12/21/2019

Eat The Rude...Cadillacquer Stagman

Part of Polish Pickup's October Urban Legends themed release, Cadillacquer's Stagman was inspired by the Stag Man (a.k.a the Wendigo), an imaginary manifestation of Will Graham from the Hannibal tv series. I'm not quite sure, but how an urban legend created specifically by T.V. show writes, and only relevant to said show, constitutes as an authentic urban legend? Unless you watch that series, no one will get the reference...but, I digress.

In my opinion, there were several creators who missed the mark on the whole "urban legends" theme that month, given their polishes had no real connection to any widely known myths, tales, or folklore. With that said, I love Cadillacquer, and the polish. I'm just not sure what is has to do with urban legends.

Stagman is a black crelly, with various sizes of red and white hex-shaped glitter. The application is somewhat even, with a good amount of glitter throughout the nails. While fully opaque in three thin coats, I preferred the scattering of glitter achieved after a fourth coat.

The union between the black base and the different glitter shapes and color combinations is beautiful; it provides the polish a holiday/winter season feel, but with a darker, edgier twist.

12/11/2019

Space Age Love Song...Kaleidos Space Age Highlighters

I'm going to preface this post by letting you know that the Space Age Highlighters were sent to me by the brand. This is the first PR I've accepted, and featured on the blog.

I've been a customer/fan of Kaleidos since the brand's launch. I own, and love all five of their Futurism Palettes, and the Deepsea Luster Palette. So, when the brand told me they would be sending me the highlighters, I was "to infinity and beyond" happy to accept. Although these products were sent to me, my opinions will remain unbiased, and my own.

A sucker for detail, I appreciate the amount of attention to artistry Kaleidos puts into their products. The boxes share the same "space age" geometric designs of the exterior packaging, as well as color coordinating with the shade of each highlighter.

Housed in a soft-matte rubber-like coated tin, some may find the packaging bulky, and I agree. However, personally speaking, they made me feel nostalgic because they reminded me of the Sweet Secrets toys (yes, I'm aware I dated myself, and I don't care).

The highlighters have the same design embossed on them that's on the packaging box. Again, the brand's attention to detail wasn't lost on me. Also, I want to mention their names: Solar Sailor, Ray Rider, Sky Walker, Star Surfer, Comet Catcher, and Laser Glazer. And, how appropriate to go with the theme?

Included in the box were their new brushes. I used the H1 Precision Highlighter Brush in my application of the product.

From left to right: Solar Sailor, Ray Rider, Sky Walker, Star Surfer, Comet Catcher, Laser Glazer.

Solar Sailor: a iridescent grayish-ivory base with a yellow-gold duochrome.

Ray Rider: a peachy-base with a champagne sheen.

Sky Walker: an translucent icy white base with a vibrant, ultraviolet-blue duochrome shimmer.

Star Surfer: a pale, icy-baby pink base with a subtle pink sheen.

Comet Catcher: an iridescent icy white base with a peachy undertone and a vibrant fuschia-pink duochrome.

Laser Glazer: a translucent golden, reddened-ochre base with a vibrant greenish-chartreuse shimmer.

I wore the highlighters for five days each, and I found a variation in formula and texture, including a difference in their color-shift. I would pair the six highlighters into 3 groups: Ray Rider and Star Surfer have a creamy, smooth pigmented base with a subtle color-shift. Comet Catcher and Solar Sailor have an iridescent base, with an vivid duo-chrome. And finally, Sky Walker and Laser Glazer have a translucent base, with the same beaming duo-chrome as the previous two, except with shimmer.

I really like how all six shades perform as highlighters...yes, even Sky Walker and Laser Glazer (Laser Glazer looks exceptionally gorgeous layered over bronzer). In addition to being used on the cheekbones, inner corner of the eyes and brow bone, I've also liked using the highlighters as an eyeshadow or layered over other shadows to transform the shade and create a shifty, multidimensional hue.

I believe this collection offers various finishes, and shades that will cater to a wide range of makeup enthuthiast. The Space Age Highlighters retail for $14 each, or you can purchase the Complete Set for $76.

11/30/2019

Up in the Galaxy...Cadillacquer Galaxies Nail Polish

These past two weeks have been nothing but rain. So, as I little pick me up, today's manicure is Cadillacquer's Galaxies.

Galaxies is a blackened-teal with green, pink and red iridescent chameleon flakies, aquamarine matte hexagon glitter, and a gleaming redden-orange shimmer.

In the photo above, I applied three coats. Each layer went on without a hitch. The pigmentation of the base was even, with great distribution of the flakies and glitter.

