Inglot Cosmetics: Available now on Beautylish!

Nothing to Disclose

Inglot Cosmetics is one of my favorite brands because they offer so many types of products for so little money at such high quality. Seriously, it almost feels like too good of a bargain to purchase some of their eyeshadows, blushes, lipsticks etc. Their Freedom System is especially fantastic, and I'm sure appeals to makeup artists who can pick up a whole palette with an entire spectrum of colors. Now Inglot has partnered up with Beautylish and is available in the Beautylish Shop. The partnership is genius because the Inglot USA online store leaves a lot to be desired with their product photography. Beautylish has always had true to color product pictures AND swatches which is great for a consumer who doesn't have easy access to an Inglot store or counter. FYI: Beautylish only ships within the US.



I will say that it is bittersweet to read the wonderful tribute that Beautylish posted, Wojiciech Inglot really had a huge effect on so many makeup mavens, consumers and professionals alike.

The Beautylish shop offers most of the Freedom system line of products: empty magnetic palettes, eyeshadows, rainbow eyeshadows, brow wax, brow powder, concealer, lipstick, blush, and pressed powder. These are all in the rectangular pans.

Unlike on the Inglot USA website, the lipsticks, concealers, brow wax, and brow powders are available in the rectangular pans as opposed to the round pans. Since the rectangular pans contain more product than the round pans, they're $6.00 as opposed to $5.00. The prices are the same otherwise. *EDIT: According to dslrbbt, they are going to discontinue the round pans which is why these are going to be available in the rectangular pans.*

Some colors are only available on the Beautylish website and there are also some colors that Beautylish doesn't carry.

• For the eyeshadows, 317 matte and 18 shine are the only two shades not available on Beautylish's website.
• For the rainbow eyeshadows, brow wax, brow powders, concealer, and lipsticks, all the shades are available on Beautylish.
• For the blushes, 21, 22, 23, 25, 31, 40, and 41 are only available on Beautylish's website. 
• For the pressed powders, Beautylish does not carry the shades 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, and 61.

The Colour Play lipsticks are not on the website and they do not offer the hinged Freedom System compacts.

Are you happy to see Inglot available on Beautylish? Go forth and shop!

(Nothing to disclose, none of the links are affiliate links and I was not compensated to write this post. I certainly wasn't compensated when I cross referenced the 230 eyeshadows on Inglot's website with the 228 eyeshadows on Beautylish's shop to see which two weren't available on Beautylish. Don't blame me it's Spring Break, I have time to do these things!)

Preview with Preliminary Swatches: Fyrinnae Cosmetics 1960s Retro Collection

If you loved my recent review of the Fyrinnae's 50s Retro Collection, then you'll love the next decade's followup of a 1960s Retro Collection. While the 50s Collection was all about subdued neutrals, the 1960s Collection brings back the bright with an amalgamation of eight beautifully bold eyeshadows and two pale lip lustres. 

The eyeshadows are Bollywood Babe, Equal Rights Shine, Space Age, London Mod, Pop Art Mini Skirt, Gender Bent, Polyester Witch, and Oh, My Stars! 

The lip lusters are It's a Mod World and Pleasant Valley Sundae.

The products will be available on Fyrinnae's website tomorrow, 3/31.

(Images courtesy of Fyrinnae)

Swatches

From left to right: Space Age, London Mod, Equal Rights Shine, Bollywood Base, Pop Art Mini Skirt, Gender Bent, Oh, My Stars! and Polyester Witch

The pairings indicate the type of effects that each eyeshadow has. For example, the orange and teal are paired together because the orange has a teal sparkle and the teal and orange sparkle and the pink and gold are paired together because the gold has a pink sparkle, the pink has a gold sparkle, etc!

Color descriptions:

Eyeshadows

Space Age: Satin minty green filled with blue sparkle
London Mod: Satiny light blue, a little warmer than cornflower filled with green sparkle.
Equal Rights Shine: Brilliant, shimmery warm gold, graced with pink sparkle.
Bollywood Babe: Satiny cool pink loaded with cheery gold sparkle.
Pop Art Mini Skirt: Bright sparkly orange, filled with turquoise sparkle.
Gender Bent: Vivid, deep, somewhat shimmery teal graced with bold orange sparkle.
Oh, My Stars!: Brilliant lime green filled with violet and purple sparkle.
Polyester Witch: Light violet graced with fun green sparkle.

Lip Lustres

It's A Mod World: Sheer glowing pink with a touch of pale violet sparkle.
Pleasant Valley Sundae: Sheer milky cream with lavender shimmer. 

Are any of the colors catching your eye? I'm personally partial to that teal and that violet!

Milani Flamingo Pose & Sangria Color Statement Lipstick Swatches and Review

I purchased this

I could easily be accused of getting on the bandwagon when it comes to these Milani Color Statement lipsticks and you'd be right to think so. Milani revamped their Color Statement Lipstick line and came out with all sorts of pinks, reds, and even a few purples and I got my hands on two, Flamingo Pose and Sangria.

Where to purchase: Milani Cosmetics, Drugstores

Price: $5.49 for .14 oz/3.97 grams

Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals.

Packaging: The lipsticks are packaged in a gold metal tube with a color swatch corresponding to the lipstick color at the bottom. Unfortunately, the packaging doesn't list which finish each lipstick is. If you're fastidious about fingerprints, you'll hate the packaging since it shows off fingerprints off like no other.

Product Description: Make a statement without saying a word! True Instant Color. One stroke, full coverage application. This next generation lipstick gives the ultimate in color, texture and finish. The lightweight creamy formula contains Vitamins A, C, & E to moisturize and nourish lips. Paraben-free. Available in Vinyl, Metallic, Cream, Shimmer, Pearl & Matte finish.

