You'll Become a 'Spoiled Brat' with this Wet N Wild trio!

For some reason I did not think I was going to like this color combination, but I was really, really pleased with it! It's the next of the Spring 2011 Wet N Wild Eyeshadow collection, and it is named 'Spoiled Brat.' It contains a metallic silver, a semi-matte black, and a semi-matte magenta pink. The reason I say semi-matte is because the black is a matte color, but it contains just a little bit of glitter. From the picture below, you can barely see the glitter. The magenta pink looks matte at first glance, but it has a slight purple sheen to it in some lights. This eyeshadow has incredible staying power for such a low price ($1.99/2.99 at CVS, Walgreens, and Target), as long as you have a proper primer underneath. The pictures below were taken at 7am this morning, and by 10pm, the eyeshadow was still going strong. As Lloyd says in 'Dumb and Dumber', I like it a lot! :)

In the pictures below, 'Spoiled Brat' is the three middle swatches.

In the look below, I feel like I am doing some crazy 80's makeup! lol I really enjoyed this trio because the colors are so fun to wear. I simply used the silver eyeshadow on the inner corner of the lid and the pink color on the outer lid and blended. To get the 'V' shape at the edges, I put my foundation on after my eye makeup, and swiped foundation in a line under my eyeshadow with my foundation brush. I got a clean eyeshadow line this way. I didn't use the black color in the look below because I was going to work and didn't want to have a dark smokey eye in the day time. I will use the black color in a look and post pictures soon, though.

These eyeshadows have such great pigmentation, and I definitely recommend checking them out before they become hard to find, because beauty bloggers all over are raving about them! I think silver and pink make such a funky spring look. What are your thoughts?

Cosmetic Arts + Milani = Holographic Spring Nails

     I've never heard of the nail polish brand Cosmetic Arts, however, when I saw them at Ross Dress for Less for $1.99, I snatched up a few. This particular color is a milky, sky blue, and it is perfect for Spring or Easter. The color is so gorgeous, and this nail polish actually contains no formaldehyde.

      I did find that this polish chipped after a few days, which lead me to touch up on the spots where it chipped, which made me want to find a nice glitter polish to layer over it. I chose Milani's new 3D Holographic nail lacquer in 509HD, which is a silver, multi-colored glitter polish that really does look like one of those holographic stickers that changes when you turn it in different angles. Milani's nail polishes are $4.99 at CVS.

     I really like the Cosmetic Arts sky blue nail polish on its own, but it looks beautiful with the silver holographic glitter layered on top! ♥
     Do you have luck with really cheap nail polish? Do you like to layer glitter on top of other colors? Feel free to discuss in the comments!

This color also kind of reminds me of Cinderella's ball gown. What do you think?

Let My Lips Shine! with Tarte's High Shine Lip Lusters

     Following Tarte's collection of the original LipSurgence Natural Lip Tints and LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tints comes their new collection of LipSurgence Natural Lip Lusters. No one was more excited about these shimmer sticks than I was. :)
     First of all, the reason I love Tarte's products so much is that 98% of their products are free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances, and that they "reduce green house gas emissions one mascara at a time by creating components that are made from recyclable or post-consumer recycled material and can often be re-used to help reduce environmental waste."
     I just really feel that this brand is a more natural makeup brand that doesn't contain all those "bad things" you hear about in your makeup.
     With that said, I really do love their Natural Lip Tints because they are in a big pencil-form, they are easy to apply and throw in your purse, they make your lips soft, and they smell just a little bit like peppermint. So, obviously I was going to go gaga (not to be confused with the little-known celebrity Lady Gaga) over the new release of the Natural Lip Lusters.
     These Lip Lusters are just like the Natural Lip Tints, except they have a shimmer/glitter look to them. I absolutely love to wear these under a lip gloss for an easy and natural look.
    
The colors are:
Frisky (bright pink)
Pouty (berry)
Adored (light pink)
Glisten (light peach)
Fever (red)
Buff (nude)

     I recently visited my local Ulta to get some swatches to show you, and while they did not have a tester for Adored, I actually have that one and will post pictures of it soon.

