This post will have to begin the same way that all other "first-Fyrinnae-haul" posts do:

I knew I was going to love their products, and I ended up being right. Some of you probably know by now that I'm a huge lipgloss junkie, but Fyrinnae are doing everything they can to turn me into an eyeshadow aficionado. Also, they've convinced me to expand Binary Star's technical potential and use my camera's video recording feature to show you how insanely sparkly one of their eyeshadows, Dokkálfar, is.

I can only show you one of them though, because as soon as I finished recording, the sun decided to take a well-deserved rest and hid behind the approaching stormclouds. More eyeshadow swatches to come in Part II.

Please excuse the quality of the video, but I was too excited to care about things like a script, angle or artistic vision. :) It is blurry on purpose though: the lack of proper focus allows me to show you the sparkles better.




Dokkálfar was, by the way, a free sample the guys at Fyrinnae threw in with my order. I was actually thinking of ordering it, but eventually decided to hold off and get it next time. (See? Even back then I knew there'd be a next time.) Anyway, it's a gorgeous, dark moss-green with lime, grass-green and turquoise sparkles, which, despite the crazy amount of sparkle, I can actually see wearing during the daytime as a liner to spice up my otherwise laid-back makeup. It's kind of like powdered hematite and pirite mixed together. :-)




I did get some other things too. In fact, here's my haul:



What I got from Fyrinnae:

• Lip Lustres in Visual Kei, Lollipop Pop, Romantique and Lickable
• Pixie Epoxy sample
• Velvel-Gel Silica Primer
• Blushes in Enchant and Mesmerize
• Eyeshadows in Changeling, Herbivore, Envy Me, Equality, Immortality, Bastet and Beholder
• Arcane Magic Eyeshadow in Dark Fantasy

It's been a long time since I was so happy with a make-up haul. It makes me wonder why I stuck to EDM for such a long time when it came to eyeshadows and blushes. Sure, blushes are not Fyrinnae's primary products, but those 12 Glow Blushes that Fyrianne has will beat those of EDM (and other companies) anytime. I'm especially fond of Enchant: it looks scary in the jar, and even more scary in the picture as it somehow came out all orange-looking, but trust me that when you apply it with a skunk brush, it'll give your cheeks a beautiful coral glow just like its name suggests.

Fyrinnae's eyeshadows... I don't even know where to begin. One thing's sure: they are unique and are of exceptional quality. I was a bit skeptical about them first, but now that I've seen them with my own eyes, I probably won't be shopping for new eyeshadows anywhere else. The colors are very pigmented, intense, and look as if they'd magically been extracted from a peacock's feathers. :-) You have to try them to see what I mean, and I promise you, you won't be disappointed if you do.

They come in two sizes:

• sample size (a very generous 1/3 teaspoonful that'll last you for ages) for 2 USD
• full size for 5.9 USD

Their Velvet-Gel Silica Primer is another thing that made me jump with joy the moment I tried it: first off, it doesn't contain silicones. If that's not something to be happy about then I don't know what is. My skin hates silicones, and while I have found a very decent priming product sans silicones in Alverde's Tagesfluid Perle, I could very well do without all the oils in it. Fyrinnae's primer contains Aloe Vera juice, silica (totally not the same as silicone) and some gel-forming agent. It'll probably also last me ages, as it's possible to apply on wet skin, and even when applied to dry skin, you need the smallest amount. It creates a perfect, smooth canvas for my foundation and keeps the oilies at bay for a much longer time than anything I've ever tried before. I'll have to perfect its use though as it also tends to dry out my skin a bit, but I'll probably be able to solve that by applying it over a thin layer of moisturizer.




Of course, having read so many raves about Pixie Epoxy, I just had to get a sample. I was hesitating between a sample and a full size, but I'm glad I ended up buying the smaller size: you need so little of the product to cover an eyelid (think smaller that a poppy-seed) that the sample will last me very long.




Pixie Epoxy is not an eyeshadow primer. I can attest to that, as I tried using it as one and it's obviously not in the same league with my beloved Artdeco Eyeshadow Base. What it does, however, is make all that fooling around with water and mixing medium when foiling your eyeshadows a thing of the past. Just apply a tiny amount of the gel to your eyelid, smear it, let it dry a bit until it's sticky and brush on your eyeshadow (brushing is better than patting in PE's case). It makes a world of difference:




Being the self-professed lippie junkie that I am, I just have to share Fyrinnae's Lip Lustres with you. They are, indeed, not lipglosses in the traditional sense of the word. They really are more like lip tints, but very yummy and moisturizing ones. You can apply a tiny amount and top it with lipbalm or gloss if you only want a slight tint, or you can apply them as you normally would a gloss and they'll cover your lips in bright colors in no time as they're very opaque and will look the same on your lips as they do in the tube. The texture is nice and I guess I could say that these are to regular lipglosses what mineral foundation is to liquid foundation: sort of velvety and barely-there, they feel almost as if I didn't have anything on my lips.

Some of my color choices turned out to be a bit unfortunate, but I'll never blame Fyrinnae for that. I mean what the h*ll was I thinking getting a bright pink lippie??? (Visual Kei anyone?) Especially knowing that it'd be opaque... Okay, so I was in the mood for something bright and cheerful, but I really should have known better... :-)))



Visual Kei: The brightest of them all, sort of fuchsia with slight bluish shimmer. Not my thing, but I'll probably be using it as a tint under lipbalm.

Romantique: Again, not the best choice for my skintone. It's too light and washes me out, but will probably look nice over something else.

Lollipop-Pop: It looks sort of like a toned-down Visual Kei. Medium pink with blue shimmer and looks a lot cooler in real life than on Fyrinnae's website. I'll be able to wear this on its own.

