Cosette's Cosmetics

We all love to try new things right?
Right?
Well I do.

Since I first discovered how fun makeup was and how passionately I felt about it, I wanted to acquire more and more brands. Educating myself about the companies and the textures and what each thing could do for you was my first mission.
Well all this could seem like fun but it is also very expensive. Writing a blog in itself is expensive. Not only do you have to research, swatch, take pictures and write about a certain product, but doing it on a regular basis can really put a damper on your wallet.
Luckily, there are "indie brands".
Indie refers to the word Independent, usually these are brands created by one or several individuals just like you and me who have a passion for makeup and who a great deal of creativity. Their companies are fairly new and they run their shop right from their home. Now what's good about these companies is that they offer good quality product for a very low price.

Hautelook, Sephora, and Drugstore Haul

Hey guys!
Today we are doing something different. I've decided to do a video combining my three recent makeup purchases. The first one was a little while ago and it was all Urban Decay cosmetics sold on Hautelook.com
The second part of this haul is a mini drugstore purchase I made a few days ago and it was for two Maybelline products.
Last but not least was my Sephora haul. I left the best for last.

So, enjoy the video and I'll meet you back here when it's done to show you some swatches.



Now that you've seen the video I present you with some swatches.

And the winner is......

Time's up!

Who won?

Scroll down all the way to the bottom to find out.

Drama, drama, drama - UD Naked Palette

My younger sister is currently going to college and at this age sometimes you want to break out of your shell and try something new. I asked her to be my model for a look using my Naked Palette from Urban Decay and she agreed. I had no idea what I was going to do, so we just winged it.
We came up with a subtle dramatic eye with a bit of a smokey effect. I got to practice my eyelining skills a bit, and let me tell you, it was hard. She has a small scar right on one of her upper eyelashes and it was very tricky to line it.

Anyway, without further delay, here it is:



Products used:

UD ♥ NYC - Times Square Pre-release

CONTEST CLOSED!

Comments posted after the comment I made on Sept. 7 2010 at 1:15 AM will not count towards the contest. This contest has ended!!

Can you imagine waking up at 5:00 AM and waiting in line for five more hours to get your hands on some piece of makeup?
Well imagine no more, because I did it! It wasn't any ordinary piece of makeup either, it was the coveted, highly anticipated, drool-inducing Book of Shadows Vol. III from Urban Decay.

I'm sure by now you've seen people blogging about it, tweeting about it, or you've heard about it on facebook and whatnot. Urban Decay has created a book of shadows dedicated to the super fab NYC. I live in the Bronx so I decided I would make the trip down there and get it before anyone else. Now, be aware that the palette hasn't even been released on urbandecay.com, it was exclusively being sold at Times Square on August 28th from 1 - 9 p.m. Only 1000 pieces were available and the first 200 got free t-shirts.

Here is the footage I got, enjoy!

Crazy for Pink! Video tutorial

Hey there my beautiful gorgeous darlings! I am very excited to announce that I've jumped in the boat and made a small video tutorial called Crazy for pink!
Now, please remember that I am no makeup artist, I have limited knowledge when it comes to makeup techniques. All you see here is me doing the best I can to show some of my friends from Sephora FB page and Peggy's Wakeup Roll call how I did a certain look a few days back.

Now I have to admit, I am a tad nervous. I would really appreciate it if you gave me your input on it. If you guys like it, I am willing to do more. I know the lighting in this video sucks, please forgive me for that.

So, without further stalling.... I give you CRAZY FOR PINK!



Now onto the written tutorial.

Urban Decay's Naked Palette

Hey guys, so today I'm super excited because a package came in the mail today. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that I've been waiting like a mad woman for my new Naked palette. I was floored when Urban Decay posted sneak peek pictures, the colors looked gorgeous!

So, let's start with the basics:

First of, this palette is from their fall collection. I know, I know, summer just started, but you know in this industry sometimes fall comes earlier than expected. Lolz.
Second of all, the colors are neutral, but they're not your typical neutrals. No, no, no! They are fab neutrals! Omg guys, these colors are so fierce, yet so appropriate for everyday wear. You can wear them to school or work for a natural look but still look glamorous as only us Urban Decay's girl can look.
Third and certainly not least, and this is one of the most important parts, they are full size eyeshadows! Each individually eyeshadow packs 0.05 oz and you get twelve 0.05 oz shadows in this palette. Holy molly!

