Too Faced Holiday Melted Set Swatches

Didn't realize how many people LOVED the too faced melted products. And I can TOTALLY see why! It has as satin-y velvet-y light weight feel to it and is fairly long lasting! The color pay off is beautiful and pigmented and wears for about 3 hours on me. After 3 hours, the glossiness is gone and it generally leaves (for darker colors) a slight stain on my lips.

Although I'm generally not a fan of these applicators, I found that it allowed my application to be very precise! I quite liked it, although I hate looking at it time after time seeing the old lipstick on the applicator. I want to wash it!

Be careful though, as you will see in some of these photos, it definitely will accentuate dry lips (especially flakey ones like me wah!), so make sure to exfoliate well before hand! 

Here are the swatches below! 

Melted Nude:

Melted Peony: 

 Melted Fuchsia:

Melted Berry:

The holiday set was a PERFECT set to try out some different shades before investing in the full sized, because lets be honest, these minis are the PERFECT size (and will last a very long time!). I see that this set is sold out in most places, so hope that you're still able to get your hands on this awesome deal! 

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Dior Addict Fluid Sticks

Hi friends! :)  It's been a crazy world wind of a month. Even though I haven't blogged regularly like I used to… doesn't mean I'm not buying a ton of stuff! HAHA :D

Today I have for you the dior addict fluid stains. they were all the hype, so I picked up three (lol) colors. They are quite pricy, but I do think that they are worth the price! And come on. look at that packaging!! :D

They are another one of those lipstick/lip gloss --- aka 'liquid lipstick' hybrids (similar to the shiseido). It starts of kind of cool on your lips and feel slick, but once you really get it on your lips, it kind of becomes slightly tacky (but not nearly as tacky as the YSL lip stains or lip glosses). Its very hydrating, so my lips never felt dry. The darker colors have slight staining power on my lips, but only for a couple of hours. Lighter shades wore around 3 hours on me and darker shades lasted around 4-5 hours. My favorite part about these are the creamy glossy finish it leaves and the fact that you can do a sheer layer or build it up to be quite opaque.

Overall, I think these are wonderful! It has a gorgeous formula, but if you don't like the slightly tackier formulas, this may not be for you!

I picked up the three shades in 389 kiss me (cool baby pink), 551 aventure (coral red), and 239 Frisson (gorgeous peach nude).

(389 kiss me)

(551 aventure)

(239 Frisson) 

Will you be picking these sweet lip products up? I purchased these online at sephora. Don't forget to use ebates if you are shopping online! so easy to earn money/get cash back when you're shopping! 

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Best Beauty Products of 2013!

Before I completely say goodbye to 2013, I want to say one more farewell by letting you know what my favorite beauty products of 2013 were :)

Links are below of where I purchased my products:
Jouer Matte Moisture Tint (I'm in Nude)
Lorac Pro Palette
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, review + swatches here
Eve Pearl Smudge Proof Liquid Liner
Nars Guy Bourdin Cheek Palette (Limited Edition Palette)
Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow (Grey)
Fairydrops Platinum Mascara
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick (#18 Prune in Fire), review + swatches here.
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick  (Limited Edition Color in Christmas Set), review here
Jouer Lip Gloss in Divine and Peony
Bubbi Brushes review + overview here
Batiste Dry Shampoo
Zoya Remove Nail Polish Remover 

For my video and little snippets, you can click here to watch the video or you can watch my video below (when it becomes live)! enjoy! look forward to an awesome 2014 with you all xoxo!

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em cosmetics amalfi coast aquas palette

hola friends!

hope you are all well today. here's my next emcosmetics review. this time we have for you the amalfi coast aquas palette.

first off, can we talk about how beautiful the outside packaging is? It's sleek yet vibrant. In all honesty, I wish this was my youtube cover photo! so good! haha :D I adore her attention to detail, even in the inside lining of the packaging with all the 'em' words.

