Review: Real Techniques On Location Travel Essentials Brush Kit

If you read other beauty blogs aside from this one, then there's a very good chance that you've visited the fabulous blog Pixiwoo. So I probably don't have to tell you that Samantha Chapman, one of the beauties behind Pixiwoo, has her own line of makeup brushes which are available at Ulta. The name of the brand is Real Techniques, and recently I was sent the above kit for review. It's been a while since I've tried any brushes outside of my old standbys (EcoTools and e.l.f.) so I was excited to give these a whirl!

 Real Techniques On Location Travel Essentials

(retail: $15.99)

Looking on the Ulta website, this kit has an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars and 20 reviews.

As you can see, the brushes in this kit are made with taklon bristles (aka synthetic fibers). I love love love taklon brushes so I was really excited to see that. 

As per the photo above, you get three brushes and a "panoramic case" which doubles as a stand (more on that in a bit).

Here's what the kit looks like when open:

As you can see, the elastic band runs along the left side of the case as well, so there's room for additional brushes:

 

And here's what it looks like closed:

The case has a velcro closure (see above), and there's a little tag that tells you how you can convert the case into a stand.

Here's what the case looks like when folded into a stand (frontal view and aerial view):

On to the brushes!

Makeup brushes are so subjective, so I could never tell you whether or not I think you need any of these particular brushes. But what I can tell you is how they performed for me personally, so here's a quick summary:

Multi-Task Brush

The box states that the Multi-Task Brush can be used for powder, blush or bronzer. For me, it's too big for blush (the head of this brush is more than double the size of my e.l.f. blush brush) but I do love it for powder. The bristles are quite dense, and it's a very soft brush against my skin (comparable in softness to my EcoTools powder brush). I find that it picks up my loose powder easily and distributes is evenly as well. 

 Essential Foundation Brush

I have not used this brush for liquid foundation (as you know, I'm usually a powder foundation gal) but I HAVE used it to apply concealer and wow, I love it for that. I find that the head of this brush fits perfectly in the inside corner of my eye and under-eye area. It's just so easy to use, and I love how it blends my concealer. It's super soft as well.

Dome Shadow Brush

I love this brush for blending my shadow. I think it's a bit too fluffy for shadow application, but for blending? It's fantastic. So soft and effortless to use. 

I have washed all three of these brushes a total of three times now, and I have to tell you that I have not lost ONE bristle (well, at least not that I can see!). All three brushes wash easily and dry fairly quickly as well (obviously the powder brush is going to take a bit longer to dry than the other two, but if you wash your brushes at night, all three should be nice and dry by morning, no problem.)

FINAL VERDICT: For $15.99 at Ulta, I think this is a nice basic kit that contains brushes you could easily use every single day. My only gripe is that, for a travel kit, I'd like to see an actual blush brush included because a smaller blush brush is essential for me when I'm traveling. But other than that, I think these brushes are of fantastic quality and worth the price-tag.

Do you own any Real Techniques brushes? If so, how do you like them?

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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Swatches: NYC Smooch Proof 16H Lipstains

If you'd like to see my full review of this lipstain in the shade Champagne Stain, please click here. Today I'm going to show you some additional shades that I was sent by NYC. As many of you know, I love these lipstains and I think they're some of the very best that you can find at the drugstore right now in terms of staying power, color selection and price (again, for details, see my full review). I can't believe these are just $4.99 each (even less if you wait for a sale and/or have coupons, of course!).

In terms of accuracy, the shades you see in these photos are pretty accurate, EXCEPT for Forever Fuchsia, which is the second shade from the left. For some reason, my camera is distorting this shade and in real life, it's more of a pinkish berry with slight blue undertones. In other words, it's not nearly as warm and red as you see in my pics.

Again, all of the swatches above are very accurate in terms of what I see with my naked eye, EXCEPT for Forever Fuchsia (second swatch from the top). On the skin, this shade is a true, blue-toned fuchsia, and not the pinkish-maraschino cherry red you see above.

But as far as the other colors go, they look almost identical in real life to what you see above. Now, of course, when worn on the lips these are going to appear differently than what you see on my arm. It all depends on the pigmentation of your lips! On my lips, I find that Persistent Pink is the most wearable shade of the four--it gives my lips a beautiful, natural-looking pink flush that I love quite a bit.

