Mark Pro Bronze Bronzing Powder- Bronze- Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

I usually don't buy Mark/Avon products. This will probably be the only Avon/Mark related review I will ever post. Most of the Avon/Mark products I have purchased in the past have been poorly pigmented and just not what I expected in one way or another. This product is my only exception, and I have and will continue to repurchase it as long as it is not ever discontinued. This is good stuff!

I've had this particular compact of Mark Pro Bronze in the shade Bronze for 2 summers now, and my pan is no where in sight. This stuff lasts me forever. Grant it, I use it mostly in the summer months for a sun kissed glow. This bronzer does contain some micro fine shimmer that is slightly visible in the pan. Once you apply it to you skin the shimmer is barely visible at all. I tend to prefer a bronzer with little to no shimmer. It's not that I don't like a little shimmer (no glitter, please). I just like to have the choice of how much. So, for days that I want a little more I just add a shimmery Mineralize Skin Finish or a nice pop of shimmery blush on top. I very seldom ever wear only bronzer on my cheeks. I'm just a blush whore like that, but it's really what ever you like. That's just me.

Another great thing about this bronzer is that it provides a natural looking color. Some bronzers can have a orangy/fake tan tint to them, or have an ashy/gray looking haze. I do not have any of these problems from this bronzer. I just get that natural healthy looking bronzed glow that we all love. I'm not saying that this bronzer would or wouldn't work for all skin tones, but for my NC25/NC30 tone it is perfect.

Now, for the life of me I can't remember how much I paid for this bronzer back when I bought it, but the Avon Website gives the price of $10. You can order it off the website or from your local Avon representative. If you are not sure who she is there is also a tool on the site to help you find her. I really hope that if you are looking for a great natural looking bronzer for a very affordable price you will give this stuff a try. I love it!

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Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer for Medium Skin (gradual self-tanner) Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Let me start by letting you know that I am not a pro at self-tanner. I know that lots of girls know how to apply self-tanners of any kind with out getting streaks. I am not one of those girls. I need a product that is fool proof. This one is the easiest I have found to apply while still giving the appearance of a natural tan. There are just a few tips I use to insure a streak less finish.

First, I always shave or wax my legs. It just seems to leave a more even finish this way.

Then, I exfoliate the areas where I will be applying the self-tanner.

After, I exfoliate I apply the self-tanner to my legs, arms, stomach, chest, and neck. I do not apply this to my feet and hands. When I apply it to my legs I squirt the product in my hand and start in the middle of the calf portion of my leg I blend downward toward my ankle and then upward toward my knee. When there is barely any product left on my hand I blend it into my knee, with my knee bent. Be very careful about how much product you apply to the knee, because to much will make you look like you have dirty knees. I apply the self-tanner to my thighs, arms, and stomach the same way as I did on my calf. Starting in the middle and blending down and up. On my neck and chest I do it the same way as well, I just use very little product.

Finally, when you have finished applying the product to the areas that you want, do not get dressed immediately. You have to let the product dry on your skin before you get dressed. Otherwise your clothes can rub off the self-tanner and cause a patchy look. I always take this time to cleanse my face, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. You could even stand in front of a fan for a few minutes.

Also, I like to apply my self-tanner at night that way I can see my results in the morning and if I have any problem areas I can fix them before I leave out for the day. If you have a light spot just add a tad bit more product to the spot and blend, blend, blend. If you have a dark spot take an old tooth brush and lightly rub the spot.

I hope that this helps to get you started on your sunless tanning routine. I have used this product for the past 3 summers to get a great faux tan. In my younger dumber years I did go to the tanning bed every now and then, but I was really never a "fake baker", you know the kind who goes like religion. But even seldom visits to the tanning bed are dangerous. So, now that I got smart about that stuff. I use this self-tanner and tan with out UV rays. It works!

If anyone has any questions about using this please leave a comment in the box. I will do my best to answer any questions for you.

