NYC Sunny Bronzer Review & Bronzer Comparison

I finally caved and purchased the NYC Sunny bronzer ($2.99), not because I needed another bronzer, but because I wanted to see how it compared to a lot of others I have and whether or not it is a dupe for a higher end product.

From top to bottom, left to right: Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil, elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (St. Lucia), NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo (Orgasm/Laguna), Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, tarte Park Ave Princess, NYC Smooth Skin (Sunny),  Physicians Formula Organic Wear Bronzer (Healthy Glow)

As you can see, I have quite a large variety of bronzers and I picked out some of the most popular ones to compare to. I like the compact of the NYC Smooth Skin Sunny bronzer, I think it looks a lot more high end than its $2.99 price tag.

Of my bronzers, the ones that suit my skin-tone best are probably Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil, Physicians Formula Organic Wear Natural Glow Bronzer, and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. So let's see how NYC's Sunny compares in the swatches below:

NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer was more smooth than the Wet n Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer and had no visible shimmer particles. I prefer bronzers that are more matte or satin, and I tend to stay away from overly shimmery products, which I why I sometimes opt out of wearing my Wet n Wild bronzer.

NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer appears to be a happy medium between my lightest shade (PF Organic Wear Bronzer in Natural Glow) and the Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer. NARS' Laguna is more cool-toned and taupe-like. Tarte's Park Ave. Princess Bronzer is more reddish and a deeper brown shade. E.L.F.'s St. Lucia Bronzer is definitely the darkest of the bunch (I almost never wear this one since it only matches my tone when I am very bronzed).

I highly recommend the NYC Sunny Bronzer if you're fair to light skin toned, I'm not sure how well this product could work for medium to deeper tones since it is a rather lighter bronzer. It definitely exudes a beautiful warm glow from the skin when applied, so if you are not a fan of warm tones, than this product isn't for you. I find that it's even useful for me to contour my nose with.

Do you have any of these bronzers? Let me know what you think about them and which one is your fav! Also let me know if you have any product suggestions for things I should try!

Product Review: Wet 'n Wild Intuitive Blend Foundation + Primer

I was perusing the aisles of my local Rite Aid a few days ago and I stumbled upon the Wet 'n Wild Intuitive Blend Shade Adjusting Foundation + Primer. Now, I realize this isn't a new product to their line but I hadn't seen it in previous displays, so it took this extended display for me to realize it was even there! It is a foundation AND primer priced only at $5.99 so I figured I would give it a go and review it.

The applicator is a simple squeeze-tube and I find these perfectly hygienic and simple to use. I like the ombre yet simple packaging of this foundation - and what really intrigued me was that this product claims to be a primer as well as a foundation, which would cut one step out of my morning beauty routine (and I'm all about simplifying).

I took a series of photographs to show you how the microbead shade-adjusting technology works:

This foundation provides light to medium coverage and performs like a BB cream or tinted moisturizer, but it really does do everything that it claims! I haven't experienced any pilling or greasiness, the foundation wore all day on my skin and my skin still felt smooth 8 hours in. I applied it with a brush and my fingers, I typically prefer a brush but it works well both ways. I did find that I had to use concealer for my under-eye circles as the coverage wasn't enough to give me the brightness I like (but this can be true for many medium coverage foundations).

All in all, I think this is a fantastic, well-priced product. It really is a no-muss no-fuss sort of morning product that is a ton of fun to use. The product range only consists of 4 shades Fair, Light, Medium and Tan, so choose the one that you normally fall into with other foundations you may use.

If you're interested in this product, I've linked all 4 shades (fair, light, medium and tan) below:

ONLINE ONLY Beauty Steal! Cargo Shanghai Nights Palette

Ulta is having their annual 21 Days of Beauty Steals massive sale, where every day there are various items that are on sale. You can check out the whole calendar on their website. The one that really caught my eye was the brand new Cargo Shanghai Nights Eyeshadow Palette, which I believe will only be released on the day of the sale, Tuesday 9/23/2014.

