Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Grandest Gold

Grandest Gold ($17) is one of Clinique's new shades of Chubby Sticks for eyes, and it is great for a sheer wash of low-maintenance color.

The Chubby Sticks are a favorite of mine because they are easy to carry around, travel with (I'm travelling with it right now!), and apply. Just swipe on your lids over some primer, blend out with your finger, and you are all set.

This is a pearlescent shimmer with a slightly golden hue. It is very flattering as an allover wash of color, to highlight the brow bone in a subtle way, and can even double as a highlighter on cheeks or the bridge of your nose in a pinch.

This gives the prettiest sheen to skin (and yes, I am translucent, I know). I love wearing it sheer, but you can layer it (just give it a few seconds to set between layers because this is a creamier formula) and build up for more shimmer. These last about 7 hours on my oily lids with primer, but any creasing can be smoothed out with a finger.

There is also a brand new Periwinkle shade that looks fun!

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Out of This World: Swatches and Review

Is it terrible that I am bummed these are called 'Show Off' instead of ApocaLIPS here? I mean, fail renaming, am I right? Beyond that, how did the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Out of This World (about $5.49) work for me?

First off, I really love the packaging. I love the interesting lid (which makes it easy to find in any stash) and the color on the tube. The brush is also kind of ingenious because it has a little well to hold extra color and yet it doesn't drip all over you.

I also love the color 'Out of This World' because it has a bit of pink, a bit of purple, and some shimmer. 

Gorgeous right? These claim to wear for hours on end and not transfer, but I did not find that to be the case during my testing. They wore like any other gloss, for about 3 hours. I even put this to the eating test, hoping it might remain after, but no dice.

The formula is really easy to apply and looks great on lips as well as not being too drying. However, I did find that after 20 minutes of wear it started to irritate my upper lip and that irritation moved down along my cheek giving me an almost numbing feeling. A bit scary and disconcerting but not painful. I'm currently trying to figure out which ingredient may have caused this.

The reaction I had really is a shame because this looks so lovely on! I was also looking forward to getting more colors before I tested but that dream will have to die...oh well!

Do you like Rimmel Show Offs/Apocalips? I really wish this worked for me, although I only find that it functions as your basic gloss and nothing else!

Love & Toast Lip Glaze in Crush Rush

Sometimes, a little extra that you add to your online cart at Ulta to push you over into free shipping turns out to be one of the best things to ever happen to you.

Love & Toast Lip Glaze in Crush Rush ($6.99) and other gorgeous shades is an online only lip gloss that I decided to add to an order to bump me into free shipping range. I was attracted to the coral pink color and the cute packaging and just hoped for the best from this little extra.

This is a squeeze tube type product and the hole is a bit wide, so be careful when applying because it tends to give you a bit too much product. The formula is lovely---not sticky at all, moisturizing, and easy to wear.

It has a ton of amazing ingredients as well:

Olea eurpea (Olive) Fruit Juice, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Butyrospemum Parkii (Shea Butler), Fruit, Theoborma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butler, Natural Flavor, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, aloe Barbenensis (Aloe) Leaf, Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) and Stevia Rebadiana Leaf.

The multi-dimensional gold shimmer in the coral base is so pretty! I wish there was a nail polish color like this!! 

This is a gloss I have found myself carrying around everywhere. It looks gorgeous layered or on its own and the shimmer is just enough to light up your face without being too teenager-y. 

The only thing that could make this little steal better is if it had SPF! 

If you are looking for a little extra, try the Love & Toast glosses. I normally dislike 'online only' products because its hard to not have swatches or be able to see them/play with them, but I was lucky to have found a winner here!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Monte Carlo and Transylvania Review and Swatches

The NYX Soft Matte lip cream is a beloved formula by those who favor mattes. I'm just dipping my toes into that pool, but I do have another shade of this lip cream and like it, so I decided to try out two of the newer, more daring shades from the line.

The Soft Matte Lip Creams retail for around $6, but there are always sales at Ulta on NYX where you can snag a Buy One Get One 50% kind of deal. These lip creams smell like vanilla and come with a doe foot applicator.