On my lips, Forever Fuchsia translates to a deep, intense, true magenta. It's definitely a high-impact shade and if you love true fuchsias or magentas, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one!

On my lips, Rock on Ruby translates to a deep red shade (beautiful for fall), while Never Ending Nude turns a shade or two deeper and browner than what you see in the swatch above. I think this would be a beautiful shade on deeper skintones.

I hope this helps those of you who have been considering a purchase. If you have already tried an NYC Smooch Proof 16H Lipstain, I'd love to hear what shade(s) you have and how you like them! So far, I find myself reaching for Persistently Pink the most because I just love the soft, wearable berry-pink stain it gives my lips.

To see all of the shades in this range, click here.

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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Review: Milani Limited Edition Paint Eyeshadow Palette

If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that all of us want to see more matte eyeshadows at the drugstore. So I'm thrilled to be able to review for you the new limited edition all-matte palette from Milani:

(Retail: $7.99, 0.35 oz)

As mentioned when I posted the press release for this product, the Milani Paint Eyeshadow Palette is exclusive to CVS and is in stores this month (July). In fact, I've heard that many of you have already spotted this product at your local CVS locations already.

The first thing I noticed when I received this palette is that it's MUCH larger than I expected. I put it next to a Milani baked blush just for perspective:

In person, this compact is identical in size to many of my face powder compacts, if that helps give you a better idea of its size. Also, I really like the packaging. It's simple, but it's not flimsy and it feels substantial in my hand.

After playing around with these shadows for a few weeks now, I can confirm that many of the shades are fairly vibrant for me even without primer, however primer DEFINITELY intensifies the colors. I find these shadows to be smooth and silky, and none of the shades are chalky or dry. Milani calls these "super-soft, silk-like eyeshadows" and they're certainly not lying! I love these texture and ease of use of these shadows.

For the following photos, I swatched each color on bare skin, followed by over primer. The primer used in these photos is Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden:

And finally, after putting a large amount of UDPP Eden on my arm, I took all seven shades in the Milani Paint palette and tried to blend them to give you an idea of how they work together:

FINAL VERDICT: If you like matte shadows and you like bright colors, I think you might enjoy this palette. Worn on their own, I think these shades can give you a pretty, watercolor type of feel. Worn on top of your favorite primer, the shades become more vibrant and intense. I think the texture of these shadows is silky, smooth, and extremely easy to work with. This palette was a very pleasant surprise (I love mattes and I'm a pretty tough judge of them) and I think the $7.99 price-tag is fair considering how many shades you get and the quality of the shadows themselves.

Have you spotted the Milani Paint Eyeshadow Palette at your local CVS yet? Have you purchased one? I'd love to hear 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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

One new winner drawn for the Milani giveaway (could it be you??)

One of the ten original winners of last weekend's giveaway failed to claim their prize by the deadline, so I just drew another winner.

Drum roll please...

The new winner is: Michelle G.

Congrats, Michelle G! Please leave a comment on this post letting me know you saw this announcment, and then send me an email with your shipping info as soon as you can!

Thanks again to everyone who entered!

New collection from China Glaze: METRO

I've got one more press release to share with you today, and this one's from China Glaze. Take a peek at their Fall 2011 collection, METRO:

URBAN EDGINESS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

China Glaze Introduces 12 New Purely Pigmented Crèmes, High Coverage Glitters and Intense Shine Shimmers for Fall 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2011): City living boasts excitement, a cool, edginess and confidence that oozes from fashion forward women like none other. City loving celebs like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump, Rosario Dawson and Jaime King have style to spare and their fashion sense trickles down to everyone from working women to college kids. This Fall, China Glaze has captured the big city feel in 12 sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every fashion maven’s “must have” list. Whether you prefer downtown funk or uptown class, China Glaze’s METRO collection pulls together ensembles and will undoubtedly make heads turn! Colors in this collection include:

Skyscraper: A sparkling, glitter blue reminiscent of the sky over the city.

CG in the City: Glittering dusty purple, bronze and silver multi-tonal glitter, perfect for a pop of edge from West side to East side.

