Review/Swatches: Aromaleigh's Sol Invictus - Holiday 2014 Eyeshadow Collection

Swatch time! Here we have Aromaleigh's Sol Invictus - Holiday 2014 eyeshadow collection!

From Aromaleigh's site:

"Saturnalia was a festival of light leading to the winter solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth. Most people find the word Saturnalia to be synonymous with drunken celebration, but there was so much more to this ancient festival! The renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,” on December 25. Roman mythology of the Golden Age of Saturn’s reign differed from the Greek tradition. Saturn arrived in Italy “dethroned and fugitive”, but brought agriculture and civilization and became a king. As the Augustan poet Vergil described it, “he gathered together the unruly race” of fauns and nymphs “scattered over mountain heights, and gave them laws. Under his reign were the golden ages men tell of: in such perfect peace he ruled the nations.”"

 Click below for the pictures!

Review/Swatches: Aromaleigh Halloween 2014 Diavoli Eyeshadow Collection

Ah, the collection many of you have been waiting for!

Aromaleigh's description of this collection:
"Aromaleigh Halloween 2014 presents the “DIAVOLI” collection. Diavoli translates to devil in Italian, and this collection is inspired by the devilish demons of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. There’s 13 colors inspired by the Malebranche of the 8th circle of Hell, which in italian is called “Malebolge”, which translates to “evil ditches”.  The Malebranche (which means “evil claws”) were 13 devilish demons who patrolled the 5th Bolgia. (only 12 are named in the Inferno). Bolgia 5 was where extortionists, blackmailers, politicians and unscrupulous businessmen: sinners who used their positions in life to gain personal wealth or other advantages for themselves) are punished by being thrown into a river of boiling tar. Should they try to escape, the Malebranche, armed with grappling hooks and barbs, stand guard over them.  Visual inspiration comes from my own reader’s eye, as well as illustrations and paintings by Gustav Doré, Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni di Paolo and Giovanni Stradano.
The shades in this collection all feature a plush matte base with strong color-traveling duochrome/multichrome pigments. You can experience this color traveling effect by altering the angle of light as it reflects off your eyeshadow. The easiest way to do this is to move your jar/swatched skin underneath a direct light source, such as a desk lamp. As you move it, you’ll see the color switch from one to another. The effect is very dramatic in some shades."

Get ready to "ooh" and "ah" as you look through the swatches!

Click below for the pictures!

Review/Swatches: Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics Dryades Eyeshadow Collection

It has been a long time since I have reviewed anything, but here I am to show you Aromaleigh's Dryades Eyeshadow Collection.

Here's what they have to say about this collection:
"Autumn 2014 welcomes the DRYADES collection at Aromaleigh… ten dramatic duochrome shades imbued with the tones of Fall’s splendor. Dryads and Hamadryads were the Greek nymphs of the forests and trees. These colors were all inspired by specific Dryads or groups of Dryads, and incredible classic paintings portraying them."

We all know how difficult these types of shadows can be to photograph, so I did my best to capture their beauty.

Now onto the pretties!

I swatched these on the back of my hand with Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy Primer.

From the top left going clockwise: othreis, dryope, ekho, kyllene and dapnis

 indirect natural light

 direct sunlight

 with flash

 flash at an angle

 From the top left going clockwise: hesperides, kraneia, heliades, byblis and pitys

 indirect natural light

  indirect natural light at an angle

 direct sunlight

 direct sunlight at an angle

 with flash

with flash at an angle

Here are a couple looks I have put together using this collection.

More pictures of this look and what I used to create it, are posted HERE.

(Aromaleigh put together this collage of my look and I lovingly stole it)

More pictures of this look and what I used to create it, are posted HERE.

 

Here's what I have to say about this collection. This is one of those sets I believe anyone can wear. While these are more on the softer, wearable side, there is a bit of magic to these lovely shadows. They seem to have this glow about them and from different angles, shimmers of different colors can be seen.
Each shadow has such complex color shifts that they can look completely different in the package compared to when applied and worn. They are quite difficult to photograph and are so much more amazing in person. I really love this collection. I have had it for a couple of weeks and wanted to wear and play with it before I could give a thorough review.
A good thing that I noticed when doing some makeup looks, was that even when blending, the shimmers and duochrome don't rub off a lot. That's a common problem with duochrome/shimmery shadows. Blending can wipe away most or even all of the shimmers and multicolored finishes. But I didn't experience much of that with the shadows I have tried. My technique for applying such shadows involves patting the product on and then gently blending with a soft brush. :-)

I hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know.

