Monday, December 30, 2013

L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Color - The Statement Piece (Textured / Gold Dust Collection)

Happy New Year's Eve Everyone! Farewell 2013 and welcome 2014! I hope the New Year bring each and every one of us joy and good company to share it with, good health, success, and peace. 

I suppose my suggestion of a manicure for tonight's New Year festivities might possibly be too late, but this nail polish has swept me off my feet. It is quite "the statement piece" and a must-have for those who love golden nail polishes. 

I have seen the Gold Dust collection recently pop up at Walmart, Rite Aid, and Meijer. These polishes cost $4.99 at Walmart and Meijer and $5.99 at Rite Aid. 

I have been searching for a gold nail polish for a few years. I don't like frosty, shimmery, satiny, duo-chrome, foil, or metallic polishes. I only like cremes. Every gold or silver nail polish I have tried till now made my hands appear dry, aged, and gray. Also, these polishes made me feel as if I had cut out nail shapes in aluminum foil and glued the pieces onto my nails. This nail polish is perfect if you share my feelings regarding most gold, silver, copper, and bronze polishes in the market. Copper blends too much with my skin-tone. Bronze also blends and looks a bit dull, but I still like it on me. Gold overall looks the best on my tanned skin-tone. Warm and neutral shades are universally flattering for tanned folks. 

I have applied two coats and no top-coat. I love the gritty texture! It is so unique, yet not overwhelming or overdone. I have already decided that I want to wear this nail polish on my wedding day, which is me thinking quite far into the future. I have worn the polish for a little over a day. It has not yet chipped and feels comfortable. 







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LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stain - Rosy Glow

Hey Y'all!!! 

Today, I wanted to share another blush. As some of you might know, I gave up buying nail polishes since the end of July. My fast / no-buy was meant to end in December, but I am going to continue to resist the urge to buy nail polishes myself, especially those colors that are similar to what I already own in my collection. However, this fast / no-buy does not mean that secret fairies cannot leave a surprise one for me. Wink! Wink! Wink! (I like sets of three, always!) 

My mom bought three beautiful nail colors for me the other day at Meijer's and the colors are definitely nothing like I own. I know this is a shocker for some of my friends who believe I own every nail polish in the world. Disclaimer, I don't! She bought Cover Girl's Golden Opportunity and Bronze Beauty and a polish from the new L'Oreal Gold Dust collection called the Statement Piece. I will be posting swatches of one of these up next. These polishes are a great option from a New Year party manicure. Well, more on those polishes in upcoming posts. 

Now ever since I have given up nail polishes, I have picked up a new fascination - blushes. I have discovered quite a few beautiful blushes over the last several months. 

Price
My mom and I had earned $20 worth of Kohl's cash. For those of you who may not know what Kohl's cash is, here is a brief explanation: once in a while Kohl's runs a special promotion, awarding $10 in Kohl's "cash" (i.e., a coupon or certificate worth $10 to be spent at Kohl's) for every $50 you spend prior to your local sales tax. This blush costs $20, so I got it for free. Free! Woohoo! Recently, Kohl's expanded its beauty department and carries quite a few popular high-end brands, such as theBalm, LORAC, and Pur Minerals. However, these brands are excluded from coupons, which I partly understand, but hope that Kohl's does create a once-a-year special coupon for these brands, like Sephora and ULTA does. One staff member in the beauty department told me that they exclude the brands from coupons because the makeup is sold at a lower original price. So, I did my research and compared the prices of a few products, but no the original price is the same. Of course Macy's, Dillard's, and Belk's also exclude cosmetics from coupons, but around Thanksgiving Belk issued a special coupon that did not exclude cosmetics. The makeup brands also hold "friends and family" sales on their own main websites, awarding 15 - 20% off and sometimes free shipping. My main point here though is to save your Kohl's cash and use it on the cosmetics because that is permitted. 



