Philosophy Amazing Grace Spray Fragrance

philosophy: how you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson. in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.

Ever try to explain to someone what the scent of a crisp clean woman smells like? Well, Philosophy's Amazing Grace Spray Fragrance is just that. Amazing Grace is a fragrance I've always had on my want list  but I never picked it up until a few months back when I used my reward certificate from Ulta. I got it for $4 (woot woot)

I love the clean simplistic design of the bottle, it pairs well with the scent of the fragrance.  If you love light floral feminine scents then Amazing Grace is the scent for you. It is a scent that I like to wear on an everyday basis since it's not overpowering. The only downfall is that it doesn't linger throughout the day and that's something that I look for in any fragrance whether it be a strong, sweet or light smell. 

Just because of the lasting power and the price I don't think I would repurchase it. I would probably stick to stocking up on one of my favorite light scents, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Availability:Nordstrom
Pricing: $44 60ml/2 fl.oz.

WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE PHILOSOPHY FRAGRANCE?

L’Oréal Colour Riche 'Royalty Reinvented' Polish

LOREAL COULOR RICHE 'ROYALTY REINVENTED'

COMPANY'S DESCRIPTION:
"Your dream color is now at your fingertips with Colour Riche^® Nail Color, a unique formula that delivers intense color, luxurious shine and 10-day wear*. Available in a delicious spectrum of must-have shades, the collection is divided into 4 unique color stories curated by L’Oréal’s exclusive Color Designer Orrea Light. There’s a perfect hue to match your personality, style and mood. Rich, trendy colors exclusively curated by our international Color Designer. Patented brush for ultimate control and precise application Find your shade(s) in one of 4 color collections. *When used with Colour Riche^® One Stop Base base coat and Top of the Line top coat."

L’Oréal has released the 'Le Nouveau Riche TRENDsetter' spring 2013 collection containing (6) gorgeous creme polishes perfect for the spring time along with (3) metallic shades. I picked up this polish while wandering around CVS. The display for the collection was almost wiped clean with the exception of 'royalty invented' and 'new money.' I already own a polish by wet n' wild similar to 'new money' so I opted for the purple. If I find the other colors in stock I plan on picking up 'not a cloud in the sky.'

Royalty Reinvented is a gorgeous true lavender creme polish. It doesn't contain any shimmer, metallic or glitter. With one coat of the polish my nails still looked a bit sheer. (See pic below) With two coats the color was completely opaque. You may be able to get away with doing one coat but the brush would have to be loaded with a good amount of polish. That's not something I like to do personally, I rather apply separate coats to build up the opacity to ensure that I get an even application.

One coat application

For today's manicure I used OPI Nail Envy Original Strengthener as a base coat, added 2 coats of L’Oréal Royalty Reinvented and topped if all off with Seche Vite Top Coat.

Two coat application

As per the company's description, the color intensity is spot on! As for the lasting power, I'm still testing that. Although I didn't use L’Oréal base coat and top coat, I'm going to put the polish to the challenge. For an update on how long it lasted, follow me on facebook, twitter and instagram. 

- Facebook -

- Twitter -

- Instagram -

The brush is a perfect size for my nails. I didn't have to do any touch ups with acetone around my nail beds. The one problem I did notice with the brush is that it can cause brush drag on the nails; meaning it can leave the look of brush strokes. The only solution to that is to try to apply a bit more polish onto the brush before applying on your nails and adding a top coat with a thick consistency like Seche Vite top coat. For some reason I love the packaging of these polish bottles. They are simple but sleek and the gold caps make them unique.

Overall, I'm in love with this color and the formula in general. I don't know if all the colors have the same opacity but I think the creme finishes are alike. I bought two other colors from the Colour Riche line recently so make sure to keep an eye out for reviews on them ;)

Until next time my beautiful people!

Pricing & Availability: ranges from $5-$7 depending on drugstore

HAVE YOU TRIED ANY OF THE LOREAL COLOUR RICHE POLISHES? WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

Sephora 12HR Wear Waterproof Jumbo Liner Set - Review, Photos & Swatches

SEPHORA COLLECTION WATERPROOF JUMBO LINER SET

Company's Description:

"These jumbo pencils create a range of effects, from bold lines and blended effects to thin, defined lines. Resistant to water, heat, and humidity, their creamy, high-pigment formulas apply smoothly. From deep blacks to rich and shimmery shades, each is formulated with exclusive waxes and pigments to assure maximum color intensity that stays put for 12-hours."

