NYC Satin Matte Lipsticks - FAIL

I got SO EXCITED when I saw these in Meijer. I have five of the original Expert Last lipsticks and I really love them! But I'm a matte lippy kinda gal, and when I saw the "satin matte" label, I freaked out because these are so cheap ($1.99 at most stores) and easier to find than the Jordana ones. This post isn't going to have a jump, sorry for the potential inconvenience! THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. It's more of a mini rant!


From L-R: "448 Smooth Beige", "449 Creamy Mauve", "450 Pure Coral", "451 Velvety Fuchsia", and "452 Red Suede".
The original lipsticks are creamy and smooth and comfortable, which is rare for a long-wearing product. Personally, I don't find them to last the full six hours as NYC claims, but they wear for about four hours if you're not drinking, eating, or chatting a lot. They wear off nice and evenly and don't leave that dreaded outer ring of color that some lip products can do. Overall, I really like everything about this formula except for the scent and taste (it's REALLY strong and the taste is...not good) and I was so excited to see a matte offering, plus the colors all looked great!

So, why the fail? These aren't effin' matte. Not even close. Newsflash N.Y.C., I know most of your lip products contain that frosty shimmer that I'm not into, but taking out the shimmer and having a cream formula does not equal matte. Basically, I almost want my ten bucks back, I feel cheated! I even let them dry down for twenty minutes to see if they'd mattify. Nope. And I know I should have expected this from the name "satin matte", right? Because the definition of "satin" is of or like satin; smooth; glossy. Here's the definition of "matte": having a dull or lusterless surface. What a bloody oxymoron, right? I was expecting the matte, all they provided was the satin. Bummer! Don't call something matte if it's not, basically.


From L-R: "448 Smooth Beige", "449 Creamy Mauve", "450 Pure Coral", "451 Velvety Fuchsia", and "452 Red Suede".
Beautifully pigmented colors. Beautiful color selection. They wear the same as the original lipsticks. I still recommend these shades, don't get me wrong! They're great and this lipstick formula is quite enjoyable and they're so cheap that...how can ya not, right? But don't buy them because you're expecting a shine-free, comfortable matte finish. These are basically an extended color selection of their original lipsticks, nothing new or matte to be found here at all. If you would like a full review with lip swatches and the whole production, let me know because I have the pics edited and saved. I would like to reiterate - These are not poor quality lipsticks; they're actually quite nice! But I bought these under the assumption that they would be matte, and not an extended color range of the original formula, which they are. So, yeah, I'm kinda bummed out. Buy these if you like the shades or the Expert Last formula, don't buy if you're wanting a nice matte finish!


From L-R: "418 Sugar Plum", "440 Creamy Caramel", "445 Coralista", "446 Smooch", "447 Forever Fuchsia", "448 Smooth Beige", "449 Creamy Mauve", "450 Pure Coral", "451 Velvety Fuchsia", and "452 Red Suede".


From L-R: "446 Smooch", "449 Creamy Mauve", Jordana Matte Lipstick in "Pink Passion", Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Elusive", Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte lipstick in "Matte Blissful", and Jordana Modern Matte lipstick in "Matte Tease". The last four are way more matte, whereas the first two look like the same exact finish.

Best of BECCA Kit - FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Okay, so this post should have been up on Friday when I first got this kit but I was slacking. This kit is, sadly, no longer available on Ulta's website, but I'm still going to post this first impressions because all of the products in this kit are permanent products, first off, and secondly, this kit might still be available in stores and if you see it, I highly suggest that you snatch it up, if blush and highlight products are your jam. BECCA is a brand that I've wanted to try since we first got it, but I just couldn't convince myself to take the plunge, since a lot of their best selling products are rather expensive.

This set is a great value; for $34.50, you get to try four best selling products from the BECCA line, all of which are well-coordinated and work well together. You also get two full size products, both of which add up to a $52 value. The two highlighting products are minis but they're so frosty and potent that I can't imagine blowing through them too fast. Combined, it's about another $16 value. For $68 you can try out four products, two of which are full size! Also, there is a free GWP right now; a deluxe sample Ever-Matte Primer with any $30 Becca purchase (offer valid 3/15/15-4/4/15 or while supplies last), which is a ten dollar value!

FTC Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me, with my own money. I am not affiliated with BECCA and all opinions are my own, as always! I am not being sponsored nor compensated for this post.

Eye Heart Tarte Eye Essentials - FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The 21 Days of Beauty is going on at Ulta right now, and they always bring out some great kits from a lot of the prestige brands. I don't know if I plan on picking any more up, but I did get my hands on the two I had really wanted (this Tarte one being one of them!) and I wanted to get this post up ASAP! This is not an in-depth review. If you're interested in a full review on these products (the liners and mascara; this quad is only available in this kit I believe) then let me know! I've tried Tarte shadows and the Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara before, but the liners are new to me.

This kit retails for $34 through Ulta. It should also be available in stores! The total value is $71, so you save $37! Plus, through April 4th (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST AT YOUR ULTA LOCATION), there is a GWP going on with Tarte; spend $30 and receive a free deluxe Brazilliance Face Towelette and deluxe Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Flush, which is a $20 value, which means you can potentially get $91 worth of Tarte products for $34+ tax!

FTC Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me, with my own money. I am not affiliated with Tarte and all opinions are my own, as always! I am not being sponsored nor compensated for this post.

Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara - REVIEW (Influenster)

It has been a long time since I've gotten an Influenster box and BOY AM I EXCITED that it was this particular box. I've tried the YSL Faux Cils mascara before and it was a beautiful mascara...or it would have been if it didn't flake like crazy on me. That being said, this is a reformulated version and I was excited to be able to try it! Mascara is a tricky thing, and it's not my favorite product to review because it's so personal; even if you have the EXACT SAME LASH TYPE as me, you can still end up hating a mascara I absolutely love. It's actually ten times more difficult when you consider that this is a $32 mascara...and that's hella expensive. Add in the fact that I got it for testing purposes and this post is pretty challenging.

I've done many posts involving Influenster before, and I will link to them below. Basically, when you sign up, you can pick badges of interest and do activities within those badges. When Influenster has a program relating to your interests, you can receive products free of charge to test and review. It's social media based, so you will have the best luck if you have the full spectrum of social media (FB, Twitter, IG, Vine, YT, a blog, etc.) I've done a mini intro post here.

• Oral Aesthetics and College VB
• Holiday 2012 VB
• Uni VB

FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this product through the Influenster program for testing and reviewing purposes. I am not affiliated with Yves Saint Laurent and this post is unsponsored, nor am I receiving compensation, beyond the product to try. All opinions are, as always, honest and my own.

Also, before you click the jump, this post does contain wonky close-ups of my eye, so if those kinds of things make you uncomfortable, don't proceed!

January-March Empties!

Okay, okay, so that title is a lie; some of these empties are from as long ago as last July. I'm always torn between wanting to do a substantial empties post...and not wanting it to be ridiculous. This post is going to be ridiculous, sorry to say, because I really want to through out my trash, haha. So, basically, this is about four months worth of empties, give or take a bunch of things that I forgot about and just tossed.

I'm doing this in blog format because it will be way easier to scroll to relevant parts than in a long-ass video. I hope to never acquire this much trash again. I'm hoping to do one of these every other month, if it's interesting. (If all I have is a bunch of cotton and products that I've shown before, don't expect an empties post - I enjoy these types of things...but not when they're redundant.)