I had high hopes for the eyeshadow palettes as I've heard great things about the life palette! The packaging didn't disappoint. At first glance, I was like eh.. looks kind of like the elf palette. Almost kind of cheap, white plastic. but it's not. it's sturdy thick plastic, with a sleek logo and magnetic closure. what I particularly loved in this palette is how there is a peel me sticker on it. haha... dork? :0P

Here is the palette. There are so pros an cons to this. while I hate small brushes, these two brushes seem to be quite functional. with a lid brush, angled liner brush and a smaller 'contour'ish blush. I can appreciate that, although I would probably never use it. [I honestly would rather use my fingers than brushes if i don't have any haha!!!] 

Second, I'm a bit confused as to why the shadows are different sizes such as this. I'm sure she explains it somewhere, but I couldn't find where. I understand how the life palette is in this configuration as there is a blush color in the center and a lip color, etc. I would've LOVED to see #2 as the center color as it is definitely my favorite shade that I use often all over the lid. I could see how #4, #3 and #6 are smaller because they are the darker shades that can be used as the liner colors. 

Now here are the swatches. the left side are swatches without any primer and the right side are swatches with the primer. The primer makes a substantial difference in the matte shades, and subtle differences in the more satin-y shades.

#1- is a warm golden brown. It's a slightly satiny but has glitter particles. If you enjoy glitter, I think you would love this! Unfortunately, I find that if you have hooded or thicker eyelids, this shadow will enhance your lids and make them look thicker than they are. The color itself is gorgeous though!

#2 - is a beautiful champagne color. this is a perfect color for all over your lids. it has a nice satin finish and is creamy and pigmented. This is by far my favorite color of the bunch!

#3 - is a warm brown color with a slight sheen and small shimmer particles. It is slightly cooler than #1 and I wish that instead of #1, it could've been replaced with this instead. The shimmer is not overpowering and the base color is beautiful!

#4 - is a matte medium brown that leans slightly grey. at first swatch without primer, I was like 'woof. this color is horrrrible.' but then i found out two things: #1 with primer it is beautiful. like seriously beautiful. how i regret saying bad things about you. #2 this makes a beautiful blending/crease color. the color does an excellent job blending with other colors because of its delicate formula. it isn't too harsh, so it makes a really soft blend.

#5 - colors like this always make me want to scream mermaid!!! hahah! this is a beautiful satin blue. This pairs beautifully with the champagne color as a crease color and also pairs nicely with the dark shade using a gradient look.

#6 - This is a deep matte blue that looks slightly green when swatched. This is similar with #4 in that its a very soft matte shade so the blendibility is made possible with this shade of blue. I like how you can deepen this color easily as well, making it a beautiful liner also!

Overall, this palette is worth checking out. As a neutral fiend... with only neutral palettes, this one steps out of the comfort zone while still being in it. It has some gorgeous neutral shades in the brown family but adds a bit of pop and fun with the blues. Although some shades have their downsides, all colors are workable to make a beautiful look. 

You can purchase this palette for $38 (6 shadows) at emcosmetics.com or by clicking here :) 

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Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo First Impression!

I've been eyeing these ever since I saw a preview of them, but couldn't get myself to purchase them online because they all looked like identical colors! I could not for the life of me find these in store - until I was in Boston this week and they had it in the Prudential Sephora! Woohoo!

I got to swatch and play around with them. I absolutely adore the packaging to the max... like the max max! I think its sleek and chubby stick-esque, with a bit of a chic kick. I love that the twist up and are pigmented and creamy.

I figured that 4 or 5 would be my shade so I was playing around with the higher numbered colors. First I tried on 4. It was nice - but it requires me to have a full face of makeup with a smokey eye in order to pull off this look. It was a great nude with a really creamy and hydrating feel. Unfortunately, I felt like I couldn't shell out the $30 for a lip product that I wouldn't wear for more than one type of look.

