Back-to-School Drugstore Eyeshadow!

Check out my top picks for back to school eyeshadow singles and palettes - all from super affordable drugstore brands!

Palettes:

Physicials Formula Shimmer Strips Palette, Nude: Not only are these shades all super shimmery and neutral, but they're not too pigmented - normally I wouldn't consider that a plus, but if you want just a touch of a nude color across your lids, a less pigmented palette might be perfect for you! Also, how cute is that packaging??
Jesse's Girl 9 Pan Eye Shadow Palette, Tickled Pink: This is actually one of my favorite palettes to work with, especially in fall - as you can tell, my case is rather well-loved! The lighter pink shades are totally school appropriate while still bringing a bit of fun color, and the darker purples and burgundies are perfect if you want something more dramatic or to take a look from day to night!

Singles/Duos:

e.l.f. Essentials Duos: This particular duo doesn't have a name on it (I believe it came in a set), but the colors are light enough to wear to school - and since you get two shadows, you can switch up your look each day!
L'Oreal Infallible 25 HR Eye Shadow, Iced Latte: This shadow is probably my absolute favorite in this post - the formula is amazingly smooth, it lasts all day (perfect for school!), and the light cream color is also super shimmery, meaning you get a really nude color but a ton of shimmer to catch the eye! I recommend all the shadows in this post, but if you're only going to pick up one, this would definitely be it!

Wishing everyone a happy school year - and I hope your makeup looks fabulous all year!

XOXO,
Ally

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year - the CVS Beauty Clearance, of course!

Guys, I'll admit it - I have a bit of a makeup addiction. That euphoria when I come home with a bag full of beauty goodies...it's the best. So obviously the CVS Beauty Clearance is my favorite event of the year, period.

I just hit up my first CVS (I have two or three more to go!) and I grabbed a bunch of 75% off (and a few 50% off) products. I'll try and do actual reviews on some/most of these products later on, but for now, I'll just show off my first haul out of (hopefully) many!

First is the Physician's Formula Bamboo Wear Bambuki Brush. I've never actually used any Physician's Formula brushes, but I do like a lot of their other products so I thought I might give this kabuki brush a try. Plus it's made out of 100% natural hair and fully sustainable bamboo, and having just watched two documentaries on climate change for my international relations class, I'm all for using renewable resources when making beauty products.
Original price: $10.79
Price after 75% off discount: $2.69

Next, I grabbed two nail polishes - mostly because they were already really inexpensive, and the 75% discount just made it too good of a deal to pass up. The first is the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color in 05 Diamonds, which is a sheer, sparkly color that's actually a little more yellow-toned then this picture seems to show. I've never tried any polishes from the Diamond Strength line before, but I do think that the little plastic diamond on the bottle is super cute! The second color is the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 14 Plum Power. I have a few other Xtreme Wear polishes and I like them quite a bit, and with the 75% off discount this polish ended up costing about three quarters. That's even cheaper than doing a load of laundry in my dorm...
Diamond Strength Nail Color 
Original price: $5.49
Price after 75% off discount: $1.37
Xtreme Wear Nail Color
Original price: $3.19
Price after 75% off discount: $.79

Since we're talking about nails, the one other nail product that I grabbed was the Sally Hansen Quick Care Growth Treatment. Now, I normally wouldn't spend a lot of money on a product like this, unless I knew for sure that it worked well and would grow my nails. But since it was on clearance, I decided to go for it. After all, if it doesn't work, I only wasted around $2, instead of around $10. I'll let you guys know how it works for me - I tend to bite my nails (even though I'm trying to stop!) so they're perpetually short. Hopefully this treatment will encourage them to grow a bit and I can have nice, long nails!
Original price: $9.99
Price after 75% off discount: $2.49

I didn't get too many face products, except for the Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Correcting Concealer set thing. I've tried green correctors before (my face has some redness issues) but they never seemed to make a noticeable difference. So I figured I might as well give this one a try (I got the green corrector shade, they make one with yellow as well) and if it sucks...well, at least it was 75% off. The packaging is pretty cool - the little containers snap together, which would probably be neat if you had more than one set and wanted to organize them (it reminds me of their Gel CreamLiner sets that also snap together - more about those later, *wink wink*). The set contains a corrector, a concealer, and a highlighter, so it seems like it would be ideal for traveling or on-the-go touch-ups.
Original price: $8.99
Price after 75% off discount: $2.25

I also only picked up one lip product - the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Siren. It's a bright orange/coral color, and while it may not be the best color for the winter, it's definitely a gorgeous color for spring or summer. I'm already a huge fan of this shade and I can't wait to get more chances to wear it - I'll probably break it out during December and January even if it's not totally appropriate for the season, because it's such a great color.

