Tag

swatch

November 15, 2013

Chella Highlighter Pencil ivory lace swatch & review

The Chella Highlighter Pencil, swatch photos in “ivory lace” below, is the epitome of an incredibly useful multitasker and now a makeup staple for me.

Chella Highlighter Pencil ivory lace swatch & review

Chella says that there are over 10 different uses for their Highlighter Pencil but summarized, the 3 main basics of what the Chella Highlighter Pencil can do are:

  • highlight and brighten
  • contour
  • light concealer

The Chella Highlighter Pencil comes in only three shades: ivory lace, latte and cinnamon – cinnamon is not sold on Birchbox’s site at the moment. With the limitations on shades, it may not double as a concealer for everyone but it is an excellent highlighter and contouring tool that blends well and will absolutely be a great addition to most people’s makeup collection. The fact that it blends well makes it very natural looking.

Watch the video below to see a better swatch and how the it blends:

I received my first Chella Highlighter Pencil in Ivory Lace back in my June 2013 Ipsy Glambag and have been using it daily ever since. When I found out I was receiving another in my Birchbox for November, it just made me realize that it was now a staple for me. One that I had already been thinking about re-purchasing before I received this latest sample and will probably be ordering a backup of. Oh and 1.4grams is the sample that they sent which IS a full size product.

It rates a healthy 2 with EWG’s Cosmetic Database. There are no added fragrances, no parabens, no cones. Basically there’s nothing not to love here! And if you’re a member with Birchbox, you can get free shipping on this product right now. And if you’re not a Birchbox subscriber and are interested in subscribing, please help out this blog by signing up below! 😉

Sign up for Birchbox and shop for this product
(
with free shipping and earn birchbox points)!
http://birchbox.com?raf=3l3e7
{ yes it’s an affiliate link, I get 50 points which equals $5 credit – share the love! }

Or you can buy it from Chella directly here
(but you’ll pay about $7 shipping and don’t earn Birchbox points.)
http://chella.com/products/item/lace_highlighter_pencil
🙂 choices, choices

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.

January 18, 2013

Sinful Colors Thimbleberry vs Essie Boat House vs Zoya Elodie – Matches, mismatches, dups & swatches

I love Essie “Boat House” which is a lovely coral color that isn’t too harsh. But it’s an older Essie color (and no longer available) and it’s one of the worst nail polishes I own in terms of chipping. I think this may be the case with older Essie colors. And it seems like there was some sort of formula change at some point because I’ve only had problems with some clearance Essie polishes I purchased over the summer.

So I’ve been on the lookout for other colors I could replace it with. I already owned Sinful Colors “Thimbleberry” but it’s a little bit darker than the Essie and not quite close enough (though fairly close.)

So when the Zoya three free promo happened, I went through my spoons and double checked colors online and picked out Zoya’s “Elodie” to try and replace “Boat House” with. Swatched it looks like the perfect dup which makes me happy. I have yet to try it out to see about chipping but I’ve not had any problems with that on Zoya polishes (matte polishes on the other hand simply don’t last as long but that’s a different story.)

September 17, 2012

Review & swatch: Essie House Boat

I absolutely LOVE this color for summer. The one problem however is that it chips quickly.

I’ve tried several different base coats and several different top coats. 2 layers of nail polish, 3 layers. Every time is seems to last maybe 3 days tops before starting to look really bad.

Most of the other Essie polishes I’ve tried last about 5 days and even then they don’t deteriorate so quickly. So if anyone knows of another color that looks the same but last longer I would love to know!

Correction: It’s “Boat House” and I’ve found a nail polish to replace it with I think!

March 29, 2012

“Foiled Again” – gold foiling or gold leaf on clothes & nails

“Foiled again” get it? Ok, that would make more sense if I had previously written about gold foiling or even any kind of gold on clothes, right?

Apparently I’ve been getting into golds lately. As exhibited by both some recent clothing purchases as well as nail polish choice.

OOTD - gold foiled OOTD - gold foiled

Outfit Top to bottom (click images for a larger version):

  • Earrings: Kohl’s daisy fuentes® Gold-Tone Hammered Drop Earring Set I had removed the chain portion of the coin style earrings and they look better.
  • Tank: Talbot’s Outlet (one of my recent gold purchases) cream with gold foil streaks.
  • Wrap: Tabot’s Outlet (in the fall) it’s a heathered cream linen that’s a perfect weight for spring and fall. Very versatile.
  • Bracelet: thrifted.
  • Jeans: Walmart (shhhh … why do I end up with jeans from there?)
  • Shoes: Lauren Conrad leopard print ballet flat from Kohl’s. Loving these, they also go with a LOT.

Then there was the yoga capris I bought that had a foil leopard print pattern. This wasn’t actually on purpose. It was more because I didn’t like the pairs that had funky color tops and they didn’t have a plain black and I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket:

leopard foil on yoga capris

Close up of the leopard AND the Talbot’s tank’s gold stripes.

Then there are the nails.

Essie "A Crewed Interest" Spring 2012 color and Sally Hansen Crackle in "Antique Gold" Peachy Pink and gold

  • Three coats of Essie in “A Crewed Interest” which is a Spring 2012 color.
  • Topped with a single stripe of Sally Hansen Crackle polish in “Antique Gold”

It’s a nice subtle effect that reminds me of gold leaf. And the peachy pink is like a less sheer version of Zoya’s Lulu. That “point shoe pink / peach” I had been looking for for years and suddenly found. Repeatedly apparently.

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The gold crackle is actually a little preview of something I’m going to do a giveaway on sometime in the next month. So if you don’t normally read my blog, you might want to stay tuned by either subscribing to the rss, the emails or my twitter or youtube channels!

Are you wearing more gold lately? Is this a trend or just a weird accident that I’ve recently purchased more than one item that was gold foiled?

Next thing you know I’ll own a gold sequin mini skirt…. uhhh probably not anytime soon (though they are CUTE on other people!)