sweet.

Ninety-six dollars' worth of Smashbox eyeshadow for only fifteen. Also, I purchased another Nicole by OPI polish (You're S-teal the One). It looks great after two coats, but I think I'll go in for a third later on... The color's a bit sheer, but the sparkle and color? Fantastic. I'm in love with this brand.

Expect a review on my Sephora order in a week and a half or so. In other news, I might be employed soon!

Revlon ColorStay!

     While I wasn't initially a fan of the first Revlon lip gloss I purchased (a sheer, opaque coral pink), I grew to love it. Its color enhances my natural lip tone, and it looks great with or without eye makeup. Being the adventurous type, I decided to try Revlon's ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze (in Timeless Nude).
     The formula is obviously different from the regular Revlon lip gloss. It's stickier... but not in a bad way, since it's that creamy, honey-like stickiness that allows the gloss to hang onto your lips for more than just a few minutes -- even through enjoying a beverage. Coverage is awesome; one dip into the bottle is enough to modestly coat the lips. Unless you're one of those gals who likes a thick, gooey layer of lip gloss, that is. Mwah!
     The formula's a bit drying, so be sure to wear some kind of lip moisturizer underneath. I've found that Carmex works the best, but EOS lip balm is also effective. (Carmex lasts longer, but there's a spot in my heart for the unique design of the EOS container.)

'Til next time!

ahem.

I'd like to clarify a few things about the type of beauty blogger I am; and to prevent my clarification from becoming a pedantic, two-page essay that most people would probably lose interest in after the first page, I'll shimmy everything into a list.

1. I'm not addicted to buying makeup. I don't ever purchase anything simply for the sake of being able to try it out and therefore have something to write about. Developing an addiction to shopping would be especially dangerous and stupid because I'm currently unemployed. Also, who really reads what I have to say? I have one follower on Blogger: my boyfriend. (Check out his blog, the Cinephile Vanishes!)

2. I only buy something when I really, really want it, and I'm very selective about what that occasional thing is. Another lipstick? Don't need it. I don't even wear the two that I own. The three products I purchase most often are lip gloss, eye primer, and nail polish.

3. Reading and watching films are my two main interests; I've yet to allow beauty and cosmetic concerns to usurp an unhealthy amount of my time. Hell, I don't even read magazines on the subject.

4. At the most, I'll probably try to update this blog at least two times per month. So if I ever do manage to attract any followers, my apologies! I won't be updating as frequently as other folks you're already familiar with.

5. My knowledge of makeup is still very limited. (See my first post!) What I now know I learned from watching videos on YouTube and reading other beauty blogs. And while I don't blatantly steal from these other learned sages of all things girly, I'd like to think that I've developed an appreciation for makeup through perusing their opinions.

Thanks for reading!

e.l.f., Essie, Nicole by O.P.I., and other general bits and bobs.

     Regarding my previous post about e.l.f.: It only took about a week to receive my replacement lipstick in the mail. Also, I didn't receive an immediate reply to my cry for help via their web site because G-Mail, for whatever reason, had placed their response into a spam folder. So yes, they did indeed respond quickly to my request for a new lipstick.

     Hi! Didja miss me?

     Anyhow... In the past four months, I've purchased a few new products. Not many, and they're not actually "new" per se. (New to me, yes, so obviously I'm going to have quite a few things to say about them.)

     Until I actually mustered the courage to pay a whopping (nigh) eight dollars for a bottle of Essie nail polish, I was endlessly fascinated by the many, many good things I'd heard and read about it. I'm sad to report, however, that I'm no longer awe-struck by its reputation. In fact, I'm quite confused as to why it has attained such a loyal, almost rabid following.
     Yes, Essie has the color variety that any successful nail polish brand should. Its packaging is attractive, simple, and makes Essie one of the most easily stored nail polished I've ever owned. Sounds great, right? And fine, I'll admit it: I was foolishly pulled in by all the raving and ranting over this beloved brand... But application of the polish quickly disillusioned me. It (application) is horrendous, owing mostly to a ridiculously thin brush that I had to fiddle with for at least thirty seconds in order to find out exactly how much polish it could (and should) hold. Wiping one side of the brush against the inside of the bottle's neck released too much polish, yet simply dunking the brush into the bottle and applying to the nail was similarly disastrous, allowing polish to pool and take an insanely long time to set.
     I also found that the formula was quite streaky. Which was annoying, because I'd heard so many amazing things about Essie's extraordinary texture.
     Needless to say, I won't be wasting another eight dollars on a bottle of Essie. Its reputation is overblown. I mean, I wanted to like it; I even gave it two chances, but it's just a pain in the ass to work with. A waste of time and money.

     If you want a great, long-lasting nail polish, try Nicole by O.P.I. Its brush is thick, wide, and intended to reduce application time. The brush also creates a smooth, streak-free coat. And the colors - while maybe a little too wild for some tastes - can almost match whatever Essie has to offer. Plus, the shape of the bottle (squat and boot-like) seems to prevent the possibility of wasting any precious polish. The brush almost touches the bottom of the bottle, so when your level of nail polish becomes critical, simply tilt the bottle a bit and voila! You've got a bit of extra polish that has hiding in the bulging "belly" of the bottle.

     All right. On to better things! Namely, watching the remaining two hours of Seven Samurai.

     Adios!