Category: Review

COLORS! Collection 2020 by Native War Paints

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I have swatches of the latest Native War Paints collection to share with you today. These were sent to me in PR, but I always give my honest opinion regardless of whether I purchase the products myself or if they were sent to me.

The COLORS! collection is making a return after a three year hiatus! All colors were reformulated to be more opaque, and they watermarble! Each swatch is topped with top coat. The amount of coats needed will be mentioned for each polish.

First up, we have Amanda Loves Betsey. This polish is a neon pastel pink with a green shimmer. I needed 3 coats for opacity. This polish is very bright; definitely a great pink for summer!

1990’s Lipstick is a neon pastel coral with blue shimmer. I needed 4 coats for opacity. This polish definitely reminded me of a lipstick I had from AVON when I was in middle school. A great nostalgic color for spring!

Orange Dreamsicle is a neon pastel orange with purple shimmer. This needed 4 coats for opacity, and it is such a chameleon shade. It is very bright, but it also changes depending on your lighting. This was one of my favorite shades to wear on its own.

Drops of Sunshine is a neon pastel yellow with red shimmer. 4 coats needed for opacity, and is most certainly your “highlighter” shade. This will be great for summer as well. Super bright and fun!

Honeydew Smoothies is a neon pastel green with copper shimmer. This polish needed 4 coats as well. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, and very bright for spring and summer. I fell in love with this shade. Such a beautiful green.

Bird’s Nest in the Mailbox is a neon pastel teal with gold shimmer. This shade was reformulated to be more blue leaning teal than its previous version. I needed 3 coats for opacity. By far, this is my favorite polish of the collection. I plan on using this for Easter and spring nail art.

Bouquet of Lilacs is a neon pastel purple with orange shimmer. I needed 3 coats for opacity, and I really enjoyed this polish. Perfect for spring but bright enough to join you for summer. Such a beautiful purple polish!

Native War Paints polishes have always made watermarbling easy, and this collection is no exception. Below are samples of watermarble art I did with these polishes. The base for my nail art is 2 coats of China Glaze “Blanc Out.”

These polishes are available for PREORDER. $8.00 each or $55.00 for the collection from 2/28 through 3/8, and then they will be the normal pricing of $9.00 each or $60.00 for the collection. You can use code GR6MGTZM0Z to save on your order.

Shiseido Makeup Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation Review

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DICLAIMER:  I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  I am required to leave a review, but I am not required to leave a positive one.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have included photos of my experiences with this product.

I recently received the latest foundation from Shiseido, and was pleasantly surprised because I was not expecting anything.  I did receive this before the product launched, but it is now available.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation claims to be a 24-hour medium coverage foundation with a natural finish.  It is supposed to be heat, humidity, oil, and facial movement resistant.  Application can be wet or dry, but I wasn’t a fan of the sponge provided so I only wore this foundation dry.

I previously did not own any products from Shiseido so I did not know what to expect.  I was very pleased with the packaging.  It feels luxury but it’s not screaming it in my face.  I really like the sleek black with the thin red on the lid.  Very classy and chic yet sturdy enough that I would trust to carry this in my purse.

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The packaging is slim and light.

Fresh pan, mirror film still attached, sponge unused.

For my wear test, I applied the ULTA Beauty Matte Face Primer applied only to my chin, cheeks, and in-between my brows.  I applied the foundation using the IT Cosmetics Buffing Mineral Foundation Brush and buffed the product into the skin.  Coverage was light so I applied a second layer.  It did not cake, and I was very happy with the shade.  (I was given shade 110 Alabaster.)  I did a simple eye look using an eyeshadow trio from ULTA, did a small wing with the Clinique Pretty Easy liquid eyeliner , and one coat of Pretty Vulgar Faux Reals Extreme Volume Mascara.  Brows are ABH Brow Wiz in Soft Brown.  I used a neutral blush, applied highlighter, and set the face with the Morphe Continuous Setting Mist.  Lips were left bare; I applied a light layer of my favorite lip balm.

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After wearing this foundation for 9 hours on two different occasions, I can honestly say I am very impressed with this foundation.  I typically only wear powders to set my liquid foundations so I did not have high hopes for this product.  Co-workers did not know I wasn’t wearing my typical foundation to work that day, and I did not experience any caking or extreme oiliness.

Will you be checking out this product?  Do you think $45 is too expensive for a medium-coverage powder foundation?

Influenster is a free to join community where you can review products you already use, ask questions about products you’re interested in, and have the opportunity to receive products for free to try out yourself.  If you are interested in joining, feel free to click the link below!

www.influenster.com/r/2858750

 

 

 

 

Native War Paints Reading Rainbow Collection

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Today I have swatches of the Reading Rainbow collection from Native War Paints.  Amanda was gracious enough to send these to me in PR, but all opinions are my own and I was not under obligation to give a positive review.

This collection of polishes are all jellies with holographic glitters.  They dry quickly and shiny, but all swatches were topped with top coat.

“Clifford the Big Red Dog” is a red jelly base with red holographic glitter.  I applied two coats, but I think a third coat would actually deepen the red even more making this polish more the actual color of Clifford.  This is definitely a polish Emily Elizabeth would love!

 

“The Big Orange Splot” is an orange jelly base with orange holographic glitter.  Even after 3 coats it was a little sheer, but I think this would be great for a gradient or you could layer this over an orange polish.  I feel this polish is definitely a color from Mr. Plumbean’s dreams.

