China Glaze: Coral Star

The Breakdown

Brand-China Glaze

Color- Coral Star

Thoughts- This is the most neglected of my China Glaze polishes. My preferences are cremes or dark polishes, as you can tell this is neither. I do like it though, don't get me wrong.

The is a bright pinky coral with a fine reflect orange glitter running through it. It's quite bright and eye catching, regardless of who wears it. It requires two thin coats to get it opaque, which is pretty standard for CG polishes. I like that the color sits nicely against my skin tone.

Overall-I don't seem to be reaching for this one very often. I tend to gravitate toward darker glitter polishes or midtone cremes. I use this when it is inappropriate to have blue nails that are not a flat color. I won't buy this again, but I do like it.

Star Rating- 4.5/5, It's a nice polish that stands out against all the blues and greens in my collection. Not my favorite, but still pretty.

Swatches

China Glaze: Dorothy Who?

The Breakdown

Brand-China Glaze

Color-Dorothy Who?

Thoughts-Oh man, I am in serious lust with this polish. It was part of a line of polished inspired by The Wizard of Oz, I don't know if it was limited edition or not, but I do know that this polish is now part of their permanent line.

In terms of color? Well, first think of the ruby slippers from the movie. Then, replace the red with a bright cerulean blue. It is nothing short of lovely. It is rife with large bits of bright blue and silver glitter, exactly like a blue version of those oh-so-famous shoes.

Qualitywise? To get an even coat of glitter, you need at least three thin coats. Thick coats are not the way to go, so you need a bit of patience to layer and let dry. Also, the glitter is so large that you can never get a smooth coat with just the polish. A thicker top coat (Seche Vite) or two layers of a thinner one is the best way to go. You do need to let it dry completely before doing anything or else all those layers of polish will dent, not a good look.

Overall-Amazing, no other word for it. The massive chunks of glitter make it difficult to remove without a cotton ball (I normally use the jars with sponges in them, I'm lazy). I get compliments everytime I wear this and I find myself gravitating to it whenever I don't have a particular color in mind. Regardless, I hope this polish never goes away.

Star Rating- 5/5, I always want to wear this polish, always.

Swatches

China Glaze: Midnight Mission

The Breakdown

Brand-China Glaze

Color-Midnight Mission

Thoughts-Midnight Mission is a part of the LE Vintage Vixens Collection. From what I can tell, it was available at Sally's for a little bit, but they only carried a few bottles of each. I missed out, as a few months ago I didn't know how nail launches worked, so I had to break down and search for the sucker online (at transdesign, review here).

The polish itself is a blackened navy blue, there's no other way to describe it really. It has fine but still noticeable) silver and blue glitter running through it. The silver gives the polish another dimension and gives it a faux 'metallic' sheen when light hits at the right angle.

The quality is amazing and, to be honest, I expect nothing less from China Glaze. It's easy to apply and lasts a while given the right topcoat. Well worth my money.

Overall-It's no surprise that I simply love this color. It's dark without being black and sits perfectly against my coloring. I'll be sad when it runs out, but I figure if/when that time comes I'll have boatloads more nail polish than I do now that will ease the pain.

Star Rating- 5/5, If you don't mind turning to an online retailer and have a few other polishes you missed out on, go ahead and add this to your cart...you won't regret it.

Swatches

Love, Love, Love

Online Shopping Review-Trans Design

The Breakdown

Website-http://transdesign.com/

Purchased- China Glaze past collections

Price- $2.99/China Glaze polish

Shipping- By weight, four bottles set me back $8-$9 in shipping. Nail polish is heavy

Overall-The color selection of this site is ridiculous. There is a good mix of permanent colors, great for those w/o a Sally Beauty Supply to feed your China Glaze fix, and those hard to find Limited Edition polishes that seem to sell out instantly. They give options to buy individual bottles or polish sets of each collection, for those in love with an entire LE release.

I picked up three colors- Midnight Mission, Emerald Fitzgerald and Recycle. All were from LE collections. I fell in love with the first two after checking out Temptalia's swatches and I drove to about 5 Sally's, only to return disappointed. My cousin was looking for a gray polish (Recycle) but they were either too expensive(OPI You Don't Know Jacque), too brown (Rimmel Steel Gray) or sold out (again, OPI You Don't Know Jacque). Her quest led me to break down and place an order to trans design, the only site that has had fully positive reviews via youtube. In total, the four bottles I ordered (I picked up a Recycle for myself) set me back about $21, including tax and shipping.

