Rave Review x2 for Bee Luscious!

Hey everyone! How's Tuesday treating you? I'm glad you're taking the time to stop by my blog! For the past few weeks I've been testing out some products from Bee Luscious. It's a brand I've learned quite a bit about over the years. As with any brand- there are some items I'm not so keen on, and others that I absolutely love. Today I'm happy to report to you on two really great products I think are worth checking out!

Eye & Lip Primer

I love this multi-purpose product! Please be aware, once you put it on and wait a few seconds- it isn't going anywhere! It contains no shimmer and basically gives you a light, neutral skin-toned effect. It's a great eye primer for any look. I posted a swatch above... as you can see it blends into your skin while giving it a more even appearance. It even sort of neutralized the blue-ish vein running down the side of my hand! If you find yourself getting disappointed that certain shadows don't look the same on your eye as they did in the package- check this out. It reminds me a bit of MAC paint pots only it doesn't have as slick of a consistency (can be a bit thicker) and has better staying power. It's a primer & a neutral eye base in one. One drawback- this only comes in one shade (not the best option for someone with dark skin who are looking for a product that comes close to matching their skin tone)

In addition to an eye base- it's also a lip base! We all have different natural tones to our lips. It makes us all uniquely beautiful! But sometimes you want that pale nude lip to really stand out- and without a base- sometimes that look is hard, if not impossible to achieve. Some people will use concealer on their lips to create that "blank canvas", and I've tried that as well. But this has a staying power unlike any concealer. It helps keep your liner, lipstick, and glosses from drifting outside your lip line.

*Whether you're using it as an eye or lip primer- a thin layer is all you need. It'll be your best defense against creasing on the eyes or looking cakey on the lips*

♥

Baked Mineral Eyeshadow- Olive Trio

I think this is a fantastic, velvety soft eyeshadow trio! I know it's an eyeshadow product I like when I can't decide which shade I like best! They all look great together- and if you'd like to see a tutorial using these shades, let me know. All of the colors have a subtle shimmer- without looking like over-the-top glitter mania. The champagne color is gorgeous- makes a great lid shade or highlight. The brownish color shade is actually more of a plum- it's so unique. It has a reddish-coppery sparkle that I love. Looks pretty as a smokey powder liner! And the green is phenomenal. Even if you don't gravitate toward green eyeshadow- I promise this is a gorgeous, wearable shade. Can't say enough about these colors. While they're powder- they have this unique creamy-smooth texture. When used with a primer, they're long wearing & delightful!

Thanks to Bee Luscious for allowing me to try these products, and if you get a chance to try them yourself, let me know what you think! Have a great day!

♥

Emily

Caress Whipped Souffle... is it a Shower Must Have?

Hey everyone! If you're like me... when it's time to buy a new body wash- you spend a decent amount of time in the drugstore opening & smelling different kinds. Even my husband Tyler does this with men's body wash & shampoo. Clearly you can't lather up in the aisles, so you judge by scent, which is important. It's nice to be moisturized, exfoliated, deep cleaned, or any number of other functions a body wash claims to deliver- but scent is pretty darn important too.

I received an offer from Caress to test and review one of their new Whipped Souffle body washes. I was intrigued by the concept of a souffle-textured body wash, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've been using it for the past month or so. I must say, I adore the texture of this product. It's creamy, and not as thin as most body washes. In fact, I feel like I'm applying a highly moisturizing lotion while I'm in the shower. It gets a little bubbly, but you actually feel like it's doing something for your skin that might have a lasting effect- so that's nice. Even on days that I forget to put on lotion, my skin tends to feel somewhat soft, so I give the Caress body wash some credit. (along with the excrutiating humidity...boo).

Now on to the all-important scent that I mentioned at the start... it really wasn't working for me with this product. I was expecting a juicy peaches & cream scent... but what I had was basically a classic soapy-floral scent. In a blind scent-test... I might not have known it was peach. If I was testing this in the drugstore & judging it purely on scent, I would've put it back. *OR*... am I completely mistaken and does a "white peach cream" smell drastically different than a traditional peach? If so, no white peaches for me. This is my point- if a brand wants to sell body wash- they have to have a fantastic scent, because that's what draws a person in- to eventually learn about the awesome texture.

