Hiatus

I just wanted to give a quick notice that I will be away from the computer until probably Saturday night. I'm really sorry, but the place I'm staying for spring break has horrible wireless internet and this was the first time I was able to connect!

The Dilettante's First MAC Trip

I finally gave in and headed to the MAC counter this afternoon. It was AMAZING. One of the amazing MUA did an eye look on me, as I was obviously overwhelmed.

It was more vivid in person. I only remember some of the products she used. 

Bare Study Paint Pot

Eyeshadows:

Phloof!

Beautiful Iris 

Star Violet

Very Violet

Macroviolet Fluidline

and a mascara I wasn't impressed with

I only had enough money for one eyeshadow. I bought Phloof! and got a sample of Bare Study because I wanted to compare it to my Stila Kitten Smudge Pot. I decided I like Kitten more because it has a pink undertone. But I like the Paint Pot texture more (a lot more). Maybe I might be addicted? I don't know. We'll see.

What I'm Taking with Me for Spring Break

The funny thing is I'm going north to Virginia for spring break, but that's not gonna stop me from breaking out the bronzer, self-tanner, and tank tops! Surprisingly, it's actually going to be warmer in Virginia than where I live...So it all works out in the end.

The Necessities:

• Mark. For Goodness Face moisturizing lotion with SPF 30
• Hard Candy Sheer Envy Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 in Light
• Mary Kay Satin Lips Lip Balm
• Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten
• Stila Smudge Pot in Black
• NYX Concealer Jar in Fair
• E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
• Tweezers
• Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black
• E.L.F. Blending Eye Brush
• E.L.F. Studio Kabuki Brush

What Else I'm Taking (because I have room)

• Mary Kay Acne Treatment Gel
• E.L.F. Nail Polish Remover Pads
• E.L.F. Nail Polish in Blush
• E.L.F. Brow Gel
• E.L.F. Definining Eye Brush
• EcoTools  Eyeshadow Brush
• EcoTools Concealer Brush
• Miscellaneous eyeshadow brush
• EcoTools Blush Brush
• E.L.F. Studio Powder Brush
• EcoTools Eyeliner Brush
• Origins Halo Effect illuminator 
• CoverGirl LashBlast in Black Brown
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Luminous Pink
• Mark. Just Pinched in Cheeky
• NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Boho Chic
• MAC eye shadow in Phloof!
• Revlon ColorStay Mineral Bronzer in Golden Bronze
• Jane single eyeshadow in Goldie Looks
• Rimmel Three-Sum in Platonic
• Revlon ColorStay foundation in Sand Beige
• eyelash curler

First Haul Post! Revlon and E.L.F. Galore

The first announcement is that I figured out how to manipulate the color setting on my camera, so now all the photos are 99% what they look like in person (to me). I was finally able to capture the color of NYX Rouge Blush in Boho Chic (this really made me so happy. It was pathetic):

 Isn't it beautiful?

Now on to the review! We'll start with Revlon, because that part is smaller. I took advantage of two great sales that were going on: Revlon BOGO at CVS and Revlon 40% off at Walgreens. I bought a ColorStay Mineral Blush in the shade Petal and a ColorStay Mineral Bronzer in the shade Golden Bronze (which I was hitting pan on). 

                                          

 Here's a swatch of the bronzer. The blush shows up on my face and wrist, but not in pictures for some reason. It's actually swatched right under the bronzer in this photo. I can see it, but the camera can't. These are usually $13.99 each regularly ($11.99 at Target btw). So during BOGO, I got each one for $7.

Next I went to Walgreens and bought Revlon Colorstay in the Combination/Oily formula in the shade 180 Sand Beige (which I'm loving) and Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout.