Urban-Night: Exactly what you need for a night on the town – rich purple crème.

Traffic Jam: Stop traffic with a breathtaking, raspberry pink crème.

City Siren: The perfect deep, red crème to match any outfit.

Loft-y Ambitions: Burgundy shimmer and cocktail hour – nothing better.

Brownstone: Burnt terracotta crème mirrors the quaint townhouses of the city.

Midtown Magic: Burgundy base with flecks of gold shimmer captures the latest fashion trend.

Street Chic: This gorgeous beige crème is the perfect go to shade letting your clothes do the talking.

Concrete Catwalk: Steel grey crème is amazing for a chic mani.

Westside Warrior: For the trendsetting woman this camo green crème is to die for.

Trendsetter: Mustard yellow shimmer translates beautifully from hot dogs to nails.

Fall in the City is a magnificent time and China Glaze has interpreted the hues of the urban jungle into their limited edition METRO collection. Escape your everyday and indulge in the city life!

The China Glaze METRO collection will be available in a “Downtown” 6 piece box collection (includes Skyscraper, Concrete Catwalk, Westside Warrior, Trendsetter, Loft-y Ambitions and Midtown Magic), an “Uptown” 6 piece box collection (includes CG in the City, Urban-Night, Traffic Jam, City Siren and Street Chic and Brownstone), a brand new, amazing 3D 12 piece counter display, a 36 piece rack display, and as open stock colors.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze fans: what do you think of this new collection? Have you already spotted swatches/reviews online? Do you already know what shades you plan to purchase once METRO hits stores? Thoughts?

New Bath & Body Works fragrance: Paris Amour

I just received this press release for the newest scent at Bath & Body Works, so of course I'm excited to share it with you!

From Bath & Body Works:

Paris Amour is the perfect scent for the fall. The essence of a woman who isn’t afraid of spontaneous adventure. Feminine and romantic, Paris Amour captures those first fleeting moments of falling in love: stolen glances from a beautiful stranger, a stroll down the Champs-Elysees, the unforgettable kiss.

The latest addition to the Signature Collection, Paris Amour evokes the enchanting spirit of the namesake city. Envelop yourself in Parisian allure every day with a blend of sweet sparkling florals and warm, creamy musk. A part of Bath & Body Works’ “Romantic” collection, Paris Amour is formulated to make you feel elegant, beautiful and chic.

PARIS AMOUR

***Available in Bath & Body Works August 2011***

TOP NOTES

Sparkling Mandarin, Petite Strawberry, Cassis, Pink Apple Blossom, Dewy Freesia

MID NOTES

Luscious Peach, Jasmine Petals, French Tulip, Water Lily, Frangipani

DRY NOTES

French Vanilla, Coconut Milk, Amber Wood, Sandalwood, Creamy Musk

*Products include: Shower Gel ($10.50), Body Lotion ($10.50), Fragrance Mist ($12.50), Eau de Toilette ($29.50), Bubble Bath ($12.00), Shimmer Mist ($14.00), Select A Shimmer ($14.00)

This fragrance contains lots and lots of notes that I simply adore, so I'm SUPER excited to sniff this one! How about you?

The Wednesday Question

Happy Wednesday, my lovelies! I haven't asked this in a long time, so I'm excited to see your responses now that summer's in full swing:

What's on your toes right now?

I just gave myself a much-needed pedi a few days ago and I'm currently wearing Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polish in Pacific Blue, which is one of my favorite blues of all time. I can't believe I bought this back in 2009 (was it really that long ago?) but the date of my original blog post doesn't lie!

What's on your toes right now?

Review: Freeman Feeling Beautiful Pomegranate Sugar Body Scrub

If you live in an area that's been as hot as it's been in San Diego recently, then boy have I got a fun, refreshing, and low-cost beauty treat for you!

Back in March, when I posted about some new Freeman products on the horizon, I was so happy to hear that many of you used to use Freeman products "back in the day" and that, just like me, you were excited to try some things from them again. Freeman was a brand that I loved when I was younger, so I was thrilled to be contacted by them recently with some products from their Feeling Beautiful line for review. It's always fun to revisit a brand you once loved, to see if you still love them years later!

