Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New Year's Eve - No glitz, but all glam!


Hi dolls! Happy New Year's Eve! I had a hard time with this. Naturally, I wanted to go for crazy glittery eye looks that scream New Year's Eve but than I thought how NYE is (unfortunately) on a Tuesday and how hard it might be to scrub off all that glitter (possibly hungover). It happens. SO I came up with an eye look and a lip look that aren't necessarily glittery and over-the-top but are bold and fun to wear!


First up: A BOLD CAT EYE LINER! Because you sometimes you just have to wing it - literally. This in itself creates so many endless possibilities. With MAC Fix+, you can make any eyeshadow into an eyeliner. If you want super glittery, do it! If you want a bolder color, go for it! Pair this with a nude lip and you're good to go!

Another option is a fun lip! The trend this year was OMBRE LIPS! I kind of twisted it and made it a tie-dye/ombre kind of look. I really have no clue what to call but it's fun nonetheless! If you want to rock the eye look above with the lips below, try using a pink or orange liner for the cat eye.
What are you wearing tonight? Would you try out one of these looks?

Guys, thank you for an amazing 2013! Here's to even more amazing 2014. I can feel it's going to be filled with great things. I'll keep this short and sweet because I swear, I'll be sobbing while writing this but thank you all for everything. I really mean it! 2014 will be filled with more reviews, tutorials and giveaways! Please be safe tonight! Xx

* I want to see pictures from tonight! Post to XO, Noelle's FB page your outfit, nails, makeup - whatever and automatically enter a secret beauty giveaway! :) Giveaway ends tomorrow at noon!
Monday, December 30, 2013

Nail Art Tutorial - NYE Nails - Kiss Me At Midnight


Helllllo gorgeous! Today I have for you a quick and easy NYE nail look! What a bummer that it's on a Tuesday, but at least your nails can have a party while you wait for the ball drop and then pass out (at least those are my plans). What are your plans?

  • Pointer - Nicka K New York Red Apple base with China Glaze Silver Platinum lines (used a striper brush) and colored in some triangles with Zoya Tomoko.
  • Middle - Essie Limo-Scene base with Zoya Tomoko gradient (used a sponge to apply).
  • Ring - Zoya Taylor base with Nicka K New York Red Apple kiss (using my Little Kisses Nail Art Tutorial) and then added some Zoya Tomoko to the lips.
  • Pinky - Essie Limo-Scene base, Essie Set in Stones on top of that and than BadAss Polish Bling It on top of that.

If you wanted an even easier look, ex-nay the nail art!

  • Thumb - China Glaze Silver Platinum base with Zoya Tomoko leopard print and Nicka K New York Red Apple rings around the spots (close up shown below).


Some quick easy tips if you're in a rush:
- Use a quick dry top coat like HK Girl from Glisten & Glow!
- Dip your hands in cold water. Apparently, it helps speed up the drying process.

Glitter Removal:
They look so pretty - now how the hell do I get this crap off my nails? 
The tin foil technique! Soak a cotton ball in non-acetone nail polish remover and a grab a couple of sheets of tin foil. Cut them into a square a few sizes bigger than the cotton ball. Place a soaked cotton ball on your glittery nail and then wrap the piece of tin foil around your nail. Basically, it should look like a little tin foil hat for your finger. Continue to cover the rest of your hand (unless you're awesome and can do both hands at the same time). Let them sit for about 5 minutes and then twist and pull off! Wa-la! No more glitter.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Revlon Colorstay Shadow Links - Swatches & Review


Hey dolls! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas filled with lots of food, happy and healthy families and lots and lots of fun presents! I migtt do a Christmas haul post if you guys would like to see it? Let me know!

Anywho, last month I went to Rite Aid on a personal mission to buy as many beauty products as I could for under $25. It wasn't too hard because Rite Aid was having killer sales and I picked up a few of these Revlon Colorstay Shadow Link Eyeshadows. They caught my eye because they were $2.99 (and at the time buy one, get one half off - whoop whoop!) and they are made to link together! You could make your own palette. How cool is that?
Revlon Colorstay Shadow Links
I had never heard of these before I saw them and I'm usually pretty up to date on drugstore beauty products. So upon further research, there's 18 colors total and they're part of the Fall/Winter 2013 season. They're made to click into each other so you can create your own endless palette. Colors range from brights to neutrals, shimmers to mattes. 

