Fresco Phyrra

Reminder: FrescoPhyrra is now Phyrra.net

2010-07-11T10:25:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that FrescoPhyrra.blogspot.com is now http://Phyrra.net

Please update the way you follow :)
If you use Google Reader, re-add me at the Phyrra.net address.
If you use BlogLovin', you can add me at this link:
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1795406/phyrra

FrescoPhyrra has moved to Phyrra.net

2010-06-14T19:58:00.001-04:00

If you're looking for more Phyrra, I've moved my blog over to Phyrra.net.
Please check me out over there!

Softsoap Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange Peel Body Wash - A Review

2010-05-31T00:14:00.001-04:00

I saw this at the drugstore a while ago and had to try it. I used to love Honeysuckle from Bath & Body Works. This blows BBW out of the water for me! The scent is amazing and fresh. The lather is nice and moisturizing. It contains moisturizing beads and real orange peel extract. Orange peel is a natural cleanser and skin conditioner.

After the first time I used it, Dave & Ray commented on how much they liked the scent. Dave tried it and liked it so much that I went back to buy another bottle.

So yes, I have bought it a second time. I'll likely buy it a third time. I really like it! Once again, I'm really impressed with a drugstore bodywash.

Have you tried Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange Peel? If so, what did you think of it?

Bright Aquamarine Look

2010-05-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

I wanted a fun, flirty aquamarine look with a chartreuse accent for today.

I was trying hard not to laugh in this photo as Dave was making me crack up.

Shade Descriptions:
Looking Glass - Soft, nearly matte sky shade, leaning towards turquoise rather than pure blue. Slight satin finish.
Futuristic Glam Rock - A gorgeous bright sky blue with strong green sheen. Closer to light, the green sheen becomes violet, giving it a strong lavender highlight. Metallic & sparkly.
Nijiro - ivory with rainbow sparkles
OMGWTF - bright shimmery chartreuse

Eyes:
TFSI
Fyrinnae Looking Glass - lid and crease
Fyrinnae Futuristic Glam Rock - crease
Fyrinnae Nijiro - inner v and on browbone to highlight
Covergirl Green Glow - lower lash line
Fyrinnae OMGWTF - lower lash line on top of Green Glow
Lorac Auburn Brow Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black Gel with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Natural
Urban Decay lipstick in 5150

Face:
Physicians Formula SPF 50 Healthy Wear in Translucent Light
Aromaleigh Glissade in Alabaster

Purple with Blue Accents Look

2010-05-30T12:06:00.002-04:00

Saturday was my friend Lea's 30th birthday party. Since she loves purple, I did a purple eye look. I did my makeup late in the day and there wasn't really any good light when I went to take pictures, due to all the raining all day. I got a few good pictures but most are disappointing.

Shade Descriptions:
Sequined Master - Sparkly purple, sparkliest of them all. Starts off a cool purple with silvery and pink sparkles, and closer to light turns a more vibrant magenta-purple. Less metallic, but very sparkly.
Otherworld - a pale ghostly aqua shimmer with glimmers of turquoise and blue sparkle
Cupcake Sprinkles - satiny lavender with a subtle aqua shimmer
Shinigami - deep, smoldering royal purple entwined with a scattering of blue and crimson sparkle
Faerie Glamour - medium violet with shimmer that changes from lavender to pale blue to aqua
Futuristic Glam Rock - A gorgeous bright sky blue with strong green sheen. Closer to light, the green sheen becomes violet, giving it a strong lavender highlight. Metallic & sparkly.
Glitterboi - the most perplexing. In the jar a deep midnight blue, on skin it's a deep blue with purple sparkles and a very strong green sheen. Closer to light, morphs to a dark, vibrant blue-based purple. Metallic & sparkly.
Lights of Stockholm - light purple sparkle

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Sequined Master - inner 3/4 of lid
Fyrinnae Otherworld - inner v, on browbone to highlight
Fyrinnae Cupcake Sprinkles - inner 1/3 of lid on top of Sequined Master
Fyrinnae Shinigami - outer 1/4 of lid and crease
Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour - upper crease
Fyrinnae Futuristic Glam Rock - above Faerie Glamour on browbone
Cover Girl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Green Glow - inner lower lash line
Fyrinnae Glitterboi - outer lower lash line, extended out
Fyrinnae City Lights of Stockholm - on browbone to highlight and dusted onto crease
Physicians Formula Gel Eyeliner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - outer lower water line
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Meow Skinny Dipper in Light Siamese - to contour
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia
Meow Chameleon Glow - to highlight

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Siamese

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain
Morgana Lipstick in Azalea Blue - blotted
MAC Dazzleglass in Funtabulous

Michelle & Hope

2010-05-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

I did my nails with Zoya Michelle (main color) and Zoya Hope. 2 coats of each.

Unfortunately there was no sunlight for the picture. We've had a ton of rain here.

You can see how my lanai looks with all the rain.

Don't get me wrong, I love the rain! It just makes taking pictures a pain.

Aromaleigh Memorial Day Sale!

2010-05-30T01:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend, through 11:59 PM EST 6/2, save 35% OFF the entire Aromaleigh inventory!

Required coupon code at checkout: MEMORIAL35

This means you should get some Victoria's Revenge!

Ten Digit Creations - A Rave Review

2010-05-29T14:04:00.002-04:00

I recently placed an order with Ten Digit Creations after reading the lovely Grey's review of them. I'm glad I did!

Read on to see my thoughts, a coupon code, and some Memorial Day Sale information!

I ordered:
Little Black Dress Perfume Roll On with Jojoba Oil
Mandarin Coconut Solid Perfume
Monkey Farts Whipped Body Butter
Coconut Lip Balm
4 Country Apple Dye Free Soy Blend Wax Muffin Melts

Shipping for all of that was just over $5, so it was quite reasonable.

The scents are described as:
Little Black Dress (Perfume Roll on Oil)- rich blackberry, ruby cassis, sugared apricots, violet petals, sweet heliotrope and burgundy roses with bottom notes of golden amber, velvety vanilla musk and smooth sandalwood

I love this. At first I was worried because the very first note I smelled was the sandalwood and I was worried that it would be the ONLY note I could detect. If all I can smell is sandalwood, it ends up smelling like incense to me. Thankfully, the rest of the notes came into play and I love it. It's neat to be able to smell the rose and violet, yet it's not too sweet.

Mandarin Coconut ~(Solid Perfume Tin) a fabulous arrangement of fresh mandarin oranges, tropical fruits, creamy coconut, and tiny hints of vanilla bean

I really like this. The coconut balances with the fruit perfectly. It's easy to apply and came in a little tin. The scent in this doesn't fade as fast as some of my other tins from other companies have faded, though solid perfumes tend to fade faster than perfume oils regardless.

Monkey Farts (Whipped Body Butter)- fresh bananas, coconuts, pineapple, kiwi, strawberry...things a monkey eats....and farts :)

I love this! For times when I want sweet, this is awesome! I'd totally wear this as a perfume. The body butter takes less than I'm used to for it to moisturize my skin. It absorbs pretty quickly, and it doesn't leave me feeling all greasy and nasty. Of course, Phaedra thinks it smells FANTASTIC, so she wanted to lick it off. Silly puppy!

Country Apple (BBW type) (Soy Tarts)- top notes of pineapple, jasmine, and tiger lily; strong middle notes of juicy McIntosh apples and tart granny smith apples, with a dry down of vanilla beans

This smells exactly like the BBW version. It's a really nice summer scent. I love tarts :)

Coconut (Lip Balm)- a creamy coconut
The coconut lipbalm is really nice. It absorbs quickly into my lips. I may have found a replacement for my beloved Aromaleigh lip balms. It doesn't smell like suntan lotion, more like a creamy coconut.

Pink Sugar (Soy Tart)- a fruity blend of cotton candy, lemon drops, caramel and raspberry jam on a dry down of musk

This was a free tart that came with my order. I'm fond of Pink Sugar, mostly because it's sweet and yummy.

Would I order again?
I LOVE everything I ordered! In fact, I loved it so much I went to place another order a little while ago.

Right now is a great time to order because Ten Digit Creations is having a Memorial Day sale. Their site says:
Now through Monday the following items are BUY ONE GET ONE 50% OFF -- 4oz Body Butter, 8oz Body Lotion, 8oz Sugar Scrub, 2oz Body Mist, .5oz Solid Perfume Tin, and 8oz Bath Salts!

Also, Ten Digit Creations is extending a 10% discount to my readers (though it cannot be combined with the BOGO sale).
The Coupon Code is: COURTNEY10

I just ordered:
Monkey Farts Body Mist Spray
Lemon Sugar Body Mist Spray
Buttercream Cupcake Body Mist Spray
Hummingbird Body Mist Spray
4 Buttercream cupcake muffin melts

Monkey Farts - fresh bananas, coconuts, pineapple, kiwi, strawberry...things a monkey eats....and farts :)

Lemon Sugar (Fresh type) - citrus top notes of real lemon, and warm base notes of vanilla and sugar

Buttercream Cupcake - begins with top notes of churned whipped butter, blonde sugar cane; followed by middle notes of Madagascar vanilla and maple; well-rounded with a dry base note of vanilla extract

Hummingbird - begins with top notes of tart kiwi, middle notes of lilac and tiger lily, with fresh based notes of pineapples and pears

There were a couple other scents I was curious about too, Rain Water and Honeysuckle.

Have you tried Ten Digit Creations? Did you like them? Are you planning on ordering from their Memorial Day sale? Let me know :)

Happy Holiday weekend!

The Weekend Beauty Read from the Beauty Blog Network

2010-05-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

StyleBell uncovers the do's and don'ts for Japanese, Brazilian, and Keratin straightening treatments.

Phyrra shows you the newest collection from Aromaleigh, Victoria's Revenge. If you like steampunk, you'll love this collection!

The Makeup Divas reviews more of the MAC To The Beach Collection and shares two inspirational makeup looks.

Enter for a chance to win Clearly Beautiful Collagen Eye Mask, LashFood Drama Mascara & Le Baby Hair Gel at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Cyber Steam

2010-05-28T18:02:00.000-04:00

I tried a brown and blue combination today. It's kind of a neat look. I'm not sure what to do with it to improve it.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Detrivore Primer - lower lash line
Aromaleigh Infernal Chaos - inner v, inner lid, later blended into inner crease, inner lower lash line
Aromaleigh Freakshow - outer lid, lower crease
Aromaleigh Frigid Gloom - upper crease and outer lower lash line
Aromaleigh Sylph - on browbone to highlight and inner corner of eyes
Physicians Formula Blue Gel Liner - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Laura Geller Lash Spackle
Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara in Brightening Blue
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil

Cheeks:
L'Oreal Hip Cream Blush in Coquette
Hard Candy Blush in Living Doll

Lips:
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Anesthesia

Face:
Physicians Formula SPF 50 Healthy Wear in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Memorial Day Savings with Meow!

2010-05-28T01:15:00.000-04:00

Meow Cosmetics is having a Memorial Day sale!

Code: CatsLuvSavings is worth 20% off any order, now through Monday.

Candy Decadence in the Obscura

2010-05-27T18:40:00.000-04:00

Today I did my makeup in a different way than normal. I put a teal color - Ozone - around the middle of my eyes (my upper lid and my crease). Then I put Scratched Scruples all over my lid. Then in the crease I put Private Lunacy. The effect it had was that my lid started out blue, then became blue-green, then green, then yellow-green. I really liked the effect. If I try it again, I need to get the green to be a bit more visible and the line between the green and the yellow-green to be more fluid and less sharp.

I really love how this one turned out.

I love how teal the reflect is in this lippy. It just looks so awesome on my lips :)

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Ozone - upper lid and crease
Aromaleigh Scratched Scruples - lid and on top of Ozone in upper lid
Aromaleigh Private Lunacy - crease
Aromaleigh Sylph - on browbone to highlight, inner corners of eye
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - upper lash line, extended out
Aromaleigh Obscura - upper lash line, extended out, and lower lash line
Urban Decacy 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Too Faced Lust to Love Blush Duo

Face:
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Candy Decadence
Fyrinnae Ryunome - just a dab at the center of the bottom lip, blended out

Whimsy Beading & One of Beauty's Daughters

2010-05-27T18:24:00.000-04:00

I received some fantastic mail today!

First up, a set of custom earrings that I ordered from Whimsy Beading. They're gorgeous! They're a deep blue-based teal with chartreuse accents, in the threader style. I've fallen in love with the threader style.

You can see them with my original pair. They're slightly longer, and very vivid.

And here they are on me :)

If you're looking for custom, pretty jewelry, definitely check out Whimsy Beading. My earrings were only $20, and exactly what I imagined, so I'm really happy with them! Kelly is really great to work with on custom orders.

Next up, the lovely Duvessa of One of Beauty's Daughters had a blog contest and I won. These are the cool prizes she sent me!

I really can't wait to try the grey-blue nail polish! And the konad kit is so cute :)

Someone's Due for a Haircut

2010-05-27T17:58:00.000-04:00

And it's not just me! Phaedra is really due for a visit to the groomer's soon.

She looked so cute with the way she was sitting in the recliner this morning I had to snap a pic.

Standard poodles are just such fantastic dogs. She's so good-natured and sweet and even tempered. She really is the epitome of the standard poodle temperment. She's so people-oriented, she wants to please us. She learns quickly. She's always up to take a walk with me if I want to walk, or cuddle with me if I want to snuggle her. When I'm sick, she's always laying next to me, comforting me. She's definitely smart, and can get creative with finding things to get into if I'm playing WoW for too long. She has spoiled me for life! I had no idea how great of a companion a dog could be until she came into my life and I'm grateful to have her.

The Thursday Poll

2010-05-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

1. Blush Of The Day?
Too Faced Blush Duo in Lust to Love

2. Have you ever had an MRI done?
Yes, I was having black outs, so I had an MRI done to rule out neurological problems. Turns out I have a lower than average seizure threshold. Thankfully since I tweaked my lifestyle, I haven't had a black out.

3. Best advance in the "Science" of cosmetics since you started wearing cosmetics?
Probably moisturizer with SPF that doesn't stink.

4. If you could live forever (Without having to sell your soul or suck the blood out of unsuspecting victims) would you?
Yes, but only if a few of my loved ones could as well.

5. What one beauty product do you wish they would perfect though advances in science/chemistry/whatever?
Perfect skin cream. It turns your skin perfect with no zits, no dark spots, no wrinkles.

TKB Pops vs. Shiro Cosmetics

2010-05-26T20:07:00.000-04:00

As there were some questions brought up regarding Shiro Cosmetics and TKB Pops, I decided to order the rest of the Pops that I was missing and swatch the colors side by side for you. As an added bonus, I picked up a few other colors to play with to meet the minimum order requirement from TKB.

My order from TKB.

The TKB Pops next to Shiro Cosmetics Colors.

And now, swatches!

Here are my thoughts.
The colors are NOT repackaged.

Team Rocket is more of a red-based purple than Grape Pop.
Lance the Dragon Trainer, Zubat and MewTwo look nothing like Grape Pop.
Bulbasaur is a deeper green than Apple Green Pop.
Acid is more of a yellow-green-gold while Apple green pop is a lighter grass green.
Tangerine Pop is deeper and slightly oranger than Charmander. Charmander is more yellow-gold than Tangerine Pop. This is probably the closest color to a TKB Pop.
Pikachu is a more intense yellow with red and what might be some gold sparkles, where as Lemon Drop Pop is a lighter yellow.
Mew is a pale strawberry color, paler and softer than both Strawberry Pop and Raspberry pop.
Squirtle is more of an aqua-lagoon blue, whereas Blueberry Pop is a vivid primary color blue.
S.S. Anne is a chocolate mocha based beige brown shade, whereas Glimmer Beige is a golden yellow beige. This color is in the same color family as Glimmer Beige, but not the same.

What do you think of Shiro Cosmetics? I like them.

Golds for Mika*Chan

2010-05-26T19:59:00.000-04:00

My lovely friend Mika*chan asked for a gold comparison of golds with Sugarpill Goldilux. So I chose several different colors from the gold family.

Golds in Order
Row 1 MAC Flip - Sugarpill Goldilux
Row 2 Urban Decay Half Baked - Meow Treasure
Row 3 Aromaleigh Heatwave - Meow Temple
Row 4 Meow Ornament - Spell Antiquity
Row 5 Meow Atlantis - Aromaleigh Adobe
Row 6 Glamour Doll Eyes Perfect Cure - Glamour Doll Eyes Rusty
Row 7 Fyrinnae Half-Elf Hottie - Fyrinnae Gilded Wings
Row 8 Meow Claws & Effect - Aromaleigh Spark
Row 9 Aromaleigh Nico - Aromaleigh Ambrette

Golds in Order
Row 1 MAC Flip - Sugarpill Goldilux
Row 2 Urban Decay Half Baked - Meow Treasure
Row 3 Aromaleigh Heatwave - Meow Temple
Row 4 Meow Ornament - Spell Antiquity
Row 5 Meow Atlantis - Aromaleigh Adobe
Row 6 Glamour Doll Eyes Perfect Cure - Glamour Doll Eyes Rusty
Row 7 Fyrinnae Half-Elf Hottie - Fyrinnae Gilded Wings
Row 8 Meow Claws & Effect - Aromaleigh Spark
Row 9 Aromaleigh Nico - Aromaleigh Ambrette

What do you think? Do you see any golds you must have?

