Shades of Neutral Me

Julep Nail Polish in Annette

2013-01-08T00:38:00.003-06:00

Julep's website describes Annette as "a light dove grey creme." It definitely looks different on the nail versus in the bottle. Regardless, it is a great neutral shade that can be worn year round. The formula is very opaque and you can almost get away with one coat. I still used two coats just to be safe. Annette is a very subtle color that can be worn at the office but still very trendy at the same time. This is one of my favorite colors in my nail polish collection and probably my favorite Julep shade that I own. Julep nail polishes retail for $14.00 by themselves but if you are a Julep Maven you can get them for only $11.20.

Clinique High Definition Lashes Mascara

2013-01-07T22:03:00.003-06:00

I would have never tried Clinique's High Definition Lashes mascara if I hadn't gotten it in a gift with purchase a while back. I am so glad that I did!!! The full size product comes in black and black/brown. The full size is 0.24 oz and retails for $16.00. I love how this mascara has a dual sided brush. I use the brush side first, then the comb side. The main reason I love the dual sided brush is for the fact that I don't have to carry a special makeup brush to separate my lashes. This mascara is great for people who already have long, thick eye lashes but want to define them so they stand out.

mark. I-Mark Wet/Dry Eye Shadow in Corset

2013-01-07T08:43:00.003-06:00

mark. has a line of eye shadows that you can customize and make your own palette with. Each eye shadow retails for $7.00 for 0.08 oz. I am a mark. representative so I do get them a bit cheaper than that. Corset is a beautiful smokey gunmetal gray that is one of their Satin finish shades. I love using it when I want a smokey eye, but I have also used it wet as an eyeliner. mark. recently reformulated this line of eye shadows. I didn't use them prior to being reformulated but I can say that they are a great quality eye shadow for the price. Corset didn't crease on me, but I always use Urban Decay Primer Potion. If you are interested in purchasing this eye shadow or any other mark. products you can visit my web store.

Barielle Nail Polish in Buddha-ful

2013-01-07T06:46:00.002-06:00

Photo Source: Concrete & Nail Polish

Barielle released Buddha-ful with their Karma collection for Spring/Summer 2011. I bought this shade when they had a BOGO Free sale. Barielle nail polishes retail for $8.00. Buddha-ful is a milky beige jelly packed full of flakies. It will lighten darker colors, but looks gorgeous on top of pastel or lighter colors. If you want to wear it on it's own you will need at least 3 coats because it is a jelly base and more on the sheer side. This was a limited edition nail polish so it can no longer be found on their website but their are other online shops that are currently selling it. I would highly suggest picking this up if you don't have anything similar.

MAC Eye Shadow in Brule

2013-01-07T06:13:00.001-06:00

MAC's Brule eye shadow is a Satin finish and like all MAC eye shadows it retails for $15.00. If you buy it in pan form it is only $12.00. I originally picked up this eye shadow to use as a highlight shade. Brule is one of those eye shadows that is multi-purpose. You can use it as an all over the lid shade or even in your inner corner to brighten up your eyes. MAC's website describes Brule as a "soft creamy-beige." I would say that the description is pretty true. If you can't afford this but you like the color I would suggest Wet N' Wild's single eye shadow in the color Brulee. They are very similar, but Wet N Wild is only $1.99.

Marshmallow Fireside Candle by Slatkin & Co.

2013-01-04T03:56:00.002-06:00

Photo Source: Bath & Body Works

Marshmallow Fireside is my all time favorite scent from the line of Bath & Body Works candles. To me it is a scent that can be burnt year round, not just during a certain season. I certainly hope that they do not ever discontinue it. As I am sure you all know, the three wick candles retail for $20.00 but I only buy them when they are on sale 2 for $20. The scent throw of this candle as well as most Bath & Body Works candles is amazing. Marshmallow Fireside is described as "a sweet-toasty end to a long cold day, toasted marshmallows and sumptuous vanilla creme blend with the comforting aroma of rich smoldering woods." I couldn't have described that candle any better because it smells just like you are sitting by the campfire toasting marshmallows. I really hope that they bring this back again next year.

