My latest Obsession... And it's only $7!!!

I was walking through the cosmetics aisles of a store, you will rarely find me in….. Wal-Mart. I stumbled across the Hard Candy Brand. Hard Candy used to be main stream about 10 yrs ago and could find them in many Department Stores. The brand slowly started to diminish when heavy hitters like MAC and Urban Decay started to shine. They revamped their line and now are exclusively a Wal-Mart brand. Lucky us. I have found one of the most awesome mascaras I have ever tried. Lashaholic - Big Bad Lashes Super Volume. The name alone spoke to me. I am a Lashaholic. What made it even better it came in blackest black and was only $7.00. Packaged in a cute pink cylinder cardboard case. I opened the cute pink tube and there was a curved brush. I usually don’t dig a synthetic curved brush, but I gave it a try and the outcome, I had Big Bad Lashes. They were gorgeous. There was not any smudging or flaking the entire day. So ladies run to Wal-Mart and pick this up you will not be disappointed. This is amazing stuff. I think it easily compares to some of the high-end mascaras from Lancôme, Dior, and Buxom. I am very excited to buy more of the products and test them out.

These are both with 2 coats of mascara.

Oscar Party Looks

Hourglass Cosmetics sent me an email about some of the Oscar party looks. These 2 ladies look stunning. Their make-up artist used all Hourglass Cosmetics. The looks are very elegant, yet leave each one glowing, and are great daytime looks.

5 Minute Smokey Eye

You can achieve a quick smokey eye. It is all because of a new product on the market, Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Eyeshadow. I achieved this look in under 5 minutes. I quickly used my finger to sweep across the lids and into the crease. I took a light highlighter color (Urban Decay Sin) and blended at the crease and applied to my brows. I took a dark brown liner (Clinique Quickliner in Dark Chocolate) lined above the lash and below. I took a medium bronze color (Mac Woodwinked) and quickly applied over the liner along my bottom lid. Applied mascara and I was done.

This new product by Maybelline is pretty awesome. There was no need for a primer to keep my shadow lasting all day. I bought it in Tough as Taupe, a taupe shade should be a standard shade in your eye shadow arsenal. It lasted all day with no creasing. I plan to buy other colors to try. The cost is around $6.00. I would compare this to the MAC paintpots. MAC has many more color options, Maybelline has about 12 shades currently.

Nails Nails Nails

So it is Friday, and I am sure many of you are off for a pedi/mani sometime this weekend. Here is Essie's Bobbing for Baubles. This nail color has been extremely popular for the last few months, the demand was so high it was backordered. Dark colors are still a hot trend, and will be through next winter. Vampy shades were on all models at fashion week. This is such a great alternative to black because of the cooler blue tone. Which makes it a nice transistion into spring.

 *** Note to self, I need a mani!!

Algenist

I received a sample of Algenist from my January Birchbox. It came with a 14 day sample. I used it for the full 14 days and my skin looked awesome. I could really see it working my fine lines where not noticeable. It claims to make a difference in 10 days and I could see a difference in less time. It uses different methods of firming than most anti-aging moisturizers. The key ingredients include: Alguronic Acid which increases cell regeneration and helps with the firmness of the skin. ProPeptide3 are proteins and peptides which restructure, strengthen and repair skin. Avocado and Olive Fruit Oils to moisturize, soften and smooth skin. Phytosterols to enhance moisture, skin texture and repair damaged skin. It is a heavy cream, however does not fell heavy on the skin or greasy what so ever. It is free of parabans, sulfates, and synthetic dyes. There have been many publications recently written on how the technology in this product exceeds others. Sephora has just recently started carrying this product. You can purchase through them or online at http://www.algenist.com/. The price is pretty steep, at $94.00 for 2 fl oz. I am sure this will last a little while. My 14 day sample lasted about 21 days. You do not need very much. I highly recommend this product.

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara

This mascara has been out since December. I loved it the first time I used it. As I kept using it, the love turned to a like. The mascara seems to dry out rather quickly. Its big claim is to give 4mm of incredible length. It does do that; I tried to take a picture next to a ruler, but it was a little hard. This is not a major claim since many other mascaras do the same thing. The first time I used it my lashes looked fabulous almost like fake lashes. There was incredible length, and they stayed curled. After the initial use the lashes don’t look so hot any more. There is not a real definition to the lashes that you get with many lengthening mascaras. The wear is good, there are no flakes or smears. I would say this is ok. The price is around $7.00 and if you are looking for just length then this would be a good cheap mascara. Do not expect any real big expectations.



Mascara



no mascara

Loreal Le Gloss

This lip gloss is wonderful. For under 6 bucks it is one of the best on the market. It has been around for about year. It comes in 16 different colors ranging from clear to a deep dark plum. It has Argan Oil and Vitamin E so it will be moisturizing on your lips. It does not have a tacky feel. The smell is just divine, like vanilla cake batter. I love the high shine it gives. You can where alone or over lip colors. You can pick up at any mass market store.