  Last year around this time Kat Von D released the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette, that was huge (size of a Vinyl record) and well loved. I still use that palette, it is fantastic. So this year she released another huge (and by huge I mean long) palette. It has 9 metallic shades and 13 mattes. This palette is so freaking long. It's like two Naked palettes end to end, that's how long it is. I'm willing to say it's a foot long. So the shades in this are gorgeous there's no doubt about it but I'm not gonna sugar coat this for you. I don't care for it. I love KVD products in general (except that Lock It Concealer) but this palette just isn't there for me. Some shades are great, don't get me wrong, but for me the palette is very inconsistent. The mattes in particular. They feel really silky and amazing at first (most of them) but some don't have the pigmentation that you expect from the brand or any pigmentation at all for that matter.
So the matte shades that I have an issue with are: Feather (no pigment) Linen (no pigment) Stone (chalky feeling and dry) Ribbon (chalky and patchy) Silk was another color that would not swatch for me, but when I used it on a brush it did apply quite well. The others didn't do that and believe me I tried. Bone has wonderful pigment and it's an off white but Linen which is entirely white has no pigment. Jet feels very dry but its totally black and does very well. Velour which is a cobalt blue, keeps its pigment and is absolutely gorgeous, same goes for Moss. Suede and Oak work really really well also. Feather which is a muted yellow has no pigment, none. Ribbon and Stone are very chalky and dry feeling and a bit patchy. Velvet (the last shade. Burgundy) is absolutely gorgeous though and is my favorite shade in the entire palette. I would buy that shade on it's own if I could. I really feel like in the palette the only transition shades you really have are Suede, Fringe, and Silk. However, what I really would've liked to have seen would've been a warm transition like a warm light brown, or a muted orange shade. I feel like this palette especially isn't for you if you dig those really warm creases or warm toned eyes. As for the metals, they swatch really nicely. They're very very pretty in the palette. My main concern was knowing the Metal Crush formula in the single shadows and how intense they were, that's what I expected with the "metals" in this. With some, that's definitely what you get but even with those, on me, 30 minutes later it's lost that intensity that it had when I first applied it. Other metals didn't even apply as intensely as the others. A few went on fantastic, I always apply metallic or foiled shades with my finger to get the most intensity, but it lost that foiled look really quick. It didn't crease or get patchy it just lost it's shine. It's not the primer I'm using, it's not the brushes, so that only leaves this palette. Some matte shades I absolutely love are: Velvet Suede Fringe Oak Velour Some metal shades I love regardless are: Tinsel Nebula Watt So, I'm not gonna keep you here longer than necessary. I just feel with the abnormally long size of the palette, the inconsistency in the shades, and the $60 price tag you could get something better. Perhaps try her Shade+Light Contour Eye Palette, the Metal Crush eyeshadows (especially Thunderstruck), or even the Quads maybe (I like Rust). I really wanted to love this but I just didn't. I'm not going to bother going through all the swatches because some you won't see cause they won't swatch (like Silk) but yet they apply well and some just don't do anything at all. The metals look beautiful when swatched but like I said they lose their shine real fast, at least on me. So I feel at this point swatches would be misleading. I'm sorry this is a negative post. I wanted to love it. If you still want to try it by all means go ahead, Sephora has a great return policy if you don't like it. Maybe I just got a bad palette, I don't know, but I will be returning this.
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Recently, I got to try some products from Derma E. I've seen Derma E plenty of times but had never tried it. BUT kids....they have revamped. They are rolling out all new packaging but keeping their insanely good formula. You probably don't think packaging is that big of a deal but let me ask you this: How many times have you bought a product because the packaging sucked you in? Then your glad you got it because turns out the product is AMAZE-BALLS. Yea well here ya go.
