Clinique Allover Colour Mixed Berries Review 29.50

The full name for this product is Fresh Picked Allover Colour Limited Edition Mixed Berries. This palette has powder in shades of slightly browned pink. There are 3 tones, and they can be swiped to your preference for a more dramatic or more subtle cheek hue, or even for a highlighter, if you choose to only use the lightest shade.

I decided to spoil myself for my birthday and get this. I got it at Bloomingdale's gift time, so I also got a very cute little gift set with it, which is proving very useful.

I wanted a blush that was also pretty to look at. My Laura Geller in raspberry sugarfree is beautiful with great staying power, but it's very pigmented and I wanted a light option. So I love that I can choose to go lighter or darker on the same gorgeous palette. The embossed berry pattern will not last forever, but I love it nonetheless. Also, I figure if I'm going to be using the same blush for years, It's ok to pay a little more if it will make me smile.

I was a little disappointed to see that I had paid $30 for a blush that had talc as it's first ingredient. The staying powder is moderate, not as good as the Laura Geller, but better than most drugstore brands. Clinique eyeshadow slides right off of me, so I was happy to see that this, while it fades a little, does last all day.

Review: Ambi Even & Clear Targeted Mark Minimizer $11

I got this because I was curious to see if it would hold up to its claims. It says it "Visibly reduces dark marks and discolorations." It took about 4 months of usage. (1 oz. lasted me that long, and I used it as my facial moisturizer), and I say, yes!

Surprised? Me, too! I didn't think that it would actually work, but it does. On one unfortunate incident, excessive picking led to a new dark spot, that was just about gone 3 weeks later. I don't know if it works on everything. I have since developed new marks. So, I am on an embankment to fix my diet so as not to develop new marks. In the meanwhile, I've just started on tube #2, and I hope to be even skinned at the end of it.

ELF Studio C Eyeshadow Brush

I got this in my most recent ELF haul, curious to see if it would replace my current favorite eyeshadow favorite, the Crown Luna (deluxe oval shadow?). It has only been a few days, and it just might. I like the Crown for being dense and picking up a lot of color. The ELF is also dense and picks up a lot of shadow. However, the ELF has a thinner profile than the Crown. This makes for more precise shadow application. I find that I can use this brush to line and shade the eye, which saves me time. I like that alot. (Be forewarned, I use a pretty thick line at the base.) Having this precision is allowing for me to play with different shadow placement, which is not something I had considered with the Crown. I'm really excited I chose to take a chance on this brush. I'm very satisfied with it.

To compare this with the regular eyeshadow brush, which I have plenty of... The regular one has longer bristles, which means it can cover a larger area of the eye at once. It also makes for less control. The color will not go exactly where you put the brush. Also, the color may spray off of the brush a bit. I find sometimes I have a problem with shadow ending up on the side of my nose. Maybe that's just me? I prefer the Studio C over the regular for it's precision, but if you don't do complicated looks, I think that regular shadow brush would do just fine.

Laura Geller Sugar free Blush N brighten in Sugar Free Raspberry

So Gorgeous! Super pigmented, and great staying power. I can still see this on at the end of the day, which I can't say for any other blush, really.

ELF Studio Complexion Brush

Super soft, not too dense. I use this as a blush brush with my super pigmented Laura Geller blush and it works great for that. It is very airy and does not pick up very much powder. It also does have a flat shape, similar to the C eyeshadow brush. I don't mind, as this allows for me to have more control over my color. The price is great, as well. It definitely picks up less blush than my MAC blush brush, but I actually prefer it that way. I get more control and can layer on more for color if I wish, and it makes blending much easier as well. I imagine I can even use my super dark ruby Revlon blush that I put into storage because I considered it too dark for spring. That's a happy thought!

With this brush, I can use all of my blushes year round, and use only as much as I need to.

When I use it with my Guerlain pearl highlighter, it seems to work fine for that as well. I previously used the Ecotools kabuki with a handle brush - that was fine as well. It is more subtle, definitely. I find Guerlain's highlighter to be difficult to overdo.

Sephora Favorites Glitz & Glam $38

I'm loving this fabulous little kit as I unfortunately have not managed to outgrown my love of glitter and sparkle!

Laura Geller Blush: Sunswept; I was actually contemplating purchasing a blush from LG. This shade is very pigmented but still wearable. It wears a dark pink with a golden sheen overlay that catches the light. It's very pretty. It was GREAT lasting power, and is still fresh at the end of the day! For this reason, I think I will purchase a full size, lighter colored blush from LG, even thought I promised myself that I would wait until I used up a blush before buying another one. It's also gorgeous to look at, with it's multicolor swirls. It is a bit loose, and there will be powder on the black case inside, but I am so impressed with the staying power that I don't mind

Guerlain Meteorites: Beige Chic 03; This was my reason for purchasing the kit. I wanted to try Meteorites. The little box is adorable, but the balls are a little annoying. It does give me a lit from within, candle light glow when I put it on. The pearls will sometimes fall out when I am trying to apply. This is not something I want to worry about when I'm working on my morning make up. It also does have a scent to it. I don't particularly care for it, but it's not too overpowering. You will smell it each time you open the box. I need to work with this a little more before deciding if I will purchase the full size.

Smashbox Eyeshadow: 24K; I was surprised to find that this gold is very... orange. I am a cool skinned girl, and so I don't think this goes with my personal coloring very well. I look better in silvery golds. But, this shadow is super smooth and very easy to work with; the texture is divine. I may purchase Smashbox shadow in the future - but I don't think this shade is for me. I'll play with it a few more times before deciding.

Laura Geller Lip Shiners Lip Gloss Review

No price on this - I got it as a part of the Sephora Favorites Kit in Glitz & Glam.

This gloss is clear and has large clear glitter particles in it. The formula is super thick and moderately sticky, but very smooth. It comes in a wand container with a brush applicator.

I couldn't properly test drive this product because the scent is one that I cannot stand. It smells like a berry flavored lollipop. I am ok with berry flavored lollipops, but not with having my lipgloss sport that fake a scent. I am also feeling a bit of ... not quite sting. I am not sure if this product contains lip plumper - those tend to irritate my lip too much for their lackluster performance. Sorry, I love glitter but this product is a fail for me. I'd recommend you take a sniff of this if you have a friend with one before you purchase! I do have this problem with some juicy tubes. I may just be a gloss scent snob.