Epically Epic Spring Lip Balms - Review

Even though I still haven't finished up my fall balms from Epically Epic, I could not resist when the shop re-opened and put out new balms for spring! Some of these have an island theme, but I got a few additional balms as well.

Epically Epic Lip Balms - Review

I featured my Marshmallow Epically Epic lip balm in my August favorites, and I wanted to write about the other flavors I picked up after I fell in love with Marshmallow! Marshmallow was gifted to me in a swap, and it took the finishing of my favorite Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment to crack it open, and I'm really glad I did! I ordered some more flavors near the end of the summer, so I'm going to be writing about a few seasonal flavors that may not be around all the time. (Marshmallow seems to be a constant from what I've seen, though!)

Corvus Cosmetics Mini Haul and Swatches

So a little while back I decided to put in a mini order at Corvus Cosmetics. My first order was great, so why not go back for more? (I may or may not have a third order with stuff from the new collections in the worlds. No ragrets.)

I picked up two shades from the Westerburg collection, based off of the movie Heathers. I was also given a sample shade of Urania, from the Mouseia collection.

Is That Pâté? is described as a "slightly shimmery warmer-toned taupe." Over bare skin, the sparkles do not really blend well into the shadow and are loose. Over primer, the sparkles blend in with the pigments, really creating the shimmer in the description.  

MTV Video Games is a "bright yellow-toned lime green." Over bare skin, the shadow is not as vibrant as in the jar. Over primer, the color is more amplified.  This shade of green definitely leans more yellow for me. There was no big sparkle to it, which was a nice change of pace. 

Urania is a "near-black navy base with a strong blue and turquoise shimmer, with gold and silver sparks." I am not a huge fan of black based shimmery eyeshadows, but this is near black. Over bare skin, it just does not perform that well at all. The dark base is patchy and the sparkles are everywhere and this is why I am not a fan of dark base shadows! Over primer, though, the shadow unites and looks lovely. The sparkles come together to form a beautiful shimmer, and the near black base amplifies the blue. I used this as a liner, and it really brightened up.

Always happy to order from Corvus, and I can't wait to see what comes in the mail from the latest collections!

FOTD - 6.9.15

Forgive my front facing camera selfies, but I liked how my makeup turned out today! I was also able to get somewhat decent pictures of it, so I wanted to share. After all, this is a makeup blog, and I should share how I use all this makeup I write about.

I used a ton of products. I apologize in advance for the Bite lipstick being limited edition and no longer available...their Matte Creme Lip Crayon line is great, though!

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte primer
• L'oreal True Match liquid foundation in N1
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent pressed powder
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (Vanilla, Banana, Fawn)
• Hello Waffle blush in Sweet Tea
• Hello Waffle highlighter in Golden Veil
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused
• MAC Fix+
• TonyMoly Pocket Bunny Sleek Mist

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Inglot eyeshadow #353
• Make Up For Ever Artist eyeshadows in Pinky Diamond, Rosewood, Cookie, and Sweet Chestnut
• Kat von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
• Givenchy Noir Couture 4 in 1 mascara
• Ardell 110 false lashes

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime Lip
• Urban Decay 24/7 lip liner in Streak
• Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Blood Orange

Corvus Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

So a few months ago I picked up my first few eyeshadows from Corvus Cosmetics. I originally swatched them right away, but I was having the worst swatching day of my life. So I set them aside to be dealt with another day - and that day is here! I picked up five eyeshadows from the Kinder-und Hausmärchen collection inspired by Grimm's Fairytales.

Sugarpill Charmy vs. Hello Waffle Lumps - Comparison Post

Whenever I swatch indie products, I always end up reminded of another product in my collection. This time around, I was swatching a sparkly pink shade - Hello Waffle Lumps eyeshadow, and was reminded of Sugarpill Charmy Chromalust loose eyeshadow. I decided to make a post to see how they stack up side by side!

Sugarpill Charmy (left) and Hello Waffle Lumps (right)

Sugarpill Charmy is listed as "sweetest babydoll pinky peach with iridescent fuchsia reflects." It's a very soft, girly shade. Hello Waffle Lumps is a "peachy-pink shimmer with subtle purple sparks." Both eyeshadows have peach, both have pink, now let's swatch them out!

With no primer, Charmy leans more peach, with Lumps leaning more pink. Since there is no primer to keep the sparkles in check, both shadows have their sparklies going every which way. Lumps has more of an iridescence to it.

