Milani Bedazzled Fall 2014 Collection Swatches and Mini Review

(**Press Samples**)

Haaay! Before I get into the makeup babble; I want to say THANKS! Thanks to everyone for the lovely comment on my post yesterday. You guys are too kind, and your words mean a lot to me.

And now, let's chat about the Milani Bedazzled Collection for Fall 2014. This was a limited release by Milani which consists of jewel-toned themed eye, lip and nail products. The official release was back in October, so I feel like a tool for posting these now... but.... PRETTY MAKEUP PICTURES YAY!

Milani Constellation Gel Liners 

Black Opal- super shimmery graphite gel liner.
Enchanted Lapis- rich, shimmering navy blue gel liner
Enchanted Emerald- deep forest green shimmering gel liner.

These suckers look beautiful in the pan. Once applied they are not quite as shimmery as they are in the pan. I've not had many chances to actually wear these. I will say I was a bit disappointed when my arm swatches would not "set". I was able to smudge these up pretty good after a good while of waiting to see if they would "dry".  So... I'm not sure how to feel about these. They are beautiful to look at... But I'm not sure how well they will work in their actual application.

Milani Lip Art Lipsticks

This release also included Three new matte lippie colors.
Enchanted Ruby- a most magnificent shade of deep, matte ruby red.
Enchanted Topaz- a wonderful balanced neutral matte shade. In my photo it comes off more peachy, IRL it was much more beige and neutral.

These feel amazing on the lips, even though they are mattes. Enchanted Ruby has quickly become my go-to color this Fall season.

Milani Color Statement Nail Polish in Enchanted Garnet- How stoked am I to have a beautiful nail color to match my birth stone?! This shade is a deep plummy-maroon with a rich micro shimmer which catches the light beautifully. This shade feels so luxurious, and looks amazing on every skin tone! Shown are two easy coats. 

I do sooo love the theme behind these. I've always been a sucker for rich, jewel-toned cosmetics. Were you able to snag any goodies from this release?

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eye Shadows

(**Press Samples**)

 Happy Tuesday! Today I am so excited to share my swatches and thoughts on this new line of eye products from my beloved Milani. Say hello to the new Bella Eyes Gel Powder eye Shadow collection. For this release Milani has created 30 new beautiful eye shadows ranging from gorgeous neutrals to striking metallics and beautiful brights with the most wonderful gel-powder formula. To see swatches and find out more about these beauties keep on reading!

Anime Grunge

(**Press Samples**)

 Circle lenses make me feel like a cool anime babe and that is all there is to it. I love wearing them and I love, essentially, to create characters based solely on what my eyes look like on any given day. On this particular day I decided I wanted to rock these dramatic light blue lenses. I was not sure what to expect from this pair, as I usually tend to go for lenses that are more "natural" looking. Surprise, surprise... I LOVE these! What are these you ask? These are the Princess Pinky Eclipse Blue lenses, and they are available from Pinky Paradise. More after the jump.

Rituel de Fille + Gloss 48

(**Press Samples**)

Hello lovely readers! Today I want to share these delicious goodies by Rituel de Fille. This is a "new to me" cosmetics brand. The lovely people of Gloss 48 were kind enough to provide me with a few Rituel goodies to play with and I am so excited to share my thoughts with you guys. Keep on reading to find out more about these goodies. 

Neon Cyborg Eye Look

(**Press Samples**)

  Haaayy!! Lately I've been craving makeup play time. So, I've been doing just that these past few days.... I also have a serious backlog of circle lenses to share with you guys... HOORAY Multitasking :D! I know it is still quite a ways to Halloween.. But WHATEVER! If Wal-Mart can put out Christmas decorations up in October... Then I can certainly start sharing some Halloween-y stuff on here, right lolol? 

  

 This look is inspired by these awesome cosplay circle lenses I got from Lens Village. These are unlike most circle lenses I've reviewed in that these are more on the cosplay side. I really dig the animated look they have and how vibrant the Pink accents are. I wish I could go around rocking these on the daily though... They are pretty neat. So yeah, I knew I wanted to do something really edgy and kind of crazy. I wanted to do something that is not every day, or "normal". 

 The lenses are the Geo Animation lenses. This pair is among the smallest I own, diameter wise, as well. They are 14.2 mm. I found these to be really easy to put on. This pair was also really comfortable and gave me no issues. My general experience with Geo brand lenses has always been good, now that I think about it. They have always been really comfortable. I also had no issues with my vision being impaired in any way. I could see just fine with these on. 

 Since these lenses made me feel a bit like a cyborg, I went for a neon and metallic look. I felt like the prettiest robot girl there ever was ;). 

