Better Than...Not Much Actually

I may be exaggerating a bit with this title, but I am not in the camp that thinks the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara is anything to write home about.

 

 But if you have tried it and it worked for your lashes...head's up: Ulta is selling a full size and a deluxe size pack for $23! (shown above)

 The pink tube is cute, I get that, and the brush is kinda cool (meant to mimic the curves of a woman and supposedly based on Marilyn Monroe's curves), but I was really hoping for a new HG mascara.

 

It is great to see that the brushes for the full size and the deluxe are the same. There is nothing worse than running into a deluxe size that has a slightly 'off' brush. The handle is really weighty and I like the feel of it in my hands. Usually I shy away from curvy, gimmicky brushes but this one fits nicely against the eye.

 This smears horribly on the upper lashline (as you can see in this picture). The color is very black, which is great, but it does the same thing any Covergirl mascara has done for me---slightly thicken and darken. It starts to flake on me after 9 hours and it does not hold a curl.

Sadly, Better Than Sex wasn't even 'Good Enough' for me.

Have you tried this mascara?

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Peony

I was gifted this Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Peony by my mother when she decided she hated it. One woman's miss is another's hit? I hoped so.

 I had been interested in these since they appeared on shelves, but never really made the jump. Melted Peony ($21) is not a shade I would have chosen for myself, but I did think it was pretty and decided to try it out.

This is a true liquid lipstick and I was impressed with the opacity and coverage. The velvet tip for application is a nice touch and it has a slightly sweet but unidentifiable scent to it. Melted Peony is a medium pink and it looks slightly cool toned on my pale skin.

This is easy to apply, but I did not care for the formula. It almost feels greasy and a bit too slick on my lips and never really dried down enough to leave a stain behind on my lips. It wore for about 4 hours before fading slightly but just wasn't comfortable on me because I always felt something was on my lips.

I know many love this formula and I adore the shade range, but unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I can see how the texture of this shade can be appreciated, but there are many other formulas I like better. However, this color is so pretty that I wear it often, even if I dislike the texture. If you haven't tried one, give it a shot, as it seems to work for many others, but this is a very different feeling on the lips.

March 2014 Empties!

Can you believe it is already almost April? Me either! I am so excited for April though, mostly because it is my birthday month! So expect some surprises coming your way from PrettyPandaMakeup!

So, what did I use up this month? 1. Up & Up Daily Cleansing Cloths (30 count) $5.99 for 60 (I used one of two packs): I have been buying these for a while...mostly because they are the cheapest I can find. I only use them for swatching and quick clean up that way. They are a bit too rough for my face. I will probably get more the next time I am at Target. 2. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths (10 count sample back with a larger pack at $6.99): Love these for my face. They do not make me break out and get off my foundation nicely. They do nothing for eye makeup though, but I don't expect them to.  3. Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Nourishing Shampoo (sample from PinchMe but regular size is $5.99): Love this and it has definitely stopped breakage in my hair in the 7 days it claims. Granted, my hair is healthier because I recently cut it, but even when I used it before the big chop, it helped. I might consider buying the full size, but I am more interested in trying the hair mask and conditioner as well. 4. Too Faced Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer (small size from Beauty Blogger Darlings set, but regular is $30). This lasted me a good two months with daily use and I used a lot. I like this and it works well, but I have so many other primers to get through to repurchase right now. 5. Too Faced Shadow Insurance (small size from Beauty Blogger Darlings set, but regular is $20): One of my favorite eye primers. This lasted me three months with daily use. A little goes a long way. I will wait to repurchase this one once I have gone through other eye primer samples. 6. Clarisonic Acne Brush Head ($25): Always change your brush heads every three months! And the time has come! I love the acne brush head, but I bought the sensitive skin one to try next, just because my skin has been a bit dry.
7. Benefit They're Real Mascara Deluxe Sample (full size is $23): Still in my top five favorite mascaras ever! What did you use up this month?

#28daysoflippies Week Two: Instagram Round-up Pink Week!

#28daysoflippies is half over...and this week is red week! But take a look at the pinks that made my final cut!

From sheer and baby, to bold and hot, my pink lippies took over my life for Valentine's day week!

Pink Lippies:

NYX Glam Aqua Luxe in Essential $6: Super shimmery and fun for a night out.

Lóreal Colour Riche in Blushing Sequin $8: Sheer watermelon with a shiny finish.

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss $5: Mauve pink with lots of glitter.

Beautifully Disney Spell Breaker $15: True cream bubblegum pink.

