Gloss on the Cheap

YSL Brun Glace



L'Oreal Berry Persistent



 This has been a hotly anticipated little product. I think we got wind of it back in the summer when it was released overseas and now its part of our 2013 releases. I don't really think this comparison needs to be too long winded. The L'Oreal Caresse Shine Stain (lol) is a less expensive identical dupe to the YSL Glossy Stain.

It's not that hard to believe since YSL is a subsidiary ot L'Oreal. Eventually the formulas trickle down and we get access to them right at the drugstore.

The L'Oreal is .21 oz for an average price of 10$ while the YSL is .2 oz for 32$. The two things to bear in mind is that there are 12 shades at the drugstore and twice that at the department store. Also, I have heard that some of the lighter shades at the drugstore swatch a bit sheer, but go on to the lips quite dark. ( I have heard that the YSL light shades perform similarly.) I personally wouldn't aim for this type of product in a lighter shade but if you would those are some things to bear in mind.

The last and final difference lies in the type of doe foot you get. The YSL is a solid while the L'Oreal has a bit of a hole in it which I prefer. I can get enough product out of the tube this way and do not have to re-dip to complete a single coat.

They wear on me with a nice jelly sheen for about 4-5 hours and the color stain lasts about 8 hours.

If you were curious about the Glossy Stain go out and get the L'Oreal first. If you really can't find the color you're after at the drugstore then maybe think about splurging on the YSL version.

Have any of you spotted these yet? Any thoughts?

xoxo

Molly

Instagram Nails #26

Amber Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend

Prepare yourselves. The next week or so will be an onslaught of new stuff! I love this time of year. Between Christmas pressies and new year releases from the drugstore my junkie senses are a-tingling.

First thing's first. The mother of all beautiful makeup gifts. Dior Amber Diamond Highlighting Powder. Welcome to the family,

As far as I'm concerned everything that has ever been said to express how wonderful this product is; is true. It goes on to the face in a beautiful, sheer way that gives a true "lit from within" illusion. I can't think of an effect more saught after this time of year than glowing, hydrated skin.

This had to be a Christmas list item for me because there was no way I would have been able to pull the 44$ trigger on this myself. That said, if you're feeling indulgent, you sort of can't go wrong with this.

I have a feeling this is going to quickly become a staple in my daily routine.

It also bears mentioning that for the first time in years I haven't thrown away the box yet...it's just SO FANCY!

I have no shame.

Have any of you tried this one yet? Thoughts?

xoxo

Molly

Silver and Gold (Nails!)

For the final installment of Happy Holiday Nails (because thats what we're calling it now!) we have the classic metallics family.

L-R Luxe, Goldeneye, Meteor Shower, Trixie

Orly Luxe- This is a very simple neutral classic gold color. It almost acts like a type of nude nail, just with a bit more flash. It is easy to wear across skintones, easy to get a hold of and has a lovely streak free formula. If you need a basic gold color to have on hand I think you can't get better than this one.

OPI Goldeneye- This is the standout for me from the OPI Skyfall collection. It isn't a foil as much as it is an ultra fine, ulta dense, flakie glitter. There is a primary yellow gold color mixed with more of a bronzed gold which creates a warm orange/bronze gold textured finish on the nail. I find this to be a suprisingly easy gold to wear and a perfectly festive choice for the season. It also works well as an accent nail or mixed with other colors on the nail.

American Apparel Meteor Shower- This is a yellow gold leaf topcoat. It's sparse but layers well and I think if you are looking for a polish to spruce up an exisiting collection for the festive season this is a perfect option. I've worn this over nudes and navys but I think over a red or green this would look beautiful. Even paired with the classic gold of Orly's Luxe this would make for some nice added depth.

Zoya Trixie- This is my go to silver polish. Ordinarily this is something I like on my toes in the summer but if I am ever going to wear solid silver on my fingernails it will likely be in the month of December. Its a nice silver foil with a subtle hint of sparkle to it. 


So that concludes this year's Happy Holiday Nails! I hope you enjoyed it and have a Merry Christmas!

xoxo
Molly

Instagram Nails #25 (I swear they're different!)

Feeling Blue (Nails!)

Next up my favorite blues...