Products used: 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight. 

NYX Eye Shadow Base in White, concentrated on the eye lid area. 

Sugarpill Tiara (Silver)

Sugarpill Dollipop (Matte Neon Pink)

Sugarpill- Bulletproof (Matte Black) 

Sugarpill- Chaos (Shimmering Purple) 

Sugarpill Soot & Stars (Shimmering Gunmetal)

Sugarpill Acidberry (Lime Green)

Sugarpill Diamond Eyes (Shimmering White)

 I also used a bit of Lit Cosmetics Glitter in Beyond Pink layered over Dollipop for the bright pop of Pink. I used Violet Voss Secret Weapon as my base for the glitter. On my waterline is Rimmel Kohl Pencil in White. For my lashes I used my beloved Ellis Faas Black mascara. The giant Blue lashes are by Red Cherry. The winged liner was done with the Jesse's Girl Waterproof liquid liner. 

 For my brow I used a "base" of NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk then Sugarpill Velocity. I also layered a bit of glitter over my Blue brow. I went with Lime Crime Zodiac Glitter in Cancer. I'm pretty stoked on how that brow turned out for only being my second color brow, ever. 

  This is how I roll lolol.... Anyhow, I thought it would be cool to show the complete and utter contrast that is crazy makeup vs. no makeup. Also lens v. no lens. Eventually I will venture into full- face looks again... For now I just wanted to play with eye makeup and these cool- ass lenses. 

  Thank you guys for coming by today!! Who else is kinda ready for Halloween? Bleep. bloop. beep...... 

LTHP Quickies! Milani Bella Blues LE Collection

(**Press Samples**)

   Blue lips, Blue veins, Blue, the color of our planet from far far away..... 

LTHP Quickies! Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Glosses

(**Press Samples**)

Happy Humpday!! 

  So, I was going through my draft folder and found this little hidden gem. Back at the beginning of the year Milani did a HUUUUGE release of new lip products. Among those products release was a brand new line of beautiful glosses. This range is made up 14, yes 14, new gloss shades. 

 The range of shades they released is just amazing, beautiful and perfect. There are shades for everyone here. The glosses range from nudes, to shimmery, to bright pinks, classic reds and trendy berries. These glosses feature a slightly sticky and thick, yet smooth and pigmented formula. If you are not a fan of sticky glosses, these might not be for you. That said, I found that them being slightly sticky might have made them wear incredibly well. One of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of glosses is because of how often I have to re-apply them. While I had to re-apply these, it was not so often that I was getting annoyed at it. They also feel very moisturizing on the lips, which I really like. Overall, I actually like the thicker texture of these glosses. 

 The packaging is really nice. I love how sturdy and high end they feel. These feature a long wand doe foot applicator. 

Ravish Raspberry: A beautiful shade of vivid magenta pink gloss. 

Pink Lady: A classic shade of blue-toned bubble gum pink gloss. 

Berry Tempting: Right on trend with the pantone shade of the year, this shade is a gagagorg shade of radiant orchid gloss. 

Mauve Fetish: This shade is a classic shade of beautiful mauve with delicate golden shimmer.

Luminous: This beauty is a sheer, shimmering gloss packed full of delicate golden and pink shimmer.

Mai Tai: This pretty is a magical shade of vivid coral with golden shimmer.

Bare Secret: A classic shade of soft neutral nude gloss. 

Black Cherry: A classic shade of deep Burgundy gloss. 

Brown Berry: A rich shade of maroon gloss with soft golden shimmer.

Red my Lips: A retro shade of true Red gloss. 

Nude Touch: A sheer champagne toned gloss with iridescent shimmer.

Coral Crush: A sweet shade of muted  orange leaning coral gloss.

Sweet Grapefruit: A beautiful shade of muted pink toned coral gloss.

Rose Blush: A perfect shade of rosey gloss accented by pink and golden shimmer.

 I really love this range of colors. Milani did a shade for every taste with this release. Of course I am LOOOVING the pinks and those sheer shimmery shades. I'm curious to see some of the more sheer shimmering shades layered over different lipstick shades. 

Below are some quick lippy swatches of the shades Ive gotten around to wearing. Currently I am definitely obsessing with Rose Blush. 

Milani Brilliant Shine Gloss in Rose Blush

Milani Brilliant Shine Gloss in Sweet Grapefruit

Milani Brilliant Shine Gloss in Ravish Raspberry

Milani Brilliant Shine Gloss in Red my Lips

Milani Brilliant Shine Gloss in Coral Crush

 The Brilliant Shine gloss line by Milani is being sold wherever Milani is sold, as well as online. The puppies retail for $5.49 each, but feel like they should be WAAAY more expensive. I love Milani's ability to release an amazing product at reasonable price points. 