Basically, there's a track on each eyeshadow that you can slide another onto to link them together. It's easy peasy and so far none of mine have broken or fallen off!

From L-R: Oyster, Blush, Taupe, Plum and Perwinkle

  • Oyster - a shimmery white metallic. This was so meh for me. It was so chalky and dry. Every time I tried to blend this out, it disappeared! So disappointing.
  • Blush - a light peach matte. Still dry, albeit a tiny bit more softer and easier to work with. Less chalky than the rest, but chalky nonetheless. 
  • Taupe - a dusty brown satin with silver shimmer. Pretty, but wasn't doing anything for me. Chalky, dry and hard to blend. 
  • Plum - a plummy purple matte. I had the highest hopes for this one and was totally let down. Gorgeous color but the pigmentation wasn't there. Slightly easier to work with compared to the others but chalky and dry.
  • Periwinkle - Another pretty color with nothing to back it up. Chalky, dry, hard to blend. Sigh.
Overall: Super disappointing! The idea behind them linking together to create your own palette is genius but lacks in the actual product itself. Each eyeshadow had the same MO: chalkiness, dryness and no pigmentation whatsoever. If I had to recommend one, I'd say Blush because I think it was softer and a bit easier to work with than the others but in all honesty, I say save your money!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013

And may all your Christmases be white.



I hope everyone has the most amazing Christmas today! May it be filled with good health, loads of laughs and heck, a few lipsticks and blushes under the tree ;) I want to personally thank every, single one of you for making my blog what it is today. I really couldn't have done this without any of you. This year has been amazing and I've been able to experience so many things that I wouldn't have been able to (nor have the confidence to do) without you guys. I hope you all know and feel how much I genuinely love every single one of you through my posts. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for liking. Thank you for giving me confidence. Thank you for helping me survive some hard times. Thank you for always being there. Merry Christmas, everyone! Let's bring on the new year! Xx


Monday, December 23, 2013

Perfect Palette Tag!


Word around town is that there's a Perfect Palette Tag out there. Naturally, I am all over it. I loveeeeeee (is that enough 'e's?) palettes! To me, a palette is one of the best beauty products you can buy that'll give you the most bang for your buck. Slap a "limited edition" sticker on it and there's World War 3 all up in Sephora. Palettes: they are to me what Pokeballs were to Ash Ketchum - gotta catch collect them all! Let's see which ones made the tag!



1. Best Packaging


Sigma Beauty Paris Palette
Right off the bat, I'm having a hard time. I've said it a billion times, but I'm such a sucker for cute packaging so I don't really have any palettes that I think are ugly. It's a tough decision but I'll have to go with this palette. I mean, c'mon, it looks like a postcard to Paris. How freakin' adorable is that!? The inside has a mosaic look to it. Double adorable!

2. Best Color Payoff



Anastasia Beverly Hills Catwalk Palette
Hands down one of the best palettes ever when it comes down to color payoff. Every eyeshadow in this palette is so rich and pigmented and smooth and just - yum! The color payoff is out of this world. I've used this palette so many times without a primer.

3. Most Versatile


Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
My palette hoarding started with this baby. The Naked 2 Palette is just everything you could want and more. You can go from au naturel to super smokey in the matter of seconds with this palette. Pigmentation is fantastic and all the eyeshadows are super blendable.

4. Best for Traveling


Too Faced Loves Sephora 15 Years of Beauty Palette
I think the reason this always came with me traveling was because it has a great mix of colors (albeit some are a little dramatic) and comes with my favorite bronzer and blush, all in a super sturdy tin case.


5. Biggest Regret
Thankfully, I don't really have any. I usually check out the swatches of my palettes before buying and make sure it's something I'm going to like.

6. Best Color Names


Sigma Beauty Creme de Couture Palette
Oh goodness. This palette makes me so hungry! The eyeshadows are named after delicious macaron flavors like Meyer Lemon, Blueberry Cream, Almond Pear and Citron Pistachio, just to name a few. I think the names are adorable but are still appropriate for their color.

7. Least Used



Urban Decay Ammo Palette
It's not that the eyeshadows are ugly. They're actually quite stunning! I just think they're too shimmery for me to use on a daily basis.

8. Most Used



Urban Decay Naked Basics
As much as I love wild and crazy colors, there's nothing quite like basic eye. All six shadows work so well together and I always find myself gravitating towards this for at least one shadow to use (especially Venus - it's a great highlighter!).