Packaging
The packaging is a simple traditional black with a clear portion in the lid. I like that the product can be seen through the clear lid. It is a lightweight compact. The pan appears small, doesn't it? It does not bother me though. I am not one to swirl my brush. The only blush I freely swirl my brush in is Benefit's Rockateur because of its box style packaging. I dab my brush in this and apply. The circumference of the Real Techniques blush brush is about the same as the pan of this blush. So, it is not as small as it looks here in these pictures. 





Color / Application / Formula 
This blush is a "rosy"medium pink with subtle silver speckles, which gives off the "glow". If you look extremely close, perhaps with a mirror an inch away from your face, you can notice the silver shimmer on your cheeks. Otherwise, it is not noticeable from a normal distance, like another person won't see it unless he/she is uncomfortably close to your face. Yikes! Eek! Hold on there, tiger! 

I am sure this blush would look flattering on most skin-tone. On fair to light skin-tones, this may look like a deeper true rose shade. On deeper skin-tones this shade may not show up. I think this shade would be very flattering for medium, beige, and olive skin-tones, like mine. 

I apply two strokes of this shade and then blend/buff it out. This blush has good pigmentation. It is not a sheer glow-from-within blush, but it is definitely not richly pigmented either. 

In order for blush to look just right, three things are required: (1) the right blush brush for the type of blush, (2) the right strokes and blending/buffing technique, (3) a non-dry and non-oily base. I do have the most perfect blush brush (ELLE at Kohl's). I love its shape. I have yet to master the technique of blush application. Ironically, I only like it on me when I apply it myself. I don't ever apply base makeup. So, when I say that this product applies a bit patchy, but then evens out once it settles in, take my words with a grain of salt (i.e., personal discretion). 

In addition to the beautiful color, I love the feel of this blush. It is very satiny and creamy. No, this is not a creme-to-powder or creme. This is a powder blush, yet it is not chalky or dry. This blush feels like a velvety powder. I would even recommend it for folks with dry skin who want to wear a powder blush, but feel forced to wear a creme blush because of their skin-type. 

My mom does not wear makeup and her style is simple and subtle. She adored this blush on herself. My mom is a shade lighter than me, but with more of a yellow undertone. One of my friends asked my recommendation for a work-appropriate blush. I recommend this and it ended up suiting her the most out of any others we tried on her. She is a shade or two lighter than me with a more yellow undertone. 




Longevity 
For now I do not feel comfortable commenting on the exact staying power of this blush. I may add an update later on. I am sorry to say, but it does not live up to its 12 hour claim. It might stay on that long if you apply a face primer or foundation to give it a base to adhere to. On me it lasted early afternoon (2-ish) to late evening (7-ish), but the flush-effect wore off into a very subtle hint of color.



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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Benefit Cosmetics "Rockateur" Cheek Powder

Hey Y'all!!!

Packaging
I adore the packaging! A flip-lid, light-weight, colorful box. The package includes a mirror and a cute little fuzzy brush applicator. I think this brush applicator might even be useful. It feels very soft and not cheap. I plan to use it to buff out cheek products in case I over apply. Despite the inclusion of an applicator inside the box, I like that the box does not have a separate designated space for the brush applicator, which makes the packaging unnecessarily bulky. I like that the product is at a depth inside (within) the box rather than at surface with the lid, which might trap the blush / powder "dust" and maintain cleanliness. The packaging may look cheap to some people, like those who prefer sturdy plastic or metal containers. However, I find it to be as sturdy as any of my traditional blush compacts and conveniently lightweight. The design of the actual product is also stunning as you can see in the pictures below. I spent hours capturing a picture of the design because it is so "princess-like" that I did not want to spoil it. The design is still there even after I have freely swirled by brush in the product. 

Price 
I purchased this product from Sephora when I received the annual $20 off $50 VIB (members) coupon. Sephora sends this coupon every year at the beginning of December. VI members receive a $15 off $50 coupon. Sephora also send a 15% off for BI members and 20% off for VIB members in early November and April. These annual coupon promotions are subject to change on a yearly basis. A Sephora manager told that this year both BI and VIB members received a 20% off coupon. Originally, this blush costs $28. 

