Review+ Great Christmas Gift Idea!

Too Faced Melted Kisses (Set)

Too Faced Melted Kisses

PACKAGING:

This particular set contains 4 Melted Kisses (There is a total of 10 colors in the entire collection) in the colors (From Left to Right) Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia,  & Melted Berry.

Each Melted Kiss is a deluxe size not full size and contains 0.16 fl oz of product. 

The product is in a tube with a soft doe foot applicator attached to the tube. The applicator is nice and soft and makes it a lot easier for application.

This set retailed for about $25 at Ulta and Sephora stores. This is an absolutely amazing deal if you are interested in trying these out. All 4 colors are easy to wear and looks great on every skin tone. And not to mention if you were to purchase each one separately in a full size you are looking at $21.00 FOR ONE! This is a limited edition set so definitely grab one when you see one. And even though these may not be available online go and check the stores and ask the associates. They will usually have some in the back. This is also a great gift idea whether you want to give all of set to one person or divide it into 4 and use as stocking stuffers! 

FORMULATION:

I personally love the idea of a liquid lipstick. You get the lipstick pigmentation and look but in addition the texture and shine of a gloss. I find sometimes when applying lipstick and gloss separately it can get messy. 

There are a lot of brands out there today drugstore as well as high-end that make liquid lipsticks. Too Faced has finally decided to join the game. I am a huge fan of Too Faced products particularly their eye shadow palettes. I actually never tried any of their lip products until now.

These Melted Kisses are awesome. They are incredibly pigmented with just one swipe and while it is a liquid lipstick it is very light feeling and comfortable on the lips. The wear time will vary. I find that if you don't drink or eat much throughout the day they last incredibly well. If you do eat or drink the color will come off but it leaves a nice stain of color behind. They all start out with some shine and eventually sets semi-matte.

The only issue I had with these was that if you don't moisturize your lips beforehand you are in for some ratchet looking lips. While these don't tend to dry out your lips, if you have dry lips to begin with this will make the flakiness more noticeable. So ALWAYS moisturize!!! 

This particular set contains 4 colors out of the 10 in the entire collection. They are all super wearable colors.

OVERALL: 

4.8/5

Swatches
Top Left: Melted Nude- Basic champagne nude
Top Right: Melted Peony- Light baby milk pink
Bottom Left: Melted Fuchsia- Bright Fuchsia
Bottom Right: Melted Berry- Raspberry color (This one dries very matte) 

WHAT'S NEW @ THE DRUGSTORE!!!

Cover Girl Lip Lavas

PACKAGING:

Comes in a rectangular plastic tube with a red cap. I like the clear packaging which allows you to view the true color of the gloss.

About 7 colors in the entire collection. The color selection will depend on the store.

Available at drugstore & drugstore retailers nationwide for an average retail price $8.99

FORMULATION:

When I saw these on the shelves I was pretty surprised that Cover Girl launched another lip gloss collection. Their last one the Colorlicious line was only launched a couple of months ago. You can clearly see that Cover Girl is trying to step up their game. These last couple of months have been crazy in the drugstore market. Pretty much all the drugstore brands have been releasing products non-stop. Almost impossible to keep up with!

These lip lavas as you can see in the pictures are VERY eye catching. They remind me a lot of MAC's dazzle glasses. 

The texture is quite on the thicker side but surprinsly not too sticky and feels pretty nice on the lips. They last a decent amount of time if you don't eat or drink much. They come in an array of fun colors like purple and orange but also have wearable colors like your nudes and pinks. These glosses have a TON of glitter in them which impacts the color payoff. I wouldn't say that they aren't pigmented their pigmentation is like MAC's Lip glasses. You can see the color come through. After testing them out for quite a bit I recommend wearing these on top of another lipstick. These can definitely be worn on their own but I do have to warn you when you try to wipe it off there will be glitter EVERYWHERE on your face. It took me a good scrubbing around 10 minutes and even then I still woke up with glitter on my face.

Overall though I think these are super fun glosses and great for going out.