Sephora Star Lipstick in S24 Impertinent Nude

2013-01-03T05:37:00.000-06:00

I love the Sephora collection from Sephora because you can often find high quality products at a cheaper price. The Lip Attitude Star Lipstick line is supposed to be the perfect mix of lip gloss and lipstick. Most of their lipsticks don't have the name on the package but you can find them on the website. Impertinent Nude is a lot like Creme de' Nude but only it has some sparkle to it. It is somewhat sheer but you can easily build up the color if you want to. Impertinent Nude doesn't have a scent to it, which I really like because some lipsticks I have bought have an overpowering scent to them and then it causes me not to wear them as often. The Lip Attitude Star line lipsticks are super moisturizing and I wish that they hadn't been discontinued. When they were available they retailed for $12.00. Sephora now sells a Rouge Shine Lipstick, which sounds like the formula will be similar to the Lip Attitude Star formula.

mark. Glowdacious Illuminating Powder in Shimmied Up

2013-01-03T05:16:00.001-06:00

The mark. Glowdacious Illuminating Powder retails for $13.00 but as a mark. representative I get it for only $9.10. Either way it is a great product for a reasonable price. This bronzer comes in three different shades so if this shade doesn't suit your skin tone you should still be able to find one that does. Even though this is a bronzer you could definitely use it as a blush if you have a light skin tone or as a highlighter if you have a deeper skin tone. Shimmied Up has three different "rings" of color but none of them could really be used individually since they aren't big enough to use with a brush. I have even used this as eye shadow in a pinch.

Liplicious Lip Gloss in Tropical Sangria

2013-01-03T05:10:00.000-06:00

The Liplicious brand lip glosses are sold at Bath & Body Works and I absolutely love them. Tropical Sangria was part of their California Cool collection which came out in the summer of 2012. Bath & Body Works describes this as "a clear/pale plum gel shade with shimmer." I don't see any color to this, it looks like a clear gloss. I highly suggest taking a look at this in stores because it isn't just a plain clear gloss. Tropical Sangria has a glitter in it that is purple but it some lighting it just looks clear. I love the scent of this gloss as well, it is a tropical fruity scent. The Liplicious glosses retail for $8.00 at Bath & Body Works but right now they are on sale Buy 2 get 1 free. Tropical Sangria is still available if you are interested.

Glitter Gal 3D Nail Polish in White Sparkle

2013-01-03T05:02:00.000-06:00

Photo Source: Rebecca Likes Nails

White Sparkle by Glitter Gal is a pearly white with a pink to green duo chrome and chunky holographic glitter. White Sparkle is somewhat sheer so if you don't want to use three to four coats of this I would suggest using a white or similar toned base. I hate that this nail polish brand is located in Australia so it is super hard to get ahold of if you live in the United States. The GlitterGal online store does have an international shipping option but its $22.00 AUD so almost $23.00 USD. This polish retails for $11.95 AUD and is only 9ml but I think it is totally worth the price since it is such a unique color.

*I received this product for free from GlitterGal but all opinions are my own and COMPLETELY HONEST.*

NP Set Lip Gloss Compact in Jamaica

2013-01-03T04:52:00.000-06:00

NP Set is the line that is by Napoleon Perdis that is exclusively sold at Target stores. I am not sure of where the regular Napoleon Perdis line is sold. I picked this up at Target when it was in the clearance bin and am so glad that I did. I believe I got it for around $6 or $7. Even on me and I am fair skinned there really isn't any color pay off. The only thing you will notice is a nice shine with a lot of shimmer. The shimmer is more finely milled so its not going to be chunky and gritty on your lips. If you are interested in purchasing this lip gloss DermStore is currently selling it for $10.00.

Maybelline Wet Shine Fusion in Coral Kiss

2012-12-17T18:27:00.000-06:00

I picked this up at the Dollar Tree for only $1.00 a while back and I am glad that I did. They had a couple of colors, but the one that I picked was Coral Kiss. I am pretty sure that these are discontinued, but you might be able to find them online on Ebay or other cosmetic outlet websites. Coral Kiss is a sheer golden peach. The Wet Shine Fusion formula is solid and looks like a lipstick but it is suprisingly very moisturizing. It has a golden shimmer to it, so if you don't like shimmer I wouldn't suggest buying this. The shimmer isn't chunky or too noticeable, it's very nice. It is very sheer but still buildable.

