Sugarpill Limited Edition Asteria Giveaway!

Last Wednesday, Sugarpill had a special sale where they offered some of their show exclusive products online. Asteria is a limited edition color that they only made 1000 of, 500 of which were sold online and the rest at PHAMExpo. For those of you who did not get a chance to get Asteria, you can enter to win my giveaway to get your hands on one! 

I've gone back and forth on this but I've decided that I'm just going to make this giveaway US-only, the scarcity of the product means I don't really want to risk it getting lost in the mail when going international. Stay tuned though because my next giveaway will be international!

Here's a swatch of the color!

You have three weeks to enter starting today until midnight EST August 19th. US-only.

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Beauty Blog Coalition Roundup: Week of 7/26

Be sure to read this week's latest beauty posts from the Beauty Blog Coalition!

• Mama Fashionista: CC all about it! Quinn shares her fave CC Creams (and a few on her Wishlist).
• Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: If you love face oils, then you will want to to try the superb handcrafted Aftelier Perfumes Jasmine Face Elixir with Geranium and Ylang Ylang. It is an amazing and sublime artisanal beauty oil!
• My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog: Laura from My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog includes City Color Cosmetics BB Cream in her Summer Complexion Series.
• TheFabZilla: Struggling with cat eyes? TheFabZilla says Kat Von D Tattoo Liner makes cat-eyes easy peasy!
• Painted Ladies: NYX Cosmetics HD Photogenic Concealer is one of the best Sheila has ever tried.
• Fun Fierce Fabulous Beauty Over 50!: Find out the secrets in Mario Badescu's Peptide Renewal Cream and Serum that prevents Anti-Aging!
• Portrait of Mai: Do you find OCC lip tars too messy or difficult to use? Turn those lip tars into lip pencils with this tutorial by Portrait of Mai!
• Icy Nails: Icy Nails: OPI Magazine Cover Mouse from the Couture de Minnie Collection for Summer 2013 is Heaven.
• Beauty by Miss L: Miss L showed Wild&Mild City of Darks nail polish which is pretty black matte nail polish.
• BeautyTidbits : Looking for a daily mineral SPF without the grease factor? Check out the new Andalou Naturals Oil Control Beauty Balm Un-tinted with SPF30!
• Beauty Professor: The Beauty Professor is in love...with the pale shades of lip color from the Tom Ford collection!
• D.G.S.Beauty: Need some must-have summer beauty products? B. Kamins has got amazing products to keep you protected from the sun.
• Midnight Manicures: Did you hear about PHAMExpo? Jamie visited the first annual Professional Hair and Makeup Expo and shares with you pictures and her thoughts about it.
• Geniabeme: Do you want a great subscription box with full size products?! Try Wantable!
• Endless Summer: Check out Endless Summer Style!

Sugarpill Limited Edition @#$%!, Asteria, and Pro Palette Available Now!

Affiliate Links

Sugarpill* often sell limited edition products at their trade shows but of course that means it's difficult for the rest of the customers to get their hands on them. If you've missed out on Asteria, @#$%!, or the Pro Palette, they're having a special 13-hour sale (from 11am-Midnight PST) where you can purchase Asteria and @#$%!. They will also have the Pro Palette and individual palettes (an expo edition) on sale for 10% off! However there are limited quanities so be sure to snatch them up quick! There is no code needed to take part in the sale.

Go to "Shop" then "Online Expo" section to take part in the sale!

Be sure to check out my swatch post of @#$%! and my swatch post of Asteria! 

Disclaimer: There is an affiliate link in the picture and in the link marked with an asterisk. Your use of the affiliate link when you make a purchase gives me a commission that I use to help support the blog. Feel free to use a nonaffiliate link when making a purchase!

Rediscovering An Old Favorite and Finding New Favorites

Each week, Darling Girl Cosmetics has a special "Pick of the Week" where one of their "Glamour Girls" picks a color for the week that is on sale for 20% off! This week's pick is Jeweled Taupe which is a beautiful color that I own but abandoned as of late and the pick of the week reminded me to reach back into my drawers to use it again. I then decided to use the Flutter Lashes that I got while I was at PHAMExpo and I'm regretting that decision because I think the lashes look amazing on me. Unfortunately though, they retail for $40(!), I was lucky enough to get them for $20. Either way, it was a good day to rediscover a treasured eyeshadow and for me to figure out that I have expensive tastes.

