Yep, I'm starting a new weekly feature . . . giving a shout-out to all new followers who joined my site during the previous week. I'm starting with this past week only, so first I have to say "WELCOME" to my past "subscribers." Without you, I'd just be a gal playing with makeup by myself. Now I get to play along with you all :-) So, thanks so much for "following" my blog!
I'm going to ask new followers to tell a bit about themselves by answering some standard questions: (1) describe yourself in three words: (2) name three foods you like best; and (3) name three "desert-island" cosmetic products.
This weeks shout-out goes to Christie B., who joined on January 26th, and here are her answers:
1. "I would say I am very family oriented. For me I feel that family is not just about blood relation, so my friends are as much my family as my blood relatives. I think I am a strong person. This is something I am doing my best to instill in my daughters as well. I want my girls to know that with a little hard work they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. I think I am a very open-minded person. I like to think of every person, place, and situation as a way to learn something new and grow as a person."
2. "This one is very hard for me to answer with just 3 answers. I love to cook and to bake: It is one of the things that makes me the happiest. Cupcakes make me happy: baking them, icing them, eating them, pictures, anything cupcake! I even have a cupcake tattoo. Chocolate: I am the biggestchocolatelover EVER! And chicken and dumplin's, made from scratch, rolled, not the drop kind, are one of my favorite meals ever since I was young. I think part of it is the memories of standing in a chair helping my mom make them and now teaching my girls how to make them. I love anything grilled or BBQ'd, I prefer charcoal over a gas grill, just something about the flavor it gives is so much better. [LOL :-) Chicken chocolate cupcakes, anyone?]
3. "Nail polish; I can't live without it; flavored lip balms, they can be used for moisturizing all over the body as well; and soap; I hate to stink!"
And here's cute, family-oriented, strong, open-minded Christie chillaxin' in the pool on her floatie after enjoying a meal of chicken and dumplin's and chocolate cupcakes! Christie's blog, Cupcake's Quirky Corner, can be found here.
The owner of Lucky 107 Cosmetics, Rebecca Masters, asked me to do a review of her shop because I "was so thorough"! Glad what I'm aiming for is coming to pass. Anyway, I am just beside myself with excitement. I've swatched all the colors on the back of my hand so far, and the results were scrumpdillyicious! Stand by for a new review as soon as I get some good light here for photographing. I can show you the wrapping and containers and such, but what sort of fun would that be without swatches? There will be a Lucky 107 giveaway, too :-)
I like the Web site a lot, including the minimalist shop banner :-) It’s quite navigable, and easy to find what you’re looking for. • Product selection: Despite the tag line stating “bath products,” the only thing carries at this point is eyeshadow, which comes in a very good color selection ranging from light to dark and muted to very bright. Under “Shop Info,” there is a link to click if you want to request a custom color. The shadows are very clearly marked in the opening description text if they are not vegan. • Product photos and info: The way in which the products are imaged are the very best possible in my humble opinion: One shot shows the jarred product up close; then there’s a shot of the product swatched; and last there is a shot showing the bottom of the jar/sample baggie with the company name and product list. Also, I‘m just about at the point where I will not buy anything unswatched unless I have read numerous good reviews of it, so this step is crucial to me. The photos also look very professional with good use of a close-up lens. The product list is also on each product’s main page. The descriptions are more than adequate and often even describe the opacity of the product, which is very helpful.• Products to come soon: Finishing powders, foundations, and bath bombs :-)
FS jar of Rare Find
Rare Find swatch
Bottom of Rare Find showing product labeling
Pollen samples showing product labeling
Pricing: 4 of 5 Stars
Prices are as follows: $1.25 for a 1/8-teaspoon sample; 10 samples for $8.50; 6 samples for $5.00; $5.50 for full-size, 3 FS jars for $15.00, and 5 FS jars for $23.00. I think the samples are priced a bit high compared with those of other indie cosmetic companies, but it still works for me. You actually get a more reasonable deal with the sample sets, which knocks the individual sample prices down a bit. The FS jar prices are quite reasonable, especially when purchased in “bulk.” Current sales include a flash sale now through Friday (1/20/12) for 30% off your entire order (code: flash30), and the winter holiday collections are on sale, too!
