The Nailtiques I won are so pretty!

So, last week on Orange Lipstick's Facebook page I told y'all that I had won a prize in the big giveaway that Samarium's Swatches did.  I can't even tell y'all how excited that made me!  I've never won a blogger giveaway!  You should check out Samarium's Swatches HERE - this girl has amazing nails and her swatches are beautiful!  (I'm actually kind of embarrassed to direct you to Sarah and then show you my raggedy nails.  Oh well!)

Here's what I won:

Four Nailtiques duos!  These are $20/each so I ended up with a prize worth $80!  Pretty incredible!  Each duo comes with a lacquer color (0.33 oz) and a Formula 2 treatment (0.5 oz) for brittle, peeling, bitten, damaged, etc. nails.  This is perfect for me since my nails like to peel in sheets.  Eww.

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

As you can see, these formulas are named after various locations.  I'm really loving Shanghai!  

Thumb - 308 Rio

L-R 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan, Formula 2 (colorless)

These swatches show two coats.  There aren't any color descriptions on Nailtiques' website so I'll do my best here LOL!  Rio is a hot, bright pink.  In fact, it's a dupe for OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips but more on that in a minute.  

St. Croix is a pale, milky pink.  It reminds me a lot of my mom's favorite polish - OPI Bubble Bath.  

Shanghai was the most unique one and the one I liked the most - very orangy, reddish.  I can't quite describe it but it was lovely.  Click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see better!  

Milan was also really pretty and reminded me of wine.  It wasn't a cream but there was very little shimmer to it...almost more like a sheen.  The Formula 2 is colorless but does make my nails shiny.  I'm going to try the treatment like they prescribe (once a day) to see if it does improve my nails.

Here's what I was saying about Rio v. OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips:

Thumb, middle finger, and pinky are painted with 308 Rio

Pointer finger and index finger are painted with OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips

The formula is quite nice, although a little thick for my liking.  (But remember I'm weird and like my polishes quite thin.)  I found that Formula 2 can cover all five nails on one hand with just one dip in the bottle.  Of course, you'll need more than that for the polish colors!

All in all, I'm THRILLED!  I'll gift 308 Rio to my mom since I already have this exact color.  Shanghai is definitely the winner of this group and I'll be rocking it often!  I can also see Milan being great for the fall season.

You can purchase Nailtiques HERE and don't forget to check out Samarium's Swatches HERE.  I so appreciate the wonderful giveaway she did!  

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were won from a Samarium's Swatches's giveaway.

A funny for your day!

Ran across this online - TOO FUNNY!  Sometimes it feels that way...

Not sure who the girl is in the pictures...does anyone know?  I'd love to find some of her videos to watch.  

EDIT:  Big thanks to reader Nina who informed me that her name is Natalie Tran.  She is hysterical!  Here's the original vid!

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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Urban Decay Holiday releases

Yes, you read that right!  HOLIDAY!  Can you believe it?  ~sigh~  They just come earlier and earlier each year.  I'm not even through admiring all the Fall collections.  Plus, we're still having highs in the 90s every day!

Regardless, Urban Decay has released a promo image for the holiday release!

What you're seeing are three new palettes containing six shades each, along with a Lip Junkie Lip Gloss.  The three palettes from top to bottom are the Feminine Palette, Fun Palette, and Dangerous Palette.  They're $36 each.

The double-ended pencil is also new but only comes with one choice:  Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown).  It's $12.

However, the best part of this whole shebang is the Ocho Loco pencil set.  SERIOUSLY?  This baby has EIGHT FULL-SIZE pencils and a Grind House sharpener.  And did I mention it's only $59?!  Let's do the math here:  24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils are $19/each and the Grind House Sharpener is $10.  So, that's a $162 total.  Umm, yeah, I'm going to be all over that.  

Here's UD's "sneak peek" that they released on the UD Facebook page:

Dang!  This wouldn't be a good value if you know you won't use all the colors; however, I know I'll use them all.  You seriously can't beat the value on this.  (And I've already mentioned just how much I love these liners!)

Everything but Ocho Loco will be sold in Sephora and Ulta stores.  Ocho Loco will be available exclusively online at http://www.urbandecay.com/.

(Notice how Ocho Loco even has eight letters in it?  Cute!)

Temptalia has all the deets and you should totally check it out HERE.  She has a breakdown of which shades are in which palette and which pencils are in Ocho Loco so head on over!

Seeing anything you need?!  I'm not too loco about anything but Ocho Loco.  (Have I mentioned that enough in this post already?!  Lol.)

