{new.pretties.since.winter.part.2}

Twilight Volturi Labyrinth Loose Eye Pigment in "Beloved"

$4.99; London Drugs (clearance)

 

Twilight Volturi Labyrinth Loose Eye Pigment in "Lover"

$4.99; London Drugs (clearance)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Aphrodite"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Sunrise"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Resonance"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Arrogance"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Summon"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Sunrise"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Diligence"

$10 (reg. $20, bulk discount)

Benefit Shimmer Powder Show-Offs in "Lola"

$12.99; Shopper's Drug Mart

NYC City Duet Eyeshadow in "Bowling Green"

$2.49; Wal-Mart

 Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in "I Dream of Greenie"

$4.69; Wal-Mart

Wet 'n Wild Mega Liner liquid eyeliner in ""Blackest Black"

$2.59; Wal-Mart

  Hard Candy Visibly Wet Shockingly Glossy Lip Pencil in "Babe"

$5.39; Wal-Mart

(I saw this and was really angry. So close to dropping $20 on my Lise Watier pencil, this near-identical pencil came out for a quarter of the price. This underlines why I so seldomly dump a lot of money on higher-end makeup. Another company manages to make an identical or even competitive product for a lot less.)

Covergirl Lip Perfection lipstick in "Enchantress"

$10.99; London Drugs

I was in love with both the first edition MAC Viva Glam Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj 'Pink Friday' lipsticks, but I missed both production runs- I've bought a few vibrant pinks looking for something similar, but they were all too dark and too fuschia (great colors anyway- just not quite what I was looking for). This is the closest one I've found. It can go on thick and vibrant or soft and sheer, depending on how generously you apply it. Great find!

Shiseido Perfect Rouge lipstick in "Divine"

$19.99; London Drugs

Worth every penny. Amazing color, really close to the first-run MAC Viva Glam Lady Gaga lipstick shade. This one is a bit darker and has more purple than the CoverGirl (above).

Gosh Star Shine Lip Gloss in "Reggae Star"

$2.99; Shopper's Drug Mart (clearance)

... Fades into a nice sheer sand color. Really sultry and sexy looking.

Sally Hanson Hi-Definition Nail Color in "DVD"

$2.49; Wal-Mart 

 Sally Hanson Hi-Definition Nail Color in "Spectrum"

$2.49; Wal-Mart

Wet 'n Wild fastdry Nail Color in "Gray's Anatomy"

$2.49; Wal-Mart

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Enamel in "Grey Matter"

$3.29; Wal-Mart

I fell in love with the two gray polishes because of Kurt Hummel from Glee. There is one episode where we see his bedroom, and he's painted it Dior Gray, It's also such an unusual choice for nail polish, it just had to be mine!

LUSH Caca Auburn Henna Hair Dye

$20.99; LUSH

My best advice for the use of this brand of henna, is add things to enhance the color. We used lemon juice and paprika. Henna kind-of smells like compost. To make it smell awesome, add cinnamon- it makes the dye smell like ginger snap cookies. I kept my dye on overnight, wrapped in plastic and a towel. They recommend 3-8 hours at the least.

T for Toes Tea Tree Powder

$12.99; LUSH

This stuff is the homemade version of gold bond. Essentially it has tea tree oil, peppermint and antifungals to keep your feet smelling good, and dry. I use a cheap cosmetic brush to spread it evenly between my toes. I occasionally sprinkle it in my shoes. It has a really pleasant lemony smell, too.

[new.pretties.since.winter.part.1]

Hard Candy Take Me Out Liner in "Vice"

Wal-Mart; $4.99

I also got this eyeliner in "Notorious" which is  a bright and brillaint fuchsia pink color with pink sparkles; and "Money" which is a really nice mossy green color with silvery green sparkles and "Wild Child" which is a sparkly version of Chop Suey (the matte eyeliner) and is similar to "Vice" but not as bright.

