Yellow

Eyes:
TFSI
TheBalm Overshadow - Work is Overrated from lashline to brow
Aromaleigh Livewire to wetline
Black with green glitter gel liner from Physicians Formula
Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara
Korres Soft Eyeliner - White on waterline

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria Violet Banana lipstick

Cheeks: Physicians Formula pH booster - Light Bronzer

September 11 used it!

September '11 Used It!
In September, I used up six full-size products and five sample sizes.

- SN Devoted cream blush*
Not bad - though the formula's recently been reworked to exclude the cyclopentasiloxane Karen used to use. I found it easiest to use with a duo-fiber brush: then it was fine over powder foundation.

- Garnier Nutrisse Moisture Rescue Gel Cream*
I used up some of this in my frankenlotion, and used the rest of it on my face as a moisturizer. It's ok, but I don't think I'd buy it again. I've tried other water-based serums that I liked much better.

- Sally Hansen (Carmindy line) luminizing face primer*
Don't waste your time. Even if you really want to look like a vampire from Twilight, there are cheaper ways to do that. It didn't even really help my makeup stay on. Instead of "Luminizing," it should say "contains chunks of glitter."

- Silk Naturals Oatmeal Serum*
I liked this better than the Green Tea and Aloe, but if I use their Awesome Sauce, there's not really a need to keep it around.

- Nuance Salma Hayek Volumizing Conditioner*
Worked fine, smelled a little "ripe" for my tastes.

- Garnier Fructis Intense Cleanse anti-dandruff shampoo*
Just slightly too harsh for me. I did enjoy the little scrubby beads in it, though.

- Aromaleigh seafoam pure matte eyeshadow sample
Nice pale blue.

- TanTowel (one)
First time I'd ever tried a self-tanner. My legs glowed for a couple days, but I was glad when it wore off because I didn't apply it super evenly, and it was nice to be the same color all over again. I think I'm fine with being super white and don't want to spend the time to look darker.

- Urban Decay makeup remover sample decant (new kind)
Does not smell as good as the old kind.

- Sample baggie Meow Pink Inc. Blush - Cashmere
I want a full size of this pretty badly - it's beautiful. Subtle, but leaves me glowy. Hard to overdo.

- Boots Naturals makeup remover sample decant
Fine. Nothing special.

Used it! (and consolidated a few things)

*Coastal Scents Key Lime shadow sample. A nice pale lime green, not quite as pigmented as I usually like, but maybe that makes it more suitable for professional dress codes.

*UDPP Eden sample decant. I used to think I really wanted a full size of this. Thanks to the nice ladies at Sephora and their generous sample decant policy, now I won't be stuck with something I don't like - this stuff is just way too yellow for my taste, and I end up having to cover the entire application with shadow, which, IMO, defeats the purpose of having a tinted primer.

*Walgreens spray sunblock. No UVA protection! I almost wish I didn't have another one of these lying around - I bought it out of desperation hoping to be able to protect myself during a surprise long drive, but it's not the best. It gets points for portability, but not much else.

*Almay makeup remover wipes. I like having wipes around. They're great for when I'm tired - they make it a lot easier to wash my face because I don't have to be as careful to get all the makeup off. That said, these ones kind of sting.

ES project pan - 15/20
Lip project pan - 6/10

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
156 items gone
56 full size items gone

Also, I took some products I wasn't crazy about and consolidated them.
I detubed the following: SN Bisou, Crazy Rumors HibisKiss Coral, Morgana Cryptoria Fire in the Sky sample, and tiny bit of homemade lip balm, melted it all together in a shot glass in the microwave, and now I have a single tube of a sheer berry color.

Then, because I got a good deal on some powder dispensing brushes, I mixed a full size of Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Silica powder - Peaches and Cream, with half a 10g jar of Aromaleigh Divine Radiance powder - Magnolia Blossom, and a bit of zinc powder. It's in my purse now for those "ack! I have shinyface!" moments.

Monster Used-it post!

*L'Oreal Ever Strong shampoo and conditioner samples - rosemary and juniper.
These made me smell like dude. I'm not a dude. I wasn't wowed enough by the formula to overlook the dude-smell.

