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LORAC’s Holiday 2014 ‘The Royals Collection’ (First Impressions)

October 24, 2014 Katie Marie 6 Comments

Out of the five different holiday gift sets that LORAC has brought out this season (that I have seen), I have three of them to share with you today. 🙂 I was fortunate enough to receive them just yesterday to try out and share some awesome pictures with you gals. This isn’t my official review, but just some initial thoughts and close-up pictures to see if they’re worth the price. 🙂

LORAC The Royal Collection 2014 Holiday Gift Sets

My Initial Thoughts: Let me just say, before we dive into the products, that I give LORAC 5 big, gold stars for packaging. Not only are they beautifully designed and in appropriate colors for the holidays — red and gold — but the boxes themselves have a velvety feel to them. They’re gorgeous!

I am not a hoarder — as my hubby, I throw out anything that’s not useful (especially product boxes). But with these boxes….I honestly am going to have a hard time throwing them away. They’re so pretty and they feel so special! Good job, LORAC!!

The Royal Lip Lustre Creme Set – $25 (value $90)

The Details: LORAC rules this season with The Royal Lip Lustre Creme Set. Give your lips the Royal treatment with our luxuriously creamy and delightfully smooth Lip Glosses that are loaded with antioxidants of Acai Berry, Pomegranate, Grape Seed and Vitamins A,C & E to help protect and
soothe your luscious, regal pout. This Royal family of Lip Lustre Cremes comes complete with 6 magnificent, high-shine shades that are fit for a Queen. Own the throne with The Royal Lip Lustre Creme Set!

Colors included are…

Empress – exclusive Pink Mauve
Princess – exclusive Pink
Enchanted – exclusive Peach Nude
Reign – Berry
Crown Jewel – Cherry Red
Tiara – Nude

My Initial Thoughts: The first obvious perk to this set is that it’s the least expensive out of the three I’m mentioning today and you receive the most products. I like that this set covers just about the whole color wheel when it comes to mandatory lip colors. From nude, to pink, to red, to mauve…it’s all here in this collection.

I noticed that three of these colors are exclusive. If you’re a collector and a lip junkie…than that’s instantly a major plus to this collection. I got excited when I saw that this was a lustre creme lipgloss. I love creamy lip products! But while this lip product is very pigmented, it still has the sheerness and feel of a regular lipgloss. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t like a liquid lipstick. But for lipglosses, these are great products. They have a really nice smell to them, too. Not overpowering, but definitely a fruity fragrance. Call my weird, but I love for my lip products to smell fruity!

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you’re a lip junkie…you really can’t ask for a better deal. It’s like getting these six glosses (regularly $15 each) for a little over $4 a piece. That’s a crazy deal — that’s cheaper than some drugstore lip glosses! Need I say more? 🙂

The Royal 3D Liquid Luster Set – Limited Edition – $28 (Value $64)

The Details: LORAC rules this season with The Royal 3D Liquid Lustre Set. Give your eyes the Royal treatment with our pastel, princess-inspired,
long-lasting, shimmering top coat. These shades can be applied over eye shadow or worn individually on eyes and cheeks for luminous, prismatic, 3-Dimensional sparkle and shine. Own the throne with The Royal 3D Liquid Lustre Set!

Colors included are…

Opal
24K
Rose Quartz
Amethyst

My Initial Thoughts: I saw Tati from Glam Life Guru talk about LORAC’s 3D Liquid Luster set last season and was really intrigued. (Side Note: If you’re not watching Tati’s videos….stop now and go subscribe to her channel. She does awesome makeup reviews!) While you know I am a big “matte shadows” fan, I do like some sparkle in my life every now and then. So I’m really excited about this collection.

It was really hard to try to get these liquid lusters to show up in pictures, but just take my word for it — they’re 100% more beautiful in person. 🙂 And keep in mind that this is also without any shadow underneath them. If I review these in depth on my blog, I will share pictures of my eyes before and after applying these liquid lusters. I think this set is really beautiful — and you’re getting a great value for the price! The only thing I can not vouch for is how well they hold up throughout the day and if they crease. But since I’ve heard Tati give these a thumbs up more than once in her videos, I’m pretty sure they’ll do great.

