Top 10 Spring Lip Products.

Hey ya'll!

This is a smidge late, but Spring is upon us...sort of. I mean, in Texas it's already basically summer weather, which sucks. And I know that a lot of other places are still feeling winter weather. But, regardless, it is essentially Spring season.

So, these are my favorite lip products for the Spring time. I probably won't do a Summer one, because they're essentially the same, minus one or two of them.

I have five chapstick like products:

ELF Hydrating/Conditioning pot in Nice & Natural
TokyoMilk in Salted Caramel.

 The ELF pot is actually fairly pigmented, meaning you'll get a very faint "nude lips" look when you apply this. If I'm wearing a nude lip during the day and since I live in TX and have to worry about heat, if I don't want the lipstick I used to melt in my purse, I generally just throw this little pot into my bag. It really does work with touching up nude lips, and it's amazing on it's own.

The ToyoMilk tin is something I picked up from Sephora at the counter as an impulse buy and then fell in love with it. Zero color. Great taste. And probably the most hydrating thing in my whole fucking collection, seriously. I keep this thing by my bed or in my purse at all times.

Baby Lips in Pink Punch. Blistex Fruit Smoothies in Berry Explosion and Melon Medley

 Baby Lips is an on and off product for me. Sometimes I use it all the dang time, and other times I can't stand it and it just sits in the bottomless lip drawer in my collection. Lately I've been using it, which is obviously why I decided to put it in this post. I think Baby Lips is a good product for people who aren't into lip stick, because it's not heavy like a lipstick and it's not super pigmented. The Pink Punch one would be great for Spring also. :)

Blistex chapstick is just fucking perfect. That's all I got to say about this. These things are ridiculously hydrating, but also make your lips SOFT like velvet or some shit. It is awesome. Seriously. Just go buy some Blistex stuff and have yourself a little revelation.

 Moving onto favorite Springtime lipsticks:

From left to right:  NO7 in 80 Sienna, Sonia Kashuk in 80 Soft Nude, Wetn'Wild in 903C Just Peachy, Avon in U302 Sparkling Peach, Revlon in 027 Violet Frenzy.

NO7: I love this shade because it's perfect for my skin color. I guess I have kind of an olive skin tone because my family is Native American. But I'd say this is a coral on the more orange side than anything, and it's not for everyone, but it's worth a try. I picked it up at Target when they were clearancing all the NO7 stuff out. I think I got it for like 2 bucks. Hell yeah.

Sonia Kashuk: THIS IS MY PERFECT NUDE. This is honestly my favorite lipstick I've ever gotten and I just.. I just love it so much that I want to do a whole post about it. I can't even.

Wetn'Wild: These lipsticks are a dollar something after tax, and most of them are pretty matte. This one is completely matte on the lips, even though in the swatch it's not looking "matte" like, sorry about that. This is a really pretty classic pink that I think would be flattering on any skin tone. PLUS, so cheap!

Avon: One thing first, my Mom has been selling Avon for almost 21 years, so I have a crapshoot ton of Avon products. I've seen a lot of people bash Avon or say they're overpriced or whatever qualm they have with the brand. I don't care, because honestly they're a lot cheaper than a lot of shit at Sephora. With that being said, nah, I do not pay full price for anything I have Avon related, if I pay at all. I do think they're a quality brand though. Anyhow, this lipstick is one of the truest "peach" lipsticks I've ever had. A lot of lipsticks claim to be peach but end up just being a pink color. EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PEACH?

Revlon: I say if you're going to keep wearing darker shades into the Spring, this is how it's done. This is a duo chrome kind of finish purple. So, it gives the appearance of multi colors and also ends up looking shiny and light like a lipgloss. It's one of my favorite purple lipsticks for the warmer months, honestly. Plus, Revlon is just on point with their lipsticks. I've only ever gotten one that I didn't like.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this post and have an awesome day!

Love, Noralee

Swatches + Review: Kat Von D's "Saint" palette.

