N.Y.C. New York Color Cosmetics Smooch Proof 16hr Lip Stain Review

I honestly didn't believe that I would ever get into this "lip stain" craze. I just didn't think they were that great to begin with. These from N.Y.C. changed all my thoughts on lip stains. Since I was just going to try these out, I didn't want to buy from a different company where they would be kind of expensive, $7-$9. These were $4.99 each at Target so I thought if I don't like them, it wouldn't be a big deal.

I bought N.Y.C. New York Color Lip Stains in Endless Spice and Champagne Stain

Left is Champagne Stain and right is Endless Spice

 So here is more about the lip stains:

- Color that lasts up to 16 hours

- Will not transfer, rub off or smear, even when eating or drinking

- Lightweight formula, bare lip feel, matte finish

- Precise and even application

- Allows you to build color

My Review:
The precise and even application was in fact true. They were really smooth and easy to work with. Once I had the lip stain on, I completely forgot I had anything on my lips. I did everything normally, eat and drink, even kissed my daughter and the lip stain was going no where. No rubbing off or smearing which was great! Another thing I noticed was they were surprisingly moisturizing. I expected any kind of lip stain to be more on the drying side. But these were very moisturizing to my lips. Now you want to know, did it last 16 hours? No. I put mine on at 8am and I noticed I still had color on until about 6pm. That was 10 hours which honestly was long enough! I only used one application and then applied gloss over. If you use two applications you will get a more intense color which might make a difference in time. Either way I think for the price and quality of these, I say they are definitely well worth the $4.99.

Beauty Question of the Day - What's the most you would pay for a lipgloss?

What is the most you would pay for a lipgloss?

My Answer: I've paid $28.50 for lipgloss before and that's not counting tax. But if I had to have a limit, it would be $40.

What about you?

♥ Stephanie

Preview - China Glaze Summer 2011 Island Escape

ESCAPE THIS SUMMER WITH HIGH SHINE AND BRIGHT SHIMMER

China Glaze Introduces Six Sizzling Shimmers and Cremes

Los Angeles, CA: Take an exotic island escape with China Glaze this summer with a tropical, shimmering rainbow of brilliant bright colors! Mix and match these hot hues to add a candy-like pop to that summer manicure and pedicure. Colors in the collection include:

·        Papaya Punch: Crème based vivid orange.

·        108 Degrees: Flirtatious berry pink with specks of micro glitter.

·        Senorita Bonita: Passionate purple shimmer with pink micro glitter.

·        Blue Iguana: Bold and daring sparkly blue.

·        Cha Cha Cha: Vivacious shimmer green.

·        Electric Pineapple: High intensity crème based lime green.

Escape this summer to a far away place with China Glaze. Vacation in color!

The China Glaze Island Escape collection will be available as open stock colors, 6 piece box collection, 6 piece counter display, 12 piece counter display and 36 piece rack.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

♥ Stephanie

NOTD - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

My NOTD posts lately have been featuring Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes, but for good reason. They are so cheap and amazing quality. This week CVS has these polishes for $1.99 so I couldn't resist this gorgeous yellow polish. I know yellow nails are a big trend for Spring/Summer, so I had to get this color. 

With the name Mellow Yellow, I expected it to be a very dull yellow and it looked that way in the bottle. Once I put it on, it's such a bright, fun, yellow polish that you can't pass up for the price. Definitely is already one of my favorite polishes that I own.

♥ Stephanie

Beauty Question of the Day - Before or After?

Do you put your makeup on before or after you get dressed?

My Answer: I always put my makeup on before I get dressed. Always have, probably always will.

What about you? 

♥ Stephanie

Brand Bests #14 - Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics

This time around I'm featuring Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics for my next Brand Bests post. I have to say that the products are a bit pricey, but well worth the price they are in my opinion. All the products I have used from Napoleon Perdis have been some of the best quality and I always love the packaging. So these are just a few products that are simply the best. Also so there is no confusion, this is Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics and not NP Set Cosmetics that you see at Target. As always, these are my favorites based on my experience with each product from this certain brand.

Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer ($39.00)

This is my most favorite face primer that I have used. It's cooling as soon as you put it on and I love that it has Chamomile in it to calm my skin. I did a complete review of it here, so I'm not to go into full detail about it. I still have about half left and I will be buying this once I run out. I don't mind paying the price for this primer.

Napoleon Perdis Blush Patrol ($50.00)

Okay, now I know what you must be thinking... $50 for a blush?! And I do agree that this is way over priced for a blush. I was lucky enough to win my Napoleon Perdis products from a giveaway and I don't know if I could say that I would really pay that much either. BUT, it is on my Brand Bests post for a reason. I don't own anything close to this, it is beyond gorgeous. This is a 2-in-1 blush and bronzer and when I wear this, it is all I need for my cheeks. It gives me an amazing glow with contouring as well. It's hard to explain, but I love the way it looks. I get compliments and people asking me what I have on my cheeks every time I wear this blush. You decide if that's a price for you or not.

Napoleon Perdis Luminous Lip Veils ($20.00)

These are around my budget for a lipgloss and well worth it too. These make my lips super smooth and hydrated while still being a gloss. Super shiny with a bit of color, they are made to be on the sheer side. To me, they are not sticky at all. I've used some super sticky glosses and these are more slippery but they will stay. If that makes sense. 

Napoleon Perdis Long Black Mascara ($22.00)

I almost forgot how much I love the way this mascara makes my lashes look. They way the wand bends helps to push my lashes up as I'm applying, keeping them curled. The one I have is in Super Black and it is definitely darker than other mascaras but that's what I love about it. It's not clumpy or goopy, it gives a great application with no mess.

