Wet N Wild Limited Edition Spring Forward 8 Pan Palettes - Review & Swatches

There's nothing I hate more than driving all over town looking for limited edition products. Fortunately, I found an almost full display of these Wet N Wild shadows at the first CVS I went to. Score! Okay, well, maybe there's one thing I hate more and that is when retailers price above MSRP, especially when the MSRP is written all over the display. CVS had these priced at $5.49 each, although the display said $4.99. Not cool CVS.

I've just recently discovered the cheap and cheerful joys of Wet N Wild eyeshadows, so when I heard there was a neutral palette, I knew I had to pick it up. Nude Awakening contains 8 neutral, nude shadows ranging from ecru and taupe to gunmetal and a near black. The brown crease shade on the left is matte, while the others have more of a satin or glittery finish. This palette was a no brainer for me and something I'm sure to get a lot of use out of.

Going in the Wild however, was an impulse purchase and one that I'm glad I made. First off, can I just say the name "Going in the Wild" sounds weird and almost grammatically incorrect and makes me think of peeing outside. Now that I got that off my chest, I really surprised myself with how much I'm enjoying these pastel colors. I love the violet crease shade and I'm obsessed with mint anything right now.

As with other Wet N Wild shadows, these all have a buttery soft texture and are easy to blend. I appreciate that these shades aren't as super glittery as some of their other shadows though. My favorite thing about these palettes though has to be the packaging - I love the white and the little flowers on the front - how very spring time!

Asparagus Bacon Pasta

Since I neglected Tasty Tuesday for so long, you get a 2fer today including a recipe!

I love pasta. It's quick, easy, can be healthy and there are an almost infinite ways to make it. One of my favorites is a quick toss with bacon and asparagus. This is also great with spinach or peas, but really you could pick any of your favorite veggies. Here's how to do it.

Asparagus & Bacon Pasta

Pasta - I used thin spaghetti, but you can use whatever you have on hand
Bacon, cut into little pieces, 1-2 slices per person
Asparagus, cut into 1" pieces, I like a lot!
Garlic or garlic powder, to taste
Lemon
Parmesan cheese, grated, handful
Red pepper flakes, just a pinch
Salt

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions

Cook bacon until almost crispy. Drain most of the fat and add asparagus and garlic. If your asparagus is really thick you will probably want to blanch them first - it's easy just add to the pasta pot about 2 minutes before pasta is set to be done

Add drained pasta to pan. Season to taste with lemon juice, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and salt. 

Eat! 

I love carbs so I like to serve my pasta with parmesan garlic bread. To make the bread, I just spread some butter on bread (any kind, but I like baguettes) and top with garlic powder and parmesan then stick in my toaster oven until golden.


Really, I'm embarrassed to even call that a recipe. It's more of a method that you could use with anything. Like I said I really like spinach or peas as well. It might also be good with something like tuna instead of bacon. Or left over chicken or ham. Oh and in the picture above, I topped my pasta with Onion Crunch. I'm kind of addicted to the stuff which is sort of like French's Fried Onions, but not exactly. It reminds me more of the fried shallots you can get at Asian markets. I bought a huge jar of Onion Crunch at Costco and add it to everything. So unhealthy lol.

Easter Candy Haul

Despite the image above, I really don't eat a lot of candy. Or even sweets in general. I've offered up boxes of year old Girl Scout cookies to friends who were shocked by my will power (or maybe horrified by old cookies). Put a basket of fries in front of me though and that's a different story.

