BITE Mix n Mingle Mini: Fig, Date, Gavi, Glace

Hello again readers!

I splurged over the winter months, on these Bite Mix n Mini's. I started with one... and then I bought two with a gift card. I was weak! I know I hated the glosses, but these just seemed to do me a world of good.

The packaging for both of these products are similar; they both have the slate grey rubberized plastic finish. It makes them look really sleek, sophisticated, and simple. They both also have a nice fruity scent. For the glosses, I didn't think it worked out, maybe it was just the gloss formula, but I wasn't a fan. In these, I find it to be light and refreshing. 

The second products I picked up were the Matte Creme Lip Crayons. I wanted to try Gavi, and Glace, and was pleased to get both, although I missed out on the Mini-Size of Aubergine. Bummer!

The mini-sized Lip Crayons, were a lot bigger than anticipated. They were .031 oz each, with the full-size Lip Crayons are .05 oz each. Wait, what? Yeah, you read those right, each of the "mini" Lip Crayons, are MORE than half of the product in full-size, for half of the price! Talk about a fantastic deal!

The best part is that these twist up! It's commonplace for lipsticks, but with crayon products, sometimes they require a sharpener. I'm really pleased that these do not, because it would have thrown off their aesthetic. 

Glace:

Dusty Mauve

Gavi:

Peach nude.

I found the formula to be pretty surprising. It's matte, that's for certain, but it's a comfortable matte, almost hydrating, but not quite there. It wears very comfortably on the lips, and even without a balm underneath I don't have an urge to remove it quickly.

I find that it does last for quite a while, with the biggest wear happening in the center of my lips (where most lip wear happens), that is easy enough to fix.

A little issue I had with these, is that if I forgot to exfoliate, or if I was wearing too much, the product would sort of ball up and look really unappealing. It's an easy fix, but something to be cautious about.

Glace is only available in the full-size ($24), while Gavi is only available in the mini-size ($12), on the Sephora website.

I was going to put this first, but decided instead to wait for the end. This is one of the Luminous Creme Lipstick duos in Date/Fig. I was really intrigued with the Luminous Creme Lipsticks, and this was a great way to try them out, without committing to the $24 price tag.

The product is housed in the same stick, with one side being Date, and the other Fig. Each side has it's own cap. Something that I noticed, that I think won't be an issue unless you're constantly taking off and putting the cap back on again, is that the rubberized finish could get scratched off. I've only noticed little spots on my own lipstick, but it's something to be wary of is that it's a coating, not exactly the packaging itself.

Fig:
Nude Rose

Date:

Beige Nude

The formula was really phenomenal. It's smooth, creamy, and even with extended wear it has a sheen to it making lips look hydrated. It was a very comfortable lipstick, like wearing a tinted balm on my lips, and wasn't drying at all! The downside is that they are so creamy they transfer, move, and don't last me longer than a few hours (four at the most, if I don't talk much, eat anything, or drink anything, and where's the fun in that?). Is it worth it? I think so.

Each of the halves, include .05 oz of product (making it .10 oz total), while the full-size has .15 oz. In that regard, once again you get over half of the amount in the mini, however; the better deal for this is going with the full-size, if you prefer just Fig. If you like both, it's better to get the mini. If you like only half, the full-size is a better deal.

Fig is available in the full-size ($24), while Date is only included in the duo, still available for ($12) on Sephora's website.

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All I can say, is I hope they do this again for the Holiday 2015 season! These were fantastic, and although some are still available here and there, they're SO worth the money!

Thanks for reading!

*Photos edited to show color as accurate as possible. Taken in artificial lighting.

Alchimia Apothecary Review

Hello again readers!

So, as soon as I got my order in, I've been testing out these perfumes... and then to find out that they're changing their business!

Alchimia Apothecary used to create perfume oil blends, that they sold off. However, they're changing the direction of their company. Instead of me trying to describe it, I'll let you read it for yourself here. It sounds scary, but I find that it's good news! I'm really intrigued to create blends for myself, and I want to attempt another try at my handiwork to create a dupe.

I picked up a Choose Your Own Adventure (that will be canging in the future, but you can still create scents!), and included in my package was a sample.

I'm a little bummed that I can't really describe this scent to you... Zero just smells frigid, like zero degree weather (get it?). Cold and sharp. It has a scent of mint and pine, like you stepped outside on Christmas. I'm going to try wearing it in the winter, because it smells more like a winter scent than a summer one. Very strange, but wonderful. 