Hard Candy Eye Def Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow in "Lagoon"

Wal-Mart; $5.49

Hard Candy Eye Def Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow in "Algae"

Wal-Mart; $5.49

Sadly, the first Hard Candy product that disappointed me. It goes on thick, which is nice because it spreads fairly well and the color is nice and brilliant. One one hand, it dries fairly quickly, but the downside is it cracks, it flakes, and if you touch it at all it rubs off really easily. All you need to do to get it off is wipe your eye with tissue. I suppose that one is up to you- I'd rather have to wash my face or use makeup remover to get something off rather than have it gradually flake off into my eyes.

Hard Candy Meteor-Eyes Baked Eyeshadow in "Space Cadet"

Wal-Mart; $5.49

This picture is a little more blue than the real thing. However, it goes on fabulously with "Money" liner.

NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder in "Warm Beige (704A)"

Wal-Mart; $3.49

NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in "Translucent (741A)"

Wal-Mart; $3.49

Rimmel London Stay Matte + Skinpure Complex Clarifying Matte Foundation in "Warm 102)"

Shoppers Drug Mart; $2.99

Rimmel London Recover Anti-Fatigue Concealer

Shoppers Drug Mart; $2.99

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in "Blackest Black"

Pharmasave; $4.99

I love how black the mascara itself is, but I hate the brush. I HATE the brush. The bristles are thick and hard, and spiralled, the brush is also curved, so you get thick application and it doesn't spread very nicely. I'm thinking about stealing an old brush, washing it and swapping it out with this one. So far, my favorite mascara to date is still Rimmel (all of their mascara types), with L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara running a close second. I am intrigued to try that new Cover Girl Falsies mascara, too.

Lise Watier Lip Kiss Crayon in "Rose Intense"

London Drugs; $18.99

The color pictured is not Rose Intense, which is a bright neon pink with a shimmer. I really splurged on this one. I very rarely spend more than a few dollars on makeup items.

Quo Electric Eyes Pencil in "Spark"

Shoppers Drug Mart; $7.99

Spark is the near-white pencil pictured above. It does on sheer, with an opalescent sheen.

NYC City Duet Eyeshadow in "Upper Zest Side"

Wal-Mart; $2.49

I also want to get it in "Bowling Green". The yellow isn't quite as brilliant as I would like, but the orange is intense on skin.

Fruits & Passion Plant Wax Base Lip Balm in "Monoï"

Fruits & Passion; (GIFT)

Clean & Clear Advantage Mark Treatment

Liquidation World; $0.99

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Wild Rose (SP3)"

Micabella; $5 (reg $20, group purchase discount)

This color is actually a little bit more pink, but it goes on almost white with a pink opalescent sheen. It's a beautiful color. Most people use it as blush, but I love it for the eyes.

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Storm (SP4)"

Micabella; $5 (reg. $20, group purchase discount)

Micabella Mica Mineral Makeup in "Carnival (SP9)"

Micabella; $5 (reg. $20, group purchase discount)

All Micabella shadows are shimmery. This one is actually really sparkly. After a few hours of wear the sparkliness fades into a nice sheen, but it goes on very brilliantly.

Micabella Clear Lip Balm

Micabella; $5 (reg. $10, group purchase discount)

About Micabella:

There are mixed reviews about Micabella online because of the price, the way the sales clerks are, and the amazing discounts they somehow manage to give you when you buy in bigger volumes. At face value, for one or two items, Micabella is a total ripoff. Buying makeup from them is sort-of a game. The best thing to do is to go in with a group of people and buy together, splitting the bill evenly. Usually the person paying the tax gets the extra item (there is usually one extra item-- a group of three people buys 10 eyeshadows for $80, they all get three each, but the person paying the tax gets four)... etc.

Their products though are actually really nice. But I am a penny pincher. I will generally not buy makeup over $5.00 or so. So every few months my sisters, mom, girlfriends and I go in to Micabella and buy together. The more you buy the bigger the discount they'll give you. Also, on occasion they will throw in extra items. It's not a bad way to get really nice makeup for a deal.

The way Micabella mineral makeup works is that it can be used for eyes, lips, blush... it can be used both wet and dry. It is the pigment, so you shake a little bit into the lid (and I mean a little bit- a little goes a long, long way) and apply on a bare eyelid for a nice shimmer, or on primer for a more bold shimmer. You can also mix it on a damp brush for a brilliant hardline, or sweep it onto lips with a dry brush and cover with clear lip gloss. I have mica lipgloss but any clear gloss works just as well. I really want to get the primer down the road. Right now I use my Rimmel concealer. The Mica eyeshadow stays on really well, it doesn't crease much and even after sleeping in it, it still looks pretty fabulous.

