Sephora + Pantone Universe first impressions

I went to Sephora today to get an in-person look at the new(ish) Color of the Year collection from Sephora + Pantone Universe. This year's color is Emerald, or, green. I love green! Here's a photo of the swatches I took in the best light I could find - the sun filtering through clouds in the parking lot:

  

Let's look at the left: from my pinkie knuckle down to the green lines is one of the shadow trios. I like the green, and the white is ok. I think the blurple would make me look like I'd gotten in real good with some fists. If the blurple took up the tiny corner and the matte green took up all the space that the blurple does, then I would buy this. Because the biggest color is make-me-look-like-I-like-barfights-blurple, I will probably pass.

Next to that is the most neutral of the three trios. There's a shimmery beige, a matte tan, and a shimmery green. I like this one. It's basic with a pop of color. It's my second favorite. 

The third trio is the one I like the most: it's got an antiqued gold, a forest green shimmer, and another emerald color. This is a green smoky eye in a box. I am a sucker for those dark greens, and I love it. This is the one I'm most likely to buy. 

The green lines are a collection of liquid liners that are all somewhat different from each other. I like two of them (the ones on the right), but a **** ton of one color liner isn't my cup of tea. I would have rather they concentrated on one or two really good colors and sold them individually. 

The large green splotches are two of their cream products. The lid stain (in the little pot) has beeswax, so I'm not even swatching that. The larger green swatch is a cream shadow that comes in a small compact. I like this. It has really nice pigmentation and some subtle shimmer. To the right of that swatch, I tried out the glitter. The glitter has no base to it, so you need to use it on top of a cream shadow. Even then, it fades. The smaller green dot is the jumbo waterproof pencil. Also quite nice. 

There are a lot of other things with this collection that look pretty interesting, too. They have a blush that looks pretty idiot-proof and is nice and neutral. There's a brush set in a fancy case. The brushes themselves are really nice, but the case (except for the decorative panel on the front) is cheap cardboard. I also like the large makeup case.

What do you think about Emerald?

I was going for surly teenager...

Did I nail it?

Eyes are heavily foiled Fyrinnae Calavera Cupcakes on the lid, the orange shade from the Sephora Pantone quad in the crease, and the purple shade from the same palette in the outer V. I used Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara and some very light UD Perversion liner to finish it off.

Lips are Korres Purple Red lip liner topped with Evil Shades Zombie lipgloss.

Close up on the eye:

The difference lipstick color makes

Hey! I'm still here, just, it's been a stressful past few weeks. I finally finished my masters' thesis, so now I'm just waiting for feedback so I can revise it and defend this fall, but getting that plan set in place was kind of a mess. Also, I'm stressed about work and my professional life in general, for reasons I'd rather not go into right now. Anyway, onto the makeup.

I've been into a new-to-me blog the past few weeks, drivel about frivol, which is great for many reasons. I like Kate's writing primarily because it's fantastic, but specifically because she focuses really intently on the intent behind her color choices. She's written a lot about her take on minimalism and makeup, and her looks are always very carefully considered. I've also been playing around with the idea that your choosing blush and lip products on the opposite side of the warm/cool spectrum from your eye makeup enhances the other one through contrast.

So, I played with this idea and came up with the look on the left. Later in the day, I wanted to try out a lipstick I'd impulse bought and decided to see how the same look would compare with a different color on my lips.

On the left, I'm using Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint in Bare Coconut, which is a pale, shimmery nude. On the right, I'm using Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 15, the "smoky top coat" color - it's more of a deep browned purple with shimmer than anything.

I think it's a softer look with the nude balm, more vampy with the purple.  Somehow, though, the first one is edgier - the orange eyeliner pops in an otherwise neutral look.

Eyes:
Shadow - 50/50 mix of Urban Decay Primer Potion - Greed and Too Faced Lockdown Cream Shadow - Jailbait on lids to browbone.
Liner - Sephora + Pantone Universe Tangerine Tango
Mascara - probably CoverGirl LashBlast

Sadly, I forget the exact blush. It's a cool, clear, bright pink.

  

 

Thoughts on the new Urban Decay pick-your-own palette

I have some very mixed feelings on Urban Decay's offerings, and definitely would not call myself a superfan by any stretch. They say they're cruelty free, but still use animal ingredients. I'm not vegan or an animal-rights activist or anything, but I would like "cruelty free" to be a useful shorthand for "you can use all of our products without scouring our ingredients lists for beeswax."

But enough whining. Palettes, in any brand, often have that product or three that you know you just won't ever use, even if the rest of the palette is a fabulous deal. And Urban Decay is really well known for having quality shadows, which they've recently reformulated!