For some reason these candies were just calling my name the other day while I perused the aisles of Target. I'm not a fan of Peeps but I do like chocolate covered marshmallows - these Milk Chocolate Covered Peeps are still yellow in the middle, although the shape is a little different. I was also intrigued by these Peepsters which come in milk or dark chocolate with marshmallow creme in the middle. I can't remember ever eating Marshmallow Fluff, but the creme inside these tasted almost like frosting. They were okay, but I feel like this bag might still be hanging around next year. Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs just make me think of childhood, or rather my junior high years. You see, when I was little I remember asking my mom about these Cadbury Creme Eggs and she told me that they had real eggs in the middle and that I didn't like eggs. It wasn't until junior high that I finally got up the courage to eat one and discovered it was a sugary creme that LOOKED like an egg inside. Well you'd better believe I made my mom go buy multiple cases of Cadbury Creme Eggs at Costco and I ate one at lunch every day. No wonder I got so fat. These mini eggs are much more reasonable for daily consumption with only 40 calories each! Finally, from Trader Joe's I picked up a bag of Bunny Gummy Tummies. I do really like my gummies and these have a tiny little bit of liquid inside like Gushers (remember those??).

Normally my cheap ass would wait until the day after Easter so I could buy them at 50% off, but the last few candy holidays (Halloween, Valentine's Day) my strategy backfired and there was nothing left!  This should be enough sugar to hold me over until the next holiday though. Wait... is there anything between Easter and Halloween?? Mother's Day?

March Glossybox - Spring Fling

Another month, another Glossybox. I have to admit, these beauty boxes have been kind of underwhelming for me recently. Maybe it's time I took a break or quit completely? I mean, I spend about $30/month on my two boxes (Glossybox and Ipsy) which is money that could be well used for something else. Well we'll see. This month I received the following:

Elite Models Liner in Matt Brown (full size $15) - I'm kind of glad to have a matte brown liner. When I swatched this on my hand I was impressed with the staying power, but it's not faring as well on my oilier eyelids. Also the nib is kind of weird, not really a brush, not really a felt tip, it's more like a stick!

Koh Gen Do Cosmetics Oriental Plants Emollient Cream (full size $123) - I love expensive face creams, who doesn't?? I haven't tried this yet, but it's a decent sized sample at nearly 1/4 of the full size!

ModelCo Cheek + Lip Tint in Rosy Red(full size $24) - I was hoping this would be the hot pink color of the tube, but it is cherry red just like Benetint or theBalm one or the Body Shop one. It kind of grosses me out when I first squeeze it out of the tube because it looks like blood. I generally like these, but how do you apply them without getting your fingers all red?? Also this one smells like candy!

Prestiche Essential Oil Bar Soap in Lemongrass (full size $16.99) - I like the way this smells and I'm sure I'll use it. The company also included a $40 gift voucher, which I thought was generous until I checked out their website and realized most of their products cost more than that! That's a little pricey for body products.

Sebastian Professional Shaper Fierce (full size $17) - I'm trying to use more hairspray, but I just don't! I have literally 20 million bottles of mini hairsprays now. Thanks beauty boxes.

That's it for March. Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what to do about this whole beauty box thing. What do you guys think? Which boxes do you subscribe to?

Limited Edition Maybelline Baby Lips - Complete Set Review and Swatches

L to R: Twinkle, Melon Mania, Pink Wink, Coral Crush, Yummy Plummy

Same order as above

This post is quite belated because I picked up these Maybelline Limited Edition Baby Lips earlier this year, but I think you may still be able to find them in store. I actually ended up ordering all of them on eBay because I was going crazy driving around to drugstores looking for them. They were a bit more expensive on eBay (obviously), but I figure with the price of gas and my time, it really wasn't a bad deal in the end.  I don't really know why I like these so much. At the end of the day, they're just glorified chapsticks with a little bit of color and fragrance! Oh well, they're like Pokemon to me - I gotta catch em all. So lame lol.

You can't really see Twinkle on my arm because it is basically clear - maybe with a little bit of sheen. I don't have any of the non-tinted Baby Lips, so I can't really compare. In the bullet it has a very sheer pinky peach color, but it doesn't translate at all onto the lips. I like the smell which is a bit like Starbursts. Melon Mania is also very sheer despite the hot pink color of the bullet. This one doesn't have much of scent to me which might be a good thing considering I'm not a huge fan of melon. My least favorite of the bunch is Pink Wink because the light, creamy pink color leaves me with white, dead zombie lips. It also smells like bubblegum, which again, I'm not a fan of. Coral Crush is probably my favorite color for it's punchy sheer peachy orange color and citrus scent. Yummy Plummy is also one of the more pigmented colors in a mauve shade. I don't think it smells like plums, but then again, what exactly do plums smell like?? I'm not sure how this compares to the permanent Grape shade because that's the only color I'm missing! I guess I need to pick that one up.

