MakeupGeek Eyeshadows First Impressions

Hello my fellow makeup lovers!

How's everyones Sunday going so far? My day consisted of catching up on my favorite shows, painting my nails, spending time with my family and now this blog post.


I recently filmed a new shopping haul video where I mentioned my latest eyeshadow purchases, new makeup items, nail polishes/nail design goodies and new summer clothes. That video will be up this week on my channel, so check there daily if you are interested in seeing some new goodies. Subscribe to my beauty channel as well for great makeup related videos.

I wanted to share with you all my very first impressions of Makeup Geek eyeshadows. A little history before the review.......I found Marlena aka the creator of Makeup Geek on YouTube years ago when I first ventured onto the site. I had never heard of YouTube until I found her. I can't even remember what I was searching for on there when one of her videos popped up as a related search. Over the years I have watched a few of her videos. She's really talented and seems very down to earth. I found her video on the new Makeup Geek cosmetic line of at that time just eyeshadows. I thought based on her video debuting her colors and the reasons for creating a cosmetic line, why not try them? It only took me a year to finally place an order, haha! Her cosmetic line now has lipsticks, brushes, pigments and eyeshadows.

Now I have some mixed feelings about these particular colors. I let myself order these colors based on the pictures and swatches on the Makeup Geek site. A link will be below if you would like to check them out. I have used just 3 of the eyeshadows in a makeup tutorial that will be up soon too. My opinions are from swatching and playing around with different color combos here at home. Pictures with names, swatches and Makeup Geek descriptions will be below. I also give my thoughts on each color too. I hope you enjoy my lil review.......

Mocha

Deep Matte Brown (from Makeup Geek site)
I like the pigmentation of this color. Picture on the site
appears to be a bit different shade of brown. A color
I would have preferred instead of this one.

Bleached Blonde

Shimmery Pale Gold (from Makeup Geek site)
It's not as pigmented as the swatches on the site.
The color here is not close to what you see online.

Ocean Breeze

Metallic deep green/blue (from Makeup Geek site)
This was probably the color I was most excited for.
Online it looks so beautiful & perfect combo of green and blue.
Not exactly what I got. This seems more blue than anything. 

Lemon Drop

Shimmery Bright Lemon Yellow (from Makeup Geek site)
It's a pretty yellow. Online it looks like an intense yellow.
A color that I don't have in my collection. Not really as pigmented
as the swatch on the website. 

Cupcake

Matte Medium Pink (from Makeup Geek site)
To me this seems like a mauve pinky color.
Website swatch looks more of a brighter matte pink, looks
beautiful online. Its a nice color but not exactly what I thought
I was getting. 

Peach Smoothie

Light Peach Beige with a soft matte finish
(from Makeup Geek site) I like the pigmentation of this color.
Not as intense as you see online but I like.

Wisteria

Matte Pale Purple (from Makeup Geek site)
The swatch on site looks like a pinky lilac.
Again, a shade I don't have which is why I ordered this one.
Not too impressed with the swatch here. I had to really layer the color
on my hand and it's not that smooth.

Stealth

Matte True Gray (from Makeup Geek site)
I really like this eyeshadow. The color is a little bit darker in person
than what you see online. Nice quality eyeshadow.

Ok, I know this was long. And I know that what you see online may not always be what you get in person. I can only go by the swatches and pictures online to determine whether or not I want to order these colors or a certain item. I ordered these particular colors because they seem so beautiful online and I needed them. I am not sure if the pictures of the swatches on the Makeup Geek site where photo shopped or placed over a primer. By the way, these swatches are not with primer. It's just the eyeshadow on my bare hand. I also tried to photograph the colors as true to what you see. I didn't photoshop or enhance the quality of the pictures above. Maybe I had too high of expectations for these eyeshadows. Marlena CEO of Makeup Geek raves about these eyeshadows blowing MAC shadows out of the water. Her swatches in her videos look amazing. Also the quality I see in tutorials look great so I thought these were a bargain. Each eyeshadow pan is $5.99 or individually packaged shadows are $7.99. The price is fantastic for the size. They are the same size of MAC so they'll fit in MAC shadow palettes. Not sure if I am going to order more colors. Maybe the other one will be better. Who knows? Have you tried any Makeup Geek shadows? If so, which ones? And what is your opinion on them? 

I will be doing a video review on these eyeshadows soon. I want to create more looks using them before filming the review. I hope you find this mini review helpful. Click on the link below to visit my beauty channel. Thank you for stopping by. 