Then I tried #5. This color was a nice nude on me. It was as little bit more subtle, with a more of a pinky sheen to it. It does have some shimmer to it - while I don't quite feel it on my lips, I could tell that the product was not quite as creamy and hydrating as #4.

Then I tried #6 which was just entirely too dark of a 'nude' for me. It was a beautiful shade - would probably be great for the fall, but being that it is summer, I just wasn't into it yet! (don't go, summer!) The formula was just like #4, really creamy, pigmented and really moisturizing!

Needless to say, although the formula is really nice for many of them, I left empty handed. I'm not disappointed though because they are some really great nudes. I think when my skin tone changes from season to season, I'll be back to play around to see what works nicely. Perhaps I will pick up #6 in the cooler weather or finally opt to pick up #4 on a night out... or pick up #5... just because it's beautiful!

Here are the swatches that I took in store. #1 starts by my thumb and is in number order as you work up! :)

You could pick these up at Sephora.com here

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Current Favorites & Bubbi Brush Giveaway!

So many of you friends have been asking for another bubbi brush giveaway. I've gotten so many messages of how you all are trying hard to save up for some brushes and how you'd use them. I could not be happier - because you'll all be so happy with the amazingness and quality of the brushes! Lindy works so hard to make things the best quality - you won't be disappointed!!

Anyways, because I'm a little bit late - here are my 'current' (rather than July) favorites!


Products Mentioned:
Anessa Face Sunscreen BB [I'm in natural beige and use code jessicalee422 at check out for 10% off]
Mintbarry Bracelets  
ItCosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Lipstick in Je Ne Sais Quoi 
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked 
Eve Pearl Eyelash Glue
Le Metier de Beaute VIP Box [not available anymore, but their vault has amazing deals!]
Bubbi Brushes: Dual Eye Brush, HD flawless brush

And of course the moment you've all been waiting for :D
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Marc Jacobs Style Eye-con Eyeshadow Palette Review

So I picked up the Style Eye-Con No.3 (108 the glam) plush shadow set. Oh she's even prettier than I imagined!!! :)

I was most excited to pick this palette up because of its warm neutral tones. Oh and I LOVE when I'm right! The shadows are so perfect for summer time glam. I couldn't wait to get my hands into it.

The packaging itself is sleek and chic. It could easily fit in any casing or even your pocket. I even loved how it came with a shadow cover so the shadows wont get on the mirror. How nifty. The one gripe I did have about this product is that the sponge applicator came separate from the actual shadow compact. It was tucked into the little pouch. I find this super inconvenient for anyone that enjoys using the sponge applicator while traveling.





The product itself is phenomenal. The buttery smooth, yet not chalky shadows are long lasting and extremely pigmented. I enjoy the fact that the three shadows perfectly compliment one another into an amazing eye look. This is a great night time look for a nice summery outing, or you can just use one or two to make this a gorgeous day look.

At $42, I think this palette is worth checking out. The colors, blendability, pigmentation, and sleek package far outweigh my one little annoyance of having a separate sponge applicator!

They also have other eye sets - I'm definitely going to check out when they come out in stores! You'll be able to purchase this from Sephora in mid August.

xoxo

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Line!!!

WOW. I adore Marc Jacobs - from their watches to their bags, I love how fun, yet chic their brand is. So when I heard they were having a beauty line, I mildly peed on myself in excitement (ok that is a lie, but I was excited!).

Because I'm a "VIB" at sephora, they had a special 48 hour sale for some people on select Marc Jacobs beauty items.

I hopped on it right away. I only picked up two items in fear that the line would stink (don't hate me MJ!) as these products are a bit pricy.

I picked up a three eyeshadow palette (which I seriously adore) and a lipgloss. I can't wait to share with you my thoughts on these so far. Here are some teasers as to what they look like. dayum, the packaging is so luxe and chic, I LOVE IT!

