Lavenders, Taupes and Purples...oh my!

Do you ever walk up to a nail polish display, spot a color you like, and then desperately attempt to access your mental library of every similar color in your stash? I do this all the time, and I'm constantly amazed at how poor my color-recall is when I'm standing in the drugstore clasping a pretty bottle of nail polish thinking to myself, "Do I already own a color very similar to this??"

I'd like to share with you the results of my bad memory, because this recent experiment was quite different than most. Usually I'll say to myself, "No. I don't own a color similar to this red." Only to bring it home and discover that I already own THREE shades of red almost identical to the color I just purchased.

But I guess my color-recall for purples isn't so good, because I bought the following three shades on three separate occasions and I was convinced--seriously convinced--that I would get these home and find that I already owned the same shade from a different manufacturer. Boy was I off!

Um...yeah. So obviously these colors look nothing like each other, but in my mind, I really thought I was going to be purchasing the same color I already had at home.

So tell me, which shade do you like best? The violet-purple cream (Milani), the deep plummy-taupe cream (Pure Ice) or the lavender-putty cream (Carlo di Roma)?

The most surprising thing about these shades is that the one that cost the least (Carlo di Roma nail polishes retail for $1 at Dollar Tree) wears the best! I think I got six days out my last manicure with this color with no chips and very little wear on my tips. Amazing!

Review: Carlo Di Roma Cosmetics available at Dollar Tree

Have you heard of Carlo Di Roma Cosmetics? I sure hadn't, until I walked into Dollar Tree the other day and saw bins and bins of eyeshadows, liners, lipsticks, and nail polishes, all for (obviously) one dollar a piece.

I picked up a few items (how could I resist) and hoped for the best. Little did I know, after doing some research, that this dollar-store brand is quite popular on the interwebs! Ladies all over the US have already discovered this brand so I guess I'm a little late to the party.

Sold at Dollar Tree in the US, Carlo Di Roma Cosmetics are made in Spain, and they offer a wide variety of different products. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

First I purchased the Roll-On (that's the name on the website) but on the product label it's called "Shiny Powder". These come in a variety of shades but of course I purchased the taupe one (sorry, there are no names for the shades on any of their products):

This turned out to be a highly-pigmented pretty shade of shimmery taupe that has excellent staying power. I love it!

Next I purchased a gray eyeliner or as the website calls it, Pencil Wood Perfection (I'm always on a quest for the perfect shade of gray liner):

This swatch doesn't do the color justice, but it's a GREAT shade of gray (not too blue, not too black) and the consistency is somewhere between creamy and waxy. It's got decent staying power and it looks good smudged or worn in a clean line. I was very pleasantly surprised by this one.

Next I picked up an eyeshadow quad, which actually isn't on the website but the closest thing is the Trio Carlomania:

Let me say that the colors are much more vivid in real life. Also, in the pan, the colors seem to be shimmery, but once you apply them the shimmer goes away and they are definitely more on the matte side. BUT, for a dollar store product, these babies have great pigmentation, they blend quite easily and they lasted all day on my lids without the help of a primer. I really lucked out on this quad.

Next I purchased a lipstick that doesn't seem to be on the website (here's the link to their other lipsticks in case you're curious):

This is a pretty deep berry creme and it goes on very smooth and fades to a nice wine-colored stain on the lips. The only downside is that it has what I can only describe as that familiar dollar-store-lipstick-smell-and-taste. It fades after a bit but it's definitely there. All in all, not bad for a cheap lippie.

And finally I purchased two nail polishes which are also not on the website (here's the link to their polishes if you're interested):

Once again, the photo doesn't do these justice. The colors are very vibrant and shimmery in real life (orange and violet shimmers). I haven't used these yet but I can't wait to try them on my toes.

For a dollar store brand, I couldn't be more pleased with the quality and performance of these Carlo Di Roma products. Do you own any Carlo Di Roma products? I'd love to know your thoughts!