Original price: $8.79
Price after 75% off discount: $2.19

Ah, time for the eye products. First up are the only two things that I got for 50% off instead of 75% off - two Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes in Vanity and Greed. I don't think i need to tell you guys how good these are - they're definitely fantastic! I have one of these palettes in Lust and I use it all the time, but I really wanted to try their more neutral palettes as well. I have really high expectations for these two since Wet n Wild has some great quality products out there, but I'm sure they'll live up to my expectations! 
Original price: $4.99 (x2)
Price after 50% off discount: $2.49 (x2)

Next is a bit of a spur-of-the-moment purchase. I've never used any Almay eyeshadows before, but I saw that their Intense I-Color shadow palette for brown eyes was on sale, and since I have brown eyes, I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone - test out some Almay shadows, and test out whether or not the shadows actually make my brown eyes look any better! I normally ignore all that "for blue eyes!" and "for brown eyes!" stuff at the drugstores, but who knows...maybe they're onto something! The shades look really pretty, so I'm super excited to test this one out and let you guys know what I think! 
Original price: $8.99 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.25

We've made it to the Physician's Formula eye products, which means we're almost to the end of the haul! Now, I don't have hazel eyes, but I still picked up the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips palette for hazel eyes because...well, look at those colors! Gorgeous! I actually have one other Shimmer Strips eyeshadow palette and I'm not a huge fan (it's from the Smoky collection and for green eyes, and I don't wear a lot of grays or greens so I really have no idea why I got it...it was probably from the CVS Clearance last year). But I wanted to give the range another try, this time with colors that I use more often, and there are a lot of beautiful colors in this palette. So fingers crossed that this one works out for me! 
Original price: $10.99 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.75

Lastly, I was really excited to grab two more of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel CreamLiners. I have the liner set for brown eyes from the original collection and I use them a TON, so I thought it was definitely time for me to pick up some more. Ironically, all three of the eye products from Physician's Formula are for hazel eyes, but I have brown eyes...I guess hazel eyed people just get the best shades of these things! It was really hard to get a good picture of these while they were in the packaging, because their plastic lids are so reflective, sorry guys! Anyway, I got one set from the core collection (it comes with taupe, pink, and black with pink shimmer), and one from the glam collection (it comes with antique gold, metallic amethyst, and black with gold shimmer). I love love love the one set of these liners that I already have, so I'm super excited to try more. And I adore the fact that they can stack together - I'll never lose any of the little pots! Plus, the brush that comes in this set is actually pretty useful. All in all, I love these liners and can't wait to test out some more of them!
Original price: $10.99 (x2) 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.75 (x2)


I had a $5 extrabucks coupon, so that made my discount even better - in the end I spent $23.60 after tax and the $5 off coupon, and I saved $76.92. CVS Beauty Clearance ... I honestly love you.

I still have a few other CVS's to check out next Monday, when I'm home from college, so expect more hauls soon!

XOXO, Ally

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Review (and...swatches?)

Maybelline Great Lash was probably one of the first mascaras that I used, back in 7th or 8th grade when I started wearing makeup. But even though the pink and green packaging is the cutest thing ever, I eventually realized that I really was not a fan of the actual product. The formula was always kinda wet and clumpy for me, and it just made my lashes look spidery. So when Maybelline came out with the new Great Lashes Lots of Lashes mascara, I wasn't sure if I wanted to give the product a second chance.

Eventually I was tempted with a $1 off coupon that kept popping up in my Facebook ads, and I picked up the Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Blackest Black. The packaging is as cute as ever, and I really liked the heart-shape theme that was carried throughout this product (there are hearts on the packaging and the brush is described as "heart-shaped"). Also, the fact that the acronym for the product name is "LOL"...my inner geek thinks that's hilarious and actually really adorable.

Bare lashes without mascara

Lashes with one coat of Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara

The actual product is...ok. I like to build my mascara gradually but if you apply more than a few coats of this it can get pretty clumpy. I also prefer thicker, drier mascara formulas, and Great Lash can be rather watery. I like how it looks on my bottom lashes, but it didn't impress me on the top lashes. I actually do like the brush, although you have to turn your hand around to do your other eye in order to get the same effect, which is something I don't normally do. I'm currently carrying this mascara in my makeup bag for touch-ups during the day and I do use it, but it won't be replacing CoverGirl's LashBlast as my favorite mascara. It's not bad, but I wasn't blown away by it, either.

Rating: 3/5
I like it better than the original Great Lash mascara, but I didn't like the original very much in the first place, so that's not saying much. The brush is pretty neat and if you prefer wetter formulas, maybe give this a try!

