Sometimes I should blog just for the sake of blogging. A couple FOTDs that I consider WIN.

Two FOTDs in one post. I think we can agree this counts as 2 posts, and therefore I am totally on track with my blogging career. ON WITH IT THEN.

This past Saturday we went to a Christmas festival. It was absolutely lame, but at least I had an excuse to wear makeup? Worth it. We also got a family photo, which is always unexpected. I got to use my new Fyrinnae shadow, Bride of Frankenstein on the lid, with a random High Voltage lighter blue shadow blended out on top. The pink is Dollipop from Sugarpill. The awesome lip color is Evil Shades Bane, and it is my new favorite pink.

AND THEN THERE'S THIS

GUESS WHO'S GETTING COAL (^^^^^^^)

Really, after forcing a hat onto him, the rest of the photo session went quite smoothly. 

Then, later in the week, me and my fiance attended his company's Christmas dinner. Hell yeah, let's be social, un-awkward beautiful butterflies for just one night, babe! Here's a fun little recap of the night...

I....was not meant to be let out in public. Honestly, although I fully appreciate the sentiment of the dinner provided by his company, and the chance to try buffalo prime rib for the first time, it was incredibly awkward for me. Also, I had a killer headache after the whole thing from trying to turn my head to the side so I didn't make eye contact with anyone for like, an hour. TRUE STORY. Really, I am like this in every social situation, so it wasn't any different than anything else I've tried to bust out of my shell and do/attend. I just thought it would be. (Why?? No one knows.) At any rate, I think my makeup for the night turned out pretty nice, and I would like to share it with you :) 

HOWUDOIN? 

I used all Sugarpill for this look. Tiara on the lid, Royal Sugar on the outer lid, and a dusting of Goldilux on the inner lid. I think it was very holiday-ish, yes? Note to self: If you are going to plaster your face all up in the internet's biznass, have a freshly waxed stache, k? K. Let's just move past my epic facial hair, shall we? 

Anyways, thank you all for reading and staring at my face. 

Comic made by me using memebase.com comic builder

Metal Glam Cosmetics Review

Good evening, dear reader. I wasn't gone as long this time in between posts, and for that I am proud. However, I hope to get to the point where I am doing a couple posts a week....I'm not holding my breath, though.

I'm here to share with you my experience with another indie makeup company called Metal Glam Cosmetics. I happened upon them on Facebook, and I love trying different companies, and also their shadows looked very pretty, so I contacted the owner about purchasing a sample pack for review. I ended up purchasing a $5 "grab bag." Shipping was $7 from Canada. Man I hate shipping :( But, of course, no fault of the company, as the actual shipping ended up being pretty damn close to what I was charged. Ordering is done through Metal Glam's Facebook page/e-mail. I received my makeups in a reasonable amount of time, although I forget the actual ship/receive date, I know I didn't wait long. So, turn around time I would say is very acceptable. I received 5 sample baggies and 2 pigments in jars. The pigments in jars had different amounts in them. I assume one to be a sample jar and one to be a full size. Just so you have an idea of what I received :) Here are some product photos:

The little blue stars on top of the jars are a cute touch. Sample baggies appear to have approximately 1/8 tsp of product. I didn't measure it, I just used my acquired sample eyes ^_^ Labels are handwritten. Ingredient information is not included, and no sifters in jars (which I don't care about because I hate sifters, but just to note). Jars had a small piece of clear tape to help ensure they didn't come loose during shipping. SWATCH TIME!

The flash photo is not labeled, but are in the same order as the outside, no flash photo, so refer to that! Swatches were done over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy.

The colors I received are very pretty, and very pigmented! I adore Lucid Dream and Primma Donna, but I love the others as well! Even over bare skin (not shown) they go on very pigmented and have good adherence. Formula-wise, I would say they are good. They applied fairly nicely to the lid. Here is a quick eye look I did!

Again, one with flash, one without. I used Primma Donna, Lucid Dream, and Heavy Load. I am surprised at how much I actually liked the look I created, and then the ultimate kick to the throat - One eye done and I had to be at an appointment in 5 MINUTES. Who has been there?? So, sadly, I had to immediately take it off and rush out the door :( Sad day, I wanted to show this look off to the world. I guess I kind of am right now, right? RIGHT?

