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A Sneak Peak into New Future Posts!

Comment Below on which you'd like a review on first! There are more to come. 

xoxo ~ Vilavanh 
^_~*

Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani (First Impressions) Review

I've been waiting for something like this to come out for ages! No more painting on the white and taking hours to perfect it. I couldn't be happier. This is my first time to purchase nail polish strips so I can't lie I was nervous to apply these since they have the tips and a pinkish-clear strip that layers over top.

(Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani - French Twist package contents)

So far I'm on day 2 of wear and I did see a corner try to lift up so I rubbed it back down and put some seche vite top coat on and haven't had a problem since. I followed all the directions and cleaned my nails off with acetone and let that dry before application. I found during application the corners of the strips didn't want to stay down eventually they did. It took a while to apply but I love the outcome. Putting on the pinkish-clear strips was very quick and made me want to try out more from Sally Hansen's Salon Effects line. The only problem I have was with the white strips you get two on one strip so you pull it apart and get two uses out of it. They didn't want to pull apart cleanly so I had to use scissors to get a that clean edge. I have a feeling these aren't going to last 10 days on me since I feel I could have had at least some practice with the regular nail strips before trying these. I fumbled my way through being a novice with nail strips. I would repurchase these again if they can last at least 5 days which would top the wear time of painting on a french manicure. 

( above : French Twist on the nails ...please excuse the varied length of the white tips that was my bad)

There are 8 French Mani Colors:

(Pink Macaroon - #001)

(Silver Lining - #002)

(Gold Cabaret - #003)

(Steel the Night - #004)

(Noir Boudoir - #005)

(Polka Party - #006)

(French Twist - #007)

(Excusez Moi! - #008)

Retails: $10 - $14 

Bought for $11.00 at my local Walmart

I hope they come out with more colors soon. I would love to see a purple french mani!

Thank you for reading!

xoxo - Vilavanh

YSL Glossy Stain vs. Loreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain Review

(Left: YSL Glossy Stain)

(Right: Loreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain)

When I first heard about the new Loreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet  Shine Stains I had to have one! Not only because I love the YSL Glossy Stains but because it's a third of the price! I was surprised to find they are very different products. 

 

As you can see from the picture above they have very similar applicators it's a sort of flat bent shape a perfect fit for the lips. The YSL is a more fuzzier and applies more product as a result. Both of these products stain the lips and are glossy upon application however their smell, formula, opaqueness, and stain wear are different. 

The YSL has an "interesting" smell to it. I have to say every time I apply it I think of wine it's very pungent but not bad enough as say lancome's mascara's smell which does bother me. 

The Loreal smell is ok it doesn't bother me and is not as strong as the YSL.

In terms of formula the YSL is thin at first but it thickens up especially if you layer it.  Its very smooth on the lips the one I purchased is #7 Corail Aquatique which has shimmer to it and it is very fine so you can't feel it on the lips.

The Loreal is thin and thickens only just a little bit. It feels watery and slippery on the lips when you first apply it. Definately not as creamy and thick as the YSL 

The pigmination of the YSL is opaque and you can get full on color in with just two layers. And the stain is very even and lasts a long time. 

The Loreal Wet Shine Stain in at least the color I chose in #185 Lilac Forever is sheer and can be built to a medium opaqueness. So I like both products in case of pigmentation. Having something that is sheer is definitely more natural and good for day to day. But sometimes I want something with full on color too.. having variety is a girls best friend! ^_~*. So the color I chose Lilac Forever is a very natural color so the stain is not so evident on my lips and I don't find its patchy when looking closely but it's color is making that hard to determine because it is so close to my natural lip color. When doing research on the staining of the darker colors I read the best way to get an even stain is to apply it in thin layers and let each layer set. ( I don't have to do this with the YSL)

Bottom Line: I prefer the smell of the Loreal I like both the creaminess of the YSL( I think the creaminess helps the stain to apply evenly) and the wet slipperiness of the Loreal. I also like both full coverage of the YSL and the sheer-medium opaqueness of the Loreal. They both have that nice glossy shine. But if you are looking for a great stain that is even and lasts for a long time I would go with YSL. If you are looking for an inexpensive gloss with staining attributes I would suggest the Loreal version. 

