1.27.2015

NEW Wet n Wild Mega Volume Plus Mascara Review / Demo


Hi guys! Wet n Wild graciously sent me over their newest mascara launch to review, but this is in no way sponsored. All opinions are my own honest thoughts. To watch the full demo, and review click the link below. If you just want to see the highlights, then check out the bullet points below the link & photo. Don't forget to thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more!



Overview:

Rating 4 out of 5

- one coat & out the door mascara
- gets clumpy on second coat
-gives both length and volume
- sets very quickly
-very wet formula out of the packaging ( I let mine dry out for an hour opened, and then it 
worked fine)
- rubber bristle wand
-wand is very effective at grabbing all of your lashes and lower lashes
- does not flake, smudge or transfer
- retails around $4


Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin

1.21.2015

NEW Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation 1st Impressions / Review


Have you been interested in purchasing Rimmel's newest foundation launch? You will definitely want to hear what I have to say first..

Rimmel recently put out their spring  2015 launches, including a new reformulated version of the Lasting Finish Foundation. This foundation promised to be flawlessly full coverage, heat, sweat, humidity and transfer proof. So naturally with these long-wear claims it sounded perfect for my oily skin. To check out my full thoughts, watch a demo, and learn how it lasted throughout the day watch my video review below. Or you can click the link below to take you to it on YouTube. Trust me... I have a lot to say on this one.







Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin

1.19.2015

Earthy Plum Makeup Tutorial

Hi Guys! I have been adoring plums and earthy smokey eyes lately, so it was only right that I do a tutorial for ya'll! Click the link below to watch my Youtube tutorial. A full list of products used are below as well as some close up shots. Also don't forget to thumbs up and subscribe! xo





Products Used:
-NYX HD Primer
-Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation
-Lorac Take A Brow in Brunette
-Sonia Kashuk Brow Definer in Taupe
-Maybelline Brow Drama in Soft Brown
-MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot
-Coastal Scents Hot Pots in Oatmeal Tan, Oktoberfest, Barista, Chocolatier, Chamois Nude, Peachy Copper
-Essence Gel Liner in Mindnight in Paris
-NYX Slide on Eyeliner in Golden Bronze
-Maybelline Master Conceal in Light
-ELF HD Undereye Setting Powder
-Maybelline FIT ME Pressed Powder 220
-L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara
-KoKo Lashes in Iris
-Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer
-NYX Blush in Taupe
-Kardashian Collection Sunlit Ombre Blush
-Maybelline Master Highlight in Nude
-Sephora Rouge Infusion in Plum Concentrate




Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin

NEW L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation 1st Impressions/Review




L'Oreal just launched several new items in their Infallible range. The one I have tested out for you today is the new L'Oreal Pro-Matte Foundation in the color 102 Shell Beige.

This foundation varies in price from $12-$16 depending on where you shop. It promises 24hr wear, demi-matte finish, to feel air-light, have medium coverage and be oil free. The packaging is a squeezy tube format, which I actually like so you can get every last drop of the product, as well as a standard 1.0 fl.oz.

To find out my full thoughts on the foundation, watch an application demo, and see how it wears through out the day... click the link below which will open up my First Impressions Youtube Video in another tab for you. 

Don't forget to thumbs up and subsribe!!

xo




Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin

11.12.2014

NEW Revlon Photo Ready Eye Art Review


Now first things first, understand I am a self proclaimed glitter junkie when it comes to makeup. So when I saw so many people hype these up on Youtube I have to say I was curious. Then I spotted them in my local Bed Bath and Beyond Harmon Section and I just HAD to snag one for myself. But ohhhh boy was I in for a surprise....




The color I deemed most beautiful is pictured above, Peach Prism. This product is double ended, one side containing a cream shadow & the other containing a glitter liner. The packaging is exactly the same as Revlon's several collections of dual ended nail polishes, if you are familiar with those.


