with this months glam bag. Are you an Ipsy member? If so, what did you receive? 

There are many new things coming up here and on my beauty channel so if you would like to stay updated, please follow me on Twitter and Instagram @GlamourbyLexi 

Also watch my makeup related videos on YouTube. If you have any requests or product recommendations, please let me know :) 

Thank you for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi 







Thursday, February 13, 2014

NYX Primal Colors Review

Hello everyone!


Today I've spent the day swatching and photographing many new makeup items that I recently picked up from Ulta Beauty and from online purchases. I am sharing with you my first impressions of the new NYX Primal Colors that were recently launched this year. You can find these at Ulta and the NYX website for only $5.00 each. I personally think the price is great for the size and quality you get in each pan. These primal colors are incredibly pigmented and soft and also come in 8 shades total (all matte finish). I only allowed myself to get 3 shades to start off with. At Ulta, they currently have NYX cosmetics on sale buy 1 get 1 50% off (this sale ends 2/15 according to current ad).


Here are the photos and reviews:
****Disclaimer: These are not meant for the eye area, only for face and body****

Love the clear packaging for easy viewing

*Photo taken with flash

Hot Black
At Ulta they have testers for you to use which is helpful when deciding which colors to buy. I swatched this one at the store and the pigmentation was out of this world. I think it was because everyone had been touching the tester so it seemed softer and more pigmented than mine. I also think that maybe once I get through the first layer of powder, I'll be able to get a more intense black.



Hot Orange
This one is crazy pigmented! On camera and in photos this color reads a bit more orange but in personal there's a slight coral tint which I find really beautiful. This is quite unique from my perspective. It could also be used as a blush.



Hot Pink
This one is so amazingly bright and bold. Very intense and great color payoff. It would look awesome as a blush, of course you'd have to blend it really well to make it wearable.



Final thoughts:

I am impressed with the colors and pigmentation. The only color that wasn't really up to my standards was the Hot Yellow which I didn't buy. Yellows are very tricky to make intense without it looking powdery and streaky especially in matte finishes. I am however, sad that these aren't made for the eye area. I am not too sure if I'll be comfortable putting something around my eyes that has a "no eye area" warning. It's up to you whether or not you'll try it...I do not recommend! 

I think for those who love to wear bright and bold blush colors would definitely enjoy these. Of course, the makeup artists out there would also love these. For the everyday makeup wearer like myself, these aren't so practical. 

Overall, I love these colors and the price is on point. It's hard to find bright colors with great color payoff and in this size for an affordable price. Nyx did really well with these matte primal colors. I hope this first impressions review and swatches was helpful. Please leave any comment or feedback below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Also, don't forget to check out my YouTube beauty channel for more makeup related goodness (click here to watch) Please Subscribe while visiting my channel, it's Free!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend,
xoxo
~Lexi

Monday, February 10, 2014

Valentine's Date Night Makeup

Hello lovebirds!


Today I wanted to share with you a Valentine's Day inspired makeup look that I posted on YouTube yesterday. I wanted to create a look that was easy and romantic with a bit of drama (mark your calendar, I used false eyelashes!) I added a sweet twist with some corner lashes to really bring this look to life. Here are some photos and link is below for the step by step tutorial!









So there you have it and if you're wondering I used the Tarte be MATTEnificent palette. I hope this helps give you makeup ideas for Valentine's Day. Click here for the tutorial. While you're visiting my channel, please subscribe (it's free) :)

Stay Connected with Me via Twitter & Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi

~Happy Valentine's Day~ 

Thank you for stopping by,
xoxoxo
~Lexi

Friday, February 7, 2014

Tarte be MATTEnificent Palette Review & Swatches

Hello everyone,

Today I am reviewing the newest palette from Tarte Cosmetics. It's called be MATTEnificent colored clay eye & cheek palette and this is readily available at Ulta, QVC and Tarte's website (links will be at the end of post). It retails for $36 which isn't bad for the amount of product you get. Below are pictures and swatches along with my thoughts for your enjoyment.


Box packaging 

Palette packaging 
My thoughts on packaging: 

Although, this packaging is very cute and different from any other product packaging I've purchased, I feel the plastic is very cheap. It looks and feels cheap as if the plastic really was an afterthought. I know with these palettes we consumers can't ask for much because usually most of the money goes into the makeup instead of the exterior look. I think the concept of this packaging is ideal as it is slim and compact. But however, I do feel that if you were to accidentally drop this on tile flooring, the bathroom sink or any other hard surface, it will crack. Due to this, I feel it's not travel friendly.