TAT and Shipping: 5 of 5 Stars
Ordered: 10/02/11
Shipped: 10/03/11
TAT: 1 day!
Shipping: Free (for individual samples) and $1.50 for six samples (I did not price out the 10-sample option). I find this odd because it does not cost $1.50 to send 6 small samples in a standard mailing envelope; you can mail that for $.44. Perhaps she sends them in a bubble mailer. Otherwise, it almost begs one to order 6 individual samples and save on shipping J
Actual shipping: $.44
Shipping email: Yes
Personal shipping email: No
DC/tracking: No (sent in standard mailing envelope; however, my FS order, which was sent in a bubble mailer, did have this feature)
Invoice: Yes
Packaging/presentation: Standard mailing envelope, no business card
Sample packaging: Small 2” x 2” baggies in slightly larger baggie (my preferred scenario)
Extras: Yes (x 4 [I offered to review them; I received one sample when I placed another FS order later])
Product: 5 of 5 Stars
Colors Ordered (my take in italics) [swatches shown in order of descriptions, right to left and top to bottom]
Pollen swatches under direct sunlight
Pollen swatches under incandescent lighting
• Future Sunrise (extra for review): Soft sheer pink with strong golden reflect I love almost anything composed of gold and pink, but this shade had too much gold in it for my coloring. I would have definitely bought a full size if those two components had been more evenly balanced or if the light pink had been slightly stronger than the gold. ALAS, NOT A REBUY:-(
• Jenna Anne Marie (extra for review): Sweet peachy tan with medium sheen and medium opacity “Jena Marie” is the name of my eldest niece, so I was prepared to like this color, LOL, and I did. It truly is a sweet color without being saccharine, and it has a smooth sheen to it. Very nice non-ordinary neutral: Not completely brown, but not completely peach either. POSSIBLE REBUY :-)
• Rare Find: Grey taupe with smoky undertones and plum highlights I melted a little when I first applied this color.You know the feeling when you first put on a shade, and before you even get to covering your entire eyelid, you think, “This one’s a keeper!”? Well, this one was, so I bought an FS jar! ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Violet Me Go (extra for review): Bright true, clear purple with low sheen and medium/high opacity As you probably know from past reviews, I don’t do very well with bright mattes. Maybe it’s my age (51 yo), but it’s more likely my coloring: very pale porcelain with pink undertones. They end up just looking harsh on me. I need brights to have at least a touch of shimmer, if not full-on sparkle, to pull them off. Women of color would probably wear this shade very well. I would have ADORED this if it had had a strong satin sheen or even a slight shimmer. UNFORTUNATELY NOT A REBUY :-(
• Forever Green (extra for review): Bright, true green with low sheen and medium/high opacity Oh, dear. I can’t pull off greens very well at all, especially the lucky-clover shade and a low-sheen finish to boot. It’s a very bright color, so if you can pull those off, I say go for it! NOT A REBUY :-(
• Scouts Honor (extra for review): Deep blackened forest green with flecks of turquoise green and medium/high opacity This is more my shade of green: deep, shadowy, and moody. The turquoise flecks keep it from being an ordinary dark green. Plus I’ve always had a soft spot for men in uniform! POSSIBLE REBUY :-(
Customer Service I didn't have any issues with either of my Pollen orders, but I did email Lindsey several questions both before and after buying my two orders as well as in preparation to write this review. Every single time, she answered me promptly and in a friendly, helpful manner. I'm inclined to believe, just from these experiences, that she would quickly and fairly resolve any disputes about her products :-)
Would I Buy Again?
Yup, and I already have! I particularly want to try some of the muted pink, tan, and cream shades, and I’m considering asking her to make a custom variation of Future Sunrise :-) Check it out now while the 30% sale is on (through 1/20/12)!
Overall Rating: 4.75 of 5 Stars! ____________________ Please note that I purchased Rare Find, and the other samples were provided to me by the company owner for review purposes.
I owe Dawn an apology for taking so long to write this review. I've had the product for several weeks but had a really hard time photographing it. I finally decided to do videos (yes, it's the dreaded "stump hand" plus background noises), which meant I had to learn how to use my camera's video feature and upload videos for the first time on YouTube. Please be gentle with me, y'all :-)
So as not to reiterate, you can see my review of the Dawn Eyes Cosmetics Web site here. As far as I can tell, the only thing different is that raw photos of LE collections are grouped together in one pop-up window so you don’t have to open a window for each color. I like this feature, and I still use it to select which colors I plan to buy. It’s invaluable!