So, in theory, being able to easily make your own palette of the Urban Decay shadows of your choosing sounds great. I set to thinking about which shades I'd like in mine. I even went to Sephora and swatched the palette I'd build myself (mushroom, mildew, pistol, last call, and freelove or X). Swatches are over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and the shot is taken in full sunlight. They are beautiful, and the colors are ideal for my warm-toned but pale skin and my blue eyes.

Then, I started doing math. The palette, which comes with Walk of Shame, is $18. Each additional shadow is $18 a pop. There is space in the palette for five additional shadows. 6x18=108. That means that you pay over a hundred dollars for the palette. The palette itself takes up more space than six individual shadows would, and then there's the question of what to do with the perfectly good packaging you'd be left with.

I really, really wish that Urban Decay had offered shadows in pans only without a compact and with a discount for saving packaging. It's an extremely wasteful way to do this. Clearly, this is all a ploy to get us to start shelling out for individual shadows instead of buying palettes.

I'm going to pass on this.

Sunblock Sunday: Lavanila The Healthy Sun Screen SPF 40 Face Cream

Phyrra raves about this, so the (second-to-last) time I went to Sephora, I asked for a sample. Have I mentioned how much I love Sephora's generous sample policy?

Let's talk about sun protection - I didn't burn with this (but I didn't really test it, either), and it seems suited for everyday face use. If you're around sun for more than incidental exposure, this is something you'd want to reapply. I like how it has both UVA and UVB protection in there (zinc's good for both, titanium for all but the shortest UVA rays).

Now, let's talk texture. This is a white-colored cream that rubs in somewhat shiny, but doesn't feel greasy. I like it. One of the pictures shows a blob on my hand, and underneath that blob is an area where I've rubbed it in. Then, there's a part of my face. I've applied this to the right side but not the left. I feel like the right side is shinier and somewhat lighter than the left.

It wears well under makeup, but it's slightly too emollient for me. I swatched this next to Lavanila's body sunblock in the store, and liked the texture of the body product better, so I bought that on my last trip to Sephora. I would wear this to work, but not on field day, and I'd think about reapplying something if I was going outside with the kids at the after school program. If your skin's on the dryer side and you need something with sun protection, don't like silicones, and do like physical blockers, then I'd try this.

The deets:

Size - 1.8 oz.
Price - $28 (available at Sephora)
Dollars per ounce - $15.56
SPF - 40
Active Ingredients - Zinc Oxide 5.0%, Titanium Dioxide 7.5%

Inactive ingredients - Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice* (Aloe, Water), Capric Caprylic Triglycerides (Coconut Oil), Butyrospermum Parkii* (Shea Butter), Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol (Coconut Oil), Jojoba Oil*, Ethyl Hexyl Palmitate (Palm Oil), Morinda Citrifolia (Noni Juice), Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract*, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate (Vegetable Glycerin/Palm Oil), Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Allantoin (Vegetable), Sodium PCA (Amino Acid), Hyaluronic Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol & Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin (Plant-Based Preservatives), Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Extract*, Green Tea Extract. *Certified Organic

Will you be trying this out? Have you tried it? What did you think?

nails of the moment - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

OPI by Sephora Spark-Tacular looks great over my dark green Franken, too! This one's getting compliments from the adults at work.

Nails of the Moment - 2nd grade seal of approval!

I think this looks like birthday cake. Funfetti, even.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Lavender Cloud
OPI by Sephora Spark-Tacular topcoat
Essie Good to Go topcoat.

It's been 48 hours and so far still holding up well. Also, the girls at school were FASCINATED by it yesterday. If only my subject was so fascinating...

October 2011 Used It!

In October, I used up 18 things, nine of them full size. I would buy the alba facial cleanser, aloe gel, and tresemme conditioner again. Even though I would not buy them again, I can still heartily recommend Darling Girl's products.

1. Josie Maran Protect sunblock - spf 40 with argan oil. - Good, expensive enough I don't think I'll repeat, though.

2. Frankenlotion. The frankenlotion kind of sucked. So let's talk about the Alba Mineral Facial Sunblock spf 20 that went into it, and how goopy it was, or how good it would be if you were dressing up as Casper for Halloween. Or let's not.

3. Sahara eyeshadow from the Sephora Pure Wanderlust palette. Good basic shimmery beige. Can't repurchase.

4. Korres Guava Lip Butter. Eh. I did not like the pot. The product itself was ok.

5. Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake 3-in-1 (birthday freebie from Sephora). Decent shampoo, ok body wash. Nothing that special, though.

6. Liza's Lotions Blotch-Be-Gone with Salicylic Acid. A little sad that she's closed for the time being now. Get well, Liza!

7. Alba Botanica Sea Minerals Cleansing Gel. I might buy this again. But only if the cheapie I'm waiting to use doesn't work well.