*Lumene Eye Makeup Base
I got this in a swap a while back, and it lasted me almost a year - it's a thicker consistency than TFSI or UDPP, and a bit more sticky. It worked pretty well, but it was a pain in the ass to use later - I had to cut the squeeze tube open and put it in a jar because it got too thick to squeeze out. Then, because it was in a jar, it got super thick and hard to spread.

*Aromaleigh heels on fire hi-fi matte sample (dark bubblegum pink)
I did like this - it worked with a duo-fiber as a blush, too, which I thought was nice. If I could find a somewhat less bright version of this, that might be good.

*Liza's Lotions Un-Clog Me Mask
I have mixed feelings on this. I used it three times because that's how much I got out of it. Once, it seemed to provoke my pores to create more oil. I used it last night, and when I woke up, my forehead and nose weren't shiny at all. I think it might just be my inconsistent skin, though.

*Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo sample packet
Hard to lather, smelled nice, wouldn't buy.

*Giovanni Root 66 conditioner sample packet.
Seemed to work fine, but not wonders or anything.

*Sample card of UDPP
These are really one-time use things, because the stuff dries out after the first use. I'm still on the UDPP/TFSI fence.

ES project pan - 6/8
Lip project pan - 1/5

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
152 items gone
54 full size items gone

Nails of the Moment, and Face of the Day!

Brought to you by my webcam from my favorite café, where I am trying but failing to work on a lesson plan.


Nails - 3-4 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Lavender Cloud. Sticking to professional colors in the meantime, and this was only two bucks at the CVS clearance sale. I purposely did not use a base or top coat because I wanted to see how long it lasted on its own.


Face: Frankenprimer, Frankenfoundation mixed with Aromaleigh Divine Radiance in Magnolia Blossom, Tarte Park Avenue Princess bronzer

Eyes: Lumene eye base, some sticky concealer, Aromaleigh heels on fire on lid, same color mixed with Brazen Cosmetics Jinx in crease and to line. Cover Girl Lash Blast (red tube) in some mostly black but with "silver shimmer" color.

Lips: Fyrinnae Lip Lustre - Puppy Love

Used it!

-Fyrinnae Nijiro mini. Yes, I will buy this again, in full size. It's a really great warm ivory with rainbow sparkles. Can't complain!

-Aromaleigh Calendula (red with green duochrome). Can't buy again - did recently swap for UD Lounge, though, which is similar but more opaque. Love the color.

-Stila Kitten shadow sample card. I can see why everyone loves this shade so much. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for what it is, especially since you get so much more of a very similar color in theBalm's MaryLou Manizer.

-UD Midnight Cowboy/Flipside sample card. First experience with Urban Decay's glitter problem. Yikes! I didn't have enough of Flipside to tell if I liked the opacity or not, but I did like the color. It wasn't special enough to get full size, at least not at full price.

-Too Faced Primed and Poreless sample. This stuff isn't bad - it seems to help more than other primers I've tried. I probably won't buy a full size, though, because I wasn't wowed by it. It has been helping my frankenfoundation look good (I mixed three products I didn't like much on their own, and it's turned out to be a relatively decent face base).


ES project pan - 8 gone - 4/8
Lip project pan - 5 gone - 1/5

127 items gone
45 full size items gone

Day 9 of detox, a few random things

Detox update - Day 9:
Didn't buy anything. :) I did get my Sephora order in, and the sunblock stash is fun! I also like the Sin shadow pencil, but not for the reasons I'd thought - turns out it does crease on me without a primer. But! It's perfect for the lower lashline - wakes the whole area right up. They did forget to put my birthday gift in there, so I have to go to Sephora soon and pick that up. Maybe if I leave my money at home, I'll walk out with only the gift and some free samples.


Project Use It:
I also decided to restart my lip and eye product Project Pans, see if I can use up five more lip products and eight more eye products. I have too many baggies of stuff - and they need to be gone!

This week, I used up:
Liza's Lotions Luscious Lip Balm - Not my favorite lip balm ever, but it didn't cause me any problems. And I did use it up. :)

Aromaleigh planetearth (cool bright turquoise blue with tiny pink sparkles). I might end up missing this one a little, but I have about three more bright turquoises, so it's ok.

