It's Sunday night and I have a cold. The handful of ibuprofen I took an hour ago is starting to make a dent on the achiness and the headache, but my throat is angry. The man made me tea and ordered in won ton soup, which helped a little, and I watched a lot of stupid TV and looked at lots of pretty pictures of makeup on the internet.
Earlier today before I felt like such crap, I became annoyed at how many of my 5g jars had stickers on the clear lids obscuring the contents from view when stored upright. So I pulled them off - there was still all the info on the bottom sticker. Now I need to go buy some Goo Gone, but I can see the colors without picking up the jars. I also sorted the shadows by color instead of by brand, which is helpful. I own a lot of green and blue. Mostly green. I also have nice small collections of neutrals. Pinks, purples, orange, red, and yellow are all sharing another drawer. Looking at that drawer makes me think of a fiery sunset.
I also mixed Fire Opal and Copper from Pink Quartz together because I liked them better mixed together than separately. It lightened the copper to dark peach and gave it a light purple duochrome. Then I used the jars for a couple baggie samples from HiFi. Seriously, if you like fun colors in manageable sizes at low prices, get some baggie samples from HiFi because they are amazing. I can't believe I paid so much more at Pink Quartz for the same amount of an inferior product. Pink Quartz stuff has almost no adhesion and goes on much sheerer than you'd like it to. By "no adhesion" I mean that I can swatch it on bare skin, run water over the swatch, and have most of it rinse away. HiFi swatches stick around a little harder. HiFi shadows are creamy and give you a solid swipe of beautiful color.
But now I am sick, and it sucks. I hope I don't have to call into work tomorrow because then I lose pay. :( I also hope this is just a cold and not a doctor-requiring illness, because my health insurance has a nasty habit of not paying for any of my care.
I need a good job with good benefits. And soon.
This has been a more ranty than usual post. I do not apologize.
Showing posts with label tl/dr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tl/dr. Show all posts
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Monday, December 27, 2010
Rant against combination palettes
Hiya!
I've been having a fairly good Christmas home with my parents, and it's been really nice to see them again. In a few days, I'm going to visit with the man's friends and family a bit, too, and I'm also looking forward to that.
Anyway, I haven't used up or bought anything new lately (SN order did come through, yay! And I also have a new luminzer!) but I have been looking at a lot of makeup.
Every November, gift sets and palettes come out from brands of all prices, and even from brands whose sole purpose is cheapie makeup kits. Invariably, no matter what the price, these palettes suck for me.
The very first allergic reaction to makeup I ever had was to a Color Workshop kit that I bought at Wegmans when I was fifteen or sixteen. The stuff turned my eyelids and lips into a dry, red, flaky mess. On principle, I will not buy from that brand again. Ever. I have no idea what ingredient caused the reaction as I've looked at the kits they sell now, read the lists, and not found anything that usually bothers me - so all I can assume is that they're so cheap that something nasty snuck in. I don't remember the stuff being of super great quality, anyway.
In my mid-twenties, I developed an allergy to beeswax that I talk about incessantly in hopes that it might spare someone else the medical trauma I went through before I figured that out. This rules out most palettes that include lip glosses or cream shadows because if it's from a brand I recognize, it's usually got that ingredient; and if it isn't, it's usually cheap as hell and I don't trust it. ELF might be the exception, but I talked about my ELF hate in my last post. Most of their lip products skeeve me out because they're essentially a gooey mess of dyed petrochemicals, and gooey messes of dyed petrochemicals like that only come off on everything I eat, drink, or kiss; dry my lips out because they seal moisture OUT, and don't even last that long. I don't mind one or two petroleum-based ingredients in a product where the bulk is natural oils and butters - but if there's nothing from a plant that didn't die in the Cretaceous in there, I don't want it.
Plus, allow me to point out the sheer idiocy of packaging cream and powder products in the same container - you drop that and not only are your shadows broken, but you also have to dig them out/off of the cream products. And lip products are the only thing I reapply throughout the day, so not being able to take that color with me would be very irksome.
Some companies make palettes that look awesome, then package them with a bunch of stuff I can't use. Tarte is terrible at this - they either include beeswaxy eyeliners or mascara in the palette/set or they include lip gunk. I got halfway through a deluxe tube of their lipgloss before I got sick and had to throw it out, and it was ok - but not really enjoyable.
Urban Decay seems better at sticking with eyeshadows in their palettes, which I prefer (a coordinating blush is ok, though, and blush/eyeshadow palettes are the only combo I find acceptable).
All in all, I despise these palettes that everyone seems to want so bad.
I've been having a fairly good Christmas home with my parents, and it's been really nice to see them again. In a few days, I'm going to visit with the man's friends and family a bit, too, and I'm also looking forward to that.
