Ulta haul

So, I went to Ulta today to see what I could find worthy of the 20% off coupon. I got this:


BareMinerals Ready Remix The Wild Thing, OPI liquid sand nail polish in Get Your Number, Physicians Formula Bronze Boost Goddess Glow shimmer powder, and some vanilla scented polish remover pads.

Shadow swatches. Top left: pale oyster with strong light green duochrome. Top right: satin chartreuse with some sparkle. Bottom left: greened gold brown. Bottom right: the ocean on a stormy day.

Shimmer swatch - it's a diffuse, coppery shimmer with medium small flecks

Used it! September, 2012

Howdy! Apologies for the long absence - I've been tired from work, entertaining visiting family, and *drumroll please* GETTING ENGAGED! This means that at some point a year-ish from now, I might be looking for bridal makeup info, and also that the man and I might go nuts planning the whole thing.

But anyway, onto September's empties. Let's preface this whole thing by saying that September's empties mostly sucked.

I bought a new eyelash comb/brow groomer thingy a month ago (it has metal tines!) and promptly got rid of the broken/impossible to clean enough combs I had. I also threw out a Tarte perfect crease brush because I was sick of it a) poking me in the eyelid; and b) losing bristles every time I washed it. No thanks. So there's 3 brushes gone from my collection.

I also used up all parts of the Sephora 500 point gift consisting of trial size items from Dr. Brandt's Pores No More line. I wanted to use them all up before I condemned them as Not For Me, but I probably shouldn't have. It came with five things: a cleanser, a moisturizer, a "vaccuum cleaner," a paste to hide pores, and a packet of a firming serum. If you really like herbal aromas, you will probably like this line. I'll note right now that I noticed zero effect from any of this stuff on the size of my pores, which are on the larger side.
- Cleanser - clear, somewhat thick gel smelling of pine needles. I found that, while this cleaned all the gunk off my face, also stung a little and was too harsh for my tastes.
- "Vaccuum cleaner" This product is intended to be used as a mask. When it dries, you're supposed to rinse it off to reveal smaller pores. I'm not sure I noticed a difference.
- moisturizer. This did relieve the tension from piling the earlier products on and subsequently rinsing them off, but it did not seem to have any other benefit.
- pore-hidin'-goop. This stuff is supposed to reduce the appearance of pores over or under makeup, and it delivered, sort of. Every time I used this, I found a higher than normal incidence of blocked pores on and around my nose. So I guess it fills in the pores by clogging them. No, thanks.
- serum packet. This stuff contains supposedly magical plastics that can reform the appearance of the pores. I did not notice any such effect.

Then there was all the other stuff.

1. Origins White Tea moisturizer spf 25.
2. Desert Essence Pomegranate facial serum. More of a lightweight lotion than a serum, this does have a lot of antioxidants and other goodies, but it also smells vaguely floral. I'm not knocking the product, just saying I didn't like it. It's a good, affordable product so if you want some topical antioxidants without breaking the bank and you happen to have a less picky nose, try it.
3. AcneFree 5% benzoyl peroxide foam. Not effective against the monstrous jawline zits that I still sometimes get, but the rest of my face seemed clearer during use. I bought it out of a moment of desperation a few months ago when I'd tried everything else. Liberal use of hydroxy acid exfoliating pads seemed to do more than anything, but I wanted to use this up anyway. I won't be buying it again as no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't avoid bleaching out some of my towels.
4. Love and Toast shower cream in mandarin. Nice and moisturizing after getting sick of feeling dry after showers. Not a bad product if you're into fancy smelling products.
5. Tarte double-ended eyeliner pencil from the Femme Naturale palette. Mostly, I used this as a base for powder eyeshadows. If you want something subtle and don't have oily skin prone to making your eyeliner migrate, the olive green and plum tones in this might be right up your alley.
6. Silk Naturals Super Serum. Not bad, but I'm going back to Awesome Sauce. I'm using niacinamide at night and acids in the morning, so I need my serum acid-compatible.
7. Physicians Formula eye cream. For the life of me, I'm still really on the fence about the utility of a separate eye cream. This one was on sale cheap and didn't cause any issues. I think I might be sticking to my usual policy of either using regular moisturizer or using samples of high-end eye creams instead, though. Also worth noting: the packaging makes it look like you're getting more than you are.
8. Milani automatic blue liquif'eye eyeliner. I did not so much use this up as discover one day that it had turned into an unusable, dry stick of crumbly blue junk. I usually like Milani's liners, but won't be buying the automatic ones again.
9. Sample of Giovanni's new dry shampoo. It was ok.
10. Essie Good to Go topcoat. Pro: this stuff dries your manicure quick. Con: this stuff thickens up like crazy, leaving the bottom third of the bottle goopy and wasted. Fun fact: at this stage, it leaves little strings like spider silk hanging from your nails!