Color / Formula / Texture / Application 
There are many products we wear for fun and to feel glam. However, there are certain rare products that suit us so perfectly that one feels it was exclusively designed for her. It is not about feeling festive or glam, it just looks so natural, yet accentuates our natural features. As some of my readers already know, I don't stray much from my gel-liner and lip color. I don't really like face products at all. Foundations, powders, concealers, and bronzers is a big, chubby, no-no! I feel almost the same about eyeshadows, but do dip my toes in on a grand occasion (i.e, Birthdays). I do like wearing blush on special days, like an outing with my beau, grub with friends, or photo-shoot for this blog. 

I don't know why, but I cannot resist wearing this blush every single day since I opened it, which was about three or four days ago. This is the blush that makes me feel as if it was specially designed for my skin-tone and complexion. I usually look like a cartoon monkey, who is overly embarrassed, heated, flushed, or angry, when I wear blush. Obviously, because I like the pop of color, but don't know how to blend it well. Also, blushers look more stark on me as I don't apply any base face products. 

This product is quite an exception. It looks so natural on me. Do not worry about the gorgeous, intense shimmer you see in the package because once you apply this cheek powder, the shimmer is not visible. It provides the ideal amount of subtle sheen / glow. Perhaps, highlighter lovers can skip that step with the photo-ready glow this product provides.  I had my reservations about this blush. Initially, I was not going to join the hype-club and buy this, but when I tried it in Sephora, I was convinced within minutes that it was a must-have. 

The pictures below will provide an idea of the color. I would describe it as a rosy peachy pink with golden-copper undertones.

It does not feel harsh or irritating on my skin. I am one whose face breaks out over night. I did not experience any acne break-outs.  It blends very well! The way this blush blends is quite unique to my other blushes. The finish of this product allows it to merge with my natural skin as if it were a creme-product, but without the sticky-icky hassle.

I do feel that you need more than a light dab of your brush with this blush, but that is not a negative characteristic in my opinion because it gives more control on the application. I liberally swirled my brush and applied it twice to obtain color pay-off. Again, I emphasize that do not let that sway you away from giving this blush a try. I am so glad I bought it. I definitely recommend trying it. I would rather have a blush color I can build the intensity of rather than tone it down and irritate my face by over-buffing. 

Longevity 
Today, I wore this blush around two in the afternoon. It is 9:25 p.m. right now. The blush color and sheen is still visible. Of course it does not look as fresh as it did in the afternoon, but a hint of it is still noticeable even in the dim lighting of my room. 





(no blush)

(blush on) 

I am also wearing Bobbi Brown Gel Liner (both pictures) and Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara (2nd picture only); no lip color. Also, please excuse the vicious two-headed monster on my cheek that has taken home there since October and pray that it leaves me be. 

Happy Holidays!!! Merry Christmas-Eve and Christmas!!! I hope y'all have a splendid, festive, eventful, joyous, and blessed two-days with your family, friends, and all loved ones. No matter what our beliefs or age may be, I hope that Santa Claus / Saint Nicholas fulfills the wishes in our hearts and we all spread the care. God bless. 

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Thursday, December 19, 2013

Sonia Kashuk Holiday Limited Edition 2013 "Red Lip Matte"

Hey Y'all!!! 

Looking for a matte red lip color for the Holidays? 

I want to begin this post by professing my love for Target. My study breaks sometimes involve spontaneous and unnecessary visits to Target. I think I intentionally only buy a few items during one trip, so I have a reason to make another trip. During one of these random escapades, I picked up a new lipstick. Sonia Kashuk's "Red Lip Matte" is part of the brands Holiday Limited Edition Collection. 

Packaging 
At first sight, I was pleased with the cream and gold packaging. Perhaps because wedding bells are in the near future, this packaging reminds me of traditional Indian bridal attire - cream, gold, and red. However, the more I observed the packaging, the less I liked it. It looks a bit antique. When I look at the pictures below, I get a very retro vibe. Don't you? 

