Not too long ago I was in Sephora stalking out some new holiday sets, of which there were none in stock - my closest Sephora is rather hit or miss in terms of having products in stock/providing good customer service - and honestly, when I saw the price of this set, I couldn't pass it up! For four mini-sized Liquid Lustres, this kit was only $28, which I found to be a great deal.

Perfect timing, too. All this sparkle is going to be so much fun for the holidays!

These are packaged in a glass container with a suction dropper at the top. The product with naturally separate - clear liquid toward the top and a high concentration of glitter toward the bottom - so they need to be shook before gathering product with the dropper.

The colors from left to right are: Diamond, Amethyst, Platinum and Topaz.

Diamond is the first shade in this kit and is the only one permanently available. LORAC describes the shade as a "white gold" which was pretty spot on. This one is definitely the most pigmented and glittery as well as my personal favorite. My favorite way to wear this was over MAC Phloof all over the lid with MAC Haux in the crease. 

Amethyst is the next shade in this set and in all honesty, its not ridiculously impressive. It is described as a taupe and it takes a little bit to be built up. It definitely doesn't have the power that Diamond does, but when layered over a frosted finish shadow, it does make it a bit more shimmery. I really like this over MAC Shale.

Platinum is described as a silver, but I really like that it has a gunmetal-y depth to it that makes it a bit more wearable (and keeps it from looking blue on my skin as a lot of silvers tend to do). This one had almost as much of a glittery texture as Diamond did.

Topaz is the last shade in the set and is described as a warm bronze, which is actually pretty spot on as well. Its not entirely gold, but it does have some strong, warm, almost orange tone to it. This one is really a chameleon and it really adapts to whatever you put it over.

The biggest things about these are that the are super  intimidating to look at the first time you use them. Not to say that they are difficult to use, because they definitely aren't, but looking at them you feel something along the lines of "what the heck do I do???". What works for me is to shake up the product and empty the dropper in to the mixture, then to refill the dropper. Then, place one drop on a palette or the back of your hand and spread it around a bit to make it slightly less liquidy. After that, I take my ring finger and dab the product onto my lid and layer it up to it's desired strength. 

I wore these on top of my normal eyeshadow routine - primer, creme base and shadow - and I didn't experience any wear issues. The one thing that I did notice, however, is that if you touch your eyes the product will transfer bit more easily than the average eyeshadow. Not necessarily a huge problem, but something to be aware of nonetheless.

What I like - These add a bit of something to almost any look, which makes them very versatile. They are also a heck of a lot easier to work with than I anticipated. I LOVE Diamond and I really like Topaz and Platinum.

What I don't like - Amethyst could have been a little more powerful. It's such a beautiful purple-y taupe that could have been a bit better.

Overall, I think this kit is a fantastic buy, especially for the price. I found mine at Sephora, but the last time I searched it wasn't on the website. I've heard rumors that it is available in ULTA, but it is for sure and for certain available on LORAC's website. I'd say these are a go, especially since the holidays are on their way!

ELF 12 Piece Nail Collection for Holiday 2013 - Swatches and First Impressions.

I'm alive - I swear. Its been a heck of a couple weeks here. I've got a whole lot to blog about too! The problem is simply getting more than 5 minutes at a computer...

Last year, my mother gave me the ELF Holiday Nail Collection for Christmas, so when I saw this year's version at Walgreens today...I basically had to. Great value and great shades.

I was able to swatch all of them out for you all and I'll include my thoughts on each shade in order.

The packaging of these was the same as last year - minus two shades. There were 14 in last year's collection.

The color story of this years kit was a bit different as well. The tops are all white - versus black - and it's overall a bit rosier than last years taupe feel.

Starting in the lower left and going clockwise these are:

- Wedding Bells: This shade is a very fair pinky nude. It took three coats to even out patchiness.

- Desert Haze: This is my favorite kind of nude shade. Its definitely a cooler toned nude with gray tones. This was two coats and this shade is permanently available.

- Nude: A very rosy nude. Reminds me a lot of Expresso by Sally Hansen. This one was 2 coats and is available in the permanent range.

- Prissy Chrissy: If you mixed a nude with a light orange, this would be the shade you get. It looks very warm against my skin. It took 3 coats for full opacity and is available permanently.

- Blush: Rose gold - Basically everybody's favorite this fall! Its not quite as powerful as other rose gold polishes in my collection and took about three coats to build up completely. 

- Gold Star: This shade is a repeat from last year's collection, but I find this one much easier to work with. Far less thick and has a better distribution of glitters. The swatch shows three coats and the shade is also available in the permanent line. 

- Smokin' Hot: A bright, reddish fuchsia and was good in two coats. This is also available permanently.

