Luuux

Perfume Haul

I discovered an awesome perfume site a few weeks back, www.perfumezone.net They have mostly mainstream fragrances, some of which are at amazingly low prices. I picked up the 3.4oz/100ml bottle of Britner Spears: Hidden Fantasy, .25oz bottle of Agent Provocateur, 2oz bottle of Tea Rose eau de toilette, 1.7oz/50ml bottle of Jeanne Lanvin, and a 1.7oz/50ml bottle of Valentino's Rock n Rose. Prices were as follows: Hidden Fantasy: $23.17 Tea Rose: $6.53 Rock n Rose: $30.36 Agent Provacateur: $8.80 Jeanne Lanvin: $26.95 Shipping was around $15 or so but even paying for that as well I spent less than $110 for 5 fragrances where I would have paid well over $200 if I'd bought them from Perfumania or a department store. I'll post fragrance reviews on all of them in the next couple of weeks. If you love perfume and want to save money, definitely check out www.perfumezone.net ! *photo mine*

Estee Lauder "Pleasures Bloom" Dupe?

Last night I took friend to dinner and we went to Macy's. The agent at the Estee Lauder counter gave me a couple of samples, one of which was "Pleasures Bloom." I usually don't go for Estee Lauder fragrances since they tend to be too heavy on the florals which make me nauseous. I was astounded by how amazing this was. A fruity floral that is heavier on the floral with an amazing rose middle note? I absolutely love it, though I don't love the $75 for a 100 ml bottle price tag. Does anyone know of a good dupe for this fragrance? *photo not mine, link to source below*

Cherry Culture N.Y.X. Haul

Ordered some NYX from Cherry Culture when they had their 50% off sale a couple weeks back. I picked up two of their mosaic powder blushes, the orange color corrector and a jar concealer in "fair," a ton of Jumbo eye pencils, 3 diamond sparkle lipsticks, 4 black label lipsticks, their "mood" lip gloss, and the obligatory cherry culture bubblegum lip balm (not pictured). I'm loving the mosaic powders so far. The black label lipsticks have pleased me greatly with a couple of them. The diamond sparkles? Not so much. Review will soon follow on all products! *all photos are mine, don't use them without my permission*

Hautelook Haul: Rock & Republic

My Rock & Republic order came in from Hautelook today. I didn't order much, just a few brushes and a lip gloss. I'll be posting reviews of the brushes very soon as I've already developed some strong opinions of them. The lip gloss I was pleasantly surprised by and will be reviewing that color as well too. Anybody else order R&R? *photos are mine, do not use without my permission*

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara In all, it's a perfectly nice mascara though I think that the name implies something that it doesn't really do. Years ago the "curling" mascaras came into fashion and women were thrilled that they would no longer need to use eyelash curlers now that there was a magical mascara that would do the curling for them (they didn't work well). This mascara's name when I first heard it, gave me the impression that it was a similar product, or at least was formulated to hold a curl longer. The "Sexy Curves," seems to be more of a description of the tube and the head of the wand however. Pros vs. Cons Pros 1. Long lasting with little flaking 2. Available in regular in waterproof. 3. Lash separating comb-style wand head. Cons 1. Not much volume 2. Price will vary: I paid $6.47 + Tax at Walmart. Some have complained that the packaging is juvenile and cheap looking, though I personally could care less so long as the packaging doesn't interfere with the use of the product (see my review on Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion for my take on this http://www.luuux.com/health-beauty/cover-girl-lash-blast-fusion-purple-tube?blog_id=57603 ). The packaging itself is a curvy bottle with purple chrome paint. The plastic is thin and it will give a little if you squeeze the tube hard enough, but, again, I see no reason why this would have any bearing on the actual product itself. The product claims that it has a "full figured brush with 3X the curves for 70% curlier lashes," as well as the ability to coat and de-clump the individual lashes for a complete, curved look. Additionally, Rimmel boasts that it is enriched with proteins that condition and plump lashes over time. The mascara itself is a nice consistency, it's not too thick or watery and I haven't had any problems with it drying out. The head of the wand looks similar to the high end Fairy Drops mascara wand in that it has three distinct beads that are designed to catch each lash, but it's set up on a straight line, as opposed to the curved head design of the Fairy Drops product. As for what it claims to do? Well, my lashes are super long naturally and since I started using a lash boosting serum in my never ending quest to have make-my-lashes-explode volume, they're even longer (to the point where they're annoyingly long). As for deep conditining and plumping my lashes, I can't see that this product is going to do anything more than the lash boosting serum I use does so all I have to go on is how the product holds up and wears. I got the regular non-waterproof formula (I work in an office so I don't need something that stands up to sweat and heat) and It stays in place pretty well. I didn't notice any smudging or running even during a ten hour day. The mascara definitely coated each lash and separated them and since the head of the wand doubles as a lash comb, it was easy to comb and position my lashes at the angles I wanted so that they popped. The formula didn't give me much volume. As I said in my opening, it's a nice mascara that is great for everyday use if you're not concerned about lengthening or volumizing properties. I Like using it on days when I'm going for a more natural look and don't want to use my Sephora Lash Plumper (the product that gives that make-my-lashes-explode volume). I also used it because I like the comb for helping blend my natural lashes in with false lashes on the days when I wear them. *photos are all mine, do not use them without my permission*