11/18/2019

For you, Straw Man, Will do...Village Candle Pumpkin Scarecrow

Look at this spooky label. The dark, ominus cloudy sky, the crow perched of the scarecrow's arm, and the menacing, illuminated grin on his face. It seems as if he's about to climb off his pole, and chase someone through the corn field. I wish there were more creepy scarecrow themed wares (and horror films) for Halloween/fall; they're eerie, sinister, perfect for the season, and I love them!

Pumpkin Scarecrow's notes are: Spiced Pumpkin, Amber and Worn Wool.

Village Candle describes the scent as, "An aged scarecrow stands overlooking his field of pumpkins with glowing jack-o-lantern eyes. The rolling hills of amber and smoky woods haunt the foggy evening. A ragged wool shirt hangs from his shoulders while crows touch down for a brief visit. A classic pumpkin fragrance with a ghostly touch creates the perfect hallowed night."

I had a case of deja vu when I smelled the candle, and looked up Pumpkin Scarecrow's notes. They're exactly the same as another Village Candle, Pumpkin Tweed. I confirmed this when I called customer service, and spoke to Dotti. Btw, she is amazing!

Want I get from the fragrance is a smooth, pureed pumpkin, mild spice, a warm, buttery sweetness, a hint of amber, all rolled into cashmere wool.

I'm not bothered that Pumpkin Scarecrow is a re-release of Pumpkin Tweed because it's one of my favorite pumpkin fragrances from the brand; if not my favorite.

11/17/2019

They See Your Every Move...China Glaze Private Side-Eye

Private Side-Eye; love the shade, but not the name. My eyes rolls every time I have to read, write, or say the name of this polish.

Private Side-Eye is a dark plum jelly base, with holographic glitters, and an iridescent bluish-teal shimmer. In three coats, the polish looks black. I prefer the squishy, semi-translucent plummy color achieved in two. Private Side-Eye's formula is a little problematic; it's thin, and if your application is not on it's "A game," it will go on uneven and patchy. With that said, I can forgive the bumpy start because the end result is very pretty.

11/09/2019

Tripping Over Tombstones...Village Candle Ghost Cemetery

I know Halloween is over. But, I was sick that week, and didn't have a chance to publish all my spooky posts before leaving for Nagoya on the 2nd (photos and videos of the trip are on Instagram). I just got back, and I really don't want to scrap these posts. So, I asks for your patience during the next few installments. Anyway, if you're like me, Halloween is 365 days a year. so, I hope you enjoy:)

The first candle I'm going to review from the Village Candles' Halloween Collection is Ghost Cemetery.

What a phantasmagorical label and name for a halloween candle. As someone who used to lurk around cemeteries in her high school days, I was curious to explore Village Candle's interpretation of a grave site. Grievously, they missed the mark with this one.

Ghost Cemetery's notes are: Frankincense, Clove, Sandalwood, Forest Green.

The scent is described as, "Spend a chilly and haunting evening in the midst of a foggy grey cemetery where ghouls, ghosts and spirits of the night linger and watch from above. This mysterious scent both frightens and brings comfort to the air."

On cold sniff, and burn, one positive note I got was a hint of a menthol coolness. However, this is detracted by a smokey, bakery vanilla sweetness. The oddest note to come to the foreground is maple. I've not sure if my sense of smell is broken, but the main scent I got was maple.

I like the scent, but it should've been called something else...maybe Trick-or-Treat, but definitely not Ghost Cemetery. I wanted the candle to smell of freshly dug earth, mossy greenery, decomposing flowers, damp stone, with an otherworldly cold.

11/09/2019

Use Me For Emotional Blackmail...China Glaze You've Got Blackmail

Next up in the To Catch a Colour Collection is: You've Got Blackmail.

You've Got Blackmail is a lavender-tinged charcoal gray, loaded with silver shimmer, and a textured finish. The formula is very good, and it applied with ease; practically opaque in one coat, but perfect in two.

An unexpected surprise was how much I liked the textured finish of You've Got Blackmail; it's one of my favorites in the collection.

10/30/2019

See into the Tress...Village Candle Forbidden Forest

Recently, I purchased all four pettite glass jars (wish I would have bought the large) from Village Candles' Halloween Collection. Mistakenly, I thought Forbidden Forest was part of the series, but it isn't; it's from the Fantasy Collection...mea culpa. Therefore, I'll review it first.

The Village Candle have gone through a bit of a makeover, and now have aluminum lids.

The notes of Forbidden Forest are: Pine, Herbaceous, Cedarwood, Patchouli, and Smoke.

Village Candle describes the scent as, "Lush green, wet moss and a hint of smoky air lies deep in the intriguing forest where only some venture to go. At first glance the bright and cheery pine forest invites and then transforms into a mystical world where gnarly twists of cedarwood, eucalyptus clouds, dark fireside smoke and drifts of patchouli mysteriously mingle to capture your spirit and darken your mood in the hidden forbidden forest."