The directions on the side of the product say LID + LINE + LASH, indicating this to be a 3 step eye look. While I love that concept, I have to say no mascara or eyelash product is included in this item... so maybe they should have left the LASH part off. Never the less, starting with the part of the product designed for the lid we will examine the cream shadow. The product is in my opinion not a cream at all, it is very thin and watery (in a good way) instead. The texture performs exactly as a liquid to powder formula. This type of formula I am very weary of as I have never really had a good encounter with it in eye shadow form. But, I gave this one a shot and I am glad I did. This shade is a beautiful peachy rose gold and will look absolutely stunning on all skin tones. It is very metallic, yet not glittery at all so it bounces back light on the eye in a very subtle and flattering fashion. The applicator is a doe foot and I applied it directly to the lid and then blended it out with my finger. To my surprise, this was not difficult to blend and lasted perfectly on my lid all day with zero creasing.


The glitter liner side of the product, the LINE step on the packaging, well it is a whole other story. I was so excited about the beautiful colors in the glitter and it is opaque enough for my needs as you can tell in the swatch below. It compliments the cream/liquid shadow beautifully, I really can not commend Revlon enough on the color pairing. Which is why I was even more disappointed when this product did not work for me. In fact I hate it. I don't say that often about a product, but I don't see how this glitter could work for anyone in any context. The problem is not the glitter particles itself, but the gel binder that contains them. I typically wear glitter liners on the center of the lid, or along the inner tear duct. However in both locations as soon as this sets it becomes tacky, and very uncomfortable. Not only that but it does not stay one. Within a matter of minutes the product separates and begins to peel away. This looks almost like when you get lash glue on your fingers and it beads and peels off. Absolutely terrible. My other gripe with this is if you are truly intending to line your lids with this then the applicator is way too large of a brush tip. There would be no precision found there. If you are looking for a good glitter liner from the drugstore I highly suggest the ones from Essence which I adore, and are much cheaper at around $3.


Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5

While I love Revlon as a brand, this product just was not worth it to me. I will keep it since I do love the cream shadow side, but I will not be repurchasing or picking up other colors. Overall, I think there are better alternatives at the drugstore and I would skip out on this release for sure.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin



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11.04.2014

Sephora Natural Resources: Everyday Eye Brush Set

Hi guys! I am back to discuss yet another set of brushes. I have no shame, you must know besides lip products these are my favorite to review for you guys. Not only that, many times brushes come with a heavy price tag and I hope that my opinions can help ya'll make a smart investment. Today we are reviewing  The Everyday Eye Brush Set from Sephora. The Sephora single "pro" line of brushes with the metal ferrule are my all time favorites to date, so I wanted to see how one of their more affordably priced brush kits would compare. 


The kit itself is beautiful and compact. It comes in this lovely faux leather case, with a creamy iridescent finish. The case does close with a magnetic closure and the Sephora emblem shines on the front and center in metal plating.


This is what the kit looks like once open, it does have a flap that comes down to protect the brush heads (which I have flipped up in picture). As well as a side pocked full of their brush cleansing wipes.


Brush It Off Cleansing Brush Wipes: Rating 3 out of 5

The brush cleansing wipes I find most convenient for travel, as they come in individual sachets. They can clean several brushes very quickly before having to switch over to another wipe. To clean your brush you just simply swish it over the surface of the towelette and watch the color drain from the brush. This being said, the solution itself is not up to par with my favorite Japonesque Makeup Brush Cleanser. However, it is good and will do in a pinch. I find myself packing these sachets in an overnight bag of for a weekend out of town for personal use. If I intended to use these for my clients it would be entirely too wasteful. Also, the cleanser definitely does not replace a deep clean for your brushes.


The kit contains a total of 5 eye brushes, each of a different cut and all synthetic fiber. I will now rate each one for you:


All Over Shadow Brush: Rating 3.75 out of 5

The largest brush in the kit, the all over shadow brush is quite larger that most shadow brushes. It is a C-shaped brush and is not completely flat. It does contain very densely pack bristles. This brush (as the rest of them) is soft but not as soft as I would prefer like my favorite Sephora pro line brushes. However it does do a good job at packing a base color shadow all over the lid, as well as applying brow bone shadow. I found this actually especially useful in my Halloween looks because I was often applying shadow to a large area of the face, and I needed the color payoff to be intense and have a more precise edge. Because this brush is so dense it really does a great job at picking up a lot of product at once and getting a hefty pigmentation pay off.