Price
$12 

Color
This lipstick is richly (multiplied by infinity) pigmented. A true red for medium to deep skin-tones and a deeper red on women with light to medium skin-tones. I don't believe this is a yellow, orange, or blue-toned red. It is quite neutral. A pure red with a slight pink undertone. This does not look like a rich blood red on me as you can see in the picture below, but it might on a lighter skinned person. 

Formula / Application
Oxymoron, alert! Although a comfortable and emollient matte, this is a very messy shade. It gets everywhere - teeth, hands, clothes, its packaging, etc. It felt so smooth on my lips and appeared matte without absorbing the natural moisture on my lips. However, this lipstick is only meant for someone who wears lipstick regularly, lines their lips, touches up the application, and loves wearing red. 

I am loving the classy red lipstick that is trending right now and have collected quite a few red lip colors, but I believe my love is more fickle, momentary, infatuation than truly loyal affection for red lip colors. So, I would only recommend this lipstick to those loyal fans. For others, I would suggest Revlon's Colorburst Matte Lip Balm in Standout as an alternative for the upcoming Holiday festivities. 






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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

KOHL'S: New High-End Cosmetic Brands and 10% Exclusive Blogger Discount Code

Hey Y'all!!! 

I just wanted to write a brief post about one my favorite stores to shop. Kohl's! Kohl's carries a variety of items, suited for an entire family and range of ages, durable quality and affordable. 

Kohl's sends it cardholders 15%, 20%, and 30% coupons on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. You are required to use the card in order to receive the discount. However, some stores, not all, will allow you to put a limited amount on the card if you prefer paying with cash. I definitely will more secure to make frequent purchases using cash and only using credit / debit cards for bigger expenditures.

Kohl's has many amazing deals. For instance, at times for every $50 you spend, you receive $10 Kohl's cash. Kohl's also had a points based rewards card now, but I do not know much about that program.

For all makeup lovers, enthusiasts, and bloggers, Kohl's is now carrying a wider selection of cosmetics. Kohl's recently gave its cosmetic department a make-over, adding high-end brands such as Cargo, theBalm, LORAC, and Sam Chapman's Real Techniques. These brands are considered prestige products and are sadly excluded from the percent-off coupons. However, you can use Kohl's cash on these items, which makes me very happy.

I was recently contacted by someone from the corporate office of Kohl's in Illinois. She thanked me for my continuous support of Kohl's via my numerous Essie nail polish review and other posts. Ever since Kohl's began carrying Essie, I have always purchased the polishes from there whenever I would receive a 30% off coupon.

This person was extremely considerate as she gave me an editorial suggestion for my blog, complimented me on my posts, which was very encouraging, and gave me the impression that she enjoys reading my blog. This meant so much to me. I think it is definitely a milestone for Strawberry Hearts Chocolate Darts. I wanted to share this special moment for my blog with all of my readers out there in the world.

Lastly, this person shared a coupon code for Kohls.com, which is exclusively for bloggers. She said I could share it with my readers as well. So, the code is FALLMOMTEN. This code is valid till the end of December. She told me that this coupon can be used to stack up savings with one other department specific coupon code. I infer that to mean that you can combine this with their 15 - 30 % off coupons.

Take a look at the Wish List page-tab of this blog where I have listed some items from Kohl's that I plan to try out in the future. Although I have not personally reviewed these items yet, I have heard and read great reviews on some of these items. Some of the items I already own and love are the LORAC Unzipped Palette, LORAC Pro 12 HR Stain Blush, and Real Techniques brushes. In addition to the items on my Wish List, I would also recommend taking a look at LORAC's Pro Palette, theBalm's Nude-tude Palette, Cargo's single shadows, and the Balm's In-stain blushes. I know I would love to review these items in the near future. I am still on a hunt for a new camera, which is why, among other reasons, my posts have been lagging.

 I am not completely certain whether or not this specific blogger-exclusive 10% off works on prestige cosmetics, but you all can give it a try.

Happy Shopping! Happy Savings! Happy Holidays!