Lickable: Okay, this is my favorite. :-) A pinkish golden-brown, quite complex although it looks unassuming in the tube. It makes my lips lighter than they are, gives them a subtle golden sheen and is perfect combined with a brown smoky eye or any sort of green eye makeup.
Also, what the heck??? Lickable is nowhere to be found on Fyrinnae's website anymore! What gives? *scratches head*

Oh, and another thing: Fyrinnae's Lip Lustres smell and taste delicious. I like the scent of Romantique the best (I mean I could sniff it all day), but all the others are equally mouth-watering.

Fyrinnae's Lip Lustres come in two sizes:

• 3 ml for 2.5 USD
• 5.8 ml for 4.5 USD

Both sizes come with doefoot applicators, and while I'm not fond of those, I understand why they would be picked for this product. Brushes just wouldn't work with this texture.




All in all, I'm ridiculously happy with my Fyrinnae haul and will definitely order from them again. As the Hungarian Forint has plummeted thanks to the financial crisis in Greece, that order will have to wait a bit, but I already have my wishlist full and can hardly wait to try some more of Fyrinnae's eyeshadows, Lip Lustres and blushes. I will also order a full size from their Velvet-Gel Silica Primer. ;-)

Have you ever tried Fyrinnae? What's your opinion? Have their products managed to bewitch you just as much?

Finally, here are some more swatches of the Lip Lustres.




 

Hey girls! I think I'm ready to believe that spring is finally here and intends to stay for good. The trees are blossoming, and I know it's not that big a deal, and that it happens pretty much every spring without fail, but it's still the most exciting piece of news today. The pigeons' heads are barely sticking out of the lawn and our neighborhood is practically bustling with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

It's just so good to be alive on a day like this!

Also, I'd like to say hello to my new student who, as it turns out, loves reading beauty blogs too. :-D Hey there girl! I hope you'll like what you find here. ;-)


Let's get down to business then. :)



I've been having this love-hate relationship with lipgloss for a while.

I love how it's sheerer than lipstick and doesn't sit in the tiny little creases of my lips but instead makes them look youthful and fresh. I love how it makes my lips full and shiny without being too over-the-top and how it coats them with a balmy layer of moisture and natural protective butters. I also adore it's delicious scent and taste and oftentimes wish it were edible. I'm fond of the brush that allows for precise application and the gorgeous packaging it comes in.

And I hate how usually a lipgloss manages to deliver only a few of the above.

How 'bout you?

...

Mmm-hmm, that's what I had thought. ;-)

I know we all have different requirements when it comes to lipgloss, but if you're like me and expect your gloss to be all of the above (minus the not-living-up-to-your-expectations part), then you'll probably love Stila's Lip Glaze in Mandarin Mist.






I've read several less-than-favorable opinions concerning the mechanics of the pen-styled tube on MUA, but I personally haven't experienced any problems with it. My only pet peeve is the lack of information on how to make it work the first time. * After that, it's a breeze, just make sure you give the bottom of the pen only a few twists, otherwise you'll end up with a humongous blob of lipgloss on the tip of the brush.

* Twist the bottom of the pen clockwise until you see the product appearing on the brush. It may take ridiculously long, but it's worth it. ;-)




I also don't have any issues with the brush and much prefer it to doe-foot applicators. It allows for a more precise application, and were it not part of the pen itself, it'd even be possible to clean with some alcohol, water and baby-shampoo. (If you're a hygiene-freak, that is, but really girls, how many of us actually clean our lipgloss brushes...? Just curious. ^_^)



Don't you all just want your lipglosses to smell and taste delicious? I know I do, and this product definitely hasn't let me down. Its scent reminds me of orange toffee and an orange-shaped chewing gum my Mum used to buy me when I was little. It even manages to taste the way it smells, which is no small feat in a world full of boring sugary and sometimes downright plastic-flavoured lipglosses.





Okay, so the color is a bit difficult to pin down, as with this product everything depends on lighting conditions. In warm, natural half-light and in the presence of incandescent lightbulbs it tends to take on a warm quality and comes close to being a pinkish-coral shade. However, I would probably refrain from wearing it in Tungsten-halogen light, as it tends to transform into every woman's worst dream: the opaque, icy-pink lippie of the eighties. Yuck.... Also, it pays off to apply this gloss a bit more liberally than you might be used to, because it takes away from the iciness and makes it lean more towards the coraly goodness it really is. (Don't ask me how though, it totally doesn't make any sense to me...)




First things first: it's glossy. Excuse me for stating the obvious, but as a girl who naturally gravitates toward sheerer, more natural-looking lip products this came as... well, certainly not as a surprise, but it's been quite a while since I last used anything glossier than Silk Naturals lippies, so it definitely needed some getting used to. :-D (Also, it's on the sticky end of the spectrum, but it's nothing I can't handle and a big thumbs-up goes to the Lip Glaze for not drying out my puckers.) After getting over that shocking little revelation, I didn't have any issues with the product. In fact, I like it a lot and will certainly reach for it when an occasion to crank up the pancake on my face a few notches presents itself. :-D





Stila wants you to shell out 22 USD for a 2.4 ml (0.08 fl.oz) lipgloss which, in my opinion, is a bit steep. Then again, anyone's willingness to pay that much for a lippie really just depends on what they want from the product in question. If you want a lot of shine and a delicious taste/scent, then it might be perfectly worth it for you. If you like your lips being more natural, with a little less bling-bling and more of a satiny sheen and some color, well then you might want to look elsewhere.

Make no mistake though: I love having Stila's Lip Glaze in my stash and knowing that whenever I'm in the mood for a bit more shine, I can get that (and a lot more) from this gloss. I might even buy another one (or two) in the future, but let's just say that Mandarin Mist and I are not exclusive. ;-) In the case of this lipgloss, there's scope for improvement, particularly in the stickiness department, but it has a lot more good qualities than bad: the delicious scent and taste, the lovely finish it gives our lips, the practical packaging and the wide range of shades available all speak in favor of trying Stila's lippies if you haven't already.

A big thank you goes out to Fan, my fellow beauty-blogger and friend, who sent me this lipgloss for my birthday two weeks ago. I'm ever so grateful for her that I got the chance to test one of Stila's famous Lip Glazes and hope to return the favor with something similar in May. ;-)


Rating: 5 out of 5

Available: Stila's website, Sephora, and probably other major department stores (Needless to say, Stila is not available in Hungary...)

Ingredients:
Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Helianthus Annuus (Hybrid Sunflower) Oil, Lanolin Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla Cera) Wax (Candelilla Cera\Cire de Candelilla), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cera Carnauba\Cire de Carnauba), Tocopheryl Acetate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Flavor (Aroma), Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Farnesol, Citral, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol, Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090) (CI 42090), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163) (CI 77163), Carmine (CI 75470) (CI 75470), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 22 Lake (CI 45380), Red 27 (CI 45410), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 (CI 73360), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985)  

Fan and I have been writing each other for a while and promised gifts for the other's birthday. I had mine last Friday, so yesterday I got to be the ecstatic recipient of a lovely package from Belgium full of goodies. :-)

This is the third package I got from Fan (here are the first and second), and as usual its contents blew me away.




What I got:

• A letter. A heartfelt, beautiful, handwritten letter. You don't get those very often now, do you? And it's a shame too, because while e-mails are great, there's just something about handwritten letters that adds a whole new level of "awesome" to one's life.
  
  
• A Stila Lip Glaze in Mandarin Mist
  
  Stila is not available in Hungary (does it even surprise anyone at all anymore...?), so you can imagine how excited I was to find this among my gifts. And you can probably also guess how difficult it is for me not to tell you all about it right now, but I'm planning to dedicate an entire post to each item I got, so you'll have to bear with me a little longer.
  
  
• A blush by HEMA
  
  Fan has already written a post about it, so if you're really curious (which you should be), then you can read about this product here. For now, let it be enough that it's every bit as great as Fan said it would be. :-)
  
  
• A Labello lip balm with star fruit and dragon fruit extracts
  
  I'm risking a lot here when I tell you that my first reaction was: "Ooookay...Labello. Right." Cause we kinda have it in Hungary, and I've had some not-so-pleasant experiences with the brand about five (or more) years ago.
  
  Let me just quickly make amends for my cheek before Fan gets really angry with me and tell you that she knows her stuff when it comes to cosmetics and that this Labello is not the Labello of five years ago. In fact, this stuff is so good that after only two days of using it continuously (yeah, I kinda couldn't get enough of that juicy scent) I can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good, reliable lip-balm for the summer. (There's added SPF, baby. )
  
  So please Fan, don't hate me for my initial reaction: I've been keeping your name in my prayers ever since I tried this balm. *hug*
  
  
• A lovely necklace with a gorgeous blue crystal surrounded by silvery stars that twinkle with each tiny little movement I make. To me, it symbolizes my love of stars, of endless space, and a literary genre that strives to wrap up the infinite and hand it to us on a silvery plasteel plate: science-fiction.
  
  
• Some nice sheets of paper I can use to try my hands at origami. I should probably start with something easy and not be crazy enough to attempt the Kawasaki Rose, but then again, that Rose smells like a challenge. ^_^

Don't you fret for a minute over the brevity of this post: I'm planning to spend this week and the next with telling you about each of Fan's gifts in a separate post. ;-) There's going to be pictures, lots of details, ingredients lists and all sorts of other juicy stuff to keep you entertained. ^_^

No, I haven't forgotten. Like I ever could. :-)


You've truly made my birthday a special time of year with your letter, your thoughtful (and perfect) gifts and with just being my friend. *hug*  

I promised in this post that I would swatch my latest* lippie haul from SN as soon as the weather and lighting conditions allow it. Well, when I left to Nuremberg it was still winter in Hungary: cold, cloudy, silent, snow on the ground, short days and all. On my way back the sun came out of hiding, the sky cleared up and I saw its azure blue tint for the first time in months, even the last inch of snow melted, and the weather was finally warm. It's been like that ever since: the birds are singing, it's 17:39 right now and there's still some light outside, it was 10°C today (50°F), and the lighting was perfect for taking some well-overdue shots of my lippies.

* Only they're not my latest lippies from SN anymore: our group haul arrived last week and in it another 7 glosses I'm gonna rave about very soon. (SN glosses seem to be my very own version of Pokemon: if I carry on in this vein, I'll have collected them all. :-D)

Anyway, the lippies I'm going to tell you about today are:

• Cultured (vegan)
• Bisou (vegan)
• Raindrops On Roses
• Bitten

I ordered them before Christmas 2009 and immediately fell in love with Bitten. I can now safely say that I absolutely don't care for Bisou (neither the shade, nor the formula), would love Cultured if only it were a bit less pink and more brown/yellow, and have found a perfect way to wear Raindrops on Roses: mixed with Gold Blush it gives my lips a lovely bright coral tint and my complexion the perfect "I'm wide awake and happy as a lark!" look.

Anyway, let me give you some details and show you some pics.




And now, lo and behold, the same lips wearing those four SN glosses:



Karen's description:

"Cultured Vegan Lip Gloss is inspired by MAC's Slimshines...so sorta like Maiden- it's not quite as pigmented or "formal" looking as a lipstick- perfect for the office or more casual occasions. It's a lighter nude with a hint of plum and a little bit of pearl. In comparison Maiden is pinker, and more golden,Polished Pink is browner and more shimmery."

