Review: Black Radiance Full Effect Mascara

Hello, gorgeous people! So the other day I bought the Black Radiance Downtown Browns 8-pan eyeshadow palette and Full Effect mascara in a kit at Wal-Mart for less than $5! Click here for my First Impressions. I will talk more about the eyeshadows in a few days, but, for the record, I am loving them so far! Anyways, in the blog post I mentioned that I had high hopes for the mascara because it claimed to be infused with Shea Butter and Argan Oil to "condition and protect lashes from brittleness and breakage."

My results. 

Two Coats.

The claim is that the mascara will "instantly volumize and define lashes." Now, I didn't see any volume at all, but I got some mega-crazy length! I needed a good two coats, which is typically what I apply anyways. The formula is nice but I do not like the brush at all because it's painful to use. Did you get a good look at that wand and those crazy bristles? It looks like a torturer tool!

Will I Repurchase?
No. There are a ton of great mascaras out there that give great length without a brush that literally hurts when applying, so I definitely don't recommend this mascara.

Reiview: Sally Hanson Insta-Dri Top Coat

Okay, So I know I was supposed to review this months ago, but classes got crazy last semester and then I forgot! Oops! Anyways, because I've had this top coat I can pretty much tel you anything you want to know about it.

First of all, it is quick drying, as the brand claims, but is only dry to the touch after 30 seconds. I would recommend waiting a full minute to actually do anything with your hands. I still think a minute is still pretty fast, especially for a $4 top coat. It has a shiny top coat, but doesn't deliver the shine I like...I like my nails to be so shiny that they look wet. My one negative thing about this top coat is that it bubbles. I have used this top coat with every polish and brand under the sun and it bubbles like mad...not cute!

Will I Repurchase?
Absolutely not. The price is great, but it isn't a cute look to have bubbles in your polish. This is a definite miss for me.

Julie G Nail Polishes: Fairytale, Julie's Fave, Gelato in Venice and Birthday Suit

About a week or two ago I mentioned in my Rite Aid haul that I picked up a few of the Julie G nail polishes for BOGO half off. This was the first time trying these polishes and I must say, I am impressed. The colors are so beautiful and the color pay off is great, too. As you can tell, I am so over this drab cold weather, so I opted for spring time colors. The colors I choose are Julie's Fave, Fairytale, Gelato in Venice and Birthday Suit. The nail polishes are $3.99 at Rite Aid or can be purchased from Jessie's Girl Cosmetics. 

The Nail Polishes...

Julie's Fave.

A coral color that can look a bit more orange in the right light.

Fairytale.

White based lilac. 

Birthday Suit. 

A neutral pale pink with peachy tones.

Gelato in Venice. 

A true mint.

Dupes or Similar Colors?

Index and ring are Julie G's Fairytale. Middle and pinky are Sally Hanson's Lacey Lilac. These colors are not dupes by any means. They are in the same color family, but the Sally Hanson one (the darker of the two) is a true lilac and the Julie G one is more of a white based lilac. Please forgive the sloppy painted nails. I was in a hurry, as you can tell. #NoJudging 

Index and ring finger are Julie G's Gelato in Venice. Middle and pinky are Sally Hanson's Mint Sorbet. These look exactly the same on the nail. I love a great mint polish and as you can tell, I am in need of a new one because I have worn the Sally Hanson one to death. I will say though, I prefer the formula of the Sally Hanson one over the Julie G one because it last longer and doesn't chip as easily.

♥

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• Troy did the Harlem Shake last week. In the beginning of the video, I am in the white jacket sitting with the girl in the green shirt. 
• My Spring Break is in 9 days...but who's counting?! Lol
• I have been up since 5 am and may crash soon!

What Julie G nail polishes would you recommend?

First Impressions: Black Radiance Downtown Browns and Full Effect Mascara

I saw this little jewel in Wal-Mart today and picked it up because I saw Emily Noel (from Beauty Broadcast) talk about it on her blog. 

Downtown Browns

I had seen the palette in CVS a long time ago, but passed on it because I wasn't sure about the quality. If you're a fan of the Wet-n-Wild eyeshadows like I am, then you'll love these! I love that the shades are neutral, but some are plumy-neutral. The brand claims that there are "8 ultra-pigmented shades in matte, pearl, metallic and shimmer." Although I do love the colors, there are no matte shades in this palette. I was thinking the third shade on the right (the purpley-plum shade) would be the matte one, but I find it to be a satin finish.                   

Maybe you can get a better idea of how they capture the light with both pictures.

Ride Side...

Without Flash.