Pricing: 5 of 5 Stars
Again, nothing has changed from my initial review except there is a now a paltry $2.00 shipping charge (for orders <$10.00) after having had free shipping since DEC opened. Shipping rates for international orders have increased by $1.00 for all categories. Orders >$10 (USD) will continue to be shipped for free in the United States. This does not apply to priority mail shipping or international shipping. However, the site does not say if there is free or reduced shipping on orders >$10 going overseas. Can’t complain about anything here! It’s about time Dawn started charging shipping to deliver her lovely goodies to our doorsteps:-)
TAT and Shipping: 5 of 5 Stars
Ordered: NA since it was sent to me free of charge for review purposes
Shipped: NA (ibid)
TAT: NA (ibid)
Shipping: $2.00 (for orders <$10.00)
Actual shipping: Not shown on package (but I know from shipping my own 2-oz. US packages that PayPal shipping with DC is $1.75, so Dawn’s price is entirely reasonable)
Shipping email: Yes
DC/tracking: Yes
Invoice: Yes
Packaging/presentation: My samples were all contained in a slightly larger zip-lock sample baggie, which was wrapped in pretty tissue paper (marbled pattern in red, orange, and gold shades)
Sample packaging: Very small (cute!) zip-lock sample baggies
Extras: Yes (x 3)
Product: 5 of 5 Stars
Colors Received/Ordered (my take in italics withfavorites bolded) (the Chrome Collection was sent to me free of charge for review purposes, but – as Dawn already knows – all opinions are my own!)
GENERAL CAVEAT FOR THE CHROME COLLECTION: All of the shades in this collection are dramatic and complex and thus defied my capacity for description. Unfortunately, in most cases, the shades were (1) either too pale or too bright for my pale alabaster/pink coloring and/or (2) way too pigmented for me to use as a brow-bone highlight. I did not have the vision, the lighting, and/or the camera finesse to see (or capture) the trichrome nature of the shadows as descried below per the Dawn Eyes Cosmetics Web site. Pity for me because they are truly stunning. Depending on your skin tone, your mileage may vary wildly (I hope).
• Chrome no. 01: Blue to gold to green I generally can’t pull off any blue shades (with very few exceptions), and this color was not the exception unfortunately. It’s brightly chameleon-colored though, if you can wear those shades. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 02: Pink to lavender to blue to green I loved this color so much I ordered more of it despite my current no-buy! It’s pale, but it was in my range of color preferences/suitability. ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Chrome no. 03: Green to pink to lavender Way too light and/or bright for me. Just showed up bright light green without the pink and lavender (to my eye anyway). NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 04: Coral to lavender to bright green I couldn’t see the coral at all in this shade (and I was hoping it would work for me because I adore corals) plus it was way too bright for me. I even tried it two times over different bases, and I still couldn’t get it to work with my coloring. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 05: Lavender to pale orange to blue I would have thought this one would work for me given the particular trichrome color range, but alas, it didn’t. It mainly showed up light bright blue on my lids. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 06: Light blue with traces of lavender Way too light (that darn blue again) and/or bright for me. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 07: Medium blue undertone, purple mid-tone, pink/gold overtoneNow we’re talking, Dawn! This is the exact saturation level I need. These (nos. 7 through 9) were the only mid-tones in the bunch (too bad for me, huh?) If I had my druthers, Dawn would remake all of the other shades to be in this range. ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Chrome no. 08: Bright pink overtone, deep fuchsia undertoneI don’t know how I missed ordering more of this scrumptious shade on my first go ‘round (perhaps the word “fuchsia” in the description scared me off [I usually can’t wear anything with cool undertones]), so I just ordered more during the current sale (which has been extended to 01/06/1012 BTW). It’s neutral enough that I can pull it off. ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Chrome no. 09: Bright copper with a rose overtone and a green/gold undertoneLove, love, love this shade. It’s right up my alley with lots of warm pink/copper tones. ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Chrome no. 10: Fawn undertone with brilliant blue/teal overtone Again, this shade pulled mainly blue on me. I’m starting to wonder if it has something to do with skin pH or other chemistry? I’m also not entirely sure that the fawn counts as part of the duochrome description because I couldn’t see if in the applied color at all (just in the baggie). NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 11: Fawn undertone with brilliant green overtone If you want a dominant bright grass green duochrome, this color is for you! Unfortunately, it made my fair/pink skin look sallow. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 12: Medium blue undertone with golden overtone (ordered more)This color worked on me despite the fact that I can’t usually wear blues shades. I think it was the generous helping of gold shimmer. So, of course, I promptly ordered more(no-by be damned)! ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
