Shiro Cosmetics Haul

Hello again readers!

           I feel good to finally be able to try out some Shiro cosmetics. I've heard really amazing things, and I have been lusting after them with stars in my eyes. Both because of the colors they offer, and because of the fandom-themed collections. I'm weak for that sort of thing.

I was nervous, because there wasn't a waiting time, and I never got a shipping confirmation or anything; which I found out through Caitlin can happen if you have a hotmail email. So don't worry too much, and if you are concerned she replies quickly to emails.

It turned out that my package got stuck for a week, and she offered to re-send a package, or refund me. I asked if she could re-send the package, because I did want to try these products to show you guys, and she sent it out really fast to make up for the lost time.

I got the package, and I was already in love with quite a few of the products inside. Two days later, the first package arrived. I was surprised, because we thought it'd have been lost in the post office, but it was just delayed... I asked her if she'd like me to send it back, and she said to keep it.

This portion here, is to the excellent service that Shiro offers. Not because I ended up getting two packages in the end (though I'm not going to lie, was pretty sweet), but because she handled customer concerns very well, and was very professional and treated me kindly. Customer Service is phenomenal, and I find the products to be up to par with how well the service is, making this company a worthy company to buy from.

It gets sent in a protective bubble-mailer, and inside is a paper bag sealed with the Shiro logo to keep all the products from moving too much during transit. Especially great if you buy any full-size, as it keeps the plastic from hitting into each other. Not flashy, but efficient. 

Inside were the products that I ordered, as well as a small plastic bag; included is the Shiro business card, and two samples. I like how this is handled, because not only is there a business card to have on file, or to hand out to friends/family  to spread the word, but the free samples are separated from your order. Especially good if you ordered a LOT of things, and it's hard to remember what you bought, and what you didn't.

Lingered in Twilight*:
Deep teal with metallic shimmer. I love this one so much, I am kicking myself for NOT buying the full size. I am so in love with this, that I don't want to use it too much in case I run out... a silly fear to be honest.

 Day of Reckoning: 
A deep, darkened red-violet with shimmer. 

Burdened with Glorious Purpose*: 
A blackened olive-green with green and gold shimmer. Gorgeous, and definitely a Loki shade. I didn't think I would like it, because I don't like green very much, but I love this one a lot. It makes my eyes pop a little too.

Glowstick of Destiny*:
A pale blue with a gold shimmer. I can't believe how flattering this shadow was. I love it so much!

I Understood That Reference*:
Definitely a shadow fit for Steve. It's like, if a cobalt blue pigment had a baby with the Fyrinnae Mephisto pigment. Stunning! 

Alkahestry: 
Lavender with a heavy blue shift. This is a shade that would need a good, sticky base to look its best. Without, it sort of lacks impact.

Colonel:
A deep navy blue with gold shimmer. Just looking at this reminds me of Mustang, so it hit the nail on the head. In a way, I love it because of the gold glitter, and I hate it because of it too. It's not something I can get away with everyday.

Majora's Mask:

It says blurple on the site, but it is really a blue with a hint of violet in it. It has some nice shimmer. Another shade that definitely needs a good adhesive, and not able to get away with it for every day wear.

The next two aren't Shiro, they're Detrivore, but Shiro sells them on their site. 

Bruise*:
I fell in love with this on the site, and on the swatch, and on my eyes... It's just the kind of shadow that's unique and quickly stole my heart. It's a deep brownish/blackened red with violet shimmer, and it looks... well, like a bruise. Applying it with an adhesive and then blending it out, looks rather bruise-like (see how the cener of the swatch (dry) it looks almost red, but the outsides look deep and angry? Yeah. Bruise-like). I love it!

Scar:

A taupe with an iridescent shimmer. I really love this product, but I know I wouldn't need a bigger-size because I have iridescent shadows to layer over my Tough as Taupe Maybelline Color Tattoo. A really beautiful shade if you don't want to do the work.

Thanks for reading!

*All products marked with an asterisk are products I plan to purchase full sizes of in the future.

2015 Empties #1

Hello again Readers!

Asterisks are items I have backups of, or I  plan to repurchase.

Face, Body, and Nails

 Bath and Body Works Fresh Market Apple Anti-Bacterial Lotion - Empty

Nivea Rasberry Rose Kiss Lip Butter - Empty

Bath and Body Works Rain-kissed Laves Moisture Rich Cleansing Bar - Empty. Mum bought this for me so I could use it on my face, but I really didn't like it. It left my skin feeling tight and over-dried. It didn't do much for my complexion either, aside from cleansing.

