Smashbox The Quick Fix 8-Piece Color Collection from QVC

Hello, Beautiful!

As promised, here are the swatches and quick reviews of the items from the Smashbox The Quick Fix 8-Piece Color Collection, which is sold exclusivly on QVC.

Don't forget about the exclusive blog bonus offer (click here to view it)!



I thought I'd have this kit on Tuesday but my package got re-routed, which delayed it by a day. That was disappointing, but you know what's not disappointing? This kit! I couldn't be happier with the items!

Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder - Shade: Medium

The medium shade is actually a little dark for me - although I know by looking at the photos below you would think it is a perfect match. My arms/hands are darker than my face. I have the light shade, and since that's too light for me at the moment I figured one shade up would work. It does work to a point, but once my tan goes away this shade is going to look too dark on me. Until then it will get good use and I'll save it for next summer.

The Quick Fix Eye Shadow Palette #1

This palette contains five shades - three of which I really like and will get the most use. The two darkest shades (navy and burgundy merlot) are matte shades. The first two shades are shimmery and the last peach shade is satin. The pigmentation is good on all these shadows - which is nice since Smashbox palettes don't always have good pigmentation across all shades.

Creamy Lip Color in Pink Fig

This lip crayon is really smooth and creamy. It glides on easily and looks beautiful on its own. But with the gloss on top it really stands out beautifully. For some reason it swatched darker on the white paper than it did on my hand. But I included that pic anyway.

Lip Enhancing Gloss in Sweet

This is a shimmery pink with flecks of gold. It's a sheer color gloss, which is nice for layering on top of the Creamy Lip Color crayon (which is shown in the photos above).

Satin Blush & Loose Shimmer Duo in Candlelit Pink

I like this blush - it does feel like satin and looks soft and flattering on the cheeks. The shimmer is pretty. It looks pink in the container but blends out to look gold with pink. It's a very pretty highlight shade.

Waterproof Shadow Liner in Graphite

I like this shade a lot, but then again I'm a big fan of gray and black shades. This is a great product to give you a soft smokey look. Glides on easily, looks great on, and lasts all day!

Well there you have it - swatches from the kit! I hope this was helpful!

xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

I love home shopping networks...

Hello, Beautiful!

Lately I've been addicted to QVC and HSN. I'm a sucker for home shopping networks. I love seeing the live demo of beauty products, but I'd be lying if I said that's why I tune in. I tune in because it can be entertaining to watch.

I love the bloopers that can happen (although those are pretty rare, but they're great when they happen). I love watching the hosts get so excited over the most simple items, and hearing them talk in awe at every product. But I shamelessly look forward to the insane callers. Sure, there are plenty of normal callers, but there are some pretty bat-sh*t crazy people out there. They'll tell you their life story, their cat's name, and ask the host to say hello to their cat (who is, of course watching right along with them in their animal sized Snuggie).

Yes, I have way better things to do, but when I'm stuck on the computer working I like to have the TV on. QVC and HSN have been my entertainment of choice lately. I usually only watch during any beauty related presentation.

QVC in particular has caused a dent in my budget lately. There were items I needed to buy (like my DDF facial cleanser), items I semi-needed/wanted (like the St. Tropez Tanning Mousse I wanted to use before a wedding I had to go to), and then there are the items I didn't need but just had to try out.

I already blogged about the Laura Geller concealer - which I'm still very much in love with and still very much recommend. Now I am going to blog about my latest QVC purchase. I really should have waited and posted this blog post tomorrow (Tuesday) because that's when the kit will likely arrive at my house and I can show swatches, but I'll just update this post or make a new post when I do make swatches.

Did you tune into QVC on Friday when they had Smashbox on? They had a beautiful kit, which was priced just under $70 as their "Today's Special Value" (it's now priced at $76.38 and they're sold out of 'Fair' and 'Light').

The value of the kit is a really good one. The Halo powder alone retails for $59 by itself, and I was in the market to buy a new Halo in the Medium shade (I have it in the Light shade - which no longer works for my skintone). I like using Halo combined with concealer for a quick and easy morning routine on the days I take my son to school. He'll be in kindergarten (I can't believe I can even say that; the years go by too quickly), and I'll be driving him to school most of the time. I don't have great skin, so I can't leave the house without makeup on (well, I can, but I don't want to). So I will likely be using the Halo a lot (but I may try using Bare Escentuals in the morning).

So let's talk about everything included in the kit (and a photo below from QVC):

• Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder (I chose the Medium shade)
• Quick Fix Eye Shadow Palette #1 - which includes five shades (champagne, navy, shimmering purple taupe, merlot, and shimmering peach nude)
• Creamy Lip Crayon in Pink Fig (a brown-pink)
• Lip Enhancing Gloss in Sweet (a sparkling pink champagne)
• Waterproof Shadow Liner in Graphite (a metallic gray)
• Cheek Duo, which includes a Satin Blush and Loose Powder in Candle-Lit Pink
• Plus you receive a Baby Buki Brush (to use with Halo) and a #30 Shadow Liner Brush (to use the Waterproof Shadow Liner or the powder shadows)

I love buying Smashbox kits from QVC because they often have colors and products that are exclusive to QVC for a period of time. In this kit the shadow palette, lip crayon, lip gloss shade, and shadow liner shade are exclusive to QVC until March 2011. The shadow palette and creamy lip crayon are world-wide launches.

