Hi Guys & Dolls! I’m back with another Sleek Palette swatchfest! I have to tell you right away, I think this palette is fabulous- dark smoldering jewel tones and not one dud in the bunch. If you’ve been lusting after the Urban Decay “Black ” palette but never took the plunge- I think this palette is a worthy substitute and at just ten dollars, a steal! It doesn’t appear to be Limited Edition, but I still say grab one of these asap if you dig jewel tone smoky eyes.
Lashapolooza!
Hi Guys & Dolls!
Last week I received a care package from one of my favorite Indie Makeup Brands- Sugarpill! Most of you already know how truly awesome Sugarpill is, but if you’re not up to speed, please see exhibit A, B, C, and D. The Creative mastermind behind Sugarpill is Amy aka Shrinkle. Amy is super sweet & cute as a button, and her makeup line reflects her persona: Cute, Cute, Bright, and more Cute!
Hello Guys & Dolls,welcome back! Valentine’s day is just around the corner, and while not everyone is coupled up, I could think of no better time to start talking about Fragrance. This is the time of year ladies start hunting down the latest & greatest ”love potion” & gentlemen start hitting the beauty section of stores looking for gifts. I should know, I worked the last few years in cosmetic retail. Long before I was a bona fide Makeup Junkie, I was a fumehead. while writing this post I found myself confessing my love affair with “juice”. More on that story later. Today I want to share with you, quite possibly THE coolest purse-sized perfume. ever. Read the rest of this entry
Hey Guys & Dolls, Welcome back!
Today I’m sharing my thoughts on Sigma’s latest creation- the Mrs. Bunny Collection! This set is a Vegan-friendly version of the same Essential brush lineup that Sigma has sold from the very beginning. The fibers for the brushes are the same as Sigma’s AMAZING Sigmax Kabuki Collection I reviewed last July , and have loved for years. Haven’t reviewed Sigma Brushes in quite some time, so this will be a bit of an overview/comparison to some of Sigma’s Regular brushes.
Hello Guys & Dolls!
Today I’m sharing a Swatchapalooza & review of the Milani Baked Eyeshadow “Marble”. These are part of the regular line up available at Drugstores and Massmarket reatailers (such as Target, Walmart, etc) and also on Milani’s own website.
According to the Milani website:
Captivating eyeshadow powder that features multiple infusion of colors baked on Italian terracotta tiles. All of these gorgeous combinations are designed to be used Wet or Dry.
In my opinion, these are for the most part high-quality baked shadows that rival the baked mineral eyeshadows I’ve seen/used from high-end companies. Though these are not officially called Mineral eyeshadows, they look similar and in fact these are made in Italy, as are most (if not all) baked mineral shadows from high-end companies. Like most mineral/baked eyeshadows I’ve used, these have a medium-sheer color payoff when used dry, But when used wet the color payoff is much more intense, and in the case of these Marble shadows the glitter stands out more. The lighter shades seem sheerer, and the glitter is too similar to the base color to stand out so they simply look a bit chunky. The darker shades preform much better, most likely because glitter shows up more obviously against a dark background. There is quite a bit of fall-out all around (no doubt due to the glitter). The colors themselves are excellent and all can be worn as bold or as subdued manner if you like. I have 5 of the 6 Marble shadows to share with you (I’m missing Medley, the black & silver one).
The packaging on these leaves something to be desired; The shadow is housed in a rather large compact with a metallic bottom and a clear, rounded top; The applicator is useless, and in my opinion only makes the compact bulkier than it needs to be (Although it’s worth mentioning that most drugstore brands include unfortunate applicators/brushes, and that the inclusion of applicators makes the packaging bulky). When I first got these some were a bit difficult to open, though now they open with ease. In any case the product inside is great and that’s the whole reason you buy them anyway.
I reviewed the Baked Mettalic Eye Shadows last week if you’d like to see that review as well.
