Etsy Find- Linnaeus Cosmetics again!

I haven't bought anything from Etsy in a while. That's probably a good thing, because the last purchase I made of 6 eyeshadows was mildly disappointing (and 3 of the sellers I most enjoy are in the process of moving their shops to Artfire, or hosting their own webstore). When I was pawing through my collection of loose eyeshadows, I realized I still hadn't finished swatching and posting my meager collection of Linnaeus Cosmetics shadows.

Marin, honestly, is probably the most-fun (this is totally why funnest should be a word) seller to converse with via email. She's in the middle of launching her own site, and is having a "clearance sale" of sorts in her Etsy shop (20% off with the code "TATAETSY"), which is valid until her shop is cleaned out (hurry!). This review will be of 3 more of her shadows (you can see my first review of one of her other collections here). This time around, I'll discuss three more shadows, two of which are part of the same collection, Kalahari (part of the Gemsbok collection), Twiggy and Those Gams! (both part of the Maned Wolf collection). Like most loose shadows, these are packaged in clear 5 gram jars. I still really like that Marin takes the time to stamp her company's name on the lids. I feel it sets her shadows apart from others who don't do this.

The bottoms of the jars have the name of the shadow and a complete ingredients list. Nice!

Twiggy is a light orange-peach shade, with a lighter shimmer (Marin says it's white in her description, so I'll take her word for it). Those Gams! is a blackened-base with coppery shimmer (which doesn't really appear for me no matter what I do, but that's often the case for me and this type of color). Kalahari is an awesome my-lid-but-better shade, a champagne-beige with shimmer.

I love that these aren't glittery, but shimmery. Glitter falls and can be an annoyance. Shimmer tends to stay where I put it. Like the wallaby collection previous reviewed, I have no issue with these not creasing or fading on me. These blend easily, and are easy to use (unlike some loose shadows). If you have trouble getting loose shadows to stay, here's a tip: apply them wet using a mixing medium (I use MAC's. Fix+ may also work, but I've never tried it), and let that dry. Once dry, take a fluffy eyeshadow brush, like a 224 from MAC, and very lightly dust the same shadow over it. It's like setting your liquid foundation with powder. Even for the most persnickety shadows (I've been trying to work that word into a sentence all week!) will last beautifully, in my experience.

If you are interested in these shadows, please visit Marin's blog, where she posts updates and information. Her shop on Etsy is getting pretty small, and her site launches very, very soon!

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama Cream Pencil - Review

I'm beginning to hate the word "dupe," as applied to a less expensive product when it may be similar to a higher end product. Hate. Such a strong word, but I've found that Youtube "Gurus" seem to love to over use the mere concept of a dupe.
But, I've found one. Sort of. Because I can't help myself, and my local Fred Meyer (which still has a full display of Golden Age trios!) seems to get new makeup collections before anyone else, I found a few new things from Maybelline I had to try, and this review is for one of them. 

 Maybelline's been very busy with their new Eye Studio line. Not only do they have a new selection of palettes (which I probably won't be getting one of), but they have a new creamy-mechanical-pencil type eyeliner, called Master Drama. Maybelline says:

Experience the new generation of liner: 

• Oil-free cream formula holds the highest concentration of pigments for more intense eye drama

• Smudge-proof and waterproof for 24 hours

• Most intense line for lasting drama

• Safe for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested

• Contact lens safe

I had to try one, after being so please with the Stila Smudgestick, and I can't bear to pay $22 for an eyeliner, no matter how good. I chose Bold Brown (# 415), since brown liner is something I use every day. At first swatch, I was impressed by how similar the color was to Lionfish. At the end of the first day, I wondered if I'd ever think of buying a Stila Smudgestick again (which, I may, but... we'll get to my eyeliner problem another day). 