Now these shadows are not all new, some of them have already been released. Personally, I only own two of them in other palettes and both of them are my faves. These twelve shadows complement each other beautifully. Urban decay really went all out with this palette. It is so sleek and sophisticated. You can pop it in your purse and take it with you wherever. The mirror has a nice size to it so touch ups are easy wherever you are.
One of my favorite things aside from the gorgeous eyeshadows, is the 24/7 dual ended eyeliner. One side has our trusty color: Zero, the other side has this new color called whisky which is a brown color.
To top that all off, it comes with an ubber cute mini primer potion. Why is it so cute? It is not your standard cylindrical shape that you usually get with your palettes, it is shaped just like the full size only smaller. Adorable!

As you all know Urban Decay's eyshadows are highly pigmented and long lasting. Add that to all we've said above and you have the must have palette of the Fall season.

I give this product:

Urban Decay's Naked palette deserves the highest marks for being sleek, sophisticated, and downright amazing! I know the palette is a bit pricey but please keep in mind what you're getting here. It is totally worth the money.

Picture time!

Click on the pictures to see full size

You can buy this from Urban Decay's website or from Sephora and it will cost you $44.00
Urban Decay is currently sold out on these so check back frequently if you want to purchase from there.

I want to try something new, if you have gotten this palette please post a picture of a look you've created with it. I would love to see what you come up with and maybe get some ideas from you!

Sephora Stores

By now you've noticed that most of the make-up I buy and review comes from Sephora. Yes, I know it's a bit pricey, but there is a reason why I shop there, actually there are several reasons.

Sephora carries a huge array of brands, the brands themselves are of high quality and cost effective when it comes down to weight and how long they last.

For example, take Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner. It's $17 at Sephora, yikes! But hold on, you may think that's a little pricey, I'm here to tell you that it's worth your money. The liner is so pigmented that you don't need to apply it over and over again to get a nice rich colored line. You end up using less of it, therefore the liner lasts you longer. You also get the color from tip to end. Cent by cent you get more out of your purchase. I've owned my liner for five months I think and I've only sharpened it twice. I've written a review of these liners so be sure to check them out.

Another thing Sephora has is crew members who will help you out. I know that the first time I went there I was lost! Seeing the store for the first time can be overwhelming, there is so much to see and I didn't know where to start. Fortunately one of the girls there approached me and helped me get exactly what I needed, she tried on different products on my face and took her time to help me find what suited and what I liked. That was a such a great experience.

There's more, each and every display of cosmetics has testers. You can go in and play with them. Want to see how a certain lip color looks on you? Go ahead and try it out. There are makeup applicators, sponges, makeup remover and tissues so you can apply everything with peace of mind.

Lastly, Sephora has a great return policy. If you don't like something you can always return it. I recently had a bad experience with a mascara and I had to return it. I hated having to return something but it was $19 and I wasn't going to stay with something that was useless to me. So I went to the store and the girls were so sweet. They took in my return and helped me find a replacement mascara. I ended up buying Urban Decay's big fatty waterproof mascara. It took a long time too, but they were happy to help me out.

So, the bottom line is this. Expensive doesn't always necessarily mean good and cheap doesn't always mean bad. I've found great products from drugstore brands like the E.L.F cosmetics. Not all of their products are great but the ones I've found are amazing and most of them cost you $1 a piece. Wow! So when shopping for makeup I suggest to always do some research, and when it comes to Sephora, if you didn't like a product, you can always take it back.

Sephora stores overall get:

For being such an awesome store!

Urban Decay's Big Fatty Waterproof Mascara

Aww, the summer months. Beaches, BBQ's, fun in the sun. Fun until your make-up starts melting that is!

I don't wear makeup everyday, especially in the summer, makeup just doesn't stay in my face too long on a hot sunny day. I doesn't matter if I've only walked a block, I will sweat and we all know what sweat does to makeup. It melts it! Well it doesn't really melt it, but it gets wet and it starts running down your face, plus I have a bad habbit of rubbing my eyes and licking my lips a lot so I have to be picky when it comes to summer makeup.

A great summer pal for me is waterproof mascara. Now I know what you may be thinking, waterproof? It's not like I'm going swimming right? Plus, I have to spend that extra time at night scrubbing it out of my eyelashes before I go to bed. Well that may be, but I sure rather spend that extra time at night than walking around with raccoon eyes during the day.
I was using a very generic waterproof mascara from Avon, and it worked great! Then I ran out. So the search began for a new one. I have my Bare escentuals one but it's not waterproof, altough I must admit that I am in love with it, IN LOVE!
So if you've read my previous posts you'll know that the BADgal one was a total flop. I returned it, thank god for Sephora's great return policy by the way. The girl who handled my return helped me search for another one, we searched and searched and neither one pleased me. I even pulled out my little list of suggestions my lovely gals from the Sephora page in facebook suggested, but they didn't have any of those.

