Review: New Wet n Wild Craze Nail Colors

I really cannot express to you my excitement right now. I have been going crazy (no pun intended) over these new Wet n Wild Craze Nail Colors ever since my dear reader and fellow beauty blogger Halifax tweeted about them a while back. The fact that I've seen more and more reviews pop up on other beauty blogs has only added to my obsession. So naturally, I scoured all of my local drugstores for them but I just could not locate them in my area.

So imagine how I felt when I contacted Wet n Wild recently and they sent me the entire collection for review! I freaked OUT. Seriously, I did. But that's not all. The folks at Wet n Wild also sent me a collection of new makeup products (some are so new that I haven't seen them in my drugstores yet) that I will be testing and reviewing in the next few days and weeks. Please stay tuned for that because I can honestly tell you that you are going to blown away by these new products. I can hardly contain my excitement as I type this!

OK, let's get started:

First and foremost, you can believe the hype about these nail polishes. These little bottles pack a powerful punch! Look how cute the design is on the bottle! And the polish itself? Wonderful. They are so opaque (the majority of these shades achieve total opaqueness with no streaking after only ONE coat) and the brush is fantastic. It picks up a great amount of polish and it holds the polish without dripping. Basically these polishes are a dream to apply. Also, the formula is toluene, phthalate and formaldehyde free.

[Disclaimer: My blog is not a nail blog. I'm a typical nail polish lover but I'm no expert. So please understand that I'm describing these colors the best I can, but I don't claim to be knowledgeable enough to detect nuances or elements about these colors that the more skilled eye may notice. So if you notice something about these colors in real life that I did not describe here, I apologize in advance. If I called something a shimmer when it's really a micro-glitter, etc. etc. well I warned you that I'm a novice!]

Also, please note that all of the following swatch pics were taken after two coats (no base or top coat).

Let's start with "Goldmine", which is a super pretty gold shimmer. I'd say the pic of the bottle is truer to life than the color on my thumb, which is making it a bit more orange than it truly is:

Next we have "Inferno" which is a gorgeous, deep orange with gold shimmer. It's not as bright as the swatch but it's a little brighter than the pic of the bottle:

This was the hardest one to photograph. "Nocturnal" is a deep, deep inky blue creme that looks black until you really look closely. It's really the darkest shade of blue I've ever seen and I love love love it. On the first coat you can really see the blue undertone but I would say that, indoors, people will probably think you're wearing black. You've really got to be in the sunlight to see the full beauty of this one.

Next we have "Jade" which is a lovely lime green with gold shimmer. My pictures are not picking up the gold shimmer but believe me, it's there. Sooo pretty.

OK, this one is a real show-stopper. "Rustic" might look like a basic medium brown shimmer but once you put it on, WHOA. I was stunned by how beautiful this wears. It is the most shimmery, rich, deep, warm brown I've ever put on my nails. This will be my go-to color this fall, without a doubt. These pics really do not do this color justice as it is simply stunning in real life.

Next we have "Lust" which is a bright, cheery fuchsia with violet shimmer. It looks far more orange in these pics but trust me, this is a blue-toned fuchsia. Perfect for toes!

Attention all taupe lovers! "Shield" is for you. This is a gorgeous medium taupe with gold shimmer. Stunning on the nails, but of course you can't appreciate the true beauty of this color in these pics. You've got to see this one in person, I tell you.

Oooooh. Aaaaaah. "Morbid" is sinful and dark and simply stunning. This is a deep, dark midnight teal shimmer (the pics make it look more green but there's definitely blue in there). All I can say is: I'm in love.

Fun, fun and more fun! "Glitz" is a multi-color micro-glitter that is predominantly purple in a clear base. They really packed so much glitter in this baby that it's easy to get good coverage in two coats. Also, this glitter it so fine that it doesn't feel gritty on your nails once it dries.

And here's a bonus pic of "Glitz" worn over "Nocturnal":

Whew! That's it. All nine colors in the Craze Collection, for your viewing pleasure. Do you already own any of these colors? And if not, are they any colors in particular that you plan to purchase? As always, I'd love to know your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

New Essence of Beauty Portables Collection (everything's under $5!) plus a cool new Softsoap product

I was at CVS yesterday looking for an emergency replacement for my Shu Uemura eyelash curler (can you believe I lost my Shu after having it for ten years?? Don't ask me how I lost it, but it's gone) and I spotted this new collection from Essence of Beauty):

click on the pictures to supersize

All I can say is WOW! If you look at the very bottom of the displays you can see the prices of each item (prices range from 99 cents to $4.99). There are makeup sponges, tweezers, makeup remover pads, mini nail files, mini brush sets, portable hair brushes, eyelash curlers and nail clippers.

