Friday, June 8, 2012

Zoya Elodie Swatch and Review!

Time for another Zoya review! This time it's Zoya's Elodie!

Zoya Describes Elodie as bright and fresh warm melon pink creme with a touch of coral. This is true IF you read the "touch of coral" part as "a tiny hint of orange", I say this because I have read some comments from people saying that this is not a melon pink, well it is.... just with a touch of coral! It's a very beautiful color!

Zoya Elodie

Zoya Elodie
 Elodie is a very pretty pink color!

Zoya lists Elodie as a 5 on the opacity scale (1 = sheer, 2 = completely opaque) which I didn't find accurate at all. Elodie goes on incredibly sheer. I needed like 4 fairly heavy coats before I couldn't see through it. I was actually really disappointed with how sheer it goes on, because it is such a pretty color. You can see in the photos above that you can see straight through the polish that is clinging to the bottle where the air pocket is. Generally with an opaque polish you can't see through the polish on the side of the bottle. I am not going to let Elodie's sheerness keep me from using it though, because other than that the formula is perfect.

Zoya Elodie
 Elodie went on very smoothly and flowed into the nail with easy. It dried down smooth and even and VERY glossy. You could get away without using a top coat with Elodie.

Zoya Elodie
 I do think I should mention that Elodie and Kylie2 are very close. I would say that if you have one you really don't need the other (unless you are a pink polish addict like me). Elodie is slightly lighter and more orange. Unless you are very discerning about colors you probably wouldn't notice though. If I had to recommend one or the other I would say get Kylie2 because it is so much more opaque than Elodie and you will have to do less layers and in turn your bottle will last you longer.

Zoya Kylie2 Right, Elodie Left

Zoya Kylie2 Right, Elodie Left
As you can see in the photos above, there is a difference between Kylie2 and Elodie, but it is very very subtle and without them being side by side you probably wouldn't be able to say which one was which.

Zoya Elodie
Elodie is obviously a warm color, but I think it would be flattering on many different skin tones. 

My overall opinion on Elodie is that even though it is on the sheer side it is going to be one of my favorite summer colors and makes a nice addition to my collection.


~All reviews are my own opinions and are not paid for by the reviewed company. This product was purchased on my own.~

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette Swatches and Review

Today I welcomed the Urban Decay Naked2 palette into my collection!

Urban Decay Naked2 palette in box

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette: Side and Back

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette: Front, Slightly Open
 The palette is in a really lovely metal case, which reminds me of an artists pencil case. It is a nice heavy weight metal and is really sturdy feeling. The lid of the palette snaps into the bottom so you don't have to worry about the palette coming open if you are going to travel with it.


Urban Decay Mini Lip Junkie in Naked

Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Naked
 This palette also came with an extra, the Urban Decay Lip Junkie in the color Naked! It's a nice creamy gloss that has a minty smell and taste. It's a nice pinkish nude with subtle shimmer. I think this is a good shade to have included with this palette because it is a neutral and I think it would be flattering on a wide range of skin tones.

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. Left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, YDK, Busted and Blackout
 The palette consists of 12 full size Urban Decay eye shadows, with a dual-ended brush. There are 3 matte shades (Foxy, Tease, Blackout) and 9 shimmer shades. They area great collection of cool based neutrals, focusing on taupes, browns and more grey based taupes. The shadows are highly pigmented and incredibly soft and velvety. Each shadow gives great color pay off and is easy to blend and build up.
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. L-R: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease
 Bootycall looks like a matte shade in these pictures, but it actually has subtle shimmer in it.
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. L-R: Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. L-R: Ydk, Busted, Blackout

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. Left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, YDK, Busted and Blackout


Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. Bottom to Top: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. Bottom to Top: Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette. Bottom to Top: Busted, Blackout.
Without owning the original Naked Palette it is really hard for me to compare them, but if it is anything like this palette then I will be purchasing that one as well! I do know that the Naked2 palette is cooler toned (taupes/greyed out browns), and the original Naked palette is supposed to be warmer based colors (think more bronzy/pinky browns.) The quality of these shadows is wonderful and they are a great group of colors to have for everyday wear, but could also be used to create a beautiful smokey eye as well.

Overall thoughts: I think this palette is a great buy for anyone looking to start their collection, or anyone looking for a nice set of neutral colors.

The Naked2 Palette can be purchased at Ulta, Sephora, UrbanDecay.com and other retailers that carry Urban Decay cosmetics.

~All reviews are my own opinions and are not paid for by the reviewed company. This product was purchased on my own.~

Zoya Kym Swatch and Review!

Today I am reviewing Zoya's Kym! Zoya describes Kym as an antique copper base with copper, gold and pink metallic shimmer! This color is very unique and I haven't seen too many other polishes that even come close to it.

Zoya Kym

Zoya Kym
 Kym is listed as a 5 on the opacity scale (1 = sheer, 5 = completely opaque) which is accurate, as it was completely opaque in 2 coats. Kym's formula was perfectly fluid and smooth without being too thin or thick and it dried fairly quickly, though I always find that the foils/metallic from Zoya dry very quickly for me.


Zoya Kym

Zoya Kym
 Kym dried down to an even, smooth, glossy finish that had a beautiful metallic/foil sheen. The shimmer particles in Kym are large enough that they give a beautiful depth to the polish, but are not so large that they add any texture.


Zoya Kym
 Kym is definitely warm toned and feels more like a fall/winter color, though I love it so much I can see using it as a summer neutral.

Overall, I am very happy with Kym and can't wait to get lots of use out of it!



~All reviews are my own opinions and are not paid for by the reviewed company. This product was purchased on my own.~

New Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain!

Hi everybody! Today I am going to review a new product that I found at my local Target, Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm stain! When I first saw these I was a little sceptical but super excited because they look just like the Tarte LipSurgence, and if you read my post on the Tarte LipSurgence then you know how much I love those! 


Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Top: Romance
Bottom: Crush

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Left: Romance
Right: Crush
 The packaging is the same size and shape as the Tarte LipSurgence, though I believe the amount of product is slightly less by like 0.01 (or something around there). Not enough of a difference to even be noticeable.

Like the Tarte lip balm these are a twist up pencil that doesn't need sharpening. There is a range of colors from light natural colors to bold reds.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Left: Romance
Right: Crush
 I am so amazed at how close to the Tarte balms these are! They work wonderfully. They go on sheer, but buildable, have the same minty smell (maybe not as strong as the Tarte), they have the moisturizing balm property AND they leave a stain of color on your lips after the balm wears off! The only and I mean ONLY difference I can find between the two is that the Tarte is a little more satiny in application, and the Revlon seems to be a little bit richer/thicker. The difference in application is not something that is a turn off either, they are just slightly different.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romance
Right: 2 layers
Left: 1 layer

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush
Right: 2 layers
Left: 1 layer
Another thing I love about the Revlon balm? The PRICE! The Tarte rings in at $22 per pencil, while I picked up the Revlon pencil for just under $7.50 each! That means you could almost purchase 3 of the Revlon pencils for the cost of one Tarte!!

My overall though: I love them and have been converted from the Tarte to Revlon!

Go pick one up for yourself and let me know how you like it!



~All reviews are my own opinions and are not paid for by the reviewed company. This product was purchased by myself.~