Swatch Spam!

I just feel like posting some swatch spam, so here it comes!

 China Glaze Bat My Eyes

 

 OPI Casino Royale

 OPI On Her Majesty's Secret Service

 Jessica Prima Donna

 Butter London Swinger

Pretty Serious VT100

 Jessica Blue Aria

 Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots Clearly Spotted (over purple)

 OPI Skyfall

 OPI You're So Flippy Floppy

 Sephora Color Hit Blackjack

Ozotic Beam 905 with Northern Lights Gold Topcoat

Essie Bikini So Teeny

China Glaze Magnetix You Move Me

 China Glaze Infra-Red

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Limited Edition Spectral Lacquer Collection Summer 2013 Swatches and Review

Speaking of Sephora clearance, these are currently knocked down to half price.  I've been liking the Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE releases as they seem to be pretty heavy on the duochromes.  Duocrome shadows, lipglosses and polishes?  Right up my alley.  So, how about these?

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Antique Gold.

Green/yellow/blue chrome-finish multichrome.  Chanel Peridot clone.  Thinner, sheerer, and less duochrome effect than Peridot (and Sephora by OPI Sage is Just A Number).

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Purple Wine.

Near-neon fuchsia-purple creme base with superfine silver, violet and blue duochrome shimmer.  Best one in the set, in my opinion.  Good balance of bright, flashy color and electric-looking duochrome shimmer.  Best formula of the three as well.  

Sephora + PANTONE UNIVERSE Waterfall.

Dusty slate blue glass-fleck with blue, purple and pink multichrome flash.  It looks decent in the pictures, but I wasn't impressed with it on my nails.  It's faded and dusty-looking and extremely sheer.  This is five coats.  Unless you don't mind layering over an opaque base color (or doing five coats of polish), I'd say pass on this one.  

The formula on these was different for each color.  Purple Wine was perfect and flawless in regards to coverage and application.  Antique Gold was streaky and on the sheer side.  Waterfall was extremely sheer and kinda clumpy.  Dry time on all three was fast, and all but Antique Gold look better with topcoat.

The bottles are pretty cool and the colors are pretty, but one is a definite dupe and one is super sheer.  But, like I mentioned, they are on clearance right now for $5 each, so they're not too expensive even if the opacity level isn't perfect.  Purple Wine is great in both the color and formula departments at least!

Sephora Color Hit Nail Polish in Blackjack Swatches and Review

Sephora Color Hit in Blackjack

Shimmery charcoal grey with iridescent shimmer flecks.  The main shimmer color in this is a blue/purple duochrome (starts to flash gold at extreme angles), but there's also silver and blue-grey with little glints of teal-green here and there.

The formula on this was good.  Not too thick, not too thin, nice even consistency, no application problems.  This is a mini-sized polish but it still had a decent brush.  Dry time was good.  Dries a little dull but looks better once I add topcoat.

This is the first color I've tried from Sephora's new Color Hit line and I'm disappointed in the color but not the formula.  I expected this to be a black with rainbow glitter but it's actually a blue-grey with a little duochrome shimmer.  No contrast to the color at all and it looks all faded and bleh to me.  No life, no sparkle. Also brings out a ton of redness in my skin (the dreaded lobster hands, oh no).  I'd like this a lot more if it had a true black base to give a little lift to the shimmer, cause the shimmer is pretty cool if you look closely at it.  Oh well, it was only $5.

A couple quick Sephora + Pantone Spectralight collection swatches

Tried out a couple of those sweet Sephora duochromes last night and this morning:

Sephora Light Storm Liquid Shadow in Tuscany (lid and lower lashline)

Ehhh... I don't know about the shadows yet.  I'm not used to the formula.  It's thick and sticky, kind of like a waterproof eyeliner.  It has decent pigmentation, but if you apply it too thickly, it crinkles and flakes off.  Most of the duochrome effect disappears when the shadow dries, though it looks very duochromey when first applied. 

Sephora Astral Lip Glaze in Mauvewood.

Now this I like.  Maybe even love.  This isn't an accurate representation of the base color (cause I had to take it at night with flash), but it really shows off the green pearl.  The duochrome effect is definitely noticeable and the formula is thicker and longer lasting than the last Sephora + Pantone gloss set I bought. 

Sephora Astral Lip Glaze in Chrysanthemum (natural light, flash).

I don't notice as much two-tone/duochrome flash in this on the lips as I do with Mauvewood, but I can make out lots of different colors of shimmer within the gloss.  Silver, blue, green, pink.  Shiny and iridescent but perfectly small and smooth.  This is a really good color on my skintone, too.