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Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof Antiperspirant/Deodorant- Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

I am always on the look out for a really good antiperspirant/deodorant. In this heat the sweat pours. I know gross, but hey if you're not wearing deodorant you need too. lol. So, I have been using this stuff for a month now, and the results are great. I use it exactly how it says on the directions, applying it morning and night. I apply all deodorants this way normally. I never smell stinky and no pit stains. So, I'm happy. I can't remember exactly how much I paid for this at my local Wal-Mart, but I do remember that it was a little more expensive than my trusty old Degree, probably about $5.00 or so. This antiperspirant uses 20% of Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex Gly to keep you from sweating. It is also waterproof so that helps to keep it on. Give it a try it's good stuff.

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My Summer Must Have Beauty Products

This is a list of items that I use on a regular basis (daily or as directed). The summer months means sweltering heat and unbearable humidity here in south Louisiana. So, I am always looking for products that have incredible  staying power, and protect me from cancer causing UV rays while still delivering great results. Click the titles of each product to see a full review of each one.

Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof Antiperspirant/Deodarant Advanced Solid

Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer for Medium Skin (gradual self-tanner)

Eucerin Sensitive Skin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30

Revlon ColorStay Foundation with Soft Flex SPF 6 for Combination/Oily Skin in 330 Natural Tan

MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel

Mark Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder in Bronze

MAC Sweetness Blush, Tippy Blush, or Dollymix Blush
*NARS Desire is also very similar, and so is NYX Hot pink for a cheaper alternative.*

L'oreal De-Crease, or Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Waterproof Mascara

BTW- You will notice that I do not list any eyeliner in my Summer Must Haves. Well, this is because I try not to use much eyeliner in the daytime during the summer. I normally love to line my waterline with Urban Decay's Eye Pencils, but in the daytime during the summer months it makes more of a mess than it does wonders for my eye look. I opt to use this only for nights out on the town in the summer months (the nights are a tad cooler). Also, I do not list any eyeshadows. This is because I love them all! I mainly use MAC and NYX eyeshadows and I use which ever ones I am in the mood for that day. Eyeshadows are a year round product and they are all my favorites. Seriously, I don't own one I don't like. If I have to be specific as far as summer eyeshadow shades, I do like to bring out the colors this time of the year. Just to add a little fun to my look, but I still do neutral looks as well.

I hope you give some of these products a try and if you have any questions about any of them just leave them in the comment box. I will be happy to answer them.

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MAC Paint Pots Swatches & Reviews

I love these things! I bought Construtivist, Moss Scape, and Rollickin' from my CCO for $11.75 each. The Rubenesque I bought from a lovely Specktrette for about $10. Coral Crepe and Indianwood I bought at MAC for $16.50 each. So, keep your eye out for these at your CCO for a nice discount on them.

I use these Paint Pots as an all over lid color, base, and primer all in one. When I use these as a base I do not use a primer under them. I just blend the heck out of them, and I do not ever experience any creasing. My lids tend to be on the dryer side so that helps to keep the creasing down. Others with oilier lids may want to apply a little Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, or L'oreal's De-Crease for a cheaper alternative. When you use use a Paint Pot as a base under your eyeshadow it brings out the color of your eyeshadow making the shade appear more intense. The PP also gives your eyeshadow something to stick to and helps it last much longer than normally.

I also love to use these as a quick "get my butt out the door" wash of color. Most of the shades I have with the exception of Coral Crepe and Rollickin' have a nice shimmer to them. The ones with shimmer give a gorgeous "made up" look with just a couple swipes of the brush.You can also add to the intensity of your wash of color by building up the PP on the lid. You need to just add more product and blend until you achieve the right intensity for you. Just a word of caution...the more of this product you apply to your lid, the more likely it is to crease. When I use these as a wash of color I always use a separate primer before I apply my Paint Pot.

BTW- For those of you who are wondering. I do prefer MAC's Paint Pots over their Shade Sticks. I find that the Shade Sticks dry out extremely fast.

Enjoy the swatches! If you have any questions just leave them in the comment box. I love to hear from ya'll!

