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    Instagram Giveaway Winners!

    First of all I’d like to thank everyone who entered! Thank you so much for all your support. From when I started the giveaway with 500 followers, I now have almost 1.9k and that’s just incredible.

    If you didn’t win, please don’t be disheartened – I will be hosting another giveaway when I reach another milestone, hopefully at 2.5k! Can’t promise exactly when because my baby is due next month, so the timing is a bit unpredictable, but will definitely have one again!

    So here are the winners!

    CLICK HERE for the original giveaway post.

    Read on if you’re interested in the drawing process.

    Drawing Process

    The winners were chosen randomly through www.random.org.

    Out of approx. 160 entries, only 136 were eligible – some of the entries were from spam accounts, some people weren’t following me, some did not tag their friends, and some entered more than twice (so all of their entries had to be disqualified).

    I listed all of the eligible entries on a spreadsheet in Excel and generated a random number through www.random.org.

    The first number that was generated was 77, and entry no. 77 was @lottiexobeauty. So she won the first prize, the makeup set!

    The second number that was generated was 1, and entry no. 1 was @youngmumstufff. She claimed the body & skin care set! I was honestly surprised by the number generated – who would’ve guessed that out of 136 numbers, it’d choose number 1?!! So lucky!

    I was actually surprised by both numbers generated, LOL. 77 is such a pretty number, and 1 is just WHOA.

    So anyways, CONGRATULATIONS to @lottiexobeauty and @youngmumstufff!

    Hope you’ll enjoy your prizes!

    XO

    Favorites, Makeup, Skincare

    August 2014 Beauty Favorites

    Eek! Can’t believe it’s that time of the month again! No, not that one, the other one – the time for favorites! *cue confetti shower*

    Today marks my 32nd week of pregnancy (only 6-8 weeks to go!) and I seriously can’t wait, not just to meet my bub, but to get rid of all this nausea, backpain, dizzy spells and whatever else comes with pregnancy!

    Anyway, this past month was honestly the most horrible month I’ve had (pregnancy-related, of course) so I stayed home 90% of the time this month, which could only mean one thing – I rarely get to wear makeup. Boohoo! Every time I go out I’ve only been wearing the exact same makeup items (too lazy to choose!) but it’s fun how I get to experiment with more skin care products.

    So, here it goes…

    (PS: Thank you & much love to Roanna (@paradeoflove, www.paradeoflove.com) for tagging me to do this!)

    Related Posts: Clinique Cheek Pop Blushes Review & Swatches, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation vs Serum Gel Foundation Comparison Review

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    Makeup

    Review: Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

    By now you can probably see I’m on a liquid-lipstick-roll! I really am on a quest to find amazing liquid lipsticks!
    Well, I’m really glad I encountered these. Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers (or “Rimmel Show Off” in the United States) are a crossover between liquid lipstick and lipgloss and boy, are these super pigmented!
    Read on to see my complete review.

    Shades

    I believe there are a total of 14 shades in total, but I purchased these in the UK last year when they were first released and they only had a few shades, maybe around 6 or 7 in total?
    I was a bit unfamiliar with it when I first encountered them, so I decided I wanted to buy one nude shade, a mid-toned pink and a bright shade, just to test them out.
    The shades I have are Luna, Celestial and Stellar.
    By the way, my lips are really chapped today! So I will be posting the lip swatches tomorrow or some time during the weekend 😉

    101 Celestial (dusty rose)

    Celestial is a deep, cool-toned mauve-y pink. This is my favorite and most-worn shade because it’s so wearable, even on no-makeup/minimal makeup days. It has 100% opacity with only one layer.

    500 Luna (pale, nude peach)

    Luna is a warm, peachy coral. It’s a very soft and light orange shade. This one applies a bit more streaky than the others and not 100% opaque but still a nice, nude shade.

    501 Stellar (bright, neon red)

    In my opinion, this is the most unique shade out of the whole range of colors they had.
    Stellar is a very bright neon pinky red shade, and I love this shade worn as a sheer tint and also in full opacity. This applies 100% opaque with one layer.

    Application

    These lip lacquers come with an indented doe foot applicator, and I love it! It makes the application so smooth and precise. The indentation on the applicator stores some of the product so when it glides across the lips there will be an even distribution of color (without the indentation, a majority of the product will be applied only on the area it is first applied on).
    My favorite way to apply this is not by applying one thick layer across the lips (which could also work because the pigmentation is incredible). When I take the applicator out of the tube, I wipe off the excess on the opening of the tube and apply a thin layer across the lips, then blot my lips together. I then apply a slightly thicker layer on top. I find that this prolongs the wear of the product.
    Upon application, the color will sometimes settle in the outer corners of the lips but this can be easily smoothed out.
    There is minimal streakiness upon application, except for Luna, the lightest shade I have, but once I blot my lips together the streakiness smooths out and the color blends together really well.

    Finish & Texture

    These lip lacquers have a glossy sheen finish but after a few hours will turn into a satin finish.
    It ever-so-slightly feels oily and slippery, but definitely not sticky, and I love it that way.
    One thing to note is that I don’t recommend this to be applied on top of lipbalm, or else it will slide around and become messy. The product has to go straight on to your lips.
    If you have dry lips, this isn’t that bad. It does accentuate flakes after the product turns to a more matted, satin finish, but when it’s still in its glossy stage it’s quite smooth, except Luna. Luna, maybe because it’s so much lighter than the other shades, can worsen the look of dry lips because when the texture of the lips are uneven, Luna can highlight the unevenness.
    Sometimes, though, when my lips are very, very dry and flakey this will worsen my lips’ condition because these products don’t have much moisturizing/hydrating power, unlike balms.

    Longevity

    The darker shades, Celestial and Stellar lasted about 4-5 hours with drinking and snacks, but Stellar can sometimes last for up to 6 hours although its glossiness only lasts about 3-4 hours (looks more matted after 4 hours). Luna is the one with the shortest wear time, only lasting about 2-3 hours on me.
    Stellar actually left a stain on the lips, which is so pretty!

    Packaging

    These come in a very sleek, futuristic black tube with a gradient of the actual shade of the product on one end, and they’re surprisingly true-to-color. So it’s very easy for me to find the shades I want to use by just looking at the tube.
    I love how it’s very affordable but looks very sleek and nice.

    Overall

    Rating: 4/5
    I personally love the darker colors and will definitely be getting more of the darker, brighter shades like Nova and Apocalyptic!
    If you have these lip lacquers, what were your thoughts on them? And if you don’t, let me know if you’re going to get them soon! 😉
    XO
    Makeup

    NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams Review

    My experience with the highly coveted Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipsticks might not have been too much of a makeup fairytale, but today I’d like to introduce you to what I would consider my knights in shining armor (except for one shade, lol), the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams.

    “It’s not lipstick, nor is it gloss. It’s nothing like you’ve experienced before. It’s lipstick cream that goes on silky but looks soft matte.” – NYX

    I. Fully. Testify.

    These restored my love for liquid lipsticks.

    I started using this again after I bought the Too Faced liquid lipsticks around May, and immediately fell back in love with them. I was so disappointed with the Too Faced ones because they were expensive, but these lifted my spirits back up – they’re only $5.99 at Ulta and they’ve outperformed the $21 Too Faced equivalents.

    Here’s my review of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams.

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