Maybelline

Hello my Fellow Beautiful Makeup Addicts!

I know that in my earlier post (at 1:30 am...man, I really need to get my sleeping patterns back on track) I said that my next post would be about IPSY. Well, I just could not wait and decided to write a post about one of my favorite drug store companies, which if you can guess by the title is...MAYBELLINE!

Before I tell you all about how I became obsessed with Maybelline, I think it makes sense for me to tell you briefly on how my love for makeup came to be.

I am not sure if I already wrote this or not, but the first time I started using makeup was for my senior prom. Instead of going to the drugstore, my mom (who is amazeballs by the way) took me to Sephora (big mistake). To make a long story short, I left the store after spending $300 on makeup, crazy right? At the time I did not even know how to put on makeup and looking back on that moment now, I think I should have just stuck to drugstore makeup for my first time.

Jump 2 years later, I discovered Maybelline products...well I knew about them but I had never tried them before. I knew the commercial "Maybe it's Maybelline," but I did not understand the hype, until I tried the product that would change my view on liquid liner forever. The Maybelline Line Stiletto is by far, my most favorite eyeliner I have ever tried (even surpassing high-end ones). The thin flexible brush made it easy for me to learn how to create a cat-eye line on myself. From that moment on, I have tried several Maybelline products throughout the years.

Looking at this picture, I realize that I do not own that much Maybelline but my collection is still growing. Looking at it now,I also realized that all of the products I own and have tried are for face. Hm...maybe I should try a lipstick next. What do you ladies think?

These products are the:

1. Maybelline Line Stiletto in Black
2. Super Stay 24 Concealer in Medium Beige
3. Great Lash Clear Mascara
4. 24 Hour Color Tattoo Metal in 70 Barely Branded
5. 24 Hour Color Tattoo in 35 Tough as Taupe
6. Eyestudio by Maybelline in 80 Pink Persuasion

I decided to swatch them for you guys if you are interested in the colors. Each color arrow corresponds to a different product.

• Black Arrow - Maybelline Line Stiletto
• Brown Arrow - Super Stay Concealer
• Eggshell Arrow - Barely Branded
• Grey Arrow - Tough as Taupe
• Pink Arrow - Pink Persuasion

* The Mascara is clear so there was no sense in swatching it.

I know there are so many other Maybelline products out there to try. Some of them are:

1. Baby Lips
2. Color Tattoo Pigments
3. All of their Mascaras - Which one do you recommend?
4. Color Whispers
5. Vivids Collection
6. Dream Lumi Line
7. Fit Me Foundation

Leave a comment below telling me what drugstore line is your favorite as well as what are your holy grail Maybelline products?

Check out Maybelline.

Bobbi Brown Concealer

Hello to my Fellow Makeup Obsessed Addicts!

It is currently almost 1:30 am on a Tuesday morning in NYC and all I can think about it makeup and how I have not written a blog in several weeks. I promise to get better at blogging. To show you how much bettter I am becoming at blogging, I can tell you that the post after this will be about, surprise: beauty subscriptions. I feel like all I have written about on my blog are beauty subscriptions, but hey, I do love them. Anyways, let me get back to the reason I am writing this blog, which is concealer. But I am not writing about any concealer, I am writing about the Bobbi Brown concealer.

When I first started out with makeup, I did not know the difference between concealer or foundation, mineral or liquid, yellow or pink undertones, sheer to full coverage, and other beauty terminology. One day, a boss of mine at a summer internship introduced me to Bobbi Brown as he was also a makeup artist for this company on the side. The first product he gave me was the Bobbi Brown creamy concealer kit (in the old packaging).

 *Pictures from Who So Loves Blog* (Check out this blog, it is amazing)

The color he matched me in was Warm Beige, which came with the Pale Yellow powder. From the moment I used this foundation, I was hooked. LOVE does not even cover what I feel about this product. It was creamy and glided beautifully under my eye, especially after I applied the Bobbi Brown EXTRA Eye Repair Cream (amazing product, I highly recommend it). It did not cake up, crease, or settle into the fine lines under my eye (yes at 21 years old, I do have fine lines). I would just wear this concealer along with the powder as well as some mascara (which was also Bobbi Brown) and be set for the day. Also, a little goes a long way. This concealer lasted me 6 months even though I used it everyday. When I finished it, I decided to try other concealers (i.e. Benefit Erase Paste in Number 2 and MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer in NC30) but I just do not love them as much as I loved my Bobbi Brown creamy concealer.

After researching the concealer, I realized they changed the packaging, which made me bummed. I loved the old packaging. Eve though it was bulky, I though the lose powder on the bottom. I am hesitant to buy it now because I have heard negative reviews on the new packaging, especially with the powder. At $34, I want to make sure this concealer is still the one I fell in love with during my sophomore year of college (2 years ago).

*Picture Courtesy of Bobbi Brown*

Have any of you tried the Bobbi Brown concealer in the new packaging? Would you recommend it? Ugh Bobbi, why can't you make the old packaging again? :'(

If you have never tried Bobbi Brown, I HIGHLY recommend you try this line out. Every product I have tried from them, I have loved. They are amazing quality and you will not be disappointed. What Bobbi Brown products have you tried? Let me know which products you recommend to try.

Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles Review

In the Influenster Voxbox I received last month, I received four products. I have now come down to reviewing my last one, which is the Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles. I knew about these insoles from seeing them at Duane Reade, Walgreens, and CVS. I actually bought a pair for my sister as a Christmas gift and was happy I was going to receive them in my voxbox as I wanted to try them out as well.

If you do not know about Influenster, it is a box subscription that you sign up for and fill out surveys. Through these surveys you are selected for different voxboxes. I do not pay for the boxes nor am I paid to review the item.

From the moment I found out I was getting these insoles, I knew they would be perfect for a pair of shoes I bought in Australia. These shoes were perfect for me as I only paid AUD $5 and I have been wanting to get a pair of nude pumps for the longest. They come with ankle straps but I tend to leave them off. Anyways, I wore those shoes to a party my university in Aussie was throwing, and boy did my feet HURT. The pain was unbearable. I just wanted to take them off and never want to wear them again. However, I love them so much, that I am willing to make them work.

Shoe info: These shoes are 6 inches with very little platform.

When I put the shoes on with the insoles, I found them to be more comfortable compared to when I do not have them on.

I love the support these insoles gave my feet. However, I did notice that if I wore these shoes for a long period of time, my feet would hurt more. The reason for this is that my "toe" area is not cushioned enough. I do believe Dr. Scholl's makes a separate item for that, which I might go pick up. Overall, I am deeply impressed with this item and would recommend it for anyone who loves wearing heels, but hates the pain.

Check out all of the Dr. Scholl's products at http://www.drscholls.com/ or at your local Walgreens/Duane Reade.

Sinful Shine with Gel Tech Nail Polish in Bananappeal

In the Influenster box I received last month, I received four products to review. I did not pay for the box nor am I being paid to review them. The third item I am reviewing is the Sinful Shine with Gel Tech Nail Polish in the color Bananappeal.

Whenever I go to the drugstore (i.e. Walgreens, CVS, or Duane Reade) or Sephora to pick up beauty items, purchasing nail polish is never on my list. I usually go to a nail salon to get them done. If you live in New York City, especially in the Bronx, most manicures are $6, so I never find the need to go out a buy nail polish. However, from several box subscriptions like Influenster, Birchbox, and Ipsy, my nail polish collection has increased over the past year.

In my Influenster box, I received the Sinful Shine with Gel Tech Nail Polish in the color Bananappeal. If you go to Walgreens, you are probably familiar with the Sinful Shine nail polish collection. The Gel Tech Nail Collection is new. I believe there are 32 new shades. Since I do not paint my own nails, I tested it on a fake acrylic nail to see how the polish held up.

From my tester, I was able to see how pigmented the nail polish was. With one coat, the nail polish was full coverage all over the nail. The Gel Shine is so shiny that a top coat does not even seem necessary. The color is very yellow, which is perfect for the summer. If you are looking for a nice summer nail polish, I would recommend this brand as it affordable and very pigmented for the price.

                                                        Full Size Nail Polish

                                                                No Flash

                                                 Regular Nail Polish Applicator

                                                           Photo with Flash

You can find Sinful Shine at Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) and check out Influenster at (www.influenster.com).

Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics Review

As you know, I received a box from Influenster this past month, which contained items for me to review. I did not pay for this box nor was I paid to review it.

The item for today is the Goody Ribbon Elastics. After receiving similar products in several of my Birchboxes, I knew I was going to like this product, 

In the pack there were 5 different ribbon elastics. I like that they included common colors such as black and gray but also incorporated some pops of color like pink and purple. This will not be an extensive post like my review on the Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream. This product is a hair tie, does not tangle, nor leave dents in the hair. The only problem with these is that these hair ties lose their shape, which is nothing major.

Will I buy them? I am not sure. However, I know I will not be buying them anytime soon. Overall, I really liked this product.

Check them out here: http://www.goody.com/

Birchbox v. Ipsy

If you love makeup, then you have probably heard about the box subscriptions. There are many out there, such as Birchbox, Ipsy, GlossyBox, Beauty Army, and much more. Hopefully by the end of this week I will have both my Birchbox and Ipsy bag. After looking at what I will be getting in my Birchbox, I think it is safe to say that after 14 months, I am ready to cancel my subscription with them. Oh well, now just to wait for my packages to arrive.

If you are interested, here is a referral code for Ipsy:

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h1fsxnba4qry4zr

New Year

Hi Everyone! Since it is a new year, I decided it was time to create either a blog or a tumblr and start writing down my memories, adventures, favorite makeup products, and other things I am obsessed with like clothes and music.

If you are on my blog, please know that I will have MANY posts on makeup. I am obsessed with it. Before my senior prom, I did not even know how to put on mascara. 4 years later, people come to me with help with their makeup. I will post my likes, dislikes, products that are high end, some that are drugstore.

For me, 2013 is the year of self discovery. A second semester junior in college, I will be heading off to Australia in February and feel both anxious and nervous. Even with all these emotions flowing through me, I know this is the year I always want to remember.

I hope you decide to take this journey of self discovery with me. If you want a review of a certain makeup product or some outfits of the day (OOTD) please feel free to message me. I created this tumblr not only to document my life, but to also share some of the wonderful things in it with other people.

                                                                                               xoxo,


                                                                                         Shy City Girl

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