No, not quite as pigmented, but it still manages to accentuate every little crease on my lips... I have the same problem with the other Vegan lippie I have, Bisou: they both make my lips look cracked and badly taken care of (which I swear they're not).

My other gripe with Cultured is not Silk Naturals' fault: because it has too much pink in it, it washes me out and makes my complexion look really dull. I was actually hesitating about whether to buy Cultured, Polished Pink or Maiden, but eventually I ended up buying this one. Since then, I have placed another order and put Maiden in my cart so we'll see how that one looks. (That order has yet to arrive though... I absolutely hate the Hungarian postal service.)

There is actually one very positive thing I can say about Cultured: its formula is incredibly smooth and moisturizing and I love the feel of it on my lips. If only it looked good on me...

Price: 4.75 USD
Rating: 3 out of 5

Karen's description:

"Bisou is a lightly pigmented berry tone with a little bit of peach, balanced with a bit of cooler raspberry. It gives your lips just a hint of shimmer and a healthy pink flush."

Sorry, but WHAT? Lightly pigmented?? Healthy pink flush???

Folks, for one thing, this looks nothing like the swatch on SN's site. The shade is not what I expected at all: it more sort of an intense cool red in sunlight, no brown in it at all, nothing neutral about it.

For another, it is anything but "lightly pigmented". Compared to other SN lippies, it's actually very heavily pigmented and the color is very intense, it's just that when I try to put it on, it tends slide off my lips and streaks like bad quality nail-polish. And it tends to gravitate towards above mentioned wrinkles and creases on my lips.

Sorry, but even combining this with other lippies (Clear among them) has not yielded any acceptable/wearable results.

Price: 4.75 USD
Rating: 2 out of 5 (And I was very generous.)



Karen's description:

"Raindrops on Roses is a shimmery, slightly sheer pink with little hints of gold in our yummy original Kisser Slicker formula. It's understated, very seasonal and absolutely gorgeous."

Well, hallelujah, I don't have to grumble anymore. :-)))

ROR is indeed absolutely gorgeous and very versatile. It was also one of the two lippies I took with me to Nuremberg. The other one was Gold Blush, and the reason why I took these two is that Gold Blush is a perfect everyday color, ROR comes in handy for a business dinner or any other fancy occasion, and the two mixed together give the loveliest coral/golden berry shade I've ever worn, great for both everyday and formal occasions.

But back to the product itself. Raindrops On Roses is a cool-ish berry shade tempered by some golden shimmer so that it becomes more sort of neutral rather than cool. It's a bit more pigmented than my other SN lippies, sort of in the range of Berry Crush and Temptation. The gold shimmer in it is a brilliant idea as it makes the gloss just warm enough for me to wear, but like I said it's best mixed with Gold Blush: nothing's better than those two together. ;-)

It goes well with my skintone which is always a bonus, and the texture is all right too.

Price: 4.50 USD
Rating: 5 out of 5


Karen's description:

"Bitten Organic Lip Gloss is the Fall version of Damsel. It's a true red, absolutely sheer- sort of like you ate a lollypop. It's deeper, and more red than Damsel, and a true red compared with the more purple Berry Nice."

I was bitten by the love bug the minute I tried this one. (Pun totally intended.) As a matter of fact, I fell for it the first time I saw it on SN's website: the description and the swatch looked too good to be true. I mean I've been wishing for a lipgloss like this for ages. I loved my Bourjois Les Cocktails lipgloss in Rouge Sunset and have been dreaming of a slightly more pigmented version from SN. And whaddaya know? Karen made my dream come true. :-)))

Bitten is a lot like Damsel when it comes to sheerness: both are more sort of lip stains than lipglosses in that they don't have such a high pigment content that would add thickness to their formula. Bitten is really just a sheer lollypop red that makes your lips look as if you'd been kissing. ;-) It does make your lips shiny too but that really just depends on how much you put on. One swipe, and it just tints your lips. Two-three swipes: yeah, it's obvious you've got something on. Full-on application (i.e.: swiping for ages): lovely, fresh red lips. :-) A bonus is that even when most of the gloss is gone, some color remains, so it's perfect for girls whose lips are not that pigmented.

Truth be told, I haven't been wearing Bitten non-stop ever since I got it (which, judging by the tone of my review, should be the case), but I have to be in the mood to wear red and that doesn't just happen every day. Nevertheless, it is an awesome lipgloss and the one I turn to when I want to wear red on my lips.

Oh, and the texture? Perfect. :-)

Price: 4.50 USD
Rating: 5 (or even 6) out of 5


Finally, here are some swatches on my arm to give you a better idea of what these glosses look like.
(Btw, why does Cultured look so darn nice in every picture??? It's really not as appealing as that... Gives my lips that sort of lilac tint that drowned people have... *scratches head*)




So has any one of these four Silk Naturals glosses caught your fancy? Do you actually own any on them? I know Sagu has ROR (I bought it upon her encouragement). Anyone else? Let me know. :-)  

You could say this post is waaaaaay overdue: after all, I did get some of these glosses back in April and two of them in summer. My only excuse is that priority-wise blogging has never overtaken real life for me and it has been doubly so in the last couple of months when I was trying to find a job (and failing spectacularly).

Anyway, better late than never: here are six more Silk Naturals Organic Lipglosses:

• Soft
• Mimosa
• Berry Nice
• Nectar
• Nude Beach
• Darling

Let's just briefly recap on what we already know about SN lippies:

• Their most important feature is their ability to moisturize and protect lips like nothing else I've ever tried. I swear that ever since I've been using these I haven't had chapped lips. (Okay, I have, but that was because I was too lazy to apply them or forgot them at home.)
• They are exceptionally wearable colors due to each having a tiny bit of brown base in it somewhere and to the fact that most of them are sheer and natural.
• They come in small tubes and while initially I was somewhat frustrated by their size, I am now perfectly content with their packaging as it allows for more precise application.
• Last but not least: I'm head over heels in love with them and will continue to hoard/use these lovelies until Karen makes them. :-) (In fact, I already have 5 more on the way.)
  

