City Color Intense Shine Eyeshadow Palette

City Color was launched at IMATS LA in 2013, and offers a range of high quality products at affordable prices.  City Color products are not tested on animals.  They offer a full range of products for the face (conceal and correct; contour etc.), for the eyes (shadows; mascara etc.) , for the lips (gloss; liners etc.), including tools for the beginner, to the make up junkie to the professional.

City Color Cosmetics are always on point with trendy collections and their highly pigmented formulas.  City Color believes "the importance of carrying the latest trends and significance in understanding the consumers' desires for high quality and reasonably priced beauty products."

The product we will be discussing today is the City Color Intense Shine Eyeshadow Palette. 

About the product:

• 12 metallic-foil shimmer shadows
• colors range from blues, to pinks, to greens, to black/grey, to purple/gold and white
• simple white packaging that enhances the look of the colors
• price ranged from $4.49 (www.amazon.com) to $4.99 (www.citycolorcosmetics.com)

Likes:

• color selection/range is amazing
• the colors are pigmented and offers BOLD color
• the palette is vibrant, fun and versatile
• soft texture that goes on smooth
• fun to play with to create various looks for day and evening time
• price range

Pet Peeves:

We will name this section pet peeves instead of dislikes as there was nothing that I really disliked about this product, however I did have two pet peeves.

• case a bit difficult to open and I have chipped a nail trying until I started to use a paper clip to open the groove
• a tiny bit difficult to blend out, however once blended the final look is AMAZING due to the softness and pigmentation of the product.

Final Thoughts:

I am absolutely in love with this little palette.  It was an impulse buy on Amazon in order to fill an order, but I am so glad that I got it as it does not disappoint.  I would recommend purchasing this product to have fun with all the looks that you can get from it especially as it is under $5.  I give this product 😻😻😻😻😻 (5 out of 5 kittens).

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Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Palette - The Brights

Maybelline started off as a small family owned business and was created by Thomas Lyle Williams in 1915.  The company was named in honor of his sister Mabel.  In 1967 the company was sold to Schering-Plough and in 1990, sold again to a New York investment firm Wasserstein Perella & Co, and then acquired by L'oreal in 1996.

Maybelline's slogan "Maybe she's born with it.  Maybe it's Maybelline can be heard echoed around the world.  Products range from the eyes (shadows, mascara, etc.), to the face (foundations, powders etc.), to the lips (lipstick, glosses, balms etc.), to accessories (brushes, makeup tools etc.).  Products can be purchased from various drugstores like Target, Walmart, CVS and can also be purchased online from websites like maybelline.com and amazon.com.

The product we will be discussing today is the Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Palette - The Brights.  About the product:

• the palette offers a range of twelve (12) very eye catching colors
• there are approximately thirteen (13) eyeshadow looks that can be achieved with the duo, trio and quad combinations the palette offers.
• colors range from blues, to purple, to pink to browns/gold to black
• the packaging is simple and effective

LIKES

• the simple and effective packaging
• the eye catching colors

DISLIKES

• product is powdery and had a great deal of fall out
• not pigmented or vibrant even when applied wet
• difficult to blend

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although the colors are eye catching they were not pigmented when applied.  It took a lot of elbow grease and time to blend and get the look that I was trying to go for and the end result was still not what I wanted as I lost interest in using the product so I settled for the look I ended up with.

The final look was not a bad one, however it was hard to get the colors to blend and with the fallout, I do not think it was worth the work I had to put in.  There are several other drugstore palettes that are better and worth the money and time, even some other palettes from Maybelline.  I was not satisfied and thus returned the product. Overall I give this product 😻😻 (2 out of 5 kittens) for packaging and color range.

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Thanks for stopping by and remember to always live and play in color.

L.A. Girl StrobeLite Strobing Powder

L.A. Girl is part of Beauty 21 Cosmetics company.  It was started in 1985 and offers quality cosmetics with a "glamours spin on beauty".  L.A. Girl offers products for the beginner to the experienced beauty junkie like myself.  The products are affordable luxury cosmetics ranging in price from $3 to $150.  Products for the eyes; lips; face; nails and beauty accessories are available, from lip liners, matte and metal liquid lipsticks to eyeshadows, to face contour/highlight to get shine nail top coats and polishes to lighted studio train cases.

This is an illuminating powder that adds light to the face and provides dimension.  The powder is soft and silky and I use it to add that bling to the face, cheeks, nose and cupids bow and anywhere else I want to sparkle and shine like a superstar while still having a soft shimmery finish. The product is paraben and fragrance free and available in 12 colors containing 0.19 ozs of product.

