March 2015 Favorites!

End of another month already! It's time for my March favorites...this time I've included a bath/body product to mix it up a bit.

1. Nivea In Shower Body Lotion - On the recommendation of a few reddit friends, I picked up this in shower lotion from Nivea, and I am in LOVE. This winter has been especially bad for my skin concerning post shower dryness, and I have been going through a ton of body lotion. This makes life a lot easier, especially getting the small of the back that is hard to get by yourself! There are several formulas as well, for normal to extra-dry skin. I will definitely be keeping this in my shower for a long time to come.

2. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - I don't know how I haven't picked my go-to concealer for a Favorites post yet. I love the Radiant Creamy Concealer (RCC for short!) and I use it for everything - blemishes, under eyes, and covering any extra redness. I find that it is the perfect consistency of a little creamy but not too thick, buildable but not coming out cakey. The only letdown is that there's a very limited shade range for this concealer. (I use Vanilla.)

3. MAC lipstick in Viva Glam Miley Cyrus - When this was announced, I didn't really think twice about it, owing to my large collection of pink lipsticks. However, I received it as a birthday gift from some friends, and it looks fantastic on me! It's an amplified finish hot pink, a little bit darker than the photo shown here. Of course, all proceeds go to an excellent cause, which is another great gift from my friends.

4. Becca Ever Matte Poreless Perfecting Primer - Another one of my go to products. When Becca says matte, they mean MATTE. I wear this primer and at the end of the day, I may end up with a satin finish on my foundation, and that's a big may. I know the application may be tricky for some, but my best advice would be to get a sample if you can, and try warming it up on your fingertips and try patting it on to areas that are extra oily during the day, and then blending out with a patting motion from there. Be sure your moisturizer and SPF have fully sunken in before applying the primer.

5. By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon - This was another gift from my friends, and I was floored when I received it! Ombre Blackstars are a new favorite product of mine, and Bronze Moon is a lovely addition to my collection. These cream shadow sticks blend beautifully, and they are gorgeous just worn alone and blended out. My new quick eye look is taking a Bronze Moon to the lid, blending out to the crease, adding more product to the lid, and adding a little liner and mascara for a quick, subtle daytime smokey eye.

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

February 2015 Favorites!

Time for last month's favorites! I know I've been seriously slacking, it's just been too cold to get out from under the blankets on the couch and edit photos. I promise I will get stuff done soon!!

1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused - The Ambient Lighting Powders are meant to recreate different types of light to flatter the skin. Diffused light is a soft yellow that is meant to blur and soften any imperfections, and it totally does. I've gone without wearing it and I can definitely tell that it makes a difference. It is a bit pricey, but I've been using the same powder for about a year and I've barely made a dent.

2. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base - I've used a ton of eyeshadow primers, and I keep coming back to this one. The formula is light and easily spread over the eyelid. My only complaint is the packaging - I have to rip the plastic stopper out to get the product at the bottom of the tube out that the doe foot can't reach.

3. NYX Micro Brow Pencil - This is a new product that I'll be doing a full review on, but I love it! It's close to the Anastasia Brow Wiz that I love, but much cheaper! If you can find it near you, definitely give it a try. (I picked up shade Ash Brown.)

4. Kat von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper - For the longest time I shied away from liquid liner due to either messy formulas or crappy applicators. I tried marker applicators where the felt tips got frayed or fuzzy or brush tips that were not precise, But this liner is the perfect hybrid of the two - the precise, tapered point of the marker, with the ease of the brush. If you've been having issues with liquid liners, look into this one.

5. Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation - This foundation has been out for a little while, but I finally picked it up with the new UD concealer (which I will have a full write up on in another post.) I originally picked up shade 02 which was a bit too dark and yellow, so I exchanged for shade 01. I really like this foundation, the coverage is pretty light but can easily be built and it is not overly cakey and noticeable! It lives up to the "naked skin" name. I also like how they have a variety of shades (though not undertones) that go quite deep, unlike the concealers (which I hope they work on.) Grab a sample and see if it works for you!

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.