Review: Stila Color Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette

It's no secret that my favorite high end highlighter is from Stila cosmetics. It's called "Kitten" and it's a duo shade compact with 2 highlight shades. I love it so much. So, when I spotted this Color Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette from Stila, it looked beautiful. But then, I noticed that it had a shade that was also called "Kitten". Just like my HG powder highlighter, only this is a cream formulation. So, basically all I'm saying, is that I had to get it.

 

This palette has a tin housing that holds 5 different cream shades that can be used for blush or lip colors. The instructions say that for blush, tap it onto cheeks, and for lips, press it on. The 5 shades are:

Kitten: A highy pigmented shimmery champagne

Peony: A dusty rose shade

Gerbera: A sweet rosy pink shade

Rose: A deep mauve shade, &

Petunia: A bright, coral pink.

 

 

All 5 shades have a somewhat dewy finish. Some more than others. And all of them are very pigmented. Peony, Gerbera, and Rose all have a staining effect on my skin and stick around a very long time. Overall this palette is a phenomenal value, and can be purchased at Ulta.com or at a discounted rate right now at beauty.com! It retails for $28 but is $12.60 at beauty.com. For $12.60, this really cannot be beat if you are into cream products. This palette is versatile, and can be used for a variety of different looks on your face as well as lips! I love the formulation and the pigmentation as well.  

My only complaint is that the packaging feels pretty cheap. The tin is somewhat flimsy, but the real problem is the part where the pans are housed. The black part inside is super flimsy and whenever you press your finger into a shade it goes down, and I feel like it's going to break. So, for this reason, I'm giving it 4/5 winks!

Now, I'm sure you are all wondering how the "kitten" shade in this palette compares to the All Over Shimmer Duo. I've done a detailed picture graph below, but as you can see the darker shade from the All Over Shimmer Duo in "kitten" is the exact same shade that is in this palette! The only thing that I can tell as far as when it's swatched, is that the cream formulation from this palette is very shiny/dewy as opposed to the pressed powder found in the All Over Shimmer Duo. I love both equally and I'm so happy with this purchase! 

Ipsy: May 2014

Have you heard of Ipsy? It's a beauty subscription that costs $10/month and they send you 4-5 products inside of a cute little makeup bag. I've been subscribed to them for a year now, and I always get my moneys worth, with some of my bags valuing at over $50! Plus, it gives me a chance to try things that I normally wouldn't try. I love it! Here is what I got in this month's bag:

First, the bag! OMG I love it! It's a cute natural canvas style bag with a cute leaf pattern on the front and a zip top closure. I honestly think this is my favorite bag so far!

eva-nyc Therapy Session Hair Mask: This is a full size product in this months bag and it retails for $12! I'm always in need of a good deep conditioner.

Hang Ten Classic Sport Natural Sunscreen SPF50: Ipsy is helping me gear up for summer with this product! I can never have enough sunscreen in my life. All 5 people in my family are ghosts, so we go though this stuff fast! This is s deluxe sized sample with 1 oz. of product. The full size is 6 oz. and retails for $12.99

Pacifica Mineral Eye Shadow Duo: I love the idea of this eco-friendly brand. These eye shadows as of right now are an Ipsy exclusive product!

derma|e Microdermabrasion Scrub: Another eco-friendly product! This smells amazing and I exfoliate my face 2x a week, so I go through scrubs fast. This product is 1 oz. which is exactly 1/2 of what the full size is at 2 oz. The full size has a retail of $32.50 so my products value is $16.25!

Olive Natural Beauty Olive Lips Lip Balm: This is another eco-friendsly brand this month, and another full-size product that retails for $5.95. This lip balm smells really good and I love natural products, so win win!

So, the value of this bag minus the eye shadow, since I have no idea how much to value an exclusive item, is $47.19! So I'd say well over a $50 value for the whole bag!

HUGE giveaway!

Hey everyone! I started this blog about 2 months ago, and I seriously cannot believe how amazing it has been. I've had a handful of opportunities already, and I'm so lucky to be able to share what I love to do with you. To say "thank you", I've put together a giveaway! Items that are included in this giveaway are:

