3.17.2012

NOTD: Zoya Elke

This isn't actually my Nail of the Day for today, as I'm going to be painting my nails with my new Essie Armed & Ready polish {which is awesome, btw} as soon as I'm done with this post. This was from about a week ago, after I had this color on my toes for a few weeks and absolutely loved it. The color is Zoya Elke, and it's layered over Sally Hansen's Insta-Grip Base Coat, with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat. Zoya's Elke is a lovely red that leans toward pink, with a fantastic gold shimmer that looks amazing in direct sunlight {which I don't have pictures of}. Disclaimer: I don't have picture-perfect nails or great nail polish application skills. Fair warning. :}

:::  THE PICTURES  :::

{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed with a flash}

This has to be my favorite red nail polish in my entire collection. The gold shimmer makes it really pop next to other shades of red, and as usual, the nail polish formula itself works really well for me as far as longevity and chip resistance. Definitely recommend this one!

Stay Fabulous!

3.08.2012

Geek Chic | Swatches and Review

I think the best way to describe Geek Chic Cosmetics is to look at one of the "Why Buy Geek" statements on their website: "At Geek Chic Cosmetics we have 2 main passions: all things geeky, and makeup." ... "Everything that we produce at Geek Chic Cosmetics pays homage to the geeky things we love most, and are made with the highest-quality ingredients we could get our D-pad blistered fingers on." That pretty much sums it up! Geek Chic offers some great products and lovely colors {though I admit, I'm not familiar with all of the geekery references, so it's probably even more awesome for those who understand the inspiration behind everything}. But I still appreciate the products themselves, and found some favorites right away.

:::  THE SPECS  :::

My order consisted of one full-size eyeshadow, Sexy in Suspenders from the Timey Wimey collection, for $4.99, which is a 5-gram jar that consists of approximately 1 gram of product measured by net weight. Sexy in Suspenders is described on the product info page as "A pale fawny satin with a bright, unlikely blue highlight and choc full of blue and purple sparkles." I found this description to be completely accurate to the color I received, right down to the blue highlight.

I also ordered 7 samples, but I can't seem to find the listing for the samples right now. Note: the shop is currently on vacation, so make sure you check back again if you're interested in ordering!
Anyway, the samples I chose were: Newb, Bigger on the Inside, Don't Blink, Kingslayer, Bridezilla, Hana Battery and Eyes of the Werewolf. I received Katamari King as a free sample. Shipping was really reasonable, though I didn't keep the details like I should have. I know I received the order on the early end of their TAT, which was nice. Sorry I don't have as many details for this one — just didn't think to keep the info for some reason. *slap my hand*

:::  THE PICTURES  :::

*Swatched over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. Click images to enlarge.*

{The products}
{Sexy in Suspenders}
{Labeling on the f/s jar}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed in Natural Light}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Photographed with a flash, blurred to show sparkles}


:::  THE OPINIONS  :::

My favorites are Sexy in Suspenders, Don't Blink and Katamari King. As you can see, I went with a lot of light shades for this order, and I think the only one I wasn't completely thrilled with was Newb. I thought it would have more shimmer to it, though I'll still use it regardless as it has a nice satin-like finish. Overall I'm pleased with the products, and they all wear without worries. :}

Stay Fabulous!

3.05.2012

More Darling Girl Swatches!

This is order number two from Darling Girl, and I have two more orders to post swatches for in the near future. That's a lot of DG awesomeness! Thankfully it never gets old, as Susan continues to release new and exciting products what seems to be almost every-other week. If I had unlimited funds...well, it's pretty obvious how I'd spend it all. :}

:::  THE SPECS  :::

As I did in my first post about Darling Girl, I'll just run down the specs for the actual products I purchased, instead of an overview of everything in the shop {as that would take quite a while}.
I ordered the 10 for $8 sample set, along with Check It Out Liquid Kiss Color-Shifting Gloss for $4.75 and Sugar Rush Kiss Me Tinted Lip Balm for $4.75. The GWP was Dragon's Breath eyeshadow, which is a lovely evergreen sparkler that it appears I never swatched {I'll do it with my next post}. Shipping was well within the 14-16 business day TAT, and I believe it was under $3.00 total.

:::  THE PICTURES  :::

*Swatched over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. Click pictures to enlarge.*

{Packaging}
{Everything inside}
{Check It Out}
{GWP: Dragon's Breath}
{Check it Out, photographed with a flash and in natural light}
{Sugar Rush lip balm}
{Sugar Rush, photographed in natural light and with a flash -- isn't it amazing?}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed in natural light}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Photographed with a flash}
{Blurred to show sparkle}


:::  THE OPINIONS  :::

As always, just fabulous. Sugar Rush is an amazing color that looks especially glowy and cute with my skin tone. The formula is really nice — not drying, doesn't expose every line and crease on my lips, and seems to stay put as long as any other quality lip balm. Similarly, Check It Out is just as lovely in color and quality, offering a great pink wash of color with a blue iridescence/shimmer that's unmistakeable. Just like with Sugar Rush, Check It Out is plenty moisturizing, and it isn't too sticky once applied. I had no problem wearing it to work, where I obsessively drink water frequently throughout the day — it didn't leave my water bottle a goopy mess around the edges.

As far as the eyeshadows go, I love all of them! If I had to choose just a few favorites, I'd say Whimsy, Ruby Slippers and Lucky {Lucky really stands out when layered over a dark base, which I didn't show in my swatches...my bad}. Part of what I really enjoy about ordering from Darling Girl is that the product pictures and swatches you see on the website are accurate to the actual color about 99.9% of the time. This makes it really easy for me to order without worrying about what I might get. Everything looks exactly like I thought it would, and often exceeds my expectations in terms of complexity. It's really such an effortless process to order from Susan, and I plan to continue doing so for a long time to come!

Stay Fabulous!

3.03.2012

Weekend Link Love


I've decided to do something new on my blog by participating in Weekend Link Love. It offers a nice round-up of what other bloggers are talking about throughout the week, as well as an opportunity to discover new blogs in the process. Enjoy!

Lizzy shares a few items that stole her heart in February at The Nature of Beauty.

Luna wants to know what your favorite eye shadow primer is at TOXiD-LOTUS.NET.

Karoliina wants to show off a lilac look done with Darling Girl Cosmetics at Bones and Lilies.

Orange things piss off Erin at Oh Honestly, Erin.

Sharon swatched sparkly goodness from her Fyrinnae stash at Hello There, Blondie!

Stephanie kicks off the second round of Nerd Wars with tiny knitted hexagons of doom.

Claire uses some Brazen colors at Claire's Beauty.

Stay Fabulous!