Top-Bottom Frostbite, Dorothy Who

China Glaze Frostbite- I love a good royal blue for the festive season. It makes me think of ice and snow and a color by the name of Frostbite does nothing to distance that association. It does sometimes leave a little to be desired in the brush stroke department but a quick final coat applied with a cosmetic sponge seems to discourage that. The color almost comes across as a neon and it make for a nice bright change to vampy winter shades.

China Glaze Dorothy Who- This color totally took me by suprise. I bought it because it looked like a nice blue glitter, but it is so much more complex than that. When you look at this in the sunlight you see that it is a mix of blue and silver glitter in a blue jelly base. I creates so many layers and shades of blue polish it just seems to jump off the nails. It is the perfect snowday color

Stay tuned for our final gilded insallment.
-Same bat time-Same bat channel-

xoxo
Molly



FOTD: Warm and Glossy

I look extra goofy in this picture but I so loved how this combo turned out. It was a bit of Maybelline (Color Tattoo in Gold Shimmer) and Revlon(Not Just Nudes darkest shade) cream shadow layered together with some of L'Oreal's Infalliable Eyeshadow in Eternal Sunshine. A bit of Stila Stingray on the upper lashline and Nars Rue Bonaparte on the lower waterline.

A bit of Tarte Stellar and Angelic Amazonian Clay blush on the cheeks and my new love the YSL Glossy Stain in Brun Glace. I wrote a brief review of the blushes and the lipstain here (link!) and here (link)!

I find that this type of color combination is something that I work with often. They are warm and easy to wear together. I think it sends a really polished message without going overboard (although I'm sure some would disagree). It is a go to look for me especially in the colder months and this eye combo in particular is something I will keep in the record books for particularly early mornings.

xoxo

Molly

Instagram Nails #24

Green (Nails) With Envy

Part two of my seasonal nails series! Green!

L-R Glittering Garland, Holly, Glitter All the Way

China Glaze Glittering Garland- Almost like The Spy Who Loved Me in my last post this is a forest green jelly(ish) polish with a green glass fleck glitter. Sometimes greens can be difficult to wear and this one is no exception. Sometimes it can make your cuticles look a little red (especially if they're dry) but it looks like a lit Christmas Tree on the nails.

Zoya Holly- This is the ultimate shimmering Christmas green. I will say, as much as I like having this mini around (it came in last year's Birchbox) I don't think its a color I would go out and buy. The finish is prone to brush strokes and the color can be unflattering, but if you are going to do Holiday nail art this is a great color to have on hand.

China Glaze Glitter All the Way- This is Mardi Gras glitter. This is a primarily green based glitter that also has some purple, fuschia, red, and gold glitter. I love this because it looks like colored Christmas lights and pairs wonderfully with any green polish. This was the only thing I got from the current China Glaze holiday collection and if I had to reccomend anything from the collection this would be it.

You know how it works. Next time Blue .
-Same bat time-Same bat Channel-

xoxo
Molly

Stars in Her Eyes

Stila Shooting Star Eyeliner Smudgestick Set 32$

So the other night my mother told me she had run out of her go to eyeliner-Stila's Smudgestick in Lionfish. She was about to ask my father to replace it when I had a stroke of brilliance. I remembered seeing this gift set on Sephora's website and promptly gave dad new direction. I figured mom could have the brown and purple and I would get to keep the black, nude, and olive colors. Success!

The Set includes-

Angelfish- a shimmering nude color.

Moray- a shimmering golden olive.

Stargazer- a soft black with gold and silver shimmer.

Tetra- a warm plum with a soft royal purple shimmer.

Oscar Fish- a warm medium brown with bronze shimmer.

These are beautiful and an unbelieveable value. If you were looking for a couple of these gift sets definitely put this one on your radar.

As far as a comparison you can see in the above photo that the permentant shades in the line (lionfish and stingray) are both more matte and darker than their corresponding colors in the set (oscarfish and stargazer).

I hope this helps. Happy bargain hunting!

xoxo

Molly

Instagram Nails #23

Seeing Red (Nails!)

Welcome to Holiday Nail 2012 Favorites. I thought it would be fun to put together some posts about my top Christmas Season selections. SO...without further ado; here are some of my picks for red nails!

