Category

Beauty & Skin

May 15, 2013

Swatch – Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Zodiac

Urban-Decay-Moondust-Zodiac-eyeshadowUrban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Zodiac is a very complex neutral shade. In daylight the swatch looks more subtle but in artificial light the shimmer really pops. I couldn’t really capture this with photos so I decided to swatch it on my hand and do a video. It was a wet application of the eyeshadow in the video. When applied dry it’s much lighter and can be used more subtly.

Swatch video of Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Zodiac with in both natural and artificinal light:

I have included below some photos of both wet and dry applications on my eyes both in natural light as well as in my bathroom. (Nitpicking my up close photos – I don’t think anyone should ever be this close to my eyebrows but in the photos you get to see that I need to clean them up a little. Also a few photos it somehow looks like my eyeliner isn’t applied all the way down even though it is.) In photos: Everyday Minerals powder foundation, Mica Beauty liquid liner, Covergirl Waterproof mascara in black. That’s it. No other eyeshadows applied.

May 14, 2013

May Ipsy 2013 – unboxing … (unbagging?)

My May Ipsy Bag 2013 Overview and ReviewsIn my May Ipsy Bag – (a cute chevron makeup bag!):

  • yaby concealer refills in Buff
  • Zoya Nail Polish in Jacqueline
  • Pacifica Roll On Perfume in Tahitian Gardenia
  • Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink
  • Nume Finishing Serum
  • BONUS – Urban Decay Moondust in Zodiac

My May Ipsy Glamroom:

My Ipsy May Glamroom

My May Ipsy bag items in more detail review:

yaby concealer refills in Buff – well the color looks like it’s the correct shade but with cyclomethicone (cones!) and talc I’m not really interested in it. Mostly the cones keeping me away (yeah, I’m sure if you read regularly, my comment about cones causing breakouts for me has become annoying.) It however ranks a low 3 with cosmetics database which was surprising and a pro for it. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars

Zoya Nail Polish in Jacqueline – love zoya. This is “5-free” and the shade is quite surprising. I wasn’t sure I liked it at first but after I put it on it grew on me quickly. It’s not a shade I would have chosen but I really like it. It’s very opaque and it’s almost a very subtle ivory-ish eggshell shade. It’s hard to describe and it’s also hard to get a great idea from pictures. It’s elegant and I think it will be a versatile shade.  starstarstarstar 5/5 stars

Zoya Jacqueline swatch nail polish

Pacifica Roll On Perfume in Tahitian Gardenia – I already own this and I love it. I don’t mind getting a second one! Love love love this company because they are one of the few that makes wonderful natural perfumes that don’t make you smell like a hippie and aren’t over the top expensive. No they aren’t drugstore cheap but they are worth every penny. I keep meaning to do a post on the scents I have bought from them. The roll on bottles are great for travel. The Tahitian Gardenia is a rich soft scent – not light, more deep and calming. Floral notes but not teen girl and surprisingly even though I have a hard time with some florals (even natural) this one seems to get along with my sinuses. It does have a vintage-ness to it. Older, more sophisticated. starstarstarstarstar 5/5 stars

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink – ANOTHER winner. I double checked the ingredients just in case but this is perfect. No dimethicone, all natural organic. Nice subtle color with that touch of pink and shimmer. Not glittery. It’s a little lighter and a little more neutral than some of the other pinks I’ve bought lately. I think this would work well with a variety of skin tones. It’s is maybe a teensy little oily feeling but it feels like it stays and nourishes your lips. I still like the zuzu luxe and burt’s bees just a little better particularly since they have a wider range of colors but I almost feel like this will be my go to lip gloss in winter. starstarstarstarstar 5/5 stars

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink swatch

Nume Finishing Serum – fail (for me at least.) It’s only a 3 with cosmetics database (mostly due to “fragrance” being an 8 on it’s own) but “DIMETHICONOL” is basically another cone in disguise. :/ If you don’t mind cones, I suspect this will tame flyaways and be excellent against humidity, just feels like it would do what is says it will. Also even if I didn’t break out I would still likely avoid regular use because cones aren’t good for hair either over time. (I swear I’m going to do a longer post about ‘cones’ soon and just link to it instead of repeating myself so much.) staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars

BONUS Urban Decay Moondust in Zodiac – This was apparently a bonus item for ipsy community members who are content creators (who knew!) You know how I feel about dimethicone however. BUT the shiny shimmery uniqueness has me intrigued. Since it’s eyeshadow and I don’t think I’ve ever broken out close to my eyes (and hopefully this won’t be a shade that migrates) I’m thinking about giving this one a go. It’s such an awesome shade. starstarstarstaremptystarempty 3/5 stars … I really can’t make up my mind on this one.

Urban Decay Moondust in Zodiac eyeshadow

At $20 a pop (and I did receive a full size sample) this is possibly the most expensive eyeshadow I’ve owned in awhile. Since I only got one color and was curious about the other colors (and to see if swatches would help me make a decision on the dimethicone breakout risk issue.) I came across this excellent video that shows the different shades and swatches. It kinda makes me want Space Cowboy. I’m about 90% likely to give this one a shot… we’ll see. If I do use it I’ll post some photos of it on and swatched.

 

May Ipsy Bag total score:

starstarstarstaremptystarempty 3/5 stars overall. But I REALLY REALLY liked several of the items in my May Ipsy bag. And should I start counting the bag? I don’t really use the bags but this one was really cute. I might have a thing for chevron lately though.

