Giveaways!

OK, so no giveaway from me (yet) but here are some cool giveaways from other bloggers:

The PolishAholic: http://www.thepolishaholic.com/2011/01/1000-followers-giveaway.html

Beautyburg: http://www.beautyburg.com/2010/12/beautyburgs-new-years-giveaway-start.html

Bright Lights, Big Color: http://brightlightsbigcolor.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-more-time.html

Review: E.L.F. 2 in 1 Conditioning Lip Gloss

Long time, no review -- sorry about that! I've had an inner and outer ear infection in both ears, so I've been bedridden with vertigo for the past week. If you've never had vertigo, let me tell you -- you are one lucky duck. Anyway, on to the review.

This 2 in 1 Conditioning Lip Gloss is available from E.L.F. for $3 on E.L.F.'s website and in select Target and Kmart stores. The shade that I have is Va Va Voom.

You can kind of see the separation of the two glosses - one is for color and the other for softening. From the side, you can really see this separation. I think it looks pretty cool!

Now, onto the product claims. E.L.F. claims "This 2 in 1 gloss has shimmering lip color in the inner tube and clear conditioning gloss in the outer tube for ultimate lip satisfaction. Hydrate your lips with key moisturizers and achieve sheer color perfection. Infused with Vitamins A and E, Aloe and Shea Butter for rich hydration." E.L.F. also suggests squeezing the product from the middle of the tube for best results.

Here's where things get sticky. No matter where I squeezed, all I got was clear gloss. Eventually, I managed to get some color. In the picture below, you can kind of see shimmer and the teeniest, tiniest bit of color mixed in with the clear (except the top left. That's what it looks like "fully colored.")

Though I followed directions and squeezed from the middle of the tube, all I got was clear. I then tried squeezing from the end of the tube, with better results.

Now, this sucker has an interesting tip. I've seen squeezy gloss tubes with slanted plastic tip applicators, and I kinda like those. This bad boy has a hard doe foot-type applicator, which I don't really like. I like doe foot applicators in gloss tubes, but this applicator is really hard, and it just kind of soaks up the gloss. A slanted plastic tip would've been better. You can see how the gloss has permeated the applicator in the picture below.

I'm not a makeup artist, nor do I share my products, but this just looks messy. I wouldn't feel that comfortable applying this in a public restroom mirror because it just looks unhygienic.

As for the color payoff, there isn't any to speak of. I know this is supposed to be sheer, but when applied to my lips, I got no color, even if it looks well-pigmented on the swatches I've done to my hand. My lips are not pigmented by any stretch of the imagination (and I do have a few freckles along my lipline) but this gloss was completely clear. When I look very closely, I can see a hint of shimmer, though.

The only thing this gloss added to my lips was shine, and lots of it. I found this gloss to be thick, goopy, and uncomfortable. I felt the need to wipe it off just as soon as I applied it. I'm also not a fan of super-shiny glosses, which definitely defines this product. On the positive side, my lips did feel soft and conditioned once I wiped the gloss off. The wear time on this is hard for me to determine. The gloss felt so uncomfortable on me that I only lasted an hour. But because it's so thick, I would imagine that it could last another hour or two.

Would I buy this again? No. I don't like the way it feels, it's completely translucent (this is the darkest shade!), and the applicator sucks. I will stick to my Blistex for lip conditioning.

Do you have this lip gloss? If so, do you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or tweet me @PaleAndLovingIt

What's in a Name?

The reason the URL for this blog is honesttogoodnessreviews.blogspot.com is because it was the only thing available that I felt adequately described what I was trying to accomplish as a beauty blogger. My original intention was to stick to doing reviews, and only reviews. I've since branched out into doing things like nail tutorials, but no other available URL seemed to fit, so the current URL is the same as when I started a few months ago.

However, I have changed my Twitter handle from HonestReviewer to paleandlovingit. Paleandlovingit is my YouTube username (I have only one video up - let me know if you want to see more), and I'm trying to consolidate everything beauty-related into one username. But to change my blog URL to paleandlovingit didn't make sense.

Anyway, I hope all of this makes sense to you. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or tweet me (note the new Twitter handle!)

xoxo

Update

Hopefully you all took advantage of the Zoya Facebook offer. I am anxiously awaiting the mailman myself. I ordered Calypso, LC, and Edyta, along with color spoons in the colors Juicy, Loretta, Mata Hari, Happi, Lillith, and Ki. Then, my fiance was being all awesome and stuff, and created an account to order me Tosca, Danielle, and Lo. I will do swatches of all of the shades once I receive my package.

In other news, I made the most wonderful Sephora purchase ever: The Urban Decay Naked Palette. Yep, Sephora had it in stock online for an hour or two before it was backorderedagain and I was one of the lucky girls who placed her order before that happened. I am definitely one to favor more natural looks -- even my more dramatic looks are created with gold and brown. My precious was awaiting me when I came back after winter break. I'm sure you have all seen it before, but in case you haven't, here are some pictures and a very quick review of Naked (note: The palette also came with a mini genie bottle of Primer Potion, which I didn't photograph). If you would like a full-on review of this, please don't hesitate to ask!

The palette, in all of its velvet, naked-y glory.

Insert "Hallelujah Chorus" here.

Virgin, Sin, Naked, and Sidecar. Sorry it's a little blurry -- I'm getting used to a new camera.

Buck, Half Baked, Smog, and Darkhorse

Toasted, Hustle, Creep, and Gunmetal

Virgin, Sin, Naked, and Sidecar

Buck, Half Baked, Smog, and Darkhorse

Toasted, Hustle, Creep, and Gunmetal

24/7 eyeliners in Whiskey and Zero. Whiskey is limited edition, Zero is permanent.

All of the shadows are well-pigmented (I did not use a base for my swatches), smooth, and creamy. They apply very well to the eyelid, but when I blend them, I find that they sometimes blend away. This may be due to my technique or blending brush (from EcoTools), but it is something to be aware of. My favorite of the bunch is definitely Half Baked, but I love the whole thing (especially the middle section). Do you have the Naked palette? Is it something you're interested in purchasing? I really recommend it if you love natural looks. It is available for $44 from sephora.com (if it's in stock). $44 may seem like a lot, but even for this budget beauty gal, it was worth it.

I know that was a really quick review, but I don't want to bore you with something you have undoubtedly seen before. If you want more information, just let me know!

xoxo

ZOYA!!!!!

As most of you probably know, Zoya is running a promotion on Facebook. If you "like" them on Facebook, you'll get access to a code (valid until Jan. 7) that will get you three free Zoya polishes -- you just need to pay $6.95 for shipping! Considering each polish is $7, that's like getting three polishes for the price of one! The official page is http://www.facebook.com/ZoyaNailPolish

If you plan on taking advantage of the offer (DOOOO ITTT!), please be patient. The Facebook wall is getting crazy spammed because everyone seems to be freaking out. The site is running really slowly today, because of the high traffic volume -- at one point, Zoya.com had 500,000 people on it!

I plan on doing swatches and reviews the second my polishes come in. I also ordered some color spoons (check Zoya's site to find out what that's all about), so I'm super duper excited. And I'm even more super duper excited because my fiance saw how much I was struggling to get my wish list down to only three. Why is this exciting? Because he took the time to create an account of his own, dealt with a bogged-down site, and placed an order, all without my knowledge! So sweet.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pace the driveway and wait for the mailman. :P

xo