Luna of Toxid-Lotus blog is having a fun giveaway of full-size jars of a Black Rose Minerals LE eyeshadow collection: Love Me, Love Me. There are three colors in the collection:
1. Lovefool is a chocolatey brown with a rose tinge and lots of golden sparkles.
2. Lovesick in the pot looks like a light coppery rose, but once you rub it out it is a deeper rose interlaced with copper and silver shimmer
3. Lovestruck is a pale frosty peachy rose with golden highlights sprinkled with blue and violet shimmer.
BRM Love Me, Love Me Collection
I haven't reviewed BRM yet, but I've tested a few of the samples I bought last summer and have been very impressed. Check out the contest, why don't you?
And be sure to enter the Lucky 107 Cosmetics contest here!
The owner of Lucky 107 Cosmetics recently told me that she's was redesigning her Web site. My suggestion is that she might want to take care to search out inconsistencies in her store’s marketing and branding “identity.”
First, the store is powered by Storenvy; I recognized it from a previous review I wrote and confirmed it during my recent order. So, it has all of the nice features of such, like great product photos and the cool four-frame divided close-up photos that show you what the product looks like in the pot and when applied. I have no problems with Storenvy! I think it has a great interface from a shopper’s point of view. It clear, provides room for lots of information, and is easy to navigate in terms of both shopping and checking out. The site also groups eyeshadows by color, a feature I particularly like; it would be great if there’s an option to group shadows by finish, too :-) I think these both, especially the latter, make shopping easier and help to further solidify a brand’s identity (i.e., identifies the store as being a major hitter with, say, glittery colors compared another that is strong in mattes, etc.).
Sample of Lucky 107 Storenvy product photo
However, the brand seems to be having a personality crisis regarding of how it’s being marketed. As I clicked from page to page, I was presented with a number of conflicting images. First, the store name, “Lucky 107,” makes me think of ranches out west with cowboys, cowgirls, and cattle, LOL. The home page banner tag line is “homemade goodies made with <3 (heart symbol),” which makes me think of grandma’s baking. It also has a horizontally scrolling series comprising a photo (sexy schoolgirl saying “Let us spoil you on your birthday”) plus two announcements: one for the Ladies of Luck membership-reward program (fantastic idea) and one for an “It Works!” distributorship, which makes me think of housecleaning (as per the description). When you click “Shop” on the top toolbar, a hot rocker chick appears on the banner, which makes me think of partying and rock and roll. Last, a special advertisement appearing on the “Shop” landing page is from December 5th, 2011, and this needs to be updated or removed. Because they are the virtual "store window," storefronts should always be kept current and fresh!
Branding Options
So, I get quite a few competing identities from Lucky 107 Cosmetics: (1) “down on the ranch,” (2) grandma’s cooking–type hominess, (3) sexy schoolgirl, (4) homemaker, and (5) rocker chick. The only thing that carries through brand-wise are the business card (“down on the ranch” theme) and the store’s horseshoe logo (“down on the ranch” theme again), which appears on the Web site, the business card, and the product labels. I think it would be great if Rebecca tied these identities together into one by choosing images that reflect one ”person.” I do like the banner tag line because granny can be on cooking on the ranch as much as anywhere else, but it would be more cohesive to change the sexy schoolgirl to maybe a pretty female ranch-hand in a cowboy hat and the rocker chick to something that ties in more with the homey-ranch theme, too. The “It Works!” distributorship advertisement on the home page is distracting. It looks fine on its “tab” on the top toolbar (although the tab takes me to the ”Shop” page, and this should be fixed), or it could even appear as a “product” button that would give you more information when you clicked on it. If Rebecca wants to keep the different identities, I think she should tie them together with a different logo, home page, and tag line. Identities, themes, and images can be changed; they just need to be consistent in “flavor”!
Lucky 107 Cosmetics business card with logo (sorry it's upside down)
Example of comprehensive labeling!
She’s Got Savvy
Having said all that, Rebecca has one savvy business head on her shoulders. She is the only indie company that I personally know of that has a membership-rewards program (Ladies of Luck), which generates brand loyalty. She also has a “press page,” (something I’ve not seen [or not noticed before] on other indie-cosmetics Web sites) that features beauty-blog reviews of her products. Some of the links are either not available or are open to “invited readers only” (whatever that means), and Rebecca should fix these, but in general having such a page is a very smart move.