Oh and I almost forgot – the Nume Coupon Code:

I should upload the unbagging video I did soon. There was also a coupon code on a card for numeproducts.com/shop

I was thinking that their styling products were going to be super super expensive if they were offering a $110 discount and a free heat protector. I was right. However there was one hair straightener, the mini, that would have been cheap with the discount but it said it was backordered. I decided to give it a try. … It won’t let you backorder it. When I clicked checkout I just kept being brought back to the checkout page with a warning at the top that the item was out of stock. Can’t order something that’s out of stock even if you’re willing to wait for it. Which makes the other products that the coupon code qualifies for STILL over $45. :/

Nume_discount_code_can't_preorder

 

Has anyone tried their styling tools? I haven’t looked for reviews yet. I’d want mega reviews before I forked over the amount of money (even WITH a discount) that they are asking for their styling tools. I think the most expensive styling tool I’ve ever bought was … $60?

May 10, 2013

May Birchbox 2013 – unboxing

May Birchbox 2013

What’s in my May Birchbox:

  • Pilot Corporation of America Acroball PureWhite®
  • Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner
  • Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle
  • Folle de Joie eau de parfum
  • COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face

 

Reviews & more detail for my May Birchbox:

  • Pilot Corporation of America Acroball PureWhite® – It’s a pen … oooo. Um yeah, I’m neither here nor there on this one. I have favorite pens yes, and pens I hate, and pens I use. This falls into the “pens I use” whatever category. It IS a pink ink pen which I didn’t realize at first (and it kinda fun.) But it’s still a pen so I’m knocking off one star. starstarstarstarstarempty
  • Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner – no ingredients … nada. I’m going to have to write another company for ingredients … sigh. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle – “Amodimethicone” ok so it’s not “dimethicone” specifically but it is a cone and it’s not one of the few water soluble cones either. Ranks well with the cosmetics database but likely to break me out. Pass. In case you’re wondering about its overall cosmetics database score, that would be a 6. It might be paraben free and sulfate-free but it’s not exactly on the healthy side of things still. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • Folle de Joie eau de parfum – Since I can’t find any info on this on their website that says anything about organic or natural fragrance or anything I have to assume that this is a synthetic perfume. Too bad. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face – Excellent ingredient list. THIS one I’m excited to try. The info on CosmeticsDatabase must be old because the product no longer has “fragrance” added. Old report says it’s a 4. My custom report with the current ingredients shows that it’s only a 2 which is not bad at all for a sunscreen. The scent is all natural and light however if you don’t like it, it’s going to be on your face. I did look this up and they have an unscented version. Actually I want to try the unscented sport version for swimming this summer!  starstarstarstarstar

Box score overall: 9 stars out of a possible 25 is starstaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 1.44 stars. We’re headed back towards thinking “step it up Birchbox, it still costs me $10/month and you’re sending me sample sizes.”

HOWEVER we have one product in the box that’s a real winner. Since it would have cost me $32 to try a full size bottle of the sunscreen, I’m good though. So my May Birchbox is not a complete loss or completely annoying box. 🙂


 Still not signed up for Birchbox? :D

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May 3, 2013

SinfulShine Picante swatch from SinfulColors & comparison

My video probably illustrates the color comparison “Picante” of Sinful Colors new Sinful Shine line to the other colors I have. I didn’t really mean to buy something so similar to other nail polishes I own.

Picante IS a high shine gloss nail polish but I’m not sure yet if I’m sold on this line of SinfulShine polishes. The colors are amazing and they ARE glossy but I had an issue with my first application getting fabric texture from my sheets on them after waiting over an hour and a half before going to bed. You can see it in some of these swatches below but again you can probably see it best in the video above.

sinfulshine-picante-swatch-comparison

SinfulShine-Picante-swatch-1 SinfulShine-Picante-swatch-2 SinfulShine-Picante-swatch-3 SinfulShine-Picante-swatch-4

Some more photos of the other shade available from the Sinful Shine (or is that “Sinfulshine”) line of polishes by Sinful Colors:

SinfulShine-by-Sinful-Colors-high-gloss-nail-polish-display

SinfulShine-All-The-Rage SinfulShine-Im-Blushing SinfulShine-Most-Sinful SinfulShine-My-Kryptonite SinfulShine-Picante SinfulShine-Rendezvous SinfulShine-Royal-Flush SinfulShine-Tan-Lines SunfulShine-Sailors-Delight

Colors I think I’m tempted to buy:

  • Most Sinful – an incredibly vibrant electric blue unlike any other blue I’ve ever seen.
  • My Kryptonite – a deep teal. I’ve seen a couple of other brands with similar shades but not many this deep.
  • Royal Flush – a raspberry magenta color that matches several shirts I own
  • In the Limelight – not exactly lime and not exactly kelly green. I’m loving greens but I don’t end up wearing them much – they seem kinda awkward on my fingernails.
  • There are a couple of pinks that are interesting but several of them are so similar, like “Tan Lines” and “Sailor’s Delight”, that it’s hard to choose.

Have you bought any of these and what are your thoughts? Did I have a freak application that ended up textured by my sheets?

April 30, 2013

Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist

Empty & repurchased – love the Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist! Isn’t that the true test of loving a product is when you buy it again when you run out? I think this is the second time I’ve repurchased since I use this almost daily!

No hold despite what the bottle says (this is NOT a hairspray) but excellent detangler and light shine / moisture. It’s more like a leave in conditioner spray that keeps your hair feeling happy and healthy. Works well for both curly and straight hair styles. I’ll talk about it more when I cover natural hair styling products!

Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist

April 24, 2013

Zoya Nail Polish Earth Day Exchange 2013 -Through Friday April 26 2013

Zoya Earth Day Exchange 2013Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE (Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) trade in exchange for ZOYA Nail Polish!

The code on the site actually gets you a 50% discount. Link below the video for full details.

http://www.zoya.com/content/38/category/Earth-Day-Nail-Polish-Exchange-Zoya.html