Product Review: House of Lashes Noir Fairy & Pixie Luxe

I've purchased lashes from House of Lashes 2 times. I love their Pixie Luxe lashes, but wanted to talk about the inconsistencies of the lashes I've gotten. The first time I purchased one pair of Pixie Luxe ($12) and one pair of Noir Fairy ($16). My friend also purchased a 3-pack of Pixie Luxe. When we compared our pairs, we noticed that her 3-pack all had varying lengths of lashes. My single pair of Pixie Luxe happened to be on the short side, so we opted to trade since I like long lashes and she likes short. This was her longer pair:

Above is the Noir Fairy I received. Note how they are really thick and "heavy" and dramatic. I was really disappointed because I expected them to look like the lashes that they post on their instagram page:

Note how long the Pixie Luxe is. And the Noir Fairy? They are so wispy and pretty in this picture! Mine look nothing like that.

The second time I ordered from HoL, I got a 3-pack of Pixie Luxe. I made a note at checkout that I  specifically wanted LONG pairs. But when I got them, just like my friend's 3-pack, all the lashes were of different lengths:

The top box is perfect. The middle box is a little too short for my tastes. And the bottom box is just... can you even call it the same style?? It's half the length that it should be. I honestly felt like I was getting jipped a bit because I pay to get what is pictured: LONG WISPY LASHES. What does that say about quality control when I buy a 3-pack of a specific style and only ONE pair is "right," and the Noir Fairy is totally off?

I contacted HoL and they told me that their lashes are all handmade, so there will be inconsistencies in the lashes, which I understand. What I don't understand is how the lashes I got could pass quality control checks and be sold like this compared to what they advertise on their IG page. I did get sent one pair of Pixie Luxe as compensation and they did say that they were seeing to getting a person to do final quality control checks before the product is sent out, so we'll see what happens.

Overall I think the quality of their lashes is very good, they last the advertised 5-8+ uses on me and the price is great. I just feel that the style inconsistency issue needs to be addressed.

  The Rundown: 

Packaging: 5/5
Cute boxes made of eco-friendly recycled materials

Product: 3/5
Good quality lashes that last, but the styles are inconsistent

Price: 5/5
Wallet-friendly

Overall:

 

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Review: Whipped Cream Clay from Sophie & Toffee

White & Pastel Pink, Piping Tips, & Fake Sugar Sprinkles

Price: SGD 12.14 (approx $9.53 USD)

Availability: buy here

About the product:

• This is new generation whipped cream which is 100% environmental friendly with no harmful vapors.
• It has a slight fruity scent which is similar to our deco sauces.
• This type of whipped is more flexible and elastic and finished with a gloss.
• It is also easier to squeeze as compared to other fake whipped cream product which comes in a tube.
• You can easily attached our piping tips and it is ready to use!
• Each 100g comes with FREE 4 piping tips (randomly chosen).
• Colors: white, chocolate, lilac, blueberry, raspberry, peach, pastel pink, strawberry 

Thoughts:

I was super excited when Sophie & Toffee contacted me to try out this product because I'm continuously looking for new whipped cream materials to try! I have never used the clay type before, so this was my first one. I was also really interested because they said it did not have the harsh scent that most (if not all) silicone caulking has. I had to take a break from making whipped cream cases because the silicone fumes were aggravating my allergies, and adding to these headaches I was having :( So to hear that these clay whipped creams have a nice scent was awesome! It smells like vanilla-coconut!

They come in 100ml tubes, and you can screw their inexpensive piping tips right onto the tube. This is very convenient because you don't have to worry about setting up a piping bag and getting the stuff into the bag, and cleaning up after! I love that it comes in a variety of colors also. No need to mix paint and get messy!

One tube is enough to make 2 full iPhone cases, with a little left over for smaller projects. You should unscrew the piping tip after you're done, then put the cap back on tightly to save the whipped cream. You can let the whipped cream dry up in the piping tip, then peel it out afterwards.

