Anastasia Beverly Hills Black Cherry Lip Gloss – Swatches, Photos, Video & Review

Anastasia Beverly Hills Black Cherry Lip Gloss is a creamy deep plum gloss that is designed to give your lips an intense pout. For $16, you get 4.5 grams of product which is almost 16oz. It's a very creamy formula that doesn't apply tacky or sticky but still leaves your lips with a super shine - a glass like finish. ou can wear it alone or pair it with a lipstick for an extra pop.

Here is a live look at me applying it.

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Cupid's bow highlight - OPV Highlighter in Glam-O-Rous $27.00

Versace Eros Pour Femme, Verssace Pour Homme & Michael Kors Glam Jasmine Fragrance Prize Pack (Twitter) Giveaway

Surprise! I told my twitter fam yesterday so they were already prepared for this! I have one full set fragrance set for one of you! The set includes:

Versace Eros Pour Femme

Versace Pour Homme

Michael Kors Glam Jasmine 

To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter, RT my pinned tweet and you’re entered to win! Make sure you tag your friends so they can enter too. 18+ or older to participate. Open internationally.

See you there and remember – we have tons of giveaways across all of the social media platforms so check around!

Kami Cosmetics Liquid Matte Smooch Swatches & Photos - Wanted & Blue

If you remember - or if you're a new reader here Kami Cosmetics is a luxury beauty brand that has been designed for the sophisticated and chic woman in every skin tone. The best thing about this brand is it is owned by woman of color with the kindest heart. You can find out more about the brand in my first review here. I was recently sent some more of their products to test out and I couldn't be happier to share some photos of the liquid matte smooch line.

 

This liquid lipstick formula is one of the best that I have tried. It's very pigmented for how light-weight it is on the lips. You really only need one swatch to get a true color payoff (see below) but if you want to apply two coats to build it up, touch up wear after a long day or even do an ombre lip then these are the liquid lipsticks you want to try.

Here, I wanted you guys to see what Wanted and Blue looked like on my lips. Let me know which other colors you want lip swatches of.

Available: Online at Kami Cosmetics for $18 each.

-Press Sample-

Paco Rabanne Olympea and Invictus Fragrance Review & Twitter Giveaway

In light of the upcoming holidays, it might be time to help you start shopping around for gifts! So let's start with this giveaway for Paco Rabanne Olympea and Invictus Fragrance Review Twitter Giveaway.

Paco Rabanne Olympea is an eau de parfum that is based on the idea of a modern Greek goddess that evokes strength, dynamism and conquests. The bottle is shaped like a laurel crown and adorned with a jeweled cap. It is the female counterpart to the masculine Paco Rabanne Eau de Toilette Invictus, which was inspired by the athletic spirit, competition and victory.

To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter, RT my pinned tweet and you’re entered to win! Make sure you tag a friend so they can enter too (I do have 2 sets and all). 18+ or older to participate. This is only open to U.S. residents (sorry babes).

See you there and remember – we have tons of giveaways across all of the social media platforms so check around!

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Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum Fragrance Review and Giveaway

Normally, I would never order a fragrance online without smelling a sample of it and giving it at least 2 hours wear on my pulse points before deciding to purchase a full bottle. Of course, all of that fragrance knowledge and common sense went out of the window the second that I read about Valentino Valentina's Eau de Parfum.

Valentino Valentina first launched in September 2011 and was designed to capture the flavors of Rome and Italy while highlighting the sensual and sweet aromatic feel from the fashion house. I remember the first time that I smelled it - the sweet wild strawberries opened up on me and it made my room smell like I was baking a strawberry shortcake. There comes a time when you just know that a blind buy is going to work for you once you get used to understanding the history and notes of the fragrance. And me being a lover of everything gourmand and floral, I knew that this was the one.

The Notes Top: Bergamot, White truffles Heart: Orange Blossoms, Sweet Jasmine, Tuberose, Wild Strawberries Base: Vanilla, Amber, Cedar

The Packaging Valentino Valentina is packaged in a circular bottle that is decorated with elegant pink, rosey and ivory florals. The Valentino name is etched onto the front of the chrome nozzle that is capped with a safety travel top that is easily removable.

