Innocent+Twisted Full-sized Subscription: June

Yay subscriptions! I love opening my mailbox to find goodies waiting for me there.  I managed to get myself on the list for InnocentTwisted’s subscription.  If you’re going to do this, you have to subscribe pretty much as soon as it goes live since they disappear super fast but so worth it!

This months subscription was a little bigger than usual from what I understand, due to the blush issues from last month.

The whole lot!

The full sizes!

The samples!

The Goodies!

L-R: Twinkle Squinkles, Alkali, Sparkling Wail

My shadows are mislabelled so I sent an email to double check the names.  Alkali is the teal, Sparkling Wail is the purple/black and Twinkle Squinkles is the pink.  Swatches are on Glitter Glue on the left, Bare skin in the middle and on Too Faced Shadow Insurance on the right.

Top-Bottom: Twinkle Squinkles, Sparkling Wail, Alkali

Top-Bottom: Twinkle Squinkles, Sparkling Wail, Alkali

Alkali

This is a pretty teal with golden sparkles.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Top-Bottom: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Sparkling Wail

This one is a deep purple with a black base and sprinkled with amber and purple/blue sparkles. I love this in the jar and have my fingers crossed it looks as beautiful on my face.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Without a primer or glitter glue, this shadow doesn’t seem like much but with either, it morphs the whole shadow.

L-R: Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

On Shadow Insurance, the black base stands out most but the sparkles are there.

L-R: Glitter Glue, and Bare skin

You can really see the sparkles when it’s applied over Glitter Glue, especially the purple/blue ones.  I really like this one and the glue really makes the sparkles pop.

Twinkle Squinkles

A pretty pink with a silver/blue(?) shift, and pink and green sparkles.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

On bare skin it just looks like a nice coral colour but when you put it over a base the beauty comes out.  On Shadow Insurance you are able to see the sparkles but the shift is still absent.  That Glitter Glue though! The shift comes out to say hello and those sparkles sure shine.

Top to Bottom: Bare Skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Top to Bottom: Glitter Glue and Bare Skin

Extras Included

BFTE Cosmetics Blueberry and Raspberry Eyeshadows.

Blueberry Eyeshadow

My Blueberry eyeshadow exploded a little bit in transit but thankfully everything was well taped.

My Pretty ZombieQuinsy eyeshadow and Eccentric Cosmetics Heartbeats eyeshadow.

Swatches are done from left to right on Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Top to Bottom: Blueberry, Raspberry, Quinsy, and Heartbeats.

Such vibrant colours!

Eccentric Cosmetics: Heartbeats

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is a pretty copper that has some darker red and purple undertones when applied over Glitter Glue.  There is a little bit of a copper sparkle that pops in there to say hello too!  The colour is not available on the website as far as I can tell so I am unable to compare it to a description but the other shadows in the Etsy shop are stunning! If they are anything like this one then they are sure to impress.

Top to Bottom: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

You can see the sparkle a little bit in this image.  It isn’t in your face sparkle but adds a little extra oomph to the colour.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin.

On the Glitter Glue you can pick up some of the darker shades in the colour.

My Pretty Zombie: Quinsy

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is quite a bright colour with a base or without but the Glitter Glue really transforms the colour and brings out the shift.  Over bare skin and Shadow Insurance this shade is a bright lime green but over Glitter Glue a blue shift appears.  This is described as a spring green with a blue sheen.

L-R: Glitter Glue and Bare Skin

Over the Glitter Glue the colour mellows out and becomes a blueish sage green.  The shift really softens the colour.

Top to Bottom: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Without the Glitter Glue this is a very vibrant lime green and is very close to how it appears in the baggie.  Over the Shadow Insurance you can see a hint of the blue but it isn’t as strong as it is over the Glitter Glue. The swatch on MyPrettyZombie’s website is done over Urban Decay’s primer potion and appears to be more grass green.

BFTE Raspberry

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is a bold pink with a little bit of shimmer. I was unable to get a description as this does not show up on the website but this may be an unblended pigment (not custom to BFTE). The Glitter Glue really amps up the shadow but it is still pretty although more subtle on the Shadow Insurance.

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Over the Shadow Insurance the colour is more sheer with just a hint of shimmer.

L-R: Glitter Glue and Bare skin

The Glitter Glue really shows off the shimmer and the colour becomes more of a metallic pink.  It is very bright and is definitely a statement shadow!

BFTE Blueberry

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is described as a very vibrant blue with medium sheen and is a unblended pigment.  Being unblended, this means that it is not a custom colour made by BFTE. Essentially this is a repackaged mica from the suppliers. Even so, this electric shade demands attention and both with the colour and the shimmer.

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare skin and Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Over the Shadow Insurance the colour is a bit more muted and would be more wearable for someone that is just dipping their toes into brighter colours.

L-R: Glitter Glue and Bare skin

Over Glitter Glue this becomes a Bam Pow! colour with a metallic sheen.  It’s a beautiful colour and a great option for those who like to make a statement with their eyeshadow or for a bright eyeliner.

Blushes

Included are 4 blushes to try out! 2 of the blushes, Whispering Spells and Vacant Smile, are replacement blushes from the May subscription as there were some issues with the pressed blushes. Besides the 2 replacement blushes from Innocent and Twisted, there’s Psychotic Embers (also from Innocent and Twisted) and Malva from Hello Waffle!  We all know my love for Hello Waffle has no boundaries but I have only actually been able to try 1 of her blushes (Coral, which quickly became my HG blush colour!)  Swatches are of the blushes patted on and blended out, and are in indirect natural light.  At this point I started losing the light so I apologize!

Psychotic Embers on top and Malva on bottom with containers for colour comparison.