Hawaiian Fire Dancer Look

2010-05-26T16:38:00.000-04:00

I did a cute look with Beauty from the Earth today. I sort of had a Hawaiian Fire Dancer in mind when I did this.

Shade Descriptions:
Fire Dancer - Smooth Mid toned Red with Amazing Multicolored Micro Glitter.
Aloha - Light Pink with golden-Teal sparkle
Dominatrix - a shimmmery plum coffee

Acronyms:
TFSI - Too Faced Shadow Insurance
BftE - Beauty from the Earth
SMH - Stars Makeup Haven

Eyes:
TFSI
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
BftE Fire Dancer - lid
SMH Dominatrix - lower crease
BftE Aloha - upper crease
BftE Aquila - browbone
MAC Rondelle - highlight under eyebrows
Physicians Formula Black with Blue gel - upper lash line
Too Faced Lava Gloss in Chocolate Lava - outer lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Lorac Auburn Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Too Faced Lust to Love blush duo

Lips:
Fryinnae Puppy Love

Face:
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Byte on Black

2010-05-26T16:32:00.002-04:00

Here's Byte and Spectrum on top of Color Club's Where's the Soiree? (black). Sorry they're chipped. I did them on Sunday and by the time I got to take pix of them (this morning) they were a bit chipped and had some wear.

Here's what Byte & Spectrum look like on their own.

And here are my toes. This is 2 coats of China Glaze Rose Among Thorns with 2 coats of Zoya Bijou on top.

Here's my original post on Byte & Spectrum.

Wearing the Lilac with Apocalypse Pansy

2010-05-25T16:51:00.002-04:00

Today I wanted to wear the Lilac for Alzheimers. I'd been planning on wearing Morgana's Winifred for weeks, but I wasn't sure what I'd wear with it. Once I saw Apocalypse Pansy I knew that's what would be perfect for this look. I also threw in Gaslight Tears for good measure.

Eyes:
TFSI
Morgana Winifred - lid
Aromaleigh Apocalypse Pansy - outer crease, blended inward
Aromaleigh Gaslight Tears - lower lash line, inner crease blended upwards and outwards
Aromaleigh Air & Light - to highlight on browbone and inner corners of eye
Physicians Formula Black with blue glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
Lorac Auburn brow Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - outer edge of lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Too Faced Blush in Lust to Love Duo

Face:
Physicians formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx lipliner in Pinky
MAC Lipstick in Sweet Thing

Victoria's Revenge is Available Now!

2010-05-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

Aromaleigh's new collection, Victoria's Revenge is now available for purchase!

You can see swatches here.

Wear the Lilac for Alzheimer's

2010-05-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

On May 25th fans of Terry Pratchett's novel, Night Watch, wear the lilac in honor of the events in the book. Fans also now do this to support Alzheimer's research.

Whimsy Beading has created pins from life-sife silk blooms for the cause.

Limited edition jewelry also for the cause is being sold in their store here.

The proceeds from the sales of these items will be donated to Alzheimer's research.

I'm wearing my lilac today. If you're wearing it, let me know.

Laura Geller Giveaway

2010-05-24T21:38:00.003-04:00

Recently I was contacted by a PR rep for Laura Geller. They've given me the opportunity to host a giveaway with Laura Geller's Soft Touch Air Whipped Bronzer.

The PR rep also sent some of Laura Geller's advice for summer. While I don't tan or use bronzer myself, I like that Laura is promoting a healthy glow for the summer with her bronzer for people who do love that sun-kissed look. I like the suggestion of a lip palette, as well as peach and coral for the summer. Of course I also think bright aqua and gold are perfect for summer, too.

Below are Laura's suggestions for summer, as well as details on the giveaway.
What are three cosmetics a woman needs in her purse at all times?
Lipstick, a freshening anti-shine powder and concealer. When looking to pack for the day, you might want to consider a lip palette for broader options. We might start off wanting to wear a nude or natural lip color, but entering into another environment, we might like to change it up to a brighter pink or red to make a different statement.

How can you get a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow without spending hours in the damaging sun?
Body and face bronzers that are available are my preference over self tanners. Laura Geller Studio has a few great options including Baked Body Frosting Moisturizing Powder (QVC Item #A79751). This could be applied dry for a slight bronzed hue, or applied wet, it transforms into a much more golden color to the body and creates a satiny look. I wanted it to be portable so it can provide instant results wherever you are, so it’s not a liquid, it’s easy to apply, it won’t appear orange and it doesn’t streak. Also, brand new and currently exclusive to QVC is my Soft Touch Air Whipped Bronzer (QVC Item #A202071). This is the quickest way to transform milky white skin naturally, as it warms with the heat of your body. It also has no shimmer or sparkle, so it provides more of a matte finish to the bronzed look.

What are some of the make-up trends we’ll see this summer for both daytime and evening looks?
You’re going to see a lot of peach and coral colors and bronzing is back stronger than ever. There was a time when milky white skin was in, but this year, bronze is really strong so you’re going to see colors that exemplify the summer look – peach, coral, bronze. Lashes are being played up as well, but in a very soft and natural way. The look is not the heavily made-up look, it’s the easy, natural summer beauty look.

Tune-in to QVC for Laura Geller Makeup Studio, scheduled to air at the following times: June 1 at 1PM and 8PM, June 2 at 11AM and 7PM, June 3 at 1PM EST.

To enter the giveaway:
1. You must be a subscriber to my blog and tell me how you follow.
2. You must be a resident of the USA or Canada.
3. You must tell me what color(s) you're most interested in wearing this summer.
4. You must leave me an email address for notification.
5. This contest will run until Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 1pm.

Bleeding Poppy - Victoria's Revenge

2010-05-24T18:35:00.002-04:00

Today I did a look with colors from Aromaleigh's new collection, Victoria's Revenge.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Skeleton Key - lid
Aromaleigh Bleeding Poppy - widely in crease
Aromaleigh Nightshade - tightly in lower crease
Aromaleigh Infernal Chaos - to blend out the upper edge of Bleeding Poppy
Aromaleigh Ruthless Indulgence - lower lash line
Aromaleigh Air & Light - on browbone to highlight & inner corners of eye
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara
Lorac Auburn brow pencil

Cheeks:
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia

Face:
Physicians Formula SPF 50 Healthy Wear in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Acidic Cherry
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Puppy Love

Recent Mail & Swatches

2010-05-24T18:08:00.000-04:00

I recently got some mail from a couple different places. Let me just say that All Cosmetics Wholesale and Beauty Crunch ship SUPER FAST! I'm really happy with their customer service, too.

Beauty Crunch
Pop Teal Eye Cake
Too Faced Lust to Love Blush Duo - Gilded Mauve & Antique Rose

All Cosmetics Wholesale
Stars Makeup Haven Dominatrix
L'Oreal Hip Cream Blush in Coquette - a hot pink

Stars Makeup Haven
V.I.Pink - this is an awesome pink that has a lovely glow to it.
Metro
Something Blue (something they threw in for free

I swatched everything for you :) All colors are swatched on Aromaleigh Light Primer. I even swatched a dot of Gilded Mauve and Antique Rose. I also rubbed them down a bit, too. With the cream blush, Coquette, I did a heavy dot and then a blended down streak.

Row 1: light blue, blue-tinged grey, bright lagoon blue, mint, light grey
Row 2: dominatrix, something blue, metro, vipink
Row 3: Gilded Mauve, Antique Rose, Coquette

With the Pop Teal Eyes cake, the bright lagoon blue is easily my favorite color. It's a very pretty, pigmented blue with some silver iridescence. The light blue is ok. The mint and the light grey are really pretty. The deep blue-tinged grey is a matte shade, and very nice. I like that the colors coordinate nicely.

Clarisonic Mia Pink Donation to a War Veteran

2010-05-24T15:01:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share with you what Hoyden (of the meandering mind of a historical hound) did with the Clarisonic Mia Pink that she won. She gave the Clarisonic Mia to a young war veteran who is recovering in the VA Hospital.

Visit her blog here to read the story.

I really thought it was extremely sweet of her to share the story of the young war veteran.

With all the negative aspects I've seen of human nature lately, it's nice to see some positive aspects, like kindness and generosity.

Thank you Hoyden.

Two Friday Looks

2010-05-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

I've got two looks for you, both from Friday. The first is with Shiro Cosmetics. The second is with Stars Makeup Haven.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Shiro Arcticuno - inner v
Shiro Squirtle - lid and lower lash line
Shiro Brock the Rock - outer v and lower crease
Shiro S.s. Anne - crease and lower lash line
MAC Rondelle - browbone
MAC Vapour - browbone
MAC Dazzlelight - browbone
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil

Cheeks:
Boots no. 7 Cream Blush in Peach Silk
Hard Candy blush in Honeymoon

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner In Natural
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Meloncholy
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Romantique

My friday night look was rushed and very simple.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Peacock Gel Eyeliner - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Flipside - lower lash line
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - lid
Stars Makeup Haven Ciao Bella! - crease
MAC Crystal Avalanche - just a bit on browbone

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh lipbalm in Yuzu

And I got a really cute set of pix of Phaedra.

I really loved how my lips turned out on Friday during the day. I've tried wearing Romantique alone but it didn't look quite right. However, wearing it on top of Meloncholy was really nice.

Also, the Shiro colors wore really well. I had them on from about 9:20 am until 6pm when I showered and changed my makeup.

This weekend I had company over, which coincided with me being very sick on Friday night until about 5 or 6 am Saturday morning. Now I'm recovering but wow, not the way I had intended to spend the weekend.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Victoria's Revenge by Aromaleigh - Swatches

2010-05-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

I received my pr samples from Aromaleigh of the new collection, Victoria's Revenge. It's a really gorgeous, dark and sparkly collection that really showcases complex colors.

In particular I love:
Skeleton Key, Scratched Scruples, Bleeding Poppy, Ruthless Indulgence, Airy Ethos, Gaslight Tears, Obscura, Mania's Locus

I really can't wait to wear them!

Beauty Blog Link Love

2010-05-22T19:08:00.002-04:00

Mz. More from The Glamorous Gleam is taking you To The Beach with a sneak peek at the latest collection from MAC.
Who knew that baby shampoo could be dangerous? Betty Girl Makeup tells you how it could be hazardous to your skin!
Sarah from I Heart Cosmetics is ready and prepared for some sun with her too favourite facial sunscreens.
Curious as to which products Louise from MakeupLoveer is using right now? Find out here!
Swatch-o-rama! The Revlon Colorburst Lipsticks are finally landing on UK shores... Lipglossiping has them sussed and swatched!
Beautywoome.com unearths the the best dry shampoos on the market.
Jen at beautyjunkielondon gets a sneak preview of the new Autumn/Winter range from Boots No7.
Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out drugstore concealers.
The Pink Sith is smitten with BECCA Lip & Cheek Creme in Tuberose.
Phyrra tells you all about her Holy Grail eyeshadow product, Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.

Sophie shows off and reviews the Sleek Kajals, with swatches.
Madame B Fatale interviews the Boss of Gloss winner, Cathy Mason.
Louise has a chat with celebrity hairdresser Andrew Collinge and reveals photos of her 80's hair shame.
The Pink Sith is smitten with BECCA Lip & Cheek Creme in Tuberose!
***Flying of on your holidays? Enter Lipgloss86's giveaway to win some Lee Stafford haircare.
Ever wanted to check out Annabelle Cosmetics? theNotice is hosting a giveaway of their new Mineral line, and you get an extra entry just for being... not Canadian?!

The Weekend Beauty Read from the Beauty Blog Network

2010-05-22T19:07:00.002-04:00

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for May is with Beauty from the Earth! Learn all about this hot mineral makeup company!

The Makeup Divas reviews MAC's newest summer collection, TO THE BEACH, part one of three.

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at some popular DIY Beauty Recipe ebooks.

Victoria's Revenge!

2010-05-21T14:21:00.001-04:00

Kristen of Aromaleigh has given everyone a sneak peek of her upcoming collection, Victoria's Revenge.

The names being tossed around for colors right now are:
bleeding poppy, phantasm, splintered, ruthless indulgence, oleander vapor, brazen & bitter, poison utopia, obscura, airy ethos, scratched scruples, mania's locus, perpetual motion, mourning's whimsy, skeleton key, nightshade, gaslight tears, mayhem's trilogy, infernal chaos, magick & metal, tarnished strychnine, frigid gloom, cyanide sorrow

I'm excited by it.
I love names like Bleeding Poppy, Nightshade, Gaslight Tears, Infernal Chaos, Magick & Metal, and Frigid Gloom.

Victorian Steampunk Gothic Lolita... awesome for inspiration. You can see more of what inspired the collection here.

I can't wait to check out the collection. I'm excited!

Friday Questions

2010-05-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

1.What shoe size are you?
I normally wear a 7.5. I have 1 pair of shoes I had to buy in 6 because that was the size that fit the best, and I have some 7s and 8s. It entirely depends upon how the shoe fits. :P

2.Where do you work?
I'm a Project Manager for a video game development company. I've been with the company for almost 6 yeasr.

3.Favorite piece of clothing you own :
Probably one of my cute shirts from New York & Co. or Express. Or my Warlock shirt.

4.Your favorite blog?
Too many to chose from! I read so many and adore them all!

5.Do you have any pets?
Of course! Phaedra, the standard poodle.

6.How many siblings do you have?
I have one younger brother. I have a step-sister I've never met. I have 3 brother-in-laws and 1 sister-in-law and they're amazing. I love them.

7.If you could live anywhere where would it be?
New Zealand or Australia, coz uhm, I don't like the snow :P

8.What were you doing before this?
I was getting ready to raid in WoW. 25 mans.

9.Your favorite food?
Sushi.

10.Do you have a middle name?
Yes!

11.Your favorite websites?
All the blogs I follow through Bloglovin'

12.Who do you tag?
Anyone who wants to do this!

V3.0 Creative Companies

2010-05-20T23:46:00.014-04:00

This is the most recent incarnation of my Creative Companies list. You can see the older ones here and here. You may also find my Guide to Shopping for Quality Mineral Makeup helpful. All of the companies listed here make their own shadows, or if they sell unblended shadows, they annotate which are unblended.

Caveat Emptor
At the bottom there is also a list of companies that I personally avoid for various reasons. You should choose to shop from whomever you please, and avoid whomever you please, but I do list the companies that I avoid here so that you can at least have an idea of the sort of experience I've had or researched with some companies. Some of those companies may be fine for you to shop from and you may have no trouble with them. Others you may have the same experience I had.

As with any indie company, if you have a problem or an issue, try emailing their customer service first to see what sort of response you get. Most are very helpful!

You can see my eye & lip swatch gallery here, which includes swatches for most of these companies.

Aromaleigh
I've met the creator Kristen, who is wonderful, and you can usually see each collection that she's working on in her blog posts. Aromaleigh has over 400 eye shadows (I'm guessing they'll have 500 soon) and some really gorgeous colors. I absolutely love their LE collections. From having purchased countless products from Aromaleigh, I can assure you that these are well made products with a proper base. These shadows are not repackaged. Their customer service has always been excellent for me as well. You can read my review here. You can read my Indie Spotlight here.

Fyrinnae
While not technically mineral makeup, they are a vegan online makeup company. They have over 200 eye shadows and they make some amazing, complex colors, like their Arcane Magic line. These guys are awesome! Check out their lip lustres! Their lip lustres have replaced MAC's lipglasses as my favorite lip product. These shadows are not repackaged. Their eye shadows have a great base. Their shades are quite complex, so some are best worn by patting on the color, or by using Pixie Epoxy. You can read my review here. You can read my Indie Spotlight here.

Meow Cosmetics
Tammy from Meow definitely makes her own colors. Check out the Halloween release for some gorgeous shades. They have a ton of amazing blushes and foundation, too. She also does holiday releases such as the Friday the 13th shades that come out every Friday the 13th. My favorite shades are from the Wild Child collection and the Friday the 13th collection. Other colors I really like are from the Fall 2008 release, as well as many of the Holiday releases, like the Christmas colors and Halloween collections. The Egyptian collection is pretty, too. These shadows are not repackaged.You can read my review here.

Morgana Minerals
They've got some nice eye shadows that I know Melissa makes herself, and AMAZING vegan lipsticks. My favorites in the lipsticks are probably Nightshade,Gargoyle, Azalea, and Ice Queen. In the eye shadows Druscilla's Sister, Transylvanian Twist, Broomstick, Coraline and Glitter Ghoul steal my heart. These shadows are not repackaged. Her lipsticks are some of the best that I have ever used, hands down. You can read my review here. You can read my Indie Spotlight here.

Spell Cosmetics
Elle from Spell makes her own colors. She uses a 3-tier balancing system which accommodates for opacity, luminosity, & colour intensity. For instance, the Loaded Collection is opaque with high colour intensity. The Laura Christoper Collection is sheer, luminous with high colour density. Her Jewel Thief collection is a very pretty metallic collection for fall. She's also got some gorgeous spring collections released with corals and aquas. These shadows are not repackaged. These colors are very buttery smooth and blend easily. You can read my review here.