My Thoughts on the Formula:

I have mixed feelings on the lipsticks. First off, they've got a fruity synthetic scent that you can smell right off the bat when you open the tube. Thankfully it does dissipate some when you're wearing the lipsticks but if you're like me and picky about scents, it is a negative. In its favor, I adore the numerous colors and finishes available but I would like more info on some of the finishes and what differentiates them.

From what I can tell, the cream finish is shimmerless with some shine whereas the matte finish is also shimmerless with a flat finish; the matte is not a full on matte and has more of a satin finish. Flamingo Pose is the easier of the two to apply since it has more slip from the cream finish. Both colors actually look quite opaque on me but Sangria a little more so since it's a darker color. 

Wear time for both was about four hours+. I noticed that by the third hour, there was some feathering going on with Flamingo Pose though the color was still all there and strong. Sangria can be unforgiving; it's very persnickety so you have to have your lips perfectly exfoliated otherwise it sticks and darkens in any imperfections. Both colors stain badly, as in bright popsicle pink after only a few minutes.

If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be Sangria. It's definitely more particular about application but it is versatile since you can apply it lighter to get stain on your lips. Flamingo Pose isn't a bad color but I just prefer Sangria.

You can check out Rikki's post on the same two lipsticks (it was a coincidence I swear, I got Sangria first after mentioning purple lipsticks on Twitter and chatting with her about it and then I got Flamingo Pose after that).

Swatches

The lipstick was applied directly from the tube and the pictures were taken in natural daylight with no flash.

Flamingo Pose

Flamingo Pose is described as a "Flamingo Coral". A blazingly bright pink, verging on near neon. It's sure to grab anyone's attention.

Sangria

Sangria is described as a "Berry" and it's a deep rich berry purple, almost ranging on raisin. It applies more berry on your lips than the deep purple in the tube but it's even more purple in real life; it was a little difficult to capture the deeper tone on camera but this is fairly accurate. Lip pigmentation will play a large role in determining how deep it looks on you.

Final Thoughts

I'm willing to overlook the fruity synthetic scent for Sangria but I'm so-so on Flamingo Pose. It's not that Flamingo Pose isn't a beautiful color, it's just not doing it for me the way Sangria does though I'm liable to change my mind. I do urge you to check out the new Color Statement lipsticks as they seem to have been getting fairly universal praise. While Sangria requires perfectly exfoliated lips, the outcome is worth the effort in my opinion.

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Have you tried any of the Color Statement lipsticks from Milani? Are any catching your eye?

Disclaimer: I purchased these lipsticks myself. All opinions are my own and I'm not being compensated for the post. None of the links in this post are affilate links!

Introduction to Femme Fatale Cosmetics: Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

Press Sample

I kept seeing these amazing duochrome eyeshadows from Femme Fatale Cosmetics on other peoples' blogs and was so thoroughly intrigued. I found out they had a press kit program so I signed up for it and was sent three samples of their eyeshadows. Femme Fatale Cosmetics are an Australian based company and although I'm only reviewing their eyeshadows today (some vegan, some not-vegan but all clearly marked), they do make other products including loose blushes, loose illuminators, and some of the most drool-worthy nail lacquers.

I think the way they've handled doing business internationally in regards to shipping is so smart. For international customers, regular orders start at about $11.00 to ship (it goes down depending on your order size). However, they balance this out by not only offering samples (at an economical $1.10 each for the eyeshadows, illuminators, and blushes), but also free shipping for Sample-Only orders worldwide. 

This way, you can have your cake and eat it to by trying out essentially all the colors you want from them (maximum of two samples of each color), having it shipped free, and then afterwards you can decide which ones you want in full size. Anyone that knows me knows I'm cheap as hell when it comes to paying shipping so the fact that there's an easy means to try samples out is ace in my book.

It also helps that their product pictures are clear and very representative of the colors.

Where to purchase: Femme Fatale Cosmetics 
Price: For the eyeshadows, $1.10 for a 1/8 tsp or .20-.40gram sample, $3.00-3.10 for a .70-.90 gram mini (it's .10 extra for a sifter), and $5.75 for a 1.50-2.50 gram full size.
Do they test on animals?: No, they do not test on animals and don't purchase from suppliers known to test on animals
Packaging: Samples are packaged in a ziploc bag, minis are in a 3 gram jar (sifter optional), and full sizes are in a 5 gram jar, sifter not available.
Order Minimum? Yes, $8.00 AUD minimum.

My Thoughts on the Formula

Have I said before how much I love eyeshadows that have carnauba wax in the formula? The carnauba wax helps with adhesions and smoothness with the eyeshadows. The duochrome in the eyeshadows are pretty good on its own but they comes to its own over a black base. I'd say Crimson Fury had the strongest duochrome, followed by Desecration and Illusions.

Swatches

All swatches done dry and the pictures were taken in natural daylight. For each eyeshadow, the swatch on the left side was done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and the swatch on the right side was done over black gel liner.

Crimson Fury: "A deep red-violet base with purple tones and a blue duochrome shine" This is not vegan.

Desecration: "A striking bright green shimmer over a base mixed of cool grey, subtle brown, and pearly purple tones" This is vegan. I feel like the camera didn't do a good job capturing the green duochrome, it was much stronger in real life over the black eyeliner. I think Desecration had my favorite base/duochrome combination; the green a beautiful contrast over a dark bruisey purple.