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Thursday, December 5, 2013

JANE Cosmetics Intense Color Lip Glosses - Inspire, Rosy Outlook, Make A Statement, and In Awe

Hey Y'all!!!

Boy oh boy! Where do I begin? I know I have not posted over the last several days, but my absence is due to studying for final exams and writing term papers. Let me add, my schedule will not be any better  hereafter. I will not have much of a winter break because of a school project and then next semester is going to be a nightmare. Hope I still have your attention? This introduction may have put some of you to sleep. Well, wake up and come on back folks because I have some exciting product reviews coming your way. 

Today, I would like to share my review of the intense color lip glosses by Jane Cosmetics. I have heard from some beauty enthusiasts, who are in their late twenties or early thirties at present, that Jane was sold when they were in high-school. If I have the time frame correct, then I was probably in elementary or middle school at that time, so I have no past experience with this brand to provide a assessment of the brand then and now.

Jane Cosmetics appears to be a brand that focuses on promoting women's empowerment via the design and marketing of its cosmetic products. The brand is currently holding a Holiday fundraising campaign called Jane Gives Back the Gift of Confidence and Care. For every item purchased now through Dec. 27, Jane will donate an item to a women's shelter. (See #JaneGivesBack, www.janecosmetics.com)

Jane has two collections of glosses - sheer coverage and full-color glosses. I picked up four shades from the intense color collection: Inspire, Rosy Outlook, Make A Statement, and In Awe.

I decided not to try the sheer coverage lip glosses because I am not a lip gloss wearer. I only wear lip glosses if they are richly pigmented, such as lip lacquers or lighter versions of liquid lipsticks.

I highly recommend trying out these richly pigmented, affordable, deliciously scented, and comfortable lip glosses.

These lip glosses smell faintly like vanilla cupcakes; the scent is not overbearing. I purchased mine at ULTA. Originally these glosses are $7, which is not bad at all, but ULTA sometimes has BOGO or 40-50% sales on this brand and a 20% or $3.50 off coupon available on its website or catalog. I paid about $3 for each one after all of the discounts.


Make A Statement (light berry pink), In Awe (plum), Rosy Outlook (peachy pink), and Inspire (nude baby pink) (L-R) 


Generally, my lips are very sensitive to lip glosses. Even if a gloss is not a "plumping" gloss, my lips feel uncomfortable and itchy because of the heavy, sticky, and tacky texture of glosses. So, I do not consider purchasing glosses too often, unless I get lured in my the promise of opaque color. 

Jane intense color glosses fulfill the promise of color and do not feel heavy or tacky. These glosses do stick to your lips to the extent that you do not have to reapply every 30 minutes. However, these glosses are not so sticky that you hesitate to move your lips as if you just got a treatment of Botox. 


I would like to point out that I did not have to pack on the gloss on my arm to achieve the full color swatches that you see in the pictures above. I obtained this amount of color in one to two swipes. So, you have the option to wear these glosses sheered down too. It is easier to come down than go up! In my opinion, it is easier to control application of makeup by sheering down than building up. 

*Update: After using one of the glosses religiously for the past several days, I would like to make a few more comments...

 The pigmentation of "Make A Statement" and "Inspire" was quite weak on my lips. I think these shades would look better on girls with lighter lips. "In Awe" is beautiful, but more appropriate for someone older and mature. I like a lip color to brighten up my complexion and felt this shade did not. "Rosy Outlook" is the one I absolutely adore. It is quite a unique shade. It is a peachy pink rather than a rose. I love the way it looks on me, simple and flirty. 

Lastly, I wish the packaging was different. I like glosses that can be applied with a brush (not sponge). The tube style of this gloss makes it very messy. However, I do acknowledge that the gloss remains sanitary as air and other materials don't get back into the tube as they do with the wand-style applicators. I suppose this is neither a pro or con; it's just a thought. 

I hope you all will consider trying Jane Cosmetics, especially right now in support of their campaign. It feels good to help a cause through a hobby one loves, i.e., makeup blogging. 

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