Now, onto the lippies themselves:





Karen's description:

"Soft is very similar to Bobbi Brown's limited edition/hard to find Clear Pink lip gloss. It's a medium toned pink with just a little bit of coverage- and no shimmer. I love it for weekends, and more informal looks. It's cool toned- but cute and wearable for just about anyone because it's essentially a sheer wash of pink. "

'Soft' is such an unassuming little thing... No wonder it wasn't my favorite at first. It's a sheer, cool (but wearable!) pink, and despite all that "Olive gals should wear warm, peachie colors!" it looks fabulous with my olive/yellow complexion. Once I gave it a try and payed proper attention to what it was trying to whisper in my ears ("Wear me, you won't regret is!") I was sold. Besides Tender, Damsel and Precious, it's my go-to color on days when I just can't decide on what I want to put on or simply want to look natural but polished. If you're new to SN, this color (along with the ones I just mentioned) is a great introduction to their lipglosses.

Rating: definitely 5 out of 5

Karen's description:

"Mimosa starts with a sheer base of peachie pink and adds really pretty golden sparkle. It's a light, fun color that's great for everyday. If you like Lovelace blush- Mimosa will be a fun one for you."

Karen's description:

"Berry Nice is a clone of Bobbi Brown's Raspberry Lip Gloss from the Pink Raspberry Pallette. It's completely sheer- there's no shimmer, or coverage- just a gorgeous juicy pink color. If you've tried Damsel or Sweet Nothing- it's a similar style to those- but this is a deeper berry color.

Bobbi Brown calls this color universally flattering, and we're finding it to be true- it's a gorgeous shade that should look good on just about anyone."

Karen's description:

"Nectar is our clone of Clinique's Black Honey- it is by far our most requested clone. Nectar is a deep brown berry shade- completely sheer without any shimmer at all. It's a cult favorite- universally flattering shade, and perfect for Fall. This one was a hard one to make, it's gorgeous, but unless it's a huge seller- it's going to be Limited Edition, so if you like it please tell your friends!"

Urgh, where ever shall I begin...? I had been lemming Clinique's 'Black Honey' for ages but had always been a bit apprehensive about shelling out so much money on a product that reportedly doesn't last longer than a month... Then I made a compromise and bought this. "Universally flattering", "looks great on all skintones", "naturally flushed lips", yada yada... Not.

Too dark, too brown, too everything that I can't wear and that makes me look like a zombie.

The texture is lovely and it's a perfectly sheer lippie, so to women whose skintone is more suited for wearing browns I say go for it!

Rating: 3 out of 5 (Sorry!)


Karen's description:

"Nude Beach is the perfect combination of pink and golden-brown. It covers relatively well- not too much, not too shimmery, but balanced and gorgeous."

Mmmm, that's more like it! :-D

Nude Beach is a fantastic color for the summer, although I'm not entirely sure I would call it a "nude". It's definitely too saturated for that: on my lips it had this beautiful pearly-bronze sheen with a bit of peach-sorbet in there somewhere.

In winter it's somewhat duller and closer to being a nude, and I guess its shade really depends on what lighting you're wearing it in.

Rating: 5 out of 5


Karen's description:

L-O-V-E-L-Y...!!!

Okay, so if 'Nude Beach' has a bit of peach-sorbet in there somewhere then 'Darling' has it all. It's THE warm, peachy pink lippie that I can actually wear and not look like a 90-year-old lady who got stuck in the 80s style-wise.

It's sheer, shiny, has a bit of shimmer in it and is almost a kind of brick-red without all those things commonly associated with brick red lippies.

Rating: a solid 5 out of 5


Finally, let's see how these babies perform in action... (Let's just say I'm not too happy about how these pictures came out, but this is all I can come up with at the moment. Any tips on how to photograph makeup on one's face are greatly appreciated. ;-))


 

Some time ago Fan and I were having a conversation on her blog about Catrice lipsticks and how the whole brand is totally missing from Hungary. (No surprise there...) She then offered to send me two Catrice lippies of my choice because she's sweet like that, and I promised to send her some goodies in return. Later she mentioned in one of her e-mails that she had also included some surprises, but I would never have imagined something as awesome as this:



Contents of the parcel:

• Catrice Absolute Moisture lipstick in Dark Rosewood
• Catrice Absolute Moisture lipstick in Spicy Coral
• Estee Lauder Pure-Pops lipgloss in Blackberry
• Thierry Mugler Angel Innocent sample
• a packet of tiny stars made by Fan herself
• a sweet, handwritten letter (I absolutely ♥ it!)
  

As a typical teenager from Orange Country would say: "Oh my God!!! Like, this is soooo cool!!!" Well, that's pretty much what I said when I opened the parcel, so thank you a thousand times Fan for making my day... no, my entire week! (And for turning me into a brainless chit of a girl too. :-DDD) I've been playing with my new goodies ever since they arrived 6 days ago, and now I feel confident to share my opinion about them.




We all want different things from makeup, right? Some want vibrant colors, strong pigmentation and for the stuff to stay on the entire day. Others don't mind if they have to re-apply their lipstick during the day as long as it provides sheer coverage, some shine, and comes in wearable, natural shades. They also always consider it a bonus if said lip product doesn't dry their lips, making them shrivel up and turn into prunes. I happen to belong to the second group, so these lippies are perfect for me.