Illusions: "A brown based shade with a hint of auburn undertones, and a teal duochrome finish" This is vegan. For sure this is a great shade and the teal duochrome is strong, but I feel like the reddish brown/aqua or teal duochrome is a combo that brands tend to do a lot.  It's not as unique of a shade compared to the other two I got.

Final Thoughts

These eyeshadows are beautiful with strong duochromes. Once I get back into my eyeshadow phase, I'd be interested in purchasing some more samples and trying them out! I'd say get Crimson Fury and Desecrations, I'm sure you might already have a shade similar to Illusions somewhere in your stash. I want to get my hands on their nail polishes but since they don't ship internationally, I gotta wait for their international stockists to get them (Winter Hyacinth is at the top of my list!!)

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Are you into duochrome eyeshadows? Have you tried Femme Fatale Cosmetics be it their nail polish or eyeshadows?

Disclaimer: I received samples of these eyeshadows as part of a press kit from the brand. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own. None of the links in this post are affiliate links.

New Endeavor: Indie Lip Swatch Project

I intended on doing a Q&A Wednesday today but instead I wanted to talk about a new project/focus that I want to do for the blog. I've started to feel the need for a direction to take with the blog. I've been wanting to create my own niche to have the blog be a more useful resource, so I've decided to embark on this new pet project to create an index of lip swatches of indie lip products. 

With lip products, I much prefer seeing lip swatches and I don't think many indie brands do have lip swatches in their listings so I want to try to create a good resource of pictures to help advertise some amazing indie brands. I think lip products take a hell of a lot more effort to craft and perfect than eyeshadows so showcasing their beauty is the least I could do.

I will admit, there is subjectiveness with lip swatches that depend on lip pigmentation and overall skin tone but I suppose I'd still like to give my input and hopefully it is somewhat of a resource for others. I'm going to index the ones I've already done under the "Indie Lip Swatch Project" tab at the top of the blog and add more as I go. I'm also going to create a Flickr set grouping the swatches by color so it will be easier to compare and contrast the swatches. While my skintone may slightly vary in each picture, all the colors are as accurate as I can get them to be.

I've been turning towards lip products over eyeshadows anyway so might as well kill two birds with one stone and try more products out. I will try to mainly index permanent lip products but I might add in limited edition colors anyway for comparison's sake.

So I'd love to get your suggestions of not only brands to try but also specific colors you'd love to see. This project may be slow going but I've got some lip lustres from Fyrinnae on its way (I ordered more trial sizes of their lip lustres!). I'm in need of finding out more indie companies that do lip products.

Send me your recommendations!

*PS I just found out today that I was accepted into a grad school program right here in California! I'm so so excited and while I am waiting for a response back from my alma mater, I just feel so enthused about getting accepted into a program.

Fyrinnae 50s Retro Collection Eyeshadows, Finishing Powder, and Lip Lustre Swatches, Review, and Photos

I purchased this

Fyrinnae recently came out with a 50s Retro themed collecting consisting of six eyeshadows, a finishing powder, and two lip lustres. I picked up one eyeshadow, the finishing powder, and both lip lustres myself and received one of the other eyeshadows in the collection as a free sample. The eyeshadows, finishing powder, and lip lustres are more subdued than what Fyrinnae is typically known for but I think it was a nice change of pace for them! 

From left to right: Hollywood Sorcery Finishing Powder, 1952 Lip Lustre, Housework Pearls, Glamorous Rebel, and It Beautifies!

Where to purchase: Fyrinnae.com 

Price: 
Eyeshadows: $2.25 for a 1/3 tsp mini, $6.25 for 3 grams (by weight) of eyeshadow for full sizes.
Finishing Powder: $7.00 for 7 grams (by weight) in a 10 gram jar and $1.50 for a 1/3 tsp sample.
Lip Lustres: $2.00 for a 1.5 mL trial size, $7.00 for 10mL. I've gotten more than 3-5 applications in the trial sizes FYI.
Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals. All their products are vegan.
Packaging: 

The eyeshadow and finishing powder minis are in a 3 gram jar with no sifter and the lip lustre trial sizes are in a lilliputian lipgloss tube with a doe foot applicator. The full size eyeshadows come in a 5 gram jar with no sifter, the finishing powder in a 10 gram jar, and the lip lustres in a full size gloss tube with doefoot applicator.

Swatches

I'll talk about each product after every swatch. All pictures were taken in natural daylight. The eyeshadow swatches were swiped on dry over Milani Eyeshadow Primer. The finishing powder was swiped on with a blush brush and the lip lustres applied using the applicator.

Eyeshadows

Housework Pearls: "Soft satiny peach with a gentle gleam, but no shimmer". I wouldn't really call this color peach as I tend to associate that with a more orangey color. This color actually reminds me of the pink/red blush that you see on peaches. The color does have a beautiful satin-ness to it.

It Beautifies!: "Softly gleaming bronze, a tone preferred by 4 out of 5 movie stars! No sparkle but a powerful yet graceful shimmer" I love coppery bronzes and this is no exception. It's almost metallic on the eyes.

Finishing Powder

btw it's super hard to do a good job photographing the effect of something described as a transparent soft glow.

Hollywood Sorcery: "A completely transparent soft bronze glow, not sparkle, that doubles as a light-diffusing powder. May add a slight hue to pale skin." I sort of got this with the intention of trying to stave off my desire for the recently hyped Hourglass Ambient Powders. 

I think the biggest thing about this is that the effect is subtle, it's not like a highlighter where your skin immediately takes on a light capturing sheen. I was worried that it might look terrible on my large pores but thankfully since it lacks sparkle and has a soft glow to it, it doesn't highlight my skin texture. This isn't a product that you can overapply, it builds up well without making you look super highlighted on the skin.