I found that this whipped cream is a little hard to squeeze out of the tip. It is more dense than silicone, so it doesn't "flow" as easy. It helped to "massage" the contents of the tube for a few minutes to make the whipped cream easier to squeeze out!

The piped whipped cream will hold its shape. It becomes a little more "flat" after it sets, but doesn't melt into blobs like some other silicones do. It has superior adhesion properties to many silicones! I pulled on the cabochons on the cases I made, and they're not going anywhere lol! The feeling of this whipped cream is rubbery and flexible. It's not "springy" like how silicone is (when you push on it, it kind of bounces back) but it's NOT hard or brittle. It is rubbery.

 These are the cases I made with Sophie & Toffee's Clay Whipped Cream!

in Pastel Pink

I put their Fake Sugar Sprinkles on this ice cream scoop :)

Overall I would recommend this clay whipped cream for deco, especially to hobbyists and people just starting out! It's fun, convenient, simple to use, great quality, smells good, and has lots of colors! It is also not very costly (if you work it out, about $4.76 per case). I think this is a great project you can do with children too, since it's not harsh chemicals/smell like with silicone :)

Review: Whipped Cream Silicone from Sophie & Toffee

Price: SGD 12.25 (approx $9.77 USD) 

Availability: buy here

How to use: Cut open the tip of the pack and squeeze all of the silicone into a prepared pastry bag with piping tip attached. It helps to push all the silicone to the tip of the pack BEFORE cutting it open. Then as you squeeze it into the pastry bag, tightly roll the pack from the top down to get as much as you can out of it.

I was so excited to receive this new silicone from S&T to try out! This special silicone is imported from Japan.

⭐ Single-use 60ml, no need for storing
⭐ Enough to make 1 iPhone 4/4s case
⭐ Smell isn’t too strong
⭐ Not sticky or stringy
⭐ Not hard to squeeze out
⭐ Holds the shape well
⭐ Glossy shiny finish
⭐ Dries flexible in 4 hours
⭐ Lightweight, doesn’t make your phone super heavy
⭐ Comes w/ 2 free piping bags

Sophie & Toffee also offers a variety of piping tips! To make this case, I used the 6-point star tip in the top left-hand corner of the 2nd picture. You can get this set of 8 piping tips from S&T here for approximately $2.77usd.

Thoughts: 

I personally am not a fan of GE Silicone II (although a lot of people use it), I do not like how stringy, sticky, messy, and smelly it is. Using GE as a base to compare this to, this Japanese silicone is nowhere near as sticky, it was easy to clean up just by wiping it off my fingers with paper towel. It was not hard to pipe because it wasn’t “stringy” like how GE is. It holds the shape definition of the shells nicely. It dries within 4 hours and has a squishy texture, and is shiny. It is also lightweight which is a plus because most silicone combined with cabs tends to add a noticeable amount of weight to your phone. It has a very strong bond to the cabochons, and is secure and durable, even when I tried gently pulling on the cabs, they didn’t budge.

Initially when I was piping the case, I didn’t notice a strong smell like how GE has. However I should note afterwards, I did notice it has a strong “rubbery” smell up close when it had cured (it is not a “vinegary” smell like some silicones have). So I suggest letting it sit in front of a fan or open window for a few days and the smell will dissipate :)

Overall I would definitely recommend this silicone specifically to hobbyists looking to make cases for themselves! It is convenient because 1 packet is just enough to make one case, so you don’t have to worry about having too much left over, or having to store it and it drying out. It is easy to use for beginners and experts alike.

Have you tried this silicone? What are your thoughts on it?

 I will be doing a giveaway with the case I made with this silicone, so stay tuned for details :)

 

Shop Review: Sophie & Toffee

I've written about Sophie & Toffee on my blog a couple of times, and they still remain my #1 recommended decoden supply source since I started doing deco in 2009!

I would highly recommend Sophie & Toffee to those new to deco, because you'll find practically everything you need to start here! They have a huge variety of cabochons --  characters, sweets, flowers, hearts, bows, food, and more -- as well as rhinestones and pearls, miniatures, charms, chains, deco toppings, fabric ribbons, beads, polymer clay canes, resin supplies, clay, clay molds, hobby kits, jewelry findings, and crafting tools.