LUSH Charity Pot - Empty. I really disliked the scent of this, and even for a small sample, it took me almost an entire year to use it up because I disliked it so much... ick.

Crest Clinical  Health Toothpaste - Empty

GlamGlow Powermud Sample - Empty. It didn't do anything for my face. It was pretty useless, though I got a few uses out of it. It was a Sephora 100 point perk.

L.A. Colors Strawberry Scented Nail Polish Remover Pads - Empty

Cha Cha Paris Hilton Perfume Sample - Empty. I debated on buying a full-size, but I have had this sample since I was in high school... which was about 6 years ago... A sample that took me six years to use up, is not a perfume that I should be buying.

Sally Hansen Nail File - Destroyed. My nails are so hard that they just decimate any emery boards that aren't glass... It just rubs all of the grit right off.

Makeup

Revlon Pink in the Afternoon Cream Lipstick - Old. I liked this lipstick enough, although it's  not very unique. I went to reach for it one day, and it smelled really chemically, when usually it doesn't smell as bad. To the bin it goes.

L'Oreal Collection Privee - Doutzen's Nude: Empty. Wasn't fond of this, it was a very light pink, and it wasn't that pigmented. Gave me a nice corpse effect though.

Rimmel Show Off Nova Lip Laquer - Empty/Broken*. I know there's some product left, but towards the end of it's life, the applicator tip broke off into the container. Boo. I have a backup from Ireland, so I'm okay.

Maybelling Great Lash Royal Blue Mascara - Empty*

Maybelline Mega Plush Navy Velvet Mascara - Empty. It wasn't that great of a mascara. It looked somewhat fluffy, but it didn't add much volume or length to my sad, sad lashes.

Bellatrix Lip Gloss - Old.

Maybelline Falsies Blackest Black Mascara - Empty*

Wet n Wild Envy Color Icon Eyeshadow Single - Broken*

ELF Makeup Remover Pen - Empty*

NYX HD 03 Light Concealer - Empty

Jordana Twist and Shine Honey Love - Empty.

Bath and Body Works Goldie Lip Gloss - Doll - Old.

Thanks for reading!

E.L.F. Disney Elsa Palette

Hello again readers!

Since Disney and ELF have a bit of a partnership going on, ELF always puts out such cute, Disney-inspired collections to appeal to the younger fans, as well as the kids-at-heart makeup junkies.

Elsa is one of the newer additions to the line (following Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, and Ariel) that popped up rather recently. 

In the ELF display, there are beauty books, lip glosses, and smudge pots, but I was only interested in this palette.

The palette contains 9 shades, and all of them contain shimmer or glitter. If you are someone who is not a fan of either, you won't like this palette much at all.

The only shades to give me grief, was the blackened violet with violet shimmer, and the lilac. The rest of them applies rather beautifully, although ELF has a higher success with shimmery shades over mattes.

Thanks for reading!

New Hard Candy Products: Glamoflauge Foundation and Fierce Effects Daring Lip Gloss

Hello again readers!

Brands everywhere have been putting out new products, and it's a little overwhelming just to keep up with it all! New collections, and new additions to permanent lines, it's really exciting!

Today I have a couple of new products introduced by Hard Candy to their permanent lines; The Glamoflauge Foundation, and the Fierce Effects Daring Lip Gloss!

The Glamoflauge Foundation comes in a clear plastic tube with a metallic plastic cap. The only design features is the black detailing on the cap, and the Glamoflauge logo is the same as on their concealer. 

It comes with a pump! I was really excited to see this, because it's such a shame when a product doesn't come with one. Think of all the wasted product! The pump for this gives off a little too much product, so sometimes a half pump is just as good, and you don't use too much. A little bit of this product goes a long way.

The texture for this foundation was surprising to me. I was expecting something really thick, but his foundation is more of a liquid texture, and it's incredibly easy to blend into the skin. It's not a full coverage foundation, I'd say more of a medium coverage, which is great. It layers extremely well, and for some, you won't need a concealer with this product.

It has an odd scent, I don't know what to call it, just... 'foundation'. It doesn't stick around long, but it's noticeable at first.

I bought Porcelain, which is the lightest shade, and the color to me is a pretty dang good match. It's more yellow than a lot of pale foundations that I've tried, and that's a great thing for me since I prefer yellow foundations over pink.