Psychotic Embers on top, Malva on bottom

Malva Blush: Patted down on the left, Blended out on the right.

This is described as a matte warm orchid on the Hello Waffle website but when I swatched it I found that it came out more as a lavender than a pink.  Even in the baggie it looks more purple than on the website.  It is still a very pretty colour, just not quite what I see on the online swatch. Other reviews of this subscription also have a more purple swatch.

Psychotic Embers: Patted down on the left, Blended out on the right.

This blush packs a punch both with colour and with sparkle. I personally am not a fan of sparkles in my blush but this is eye safe and would make a stunning eyeshadow!

Replacement Blushes!

Whispering Spells: Patted down on bottom, Blended out on top.

Whispering Spells is a coralish pink with a light shimmer.  It builds nicely for those that like a heavier blush but is also easily blended for a lighter colour.

Vacant Smile: Patted down on bottom, Blended out on top

Vacant Smile is beautiful! It’s a soft purple with a hint of pink and a faint shimmer.  The shimmer is perfect for a blush; accenting the colour without being obvious. I love this colour and wish that it was eye safe as it would look awesome as an eyeshadow.

Final Thoughts

This was a great subscription and it featured some new brands that I hadn’t tried. Full size subscriptions are $18 (USD) or $22 (USD) for international customers and sample sized subscriptions are $12 (USD) or $16 (USD) for international customers.  The June subscription was more than worth the $22 and I am super excited to see what the July subscription has to offer.

If you are interested in a subscription you have to act super fast! The subscriptions for July sold out within the hour! The main store is closed but after it reopens July 1 she offers trial subscriptions so you can try it before committing to the continuous subscription.  If you can get a continuous subscription I recommend it though! You can always unsubscribe.

When she reopens in a couple days she will be selling what she has left of Twinkle Squinkles and Sparkling Wail. So prepare for the mad rush for those colours and maybe pick up a few other things.  You can find her Facebook page here for updates and sneak peeks.

Shiro Color of the Months

 

Hello ladies and gents! With just a little bit left before they disappear, I received and swatched my colour of the months from Shiro!  Every year, Shiro brings back the past years colours of the month in June and for a limited time you can buy all of them before they disappear again.  This year Cailtin brought back a couple of older favourites and after seeing swatches I knew I had to nab them!

I bought Jareth’s Tight Pants, Dammit, Moon Moon, Chinchilln’, Yzma’s Essence of Llama, Doge, and Butts.  All swatches are done on Glitter Glue (left), bare skin (centre), and Too Faced Shadow Insurance (right).  These pictures are taken in indirect sunlight with a couple pictures in direct sunlight to show off the sparkles!

Top to Bottom: Jareth’s Tight Pants, Dammit, Moon Moon, Chinchilln’, Yzma’s Essence of Llama, Doge, and Butts

Shiro’s pigmentation and smooth texture always catches me off guard.  I know that I should just expect such great quality from them by now, but I am wowed every time I try a new shadow.  The colours are beautiful and although I tried my hardest I wasn’t fully able to capture their complexity.

Direct Sunlight. Top to Bottom: Top to Bottom: Jareth’s Tight Pants, Dammit, Moon Moon, Chinchilln’, Yzma’s Essence of Llama, Doge, and Butts

Jareth’s Tight Pants

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This shadow is described as a dove-grey colour with white sparkles.  This is a really pretty colour, something I could use everyday.  It almost appears a bit brown but I like it all the same.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Bare skin doesn’t really do anything for this colour so I highly suggest using a primer of some sort.  The Shadow Insurance picks up the base colour but the Glitter Glue really shows off sparkles.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Dammit, Moon Moon

Left to Right: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This is a beautiful red-toned purple packed with gold glitter.  On Glitter Glue this colour is very close to the online swatch.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This shade really needs the Glitter Glue in my opinion as bases like Shadow Insurance aren’t able to capture the depth of the purple.  Dammit, Moon Moon looks almost the same over the Shadow Insurance as it does over bare skin, just a little more sparkly.  Without the Glitter Glue the shade is much more red and leans more towards burgundy than purple.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Applied over Glitter Glue, the colour leans slightly more blue/purple and the sparkles are spectacular.  They’re like little flecks of fire shining out from the shadow.

Chinchilln’

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This was a very difficult colour to photograph and so I have included photos taken by both my camera and my phone.  This is a gorgeous colour! If I needed anything from Shiro right now and I didn’t already have so many purples I would buy another jar of this! It’s just such a lovely colour! This is described as a velvety heather grey with strong purple duochrome and sparkle.  The duochrome is brilliant and I love it!

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Much like Dammit, Moon Moon this colour needs the Glitter Glue to fully capture its crazy awesomeness.  Over Shadow Insurance it is just a sheer, pretty purple leaning grey with a bit of sparkle.  Over Glitter Glue the duochrome jumps out and transforms the shadow.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

You can see a bit of the shift here and can really tell how much of a difference the Glitter Glue makes.

Direct Sunlight. T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Look at those sparkles! This shadow is loaded with them!

iPhone photo. L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

I found my iPhone captured the colour of this shadow more accurately.  You can really see the purple duochrome here and how much the Glitter Glue amps up the colour.  Seriously, you need to get some Glitter Glue or Pixie Epoxy for this shadow!

iPhone photo. L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

So pretty! Must fight urge to buy moarrrrrr!

Yzma’s Essence of Llama

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This one fought me during the swatch and I could not get it to cooperate over the Shadow Insurance.  For some reason it just didn’t want to show the duochrome. This is described as a dark plum purple with llama-colored duochrome but on the Shadow Insurance it’s just a dark plum purple with patches of llama-coloured duochrom.