ES project pan - 2/8
Lip project pan - 1/5

122 items gone
45 full size items gone

Upcoming contest:
I need two more followers!!!


Revised shopping list:
I've since decided to scale back my SoBe order, am still planning on a Shiro haul at the end of the no buy, and am thinking about another Morgana Cryptoria order and a small Darling Girl order. After I use up a specified amount of Fyrinnae stuff, I'm reordering some favorite colors. I should * crosses fingers * FINALLY have a decent job come August, so that will make ordering easier. I also want to make another SN order around June (when I'll need more Vitamin C Serum - I think it's been helping!) and will want to try out some of the newer stuff then.

Latest empties

1. Liza's lotions blotch-be-gone lotion. Full size tube. I don't think I'll be needing this every night, but it's good to keep around for those times skin goes on a rampage. Liza also has a website! She's not ready to sell through the site yet, but you can email her through the link. You should definitely buy from her, she makes everything herself and loves mixing!

2. Aromaleigh Ondberry sample (darkish reddish purple, a little browner than SN Brimstone, but same idea). This made a surprisingly good one-color shadow when blended out at the edge with a fluffy brush.

3. SN shine (clear) vegan kisser slicker. If you like shiny glossy gloss, this is not for you. It was the only lipbalm like thing I could use for a while, though. I'm starting to go lukewarm on their lip stuff because the colored vegan kisser slickers are impossible to put on without a mirror without looking like you're five. However, Swank (sheer black) and Gilded (sheer gold) rank among my top favorite lip products, because they're not so pigmented they look weird if I go outside of the lines, but they're more interesting than balm.

4. Herbal Essences long term relationship conditioner. Meh. I'm not sure it actually did anything for my hair other than coat it in cones.

5. Dr. Bronner's almond liquid soap. I am officially out of soap! Skin is already less itchy.


ES project pan - 7/8
Lip project pan - 5/5

115 items gone
41 full size items gone

Quickie post - used it!

Aromaleigh Greenbrier shadow sample baggie, from the Spring Solstice collection (grass green)
Aromaleigh Phlox sample (shimmery gray)
Aromaleigh Divine Radiance, Cherry Blossom sample

I can't buy more of any of these, because Aromaleigh is closed now. I liked Greenbrier the best, but Aromaleigh Divine Intervention is similar, and I have a full size of that. Phlox was slightly too cool of a gray for me, but I liked the super shimmer. The Cherry Blossom Divine Radiance was good for lightening the look of too-dark foundation products. Luckily, I still have a 10g jar of EDM light pink AND a 10g jar of the Divine Radiance in another color (Magnolia Blossom)

ES project pan - 6/8
Lip project pan - 4/5

110 items gone
37 full size items gone

6 more things are gone!

Used up a bunch more stuff!
1. Clinique salicylic acid spot treatment. This stuff could dry out zits, but always left me a little flaky and took longer than I wanted.

2. Kat von D tattoo concealer - light (sample decant). Hoped it could cover dark circles, but it can't without creasing. Also, I'd prefer something with less yellow and more peach.

3. Mix of Lucy Minerals foundation, silica powder, and Aromaleigh yellow shimmer. Not that I can make this again, but it wasn't the best.

4. Aromaleigh Opulent Lustre shadow sample - Tea. Gorgeous light yellowy green color - already have the full size! But given that the kids at work have started looking for greens, I do believe I'll quit while I'm ahead and break it out again later.

5. sample of Alba Botanica very emollient rinsing conditioner. This stuff wasn't bad, but I also didn't fall in love with it. It works ok, but not super awesomely.

6. trial-size jar of Yes to Carrots body butter. I might buy this again if it didn't smell so herby. Works fine, though.


Running tally:
74 things total
18 full size products

Used it! Awesome blush sample, and some other stuff

More things aren't in my bathroom anymore!

1. Silk Naturals blush sample - Ginger. LOVE. Such a pretty pinky peach, and SN's formula is sheer and impossible to mess up, which with my fair skin is nice when I don't want to spend time blending. It's already in my SN cart for when I make my next order.

2. L'Oreal 360 deep cream cleanser for sensitive skin. Liked the scrublet, the cleanser was ok, but when I used it in the shower sometimes I accidentally got a taste of it - and yuck! Nothing that foul should go on my face.