Anyway, I haven't used up or bought anything new lately (SN order did come through, yay! And I also have a new luminzer!) but I have been looking at a lot of makeup.
Every November, gift sets and palettes come out from brands of all prices, and even from brands whose sole purpose is cheapie makeup kits. Invariably, no matter what the price, these palettes suck for me.
The very first allergic reaction to makeup I ever had was to a Color Workshop kit that I bought at Wegmans when I was fifteen or sixteen. The stuff turned my eyelids and lips into a dry, red, flaky mess. On principle, I will not buy from that brand again. Ever. I have no idea what ingredient caused the reaction as I've looked at the kits they sell now, read the lists, and not found anything that usually bothers me - so all I can assume is that they're so cheap that something nasty snuck in. I don't remember the stuff being of super great quality, anyway.
In my mid-twenties, I developed an allergy to beeswax that I talk about incessantly in hopes that it might spare someone else the medical trauma I went through before I figured that out. This rules out most palettes that include lip glosses or cream shadows because if it's from a brand I recognize, it's usually got that ingredient; and if it isn't, it's usually cheap as hell and I don't trust it. ELF might be the exception, but I talked about my ELF hate in my last post. Most of their lip products skeeve me out because they're essentially a gooey mess of dyed petrochemicals, and gooey messes of dyed petrochemicals like that only come off on everything I eat, drink, or kiss; dry my lips out because they seal moisture OUT, and don't even last that long. I don't mind one or two petroleum-based ingredients in a product where the bulk is natural oils and butters - but if there's nothing from a plant that didn't die in the Cretaceous in there, I don't want it.
Plus, allow me to point out the sheer idiocy of packaging cream and powder products in the same container - you drop that and not only are your shadows broken, but you also have to dig them out/off of the cream products. And lip products are the only thing I reapply throughout the day, so not being able to take that color with me would be very irksome.
Some companies make palettes that look awesome, then package them with a bunch of stuff I can't use. Tarte is terrible at this - they either include beeswaxy eyeliners or mascara in the palette/set or they include lip gunk. I got halfway through a deluxe tube of their lipgloss before I got sick and had to throw it out, and it was ok - but not really enjoyable.
Urban Decay seems better at sticking with eyeshadows in their palettes, which I prefer (a coordinating blush is ok, though, and blush/eyeshadow palettes are the only combo I find acceptable).
All in all, I despise these palettes that everyone seems to want so bad.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Hey everyone
Hi there!
I'm still here, but waiting until I use up a couple more things so I can have a more substantial use it post.
A couple things have just gotten knocked from my routine, though - my face broke out fairly badly a few days ago, and the best I could figure was that it was the Evian lotion (which I was using out of desperation for lack of a better cream), or maybe I'd had enough of the Desert Essence sunblock - which doesn't usually bother me on an occasional basis. So frustrating! I'm going to have to make a LuckyVitamin order soon for more cleanser, alba Sea Minerals cream, and shampoo. The Evian has been banished to foot and hand duty, and I'm thinking of saving the Desert Essence for running, when it's warm enough out to start that again. I don't really care what I look like while I'm pounding pavement - extra pale is fine!
I also have a Silk Naturals order on the way - mostly skincare and a full size of Ginger blush.
Anyway, I'm up to 36 followers - so I wanted to give you all a chance to introduce yourself and give me some feedback on my blog! Say hi! (Feel free to say hi if you lurk, too!)
I'm still here, but waiting until I use up a couple more things so I can have a more substantial use it post.
A couple things have just gotten knocked from my routine, though - my face broke out fairly badly a few days ago, and the best I could figure was that it was the Evian lotion (which I was using out of desperation for lack of a better cream), or maybe I'd had enough of the Desert Essence sunblock - which doesn't usually bother me on an occasional basis. So frustrating! I'm going to have to make a LuckyVitamin order soon for more cleanser, alba Sea Minerals cream, and shampoo. The Evian has been banished to foot and hand duty, and I'm thinking of saving the Desert Essence for running, when it's warm enough out to start that again. I don't really care what I look like while I'm pounding pavement - extra pale is fine!
I also have a Silk Naturals order on the way - mostly skincare and a full size of Ginger blush.
Anyway, I'm up to 36 followers - so I wanted to give you all a chance to introduce yourself and give me some feedback on my blog! Say hi! (Feel free to say hi if you lurk, too!)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
I'm still here!!! Some general thoughts.
Hi everyone! I'm not dead or anything, I've just taken on a job with the Census that is pretty time-and-energy consuming, and is also not the sort of job I can do with a computer on in the background. But I'm still around, still playing with and acquiring (and swapping away) tons of makeup.
