All posts filed under: First Impressions

Hello Waffle Cosmetics: The Tangled/Persinette Collection

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I first heard of Hello Waffle Cosmetics from the subreddit, Indiemakeupandmore. The owner, Christine, is a user there and was offering a blogger discount since she was just setting up her shop. I bought a sampler pack of the Tangled collection (now renamed The Persinette Collection), as well as a tinted lip balm (Crookshanks, renamed Ginger Kitties). Christine gave me a sample of Polyp as well, which I found to be extremely generous. 🙂 But, for now, I will focus on the eyeshadows. I honestly didn’t realize that there were a total of sixteen shades in this collection. I’ve swatched them in two parts, in the order that they were packed.

Notoriously Morbid Beauty Blogger Package & Then Some

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One of the stragglers from my indie makeup frenzy back in January. I was able to retrieve this package when I got back from my trip, which was late March. Currently, I think I have most of my orders from that time. I’m just missing one package from Victorian Disco, which I hope to get soon. I availed of the Beauty Blogger Package (5 samples + 1 mini jar) and got myself a few other samples, too. NM included a few free samples and a Jolly Rancher pink lemonade lollipop. It was delicious.

A Taste of THREE

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One of the Japanese beauty brands I was really keen on trying was THREE. After seeing various posts by Kate, Selphia, and Belly on the eyehadow duos and quads—which, as you all know, are my weakness—I made it my mission to stop by a counter on my trip. By the way, photos from said trip to the land of the rising sun are on my “real” blog, which I use for non-beauty crapola. I ended up getting two THREE Pressed Eye Color Palette Duos, both of which weren’t the ones I intended to get. 02 Love Connection is made of gold peach and red brown. 07 Let the Happiness In is one of the newer duos, consisting of a soft mauve purple and a light brown. The duos are intended to be used in conjunction with each other, as their own shades or layered, creating a “natural three-dimensional impression.” In other words, they are subtle as fuck, but the effect also transforms your eye without anyone really noticing. Which is what I usually like to …

My Addiction Addiction: Spoils from Japan, 2014

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I did it again. Here are some of the things I picked up from Addiction on my last trip to Jay-pan. With the intention of possibly picking up the new quad in Departure, I ended up walking away with three single eyeshadows (Rigoletto, Sand Dune, and Truffle), a cheek stick (Rose Bar), and a lipstick for my sister (Vamp). I’m a big fan of Addiction’s Cheek Sticks, and Rose Bar brings the number I have to 5. Cheek Sticks are multi-purpose products for use on the eyes, cheeks, and lips, but I found that all of them work best as cheek products. Rose Bar is a beautiful neutral shade that’s a great deal pinker than Tea Rose, which I already have. As for the eyeshadows, which everyone knows I can’t resist, I picked up 3, bringing the total of my Addiction E/S singles to 8. Rigoletto is a beautiful sheeny pale peach. It is absolutely gorgeous. I was not ever intending on getting this, ever, except swatching it was like a revelation. I could just …

Sorabee Balancing Aqua Cream*

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As you may have gathered, I just got back from Japan a few days ago. I forgot to say “hi” in my last post, so hi! During my time away, I received the last box from my stint as part of the BNT Girls. I have reviewed the Caolion Pore White Cake Pack* already, and this is another skin care item I got this round. The Sorabee Balancing Aqua Cream* is part of a wide range offered by the brand. The packaging is all in Korean so a bit of Google-fu was needed. Curiously enough, this products seems to be the most famous product by the brand as it popped up pretty high up in the options by auto-fill. Here's the product description I found: A luxurious restorative beauty treatment cream formulated with a complex of vitamins to intensively nourish energize and fortify skin in its fight against environmental stress and the visible signs of aging Excellent for all skin types, especially skin suffering from dehydration, dullness or fatigue. Provides intensive nutrients and protects delicate …

Caolion Pore White Cake Pack*

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The Caolion Pore White Cake Pack* is one of the first things I tried from this month’s BNT Box. I’m a mask nut, so I was so eager to try this out especially after a few days of traveling. “Where is pore?” I thought this was a cute touch, on the lid. The product itself is very thick. As you can see, it retains its super cute whipped shape even after traveling in a box from Korea to Manila. The mask is opaque and white, with a bit of grainy bits inside. The smell is quite menthol-y, but not 100% refreshing. Near the name of the product, it claims to be “whitening & anti-wrinkle,” but from an online reseller (which is how this seems to be available), here are the product claims: — Tightening stretched pores — Cooling off exhausted pores from the heat — Brightening dark skin tone — Restoring elasticity on the skin There wasn’t a lot of English text on the packaging, which is why I appreciated this little diagram. Even if …

Swatch Post: NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Kauai

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I mentioned on my Instagram (follow me: @presidents!) a few weeks ago that I had finally gotten NARS Kauai in the mail, after ordering it in January. Kauai is part of their Spring 2014 collection, High Seize, and is the more coveted one of the two duos released. One side is “gold lame;” the other, “iridescent smokey orchid.” I swiped the leftovers of each shade on top of each other in the third swatch. To be honest, these shadows are pretty buttery and smooth and all of that, but I’m not sure how I can wear them without looking all blinged out. It’s pretty weird that I actually took to China Seas, essentially a blue and purple duo, a little bit better. Here’s a fuzzy swatch: The gold is kind of… flake-y? It’s pretty, for sure, but it’s a bit messy to use, in my opinion. I have to play around with it more, though. The orchid side is really pretty. You can see the undertones via sparkle in this fuzzy swatch. As of now, …