July Favorites

Hi guys!

Unfortunately it is time to say goodbye to my favorite summer month! But on the flip side it's time to talk about the beauty products I have been loving all month long! There are so many, I wasn't sure where to begin! But I think I narrowed it down to a manageable number ;)

This first product I have used literally every single day! I'm not sure how I have gone so long without Mac's paint pot in Painterly! It is life changing! I use it as my eye primer and it matches my skin tone perfectly, but also brightens my eye area up a bit! It is a matte nude shade that allows my cream and powder eyeshadows to really pop and go on smooth and evenly! I have nothing bad to say about this one! :) It will definitely be something I repurchase as I run out and I can't wait to try some of the other paint pot colors from Mac! 

Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot- Painterly

For my nails this month I have been LOVING Revlon's new Color Stay Gel Envy Nail Enamels! I love that I am now able to get the salon gel effect without having to use a UV light to harden the polish or physically go to the nail salon every two weeks! The polish last for about a week and a half before I find that I'm starting to get tiny chips or I need to redo them! Honestly the gel polish that I was having done at the nail salon sometimes didn't even last that long! My only teeny tiny complaint would be that I did have some staining from the greenish teal color (Dealer's Choice). Nothing unbearable though and I will be trying some of their other darker colors to see if it is a repeat issue! These are so affordable and easy to use! I can't wait to pick up more colors and I would highly recommend giving them a try! 

 010 Top Coat (which can be used on any other the colors), 240-Dealer's Choice, and 030- Beginners Luck

For those of you that know me, you already know I love my blush! So when I saw this blush color, Captivating, from Tarte I HAD TO HAVE IT!! It is so so so pretty and the color name fits it perfectly! It gives my cheeks a nice peach kissed glow and looks great when my face has some color from the sun! It is beyond perfect for the summer months! It's smooth and applies nicely to my face, but most of all I like that the color is totally buildable! I can go lightly or build the color to a brighter/darker peachy coral! It's just gorgeous either way!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush- Captivating

Again, I love my blush, and a girl just needs to have options! ;) I have been really getting in to all the new pinky- purple (or better known as Radiant Orchid) shades that I keep seeing pop up in several makeup lines! I happened to be in my local Macy's department store with my mom a few weeks ago, and had zero intentions of making any purchases while she made a quick return... But... these Clinique Cheek Pop blushes were too beautiful to turn away from! I swatched a few shades on the back of my hand and was in LOVE! I chose the color Plum Pop, which I actually don't find to be very plum like at all (although still a beautiful color)! I do like the pretty bright pink that this shade gives off when I apply it to my cheeks, but I found that the blush wasn't as pigmented at home as it was when I was in the store. :-/ Kinda bummed me out. BUT, I found a solution! Now, cream blushes kind of scare me. I just can never get the hang of it or it looks streaky on me, plus I am super oily. Therefore, I usually forgo using them or buying them, but I had been wanted to try Maybelline's Dream Bouncy Blushes since I had heard awesome things about them. So I picked one up in the color Hot Tamale and decided that the cream blush is also too sheer for my taste on its on. I started experimenting and found that putting a tiny bit of  Maybelline's Dream Bouncy Blush underneath my Clinique Cheek Pop blush, I was able to get the look and color intensity I had been after! I've been wearing both together for a few weeks now and love the pink shimmery glow I get from the two products combined! Perfect pink for summer! 