~Metal Glam Cosmetics Overview~

Pros: Pigmented colors, I liked the colors, good formula, good adherence. Overall, a good product and pretty pretty sparkly colors >.< Prices are comparable to other indies.

Cons: I would like to see a little more put into the packaging. While some attention to detail is there (the cute stars, tape so they don't undo in shipping) I prefer to see a printed label and maybe shrink wrap instead of the scotch tape. I also would prefer a more user-friendly ordering system in place, such as a website, instead of the ordering via e-mail/Facebook thing. It's not a huge deal, just my preference.

Overall: I had a pleasant experience with Metal Glam Cosmetics. The owner was a pleasure to work with, TAT was decent, and I liked the products I received. I would purchase from this company again, based on my experience. Also I know they have some newer colors, and I'm definitely going to check out what they have and see if there is anything in particular that speaks to me =^.^=

You can find Metal Glam Cosmetics on their Facebook page to look at more colors, swatches, descriptions, pricing, ordering information, or just to say hi.

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me. I was not compensated for review.

Dawn Eyes Cosmetics swatches and mini review

I've been a bad, bad blogger, I'm quite behind on my reviews, but I'm back with a mini review for you of Dawn Eyes Cosmetics! Let's get right down to it, shall we?

Ordering/Shipping: I ordered a 5-sample blogger review pack from Dawn Eyes on 10/3/11 for $2.50 w/free shipping. Good deal right? I ordered through their web store (linked at the bottom of this review). I'm not crazy about the look and navigation on the site, but it's not too bad, and everything has a swatch, and that is what is important to me. I received my product on 10/14/11, so shipping was average - not lightning quick, not unbearably long; good then.

My stuff came wrapped like a little psychedelic present in tissue paper, of course inside a mailer (I can't remember if it was bubble wrapped or not, because I'm a naughty blogger and fell  off the face of the earth for a bit since I received it).

Samples are packaged in little labeled baggies, inside of larger baggies. No ingredient information on labels, but that can be found on the Dawn Eyes website.

 

Swatches were done over Darling Girl Glitter Glue. 

I ordered 5 colors and received 2 freebie samples. I always love getting freebies, it just gives me a little more happy! I didn't have trouble working with any of the colors (even the matte, Nude) and found them smooth and easy to apply. Pretty pretty, right?

The standouts for me in this group are Super Sparkle Black Gold and Gold Gilded Blue. I also see myself wearing Plain Soft Rose and Spring Buds. I want to wear Nude but I can't figure out how to make it work on me (color placement wise) yet. Amazing Base and How Sweet the Sound, although very pretty, may just be too sheer sparkly for my tastes.

Overall Thoughts: I'm really glad I tried Dawn Eyes Cosmetics out. I think this company has some gems to be found in their shadows, and I am pleasantly surprised at the colors and quality of product. Pricing is standard, shipping price is fair, and shipping time is average. I would order again.

You can find Dawn Eyes Cosmetics on Facebook or you can go to their website to browse around or place an order.

Mini-Disclaimer: Products were purchased by me for review. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated for review.

Daling Girl (Ghoul) Halloween swatches!

Since I previously told you how awesome Darling Girl Cosmetics is, I will primarily just be posting swatches today of the Halloween collection, and of course my 3 extra pigments that came in my package. In case you missed it, here's a sum up: Shadows are awesome, pigmented, and complex (so much so that I'm disappointed in my camera and myself for not being able to capture the true beauty in most...) and the lip products are amazing both in color and they way they feel on your lips. I highly recommend this company. I have been thrilled with everything I have received from them.

The last 3 swatches were my freebies with purchase/not a part of the Halloween goodies. Ughhh these are all just so gorgeous it hurts me...and there is so much complexity and sparkle that I failed to catch on camera. See the Darling Girl site for fantastic product photos.

Here are the glosses I nabbed. I love them so hard. All 3 are incredibly more wearable (color wise) than I thought they would be. The formula feels great on my lips.

I think I will be getting full sizes of Crypt Keeper and Jack's Lantern (which photographed more purple than I think it should have, as it looked more burgundy to me), but I wish I could get full sizes of everything! I would definitely recommend you get this Halloween collection, or anything from Darling Girl if you haven't already.