Products Used

Darling Girl Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer
Darling Girl Jeweled Taupe Eyeshadow
Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black
Flutter Lashes in Veronica 
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown

Are there any old favorites you've rediscovered lately or new favorites you've found?

Disclaimer: I received the Brow Powder as a gift from The Makeup Show. The widget at the top of the post is sponsored by Blogher and I am receiving compensation for posting it.

OCC Lip Tar vs Lip Pencil Comparison

Press Sample

Hey everyone,

If you haven't yet, please read my last post on how to turn your lip tars into lip pencils! I meant to do a swatch comparison of the two but I was a little busy so I wasn't able to do it until today. I also wanted to show how the lip pencil can look once blotted and reapplied.

On my lips below, I applied the lip tar using a brush on one lip and I applied the lip tar pencil to the other lip. Which do you think is which? (This is Pretty Boy Lip Tar and Lip Pencil by the way)

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The lip tar was applied to the top lip and the lip pencil was applied to the bottom lip. The lip pencil looks slightly lighter than the lip tar but that's due to the fact that it's slightly shinier, therefore reflecting more light. The bottom lip also tends to reflect more light due to the angle.

If you want to reduce the slight shiny finish, you can definitely blot your lips (I blotted the lip pencil, not the lip tar)

You can then intensify the color by adding another layer of lip pencil.

Or if you don't like the look of that, just reblot again. Although it takes more effort, I definitely think this look is the best.

When compared to the original (whichever way you wear it), the lip pencil can look a shade lighter due to the slight shine but I don't think it's drastic enough that it looks like you're wearing a completely different color. Unless you really looked hard, no one will tell the difference. Also, I encountered feathering/bleeding from the lip tar but I did not encounter that with the lip pencil. FYI: If you do a hand swatch comparison, the difference looks more drastic but it's not as drastic on the lips.

If you're someone who likes to custom mix their lip tars, you could definitely premix a color that you like from the lip tars (as long as it adds up to 2 grams) and make your own custom lip pencils instead of mixing it every time you go to apply. (Thanks Sam for the idea!) 

Someone on my Facebook page asked if you could do this with the stained gloss lip tars. I personally don't own one so I can't say for sure but I think the process would work the same since  the ingredients are the same as the lip tars. 

Should you do it? I'd recommend turning your lip tars into lip pencils if you don't like applying the lip tars with a brush, want the convenience of lip tars on the go, and dislike the bleeding of the lip tars. 

I hope you found this post helpful! Do send me pictures if you do decide to do this!

DIY Tutorial: Turn your Lip Tars into Lip Pencils!

Press Sample Affiliate Link

If you've been following me on my Instagram or Twitter, you'll know that my pet project has been turning my lip tars into lip pencils. It's an easy way to make your lip tars into something more travel-friendly and if you've had difficulty applying the lip tars with a brush, you'll find that the lip tars are easier and more forgiving to apply in pencil form. A lot of people have been asking so here is my tutorial on how to turn your lip tars into lip pencils!

I've found that these have a good wear time; after eight hours, the color started wearing away on the inside of the lip with the majority of the color still on the lip. I also thought this helped prevent some of the bleeding into the lip lines that I had with the lip tars in liquid form. 

Disclaimer: I have only done these with the regular lip tars, not the stained glosses or metallic lip tars so I can't say for sure how your product will turn out if you do use this tutorial with your stained glosses or metallic lip tars.

*Please do not use my tutorial or any of my blog content for commercial purposes.*

This post will be picture heavy so the tutorial will be under a read more tag! Please click to see the rest of the post.

PHAMExpo 2013 Haul

I Purchased This Gift

Last week was the Professional Hair and Makeup Expo, or PHAMExpo makeup trade show. I had the pleasure of attending the show both days, on Saturday and Sunday and wanted to show my collective haul from the show. My recap of the show itself is posted on Phyrra's blog so feel free to read that first and then check out what I got here!

This looks like a massive bunch of products but I think it looks so much more foreboding all gathered up together like this. I did receive a few things courtesy of the show or brand owners so the damage isn't quite so bad. I tried to primarily stick to my wishlist I decided on before the show and for the most part, I was successful.

To be kind to your bandwidth, the post is going to be under a cut!

Click to read more!