(Top swatch- Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale, bottom swatch- Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Plum Pop

Another makeup color I love to use in the summer is bronze! I love a nice bronzey gold shimmer eyeliner against my dark blue eyes! Ulta stores recently started carrying Mally Beauty (YAY!) and I had heard great things about the Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliners! When I saw this L:ucky Penny color I immediately threw it into my little Ulta shopping bag! :) It is gorgeous! It lasts ALL day long and these eyeliners have some of the best staying power I have ever come across! I tend to have very watery eyes usually, so staying power is extremely important for me! These even hold up to the "dip in the pool" test! I've worn these during family BBQ's by the pool and they have held up to tons of splashing without budging at all! I have three colors, (including blue and brown) but this Penny color is definitely my favorite! As you can see I have used this one quite a bit and will definitely be buying another! :) 

Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliners- Lucky Penny

I also recently learned a new trick from the amazing and gorgeous Emily Eddington! She uses a nude liner to line her waterline on her eyes to make them really pop and look more awake! This was something that I never really did before watching her videos! I decided to give it a try (because duh, who doesn't want to look more awake and alert?) especially because my eyes are on the smaller side! I purchased the Milani Shadow Eyez Matte Eyeshadow Pencil in Almond Cream and have been using it every day since I bought it! I love it and can definitely see a difference in how my eyes look wider, brighter, and more awake! I love this stuff! Perfect for long summer nights and sleep deprivation! ;) 

Milani Shadow Eyez Matte Eyeshadow Pencil- Almond Cream

Another item I received as a birthday gift is Bare Minerals eyeshadow duo in The Promise. I am obsessed with this duo! It is SO beautiful! I especially love the buttery glow the gold shadow (Aspire) gives my lids and then I follow up with the darker (almost mauvy purplish) brown color in my crease. I then go back and highlight the brow area very lightly with Aspire! The finished look is GORGEOUS! Very bright and summery and I have totally been loving it! 

BareMinerals Ready 2.0 Eyeshadow Palette- The Promise (Left: Aspire, Right: Vow)

An absolute necessity during the summer months is a stellar primer! With all the heat and humidity, I need something that is not super heavy, helps my makeup set, and keeps my skin from getting oily throughout the long days. I have really really been enjoying Revlon's Photo Ready Perfecting Primer! I use this after I apply the Milk of Magnesia to my face and it totally takes away the chalky residue that the MOM leaves behind! My makeup applies smoothly and evenly! It is not greasy at all like some primers can sometimes be! I've already gone through three bottles of this stuff! The bottle is a little on the smaller side and there is a squeeze pump to get the product out. My only complaint would be that the glass jar makes it difficult to get all of the product out when I start running low. It's kind of a pain, but I've been working around it with q-tips. Overall, I would consider this my liquid gold right now! I love it! 

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer

And last, but definitely not least is yet another gift I received for my birthday! My BFF gave me a totally fabulos Sigma Brush collection!! I have been DYING to try Sigma brushes and was so excited when I opened up the gift (I love you BFF and thank you again)! I've been experimenting with all of the brushes in the set but the two I keep grabbing for most are the E30 Pencil brush, and the E70 Medium Angle Shading! I've been using the E30 Pencil brush to smudge darker colors under my bottom lash line to blend eyeliners! I love how it gets really close to my lash line without being too thin or too bulky! The E70 Medium Angle Shading brush I have been using in my eyelid crease! Both of these brushes are great quality and super soft (the E30 Pencil brush is a bit stiffer for the purpose its meant to serve). I just love them! They're so pretty and I am so glad to have them in my makeup brush collection! I foresee them quickly becoming the "stars" of my brush collection! 

Sigma E30 Pencil Brush & E70 Medium Angle Shading Brush

So that wraps up July! Again, there are SO many products that I am really loving and excited about right now! It was extremely difficult to narrow it down to just 10! But the products mentioned really are the stand out stars from this past month and ones that I have been super impressed with! 

Sorry if this post was a little on the lengthy side! I hope you have all enjoyed July as much as I have! I am sad to see it go, but excited to see what August will have in store (and in stores hahaha)! And as much as I love summer, July ending just means that we are one step closer to AUTUMN and PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!! :)

Hope you all have an amazing weekend! Go out and do something fun or treat yourself to something nice (maybe one my July Favorites)! Thanks so much for reading!