If you're a fan of sheer lip colors, then Baby Lips are definitely worth trying out. They're only about $3-4 so they won't take a bite out of your wallet either. The hardest part is finding all of the colors in store! For more information on Cherry Me and Pink Punch, check out my original blog post here.

March Ipsy Glam Bag - The Great Escape

Woohoo, my March Ipsy bag is here! I couldn't resist so I sneaked a few peeks online so I can't really say I'm surprised by the contents. I was really looking forward to this month's bag (the actual pouch!) because I love nautical things, but unfortunately, it feels cheap and the quality is a little shoddy. Oh well, it's what's on the inside that counts right?

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist - I haven't had a ton of luck with Juice Beauty products, but I do love a good hydrating mist. I already gave my face a spritz with this and whoa the spray was powerful! My face got pretty wet, so be sure to hold the spray an arms length away lol.

LA Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes - I actually got a couple of individually wrapped LA Fresh wipes before from a hotel, but I can't remember which one. There are 8 wipes in this little pack which makes it great for travel.

Yaby Eye Shadows in Seashell and Azalea Petal - I'm not very familiar with Yaby (okay, I've never heard of them), but these eyeshadows are so cute and tiny, dime size or smaller! They don't appear to be super pigmented, but I'm sure I will get use out of Seashell at the very least.

GlamRX  Palette - I wasn't really sure what to call this thing, but I guess palette is appropriate! It's like a Z Palette - one of those magnetized dealies where you can put your "de-potted" items. I think this is super cool and I like that it has a mirror. I've never de-potted anything, but maybe I will now!

That's all for this months bag. I don't feel like anything was super EXCITING, but I'm happy with everything I received. The thing with these monthly subscriptions is that it makes me aware of how quickly the year goes by, which is unrelated, but still kind of depressing. Does anyone else feel that way??

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Buenos Aires - Review and Swatches

Buenos Aires, Antwerp

I just double checked the spelling of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream to make sure it was spelled "cream" and not "creme". I don't know why, but I really hate it when it's spelled "creme." I thought creme meant fake cream, as in Oreo creme, but it looks like people use the two words willy nilly. You know how some words just give you the heebie jeebies? Like my friend can't stand the word "moist." Well, I hate "creme" unless it is used in the French way with the accent. That's tolerable.

ANYWAY, what was the point of this post? Oh yeah, the NYX Soft Matte Lip CREAM in Buenos Aires. I'm not sure if this is a new shade, but I bought it off the NYX website and I don't see it available at either Ulta or Cherry Culture. NYX calls Buenos Aires a "soft coral"which I would agree with. Initially, I thought it might be similar to Antwerp, but as you can see from the swatches, they are totally different. Buenos Aires is a soft peachy, orangey coral. On the other hand, Antwerp (described as "mid-toned yellow-tone pink") is a pinker coral. 

If you've never tried a Soft Matte Lip Cream, they apply like a gloss with a sponge applicator then dry to a matte finish. For a matte lip product, I find they wear quite comfortably without becoming overly dry. I will say that Buenos Aires is a bit patchy in application and take a little effort to smooth out. I don't find this to be the case with darker colors of the Lip Creams. They are very reasonably priced at around $6 and available at nyxcosmetics.com, cherryculture.com and Ulta.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Juicy Papaya

L to R: Juicy Papaya, Tutti Frutti, Peach Parfait 

L to R: Juicy Papaya, Tutti Frutti, Peach Parfait 

Recently Revlon brought out a couple new shades of their infamous Lip Butters - Sorbet, Wild Watermelon, Pink Lemonade and Juicy Papaya. I found Sorbet and Juicy Papaya at my local Target. They were mixed in with the old shades, but there weren't slots labelled for them yet. It looks like these are permanent shades (ie, NOT limited edition), so you don't need to go crazy driving around town looking for them!