So I picked up the Eyelash Curler which retails for $2.99.

There's a little latch on the back that you pull down...

...and that becomes the lever you press to curl your lashes.

And at the bottom of the curler there is a replacement pad tucked into the unit itself. Clever!

I'm impressed. For $2.99 this thing totally works. Granted, you don't get the precision of the Shu Uemura eyelash curler, but it works and I actually won't mind using this for a while until I can afford to purchase another Shu. Also, this would be great to take along when you travel because it takes up SO much less space than a conventional eyelash curler. Seriously, it takes up just as much space in a makeup bag as an eyeshadow single. The dimensions are about 1 inch by 1-1/2 inches.

Next, I want to share a new shower gel with you. I realize that most of you won't find this as cool as I do, so I'm posting it for the 1% of my readers who might share my fascination. These are the new Softsoap Nutri-Serums shower gels:

I tried my best to capture what these look like but you have to look closely to see it: It's a clear shower gel and there are large gold "pearls" and little colored "pearls" suspended in the clear gel. ( According to the bottle, these "pearls" contain a special moisturizing serum.)

The pink formula (contains Omegas 3 & 6) has large gold pearls and little pink pearls.

The green formula (contains Vitamin E) has large gold pearls and little green pearls.

I don't know if it's that the beads are suspended in clear gel, or that the beads are different sizes, but I just think this entire presentation is so cool. I'm sort of obsessed and can't wait until they go on sale so I can see what they feel like to use. The scents are sort of generic (clean, floral-ish fragrances) that are nice and not headache-inducing.

I hope you enjoyed my latest CVS discoveries. Do you plan to pick up anything I've mentioned here? I'd love to know your thoughts.

New Giveaway: Six Auric Blends Perfume Oils!

[PLEASE NOTE: THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER--A WINNER HAS ALREADY BEEN SELECTED. THANKS, Recessionsita]
If you read my review from earlier this week, you know I am a longtime fan of Auric Blends fragrances. In my opinion, Auric Blends makes some of the most beautiful, quality perfumes I've ever sniffed and they're all under $10 a bottle. Amazing!

So I am absolutely delighted to be hosting a giveaway, sponsored by Auric Blends, that contains ALL SIX OF THE PERFUME OILS I MENTIONED IN MY REVIEW! Yep, all of my favorites! Whoo hoo!

One lucky winner will receive all of my favorite fragrances from Auric Blends. Each bottle is a full-size roll-on of perfume oil (retail: $7, 1/3 oz.). The total retail value of this prize is $42.

The winner will receive one bottle each of the following perfumes (these are my descriptions of each fragrance from my original review):

Egyptian Goddess. Arguably their most popular fragrance, the ladies on the MakeupAlley.com fragrance board have much love for this fragrance and I completely understand why. If you've tried other Egyptian-type musks in the past, let me assure you that this is the best of the genre. It's a white musk that is blended so expertly, I defy you to try and pick out the other notes. They all blend together so beautifully that what you're left with is a soft, clean scent that brings to mind warm, fluffy sweaters and clean skin. That's about the best description I can give you. For you non-perfume-wearers out there, I say give this fragrance a shot because it goes against any preconceived notion of what perfume smells like. Also, it's great to use to layer with other scents.

Love. One of Auric Blends newest scents and an instant classic. I wore this the other day and a lady stopped me in a parking lot to tell me that I smelled "amazing". Love is Egyptian Goddess blended with some extra musk and woods notes. Now you might think that would equate to a stronger, more heavy fragrance but you'd be wrong. Love is light, ultra-clean, super soft and it encompasses you like a snuggly blanket. To my nose, this smells a lot like Narcisso Rodriguez for Her, which will set you back $160 a bottle. Why pay that insanely expensive price when you can get something just as wonderful for, um, SEVEN DOLLARS!

Honey Almond. Do you use the iconic Jergens Original Cherry Almond Lotion just because you love the smell? And have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish they made this scent in perfume form."? Well, my lovelies, wish no more because Auric Blends Honey Almond smells exactly like the classic Jergens lotion to me! Seriously, it's got that real almond note blended with a bit of cherry and a bit of honey. It's such a soft and comforting scent and it instantly brings me back to Jergens and being a kid again. Love it.

