Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Prada Candy: Cause I'm Sweet Yall.

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My Current Signature Cent



She's a Show-Off


This new Prada Candy Gift Set is tiiiiiight yo. 

What they have to say about it: 

Prada CANDY is instantly seductive—pure pleasure wrapped in impulsive charm. In an explosion of shocking pink and gold, Prada CANDY takes us on a walk on the wild side, showing us a new facet of Prada femininity where more is more and excess is everything. Magnified by white musks, noble benzoin comes together with a modern caramel accord to give the fragrance a truly unique signature. 




What I have to say is that its fly. Candy is sweet but not sickly sweet, over the top so. This might be the fragrance for the girl or boy who wants a sweet perfume without drawing mosquitos, or catching diabetes. It kind of reminds me of a country fair, which makes sense since this has notes of caramel and vanilla. I do tend to like the same scents over and over again. I want to smell like I just walked out of Granny's kitchen and she's been baking all day and night! 

The set comes with four items that include a bottle of perfume (the medium 2.7 oz size!), a body lotion (2.5 oz), a rollerball (0.34 oz), and a rollerball case (its piiiiink yall). 

Something I really like about the set is that it comes with the rollerball case. It is a hard    case, that the small purse/travel size fits in perfectly! Loves IT!!! The reason that it works so well is the hard case so you can carry it around in your purse and your purse can go through Hurricane Andrew and not a thang is happening to your perfume girl. I mean  come'on we all know what we subject our pocket books to yall. Hey what cha gonna do, yolo. 





Professional Makeup Hoarder Tip: Save the pretty pink box for makeup organizational purposes.

Love this stuff, get on it.

XOXO
Dee Dee 








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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Lorac UnZipped: Unpopular Opinion Time

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Sometimes I just cant, with the hype yall.


 "nice"


The Lorac Unzipped palette is available by itself and is also featured in several of Lorac's Holiday sets. I've had this palette for quite a while now, so I wanted to throw my 2 cents into the mix. Needless to say it's Not Hot. At least in my opinion anyway. The problem is that its not bad, but its just not good either.?? IDK what is going on here people, be one or the other. Be loved or be hated but why be indifferent??? Whats up with that. Oh and on the realZ really interesting and unique names Lorac, home run.... (nope that doesnt start with a 'Un') oh im sorry unimpressed. 

The texture of these shadows is rather interesting. In a sarcastic way that is. They are prone to fallout, so avoid your trusty MAC 217 (and those similar) when applying these babies. I'm familiar with fallout, she has been my constant companion while working with this palette. The matte's are hard and have far less than great color payoff. The metallic's are beautiful but  many are "see-thru" or "delicate" aka mediocre and average. Oh and...... did i mention

Fallout like a #BEAST


Undercover, Unbelievable


Unattainable, Unconditional


Unbridled, Undiscovered

Unreal, Uncensored (Ooops I lost the swatchy swatchy pics!)



Unspoken, Untamed 


The funny thing is, is that if I was not a sophisticated makeup maven (or as my mom says: "obsessed, addicted, delusional, hoarder") I would have loved these shadows. It is solely for the fact that I have tried out so many different brands and textures that I can firmly say that these are just adequate, average, ok, and The Kiss of Death in the makeup world..... nice. Funny enough a lot of the shadows remind me of MAC and those textures.



I mean a real testament about this palette is that i've had it since its original release in 2012 and i've only used it 10-12 times and that includes 10 times trying to work with it for review purposes.


Some RAW thoughts on the colors:


Undercover- perfect pale girl brow bone matte highlighter. Stiff and dry feeling ok color payoff. Similar to MAC Brule but a little brighter and a little more pigmented.

Unbelievable- Looks can be deceiving.... In the pan it looks like a mid-toned bronze but swatches and applies like a bronzed pink and I mean shimmery  piiiiiink. I would say its metallic pink. Blends ok

Unattainable- Hello fallout my name is “Unattainable” darker than “Unbelievable” this is her older more expireced sister. A Pink-y bronzed taupe (I just cant with color descriptors yall im sorry). Probably best as a lid color, I wouldnt venture into the crease with this one.

Unconditional- kinda resembles MAC Quarry but not really (70% dupe). Another stiff and dry matte, im not getting chills here girls. Best for crease and blending out.

Unbridled- uggh with this matte texture. Stiff dry on repeat on da reg. Why why why. Kind of like a dark chocolate. 

Undiscovered- BFF’s with fallout. Friends & Fallout?? Good all over lid color, but you will need something in the crease, very one dimensional. Close to a perfect dupe of MAC All that Glitters, if thats your thang....

Unreal- perfect dupe for MAC Grand Entrance and similar in texture and color payoff.