THE BOTTOM LINE: It’s a great set, for the price, especially if you’re all about the eyes. 🙂 The one drawback I noticed is that some of these colors are rather similar. Different, but very close. One idea to consider would be to purchase the gift set for yourself and 3 friends. (If you don’t like having excess makeup, that is. 🙂

The Royal Pro Eye Collection – $28 (Value $103)

The Details: LORAC rules this season with The Royal PRO Eye Collection. Give your eyes the Royal treatment and go PRO with products that are fit for a Queen. The Royal Pocket Pro includes Gold from the original Pro Palette, Cocoa from the Pro Palette 2, and an exclusive pro shade in Ivory, all in our velvety-smooth, long-lasting formula. Own the throne with The Royal Pro Eye Collection!

Items included are…

Royal Pocket Pro Eyeshadow Palette – exclusive
Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner
Pro Mascara

My Initial Thoughts: The practical side of me definitely comes out when I view this palette. Since mascara and eyeliner are products that everyone needs and goes through rather quickly, Mrs. Practicality instantly piped up and said “Totally worth the money!”. And she’s right. 🙂 I’ve gone through a Front of the Lines Pro Liquid Liner in the past, and loved it. I had it in the color Brown, so I’m excited to see how pigmented and dark their Black is. I’ve never tried out their mascara or the pocket palette (of course, lol), but this 3-piece collection is just a few dollars more than purchasing a single liquid liner. So…yeah, that’s a pretty good deal.

And the pocket palette looks very promising! As you can see in the swatches, they’re very creamy and pigmented — in tried-and-true, Lorac Pro fashion. 🙂 So I honestly don’t see myself not liking this palette. I like that it only has 3 shadows. I think this will come in handy when traveling. The colors are very neutral and could make a complete eyelook by themselves if needed. I can’t wait to use it — especially CoCoa and Ivory, since I don’t own the Lorac Pro 2 palette.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you’re a practical gal — or buying a gift for a practical gal — than this is definitely the gift set for you. It has products you will definitely put to good use and also an exclusive mini palette. 🙂

Question for My Readers: If you were to purchase one of these gift sets….which would you pick? Or if you have already purchased a gift set from LORAC’s 2014 Holiday gift set, which set did you buy?

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above from Lorac Cosmetics in the hopes that I would mention them on my blog. Regardless,
this does not guarantee a review or feature on my blog. I only share information that I think will be useful for my readers and I only recommend products I have personally used and liked.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette – Worth the Hype? – Review

October 15, 2014 Katie Marie 3 Comments

About Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Retail Price: $49

The Chocolate Bar experience begins as soon as you open the palette and the smell of sweet chocolate envelops you. The eye shadows are pigmented with pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder and includes 16 matte and shimmer shades of natural browns, delicate pinks and luscious plums. Includes our signature how-to Glamour Guide with three looks to get you started.

Purchase from Ulta // Purchase from Too Faced

My Review of the Chocolate Bar

Before I begin, let me just say that I think I am the only one who feels this way about this palette. Not sure why I’m the odd ball out, lol, but this is my honest opinion.

There is NO mistaking that the packaging for this palette is spot on — deserves 5 gold stars! It’s designed like a chocolate bar and has a really sturdy metal case. And since my all-time favorite color is brown and I LOVE chocolate…yeah, the packaging made me really happy. 🙂 The magnetic clasp is fairly strong, too, so there is no fear of it falling open accidentally.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette // FromMyVanity.com

I was really excited to dive into this palette the moment it arrived at my doorstep. I grabbed my camera and tried some swatches on my arm….and wasn’t too impressed. A few of the colors were beautiful and buttery soft (like the LORAC shadows that I love), and I liked them — but there were more than a few shades that felt dry and kind of rough.

Applying them onto my eyes looked and felt a bit better. The shadows with glitter had some pretty significant fall out (I do my face after my eyes, thankfully) but the finished results still looked great. The matte browns that I used for blending were beautiful. Definitely my favorite 3 out of the whole palette!

The darker shades that had glitter — Candied Violet and Gilded Ganache — felt pretty dry to the touch. The pretty shimmery pink shade was very soft, so soft that one corner broke off. And I’m not rough on my shadows at all.

First Row

My favorite aspect of this palette would have to be that it smells like chocolate and the matte brown shades! Considering this is almost a $50 palette, I found it hard to justify owning this palette when I have other palettes that have matte browns and shimmery pinks.

