Gerard Cosmetics

If your into makeup I'm sure you have heard a lot of beauty gurus and instagram people posting about Gerard cosmetics. The colors always look so nice yet I couldn't justify paying almost 20 dollars for a lipstick. As I was watching a video I saw a great discount code for 3 lipsticks so I decided to take the opportunity to see what the hype is all about.
The package came very quickly. And everything was packaged well. The lipsticks are in gold bullet looking containers. Shinny gold color and Gerard cosmetics written in black. When I first pulled out the lipsticks from the packaging to me they seemed cheap. It felt like the lipstick packaging can break easily. They are also very light in weight. So packaging wasn't a big deal to me.
The colors I ended up getting were buttercup, nude, and 1995. The pigmentation is also not that great. I have to swipe about 4 times to get a good color pigmentation. The one with the best pigmentation is 1995 which is the darkest one of the 3. I was very disappointed with these because there's so much hype over them and in my own way of thinking I would prefer to get a nars lipstick that m i get be a bit more But the colors will work great.
Its a good thing I didn't spend the full amount on each of these because I don't think I would have been hap pop y if I did. I don't think I will be purchasing from this company anymore. I just wants impressed. I hope my pictures can be uploaded this time that way you guys can see.

Morphe

A friend of mine placed an order to morphe brushes and when she posted a picture on Facebook I was intrigued about this brand. I like testing new things and finding things that work and if they are cheaper the better. So as I was talking to a friend I found out morphe brushes has a location in Burbank. The next day I dragged my husband there with me to see what they were all about. The location is small and the majority of products are brushes. They have sets and lots of single brushes at a reasonable price. To me they are compared to crown brush. They did have some palettes of eyeshadows, blushes, powder etc.
I decided to get a z palette, 16 eyeshadows, and 7 brushes. I was so excited to start playing with all my stuff. So now are these worth it? Let's begin with brushes. I bought two face brushes. One a flat top brush and the other like a dome duo brush. Now the flat top brush is very dense and to me it lacks a bit of movement. Its a bit hard to work with. I used it with my foundation. The other brush I also used for foundation and it was very soft and applied well but it was very large for some places like under the eyes. Overall not bad and they were both under 15 dollars.
Now the eye brushes. They all worked well but my favorite one had a down side. When I wiped off the product It smelled really bad. Like wet dog. Sucks because I did love it.
And they eyeshadows. I heard these were 2 dollars and with all the excitement I didn't even check my receipt. I get home and they charged me all of my 16 eyeshadows were charged at 4 dollars!!! Luckily I emailed morphe and they gave my money back. So the eyeshadows are same size as Mac and they are pigmented. The color variety was not that big in the store. The colors are a bit hard to blend and some of them fade super bad. The colors go on nice but once you begin to blend they fade. In the picture the first two rows and the first two of the third row are all morphe cosmetics. Overall the brand is ok. Not something I would purchase from all the time. Maybe just brushes but that is all.

Hourglass immaculate foundation

I've always looked for a good matte or oil control foundation because at times my skin can really get oily. I saw a video on you tube on this foundation and I thought maybe I would try it out.  The price is a bit high so I figured I would wait a little. Maybe About a week after I went to a sephora store and as I was looking around I ran into hourglass. I pumped a bit of foundation out on my Palm of my hand and the foundation seemed like it was a bit oily and I remember saying how will this work if it applies this way. I then overheard a guy working there tell a customer that was the best of the best. So as a religious makeup shopper I said I'm gonna buy this.
The foundation comes with a pump so that makes it easier to waste less product. The guy working there did tell me that I would be better applying the foundation with my fingers or a brush but not a beauty blender. He said the foundation has clay and it would ruin it. The next day I tried the foundation and I did not regret the $55. It does dry a bit fast but it's easy to work with. The coverage wasn't full it was a bit more of a medium coverage.
The foundation goes from liquid to powder finish and it does stay matte all day. I was very impressed and it's my new love . I try to only use this for special occasion because it was expensive.

Beauty Blender

Now that I have two kids I look into different products and if higher end brands have dupes. I can't afford to spend like I did before my children so if I want to invest in something a bit more expensive I find ways to cut in other things that I buy. So at the beginning I never really understood what all the hype was about. One day while I was at ulta I saw a sort of dupe to the beauty blender I decided to research on it and purchase it at another time. For some reason I didn't research but I had that thought of I need that item in my head. So when I bought it I was super excited. Yet when I used it I just didn't understand how people loved it. It was hard to work with. And I didn't see all the hype.
A couple of weeks ago I went to sephora and ran into the beauty blender. So I decided to give it a try.as soon as I got home I wanted to play with the things I got. Wow was I wrong. The beauty blender feels like memory foam. A really soft material. When I used it I didn't even have to try hard to blend. It  worked great. Now that's all I want to use. I guess some things are worth investing in.

Too faced-a La mode palette

I gotta say I did get sucked into the hype of this bad boy and didn't end up loving the palette. I was dying to go to ulta to pick it up and after I used it the first time I realized I could have just used colors I already had. The eyeshadows are soft and they stay on all day. Its just that once you have a lot of colors you seem to stop finding palettes worth investing in.
I decided to give you guys dupes to all the colors that way you can decide if it's a good palette for you. Lets begin;
1. St. Tropez- mac vanilla
2. Cannes- mac Aztec brick
3. Soleil - mac folie
4.Riviera-  mac rice paper
5. Jardin- mac paradisco
6. Cote d'azur- mac satin taupe
7. La croisette-  mac nylon
8. Monaco-mac romping
9. De La mer-  mac deep truth
I decided to do all Mac products because it's something that a lot of people can easily access.

Covergirl tru blend

Every time I would go to cvs, rite aid etc I would always see this tru blend foundation but never really decided to give it a try. The last time I visited ulta I ran into it again and decided it wouldn't hurt. I'm not too familiar with anything this foundation is meant to do but based on the name I'm assuming it's supposed to blend into your skin without looking like your wearing makeup.
I got the shade m6.  They have 3 levels which is light medium and dark. And each level has 7 shades. The variety is good and I'm sure many can find their perfect shade.
The foundation does have a pump which is a plus because you have control to how much you want to use. The foundation is not very liquidy or runny. When I apply it with my brush it seems to be light to medium coverage but leaning more to light coverage. You can see my skin trough the product. It blends fast and looks great on. Its a bit shinny and does oil up during the day so if you are oily I would use a primer. Overall an ok product with great variety.

Anastasia beverly hills dipbrow pomade

I was so excited to see this item in stores. It had been released about 2 months ago but you were only able to purchase it online. I decided to wait to pick the color that would best suit me.
This is a product for eyebrows that can help you define them and fill them. It's a gel formula very comparable to gel liners like Mac, still etc. The pigmentation is great. I hardly tap my brush into the container and it goes a long way. It does dry and is waterproof. I tried to see if my eyebrows would smudge and they didn't come off.
I use an angled brush to apply it but it is very tricky to do so. I do my eyebrows first and all that's in my face is moisturizer and a primer. So this does create a slippery surface so I would recommend work slowly with this product.
I think the price is great because you don't need a lot of product to Do your eyebrows. I bought this item at ulta and unfortunately the only color they had was chocolate. So I decided to give it a try. I probably would have got a lighter shade but this one works ok. It does leave my brows a bit darker than I like them But I have managed to make it work.
Overall I love this product and I would say give it a try. That's all I use now.

Julie G nail polish

Julie G is a YouTube guru that has a beauty channel. I have been watching her videos for a long time now. I ran into her nail polish line at RiteAid maybe about a year or so but was always skeptical to buy some. The other day I went to RiteAid and saw that they had a Valentine's day display of the nailpolish right when you walk in. She did a collaboration and released 3 shades that match a lipstick. So there's 3 nail polish and 3 lipsticks. I decided to walk toward all the nail polish racks to see if there was any other colors. In the back the had a sign that the nailpolish for that brand had a buy one get one 50% off so I decided to give it a chance.
I ended up getting a Valentine's day color and an aqua color. I decide to test them out and I must say I really do like the two colors I got. The aqua color was a little light but the Valentine's day color one was great pigmentation wise. They both went on good and after a week I had no chipping of any sort. I did forget to take a final picture sorry. But I did use a base coat and top coat. I applied two coats of both colors on each nail.
The container is a bit small but for the price I would say it's descent. I will try to purchase more to see if the brand is good all around. I really want to go try the matching lipstick one to see how it works.

Japonesque

The last time I went to ulta I decided to go to a different location. Instead of going to Burbank I decided to go to Pasadena. As I was walking around I ran into this brand called japonesque.  They had various different Things but I was attracted to the concealer. The packaging is really cute.
The first time I tried it u used it on a brush to define my brows. It was so creamy and blended so well. I then tried it underneath my eye to help cover and a little bit goes a long way.
I find that it did settle into my lines under my eyes but it gives great coverage and lasts all day. I find it creamier than the makeup forever palette with the 5 color shades. I love this product and right now ulta has a free gift with the purchase of $30 of this brand.

Rimmel London stay matte foundation

I'm super excited to be writing this review because I have been hunting this foundation down for a very long time. Every time I would go to ulta, cvs, walgreens etc they didn't have it. So a couple of nights ago I asked my husband to take me to rite aid and they had it! It was like it was destiny because there was only one left in my shade. Ok I'm being a little dramatic but it was the last one.
So this foundation is meant to keep your face matte (no shine or oil coming through your makeup) all day. Well I wore it and I have my first impression of it.
The consistency is just like Macs foundation in a tube. I believe it's studio sculpt which I used to use a long time ago. It can get pretty thick fast so I would recommend using small bits at a time. It blends really well and there was no issue with the tools I used. On one side I used the ulta dupe of the beauty blender and on the other I used a brush. Both side went on well and it didn't seem to take a long time. I did use a high end primer on my face but decided to use. My elf primer on my forehead to see if there was any difference. I didn't buy they primer that went along with this because they didn't have it. The store I bought this at only seemed to have four shades in this foundation and the darkest one was the one I got. I'm usually around an nc42 in Mac sometimes a 40 so the foundation is not offered to darker skin tones. I did take a flash pic with Just my foundation and it seemed light for my skin. There was a white cast so I would recommend setting the foundation and all that other nice stuff.
So after wearing this foundation for a little over 8 hours I must say I love it! Both primers worked well with it and it seemed like the oils of my skin were just starting to come through. But it could have fooled me because you couldn't really tell. It covered great with a little bit of product and its so cheap. $5 you guys!!!! I would advise you guys that I have seen some videos on this and some people had an allergic. Reaction so keep that in mind. Other than that I would suggest try it out.

Zoya nail polish

I have always been a fan of YouTube makeup videos and I would always see this particular person show zoya nail polishes. I liked them But didn't really know where I can purchase them. So about 3 or 4 months ago I got my husband to take me to ulta for the first time. As I was looking around I ran into zoya nail polishes! Yes I was excited because I would finally get to try them.
I decided to get only two shades because I didn't want to spend on something when I didn't know how the brand was. Ever since then I go to ulta and look for New zoya polishes. I usually go when they have buy one get one free or buy two get one free.
As I started to collect nail polishes I would always go to sephora and buy sephora by opi. I figured these colors were the best ones. I was super wrong. I think different brands have their hits and misses and they can have really good things and others that might not be so good.
I like zoya because they are not super expensive, they run for $8. When I apply these colors they last longer than my sephora by opi. I have also tried the formula x by sephora and I think they are gooey and thick. Zoya doesn't have that I feel like the color is perfect. Some colors might need two coats but other than that they work great. I took pictures of all the colors I have and they all are just one coat. I feel like they last a long time and they run for the same price as Sally Hansen and even essie.

Jane eyeliners

I wanted to see if I bought more of this brand rather than just doing a review on two things but I haven't got a chance to do so. So I might as well write about the things I have. I went to ulta about a month ago and as I was heading to the register I ran into the Jane cosmetics booth. I had seen it at ulta before but didn't really stop to look. I decided to give them a try because they were buy one get one 50% off. I got two eye liners. One in aqua and the other in a lilac color.
The formulation is very smooth and creamy. I can honestly say they compare a lot to the stila eye liners but for half of the price.
I like that they are retractable and you don't have to sharpen them. They are easy to travel with and the pigmentation is great. I took pics of the Jane compared to other liners. Starting from left to right they would be Jane aqua,Jane lilac, jordana blue, sephora aqua,and nyx aqua. (These are the color but not the name of them) . I then took a pic and smudged them and you can see how each held up.
I have tried these in the waterline and they last all day. The pigmentation is great without using a lot of product. I'm really impressed with this line and I really do look forward to purchasing more.

Nyx wonder pencil

I bought this a couple of months back but haven't really gotten around to do a review. These are concealer sticks in a pencil form. At first I figured I can use these as my under eye concealer but when I tried them I knew it wasn't gonna work out.
Since these are in pencil form they can tug on your eye. My recommendation would be to use it after foundation to cover certain areas maybe like a pimple scar or something of that sort. Nothing with a big space because it might irritate the skin because of the tugging.
These are creamy and they glide on for the most part. I use this to line my waterline or even to do a double line on my eye. I have also tried using these to define my brows but I find its a bit hard to blend when I use it like that.
I purchased two colors and I believe there was 3 total. I purchased the 01 light and 02 medium. Overall I'm not disappointed because I can use this item for multiple things.

Physicians formula youthful wear

I recently ran into this item at ulta and figured I would give it a try because the brand was buy one get one 50% off.  I got a foundation and a concealer.  They are both part of the youthful wear line. They are meant to make you look 10 years younger so this product is targeted to a much older audience.
The foundation is a thick consistency. I did only see two colors at the store but I'm not sure if that's all that is available. It smells like playdough to me but the smell goes away after you apply the product. It does come with a brush but I did not use it. The coverage I would say is medium yet you can make it full coverage. I find it a bit difficult because it does seem like it can get caky if you apply too much. I find that it makes the skin look a bit flat, it doesn't seem to compliment my skin it makes me look a little sick when I first apply it. It does dry a bit fast so I would suggest blending it in to your skin fast and maybe working in parts instead of all of your face at once.
Now the concealer has a liquid part, a stick part and a roller ball up on top to help blend them both together. I applied the liquid one first before my foundation and then I put the stick one on top of my foundation. My stick part broke off so I would be careful when you open it. I got a yellow based concealer color because the only other color was light. The yellow helps block out darkness under your eyes. The liquid part is really thick and dry. When I applied it to my skin it didn't apply smoothly and it would tug on my skin. When I put the cream one It was smooth and glided on very nice. This had no smell. The roller part works ok but I prefer to use my finger to help melt the product.
Final thoughts:  I don't really like the foundation it is very mate and the shine is hardly there after a few hours. I just feel like it makes my skin look bumpy. Yet the concealer stick I did like. Not the liquid part.

They're real mascara

Last year as a sephora beauty insider for your birthday you would receive a small sample of a highlighter stick and a they're real mascara from benefit cosmetics. I never really paid much attention to it when I got it. One day I decided to give it a try and since then that is all I use. This mascara is supposed to give you the look of fake lashes. I do use another mascara along with it. I do this because I don't feel like the mascara alone separates my lashes to my taste. So I use a mascara to separate and then use they're real mascara on top. I wait for it to dry and I curl. This gives me that look of wearing some very full natural lashes.
The price for the mascara is close to $30 but it does last you for a while. If your interested on mascara that's a bit pricey just remember that after 3 months you should throw your mascara out so I would get as much use of it as possible. I will post pics on how it looks. The brush on the wand is what I love. I had never seen something like this. It feels rubbery but stiff. I will also post a pic of that. So far I love this mascara.