Makeup Withdrawal

Showing posts with label Makeup Haul. Show all posts

I am loved! Packages from Friends + NOTD

Monday, May 17, 2010

I mentioned the other day that I got a care package from Mae, and today I received a birthday box from LipGlossJunkee (how she's known on MUA). She had told me last week to expect it today, so from 11am this morning, I parked my butt right next to the mailbox. Seriously, I grabbed Mr. MakeupWithdrawal's collapsible lawn chair, a bottle of organic chilled lemonade, an issue of Marie Claire and eagerly waited for it.
Here's pictures of both packages:

Mae's package include a mini Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer, four NYX Pearl Manias, three NYX Chrome shadows, two NYX trios (and a partridge in a pair tree!), an Express gloss and skin care samples! I've already talked about the bronzer, but will slowly review all the rest of the items.

This is LPJ's birthday present to me (she shouldn't have, really). Two Avon True Color Quads in Aquadelic and Electric Purple, True Color Blush in Coral Radiance. Milani singles in Rich Chocolate and Taffy (she's encouraging the obsession I have with tracking them all down), MAC Melon pigment, mini Urban Decay 24/7 in Graffiti, Avon SuperShock liners in Khaki Shimmer and Plum, Stila pencil in Topaz. Oh, and two Avon brushes; Rounded Shadow Brush and Eye Liner Brush. Last but not least, OPI Suzi Skis In the Pyrenees (Suede Finish) and Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure polishes (this one has been so hard to find for me). This woman knows my makeup taste better than I do, I swear. I can't wait to play with every item!
Thank you both so much! :)
And here's my NOTD!

A bit messy, but you get the idea.

It's that very same OPI polish that LPJ just sent me- Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (which reminds me of my dog, who is a Great Pyrenees!). It's so odd, a matte formula with microglitter. But what's truly fascinating is the color, a charcoal base with silver microglitter. It reminds me of graphite in pencils.

1x Seche Base, 2x OPI Suzi, 1x Essie Matte About You topcoat

NYC Blush Sticks,Ulta and Essence Eye Shadows & Orly

Monday, May 10, 2010

I had mini baby haul to celebrate the end of the semester (for the majority of my classes). I allotted myself about $15 or so, and this here is what I ended up with. Last night I grabbed two NYC Blushable (that's not even a real word! >:( ) Creme Sticks in Wild Berry and Pink Flash (the two LE shades). I used a coupon and it was BOGO1/2 at CVS, so I paid about $4 total.

Direct swipes, unblended.

Please ignore the stray sparkles! They transferred from my sleeve.

They're awfully bright, aren't they? Don't be scared, though fabulously pigmented, they blend out smoothly so if you're going for a kiss of color, you can get that too. I have a hard time describing how the finish is, because they don't exactly get powdery for me... it just kind of sets so that it doesn't move anymore (great staying power!) yet isn't cakey nor is there visible drying, somewhat emollient still. I also love the packaging, the twist tube means it'll be easier to keep clean, and you get a huge amount. I wish stores near me sold the rest of the permanent ones, because I'm definitely wanting more!

This morning, after getting an 'A' in Sculpture, I went and spent about $9 at Ulta. I went because I was primarily interested in getting Ulta brand eyeshadow in Twilight (after a friend raved about it and insisted I needed it) but didn't know if I wanted to get 3 more, since they were B2G2F. Luckily for me, digging through the clearance shelf yielded that same Twilight- but in different packaging for 99 cents! Since I'm depotting it, I don't care too much about the gross lilac plastic it's housed in. I can't even really describe this shade. It's the darkest taupe I own, with frosty reflection but somehow very unique- I don't think I've stumbled upon anything quite like this before!

Messy NOTD- Orly Mirror Mirror x2, Seche Vite Top Coat

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I've been on the lookout for a creme medium gray nail polish. I'm not sure why to be honest, but I found Orly Mirror Mirror which matched my criteria exactly for $5.
I think this may be my first NOTD, I'm terrible with polishes! You'll have to excuse my wretched cuticles, they're still recovering from working with plaster and clay, which is terribly drying.

Last but not least, I wanted to test out the new Essence line at Ulta. I believe it's from the UK, correct me if I'm wrong. They boast good quality, bright colors with ridiculously cheap prices (we're talking Wet'n'Wild cheap). The whole line felt a little tweenish to me, but hey- you know me, I care about what's on the inside, not marketing. I liked that the shadows had testers, and I was immediately drawn to Metropolitan, one of the few sparkly shades. Added bonus- 36mm size, perfect for depotting! It's a chocolate brown with gold glitter. Actually, too fine to really be called glitter, too big to be called shimmer... gold glimmer, then. Its really finely milled and very smooth, but without a primer, creases like crazy on my oily lids. Big thumbs up, I'll be picking more up next time!

All in all, not too shabby for a $13 dollar haul, right? I'm starting to get more into nails, I'll see where it takes me!

Just a reminder, my giveaway is still going on! Enter here.

All items featured were purchased by me, for my own use.

Fyrinnae Review

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

I ordered some stuff from Fyrinnae a couple of weeks ago, but didn't expect my stuff until later (they have a rather long estimated wait time, to actually create the products). I played with all the items over the weekend and thought I'd share.
The Velvet Gel Silica Primer- I had heard so many wonderful things about this primer! It gets so much love on the MUA boards- its supposed to provide oil control, a great finish and be silicone free. Unfortunately, I was really underwhelmed by it. Maybe it's because I already use aloe to moisturize and silica to set my makeup. I noticed a few things about it in particular that I really don't like- it dries out my foundation as I'm applying it and I get a cakey finish) and also that it leaves a noticeable white cast if you apply generously. Even when I scaled back and used less, it made my face look really pale (not that I have anything against pale skin, it just looked like an unnatural pallor). Perhaps I'm just spoiled by silicone primers, but I didn't think it hid my pores well either. It did keep my t-zone rather matte, but unfortunately it was at the expense of my foundation application and correct skin shade. I did get a nice, tight smooth skin surface from it but honestly, the same effect occurs with just aloe gel applied liberally over the entire face and a light dusting of silica when the makeup is all done. It's really too bad, I had wanted to like this so madly and wanted it to be my summer primer because it was so cheap! ($5.50 for a half ounce tub)

Pixie Epoxy- Oh, this is some wonderful stuff. It's not an eyeshadow primer exactly, it's like super glue for your really shimmery, glittery shadows. It looks a little milky in the tube, but it's clear in the tube. On their site, the creators of Fyrinnae products caution against using too much of it and I'd have to second the motion. If you don't use the tiniest bit, it'll completely saturate the shadow instead of adhering it and you'l end up with a streaky gloopy mess. Apply a little bit, let it get tacky and apply the shadow. Fyr's site also states that it's supposed to enable you to blend and brush on glittery shadows instead of patting them on, but that's one claim that I don't think it quite lives up to (really uneven application when I tried this). Also for shadows that are more matte or satiny, it darkens the color. Still, at $7 a tube I think it is an absolute must for glitter hoors who want to minimize fallout (Urban Decay owners, I'm talking to you).
I bought mini sizes of four taupe-ish colors (they have an entire taupe category on their site! Heaven!) and they gave me a sample of another taupe! Also, I swatched a shadow that an MUAer had sent me a sample of. What's that you say, the shadows look like dirt in tiny little jars? A year ago I would have agreed with you, and possibly passed these shadows over as ugly bland colors that reminded me of dust. But upon a closer look, these shadows are actually remarkably complex and quietly stunning.

I had to take three different pictures of Atomic Afterglow just to capture it's unique color.

Notes: All of these colors are extremely had to photograph because they have subtle sheens and colored sparkle. Envy Me is a light taupe with green sheen. Arcane Magic: Warrior-Mage is Black-Blue with Green Shimmer and multicolored sparkle. Snow Leopard is a golden taupe shimmer. Cookie Dough is a light satiny taupe. Damn Paladins is a light taupe with a hint of plum and blue sparkle. Atomic Afterglow is a grey shimmer with opalescent sheen (green golden pink) and sparkle (holy cow that one is complex). All of them don't wear very well on their own, but do well with primer. Hit or miss over Epoxy. Warrior Mage is somewhat streaky, if you try to blend the beautiful green shimmer buffs away and you're left with only the black-blue color.
Final verdict- very beautiful unique colors that I might otherwise overlook. I wished their shadows had some sort of binding agent (you know how MAC pigments ball up?) because sometimes the application is streaky, like the eyeshadow is separating. I'll definitely be buying more samples and I advise others to do the same. Their mini sizes are very generous, I don't think I'll never finish one so why buy a full jar?
All products featured were purchased by me for my own use.

La Femme! Haul + Swatches

Friday, April 16, 2010

Seriously, I need to stop ordering stuff. I have more than I need for several lifetimes.
I apologize in advance for the ridiculously long post- but I know some people crave details and I'm nothing if not thorough. If it bugs you, just look at the pretty pictures.
Anyways, I ordered from MakeupMania.com sometime last week (Wednesday, I believe) and the first half of the order (the rest was out of stock and will arrive later) got here yesterday (and I've already spent like 6 hours playing with all the items).
I've heard great things about La Femme, a pro brand used by makeup artists and if you look at the reviews for their products on MakeupAlley, they have really high ratings. The super low price tags definitely helped too! All of their stuff feels pretty old school, like old Hollywood glamor. I ordered three single eyeshadow pans: Grey, Iridescent Brown and Taupe, matte cake eyeliner in Grey, Eyeliner Sealer, two single blush pans: Pink Velvet and Soft Beige, black cake mascara and a Glow On Rouge blush in Amber Dew.
I was thrilled at the quality of the stuff. The eyeshadow cakes are HUGE (36mm, that's the size of a MAC blush) and boy are they pigmented. I bought three of them- Grey, Iridescent Brown and Taupe because I figured you can never go wrong with neutrals. All of them seem to be lighter in the pan than they are on skin.

Notes: Grey is a matte blue charcoal. For you cat fans, it's the exactly color of a Russian Blue (even if you're not, googling pictures of cute blue-grey cats will still bring joy to your day). Iridescent Brown is a dark matte brown with fine glitter that isn't over the top nor does it cause fallout. Taupe looks more beige in the pan, but on my skin it becomes a bit darker, a matte khaki color. Of the three shadows, Iri. Brown is the least blendable but I think that's due to its nature of really wanting to stay on your skin. All three of them are highly pigmented but not chalky.
UDPP was used as the primer, NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as used as the base.

Both the Glow On Rouge and the Cake Mascara come in big bulky packaging, each the size and shape of my car's rear view mirror. I'll be reviewing the Cake Mascara separately in a later post, because I feel like it's unique enough to warrant it. The products inside them are so good, heck- I don't even care how big they are.
The Glow on Rouge in Peach is really beautiful. It's this perfect soft peach that when applied, melted into my skin, creating a perfect nectarine glow. It's almost the perfect peach blush. Sensing a caveat? Well, remember how I said all the products seemed old school glamorous? This one smells old. As in, old people- perfumed baby powder. And it lingers. I'm sticking it overnight in my freezer (cool trick, bet you didn't know that) which sometimes helps fragrance dissipate from powder, seeing what will happen.
Edit: Quick correction- on the swatch picture it is incorrectly labeled as "Amber Dew" when it is in fact, Peach Nectar. And no, the scent didn't fade away completely- it's still kinda there. Too bad, it was so close to perfect.

Ah, cake eyeliner! They sent my grey one out, but the matte black is OOS. In the past, I've used dark eyeshadows wet before, but never tried anything specifically formulated to be a cake liner or a special eyeliner sealer. Like the Grey eyeshadow, it's a little blue but that's fine by me. It keeps the color from looking ashy and I think it's rather unique. I love it! I can get both transparent and opaque liner, depending on how I mess with it. I also used the eyeliner sealer with another dark shadow, and am pleased with the results.

One last thing- the single pan blushes!
Note: Pink Velvet is bright matte pink, Soft Beige is a warm matte brown. Pink Velvet is a bit of an understated name. It should be called 'Holy Crap that's Hot, Pink'. It's very pigmented too, so I'm almost frightened of it. I really didn't expect Soft Beige to be so dark, I believe I'll use it as a contour powder. The textures are different. Soft Beige is much more finely milled than PV, smoother and silkier.
Just to give you an idea of how cheap things are- at MakeupMania, the single eyeshadow/blush pans were $2.50, the Glow on Rouge was $4.75, and so on.
As for MakeupMania, the site.... well... I have mixed feelings. They carry a lot of brands. They're cheaper than other sites. But I don't think the customer service is all that great. I never received a tracking number, and when I called them to ask about it and gave them all my info, they said they'd get back to me- email the info to me. Hasn't happened yet, and I already have the package in my hands. Still would like the other tracking number though for part two of my order.
I'm actually going to email CameraReadyCosmetics and see if I can't get a price match, like their policy promises.
Thanks for reading! Anything spark your interest?
All products shown were purchased by me, for my own use.

Swatches (MAC Prepped for Glamour + Smashbox Sets)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hullo! Just like I had hoped, the weather cleared up today and I was able to take swatch pics under the beautiful cloudless sky. First, the brand spankin' new MAC eyeshadow from the Prepped for Colour Collection: Prepped for Glamour.

Notes: Prepped for Glamour is a Frost formula, a chocolately taupe.
MMmm, taupe. Does this remind you of anything else? It does? Satin Taupe?! Yes, this shade is very close to Satin Taupe, though a true taupe connoisseur such as myself can see the subtle differences (read: I can rationalize owning both). Alas, since the time that I tripped and broke my MAC palette and some of the shadows inside, I currently do not have Satin Taupe (I'm not sure how I'm living with myself, I'll get it back soon) so I can't do a side by side comparison- though KarlaSugar can! I did play with them side by side at the MAC counter and I can tell you that ST is darker and much more frosty whereas PfG is more chocolate and less grey- and is more satiny than it's brother.
Next we have the Smashbox Green Room set I picked up for $16.

I was a little wary of this set, because it was all about bronzing and I don't really do that very well. I have yet to meet a bronzer who didn't make me look orange. However, the two bronzers/contour colors in this set were quite nice. Golden Glow was a little orange, so I'm going to wear it like a peachy blush instead of an all over color. Deep Bronze (which I accidentally labeled as Deepest Bronze) is quite dark in the pan and there's no orange at all. It makes for a fantastic contour color on my skin! What a great find, because I've been looking around for a subtle, blendable shade just like that. Both of the bronzers are very soft, matte with a little shimmer. The Hybrid 2 in 1 Color & Shine Gloss in Marigold is a dual tube of clear gloss and gold sparkle. Though the glitter is by no means chunky, it's still a bit too much for me. This collection came out in 2008.

Last but not least, may I present to you the Smashbox Muse Masterpiece Set for $24.

This was a great value, I thought initially, but it might turn out to be just 'meh'. The Lip Paints are both are a little sticky though but they are really nice and glassy like glaze on the lips- a little bit of color each, very subtle. The Hybrid Luminzing/Primer (whoops, another typo!) is a little strange. The packaging is a little weird, so that it's hard to get equal amounts of each product to dispense. I eventually figured out to plug each little hole one at a time to get an even amount. It's not a very good primer, to be honest. It's basically just golden sparkle sauce. I'll be using it as a highlighter. The blush I'm also a little iffy about. Mainly because I've been hearing such good things about Smashbox blush- the smoothness, how pigmented it is, etc. To be honest, I've found drugstore blush that's better quality than this (to be exact- the Jane blushes). Perhaps I got a bad egg. It is really blendable though. Both the liners are really creamy- Imperial is a dark violet (the exact same shade as Wet'n'Wild MegaChrome Eyeliner in Antique Amethyst, only the texture is different) but it's so dark that indoors, you can't appreciate the color. Antique Gold liner is simply amazing, it's a really complex shimmery dirty gold/bronze/olive that looks different from different angles and under different lighting- easily my favorite item of the whole set. This was the Spring 2009 Collection.

So, until next post, I bid thee 'adieu'! Thanks for reading!

<3
All items shown were purchased by me for my own use.

MAC Prepped for Glamour & Smashbox Haul

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Last Sunday, I dragged poor Mr. MakeupWithdrawal to the closest Nordstrom Rack, hoping to score some R&R makeup which was recently dropped by Nordstrom. No such luck- I had really wanted some of the blushes too! However, I did get some older Smashbox collections-Muse Masterpiece and Green Room. I paid about $40 total for both these sets, pretty awesome deal!

One another note, I'm proud of myself for resisting the allure of new MAC collections- I've only purchased a total of three things from MAC this year- Prepped for Glamour eyeshadow being the most recent. This shadow came out a week ago as a part of the Prepped for Colour mini collection- the two other shadows were Hey (Warm mid-tone beige (Veluxe Pearl) ) and Sorcery (Reddish mid-tone brown (Satin)). I'll do swatches of it tomorrow when hopefully the sun comes out again.

All products featured were purchased by me, for my own use.

And the Greatest Deals of the Month Award Goes to: Me

Monday, March 29, 2010

I made out like a bandit today. I really did. I wasn't even really looking for good deals either! First thing in the morning, I went to Rite Aid looking for a white eyeshadow, matte. I ended up with a Wet'n'Wild Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow Palette (in Sand Castle) for a grand total of $1.24. Seriously. A dollar and a quarter. I'll admit, the light shades are really sheer and rather indistinguishable, but the dark shades have nice pigmentation. Did I mention that the texture is superb in the dark shades? Mhmm. All for less than the cost of a 20oz. Coke.
In fact, I liked it so much that I went back and grabbed another color scheme- Paradise Cove. That one isn't as nice, the matte shades are really mediocre. Still. Remember that still $1.24. I also reached for a MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink (wasn't on sale, but still a nice little surprise).
Now, phase two of my amazing day went something like this:

I wandered into Bed Bath & Beyond not really looking for anything in particular. About a year ago, they rearranged the one BB&B closest to me to include an entire beauty/body care section. It's stocked with drugstore brand makeup lines, as well as an extended array of makeup brushes, body care items, hair care products & accessories, etc. It's like the beauty & body part of a drugstore on steroids, most of it cheaper.

Anyways, I wandered through the tight aisles for half an hour, meandering with no real destination in mind, just taking in the tall shelves and wonderful selection of POSH by Upstage brushes (even that yummy kabuki, which elsewhere is $15, but there it's $12.50). A the very bad, past the aisles full of body sprays and so forth, and you know what I spied, with my little eye? An end cap with big bins full of clearanced items. I rummaged through, and found a lot of Rimmel completely covered in 50% off tags. I grabbed two lipsticks and five blushes and an eyeshadow. At the register, the cashier took another 25% off!You know what each product cost? The lipsticks were $1.34 each and the blushes/eyeshadow where $.76 each. I ended up getting two of the same blushes by mistake, so I omitted it in the pictures below. Here's the lipsticks- Rimmel Airy Fairy & Undressed (also grabbed a Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Rosy Nude)

What do you think? Get any good deals lately?

All products featured in this post were purchased by me, for my own use.

Cheap Finds + DIY Freestyle Palette

Saturday, March 27, 2010

So, while my fiance was at Best Buy, getting the last PS3 (which by the way, made him so giddy and happy that he tried to drive home with in his lap) I went to Marshalls, the Dollar Tree and Kmart, getting absolute beauty steals.
First stop, Marshalls. Here's the thing about stores like Marshalls and TJMaxx, in my area (Cherry Hill/Moorestown/Haddonfield, suburbs immediately outside of Philadelphia) these stores are disaster zones. Seriously. It looks like Fallujah after an offensive. I treat it as such too, I go in on a recon mission- look around, scope it out and get out as quickly as I can. I actually have no idea why I keep going back. Mostly, it's because I keep hearing things about NARS palettes and lipgloss sets that some luckly individuals stumbled upon (what incredible finds- that's like seeing treasure washed up on the beach!). Anyways, I wanted to try my luck again. After much digging around (and I mean DIG) this is what I did spot:
-Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Shimmer Oil (Reg $35, spotted it for $19.99)
-Korres Hand Cream (discontinued, I believe- $6)
-Tons of CHI, Biosilk, bigsexyhair products (heavily discounted, seriously don't even go anywhere else to buy it)
I walked out empty handed, because I'm trying to stick to a habit of not buying what I wasn't looking for, but thought I'd give you a good idea at what's in store at the moment. On to the next store! Kmart it is!
Kmart is the only store I know of that actually sells e.l.f. cosmetics. Dollar General does carry e.l.f., but only the tools and brushes. I went in hoping to get a few empty compacts (no such luck) and some single eyeshadows and maybe a few other things. I grabbed the last two eyeshadow singles- Custome Eyes in Pink Ice and Dusk and All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade. I have a slight problem with that product being called Pink Lemonade- it's a bright, strawberry pink and I had expected it to be much more mild. I think it stems from the days when I wore Caboodles Lip Jelly Lemonade (do you remember that? It was so wonderful- smelled so good and tasted just like the real thing) and that was a semi transparent baby pink.
Anyways back to the story, disappointed with the lack of e.l.f. Elements compacts, I went to the Dollar Tree with the idea that I could probably make my own in mind. I spotted metal gift card holders. Perfect! I also grabbed a few stackable black mini crates and hauled four Sally Hansen lipglosses. Rumors of these glosses had been the reason why I had initially came to the dollar store and I was happy with the array of colors. I got two Smile Brightening Lip Treatments in Twinkling (dark lavender) and Luminous (dark spicy nude). Also, a Natural Butter Lip Shine Gloss in Bloom (berry) and a Moist & Matte Liquid Color in Charmeuse. This post is getting absurdly long, so I'll talk about those another time.

Here's the good DIY tutorial part:

DIY Freestyle Palettes
Materials:
-Magnets, preferably business card magnets (see pic). These were $7 for a pack of 25.
-Pen or Marker
-Scissors
-Metal gift card holders (Found at craft stores, dollars stores, etc)

1. Flip the metal holder over, and mark out on the business card magnet where you plan to cut it and it it to fit the holder. Round the corners and peal & stick the first magnet.

2. Trim the second one in a similar manner. Use the remnants of the first and second magnet to fill in the remaining gap.
It's a pretty self explanatory process, I have no idea why I decided to write out instructions.
Each one of the metal holders (3" by 5") holds 12 26mm round pans. That's right, 12! Or 4 36mm round pans and 5 26mms. Anyways, you get the idea- it's compact but holds a lot! And pretty too.
The best part? Each metal holder was $1 and two sheets of business card magnets was about $.50. Less than $2? Awesome.

That's all for the night, thanks for bearing with me! <3

All items featured in this post were purchased by me for my own use.

Fun at Sephora, Swapper Things Haul

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

So, yesterday I discovered that the coverage of my foundation (Revlon PhotoReady) was not up to snuff for my video camera, which apparently can 'see' through cover up. You could see all the blemishes and scarring on my skin in the original footage! ( For the version that I actually uploaded to YouTube, I heaped on the concealer like mad). So today, I made an emergency run to Sephora- a major feat indeed because not only was I looking for a panacea of a foundation, but also I had to resist the temptation of all the wonders Sephora has to offer.

I met a really nice SA, and he helped me on my quest. I needed something without sunscreen, with heavy coverage and just had to be 'screen' worthy. I ended up settling for Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation. We had a hard time determining which shade was right for me, because I'm quite neutral. He wanted 115 Ivory which has pinkish undertones, while another SA thought that 117 Marble (yellow undertones) suited me the best. 115 looked the most invisible, because my face is quite pink, but I went with 117 because my neck is quite yellow in tone and I was tired of 'mismatched-face-and-neck syndrome. He also sent me home with a few samples of NARS Sheer foundations, both in the Matte and Glow formulas. Problem is, I think I got the wrong shade of both- brought home Santa Fe but really I need Deauville.
I already gave it try and I have to say, hands down, MUFE HD is the BEST foundation I've ever used for media. In person, I think it looks questionable. But on camera, my skin looks stunning, I can't believe it.
See that lovely small haul? My favorite MUAer sent them along as extras- I was only expecting that hard to find WnW Nutty! Isn't she amazing? It included:
Too Faced eyeshadow in Show Girl
Tarte Lock & Roll Duo in Rosegold
Lancome Juicy Tube
Urban Decay eyeshadow in S&M
Urban Decay 24/7 in Gunmetal
MAC Finery mini purse
Sally Hansen Natural Shine Lip Gloss
and various samples.
This, is better than Christmas. I'm off to play with my pretties!

LORAC Swatches Pt 2 (Finally!)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Let me start out by apologizing for the delay in these swatches. I had some issues with my Google account, and for some reason it wouldn't accept my password and I had to wait 24 hours to override it with the security question. While I was away, I got my other LORAC order (directly from the company). I opened it to happily find a gift with $25 purchase, the Burning Love eyeshadow trio (Ok, I wasn't surprised or anything, it was the reason I bit the bullet and finally ordered the cart of stuff). Pictured above- the single eye shadows are (L-R) Garnet, Persuasion, Olive, Reverie, Joy. The Cheek Stamp is Hibiscus and the trio is Burning Love.

But first, here's the rest of the LORAC order from Hautlook like I promised- Suede, Kiwi, Innocence, Harmony and the Snake Charmer palette:

Note: Suede is a smooth, silky warm cocoa. Kiwi is hard to describe. I wouldn't call it a silver, but rather a very handsome shimmery grey with a hint of blue to it. It's stunning. Innocence is a dirty lavender, but it does stain red when wet. Seeing as how this is the only flaw that any of my LORAC products have, I'll let it slide. However, it does look very good paired up with a dark taupe. Harmony is a pinky-peach shimmer, sheer.

Base- NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Primer- Urban Decay Primer Potion

First I'd like to say that the bright sun really tones down the blush in that palette picture. It's brighter, much more peachy (almost a hint of coral) than that picture reflects. Also, the light shimmer shades have a hard time showing up in photos, the Enchanted Ivory is an off white pearl and the Mystical Gold is a champagne pearl. The texture of Royal Brown isn't quite up to snuff to other LORAC shadows, but I blame it on the tiny bit of glitter in the shadow, it adds a little bit of grittiness. It's an amazing palette though, superb to travel with. In fact, I brought it on my overnight stay at my future in-law's house. Each color really works well with the others, and they are all so usable. Once again, LORAC provides nothing but the best pigmentation.

Now, here's the others, that arrived on Monday-Garnet, Persuasion (not shown), Olive, Reverie, Joy.

Notes: There's a reason why I omitted swatches of Persuasion. I've tried, on three separate occasions to take good pictures of this shade. It doesn't swatch all that well, and the photos keep turning out suck-tastic. I can describe it just fine- a very light nude shimmer- almost champagne, but not quite. It's a great quality shadow though, very subtle- great for highlighting the arch in a not over the top way. Just doesn't camera shy, I guess.
Garnet is a gorgeous red copper. It's highly pigmented and just very sultry, I can't want to use it in a smokey eye. Olive is not as green as the name might suggest, but a soft, sheer shimmery gold-green, with a hint of grey. It makes a great wash of color, like a supporting actor instead of the lead. Reverie is a taupe with slight grey pearl. I think it might be my new favorite taupe, a hard task indeed. Joy is as girlie as it gets, really. It's a fantastic bright pink with hints of gold (over primer, it's very golden).

It's a perfect day out, so if you don't mind- I'll save the Burning Love Trio and Hibiscus Cheek Stamp for later- I'm going to go enjoy the weather with my dog.

<3, 'till next time then!

All products were purchased by me for my own use.