Review: Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation

Hello To The Color Elated World!

    Very quickly, I wanted to share a recent review of Maybelline's Dream Wonder Foundation.  I recently posted this on my You Tube channel.  If you ever considered this foundation, please watch this review.  I hope my impressions will be helpful to you.  Personally, I think this is a great product.  I love the coverage and the lightweight feel.  I hope you enjoy!  Stay blessed, everyone!
    

Fabulous Find: Femme Lipsticks by Kleancolor

Welcome Again To The Color Elated!

     It is so good to have a moment to blog.  I am back at work now and have the most wonderful class this year.  Before I get to grading these math pretests, I wanted to share a new find with you.  Now let me set the stage...
     I was cruising television stations and I came across this really pretty lady whose makeup just captured me.  Come to find out it was Rasheeda on Love Hip Hop Atlanta.  For those of you familiar with the show, this was a while ago.  Remember the episode where she goes to New Orleans with her girlfriends?  Remember her makeup?  She sported a simple gold eye with a "Pow!' teal lip.  I was intrigued!  So much so, I did two things:  First, I used the basic concept as a springboard for a recent YouTube video on my channel, Color Elated.  The video is entitled, "Get Ready With Me- Sunday Anniversary Brunch" (http://youtu.be/v9jjJF6Z_Aw).  On this video, I replicated the eye and used Lime Crime Carousel Gloss in Holly Gram, a deep forest green on the lip.  Secondly, I searched for the perfect and inexpensive teal lip.  I eventually found just what I was looking for in Kleancolor Cosmetics through their Femme Lipstick line.

      I am sure these lipsticks are available in many places.  Two that I know of are MissA.com (www.shopmissa.com) where you can find fantastic items for just a dollar, shipping is wonderfully low, and the selection is off the chain.  My YouTube friend, MrsFabBeautyBlog turned my on to this site and I have been shopping since.  (  Please visit my friend.  Here is one of her most recent videos where she reviews the new Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara from L'Oreal. http://youtu.be/Dw7SPUtsaJo?list=UUJTgEnuwsPBAfRX_I0YJ_kw.  And please sub to her channel!) 
But on Miss A, I could not find all of the colors available, especially the teal so...I went to Ebay where I found these lovely colors in one auction for roughly shy of $12.00, shipping included.

First Impressions
     For inexpensive lipsticks, the packaging is quite nice. I love how the lipstick itself is visible to the eye for comparison and how the packaging color is similar.  There is even a color coded top which is very handy if you collect all of the colors.  For example, the gray and the silver are so similar but readily distinguishable by their cases.  The cases are plastic yet sturdy and attractive.
     These are not the most moisturizing lipsticks.  I would feel the need to add a clear gloss to give them more shine and body.  If you live in a hot, dry area, I can see these feeling dry in a short while.  The pigmentation is interesting.  Some colors were more sheer, while some went on too strong.  The gold, silver, and one of the plum colors had lots of sparkle that remained even when the lip color was removed.  These lipsticks are very scented and if you are sensitive to scent, you may not enjoy using them.

The Colors
      Remember, these are only a few of the colors available in the line.  Let's look at each.  Starting with the top row, then  bottom row.  I applied most with no liner and the same neutral eye.

#15  Victorian Era

In the tube, this is the most lovely wheat beige.  I must admit, I was not a fan of it on me.  It went on a bit patchy and took a little building to make it even.  The color was too light for my taste, but I bet this would be just right for a fairer skin.

#17 French Garden

This is the softest nude blush. A truly pretty color.  It went on nicely, but again, the color is too light for my taste.  I could incorporate this shade with another darker pink or plum for an ombree effect or blot and use it with a liner.  This color is not a total waste, I just would not wear it straight out of the tube like this.

#16 Golden Rule

     I adore this shade!  This is golden beyond belief with the most dazzling sparkle.  The yellowness (new word) may be a bit alarming to some.  Lovely alone and fabulous over or with another lip color.

#20 Cruise Line

     Talk about a fun lip color!  This is a dreamy ocean blue that works.  Blues and purples are hard to find especially when you have a golden skin undertone, as they can make you look asphyxiated.  This blue is perfect and the photo does not do it justice.  I lined my lips with a blue lip pencil (below) for added color and definition.

#19 Teal Attraction

      The reason we came in the first place.  I was not disappointed with this color at all.  It is so pretty!  The first picture shows it full strength from the tube.  In the bottom pic, it is the way I would wear it, blotted and lined with a blue lip pencil.

#21 Ocean Streak

      This is a concord grape shade with lots of sparkle.  To me, it went on more sheer and took a little building.  But that worked to my advantage in that the resulting color is soft and quite wearable. Just know, the sparkle with be everywhere, even after you remove the color.

#13 Snow Flakes

 

     Please forgive the lack of focus on the top pic.  This lipstick is matte dove gray.  A real statement color.  Like the colors at the beginning, I would probably not wear this except with other colors like black or plum.  But on someone out there, this color would look amazing!

#14 Lady Glory

    

     I like this silver shade.  Like the gold, it has great pigmentation and lots of sparkle.  Worn alone or with another shade, it would add a neutral shimmer to any look.