In the photos above from left to right: Buff, Glisten, Fever, Frisky, and Pouty

     They are availably on Tarte's website at $24 for 0.10 oz, or you can go to QVC.com for a killer deal (that's where I got my two), where they have two for $29.50. I currently have Adored and Glisten, and will be posting more swatches and pictures of them soon.

Wet N Wild Spring 2011 Collection

Incase you visit your local CVS to pick up a couple of the new Wet N Wild Spring eyeshadow trios, here is a picture of the display to help you find them. Let me know what you pick up!

OPI Let Me Entertain You

     OPI launched the Holiday 2010 Burlesque Collection along with the release of the Burlesque movie starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. The Burlesque Collection featured a lot of sparkle, glitter, and eye-catching colors, and luckily I was able to grab a few on clearance last month.
     Let Me Entertain You is a bright fuschia with gold glass-fleck shimmer. I really don't know how else to explain how the glitter looks in this polish, other than to tell you that it's the prettiest polish containing glitter that I've ever seen. The glitter is not in big chunks; it just looks like it's "inside" the color. While this wasn't my favorite color from the Burlesque Collection, but it is definitely a gorgeous and unique color. OPI nail polishes normally retail for about $8.50, however, I was able to catch this on clearance for $4.99 at Ulta.

Sneak Peak!

Here's just a little sneak peak on the next review of the super-cheap Wet N Wild Eyeshadows! Check back soon for swatches and more photos!

Thank you for reading!
Love and Seashells,
the Makeup Mermaid

Cute Ring Holder!

I saw this while out shopping, and I had to take a picture for you guys! It is a ring holder that looks like a shoe! It's so adorable. :)

Attention, Cowgirls! OPI Nail Lacquer Texas Collection

     Saddle up, Cowgirls, it's time to put on our hats and paint our nails! OPI's latest nail lacquer collection is called the Texas Collection, and hit stores on Feb. 2.
     I stopped by my closest Ulta Beauty at got a picture of the display, and let me tell ya, the colors are gorgeous!

  
The colors are:
•I Vant to Be A-Lone Star
•It's Totally Fort Worth It
•Austin-tatious Turquioise
•Don't Mess with OPI
•San Tan-tonio
•Suzi Loves Cowboys
•Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?
•Big Hair...Big Nails
•Guy Meets Gal-veston
•Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em
•Do You Think I'm Tex-y
•Houston We Have a Purple

They are all very vivid and eye-catching colors. Some are creamy, and some are glittery. I've got my eye on Houston We Have a Purple. Do any of these catch your eye? OPI nail lacquers retail for $8.50.

Purple Reigns with Urban Decay's Shadow Box

     Nothin' makes green eyes pop like purple eyeshadow! I'll admit, purple is not my favorite color, but for some reason it just goes so well with the color green.
     I did this quick and subtle (at least I think it's subtle! lol) eye look this morning before work, and I used an Urban Decay Shadow Box.
     This Urban Decay Shadow Box includes shadows (left to right, top to bottom) Snatch, Mildew, Flash, Painkiller, Smog, and Toasted. The retail price for this bad boy is $30, but UrbanDecay.com has it on sale for $16 right now, and I will tell you, that is a STEAL, because it comes with six eyeshadows, a mini eyeliner in Zero, and a mini Eyeshadow Primer Potion.
     Yes, the names are kinda strange, but Urban Decay has some of the best eyeshadows on the market; there is a phethora of vivid colors to choose from, they are very pigmented, and they have an extremely long wear time with proper primer underneath. For example, I put this eyeshadow on at approximately 9am, and here I am at 11pm without a crease in sight! If you haven't been able to tell yet, I love love love Urban Decay eyeshadows! The only bad thing about Urban Decay is that some of their eyeshadows have waaay too much glitter in them, which causes fallout on the face. That becomes a problem when you are in a hurry and want to do a quick look.
     For the look below, I used Snatch on the inner corner of the eyelid, (which does have major glitter fallout and caused a problem this morning, ha ha) and Flash on the outer corner of the lid and blended the two together. Flash is my absolute FAVORITE purple eyeshadow of all time, and I don't know what I will do when I use it all up. I also used Urban Decay's 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion on my waterline, which is a limited-edition, I-hope-it-becomes-available-all-the-time-blackest-black-eyeliner-ever! I love to line my waterline with this black because it shows up so much more than any other black eyeliner I own. (By the way, the black eyeliner pictured in the palette below is not Perversion, it is Zero, which came with the palette, but isn't as dark of a black.)
     Do you love purple eyeshadows? If so, what's your favorite purple eyeshadow of all time?