6 matte eyeshadows, 2 shadow/liner shades, 1 blush,
& 1 applicator
My thoughts on interior: 

I like the idea of having all mattes because I think it's great to have a few mattes within your eyeshadow collection. I do have to mention that on me (I'm very light complexed) the colors do show up but for anyone whose skin tone is medium or darker, you might not see too many differences between the colors when applied to the eye area. 

The size of each eyeshadow is great and are full size according to Tarte. I like having two liner/shadow shades that provide a bit of versatility. The blush is probably my favorite out of the whole palette. I have loved Tarte amazonian clay blushes for many years and still haven't found any other brand that compares. So naturally I love all their blush products. 

The applicator is not my favorite but if that's all I had I can do a complete look. One end of the applicator is an eyeshadow style brush that is flat with a rounded tip that works for packing color on the lower lid and the other end is a tapered crease brush that is a bit stiff. These are not my ideal choice of makeup brushes but they'll do the job decently. 
 
*swatched the same shade twice, sorry
The lightest ivory shade "sand out from the crowd"
wasn't swatched. But it matches my skin tone.
My thoughts on eyeshadows:

As you can probably tell from the photo above, some of the colors look very similar. This is something I didn't like from the palette. They do have a decent amount of pigmentation but these could have been a little better. I used this palette to film a Valentine's Date Night tutorial (will be posted soon) and I had to work quite a bit to blend the plum shade out. I did enjoy the completed look after adding mascara and false eyelashes. These colors are very complimentary to brown eyes by the way. Since it's really difficult to blend these shades out this wouldn't be a go to palette if I'm in a rush to leave the house. 

I have tried other matte eyeshadows from Tarte in the past and I feel like these aren't as good in my opinion. This palette could work for a collection of mattes to blend out other eyeshadows for different makeup looks. 



My thoughts on liner/shadow shades:

Right of the bat looking at the photo above, you should be able to see how the "Dream in Chocolate" shade is the better of the two. It has a decent amount of pigmentation both wet and dry. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for "Don't stand black" shade. I was disappointed with the black shade. I feel Tarte could have done a better job with these. I prefer using these two shades with a dampened brush since the color payoff is more intense. *I used water on the liner brush for the "wet" swatches.



My thoughts on Blush:

I enjoy this color and it transfers really well onto my cheeks. I have been looking for a blush shade that was more natural but still with a slight pinky tone and this one fits the bill. I love these amazonian clay blushes from Tarte. 


So there you have my thoughts on this palette. Unfortunately, I don't have many positives on this palette but I am glad I tried it out. I hope this helps you when deciding whether or not to purchase. This colored clay palette is limited edition so it won't be available for much longer.

**Visit these websites to purchase:

Be sure to stay connected with Me via Twitter and Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi
Check out my channel and please subscribe (it's free) ---> YouTube

Thank you for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Weekly Nails: China Glaze "On the Dot" kit

Hello all,


This week's nail art is a bit different than my usual but still really fun. So... I am not sure when exactly this kit was released but I recently found mine at Ulta for around $15. It's been probably 2 weeks since I've purchased it so I'm thinking it's fairly new. This kit is called On the Dot by China Glaze and features some really fun colors that I feel are perfect for any time. In my opinion, China Glaze makes some of the best bright colored nail polishes. In general this brand is great for nail polishes.


"White on White"
"Purple Panic"

"Sun Worshiper"
"Turned Up Turquoise"

Back panel with nail art instructions

*I used a nail art dotting tool in various sizes to create the dotted look. Although, the instructions are an added bonus, I feel that using the polish brush to apply the dots would be really messy. Using a tool is so much easier and cleaner looking. I ordered my tools from Amazon.




Overall, this kit for the price and quality would be hard to beat. The quality of these are not any less than their normal nail polish range. I love China Glaze as a brand and I didn't have these exact colors in my polish collection so this purchase was a no brainer. The normal price point is on or about $7 a piece for any China Glaze nail polish you'd purchase from Ulta. So this kit is worth $28 if you were to get each color separate but only costs $15. It's a great bargain in my book!

I hope that you'll try this design out using this kit or your own favorite bright nail polishes. Dotted nail designs are super easy to do and one of my favorites :)

Don't forget to check out my channel & subscribe for all things beauty, (click here ) to see my latest video...A Get Ready with Me!

Also, stay connected with me on Twitter & Instagram: @GlamourbyLexi

Thanks for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi