The Balm Cosmetics at T.J. Maxx!!!

The word on the street is that T.J. Maxx's across the country have been getting shipments in of The Balm Cosmetics. Normally sold at Sephora, I was very excited to see if I could get some goodies at half the price! I also had been holding on to a T.J. Maxx gift card for $50 and this was the perfect reason to spend it! I ended up getting 2 eyeshadow palettes, 2 blushes, 1 highlighter, and 1 bronzer all for under $50. I think this is the best steal I have ever gotten from this store. Below are the items that I got: The Shady Lady Vol. 3, Meet Matt(e)., Betty-Lou Manizer AKA "The Bronzing Bandit", Mary-Lou Manizer AKA "The Luminzer", Down Boy, and Frat Boy.

Amazing right!! I love their packaging. I think it is so cute and reminds me of the 1950's and the 1960's. I also love how they name all their colors. I think they are super creative and to me that is part of the appeal of this line. Kind of like how OPI nail polish names are super fun!

The first one I will review in The Shady Lady Vol. 3 I have never used or tested Vol. 1 or Vol. 2 so I don't have much to compare it to but I really like Vol. 3. I think it has really great shimmer to it and I am a big shimmer person.

The first picture is taken with flash and the second picture was taken with out flash. Below are some swatches. I am not the best...lol but getting better.

From left to right is: Guilty Gwen, All the Way Annie, Open to Offers Olwen, Come-Hither Heather, Runaround Rebecca, Safe Bet Annette, Racy Kacy, Envious Erin, and Lusty Lee.

Next up is the Meet Matt(e). eyeshadow palette. I love matte eye shadows as well but was less impressed with this palette. Don't get me wrong, the colors are still very pretty but I felt that they just weren't as pigmented as the Shady Lady Vol. 3 palette.

From Left to Right: Matt Smith, Matt Gallagher, Matt Ramirez, Matt McDonald, Matt Horowitz, Matt Chung, Matt Batali, Matt Schilling, and Matt Patel.

Next is Betty-Lou Manizer which is a bronzer. I love this bronzer, it has just the right amount of shimmer. It looks so pretty when swatched and such cute packaging!

I am also always in search of the perfect highlighter. I think I might have found it with Mary Lou Manizer. It gives just the right amount of glow and not too much shimmer.

And of course I saved the best for last! I loooove The Balm blushes. I currently own Cabana Boy and Hot Mama and they are amazing. I was really lemming Frat Boy so I was so excited to find it.

Such a pretty pink. The next blush is Down Boy which is a little lighter and leans a little to the peach side. Equally as pretty though.

The next picture from left to right is: Down Boy, Frat Boy, Betty-Lou Manizer, and Mary-Lou Manizer.

Amazing!! I can't wait to play with all my new products! Has anyone else gotten the chance to pick these products up at T.J. Maxx? What are your thoughts on The Balm as a brand? There were a few more items at the store that I passed on but I would love to see what other people found at their local stores. I am sure every store has something different. Until next time!!

XOXO

Miss Make-Up Fairy

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips-Kitty Kitty

I guess I am little late on the band wagon here, but I have finally gotten around to trying out my Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips. I have them in the color "Kitty, Kitty" which are really just leopard spots. I have been hearing mixed reviews about these strips. Some say easy as pie, others not so much. I am going to go with the "not so much" crowd. I doubt that I will ever get these again. I found them a pain to put on. Maybe it's because I have short nails. Who knows but here we go!

The kit comes with 16 nail polish strips, a cuticle stick, and a mini file & buffer. I actually liked the cuticle and mini file the best..lol I didn't end up using all the strips and have a handful of them left.  The instructions say to use warm hands to make the strips stick and I def agree with that. I think the warmer my hands and nails were the easier it was for the strips to stick. After picking the best nail strip size for your nail you are supposed to peel the clear protective plastic cover off. Then you are supposed to break the silver tab from the strip. Place the strip at the cuticle line and press on. They say to use the flat side of the cuticle strip but I felt it worked better just to press down with my fingers.

You are supposed to file the excess strip away but I found that you had to cut it first before even attempting to file. It also tells you to file with the soft light pink side however if you don't file with the hot pink buffer side you will never get the excess off.

As you can see nails are not my speciality..lol But I tried with whatever nail stubs I have...lol

I am right handed and usually doing my left hand is easier but for some odd reason I thought doing my right hand was easier. Maybe because I was finally getting the hang of it. It def. was not faster then painting my nails.

Full hand shot. It is the best I could do. Below is the aftermath. You can see the amount of work and how many left over items there were. It honestly took me about an hour.

Unfort. this is def not a re-purchase for me. Maybe I am just really horrible at doing my own nails and should stick to make-up...lol I am curious to see if any of you had similar experiences or if it was super easy for you. I am not sure what I will do with the extra strips. Maybe I'll do my dogs nails. (JK)

Until next time-

XOXO

Miss Makeup Fairy

Miss Make Up's Fairy NEW Facebook Fan Page!!