You can find all these products on their website, http://www.napoleonperdis.com/

♥ Stephanie

My 6 Favorite Eyeshadow Brushes

I thought it would be fun to share my favorite eyeshadow brushes with you all. These brushes are the ones I use mostly on a daily basis and have been in really great shape after having them for some time now. My MAC ones are the oldest ones and the others have become favorites. I will have another post on my favorite face brushes in the next day or two. 

1. E.L.F. Eyeshadow "C" Brush - Seriously, who would think a brush that was $3 would be such an awesome brush? Well, it's true. I use this brush if I'm going to do a quick wash of one color, or for my highlight.

2. MAC 224 Blending Brush - This brush is so old, the lettering is completely gone. Still works like a charm for blending. Sometimes I use this one for blending concealer under my eyes also.

3. MAC 217 Blending Brush - Another blending brush that I use daily. I use this one more than the 224.

4. MAC 242 Shader Brush - This is my go-to brush every day.

5. Sonia Kashuk Small Eyeshadow Brush - I need to own more Sonia Kashuk brushes. They are really great quality for an affordable price. I bought this one at Target for I think $4? So worth it. It could replace my 242 easily.

6. E.L.F. Contour Brush - I recently bought this brush because I didn't own one like this at all. I love it, it gets the eyeshadow right into my crease with blending it out too. I use this one for adding a white shadow to the inner corner of my eyes. This brush was $3.

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Let me know what some of your favorite brushes are!

♥ Stephanie

Beauty Question of the Day - What's Your Lip Color For The Day?

What lip color are you wearing today?

My Answer: I'm going bright and bold with MAC Play Time lipstick from the new Quite Cute collection. This color is so wearable for me, I've been loving it!

What lip color are you wearing? Let me know! :)

♥ Stephanie

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Review

I was really interested in these Tarte blushes when I first heard about them. They are long-wearing, solar-baked blushes that are supposed to last up to 12 hours. I swatched all these while I was Sephora and I have to say that they all were extremely pigmented and very smooth to the touch. I was first going to get a bright pink like the one pictured above, but decided to go the other route with the nude blush they had. 

Here is some more info on this Tarte Blush: 

This blush features the following Skinvigorating™ ingredients: 

- Vitamins A and E, two natural preservatives that act as anti-inflammatory emollients and protect against free radical damage

- Vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights free radical damage and prevents oxidative stress and premature signs of aging, while brightening the skin 

- Amazonian clay, a nutrient-rich, multitasking, skin-balancing clay that reduces dryness and flakiness, improves skin clarity, elasticity, firmness, and texture while removing oil from the skin's surface for smooth application and wear.

 My Review:

 Now, the first thing I wanted to test out was the wear of this blush. 12-Hour blush.. Did it really last 12 hours? I put this blush on at 8am and and it seriously lasted until 10pm when I washed it off. That was 14 hours and it didn't fade at all. Actually when I wear blush I have never had a blush fade. I don't know if has to do with skin type, but when I wear blush it stays until I take it off at night. Do you have a problem with blush fading? I'm more curious now about this. 

Moving on... I was trying to swatch this blush but it just wasn't showing up on my hand since it's Nude. So I apologize for no swatch. But it is a really pretty nude beige blush that I can really wear everyday with no problems. 

This Tarte blush goes for $25 at Sephora.

♥ Stephanie

Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss Review and Swatches

These new lipglosses from Revlon have been out for quite a while, but I finally decided this week was the time to buy a few since there was a BOGO 50% off at Walgreens. Plus I had a $1 off coupon so I ended up getting both for a good deal. So sleek for being a drugstore brand, Revlon did a great job with the packaging design.

NOTD - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Crushed

 I just bought this nail polish a couple of days ago at CVS and it's a very interesting color. It's an intense orange with shimmer. Such a great polish for Spring and Summer. I keep forgetting how much I love the formula on these Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.

My picture didn't come out as clear and exact to the color as I hoped. It looks way brighter in person. 

I need to pick up some more of these! 

What is your favorite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polish?

♥ Stephanie

Dive into the season’s sexiest swimwear with Express

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

Spring is here, and that means it's finally time for hot weather and getting out and enjoying the sunshine. Of course with Spring here that also means it's time to find the perfect women's swimwear and Express has their new Spring styles out just in time. My swimsuits in the past have been one solid color and in a way boring. This year I want to get something more colorful and bold. Express has bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles.

After seeing the swimwear came out with, I would definitely go with this one:

 

I would wear this to the beach or out in our swimming pool, seriously anywhere there is water. It's colorful, bold, and it's the style that I look for in a swimsuit.

Also right  now, if you sign up for Express e-mail, you could win one of ten $200 Express gift cards. The sweepstakes ends 4.21.10 at 11:59pm, EST. Here are the sweepstakes rules

Let me know what you think of the new Spring swimwear from Express and don't forget to sign up for their e-mail for a chance to win a $200 Express gift card!

♥ Stephanie

Beauty Question of the Day - Favorite Foundation?

What is your favorite foundation?

My answer: My favorite foundation ever is Fit Me by Maybelline. I did my review a few weeks ago, and I am still loving  everything about it. I did end up buying a different shade because 230 was a tad dark. Now I use 120 and it's way better. I love it, amazing formula.

What's your favorite foundation? Share below! :)

♥ Stephanie

New Beauty Shopping Site - Glimmer City

Just wanted to do a quick post on this new website that is launching next month and thought you all might be interested in it.

Glimmer City is a website for daily beauty and fashion deals. You can score amazing makeup, skincare and more for 50% off. The deals are never the same and once they sell out, they're gone for good. Each day is something new and best of all, shipping is always free! Which is awesome!

You can visit the website and sign up for e-mails and check out their Facebook.

♥ Stephanie