First try with the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca palette

I did some quick swatches of the palette here, but now that I've used the palette, I have a slightly different opinion on it.

First, here's the very first look I did with it:


I used:
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Kat Von D Swansong on lid
Kat Von D No Regrets in crease
Kat Von D Drama For Yo Momma in inner crease
Kat Von D Dublin on lower lashline
Kat Von D Autograph Eye Pencil in Wonderchild as liner

Swansong - Marya - No Regrets - Drama For Yo Momma - Mad Max - Dublin - Sparklehorse - Altruism.

When I swatched these on my arm, I thought they seemed a little bit powdery, and I was right. Some of these shades are fine, but others are super powdery and sheer. I had a hard time with No Regrets and Drama For Yo Momma because they didn't want to build, and when I finally achieved the color I wanted with them, they didn't want to blend. They wanted to disappear. Swansong was great, I loved that one... But Dublin was shameful. It was so shockingly sheer and it barely showed up or adhered even using it wet, I can't believe they would put such a bad green in this palette.

The Wonderchild eyeliner didn't seem to want to stick to my lid or my waterline, either. I had to go over it a million times and it felt like none of the pigment was transferring onto my eye. I'll have to use is again to see if it does the same thing.

I haven't used all the colors yet, so maybe they're not all this powdery and sheer. I mean, the colors I used are pretty, but they're not neon like the palette claims and they need to be layered heavily or used wet if you want them to show up. This is surprising because all the other Kat palettes I have are very good.

Color Club Copy Coats Scented Topcoat Collection Spring 2012 Swatches and Review

Color Club is really on a roll with all these scented nail polishes they've been doing recently. First, there was Wicked Sweet from summer 2011, then there was the Scent-suous Holiday collection that just came out a couple months ago. Now we have Color Club Copy Coats; six scented clear topcoats for adding fragrance to any manicure.

The colors are: Parallel Universe, Dead Ringer, Mimic, Duplicity, Replica and Copycat.

Each Copycoat topcoat has a different scent and is slightly tinted. They're all practically clear, but over certain colors, you can definitely see a bit of a tint.


Here's one coat of Dead Ringer, which has a yellow tint, over a three-day-old (excuse the chips and cracks) China Glaze Aquadelic manicure. It's not significantly different looking with the Copycoat topcoat, but it definitely has a yellow glaze added to it.



I did two coats of these over white to show you how much tint you can expect. Parallel Universe, Duplicity, Replica and Copycat, two coats each over white.

A little closer. Copycat, Replica, Duplicity and Parallel Universe, two coats each over white.

These topcoats aren't quick-dry on their own, so I wouldn't recommend using them over wet polish as it'll make them take longer to dry. Since these are not quick-dry, they make excellent refresher topcoats because they won't peel, shrink or chip when applied over dry polish. They're very glossy and are perfect for adding the shine back to a day-old manicure.

The scents in these aren't as strong as I had anticipated. They're subtle enough that you only smell them if you bring your hands close to your nose, plus the scents are so subtle that they only last about a day before they disappear completely. This is not necessarily a bad thing; persistent, strong scents on my hands can be annoying and headache-inducing. These give you the novelty of having scented nails without it being overbearing to the point where you get irritated with how strong they are.

These scents all smell pretty familiar to me, and they're called "Copycats," so I did a little comparing with the notes and descriptions, and I think I've narrowed down what scents these are supposed to imitate.

Mimic = YSL Parisienne
Duplicity = Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue
Dead Ringer = Marc Jacobs Daisy
Parallel Universe = Burberry Brit
Replica = Marc Jacobs Lola
Copycat = Burberry Classic

I could be wrong, as none of them smell exactly the same as the originals, but I also think something gets lost when translating them into nail polish form, so who knows. They do smell similar and the listed notes match up, so those are my best guesses.

I think this is a pretty cool product to have if one of these fragrances is your signature scent or just one that you wear often. You can match your topcoat to your perfume! None of the scents really appeal to me all that much in nail polish form (they all have a bit of an 'air freshener' smell as topcoats), but scented topcoat is always more interesting than unscented topcoat, so I still like them.

Also, I can't type the word Mimic without thinking of this:

What I liked:

• They look pretty all lined up in their square bottles.
• They're not too strong.
• The scent is gone by the next day.
• Good refresher topcoats; they don't shrink or peel.
• Very shiny.
• Scented things are cool.

What I didn't like:

• The slight tint in these can alter your polish color. Not by much, but it still happens.
• The scents smell dull and air-freshener-esque in nail polish form. Not bright and lively like the Wicked Sweet or Scent-suous Holiday scents.
• They're not quick dry, so I can't use them as my usual topcoat.