Whatever Wednesday: PandAmonium!

Ok, so Wednesday's name sucks. It reminds me of trying to talk to some middle schooler who keeps going "whatEVER!" But it gets the point across nicely - I couldn't think of anything cool for Wednesdays, so I decided to just make it a day for anything. This Wednesday, I decided to base my look off of the album I was listening to at the time - Pandamonium by The White Panda. (It has some wonderful mash-ups, check it out guys!) So I went with a simple black and white lid, then added a pop of color by lining the top with bright green and the bottom with bright pink!

Products Used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
e.l.f. Brightening Eye Color Quad in Drama (matte white shade)
Purple/black e.l.f. Eyeshadow Duo from the Smoky Eye Kit (black glitter shade)
Urban Decay's Gunmetal
Urban Decay's Chronic
Rock & Republic Eye Colour in Spy
wet N wild Color Icon Trio in Spoiled Brat (neon pink shade)
NYX Glitter Cream Palette in Paradise (pink glitter)
CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara

Liplicious Blue Colada Lip Gloss

So for this look, I primed my eyes and then applied the black jumbo eye pencil to the outer corner and the white one to the inner corner. I patted the black e.l.f. shadow over the black pencil and slightly into the crease, and the white shadow over the white pencil and brought it down to the inner corner, and then used Gunmetal to blend the two together. I then took Spy and used it to soften the edges and brought it up to my brow bone. After blending out the shadows, I lined my upper lashes with Chronic wet, and used the pink wet N wild shade on the bottom lash line (wet as well). With a liner brush, I pressed some of the pink glitter cream over the pink liner, then tight-lined my eyes with black and applied mascara and a clear gloss. And then I went to visit my high school marching band! <3

 XOXO, Ally

Colorful Tuesday: Warm Purple

By all means, play it safe for work on Monday, but come Tuesday, I think it's about time to break out the colors! Which is why I've chosen the incredibly uncreative name "Colorful Tuesday" for my Tuesday looks - everything from bright, wacky colors to soft wearable ones will be on Tuesdays! Today's look combines a peachy-orange shade with purples for a warm, purpley eye; it's definitely a more subdued, wearable colorful look, but I promise crazier ones will come!

Products Used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
MAC Tweet Me
MAC Stars n Rockets
Urban Decay's Flash
NYX 10 Color Eye Shadow Palette in Strike a Pose (matte brown shade, matte black shade)
wet N wild Color Icon palette in Lust (shimmery cream white shade)
Rock & Republic Eye Colour in Spy
CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara

e.o.s. Lip Balm in Summer Fruit
e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose

For this look, I primed my eyes with Too Faced Shadow Insurance and then filled in my lid with the NYX pencil in Cottage Cheese. I pressed Tweet Me on top of that, to give the orange-y color a more metallic finish. I blended out the edges with Stars n Rockets and worked that color up slightly onto the brow bone, then placed Flash right into the crease to deepen the purple. I used Spy to blend out the edges of Stars n Rockets, and then highlighted under my eyebrow with the shimmery wet N wild shade. With the NYX pencil in Cottage Cheese again, I applied a little to my inner corner and then covered it with that same wet N wild Shade. I then used the NYX pencil in Black Bean to smudge along my lower waterline and lash line, and set that with the NYX matte black color. On my upper lash line, I smudged the same matte color into the outer quarter of my lash line, and dragged the color slightly upwards. Then I used the matte brown color to finish lining my top lashes. Finally, I curled my lashes and applied mascara.

For my lips, I simply smoothed my e.o.s. lip balm on and then covered that with a layer of the matte lip color. The Tea Rose color actually tones down the natural pigment of my lips, so it helped to focus attention on my eyes, instead of overwhelming my face with too many bright colors.

XOXO, Ally

SFW Monday: Warm Nude

Since I've posting a lot of swatches and reviews lately, and not so many makeup looks, I decided to give each weekday a theme and post a new look based on that theme each day, until I get sick of doing so. Monday is obviously SFW ("safe for work") day, so there will be lots of neutrals and slight hints of color but nothing too flashing or vibrant. As for the other days ... you'll just have to stay tuned this week to find out!