Second Row

This palette is very unique in that it’s a neutral palette, but has many colors that other neutral palettes do not. (the beautiful green, violet, burgundy, golden brown). I think if you are looking for your first neutral palette to invest in, this would definitely be a good one to get, as it will give you more variety in colors and finishes than the other high-end neutral palettes that I’ve seen.

Third Row

For me, though, I just found that I had a dupe for just about every shade in here that I already owned. So when I would do my makeup, I often would just pull out my other shadows or palettes. If you don’t own many neutral palettes, however, I think this is a great one to start off with. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette has pigmented shadows and some pops of color to play with. For me, however, I just don’t find myself reaching for this as much as I had expected/envisioned. Maybe I hyped it up too much in my mind

Are you an avid makeup collector, or do you only like to own makeup products that you use? I find myself *wishing* I was a collector, but when it comes down to it…it bothers me when I have makeup I don’t use.

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Before I begin, let me just say that I think I am the only one who feels this way about this palette. Not sure why I'm the odd ball out, lol, but this is my honest opinion.

I purchased the products mentioned above with my own personal money. I was not compensated in any way for posting this review. I only recommend products that I have used personally and believe will be beneficial for my readers.

Bite Beauty’s Cute Luxury Duo Lipstick is a Gem! (Makeup Review)

September 19, 2014 Katie Marie 3 Comments

About Bite Beauty’s Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo

Retail Price: $12

What it is: A bite-sized lipstick duo of contrasting shades.What it does: This mini duo of twist-up bullets offer neutral or vivid lips on the go. Wear them individually or layer to create your own custom look. With every application, antioxidant Resveratrol fights free radicals with potent long-term age-repair benefits. Each lipstick contains the Resveratrol equivalent of two glasses of red wine, reducing fine lines and wrinkles on and around the lip area over time.

This set contains: 2 x 0.05 oz lipstick

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Phthalates

What else you need to know: At Bite’s Soho Lip Lab, these Fresh, Spring-forward shade combinations were spotted as a trend. Created with natural and food-grade ingredients, BITE Beauty lip products do not contain petrochemicals and are certified gluten-free.

My Review

First Impression & Packaging…
I first heard about these double ended lipsticks from Beauty Broadcast and was really intrigued by it. There are two types of this lipstick, one vivid and one neutral. I don’t think I need to tell you with I got. (The neutral, of course!)

I liked that these lipsticks are supposed to help erase fine lines as you wear them. Not that I have fine lines yet, but it can;t hurt to start now. 🙂 So when I was checking out at Sephora one day, I did an impulse purchase and added these to my basket. At only $12, I didn’t feel like it was too expensive — especially since you get two colors.

The little bullet was smaller than I expected, especially if you look at the box. But it actually makes it really easy for traveling with. I’ve been away from home for the past 2 weeks, and this was my go-to lipcolor that was easy to slide into my pocket or purse.

Product & Application…

When it actually comes to how this lipstick feels, I can’t ask for more. It has a luxurious, moisturizing feel to it…but it almost has a mattifying finish. It’s not completely matte, but nearly. It isn’t staining — and since these colors are natural and nude, I wasn’t expecting them to — but the color does last a long time on your lips. I find that I really only need to reapply if I’m eating or wiping my mouth.

The caps to this lip duo snaps shut, making me feel very comfortable when I throw it into my purse — it isn’t going to accidentally open and decorate it’s nearest neighbor! And the outside of the bullet actually feels soft, almost velvety. You know how the Lorac Pro palette feels? Well, it’s almost like that. I love it!

Major Likes & Dislikes…

I love that I have two natural, but different, colors in one tube that I can use for any occasion. I’ve worn this duo for a day around the house, out shopping, to dinner, and even to a formal occasion. It’s perfect for any occasion, and feels amazing on your lips.

The bullet is rather small, which can be considered a con. But at only $12, I feel that the quality of the lipstick makes it well worth it.

Final Thoughts…

I love my Bite Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo. It really does feel like your applying a luxury cream to your lips. And after you wipe it off, your lips feel moisturized.

If you’ve never tried any of Bite Beauty’s lip products, this duo is a great one to start with. I feel like you can’t go wrong with the neutral duo. One side is a natural pink for any occasion and the other one is a darker pink/brown for nicer occasions. Definitely found a winner, here, and will no doubt repurchase when the time comes. Love it!