#18 Sealed Secret

     Similar to Ocean Streak, this shade is a rich prune shimmer.  More dramatic but just as sparkly.  Would love to line this with MAC Nightmoth, my favorite liner.

In Closing...

     I am happy I found these colors and may be tempted to try the more conservative shades.  But I really wanted to rev up my fun color collection and these lipsticks were just the ticket!  Fun colors, decent pigmentation, some dramatic pigmentation, attractive packaging, and a great price, all made these lipsticks, products I would recommend.
     Let me also give a "shout out" to the products I used for my neutral eye:

     I applied MAC Shadow in Mythology on the mobile lid.  Taking the Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette, I used Sin on the inner corners, Buck as a transition color in the crease and smoked it with Creep.  Black liner on the bottom waterline matched Wet 'N' Wild Gel Liner in Black on the top for a dramatic cat eye.  L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga was applied before and after falsies.  Maybelline New York Super Stay Foundation in Caramel and L.A. Girl Pro Concealer in Warm Honey served as a base.  Some lips were lined with Zona Eye and Lip Pencil in #29 Ocean Blue.
    Thank you so much for joining me!  Please feel free to share your fun colors and inspiration with me!  Stay blessed and Color Elated!  Now... back to grading math papers.
 

    

 

   

Color Elation Destination: New York City!

Hello To My Color Elated Friends!

     This has been for me, an exciting summer.  I have had the opportunity to do a few things I really wanted to do and one was to visit New York City.  Now, I have been before...several times.  In fact, one of the last times my husband and I were enjoying a pastrami at Carnegie Deli on 7th and sat besides a lovely older couple, both native New Yorkers.  We laughed as they told us they enjoy vacationing in California and we, as Los Angelinos shared that we love to vacation in New York.
     My big reason for wanting to visit was to attend the Macy's Fourth of July Show and it was spectacular!  Better than the last one I attended.  It was a great thrill to see the Brooklyn Bridge, meet wonderful people from all over the country, and , of coarse, see a gorgeous fireworks show!

      A day with family provided us the opportunity to visit Coney Island.  I cannot tell you how excited I was!  Just days after the famous hot dog eating contest, I had my first scrumptious hot dog at Nathans and walked the boardwalk.  Talk about fun!  The view of the Atlantic and the throngs of beach goers was as interesting as a day at Venice Beach.
     In no time, my husband and I navigated the subway system like pros!  Well...almost.  But I grew to greatly appreciate and grow in awe of the miles of railway that make up this system.  It truly is a city underneath a city.

    I had to spend a day in Harlem!  Walking along 125th, I found the best beauty supplies places since I had every intention of doing my hair when I got back to the hotel. The variety of products blew me away.  But we also enjoyed the sidewalk vendors, the African boutiques, posing for pics in front of The Apollo, and a soul food lunch at Sylvia's.
    We spent most of our time around home base, the Grand Hyatt on 42nd and Lexington.  Trust me, there was PLENTY to do and a few things we just could not get to see.  A good reason to come again soon.
    Now, on to the inspired makeup look.  The main inspiration came from architecture.  Interesting shapes caught my eye. The rows of multiple designs coming together to create and architectural rhythm that resonated with me so much. The overall color palette was cool and neutral with alarming pops of warms and brights.    Varied cool tones of blacks, gray, blues and violets.  Where I found an elegance, I also found edge and energy.

     I knew I wanted work solely with cool tones.  I adored the cool edge of Maybelline New York's Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Electric Blue. I was also intrigued by the new bold, angled eyeliner I see in the press and on commercials. I envisioned a look where liner was taken beyond its normal course, extended around the crease.  I wanted the total look to capture the feel I received from this amazing city.

    To begin the look, I applied tape from the outer corners to the outer tip of my brows to create defined lines.  I laid a base of Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow in #20 Painted Purple by Maybelline New York on the mobile lid.  I topped that with the vibrant blue pressed shadow, taking that to the crease and just above.  I took a blending brush and applied the lavender just above that to slightly blur that line because the real drama for me came with the liquid liner.  I applied that normally on the lid, but extended it up to and around the crease  like you would to create a cut crease.  I went over that with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Perversion, lightly smudging where needed.  In the outer "V" of the liner, I wanted to smoke it with the black shadow, tediously blending it into the blue to create as close to an ombree effect as possible in that space.

     I took a touch of the white shadow and used it as a highlight for the brow bone.  The lashes I used are so unique...just like New York!  They are bold and full with the most interesting frayed edges.  To complete the look, Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara from L'Oreal did an AMAZING job of picking up my natural lashes and then blending them into the falsies.  MAC Sheertone Blush in Hushabye blushed the apples of my cheeks and Maybelline New York Color Elixir in #25, Mauve Mystique complimented the blush adding to the cool toned color palette. 

     I wanted a simple black tee and my favorite earrings by Guess.  After gelling and slicking back my hair, I used two packs of braiding hair to create a super long ponytail with a blunt cut bottom.
    As with all of my destination inspired blog posts, I had loads of fun completing the look.  But, trust me, there were many looks I would love to do for New York.  So, do not be surprised to see another in the future.  Thanks for joining me.  Please comment and subscribe.  Always stay blessed and Color Elated!