Dreamworld Minerals
Ellie from DreamWorld makes her own eye shadows. She's got some really interesting collections, too. She likes vibrant color :) She also will take customer requests, which is really nice. She has some very gorgeous, complex colors that look good over colored bases. These shadows are not repackaged. She also has a lot of lovely lippies, too. She has a wide range of foundations as well. While her site is temporarily closed, it will be re-opening soon.

Beauty from the Earth
Beauty from the Earth contacted me to let me know that while they do sell some repackaged products, they are clearly marked as Primaries, and they are carried by customer request. The rest of their eye shadows are their own custom blends. They've got some really fun duochrome colors. You can read my Indie Spotlight here. See some swatches here.

Silk Naturals
I've spoken with Karen Stark of Silk Naturals and she told me that she does make all of her own products, and anything not made by Silk Naturals is clearly marked as such. She also carries a skincare line, and makes some great vegan versions of popular shades. If you're looking for MAC Parrot, you can find her version of it here. Having tried their products, I have been happy with everything that I've tried. She puts a lot of work into her lipsticks and eye shadows. These shadows are not repackaged. I love the luster of these eye shadows, and they apply very smoothly. The lipsticks are really nice, too. You can read my review here.

Sugarpill
Sugarpill is a new company started by Amy, aka Shrinkle, and her shadows are fantastic! They're highly pigmented, bright and easy to work with. They come in loose shadow form and pressed shadow form. These shadows are not repackaged. They actually rekindled my love of pressed shadows. You can read my review about her products here.

Hi Fi Cosmetics
Veronica of Hi-Fi Cosmetics is a makeup artist whose goal is to give something unique and beautiful back to the makeup community. These shadows are not repackaged. My favorite color she created is Live Large and it looks amazing when used with Pixie Epoxy. You can read my review here.

Sobe Botanicals
This is a fantastic, relatively new company that makes custom lipsticks, cheek and lip stains, eye shadows, perfumes etc. I really like the lipsticks and cheek and lip stains.

Evil Shades
This is a relatively new company and they do custom blend their own shades. They also carry nail polish. Check out their Banshee gloss! Their holographic colors are gorgeous. These shadows are not repackaged.You can read my review here.

Beautiful Girl Minerals
Gina from Beautiful Girl Minerals makes her own eye shadows and she even sometimes makes shades at customer's requests or suggestions. Try her lip glosses as well! These shadows are not repackaged. You can read my review here.

Glamour Doll Eyes
Glamour Doll Eyes is a relatively new mineral makeup company but Vee does a great job at making beautiful colors. Glam Girl is an outrageously bright purple. Galaxy, which is a matte black with purple glitter, and Disco White, which is a white matte with aqua glitter, are two of my favorite colors from her. Check out her glitters too! She lists unblended shades honestly, too. You can read my review here. You can read my Indie Spotlight here.

High Voltage Cosmetics
This is an up and coming company that makes all of their own shadows. These shadows are not repackaged. Peek at their stuff! You can read my review here. They have some gorgeous duochromes and some nice lippies and perfumes too.

Shiro Cosmetics
I'm a gamer geek, and all of Shiro's current collection are named for Pokemon monsters. The collection is officially called the Super Effective Collection. Shiro Cosmetics is a very new company. In fact, they only went llive on April 30, 2010! They do NOT repackage and you can see my swatches here and here.

GeoGrafx Cosmetics
I spoke with the owner Kimberly via email and she confirmed that they formulate every one of their products from scratch. They also do custom blending for wholesale clients. Having tried their eye shadows and lipsticks, I definitely like them. These shadows are not repackaged. Their fresh lemon cleansing mousse is awesome. Their eye shadows are lovely and if you're looking for that perfect taupe shade, check out Mushroom. You can read my review here.

Medusa's Makeup
When I emailed Medusa's Makeup to ask if they made their own products, they replied back with, "The majority of our products, eye dust, glitter, body shimmer/blush, lip gloss are all made in our Chicago facility." So while their pressed shadows are private label, I think that their loose eye dusts, etc are made by them and have a base added to them. Regardless, they have EXCELLENT customer service. I have placed an order, had an item go missing, immediately called Medusa, got a person on the phone, and they sent out a replacement right away, along with a bonus item. Also, I love their makeup brushes. You can read my review of their makeup here. You can see my review on their taklon brushes here.

Suds n' Sass
Beth from Suds n' Sass makes her own eye shadows as well as other products. I'm convinced that she makes pretty stuff! She does LE collections with eye shadows and lippies from time to time. Also, her perfumes are nice, especially Cuddley Blue Poodle, Seductive Charm and Perfect Kiss!

Sassy Minerals
Sassy Minerals is a relatively new company that I had the opportunity to try out right around when the company launched their line. They did everything right with their launch, from having a professional site to wonderful products! The eye shadows in particular are fantastic. These shadows are not repackaged. Their blushes are also very nice. You can read my review here.

Buff'd Cosmetics
I emailed the owner after she asked me to review her makeup and she confirmed that she makes her own shadows. I reviewed their products and found them to be nice and perfect for everyday wear. While I couldn't find a foundation match, the eye shadows were nice. These shadows are not repackaged. You can read my review here.

Fusion of Color
Kathy of Fusion of Color makes her own eye shadows. I have tried them and they're nice soft colors. These shadows are not repackaged. She also makes her own lip products. I particularly like Cashmere Creme. You can read my review here.

Mixology Makeup
I have it confirmed that they do make their own eye shadows, blushes and foundations. These shadows are not repackaged. They tend to make softer colors, but my favorites from Mixology are Starlight, Suga, Soot, Armor, and Bones.

Abbey St. Clare
I contacted Margaret Hardy and she was very sweet. She emailed me back letting me know that she does indeed make her own makeup and skin products. She started formulating makeup based on her customers' requests for makeup. She avoids bismuth oxychloride and adds Vitamin C and Allantion.

The companies that I personally avoid:
Stardust Cosmetics (You can read my experience with them. The owner threatened to have my blog shut down.)
Orglamix (and Urban Apothecary. You can read my experience with them. The owner threatened me over a bad review. Not every product will work for every person.)
FaceFront (You can read my experience with them. I experienced the epitome of bad customer service & lies.)
Everyday Minerals (You can read Hoyden's horror story, or read the Beauty Frugalista's story)
Lime Crime (here is my friend Ana's experience with Lime Crime and here is my friend Saila's experience with them, and here is my friend Lillian's, Here is an update from Ana about Lime Crime.)
Archetype Cosmetics (you can read my experience & here is Le Gothique Grey's experience with them. They have worse than bad customer service... no customer service.)
Glitter Sniffer (Here is my experience with them.)
Calypso Minerals (here is Grey's experience with them)
Taylor Made Minerals (here is Shattered's experience with them)
Sweet Libertine Mineral Cosmetics (here is Grey's experience with them)
Coastal Scents (because of them threatening a youtube blogger and calling them names )
Pure Luxe Cosmetics (here is Grey's experience with them, and the comment that they left at the Mineral Makeup Mutiny)

If you are a company that blends your own eye shadows or other products and you would like to be added to this list, please contact me via email and let me know about your company and your products.

Futuristic Switch

2010-05-20T18:00:00.002-04:00

fter playing around with my Fyrinnae last night with Lea, I saw Sleepy Hollow and knew immediately that I needed to try it out with Switch and Futuristic Glam Rock. Yum.

You can see the violet iridescence of Vapour on the browbone in this photo.

Shade Descriptions:
Custom Color Switch - I'm just going to name this color Switch. It's a yellow-green-chartreuse with aqua reflect.
Sleepy Hollow - Lush ocean blue with a flash of sage green as the light hits, Sleepy Hollow has a touch of gold sparkle as well.
Futuristic Glam Rock - a light sky blue, sparkling with a hint of coordinating hues. Bring it closer to light or change the angle in some cases, and it turns to icy pink.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Fyrinnae Switch - lid
Fyrinnae Sleepy Hollow - outer v, outer crease blended inward, lower lash line.
Fyrinnae Futuristic Glam Rock - upper crease and inner lower crease, and lower lash line
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Flipside - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
Laura Geller Lash Spackle Primer
Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Meow Snarky
Meow Chameleon - to highlight

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Urban Decay Lipstick in 5150

Shiro Cosmetics - Initial Thoughts

2010-05-20T17:32:00.004-04:00

Recently I purchased from Shiro Cosmetics because my friend suggested I check them out due to the fact that I'm a geek, and the colors are all named for Pokemon monsters. The collection is officially called the Super Effective Collection. Shiro Cosmetics is a very new company. In fact, they only went llive on April 30, 2010!

Before I ordered, I checked the FAQ and saw this:
"I don't sell straight mica and I don't use premade bases; all formulations are uniquely mine. In fact, the base I use for each individual shadow is unique since different pigments have varying properties. A favorite ingredient of mine, included in all my formulations, is carnauba wax. It helps the pigment adhere smoothly and blend beautifully while retaining its rich color - and it's vegan, too!"

This actually made me quite excited to try the shadows, because I love it when a company tells you that they don't repackage.

All of the eye shadows currently offered are vegan, which is good in my book!

While I didn't play Pokemon myself (I played Monster Rancher, which I considered to be tremendous fun!) I did know about several of the Pokemon monsters, including Pikachu, Mew and MewTwo.

You can see the cute red bad they arrived in, nicely packaged.

Shadow Textures:
My initial thoughts after swatching the shadows and playing around with them on my skin are that I really like the texture of these shadows. Most of these seem to have a satin finish, and a few are peppered with micro-glitter. I didn't notice any fall out when swatching them. The colors are pretty.

Pricing is as follows:
$5.00 - full size (5 gram jar, 1.8 to 2 grams of product), $3.00 mini size (3 gram jar, 1 gram product) , $1.00 - sample (1/4 tsp)

Official Shade Descriptions:
Squirtle - Bright, clear, shimmery pool blue.
Pikachu - vivid, opaque, shimmering yellow with eye-safe red glitter sparks.
Mew - cheerful, bright strawberry-bubblegum pink with a slight peachy tone.
Mewtwo - Sheer, shimmery, medium purple with blue tones.
Bulbasaur - Bright, opaque, shimmering grassy green with a hint of a gold undertone.
Acid - Vivid, opaque, shimmery yellow-green with golden undertones and just a touch of darker green eye-safe glitter.
Charmander - Soft yet bright shimmery orange, like a candle's flame, with yellow undertones and just a hint of gold.
Zubat - Dusky, shimmery, semi-sheer blue with a violet tinge.
Vulpix - Gorgeous shimmering coppery red-brown, soft but intense - kind of like hugging a Vulpix, I imagine.
Articuno - Pale, powdery silver-blue with plenty of shimmer and sparkle.
Hyper Beam - sparkly opaque black, absolutely loaded with silver eye-safe glitter.
S.S. Anne - Lovely, shimmery, subtle yet rich golden brown with a peachy-copper tinge - appropriate for all ages and occasions, universally flattering, and pretty much just gorgeous.
Team Rocket - Opaque, shimmery red-toned purple, kind of a cross between the Team Rocket uniform and Jessie's hair.
Brock the Rock - Dark, rich, shimmery chocolate brown with red tones.

My swatches:

This picture is really close to how the color looks to me. It's a very blued silver.

Here are the colors swatched next to some colors that I feel look similar.

Swatch Order (with my commentary):
Squirtle - bright and beautiful aqua! This is one of my favorite colors, as always.
Lance - very pretty gold threaded purple
Zubat - really lovely dusky purple/blue
Team Rocket - red-based purple
MewTwo - silvery purple, sort of like the color of the skin of a black plum
Mew - pink-coral shade
Charmander - metallic light orange
Pikachu - vivid yellow with red micro glitter. I should add that any time I hear the name Pikachu I am reminded of Something Positive's character Aubrey.
Acid - really cute yellowed green. Not as intense as Aromaleigh Estranged or Sugarpill Absinthe, but definitely cousins.
Bulbasaur - crayon green
S. S. Anne - multidimensional pretty golden brown. Really liked this, reminded me of UD's YDK.
Vulpix - reddish brown
Brock the Rock - Reminded me of MAC Majestic, really pretty.
Hyper Beam - reminded me of UD Oil Slick
Articuno - silvery-blue with silver glitter

Colors I'm looking forward to playing with:
Squirtle, Zubat, Pikachu, Acid, S.S. Anne, Brock the Rock, Mew & MewTwo.

All colors were swatched on Aromaleigh Light Primer.

I'll be doing a more extensive review after I'm able to wear the shadows a bit.

Have you heard of Shiro Cosmetics?
Have you tried them?
What did you think?

Stars Makeup Haven - Mixed Feelings

2010-05-20T11:34:00.003-04:00

On April 11, I placed my first order with Stars Makeup Haven for 3 shadows:
Euphoria
Ciao Bella!
Creme d' Nude

The order didn't ship until April 16, which was longer than their stated shipping time on the website. They sent this message though:
Please accept our sincerest apologies for the extreme delay in shipping your package. We have recently had two employees in customer service and shipping return to college which has left us completely understaffed, coupled with the fact that the number of orders this week has almost doubled. We have included an extra in with your package to try and make up for it. Also, we have been developing several exciting new products for our line, including an AMAZING lip gloss. It has taken us over 9 months to perfect the formula, but it should be ready for market in the next 2 months. If you would be willing to give us another try, and order from us again, we would love to send you one of our new glosses as our gift to you (as soon as they become available). Just mention this situation as well as this order number in with your order notes. We genuinely value every single one of our customers and strive for 110% satisfaction. In the meantime, please enjoy your new palettes, we know you will be thrilled. Thank you so much for your patience in this terribly inconvenient situation.

I loved the shadows that I ordered. I thought the quality was good and the color payoff and texture were great.

I figured ok, I'll give them another chance.

On May 12, I placed an order with Stars Makeup Haven for 3 shadows:
V.I.Pink
Metro
Dominatrix

All shadows were in stock when I placed the order.

Today (May 20), I received an email from SMH stating that Dominatrix was out of stock (which it wasn't, when I placed my order the only color out of stock was Plum Crazy) and that I'd be refunded for Dominatrix and that they'd send me the rest of my order. They should have asked me if I wanted to cancel my order at this point, not just decide to send it out and refund the 1 shadow.

I emailed them back telling them to cancel my entire order and I haven't had a response.

Now, I've had other problems with emailing them, which I had planned to mention when I did my more formal review of them.

Namely, the biggest problem with SMH is their lack of communication to their customers.

My original account with them was bugged and would not let me delete an item from my cart. I emailed them 4 times over a 2 week period of time and never received a response. I finally made another account and it worked just fine.

I like their products. However, their distinct lack of customer service has put them into the 'No Buy' category for me. They seem like another Archetype at this point.

I guess whenever I next want pressed shadows, MAC or Urban Decay will be getting my money.

Update:
I received a response back from the company:
"We completely understand. We would be happy to ship dominatrix to you at no cost when it comes back in stock. :)"

So at least they're responding, unlike Archetype. And they're even making a nice offer. Just not sure how I feel about it, considering the lack of response to previous emails.

Lea's Look

2010-05-20T01:50:00.003-04:00

Lea went through my makeup and saw the gorgeous purples and wanted me to put together a look with Sequined Master & Shinigami, so this is what I came up with. She and I had fun playing with makeup tonight :) Sorry that the pictures suck, as it was after sunset here, I couldn't get really good light. I may redo this look during the day because it turned out so awesome.

Shade Descriptions:
Cupcake Sprinkles - satiny lavender with a subtle aqua shimmer
Sequined Master - Sparkly purple, sparkliest of them all. Starts off a cool purple with silvery and pink sparkles, and closer to light turns a more vibrant magenta-purple. Less metallic, but very sparkly.
Shinigami - deep, smoldering royal purple entwined with a scattering of blue and crimson sparkle
Faerie Glamour - medium violet with shimmer that changes from lavender to pale blue to aqua
Mischief Makers - a soft, pale satiny silver with a rainbow of sparkles.
Orca - deep but wearable shade b/w midnight purple & dark periwinkle, hint of satiny finish
Lights of Stockholm - Light purple sparkle. Applied wet, it's a glittery silver-lilac.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Fyrinnae Cupcake Sprinkles - inner v
Fyrinnae Sequined Master - lid
Fyrinnae Shinigami - lower crease and outer v
Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour - crease
Fyrinnae Orca - lower lash line
Fyrinnae Mischief Makers - on browbone to highlight
Fyrinnae Lights of Stockholm - on browbone and a bit in crease, on top of Orca along lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter gel liner - upper lash line
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Mascara

Lips:
Evil Shades Bane

Ok, I'll Byte

2010-05-20T01:26:00.003-04:00

I was at Walgreens today and I saw the new Sally Hansen Ultra HD polish and was entranced. I picked up:
09 Byte - a magenta pink that has blue and pink micro glitter.
14 Spectrum - a bright aqua with what looks like pink-violet sparkles around the edges of the bottle, but not visible on the nail.

These colors are pretty sheer. I did 3 coats here. However, they're gorgeous. I bet they'd look great layered over darker polish, too.

Here's a daytime pic:

In other nail related news, I bought a Helmer from ikea recently. My friend Lea put it together for me tonight! Love it! I can't wait to move all my nail polish into it. Phaedra approves, too.

Lumi Look

2010-05-19T16:21:00.001-04:00

Today's look was inspired by Ray & Dave. Ray's birthstone is Emerald, and Dave's birthstone is Sapphire. So I decided to do a blue-green look. For a fun highlight, I used Pixie Epoxy with Absinthe on the lid.

Shade Descriptions:
Midori - vibrant green with a slight pearl sheen
After Party - bright turquoise with a semi-pearly sheen
Absinthe - a mischevious vivid lime green with yellow undertones
Lumi - snow white with turquoise sheen and flashing bursts of blue and green
Looking Glass - Soft, nearly matte sky shade, leaning towards turquoise rather than pure blue. Slight satin finish.
Puppy Love - Vibrant cool pink enhanced with tiny reflective sparkles, offering an almost "holographic" appearance. The sparkles are varying hues of blue, making this a multi-dimensional shade, but at different angles will appear pink or even orange and gold.

Eyes:
UDPP Eden - eye area
TFSI - beneath eyes
Sugarpill Midori - inner lid and outer lid and lower crease
Sugarpill After Party - crease, lower lash line
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - middle lid
Sugarpill Absinthe - middle lid
Fyrinnae Looking Glass - to blend out the upper edge of After Party
Sugarpill Lumi - inner v, on browbone to highlight, along lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia
Hard Candy Living Doll

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Puppy Love

Step-by-Step:
1. Apply UDPP Eden to lid and browbone.
2. Apply TFSI to lower lash line and under eye area.
3. Apply Midori to inner lid and outer lid, leaving a space towards the middle of the lid, slightly inward a bit. I used a MAC 213 brush.
4. Apply Midori to lower crease. I used the MAC 213 brush.
5. Apply After Party to crease. I used the Fyrinnae crease brush.
6. Apply Looking Glass to blend out the upper edges of After Party. I used the Fyrinnae crease brush.
7. Blend. I used the MAC 224 brush.
8. Apply Lumi to inner v. I used a mini chisel detail brush.
9. Apply Lumi to browbone. I used an ecoTools highlighter brush.
10. Apply Pixie Epoxy to the space on the middle of the lid and wait a few seconds until tacky.
11. Apply Absinthe onto the Pixie Epoxy and blend the edges. I applied with an ecoTools shader brush. I used the MAC 213 to blend the edges where Absinthe & Midori meet.
12. Apply After Party to lower lash line. I used an angled eyeliner brush from Medusa.
13. Apply Lume to the lower lash line under After Party. I used a Medusa Smudge brush.
14. Apply Electric to lower water line.
15. Apply Black with blue glitter to upper lash line. I used the Medusa pointed eyeliner brush.
16. Brush and define brows with brow pencil.
17. Apply lash primer.
18. Apply mascara.

Lola & Michelle

2010-05-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

I painted my nails last night. My toes are now wearing Zoya Bijou. I keep forgetting that I need to put a vibrant base beneath it like China Glaze's Rose Among Thorns, so that it will pop better.

My tips are Zoya Lola, with an accent of Zoya Michelle.

They're bright and fun!

What's on your nails? :)

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy - A Holy Grail Product for Me

2010-05-18T19:04:00.000-04:00

I've loved Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy from the moment I got my paws on it. It is one of my few Holy Grail items. I know I've mentioned it a few times before when talking about Fyrinnae. Since I've had a lot of email questions about it, I thought this review - complete with questions answered - was long overdue.

What is it?
It's a fantastic mixing medium. It basically makes shadows appear foiled, lets them keep all their glitter and sparkle in place and minimizes fall out. It lets you createa foiled look without the mess of foiling.

How do you use it?
You want to use an eye shadow primer or base as normal. Then you apply a tiny amount of the Pixie Epoxy to your lid and even it out with your finger. You wait a bit for it to get tacky to the touch, and then you can apply your eye shadows. If it looks patchy, apply a bit more of the Pixie Epoxy, and then apply more shadow.

Can you use it with any eye shadow?
You can use it with loose shadows or pressed shadows, but it doesn't usually work very well with mattes. Click here to see what it looks like when used with some shadows that are loose, pressed, shimmery, and matte.

Is it vegan?
Yep, it's made by Fyrinnae. It's vegan.

Is it LE?
No, it's not limited edition. It's part of Fyrinnae's permanent collection. This means it's not going away any time soon. I believe it's one of the best selling products at Fyrinnae. You can also read about Fyrinnae's upcoming collections and other cool things over here.

What does it claim to do?
It claims to make shadows appear foiled without foiling it.

Does it live up to its claim?
OMFG Yes! That's why it's a HOLY GRAIL product for me! It is seriously amazing!

Would you purchase it again?
I already have! <3

When I first purchased it, it came in a slightly smaller size. I've had my first tube since probably Sept. 2009. It's now almost June and I've got about 1/3 to 1/2 of the tube left. I've since purchased the new size, because quite frankly, I don't want to run out! The full size now costs $7 and is larger than the original. It's totally worth it. It's a steal at that price.

Pixie Epoxy doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. I love the effect it has on shadows. I've been able to create some really lovely looks with it. And I'm so happy that I no longer have to foil. I always found foiling difficult to do, and really difficult for me to blend once I foil, so this really is an amazing product for me.

How about you? Have you tried Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy? If so, what did you think of it?

Mordred's Concubine

2010-05-18T19:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a red look in a while, so I decided to try Agincourt & Concubine together. They're pretty amazing. Instead of reaching for a black for my crease, I decided to give Mordred a try. I'm really pleased with the results.

Shade Descriptions:
Agincourt - A luscious strawberry red with a pink sheen.
Concubine - Maroon with flecks shifting gold, copper, and red.
Mordred - Deep, metallic bronze.

Eyes:
TFSI
Morgana Concubine - outer 2/3 of lid
Morgana Agincourt - inner 2/3 of lid, on top of Concubine
Too Faced Lava Gloss in Lava Chocolate - lower lash line and lower water line
Morgana Mordred - crease, outer v and lower lash line
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - inner v and on browbone to highlight
MAC Crystal Avalanche - just a smidge under the eyebrows
Lorac Auburn brow Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Aromaleigh Corset

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
MAC lip pencil in Cherry
Morgana lipstick in Metallic Maiden

Step-by-Step
1. Apply your eye shadow primer.
2. Apply Concubine to outer 2/3 of lid. I used an ecoTools shadow brush.
3. Apply Agincourt to inner 2/3 of lid and blend with Concubine. I used an ecoTools shade brush.
4. Apply Mordred to crease, outer v and lower lash line. I used an ecoTools angled crease brush for the crease, then used a Fyrinnae angled eye shadow brush for the lower lash line and outer v, and finally used the Fyrinnae Crease brush for the inner crease.
5. Apply Creme d' Nude to browbone. I used an ecoTools highlighter brush.
6. Apply Creme d'Nude to inner corners of eye. I used an ecoTools smudge brush.
7. Apply Lava Chocolate to lower water line.
8. Apply Zero to upper lash line.
9. Brush and define brows with Auburn brow pencil.
10. Apply lash primer.
12. Apply mascara.

Zoya Gilda & Alegra

2010-05-18T18:14:00.000-04:00

I don't think I posted this earlier but I did put together a fun sparkly mani with Gilda & Alegra. Gilda is the main color and Alegra is the accent color.

Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser - A Review

2010-05-18T15:35:00.004-04:00

I picked up the Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser from The Body Shop on Earth Day, and I've been using it on and off since. I really like it, so I figure it's time to blog about it.

This is a mild cleanser that doesn't suds up to cleanse the face, as it's a soap-free formula. The key ingredient of bladderwack seaweed helps with clarifying the skin. What I've noticed with using this is that if I don't put on anything after using it, my skin is soft and oil free. I should mention that my skin used to be sensitive and dry. Now it's sensitive and combination, meaning it's normal in some places and oily in others. So if I wash my face with another cleanser and don't put anything on, in about an hour I'll notice that different places on my face, like my chin, feel oily. Yuck.

I've mostly been using this at night, along with the Clarisonic Mia or a wash cloth, and it's quite effective at removing my makeup from my face.

This cleanser claims to purify, maximize hydration and improve softness. I would say in my case, I feel like it does make my skin feel soft, clean and moisturized without feeling oily. I really like it and for me, it lives up to its claims.

Would I purchase this again?
Definitely. It's $14 for 6.76 oz of product. And right now, you can buy 2 get 1 free on the Body Shop's website with their Prepare Your Skin For Summer. I love it when you can buy 2 get 1 free!

Don't Forget about Wear the Lilac for Alzheimers

2010-05-18T01:18:00.000-04:00

You can see my previous post about it here.

Please wear lilac on May 25.

On May 25th fans of Terry Pratchett's novel, Night Watch, wear the lilac in honor of the events in the book. Fans also now do this to support Alzheimer's research.

Whimsy Beading is making pins from life-sife silk blooms for the cause.

Limited edition jewelry also for the cause will be sold in their store here.

The proceeds from the sales of these items will be donated to Alzheimer's research.

Meow Sale!

2010-05-18T00:58:00.001-04:00

One reason it pays to follow Meow on Twitter is the occasional sale. Right now through Friday you can get free shipping on orders over $20, worldwide.

Coupon Code: MeowRocks

You can pick up some of the Caribbean Escape collection, or check out the Wild Child collection.

Playful Look

2010-05-17T19:38:00.001-04:00

Today's look was inspired by a lovely look of Jacqueline's. I'm really loving wearing turquoise in just about every way recently! Don't be surprised if you see me with blue lips again in the future.

Shade Descriptions:
Looking Glass - Soft, nearly matte sky shade, leaning towards turquoise rather than pure blue. Slight satin finish.
Otherworld - a pale ghostly aqua shimmer with glimmers of turquoise and blue sparkle
We're All Mad Here - Luscious, sparkling chartreuse! Similar to our ever-so-popular "Omgwtf" (thought a bit more green), but with green and gold sparkles and shimmer, it's twinkling like a teatray in the sky.
Frigid - deep purple with blue sheen
Fishnet - iridescent purple
Ransom - bright iridescent purple
Creme d' Nude - a matte peachy-pink flesh
After Party - bright turquoise with a semi-pearly sheen

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Looking Glass - inner 3/4 of lid
Sugarpill After Party - outer 1/4 of lid blended inward on top of Looking Glass
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Ransom - lower lash line and outer v
Urban Decay Frigid - lower lash line, outer v, lower crease
Urban Decay Fishnet - crease
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - on browbone to highlight
Fyrinnae Otherworld - inner v
Fyrinnae We're All Mad Here - dot at the apex of the inner v
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter liner - upper lash line
Lorac Auburn brow pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Aromaleigh SinisterRouge

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain
Nyx Black Label Lipstick in Orchid
Medusa Gloss in Gossip

Step-by-Step
1. Apply eye shadow primer.
2. Apply Looking Glass to inner 3/4 of lid. I used an ecoTools shadow brush.
3. Apply After Party to outer 1/4 of lid and blend inward. I used an ecoTools shadow brush.
4. Apply Ransom to lower lash line and outer v.
5. Apply Frigid to lower lash line, outer v and lower crease. I used an angled eye shadow brush from Fyrinnae.
6. Apply Fishnet to crease. I used an ecoTools angled crease brush.
7. Blend. I used a MAC 224 brush to blend the crease.
8. Apply more Frigid to the outer v. I used an angled eye shadow brush from Fyrinnae.
9. Blend. I used a MAC 224 brush to blend the outer v and crease, going inward.
10. Apply a bit more Fishnet to crease. I used my Fyrinnae crease brush.
11. Blend. I used a MAC 224 brush to blend the crease and the edge of Fishnet up on the browbone.
12. Apply Creme d' Nude to highlight. I used an ecoTools highlighter brush.
13. Apply Electric to lower water line.
14. Apply Otherworld to inner v. I used a mini chisel detail brush.
15. Apply We're All Mad Here to the apex of the inner v. I used a mini chisel detail brush.
16. Apply Black with Blue Glitter gel liner to upper lash line. I used a Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush.
17. Brush brows into place and define brows with Auburn brow penci.
18. Apply lash primer.
19. Apply mascara.
20. Blend gently on the crease and browbone one more time. I used a MAC 224 brush.

SkincareRX - The Beauty Cache

2010-05-16T19:19:00.001-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to try the SkinCareRx Beauty Cache.

I really love the concept of this! The Beauty Cache costs $29.95, and you receive a nice bag perfect for travel for your personal items and cosmetics.

I received:
Marina Lipstick in Beach Breeze (a cinnamon coral) (normally $20)
M2 Body Refinish (a body exfoliant) (normally $44)
Kinerase Facial Peels (3 of them)
Jane Iredale Eye Lash conditioner
Juara Rice Facial Cleanser (moisturizing and good for sensitive skin)
Product Hair Cream
Heliocare Vitamin Sunscreen
Dr Dennis Gross Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum
Pharmacopia Organic Body Lotion - Lavender
Colorescience Sunforgettable Mini Orb
Heliocare Vitamin Sunscreen

I really liked the Juara Rice Facial Cleanser, as it cleanses without irritating my skin. It definitely left my face feeling moisturized, but not greasy or heavy. This is a cleanser I would definitely purchase for myself and I'm loving the size of the travel bottle as it's perfect for a long weekend away.

I liked the Marina Lipstick as it was very moisturizing. The color wasn't bad either, though it seemed closer to a beige than a coral. At $20 a pop, I would only purchase from this brand again if they were having a sale, as the color range is pretty limited and the colors are very tame.

I haven't tried the Kinerase facial peels as I'm nervous about doing any peels with my skin right now.

I didn't like the Jane Iredale Eye Lash Conditioner, but that may have been because the brush was so tiny it was difficult to apply properly.

I liked the Product Hair Cream. I used it on my fringe and blow dryed my hair to the side to help my fringe go to the side. This is something I would purchase as it's quite reasonably priced at $14.

I liked the Dr Dennis Gross Hydra-Pure vitamin C Serum. It's meant to be used at night and I really like the way the container is designed to dispense the serum.

I hate the Pharmacopia lotion because it's lavender. I cannot stand the scent of lavender. Yuck.

I really love the little Colorescience Sunforgettable Mini Orb. While I wear sunscreen every day on my face, neck, etc, sometimes I need a little extra on my nose or chest if I'm out more than I expect. This has been awesome for quick little touch ups, so it's been living in my purse. I really like it a lot.

I haven't tried the Heliocare Dietary supplement yet. SkincareRx says it's an oral antioxidant suppliment that uses a natural fern extract to increase the skin's sun tolerance. I'm planning on using this the next time I go to Disney, in addition to my normal sunscreen.

I liked the m2 Body refinish, as I'm fond of exfoliants.

Overall, I love the idea of getting to try so many different products for $30. I just wish you could give the company a little input on what you get, or fill out a profile that mentions your likes/dislikes, so as to better tailor what you receive. I'd love to make it so I never receive any products with Lavender in it, as I really hate lavender :P That said, I really loved the Juara Rice Facial Cleanser and several of the other products, so I'm glad that I got to try it out.

This was sent to me for review purposes.

Mordred

2010-05-16T18:44:00.002-04:00

I tried a look today with some of Morgana's browns from the Get Medieval collection. Mordred is a really nice color. I love metallics!

Shade Descriptions:
Palatial - taupe brown (lustre)
Maid of Honor - chalky grey cream (satin)
Rondelle - light silver with white pearl (frost)
Drawbridge - brown
Mordred - deep, metallic bronze

Eyes:
TFSI
MAC Palatial - lid
Morgana Drawbridge - crease and outer corner of lid
Morgana Mordred - lower lash line and outer upper lash line
MAC Maid of Honor - inner corners of eye and on browbone
MAC Rondelle - right under eyebrows
Lorac Auburn brow pencil
Too Faced Lava Gloss in Lava Chocolate - outer lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Boots no.7 cream blush in Peach Silk
Young Blood Sherbet blush

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx
Urban Decay 24/7 concealier in CIA

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx lipliner in Natural
Revlon lipstick in Peach

I think this turned out to be a pretty nice neutral/natural type look for me. What do you think?

Black Liner Comparison

2010-05-16T09:22:00.001-04:00

I wanted to do a comparison of my black liners for you. I've swatched Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter, Raven (from Morgana Minerals, but now discontinued I think), Black Out Indelible Liner (private label), Maybelline Blackest Black liner and Urban Decay Zero.

This set of swatches is in direct sunlight.

You can see how deep each of these blacks look. Raven is slightly less deep but you can build it up in about two strokes. Zero is slightly less intense than Raven, but I use it usually on my lower water line and lower lash line, where it sticks around and doesn't irritate my eyes. Black Out is nice and deep. Blackest Black looks deeper than the rest and slightly shiny. Physicians formula is deep like Black Out, and has the extra blue sparkle in it that I love. All of these work really well, in my opinion.

This is indoors with flash.

This is after I scrubbed at the liners with soap, water and a wash cloth.

You can see that Blackest Black is actually the easiest to remove, followed by Zero. Black Out and Physicians Formula were next, with Raven being slightly more difficult. Now, these all come off easily with makeup remover.

In my opinion, these are all good liners.

Physicians Formula comes in a set of 3 for $10.99
Raven, I believe, was $7.99
Black Out can range from $7.99 to $12.99 depending where you buy it.
Maybelline Gel Liner is $9.99
Zero is $17.00

Zero is the only eyeliner pencil that I've used that will last on me like a gel liner. It's fantastic.