So far I'm really, really liking the glosses but I need more practice with the shadows.  They feel weird on my eyelids and they flake off look chunky after they dry.  I wish they were pressed powder or loose pigment instead so I could use my own mixing medium with them!

Sephora + Pantone Universe Spectralight Collection Astral Lip Glaze and Light Storm Liquid Shadow

Attention fellow duochrome lovers: Sephora has duochrome/multichrome/iridescent lipglosses and liquid eyeshadows.

 On the left is the Astral Lip Glaze set, on the right are the three shades of Light Storm Liquid Shadow.

They just arrived a few minutes ago so I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but I'm so excited about them that I had to post about it.  'Cause... look!

Light Storm shadow in Smoky Grape

It's like Scrangie in eyeshadow form!

Astral Lip Glaze in Mauvewood

What?  A mauve/purple lipgloss with green duochrome shimmer?!  I'm in love.

So freakin' cool.  I hope they don't fall flat when I apply them, because that would be a massive letdown. 

Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora Storylook Eyeshadow Palette Holiday 2012 Photos and Review

Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora Storylook Eyeshadow Palette

What I liked:

• Lots of really pretty colors.
• Gorgeous collectible packaging.
• It's a Disney princess palette, but it doesn't look like plastic play makeup.  It has a very classic look and feel to it.
• Both trays pull out so it's easier to use.

What I didn't like:

• Some of the colors sting when their fallout gets in my eyes.  I don't usually experience that with Sephora-brand shadows.
• Most of the colors don't apply true to pan color.
• Some of the shades are too soft and dusty with poor payoff.
• There's a fair amount of fading and color-changing with these, even when worn over a primer.

Overall, it's a decent quality palette with an interesting variety of colors.  The blues and golds seem to fit the Cinderella theme, but I'm not so sure about all the browns, blacks and other neutrals.  They don't seem very princess-y to me!  This would make an awesome gift for someone who loves Disney and is into makeup, or someone who loves to collect palettes (like me!).  The payoff and formula of the shadows isn't amazing, though, so if you're looking for a top quality, versatile, interesting and all-around awesome palette for daily use, I'd personally go with the Urban Decay Vice palette instead.

Kat Von D Star Kissed Mini Lipstick Set Holiday 2012 Swatches and Review

Sephora's Kat Von D brand has another mini lipstick set out this holiday season featuring three shades of Painted Love lipstick and three Foiled Love shades, giving you a good way to try out a variety of Kat von D lipstick formulas and colors.  

Kat Von D Star Kissed Lipstick Set for Holiday 2012

Painted Love Lipstick in Rosary, Lolita, Underage Red.

Foiled Love Lipstick in Beranice, Forever & Ever, Valentine.

Rosary - Lolita - Underage Red - Beranice - Forever & Ever - Valentine

Kat von D Painted Love Lipstick in Rosary

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Lolita

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Underage Red

Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Beranice

Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Forever & Ever

Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Valentine

 

 Rosary, Lolita, Underage Red, Beranice, Forever & Ever, Valentine

The lipsticks in this set are mini-size (0.042 oz).  They're quite small and cute, but still have that nice, ornate Kat Von D packaging.  I've included a full-sized OPI bottle to give you an idea of scale.

What I liked:

• The set has a good variety of colors and finishes.  There's vampy burgundy, classic bright red creme, glittery pink and a few other shades I probably wouldn't have tried on their own.
• The packaging is attractive and I really like the look and feel of the mini lipstick tubes.
• A set of minis is a much easier and more affordable way to try these lipsticks.  Full-sized (0.11 oz) Kat Von D lipsticks are $19, this set is $28.
• The formula is smooth and the colors are opaque and long-lasting.  
• I like the pointed tip on the lipsticks, it makes them easier to apply with precision.

What I didn't like:

• The formula seems dry for such pricey lipsticks.
• The Foiled Love shades aren't really foily.  I hoped they would be shinier and more metallic.
• The glitter/foil flake in Valentine is pretty chunky and tends to migrate a little while I'm wearing it. Valentine also needs a few layers to become completely opaque.
• I actually really like the size of the little tiny lipstick tubes, but they are very small.  It's plenty of product for me, and I'm satisfied with the size of them, but they are smaller than I thought they would be.

The Kat Von D Star Kissed Lipstick set is limited edition and retails for $28 for six 0.042 oz mini lipsticks.