After walking around for what seemed like hours (15 mins.), it finally hit me. What brand is the one I always turn to? Well Urban Decay of course. Well the other girls kind of suggested it first, but let's pretend the genious was all me.
So we went for the big fatty mascara.

To begin, I must say I'm not too fond of the big wand. Well it's called the big fatty for a reason right. Anyway, the packaging is super cute! Yes, I know I shouldn't but I do tend to shop because of how cute makeup looks, sorry not my fault that brands know how to make it look like eye candy. I was scared though, the reviews on Sephora aren't very promising, but I had to give it a try, and as you might guess by my semi-what positive attitude, you might realize that I was glad I tried it.

The mascara is absolutley great! The application was nice and smooth, not dry, not runny, just perfect. The big wand made it easier to coat all my lashes quickly and no transfer anywhere on my lids. It dries pretty quick and it left only a minimal amount of clumping, seriously, I can live with that.

My lashes looked beautiful! Now I can't post a pick of that because I kind of fell asleep before taking a picture, (I know, bad right?) but that just takes me to the other great thing about this. There was no smudging during the long hours that I slept. Super cool!

So, let's get to the good part. I give it:

Why a four? Well to tell you the truth, even though this mascara is great it still does not compare to the one from Avon. I didn't have time to get an Avon rep. or I would have gone to her first, but I don't want to take away from this product. If you're thinking of buying it then I say you're making a good choice. Go play with it and see what you think.

Onto some pictures now:

You can purchase this product from Sephora or Urban Decay and it will cost you $20

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

\Oh the eyeliner. Used for so many things. When we do a smoky eye it is there to add more drama, when we need a little brightener it is there to open up our eyes, and when we want to add to have fun it is there to add a pop of color. Yes, eyeliner can be our best friend but sometimes it's hard to find a good brand that actually works for you. Well, look no more, I have found it. It is Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.
Urban Decay's 24/7 pencils are the best eyeliners I have ever tried. They are super creamy and apply so smoothly that it usually takes only one swipe to get your desired look. It comes in several colors to compliment almost any type of eye makeup you have on. My favorite part? They're waterproof!

Now you already know what eyeliner is used for (to line your eyes, duh!), so I won't instruct you on what to do here. What I will say though is that this eyeliner is my favorite, it is really so easy to apply, does not tug on your skin and it has long lasting power. Urban Decay says that you can smudge it too. After you apply it you have around 30 seconds to do all your smudging and then it will dry to a very "long-lasting finish that won't budge." Now I haven't done any smudging but I do know that they stay on pretty well. I use it on my waterline so I would know.

The colors they have avaialble are sure to please most gals and guys, there are so many to choose from. As usual UD has given them unique fun names that in my opinion make them more apealling.

So how do I rate these? I give them:

Yes my darlings, these eyeliners deserve five lipglosses for being super efective and cute!

I only own five, four of them that I got from a set called the Hi-fi 24/7 set and it came with a glitter eyeliner and a full size one in Zero (black)
Here is what they look like:

You can purchase these liners from Sephora or Urban Decay and they will cost you $17.
You can also find them in sets or in duos, just check your local store or the websites I've provided. They're totally worth your money.

Summer makeup routine

So for anyone that is curious I'll share my summer makeup routine.
Summer is an awful time to ware makeup, most of the time I don't ware any to tell you the truth, but sometimes when you are going out you want to look put together.
I sweat more than normal in the summer, especially in my face, so my makeup needs to be lightweight, long lasting, multipurpose and supper easy to touch up.
Here are the products that I use:

I start out with Urban Decay's tinted moisturizer.
This moisturizer not only hydrates my skin but it gives nice coverage. To apply it you simply squirt a small amount on your hand and then dot it in several places around your face. Then use your fingers to blend it all out. The formulation is a bit thick and it dries kind of quick, that's why dotting and then blending will give you chance to get a nice even coverage. Now before you start rambling about how this does not give you enough coverage, be aware that it is a moisturizer, it's not supposed to act as foundation, but it's pretty damm close and it does the job. Another nice little bonus is that it has SPF 20, so it's like three products in one; moisturizer, foundation (kind of) and sunblock. Nice right?

My second step is Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil.
I got this loose powder in my get started kit from Bare minerals. It is a translucent powder that sets your makeup in place. Super lightweight and sheer. After I apply my tinted moisturizer I dust this on with a big brush all over my face. A little goes a long way so don't over do it. My face goes from dewy to matte, love it!