Which are your faves? I'm leaning toward Rose Blush, Sweet Grapefruit, Pink Lady and Mai Tai.

LTHP Quickies! Geo Xtra Forest Lenses in Brown from LensVillage.com

(**Press Sample**)

Good evening!! 

  This quickie post is all about circle lenses. I know circle lenses are not for everyone. Personally though, I LOVE them. I am a fan of that whole "alien-esque, other- worldly" look thing. I think it's fun to be able to play up the size and shape of my eyes now and then :D. The lenses featured in this post were sent to me by the lovely people at www.lensvillage.com. Featured are the Geo Xtra Forest lenses in Brown. Now, let me tell you why I love these....

eye liner: Lime Crime Lunar Sea. Mascara: Benefit Bad Gal Lashes

 These lenses have a diameter of 15mm, which puts them on the larger side. For many people these can take some adjusting to. For me, the larger lenses seem to be more comfortable. I only feel them for the first few seconds they are in. After a few minutes everything is back to normal. This can vary from person to person. Most circle lenses are designed for dark eyes.  Since my eyes are a light Green, these don't create as dramatic an effect as they would over dark eyes. They create enough interest to "freak" people out for a second ;).  

 The Geo Xtra Forest brown lenses have a good enlarging effect as they have a pretty dark outer ring. They are not a dark Brown, more of a light Hazel tone. As you can see on my eyes they kinda blend into my natural color, but still gave an interesting look thanks to the Black accents in the color pattern. From further away my eyes look Hazel-y, and huge! You can see a full face shot on my instagram. 

On Lid: Milani Brow and Eye highlighter in Matte Beige/ High Glow. 

  These lenses only come in "plano", meaning they have no "power"(prescription). The Geo Xtra Forest lenses come in variety of shades and retail for $20.00/pair on lensvillage.com. I really adore these. They are comfortable and look natural enough to wear them regularly. But unnatural enough to make them interesting and fun. Lens Village also has fairly low shipping, which is awesome!

Thanks for coming by!

LTHP Quickies! Milani Power Lip Lasting & Moisturizing Gloss Stains

(**Press Samples**)

Hello and happy Monday!! 

  Well, as happy as a Monday can be anyway lol. Today I want to share this quickie post going over the new Milani Power Lip Moisturizing Gloss Stains. Milani kicked off 2014 with a huge expansion of lip products. The Power Lip release is made up of Eight, brand new, glossy shades.  

 The packaging on these resembles the, ever-popular, pencil lip stains. The color of the Tube represents the color of the gloss very accurately. These pretties are equipped with a stiff (ish) brush applicator. I was a bit worried when I noticed that these are the kind of glosses where you twist up to get the product to come out of the brush.

 The good news is that each click dispenses a controlled amount. It was good to see that the product does not come gushing out, hence ending up with wasted product. Anyhow, I really like the applicator on these, it really works well with this type of uber pigmented gloss.  

 I love the consistency of these. They are very glossy and moisturizing. To say they are pigmented is an understatement. It takes very little product to achieve an opaque look. For some reason I was expecting these to be a bit more sheer, they are not. These have incredible staying power, they really do live up to their "gloss stain" title. 

Red Control: This shade is an amazing classic, glossy, Ruby Red.

Raspberry Tart: A classic shade of deep Raspberry creamy gloss. 

Cabaret Blend- This shade is a classic deep Burgundy- Wine with a slight shimmer. 

Pink Lemonade- IDK why this shade is called Pink anything lolol.. It is definitely more of a Watermelon shade. Somewhere between Pink, Orange and Red. That said, it is a GORGEOUS shade!

Macaron: This shade is a perfect shade of warm Pink- Mauve creamy gloss. 

Strawberry Sugar: Ok, first thing's first... The formula on this color SUCKS.... It is a shame, the color is really pretty. It is an interesting shade of light, creamy Pink. It is almost White based. It was so streaky, sticky, and hard to get even. It is also a strange color at first, after a while I did grow to like it. 

Mango Tango: This shade is the most perfect shade of light, Spring Coral. This color is perfect in every way. 

Creamy Cafe: This shade is a wonderful light creamy Brown with a bit of shimmer. It looks really flattering and effortless. 

And now.. RANDOM swatches!! Hahaha, these are the pretties I've gotten around to wearing. I did prep my lips with the Milani Anti-feathering clear pencil for these. It made the application very easy. Prepping my lips also created a smooth surface for the color and extended the wear.  