Vanilla Musk. OK. I'm going to speak to the hardcore fragrance junkies out there for a minute so bear with me. Fragrance junkies: If you love/own Etro Heliotrope (which retails for $90 a bottle) you must give Vanilla Musk a try. I personally am a huge fan of that candy-like, powdery vanilla quality of heliotrope, and this scent's got tons of it. I am in heaven here. Sheer bliss. So if you like your vanillas candy-sweet and powdery like me, you simply can't go wrong with this one. And again, you can get this for seven dollars! I feel like I'm stealing it for that price, I tell you.

Divine Opium. Are you a lover of the spicy-sweet scent of fresh carnations? Is the carnation note in YSL Opium the thing you love the most about that fragrance? Well instead of shelling out 100 bucks for something like Comme des Garcons Carnation why not try Auric Blends Divine Opium which, to my nose, smells like a bouquet of fresh carnations mixed with a sweet warmth that isn't too heavy on the patchouli but warm and sensual enough to keep things interesting.

Water Goddess. My new favorite scent. I cannot stop sniffing this one. According to the Auric Blends website this fragrance is composed of: A magnolia floral bouquet with touches of rose and violet, supported by a background of exotic woods and mosses. To my nose, I get the most lovely, invigorating combination of water, lemon, and fresh mint. Now I know those notes are not listed, but to me this fragrance smells as if you took some sparkling ice water and mixed it with fresh lemon wedges and tons of fresh mint leaves. It's a cooling, refreshing and uplifiting scent that I just cannot get enough of at the moment. If you're a clean, citrus, aquatic or minty scent lover, you've got to give this one a shot.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the six Auric Blends fragrances featured in this giveaway you would wear first.

Contest Rules:

Giveaway ends 11:59PM Pacific on August 19th. I will select a winner via Random.org's List Randomizer. Winner will be notified by email on August 20th and will have 24 hours to respond or will forfeit prizes and another winner will be drawn.

Contest open to US and Canada only. Void where prohibited.
You must be 18 or over to enter.
If you leave more than one comment on this post, you will be disqualified.

And finally, I cannot stress enough:

If you do not leave a clear method of contact in your comment, you will be disqualified (email address must be in the comment or easily accessed via your profile). There are already a few entries on this post that did not leave any form of contact whatsoever. If I cannot contact you directly, you can't win. Got it? Good. :)

I am SOOOO excited to be able to offer you, my dear readers, such a lovely collection of prizes. Good luck!

The Wednesday Question

This week's question is one that I'm sure will be easy for everyone to answer, and I am very excited to see your responses!

What is your favorite brand of drugstore lipstick?

When you walk into your local drugstore, what is your go-to brand for lipstick? L'Oreal? CoverGirl? Maybelline? Or maybe it's NYC, Wet n Wild or Prestige? Come on, ladies, tell me what brand of drugstore lipstick never lets you down. I'd love to know.

Video Review: New Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner

Milani Infinite Eyeliner is on the left.

I updated the software on my little ol' Blackberry this weekend and since I now have video capabilities, I thought I'd do a video review of the new Milani Infinite Liquid Liners that everyone seems to be going crazy for these days.

I love the colors (they come in blue, purple, green, bronze and black--I purchased "Forever" which is the shimmery bronze), the staying power and the price ($5.99) but I'm not wild about the application. Here's a video explaining exactly why:

So there you have it! Have you tried these new Milani liners? Thoughts?

And the winner is...

Congratulations to "T" for winning the Mayron's Good Baby Barrier & Diaper Cream Giveaway!

T, I've sent you an email requesting your address and as soon as I hear back from you we'll ship your goodies out.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated--the response to this giveaway was absolutely amazing!

Please stay tuned for more awesome giveaways in the near future.

Review: Auric Blends Perfume Oils (High-end fragrances at drugstore prices. Really.)

Don't you just love it when you discover something amazing that happens to be inexpensive? It's like a little secret that you want to keep all to yourself. Well that's exactly what happened to me when I was in college up in Northern California back in 1993, the year that Auric Blends debuted their fragrances to the world.

I can remember so clearly the day I walked into a local organic food market and saw a display of perfume oils with a distinctive Native American dreamcatcher logo. This was my introduction to Auric Blends, which quickly became my best kept fragrance secret. But now it's time for me to share my secret with you. Auric Blends Perfume Oils are this recessionista's secret weapon and I'd love for them to be your secret weapon too.

