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

Hit or Shit: Rimmel Clean Finish Liquid Foundation.

Full price this foundation is under five dollars, sorry I can't recall full price nor find it online, but I know for sure it was under five. I snagged it at Target with a red tag, clearanced to about $1.70.

I was honestly so completely stoked about this foundation for a week or so, because it was the first time I'd gotten a shade that completely matched my skin tone, and half the time I could go without concealer because it was brightening and FULL COVERAGE AS FUCK!

I LOVED this foundation... Until, it started breaking me out. Which is seriously strange for me and my skin type. I don't have sensitive skin, if I did, I seriously wouldn't have a face for the kind of shit I put my skin through sometimes, haha! But I started getting these monstrously huge breakouts ALL over my face. I also was getting patches of redness on my nose and cheeks. It was crazy, my skin has never reacted to any product like this before. So, I stopped wearing this foundation for a week and switched back over to my beloved Loreal Magic Souffle, and within a day the redness was gone, and I never got new breakouts since switching off the Rimmel foundation.

 This foundation is "clean" feeling and it will keep the oil under control, but for me personally and my skin, this is a huge SHIT. Honestly, if you have sensitive skin, I definitely wouldn't tell you try this, your skin might fall off or something, and that would totally be lame. So, not saying this is a bad product, because obviously I said like three times that I loved it, but my skin did not, which is why this sucks.

I'm mad that I have a whole bottle of this sitting in my makeup collection now, man. :(

Anybody else have any bad experiences with Rimmel? This was my first time branching out to face products from them, previously I've only used their mascaras and lipsticks, which I love.

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

Swatches: ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks

 These are from ELF's new products. They are $2.00 and come in ten shades.
From the right these are: French Lace, Rock Out, Little Miss Thing, and Turkish Coffee.

 Little Miss Thing is on the left, below that Rock Out.
Turkish Coffee on the right, below that French Lace.

Honestly, I really love these. They are ridiculously pigmented, have nice staying power, and blend WELL. I really like wearing French Lace as a base (because they do not have a white like Nyx's Milk yet, which sucks, but hopefully they'll get one!), and then Little Miss Thing over the lid, and Turkish Coffee in my crease, outer v, and lower lash line. I'll try to post a photo of this sometime soon so ya'll can see how that looks. I think they look great together. :)

These are totally a steal at $2.00, seriously! Check them out before the colors start going out of stock!

Love, Noralee

Swatches: ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick.

This is from ELF's newer line of products. These are $2 and come in eight different shades.

I got "In the Nude" and "Tiki Torches."

These are really creamy and pigmented. I'm definitely going to buy more of them soon.

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

ELF Lipstain in Crimson Crush

This is a lip stain from ELF, it is $2.00. I got mine in Crimson Crush. I love how pigmented it is!

It doesn't dry out your lips, either. It is very light.

I've been having some really cracked lips lately, as you can see. So, if anyone has any suggestions for lip scrubs? I've been looking into Lush, but I'm not too sure just yet.

I really love this. I've already decided that once they have more shades in stock I'll be ordering all of the shades. No lie! This is such a hit and at a really wonderful price. :)

Love, Noralee

ELF Cream Eyeliner Swatches & Small Review

The packaging is kind of small, but the staying power is amazing. So, you wouldn't need to reapply it throughout the day, and a little of it goes an extremely long way.

These swatches stayed on my arm for a long time! I used a Nutrogena wipe, nothing. I scrubbed with a brush in the sink, a little bit of movement. Took a long hot shower, scrubbed, finally. And even then it still stained my skin well. I think these have awesome staying power and pigmentation for the fact that they were $3.00 each.

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.