Their site is neatly organized into categories to find exactly what you're looking for. It's easy to navigate and user-friendly. You can sign up and create an account for free, and you can have a wishlist to keep track of all the items you want to buy. I love that now they offer wholesale price options if you want to buy in bulk. You can buy 1 piece at a time, or get better pricing for buying 5, 10, 20 etc.

I have NEVER had a negative experience with Sophie & Toffee. They ship promptly and you can track your order. It usually takes around 2 weeks to get to me (they are based in Singapore). Their customer service is also impeccable! They are very quick to respond to emails and help you resolve any issues with your orders -- I received a broken piece once, and it was replaced free of charge in my next order.

They also have lots of specials and sales! Visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram to keep up to date with their discounts and more.

I recently received some products from them for review:

Tiny black bows and blue stars. Candy sprinkles and pink sweets.

Yummy Korilakkuma desserts! Hello Kitty ice cream, Donuts & cakes. My favorite roses.

 

I love their cabochons because they are very well made and high quality, and they also have many unique pieces that you can't find elsewhere! They just came out with these new Korilakkuma sweets pieces and I just HAD to get them. I have not seen them available anywhere else yet so get them from Sophie & Toffee while you can!

Here is a case that I made with some of their Korilakkuma sweets pieces:

Here is a case that I made with their sprinkles:

I'm proud to say I use Sophie & Toffee products on just about all of my decoden cases in my shop, Kawaii x Couture! I would highly recommend Sophie & Toffee to anyone interested in deco :)

Want 10% OFF from Sophie & Toffee?

CLICK HERE to get a coupon for 10% off your next order with Sophie & Toffee!
Expires August 31, 2013.

FTC Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were provided to me for review by S&T.
This is my 100% honest opinion and experience with their business and products.

Review: Platform Ankle Boots from Syndrome

Jeffrey Campbell Lita's seem to be all the rage now but I personally can't justify shelling out hundreds of dollars for shoes (other than Tory Burch, my one shoe-related weakness :P). So I was on the hunt for some cute lookalikes at a good price. I came across the store Syndrome while browsing on Storenvy. They specialize in cute Asian fashion and accessories!

I ordered a pair of Spiked Ankle Boots in black faux leather (available here) and a pair of white Floral Lace Platform Ankle Boots (available here).

Black Faux Leather Spiked Ankle Boots
Size 6

White Floral Lace Platform Ankle Boots
Size 5.5

Product Pictures

(click to enlarge)

Price: 5/5

The black boots were $40 and the white boots were $45. Shipping was $10 so my total was $95. Consider this is 2 PAIRS for still LESS than the price of ONE pair of Jeffrey Campbell Litas, which go from $160-200+ I was also looking at other shops offering similar lookalikes, and Syndrome's were easily the best price.

Quality: 5/5

I absolutely adore these ankle boots because they really do look just like the product pictures! They came in two separate shipments and the boxes were pretty beat up, but the shoes were perfectly fine. They look and feel well-made, there was nothing falling off or coming apart, no loose threads, etc. They don't feel or look cheapy at all. Shipping took about 2 weeks to get here.

I honestly haven't worn them anywhere yet because 1) there's nowhere in Hilo to wear them and 2) they are just beautiful and for now I'll just admire them on my shoe rack lol. So I can't speak for their durability or long-wear comfort at the moment :P I did break them in a bit and walked around my house in them, and they were comfortable for me! I really don't do well with really high heels so I was a bit intimidated by these (Heel: 4.5 in, Platform: 1.8 in) but they were actually not hard to walk around in!

I was hesitant to get the black ones because the smallest size available was 6, and I usually fit a 5 or 5.5. But the 6 actually fit okay and I think it would be good with some shoe inserts. The white ones were 5.5 and fit fine!

