Thursday, November 7, 2013

Introduction: Me and My Blog

Hi everyone! So, I know this is only my second post, but I thought now would be a good time to step back from the topic of makeup for a moment and introduce myself and my blog.

My name is Rachel, and I'm currently a full-time student. I love all things beauty related and have a somewhat unhealthy addiction to eye shadow! I also have a love for history and all things paranormal, and I'm incredibly uncomfortable in swimming pools. I've been a vegetarian for about four and a half years now, and I plan to continue my diet for the rest of my life. I know some of that was very random, but I hope this helps you get to know me a little better!

Now for the beauty part of things. I first started playing around with makeup almost four years ago, in an attempt to conceal the redness I have on my face and change the way I looked. I was self-conscious and thought that makeup was my ticket to looking like a different person. Over the years, I've learned that makeup is about enhancing your natural beauty, not changing yourself. Unless you're a Hollywood makeup artist or a drag queen, you don't need the harsh dark brown contour or the crazy false eyelashes. Don't get me wrong, you can contour or wear false lashes all you want, but there are ways to do this more subtly so that you'll look more natural. I understand that some people prefer more dramatic makeup looks, and that's totally fine! Just remember that when you use your features to your own advantage, makeup can be a very powerful thing.

Throughout this blog, I will be sharing my thoughts and opinions about different products and trends in the world of beauty. I believe that one of the most important things to do as a blogger is to be honest and genuine about everything you talk about. I will never say I like a product if I don't and vice versa. However, please keep in mind that there will always be products that work for some people but don't work for others. My goal is to share my passion with you, and I hope you find this blog informative or useful in some way. I will be posting weekly depending on how busy I am.

There are tons of beauty blogs emerging these days, so I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read mine. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave questions, suggestions, and requests below!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Review: Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers

Hey everyone! This is my very first blog post, and I'm very excited to share my makeup musts with you! Today I'll be reviewing the Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers, also known as the Rimmel London Apocalips in the United Kingdom. Personally, I've heard a lot of hype going around about these in the past several months, and couldn't wait to get my hands on them! I have 7 shades I'll be reviewing, all of which I've owned and used for a good two months now.

There are currently 14 shades available in the U.S. There are a wide variety of shades; from nudes to reds and shimmer to matte. I personally do not own any of the shimmer shades, as it's not really my style and I doubt I would get wear out of them. The ones I will feature below all go on as a gloss but dry semi-matte and have a finish more similar to a lipstick.


 From left to right, the colors shown above are Luna, Celestial, Nova, Aurora, Stellar, Apocaliptic, and Big Bang.

A quick description of each:
Luna is a light peach shade with a subtle pink tone.
Celestial is a true pink with subtle mauve tones.
Nova is a lighter Barbie pink shade.
Aurora is a peachy-pink shade that leans more towards the pink side.
Stellar is a vibrant coral shade.
Apocaliptic is a true hot pink with cool tones.
Big Bang is an orange-toned bright red.
I'd have to say that Aurora is my favorite color out of the bunch - it's the perfect combination of wearable pink, peach, and red shades and would be suitable for any skin tone, in my opinion. It doesn't lean too far into any color range, which has made it very versatile for me.   

Overall, I really do like these lacquers, and you can't beat the price! They are very long wearing and surprisingly conditioning and comfortable to wear. The pigmentation is also very impressive, especially for a drugstore product. Every shade I have shown has equally good pigmentation. They do have a fruity smell to them which may bother some people, but it fades very quickly and doesn't have a taste to it. Here in the U.S. they are currently exclusively sold at Walgreens for $4.99 each. Hopefully they'll be expanding to other drugstores so that more people have easy access to try them! 

I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking to try a new drugstore lip product, and I'd give them a rating of 4.5/5 stars. The only reason they didn't get five stars is because the vast majority of the shades have warm peachy undertones, and I'd like to see more with cooler tones to them as well. 
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this review! Feel free to leave questions, suggestions, and requests below!