{lastest.swag}

Sorry for the late update, guys! I got married in June and started working again shortly thereafter, so I've had a lot less time. Anyhow, now I have some money (some), so here are my latest purchases, that I absolutely love. My favorites come from the new line from Hard Candy, now exclusively available at Wal-Mart. This is an amazing thing, because Hard Candy has only ever been available from Sephora since it's launch in 1995, and was quite a bit more expensive before they moved out of Sephora and revamped their cosmetic line. Their cosmetics are nicely packaged, and high quality- up there with Too Faced cosmetics at a fraction of the cost.

Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in "Jaded"

Wal-Mart; $4.95

Sinful Colors Professional in "Just You Wait"

London Drugs; $2.99 (on sale)

Sinful Colors Professional in "Cream Pink"
London Drugs; $2.99

Sinful Colors Professional in "Hottie"
London Drugs; $2.99

Hard Candy Meteor-Eyes Baked Glitter Eyeshadow in "Supernova"

Wal-Mart; $5.95

Hard Candy Take Me Out Eyeliner in "Chop Suey"

Wal-Mart; $5.00

Hard Candy Take Me Out Glitter Eyeliner in "Roller Derby" (far right)

Wal-Mart; $5.95

All of Hard Candy's 'Take Me Out' Eyeliners are shaped like chop sticks, and most of them have oriental food names, like Bamboo, Saki, Rice and Soy. One was a lime green color and named Hay. I would have named it Wasabi. They also have a metallics line called Molten Metal.

Hard Candy Painted Lady Lipstick in "Flirt"

Wal-Mart; $6.00

Hard Candy Moonglow Illuminating Powder in "Luminescence"

Wal-Mart; $7.95

George Women's Double-Breasted Peacoat

Wal-Mart; $40

What I really loved about this coat was that the hem fell just above the knee, so it had a mid-leg trench coat feel to it. It cinches in at the waist without a belt, and though wide belts look fabulous with this coat, it was more comfortable without it. The buttons stop just at the hips, so the bottom of the coat hangs open and flares nicely at the leg. The neck is open just enough to allow for a peek at a nice scarf paired with the jacket. Though thin, this jacket is actually quite warm.

Other things I'm currently loving:

1. As much as I hate to admit it, the new Miley Cyrus clothing line at Wal-Mart. I shop there a lot, because they have competitive products at competitive prices that I can afford- and affordable fashion is deep and dear to me. Miley's line is sized more for ladies on the petite size, but I can fit most of the clothes she has made. I really love her rocker tees and tanks, especially with the rips up the back. She has a sensational military jacket, available in black and olive, that I was panting over.

2. The Ed Hardy fragrance collection. It all smells fantastic. All of it.

3. La Senza's double push-up line. The bras are scary expensive. They are around $50 each- but for women with modestly sized breasts, it's thousands of dollars for an upgrade surgery, or a new confidence-boosting, non-invasive bra that takes you up two full cup-sizes. My husband loves them- I have two!

4. Sweater dresses. Yes, I am late to this fashion event. They've been popular for several years, and have gradually become shorter and shorter- now they're just long sweaters that you absolutely must wear pants under. But I am completely in love with sweater dresses, ones you can wear free of pants or leggings, that fall just below the knee at pencil skirt length, or just above the knee. I like ones with long and short sleeves, as long as the neck is interesting, not too high-cut or bulky. That tends to look boxy and less feminine.

5. While I am still loving the bright, vibrant nail enamel trend (thanks, Rihanna!), I am deeply loving soft pastel colors that are usually reserved for spring. While trends seem to be leading back towards the classic french tip, classically manicured or nude nails, and fall leaf-inspired reds, berries, oranges and golds, I am deeply loving the idea of a cooler, softer color pallette that will play really nicely as it stands out and contrasts against the colors of fall, and into snowy days.