Edward Bess Prismette Eyeshadow Quad: Over the Moon

This palette was given to me to try out for work along with some other Edward Bess products, and I'll tell you, I was a bit skeptical at first. I thought three of the shadows were too dark, two were too similar, and the last cream shade wouldn't show up. I was wrong.

This palette* has become my absolute favorite, and I've been wearing these shadows every day for the past month. I love them. With my base, they last all day until I take off my makeup at night, and they're a dream to apply. They just blend so nicely. The pigmentation is great, so I just dip my brush in and get the smallest amount of product. I have to tap off my brush if I accidentally pick up too much color to avoid fallout, though. They're also super buildable, so they just make it really easy to get a great look. I also like how there isn't much shimmer. The two middle colors have a bit that gets blended away, but the two outside colors are completely matte, which I love. 

My go-to everyday look, after I've applied my beloved Edward Bess Illuminating Eyeshadow Base in Suede*, is the lightest color all over the lid, the second lightest along the lower lash line, the second darkest in the crease (sometimes I mix it with the lightest color to soften the look) blended out with the lightest color, and the darkest wiggled into the top lash line and through the brows. Yes, it is the perfect brow color for me. I have dark brows, so this looks so natural on me, and it's very cool, too. This is just such a natural look, and I'm so obsessed with this palette. If I even want to go for a more dramatic look at night, I just use the darker colors. I also have been skipping eyeliner lately, because the Edward Bess mascara* has been giving my eyes enough definition along with the shadows. 

Of course, I have to mention packaging. It's gorgeous and chic, and I love the velvet pouch it comes it. It just feels luxurious. The brush it comes with isn't bad at all either, but I still use my Trish McEvoy brushes*.

Overall, I'm so glad I have this palette. I've gotten use out of every color, which surprised me. The only con is that I've been neglecting my other shadows! Also, the price is a con, because it is definitely very expensive. 

Arugula, Grape, Marcona Almond, and Goat Cheese Salad

I rarely get to cook for myself nowadays since I'm living in the dorms, but I was invited to a friend's house to do a quick Trader Joe's run and have brunch, so I finally got to do some cooking of my own.

In addition to the old eggs and toast combo (my toast was made with extra virgin olive oil; I sprinkled some sea salt over the egg), I made one of my favorite salads. 

Ingredients: Arugula, Grapes (sliced in half), marcona almonds, goat cheese crumbles, extra virgin olive oil. All to taste. 

Specific instructions, I know, but this is a pretty easy salad to make. Just chuck everything in a bowl, and make sure everything looks proportional. 

Kiss Nail Dress

I received the Kiss Nail Dress nail stickers in my Holiday Vox Box from Influenster to review along with a few others products. I'm sad to say these were among my least favorite thing in the box. 

I was kind of disappointed by the pattern I got. I think it's super tacky, and it's definitely not something I would have picked out for myself. 

The Peacock and Lace patterns would've probably been more up my alley, but to be perfectly honest, I'm really just a plain old nail polish girl.

The set came with a bunch of stickers that are supposed to be able to fit every nail and a nail file to file down the excess strip. The strips were fairly easy to apply, but you have to really make sure you smooth everything down properly to avoid bunches. Start in the middle, then work your way out. 

As you can see, the strip I ended up choosing for this nail didn't exactly fit all the way. That's my fault though, not the kit's (I chose it). I also applied a base coat before the strip, because these suckers damage your nail like crazy if not. I put a strip on my big toe first to test it out, and it ripped off a layer of nail. 

If you are looking for something relatively quick, the no dry factor is really nice. Even though you should apply a base coat, do NOT apply a top coat. These strips have top coat in them, so something about that reacts with the top coats and messes things up real fast. I made that mistake (and didn't read the package, oops). It just completely ruined the texture. These are not real nail polish strips, just stickers. 

Because of my topcoat error, this was the final result. 