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

I apologize for this ugly swatch! I tried a couple times but it just didn’t want to give me anything!

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

There’s the duochrome we all know and love! This is a lovely colour but I find that it is more copper in real life than it is in the swatch on Shiro’s website.  Over Shadow Insurance it is closer to the online swatch but it is more blotchy and not as pretty in my opinion.

Doge

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This is “slightly pink-toned shimmery creamy dogey wonderment” and I love it.  I am pretty pale so without the Glitter Glue it is harder to see but it’s great for a more neutral look for me.  The little bit of pink gives it a little extra oomph and the sparkles pop up when the light hits it just right.

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

Over Glitter Glue Doge is a bit more pink than over Shadow Insurance and it shows off the sparkles more but for a more subtle look this is nice over Shadow Insurance.

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

The Glitter Glue really picks up the bit of pink in this shade.  I like this one as it is just a hint of pink and doesn’t overwhelm the shadow.

 Butts (Captain Malcolm Reynolds edition)

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

This is a khaki-tinted beige loaded with shimmer! I like this over over all surfaces and found it didn’t differ a whole lot over the 2 different primers.

T-B: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

L-R: Glitter Glue, Bare Skin, Shadow Insurance

It is hard to tell in indirect light but this shade does have quite a lot of shimmer.  You can see here on the bare skin there that the colour has a bit of sparkle but it’s not so strong that it’s the first thing you notice.

Direct Sunlight

T-B: Jareth’s Tight Pants, Dammit, Moon Moon, Chinchilln’

Look at that sparkle! You can see the shift in Chinchillin’ here too.

T-B: Jareth’s Tight Pants, Dammit, Moon Moon, Chinchilln’

T-B: Yzma’s Essence of Llama, Doge, and Butts

You can see the plum base to Yzma’s Essance of Llama well here as well as the strong duochrome.  The pink in Doge is also pretty stron in the direct light.

Dammit, Moon Moon and Jareth’s Tight Pants

Yzma’s Essence of Llama and Chinchilln’

Butts and Doge

So…?

These are great colours and they will be gone soon! I can tell why some of the previous colours were brought back as I haven’t seen dupes that quite capture them (Dammit, Moon Moon looking at you!) Both Intertubes and the COTM’s will be gone in a couple days so if you’re interested in trying Shiro or have fallen in love with one of the colours you can find them here.

Shiro Intertubes

Shiro has brought back their discontinued Intertubes and they are available for the last couple days of June.  I had heard so many great things about these little lippes so of course I ignored my wallets sobs and picked some up!

For those of you that haven’t tried Shiro Cosmetics, you need to head over there and get some Shiro in your lives! Those of you that have tried Shiro know how great they are and this post is just me further enabling you and encouraging that next purchase!  My Shiro collection is still growing but before the door closes on the intertubes, I thought I should swatch all my Shiro lippies for ya’ll.

First Up, Balms!

With Eyes Unclouded right, and A Girl and A Cat left.

I have 2 of the balms and I really do love them.  They have a really smooth texture, a hint of colour and they leave my lips feeling baby soft and moisturized. I can already tell that I will slowly accumulate all of them, some of them I am sure I will pick up doubles of.  I keep one in my purse and it’s great to throw it on if my lips are crying for moisture or if I feel like I need a bit more colour. Links are provided with each swatch that take you to the product page.

Bare lips for reference:

Naked Lips….Scandalous!

With Eyes Unclouded 

With Eyes Unclouded, 2 passes over lips.

Described as a sheer brick red with a slight brown undertone on Shiro’s website.  This is a pretty accurate description.  It comes out a nice brick orange/red colour with just enough brown to ground it. It is a bit build-able but you don’t want to add too much or I find it doesn’t last as long. With more passes this one looks like the swatch on the website but I find more than 2 makes my lips feel slippery and as if I have too much on.

A Girl and A Cat

A Girl and A Cat, 2 passes over lips.

The description on the website describes this as a deep purple in the tube that applies as a medium-sheer berry.  Love this purple! This is very close to the swatch on the site, even only with 2 passes, and with another pass it looks exactly like it.  I really appreciate sites that have accurate swatches and this one lives up to the swatch!

And the Intertubes!

These are much more build-able than the balms and are great if you want a big pop of colour.  I am more into subtle pops of colour and so I use these with a lighter hand.  I usually swipe it once, smoosh my lips and then even out the colour with my finger. The texture varies between the colours and I have heard that these have a tendency to become gritty but am hoping that this doesn’t happen any time soon!

Bare lips for reference:

Naked Lips

 

Why Not Zoidberg?

Why Not Zoidberg? 1 pass on both top and bottom, evened out colour with finger.

Why did I not buy this sooner!? Everyone on was raving about how great this colour was but when I looked at swatches it was meh in my mind. I bought it anyways and oh god, I love this colour! It’s described as a bright coral that can be applied moderately opaque or be built up to full opacity.  This is exactly like the swatch online when applied a bit heavier.  It can be applied lighter (as above) or darker for more of a pop.

Rickrolled

Rickrolled, 1 pass with colour evened out with finger.

This is supposed to be a red-orange but can appear coral.  This Intertube is flavoured with real ginger and this may cause a mild stinging or a ‘plumping’ effect.  I didn’t notice this effect or the flavour.  Like Why Not Zoidberg? this may be applied sheer or built up to moderate opacity.  When applied with a lighter hand this is more coral but this is closer to the swatch on the website when applied heavily.

Magnets

Magnets, 1 pass with colour evened out with finger.