Products Sold
Products include full-size eyeshadows is a large amount of colors, eyeshadow samples and sample packs, flavored lip gloss, lotion bars, crème blush, eyeshadow primer, lip “blush,” sugar lip scrub, mineral makeup remover, Lucky 107 T-shirts (with yet another confusing identity of pin-up girl, LOL), reviewer kits, and quite a few gorgeous full-size eyeshadow collections.
Packaging and Presentation: 5 of 5 Stars
Queen of Labeling
Rebecca is the Queen of Labeling as far as my experience goes with indie cosmetics companies. At Lucky 107, every single product is clearly and carefully labeled, from the Web site right down to the tiny sample-pot labels (I hear these are being changed to clamshells by customer request – another point in Rebecca’s favor). I was amazed to see on how tiny a label she could get the ingredients. Sometimes I had to squint to see them, but they were there, LOL. Lip- and eye-safe status, as well as vegan or non-vegan status, is well delineated.
Look at those teensy labels!
Pricing: 5 of 5 Stars
Full-size jars of eyeshadow (pigments are filled by volume, not weight; most contain approximately 0.05 oz, or 1.4 g, of product) are $5.00, andthere are several sample-pack options: (1) $4.50 for three shadow samples and a primer sample; (2) $4.50 for 5 shadow samples; and (3) $7.50 for 10 shadow samples. Other product prices can be viewed directly on the Web site :-)
TAT and Shipping: 5 of 5 Stars – Not applicable since Rebecca sent me these products for review. But based on how quickly she got the review products and prizes to me, I’m giving her 5 stars. However, I did recently order a 10-sample pack and will most likely update with TAT, etc., in a separate review.
Product: 5 of 5 Stars
Swatches under natural light
Items Sent (my take in italics [favorites in bold]; all swatches done over UDPP and Fyrinnae PE [I got the best results with PE]; all swatches listed in alpha order as below)
• Backstabber: Deep purple with purple flecks I loooooved this color! It’s dark but very shimmery, which is probably why I was able to pull it off. It made me think of sugared plums or violets blooming in the shadow of a large tree. DEFINITE REPURCHASE! :-)
• Cliffhanger: Shiny gunmetal gray Super-shiny! Molten even.And this was just over Urban Decay Primer Potion, not anything like Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. I can’t begin to imagine what this color would look like if I actually foiled it. It would probably make my head explode! DEFINITE REPURCHASE! :-)
More Lucky 107 goodness under natural light (you can see the moderate sparkle here)
Swatches under incandescent light (although they were more sparkly than seen here)
• Harkness: Shimmery purple made even more extravagant with a rainbow of glitter Although this color looked very shimmery when I first swatched it on my hand, it came out nearly matte when applied over UDPP. However, when I tried it again over Fyrinnae PE, I got a nice “glowy” satin finish.In any case, I didn’t get any glitter though (unfortunately because I like glitter). I like this color. It’s bright but not OTT. Note: Although not stated on the Web site, I detected a purple-pink duochrome shift in this shade! I MIGHT REPURCHASE IF I EVER RUN OUT OF IT! :-)
• Facepalm: Shimmery, almost white-beige I liked this shade. My eye picked up just the very faintest blush of peach, which makes it different from my mainly pink/white/violet/gray brow bone highlighters. I WOULD REPURCHASE IF I RUN OUT OF IT! :-)
• Maid Service: Shimmery, mahogany brown This color didn’t work for me at all, although swatched on my hand it was deep and rich; very good pigmentation. I just don’t do well with grapey-wine shades (think raisin), which is how it turned out on my lids over both UDPP and PE. UNFORTUNATELY NOT A REPURCHASE L
• mNg: Hot pink with punches of purple, teal, and pink glitter Again, this applied nearly matte over UDPP but became satiny when applied over Fyrinnae PE. I put it in the same finish category as Harkness. Note: Although not stated on the Web site, I detected a pink-purple duochrome quality in this shade from pink to blue/lavender! BTW, this color and Harkness look gorgeous together! WILL VERY POSSIBLY REPURCHASE WHEN I RUN OUT :-)
You can see a little color shifting of Harkness here
• Lotion Bar (vanilla): I've never used a lotion bar before, so I didn't know what to expect. I prefer light, almost runny, lotions because I find them refreshing. The "lotion" in )of?) the bar was heavy, thick, and waxy. It didn't sink into my skin but rather sat on top of it. The scent was fine. However, based on this one experience, I know that ANY lotion bar is not for me, LOL. WOULD NOT REPURCHASE :-(
Overall Impression
Although Lucky 107 states “glitter” in some of the color descriptions, it’s a relatively small amount of sparkliness. I think this is relative: My glitter “scale” is pretty extreme on one end with just about any brand of matte on the opposite end. From this particular experience with Lucky 107, I would give the “glittered” shadows a score of 4 to 5 on a scale from 1 to 10. However, I recently ordered 10 samples that looked more glittery on the Web site, and I’ll probably do a review of them, too. Here’s hoping!
Would I Buy?
Yes, I recently ordered a 10-sample pack! I can give you deets on the TAT, etc., after I receive them (I’ll probably do a second review). I got the following colors (in case you're curious): Scrum-diddly-umptious, Donna, Old Glory, Frisky, Lover's Quarrel, Single's Awareness Day, Zombie Bitch, Box of Chocolates, Lolli, and By Candlelight.
Overall Rating: 4.6 of 5 Stars! ____________________
Please note that the owner of Lucky 107 Cosmetics personally requested on January 19, 2012, that I review her store and freely sent me products to test, swatch, photograph, and review. Although I said that samples were fine, the owner selected the sizes and colors of the products she sent, some of which were full sizes. When I asked her if she would like to sponsor a contest to go with the post, she replied (and I quote from her FB message): "Oh that sounds awesome!" Read the "Full Disclosure" tab above for more information.
Colors Received for Review (my take in italics [favorites in bold text]): Colors shown in photos were swatched over ELF primer and Fyrinnae PE and appear in the order shown below.
DEC V-Day Collection in natural light
• Be Mine: Color-shifting shade runs from pink to coral, to gold with a greenish cast My absolute favorite of the bunch. It leans orange, but not too orange, so an overall coral, although not super-coral, shade appears. As always with Dawn’s creations, it glitters like sunlight on still water. Yummo! WILL DEFINITELY BE GETTING MORE OF THIS SHADE :-)!
• Candy Kiss: Whites, bright whites, silvery whites, gleaming whites . . . glitter, purple one way, pink another, then blue . . . brilliant golden sparks I really think that brow bone highlights can make or break a lid shade, so I like to have a full arsenal of them on hand, including this one. A lovely glittery and gleaming white-based iridescent shade, it sets off cool lid shades nicely. WILL DEFINITELY BE GETTING MORE OF THIS SHADE :-)! (Candy Kiss look very gray in these photos, but it goes on true white.)
DEC V-Day Collection in indoor light
• Mi Amore: Light purple which shifts blue to lavender to pink and then pink to gold . . . enhanced with sparkles of blue to purple to pink and pink to gold. Purples can go either way on me depending on the undertone, and luckily this one is neutral enough that it looks great on me. Think neutral purple with a slight cornflower blue undertone. DESPITE ITS BEAUTY, I’M NOT SURE IF I’LL GET MORE OF THIS COLOR :-|
• Red Red Rose: Deep vibrant red pearl, with a matching matte undertone and a color shifting glitter that ranges blue/green/pink. Reds throw me for a loop. They usually make me look like I’ve been crying. This one is fairly warm-toned, though, so I gave it a try. Put on the outer lid with Be Mine in the inner lid, I was able to pull it off, and together they had a absolutely gleaming finish, which I LOVE! I was truly stunned when I checked myself in the mirror several hours later JWILL DEFINITELY BE GETTING MORE OF THIS SHADE :-)!
DEC V-Day Collection in natural light
• Sweetness and Light: Color shifter ranging from pale blue to sweet lavender to pale pink to bright pink to coral gold Although this shade is gorgeous, I’m not quite sure how to wear it. It’s far too light for my lids. In fact, when I tried it, my lids looked “Day-Glo”! And it’s way too pigmented for a brow-bone highlight (unless I want them to look like they’re in headlights, LOL). If you can pull of light, bright shades, go for it! I DON’T THINK I WILL GET ANY MORE OF THIS GORGEOUS, ALBEIT UNWEARABLE-FOR-ME COLOR :-(
This photo really shows the color-shifting quality of Sweetness and Light (bottom right)!
