Makeup Swag with Shanna

Looking for a holiday party makeup look that’s fun and daring? Check out this tutorial for ideas!

Are you looking for a simple, everyday makeup look that’s quick and easy? Well look no more! Watch this tutorial for a fast, simple way to create a super sexy everyday look!

Review – Vaseline Deep Conditioning Cocoa Butter

Retail Price – $4-$5

Overview

It’s wintertime which means it’s time to bust out the heavy duty lotion. It’s the time of year when our skin becomes dry, itchy, and flaky. So I decided to try Vaseline Cocoa Butter. What initially attracted me to this product was the smell. I absolutely love the smell of cocoa butter so I knew I would love this lotion. It has a thick consistency which is perfect for the cold season. It instantly moisturizes without leaving your skin feeling greasy. The company claims this lotion will “help to restore skin’s healthy glow.” I’d say they’re right. After applying, my skin glowed, was moisturized, and smelled great!

This product can be purchased wherever Vaseline products are sold

Review – OPI nail polish in We’ll Always Have Paris

Retail Price – $7-$10

Overview

As stated in previous blogs, the holidays are approaching fast. With all the festive parties to attend, I was looking for the perfect holiday nail polish. I didn’t want red because, well, everyone wears red! I wanted to be different. So I decided to purchase a beautiful burgundy/plum nail polish by OPI called We’ll Always Have Paris (cool name, right?). It’s pretty pricey for nail polish, but OPI never lets me down. I have many of their polishes and I’m rarely unsatisfied. The color is a mix between burgundy and plum. From a distance it looks black, but in the sunlight and up close you can see the color shine. Unless you’re doing heavy duty yard work or something of that nature, this polish will last you a good week without chipping (if used with a top coat).

This product can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta, and wherever OPI products are sold

Review – Covergirl eye shadow in Champagne

Retail Price – $3-$4

Overview

I was looking for the perfect nude eyeshadow to create an everyday look. I wanted something subtle, yet noticable. So I decided to try Covergirl’s eyeshadow in Champagne. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn’t very pigmented. It took three or four swipes of product to really see anything. Also, the color isn’t true. In the package, it appears to be a shimmery light beige color, but on my skin it looked almost white and gave off more of a frosty look (and I don’t know anyone who wears white eyeshadow!). I was very disappointed! I imagine this product would look nice as a highlight color (beneath the brow) but it’s definitely not a flattering lid color for any skin tone.

This product can be purchased wherever Covergirl cosmetics are sold.

The smokey eye is timeless. It’s appropriate for almost any situation and it’s very simple to create. Watch this tutorial to create a sexy smokey eye look!

Review – Pond’s Dry Skin Cream

Retail Price – $4-6

Overview

Winter is approaching quickly and I know many of you will be looking for a moisturizer that gives your skin hydration but doesn’t leave your face greasy. My skin gets very dry and flakey in the cold season so I glanced around the beauty section at Target and came across Pond’s dry skin cream. The company claims that it’s a rich, hydrating skin cream that is safe for sensitive skin and doesn’t clog pores. Sounded good to me so I decided to give it a try. The first thing I noticed was the smell. It’s a very light, fresh scent (reminds me of Dove deodorant). After washing my face, I applied the cream all over in a circular motion. You definitely don’t want to go overboard with this stuff! If you use too much, your face will look and feel very greasy. For this reason, I think this product would work best for those with severely dry skin.

Review – Nars Blush in Sertao

Retail Price – $25

Overview

While surfing through Sephora’s website, I noticed that many, many people were talking about how great Nars blushes are, especially one called Orgasm. After months of reading reviews, I just had to try it out. I went to Sephore and tested Orgasm on my cheeks and I was so utterly disappointed. Orgasm is a gorgeous medium pink color that looks amazing on very fair skin tones. I’m more of an olive skin tone, so it barely showed up on me. I was so bummed that I drove 40 minutes to the Cherry Hill mall to specifically purchase Orgasm for it not to show up on my skin. So I decided to try another color. After testing a few shades, I chose Sertao – a shimmery gold color. It gives my skin the most beautiful glow and I believe that it will look great on all skin tones, fair or dark.

I espcially love the packaging. It feels velvety and comes with a mirror. Plus, you get a pretty decent amount (0.16 oz/ 4.8 g).

Application

Nars really did a great job on their blushes. They’re highly pigmented and brush on so smooth. I like to apply it to the very top of my cheekbones and also on my temples. It gives such a pretty glow to the skin and lasts all day long!

I know, Iknow…some of you are probably wondering if it’s really worth $25. Like I said in my MAC blush review, it really depends on whether or not you’re a “blush girl”. If not, then it’s probably not wise to buy this product. You can use a shimmery bronzer from the drugstore and get a similar effect. However, if you are a “blush girl”  like me, then I would absolutely recommend this product to you.

Covergirl Lash Blast in Black

Retail Price – $6 – $9 depending on location

Overview

I don’t know about anyone else, but I think a good mascara is so hard to find! What I look for in a mascara is a formula that will give me lots of volume and won’t clump my lashes together. After watching many reviews on YouTube about mascaras, Idecided to try Covergirl’s Lash Blast. All the gurus seemed to love it and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Well, I’m glad I did because Lash Blast has become my new favortie mascara!

The first thing I noticed was the size of the wand. It’s HUGE! I’ve never seen a mascara wand that big and I didn’t know how well I was going to be able to apply it. Also, the very tip of the wand is curved so you don’t get that big glob of mascara on the end (which always seems to end up on your eyelid!). In addition, this formula has a very strong smell. If you’re sensitive to smells, I probably wouldn’t recommend this product to you.

Application

The formula goes on pretty smooth and I didn’t have an issue with clumping. With such a large wand, it was a little difficult to reach the inner lashes without smearing it on my eyelid. But after a few uses, I got used to the wand and no longer have a problem with it.

Taking it off is a piece of cake. You know when you go to take off your mascara and it ends up all over your face? You look like you have two black eyes, right? Well, not with this stuff. It glides right off with eye makeup remover. No need to go back over your eyes a second or third time to get rid of residual mascara.

Covergirl Lash Blast can be purchased anywhere Covergirl cosmetics are sold

I’m curious about you! What makeup products do you love and why? Is there an item that you just can’t live without?

I can’t live without eyeshadow primer! My personal favorite is Urban Decay’s Primer Potion (I’ll do a review of this soon). I have combination/oily skin and had a problem with my eyeshadow lasting throughout the day. After about two hours, my perfectly placed shadow would be creased or smudged off. While watching makeup tutorials on YouTube, I noticed that a lot of the gurus were priming their eyelids with Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. So I decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did! Check back for a full review of this product!

What products do you love?