Anyway, this is mostly some thoughts spurred by a discussion over at the forums about which company "won" most of Everyday Minerals business when they took several turns for the worse. A lot of us were super loyal to EDM and didn't buy really anything elsewhere (well, I tried Fyrinnae before I stopped buying EDM). Now, instead of being loyal to any one company, I'm spreading my makeup money out. I'm also finding different companies to be good for different stuff.
I've tried stuff from Silk Naturals, Meow, Aromaleigh, adorned with Grace, Earthen Glow, Morgana, Sassy, Lovely Android, Physicians Formula, and Urban Decay. I was already a Fyrinnae customer before I quit EDM. I've made more than one order from SN, Aromaleigh, awG, and Urban Decay. I've also acquired a bunch of PF in swaps and at the store. I plan to make another Morgana order because I need Watermelon lipstick in full size.
Places that get/will get lots of my business:
Fyrinnae - best value for eyeshadows, and I love Fluff and the velvet gel silica primer (which I use as mattifying lotion when I don't want to wear foundation).
SN is good for their vegan lip stuff and skin care (and I like some of their loose stuff, too. Sonic eyeshadow is a staple now.)
Aromaleigh has a lot of good eyeshadows, and I like the Gothic Lolita shimmers, too - but their foundation didn't work for me. Also, the owner is kind of nuts, but her husband is super sweet.
adorned with Grace has really nice foundation and blush, and free shipping in the US! I like their stuff, but don't feel compelled to collect it.
Morgana has fun vegan lipstick, and fun vegan lip stuff is super important to me.
Physicians Formula has a few really good things and a few really crappy ones. The stuff I like, I really like. The stuff I don't, I just want to to get rid of.
Urban Decay could get dangerous, but I'm trying to keep it in pencil territory.
I also like Gabriel Color for lip stuff and mascara.
Places I don't plan on buying from again (except maybe for one product I really like)
Meow, I wasn't overly impressed with their foundations, and it's more cost effective for me to order other stuff elsewhere.
Earthen Glow treated me pretty badly with CS, and one of the two products I ordered was unusable. I don't plan to order again.
Sassy - I will probably order Gasoline Rainbow in full size, but after that I am done. Too much bismuth makes me itchy, and I wish they had a way to search for only bismuth-free stuff. Also, I didn't like the foundation much.
Lovely Android's Pinkpocalyse blush is amazing. They have one other color I'd like to try, but they don't do samples yet, I don't think.
Places I haven't tried but would like to:
Sobe Botanicals - I'm intrigued by the lip stuff, mostly.
Sugarpill - a newish company with fun pressed stuff. More expensive than I usually go for, so I'll have to wait on this for a bit.
Anyway, this is mostly some thoughts spurred by a discussion over at the forums about which company "won" most of Everyday Minerals business when they took several turns for the worse. A lot of us were super loyal to EDM and didn't buy really anything elsewhere (well, I tried Fyrinnae before I stopped buying EDM). Now, instead of being loyal to any one company, I'm spreading my makeup money out. I'm also finding different companies to be good for different stuff.
I've tried stuff from Silk Naturals, Meow, Aromaleigh, adorned with Grace, Earthen Glow, Morgana, Sassy, Lovely Android, Physicians Formula, and Urban Decay. I was already a Fyrinnae customer before I quit EDM. I've made more than one order from SN, Aromaleigh, awG, and Urban Decay. I've also acquired a bunch of PF in swaps and at the store. I plan to make another Morgana order because I need Watermelon lipstick in full size.
Places that get/will get lots of my business:
Fyrinnae - best value for eyeshadows, and I love Fluff and the velvet gel silica primer (which I use as mattifying lotion when I don't want to wear foundation).
SN is good for their vegan lip stuff and skin care (and I like some of their loose stuff, too. Sonic eyeshadow is a staple now.)
Aromaleigh has a lot of good eyeshadows, and I like the Gothic Lolita shimmers, too - but their foundation didn't work for me. Also, the owner is kind of nuts, but her husband is super sweet.
adorned with Grace has really nice foundation and blush, and free shipping in the US! I like their stuff, but don't feel compelled to collect it.
Morgana has fun vegan lipstick, and fun vegan lip stuff is super important to me.
Physicians Formula has a few really good things and a few really crappy ones. The stuff I like, I really like. The stuff I don't, I just want to to get rid of.
Urban Decay could get dangerous, but I'm trying to keep it in pencil territory.
I also like Gabriel Color for lip stuff and mascara.
Places I don't plan on buying from again (except maybe for one product I really like)
Meow, I wasn't overly impressed with their foundations, and it's more cost effective for me to order other stuff elsewhere.
Earthen Glow treated me pretty badly with CS, and one of the two products I ordered was unusable. I don't plan to order again.