POP Beauty Plump Pout Fuschia Freesia $16: Luxurious on lips and a beautiful raspberry---smells a bit weird though but it doesn't linger.

Urban Decay Revolution in Anarchy $22: Creamy and in your face hot pink.

Too Faced La Créme in Jelly Bean $22: Raspberry with a comfortable wear and pretty sheen.

There is hopefully something for everyone across the board here! Let me know if you have tried any of these!

My Fave New Lipstick for a New Year!

I'm a red lipstick girl. I am sure you all know this.However...Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Jelly Bean is not a red, and is my new favorite lip product!

Jelly Bean ($21) is a flattering raspberry color that has an amazing formula. This is my first La Creme lipstick, and besides the packaging (which makes me feel like I am in a Fragonard painting), I simply love wearing this!

Jelly Bean is wearable and not too bright. It can also be sheered out to look a little undone. Although I have heard that this doesn't last long on many people, this lasted 4 hours on me (during which time I ate dinner at my fave Mexican place and it was still lingering!). To me, that wear time is perfectly acceptable, especially with a meal in between. The best part is that my lips feel good when I wear this, and I don't feel like I am wearing anything at all.

If you want to add a little punch to your lips, Jelly Bean is a lipstick I know I will be wearing the heck out of! It's simply so comfy!

Have you tried the Too Faced La Creme lipsticks? Jelly Bean is a brand new color, but do you have a fave?

My Fave New Lipstick for a New Year!

I'm a red lipstick girl. I am sure you all know this. However... Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Jelly Bean is not a red, and is my new favorite lip product!

Jelly Bean ($21) is a flattering raspberry color that has an amazing formula. This is my first La Creme lipstick, and besides the packaging (which makes me feel like I am in a Fragonard painting), I simply love wearing this!

Jelly Bean is wearable and not too bright. It can also be sheered out to look a little undone. Although I have heard that this doesn't last long on many people, this lasted 4 hours on me (during which time I ate dinner at my fave Mexican place and it was still lingering!). To me, that wear time is perfectly acceptable, especially with a meal in between. The best part is that my lips feel good when I wear this, and I don't feel like I am wearing anything at all.

If you want to add a little punch to your lips, Jelly Bean is a lipstick I know I will be wearing the heck out of! It's simply so comfy!

Have you tried the Too Faced La Creme lipsticks? Jelly Bean is a brand new color, but do you have a fave?

Too Faced Beauty Editor Darlings

I am a sucker for sets where you can try a handful of things for a low price. Too Faced Beauty Editor Darlings is the perfect set to do just that! 

 This is seriously a little box of joy, and once I tried out all the products (being new to almost all of them) they are a must-have makeup kit, especially for travel! 

 

For $19, you get deluxe mini sizes of the following: Lashgasm mascara, Original Shadow Insurance, Glamour Gloss in Sex Pot, Lip Insurance, and Primed & Poreless.

 

 

Instead of those cases where sample sets include mostly duds, all of these are useful and worth it...and you may just discover a new favorite product!

 

Lashgasm mascara: Super black, not too wet formula does a decent job on volumizing and adding length. I like the thin spiky brush as well.

 

Primed & Poreless: Mattifies, smoothes, and makes skin look very nice. Does a great job helping makeup last longer. I am impressed!

 

Lip Insurance: Nice plumping effect and keeps your lipstick/gloss on significantly longer. It fills in lines and makes your lips a perfectly smooth canvas.

 

Glamour Gloss: Sex Pot is the perfect rosy pink. No sparkle here, but a great everyday gloss.

 

Shadow Insurance: I already own Glitter Glue, but the original shadow insurance does a great job. Keeps my shadows in place and vibrant without being oily.

 

 

Here is one coat of Lashgasm!

 

 

Here is Sex Pot over Lip Insurance. Love it! Very simple lip, but good for neutral makeup days.

 

Do you like mini-kits? Are any of these your favorites?

 

Too Faced Beauty Editor Darlings

I am a sucker for sets where you can try a handful of things for a low price. Too Faced Beauty Editor Darlings is the perfect set to do just that!  

  This is seriously a little box of joy, and once I tried out all the products (being new to almost all of them) they are a must-have makeup kit, especially for travel!  

 

For $19, you get deluxe mini sizes of the following: Lashgasm mascara, Original Shadow Insurance, Glamour Gloss in Sex Pot, Lip Insurance, and Primed & Poreless.

 

 

Instead of those cases where sample sets include mostly duds, all of these are useful and worth it...and you may just discover a new favorite product!

 

Lashgasm mascara: Super black, not too wet formula does a decent job on volumizing and adding length. I like the thin spiky brush as well.