Disclaimer: All products, aside from the standard gifts with purchase, were purchased by me and all opinions are my honest own. 

Are you a good witch? Or a bad witch? Dark Heart Designs Halloween collection review & swatches!

I'm sort of in love with Halloween, and when I saw the Good Witch/Bad Witch collection from Dark Heart Designs, it was a must have. I ordered the sample set of that and 5 gel eyeliners. This was also my first ever order from Dark Heart, so I will be reviewing them from different aspects, and not just on the Halloween collection. The swatches in this post will be from the Halloween collection only, however. I will tackle gel liners and the other 3 shades I own in a different post. Let's get started!

SHIPPING: Was fast. I paid on a Monday (late at night, so basically Tuesday) and received my order that Saturday. Dark Heart has a couple new listing/shipping procedures in place, and from my experience, it's working famously.

PACKAGING: The items arrived to me in perfect condition. The liners are shrink wrapped, which is very nice. Along with the items I ordered, I received a brochure, cosmetics care guide, business card, coupon for my next purchase, individual ingredient cards for the liners, and a nice personal "thank you" note.

ON TO THE SWATCHES!

BAD WITCHES!

GOOD WITCHES!

MAN I hate it when my swatches suck. Some days I just can't get it right! Top 1/3 of swatch was done over TFSI, middle over NYX in Milk, and bottom over NYX in Black Bean. I also foiled these (not pictured) so I could truly see these in all aspects and get a good description/opinion going. Below are some descriptions, so hopefully that helps. 

 Descriptions (white print is the description from Dark Heart, and RED is my take on the color)

Jadis - The Chronicles of Narnia - Silvery white w/ blue sheen & aqua sparkle. It's a pretty glittery white. I don't really see a blue sheen, but I do see tons of aqua sparklies, making it very pretty shade!

Elphaba - Wizard of Oz/Wicked - Green w/red sheen & sparkle. This sparkly green does have a very subtle red sheen. I was hoping the sheen would be a lot more noticeable, but it is still a beautiful sparkly green.

Eva - The Witches - Black w/ purple sheen & sparkle. Deep purple with tons of purple (maybe pink?) sparklies. Fantastic color foiled or over a sticky base. However, it would not adhere to bare skin or skin with just primer. Make sure to use this one with a tacky base!

Anna - Season of the Witch - Brown w/ blue sheen & copper sparkle. This one is MY FAVORITE. I love it SO. HARD. It looks purplish to me at some angles, blue at others, but keeps a neutral tone as it's backbone. It's like purplebrownblueEXPLOSION. I would say this is the most complex shade in the gang, so of course it's my favorite. I put it on my face immediately <3

Glinda - Good witch of the North - Pastel Pink w/ red sheen & silver sparkle. Pretty pastel sparkly pink! Another one where I wish the sheen was more pronounced, but I think I can sort of see it.

Samantha - Bewitched - Peach w/ purple shift & sparkle. Okay, this one I see the shift! Quite a gorgeous shade, one of my favorites!

Sabrina - The Teenage Witch - Plum w/ blue sheen & sparkle. Not quite as deep a purple as Eva. I can see a subtle blue shift.

Kiki - Kiki's Delivery Service - Blue w/ red sheen & sparkles. Meet my other favorite in this collection! Beautiful slate blue with a visible red shift. Ahhhh!!

Here is a very quick eye look I did with Anna and Glinda: 

Anna looks blue in the photo. Like I said, it's quite the little changer!

OVERALL THOUGHTS (COMPANY): My experience with Dark Heart was fantastic. The owner was very communicative and a pleasure to work with. My shipping was fast, my order was packed well, lots of extras in the package shows the care and thought that goes into every order. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS (COLLECTION): I really like the BW/GW Halloween collection. #1, the collection idea is really unique; #2, the shadows are all very pretty, and some of them right up my alley with their complexity! I do wish a few had more INYOFACE shifts/sheen.

I will be ordering again...and again...and again :) 

You can purchase from Dark Heart Designs HERE

You can also find them: 

On Facebook

On Twitter

On Wordpress

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me, aside from standard freebie samples included in the order. All opinions are my own, and I am not compensated for my reviews.

Mae Minerals swatches + mini review

So a while back, I won a giveaway for 10 sample pigments from Mae Minerals. I won them on 8/8/11. On 9/14/11, I e-mailed the company because I had not heard anything or received anything. They e-mailed back within 2 days (acceptable!) and my response was that they had a ton of giveaways at once and were waiting to get everyone's choices, but they put my sample pack together right away and were mailing it out. They also offered their apologies. Kudos for the quick response, apology, and getting the correct samples quickly afterwards. I will say I sorta felt forgotten about, though. On with the swatches! (I swatched 8/10 colors, because I gave 2 away)

 The samples came in baggies, labeled with company information, pigment name, ingredients, net weight (.5g), and if it is not for use on lips they put that on there in red print. Nice size samples, and great labeling! Like it!

The samples came with a cute little blush brush as a freebie. I think it is actually somewhat useable (most freebie brushes I have come to acquire are not).

The colors are very pretty. Almost Aquamarine is a freakin' glitter bomb and you definitely should use some sort of sticky base.

Would I order from Mae? Surprisingly, as much as I liked what I received, I'm not going to place an order. While I am incredibly grateful for my giveaway winnings (yay pretty free sparklies!), I have read enough reviews to believe that Mae Minerals does repack TKB micas and at least some of their eyeshadow shades are probably not custom blended colors. I don't know this for a fact, I have never purchased from TKB to compare products, but it has gone around the beauty blogging community, and I have seen the info on a couple blogs that I would trust with my life. Well, maybe not my life, but I would totally trust them with my makeup bag. I just prefer to spend money on complex and custom blended colors that I couldn't get anywhere else.

Have you tried Mae Minerals? What do you think?

EDIT: I received a response both on this post and on my Facebook page from the owner(?) of Mae Minerals. Part of it went like this:

"We do not repack any minerals. While some of our shades may be similar to another MMU line, that does not mean we are a repacker. Most mineral makeup formulators can duplicate a shade (and I receive quite a few requests to do so), the difference will be in how it feels, how long it lasts, etc."

If I didn't mention before, the shades do wear fantastically. My only concern was for straight up repacking, not for the quality of products.

To be fair, and because as I stated I don't personally know all the facts, I wanted to edit this in. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at the company's kind and professional response.

Mini disclaimer: I was NOT asked to remove the review, change anything, or put in an edit with this information. I did so of my own accord because I think both sides should be heard.

I think I probably would order from Mae Minerals at this point, regardless of what I have read from other sources.

Cinnamon Cosmetics Review!

Back in August I was contacted by Cinnamon Cosmetics offering to sponsor my Facebook contest and also offering to send me some products to review. I am always excited to review a company for the first time, so I gladly accepted!

SHIPPING: On the last day of August, CC let me know what they would be sending me. There were some delays, a package was lost in the mail. The owner of CC kept in good and friendly communication throughout the whole thing, so that was a huge plus. I was notified of a 2nd package being mailed on 9/20. I received the goods on 10/3. Admittedly, there were some shipping difficulties. The company was very apologetic and asked if I had suffered any "financial loss" they could compensate me for. (There was not, but the thought was nice). It was addressed to me that they are making changes to eliminate any future shipping problems. They seem very sincere and were a pleasure to work with.

PRODUCT: I like! I received 5 shadows in 10 gram jars, 2 shadows in 5 gram jars, and 3 samples. 4 of the large jars were sent as giveaway prizes. I kept a 10 gram jar, 2 5 gram jars, and 3 samples for this review.

And some swatches over UDPP:

Halcyon: I think this is my favorite in the bunch! It is such a super-sparkly copper color! It is very smooth, not gritty, and shiny as hell. I LOVE it.

Dusk: A light shimmery gray. The shimmers appear to be light pink and aqua. I think it almost gives off a pinky sheen in certain lights/angles. This shade is gorgeous!

Harvest Moon: A lovely medium yellow with shimmer.

Lorien: While described on the website as a light, pearly, golden shade, I find it to be more of a baby yellow with a subtle pink sheen. I REALLY like this one. I think it would make a great highlight color, but would also be a gorgeous lid color.