Here’s a breakdown of the 5 colors I have:
Melange- Shimmering black with gold and copper sparkle/glitter. Inglot AMC 64 has a matte base and larger glitter particles; MAC Velvet Lady(LE, 2007) is blacker with sparse, larger glitter flecks. This works well as a crease/outer lid color, as a liner, or on the lid for a smoky eye., nicely pigmented used dry and very intense used wet.
Drench in Gold- Blonde-wheat gold. Very shimmery/sparkly and a bit sheer, very similar to MAC’s New Vegas Mineralize Skinfinish (LE, 2007), this works well has a gold highlight all over the face.
Intermix- shimmering beige-tan with gold shimmer. Less intense compared to MAC Bronze eyeshadow. This one is slightly sheer weather applied wet or dry, though wet it works nice as a lid shade. This one and Fusion look so similar when swatched it’s difficult for me to tell them apart.
Fusion- Shimmering beige-tan. Slightly deeper, and pinker compared to Intermix; less intense compared to MAC bronze. This one is slightly sheer weather applied wet or dry, though wet it works nice as a lid shade. This one and Intermix look so similar when swatched it’s difficult for me to tell them apart.
Mix It Up- Black base with green/teal glitter. This is lighter and more uniform compared to MAC’s She Who Dares duo from Venomous Villains. In fact if you swirl both colors from that together this color is a near-dupe. When used wet, the MAC version has more of a micro-glitter sparkle effect where the Milani Version has more of a uniform metallic look. If you like dark,shimmery teal, GET THIS!!! This and Melange are my favorites, from both the Marble and the Metallic eyeshadows!
Swatched dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance From L-R: Melange, Drench in Gold, Intermix, Fusion, and Mix It Up
Applied wet over the dry swatches above; From L-R: Melange, Drench in Gold, Intermix, Fusion, and Mix It Up
Milani has been a fave Drugstore/mass-market brand of mine for a long time, but I think a truer statement now is that they are just one of my fave brands period. Milani always seems to come out with amazing products at a price point that is easy to swallow!
What? Milani Baked Shadows Metallic
Where to Buy? Drugstores, milanicosmetics.com
How Much? $7.49 for 1.5 gm
Tested on Animals: NOPE!
*****
Disclaimer
Some of the products shown were sent by PR or the manufacturer for review consideration. Complimentary products never receive preferential treatment; My viewers & reader are my #1 priority and I honor your trust by always being honest with you. This video/post contains opinions that are solely my own; I am not influenced by, nor do I represent any company.
Hi Guys and Dolls!
Today I’m sharing my swatches and thoughts (Show and Tell anyone?! *eyebrow waggle*) on the Milani Baked Eyeshadow Metallic- something I’ve had for a few months but for some silly reason I haven’t talked about it! On the upside I’ve had them so long that my review is quite detailed and concrete. Here’s what Milani has to say about them:
Captivating eyeshadow powder that features multiple infusions of colors baked on Italian terracotta tiles. Metallic eyeshadows contain richly refined color intense metallic pigments. All of these gorgeous combinations are designed to be used Wet or Dry.
In my opinion, these are for the most part high-quality baked shadows that truly rival what I’ve seen from high-end companies; in fact these are made in Italy, as are most (if not all) baked mineral shadows from high-end companies. Like most mineral/baked eyeshadows I used, these have a medium-sheer color payoff when used dry, but used wet watch out- they are brilliantly pigmented and metallic! I really like that they are build-able because you can use them as transitional colors -in between/under other shadows to help them blend. I find shadow like this are easier to use than ones that are full-force, and unlike some “buildable” shadows that get flaky/cakey/dry looking as your build, these keep their texture, which is good for most of these shades. The Lasting power is pretty good, much better with a primer, though I did notice a tiny bit of fading even with a primer. The colors themselves are excellent and all can be worn in a bold or as subdued manner if you like. I love that they did a brown- I don’t have any baked mineral browns!