1. Vanilla Bliss body butter from The Body Shop 6.9 oz. (Full size!)
2. Jesse's Girl eye color collection pallet in "Tickled Pink" (Full size!)
3. elf Small Stipple Brush (I use mine ALL the time!)
4. elf Defining Eye Brush (Seriously use mine EVERY DAY!)
5. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 7ct. 
6. épicé Purifying exfoliant 1 oz.
7. Almay makeup eraser sticks 24 ct. (Full size!)
8. Ms. Manicure "File When Ready" mini nail files 3 ct.
9. Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment mask 1 ct.
10. Tan Towell towelette 1 ct.
11. J.cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Pallette in "Volta" (Full size!)
12. elf Baked Bronzer in "Maui" (Full size!)
13. elf Shimmer Pallette  (Full size!)
14. Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in "Black" (Full size!)
15. Suncoat nail enamel in "Sienna" (Full size!)
16. Revlon Colorstay nail enamel in "Bare" (Full size!)
17. ChapStick True Shimmer lip balm in "Botanical Berry" (Full size!)
18. Fekkai Glossing Cream 2 oz.
19. Olay Fresh Effects {Shine, Shine go Away} Cleanser 0.68 oz.
20. L'Oreal Sublime Sun SPF 30 Lightweight Sunscreen 0.5 oz.
21. Victoria's Secret Bombshell Body Lotion 1.7 oz.
22. Almay Soothing & De-Puffing gentle eye makeup remover pads 80 ct. (Full size!)
23. Olay PRO X Spot Fading Treatment .23 oz.
24. Jordana InColor Fabuliner liquid eye liner in "Brown" (Full size!)
25. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate oil (Full size!)
26. Three (3) Almay Shadow Softies in "Petal" , "Hot Fudge", & "Cashmere" (Full size!)
27. Nivea Extended Moisture Lotion 1 oz.
28.  Facial Brush from The Body Shop
29. Vanilla Bliss hand cream from The Body Shop 1 oz.
30. Benefit They're Real Mascara 0.1 oz.
31. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer .25 oz.
32. Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in "Starshine" (Full size!)
33. Yves Rocher deep wrinkle expert care day/night 0.23 oz

PLUS 10 product samples from L'Oreal, Lumene, Proactive, Yes To Grapefruit, The Body Shop and MORE!!!!!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Winner will be chosen at random, and will be notified by email from winkypinkblog@gmail.com OR Facebook private message from me personally! Please don't be fooled by scammers! Giveaway ends exactly one week from today, and winner will be notified immediately after!

Congrats to Julia G.!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eco Emi: March 2014 Box

Have you heard of Eco-Emi? It's a monthly subscription service that's $15/month, and every month they send you a box full of earth-friendly, Eco-friendly goodies! Most of them are sample sized, but some are full sized! This month there were 4 full sized products, that together valued over $25! It comes in a small sized Priority Mail box, and it is always packaged so nicely, and this months theme was "slumber party". I have been subscribed for a year now, and I've never been disappointed. I always get my moneys worth and more as well. Here is a list and short description of the products (from the card you get within the box) that I got in March's box:

1. Shea Butter by Karitex $10.00/200 gram pouch (full size product in Eco Emi box!)
Organic and 100% raw, this Shea Butter is a must! It naturally contains vitamin A, which aids in restoring a number of skin conditions. Perfect for treatment of minor cuts or scrapes. Shea Butter accelerates the healing process.

2. 2N1 Lip Therapy and Cuticle Treatment by The Lano Company $5 (full size product in Eco Emi box!)
Infused with jojoba, coconut, and sweet almond oils, this applicator helps alleviate dry and chapped skin by replenishing moisture. It is in a great travel sized tube making it convienient to use on the go, great for overnight relief as well.

3. Dawn Lip Gloss by Purely You minerals $8 (full size product in Eco Emi box!)
Drench your lips in moisture and kiss them with color! If you want to go for a more natural look, Dawn is the perfect shade for you. This vegan lip gloss contains all natural vitamins, oils, and minerals.

4. Red Popcorn by Kitts Kernel $6.25/1.5 lb bag
This flavorful popcorn is a great choice for movie night! Each kernel is non-GMO and grown naturally, enhancing the corn flavor.

5. Eco-Beauty Waterproof Makeup Remover Wipes by La Fresh $9.99/pouch
Say good-bye to oily makeup removers, and say hello to a clean, fresh face with La Fresh eco-beauty makeup remover. Use this to effortlessly and instantly remove waterproof makeup while soaking your skin with lavender aromatherapy.

Eco-Beauty Nail Polish Remover Pads by La Fresh $5.99/10 count
No need to use harsh, pungent, drying, conventional polish removers; these pads are acetone-free, have an incredibly delicious orange scent and won't dry out the skin. One pad cleans and conditions all 10 nails.

6. Almond Bar by Kuli Kuli $2.89/bar or $32.99/pack of 12
Sourced from West Africa, this sweet and salty snack bar is filled with a nutritious and medicinal plant called Morninga, making it gluten-free and vegan. Made with simple and understandable ingredients, this bar provides the protein, iron, and calcium you need throughout the day.

