Black Opal Love!

Hey Beauties,

Happy Hump Day Wednesday! We're halfway through the work/school week and I hope you are all hanging in there and doing well. :-)

For me..work has been crazy busy but I wanted to take a breather and share with you some of the new lippies in my stash from Black Opal.

More and more, I'm getting into this cosmetics brand and I'm liking it. I've been venturing into their lipsticks and glosses first and the best thing is that they are tailored towards brown girls of all shades! Sweet.

First up is Black Opal Patent Lips gloss in Violine. I chose this one in honor of the vampire craze that's going around and this month's launch of the next movie in the Twilight series: New Moon. It's my vampy, blood-red lippie....

Violine: burgundy blood red


Here it is on moi...as usual the flash makes the lippie look much lighter than it actually is. So I did one without the flash as well...



Next up is a really pretty dual gloss that makes a great nude/natural lippie for brown beauties. Black Opal Matinee Mocha....it has a creamy chocolate side and a shimmery champagne side.


On me...


Black Opal cosmetics can usually be found at your local CVS drugstore. They have an array of products and shades to choose from. Check them out!

Have a great Wednesday ya'll. ;-)

M.

Favorite Things Friday: Essence of Beauty Fruity Lip Butters

Hey Beauty Gals!

Lately I've been really scouring my local drugstores for hidden gems that work great but cost mere pennies. Let's face it girls-it's a recession and although I know we all like to splurge here and there on certain things, we LOVE getting great stuff for cheap.

I've been trying to highlight things here at the Rouge that you can find at your local drugstore and won't cost you an arm and a leg. Now don't get me wrong...I love my higher end makeup and beauty products as well but I have to admit I've cut down BIG TIME over the past few months. I'm really proud of myself! I don't feel the need to grab something from each new collection that comes out and lately, i've only been splurging if its something really special and unique. So with that being said you'll probably see more drugstore finds and "gems" here than ever before.

Today's find are the Essence of Beauty Lip Butters that I scooped up at CVS. With Fall here and Winter fast approaching, we must be mindful of taking care of our precious pouts (Lol!). We can't have rusty, crusty lips ladies!

I LOVE a good lip balm and I know I've said it before but...you really can't have too many. These lip balms hold up to the test! They are creamy, moisterizing, non-sticky, long-lasting and they smell WONDERFUL.

Next time you're at CVS...pick up a couple for your purse, the car, your office, etc. They have lots of different yummy flavors to choose from and they're only $2.99! ;-)

M.

Product Review: L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

Morning Beauties!

Today I'll be reviewing L'oreal's newest mascara: Telescopic Explosion.

The unique thing about this mascara is definitely the "dagger-ball" brush, which is very similar to Givenchy's PhenomEyes mascara. I never did try the Givenchy version because I just have a thing about spending an arm and a leg for mascara when there are plenty of drugstore options out there that usually work better. Buuuut, I was curious to see how this type of wand would work so as soon as a drugstore version dropped, I was on it!

So did I love it? Hate it? Read on to find out....

The Claim:
Petite: To get right into the corners to capture even the shortest lashes
Spherical: Use from any angle for longer-looking lashes
Precise: Seeks out every lash for a fanned out effect

The Truth:
I can honestly say all of that is true. I was prepared to hate this mascara. Don't ask me why but I wasn't sure how functional this brush shape would be. Application was somewhat nerve-racking the first time just because I had to get used to the fact that the brush was a short ball and not a longer-wand. I was mildly frustrated until I saw the results. And then I loved it.

Pros:

• Affordable! If you were dying to try Givenchy's PhenomEyes but not dying to pay $28, this is definitely the way to go now! The cost is about $9.99 at drugstores.
• Once you get the hang of the brush, it is an amazing little tool. You can sweep across your lashes every whichaway to coat them.
• The separation you get and fanned-out look is no lie. It delivers.
• This "dagger-ball" makes it easy to grab even the tiniest lash hairs that usually get neglected with other mascaras.