I just created a Facebook Fan Page for Miss Make Up Fairy. I am fairly green and still trying to figure it out so please bear with me. Facebook says I need to get at least 25 likes in order for it to be published under the MissMakeUpFairy URL. If everyone that is a fan could help that would be greatly appreciated. Here is the crazy looking link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Makeup-Fairy/242940565717621?sk=wall

Please let me know if you can't "like" the page. I am having a little bit of trouble but any help would be greatly appreciated! 

And, since I have reached 50 subscribers I am going to do a GIVEAWAY!!! Stay tuned for the details coming soon!!

 XOXO

Miss Make Up Fairy

Fresh Kiss and Tell Sugar Lip Truck

Fresh is having a Kiss & Tell Promotion. With a contest online that you can enter at Facebook, you could win $2,500 in Fresh products - just by sharing your sweetest kiss ever (in 100 words or less - tougher than Twitter). Make sure to enter by July 8.

Last week in Union Square in NY, I went to visit the Kiss & Tell Pop-Up Truck to get my free Sugar Lip Treatment and my free Sugar Lip Treatment Lip Balm. I really went because I am a die hard fan of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Lip Balm and they are pretty expensive selling for $22.50 at Sephora so, any chance to snag a free one was enough incentive for me!

The line was pretty long but it moved very fast. I hate waiting on lines but I was literally at the end of the block and got into the truck for my treatment in about 20 minutes. They had about 10 people at a time in the truck so that sped up the process. Kudos to the Fresh Team for getting the line under control!! Once I was inside the Kiss & Tell Truck, I was able to get my free Sugar Lip Treatment. The Sugar Lip Experience, was a Fresh Lip Scrub that nourishes, protects, and perfects your lips.They put a little of the lip scrub on a Q-Tip and you were able to scrub your lips. Then they let you pick out your favorite lip treatment for a sample. I choose the Honey because it is the newest flavor. It did not disappoint!

After receiving the FREE Sugar Lip Treatment, you then had the option to Kiss & Tell  by either mailing a pre-paid postcard or e-mailing a virtual postcard  from the truck (that is what the TV screen in the picture was for) to a friend telling them why you love the Sugar Lip Collection.

I loved the way the truck looks. It is so cute and fits perfectly with the Fresh brand! As you were leaving the truck you were handed the below reusable bag and also had a choice between the Rose and Plum flavor for your free lip treatment. I was a little bummed they weren't giving away the new Honey flavor as that was what I was hoping for but Rose is my second favorite so I choose that one.

All in all, I had a great time at this event! It was executed flawlessly and who can beat a full size Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment! I hope they do more of these events in the future. I will def. be there. Did any of you attend? I would love to hear what you thought in the comments below! Until next time:)

XOXO
Miss Make Up Fairy

June Birchbox

Two posts in one day! I know....lol Anyways, I have been getting Birchbox's for about 3 months now and I haven't been very impressed. At most, maybe there was one item I really liked and all the other items I gave away. However, when I got home today my June Birchbox arrived and I am impressed!! This is the first time I am interested in trying EVERY single item. Maybe they just needed to get into their groove:) Who knows but here is what I got.

The contents of the box included a Kate Spade Twirl Perfume Sample. a FULL SIZE Laura Geller Baked Blush N' Brighter, Oscar Blandi Olio Di Jasmin Hair Serum, Pangea Organics Toner with a pump, and Deborah Lippmann Stripper to Go Nail Lacquer Removers.

Doesn't it look so pretty. Did I mention I got a FULL SIZE Laura Geller blush. (All for $10 a month) Some of these products are much bigger than sample sizes.

I am most excited to try the Pangea Toner and the Laura Geller Blush. Birchbox describes the Pangea Organics Toner as "laced with mandarin and lime, this energizing toner is a skincare staple and the ideal on-the-go refresher." I haven't used a toner in a long time and anything that comes in a spritz bottle I am sold. LOL It just makes skin cleansing easier all around.

The Laura Geller Baked Blush N' Brighten blush is described as "Made in Italy, this swirl of warm and cool tones is infinitely versatile-dust your cheeks for a flatter flush or use the lighter shades as highlighter." FULL SIZE BLUSH (LOL)

Look at how beautiful it looks! It reminds me of MAC MSF's and I can't wait to try it out! I think Birchbox redeemed itself this month and now I can't wait to see what my July box holds. If you are interested in signing up click on this link https://www.birchbox.com/ and let me know what you think! Until next time:)

XOXO

Miss Makeup Fairy

MAC Pro Membership

I am so excited that I just got accepted to the MAC Cosmetics PRO program!! I can't wait to start to take advantage of it as god only knows MAC is my favorite cosmetics line!! Let me know if anyone is interested in me doing any MAC PRO products reviews and I will see what I can do!!

Below is a link to the MAC PRO website if you are interested in getting a PRO membership too!!

http://www.maccosmetics.com/macpro/cms/membership/howtoapply.tmpl

 XOXO

Miss Makeup Fairy

My 2011 NYC Make Up Show Haul

A little late but below is what I hauled from this years Make Up Show in NYC. First a few pictures from the show. It was amazing! Click the below link to take you to the haul page. If you can't see it for any reason I will be posting some follow up pictures shortly.

My 2011 Make Up Show Haul

XOXO

Miss Make Up Fair