All posts filed under: Reviews

Lipstick Week, Day 2: Most Loved Lipsticks

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In the few odd years that I’ve been buying makeup, there have been a few stand-outs. Today’s installment for Lipstick Week is going to be about my Most Loved Lipsticks. I’ve found new favorites here and there, but these are the ones that I’ve used the most. They’re probably most-used also because they’re a bit older than some of my other purchases, but I thought I’d show you which colors I wore a lot before I drowned in the Sea of Impulse Buying. I’ll start with a Chanel Rouge Coco in Perlé. I talked about this in my first Lipstick Week installment, Chanel Lipsticks. It was my first high-end lipstick purchase, and I actually bought it off my friend, Jin, who wasn’t feeling the color, so it wasn’t until much later that I swatched like a crazy woman to make a purchase. This was pretty much handed to me and it’s weird because I wouldn’t have picked it out for myself, but I love it a lot. As you can see, it’s a pretty easy …

First Shiro Cosmetics Purchase: The Tributes Collection & There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection

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I first heard about Shiro Cosmetics from Jen of Barely Organized Chaos, when she posted her loose shadow inventory. And you know me—I’m a sucker for geeky things and aptly-named things. I literally buy shit (not literal shit) because of what they’re called. Shiro Cosmetics released two collections that I fell for—hook, line, and sinker. The older collection is called “The Tributes,” and it’s based on Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, which I love. The newer/newest one is called “There & Back Again,” and it’s based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” which I LOVE MORE. So I pretty much was headed to Mount Doom at this point. Still, I did manage to hold back, and didn’t purchase the entire collections. In hindsight, I kinda wish I did, but it’s always good to not be a total hoarder. A little background: Shiro Cosmetics is owned by Caitlin, who loves makeup and geeky things. Their products are vegan and 100% cruelty-free. As you can see from the picture above, it’s basically mineral makeup, though they do have …

Swatch Experiment: Goldy Purple Eyeshadows

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I was writing about the Le Métier de Beauté Melange de Colour Fashion Palette, when I noticed that one of the shades looked remarkably like one of the eyeshadows I already owned, MAC Trax. They had the same flecks of gold and purple base. I pulled it out to compare and decided to look at all my other shadows as well. These seemed to be the strongest contenders. From left to right: Laura Mercier’s African Violet. The gold is very strong in this shade. It was part of my Artist’s Palette for Eyes, which is Limited Edition, but you can buy this shade individually. Le Métier de Beauté’s Tapestry. This is very close to Trax, but it has a more opaque base. This is part of the Silk Road Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, which is Limited Edition. Le Métier de Beauté’s Ikat. This is actually more of a frosty plum-gold, with the gold infused in the base, rather than as a separate component/glitter element. This is part of the Silk Road Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, which is …

Sample Stash Sunday: Nounou Shampoo & Conditioner by Davines*

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I received these from my BDJ Box Elite last week. You can read about that here. For this edition of Sample Stash Sunday, I actually talk about hair! I’m the laziest freaking person when it comes to hair, so I don’t appreciate it when I have to do more than I think I have to. When I say lazy, I do mean “I don’t brush my hair” levels of lazy. The last time I used a brush was so long ago, I’ve regarded it as a distant memory. I’ve found the best shampoo (L’Oreal EverStrong) and conditioner (Organix Macadamia Oil) for my ponytail-thick hair, so I don’t like tempting the balance by trying out new things. However, this was the kind of product range that tempted me to try it. This also just goes to show you that I never learn. This variant is for colored hair, so I was assuming that it would be more moisturizing than usual, just because treated hair usually needs more TLC because of how dry it gets. First up …

My MAC Haul Swatch-fest: Part II

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Hey all, So here’s the rest of the swatches from my MAC haul, on my part at least. I will ask my sister, Isabel, if I can borrow her stash and show you some swatches. We’ll see. Today, I have a paint pot, two eye kohls, three blushes, and five lipsticks, so it’s still exciting times over here at Softly Sometimes. To transition from Part I’s eyeshadow bonanza, let’s start with eye product swatches then go downwards on the face. Swatches from L-R: eye kohls in Teddy and Prunella, MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study and Rubenesque (for comparison) I didn’t think it would be possible, but I feel like I do love Bare Study as much as I love Rubenesque, though this swatch makes it look meh. Here’s a better one: The level of love I had for the Rubenesque made me think I didn’t really need or want another Paint Pot, but Bare Study is proving that to be false. I love both. As for the eye kohls, I haven’t tested wear time, …

Color it Spring: A Quick Swatch Review of the Le Métier de Beauté’s Mélange de Colour Fashion Palette

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OK, so where do I begin? This beauty is the Melange de Colour Fashion Palette by Le Métier de Beauté, and it is probably going to be the last eyeshadow buy for me in a long, long while (unless something remarkable comes out and I need to get it, stat). This was a palette I was going to pass up whilst on my makeup ban a few months ago. I was trying to pool together my ‘beauty budget’ for that trip to Japan that I ignored some of the later-announced Spring releases, and this was one of them. I came across a post by Emilie of the Cogitation Project, and of course I became obsessed with finding it. I looked at eBay but couldn’t afford the 50% markup + shipping + taxes, and then I resorted to the LMdB Facebook page, where an SA was saying they had a couple more left department store and could probably get one to whoever emails him/her. Of course I did, and after a few weeks of correspondence, it …

My MAC Haul Swatch-fest: Part I

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Hello everyone! Today, I come bearing most of the swatches from my MAC haul, which caused quite a stir. I hope you all know that I am posting these items as a means to be informative and as a way to connect with other makeup-lovers. I don’t do it to brag or anything gross like that. Just saying! Here are some swatches. I’ve used most of what I got a few times, and I’m quite happy with what I’ve had a chance to use. If I’ve used a particular shade, I’ll note it down below, but if you were thinking of getting these shades, I hope my quick, little reviews can help you out. I’ll start with eyeshadows. These are the lighter neutrals in my palette. In the first row, we have Cork (muted golden brown, Satin), Quarry (soft muted plum-brown, Matte), and Malt (soft pinkish beige, Matte). These are fairly light, so I use them as a lid color, and sometimes I use Malt as a highlight. It’s also good for evening out the …