Perhaps the other scent options available are much better than white peach. (check the Caress website for more info on that) Despite its outstanding texture- the scent doesn't make me want to repurchase. Sorry to those at Caress who are reading this! I appreciate that you respect my opinion and offered to let me review this product. But I have to be honest, and if you're reading this, perhaps you could use your resources to tweak the scent a bit... add in some peachy deliciousness and you'll have one fantastic shower-worthy product!

PS- wanna know about a Caress product with an AMAZING scent that I love? The Tahitian Renewal Silkening Body Wash. It's sort of like a scrub... great to use between sunless tanning sessions to slough off the dead skin.

♥

Emily

Lip Color Dupes!

Hey everyone! Sometimes with my videos, it's just easier to see the info all written out as opposed to having to look back on 10+ minutes of me talking about it. I'll occasionally forget that... and sometimes it takes a post like this on the Beauty Broadcast Facebook Page to remind me...

Thank you to Dale Marie for reminding me! So here is a picture of the dupes- plus the names of the brands & shades. If you want to see the video for more detailed descriptions of these colors- click here. Also- I tested these shades on my lips and the dupes are even more similar on the lips than the swatches on my hand. Sometimes the light catches the shades certain ways & they don't look as completely similar as they did in another light. Sorta confusing... but anyway- here are the swatches!

(the inexpensive "dupe" is marked with an asterisk*)

Left Column (top to bottom):

-Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Gloss in Groove*, Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight

-ELF Plumping Lip Gloss in Oasis*, Nars Lip Gloss in Orgasm

-L'oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss in Caramel Creme*, Nars Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday

Center Column (top to bottom):

-Jordana Pretty Shine Lip Gloss in Lovely*, Lancome Color Fever Lipgloss in Heatstroke

-MAC Lip Glass in Nymphette, Milani Crystal Gloss in Summer Baby*

-Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Roseberry*, MAC Craving

Right Column (top to bottom):

-ELF Moisture Care Lip Color in Ruby Slipper*, Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Fireberry

-Maybelline Color Sensational in Born With It*, MAC Angel

-Rimmel Moisture Renew in Sunset*, MAC Viva Glam V

How to Use Shadow Pencils + Coastal Scents Swatches

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of blogs lately! I actually have lots of things to be blogging about- so let's get to it! I wanted to share some swatches of these new Coastal Scents double ended eyeshadow pencils. You might be thinking... I have tons of powder shadows- why do I need shadow pencils? Well, using a small amount of a cream-based product under your shadow can really make the color pop! The Coastal Scents pencils are nice because there are so many colors to choose from... allowing you to make the most of a number of different looks! Before I describe the colors- I have some tips for wearing shadow pencils...

• Apply a primer first. These creamy pencils are not a substitute for a good shadow base like Palladio eye primer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, or Urban Decay Primer Potion.
• Use only a THIN layer of any cream-based shadow. You'll notice creasing if you apply too much.
• After you apply the pencil, pat the area with your finger, or further blend the color with a brush. This takes care of any excess product, ensuring that you have only what you need on your lids.
• If you have more than one cream shadow pencil- blend shades! The consistency will make for gorgeous fades between colors.
• Unless you're going for an ultra glossy look that you're only wearing for a short amount of time, definitely top your cream based shadow with a powder. It will make for a super long-wearing look! (kind of like topping a cream blush with a powder blush)
• Use jumbo pencils as a liner and smudge them out for a smokey look (top it with powder too!)
• Experiment with different shades. Just because you use a turquoise pencil doesn't mean you have to top it with the same color of shadow. Mix & match different colors to create unusual undertones in your eye look! :)

Now on to my review! Coastal Scents has 12 dual-ended shadow pencils. They're rich and creamy, and the pigmentation is awesome. You can try out one for $2.95, or get the whole set for $29.95 (Coastal Scents sent me my set to review). These remind me of the NYX Jumbo shadow pencils, although most of these shades apply more smoothly, and feel a little less thick- which can be a good thing if you struggle with creasing. (According to my tips above- a thin layer is the best way to combat creasing). I've enjoyed using these alongside my 88 Shimmer palette- the pencils really set off the look! The price is great, and while it's awesome having the whole set, if you don't want to spend that kind of money- try a neutral pencil duo and a colorful one that you like the looks of. It's nice because there are 2 colors in each pencil! One drawback- the shade names are on the box they come in, not the pencils themselves. It's a small detail, but I had to write them all down because when I use these in tutorials- I want to be able to tell you what colors I'm using. I do enjoy that you get some semi-matte creamy shades, some shimmers, metallic shades, and even glitter! :)