• Chrome no. 13: Light blue to lavender to bright pink I wanted to like this shade so much because of the description, but it showed up mostly blue on me, so I nixed it. NOT A REBUY :-(
• Chrome no. 14: Light bright pink/lavender to copper/orange to coral Oddly enough, this was the one shade in the collection I can wear as a brow-bone highlight if I really sheer it out. ALREADY REBOUGHT :-)
Would I Buy Again? Heck, yeah, as I stated above ;-) I don’t just willy-nilly break a no-buy for just any old cosmetics company. I’m trying to convince Dawn to keep this collection in the permanent lineup, so if you’ve tried it and want it to be permanent, too, don’t hesitate to leave a comment here, and I’ll pass it on to Dawn.
Overall Rating: 5 of 5 Stars ____________________ Please note that all of these samples were provided to me by the company owner for review purposes.
2. After "liking: them, write on their wall that I, Lisa Neff, sent you.
We will then both win a $10 gift card to use on Sugarcandie products :-) To make the gift card even sweeter, everything on the site is 45% off right now! Gift cards expire within 10 days of issue, so act fast!
BTW, tomorrow is Ship-It-Free Friday for thousands of online merchants, just in case you were going to do any holiday online shopping :-) http://www.freeshippingday.com/.
To save even more money, be sure to sign up for either Mr. Rebates and/or eBates at the following links:
This is such awesome news from Aromaleigh: "Will be posting first available shades of 1 of 3 of our new foundation formulas, "Gossamer" (based on Aromaleigh v1 Voile) soon... then moving on to Gossamer's levels 2-4. Once we roll out "Gossamer", we'll start formulating the new foundation based on Aromaleigh v1 Glissade... we're not sure how long this will take, we just know that one shade level will be released at a time. Thanks for your patience while we get all the new products released."
Yippee! No more having to search for my correct color from another company! Aromaleigh does light colors very well :-)
Like . . . Darling Girls Cosmetics Twin Peaks (Breast Cancer Awareness color) and five deluxe samples of Spectral Shifts as well as two Jane Cosmetics lipstick rounds in Satin and Leather? Well, if you do, head on over to the giveaway at The Velvet Rose Petal here and enter to win! Good luck :-)
Win a $50 gift certificate from Simply Just Minerals! Just follow this link and do what it says :-) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.284828004894163.65841.222255484484749&type=3. I'll have a review of them in the future, but I can vouch for the company. The colors are simple, and a lot of them are matte. They aren't very pigmented over UDPP, but they are hugely bright and colorful over Fyrinnae PE or something similar. Think Hi-Fi Cosmetics (in a lot of cases) but without the degree of shimmer. And the owner, Maria Pattengill, is a sweetheart. Very quick shipping. I highly recommend Prairie Fire and Sugar Rock (I liked the latter so much I bought a full size of it). Good luck!
Karla T. and Chloe, YOU TWO are the winners of the Fleurs-de-Lisa giveaway! Both winners must contact me via Facebook message or through my blog within 48 hours (11:30 am EST on Saturday) to let me know how you want to split everything. It would be helpful to have your mailing addresses and to know how you want to split the magazine subscriptions so I can get that taken care of right away. Congratulations!
This my second review of Tick:Tock Cosmetics. Improved areas are marked with ***. Just for the sake of mentioning it, the two co-owners took my previous comments and criticism very well and incorporated some of them fairly quickly. They addressed the vegan issue with this text: “This product, and ALL products by Tick:Tock Cosmetics are always 100% Vegan!” Tiffany and Elizabeth clearly have a healthy working relationship, which forms the basis for a great product and a great company. I was very impressed with their professional reaction, and thus their company went up several notches in my mind just on principle. The Store Envy tabs were explained, too, but I still think the way Store Envy does that is just plain weird!