Cons:

• If you go for more than one coat, you WILL get major clumps. Promise. This actually didn't bother me much at all just because I hardly ever go for more than one mascara coat if i'm satisfied with the results of the first. For review purposes, I do add more coats just so I can let you know if you need to be careful (and you do!) but for my use, if my lashes look great after one coat (which they did!), that's enough for me. ;-)

Here are some pics...

My mascara-less eye (please excuse the shocked/scary eyeball...lol)


My Telescopic Explosion coated lashes...

Recommendation: Try it! I think you will be pleased. Just remember to take your time with the application and try to avoid doing more than one coat. I think it provides a decent amount of length and volume but the real prize is the fanned-out, make-you-wanna-bat-your-lashes-at-everyone-look you get. ;-)

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Have a wonderful day!

M.

Beauty Tip! Fake It Til You Make It...Eyebrows Edition!

Hey Beauties!

So I have a confession to make...I go loooong periods of time without getting my eyebrows threaded (my shaping method of choice). I'm SUPPOSED to go see my girl every 2 weeks...3 TOPS. Yeah...err...no. I'm more of a every 5/6 weeks girl. Hey! Life is busy! But...Shame on me!

Yet, even though I do a poor job of maintaining my threading...I recognize the wonderful difference nicely shaped eyebrows can make to your face. So..here's my secret to faking it til you make it to the next threading/waxing/plucking appointment of your choice... :-)

1. Get yourself a good creamy concealor in a color one MAYBE two shades lighter than your skintone. Nothing TOO drastic though. We want a natural look. :-) My concealor of choice is Black Radiance Perfect Blend concealor in Darkest Walnut (pictured above). It's the perfect texture..creamy but not runny and complements my skintone well.

2. Get a synthetic concealor brush...I use my MAC 194 but any type of brush in this family will do. You can also use your fingers but be careful. The goal is to sculpt and shape so a little precision is necessary and you can't always get that with your fingers. A combo of both brush and fingers always works great as well.

That's pretty much all you need.

Step 1: The first thing I do is pluck the majorly stray hairs away (i.e. clean up the brows as much as I can without damaging the shape).

Step 2: Then, using my concealor brush I apply concealor directly underneath my brows (lining my browbone just as you would apply an eyeshadow highlight). Get as close to the brows as possible. The concealor will highlight the shape of your brows while at the same time concealing any shape imperfections and hairs that need to be removed professionally. ;-) You can blend a bit with your fingers.

Step 3: If you feel really comfie with this you can shape the top portion of the brow using the same method. Be sure you blend blend blend well so that the concealor is not overly noticeable! I usually concentrate on defining the natural shape of my eyebrows with the concealor. Once you're done, it looks as if you've just gotten them done professionally!

Step 4: Once you're done with the concealor...take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and lightly dust over the concealor with a translucent powder to set.

Step 5: Fill in your brows if necessary and you're good to go! ;-)

I had just done the eyebrow trick before taking this pic. I think it's been about 4.5 weeks since my last threading *twitch* LOL!


Take care ladies!

M.

My Sparkly Purple Pumps....

Hey Beauties,

I just wanted to drop in real quick and show you my new precioussss...Barbie Loves Stila Smudge Pot in Purple Pumps!

Check out the purple sparkly beauty...


Here it is on moi. The purple color is very rich and vibrant and the although you may not be able to tell in the pics, the pink shimmer shows up really well. I suggest all my beauties scoop this up if ya can! Its a very unique color that you just don't see every day. ;-)



You can try finding these at your local Sephora store (although I was having a hard time...this color was sold out). I ended up ordering mine online at Stilacosmetics.com for $20.

Stila Smudge pots are also very smooth and creamy. They apply like a dream :-)

Take care!

M.

Product Review: Covergirl Lashblast Length Mascara

Hey Beauties,

Today I'm reviewing the newest edition to Covergirl's Lashblast mascara family: Lashblast Length.

I am a huge fan of the original Lashblast and Lashblast Luxe mascaras...they're actually a part of my "holy grail" mascaras (along with L'Oreal Voluminous)....let's see if Lashblast Length makes the cut!