The wear time is fantastic, and I got about 10 hours before I really took the time to look for flaws. It came off my nose a little bit (because I was blowing my nose so often, so it isn't rub-resistant!), in certain areas it clung to a dry patch or two, and since I have really oily skin, it started to look like it needed a powder. 

For such a long wearing foundation, I was impressed. If I used a better setting powder I could see this working even better.

Edit: I found that if I wear it and touch my face (I know that it's a sort of no-no, but during boring classes, I rest my head on my hands often) excessively it will rub off. I only really noticed it because I had areas on my cheeks where my foundation was strangely gone, compared to the areas around it and it took me a few moments to connect the dots on that one.

This foundation retails for $7 and you get 1.1 oz of product!

I was really eager to try this, because I was hoping that this would be more of a liquid lip color than just a simple gloss. The packaging is a clear plastic with silver metallic detailing on the tube, with a plastic silver metallic cap. This is one of the 'intense' (one of eight) of the glosses, while the other 4 are sheer.

The applicator is a lip brush instead of a doe-foot applicator. For this product, I feel this works out for the best, because it packs on a good amount of product, without too much effort. The only issue I have with the applicator, is I can't press down too hard or it will fan out the bristles and get the gloss in places I don't want it to be.

Adrenaline is absolutely breathtaking. It's a deep navy with violet and blue shimmer in the product. It looks fantastic on the lips, and it's really a stunning product. It lasts for a while, about two or three hours, and it needs to be reapplied fairly often. It's a lipgloss, so I was impressed with the wear time, and wasn't expecting too much out of it.

The biggest issue I have with this, is that it has a mint scent/flavor to it. It's sweet too, with what I'm not sure, but it's a heavy mint scent. The first time I applied it, I got a little in my mouth, and ended up having a coughing fit for about a minute. Mint oils and I just don't get along because it just ends up irritating my throat (even though I'm not alergic!). Be warned that if you're sensitive to mint, or you don't like mint oils in your products, steer clear.

It's easy enough to get this product to look opaque, but if you don't want to mess with it, it layers well over lip liners too. I used it over Y2K by NYX, and it paired with it well!

I love this gloss, but I hate the mint oil in it. I'm keeping hold of this treasure, but I know I will probably only buy one other, and leave the rest.

The Fierce Effect Daring Lip Glosses retail for $5 and you get .17 oz of product!

With how much I was impressed with these, I see myself going and trying some of their new products, and also investing in some of their older gems that I never picked up.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday Swatch Spam

Hello again readers!

It has come to my attention that after so many makeup reviews and swatch posts, that I haven't gotten to a nail polish post in quite a while. To top it off, since I've been working on organizing my files, I have found a lot of photos just begging to be posted! So I hope you enjoy. :)

Maybelline

Downtown Brown is a green shimmer in a brown base. I am recently obsessed with duo-chromes, and this is pretty good. It isn't as impressive in the shade, or in fluorescent lighting, but it looks so beautiful in the sun. This requires at least three coats.

Finger Paints

It Comes Easel-y To Me is a dark violet berry creme shade. I really enjoy shades like this, and the pigmentation was wonderful. Two coats for full opacity.

Chromatic Creation is a silver holo! I was really excited for Finger Paints to be releasing a holo in their permanent line, and I was decently happy. It isn't the most impressive holo shift, it's sort of subtle, but it's there. This polish requires two coats.

Covergirl

Timeless Rubies is a rose polish with pink and copper shimmer. I'm not overly fond of this polish, but it applies so nicely. It applied in two coats.

Wine Stain is a deep wine, or an oxblood crelly, whichever tickles your fancy. It applies in three coats, because it's a little sheer. It is one of my fave polishes that I've bought recently, and it looks really beautiful.

Non Stop Stone is a taupe grey creme polish. It's pretty light, but it applies in two coats. I do notice that it pulls away from the tips of the nail, so you need to wrap this polish.

Amethyst is so pretty. A nice taupe with a violet shift. It's a lot like Downtown Brown, where the shift is really  only noticeable in direct lighting. It applied in 2 coats.

L.A. Colors

I bought both the gold glitter, and the multicolor glitter. They both have medium and small hex glitter suspended in a clear base. I'm really impressed with them, but I don't love them nearly as much as I love the silver. One coat each over Wet n Wild - Ebony Hates Chris.