♥ Nichole 

Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot- Painterly $20

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Nail Enamel-$7.99

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush- Captivating $26

Clinique Cheek Pop- Plum Pop $21

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush- Hot Tamale $7.99

Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner- Lucky Penny $15

Milani Shadow Eyez Matte Eyeshadow Pencil- Almond Cream $7.49

BareMinerals Ready 2.0 Eyeshadow Palette- The Promise $20

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer $13.99

Sigma E30 Pencil Brush $14

Sigma E70 Medium Angled Shading Brush $14

National Lipstick Day- Favorite Summer Lipsticks

Hi everyone!! 

Happy National Lipstick Day! :)

Lipstick is one of those beauty products that I can never seem to get enough of, or have too many of! I love the fact that such a simple product can make a woman feel so much better about herself! Whether it's by making her feel more confident, powerful, or strong; sometimes all a woman needs to feel good is a new lipstick to get excited about! So, in honor of this fabulous holiday, I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the lipsticks that I have been loving so far this summer! 

First up is actually a set that my mom gave me for my birthday earlier this month! I love Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipsticks, and I definitely had my eye on a few colors! This set has 5 full size lipsticks in it for only $33! 

The colors are all pink/reddish tones and they feel amazing on the lips! They do not dry my lips out and have great staying power when I am just out and about or at the office! I do find that I need to touch up a bit after eating or drinking something, but that would be my only (very minor) complaint. My favorite thing about this set is that it can totally take me from the summer months with the lighter shades and in to Fall with some of the darker shades! The colors I have been wearing most this summer are Angelic Nude, a pretty pinky nude color, Sweet Peach, the most perfect peach color for this time of year, and Candy Red, a gorgeous color that is perfect for a little pop or va-va-voom! The set is online only at Ulta, but I would totally recommend ordering one if you are interested in Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipsticks or the colors! They do sell single lipsticks both online and in store for $16 each, but the price for all 5 cannot be beat! 

(From top left: Candy Red, Sweet Peach, Angelic Nude, Pink Poinsetta, Merry Berry)

In the more drugstore price range, I have been loving New York Color's Expert Last Lip Colors! 

These lipsticks are SUPER pigmented!! I often find that even after eating or drinking my lips are stained and still have some color on them! You can go as light or as dark as you want with these, which is something I absolutely love about them! If I am going for something a bit more sheer, I just put some clear lip balm underneath! I found a huge array of colors in my local CVS store for a measly $1.99! I'm now thinking I need to go pick up a few more ASAP! ;) My favorite colors for summer have been Peach Fizz, a pretty peach color with a little bit of shimmer/ frost (definitely frosted in a good way), Coralista, an amazing bright coral/ orange with redish undertones that I am totally in love with, and Air Kiss, the most perfect bright hot pink with slightly bluish undertones (this one might be my favorite). 

(From top: Peach Fizz 433, Coralista 445,   Air Kiss 404)

So those are my favorite summer lipsticks! I have really been loving the bright colors that are totally trendy right now and it has been a nice change to step out of the box from my usual sheer summer glosses! Would love to hear about your favorite summer lipsticks! Like I said... I can never have too many ;)

Hope you all have a great day!

♥ Nichole

Tarte Online Only Kiss and Makeup 5 Pc Amazonian Butter Lipstick Set $33

NYC Expert Last Lip Color, Peach Fizz $1.99

NYC Expert Last Lip Color, Coralista $1.99

NYC Expert Last Lip Color, Blue Rose $1.99

Battle of The Finishing Powders

Hi everyone!

So now that you all know about my obsession with having a completely matte face, I thought I would do a little product comparison today!

I love a good finishing powder as part of my makeup routine and I find that it really is one of the most important aspects of achieving that totally matte look that I am after. I have tried SO many over the years but have recently fallen in love with NYX HD Studio Photogenic Finishing Powder.

 It is a totally translucent, mineral powder that sets my foundation and concealer perfectly. It can be a bit on the "powdery" side, but not in a cakey way, and the texture is so super fine that it easily blends and virtually disappears once I apply my bronzer and blush. 