My beauty channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/glamourbylexi

Makeup Geek website: http://www.makeupgeek.com/store/

*not a sponsored post

xoxo

~Lexi

Nails of the Week: L'oreal Jellie Polish in Jolly Lolly

Hello Fellow Nail Polish lovers!

Today I'm posting this quick picture of my nails for this week and sharing my first impressions. I've chosen to wear this new nail polish from L'oreal Miss Candy collection that you can find currently in drugstores. These nail polishes are the new Jellie technology. This formula is new to me, I've never tried anything like this before. I'm really loving this color! It's a beautiful pinky berry red, I know it's a wordy but accurate description of the color. It has a really nice glossy finish that I love. I like how this polish applied very nicely and not streaky which I was expecting since it's a sheer nail polish. In the picture below I'm wearing two coats. So far I'm really happy with the finished look. As far as the staying power, I can not say yet since it's only been about 2 days now. I will keep you guys posted on this through Twitter. Be sure to click the link below to follow me on Twitter! Also a link for my YouTube beauty channel is below, please click and share with your friends! Enjoy my videos, there's tons to watch :) Thank you for stopping by and for your continued support.

New! L'oreal nail polish in Jolly Lolly
From Miss Candy collection

My beauty videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi/videos
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/glamourbylexi

xoxoxo
~Lexi 

Revlon ColorStay 16 Hr Eyeshadow Palettes Review

Hello there!

How was everyone's 4th of July? I hope you all had a fantastic day. I want to extend my sincere Thank You to the men and women who serve our country. Your selfless service and courage does not go unnoticed! Thank you for being my heroes!

So today I will be reviewing the Revlon Colorstay 16 hour eyeshadow palettes. I currently own 2 of these palettes and I bought mine from Walgreens. You can find these palettes and other items from Revlon pretty much anywhere drugstore makeup is sold. Below are the pictures of the packaging, swatches and mini reviews for each one.

#545 Attitude
This is a great everyday palette.

#545 Attitude palette
A nice guide for beginners on eyeshadow placement.

#545 Attitude
Swatches without primer/eyeshadow base.
This palette has great color payoff.

#510 Precocious
A great palette for a night time smokey eye.

#510 Precocious
Again, all palettes come with a beginners guide on the back.

#510 Precocious
Swatches are without primer/eyeshadow base.
This palette offers different variations of a smokey eye.
The silver in this palette is a bit powdery, meaning there's some fall out.

Front view of packaging.
Packaging is simple and sleek.
Doesn't take up much room in my drawers. 

Overall, I think that Revlon has some really great affordable eyeshadow palettes. I think whether you are a beginner in makeup or a makeup enthusiast like me, you can benefit from having these in your collection. The average price is $6 from most drugstores. It's a great price for the quality of eyeshadow you get. Revlon has definitely improved the quality of their products. I would recommend these palettes to anyone who is looking to add some staple inexpensive eyeshadows to their current makeup collection or to those who want to add a little spice to their day to day makeup. There are so many different palettes to choose from the new ColorStay line. From everyday neutral colors to smokey to vibrant summer colors, there's something for everyone. I plan on getting more of these babies whenever they go on sale at my local Walgreens. 

A tutorial on my YouTube beauty channel using the #545 Attitude palette (the everyday neutral colors) will be posted next week. Click on my link below to see my current video, a shopping haul from a few days ago. I got some new makeup goodies...check it out! 

Makeup related goodness: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi

Follow me on Twitter to stay updated with me: https://twitter.com/glamourbylexi

I hope this review was helpful and if you have any other questions, please let me on with a comment to this post or through Twitter (link is above).

Thank you for stopping by and for your continued support. It means the world to me :)

xoxo

~Lexi

Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Acrylic Gel Nail Polish Review

Hello everyone! How's your Thursday afternoon going? I hope you all are enjoying the awesome summer days.

As I mentioned in a previous video, I wanted to review the Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Acrylic Gel nail polish. I bought mine from Walmart a few months ago for less than $5. I think the price is very affordable for the amount (0.44 oz) of polish you get. I bought this product because I noticed some issues with my nails about 1 to 2 months after I had my son. It's really bizarre but some of nails on both hands were lifting off the nail beds. It was very frightening because I thought my nails were going to fall off. I decided to do some research on nail issues on google and of course I looked on google images. Wrong thing to do!!! Never look at google images when you think something is wrong. It will scare you when they're might not even be a need to be afraid.

