Friday Favorites– Glowing Skin and Red Lips!

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1.  Pixi Glow Tonic ($29.00)* - This stuff.  What can I tell you?  When it was first released, everyone raved about it.  Raved about it so much that it was sold out ALL THE TIME.  For some reason, in my head I thought it was so overhyped there was no way it was really that good.  Wasn't it just another toner?  Well, I was wrong!  I used this for all of June.  My skin was clearer, the little bumps on my head went away, my breakouts diminished and my skin did have a glow from the constant-yet-gentle exfoliation.  Then came July, and more skin care to sample.  I set my beloved Pixi Glow Tonic aside.  And my skin was not happy.  The little white bumps reappeared on my forehead.  Clogged pores galore on my nose and chin, and my skin had a general lackluster appearance.  It took me awhile to realize it was the Glow Tonic that my skin was missing, and I started using it again a few weeks ago and my skin is almost back to where I want it to be!  Pixi Glow Tonic is currently in stock on Pixi's website, but it does sell out, so snatch one (or two) up while you can!  I just ordered a backup!

2.  IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness ($32.00) - I picked this color correcting cream up on a whim and ULTA sometime in June. This comes in one universal shade and looks like foundation in a pot.  I thought it would be much too dark for me, but the IT Cosmetics artist showed me to just use a tiny amount where I need it - around my nose, anywhere I have sun damage, on the melasma around my mouth and on a few broken capillaries on my cheeks.  Because it contains silicone I do not apply it anywhere I would normally break out, and I don't wear it every day - just when I want my skin to look extra good.

3.  Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($58.00) - I feel like I was the last person on the planet to pick this up.  Now, I can't go a day without using at least one shade from this palette.  In fact, in the look below I used ONLY the Ambient Lighting Palette and Bye Bye Redness - no foundation.  I applied Dim Light all over very lightly to give my skin a more even appearance, Radiant Light in place of a blush/bronzer and Incandescent Light to highlight on my cheekbones, center of my forehead and down my nose.  Now that I own the Ambient Light Palette, I want more Ambient Lighting Powders!  I'm trying to hold off until Sephora's F&F event... and hope that they will release an Ambient Lighting Palette 2.0.  Wouldn't that be awesome?

4.  Mally Crimson Lip Lacquer from the Ultimate Lip Performance System ($25.00) - I found this years and years ago at a sample sale and forgot I owned it until yesterday, when I was trying to find a red lipstick to wear with the look I created with the Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette.  None of the reds I found were right (and to be honest, I own less than 5 red lipsticks) until I found this Lip Lacquer.  Perfection... And completely out of my comfort zone!

No Foundation Look with Bold Lips:

1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Tube - Original
2. CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Volume Mascara
3. Urban Decay Pulp FictionTM Palette
4. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Correcting Creme
5. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
6. Mally Beauty Ultimate Performance Lip System

Have you discovered any new favorites this week?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

*Pixi Glow Tonic provided for review.  All other products purchased by me.

Throwback Thursday: OPI DS Glamour (2007)

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I have a few reasons for choosing OPI DS Glamour for Throwback Thursday this week.  The release of two new (non-holographic) Designer Series polishes, and a raffle that is being hosted by someone I consider a friend, Kris of My Lucid Bubble.  Kris is raffling off her entire (and very extensive) OPI Designer Series collection for a very good cause.  I highly encourage you to visit her site and take part in this raffle! 

Until next time,

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Makeup Wars – Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia Palette

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Welcome to a very special edition of Makeup Wars!  This week we have partnered with Anastasia Beverly Hills to bring you The Maya Mia Palette, designed in collaboration with Maya Janeska (@maya_mia_y), and East African YouTube sensation and self-taught makeup artist. 

You may have seen pictures of her gorgeous eyes all over Instagram!  This palette is full of ten shades that combine neutrals with two bright pops of color and perfectly fits her own personal style of high impact, loads of lashes glamour.

The packaging is absolutely gorgeous!

This palette contains 10 shades – Nude, Deep Brown, Sienna, Warm Taupe, Vanilla, Aqua, Fresh Peach, Glisten, Caramel and Gold Bar. 

The Anastasia Maya Mia Palette also comes with 5 "Get the Look" cards.  Each look is created and worn by Maya herself.

The swatches below are all with my finger but without primer.

Note that I had to swatch two of the shades heavily – Aqua and Deep Brown.