Uncensored- Taupe-y ok pigment with some but not as much fallout as some of the other colors in the palette. Similar to Inglot #402 but bronzier and a smidge bit more red. (also not as awesome)

Unspoken- Finally!!! The texture is tight and right. Great matte color great color payoff, wow omg was it that hard LORAC?? Similar in finger swatches to MAC Charcoal Brown, but where Charcoal Brown is lacking in pigmentation this one is not, EXCELLENT pigmentation. Hey 1 out of 10 aint bad right?

Untamed- Fallout, TN yall. This is a beautiful color its a dark reddened chocolate metallic brown. I thought I had close dupes, but I dont they all needed to be mixed with something else, so im not even going to mention them, I mean come-on aint nobody got time for that. 





So I know your thinking, "Ok who IS this good for?" I would recommend this for the obsessed makeup lover, who might not have 673 brown eyeshadows. People that travel. Makeup Newbies who do not have a lot of palettes or might have issues making color pairing and combos. Hoarders that just NEED it (ya feel me?). Also this would be good for those few persons (possibly in the witness protection program) that have not tried the Lorac Pro palette because there are to many sultry shades in it.



Dont get me wrong its nice, its just not life altering (or good for that matter).  To me its not worth $40 alone or as a focal point for a larger Christmas set. AND thats the bottom line 'cause Dee Dee said so.....

XOXO
Dee Dee
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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Tarte Holiday 2013 is NOT Giving Me Life.

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Let me tell you a story about Tarte outsourcing product production to China, and how it becomes the fail of the week.




I really do enjoy blush, i'm not sure if you knew that about me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you did. I like Tarte and I also like their Amazonian Clay blushes, with Exposed being not only a cult classic, but a personal favorite as well. I have and still do have several Tarte AC blushes in my collection but have gotten rid of a few because I went bat shit crazy and thought I had to have every one even the colors I knew I wouldn't like...... obsessed I know its a problem, I'm seeking treatment (no I'm not). So when I peeped this super cool set on Sephora.com is went all in. THis is not longer available at Sephora but its still on Tarte's website. The Leave Her Blushing Set comes with 3 mini blushes and a blush brush.




The issue comes in around the time you get your hands on the blush and rub your grubby (hopefully clean) little finger in the product. Ok Tarte what kind of shenanigans are you trying to pull? Because this is not a Amazonian Clay blush. Mystified as why there was no color payoff I do some researching (no I didnt, it just fits with the story. Roll with me here people) some googling (also no, I didnt) and found out these were manufactured in China. (yeah no, what really happened is in a insomniac state of zombie flux I was playing with blush and while trying to exhaust myself with a swatchfest I read the back of the packaging.) BUSTED!!!! To get finger swatches of the blush you really do have to dig in, you gotta dig... well to China.

Heavy Swatches
        


MUCH MUCH Heavier Swatches. 


The regular all day err-day Tarte blushes are manufactured in USA, but not these. Hence ipso fact through some Sherlock-ing this must me the reason for the lack of quality. A quick fix to fulfill the mad Christmas dash........ and make a profit. 'Merica the great.  Hey yolo yall.

                   



The brush also suffers greatly from the outsourcing. I have 3 of the Tarte blush brushes and this one is obviously the odd man out. Shame on you Tarte.

                  


Some Raw thoughts on the colors. 


Imagined- hot pink with some kind of something, duo-chrome (esque) or shimmer, or whatevs. 

Treasured- peachy-orange and also contains sed shimmer whatevs from the previous Imagined.

Honored- matte neutral rosey brown. Quality is marginally better. again whatevs.



So this is my epic fail of the week, I would also skip this one in the Holiday rush. If you really want some Tarte blush for Christmas just buy a full size and enjoy that one.






XOXO
Dee Dee





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Friday, November 8, 2013

Laura Mercier Holiday 2013 ~ Artist Eye Palette

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Laura Makes me happy happy happy.


all teh pretties


Laura's offering this year is very exciting! I know, its a shocker that I am excited about new a new makeup release right? I missed out of last years holiday palette, and I still find myself thinking......... what if? Why did I wait so long? Well this year I did not go for a repeat makeup failure. I snatched it up quick from Sephora when I had a F&F code. Oh gurl, i'm glad i got it for sure.

Finger Swatches are sometimes a necessary demon....


12 colors that can produce a litany of looks from the lightest of wearable corporate appropriate day ware  all the way down (or up depending on how you look at it) to a sultry smokey eye. The colors include 6 matte shades 3 shimmer shades and 3 satin shades.

Sparkling Dew,  Guava,  African Violet 


Plum Smoke,  Kir Royal, Violet Ink


Vanilla Nuts,  Primrose,  Fresco

Bamboo,  Truffle,  Espresso

My only little thing which might or might not be an issue for some is that some of the shadows are so easily blendable that they can be over blended, and blended out to almost non-existant.