Charlotte Russe

A nice light teal creme shade. I wasn't expecting the formula to be as nice as it was, but it was really great. Two coats for full opacity.

A light aqua creme shade. So beautiful. The first coat was a little thick, but it evens out beautifully.

A really unique hot pink large and medium hex glitters, and white bar glitter suspended in a clear base. One coat over Penny's light violet polish.

Essence

Deep Sea Baby is a super dark, blue-toned teal green crelly. It looks almost black in certain lighting. I dig it, it's murky and really beautiful. Two coats for full opacity.

Oh My Glitter! is a blue-violet with a pink shimmer. I used two coats for this swatch, but it would be better with three instead since the nail tips are still visible.

Over the Rainbow is a gorgeous is a light, blue-toned lavender with a blue shimmer. In most lighting it looks blue, but sometimes it pulls violet. A really beautiful shade for any collection. Two coats.

Space Queen is an iridescent shimmer. Love this one, and glad to have it. Swatched over Milani Ink Spot.

That's What I Mint is a standard mint creme. I cant' get enough of them, and this was a really great one. Applied in two coats with no issues.

Hard Candy

Blue Lagoon is a cobalt blue creme. I can't get enough of this sort of shade either, and it was a beautiful addition. It dries into a rubber finish, so I prefer it with a top-coat (like my pinky) and it is really intense in the best kind of way! I used two coats.

Bitty Blue is a really bright metallic blue. Two coats.

Layla

Softouch Effect 12 is a black that dries to a rubber finish. The formula isn't bad, but it's not my favorite either. Two coats.

Ceramic Effect 39 This is the third Layla Polish I've ever used, and it's by far my favorite. It's a deep grey/plum metallic polish packed with glitter. I wasn't liking it that much at first, but it's quickly growing on me. Really enjoy it. Two coats.

L'Oreal

Masked Affair is a polish you need in your life. It doesn't look like much in the bottle, but it has such a beautiful holo on the nail. I was really impressed and blown away. Two coats.

Orly

Teal Unreal is a teal cream polish. I couldn't resist it, and it looks fantastic. Such a great color. Two coats.

Rimmel London

I Lalac You is a lilac cream polish. Two coats.

Wet n Wild

Yo Soy! is a nude creme. I love the new packaging for these polishes, they look really amazing. Applied in two coats.

Funky Fingers

Elsa is a light blue hex glitter with white medium, small, and snowflake glitter suspended in a clear base. I like the idea, but I hate the execution. In order to get any snowflakes you have to fish them out, and it's a hassle. Two coats.

Let the Beat Drop is a beautiful blue with a violet/pink shimmer shift. Breathtaking, and only needs two coats.

Glitter Explains it All is green, blue, and white hex glitter in a clear base. Clarissa Expliains it All, remember that? Nostalgia... Two coats over Let the Beat Drop.

Saved by the Glitter is a hot pink, blue, and white glitter in a clear base. Two coats over Penny's Pink Polish.

Pep Rally is such a unique glitter. It has large, medium, and small hex glitter, and bar glitter in neon shades; blue, green, violet, orange, yellow. It's really attention grabbing, and so so gorgeous. One coat.

Teen Spirit is a fushia , black, and white glitter in a clear base. It looked really unique, so I picked it up, and I was really impressed with how it looks on the nails. One coat.

O.P.I.

 Snow Globtrotter was a polish I didn't even think twice on. It has white, and iridescent glitter in a clear base. I haven't paired it with too many polishes yet, but it looks fantastic over lighter shades. One coat.

  4 in the Morning is a black satin that's packed with silver shimmer. I'm not wild about it alone, and I pair it with a top coat. Two Coats.

I Sing in Color is the dark red crelly. I thought it'd pull darker, but in direct sunlight it's definitely a red. In some lighting it looks almost black. Two coats.

 Piggy Polish

Tic Tac Toes is a polish I picked up from clearance, and it's pretty nice. It doesn't do much on it's own, but layered over another mint shade brings out the gorgeousness of the polish. A mint base with a green shift. One coat over Orly Gumdrop.

Pure Ice

Lavan-Dare is a grey-toned lavender. It's pretty light, and can make my hands look pretty warm, so beware of that. Two coats.

Party Hard is actually darker than these pictures show... It's a dark royal blue. It can be a little streaky, and I used two coats, but three would have been better.

Moonlight is a grey taupe with blue and violet shimmer. Really impressed with this, and I think it's a must-have. I used two coats.

Thanks for reading!