All posts filed under: Reviews

Quickie: Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Refresh

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Here’s a quick review of the Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Refresh. This came as a bonus vault gift when I made a purchase through their official website. I got the shade Refresh, which I think is the more cool-toned option from the two available shades. Product Description from Nordstrom: “Exclusively ours. Comes as close as you can get to under-eye perfection. This lightweight powder sets concealer and illuminates the under eye area for a radiant, soft matte finish. Smoothes the under-eye area and creates perfect upper lid canvas for eye shadow. Micronized pigments will not settle in fine lines or accentuate shadows. Absorbs excess oils to create perfect canvas for makeup application. Provides crease-resistant, long-wearing coverage. Suitable for all skin types. Here it is, swatched beside three shadows, on the extreme left.

OCC Crème Colour Concentrate in Cthulu and Newt

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Remember when I said I haven’t been buying a lot of makeup lately? That is a half-truth. I made an Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics purchase when they had their Black Friday sale. I’d been eyeing a bunch of lip tars, but I also wanted to try these Creme Colour Concentrates, since I’ve been on the hunt for some cruelty-free cream shadows. These are actually pretty unique! They can be used for the eyes, lips, and cheeks. I’ve only tested them as eye bases, though, as I bought them for that purpose. Product Description: “This new texture innovation is a smooth, blendable, buildable cream coverage product that’s suitable for use on the eyes, lips, and cheeks! Loaded with emollients and humectants including aloe leaf extract, cocoa extract, and vitamin E, Crème Colour Concentrate goes on smoothly and wears like a dream. Apply anywhere intense, fashion-forward color is desired for a look that will last all day. -Free of parabens -sulfates -phthalates” L-R, swatched: Cthulu, Newt I bought two shades: Cthulu, a “dirty pale olive,” and Newt, a …

Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie and Eye am Here to Stay Liquid Eyeliner

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You know when you keep going back and forth, visiting a counter and swatching the same damn things and walking away? Yeah, well, I’ve been doing that dance for a few weeks before I finally caved and bought some items from Happy Skin Cosmetics, the newest local beauty brand that’s been making waves. It’s not even that hard to see why there’s buzz around this new line of cosmetics. They released only a handful of items, which is something I actually prefer for new baby brands because you know they took their time formulating the products and getting each one perfectly. I picked up the “friendliest” items of the bunch; at least, in my opinion. I have the Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie in Crushing on You, a pretty rosy mauve MLBB shade, and Summer Fling, which is a pinky peach. I also got Eye am Here to Stay 24h Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Perfect Black. I don’t think there are any other colors available at the moment. All of the items …

Oslo Cosmetics Part II feat. Pyxis, Lyra, Equinox, Orphicus, Ara and Noctem

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This is the review of the second batch of Oslo Cosmetics eyeshadows that I got from my first order. Read the first part here. Like I said in that review, Oslo Cosmetics has been my favorite loose eyeshadow formula thus far. I haven’t tried an extensive amount—just four brands so far—but these are really something else. Pyxis and Lyra This is the look I did for EOTD: Radiant Orchid and it features Pyxis, a beautiful pale pink on the inner 2/3 of the lid, and Lyra on the outer third of the lid. I’m not used to very cool tones on my eyes, but I enjoyed wearing this almost-silver color. Lyra, on the other hand, is a beautiful blackened plum. I noticed in the swatch that it kind of faded into black at the edges (almost a ring around the purple-y swatch), and it looks as though it’s a very opaque purple sheen over a black base. For this look, I really had to pat on Lyra with a finger after blending a first layer …

Nature Republic Snail Solution Set: Skin Booster, Emulsion, Cream*

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I know that snail secretion in skin care is so 2010, but if it’s been around this long, there must be some merits to it, right? I got to try some items from the Nature Republic Snail Solution line, namely the Skin Booster, Emulsion, and Cream. They’re to be used in that order. What is secretion filtrate anyway, and what makes it so special? The snail secretion filtrate is the trail of muck that snails leave behind on the ground. This is what they use to coat their delicate underbellies from getting torn or scratched when they crawl. The snail secretion filtrate in these products are procured by Nature Republic “from pristine areas.” The Skin Booster is a toner that has 90% snail secretion. It is used for “Revitalizing & Moisturizing,” with a boosting function that improves damaged skin. It supposedly brightens the skin and reduces wrinkles, and makes the skin look healthy and luminous by providing vitality to distressed skin. As the first step, the Skin Booster is to be applied first, right after …

Graymelin Vintage Seven Tattoo Eyebrow in Dark Brown*

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One of the two makeup items I got in November’s bntgirls box is the Graymelin Seven Tattoo Eyebrow in Dark Brown. It’s essentially an eyebrow marker with a super fine, flexible tip—almost like the tip of a brush pen. I have a similar product from K-Palette, which is also marketed as a waterproof eyebrow pen. I love the brush on this. It goes down into a really fine point because I can draw on hairs well. The pen in general is not very flimsy, so you have pretty okay control over your eyebrows and what you want the shape to be. The tip kind of flops a bit, if you’re not careful or paying attention. It’s a great tool if you have very sparse eyebrows, since the ink is quite pigmented. Compared with my K-Palette eyebrow pen, this one by Graymelin is darker and less warm. I think it’s a better match for my natural hair color. The tint of the K-Palette pen is so light that you can kind of just haphazardly draw the …

Oslo Cosmetics Review Part I feat. Vela, Lyra, Carinae, Doradus, and A Song of Ice and Fire

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My general impression of Oslo Cosmetics has been great so far. I think a mineral shadow’s quality is obviously good if you’ve been reaching for them more than your more convenient eyeshadows, which has been the case for me. Here are a few looks using some of my new shadows. I’ll make a part two soon, even though I’ve covered most of the colors here anyway. Vela & Lyra Vela looks scary dark in the pot, but it’s actually really lovely on the lid. It’s a green-blue duochrome that translates onto the lid as a brown with a green-blue sheen, depending on the light. It’s great for a daytime smoky eye. Lyra was just used to smudge under the lower lash line here. It’s a blackened plum/orchid but the purple-y parts don’t really show up unless you pack it on. I’ll have a look in part two of this review that will feature Lyra more as a lid color. Doradus & A Song of Ice and Fire Doradus is a color that also looks quite …