Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer Haul + Review and Swatches!

If you didn't already know, Ulta had this special event called  "21 Days of Beauty Madness" where each day (since March 16th all the way till April 5th), they had one or more "Beauty Steal(s) of the Day" with certain products discounted or on sale for a pretty good price. They also had a different in store events every day where they either teach you beauty tips and tricks or share new products! It's pretty cool and the nice thing is, they released all the specials of the day that they'd have on their website so you didn't have to keep checking back or checking your email to find out what items might be on sale that day. Click this link if you want to check out what goodies they had on sale so the next time it come around, you have sort of an idea what to expect! :)

From left to right: Sprog, Rosie Lee, Kerfuffle, Goss, Bit Faker, and Lucy in the Sky

Anyways, why am I mentioning Beauty Madness at Ulta - besides trying to save you some bucks? Because on March 20th, the Beauty Steal of the Day was buy one get one free for Butter London nail polishes. Say whaat?? Yea you heard me. Those polishes that sell for $15 a piece for only $7.50?! Woot woot, count me in! Unfortunately, that week was my finals week for school so I was locked up in my room studying that day and knew I wouldn't be able to go in stores to get the polishes so I decided to purchase them online.. which I wouldn't say was a bad thing because (1) all of the nail polishes were in stock and available and (2) I was "forced" to buy more than just two polishes since I wanted the free shipping which required a purchase over $50 haha. I ended up buying 6 polishes and a toner that cost about $6 which got me just barely over $50 and the free shipping! I'm planning on returning the toner to my local Ulta though since I don't exactly need a new one and I might actually be returning one of the Butter London nail polishes just because I realized I have a color similar to it already (but who knows!).

Top to bottom and Left to right: Rosie Lee, Sprog, Kerfuffle, Bit Faker, Goss, and Lucy in the Sky

Below is a photo of how the polishes came in their bundled original bubble wrap packaging. Thought I'd just share this to show how nicely packed the polishes were to avoid breaking during the shipping process. I commend Ulta for their shipping services as I received the tracking ID in a timely manner via email and my package arrived in about 4 business days (it was supposed to take 2-5 business days). My order came in a nicely packed cardboard boxed that was filled with air bags and bubble wrap to keep everything secure and safe :D

All nicely bundled up to protect from injury during the ship!

The polishes I purchased are Goss, Lucy in the Sky, Sprog, Bit Faker, Rosie Lee, and Kerfuffle. Goss and Lucy in the Sky are from the Boho Collection, Bit Faker is from the Summer Collection, and Kerfuffle is from the Spring Collection. Rosie Lee and Sprog are part of the permanent collection. Sprog is a beautiful pond blue cream shade with no sparkles and is quite opaque (you can get away with one coat but two is always advised). Kerfuffle is also another cream polish that comes in a peachy-coral-pink shade. It's not exactly the type of pink I've been searching for (I'm on a hunt for the perfect pink base shade that I can do nail art and designs on) but it's definitely a really pretty pink with warm undertones. 

If you want, I can do a shade comparison to other pinks I have to show the difference as many pinks can be too cool or too orange and this is definitely a nice different shade from anything I have. I also am quite pleased with Kerfuffle in it's opacity and non-streaky nature (I only needed one coat of it and it looked fantabulous!). Rosie Lee and Bit Faker are both dense glitter packed polishes and I know they're going to be a pain in the butt to get off, but they're soo gorgeous. Rosie Lee has pink glitter specks while Bit Faker has a mix of gold and bronze glitter specks giving it a really nice multidimensional look. Because they're both intense glitter polishes, they dry with a textured rough finish because of all the glitters but that's not a problem for me (especially since I always top with my Seche Vite top coat)

Goss is one of the most unique polishes I've ever tried since it's a foil or metal finish meaning it's SUPER glossy and shiny and makes it look like you have metal on your nails! It's absolutely stunning and actually might be my favorite polish from this haul because of it's unique look. It reminds me of my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish in Silver Sweep (click here for a swatch of it) which also has a metallic/foil finish but Goss is a rose gold color which makes it extra special. The only downside to Goss is that it is a bit less forgiving to any bumps or lines on your nails as they WILL show up through the polish and I would advise 2-3 coats to get an even finish (in addition to a base coat and buffed&smoothed nails). When I was deciding if I should purchase Goss or not, I was reading reviews and quite a few people had mentioned the streakiness and how you could see "brush strokes" when using Goss. I agree that it is a bit more difficult to use than other normal polishes, but nothing that can't be fixed with multiple coats of polish! And last but not least, Lucy in the Sky! It is a beautiful glitter top coat with gold and silver glitter particles. These glitters are different from the ones in Rosie Lee and Bit Faker because they're just a tad bit larger and there are less of them which makes it better as a top coat than to be worn by itself. Because it has less glitters and the glitter particles are slightly larger, Lucy in the Sky has less of a rough finish.

I paired Rosie Lee by itself (two coats) on my left thumb and found it to be quite a glitter packed polish. While it can look nice over another solid polish, it definitely can be worn by itself since the glitter flecks are so densely packed. On my right thumb, I did one coat of Kerfuffle and topped it with two coats of Lucy in the Sky. I'm not sure how much I like the pairing but I do like both nail polishes separately! Lucy in the Sky is really pretty and layering one coat vs. two coats can create very different effects.