My skintone is light-medium/medium and I did notice a slight bronze hue to my skin and when Phyrra swatched it, it was more prominent on her fair skin tone.

Hopefully you can see the effects of the finishing powder in this picture. The black line indicates where the bare skin ends and the finishing powder begins. You can really see the difference with the sheen.

I'm not sure it's for everyone since some people might like to see a more dramatic effect but I think it's worth getting a sample of just to try out. 

Lip Lustres

If you've never tried a lip lustre before, it's worth reading up the product description as it is not a lip gloss. The overall color wear lasted 3-4 hours and faded evenly but unfortunately I noticed feathering after an hour. You will want to wear a clear or reverse lip liner with this. These will slightly stain. I did find these to be moisturizing.

1952

(I know, my skin looks really weird in this swatch but my camera wasn't capturing the tone correctly so I adjusted it slightly in Photoshop.)

1952: "Very bright warm red. It may appear almost orange on some skintones, while leaning cool on others." This was two coats. The color is very very orangey-red, almost more orange than red. I agree with the description that this is a color that'll vary depending on your skintone and also the pigmentation of your lips. It pulls very very warm on me but I saw this picture by Lili_Victoire on Twitter where it pulls cooler on her. Compared to Glamorous Rebel, this was more pigmented and had an opaque coverage.

Glamorous Rebel

Glamorous Rebel: "Bright, rich cherry red. A cool huge but should work for most neutral and olive skin tones as well" This was two coats. Glamorous Rebel was the color I was looking forward to most and it didn't disappoint. This isn't fully opaque but that doesn't mean it's not pigmented. It's got a hint of a translucence to it, almost like jelly but not so sheer but with a squishiness to it (I can't really explain it!). In my experience, I couldn't build this up to opaque coverage like 1952 but thankfully it's even on the lips.

You can see in the hand swatch that Glamorous Rebel has a translucence to it that 1952 doesn't have.

I really liked these lip lustres, much more than the previous two (Romantique and Isis) I'd gotten. In comparison, these were easier to use since I could pull out much more product from the tube and that might be because the product is thinner from the lack of shimmer. I want to be clear that I don't hate the other lip lustres I got, I just think I might like the cream colors better. Glamorous Rebel isn't as opaque as 1952 but it is my favorite of the two (I can't resist a cherry shade). The thinner texture makes it easier to pull out more product on the wand, but it makes it more prone to bleeding/feathering though t I do find these to be moisturizing. It's up to you really, if you can't stand products that bleed, stay away.

Final Thoughts

I think It Beautifies! and Hollywood Sorcery are worth at least trying out in a sample. I'd just get 1952 or Glamorous Rebel in a full size because they are beautiful colors (I'm more partial to Glamorous Rebel).

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So what about you, are you thinking about getting anything from the 50s Retro Collection?

Disclaimer: I purchased these products myself, Housework Pearls was a free sample as part of my purchase. All opinions are my own and I'm not getting compensated for this review.

Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil Review

I purchased this

I've been making more of an effort to try more liquid foundations on my skin because I'm a little over powder foundations (with the exception of one which I'm currently testing out), but I started to really break out on my skin as a result of it. It turns out that my usual Epiele wipe + cleansing wash wasn't doing enough to remove foundation, thus breaking me out. In an effort to save my skin, I decided to get the Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil, a product so often touted by Arabelle and Chi-Chi on Powderdoom that I thought it'd be remiss for me not to purchase it. It's apparently a good substitute for the DHC Cleansing Oil but I haven't tried that.

I know, it might seem strange to use an oil to cleanse your skin, especially in light of the fact that I have acne-prone skin. Cleansing oil however (the right ones at least) break down foundation and other products on your skin for a better clean without drying out your skin. The oil cleansing method (OCM) has been and still is a very popular skincare routine and though you can use just straight up olive or another oil to clean your face, I think it's worth investing in a premade cleansing oil.

Why? The reason is that you want something more than just straight up oil in your mix, especially if you want to try to remove a little bit of eye makeup too. 

If you've ever used just olive oil to remove eye makeup and you splashed water on your face to remove the oil, you might have experienced that weird fuzzy eye feeling from the oil seeping into your eyes. The reason you get that fuzzy eye feeling is that the oil lacks any emulsifiers, or ingredients that help the oil bind to the water, and continuing to rinse your face doesn't readily get the oil out. Cleansing oil contains emulsifiers so when water hits the oil, the two will start binding and create a water soluble mixture that you can wash away.

Product Information

Where to purchase: It used to be difficult to find but thankfully you can find it readily on Amazon or Pretty and Cute (a US based online vendor of Asian beauty products). I personally haven't shopped at Pretty and Cute yet but I have heard good things about their shop. I purchased mine at a Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle store. You could try Marukai or Mitsuwa but I don't know 100% if they are available there. Ebay has a few sellers but since Kose sells other formulas, be sure to specify "deep cleansing oil".

Price: This will vary depending on where you get it. It's $16.50 on Amazon for the bottle. I bought my refill for $12.00. Pretty and Cute are selling the bottle for $12.99.
Do they test on animals?  Unfortunately it does appear that they test on animals. I'm not entirely sure whether they're phasing it out like Shiseido or Mandom (another Japanese brand) but I'll update this with more information as I get it. 

Packaging: I purchased a refill packet from a local Japanese shop since I already had a spare container but it is normally sold in a bottle with a pump. If you use the bottle, one pump is enough for your whole face. It is nice that you can get refill packets to fill your bottle so it's a more environmentally friendly method to get your skincare fix.