Swatches and Review: Meow Cosmetics Shades of Meow: Volume III

Press Sample

Meow Cosmetics is doing a spin on their limited edition eyeshadow collections by offering YOU the opportunity to make the colors you like the most permanent editions to the line with their Shades of Meow collections. The best selling eyeshadows are the ones that will become permanent. There are five Volumes in the collection, each available for sale for only 60 days and unfortunately I missed out on the first two Volumes. Today, I have Volume III to swatch and show you and these will be available for sale until August 8th!

Where to purchase: Meow Cosmetics
Price: Sample: $1.00 for 1/16 tsp, Full size: $8.25 for 1.6 grams
Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals. 
Packaging: The sample comes in a baggie and the full size comes in a 5 gram jar with a sifter.

Swatches: As always, the eyeshadows were swatched dry over Milani Eyeshadow Primer. The pictures was taken in natural daylight with no flash.

My Thoughts on the Colors:

bdsm: "Sheer eggplant purple with pink undertone and pink sparkle" In the bag, the pink undertone really comes out  but when worn, it's much more subtle. Although described as sheer, I think you can get a fair bit of opaqueness out of the color.

discipline: "Brilliant golden orange" My camera ate up a bit of its orangeness, I think it's very reminiscent of a bright carrot orange. 

hot wax: "Softly pearlized french vanilla" I see a hint of green in this golden yellow shade; it's too pearly to be a highlight but would be great as an inner corner color.

lascivious: "Bright olive with acid green/gold undertone" I love the look of olive greens and this is no exception. The gold undertone and sparkle helps contrast the olive base.

master: "Deep midnight blue with silver metallic shine" On my computer, the product picture looks quite purple but it is more like a deep navy blue like in my swatch.

slave: "Cornflower blue with silver sheen" When I saw this color, I couldn't help but think of a Cinderella-blue. It's not light enough to be an icy blue, cornflower is an apt way to describe it.

strawberries: "Russet-pink with a little pink shimmer" This is a beautiful red-pink that almost veers into cranberry territory. It's not my cup of tea but is beautiful nonetheless.

swinger: "Bright teal with a blue undertone and purple shimmer" I think you can tell from the swatch that it's kind of a disappointing color.  The color applied unevenly and was bland compared to the rest of the colors. I also found it difficult to bring out the shimmer. This is was a pass for me.

threesome: "Dark teal with silver sheen". This color is so difficult to capture but I tried my best, the website picture is a little closer but it's not as purple. It's not a dark teal but a dark royal purple/blue. The sheen peeks out behind the purple/blue base and it's gorgeous. I think an amazing must-have from this collection and I hope it's a top seller so it becomes permanent!

whipped cream: "Pure opaque white with a creamy finish and soft shimmer" Although described as a pure opaque white, there's a hint of gold to it that makes it the white-gold that I've been looking for in the inner corner.

What colors do I recommend? I think Whipped Cream and Threesome are gorgeous colors and two I'd recommend first and after that, Slave and Master.

Are you thinking of picking any up?

Swatch and Review: Sugarpill Cosmetics Limited Edition Asteria Chromalust

Good News Everyone! If you missed out on Sugarpill Cosmetics' Limited Edition Asteria Chromalust, have no fear since it will be offered on their online store this week or next (not sure yet) but there is a limited supply! It's a gorgeous color, a metallic coppery-orange filled with a gold sparkle. When applied sheerly, the orange tones come out due to the gold sparkle and when applied heavily, the color is more true to jar. When it is available on the website, I will be sure to post about it here and on my social media pages (links to those in my sidebar).

As a preview for the sale, I took closeup pictures and also a swatch of the eyeshadow. Oh and it's also a vegan shade!

Macro Shot.

I've had some difficulty capturing the gold sparkle in Asteria in a swatch so in addition to a swatch, have a gander at the eye look I did using Asteria (applied over Darling Girl Primped and Primed. The picture was taken in natural daylight with no flash. Hopefully you can see that around the edges of the eyeshadow (where it was applied sheerer, the orange-y color is more prominent due to the gold sparkle.).

and a regular eyeshadow swatch. Asteria was swatched dry over Milani Eyeshadow Primer and the pictures were taken in natural daylight. The picture on the right is of Asteria at an angle to show off the golden sparkle.

Asteria is gorg and I'm so glad they're giving customers the opportunity to purchase the limited edition color. I personally think it's worth it and the white packaging is so nice, I think I like it better than their regular black cap packaging!

Are you going to try to pick it up?