After speaking with a pharmacist at my local Target I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when I was informed that my nails weren't going to fall off nor that I had nail fungus (which is what I thought I had). I was informed that I had a vitamin deficiency and that I needed to start taking Biotin supplements on a daily basis. Biotin is a supplement made to strengthen and improve hair, skin and nails. If you are wondering, I am taking the Target up and up store brand of this supplement. No need to buy the expensive brands for this item.

I decided that I should probably give my nails a break for the constant manicuring. I knew I needed to let my nails breathe in between manicures and nail polish changes. It's a hard adjustment because I have been dedicating a few hours every sunday for years for my manicures. So below is the lowdown on this Acrylic Gel.

First off, I wanted to inform you all that I have been using Sally Hansen nail products for years since my early days in high school. I am pretty familiar with the Sally Hansen line. This item is readily available at most drugstores and grocery stores. Even Ulta carries Sally Hansen nail products. I really like how this polish has a thick gel like constancy. Just an FYI, this will not give your nails the thickness of actual salon professional acrylic nail sets.  I like how this polish is thick enough to provide protection to my nails. Let's face it, our day to day activities may not always be so kind to our nails. I think the thickness of this polish is just right. This polish helps prevent my nails for breaking, splitting and cracking. It does apply rather thick so you need to work fast when painting your nails. Make sure you have an even coating so that your nails dry quickly and evenly. This polish lasts a good 5 days on my nails. It has also helped extend the wear of my regular nail polishes. Sometimes I just use this acrylic gel on my nails with nothing else and there's times where I use it as a base coat. It works really well either way. The bottle is a light blue color but the product dries clear on your nails. I have noticed that this nail polish has helped my nails get better and healthier. I still have a slight problem with the nails lifting but it's getting better with time.

The only down side of this product is that by the time I finish one hand, the gel starts to dry on the applicator. When this happens, it's hard to get an even coating on my second hand. So if you work fast it may not even matter to you. If you like to take your time with painting your nails, then do one hand first, wait a few minutes and then paint the second hand. If you choose to wait in between painting your hands, make sure you replace the lid and close it tightly. I think when air gets inside of the bottle is when I find this problem to happen. It's not a deal breaker for me. I can manage to overlook this little problem.

Overall, I am very pleased with Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Acrylic Gel. I would definitely repurchase this item and recommend it to you all. Even if you're not into painting your nails with colors, glitter or rhinestones, I think you will enjoy the benefits of using this product. Below are pictures of the bottle itself and the applicator. If you try this product, please let me know how it works for you. Feel free to comment on my blog or leave your comment on my channel.

Please take the time to visit my beauty channel on YouTube for makeup tutorials, product reviews, monthly beauty favorites and shopping hauls. http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi

Thank you for stopping by. Don't forget to subscribe on my YouTube beauty channel....it's free!!
Also, follow me on Twitter for daily updates! @GlamourbyLexi
Have a great day :)

xoxo
Lexi

Earth,Mama,Angel Baby Organics Milkmaid Tea Review

Hello my fellow makeup lovers!


Today I wanted to post a review on this organic milkmaid tea that I have been drinking for the past several months. I'm taking a little break from filming to relax from all the travels and moving that I've done over the last couple of weeks. As most of you already know, I have a 5 month old :) And naturally with becoming a new mom, most of us would love to exclusively breastfeed our babies. It's truly the best way to nourish your new baby.

Of course, there are some of us that are not so gifted in the milk department. And that's ok! My body is not that great at producing breast milk. So what can we do to get a little boost? Drink Tea! Yes, that's right, a little tea can make a difference. I am not a professional midwife but I can tell you a bit of my journey to supplementing my son. Maybe you can find some helpful tips along the way.....

I have been told by my midwife that Fenugreek seed pills can help too. These herbal supplements can be found at most drugstores. I find mine at WholeFoods for an affordable price. Now there are tons of breast milk boosting teas and over the counter supplements that you can try. It's all trial and error with these products since every woman is different. What works for me may not work for you..but it's worth a try. My midwife also said that I could try milk boosting teas as well since I wanted to increase my supply. There are other tea brands that make milk boosting teas, if I try any of them I'll keep you guys posted.