Color-wise, Bold Brown is very, very, very similar to Lionfish. In person, they're almost identical. Of course, on the eye, they look dead on. There is a slightly difference, which leads me to my only real problem with this liner. Lionfish is creamy, pigmented, and lovely. Master Drama is drier, potentially less pigmented (due to the dryness), and lovely, even with the other two attributes being less than stellar. I can't tell if the Maybelline liner is less pigmented, or if the consistency makes it appear to be less pigmented. It certainly doesn't glide easily on the lid like the Stila liner, but I don't have to stab myself in the eye to get the color to show up. 

Wear time on this is excellent. Really, I could cut and paste my poetic waxings about the Smudgestick here, because I found this liner to wear just as well. Does it really last 24 hours? I don't know, but I can say it looked the same after 12 hours of wear as it did immediately after I applied it. It doesn't smudge quite as well as the Stila liner, which is probably because of the drier texture, which is a slight annoyance, but for $7 or whatever it was, I can deal with that.

Overall, I'm super impressed with this liner. I wish it was a bit creamier, but that's probably the only thing I would change. If you think Stila's Smudgesticks are amazing, or you really want to try them but can't swallow the price, I think you'll like these just as much!

Korres Face Primer - Review

A long while ago, when the Naked palette from Urban Decay was still sold with the dual-ended liner pencil, I grabbed one from sephora.com. Because I hate paying for shipping, I also picked a sweet deal they had for 2 Korres primer tubes (each containing 0.34 fl oz of primer) for $12.00. Recently, as I combed through my stash for the billionth time, I realized I hadn't tried either primer. In my never-ending quest to use everything I own, and finish some products, I decided to try this primer out.

This primer is available at Sephora, and retails in the full size tube for $28.00. For your money, you get 1.01 fl oz. This primer has some pretty big claims behind it:

Rich in skin-soothing botanicals and Vitamin E, this 99 percent natural formula refines skin texture without silicone, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduces pore size. Your skin will be primed and ready for a makeup application.

Sounds awesome, right? The only problem is that most primers make the same types of claims regarding fine lines and wrinkles, pore size, etc. So, really, the only thing that makes this primer different, to my eyes, is the lack of silicone. For oily-skinned gals like myself, silicone can be the only thing keeping us semi-matte throughout the day. I didn't really expect much from this product, but I was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

I like that Korres didn't try a cutesy name for this product. I mean, if you're looking for a face primer, why not buy the tube that says "Face Primer," right? Anyway, the tube is pretty nice. It feels like that metalized plastic, so it has some heft to it. The primer itself is a thick lotion, almost a light cream consistency. It melts beautifully into the skin, however. The scent reminds me a bit of the Vitamin Enriched Face Base from Bobbi Brown, as does the consistency. Like the Face Base, the scent is unnoticeable once you have applied the product.


Does it do anything it claims to? I guess my pores were not as noticeable, but I don't have fine lines or wrinkles (yet), so I can't speak to that. Did my make look nice for a long period of time? I supposed. My foundation (Tarte's Amazonian Clay Full Coverage blah blah foundation) easily stayed put all day on my oily face. This primer didn't do anything about my oily skin, though. I was a grease-ball after a few hours, but nothing broke down, which is fine. I think if I had blotted, I wouldn't have had any oil issues. 


Would I buy this again? Probably. I can't help but feel like this is a less expensive version of the Bobbi Brown Face Base, and it's packaged a bit more conveniently. At the same time, I would like to find a primer that suits my needs (namely, preventing oiliness). I think this would be a fabulous primer for normal or slightly dry skin types, because Vitamin E is great for your skin and this also contains jojoba oil, and glycerin (a humectant). 


Ingredients:


Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Melissa Officinalis Distillate* (Melissa Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Water*), Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco- Caprylate/Caprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis Oil* (Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*), Limonene, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Betaine, Citric Acid, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract*, Honey, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Linalool, Pectin.

MAC Eyeshadow in Sumptuous Olive - Review

A long time ago, in a land about an hour south of my current location, I unwittingly was conned into signing away thousands of dollars over a period of several years. I blame the awesome counter manager (at the time) of the MAC counter at the Salem Nordstrom store. It's all her fault. The subject of this review is one of the first MAC shadows I ever purchased. In fact, I'm still using the same pot!

Sumptuous Olive is a veluxe pearl eyeshadow from MAC's permanent range. Described as a "khaki with pearl," it was recommended to me by a national MAC artist. After hemming and hawing, I asked the counter manager what she thought, and she very confidently seconded the other artist's opinion. To my eye, this shadow is an olive green with a strong gold pearl. I love the way this shadow brings out the green in my eyes, which are usually a sort of muddy green. The shadow is fairly versatile, as well, because it can change appearance depending upon the color underneath it. A green base seems to bring out the green tones, while brown or gold bases seem to bring out the gold (brilliant, I know).

Veluxe pearls are among my favorite eyeshadow textures, because they tend to be super pigmented, blendable, and have a soft metallic finish.

Because this color is from MAC's permanent range, it is available in a standard pot for $14.50, and in a pro pan for $11.00. You can pick this color up at any MAC counter or store.

This is a holy-grail item for me. I use it at least three times a week, if not more. When I use this shadow up (and I will), I will definitely repurchase it.

We have a WINNER!

Yay! Layla, I know the competition was fierce, but you've won your very own Gilded Age Trio! Please email me at krylynblog @ gmail.com with your mailing address!

So excited for you!

NOTD - Barielle Elle's Spell

I love flakey polishes. My only qualm is that they're usually sheer. While I don't normally notice Barielle polish, Elle's Spell caught my eye, and I had to have it! This is 3 (!!) coats, and it's still not as opaque as I would like. I really like how smooth it is, though. The flash on my camera really washed out the plummy tones this polish has - it's not quite the red it appears to be in the top picture. The picture below is blurry, but I wanted you to see the flakies in the polish - so pretty! And, let's not forget the multi-chrome appearance of these irregular pieces of sparkles, either. The flakey bits will subtly flash a soft teal green and yellow/orange, too! I applied one thick-ish coat of Diamont on top, in an effort to make this mani last a bit!

Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow - Review

I'll admit that Leslie Blodgett is a marketing genius. I never, ever, thought I'd buy anything from Bare Escentuals, or the Buxom line, but whenever I catch Bare Escentuals on QVC, my debit card is invariably removed from my wallet, and money is removed from my bank account. I really can't say I've been disappointed in my BE purchase, or those from any of the spin-offs, like Buxom, and I love cream eyeshadows as color bases, so I was pretty pleased with myself when I set up a Makeup Alley swap for two of the Buxom Stay-There shadows.

The claims for these shadows, according to Sephora:

This bounc-i-licious new eye color offers the ultimate experience with an unexpectedly plush, lightweight texture and vivid color. It leaps and bounds beyond what you've come to expect from eye color and better, yet, it's even waterproof. Named after our loyal four-legged friends, these stay-put shades will be your faithful new beauty companions as they comfort and care for your pretty peepers. The mineral-infused, paraben-free formula pampers delicate skin with soothing Aloe extract and Vitamin E—all with a non-greasy, long-wearing finish. Touch it. Pet it. Love it. Only at Sephora.

These are packaged in small glass jars with screw-on lids. For your $17, you get 0.12 oz of product, when compare to MAC Paint Pots ($16.50 for 0.17), they're not the best deal in the world.

I was really surprised by the texture of these shadows. As indicated in the claims, they are, in fact, not greasy at all. They're moussey, and I found it's very, very easy to get too much product on my finger when trying to apply them. Seriously, it's like your touching a loose shadow or something when touching the surface of the shadow. So weird. I've noticed you don't need much, either, with each application.

The girl I was swapping with had several up for swap, and I selected two, Mutt and Schnauzer. Mutt is described on Sephora as a "bronzed taupe," and Schnauzer is a "vivid violet plum." Both descriptions, I think, are inaccurate. Mutt appears as a "my lid but more shimmery" color, and Schnauzer is a weakly-pigmented purple. Of the two, I really like Mutt, and don't really care for the color of Schnauzer at all (it looks very, very nice in the jar, though).

Surprisingly, these make fabulous bases for powder shadows. Honest. When applied over a base of UDPP, and set with just about any shadow, these puppies (ha!) lasted all day without creasing or fading. As with most cream-type shadows, you don't need much. I've found that a thin layer works best, and could never build Schnauzer enough without major creasing. Mutt appeared on my lids just fine, though. Without being set, however, these did tend to crease on me, but every other cream shadow I've ever tried does, so I can't blame this product.

Do I like these, given how I use them? Yep. Would I go buy them on my own? Maybe. I sort of prefer pencil-type shadows, like the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils, but the Stay-There shadows aren't bad. I'd be curious to see if the other colors tend to be like Mutt (pigmented) or like Schnauzer (not pigmented).

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer - Review

A bit ago, I reviewed EL's Double Wear Light foundation, as I had purchased a kit that included a full size Double Wear Light, a deluxe mini-sized tube of the matching concealer, and some other goodies. Because I had requested the foundation in Intensity 1.0, I received the concealer in light.

If purchased alone, this concealer retails for $20.00, and is available anywhere you find Estee Lauder. It's packaged in a tube with a doe-foot applicator, and really reminds me of the MAC Select Moisturecover concealer in many ways (other than the actual product, which we'll get to in a minute). The claims made on this concealer are:

For a flawless look with 15-hour staying power.Conceals flaws and corrects the look of undereye circles, dark spots and discolorations.Transfer-resistant, color-true formula provides medium to full coverage that won't slip, slide or melt away. Feels lightweight, comfortable.Easy-to-use wand applicator.

15 hours? Really? I can't speak to that, but I can say it lasted all day (about 10 hours) on my under eyes, and seemed to last a decent length of time elsewhere on my face. It also covered very, very well. It provides medium-full coverage. I didn't notice this concealer interfering with my foundation (ie, no patchiness or odd textures when my foundation was over it). It didn't seem to oxidize on me, which is always nice, and appeared to have a "natural" finish, not matte, not shiny.

Sounds good, right? Well, it would've been great, except it's not the right color. It's too dark, and a bit orange-ish. As I've previously noted, I am a light NC15 (if such a beast were to exist, I'd probably be a NC12.5). I'd probably recommend this to a dark NC15-light NC20. It looked really obvious under my eyes (where I'm the palest), and although it's easy to blend, I just couldn't get it to work for me. Light is the lightest shade this concealer is available in, so I can't try to find a better match in the line, either.

Overall, I'd recommend this for those of you who are a shade darker than I, because it is a really nice concealer, but if you're fair-skinned, this may not work out for you.

Who Doesn't Love Something for Free?

I was browsing my local discount department store (Fred Meyer), and noted they had a few of the summer 2011 Wet 'n' Wild trios left. I grabbed one (I suffer greatly from LE-fever, obviously). When I got home, my sanity returned, and I thought "Why not share this with someone?"

So, here we are. I have a new, sealed Gilded Age trio waiting for a loving home. I'm not going to ask you to do anything crazy. Simply follow my blog, and post a comment below telling me (and everyone else) two things:

1) You favorite thing about summer makeup collections
2) Your least favorite thing about summer makeup collections

See? Easy-peasy!

A few more rules, though:

- You must be at least 18 or older
- You must live in the US, Canada, or the UK
- One entry per person, please!

The winner will be determined at random on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 and announced at that time. The winner will have 24 hours to contact me, otherwise a runner up will be chosen!

Wet 'n' Wild Gilded Age Trio - Review

I remember, fondly, discovering Wet 'n' Wild a long, long time ago. At that time, the quality matched the price fairly evenly, but I could still buy a ton of makeup for very little money. Times have changed only slightly - the quality of today's Wet 'n' Wild is vastly superior to what it used to be.

Wet 'n' Wild recently release a limited edition mini-collection for summer 2011 called "Go for the Gold." I call it a mini-collection because there are only 2 items, a Color-Icon trio (the subject of this review), and a bronzer called "Everything under the Sun," which I also have and am not impressed with. We may discuss this in the future, maybe. If I can bring myself to use it again, that is (yes, it is *that* bad).

