Review -- Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette

I always get in trouble when I go to Target.

I head inside to pick up some basic necessities like Diet Coke, treats for Brownie, or toothpaste and come out with $100 worth of stuff that I didn't intend to buy.

And it's not just beauty stuff that I fall prey to -- I've come home with clothes, shoes, lamps, throw rugs, etc.

You name it, I've probably bought it on impulse at Target at one point or another.

Most recently, it was an eye shadow palette from Pacifica that somehow found its way into my cart.

I didn't even know that Pacifica made makeup -- I thought they were just a bath and body products company -- so that's what piqued my interest.

Oh, and the shades in the palette were totally calling my name too.

Upcoming Tarte Beauty Without Boundaries TSV from QVC

 If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably know two things about me.

1) I am a sucker for pretty much any beauty-related TSV on QVC

2) I love almost everything that Tarte puts out.

That's why you probably won't be surprised to know that I pre-ordered the Tarte Beauty Without Boundaries TSV that will air on QVC on September 24th.

While I likely would have ordered any collection that Tarte put out, this one was actually a no-brainer for me because it contains a product that has quickly become a must-have for my makeup bag, along with a few new products that I was interested in trying and a mascara that I love.

That said, I don't think this TSV will appeal to everyone because its centerpiece is not necessarily a product that everyone will buy into. 

Now, as I said, it's become a must-have for me, but I'm not sure that everyone else would agree.

Review -- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils in Naked and Naked 2

I'm not really a lip liner girl.

Partly because I'm lazy and it's just a step in my makeup routine that seems unnecessary since I don't really have a problem with lipstick or gloss bleeding or moving outside my lips.

(Of course, the one exception is when I wear red lipstick.  But that's not that often.)

And partly because I just don't care for the way most lip liners that I've tried feel -- they always seem dry and drag along my lips when I try to apply them.

They're just not for me.

Still, I decided to give Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils a try because I'm a big fan of the brand and I like that they have shades that match all of their new Revolution Lipsticks -- which is kind of an odd thing for me to say because usually when I buy a lip liner, I choose a shade that's close to my natural lip color so I can use it with any lipstick or gloss in my collection.

And that's actually what I did with the UD 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils - I picked up Naked and Naked2.

Review -- e.l.f. Studio Lip Balm SPF 15 in Pink, Plum, Nude and Peach

When Brownie wakes me up every morning at precisely 7:30 for her morning walk, I don't really have a lot of time to make myself presentable.

I usually have just enough time to throw on a tee shirt, yoga pants, flip flops and some sunscreen before she's dragging me out the door.

Before we get outside, though, I usually try to throw on a little lip balm, preferably tinted because I feel like that little bit of color makes me a look a little bit more alive and awake.

You know, not like I just crawled out of bed and still need another hour or two of sleep.

Several months back, I picked up one of the e.l.f. Studio Lip Balms SPF15 to use expressly for that purpose -- just a little something to throw on first thing in the morning.

Imagine my surprise when I liked it so much that I started using it as much as some of my lipsticks and glosses.

That's because these babies are lot more pigmented that I thought they would be.

BE Feel the Love AD #2 (and Small M.A.C. Product Alert)

The bareMinerals Feel the Love TSV, which was originally available back in April, is certainly not the most exciting BE kit that I've ever purchased from QVC, but it has all of the basics necessary to do a complete face. 

Today, my UPS guy brought me the second installment of the auto-delivery series, and I'm pretty happy with the new shades in the collection.  They may not be for everyone, though, so if you've delayed your shipment, you should definitely check out photos and swatches to see if they're up your alley.

Like the original kit, this installment contains three face products:

• Ready Foundation Broad Spectrum in Fair
• Bisque Concealer Broad Spectrum SPF20
• Stroke of Light Eye Brightener in Luminous1

Review -- Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in To Nude or Not to Nude?, Nude Delight & Let's Get Naked

 Over the past two years or so, I have become absolutely obsessed with nude lip colors.

I simply can't pass them up when I see them.

Of course, my favorite kind is a peachy nude, but I like pinky nudes too.  Brown nudes are really the only ones that I can't pull off -- though I have a couple in my collection and I can get them to work if I layer the right liner under and the right gloss over them.

When I saw a display of the new shades in Rimmel London's Moisture Renew Lipstick line in my local Walgreen's a few weeks back, which include berry, pink and nude colors, I once again couldn't resist.

