Fun Hair Accessories for Spring/Summer

I am always amazed by the cute hair accessories made by Goody. They produce quality items, are constantly mentioned in major magazines, and are so fun and fashionable. Yesterday I picked up some items from Goody’s Island Sun collection. I settled on the headbands (so cute, I got one in every color!), and one of the new ponytail holders.

The Island Sun Seaside Headband is a metallic finish metal band, with a single metal flower in the same color. The colors available in my local store were: Black, Coral, and Copper. The beautiful finish, allows them to stand out against any hair color! They are perfect for adding a little color and style to any ponytail.

The Goody Island Sun Sunkissed Ponytailer comes in at least 3 colors, in my store, they had gold/bronze, coral, and green-blue. The ponytailer is made of metallic plastic, with a gold or silver plastic trim, and an attached black ponytail holder. These look way more expensive than they sound ;) It is actually quite chic, and adds a classy look to your ponytail.

These items are new, and at the price of $6 and under, they will go very quickly. Run now and buy a few of these for a fun new look! You won’t be disappointed.

*These items were purchased by me.

Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm Review

I recently just picked up the new Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm.  Its a lightweight balm that has sheer color.  Contains mango and shea butter to make your lips feels good.  Also has SPF 15 in the formula (love!).

Overall, I really liked these!  The colors go on shear and feel good on your lips.  The darker color, Pinot, had a good amount of color too it, but still shear.  They remind me of the YSL sheer sensual gloss stick but with a different formula.  Very easy to apply and did not feel greasy!  Has anyone else tried these yet?

These products were purchased by me.

Revlon CustomEyes Shadow & Liner Review

Today I picked up the new Revlon CustomEyes Shadow and Liner.  These palettes have great colors and come in 6 shades.  I purchased the Rich Temptations and Smoky Sexy palettes.

I applied both sets of colors very lightly just to give you an idea. These new palettes are great! The colors are cute and they blend together well.  The green color in Rich Temptations is gorgeous! Can't wait to try.  Smoky Sexy would work good for a light or dark smoky eye. Definitely recommend these!

These were purchased by me.

New Trend: Grey Nailpolish

The newest trend for nails is matte grey nail polish. It looks dark, trendy, and classy, all at the same time. Grey nail polish is beautiful on every complexion, and goes with everything. You can barely read a magazine or visit a beauty blog these days without seeing a feature on Dior Vernis Gris Montaigne (a beautiful, glossy, matte grey). I will admit, I rushed over to Nordstrom to pick up a $21 bottle as soon as it came out, but then my sanity kicked in. I thought I would look around for dupes. 

Well, ladies you are in luck!!! Due to my craze for grey nail polish, I have found 4 colors that are nearly spot-on with Gris Montaigne, and they are all below $10! Below are photos and swatches.

Polishes L to R: Essence Movie Star ($1), Essence Fivepocket Grey ($2), Sephora Moneymaker ($5), Sephora by OPI Break A Leg-Warmer ($9.50)

Swatches L to R: Essence Movie Star, Essence Fivepocket Grey, Dior Gris Montaigne, Sephora Moneymaker, Sephora by OPI Break A Leg-Warmer

Yes, I will admit that the packaging of the Dior polish is very chic, but I don't really plan to stare at the bottle, or to put it on display in my house, I just want to wear the color on my nails! I always use Out the Door Superfast Dry Topcoat (Sally Beauty Supply--$5), so I can get about a week without chips, with all of these colors. With a variety of prices, now everyone can add this must-have color to their collection.


All of these colors were purchased by me.

e.l.f. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder Review

The e.l.f. contouring blush and bronzing powder is a duplicate of NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo in Orgasm/Laguna.  The e.l.f. duo retails for around $3, while the NARS duo retails for around $40.  (Love the price-tag on the e.l.f.!)

Swatches below: (Left picture is natural light, right picture is indoor light)

Overall, it is an ok duplicate to the NARS duo.  The brown was too dark for me and did not blend well.  Definitely have to use a light hand when applying to face.  The blush was pretty and blended well.  After one use there was A LOT of fallout onto the packaging, can be really messy!  Not a bad purchase for the low price, but really prefer the blush to the bronzer!

After one use

This product was purchased by me.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil vs. Knockoffs

Ok, so by now, I'm sure you've all had plenty of time to "ohh" and "ahh" over the new NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils. I wanted almost every color, the second they came out, but restrained myself (mainly because they are $24 each). I went into my local Sephora yesterday, on a mission: seek out any duplicates or knockoffs for these coveted Gloss Pencils.

The contenders: Sephora Collection Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil ($12) and Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm ($15). Swatches of all are shown below:

L to R: NARS Club Mix, Sephora Fancy Red, NARS Baroque, Sephora Miami Pink, Sephora Sweet Beige, NARS Happy Days, Clinique Mega Melon, Sephora Coral Glow, NARS New Lover, Sephora Gorgeous Peach, Sephora Strawberry Delish.

Verdict: Clinique Mega Melon is a dupe for NARS Happy Days, and saves you about $9. Sephora Gorgeous Peach (the actually color is nothing like the name) is the nearly the exact same color as NARS New Lover (yeah!!!), and saves you $12. I did not try NARS Frivolous, as light pink just doesn't wear well on me.

As for NARS Baroque (deep raspberry), Hopi (coral-nude), and Club Mix (sheer merlot grape), I am sad to report that I was unable to find a cheaper alternative. But if you have done so, please let us know!!

I already have Hopi, and will probably go back for Club Mix. This color really suprised me, it gave a nice vampy, yet sheer lip. I felt like a "bond girl" with this color on!

All of these items were samples, or purchased by me

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio Review

Another new product from Physicians Formula, this time set of 3 custom eyeliners that are color-matched to match your eye color.  The eyeliners come in 4 different shades for your eyes - brown, hazel, green and blue. Retails for about $10.95. 

The brown trio includes dark brown, black, and a dark purple eye liners.  Physicians Formula does state that this is a water-proof an smudge-proof formula. There is also a built-in pencil sharpener on the bottom:

Top to bottom: black, brown, purple

Top to bottom: Brown, purple, and black

Left to right:
 Purple compared to Covergirl Liquiline in Voltage Voilet.

Black compared to Tarte emphasEYES in Black.

Brown compared to Revlon ColorStay in Brown.

After washing and scrubbing hard with soap and water - there is some staying power with these! Had to remove with make-up remover.

Overall, the liners glide on pretty smooth and do have really good lasting power. I do prefer a skinnier point, similar to Tarte emphasEYES.  My favorite color is the purple, which I think looks really good with brown eyes.  I do recommend, but definitely not my favorite eyeliner out. 

These products with purchased by me.