Eye Shadow -Inglot - Pearl 405
tiddleywinks 9/25/2011 7:45:00 PM
Just purchased my first Inglot palette. It's nice. Not fabulous or terribly unique, but nice. I ordered a 10-palette and got purples, taupes/silvers, and highlights. IRL, these are nice, basic colors. Having said that, I will add that I only purchased pearls; it may well be that some of the mattes, etc, will be very unique. I like the packaging and I love the large size- they are approximately the size of the large Tarte shadows or perhaps the amount of Stila singles. Nice consistency, not quite as buttery as traditional Stila. Nice pigmentation. They last for most of the day without bleeding or fading, but not with the endurance of MAC pigments or old-style Stila. The 405 Pearl is a warm gold leaning toward light copper, which I had expected to be a little more neutral from the site illustration. If you plan to purchase Inglot, be sure to google for reviews on each shade that you order. There are no descriptions of shades on the website and you may be surprised if you don't research swatches before buying. I paid $67 for a palette of 10 shades. Folks tend to say that this is a bargain compared to individual shadows. For me, the lemming has left the building. I thought that I would be dreaming about more Inglot and saving for at least 3 more palettes, but I have moved on. It's not likely that I will bother to order again. I'm not negative about it but I'm not really positive, either. Sorta meh.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Hourglass - Aura Sheer Lip Stain in Flush
tiddleywinks 9/22/2011 11:56:00 AM
Wowza! Lovin' this! I have surely tried every lipstain out there, from the high end to the low and everything in between. This is one of the very best. All the good stuff - super long lasting (I get about six hours), fades evenly (no lip ring), non-drying, ample product for the price, great shade (medium pink, but personally I find it more corally-warm pink that leans to the red on my fair coloring). A small amount goes a long way. Some lipstains give discomfort and an odd drying sensation, but the Hourglass does not. It dries slowly enough to apply evenly, it's thick enough to feel like a liquid lipstick, and nicely pigmented. I don't have to prepare/exfoliate in any way. I do wear clear lipgloss over it, as I like a bit more shine. I would totally purchase again, and have already bought a backup! Expensive-ish at $26 USD, but it is a fairly large item so you do get a goodly amount of product. Hourglass only has 3 shades, but with a pink, a red, and a plum, I could go the rest of my days with these and be perfectly happy! Yay!
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Lips -Hourglass - Aura Sheer Lip Stain Scarlet
tiddleywinks 9/19/2011 1:46:00 PM
OoOoOh, I have found a new love! I have been greedily hoarding my Vincent Longo Baby Boo, knowing that its days are numbered, and have been searching for another lovely long-lasting lipstain. I bought this in Scarlet and Flush, and I am loving them. The Scarlet is perhaps a bit oddly named, as it tends toward a berry/wine shade. The Flush is a pretty medium pink, and there's another called Petal, which is more of a warmish coral pink (For bright red, you really need to Google "Morpho" cosmetics; they have the most enduring true red stain you will ever find). I love berry shades; the Hourglass Scarlet may be my new HG stain. Will definitely buy again. Good product amount for the price, long-lasting, great colors, twist-up doe-tip applicator. Update: I've been using this every day now for several weeks and I truly love it. I put it on at around 7 a.m. and it lasts until around 2 p.m. It lasts through a whirlwind day as a social worker with lots of time in conversation, through lunch and coffee. It fades evenly without any "ring" effect. It works beautifully with different lipglosses on top to create different shades. It also blends with the other Hourglass stains to create different shades. L-o-o-o-v-e it!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -TheBalm - The Balm and the Beautiful
tiddleywinks 9/19/2011 7:44:00 AM
Score! I was over the moon to find this at TJ Maxx for $19 and I'm kinda loving it. Oddly, it isn't supposed to be released for a few more weeks, but TJ Maxx has them in advance. This is a fantastic palette - those of you who weep with me over the loss of MAC Coco taupe will be pleased with the lovely taupe in this palette. Quality, blendability, and lasting power are just dandy; I wear them without a primer, but I do have a bit of foundation on my eyelids. They last all day without creasing and stay true to color. The green is wonderful, love the purple, and hey! I like the cheek/lip stains, too. I appreciate the fact that they have separate closures over the shadows and the stains. I would be happy to purchase this again, and am delighted to report that finding this saved me from the giant lemming over the LE Muppet palette that TheBalm is releasing, said to be a duplicate with alternate packaging. Would I like the Muppet theme better? Probably. But from a practical standpoint, this palette is a better buy.