I picked up Monte Carlo (A bright red that, when layered, can turn slightly darker) and Transylvania (a reddened plum purple). Both formulas were not as easy to work with as my experience with the lighter shades in this range. They were a bit patchy, streaky, and took some layering.

Monte Carlo out-shined Transylvania is application and wear time. If you are careful, this can be applied straight from the tube, using the applicator to trace around the lip line and then fill in. This is two thin layers. It appears slightly creamy for a few moments and then dries to a true matte. If you want a crisper look, use liner and then the lip cream because this does feather slightly.

Transylvania was kind of a mess. It gathered in odd places, was patchy, and just couldn't apply smoothly. This is about three layers on my lips and each layer got a bit streakier.

Transylvania has a cool look to it, but the streakiness is apparent, even from a distance. There are just so many better performing purple lip products out there. I would, however, recommend Monte Carlo if you are looking for a true red matte. It takes patience to apply, but is well worth it. I have heard Monte Carlo is a dupe for the Lime Crime Red Velvet Velvetine. I can't confirm since I haven't tried the Lime Crime, but the end result looks very similar, and at almost a third of the price! Monte Carlo wore well for about 5 hours. I did not test the wear on Transylvania because I just didn't want to wear it with it looking all gross and streaky.

Does This Thing Really Work? Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

This odd little alien of an eye liner brush is all around the internet lately. Some love it, some hate it, where did PrettyPandaMakeup fall on the love/hate spectrum with the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush ($5.99).

All this is is a tiny pointed silicone tip attached to a brush handle. Gimmicky? Maybe...but the premise is interesting. It is supposed to provide tug-free application of liner.

The tip is decently long and is very very flexible. 

I decided to test it with the IT Cosmetics Liner Love liner, and here is the silicone brush loaded up with liner.

These liner swatches show the bendy-ness of the brush, but also show that application on the flat surface of the back of my hand is a little patchy. At this point, I was concerned about how it would fare on my eyes.

I was able to get a dense, thick line that was relatively smooth by using this brush. However, thin lines are a no-go here. Because the brush holds so much product and doesn't soak any of it up, this is a tool better suited for thicker cat eyes or more dramatic looks. I did find the fine point useful in making the little eye-liner flick, and I like that it is very easy to clean, but I still prefer a traditional eyeliner brush.

Have you tried this weird, new beauty tool? Thoughts?

Jason Wu For Lancome Pre-Fall 2014 L'Absolu Rouge in Hibiscus Pink

By now, the Jason Wu for Lancôme Pre-Fall 2104 collection should be hitting your local counters, and I finally had a chance to pick up the other item I was craving, the L'Absolu Rouge in Hibiscus Pink.

This color was calling my name, and even though this is a Pre-Fall collection, this Hibiscus Pink shade is totally what summer is all about!

$30 is a bit pricey for me in terms of lipstick right now, but I couldn't say no the packaging and the color. These are boxes I will definitely be keeping! I know it is literally just cardboard but I can't help it.

For those unfamiliar with the L'Absolu Rouge formula, it has moisture boosting Pro-Xylane as well as Vitamin E to keep the formula moist for 8 hours. I experienced about 6 and a half hours of good wear before it started to fade. Because of the color, it does fade in a flattering way, though.

This is very opaque in one go, and has a slight sheen to it that makes lips look, as well as feel, comfortable. It does have a strong floral scent, so please be aware if you are sensitive to smells. It fades after a half hour on the lips, but is very noticeable upon first application. 

This is bright without being too neon or in your face, but still very relevant for this season. Jason Wu and Lancôme really nailed this collection, in my opinion, and I know this will be a staple lipstick for me well into the Fall! I can't wait to bring this one with me to London!

NYX Powder Blushes in Bourgeois Pig and Terra Cotta Swatches and Review

NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush ($5.99) is always a good deal when you can get them on sale. I recently picked up the last two colors I wanted in my collection: Terra Cotta and Bourgeois Pig.

These are smooth, but not the most pigmented blushes I own. I do like the sheen to them that make your skin look fresh and not overdone.

Terra Cotta is a great brown/bronze that makes a subtle contour on lighter skin tones. I wouldn't recommend this for tan or darker skin tones because the pigmentation is just not there. 