I found this organic milkmaid tea at my local BabiesRUs. The company's website will be listed below if you prefer to order online or want to read the reviews on there. I was a bit skeptical about a tea really working. I first purchased one box and read reviews online. All reviews were very positive and informative too. So I figured, why not? This tea contains many different herbal ingredients such as fennel seed (not very tasty), anise seed, red raspberry leaf, caraway seeds, fenugreek, and milk thistle seed. None of these seeds sounds appealing, haha! I've read online that these herbs have been used since the ancient times to help mothers produce healthy milk. Now for the flavor....it's doesn't taste too bad nor is it good tasting either. Lets just say it's not a flavor of tea I'd normally choose. Over time I have gotten used to the flavor and it's actually not bad to me. The smell is a bit off putting since those herbal ingredients smell very strong. I can smell the tea bags as soon as I open the box.

You can drink up to 3 cups daily according to the directions. I usually drink about 2 cups every other day. I'm not good at keeping up with drinking this tea on a daily basis. I prepare my tea using a microwave safe cup filled up half way and I microwave it for about 2 minutes or until the water is very hot and boiling. Once I remove the tea from the microwave, I drop in a tea bag. I let it steep for about 10 minutes and then I add a tiny amount of sugar or half teaspoon of honey. You don't have to add sweetener if you don't want too. You can also mix this tea with another drink like juice if you don't like the flavor. Trust me the smell is way worse than the flavor.

Front of the box

What each tea bag looks like

Now the results I got: I first started drinking this tea as the directions say, 1-3 cups daily. I did this for about week and I noticed that my milk supply was boosted a little bit while pumping. There is not a way for me to tell what my actual supply is when I nurse my son. I can only use my supply from my breast pump as an indicator of what I think I'm producing. I have noticed a difference in my supply while drinking this tea. Like I stated before I never had an abundance of milk but this tea has helped me. I really would like to be a cow with tons of milk, haha. I don't like having to rely on baby formula to feed my baby. This tea doesn't give me tons of milk where I need to freeze the extra milk to avoid spoiling but I'm happy with my results. I went from pumping 4 ounces to 5 1/2 and sometimes almost 6 ounces. I'd say thats a nice difference. I would definitely recommend this tea to those of you looking for a little boost. The products sold for increasing milk supply aren't guaranteed to work but it's worth a try.  Along with drinking this tea, I also take 3 pills of Fenugreek seed pills with every meal I eat during the day. I also get those pills at WholeFoods. A review on those will be up sometime soon. So my results may be from mixing the tea with the supplements but either way, this tea has fenugreek seed in it. I hope that you all find this review helpful. Please feel free to leave your questions and comments below or you can tweet them to me :) Don't forget to visit and subscribe to my beauty channel for makeup tutorials, monthly makeup favorites, shopping hauls and product reviews.

Thanks for stopping by,
xoxo
~Lexi

My Twitter: @GlamourbyLexi
My makeup channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi
Earth, Mama, Angel Baby Organics website: http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com

**Not a sponsored blog post!

New! Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color Review & Experience

Hello fellow makeup lovers!

Today I wanted to take the time to review and share my experience with the new Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color. Below are pictures of the product and before and afters of my hair. I would like to start off by saying that I am not a professional hair stylist nor a color specialist. I can only speak from my years of experience with at home box hair color. Also, I am not sponsored by this brand at all. This review is completely honest :)

I have been coloring my own hair with at home box hair color since high school...so basically a looong time, lol. I mostly only use box hair color from Garnier which can be purchased anywhere. I have ventured to other brands within the last year but I find myself coming back to Garnier.  I have used so many of Garniers tradition box hair colors and recently to their new foam hair colors. I actually really enjoy using foam hair color instead of the traditional coloring creams. So naturally when I saw this new product from Garnier, I knew I needed to try it. I haven't colored my hair in almost 5 months so I was very excited to find something new to try and to spice up my current hair color.

So here's the lowdown:

Garnier's new at home box hair color called Olia is a new product that has recently been added to the hair coloring shelves of most drugstores and grocery stores. This new system of coloring is as the company calls it "oil powered permanent color, using a 60% oil blend of natural flower oils". I have never heard of using natural flower oils to permanently color someone's hair before so I was intrigued.