Picture from MAC Wonder Woman

     I stopped by the MAC counter today so I could show you what the Wonder Woman display looks like! Apparently the Emancipation lipglass was sold out in the store, so if you had your eye on it, I would try and snatch it up fast.
    Does anyone's weekend plans involve taking a trip to your local MAC counter for some goodies? Do tell! ☺

It's Giveaway Time!!! ☺

     Hi, my sea-dwellling friends!  It's time for the Makeup Mermaid to dive into her Under the Sea Treasure Chest and choose a special trinket to share with you!
     Remember that Wet N Wild 'I'm Feelin' Retro' Eyeshadow trio I swatched for you last night? Well, I got an extra one for a special reader that will be chosen at random!
     All of you makeup junkies out there know that it's fun to talk to your friends about great beauty finds, tips, and tricks, and that's what I love about writing this blog - I feel like I'm talking to all my girlfriends (or guyfriends)! There will be no bias with this contest, whether I know you personally, or not, everyone has an equal chance to win.
     Here is how you enter:
1. Leave a comment below and tell me your ABSOLUTE favorite beauty product/brand, (the one that if you were on a stranded island like LOST, you would have to take with you!) and why it is your favorite.
2. Subscribe to this blog by e-mail by entering in your e-mail address in the upper right-hand corner of this blog-page. If you are already subscribed by e-mail to this blog, then you only have to leave a comment below. But you do have to be subscribed by e-mail AND leave a comment to win.

     The winner will win one (1) Wet N Wild 'I'm Feelin' Retro' Eyeshadow trio and will be notified by e-mail. The deadline to enter this contest is March 1, 2011.

I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to reading your comments!!!

Love and Seashells,
 the Makeup Mermaid
    

UPDATE: The results are in, and the winner is Jennifer Martin! I will be contacting you by e-mail, and I really and truly thank you all for reading and entering! Please e-mail me with any questions, and I look forward to you entering in giveaways in the future!

Wet N Wild 'I'm Feelin' Retro' Eyeshadow Trio

     Wet N Wild normally has very cheap options availabe for those who love pigmented and colorful eyeshadows, and it's just recently that the beauty bloggiverse has started raving about the quality of these eyeshadows.
     This is one of the trios from the Spring 2011 collection, aptly titled "I'm Feelin' Retro." It contains a shimmery white for the browbone, a deep blue turquiose for the crease, and a fuschia with purple shimmer for all over the eyelid.
     I haven't played around enough with this trio, but when I do I will post more eye pictures. However, with the swatches I've done I will agree that they are very pigmented, and they do kick up a lot of product when you use an applicator to obtain color. They also go on the lid very pigmented, and seem to last a while. I will update more on the longevity of these eyeshadows after more trials.
     This particular trio would be perfect for a funky, spring look. They can be found at CVS for $1.99 each.
     Read on for more swatches and photos!

      The first three on the left are swatches of "I'm Feelin' Retro."

     In the look below I used:

•Wet N Wild 'I'm Feelin' Retro" Eyeshadow Trio
     -I used the fuschia color on the inner side of the eyelid, the turquoise color on the outer side of the eyelid, and then then blended used the pearly white color. I also used the white color on the brow bone and inner corner of the eye.
•Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Binge, Electric, Ransom, and Asphixia
     -I used Binge on the lower waterline, Ransom on the upper lash line, Asphixia on the lower lash line, and Electric on the inner corner of the eye.
•Stila Major Lash Mascara in Black
•Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation in Classic Ivory (which I think is too dark for me!)
•Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Ivory
•Too Faced La Vie En Rose Blush mixed with MAC Peaches Sheertone Blush
•NARS Highlighter in Albatross
•MAC Wonder Woman Lip Glass in Emancipation

Weird Face.