So let's talk about the brand first. What I'm loving about this company the more I learn about them is, I see there dedication to the safety and health of their customers first and their products compliments that goal. They are "eco ethical skincare" with an emphasis on your well-being, safety, and the environment as well. Also, "purchases support global communities and the environment." I can say through using these products that they benefits for the skin are super noticeable. So while they have so much emphasis on other things, they don't compromise the quality of their formula. The new packaging which you can see in the pictures, fits the brand and product so well I think. It looks much more "luxury" with the new packaging and it's just way prettier. It's something that I enjoy looking at sitting on my vanity. Here's a few key points that make them great and even more impressive: 100% Vegan Cruelty Free Formulas No Parabens No Sodium Lauryl Sulfates No Petrolatum No Mineral Oil No Artificial Colors Gluten Free Soy Free No GMO's All of that is gone and still these are amazing products. My only complaint is these are fragranced. Kinda strong and not a scent I enjoy. However, I love the product so much that I will deal with it. The second very minor thing is: I'm not crazy about how this initially feels upon application. That feeling only lasts or like maybe....maybe, a minute tops. 
They sent me two of the best selling products they have. The Day Cream ( which is the old packaging for reerence) and the Night Cream (which is their new packaging). My fave of the two is the Night Cream. I don't know what it is about it but I literally feel it working when it has sunk in. Like I said, takes maybe a minute at most to sink in, during that time it feels a bit tacky not extreme by any means but just somewhat. It's not the feeling you expect from a Hydrating product, which is usually just very thick and doesn't sink all the way in. This sinks in completely, but it does't disappear like some oils, serums or moisturizers do and leave you feeling dry like you felt at the start. You're no longer tacky but your skin feels good and comfortable. I can feel this literally changing my skin. I know that sounds like such a bait but for me personally I feel it working as soon as it sinks in. My skin feels firmer and more lifted. So I really love it.
The formula of both of these are the same in my opinion, They are a thinner cream. Which surprises me. For it to be so hydrating I expect them to be thick and heavy but that's not the case. Which the thinner consistency is why I feel it sinks in so quickly so you don't have that "wait time" for it to absorb before you start applying other things whether it's primer, foundation, or other skin care. Plus, I really feel like a little goes a very long way and you get 2 oz of product.
Derma E is available in Ulta, Whole Foods, and Sprouts. You can also get it at the Derma E website. Like I said this is still the same awesome formula but with more modern, amped up, and appealing packaging. New packaging started this month and will roll out through March of 2017. So bottom line: I like this company and I like these products. It's really refreshing to see a company who cares more about the customer and the environment instead of the profit margin, sells, etc. The goal is to put out quality product and to have a satisfied and pleased customer base. Which all companies will claim they do the same thing but basically a lot of them don't.
**This post was Powered by Brand Backer**   A little while back, Algenist, (who I'm a huge fan of) sent me some of their skin care products. I was overwhelmed, I cried ( I know, such a dork) but I was super excited. Out the gate, yes their products are expensive. They don't disappoint though. They sent the best of the best in my opinion. Retinol Firming & Lifting Serum Reveal Color Correcting Drops in Green Power Advanced Anti-Wrinkle Fighter Serum (The most awesome balloon in the world) Complete Eye Renewal Balm Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream   We're gonna start with my faves. As you know I'm the BIGGEST fan of their Color Correcting pressed powder. My friends love it. I tell everyone to get it. I don't know what voodoo they used to make that powder so awesome but it is. I have an entire post about it here. The Genius Cream, I love. I love this cream. I use it morning and night. I love the way it smells and the consistency feels almost like a jelly. The claims of this are: "This advanced, luxurious cream’s powerful formula combines Alguronic Acid (a patented antiaging breakthrough), a new type of nourishing oil from microalgae, and plant-based collagen. This potent combination helps to restore the appearance of resiliency and elasticity for a firmer, tighter, more toned look. Facial contours appear softened and fine lines and wrinkles appear minimized." This is for normal to dry skin. I just love how hydrating it is without being too heavy and thick. Next is the Retinol Firming and Lifting serum. This is really nice I like using this at night and the other serum in the morning. Even though it says it's a serum, it's more like a lotion and not the typical oily serum. It's suitable for Normal, Combination and Dry skin. Keep in mind Retinol can be hard on more sensitive skin types. I'm Normal though and I have no irritations from it. Next up is the Eye Renewal Balm. I've used this off and on for years. It's a very very good eye cream. Again I use it at night. It just feels really nice on the skin. Very very hydrating for the under eye area. I would definitely direct you to that if you needed some hydration in that area. I feel like it's a cult favorite as well because I hear people talking about it everywhere.