Both are relatively sheer and natural and with a layer of lipbalm underneath they're perfection in a tube. (I've always worn lipbalm under my lipsticks, it's an old habit of mine.) Lipsticks often fool me with their creamy formula (full of petroleum, might I add...), making me thing they would moisturize my lips well, but after only an hour I find my lips are cracked and dry and in desperate need of some heavy-duty lipbalm. Not these though. These lipsticks don't lave me hanging in the middle of the day, searching for my lipbalm and realizing with a sinking feeling that I've left them at home again. Nope, they protect my lips all day and impart some much welcome shine to them. They also have a rich, powdery-vanilla scent, almost cocoa-like. Nice, huh? ;-) The packaging is also gorgeous: Catrice lipsticks come in shiny, dark, metallic-brown tubes that feel heavy in my hands so they're probably made of metal too.

Spicy Coral is a lovely, cool coral shade with no sparkle or anything, while Dark Rosewood is a deep, almost neutral rose color (with just a hint of brown), again, without any sparkle or shimmer. (I've been experimenting with the two and noticed that mixing them creates a lovely mid-tone, neutral rose shade that's perfect for daywear.)

So, my verdict? If you ever get the chance to be in a 5 foot radius of any Catrice stand, then don't be afraid to approach it, because this brand has lipstick-making down to an art and I'm pretty sure they're pro at creating other kinds of makeup too.


Price: 2.99 €
Where to buy: Not in Hungary, that's for sure... Erm, okay, in some (most?) European countries.
Amount: n/a
Ingredients:
POLYBUTENE, OCTYLDODECANOL, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, OZOkERITE, HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL DIMER DILINOLEATE, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, CANDELILLA CERA, BEHENOXY DIMETHICONE, MICA, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER), ALLANTOIN, PARAFFIN, HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER, TALC, PROPYLPARABEN, AROMA, [+/- CI 15850, CI 15985, CI 19140, CI 42090, CI 45410, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891





Doesn't it look a bit scary in the tube? Magnificent, yes, but scary... ;-)))




Now stop shaking in your pants, because really, this is just a gorgeous, perfectly wearable gloss. Again, whether you'll like this product or not will mostly depend on what you generally expect from a lippie. Some girls on MUA bemoan the fact that it's too sparkly, while some bawl their eyes out because it's not sparkly enough for their tastes. Others yet are perfectly content with the way it is, claiming it contains just enough multicolored sparkles to make it a bit interesting, while at the same time it remains a perfectly wearable gloss for daytime. I tend to agree with these gals. :-) Blackberry gives your lips a slight purple tint (the stuff seems waaaaay more pigmented in the tube), a few bits of sparkle here and there, and a generous amount of shine.

I haven't experienced any drying, so that's good, and the scent... oh, the scent is simply to die for!!! It's an incredibly rich, almost chocolaty blackberry fragrance that I, being the foody-scent lover that I am, would wear as a perfume in a heartbeat. I wonder why there are so many perfumes smelling of fabric-softener when they can come up with scents as delicious as this? Go figure...

I haven't had any problems with the tube either: it has a brush tip and you have to turn the base anti-clockwise to let the gloss flow freely into the tip and clockwise to turn off the flow. Just make sure you don't turn it too much, because the whole thing will come off. Not a very sensible mechanism, but if you pay a little attention, you'll be fine.

Anyway, great gloss, and whether you're willing to spend the 20.5 $ mostly depends on what you expect from a lippie. In any case, I love it. :-)

Price: around 20.5$, but I suppose that varies, and you might also be able to find some good deals on EBay.
Amount: 10 ml
Where to get it: Estee Lauder stores, Amazon, EBay, and department stores
Ingredients:



In a previous post, I shared with you the details of my private little war with Angel. (Check the comments too!) You see, I wanted to like it so much, but I just couldn't. It was too much and just too something I am not. There's something domineering in it, something bold and audacious, but thank heavens, that "something" is missing entirely from this incarnation.

Let me quote a reviewer from MUA, drvogue:

"This is an Intro to Angel for sissies like myself. It's Angel's playful little sister who aspires to be Angel one day but doesn't quite get there. That's okay, because she is quite beautiful in her own little way."

I couldn't have said it better myself, and yes, I will happily admit: I'm a sissy too.

Just like its big sister, Angel Innocent also starts off with a mix of pine and pineapple, but they don't smell rotten this time. These two notes are the essence of this perfume and while it's still definitely a gourmand, foody scent, sweet and a bit spicy on my skin, it doesn't dry down to a musky cocoa the way Angel does. That, by the way, is a shame really, but then as a compensation we have something that's much more tolerable/wearable, something that doesn't give me a headache the minute I put it on, and something that I've been wearing since I got it and still love. Now that's a remarkable feat from a perfume, as most of them bore me to hell after only a few uses.

Angel Innocent is now officially my scent for this fall, and since I only use a small drop, it'll last me the entire season. That reminds me though: be prepared that while Angel needs several hours just to unfold and show you all its layers of scent and one drop of it is enough for the whole day, Angel Innocent is completely gone in about 3 hours. I don't mind though: it's better than wanting to gag and suffering from a migraine all at the same time because no amount of scrubbing will get the d*mn thing off your skin. ;-)


Last but not least, take a look at these amazing little "lucky stars" Fan made for me:



Now I'd like to thank Fan for this amazing set of goodies: I had such a good time oohing and aahing over each of them. You're a real angel and I hope you'll like my gifts for you too! *hug*


 

Aaah, I remember those days when Bourjois was on sale and their products could be bought for ridiculous prices... I kept searching the stores for some so far undiscovered gem to pop up and was simply giddy when I came upon something new. Good times...




Up until recently I had been struggling with my acne and never really felt like using flashy makeup for daytime. I wanted something low-key, something that would not call people's attention to my zits too much (not that that could be avoided, but still...). Silk Naturals lippies were perfect for this purpose with their incredibly creamy and moisturizing texture and sheer, wearable colors.