Celestial: This one is soooooOOOO pretty. On the site, it is described as: "Celestial appears to be a very light bronze color. When applied over a white or black base, it shifts to a brilliant turquoise in the light." I definitely don't see the bronze, in the baggie nor on my skin. I see it as a baby pink with pink and blue sparkle shimmers. Another that I think would be either an amazing highlighter or lid color. AGAIN, SO PRETTY.

Beledi: Shimmery brown! I normally do not like browns, and I would totally wear this.



OVERALL THOUGHTS: Even though the shipping was rocky, the company was a pleasure to work with, and I believe that they are taking steps to remedy the shipping problems. Product wise, I love them, if you couldn't already tell! The shadows are pigmented, smooth, and I think they make gorgeous shades. Would I order from Cinnamon Cosmetics? I would, and I plan on ordering in the future. They definitely have a lot of shades I want in my shadow collection. I think their product swatches on the website are an accurate representation of the shadows themselves, based on the shades I received which is a huge selling point for me. They seem to have a good selection of bold, bright, and neutral shades, so everyone should be happy here! Prices on the website are reasonable. They offer several different sizes of their products. I LOVE it when a company does that. LOVE. IT. (Based on information found on the website, a full size jar is 5gm, mini is 3gm, and I believe you can request a pro size in the 10gm. Samples and "refills" are also available).

Find Cinnamon Cosmetics:

At their shop
On Facebook
On Twitter

All products were sent to me for free to review.

Opinions are my own, and review was not influenced by that fact. 

Cut-Throat Beauty is having an awesome giveaway!

Check out the details of my newest blog read, Cut Throat Beauty's, giveaway! It ends soon, so get your buns over and enter! :D

http://cut-throatbeauty.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-first-giveaway.html

<3<3

Okay Urban Decay, you win.

I ordered from Urban Decay during their recent sale. My item was oversold, so they promised me a full refund and also gave me a code for $20 and free shipping. I did have to follow up on my refund to actually receive it, but they did come through. I'm not a huge UD fan. I now own 2 UD products - The product to be reviewed in this post (Eyelash Primer Potion) and Eyeshadow Primer Potion, both of which I recommend. UD does make a quality product, it's just most UD things are a little rich for my blood ($17 for one shadow, $50-ish for a palette of 15 shadows in which I only really like 3 of the colors...) Now, I would buy a shadow for $17 if the color just CALLED to me and I had nothing like it in my collection, but so far I haven't found one from UD that I feel that way about. Anyways, back to the point. I had a free $20 to spend at UD. I spent exactly $20, so with free shipping, I didn't spend a dime. This is what I "purchased":

Urban Decay does have some pretty packaging, no argument there.

(And mascara on top of the primer, of course)

My findings: I like this product. It's hard to see with my clearly pro photo skillz, so I will describe my findings. The primer did increase the length of my lashes by maybe a millimeter or 2, but you can really notice it in person. It made my mascara go on blacker and made my lashes fuller and shinier. There was definitely a difference using the primer than not. Will I use it? To the last drop. Will I re-purchase? I don't know. Maybe. I definitely want to use it more to decide. My lashes are already pretty damn long with the mascara I use, and I also like the way my lashes look without the primer. It's more of a soft look without the primer.

I got some absolutely "Darling" mail recently...

Hiiiii world! It feels like foreverz since I have done a blog post D: I have really been feeling pretty lethargic and with a lack of interest in everything lately and I guess I need to get back with the program, because my blog is getting dusty.

I purchased some stuff from Darling Girl Cosmetics on 8/28, got a shipping notification on 9/12, and received my package shortly thereafter.

DGC was not particularly high on my "to-order" list when I ordered. I never really looked too much at the website or the product and wasn't chomping at the bit to get an order in. I happened upon a review of their Glitter Glue rivaling Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy, and became curious. Then they had a sale, and I though, well why not buy a tube to review. While I was on the site I saw they had lip scrubs. Well, I have always wanted to try a lip scrub, so in the cart that went. Then I saw the blogger sample set which was only $0.75 for 4 eyeshadow samples and 1 lip product. All for less than a buck. HEY WHY NOT? I browsed some more and saw that they make amazing looking liquid liners, which I hardly EVER see from indie makeup companies, and I just HAD to try one. So, that was what I ordered.