The product can be purchased from several places including the following: L.A Girl Website - www.lagirlusa.com, Amazon - www.amazon.com and some local CVS Stores.  I purchased four colors from Amazon for $7.00 each.

The colors purchased are:
20 Watt - this is a a lighter bronzy color with gold iridescent shimmer

50 Watt - this is a tan color with a peach undertone that also contains gold iridescent shimmer

60 Watt - this is a beautiful yellow gold straight shimmer.  This was my absolute favorite.

80 Watt - this is a peachy bronze with gold shimmer

LIKES
GLOW BABY GLOW.  This product makes you glow with luminescent face bling, bling.  It is east to apply and very highly pigmented.  The product when applied catches the light beautifully.  The color selection is also great and the product itself is soft and silky.  If you are like me too much is never enough 💋💋💋💋

DISLIKES:
I do not have anything much in this column other than I wish they were available in my local stores.  I am a junkie that loves to see, hold and when it is available test products and not having them available in local stores does not really do it for me.  

FINAL THOUGHTS:
For the price I paid for this product and the quality of the product and the color range, I would say run out and purchase, purchase, purchase.  My one piece of advice is if you can do research on the price available on the product prior to purchasing as I have seen the prices range from $7.00 to $9.00 each.  Overall I give this product 😻😻😻😻 (4 out of 5 kittens).

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Thanks for stopping by and remember to always live and play in color.

Popfeel Wine Liquid Long Wearing Lip Gloss

Popfeel is a long wearing liquid lip gloss that is made in China.  The product contains premium wine extracts from French wines.  The wine extracts provide a stronger, moisturizing and better covering effect.  The collection I purchased is a 6 piece set that offers bold, bright, deep and vibrant colors that are highly pigmented.  The product offers a shiny, waterproof, long lasting finish.  The colors in the collection range from pink to orange to purple to red.

The packaging of the product is amazing.  Each lip gloss is on the shape of a wine bottle.

One swipe offers great coverage, and the coverage can be built up if needed, but is not necessary.  Each "bottle" contains 0.3 ozs of product and I purchased this collection from Amazon for $13.60.  The applicator is a doe foot applicator for precise application and it picks up the right amount of product for each use.

The product did not come with actual names, however the collection I purchased were labeled as follows:

LW1 - Barbie Pink

LW2 - Medium Purple

LW3 - Rose Pink

LW4 - Light Pink

LW5 - Deeper Purple

LW6 - Red

Likes: Love, love, love, love the packaging.  I cannot say enough about how much I LOVE the packaging and the applicator.  The color range provided in the collection was good but not great.  My favorite colors were the LW3 Rose Pink and LW6 Red.  The colors are very vibrant and bold and they are truly waterproof.  

Dislikes: Some of the colors were a bit more drying than the others.  I was not a fan of the two pink colors. The two purple colors were nice based on the actual color and pigmentation, however they were more drying on the lips than the other colors.  

Final Opinion:  I am torn on this product.  I love the packaging and think that it is very innovative and a great conversation piece for us makeup lovers.  The colors are vibrant and the fact that they are waterproof is AMAZING as this means less touch ups during the day.  I did not like the fact that for me some of the colors (3 of the 6) were so very drying on the lips, even when using lip balm or lip oil under the product. If you are a long wearing lip product lover and you do not mind the drying effect, I would say go for it, but if you are like me and not a big fan of the drying effect, I would say you can maybe skip this purchase.  I give this product 😻😻😻 (3 out of 5 kittens).

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Xtava Allure Curly Kit Hair Dryer

Xtava company functions by 3 rules:

1. "It's Personal" - they take a “one size does not fit all” approach to hair tools. They provide tools to work with any hair type whether you have super-fine curls, thick or straight hair.
2. "Innovative at the roots" - the company has a team of engineers that design every product with their three core values in mind: "a dedication to hair health, powerful salon-grade quality, and sleek, intuitive design".
3. "Great hair, we care" - for this company "healthy hair is all about the right tool meeting the right technique". They are on a quest to help women find the best tips and tricks 'for achieving salon-worthy results at home, no matter your hair type".

The curly kit in question is Model Number XTV010017N (black) and XTV010018N (white). 

The package contains the following items:

• Xtava Hairdryer
• Black Orchid Difusser
• Concentrator Nozzle

This curly kit can be purchased from the following places:

• www.amazon.com  -  $42.00 - $46.99
• www.xtava.com   -     $59.00 (20% off all purchases plus free shipping until 2/28/2017 with the code HAIRGOALS) 

This dryer and diffuser are perfect for maintaining healthy hair resulting in frizz free curls. It protects the hair texture while defining and enhancing your hairs natural body.  The dryer and diffuser are lightweight and has ionic ceramic technology.  The dryer is 2200 watts and has 3 heat settings, 2 speed settings and a handy cold shot button for us curly girls. 

