Mally Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners

A few months ago I purchased two sets of Mally's Waterproof Evercolor Starlight Eyeliners from QVC. The first of the two sets included: "Midnight": deep black, "Lucky Penny": bronze/copper shimmer, and "Caribbean Sea": the site describes this as a 'teal blue' but in my opinion, it's closer to green than blue. The second set consisted of: "Royal Plum": beautiful, shimmery purple, "Milk Chocolate": smooth medium-shade brown, and "Ice Blue": silvery-blue shimmer, great for applying on the waterline to 'open-up' the eyes.

QVC offers the set of three liners for $25 + $3.97 s&h. It breaks down to about $10 each... still beats paying $18 for one Urban Decay 24/7 liner.

The consistency of the Mally liners seem to be smoother, creamier, and thicker. The liners are listed as waterproof yet they are creamy enough to blend (as long as you blend and smudge within 30-seconds of application).

I've been using "Midnight" eyeliner on a daily basis and have found it to have slightly better staying-power than Urban Decay's 24/7 liners on the waterline. I also tested the "Milk Chocolate" pencil for brow filling, and it's worked wonderfully, especially if you stroke a light dusting of brow powder over the pencil to help set it.

My favorite colors would have to be "Midnight" and "Royal Plum". I use those most frequently and love the "Royal Plum" liner when I want an alternative to black, but still desire a dark shade. I also like "Caribbean Sea" for a pop of color when using neutral shadows. Overall, I would recommend the Mally liners if you're looking for a long-wearing liner at a reasonable price (for brand-name cosmetics).
Below you'll find pics of the liners themselves as well as swatches... enjoy! :)

Fashion Show

Hey Glamouristas and Fexies! ;) It's been a while since my last post. April was a very busy month for us. It began with a fashion show at the Aruba Hotel here in Vegas. This gig came off of Model Mayhem (MM), from designer Alainah Marie for the Steven Paul Collection. It was a collaboration of many different and talented local designers as well as design students in the Vegas fashion scene.

I was set to do 5 girls, but it ended up being 6, all had to be done within 2 1/2 hours (designer was running 30-minutes late), talk about stress and high pressure! Luckily I had the help of Ashleye, an aspiring MUA, to assist me with brush cleaning, priming, etc. When it came down to crunch time, it was sink or swim, so I threw Ashleye a brush and prayed that she'd "swim"! LOL She was great and I couldn't have gotten everyone done in time without all of her help, she's awesome!

The designer was featuring a denim collection with bright tees, along with a dark fashion collection. The desired look was brightly colored eyes for some, with dark smokey eyes and dark lips for others. Here are some of the photos taken from that night, courtesy of Undone Photography...

Not the same 'ole MAC!

I began my MAC addiction about 10 years ago, but things got really "bad" in about 2005 when my ex was deployed. I needed something to occupy my time and thoughts. Now, when I say "bad", I mean I would spend hundreds of dollars at the store or online every week. Yes, I was a junkie and proud of it. I haven't counted lately, but I'd say I have close to 130-150 MAC shadows alone, not counting the countless other cosmetic brands.

Recently I have been noticing that the color pay-off has not been the same between the old MAC shadows and the newer MAC shadows. I have not officially heard anything released by MAC stating such, but I believe the proof is in the pudding.

Below you will see unedited photo two swatches. Both swatches were swiped a total of four-times each. No, they are not different colors. They are MAC's "Plum Dressing" eyeshadow. The swatch to the left came from a pan purchased in '05 or '06, whereas the pan on the right was purchased a few months ago.

That is an extremely noticable difference in color pay-off, even to the untrained artist-eye! I have found the new formulas to be not as easily blendable and lack the "wow" factor for which MAC has built a reputation on. Needless to say, I found this to be very disappointing and I can not help but feel somewhat cheated. Being a MAC customer for years, I have come to expect a certain unparalelled quality in their cosmetic products... Guess their downfall is where other cosmetic companies begin their rise. ;)

Photoshoot!

So a few nights ago, after a year of working with one of my photographers, I finally decided to do a photoshoot myself. I've been to shoots before, but always as the MUA, not as the MUA/model! LOL So I thought I'd share a few photos from the shoot... I was nervous as hell but we ended up having a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll be able to do a more risque boudoir shoot before Rod and I get married!! ;)

This was my make-up and hair before leaving the house...

Here are the few that I've gotten back so far...

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me... as always, nice to catch up with you all. Make sure you hit me up with any questions or comments. I will be adding more make-up postings soon!

OOOhhh! Please don't forget to add my newly created Facebook Fan Page! Click to become a FexiFan!! Gooooo Fexies!!! ;)

NOLA Saints Tutorial!

Ok so... y'all know I'm a diehard Steelers girl. However, since our boys didn't make it this year (which to our defense, we did suffer a lot of set-backs this season, but we'll be back! lol) I'm gonna lay my bets down on the Saints. Not exactly MY black & gold, but it's closer than blue and white! LOL I know the Colts are favored to win, which is why I'm sticking with the underdogs!! Plus, I've met Drew Brees right before he was drafted into the NFL... in fact, I have a pic somewhere of him holding Coco when she was 6-months old. He also signed her first pair of Nikes... now if I could just find those dang baby kicks!! LOL

Here's my Saints look for this weekend... the actual tutorial will be uploaded onto YouTube Saturday morning. Hope you enjoy it! =)

Clarisonic Skin Care System

So a couple of months ago I purchased the Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System from QVC. It was about $240 (with tax & shipping), but it was offered on Easy-Pay! If you've never watched QVC, Easy-Pay is where they split the charge for a certain number of installments over several months. It's actually a life-saver and had it not been offered with Easy-Pay, I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have purchased it.