The Bottom Line This is a fragrance that is meant for fruity and floral lovers. Seriously, if you don't like strawberries and flowers then "X" out of your browser immediately. But if you do, then... :-).

Availability Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum is available in 1.0 oz, 1.7 oz and 2.7 oz bottles with an accompanying body lotion, body oil, shower gel and deodorant at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Saks starting at $88.

But by now you guys should know that my favorites become your favorites and as you can see above, my Valentino collection kind of exploded after getting my first bottle of Valentino.

So I’m going to be hooking you up with your own bottle of Valentino Valentina with a giveaway!

Blog giveaway (Two winners) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this fragrance in your collection. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Sunday, October 16^th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose two subscribers at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date. The Instagram winners will be chosen separately.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Instagram entry (Two winners) To enter this giveaway on Instagram, please head to over to this photo and follow the rules listed to enter.

Good luck everyone!

Enter to Win: Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder Instagram Giveaway

I can't believe that it's already fall. Yes, it is my favorite season - the cooler weather; the darker makeup; the thoughts of being able to layer my clothes and throw on some booties - the possibilities are endless. So I figured now was a good time to give away one of my favorite bronzing compacts the Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes.

The Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder has four matte shades that you can use for bronzing and contouring. Normally, I would use a compact that was fully one shade but I have a hard time as a woman of color finding a good bronzer that doesn't run red on my skin tone and the Guerlain bronzers are a god send. With that said, we all know their bronzers can be a bit pricey to purchase especially when I change shade throughout the winter/summer. So I found the 4 seasons Terracotta bronzer which is a great deal for me because it was only $76 on Sephora, I was able to use a coupon and it gives me 4 shades to choose from throughout the year. 

Knowing how hard it was for me to find a high end bronzer, I wanted to hook two of you up with your very own in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes (I ordered three when I purchased - yes, I stick by my statement of my favorites become your favorites). Now onto the Instagram giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

It’s time to giveaway this high end Guerlain prize to two lucky Instagram followers! The prize includes:

• Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes ($76)

1. You must follow @candycoatedclosets on Instagram.

2. In the comments on this Instagram photo, tag three friends so they can learn about all of the fun we have on here.

3. You can enter up to 5 times with a new set of tagged friends in each comment.

That’s it!

Contest runs from Thursday, September 22, 2016 and ends Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 11:59pm est. Two winners will be randomly chosen from those who commented (not those tagged within the comments) and announced within 48 hours of the contest ending.

No giveaway/spam profiles & profile must be set to public by the end of the contest so we can ensure that you are following @candycoatedclosets. Open internationally; 18+, to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

Make sure that you click on the links above if you want to learn more about this amazing product from the giveaway!

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Paco Rabanne Olympéa - A Scent Fit for the Gods - Fragrance Review and Giveaway

Rose Gold. I mean...there is a reason that I am obsessed with this color. Just look at Paco Rabanne's Olympéa Eau de Parfum.Beautiful right? The second that I saw the images hit the internet I knew...this was going to be one of those bottles that I collect and showcase in my glam room. From the dusty rose gold to the glistening rose pink and even the warmer copper blend, the packaging is absolutely stunning.The concept for Olympéa is based on the idea of a modern Greek goddess that evokes strength, dynamism and conquests. The bottle is shaped like a laurel crown and adorned with a jeweled cap. It is the female counterpart to the masculine Paco Rabanne Eau de Toilette Invictus, which was inspired by the athletic spirit, competition and victory. When I finally conquered my lust for the bottle, I sprayed it on my wrists for the first time and dare I say it but with that one spritz, I felt like a goddess of love and beauty. Move over Aphrodite!

The best way to describe this fragrance is to understand the unique fusion between a sensual salted vanilla accord and refreshing floral notes that highlight jasmine, ginger lily, citrus, woody and vanilla. On me, I find that it settles into nice white floral vanilla scent with a hint of sea salt that lasts about 7 hours before I need to reapply. 

And given that you guys know that I am completely obsessed with this color, this review would not be complete without giving you a chance to win a bottle for yourself.

Blog giveaway (One winner) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this fragrance in your collection. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Tuesday, August 30^th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose one subscriber at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date. The Instagram winner will be chosen separately.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Instagram entry (One winner) To enter this giveaway on Instagram, please head to over to this photo and follow the rules listed to enter.