The mattes were great, though a were a little powdery.  I loved Vanilla, it looks just like a normal matte but has hidden shimmer!  The only thing I would change would be to make Aqua more pigmented.  It was the shade I was most looking forward to using, and felt a little let down.

When I received this palette, I was so excited but it that I started playing with it right away.  As my husband would say, these are “not Jessika shades.”  I tend to stay away from anything that leans red.  Heck, I just recently started to embrace warm browns!  Since the only place I was going that night was Costco, I threw on some of the “not Jessika shades” over what I already wore to work, which was a simple (but bright!) eye look with bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Linen with Marc Jacobs Highliner in Ody(sea). 

1. Apply base (I used bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB in Linen
2. Apply  Gold Bar to inner lid, Fresh Peach to center lid and Caramel in outer corner and into crease
3. Use Glisten to blend the Fresh Peach into Caramel
4. Apply Sienna to the crease, using Nude as a transition shade.  Blend, blend, and blend!
5. Apply Vanilla as a highlight

And I really loved how it turned out!  So much so that I wore this exact look several times in the past month and was able to document the look each time, so you will see the look in different lighting conditions.  The only thing that varied was the intensity in which I applied the shadows – and how many layers of mascara!

Here's a quick peak at another look I did using Nude, Vanilla, Aqua and Warm Taupe and black liner.

What do you think of my look?  Very different the looks that Maya herself created!  This was my first Anastasia Beverly Hills product.  I definitely want to try more!  Do you have any suggestions?

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia palette is available now on Beautylish and ULTA.com and on the Anastasia Beverly Hills website, where it retails for $29.00.

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Top 10 Makeup Brushes

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I thought this week’s Top 10 would be easy, as we are sharing our favorite makeup brushes with you.  Who knew I couldn’t get mind down below 15?!?  So I have narrowed my list down to my Top 10 Makeup Brushes for the Face… I have another 10 Eye Brushes that I want to share with you too sometime!  I was going to share both of them with you today, but alas I ran out of time.  (I blame Facebook.)

My brushes are a mix of high end and drugstore, as is most of my makeup collection:

IT Cosmetics Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection  • $49.50)

IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush • $48.00

Since all of my favorite foundations are from IT Cosmetics, it’s only natural that my favorite makeup brushes to apply them with are also from IT Cosmetics!  The Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush is perfect for applying both Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream and IT-02 Liquid Oxygen Foundation. 

The Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush is perfect for both creams and powders – I use the black handled one to apply my Bye Bye Under Eye, and the silver handled brush to apply my Celebration Foundation and Celebration Illumination Foundation.  The brush applies just the right amount of powder to give me medium coverage without making my dehydrated skin look dry or flakey.  These brushes can be expensive.  At $48 each, it’s a much, much better deal to pick them up as part of a set that includes one of the foundations.

MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (Discontinued)

Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99

Real Techniques Stippling Brush • $9.99 

Real Techniques Contour Brush (from the Core Collection Set • $15.79)

I have become addicted to highlighting and contouring lately.  I love, love, love the Real Techniques brushes for any cream product.  The Real Techniques Contour Brush is p.e.r.f.e.c.t. for cream bronzers (like butter LONDON Fit Baker).  The Real Techniques Stippling Brush works wonders on both highlighters and blush without going over the top.

The Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush is the entire reason I purchased the 15th Anniversary Set at Target.  It’s such a fun and unique shape!  I have very small cheeks and I love how tightly I can shade in the hollows of my cheeks with this brush.

My number one addiction this past month is my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette.  Now that I know the glow I can get from it, my skin looks flat, dull and lackluster without it.  My MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (that I picked up not too long ago at a CCO) is perfect for applying Incandescent Light.

IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush (Special Edition 6-pc Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50)
Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99
Real Techniques Blush Brush • $8.99
Bobbi Brown Powder Brush • $62.00

I have owned my Bobbi Brown Powder Brush for over 8 years.  It’s a real workhorse, in it’s time I have used it for setting powder, blush, bronzer, and finishing powder.  Right now I am using it to gently sculpt my cheeks with Dim Light after I dust Radiant Light all over my face with the Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush, which might be the softest (and prettiest) synthetic powder brush I have ever used!

I haven't been reaching for my go-to powder bronzer lately (Too Faced Chocolate Soleil) but when I do I love to apply it with my IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush.  I love how big and fluffy it is!  It makes it impossible to over apply bronzer.  I actually love every single brush in the Special Edition 6-pc Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50) which is somehow still available.  I highly recommend that you pick it up if you don't own it already.  It would also make a great gift for the beauty lover in your life!