I believe the name, along with the visual description, is befitting the scent of Forbidden Forest. The candle's aroma is what I believe a forbidden forest would smell like. I smell earthiness, moss covered trees, pine needles, and a rich, swirled smoke mingled with a nipping chill. It's a dark, eerie, lost deep in the heart of a moon lit enchanted forest from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

For being a petite candle, I was very impressed with the throw. The scent filled up my entire living room.

Even though Forbidden Forest isn't a Halloween candle, I think it's perfect for the season as well as autumn. I will definitely be buying a large glass jar.

The Forbidden Forest 3.75 oz petite glass jar candle burns up to 25 hours (although, I've been able to get a few more hours of use), and retails for $10.

10/30/2019

So Full of Jealousy...China Glaze Green with Jealousy

I always look forward to China Glaze's Halloween Collections. I love them, and wish more mainstream brands would release themed polishes for All Hallow's Eve, don't you?!

With that said, I find there seems to be a disconnect between the polish shades and the crime noir- theme, and shade names of this year's To Catch a Colour Collection. For me, the mystery/thriller-theme lacks that spooky/supernatural element I need for Halloween, and would have worked best for a fall release; they just don't seem to match with one another.

Green with Jealousy has a bewitching, murky teal base, with green and gold shimmers. Opaque in two coats, the polish finish is a little dull. Actually, I really liked this shade, but I was disappointed with the absence of the glowy-radiance these types of shimmer polishes seem to have. So, You'll need a good top coat to revive the glimmer.

10/27/2019

A Tint Out of Water... Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint

Typhoon Hagibis ushered in the long overdue Autumn weather. So, as the temperature drops, and my complexion's summer color fades, I'd say I have another weeks use of Chanel's Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint in Medium Plus.

Preface: if you enjoy full-coverage foundation, or are in need of concealing any imperfections, this may not be the product for you.

Chanel makes plastic look luxurious. I love the look, and feel of the bottle.

Also, I like how the clear plastic allows you to see how much product is left in the bottle.

Included with the Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint, a nifty brush that actually works wonderfully at applying the product.

Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint in Medium Plus

Japan offers three of the six shades in the Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint: Light, Medium Light, and Medium. Although Medium matched me perfectly, I wanted a deeper shade to enhance my summer coloring, and give me a faux tanned effect. So, I ordered the shade Medium Plus from the states.

I've used the Water-Fresh Tint as a primer as well as on its own, and both result were great. However, I found myself solely using it in place of foundation for the entirety of the summer season.

This product is exactly what Chanel claims it to be, a complexion tint. The base contains 75% water and encapsulates pigment micro-droplets. The Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint gives the complexion an almost blurred, veiled uniformed, bare-skin effect. My face looks and feels hydrated, plump, with a healthy, radiant sheen.

I've been using Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint for over 4 months, and I love it. For summer, I wanted an extremely lightweight, no-hassle base product that would hydrate, even out, as well as give warmth to my complexion; and it checked off all the boxes. I love this product so much! I'm going to buy the Medium shade, and wear it on those fall and winter days when I can't be bothered to wear foundation.

10/18/2019

Welcome to St.Tropez...Lauren B Beauty Sun Kissed in St.Tropez

Released as part of Lauren B Beauty's Spring/Summer 2018 Travel Collection, Sun Kissed in St.Tropez is a glorious, deep burnished copper, with a metallic finish.

The first coat offers semi-opacity, with some nail line peeking through. However, with a second coat, you achieve full color payoff. Personally, I prefer the color depth after the third coat. Although the majority of streaking levels itself out, there were minor trances on my application that day. It's not unusual to have streaking with metallic polishes, and I find this gives their finish added dimension.

A gorgeous, poolside shade, I love how Sun Kissed in St.Tropez transitions from summer into fall and, dare I say, looks even more stunning against the backdrop of Autumnal hues.

9/28/2019

Sunshine of Your Love...Bath & Body Works Shower Gel

With temperatures ranging from 83 to 86 degrees, the first week of Autumn was off to a sizzling start. The month is just about over, and one use left in the bottle, September's shower gel was Love & Sunshine.

Love & Sunshine's key fragrance notes are: Sun-kissed Daisies, Sweet Lemon, Mara Strawberry, Golden Honeysuckle, Sunshine Musk.
A refreshing scent for warm weather, I mostly pickup the lemon and strawberry notes of the shower gel.

I thought Love & Sunshine was retired, but I just checked the Bath & Body Works website, and it's still available. I've already made my repurchase.