Yellow

Eyes:
TFSI
TheBalm Overshadow - Work is Overrated from lashline to brow
Aromaleigh Livewire to wetline
Black with green glitter gel liner from Physicians Formula
Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara
Korres Soft Eyeliner - White on waterline

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria Violet Banana lipstick

Cheeks: Physicians Formula pH booster - Light Bronzer

This is Silk Naturals shadow in 4Matic, which I got as a sample baggie free with an order a while back. I mentioned it in my May Used It post a few days ago, and wanted to elaborate my thoughts on this color.

It's from the Fall 2011 collection, and it's described as a "light champagne color with just a hint of green." I like it. It definitely needs a primer to pop - it's very sheer without one. Here, I'm wearing it over Silk Naturals Stick'Em primer. It has sparkle and sheen, and I thought it worked really nicely. I'd buy it if I didn't already own a truckload of neutrals.

A lot of SN's colors are unique enough that I don't feel the need to combine them with other shades into looks - so all I did here was a winged brown liner (if you must know, Tarte's Aqua-gel brown eyeliner and Physicians Formula Eye Booster™ 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum, also in brown). Honestly, any liquid liner you like and get precise results with would work here. I could have saved myself a lot of time by skipping the Tarte. I think I'm wearing CoverGirl LashBlast mascara here, but I could be very wrong about that.

Anyway, this is something easy you can do for work or a casual around-town sort of day. You could easily ramp it up a notch for evening with either a darker color in the crease or a colored liner above the brown.

I'm Back! Let's Look at May's Empties

Hi! I'm back. I went on a trip to visit my family and the out-laws out of state, and I've just been busy/apathetic.

Also, I got a new iPad (yay birthday money!!!) about six weeks ago, and I spend a lot of time on that now. I'd blog more on that, but then there's the photo issue. I'd use my real computer more frequently, but the battery won't hold a charge or take a charge unless it's been run down to zero power, so my laptop is now a desktop. That makes me do a lot less leisurely blogging from my sofa.

So, what did I use up in May? Let's take a look!

Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer sample (not pictured). Can I say for a minute how much I hate packaging liquid products like this? I get one wear out of them on the liquidy-ness level I'd get out of a full size, then they start to get dry and crusty. I think this worked ok. But I'm totally not sure and can't say if I'd buy more.

Giovanni Frizz Be Gone serum* (not pictured) This serum is ok at helping prevent tangles, but it's not magic, and I don't think the fruity floral smell is a good thing. I was hoping for something more neutral. 

Giovanni Wellness Conditioner* This product claims to use a fusion of Western science and traditional Chinese remedies for a conditioner that nourishes hair from the root. I picked it up at Target because it was on sale for two bucks and change. After using the entire bottle, I can say that this stuff smells strange, makes your scalp tingle, and softens hair without providing any additional slip. Also, I think that the peppermint oil in it is doing the tingly action, not the botanicals.

Kiss My Face Rough Seas body scrub* This product was more fun than paying the same amount of money to ship a new blow dryer to me from Walgreens.com due to not buying enough to get free shipping. It wasn't so fun that I'd repurchase. The jojoba beads didn't quite scrub off dead skin like I'd hoped.

L'Óreal Smooth Souffle foundation* I didn't so much use this up as give up on it. But oh boy, did I try. It worked ok when it was new, but within a couple weeks, it started pilling up on my face midday. Application methods did not make a difference, and neither did mixing it with powder.

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Correcting Pebbles* This was another instance of "I give up!" While it wasn't as bad as the smooth souffle foundation, it also didn't mattify, correct skintone irregularities, cover, or really do anything except make me shiny. I pass. However, the container it came in will make a nice travel swirly dish.