Here is the swatch over primer! (I used Too Face Shadow Insurance.) Sugarpill Charmy is much more peachy than Lumps, which is much more of a satiny ballet pink. The sparkles are now in check, and they blended nicely with the shadows to create lovely satin shadows instead of glitterbombs. Though the eyeshadows looked very similar in their containers, they are very different on the skin.

Sugarpill Charmy is $13 for 0.14 oz of eyeshadow. Hello Waffle Lumps is sadly discontinued, but was apart of the Adventure Duo offered earlier this year. 

Fyrinnae Kitten vs. Colourpop Tootsi - Comparison Post

If you haven't noticed, I am all about the "butthole lip" trend, aka "griege" lip colors. Every company and their mother have jumped to create a griege lip shade, especially since Lime Crime decided to crash and burn hardcore with their credit card debacle earlier this year. On top of, you know, their general shady history. However, Lime Crime Cashmere is the end all be all of butthole lip, and I am on a quest to find an amazing dupe so I don't have to sell my soul or even worse, set aside my morals for a tube of most likely questionable butthole goodness.

Today I'm taking a look at one of my favorite indie companies, Fyrinnae, and their recent addition to their liquid matte line, Kitten. Next to it we are putting ColourPop Tootsi, which I have previously reviewed. (And since picked up the matching lip liner.) Fyrinnae Kitten has been selling like hot cakes since it went up on the site (and every time it is restocked!), and I managed to finally snag it a few weeks ago and I am SO HAPPY. Tootsi is a hot item as well, since it's basically butthole for $5 - can't say no to that!

Before we begin, when I compare two products like this, I am comparing for shade purposes only. Kitten is a liquid matte, with the formula being like an ink for your lips, you can see it in the swatch that it has sunk into my skin, almost. Tootsi is a regular lipstick with a "matte" finish. I say "matte" because ColourPop doesn't know what matte means and from my experience, when they say "matte lipstick" they mean demi-matte.

Kitten is definitely the more gray of the two, with a beautiful grayish lavender shade. Greige is supposed to be a mix of beige and grey, so I'd say Kitten doesn't really fall into that category due to the amount of purple that it's in the mix here. Tootsi has a hint of pink to it as well, but definitely more beige, and a lot less gray. In the quest for butthole, I'd say Tootsi is more the color of the classic butthole lip, and Kitten is more of a fabulous garden fairy lip color. Neither, though, are a true griege in my opinion.

I'm still on my quest for the great Cashmere griege dupe. But I'm glad I have both of these shades!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Lovely vs. Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Ocelot

It's been a while since I've done a comparison post! I decided to go for liquid lipstick formulas this time, since they're currently super popular. The Anastasia formula is still pretty new, and I had one in my collection that looked quite similar to Fyrinnae Ocelot.

ABH Lovely (left), Fyrinnae Ocelot (right)

In the tube, the two products look pretty similar. The description for Lovely is "rosy pink." Ocelot is listed as a "warm dusty rose-pink."

ABH Lovely (left), Fyrinnae Ocelot (right)

Here is where we can really see the shade differences. It's worth noting that the ABH formula is a liquid to matte lipstick, but the Fyrinnae formula is not a fully matte liquid lipstick. Fyrinnae's formula is more of a mushed up lipstick that is spread on with a doe foot applicator with a comfortable wear, with more of a demi matte finish.

Outside of the tube, Ocelot really lives up to the warmth in its description, it is a warmer and lighter pink than Lovely. Both are definite rosy pink shades - Lovely dries down to a darker, completely matte finish due to the different formula. I wouldn't say that these are dupes of one another, though if you applied Ocelot over a darker lip liner, you could come close to matching Lovely's deeper pink shade.

It is also worth noting that Fyrinnae currently does not have the mini sizes of their lip lustres on their site, so I feel a little bit bad using mine for the product shot. But the product is definitely worth the full size if a fully matte lipstick is not your cup of tea!

Cirque Colors Spring Release - Love Stone and New Moon

I love new nail polish collections almost as much as new makeup collections, and I fell in love with the new Cirque Colors Awakening Collection for Spring. I picked up two of the shades, Love Stone and New Moon.

Love Stone (left) and New Moon (right

Love Stone is a beautiful petal pink with gold sparkles. The base is a pink cream, and it took two coats to build to full opacity, and it comes to a shimmery finish with the glitter building up and overtaking the cream base.

New Moon is a stormy grey with silver shimmer mixed in. The base is a grey cream, and two coats was enough to build to full opacity. The finish comes to a nice shimmer.

I like Cirque polishes, and they have yet to disappoint me. I am happy with the spring colors I decided to pick up. They're a little pricey, but they do occasionally run sales, so keep an eye out!

Love Stone topped with Lit Cosmetics Oprah glitter in size 3

Here's a quick mani I put together for Love Stone. I topped it with Lit Cosmetics glitter in Oprah, size 3. It comes together to create a lovely shimmery pink look that reminds me of sakura petals.

The Awakening Collection is Limited Edition from Cirque Colors. Each nail polish is $13 for 0.45 oz.

Toxid Lotus Guest Post!

Hi everyone! Luna over at Toxid Lotus was kind enough to extend an invitation to me for a guest post spot at her blog! I accepted, and I wrote up a comparison piece, since those seem to be pretty popular. Check it out!

Life's Entropy Cosmos Lipstick in Blackbody vs. MAC Cyber

Review - Haus of Gloi First Blush perfume oil

I hope everyone is ready for my first time reviewing an indie perfume! I know that you won't be able to get your hands on this anymore, but that isn't my fault! Haus of Gloi is doing their best with coming to terms with their newfound growth, and their turnaround time reflects that. But onto the review!

Haus of Gloi First Blush perfume oil

The notes for First Blush are Tahitian vanilla bean, white tea, lavender and peach.  Upon opening the bottle, I am greeted with white tea and peach, with a hint of lavender. I don't really find the vanilla, which is somewhat nice, as vanilla can be overpowering sometimes. On the skin, I still find the peach to be the number one note for me. After the perfume dries down, and throughout the day, peach is still the note that lingers for me. I absolutely love this perfume, and even though it was a Valentine's release, I think that I will be reaching for it well into spring.

I find that the perfume doesn't linger all day, but fades nicely throughout the day, leaving me with those fading peach notes. Please note this is how the perfume reacts with my skin, and this will vary person to person!

Pros:

• Light fruity scent
• No medicinal lavender note!
• Vanilla is not overpowering

Cons:

• Does not last all day
• White tea could be more prominent

Haus of Gloi First Blush perfume oil (Limited Edition) - $15 for 5mL

Review 4/5

Scaredy Cat Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

I think my winter depression is starting to pass and I'll be back to updating regularly. I hope so, at least, as I have a backlog of things I want to talk about! I am happy to be reviewing another indie company, Scaredy Cat Cosmetics! I ordered five of their Trial Vials. The turnaround time was great, and received them about a week later!

Trial Vials, Left to Right; Flounce Cat, Rose Gold, Phoenix Tears, Sakura,
Bacchus

Haul and Swatches - Sugarpill Chromalust eyeshadows

I really meant to write up this post a lot sooner...but life happened. I got my hands on two of the new Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadows (of course, one of which is limited edition...) and I am excited to show them off!

Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadows in Pastille (left) and Mint Soda (right)

Sugarpill Pastille swatches  - left over bare skin, rightover
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Mint Soda swatches - left over bare skin, right over
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Pastille is a "pale carnation pink with sparkling flecks of gold." Worn alone, the description fits perfectly. Over a sticky base, the shade transforms into a lovely pinky rose gold. I also wore the shade wet, and it took on the gold foil effect that the sticky base also had. I recommend wearing this shade over the sticky base, as when wearing just wet, the sparkles migrated into eyelid creases throughout the day.

Sugarpill Mint Soda is a "radiant metallic mint with sparkling gold sheen." I feel that the green is more of a lime-ish green than a mint, I picture mint to be a more bluish shade. This shade did not deliver as much as I'd have liked, but over a sticky base it looked great. I think this shade will really need to be layered over a white base for it to really stand out.

Unfortunately, Pastille was a limited edition shade that was sold at IMATS LA this year, and a small amount of stock was released online with the other new shades. I look forward to picking up other shades from the new release of the Chromalust eyeshadows!

Life's Entropy Cosmos Lipsticks Haul and Swatches

Once again, a post that is late to the game. However, this time it is not my fault! I ordered the Life's Entropy Cosmos lipsticks as soon as the shop re-opened back in January. I just received them at the end of last week - my order took the full stated turn around time for the shop. I don't fault Jane, the shop owner, though - these lipsticks were selling like crazy! No wonder the turn around time was up to 20 days! This was my first order with Life's Entropy, and I am super pleased with everything I received.

My order packaged nicely.

My lipsticks came wonderfully packaged in gold wrap with a Life's Entropy "wax seal" sticker. I love when companies hand wrap orders, it feels more like a gift than a purchase! Especially when the shop is as busy as Life's Entropy has been, it really adds that extra special touch. The package I received in the mail was intact and nicely padded. I also received an eyeshadow sample, which is not pictured in this post. But yay samples!

Life's Entropy Cosmos lipstick in Milky Way 

Life's Entropy Cosmos lipsticks sample pans.
Clockwise from top - Supernova, Blackbody,
Flux, Plasma

I had a hard time deciding which colors to buy - I had told myself one full size, and then samples. Since I had such a tough time, I decided I'd get all the colors no matter what - but debating the full size was an issue. I settled on Milky Way - a color similar to others I had in my collection that I wear often, so I know it was a color that would work for me.

The full size lipstick is packaged in a plastic lipstick tube with a Life's Entropy sticker. The tube was very light. I know the tube style had changed due to overwhelming demand and a need for an emergency reorder - it's just really neat to be getting a hand crafted indie lipstick in an actual lipstick tube. The sample pans came in small baggies, and each pan was labeled with the shade.

A complaint has been heard about these lipsticks - they arrived sweaty. My lipstick did as well, along with the sample pans. I was able to dab off the sweat from all of them without harming the actual product. I'm not sure what is causing the sweating, but I know that it has been quite cold in the Northeast lately, and since Life's Entropy is shipping from New York, I would not be surprised if temperature changes are causing the lipsticks to behave like this. Either way, the sweat cleaned up just fine.

Milky Way swatch

Sample swatches, top to bottom - Supernova, Flux,
Plasma, Blackbody.

All of the lipsticks swatched beautifully. The formula is smooth and very creamy, with a bit of slip. When I wore Milky Way it felt very slippery, and transferred a lot onto the cup I was using. However, I did not experience any bleeding or feathering, even without a lipliner. I did have to reapply throughout the day. I did not find the formula drying, which is a big plus - though I paired with lip primer, as always.

I know that a lot of people missed out on these, so I am hoping that Jane decides to bring the Cosmos lipsticks back for another limited edition run - or maybe even as a permanent item! Should she decide to release more shades, I will definitely be ordering samples at the very least.

Performance Colors Black Rose vs. OCC Black Metal Dahlia

I feel really bad about this post. I had it planned for a while, and by the time I got around to doing it - Performance Colors has closed its shop doors. This is what I get for procrastinating. However, I love comparing products and swatching my collection, so I'm going to post this anyway.

Just to clarify, for this post, I am only comparing the colors and overall finish. I'm aware that they are vastly different in application and just in how the product is packaged, but I still feel a shade comparison has merit here.

Performance Colors Black Rose and OCC Black Metal Dahlia

So right off the bat, in the packaging, both products look to have similar shades. Deep purple-burgundy with sparkle, and an overall metallic finish. When I first got Black Rose, I immediately thought of Black Metal Dahlia.

Swatches - Black Rose (left) and Black Metal Dahlia (right)

Now for the actual swatch comparison. Black Rose really takes the "black" in its name to heart, the shade is a much deeper blackened purple red than Black Metal Dahlia. Black Metal Dahlia has a much richer red tone to it. Both have a nice sparkle to them.

Smeared swatches - Black Rose (left) and Black Metal Dahlia (right)

I decided to take a photo of the swatches after trying to wipe them off, since you can get some more detail about the finish of the product, and the shade tones. Black Rose has a much deeper purple shade and some sparkle. Blah Metal Dahlia keeps its rich red, but has a touch of purple. However, the sparkle to Black Metal Dahlia is much more apparent, and at the bottom of the swatch you can see the strong metallic finish the product gives.

As you can see, both products look similar in the tube, but swatch very differently. I'm glad I have both - no dupes here!

FOTD - 11.25.14

I wanted glitter and wings this morning, and wound up putting a lot more work into my wings than I'd wanted to. I don't know if my liner or my brush is to blame, or just me being terrible at winged liner.

Hello! :)

Face:

• Becca Ever Matte Primer
• Rouge Bunny Rouge Diaphanous loose powder
• Maybelline Dream Wonder liquid foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Creme Colour Concentrate in John Doe
• Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector liquid in Pearl
• MAC blush in Warm Soul
• Bourjois Java Rice Powder
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• Lit Cosmetics glitter adhesive
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Cher
• Diorshow Overcurl mascara
• NYX Cosmetics Wicked Lashes in Bashful

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Performance Colors lipstick in Ginger Heart

Performance Colors Haul and Swatches

I'm happy that I get to be writing about another great indie company today - Performance Colors! I received my first order from them over this past weekend, and I got a chance to photograph, swatch, and test out a couple of the items. Performance Colors has been around for a few years (the Etsy shop was opened in 2011) so I'm a little late to the game here, but I'm really excited to finally be giving these products a try!

I ordered a little bit of everything - a trio of pressed eyeshadows, cream shadow sticks, and lipsticks. Turn around time was great, I received my order in less than a week. Everything was packed nicely in plastic bags with labels for each product, in a bubble envelope for protection. Just a head's up - I did have a coupon code for this order, but I did purchase everything with my own cashmoney.

Everything I ordered!

Baroque Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

For the last year or so, I've started dipping my toes into the world of indie makeup. Makeup meaning cosmetics, bath and body, fragrance - you name it, I'll buy it. There's a super helpful subreddit that I like to frequent, /r/indiemakeupandmore, that is a great place to start if you're new to the world of indie makeup, mostly because of the helpful community that can point you in the right direction. (If you're reading this from here, hi guys!! :D )

The owner of Baroque Cosmetics announced her new collection based off of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last week, and as soon as I had some available funds, I snapped some of the eyeshadows up (as well as a couple from her other collections!) She shipped them out that day, and they were in my eager little hands two days later. Talk about a killer turn around time!! I've documented the packaging and everything for you, along with some swatches!

Disclaimer - I did receive a blogger discount on these. However, I did pay for the product!

So nicely wrapped!

All unwrapped.

FOTD - 11.14.14

Happy Friday! I wish I had gotten a better picture of this look, but I was in a bit of a rush this morning. I was really happy with how this turned out!

Everyone loves a car selfie!

Face:

• Hourglass Mineral Veil primer
• Too Faced Primed and Poreless loose powder
• YSL Teint Touche Eclat foundation in B10
• NYX HD Concealer in 01
• Anastasia Contour Kit
• Pumpkin and Poppy contour powder
• Milani baked blush in Luminoso
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim and Diffused
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Inglot #353
• Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
• Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Espresso
• Sugarpill loose eyeshadow in Lucid
• Lit Cosmetics loose glitter in Barbie Shops
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• Ardell 120 Demi lashes
• Dior Diorshow Overcurl mascara

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Make Up For Ever Lip Line Perfector
• Too Faced Melted Berry

Hello Waffle Rose Champagne vs. Shiro I Tried

I love rose gold. You know that song "All Gold Everything?" My theme song would be "All Rose Gold Everything." If it comes in a rose gold tone, I need it. My indie shadow drawer has a whole row of just rose gold shades. So today, I've decided to swatch two side by side that look a little similar in the container, to see how they swatch out.

To keep everything simple, Hello Waffle Rose Champagne will always be on the left, and Shiro's I Tried will always be on the right. 

Hello Waffle Rose Champagne and Shiro
I Tried

Product lids - Rose Champagne and I Tried

As you can see from the containers and the product in the lids, both shadows have a rosy tone to them. Rose Champagne is described as "a sparkly champagne color with a tinge of pink." I Tried is listed to be "that gorgeous rose gold that everyone's been wanting!" Let's swatch the two out before we continue to break down the shades any further. 

Swatches - no base

Okay, so maybe these two don't perform their best with no base. I swear that they are both there, left and right, just as I promised. From what's visible, Rose Champagne definitely has a more champagne colored base to it, while I Tried has a golden bronze feel to it.

Top row - over NYX milk;
bottom row - over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

There are the rose golds we were promised! Over the white base, Rose Champagne definitely delivers  on the description of the champagne based color, while I Tried has more of a rosy hue. Over Pixie Epoxy, both shades foil, with Rose Champagne taking on a metallic finish making it look reminiscent of rose gold jewelry. Overall, Rose Champagne has more shimmer to it, making it a good lid or highlight color, while I Tried would look great as a crease color with its more subtle luster.

Both of these colors were Colors of the Month for their respective brands, both at $6 for 2 grams of product.