I picked up Juicy Papaya and I'm glad I did because it just might be my new favorite shade! Juicy Papaya is a peach without any glitter or shimmer. It's quite sheer so it may require some building up if you have pigmented lips. It has the same balm-y texture of the other lip butters and lasting power is so-so. Honestly, I'm the worst person to ask about how long lipsticks last because they all last about 15 minutes on me! It's gross, but my stomach must be full of lipstick... ANYWAY, as you can see from the swatches, Tutti Frutti is considerably more orange and Peach Parfait is pinker and way more glittery. 

I'm going to say, you need Juicy Papaya so get off your butt and start looking for it NOW!

Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color

Garnier's Olia is a new "oil powered" permanent hair color that has been getting quite a bit of buzz in magazines recently. It is ammonia free and a 60% oil blend with natural flower oils which restores hair smoothness and shine. It claims to "help reverse roughness and dullness for more brilliant, dimensional color and softer, shinier hair with more bounce." Did it live up to the hype?

In a word, no. First, I was a little disappointed by the shade selection at Target. On the website, there are 24 shades, but there were significantly fewer at Target and because the boxes are so large, they were merchandised in a weird sideways position. I usually go for ashy shades in order to avoid redness and the only "ash" color I found was 6.1 Light Ash Brown. As you can tell just from the box, the color really isn't that light.

Olia was easy enough to use and there really wasn't much of a scent. I slapped it on my hair and 30 minutes later, I was ready to rinse. Rinsing was kind of weird because as much as I tried to wash it out, my hair felt really sticky and oily. I quickly re-read the instruction sheet because I thought maybe I was supposed to actually shampoo it out. Turns out, I missed a step where you were supposed to vigorously massage your hair/head in order to facilitate the rinsing. Oops. The problem I have with that step is that you're supposed to put the gloves back on, but I had already thrown them away and I don't think I can be expected to wear them for half an hour! After I used the included After Color Conditioner (tube 3), my hair felt decent enough.

The results were just okay. I really couldn't see a big difference in the color of my hair although my roots seem to have evened out. My hair also didn't feel significantly smoother, softer or shinier. Overall, I was left a little disappointed. I think I will try something else next time, maybe the Revlon Buttercream?

If you want to give Olia a try, it is available at Target, Wal-Mart and drugstore everywhere. I paid $8.99 for mine and also had a $3 off coupon.

MAC Archie's Girls Betty Powder Blush in Cream Soda

I had no intention of buying anything from the MAC Archie's Girls collections. First of all, I'm not a MAC "collector" so I don't feel the need to jump on every LE collection. Second, I have ZERO interest in Archie. Third, there's that whole pesky spending ban thing.  So how did I end up with this blush?

I'm weak. I was browsing the MAC counter the other day and I asked for some help getting matched to a foundation and the salesgirl applied not only foundation to me, but a bunch of other stuff including this blush, which was a beaut. I thought Cream Soda was pretty when I saw it online, but I figured it would be too light and wouldn't show up on my medium skin tone. Boy was I wrong. I mean, the effect is subtle, but you get a gorgeous, natural peachy glow. I'm not that familiar with MAC's blush formulations, but Cream Soda is a satin blush and although it looks matte in the pictures, there is a little bit of shimmer running through it.

Sooo, I bought something I shouldn't have, but I'm super happy with it. What else is new?? Maybe I should just give up on this whole spending ban thing completely! Just kidding... sort of.

January/February Empties!

I think I've done a pretty good job of using stuff up these past few months! In fact, I was going to switch to a quarterly empties system, but my little basket was over flowing so I figured I'd better hurry up and log all my empties.

First up, hair care.

Kracie Ichickami Conditioner and Treatment - I really liked both of these a lot more than the shampoo. The treatment in particular made my hair incredibly soft and smooth. I love the smell of both of these, but I won't be repurchasing any time soon just because I have so many other shampoos and conditioners!

Oscar Blandi Shampoo alla Crema and Pronto Wet Instant Volumizing Conditioner - The shampoo was just standard and probably not worth whatever it cost, but I really liked the conditioner. It smells really nice in a salon sort of way and the scent really lasts a long time.

NuMe Arganics Argan Oil - This was a sample I received in a Glossybox (I think). I really wish it was labelled as a hair oil and not just argan oil because I almost put it on my face, except I was suspicious because it was so viscous. It made my hair soft, but it is mostly silicones with some argan oil.

FURminator deShedding Ultra Premium Conditioner - Finn wanted to include one of his empties this month! He says this makes his fur smell nice and clean, but doesn't really do anything for his shedding. I can attest to that too!

Lots of skin care this month!

Skin Food Brown Rice Oil Deep Cleansing Oil Tissue - I don't use wipes that often, mostly pre-gym. These did a good job of removing makeup. They were a little pricey at around $10, but there are 40 wipes which I think are more than most.

Hadanomy Aquaplacenta Mist - A moisturizing facial mist that I thought was sometimes a bit much for my combo skin. BUT when I was sick this was a godsend! I won't be repurchasing now because I want to try other things like this peach one I just saw at the Japanese market.

Boots No. 7 Moisture Quench Hydration Night Cream - My face felt very moisturized when I used this night cream. I'm currently still working on finishing up the matching day lotion. They're both pretty basic moisturizers, but they do a good job.

Clarisonic Normal Brush Head - This really isn't an empty because I only used it a couple of times. The normal is just too rough for me. I'm like the Goldilocks of Clairsonic brush heads - delicate is too soft, normal is too rough and sensitive is just right. Fortunately, this was just a freebie when I bought my Clarisonic.

Natassja Skin Enzyme Facial Peel - This reminded me of those Asian peeling scrubs where little bits of skin pill off. I liked this alright, but for scrub/peels I'm all about the exfoliKate.

Rinse Bath & Body Co. Peppermint Pucker Stick - I haven't used a minty lip balm in so long that I forgot how refreshing it is! This was kind of addicting and because the texture was sorta soft, I went through this really quickly. I have a few more in other flavors.

Pangea Organics Egyptian Fennel with Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Lip Balm - This jumbo sized lip balm has a nice flavor, but it was pretty ordinary.

X Out Shine Control - Could not wait to be done with this. I guess it mattified alright, but the effects didn't last very long. I got this probably a year ago in one of my first Glam Bags.

Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator - I used this as my day serum and it lasted a long time - probably over 6 months? It has a pearly sheen so you get an instant glow, but I'm not sure about any long term results. I'll have to see if I miss it now that I'm not using it anymore. It's quite expensive (I think it was around $80) so I would hope for better results.

Deve clean & clear Cleansing Milk - I bought this because I wanted a light, gentle cleanser for morning. It's great for morning, but despite what it says on the bottle ("remove hard makeup") I don't think it's good for removing makeup or a deep clean.

L'Oreal Clean Artiste Eye Makeup Remover - This removed eye makeup well, but on the few occasions that it got into my eyes, it really stung! I'm open to repurchasing this, but I have a few other makeup removers on my Sephora wishlist that I'd like to try first.

Body, nails and misc.

Johnson's Baby Oil Gel - I usually can't stand chocolatey scents, but this smells so good! Okay, I guess it's not chocolate, but cocoa butter. This is super thick and I used this after shaving my legs. In the morning, my skin still felt really moisturized! It is kind of sticky though, so best used at night.

Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Butter - I like the scent of this and I'm still finishing up the shower gel. This body butter was not as thick as others I've used from the Body Shop though.

Julep The Best Pedi Creme Ever! - Um, no not really. I like my foot creams a little bit thicker. It says noticeable results in 1-2 uses, but I didn't notice any thing!

 Up & Up Nail Polish Remover and Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - The Up & Up (Target brand) one was pure acetone and removed polish soooo much faster. One cotton pad was enough to remove polish off of both hands! I'm sure it's bad for you though because my fingers would be white with dryness afterwards. I didn't have that problem with Cutex, but it also wasn't as effective. Also, I didn't go through two bottles in two months! They were both half empty and I decanted one into another container.