I received this collection from Aromaleigh for review purposes. All opinions here are honest and my own.

Stars Makeup Haven Eyeshadow Primer and Lipgloss Review

These products were sent to me courtesy of Stars Makeup Haven for review purposes. While I did not purchase these items, all opinions here are my own. Let's get started!

Even though I own most of Stars Makeup Haven's eyeshadows (all of which I purchased), I for some reason, had no idea they had eyeshadow primers and lipglosses. So with knowing how great the shadows are, I was delighted at the opportunity to give their other products a try.

 This is what I received: 3 eyeshadow primers and 4 lipglosses.

Cherry Culture review...not happy.

For those of you who follow my blog, know that I don't review products or companies very often. The reason being is I mainly don't have much time to write reviews and most of the time I don't feel it necessary to review something, unless it's either super amazing or so bad I need to tell people it needs to be avoided

 So here goes. On November 12th, I placed an order with Cherry Culture for several NYX items that were on sale at the time (nail polishes and some eyeshadows). My order was processed and shipped on November 23rd. I received my package on November 29th. Before I opened it, I knew something was wrong since I ordered several nail polishes and the box wasn't nearly heavy enough to be polishes. So I opened it, sure enough it was not my order and the packing slip was for someone else and their order.

I immediately called Cherry Culture's customer service and didn't get through. I called again and left voice mail. I then emailed their customer service and waited a couple days. I never heard from them. So I went ahead emailed the other person whom the order belonged to and let her know I had her order and wanted to know if she had mine. I heard back from her right away, she did have my order and she had also considered contacting me as she had not heard back from Cherry Culture either. She was extremely nice and that same day we agreed to get our orders out to each other.

I got my order in a few days and so did she. My order was fine, nothing missing or broken. I was happy that we were able to help each other out. :-)  On December 5th, I finally got an email back from Cherry Culture asking me to return the package and they would send out the correct one after they received it. So I realize if I would have waited to hear back rather than taking care of it myself, I'd still be without my order for at least a couple more weeks. Which I'm not OK with.

Over the past 2 years, I've ordered from Cherry Culture many times with no problems. So this was very disappointing to me. My order was mixed up. Someone I don't know received a packing slip with my personal information (and I had hers) and it took them over a week to respond. I know it's the Holidays and it gets very busy, but this was unacceptable. I might order from them again, but it won't be any time soon.

Has anyone else had any problems with ordering from Cherry Culture?

Avon/mark haul review

The past week I have been using some items regularly that I purchased, featured in this post Avon/mark haul woot!. Please look at the post for pictures of the items mentioned below.


First I'd like to talk about mark That's Deep Purifying Gel Cleanse. 
What it is:
A super fresh soap-free cleanser that thoroughly washes away pore clogging makeup, dirt and oil without stripping away oil.


How it works:
It's packed with ingredients like black willow bark and sugar maple extract (which is a great source of alpha hydroxy acid). You'll notice clearer skin immediately - and in long term.


 My thoughts: I found the smell of this to be fresh and clean. It is gel cleanser that does not lather very much (but we all should know that just because something doesn't lather, doesn't mean it doesn't clean well), it feels sort of slick and smooth when using it and it washes away my makeup very well. I do like this cleanser but found it to be too drying for me. So rather than use it every day, I'll use it every other day.
It's not bad, but not great. I'm not amazed by it so I don't believe I would buy this again as I have other cleansers that I do like much better.


Next is the liiv botanicals Naturally Glossy Lip Conditioner
Website says it:

 Moisturizes to improve the natural look of lips. High shine.
• Makes lips look shinier & more vibrant.
• Evens out lip tone.
• Enhances the natural lip line.
.24 fl. oz. 

PLANT ESSENCE TECHNOLOGY™
These potent formulas, enriched with powerful botanicals, are clinically and dermatologically tested and preservative-free and dye-free. 


My thoughts: It's $8 which is a lot for a lip conditioner but with it, I received a free eye cream (which I will talk about next). This comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator which I prefer, so it's easy to apply. The product has a light, sweet smell, goes on smoothly and seems to moisturize very well. However it eventually goes sticky and makes my lips peel, which I don't like. So I'd say it's nothing great and certainly not worth $8. I will continue to use this but only at night before I go to bed. And I won't purchase this again.



Now the liiv botanicals Vitalizing Eye Cream with SPF 15 
Website says:
You loved our Botanicals Vital Night Moisturizer and Day Cream with SPF 20. Complete your beauty regiment with our Vitalizing Eye Cream with SPF 15!