*=Emily's Favorites

(Top 2 rows- left to right)

• Celestial Moon... (metallic silver & silver glitter)
• *Trendy Teal... (shimmery periwinkle blue & metallic teal)
• *Copper Penny... (shimmery tan & shimmery warm mahogany brown)

(Second 2 rows- left to right)

• Vanilla Chocolate... (creamy off-white & creamy dark brown)
• *Mystery Wand... (metallic white & shimmery black)
• Pink Fringe... (light metallic pink & shimmery lavender)

(Third 2 rows- left to right)

• *Soft Touch... (iridescent white & metallic lavender)
• Vibrant Glam... (shimmery yellow & metallic green)
• Sapphire Sky... (metallic light blue & metallic sky blue)

(Fourth 2 rows- left to right)

• *Peach DuJour... (light peach iridescent shimmer & deep gold shimmer)
• Denim Blues... (creamy royal blue & creamy navy blue)
• Emerald... (metallic emerald green & shimmery forest green)

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Thanks for stopping by my blog & have a great day!

Emily

Review-a-thon FOTD

Hey there! Thanks to everyone who watched & commented on my Review-a-thon videos! 7 videos in one day! I think I might be going crazy. Many people asked what makeup I was wearing in this video so I thought I'd do a FOTD (Face of the Day) post on that before I forgot! Keep in mind- I never got really close to the camera in these videos (like I do in tutorials) so it really doesn't do the eye makeup justice! But hopefully you can get an idea of what I did through my explanation & product listing below.

FACE:

-Palladio Herbal Foundation Primer (Sally Beauty Supply)

-Temptu Airbrush foundation in Natural (sephora.com)

-Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (drugstore)

-Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (sephora.com)

-Temptu Airbrush blush in Sheer Berry (sephora.com)

-Temptu Airbrush highlighter in Bronze (sephora.com)

EYES:

-Bee Luscious eye & lip base (beeluscious.com)

-Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer palette- pack bright yellow on the lid (coastalscents.com)

-MAC Carbon- deepen outer part of the crease (maccosmetics.com)

-Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer- use fluffy brush- overlap bright pink with the border of black crease shade

-Use any light shade in CS 88 Shimmer palette as a highlight

-Line upper lashline with NYC Liquid eyeliner (drugstore)

-Line lower waterline with a black pencil- I used Almay eyeliner pencil in black- (drugstore)

-Also apply Almay liner to just the outer part of lash line-

-Use MAC Carbon to set it & smudge under the rest of natural lash line

-L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara- (drugstore)

-Revlon False Eyelashes in Intensifying (drugstore)

LIPS:

-NYX lip liner in Rose (cherryculture.com)

-NYC Extreme lip glider lip gloss in Park Avenue Pink (drugstore)

♥

Have a great day!!

Em

Beauty Broadcast Review-a-thon!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend! You know how channels like E!, Bravo, and TLC tend to do big marathons of shows? Well I'm doing it on my makeup channel today! I've never done it before... but I'm going to post a massive amount of videos in one day. I think the most videos I've ever posted in one day might have been 2... maybe 3- but it's very rare. So I hope you enjoy this day-long review-a-thon! Keep checking back with my YouTube channel for reviews on the following products- a good mix of high end and drugstore stuff!

-Temptu Airbrush System- First Impression

-NYC Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss- review & shade swatches

-Kardashian Glamour Tan Self-Tanning Gel

-Kiss Everlasting French TOENAILS

-Too Faced Natural Eye Kit

-EOS Lip Balms- a review of 3 kinds

-My NYX single shadows- review

♥

Continue to check back with my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/emilynoel83

for the latest videos today!

Lip Palettes & Pencils from Coastal Scents!