Blender Cleanser - I think this came from a Birchbox and I received it without getting a Beauty Blender. Fail. Oh well, it did a good job on brushes and this teeny bottle lasted a long time.

That's it! That is a total of 17 full size and 4 sample size products. With my new "rewards" scheme that is a total of $19 earned. It's a good thing I "earned" that money because I sort of made an unnecessary purchase at MAC. And from NYX. Maybe I'll share later. Maybe not lol.

February Glossybox - International Style

This month's Glossybox has a theme of International Style. I remember seeing this theme for a past UK Glossybox and reading mostly lukewarm reviews on the box. Will the US version fare better?

Bvlgari Eau Parfumee Au The Blanc soap (full size $30) - This little soap made me think of the ones you get at hotels - all wrapped up in paper. I've never used perfumed soap before, but this smells quite nice. I guess the fragrance is a bit much to use as hand soap, but I'll be happy to take this into the shower with me.

Da Vinci Cosmetics Shimmer Powder (full size $15) - I'm not really a loose pigment user because I find they are messy and difficult to use. The card says it can be used for a subtle glow under eyebrows or on cheeks, but I'm guessing people got different colors because mine is a brownish, purplish, bluish duochrome. Yeah, not so appropriate under eyebrows or on cheeks!

Evologie eSystem Duo Pack Intensive Blemish Serum and Stay Clear Cream (full size $15) - This product confuses me because it looks like 5ml is the full size, except that it is so small! The blemish serum is supposed to be a spot treatment while the cream is more like a moisturizer.

Lisi Color Glaze Lip Gloss in 4 Square (full size $7) - Just a regular old lipgloss. The color I received is a burgundy wine which looks ok, but isn't really my type of color. The weird thing is that the wand picks up very little product so you have to keep re-dipping.

Nail Rock Nail Wraps (full size $8) - I actually like my design which is a metallic gold and black Union Jack. I think it would be cute to use one as an accent and paint the rest of your nails black. I've only done nail wraps once and it was pretty easy to use.

Okay, I'm just going to stay it - overall, this box kind of sucks. I probably won't use the lip gloss or the shimmer powder and the other items were just sort of meh. I also don't feel like a lot of the brands in this months box were "high end." OH and the other really annoying thing - the card doesn't say which country the products are from! I mean, Bvlgari is obviously Italy and the shimmer powder says it is "one of America's best kept beauty secrets" (really?? America is not "International"), but the other three don't say anything. Disappointing, maybe Glossybox should stay away from this theme!

Disney Jasmine Collection by Sephora The Palace Jewel Compact Mirror

I've never really felt a connection to Princess Jasmine, I'm more of a Belle or Ariel kind of girl, but when I saw this gorgeous compact mirror, I knew I had to have it! Sephora has been collaborating with Disney to create collections based around the Disney Princesses. There was a Cinderella collection last year and Jasmine is currently available online to Beauty Insiders and should be available online and in store to everyone shortly. In addition to the mirror, there is an eye palette, fragrance, nail polish and a few other pieces.

The mirror itself is beautiful ornate gold with jewel toned accents - in the center, you can see two magic lamps! One side is a regular mirror and the other side is magnifying. On the regular side it says "Shut your eyes and take a chance." The compact is quite weighty and I was surprised by how thick it was - I kind of wished it was a little, well more compact. I also wish it came with a pouch so it won't get scuffed up in my bag.

The other big negative is that my mirror came with little minor flaws already on it. If you look at the last picture there are minor scuff marks around the edge, including a little ding by the clasp. I found this super annoying considering it should be brand new and came in a protective foam box.

As I said, I'm not sure when it will be available to everyone, but if you are a Beauty Insider, you can get yours for only $20 at sephora.com. I would snatch it up before it sells out. I really wish I bought the Cinderella one now and people are selling it at exorbitant prices on ebay!