The Web Site Itself: 5 of 5 Stars
Tick:Tock still has among the best product/swatch photos on the Web IMHO. Nothing has changed. See my original post here for deets.They have added a lot of new colors, but although the text of a tab at the top implies that they have 36 original colors (“Tick:Tock Originals [36]”), sample sizes are included under that tab, thus indicating double the actual number of available colors. Despite that, the product line, including new eyeshadow colors as well as two colors of eyeshadow base, has grown impressively since my last review. A new fall (winter?) eyeshadow collection should launch soon, and they did have a good-sized Halloween collection (including their first attempts at lip gloss; reviewed later below), the shadow of which are now on clearance. They will be offering a gloss in the Christmas collection. BTW, they are good at frequently changing the well-designed banners as appropriate. Considering the banner is part of the “storefront,” this is just good window dressing and keeps the shop looking new and up to date!
***TAT, Shipping, and Packaging: 5 of 5 Stars: Sorry to be so vague below, but I’ve been sitting on these products and wasn’t in the habit yet of photographing/recording every part of the unwrapping process when the packages came in, LOL.
Ordered: Sometime during late fall
Shipped: Within 3 days!
TAT: 3 to4 days?
Shipping: $?
Actual shipping: $?
Shipping email: No
DC/tracking: Yes
Invoice: Yes
***Packaging/presentation: Much improved! The samples baggies were contained in a slightly larger “taxi” baggie so I didn’t lose them, and – best of all – they ditched the evil longer samples baggies in favor of the smaller square ones! I can’t tell you how dorkishly happy this makes me!
Sample packaging: Square zip-lock sample baggies
Extras: Yes (x 3 for reviewing purposes)
***Product: 5 of 5 Stars
Colors Ordered (my take in italics)/Sent for Consideration (my favorites are bolded)
● Happy Hour (extra; available on Black Friday): This is Tick-Tock’s first attempt at a duochrome (DC), and they did it quite well J I thought it was just a tiny bit imbalanced: The yellow was stronger than the pale blue flash, which was quite faint, but it was well blended and did what DCs are supposed to do: Flash a different color depending on lighting and/or angle. Unfortunately I can’t wear yellows in almost any form (excepting Aromeleigh’s Dandelion), and my camera couldn’t quite capture the DC essence of the shadow, but I’m quite proud of them for getting this right. COOL DC COLOR, BUT I WON’T PURCHASE :-(
● Oh-Nine-Hundred: Army green with green and gold shimmer and green glitter. I didn’t find anything special about this color, but I didn’t find anything wrong with it either, except that to me it’s inaptly described. I think of Army green as being much deeper, but perhaps they meant one of the greens that appears in the camouflage print? NOT A REPURCHASE :-(
● Delorean (extra; available on Black Friday): No description yet. Vroom, vroom! I love Tick:Tock’s sideways references to time J This shadow is an explosion of purpley-blue shimmery goodness! POSSIBLE REPURCHASE :-)
From left to right, top to bottom: Happy Hour, Oh-Nine-Hundred, Back to the Future, and Delorean in natural light
From left to right, top to bottom: Happy Hour, Oh-Nine-Hundred, Back to the Future, and Delorean with flash
● Salvador Dali: Deep purple with purple and red shimmer and purple glitterJ If they deepened the base color a bit and loaded it up with just gold shimmer and glitter, I’d wet my pants for it. PROBABLY WILL NOT REPURCHASE :-(
● Grandfather Clock: Rich chocolaty brown with loads of gold shimmer and gold glitter This is perhaps the first time I have ever seen a deep brown shadow gilded with the requisite amount of gold in it (according to me at least). This shadow has a thick, pillowy texture applied over base and Fyrinnae PE. If I could walk on it, I would leave footprints behind. It’s a buttery soft sparkling mink coat that I want to bury my face into. The gold shimmer and glitter absolutely mesmerized me. I’m pretty “jaded” in terms of eyeshadows (I’ve literally tried almost everything out there), so this is no mean feat. ALREADY PURCHASED IN FULL-SIZE!