Now for the bulk of this post... My favorite perfume of all time is Promise Me, and this is not a secret by any means. Neither is the fact that they no longer sell Promise Me, which was a huge hit to me. I wanted to try to get a dupe made, so I wouldn't worry about using all of it up... or at least something extremely similar.

I sent an email off to Erin at Alchimia Apothecary, and her messages were fast, and kind. I was very happy with her patience with me, as sometimes I felt I came off as repetitive and nervous, with my misunderstanding on how certain notes worked, as well as my failure to describe the scent that I had in mind. She was as I said patient, and sort of walked me through which scents smelled like what, which is above and beyond if you ask me. She was very thorough, and understanding. I was really impressed, because although I still know very little about perfume and scents, I felt relieved and confident and her abilities.

However, it was close, but not close enough (not a fault of Erin, but my own nose and my ignorance with how scents work!). I'm a perfume noob. Basically, I find a scent I like, and stick with it and hope for the best. I could only find the notes of the original perfume online (missing out notes like vanilla, etc.) and wasn't sure exactly which perfume notes to add.

In the end, I ended up picking four notes: Gardenia, White Tea, Apple Accord, Vanilla. Erin suggested Cologne Marine Note, which I love in this scent, and was really impressed with her suggestion because it just made it so much better.

The scent that came out, was a version of Promise Me, with a sweet apple twist. Promise Me No. 2. The apple accord overpowers most of the other fragrance, and the vanilla I think adds just a bit too much sweetness.

It wears great throughout the day, and even with my skin chemistry, I can smell it. The sweetness goes away after a few hours, and I find I like it better as the day wears on, rather than on initial application, which I was also impressed with.

To be honest, out of the entire original Promise Me, I really liked the sharper notes, compared to the sweeter notes. When I place another order (when they return), I think I'll end up skipping out on the vanilla entirely, and picking a more sharper apple fragrance to go into the mix instead.

The original pricing was $15 with $3 shipping, making the total $18, a great price for a perfume oil that will last just as long as a spray in my opinion (maybe even more than a spray for me, as I use at least 3-4 sprays of perfume/cologne and only a few drops of the perfume oil).

The pricing will change with the company, but I suggest keeping an eye out for their return. They company is fantastic, and the creations are almost limitless!

Thanks for reading!

Target Beauty Box Summer 2015

Hello again readers!

I thought I'd give myself a treat and try one of the Target Beauty Boxes. Every so often, Target offers a box of goodies for pretty darn cheap (with free shipping! all you have to do is pay for tax and the price of the box) that always ends up being a good deal. Sometimes you get full-size products too!

The products came packaged in this glossy black box. The box for Summer 2015 was $7, and it was a $40 value.

Inside is a message card, and on the back is a list of all of the products that the box contains, with little instructions on how to use them. Many of them are sort of self-explanatory, but for someone who hasn't used any of these products (or anything like them before) this can definitely be useful, because sometimes labels on packaging can be plain confusing!

Inside of the box there was a package of Cutex Advanced Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads, a Revlon HD Lipstick, Olay Regenerist Luminous HydraSwirl Eye Cream, and Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo. Not pictured is a Sinful Color nail polish, that was supposed to be included in the box, but wasn't included in mine. I considered sending them an email, but it wasn't worth the hassle to me. Chances are, either I had the shade they would have sent me (I buy all of the ones that I like!) or I would have gotten a shade I wasn't going to use.

Cutex Advanced Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads ($4 for 10):

This is a descent trial size for this product, to be honest. It's not a full-size, no, but there is enough in here to remove three manicures, since there are three pads.

Each of the pads comes individually wrapped, making them great for travel. At first, I thought it was a little ridiculous, but I thought if someone where to go on a trip for longer than a week, and wanted to refresh their manicure, then they could remove it and start fresh, without having to take a bottle of nail polish remover and some cotton (or felt!).

I felt these removed my nail polish really well, with a bit of effort. I wouldn't recommend these for removing glitter polish, but for other sorts I can see how these would work for a quick fix.

These just aren't something I need to repurchase, because if I'm going on a trip I don't much care how my nails look, but if you're into having crisp looking nails, try these.

Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo ($10 for 1.7 oz., $19 for 4.9 oz.):

I was really excited to give this a try, because ages ago I tried their Smoothing Cream, and I loved it so much (even though I didn't know how to use it then, and I always had greasy hair). Dry shampoos are a product I'm always looking to try out, because I have an oily scalp that I wash every other day, and sometimes between washes it looks a bit more oily than usual (especially around the fringe area). 

This sample size is a great amount to really get a feel for if you like it or not, and I am in love! It applies easily, smells nice, and it gathers up that excess oil in my hair and leaves it soft, bouncy, and clean-looking. It is a great refresher, and I found that it lasted for most of the day (about eight hours), allowing me to go about my day without any hazard of my hair looking gross.

I noticed a bit of product buildup, common with dry shampoos, but it was easily washed out with a clarifying shampoo, that I use once a week.

The price is a little steep for a dry shampoo, but it works really well, and the scent of it is not overwhelming, making this a good option. If you're looking to splurge a little, this is a product to get, and I can see myself repurchasing this in the future.

Olay Regenerist Luminous HydraSwirl Eye Cream ($24 for .5 oz.):

Something that I'm new to in the past year is eye creams. I always thought that just a simple moisturizer is just as good for your eyes as a moisturizer meant for your eyes... well I was wrong. Your eye area is thinner skinned than the rest of your face, as well as being incredibly sensitive. Having a product meant for the eye area, is always a good idea. 

The product comes in a clear plastic container, where you can see the product inside as a mixed swirl, a clear gel, and a more opaque cream. The product is released from a pump, which I'm always pleased about in products, especially skin care, as I find ti to be a hygienic option (although sometimes wasteful!).

Something else I was interested in, is that this product claims it will diminish the look of dark circles. As someone with darkness around my eyes (mostly because of my crappy sleep patterns, as well as stress and anxiety making them look even worse) I was really intrigued by this claim. Something to make them look better? Could it be true?

The HydraSwirl cream comes out... looking admittedly a little gross. Parts of it are clear, and the rest looks a bit like puss from a zit... It's a little unappealing, but I rub the product in and it doesn't make a difference how it looked before. 

A single pump, gives you too much product to comfortably use. I found half a pump to be ideal, as it gives an even coat to the eye area, without over-saturating the skin.

I did notice a couple of things; One, is that it made my eye area feel comfortable and hydrated, which is a great effect to have. Like the rest of the skin, it likes to be hydrated, and having this eye cream, is a gentle way to deliver hydration for that delicate area. Two, is that it did alter the appearance of my dark circles, making them a bit less noticeable. Nothing drastic, but I could tell a difference, and it was easier to hide with concealer. Less dark appearance, and less makeup caked on my face? Win!

$24 for an eye cream seems crazy to me, but if it keeps working like it has, I will probably bite the bullet and repurchase anyway, even if it's pretty expensive (to me!).

Revlon HD Lipstick - HD Gladiolus ($8):

The Revlon HD lipstick comes in a clear plastic cap, with a silver bullet. The packaging, is similar to the Revlon Lip Butters, but clear instead of colored. The lipstick is cut at an angle in a blunt fashion, and the opening is rather large.

The shade I received was Gladiolus. It was a warm-toned red. The shade range I saw on the insert it came with, to be mostly colors like pinks, with reds, and not as many neutrals, which I found was weird, but I didn't really question it.

The color was hard to work with. I cant' wear this without a lip liner, because the first time I applied, I thought it would be easy, because the large opening makes it easy to apply a lot of color quickly, but it's not so easy to make sharp edges, like at the corners of the mouth or around the cupid's bow.

The formula of this lipstick, is really smooth, and buttery, which is it's downfall. For a neutral shade, no big deal. For a bold color like this? It's too much. It slides around during the day, and only lasts for about two hours before I feel the need to remove, and then reapply. It's comfortable to wear, that's for sure, as it feels hydrating, but I wish it wore better. I cannot deal with the way that it practically slides off my lips without me knowing at all, so because of this, I won't be buying any of the others. I'm not so impressed with the formula, and the shade range isn't that appealing to me either.

Not pictured: Sinful Colors Nail Polish ($2). 

So far, I've always found these boxes to be worth it, even if you know you'll just love one item, the others are fun to try! You might just find a new favorite, or get to try an item you might not have splurged on yourself before (like the eye cream for me!). Keep an eye out if you might even be remotely interested, you might just be surprised.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday Reward

Hello again readers!

I've been lazy in picking up my birthday gifts from Sephora and Ulta this year (well last year too, to be honest) and then I had to take time to give them a try too. 