Swatch Comparison: Sugarpill Kitten Parade vs Sleek Original Palette Eyeshadow

I Purchased This

Sakuradesu asked me if I could compare Sugarpill's Kitten Parade to an eyeshadow in the Sleek Original palette (I thought the colors were named but I think in the Original palette they're not!). For reference, it's the color that's second to the left in the bottom row. There's apparently a color similar to Kitten Parade in the Lagoon palette too but since I don't own that palette, I'm not able to compare it. 

Anyway, here's the comparison! The Sleek Color is on the left and Kitten Parade is on the right. The eyeshadows were swatched dry over Milani Eyeshadow Primer and the pictures taken in natural daylight.

Hopefully you can see that the Sleek Color has a pale pink, almost lavender tinged base whereas Kitten Parade as a rosy-peachy base. Both have a gold gilt but the base colors are quite different.

Anyway, I hope this comparison was helpful to you!

Asteria Hysteria! FOTD

I Purchased This Gift Press Sample

I didn't take any photos of myself at PHAMExpo but if you were curious, this is the makeup I wore on Sunday minus the black eyeliner. I had gotten the limited edition Asteria on Saturday and wanted to wear it straight away on Sunday. Dawn/Make Up By Siryn saw me wear Asteria and said she just wanted to put some black liner on me so here's a late rendition of that!

I'm wearing my January Rising Lip Tar Lip Pencil and I feel like I wear my lip tars more now because they're in pencil form. It feels easy to apply and touch up when needed (which I didn't need to do, they've lasted eight hours+ even through eating a meal!).

Asteria is so pretty, it's a bright copper-orange with a gold sparkle. When it's applied sheerly, the orange tones come out more and when applied opaquely, it looks so much more copper.



Products Used:

Face:
Maybelline Super Stay Makeup in Classic Beige
Stila Custom Color Blush in Coral
Buxom Hot Escapes Bronzer in Maldives and Tahiti

Eyes:
Darling Girl Cosmetics Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer
Sugarpill Asteria Chromalust (applied dry)
Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black
Maybelline Lash Stilletto Volumptuous
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown

Lips:
OCC January Rising Lip Tar Lip Pencil

For fellow Americans I hope you had a great Fourth of July yesterday and for everyone, I hope you have a good weekend!

Swatch & Review: Sugarpill Cosmetics Kitten Parade Eyeshadow

I Purchased This

Hey everyone, I've still got to finish up my recap post on PHAMExpo but I couldn't wait to put up this post on one of the new Sparkle Baby Eyeshadows from Sugarpill Cosmetics. Sparkle Baby is a collection of four sugary-sweet looking eyeshadows, debuting around the end of August (I asked). The collection won't be available for another month but I thought it'd be worth swatching and showing my favorite color from the collection, Kitten Parade.

Where to purchase: Sugarpill Cosmetics (in August!)
Price: $12.00 for 3.5 grams of product
Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals. 
Packaging: 

I want to talk about how adorably cute the packaging is for the collection. One of the reasons why I like Sugarpill so much is because they put so much effort into branding their lines where I get so much enjoyment out of the packaging and not just the product. The Sparkle Baby collection features a pastel blue and pink theme with a sweet heterochromatic eyed white kitten on the back.

There's also a nice change to the eyeshadow compacts because they're white instead of black like in the main collection eyeshadows.

The content inside doesn't disappoint either. Kitten Parade is a rosy-peachy pink with a brilliant gold gilt and sparkle. Compared to the rest of Sugarpill's main collection eyeshadows, it is as close as they'll get to a neutral eyeshadow. By the way, this eyeshadow is NOT vegan because there is carmine in the formula.

Swatch: (Swatched over Milani Eyeshadow Primer and the pictures were taken in natural daylight with no flash)

Depending on how you apply it and the angle that the light hits it, it'll look slightly different. If you swipe it on, you'll find that the gold gilt tends to be more prominent than the rosy base whereas if you pat it on, you'll get more of the pink out of the eyeshadow. I'd say it'd fairly pigmented but can be applied sheerly as an all over wash. The gold sparkle in the eyeshadow is prone to fallout so I would recommend a sticky primer with this eyeshadow. When the light hits it the right way, you'll get a beautiful flash of gold like in the picture on the right.

Would I recommend?

YES. You need to get this. Honestly I think it's worth getting just because of the name but the color itself is beautiful. Seriously, it'll be worth waiting until August for! There is some fallout you will have to deal with because of the gold sparkle but wearing a sticky primer or a sticky base should help with the issue; it's not enough of a problem that should deter you from purchasing the color!