3.5/5

Lychee Lava- Pinky Red

Lychee Lava Swatch

Lava-ender- Intense Violet Purple (This one took even longer to get off but a great color for the season)

Lava-ender Swatch

Si's Opinions- Aaliyah: Princess of R&B Lifetime Movie Review: WTH were they thinking?!?!

When I first heard that an Aaliyah biopic was being made, I was so excited I starting bouncing off the walls. Growing up Aaliyah was and is today one of my all time favorite R&B singers. I wasn't too familiar with the genre growing up and of course being young I haven't developed any musical abilities. It was thanks to Aaliyah why I fell in love with the R&B genre.

This Biopic was utterly a DISASTER. I really can't describe it in any other words. Here are a few reasons just off the top of my head...

1. The songs

Aaliyah's family did not sell the rights of her music to the producers. So Alexandra Shipp (Actress who played Aaliyah) had to sing all the songs. You cannot have a biopic without the original songs. It is like making hot chocolate without the chocolate. It just doesn't work. Shipp is a talented actress and singer but her voice is nothing close to Aaliyah and with films like these you need to be close as possible. Another issue with the songs is the selection. Instead of Aaliyah's most popular songs like Try Again and One in a Million Shipp ended up doing covers like Save the Best by Vanessa Williams and Marvin Gaye's Got to Give it Up. Again why was this film made?

2. Casting

Can we please discuss some of the casting they did for this film? Missy Elliot, like seriously what the heck were the casting directors thinking. And the actor who played Aaliyah's brother Rashad who looked a lot like Drake and happens to be an actor on Degrassi just like Drake was. I was shaking my head so much I gave myself a migraine.

3. Wendy Williams

I don't personally have any issues with Wendy. I do like her talk show. But she really didn't have any business being a part of this project. It was pretty clear before Aaliyah died that Wendy was not one of Aaliyah's favorite people. So it just kinda seems she is just monopolizing on Aaliyah and not really honoring her true memory. 

4. R. Kelly

I was glad that they portrayed the relationship between R. Kelly and Aaliyah since it was such a big part of not only her personal life but professional life (Age ain't Nothin But a Number- one of her biggest hits). However they way they portrayed it made it a little too heartbreaking and not really focusing on the fact that Aaliyah was only 15 when she married the 27 year old R&B legend. And not to mention he's had a thing for underage girls for quite away. It seemed too Romeo and Juliet.

Honestly I could go on and on but who has the time. Although the film was pretty bad I did enjoy how they portrayed Aaliyah's relationship with her family who she was very close too especially her grandmother which reminds me of my relationship with mine. Overall I really do hope someday someone will make a decent and honorable movie about Aaliyah. She was truly a legend and this film just doesn't do her justice. The full film is available on YouTube in case you missed it on Lifetime. 

LINK TO FILM 

JINGLE JINGLE (Christmas Recipes)- Nutella Hot Chocolate

Hey hey y'all! Welcome back to my annual JINGLE JINGLE posts where I share my favorite and delicious Christmas holiday recipes. Today I am going to share with you guys one of my favorite hot drinks that is perfect for the cold weather.

What you will need: Serves 4

 4-6 Tablespoons of Nutella

4 cups Whole Milk

1 1/2 cup Half & Half 

Whipped Cream

Cinnamon

Chopped Hazelnuts

Semi sweet Chocolate Chips

How to make:

Put your milk and half & half into a large pot and bring to a boil. After it starts to boil immediately turn down the heat to a low medium and begin to stir in your Nutella and a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips. One all melted and combined pour into a mug and top with whipped cream, chopped hazelnuts and a little bit of cinnamon. ENJOY!!! 

Review: Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (NEW)

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in 00 Blackest Black

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a pretty milky lavender pink tube, very similar to their Pumped Up mascara.

-Contains .32 FL OZ of product

-Available at drugstores and drugstore retailers nationwide 

-Prices will vary upon the store of purchase but average retail is $6-8 

FORMULATION:

Maybelline mascaras are some of the best mascaras in the drugstore beauty market. They have a formula for pretty much all your lash needs. 