Shipping wise, it's not lightening fast, nor is it supremely slow. They use Fed Ex, so you can track your package with once a day updates. It took about 1 1/2 weeks to get my order in, which isn't too bad at all. When I got it it came packaged quite well, with all the packing peanuts it didn't look like anything could cause the bottles harm.

From what I can tell, Trans Design also sells more high end polishes (OPI, Essie, Orly) though none of the prices are as low as those from China Glaze. I'm pleased with my order and the process, though the shipping cost tends to negate all of my discounted price savings, so it'll remain my last resort option.

Rating-5/5...This is a great site for anyone trying to track down LE collections of the past or for those (like me) who aren't quick enough to snag them at Sally's.

Overall Review- N.Y.C. Waterprood Pencil Eyeliner

The Breakdown

Brand-N.Y.C

Product-Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner

Packaging- Standard pencil, needs a sharpener

Thoughts-BOGO free and clearance sales make me (and my miniscule makeup collection) a very happy camper

I have this liner in four shades-Dark Brown, Smoky Plum, Bronze Gold and Turquoise- the first two are permanent and the last two are limited edition. I picked up the Dark Brown and Smoky Plum because I wanted to try a cheaper alternative to the Styli Style 24hr Line and Seal liners, which didn't work as well as I had hoped. The black was sold out at the time so these were the two I went for. I got the last two at the end of the summer (2010), the packaging indicated they were limited edition and I was lucky enough to get them on 75% clearance.

Each shade has a supremely fine shimmer running through the pencil, but it is small enough that it will not cause irritation to the eye. I wear it on the waterline all the time and have not had a problem at all. Also, from my extensive testing, this stuff is truly waterproof, adding water and eye rubbing to the mix will have little affect on the liner's appearance. Most importantly though is that this liner is truly TRANSFER-PROOF. I have not had issues with it transferring to my lids or moving around, because of this I think I can declare it my HG drugstore eyeliner.

The Dark Brown is the perfect dark shade to line my waterline when I don't want a harsh black. Also it is really nice for a natural look on my upper lash line, when I choose not to go with my liquid or gel liner.

The Smoky Plum is exactly what the name describes, it's a nice darkened plum with a slight gray undertone. I use this interchangeably with the Dark Brown on my waterline so I can have definition without the harsh color contrast.

The Bronze Gold (LE) definitely leans more toward the gold side of things. This is very, very creamy and soft so I have to be careful not to add too much pressure when I'm lining my eyes. I use this mainly as an accent to the Dark Brown when I line my upper lash line, though I have used it on my waterline as well to brighten my eyes a bit. If you do though, be sure to run a bit of the brown on the outer third of the lower lash line just to give the eyes definition.

The Turquoise (LE) is very bright, as you can see by the photos below. It is true to color, meaning the color the pencil is is the color that will show up on your lids. I use this as an accent on my upper lash line and for a pop of color on the outer third of my lower.

Overall- I don't think love is a strong enough word for my feelings about this liner. It has great staying power (10+ hrs on my non-oily lids), doesn't smudge and best of all...does not transfer! It is also waterproof which translates to at least 6hrs of wear on my waterline. It's perfect for my eye type and desired uses, I haven't come across anything that works nearly as well.

Star Rating-5/5...I will happily purchase again and again.

Swatches

L-R: Dark Brown, Smoky Plum, Bronze Gold, Turquoise

L-R: Dark Brown, Smoky Plum, Bronze Gold, Turquoise

Overall Review-Jordana: Easyliner for Eyes

Overall Review

Brand-Jordana

Product-Easyliner for Eyes

Packaging- Twist up eyeliner pencil

Thoughts-As of right now, these are my least favorite cosmetics purchases of all time. I was drawn in because the eleventhgorgeous girls were raving about the Fab-U-Liner by the same brand. I figured the brand overall was good, so when I saw these at $1.99 I wanted to try them.

Unfortunately, I didn't follow my first rule in eyeliner purchases-make sure it is waterproof. BIG mistake, these have absolutely no staying power and will come off with the lightest touch. My lids fold asian-style so the transfer from these liners is a nightmare to deal with. I have even gone so far as to setting them with a powder, I tried eyeshadows and translucent face powder and I have tried them over primers. NOTHING I have done has worked.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. The only people I can see this working on would be people with no folds in their lids, but even then the staying factor is horrible so it would still be useless. I have demoted these to practice makeup, where I'll use it before I shower just to get techniques down or to try out new eyeliner patterns, but I will never subject myself to wearing this product in public.