My Thoughts

My review isn't a very long one since there's not much to say other than that it works and it's going to become a real staple for me. The weather in Southern California is starting to mellow out into coldness so I find that the cleansing oil is great to use at night as a gentle way to clean my face. I've been using it for maybe a month (at least two weeks) so I can speak with some authority about my results. A side effect of this method is that it forces me to not wash my face in the shower like I normally do which helps me to not dry out my skin that way. My skin has readily cleared up because it's been doing a great job at removing all traces of makeup on my face and this does not cause more acne on my skin. I've also found that my skin as a whole feels so much softer and the texture much smoother.

How to use:

Start with a dry face. If your face is wet, the oil will just emulsify with the water and it won't do a good job at breaking down your makeup or cleansing your skin. It does feel a bit weird at first but you get used to it. After about a minute or two of rubbing to break down the makeup, wet your hands and start rubbing your face and you'll see the oil start emulsifying with the water to create an opaque whiteish mixture. If you're wearing heavy foundation, you'll know the oil has removed it because the mixture will start becoming skin toned from the foundation it's breaking down. After about a minute of that or once your face doesn't feel oily anymore and is covered in the oil/water mixture, you can rinse that away while still rubbing at your skin.

While it technically says "Avoid contact with the eyes", I don't find it irritating to use to remove my eye makeup as long as my eyes are closed. I usually rub a little onto my eyelid then use a little cotton pad with water to gently remove it (while keeping my eyes closed to avoid any issues with getting the product into my eyes). 

Ingredients

Mineral oil is the 2nd ingredient but it has been shown that mineral oil does not cause acne. This formula does contain a little bit of silicone (in the form of cyclomethicone) so if you're sensitive, stay away. 

Final Thoughts

I'm super duper happy and I feel more comfortable wearing heavier foundation without the worry of not being able to rinse it off properly. It's not as cheap as creating your own cleansing oil (there are a few recipes out there if you are interested) but I really like the effects.

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Have you tried a cleansing oil before? How did you like it? Are you thinking about trying one out?

*Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, I'm not being compensated for this review and all opinions are my own. None of the links in this post are affiliate links.

Lit Cosmetics Glitters & Clearly Liquid Glitter Base Swatches, Review, and Photos

I purchased this

Today's review is of three Lit Cosmetics glitters and the Clearly Liquid Glitter Base that I purchased from Beautylish. Beautylish had a promotion where they gave some of their users $10.00 in shop credit and I was able to splurge a bit and get three glitters and a free Lit Kit.

I did want to take some time to talk about cosmetic grade glitters and their sale in the US. You'll notice that some brands often sell similar colored glitter and that's because many companies will use the same manufacturer. What separates Lit Cosmetics from other sellers is the fact that they offer more than just one size and texture for each glitter color they sell. For example, the glitter Peacock comes in several sizes: Size 2 and Size 3 and the Size 2 comes in two textures- solid and metallic. This allows more options for customers who want either a finer or larger glitter size and texture and is different from sellers that only offer one option.

I did try to purchase colors that I thought I wouldn't be able to readily find dupes for. I purchased Cayman (after seeing it used by Lauren/Queen of Blending in a specific FOTD of hers), Oprah (because I wanted to try to find a more neutral glitter), and Twisted Sister (because I just like lilac/purple). All the glitters I purchased are S2 (.004 x .004 cut, a standard cosmetic-grade size) and the solid texture.

Where to purchase: Lit Cosmetics and Beautylish. There's also a list of retail stores on Lit Cosmetics' website. Although Beautylish doesn't sell the whole catelog, I'd still prefer purchasing through them or at any of the trade shows Lit Cosmetics attends. Lit Cosmetics' website leaves a lot to be desired because the autoplaying music is annoying and it's an all-Flash website which means I can only view the site from a computer. The shipping from Canada to the US is about $10.00 whereas Beautylish only charges $5.00 (it's free if your order is $35.00 or more). If you are more interested in the full catelog, the Lit Cosmetics website is your only option.

Price: 
Lit Cosmetics' Website: Glitter: $12.95 Canadian dollars for 4 grams, Clearly Liquid Glitter Base (30ml size)- $22.95 Canadian Dollars
Beautylish's Website: Glitter: $13.00 US dollars for 4 grams. Clearly Liquid Glitter Base: 4mL for $10.00, 30mL for $23.00, Water Resistant Glitter Base: 4mL for $12.00, 30mL for $25.00

Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals.

Packaging: The glitters are packaged in plastic cubes with silver accents and a twist off top. There's a sifter but no seal. I like the packaging because the cube containers are easy to stack and store and the lid mechanism doesn't have screw top threads so glitter won't get caught there meaning no uncomfortable glitter grinding against the threads (like nails on a chalkboard for me!). A negative is there's no information on how much product it contains on the packaging, I could only find the information through listings on Beautylish. 

The Clearly Liquid Glitter Base is packaged in a glass bottle with a twist off cap.  I actually quite like the glass bottle, there's a nice amount of heft to it. The nozzle is quite large, meant for dipping your brush in but since I don't want to contaminate the liquid, I usually pour a little out for use. I got a free Lit Kit with my purchase which had the Glitter Base, a brush for application, and Spark-L Duster (the pink mesh wrapped cotton for brushing away the glitter) in plastic takeout style box. I will say that the Clearly Liquid Glitter Base was really stuck to the Lit Kit box with four glue dots (like the ones that stick gift cards to paper). I do understand that they're packaged that way since the glitter base is in a glass bottle but dang it was stuck strong.

(Stuck super tight!)