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Revlon PhotoReady Foundation- Review, Swatch, & Trick

The PhotoReady foundation is formulated to achieve a flawless look to your skin in photographs.  Their formulation uses tiny flecks of shimmer to capture the lighting and deliver a smoothing aspect to the skin. It's great for what it is designed for and gives great results in photos. PhotoReady is a light to medium coverage foundation. I has pretty good staying power indoors lasting about 6 hrs. with one re-swirl (I use my #187 and just re-swirl my foundation) mid-day. This foundation only last me about 3 hrs. when I'm shopping and going from indoors to the outdoors. In this south Louisiana summer humidity after 3 hrs. I must re-swirl this foundation to bring it back to life. Honestly, I've never used a foundation that will stand up all day without any touch ups outdoors in this extremely humid climate. I think it's a lost cause. The best one for the staying power I have found was Estee Lauder's Double Wear, and I can't stand the way it feels so heavy and mask like on my face. Yuck.
Revlon PhotoReady Rating: ♥♥♥

PhotoReady Pic on the face. Coming soon.

Many have compared Revlon PhotoReady to Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation. I would say that it is comparable only in the results seen in photographs. They both achieve a natural looking flawless finish in pictures. In real life, looking at a persons face in front of you, then you can see that the two foundations are totally different. The staying power of both foundations are about the same. The MUFE HD may last about an hour or two longer with no touch ups, than Revlon PhotoReady.

PhotoReady Pic & MUFE HD Pic on the face. Coming soon.

If you pump each of these foundations out in a little dot on your hand side by side you can easily see the difference in each of them. The PhotoReady has a noticeable shimmer in the foundation. Were as the MUFE HD foundation has no noticeable shimmer at all. Blended out the PhotoReady's shimmer is not noticeable on my skin indoors at all, but outdoors there is still some subtle shimmer visible. MUFE HD blended out just leaves a healthy/dewy glow with absolutely no shimmer at all. In my opinion, if you don't mind a little shimmer in the day give the PhotoReady a try. For sure if you are having a fun night out on the town and will be taking lots of pics this will be a great foundation.

For those of us who are not fans of the slight shimmer in the daylight, but still love a healthy dewy glow like the MUFE HD foundation gives, but the price tag on MUFE HD seems a little steep. Give this method a try. I use this as my every single day foundation and it looks amazing in person as well as in pictures.
I mix equal parts of Revlon PhotoReady and Revlon ColorStay foundations. I use my SS197 to swirl and buff my foundation in. I have also used the MAC187 brush to stipple this foundation and this method also achieves very good results. I just prefer the SS197 swirl and buff method because it is faster. Using this foundation mixture cuts down on the shimmer that the PhotoReady has on it's own while still leaving a dewy finish on the face. The Revlon ColorStay brings up your coverage a level and adds to the staying power. I always get at least 2-3 hrs. more out of my foundation this way, depending on the climate. In other words, it gives you all of the great factors of each foundation and combines it into on. Nothing Better!
Revlon PhotoReady & Revlon ColorStay MIXED Foundaiton Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Click the images to see the big picture....

Pic of mixture on the face. Coming Soon.

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To The Beach Reviews & Swatches

♥ Marine Life Highlight Powder- OMG! The hype about this product is outrageous! Let me tell you it is not just talk! This stuff is absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen from MAC, both in the pan and on the cheeks. I have no idea why they call this highlight powder, because I don't think even the darkest woman of color could wear this as a highlight, it is blush. A beautiful coral/pink blush with a golden shimmer, at least for the first 3 times I applied it. The golden shimmer is an over-spray and is gone within the first few times you swirl your brush in it. This fact turned a lot of ladies off of this product at first. They were like, over spray...booo! Well, even after I found out that it was truly an over spray I still fancied Marine Life. Being the total blush whore that I am I could see the beauty of this long after the sparkle had faded. It did not let me down. All I can say is thank goodness I got a back up. My MAC store pre-sold all of their Marine Life powders before the release date, and that is saying a whole lot being that most of the LE products can be found here for some time after the release date. I don't think there are very many MAC addicts down here in south Louisiana. This is not the case with Marine Life, it's all gone, trust me I've called every MAC store in Louisiana there's none left. I guess it's best for me though. I think I was going a little crazy wanting a back up for my back up. lol. It's just that good. If you can't get your hands on Marine Life do not pay evilbay prices. I would apply a light dusting of Intenso, pile on some Hipness, and be happy, because you look fabulous! I learned my lesson about paying for hype with cash. I bought Parrot eyeshadow for $30 on evilbay, never again! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- off the charts!!