This is described as a plum with strong silver sheen that ay be applied sheer or built up to near-full opacity.  I don’t get the silver sheen as strong as it appears in the online swatch but this may be because I don’t apply it to full opacity. Even with a light hand this one applies very close to the online swatch.  It is a great everyday colour that adds a bit of VaVaVoom to my day.  This one has a lovely texture; it’s very smooth and just glides right on.

Team Buffy

Team Buffy, 1 pass with colour evened out with finger.

This is what I wish my lips looked like all the time.  This is a nice natural colour that doesn’t advertise that you are wearing a lip colour. This is a vampy plum/raisin colour that can be applied sheer or built up to moderate opacity.  I have applied it very lightly but when built up this is a very bold colour.  The swatch online is very accurate.  Just like Magnets, this colour has a great texture and just glides onto your lips.

All the Swatches!

I am about a MAC NC10/15.  Swatches are done with a light hand and in natural light.

Left to right: Team Buffy, Magnets, Rickrolled, Why Not Zoidberg, A Girl and A Cat, With Eyes Unclouded.

Left to right: Why Not Zoidberg?, A Girl and A Cat, and With Eyes Unclouded.

Left to right: Team Buffy, Magnets, and Rickrolled.

Aren’t they so pretty! My lip collection keeps growing and with products like these, I am not about to stop it.  The intertubes are around for a couple more days on Shiro’s website and they can be found here.  Grab them before they’re gone at the end of June and pop a couple of those lip balms in there for good measure.  If you really want to cover your bases you should grab some samples of the eyeshadows too, and the finishing powder! Alright, I’m done enabling.  Have fun!

(All reviews and statements are my honest opinions, and all products are purchased by me unless otherwise explicitly stated.)

 

Lou Lou Soaps, Scrubs and Scents Perfume Order

Aren’t they just so cute!

For my first order with Lou Lou’s Soaps, Scrubs and Scents I snagged one of the last bottles of Tropical Dream as well as 7 5/8 dram samples of Coconut Dream, Bananawood, Blueberry, Cheesecake, Pirates Punch, Good Morning, Bunny, and Orange Patchouli Cupcakes.  Evelyn also included 2 extra samples! I got Lime Margarita and Haley’s Blend.

Now I’m not very experienced with reviewing scents so this may not be as eloquent as other reviews may be but it should be helpful for others who are new to the world of perfume like me! I know if I like a scent and if I don’t and I can usually pick out the notes that I really like.

The Order

So since I am in Canada I had to contact the owner of the shop to get her to make a custom order for me including international shipping.  She was super fast getting back to me and was very reasonable with international shipping.  Some places charge an arm and a leg and with $8 (Canadian $) shipping to Canada, this was one of the most reasonable shipping rates I have come across for perfume.  Sets of 5 samples are $11(Canadian $) and full sizes are about $5.

The Arrival

I placed my order on May 30, 2014 and received it June 10th.  This is pretty amazing for an international order!

The little dudes were really well wrapped.  You could’ve dropped the package and they would’ve been fine.  You could tell they were wrapped with care.

After getting past the bubble wrap you find these cute little bags holding your treasure!

Each of the perfume bottles was individually packaged in a little baggie, wrapped around the top to prevent leakage.

These weren’t going to be leaking in the mail!

The Reviews!

For the reviews, I did not reference the scent description until after I tested them.  I will comment on my impressions from the cold sniff, the wear test, and after reading the description.

Tropical Dream. No longer available.

I had to grab this one before it disappeared.  I may be new to perfume but I have a general idea of what I like and this sounded like it was right up my alley! A version of this scent may come back to the store in the future but that depends if the ingredients can be rounded up in the future.

Description (taken from Etsy Store): This blend starts off with my Coconut Dream perfume oil which is a blend of fresh, tropical coconut, coconut cream, buttery pie crust, vanilla bean, warm woods, sweet amber, and clear musk. I then added additional notes of mango, tangerine, papaya, and pineapple blossoms for a tropical feel. This blend contains some rare and discontinued oils so supply is limited.  I may make this blend again with new oils, but it may not smell the same as this original blend.

Cold Sniff: Tropical and fruity. I can pick out the mango, tangerine and papaya notes in there, the pineapple is there but with the other scents it almost smells artificial. On the cold sniff I’m not picking up any of the Coconut Dream, its just fruit.

Wear Test: Still very fruity, it’s like wearing a lollipop as the sweetness is amped up on my skin. After about 30 minutes it mellows down a bit as a hint of the Coconut Dream comes through, but it is still very sweet.  After 1 hour it sits very close to the skin and the dry down is mostly the fruit scents with the edges of the scent warmed by the coconut and vanilla.

Final Thoughts: I’m glad I picked up a full size of this before it disappeared as I do like it.  It’s something summery and pretty I’m looking forward to wearing lots.  This one lasted about 4 hours but sat close to the skin after 1 hour.

Haley’s Blend. Freebie.

Description (taken from Etsy Store): This blend contains an Apple Accord I created along with Leather, Black Tea, and Vanilla Cake.

Cold Sniff:  Nope, nope, nope. I don’t know what it is I just am not a fan. It might be the Black Tea and Leather coming through but that’s all I’m getting with this one.

Wear Test: On initial application this one is all Black Tea and Leather and I don’t get any of the cake or apple.  After about 30 minutes I get some of the sweetness of the Vanilla Cake and I think I can smell the Apple but it’s still hard to get past the leather and tea scents.  After 1 hour it’s still not too much better and the leather and tea are in the forefront.

Final Thoughts: This is not my cup of tea but I can see how it might interest other people.  It lasted about 5 hours and sat closer to the skin after about 2 hours but every once in a while I would catch a whiff of it.