Here are some RAW thoughts on the colors in this baby.



Sparkling Dew- soft beige with a hint of shimmer but not really, maybe a sateen texture. Lovely inner corner, or base color. Close to MAC Orb

Guava- Shimmer-ish light pink. This does not give me chills its just nice.

African Violet- Typical shimmer texture and feel. A burgundy - brown mix. Pulls brown or purple depending on colored base. Similar in color tone (if that makes sense) to bamboo except that one is brown, so either a purple look or a brown look.

Plum Smoke- Matte. Mix of colors grey, purple, medium brown. Da BOMB for crease and blending out a sultry look. Plum Smoke + African Violet = love at first sight (think 6th grade when possibilities abounded)

Kir Royal- Texture of a shimmer without the shimmer. Satin? Applies like BUTTAH wow lovely color. Burberry Mulberry seems like a close dupe. Im thinking I have an Inglot color ???? Very close if not dead on.

Violet Ink- Matte dark purple....‘nough said. Along the lines of MAC Fig 1.

Vanilla Nuts- Matte my skin tone in a pan THE brow bone highlight for me. Thanks to Laura I will not need to use another shadow with any look I do.

Primrose- Pink shimmer much better color than Guava. Blends like buttah. 

Fresco- Matte. 2nd warmest in palette. Blends good, with almost a ruddy undertone.

Bamboo- Golden shimmery neutral. AKA brown yall. To base color is a bronze-y brown but the micro-micro shimmers in it are golden and flash with a hint of red, so it leans a little warm. When I look at it I think Inglot 402.

Truffle- Matte. Warmest color in the palette. IMO the best matte in the bunch. You would think that a matte chocolate brown would be easy to dupe but you would be wrong, I cant think of one off the top of my head.

Espresso Bean- Dark Matte Ashy brown pulls like a dark slate grey on me. LOTS of grey in this one. Best bet for outer corner or liner. Blendable not dry.



Swatchy, Swatchy


If you can get your hands on this, dont let it slip through your fingers. While it does lead a little warmer on my skin than I prefer, its still a winner. I am so glad I was able to get my hands on this one this year. This one is an all encompassing perfect travel palette for all skin tones, thanks to the depth of color choices. AH-maz-IN.

Highly recommended!


XOXO
Dee Dee





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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

5 Reasons I Don't Drink Alcohol

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(Regularly that is)


1. It never fails I will drunk dial.......... My MOM!!!!!

2. The Typsy Gypsy........ my tipsy alter ego.

3. You know how when some people drink their skin gets a little pink..... My whole body turns beet red..... NOT CUTE 

4. *See #1

5. When I get a little tipsy i start making obscure references to 60 year old literature, or the last book I read ..... AND..... Start Trek. Obviously im the life of the party yall.


See and example of #5 below:





DON'T DRINK and DRIVE FOLKS!


XOXO
Dee Dee
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Monday, November 4, 2013

October 2013 Favorites....

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OH mer GaWd this month just FLEW by.





Yeah i feel like every Beauty-Fashion-Life(sucks) blog and vlog that makes a favorites post starts off just like that. well now that we have dispensed of the cliches, this month did not fly by for me! Im sure this has something to do with the fact that I only left my house once and that was to go straight to the IRS and come straight home. Secret confession out of the way I do actually have some beauty favorites for the month of October. If you follow me on Twitter you will know I am a firm believer in slapping on some war paint when life takes you to battle.


The Eyes have it!

My go-to look this month has been "Totally Taupe-ullar" dudes. Accompanied by a natural cheek and a bright lip.

Sephora Jumbo Liner and Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadow

Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear Waterproof- in 04 Taupe. I am planning a ful review of these. Spoiler Alert: I love them i have 10. (i'm not kidding, on the realZ)
Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eyeshadow- in Solstice Halcyon. Wow oh my goodness this is my first experience with Rouge bunny Rouge and I am in love. The Solstice Halcyon color is a soft beige-y taupe, if your looking to stat your RBR collection start off with this one.


Stand out product of the month Estee Lauder Eyeshadow


Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow- in 26 Iridescent Violet this is the PRODUCT OF THE MONTH!!! If you are dismayed by MAC's reluctance to make "Hypnotizing" a permanent color, simmer down ladies it just makeup, take a trip to your local Estee Lauder, and then buy this. Its a better option that has more depth of color play.


Chanel Eyeshadow, L'oreal Liquid Eyeliner, Mac Eyeshadow

Chanel Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow- in 101 Gri Gri the leader of the Taupe Army is present and accounted for. This is just lovely, check on it.
L'oreal Linear Intense- in Black Mica. This IS the one with the felt tip wand, which is what I prefer. There is a version that includes a brush tip applicator, so whatever suits your fancy.
MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow- in Center Stage. One of my favorite outer corner shadows for a sultry   look. This was from a limited edition collection (of course of course 'cause thats what they do), but I still see this at my CCO when I feel the need to make the 3 hour trek.


