Viva Glam Nicki Dupe!

Hey guys, I came across this dupe a few weeks ago when I noticed I had purchased two new lipsticks that looked pretty similar! Both bright coral/pink colors that are very trendy for Spring and Summer!
So here it is...MAC Viva Glam Nicki vs Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell!

MAC Viva Glam Nicki, Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell

MAC Viva Glam Nicki, Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell

Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell on left, MAC Viva Glam Nicki on right

Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell on left, MAC Viva Glam Nicki on right

Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell on left, MAC Viva Glam Nicki on right

Wet 'n Wild Pinkerbell on left, MAC Viva Glam Nicki on right

Differences:

• Color -  Both are coral but Pinkerbell may be a tad more on the coral side as the Viva Glam Nicki leans pretty pink. Not noticeable on the lips, though.
• Texture - Looks the same on my hands but Viva Glam Nicki is a Satin finish while Pinkerbell is Matte. Since Pinkerbell is "more" matte, it's more drying on the lips.
• Viva Glam Nicki is also much smoother and applies more consistently. Pinkerbell "drags" more on the skin/lips and is a little chunky if swatched heavily.
• Price - Viva Glam Nicki is $14.50 and Pinkerbell costs anywhere between $1.50-$1.99 (even cheaper with sales!) But, all the money made from a Viva Glam product go straight to the MAC Aids Fund, so you can't feel bad about that!

I hope this helped someone out there. In my eyes, these are dupes and such a gorgeous color for summertime. I can't wait to wear these babies!

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January Favorites

So, not too many products this month, but all of them are amazing.

MAC Omega

I just recently purchased this when MAC had a free 2 day shipping code. I knew I'd love it because I'm a sucker for mid toned crease color boring shades. I'm going to do a post/video comparing this to other similar shades [Urban Decay Naked, MAC Wedge, etc.] but this color is seriously perfect. I was surprised at how much I love this shadow.

Sigma ss266 Eyeliner Brush

The one in the picture is from MAC but they're the same brush. I have been using straight eyeliner brushes [Sigma ss209, Sonia Kashuk Eyeliner Brush] for over a year and forgot about the angled ones. This was the only brush I had clean and I just love how easily it applies MAC Fluidlines.

OPI Nail Polishes [My Private Jet & Pink Friday]

These two colors are amazing. MPJ is so unique, it looks like you have a few different shades on your hands all at once. Pink Friday is also unique, it's one of the prettiest "Barbie" pinks I own. See swatches/comparisons of it here.

Clarisonic Mia 2

I love this. It hasn't totally cleared up my skin but my skin is more even and extremely smooth. Even my boyfriend noticed [that's how you can really tell.]

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush

I have the more natural toned blush from this collection [Feb 2011] and it's just perfect. I forgot about it until I was looking through my drawer. It smells good too.

Maybelline Color Tattoos

I have Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, and Gold Mode. I love them all. They are so quick and easy and when applied with a brush they look even better. I like that you can wear them alone or with shadow on top. If I didn't know any better I'd think they were from a higher end brand.

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow

I've had this for a while, Tracey brought it to me from Canada. I have the color "Hourglass Beige" but I think here in the States it's called "Iced Latte". Either way, this is the perfect shimmery inner corner highlight!

and last but not least...

LORAC Multiplex 3D Lash Mascara

This mascara does the best job of fanning out my lashes. It gives them volume, too. I like this alone for every day or paired with a really volumizing mascara for nights out.

So there you have it, my first favorites post of 2012. I hope to post one of these on here every month as well as upload a video.

Thanks for reading!

OPI Pink Friday

I debated on whether or not to pick up the new pink nail polish from the Nicki Minaj for OPI collection. I have a shamefully large nail polish collection that contains more baby pink nail polish than any one person should ever own. But when my friend Tracey kept mentioning how unique this color was, I convinced myself to buy it.

Before purchasing, i looked up swatches online to see if it was similar to any other colors I own. I couldn't find any websites claiming it to have any dupes.

My first thought from looking at swatches online was that it must be extremely close in color to Butter London's Teddy Girl. Boy, was I wrong. This polish is unlike any other pink I own. It's somehow extremely bright, without being neon. It's one of those colors that makes your hands look a few shades tanner, which is always nice. I'd say it's darker than a "baby" pink, more of a midtoned bubblegum pink. I wouldn't call it "Barbie" pink because it seems to have a tiny tinge of a peachy, melon color too it, at least compared to other pinks I own. Phew! Now on to the swatches!



OPI Pink Friday



OPI Pandamonium Pink, OPI Pink Friday, China Glaze Go Go Pink, Butter London Teddy Girl, Essie French Affair, OPI Steady as She Rose, Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love (FLASH)

OPI Pandamonium Pink, OPI Pink Friday, China Glaze Go Go Pink, Butter London Teddy Girl, Essie French Affair, OPI Steady as She Rose, Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love

OPI Pandamonium Pink, OPI Pink Friday, China Glaze Go Go Pink, Butter London Teddy Girl, Essie French Affair, OPI Steady as She Rose, Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love (FLASH)

OPI Pandamonium Pink, OPI Pink Friday, China Glaze Go Go Pink, Butter London Teddy Girl, Essie French Affair, OPI Steady as She Rose, Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love

As you can tell, this pink is unique, at least to my collection. It's just different and I'm glad I decided to get it. On the nails it looks like a pink, but see how next to other pinks, it's warmer? Most of my pinks have blue undertones so I'm glad I found something different. I hope this helped someone out there trying to decide if they need this in their collection. (Because we all need one more pink, right? ;))

Have you picked this up yet?

xo Liz

In and Out

In

1. Typing on laptop that actually works. My boyfriend's parent's are the best. Not just for buying us a laptop and printer (among other gifts we don't deserve) for Christmas, but just all around great people. We're so lucky. I love our new laptop. The keys have the "new keyboard" click. ahh, what a wonderful sound. And I can't tell you how nice it is to have a keyboard with an "n" key that works. It's the little things.