8. VO5 blackberry sage conditioner. I need to stop buying this. It doesn't smell or condition that well.

9. CVS brand clear aloe gel. I will probably buy this again, if only because it's a pretty good hair gel/makeup remover/sunburn remedy, and it's dirt cheap.

I also went through some samples.
- Garden of Wisdom sulfur clearing mask (.25 oz size). Not bad.
- Biore nose strip. I liked it enough to swap for some more. Gunk be gone!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Belle shadow sample. This was really pretty - don't need another pale shadow, though!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Chimera shadow sample. Also really pretty, great texture.
- John Freida full repair shampoo and conditioner samples. Eh. I don't think it repaired anything. It did clean and help detangle my hair, though. But not so much that the sample worked.
- Too Faced absolutely flawless concealer sample decant - vanilla. I did not like the concealer because it creased. It does make me curious about the foundation.
- Tresemme "Naturals" aloe vera and avocado shampoo and conditioner samples. Did not like the shampoo. The conditioner is something I might pick up sometime.
- Silk Naturals Juiced sample shadow baggie. I don't think this is the best color for me, and I would have liked the sparkles to stay a bit longer.
- L'Oreal Youth Code day/night cream sample. This was fine. I'm pretty sure a pile of dimethicone is not going to do gene therapy on my face, though.

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.

Random post on a random product from my stash - Sephora Pure Wanderlust

I got the palette for the cost of shipping from the lovely ani_bee about a year ago, and took these photos last summer. Now the lightest brown color has pan showing, and the dip in the medium brown, green, and light blue has grown. I think the medium brown will be showing pan soon.

The neutrals in this palette are absolutely lovely, which is why I throw it in for travel every time I go someplace. The light blue and light green, unfortunately, have some pigmentation problems and go on a lot more sheer than I prefer. The green especially is hard to get pigment onto the brush. I've decided I don't much care for dark blue shadow on me, except as a liner color (and even then, I'd rather have something designed as a liner to avoid the nasty discoloration dark blue fallout gives me).

The blush, unlike the shadows, is matte. I find that it works in a pinch, and is sheer enough that I don't need a duo-fiber brush with it, which is nice, but that it can be a little difficult to apply.

I also like that these are mica-based and talc-free.

The packaging is great - very sturdy and solid. I'm planning on modifying it to accept standard round pans when I use up the rest of the product (well, except the dark blue. Let's be honest here, that one is ending up depotted and swapped away).

I don't think this is still available anywhere - Sephora's been out for a while. It's an ok product. It's portable and versatile, which makes it great for travel, but I don't absolutely love any of the colors except the medium brown.

Day 9 of detox, a few random things

Detox update - Day 9:
Didn't buy anything. :) I did get my Sephora order in, and the sunblock stash is fun! I also like the Sin shadow pencil, but not for the reasons I'd thought - turns out it does crease on me without a primer. But! It's perfect for the lower lashline - wakes the whole area right up. They did forget to put my birthday gift in there, so I have to go to Sephora soon and pick that up. Maybe if I leave my money at home, I'll walk out with only the gift and some free samples.


Project Use It:
I also decided to restart my lip and eye product Project Pans, see if I can use up five more lip products and eight more eye products. I have too many baggies of stuff - and they need to be gone!

This week, I used up:
Liza's Lotions Luscious Lip Balm - Not my favorite lip balm ever, but it didn't cause me any problems. And I did use it up. :)

Aromaleigh planetearth (cool bright turquoise blue with tiny pink sparkles). I might end up missing this one a little, but I have about three more bright turquoises, so it's ok.

ES project pan - 2/8
Lip project pan - 1/5

122 items gone
45 full size items gone

Upcoming contest:
I need two more followers!!!


Revised shopping list:
I've since decided to scale back my SoBe order, am still planning on a Shiro haul at the end of the no buy, and am thinking about another Morgana Cryptoria order and a small Darling Girl order. After I use up a specified amount of Fyrinnae stuff, I'm reordering some favorite colors. I should * crosses fingers * FINALLY have a decent job come August, so that will make ordering easier. I also want to make another SN order around June (when I'll need more Vitamin C Serum - I think it's been helping!) and will want to try out some of the newer stuff then.

Sephora Pure palette

I've been doing a lot of swapping lately, on Makeup Alley and on the smaller, mineral-focused forums I also frequent. It's a good way to pass things I don't like so much on to someone else who might use them more and also to try new things without spending a lot of money, which is good because substitute teaching does not really pay so well.

One of the best things I've gotten is the Sephora Pure palette in Wanderlust. It has six eye shadows and a blush. The colors are pretty much perfect for me - neutral browns with a pearly, but not too shimmery, finish, a bright blue, a bright green, and a dark blue. The blush is also nice, but I'm going to have to use it with a duo fiber brush because my EcoTools blush brush applied way too much. The blush is matte, which I like.

Hope you are all enjoying life! Things have been looking up around here.