Silk Naturals 4Matic eye shadow sample (not pictured). This is a really pretty taupe, and I might buy it if I didn't already have a million taupes (slight exaggeration).

Silk Naturals Oatmeal Serum* This is a solid product, and it was the second one I'd used up. It's thin, absorbs nicely, smells calming, and seems to reduce redness. If you have no major skin issues and just want a little light water-based hydration, then you should buy this. You should also buy this if you have a tendency to hurt your skin with too-harsh treatments.

Tarte pink lip gloss mini (the one that came with the ULTAmate kit - not pictured). I keep getting these as parts of kits. They keep not wowing me. I'll keep not buying full size ones.

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil Cleansing Pads* You should buy these if you like your face to burn and your eyes to water. If you don't like those things, then you should stay away from both these and the Desert Essence product they're a knockoff of.


May's tally: 10 products used up, 7 of them full size!

Have you tried any of these things? Same or different opinion?

March's Empties

*Herbal Essences Hydralicious conditioner (not pictured)* I used this up after the man bought it when he couldn't find his usual. The smell went well with the shampoo I'd been using. I can't say anything else good about it. This stuff is adequate.

*John Masters Organics Bearberry Balancing Serum sample packet. Nice stuff, just don't think it's worth the hefty price tag.

*Josie Maran Argan Oil mini size. I got this as a Sephora 100-point bonus. It's great for my hair but not so great for my face, which responded with some teeny zits. It's not great enough for my face to justify the purchase of a full size, especially not when there are so many wholesalers selling the stuff for so much less.

*Mountain Rose Herbs Cleansing Grains* I think these may actually have made my face worse. Which makes sense, if acne can be bacterial, then putting grains on your face is like feeding the monsters. Also, for me, the grains didn't do any cleansing.

*Nuance Salma Hayek Spot Treatment* I am not sure this did much of anything.

*Nuance Salma Hayek Wild Lime Exfoliating Gel* This does seem to make my face smoother, but I'm not sure it's better than other things that take less time.

*Pacifica Island Vanilla body butter - small size. I loved the scent of this, but not the form. I think I should look into their solid scents instead, as I could take a bath in all my lotion.

*Philosophy Mocktails Peach Daiquiri body wash, bubble bath, shampoo* I was thrilled to find this at a Marshall's because I liked last years Sephora birthday gift one. At first, I really liked the smell. Then, I couldn't believe how much of it there was left. I actually did try it as all three uses, too. It's an ok body wash, an ok shampoo, and not very bubbly as a bubble bath. For the price, you'd expect it to be great. Also, this stuff had sulfates in it, which I did not expect initially.

*Physicians Formula Healthy Wear foundation* This was my second one of these, and I do like this product, but I don't like how it's not in stores anymore. This means that it's impossible to get on sale. And I don't like it enough to pay full price plus shipping. If it were a better match for my skin tone (it's a bit pink), then I'd be more excited about it.

*Self-made cleansing oil (not pictured)* I liked this enough to make up another batch. It's a great thing to have around as a makeup remover. I mix roughly 9 parts oil to 1 part cromollient sce, which is an emulsifier and rinsing aid.

*St. Ives Green Tea Scrub* I still do not know if I'll buy this again - I liked it, but I have a few other things I want to try before committing to this one.

*full size item*

Better late than never, February's Used it!

Look! I took a picture!

*Alba Botanica Hawaiian sunblock - spf 45 Buy again? No. I'm not happy with the UVA protection - it looks like it doesn't get all the waves.

*The Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Butter Buy again? No. It smells kind of fake and only moisturizes so-so.

*ELF nail polish remover pads Buy again? I have - it's cheap, portable, works, and fairly easily available. The only downside is that it seems to leave my fingertips a bit sticky, so I have to wash my hands.

*Garnier Nutrisse Anti-Dark Circle Rollerball Buy again? Not a chance. I didn't so much use this up as throw it out in disgust. It looks nice for the first hour or so, then creases. Who needs it? I don't.

*Physicians Formula Brow Definer Buy again? Nope. Formula is slightly too waxy for my taste.

*Silk Naturals Awesome Sauce Buy again? I did! I like it. I'm not sure if it's magic or not, but I like it and it seems to help a little.

*Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara Buy again? Maybe. I like the stuff, I really do. It looks great, makes a good natural but impressively so look, but it's expensive and dries out too soon. This stuff dried out before I wanted it to.

*Wet'N'Wild Rocking Rubies nail polish Buy again? Oh hell no. While pretty, I found that this had the tendency to flake off within a day or two. When I found a thumbnail-shaped flake in my snack bowl, that was the disgust point. I tried lots of top coats, base coats, etc - flake city!

*Evil Shades Gossamer Blush sample Buy again? Complicated question - I like the brand's blushes, but this color was too cool for me.

*Tarte Amazonian Clay powder sample Buy again? Nope. Too expensive for what it is. Glad this was a trial size - it works, but so does anything with that much silica.
 
*Too Faced Shadow Insurance Lemon Drop sample Buy again? Nope. If my primer's gonna be tinted, it had better double as a cream shadow. This doesn't. Also, it makes my eyelids gray. So there we go! 8 full sizes, 3 samples demolished in February

Used it! (goodbye, frankenfoundation)

*Murad essential c day moisture spf 30vitamin C spf 30
Got this (sample size) in the Sephora suncare kit. I don't like that it doesn't protect against all UVA rays, but I did really like the texture and the creamsicle scent. Probably will not buy again because I'm not sure if it's as effective as I want.

*Frankenfoundation
This was a mix of three Physicians Formula Mineral Wear products that didn't work great for me on their own: pressed power in Soft Green, translucent facebrightener, and powdered concealer (the one that comes in a little pen brush) . I was having trouble with the two pressed powders, so I broke them up and mixed them with the concealer in a jar. It actually worked ok, but I'm not sad that it's gone or anything.

*Silk Naturals Argan and Goji moisturizer
I very well might buy this again in the winter. It's a nice, basic cream, and a little goes a long way.

(Since Sept. 2, 2010)
161 items gone
60 full size items gone

In other news, I'm on Day 9 of a no-buy forced upon me by utter brokeness, because the training program I'm in doesn't give me my stipend until I'm done.

Ice day fantasy shopping

I'm home from work today because my city is iced up. It's kind of crazy! The man and I spent half an hour scraping ice off my car, and that was AFTER letting it run for 15 minutes. Now I'm just hoping that not too much more crap accumulates on it.

I'm kind of on a very low buy right now because I have very little money right now due to most of it going to bills and such. (Boo!)

So anyway, I thought I'd think about how to spend the money I don't have, and what might I buy once my financial picture improves a bit:

1. Physicians Formula airbrushing kabuki brush. I have not seen this anywhere! :( Did I mention that it's blue?

2. Wet n Wild Comfort Zone 8-pan palette. This should be a cheap thrill, but I'm making myself use up 8 eyeshadows first.

3. Shiro Cosmetics Kawaiishadow collection. I don't really have much in the way of pastels. These look beautiful. Also some of the intertubes lip products also look awesome. I can't really pull off blue or purple, but there's a nice looking reddish pink.

4. Some stuff from Scaredy Cat - I'd like some sample vials and a full size Love Stinks. I think if the packaging were normal, I wouldn't want it. But it's adorable, so I do. She's smart.

5. A few lip tints from Epically Epic Soap, and maybe a lotion tin, too (I'd love to smear some nice smelling gunk on my hand eczema for once - a nice balm would stay put and leave the rest of my hands free of gunkiness.)

6. Sobe Botanicals - most interested in the lip products, but a few of the eyeshadows look nice too (Extra Virgin and Blue Moon mostly - blue grays usually look terrible on me, but this one is warm-toned, so it might work. And you know me and my love of green eyeshadow *heart*.)

7. I'm not sure if I even want this, since I found that the Femme Naturale colors all turned kind of muddy on me with wear, but Tarte has a new palette out with mostly neutral colors - it comes with a brown gel pencil liner. Mostly I just love the exterior of the palette - it's so pretty.
I've also been waffling over the Naked palette. But I want the double-ended liner, and not the brush. One or the other will be my graduation present to myself - but that's not until May.

Anyway, anyone tried any of this stuff? Thoughts? Care to share your fantasy shopping lists?

My Physicians Formula haulage wasn't over!

So, I'm getting over a cold. I did have to call in yesterday, but in the process of getting cold meds also got a CVS coupon for $10 off Physicians Formula foundations, powders, blushes, or bronzers. This week, those things happen to be $7 off at CVS already. They also have some clearance stuff still out.