Coconut Dream

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Coconut Dream is a blend of fresh, tropical coconut, coconut cream, buttery pie crust, vanilla bean, warm woods, sweet amber, and clear musk.

Cold Sniff: I get the sweet amber backed by the tropical coconut and a slight creamy edge from the vanilla.  I can tell there is a cream scent as there is a sharper note that seems to be in all the scents I choose that have cream or milk notes in them.

Wear Test: This is nice! On application the sharper note disappears and it is all soft coconut and warm vanilla.  After 30 minutes there is a slight woody edge to the scent that makes the coconut and vanilla feel even warmer. After 1 hour it has balanced out a bit and I get a hint of coconut and vanilla with the warm woods plus a little bit of the amber.  This one sat really close on my skin for the whole wear test and lasted about 6 hours.

Final Thoughts: I wish this one would float around me a bit more.  My Mr. didn’t even realize I was wearing perfume until I asked him if he liked it.  I found that I had to bring it right up to my nose to smell it.  I won’t be buying a full size but I am going to finish the sample for sure!

Blueberry Cheesecake

This scent came highly recommended on the subreddit /r/Indiemakeupandmore so I had to pick it up and try it.

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Blueberry Cheesecake is a blend of creamy cheesecake, fresh wild blueberries, and graham cracker crust

Cold Sniff: Super duper sickeningly sweet.  This is so sweet in the bottle that it’s crazy.  I can smell a smidgin of creamy cream-cheese and graham cracker but it’s hard to get past that initial berry sweetness.

Wear Test: It’s just plain sweet blueberries on my skin.  I don’t get any of the cheesecake or graham crust.  After about 1 hour the sweetness mellows down a tad bit and I get a hint of the cheesecake but it feels like the blueberries and cheesecake are fighting each other on my skin.  This scent had decent throw and lasted for about 4 hours.  It never really balanced out and continued to be a fight between the notes.

Final Thoughts:  This scent just doesn’t work on me.  I was really looking forward to it due to all the raves on /r/indiemakeupandmore but unfortunately all I get is sickeningly sweet blueberry.

Bananawood

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Bananawood is a blend of ripe bananas, caramel, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and sandalwood.

Cold Sniff: Banana Laffy Taffy.  That’s it but I actually like that smell so it’s all good!

Wear Test: Initially the Laffy Taffy smell is there but it very quickly mellows out.  After about 5 minutes the banana scent is gone and I am left with cinnamon and a deep woody scent. At the 30 minute mark the cinnamon is very strong with the woody scent hanging out in the background.  To smell the scents I have to put my nose right to where I applied the scent so initially the throw isn’t that far but after about an hour I started to notice the scent every once in a while when I moved.  At the 1 hour mark the scent has sweetened a bit and a less artificial banana scent surfaces, mingling nicely with the spicy cinnamon which has faded a bit. I can pick up some vanilla and something else sweet that I can’t quite pin down.  The dry down is a warm, slightly sweet vanilla banana scent with a slight spicy bite and a warm woody smell lingering in the background.

Final Thoughts: After reading the description I can totally smell each of those notes after it has been on for about an hour. There is a nice balance between the sweetness and the spice in this scent and I find it to be an incredibly comforting scent.  This is something that I will be trying on my man.  It makes a lovely unisex scent and on me it isn’t too masculine.  The throw isn’t strong initially and it sits close to the skin until it warms up and melds with the skin, then I noticed it floating around me.  It is noticeable for a while (2-3 hours) and then starts to fade again.  It’s still there, but I have to put my nose closer to my wrist to smell it.  This lasted for about 6 hours and I did really like the dry down.  This has gone into my Buy a Full Size drawer!

Pirates Punch

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Pirate’s Punch starts out with a vanilla bean infused coconut oil base (vanilla beans infused in the carrier oil for four month). I then added notes of Tahitian vanilla, coconut, lime, bay rum, verbena, and mahogany wood along with some added spices. This is a scent that a man or woman can appreciate.

Cold Sniff: I get warm vanilla with a nip of fresh lime and I think it’s the verbena dancing in the background.

Wear Test: Once on the vanilla fades and the lime jumps right into the front.  It’s a nice lime scent, fresh and not artificial.  The verbena moves up right beside the lime and I get a hint of mahogany at the edges.  The spices come out after about 30 minutes and they sit with the verbena in the forefront but the lime has taken on a slight artificial edge.  After about 1 hour its a strange balance of verbena and mahogany with the artificial lime sitting in the background and a hint of rum rounding out the scent.  I don’t get the coconut at all and the scent sits close to the skin with limited throw.  This scent lasted 4 hours.

Final Thoughts: It’s nice but I was hoping for more rum and spices to come forward.  It sits really close to the skin and much like Coconut Dream, I could only smell it when my nose was pressed right up to it.

Lime Margarita. Freebie.

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Lime Margarita is a refreshing blend of limes, mandarin oranges, lemons, vanilla rum, sea salt, and musk. This blend contains lime and orange essential oils.

Cold Sniff: This smells like the artificial lime flavour you add to shaved ice.  Its cloyingly sweet and has that sharp artificial edge.

Wear Test: Once on the lemon and lime scent sits at the front but it’s the artificial lemon scent you get from a cleaning product.  There is a hint of what I think is the sea salt but it is hard to tell.  After about 30 minutes the scent is still very sharp and artificial smelling on my skin and I am not getting any of the other notes.  After 1 hour a bit of orange joins the party but it just adds to the cleaning product scent.  This one had throw for the first 20 minutes and then settled in right by the skin.  I ended up washing it off after 2 hours as it wasn’t really nice on my skin.