                                                    

I swatched an alreadly open Revlon Matte in Pink Pout at Walmart a while ago and fell in love with the slightly-lilac slightly-bubble gum color. However, when I bought my tube from Walgreens and got it home, I realized it's the right shade (on the tube),but the color is different (similar but completely different). Observe below:

                                           
Left: My swatch and tube Right: Internet images of the swatch and tube. Most photos show the tube even more lilac tinted than this!
I really don't know why this is. I want the color on the right, not the left. I will probably return the lipstick for another shade from the Super Lustrous line which I love. But despite my disappointment, I did get a great deal and the lipstick quality is nice. At 40% off, I bought the lipstick for $4.79 and the foundation for $7.79. Plus I received a great coupon for $5 dollars off my next Revlon cosmetics purchase at Walgreens! Are you thinking what I'm thinking??? Two lippies!

Now for the E.L.F. haul.

Studio Small Smudge Brush

 This is slightly pinker in person.

The sharpener is built in! 

Left: E.L.F Blending Brush Right: Mary Kay Crease Brush

I just happen to own the Mary Kay Crease brush, but it isn't soft anymore. So I bought a replacement. They differ in shape, so I don't know if I'll like it or not.

E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder

blush is pinker than swatch

 free gift for referring friends!

I'm so excited to try everything. I really love E.L.F. Let me know if you want reviews on anything, and don't forget to comment on the previous post about which Mark. product I should review first!

Upcoming Events

Here's what in store for the weekend:

1. (if my order arrives tomorrow) a Mixed Brand Haul!

2. A review of some Mark. Product. Not sure which one yet. Let me know which of the below products you would like reviewed:

•  Good Glowing Blush
• Glow Baby Glow lipgloss
• Juice Gems lipgloss
• Gleamstick lipstick
• Pro Gloss
• Scandalash
• On the Edge Liquid Eyeliner
• i-Mark single eyeshadows
• Make It Big Mascara
• Eyemarker Pencil Eyeliner

And next week is spring break. I don't know if I'm taking my laptop or not. I'll let you know as soon as I decide. Stay tuned and don't forget to comment with your selection from the above list!

--Melissa the Dilettante--

                                                   

40 Questions Tag!

I decided to do the 40 Questions Beauty Tag so readers could have a closer view into The Dilettante. Enjoy!


1. How many times do you wash your face daily?
Morning and night. It starts the day off right for me. At night to remove dirt and makeup.

2. What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
Combination.  Oily on forehead and shiny on nose. dry around the nose. and normal everywhere else.

3. What is your current facial wash?
Loreal Go 360 Clean Sensitive Skin Formula

4. Do you exfoliate?
3x a week

5.What brand do you use?
Rachel Perry

6. What moisturizer do you use?
Olay Complete Combination/Oily

7. Do you have freckles?.
Nope

8. Do you use eye cream?
I borrow my mom's :)

9. Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Never. 

10. Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Nope

MAKE-UP

11.What foundation do you use?
It varies. Usually Mark.'s But I recently bought Revlon Colorstay and really love it.

12. How about concealer?
NYX Concealer Jar

13. Do you know your undertone color?
Neutral

14. What do you think of fake eyelashes?
They are so much fun! It invokes fantasy!

15. What brand of mascara do you use?
Loreal Carbon Black Voluminous and Wet n Wild LashIntense 

16. Sephora or MAC?
Shocking fact---I've never been to a MAC counter...I know. I know. It's on my to do list. I'm a little afraid of becoming addicted...And we don't have a Sephora where I live. We do have Ulta...so Ulta?

17.Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
Nope

18. What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Brushes (I love Ecotools) and my sanitized fingers

19. Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
UDPP

20. For the face?
I've tried different kinds. They don't do anything different for me. My face makeup doesn't fade or crease or anything unpleasant.

21. What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
NYX Single Eyeshadow(s) in Iced Mocha. Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Underground and Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow in Asphyxia 


23. Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Both 

24. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
never??

25. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Never tried them 

26, Do you use mineral makeup?
No. I don't like it

27. What is your favorite lipstick?
Does it count if I haven't tried it in real life? I'm kind of obsessed with photos of MAC's Angel

28. How about lipgloss?
Mark. Juice Gems in Fig and Honeydew

29. What is your favorite blush to use?
Mark. Good Glowing in Afterglow and Revlon Colorstay in Petal


30. Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
no. but i would

31.Do you like drugstore makeup?
most definitely

32. Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
no

33. Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
yes

34. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
no

35. Name a makeup crime that you hate?
raccoon eyeliner on girls too young to wear it (and other ages too) and overly made up mature women

36. Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I like rich, jewel tones and smoky eyes. But I also like neutral eyes and bright lips.

37. Which celebrity always has great make up?
Mila Kunis, Hayden Panettierre, Alexa Chung, I could go on and on.


38. If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
mascara

39.Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
only on the weekends

40.Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
yes. makeup is just to fulfill my creative tendencies


I thought this was forty questions. Sorry. 2 more!

41. In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
NYX but I really admire Mark. for all its social work

42.What do you think of Makeup?
It's a wonderful art. It lets us dream.

Wet n Wild LashIntense Mascara Review

I bought this mascara at CVS for somewhere around $4. I was doubtful that it would work,but the packaging was really pretty, so I gave in! (Oh, you impulsive shopper, you!) The brush is rubber and has three rows of bristles fanned out on one side and a comb(one row of straight bristles) on the other. (Anyone ever notice how weird the word bristles is?) I was ecstatic when I tried it! It is definitely one of my all time favorite mascaras, and I can see my self repurchasing this indefinitely. (Please, don't stop making this, WnW!)

Some pictures:

(I couldn't really get the camera to focus on the straight on angle)

(brush photo from: http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2009/01/beauty-on-budget-wet-n-wild-lash.html)

 Size Comparison

I really love the fantastic effects of this mascara, and the low price doesn't hurt either! As a warning, this is not waterproof, so no crying when you realize how much you love it! Not being waterproof does make it easy to remove though, which I love. Most mascaras never want to come off of my lashes...(anyone else have this problem- even after using eye makeup removers!? Me too.)

This product is a 5/5 all around!

Note: I bought this with my own money and was not paid for this review and am not affiliated with Wet n Wild Cosmetics.

NYX Cream Rouge Blush Review

(Note: The color of this photo is way way off!)

First off, let me emphasize how much I love NYX Cosmetics! They are so colorful and affordable. I love the range and selection. I purchased this blush for $6 from Cherry Culture in the shade Boho Chic. Though the photos don't represent the color at all (it was so hard to try and find the right shade!). It's closer to this color:

(Courtesy of http://www.topearl.com/Coral-turquoise-shell-pearls.html)

It's a lightly-coral pink. It looks bright in the pan, but applies sheerly with buildable color. It creates a healthy natural glow. 

I love powder blushes, but creams are my absolute favorite. This is by far the best I've tried. I love the texture. It's so smooth, and well, creamy.  It feels so fresh and makes me look glowy. I really believe this color would look great on anyone. On another note, this does have a slight shimmer, but honestly, I didn't notice until I looked for it!

More photos:

Final Score

Color Selection: 5/5

Texture: 5/5

Color Payoff/Buildablility: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Lasting: 3/5

Total: 4/5 Would repurchase! 

Disclaimer: Purchased this on my own. Not paid for review.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Review in Glam Ice

After reading Nouveau Cheap's  review of Rimmel Glam Eyes a while ago (See Here), I've had my eyes set on one. Now you might be asking, "With such cute fresh colors, why did you pick white?'. The answer is- I was in desperate need of a dramatic highlighter (I know, I know. Who doesn't have a highlighter? Me- until now.). Don't get me wrong. I have "highlighter" shades, but they were mostly just lighter shades. I never owned that perfect pearlescent white highlighter shade until now! Glam Ice is no plain boring white. It is shimmery (not glittery) and is so so pigmented. I used it with UDPP, so I didn't see any creasing. Since it's mostly a highlighter shade, it wouldn't be creasing anyway, but it might wear off or other shades might crease- I don't know sorry. I'll try it and let you know! 