L-R The Spy Who Loved Me, Leading Lady, Vodka and Caviar

1. OPI's The Spy Who Loved Me- A pretty candy apple red jelly with gold glass fleck glitter. This is a really lovley subtle alternative to a classic red shade for the season. This is part of the current Bond collection so if you did it I would act fast.

2. Essie Leading Lady- This is hands down my favorite and my likely Christmas day manicure this year. I am almost certain that a large number of the polish crazies will be wearing this for Christmas this year lol. It's a beautiful burgandy jelly base with bright red glitter suspended in it. It applied flawlessly in two coats and has a beautiful 'lit from within' quality on the nail. In. Love.

3. OPI Vodka and Caviar- There is not too much to say about this one. In one word-Classic. If you don't have it, you need it. A year round staple.

Will Christmas be thwarted by green manicures? Find out next week (or in a few days).

-Same bat time-Same bat channel-

xoxo

Molly

Two Lips, New Lips (Red Lips, Blue Lips?)

I am the worst. After going back to work for a few weeks my blog has definitely felt the brunt of the backlog. That aside I have aquired some new things and am prepping a few nail inspired holiday posts. YAY!

 

When Sephora was doing their VIB sale last month and I found out I was unable to participate (sorry couldn't afford the 350$ membership fee this year guys...lame) I placed a spite fuled order with Nordstrom. No discout but always free shipping and some pretty sweet samples. I needed some new brush heads for my Clarisonic (which I have recently fallen back in love with) and two luxury lip product lemmings.

 

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Terre De Feu YSL Glossy Stain in Brun Glace

 

 

 

I have been after the NARS Pure Matte formula for ages now. I love a matte lip and I have many different colors from all different brands and price points. The Good: Its a great color, not unique, but beautiful. I really love that its slim. It's not the only brand that presents color like this but It's the first I've had in this packaging. It wears like a champ and leaves a nice, subtle, even stain on the lips. The Not-So-Good: I was a little dissapointed in the formula. I would call it a mediocre matte. It's not the most drying or unfogiving but, if brands like NYX and Revlon can offer a light weight long wearing and flattering formula than at 3x the price why can't NARS? I also wish I had opted for a different color maybe because I do have things that look quite similar to this on.

 

The YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in Brun Glace on the other hand is eveything I wanted it to be and more. I feel like I bought this more out of curiosity than a desire for glossy lips. I don't know how to describe this accurately. The best I can do is say that the color sinks down through the product and stains the lips while the clear gloss product sits on top. Eventually (after about 4 hours) the gloss texture wears away and the color sticks around. Its so neat. Grab one of these for the holiday season parties. They look glamorous for a night out and they wear so so well.

 

Have you guys splurged lately on anything??

 

xoxo

Molly

Instagram Nails #22

Instagram Nails #21

Insragram Nails #20

You're Such A Square

I fight an endless battle with my nails. Specifically the condition of my nails. I recently went back to an old job that is particularly hard on my hands in general but on my fingernails specifically. After two short shifts they were breaking, splitting, peeling, and chipping. I kept racking my brain for a solution and finally I think I've figured it out.

After a broken nail i decided I was going to file them all back. After realizing that the rounded shape my nails caused breaking in the center it occured to me that squaring them off might help to mitigate the breakage. So far so good. Not only do I have zero chips or flakes but I have significantly less tip wear than I expected. (The photo above was taken right after polishing.) The real test will come after a day at work but I suspect even if they sustain some damage it will pale in comparison to what I'm used to.

I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Instagram Nails #19

The Bold and the Christmas Gifts Set

 

I am in love. It's always nice to be a beauty lover this time of year, because beauty brands tend to release value sets of some of their most popular products. I got a look at this Tarte Amazonian Clay blush kit from one of the many bloggers/youtubers I follow (I can't remember which. Sorry!) and knew immediately I had to have it.  At full price this Tarte blush formula is 25$ for .2 oz of product. This set buys you .4 oz of product in four colors for 34$. Woohoo! I had my eye on the cult color "exposed" from the core collection but when I saw this (and saw how close the color "stellar" is to "exposed") I thought this would be a great way to satisfy my desire for new blush while also satisfying my shopping guilt. Success! Bonus, this kit comes with "angelic" a beautiful golden highlight color.