Final Thoughts:  I never got any of the vanilla rum or musk notes and for some reason my skin decided it did not really care for this scent.  It amped up the fruits but in a way that made them very sharp and fake smelling. Into the swap pile with this one!

Good Morning

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Sugar crusted blueberry muffins with butter, a bowl of maple syrup drizzled oatmeal, sugar cookies, and a warm mug of vanilla bean infused milk

Cold Sniff: Maple and cinnamon, french toast and waffles with a sharp sweet note that I can’t identify.

Wear Test: After application the sweet note is amplified and the maple and cinnamon dances in the background.  After about 30 minutes the sweetness mellows out a tiny bit and the breakfasty smell comes to the front.  I can smell the french toast and waffles right at the front, the cinnamon and maple sitting right at the front.  After an hour they are still sitting at the forefront but the sweetness is sitting right behind and that is followed by a mellow creamy scent I can’t really identify; it’s kind of vanilla-y and a little bit cakey.  The throw was pretty good and I could smell it floating around me all day.  After 2 hours the scent really mellowed and the sweetness faded, leaving a creamy and slightly spicy scent with maple dancing in the background.  This scent lasted 9+ hours.  It was still there when I went to bed, sitting close to the skin.

Final Thoughts:  I really like the dry down of this scent but am not a fan of it in the first 2 hours of its lifespan.  I find it to be pretty sweet and it made me a little nauseous.  This scent is in my Use it Until the Sample is Gone and Then Decide if I Want a Bigger One pile but I don’t think I will want a full size.

Bunny

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Bunny is a blend of carrot cake, bakery spices, vanilla bean, buttercream frosting, marshmallow fluff, strawberries, cocoa, and amber on a bed of green grass.

Cold Sniff: Warm cake and butter with a hint of vanilla in the background.

Wear Test: Immediately after applying it morphs into crazy sweet strawberry with powdery cocoa.  The grass comes through but doesn’t balance well so it smells weird with the strawberries.  After 30 minutes my skin continues to amp the strawberries but they are starting to come across with that sharp artificial edge my skin seems to create. The grass is a little sharper and is battling with the sweetness and the amber is there right at the end.  This one had good throw for about 2 hours and every once in a while after I would catch a whiff of it.  The vanilla and cake never came back and unfortunately I never got any of the bakery spices, buttercream frosting or marshmallow fluff.  This lasted for 6 hours.

Final Thoughts: I was really hoping for a spicier, cake-ier scent but that doesn’t come through on me.  I think I will have to be careful with fruity scents as apparently my skin likes to make them smell funny.  If it hadn’t morphed so much from how it smells in the vial, I would have liked it more.  This one is joining its buddies in the swap pile.

Orange Patchouli Cupcake

Description (taken from Etsy Store): Orange Patchouli Cupcakes is a blend of blood oranges, orange essential oil, patchouli essential oil, and chocolate cupcakes frosted with coconut buttercream frosting.

Cold Sniff: Yuck. This smells like dirt with a strong citrus bite and a cake undertone.  It reminds me of a dirty old cupcake left in the park for a week in the sun and rain, forgotten after a birthday party.  So I don’t like Patchouli at all.

Wear Test: I do not like patchouli but my skin does.  I am not able to give a good review of this scent as I was not able to leave it on for longer than 45 minutes as it made me feel nauseous.  On application I got that bright artificial orange scent with a strong scent of dirt and yuck.  There is a bit of sweetness from the chocolate but I do not get any of the coconut buttercream.  After 30 minutes the orange and patchouli are still right at the front but a really sweet note has joined the party.  At 45 minutes I washed this off.  Throw was pretty good and I smelled it all around me.

Final Thoughts: If you like patchouli then you might like this one. I am not a huge fan but now I know!

Summary of Thoughts:

These are nice perfumes scents but most do not really work for me.  I am going to wait on placing another order until after I try some other brands.  These didn’t have as great of a throw as I would like; I want to smell my perfume floating around me.  I want people to be like, “Oh, what smells so good!” and so far no one has noticed that I am even wearing perfume. I have to ask my Mr. to smell me for him to notice!

It’s a nice little store with some interesting scents, my skin just amps up the wrong notes. The owner is really nice and communication was super fast! You can find the store here and check things out for yourself!

(All reviews and statements are my honest opinions, and all products are purchased by me unless otherwise explicitly stated.)

Collagen in Cosmetics

So I was intrigued by many of the products I have seen and their use of collagen.  I ended up doing some extra research as I had doubts about their effectiveness.  So lets break it down!

What is collagen and what is it supposed to do?

So pretty much collagen is an important protein (specifically an amino acid) that makes up a large part of our molecular breakdown.  It’s found in fibrous tissue like the skin, tendons and ligaments but is also found in bones, blood vessels, our tummies and in our eyes (specifically the cornea). It is the protein that gives our skin its strength and elasticity and is also pretty darn important for strengthening our blood vessels.  When collagen degrades, it causes wrinkles (among other skin issues) and because of this it has become pretty popular as an anti-aging supplement. So that’s the basic background but how can we get more into our bodies?

Introducing collagen into our bodies?

