All posts filed under: Reviews

Sample Stash Sunday: Decanting my Shiro Samples

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If you’ve purchased from Shiro Cosmetics before, you’d know that they send candy and sometimes, sample baggies out with your order. I’ve had these for a while, but have never gotten around to transferring them into little pots until recently. I thought it would be a messy affair, but it was quite easy and fuss-free. I’d write up a tutorial, but you just literally pour out the contents into a small container (like this mini pot or an old contact lens case) and that’s that. For easier cleanup, do this with a paper towel over your desk. Shiro also seals each baggie with a circular sticker of the eyeshadow name, with ingredients and an indication of whether or not the shade is lip-safe. A+! I don’t have a lot of containers, so I’ve only decanted three eyeshadows so far. From L-R, we have Everything is Bears, which was a Color of the Month, Victory Road, and Badger. I bought all the shades except Victory Road. Everything is Bears is a “Rich, dark brown packed with …

Top Five Eyeshadow Brands (Cruelty-Free)

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I’m a big eyeshadow fiend, which I think is pretty obvious by now. Here are some of my favorite cruelty-free eyeshadow brands, in case you want to start wearing eyeshadow also, but don’t know where to start. Please note that by cruelty-free, I mean brands that do not themselves test their products and ingredients on animals. For that reason, I have included cruelty-free brands that are owned by parent companies who test. I will state which ones are owned by whom. 1. Le Métier de Beauté Le Métier de Beauté is a beautiful brand from New York City. They make small quantities of their exquisite inventions, which makes me want to buy them ASAP. One thing I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to is their limited edition Kaleidoscope Eye Kits ($95), four-tiered eyeshadow palettes that are especially designed to be layered on. Sometimes, the pigmentation of these shadows leave a lot to be desired, but they blend like a dream. I never really understood how “blendability” can affect how much you love an eyeshadow …

Brow Maintenance: Products

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To cap off the first week of this month’s Special Eye Makeup Feature, I will tackle the issue of brows! This is a very small thing you can do that I feel will enhance your overall look. Honestly, I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to brows. I just kind of shade them in (as you would a blank spot in a coloring book) and call it a day. If you are looking for some how-tos, here are some posts that I’ve enjoyed from other, more capable bloggers: — Ae from An Artechoke — Xiao from Messy Wands — Tina from What Tina Loves — Liz from Project Vanity This is just an overview of the tools I use, in order of my preference. I don’t have a tutorial because I literally just brush through my normal eyebrow shape and comb through with a spoolie. I don’t typically outline the outsides, because I find that I look very harsh in the face, especially since I have been blessed with the Bitchy Resting Face. So …

Quickie: Shiro Cosmetics Intertubes

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Just a short break from the eye bonanza happening on this blog currently. 🙂 Although, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has gone out of their way to let me know what they thought of it and whether or not a post was helpful for them. If you have any requests for posts, please leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do for you. 🙂 Intertubes are lip thingies from Shiro Cosmetics, aka the place to be for funny geeky people who like makeup, too. I ordered some sample colors during my last weak moment and got for shades: Nyan Cat, Why Not Zoidberg?, Team Buffy, and Sad Keanu. LOL, I mean, really. How did you think I could resist these? Anyway, I’m happy I purchased these small samples as a test run because I’m not really sure about them. I’ve had them for a while, but I don’t know, they just don’t want to seem to work well on me? Here are some photos of me wearing each color: …

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline EyeStudio LuminEyes in Khaki and Grey*

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Here’s a quick review of the Maybelline EyeStudio LuminEyes Palettes* which I got in a BDJ Box a few months ago. I got the shade Grey, but my cousin who is not a wearer of eyeshadow gave me hers, which was in Khaki and which I like a lot better. I don’t really get on with silvers and greys all that well (it depends), so I was apprehensive of this palette. It’s a five-pan palette with four shades of one color (in this case, Grey and Khaki) and a small circular pan with a white “primer.” The primer is sparkly, and you can see on the above swatch that it doesn’t really do much to enhance the eyeshadow colors. In fact, it was quite hard to apply with a brush so I tried to apply it with my fingers, which was slightly better but also ultimately a chunky experience. I look like a harlot. As I, and many people have suspected, the “primer” in the round pan didn’t really act like a primer so much …

Addiction by Ayako Eyeshadow in Safari Mode

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Ah, the last Addiction eyeshadow in my possession to be reviewed: Safari Mode. This is the most gorgeous muted khaki I have ever laid my eyes on. Unlike the greens in NARS’ Paramaribo, this comes off a lot less golden. Still, it has a beautiful sheen. It’s a shade that’s beautiful when worn alone, but also looks lovely fading into a neutral base. It’s a great alternative to common browns, beiges, champagnes if you want to venture out into the world of color but don’t think you can wear blues or pinks yet. It’s also a great companion to both cool and warm tones, I think, because it’s just so… agreeable. The texture, as is usual with Addiction, is phenomenal. Safari Mode is on the outer half of the mobile lid, as well as the inner third of the lower lash line. The darker green is NARS’ Night Clubbing, another beautiful deeper green. My Addiction singles count is currently at 5, and I currently have three quads. I would love to buy more (one way …

Quickie: Addiction by Ayako Eyeshadow in Sandbar

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This is one of the last dregs of my Addiction “haul” (eee, bad word) from last month. It’s a pretty neutral eyeshadow called Sandbar. The website says that it has a “pearl finish,” but like Belly mentioned in this post, Addiction’s pearl finish eyeshadows have the most inconsistent textures. It’s a beautiful pale pinky peach shade that translates more neutral on my skin tone. It’s rather pretty, though quite understated, but it’s the kind of shade that you can throw on your eyes, add a bit of liner or mascara and then leave the house. In other words, it’s perfect for a lazy bum like me. (!) It really does have a beautiful pearly sheen to it, unlike Deep Forest which is also described as a pearl but seems mostly gritty to me. I have one more single eyeshadow in my stash, which I’m reviewing later this week. I really want more because these are amazingly textured, though the steep price really shows the cost of quality. Still, if you’re on the look-out for a …