L'Oreal pro matte gloss #316 statement nude - review & lip swatches

Let's start out with what I thought I was buying - a longwear gloss formula with no shimmer. It turns out that "matte gloss" doesn't mean what I thought it meant! The L'Oreal pro matte gloss is a demi matte liquid lipstick formula and is not at all glossy and not really long wearing. I bought mine from Ulta in shade #316, statement nude.


Lip swatches and my thoughts on the formula below:

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain / Lilac Ever After #185

I wanted to quickly post swatches and a before & after of the L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Lilac Ever After #185. I spotted several shades of the L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains on clearance at Target today, on clearance for $2.15. Full price at Target is $7.19, but I usually see these for $9.99 at CVS and online. In addition to #185 Lilac Ever After, I also saw #184 Rose On And On and #193 Eternally Nude on clearance. The display was pretty picked over, so I bet other shades were on clearance as well.

 L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains on clearance at my local Target

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara - review & lash demo

I adore trying new mascaras, especially free samples that come with online orders. I got a sample of Urban Decay's new Perversion mascara from Sephora awhile back and I have used it for almost three months. Perversion mascara is an extension of Urban Decay's Perversion line that contains pencil, liquid, and gel eyeliner. Apparently Urban Decay needed a break from milking all possible dollars from their Naked line, so they picked another faux scandalous product name to milk. True to the original Perversion eyeliner pencil, this mascara only comes in one shade - advertised as a true dark black.

Perversion mascara retails for $22 for 12ml / .4oz of product. An Urban Decay Perversion mini mascara is also Ulta's free birthday gift for July, August, and September 2015, so if you have a summer birthday you are in luck!

Makeup for Engagement Pictures & Special Occasion Photography

Planning makeup for important pictures, like engagement photos, prom pictures, or senior portraits, can be stressful. In this post, I'm going to show you what makeup I chose for my engagement pictures. I wanted products that would look natural and effortless in real life, but pigmented enough to show up in pictures.

I highly recommend doing a trial run for your makeup to make sure it photographs well. Make sure to check it in natural light, in artificial indoor light, and with flash. If you don't feel comfortable doing your own makeup for a special event, you can always hire a professional makeup artist or get your makeup done at a department store counter.