Good luck everyone!

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Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish - Take Me to Thread Swatch and Wear Test

It's been a while since I did a #ManiMonday blog post and it was largely due to the fact that I haven't tried a new color or formula for my nails that I really wanted to share until now. A few weeks ago, I stopped by Walgreens to check in on the new arrivals for Fall and I stumbled upon Take Me to Thread from the Essie Gel Couture line.The Gel Couture line of nail polish is a fairly new two-step formula that promises to give you up to 14 days of luxurious wear - while maintaining the color and shine with an instant gel-like manicure that does not require a UV lamp. Naturally, I scoffed at that. I never get more than 2-3 days of non-chipped polish on my natural nails but then again I haven't used gel polish because I didn't want to use a UV lamp and weaken my natural nails or expose my skin to that type of light source directly.

Needless to say I was intrigued to test out Essie's new line and the colors looked beautiful in the store so why not?

First, you want to start off with a fresh set of nails. Remove any residue of previous nail polish or base - you do not need to use a base coat with this line. Next, you can apply the gel couture color that you like - however, before I apply anything to my nails, I make sure to moisturize my hands, nails and cuticles with Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.This cream is instrumental to keeping my hands and nails healthy and strong (yes, before you ask, I am working on filming a guide on how to grow natural and healthy nails lol).

Next, I applied two coats of Take Me to Thread and allowed each coat to dry for about 3 minutes before applying another one. The final step - step 2 - is to seal in the color with the gel couture top coat for flawless gel-like shine.The brush is a bit wider and more tapered than the normal Essie polishes which allows for more coverage and an easier application. Now on to the point of this review; to see if the polish really stands up to its promise of a 14-day wear. So far, I've had this on for 3.5 days. I have done everything normal in my routine: thoroughly washed my hair, washed dishes, showered, cleaned, applied many many products to my natural hair, fussed around at work, styled some photoshoots - everything that I would normally do and nothing has chipped away.With Day 3, you can start to see some of the scratches starting to form from just the daily wear and tear but I am beyond impressed with the coverage from this two step system. I will come back and update you everyday up until day 14 so you can see the results but so far - it is a must have!

Overall: Don't the photos speak for themselves? There are 42 colors available and each gel couture polish and the top coat retails for $11.50. You can pick it up at Ricky's NYC, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, CVS, Duane Reade or Essie.com. It might look a bit pricey at first, but think about the amount of wear you will get out of one manicure. #WorthIt

Urban Decay Announces the Release of An All-New Naked Palette and It's All Matte!

Once again, Urban Decay has the beauty community going crazy. This time it's over the news of their new Naked Ultimate Basics Matte Eyeshadow Palette.According to Urban Decay co-founder Wende Zomnir, this latest collection was prompted by popular demand - meaning the social media mavens have gotten their way!

This is the going to be the seventh palette in the Naked collection, but the first one to offer an all-matte series of shades. It will include 12 all-new matte-tastic shades, including one demi-matte shade that some can use for highlighting.

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The palette will be available on September 18th (ekk, my birthday!) so we have a little bit of time to save up for it.

What do you guys think? It's this a new must have for you? Let me know in the comments!

Tom Ford Black Orchid Fragrance Review + Surprise Giveaway

It's the scent that started it all. Tom Ford's Black Orchid debuted in 2006, making it the first fragrance from the designer.

It is a statement fragrance that is described as an oriental chypre - a rich and spicy woody fragrance. It has top notes of French jasmine, black truffle, black currant, ylang-ylang and effervescent citrus. The heart notes hold the spicy floral punch of Tom Ford's black orchid which lead to the woody base noes of dark chocolate, amber, vetiver, vanilla, balsam, patchouli and sandalwood.

As opposed to the brighter and more feminine Velvet Orchid, Black Orchid is a classically dark fragrance that basks itself in luxury. Honestly, it took me a long time to come around to Black Orchid because of its smoldering spicy notes. I tend to favor more fruity and floral notes - more on the sweeter side - and Black Orchid definitely took me on a new adventure with its earthy dry down so for me, this is more of my fall/winter scent because it is so deep.