(Flash used Left: Loreal Wet Stain in #185 Lilac Forever)

(Right: YSL #7 Corail Aquatique)

#185 Lilac Forever is a neutral mauve-y lip color that's very natural with iridescent shimmer

#7 Corail Aquatique is a coral red orange and its natural but bold also depending on how many layers you apply. It also has an iridescent shimmer to it.

 (Stain left behind after a couple of mins)

Pricing: YSL Glossy Stain $34.00 each

            Loreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain $9.99 each

 Thank you for reading!

xoxo ~ Vilavanh

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch & Master Corrector Review

 

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer

Here is what Nordstrom's Webpage had to say about this product:

" A radiance-enhancing concealer to wipe away shadows, blur imperfections, and brighten the complexion.

A high-precision concealer that blurs imperfections, treats dark circles, and highlights the complexion. Contains light-reflecting pearls, which diffuse light for radiant skin. Vitamin E and moisturizers pamper the delicate eye area. High-definition applicator."

 I have had these products for a year now and have used it underneath my eyes every time I wear makeup (when I'm not trying out other products) so I can give you a good look into how this product wears, it's consistency, coverage, and where it may lack.

I purchased the Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer (wow long name) in shade #3.5 and I layer this over the Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in #2 Orange.

             The GA HPR for short comes in a very sleek easy to throw in your handbag packaging. There are four problems I have with this product and (1) as you can see from the pictures below when you use this it tends to push more product out of the bottle making quite a mess. I've cleaned this up several times since buying it and it's a chore and it wastes product. I do like this product is it perfect?... no. I love the consistency it is thin and easy to blend and the small brush allows you to apply just the right amount of product to your undereyes. And this color works perfect for me. (NC 25+). (2) The description above mentions "light-reflecting pearls" they don't look like full blown glitter but it is noticeable in daylight. Unfortunately I couldn't capture this in my swatch because its so good at reflecting the light. (3)When this product dries down which takes no time at all (don't worry you have time to work with it) it can crease just a little bit. Now these problems still don't deter me from using it at all! I still love the thin consistency and the product is very pigmented and my perfect color match. I wish it was slightly more moisturizing so it wouldn't crease but the creasing is only slight and just about every undereye concealer does this on me. Another thing to note.. this product does and that you would assume work very well when layered on top of the master corrector. And lasts all day.(4) The color selection is minimal and will only work for light to light-medium skin tones.

(above: Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch #3.5)

(above: Giorgio Armani Master Corrector #2 Orange)

(Top: GA Master Corrector #2 Orange)

(Bottom: GA High Precision Retouch #3.5)

Nordstrom webpage on the GA Master Corrector:

"Corrective concealer in two color-balancing shades is designed to target specific complexion concerns. Exclusive Micro-fil™ technology allows for targeted correction, visibly concealing imperfections while light-reflecting pearls impart a halo of light for a seamless, flawless facial canvas."

             Now to review my favorite of the two the GA Master Corrector in #2 Orange. This has to be one of my favorite beauty products out of my whole collection for several reasons. The first being it is a master at correcting they really captured it all in the name. It blends beautifully... don't be scared of the orange color it neutralizes my dark circles which are hereditary (sigh). I've used pink, pinkish lavander, and salmon shades to cover up my most hated flaw but they all couldn't handle the job. Well the GA Master Corrector can! It has the "light-reflecting pearls" like the GA HPR but not as many which I love and isn't as dry. In my opinion this is the perfect correcting product. The only fault is in the packaging which does the same as the GA HPR in that it will get a bit messy over time. 

Both retail at $37.00 each.

Bottom line: I would be happy to repurchase the Master Corrector in #2 Orange as it is definitely a Holy Grail product for me. When it comes to what I would layer on top of it the GA HPR does a good job but I would like to try something new. At the moment I have my eye on the Le Metier De Beaute' Peau Vierge Corrector Concealer ^_~*

Thank you for reading!