It has quickly become my favorite finishing powder! My only complaint would be that it is a loose powder which can be really messy and difficult to travel with. Which leads me in to my thoughts on another setting powder I've been trying out for a few weeks now. 

I was longing for a pressed setting powder that was decently priced, great for not only everyday use, but great for touch ups on the go and extended traveling too. Well, a few months ago, during one of my many Ulta trips I came across Tarte's Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder. I thought all of my finishing powder dreams had finally come true! It felt so smooth and silky when I swatched it on my hand! I was head over heals! Problem was it was always out of stock in my local Ulta stores and it was a bit pricier than I was hoping to find. But one day, it was finally in stock so I quickly scooped it up and decided that it was fate and the price would be worth it! 

So, for the last few weeks I have been testing it out and I've gotta say... I am totally disappointed. While the product feels amazing going on and it is less messy and "powdery", it does not keep my face matte nearly as long. I am shiny and oily in a matter of a couple of hours. Huge, huge, huge disappointment! I find myself going back to my much more effective and much less expensive NYX option. The mess of the NYX finishing powder  is a small price to pay for a totally matte finish to my face! I have repurchased the NYX finishing powder several times now, but must say I will not be repurchasing the Tarte version. The price points are a large factor in this as well. At $9.99 the NYX powder is much more affordable than the Tarte powder at $34.00. If you are looking for a great finishing powder, I would highly recommend giving the NYX one a shot!

If you have come across any other finishing products that you love, please let me know in the comments below! Always looking to give new products a try! 
I hope you all have a great weekend! I will be attending a bridal shower and bachelorette party this weekend so I am super excited! I could not be happier to celebrate a great friend- she totally deserves it and I know it will be a great time!

♥ Nichole

NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder Translucent Finish $9.99

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder $34.00

Strawberry Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share my first baking post with you today! These little babies also have kind of a funny story behind them! Hopefully you enjoy both :)

When my boyfriend and I started dating two years ago, he took me on a "dessert date" one night. He knew that I love to bake and we were talking about our favorite desserts. He kept telling me about this Strawberry Red Velvet Cupcake that he had while he was on vacation in California. I had never heard of such a thing... and the "baking snob" in me was convinced that he was mistaken... "He probably just thought it was strawberry flavored because it was red or there was a strawberry on top!", was the conversation I was having with myself in my head! But, over the course of the next year, this damn cupcake kept coming up in conversation. I decided that I had to look in to the "supposed" cupcake and figure out how to make them for his birthday!
I started my search for a recipe on Pinterest (because Pinterest is my happy place, of course) and I came across the perfect recipe from Your Cup Of Cake (which is a great blog, and you should totally check it out).  The cupcakes turned out perfectly and were a huge hit! They made for a really nice birthday surprise that he wasn't expecting!
We were having our friends over for a little BBQ last weekend and when I asked him what desserts I should make, without any hesitation he said, "How about those strawberry red velvet cupcakes again?". Haha! So needless to say, the man got his Strawberry Red Velvet cupcakes! I have adapted this recipe from Your Cup Of Cake's Strawberry Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe.

What you'll need for the cupcakes:

1 Box of Red Velvet cake (I used Duncan Hines)

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup of butter, melted and cooled

1/2 Cup of Strawberries pureed in blender (food processor works too)

1/4 Cup of Milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)

2/3 Cup of Sour Cream (or plain yogurt)

1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract

What you'll need for the frosting:

1/2 Cup of butter, softened

8oz. Cream cheese

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

4 Cups of Confectioners Sugar

*Extra Strawberries for decoration (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake tins with liners

2. Combine eggs, melted and cooled butter, strawberry puree, milk, sour cream, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. 