The packaging on these leaves something to be desired; The shadow is housed in a rather large compact with the black bottom and a clear, rounded top; The applicator is useless, and in my opinion only makes the compact bulkier than it needs to be (Although it’s worth mentioning that most drugstore brands include unfortunate applicators/brushes, and that the inclusion of applicators makes the packaging bulky). When I first got these some were a bit difficult to open, though now they open with ease. In any case the product inside is great and that’s the whole reason you buy them anyway.
I reviewed the Baked Marble Eyeshadows recently if you’d like to see that review as well.
Here’s a breakdown of the colors:
Teal The Truth- robins-egg-blue with metallic golden shimmer; Great Color payoff and a smooth texture, looks about the same wet or dry. This is one of the better ones from this set of 6. There are many shades similar to this but I can’t think of an exact dupe; Sigma Oversee is deeper and greener, Urban Decay Shattered is bluer and more complex.
Blue My Mind- metallic deep blue with a brighter blue shimmer and gold flecks, a Bit sheer and a touch difficult to build up on the eye when sued dry, but used over a sticky base (a NYX jumbo pencil for example) it has a wow factor that rivals the deep shade of MAC’s Sea and Sky duo.
Purrr-Fect Purple- dusty violet with a pink shimmer- a bit gritty and the color pay-off is disappointing. this is the only shade that doesn’t wow me- I still like it, but perhaps the color is just a little dull for my taste, and considering how Milani tends to come out with really rich purple products, this one was a let down for me. The Base color of a dull purple reminds me of MAC Purple Haze and the shimmer reminds me of MAC Violet Pigment.
I Heart You- warm metallic red with a red-pink shimmer Great pigmentation and can I just say how great it is to see a red eyeshadow available at the drugstore/mass-market and part of a regular lineup (not just for holiday/limited life). I don’t know of an exact dupe, Sugarpill Asylum is deeper and less pink, MAC’s Dangerzone is more golden and has less glitter.
Pink Twice- light pink with a pink shimmer that appears brighter than the base color- LOVE IT… as a blush. This is another shade that is gritty and has poor color payoff when used dry, and becomes a bit better when used wet, though still gritty, However I love using this as a transitional color and to blend out purples. The Only comparison that I have that comes close is Sugarpill’s Birthday Girl which is more pigmented, smoother, and has glitter where pink twice has glitter and shimmer.
Rich Java- satin chocolate brown with gold shimmer HOLY PIGMENTED BROWN MINERAL EYESHADOW BATMAN! This is probably the best quality shadow of the 6 in this set, and a bit rare; I can’t think of any baked/solid mineral eyeshdows that are chocolate brown. In terms of color It’s VERY close to MAC’s Center Stage Mega Metal shadow and “Make Your Mark” Pro Longwear eyeshadow.
Ready for a Swatchapalooza?
Clockwise from the top: I Heart You, Pink Twice, Rich Java, Teal The Truth, Blue My Mind, and Purrr-Fect Purple
Swatched Dry, no base From L-R: Teal the Truth, Blue My Mind, Purrr-Fect Purple, I Heart You, Pink Twice & Rich Java
Swatched Dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, L-R: Pink Twice, I Heart You, Teal The Truth, Blue My Mind, Purrr-Fect and Rich Java
Built up a wet layer over the dry layer above, L-R: Pink Twice, I Heart You, Teal The Truth, Blue My Mind, Purrr-Fect and Rich Java
Milani has been a fave Drugstore/mass-market brand of mine for a long time, but I think a truer statement now is that they are just one of my fave brands period. Milani always seems to come out with amazing products at a price point that is easy to swallow!
What? Milani Baked Shadows Metallic
Where to Buy? Drugstores, milanicosmetics.com
How Much? $7.49 for 1.5 gm
Tested on Animals: NOPE!
*****
Disclaimer
Some of the products shown were sent by PR or the manufacturer for review consideration. Complimentary products never receive preferential treatment; My viewers & reader are my #1 priority and I honor your trust by always being honest with you. This video/post contains opinions that are solely my own; I am not influenced by, nor do I represent any company.