● Times Square: Dark silver with loads of shimmer and sparkle I can’t wear cool-toned colors at all, so I knew I was taking my chances by ordering a sample of this shade, and I’m so glad I did! It actually showed up as a navy base on me, and I guess enough of the shimmers in it are warm-tones enough that I can pull it off. DEFINITE REPURCHASE! :-)
● Spring Green (MIA): Light minty green with loads of holographic and purple glitters. Although I lost the sample of this and couldn’t swatch it for you (I’m sorry), I did like it quite a bit. It’s a very bright spring green, the shade of the little budlings that come out just before leaves appear on the trees in the spring. I would consider getting a full-size jar of this :-) NOT A REPURACHSE :-(
Salvador Dali, Grandfather Clock, and Times Square in natural light
Salvador Dali, Grandfather Clock, and Times Square with flash
● Clepsydra (extra; “water clock” in Greek; available on Black Friday): No description yet. Tick:Tock is going all intellectual on us now, LOL!I swatched Clepsydra and Tempest Fugit along with Delorean because I’m fairly new to blues, and they all looked kind of similar to me; swatching them together showed the differences. Delorean is more purpley-blue than the other two; Clepsydra is more towards the teal side and has a more satin finish; and Tempest Fugit is a light, shiny blue. They are each beautiful, but I prefer Back to the Future to Clepsydra for a teal (it’s more complex). I like Clepsydra but would prefer a more sparkly finish. I don’t do blues well, SO THIS WON’T BE A REPURCHASE FOR ME :-(
● Tempest Fugit (extra; time flies” in Latin; available on Black Friday): No description yet. Although blues are very tricky for me (they usually look fake and Mimi-ish), and I can’t find any pattern among the ones that DO work on me, Tempest Fugit was one of the lucky ones that passed through my blues-don’t-look-good-on-me filter. It’s quite “shiny” (I can’t think of a better word [“frosty” and “sparkly” just don’t capture it]) and highlighted my hazel green eyes nicely. POSSIBLE REPURCHASE :-)
● Delorean (see above for review). Delorean looks truer to life in this photo compared with the one above.
Clepsydra, Tempest Fugit, and Delorean in natural light
Clepsydra, Tempest Fugit, and Delorean with flash
● ZomBLING lip gloss (Halloween collection; extra; no longer available): No description available. I told Leeb I would be glad to test their recent efforts at making lip gloss (for the Halloween collection), and I was scared when I saw their selection: purple-based wine with holographic glitter! I’ll be 51 years old in December (I know; I’m an ancient relic in the beauty-blogging world!) and casual in my appearance, and although I like lots of sparkle on my eyes, I’ve never dared to try it on my lips. Plus I’ve heard on Makeup Alleythat glitter can feel “gritty” on the mouth, so I was blinded by the fear of looking like a disco ball with bleeding lips! I’m happy to say that was not the case at all. The lip gloss was thick and very sticky (comparable to MAC but not quite as thick) and stayed on my lips for several hours in a stain-like fashion. I had fun wearing it around the house, but I’m not sure I would wear it out. But that’s just me. Your mileage may vary :-) They will be offering a new gloss in the Christmas collection.
ZomBLING close-up in natural light
ZomBLING on my (paper-thin) lips in natural light
ZomBLING on my lips with flash
● Black Hole (extra) Eye Shadow Base (sample): Our take on the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil...IN BLACK HOLE! This is Tick:Tock’s take on NYX’s Jumbo Eye Pencil without the greasiness (thank God for that).I chose not to review this product because there are many other and much better reviews of it on the Internet. I did, however, try it, and this stuff is the bomb! I have never tried a black base before, and I does really change the color of the eyeshadow applied, effectively giving you two colors from one pot of shadow. Eyeshadow adhered to it like white on rice and did so for a very long time. However, I’m not a fan of fingers in pots in general, plus I’m happy with my current bases/primers and don’t need any extra “special effects,” so I won’t be purchasing this product. If they came up with a lighter, creamier (like UDPP) version in a tube with a doe-foot applicator, I’d snap it up pronto! Nevertheless, I am grateful that they sent me a sample for consideration.
● Infinity (white) Eye Shadow Base (sample): Please see review for Black Hole but substitute “white” for “black,” LOL.
Would I Buy Again?