There were two nude shades in the display -- To Nude or Not to Nude? and Let's Get Naked -- so I grabbed them, and when I passed by the old shades, I also picked up Nude Delight, which I'd been meaning to buy for a while now.

Review -- Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick

Back in the day, mainly when I was in college, I really liked using a foundation stick.

I was a big bareMinerals fan back then too, but when I wasn't wearing my mineral foundation, I really liked how quickly and easily I could apply my stick foundation -- a few quick swipes, a little blending, and boom, you're done -- and the amount of coverage I got.  My favorite was the one from Benefit, but then they discontinued it, or, at least, got rid of my shade and I couldn't find another stick foundation that I liked as much so I gave it up.

Over the past few months, I've been wanting to try it again so I've bought a few.  I haven't reviewed any of them yet because I thought I'd do a big comparison review and offer up my recommendation as to which one was the best.

But now I'm thinking that it's best to review each foundation separately to make sure that I don't leave anything out.

And I figured that I would start with the newest stick foundation on the market, the Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation. 

Laura Geller Beauty Off the Vine AD Shipment #3 from QVC

 Work has been a little hectic this week (Yeah, and it's only Wednesday...) so when my UPS guy showed up with a package from QVC this morning, it was just the distraction I needed from work craziness.

Today's package was the third and final installment of the Laura Geller Beauty Off the Vine TSV which was originally available in December. (You can read about the first and second installments here.) The products in these kits all supposedly contain powerful anti-aging ingredients that are derived from grapes, including grapeseed oil and resveratrol -- hence the wine theme.

Like the first two kits, the third installment contains the Spackle Supercharged Fortified Under Makeup Primer, Take Cover Anti-Aging Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF20 with Skin Self-Defense Complex, and a fun lip-shaped wine glass charm.

Shopping Bag -- LORAC, e.lf. & bareMinerals

When I was cleaning up my makeup area this morning, I realized that I had gathered up enough products to do another "Shopping Bag" post (if you're not sure what these posts are about, there's an explanation here.) and figured today was as good a day as any -- especially since I want to put these items away so things look a little neater.

I'm not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination, but when it comes to my makeup, I like everything to be organized and in its proper place.

So onto the goodies in question...

Review -- Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks in Naked, Lovelight, & Streak

Note: More apologies for disappearing again. After I recovered from the stomach bug, my allergies decided to act up.  Hopefully, I manage to stay relatively healthy this week.  Also, you may notice that I'm skipping a Monthly Favorites post for July.  I only have a couple of items for the month because I tried a whole bunch of new things so I'll save them for next month and just combine July and August. 

When I first heard that Urban Decay was doing away with its old line of lipsticks, I was kind of bummed.

I only had a few of the lipsticks, but I really liked the ones I had -- in particular, I was a fan of Naked, a lovely pinky-nude shade that was perfect for everyday.  (Way back when I started the blog, I even included it in a list of my favorite everyday lipsticks of all time.)

Now, they weren't perfect.

While they felt nice on the lips, they had a pretty thin, slick consistency that meant the wear time wasn't all that great. I wasn't really crazy about the scent either -- a hint of something licorice-y, maybe? -- and the packaging with the little dagger at the end was kind of cool, but it did make them a pain to store and even carry around in your purse.

Urban Decay's new Revolution Lipsticks don't have any of those issues, so I really don't think I'll be missing those old lipsticks at all.

The Balm is back on HauteLook

I know I just posted yesterday about Tarte's F&F Event, but there's another great sale that I just had to share.

The Balm is back on HauteLook starting today.

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I'm absolutely crazy about this brand -- I would pretty much recommend every product that I've tried from the line -- and there are some especially good items available right now. The Nude'Tude, Meet Matt(e) Nude, and Balm Jovi Palettes are all available at about half off, which are amazing values, and my very favorite Shady Lady Palette -- Vol. 2 -- is also up for grabs.  You can also score the Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter, Betty-Lou Manizer Bronzer, and several of their classic blushes, including Frat Boy, Down Boy, and Cabana Boy.

You seriously can't go wrong with any of those products.

If you're not a HauteLook member, you can sign up here. (That's my invite link.) Membership is free, but you must be a member to purchase from the event.

The Balm will be available until Saturday, August 3, at 8 am PST.  (Thought items can sell out quickly so if there's something you want, it's best to pick it up early.)

Happy shopping!