Hey Guys and Dolls! So I jumped the gun and uploaded the video for this post before writing it out, and now I’m sitting here with bleach on my head…not well planned out. Here’s some awesome product pictures, swatches, and dupes!
Curvaceous LipGlass, Oh Oh Oh Luster Lipstick
Curvaceous Milky Dusty pink. It slightly settles into lines but in person it’s not even noticeable. I’ve seen this look good on NC15-NW45 skintones!
Oh Oh Oh Lipstick Sheer Berry/Plum with golden/Copper shimmer. Luster lipsticks are thin in texture, and are typically pretty sheer. They are also pretty moisturizing feeling and the sheerness makes them very attractive. This is like a little-sister to MAC’s “O” lipstick in the regular line.
Stunner Blush and Avenue Fluidline
Stunner is a light coral-pink thinking blue thoughts. It warm enough to work on many skintones, but it might be too light for very deep tones. I’d consider it Mocha and Fleur Power’s light-skinned baby.
Avenue is a very dark brown with lots of small glitter- more glitter than Blitz and Glitz Fluidline from the regular line.
Clockwise from the top: Outre, Mythical, Carbonized, Creamy Bisque, and Moleskin
From L-R Creamy Bisque, Moleskin, Outre, Mythical, Satin Taupe, Carbonized
Creamy Bisque is a soft off-white Frost eyeshadow with a almost pink sheen. It’s not very intense which is why is makes a fantastic highlight color for beauty makeup. It’s the Piner version of MAC’s Shroom eyeshadow in the regular line.
Moleskin is a must-have light to medium matte brown. It’s the just-right balance of gray, pink and yellow tinted tan and though you many use it different ways, it can work for anyone, as a lid color, crease color or highlight. It’s very similar to Wedge Eyeshadow from Mac’s regular line, but Moleskin has a better texture and color payoff, and is just a hair pinker.
Outre is a mustard-caramel, which sounds really nasty, but as an eyeshadow color it’s fabulous. To my eye this color is identical to the mustard-caramel in the Double Feature 4 duo (Side by side swatch below). This color is great as a crease or transitional color on people with a golden or olive skintones, though it can also work for deeper skintones. The closest thing in the regular line is Soba, though Soba is much browner, and has a slight shimmer.
Mythical is a metallic pink-copper,a nd as far as I’m concerned is a “better-than” dupe for MAC’s Mythology from the regular line.
Satin Taupe is a metallic silver brown taupe. It’s incredibly versatile and works on virtually every skin-tone though the effect changes (on me it’s very brown, but on a deeper skintone it looks a bit more silver. MAC Repromotes this thing like crazy, and while that’s a bit annoying, I don’t mind as long as it’s not a quad where I’d want it but I already have it.
Carbonized is a shimmery chocolate black-brown. in the pan and swatched is seems to be a metallic warm chocolate brown but in use it tends to loose some of the shimmer and shifts to a cooler grey-brown. Incredibly usefula dn easy to blend. there are no direct dupes, but if you want a shimmery warm brown in the regular line try Mulch.
Comparisons:
Wedge, Moleskin
Soba, Outre, Double Feature 4
Center Stage, Carbonized, Mulch
Thanks for stopping by!
-Cora
Hi Guys and Dolls! Milani is dropping a bomb on us this month- limited edition goodies that are worth tracking down (or just buying on their website). These were sent to me for review, but I’ve been stalking every CVS in the area trying to find them so I could pick some up to giveaway, but I haven’t found any part of this “collection” anywhere! I know it’s only at Select CVS’ but Damn! I’ve been to 6 CVS stores: zip, nada, zilch. My suggestion is to buy these off the Milani Website. Paying for shipping sucks- I know, but these are pretty darn awesome especially for the price-point! Read the rest of this entry
