Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Highlight Duo - Iris Plume and Moon Opal

This is my first experience with Tarina Tarantino cosmetics. I am pretty impressed. These shadows remind me of a Lorac compact I used to have with some really nice shadows in it. They are a nice, fine silky powder that go on very well. They have just a bit of shimmer when in direct light.
Description from Sephora.com
What it is:
A collection of superb shadow duos that highlight the eye area for fantastical glowing effects.
What it does:
 These shadows deliver a gorgeous pearlized metallic finish to the eye. The reflective properties of diamond dust and micro-fine platinum powder diffuse light, creating a luminous soft focus effect.Plus, each shadow's smooth texture blends easily and feels silky soft on the skin.
What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
What else you need to know:
 "No eye look is complete without a highlighted inner corner and browbone. Formulated with diamond and platinum dust, Eye Dream Highlight Duos brilliantly open and brighten eyes, and compliment other shadows perfectly." XOXO, Tarina Tarantino, jewelry designer and makeup artist

Swatches after the jump!

Shellac manicure - 7 days later

Despite the chip on my thumb that happened the first day I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the Shellac manicure. No other chipping or wear at all. Only problem is, much like with the Revlon Colorstay polish, I am getting bored having the same polish on for so long. I miss painting my nails!! They are starting to grow out a bit.

Here are the pictures. I got one more tiny tiny chip on my right index finger but it's barely noticeable. I actually bought myself some gel polishes and borrowed a UV light from a friend so when I remove this I will be trying a do-it-yourself. I will definitely post the results. I am having cuticle issues right now, it is so dry in my house, even with daily treatment my hands look terrible. Don't even ask about my lips.

Left hand

Left thumb

Right hand

Right thumb

 Now we'll see how long I can stand it. Part of me wants to keep it on just to see how long it really would last. Part of me wants to take it off right now and start a new mani! Whatever I decide I will document the removal process. The possible difficulty of that is adding to my restraint right now.

Free Shipping at e.l.f. today only!

eyeslipsface.com is offering free shipping today only with any order of $14 or more.

Some products I recommend:
Studio cream eyeshadow
Studio cream eyeliner
Studio brushes
Studio Matte Lipcolor
Studio Blush
Mineral Eye Shadow Primer
Mineral Eye Shadow
Mineral Lipstick
Essentials Shimmering Facial Whip
Essentials All Over Color Stick
Essentials Luscious Liquid Lipstick

Those all run from $1-$5 each and in my opinion are great makeup values!
Hope everyone has a good valentines day whether you have a honey or not.

Happy Valentines Day! - Stila Love at First Blush Palette

I was lucky enough to snag the last one at Ulta after trying the tester they had out. I loved the feeling, the look and the shimmer of this blush. It's awesome. It does have some bigger glitter pieces in it so I know it's not for everyone, but if you like sparkles or you have a special night this is great!

Stilacosmetics.com describes it as:

Embossed with endearing hearts in three ultra-wearable shades of pink, this micro-fine powder has a velvety, luxurious finish with subtle pearl shimmer for a natural looking blush. 

Comes in the Stila cardboard paper box.

And the back of the box.

Open it up and we see supercute gradient pink hearts!! I love it. They are shimmery and lovely.

And it's time for the swatch. I hope I was able to capture the sparkle well enough. You can click to enlarge.

This palette is a really good deal at $14! You might still be able to find it at Ulta, or you can get it from Stila's website here.

I'll be back later to post about the contents of my Julep Maven Valentine Box of Mystery. ooOOoo

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Eyeshadow Steel & Taupe

I picked up a few of these MUFE Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color for eyes and cheeks at Sephora. I love the silky texture of these and the staying power is amazing. These are shades 2 and 15, Steel and Taupe.

The description from Sephora.com:

Aqua Cream
What it is:
An ultra-pigmented, long lasting waterproof cream. 

What it does:
Aqua Cream combines the highest-quality pigments with mother of pearl particles to give immediate rich color payoff with a luminous finish in just one application. It's long-lasting formulation will not crease or smudge under the most extreme conditions and its creamy and elastic texture allows for easy blending.

 

 

Comes in a pot with a twist off lid.

MUFE Aqua Cream #2 Steel

MUFE Aqua Cream #15 Taupe

 This doesn't really seem like taupe to me, it's more coppery. The name isn't listed on the box so I was actually surprised to see it's called Taupe.

