Benefit Benetint, Posietint, and High Beam Review and Swatches

Earlier this year, Benefit had a trio of minis of three of their most popular bottles: rosy-red Benetint, warm pink Posietint, and pale pink glowy High Beam for a mere $15. I'd been dying to try Benetint and Posietint for years, but was not about to pay $28 (now $29, great) for something I wasn't sure I'd like, so I was thrilled to see this set. Regular readers know that I have the world's oiliest, shiniest skin, so a highlighter is really not something I get much use out of (which is sad, because so many highlighters are just so pretty), but I wanted the other two products enough to accept it. I'm always looking for a great long-wear, natural lip product, and I hoped that Benetint and/or Posietint would fit the bill. Each product comes in a mini bottle, similar to a nail polish bottle, with a little brush––very cute, and given the formulas, pretty functional.

Left to right: Benetint, High Beam, Posietint

Ross Nail Polish Haulage: Pics and Swatches

I went to Ross yesterday, because Nouveau Cheap posted that a reader had found a set of (long discontinued) Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, and, being the duochrome whore that I am, I had to go and check out my local Ross to see if I would be lucky enough to find it myself. I not only found the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, but also picked up a set of Color Club holos and glitters, Beyond the Mistletoe, which is, according to Fashion Polish, new for the season. So, for $14, I walked away with 4 duochromes, 5 holos, 2 glitters, and a top coat. Needless to say, I was hyperactively excited (and tweeted Nouveau Cheap about it, because if anyone can appreciate a good deal, it would be her!). I haven't had the chance to test any of them for wear or anything, but I wanted to get swatches up so you can see what the dealio is, and hopefully get yourself to a Ross to check them out!

Color Club first; the bottles I have don't have names on them, but I got the names from Fashion Polish (who got them from Color Club, so one assumes they're accurate).
ETA: These were $7.99 at Ross, and the Color Club website has them listed at $48.00 ($8 apiece). So, if you're interested in the set, it's definitely worth checking your local Ross!

Beyond the Mistletoe, left to right: Sugarplum Fairy, Beyond the Mistletoe, Holiday Splendor, Jingle Jangle, Candy Cane, Gingerbread

Sugarplum Fairy is a pale lavender holo in a clear base; it's the strongest holo out of all the ones in this set, and it's reeeeeeeally pretty. In some lights it approaches being linear (still wanting a linear holo polish like whoa, though). Very delicate and sparkly, much like a fairy!

We'll pretend it's blurry on purpose, mk? 3 coats Sugarplum Fairy with 1 coat top coat

Beyond the Mistletoe is a light blue holo in a clear base; it's a bit sparser than Sugarplum Fairy and not quite as holographic, but very close.

3 coats Beyond the Mistletoe with 1 coat top coat

Holiday Splendor is a subtle green holo in a green tinted base. This one's not nearly as sparkly as SF and BtM, but it's really, really green, which definitely makes up for it. I'm thinking I may need to wear this for my next Duck manicure...I can pair it with Gingerbread and be super glittery and awesome!

3 coats Holiday Splendor with 1 coat top coat

theBalm You're Giving Me a Complexion Kit Review and Swatches

You know how sometimes you purchase something, and you're just so excited that you can hardly bear it, and then you use the products, and you realize with a sinking feeling that they're just not going to work for you? Yeah, that happened. Now I'm going to grouse about it on here (the real reason I started a blog!).

I posted a few days ago about the awesome theBalm sets at TJ Maxx. Before I go any further, let me tell you that this review is in no way a condemnation of theBalm or TJ Maxx. I love them both super lots, but sometimes love is not enough (I feel like that should be accompanied by a really sad guitar).

Tarte Lip Service Limited Edition LipSurgence Collection Review and Swatches

Here's the long-awaited (can you hear the sarcasm?) full post on the LE Tarte LipSurgence collection, available now at Sephora and Tarte.com.  I've been pretty much wearing these non-stop since I got them so that I could get this review up before it sells out on Sephora again, but I also wanted to be sure to give as thorough and accurate a review as possible.  I think this is a happy medium!  For arm swatches and my initial thoughts, see here.

Left to right: Glitzy, Perky, Flashy, Swank, Dazzled

Three of these are Lusters and have shimmer, and two are sparkle-free tints.  I found that, overall, the lusters felt a little gritty from the shimmer, but they also seemed to stay moist on my lips for longer than the tints, which were not gritty, but lost their slip within half an hour.  The tints leave behind a lovely stain of color when they wear off, while the lusters last an hour+ (depending on the pigmentation) but leave behind less of a stain and a sprinkling of glitter.

They all have a very slight peppermint smell/taste, which gives the tiniest bit of tingliness when applied, but it's very mild.  They supposedly increase moisture by 6000%, which is just so ridiculous I can't even say.  They are moisturizing, definitely, more so than Clinique Chubby Sticks, but I do still rely on my Jack Black after a day of wearing these.  I'd initially thought their texture was softer than Clinique's, but I think that's only true for Perky, the light pink tint, as it seems to be softer than the others (and is also looser in its casing, so it has smooshed against the side of the tube a bit); I wish I could compare them, but, alas, I lost the Clinique one.  The texture is balmy, but firm, so there's no wasted product.  Overall, I would describe them as a glossy staining tinted balm, which is a mouthful, but I really think that covers all the pieces.

Pictures and descriptions of each shade:

Tarte Lip Service Limited Edition LipSurgence Collection Sneak Peek

ETA: For a full review write-up and lip swatches, see here!

Last week, I ordered the LE Tarte LipSurgence collection from tarte.com with a 20% off code (create an account, put stuff in your cart, and then leave it there for a few days, and they'll send you a code! Thank you, Retail Me Not) because it was sold out at Sephora and I didn't want to miss out on it.  It's back in stock, fortunately, so my review won't have to be a "what you can't have" type thing, but if you want it, I would snag it soon, since I'm sure with the start of Sephora's F&F sale (it begins this Thursday and runs through November 2nd, but order early if you want to ensure you get everything you want!) it'll go pretty fast.  Normally, a LipSurgence pencil is $24 for 0.10 oz, but you get 5 full-size pencils/lip sticks for $29 in this set.  And with 20% off, that's a mere $23.20, less than one regular pencil!  So, seriously, I couldn't afford not to get it.

It only just arrived today, and I immediately took some pictures and swatches so I could post them for your enjoyment, since I don't know exactly how long it'll take me to test and review them fully and wanted you to have some idea what the deal is if you're planning on buying it soon.  Anyways!  Here they are; I'll post a more thorough review with lip swatches and product break-down once I've had the chance to play around with them some.

In their pretty box, left to right: Glitzy, Perky, Flashy, Swank, Dazzled

1 swipe each, top to bottom: Swank, Perky, Dazzled, Flashy, Glitzy