♥ Sweet & Punchy Eyeshadow- I skipped this one even-though it was originally on my list. I brought in my Tempting quad and compared it to Sharp. Way to close from me to get S&P. The only differences was that S&P was slightly more gold than Sharp and of course S&P is a veluxe pearl and Sharp is a satin. Now, if I didn't have Sharp or Rated R (exact dupe) this would be mine. I love golden toned greens. I had a chance to play around with it and it would be a great addition to anyone's collection. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

♥ Humid Eyeshadow- I've had my Humid eyeshadow for quite sometime now. I bought it at the CCO several months back. It's a beautiful frosted, deep shade of true green. I use it mostly for the outer V or in the crease. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

♥ Firecracker Eyeshadow- I've been on a kick for orangy/coral eyeshadows lately and this one was a must have for me. Firecracker is a beautiful coral/orangy/pinkish veluxe pearl shade. I can't wait to pair this one up with my Coral Crepe Paint Pot. Yummm. You'll love it if you're not afraid of a little color. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

♥ Sun Rush Lustre Drops- Aww damn, this always happens to me. I get so excited about a product and when I finally get it I'm totally unimpressed. This is sadly the case in Sun Rush. I didn't even swatch this in the store I just knew I was going to love them, because already I have the Pink Rebel Lustre Drops from the Style Warriors collection and I absolutely love them. They give the most gorgeous J. Lo glow ever. I was really hoping that the Sun Rush would do the same but be a bit more of a bronzey glow. Wrong! I think that the Sun Rush ones are just so close to my natural skin tone that they just disappear into my skin. Seriously, it looks like nothing is there. $18.50 for a bottle of nothing. I don't think so. I'll be returning these. :( Maybe if you are fair say NC20 at the darkest, I think these would look nice and show up as a bronzey glow. For me personally this is not the case. Rating: ♥

♥ Opulash Mascara- Since I didn't end up getting the Sweet & Punchy eyeshadow I went ahead and picked up some of the Opulash Mascara. I am a total ZoomLash freek. I wear the zoomlash everyday with a little bit of Maybelline Lash Stiletto WP on  top just to make the zoomlash water resistant. I have PlushLash as well and I really like the formulation, but that dang brush drives me insane, why it is flat on one side. I don't get it??? What the heck is that for? I haven't opened my Opulash yet, but I have high hopes for it. I'll let you know what I think a bit later.

♥ Hipness Blush- Now, lots of girls are saying that the Fafi Hipness is sooo much better than the To The Beach Hipness. They say that the TTB Hipness is so chalky and la la la. Guess what, I think that they both are some what chalky. Yep, and I still love both of them. They both have good color payoff and blend well into the skin. Honestly, I think it maybe a good thing that they are slightly chalkier than some of the other blushes. The chalkiness makes it a little harder to really load this stuff up on your brush with just one swipe. With this vibrant shade that's a good thing, unless you like the "slap ya mama" look. So, in my opinion, To The Beach Hipness is a must have if you want a back up for your Fafi one or if you missed the Fafi's release. I was incredibly lucky and got mine at the CCO. :)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

♥ Here's Karla Sugar's Blog again, for amazing swatches:
To The Beach Part 1
To The Beach Part 2

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Sooo Pissed!! T3 Pro Blowdryer is Broken!- Rant & Review

So, I was doing my usual blow-out on my hair tonight. I was about 1/2 way done with my hair. I turn my T3 off and set it on the bathroom counter to section off another piece of hair. Got my hair on my large T3 round brush, reached for my blow-dryer. All ready to go, I clicked the power button. Guess what I heard .... Eeeeeekkkkkekekekekekek! What the fuck! I was scared to turn the damn thing back on. I thought it was going to blow up in my hand. Yep, I think the fricking fan broke! So, pissed off! Just so I could get my hair finished, I had to bring out my recently purchased T3 Bespoke Overnight Dryer. Damn that Pro!