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Palettes -Sleek - Original
tiddleywinks 8/23/2011 6:10:00 PM
I so wanted to love, love, love the Sleek eyeshadows. I was positively giddy at finally making a purchase. These shadows swatch beautifully and actually, they blend nicely and have nice pigmentation. I think that my difficulty is that they are not as finely milled as, say, MAC pigments or Stila shadows. With Sleek, I had the identical look and experience that I had with Bare Escentuals. They look very nice for a few hours but then the colors start blending together into a generic sort of unidentifiable color and showing the micro-sparkle. Sort of like scribbling a bunch of crayons together. That said, I do not use a primer, only my foundation as a base. Other folks might find that the colors stay true when used with a primer. Primers tend to make my eyelids crepe-y, so it's not an option for me. I guess the dealio is that you get what you pay for- the Sleek is probably a great value and unexpected quality for a drugstore brand. Just know that it is a drugstore brand, comparable to Rimmel, Prestige, and Wet 'n' Wild. (All the same, I will probably yield to temptation and buy that Au Naturel palette when it's released!)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -E.L.F. - Essential Little Black Beauty Book
tiddleywinks 6/10/2011 11:22:00 AM
This cute little palette comes in two color families, Warm or Cool. Each has 28 eyeshadows and 20 lippies. The Cool has a range of purples/silvers/greys/pinks/blues/greens with pinks and reds in lippies. The Warm has a range of bronzes/golds/beige/taupes/peaches and a few greens with deeper colors in the lip range, including some bronzey shades. They come in an approximately 4x5" soft plastic book-type case, which sort of snaps together. There is no separator between the l/s and e/s, unfortunately. There is a small mirror next to the l/s. I found mine at Big Lots for $4.50 USD, which is ridiculously inexpensive. I expected to get what I paid for and figured that I would be giving these to my nieces for playing dress-up, but you know what? It's surprisingly nice quality. There are some shades that are sheer, but many have very nice pigmentation and blendability. They last all day without fading or creasing, and the only thing I use as a base is a bit of foundation. Some of the shades have a lovely pearly quality without any over the top glitter' there are also matte and a few that have sparkle. The brush that comes with the kit is a total toss-away. There is some fallout to some of the shades. But overall, I was pleasantly surprised and would purchase these again. Are they MAC or Dior? No. But they are surely the same quality as Almay, L'Oreal, etc. It's fun to play a little!
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Eye Shadow -Kryolan - Satin Powder SP111
tiddleywinks 5/20/2011 2:37:00 PM
This turned out to be my favorite Satin Powder. Who knew? It is very finely milled, a translucent highlight with light purple duochrome. Of all of the Satin Powders that I purchased, this is the only one that I would compare to MUFE or MAC. Great quality! This one was a unique shade and effect, and one that I would purchase again. Great packaging, large quantity.
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Eye Shadow -Kryolan - Satin Powder SP883
tiddleywinks 5/20/2011 2:32:00 PM
SP883 is a light purple, just leaning toward a light plummed lavender. It adds a lovely dimension to the inner crease when used with SP844. It's also a nice lid color for my pale coloring. A few of the lighter Satin Powders have a micro-sparkle but the 883 is very wearable. The quality, consistency, and durability of the product is very similar to Bare Escentuals loose eyeshadows. The Kryolan container is larger and less expensive. The quality does not really seem to be quite as high as MAC or MUFE, but I am pleased overall.
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Eye Shadow -Kryolan - Satin Powder SP884
tiddleywinks 5/20/2011 2:26:00 PM
The purples are my favorite Satin Powders. SP884 is a muted medium purple that leans to the plum. Perfect crease color for my pale coloring. I use just my foundation as prep, no other base, and it lasts all day without creasing or fading. Very, very similar to Bare Essentual pigments/loose shadows. Same consistency in the milling, same shimmer, same quality. Less expensive than most brands, great packaging, large amount in jar. I rather expect that this is not a hugely unique color, and if you are like me, probably have similar colors in your palettes. I might consider buying it again but I expect that the amount will likely last for years.
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Eye Shadow -Kryolan - Satin Powder SP552
tiddleywinks 5/20/2011 2:20:00 PM
SP552 is a lovely warmish peached pink. It is nicely pigmented, nicely blendable, and nicely enduring. The quality is similar to what I have experienced with Bare Minerals, on every count. I don't find it as finely milled or pigmented as MAC pigments or MUFE Star Powders, but it much less expensive. These containers are wonderful with a spillproof inner lid that has an opening large enough for a brush. They contain a large portion, too. If you like the mill consistency of BM and their level of shimmer, I am sure that you will be pleased.