Tip Tuesday: DIY Lip Balm

Remember when we pressed all those loose eye shadows, and we were left with a bunch of empty jars? Well, this week I'm going to give you a yummy recipe for your lips that you can use those jars for! I call this "White chocolate gloss". Today, I'll be making this with lemon flavoring, however, feel free to use whatever flavor you like. Or omit the flavoring, since the chocolate has great flavor on it's own. I just think that white chocolate, and lemon are a dream together. Here is what you'll need:

Small chunk beeswax (about the size of a small grape)- or other hard wax that is safe for cosmetic use
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon petroleum jelly
1 candy melts (I used yellow, since I'm making it with lemon)
Zip-top plastic baggie
Bowl of HOT water
1-3 drops of an oil-based candy flavoring (depending on how much flavor you want in your gloss - mine is obviously lemon flavored)
2-3 Clean Empty jars

Place the beeswax, coconut oil, petroleum jelly, & candy melt into the baggie and zip it shut. Then place it into your hot water.

Leave it there for 5-10 minutes, or until everything is melted together (the wax will be the last to melt, so make sure there are no small chunks), you may need to replace the hot water if it cools too much. Then massage the ingredients until they are smooth.

Dry off the outside of your baggy very well! You don't want water getting into your gloss. Then open your bag and drop in your flavoring. I used a medicine dropper for this, most pharmacy's will give them to you for free.

Snip the corner off of the baggy.

Start piping your gloss into your cleaned out jars. Tap the jars gently to get the gloss evened out. Then let them cool down. I placed mine in the fridge for a few hours.

This recipe filled 1 of my bigger jars, and 2 smaller jars. You can double or even triple the recipe if you want! These would make a great inexpensive gift, or they would be a great addition to a treat bag or gift bag for a party! Have fun, and make sure you come back for next tip Tuesday!

Eco-Emi: February 2014 Box

 

Have you heard of Eco-Emi? It's a monthly subscription service that's $15/month, and every month they send you a box full of earth-friendly, Eco-friendly goodies! Most of them are sample sized, but some are full sized! Like the lip balm this month is a full sized product. I've gotten eyeshadows, and mascaras, and eyeliners in the past that were also full sized, just to name a few. It comes in a small sized Priority Mail box, and it is always packaged so nicely. I have been subscribed for about a year now, and I've never been disappointed. I always get my moneys worth and more as well. Here is a list and short description of the products (from the card you get within the box) that I got in February's box:

 Tea Light Candles by Goodlight Natural Candles 6 pack / $2.49

What a great way to top off your night! These paraffin-free tea light candles are made from 100% palm wax and pure cotton wicks which creates a warm and inviting atmosphere without the harmful fumes.

 Chocolate Vanilla Paste by Premier Organics 1 pouch / $1.35

Made from the highest regarded premium cacao. Ek-Chok Chocolate is boosted with herbs and a hint of hazelnuts to add flavor. Bask in the aroma of this delicacy while enjoying it on flatbread or toast.

 All Natural Hummus by Wild Garden 1 pack (5 pieces) / $4.29

This healthy snack is made from chick peas, and many flavorful spices making it both nutritious and delicious! It does not require refrigeration , so you can enjoy it on the go! Try it on pita chips, vegetables, or even use it as a sandwich spread. Yum!

 Organic Hairspray by Aubrey Organics 5 oz / $9.95

The search for an all natural product that keeps your hairstyles looking great is finally over! This organic hairspray is infused with quinoa protiens that add body as well as smooths hair fibers to eliminate frizzing. It is USDA, NOP certified organic. Shake well before use!

 Eyelash Conditioner by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Full size tube / $10

This great product is made with vitamins, herbs and extracts that will help feed and protect your lashes. Gently use this lash conditioner at night after washing off your mascara. Leave on for 20 minutes, or thoughout the night, if desired. Use three times per week to promote longer, healthier lashes.

 Lavish face Mask by Blissoma 2 oz / $33.99

Great for dry and stressed skin. Lavish mask contains a combination of anti-reactive herbs, restorative oils, and cupuacu butter that helps rebuild skin from deep within. Use once or twice a week to help remove fine lines.

Vegan Lip Balm by Jersey Shore Sun .15 oz / $5

Earth friendly, cruelty free, and winter mint fragrance? This lip balm can't get any better! It has anti-aging properties that are gentle enough to use on other areas of the face making it great for winter sports and traveling.

And, that's it! I can't wait to dig into some of these products. Which ones would you be willing to try?