My Thoughts 

The glitters sparkle beautifully and when used with the Clearly Liquid Glitter Base, applying glitter is easy peasy. When applying glitter across a large area like my eyelid, I found the Lit Cosmetics round brush to be too thick to spread the glitter properly; I preferred using my MAC 242 (a flat paddle brush). When I want to apply glitter on top of my liner, the Lit Cosmetics round brush or any small pointed liner brush worked fine. 

The Clearly Liquid Glitter Base has a consistency similar to water but it's got a special formula that makes applying glitter so easy. I put a drop or two on the back of my hand, dip my brush into it, dip the brush into the glitter, then onto my eyes. The Clearly Liquid Glitter Base really helps cut down on how much fallout I get onto my cheeks and the Spark-L Duster helps brush any glitter that does fall away. There is a slight scent to the Glitter Base but it's not strong enough that I detect it once on my eyes.

The best way to apply is to gently pat and spread instead of brushing it on. Brushing it on doesn't get quite as even a coat as patting and spreading it will. The glitter base makes it easy to apply the glitter and helps it adhere for hours, I had maybe a speck or two of glitter fallout over the several hours that I tested it. I did notice several more flecks of glitter transferring onto my eyelid so I'd suggest wearing primer if you're particularly oily. Removal was also easy as long as you use a saturated cotton pad (I liked using a dual-phase makeup remover).

Swatches

Each glitter was applied on bare skin using a flat paddle brush (the MAC 242) using the Clearly Liquid Glitter Base. This was photographed with no flash in natural daylight.

Cayman is a beautiful turquoise, Oprah is a copper, and Twisted Sistah is a lilac. I'm really happy with the color combination I got; I could easily pick any two out of three and they'd work well together no matter which two I picked. Oprah is a more neutral glitter so it's a color you can wear with a little more subtlety than Cayman or Twisted Sistah.

My Final Thoughts

The colors are beautiful and the liquid base is a godsend for glitters. There are other options for applying glitter like using Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy, eyelash glue, etc but if you want to apply the glitters like an eyeshadow with minimal fallout, the liquid base is your way to go. I will admit that the glitters are an investment at $13 each but keep in mind that you use very little at a time; you'll run out of your liquid base quicker than the glitter. Even if you don't end up getting the glitters, I'd still recommend investing in the liquid glitter base to make it easier to apply your glitters like eyeshadows. What's nice is that if you order from Beautylish and get three glitters, you can get a Lit Kit each time with free shipping. I tried the liquid base with other brands of glitter and it worked just as well! 

I've had the pleasure of meeting with the owners of Lit Cosmetics at a few trade shows and they're really really nice! I feel good supporting them when I see that the owners put their heart and soul into their company. I really can't wait to see them at another trade show.

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Do you own anything by Lit Cosmetics? Are you a glitter fan at all?

MakeupGeek Electric Gel Liner: Swatch, Review and Photos

I Purchased This Affiliate Link

One of the reasons why I was so excited to attend IMATS LA was because of the plethora of booths there, MakeupGeek being one of them. I had heard such great things about the gel liners and I sought them out in the hopes of getting one or two. I went back and forth on the ones there and finally decided to get Electric, a beautiful royal blue.

The gel liner is packaged in a purple and black box with pink and white leaf motifs that match the printing on the lid. There's a cutout on the back so you can see the label. Interestingly enough, the color applies more like a royal blue than the cobalt blue that it appears in the pot.   



There was a bit of confusion I had regarding its place of manufacturing and the amount in the gel liner. The box says Made in China whereas the gel liner says Made in USA so I asked customer service and they said that it's the box that's printed in China and the gel liner itself that's manufactured in the US. It's a bit weird to import the boxes in but that's how it is.

The label on the liner says that it contains 1.8 grams of product whereas the box says 3 grams. I again asked customer service and they told me that the label on the gel liner is a mistake and that there truly is 3 grams of product in the jars. I'm hoping that they'll fix this in future liners, especially if it's a known mistake.

Where to purchase: Makeup Geek (affiliate link)

Price: $7.99 for 3 grams / 0.1 oz

Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals.

Packaging: The liner is in round glass pot with a flat black plastic cap embossed with the white Makeup Geek label. The bottom of the pot has a label with the name, amount, and website information. I do like the glass pot since it tends to slow down drying if the lid is on tight.

Product Description: Get the same precision as a liquid liner with our easily applied gel based liner. The eyeliners glide on with ease and dry to a water-resistant, smudge-proof finish that won't fade or crease. With their intense color and rich pigmentation, these long lasting liners are sure to make a standing impression.

My Thoughts on the Formula/Performance

Electric is described as a "true bright royal blue with a matte finish"

I adore the color but it's got a finicky formula that needs time to dry otherwise it'll transfer onto your eyelid. The consistency of the gel liner is kind of dry and tacky, not creamy, squishy, or gel-like so the claim that it glides on with ease is not true. It can be difficult to get a crisp pigmented thin line as it needs two passes to build up opaque coverage. It's almost opaque in one pass but to get the bright royal blue, you need two. The tackiness combined with the fact that you need to do two passes or more means you may end up waiting one to three minutes for it to dry. If you set it with an eyeshadow, it dries faster. Once the finish goes semi-matte instead of shiny, you'll know it's dry. I personally found that a pointed liner brush (as opposed to a flat or angled brush) was the best tool to apply the liner with. I disagree that it has a matte finish, it's not full-on shiny but there is quite the satin finish to it. I mentioned it above but the color in the pot is more cobalt than it appears on the lid.