So, I bought:

Physicians Formula organic blush/bronzer duo - usually $13
Physicians Formula Solar bronzer - usually $12
Physicians Formula Plump Potion lipstick - usually $11

So, my total out-of-pocket expense for two bronzers and two lipsticks was $5.75, or on average less than $1.50 for all four things. My haul would have cost $36 full price, but THE LIPSTICK WAS A TWO-FER PACK!

So, I really got $47 worth of stuff for $5.75.

I think I'll like the stuff after I play with it some more - the lipsticks were a bit of a risk, but they don't have beeswax, rosemary, or lanolin (the stuff that breaks them out), so I'm hoping they'll be safe.

Still no sign of the new products I'm interested in, yet, though... :(

Recent Physicians Formula haul

Hey yous!

So, as you may know, Physicians Formula (my favorite drugstore brand) just released a bunch of new stuff. CVS is also having their beauty clearance sale, and a bunch of older Physicians Formula stuff is on sale for 75% off.

I have bought:
The new Mineral Wear nude liquid primer
The new Happy Booster blush
Mineral Wear pressed powder - Soft Green (this formula - they seem to be phasing this product out)
Mineral Wear blush - blushing glow
Healthy Wear bronzer - fair
Shimmer strips duo liner and shadow - hazel eyes

I still need to fill out the rebate form for the primer (yay almost free stuff!), the Happy Wear blush had a $3 off coupon, and the other stuff was all on sale for 75% off.

I haven't tried the primer yet - but even if it doesn't work, I won't be too sad since it was pretty much free with the cost of a stamp.

I do like the Happy Booster blush - it's kind of what I was hoping the shimmer strips blushes would be, except that those are all full of frosty 80s shimmer that I did not want. Happy Booster offers more of a glow than blinding frostiness, which is good.

The Mineral Wear blush is also nice - good for a goof-proof, shimmer-free wash of color. The color I got is a light apricot, which is good for days I don't want pink but I still want color.

I'm hoping the green powder will be nice as well - sometimes all I have to cover is a bit of redness, and not wearing any powder makes me an oil slick in short order. I used to really like the translucent shade of this product before I got into loose stuff, so if this works out as great, I'll be happy.

Last time I tried a Healthy Wear bronzer, I'm pretty sure it was the Light, which was too dark. The Fair seems to work a bit better. I like that it's matte because that's better for contouring and not making me look like a clown. Seriously - this one time in high school I was in a play and the lady doing my makeup to make me look old made me look liked I'd been horribly disfigured in an explosion or something. So not cool. This bronzer should not have that effect.

Last but not least - the duo liner/shadow. Look at the picture in the link. See the tiny colored ends of the wand? That's all the color you get. It's a very small amount. The product seemed fine when I swatched it, but I'm thinking it'll go quickly.

This company also has a few other products out there that I'm dying to try - if the new airbrushing brush is actually really soft, I might be interested in that. I'm also keeping my eyes out for the lash boosting eyeliner pens (I want to snag one with a rebate sticker) and the Glam Collection shimmer strips gel liners for brown eyes - but I'll have to wait until those are a little more commonplace and go on sale.

Physicians Formula isn't half bad - they just seem to be very hit or miss for me. I either love their stuff or hate it (I'm looking at you, shimmer strips bronzer and all Organic Wear products I've tried, as well as the funky smelling Bamboo Wear powder inserts).

I'm such a sucker for anything they put out - thankfully I'm not interested in the other new Mineral Wear products or the new Shimmer Strips eyeshadows.

Eyeliner!

I need to find the cord to upload pics from my camera, but I decided I'd swatch all my eyeliners and take a webcam pic of them to give everyone a general idea.

At the bottom (the larger swatches), I have the Physicians Formula gel liners. The bottom row is the green eyes collection, and the second-to-bottom row is the blue eyes collection. These are great for getting close to the lashline, and they stay put when I use them on my upper lashline, but they smudge on the lower lashline.

Above the black PF liners, I have Milani Liquifeyes in Silver, Korres Soft Liner in White, and Milani Minerals liners in Black and Brown. Except for the Silver, which is more like Urban Decay 24/7 liners, they're good for a good, sharp line, and the white is good for waterlining (which I almost never do). The silver liner is also nice for the waterline, and it's super shiny!