As far as I know, these are coming out in August at Sephora. :)

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Le Metier de Beaute Beauty Vault VIP

So sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been away in Asia - and it has been nonstop cray! I have so much stuff I bought (for family and friends... OK and myself!). Still gotta sift through it before I haul it. :D

Before I left, I saw the LMdB Beauty Vault VIP box which is basically like a monthly subscription service box of amazeballs LMdB stuff. Its a monthly box for 12 months and they guarantee that you will receive 'one full sized item or an assortment of items' which will be a mix of their favorite color, skincare, PRE-RELEASE (Whoa!) sneak peeks, lab previews and vault exclusives in addition to a bonus gift just for signing up!

The catch? You have to pay in full ($348) by 7/31/13. This seems super steep. like. really super steep. When you think about it, it is a box that comes out to be $29/month. Thinking about it that way makes it seem less daunting because ONE LMdB may cost you at least $30. In fact, the cheapest product (from my knowledge) is probably their nail polishes which will run you $18. I believe the next cheapest would be one of their powder rouges or eyeshadows which are around $30. So knowing that each box has AT LEAST one full size product, it will probably be the month's cost plus more. So in hindsight, this is an excellent deal - especially if you love the brand of have been wanting to try it.

Just as a comparison, this is $8 more than glossybox which gives you at least 1 full size product and deluxe products (don't know the brands that they will give you though).

I'm interested. Very interested. I've been obsessed with LMdB products ever since I laid eyes on their kaleidoscope products. And after trying a couple products, I'm hooked. I think this is a great way to get to try a range of their products without having to commit to paying a hefty fee each time while knowing you'll get a little surprise that is worth way more than the cost!

I ALMOST thought I could resist purchasing it.. but then I saw a sneak peek on the LMdB facebook!!! This is their sneak peek of their first box - and it includes a pre-release brand new formula lipstick. In addition to that, there are still what looks like 2 other full size products and two samples. WOW!

picture credit: Le Metier de Beaute Facebook Page

If you were me, would you purchase it? My fingers are saying yes - my credit card is saying HELP! ... Or better yet, are you interested in me hauling/unboxing these for you? :P

If you would like to purchase the Beauty Vault VIP box - you can purchase here ;) LMK if you do!

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Chanel Summer 2013 Collection

L’ÉTÉ PAPILLON DE CHANEL 

This collection was inspired by the gorgeous colors of butterflies! And I totally believe it! I've been studying the life cycle of a butterfly with my students and growing/hatching? butterflies (class pet...?), so we've been looking through book after books of all sorts of butterflies. 

I think this is a beautiful, wonderful collection filled with colors that really shine brilliantly against sunlight, just as butterflies do. I love the shimmery shadows, the awesome metallic-y nail polishes and the bright vibrant jelly-ish shades. 

I went to Saks yesterday to check out the collection and loved the nail polishes, the cooling awesome shadow sticks and the coco rouge shine lip sticks. I went and swatched some of the shadow sticks (i'm not even kidding, I had to fight some ladies to get these four shades to swatch AHHA!) Top - Bottom in Stylo Eyeshadow: Black Stream, Pink Lagoon, Blue Bay and Cool Gold. I love the formula of these! So slick and easy to put on, blend - yet they stay in place once they set! 

 Here is a swatch of the Rouge Coco Shine in Pygmalion. I fell in love with this color! Its the perfect watermelon-y color for the summer!!!

I wasn't actually going to pick anything up, but my good friend Rae kept telling me how I must :P and so I did! HAHA! I ended up taking home two little babies :) Here I present you my newest additions to my chanel family (lol): The Stylo Shadow in Moon River and The Rouge Coco Shine in Pymalion! 

Review of each product will be coming up soon! Stay tuned! 

xoxo 

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Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Eye Pencil in Sequoia

This was another Le Métier de Beauté product that I received in my Limited Edition Birchbox Set and usually when I get pencil liners, I just toss them in the trash or give them to a friend. With my craptola eyes that are so darn watery and oily, no pencil has ever lasted on my eye.