My favorites are the Physicians Formula and Zero. Those are the two that I would recommend the most. Since Raven is discontinued, I wouldn't recommend it because I'm not sure where to find it. While I like Black Out, it's cheaper to buy one of the sets of Physicians formula sets and get 3 liners for slightly more than 1 liner. The Maybelline Gel liner is good, but I hate how difficult it is to remove it from my brushes, which is the only reason I wouldn't recommend it.

What are your favorite liners? Do you have a favorite black liner?

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel Liner Review

2010-05-16T09:07:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love these gel liners by Physicians Formula. I originally purchased them after seeing several of my friends rave about them (though it took me months to find them!). I purchased the Blue Eyes set, which has a Blue Liner, Brown Liner and Black with Blue Glitter liner.

Like the Maybelline Gel liners, what you see in the container is the color you get. You only need to swipe the color once to get a really solid line. The liner will last all day and night, as it claims.

These are my favorite drugstore liners for several reasons. You get 3 liners for $10.99. They're easy to clean off of my brushes as well as my eyes. Dr. Bronners will easily cleanse them off of my eyeliner brushes. My Nyx eye and lip makeup remover will easily remove them from my eyes. The colors are supposed to flatter blue eyes. My eyes are blue-green, and I REALLY love how the black liner with the blue glitter looks. I've been wearing it almost exclusively since I got it. It's a nice true black and the blue sparks add a bit of sparkle without being over the top. The blue liner is really wearable and is dark without being a harsh or stark line. The brown is ok, but I don't really wear brown much.

Overall, I LOVE these liners. I will purchase them again. I do wish I could purchase just the black shade on its own, or with other similar shades with different colored sparkles in it.

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Review

2010-05-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

I have a love hate relationship with this gel eyeliner. Originally I purchased it because it had some pretty shades and I wanted to give it a try. I picked up Eggplant, Charcoal & Blackest Black.

What you see in the container is the color you get. You may have to swipe it twice to get Eggplant and Charcoal to show up solidly, but it's by no means difficult to use. Blackest Black is one swipe and it's black. The liner will last all day and night without budging, as it claims, from your eyes.

The reason I hate the gel liner is that it is a pain to get out of your makeup brushes! Normally I use Dr. Bronner's castile soap to clean my makeup brushes. This gets out everything including my waterproof stuff from my brushes with no issue. However, with this gel liner, I have to use waterproof makeup remover on my brushes, which I strongly dislike doing.

Overall I think these are pretty good gel eyeliners, especially when you can buy one get one free to pick them up. I like the colors, but I would probably not buy these again for me because of the difficulty in getting the product out of my brushes. I just don't like having to use makeup remover on my brushes.

Fuchsia, Chartreuse, Purple & Aqua Look

2010-05-15T14:49:00.004-04:00

I spent time today playing with more of Morgana's Get Medieval collection. I think it's my favorite release from Morgana so far. I put together this cute look with some of my favorite colors.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Morgana Winifred - inner v and inner corners of eye
Morgana Chartreuse - lid
Morgana Lady Godiva - outer v, outer crease, blended inward
Morgana Alchemy - upper crease, blended inward
YoungBlood Alabaster - on browbone to highlight
Aromaleigh Ice - on browbone to highlight and inner corners of eye
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - lower water line and lower lash line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain
Morgana Lipstick in Azalea Blue

Step-by-Step
1. Apply eye shadow primer.
2. Apply Winifred to inner v and inner corner of eye. I used a mini chisel detail brush.
3. Apply Chartreuse to lid. I used an Aromaleigh small all over eye shadow brush.
4. Apply Lady Godiva to outer v, outer crease and blend it inward. I used an ecoTools shader brush.
5. Apply Alchemy to the crease. I used Fyrinnae's crease brush. This brush is FANTASTIC! Ana from Lipsticks n' Lightsabers recommended it to me and it really is amazing.
6. Blend. I used my MAC 224 brush.
7. Apply Alabaster on browbone. I used my ecoTools highlighter brush.
8. Apply Ice on browbone. I used my ecoTools highlighter brush.
9. Apply Ice to inner corners of eye. I used a mini chisel detail brush.
10. Apply Electric to lower water line and lash line.
11. Apply Black Gel Liner to upper lash line. I used a Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush.
12. Blend over the crease and browbone again. I used my MAC 224 brush.

Indie Spotlight: An Exclusive with Beauty from the Earth

2010-05-15T11:11:00.000-04:00

This month's Indie Spotlight is with the lovely Crystal of Beauty from the Earth.

How long have you loved makeup?

I have loved makeup since I was a young girl. I can remember my first Caboodle when I was 12. I could not wait to fill it up with every color under the sun.

How did you come up with the name Beauty from the Earth?

I had friends help me come up with the name. We spent about two months tossing around ideas.

About how many hours a day do you work? Days a week?

I work in the office from 7:30-4 Monday-Friday and stay late as needed. I answer emails for about 2 hours each night and work the weekend as needed to keep order turnaround fast. It usually adds up to 50-70 hours a week.

Can you tell us about your staff?

Matthew is the co-owner of BFTE and my husband.He is the VP and takes care of operations and maintenance.


Melissa is my Admin Assistant and also my sister in law. She moved to Kansas two years ago from Louisiana to help me with the business. She does phone calls, paperwork, inventory, and anything else I need. She is also the ones who is responsible for shipping orders lightening quick.


Sharon is my Mother in law and is our production assistant. She has worked with us for a little over a year. She is our master mixer and jokes that her favorite thing to do is accidental product formulation.


What is your favorite product to create?

Eye Products. They allow me to be the most creative.

What is your least favorite product to create?

Lip products! We have been testing and recreating them for over a year. I do not think it will be so bad once we get the formulas perfect.

What are your favorite colors?

I love green and purples.

What is your absolute favorite eye shadow color?

Beautiful, which is a gold with pink duo-chrome.

What are your favorite lip colors?

I am low key when it comes to lip colors. I always grab a light pink gloss or nude color.

What is your favorite beauty trend?

I am not one to follow trends. I am a Mom to three kids who runs a business. I am all about comfort!

Do you have a trademark look or trademark colors?

I wear a purple smokey eye almost daily. I love the way that purple makes my green eyes pop.

Do you have a signature scent?

Very Sexy by Victoria's Secret.

Do you enjoy looking at the runways for inspiration or trends?

I occasionally check out what is hot on the runway but it's not the first place I go for inspiration.

What do you look at for inspiration when you're in the mood to create something new?

Life in general. I can find inspiration in anything. I often get inspired while on a walk, coloring with my children, surfing the net, or shopping.

What's your skincare routine?

I wash my face in Green Tea Cleanser before bed and in the morning. I apply moisturizer before I apply my foundation.

What colors have you dyed your hair?

It has been blonde, brown, and red. I have always wanted it to be pink but I am a little conservative and do not think that I could pull it off.

What's your favorite way to accessorize?

A simple necklace, earrings, and a super cute purse!

Can you tell us about your upcoming collections?

We are working on several new collections. Our biggest project right now is boxed collections. They will consist color coordinated sets including a set for each eye color, a rainbow set, and a set of matte colors.   We hope to bring out about 5-20 of these sets. Each collection will contain 12 colors in grab and go packaging.
We also have a new velvet collection and a Wizard of Oz collection in the works.

What's your favorite chocolate?

German Chocolate. Last year our foreign exchange student sent us a huge box of chocolate when she went home. It was the best chocolate ever!

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I love animals!

Lizzy is our bearded dragon who is about 6-8 months old.


Lola is my 2 yr old beta. She is the only fish I can I keep alive.

Molly is our 8 yr old beagle mix.


Tiger is our 4 year old cat.


Princess Cassius Clay is our 2 yr old Siamese. She was a rescued kitten that we bottle fed from 2 days old.

Do you play any video games?

No. I do not sit still that long.

What are your favorite authors or books to read?

I tend to read 10-15 books at one time. They tend to be on self improvement and business improvement. I am currently reading Mommy Millionaire, Buyology, The Purpose Driven Life, and How to Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.

What are your favorite tv shows?

Burn Notice and Chopped. I am not much on watching TV and two hours a week is more than enough.

What is your office like currently?

Small and plain.   We have two desk in here and extra storage.

I know you're having an office built, can you tell us about it?

It will be located at the front of our building. I planned for two large windows because I love natural lighting. It will have french doors that open to the shipping room so that I can communicate with the staff . I have not decided on colors or decor yet.

What color is your bedroom?

I just redecorated my bedroom last summer in light blue and brown. It seemed like a nice relaxing combo.

What colors do you like to decorate with in your home?

I have a different color theme for every room.


What do you do to relax?

I cook for friends and family. I love to try new recipes and tweak old ones.

What do you do to pamper yourself?

I pamper myself with a cup of fresh ground brewed Starbucks coffee with cream and sugar! I try to do this at lease 3 times a day.

The Beauty Blog Network's Weekend Beauty Reads

2010-05-15T08:23:00.001-04:00

The Makeup Divas is giving away three Babushka's Beauty Secrets books to THREE lucky winners. So if you want to know some of the most amazing and effective beauty advice secrets then enter today! Giveaway ends May 17th.

StyleBell has searched the market for the quietest hair dryer that you and your fam will love.

Phyrra tells you about a new skincare line for sensitive skin, Patricia Wexler M. D. Dermatology Sensitive Skin Collection.

Beauty and Fashion Tech has a review and swatches of the NARS Summer Collection.

Girl Gloss has swatches of the lip items from the NARS Summer Collection, including a look at the new NARS Lip Treatment.

Elke tries the newest way to apply makeup: with paper.

Raging Rouge works on getting feet summer-ready with http://www.ragingrouge.com/ragingrouge/2010/05/true-blue-spa-large-acrylic-foot-file-review.html" target="_blank">True Blue Spa.

Beauty Anonymous takes a look at one of Japan's best-selling eyeshadow palettes, Lunasol Skin Modeling Eyes in #01 Beige Beige.

Evil Shades & Iron Man 2

2010-05-15T01:56:00.000-04:00

Dave & I took Ray to see Iron Man 2 tonight at the Cinebistro. Iron Man 2 was FANTASTIC! It was totally worth it to me to see it in the theatre. I broke out some of my new Evil Shades for tonight. I put this eye look together quickly but I like how it looks.

Shade Descriptions:
Panic - Pink toned coral with shimmer.
Reondite - medium aqua with pink Shimmer
Neritic - Orange based coral with green and blue sparkle.

Eyes:
TFSI
Evil Shades Panic - lid
Evil Shades Neritic - crease
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Evil Shades Reondite - lower lash line
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion

Lips:
Primrose Path - coral/pink with silver and green shimmer

Frolicsome Friday!

2010-05-14T18:50:00.002-04:00

Today is my 2 year blog anniversary! Today is also my husband Ray's birthday! So Happy Birthday to both! Today is the perfect day to frolic and party :>

This morning, I got up and took Phaedra to the vet. It was time for her DOCP shot. She weighed in at 43.5 lbs, so she's healthy, hasn't gone into crisis, and is looking very good. I only had time for quick makeup before the vet, so here's what I did. I did this in 3 minutes. (I did more makeup later :) )

3 Minute Makeup
Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Eyes:
MAC Paint Pot in Delft - applied with a flat brush
MAC Shimmermoss - applied with a fluffy brush to lid and crease
MAC Vapour - on browbone
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

As you can see, I used no eye shadow base aside from a paint pot on my lid. I totally forgot TFSI!

This is the second look I did today.

Eyes:
TFSI
Stila Cobalt Clutch - on lid, later used as liner along upper and

lower lash line
Morgana Beowulf - on lid, extended out
Morgana Lapis Lazuli - in crease
Morgana Shining Armor - in crease with fiber optic brush
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Aromaleigh Ice - inner corners of eye and right under eyebrows
Morgana Goblet - to define brows
Morgana Winifred - inner corners of eye
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain
Morgana Lipstick in Azalea Blue - lightly and blotted
Urban Decay Lipstick in Oil Slick - blotted
I also got some fun mail today!

First from Whimsy Beading!

This is a necklace set for a friend of mine, and some threader earrings for me to match my necklace :) Kelly also sent me one of her cool rings!

Next was from Evil Shades!

Such cute packaging!

Samples:
Necropolis - Chocolate brown based Copper shimmer.
Steele Greene - a green (no site desc yet)
Double Barrel - Gun Metal gray with muti color shimmer.
Neritic - Orange based coral with green and blue sparkle.
Infernal - Matte Hot pink with gold and shilver sparkles.
Gift River - medium purple with green shimmer
Souls Torment - dusty purple with aqua sparkle

Full Size Eye Shadows:
Panic - Pink toned coral with shimmer.
Reondite - medium aqua with pink Shimmer

Lips:
Primrose Path - coral/pink with silver and green shimmer
Bane - pink/purple with blue undertones

And last but not least from Fyrinnae!

Lip Lustres:
Anesthesia - Cool blue (leaning to pale blue-violet rather than turquoise) with a touch of reflective ice blue sparkle that turns purple in some light, more subtle than the sparkle in Puppy Love. Semi-sheer, can be applied lightly for a blue stain, worn over pink to give it an iridescent appearance, etc.
Puppy Love - Vibrant cool pink enhanced with tiny reflective sparkles, offering an almost "holographic" appearance. The sparkles are varying hues of blue, making this a multi-dimensional shade, but at different angles will appear pink or even orange and gold.
Candy Decadence - Looks quite green, or rather forest green on purple in most light, but changes to a deep shimmering plum with pink shimmer at different angles and closer to light. Looks good layered or alone especially on deeper skintones.

Eye Shadow:
Looking Glass - Soft, nearly matte sky shade, leaning towards turquoise.
Victorian Vamp (sample) - Deep, dark plum shade with a little white sparkle.

Brush:
Crease eye shadow brush

Cotton Candy Pink & Blue Look

2010-05-13T20:24:00.002-04:00

Today I wore some of my favorite Aromaleigh colors: Fanclub, PlanetEarth, Late for Work, BoilingPoint, Ice & Sylph. I LOVE how this turned out.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Ice - inner corners of eye
Aromaleigh Fanclub - on lid
Aromaleigh BoilingPoint - outer corner of lid
Aromaleigh PlanetEarth - crease, inner lower lash line
Aromaleigh Late for Work - lower crease, outer v, outer lower lash line
Aromaleigh Sylph - on browbone to highlight
Physicians Formula Gel liner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Lorac Auburn brow pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion in Deep Black

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia
Aromaleigh Candy

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Fuchsia - smudged with finger
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Trickster
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Lollipop-pop - just a smidge on the center of the lips

Patricia Wexler M. D. Dermatology Sensitive Skin Collection Review

2010-05-12T23:45:00.002-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to review the Patricia Wexler M. D. Dermatology Sensitive Skin Collection as I was sent several of their products to try.

I received:
Gentle Exfoliating Peel reveals healthy, fresh skin in one trauma-free step ($34.50)
MMPi20 Comforting & Renewing Serum decreases skin’s reactivity while visibly diminishing signs of aging ($55)
Calming Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30 protects skin from environmental aggressors without irritating skin ($39.50)
Soothing & Renewing Night Cream soothes skin on contact and restores skins’ moisture barriers ($39.50)

As my skin has been freaking out, I've been unable to try the Peel. I just don't think it's a wise decision. However, I used the following products for about 3 weeks.

Comforting & Renewing Serum
The comforting and renewing serum is nice. It definitely calms my skin down when it's freaking out. When It's been blotchy, red and sore it's soothed my skin and helped tone down the blotchyness. I can't speak for it treating signs of aging because I really don't feel that I have a lot of those yet. The few freckles I have on my face didn't go away from using this product. Of the products I tried, this one is my favorite.

Calming Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30
The Calming Anti-Aging moisturizer works really well, too. Again, no irritating for my sensitive skin. I do feel that it helped tone down some of my redness. It's a VERY nice moisturizer and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. I love the fact that it's SPF 30. It also doesn't have a nasty smell, like some lotions do.

Soothing & Renewing Night Cream
I wasn't that fond of the night cream. While it didn't irritate my skin, it did seem a bit too greasy for me. I woke up feeling like my face was oily in the morning after using it. However, it didn't irritate my skin and it seemed like a very good moisturizer.

Overall, I feel like the Patricia Wexler MD Sensitive Skin line truly was made with sensitive skin in mind. It works wonderfully. Of the products I tried, they all do exactly as they say with calming the skin and moisturizing.

The only thing I don't like about the line is the price. I'm not likely to buy this for myself unless it's on sale. You can be sure though, that I'll be swatching for the Comforting and Renewing Serum to be on sale.

Have you tried anything from Patricia Wexler's MD line? If so, what do you think?

Tropical Look Medieval Style

2010-05-12T19:37:00.000-04:00

I put together a tropical look with Morgana Minerals Get Medieval collection today. Winifred has an AMAZINGLY strong duochrome effect. It's really pretty. Chivalry is lovely for that, too.