This particular one has also become a much loved favorite in a short amount of time. This mascara claims to give a full fan effect and it definitely lives up to its claims. This mascara gave me nice full and long lashes without much flaking. The pigmentation is also very nice and wear time will vary depending on your lashes. I had this on for about 5-6 hours without any issues. It comes with a rubber brush that is pretty flexible which will help you reach those pesky little inner corner lashes despite the large size.

The one thing I do have a little problem with is the texture of the formula. It is a bit on the wetter side. I personally prefer drier formulas but every person is different so definitely give this a try!

OVERALL:

4.8/5

GOBBLE GOBBLE- Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

What's better than Thanksgiving dinner... THE LEFTOVERS duh! I personally love to eat leftovers just like they are, it feels like Thanksgiving all over again. However I do know that some of you out there do get tired of leftovers and want something a little more. Here are a few ideas on what to do with leftovers that will surely keep you and your family satisfied.

1. Turkey Panini (Leftover ingredients: Turkey or ham, cranberry sauce, gravy & stuffing)

This is a spin on the good ole day after turkey sandwhich. First grab some thick bread, I really like sourdough bread for this sandwich. Next spread some honey Dijon mustard on each slice and layer some swiss cheese on one slice. On top of the cheese, layer some stuffing then turkey or ham, cranberry sauce and a little bit of gravy (make sure the gravy is chilled before you put it on the sandwich otherwise it will just dribble off. Layer one more slice of swiss cheese and put the other slice of bread on top. Butter the top and put that side face down on your panini grill and then butter the other side and put the top down on the sandwich. Keep an eye on it, and take it out when the cheese is melted. Slice up and enjoy!

2. Potato Cakes (Leftover ingredients: Mashed Potatoes)

Get some mashed potatoes into a bowl and form into patties. Dip in egg and some bread crumbs and fry them up. You can also serve it with some leftover gravy. This same technique can also be used for stuffing just be sure to add an egg into the stuffing mixture before you form the patties otherwise the stuffing will just fall apart.

3. Cranberry Mousse (Leftover ingredients: Cranberry sauce & Cool Whip or Whipped Cream)

Take your cranberry sauce and put it in a blender and blend till smooth. Next put the blended cranberry into a large cold metal bowl. Gently fold in the Cool Whip or whipped cream. Put the mixture into the refridgrator and chill for an hour. Take out and enjoy! 

4, Turkey Scramble (Leftover ingredients: Turkey, veggies, gravy, & stuffing)

Scramble up some eggs in a bowl and add some milk (this well help keep the eggs light and fluffy), garlic powder, salt & pepper). Add your leftover turkey, veggies and stuffing. Cook until the eggs are done and top it off with some gravy.

I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving filled with food and love! I apologize for the lack of recipes this year. Due to my unexpected eye surgery I wasn't able to put up as much as I would like. But stayed tuned there will be more holiday recipes up soon :D 

xoxo

Si 

Review: Revlon PhotoReady Insta- Fox ( NEW)

PACKAGING:

Comes in a plastic black tube with a clear top

The cap isn't very durable you have to make sure to press down on it to make sure you have it secure

Contains 6.8 g of product

Comes in 6 shades

FORMULATION:

This product is branded as a skin "re-toucher" rather than a foundation. It is super lightweight and goes on very smoothly. I would compare it to the Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation in terms of texture. I am a huge fan of stick foundations. They are easy to use, carry and most of all less messy than liquid and powder foundations.

The coverage isn't that great as you can see below. I don't recommend this product for concealing blemishes but it does okay with redness and mild darkness. This a great product for those of you out there that already have great skin and just need a little something to grab and go. It is also great as a primer. By itself it didn't last too long. I had it on for about 4 hours before I had to re touch. But every skin is different so this may not happen to you. I don't recommend this product for oily skin.

BEFORE

AFTER

PRICING:

You can purchase this product at drugstores nationwide, select Bed and Bath Beyond, Wal-Marts & Targets. Prices like always range depending on where you purchase it. The range is around $10-12, the standard for a good drugstore foundation these days.