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Pomegranate Sugar Body Scrub

(retail: around $3.99, 6 oz)

This body scrub is not a new product, HOWEVER, if you used to use it, you may have noticed that Freeman improved the packaging and it now comes in a more pliable plastic squeeze tube (it used to come in a harder plastic tube, which made it more difficult to squeeze). So now the packaging is more user-friendly.

My lovelies, I absolutely adore this scrub, and let me explain why:

Many years ago, I was a total body scrub fanatic. I probably had six or seven body scrubs in my shower at any given time. Since then, I've come to know exactly what I like, and what I detest, about body scrubs. Let me give you my personal checklist:

1) Must actually exfoliate my skin (no wimpy or sparse exfoliating materials for me!)

2) Consistency of product must be thick (the thicker the product, the more exfoliating it tends to do--on my skin at least)

3) Must not create a safety issue in my tub (no overly greasy residue that causes me to slip or slide after use)

4) Must be extremely affordable (I burn through body scrub too quickly to have to pay over $10 per product)

5) Must leave my skin looking and feeling softer (duh! Why else would you use a body exfoliator?)

6) Must smell amazing (obviously)

If you'd like to stop reading right now, then I can cut to the chase and tell you that Freeman Feeling Beautiful Pomegranate Body Sugar Scrub satisfies all six of my requirements. Period. End of story. If you'd like more details, then by all means, read on!

1) The exfoliating material used in this scrub is sugar. I love that the granules aren't super fine, yet they're not coarse either. I think they're ideal for the body. I also LOVE that since they're sugar granules, you won't see ANY granule residue in your tub after use. These granules melt away, but they don't melt too quickly. You can really get in there and exfoliate your skin nicely before they disappear.

2) Just like with facial scrubs, I prefer my body scrubs to have a similar consistency to toothpaste. I find that the thicker the consistency, the more heavy-duty the scrub, and trust me when I say that I need a heavy-duty scrub for my skin. I can't use a timid body scrub because I won't see results. I find the consistency of this scrub to be perfect for my needs.

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Pomegranate Body Scrub on the back of my hand

3) Absolutely no greasy residue on my skin or my tub after using this product. Freeman: my boyfriend, who often uses the shower immediately after I use it, thanks you.

4) I think $3.99 for a tube of body scrub is a steal. And I find that since this product manages to exfoliate my skin so effectively, I tend to use less of it, so one tube should last you several showers.

5) I love how this stuff makes my skin feel. After my shower, my skin just feels softer and smoother, but not greasy OR dry. Just...better.

6) I love pomegranate to begin with, but I really love that this product has a more natural pomegranate fragrance to it. You don't get that sugary-sweet pomegranate candy scent, but more of a clean, green, natural fragrance that I just adore. Yes, you get the sweetness and tartness of pomegranate, but I also smell something green, like fresh leaves, in this fragrance. I know this is going to sound crazy, but if you've ever smelled Demeter Tomato before, I get the same herbal freshness in this scrub. I can almost smell fresh, green leaves picked right off a tree or something. It's totally invigorating when I smell this in the morning and I wish I could get it in a body mist!

FINAL VERDICT: I absolutely love this stuff, and I'm so thrilled that the Freeman I loved back in the day hasn't let me down in 2011. Good, effective, and affordable body scrubs can be hard to find at the drugstore, and I think this one is certainly worth considering if you need some heavy-duty exfoliating without a heavy-duty price tag!

You can find Freeman Feeling Beautiful products at most drugstores, and you can also purchase them directly from their website (where they include free samples w/ every purchase). You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter for special savings and limited time offers and they even have a YouTube channel.

Do you currently use any products from Freeman, or have you in the past? I'd love to hear from you!

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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

New kits from Wet n Wild

Before I start this post, I want to thank so many of you for taking the time to send me photos of these products over the last week or so. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. I was fully intending to share your pics on my blog, but since Wet n Wild just sent over a press release, I decided to publish that instead. But again, I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to send photos my way. I'm so grateful, and I'm also happy to know that so many of you already have access to these goodies!

From Wet n Wild:

The Perfect Couple

(Exclusive to Walgreens and CVS)

All your favorite Fast Dry Nail Colors packaged together with a FREE top coat.