I haven't had too much play with the brighter colors yet ("fantastic" and "magic") but they swatch and blend beautifully.

 

Bottom line. These are high quality blushes at a great price in a brilliant makeup bag friendly size. Go get these before they're gone! To boot, if you are a collector, the half size means these actually stand a chance of getting finished someday! An additional bonus, if you are into more naturally incline makeup these (and all Tarte products) are formulated without a long list of nasties found on most other cosmetic ingredient lists.

Instagram Nails #18

Halloween Detox

Ah Halloween how I love thee. It's true, I love an excuse to dress up and behave like an 8 year old. My skin on the other hand was none too pleased with me after my weekend of facepaint and Gin...

 

 

This was just one of my costumes, but I'm pretty sure this was the one that made my skin go crazy. (must have been the 79cent face paint from Kmart...) I thought I would take a minute to share with you guys all the things I've used this week to get my face back in fighting shape..

 

 

 

1. Face Flannel/Washcloth- Using any oil based cleanser I have been giving my face a nice long massage every night to make sure that any excess dirt or makeup really gets off my skin. ( you know how it goes you go out, you come home, you pass out, makeup be dammned.) After a weekend of neglect I think this is the one things my skin appreciates the most.

 

2. LUSH'S Greased Lighting- I have been a faithful user of this spot treatment for nearly 2 years, The reason I like it is because it disinfects spots without severe drying or flaking of the surrounding skin. I love it when a product can be hyper-natural and still deliver chemical results and for me this one does.

 

3. Alpha Hydrox Treatment Gel- I have a whole post dedicated to this here.(link!) I cannot rave about it enough. It helps with skin texure and especially breakouts!

 

4. Elma&Sana Organic Argan Oil- I got this vial of oil off amazon about a year ago for around 13$ with shipping. (link!) I was using this on my hair and saw some results, but my favorite place for this is on my face. I was having trouble finding a moisturizer to use on nights when I'm not using the Alpha Hydrox that didn't make my spots more clogged. I reached for this on a whim and was suprised to find that this not only didn't make the situation worse, but actually seemed to aid in improving things.

 

This is just my emergency skin routine (as it stands now) and is of course specific to my skin concerns. Although I think that all the products mentioned here could easily help a wide variety of people in one way or another.

What are some of your emergency skin fixes?

Base Nature

I have tried a fair few eye primers in my tenure with makeup. Time and time again I found myself going back to the same product...Urban Decay Primer Potion. All the others that I seem to experiment with left me creased and dissapointed. That said I have recently fallen out of love with my once holy grail eye primer. I know this next statement might be controversial but...I HATE the new packaging! For reference...

 

 

 

Original Packaging



New Packaging

 

Now I realize that this change took place quite a long time ago but there is one important shortcoming with this change that took some time for me to appreciate. It is too much product! What? Yes it is too much. It's a great value, but a year later (exp date for this item is listed at 6 months) when only half the tube left the product is seperated and unusable. So not only am I not saving money with the added value but I am wasting 50% of the product that I've paid for. Long story short I've decided that it makes more sense to pay the same amount (or a few dollars more UD 20$ vs MUFE 22$) and get less product just to ensure they I can use it all before it goes bad. On to my next point.

 

 

 

This is the new love of my life. It reminds me of the original Urban Decay formula. It applies smoothly and my makeup lasts for hours without creasing. The normal shape of the tube means I should be able to use it all without having to cut it open and even though it will take me more than the 6 month shelf life to finish I should be able to get through the item before it actually stops working.

 

If you are a pro and use primer all day everyday get the Urban Decay, its still an amazing prduct, but if you are just you opt for another brand and don't waste half the tube when the primer stops working 9-12 months later.

Instagram Nails #17

Forever and Always

 

 

I should never wear any other makeup combo on my eyes as far as I'm concerned. Do you ever have that morning where you put on your makeup and then look in the mirror and think "why didn't I do this sooner?". I just threw these products on to run out on Saturday and wound up falling in love with the combination. The combo is as follows...