And I know this doesn't contribute to the quality of the product, but the packaging and design are just so cute! (but not in a little girl way)

                                        

Top: one swipes    Bottom: Two swipes

Product Rating:

Quality of Product: 5/5

Design: 5/5

Function: 5/5

Staying Power: N/A

Color Selection: 3/5

Overall: 4 (because I wish it came in more than like 5 colors) I would repurchase!

March 16, 2009 LOTW: Frosted Violets

For my first Look of the Week (daily is too much), I was inspired by this picture of violets in the snow. While I didn't go literal with dark purples, blues, and a hint of yellow, I did go with soft frosty purples and metallics.

(http://www.weblo.com/asset_images/large/Violet_in_the_snow_Violet_48d5eec8bcff2.jpg)

Here are the products I used:

Foundation: Mark. face expert in Nude

Concealer: Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette in Fair 133 and NYX Concealer in a Jar in 02 

                 Fair

Primer: UDPP

Shadows: Rimmel Glam Eyes in Glam Ice, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Asphyxia, E.L.F Brightening Eyecolor  

                in Silver Linin, and NYX Single Eyeshadow in 25 Silver

Liner: Loreal HiP Color Chrome Eyeliner in 915 Silver Lightning, Urban Decay 24/7 in Lust, and Wet n Wild 

          Mega Eyes Creme Liner in 887 Eggplant

Macara: Eyeko BIG Eyes Mascara in Black

And the look......

Upcoming Events

~Watch for the first Look of the Day tomorrow!

~Review of Wet n Wild LashIntense Mascara

~Review of Rimmel's Glam Eyes

~Review of NYX Cream Rouge Blush

Stay tuned!

--Melissa the Dilettante--

Essence Bronzing Pearls

"With essence, cosnova presents a colour cosmetics line offering top quality beauty at unbeatable prices.

essence is the ideal beauty range for all fashion-forward modern women and girls. With a striking range of directional cosmetics for

face, eyes, lips and nails essence is the ultimate brand for all beauty fanatics. And with our famously unbeatable prices, our customers

can repeat buy new shades and products to create a fantastic

collection of must-have beauty treasures. Developing your own inner make-up artist has never been so easy and affordable!

The essence brand ethos is reflected in the playfulness of make-up:

the desire to create and re-invent a vision of beauty whether it's

natural, vibrant, catwalk-inspired or seductively sexy. The modern girl's desire to express herself through beauty is reflected in our graphic model Cosma's constantly evolving looks. Be inspired, be beautiful. "(From the distributer's website http://www.cosnova.eu/en/essence.html)

      Essence is (recently) now available at Ulta Cosmetics nationwide and on Ulta.com. I saw the brand online and immediately wanted this product and few other things from the line. I only ended up buying this and their Nail Art Stampy Set (which I will review later- think cheaper Konad!). The bronzer was $2.99, and I didn't see any products above $4.99! 

I don't know what it is about makeup pearls, whether it be foundation, blush or bronzer, there's just something so elegant about them to me. I remember as a little girl, watching my mom use Blush Pearls, and being so envious. I always used to play with them when she was busy!

Here's what the product looks like:

(I didn't see more than one shade?)

And here's what it looks like applied over foundation on my wrist. The picture doesn't do it justice. It isn't an in-your-face bronzer. It's subtle, yet gives you such a wonderful healthy glow and is totally buildable. It is slightly shimmery, but in the dewy way, not glittery. I love it. I hate most bronzers because they're all either too glittery or too dark. This is my holy grail bronzer!!!!

Rating: 5/5 I would repurchase.

(I personally bought this product and was not paid to give my opinion, nor did I receive any sort of compensation or free product to provide this review. I am in no way affiliated with Essence Cosmetics.)