*Note: I know the last two shades look matte in the picture, but they are a satin.*

With Flash.

Left Side...

Without Flash.

With Flash.

*Seriously, how gorgeous are these shades?!*

Full Effect Mascara

I've never tried any of Black Radiance's products before, but I am very curious to try this mascara. The claim is that it "instantly volumizes and defines lashes" and that it's "infused with Shea Butter and Argan Oil." I have really high hopes for this mascara because we all know how wonderful Shea butter and argan oil are. The brush has long spikes on it so hopefully it will work to really separate the lashes. 

♥

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• It's been a hell of a weekend! I have three tests and a paper due this week, so I was super busy with school. Come on, May!
• I went to Ulta today and bought two of the Stay With Me lip glosses by Essence. I got Kiss Kiss Kiss (the red) and Pretty Witty (the hot pink). Look for a review soon!
• I had a wonderful chat with my grandma today! Can't wait to go home and spend time with family!

What do you think of the Black Radiance palettes? What would you recommend from the line?

Mini Rite Aid Sale Haul! Feb. 2013

Hello, Everyone!
Yesterday I saw on Budget Beautiful's YouTube Sunday Sale Alert that there was a great sale going on at Rite Aid. Click Here to watch her Sunday sale video. As you may have guessed, I love a good deal! So, later that day I went over to Rite Aid and got a few things.  Wet-n-Wild blushes are on sale for $1.79 and the Julie G nail polishes are BOGO half off. My grand total (including tax) was $19.94! Happy Shopping, Everyone and don't forget to check out Budget Beautiful's channel! (:

The Nail Polishes...

I picked up four of Julie G's nail polishes. When I got home I tried the lilac and peachy-coral color and both are so beautiful! I am wearing Fairytale (the lilac color) on my nails and Julie's Fave on my toes. I will be doing a review on these polishes soon.  

 Blushers...
I also picked up two Wet-n-Wild blushes and both are (no surprise) crazy pigmented. There are four colors in the color icon blush line and I already had Heather Silk and Pearlescent  Pink. Honestly, I really had no desire getting these, but because they were 40% off, I figured I would give 'em a try. I am wearing Berry Shimmer today and it is so pretty! I lightly tapped my brush in and wiped the excess off on the back of my hand and then applied to my cheeks. I still needed to buff the color out a little because it was way too dark on my fair skin, but the end result was stunning!

 

♥♥♥

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• It has been raining like mad for the past few days! I am so ready so pretty weather again!
• I finally finished The Grapes of Wrath this morning! Ah, it was amazing! Hands down, the best book I've read in a while!
• Ross' mom sent us some Valentine's goodies! Hopefully Ross won't eat all of the puppy chow before I can get some. Lol

What Julie G nail polishes would you recommend?

Why I haven't blogged in a while...

Hello, Friends!
I know I blogged a few NOTD posts the other day, but other than that I've been completely M.I.A. in the blogging world! Last semester I was crazy busy with classes. As some of you know, I was taking two literature classes (yeah, that was stressful!) so I didn't have a life and had no free time to blog. Whenever Christmas Break rolled away a few months ago I told myself that I would catch up on some reviews that I've been meaning to do for ages- obviously  that didn't happen. I really wanted to spend time with family and my boyfriend before school started again. Plus, we were gone a lot, too. It seemed like over my break, we traveled around so much visiting my family and then going to Iowa to see his family. This semester should be better and I should be blogging more than last semester if all goes according to plan.

In other non-beauty/fashion related news, Ross and I went ring shopping for the final time! I have been uber picky/confused about what I want. I mean, this is literally going to be a piece of jewelry I wear for the rest of my life. I fell in love with two rings: a Tiffany inspired 1.27 carat round solitaire in yellow gold and a 1.2? round solitaire with pave and a thin band in yellow gold- a girl can dream, right?!
Eeek! I can't wait until he pops the question and we plan an amazing wedding...and obviously spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams!

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• I went to Ulta today in hopes of getting some new NYX products and they were sold out of everything I wanted. Boooo! I do, however, pick up a foundation. I re-purchased the Revlon Colorstay in Buff. I used to use this foundation all through high school and then randomly stopped.
• Ross is working late tonight- sad face! But, I am cooking for him. We will be having baked chicken, brown rice and veggies. Remember, we're on a "get healthy" kick. Yeah, I am not a fan. I love healthy food, but I would do just about anything for a cookie about right now. Lol
• I think I'm about to start on my online homework. I've done a terrific job of putting it off and it due on Sunday, but I want to spend the weekend with my main squeeze! 

