For a true cosmetic buff, how could I not try Zalan's $1 lippies with interesting colors and such darling paper packaging?

Can you say cute! The packaging makes me happy.

And if you happen to be a Zeta, the top of the lippie package has a crown and a Z. These would make cute, cute big or little sis gifts. Or new recruit gifts.

I threw these into a Cherry Culture order just for fun. Book Girl bought one of the colors too.

Can you say I'm an equal opportunity customer! I bought 3 of the 4 shades. I'll add the other colors as I wear them.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, from the price of Chanel lippies to Zalan. I've got them all.

Purple Haze Quite a fashion forward color
This is a little dark for me for daytime, but I'm wearing a very dark purple shirt, and it's a match. And I'm more of a gloss addict now, than lipstick.

It's hard to get the color to show up. The flash is picking up red. But, in fact, it is a very dark, almost Chanel Vamp color, very deep wine. With sheen, no glitter. It's quite pretty, in a very dark way.

Deeper skin tones could wear this one beautifully. It would be a vampy wine-neutral.

5 hours later, after lunch and snacking
I could distribute the color just by smooshing my lips together. As you can see, it didn't migrate. It still has nice color, and right up until this last snacking it felt like there was still quite a bit of lipstick/moisture. Now it feels more like a stain.

My take:
From the first application, I knew this wasn't a Chanel. It is quite waxy going on, which is a good thing, because I don't think it is going to migrate, and for a color this dark, that is a plus.

Book Girl
That's really interesting and very dark.

It doesn't feel dry at all, but it feels waxy, yet moist.

Karin
5 for price
2 if you compare it to very expensive lippies as to feel
3 moist
5 color excitement

Originally posted 2009-03-24 11:16:40.

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I got my Fyrinnae haul yesterday and I wanted to try out Ryunome, a bright blue, which I bought to blue down other colors.

Using my usual technique of one color on one lip and one on the other and smooshing them together:

Ryunome + Visual Kei (this was the brightest 'orange' I had)

I was afraid to do it too strongly until I figured if it would work. Next time, I'll really do it strong, and I'll add a second picture.

I think it turned out really well, soft and pretty.

Here's Visual Kei alone, strongly:
It's a teensy more apricot looking in RL than it shows up in the pictures.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-15 15:15:31.

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Wow! this was fun! Thanks to Elena for giving me the idea yesterday.

Do you want a little drama and edge in your life?
Try a little black lippie, especially since they are moving out of Goth and into mainstream, albeit high fashion.
Yves St. Laurent has a black gloss.
Chanel has black lippies in different color hues, not like their famous Vamp lippie, a burgundy-black. These would be black-whatever-color-tone-you-pick of the three.
NYX has a black gloss.
Fyrinnae has Monochrome, a matte black lip lustre.

Is it still Goth, if mainstream isn't far behind?

Could I make my own? Yes!
I figured I could come up with my own, yes!

I also wanted to try it with one of Aromaleigh's wonderful black shadows. But there was no time. Maybe tomorrow.

Step 1:
Base: Avon Beyond Color Lip Plumping Conditioner
This would allow the pencil to go on without pulling. And also, hopefully, not stain my lips.
Choosing a black eye pencil.
I used Revlon Wet Dry Blackest Black
I wondered about my really black Shiseido and my not-quite-as-black Shiseido, but for this, I chose Revlon.

What a gorgeous shimmery black! But I didn't have my eyes on yet, and it was morning, and I knew I wanted to tame it down.

For real drama
This would be a beautiful shade colored on both lips, with a touch of gloss up the center.

The bottom lippie is Milani Lip Mixer Gloss 704. I wanted to bring it into a burgundy look. Next time I might try lipstick instead of gloss.

My youngest 2 girls were looking at me wondering what the heck!

Step 2:
Smoosh the lips together.
It was really quite black, and the pencil shimmered through it.

My girls thought it was way too dark for me. But I wasn't finished with the rest of my makeup. If you could see the full shots here, you would certainly agree with them. But I'm not sharing them!

Step 3: Add gloss up the middle of the lip to highlight
Lancome Starlight White with silver glitter
Milani Glitzy Glow Girl to pink it up some

Finished FOTD I'll post more FOTD shortly.
Looking good.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-22 13:30:53.

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Are you going to New Moon when it premieres?
Are you going to sparkle?

The story behind the story
A few weeks ago on Aromaleigh's forum, for theme week, it was my turn to suggest the week's theme. I was telling Book Girl, and she suggested having a Vampire Week, based on the movie Twilight, and the book series.