They start out a silky cream in the pot. They feel really thin but they have a lot of color punch. Dries to a nice velvety finish.

Aqua Creams are available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com and are $22 a piece.

32 Spoiled by Wet n Wild - Finale!

Alright, here are the rest of my Spoiled polishes!.
You can see part one here, and part two here.

L-R: Violet Femmes, Magic Carpet Ride, Battle of the Sexes

2 Weeks Sober, Paying With Platinum, I'm Ba-roque

and the last two!

Jewelry Heist and Black Mamba

 

 And that's it! I hope this is helpful. Sometimes the brushes are a little weird in these bottles, but they are definitely a good polish with lots of possiblities for just $1.99 each. Only at CVS stores and CVS.com!

 

32 Spoiled by Wet n Wild - Part two!

OK today I have 12 more Spoiled swatches for you! Let's get started.

L-R: Toad-ally Amazing, Distant Memory, Deeper Dive

The rest are after the jump!

32 Spoiled by Wet n Wild - Part one!

I am in the midst of swatching and photographing all my Spoiled polishes. Here's the group photo:

And here we go! All swatches are 2 coats of polish.

L-R Shaken Snow Globe, Tattle Tell, I Gotta Confection to Make
See the rest of part one after the jump

Shellac update - one day later

Really? One day? Less than 24 hours?

Valentine Kisses SkinCeuticals Giveaway!

Click here to read about it and enter!

My first shellac manicure!

So I was at the Mall of America today and for some reason, I decided to get a manicure. The nail lady talked to me about shellac, and since I had read a lot about it, and wanted to try it, I decided to go for it!

After cleaning up my cuticles she started the shellac procedure. It takes a bit longer than a regular manicure, but hopefully the results will be worth it. She showed me the colors to choose from. I was trying to pick between a light orchid-y pink and a hot pink with sparkles. I was a little disappointed with the relatively small color selection (I think they had 12 Shellac colors to choose from), as I really wish there had been a light pink with sparkles. In the end, sparkles won, dark pink and all. I just can't resist.

The shellac procedure goes like this:
1. base coat
2. 3 minutes under the UV lamp
3. first coat of polish
4. 3 more minutes under the UV lamp
5. another coat of polish
6. 3 more minutes under the UV lamp
7. top coat
8. Guess what.... 3 more minutes under the UV lamp
9. She cleaned off the nails really well with alcohol. They were already shiny, but this seemed to really make it extra-shiny.

And that was it! No paying before the end, because at the end I was able to get my wallet and do pretty much anything without the polish getting all messed up, it was completely dry. That was pretty cool. Now we will see how it lasts.

Close up of the pretty sparkles.

I am actually considering buying the stuff for shellac manicures for myself at home. The only thing I am not sure about is that I like to change my polish a lot. But at the same time, I despise chips and sometimes I just want to wear a mani for more than 2 days without them. I'll take a look and think about it some more.

Profusion Spotlight palette swatches and review

Profusion is a brand that can be really hit or miss, so I was curious to try this palette when I saw it at Ulta.

When you open the palette it has 6 lip glosses, 6 eyeshadows a mirror and the brush. Unfortunately my first pictures of the inside before I swatched it didn't work, but actually this picture illustrates a good point. Don't use the brush in this palette for the lipgloss. Actually the other end is a sponge tip so I probably wouldn't use that one either, but that's up to you.

The lip brush is so hard, and the gloss so soft that it really gouges the whole thing, taking out too much at once. Use a softer brush or even your finger.

Click through the jump to see swatches...

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Physicians Formula Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss - Pink

Physicans Formula Matchmaker pH powered lip gloss is described as "make up powered by YOU!". Here is the rest of the description from physiciansformula.com:

1st Ever Lip Gloss with pH Power Complex transforms into your perfectly personalized hue.

Fluorescein Based Dye-senses the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect lip color.

Photochronic Powders-light adjusting pigments adapt to your environment so color looks the same indoors & outside.

Look your Best in Every Light!

LED-powered compact lights up and features a full-size mirror for touch-ups anywhere & everywhere!

 

Welcome to Made Up and Polished

Hi there!
Welcome to my new blog. I also write a blog called "Just the Tips" which is about nail polish, and can be found here. I decided that I wanted to do more than just nail polish and incorporate some makeup reviews in there. I hope you enjoy!