Ok, I'm calm now... I purchased my T3 Pro 7 months ago at the Sephora Friends and Family sale. The orginal price was I believe $119.99 and I got the 25% discount + tax, so I paid something like $97.88 for it. I know that is a great price for a T3 dryer, but don't waste your money on this one. It is garbage and tears up way before it is even broken in good. I had a cheap ass WHAL dryer before I bought this one and even though it was horrible for the health of my hair it lasted me 2 years before I gave it away and it is still working for my DH's cousin. Go ahead and just fork out the extra cash if there is anyway possible and get the Featherweight or Evolution. Save your money up and don't get screwed. Don't get me wrong the T3 Pro gave me the best and quickest blow-out I have ever had, but whatever when it only last 7 months.

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MAC To The Beach Collection- Release Date: 5/27/10

For great swatches of this upcoming collection take a look at Karla Sugar's blog here:
To The Beach Part 1 
To The Beach Part 2
Again, I am not affiliated with her or her blog. I just think she takes the most amazingly accurate swatches.Thank you, Karla Sugar!

This morning I called my dear sweet Debbie (manager) at my MAC store in Dillard's and pre-orderd my To The Beach items.

♥ 3 Marine Life Highlight Powders
I order 2 for myself and one for a friend. I am loving the design that is embossed on the powder the gold shimmer maybe a little to shiny for my liking, but no big deal because it is an over spray and will be gone in just a couple of uses. I will say this as well, if you have Hipness from the Fafi Collection you do not have to get this, as they are kinda similar. MLHP maybe slightly more pigmented from what I hear, but I'll let you know what I think about it when I get my order. I already have Hipness from Fafi, but my love of it gives me good reason to get MLHP as well.

As well as Sweet & Punchy eyeshadow. Everyone says that the Sweet & Punchy is so simular to Rated R eyeshadow that if you already have Rated R to skip Sweet & Punchy. I totally agree they are so similar I can't tell the difference in the swatches. Fortunately, for me I will be able to score Sweet & Punchy since I missed out on Rated R.

♥ Firecracker Eyeshadow
I'm on a kick for beautiful shades of orange eyeshadows, and this one is right up my alley. Now, if I could only get my hands on Firespot eyeshadow, which was released ages ago I would be all set. Doubt I'll ever find it though. This one is not similar to Hot Hot Hot eyeshadow, if you are wondering about that.

♥ Sun Rush Lustre Drops.
I know $18.50 for this little bottle seems pretty steep, and it is, MAC really needs to stop raising their prices. But, really this is the most amazing stuff ever. I scored the Pink Rebel Lustre Drops from the first release (Style Warrior Collection) from a nice lady on Specktra. I am totally in love with this stuff, it gives the most glamorous summer, J Lo glow that I have ever gotten from any product like it. Beautiful, just beautiful. I would skip something on my list to get this.

To anyone who plans to get their Marine Life Powder from the Dillard's counter in the Lakeside Mall in NO. Pre-order it now! When I called Debbie told me that MAC had only sent her 6 of them. I ordered 3, so there's only 3 left!!

I will be posting swatches and reviews of each of the items that I will be getting, so keep a look out for that. I will try to get them on here on the release date so that you can take a look asap.

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Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Polish- Guilty Pleasure- Rating: ♥♥♥♥

This polish didn't receive 5 hearts only because of the expensive price for a drugstore polish ($7.50), and of course for the horrible brush that all of the SH Complete Manicure polishes have. If you don't mind the brush or the high price these are perfect. I use a nail polish brush that I bought from Sally's, and next time I buy any of these I will wait until there is a buy one get one free sale.

This is a gorgeous metallic/shimmery (not glittery) shade of antique gold. I was kind of afraid to purchase this one because usually a metallic shade always leaves noticeable brush strokes. So, for those of you who are weary about purchasing these for that reason, have no fear. This polish gives a great finish with very few (if any) noticeable brush strokes. The formula is neither to thick or thin. It last me for 4 days.  I'm sure would last most a little longer probably 4-6 days. If you are looking for a good gold polish that you can easily pick up from your local drugstore that is not too bright/yellow gold take a look for this one. Love it!