There is a lot of mixed information about this.  Some sources say that it can be absorbed through your epidermis (skin), others say no.  This person says it can if it is a smaller molecule, that person says that the small molecules are useless. It’s hard to figure out what to believe when there is so much conflicting information out there! So I went to my Universities library and pulled out some peer reviewed studies to find the answer! Google scholar is your friend! Type in a few smart sounding words like ‘Collagen Epidermal Absorption’ and BAM more papers than you will ever want to read, right at your finger tips.  The hard part is sorting through and finding the relevant ones…

The basics of what I found are that collagen can be absorbed through your eyes (DO NOT PUT YOUR COSMETICS OR CREAMS OR TREATMENTS OR ANYTHING IN YOUR EYES! Just don’t…please), and through injections but that it doesn’t effectively absorb through the skin.  The epidermis does a great job at keeping things out and in this case, it keeps the collagen from entering through the skin.  Some cosmetics use soluble or hydrolyzed collagen, which are collagen molecules that have been broken down into smaller particles so that it is able to enter the skin.  Although these particles are able to enter the skin, it is suggested that they are too small to be able to integrate with the collagen you have in your skin already. So pretty much, it’s absorbed but it can’t do anything!  From what I found, pretty much the best way besides diet (eating the proteins needed to make collagen) to introduce collagen into your body is through injections.  Ouch.

So what does this all mean?

So in summary, because apparently I like summaries, if you like a product that has collagen in it then keep using it but don’t buy a product solely because it claims to plump skin and improve elasticity through the use of collagen.  You can do a quick google search (google scholar or normal google) and find many articles on how experts believe that those face products do nothing.  In fact, here are some of the links I found by typing ‘Does collagen absorb through the skin’ into google:

• Newspaper blogger
• Livestrong.com
• SmartSkin.com

For my Reddit friends and everyone else because Reddit has a lot of very educated people (and is just awesome in general), here are some posts related to the topic:

• Topical Collagen Has 2 moderators who know their stuff (one does research) comment!
• Types of moisturizers and how they work, so how you can keep younger looking skin without collagen injections!
• Other additives to look for that actually do something!

Oh, and apparently you can get collagen drinks and stuff…that might have to be its own separate post.

Missha Dong Baek Gold Shampoo

The next sample to review as I work my way through the pile of samples on my desk, is the Missha Dong Baek Gold Shampoo.  To start, I have thick, coarse blonde hair that has the misfortune of being on the head of a person that goes into a pool at least twice a week.  I’m sorry hair, you know I do what I can for you!  I’m always willing to try new shampoos and conditioner in order to try and help my poor fried hair as best I can.

So it has some nice packaging and it is a decent sized sample.  The amount you get is pretty generous and 2 samples got me through 4 washes.  Pretty good for the amount of hair I’ve got! There was a major downside and that was the smell.  This stuff is strong.  In the time it took to empty the samples into a jar, I had a roaring headache and had to open the window in order to air out the room.  I am sensitive to scents but this stuff punches you in the face with flowers.  It was so strong!  The smell does disappear pretty well when you actually use it but it does make me nauseous just to put it in my palm.

It does a really good job at grabbing all the dirt and oil in your hair and pulling it out without drying the hair but it can be difficult to tell if you have managed to distribute it to all areas of your scalp as it does not really lather.  Lathering ingredients are added to lots of shampoo because we like them, not because they actually do anything.  The amount of lather you get does not indicate the effectiveness of a shampoo but it sure helps you tell if you’ve missed a spot!  This may be a thick hair person problem but I really like lather so I know I’ve gotten all the grime.

Since it didn’t lather much, I worked it through much like you would a conditioner and then massaged the scalp to work it in deeper.  This worked pretty well and it rinsed exceptionally fast! I was left with light, soft and clean hair.

I don’t know if you can tell from the pictures but the first one is before use and the second is after.  My hair feels softer and lighter.

Summary

All in all, it’s a nice shampoo.  It cleaned my hair without drying it out and left it light and soft, even without conditioner.  I can’t get past the smell of it though so this is a no buy for me.  If it came in an unscented version then I may consider buying one but as far as shampoo goes, there are tons out there.  This one is nice, if you happen to be able to get a sample then grab one but otherwise it’s just that, nice.  It didn’t rock my world, but it was nice while it lasted.

(All reviews and statements are my honest opinions, and all products are purchased by me unless otherwise explicitly stated.)

 

Custom Shadows with Hello Waffle Cosmetics!

So I have a pretty exciting post for you all today!  I have recently delved into the world of indie makeup and have lots to show you all but what better way to start of my indie makeup posts than to show off my wonderful custom shadows!?

Christine, the amazing owner of Hello Waffle, will be adding custom cosmetics to her shop! I’ll give you all a moment to squeal in delight and do a mini happy dance.  Yup, it’s awesome!

I was looking to do custom shadows as a gift for my sister but wanted them to be from a store I was familiar with.  I had just received my latest order from her and loved everything (so pigmented and smooth!) so I figured I would ask Christine if she would do custom shadows for me, worst she could say was no right?  She replied right away saying that she could definitely do the custom shadows and it is something she has been considering adding to the shop!

I told her the names of was thinking of, and described the colours I had imagined and she gave me input of what else might work.  We decided on 3 colours to do that would fit with the names and she started right away, which I didn’t expect with the recent sale in her shop!  Christine sent me swatches of the colours as she worked on them so that I could add in my input, she was super accommodating and I really can’t say enough about how much fun I had working with her.  I can be a little of a control freak to be honest and she really made me feel comfortable with being involved.  I never felt like I couldn’t say no or was pressured to accept something I didn’t like.  She really seemed to just get my vision for these colours!  She even told me I was laid back and fun to work with!!! Yes, that deserves extra exclamation points, I told my mom that and she laughed.  I’m one of those people that thinks teaching someone how to do something means just doing it myself.

But seriously, this was a super fun experience.  One of the shadows didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to and Christine was the first to say she didn’t think it fit my vision.  She has this ability to really see what you see and was just as disappointed that it wasn’t going to work out.  We moved on and she created another amazing shadow that is so much better than what I was originally thinking.