So that's what I suggested. I suggested doing a vampire look based on Twilight, using any colors, so long as their skin sparkled in sunlight, which is easy to do with Aromaleigh.

Many entered into the spirit of it, even if they hadn't heard of the book(s) or movie. That particular theme week had 1582 views and 74 responses, to date. Even Kristin, the founder of Aromaleigh, contributed a look.

And then Kristin developed three powders based on Twilight.

The Twilight DVD came out at midnight Friday night, and we were there -- in two cities! Book Girl was out of town.

Twilight Sparkle supernatural powder
This is the first one I've tried in this set of three. The glitter is very fine and shows up on my hand. On my face, it is a very sheer, sheeny look, not a glimmer look. My own mix is more sparkly, though there is more sparkle in the AL. I applied it with a FO brush.

Twilight Sparkle contains distinct shimmering iridescent glimmers. In the sunlight or under bright light, it shimmers like radiant tiny diamonds. Apply over skin that you have applied lotion to (preferably with a high SPF, of course!), the effect is even more pronounced, and the product will stay longer on your skin. Twilight Sparkle may slightly lighten your skin, but it is formulated to be suitable for many skintones, in a transparent base.

FOTD
I chose to wear it in my FOTD today in honor of the DVD debut.

Tomorrow I will show a second powder which you can find here.

Karin

Originally published March 22, 2009

Originally posted 2009-11-17 15:42:41.

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I have tried four of the colors so far.

Glow Girl 10
This is a light-medium orchid pink.

First Class 01
A beautiful deeper pink.

Puttin on the Glitz 07 Gorgeous beigy apricot with some pink in it.
This one is really beautiful in different lights, and as I wore it over time.

In a different light

Two hours later:

Lady Like 08
This is a true copper.

These colors were as beautiful as any you'd see in a high end line for a fraction of the price.

These do not have glitter; they have a high shimmer.

I don't like the packaging, even though the wand looks rich with a very nice gold cap and top edge-- the color is surrounded by clear plastic, making the wand much bulkier than it needs to be, though it adds a glassy shine as you look at the product. I prefer less bulk for both storage or carrying along.

Again, I found mine at CVS. If you have a coupon from using your CVS tracking card or if they are on sale or if you get a CVS money coupon when you buy them, they are very, very reasonable, sometimes even free!

Have you tried these? I love the colors. I will add swatches if I get more colors.

Karin
5 for colors
2 for packaging
5 for creamy formula, not sticky, no drift
3 flavor and scent -- which goes away quickly
4 for price $6.99

Originally posted 2009-03-05 11:06:39.

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Finding a color that works for blonds that isn't too dark or too yellow, is a trick.

Here are some favorites of mine that were collected over time:

Top to bottom:
Powder: Merle Norman -- Perfect shades when mixed and matched together;
Pencils: Chanel, Clinique, La Prairie, Prescriptives (love the tiny diameter and the tiny brush, also that it feeds up and doesn't need to be sharpened -- comes in only two colors), Mary Kay, Tova, Avon, Revlon (this tends to be darker) (packaging has changed now, but has gel at one end.)

Swatches:
Generally, brow pencils are harder. They draw well on the brow, not so well without a brow bone behind them. La Prairie is not pictured, it wouldn't draw and just made my skin red, sorry about that! Then the red showed through some of the other colors, so look at the bottom.

Left to right: Powder:
Merle Norman lighter color (barely visible on skin, but shows up well on brow), then deeper color; Pencils: Chanel, Clinique, Mary Kay, Tova, Avon, Prescriptives, Revlon first without gel, then with gel.

Do you have any other colors or brands that you particularly like?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-08 19:00:54.

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NYX Round glosses are a great buy at Cherry Culture. I don't see how you can go wrong for $2! There is a very slight scent and taste of lemon, which goes away almost immediately. It is not objectionable.

NYX Sparkle 05
Isn't this a gorgeous color for a softer look! It reminds me of the look of the new Too Faced ones, but there is less glitter. Shown in 3 different lights, one without flash.

Doll Pink 08
This is a very pretty pink. It looks good in different lights.

Apricot 19 Wanted to try something different.
Applied heavy, right out of the wand. A glorious apricot, not quite as pink as this shows. It comes down to a lovely moist stain after a bit.

About 2 hours later, after drinking a couple of cups of tea. Still a lot of product on my lips.

Same time frame, taken in sunlight:

Peach 13
This is a beautiful, light clear peach. Used heavily, it is more opaque. I know it's going to be a favorite.

Pinky Natural 26
Starts out strong, ends in a pretty pink stain-look, that is a bit deeper.


Ballerina Pink 36
This is a pretty bright but soft pink that is almost a neutral on me. It was very pretty in RL.

Wild Orchid 12
This color is fab too! This one is more metallic in look, with a teeny bit of spark that adds vibes, but you can't see it.

Queen of Africa
This is a gorgeous magenta, but I applied this sparingly over my lips that were stained with whatever was left of my color from earlier.

Golden Red 04
This is a glorious color! I don't think the picture does it justice. It's just a perfect color with the right amount of pizazz.

Color Story
It comes in a wide array of colors. It's hard to know, when purchasing online, if there is sparkle in all of them, perhaps not. But, what the hey! for $2.

I figured if the color(s) didn't look like me in RL, they would become stocking gifts, since I shop all year for the holidays.

How about you?
Have you tried this formula? what colors do you have?

My recommendation
These are certainly worth your while to try. If you pick a color you know is you, then you will be very satisfied. Go for it!

Check on this post often, because as I try another shade, I will update the pix.

Karin
5 for color and applicator
5 for moisture
4+ for gloss feel, a little slippery, but still nice, not sticky at all
4+ for lasting power, it might migrate a little, but not much

Originally posted 2009-03-08 09:33:33.

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Are you going to the opening night of New Moon?
And are you going to look vampish?

For the story behind the story, go here.

Kristin says: All formulas ... work best with those who have pale skin... and produce beautiful effects ranging from ethereal and luminous to boldly dazzling.

Twilight Dazzle
When I applied it to my hand, there were lots of sparklies. To give extra definition and draw the eye to my lips: I applied above my lip what spilled on the counter. I could have as easily used it above my brows or as highlighter under my brows.

Twilight Dazzle provides the most intense borealis iridescent sparkle on your skin. Dazzle sparkles beautifully even under indoor lights, and simply, well... "Dazzles" in the bright sunlight. Wear this one when you *want* to be noticed. Apply over skin that you have applied lotion to (preferably with a high SPF, of course!) and the effect is more pronounced and the product will stay longer on your skin. This formula contains pure mineral makeup shimmer in a transparent base, so it can be used on a variety of skintones.

You can see the sheen it gives, as well as some of the sparkle right above my lip. If you look at the eye to your right you can see a touch of the sparkly Diamond mascara by Bare Essentuals. Here's my review.

My view:
Moderate sheen; high dazzle, if you apply it strongly, as I did over my lip. I would use this as highlighter, and if it were for evening, I'd apply it a second time -- or if I were going to the next Twilight movie or a Twilight party.

My view at night:
By evening this had melded into my skin, but at 12 hours into the makeup, it was beautiful when light hit it at night. Not really noticeable at a distance, it was gorgeous up close -- and isn't that where it counts! When light touched my face, you could see teeny, tiny little glitters. It is aptly named Dazzle.

Lustre
Yesterday I tried this one. When applied to my hand, the sparkles are very, very fine, almost invisible. I applied it with my regular powder brush, not a FO brush. I agree with the following description given at the AL website.

Twilight Lustre is a very fine, silky powder that slightly lightens your skin and gives you a luminous gleam. It's the most subtle of the trio, but personally, I [Kristin, founder of AL] feel that it gives the most interesting effect because it is so finely milled that your skin becomes radiant with an iridescent glow. This makeup is especially dramatic when applied to your face, especially if you have pale, smooth skin- this makeup actually makes your skin look like glowing moonstone, or marble.

My view: I like the effect. I feel my skin is luminous, but with less of a gleam than with Twilight Sparkle. I would wear this alone on a normal day, as I did today.

Here's another view:

Twilight Sparkle supernatural powder
Two days ago I tried Twilight Sparkle, my first in this set of three. The glitter is very fine and shows up on my hand. On my face, it is a very sheer, sheeny look, not a glimmer look. My own mix is more sparkly, though there is more sparkle in the AL. I applied it with a FO brush.

My view: I would like this one applied over my regular mix as a highlighter. In RL, without the flash, it is more subtle. It is just very sheer, because I applied so little.

Twilight Sparkle contains distinct shimmering iridescent glimmers. In the sunlight or under bright light, it shimmers like radiant tiny diamonds. Apply over skin that you have applied lotion to (preferably with a high SPF, of course!), the effect is even more pronounced, and the product will stay longer on your skin. Twilight Sparkle may slightly lighten your skin, but it is formulated to be suitable for many skintones, in a transparent base.

FOTD
I chose to wear it in yesterday's FOTDin honor of the DVD debut.

So, there you have all three. Which do you prefer on me?
Have you tried them? Which do you prefer on you?

Karin

originally published Mar 24, 2009

Originally posted 2009-11-17 15:32:24.

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NYX Glitter Pallet is available in a number of colors online from Cherry Culture or instore at Ulta. I chose the Paradise pallet because it had a good mix of colors to try the idea with.

I raced through trying this product for the first time yesterday in order to be on time for my hair cut. You can see how it went on uneven.

One reviewer talked about using this as liner and having to go over it several times to get the glitter line even, but that it lasted all night. I have other glitter liners that are a lot easier to use. I don't know that I would try this as liner. Maybe! She talked about using it to highlight on her face, arms, decolletage, etc.

I need to play with it some more, but meantime I looked good enough to race around town anyway!I got my hair cut today, and it surely needed it! Everywhere I went, someone mentioned how well they liked my eye makeup. The pink glitter is very becoming. I used my fingers to apply it.

Here it is on lips:
So far, I prefer it on my skin. It shows up more.
First without:
Revlon Play Up Pink 015 Creme Gloss

Using the white (clear) with multi glitter on the center of my lip.
My first thought, as I applied it, was that the glitter was too big for lips, but as it settles in, it's not.

It's very subtle here, but it would be less so with lipstick. And I could have picked another of the colors in the set, but I wanted to try one I hadn't used yet.

How to remove it
It stayed on my eyes really well, even until morning. And it didn't bother my eyes, the way some glitter does.

It came off super easy with a cut piece of MAC wipes. I didn't have to rub, I just applied a bit of pressure going over it once.

Verdict:
The jury is still out on this product. So far, minerals with glitter are easier for me to use because I am more familiar with them.

The pallet has great colors and I will definitely try it again. There are still two more colors to try: gold and silver.

It comes with 1 dual-ended sponge applicator and 1 applicator that has a sponge on one end and a brush on the other.

I don't see how you could use the brush. The product is suspended in a heavy gel.

It's not particularly waxy, but it means the glitter stays put and needs help removing it. This is my first day trying it, so I can't speak to taking it off, but it is staying put.

What do you think?

Karin
You can see all other product info at my FOTD.

http://savvythinker.com/2009/03/11/fotd-nyx-glitter-pallet-eyes/

Originally posted 2009-03-12 11:19:35.

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I was gifted with two shades of Rimmel Kiss and Stay Lip gloss. It comes in a dual ended wand. One end has an opaque color; the other end is a glitter gloss.

Here's what Rimmel says:

New Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay
2 quick and easy steps for 10 hour high fidelity colour with enduring shine.
Step 1: lightweight non-sticky liquid lip colour bonds to lips.

Step 2: unique liquid pearls gloss top coat seals and magnifies colour with a crystal shine gloss effect for the ultimate glass shine finish that will stay put.

At last, a comfortable lipgloss that stays around.

I tried these three.
100 English Rose a medium shade of pink that looks red on, with a bit deeper light pink glitter than 300 has.

I applied the pink/red opaque color first to my bottom lip, then the glitter gloss on my top lip and smooshed both lips together.

Whoa! red and vibrant! I like red, but this was unexpected. The color was so strong and vibrant it surprised me. I can't imagine how it would have looked if I had applied it to both lips with just a little of the glitter gloss over it.

First Kiss 110 Opaque applied only to bottom lip; gloss only on top and smooshing lips together. This is a medium pink with light purplish gloss. Applying it this way, it looks like gloss, and I like it.

300 Eternal Kiss a plum shade with light pink glitter.
While it is recommended that the opaque color be applied first, then the glitter gloss, I applied the glitter gloss on both lips first, then the opaque very cautiously over the glitter. It looks like gloss that way. It still had high shine and reflectivity. It didn't seem to affect the lasting power.

What it feels like
It really feels and looks like lipstick, but it feels drier, though it isn't. A little odd, if I think about it.

I expected it to be more like gloss and less like lipstick. I like a lipstick to be a lipstick and a gloss to be a gloss.

How it lasts
It has very good lasting power, and it is different than others I have.

But the name is a misnomer. it would get on whoever you are kissing, for sure.

What about you?
Do you have it? Do you like it?

Karin
2 Sticky, but not gooey as lip glosses usually can be. Two hours later when there was only a stain left, when I pressed my lips together, they stuck a little to each other, being a bit tacky.
3 Moist, but it feels drier than most lip glosses or lipsticks.
5 Does not drift.
1 I'm not real enamored of the feel, but I do like the look.
1 Name is not on the wand, so it would be hard to replace, if you used it up.

Originally posted 2009-02-28 20:35:24.

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