Products Used:
NYX HD Eye Shadow Base
Urban Decay's Toasted
NYX 10 Color Eye Shadow Palette in Strike a Pose (matte brown shade, matte black shade, matte white shade)
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner for brown eyes (brown shade)
wet N wild Color Icon palette in Lust (matte light pink shade)
CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Flame
Hard Candy Glossaholic Lip Gloss in Rise & Shine

To create today's look, I primed my eyes with the NYX primer, then applied Toasted all over my lid. I used the matte brown color mixed with a few dabs of the matte black color from the NYX palette, and placed that in the outer corner and about 3/4 of the way into the crease. Then I lined my top lashline with the brown gel liner, and smudged a touch of the same matte brown shadow beneath my lower lashes. As a highlight, I used the light pink wet N wild color, and applied a touch of the white color from the NYX palette to the inner corner of my eyes. Finally, I curled my lashes and applied mascara to finish the eye look!

For the lips, I used the bright red Revlon lip stain/lip balm and topped it with the sparkly Hard Candy Glossaholic gloss, to liven up my face since my eye look was so neutral. However, you could go with a nude lipstick or clear gloss instead, if you wanted to keep your entire face office-friendly. I'm wearing the blush from the e.l.f. blushed/bronzed duo, which is definitely light and natural enough for work or school - any light peachy will work great with this look!

XOXO, Ally

NYX Glitter Cream Palette in Paradise - Swatches

I'll admit it - I'm a glitter addict. I don't wear it very often because super-glittery eyes aren't really an everyday look for me, but I glitter is the one thing that I can't resist, even though I don't frequently wear it. The NYX Glitter Cream Palette in Paradise is a really cool, glittery way to spice up a look, despite being a little hard to work with.

(In case it wasn't obvious, click the pictures and they'll get bigger!)

Sorry that the swatches are kinda blurry, but it gives you the best idea of the sparkle that these guys have. These palettes would be great to check out if you like glitter but find it hard to use loose, because of the fallout. On the other hand, it's harder to get an opaque later of glitter because of all the thick gel that the product is suspended in. In my opinion, it's worth a chance at only $6, but I would wait and see if the formula works for you before buying multiple shades.

NYX on HauteLook - Haul!

Waiting two hours for the campus post office to open so I could pick this up was agony. I've heard so many good things about NYX that I was pretty much dying with anticipation waiting to try all this stuff. I just managed to snag the package ten minutes before my class started so I couldn't do much except for drop it off in my room and then run to class - but now that I'm back and I've opened the package and squealed over everything you get to check it all out too!

Actual reviews will be up once I get a chance to test everything out, but until then I'll just give you a sneak peak of what I got!

 Yeah, ok, pictures of the box are not very exciting. But I love the little tissue paper that everything comes wrapped it! It's like getting a birthday present or something!

 Jumbo Eye Pencils in Lime, Gold, Baby Blue, Black Bean, Cottage Cheese, and Purple

 Studio Perfect Photo-Loving Primer in Green, HD Studio Photogenic Primer, HD Eye Shadow Base

 Eye Pencil in Dark Brown, 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Strike a Pose, Eyeshadow Base in White

(And I love that the cardboard box shows the colors on the side! If you bought more than one of these and didn't remember which colors were included in what - well, now you know!)

Glitter Gel in Silver Lake, Glitter on the Go in Sparks, Glitter Cream Palette in Paradise

So I'm pumped to actually try these out and review them for you! I haven't used anything yet but my first impressions have been pretty positive so far. I know you can't always judge the quality of a product by the packaging, but I do really like the NYX packaging. It's simple but cute - I'm not a fan of cheap packing that tries to look expensive and just ends up looking tacky. While nice packaging is a plus, the product is the most important thing in my opinion, so I have no problem with a company saving money on packaging - and NYX is a great example of packaging that's nothing unique or special, but still looks very sleek.

XOXO, Ally

Look of the Day: 1/25/11

I'd just like to say right up front that there's no guarantee that I'll actually post a 'look of the day' every day, but I'll try to post one as much as possible. This was technically yesterday's look, but I didn't get around to posting it until today...

I love bright eyeshadows, but it can be hard to rock neon colors all over your lid during the daytime. For parties, sure, but there's no way I'm showing up to my 9 AM Greek class with a crazy blue/green/yellow blended eye. But that doesn't mean I have to be all neutral, all the time - case in point, this look. The lid is just a simple wash of a nude eyeshadow, line with a black cream liner on the outer half. The real pop of color is below the lower lashline, where I used Urban Decay's Flash to smudge the purple below my lashes. Then I lined the bottom waterline in black and blended some white into the inner corners. On my lips, I'm wearing Revlon's ColorBurst lipstick in Lilac, and Revlon's Super Lustrous lipgloss in Lilac Pastelle over that. In other words, there's a lot of purple going on here.

But the basic idea is that there's no need to think of color as totally unwearable - a little pop of it here and there can really make the world of difference (and net you tons of nice compliments!)

XOXO, Ally