The Colours!

The names come from nicknames for my sister.  She has a name that is hard to make fun of and Turkey Toes is part of a rhyme we used to bug her when she was little.  Her other nickname was Pirate but she hated that one, plus I couldn’t think of a shadow that would fit the name and that she would like. June Bug is because she’s a June baby and Ary Rose is a shortened version of her name…it’s the nicer version of what I call her! I’d tell you what that is but she might kill me, so I think I’ll play it safe.

June Bug: I asked for a pinky coral colour with a blue green shift.  Christine had me send her some images of what I was thinking for the coral colour, which I though was brilliant. She nailed the coral I was imagining and the shadow ended up being a coral with a hint of blue sparkle and a blue/green shift.

Ary Rose: A light pink with a purple shift is what I imagined.  Christine delivered with the most beautiful shadow! It is pink with a strong violet duo-chrome! Love, love, love this colour!

Turkey Toes: So I was thinking of a brown with a green duo-chrome but when Christine tried to create it, the pigments and mica fought her.  The duo-chrome made the brown look ashy and grey so she added some copper and it ended up being a copper brown with green qualities and green sparkles.  It is still a lovely colour, my sister just wouldn’t get very much use out of it. So, we changed our minds and came up with a whole new idea!  By then I had received an idea from my sister for a colour after asking her what she normally wore. I quote, “Sagey golden green, you know, like a pretty blue green with gold.  Like moms kitchen!”  So there it was, I asked for a golden sage green and the colour came out beautifully! Christine is a colour genius.

Alright, on to the good stuff! The part I know you have all been waiting for, the swatches!

Swatches from Hello Waffle!

These are the swatches that Christine sent me along the way!

First Image: Top swatch is Ary Rose, bottom is June Bug.  These were done over Glitter Glue.  Beautiful huh?  Christine mentioned that June Bug would make a great blush and I think it would be super pretty! So maybe, just maybe, you should watch for that 😉

Second Image: Top and bottom are Ary Rose (top on Glitter Glue, bottom on Shadow Insurance), Middle is June Bug with a little more blue shift added.

This is the first attempt at Turkey Toes.  It’s a really pretty colour, just not quite what I was thinking. Top is over Shadow Insurance, bottom is over Glitter Glue.

This is what Turkey Toes became!  Both are over Glitter Glue. The second image is of the final colour as I had requested she add a smidgin more blue.  It’s such a beautiful colour, I’m tickled with how it turned out.  It doesn’t necessarily match it’s name but I figure there has to be a turkey out there with greenish looking toes…

My Swatches

I was so excited to get my hands on these! Christine was nice enough to include some of the extra so that I could have the shadows as well! So you guys get swatches and my sister gets unused eyeshadow.

Artificial light: Turkey Toes on the left, Ary Rose, then June Bug on the right. Top is over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, middle is bare skin, and bottom is over Glitter Glue.

Indirect Natural Light: Turkey Toes on the left, Ary Rose, then June Bug on the right. Top is over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, middle is bare skin, and bottom is over Glitter Glue.

Turkey Toes: Left is over Glitter Glue, middle is bare skin, and right is Too Faced Shadow Insurance. First 2 pictures are indirect natural light, last picture in artificial light.

Look at that gold shift! So pretty!

Ary Rose: Left is over Glitter Glue, middle is bare skin, and right is Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  Indirect natural light for the first 3, last 2 are artificial light.

Look at that pretty shift! And you can see the sparkles a bit too!

 

The Glitter Glue captures the colour the best for sure.

Definitely needs the Glitter Glue although it is still pretty over the Shadow Insurance.

 June Bug: Left is over Glitter Glue, middle is bare skin, and right is Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  Indirect natural light for the first 3, last 2 are artificial light.

That Glitter Glue! Really makes the colour shine.

 

Look at dem sparkles!

 

Thoughts:

So yeah, this was a fantastic experience.  Christine is awesome, the colours are fantastic, and my sister loves them!  I can’t say enough about how super lovely Christine is so instead I will just send you all in her direction! Her shop is Hello Waffle and you can buy her wonderful cosmetics, including lip stuffs and blushes, here!  Seriously, go buy stuff.  Her products are beautiful.  I’ll be posting the rest of my haul soon! Yes….there’s more.

Missha Super Aqua Cream

I’ve heard a bit about this cream and was happy to see some samples in my eopenmarket sample pack.  I have been using it the past couple of days to get a good idea of how it works with my skin.

The Product:

This is a light feeling facial cream that has a light floral perfume scent.  It feels really silky on the skin and absorbed really fast into my skin.  It did leave an interesting feel on the skin after being applied; it felt almost like there was a film on top of my skin.  It wasn’t greasy but felt more like that Gloves in a Bottle lotion that you can buy, but on my face.  It wasn’t unpleasant but took a little bit to get used to. It applies really smoothly and I found that a little went a long way as I used a pea sized amount for my entire face.  It was really easy to evenly disperse and didn’t ball up when I applied primer and makeup over top in the morning.

My Thoughts:

This is a nice lotion, moisturizing and nice to use.  It didn’t block my pores and it worked well with my routine.  It isn’t a holy grail product for me but it was certainly nice to try.  I wouldn’t pay full price for a full size bottle of this but if it was on sale I would certainly grab a bottle!

All in all it is a nice lotion.  For my skin it wasn’t anything extra special but it is a nice fall back to have if I want to ensure I am using something that won’t block my pores.  I would suggest trying it out for sure as many have really loved this lotion! Who knows, maybe this will be your holy grail!

(All reviews and statements are my honest opinions, and all products are purchased by me unless otherwise explicitly stated.)