The Color Correcting drops in Green are so cool. They have other shades as well but green cancels out redness. How I use this is by adding a couple drops to my foundation if I have over all redness or adding it to my concealer if I have just redness around the nose or around the eyes. It's not something I have to use a lot but it's great to have for days when you need it because I much prefer this as opposed to a cream. It's also great to have in your kit. Lastly is the Power serum. I use this during the day. Again not your typical serum because it's not oily but this is thinner than the Retinol serum. Which is why I use it during the day. I want something that will sink in fast and not feel like another layer that I'm putting on my face and this definitely does that. So far, definitely so good. My favorite is the Genius cream for sure. Also I'm fixing to hit pan on my powder so I'm gonna need to get a new one soon. I seen at Ulta the Retinol serum was on sale so check there if you are curious. None of these are disappointing at all to me. They're available at Sephora as well. Plus if you aren't ready to dive right in they have some really nice sets where you can try multiple things from them for a fraction of the price. Some things I think look cool and would like to try are: Ultra Light Weight UV Defense Fluid Reveal Color Correcting Eye Serum Concealer Reveal Concentrated Luminizing Drops Reveal Color Correcting Eye Serum Brightener Reveal Color Correcting Radiant Primer Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Melting Cleanser Triple Action Micropolish and Peel Splash Sleeping Pack Basically anything from the Reveal line or a mask or cleanser I think is a home run.  It's football time in Tennessee!! Time for parties, cookouts, and tail-gating. Which means you, my friend, are gonna need makeup that will hold up through all the festivities. So I'm bringing you some sweat-proof, cheer proof, food proof, drink proof, etc makeup that will last you to the after party. First up you're gonna want your base to be prepared for a full day of talking, cheering, hugging, possibly fighting (just kidding that's bad sportsmanship), and so on. So I would choose a great basic moisturizer with no extras and for that I go with Sanitas Oil-Free Moisturizer. This works for all skin types including dry. It's not going to add extra oil to your foundation or change the finish of it and that's why I like it. Next is primer, obviously. However, picking the correct primer is essential so there are two that I'm gonna include. First is the Make Up For Ever Mattifying Primer if you have combination/oily skin. Second is the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer if you have normal, dry, or noticeable pores and texture. I don't recommend it for the oily skin types because the silicone in it can cause the oil production to be more noticeable in my opinion. For foundation I have two as well. For combination/oily and also normal skin I would go with ABH Foundation Stick. It's super light weight. It's a drier formula that doesn't get super dewy or transfer and it's good medium but build-able coverage. For those who need more coverage I would totally go with the Milani 2 in 1 Conceal and Perfect foundation. It super full coverage and it looks beautiful. It's quite thick in formula but it covers nearly everything so you won't have to touch up near as much and you won't need a ton of concealer either. Speaking of concealer there's really only one I recommend and that's the Lancome Effacernes Waterproof concealer. This is specifically for the under eye but I would think it could be used on the rest of the face as well. It's waterproof and it does not budge guys. It's not thick and cakey, it looks beautiful. I recommend this for anytime you need your concealer to do work for you all day long. For powder I really recommend baking and for baking I only use RCMA No Color Powder. It's the best, it's affordable, and by baking your makeup it just locks it in even more and makes it nearly bullet proof. For eye shadow primer there are a couple I like which is Wet n Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer and the Benefit Stay Don't Stray eye primers. For glitter I use the NYX Glitter Glue. I think game day's are always appropriate for glitter, by the way. As far as shadows go I like super pigmented shadows that won't have fall out as the day goes on, so you don't have to worry about cleaning it up all the time. So Makeup Geek is my first choice and then Juvia's Place. For liner definitely get a smudge proof and waterproof liquid or gel liner. I love MUG Immortal Gel Liner, Ardency Inn Punker liquid liner (my code