Inglot Swatches- Mattes

It took me a minute to figure out why some of these are sparkly, but it's because I have my Inglot palettes arranged by colour, not finish, so some of the glitter from other pans has gotten into them with all my moving around.  I'm not really going to clean them now.  But these are all mattes.  You can click to enlarge.

Inglot Swatches- Pearls, Rainbows

Happy New Year's Eve!!

I want to get 2013 off to a fresh start, and these swatches were long overdue.... so here they are!  I've got mattes in the next post, I am finishing that up right now.

I have quite a range of the pearls, and I noticed the quality isn't exactly the same across the board, but there aren't any that I really dislike either.

I only purchased 4 rainbow shades because they are mostly dupes of individual Inglot shades I already have.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I even used one of these!

Hidden Gems: Stila Lip Glaze Sticks

I was trying to go through my stuff to see what I needed to toss, and came across these, all still wrapped.  It was such a pleasant surprise because I really like them!  I don't think they still make these (probably because they are a pencil form that needs sharpened), but I really like the texture.  They are very moist, balmy, and some shades do deposit a lot of colour.  Other shades are more sheer but still very pretty.  I have seven of them, and these are the ones I have (some not pictured because they were in the freezer at the time):

Berry, Brown Sugar, Gingerbread, Orange 

Fruit Punch, Peach, Plum 

I've used Fruit Punch and Peach a lot.  These just feel great on, very smooth and glidey.  I put them in the freezer before sharpening and what sharpens off is just enough for one use, so it's not that wasteful.  They don't last very long, but they're easy to reapply.  They are not sticky like other glosses, but they have a nice smooth feel and they're really pretty for a non-lipstick look, which is perfect for me.  

Bundle Monster 2012 Plates

How fitting for the end of the year, haha!  I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas!

Even though I knew what these would look like, I was almost breathless when I opened the package!  They are all so beautiful, I have never seen nail plates like these- they are really creative in my opinion.  The lovely and talented Samantha has pictures and even a video of all the plates which you can see HERE.  And you can buy them HERE.  They have really fast shipping- I got them in only ten days.  They were really quick and friendly to respond to me when I contacted them also.

I like that they aren't individually wrapped, it means less work and less waste for me.

I really got carried away with nail plates, I mean in less than a month I ordered over 200... man that sounds bad and to make it worse, there are so many more I want to get and new ones coming out all the time.  I honestly thought I would just do stamping once in a while, but it is something I really enjoy.  For me it's more "crafty" than any other makeup thing I've done, and it feels like a hobby, and I like that I can still make things even though I am not artistic.

Some of the plates (like these) come in sets of 25.  When I opened the other sets I got I was picking through them to see which ones I liked, which ones I didn't have anything similar.  But with these I loved every single one, and they really are unique and more detailed than any others I have so far.  To be fair though, my Cheeky plates have yet to arrive.

The most popular stamping here is French tip designs, leaving the rest of the nail natural colour.  324 and 325 are just beautiful plates for that.  I personally love that these are the only tip plates, as some of the sets I've seen have a third of the set tips.

(Sorry about the weird camera angle- they are the same size!)

I've tried stamping with a few of these and they work perfectly.  Even though regardless of everyone else's experience, I really prefer my original Konad stamper and scraper.  I tried using a free one I got with some plates, and they aren't just as effective for me.  I only know this because I thought the cheap plates I got were no good, and I didn't understand the problem because I was doing everything I normally do, except using the plastic scraper.  When I used my Konad one, they started stamping perfectly, so I didn't toss those plates after all, just the scraper.  

I know most people prefer using a plastic scraper or a card, but I don't get them as clear with those.  All of the round plates have shallow images, only the octagonal and square ones are etched really deep.  I tried using a thinner plastic card and it worked fine for me, but I have to find another one cause I need to use that one.  But I don't know why did they make the scraper metal if it wasn't safe for the images on the plates.  Right now I am more concerned that I can't find any glycerin free nail polish remover, cause it's clouding up the plates.  I do notice some marks on the plates where I've scraped so I am going to start using a card asap.    

Anyway, here are some samples I did on paper.... 

Overall I would definitely recommend these- they are really accessible and affordable... but I cannot wait to see what they come up with for 2013!! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Nailstation Polishes: New Purchases

I wanted to get Models Own "Fuzzy Peach" until I came across Nailstation "Crush on Corals".  They really have a beautiful formula and selection on their cremes, although I didn't see the chocolate "solo expresso" one I wanted.  I also got Vandalism Art 108- at first sight I thought it was green and red glitter for the holidays but when I looked closer and saw it was pink, well that was too cool for me to pass up!

It's not quite as orange as it looks but it's not pink like most of the corals I have.  Love it!  

They have a really nice website too: www.nailstation.com where now I can see Vandalism Art is an entire range, and I loooove their Chic Camouflage collection!! 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

This is shade #52, Vanille.

Nice pump and the bottle is very lightweight plastic. 

It has a great, lightweight texture.  It is on the thin side but gives a nice finish without being cakey.  