I got this from Sephora for $36 dollars. I think this is kind of a good alternative (as in cheaper) for the Naked palettes, more along the lines of the Naked2 because of the color layout.

You get a really nice soft white gold, a light bronze (which I've put a dent in already), a pink with flecks of glitter, two full fledge bronze tones, a dark dark bronze, a close to matte brown with chunks of glitter, and a completely matte brown on the end, which by the way is the perfect eyebrow color for me.

So, you get 8 shades and a reallllllllllllllllllllllllly black eyeliner.

Honestly this stuff does not budge when you have it on your waterline.

I typically do not wear pencil liners on my top lash line when I'm going for a precise line or a cat eye effect, because I just feel like there's more certainty in a gel liner or a nice liquid liner. But, I tried this one out and it surprised me. It stayed put longer than expected and I was even able to get a nice looking line with it without having to get pissed off.

And here are the eyeshadow swatches.

Honestly the reviews on Sephora had me kind of iffy about buying this palette because a lot of them mentioned that they were disappointed with the staying power. Now, I don't know what kind of primer these people were using, but this eyeshadow has one of the best staying powers in my whole collection, honestly. I have a few urban decay eyeshadows that I'd say stay forever, but these Kat Von D shades are close behind.
The first time I wore this eyeshadow I used the second light shade on the left, and the third from the right end - light glittery brown.. I wore the ELF jumbo eye pencil in French Lace (which the pink shade in this palette is the EXACT same color, glitter and all, just in a powder form.), as my base instead of a primer.. I generally do this when I'm running late or it's just a grab and go kind of morning. I went to school, which I'm on campus from 7am to 5:30pm, and I was literally shocked when I looked at myself in the mirror when I got home. Not only was my eyeshadow intact still, but it had very little creasing going on. It didn't look FLAWLESS, but it looked GOOD. And I think it's hard to find eyeshadows that have the effect after such a long damn day. Like if I were going to go out once I got home, I probably would've just added a little of the white color to my inner corner, and revamped the brown color in my crease and left, easy peasy.

I'm really glad I splurged and got this palette for myself. It was pretty much my christmas present to me this year. :)

Have ya'll tried any of the Kat Von D products?

Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites.

A little late, but y'know, life happens. :)

Kenneth from 30 Rock is literally my spirit animal. I swear to blog.

I saw this little guy on Tumblr and fell in love. :)

Cheshire cat!

This lovely photo of Vincent Price. My mother and I have been watching a bunch of his movies lately.

This hand candle! I swear if I knew where to get it, it'd be mine already.

And lasssssssssssssst, this isn't necessarily a favorite.. yet. But, I ordered this in Salted Caramel no. 36, and I am excited to get it. Waiting for Sephora orders is never easy, I swear. Anyhow, these are on Sephora at a discounted price of $7.00, so check dat out. :)

Love, Noralee

Urban Decay: YDK

During the sale at Sephora on UD, I bought YDK. I also wanted Uzi, but it sold out before I could get it. I actually almost didn't buy anything because I felt like I needed to be saving money, but my boyfriend talked me into it. ;p

I think I have been in love with this shade ever since I watched a tutorial by Rachel Whitehurst. I just knew from the moment I saw it on youtube that I wanted it. And many moons later, I have it now. :) I am in love. I wear this so dang much, it's probably ridiculous.

Here's a link to that tutorial if anyone was wondering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWUxG9ja_so&feature=plcp

If you don't know about Rachel, you should. She is my favorite beauty guru EVAR.

Here's links to her stuff:
youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/icallitambrosia?feature=watch
blog: http://www.87daysbefore.com/
You can also find her on Tumblr at http://87daysbefore.tumblr.com/ , HOWEVER, for the month of october her url will be, http://87pumpkinsbefore.tumblr.com/ 

Did you get anything from the Urban Decay sale? :)

Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites: Makeup Wishlist.

1. LUSH Lip Scrub: the chocolate and sugar one.
2.NYX HD Studio Primer.
3.STILA baked trio eyeshadow.
4. URBAN DECAY Naked 2 palette.
5. KAT VON D True Romance Saint palette.
6. URBAN DECAY Urbanglow cream highlight in Brown Sugar.
7. SEPHORA Matifying Powder in d20
8. ELF Stippling Brush.