The shadow palette has some pretty shades, but I think only three of them will get a lot of use. The navy shade I'll likely use as a liner, or when doing a blue smoky eye. But the merlot color (that matte looking burgundy) is a shade I won't put near my eye. I know what looks good on me and that color does not. Seven years ago I had my wedding makeup trial at MAC and the lady went by a color chart. The color chart apparently told her that using a burgundy shadow on both top and bottom lids would look great as a wedding day look. It made me look like I was on drugs and was the least flattering thing possible. Just because my wedding was in February, and my colors were red, black and white, doesn't mean I want red shades on my face! It was so bizzare and she was so stuck on that shade. She tried so hard to get me to buy it, even after telling her no at least a dozen times. The rest of the makeup she did was awful too. I ended up picking my own shades out for my wedding and refused to buy anything she put on my face. It was that bad. I've had better MAC experiences, but that was by far the worst!

Anyways, back to the Smashbox Kit...

The blush looks really pretty and very wearable. I go through phases where I won't leave the house without blush and then I go through phases where I wouldn't think of putting blush on. It all depends on my skin. If I'm having a lot of breakouts on my cheeks I will avoid blush. And at this very moment my skin is having issues, but I will be trying this blush out anyway! The little highlighter color that comes in the bottom of the blush compact looks very pretty. I hope it looks as pretty in person.

The lip pencil looks like a nice wearable shade on its own, but looks really pretty with the gloss on top. I hope I fall in love with the colors when I see them.

The Waterproof Shadow Liner is a product I've wanted to try from Smashbox for awhile now. I've heard great things about it. The color included in this kit is really pretty. I love grays and blacks for my eyes. I use them very often (I use gray a lot), so I look forward to trying it out!

All in all I'm very excited to get this kit. I hope it shows up at my doorstep tomorrow! I will post swatches and maybe even a photo of me wearing the full kit.

If you also ordered this kit I'd be interested in hearing your review after you get it and try it all out!


xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

August 2010 Favorites & Not-So-Favorites

Hello, Beautiful!

This post is all about the items I'm loving right now. Not all makeup items, and some technically not items at all, but all favorites for August!


NARS Chihuahua Lip Gloss
This is one of my favorite shades of gloss! I rarely get through an entire tube of lip gloss before getting bored of the shade and moving on. Even if I really love a shade and get near the end I'll still rarely re-purchase the same gloss twice. BUT, I'm super close to cleaning out the tube on this beautiful gloss and I don't think I'll be able to move on from this shade. It just works so well for me - it's a great subtle pink with no shimmer. It goes great with just about all makeup looks (from natural to smokey). So yes, my sweet kind husband, I will need another $24 to re-purchase this gloss :)


My Skin Care
I made a post a little bit ago about my current skin care routine. I'm still sticking to it, although I switched up my moisturizer and added another product to my routine. I do have to say, I feel awful because this past week and a half I've been so busy (I was rarely home) and I haven't put in the energy to clean my face the way I need to. I even went to bed on more than one night with my makeup on. It felt gross and heavy. Now that life is calming down again, I can get back into the skincare routine as normal and not skip on anything. After going from that great skin feeling back to gross un-cared for skin, I will NOT let that happen for this long ever again. Gross! I NEED my skin care!



China Glaze Nail Polish in Strawberry Fields
This is a sparkly pink shade, which changes slightly in different lighting. Sometimes it looks like a beautiful bright sparkly pink. Othertimes it has a hint of red and you can see the great gold sparkle in the polish. No matter what lighting you may be in while wearing this shade, it looks pretty and is a great summer shade. I'm rocking it on my toe nails at the moment.



Red Bull
I'm not a coffee drinker (can't stand the taste - but love the smell), so Red Bull is my caffeine of choice. I'm a bit obsessed with Red Bull. At any given time it's in my fridge. I used to buy it by the case at the distributor back when my son was a newborn, but now I can get by on the cases they sell at grocery stores.



Family
I've seen a lot of my family lately. I had to go to a friends wedding at the beginning of August (out of state). Then once a year I take my brother's three kids down to visit me (they live in a different state). That was this past week - which is why I've barely been home. My grandmom is now visiting me for the next week. Basically, all of August has been family. Being that we don't see them much else throughout the year (except maybe at holidays), it's nice to have that much time with them.... although it's always nice to see them leave (so I can miss them, of course).