Would I Buy Again?
Yes, I’d definitely buy several of the shades again before they disappear after Valentine’s Day:-) ____________________ Please note that all of the tested samples, as well as the prizes, were provided to me by the company owner for review/contest prize purposes.
GIVEAWAY! DAWN HAS GENEROUSLY GIVEN ME TWO SAMPLES SETS OF THE VALENTINE’S DAY 2012 LE COLLECTION TO GIVE TO TWO LUCKY WINNERS. SEE THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW FOR EASY INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER!
ATTENTION!: The following people should know that although they have completed a few of the requirements to enter the contest on my beauty blog, Fleurs-de-Lisa, they have not completed ALL of them and thus will be qualified unless they finish the process by November 28, 2011 (yes, I extended the end date): Taylor(leslie), Deborah, Kimberly M., Jennifer R., Allison W., Taryn W., and Zillah. You must complete the first four Rafflecopter instructions and then add at least one (or more) BFF(s) you are entering with!
OK, my grand-opening giveaway is now LIVE! You can see the prizes under the "BFF GIVEAWAY!" tab on the far right, but I've provided some photos below to whet your cosmetic appetite :-)
First, for your perusing pleasure, there are two (transferred; partial) magazine subscriptions -- SPIN and Martha Stewart Living:
SPIN magazine
Martha Stewart magazine
Next, for yumminess in and after your shower or bath, there are two full-size Sugarcandie Beauty Bar items: Bella Body Creme and Midnight Monster Mash Body Scrub:
SCBB Midnight Monster Mash and Bella closed
SCBB Midnight Monster Mash and Bella open
Last, fun for your face: lots of miscellaneous eyeshadow samples from various indie cosmetic companies plus a mega-load of large Aromaleigh samples:
Miscellaneous indie eyeshadow samples
Mega-load of large Aromaleigh samples
And here is your Rafflecopter by which to claim you official entry. Even if you pre-entered, it/they won't count unless you do this official entry. All people who pre-entered my giveaway by following me and leaving a comment on my blog have earned one and two extra entries, respectively :-) Because the prize is large, I'm allowing the giveaway to last for 3 weeks. ____________________ Please note that I purchased all of these products except for the magazine subscriptions, which were Facebook "freebies."
Since I'm not a huge fan of Halloween and because I'm far to lazy to compose a list of special and limited-edition Halloween collections, I'm pointing you to Anne of The Velvet Rose Petal, who had composed a comprehensive list, including Altered Ego, Black Rose, Brazen, Dark Heart, Darling Girl, Dawn Eyes, Evil Shades, Lucky 107, Meow, Moi Minerals, My Beauty Addiction, My Pretty Zombie, Noella Beauty Works, Persephone, Rock-A-Betty, Stella Starish, Sweetpea & Fay, Tick:Tock, Venomous, Virus Insanity.
Per Miss K.'s Dormant Dream Facebook page: "Found 9 jars of Melancholy Maiden, 1 Milky Way, and 1 Wingardium Leviosa . . . just added to inventory!" Here's a chance to get these OOS shades.
I'm sorry it's taking so long to get this blog going. I've just been overwhelmed with health issues and physical pain, and now more work is coming in so I'm trying to keep up with that. However, I'm about one third done with my opening post (Darling Girl review). Then I just have to take photos of the contest prizes and the contest will go live. First the Darling Girl post and then the contest :-) Hang in there with me, 'K?
First, I'd like to say "thanks" to the 38 followers (most of them from the RAT Pack Facebook page) who have taken a chance on following my new blog, some of them before I had actually published anything yet! I'm now offering the rest of you a chance to pre-enter, too.
Here's what you have to do to earn two pre-entries before the contest starts. When the giveaway begins, the opportunity to earn pre-entries will disappear.
1. Follow my blog.
2. Leave one comment on one of my posts. Sorry, multiple comments, although enjoyable, won't earn you extra entries! (If you comment, please tell me in the comment what name you are following me under so I can match you up for your two entries).
Here's how to prepare for the actual entry (I'll announce the contest when it starts):
1. Think of three BFFS, two of whom do not already follow my blog. That's all I'm going to tell you right now :-)
For a look at the prizes so far, just look under the "Contest!" tab above.