3. Slowly add cake mix and incorporate well with the wet ingredients

4. Fill cupcake liners 1/2-3/4 of the way full and bake for 18-24 minutes

5. Begin cream cheese frosting by beating softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla

6. Slowly add confectioners sugar about a 1/2 Cup at a time (you can add a bit more confectioners sugar if you want a thicker frosting)

7. Pipe frosting on to cooled cupcakes

Baking isn't always pretty... 

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I (and my boyfriend!) do! I know I will continue to bake these when we need a sweet treat for a special occasion... or, you know whenever ;)

Thanks for reading and don't forget to share the blog with your friends on social media!

♥ Nichole

My Favorite Makeup Tip Ever

Hi guys!

Today I'm going to share one of my all time favorite makeup tips. I learned about this tip about two years ago, and it is the only thing that helps me combat my oily skin (especially in the summer). At the time I was gearing up to be a bridesmaid in my friends wedding. I would have loved to have been able to get my makeup done professionally with everyone, but at the time it wasn't something I could really afford. I began to search online for some helpful tips that would help my makeup stay put and flawless throughout the long day, and keep me from getting all shiny. I came across a video on YouTube where a makeup artist was explaining how to use Milk Of Magnesia as a face primer (I can no longer find the exact video I watched back then). Even though it seemed a little strange to me, I was willing to try anything! I picked up a bottle of Phillips Milk Of Magnesia in Target and started trying it out a few weeks before the wedding. It was kind of trial and error for the first week or so of using it daily, but I quickly learned that too much would make my face look chalky and make my makeup cake up a bit (especially around my nose and eyes). If I used too little, I eventually was shiny and oily by the end of the day, but after experimenting I was able to find the perfect balance and get the product working the way I hoped it would!  I usually apply a second primer (like Revlon Photo Ready Perfecting Primer) just to get rid of the chalky residue it leaves behind when it dries, and then do my foundation and concealer as usual, and finish with a mattifying setting powder. This combination of face products has really been great for me for the last two years and I don't see myself changing much any time soon! A bottle lasts me about four months since I am only using about the size of a Quarter daily. It is SUPER affordable and easy to use and it REALLY DOES WORK! :) My face stays completely matte throughout the day/ night and needs very little touch ups.
So that's my little beauty tip for today! I really hope you guys try it out and love it as much as I do! Let me know how it works for you in the comments. Or, if there is another product that helps you stay matte or helps with the longevity of your makeup, please let me know! I would love to hear about it!
Have a great day!

♥ Nichole

Phillips Milk Of Magnesia $3.99

I ♥ Extreme Crazy Volume!!

Hi Guys! :)

Hope you are all doing well!
I'm just going to put this out there... I'm kind of a mascara whore. I. Love. It.! Haha! I absolutely love to try out all of the different formulas, wands, brush types/shapes. Literally, can't get enough of it! I would estimate that in my lifetime, I've probably tried well over a hundred+ and I have both high-end and drugstore favorites.

So, as you know from my recent Ulta Haul, I picked up a mascara that I had recently come across during one of Emily Eddington's YouTube posts (Best in Beauty: June 2014). I was so excited to try this mascara out from the way she was raving about it! So that night I decided to see what it was all about!

Honestly... I was AMAZED! After one coat of this stuff my jaw dropped and I literally said "Oh. My. God.!!" out loud! I don't always talk to myself when I'm doing my makeup, but when I do, it's a really great product! ;) 

My lashes were perfectly separated, lengthened, and full! I did the other eye and just sort of stared at my eyes in the mirror, admiring the wonderful look of full, beautiful lashes that stared back at me! ;) I went in with a second coat and voila! Perfectly defined eyelashes!

That night I went to dinner with some friends and told them all of my girlfriends that they had to go buy a tube of this stuff as soon as humanly possible!

I have only seen Essence products sold in my local Ulta stores, but they do have a store finder on their website. I would really recommend this mascara to everyone I know, so if you're interested in amazing lashes, definitely pick up a tube! At $4.99 it is so affordable and definitely worth trying out for yourself!

Be sure to comment and let me know if you decide to purchase it and how you like it!

