Product Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Hey all!

Sorry it's been awhile since I wrote a post, but I've been working like a mad woman. Plus I haven't been trying many new products lately! However, I do have a couple of (*spoiler* amazing) products to review for you! :)

I thought I'd start off with a classic product that so many people swear by:
 Urban Decay's Primer Potion!

Granted while this little "potion bottle" will run you $20 for a full-size tube...IT'S WORTH IT! Actually. Trust me. It comes with a little wand and you just swipe the potion over your lid and let it dry for 60 seconds. The consistency comes out sort of chalky and dry (not unpleasant, so don't get me wrong)!

Wow! Your eyeshadow not only stays in place, but the pigments appear more vibrant! On top of that application of your eye products (both shadows and liners) becomes a breeze.

The bottle lasts you quite awhile and you'll want to replace it once the potion becomes a little dry versus liquid.

My only complaint is that while the packaging is cute the purple of the bottle flakes off (but only after lots of use)!

Conclusion: Why are you still reading this? Go buy it.

Stay pretty...stay smart!
~Kat

Product Review: Freeman Chocolate and Strawberry Facial Clay Mask

Hey all!


Yum! That's the only word I can use to describe my reaction to this amazing clay mask! I picked this up  with my other typical purchases for two reasons:
1.) The price! A tube is only $3.99 (a small amount covers your face completely)
2.) The smell! OMG! Normally chocolate scented products smell fake and kinda gross. This smells like actual milk chocolate!

When I squeezed the tube the product comes out in a thick creme consistency and glides right on to your face. Beware! You will wanna eat it. I wouldn't recommend this approach. At first it's a little strange because you actually feel like you're smearing chocolate on your face. But it's so fantastic. The color just looks like you picked the wrong shade of foundation, so you can wear it in front of others without feeling like you're wearing bad, ghost makeup! You can feel the mask harden and then you just wash it away with warm water. It leaves your skin feeling so soft, with the slight after scent of a dessert cart. 

My only worry with this product is that I'll use it everyday!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Butter London

Hey all!

So I'm always hesitant and a tad skeptical to try out the "prestige cosmetic" brand products. Is a $5 tube of mascara really that much more god awful than the $50 tube? Seriously...c'mon!

However, I would like to point out in some cases spending those extra dollars upfront can save you money down the road on products that don't work as well (even though beauty stores like Ulta and Sephora have pretty lenient return policies)!

For a list of what to spend or splurge on I'd recommend looking at this article:
http://beauty.about.com/od/makeuptrickstips/ss/splurgesave.htm

But I digress...

I just wanted to talk about my experience with Butter-London Nail Polish! They typically run $14-$15 a bottle! :O But I found this holiday trio (full sized bottles) in the clearance section the other day for $9.99 (Originally it was $36)!

I have to say I'm sold! This trio is composed entirely of glitter polishes and with other brands this type of polish can come out gloppy and uneven. These glide on and dry so quickly that layering the polish is quick and easy. I used two coats to completely coat the nail. The first person I rang up at work commented on how nice my nails were. That's something that never loses its ability to make my day. I can't wait to try out one of their solid polishes to see if the result is the same, but I'm assured by my co-workers that they are definitely worth the money.

So in conclusion...take the hit. Pick up a bottle in a classic color that you'll get complete use out of it. You won't regret it!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Mania: Pssst versus Batiste Dry Shampoo Smackdown

Hey all!

So today I thought I would do something a little different and compare two products head to head! The topic under consideration is dry shampoos.

When shopping for dry shampoos you want to consider: color, feel to the hair after use, (excess) residue and ease of application.

Dry shampoos are awesome for days you don't wash your hair (make sure you aren't washing your hair everyday anyways, because it'll strip the natural oils from you hair) and need to feel clean, while getting out of the house in a flash.

The first dry shampoo I ever tried was Pssst (Original) Dry Shampoo:

Pros: 

• Light weight feel

• Powder absorbs quickly with "minimal blending"

• Easy application

• Goes on wet, but quickly becomes powder

Cons

• Smell is a bit off, but not horrible

• Wet feeling (while only temporary) is not ideal

• Rate of spray is rather light

When I used up my first can of Pssst I decided to try another brand out just to compare and contrast. I found Batiste's Original Dry Shampoo for a comparable price (just around a dollar more, but I believe you get around 2 oz. more for that money)!

Pros

• Amazing application (the amount of product and force of the nozzle is unmatched)

• Goes on as powder with minimal liquid feeling

• Smell is much more pleasant than Pssst's

• Makes my hair feel more voluminous and cleaner overall than with Pssst

Cons:

• Sometimes when blending there is some residue from the product (easily remedied by running hands through hair again)

So in conclusion the winner of the Dry Shampoo Product Mania Smackdown is:

***WINNER***
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Urban Outfitters Marble Eye Palette

Hey all!

So here's another review!

Yesterday my friend and I were walking around Uptown in Minneapolis and popped into Vic's Secret and Urban Outfitters! The sales were AMAZING! I find that I can only realistically buy Urban stuff when they do this sale (I think it's around twice a year)!

I got two pillows which would've cost $100 for $10 (I love home decor...it's almost unhealthy haha)! I picked up two shirts, as well as their... 

Marble Eye Palette!

I think it was originally $12 (maybe?) and I got it for $5! It has 32 shades that come packaged with a marbled effect. There's a great variety for all skin tones and it's fun to see the two colors blend. Application is easy and it lasts all day (with a proper primer :))!

So yeah...basically try and snag this at your local Urban before they're gone!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Hey all!

I haven't done a post for awhile and I keep going back and forth on what I wanna talk about on this blog. However, I did just buy some new products, so I thought I'd do some reviews for you guys!

I work at Ulta (as well as H&M), so I'm able to find new products and sample things on a fairly regular basis! :)

So for the first review in this set I thought I'd share my thoughts on the:

 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils!

First off, I just wanna say I wish that I had thoroughly researched this product before purchasing. I had seen some beauty gurus on Youtube say they liked them, but on further research I found that a common problem was CREASING!

It's horrible. So. Bad.

With that being said, they aren't a complete waste of money! I purchased two (Buy one, get one half off at Ulta right now) in Milk and Iced Mocha!

Iced Mocha

Milk

I used the Iced Mocha one on my lid (creasing ensued) and the Milk one on my water line. The water line was the perfect solution. I love the look these pencils give me (it really brightens up your eye, especially after a long night)!

So in conclusion, spend the money (less than $5), but don't venture outside of your water line with this product or you will be sorely disappointed!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat