FOTD - 6.29.15

It's been a while since I posted a FOTD! Not the best lighting, since it's my cell phone and I'm too inept at using my real camera to take pictures of my makeup in the morning.

Products Used:

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte primer
• Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation in 1.0
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Anastasia Contour Kit
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused
• Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer
• Hello Waffle blush in Blush Honey
• MAC Fix+

Eyes:

• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NYX Cosmetics Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown
• NYX Cosmetics brow wax
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Make Up For Ever Artist Eyeshadows in Pink Taupe and Taupe Gray
• Colourpop SuperShock eyeshadow in I Heart This
• Inglot #77 gel liner
• Inglot #353 eyeshadow
• Diorshow mascara in black
• Ri Pi lashes in RP-06

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime Lip
• MAC Mineralize lipstick in Be A Lady

Nails of the Day - 6.24.15

I'm super excited about my very first Femme Fatale nail polish! This one is from the new The White Witch collection, based off of the Chronicles of Narnia. I ordered mine via Shiro Cosmetics - and while this particular shade isn't available, there are still others. This shade is Heart's Desires. The official description is a rose-coral crelly with green-gold crystal flakies and copper-orange highlights. I used two coats here. It's a really pretty toned down summery shade.

Products Used:

• Formula X base coat
• Femme Fatale Cosmetics Heart's Desires
• Seche Vite

MAC Whirl Lipstick - Review

For the past few months, MAC Whirl lipliner has been tough to find. It was touted as the key to a perfect Kylie Jenner lip, and people were buying it like crazy. MAC must have gotten the memo, because with their new lineup of matte lipsticks, they included Whirl in the mix.

Whirl is described as a "dirty rose," with a matte finish. The shade is a balance between a pinky nude and a light brown. The lipstick applies smoothly, much more smoothly than you'd think for a matte finish, and did not tug or drag on the lips. The lipstick has the classic MAC vanilla scent. Due to the fact that this has a matte finish, I paired it with MAC Prep and Prime Lip. I found the formula to be lightly hydrating, and non drying - but this could be the primer at play. I did not use a lip liner, and experienced no bleeding or feathering. There was transfer, not super crazy all gone transfer, but a typical lip print was left on a cup. After eating, the lipstick needed to be reapplied, and left no stain.

The Matte finish of this lipstick differs from the Retro Matte that MAC also offers in that it is not as drying. I have found the Retro Matte to be much more difficult to apply, and harsher on the lips. The end finish of the regular Matte is mostly matte, you may have a slightly demi-matte finish if you do not completely blot it down, but it is not that "oh my god my lips are the Sahara" matte you get with the Retro Matte finish.

Pros:

• Smooth application
• Non drying
• No bleeding or feathering

Cons:

• Noticeable scent
• Demi-matte, must be blotted
• Transfers
• Does not stain, will need to be reapplied after eating

MAC lipstick in Whirl - $16.00 for 0.10 oz

Review 3.5/5

Sixteen92 Lolita EdP - Review

When I placed my first Sixteen92 order, I made sure I ordered Lolita, their best selling fragrance. Unfortunately, with the old oil blend, the fragrance was short lived on my skin. However, Sixteen92 has revamped their carrier oil blend to ensure longer lasting power (and with my new order I've definitely experienced that, but that will come at a later time!) but also, the shop has introduced more traditional perfume sprays. I knew that I would pick up Lolita with my next order.

The Lolita EdP has the same notes as the perfume oil - Crisp Apple Skins, Tart Peach Candies, Rose Absolute, Sugared Violet. When using the EdP, I don't notice a difference in the scent blend on my skin. I get a lot of fruity peach and apple, and not much rose at all. The main difference with the EdP that I noticed is the throw - it is much more powerful. The throw weakens after about four hours, but the scent still clings to clothing, which is something you don't get with perfume oils (because you know...oil and clothing don't get along.) The scent lasted on my skin for the entire workday, without the disappointing fade to nothingness of before, or the need to desperately sniff my wrist to detect it. A definite improvement!

I picked up the 15mL size, because of my growing perfume collection, but there are larger sizes available, plus a 2mL mini size. The bottle is glass, with a sticker label. The cap is black plastic, and the atomizer is also black plastic. It would have been nice to have a metal atomizer, but what can you do. The glass bottle appears to be pretty sturdy. It isn't the fanciest bottle on the vanity, but it has a clean look.

Sixteen92 has also provided a secondary EdP blend available for international shipping,  since perfumer's alcohol cannot be shipped internationally. 

Pros:

• Scent lasts much longer than previous oil blend
• Can be sprayed on clothing
• International EdP blend available
• Sample size EdPs available

Cons:

• Sample size EdPs not available internationally
• Plastic cap and spray atomizer
• Throw fades after about four hours

Sixteen92 Lolita Eau de Parfum - $24.00 for 15mL

Review - 5/5

RiPi Try On Eyelashes in RP-06 - Review

A reddit friend recently went on a trip to Japan, and I asked her if she could pick up some false eyelashes and other goodies for me on her trip. She picked up an assortment of things for me, and I'm happy to be able to talk about some of the lashes she picked up!

The Ri Pi lashes in style RP-06 remind me a lot of Ardell 110 lashes, a favorite of mine. The band is thin and clear, but it can be quite delicate. It does not bend much under the weight of the lash bunches, though. Each bunch has individual hairs of varying lengths, creating a more natural look. There is the slightest of flares from the inner corner to the outer corner of the lash.

I found that these lashes were easy to apply and remove. The clear band blended into the lash line nicely. The varied lash length gave a light, natural look that didn't scream FALSE LASHES. Since the band was light, they felt light on the lid, as well. I was able to wear these for multiple applications, and only had to toss the first pair after not storing them properly.

I'm really happy with these. I like that there were five pairs to the package, and it included a tube of lash adhesive as well. I linked to the listing on Rakuten below, as it was the cheapest I could find these for sale.

Pros:

• Clear band.
• Varied lash length.
• Natural look.
• Good for multiple uses.

Cons:

• Long band, needs to be trimmed.
• Band is delicate.
• Needs to be ordered from Japan (not a con if you're in Japan, though!)

RiPi Try On Eyelashes in RP-06 - $6.46 for 5 pairs (on Rakuten)

Review - 4/5

Sixteen92 Hand Lotion (and Wicked Perfume Oil!) Review

After my first review of Sixteen 92 after I ordered for the first time, I was really happy with all my products. I received a couple of the hand lotions in a swap in some scents I was interested in, along with a mini of Wicked, a general catalog scent. The mini lotions get a spot on my desk at work, as they're really easy to apply after washing your hands. (And I pee a lot and my job has the world's most drying soap for some reason.) The lotion is not my most favorite formula, but it absorbs easily and gets the job done. The mini 1 oz jars are great for places like your desk!

Almond Tea Cakes - Sweet vanilla cakes with fluffy almond icing. The almond in this scent smells very much like almond extract more than a subtle almond note. Thankfully, to balance out the extract portion of the almond scent, there's a heavy dose of vanilla! The two scents blend together to create a sugary cake like scent that sticks to the skin after the lotion has been absorbed. The scent doesn't last all day, and it is not overpowering. After the lotion has been absorbed, it leaves a gentle reminder of cake behind.

Review - 4/5

Sucre Vanille -  Raw sugar, vanilla and a light floral musk with a splash of sweetened coconut milk. The scent for this lotion is initially a light floral sweetness. The coconut and vanilla balance the sugar and floral scent nicely. It reminds me slightly of Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works, but less manufactured, if you get what I mean. The scent is very light and non overwhelming. I'm a big vanilla and coconut fan, so I really liked this combo.

Review - 4/5

Wicked - Three vanillas, dark aged patchouli, almond buttercream. Straight from the vial, the scent is an airy almond extract, reminiscent of the almond from Almond Tea Cakes. Wet on the skin, the almond remains, with the same airy back note that I can't put my finger on. (Is it buttercream? I'm lactose intolerant, so I wouldn't know.) As it dries, the scent picks up a bit of vanilla. I detected no patchouli, thankfully, which I was afraid of. I'm not patchouli's biggest fan. This is a popular scent from Sixteen92, but it did not wow me. It wasn't bad at all, just nothing I need to own.

Review - 2.5/5

Perfume oils work differently for different people due to skin chemistry. This is my experience with these perfume oils and scents, which may differ for you!

Nails of the Day - 6.15.15

Happy Mani Monday! About time I upload my nails on a Monday! I actually too this picture right before I took this polish off. I've really been into gradients lately, and my favorite addition to gradients is a glitter topping. I really wish I had a solid glitter for this, but I made due with the shimmer finish of Hunny Bunny.

Products Used:

• OPI Nail Envy
• OPI Bubble Bath
• China Glaze Rose Among Thorns
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Hunny Bunny
• Seche Vite