LOVEMASCARA will get you 15% off), and Colour Pop Swerve gel liner. I don't recommend crayon liners or putting it in your water line because it'll end up in the corner of the eye in no time flat. If you are going to do that though take a mirror and the liner with you because you will need to touch it up often. For mascara use a smudge proof and preferably water proof one (keep in mind that waterproof mascara is quite hard on lashes so I don't wear it unless it's an event). My fave is the L"Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous mascara. Go easy with highlight unless you are incredibly dry with no texture issues at all and then...go hard if you want. I find that as the day wears on the more intense highlight can look and while that's cool it can also magnify pores. So I would go with a subtle highlight, if you want to highlight at all mind you. I would probably use Laura Mercier Baked Highlight in 01. You could also go for a matte highlight which doesn't "glisten" but still gives that "lifted" effect and use Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam. As for bronzer/blush/contour. Use whatever doesn't oxidize on you and keep it pretty neutral. Again though, baking will really help lock in things like contour and what not. It's never a bad idea to take a brush so that you can blend out any patches you make get from touching your face in despair or stressful times during the game, etc. For lips you can go two ways, 1). liquid lipstick that is a neutral color that when it fades off (cause it will) it won't look nasty or crumble while you scream at your team from afar. I recommend Tarte Nameste or ABH Stripped possibly. 2) go for a sheer tint that will wipe off easily but never noticeably. For this pretty much any of the Lancome Juicy Shakers would work, the YSL Tint Oils are also good or pretty much any tinted balm or sheer lipstick. However keep in mind if you are out in the heat, balms or lipsticks will melt. Even liquid lipsticks get more messy and even more liquid in hot packaging. Remember to set your face, even if you don't think you'll need it, just do it. I like Ben Nye Final Seal, Blue Marbel Setting Spray and also the Urban Decay setting sprays in All Nighter and Chill. If you're super dry and get very patchy I would choose Chill from Urban Decay. Some of my oiliest friends though swear by the All Nighter and the Ben Nye. Blue Marbel and also Green Marble is often what drag queens will use and lets face it they're always fierce. So as for makeup that's all I can offer you but whoever you're cheering on be safe and have fun!    It's time again for another Sephora Play! box. This month the theme is The UNBASIC Basics. As always you get a point card that gives you 50 extra points on any purchase INSIDE a Sephora store. (I really wish that worked online as well). None the less it's a plus and it's valid for a month.
So in this box you get: Atelier Cologne in Sud Magnolia Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper Ole Henricksen Sheer Transfomation facial cream Sephora lipstick in Love Spell Living Proof Perfect Hair Day night cap, overnight protector Starting with the perfume, as you know I don't care for a lot of perfumes and I wish they werent in the box. However, this one doesn't smell bad but it's very very strong. ABH Clear Brow Gel: This has been a deluxe sample free with purchase but I do think it's a good thing to have and a nice additive to put in the box because it is very well loved. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper. If this had been the Ink liner I would've been let down cause I don't care for it. This has also been a point perk/freebie before. So I'm seeing that same trend from the last box which is just recycling the same point perks or samples for the box. Which in that respect is a let down. This product however is very good, just like the brow gel it's a very good staple item and a cult favorite. Ole Henricksen Sheer Transformation: I don't love this and it has definitely been a point perk before but it was a bigger size I think when it was. Some people love this moisturizer and the brand itself is very good, it just wasn't MY favorite. Sephora lipstick in Love Spell: I like this product. It's very pink but I still like it. This is new I've not seen it, so that was a plus. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day night cap: This is what makes the box this time. Not because I know if it's good or not but because it's a full 1 oz in size, I've not seen it as a point perk or sample before and I don't imagine they would let it be this big of a size for a point perk or sample. Maybe a 500 point perk box though. I actually really like the idea of a overnight hair treatment. You apply it to damp hair before bed, comb through, and then either "wash out or style your hair in the morning". So I haven't tried it yet but I definitely will. It's supposed to give you "up to one week of more shiny, vibrant, and manageable hair". So all in all, I wasn't in love with this box but it was definitely better than last month's for sure. Some of these things I already have currently like the Tattoo Liner and Brow Gel and even though I have them it's still cool they're in the box too, because they are genuinely very good products. I'll leave the link here if you want to sign up for the Sephora Play! subscription. It's $10 a month well $10.93 if you want to get technical.  Where have I been?!?! I know usually I'm posting 3 blog posts a week or more but it's been a very hectic week and I've taken a step back to be with my family and husband in my spare time. I'm super active on Snapchat though, (loveandmascara) so check that out for mini reviews and Get Ready With Me's, first impressions and uncensored randomness. So today I'm gonna talk about the Jouer Highlighters. I got two of the 3 that released because the shade Topaz is just not a color that I ever choose. So I got Rose Quartz and Citrine. I also got the Skinny Dip Lip topper which I will discuss in another post because I have some of the new fall shades of the lip cremes coming as well. Originally when I got these I swatched Rose Quartz and I don't know if it was just the initial swatch but I wasn't impressed, I was really let down at first. It was however super SILKY out the gate. I know the words, soft, buttery, creamy are very overused to describe powders. This one feels like you are touching silk. It's also a legit powder. There's not a crazy amount of oil in it to make it kinda heavier feeling much like Becca Skin Perfectors which are fantastic highlighters but they almost feel like cream, This doesn't, and I love that. It's silky but it's definitely a lightweight powder. Fast forward to when I applied it with a brush, if you'd seen my snapchat you would've seen my reaction. I was so unimpressed swatching them, I didn't think they would be as intense as they seemed online and so on, BUT I applied it with my brush and holy crap it was a different story. You could catch a satellite signal off these. I'm convinced. I was absolutely shocked. It's just as intense as Becca, better than Pat McGrath, as awesom as ABH glow kits, etc. These hold their own. These are $24 which is actually a good price when you compare it to leading highlighters (I'm looking at you Pat McGrath and Becca). My one thing is that these are deceptive in size. I thought they were gonna be quite bigger and when I opened the box there was so much extra space in the packaging. So they are slightly bigger than the Urban Decay highlighter (packaging wise) that released for summer like Sin that you know is near and dear to my heart. These have .16oz, Becca has.25 oz, Urban Decay, which is a smaller package, has .23oz. So that's just some reference for you. Aside from the size and amount that you get these perform insanely well, and stay on ALL day. I tested a different highlighter the next day and it was gone within a few hours. So these are there to stay. Overall I really like these. I wish they housed just a little bit more product but none the less the clincher for me is that they stay on all day without getting patchy and the fact that they feel like literal silk which is nearly unheard of in the highlight game these days. Plus being as lightweight as they are and having the intense glow and pigmentation anyways, is a major bonus. I get mine at Frends Beauty, which is where I get all my Jouer products. If you sign up for a free membership with them you get 10% off your purchases. So save a little money and go through them. I'm not sponsored to say that I just really love Frends Beauty and their shipping costs and how quickly things arrive.  Rose Quartz is on the top and Citrine on the bottom. Both are super wearable with Citrine being slightly more warm and Rose Quartz having slightly more silver. I will say these kick up a lot of product so tap your brush off before you start to apply these because a little will go a very long way.  Again Rose Quartz on top and Citrine on the bottom with no filter. You can see that Rose Quartz doesn't pull pink as much as it pulls silver and Citrine isn't overly golden. They're both super wearable.  Here I'm wearing Rose Quartz. As you can see light just bounces off of it and it's a opaque coverage.  Here I'm wearing Citrine and not in direct light so you can see that it keeps it's glow.