Bourgeois Pig is a bright rosy pink that is much more pigmented than Terra Cotta and gives a nice flush to cheeks.

Excuse my slightly derpy picture (no idea why I always look up in pictures) but Bourgeois Pig is on my left cheek and Terra Cotta is on my right.

If you are looking for some cheap blushes, I would definitely recommend Bourgeois Pig and Terra Cotta, but for lighter skin tones. Both wear well before fading at about hour 7.

Do you have a favorite drugstore blush shade?

Smashbox Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Coraline: Swatches and Review

As I slowly turn into a lip gloss hoarder, let me introduce you to another lovely that has found its way into my lip gloss rotation: Smashbox Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Coraline ($20). 

Let me just get this embarrassing confession out of the way...I kind of bought this for the shade name...

Image Credit

I love the move 'Coraline'. Is anyone else as crazy as me and buys things based on names? No? Only me? 

Anyway, I was also curious about the formula of these, I will have you all know...and the color was quite pretty as well!

I think the sleek square packaging is classic and chic and the extra long brush makes application easy. This gloss is supposed to give mirror-like shine with a non-sticky finish.

This color is much pinker/rose than coral/peach as it looks in the tube, which was a bit of a bummer to me, but I still think it is a pretty shade for everyday wear because it has decent opacity but will still let your natural lip color shine through. What really won me over was the formula! I love how smooth and easy to wear it is and it is definitely not sticky at all!

This gloss gives my lips such a plump/plush appearance that I cannot get enough of! I will be picking up more shades...they have a sparkly black shade that I have my eye on!!

Do you have a favorite lip gloss formula? This has entered my top 5 in terms of feel on the lips!

Lorac Alter Ego Lipsticks in Duchess, Show Girl, and Girl Next Door: Swatches and Review

I went a bit crazy for Lorac's new collection of Alter Ego lipsticks, which are their line of opaque matte lipsticks with ingredients like Acai Berry, Pomegranate extract, and Vitamins C & E. 

Three colors have found their way into my lipstick stash: Duchess, Show Girl, and Girl Next Door ($16 each). 

I swatched almost all of them at my Ulta and could have walked away with many, many more, but tried to pick some colors that I do not have many dupes for (basically forcing myself away from the gorgeous red). I ended up with a nude, a hot coral pink, and a light pink, all with names that made me smile and giggle. I love the idea of wearing a shade for what you want to embody for the day. So fun!

I like that the color is visible through the tube so there is no guesswork when you are looking through your purse or makeup bag and there is a subtle vanilla scent to all of these which I really enjoy. Almost MAC-like in nature.

These are very pigmented and opaque in one swipe of the tube, whether against skin (as shown here) or lips, and they will mask your natural lip color well. I have pigmented lips, so I found this a great benefit. These are not complete mattes (although stated to be). They are about 95% matte, but have a bit of creaminess to them. I would say MAC mattes are the most matte, and these fall right after. You do need to prep lips well before use (I did not and it is pitifully evident in the swatch photos below. Sorry!).

Duchess is a rosy nude with opaque coverage and a very creamy texture. It wore well for 4 hours but was completely gone shortly after. This emphasizes lip lines and any dryness, but not so much if you prep well and use over a balm, but really is easy to apply and an easy color to wear. I love this nude on my skin tone.

Show Girl is a bit more forgiving and wears slightly longer at 6 hours (fading nicely). It is a lovely watermelon shade that is punchy and perfect for summer. I think this is my favorite of the bunch!

Girl Next Door emphasized dryness the most and was the most matte on my lips. The Lorac website describes this as a coral, but it is a light pink with some nude and possibly coral undertones but it is not a true coral. This is a pretty shade, but the hardest to apply; I found it less creamy than the others.

Overall, I really love the wear time and feel of these on my lips. They are comfortable and have such a rich feel. I will definitely only be wearing them on days I have time to prep my lips well though! Even though they may look dry, they do not feel so on the lips, which I am thankful for!

Have you tried any of the Lorac Alter Ego lipsticks? What is your alter ego if you could describe it in one word??!!