Hello blog buddies! Chances are, when you think of Coastal Scents, you think of the company's eye palettes & brushes. Well, they company has recently launched some new lip products- including 4 lip palettes and 12 lip liners. I felt it would be easier to blog about these items rather than make a video, since there are so many swatches.

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I'm a big fan of lip palettes in general, because it's very convenient to mix shades and come up with your ideal color. CS came out with a couple of larger lip palettes in the past... they were nice for home, but too big to easily carry them around with you. These new palettes are nice because they're divided up into basic color families. Sorry I forgot to snap a pic of the outside of the packaging, but they're pretty plain- just black with the palette name on it. It would've been nice if they came up with a cute design for the palette... but I guess that's not what's really important. The shades are all creamy & easy to apply, and similar in consistency from one to the next. Most of the shades are just opaque, pigmented colors... but you'll find that there are a few shimmery shades thrown in. For lack of a better description, the shades smell like makeup... no fruity or flowery notes thrown in. I don't find the "makeup scent" to be overwhelming or annoying. Staying power is good, and I find that some of the stronger colors leave a bit of a stain on your lips, which can be nice. They're each $9.95 or all four for $29.85, which I think is a good deal, and a great option for makeup artists. Each comes with a lip brush/applicator.

Passion Berry

Includes a creamy berry pink, a pinky-lilac, deep berry, and a purple-toned berry.

The darker purple shade in the palette looks intimidating, but I found that that shade and the deep berry color come off less intense on the lips (this is a good thing, since I don't usually wear extremely dark colors). I think the second shade in this palette is gorgeous, and the third deep berry shade is one I'll probably wear a lot.

Power Play

Includes a deep salmon/coral, an orangey red, a rosy red and a true red.

What a fantastic red lip palette! All four shades are bold & creamy- no shimmer in any of them. If you use one of the two second shades and it seems too bold, just add in a little bit of the first color which is more subdued. I love the classic red lip that the last color gives you, and honestly, it's a lot easier to apply a clean red lip with a lip brush (like the one provided with each palette) than straight out of a tube.

Juicy Pink

Includes a shimmery pink, a berry pink, a classic medium pink, and a light pink.

I call this my "Barbie Pink" palette. As with the other palettes, you can achieve varying degrees of intensity just by blending the shades together. I may not get as much good out of this palette, simply because-- even though pinks are lighter-- I think some of the berry shades in the palette at the top- are a bit easier to wear. Still- I especially enjoy the second shade in this palette- I love berry/pinks like that :) You can also highlight the center of your lower lip & make it look fuller by using some of the lightest shade.

Sun Kissed

Includes a creamy nude, a peachy-beige, a shimmery copper, and a medium brown.

Calling all nude lip lovers! I am crazy about the opaque, full coverage the lightest shade is able to provide. Sometimes light shades won't have enough pigmentation to really cover the lips- not true with this one! This might be my favorite palette just because the colors allow you to create the perfect nude lip *for you*. I like putting the lightest shade all over, and then taking the darkest shade (which is slightly more sheer than it appears) and adding it on the outer parts of my lips so they look full, yet defined & not like my entire mouth has been erased. LOVE this product!

Here are the lip liners! I'm not as thrilled with these as I am the palettes. Don't get me wrong, I love the pigmentation, the softness of these pencils & the way they apply... but I'm not wild about the color selection. There are five shades that I really like- but I think there are a few too many dark/brownish shades for me. I'd be more likely to buy the ones I like individually, as opposed to the whole set. One pencil costs $3.99, and the full set is $34.99. I find it surprising that the full set of pencils is more than the full set of palettes... considering that you get 16 separate lip colors with the palettes & they're super pigmented and great quality. But there are some great pencils in this group, so let's take a look...

Top Row: Natural*, Coffee, Mahogany, Brown, Espresso, Toast

Bottom Row: Pinky*, Mauve*, Auburn*, Cabaret*, Prune, Current

*=Emily's favorite shades

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Like I said earlier, I love the way these apply. I also haven't experienced feathering (drifting outside the lip line) with these- they have good staying power. They're so creamy, you can easily fill in your entire lips with these. I love natural- it's nice to use with the nude palette, or any nude lipstick or gloss you have. Pinky is the brightest- but it's awesome with berry lip shades! I wore it this past weekend when I went out with some friends & it was awesome! Mauve is nice for deeper neutral shades, and Auburn works great with a Mary Kay lipstick I've loved called Amber Suede- it's a brownish red that's really pretty. Cabaret reminds me of Rimmel exaggerate- this will work great with any red lip color, including the Power Play palette shown above. This lip liner is seriously GORGEOUS.