 As you well know, I'm a fan of indie brands. Especially hidden gems on Etsy. So recently my friend Lexie (@militaryandmakeup) started up her own brand of cosmetics called The Wicked Beauty. I'm so beyond proud of her. She was one of the first followers I had to support me and my blog and I'm beyond pumped to support her and her company. So what we have is some grease paints, 2 shadows and 2 pressed glitters (in bottle caps I might add!) to talk about. Lets talk about the grease paints first. I think these are so cool. You know the NYX Cosmic Metals I reviewed not long ago? These are better. They are full pigment, they're beautiful colors, and an awesome metallic finish. They do have a fragrance so bear that in mind if you're sensitive to that. Now, the packaging your seeing above for the grease paints are just sample size. You get 5ml of each full sized grease paint for $9 or you can get a sample which is 2ml for $2. Obviously there will be transfer with these because they're more of a thicker gloss, that is loaded with pigment. I apply mine with a lip brush and it works wonderfully, you don't need much either let me tell you. My personal fave is Poppies. I'll leave some lip swatches down below.  The next thing that makes me so beyond happy is her pressed glitters. I LOVE pressed glitters as you know. I think they're easier to work with as opposed to loose glitter and they're more opaque. You still need a glitter glue to use them but that's fine with me. I apply these with my finger and I'm set. These do not disappoint. I have shades Troll Sweat and Mermaid Scales. Mermaid scales is my fave and I've never seen a color combination like this one. I love Troll Sweat too though because it's so bright and I love bright glitters. I mean go big or go home. Plus it's in a bottle cap, how cute is that? These work perfect in a z palette as well. These are $7 and have 1.3g of product in them. I use NYX Glitter Primer as the base for these.   I'm wearing Mermaid Scales in this picture above. It totally changed the entire look. I just can't explain how much I love this pressed glitter. Next is the eye shadows. These are super soft and nicely pigmented. I only see one shade right now on the website and I don't know the shade names of the two I have. So they may not have released just yet. They are very nice though especially the mauve one, it's a gorgeous neutral shade. The mint shade, I will totally use that not just as eye shadow but as highlighter as well.  So I think she done a great job. I truly recommend the Grease Paints for sure, if you aren't sold on them fully then get a sample size and just see how you like it first. Obviously the pressed glitters are amazing too and she has quite a few shades to choose from as well. So definitely check her shop out. I linked it at the very beginning of the post.
So I think I'm gonna do a round up of some of my fave products in each category. Starting with lips. There's a lot of liquid lips involved be warned.  First up is an OG product. I've used this for years. It's the Rimmel lip liner in Innocent. It's my go to nude lip liner. Plus one of these lasts a long time.  Next is my love for Jouer lip cremes. All of them, but in particular Cerise. It's my perfect, most favorite shade of red that I've been able to find so far. I get mine from Frends Beauty.  Colour Pop Naked Ladies is another favorite that I just love. I don't know why. It's a satin liquid lip and super bright but I adore this shade. Especially in the summer with a tan.  MAC Faux is another OG that's I've been wearing for years. I love MAC lipstick formula in general but I think Faux is my perfect neutral shade.  Colour Pop lip liner in Aquarius is something I pick up every time I do something that is a darker neutral. I love all their lip liners though and I use several other shades on the reg, just not as much as this one.  My favorite gloss is Anastasia gloss in Vintage. It's super pigmented so it' a color on it's own. It's not a sheer wash of color either so if you don't want this as your lip color then don't use it.  Another gloss that is sheer that I love and not for it's glossy benefits is the Dior Maximizer in Pink. It's basically no color but it has a "plumping effect". The reason I like it though is because I use my Lip Enhancer tool with it to help it suction to the lips better and do some extra plumping. I use it everyday before I put on lipstick or whatever.  A go to fall-ish shade that I tend to use a lot and not really intentionally is Miami Fever from Ofra. I just think it's a nice bolder lip color without being vampy or too bright but still noticeable. I wear it a ton during the fall and winter. It's just not a shade you see very often.  Speaking of vampy lips my favorite is "Vamp" from ABH coincidentally. I love this shade and when I don't want to think about my makeup but still look really pulled together and like I put in some work I tend to reach for this shade. It's bold, it's a deep maroon shade and it's perfect in my opinion.  Lastly a shade I didn't realize I wore that much was Stone from Dose of Colors. It's a greyish mauve which is why I like it because it's still pretty neutral. Depending on how intense your eye makeup is that day is how noticeable this is. For example if you're doing a very soft neutral look then this will stand out more, if you're doing an intense smokey eye then this will look more neutral and not stand out as much.