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Loose Powders -Kryolan - Satin Powder SP446
tiddleywinks 5/20/2011 2:11:00 PM
The Kryolan Satin Powders are actually shimmering pigments, much like MAC, etc. They are high quality and nicely pigmented, and used by the Theatre and movie industries. SP446 is a cool, shimmered light to medium taupe-y brown. I have been trying to find a substitute for the long-lost MAC Coco pigment; this purchase was part of my effort. It's a very wearable color but does not have the same silver sheen as Coco. It is nicely blendable and a wearable shimmer without the micro-sparkle that is found so prominently in some of the shades. It lasts all day without fading. I would purchase again.
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Palettes -Ben Nye - 12 color grand lumiere
tiddleywinks 5/15/2011 8:03:00 AM
This is truly lovely! Fabulous pigmentation, good blendability, great range of shades, and amazing durability. This lasts all day for me, with just a tad of concealer on my eyelid as a base. Doesn't crease or fade. My only complaint is that there isn't really a taupe/brown. I can fool around with mixing colors, though, and create most shades that I want. For example, mixing the deep purple with the gold creates a plummy-brownish shimmer. All of the shades are shimmer-pearl without glitter. They tend to be nice and smooth and buttery, with a few shades that are a bit more firm. Some really beautiful, unique shades. I almost always lean toward purples and browns, but the turquoise and green in this palette are fun for eyeliners. I like the fact that I can build a look and if it's too dark, I can swipe the iced gold over the entire eye and tone down the colors. Would totally buy again, but there is a lot of product. I can't see using it up for a very long time. If I run out of a single shade, it's easy to buy a single. Highly recommended! 9/25/11- Adding a comment... Honestly, y'all, this is a be-all, end-all palette. What I put on at 6 a.m. looks exactly the same at 9 p.m. And I don't even use any base. Absolutely out-performs MAC and Inglot shadows. Well worth the investment, about the same as buying an Inglot palette of 10 shadows.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Tea Time Pigment
tiddleywinks 5/15/2011 7:52:00 AM
Hmm. It's probably not really fair for me to give a poor opinion of this shade, as I am not really a matte fan. I truly love MAC pigments, and own far too many, at least 25 shades, seriously. But this one is just odd. It's a medium brown matte, a true tea color and fine for a crease color on fair-to-medium skin tones. But it's just so blah. It does nothing to work with other shades of shadow/pigment, and does nothing to brighten my eyes. It's just boring. If it was a shimmer and caught a little light, I would probably love it, so I admit to some unfairness in my opinion. If you like medium-tone brown mattes without any undertones of red or plum, you might enjoy this. LE, but I found mine at a CCO in February, so it's still around here and there. Would not personally purchase it again and would trade it in a heartbeat for other shades.
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Blush -Ben Nye - Creme Rouge
tiddleywinks 5/5/2011 2:42:00 PM
Yay! Love these! I have to admit that I am a blush fiend. I have a positively sinful number of blushes, from DS to high end. My favorites tend to be the NARS and Chanels, but hey, I love my NYC blush sticks and my Bourjois, too. But Ben Nye is in a category of their own, with super-affordable prices and a huge variety of colors. You can buy either the "Creme Colors," or "Creme Rouge." They are the same creamy consistency with high pigmentation; they last all day for me. Although I am long past adolescence, I have a tendency to break out but these do not cause skin problems. Because these are products designed for stage lights and performance, they come in a bewildering array of colors. I bought Raspberry, which is a lovely medium pink. I also got CR-1 Red, CL-13 Fire Red, CL-14 Blood Red, and CL-131 Fresh Cut. They are all very different reds and are easily the quality of my Nars. The one called Fresh Cut looks quite a browned red in the pan, but when applied, it is the perfect color of a lightly sun-tinted blush. You know how you look when you've been out for those first Spring days just a little too long? With a blush just this side of a sunburn? Perfect. I am really loving these, and would happily recommend them. I would purchase these again, although these will obviously last me until I am 83. Still...I have my eye on the Violet next.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Lumiere Luxe Powder-Golden Apricot [LX-18]
tiddleywinks 5/5/2011 12:04:00 PM
I purchased several Lumiere Luxe Powders, with mixed feelings about the colors. The Golden Apricot is one that I love. Large container, lovely pearly shimmer, deep pigmentation in a melon-y, peachy shade with a rosy pink influence. This was the only shade that I can see purchasing again, as I am not a sparkly girl. Gimmee the shimmer, please, but draw the line at sparkle. I would not call this a subtle shade for my fair coloring, but it is very pretty. Lots of pop.
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