Milani Mango Tango

Milani Macaron

Milani Pink Lemonade

Now... this is a weird swatch.... It looked weird from this up close. But, yeah, this was the best I could get it to look. Milani Strawberry Sugar.

 So as you can see, even though they are glosses, they are ridiculously pigmented. I really dig these a lot. The colors are so perfect for Spring and Summer. These are available now wherever Milani is sold and retail for $6.49.

Unrelated news: I finally have completed setting up my little corner of polished goodness. I'm so happy to be finally done with that project. It was much more of an ordeal that I thought it would be hahah. But I'm super excited to get to working on some nails. 

My faves are Mango Tango, Macaron, Red Control and Creamy Cafe. Are any of these speaking to you?

LTHP Quickies! Milani Color Statement Line Expansion for Spring 2014

(**Press Samples**)

Happy Tuesday! 

  First thing's first.. I am so sick you guys. I had not gotten a cold in years, literally years.. Yesterday I started feeling off. By yesterday night I was running a fever and all that fun stuff... On that note.... I could not have "picked" a worse time to get sick. This Saturday is moving day for the husband and I. We are relocating to Boca Raton. It is very exciting, but I am wishing this cold would have held off until after this weekend haha. 

 Since I am a bit off today I wanted to share one of my quickies. Say hello to the newest expansion to the Milani Color Statement lipstick line. You guys may remember how much I raved about these lippies when the line was released last year. 

 I was super excited to see that Milani would be adding more shades to this fantastic lip color range. These lipsticks are perfection to me. They have great pigmentation, and feel amazing on the lips. They also have a scent that I just love! It is a yummy watermelon-y scent that does not overpower nor linger. This release is made up of Six new shades. Most of the new shades are on the Brown/Neutral sides. They also released a new shade of Pink, and Burgundy.

 All swatches are Two swipes of color. As expected these were all very buttery in application. These glide with ease and don't drag at all. I just love them!

Sugar Glaze- Light Rose-Blush shade with complimenting Golden shimmer. 

Cabaret Blend- Rich shade of Cranberry creme. This shade is very pigmented and glossy. 

Pink Love- Playful, Blue-toned, Bubblegum pink creme.

Rose Femme- Creamy taupe with slight Mauve undertones. 

Pretty Natural- Neutral Peachy creme. 

Cinnamon Spice- Light Brown with complimenting Golden shimmer. 

 Below I am wearing Pink Love. I had actually been wearing it for a few hours here, which is why it looks a bit "settled" into my lips. That said, I just adore this shade. I mean, I love most Pink lippies... But this one is really sweet and playful, since it is a bit cooler toned that most of the Pinks I already have. 

 Do you have any favorites in this bunch? Mine have to be Pink Love, Cabaret Blend and Pretty Natural. These should be available now and retail for $5.49 each. 

Thanks for stopping by!

LTHP Quickies! Milani Lip Intense- Liquid Lip Color for Spring 2014

(**Press Samples**)

Hey hey hey!!!! Humpday treat! 

  In this quickie I want to go over some of Milani's new product releases for Spring 2014. If you are a fan of all things lips, you want to keep an eye out for these Milani releases. They did a very extensive lip product release for the season that practically has me dancing on one leg. You guys know how much I ADORE Milani products, right? They are, hands-down, my favorite drugstore brand... actually, just one of my fave brands in general. 

 So, back to lippy stuff.. Milani released a new line of liquid lip colors, the Lip Intense liquid color line. This release consists of Four, full-coverage, liquid lip colors. These babies are intensely pigmented, and very vibrant. Don't be fooled by the "gloss like" packaging, these babies are packed with color!

 The packaging is really nice and sleek. Each tube represents the lip color very accurately. These have a flat sponge applicator wand. I've only had a chance to wear one of the shades but I found the application to be very easy. These also have very impressive wear. 

 Formula- wise, these are fantastic. They are very even and smooth. The color glides with ease over the lips and feels creamy and moisturizing. They have a really pretty finish as they are not full on glossy, nor matte. These have a beautiful satin finish. As far as a scent, I honestly did not notice much of one. They have a soft cupcake scent that is not very strong, does not linger. 

Red Extreme: beautiful, Blue toned Red. 

Pink Rave: amazingly vivid Magenta Pink.

Fiery Coral: fun, vibrant bubblegum Pink with slight Coral undertones. 

Violet Addict: this one was the most sheer of the bunch. This shade is dead on for the Pantone color for 2014; Radiant Orchid. 

Below you can see Pink Rave in action. I did prep my lip with the new Milani Anti-Feathering lip pencil all over my lips. This created a perfectly smooth and "grippy" surface for my liquid color. 'm pretty sure it may have also extended the wear.