The deal on this palette is insane! It's literally going to be half off, it normally would retail for $39, but is on sale for $20, you won't be getting a better deal than that! Today only, you can also get the Stila In the Moment, In the Know and In the Light palette for that same deal during the beauty sale.

I couldn't find any more photos of the palette online but I did find this graphic which shows the colors:

I'm a huge fan of the color selection, there's a good variety of colorpop (Lychee, Ginger, Hu, Skyline, Street Style and Bar Rouge) along with a wide variety of cool-toned and warm-toned neutrals (Wai Tai, Bund, Jin Mao, Neon, Jade, Night Life)! You can create so many looks with this mixture of shadows. I'm definitely going to try to pick this up online during the sale!

If you want to know what similar Cargo palettes look like, last year they released the "Let's Meet in Paris" palette, which was a very similar format - this was sold for the 2013 holiday season and was very limited in quantity:

Cargo Palette: Let's Meet in Paris, courtesy of www.makeupgeek.com

They also released a palette called "Vintage Escape" which is in the same format in the fall of 2013:

Cargo Palette: Vintage Escape, photo courtesy of www.15minutebeauty.com

New Release & Sneak Peek: Too Faced La Belle Carousel & Everything Nice (A Few of my Favorite Things 2)

Too Faced - La Belle Carousel set from Macys.com

This set is absolutely breathtaking from the promos, and since I know how fast Too Faced's holiday sets sell out, I decided to order a set! It retails for $49, but you can find Macys.com coupons that might apply to it.

Too Faced - La Belle Carousel set from Macys.com 

I love the packaging, it really looks high-end and Too Faced always does an amazing job specifically with their holiday sets - their products really get me into the holiday spirit! I'm squealing with joy as I'm writing this post!

Rumoured contents of Too Faced - La Belle Carousel found on Dermstore.com

3 Eyeshadow Mini Palettes (4 colors each - 12 shades total):
For the Macys.com set: 1 confirmed palette will consist of Frost (metallic bright silver), Tin Soldier (gunmetal gray shimmer), Christmas Tree (forest green shimmer) and Santa's Boots (shimmery black)
Unsure of 2 palettes - it appears there are 2 variants of this set - maybe sold in different stores? We'll find out soon!

2 Blush & Bronzer Mini Palettes (2 colors each, 4 shades total):
For the Macys.com set: Who's Your Poppy Blush and Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Unsure of shades in 2nd palette

Deluxe "Better Than Sex Mascara" comes with the set

Sneak Peek Courtesy of trendynailsrd on Instagram - not sure if this is the set released on Macys.com, it appears to differ from the set on Dermstore.com where I got the previous preview.

I ordered the set from Macys.com so as soon as I get my hands on it, I'll take photos and inform you of the colors! Update to come soon, happy holiday shopping!


PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Sneak Peek: Too Faced Everything Nice Palette (A Few Of My Favorite Things 2)!!!! Just to get you excited!

Found this on: The Sunday Girl blog - check out the post for a first impression

Eyes of the Day: Maya Mia Palette - Tropical Smokey Look

Maya Mia Palette Tropical Smokey Look

I'm so inspired by the Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia Palette that I find myself going back to it day after day trying to create new and exciting looks that make me step out of my routine comfort zone. This pop of Aqua is my homage to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica from my recent trip and a beautiful sunset overlooking the pier. You can check out my review of the Maya Mia Palette if you're contemplating a purchase!

Maya Mia Palette Tropical Smokey Look - Ambient Light

I really love how easily the colors can be blended together but how well they can also be placed to show the difference between them rather than getting all muddy like some eyeshadows can. If you'd like to purchase the palette, you can do so on Anastasia Beverly Hills website, Ulta, Sephora or Macy's.

Maya Mia Palette Tropical Smokey Look - Direct Sunlight

If you'd like to re-create this look, I have included a guide to help! I started with the crease color (Sienna) and then packed on the Deep Brown onto the outer 2/3rd's of my lid. I made sure to finish off the look with the pop of Aqua in the inner corner (but I purposely left this area blank when I applied the other colors and used a white eyeshadow base for maximum saturation). I blended out the top of the crease with Caramel and the outer edges of the eyes with Fresh Peach.

