Tuesday, January 27, 2015

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Naturel Satins Ana



Quick and simple swatch today! :) This is Ana from Zoya's new satin finish collection for Spring 2015. The collection features soft, muted colors to flawlessly transition you from winter to spring. The satin finish is described as a "hybrid between matte and glossy polishes and is not intended to be worn with a top coat." I believe the finish is similar to those labeled vinyl or rubber from other brands.


Ana, 4 coats: a "light toasted almond cream" satin. Mine applied a little unevenly, but was passable at 3 coats. I did an additional coat for pictures. I've seen reviews stating opacity at two coats however, so maybe mine was a dud? With that said, I found dry time to be perfect: slow enough to take your time applying, but fast enough to move onto the next coat. The polish levels nicely as it dries, and I think it's best applied in medium coats.


I was in the mood for something Valentine's Day inspired that wasn't too obvious, so I grabbed my MoYou London Fashionista 08 plate and stamped the same design across all my nails using Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda. I skipped top coat to maintain the satin finish. I think it kind of reminds me of scrapbook paper. ^^

Verdict: Overall, I'm a fan of the satin finish and can't wait to try the others from this collection.

Availability: The Zoya Naturel Satins collection is currently available at Zoya.com for $9 each.

Monday, January 26, 2015

[Review+Swatch] New Milani 2015 Lip Products: Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks & More


Hi, everyone! I'm kind of obsessed with lipsticks as of late, so when these arrived on my doorstep, I couldn't resist trying them.


From Milani's new 2015 release are eight new matte lipsticks that are designed to be smudge-proof and comfortable to wear (#60-67). I also received creme shades from Milani's Color Statement line as well (#45-46). The packaging is sleek and sturdy enough for travel. I love that you can view the color from both the bottom and the side, making each color easy to find.

Catwalk Pink, Power Pink / Innocence, Naked, Blissful, Diva, Orchid, Glam, Passion, Confident

There are the two new Color Statement lip liners that were recently added to the line as well. I swatched all the liners and lipsticks together for you below. Keep scrolling to see my review!

Pretty Pink, Catwalk Pink, Power Pink, Innocence, Naked, Blissful
13 Pretty Pink (lip liner): "soft pink" with a frosty sheen. The subtle frost makes this color a bit sheerer when compared to other lip liner from this line. It's still fairly pigmented, and the soft formula makes it easy to use.
45 Catwalk Pink (creme): "cool, girly pink." It's not as light as the color coded bottom suggests, but this makes it much more wearable. It applies evenly and feel moisturizing on the lips.
46 Power Pink (creme): "bright fuchsia." Applies evenly and does not emphasize dry spots. Leaves behind a stain.
60 Innocence (matte): "pinky nude." This one applies a bit unevenly on me and emphasizes dry spots I didn't even know I had. Even after the exfoliating, the results were rather flaky.
61 Naked (matte): medium brown-toned nude. On my lips it looked more like a brown-rose color. This one's gorgeous with a great formula to boot: good pigmentation and even application. Looks great paired with Pretty Pink.
62 Blissful (matte): "girly blush pink." It's a nice cool-toned dusty pink with a hint of mauve. Same excellent formula.

Diva, Orchid, Glam, Passion, Confident, Bordeaux
63 Diva (matte): "bright fuchsia." It a teeny tiny bit less smooth looking on the lips and can emphasize dry spots. As long as you exfoliate, it will look fine.
64 Orchid (matte): bright, red-toned pink. It's very pigmented, even, and creamy.
65 Glam (matte): warm toned deep plum. This one is noticeably uneven on the lips. Drier spots on your lips will color darker and look more purple.
66 Passion (matte): hot, red-toned orange. Great formula.
67 Confident (matte): "bold brick red." Wonderful application.
12 Bordeaux (lip pencil): rich wine red with a matte finish. Wow, Bordeaux is so soft and pigmented. I love the matte finish and it applies evenly.

Here are all the swatches together! Click or open in new tab to enlarge.


Final Thoughts

The lip pencils are soft, pigmented, and apply easily without tugging. I was particularly wowed by Bordeaux. The creme finish Color Statement lipsticks were also superb in both pigmentation and application.

The matte Color Statement lipsticks had a few misses, but most were excellent. When first applied, they feel very creamy and slightly moisturizing. After about 10 minutes, the lipstick will dry down and set, making it smudge-proof with zero transfer. It can feel a tiny bit dry, but it wasn't something I noticed unless I was focusing on my lips. For the most part I forgot about it, so I would agree that the wear is comfortable. My favorites were hands-down Naked and Confident, although Orchid and Passion are nice too. For reference, I have light-medium warm-toned skin (around NC20-30).

Availability: Milani Color Statement lipsticks retail for $5.99 each per 0.14oz/3.97g. The lip liners retail for $3.49 each per 0.04oz/1.14g. Milani Cosmetics is available at CVS nationwide. You can also order from milanicosmetics.com. Use code XOXO until 2/3/15 to receive 30% off all lipsticks.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

[Review+Swatch] ColourPop Cosmetics Lippie Stix, Pencils, & Eyeshadow


Hi, everyone! Happy (belated) New Years! Sorry I've been gone so long without notice. Once the holiday season started, I had to devote all of my time to Pretty Jelly. I had some collection swatches that never got posted, so I may do some throwback posts. ^^

Today I have a non polish related post (gasp), but there will still be color and sparkles! ColourPop Cosmetics seems to be a fairly new makeup brand that's been blowing up on Youtube more recently. I actually came across them on Temptalia first and was elated to see true purple lipsticks in their color lineup. I'm obsessed with purple lipstick, but they are so hard to find, so I grabbed a few of those as well as some other colors. :)


First off, the packaging is very cute, complete with holographic labeling. My orders are always well packed in a sturdy box, and each item is in its own individual packaging as well. It's all topped off with some info cards and a handwritten note.