However, as a result of my medical program (diet + medicine + exercising), I no longer suffer from cystic acne and my skin has cleared up incredibly (= at the moment I have only one zit!), and what remains (scars) is relatively easy to cover up with makeup. I feel I can whip out my Bourjois lipglosses again and wear these shiny, flashy and creative concoctions again.

I just feel soooooooooo liberated. ;-P

So, it's high time I redone all those Bourjois lippie posts I wrote back when I had but a scanner and lots of free-time on my hands. This time I intend to provide quality pictures and swatches as faithful to the original as possible.



In this first post we'll take a look at the four prettiest shades:

• 10 Miel Acrobatic
• 49 Rose Enigmatic
• 5 Rose Angelic
• 59 Ocre Rythmic

It is lovely and I was ecstatic when I spotted it among the discounted items one day, but I have to concede that it's just not for me. This gloss has a peachy base infused with golden pearly shimmer and is much lighter than my lips, which is never a good look for me. Nevertheless, for those who like shades like this, it's perfect: doesn't dry lips, isn't sticky, has a nice scent and a brush that allows precise application. What more could a girl ask for? ;-)


Oh. My. God.
This gloss is perfection in a tube. I call it 'liquid grapefruit' and you'll see why once you take a better look at my swatches.
It's basically golden shimmer all over in a sheer coral/pink grapefruit base. The whole thing is incredibly sheer and glossy, and I can imagine it'd look just gorgeous on any lip. I don't know if this one's still available (many Bourjois glosses in my stash have been discontinued), but if you find it anywhere, go ahead and get it.





My other favorite, and annoyingly difficult to photograph. It's basically a pearly pink with hints of coral, lots of golden shimmer and there's also an almost undetectable amount of green in there somewhere. This last thing is what makes it so special in my book: I love lip products that have green shimmer in them: it just makes them a bit more exciting and gives them an extra depth. Plus is makes stuff go well with my Martian (=olive) complexion.



As sheer as Rose Enigmatic and chock-full of antique gold shimmer. Looking at it closely, I have a hunch that the base it totally transparent and colorless, it's only the ridiculously fine shimmer that lends it its color. I kinda like that it's so sheer and that it's very easy to control the amount of product I use, so I've found yet another favorite in this one.

Finally, let's see them in action.



Read more about Bourjois lipglosses in the following posts:
Erm... Gloss anyone?
3 More Glosses
Bourjois Makeup
Bourjois Lipgloss Review

All images on this blog are © Izar, unless stated otherwise.  

Should I repeat myself?

Oh well, why not…?

I’m a lipgloss/lipbalm/lipstick addict.

Basically if a product is advertised as having been made for lips, I’m immediately sold. Whenever I find a new online cosmetics store, I always click on the button that has the magic word “lip” on it somewhere. Whenever the products behind it seem appealing, I immediately start planning the contents of my shopping cart, or at the very least jump to bookmark the site.


Sometimes I’m a bit ashamed at owning so many and think of all the “useful” things I could have bought with that money, but more often than not I can be seen pondering the next item I could add to my relatively impressive collection. (I know that said collection is nothing compared to those of some notable beauty-bloggers out there, but do allow me to be proud of mine nonetheless.)


Naturally, these lippies just scream to be reviewed, especially the Silk Naturals ones. My time and energy, however, are limited nowadays and I just can’t put together reviews of dozens of products at a time with heaps of pictures and swatches. Thus, I’ve decided to share only two at a time, preferably two that couldn’t be more different from each other, in the hopes that you, Dear Readers, will always find among them at least one that you like.


This time, my choice fell upon two Silk Naturals glosses that I absolutely adore: Precious and Damsel. One glimpse at these and I wouldn’t have thought that I’d end up wearing them just as much as I adore them. Precious has been my favorite SN lippie ever since I got it a month or two ago: with its cool pink base and the contrasting heaps of golden shimmer it makes it difficult not to fall victim to its charms. It looks suspiciously pearly upon first glance, and if there’s one thing that can keep me away from lippies of any kind is that pathetic remnant from the eighties that makes every woman who was not born a beauty queen look washed out and cheap.




However, this lippie was made by Karen Stark, which practically guarantees that it’ll turn out wearable, and it does: it is possible to apply it in a way that it leaves a lovely pinkish-golden sheen on one’s lips that is just perfect for the summer.





Some of you may remember having read words suspiciously similar to these a couple of reviews ago, and you will not be mistaken: I did say the same thing about Gold Blush, another SN lippie with similar features. Had I known what Precious is like then though, I would probably have expressed a little less enthusiasm for Gold Blush and a lot more for Precious. You see, Precious is Gold Blush, only it has more of everything GB has: more pink, more gold (lots and lots!), more charm, more character, and more of that extremely elusive quality that’s often difficult to put into words and that we usually just call “ooomph” (give or take a few ‘o’s).


Damsel is completely different in that it lacks the warmth and shimmeriness of Precious, but easily makes up for it with its sheerness and gorgeous, bright strawberry tint. I first saw it when one of my Hungarian friends (sharing a name with the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and war ;-)) showed it to me and what flashed through my head were just three words: “I WANT THIS!”. No wonder though: it’s a real eye-candy.




When it arrived about a week later and rolled out of the parcel, it turned out to be everything I wished for it to be: it’s a stunningly beautiful vibrant pink that’s still wearable and looks great on olive skin. (I’m not sure it’d show up on lips darker than mine, but on an averagely tinted pair of lips it looks great.) It’s an almost radiant neon pink, but because it’s sheer and has no opacity at all, the only thing it does is brighten up my lips and lends my complexion a fresh, youthful look.




These are the two Silk Naturals lippies I use most often, but I do like to wear others, for example Nude Beach and Very Berry (I do prefer NB though), that I’m planning to write about next time.


By the way, I mentioned in this post how I’m not really head over heels with the small diameter of SN lippies and how tedious it makes it for me to paint my lips with them. I’ve changed my mind since then: exactly because of their thinness they allow for much more precise application.


Stay tuned for more Silk Naturals lippie reviews!  

Karen Stark, the woman behind Silk Naturals, is unquestionably the Bobbi Brown of the mineral makeup world.

Her creations, no matter how extravagant they are in color, are extremely wearable and universally flattering on all skintones. They look equally good on my mother, who has medium olive skintone, my best friend, whose skin is golden, and me, who has light olive skin with just a hint of beige.

I can't really pick my favorite from the seven glosses I have so far: I like them all with equal fervor, either wearing them on their own or mixing them and creating an endless variety of custom shades. Mixing these and coming up with new colors is especially advised to those who, like me, prefer neutral shades, ones that can be worn all day, everyday, for all occasions. (Sorry, I'm still not brave enough to wear an entire rainbow on my face.) As I'm a teacher and can mostly be found in the offices of various multinational companies during the day, I really have to be careful not to overdo my makeup. Also, I'm planning to acquire a more professional look in 2009, and though these lip glosses are but a minuscule step in that direction, I'm still happy to have them in my arsenal. They're sheer, brown-based (I'm quoting Grayburn here!) and practically melt into the skin on your lips leaving no streaks or buildup in the creases. Also, they're as shiny as a mineral lipgloss can ever be, though if you crave that 1000 Megawatt shine, you should probably stick to regular glosses.

Often when I look at them, I find myself thinking: "This is what lipstick should be like."
I've never much cared for lipstick, as it's usually too pigmented, too artificial, and too dry for my taste. Regular lipgloss is better, but still not perfect: more often than not it's sticky and gooey, dries my lips just as lipstick does, and it's just too glossy to look natural.

Silk Naturals "lipglosses" are, in my opinion, the perfect remedy to my predicament. They're less pigmented than a lipstick but still show up quite nicely on my lips, they aren't as saliva-like (sorry!) than glosses, they give just enough shine as to make my lips look moisturized, and not only do they make them look moisturized but they do actually condition my lips like no other lip product I've ever tried. They're definitely the greatest find of 2008 for me.

Forget my raves about EDM's Cozy Night and my adoration of Alverde's Cool Red lippie. Silk Naturals lipglosses are superior in every way.











The Silk Naturals website describes this as "a shimmery, slightly sheer golden red coral", and that seems a very accurate description to me, but let me just add my own two cents. ;-)

I've never been able to wear bright red colors as I've always felt that they either wash me out or look too bold and "just not me". Well, not this one. For one, it has this magic quality of somehow seamlessly blending into the color of my lips, which makes it look natural even though it is anything but. (I mean, look at that bright color. Whoever was born with lips like that?? Scratch that. Bagaela was, and boy do I envy her... ;-))

For another, the color itself seems to get along with my skintone just fine without the two of them playing power-games and wreaking havoc on my face making me the ultimate loser...
This cheerful color brightens up my complexion, reminding me of warm summer days and geraniums in the window. :)







Right. I ordered this color because I recently noticed that when I mix a peachy-coral shade with a brown one I get a really stunning shade for my lips, and I wanted to have a brown lipcolor in my stash to mix it with a peachy one. Now the peachy one was supposed to be Foreplay, but it turned out that I need something much stronger than that ('Peach Melba' might just do the trick).

Also, I'm not quite sure I got the right color: according to both the official description and the reviews Toffee is supposed to be a tan color with warm peach undertones, but I'm sorry to say that I can't detect any of that in my gloss. Not to mention that this tube is the only one that reeks of wax and oils-gone-bad. Obviously, that yummy vanilla fragrance got left out of it, and I can't really see myself wearing this as it has too unpleasant a smell to be worn around people.

Otherwise it wouldn't be a bad color really: I think I'll use smidgens of it to tone down other colors when I need a really neutral tint on my lips.








By the way, Tender isn't the only gloss that somehow reminds me of EDM's Cozy Night. Sweet Nothing is a perfectly sheer mauve gloss, yet again with a tiny bit of brown in it just to make it all the more wearable. It's the most moisturizing of the seven SN glosses I have; at least it feels the creamiest, which is probably due to its sheerness and how it doesn't contain much pigment. Again, a lovely shade, something you can easily pull off on any occasion. I love it!







Seemed a bit pale for me to consider wearing it, but to Ms Stark's credit I can pull this off without a hitch. It has "a raspberry pink undertone with an overlay of gold" and it's a clone of MAC's Viva Glam V lipstick. The cool berry-pink is nicely complemented by the golden shimmer and yet again, we get a lovely, neutral, wearable color from the mixture of cool and warm ingredients.

PEACE

Izar © 2008

I got this one as a free gift with my order as part of Silk Naturals' Christmas special, and even though it's on the verge of being a bit too pale for me, it makes up for its lack in the wearability department with it's yummy sweet peppermint taste. I've never been a fan of minty lip products (or mint in general), but I think I can see the light now. It feels just a wee bit tingly and cool on my lips while I enjoy the sweetness of the vanilla flavoring. Very cool! ;-)

***

These glosses are too good not be reviewed in 2008 for the sole reason that I want to include them in my Best of 2008 post coming up in January. Credit for the prompt goes to Grayburn, and if you're a (beauty) blogger too, then feel free to write your own post on the Holy Grails and "can't-live-without-it" products of 2008.


Also, check out Grayburn's post on some other SN lippies and another one discussing their foundations.
I wrote about SN's Gold Blush lipgloss and a few of their other products in a previous post.

EDIT (2009/12/30): And here's another review with lots of swatches.
I have a hunch I'll be adding more to the list soon. :)