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Coast Scents New Metal Mania 88 Palette Review & Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Gorgeous!  I paid $24.95 for my 88 Metal Mania palette from Coastal Scents, and received 15% off my order during their entire store sale a few weeks ago. Like all the other 88 palettes, this palette contains 88 dime size eyeshadows. The size of each individual shade may seem small, but I promise it will last you a long while. I bought my 88 Warm palette 8 months ago and have only made a slight dip in two of the shades that I use often (they look similar to soft brown & satin taupe). There are just so many choices it will take you forever to even use each of the shades twice.

There are several shades from each color spectrum with lots of bronze and gold shades included. Oddly, there is only one blue shade, but it is very pretty and reminds me of MAC's Tilt. The shades in this palette are unlike any of the other shades in any of the other CS 88 palettes. I own the Original, Warm, and I had the Shimmer palette (gave it away). I see very few similar shades in this palette compared to the other palettes.
This palette is called the Metal Mania palette for a reason. All of the shades have a high shine/chrome finish. High Shine/Chrome NOT Glittery. That is important to me. I have been out of the glittery stage for years now, and I'm glad those days are over. Kind of tacky if you ask me. But, my how I do love the high sheen of vibrant colors this palette gives to your eye look.

For those of you who never wear frosty type finish, this palette may not be for you. But, I love it. I always use the Metal Mania shades on the lid and then apply Matte shades from my CS 88 Warm Palette or 88 Original palette to the crease and as a highlight. This way it balances out your look and is not so bling-ing.

The pigmentation of the shades are pretty good. Imo, the color pay off is better that that of the NYX 10 palettes. Though, I like the NYX 10 palettes too. The texture of most of the Metal Mania shades are very smooth and soft. I am impressed. This palette is wonderful  if you you love having lots of choices of good quality eyeshadows for a great price. You can find some of the 88 palettes for a cheaper price on e-bay, but as of now I have not found this one for sale there. It maybe there and I just have not looked hard enough. Really, I prefer to buy from CS regardless of the deals on e-bay, because I know that they are a reputable company and have received wonderful customer service from this company, and have placed countless orders  with them. I say, "better safe than sorry". I will order this palette again from them when it comes time for a new one. Yes, I love it! Let me know what you think of it, and if you will be placing an order for this in the comments box. I love hearing from you.

Click the images to see the big picture...

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Ladies! My Sephora Nail Polish Haul Came Today : )

I just opened my box from Sephora! I ordered 5 different polishes last week and it came in today. All of the polishes are amazing! I ordered Illamasqua's Muse, OPI for Sephora's Leaf Him at the Altar, Ocean Love Potion, Under My Trench Coat, and Metro Chic. I will be posting swatches and reviews of all the Sephora for OPI nail polishes I got today in one post and a different post for Illamaqua's Muse and Milf (which was a gift from my best girlie). I will finish up posting the SH Complete Manicure collection this week, and get started on the Sephora for OPI next week. So, check back for more swatches and reviews.

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Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure- Yellow Kitty- Rating:♥♥♥

This is a gorgeous bright, creamy muted yellow polish. It reminds me of a Banana Cream Popsicle, perfect for a hot summer day. The formulation of these polishes are pretty good. I've had the polish on for 3 days now and there is no chipping. It took 2 coats of polish to get it completely opaque. Though I added a 3rd just for good measure. There where a few things that turned me off about the whole SH Complete Solon Manicure line. The brush totally sucks. Literally, the brush seems to soak up all the polish and no matter how much polish you think is on the brush it's not. This makes for an uneven application. The shape of the brush is another turn off. I think that SH was trying to knock off OPI's brush design, but failed miserably. I don't really care for the large brush design from OPI or SH because I have relatively small nails and I am quite shaky, so the big style brushes don't leave me any "wiggle room". However, I can still handle and achieve a neat mani/pedi with the OPI brush if I am careful. SH tried to be innovative with her brush and did this senseless tapering design on the tip of the brush. I don't quite understand what the point was in tapering the brush. However, I do know that it makes it almost impossible to create a clean edge at the nail bed. One more thing is the price. I paid $7.50USD for this polish at CVS, which is a ridiculous price for a drugstore polish. I could have bought an OPI or Essie polish for this price. So, it boils down to this...If you find the SH polishes BOGOF get the shades you love the most. When you get them home and are ready to do your mani/pedi do not use this brush. Buy a nail polish brush from your local beauty supply store (Sally's) or you can take the brush out of a polish you already have and clean it well with nail polish remover and use that one to apply the SH CSM polishes with. I know that this seems like a lot of BS to have to deal with to use these polishes with good results, but in the case of Yellow Kitty this shade is totally worth it. Yellow Kitty is such a beautifully fun and unique shade. I also purchased two more gorgeous shades of SH CSM polishes. I have Fairy Teal (creamy greyed, teal blue) and Guilty Pleasure (shimmering bronzed gold), so check back for those reviews and swatches.
Love the color!
Hate the brush!