Orly Nail Polish in Pointe Blanche

2012-12-17T18:18:00.000-06:00

Photo Source: Central Nail Supply

Orly's Pointe Blanche for a french tip manicure retails for $6.99 but at Sally's Beauty Supply if you have the Beauty Club Card it is only $6.49. Pointe Blanche is your standard white creme nail polish but what makes this different is the brush. The brush on this nail polish is a precision brush that is thin and flat which makes it the perfect brush for doing a french tip manicure. I love the formula on this as well because it is very pigmented and will only take you one coat when using it for a french tip. If you are using this to polish your whole nail it will take three coats.

Slatkin & Co. Cranberry Pear Bellini Candle

2012-12-16T13:45:00.005-06:00

Photo Source: Bath & Body Works

I received this candle in the VIP Tote Bag on Black Friday. In order to get the tote for $20 you had to purchase at least $40 worth of stuff. I am glad that I got the tote because I probably wouldn't have tried this scent otherwise. I had picked it up and smelled it but didn't end up purchasing it because it smelled a little too strong for me. Don't judge this candle at first smell! I ended up burning through the mini size in a day and just picked up the 3-wick one the other day. I absolutely love this scent. Bath & Body Works website describes this candle as "a bright blend of sparkling cranberry, sweet pear nectar and luscious blackcurrant. " I would say that is definitely true! You can smell the champagne when you first open it without even burning it and it may seem a little strong, but it smells amazing once you actually burn it. I would highly suggest picking up this scent while you can!

L'Oreal Le Gloss in Baby Blossom

2012-11-22T16:28:00.000-06:00

Photo Source: Eyeliner Addict

The L'Oreal Colour Riche leGloss lip glosses retail for $5.99 for 0.4 oz. and can be found at Target and most other drugstores. When I say the display when they were first released I instantly picked up Baby Blossom. I liked Baby Blossom because it was the lip gloss closest to a nude shade in the collection. There were a lot of interesting colors, but if I had purchased them I probably wouldn't have even used them. The texture of this gloss reminds me a lot of the MAC Lip Gelees. Another plus is that it smells amazing, like a frosted cupcake. leGloss lip glosses are very silky, creamy and super moisturizing. Since it is pretty pale it can tend to go on uneven so it's not something that you can just quickly throw on.

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Queen of Beauty

2012-11-22T16:22:00.000-06:00

Photo Source: Kitty Polish

Sinful Colors retails for $1.99 mostly at Walgreen's but I have seen a few shades at my local Wal-Mart. I have not seen this shade at Wal-Mart though. Queen Of Beauty was the first Sinful Colors nail polish that I ever purchased and the reason I am now addicted. The formula of this nail polish is a little thin, but that's just fine with me since I purchased it with intentions to use it as a top coat and not by itself. If you want to wear this alone without another polish underneath it will take four to five coats to look decent. I usually use this on my accent nail and it turns out great!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat

2012-11-22T16:15:00.000-06:00

MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish (or MSF) in Petticoat was originally released in 2005, then re-released in 2008 and re-released again in 2010 with the In The Groove collection. Petticoat is a pale rose pink with raspberry and gold veining. As you can see in my picture, the one I got has a good amount of raspberry veining which I really like. I bought this to use as a blush and that is what I have been using it as. If you want one that works more as a highlighter then you would want one with less raspberry veining. Petticoat is a discontinued product but I am sure that it will be re-released in the future. If you are lucky enough you might be able to find it on Ebay but you are going to pay a higher price than the original $28.00.

LA Splash Cosmetics Lip Divinity Lipstick in Heavenly Nude

2012-11-22T15:58:00.001-06:00

I hate to bring you guys a product shade that is no longer available, but I just had to because there are still other colors that you can purchase. The LA Splash Lip Divinity Lipsticks retail for $7.99 but on Cherry Culture they are only $6.99. Cherry Culture is the only place that I can find them for sale at the moment but I do see them on Ebay every so often. Heavenly Nude is really that, a heavenly nude lipstick! Heavenly Nude is a pink nude shade with a hint of shimmer. Once applied on the lips though you really don't see any shimmer. This lipstick does have a hardness to it where it's almost like the consistency of a lip liner. One thing that is nice about the consistency not being super creamy is that this lip stick lasts longer and doesn't bleed.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

2012-11-22T15:46:00.000-06:00

Out of all of the Revlon Lip Butters, Creme Brulee is probably my favorite. Creme Brulee is the nude shade in the line. These retail for around $7-8 for 0.09 oz. You can often find them on sale at local drugstores so you may be able to get them for even less. It doesn't have a ton of pigmentation to it so it won't show up opaque but it does add a nice peachy shimmer. It does look like brown in the tube but don't let that scare you away because it is definitely much more sheer once applied. How it looks once applied will depend on the natural pigmentation of your lips. For most people it will just even out the tone of their natural lip color. It is one of those shades that you can throw on without paying a whole lot of attention. The lip butters are very moisturizing and have a shine to them once applied. Creme Brulee is always in my purse because I wear it almost every day.