I did get complemented on them the next day (I gave the rest of the strips to the girl who complemented me, because I didn't like them), but I just hated my nails every time I looked down. I just didn't like the pattern. They also "chipped" the day of. I put that in quotation marks, because they don't really chip, the sticker just gets moved in and dented and what not. I think that's just because I stupidly put on topcoat.

I didn't even try to see how long these would last, because I really just wanted to get this pattern off my nails. When I went to remove them, I tried to remove it with nail polish remover, which doesn't work all that well, but eventually did the job. I needed a lot of cotton pads and remover to get it done, because it was like trying to remove glue off your fingers (it had all the gluey pilling and everything). The package said to peel them off, but I couldn't get an opening in the sticker to do it (again, my bad with the top coat).

So overall, not that happy. I think it's just the tackiness of the pattern that made me not have high hopes for these, and then my mistake with the topcoat ruined everything. However, if you get a pattern you like, put on base coat, and don't put on topcoat, I could see these being something a lot of people like. They don't require drying time, and it probably would last a decent amount of time (mine just didn't because of the topcoat thing). 

As for price, they're pretty decent at about $7. However, I'd rather get a bottle of nail polish that I can get way more uses out of. But if you're interested, here are some links!

Kiss website: http://bit.ly/SipR5S

Kiss review page: http://bit.ly/11cEdY7

FOOD: Quaker Real Medleys and EBoost Natural Energy

When I got back to the dorms for Holiday break, there was a lovely package from Influenster (the Holiday Vox Box) waiting for me. Not only did it have some beauty stuff, but it had food! Which was awesome, because I didn't have to leave my room for dinner that night. Oh, us lazy college children. 

I particularly liked the Quaker Real Medleys Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal. It was super easy to make, even in the dorms. I just heated up water in my electric kettle and poured it in, waited, then stirred. Easy-peasy. It was good, too and kept me full for a while. The thing is, it was a bit too sweet; it has a crap ton of sugar. While it may be a nice treat and a good snack once in a while, for everyday, it's not the healthiest thing. I'll be sticking to regular Quaker oatmeal, which I have always adored. 

I also tried the EBoost Natural Energy drink mix in Acai Pomegranate. This was okay. It tasted very mineral-y, not the best most potent flavor. I also didn't notice any particular energy boost. My other complaint is that it contains Stevia as its sweetener, which could be carcinogenic. Everything causes cancer these days. :( It also didn't fizz very much, but I don't really care about that. But yeah, aside from Stevia, the ingredients list looks pretty good and super-foody.

But yeah, usual disclaimer stuff; getting things for free doesn't affect my opinion whatsoever. 

Review: NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

I actually don't really like lip gloss at all. I had never even owned one until I was sent this in the Influenster Holiday Vox Box this January to test out. You can imagine my surprise when I actually liked it. 

I was disappointed with the color at first glance, because I wasn't sure how good a nude would look on me. When I tried it, however, I was pleased. It just kind of warms up the face, and only has a subtle sparkle. Nothing too glittery. I actually really hate shiny lip products, so the fact that this wasn't too shiny made me happy. I'm glad it wasn't too pigmented either, because I just don't like the way a ton of color looks on me. Also, when I tried this over lip colors I had but didn't really like, it kind of just canceled out whatever made the other color look bad on me, and made those products more wearable.

The product itself is pretty nice, too. First off, it smells and tastes really good. Like good cake. It also doesn't feel too sticky, especially compared to other lip glosses out there (however, you can tell it's there, and your hair will stick to it in the wind). As far as moisture goes, this doesn't make your lips feel dry, but it's not like applying balm either. It's just kind of in between on the moisture scale. 

I still probably wouldn't buy a lip gloss for myself, but if I had to for some reason, I would probably go get one of these. They're really good, and for the price, there's no guilt if you do buy a few. For anyone that already loves lip gloss and for those who are just starting to wear it, definitely give this a shot.

But yeah, here are some links and shtuff. NYC website :http://bit.ly/ZmNfMI product page: http://bit.ly/10cwV7v

What's your favorite lip product?

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary for testing and review purposes from Influenster, and that in no way affects my opinion of the product.