On the upper right, the three liners there are all Milini Infinite liquid liners. They're the only thing that will stay on my lower lashline, but they definitely need an oil-based remover to get off.

Below the liquid liners are my two UD heavy metal glitter liners - Stagedive and Distortion. I have fun with these, but don't feel the need for more. Distortion seems to lighten whatever I have under it, which is kind of fun.

Most of pencils swatched in the middle column are UD 24/7 liners. From top to bottom: Covet, Mildew, Flipside, Golden Korres liner, Electric, and Lucky. I love these for a quick liner-plus-mascara look. I have zero, too, but I'm hoping to swap it away because the thicker pencil goes on too thick for my taste.

Eyeliner is so much fun! What's your favorite?

Review - Physicians Formula HealthyWear powder foundation

I am serious about sun protection. You would be too, after having had a skin cancer cut out of your face at 26. I never go outside in the daytime without proper protection. I usually use an SPF 50 spray sunblock (CVS brand, full-spectrum) on my neck and body, or sometimes Neutrogena sensitive SPF 30, which I don't like as much because it makes me even paler. For my face, I've been using MyChelle Sun Shield, which is a silicone-free, fragrance-free, physical blocker only SPF 28 product, and generally top it with mineral makeup. I've heard great things about Neutrogena's Helioplex compound, but avobenzone is degraded by titanium dioxide, which is in all my makeup.

Sometimes, though, a cream sunblock isn't what I want, and sometimes, I just want my face SPF to match my body SPF. So I was really excited by the new HealthyWear line from Physicians Formula - a pressed powder foundation in SPF 50! It combines chemical and physical blockers, so it'll last awhile. How is it, as a foundation?

A. Color Matching
4. Close, but not quite. My face looks slighty pinker than usual with this on. I'm using translucent light.

B. Coverage.
3. Covers blemishes. For a sheer coverage product, it mostly evens out skin tone and covers smaller spots. Does nothing for the scar, but that's faded a lot and nobody but me really notices it.

C. Adhesion/durability.
3. Gets me through an eight-hour day. Doesn't rub off too easily, but it does settle in the creases by my nose.

D. Combination skin friendliness factor.
4. By mid-afternoon, some oil spots have broken out or some areas look dryer than normal. This does that think where my face looks a little shiny, but not oily - but if you touch it? Slimy.

E. Irritancy.
3. No problems at all.

F. Presentation
2. Functional packaging. It comes in a plastic compact with a pink sponge in the lower compartment and the product on a tray above that, with a mirror in the lid. The compact is hot pink and orange. Orange is not my favorite color. However, as others have stated, you will not lose this in your purse. The product pan on mine also isn't glued into the compact very well, and I'm going to have to fix it soon. Also - I emailed them to ask about the sponge - it's latex-free.

G. Value
2. Costs about what you'd expect. Roughly $15.

H. Company is nice to work with, good customer service. 1 point. Yup! They have slow, but reliable, service.

Total: 20/30. If this matched my skin better, I'd be all over it. This is not for those days I want to look flawless, but it's amazing for when I want to go running and not have sweaty sunblock dripping into my eyes. As a sunblock in pressed powder form, I really like it. As a foundation, it does ok. I've used better. It's the easiest to use foundation I have, and would be great for travel. I have mixed feelings about the sponge - it feels a little rough. I think I like how the product applies with a baby buki better.

Would I buy it again? Probably, if for no other reason than it will help me avoid needing to have more skin cancers cut out of my face. A powder sunblock is great for hot, summery weather - all liquid sunblocks make my face sweat in the summer. I like how well this performs when I run, and can see it being useful for other outdoor activity in warm weather. And, it looks alright for when I'm pressed for time and don't want to have to tap out and brush on loose powder foundations.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liners!

So you all know how I got the blue eyes cream liners in return for some tinted moisturizers. I have another good story about how I got the green eyes ones!

I shop at CVS a lot - I like that I can return things that I buy there if I don't like them, and I like the savings you can get with the card.

I had five Extra Bucks burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted something new! So, I wandered over to the PF display, and saw the green liners I wanted so much. Now, getting those for half price would normally be good enough - but then I saw the new BambooWear compact. It also earned the buyer five Extra Bucks. AND it had a try me free rebate sticker!

So, I went up the register, bought the compact with my debit card, tore off the new Extra Bucks coupon, went back to the display, got the liners, and handed over the two coupons plus $1.41, and left the store with both products. I am good at the deals!

Here are all the jars open, so you can compare the colors.


I also did new swatch photos - these are all done with a Q-tip, so they aren't as precise as you'd get from the brush, but they do give a good idea about the color. The blue eyes ones are on the right, the green eyes ones on the left. All the colors are different! Even the black colors have different color sparkles - notice how the green eyes one has green shimmer, and the blue eyes one has blue shimmer?


I am probably not going to get the other colors, because I'd just end up with slightly different shades of purple and brown - but if they came out with new colors and included a white liner, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Have I mentioned that these are my favorite liners ever? I only wish they'd stay a little better on the lower lashline.

Updates

Hey all!
I've been a bit lazy on the makeup blogging front lately, but I still have stuff to say!

Coming up soon:
Pictures of a bunch of tiny makeup hauls, a full review of Physicians Formula stuff, some EOTDs, three more foundation reviews, and reviews of the two mascaras I own - I wrote a rubric about it, anyway! Sadly, I can't order more mascara to try anytime real soon, but I can talk about the stuff I already have.

Oh, and I got the green eyes Physician Formula gel liners! So swatches of those coming up, too.

Physican's Formula Shimmer Strips Cream Liner - Blue Eyes

I recently acquired the new Shimmer Strips Cream Liner for Blue Eyes from Physician's Formula - Here are some swatch pictures!



The set comes with three liners in cube-shaped jars that snap together like Legos. There's a matte blue purple shade, a pearly brown, and a black with blue shimmers in it. I was not really excited about the black, as I usually avoid it in favor of brown, but the blue shimmer makes it a lot softer and more interesting. You also get a liner brush with the kit.

I've tried all of them, and I really like them so far. The brush they come with works pretty well, and the product itself stays where I put it for the most part, and shows up nice and crisp. There isn't a lot of product in the individual jars, but I don't really mind that - you don't need a whole lot of it, and I might actually use something this small up.

I like these a lot - I might save up for the green eyes one after I get another job. I'm hoping that the sparkles in the black match the intended eye color, because that would be awesome - having a bunch of identical black liners isn't the neatest thing in the world.

Only problem is that you really need an oil-based remover or cleanser to get these things off, and they have a tendency to stain.

EOTD - over the rainbow

I was inspired by two videos to do this look, the tutorial below I saw on YouTube, and the eyeliner videos Blix posted to her blog (http://themoonmaiden-blix.blogspot.com/2010/02/winged-eyeliner-tutorials.html):


Here it is: you can see that I went a little heavier on the green and blue and less heavy on the red than the original.




Products used:
Fyrinnae Shadow Primer all over lid and under lashline
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy all over lid and under lashline
TKB Trading Pops Micas (I've mixed mine with a bit of Fyrinnae Oil Control Powder for better adhesion)
-tangerine on inner third
-lemon drop on middle third
-green apple on outer third
-blueberry on outer V and under outer lower lashline
-grape in outer corner (just a little) and on middle lower lashline
-raspberry on inner lower lashline
-strawberry on inner crease
Silk Naturals Sonic to highlight
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips for Blue Eyes liner - the black one
Gabriel Color Mascara in Black Brown - upper lashes only

Normally, I use two or three colors, not eight! But it was fun!

New stuff! (and customer service updates)

For Christmas, DBF got me a gift certificate to Aromaleigh (and a very nice hair fork), which I used recently to get samples of the entire Spring Solstice collection.
I also got a few more Gothic Lolita samples and requested some Hi Fi Retro Mattes for my freebies. I'm going to concentrate on the Spring Solstice colors in this post. They are all beautiful, and I've liked all the colors I've tried - about half. All of them look good on me. I normally am not the type to buy entire collections of full size stuff, but I expect to be earning an advanced degree this year - and it seems like a worthy graduation present to myself. I have an EOTD with some of the purples coming soon.