The Color Club Copy Coats Scented Topcoat Collection is available now, though the only place I've seen them so far is on Color Club's online store where they retail for $8 each.

(This was sent for review.)

Illamasqua Sophie-I Competition / Giveaway

I'm teaming up with Illamasqua to host a competition to celebrate the launch of the Sophie-I, and the prize is pretty sweet: you could win over £100 worth of Illamasqua products!

To learn more about S.O.P.H.I.E. and Sophie Lancaster, please visit the Sophie Lancaster Foundation website.

The Sophie-I smoky eye technique allows you to not only express your individuality, but discover new depth and definition in your eyes.

Created using the black Sophie Medium Pencil, the technique is inspired by The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, the charity Illamasqua supports, and £3 from every Sophie Pencil purchased is donated to the Foundation.

The S.O.P.H.I.E Foundation encourages people to Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere

We're offering you the opportunity to win a selection of pieces used to create the Sophie-I.

Prize [over £100 / $155 ]:

• Sophie Medium Pencil
• Powder Eye Shadow in Stealth
• Powder Eye Shadow in Machine
• Lipstick in Test
• Sheer Lipgloss in Artifice
• Masquara
• False Eye Lashes in No. 21

HOW TO ENTER:

Visit Illamasqua.com/SophieI and enter for your chance to win.

Rules:

Competition closes online at 11.59pm GMT on Monday 30th January 2012. Winner to be drawn at random and notified on Tuesday 31st January 2012.

This competition is open internationally.

Prize is non-transferable and has no cash value. Not open to Illamasqua employees. Illamasqua reserves the right to refuse. By providing Illamasqua with your details you agree to receive communications from Illamasqua and other like-minded third parties by post or email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Promoter: Illamasqua Ltd, 6-8 Amwell Street, London, EC1R 1UQ www.illamasqua.com

How to create the Sophie-I

(click to enlarge)


Video Tutorial by Illamasqua

STEP ONE Sketch along the upper socket line with the creamy black Medium Pencil in Sophie. Then buff with an Illamasqua Eye Shadow Brush to create a soft, diffused line. You can even wear this step on its own, to create a striking look in a hurry with just one product.

STEP TWO Take a pale neutral Powder Eye Shadow (we recommend Stealth) and gently press it to the centre of the eye lid, and underneath the brow bone for subtle highlight.

STEP THREE With a charcoal black Powder Eye Shadow (try Machine) build over the previous black pencil line, working outwards and upwards. Then take a Illamasqua Blending Brush and blend the two Powder Eye Shadows together, ensuring there are no sharp lines.

STEP FOUR Mix Sealing Gel with your black Powder Eye Shadow to create a colour- intense, water-resistant paste. Taking a sharp Angled Eye Liner Brush apply the paste in a fine line along the upper lash line as a liquid eye liner.
Artists’ Tip: You can also use this to redefine the original Sophie Pencil line along the socket for some serious drama.

STEP FIVE Finish the look with a line of Sophie Pencil along the lower lash line, a coating of midnight black Masquara in Raven and your favourite Illamasqua False Eye Lashes.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

Illamasqua and S.O.P.H.I.E

Models Own Open First Retail "Bottleshop"

I thought this was interesting... Models Own is opening their first retail store, called a "Bottleshop," at Westfield London, Shepherds Bush in April 2012.


And the Bottleshop is actually a nail polish bottle... that you shop in. How cool is that? I thought it was clever at least. Too bad I'll probably never see on on these shores!

Testing out the Kiss Nail Dress Jeweled Nail Art Strips

Last week I did a post about the new Kiss Nail Dress nail art appliques I picked up, and on Friday I had a chance to test them out. They didn't turn out exactly like I imagined them to.

I started off with clean nails prepped with rubbing alcohol to remove any leftover oil or moisture and improve adhesion of the strips. Since it's pretty cold out, I let the strips warm up until they felt flexible before I applied them. Here's what happened:

They look pretty good from this angle, right?

But when I tilt my nails up a little and look underneath... Uh oh. Big gaps. The ends of the strips at my free edge wouldn't stick down for anything. Filing off the excess only made it worse by leaving rough, torn edges (those little gems did not want to be filed!).

And they wouldn't stick at the cuticle end, either. See how they stick up and create gaps around the cuticle there? You can probably see the gap a little better in the flash picture.

To be completely honest with you, I only had enough patience to do one hand. I really wanted to do a full manicure and then leave them on all weekend to see how well they wore, but I just couldn't do it. I took these off immediately after I snapped these pictures.

The problem I had with these is that they were really stiff and not very sticky. I have very curved nails. Bad combination.

Another weird thing I noticed about them is that once you started to flex them to the shape of your nail, they didn't look smooth anymore. They looked speckled and glittery underneath the gems.