For around $7 a bottle, Auric Blends has been hand-blending in small batches some of the most delightful fragrances I've ever had the pleasure to sniff. Many of their scents smell like something you'd find at LuckyScent.com which, as you know, is a high-end fragrance lover's paradise. When I sniff my Auric Blends fragrances, I often wonder, "How in the heck can they sell these for $7? This smells like something you'd pay several hundred dollars to own."

I have been wanting to write a review of Auric Blends fragrances since I started this blog, so I am delighted to tell you that I recently reached out to this company to let them know of my love for their products and they graciously sent me some fragrances to test. So now I am honored to pass along my reviews of some of their newest, as well as their classic, scents for your reading pleasure. So let's get started!

Egyptian Goddess. Arguably their most popular fragrance, the ladies on the MakeupAlley.com fragrance board have much love for this fragrance and I completely understand why. If you've tried other Egyptian-type musks in the past, let me assure you that this is the best of the genre. It's a white musk that is blended so expertly, I defy you to try and pick out the other notes. They all blend together so beautifully that what you're left with is a soft, clean scent that brings to mind warm, fluffy sweaters and clean skin. That's about the best description I can give you. For you non-perfume-wearers out there, I say give this fragrance a shot because it goes against any preconceived notion of what perfume smells like. Also, it's great to use to layer with other scents.

Love. One of Auric Blends newest scents and an instant classic. I wore this the other day and a lady stopped me in a parking lot to tell me that I smelled "amazing". Love is Egyptian Goddess blended with some extra musk and woods notes. Now you might think that would equate to a stronger, more heavy fragrance but you'd be wrong. Love is light, ultra-clean, super soft and it encompasses you like a snuggly blanket. To my nose, this smells a lot like Narcisso Rodriguez for Her, which will set you back $160 a bottle. Why pay that insanely expensive price when you can get something just as wonderful for, um, SEVEN DOLLARS!

Honey Almond. Do you use the iconic Jergens Original Cherry Almond Lotion just because you love the smell? And have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish they made this scent in perfume form."? Well, my lovelies, wish no more because Auric Blends Honey Almond smells exactly like the classic Jergens lotion to me! Seriously, it's got that real almond note blended with a bit of cherry and a bit of honey. It's such a soft and comforting scent and it instantly brings me back to Jergens and being a kid again. Love it.

Vanilla Musk. OK. I'm going to speak to the hardcore fragrance junkies out there for a minute so bear with me. Fragrance junkies: If you love/own Etro Heliotrope (which retails for $90 a bottle) you must give Vanilla Musk a try. I personally am a huge fan of that candy-like, powdery vanilla quality of heliotrope, and this scent's got tons of it. I am in heaven here. Sheer bliss. So if you like your vanillas candy-sweet and powdery like me, you simply can't go wrong with this one. And again, you can get this for seven dollars! I feel like I'm stealing it for that price, I tell you.

Divine Opium. Are you a lover of the spicy-sweet scent of fresh carnations? Is the carnation note in YSL Opium the thing you love the most about that fragrance? Well instead of shelling out 100 bucks for something like Comme des Garcons Carnation why not try Auric Blends Divine Opium which, to my nose, smells like a bouquet of fresh carnations mixed with a sweet warmth that isn't too heavy on the patchouli but warm and sensual enough to keep things interesting.

Water Goddess. My new favorite scent. I cannot stop sniffing this one. According to the Auric Blends website this fragrance is composed of: A magnolia floral bouquet with touches of rose and violet, supported by a background of exotic woods and mosses. To my nose, I get the most lovely, invigorating combination of water, lemon, and fresh mint. Now I know those notes are not listed, but to me this fragrance smells as if you took some sparkling ice water and mixed it with fresh lemon wedges and tons of fresh mint leaves. It's a cooling, refreshing and uplifiting scent that I just cannot get enough of at the moment. If you're a clean, citrus, aquatic or minty scent lover, you've got to give this one a shot.

You can purchase Auric Blends in several retail, specialty and health food stores across the nation, as well as online. Also, I want to mention that you can purchase sample kits on the Auric Blends website, which have FREE SHIPPING. This is an excellent way to try a few fragrances before committing to a full-size bottle and, believe me, a little of each fragrance goes a long way so you'll be able to test your fragrances several times with each sample vial.

Do you own any Auric Blends fragrances? Do you plan to purchase any? I'd love to know your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Reminder: Less than a day remaining

You've got less than 24 hours remaining to enter my Mayron's Good Baby Barrier & Diaper Cream giveaway! Contest ends tonight at Midnight Pacific.

Click here for the deets!

