Review & Swatches: Sinful Colors Starry Night

Purchased by Me 

Starry Night is not a new shade. It first debuted as a Walmart-exclusive back in December of 2013. Then, when Walgreens reset their permanent display in February 2014, they added Starry Night to the core collection. But for those of you who don't live near a Walgreens or never got it when it was a Walmart-exclusive, it has just been repromoted in the new Summer 2014 OMGeode Collection, which is now popping up at Rite Aid. So you do have another chance to get it, and I couldn't resist when I spotted it at my local Rite Aid the other day. By the way, neither of the two NEW shades in the OMGeode Collection caught my eye, so I didn't get either one. Boo!

So let's take a closer look at Starry Night...

Sinful Colors Starry Night

(retail: $1.99, 0.5 oz)

Review: Kleancolor Femme Lipstick in After Hours (Navy Blue)

Purchased by Me 

I know that a lot of us are anxious for the release of the NYX Macaron Collection of colored lipsticks this year but if you aren't already aware, there's another affordable line of boldly-colored lipsticks already on the market by Kleancolor (retail: $1.99 each).  Last year, Kleancolor introduced some very bold shades into their Femme Lipstick line, including olive green, lime, kelly green, several blues, gray, bright yellow and more. You can view some nice photos of all of these shades over at the 10dollarmall website here.

I finally saw a full display of the Femme Lipsticks at Diaso, a chain of Japanese dollar stores, a little while ago (many thanks to some kind readers on Instagram for letting me know that a Daiso opened up in San Diego recently) and the navy blue shade came home with me. Now that I've had some time to play around with this one, here are my thoughts!

Kleancolor Femme Lisptick in After Hours

(retail: $1.99, 0.12 oz)

Review & Swatches: Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polishes in Magic Stardust and Mintilicious

Purchased by Me 

The newly-relaunched Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polish line debuted at the beginning of 2013 with a display that looks like this. I say this is a newly-relaunched line because I'm sure a lot of you remember the original 60 Second polishes from back in the day with bottles that looked like this.

Anyway, I have yet to spot these in a permanent display in my area (only this type of counter display) BUT, the other new Rimmel polish line, Salon Pro, is now in the permanent display at many CVS locations. You can see my review of one of the Salon Pro polishes here (I love it).

So let's take a look at the two 60 Seconds shades I purchased at Kmart a while back:

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polishes in Magic Stardust and Mintilicious

(retail: around $2.50 each, 0.27 oz)

Beauty Bite: CoverGirl Flamed Out Shadow Pots

Press Sample

The CoverGirl Flamed Out collection came out last spring, and last summer I reviewed a few of the Flamed Out Shadow Pencils (click here) which I liked very much.  I received two of the Flamed Out Shadow Pots for a review a while back, so here's my quick take on them in case you haven't tried these yet!

CoverGirl Flamed Out Shadow Pots in 335 Charcoal, 330 Melted Gold

(retail: around $4 each, 0.07 oz)

Spotted: New Sinful Colors Fashion Forward display (new and hard-to-find older shades!)

If you missed my other posts this week, then you might not know that there are some new shades now popping up at Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart (click here and here to see). Well there's ANOTHER new display now hitting Walmart, and I have some pics to share with you, thanks to reader Christina (@heylushxx on Instagram). There are some exciting things lurking in this display, so let's take a closer look!

image credit: Christina for Nouveau Cheap

NEW Sinful Colors Fashion Forward display at Walmart

Spotted: Sinful Colors Tough Love Collection (three new shades)

If you caught my post yesterday about the new Sinful Colors shades that are popping up right now, then you know that there are a few new shades now popping up at Rite Aid. Today I have an photo of the actual display for you, thanks to reader Dyoung (@msluckydee13 on Instagram), who spotted this display at her local Rite Aid recently:

image credit: Dyoung for Nouveau Cheap

NEW Sinful Colors Tough Love Collection at Rite Aid

Beauty Bite: Blistex Nuture & Nourish SPF15 Lip Balm

Purchased by Me 

Blistex has released many new lip balm formulas this year, and this one caught my eye back in October (I think that's when it first hit stores). I've been using it off and on since October, so here's my quick take on it!

 Blistex Nurture & Nourish SPF15 Lip Balm

(retail: around $2.50, 0.15 oz)

My favorite Lush products for Holiday 2013

Press Sample 

Every once in a while, I get asked a question that goes something like this: "G, what's your favorite type of product to review on your blog?" Whenever I'm asked this question, my answer's always the same: "Bath and body products!" 