NOTD: Salon Perfect Snow Flurry

Can y'all tell I've been really into nail polish lately? I've seriously posted like 3 or 4 NOTDs pretty much back to back.

I was in Wal-Mart today picking up a few things and noticed that there was a random nail polish box in the cosmetics department. I stumbled across some Salon Perfect nail polishes in there for $3.98! My Wal-Mart doesn't have a Salon Perfect display so maybe it's a random fluke it was there. Anyways, this gorgeous icy, pearly white nail polish caught my eye...there were some other colors too, but none that tickled my fancy like this one! As I've mentioned, I love a good neutral, but I am typically not into white polishes. I am very pale so white or white-based polishes just look odd, like there isn't any contrast between my skin tone and the color of the polish. Anyways, this color is amazing and I wish I would have seen it a while ago. I looked it up online and found out that this was Limited Edition for the winter so hopefully you can still get your hands on it. This polish was opaque in two coats, but I did three, just in case. Overall, I really like this color and the formula, but I am not a fan of the brush. It looks like a traditional brush but it seemed like the base of the brush was too thin and the bottom was a little thicker so it felt weird while applying.  

Three Coats (no top coat)

♥

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• I am over the moon thrilled that the Ravens won the Super Bowl last night. I went to school with Courtney Upshaw and he is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. So, that's two pros from Eufaula, AL that have gone to the Super Bowl and won. #EufaulaPride
• I am half way finished with The Grapes of Wrath. I am so in love with the book and the characters. So glad we are having to read such an incredible American classic.
• Today starts day one of my diet. Well, it's not really a diet. Ross and I have just decided to make better choices when it comes to food. I will admit, though, I'd love some french fries about right now. Lol

What Salon Perfect nail polishes would you recommend?

NOTD: Hard Candy Beetle

Seriously, where has this color been all my life?!

Truth be told, I am pretty boring with my nail polish selections. I love a good neutral and not-too-crazy-colors, but when I saw this nail polish by Hard Candy, I just knew I had to have it! This is a duo-chrome polish with pinky-purple and green. There seems to be a bit of gold in the mix, too, but I think that's more of a golden-ish sheen. The formula can be tricky to work with- can get a little patchy on the first two coats- but I think the final result is totally worth it! This nail polish is an exact dupe of Orly's Space Cadet and MAC's Mean & Green! Whoohoo for a good deal! Click here to see how Beetle compares to Space Cadet. Click here see how Space Cadet compares to Mean & Green. I don't own the Orly nor the MAC ones, but I've seen many pictures online and I can't tell them apart. As far as Orly and MAC's formula, I can't say if they're easier to work with or not because I don't own them, but I don't mind applying an extra coat of Bettle to even everything out. In comparing the prices, the Hard Candy one is $4 at Wal-Mart and I've seen the Orly one at CVS for around $8 or 9. Because this is a "sometimes" color, I prefer the $4 or 5 dollar savings.

Tip:
I found that allowing this polish to completely dry makes for a better finish. The first time I applied, I allowed it to partially dry before adding on more coats, then applied my Sally Hanson Quick Dry Top Coat. The top coat is supposed to make nails dry after 30 seconds. I like to wait a complete minute or so before doing anything, though. For some reason, the Sally Hanson top coat didn't make this nail polish dry in the 30 seconds...maybe it's the formula of this duo-chrome polish?! Even after several minutes of allowing it to try, I got smudges and had to completely start over.
Also, I found that I could get away with three coats if my nails were shorter, but when I stepped outside in natural light, my tips were a bit sheer so I needed a fourth coat. 

Let's see the progress...

One Coat.

Two Coats.

Three Coats.

Four Coats (with top coat).

UPDATE on Feb. 4, 2013: This nail polish is a bitch to remove! Save your sanity and use the foil method...makes it much easier! Click here to watch a tutorial using the foil method. 

Daily Dose of Pretty...

• Ross and I have had a study date all afternoon. I've been reading The Grapes of Wrath for my Western Lit. class and he's been getting some work done. Life of a college student! Come on, May! (:
• We're going to look at rings (again) this afternoon. I've decided on a setting, but I'm still trying to decide on the center stone. The setting is a solitaire with side sides down the pave and I'm thinking either a round, cushion or oval as the center stone!
• I can't wait until Drew Barrymore Flower line comes to my Wal-Mart! I think EmilyNoel83 (from BeautyBroadcast) has a Review coming up tomorrow! I will be watching to get a peek at the new line's beauty goodies!  

 ♥

What do you think of the Beetle nail polish? What Hard Candy polishes have you tried?