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!

Haul and NOTD - ILNP

So after my good friend Nicole posted some nail looks with ILNP nail polishes, I had to pick some up for myself. I picked up two polishes - Fall Semester and Supernova.

ILNP Supernova (left) and Fall Semester (right)

The thing that drew me in were the ILNP Ultra Chrome Flakies. I am a sucker for glitter polishes, and the range that these had was unreal. I picked Supernova because it has a deep purple shift in it, and it seems like it would be great over black. ILNP claims that in a few coats the flakies will be opaque, which I have yet to try.

I also picked up Fall Semester, a blue shimmer polish. I felt it would pair nicely with the teal end of Supernova - I didn't want to get a mismatched set of polishes for my first purchase.

Shipping was quick - the polishes were enroute to me by the evening on the day I placed my order.

Nail look using Fall Semester and Supernova

For the nail look, I used Fall Semester on every nail, and then loaded up Supernova on the ring finger. The flakies were indeed opaque with a few coats, and unlike other glitter polishes, they were not uneven and chunky. I did need an extra layer of top coat for smoothness. I loved how Supernova would catch the light and change colors at different angles, you can see a bit of that in the photos with the purple shift.

The polish lasted about a week on me, including my very hard on nail polish days of typing at work. The polish went on smooth and was easy to apply. I will definitely be purchasing from ILNP again - I need more flakies!

Review - Etude House Drawing Brow Line in No. 2 Grayish Brown

The only makeup item I included in my RoseRoseShop haul was the Etude House Drawing Brow Line pencil. I added it to my cart after reading the review Always Feeling Pretty had done on it. I'm always looking for cheaper alternatives to the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil, which I love, but is very pricy.

Etude House Drawing Brow Line in No. 2 Grayish Brown

Wrist swatch of Grayish Brown

The product itself is not round, but more of a flat shape in a twist up pencil. I love twist ups, it means you don't lose product by needing to sharpen. The product is fairly hard, but you do not need a lot of pressure to get a decent line. I was able to fill both brows quickly, and use the spoolie end to brush out excess product. Once you've made some lines, the product is a tiny bit smudgy, but not by much.

The grayish brown shade is exactly that - a nice ashy brown. I don't know what it is with overly warm brow products, but this is the cooler, ashier shade a lot of other brands could learn from. I was able to get a more defined, yet natural look using this shade.

Pros:

• Twist up
• Built in spoolie end
• Not much pressure needed for a decent line
• Ashy color

Cons:

• Tiny bit smudgy

Etude House Drawing Brow Line in No. 2 Grayish Brown - $2.41 for 0.2 g

Review  - 4/5

Korean Skincare Haul from RoseRoseShop

I'm trying to cut down on my beauty spending for the year (hahaha I'm funny...) so I decided to kick off the year with the only large skincare haul I should need. I fell down the rabbit hole of Korean skincare last year, so I placed my order with RoseRoseShop. RRS has a huge selection of skincare to cosmetics to cute phone cases, and the prices are suuuuper cheap. Shipping is a bit steep, but they charge by weight - so don't order too many heavy items! (Unlike me.)

I've gotten to use a couple items from my order so far, but not many. I ordered a ton of toners, but I'm currently using the toner I got with my Beautylish  lucky bag last month. I'm almost done with my bottle of face wash, and I'm excited to crack open the new face wash I got with this order. Let's show off my haul, shall we?

January 2015 Favorites

We're a few days into February, so it's time to talk about my favorite products from last month! I'm including some old favorites, as well as some new products I received over the holidays that I fell in love with!

1. Guerlain Meteorites Pearls in 02 Clair - I got a "deluxe mini" of these from Sephora earlier in the year (it was one of each pearl. Thanks, Sephora...) and really liked them, so I added the full size to my Christmas wishlist - and Santa delivered! I love how luxe the packaging is, it looks so pretty sitting on my vanity. I use these as a finishing powder, and brush on lightly with a fan brush for a light glow. The powder also blurs any small imperfections that may not have been addressed by the thousand other products on my face! The price tag may be a little much, but I have used this daily since I got it, and haven't seen any signs of product usage.

2. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost - I'm on the fence about LM products after I read her rude remarks about Americans and makeup. (I could definitely rant, but now is not the time!) However, I have a couple of the Caviar Sticks and really like them, especially Sugar Frost. It's literally the easiest inner corner eye highlight I have ever used. Smudge it on and go! This blends out nicely, so you can either concentrate it for a more definied highlight, or sheer it out for a nice inner corner glow. 

3. Koko Lashes #103 - I received these as a gift for Christmas, and I LOVE them! They are reminiscent of my favorite Au Naturale lashes, but they apparently much cheaper. I did a full review of these lashes here, so I won't gush on about these for too long. They will apparently be sold at IMATS NY, so I am excited to get a few more pairs!

4. Lit Cosmetics glitter in Barbie Shops - I mentioned in another post that I'm on a total glitter kick lately. Barbie Shops is the perfect glitter to dab into the inner corner for a bit of extra sparkle, especially if where you are going isn't super glitter friendly. I also love to layer this on top of more neutral looks, as it adds a wonderful kick of shimmer to amp up a boring nude eye.

5. Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb - I honestly don't know how I've gone so long without adding this to a favorites list. This was my first Bite product, and it is still my favorite. This is a great My Lips But Better shade for me, and the formula is to die for. I am to finish the mini size I have of this pencil this year, and I will definitely be repurchasing it in a full size. This would probably be on a desert island product list if I were to ever make such a thing.

Review - ColourPop Lippie Stix and Pencil in Bull Chic

I have been lusting after black lipstick for a while. I have no idea why, as I'm not likely to wear it to work, or even out of the house. Even so, I've been keeping an eye out on any and all black lipsticks. My friend Anna knew this, and got me ColourPop's Bull Chic lipstick (I am sorry, I refuse to say "lippie stix") and liner as a gift!

ColourPop Lippie Stix and Liner in Bull Chic

Bull Chic Lippie Stix (left) and liner (right)

Bull Chic lip swatch

I really do like the twist up packaging of the lipstick. The liner, however, appears that it will need to be sharpened, but you can't really complain at the price point of $5. The lipstick had a pretty heavy vanilla cake scent that faded after application. Application of both liner and lipstick were smooth. However, both were not as pigmented as I was hoping, as evidenced in the swatches. The lipstick has quite a bit of slip, even after blotting. ColourPop claims that the lipstick is matte, but it is far from matte. not even a demi matte or satin matte. It's just not matte, at all. I'd go with more of a creme formula than matte.

The formula isn't drying from what I found. It does, however, transfer very easily, even after blotting. The liner doesn't seem to do too much in giving the lipstick something to "stick" to. I did not eat with this lipstick on, but I can see it smearing easily. I was able to remove the lipstick easily, and it did not leave much of a stain.

Unfortunately, I like how the other ColourPop lipsticks and liners in my collection wear. Fortunately, black is a shade that is going to be used sparingly, so a perfect formula isn't exactly necessary. The Bull Chic lipstick and liner get the job done.

Pros:

• Smooth application
• Non drying

Cons:

• Lacking pigmentation
• Transfers easily
• Heavy scent
• Not matte in the least.

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Bull Chic - $5.00 for 0.0352 oz

ColourPop Pencil in Bull Chick - $5.00 for 0.0352 oz

Review - 2.5/5

Glitter Injections Haul and Swatches

I've been on a total glitter kick lately. I decided to place an order with Glitter Injections for three shades to see what they had to offer. I had seen them being used a lot on Instagram, and I wanted to see what was up!

Glitter Injections top to bottom - Black Rainbow,
Mystic Butterfly, Vintage Chic

Glitter Injections top to bottom - Black Rainbow, 
Mystic Butterfly, Vintage Chic

Mystic Butterfly swatch over Lit Cosmetics Glitter Base

Vintage Chic swatch over Lit Cosmetics Glitter Base

Black Rainbow swatch over Lit Cosmetics Glitter Base

I ordered three shades - Black Rainbow, Vintage Chic, and Mystic Butterfly. I didn't receive shipping confirmation or tracking, but the glitter was in my hands in less than a week! Everything was nicely packaged in bubble wrap. I was intrigued by the "injections" packaging. On the site the claim is that the injection is a "lot less messy." Apparently I was mistaken in thinking the point of the glitter injection was to actually use the "injection" portion. After trying to unstick the tip of the syringe, I realized you're supposed to pull out the plunger. (At least I hope that's right...)

I'm a little disappointed in Black Rainbow, as there doesn't seem to be much rainbow sparkle like the photo on the site! However, I'm definitely going to try and use it as a liner and see how it looks. I'm really excited about Vintage Chic and Mystic Butterfly - I am really looking forward to using these on my nails and in eye looks! My only issue is that all of the glitters seem to be a very fine cut, with no option of a chunkier glitter on the site (unlike Lit, who offers different sizes.) 

Overall, I'm pleased with my first purchase from Glitter Injections. Each "injection" is 5 grams of glitter, for $6.99. I can't wait to play with these!