1. Bobbi Brown Powder Brush • $62.00
2. IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush • $48.00* 
3. IT Cosmetics Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection  • $49.50)* 
4. IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50)*
5. MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (Discontinued)
6. Real Techniques Stippling Brush • $9.99
7. Real Techniques Contour Brush (from the Core Collection Set • $15.79) 
8. Real Techniques Blush Brush • $8.99
9. Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99
10. Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99

*provided for review

What are YOUR favorite face brushes?  Let me know in the comments!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

OPI DS Tourmaline and DS Titanium ♥ Swatches and Review

Press Sample

My question, every time OPI has released a “DS” polish lately is “does this polish deserve to be labeled Designer Series?”  We we all spoiled by the original DS holographic polishes.  They.  were.  gorgeous.  My faves?  DS Sapphire, and DS Glamour.  Last year’s Raw Granite won me over even though they weren’t holographic.  Will this year’s Polished Quartz do the same?

OPI DS Tourmaline over OPI Kiss Me on My Tulips – sans topcoat.

OPI DS Tourmaline over OPI Kiss Me on My Tulips – with topcoat.

OPI DS Titanium over Who Are You Calling Bossy?!? sans topcoat (left) with topcoat (right)

So here’s the deal.  I don’t especially care for the way these look on their own, which is why I chose to layer them.  (Cosmetic Sanctuary has great swatches of them on their own.)  I think the semi-matte finish is interesting, but I think they need topcoat to to bring out the “intense three-dimensional sparkle.”

Do I like them?  Yes.  I love the glitter.  I do think it is unique.

Do I think they deserve the DS title? Not really.

DS Tourmaline and DS Titanium will be available beginning September 3, 2014 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, ULTA and ulta.com for $12.50 ($14.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Beauty Spotlight: Christine's Favorite Concealers

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Christine from 15 Minute Beauty is a busy lady.  She works full time, has a blog and a family.  She gets phone calls all night long for work, not to mention restless nights of sleep because of pregnancy issues!  It should come as no surprise that she has more concealer than a Sephora store.  Check out her favorites here!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

OPI Pink of Hearts 2014 ♥ Swatches and Review

Press Sample

Happy Friday, everyone!  No Friday Favorites this week, as these arrived on my doorstep right before dinner yesterday – the limited edition 2014 OPI Pink of Hearts set (see last year’s Pink of Hearts set here).  This is the eight Pink of Hearts set that OPI has released in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  There is one classic pink shade, Mod About You, and one brand new limited edition shade, The Power of Pink.

Mod About You is a classic cotton candy pink shade.  The formula on the bottle I had was slightly thick and didn’t self level well (as you can see on my middle and ring fingers).  I don’t consider that too much of a problem, as it would have been covered up when I applied top coat.

The Power of Pink is a small magenta and white glitters with larger magenta and white hex glitters in a milky base.  I am sure you could wear this one on its own, but I chose to layer it over Mod About You.  The glitters were not hard to get out of the bottle, but I am not happy with the way my pinky finger turned out – to much milky base that is obscuring the glitters.  To avoid this on my remaining fingers I made sure to wipe the brush carefully against the neck of the bottle before applying, almost removing “too much” polish.

OPI will donate $25,000 to Susan G. Komen^® in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October). OPI will also donate $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada.

Pink of Hearts 2014 will be available September and October 2014 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, beautybrands.com, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $16.95 ($21.50 CAN) suggested retail.

Will you be picking up this year’s Pink of Hearts?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Coming Soon: OPI DS Polished Quartz

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UPDATE:  See Swatches!

Remember last year when OPI brought out texture’s for the Designer Series?  Well, they have done it again this year!  (OPI when will you bring us more holographic Designer Series polishes?  WHEN?)  Last year was Raw Granite, and this year we have Polished Quartz with OPI DS Tourmaline and OPI DS Titanium.  These polishes are supposed to be lightly textured with semi-matte finish with intense three-dimensional sparkle. (Translation – they will be easy to smooth out with top coat.) 

OPI DS Tourmaline

OPI DS Titanium

DS Tourmaline and DS Titanium will be available beginning September 3, 2014 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, ULTA and ulta.com for $12.50 ($14.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.
 

What do you think of this year’s DS polishes?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.