Customer Service: 5/5

I had messaged Syndrome before I bought the boots because I was concerned about the size and wanted to know if they fit true to size or ran small. I got a very speedy reply from them and was told that a size 6 should fit okay if you are between 5-5.5 (which it did). I also emailed them again because I had lost the tracking info for one of the shipments and wanted to check the status of the package. Again I got a very speedy reply with the tracking info! Syndrome's customer service is very friendly, professional, and fast.

Overall: 5/5

I would definitely order from Syndrome again. They have a wide selection of adorable asian fashion products like tights, dresses, heels, bags, even wigs. From my experience, their products are of good quality, shipping was quick and their business is very reputable. Two thumbs up!

Product Overview and FOTD: Tokidoki Prisma Lip Gloss in Strawberry Latte

Tokidoki Prisma Lip Gloss in Strawberry Latte over
Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Pink Please

Just wanted to do a really quick overview on this gloss! I got it from Sephora when I was in Vegas and it was on sale for $5! Score! Although adorable, I would not have paid the original price tag of $15 for it, nor do I think it is worth that much!

The good stuff:

• Adorable packaging
• Has a sweet flavor
• Nice high-shine gloss

The low-down:

• Has practically no tint to it at all. Basically a clear gloss
• The scent/taste might be too sweet for some
• The lasting power is really bad

Overall: 

I love this gloss because it adds beautiful high-shine to any lip color! Unfortunately the wear-time is very very short. I'd say an hour tops. So if you want it to last, you have to keep reapplying. I don't have a problem with the candy-sweet scent & taste, but if you're not a fan of flavored glosses then I'd steer clear of this. It also is basically just a clear gloss. No tint at all to it. So mainly I just use this gloss to add a pop of shine to any lip color for a short while!

What am I wearing?

Eyes

• Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer
• Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil in Medium Brown
• Stila Eye for Color Eyeshadow Palette - Coffee all over lid
• Stila Eye for Color Eyeshadow Palette - Burgandy on outer-v
• Stila Eye for Color Eyeshadow Palette - Porcelain below the brow
• Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow in Trashed on outer-v
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Perversion
• Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Black
• Velour Lashes in Lash in the City

Lips

• Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Pink Please
• Tokidoki Prisma Gloss in Strawberry Latte

Face

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
• Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer in Almond
• Lovely Me:Ex BB Cream
• Revlon Photoready Pressed Powder in Light/Med
• ELF Bronzer in Sunkissed

 

Review: Velour Lashes in Lash in the City

Hey everyone! This review is for these voluptuous Velour Lashes! I decided to buy these because I have a huge lesbian girl crush on LOVE Dannie Riel ;) I really wanted to know what kind of false lashes she uses, because they look amazing! A little googling and I found out that one of the brands she uses is Velour Lashes :) So naturally, I hadddd to try them!

Price: $34.99 (regular $64.99)

I opted for the style "Lash in the City"

 

What they say:

"Girls just wanna have fun! These lashes perfectly compliment a dark smokey eye. Designed with extra fur on the entire band to provide a dramatic and full look. This style also adds a touch of “wing” to the corner of the eyes. Shoes and martini’s shouldn’t be your only accessory."

More from their website:

Inspired by mink eyelashes custom-ordered by celebrities, Velour Lashes is dedicated to offering only the finest lashes on the market. Our mink lashes are individually handmade and guaranteed to be 100% authentic mink fur. We at Velour strongly believe that you shouldn’t have to be a celebrity to look glamorous like one. Synthetic eyelashes, although cheaper, are irritating to the eye, fake and unnatural when worn. In comparison, luscious mink fur looks and feels amazing; with proper care, mink lashes allow for up to 25 uses and last much longer than synthetic ones.

Lastly, our exclusive line of Velour Lashes is custom designed to offer a wide range of styles to achieve your desired look – at Velour, our goal is to make every woman feel that extra bit of beauty, confidence, and ‘oomph’!

You can keep your lashes in the cute packaging when not in use :)

  

The good stuff:

• Comes with its own super cute sturdy storage case
• Made from 100% mink fur, cruelty free (brushed from the live animal, then sterilized)
• No chemical processing or dye
• Super lightweight
• Flexible but stiff lash band
• Easy to apply
• Reusable up to 25 times
• This style is very long & full, yet "natural"

The low-down:

• Expensive!!!
• The length of the lash is very long. I had to trim of a lot to make it fit my eye.

My take:

I was expecting these lashes to be super luxurious because of the price, and of course they were! The shipping was pretty quick, less than a week via Fed-Ex w/ tracking from Canada. They come in a super cute and sturdy case which you can also use to store your lashes when not in use.

I chose the style Lash in the City because I read Buzzed for Beauty's review on this style and the Oops! Naught Me style, which I was originally thinking of getting. But Lash in the City seemed to be a better choice for me because they didn't look as uber long as Oops! Naughty Me.

I'm glad I went with this choice! These lashes are quite long and voluminous, yet natural in the sense that the spacing and wispiness mimics that of real lashes (or at least in my opinion LOL). I absolutely ADORE the look. I love long, bold lashes, so these fit my style perfectly :) I love how they curl upwards beautifully. 

 

The lash band is still yet flexible so applying these was a breeze! I favor stiff lash bands (most asian brand lashes) because it's a lot easier for me to apply and the lashes "stand up" better VS lashes with a flimsy band (most american brand lashes). The lashes are very very lightweight and I practically forget they're there (compared to the lashes I normally wear) because they're so light and comfortable!

My usual fav lashes are NYX Exclusive and Nostalgia layered together. I like these because they give a full and bold effect, but not necessarily a "natural" one. These lashes are "natural" in comparison because of their spacing and wispiness.

I love the length. Vavavoom :)

The main downside is the price and the length of the entire lash itself.

They are supposed to be regular $64.99, which I think is outrageous for one pair of lashes. I cringe when I spend over $5 on one pair of lashes. I wouldn't even go near Dollywink lashes which are around $15-18. So this was a HUGE splurge/risk for me (although they do have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and return policy). 

Since they were "on sale" at $34.99, I bit the bullet and bought in... and don't get me wrong, I am totally willing to pay ridiculous amounts for beauty products :P It seems like this "on sale" price is just the regular price, since they've been that way for awhile now. Not that I'm complaining of course! If it was $64.99 I most likely would NOT purchase. My gripe with this price is I think it's only that expensive because it's being touted as the new celeb "in" thing... Admittedly, it is supposed to last up to 25 uses, which is about 5x as much as regular lashes last, so if you look at it that way, it's like you're paying for, say, 7 pairs of regular lashes at $5 x 5 uses per pair. I personally usually get more uses out of my regular lashes, so we'll just have to see how long really these last me.

My other gripe is that the length of the lash itself is VERY long. Not made for asian eyes. So I had to cut off a very sizeable chunk off each lash in order for it to fit my eyes :( I cut off at the inner corners so now it does not taper off very nicely at the inner corners of my eyes. I guess this isn't a huuge problem in terms of the way it looks, but I just like the lashes at the inner corners to be a lot shorter in comparison to the rest of the lash... because I had to cut off so much it doesn't taper at all. So I would suggest to Velour Lashes that they make the length of the lash shorter, so people with smaller eyes like me don't have to cut off so much!!! It's like you're cutting off $$$ ;(

Would I repurchase/recommend?

Overall since these are supposed to last up to 25 uses, I don't see myself repurchasing these soon. I would only repurchase if they stay at the $34.99 price. I love this style because it is long and full. If you don't like length and volume in your lashes, I would not recommend these. If you're looking for a super luxurious and glamorous lash that will open up your eyes and add lots of length and fullness, I would highly recommend these!

The Rundown:  

 Packaging: 5/5
Comes in its own convenient storage case.

Product: 4.5/5
I love these lashes! But the major downside is I wish they were smaller so I didn't have to trim them!

Price: 3/5
VERY expensive. While you are paying for quality and luxury of the product, I still think this is a bit over the top.

Overall:
    

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