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Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I hope this was informative for you! Just so you know, Costal Scents sent me these products to review, and everything I've said has been my honest opinion- as always! Have a great day! Also- I have some new CS hot pots & a new CS palette to tell you about soon!! :D

♥

Emily

BeFlurt: Overstock Makeup!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great week so far. Thanks for taking a break with me to check out some high end makeup for discounted prices! I'm always excited to see websites that offer overstock makeup, and that's what BeFlurt does. Similar to Beauty Ticket, BeFlurt is able to give you discounts on a number of high end brands, and give you access to certain discontinued or special edition products that you might not be able to find elsewhere. If you're the type of person that likes rummaging through the makeup area at Big Lots because you never know what you'll find-- you'll like this site. What's fun is that there are always new additions!

Here is the mini haul I received from the company. I'm happy to report that all of these things arrived at my house in good condition- they were packaged very thoroughly, which is important when you're receiving makeup in the mail. By the way, this site says everything they sell is 100% authentic- no fake products here. Please continue to read as I provide honest reviews of the products. Also- keep an eye out for these items in upcoming tutorial videos! :)

Be aware that the amount of the discount varies from product to product. While some of the markdowns are really significant, others only amount to a couple of dollars. The site includes items from 20 different brands, but the amount of products offered in each brand varies greatly. For example, there are lots of MAC products on the site, but only a few Bobbi Brown products. And remember, it's not purely discontinued products... in some cases it's just overstock.

Estee Lauder Brilliant Shimmer All-Over Powder in After Hours

BeFlurt Price: $19.75 (retail price: $35.00)

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I enjoy this product because I love highlighters that provide multiple shades. You can swirl a brush in this and end up with a light pinkish-mauve shimmer powder, or use them individually. I like to use the center highlight powder to highlight the cupid's bow area of my lips. I still think the price is a bit high for what this product is. This reminds me of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips, which are available at the drugstore for much cheaper than the discounted price of this product.

Estee Lauder Tom Ford Collection: The Face Highlighter in Coquillee

BeFlurt Price: $19.75 (retail price: $45.00)

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This product provides a really concentrated shimmer. It can be really intense if you want it to be. I think the packaging is gorgeous and it's definitely an item you can use on your cheekbones, brow bones, or anywhere on your face. Despite the substantial discount, the price is still kind of high. Of the two highlight powders, I think the one above is the most wearable.

MAC Lipglass in Steal My Heart

BeFlurt Price: $12.99 (retail price: $14.00)

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While the discount on this product is minor... I really love this lip gloss! There is a really nice selection of MAC products on this site, which I think it really cool! If you plan to buy a lot, a dollar or two off here and there can definitely add up. I've been loving berry-colored products on my lips lately, and this provides sheer color and shimmer, which I think is perfect for summer! I don't own much MAC lip gloss, but I think this one is awesome :)

Clinique Touch Base for Eyes in Canvas Deep

BeFlurt Price: $12.75 (retail price: $14.00)

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I really, really like this product as an eyeshadow base. Sometimes cream shadows are too greasy, and definitely couldn't be worn on their own-- but this is not one of them. This shows up on the lids as a luminous golden bronze. It looks practically like concealer in the picture, but it has a subtle pearly sheen that makes lids glow. When used under shadow, it helps it last longer. It's not a major discount, but since I find this to be a pretty unique cream shadow product, I think it's worth it. Never tried a Clinique shadow base before!

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Ultimately, this site is a great way to try new things. If higher prices have held you back from certain high end items (that's been the case for me quite often!), then you can browse this site for some good deals. It's a nice way to get acquainted with new brands, and I like that the selection is always changing. Thanks BeFlurt for introducing me to your site! :) Have a great day everyone!!

♥

Emily