As usual, the packaging is amazing and I hate that I can never do it justice in the photos. The fragrance is packaged in a fluted black glass bottle with a gold engraved metal plate and gold ribbon around the neck. And here's a fun fact for you - one of the colognes that Michael Jackson was known to love is our very own Black Orchid by Tom Ford.

It is available here in 1.0oz, 1.7oz and 3.4oz but just like with Velvet Orchid, I want to help one of you start (or finish) your Orchid collection with a giveaway!

Blog giveaway (Two winners) To enter this giveaway, simply follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this fragrance in your collection. Scroll down to find my subscription box or look to the to right of your screen to follow/subscribe. *Please note – Don’t worry if you don’t see your comment right away. I have to approve most of them :-)*

Contest ends Monday, August 22^nd, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will choose two subscribers at random from those who commented on this post within 48 hours of the contest end date. The Instagram winner will be chosen separately.

No giveaway/spam accounts. Open internationally; 18+ to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Good luck to all!

Instagram entry (One winner) To enter this giveaway on Instagram, please head to over to this photo and follow the rules listed to enter.

Good luck everyone!

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Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation - Review and Swatches of 13 out of 20 Shades

MAKE UP FOR EVER has released their new Water Blend Foundation - a new and reformulated version of their popular Face & Body Foundation.

MUFE reformulated the foundation to "combine the comfort of a sheer foundation with the performance that pro makeup artists demand in the new Water Blend Foundation. The buildable, lightweight formula delivers a flawless and dewy finish with a beautiful, even complexion. Available in 20 shades, Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation is the reformulation of pro makeup artist’s favorite Face & Body Foundation, delivering the same results with an upgraded formula." The new results include:

• Hydrating: 80% of the formula is purified water infused with vitamin B5 to provide hydration and improve skin elasticity.
• Waterproof & Transfer-proof: Coated micro-fine pigments improve payoff and skin affinity with guaranteed waterproof and transfer-proof coverage.
• Easy to apply: The unique, water-gel texture feels smooth and light, even when it dries to a resistant finish for flawless, all-day wear.

I first got to check these out early in April during the Makeup Show New York. As an ambassador to the show, I was able to get the sneak peek and behind the scenes on the foundation from the MUFE team and lead artist Nicholas Lujan. You can watch his mini demonstration and see live swatches of the shades here (I highly recommend watching this completely through as Nicholas gives some amazing talk through on the new foundation and some makeup artistry tips).

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Nicholas says you can use Water Blend as a primer but also as foundation on your face and body. It's a light, transparent, buildable coverage that leaves the skin looking like skin. You can apply it with your fingers, a brush, a sponge or with an airbrush tool and you can manipulate the coverage depending on the tool that you use. Personally, I prefer to apply mines with my fingers. Just make sure that you let it fully dry before you add on additional layers.

Here are swatches of the 13 shades that I was able to get my hands on at the show. In the name - the Y stands for yellow undertones and the R stands for red undertones.

From left to right: R370, Y445, Y505, R520, R540

From left to right: R210, R240, Y325, R300, Y245

From left to right: R250, Y305, Y405

Overall thoughts: For reference, I wear shade Y455 (a more blended out swatch is posted below) and I absolutely love this foundation. Like I said, it is 80% water based so it gives me a very light weight coverage with a very natural looking look and dewy finish. I've been wearing this all throughout the summer for events and bbq's that require me to look a little bit more done up but without putting makeup on.

If you have severe hyperpigmentation, acne scars or serious break outs, this may not be the best foundation for you to use right now because the coverage just isn't there for that (or to be applied over layers of color correctors and concealers). As mentioned earlier, it has a gel like formula so you want to try using a denser brush or your fingers - try to stay away from using a beauty blender because I found it to just absorb the foundation on me (beauty blenders suck up water and this is 80% water).Comparison: Yes, for the same price, you can get the Ultra HD foundation which provides fuller coverage, however, I do recommend having a bottle of this in your shade for those extremely hot days when nobody has time for a melting face. This also make a great transitioning foundation for a younger teenager who is just starting out with makeup.

Purchase: The MAKE UP FOR EVER Water Blend Foundation retails for $43 is already available on Makeupforever.com, Sephora.com and in Sephora stores.

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Thank you to The Makeup Show, the Make Up For Ever Team and Nicholas Lujan for allowing me to film his segment.