For some reason this always seems to surprise people, but bath and body products are my first love and they always have been (above makeup and yes, even nail polish!). So when I was sent an assortment of Lush Holiday 2013 products for review a while back, you can imagine that I was like a kid in a candy store. I'm so excited to show you my favorites today, in case you're thinking about indulging in some Lush goodies for yourself or your loved ones this holiday season. I've got some old favorites and also new things to show you today, so let's get started!

Lush Holiday 2013 I Want Candy Gift Set

(retail: $14.95 at Lush stores and online)

Spotted: L'Oreal Collection Privée by Colour Riche Nail Color Collection

I was 99.9% sure that, as with so many other L'Oreal collections that surface only in Canada and Europe, we in the US were never going to get the 2013 Collection Privée. Why did I think we would never see the Collection Privée here? Well for starters, in Canada, this collection was created for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and L'Oreal Canada even created a short "film" about it:


As you can see, this collection includes lipsticks (and nail colors) created for and/or inspired by an array of celebrities and it's very reminiscent of the L'Oreal Star Secrets lipstick range. The beautiful women who are featured in this campaign are of various ages and ethnicities, while the shades in the range complement the skintone of each woman.

MUCH to my surprise, the nail polishes in the 2013 Collection Privée are now surfacing at various US drugstores. But they're not exactly what L'Oreal released in Canada and Europe. Keep reading to see what I mean...

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquers spotted...at CVS!

Huge thanks to reader Melissa for letting me know that she just spotted a Rimmel Show Offs display AT CVS! For those unaware, the Show Offs lip colors have been exclusive to Walgreens since their US launch back in June of this year.

The images above are of all 14 shades, which I purchased back in June. I still owe you a full review of these lip colors, and since they're apparently not exclusive to Walgreens anymore, I feel like it might be a nice time for me to actually review them (my review queue is so long that I sort of forgot about these...this is a great reminder that I really need to show these to you, especially if you haven't tried them yet!).

Thanks so much, Melissa, for the heads-up that these have landed at CVS. I would expect to see them at other retailers soon as well!

Review: Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Peach Light

Press Sample 

One of the most anticipated releases from Revlon this year was definitely the return of Skinlights. I think I've done over five posts to date about the return of Skinlights, and if you caught my post from early November, you know that this collection has finally landed in stores (click here to see what the display looks like).

I received one of the four shades in this range for review, and I've been testing this product out for several weeks. I'm finally ready to give you my feelings about this one, so let's not waste any time!

Revlon Photoready Skinlights in Peach Light

(retail: around $12.99, 1.0 oz)

Review: Almay Shadow Softies Eyeshadows in Moss and Smoke

Purchased by Me

I've been fascinated by the new Almay Shadow Softies since I first posted pics of the display back in the beginning of November. Well I finally picked up the two shades I wanted the most (a matte and a shimmer) and today I'd like to share my thoughts with you. There are 12 shades in this range (six "mattes" and six "metallics") and you can see what the display looks like here.

Almay Shadow Softies Eyeshadows in Moss and Smoke

(retail: around $4.49 each, 0.07 oz)

Review: Love, Charlotte xo Perfume by Charlotte Russe

Press Sample 

Charlotte Russe and perfume? Yep! If you haven't been to a Charlotte Russe in a while, you might not know that, in addition to clothing, they offer an array of beauty products ranging from nail polish to fragrance, both in-store and online.

I have heard a lot of nice things about the Charlotte Russe fragrance Refuge, so when I was given the chance to try their newest fragrance for review, I jumped at the chance. At just $12.99 for a 1.7 oz bottle, this certainly won't break the bank! So let's take a closer look at Love, Charlotte xo.

NEW Love, Charlotte xo Perfume by Charlotte Russe

(retail: $12.99 for 1.7 oz, exclusively at Charlotte Russe in-store and online)

Review & Swatches: Colores de Carol Holiday 2013 Nail Polishes

Press Sample

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I thought it was the perfect time to show you some swatches of some polishes by indie retailer Colores de Carol. I've been a huge fan of Carolina's work for a long time now, lovingly admiring her creations both in her shop and via the swatches of various nail bloggers. But as I mentioned in my last indie polish review, I've been like a deer caught in headlights when it comes to indie polishes. Simply put, I want them all! It's been incredibly difficult for me to make up my mind when it comes to purchases, so I'm thankful that Carolina recently sent me a few of her holiday polishes for review.

You can purchase these polishes NOW via the Colores de Carol shop, and you can enter code BF20OFF for 20% off your entire order (no minimum purchase required). This code is valid now through 12/2.

Colores de Carol Nail Polishes

Rudolph's Nose, Santa's Workshop, Fall Is In The Air

(retail: $9 each)

Review: Caress Limited Edition Silkening Body Wash in Enchanting Secret

Purchased by Me

I picked up this limited edition body wash from Caress about two weeks ago at Target (I have no idea how long this has been on the market or how long it will be in stores). I thought I better review it ASAP if it's a holiday-only type of thing, so that you have plenty of time to find it, if you're interested! I have only seen this at Target in my area, but if you've seen it elsewhere, please do let us know!

 Caress Limited Edition Silkening Body Wash in Enchanting Secret

(retail: around $4, 18 oz)

New e.l.f. Studio BB Cream and Moisturizing Lipsticks

So I've been hearing lots of buzz about the new e.l.f. Studio Moisturizing Lipsticks this week, but I had NO IDEA that e.l.f. has also launched a new BB Cream! Thanks so much to reader Jess E. for the heads-up about this one:

 image source: eyeslipsface.com

NEW e.l.f. Studio BB Cream SPF20, available in six shades

(retail: $6, 1.06 oz)

Spotted: A second Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art display (new Insta-Dri shades and more)

Remember the new Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Collection display I showed you a few weeks ago (click here if you missed it)? Well there's a SECOND display now popping up at retailers, and this one contains some new products that are NOT in the first display (note: there are products in the first display that are not in the second display as well).

First up, my blogging buddy Mimi of Makeup Withdrawal spotted the second display at her local Walgreens and was nice enough to share some pics:

image credit: Mimi for Nouveau Cheap

Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art display #2 at HEB

As you can see, there are new treatments and Insta-Dri polishes in this display, and I believe these are permanent new additions, not limited edition (more pics of the Insta-Dris and shades names a bit later in this post).

Update: Wet n Wild Holiday 2013 Glitter Cream Eyeshadow Trios

image credit: Andrea for Nouveau Cheap

Wet n Wild Holiday 2013 Glitter Cream Eyeshadow Trios 

Ever since I posted about the Holiday 2013 Glitter Trios from Wet n Wild back in October (click here for more pics), I've been receiving questions about the label on the back of these palettes. For those who are unaware, there is a warning that these cream shadows are "not intended for the eye area," which is a bit puzzling since these are definitely cream eyeshadows and they come with eyeshadow applicators.

In response to the numerous questions I've received about these trios, I asked my contact at Wet n Wild for more info. I have a bit more info for you today, in case you own these shadows or are thinking about getting them.

Review: Profusion Holiday 2013 Twinkle Twinkle 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette in 01 (Purples)

Purchased by Me

I owe this purchase to longtime reader Kris Feral, who first alerted me to the magic that lies inside little palette. If it weren't for his email to me (part of which I shared with you in this post), I probably wouldn't have given this palette a second glance and that would have been tragic, I tell you!

First, in case you missed my original post, the Profusion Twinkle Twinkle palettes can be found in the holiday beauty gift section area at Walgreens NOW. There are three other palettes in this collection and you can see them all here. I wouldn't wait too long to get these if you want them because, at my Walgreens, they were going quickly. I just checked the Profusion website and, unfortunately, these palettes are not available for purchase online.

I purchased this palette in 01 (purples) a little while ago and I've been seriously loving it ever since I got it in my hot little hands. This is especially remarkable for me because, if you're a longtime reader, you know I usually can't do purples on my eyes (they make my skin look sickly yellow). But this palette has been working great for me...and the best part? It's A DOLLAR:

Profusion Holiday 2013 Twinkle Twinkle 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette in 01

(retail: $1 at Walgreens stores, 0.28 oz)

Beauty Bite: Nanacoco Nail Polish in Snowflakes

Purchased by Me 

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I love all of the black-and-white glitter polishes out there, but I wish I could find one that's JUST white glitter?" If so, I've got just the thing for you:

Nanacoco Nail Polish in Snowflakes
(retail: between $0.99 and $1.99 depending on the retailer, 0.54 oz)