Retails for $1.99. ($3.98 Value for $1.99)

Note: these are full-size bottles

Beauty Hotspot

(Exclusive to Walgreens)

Perfectly petite beauty essentials in a chic purse-friendly makeup bag. Comes in 2 stunning looks with all your beauty favorites in travel-safe sizes!

Retails for $4.99 ($9.99 Value for $4.99)

PER WET N WILD, ALL PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THE PERFECT COUPLE AND BEAUTY HOTSPOT KITS ARE EXISTING CORE COLLECTION PRODUCTS.

These are summer promotions, meaning you should start to see them in stores this month (if you haven't already) and they should be on shelves for the duration of the summer.

Have you spotted these mini-kits in your area yet?

And the winners of the Milani giveaway are...

It took me a while to sort through and tally up all the valid entries for this contest (such an amazing turnout!) and I'm pleased to finally announce the winners!

All of the people listed below have won a set of Milani Smoothé Base Coat & Glossé Top Coat, compliments of Milani Cosmetics:

Bluegirl8888

Zombii
collifornia
Jeanne From NC

Jamie @ Rural Glamour
laheelahee

Tiffany @ Life as a Southern girl
flagrl561

Goldilocs
NEW WINNER (drawn 3:04PM July 6th after original winner failed to claim prize):
Michelle G.

Congratulations, winners!!

IMPORTANT: As per the rules stated on the giveaway post, if your name is listed above, you have 24 hours from the time stamp on THIS post (2:51PM Pacific, July 5, 2011) to claim your prizes. Please email me and also leave a comment on THIS POST letting me know you've claimed your prizes. In addition to emailing me, I ask that you also leave a comment on this post just as a precaution in case your email to me does not go through. Also, in your email to me, please include your shipping info!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and please check back soon for more fun giveaways!

Just a few more hours to enter the Milani giveaway!

Just a reminder that the Milani 4th of July giveaway ends TONIGHT (4th of July) at 11:59pm. If you haven't entered yet, you've still got time!

Also, I want to remind you that my comments are set for approval, so if you don't see your comment appear immediately, that's why. PLEASE do not leave a second comment--I'll approve all comments before I close the giveaway, but I'm taking a break from blogging for the holiday so I might not approve all comments until Tuesday morning.

Best of luck to everyone, and I hope you're all enjoying your holiday! I'll be back to my regularly-scheduled blogging tomorrow, which will include lots of new product sightings, reviews and more!

The Lipstick League - week of 6.20.11

Lipstick League Question of the Week: 

What’s the one shade you wish you could pull off, but can’t?

G's Answer: If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, then you know what I'm going to say. I just can't make most purples work for me, despite how hard I tried. Oh, and I can't make opaque, light pink lip colors work for me either.

Links of the week:

Clumps of Mascara - has found the blush of all blushes. This one is absolutely gorgeous!

Lipglossiping - channels her inner eyeshadow geek when she swatches her Shiro Cosmetics haul. Come take a peek(achu)!

Nouveau Cheap - is giving away 10 sets of the fab new Milani Glossé Top Coat and Smoothé Base Coat (contest ends midnight on 4th of July)!

Orange to LA - recaps her first IMATS Los Angeles 2011 experience. If you didn’t make it out to IMATS this year you can see what you missed!

Pink Sith - Introduces you to the new Chanel Illusion D’Ombre gel shadows. Will you fall in love with them as much as she has?

Phyrra - falls in love with the Too Faced Eye Love palette and tells you where you can find it.

Vampy Varnish - You can't miss out on these limited edition glosses from Milani.

we heart this - did IMATS last weekend. Wow, did they ever! Check out the haul photos.

Beauty Junkies Unite - Find out why Amber's experience with the Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation from Amazing Cosmetics didn't wind up being as amazing as she had hoped!

What shade can you not pull off (but wish you could)?

The Weekly Drugstore Makeup Sales (7/3 - 7/9)

Wow. I don't even know what to say. This week's drugstore beauty sales are, for lack of a better word, sort of blah. I don't know if it's because of the holiday or what, but I can't seem to find one thing to get really excited about this week. So sad! (And what's the deal with CVS only having ONE cosmetic brand on sale this week??)

