Feb 27, 2011

New things and Pink lipstick swatches

Pretty much little items here and there that I've gotten recently! But some things have been on my shopping list for more than a few weeks!

-New: Neutrogena Naturals Fresh cleansing + Makeup remover ($7)

Neutrogena recently came out with a new collection of skincare called Neutrogena Naturals. You can check out all the other products that are part of this new collection here. What intrigued me about this face wash was that it is also a makeup remover.....it seems that I am always on the look-out for cleanser type makeup removers! The good news is that I can think of only 2 items that can completely wipe away all traces of my 'warpaint', Biore Clean Things Up and MAC makeup remover wipes. (See my Biore Clean Things Up cleanser review here) I'm really loving the 'naturals' characteristics....no harsh chemicals, parabens, sulfates, or dyes and contains 'peruvian tara seed'. Sounds pretty interesting to me, I'll do a review on it soon. 


-Essence of Beauty, travel Blush Brush ($6) and 3 powder applicators ($3)

For once I have found a blush brush that fits in my little Escada makeup bag! The funny thing is that I've been using it more for my setting powder than my blush. When I use it with my favorite setting powder, the William Tuttle finishing powder, it is petite enough to brush over under the eyes, on the sides of my nose, etc...perhaps due to it's slant....and when used for blush it does a great job on that too. The 3 little powder puffs I bought as a result of me leaving my makeup and powder kabuki at home! I'm usually on the go and in a hurry every morning, so one day I completely forgot my foundation and powder at home, I decided to buy the puffs to apply my mineral powder.


The day I decided to buy and wear my most favorite pressed mineral powder is the same day I forgot my kabuki at home (see how the powder puffs story tie together, lol) So I applied my Physicians Formula Mineral Wear ($12) with the puffs and called it a day. I might just keep the puffs in my purse as a backup! I bought the Mineral Wear after running out of it completely, even better CVS gave me a $7 off coupon a few days back for any Physicians Formula product, so I used it to get my new Mineral wear.


-Garnier Skin Nutritioniste Skin Renew, Anti-Dark circle roller ($9.99)

I never thought a good concealer could be found in the facial lotion section at the drugstore! Garnier's new Anti-dark roller is a perfect 'apply and go' concealer with benefits. Containing .5 fl oz, you need only one swipe of the roller to cover under the eyes. As the concealer goes under the eye it brightens and makes for a fresh and even skintone on this delicate area. At first I was skeptical but I tried it just as soon as I left the store. The Sheer tint is an understatement, it gives that perfect concealment and lasts a good while....expect a full review soon :)



-MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC 35 ($28)

I've been wanting to try this powder for so long I've already lost count how many years I've let by, lol. I had a credit/giftcard from a return a few days ago and decided to give this powder a try. Not even 10 minutes after buying it did I already have it on and was an instant fan. I try to buy powders that I can wear alone that give me full coverage so this one was perfect, was everything I was hoping for.



-MAC WonderWoman Marquise d' ($15.50) and Viva Glam Gaga 2 ($14.50) lipsticks


I don't even have to say anything about this, you know the drill :)

haha....but I will say this...I absolutely love WonderWoman and was thrilled for MAC to debut this kind of collection! I just needed the lipstick, nothing else :) and what Lady Gaga fan wouldn't dive at a chance to own a lipstick named after Gaga herself?




-Wet n Wild coloricon eyeshadow trios ($2.77 each)


I find these great, somewhat containing a little more fall-out than I like, but these are quite the gems. I also find a great eyeshadow base paired with these equal to some fab eyes....My favorite is the Silent Treatment. While we're on the subject of eyeshadows, I recently purchased some more of the Bissu eyeshadow quads. The #24 is a nice red and pinks quad, more suitable for a valentine's day look and the #32 is cute for a reddish smoky eye or green smoky eye, the #32 is very versatile



More Lip stuff!
-Victoria's Secret beauty rush lip gloss with SPF 15 in Mega Melon ($7)
-LA Girl lipstick in Promise ($1.99)
-Wet n Wild lipstick in Think Pink ($1.99)

I found the Beauty Rush lipgloss at a recent trip to VS while I was shopping for a new perfume....if you're curious to know I picked up the newest fragrance, Love me....it smells divine! What I love about the lipgloss is that for some reason the formulation of these new ones with SPF seem to be a bit more softer and non-sticky than the previous beauty rush lipglosses. I love the Mega Melon color, a rich coppery melon color with gold sparkles...perfect for summer coming up...and it has SPF!
On a separate trip to the Makeup Palace I found a shelf of LA Girl items and picked up a lipstick in Promise. It's a very nice sheer and creamy color, much like a MAC Creamsheen lipstick and it's a perfect color for me if I want dramatic or sophisticated lips since it's almost the same color of my natural lips....And why hadn't I picked up WNW's lipstick in Think Pink? Such a pretty color, it's not bold at all, it's very soft and give that perfect nude pink color to the lips.



An Ulta kind of girl!

-OPI nail polish in The one that got away ($6)
-OPI nail polish in It's not rocket science ($6)
-Japonesque travel stippling brush ($28)


It seemed like ages since I'd last been to Ulta, so a few Fridays ago I decided to go and buy some things. I picked up 2 nail polishes and my first ever stippling brush. The OPI nail color is a cute darkened hot pink with tons of shiny pink glitter or large flecks of glitter which sparkle just lovely. The Orly color is a cool lime to avocado green with tons of shiny green glitters. I had a hard time deciding on a stippling brush, it was either Ulta's stippling brush or Japonesque....so I decided on Japonesque. I really love this brush. I've used it plenty of times and I find it super soft.


Last but not least Vogue's newest issue is out and features none other than my favorite gal, Lady Gaga.

Here are a few swatches of some pink lipsticks that I just had to put together to see if any looked similar....I hope this is helpful to anyone that is looking for dupes or pink lipsticks to buy.

Have a great weekend!




Feb 21, 2011

Reader Appreciation Makeup Giveaway-CLOSED!

Thank you to everyone! Winners have been notified by email....

Judging by the title of the post right about now you're probably anticipating something wonderful ;) But read on dear reader, please, I'll get to the good part in a few seconds :)

First and foremost I hope you all are doing fabulous so far in our new year! I'm happy to announce that my blog became part of Total Beauty.com's blog community and is an official member! I could not have been happier at this glorious opportunity.....and because of this new event in my life I decided to host another giveaway. To all my readers old and new, thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening, reading, and sharing your thoughts/comments with me!

So onto the giveaway, the fun stuff!

2 Winners will receive
$20 gift card to Sephora stores or Sephora.com

2 Winners will receive a gift basket filled with fun makeup and other beauty items, 2 winners will receive a basket full o'polish, and 5 winners will receive a makeup bag with 1 drugstore beauty item of choice

Important notes to keep in mind:
-There will be 11 lucky winners
-Only 1 entry per person
-Giveaway is for readers in the US and overseas
-Giveaway is for ages 18 and up so if you are under the age of 18 please ask your parents
-Deadline for your entry will be April 19th 2011
-Winners will be announced April 20th 2011
-Giveaway can be cancelled at any time
-Winners will be notified by email

How to enter giveaway: Be a follower of this blog, it's that easy! I will choose winners by random from the follower list :)

Good Luck Everyone!


Feb 18, 2011

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks


It's finally warming up here in South Texas! Can't wait until true spring and summer come rolling around!
       Last autumn or so I had the chance to preview CoverGirl's newest lipsticks called Lip Perfection, they were going to be sold to the public only for a limited time before their actual release but I decided not to partake in this activity because I couldn’t make a wise color decision from swatches off a website. Well eventually they made their grand entrance! I finally had a chance to check them out and pick up some gorgeous colors. My most recent trip to a Wal-mart store let me at them....I picked up the colors Delish (255), Heavenly (260 ), Siren (415), Dazzle (380) and Spellbound (325).



Price Comparison:


Walmart…………… $5.74


CVS.…………………..$7.99


Walgreens….……..$7.49


Ulta…………….……..$6.59


Description of Delish: Crème, muted peach with a tad hint of rose. Mostly warm toned. No Frost or shimmer.


Description of Heavenly: True crème light pink and rose color with a touch of peach, no frost or shimmer and lots of shine.


Description of Spellbound: Hot Fuchsia, a crème reddish pinkish color. Mostly cool toned. No frost or shimmer and lots of shine.


Description of Siren: Bright pink-almost hot pink with a slight blu-ish flash and slight frost and tiny shimmers.


Description of Dazzle: Glossy, sheer pink-violet with an slight and odd duo-chrome flash.


Lip Swatches are at the very bottom of this post!



Texture: My colors in Delish, Heavenly, Spellbound and Dazzle tend to be more creamy and moisturizing. The color Siren has a frosty finish which still feels creamy but feels a bit gritty as well, something that doesn’t bother me at all.


Color: As I mentioned above some of colors are highly pigmented while some others are sheer. The color does not bleed into fine lines around lips. I have swatched a few that looked to be somewhat of a sheer and glossy finish.


Color selection: 44 shades to choose from.


Lasting Quality: The lasting quality of the semi-matte and shiny satiny lipsticks are good. I drink a lot of water during the day so transfer is unavoidable, but considering how much I drink the color still stays intact after a few hours.


Price: The price of these lipsticks are reasonable. I have found that certain drugstores, like CVS tend to hike up the price a bit. I found this line available in Walmart stores for about $2 less than what I have found in drugstores like CVS and Walgreens. Keep in mind that not all Walmart stores may carry every single color that these lipsticks come in.


Packaging: Very sleek, simple, sturdy, easy to use. The tube itself is a metal looking shiny taupe color. The tube contains a small clear half block that showcases the color of the lipstick...(more research concludes the color on the bottom of the lipstick is plastic and not 'extra' product as some may have thought)....I find this very nice, can be easily identified if stored upside-down, a plus is that the name and number of the lipstick is engraved on the bottom and is not a sticker!

Quality: The lipstick is very lightly scented-it is faint definitely not over-powering but can have a clay scent as some lipsticks do. CG LP lipsticks contain Silk Therapy Complex-which is said to improve lips and moisture in 7 days. There are at least 4 different finishes in these lipsticks: Semi-Matte, Crème, Frosted, and sheer. I have noticed some lip staining that occurred more than once when I wore certain colors. Lip staining occurred on my lips with the colors Siren and Spellbound. This is a small nuisance since I’ve had to take a few extra steps to remove the color from my lips. This new line carries a large and good variety of colors to satisfy different tastes.







Pros: Price, quality, lasting power, packaging, lip health, can be found at drugstores/Ulta/Covergirl shopping website, wide variety of colors to choose.


Cons: Some Lip staining


Compared to other lipsticks and brands that I own (totally my opinion):


Revlon Matte lipsticks- CG LP (CoverGirl Lip Perfection lipsticks) with a semi-matte finish are better in pigmentation, color selection, and lasting quality.


MAC Matte and Satin lipsticks- MAC Matte lipsticks tend to be drying to some but CG LP lipsticks hold in softness and moisture better than MAC Matte. MAC Satin finishes are better in pigmentation while CG lipsticks are better when it comes to price and texture when compared to MAC Matte.


Rimmel London Moisture Renew lipsticks- Some CG LP lipsticks are better in pigmentation and color selection.


NYX Round lipsticks- Some CG LP lipsticks are better in pigmentation. CG LP lipsticks are better in lasting quality and texture. NYX Round lipsticks are better in color selection and price.







Feb 9, 2011

Lip Volumizer, Avon Derma Full

By far one of the worst lip volumizing/lip plumping product. Not only is it over-priced ($15), but the packaging is pretty bad. The product is inside an aluminum squeeze tube much like one that once you squeeze or flatten that cannot be filled with product anymore. The big mistake made by Avon is that the product is too runny for this type of packaging. This sort of packaging is best for thick emollient based creams, like ointments.

First impressions: When I opened the product for the first time the product oozed out on it’s own, without much less squeezing the tube at all....even so I was afraid to even hold the product in my hand for fear that more product would ooze out. I recapped and shook the package in hopes that maybe it just had to be mixed, but got the same 'ooze'. In my opinion, just that 'self oozing' feature is a big waste, largely because for a fact you only need a dab of it to cover your lips, just it oozing out is wasteful since you cant push it back in.

The product contains traces of peppermint oil which can be smelled once it is applied. It has a watery feel and texture, once applied I felt a cooling and tingling sensation for about 5 seconds. Once it is applied it is quickly absorbed and leaves your lips somewhat soft, not moisturized.

Did the product plump up lips? No. As a matter of fact, when I think of Lip Volumizer I think of a lip plumper. If 'lip volumizing' doesn't exactly mean 'lip plumping' in Avons eyes, then what exactly was the lip volumizer suppose to do?

Did the product volumize lips? No

Did the product volumize lips for a brief period of time? No

Did the product change the overall appearance of lips at all? No

Did the product hurt from it’s stinging or tingling effect? No

Would buy again? No

pros: Avon has a great return policy

cons: Product is runny, packaging is bad, over-priced, doesn't do what it says it does

On a scale of one to ten I'd rate: 2



Feb 3, 2011

LaliAmora's Kiss Awards 2010: Favorites of 2010

Ah, so the year flew by and then came time for me to choose the winners of this prestigious award! LOL Where could I start? What did I add to my holy grail list? There were so many products that I loved during the year! The 'Kiss Award', a signature motif of my blog header, is given to my personal favorite picks. Believe me there were many 'nominees' but in the end there is only 1 winner.....or winners in this case!
So a round of applause for the big winners of 2010...Every beauty product favorite of mine deserves a big Kiss!!!!


This year's Kiss Awards goes to:
(in no particular order)

1. Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer


2. Revlon ColorStay makeup 


3. Urban Decay's Naked Palette
4. Wet N Wild color icon eyeshadow palette


5. Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks



6. Rusk Sensories Shampoo


7. MAC cosmetics #109 brush


8. Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner


9. Wet N Wild megalast nail color


Congrats to all the winners!