Picture taken indoors with flash.

Photo taken indoors without flash. From thumb to pinky (left to right): Rosie Lee (two coats without redipping brush into bottle), Kerfuffle (one coat!), Lucy in the Sky (one coat all over the nail) and Bit Faker at the bottom half of the nail (one coat), Goss (two coats), and Lucy in the Sky (two coats all over the nail) with Bit Faker at the tips.

Index finger to pinky (top to bottom): Goss (one coat so you can see some brush lines), Bit Faker (two coats but without redipping brush into bottle), Rosie Lee (one coat) over Kerfuffle (one coat), and Lucy in the Sky (two coats with redipping back into polish bottle)

Overall I'm extremely satisfied with all the nail polishes so far. They all apply super smoothly and evenly and look amazing! I'll post an update later on how long they last before chipping so I won't apply a top coat. I'll also post pictures of Sprog once I get to testing it out but I hope this post was helpful to any of you guys thinking about purchasing one of these Butter London shades! They're all quite unique in my opinion and I'm glad I purchased them when they were on sale :)

Makeup Academy (MUA) Heaven and Earth Palette and Undress Me Too Palette Review

Today I'm here to share my thoughts on two Makeup Academy, more commonly known as MUA, palettes. Unfortunately they don't sell MUA products at drugstores or any retail shops in the US, but I wanted to try out the shadows from MUA so badly so I ordered them directly from their website. You can purchase the palettes from Ebay but the two exact palettes I wanted weren't any cheaper than they would be if I purchased them directly from the site. Plus, I was looking to buy two palettes so if I had to buy them both separately on Ebay, it'd actually be more expensive. The total cost with shipping and tax for the two palettes ended up being $26 (and some cents) so about $13 for each palette which was still quite cheap (though not as cheap if I didn't have to order it online!).

The original Undress palette by MUA has been compared to the original Naked palette from Urban Decay while the Undress Me Too (love the name haha!) palette is said to be similar to the Naked 2 palette. However, I already own the original Naked palette and though it would be fun to get the MUA Undress palette to compare, the two palettes did look similar and I really was looking for more different shades of neutral shadows for creating different everyday looks so I decided to get the Undress Me Too palette (in place of getting a $50 Naked 2 palette!). I also chose the Heaven and Earth palette because that seemed to be the most popular palette from MUA and all the neutral shades from it looked nice and different from anything else I had.

Price: $6.62 each, if purchased directly from the site (on Ebay they sell for $5 - $11 not including shipping)
Amount: Each palette contains 12 eyeshadow pans, each about the size of a nickel and come with a double sided sponge applicator.
Packaging: I love how you can see the shadows from the outside of the palette due to the clear front plastic top and the closing clasp is very secure and tight so it won't just open up easily like some other palettes. The palettes are also a great size for travel or everyday traveling as they aren't too bulky or fragile to carry around.

I'll start with the Heaven and Earth palette, and let me say, I love it! I've been using it everyday for the last week because I love the neutral shades so much! I like how it has so many different shades of brown because I love creating new brown smokey eye looks for every day wear and don't really wear greys or blacks as often. The palette has a perfect balance of light shades and darker shades - there's one light beige shadow (top most left) that's perfect for highlighting the inner corners and browbone, 4-5 (depending on your skin tone) shadows that work really well as transition or crease shades, and the rest are different darker shades of brown that are perfect for the outer corners. Unlike the Urban Decay or Smashbox eyeshadows that I have, these MUA shadows aren't exactly the soft and crazy pigmented type but for they still work really well. You don't have to "tap off the excess" (which I've always thought was a huge waste of product) or be super careful so that you don't get one super dark spot from your initial application where all the shadow got deposited (admit it, we've all had that happen!). Even though these are more firmer/packed shadows, they transfer really well onto my lids in a smooth and seamless way.. it's hard to explain but I really love how easily the shadows blend. It makes creating natural looks even easier and more natural haha!  Another plus (for me at least)  is that all of the shadows in the palette are matte or have very little shimmer so that it doesn't show up when you apply it. I was quite pleased with this because I was looking for a palette that had less shimmery/glittery shadows as most drugstore palettes contain mostly shimmery shadows (I think it's because those are easier to formulate than matte ones but I don't really know why). Matte shadows are perfect for blending out harsh edges which is what I've been especially using this palette for.