- Raspberry Sorbet: This is more of a true fuchsia with cooler tones. Two coats, no trouble and available permanently. 

- Purple Pleaser: Probably one of my favorite shades of the bunch. Its a deep berry shade that reminds me of like eight different lipsticks that I own - so expect some matching lips and tips! This almost didn't need a second coat, but I included one for good measure. 

- Sea Escape: This is another repeat from last year. Its a really dark blackened blue base with teal shimmer in it and is actually really pretty. This took two coats to hit opacity and is a permanently available shade.

- Purple Dream: I have a theory that a shiny topcoat will bring out the duo-chrome to this shade quite a bit. Its a medium purple with a pinkish shift to it and looks really pretty in the bottle too! Also a permanent shade.

- Gina Girl: This shade is a purple-y jelly base with purple and silver glitters. The varying sizes of the glitters make this one very fun. This is a permanently available shade.

I picked this up on a whim, and I'm not all to upset that I did so. I love how many neutrals are available in this kit and I'll definitely be getting some use out of them - Though, that Purple Pleaser, man. GORGEOUS. 

October Favorites!

I don't know if it was Halloween, but I'm SO incredibly late with my favorites this month. I apologize - I guess the end of the month snuck up on me and when you couple that with not taking photos for this post until the first couple days of the month (not to mention working a 16 hour day yesterday..) it makes for me being tardy to the party. Sorry guys!

I decided to be Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid this year for Halloween. The look was so much fun and I used so much makeup! I had so much fun with the look!

Partway because of the Halloween season I've been having a whole lot of fun with my makeup as of late - so, as you will see, I came across a lot of favorites this month!

Eyes:

I've been playing with different products this month, so most of these are actually fairly new!

- Darling Girl Eyeshadow in Bad Ash: Since it was October, I was playing with Halloween themed looks. I love this shade because its a "pumpkin" color while being fairly less orange. I reviewed this here.

- L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush: This is a well loved shadow in the blogging community, but I've literally just picked it up. Its a rosier neutral and thus perfect for fall.

- ELF Makeup Lock and Seal: I am FLYING through this stuff. I've used this a whole lot this month with both pressed and loose products and it works like a dream. It definitely highly foils the product and extends the wear. Its bulletproof - so I obviously used it for my Halloween look.

- ELF The Evil Queen 2013 Set Eyeshadow Palette: I'm CRAZY about Snow White, so I had to have this just because it was Snow White themed. All 6 of these eyeshadows are soft, buttery and pigmented and I was very impressed!

- L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara: I jumped on the bandwagon for this one - short story is: The wand rules.

- L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara: I wore this in a simple Instagram photo and was asked if I was wearing falsies. Enough said.

- Milani Shadow Eyez in Sand Dunes: I apologize, because this was limited edition, but I've been using the heck out of this. Its a darker champagne shade, but since it has microglitter in it, it makes for a nice twist.

Lips:

- MAC Up The Amp: Its a little brighter than what I've been drawn to, but it works with the warmer Florida weather we've been having. I've reviewed this here.

- MAC Diva: This is one of my favorite MAC lipsticks - and I love this time of year because I can wear it all the time. My favorite part - it stays on all day! I've reviewed this here. 

- Benefit UltraPlush Lipgloss in Sugarbomb: My sister isn't much of a gloss person, so when she got this for free, she passed it onto me. Its a mini size. This feels great on the lips and lasts a lot longer than the average gloss without being sticky!

Face -

- Revlon Colorstay for Combo to Oily Skin: I don't know if my skin is in better shape, or I've just tailored my application to the texture of this foundation, but it's been looking great on my skin lately!

Cheeks - 

- MAC Pink Cult: The gray tones in this make it stay super cool toned on my skin, so I keep reaching for it!

- Darling Girl Spectral Shift in Razzles: This really is a unique shade to wear on the cheeks, but the sheerness and the warmer shift really work with it. I wore this a whole bunch this month.

Nails -  

- Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Gold Roses: I've jumped on the Rose Gold nail trend and this shade is perfect. I LOVE this polish.

Fragrance - 

- Coach Poppy: My mom surprised me with this earlier this month. I. Am. In. LOVE. This is floral without being too floral and I just can't explain it. I can't stop wearing this.

Brushes - 

- Ecotools Sheer Finish Kabuki Brush - I've been using this for anything from setting powder, to light diffusing powder, to super pigmented blush. Its an all in one brush and I love it.

- Ecotools Blush Brush - I like the dome to the top of this brush. It places and blends perfectly!

I'm already super stoked for November - I'm trying not to skip Thanksgiving alltogether, but Christmastime is already tempting me! What were you guys loving this month?