Also, a while back, I reviewed Physician's Formula OrganicWear tinted moisturizer, which aside from being too dark for me (even on the lightest shade), also expired two months after I bought it. I emailed them to complain, and they offered to send me a shipping label. I requested to be sent their new shimmer strips gel liners for blue eyes and enclosed an extra dollar to make up the difference. This was a month or so ago, but today I got a package in the mail. They sent me the liners! I'll swatch/review them later. There's a black, brown, and blue liner in cube-shaped jars that snap together.



You may also recall some complaining I did about Earthen Glow Minerals after receiving a dried-up and unusable cream liner from them. I emailed to complain, several times, and included a picture of the product to illustrate the problem. After a few weeks of no response, I addressed it ATTN: Diane, as recommended in a mass email they sent out. I was promptly promised a replacement that was to be sent out the next day. A week later, I had not received it, so I emailed back to inquire as to its whereabouts. Diane responded that their site had been attacked (true, I think), and that she had decided to refund my money instead. While I'm satisfied with the outcome, I won't be able to give them points for customer service, as it's like pulling teeth to get a response from them. I'll use up my foundation, but don't expect to be buying from them again unless I hear that they've shaped up. There are plenty of companies out there willing to answer my emails, and I'd prefer to give what little makeup money I have to them.

Some thoughts on finishing powders

Someone over at Chanty's mineral makeup forum posted a question about finishing powders, which got me thinking about the ones I've tried. Here's my thoughts on them:


1. EDM's (discontinued) Silk Powder - I loved this. It was the first EDM product I ever used a full size of up, and I got it at the same time as the Natural Reflections, in my first non-sample EDM order.

2. TKB Trading Micronized Silk Powder - got this because I loved EDM's and couldn't get it anymore. The tablespoon sample baggie and a 25g jar to put it in cost me less than an EDM sample. I reach for this most of the time now, and when I run out, it's only $1.50 for a new baggie (though the company has a $20 order minimum, but I always want at least that much stuff from them).

3. EDM's Natural Reflections (light) - I haven't noticed any good oil control benefits or that it sets my makeup particularly well, but I do use it for added sun protection. I'm down from a full size jar to a 10g size jar. It was one of the first EDM products I bought in a full size.

4. Fyrinnae Fluff. I have a 10g jar, which is fine as I don't use it often, but it has a blurred soft-focus effect. I can toss it and a baby buki in my bag if I need to touch up later. I've also used it without makeup to reduce shine and blur imperfections.

5. EDM's Start-to-Finish Kaolin. I disliked this enough to give it away mostly full. I don't think my face likes kaolin.

6. Fyrinnae Oil Control mineral powder. I bought this in a full size and wish I hadn't. Again, my face doesn't like kaolin. I should have known. I am using it as a base for DIY eyeshadow projects.

7. Physician's Formula MineralWear pressed powder. I used this for years, but it irritated my skin. Maybe I should have tried it with better brushes, but I think it might have been the product.

In the distant past, I also tried the Corn Silk powder in the blue compact (grainy and itchy making!), and Bonne Bell used to make pressed powder that I used in my teens. At one point, I tried Cover Girl's loose powder and it was also ok, if nothing special.

I am expecting to get one of Physician's Formula new precious gems pressed powders (no scary ingredients!) sometime soon, and I am also waiting on a sample of SN's Date Bait.

I currently own the TKB Trading silk powder, EDM Natural Reflections Light, Fyrinnae Fluff, and Fyrinnae Oil Control Mineral powder.

Mail! (ETA - now with pics!)

Today, I went to the post office to pick up all the mail that had accumulated while I went to visit family for the holidays.

I got:

1. My Earthen Glow Minerals mini haul - a full size mineral mousse foundation in Lora (light warm), a Cover Me light sample kit (loose foundation), and a cream liner (Alpine - off white). I'm pretty excited about the foundations, but the cream liner came hard, so I'm hoping I'll hear back from them soon. I hear good things about their customer service, so I'm sure it'll be ok.


2. A swap package from Jackie over at Chanty's forum: some EDM samples, a couple Signature Minerals sample blushes, and a nice pile of baggies with pretty colors in them.


3. A swap package from Nacori, also over at Chanty's forum: a foundation sample kit from My Beautiful Earth, which is a UK company I wouldn't get to try normally.



4. A free return postage label from Physician's Formula so I can return a tinted moisturizer I bought from them that expired two months later. Now that's what I call customer service!