Now onto the Undress Me Too palette! I think this palette must be quite popular too because on the website, it's sold out (sorry folks!) but you can subscribe to get a notification when it gets back in stock if you really want to get it bad! I can see how people would compare this to the Naked 2 palette but don't think it's THAT similar. As I mentioned before, it has mostly matte shades/shades with little shimmer while the Naked 2 palette has shadows in the same shade that are contain more visible shimmer. Don't get me wrong, there definitely are shades with visible sheen that work well especially for all over the lid (the shadows on the top row second and fourth from the left are both very nice colors with glitter flecks in them and look really nice) but I like the variety of lots of shimmer to less visible shimmer to completely matte. Like the Naked 2 palette, there is a matte highlight and matte black shade (top row most left and bottom row most right) and let me say, that matte black is REALLY matte and really pigmented too so be careful! I had the misfortune of dabbing my brush in about 2 times and getting way too much of that black shadow and had trouble blending it out (haha). The entire bottom row of the palette leans more towards the cooler shades of brown meaning they have more grey undertones and are more of a taupe color. Overall though, I do enjoy the palette and think it IS a good substitute for the Naked 2 (at less than 1/4 of the cost!). The colors aren't exactly the same but they're pretty close and though the Urban Decay shadows are softer and more pigmented, you still get really good color pay off and blendability with the MUA shadows.

 

My only negative thoughts about both the palettes I got are that I've seen slight creasing in the shadows after a day's wear (about 12 hours) but that was without a primer. With a primer (I use the Urban Decay original primer or the ELF $1 eye primer - both work equally well!), the shadows stay all day though so it's not too big of a deal in my opinion.

The two palettes I purchased are the only products I've ever tried from Makeup Academy but I have to say I'm very pleased and would definitely want to try out some more of their products. I just wish they would make them available in the US! Both palettes are great for beginners looking for a good amount of eyeshadow shades to play around with and experiment that are affordable and still good quality. The Heaven and Earth palette contains warmer shades of brown along with a few highlight shades while the Undress Me Too palette has cooler shades and contains a matte highlight and matte black shade, perfect for any makeup look. The Undress Me Too is agreeably similar to the UD Naked 2 although it doesn't come with a real brush and only a sponge tip applicator one. The shadows are a different constituency/formula than Urban Decay shadows as they are firmer/more pressed shadows which can reduce the amount of fallout you get when applying the shadows. However, they still have great pigmentation and blend very well and I would highly recommend all of you to check out these palettes if you can.

I hope this review was helpful and encourages you to try MUA if you haven't already. I know I'm glad I did! If you guys want to see any makeup looks using either of these two palettes, please feel free to leave a comment below! I've been feeling lazy and lacking of inspiration for videos or blog posts! >__<'

Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum Review

Who knew having nice skin took so much time and effort.. and not to mention money. It makes me regret not taking better care of it when I was younger and had the perfect baby soft, clear, and untouched by pimples and scars face haha. But anyways, today's review is going to be on the Shieseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (wow that was a mouthful) and if you're trying to decide whether or not to slap that grand of money on the table for this product, well read on~!

 

Price: $170 for 50 mL

What it claims to do: "A super brightening serum created to diminish stubborn dark spots in 10 days and prevent future pigmentation from appearing." 

• Formulated with smoothing and re-texturizing ingredients to enhance clarity and radiance for flawless, perfectly even-toned skin
• Developed with advanced Shiseido Multi-Action Brightening System+, targeting all types of hyper-pigmentation and their causes: dark spots, age spots, acne scars and uneven skin tones. 
• Contains ME Complex (Yomogi Extract and Angelica Root Extract) to accelerate cell turnover and diminish and eliminate melanin pigment.

"The recommended replenishment cycle for 30mL is 1 month and 50mL is 2 months."

Okay all of that above was taken straight from the site so I'm sure you've read it before, but let me point out that last sentence.. the "recommended replenishment"?! I started off with the 30mL bottle and it lasted me a year. Maybe it's because I was super sparing with the product or that I stopped using it as consistently as I maybe should have? Who knows but regardless, I'm pretty sure it'll last longer than it says there so don't be too freaked out by that last sentence. 

I originally bought this serum hoping that it would help fade my dark spots and acne scars that I had gotten from my college breakout experience, but as time went by and I continued to use this product, I realized it wasn't really doing much for my dark spots and rather I preferred to use it to "brighten" my skin. I noticed that the mornings after I had applied the product (I usually only put it on at night), my face looked more luminescent, like it had nice radiant glow to it which helped my complexion look nicer. However, when I looked close to see any removal or decrease of my dark spots, I didn't notice any notable or incredible difference. For a product that costs $170 for the full size, I was definitely not impressed by the results. Sure it does make your skin look nice, but you have to continually use it to get that effect and really, who has that kind of money to spend on something that doesn't actually improve your skin? While I'll admit this product does meet the first bullet point in that it does "enhance radiance", I don't think it gives you even skin because I can still see my discoloration from my scars and I don't think that counts as "even"! Personally, I prefer my Aloe Vera gel lotion - which I swear by in treating acne and scars - as well as a Pond's dark spot treatment which I might review if you guys would like (it's less than $10 and I can say it works better than this $170 Shisiedo "intensive" serum. I'm now also trying out an Olay dark spot serum and will let you know how that goes once I've used it long enough to determine it's effectiveness but so far it's going well!

Anyways, back to this review ...Would I repurchase this? No, definitely not because it is way too pricey and did not get rid of my dark spots. Therefore, I can't say I would recommend it to you guys to purchase. Sure it makes your skin look brighter but there are a ton more products out there for less than half the price that do the same job so I'd say save your hard earned money and go for those! So tootle-loo for now, I'll be back with another review soon (hopefully!) ^__^