Illamsqua Blush and Hourglass Powder

Illamasqua Powder Blusher- in Naked Rose. This is my "I dont know what blush to wear" blush. Err-body needs a blush like this is their collection, colors will very based on skin tones.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder- in Ethereal Light. Its White yall. No need to adjust your screens, your not seeing things, its white. I use this as an all over setting powder and then go back in and focus a layer in the check highlight area.


Revlon Lipstick


Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick- 815 Fuchsia Shock. This one was a shock. I do change lipstick daily but this one was a surprise so I thought I would mention it. Its surprising because it doesnt suck and i like it. I have chronicled my recent disappointments with drugstore makeup on my blog lately, but this baby is a beaute (literally). 

OK so how was your October? Anything exciting happen? Any new finds? Tell us in the comments!


XOXO
Dee Dee

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Saturday, November 2, 2013

What is The Power of Neutrals?

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Its da Bomb.com thats whats up.


The Bare Minerals line launched the pressed formulation of their shadows a while ago. Like a long while ago and I have a few of the palettes and have always enjoyed them, and thought the quality was nice. But none of them have ever really set my body a buzzing. You know that feeling where you dig your (clean) little grubby fingers into an eyeshadow and the clouds part a perfect beam of angel light shines down on you and sweet cherub babies mock you at your reluctance to believe in the hype surrounding a new product. Yeah gurl that kind of BUZZ. 

(I'm very "fair" i.e. sickly so two of the colors blend into my skin tone and take a back seat in the photos, but I a sure you there is NOT a dud in this palette.)


Bare Minerals READY Eyeshadow 8.0 has........ 8 (who would have guessed) eyeshadows and the palette itself has  8g's of product weight has a whole.

Check on that pamphlet, BE is getting all kinds of helpful.

I'm not gonna lie, when i started hearing about this baby I was like "oh ok another neutral eyeshadow palette like I need one more taupe eyeshadow, ya know" NOPE I was WRONG! This is not like all the others. Its full of cool tone eyeshadows. Which is always my preferred colors of eyeshadow and really any makeup products as a whole. There seems to be an issue when i apply warm yellow or red based colors to my face, it just doesn't look right on me.


I have not experienced any problems with longevity of wear with Bare Minerals eyeshadows, now saying that...... I have oily lids and I use a primer AND a base every time I apply eyeshadow. BE has also included some proprietary ingredients for anti-aging and such. It also contains caffeine which is an ingredient in many de-puffing eye creams and serums. Just remember for the ant-aging properties to meet their full "potential" if you will or to get the best results you would need to wear these on the daily (and probably skip the primer).  

SOME RAW THOUGHTS ON THE COLORS 

Boss Lady- A shimmery beige with a hint of peach. Very smooth. ah-MAz-ing inner corner highlight. *Looks glittery in the pan but its not. Close to MAC phloof

Moneymaker- a MATTE eyeshadow that almost looks like “wet concrete” to me as a posed to dry concrete. It could also be described as a darkened khaki brown. I cant think of any dupes right off the top of my head.

Schmooze- The superstar of the palette. Like BUTTAH wow wow omg. Its just so good. Metallic finish. Burberry pale barley looks similar from what I can tell from online swatches

Boardroom- This one is the driest texture wise of all 8 shades. Its kind of like a dark hershey’s chocolate color. This one for me is best as an outer corner or liner color because of the dry texture made it a little harder to blend. Inglot #326 is the closest thing I have but it is more pigmented and blends better.

Exec- Hold da phone Batman, is it purple-taupe? Is it grey-purple-taupe?? Grey-taupe-with a dash of purple? What is it? Its sass in a glass is what it is. When you look at it you think it would be easy to dupe, it doesnt look like anything special, but as many shadows as I have in my collection it is completely unique. More sating than shimmer and blends well. MAC Electroplate is close much more purple.

Payday- The yin to the yang of Moneymaker. This one is like a dry concrete color with a hint of grey stuck in for good measure. Good blender or crease color of more sultry neutral looks. Another matte

Magnate- hmmm matte peach color, probably the best brow highlight offered in this palette. Not gonna lie kind of blah. Kind of looks like a mix between MAC Brule and Kidd. Definitely the warmest color in the palette.

Get Ahead- ANOTHER MATTE!!!! Its kind of like a (darkened) medium-brown (sorry, im crap at describing colors especially all browns) Blends like nobodys business, an absolute joy to work into a look. It does have a grayed feel to it which is why it leads so cool toned. For duping possibilities look to Inglot.


In conclusion........ OH my LAWD you NEEEEEED THis YALL


XOXO
Dee Dee

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