3. Aromaleigh Bete Noire shadow sample - Solange. Medium-dark brown with gold/green sparkle. I already have the full size! Beautiful color, turns a warm bronze when foiled.

4. Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner. Used this for conditioner-only washes. Only got four uses out of it, so even though it's not bad, wouldn't repurchase.

Two more samples down the hatch!

1. Urban Decay De-Slick in a tube sample packet. This had enough in it to use exactly once. Honestly, I'm not sure it's better than powder - applying it most certainly obliterated my blush. I did look less shiny for an hour or two, though. Not going to buy this.

2. Aromaleigh Bete Noir shadow sample in ambré. I actually did like this alright, if not enough to buy it again (not that I could, anyway). I'll miss how Aromaleigh was always great at making dark colors wearable on paler complexions like mine. This one was a dark olive green with some really nice lighter sparkles that really made it less intense.

43 things used up!

Reviews and hauls to come!

I've been going a little crazy with shopping lately, probably in reaction to the drought while I was unemployed. I got some new Urban Decay stuff, made a small Aromaleigh order with the sale they just had, a small Fyrinnae order because I was out of velvet gel primer, a Silk Naturals order (mostly for skincare and lip stuff), and today I took advantage of the adorned with Grace blog special to get some stuff I'd been wanting.

I'll probably take photos soon, then wait and do a review a week with them.

What would you like to know about what I ordered?

EOTD - Aromaleigh Spring Solstice purples

I used:
Bellflower - inner lid
Ondberry - outer lid
Lupine - above the crease

I really like all the purples except Lupine, which is a bit too cool for me.

Aromaleigh mini-haul swatch pics!

As promised earlier today - pics!!

I got some Gothic Lolita eye samples, and requested HiFi mattes as my freebies.





I also got the entire Spring Solstice 2009 collection in samples. Love!!! :)



Sadly, I either forgot to take or deleted my swatches of this from the camera. :( They are lovely, though. Take my word for it.


Then today, in resolution of a customer service issue, I got all of this, plus a full size lookinforakiss shadow (not pictured). I had only asked for one of the Nocture Lite and the Gothic Lolita shimmers. This is people who want their customers to be happy!!!





Lookinforakiss

Aromaleigh mini-haul, parts one and two (text only, sorry)

In February, I decided to use a gift code that my awesome boyfriend got me for Christmas. Nea (Fashioned in Finland) had raved about Aromaleigh's Spring Solstice eyeshadow collection, and it was on sale! So I picked out a complete sample set, and a few Gothic Lolita collection shades, knowing that with the discount, the gift card would cover it exactly. Unfortunately, with Aromaleigh's new sale system, it's impossible to use both a gift code and a coupon code at the same time. I emailed Steve (Mr. Miss K), and he said that he wouldn't charge my card for the extra $5.

Somehow, my card ended up getting charged. So I emailed back, and Steve told me that he'd tried to refund the card, but it had expired (D'oh!). So he offered me the chance to pick out $5 worth of stuff, and he'd send it to me.

I picked out samples of the Gothic Lolita shimmers in the apricot and blue colors, and a sample of Nocturne Lite treatment powder.

I got:
1. The shimmers (amazing!)
2. TWO sample of the Nocturne Lite (saving these for when it'll be possible to order a full size if I like it).
3. Five Bete Noire samples.
4. A FULL SIZE Rocks! Sonic lookinforakiss.
5. And - a whole pile of lip balm samples. I can't use these (stupid beeswax allergy), but I'm hoping a swap partner loves them, especially since Aromaleigh is discontinuing all of their lip products.

I'm VERY impressed by the customer service experience. When I have disposable income again, I will TOTALLY give Aromaleigh more money.

Swatch pics coming!

New stuff! (and customer service updates)

For Christmas, DBF got me a gift certificate to Aromaleigh (and a very nice hair fork), which I used recently to get samples of the entire Spring Solstice collection.
I also got a few more Gothic Lolita samples and requested some Hi Fi Retro Mattes for my freebies. I'm going to concentrate on the Spring Solstice colors in this post. They are all beautiful, and I've liked all the colors I've tried - about half. All of them look good on me. I normally am not the type to buy entire collections of full size stuff, but I expect to be earning an advanced degree this year - and it seems like a worthy graduation present to myself. I have an EOTD with some of the purples coming soon.