Aside from the obvious, I was curious to see what other benefits and improvements I would notice in my skin. Basically, the Clarisonic is to your face/skin, as the Sonicare Toothbrush is to teeth. Sonic technology boasts over 300 movements per second, now that's a-lotta shakin'! This helps to remove 6x more make-up and dirt, leaving skin practically brand new.

This particular Clarisonic has 3 speeds; low, normal, and high. In fact, it isn't just effective at cleansing your skin, the cleansing duration actually adjusts according to which brush head is attached to the unit. How cool is that? What I love about this cleansing system, is the fact that you can customize your cleansing time. If any of the facial brush heads are attached, it will run according to your customized setting, with audible beeps to let you know when to move the brush to the next area of your face (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, etc.) If you have the body brush attached, the Clarisonic will run for 3-minutes.

The system I purchased came with two full-sized products; a Refining Skin Polish and Gentle Hydro Cleanser. Both products are 6 oz. and retail for $25 each. It also came with a total of four brush heads, two normal brush heads, one for sensitive skin, and one body brush head.

The system also came with four additional travel/trial sized cleansers. A 2 oz. Refining Skin Polish, 1 oz. Gentle Hydro Cleanser, Refining Gel Cleanser, and Nourishing Care Cleanser. The charging cradle requires no actual plug-in from cradle to Clarisonic, simply place the Clarisonic into the cradle and it charges... like magic! ;)

Now I'm sure you're wanting to know how effective the system cleans, right?? Well, I've been using the system for about two-months now and I can honestly say that I LOVE the way my skin feels after using the Clarisonic Plus! In fact, about two days after using it, Rodney kissed my nose and rubbed my cheeks (as he normally does,) and commented that my skin felt really soft. My eyes lit up and I shrieked, "It works!!" He looked at me all weird and was like, "Huh?" I replied, "My new Clarisonic! It works! See, told you it was worth it!" LOL

Not only has it softened my skin, I've noticed significant improvement to texture. It has alleviated dry patches and the exfoliation has helped remove dead, flaky skin from the cold, dry Winter months. I can tell the difference in my skin if I skip cleansing with the Clarisonic the next morning when applying my foundation. When I skip a cleansing session, my foundation application is not as smooth, and dry skin/flaking is very obvious. Due to the exfoliation, it also helps your skin to absorb your skincare products better. As any "educated esty" will tell you, good make-up application starts with good skin-care!

Here is a photo from the Clarisonic website, which was also featured on the product box. It clearly shows how the Clarisonic system removes dirt and make-up. Still not convinced? Ok, how about this...

After washing my face, I used the Clarisonic on the left side of my face only. I then applied toner onto two cotton rounds and using one for each side, swept them across my face. The cotton round on the left shows minimal residue after cleansing with the Clarisonic. The (brown) cotton round on the right shows much more residual make-up and dirt, even AFTER washing my face with Cetaphil gentle cleanser.

Before the Clarisonic

After the Clarisonic

For as long as I can remember, I've always had these red bumps on the back of my arms. I have a condition called "Keratosis Pilaris". In lament terms, my skin produces too much protein or "Keratin", which accumulates in the hair follicles and leads to these tiny red bumps. I've been using a special alpha-hydroxy acid lotion called "Amlactin" which has helped. However, Here are some before and after photos of my arm. The first skin photo is the "before", and the second photo is after using the Clarisonic Plus in conjunction with Amlactin (these photos were taken of the same arm, in the same lighting, and have not been altered or adjusted in any way). I've noticed a definite improvement and reduced redness... Which is good stuff if you ask me! ;)

All-in-all, I'd say eventhough the Clarisonic Plus is a bit pricey, if you have skin conditions or could stand to see yourself in softer skin (who doesn't), the Clarisonic is worth a shot. Plus, if you purchase it from QVC, you can return it within 30-days if you're not satisfied for any reason. What's not to love when you've got nothing to lose... except maybe a few dry patches?

Best $1 Eyelash Curler Ever Sold!

Good lord it's been a month since I've updated my blog! Sorry glamouristas, the holidays had me booked!


About a month ago I was at Target and browsed their little holiday E.L.F. section and came across this $1 eyelash curler. I love a cheap lash curler! It's one of the simplest things you can do (or not do) that can make or break your "look".


Now, if you're subbed to me on YouTube, chances are you've probably heard me rant once or twice about the Mally Eyelash Curler that I purchased from QVC about 4 years ago. Ugh, worst purchase ever. Pulled out all my lashes! That P.O.S. was $25 or so, plus tax and shipping... consider yourself forewarned! People always love that video, "5 Products I Regret Purchasing", not sure why, but I've been told it's funny. I'm glad you all seem to find humor in my pain! ;) LOL


I've also puchased the $20 Shu Uemura curlers... eh. So NOT impressed. Trust me when I say they can't do anything that a $2 Wal-Mart lash curler can do just as good, if not better! So, back to my purchase... there was only one curler left, so I threw it in my cart and proceeded to check out. Afterall, what did I have to lose, other than a dollar?


Let me tell you girlies... this is by far one of the BEST eyelash curlers I've ever purchased! It's considered "mechanical" because it has a swirled metal spring that makes the handles bounce back (um, ok genius'. lol). It also comes equipped with a replacement pad, as all curlers do. The pad itself is soft and helps create the softest, natural curl. Out of the 5 eyelash curlers I have in my make-up room, I find myself reaching for this curler every morning. I foresee myself being completely devestated when I start cutting into that replacement pad! :(


Overall, this was a great purchase and if you're able to find this curler at your local Target or online, definitely throw it in your cart too (maybe 4 or 5 if you can!) You won't be disappointed... and if you are, heck, I'll buy them from you! ;)