And with every list of favorites usually comes a few dislikes. These are my dislikes at the moment:

* Nobody seemed to play the movie "Friday the 13th" yesterday - which was Friday August 13. You can almost always find that movie playing on that day, but nope, not this time. It was the perfect weather here too - gloomy, raining and grim. We ended up watching two other scary movies anyway. I am a huge horror movie fan!

* Driving!! I have been driving so much over the past week taking my nephew and nieces to various places - plus back to their home (in another state). My husband did do a lot of driving too, but I'm done with driving for awhile. I want to put my feet up and not move for awhile.

* Leg Pain! I have chronic leg pain (left leg - back of thigh/side of thigh and butt) from an injury that happened over 2 years ago. Since then, it's been a constant battle. Everyday it's stretching my leg, using my TENS machine (electrode thing), putting on BioFreeze, taking meds, hoping it can get better, etc. etc. It's been extra painful lately and I'm really tired of it! Some days it's so bad I can't sit without flaring my leg pain, standing doesn't help, walking can make it worse, and the pain makes concentrating on anything impossible. I'm tired of complaining to my husband about this pain, so for once I will vent it out here and spare him the usual speach asking him to chop my leg off because it hurts so bad.


Well that's all for now! Have a great weekend and don't forget to shop ValentineKisses.com while we have all those great items on sale (as listed in the blog post below).


xoxo with love & beauty,


Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

Laura Geller, you've finally got me!

Hello, Beautiful!

I've tried many beauty brands over the years - from low-end, to drugstore brand, to luxury brands. I know what I like, I know what works for me. Laura Geller never worked for me. Yet for some reason I would continue to try her products because they seem so promising. But sadly, few deliver and for the longest time I had sworn off Laura Geller.

That is until my most recent Laura Geller purchase - well, more like a Laura Geller haul!

I picked up several items, most of which did not impress me, but there was one item in particular that I am going ga-ga over! It's her Real Deal Concealer!

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It's no secret that I need full coverage when it comes to concealer - but really, who doesn't? That's why you're using a concealer! There are so many full coverage concealers that lie. They say they're full coverage but they're not. They say they're long lasting, but they're not. This concealer does not lie!

First, let me say that I have a VERY small tube of this. I got this in a kit, so it's not full sized. It looks like a sample size you would get free with a purchase. I was scared and worried that maybe I over paid for the product, but I didn't want to commit to the full sized tube until I tried it - plus, I got a few other Laura Geller products in the kit to try as well.

While the tube was small, I think it's going to last a very long time. This truly is a concealer where a little amount will do your entire face - yes, you're entire face!!!!!! I have so many acne scars to cover (to the point where it looks like a bunch of big freckles) and this does the trick beautifully. I was truly amazed at how little you need to make it work. Seriously, just a small amount of product!! I wish I took pics of how little you need, and I eventually will (to publish on the Valentine Beauty Closet).

If you haven't tried this product and are on the hunt for a great concealer, this is one I highly recommend. I may even recommend this over my original favorite (Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer) - and I never thought I would recommend anything over that!

The only downfall is the shade selection. With the Make Up For Ever concealer you have like 13 shades (I forget how many - but there are many). I believe this only comes in Fair, Light, Medium, and Deep. It keeps it simple, but it may not work for all skin types. I picked this up in Medium and it's a tad light for a medium shade, but still works great!

Swatches, tutorial, and more on this concealer to follow on the Valentine Beauty Closet (coming soon to ValentineKisses.com)

Have you tried this concealer? If so, what are your thoughts?

xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.

- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

Want an inexpensive face mask that gives you super soft skin?

Hello, Beautiful!

Today I want to talk about an inexpensive way to get super soft skin using a non-skincare product.

What is this non-skincare product that gives you super soft skin? It's Milk of Magnesia!

You don't need to buy a brand name (like shown above). I bought a bottle of Assured Milk of Magnesia for $1 at the dollar store.

You may be asking "what is Milk of Magnesia?". It's a laxative and antacid. Yeah... not something you instantly think of using when thinking about soft skin.

Here's how you use it:

Use a cotton ball and apply the Milk of Magnesia all over your face, just like you're applying a facial mask. You don't need to apply a lot and it will look clear (maybe a little white) on your face when you first apply it.

Then, leave it on about 10 minutes (you can leave it on for up to 20 minutes - which is what I try to do).

As the Milk of Magnesia dries it will turn white and your face will feel tighter.

TIP: After you apply this mask sit back and relax until you're ready to take it off. Don't talk, don't move - especially once it begins to dry. It will flake off if you talk and that can make a big mess - and it tastes awful if you get it in your mouth!

Once your 10 minutes is up (or 20 minutes), wash it off with warm water. As you wash it off, your face will instantly feel like velvety, silky soft! Pat your face dry and enjoy the results! Of course you should follow up with your facial moisturizer, but your face will be so soft after using this product just once!

Give it a try and let me know your results!

xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.

- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com