The trio, however, is as lovely as all of the other Color-Icon trios - the colors are rich, pigmented, easy to blend, etc. Two of the shades rival some of the best MAC eyeshadows, with the third being nice, but a bit less pigmented than you would expect.

For a product that has a MSRP of less than $3.00, the packaging is flimsy, and very cheap feeling. Since I don't typically travel with my makeup, this doesn't concern me. Wet 'n' Wild kindly threw in a tiny brush and sponge applicator (which will be thrown out shortly). These trios do not include a mirror.

I looked at this palette, after getting it home and swatching it, and thought "I probably have tons of dupes for this already. Why'd it come home with me?" And set about trying to find a dupe for each shade. The "browbone" shade is a frost, peachy highlight. The closest shade I have to it is MAC All that Glitters, but it's not as shimmery/frosty. It definitely reminds me of Stila's Kitten, which was wa-ay to frosty for my liking (and has left this building because of this). The crease color, a shimmery chocolate brown that is lacking in the pigment department, is very similar to MAC's Chocolate Brown pigment, but is not as pigmented. I actually had a difficult time duping the last shade, surprisingly. It's a true, frosty, metallic gold. MAC's Gold Mode Pigment is similar, but lacks the frost finish, and doesn't have the orangey base tone of the lid color. Dazzleray pigment looked promising in the jar, but it much more similar to the highlight shade on the skin.

All of these colors lean warm to me, and last all day on my lids with UDPP and the UD Shadow Pencil in Sin under them. As previously mentioned, they blend nicely. I really wish the middle shade had been matte, though. I really prefer to not have shimmer-city on my lids, and in my crease, and on my browbone. While I'm perfectly aware I don't have to use all three shades at the same time, I can still kvetch about the overly-shimmeriness that is this trio. I find that I'm adding a matte brown to my crease to tone down the frostiness, which is what this trio produces. Especially the highlight shade - heavily applied, it's over-the-top frosty to me. A light hand, however, really makes it look lovely!

Bronzey-golden colors really suit me, being fair and warm-toned with brassy-ish hair. These colors are no different than any others in this family. That being said, I have a feeling that most of us have similar shades in our collections. The only one I didn't have a dupe for is the eyelid shade. While it's nice to have them all in one place, I don't know if this is a must buy for everyone. If you don't have similar shades, I'd highly recommend this trio, if you can find it. If you can't find it, you may wish to look at swatches and other reviews, then compare to your stash. If you really want this, keep looking around. It is limited edition, and may disappear rather quickly. Either way, for $3.00 or so, the quality is fan-freaking-tastic.

Edited 06/05/2011 to add: Would you like to win your very own Gilded Age trio? I happen to procure an extra trio, and I know some ladies are having a tough time finding them. I'll launch a give away in a bit, but... one of the rules will be that you must follow my blog. Additionally, I can ship to Canada and the UK. :)

Edited 06/08/2011 to add: Giveaway is now live!

NOTD - OPI Mermaid Tears, with a twist!

I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. When I was 5 or 6, my parents took my sister and I to Disney land, and I adored the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as well (Johnny Depp in guy-liner? Count me IN!). It'd make perfect sense, then, that I would be very, very interested in the OPI collection based on the movies. I've only picked up two of the colors, and plan on finishing my collection, but I HAD to have Mermaid Tears, mostly due to the name (I'm a sucker for mermaid stuff!)

This polish was a touch streaky with one coat, so the second definitely helped even things out. On it's own, as you can see, it is a cream grayed teal.I had thought I had a Konad plate with a mermaid on it, but, alas, I was wrong. So, I used Konad's Princess Polish in Violet Pearl to stamp a fancy gold fish, instead. This mani is topped off with 1 coat of Diamont. Super cute, don't you agree? As a small side note, I'm well aware my clean-up skills are... lacking, to put it nicely. ;)