Anyway, I received the product in Sequoia, which is a beautiful cool brown with no shimmer.

I decided to give this a try because I fell soooo in love with the mascara. Below is a picture of what the liner looks like above my lash line. I love the natural feel of this color and how it just blends in with my lashes. It gives such an effortless defined look! [PS. pardon my gross, creasing concealer! I just slabbed it on to cover my undereyes quick - although now it helped define my creases LOL]

At first, I was having a bit of trouble with using this product on using it as liner...and I don't blame it on the liner, because as I've said, my eyes are particularly fussy. I then asked my luxury cosmetics guru and good friend, Rae, how she would wear it and she recommended using it almost as a base - smudging it and setting it with powder, or actually using it as a base and putting shadow on top for an eye look. UM. YES! Now I am starting to look real good ;) 

I LOVE using it as a nice smudgy eyeliner and as a base for eyeshadow! I was so surprised at the easy blend-ability of the product. For sure, I thought because of this - it would be off my eye in a couple of hours (or below my eye! lol!).. but once the product was set, it did a great job of staying put all day. In addition to this, the product did not move or crease! I always have this one area on my eye that always creases (I bet even in the picture above, you can tell where it creases! LOL!), but it did a great job of holding still until I was ready to take my makeup off! 

The one gripe I had with this product was that its an old school pencil that I have to sharpen - but I guess that is my only gripe because I needed to go and buy a sharpener HAHA! I do realize why they kept it the way it is because it allows me to draw thin and thick lines depending on what kind of look I am going for... so I guess I'm not that upset over it. :) 

Overall, although it was a bit difficult to figure out at first, it definitely works amazingly! I absolutely adore the formula for a smudgy liner look and base. I think it looks so effortlessly chic and I already (aw man...) have the champagne color pencil on my wish list because dang, that color is beautiful. And with the same formula as this, I'm looking forward to smudging it all over my eyelid and showing it off! ha! 

You can purchase this product online for $36 at Birchbox or Neiman Marcus. :) 

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Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer Review

If you know me, I'm a huge concealer junkie. I've tried them all. I think my obsession stems from wanting to cover my undereye bags. They've grown through the ages and because of my watery and oily eye area, often all concealers, mascaras and liners slide right off my eyes and settle under my eye. *CRIES*

The Cle de Peau concealer is my holy grail concealer because of its creamy yet dry formula that comfortably sits under my eye without budging while providing amazingly pigmented coverage. Unfortunately, at it's $70 price point, I'm always looking for a similar product.

Nothing has come close until I met this little fellow.

This concealer has such a unique texture. It's a liquidy, creamy, non sticky formula - might I even say, it is *almost* a liquid version of the CdP concealer. ;)

Okay, enough typing - let me let the pictures do the talking!

Here is my naked eye. I purposely made it a touch blurry to hide any significant flaws near my eye. HAHA! I feel shy :P 

Here's a shot of the concealer spotted all over my eye. Does this look crazy? This is how I actually put concealer around my eye. I spot it everywhere so it has the most even coverage lol. 

Here's how the product looks after I use my finger to blend it out: 

Here are my eyes, the left with no concealer and my right with concealer. How weird do my eyes look - I have no clue what I was looking at! 

I think that the picture tell it all. The coverage is beautiful as is the finish. It does do a great job of brightening my under eye area so I look awake and fresh. The lasting ability is the only part that falls flat on this product. With this product alone, it only lasted a couple of hours before it was gone! I learned that the only way to keep this product on my under eye is if I blot the product with a tissue on my face after I apply the concealer, then set it with a powder. :) 

Overall, amazing product. It will be my cheaper holy grail product and I will be ordering this over and over again! for SURE! 

You can purchase the product here and mine was purchased in custard. 