That said, there are still some good savings to be had. Tomorrow's newspaper (Sunday July 3rd) has a P&G coupon insert (you can click here to see if your local newspaper will have it, and you can click here for a preview of what's going to be in it). And all three drugstores are running good sales on P&G products (CoverGirl, Olay, etc.) to coincide with these coupons.

Other coupons: there's a new $1 off Nicole by OPI coupon here, which is always nice to use at Target, especially if your Target has any Nicole polishes on clearance.

Don't forget about the $3 off Wet n Wild MegaLash Clinical Serum coupon here, which you can use at Rite Aid this week since there's a BOGO1/2OFF sale.

SALES FOR WEEK OF 7/3 - 7/9

The following sale info has been obtained from national circulars. You may live in an area that does not run national sales, so if you do not see these sales in your area, check with your store manager for more details.

CVS

MAKEUP SALES:

• All CoverGirl cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• Get $4 Extra Bucks when you buy 2 artificial nail products (excludes glue and clearance items)

OTHER NOTABLE DEALS:

• Goody hair accessories BOGOFREE
• $4 off RoC skincare
• Get $8 Extra Bucks when you buy 2 Coppertone Continuous Spray 6oz (excludes tanning)
• Free Schick Quattro for Women or Hydro 5 razor when you spend $15 on select Dove, Degree, Caress or Suave products
• Select Olay bath products and moisturizers $6.99 with $2 Extra Bucks
• Venus ProSkin, Embrace, Spa Breeze or Gillette Fusion ProGlide $9.99 with $4 Extra Bucks
• Neutrogena suncare $7.99 each (excludes Spectrum and Sunless)
• $7 off select women's or men's fragrance

RITE AID

MAKEUP SALES:

• All CoverGirl cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• All Wet n Wild cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• All Revlon lip and mascara BOGO1/2OFF
• All Neutrogena cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• Almay foundation, powder or blush $8.99
• Spend $15 on L'Oreal cosmetics get $5 +UP Rewards

OTHER NOTABLE DEALS:

• All Clean & Clear skincare BOGO1/2OFF
• Spend $30 on RoC skincare get $10 +UP Rewards
• All Neutrogena skincare BOGO1/2OFF
• Spend $15 on Rite Aid brand Pure Spring bath and body products, get $5 +UP Rewards
• Spend $30 on L'Oreal skin or suncare get $10 +UP Rewards
• Get $5 +UP Rewards when you buy 2 Jergens body lotion or Natural Glow
• in-ad coupon for $1 off Aveeno skin, bath or baby care
• Select John Frieda haircare BOGO1/2OFF; buy 2 get $5 +UP Rewards
• Aveeno haircare or Neutrogena Triple Care haircare $5.99 with $1 +UP Reward
• Summer's Eve products BOGOFREE
• Ocean Potion or NO-AD suncare BOGOFREE
• Spend $15 on Aveeno, Neutrogena or Hawaiian Tropic suncare, get $5 +UP Rewards
• Pantene shampoo, conditioner or stylers 2/$7 with $2 +UP Rewards

WALGREENS

MAKEUP SALES:

• All CoverGirl cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• All Revlon foundation, concealer, powder, blush, lip and eye cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• All Maybelline foundation, concealer, powder, blush and eye cosmetics BOGO1/2OFF
• Spend $25 on select L'Oreal cosmetics or skincare, get $10 Register Rewards
• Kiss or Broadway Nails kits or accessories BOGO1/2OFF

OTHER NOTABLE DEALS:

• Banana Boat or Hawaiian Tropic lotions or sprays BOGO1/2OFF
• Pantene haircare BOGO1/2OFF
• Select Vaseline lotions BOGO1/2OFF
• Select Olay body wash and bar soap BOGO1/2OFF
• Gillette Venus razor or Fusion ProGlide $9.99 with $5 Register Rewards

Swatchfest! Wet n Wild Limited Edition Dream Weavers Collection

HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THIS COLLECTION IN YOUR AREA? CHECK OUT OUR INTERACTIVE MAP TO SEE IF IT'S BEEN SPOTTED AT A DRUGSTORE NEAR YOU!