 

“Yellow Yellow” is a yellow jelly base with gold holographic glitters.  This is another sheer polish, but I found this one to be extremely gorgeous on the nails.  I feel this would be great for nail art or for a spring-into-summer transition shade because it is so bright and cheery.  I get really strong lemon vibes from this, and I rather enjoyed wearing this shade.  It’s just as beautiful as the drawings by Mark Alan Stamaty in Frank Asch’s book.

 

“Green Eggs and Ham” is a green jelly base with green holographic glitter.  This was another two coat polish, and was very chameleon.  Depending on the lighting, this polish can be a bright green (like my photos) to a deep, emerald green.  The holographic glitters stood out amazingly well in this polish, too.  Thankfully, this polish doesn’t make me want to scarf down any green eggs or ham.  It just makes me want to snuggle with my little boy and enjoy Dr. Seuss books.

 

“One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” is a blue jelly base with blue holographic glitter.  Not only is this polish perfect for the Pantone Color of the Year, but it is the most opaque of these polishes and holy cow – does she shine!!!  This beauty was opaque in two coats, and reminds me of sapphires or the Hope Diamond.  I just wish this shade of blue was more prevalent in the book, which I also enjoyed as a kid and sharing with my children now.

 

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is a purple jelly base with violet holographic glitter.  Purples are one of my favorite colors to wear on my nails, and this one is no exception.  I had to do three coats to cover any nail line, but the color deepened with each thin coat so I definitely recommend three for this beauty.  The glow that comes out of this one is like none of the other polishes.  I hope my photos did this polish justice.  This polish makes me feel like I have the power to do anything, just like Harold.  A great polish indeed!

 

These polishes will be available on Friday, January 24th, on the https://nativewarpaints.com/ site.  This collection retails for $10 each or you can get the entire collection for $55.  You can use code GR6MgtZM0z for 10% off your order.  It is not an affiliate code, it just lets the brand know you came to them from this blog post.  

Did you have any favorites?  Will you be picking up any from this collection?

 

Links to the books these polishes are based on:
Clifford the Big Red Dog
The Big Orange Splot
Yellow Yellow
Green Eggs and Ham
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Harold and the Purple Crayon

NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation Review

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So I finally gave in.  I’ve seen so many positive reviews, and I have co-workers telling me how much they love this foundation that I had to give it a go.

For a little bit of background on me, I have very oily skin.  The kind of oily skin where if I go bare-faced, I am shiny within two hours.  My skin was not always this way; in high school and most of my active duty military career my skin was combination dry.  After having three children, my skin changed.  Not only am I oily, but my skin has a lot of redness.

I am not a full coverage queen, but I do enjoy products that will not only cover my redness but will also last for at least an entire work day.  I am a lead cashier at Ulta Beauty (they are in no way sponsoring my posts nor am I advertising for them) and my typical shifts range from 5-6 hours although I will wear my makeup for upwards of 14 hours.  This foundation retails for $15 USD for one fluid ounce.

Now that you know about my skin type, let’s get on to the product.  The NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation claims to be lightweight, waterproof, transfer proof, and suitable for all skin types.  It also claims to be a 24 hour foundation, but I did not want to test it out for that long as I typically breakout if I sleep with makeup on.

The first wear test I used shade Light Ivory, and I did not use a primer.  I applied the foundation with my Beauty Blender™ sponge on top of my Mario Badescu Peptide Renewal Cream.  I did not set with powder because I felt that it set really well on its own.  I applied the rest of my face make up and then set with my Too Faced Cosmetics Hangover RX 3-in-1 spray.

Here are the photos from the first wear test:

Initial application in natural lighting

Initial application under bathroom lighting

6 hours after application in natural lighting

6 hours after application in bathroom lighting

6 hours after application in bathroom lighting

14 hours after application in bathroom lighting

14 hours after application in bathroom lighting

14 hours after application in bathroom lighting

I shade matched in store, but something about this shade felt off; after wearing and asking others’ opinions we came to the conclusion that it was the wrong undertone.  It was a little too pink.

The second wear test I used the shade Vanilla.  I applied this over the Ulta Mattifying primer and used my Luxie 532 brush.  I set my face with the Coty Airspun powder and the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe #1 brush, then set all my makeup with Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray.  Vanilla is definitely my perfect shade match.

Here are the photos from the second wear test:

Initial application in bathroom lighting

Initial application in natural lighting

5 hour check-in at work

10 hours after application in bathroom lighting

10 hours after application in bathroom lighting

10 hours after application in bathroom lighting

As you can see from these photos, the foundation held up beautifully.  I definitely recommend using a primer, setting powder, or both just to extend your longevity.  My face did not feel sticky to the touch, but did not feel overly tight or dry.  I agree with the claims that this foundation is lightweight even though it is full coverage.  It is definitely transfer proof, and I would like to say that this foundation is indeed 24 hour wear but I would not recommend wearing it for that long.  Even though I had some oils peek through, it still did not transfer and looked amazing at the end of the day.

I highly recommend this foundation if you’re looking for something new to try, want to explore, or just need a foundation for special occasions (i.e. prom, homecoming, that summer cruise, trip to Disney, etc.)  This foundation is available at Ulta and wherever NYX products are sold.