[FIRST IMPRESSION] Maybelline - The Nudes E/S Palette

Hey Beauties! This is a late post, but I really wanted to get this up right now! Words can't describe how excited I was when I saw this palette in stores and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. This retails for $9.99, but I had a $1.00 of any Maybelline coupon which made my final price $8.99.

Likes:
Packaging: This is a great sleek packaging, and although it may look small, each individual e/s is the same size as the ones you'll find in their original quads (before they changed the packaging). It's sleek and doesn't take up too much space, which is great for traveling.

Color Choices: I love the thought process that went into this palette. The colors are great and very versatile which means that you can create so many different combinations. Each color works great together and if you usually use charcoal/taupe colors to fill in your brows, you'll have a great option in this palette and you can lighten it up using another color.

How it works: So basically the breakdown of this palette goes as follows:

Duos: The colors directly next to each other (L-R) can be used together as duos.

Trio: The three colors next that are next to each other, for example the first 3 colors on the top row, can be used together.

Quad: If you used one of the older Maybelline quads, it works basically the same way; the first two colors on top will work with the corresponding colors below to form a quad.

I love the fact that I basically get: 6 duos, 4 trios, and 3 quads all in one, and they're all Maybelline which is one of my favorite drug store e/s brand.

Pigmentation: The pigmentation is the usual quality as you'd get with any Maybelline e/s product, which is okay to amazing. The pigmentation is something that I've always appreciated about Maybelline's products and the texture is also one of my favorites, but just be wary because some of the light-matte shades can be a bit chalky. The top left corner e/s was one of the least pigmented e/s that I've used out of the palette, but surprisingly, it worked really well with the other colors I used.


Dislikes:
Powdery: The one thing that I'm used to with these e/s is that every time I place my brush in it, there's a lot excess powder. This doesn't particularly make this product an automatic fail for me, but it's just something that usually comes with buttery/soft e/s.

Overall:
So far, I love the convenience of this product. I was originally going to bring my NYX Champagne & Caviar palette with me on my trip, but I opted for this so I can test it out. It's extremely versatile and I can transition any look no matter what the occasion calls for. It's great for someone who usually never knows what they're going to be doing throughout the day/night. Stay tuned for a full on review!

Have you tried this out? What are your thoughts? Let me know on Twitter @ciaociaoreview or in the comments below! I heard this was a potential dupe of Urban Decay's infamous Naked palette.

Until my next post,

Stay Beautiful <3

[MINI REVIEW] China Glaze - Ruby Pumps

This is one of my holy grail colors when it comes to nail polishes. I love everything about it. In the bottle it looks like your typical red (blue based) nail polish with red glitter. You would think that the glitter doesn't show up, but let me tell you, once you put a top coat on it, that's when the glitter comes to life and adds a great accent to the actual color.

I love using this color during December because it reminds me of Christmas, but honestly, it's great for any time of the year. It's best to apply some type of base before using this color, because it does have a higher chance of staining your nails a pink color (since it's red), an it'll help remove the polish since there is glitter in it. To get a great look, you'll want at least 2 medium coats, this will give you an opaque red, but also give you more opportunity to get more glitter on your nails as well. When it comes to the top coat, that's when you're going to want to make sure you have a really good one. Personally, I would go with a top coat that's fast drying because they seem to give a great gel-look to your nails.

[MINI REVIEW] China Glaze - Rainbow

This nail polish is pretty neat. Once it dries it gives your nails a pearlescent look.

The concept sounds like it'd be great to use as a top coat, but it's a bit too opaque for that. On it's own, in certain lights it'll look like you have nothing on your nails but a glossy top coat, but once you start moving your hands, you can see the pearlescent look. If you place it on top of another color, especially a real opaque/bright color, it'll end up looking a little murky and you end up not really seeing the bottom color through the pearl finish.

If you're going to use this color, it's best to just use it on it's own or with a light pink/cream color (especially if you don't want your bare nails showing). A single heavy coat is best, that way you don't have to worry about it becoming streaky or applying too much. A single heavy coat would give you the opportunity to make sure that your entire nail is coated without having to worry about streaks or applying way too much.

[MINI REVIEW] China Glaze - Ingrid

China Glaze has a wide variety of colors in their lines and this color came out a while ago, I picked it up because it's a color that is really uncommon when it comes to nail polishes.

Looking at the actual bottle, it looks like a camo brown, but when you apply it you can see golden shimmers in it. After two coats, it dries a little darker than what it looks like in the bottle.

Before applying, I would put on a base coat (if you don't usually put one on) because there's a good chance that it'll tint your nails yellow. 2 even coats of the actual polish will be enough to give an even coverage. You can get away with putting just one thick coat because it'll be opaque, but it's easier to work with 2 coats.

How long it'll last truly depends on the top coat you use. I like using any type of quick dry top coat because they seem to last a lot longer than any other type of top coat. This is a great neutral color for fall/winter and it could be office appropriate because it is neutral.

[REVIEW] L'Orèal - Voluminous Butterfly Mascara (WP)

Happy hump day beauties! For today's review I have a highly talked about mascara, and I must admit I went ahead and purchased it because of all the amazing reviews it was getting, but of course I had to get the waterproof formula due to my watery eyes. I've been giving this mascara a try for the past month and I finally decided I've used it enough to be able to give a full review; so let' jump into it shall we? :]

Breakdown:
Packaging: The one thing I've always liked about L'Orèal's packaging (with the newer mascaras) is the that when you close the tubes it clicks shut and you don't have to worry about the product drying out or extra bacteria getting into it. I also love how the weight feels evenly distributed between the handle of the applicator and the tube itself; one thing I've noticed with mascara tubes is that the handle can sometimes be a lot lighter than the actual tube which could make the application process pretty difficult.

Formula: I actually like the formula of the mascara, but I feel like it'd be almost 100x better if it had a different wand/applicator (I'll explain in the next section). The formula itself is great: it's long-lasting/wearing, it doesn't flake, great pigmentation, evenly distributes, leaves a pretty matte finish on the lashes. It holds up great in the Las Vegas heat and at the end of the day, I don't notice any flaking, which can happen quite often with a waterproof formula.

Wand/Applicator: This is where I run into trouble with this product. The wand is a plastic type of wand, in other words the bristles are made of little plastic spikes. It does a good job of evenly coating my lashes, but I think that they're too far apart to provide any volume. I think if it came with a brush that had actual bristles it would be amazing, but without the plastic it'll be difficult to create that unique shape the brush has. Which leads me to the second problem I have. The shape of the brush is definitely innovative and hasn't been done before, but I feel like Maybelline's Falsies has a similar shape brush. What  I mean by that is that there's a curved side of the brush and the rest is rounded; the main difference is near the base of the wand. The way the wand curves and is raised (near the base) on the L'Orèal mascara is great for really coating the outer half of your lashes, thus giving your lashes a more winged out effect. But when it comes down to it, I like the Maybelline wand a lot more because it's made of actual bristles. A lot of the newer mascaras come with a plastic wand and believe it or not, it actually irritates my lash line because it kind of pricks/scratches it.

Overall:
For what it is, I think it's a decent mascara, unfortunately I don't notice any added volume to my lashes, but it does a great job at separating all my lashes. I like how it lasts throughout the day and doesn't weigh down my lashes. I'm curious to know if the regular version is any different from this formula, because it is waterproof and naturally it's drier than non-waterproof formulas. I don't know if I would repurchase this mascara (I paid $7) although I enjoy the formula, I get a better bargain from Maybelline's line of mascaras.

Have you tried out this mascara? What do you think about it? You can let me know down below in the comments or tweet me @ciaociaoreview :]

Until my next post,

Stay Beautiful <3