Question for My Readers: What is the most important thing you look for in a lipstick? Color? Feel? Staying Power?

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Eat a SoyJoy Fruit Bar & Paint Your Nails with Triple Shine! (Beauty Review)

December 18, 2013 Katie Marie 7 Comments

Today I’m going to be reviewing two of the products that came in my Voilet Voxbox from Influenster. 🙂 They’re both rather short reviews, so I thought it fitting to combine them together.

About SOYJOY Baked Whole Soy & Fruit Bar…

Unwrap the perfect snack! SOYJOY offers complete protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber; all 7 SOYJOY varieties are all-natural, certified gluten-free, and just 130-140 calories per bar. Baked with ground whole non-GMO soybeans and real fruit pieces, SOYJOY is a great on-the-go option that raises the bar on snacking. SOYJOY is full of joy, not junk!

My Review…

The Bar, Packaging, & Taste…
I’ve seen these bars around before, but haven’t ever had the opportunity to try one. I just took a quick look at Target and saw that for a box of 12 bars is only $12.99. Considering that these are healthy bars that are filled with nutritional ingredients that are good for you, I think that a little over a dollar a piece is a pretty good price. The wrapper that my bar came in was really thick and felt like a “good quality” wrapper…if that doesn’t sound too weird. Like, in comparison to store-brand bars and this bar, the wrapper was really thick and well-sealed. A nice perk I appreciated.

The bar is pretty dry. I could instantly tell this when I broke off a piece. This wasn’t a negative for me, since I enjoy eating bars that are too soft and squishy. It wasn’t hard (I can’t stand bars that hurt your teeth just to chew!), just dry. It broke apart easily with no mess. The bar I got to review was the Cranberry one and I thought it was delicious! It very faintly reminded me of those Fig Newtons I used to eat as a kid. And since I’ve always loved Fig Newtons, this bar was an instant win for me! 🙂

Final Thoughts…
When I go to eat a snack, I always appreciate when I can eat and know that what I am putting in my body is good for me (as opposed to eating a cookie or M&Ms as a snack! :-P) This would definitely be a bar I would keep handy to throw in my purse when I am out and about on a busy day.

About Sally Hansen New Triple Shine Nail Color…

NEW Triple Shine™ Nail Color from Sally Hansen! Daily defense from water and wear. Defend against the Triple Threat: Tap, Salt, and Chlorine water. Water to workout, day in and day out, nothing will dull these nails.

The gloss is protected with the Ultimate Shield Complex, exclusive to Sally Hansen, designed to help polish withstand the wear and tear of everyday living for non-stop shine. Outshine ’em all with our 30 shades!

My Review…

Product & Application…
I really enjoy painting my nails and have a large supply of nail polishes in my desk drawer, but I didn’t have a color similar to Sally Hansen’s new Triple Shine nail polish in Make Waves. I was thrilled to get this color in my Violet Voxbox. 🙂 If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve tried this bottle out on a cute winter-themed nail art. I am now currently on day 4 of wearing this polish and I only have two nails (my thumbs) with major chipping. For me, personally, this is a great record! Usually nail polish only lasts a few hours — maybe a day — before chipping starts to happen. 😀

Major Likes & Dislikes…
I really liked the size of the brush on this polish! It isn’t too big, but it isn’t too small, either, and it makes it really easy to get into the corners of my nail. The top to the polish has a casing that comes off (as you can see in the picture here), which I thought was a little interesting. Not bad, not good…I just couldn’t figure out the reason for that extra top. The only downside to this polish was that its a very sheer polish. It took a lot of coats to get this how opaque I like my colors. That isn’t a really a big downside, since the layers are thin and they dry fast. And even though I did 4 or 5 coats, there wasn’t any air bubbles are funky stuff going on from so many layers. They all dried beautifully!

Final Thoughts…
I really like this polish! Depending on where you go to purchase these, they retail for about $4 or $5.

For me, this is a little expensive for nail polish — but I’m going to be on the lookout for sales and use a coupon with it.

Then it’ll be a steal and I’ll have some beautiful, shiny polishes that last to add to my collection! 🙂

I received this product from Influenster for free in order to review. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this product, which I have done. I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used or experienced and that I believe will be good for my readers.