Yes! In fact, I already have :-) I bought full sizes of Grandfather Clock (possibly the most stunning gilded brown I have ever sported on my eyelids) and Back to the Future (even though it won’t be available until Black Friday!). Tick:Tock Cosmetics is now officially on my radar as being an all-around great company. If it keeps going like this, I expect it to give some of the more-established companies plenty of competition in the future! My only question now is: Why on Earth are they keeping the Tea Time LE collection LE? I need me some, Earl Grey, Raspberry Tea, and One Lump or Two?!
***OVERALL RATING: 5 of 5 STARS!
____________________
Please note that I purchased some of these products, and some of them were provided to me by the company owners for review purposes.
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, since my recent no/low-buy was a total bust (albeit a small one), I'm going to try another tactic to reign in my cosmetic spending: I'm going to post here the eyeshadows I wear each day until I have tested all 200+ eyeshadows/eyeshadow samples I currently have not tested. I can't buy anything (except samples of Xmas collections) until I test every single last one. First up: Dawn Eyes Cosmetics Chrome Collection #7 on one lid and #8 on the other lid. (I work from home and didn't go out today, so it's OK if I'm a testing dork for the day!) Of course, this will lead to lots of reviews, LOL. Look for my colors on the Test It Up! tab :-)
Anne over at The Velvet Rose Petal blog is having a giveaway for the Wet 'n' Wild 2011 LE Holiday Palettes plus a lip gloss. Enter here for your chance to win!
I swear to the dear Lord above that I almost wet my pants when I saw the preliminary swatches of the new collection from Dawn Eyes Cosmetics: Chrome Collection. They are DUOCHROME METALLICS (yes, I'm yelling, LOL)! I cannot wait to swatch, photo, and try these and then report back to you :-) They will be available next week, but here are some photos to tide you over until then.
1. Blue to gold to green; 2. pink to lavender to blue; 3. green to pink to lavender; 4. coral to lavender to bright green; and 5. lavender to pale orange to blue
6. Light blue with traces of lavender; 7. medium blue undertone, purple mid-tone, pink/gold overtone; 8. bright pink overtone, deep fuchsia undertone; 9. bright copper with a rose overtone and a green/gold undertone; and 10. fawn undertone with brilliant blue/teal overtone
11. Fawn undertone with brilliant green overtone; 12. medium blue undertone with golden overtone; 13. light blue to lavender to bright pink; 14. light bright pink/lavender to copper/orange to coral
<Hyperventilates> Be still my rapidly beating heart!
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."
What? Baby wipes on a beauty blog? Yep. I first read about them being used as facial wipes (i.e., to remove makeup) on Makeup Alley. I read several positive reviews on using Huggies wipes in this manner, and I was looking for some good (but not too expensive) wipes anyway, so I decided to give them a try.
I got 184 Huggies wipes (!) for about $7.99 ($7.99 for 184 wipes = $.04/wipe) at the Giant Food Store where I grocery shop, but I imagine that you could buy them just about anywhere. They didn't have them in the cute pop-up dispenser like other versions, but the green tea wipes were specifically recommended on MUA for make-up removal purposes, so I just got the refill pack.
The better (and cheaper) wipes!
Well, I'll tell ya: They work great for removing regular (not waterproof [WP]) makeup! I wear WP makeup only once in a while, so if you're a WP gal, you'll need something stronger. But these also work well for wiping away cleansing oil used to remove eye makeup without having to wash your face all over again :-) They have a nice, light fresh scent and leave my face feeling as smooth as a baby's buttockular area :-) In fact, I figured they'd have to be safe and gently beforehand because they are made for baby arses. They are also great for, er, personal cleansing.
If you're interested, here is some safety information about them from the Huggies Web site:
Product use: Skin/personal cleansing [Ha! See?]
Product description: Clear, colorless liquid with a pleasant odor on a white polypropylene/cellulose wipe. Emergency overview: May cause mild eye irritation. EU Classification (1999/45/EC): Not classified as a dangerous substance or
preparation. US OSHA Classification (29CFR1910.1200): Not hazardous Canadian WHMIS Classification: Not a controlled product.
Guess they're safe enough for a . . . baby :-) So, clean up, gals (and stay that way!) ____________________ Please note that I purchased this product for my own use.