Photo Source: Aquaheart

NorthWood Candle Company Review

2012-11-20T20:08:00.001-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to try out some candles from NorthWood Candles, a company based out of my home state. Not only did they send me some candles, but they also sent some wax tarts. They couldn't have picked better scents to send out to me, because I loved them all.

My favorite item that was in the package had to be the Cracklin' Candle, which is a wood wicked candle and not your normal cotton wick. The nice thing about a wood wicked candle is the fact that they make a crackling noise as they burn so it is almost as if you were having a fire in your fireplace. The crackling isn't too obnoxious or anything, just gives off the perfect amount of sound. I had the scent Monkey Farts in the Cracklin' Candle line. Yes the name sounds funny, but the candle smells AMAZING!! If you like fruity scents then this is the one for you! Their website describes this scent as "top notes of fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum and strawberries and a hint of vanilla as a base note." The banana and grapefruit stick out to me and sometimes I will get a whiff of vanilla, but still an amazing scent. The Cracklin' Candles retail for $17.95 and have a burn length of 100 hours. I am not sure if they will burn for 100 hours but I have been burning mine everyday for the last couple of weeks and I still have over half left.

Next up they sent me two of their Travel Tins which have a burn length of 45 hours and retail for $8.95. The scents that I received are Island Christmas and Grandma's Kitchen. Grandma's Kitchen is described as "the aroma of rich, creamy vanilla with a touch of fresh ground cinnamon sticks." I would say that that is pretty much spot on and I absolutely loved the scent. It is one of those scents that is perfect for fall with the rich vanilla and spicy cinnamon. The other scent that I received was Island Christmas which is described as " a tropical holiday vacation with guava, strawberry, papaya and mango with a refreshing base of candy canes." When I first saw the description of this candle I didn't think it would be one that I would purchase but I absolutely love it. Normally you would think of burning a fruity candle in the spring or summer but this is a scent that you can get away with burning in the winter months. I live in Minnesota so I have a fairly long winter and normally miss being able to burn my fruity candles.

Next up they sent me a few of the tea lights which retail for $0.99 each or 6 for $4.99 and have a burn length of 4 hours a piece. Out of all of the tea lights that I was sent, Icicles was probably my favorite. Icicles is described as "pomegranate, strawberry and raspberry with a touch of fresh peppermint and vanilla." This candle smelled amazing! It was a berry-vanilla with just the slightest touch of peppermint, not overwhelming at all. I am going to have to buy this one in a full size for sure. The next one that I tried out was Relaxation Aromatherapy. Relaxation is described as "the aroma of fresh picked lavender flowers with a faint background of musk." I burned this one while taking a bath and I was definitely relaxed at the end. Then I received Gingerbread Man and Pumpkin Crunch Cake which are more bakery type scents obviously and are great for the fall season. Gingerbread Man isn't just your typical gingerbread cookie scent. Their website describes it as "ginger, nutmeg, honey, clove, vanilla, cocoa and a touch of lemon and citrus." Pumpkin Crunch Cake is described as "the aroma of creamy pumpkin pie filling with rich eagle brand milk surrounded with freshly baked yellow cake, melted butter, pecans and a hint of spice." And as far as the tea lights go the last one I was sent was Teakwood & Cardamom which is described as "an exotic blend of teakwood surrounded by rich spices of cardamom, cinnamon and clove sitting on base notes of cedar, amber, sandalwood and patchouli." Teakwood & Cardamom is definitely a more earthy and masculine scent but at the same time I still love it because I can burn it around the men in my life without them thinking it smells too girly.