Also, a while back, I reviewed Physician's Formula OrganicWear tinted moisturizer, which aside from being too dark for me (even on the lightest shade), also expired two months after I bought it. I emailed them to complain, and they offered to send me a shipping label. I requested to be sent their new shimmer strips gel liners for blue eyes and enclosed an extra dollar to make up the difference. This was a month or so ago, but today I got a package in the mail. They sent me the liners! I'll swatch/review them later. There's a black, brown, and blue liner in cube-shaped jars that snap together.



You may also recall some complaining I did about Earthen Glow Minerals after receiving a dried-up and unusable cream liner from them. I emailed to complain, several times, and included a picture of the product to illustrate the problem. After a few weeks of no response, I addressed it ATTN: Diane, as recommended in a mass email they sent out. I was promptly promised a replacement that was to be sent out the next day. A week later, I had not received it, so I emailed back to inquire as to its whereabouts. Diane responded that their site had been attacked (true, I think), and that she had decided to refund my money instead. While I'm satisfied with the outcome, I won't be able to give them points for customer service, as it's like pulling teeth to get a response from them. I'll use up my foundation, but don't expect to be buying from them again unless I hear that they've shaped up. There are plenty of companies out there willing to answer my emails, and I'd prefer to give what little makeup money I have to them.

EOTD - bright green!

Here's a look I did with bright greens!




Products used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (still working on that free sample!)
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy in outer part of lid
Silk Naturals Sonic as highlight
Silk Naturals Lime on inner lid
Fyrinnae We're All Mad Here on outer lid
Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita collection Divine Intervention mixed with Silk Naturals Mixing Medium on lower lashline and in outer crease.
Gabriel Color mascara in Black Brown.

This looked way better in daylight than it did in my bathroom - I really need to take better pics.

I'm still undecided on the mixing medium - it seems great for a sheer application, but I haven't been able to figure out how to make a brightly foiled color with it yet.

Review - Aromaleigh Glissade foundation

Today, I wore Aromaleigh Glissade foundation in 1W. How'd it do?

A. Color matching.
4. Close, but not quite - again, slightly too light.

B. Coverage.
3. Covers blemishes and makes scar less noticeable. Granted, the acne's worse than usual today, thanks to a bunch of milk I drank last night. * angry face *

C. Adhesion/durability.
3. Gets me through an eight-hour day.

D. Combination skin friendliness factor.
3. Does ok until lunch.

E. Irritancy.
3. No problems at all.

F. Presentation
2. Functional packaging

G. Value
2. Costs about what you'd expect. On the expensive side of moderate, but goes on sale sometimes.

H. Company is nice to work with, good customer service. 1 point. Yup! (see below)

Total: 21/30. Worked better for me than Voilé, but not as good as Silk Naturals or adorned with Grace, which are my two current favorites. Also, this stuff is very fine and will fly in your face.

Review - Aromaleigh Voilé foundation

Today, I wore Aromaleigh Voilé foundation in 1W.

How'd it do?

A. Color matching.
4. Close, but not quite. Undertones are right, but it's actually too light for me.

B. Coverage.
3. Covers blemishes and makes scar less noticeable.

C. Adhesion/durability.
2. Lasts most of the day, but becomes patchy or rubs off easily. I put it on, and went to campus. It was bright, so I scrunched my forehead and squinted. This made the foundation settle into the line where I'd scrunched.

D. Combination skin friendliness factor.
3. Does ok until lunch.

E. Irritancy.
3. No problems at all.

F. Presentation
2. Functional packaging. Sample baggie (good size and shape) that came in a tissue-paper wrapped bundle.

G. Value
2. Costs about what you'd expect.

H. Company is nice to work with, good customer service. 1 point. I've heard great things about their service - all the bad stories floating around the Internet are due to an employee who has been fired.

Total: 20/30. Not for me, sadly. Probably would work great on someone with dry skin. Thankfully, they make lots of other neat things, so I'll still shop there for other stuff.