December 05, 2012

On the road review: Essie's lil' boa peep

December 05, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Magnetic nail polish is a novelty in my book -- read tons of reviews, but never executed the effect on myself until tonight. Let's just say the experience conjured up memories from the movie Gremlins, you know, "never feed him after midnight!" The polish perked up in some areas of the nail as it gravitated towards the magnet; however, the "effect" was patchy at best. Some nails responded well and the rest fell flat.

Essie's lil' boa peep leaves a lot of room for improvement. The formula was thick, yet glided on smoothly; it also dried quickly, but failed to perform its magic. I even applied clear nail polish atop two coats of lil' boa peep in order to reactivate the magnetic polish, but most nails really weren't having it.

For those who are wondering how the magnet comes into play.. the bulky cover as seen above pops off and reveals the usual Essie cap/applicator. The superficial cover holds the magnet and is meant to hover ever so closely above a freshly painted nail. The experience is scientific at best!

Oh and the Gremlins reference, that had to do with my left index nail; whenever I look at it I think of that moment when the multiplied demonic, furry creatures mutate into torcherous, ankle biting hellions. That sums up the effect on my nail -- blech!

In other news: I've missed you! Yes, lots and lots of shopping has taken place, but it doesn't make up for the fact that we haven't hung out in a while. So, what's new in your world? And, what do you think of this polish? I figure if I can't get it to work, at least I have a pretty metallic copper shade on my hands. Right?!

If you're interested in a totally newish Essie adventure, get on over to your local CVS and grab one or all six shades. The Repstyle collection retails for approximately $11.99 USD per bottle.

November 28, 2012

Bagful is hittin' the road

November 28, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

In less than 24 hours I'll be jetting back to my parents place for a belated Thanksgiving / early Christmas. I will also attempt to blog from my iPad. Crazy, right?! Scott's convinced I can do it, so I'm really stepping up to the challenge here. Please bear with me and forgive me if I don't get an opportunity to post as much as I would like. If you would like to keep up with my adventures back in the States, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

For the International ladies: is there anything you've really been wanting to try, but it's not available near you -- let me know. Perhaps I can sneak some photos inside of Sephora or Ulta and even provide a few swatches and of course my thoughts ;)

Talk to you soon!!

p.s. Can't wait to share my night out with The Body Shop with you -- lots of Festive Treats to try and review!

November 26, 2012

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Eyeshadow swatches and review

November 26, 2012/ Jeanne

When I moved to Australia I was eager to find local makeup brands since many foreign brands are more expensive here. I came across Femme Fatale Cosmetics and was drawn in by the amazing colours and swatches on the website. In addition to eyeshadows, there are blushes, illuminators and nail polishes.

1. Archangel - a soft pinkish ivory with a subtle violet duochrome. Great for highlighting.

2. Divinity - a light pink with a bit of a gold shift.

3. Elitist - a yellow gold with shimmer.

4. Exorcism - violet with a blue green duochrome.

5. Flare - a strong, orange-y red with a gold duochrome. I like to mix this with a clear lip balm to create a red tinted lip balm.

6. Frozen Flame - a light orange with a strong light blue duochrome.

7. Heroic - a light copper with gold shimmer. Great for an easy, neutral all-over shade.

8. Incantation - a reddish burgundy with pink shimmer.

9. Inscribe - a warm chocolately brown with a soft, pale green duochrome.

10. Misdirection - a forest green with light green shimmer.

11. Moonglow - a light silvery blue with yellowy gold and pink shimmer.

12. Moonstone - a sheer icy white with a light blue duochrome. Looks amazing over a dark base.

13. Mysticism - a reddish purple with a light blue duochrome.

14. Shadow Dance - a cool toned grey with pink and blue shimmer.

15. Smokebomb - very complex! It starts out dark brown but shifts to green, purple, and gold.

16. Spirit Bond - a strong indigo purple with a greenish gold duochrome.

17. Sunfire - a peachy pink with a gorgeous gold shimmer. Looks amazing on the eyes or the lips, my absolute favourite.

18. Unholy - a dark base that looks like a purple-y brown with a strong green duochrome.

My personal favourites are Archangel, Heroic, Smokebomb, Sunfire, and Unholy.

Overall, I really enjoy all of these eyshadows. They are all swatched dry and without any base or primer and I had no problems with application. If you like highly pigmented, complex colours I'd definitely recommend checking out Femme Fatale Cosmetics' website.

When I wear these on my eyes I do use an eyeshadow primer. Sometimes I also use a homemade mixing medium (two parts water to one part glycerin) and apply it wet for a foiled look. I also have a primer meant for loose powder eyeshadows that doesn't change the look, but helps them to adhere to the eyelids better. When I apply these, I get some product on my brush, tap off the excess and pat it onto my eyelids so there's no messy fallout.

Recently when I've traveled with makeup at least one of my pressed powder products has been broken/shattered; so, I like to bring the sample bags when I travel because an already loose eyeshadow can't be broken down any further!. The sample bags are also great for travel -- this allows me to bring lots of colours that I'm not likely to wear on an everyday basis, but won't take up a lot of space/weight.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics' eyeshadows are available in three sizes; a sample zip-lock bag which contains 1/8 of a teaspoon ($1.10AUD), a mini jar which contains 3g of product and an optional sifter ($3.00AUD without a sifter, $3.10AUD with a sifter) and a full sized jar which contains 5g of product and no sifter ($5.75AUD). There are also discounted sets available. Each eyeshadow is individually labeled and informs the user as to whether or not it is eye safe, lip safe, and vegan. The full sized 5g jars contain a lot of product, so I would recommend those for multi use colours (like peachy, coral-y oranges and pinks that can be used on the eyes, lips and face) or colours you would likely use everyday.

If anyone wants to try out Femme Fatale Cosmetics but is intimidated by the bold colours, I created an easy, neutral look using Heroic on the lids, Archangel as a browbone and inner corner highlight, Smokebomb (used with an eyeliner sealant) as an eyeliner, Forever Lovely Rose (discontinued, it was a limited edition item) on the cheeks and Flare mixed with a clear lip balm on the lips.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics is an Australian owned company that does not test on animals. Orders which contain samples only ship free, worldwide :)

November 25, 2012

Makeup reorg 2.0

November 25, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Earlier this year I invested in handy little plastic drawers to aid with the organisation of my makeup. But like a kid begging to tear off its training wheels, I attempted to do the same in my own way last weekend. I jammed all of this...