Shade Descriptions:
Winifred - Lilac with a blue sheen & shifts of blue-green/violet.
Chivalry - Lavender with a vibrant green sheen.
Axe to Grind - Grape w/ silvery twinkles.
Guinevere - A rich coral with a pink sheen.
Lady of the Lake - Vibrant teal with subtle shifts to blue and green. Topped with twinkles of turquoise.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Morgana Winifred - inner 1/3 of lid
Morgana Chivalry - middle of lid
Morgana Axe to Grind - outer 1/4 of lid
Morgana Guinevere - crease
Morgana Lady of the Lake - lower lash line
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Physicians Formula Gel liner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - outer edge of lower water line/lower lash line
Lorac Auburn brow pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion mascara in Very Black

Cheeks:
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia

Face:
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain
Morgana lipstick in Azalea Blue

A Brilliant Brunette Inspired Blue Look

2010-05-11T23:54:00.000-04:00

This look today was inspired by Jacqueline of A Brilliant Brunette. Once I saw this look I couldn't get it out of my head, so I had to try my own version. It's inspired by, not exactly alike, but I think it's good :)

I wanted to wear my Azalea Blue, but I couldn't find it, so grabbed Show Orchid. Later on I realized I had Azalea Blue in my purse >.<

Shade Descriptions:
Looking Glass - Soft, nearly matte sky shade, leaning towards turquoise rather than pure blue. Slight satin finish.
Ciao Bella! - stone with a satin finish
Feline Familiars - shimmery rich chocolate shade with a subtle hue change of burgundy, turquoise, orange and bronze
Sellout - pink champagne shimmer
Dazzlelight - neutral with shimmer (veluxepearl)
Otherworld - a pale ghostly aqua shimmer with glimmers of turquoise and blue sparkle
Afterparty - bright turquoise with a semi-pearly sheen

Eyes:
UDPP Eden
Fyrinnae Looking Glass - lid
Stars Makeup Haven Ciao Bella! - crease
Fyrinnae Feline Familiars - lower crease, on top of Ciao Bella!
Urban Decay Sellout - crease, on top of Feline Familiars, blended up
MAC Dazzlelight - under eyebrows to highlight
Fyrinnae Otherworld - inner corners of eyes and inner lower lash line
Sugarpill Afterparty - lower lash line and cat eye
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel liner - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion in very Black

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia

Face:
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Fuchsia
MAC lipstick in Show Orchid

I probably should have blended the line where the crease and lid meet a little more, but honestly it looked really nice in person. I also probably should not have used UDPP Eden, as the slight yellow tone turned the lid color a bit green.

Morgana Minerals Get Medieval Collection Swatches

2010-05-10T23:53:00.001-04:00

I finally got to swatch my Morgana Minerals Get Medieval Collection this weekend. There are some REALLY lovely colors!

For every color, Aromaleigh light primer as base on left and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on right.
Row 1: Joust - shining armor - fortress
Row 2: Mordred - Goblet - Beowulf
Row 3: chivalry - axe to grind - lady godiva
Row 4: lapis lazuli - winifred - alchemy
Row 5: lady of the lake - joan de arc - gauntlet
Row 6: byzantium - concubine - drafty castle
Row 7: chartreuse - stonekeep - drawbridge
Row 8: agincourt - guinevere

So far I've done the following looks:
Stonekeep, Lapis Lazuli & Beowulf

Gauntlet

Lady Godiva's Alchemy

Shining Armor - Metallic silver made with cosmetic grade aluminum powder. A very brilliant silver. Fun to mix with other shades for a unique color. Not for lip use.
Joust - Bright lemon-gold with an intense gold sheen.
Goblet - Wine with shifting sparks of gold and silver.
Guinevere - A rich coral with a pink sheen. This color replaces the previous color Guinevere from last year.
Stonekeep - Metallic olive with a golden sheen. Sparks of gold and copper catch the light beautifully.
Agincourt - A luscious strawberry red with a pink sheen.
Chartreuse - Very vivid, semi-matte yellow with a hint of green.
Lapis Lazuli - Vivid, slightly metallic blue with flecks of gold.
Alchemy - Fuchsia with aqua sparkles.
Lady of the Lake - Vibrant teal with subtle shifts to blue and green. Topped with twinkles of turquoise.
Winifred - Lilac with a blue sheen & shifts of blue-green/violet.
Fortress - Russet-plum with a bright, silvery blue-green sheen.
Gauntlet - Plum with a blue sheen and sparkles of blue and brilliant silver.
Chivalry - Lavender with a vibrant green sheen. When you see this in person, the vibrance will wow you!
Lady Godiva - Plum on a charcoal background with violet-pink sheen & sparkle.
Axe to Grind - Grape w/ silvery twinkles.
Concubine - Maroon with flecks shifting gold, copper, and red.
Beowulf - Deep, sparkling navy shifting to a dark purple. Shifting sparkles of silver and gold add brilliance to this dark shade.
Joan de Arc - Slightly metallic, bright green with rainbow sparkle and subtle shifts of peach/rose.
Byzantium - Metallic cinnamon brown.
Drawbridge - brown
Drafty Castle - Metallic orange with a subtle pink sheen.
Mordrid - Deep, metallic bronze.

Delurk!

2010-05-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

With my 2 year blog anniversary approaching on Friday, I'm inviting all lurkers to come out of the woodwork, delurk and leave me a comment in my blog :) Tell me what you like about my blog, or don't like. Tell me what you'd like to see more of.

So I'm a 'Redhead' again

2010-05-10T13:12:00.000-04:00

This weekend I changed my hair. I bleached up the front section, lightening more around my face. This effectively removed the pink I had in the front. I then put Pravana ChromaSilk Vivid in Magenta on my fringe and the section around my face. Over the purple that made up the rest of my hair, I put Jerome Russel Punky Color in Poppy Red. I wanted the majority of my hair to be a deep dark reddish shade. It turned out pretty well!

Phaedra Cuteness

2010-05-10T12:52:00.001-04:00

This is some random cuteness from Phaedra this weekend.

Is this my good side?

Morgana's Stonekeep

2010-05-10T12:50:00.000-04:00

Stonekeep is really a gorgeous olive. I always forget that I love olive shades with my eyes, but they're really gorgeous yellow-greens. Lapis Lazuli is really lovely, too.

Shade Descriptions:
Lapis Lazuli - Vivid, slightly metallic blue with flecks of gold.
Stonekeep - Metallic olive with a golden sheen. Sparks of gold and copper catch the light beautifully.
Beowulf - Deep, sparkling navy shifting to a dark purple. Shifting sparkles of silver and gold add brilliance to this dark shade.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Ice - inner v and inner corners of eyes
Morgana Lapis Lazuli - on lid
Morgana Stonekeep - crease, outer vee, lower lash line
Morgana Beowulf - to darken outer lower crease
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Physicians Formula Black Gel liner with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia

Face:
Physicans Formula SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh lipbalm in Yuzu
Morgana lipstick in Coraline's Kiss

Sunday Magpie

2010-05-10T12:47:00.001-04:00

Sunday I had to go out and this is what I ended up wearing. I wanted to do a twist on a neutral eye, so I used Magpie in my crease. I didn't have a lot of time to snap photos, so I only got a few.

Eyes:
TFSI
Spell Mocha Lite - all over eye area and under eyes
Sugarpill Magpie - crease, outer v and lower lash line
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - a bit on browbone
MAC Crystal Avalanche - on browbone to highlight and inner corners of eye
MAC Crystal - inner lower lash line
Physicians Formula Black Gel liner with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Meow blush in Illuminate

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing powder in Clear

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Puppy Love

Zoya Anaka & Mimi

2010-05-10T12:43:00.001-04:00

I redid my nails this weekend. I ended up using Zoya Anaka and Mimi. It's REALLY hard to photograph the cool shimmers in Anaka & Mimi. These pictures were taken directly after painting them, so as to get them in the sunlight. Please excuse the edges as they weren't cleaned up when I took the photos.

Anaka - Vibrant purple-toned deep fuchsia-pink with reflective hot pink shimmer and gold microglitter
Mimi - royal purple sparkling metallic

A Destination Unknown in Death Valley

2010-05-08T00:11:00.001-04:00

I did a fun look today with Aromaleigh's DeathValley & DestinationUnknown. I'd never used Pixie Epoxy with DeathValley before, so I wasn't expending to to go a bit brown, like it did, but I think it turned out really cool. DestinationUnknown has always been a favorite shade of mine because of its chameleon abilities, and I think DeathValley was the first close to yellow color I liked.

Shade Descriptions:
DeathValley - sand with a twist and sparkle. glam blend of brown, yellow, gold and green. blacklight reactive. * DYE FREE
DestinationUnknown - cosmic shifting ocean blue to purple with iridescent glitz
Ice - pure white matte shadow
Sylph - brilliant sparkling jewels in a white plush matte base.
Phaedra - a plush matte/luster that is the deepest blue purple with flashes of fuschia and iridescent pink

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Aromaleigh Deathvalley - on lid
Aromaleigh DestinationUnknown - crease, later on top of Sake on lower lash line
Aromaleigh Ice - inner corners of eye, inner lid
Aromaleigh Sylph - to highlight on browbone, inner corners of eye
Aromaleigh Phaedra - to define brows
Physicians Formula Gel Liner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Hard Candy Sake liner - lower lash line
Jane Iredale Lash Primer
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Cheeks:
Meow Skinny Dipper in Light Siamese
MAC Full Fuchsia Blush

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss formula in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss formula in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Fuchsia
Morgana Lipstick in Valentine
Medusa Lipgloss in Gossip

Beauty All Around Us

2010-05-08T00:03:00.001-04:00

Today a cardinal came into my lanai, so I had to snap a picture of it.

And of course, my sleepy Phaedra.

Zoya Polishes

2010-05-07T23:54:00.001-04:00

I decided to wear 3 Zoya polishes today! Bijou, Charla, and Lola.
Lola is on my toes.
Bijou is on my tips and Charla is my accent color. They're all amazing and gorgeous.

Lola- Ultra-bright warm fuchsia-pink base with strong blue-violet duochrome shimmer
Bijou - very bright nearly neon saturated coral pink with shimmering silver microglitter
Charla - tropical blue sparkling metallic

Beauty Blog Link Love for Friday, May 7, 2010

2010-05-07T19:43:00.001-04:00

New to perfume? Don't fret; theNotice has an easy three-part guide on how to get started!

Glitter Geek goes bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S!) over a stunning eyeliner that even stays put on your waterline.

So many primers, so little time! Vanity's Edge is going to battle it out and she needs your help!

Looking for a great summer foundation? Clarins' latest offering is put to the test by Lipglossiping.

Phyrra from Fresco Phyrra shares some of her favorite Blacklight Reactive products.

Is make up really that complicated? Help Hell Candy's boyfriend unravel the mysteries of make up and read his guest post!

Jellyminx creates another pictorial creating a pretty pinky-purple look with drugstore products.

Christelle from Beauty Crazed shares the secrets of her shiny hair!

Sophie shows you her Five Skin Essentials!

GlossQueen tries her first mineral lipstick. Mosey on over to see if she liked it.

MAC Senior Artis Nicole Thompson tells us her must haves for Rosemount Australia Fashion Week at Madame B Fatale.

Hypothesis? Glass flecks make everything better. Jeweled Thumb experiments with different topcoats and proves just that!

Cawfee Tawk on Prime Beauty welcomes you with this week's topic -- Blast from the Past Beauty Products. Discuss!

Joeybunny swoons over her Holy Grail fragrance on the PinkSith.

Art Class is in session as Krasey Beauty takes you on a tour of MAC's newest Greasepaint Sticks.

Louise takes a look at the new Armani Nudes Contrast Palette and re-discovers her hatred of pastels!

***
Tsahi over at The Makeup Artist is ecstatic about having 50+ followers; check out her giveaway and enter here!

Beautywoome has extended the competition for a full set of Ellis Faas makeup until May 14th!

Audrey has 2 giveaways going at once! Check out her Facebook Fan Appreciation and May's Reader of the Month giveaway.

The Weekend Beauty Read from the Beauty Blog Network

2010-05-07T10:54:00.003-04:00

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic helps you pick out the right sunscreen.

Beauty Anonymous brings you Anna Sui's summer 2010 bodycare collection.

The Makeup Divas reviews MAC Pret-A-Papier.

StyleBell loved January Jones French Twist Hairstyle learn how to recreate.

Phyrra talks a bit about the differences between Big Companies vs. Indie Companies.

The Makeup Blogger is externally devoted to La Mer Regenerating Serum

Meow Cosmetics Mothers Day Sale!

2010-05-07T10:53:00.000-04:00

Let me know if you're haulin'!

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange Arrived!

2010-05-06T23:12:00.001-04:00

My Zoya Great Nail Polish Exchange has arrived! I'm really excited about it!

Row 1:
Mimi - royal purple sparkling metallic
Nova - medium royal fuchsia-purple tinted translucent base packed with dark and light pink glitter.
Alegra -fuchsia pink sparkling metallic
Brooke - A combination of deep pink, red and violet with fuchsia duochrome shimmer and subtle silvery frost.
Gilda - fashion pink sparkling metallic

Row 2:

Lola- Ultra-bright warm fuchsia-pink base with strong blue-violet duochrome shimmer
Michelle - deep striking magenta pink with frosty violet-blue duochrome shimmer
Anaka - Vibrant purple-toned deep fuchsia-pink with reflective hot pink shimmer and gold microglitter.
Hope - flashy medium violet-purple with frosty blue, red and silver colored shimmer
Charla - tropical blue sparkling metallic

Row 3:
Bijou - very bright nearly neon saturated coral pink with shimmering silver microglitter
Sirena - Warm light coral-pink frost with subtle gold and silver microglitter.
Soho Punch - A sheer coral-red with spectacular multicolored glitter.

I'm really excited by these colors! The colors that Wow'd me when I opened the package were Bijou, Lola, Charla, Mimi and Gilda.

You can be sure I'll be posting nail pix soon :)

Morgana's Gauntlet

2010-05-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

Today I had to rush my makeup and didn't have the normal time available for a look. I had to go to my yearly woman's exam (yay :P). It's important, so I make sure to get it done around the same time every year. Anyway, I opted for a more colorful crease and sort of neutral lids.

Shade Descriptions:
Gauntlet - Plum with a blue sheen and sparkles of blue and brilliant silver.
Ciao Bella! - stone with a satin finish
Creme d' Nude - a matte pale peachy-pink flesh
Crystal Avalanche - white with reflects (veluxepearl)

Eyes:
UDPP Eden
Stars Makeup Haven Ciao Bella! - on lid
Morgana Gauntlet - crease and outer v
Stars Makeup Haven Creme d' Nude - on browbone
MAC Crystal Avalanche - inner corners of eye, right under eyebrows
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Flipside - lower lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara in Black Platinum

Cheeks:
Aromaleigh Blush in SinisterRouge

Face:
Physicians Formula SPF 50 Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Natural
Silk Naturals Lipstick in XXX
Uban Decay Lipstick in Midnight Cowboy

Gauntlet is really very pretty. I think Melissa of Morgana did a fabulous job with this color.

The Thursday Poll

2010-05-06T12:28:00.002-04:00

1. Lip of the Day?
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu to moisturize.
Nyx Lipliner in Natural to line lips.
Silk Naturals Lipstick in XXX to fill in lips.
A touch of Urban Decay Lipstick in Midnight Cowboy to add a bit of extra shimmer.

2. Most refreshing drink?
Water!

3. Do you wear sunscreen on your face every day?
Yes! I wear moisturizer with sunscreen on my face, neck and cleavage.
Right now I'm also wearing a layer of Physicians formula foundation in SPF 50 in Translucent light. It's too dark for me on its own, but with my mineral foundation on top to adust the color, I can match.
On top of that I have my mineral foundation, which does have some zinc oxide in it.
I'm extremely fair complected and I burn easily, never tan. I do freckle. It pays to cover up for me :)

4. Favorite vacation you ever took and where, and where do you want to go on your next vacation?
I've had a lot of great vacations, to places like Paris, France & La Manga, Spain, and I can't really choose.
I also took a short vacation to Key West, FL and loved it.
I'd like my next vacation to be to New Zealand or Australia.

5. Powder, creme, mineral or liquid foundation?
I prefer mineral or powder foundation. It's normally the only thing light enough for my complexion.

Lady Godiva's Alchemy

2010-05-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

I didn't get this up yesterday before I fell asleep! This is what I wore on Wednesday. Alchemy and Lady Godiva are soooo yummy. Love the colors! Lady Godiva is a seriously complex color and it's gorgeous.

Shade Descriptions:
Shining Armor - Metallic silver made with cosmetic grade aluminum powder. A very brilliant silver. Fun to mix with other shades for a unique color.
Alchemy - Fuchsia with aqua sparkles.
Lady Godiva - Plum on a charcoal background with violet-pink sheen & sparkle.

Eyes:
UDPP Eden
Morgana Shining Armor - inner corners of eye
Morgana Alchemy - lid
Morgana Lady Godiva - crease and outer v
Urban Decay 24/8 liner in Lust - lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/8 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/8 liner in Flipside - where lower water line and lower lash line meet
Lorac Dark Brown Brow Pencil
Aromaleigh Phaedra - on top of Lorac Pencil
Physicians Formula Gel liner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Urban Decay Skyscraper Mascara - this sucked for me
Covergirl LashBlast Luxe - on top of UD since it sucked on my lashes

Cheeks:
MAC Full Fuchsia

Face:
Physicians Formula SPF 50 Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx lipliner in Natural
Urban Decay Pocket Gloss in Timothy

Silk Naturals Spring Collection

2010-05-05T15:22:00.000-04:00

Silk Naturals has released their Spring Collection. They've got an offering of new lip products, new cream blushes, concealers and eye shadows.