Are you a Sephora girl or an Ulta girl?

OR

Before you answer that question, take a look at this fascinating article in the New York Times about Ulta's rise to conquer Sephora as the most popular beauty store in the land. The article brings up some very interesting points. For instance, there's a growing trend in consumers who like the convenience of high-end and drugstore beauty products sold under the same roof. Ulta's just about the only place where you can pick up a Lorac eyeshadow and a Maybelline mascara at the same time, and there are a lot of us savvy shoppers who find this appealing, as opposed to the high-end-only world of Sephora.

On the flipside of the coin, I know there are a lot of us who feel like a kid in a candy store when we walk into Sephora. Sure, we can't afford to buy everything we want, but much like a kid who can't eat everything in a candy store, we love to look and part of the thrill is pairing down our shopping basket to just one or two must-have items.

So...I'd love for you to weigh in here: Are you an Ulta girl or a Sephora Girl? And why? Leave a comment and let me know!

Review: L'Oreal Color Riche Anti-Aging Serum Lipstick

Perhaps you've seen this new display in your local drugstores lately:

Since my luck with Color Riche lipsticks hasn't been that great these past few years, I wanted to give the new Color Riche Anti-Aging Serum collection a chance. I picked up "Compelling Coral" to see if these babies are any different than the regular Color Riche lippies.

First let me say that I like the clear top on the packaging so that you can see what color you're reaching for when it's in your makeup bag. Also, I like that there's a moisturizing balm (the "Anti-Aging Serum") that runs through the center of the lipstick itself. According to the L'Oreal website, this serum is supposed to "instantly improve definition, fill surface lines and create fuller looking lips."

After I applied this lipstick, I looked for some type of improvement to my lips. Sadly, I didn't feel or see any such improvement. It felt like a normal Color Riche lipstick, but just a touch more moisturizing. It's a nice-feeling, creamy lipstick, don't get me wrong, but I just wasn't wowed by it being a huge improvement over the regular Color Riche formula. Also, the fragrance and flavor are reminiscent of the regular Color Riche lipsticks but just a tad more medicinal.

As for the color? Let's see:

The first time I put it on I thought, "Wow, this is a nice color." But there is an issue: The texture is more dewy than shiny. Now, this is not a bad thing, but when this lipstick fades, it tends to look a little chalky and matte. Now this is just my own experience and yours could be totally different, but for me it was a bummer. I'm not a high-maintenance lipstick person so having to keep tabs on how my lip color is fading is just not something I'm willing to do.

But as for it being true to the color in the tube, this is where it scores big points. Finally, a L'Oreal lip color that looks the same in the tube as it does on my lips. Good job, L'Oreal!

Look, Ma! The color in the tube matches the color on my lips!

Final Analysis: If you're looking for a lipstick that falls somewhere between shiny and matte, this might be a good choice for you. However, I did experience some inconsistencies when it came to how this lipstick faded, so you might need to be a little more liberal in your upkeep when you're wearing this product. As for the anti-aging properties, it's definitely a bit more moisturizing and creamy than the original Color Riche formula, but I didn't notice any real improvement to my lips. But perhaps this improvement comes over time with repeated use.

Super cool things to read this weekend

It's that time again! I've selected my favorite posts of the past week from the wonderful bloggers on my blog roll for you reading pleasure. Enjoy!

What happens when you take one of my favorite bloggers (Pink Sith) and have her guest blog for one of my other favorite bloggers (TheGlossMenagerie)? You get a fantastic post about taupe eyeshadows (one of my favorite colors ever!).

A few weeks ago I posted a display pic from the drugstore of the new Jessie's Girl Baked Eyeshadow Collection. I haven't had the chance to purchase one of these to review yet, but never fear because MakeupMasala has them all swatched for our viewing pleasure! Check out her great review here.

Wouldn't you know it? The one new L'Oreal lip product I don't buy or review on my blog is now the one I desperately want to get my hands on--but only after reading BeautyJunkiesUnite's review (look at that applicator!).

Have you been curious about the new Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser? Then you should definitely check out HappyFaceHappyWallet's detailed review before you make a purchase.

Josi, the pro makeup artist behind TheDailyBeautyBreak, has compiled a list of her top five beauty must-haves. The shocker is that one of 'em is a Maybelline eyeshadow that I've yet to try (I've got to get one now, of course). Check out her list here.

And finally, if you read my review of the generic version of Joico K-PAK this week, you should take a look at the review of the real thing over at TheArt&ScienceofBeauty. Very interesting!

Happy reading!