Final Thoughts:

My hubby purchased this dryer from Amazon for $42.00 as I was looking for a good curly hair dryer.  I have been using this dryer and diffuser for about 3 weeks now and I am loving this dryer as it dries my hair evenly and quickly.  The dryer offers a heavy duty cord and 360 degree airflow.  Each prong on the diffuser has a hole going through the prong which allows for the distribution of the air and quicker drying/styling time.

I was also able to maintain 3 day hair without any re-styling/re-wetting of my hair when using this dryer with the Black Orchid diffuser.  The process produced soft, defined and moisturized curls and it was easy to use.  

You can check out my video on YouTube for my full perspective on this product at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as8gFpKFqiI

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Wet N Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick

Wet n Wild is a cruelty free cosmetics company whose products are some of the lowest and best priced products in the drug stores.  If asked most makeup lovers will say that Wet n Wild were some of the first makeup products they ever bought.  The company launched in 1979 and is based out of Los Angeles California and is one of the most trusted brands in the drug store.  The prices in their products begin at $0.99 for several lipsticks and nail polishes, and they produce approximately 400 different versatile shades in their makeup line.

New to their makeup line now is the Megalast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks.  They come in 14 different colors to choose from and sell for $4.99 a pop and can be purchased from Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS or KMart.  I purchased my two colors from Target on sale at $4.49 a pop.

Based on the description on the website they :

They glide on like butter, feels like a second skin and will not budge. They go on glossy yet transforms into a highly pigmented matte finish with some serious staying power. The big claim is that this color is going nowhere.

Lets get into the product:

Give Me Mocha - is a beautiful neutral brown that will work with any skin tone.  This color applied evenly but needed some build up to achieve the full color.  Never the less this color is absolutly beautiful once dried.

Berry Recognize - is a mauve/fuchia color.  This color also applied evenly and you get good color payoff with just one swipe.  The color can be built up but I found there was no real need to do so with this shade.

LIKES: This product comes with a dipped doe foot applicator (just like the applicator on their Metallic Liquid Lipsticks).  This type of applicator allows for precise, smooth application of the product.  The color selection was great and the price is affordable for a matte lipstick.

DISLIKES: For me I did not find that there was much staying power as the product claimed to have.  It did last a few hours, however once I started to eat and drink the color wore off quickly with the exception of the very outer part of the lip which left a strange looking lip line.  The product also felt very drying on the lips for about the first 30 minutes of wear, which was a bit uncomfortable.  Once you get past the first 30 minutes however the product was comfortable and the color payoff was amazing.

Final Thoughts: For the price of the product of $4.99, and the really nice color range and color payoff, I would say it is worth picking up a few of these lip colors.  

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Thanks for stopping by and remember to always live and play in color.

Wet N Wild Metallic Liquid Lipsticks

Wet n Wild is a cruelty free cosmetics company whose products are some of the lowest and best priced products in the drug stores.  If asked most makeup lovers will say that Wet n Wild were some of the first makeup products they ever bought.  The company launched in 1979 and is based out of Los Angeles California and is one of the most trusted brands in the drug store.  The prices in their products begin at $0.99 for several lipsticks and nail polishes, and they produce approximately 400 different versatile shades in their makeup line.

New to their makeup line this spring is the Color Icon Metallic Liquid Lipsticks.  They come in 6 different colors to choose from and sell for $2.99 a pop. Please note that these are limited edition and can be purchased from Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS or KMart.   Based on the description on the website they are:

• Ultimate metallic finish
• Non-drying formula
• Perfect wear for hours

Let's get into the product:

Peony Express - metallic nude with flecks of gold. Applied evenly but needs to be built up.

Days of Fuchsia Passed - metallic barbie pink.  Applied evenly and one swipe does the job.

Chrysanthemum's the Word - lighter metallic pink.  Applied evely and requires minimum build.

Coming Up Roses - true metallic red that requires minimum build.

Indigo Your Own Way - true metallic purple that one swipe does the trick.

Let us talk about the actual product:

LIKES: The product comes with a dipped doe foot applicator which allows for precise application.  The color selection is great as it ranges from your nude, to pinks, to reds to purple.  The application is smooth and the product is super affordable.

DISLIKES: Color does not last very long, the product does however stain your lips a bit after eating and drinking.  The product feels heavy on the lips.

Final Thoughts: For the price of the product of $2.99 go out and grab some.  They are a fun, new type of lipproduct on the market and is worth the price. Check out my YouTube video on this product https://youtu.be/eefn0rSAIFA

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Remeber to always live and play in color.