Sassy - I will probably order Gasoline Rainbow in full size, but after that I am done. Too much bismuth makes me itchy, and I wish they had a way to search for only bismuth-free stuff. Also, I didn't like the foundation much.
Lovely Android's Pinkpocalyse blush is amazing. They have one other color I'd like to try, but they don't do samples yet, I don't think.
Places I haven't tried but would like to:
Sobe Botanicals - I'm intrigued by the lip stuff, mostly.
Sugarpill - a newish company with fun pressed stuff. More expensive than I usually go for, so I'll have to wait on this for a bit.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year!
Hope everyone's 2010 is shaping up to be a good year!
I'm waiting for some weather to clear up so I can be safe on my drive home, where I should have some swaps and a mini-haul from Earthen Glow Minerals (mineral mousse, cream liner, a Cover Me sample kit) waiting for me.
In other New Year's News, I just joined Megsmakeup.com, which is a site that gives you points for reviewing different products that you can redeem for free makeup at 50, 150, or 250 points. If you're interested in joining, I can invite you! Just comment with your email.
Or use the link on my sidebar to check it out if you're interested. :)
I'm waiting for some weather to clear up so I can be safe on my drive home, where I should have some swaps and a mini-haul from Earthen Glow Minerals (mineral mousse, cream liner, a Cover Me sample kit) waiting for me.
In other New Year's News, I just joined Megsmakeup.com, which is a site that gives you points for reviewing different products that you can redeem for free makeup at 50, 150, or 250 points. If you're interested in joining, I can invite you! Just comment with your email.
Or use the link on my sidebar to check it out if you're interested. :)
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Christmas!
I hope all who celebrate had a lovely Christmas yesterday and that all who don't had a great time at the movies.
In exciting beauty news, I got a gift certificate to Aromaleigh from DBF that I'm plotting how to spend. I think I might get a couple full sizes of the Opulent Lustres collection next time they go on sale, and I also might get a full size of the Gothic Lolita Burnt Roses - it's a fantastic liner color.
In other news, I went to Sephora today and got samples of Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and Korres Foundation Primer. Sephora will decant you free samples of pretty much anything you'd like to try at home. I'm pretty happy with this knowledge - I get to try expensive stuff and blog about it now! I'll let you know how I like this stuff.
And, I made a (very small) Earthen Glow Minerals order a few days ago that I'm hoping to have waiting for me after I'm back home after the holidays. I'll be getting the mineral mousse foundation in Lora (light warm), the cream eyeliner in the off-white color, and the Light Cover Me foundation sample kit.
Things coming up for Emily's Makeup Box:
1. A summary review of all the foundations I've tried, once I get to try Earthen Glow and some stuff from a UK company I'm getting in a swap.
2. A rubric for testing eye primers - I have four now, including my new samples. Plus reviews.
3. A rubric for testing vegan mascara, plus reviews. What's the best one out there? I'd like to know, and I'm sure you do, too!
4. I swatched all the foundations I've tried on a piece of paper. Photo to come.
5. Photos of some DIY makeup projects - two eyeshadow palettes I did on the cheap and some clear gloss I added minerals to.
I hope you're all having a great holiday season, and if there's anything you'd particularly like to see, drop me a comment!
In exciting beauty news, I got a gift certificate to Aromaleigh from DBF that I'm plotting how to spend. I think I might get a couple full sizes of the Opulent Lustres collection next time they go on sale, and I also might get a full size of the Gothic Lolita Burnt Roses - it's a fantastic liner color.
In other news, I went to Sephora today and got samples of Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and Korres Foundation Primer. Sephora will decant you free samples of pretty much anything you'd like to try at home. I'm pretty happy with this knowledge - I get to try expensive stuff and blog about it now! I'll let you know how I like this stuff.
And, I made a (very small) Earthen Glow Minerals order a few days ago that I'm hoping to have waiting for me after I'm back home after the holidays. I'll be getting the mineral mousse foundation in Lora (light warm), the cream eyeliner in the off-white color, and the Light Cover Me foundation sample kit.
Things coming up for Emily's Makeup Box:
1. A summary review of all the foundations I've tried, once I get to try Earthen Glow and some stuff from a UK company I'm getting in a swap.
2. A rubric for testing eye primers - I have four now, including my new samples. Plus reviews.
3. A rubric for testing vegan mascara, plus reviews. What's the best one out there? I'd like to know, and I'm sure you do, too!
4. I swatched all the foundations I've tried on a piece of paper. Photo to come.
5. Photos of some DIY makeup projects - two eyeshadow palettes I did on the cheap and some clear gloss I added minerals to.
I hope you're all having a great holiday season, and if there's anything you'd particularly like to see, drop me a comment!
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