In just 2 weeks, see the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles diminish. With active plant botanicals, our rich formula absorbs quickly, helping to retexturize the delicate under-eye area. .5 fl. oz.

Discover nature's secret to revitalized eyes. Discover the beauty of botanicals. Our exclusive Plant Essence Technology™ captures the antural goodness of botanicals to deliver the richest infusions of plant nutrients directly to your skin.

Plant Essence Technology™
These potent formulas, enriched with powerful botanicals, are clinically and dermatologically tested and preservative-free.


My thoughts: I really like this eye cream. I have very sensitives eye areas and any eye cream I have used with SPF in it makes my eyes burn. This doesn't! It has a nice herbal scent, texture is smooth, light and a little goes a long way. It has made my eye area feel soft and smooth for sure. There's really nothing bad I have to say about this. I would buy this again when I run out. :-)

So out of these 3 products, I would only buy the Vitalizing Eye Cream again. The cleanser and lip conditioner were nothing to get excited about in my opinion.


The other products listed in my previous haul post are lip glosses I have been using for many years. So I obviously like them. I love the mark luxe glosses and Avon Glazewear glosses A LOT!


mark Glow Baby Glow Luxe Hook Up Lip Gloss
Super-reflective, micromirror, pearlized particles capture and reflect light from every angle to give lips a luxe, glam finish. Unique brush applicator. 0.12 oz. net wt.  

 My thoughts: Seriously I love these! They are small and fit in your pocket/purse easily. They have a really nice texture and are minty. I love minty lip products so with the added colour and sparkles in these babies, I just love them! 


GLAZEWEAR Lip Gloss
 New formula, new shades, and 4 new supercharged, super-sexy finishes (Sparkle, Shine, Intense & Clear)... all for a more megawatt shine! Feels lighter than ever. Always comfy, never sticky. .15 oz. net wt. 

My thoughts: These have been my fav lipglosses for years! However, I have been upset since they have discontinued my fav colours. Why???!!! So sad that Avon must do this to me! The textures in all of them are great (yes, I have them all) I can wear them just for moisture or to go with a look of the day. They are just awesome and often are only $1.99 each on sale. I buy them whenever they are on sale and when new colours are released. 

BEYOND COLOR Plumping Lip Conditioner SPF 15 with Double the Retinol  
Get smoother-than-ever lips with 2X the Retinol. Experience a lip care with an advantage over aging. BEYOND COLOR Plumping Lip Conditioner features Avon’s exclusive Retinex Plumping Complex to help boost cellular energy - resulting in improved cell turnover and more radiant, vibrant lips. Wear alone or under lipcolor. Moisturizes for 24 hours. .13 oz. net wt.

In just two weeks:
• 19% reduction in lip lines.• 24% increase in lip plumping.

Retinex Plumping Complex contains retinol and collagen.
• Retinol exfoliates lips and visibly reduces lip lines so lips appear smoother, re-contoured and redefined.
• Collagen retexturizes the lips' surface so lips instantly appear visibly fuller.

"This is truly groundbreaking lipstick and lip conditioner," said Amy Robinson, Avon Senior Marketing Manager. "The products glide on effortlessly to keep lips soft, smooth and moist while helping to plump lips for a beautifully supple & full look." 

My thoughts: I typically only use this stuff when no one will be seeing me or at night, as it leaves my lips super pale looking and sort of messy. It's very smooth, creamy and while it does make my lips peel, it feels like a great way to exfoliate my lips as it seems the skin peels off because it needs to. If my lips feel dry and chapped, I just put this on and after a short while, my lips are soft and plump. I just take a wash cloth and wipe the rest off and it leaves my lips smooth and soft, with no more gross dry skin. I know this may sound like a bad review for this product but I really like to use it to exfoliate. It's not pretty when put on so it's a good night time lippy. I buy this whenever I run out. :-)

You can purchase these products online here: http://www.avon.com/


I hope this review was helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know. :-)

L'OREAL Telescopic Explosion Mascara Review

 Most of us have heard something or even seen the commercials about this mascara with its "morning star" weapon-like head.

  I've been wanting to try it since it does claim that it reaches even the tiniest of lashes. I have sort of crazy lashes that can grow super long and at super annoying angles, like straight down into my eye! The outer corners are longer and much harder for me to reach as the upper and lowers lashes touch and often get tangled. The very tips of my upper lashes can sometimes randomly curl in any direction. Most girls need eyelash curlers...I could sure use a straightener on mine! Seriously, they look nuts!

 Anyway, I took some before and after pictures as soon as I woke up. So excuse my tired/puffy eyes. I wanted to try this out before I washed my face to get ready for my makeup ritual. :-)

Natural:

 

 

With mascara:

 

Um...yeah, they look crazy. So I can say it does make my lashes seem longer/fuller. However, it claims it doesn't leave clumps, but it does after 2 coats.

Pros:
Affordable (I bought mine at Walmart for under $10)
Brush head works for easy application of harder to reach lashes

Cons:
Clumps after 2 coats
Takes a bit longer to apply since the brush is smaller but not a big deal

I'm not sure at this time if I would buy it again. I will keep using this and add more to this review as it comes to me.

Has anyone else tried this? I'm curious to know what you think.

Stars Makeup Haven Haul/Review

Last week Stars Makeup Haven was having a 20% off sale so I got a "Build Your Own Custom 28 Pan Eyeshadow Palette". I just received it yesterday. The colour Foxy was missing from the order. I contacted them and received an email a little while ago that they sent the missing colour out today. Most of the colours I ordered were the newer ones they just put up on their site. Also, my order came with the eyeshadows not in the palette so I could arrange the colours in the order I wanted. :-)

List of colours:
Cocoa
Warm & Fuzzy
Cashmere
Bee's Knees
Mimosa
Sunshine Girl
Regal
Mint Julep
Something Blue
Powder Room
Ultra Violet
Two To Tango
Teal Tuesday
Striptease
Sparks
Sin-sational
Scandalous
Raisin' Cane
Pandora
Glitz
Foxy (this one is missing in the pictures)
Fireflies
Fantasy
Euphoria
Couture
Chic
Cat's Meow
Fifi

Here's where you can view the swatches from Karla Sugar's blog: Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadow

 

 I've been using the Smokey Blacks Eyeshadow Quad almost every day for a few weeks (as highlighter and darken my crease) to help me decide whether or not I wanted to buy more colours. I also did one of my Halloween looks with it. The texture is smooth and creamy, goes on very well, blends like a dream and is highly pigmented. I really like these eyeshadows and how easy they are to use. So it was easy for me to decide on getting the larger palette and pick out what colours I want. I have another 28 pan palette coming for Christmas. :-) How do I know? Well, with my man being afraid he'd select the wrong colours on the drop-down menu, he asked me to do it so he wouldn't have to worry when he placed the order. Hee hee. Anyway, these will be so nice for when I travel and have days where I don't have time to sift through hundreds of loose eyeshadows to create a look.

 The eyeshadow pans are the same size as MAC. You can purchase the single eyeshadows for $4.95 each without a palette. The 28 pan palette alone is $13.95. However, you can save money by getting the "build your own custom 15 pan palette" for $49.95 or save even more by getting the "build your own custom 28 pan palette" for $79.95. With the BYOC 15 pan palette, the eyeshadows are $3.33 each and the palette is FREE. With the BYOC 28 pan palette, the eyeshadows are $2.85 each and the palette is FREE. So rather than buying a few colours here and there and purchasing the palette separately, I decided to save money for a while and then buy a big ol' BYOC palette to get my moneys worth. :-)  It really saves more money in the long run and I'll have just 2 big palettes rather than 4 smaller ones. Which I prefer.

I will update this post when I get the missing eyeshadow in the mail. :-D

Here's their website: Stars Makeup Haven

Have you heard of or tried Stars Makeup Haven?

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Lipcolor and Stargazer Glitter Lipstick

So I got this Revlon lipcolor in Superb Sangria because I tend to eat the heck outta my lipstick and it wears off no matter what I'm doing. I don't mind touching up, but I would like at least one lipstick I don't have to touch up AT ALL if I'm out dancing, where the last thing on my mind is seeing if my makeup is still OK. I am a makeup whore but I tend to use the bathroom, wash my hands and not even bother to look in the mirror...and I have no idea why. I could have my skirt tucked into my pantyhose and wouldn't know unless someone told me!
Anyway, while this lipstick does last, it's not very moisturizing and I don't care for the colour too much on me. It takes a while to dry and it's rather sticky until it does, although it is smooth. I did a before and after photo. The before is of  Revlon's lipcolor alone, and the after photo is with Stargazer red glitter lipstick on top. The red glitter lipstick is a clear sort of waxy lipstick with red glitter in it. Not something that looks good by itself IMO.

 

 

Not sure how I feel about either looks

What do you think? Have you tried either of these products?