CLICK PICS FOR LARGER VIEW!

After watching one of my favorite YT beauty gurus, GlamLifeGuru mention this set one day I just knew I had to get my hands on it. I love purchasing value sets when they are released, getting more bang for my buck is always the best in my book!

The Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear Waterproof Set ($30) contains 5 pencils. Two of which are glitter pencils: Purple Glitter & White Glitter, two shimmery pencils: Kaki & Taupe and a matte color: Black. The glittery colors take a bit of work to apply evenly because of the glitter particles. White glitter in particular applies patchy, as seen on the swatch. I prefer to use it in the inner corner of the eye to give it a frosty highlight. The shimmery and matte colors go on very opaque with a smooth creamy application. Use them on the waterline for a lasting, non-smudging liner or pack some product on a eyeliner brush for a winged liner look.

Left to Right: white glitter, kaki, black, taupe, purple glitter

Sephora 12HR Wear Waterproof Jumbo Liners are available in 28 colors: 01 white, 03 grey, 04 taupe, 05 beige, 07 brown, 08 gold, 09 kaki, 10 green, 11 turquoise, 13 marine, 14 violet, 15 purple, 16 glitter, 17 black, 18 silver glitter, 19 gray glitter, 20 beige glitter, 21 pink glitter, 22 dark taupe shimmer, 23 brown glitter, 24 dark brown matte, 25 green shimmer, 26 peacock blue shimmer, 27 electric blue matte, 28 mauve shimmer, 29 purple glitter, 30 purple matte and 31 lilac shimmer.

You can get individual colors at Sephora for $14 each.

The Sephora jumbo liners (0.10oz) are very reminiscent of the NYX jumbo eye pencils (0.18oz) as far as packaging goes; with the exception of quality in materials. I prefer the caps on the Sephora liners over the NYX ones because all the clear caps have cracked on all my NYX pencils. As far as the quality in formulas, the Sephora liners win without a doubt. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the NYX pencils but I use them more as a base color for some of my eyeshadows. They don't tend to work too well as a shadow because they will crease quickly. These pencils have to be sharpened just like the NYX jumbo eye pencils so you will need a sharpener that is big enough to fit them.

SWATCHES

Left to right: purple glitter, taupe, black, kaki, white glitter (No flash) 

Left to right: purple glitter, taupe, black, kaki, white glitter (Flash)

The Sephora liners work very well not just as liners and bases, but as eyeshadows also. They don't tug or pull of your lid and can be blended out within a few seconds after being applied. The liners are very pigmented, enough so that they can be used as saturated shadows. They are especially great for a quick eye look without having to spend too much time creating a look. 

I applied the Sephora pencil in Taupe over Urban Decay's Primer Potion and experienced no creasing or fading over a period of 10 hours. The claims of being waterproof also stand correct. I applied a great amount of water onto the dried swatches, rubbed them over a few times and dried with a paper towel; proving in fact that they are indeed waterproof. The black liner is great for rimming the waterline. I always have issues with black liners smudging or fading on me because my eyes get irritated due to wearing contacts and eye makeup at the same time. With the black liner I don't have to worry about any of that.

Water applied and rubbed on swatches

Dried and rubbed over again swatches

I'd like to collect a few more colors but am hoping that another value set is released. They may be a bit pricey for some but compared to the Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadows at $20 and with a small color selection. I really want to get my hands on marine. I think it would look very pretty on the bottom lashline.

Pricing & Availability: $30 (set), $14 individual pencils available at Sephora

UD Black Palette + FOTN

Colors are much darker in person.

"A gorgeous palette of eyeshadow... dipped in black. Dangerous sparkly-shift jewel tones and a sooty, blacker-than-black matte.