 

Primed & Poreless: Mattifies, smoothes, and makes skin look very nice. Does a great job helping makeup last longer. I am impressed!

 

Lip Insurance: Nice plumping effect and keeps your lipstick/gloss on significantly longer. It fills in lines and makes your lips a perfectly smooth canvas.

 

Glamour Gloss: Sex Pot is the perfect rosy pink. No sparkle here, but a great everyday gloss.

 

Shadow Insurance: I already own Glitter Glue, but the original shadow insurance does a great job. Keeps my shadows in place and vibrant without being oily.

 

 

Here is one coat of Lashgasm!

 

 

Here is Sex Pot over Lip Insurance. Love it! Very simple lip, but good for neutral makeup days.

 

Do you like mini-kits? Are any of these your favorites?

 

Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Flexible Coverage Concealer

I am always on the lookout for new concealer. How does Too Faced stand up to the competition? 

 Too Faced Flexible Coverage Concealer in Vanilla seemed promising. I love the Too Faced line and most if their stuff has worked for me before. 

 Vanilla ($20) is the lightest shade they offer and although it doesn't match the back of my hand, it does a good job of brightening my eye area. This is one TINY drop, so a little is way more than enough. You get a lot for your money here. No smell, creamy consistency, and easy to work with. 

 It looks very natural, but is still not my holy grail. Reason? After about five hours, it creases a bit. Not majorly, but a bit, and that kinda bugs me! Overall, I am pleased, but not floored. Have you tried this? Favorite concealer?

Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Flexible Coverage Concealer

I am always on the lookout for new concealer. How does Too Faced stand up to the competition?  

  Too Faced Flexible Coverage Concealer in Vanilla seemed promising. I love the Too Faced line and most if their stuff has worked for me before.  

  Vanilla ($20) is the lightest shade they offer and although it doesn't match the back of my hand, it does a good job of brightening my eye area. This is one TINY drop, so a little is way more than enough. You get a lot for your money here. No smell, creamy consistency, and easy to work with.  

  It looks very natural, but is still not my holy grail. Reason? After about five hours, it creases a bit. Not majorly, but a bit, and that kinda bugs me!   Overall, I am pleased, but not floored.   Have you tried this? Favorite concealer?

Too Faced Pretty Rebel Palette Review and Swatches

Hey Pandas! I am beyond excited to show you the Too Faced Pretty Rebel Eyeshadow Palette for Fall 2013. I knew, even if I only picked up one big fall palette, this would be the one. 

 This palette is $46 and comes with 10, completely gorgeous, full-sized eye shadows, all housed in one of the coolest package ever! 

 I am loving the gold case with black and pink detail. So very fun! I am also loving the Francesca Eastwood is their model for this collection, she is gorgeous! 

 Here are the first four shadows and my thoughts on them: Dainty: Pretty matte light pink. Makes a great base for eye looks and is a good neutral for this palette. A bit on the chalky side though. Charming: Pretty eggplant matte shade. Has a bit of brown it as well, and is a good crease color. Very pigmented but also a teensy bit chalky. Ringleader: Gorgeous shimmery pink champagne color. Useful as a highlighter in this collection. Nice payoff. Gangsta: Medium brown shimmer with tiny bits of red, pink, and gold glitter. Very unique shade and good color payoff. 

 These are the more neutral shades of the pallete, but they are still very fun and easy to work with. I am really impressed by the opacity of each shade! 

 Girly: This is one of the coolest shades ever! A duochrome dark teal with a red flash as the undertone. Simply stunning, very smooth and creamy as well! Totally Fetch: Can I just say the name here is amazing. One of the few hot pinks that actually translate onto skin as such! One of  my new favorite shades! Instigator: Think 24k luxe! Super shimmery and pigmented. Badass: Glittery navy with a hint of purple and silver. Stunning. 

 Seriously, if I could marry this palette, I would. 

 And the last two shades: Miss Sparkles: An inky black base with lots of silver sparkle. Very fresh and young as well as rebellious! Jailbird: Icy silver with a hint of blue. Easy to apply. 

 Overall there is nothing I hate about this palette. All of the colors are fresh, on-trend, easy to apply, and pigmented. The colors work well together, but they may not be right for those who wear mostly neutrals. However, the palette is labeled 'Pretty Rebel' and with these eyeshadows, you get looks that are exactly that! I think this is one of Too Faced's best palettes and they really stepped up their game here. I couldn't be happier! Panda Totally Approved! Have you tried anything from the Pretty Rebel collection yet? What do you think of these colors?