These should be ready for release starting in September.  

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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Purple isn't possible with Maybelline Pop of Purple mascara

I've already told y'all just how much I love Maybelline Great Lash mascara.  So when I saw that Maybelline was coming out with four limited edition colors of Great Lash, I was thrilled!  I initially wanted to grab one of each color; however, I decided to just try one and see how it was before indulging in all of them.

Well, I'm glad I waited.  I grabbed Pop of Purple and I was a little disappointed in the results.  The color is a true purple and it almost looks like it has little bits of goldy-red shimmer in it.  Although you can see the color well on the wand and in the swatch, it just doesn't translate to eyelashes.  (The other available shades are Totally Teal, Blink of Blue and Go Go Green.)  

They haven't sacrificed the formula - it still applies easily without clumps.  Unfortunately the  color just isn't there.  This might work on people with really light blond lashes, but it won't work on people with brown or black lashes.   

I used Pop of Purple in an eye look.  This is one of my favorite looks for going out and I think it looks nice with my green eyes!  I used:

*UDPP over entire eye
*Wet n Wild Color Icon palette in Petal Pusher - Left eyelid color and right browbone color blended on lid
*Laura Mercier Violet Sky in crease and used wet as a liner
*Urban Decay Ecstasy on outer part of lid (Ecstasy is discontinued now but you can still find it for sale at a lot of places)
*Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Liner on upper waterline
*Maybelline Great Lash Pop of Purple on upper lashes

You can pick these up at almost any drugstore.  I got mine at Walgreens for $5.49.  I definitely don't regret picking it up because it will work just fine for everyday use.  I'm just disappointed that it isn't super dramatic. 

What's your go-to look for going out?  Are you going to indulge in any of the LE mascaras?

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were purchased by Orange Lipstick for personal use and review purposes.

I'm seeking bright orange lips with MAC StyleSeeker!

Have you seen any of the new MAC StyleSeeker collection?  I'm in love with the mattene lipsticks and lipglasses.  

  

I've only picked up one of the mattenes because I didn't know what the formula would be.  Now that I've tried this one, I'm so tempted to order two more colors!

I grabbed Fashion Nomad, which MAC describes as "bright red orange."  That is definitely a good description!

The other colors I'd like to have are Eden Rouge (bright blue-red) and Camden Chic (rich brick red).

Eek!  It's just too wonderful for words!  The mattene lipsticks are supposed to give you a semi-matte finish and be very hydrating.  

When I hear "matte" I immediately think drying; however, these glide on easily and stay moisturizing the entire wear-time.  Fashion Nomad lasts about four-five hours on me, which is remarkable!

These are $15 for 0.08 ounces, which is slightly smaller than a regular MAC lipstick (0.1 oz).  Plus, the mattenes are not part of the permanent collection, so you might want to snap them up now!
  

I seriously love this color and this formula.  I can't even begin to describe how great they are!  Long-lasting, moisturizing, colorful -- what more could you want?!

This gets my serious approval!  A+!  You can pick up one for yourself on MAC's website HERE.

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were purchased by Orange Lipstick for personal use and review purposes.

10 things I would repurchase immediately

If you've ever gotten into watching beauty Youtubers, you'll know that they're a lot like beauty bloggers, except they exclusively produce videos.  I'd say that's how I first got into the world of beauty as a hobby - I watched instructional videos about beauty techniques!  

I have a lot of respect for beauty Youtubers because they do a lot of creative things with their channels.  One thing you'll se pretty often is "tag" videos, where a person comes up with an idea for a video and then tags people so they'll make a similar video.  (These often take the form of a list of some sort.)  

One type of tag video that has floated around is the "10 Things I'd Repurchase."  The idea is simple:  if you were to lose ALL of your makeup collection tomorrow, what would be the first ten things you'd repurchase?

When you have a pretty large collection, this can be a tough question!  (I got mine down to eleven and finally gave up and took out my Sephora crease blending brush.)

Anyway, here are my ten products I would have to IMMEDIATELY repurchase!  (Click on the listed price to purchase.  If the product name is linked, it means I've written about it before and you can click to read.)

1.)  Milk of Magnesia - $9.39 - I've already explained how much I love this product.  I need this as my primer in the morning!

2.)  Skin 79 Super Beblish Balm Pink Label - $13.79 - This is my Holy Grail BB balm (and foundation).  It applies like a dream, stays all day, and doesn't break me out.  It's seriously perfect.  I'm planning an in-depth review, so look for that soon.