9. Most Loved


Kat Von D LadyBird Palette
Random, right but I absolutely love this palette and wish I used it way more often that I get to. The packaging is so pretty and sturdy. The shadows are mostly mattes and satins which is perfect to me! It has your basic nudes and some bolder shadows to mix with them. Overall, it just makes me so happy when I use it. I'm weird.

10. Desert Island



it Cosmetics Luxe High Performance Palette
Tough choice but I'll have to go with the it. This is another palette that has great pigmentation and doesn't need a primer. While it might not have a huge variety of colors, 
it does over your basic neutrals plus some fun colors.

I tag: 
- Boho Vanity
- The Beauty Milk
- Love For Lacquer
- EVERYONE! Leave me links in the comments to your answers. I would love to see them!
Friday, December 20, 2013

Make Up Tutorial | Holiday Look - Berry Lips & Gold Eyes


Hey beautiful! Who's ready for Christmas? My fiance and I have been so stressed and gearing up for our house closing on the 23rd (AHHHHH!) that we kind of pushed Christmas shopping and all that fun stuff to the last minute. BUT it's finally all done and thank God for online shopping, right? Phew. 

Anyway, I might not be able to help you wrap all your presents but I do have your back on an easy and fun holiday look! Let's check it out!

This is my srs bizness face apparently.

I used one palette for this entire look (including bronzer and blush) from one of my favorite palettes - Too Faced Loves Sephora 15 Years of Beauty Palette. I did a review on this palette a few months ago if you want to check it out here. This palette has everything needed to make an gorgeous holiday look - the gold, the shimmer. It's all there!


Starting with my face, I used my Kiehs Ultra Facial Moisturizer because mama needs moisture with this crazy New England weather and rubbed in some Benefit The Porefessional Primer. For foundation, I used L'Oreal True Match Lumi in Porcelain / Light Ivory and buffed it all out with a beauty blender. For my eyebrows (that are getting completely unruly) I used Benefit gimmeBrow.


Eyes - This is so quick and easy! For a base, I used MAC Paint Pot in Painterly. That basically makes my lids a nice canvas to work on without my veins or uneven skin tone popping through. I started with Behind The Counter and popped it into my crease using my Sigma Beauty E40 crease brush. Than I took TF <3's The Cast (ugh, SO pretty!) and put it all over my lid using my Sigma E55 lid brush. Using a blending brush (I used Sigma's E25), blend together so there's no hard edges. Now, taking MAC's Fix+, spray some onto your lid brush and grab some more TF <3's The Cast. I love using this spray with eyeshadows because it creates an intensity and boldness that you sometimes just can't achieve otherwise. Pat this into the middle of your eyelid to give it an extra bold gold look. On the bottom lash, I used 525 Market and smudged that out. Line your water line and tight line with a black eyeliner. Then, using your favorite gel eyeliner, wing out that cat eye, baby!


Bronzer / Blush - I used Chocolate Soleil for my bronzer which comes in this palette. It smells SO yummy. Blush is Who's Your Poppy? from the same palette.

Lips -  Wet N Wild Sugar Plum Fairy which is a nice, cheap dupe for MAC Rebel!


So what do you think? Would you wear this? Do you want to see more tutorials like this? Let me know! I love doing these but I can't tell if they're easier or harder through pictures. Until next time! Xx
Thursday, December 19, 2013

Ipsy December Bag - Review


Oh baby! It's that special time of the month where a hot pink bubble mailer is sent to my mailbox - it's Ipsy bag time! 

For those of you who aren't subscribed to Ipsy and have no idea what I'm talking about Ipsy is a $10 a month subscription service  run by Michelle Phan (beauty vlogger extraordinaire) where you receive 3-5 deluxe mini or full sized beauty products to try out, all in a cute bag!

Onto the theme! This month's theme is Celebration - There's always a reason to celebrate! Whether it's buying your first car or welcoming your 2nd grandchild, there's always a reason to get gorgeous and feel glamorous!

Let's talk about the bag first. A black plastic-y quilted bag with a front zip instead of a top zipper. I'm a HUGE fan of the front zipper!

Signature Fragrances by English Laundry
I normally don't peek at my glam room before I get my bag but I came across a review someone had up of these and how they hated the scents. Naturally, I was disappointed when I saw I received them too. Imagine my surprise when I sniffed and LOVED them. I have no clue what that person was on to not like them. Signature for her smells like Pink Sugar and Signature for him is one of the nicest smelling colognes I've ever had the pleasure of sniffing. 

