Maybelline Color Elixir

So Maybelline (somewhat) recently released a collection of hybrid lipstick/balm/glosses called Color Elixir. They're supposed to be saturated as lipsticks, hydrating as balms, and shiny like glosses. They come in cute little tubes that resemble lipsticks and are available in a variety of colors. Fairly reasonably priced at about $7-$8 apiece, I decided on three…a bare, a blush, and a bright:

From left to right: Caramel Infused, Blush Essence, and Fuchsia Flourish

Caramel Infused is a warm, pinky-nude with a hint of shimmer. Blush Essence is a cool, shimmery mauve-pink. Fuchsia Flourish is a creamy, bright fuchsia with no shimmer.

I found that Caramel Infused was the perfect, glossy nude lip for my southeast Asian skin tone.

Blush Essence was on the slightly cooler side for my yellow undertones, but gave me a light, Barbie-pink tint without looking outrageous.

Finally, Fuchsia Flourish was a fantastic pop of glossy color that flatters my complexion while being very wearable. Bonus points for getting me compliments at a holiday party I attended!

These are probably my favorite lip colors at the moment. Though not *quite* as saturated as advertised, the colors I purchased were translucent-toward-opaque, especially the Caramel and Fuchsia. They have a wonderful milk chocolate scent and glide on luxuriously with a plush texture that is lightweight and not at all sticky. My lips definitely feel well-moisturized. Lasting power is about average for a saturated gloss, approximately 4 hours…if you're not eating. Let's be realistic; no lip color is going to last through a messy burger! ;)

I would recommend this lip color collection. Though I have so many different lippies to wear, I can't stop using these every day since I've gotten them. (I've had them for about 2 weeks now) They feel great, smell great, look great, and are a bargain compared to other, high-end cosmetic brands.

Hope you found this review helpful and thanks for reading! <3

Hugs,

Cat

Candy Lips: My Lime Crime Lipstick Collection

I don't have anything terribly exciting to report as it's midterm week for me. I thought it'd be fun to do a colorful post compiling my little collection of crazy lip colors from Lime Crime:

Mint To Be

Airborne Unicorn

My Beautiful Rocket

Styletto

Countessa Fluorescent

Lips!

Hope you guys enjoyed this colorful post!  Happy Tuesday and have a great night!

Hugs,
Cat

Scarlet Nerdy

Heeeeeeeeeeeeey!  It's back to school for me...  It's just the first week and I've already got my hands full!  I've got a few cool posts coming up, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share my FOTD.  It rained today so I figured I'd liven things up by throwing in some bright, fire-engine red!

That would be Wet N Wild's Mega Last Matte Lipstick in 910D.  I decided to offset my bold lippy by wearing my decidedly hipster-esque geeky glasses by Derek Cardigan from Coastal.  I was thrilled to get some nice compliments at school today. ^_^

Hope everyone's having a lovely week so far!  Happy hump day and goodnight! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Flirty Pink

A few weeks ago, as a birthday gift, I received a goodie bag from Christal Clear Cosmetics.  Included was one of Christal's signature 5 shadow palettes in Flirty Pink.  Seeing as it was a rather dreary, rainy day today, I thought I'd liven it up by adding some bright pink to my lids.

I just did a simple pink gradient, using the brightest pink as my base color and then adding dimension by applying black to the outer corners.  I finished with winged liner and mascara, as I almost always do. :)

Looking forward to enjoying the weekend, though I am tackling a big project for one of my classes.  It is the weekend before Halloween though, so that ought to be fun!  Looking forward to posting pictures of pumpkins and things! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Freshlook Colorblends Brilliant Blue

You all know that I love changing my look on a day-to-day basis by applying makeup to my face.  Well, another way to change up your look is to change the color of your eyes!  I like adding a little color to my lid, but with color contact lenses, I can add a little color to my eyes as well. :)

Sure, color contacts are nothing new.  They're just something I don't play around with that much because: A) I have very sensitive eyes.  B)  I barely have a prescription (-0.25 in both eyes)  C) Because my vision is near 20/20, I don't get eye exams often and therefore don't get fitted for contact lenses often.  FYI, getting fitted for contact lenses if VERY important for your eye health.  I know that there are OTC contacts that you can buy online, but without a proper fitting from an eyecare professional, you can sorely damage your eyes, therefore your vision, so be warned!

About a week ago, I got an eye exam from my optometrist and received a contact lens fitting too.  After not wearing color contacts for at least 3-4 years now, I felt like trying them again.  Of course I would choose among the most unnatural colors...what's the fun in going through the trouble of wearing contacts if you can't look completely eccentric?  I went with Brilliant Blue by Freshlook Colorblends.  It's a part of their Vibrant Views collection, a new selection of super-vivid eye colors.  Freshlook has been known in the past to create more natural colors via Colorblends, but I guess you just have to roll with the times...people want more extreme these days!