Eye Shadows
5th Ave - shimmery spring teal, leans green
Go - stoplight green shimmer
Linger - deep shimmery green
Madison - melon sorbet pearl shimmer
Rollick - deep purple shimmer
Romp - vibrant shimmery purple
Scandal - shimmery blue
Vandal - deep shimmery blue

Lip Products
Best Friend - shimmery peachy pink black label
Bombshell Red - really red slightly cool but not blue-based red. vegan lipstick.
Genuine - a lovely sheer, slightly shimmery rose. Vegan lip gloss.
Truly - shimmery coral, kisser slicker formula.

Cream Blush
Cherish - gorgeous shimmery rose
Devoted - slightly shimmery coral tone
Forever - shimmery pink with a hint of peach

Concealer
Extra Light Peach
Light Peach
Medium Peach

Mystery Club
USA & International versions

What catches my eye is:
Go, Madison, Rollick Romp and Scandal in the eye shadows. Truly and Devoted also have my attention.

Have you tried Silk Naturals? Does anything grab your attention?

Clarisonic Mia Pink Giveaway Winner Announced!

2010-05-05T12:38:00.001-04:00

The winner of my Clarisonic Mia Pink Giveaway sponsored by SkincareRx is...

Hoyden!

Hoyden, I hope you LOVE the Clarisonic Mia as much as I do :)

Don't forget, you can become a fan of SkincareRx on Facebook. And while you're there, you can check me out, too.

Big Companies vs. Indie Companies

2010-05-05T11:18:00.004-04:00

Let me show you one of the many reasons that I love small indie companies more than larger corporations. Now, I like The Body Shop, but they're a big corporation, and this letter reflects it. I emailed the Body Shop a while ago to inquire about whether or not they'd consider making their Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion in SPF 30, as it currently comes in SPF15.

Hi there,

I wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that I really do love your Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion. However, I wanted to inquire as to whether or not you would consider making a higher SPF version, such as an SPF 30. While I love wearing, especially during the winter months, here in Florida I feel less comfortable wearing a moisturizer with SPF that's not 30 lately.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Me

Dear Phyrra,

Thank you for your recent email to The Body Shop.

We would like to thank you for your interest in and use of our products. There have been no recent communications on an intent to offer a higher spf for our Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion. We do value your feedback and interest in this and are happy to forward your inquiry on to our product team for consideration in future product offerings. If we can help with any other questions or concerns please let us know.

Should you need further assistance with this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you once again for contacting The Body Shop. I hope you find the level of service provided to you via this correspondence satisfactory. If you are not satisfied or need immediate assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Care Center at 1-800-263-9746 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm EST.

Best Regards,
Customer Service

The Body Shop sent me back a nice and polite response, but nothing will come of it. When I've emailed small indie companies and inquired about products, they've created them, which is really cool. Some examples would be Aromaleigh Phaedra & Phyrra, Fyrinnae's Meloncholy and Trickster lip lustres, Beautiful Girl Minerals Wicked Kiss & Summer Kisses lip glosses and Morgana Minerals lipsticks in Azalea Blue and Coraline's Kiss. This just proves that you can email your favorite indie company and request a product and they'll be willing to listen to you and see if it's a possibility.

Indie companies tend to charge less for their products because they have less overhead. They spend less on advertising campaigns and PR than larger companies. Indie companies tend to rely more on word of mouth to attract customers.

So while little companies don't have the same resources as big companies, they do offer a more personalized experience. It's one I greatly value.

Do you have a preference between Big Companies or Indie Companies? If so, please share :)

2 Years, very soon

2010-05-04T20:18:00.002-04:00

My blog will be 2 years old on May 14th. I'm excited :)

Colorful Pink & Blue

2010-05-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

Today I wanted to wear Glamour Doll Eyes Phyrra, but I couldn't make up my mind what to wear it with. I couldn't figure out what to do in the crease, so I layered a few colors. I really ended up liking how Afterparty looked, especially after I added a bit of Glam Girl to the lower crease area.

Shade Descriptions:
Dear Mom - a soft pink with a bit of purple sparkle
Sterling Glitz - a silvery diamond glitter color
Phyrra - hot pink with aqua sparkles
Glam Girl - a true bright purple
Oddity - a lime green, almost duochrome, unique blend of shimmer & matte
Vapour - soft pale peachy-pink duochrome flecked with violet shimmer (velvet)
Atmosphere - turquoise with iridescent sparkle
Afterparty - bright turquoise with a semi-pearly sheen
Phaedra - a plush matte/luster that is the deepest blue purple with flashes of fuschia and iridescent pink
Full Fuchsia - a very bright iridescent fuchsia
Azalea - hot pink
Blacklight - iridescent purple

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Glamour Doll Eyes Dear Mom - inner 1/4 of lid
Glamour Doll Eyes Sterling Glitz - inner corners of eye
Glamour Doll Eyes Phyrra - outer 3/4 of lid, into crease
Urban Decay Atmosphere - crease
Sugarpill AfterParty - in crease on top of Atmosphere
Glamour Doll Eyes Glam Girl - in lower crease on top of AfterParty
MAC Vapour - on browbone to highlight
Glamour Doll Eyes Oddity - lower lash line, extended out
Physicians Formula Gel Liner in Black with Blue glitter - upper lash line
Aromaleigh Phaedra - to define brows
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric - edge of lower water line and lower lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara in Deep Black

Cheeks:
MAC Blush in Full Fuchsia

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Pinky
Morgana Lipstick in Azalea - lightly applied and blotted off
Spell Lipgloss in Blacklight

I also got my Urban Decay Hall of Fame Kit today!

XL Primer Potion
Zero Pencil - zealous black
Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara
Midnight Cowboy Lipstick - sheer beige shimmer
Timothy gloss - coral with a pink glow

A No-Makeup Look

2010-05-03T18:53:00.000-04:00

Today I tried the look that Elle from Spell put together for me.

I liked how the look turned out. Mixing my foundation in with the primer gave me a sheer, velvety coverage. Now if only my chin acne would go away >.< This really lets you see how my skin looks.

Product Descriptions:
Mocha Lite - velvet matte light beige
Taupe - Medium-Neutral Brown in a velvet matte finish (this color is just slightly darker than Mocha Lite)
Sepia - a warm-neutral brown, semi-matte finish
Moonspell - white velvet matte
Lava Chocolate - charcoal grey
Neutral soft focus - perfectly balanced for both warm and neutral complexions, to contour
Orchid - a cool blush to help balance yellow undertones or bring fair complexions to life
Goddess Glow - light golden glow
Supernatural - patent leather shine with illuminating particles

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Spell Mocha Lite - all over eye area and under eye
Spell Taupe - widely in crease
Spell Sepia - tightly in crease, outer v, lower lash line
Spell Moonspell - inner corners of eye and right under eyebrows
Too Faced Lava Gloss in Lava Chocolate - upper lash line and outer lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion in Deep Black Mascara
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown

Cheeks:
Spell Soft Focus Neutral
Spell Orchid
Spell Goddess Glow

Face:
Spell Under My Spell Face Primer
mixed with
Meow Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Siamese
and
Meow Pampered Puss in Snow Lynx

Lips:
The Body Bakery Lipbalm in Cherry Meringue Bites
Nyx Lipliner in Natural
Spell Vamp Up Gloss in Supernatural

Step-by-step
1. Apply eye shadow primer.
2. Apply Mocha Lite. I used a Medusa eye shadow brush and applied all over my eye area and under eye area.
3. Apply Taupe to the crease. I used an ecoTools crease brush.
4. Apply Sepia to the outer v, crease and lower lash line. I used a mini-chisel detail brush.
5. Blend. I used my MAC 224 brush to blend in the crease.
6. Apply Moonspell. I used an ecoTools smudge brush to apply right under the eyebrows and the inner corner of the eye.
7. Apply Lava Chocolate to the upper lash line and outer lower lash line.
8. Apply Yeyo to the lower water line.
9. Brush eyebrows into place.
10. Define eyebrows with Dark Brown eyebrow pencil.
11. Apply lash primer.
12. Apply mascara.
13. Put some face primer in the palm of hand.
14. Mix in loose powder foundation.
15. Apply to face.
16. Apply Soft Focus Neutral to cheeks, focussing on where I contour usually and going slightly up. I used a mini kabuki brush from Meow.
17. Apply Orchid to the middle of the cheeks. I just used a touch. I used a mini kabuki brush from ecoTools.
18. Apply Goddess glow to highlight and the cheeks. I used an ecoTools blush brush.
19. Apply Lipliner in Natural.
20. Apply Supernatural gloss.

Aquaheart Angelwear

2010-05-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

Recently I won a contest from the lovely AquaHeart's blog, her Angel eye wear contest. Today my sunglasses arrived :)

How cute are these?! Ridiculously large sunglasses are a must :) Love them!

Some Unfortunate News

2010-05-03T16:08:00.024-04:00

After learning of some scandalous and legally questionable actions that the owner of Stardust has taken against another mineral makeup company, Aromaleigh, I can no longer recommend Stardust Cosmetics at all.

In my opinion, the actions, as shown by countless screen captures and online posts, are reprehensible. This leads me to feeling that supporting Stardust is like supporting those actions and the person(s) perpetrating them.

Please note, by request of Jenna Whitman, owner and founder of Stardust Cosmetics, I removed all images and direct references related to the protracted online argument between Stardust and Aromaleigh, as instigated by Stardust, in direct response to threats of reporting my blog to blogger, with erroneous accusations of libel and copyright infringements.

In an effort to take the higher road, and simply be done with an ugly situation, I have complied. My primary purpose is to share my opinions – sometimes this means opinions about the underhanded, petty and possibly criminal actions of cosmetics companies; or about the risks and advancements other cosmetics companies take and make, to make the industry better for everyone. So I’m done talking about or responding to ugliness from anyone, in reference to the unfortunate situation between Aromaleigh and Stardust.

---
Jenna pretended to be SheVeritas to have conversations with herself on her blog, on other blogs, and on forums. The ip address for Jenna, the owner of Stardust, matches with the ip address of SheVeritas. This matches with the ip address I have from emails that were sent to me from Jenna. It also matches for comments that were left on my blog from Jenna. I have been lied to. I'm shocked, devastated and disappointed to learn this.

When I asked Jenna previously, she told me she respected Kristen and that Kristen inspired her to start Stardust. I thought this was wonderful. I NEVER thought anything was wrong with Jenna starting her own company. I supported Jenna in this. I tried her products. I liked them. I gave them favorable reviews. I don't understand why Jenna saw the need to pretend to be someone else - SheVeritas - and have conversations with herself on her blog and other places. No matter how you look at it, it was wrong of Jenna to lie and pretend to be SheVeritas to further her cause.

SheVeritas had been posting about Aromaleigh over at the MakeupTalk Forums. She then removed this information.

SheVeritas had posted at livejournal, but then deleted her account.

SheVeritas has also posted at the Rant4theUgly forums.

You can read the full time line of events at Noel's Blog. To enlarge any of the very big/long images, just hit Ctrl+.

I'm extremely devastated, disappointed and disgusted by all of this.

Here is the response that Aromaleigh posted on their forums regarding the ingredients issue that Jenna brought up when she posted as SheVeritas:
Email from Sept. 17, 2009

Aqua & Gold - Eyes & Nails

2010-05-02T23:33:00.000-04:00

Today Ray and I ran a ton of errands. I was looking through my nail polish and wanted to paint my nails with China Glaze Sexy in the City & Zoya Richelle. I liked it so much that I echoed those colors in my eyes.

I also snagged a picture of Phaedra sitting pretty :)

Shade Descriptions:
Genie Lamp - satiny yellow-gold with a pink shimmer
Gilded Wings(prof) - metallic light bronze
Cheetah - a soft,glowing pale peach, this shade has a slight golden shimmer
Curiouser and Curiouser! - The sparkly, bouncier cousin of Digital Faerie, this blue-aqua shade is filled with blue and turquoise sparkles and shimmer.
Vapour - soft pale peachy-pink duochrome flecked with violet shimmer (velvet)
Snarky - bright pure glowing coral with subtle iridescence

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Fyrinnae Curioser & Curioser - on lid
Fyrinnae Gilded Wings - lower crease, later blended on top of Genie Lamp & Cheetah
Fyrinnae Genie Lamp - outer middle crease
Fyrinnae Cheetah - upper crease blended downward
MAC Vapour - to highlight
Milani Metallic Pencil in Gold - inner corners of eye & lower lash line
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Liner - upper lash line
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara in Deep Black

Cheeks:
Meow Snarky

Face:
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
MAC Lipliner in Cherry - blended with finger
Revlon Liquid Lipstick in Top Notch Tulip
MAC Lipglass in Kumquat

How did your Sunday turn out?

Meow's Caribbean Escape Returns!

2010-05-02T11:47:00.000-04:00

Meow's Caribbean Escape collection returns! It also has some new blushes joining it.

Blushes:
Soka - bright clear true coral-salmon shade fused with pure peach & bubble gum pink
Calypso - vivid fresh coral with slightly cool berry hued undertone
Limbo - feather light pure cantaloupe yum.
Bel Air - strawberry pink with a hint of mulberry

I loved the Pirates feliner.

From the eye shadows, I really loved:
Stingray, Purple Puff, Passion fruit, Kiwi, Beach and Atlantis.

Also, go check Meow out on Facebook!

Spell South Seas Look

2010-05-02T01:18:00.000-04:00

Today I went shopping with my friend Lea. She needs to fill out her wardrobe. Since New York & Co. has a 50% off sale going on, we went there. She liked it so well that we went to another mall and to another New York & Co to find more stuff in her size. This is what I wore today. I should have added High Tide as a pop of color along the lower lash line, but I didn't think about it until I was out the door.

Shade Descriptions:
Island Flirt - coral with pulses of copper
Promenade - a favorte wake up color, peachy
Whisper to Me - an iridescent warm light copper to gold duochrome gold
Sublime - indigo awakens a stirring of mystery
Mocha Lite - velvet matte light beige
Neutral - perfectly balanced for warm and cool complexions
Goddess Glow - light golden glow
Royal Flush - strawberry tea tones
Devil Horns - a warm coral-pink with a brighter pink shimmer, which changes to a sizzling coppery-coral shade

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Spell Mocha Lite - inner corners of eye and under eye
Spell Promenade - lid
Spell Island Flirt - outer v, crease
Spell Sublime - just a tad to darken outer v
Spell Whisper to Me - on browbone to highlight, inner corners of eye
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Lucky - lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water lne
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - outer lower lash line
Physicians Formula Gel liner in Black with Blue Glitter - upper lash line
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Luxe in Black Platinum

Cheeks:
Spell Soft Focus Neutral - to contour a bit
Spell Royal Flush - blush
Spell Goddess Glow - to highlight

Face:
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
The Body Bakery Lipbalm in Cherry Meringue Bites
Nyx Lipliner in Natural
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Devil Horns

Nubar 20% Off!

2010-05-01T17:27:00.001-04:00

Nubar is offering customers 20% off of orders of $30 or more.
Use the code: MOM20
Now through May 6th.
You can get free shipping on orders of $75 or more after the discount is applied.

Nubar does have a few lovely nail polishes. Gold Leaf, Peacock Feathers and Sour Candy are some of my favorites.

Meow Giveaway Winner!

2010-04-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

It's time to announce the winner of my Meow Giveaway! I put all the names into a spreadsheet and randomly generated a response with Random.org.

The Winner Is Y Shum!
(chunkyxmunki)

Violet Zinnia Look with Aromaleigh

2010-04-30T17:01:00.002-04:00

I put together yet another look with Aromaleigh's Zinnia today. I just LOVE this color! I also used Hot Stuff, not only as a blush, but as a lippy. I love how this look turned out. I used Pixie Epoxy to make the colors really intense. Dave said he absolutely loves this lip color on me, so I need to see if I can find a good lipstick in coral-red with a violet sheen.

I Included this blurry shot because it really shows the shimmer/glitter flecks.

(natural light)

This is outside in natural light and it shows how my foundation looks with my face/neck. It also shows that I needed to blend my contour/blush more :P

If only I could have smiled better, I would have looooved this picture!

And of course, some poodle goodness!

Shade Descriptions:
Zinnia - vibrant but soft coral peach turns into a blend of pinkish coral with a dominant violet iridescence.
Violet Ruffle - Violet with lush silvery glow and complex periwinkle and rose tones
Late for Work - Vivid deep cornflower blue luster with sparkles of blue and green.
Hot Stuff - vivid coral-red frost with violet sparks
Sylph - brilliant sparkling jewels in a white plush matte base.

