Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Borneo 1834
Kelzilla 5/1/2013 8:40:00 PM
Here's a link to a great review of the EDP. I dont think I could put it any better. http://www.theblackthornorphans.com/
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Chrome Yellow eye shadow
Kelzilla 10/16/2012 11:59:00 PM
I absolutely love CY and have done for a long time. People think I'm mad wearing this around on it's own but I have green eyes with chrome yellow spots in them so everyone else can eat it :-) It's not what I'd call pretty, but it's so useful over blues and greens of all descriptions; wash it over sassy grass or any of the other mattes and BOOM you have that depth of colour you were looking for. Perfectly for a parrot-type eye when you want to grade from blue to green and that sort of thing. Or worn alone with a big black wing and bright red lippy- oh yes. Awesomeness. I find it perfectly easy to work with, especially as far as mattes go; finely milled, not chalky, liquid-friendly and minimal fallout, blendable, no nasty habits at all. I abuse mine regularly by dripping water onto it, scratching it up, dropping it etc and it's never let me down. If it's been discont'd I'd probably kill myself and or run out and buy every last one available. Or buy a goldenrod- that looks hot too.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Comme des Garcons - Incense Series Kyoto
Kelzilla 10/4/2012 9:57:00 PM
I was excited by the prospect of this series, though only Jaisalmer and Ouazazate hit the mark with me, and I refuse to buy even those because of their unforgivably minute lifespan. That's a dealbreaker for me with higher-end fumes. If I'm paying, you better be staying. Having been to the titular town, I can't say I'm reminded of it by the notes apparent here, and there are basically only two or three; stock white cedar, vetiver and distant, synthetic sandalwood. I know my conifers; I am surrounded by them every day and if they smelt like this, I'd probably have committed suicide by now. I have very forgiving, non-sweaty skin that takes EDP like a dream and it still can't save this; it's a very lineal confab and unfortunately that line is headed downhill at a fairly fast clip into toilet-bowl pine and hippy car seat covers. I might add that I've never been to a Japanese temple that smelt anything like this, and I SNIFF THE PILLARS, dammit. It just doesn't. The thing that comes closest in my mind is my great grandmother's very blackened incense brazier after ten years of retirement from active duty and the same amount of furniture polish. Ironically, it's the most persistent of the four in this series that I've tried, and the least attractive. Medium sillage. I am also bothered by the sturdy but budget looking canister. That thing is naff. Not a masterpiece. Check out Serge Lutens FEA instead.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Film Noir
Kelzilla 10/2/2012
I love film noir for three simple but very important reasons- it is hyperpigmented, dramatic AND forgiving. Those attributes do not often come together in the one lipstick. The colour is a dark, sophisticated cacao brown with very little contribution from either red or purple, which is a relief, because many 'browns' head one way or the other without staying true. It is almost precisely the colour of 65% or 70% cacao dark chocolate, if that's a help to you, and yes that means it's not for everyone. Conversely, it also means it is stunning on a wide range of complexions if only more people would have the vision to appreciate something so rich and contrasty. 'Pretty' isn't everything. By applying thickly you can achieve an almost black. The texture is off-matte; more like Ruffian Red than Ruby Woo. There is a slight, five percent kind of sheen but just enough for comfort rather than flash. Because of this generous texture and saturation it's astonishingly easy to achieve a 'dilute' look, either by applying lightly and smudging for a stained effect or adding to lipgloss. Many darker lippys are no good for this because they streak and settle into lines etc with their uneven pigmentation. Very forgiving for a drama shade. I like it alone but it does play well with other colours and is very useful for darkening and intensifying a range of other lipsticks, from red to other browns and even purples; it always brings something to the party and will create a bunch of dramatic shades for those of us who prefer to mix it rather than pay for it. Stunning when used to darken down a lot of MAC reds especially because of their similar textures and payoffs. I don't have a problem with this bleeding into lip lines even without a liner, but I would recommend it for people with trouble in that area, or if you wear a very moist/dewy foundation. It is medium-maitenance as far as avoiding the ring of death is concerned. But all dark lipsticks wear from the insides of your lips and this is by no means the worst offender in that regard. I would caution people with very unpigmented lips to apply a lip primer or liner all over first to ensure maximum adhesion. The best dark brown or black I've ever worn.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Dark Diversion Fluidline