My third step is optional and it's my E.L.F. custom eyes palette.
The reason why this is optional is because sometimes I'm just too lazy to apply eyeshadow, and I can totally skip this if I use eyeliner and mascara.
When I do use it though I tend to gravitate towards this palette. It is so cool because you can custom create your own little palette, you purchase the compact which holds four eyeshadows and then you can choose which colors to put in there. The awesome part is that each piece is a dollar. Now not all E.L.F. products are great, but these are well worth your time, check them out. The shadows I chose were: Moondust, Pink Ice, Ivory and Dusk, perfect for a natural eye.

Third step is Waterproof mascara.
The mascara I was using was from Avon but I have run out, and if you read my previous post you'll know that my recent purchase was a disaster. Any waterproof mascara that works for you will be fine, it's all about keeping it in place even if you do happen to sweat or get wet. I'm in the market for a waterproof mascara, do you have any recommendations?

Fourth and last step is lips.
Now I can't really tell you what to put in your lips because mine change depending on my mood. I usually wear lipglosses and some of my favorite are the pocket rocket's from Urban Decay, totally gorgeous! I also love my Victoria's Secret lipgloss. If you want to keep in with the long lasting theme then go for a lip-stain. My recent lip product purchase was from MAC and it's the Pro Long-wear lip stain marker in Full of Flair. It is absolutely amazing! Line your lips with it and then apply one swipe on your lower lip, then spread out with your finger or your own lips for a nice pigmentation. The color comes on really strong so be careful not to apply too much on your first swipe, unless that's what you're going for. Don't forget to exfoliate your lips before you apply it if you have chapped lips and top it off with a clear lip gloss for some hydration.

So that's it, it's pretty simple, takes about ten minutes to do and unless your running marathon then it should last you a pretty long time. I hope you enjoyed my summer makeup routine, leave me a comment and let me know what you're makeup routine is like.

List of product and prices:
-UD Tinted moisturizer from Sephora or Urban Decay $32
-Bare Escentuals Mineral veil from Sephora or Bare Escentuals $19 alone or buy the get started kit for $60
-E.L.F. Custom eyes palette from Eyeslipsface.com here and here or at your local target, k-mart or any other drugstore that carries this brand. $1 each product, $5 total for the palette.
-MAC lipstain from MAC at $16
-UD Pocket rocket from Sephora or Urban Decay $19
-Victoria's Secret beauty rush lipglosses from Victoriassecret.com $7 or 2/$12 or 5/$20

Urban Decay's All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

I bought this product about a month or so ago from Sephora.com . I was a bit skeptical though, I usually don't purchase things that claim to do so much unless I have some feedback from actual users and this didn't have any on my most trusted online places. Still I figured, what the heck, I took take a chance and bought it for mother's day.

So what's the "All nighter" spray you may ask. Well taken from Urban Decay's website:

This groundbreaking formula mists on, ensuring that your makeup won’t budge for 16 hours. Really. Weightless but powerful, All-Nighter’s temperature control technology keeps your makeup from melting down when it’s warm and humid, or dehydrating when its cold and windy.

Those are pretty big claims if you ask me. Well here's the rundown.
At first glance, the bottle is a bit smaller than I imagined. Granted, you only use a couple of sprays when you apply it so I suppose it would last you a while.
The smell is subtle, com to think of it, I don't think it smells like anything really.
The application is quite easy. Just shake and spray then let it dry.
One tip of advise though, apply this just after your foundation and don't be silly like me and spray it after your mascara. I had a bit of an accident and my mascara transferred onto my skin when I applied this.
It dries completely and it doesn't weight down, you don't actually feel it.
Now, onto the good stuff: Does it work?
Yes and no, let me explain.
My makeup did last longer than usual overall. I tend to sweat a lot, be it winter or summer, and being that is summer I sweat even more, even if I'm just walking I still sweat, yeah it sucks. So my makeup did melt a bit, but not as much as if I had only applied a powder so my face did not have streaks, it looked kind of nice actually (minus the sweat.)

Bottom line is, I guess that if you do not have the same problem with sweat like me this product will work great for you, personally I do like it and I still use it. I'm sure come fall/winter this would be better for me. Regardless I do recommend it and I give it:


(4 out 5 lip-glosses)

You can purchase this product from Sephora or Urban Decay and it will cost you $29.

So that's it, I hope you liked my review, and if you didn't too bad for you nobody forced you to read all the way to the end.
If you have a makeup product in mind and you want me to review it then let me know and I might go out and get it.

Here are the pictures: