Category: Beauty

Categories
Beauty

Lip Monthly April ’15.

lip monthly april 15 (2)

I’ve got half a year of Lip Monthly subscription bags to catch up on, woo hoo. The reason I haven’t been writing about them much was because I felt disappointed in the products at first glance, and it continued for a while. But then I actually sat down and spent time with these, and found out that my first impressions were incorrect in many cases.

city color be matte lipstick in cammi

City Color Cosmetics Be Matte Lipstick in Cammi

Didn’t like this shade in the tube. No, that would be wrong. I loved the shade, but since I’m so pale, I thought it wouldn’t look good on me and came up with a list of friends with darker skin tones to whom I could pass this on. Didn’t even want to open it at first, but then curiosity kicked in, I swatched it, and what do you know: It looks great on my lips. It’s a very autumn/ winter shade. The longevity is OK. It’s a true matte, but it’s not very drying. I can see this getting a lot of use during the next couple of months.

la girl lipstick in last night

L.A. Girl Lipstick in Last Night

My first reaction was, wooooo bright bright bright. I thought I wasn’t going to keep it, but then it grew on me. The quality is decent. The formula is very creamy. One of the things I didn’t like about it was that it stains. Although the colour is intense, you can turn it down a notch if you just pat the bullet on your lips and then go in with a brush to even things out. It’s a very spring/ summer colour. I might bring it out in the dead of winter to brighten things up, though.

cargo cosmetics lip gloss in sahara

Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Gloss in Sahara

Can I just stop for a second and say how I love Cargo Cosmetics packaging? I’ve previously received their eye shadow, and both the box it came in and the tin the shadow is in are so pretty, I can’t even.

Haven’t yet used this gloss yet, but in the tube it looks similar to the Milani gloss I received via Lip Monthly not long ago, perhaps a bit lighter. I’m weird about lip glosses, as in I really don’t like using them for longer than a certain amount of time after opening. So I kinda want to go through at least two other glosses I’ve got going before I open another one.

Other reviewers posted about a Cargo gloss in Anguilla, and I have to be honest here, I wouldn’t have minded getting that shade instead of this one. On swatches it looks like this really pale milky kind of pink, and it’s something that I’ve been looking for for ages now. But ah well, I suppose Sahara is a more universally flattering shade.

ofra eyebrow pencil

Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil

Once again, I have yet to use this one, but the colour, a cool-toned medium brown, looks like a match, and I really enjoyed using all the other Ofra products I received via Lip Monthly. Their Laguna Beach is one of my favourite lipsticks.

lip monthly april 15 (7)

OFRA, City Colors, and LA Girl swatches. The City Colors lipstick looks streaky, but it really isn’t. It’s just my mad swatching skillz on display here.

Lip Monthly subscription is $12.95 + shipping (outside US & Canada – I live in Europe, and it’s $5). Each box contains 4 products, usually full-sized. The products come in a make-up bag.

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Categories
Beauty

#100empties: Three Mascaras and Two Lip Glosses.

empties mascaras

Time to talk trash again. 😛

INGLOT Sleeks Cream Lip Paint in 89

Glossy without the stickiness. A perfect shade of slightly orangey peach nude for me. Good coverage on its own. Not long lasting, but hey, it’s a gloss. Chucked this one because of its age, already repurchased.

Oriflame HyperStretch Mascara

This one has already been discontinued. I didn’t like this mascara when I first tried it, but it grew on me. It’s a perfect every day mascara. One coat gives definition and length, two coats give a bit more oomph, but no drama. I’m on my second tube of this mascara, and really, I’m kinda sad they discontinued it. Can’t vouch for its lash growing properties, but my bottom lashes do appear to be a little longer. Perhaps the thinner the hair, the better it works.

Vivienne Sabo Cabaret Mascara

I read nothing but exceedingly good reviews of this thing. Indeed, when I bought it and used it for the first time, I was like, WOWZA. The second time I was like, yeah, this is good stuff. Fourth time I was, hmm, something’s off… And on the sixth use the formula was so dry, it crumbled off my lashes within minutes. Now, I’m not sure if my tube just came from a weird batch or something, because this product gets steady positive reviews from just about everyone. I was very excited to try it. The pricing is quite merciful, so I might give it another go some time soon.

Oriflame MaxiLash 3D Mascara

Discontinued as well. Had one of those brushes that are combs. That was the only reason I never got along with the product, as the formula was good — not too thick, not too runny, and even with the ruddy comb it didn’t glue my lashes together.However I’m one of those weird people who refuse to use a brush from another mascara with a different tube. I could never really build up volume with the comb or use a right amount of product. The application was messy, and although I really loved the colour (very black) and could see that the formula was good, it had to go. Sadface.

Covergirl Outlast Lip Color, the topcoat/ balm part

One day my father just came over with four Covergirl lipsticks, dropped them on the desk in front of me, and mumbled something about them being for the daughter that never visits him. Fathers, right.

This is the balm that goes over the colour part of the product. I love these Covergirl super-staying lipsticks, and the balm is thick enough that it doesn’t let the colour product dry your lips. This one was a bit funky from the start, as in it would refuse to stay in the bullet properly. Eventually it fell out, so I let it go, as I have three other balms that I believe would be enough for the lip stains.

5 (+2) down; 93 to go.

Categories
Beauty

The Purge: Nail Polishes, part 1 of 235.

I’m a nail polish hoarder. I’m not even holding my hopes high for this one — the amount of nail polishes in my house is going to return to the original number very soon after the clean-out. Out with the old, in with the new, etc.

But I gotta try.

Behold the first five candidates.

flormar berry fine glitter

Flormar Nail Enamel, deep berry with fine glitter

This is so old, I can no longer tell you the number. It’s… I think it’s from 2006, maybe earlier. Still like it, even though I’ve become a bit more particular with finishes and try to avoid everything but creme and matte these days. But it is old, and it has to go.

wetnwild megalast soulmate

Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaLast Strengthening nail polish in 214 Soul Mate

Apologies for the quality of the photograph.

We don’t have Wet’n’Wild around here, so the only place I could’ve got it from was the States… And I’ve been to the States in ’07. Lovely colour, but has to go.

orkide olivia mint green

Olivia nail enamel, mint green

A lovely mint green. Very aged. Separated up the wazoo.

orkide olivia melon yellow

Olivia nail enamel, melon yellow

A sheer melon yellow. It liquefied significantly, and no longer behaves like a polish.

catherine arley sheer silver

Catherine Arley nail lacquer in 190

A sheer silver polish, quite possibly the oldest polish in my collection. More of a topcoat/ French manicure enhancement than a stand-alone polish, if you ask me. I used it recently. My nails didn’t fall off, and it still behaved like a polish ought to, but it has to go. I still love silver nails, but this one is too sheer and glittery for me. Still in hopes of finding a good silver chrome.

Categories
Beauty

Lip Monthly March ’15.

lip monthly march

I seem to be issuing these posts at the speed of light.

Minute of sarcasm aside, there were three lip products and one nail polish in this box. Bag design was a standard one.

hikari crush

Hikari Lipstick in crush

This is the second Hikari lipstick I own, first one being cabernet, also received via Lip Monthly. I love this product. The colour in this case is a little bit not ‘me’, but it’s wearable. Matte, relatively long-lasting. Doesn’t feel drying.

lip monthly march balm

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Color in Raspberry

This feels like a balm. Sheer pink, nicely smelling. I have a full queue of balms that I need to use up before I get to this one, but I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy using it.

lip monthly march crayon

J. Cat the Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha

I love lip crayons, and I really wanted to keep this one. The texture is creamy, the longevity is okay. The only downside is that you have to sharpen it, and it’s a huge product waste with these big pencils. Unfortunately I was not feeling the colour at all, so after a quick swatch I gave it to my friend, who enjoys it very much.

lip monthly march swatches

Hikari, Jordana, J.Cat swatched. The photograph is a bit washed out, the Hikari lipstick is much brighter in person.

lip monthly march sally hansen

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Nail Polish in Mighty Mango

A bright, almost neon, pink-orange colour. Would look great with a tan, which I never really have. Applied smoothly, but I cannot report on chipping etc., as I haven’t worn it yet.

Categories
Beauty

Lip Monthly February ’15.

lip monthly february

Let’s skip the part where I lament how late I am with these (there’s a reason for it this time around) and get to the products.

lip monthly bomb shell

be a … bombshell Lipgloss in hooked

The coverage is amazing. It’s more of a liquid lipstick than a gloss, really, except that it’s glossy and doesn’t last very long. Loved the colour. I can’t think of a single occasion where this one would be out of place, at least with my colouring. I find myself quite … hooked. *ba-dam tss*

lip monthly cargo eye shadow

Cargo Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Green Bay

A lovely, lovely metallic eye shadow. The camera picked up more gold tones, but it’s more of a warmer light green with gold undertones, if that makes sense. For some reason I haven’t really worn it since swatching and trying it out once, so I can’t properly comment on longevity. The pigmentation is good, and the application felt smooth enough. I also love the packaging.

lip monthly lip dome

So Susan Lip Dome Plumping Lip Tint in black currant

Mmm, lip crayons. I’m obsessed with these and want to own them in abominable quantities. This is a wine-coloured balm-like crayon. It feels good on the lips, and the stay power is pretty decent. Not drying. A touch on the sheer side, but gives enough colour as it is and can be layered a bit. Retractable. Cruelty-free.

lm february super model stain

So Susan jelly pong pong Supermodel Stain lip & cheek pomade

Let me just say how cute the thing is. I love these tiny palettes. The brush is safe to discard as it’s low-quality. The colours are sheer and are more of a tint. I haven’t tried them on the cheeks, because cream products and my face don’t get along. I’m in love with every single colour, but my product has dried a little bit. It still works, though, and it’s a great everyday palette. Small enough to carry around with you. It’s not drying, but it’s not moisturising either, so it’s best to use a tiny bit of a sheer balm under. Cruelty-fee.

lip monthly feb swatches

Eye shadow, lip dome, and lip gloss swatched. See how the lip gloss (above) is less sheer than the lip crayon? Amazeballz. The shadow is a touch layered in the intersection, which immediately improves the colour payoff, but since it’s so light and bright, I see no problem with one layer either. Looks great with my brown eyes.

This has been one of the best Lip Monthly boxes for me. Every colour worked, and every product was quality. I wish this trend stuck, but alackaday and fuck my luck.

I’ll be writing about the March one next.

(This post contains an affiliate link.)