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Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Waterproof Mascara Review

Ok. So I'm a convert. A week ago I would've swore to you that my itty bitty asian lashes can ONLY handle asian branded mascaras like Majolica Majorca Expander Frame Plus Mascara and FairyDrops Mascara. Not anymore.

Oh. Anamorphic mascara.. you're beginning to change my life.

So I was lucky enough to get this mascara in a Limited Edition Birchbox Set. I received this product in the color Brownish Black. I have a secret love for dark brown mascara because it makes me feel like I'm giving of this effortlessly natural but glamorous look. :P

Speaking of effortless, the packaging is in this lightweight and convenient package. I appreciate that the casing is clear because you can see the product inside. I don't really like most mascara packaging because I can't see how much is left or if something weird went inside - so I am loving that this one is clear!

It has a standard mascara wand. I'm impartial to this because this type of wand is a bit too large for my short lashes (I'm better of with thinner wands), but with a mascara guard, the wand works wonderfully getting deep into my lashes for a fuller look.

Here is the swatch of the color. I love the brownish black color for a daytime look. I think its the perfect balance. Most brownish black colored mascaras that I have lean too brown and look unnatural with my black hair. This one works nicely!

OK. don't judge me. I'm putting all of my vulnerable, teeny lashes for the world to see. lol :) 

So the next three pictures are naked lashes, one coat and two coats. I did NOT curl my lashes beforehand. So you know, my lashes naturally shoot downward, so I ALWAYS have to curl my lashes.

Are you amazed? 

Lengthening Ability: WOW. Is all I can say. Usually I need the fiberwig mascaras to give me this sort of length without it falling flat. After the first coat, I was already pretty impressed that the formula could hold my lashes up while making them longer, but the second coat made it look like I'm wearing natural falsies! 

Volumizing ability: I think the pictures speak for themselves. I think it gives just the right balance of volume to not become clumpy and goopy. 

Lasting Ability: Most mascaras on me give me severe panda eyes and flakiness even after I powder under my eyes and set my mascara with translucent powder. I mean, I KNOW my eyes are water and oily, but come on! haha! This mascara stayed put on my lashes and withheld my workout, my full day errands, etc. until I was ready to take it off. 

Curling Ability: This is where I was most shocked. Generally most mascaras fall completely flat within a couple minutes because my lashes get too heavy and can't hold the curl. Only thin formulas such as the MM expander frame can do it because of its thin formula. This formula isn't incredibly thin, but it didn't make my lashes fall! The mascara also actually helped curl my lashes really well! Below is actually a picture of the way it curled my lashes. Just the right amount of curl :) 

The one thing I felt like I had to do was wait for the lashes to dry before I try and put anything else on my face (since I'm always in a rush trying to multitask lol). The formula was pretty wet when I put it on and took a bit longer than other mascaras to dry. [If you look at my four eye pictures, you'll see little black dots below my eye. That's because I was trying to put on concealer right after I put the mascara on and I touched my lashes and then my undereye!]

OK... so the best part? Are you ready? My most dreaded part of putting on mascara is taking it off!!!...but the LMdB Anamorphic Mascara doesn't take all the rubbing, tugging, pulling craziness to get off!!!!! I used my AmorePacific Oil cleanser and at first clean, all of it was off! Best surprise ever! 

Overall, I am beyond excited that I was able to try this little gem. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this! The lengthening, curling, volumizing ability in conjunction with the easy to remove formula makes for such an amazing mascara and I all of a sudden feel addicted. I also know they have some sick, amazing colors. I can't wait to get my hands on more of them! 

Have you ever tried this mascara? What do you think of it? 

Although this is such a luxurious/splurge brand, I'm now excited to try more Le Métier de Beauté products! Let me know if you have any suggestions! I already have their Kaleidoscope blush kit, PV concealer and nail polishes on my wish list! :P

You can purchase this mascara online for $34 at birchbox, neiman marcus or nordstrom :) 

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