                        (no flash)

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Sigma SS197 Review & Comparision- Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Order this brush now! I'm so serious. This brush has quickly became HG for me. It has beat out all of my other foundation brushes hands down. The only brush that I think might would give it a run for it's money is the MAC180. I really can't even say that for sure, just because I don't have it. Besides the MAC180 is discontinued and there is no telling how much you would have to pay for it if you are lucky enough to find one. Really, just go get this one.

I think that I mentioned in the "back in stock" post that the SS197 is a synthetic hair brush. I must retract that. The SS197 is an all natural hair brush, which is the reason why I would compare the hairs to the MAC180. The hairs on the SS197 are very soft, but dense, so the brush easily holds the shape and allows you to swirl away when applying your foundation. I have been using mine with liquid foundations only. I have not tried to use it for any cream or powder products, and I probably won't just for the simple fact that I already have brushes for those, and I really am only looking to use it for liquid foundation. It's wonderful for that, but I would imagine would also be great for say a powder mineral foundation. I'm not so sure about the creams just because it has natural hairs, but who knows till you try it.

The ferrule of the SS197 is bigger around that the ferrules on the MAC187, 188 and 130. The hairs are also denser than these. Not saying that these MAC brushes are not as good as the SS197 at all. These brushes are just made for a different application. The MAC187, 188, and 130 are made of a mix of natural and synthetic hairs intended for stippling and the SS197 is made of all natural hairs intended for us swirlier. Making the SS197 at totally different brush. The only reason why I am comparing them is just to give you an idea of the size. Now I do prefer the swirl method over the stipple method. Just because it is a quicker application with flawless results. It also seems to me that even if you layer your foundation to archive a full coverage look, with this brush it looks less cakey than when you stipple your foundation. Maybe it's just me?

Last comparison I promise...If you could imagine a fatter, fuller, waaaay softer, natural haired Sonia Kashuk flat top brush you would have the SS197. I have to elaborate on the difference in the softness. The SK flat top brush is sooo damn scratchy. It took me 4 times to deep condition this brush before it was comfortable on my face. Finally, I could use it and the results were pretty good. I just found that since the brush is a little skinny (not as full) that it makes the brush little flimsy and gives a slightly streaky, uneven application. It's just too wiggly, I would say.

Honestly ladies, I am super satisfied with all of my Sigma brushes the SS197 is  just one more great one to add to my list.

I will be posting the comparison pics of the SS197 the MAC187, 188, and the SK Flat Top tomorrow. I don't have the MAC130 or MAC180 so unfortunately I won't be posting those. Sorry. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask in the comment box. I loved to talk to y'all. : )

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Attention!!: Demon Robert 1968 is BACK!!!! Go get it!

For all you ladies including myself who loved the look of Channel Jade polish, but not the price...meet Demon Roberts 1968. It is the closest dupe I've ever seen. DR 1968 is a limited edition polish that was first released last year and now is being re-release May 1, 2010. I passed on  it last year and have regretted it ever since. Not again! I just order 2 bottles. You can order yours by calling 310-271-2100, this is for the boutique in LA. I know that they also have one in NY, but I'm not sure of the number. The polishes are $9 USD ea. & the shipping is $3.95 for up to 5 bottles, then they charge by the bottle.

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