Before my order shipped, I got devastating news...The liner formulas had been lost in a computer-related incident :*( I was quickly refunded for that portion of my order. I received the rest of my order along with 3 additional eyeshadow samples, and the lip product I assumed would be a sample appears to be a full tube. Not sure if that was a "sorry for the liner mishap" or how they come, but I think it's the former.

I was very pleased with the adorable packaging and the extras I received - I definitely felt I got more than my money's worth even before I tried anything, and that's always an awesome feeling. I swatched the eyeshadows using the Glitter Glue, and here they are:

Top L-R: Peacemaker, Lap Dance, Pique
Mid L-R: Thriller, Uprising, Texas Tea
Bottom L: Bijou

The shadows are fantastic, especially considering I didn't even plan on buying any at first. I usually can choose a favorite or 2 from each company I review, but I really can't here. I love them all equally, and I love them a lot. Next, I tried my lip product:

This is Kiss You Off: Color Rich Lip Balm in Poisoned Plum. I totally didn't realize this was a balm until it was on my lips, probably mostly because I don't pay attention. Anyways, it's really gorgeous. I was super surprised when I took it off that my lips felt moisturized, smooth, and considerably better than when I put it on, which is a refreshing change to lip products I normally use. My only bitch with this product is the label is really hard to read, at least for me. The lettering is SUPER tiny and the label is sort of a frosty-clear color...I don't know what it is, but it's really hard for me to read. Not a huge deal for me, I was just curious what was making my lips feel so amazing. It does have shea butter, almond oil, and coconut butter in it. That might be what makes my lips feel so awesome afterwards. I don't know, I'm not a doctor. Just a shot in the dark there. This color is part of the upcoming Halloween collection, as are some of the eyeshadows I was sent, so not everything is available for purchase yet.

After I took off the lip color, I tried my Sweet Lips Sugar Scrub in Polynesian Paradise. Upon opening the smell was freakin' HEAVEN in a jar. In fact, I just opened it again to sniff, as I'm writing this post. It's so ridiculously yummy. I want to bathe in it. It's funny, I only ordered it because for some reason it's slightly cheaper than the rest of the scrubs and I didn't expect to love the smell that much. I used it per the instructions found in the product description on the website. I guess you are supposed to wipe it off and not wash it off. I tried and met resistance trying to get all the sugar off. I think I mostly licked it off. (It is delicious). I guess I need to practice :-/ It did leave my lips feeling soft and took off the dead skin that I suffer with on my lips, so that is excellent :D

Now for the reason I originally decided to order! I wanted to put the Glitter Glue to the test against my Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy:

Pixie Epoxy on the left, Glitter Glue on the right. Both applied over UDPP. Both products felt the same while applying. Glitter Glue does look white in the tube, compared to PE being clear, but both apply clear. The shadows went on pretty much identical over each. Then, I wore it out for probably 8+ hours:

My camera and I suck at photos. There were some beginning signs of creasing on the Glitter Glue side, but really a miniscule amount. I then slept in my makeup, and the creasing did not progress by morning. I wasn't trying to further prove my point, I'm just lazy. My outlook overall is quite good for Glitter Glue. I can't really say which product I will purchase next when I run out of these 2 products, and it will be a long time until I run out since I have a full tube of each and you need so little for it to work. I will definitely be using my Glitter Glue AND my PE. If Fyrinnae is open when I run out, I'll probably stick with it. If not, or if I'm already placing an order with DGC, I'll most likely get the Glitter Glue. The product size is 10 mL for both. Glitter Glue is $6.25, whereas PE is $7.00. PE comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator, Glitter Glue comes in a squeezie tube thingie. Just some things to consider if you plan on purchasing either-or.

My experience with Darling Girl Cosmetics was a very positive one. The shadows are gorgeous and good quality. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that they are sold in 3 sizes - sample, petit, and full size. The samples are under a buck so you can try them out without breaking the bank, and they have a decent amount of product in them, definitely enough for a few uses. I am very excited to try more of the lip products. I really am not a big lippie person and I generally stick to eye products, but I really did fall in love with the lip product I was sent and it would probably be a sin to not try more.

You can find Darling Girl Cosmetics at their web store, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Blogger.