This provocative, stimulating palette of sexy black-based shades comes in a compact so dangerously cool, you'll want to put it on display. Everything you need to create a range of alluring looks (from a smudged rocker eye to a chic cat eye) is packed inside, as well as a built in mirror for on-the-go touch ups." (Urban Decay)

The compact sleek packaging of the Black Palette houses 6 shadows (.04 oz each), a travel sized 24/7 Gilde-On Eye Pencil in Zero (.03 oz) and a mini sized primer potion in Eden (.13 fl oz). It's conveniently sized for traveling. The shadows apply evenly and smoothly while offering great pigmentation which didn't come as a surprise, this is what the UD shadows are most famous for. All the shadows are packed with flecks of glitter with the exception of Black Dog. Since these are pigmented dark shadows I do recommend tapping off the excess or applying a base before applying your eyeshadow.

NOTE: colors in pictures of the palette are not true, they appear a bit lighter. (Blame it on bad lighting)

Color Descriptions:

• Black Dog is a dark black matte shadow. (Does not contain any glitter. Glitter seen in swatch is fallout glitter) It is very intense, these pictures don't do it justice. (See pics of swatches down below)
• Barracuda is a steel grey with flecks of grey glitter. 
• Jet is a dark purple with blue glitter flecks. (ShugaAndSpice favorite)
• Sabbath is a dark blue with blue fleck of glitter. (ShugaAndSpice favorite)
• Cobra is a deep antique gold. When swatched it looks as if its a black base with gold flecks of glitter.
• Libertine is a darkened base with green glitter. My least favorite of the palette, instead a nice transitional color would have benefited in its place.

Color close-ups

All in all I am of a fan of the palette but just when it comes to the individual colors.  I do think that they missed out on including some transitional colors themselves. We all know that no smokey look is complete without  a transition color so that it is smokey yet soft at the same time. It doesn't seem worth having both Cobra and Libertine as part of the palette since they are so close in color when applied. It appears they're a black base with flecks of gold and green glitter. I also wouldn't use more than 2 colors together on a smokey eye, actually the only 2 colors I would use in one look is any one shadow with a pop of Black Dog on the outer v or lashline of my eye. As with any dark smokey eye, I apply a dark base before applying my shadow, whether it be cream liner or pencils. NYX's jumbo eye pencils work great for this purpose. My favorites for smokey eyes are Black Bean and Knight.

For my FOTN I used Black Bean and layered Cobra over it. I made this smokey look a bit more dramatic by popping on a bright red toned lip which was made up of a few colors. (See details below)

SCROLL DOWN FOR SWATCHES!

UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Zero)

UD 24/7 Glide-On Pencil Comparison (Zero & Perversion)

The palette comes with a travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero. It is described as a zealous black. Initially swatch, one would assume it's pretty much a deep black but swatched next to Perversion, you'd think twice. If you're looking for a very deep black matte liner, then Perversion will become your new best friend. I posted a review on Perversion not too long ago. (Click here to check out that post)

MORE PICS & BREAKDOWN OF MAKEUP DOWN BELOW!!

Left to right: Black dog, Barracuda, Jet, Sabbath, Cobra, Libertine
No flash

Left to right: Black dog, Barracuda, Jet, Sabbath, Cobra, Libertine
With flash

Shirt: F21 / Belt: J Crew / Shorts: Express / Earrings: F21 / Necklace: F21 / Shoes: Steve Madden

FACE:

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless Primer

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Concealer (medium)

MAC Studio Fix Fluid (NW20 & NW22)

Amazing Cosmetics Concealer (medium golden)

Airspun Loose Face Powder (translucent)

MUD Cosmetics Bronzer (endless summer)

theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer Bronzer

Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten (apricot berry)

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter -- inner corner of eyes, top of cheekbones, bridge of nose, cupid's bow

BROWS:

MUFE Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector (0)

Ardell Brow Powder (taupe)

Great Lash Clear Mascara

EYES:

UDPP (eden)

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara (ultra black) -- top lashes

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara (very black) -- bottom lashes

NYX Jumbo Pencil (black bean)

UD Black Palette (cobra) -- eyelid

Wet n Wild Coloricon Palette (comfort zone) -- brown crease & green crease for outer v

NYX Eyeshadow (highlight) -- browbone highlight

LIPS:

Covergirl Lip Perfection Liner (passion)

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color (cherry picking) -- outer ends of lips

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color (purty persimmon) -- center of lips

Covergirl Lip Perfection (hot) -- used to blend all colors together

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter -- center of lips for fuller effect

Pricing & Availability: On sale for $16, original $36 @ Urban Decay

*Products shown here were purchased by me. I am not being sponsored or paid to review these products.*