Going through this list I notice there's a lot of mauves and no nude shades really. Lots of liquid lipsticks and only 1 lipstick. Which is interesting when I think about it. I knew I typically work liquid lipsticks but I didn't expect there to be this many mauve shades whether in pencil, gloss or lipstick form. So it's cool, doing these. I had more "faves" than I thought.  I recently got this awesome box from Formula X and Influenster for testing purposes. It included the Delete All nail polish remover and The System XCEL 4 step 10 day manicure. So I was super excited I didn't know it was coming with the Delete All as well as the 4 part system. The shade they sent was TGIF. I really love the shade, it's close to Essie Stones N' Roses only brighter and pretty much a dupe for Essie Tart. These peachy coral shades are actually my favorite spring/summer nail polishes. I just always love those shades so that was also a nice surprise. I had heard of the System XCEL, and to be honest I'd never gave it much thought. I thought it wouldn't do anything any different. This claims to be a 10 day "gel like" manicure. Step 1: Cleanse XCEL Step 2: Prime XCEL Step 3: Nail Color Step 4: Shine XCEL What I know about this is that it drys really fast. The Shine XCEL is super shiny and quite thick as well so you do feel like you kinda have a gel manicure. There's no wait time in between steps either, and that's a major plus I think.  This is the Delete All. It has 5 inserts for your finger tips and it literally works in no time flat. Even on glitter. It's by far the best, fastest, and coolest nail polish remover I've ever used. This is 5 stars in my opinion. You nails are in there just a bit and then they come out clean with no polish residue on them. I definitely say pick this up if you love nail products or just need a good remover. It also smells really nice so, bonus.  Sorry this image is a little blurry. This is the shade TGIF which again I really like. You get the choice of your color though when you order the set on Sephora. Formula X has a ton, I mean A TON, of colors to choose from. I have several of their shades and I really like their formula and brush. So when you go to the XCEL page you'll see you have the option to choose your color and then you choose "Add all to basket" and it makes the discount for you because a single nail polish is $12.50 alone. This set is 4 full sized products for $32 which is a good deal. There is also a "to go" set for $16 but I don't think you get to choose you're color with that one, it looks like it comes with a berry shade.
So the big question, which is: Did it last 10 days? No, unfortunately it didn't. BUT it lasted around 5 or 6 before it started chipping just slightly, and I stress slightly. On day 9 and 10 however it was chipping horribly. So, no I don't think this is a 10 day manicure. Especially, if you have your hands in water a lot by doing dishes or swimming or just whatever. I don't feel like I'm very hard on my nails and it still chipped after about 5 days, give or take. For me though, that is huge and worth it. I haven't found anything except a legit gel manicure that won't chip on me after a few hours or 1 day at best and I've tried tons of products.. So I think this is still a good set. Also, I'm using it right now with an Essie polish as the color. So we'll see how that works and I'll update you if it's any different. That way you aren't restricted to only using this with Formula X polishes hopefully. That update will be at the bottom of this post when I do it. So that's my final thoughts. Great products even if it didn't last 10 days like it said. I still think it's better than anything else I've ever tried, other than a salon gel manicure.  As you know, I love Frends Beauty. With all my heart. I love them even more now because......they started carrying Inglot!! I had never tried Inglot before, I'd always heard great things but it was not anywhere around me and I didn't know much about the line other than seeing people use it occasionally as professional makeup. So when Frends Beauty started carrying it, I jumped on it. I bought quite a few products to test out and see what this line was really about and some things I loved, other things not so much. I really feel like Inglot is about mid line in their prices, kinda comparable to MAC. Definitely not as expensive as some brands at Sephora like Urban Decay or Too Faced, etc. Not as cheap as drugstore for sure though. Some things I'm surprised at how high the price actually is and others I'm pleased with how affordable they are.   