The Claim:
"Our new Elasta-Nylon™ formula flexes without flaking, giving you extreme, notice-me lashes all day long. Our longest brush ever gives you an 80% longer lash look." from covergirl.com

The Truth:
Well....it's ok. I can honestly say I wasn't SUPER impressed as I thought I would be. I think Covergirl definitely got it right for me with the Lashblast volume mascara but this one...not so much. I will let you know that I don't usually buy lengthening mascaras because I don't really have an issue with the length of my lashes..I think i've been blessed that way. So I'm usually looking for more volume and lengthening mascaras usually don't provide much. With that being said, I definitely don't think it provided me with 80% longer lashes but it did stretch them out a bit more (which I usually get PLUS volume with a volumizing mascara).

Pros:

• The cost is affordable (approx $7-$8 at drugstores)
• No flaking at all
• Added some length to my lashes...beauties with length-challenged lashes may find that it works awesome for them
• Cute packaging (I'm a fan of the sleek yellow :-))
• The brush is easy to use and maneuver

Cons:

• My lashes definitely weren't 80% longer
• No volume boost at all* (its a lengthening masara though so I can't REALLY hold this against it)
• I've tried other lengthening mascaras with more impressive results

Recommendation:

If you have nubby lashes and are dying to try this, it may work great for you. If you are not really length-challenged but want thicker, more voluminous lashes...skip!

Overall Score: 3 out of 5

My girl at ClumpsofMascara did a detailed review of this complete with photos HERE. Check it out for another perspective...plus she's a mascara guru. ;-)

Take care, beauties.

M.
pic from covergirl.com

Milan's Rouge: My Favorite Drugstore Blush!

Happy Hump Day, beauties!

I'm so excited for this post today because...well...its about BLUSH! I know many of you have been patiently waiting for me to get back in the game when it comes to my Rouge...so today, this is for you. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you should already know that I am a blush/rouge lover. I have a HUGE stash and many, many blush loves...but I must tell ya, beauties I had never found a FAVORITE drugstore blush until now. I have some that I think are wonderful but my main issue with drugstore brand blushes is their LACK of color pay-off and flatterability (is that even a word? LOL) on brown-skinned girls. Well this one I found recently is beautiful and now gets my 'Favorite Drugstore Blush' title....check it out!

Behold...NYC Mosaic Face Powder in Scarlet Letter....

This baby caught my eye as I was ready to give up on finding something great and fabulous blush-wise in the drugstore. I was tired and frustrated with the pale, ashy, unflattering colors I was seeing and headed to the check-out counter to purchase the other items I was getting when I passed the NYC display. The red in the powder really caught my eye...I wish I had a better camera to capture the true color but its sooooo pretty! As soon as I saw the reddish, cranberry, brown, champagne mix I just knew it would look great on brown girls...so I grabbed it! Oh did I mention this puppy is only about $4.99? Yeah. :-)

So here it is on your girl...I tried to get a mix of natural light and artificial light pics. I haven't done a blush post in a minute so excuse the large # of pics. LOL!










So...what makes THIS my favorite drugstore blush (you may be asking)? Well for starters, I really think this mix of colors was designed specifically for women of color. It is a very rich color palette that brown beauties can pull off easily. Second, the color-pay off is EXCELLENT. I went in with my skunk brush thinking I was going to have to work a little to get the color I wanted and boy was I wrong! I put waaaay too much at first and had to scale it back some. One dip and slight swirl for each cheek is sufficient. It blends like a dream and gives that effortless "inner glow" that I LOVE about blush. Third, it's 4.99! It's 4.99! Did I mention that it's...4.99?!

Lastly, and I think this is what did it for me...this blush made my skin look GREAT. No lie. I'm not sure if its because this is actually a "face powder" (please don't put this all over your face like foundation though...you will look like a weird hot radish)...but whatever the case, my cheeks looked really smooth, soft and even and they actually FELT really soft to touch! I wasn't wearing any other powder or foundation on my face at all. It adheres well to a naked face and actually LASTS. *swoon*

I picked this baby up at my local CVS so grab it next time you're there. I believe NYC launced a Scarlet collection recently and this color wheel powder is a part of that collection.

Let me know what you think!

Have an awesome day.

M.