 

MAC Paint Pot in  Dangerous Cuvee

L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadow in  Liquid Diamond

MAC Quarry Eyeshadow

Inglot AMC Gel Liner in #77 (Black)

NYX Slide On Eyeliner in Silver (lower lash line)

 

I have used and enjoyed a combination of these things on the eyes before but in this order I just fell in love.

Honorable mention goes to the lipstick. NYX Matte Lipstick in Euro Trash, the nicest, strangest, gray mauve and my favorite fall nude lip.

Instagram Nails #16

Instagram Nails #15

Olive You

Just a quick look I did last week using the Bare Minerals Ready Eyshadow duo in The Scenic Route. If you have brown eyes I highly reccomend looking into this duo. The quality of these shadows is fantastic and the olive color in this particular palette is a nice way to integrate color into a look even if you are a neutral lover. I used a little NYC Sunny Bronzer on the cheeks and some Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude on my lips.

Hairy Adventures

Tresemme Split Remedy Leave in Treatment|Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo|Redken Extreme Shampoo

Blogger has been 100% not working for me for the last week and a half. It has been so so frustrating but today it has finally gotten back on track for me. I thought I would introduce some of my new happy place hair care products for the impending cold weather.

Tresseme Split Remedy Leave In- I have been so impressed by the results I've gotten from this product. Not only does it leave my hair looking and feeling super smooth it costs less than 5$. It claims to restore split ends by 80% after three uses and I think this claim has some truth to it. I don't think it does much to repair your ends permenantly, but from what I've heard about the technology behind this product I can repair split ends with continued use. Check out The Beauty Brains (link!) for more info on how this product works!

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo- I have mixed feelings about the product in it's entirety. I don't have any complaints about its preformance as much as I do about the spray. As a dry shampoo it soaks up oils beautifully with minimal product and leaves no white cast on my dark brown hair. When the product is in the air though, it creates this cloud that gets stuck in your nose and throat and just creates this really fleeting choking feeling. Maybe its just me but the product works so well I was so dissapointed that using it was so uncomfortable.

Redken Exreme Shampoo- This is a real departure for me. I cannot remember the last time I ventured into salon hair products. I have never been dissapointed by the ones I have tried but just never repurchased. This is a protien building shampoo so it is not designed to be used daily because too much protien can actually make your hair brittle. For someone who only washes their hair about twice a week (like me) this is ideal. It prevents over use and adds much needed strength to my locks.

I have a feeling that this is the begining of some new hair adventures for me. I was using a routine that I thought was working really well but after trying thes I think there are, for sure, some better things out there.

Instagram Nails #14

Instagram Nails #13

One Minute Man

 

I'm not going to mince words in this post. This stuff is THE SHIT!

 

Side Note: Now I love me some YouTube, and specifically I love the the British babes on YouTube. They all just seem to be more in line with my product tastes than most of the American girls who are geared toward a younger viewer. The only problem is that leaves me with impossible to get-trans atlantic, product lemmings. What does this have to do with nail polish remover in a jar?

 

Bourjois One Second Magic Nail Polish Remover-the toast of laqcerheads of Europe. When I saw all of my favorite ladies saying how much they loved this I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen something like it at the drugstore before. One day I took a quick peek and found the Pretty Nails Instant Nail Polish Remover. While I think the US version is not as oily (read: hydrating) as the Bourjois it does work so quickly and so much better than I thought it would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pink acetone soaked sponge with a small star-shaped slit in the center has changed the way my nail polish removal routine works. Especially when it comes to glitter. I used to swear by the foil method of glitter removal. Which if you haven't heard of you can find the details here. (link!) It required cutting up foil and cotton squares and more importantly it required waiting. I am not good at waiting. So when I brought this home the other day I though I would try removing the polish I was wearing which was a glitterbomb and potential removal disaster. (Butter London's Tart with a Heart FYI)

 

It came off in two seconds. OK not two seconds maybe like 15 seconds per fingernail but' that is a huge improvement from the five minutes of soaking required with other methods. I was so impressed and I don't think I'll go back to traditional nail polish remover. At just $3.99(ish) it's the same price as a decent remover and even comes with a toe dabber so there's no need to have seperate remover for your pedicures.

 

It's all love for me here.