If you have this palette, I hope it keeps you in a summery mood all year long and that it inspires you to be passionate about your eyeshadow transformations often!

Ipsy August 2014 Glam Bag Unboxing

This is the August Ipsy Glambag I received - I wasn't particularly impressed with anything but all of the items were definitely usable. I received a Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Klorane Dry Shampoo, Lord & Berry Eye Pencil, Jersey Shore Mongongo Lip Conditioner, and Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo. 

I like that this month they switched up the shape of the bag, as this one is definitely more spacious and great as a pencil case compared to the usual flat rectangular bags. It's constructed of a fairly stiff plastic material, however, so I could see this breaking after some extended usage.

The Coastal Scents Forever Blush Samples are extremely small but the pigmentation really packs a huge punch. A little of this blush probably goes a very long way and it seems like a worthwhile purchase from Coastal Scents.Value: $1.99

I am a huge fan of Dry Shampoo so this one from Klorane really hits the spot with me since I often cannot carry my full-sized ones in a travel bag (since they are too big for the TSA). This one is the perfect size for traveling.Value: $6.49

I was a little bummed I didn't receive the purple eyeliner from Urban Decay but this new Perversion  Mascara is worth a try. I like the natural brush fibers and the sleek packaging.Value: $5.50

This is a very tiny Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil in Black - This is great for throwing into a small purse when you're on the go and you may need to touch up your waterline. However, I've tried it out and the lasting power isn't great, it's fairly easy to smudge out and rub off.Value: $7.83

I love this Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Anti-aging Lip Conditioner. I can never get enough lip balm and this is the only full sized item in my bag this month. Value: $5.50

Total Value of Ipsy Bag: $27.31 - this is actually on the lower end of the value of bags I have ever received from Ipsy in the past year and a half.

Wet 'n Wild Fall 2014 ColorIcon Eyeshadow Palette Collection

The new Wet 'n Wild Coloricon eyeshadow palettes have arrived for the Fall 2014 collection, I was able to find these at Walgreens in the LA area this week. I picked up 3 of the 4 palettes released (Melrose at Night, Smoke and Melrose, Angels in Aubergine), I was not drawn to High Waisted Jeans because I'm not a big fan of blue eyeshadow, I don't find that it's the most flattering on my amber/brown eyes and fair skin tone.

Originally, I was skeptical about the performance of these quints because I have heard rather poor reviews of the permanent collection of quint eyeshadow palettes from Wet 'n Wild's new formulation, but I am so happy to announce that these shadows seem to be the old formulation!!! I hope you get a chance to pick these up if you're a fan of the old, phased-out, color icon shadow palettes. All of the shades are buttery smooth, ultra-pigmented, and have little fall-out.

These quints also feature a variety of glitter, metallic, mostly matte and satin eyeshadows, with Melrose at Night and Smoke and Melrose featuring many dupes of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette.

Melrose at Night is a perfect daytime look palette if you're looking for a no muss, no fuss, palette. It's great for work or night time, you can always add more of the definer shade in the outer-V of your eye for increased dramatic effect. The Crease shade is my least favorite because it was probably the least pigmented shade out of all of the palettes, but still a better-than-average shadow.

The Smoke and Melrose palette is my absolute favorite, the Browbone shade is as perfect crease transition shade for me and I absolutely adore it (it is a dupe for Nooner from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette). Smoke and Melrose is a darker, more warm-leaning palette than Melrose at Night, with the crease shade being much more metallic than the rest.

Angels in Aubergine features a wonderfully pigmented Base color, a nice pop of color in the browbone shade and a great way to create a few variations of the smokey eye palette with aubergine (maroon-purple) undertones. This was my least favorite of the palettes, only because I am less of a fan of smokey eye looks than other variations - that isn't to say you couldn't create a rather usual look with just the Browbone, Base and Definer shades. The crease color seems to have the most chunky glitter of all the shades in this range.