As always, that's for reading! Hope you have been enjoying the posts recently!

♥ Nichole

Essence I ♥ Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara $4.99

Ulta Haul!!!



Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a good week so far! The weekend is almost here!! :)

I made my weekly trip to Ulta for some goodies that I've had my eyes on and decided to share with all of you! I love going to Ulta because even though I'm there all the time, I still find something new on most trips! There are three stores that are in my general area, so I like to mix it up and go to a different store each time if I can! That way I can maximize my chances of finding the hidden gems! :) Here is what I picked up this week! 

First up is Garnier Clean + Blackhead Eliminating Scrub. I love a good face scrub! And I also love anything that helps me combat my oily skin! So naturally I gravitated towards this when I found it! It Promises to unclog pores and clear complexion, is oil free and formulated for oily skin, and also contains salicylic acid! It claims that you will have unclogged pores and smoother skin after one use and diminished pores and clearer complexion after one week! Sounds good to me! :) 

Next up is Revlon ColorStay Makeup! I've heard about this foundation probably a million times from beauty gurus that I watch on YouTube and follow on blogs! People love this stuff! I'm so excited to give this a shot! I picked out the color 180 Sand Beige to match my skin tone. The bottle states that it is for normal/dry skin. Revlon also makes a ColorStay Makeup for combination/oily skin (which would probably suit me better), but this was the only one I could find on this Ulta trip and decided- What the heck, I'll give it a whirl!

Revlon products were buy one, get one 50% off this week so I picked up this Photo Ready Eye Primer Brightener! I have been looking for a good under eye highlighter that can also be used as a light concealer! I had planned on trying out a Maybelline one, but since there was a sale I decided to pinch some pennies where I could! I'm really glad I picked this up! I can already tell from the swatch that I love the creamy consistency of this! It offers a nice glow without any real shimmer or glitter which is perfect for everyday use! AND I love that this also pulls double duty as an eye primer! The color (003) is a bit peachy which I love for this time of year! 

Now on to my NYX goodies! :) I've had my eyes on this NYX Hi Definition Photo Concealer for a while! I LOVE NYX products and I have yet to be disappointed in anything I have purchased from this brand! I've been meaning to pick this up for about a month now, but somehow always missed it on my previous Ulta trips! I'm happy to say this time I successfully placed it into my little Ulta shopping bag! I chose the color CW03 which seems to be a bit on the peachy/pink side but those undertones are usually perfect for keeping my under eyes from looking too "white" after applying concealer. The consistency seems like it is easily blendable and dries to a light almost powder-like feel! It is a bit On the thinner side, but also like it is very buildable for more coverage if needed! 

I. Have. Been. Dying. To. Try. This.!!!! I came across this NYX Illuminator on Ulta's website when I was browsing around a few weeks ago, and have been looking for it ever since! It was often sold out in my local stores, but I was finally able to snag one this weekend! I love the consistency of this highlighter! It's almost a creamy powder when you swatch it, and gives the most subtle, beautiful glow! It reminds me of a dupe for Too Faced Candlelight pressed powder highlighter (which I have only swatched in store). I'm really excited that I finally found this one and can't wait to start trying it out! 

I'm loving these NYX shadow sticks! This is the second one I have purchased recently and I chose this color (Flushed) because I thought it would be perfect for an inner corner highlight as well as an all over shadow look! They are a nice, creamy texture, but also have very nice staying power. I really like them on their own, but they are also nice when topped with a powder eyeshadow!

This Essence I ♥ Extreme Crazy Volume mascara was actually something that I saw on a YouTube review that my all time favorite beauty guru Emily Eddington posted recently! She was raving about this product and how she goes through so many tubes of it! I knew it was something I had to try! It promises "extreme & crazy volume" and "ultra black" lashes! I will link to the video below :) Let me just say, I already gave this one a try and Oh. My. God. It is seriously amazing! After one coat on my lashes I literally said "Oh my God!" out loud! I will definitely be putting a full review together soon for this one! :)I really am in LOVE!