What's on ya'lls make up wishlists lately?

ALSO, I have some more product reviews coming soon. (:

Love, Noralee!

ELF's Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California

The Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California. This is brand new from ELF, and costs $10.00

As you can see in the right hand corner, and if you watched my ELF haul, mine broke during the shipping process. Which makes it look messy, sorry! However, I emailed them that very day, and they sent me a new one. Last I tracked it, it is supposed to be here this week. But, since this is fairly new, I just wanted to get all the swatches up for ya'll.

 This is a part of the Studio Line, so if you wanted to get it for half off you can use a code I'll be leaving at the end of this post. :)

Elf has great customer service, so if anything is ever wrong with your order you shouldn't hesitate to ask. I actually wasn't going to say anything because I figured they wouldn't do anything about it. But, my Mom who sells Avon, told me I should at least send an email and I'm glad I did.

Swatches:

The whole top row.

And, the whole bottom row.

I'd just like to say, these are very pigmented. These are simply one swatch, I did not try to build up the color ton make them look like this. They are EXTREMELY pigmented, and have wonderful staying power. The California palette has the exact layout of Sephora's Moonshadow Baked Palette in In The Nude. I don't own it so I can't compare quality. But, I figure since ELF is infamous for doing dupes, that must've been what they were going for. I think this is an amazing compact palette. I am already considering buying the other palette in NYC. 

All in all, I am totally in love with all of the colors and their color pay off. :)

Love, Noralee

Click below if you want the 50% off Studio Line Code.

Fall Wishlist.

1. Infinity scarves! I love my printed one I recently wore in my Face of the Day post.
2. Sephora's Sugar Kiss Lip Treatment. I love the duo minis I got for my birthday, and I'd really like to try out this coral one.
3. Lace dresses! This H&M one is gorgeous.
4. Sephora's Moonshadow Baked palette in - In The Nude. It is so gorgeous.
5. Riding boots! In brown of course. :)
6. Nyx Matte Lipsticks. This one is in Pale Pink.
7. These gorgeous organic heart shaped plugs. I have about three more stretches until I'll be where I want to be, and then I will purchase myself these beauties.
8. Bath & Body Works candles, particularly the Autumn scented one. I smelled it at the store recently and fell in love.
9. Kat Von D's True Romance palette in, Saint.

Thanks for reading! What are ya'll looking forward to this fall? And what is on your wishlist?

Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites.

This owl tea set! So cute.

This ombre desk set.

This rose print sweater.

This floral kitchen is to die for. Wow.

My Sephora Haul.

And, this Elliott Smith album. 

- Noralee

Hit or Shit?: ELF Mist & Set Spray

I have heard the raves of beauty gurus on YouTube about how amazing Urban Decay's All Nighter spray is, however I've never bit the bullet and just bought it. I've always never had the money, or once I did, wouldn't want to spend that much on one product. With that being said, I mentioned this because I cannot compare the ELF Mist & Set to Urban's All Nighter, which a few of my friends have inquired about. What I can tell you, is coming from a standpoint of someone who,

A.) Sweats a lot.
B.) Has oily skin.
C.) Lives in Texas, heat and humidity central.

 

Okay, I got this at Target two days ago, and I used it last night when I went out with my friends.

I put on these products first:

Mark: Primed for Perfection
Covergirl: Clean Oil Control
Covergirl: TruBlend Minerals pressed powder in Fair
ELF: Tone Correcting Concealer in Apricot

And then, I'll usually pick a blush, highlight, and bronze. Lately I've been using Ideal Luminous Blush from Avon in E04 - Earthen Rose. My highlight is from also from Avon, but they no longer carry it. I've been on the search for a new bronzer, so if anyone has any suggestions, leave me a comment, please. :)

I put all of this on, then sprayed my face, about 3 to 4 times. First thing I noticed was it made my face really wet, and I had a mini-freak-out where I thought all of my make up would come off. It didn't. And honestly I've heard a lot of people say that they don't like how wet it makes their face, but I didn't mind. I keep a small personal fan on my vanity because I do live in Texas and it sucks to do your make up while you're sweating. Haha. So, I just flipped on my fan and positioned it straight at my face, it dried pretty quickly. If you don't have that kind of option, I read another review where the author said she used one of her flat face brushes and patted the wet areas, do not blend though, just pat.