First up, what I wanted to try before anything else was their AMC Pure Pigments. I'd seen swatches of these pigments and some duo chrome looking ones. So I got three 2 are kinda similar but they're so pretty that I don't care. I got shades 84, 86, and 120 (Same order as swatches left to right). 86 was the shade I wanted without a shadow of a doubt. It has a rose gold type shade, a very vibrant duo chrome of pink and gold tones. Shade 84 has blue and purple tones with a darker cranberry/ red brown base. Shade 120 is like a duo chromed bronze green. It's not exactly olive though. They're great. I expected no less. I apply them with a damp brush that I just spray with setting spray or use contact solution to wet it so they're even more intense. I love that these are bigger chunks of pigment instead of finely milled pigment because it just looks like straight up metal on the lid and I think that's why, because this isn't a finely milled loose pigment. These are $16 a piece. If you add in the "Duraline" which is a water less clear liquid these pigments can turn into: liner, lipstick and more.  Next I knew I wanted to try their gel liner because that is what I always associate Inglot with is their creme gel liner. They didn't have it in black so I got it in charcoal which is shade 78. Everyone is right this is so creamy and pigmented it glides on like a dream. I find it's easy to pick up too much product sometimes and also because of how creamy it is it's easier to make mistakes. However, eyeliner is one of the easiest things to clean up. Just take a clean angled brush and dip it into some remover and sharpen those wings like knives. This is $14.  Something that I got that I really wasn't impressed with was the Long and Curly Mascara. I don't know what possessed me to buy this because I never like most mascaras. I just felt like this one didn't do anything at all including coat my lashes. I felt like it was so thin in formula that you could barely tell if I had any mascara on at all. So that was a fail. This is $14  I tried one of their foundations and this was the biggest surprise out of all of this. I think it's my all time favorite foundation. Like my holy grail. Which is the Inglot YSM Cream Foundation. Now, before hand my fave was probably the NARS Sheer Glow but this one has taken it's place. There was limited shades. So I was just shooting in the dark. The one I chose was #49 when it got here it looked so dark. In the container and on my hand both, it looked incredibly dark. So I was thinking "well that's just great". However, once applied because of it's medium coverage and healthy glow it was a perfect match! I've never had a foundation match my skin that good. Its super light weight, it feels like nothing and it also doesn't have to sit on the skin for a minute before it looks good. This looks beautiful on the skin as soon as you blend it in. I use a kabuki brush for it so that I have a little more coverage. Also because it has some luminosity to it so I don't want a damp beauty sponge to mess with the finish or coverage of it. It was one of those things I noticed right away, Most times when I try a foundation it's like mid day before I notice if my skin looks noticeably good, for those foundations that have made me notice my skin that is. This wasn't like that I blended it in and just stared at my skin. Before powder, concealer, or anything I was just so in love with how nice and healthy my skin looked. It didn't get super shiny through out the day. It did just a touch but basically it stayed the same finish and color (didn't oxidize) the entire day. So this is A+ for me. This is $18  Lastly I got the Under Eye Corrective Illuminator. I have dark circles and I always use a corrector. So I got this because it's pen style much like the MAC Light Boost, and YSL Touche Eclat pens. This has a good amount of pigment. It came kinda broken though their was a ton of product in the lid so it was super messy. The product itself is nice but probably not something I would get again. So it's just "eh" in my opinion. Nothing wrong with it but didn't blow me out of the water either.
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ErinI'm from Tennessee. I'm a makeup and skincare lover. I have always enjoyed creating looks but I love to help people with product knowledge and application even more. I've been able to start blogging and do these things I love because God has seen fit to bless me with the opportunity. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me! 
  
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