On face (just the foundation, no powder):

Overall, it's a nice foundation with a really pleasant scent, but I do find coverage on the light side.  I can put a couple of layers without it looking too bad.  I didn't find it drying either, which is a big plus for me.  

Deborah Lippmann Superstar

These and Zoya are the two brands I miss the most...

Superstar is a beautiful brown with copper glitter.  Apparently WetnWild makes (or made) a dupe, which you can see HERE.  But I never thought of it as a Halloween polish- it's brown and copper, not black and orange.  It's really pretty!

I really dislike using glitter very often, so I just used one coat here:

Maybelline 24 Lipcolors: New Purchases

I really love these!  I've been trying to find more shades for a while, so I am happy to have found these. I got Timeless Brown, Grape Juice, Sparkling Fuchsia, and Burgundy.

Swatches:

Timeless Brown on lips:

Sparkling Fuchsia is my new favourite lippie!  I love how it looks like lip gloss but lasts forever, and how it looks glittery but feels smooth.  I got a lot of compliments on it too.  It's really nice but the sparkles are definitely noticeable so I wouldn't recommend it if you're not into a glittery lip.  Also, I definitely don't recommend priming or prepping your lips before you apply these, because this is what happens:

YUCK!!

This is Sparkling Fuchsia applied properly:

Much better!  It is a bit brighter in person though...

Finally, burgundy- not a shade I wear often but so pretty how could I resist?  

I tested this one through the entire day- eating, drinking, going to the pool- it did not budge.  This is how it looked 26 hours later:

I think we all know dark lipsticks can be messy, so this one is definitely my new fave!

The packaging is hideous but I don't carry these in my bag since now I know I don't need to reapply.  

Festive and Fun!

.... and almost free!!  I bought this for like 50 cents it is a bit embarrassing but I don't care, its sparkly and fun!

I thought it would be fitting for the holidays: 

I really don't like alternating colours on my nails so I think I'll do left red and right green... 

I put up a small tree and some decorations like two weeks ago and we've had Christmas songs on since November... I am looking forward to my son opening his gifts since now he's older so I hope he can do it, although there's one more thing I have yet to get him- a small magnetic train set and a table if I can find one.  I really try to hope for the best, and I wish things turn around, and quickly... it's hard to think about things sometimes, which is why I can take my little corner of this blog just to lighten myself up at times.  

Barry M Nail Polishes: New Purchases

I got some beautiful Barry M polishes, but I still wish I could find the whole range!

These are Blue Moon, Berry Ice Cream, and Dusky Mauve.   

Blue Moon is almost identical to Chanel Riva (yes I still have that despite hating it!!), but it's easier to work with.

I really like all of these.  On a related note, someone asked me what brands I've bought that aren't as available in the U.S. so I've come up with a little list- most of them are UK based so if anyone has any to add, please do!  

ArtDeco 

Barry M 

Bourjois 

Catrice 

Models Own 

MUA 

Nailstation 

Sleek 

Maybelline Turbo Mascara

Hello with yet another mascara!  This is Maybelline's "The Turbo" Volume Express.

I spent a lot of time with this mascara!!  The first time I used it, I hated it, I thought it was dry and didn't do much.  But I thought to give it another try before I threw it out, so for some reason it worked great after the first time.  This leads me to the conclusion that it was probably my eyes that were acting up, not the mascara.  

This is what it did for my lashes the first time:

But then this is how it turned out on subsequent days: 

It's not bad!  On a side note, despite having two new cameras (stupid no return/exchange policies- I need to be careful about that!), my old camera is better than either of them for close ups and small details, so even though it's not perfect I'll still use it.  

I am so frustrated with lash products these days so I am about to give up!!  I found these cheapies a couple days back so I tried experimenting with them, but the strip that you place on your real lash line is so hard and stiff, they're really unusable, I don't know how people do it!!! 

MAC Stolen Moment (Or... another $30 down the drain?)

I swear I am done with MAC!!! I never was a big fan of them anyway, and now combine the cheap yet overpriced packaging, beyond crappy service, lack of products.... Mennsssccchhh I am done!!  I swaer I am not even going to look at another one of their launches.

I went in the day the Glamour Daze finally came out, and I got there around 5 p.m.  They were apparently "sold out" of Round Midnight.  I'm probably better off that they didn't have it anyway.  But I really feel like they must have never even got it, or else they hoarded it for themselves cause it doesn't seem like they would sell out that quickly, it's not even a popular store.  But anyway, all they had left was this and the blue and pink ones, which I knew I would use maybe once, so I got this.

I am so disappointed in this product!  It's a pretty colour and I like the metallic-like finish it has.  The problem is, it doesn't last like a regular eyeshadow!  Mine creased halfway through the day, about 4 1/2 hours in, and then it just started to fade away.... despite using my trusted UDPP!!

However, using it wet I was able to extend that by double, and it also deepened the colour.  I don't know if you can tell by the photo, but my right eye (on your left) was the one I applied wet.  That way was also a smoother application with no fall out.  I still don't feel like it's worth the price though.