For individual reviews, click the links- Purple Fusion or Sterling Blue

Star Rating- 0.25/5....I cannot dislike this more than I do.

Swatches

Jordana: Easyliner for Eyes in Sterling Blue

The Breakdown

Brand-Jordana

Color-Easyliner for Eyes in Sterling Blue

Packaging- Twist up eyeliner pencil

Thoughts-I'm telling you, impulse buys made without research can only lead to regret and resent over a lighter wallet

This range of liners is one of the softest I've come across, but it takes a few passes to get the intensity you want. Sterling Blue is a gorgeous cerulean/ocean blue, the color is amazing. Unfortunately it is NOT waterproof or smudgeproof so anyone with lids that fold will have to pass on this. The transfer factor is horrible, which means that the staying power is non-existent.

Overall- Please don't buy this...the product smudges, smears and transfers like there's no tomorrow. I cannot adequately express how much you shouldn't waste your money on this eyeliner.

Star Rating- 0.25/5...Love the color, hate-hate-hate the liner.

Swatches

Single on the left

+Rubbing on the right

+Water & Rubbing below

Jordana- Easyliner for Eyes in Purple Fusion

The Breakdown

Brand-Jordana

Color-Easyliner for Eyes in Purple Fusion

Packaging- Twist up eyeliner pencil

Thoughts-I pick this up on impulse at Walgreens without having done any research, which is rare for me. It's purchases like this that remind me why I do so much review reading before I buy something.

The liner is quite soft and applies very smoothly. It takes a few passes to get the color on your lids to match the liner itself. Purple Fusion is a nice jewel purple, very similar to amethyst in color. This is NOT waterproof or smudgeproof so anyone with folding lids will have to pass on this.

Overall- I hate this liner. The color is gorgeous, but it smudges, smears and transfers like crazy. You might not be able to see this in the swatches as the lighting was iffy, but trust me there is nothing good that can come from using this liner. I have tried it on the lids, outer corners, lower lash line, waterline...everywhere, and there is no way I can use this with the amount of transfer/smudge issues that come with it.

Star Rating- 0.25/5...Nice color, horrible formula.

Swatches

Single on the left

+Rubbing on the right

+Water & Rubbing below

Haul #2

You will not believe the luck I had shopping in Target clearance...it really does pay to be cheap.

Specifics- 4 Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quads, 3 Revlon Colorstay Liners, 1 Revlon Colorstay Eye Liner Pen and an e.l.f. Compexion Perfection face powder. I paid a total of $13 for ALL of that, the Revlon value packs were $2.24 on Clearance.

I'll write up a few reviews when I've had enough time to really test/try and then swatch them.

I am on official Eye Makeup No Buy, I just have way too much. The only things I am allowed to splurge on are Lipstick/gloss and blushes. I am also on a Nail Polish No Buy until after Thanksgiving, I just have waaaay too much.

CoverGirl: Outlast Smoothwear Liner in Indigo

The Breakdown

Brand-Covergirl

Color-Outlast Smoothwear Liner in Indigo

Packaging- Twist up eyeliner pencil

Thoughts-This was an impulse buy at CVS a long while ago, I think there was a 40% off sale on Covergirl eye products AND there was a 50% sticker on this AND there was a 'Save $1 Instantly' coupon on the packaging. So it ended up being something like $0.75, but this was the only color with that promo, so I only picked up the one.

The color is a deep, deep blue. It's almost black if you layer it enough. Also, it does not budge one bit, if you rub the tip between your fingers for a minute to warm it up, you can get it on the waterline and it will stay there for at least 6 hrs. Nothing smudges this liner.

The texture is where I have issues. It is supremely hard, almost too hard. It drags on the lids quite a bit, which can be painful if you are a contact lens wearer like I am. The texture makes it difficult to create a smooth solid line, which is not all that attractive (see swatches below). Also, it is a mission to get off, you really need an oil based makeup remover or else it will not budge. The balance between staying power and texture just isn't quite right for me.

Overall- This liner is no joke, it stays so unbelievably well, I don't have a transfer issues when I wear this. Unfortunately, I don't wear it often as the hard texture is a pain, literally, to work with. Also, the tip does need to be sharpened on occasion whenever the liner stops writing smoothly. Because of this, I don't think I'll be buying anymore of these.

Star Rating- 3/5...It has good staying power, but drags a little too much on my eyelids.

Swatches

Labels (hard to read, I know)

The liner, see how dark it is?

Single on the left

Smudge Test on the right

Water+Smudge Test below