Small Shadow Brush: Rating 3 out of 5

The small shadow brush I was a little less impressed with. I do not consider this to be a small shader at all, in fact its size seems quite like a standard shader from most brands. The quality of the bristles are the same as the brush previously mentioned. However, this brush is only slightly c-shaped and less dense than the all over shader. To me this is just an average shader brush. Not bad, not great.


Rounded Crease Brush: Rating 4 out of 5

The name of this brush is curious to me as it is most certainly a tapered crease brush, not a rounded crease. Never the less this was one of the stars from the kit for me. The bristles for what ever reason, seem much softer than the two previous brushes mentioned. They are also longer and less dense which is typical of a blending type of brush. The smaller tapered size of this brush is perfect for immediate crease work and exact blending.


Angled Shadow Brush: Rating 4.5 out of 5

This brush was my absolute favorite from the kit. Like the rounded crease brush its bristles seem much more softly cut than the others. The slightly fluffy angled shape makes this brush ideal for smoking out the lower lash line and outer-v work. I have also loved this brush for blending out my nose contour. I am very impressed with this brush all around great job Sephora!


Flat Liner Brush: Rating 3.5 out of 5

This brush was just decent for me. I find the name peculiar once again because this brush is most definitely an angled liner brush, instead of flat. It does an okay job of lining the eyes, you can get a smooth and consistent wing with gel liner. I will say though it lost points from me because it is not as precise as several of my other liner brushes. The tip is slightly to dense, yet not really dense enough for brow work in my opinion.


Overall Kit Rating: 3.75 out of 5

This kit is great for a beginner in my opinion, looking for an affordable kit to start their eye brush collection. It would also be great for someone looking for an affordable travel eye brush set as well. The price range on this kit comes in at $39, which to me is very affordable for 5 brushes. If you are someone who has an extensive brush collection or your are used to luxe brushes such as the Pro Line... then this kit is not for you. I do think this could be a great gift idea however for the young beauty lover in your life this season.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann
instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin


FIN

10.31.2014

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Well hello loves and Happy Halloween!! This is my favorite day of the year, which is why I have done an entire halloween series on my channel. So if you are still struggling with some costume ideas, here are all of my halloween tutorials on my channel this year! Hope it helps:)

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel to make sure you see any new content from me and thumbs up any videos you like. It helps me out a lot! xo

1. Halloween Jack Skellington Makeup Tutorial


This goes out to all those Tim Burton fans out there! Jack is one of my all time favorite characters so I had to put my spin on it!

2. Halloween Mummy Makeup Tutorial


This is a perfect last minute costume idea! So affordable, and it is also the easiest to achieve.

3. Halloween Sugar Skull Makeup Tutorial



This is just a couple shots of the look, since it won't let me insert the actual video for some reason. However, you can view the tutorial by clicking the link below. This is my twist on a traditional sugar skull. Any colors can be switched out to fit your outfit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS7zj9fW1MU

4. Halloween Fawn Makeup Tutorial


This one is for all of you animal lovers out there, or those looking for something with zero creepy factor haha. I truly loved this look and I know you will too!

5. Halloween Vampire Makeup Tutorial

Who doesn't love fangs and a bit of fake blood!? I mean really...

6. Halloween Black Swan Makeup Tutorial


This is my slightly impressionist take on the black swan makeup! Throw on a LBD and a crown and you are done!

7. Halloween Witch Makeup Tutorial


My Take on a traditional green witch. I tried to make it less cartoonish:)

8. Halloween Mermaid Makeup Tutorial


This was by far the most popular video on my channel in this series. I hope you enjoy this metallic, glittery beauty as much as the crowds did!

9. Halloween Tribal Makeup Tutorial


This was requested by my subscribers! This would be awesome if you turned it into a tribal vampire or zombie as well!

Well guys I hope this helped those of you in need of some last minute inspo! I will return to my regular scheduled beauty program on Monday! Don't forget to like and subscribe!!

www.youtube.com/mckenziepmann

instagram: @gnomebusiness
twitter: @mc_gnomeski
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamalizarin



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