These little guys I actually picked up as a gift for a friend! I think they are awesome! This was one of those "Oooo I've never seen these before!" things that I came across this week! I love the little palettes and how they put six similar shades together to get a nice eye look! I picked out the Café Latte palette which has a nice mix of dark and light brown shades and the Berry Bloom palette which has nice pinks and berry toned shades! I love that you can get so many eyeshadow looks out of these palettes! I think they make a great gift and hope my friend loves them! 

So that concludes this weeks Ulta Haul! I picked up some really great things that I've been really excited to try and so far, I have been really enjoying them! I'm sure I will be heading back to Ulta again this weekend (maybe even tonight)! Enjoy the rest of the week and thanks again for reading! :)

♥ Nichole

Garnier Clean+ Blackhead Eliminating Scrub $7.99

Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Normal/Dry Skin SPF 15 (Sand Beige) $12.99

Revlon Photo Ready Eye Primer Brightener $10.49

NYX Hi Definition Photo Concealer Wand $4.99

NYX Illuminator (Ritualistic) $8.99

NYX Infinite Shadow Stick (Flushed) $8.99

Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara $4.99

Runway Eyeshadow Glamour Palette (Berry Bloom) $4.99 (Café Latte not shown on site but same price)

emilynoel83- Best in Beauty: June 2014 (At about 5:24 she begins to discuss the Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume mascara! :)

My Eyes Are Totally Manga!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! Today I am reviewing a newer product that I was really on the fence with for a few weeks, L'Oreal's Voluminous Miss Manga mascara!

Here is the reason I was so hesitant to even try this product:

The commercial is SO annoying!! It drives me absolutely nuts whenever it comes on the TV (which seems to be quite often.. or maybe I'm just super sensitive to it and feel like its on ALL the time?)!! I don't know why exactly, but there is something about it that I just cannot take! Haha! Am I alone in this? Does anyone else find it to be as nerve grating as I do?





Anyway, enough about the commercial! ;) I swore for weeks that I wouldn't purchase it in an attempt to keep my sanity... But... I cracked! After watching a few reviews that some of my favorite beauty bloggers posted on their YouTube channels, I must admit (as much as it pained me) I was intrigued! So many people were loving it! I was only a little surprised considering I am a fan of most of the mascaras that are in the L'Oreal Voluminous mascara line. I purchased mine a few nights ago at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond for about $7.99, but I have seen it pretty much every where lately (CVS, Target, Walmart, Ulta).





The next morning I decided to finally see if this mascara was all it was cracked up to be! My first impression was that the mascara wand seemed smaller and thinner than I was expecting, but I curled my lashes and went to work! I loved, loved, loved the formula of this mascara! I think it is a bit of a wetter formula, but not super thinned out and it was not messy or hard to work with. I think my lashes got pretty great length and separation out of it! I did both my top and bottom lashes (two coats of top, one on bottom) and was really happy with the results! I love that the point on the end of the mascara wand allowed me to really get the product on to the tiny lashes in my inner corner! I can totally see the "Doll like effect" that they are using to market this product! 

My only complaint would be the 360 degree "joint" that is in the middle of the mascara wand. I do find that it makes the wand a little bit harder to control and harder to get super close to my lash line. I would much prefer a wand that offered more stiffness! Other than kind of complicating the process, I don't find that the "joint" did anything to help or make the application process easier or effortless. 

At this point, I've been using the mascara for the past few days and have really come to enjoy it very much! I do see this being a product that I keep in my daily routine/ rotation for a while! I've even recommended it a few times already! Let me know if you have tried this product or decided to give it a shot and make sure to share your thoughts on it in the comment section! :) If you would like to see a great video review of the product please check out the link below to one of my favorite beauty guru's recent videos!

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great week!


♥ Nichole








L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara $7.99

Mrslolalynn Demo: L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara