L'Oréal Clearance

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I happened upon these two L'Oréal products at Target on clearance. They were on a special display...I forget what it said now, but when I saw these colors and the cheaper prices, I couldn't resist.

  • "The Muses' Shine" #681 Colour Riche Le Gloss
  • "The Temptress' Touch" #691 nail color
Here's a swatch of the gloss:


And here's the nail polish. Index finger has one coat of polish while the others have two or more.




Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain - Flame

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I've been lusting after this lipstain for awhile now, but never bought it. While at Walmart today I saw it and had to try it out. The color I got is Flame, it's a pink shade that edges towards a red.

The lip stain has dual ends, one being the stain and the other being a balm. All of the lip stains I've tried always dry out my lips. This one is no different so I am VERY glad it came with a balm.


The picture doesn't really do the color justice, but this is after a few hours of wearing it and not retouching.

up & up Kabuki brush

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I've been needing a kabuki brush to apply finishing powder for a few months so when I saw this one at Target for $5, it was a no brainer. I'll admit I opened the package so I could check out how it felt before I bought it. I'm not sure what it's made of (the package doesn't say), but it's soft and looks a lot like real hair. I can't find much about up & up. It seems like a Target house brand.

This kabuki brush applies finishing powder brilliantly.

I'm very pleased with this brush for the price (though I don't have any other kabukis to compare it to).

Here's a shot of the label in case you look for it:


Julep New Year's Mystery Box

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I got an email from Julep a few weeks ago with an offer for a New Year's Mystery Box for $19.99. It promised at least four polishes and a product. Considering the regular Maven box includes 2 polishes and a product OR 3 polishes for $19.99, I knew I couldn't pass up this deal.

Here's what came in my mystery box:


  • I got The Best Pedi Creme Ever
  • Boho Glam Lengthening Mascara (brown)
  • 2 samples of Age Defying Hand Brightener
  • 3 1-step polish remover pads
  • 1 emory board
  • 2 glitter polishes
  • 3 creme polishes

Here's a picture of 1 coat of polish of each:

And a shot of the green glitter polish on top of Maybelline's Go Go Green:


This box was a super deal. I love the mascara. I've needed a brown mascara and this one has a curved brush that does nice things for my lashes. The pedi creme isn't bad. And that green glitter is awesome. Now I wish I'd ordered more than one box!



January 2013 Ipsy / MyGlam SPOILER

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I will update this post as Ipsy releases spoiler pictures.

Josie Maran Argan Oil
Pacifica Body Butter - Tuscan Blood Orange
I love this product, I have it on my desk in front of me right now. If you fall in love with it you might be able to find it (and a few other scents) at TJMaxx for around $4. That's where I found mine.

Big Sexy Hairspray

Nailtini - Nail Polish
*Bags will be random and have one of two colors.


Brush - Unsure of brand just yet... (possibly Soho)
*Bags will be random and have one out of three different brushes (lid, brow, or crease)





Anya's Dec 22 Manicure

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I did this holiday manicure last night while watching a few episodes of Community.
My guy often complains that I never do red nails. My excuse is red rarely looks good on me. Earlier this week I did green nails so it was only fair I try out red for Christmas.

My cat decided to get in on the photo ;)


This manicure uses:
  • ORLY "Grave Mistake" (a flat red color)
  • China Glaze "Ruby Pumps" (a deeper red with red glitter)
  • Essie "No Place Like Chrome" (silver stamped)
  • Julep Freedom Polymer Topcoat
  • Bundle Monster BM-205 for the filigree details on the tips
  • Bundle Monster BM-225 for the ball ornament on my thumb (shown below) 




Anya's December Ipsy/MyGlam

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This month's Ipsy/MyGlam is awesome! These are huge samples...if not full-sized. For $10 that's a steal!

It came with:

  • NYX Pearl Shadow "Sky Pink Pearl"
    • I've yet to use this. Pink is a color I'm not terribly into.
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil
    • This does glide on. But it also glided right off when I wiped it off my hand (where I did the testing). So if you're looking for something water-proof, look elsewhere. It was a nice rich black that I liked. I'm wearing it today. I'll update the post if it stays on like nobody's business but I'm not holding my breath.

  • Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes
    • The consistency is a little runnier than most primers I've tried but it went on silky. I never can tell how a primer works until I've tried it several times so the jury is still out on this one.
  • Mai Couture highlight papier
    • I've yet to try these as well but it's a neat idea.
  • Be A Bombshell lip gloss "Hot Mess"
    • This lipgloss is nice and red. I'm not sure it's a match for my complexion but I certainly wish it were!




Anya's December Birchbox

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This month's Birchbox is sweet!

I got a full-sized ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss that smells like strawberries and goes on prettily.

Here's a swatch:


There was also an extra packet of the Kérastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique - Protect. This may have been an error but I'm always in the market for thermal protector.

They sent me a little tube of Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream. If I'm reading correctly, this stuff is supposed to be better than BB creams. And can be used instead of foundation. Well, not in my case. I still need the whole shebang. But at least I didn't have to buy a huge bottle to discover that.

The box came with a nice-sized travel bottle of Thymes Body Lotion "naia" and a little sample of "Lotus Santal". Naia smells great and makes my skin feel nice and soft. Lotus Santal is muskier but still nice.

November - Sephora Samples

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This is a super late post. But I've finally gotten through three of the four samples I'd gotten in a November Sephora order.

I don't have anything groundbreaking to report about any of them.


  • Ren Clean Skincare was ridiculously fluid. I cut a corner of it with scissors and it all came pouring out all over the place. Not terribly pleased with that. The fluid had an odd smell that lingered for a good fifteen minutes. The directions say to apply it at night. I did that. And it made my skin shiny right up until I put something over it in the morning. I didn't notice any changes to my skin but maybe you need multiple applications. Needless to say, I won't be buying any of this.
  • DERMAdoctor KP duty wasn't anything spectacular either. I used it on my elbows, which are fairly dry right now. I did it over 3 days' time and noted nothing beyond what a typical body lotion would do.
  • Lancome -- I can't find this sample now so I can't report on it, sorry!
  • Too Faced Primed & Poreless -- I have HUGE pores so I was thrilled to get something that would help with this. This product, however, did little to help and it wasn't terribly good as a primer alone either.

December Sephora Pouch featuring 14 samples

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Earlier this month I got a nice little coupon from Sephora.com for $15 off of $50. Awesome, right? I thought so until Melissa told me she got $20 off ;) But I digress. I decided to order the Naked2 palette by Urban Decay (I may talk about that later).

While I did that, I also grabbed their free gift of the moment. It was a fancy pouch deal with 14 samples inside. The only one left was the Kat Von D pouch (I wanted the Cinderella one but hey, I'm not complaining).

The number of samples jammed into that pouch were AMAZING. I could hardly get them all lined up to take a picture. Check it out here:


All the perfume samples are lovely. I'm trying one a day. The Juicy Couture one is my favorite so far. It lasts all day long and then some. Lady Gaga's Fame isn't bad as well but it wore off quickly.

I'll post again if anything else jumps out at me as being extra sweet while I test these.

Did you get one of these pouches? How did you like it?

December 2012 Starlooks

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I heard rumors that the December Starlooks box was going to be amazing. I received it today in the mail and was so happy with it.

Subscription: Starlooks
Price: $15.00 per month (plus tax)
Website: www.starlooks.com




All swatches are done over Urban Decay Primer Potion.