 The Lip Intense line is available now at most Milani retailers as well as online. They retail for $6.49. I'm very impressed with these four shades and highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys a nice, vibrant lip color. 

BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette- "Brown Eyed Girl" Look feat. Pinky Paradise Geo X-tra Bella Brown Lenses & Maybelline Lavender Voltage

(**Press Samples**)

Happy Humpday!! 

 For today's post I want to share this eye look I did using my BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette. So, my natural eye color is a light Green. Sometimes they can look a bit more blue, sometimes a bit more icy Green. Therefore, I rarely wear Green eye makeup. I feel like Green eye makeup washes my eye color out. That is not to say that I don't love Green eye makeup. I think it is a beautiful color, and probably one of my favorite colors all around. 

 Enter my Pinky Paradise Geo Xtra Bella Brown circle lenses. I just love the look these lenses give my eyes (full face shots can be seen on my Instagram account @L_T_H_P). They add just the right touch of Brown, which makes my eyes look Hazel from further away. These Geo Bella Xtra lenses are some of my favorites. They give this dolly look that I am a complete sucker for. So anywho, with my newfound "Hazel" eyes I saw a window of opportunity to rock some Green makeup. So I did just that :D. 

 Since this look was done with a 40- color palette, non of the shadows used have actual names. I prepped my lid with an eyeshadow primer and proceeded to work with my BH Cosmetics Party Girl palette. I stuck to a softer color palette for a slightly smokey look. I found these shadows to have a smooth consistency. Some of the lighter Greens were a bit "dusty" and required extra layering of product to get some good color payoff. The Brown and more neutral shades I used on this look were all fantastic and have great pigmentation. 

 Since I can't name the colors, I went ahead and marked them with an asterisk on this image I got from the BH Cosmetics site. For the cateye I used Jordana Jade Jewel 12 hour eye liner. For my waterline I used Jordana in Espresso Last. For my lashes I used Ellis Faas Black mascara. I forget what I used on my brows :S.

 And as a "bonus" here is the lip color that went with this eye look. This is Maybelline Lavender Voltage from their Vivids collection. On this particular day I prepped my lips with the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics clear lip tap and then applied my lip color over it. I am so madly in love with this shade of lipstick. While it is a very vivid shade of Purple I still find it wearable as it has enough Pink to take it out of Goth territory. 

 Is there a color family that you love to see on other people but don't care for on yourself? I think for me, it will always be Green. I don't have a problem slapping on every other color on my face, but Green tends to make me nervous. That said, with the aid of my beautiful Brown lenses I feel much more comfortable going into Green makeup looks. I can't wait to play around with this palette some more. I think it has a great color and finish range.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

LTHP Quickies! Milani Shadow Eyez LE Holiday 2013 Collection

(**Press Samples**)

Happy Friday!! 

 Six new limited edition Shadow Eyez= happy Cris. Milani has added Six new shades to their Shadow Eyez range. These babies will be available at CVS, Meijer, and Miani online. This group is made up of Five shimmering shades and one creamy matte shade. 

 If you are a fan of Purple, this release was made with you in mind. The wear on these is absolutely ridiculous. When they say 12- hour wear, they really do mean it. I was walking around with my arm swatches for about a whole day. I am happy to report that there was absolutely no glitter fallout with the more shimmery shades.  There was also no smudging, fading or

 Side note: I get asked quite frequently how I sharpen these pencils. I use my Urban Decay Grind House sharpener. I don't do anything special. I have also read that putting the pencils in a fridge before sharpening helps the process. 

 These should be becoming available soon in stores as well as online. These are limited edition and will retail for $6.99. 

Snowy White: creamy matte white creme. Makes for a fantastic sticky base for bright eye shadows as well. 

Lovely Frost: metallic Silver. 

Romantic Violet: dusty, light lavender with slight Silver undertones. 

Plum Amour: beautiful, light Plum shimmer with hints of Pink and Golden undertones. 

Midnight Romance: deep, Blue-toned Amethyst Purple with Silver sparkle. 

Charming Black: black creme with Shimmering Silver sparkle. 

 I didn't run into any problem shades while doing my swatches. As usual these were creamy, smooth and extremely pigmented. I have not had a chance to actually play with them yet, but I am really excited to do so. There isn't a great range of colors in this release, but the shades that they did release are beautiful. I really enjoyed the deeper Purples and I can't get enough of creamy, matte Whites. The shimmering Black is just beautiful as well. The Silver was an awesome surprise as it was almost foil- like in finish and not frosty at all. There is an absolute Holiday vibe to these and I love all the sparkling goodness. 

Will you be picking any of these Shadow Eyez shades for the Holidays?