9/26/2019

Come Over Here and Kiss Me...Femme Fatale The Kiss

Femme Fatale is one of my favorite indie nail polish brands. All of their polish creations are spectacular, and I covet them all!

Isn't the color combination of the polish and glitters beautiful?!

Inspired by Gustav Klimt's painting of the same name, The Kiss is a yellow (warm) to orange (cold) thermal, with various sizes of yellow, orange, turquoise, white, and black matte hexagon glitters. I feel Femme Fatale captured their inspiration in polish form. However, I'm also getting a 1970's printed fabric vibe as well as candy corn, both of which I love.

The Kiss is opaque in 3-4 coats (personally, I prefer the look of four). The polish dries textured, so, don't forget that top coat. Although the polish contains glitters, it was easy to remove. As for wear, I got a full week of The Kiss.

9/17/2019

Fantastick, That's You! Linda Hallberg Fantastick II Lipstick Swatches

In addition to Lisa Eldridge's Summer Pink Lipsticks, Linda Hallberg's Fantastick II Lipsticks were in heavy rotation this Summer.

Although I own the original five Fantastick Lipstick shades, I'm going to work backwards, and post the five most recent shades first.

I found the colors and pattern of exterior packaging of the second release extremely appealing.

The Fantastick lipsticks are a multi-use product that can be used on the lips and cheeks. Also, they're vegan, cruelty-free, and contain SPF15.

From left to right: Cultured, I Die, Extra, Famous, Pop.

Cultured: a muted, terracotta orange.

I Die: a slightly reddened-coral.

Extra: transparent with pink and champagne glitter.

Famous: a cool toned nougat-brown.

Pop: a cool toned fuchsia.

At first, I wasn't going to get Extra, as I'm not really into glittery transparent lip products. However, the bundle amount dropped from $115 to $100, and the cost of 4 Fantasticks was $92. So, in order to qualify for the free worldwide shipping of orders over $100, I parted with the $8 difference.

Reminiscent of the M.A.C Sheen Supreme Lipsticks (remember those?) in both appearance and formula, I found the Fantasticks to have a creamier consistency. I really enjoy the performance, and wear of the Fantasticks; they're pigmented, yet have enough translucency in their glossy finish to give the lips a succulent pout. The only thing I don't like is the diagonal, circulair shape of the lipsticks. I found it difficult, and rather tedious, to apply along the lip line. But, hey, that's what lip brushes are for.

Of theses five shades, my favorites were cultured and famous. I'll definitely be caring them over into Autumn.

9/14/2019

I Guess I Was Born...Naturally Born...Born Blue...Zoya Mallory

I had Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers playing in the background while cleaning makeup brushes, which inspired today's manicure, Zoya's Mallory.

Mallory is a highly saturated, deep (yet, bright) prussian-blue creme, with a high-shine finish. This polish has a beautiful, one-coat formula. I haven't worn Mallory in a while, so I don't remember its wear time. However, I will update this post upon the first sign of tip wear.

Mallory is an attractive shade of blue, and always puts me in a pleasant mood whenever I look at my nails.

9/05/2019

Pink, It's My New Obsession...Lisa Eldridge Summer Pinks Lipstick Collection

I picked up three of the four new lippies from Lisa Eldridge's Summer Pinks Lipstick Collection. As much as I enjoy a salmon-pink lip, depending on the base tone of the pigment used, the shade can be a hit or miss for me. Go Lightly is described as having a pastel undertone. Because those kinds of shades doesn't look good on me, I feel confident in my decision to pass.

With the purchase of two or more lipsticks you got this cute pale turquoise fabric bag, with pale yellow gold trim, and Eldridge's trademark embroidered emblem.

The lipsticks come in two different formulas: Luxuriously Lucent (Go Lightly, and Love of My Life), which is a soft, translucent, semi-sheer finish. The second formula is Insanely Saturated (Rainbow Spill, and Skyscraper Rose), a creamy, ultra-pigmented demi-matte. Both textures apply smoothly, with a luscious, lightweight feel on the lips. As a side-note, all three lipsticks leave a beautiful, even stain.

From left to right: Love of My Life, Rainbow Spill, Skyscraper Rose.

Love of My Life: a medium, rosy pink.

Rainbow Spill: a slight muted, slightly radiated, corally-red, watermelon pink.

Skyscraper Rose: a deep, yet vibrant, reddened, fuchsia pink.

Apologies that my lighting in the photos below are all over the place. I really need to buy a ring light.

Love of My Life.

Rainbow Spill.

Skyscraper Rose.

I love all three shades as well as both finishes. However, I must say my favorite formula was the Insanely Saturated, and my favorite shade was Skyscraper Rose, with Rainbow Spill coming in at a close second.

Were you able to get any Lipsticks from the Summer Pinks Collection?