Kelzilla 10/1/2012 5:45:00 PM
As a rickety old weirdo slash goth I've been wearing supermassive eyeliner since before half of these reviewers were born- lol - scary; I really can't think of a brand or format I haven't tried. That being said, I've somehow managed to avoid MAC fluidliners up til recently, mainly because I've had just about enough of spending $$$ on products that virtually desiccate in the bottle before your eyes. By now I can use a formula once and tell you how long before it ends up as a dry black lump. Handled with care, and because it is denser and less laden with volatiles and alcohol than many others, I can tell that this formula has a decent lifespan, so I am confident on that account. Great tip- use a little boiled water to refresh your cakey/drying mascaras and liners. They're still going to die on you, but you'll get another month out of them. The pigmentation is 8/10- there is a slight translucence, but I find this useful when you want a more modest effect; many other liners are completely opaque and don't allow you to develop shading and nuancing. So to me this is a plus. The colour itself is eyecatching without being eyef*cking; you don't feel like a 15 year old UD glitter victim. It is a smoky dark stained merlot and I don't see much sparkle in the finish at all. I have large green eyes with gold and ochre speckles and while it is complimentary, it is not super-contrasty and thus not a LOOK AT MY EYES type of situation. More of a 'consider my beauty holistically' effect ;-) But I'm someone who has worn inch wide UV red liner to the supermarket so perhaps my terms of reference are quite erm... broad. If you've only ever worn black liner this may still be a bit of a shock to the system. The wear is among the best I've experienced, and I don't say that lightly, because I have oily lids and wrinkles and I am a chronic eye-toucher. But it comes off easily just with your usual cleanser. The only product I've used that would better it wear-wise is an old Dior liquid liner I forget the name of now- I use to put that on at noon and it would still be solid 24 hours of partying later. This one comes close. There is no grit, no wandering greasiness, it gives you a little time to work it if you want smudge and I get around 2 hours on the waterline, which is fine- there's very little that will actually stay put there unless you want something resembling industrial floorpolish crusting up your eyeballs. So overall this liner gets both thumbs up; there are no downsides or major issues and it is a solid investment.
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Ruffian Red
Kelzilla 9/30/2012 8:33:00 PM
Is it stupid to be this in love with a lipstick? I bought a backup immediately, which I never do, even with LEs. The colour is a true, complex, luminous tomato red; against both very pale and very dark skin especially it 'sings', looking amazingly vivid, although with it's weird cool/warm harmonic is pretty much suits everyone with the guts to rock a superstar red. I will warn you that at first you'll probably spend half the day working your sh*t in various mirrors because it is made of awesomeness. I would call this a classic red without the obvious nods to a retro or modernist aesthetic and I doubt it will look dated any time soon. This is a consideration for me- I can't afford to blow $40 on something faddish that will be over in two seasons. The texture is superb, as the best Mac mattes are, nowhere near as dry as Ruby Woo; it applies super-pigmented and evenly, is moist enough for all day comfort without being greasy, wears gently and stains faintly. Easy to avoid the old red ring of death just by smooching your lips together- another sign of a quality matte. I can wear this on a hot day sans liner without bleeding, though Im not a smoker and have avoided the sun so I don't have gigantic lip line issues. A quick run around with a lighter liner or anti-bleed stick will have you set for most of the day. So to summarize- amazing shade, excellent payoff, faultless texture, low-maintenance; if only it was permanent. My favourite red of all time. If you see it, grab it.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No