Urban Decay "Cherry" Eyeshadow Token

Pros 1. Gorgeous color that lasts all day. 2. Very pigmented, a little goes a very long way. Cons 1. Slightly chalky consistency so you will need to use a primer (that eliminates fallout completely). 2. Expensive: $17 a pan. This is one of my favorite colors to use as a highlighter. I discovered it by accident when I went looking for a shimmery light pink color to create a romantic eye look. I saw "Cherry" and thought that it might be perfect till I swatched it. While it wasn't the shimmery pink I was seeking for the look I had in mind, I knew it was perfect for a highlight. While a pale pink the in the pan, when swatched it comes off as a glowing cream color with tiny flecks of glitter. I use this constantly on my inner corners and patting it on my brow bone. I recommend using a primer with this shadow, as it is slightly chalky (please don't let this scare you as it really is only slightly) and there is some fall out when I have used it without primer. *photos are mine, do not use them without my permission*

Urban Decay "Ecstasy" Eyeshadow Token

Pros 1. Very subtle iridescent color. 2. Long lasting. Cons 1. Expensive: $17 a pan. I picked this shadow up when I was looking for a medium purple shade for a romantic eye look. I had originally intended to wear it on the outer corner but I use this more often as an all over lid color and use a deep purple or navy in the outer corner now. What I enjoy about this color is that it is subtle and yet has a very edgy iridescence to it. If you use the Urban Decay shimmering primer in "Sin" it also makes the color take on a deeper shimmering quality. *photos are mine, do not use without my permission*

Urban Decay "Hot Pants" Shadoow Token

Pros 1. Very pigmented and lasts all day. 2. Shimmering color without any chalkiness. Cons 1. Expensive: $17 a pan. I picked this up to use for an all over lid color in a romantic eye look. This is definitely my favorite pink ever. While it appears to be a hot pink color in the pan, once you apply it to your skin, whether you're using a skin toned primer or a shimmering one, it softens slightly to a medium shimmering pink. *photos are mine, do not use without my permission*

N Y X Haul from Hautelook

My NYX order from Hautelook was waiting for me outside the door when i got home today. When this sale was going on, I told myself I could only buy one thing and that was going to be the Diamond Sparkle lip glosses, which I'd heard good things about, but then I saw that they were also selling two sets of 28 pigments each for about $50 and I caved and opted for pigments as opposed to a new pair of jeans. When I saw the colors today, I knew I'd made the right choice. I swatched a few of the glosses and am already really impressed with the pigmentation of these. I haven't cracked the seals on the pigments but I will spend this coming Monday swatching them and taking photos of them and will get review up sometime within the month. Did anyone else buy from this sale?

Hautelook Twist & Pout Haul

My Twist and Pout order from Hautelook was delivered by UPS yesterday. I've had these before and was thrilled by how cute and convenient they are. Twist and Pout are little lip balms with different flavors that come in 2 packs. The only place I've known to get them was Amazon.com and they retail for $15 on that site, but Hautelook was selling them for $5 each plus shipping. Did anyone else order these? *photos are mine, do not use them without my permission*