Signature Pour Femme By: English Laundry
Charming, Delicate & Elegant. Signature opens with quince, complimented by white chocolate and jasmine petals at the heart. For a purely peaceful scent, notes of orris roots, powdery musk and sensual woods have been composed at the base. Available in Holiday Gift Sets, Eau De Parfum, Body Lotion, Purse Sprayer and Pure Oil Roll On.

Signature By: English Laundry
Sophisticated, Masculine & Captivating. Signature is a fragrance with aromatic notes of bergamot, lemon, lavender and cedarwood. Nutmeg and coriander are composed in the middle. Signature reveals a base of sandalwood, vetiver, musk and amber. Available in Holiday Gift Set, Eau De Toillete, 3in1 Shampoo + Conditioner +Body Wash, Deodorant Stick and Pocket Sprayer.

Nicka K New York Nail Polish in Ripe Apple
I for one am SO happy that they sent out a new nail polish brand! No offense, Nailtini. The color is a beautiful red but I'm sure I have something like it somewhere. 

POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Trio in Smokin' Hot
Yay! Love POP Beauty and love little eyeshadow trios. The pigment is great and blendable. The black is a teensy bit on the chalky side, but nothing you can't work with.

Lid: Silver | Outer V: Black | Inner Corner: White

NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Sky Pink
Eh, this was kind of a miss for me. I love NYX and double love their lipsticks but the color was way too frosty for my liking. This did however go on smooth and didn't dry out my lips.

NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Sky Pink

Be A Bombshell... The One Stick in Flustered
This is an all in one stick - an eyeshadow, a blush and a lip stain! I really like this. It goes on almost balmy but when you blend it it, it feels like powder. So cool. It's pretty pigmented so you don't need to apply much to get a good deal of color pay off. I've only used this on my cheeks so far and the coloring is pretty. Kind of like when you come in from the cold and your cheeks are all red.

Be A Bombshell... The One Stick in Flustered

Swatches (L-R): Flustered (applied and then blended), Sky Pink & POP Beauty Trio

Overall, I would say this bag was pretty awesome! The bag itself is so nice and I can see myself using it as a change purse or makeup bag for on-the-go. LOVED the eyeshadow trio, the all in one stick and the fragrances! 

Ipsy - Sign Up | Facebook 
Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms - Swatches & Review


Hi guys! Today I have for you some swatches of Revlon's Colorburst Matte Balms! I'm always more partial to matte shades but if you guys would like to see some swatches of the lacquer ones, let me know and I'll pick some up to try out!

Revlon released 20 shades (!!!) in their new Colorburst Balm collection - ten are matte and ten are lacquer. It hasn't been announced if these are limited edition or permanent yet but I'll keep you guys posted.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Shameless, Showy & Striking
Right off the bat, I love the packaging! Chubby pencils are the bees knees and when they're retractable? Automatic brownie points! Also, the color reflected on the packaging is pretty true to the pencil color inside which is always great.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Showy, Shameless & Striking
Each chubby pencil is velvety smooth with balm-like moisture from shae, mango and cocoa butter. I think my favorite thing about these is the scent - it smells like peppermint but isn't overwhelming and goes away after a few minutes. The lasting power is about 8 hours and leaves a bit of a stain.

Shameless is a deep purple with a berry undertone.
This one is my ultimate favorite. The color is so flattering! BUT I always recommend exfoliating your lips and putting on a nice lip balm before applying a matte lipstick/balm. Especially with Shameless, it picks up on EVERY SINGLE dry patch you have on your lips and even ones you didn't know about! 



Showy is a hot pink fuchsia.
Showy is so fun and bright. My camera doesn't do it justice. I didn't experience this picking up dry patches like Shameless did. 



Striking is a tangerine red.
SO gorgeous! This is definitely a bold red lip. Again, I didn't experience issues with dry patches with this one. Maybe it's just Shameless. 



Swatches of Showy, Shameless and Striking

Overall, I feel like I need the other seven matte balms PLUS the lacquers! I love these! Unfortunately, I have large pores around my mouth so it looks like these are bleeding or drying out but I assure you they're not and are pretty hydrating for being matte. The scent is so yummy it's not even funny and every time I put one of these on, I automatically think Thin Mints. YUMMMM!

Revlon: At your local Rite Aid and drugstores | Facebook / Price: $8.99

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