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Aromaleigh Zinnia - lid, inner v, inner lower lash line
Aromaleigh Violet Ruffle - outer v, crease, outer lower lash line
Aromaleigh Late for work - in lower crease
MAC Vapour - on browbone and inner corners
Aromaleigh Sylph -right under eyebrows
Physicians Formula Gel Eyeliner in Black with Blue Sparkles - upper lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero - outer lower waterline
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - inner lower waterline
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Fusion in Deep Black - 2 coats
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown

Cheeks:
Meow Skinny Dipper in Medium Sphynx
Aromaleigh Hot Stuff

Face:
Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer in CIA
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx lipliner in Pinky
Spell Vamp Up Gloss in Supernatural - just a touch to make lips wet
Aromaleigh Hot Stuff
MAC Lipglass in Kumquat

I'm really happy with my Friday Look :)

What do you have planned for the weekend?

If you have a favorite Coral-Red lipstick, what is it?

The Weekend Beauty Read from the Beauty Blog Network

2010-04-30T11:02:00.005-04:00

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic investigates Maybelline's new primer, did they manage to dupe Smashbox's Photofinish Primer?

Beauty Anonymous reviews La Mer The Regenerating Serum.

Enter for a chance to win a wonderful Mother's Day pampering kit full of various goodies from The Body Shop’s Spa Wisdom Japan collection line at Beauty and Personal Grooming. Ends May 9, 2010.

Elke gets first glance at the new MAC Superglass Lipgloss and tries her favorites.

Phyrra from Fresco Phyrra is giving away a Clarisonic Mia Pink for Mother's Day!

StyleBell uncovers the BEST flat irons to use during and after your keratin straightening treatment!

The Makeup Divas reviews and shares swatches of MAC's newest lip launch Superglass in Sugar Overload and Cherry Electric.

Time for some Mother's Day Mayhem at Raging Rouge! Be sure to check out this year's Mother's Day Gift Guide if you're still stumped!

Beauty in Real Life snags an interview with former So You Think You Can Dance finalist Ellenore Scott!

Spring into Spell

2010-04-29T20:32:00.003-04:00

A while back Elle from Spell Cosmetics offered free online makeovers! I asked her for one.

I purchased some of the products she recommended, and she sent me some extras. I've swatched them all for you :)

This is what I said:
What I'd like would be either

the perfect 'I'm not wearing any makeup look (except for eyeliner and lipstick)'
or
a very sexy look for a night out.

I'm not a fan of brown or yellow, and rarely orange or deep dark greens. I tend to love aquas, chartreuse-yellow-green, purple, black, red, bright pinks and silvers.

This is what Elle gave me!

One of my favorite things is creating "naked faces"... a refined version
of what we have naturally!

One of my tricks lately for creating porcelain skin is to put some Under
My Spell Primer into the palm of my hand, the sprinkle some Harmony
Foundation into it, like you would to create a tinted moisturizer...It
virtually floats onto the skin! Then, I do the same thing with my
blush...mix it in the palm of your hand with Under My Spell...for very
natural looks, I love Soft Focus Neutral for creating contour. Then, dust
the tops of your cheekbones with Goddess Glow. I go over all of that with
Filter now, and skin is absolutely flawless!

Then for the eyes, (which for this look I try to get a clean, open eyed
look that is minimal in colouration with flatter tones) I love to base
the eye with Mocha Lite, over the entire lid, tear duct & inside of the
bridge of the nose if you have darkness there. I "clean up" pigmentation
along the lower lash line with Mocha Lite too. Next, I go in with
MoonSpell on the tear duct area to get some pop without too much gleam. I
also use it along the brow bone.

To get some depth in the crease, on your skintone I will usually use
taupe, but if you want a nude look that has a little bit more drama, use
sepia to cut the crease and connect the outer V under the outside lower
lash line. Realllllly gorgeous! Then add some volumizing/lengthening
mascara and it's amazzzzzing!

Oh, as for your lips? I LOVE centerfold, but I think Supernatural Vamp up
takes it to a super sexy level...you don't need the plumping action
necessarily but I love the way it evens out the entire line of the lips!

Row 1: High Tide, Island Flirt, Sepia, Moonspell
Row 2: Whisper to Me, Promenade, Taupe
Row 3: Lavender Lemonade, Mocha Lite, Bronze

I'm looking forward to following her instructions and putting together a lovely look.

What do you think of the South Seas swatches? I really love Promenade and Whisper to Me. I also love Lavender Lemonade from the Moonlit Garden collection.

Beauty from the Earth Goodies

2010-04-29T20:00:00.002-04:00

Crystal from Beauty from the Earth sent me a surprise package of goodies to play with. I got it in the mail today and I've swatched the colors for you :)

Unfortunately I didn't have any natural light (sun was setting by the time I got home).

Row 1: Dew Drops, Lace
Row 2: Skinny Dipping, Lynx
Row 3: Aquila, Pyxis

Dew Drop - pinkish purple with greenish gold duochrome
Lace - golden ivory
Skinny Dipping - Shimmery bronze with slight pink undertones
Lynx *no desc online
Aquila *no desc online
Pyxis - lightest highlighter shade

These will be a lot of fun to play with :)

Too Faced Mint Look

2010-04-29T17:51:00.003-04:00

I wanted to break out my Too Faced Fun in the Dark Palette (I won it via Twitter) and give that a whirl today. I also used my Shamrock Chic duo.

I LOVE how my lips turned out. Seriously. Had no idea they could look so nice with this combo.

(Natural Light)

(Natural Light)

Shade Descriptions:
Lucky Charms - Mid-tone green with shimmer
Shamrock Chic Iced Sage - minty frosty sage green
Full Frontal - rich chocolate brown with red undertones and slightly frosty finish
Pin-up - neutral champagne beige with soft white shimmer
Lava Chocolate - charcoal brown
Papa Don't Peach - soft peach
Sweet Talker - a vivid jolt of candy pink
Kumquat - Frosty tangerine (Frost)

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Too Faced Lucky Charms - outer 1/3 of lid
Too Faced Shamrock Chic Duo in Iced Sage - inner 2/3 of lid blended outward on top of Lucky Charms
Too Faced Full Frontal - crease blended upward
Too Faced Pin-up - on browbone to highlight
Physicians Formula Brown Gel - lower lash line
Too Faced Lava Gloss in Lava Chocolate - upper lash line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Covergirl LashBlast Luxe in Black Platinum
Lorac Brow Pencil in Dark Brown

Face:
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Cheeks:
Boots No. 7 cream blush in Peach Silk
Too Faced Papa Don't Peach blush
Meow Skinny Dipper in Medium Sphynx - to contour a bit

Lips:
The Body Bakery Lipbalm in Cherry Meringue Bites
Nyx Lipliner in Natural
Spell Pot Gloss in Sweet Talker - blotted
MAC Lipglass in Kumquat

I don't think my blush turned out right. I always have problems knowing if I'm putting it in the right spot. Some days it looks fine, other days it just looks weird. Ah well, that's why I keep practicing :)

I got my brows waxed last night, and I'm really happy with the shape. Apparently my left eye brow grows denser than my right eye brow, so it was driving me crazy! I love getting waxed. Still getting my underarms and my brows done :)

I'm so glad the week is almost over!

Clarisonic Mia Pink Giveaway

2010-04-29T10:56:00.001-04:00

SkincareRx is graciously hosting this Clarisonic Mia Pink Giveaway. As you know, I LOVE my Clarisonic Mia Pink, so when I was offered the opportunity to do a giveway of the Mia for you all, I jumped at the chance!

You can become a fan of SkincareRx on Facebook.

To Enter the Contest, leave a comment below with the following information:
1. You must be a resident of the USA or Canada
2. You must be a follower of my blog and tell me how you follow
3. You must tell me why you want to win the Mia
4. You must leave me an email address to contact you
5. This contest will run until Wednesday May 5, 2010 at 12pm EST

That's all!

Glowing in the Dark

2010-04-28T21:52:00.007-04:00

I've received a lot of reader questions over the past month about blacklight reactive products. As I'm a big fan of things that glow in the dark, as well as blinky lights, I know a bit about it. There are some really cool glow in the dark products as well as black-light reactive products.

Glow in the dark LED Poi are my favorite blinky light toys. I sooo need to get my own set, because I constantly get entranced watching my friend Lea spin these. I love it so much that I've been learning to spin. If you've never seen LED poi being spinned, go check it out here.

Kryolan has a line of Invisible Luminescent Makeup/Body Paint. It comes in white, blue, orange and green. The colors go on invisible but under blacklight they glow. They also make several other types of blacklight reactive makeup, including lipsticks. These are FDA approved. These should not be used on the eyes though, from what I can tell. Update: Here's a disclaimer from Kryolan about their Dayglow colors line, and an ingredients list.

You can also get glow in the dark earrings. When I used to wear 3 earrings in each ear, I often had 3 pair of acrylics in pink, blue and yellow.

Manic Panic makes colors of dye that are blacklight reactive. Electric Lizard, Electric Banana, Pretty Flamingo, Electric Lava, Hot Hot Pink and Wildfire. I used to dye my hair with Wildfire mixed with another shade of red so I had glowy bright red hair.

You can buy hair accents, braids, twists, falls etc, from I Kick Shins in blacklight reactive colors. Platinum Blond, Mixed Blond, Light Mixed Blond, Autumn Mix, Red, Neon Magenta, Hot Pink, Baby Pink, Orange, Neon Orange, Yellow, Neon Yellow, Lime Green, Sky Blue, Lavender, Purple with White Tips, Neon Violet, Silver White, Silvery Snow, Creamy White, Snow White and Grey are all blacklight reactive.

Aromaleigh makes some of their Rocks! line blacklight reactive. Brownsugar, Suspectdevice, Prettyvacant, Peek-a-boo, Coralfang, Deathvalley, Atomic, Bigneonglitter, Flowersofromance, Prettyinpink, Iwantcandy, Newrose, Personalitycrisis, Teenagekicks, Psycho-candy, Tempted, Heartofglass, Lookinforakiss, Obsession, Raspberryberet, Funkytown, Purplerain, Spellbound, Hitormiss, Blueorchid, Ladystardust, Bodyelectric, Bluemonday, Endlessea, Oceanrain, Justlikeheaven, Strychnine, Greenhell, Venom, Swampthing, Avalon, Poisonivy, and Lazysod are all blacklight reactive. These are all eye safe.

Of course, there's also nail polish! I found an unexpected UV reactive polish in Color Club's Milky White Base Coat, which glows no matter what polish I have on top of it.

You can see me wearing hair from I Kick Shins in Snow White, as well as makeup from Aromaleigh in BodyElectric and FlowersofRomance.

If you're ever curious about whether or not a product is safe or hazardous, you can always run the ingredients list through the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. The ingredients are rated as follows with 0 through 10, 0 to 2 low hazard, 3 to 6 moderate hazard and 7 to 10 high hazard.

Because I was curious, I ran the Aromaleigh Rocks! shadows through the database.
Ingredients: mica(CI 77019), titanium dioxide(CI 77891), iron oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499). May contain polyester-3, D&C yellow 5, D&C blue 1, D&C red 40, calcium sodium borosilicate, ferric ferrocyanide (CI 77510), tin oxide (CI 77861).

mica - 1 to 3
titanium dioxide - 1 to 4
Iron Oxides - 2
Polyester-3 - 0
D&C yellow 5 - 0
D&C blue 1 - 1 to 2
ferric ferrocyanide - 1 to 3
D&C red 40 - 0
calcium sodium borosilicate - 0
tin oxide (CI 77861) - 2

This leads me to feel that they're safe.

All of the above ingredients are safe by my standards and the FDA. So, what's not safe? Any eye shadows that are sold with luminescent zinc sulfide. This ingredient is NOT FDA approved for the eyes. I checked the FDA for the full information on this.

To be clear, in makeup, blacklight reactive is what you want to purchase if you want it on your eyes or your lips. In other products, like hair or blinky toys, blacklight reactive or Glow in the Dark is normally fine.

Do you have any favorite glow in the dark items you love? Do share!

Edited to Add:
I contacted Aromaleigh regarding the change in the Rocks ingredients. Here is the response that I received back from the company:
When Aromaleigh first created the Rocks line, pre-mixed base colors were used with a 'may contain' list on them. It was the same for the lipsticks, too. Pre-mixed liquid color toners were used to create the shades, not powdered dye. Just like the lipsticks, all of the 'may contain' ingredients on the premixed tone colors had to be listed. When evaluating ways to improve Aromaleigh, the company realized that it was more cost-efficient to make the shadows from batch-certified dyes that did not have any 'may contain' ingredients. This is why the ingredients list changed.

From my understanding of what Aromaleigh said, the 'may contain' stuff means that it could have trace amounts from being made with the same machinery/tools as stuff that does contain it. It's the same with a box of Organic Truffles that I have. It says it 'may contain' nuts, but it doesn't contain nuts. There can be trace amounts of nuts in the box.

By buying batch certified dye colors where there is no 'contamination' aka trace amounts, Aromaleigh can say 'it only has these dyes.' This certainly reinforces that the ingredients that are being used match up to the approved dyes from the FDA List.

Here is the response that Aromaleigh posted on their forums regarding the ingredients issue:
Email from Sept. 17, 2009

Tiffany's Ruffles

2010-04-28T17:25:00.001-04:00

I've been playing around with another way to use Zinnia, and I came up with this look today.

Shade Descriptions:
Zinnia - vibrant but soft coral peach turns into a blend of pinkish coral with a dominant violet iridescence.
Return to Tiffany's - gorgeous aqua sheen with diamond luster and bright teal sparkles.
Morphing Moon - Smooth and faceted teal with rich dimension and shimmer, like the scales of a butterfly's wings.
Violet Ruffle - Violet with lush silvery glow and complex periwinkle and rose tones
Late for Work - Vivid deep cornflower blue luster with sparkles of blue and green.
Pillow Talk - pale buff pink with violet sparkles
Ice - a pure white matte
Hot Stuff - vivid coral-red frost with violet sparks

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Zinnia - inner v and inner lower lash line
Aromaleigh Return to Tiffany's - lid
Aromaleigh Morphing Moon - on outer 1/4 of lid on top of Return to Tiffany's
Aromaleigh Violet Ruffle - outer v and outer lower lash line
Aromaleigh Late for work - crease
Aromaleigh Pillow Talk - on browbone
Aromaleigh Ice - inner corner of eye, under eyebrows, blended down on to Pillow Talk
Physicians Formula Black with Blue Glitter Gel Eyeliner - upper lash line and outer lower lash line
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo - lower water line
L'Oreal Lash Primer
Nyx Doll Eye Volumizing Mascara
Covergirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara
Aromaleigh Phaedra - to define brows

Cheeks:
Aromaleigh Hot Stuff

Face:
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 in Translucent Light
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Snow Lynx

Lips:
Aromaleigh Lipbalm in Yuzu
Nyx Lipliner in Natural (I did fill in my lips very lightly and blend it with my finger)
Spell Vamp Up Gloss in Supernatural

(Natural Light)

(Natural Light)

What do you think of the look?

The Great Zoya Nail Polish Exchange

2010-04-28T15:55:00.000-04:00

After I ended my blog sale, I had 13 bottles of polish that I still wanted to part ways with. Good thing Zoya's annual Nail Polish Exchange just opened up! You need a minimum of 6 bottles (no maximum) to send to Zoya to exchange for their polishes. You pay $3.50/per bottle for processing, handling and shipping. It's really a good deal. You just have to fill out the form at the Zoya website.

I packed up my 13 colors, put them in a bubble wrap envelope, then put them in a box and mailed them for $15 to Zoya via UPS ground.

I picked out the following colors: Mimi, Charla, Alegra, Gilda, Bijou, Michelle, Hope, Anaka, Nova, Brooke, Lola, Soho Punch and Sirena.
I already have Katy, Calypso, Midori, Tart, Lilith (the one I'm most obsessed with), Starla, Snowsicle, Delilah, Eve, Richelle, Roxy, Ki, and Yasmeen.

There are a ton of fabulous nail polish bloggers out there (such as All Lacquered Up & Getcha Nails Did & Body & Soul, so if you search for 'Zoya (polish name) swatches' in Google, you'll be able to find whatever you're looking for :)

Thanks to Polish Mayhem's photo stream called Mollyhellat Flickr, you can check out links to her swatches of some of the colors I ordered.
Sirena - Warm light coral-pink frost with subtle gold and silver microglitter
Hope - flashy medium violet-purple with frosty blue, red and silver colored shimmer
Anaka - Vibrant purple-toned deep fuchsia-pink with reflective hot pink shimmer and gold microglitter
Soho Punch - sheer coral-red with spectacular multicolored glitter
Charla - tropical blue sparkling metallic
Mimi - royal purple sparkling metallic
Alegra - fuchsia pink sparkling metallic
Gilda - fashion pink sparkling metallic

You can also see some amazing images by Lextard at her flickr.

And of course, Scrangie has some fantastic images too.
Lola - Ultra-bright warm fuchsia-pink base with strong blue-violet duochrome shimmer
Nova - medium royal fuchsia-purple tinted translucent base packed with dark and light pink glitter
Bijou - very bright nearly neon saturated coral pink with shimmering silver microglitter

I found some more Zoya swatches at Caracita.com
Brooke - a combination of deep pink, red and violet with fuchsia duochrome shimmer and subtle silvery frost

The only polish that I couldn't find an online swatch for that I ordered was:
Michelle - deep striking magenta pink with frosty violet-blue duochrome shimmer

So tell me, are you taking part in the great Zoya Polish exchange?
What colors are you wanting to try?