I do have one of those electric wax warmers so they scent me some of their melts as well. I received three of the clam shell packs and one tart. I received The Perfect Man which to me reminded me of an Old Spice deodorant that one of the guys I used to date wore. Not the kind you would think of your grandpa wearing but a good smelling kind. I also received Frosted Pinecones which is described as "an amazingly true Christmas tree scent." I am glad that they picked this one for me because since I live in an apartment I am not allowed to have a real Christmas tree, I can only have an artificial one. With this melt I can burn it and still smell like I have a real Christmas tree set up. I also received Sleigh Ride which is described as "an exciting blend of pine, apple, cinnamon, bayberry and holly." Another great scent to have warming during the holidays. Last but certainly not least the scent I received the tart in was Palm Island. Palm Island is described as "sweet orange blossoms, yuzu and kumquat followed by peppercorn, ginger, jasmine, aquatic marine notes and a hint of peppermint sitting on base notes of natural patchouli, cedar, vetiver, labdanum and frankincense." Palm Island is another masculine scent but still one that I like.

On a final note, I would highly suggest checking this candle company out and I am sure that you will be able to find scent that you like in a wide variety of sizes to fit your needs. Their candles are 100% soy and they do not use any dyes. They do offer a fundraising program as well. For more info visit their website and request it. Pay attention to future posts because I will have a giveaway for a $25 gift card to their website. Check out their website at www.northwoodcandlecompany.com.

Revlon Nail Polish in Galaxy

2012-10-28T03:47:00.002-05:00

Photo Source: Berrylicious Beauty

Revlon's nail polish in Galaxy was released with their Just Add Sparkle collection. This line of nail polish was intended to be sold as a duo with a cream color as the base color, but I only picked up the glitter top coat. The accompanying color for Galaxy was Lunar which is a black creme nail polish which I already had from another brand. Galaxy is a clear base with blue and silver specks of glitter and larger holographic pieces. I do like the glitter combination of this nail polish, but it isn't very dense. Galaxy is definitely a polish that you will want to wear as a top coat and definitely not alone.

Victoria's Secret Silky Eye Shadow in Provocateur

2012-10-28T02:48:00.000-05:00

Victoria's Secret Silky Eye Shadow in Provocateur retails for $12.00 for 3.5 grams or .12 oz. I know it is almost the price of a MAC eye shadow but you get so much more for your money so when you figure that in, it's not so bad at all. Provocateur is a peachy champagne with a touch of gold. It is one of their Sparkle finish eye shadows and it definitely has a ton of sparkle. If you apply this with a brush dry, you will mostly get all sparkle but no color. If you want to get the creamy color I suggest using it wet. This is still one of the shades they have available, so I highly suggest picking it up.

Hard Candy Top Ten Eye Shadow Collection in Naturally Gorgeous

2012-10-28T00:58:00.001-05:00

I picked this palette up at Wal-Mart for only $6.00 which is a great deal for ten eye shadows. As I am sure you all know it is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. I absolutely love the packaging on these palettes with the touch of lace on the front. Hard Candy has always had fun packaging as far as drugstore products go. Not only do they have fun and unique packaging but they have amazing prices for the products they are offering. I am addicted to neutral eye shadows so this was a must have for me as soon as I heard about it. I love all of the different neutral shades in this palette I just wish they weren't all so shimmery. This palette will definitely be a well used item in my collection. I am not sure if it is limited edition or not, but I sure hope it isn't.

Wet N Wild Nail Polish in Gray's Anatomy

2012-10-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

Photo Source: The Daily Varnish

Wet N Wild's Gray's Anatomy is a duo chrome polish that is purple and green with gray undertones. This nail polish is extremely sheer because even with three coats it was nowhere near opaque. Gray's Anatomy is one of those nail polishes that will be better off used as a layering polish on top of a gray or dark purple. As far as Wet N Wild's claim of these nail polishes being fast drying I would have to say that it isn't true. Wet N Wild claims that their Fast Dry nail polishes dry in 60 seconds but they still took a minute or two for me. Even though it wasn't fast drying or very pigmented I would still recommend picking this nail polish up because at only $1.99 it is still a gorgeous color when layered.

Revlon Nail Polish in Naughty

2012-10-27T05:12:00.001-05:00

Polish Source: Freshe.Coat

I was so disappointed when I missed out on Revlon's Perplex because it is a close dupe of Chanel's Paradoxal. Naughty is a cheaper alternative to have the same look of Paradoxal. Revlon's Naughty is a grayish purple with a lavender shimmer to it. This nail polish has a good formula and only took me two coats for it to become completely opaque. I still did three though just to be safe. When I used Naughty I also used the Revlon ColorStay base coat and top coat so it lasted over a week without any chipping. It started to fade on the very tips of my nails but that was about it.