3.)  Urban Decay Primer Potion - $9 - This is the sample bottle I received with my #4 item!  Lol.  UDPP is a HG product for many, many people.  It goes on creamy and makes your eyeshadow stay in place all day long!

4.)  Urban Decay Naked palette - $50 - OMGGGG.  Do you have this yet?  If you don't, step away from your computer and drive to the nearest Ulta or Sephora and buy it.  No really, go.  I'll wait.  Ok, you're back?  Good.  Seriously - it is amazing.  This is the ONLY palette you need if you want nice, neutral looks or smokey dramatic eyes.  You can't go wrong with nudes and neutrals.

5.)  Benefit Coralista Boxed Blush - $28 - This blush is so lovely.  Trust me - it was a toss up between this one and NARS Orgasm blush.  However, I picked this one since it has an included brush and if I lost everything in my stash I would need a brush!  

6.)  Too Faced Caribbean in a Compact Snow Bunny Bronzer - $29 - This is the best bronzer I've ever come across.  It has four stripes of color which keeps it from being too orangey.  This is my HG bronzer and I couldn't be happier with it.  I would have to replace it!

7.)  Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Strawburn - $22 - I've talked about this baby before.  I need it, have to have it, can't live without it anymore.

8.)  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner in Demolition - $19 - Wow, 30% of the products on this list are UD!  They really are my favorite brand EVER!  This color smudges easily and stays all day long.  I really love how easy it is to apply without tugging or dragging.

9.)  Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara - $24 - This is one of my biggest indulgences.  It's just too amazing and makes my eyelashes look a million miles long.  Review forthcoming, I promise!  

10.)  Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - $19 - I had used a cheap, terrible eyelash curler for six years (SIX YEARS, Y'ALL!) before I purchased this one.  I knew I deserved it, after using crap for so long.  Beauty bloggers all over the internet sing the praises of this baby and for good reason.  It's so good that it's unreal.  You can create incredibly dramatic curls with it.

So there you have it!  These are the 10 products that I'd have to replace right away if I lost them!

What are your top ten?  Let me know!  Do we have any in common?  Would you choose more face products or more eye products?

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were purchased by Orange Lipstick for personal use and review purposes.

Do you need a monthly subscription beauty box?

Today, let’s talk about subscription beauty boxes.  Have you heard of these things?  It’s almost like Netflix but with beauty goodies:  you sign up for a monthly delivery service of a box filled with sample sized products.  (Sometimes you get a full size, but that is the exception, not the rule.)

Photo taken from Birchbox's website

The products range depending on the service you sign up with, obviously.  Boxes cost $10 - $21 a month and come with 4-7 samples, again, depending on the service you pick.  Here’s a breakdown of some of the more popular subscription services:

• Birchbox
• $10/month
• 5 samples (I think.  I can’t find it on Birchbox’s website.)
• http://www.birchbox.com/
• Goodebox
• $16/month
• 6-7 samples
• http://goodebox.com/
• GlossyBox
• $21/month
• 5 samples
• http://www.glossybox.com/
• Beauty Box 5
• $12/month
• 4-5 samples
• http://www.beautybox5.com/
• Beauty Bar – Sample Society
• $15/month
• 5 samples
• http://www.beautybar.com/SampleSociety/About.qs

Now, don’t get me wrong:  I’m a sample addict.  I love samples and think they’re lots of fun.  However, I also love getting a full-sized lipstick that I adore.  Of  course, the boxes do introduce you to brands you might never have even heard of before!  

Photo taken from Beauty Box Five's website

With box services, you can sometimes customize by inputting your skin-tone and skin-type (oily, aging, sensitive, etc.).  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that your box is totally customized to fit you perfectly.  I’d rather spend $10 - $21 a month on a product I adore than to get five products that I’m meh about.  Plus, if a product were “anti-aging” or for a skin-tone darker than mine, it’d immediately have to go in the give-away pile.  Bummer.  

Photo taken from Glossybox's website

For me, these boxes aren’t a good deal.  I don’t just have an extra wad of cash each month to put toward samples that might not do me any good.  I think a better strategy would be to put aside $10 - $21 each month for six months to a year and buy yourself something really nice!  

Photo taken from Sample Society's website

These boxes are an issue of quality vs. quantity.  I’m not saying that the products in the box are always poor quality.  (I know for a fact that they aren’t.)  However, I’d rather have one truly stellar product that works great for me than a bunch of samples.

Do you need a subscription beauty box?  Well, if you have the extra money, go for it!  If you’re like me and try to pinch pennies here and there, then go without.  

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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None of the links in this blog post are affiliate links.  I will only ever use affiliate links to direct you to products I really like.