Firstly, this product comes with the standard items that every box colors come with...mixing container/applicator bottle, developer, color tube, after coloring conditioner, directions and a pair of gloves. As far as the mixing container, which has a unique shape (see picture below) works nicely to deposit the mixture onto your hair. I find that when you start massaging the color onto your hair, you get the mixture onto the gloves which in turn gets on the outside of the mixing container/applicator bottle. As this process happens, the container gets pretty slippery causing a mess on my counter. I kept dropping the bottle which is no bueno. Luckily the hair color didn't leave stains on my bathroom counter. Having this issue caused me to take longer to apply the product completely over my hair. By the way, I used 2 boxes for my hair which is medium shoulder length.

The mixture itself feels much like other ones I've used in the past. It has a creamy feel almost like conditioner. This product was left on my hair for 30 minutes to get the results I have. The after coloring conditioner is much like standard conditioners in these kits. It's not as good smelling as the conditioners that come in Garnier's other box colors. So basically, the color result I got isn't too much of a drastic change. I thought that the color I chose which is a light intense auburn would be more of a noticeable change. My roots are extremely bright red and my scalp is somewhat stained. The staining effects of the color will fade with my normal shampooing process so I'm not worried about it. If you chose this red color make sure to wash your hair line quickly to avoid staining your skin.

Overall, I don't find that this natural flower oil ingredients are anything special. I have the same results that I have gotten with other kits. I do love that this product is ammonia free which means there's no harsh chemical smell. I really enjoy the results but I'm looking to go just a bit brighter with the red hopefully soon. This at home box hair color kit is a little bit more pricey than your standard kits. Now if you choose a foam box kit then you will be paying a bit more. I got this product at my local HEB for a little less than $9 a box. Not bad! I also like how my hair looks shiny after coloring, conditioning and drying. My hair doesn't feel damaged which may be of concern for some of you when deciding whether or not to color your own hair. I can honestly say that I get the same results at home as I've gotten in professional hair salons :) Plus I like saving the extra money too :) So I hope that this review is helpful to you all. Please leave your questions and comments below.
Don't forget to visit my YouTube beauty channel for makeup related videos! http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi

xoxo
~Lexi

Front of box

Side of box

My "before" picture

My "after" picture

New office/Makeup Room Sneak Peek!

Hello makeup lovers!


As most of you know well at least the ones who continuously watch my beauty videos, I have moved back home. It's good being back in Texas, it's been a while since I've been on my old stomping grounds! It feels a bit like the old days but different at the same time. So today I wanted to share with you guys a little sneak peek at my new office/makeup room setup. I recently took a trip to Ikea, loving that place by the way! There is sooo much to see and choose from. I find that Ikea has lots to offer at really get affordable prices. I have been wanted to do a makeup room redo for a while but never found the right furniture nor the right price to remodel. Let's face it redoing or remodeling a room can bee a bit pricey. I wanted to have furniture that I could have for a long time and items that I could expand with too. As you all probably already know, I am a huge makeup addict, LOL....so naturally my collection expands very frequently. A little retail therapy never hurts, right? So I wanted my room to look great with a great price tag...hence why I ventured onto Ikea's website.

I have been doing my research online for good and sturdy storage drawer systems that can hold all of my makeup for a while. So if you have ever gone onto Ikea's website, you know how easy it is to find exactly what you're looking for. I came across the "Alex" drawer systems on their website while searching for drawer units. I have a few of those drawer systems in my room now and will be purchasing more in the near future as my collection grows. I purchased one of the largest drawer units in the "Alex" collection containing 9 drawers. I also custom made my makeup desk according to what I wanted. Another great reason why Ikea was the one :) You can make any desk you'd like that fits your needs and space perfectly. They give you many different options for desk legs and table tops. The possibilities are endless! I have chosen to use 2 small "Alex" drawer units containing 5 drawers as my desk legs/holder for my table top. I chose the "Glasholm" glass table top in egg patten. The great thing about these "Alex" drawers is that they are finished on the back side so you can literally place them anywhere in a room. Which was a major selling point for me on these drawer units. Sometimes I like changing my room furniture around to freshen up the look and its nice having furniture that is finished on the back side.

Below are sneak peek pictures of my office/makeup room redo! Plus a little shot of my Prada as she headed towards the window :) A video will be up soon on my beauty channel showing you guys the finished room. I plan on taking my time completing this room to make sure its perfect! Please stop by my makeup channel on YouTube if you would like to see makeup tutorials, product reviews and shopping haul videos!
http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamourbyLexi

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope that you enjoy my makeup/beauty related videos :)
xoxo
~Lexi

front side of desk
"Alex" 5 drawer units

back side of desk