2. Drugstore makeup products. They're really stepping up their game. I picked up a few of the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows and they are every bit as good as high end versions. Kudos, drugstore brands.

3. Pink. Not the store, the color. I must be going through a phase. Pink nail polish and lipstick is all I feel like wearing lately. Could be worse.

4. Sonic Happy Hour. As most people know, Sonic has happy hour every day from 2-4pm, during which, all their drinks are half off. The secret, though, is to order combinations that aren't even on the menu. My two current favorites are Pineapple and Peach. I wonder what they'd taste like mixed together? Oh man.


Out

1. School. I start classes again tomorrow. 6-9pm. Monday's and Tuesdays after work. Boo. After this semester I'll have my Medical Assisting Certificate in Billing and Coding then it's on to the next. I'm not fond of school.

2. Blackberry. I completely blame Blackberry themselves. I tried. I really did. I was one of the few anti iPhone Blackberry fans out there and they blew it. My Torch was awesome when it first came out and now it freezes constantly (no exaggeration here), shuts off on it's own and wastes an entire battery in about 2 1/2 hours. Good news is I'm eligible for an upgrade so as soon as iPhone5 is released...look out.

3. The weather. It was amazing this past week, in the 40's and even 50's which is unheard of in Michigan in January. But it snowed all day long yesterday and it's bitter cold. The weather channel says back to the 40's again tomorrow but we'll see...

That's it for now. What are your current In's and Out's?

xo Liz

Christmas Wishlist!

1. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Perfume $98
I've loved this brand for a long time and this perfume smells amazing for night time!

2. Kitchenaid Stand Mixer in Gloss Cinnamon $249
I bake A LOT and have wanted one of these for as long as I can remember! This color would go perfect in my kitchen!

3. Erica Weiner Knot Ring Stack Yellow & Rose Gold $30
This picture is of another brand's Knot Ring but I just love the simplicity and the way Erica Weiner's ring set comes with two different gold tones!

4. Chanel Eyeshadow Quad in Dunes $57
Who doesn't want a Chanel anything?? But these colors really are gorgeous and I'd get a lot of use out of this quad!

5. Clarisonic Mia $119
Another thing I've been dying to try.

6.Coach Madison Op Art Sateen Wallet in Black $128
It's the one that goes with my purse from last year!

7.Tory Burch Reva Flats in Black $195
I honestly never heard of Tory Burch until YouTube but now I really want a pair of her flats!


Clearly I chose gifts that I would almost never splurge on for myself. That's why Santa exists...right??


What's on your wishlist this year?

The Most Important Lesson I learned in 2011

I normally don't write posts about advice or life lessons...who am I to advise the [at least 10] readers of this blog? ;) But I'm sitting here, sipping my Douglass Hill Sweet Red Table Wine, thinking how it's only 36 days until Christmas...and how the year is coming to an end...thinking of all the ways I've changed...


All of which makes me believe that this specific lesson that took me twenty four YEARS to learn is worth mentioning...

JUST DO IT.

It's not a motivational piece of advice, it's a way of thinking.

Think of a time when you had to do something you really didn't want to do.  I bet you can think of at least one thing you didn't want to do for each day so far in 2011. It's natural, we all have chores, appointments, tasks at work, that we loathe doing.

For me, the most common example I can think of is room set-ups at work.

I used to cringe every time I flipped on a light switch in a meeting room because I knew that I would see a room in total dismay. Each table rotated, pushed against the wall, or simply not where it was supposed to be. now, naturally I'd get annoyed...huffing and puffing while I drug the tables and chairs back and forth until they were in their proper location. It seems like a "not-so-big-deal" but trust me...it is.

With every heave and every ho...tables would get stuck on carpet, chairs would tip over...basically I was making more work for myself-because of my attitude.

I cant believe that in the 7+ years I've worked here...out of all the hundreds of times my mom has told me to "let it go" or "put it in perspective" it took until NOW for me to understand.

Sometime this year, I started accepting the fact that (even though it's not my job...and completely "unfair") it had to be done.

WOW. Epiphany. Once I started to accept these facts and just do the job without putting so much thought into it...it became 10x easier to complete. 
The chairs wouldn't get caught on the floor plugs. The tables suddenly rotated easier. It was a miracle.

No. It just seemed easier.

Basically what I'm getting at is: The sooner you accept the task at hand, the easier it becomes.

Really, try it. It doesn't matter what it is. A paper that's due, running to the bank, unloading the dishwasher. IT Doesn't MATTER. If you just accept that it needs to be done... the words on your assignment start flowing, the traffic will seem lighter ,or the dishes will fly onto the shelves quicker than you can imagine. (Note: they won't actually fly...but you get the point.) The annoying chore will go must faster and easier if you stop whining (yes, fuming silently to yourself counts) and just GET IT DONE.

That's it. I'm sure many people already know this "trick"...or perhaps this was never a problem to some...I just thought I'd share :)

Happy task-finishing!

What's the biggest lesson you've learned this past year?
-Liz