I just wanted to share with you guys what the contacts look like with and without eye makeup so you can compare the difference in looks.  Also, how completely cool they look on a southeast Asian gal who feels ridiculously glamorous in bright blue eyes!

I think they stand out more without eye makeup, since the blue is not competing with the color of the shadows.  I guess color contacts are an even easier way of dressing up the eyes with as little effort as possible!  

Pros:

- a simple way to jazz up your eyes

- lots of color possibilities

Cons:

- I can still feel them!  It takes getting used to, but I hate the feeling of having something in my eye.  It doesn't hurt, but is a little annoying.  

- The ring of color sometimes obstructs my vision, causing some blur, when my pupils are more dilated, ie. at night.  Not too big of a deal though.

All in all,  I really love them.  I generally don't wear them for more than 1-2 hours at a time.  I think I want to get them in Gemstone Green as well, hehe.  I think that would look pretty cool.  These are also great accessories for an ethereal photo shoot!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!

Hugs,

Cat

How I wore Jason Wu for Target!

Wheeeeeee!  I finally got my Jason Wu for Target haul in a few days ago.  I've been dying to share and I finally found the time to do a quick shoot modeling the stuff that I got.  Nothing formal, just tried on everything right out of the box. (you're going to have to excuse the wrinkles, didn't have time to press some of the items)

Before I start, I just wanted to mention how pleasantly surprised I was with the fit!  As a rather petite Asian girl, my stats are as follows:

• Height: 5'0"
• Weight: 105 lbs.
• Measurements: 32"-26"-36"
• Dress Size: 2

I had anticipated that I would have to head straight to the tailor for alterations, however, it appears that I'm going to be just fine wearing everything off the rack!  Hooray!

First up is the Black Flared Dress with the nude belt and lace hem.  The fabric is a nice weight, and appears to be good quality.  The belt accents the waist with a touch of color, in this case, a pale pinky nude.  I love that it has a built in crinoline which helps retain the full shape.  The lacy hem is embellished with sparkling black sequins.  And I simply LOVE the pockets!  Those were a surprise.  Such a classic, elegant, and flattering cut!  I think I'd be able to wear this dress 20 years from now and still look timeless! (if I still have my figure, that is. lol)  I also found that my Lovelina Vintage Garden Rose Earrings were the PERFECT adornment for this dress.  Whaddya know? :D

Next is the Navy Floral Sleeveless Chiffon Dress.  It's a lightweight, billowy shape that's neatly cinched with a mustard-yellow patent skinny belt.  The fit is flowy, feminine, and effortless.  I can't wait to wear it in the spring, although I'm sure I'd be able to pull it off with some brushed fleece tights and a cardigan for our current nippy weather!  I thought my Lovelina Leafy Bow Pearl Drop Earrings were a good fit with this dress. :D

Then I have the Blush Tee with Black Tie and the Straw Clutch.  Though the tee is cute, it's extremely loose-fitting, as you can see, for an extra small.  The quality is so-so, the stitching for the tie around the neck could definitely use some improvement, but the overall look is fine.  I think I like it best with cropped leggings.  I really can't find any fault with the clutch.  The contrast top-stitching and clasp are nice details and I love the texture of the straw.  I imagine it would be easily dressed up or down.

Last, but not least, I have the Blue Floral Printed Scarf and Classic Flap Handbag.  The scarf is one of my favorite pieces because it's so versatile!  I can wear it as a headband (as shown), as a belt, as a...well...scarf, etc.  There are so many possibilities!  I just adore the cheerful combination of soft blue, white, and yellow.  The handbag is a little darker in color than I had expected, but is still super-cute.  I don't know if I have any floral printed purses, so this is a first for me.  I like how I have the choice to wear it on my shoulder or simply hand-carry it, though I did feel that the detachable strap was several inches too long even at its shortest.  I think my Lovelina Teal Floral Painted Wood Button Drop Earrings goes best with this set.

Well, that's everything!  Can you believe we shot all this in under an hour?  (those of you that are familiar with photography understand that one can spend over an hour photographing just one outfit)  Big thanks to my li'l sis for being such a fantastic photographer! XOXO  She's also a tremendously talented graphic designer and illustrator.  You can check out her artwork HERE.

I really wish I could have gotten my hands on the Navy Blue Poplin Dress and the Navy Trench Coat among many other things, but I really didn't have deep enough pockets for more than I purchased and I feel pretty fortunate that I got anything at all!

Hope you all enjoyed my mini fashion show and have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Cat