The reward at Sephora is the same for every member. All you have to do to get these gifts, is to be a member at Sephora, and have your birthday, that's it! Easy, right?

This years gift made me really excited, because it was a NARS gift. It was a cute box, with two of their lipstick pencils inside! In two different finishes too!

There was a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, and a Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien.

Velvet Lip Pencil - Cruella:

A beautiful true red, something that Cruella de Ville would definietely wear. It applied easily, and it was easy to get an even coverage. I did notice that over time, this pencil dried my lips a little bit, which I wasn't too happy with. I've tried it with a balm underneath, and I like that way better, but then it wears of faster. If I wear nothing at all underneath, I don't like how it wears as much, but it does last quite a while, for over four hours without a touchup.

Satin Lip Pencil - Rikugien:

A rose pink shimmer. This one is a nice pink to wear on my lips, because it gives color without being too much. The shimmer of this lip pencil kept my lips looking shiny and healthy, and with the formula it was easier to wear. It didn't last as long as the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (most lipsticks never last longer than matte versions), but I like it for an entirely different reason. I like the wear of this one, and it's more wearable for every day use compared to a red.

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Both of these Lip Pencils need to be sharpened, you don't twist them up and down, which is always a bit of a bummer, because you end up wasting product when you have to sharpen them, and for pencils that retail for $26 a piece, it's really hard to see product just go right into the trash because you have to sharpen them down.

Don't miss your chance to pick these up for your birthday, they're great to wear, and great to have in your makeup collection!

Thanks for reading!

Ulta Birthday Gift (April, May, June)

Hello again readers!

Ulta did something strange this year for their birthday gifts (or exciting, depending on how you look at it!). Instead of having one product given out all year, they're changing it up. The first quarter of the year, people received this Ulta palette.

If you had your birthday in the second quarter (April, May, or June), you received the Deluxe Size Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Voodoo.

It comes in card stock, with details on the liner shades that Urban Decay has in their line.

The pencil is a violet metallic, with orange and violet glitter. I have never been too fond of these pencils, because although they last for a decent amount of time on the lid, they don't last very long on my water line. Even so, I'm happy to have received this for my birthday gift, as I didn't want the palette, and I didn't want what's available for the third quarter gift (A Deluxe Urban Decay Perversion Mascara!) either.

If you got this, did you like it?

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I couldn't find this pencil for individual sale, but it's included in the After Dark Travel Pencil Set, available at Sephora, Ulta, and the Urban Decay site.

Thanks for reading!

Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics

Hello again readers!

I've been really excited about this post, because I placed and order and finally got to try out Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics!! I've been really going out and trying a bunch of different brands to really buff up my collection, and fulfilling my duo-chrome addiction, so Notoriously Morbid was on my wishlist.

I picked up a blush sample, and the Beauty Blogger Package for eyeshadow. I was really surprised, because there was an added eyeshadow, from their "The Price of Magic" collection, and I was even more excited to try it out, because the shadow was the one I wanted most from the collection. 

The blush I picked out was Necromancy*, because I desperately wanted to try it for contour. It isn't a matte, it has a sheen, and a bit of glitter in it, but dang, it ended up being a really pretty contour powder nonetheless. I can't get enough of grey/taupe shades to contour with, it has changed the entire way I do my makeup. I love this blush, and definitely see myself picking up a full size in the future.

And then there were samples, six of them, to be precise. Love Reigns, Glorious Honor*, Walkin' on Sunshine*, There is No Honor, Autumn Flower*, and The Grand Empress.

I swatched all of them like I usually do, by running a wet wipe over my arm, but even with the damp skin, I didn't feel that these particular shades really shined, so I dotted Pixi Epoxy onto my arm, and swatched them over that too.

Love Reigns:

Salmon pink duo-chrome with a blue shift.

Glorious Honor:

Light violet duo-chrome with a green shift. Also includes pink and violet shimmer.

Walkin' on Sunshine:

Based on Charlie from Supernatural. A violet duo-chrome with an aqua shift.

There is No Honor:

On the site it says this is supposed to be a grey, but this looks more like a blue with a green duo-chrome shift.

Autumn Flower:

Dusty plum shimmer with a blue and green shift.

The Grand Empress:

A dark blue with a red duo-chrome overlaid. It resembles a lot like London Bridge from Darling Girl Cosmetics. This shade DOES leave a stain behind, so if you're not fond of working to remove stains from your eyelids, I'd avoid this one.

Now this is another shade that I could not for the life of me find on their website. I did find it featured on other blogs, and apparently this was inspired by Castiel from Supernatural. Not really the sort of color I'd pick for him, but the shift resembles him more, being a very cool toned color shift.

Hallelujah: 

Tawny brown with a blue/teal sheen. 

This was the other full-size shadow in the package. It was from The Price of Magic collection, which upon further researching, was a limited edition collection. (The May 2015 Vanishing Cabinet). I'm a little devastated, because while this is the shade I loved the most out of the collection, it's unfortunate that I can't experiment with any of the other shades, how sad. :( I'm happy to have this though, and I almost jumped for joy (I did a dance instead!) When I looked at the name on the back: You Want Darkness?

You Want Darkness?:
Taupe-y plum shimmer, with blue and red sparkles.

This was inspired by Maleficent, and holy cow was I really happy about it! Generally, she is associated with green, black, and violet. Having a color that's so out the norm, was really refreshing. I haven't seen more than five episodes of Once Upon a Time, but this was a really beautiful shade.


So, what did I think about the brand? I think that Notoriously Morbid is a brand that brings something unique to the table of Indie cosmetics, and should definitely not be overlooked. The duo-chromes they offer are to die for, and great quality. The site is easy enough to navigate, and the processing/shipping turnover was really quick too. I'm really pleased with my order, and what I received, and I know for sure that I'll be placing another order with them in the future.

Thanks for reading!

*All shades with asterisks indicate that I will be repurchasing full sizes in the future.

June Top 10

Hello again readers!

June was a wild month, Emma went home (which was really sad), and I turned 23! It's kind of wild to think about, really. 

I've been keeping it really simple this month, sort of like when I was in school. I've just been lazy, and soaking up being responsibility free since I graduated! It's kind of nice, but I know I need to go out and get a job. Bummer.

June Top 10

City Color Be Matte Blush - Papaya:

I'm really loving this blush, so so much. It's a bit more muted, and adds color but not too much pink. It's soft, and just my alley when I'm not going too crazy with contour or highlight on my face.

City Color Be Matte Blush - Toasted Coconut:

I picked this up, and it's too brown to be a blusher, but it's fantastic as a warm contour. I really like this because it warms up my face and let's me look a little healthy. 

ELF Mineral Foundation - Fair:

I wanted to give a mineral foundation a try, and so I picked this up. The coverage is light, but since my skin has been decently fine, it's been good enough.

ELF Mineral Concealer - Fair:

This is an odd concept for me, but I can definitely say it works, if your skin is really clear. After Pride, and being outside, my nose got a bit burned, as did the tops of my cheeks. So on one of the days I dusted this on top of the redness, and it softened the redness that peeked through. This is still a light coverage, but it's a bit more coverage than the foundation.

Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics Necromancy Blusher:

Gave this a whirl as a contour powder, and I fell in love with it. It's that beautiful grey toned beige that I love so much for that purpose. It hollows out my cheeks so well, and gives me the face shape I enjoy. Blends like a dream, and relatively easy to use.

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Single - Nutty:

Just can't get enough of shadows that I just brush over the lid, and then pack on into the crease to add depth. Super quick and easy and almost no hassle.

ELF Single Eyeshadow - Pebble:

I've been using this as my eyebrow powder. Super quick and easy brows that take about thirty seconds tops. Great for when I don't want to mess with it, or just need a quick look.

MAC  Lipstick - Matte Royal:

I was a little wary of this lipstick at first, because it's BLUE, but my god, it's gorgeous. Got me looking like a space goth and then some. I love it, it's really flattering on my skin tone, and It wears so nicely. I do need to get a liner for it though, because it's a little hard to get applied just how I like it.

Colorpop Lippie Stix - Tootsie:

I wanted a color like the dreaded Lime Crime Cashmere (because I will not support the brand at all), but this one is like that, but also a lipstick! It's matte, but these mattes are really comfortable to wear on the lips. They're still a bit drying to  wear like other  matte lipsticks, but it's not an uncomfortable dryness.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil - Ash Brown:

I didn't get the hype over this kind of pencil, but now I completely do. It carves out eyebrows with ease, and fills them in quickly. I can get sharp looking brows without putting forward too much effort, and it has a spoolie attached to soften it up a bit. What a perfect product.

Thanks for reading!