OPI by Sephora - "Dark Room" Nailcolour

I adore Sephora so much that I am a "Fan" on Facebook, which, along with the usual e-mails they send me, gives me instant access to updates and information about new products. I got an update last week about a new shade of nailpolish (excuse me, nailcolour) being introduced from the OPI by Sephora line. I love OPI nailpolish - its longlasting, applies evenly, and is fairly chip proof, which I would guess are a few reasons why OPI is used in most nail salons. There's also the fact that most colors have a very cheeky name - a few in my private stash include Ladies & Magenta-men, And This Little Piggy, Midnight in Moscow, and Cozu-Melted in the Sun...

I hadn't tried OPI by Sephora and the new shade, called Dark Room ($9.00), looks like a stunning shade of green on the webpage (see pic above) and according to Sephora's website is a smoky deep evergreen and "a dangerously deep, gorgeous, green nail color that will make you a scene stealer this autumn". Green is my very favorite color and the product description intrigued me, so needless to say, I was at Sephora this weekend to snap up my own bottle to try...

At first glance, I couldn't really tell if the color was green - it looked more like a greenish-blue. However, there was only one bottle left so I bought it, hoping that the color itself on my nails would be the green I was longing for. I painted my nails last night and needless to say, I am fairly disappointed. Even after two coats, it basically looks like I'm wearing black nailpolish with the teeniest, tiniest hint of a green visible to the eye. I'm not opposed to black nailpolish but I already have a bottle and also a blue/black color (the afformentioned Midnight in Moscow). I also didn't care for the application of the polish itself; it was kind of thin and uneven...

I'm not the only one unhappy with this purchase. Most of the user review comments on Sephora's website describe similar experiences. In the end, I will most likely keep the polish as I can always use it on my toes, but I would not recommend to others. I guess there will be no scene-stealing for me this autumn...

VIVA GLAM!

It should come as no surprise that I would post again about lipstick as I think I speak for many women when I say that we're always on the elusive hunt for "The One". It's that one shade of lipstick that will make all of life's problems disappear by its mere application; putting it on brings about a feeling of instant beauty and confidence. I think I may have found my perfect shade or at least, something very close to it...

I was doing some modest shopping over the weekend at the M.A.C. cosmetics store in Crocker Park. I went there for two reasons - one is the simple fact that M.A.C. is one of my very favorite make-up brands. It's pricier than your discount and drugstore lines but in this case, you really do get what you pay for. And much like Sephora, you can test each and every shade of every type of cosmetic they sell and trained make-up artists/staff are quick to help with questions and make-up applications. The second reason I went in was because I had 6 empty containers to turn in for either a free lipstick, lip gloss, or eyeshadow. (I chose an eyeshadow called Knight Divine - a nice smoky dark blue-grey with the slightest hint of shimmer; it's quite lovely...)

I was also looking at lipsticks and fell in love with the VIVA GLAM VI Lustre lipstick. I took a risk by only testing it on my hand and not on my lips but when I got home and tried it on, I was not disappointed. It's one of those shades that's not necessarily a neutral, but really enhances the lips' natural color. According to M.A.C.'s website (http://www.maccosmetics.com/), it's a "warm terra-cotta plum with pearl finish". It's understated enough to wear with a dark eye but overstated enough to wear alone or with a very neutral eye. And it passed my previously blogged about lipstick test...

The best part is the fact that 100% of the selling price ($14.00) is donated to the M.A.C AIDS Fund to support men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. This also includes other VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass shades.

And so, I most likely found the perfect shade for me, at least for now. However, my make-up bin holds many past contenders that at one time held the title of "The One"... Although I'm sure at some point, I will feel the need to continue my search, for now I have a color that makes me feel very pretty and I contributed to a very worthwhile cause at the same time, which is certainly never a bad thing.

Skin Care and Make-Up from Aldi - Who Knew?

I'm sitting here wearing a new lipstick I bought at Aldi. Yes, that's right. I said Aldi. The grocery store where you can buy a weeks worth of groceries for about $5. Don't take my sarcasm the wrong way. I absolutely love Aldi and when I was growing up, it helped my close-to-poverty family make ends meet. My boyfriend and I are frequent shoppers and the prices just can't be beat, especially since it seems like the quality of the food they sell has dramatically improved over the years.

I was both intrigued and skeptical a few months ago when I saw Aldi was carrying a line of European skin care products called LACURA. I try and be very careful these days about what I put on my skin but considering the low prices, I just couldn't pass up a chance to try something new and decided on the $3.99 Moisturizing Eye Cream. So far, I haven't been disappointed. And based on the recommendations from other beauty bloggers, I'll definitely be purchasing other products in the line.

A Google search and a peak at Aldi's website (http://www.aldi.com/) reveals that LACURA was created by German skincare specialists and the Q10 Anti-wrinkle Night Cream consistently beat out more expensive lines of similar products. Ingredients in the line include bioflavonoids, coenzyme Q10, which is a special retinol complex as well as hydrating sea minerals, provitamin B5, aloe vera, and vitamins E and C. The LACURA skin care line include creams, cleansers, toners, masks, peeling gels, and lip care and the most expensive product is $4.99. Yes, you read that right. $4.99, which allows women and men in any socioeconomic bracket to enjoy better skin care.

My boyfriend was the one who told me that ALDI was now carrying make-up. Make-up? At Aldi? Sign me up! As I was shopping today for taco night, I decided to investigate. The first thing I was happy to see were the testers. I was able to see which of the five or so lipsticks would look best against my skin tone, with colors including Coral, Deep Sand, and Truffle. The same with the eyeshadow, which comes in Duos. The cosmetic line is modest and offers the afformentioned lipsticks and eyeshadow as well as mascara, foundation, compact powder, and blush.

For $3.99, there was no way I could pass up buying some lipstick and the winner was Deep Red. So far, it's passed all of my lipstick tests. It went on smoothly (thanks to the avocado oil), stayed true to color, didn't bleed, and didn't dry out my lips.

I would highly recommend checking out the LACURA line of skin care and cosmetics. I bought mine at the ALDI on West 117th, between Franklin Blvd. and Madison Ave. in Cleveland.

Happy bargain shopping!