Thankfully, the wear time is quite good on my oily hooded eyes. It lasted 8 hours no primer without transferring on my lid but that was only once I let it fully dry. If you don't let it dry, it's sure to crease easily. While it didn't fade or crease on my eyes, I did find it weird that as the day went on, the liner cracked in the inner corner. I don't agree that it has rich pigmentation as it does need two passes for opaque coverage. After letting it fully dry, it was smudgeproof on me. This does need an oil-based or dual phase makeup remover because it does stay quite strong on.

I did want to note that when I had opened the jar, the liner was slightly shrinking away from the sides of the pot. It's applied okay thus far but I'm a little worried about whether it'll be more difficult to apply in the future.

Swatch

This swatch was two passes of the liner and the picture was taken in natural daylight.

My Final Thoughts

I love the color but it doesn't live up to its claims of applying with ease with rich pigmentation. It does have a good wear time and is smudgeproof once dry but the tacky formula and the necessity for two coats leads to a long dry time which is big deterrent. I don't really have the patience for it. It does do better when set with an eyeshadow.

I'm not sure if I'll get more of the gel liners. From the reviews I'm reading, it does seem like it's just Electric that needs the long dry time and the rest seem to fare better. The brand does have a great variety in colors in both cream and shimmery formulas (and they have a taupe-like one!) so I might just wait for a sale to get more.

For anyone looking for a dupe of the color, Betty Girl Makeup suggested MAC Marine Blue Chromaline. Be sure to check out her post as it has swatches and a review of the other Makeup Geek Gel liners.


Disclaimer: The link marked as an affiliate link gives me a commission based on your use of the link!

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Do you own any Makeup Geek Gel Liners?

Google Reader, FTC Disclosure Changes, & My Thoughts

In light of the news that Google Reader is shutting down in July and some new changes from the FTC for bloggers and disclosures, this post is here to give you a few alternatives to Google Reader that you can use to follow the blog along with how the new FTC regulations will be implemented on the blog. I also wanted to share my thoughts on the whole issue.

Google Reader Alternatives

Feedly: you can transfer your Google Reader over to Feedly. It's a website/plugin for several browsers that transfers your feeds into Feedly for easy reading.
Bloglovin: you also transfer your Google Reader feed into Bloglovin. I kind of prefer Bloglovin because the preview images are larger but to each their own!
Hellocotton: Hellocotton is another option, kind of a combination of Feedly and Bloglovin in aesthetics. 

Disclosure Changes

With the new US FTC regulations (applied towards "digital advertising", as if bloggers solely exist to sell you guys stuff), bloggers now have to be more clear (according to them) about the disclosures we make. For more information on the type of disclosures blogger have to make, please read Carlene's post. I've always strived to be upfront about whether I've received products for review, bought something, was gifted something, use affiliate links, etc. and I hope you've felt that I've been honest. For ease, I found that putting buttons at the top of the post indicating the disclosure type to be the best option. (For fellow bloggers, check out Christine's tutorial for buttons on Blogger blogs and Carlene's tutorial for buttons on Wordpress)

Disclosure types:

Each post will have the appropriate disclaimer in the top left corner. These are the three that I will use when necessary and add anymore if necessary.

I Purchased This= This means I purchased the product myself. 

Gift/Prize= This means I received the product as a gift from someone I know or from a giveaway.

Press Sample= This means I received the product as a press sample, allowing me to review the product and is courtesy of the brand, public relations company, or from a goodie bag courtesy of a trade show.

Affiliate Links= This means the post contains affiliate links which grants me a commission based off your use of the link when you make a purchase. Feel free to use a nonaffiliate link! If I do not use this, then there are no affiliate links in the post.

You can always read my disclosure and disclosure types by clicking on the Disclosure tab at the top of the blog.

My Thoughts on the Issue

This wasn't my first thought when I heard about the changes but I am really curious to see how this applies towards vloggers, especially on Youtube. I mean they could be considered a form of "digital advertising" as they aren't print media. Would they need to say their disclosure within the first minute of their video or write it prominently in their description bar?

As with anything, there are some bad apples that don't always follow guidelines. I think this complicates issues with some who have always been honest but have to compensate for those who are not. After all, saying you're not affiliated with a brand when you've received it for free from them isn't exactly truthful is it? I suppose the ambiguity of the terms "affiliated" and "sponsored" contributes to it. I know I've seen some UK vloggers say "sponsored" to mean a product was provided by a brand whereas some US vloggers and bloggers say "sponsored" to mean that they were paid to write or review a product. 

If the FTC seeks to crack down on ambiguity and impartiality, their scope is way too narrow. The majority of beauty bloggers I read are completely upfront about whether they've received a product for free, are doing a paid post, have affiliate links, etc. They do this for every single post that they've written and it's featured very prominently.

Now maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I wasn't able to find a disclosure policy on the websites of magazines like Teen Vogue, Lucky, Glamour, etc. I tried looking on Conde Nast (the mother company of these magazines) and found no information either.

My indignation about this whole issue isn't about me being mad about needing to be honest and upfront because I already strive to be, but from the implication that bloggers are the ones that need to be regulated yet other forms of media like print media in the form of magazines don't. Let's be honest here, some magazines just exist to perpetuate the cycle of making you feel bad so they can sell you whatever product they want and they're not always subtle about it.

Many of the bloggers I know don't have this agenda and if the FTC is there to help protect consumers, bloggers aren't necessarily the ones that need regulating.

If you want to read what other bloggers are saying about the new FTC changes, please check out Phyrra's post where she's compiled all the links!

If you're a blogger, how are you going to implement the new changes? As a reader, how do you feel bloggers should be more transparent about their disclosure statuses?

Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup: Week of 3/8

Here's last week's beauty posts from the Beauty Blog Coalition! Hope you enjoy reading them all!

Mama Fashionista: See what's new from Biore and Quinn shares the products that have made it into her daily routine!

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: By Terry Baume de Rose Luxury Lip Balm enjoys an undisputed cult status, but does Helen from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog think it lives up to all of the hype?

BeautyTidbits: Harshleen shares a new fabulous drugstore discovery - Prestige Cosmetics Total Intensity Eyeshadows!

Emily Hudspeth, hair design and makeup artist : Great way to save Money and TIME stocking your makeup kit. Save 20-40% by using pro makeup artist discounts

My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog: Laura from My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog shares her reviews on Mario Badescu products for Combination/Oily/Acne-Prone skin!

Beauty by Miss L: Miss L showed her favorite beauty products of February 2013

TheFabZilla: Have you met Matt(e) Nude? I did and I'm ready to Kiss and Tell!

Peppermint Lips Beauty Blog: MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF35 Review & Swatches!

D.G.S.Beauty: Check out the gorgeous MAC Candy Yum Yum lippie!

Polarbelle: Polarbelle has found the perfect universally appealing smokey eye quad in the Burberry Smokey Grey Complete Eye Palette

Painted Ladies: Sheila from Painted Ladies indulges in luxury with Guerlain's Atrrape-Couer (501) purple eyeshadow palette.

Curls N Pearls: What's better than when a self-admitted makeup junkie finds their ultimate favorite? Learn which foundation Curls N Pearls is obsessing over.

Beauty Professor: On a hunt to find a shade that matches her winter skin tone, The Beauty Professor swatches all the Revlon Colorstay and Colorstay Whipped foundations in the NC23-NC30 range!

Project Swatch: NARS just released a new product, the Satin Lip Pencil, and Emi has a review of one of the shades.

My Highest Self: Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm - Haute Pink Twist

Pammy Blogs Beauty: How I Avoid Self-Tanning Mishaps; Jergen's Natural Glow Review and $250 Giftcard Giveaway!!!

The Advice Sisters Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle Website: The Advice Sisters know that redheads are all the rage, but this particular hair color is really prone to fading.

Beauty Info Zone: Amazing colors, fabulous wear, a site to behold - Le Metier de Beaute nail polish on Beauty Info Zone

Mimi's Mani's: Spring Is In The Air With Butter London Trout Pout

Portrait of Mai: If you're a fan of both Blade Runner and lipstick, check out swatches of OCC's Sci-Fi Lullabies Lip Tar Collection with its myriad of metallic lip tars

Scottish Beauty Blog: Want glowing skin? Facialist Fiona Brackenbury, the lady behind Oscar winner Adele's flawless face, gives her top tips and skin care advice to Scottish Beauty Blog

Blushing Noir: Zoya shares the magic of Pixie's with their latest collection! See full collection swatches & macro shots here!

Teal Glitter EOTD featuring Lit Cosmetics + Blog Housekeeping

Hello!

I feel like I used to do a lot of Face of the Day and Eye of the Day posts but I haven't been doing much lately because I've been feeling a little creatively stagnant. There is a part of me that can't help but compare what I do to other looks I've been seeing and mine look rather drab in comparison. I think it is all too easy to get into the mindset of trying to strive to be the most creative however I'm much more comfortable doing more simpler looks like this, I certainly don't have the artistic skill to do anything complex.

I had some credit to the Beautylish Shop so I used that to purchase some Lit Cosmetics glitters (three glitters plus the Lit Kit for only $8.00 including shipping, I am the master of scrounging up and using credit). I picked Cayman specifically because I wanted to recreate this look by Queen of Blending. Hers is infinitely more superior but I wanted to try my hand at it anyway. 

I hope you enjoy the look! 

(I received the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo that I used in the look free courtesy of The Makeup Show LA as part of a giftbag)

Cayman is a beautiful turquoise color, a little more green than it appears in the photo. I applied this on top of Sugarpill's Darling Chromalust and it made for a dynamic duo.


Products used:

Milani Cosmetics Eyeshadow Primer
Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Zero applied lightly in the crease
Wet n Wild Brown eyeshadow from the I Heart Matte Eyeshadow blending out from the crease
Wet n Wild Brulee on the browbone
Darling Girl Glitter Glue on the lid 
Sugarpill Chromalust in Darling on the lid
Lit Cosmetics Glitter in Cayman (Size 2) over Darling applied with the Lit Cosmetics Clearly Liquid Glitter Base
NYX Gel Liner & Smudger in Betty for the liner
Miss Adoro Eyelashes in #423
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown (it doesn't appear this light and red in person!)

I hope you have a nice Friday! I'm supposed to find out my grad school admissions result today from my first choice school so here's hoping all goes well!

Disclaimer: I received the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown for free courtesy of The Makeup Show LA.

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Blog housekeeping:

You may have noticed the slight blog changes I did because I am super indecisive. I changed the blog tabs from white text on a black background back to black text on a white background. I increased the size of the font to make it easier to read. I've updated the "Indie Swatches" and "Mainstream Swatches" Pages so there should be more recent posts added.

I also decided to reinstall Disqus for commenting purposes. I haven't yet found the perfect commenting system but for now I'll stick with Disqus as I was really displeased with how Blogger's commenting kept glitching up and creating double commenting along with people continuing to leave links. Disqus will also allow me to send you a notification when I reply (hopefully keeping me on my toes about being good and responding! 

If you're having any problems with the system, please contact me at mai@portraitofmai.com or my contact form (under the Contact Me Tab)