After my face dried, I immediately noticed it had sucked all of the oil up, however it also didn't leave my face dry either. It was really smooth actually.

Next, eyes: I use Mark matte eye primer, and then the ELF liquid eye primer on top of it. Then, my eyeshadow, mascara and my brows. Then I just closed my eyes and sprayed each eye, 1- 2 times.


Make sure you close your eyes when you spray them, I know that sounds dumb, but I really did read reviews of people saying it burned their eyes when they sprayed it.



I went out with my friends to a concert, danced around for a couple hours, went out to eat, and walked around the town for a few hours, and when I got back in the car and checked myself in the mirror, my face was still smooth and perfect looking. My eyes hadn't creased, my foundation was still there, and my eyebrows still looked just as perfect as when I did them that morning. Needless to say, I love this product.

I guess a few cons would be that, like I said, a lot of people don't like the wet feeling or waiting for their face dry. I really didn't have a problem with this though. I'd say a con for me personally is the bottle size. It's decent size but I know that when I love a product, I use it all the time. I can already tell I'm going to use this one a ton. So, I'm glad I ordered some bottles off ELF and they should be coming soon along with some other products.

 Hit or Shit wise, I'd definitely say this product is a total hit. It works well and I love it. 

- Noralee

PS: Some things coming up: I have three drug store palettes I'll be reviewing, an Elf haul, and a Sephora haul!

Birthday Wishlist.

1. Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette

2. Fuiji Film Instax 210

(Which I am considering ordering as a gift for myself!)

3. Alice: Madness Returns for Xbox360

4. Sephora's Moonshadow Baked Palette; "In the Nude"

5. Urban Decay Single of YDK
(And honestly if I hadn't just ordered a fairly large haul from e.l.f I probably would've bought this single. I still really want it though. It is literally my favorite shade I've ever tried from UD. It is gorgeous.)

I'm not going to number this because it's kind of silly, but.... HARRY POTTER LEGO SETS! 

I took this photo of my lego Harry a few days ago for my 365 day challenge on tumblr. :)
Camera: Sony Alpha 200

 Haha. Last Black Friday I was at Target gettin' my Black Friday on. I found a package that advertised a mini HP Lego Set. You got Harry and a potions shelf. I bought it. I love Harry Potter, and I really had a good time putting the mini set together. I have it on a shelf in my room on display. A couple days later I went back to Target to see if there were other kinds available. Nothing. I was disappointed but figured as much. I looked on Amazon where I found not only huge sets but an xbox360 Lego HP game. It was cheaper than any of the sets on there, so I purchased it. I play it all the dang time. I will happily purchase Years 5-7 sometime before this year is out, I swear. 

On another Lego note, my boyfriend and I celebrated my birthday early before school started. He got me Pizza Hut for lunch, a really pretty card, and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. He's the sweetest. I really like the game as well. I guess I just have a thing for Lego stuff. :)

The honest truth on how my birthday will play out is my parents are taking me to dinner, (food is awesome!), and depending on if I decide to get myself the Instax 210, there will be my present. Which I really am leaning towards. I do not expect anything from them except a dinner and probably a cake. They're awesome people and I appreciate all the little and big things they do for me everyday. That's enough. I just wanted to make a snazzy birthday wishlist because they're fun. It's like circling a million things in the Christmas catalogs my Mom used to get when I was 7 years old. I circled a million things but when it actually came to the day and not one of the things was there I never even noticed because I was so happy with what I got instead.  

I hope everyone's had a really great day and evening!

- Noralee