Retail: $2.99 each

In stores mid-July 2011

If you caught the press release I posted for this new LE collection from Wet n Wild, then you know I was pretty darned excited about it! I love Wet n Wild eyeshadow trios (who doesn't though, right?) but I know that many of you get frustrated trying to hunt these LE goodies down at your local drugstores. So I'm hoping that this post (which includes comparison swatches with other Wet n Wild shadows) will help you to better determine whether or not there are any must-haves that are worth the hunt!

NOTE: I cannot tell you exactly where you'll be able to find this limited edition collection. Wet n Wild makes these collections available to all of their retailers, however, it's up to each individual retailer as to whether or not they want to make these collections available to their customers. The only exception to this is retailer-exclusive collections, and Dream Weavers is not exclusive to any one retailer.

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SHADOWS WERE SWATCHED ON BARE SKIN WITHOUT PRIMER

(click images for a much closer look)

What you get:

• Shimmery golden olive
• Dark blue satin-shimmer (midnight blue that flashes lighter blue)
• Soft emerald-jade matte (no sparkle)

What you get:

• Cool-toned bubblegum pink matte
• Dark chocolate brown matte with pink sparkle
• Shimmery pink-tinged taupe

And because I know many of you were curious, here's a side-by-side comp of WE'RE BLASTING OFF next to the core-collection trio SWEET AS CANDY:

Not the same!

What you get:

• Shimmery champagne-beige-taupe
• Royal purple satin-matte with violet flash and very sparse silver sparkle
• Shimmery antique copper

What you get:

• Canary yellow with lighter yellow shimmer
• Clover green with golden shimmer
• Fuchsia with light pink shimmer

What you get:

• Metallic silver
• Matte black
• Matte red with subtle red sparkle

What you get:

• Shimmery white
• Matte black with silver sparkle
• Matte peacock blue

Now, for some comparisons!

First up, I've got VERY good news for you if you loved (or never located) last winter's LE Night Elf palette!

I can't verify that these colors are IDENTICAL but they sure look to be extremely similar:

And finally, I want to show you the subtle differences between the taupe in the core collection SILENT TREATMENT trio vs. WE'RE BLASTING OFF:

In person, I can tell you that the taupe in WE'RE BLASTING OFF is a shade lighter than the taupe in SILENT TREATMENT, and there is more of a pink tinge to WE'RE BLASTING OFF as well. Do you need both? Well that all depends on whether or not you're a taupe addict, now doesn't it? Ha!

In my opinion, here are the stand-out shades and must-haves in this collection:

• The shimmery golden olive in EARTH LOOKS SMALL FROM DOWN HERE. You don't see too many golden olives at the drugstore, so I'm saying this is a must-have if you're a golden olive nut like me. I know this is a dupe--it's just going to take me some time to dig through my 1,000 golden olives to find it!

• The clover green with golden shimmer in BRIGHT IDEA. In person, this green just screams "Cheer up!" to me. It's gorgeous and if you can pull off clover greens, I think you might want to track this one down.

• All three shades in DANCING IN THE CLOUDS. Do I really need to explain? As I said on Twitter yesterday, I predict this will be the breakout trio of the collection.

• The red in ENTER A NEW REALM. When was the last time we saw a true red shadow at the drugstore? I believe it was the Night Elf palette! So yes, if you want a true red, and you don't have Night Elf, you need this (if you're scared of red, here's a look I did that kind of takes away the scary factor. Tip: just use it on your lid!).

• The matte pink in WE'RE BLASTING OFF. Are you shocked that I said the pink in this trio and not the taupe? Well, you kind of need the taupe too, but that pink is just so creamy and pigmented for a matte that I have to say: if you love pink shadows, you need this one.

I hope this post helps give you a better feel for these new limited edition shades! Be on the lookout the display this month--and please come back and let us know which ones you end up getting! In the meantime, is anything here jumping out at you?

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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Rite Aid, Rimmel and Rihanna!

Heads up, Rite Aid shoppers! Remember last week's $2 off a $5 NYC purchase coupon? Well Rite Aid just posted a new $2 off a $5 Rimmel purchase coupon! But HURRY if you want it, because these coupons go VERY quickly! 

All you have to do is "like" the Rite Aid All Things Beauty page, and if the coupon is still available, this is what you'll see:

And while you're there, you can enter to win tickets to a Rihanna concert!