Okay. First attempt failed. I really want to try these again because I think they look super cool, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get them to work on my curved nails.

A few tips:

• These will likely work best on people with flat or only very slightly curved nails.
  
• When choosing the correct size decal for each nail, go a little bigger. They don't stretch like Incoco or Sally Hansen Salon Effects, so they end up being too narrow if you have curved nails and you pick the size that looks exact.
• Make sure they're at least room temperature. They're stiff, but they become a little more manageable the warmer they are. Rubbing them with your palms or hitting them with a little warm air from a hair dryer should do the trick. It helps if your hands are warm, too.
  
• Might be helpful to cut these down to your approximate nail length first, instead of after applying. Filing them down after they were on my nails made them want to lift up even more from the edge.
• No oil or moisture on the nail. Prep nails with alcohol or acetone first, and let it dry completely. Very important. These are not very sticky and anything that impedes adhesion at all will just ruin the strip.
  
• Since the strips aren't very sticky, avoid touching the adhesive side as much as possible.
  

I think that if these were half as stiff and twice as sticky, I wouldn't have had a problem with them. Maybe my nails are just too curved. Bah.

Kryolan Aquacolor UV Day Glow Palette Swatches

It's the dead of winter. I think I need a little bit of color to brighten things up around here. Don't you agree? Here's something I swatched ages ago and forgot to post and now seems like the perfect time to post it.

It's the Kryolan Aquacolor Day Glow Effects palette!

It comes with six UV-Day Glow (blacklight reactive) shades: UV Violet, UV Pink, UV Yellow, UV Green, UV Orange and UV Blue.

Aquacolors are not normal powder shadows or cream shadows. They're like a watercolor paint. A wet brush is needed to apply them.

UV Purple, UV Pink, UV Yellow, UV Green, UV Orange and UV Blue.

One important thing to note about these. These are intended to to be used as special effects makeup, such as face painting or for theater use. They contain neon pigments which are not FDA approved for eye use. The Kryolan website and the palette's packaging do not state that these aren't eye-safe, and I've been told that neon pigment is approved for eye use in other countries, so I'd strongly recommend doing a bit of research before deciding whether or not to use these on your eyes. One reason I've heard for why neons aren't eye-safe is that the particles are large and rough and could potentially scratch the cornea. Another reason I've seen repeated is that neon pigments or dyes (pinks especially) can be irritating or cause allergic reactions.

That said, these aren't the easiest colors to apply, but once in a while they're really fun. When I use them, I usually set them with their corresponding UV Day Glow Powders. That's how I used these when I did my neon green Halloween eyes. I also try to use them over a white or creamy opaque base to give them a little more opacity.

Nothing like a little bit of eye-searing neon color on a dark, cold, gloomy day...

Smashbox Be Discovered Eyeshadow Palette Spring 2012 Swatches and Review

Springtime. Pastels. For some reason, you just can't seem to separate the two. You can't have Spring without a bunch of pastel cosmetics collections, and you can't have pastel makeup or nails without thinking of Spring. I own my fair share of pastels, and I'll admit... I do feel compelled to wear them in the Spring. It's true, I just can't help equating pastel colors with Springtime. And, to keep the tradition alive, there are plenty of pastel releases this year, including the brand new Be Discovered palette from Smashbox.


Front of the palette. At first glance, I thought this was a floral pattern... Then I looked closer and realized it was light reflectors in a photo studio!


Back of the palette. Features a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone to bring up a tutorial video. I haven't seen the video.

Ingredients. Click to enlarge.


The palette features a full mirror and plastic housing around the shadows.

The shadows, with flash and without. Bliss (matte beige), Rosewater (pink sheen), Opal (opalescent sheen), Mist (shimmering silver mauve), Adobe (matte warm light brown), Champagne (shimmering peach beige), Pebble (matte neutral brown), Lilac (soft lilac sheen). Note: The shade names are not listed on the palette (only on the edge of the outer box); descriptions are taken from Sephora.com.

Swatched heavily over bare skin (no primer), top row: Bliss, Rosewater, Opal and Mist.



Bottom row: Adobe, Champagne, Pebble and Lilac.

The colors look really pretty and promising, but after using them a few times, I'm sad to say that I didn't have much luck with them.

What I liked:

• Sturdy palette construction. I like that the piece that houses the shadows is solid plastic and not cardboard. Easier to clean that way, too.
• The colors are very soft and pretty.
• The QR code on the back is a neat idea.
• The Champagne shade has more pigment than the others and applies fairly smooth and opaque.
  

What I didn't like:

• The shadows are very poorly pigmented.
• The shadows have a powdery texture that doesn't apply evenly.
• The shadows fade and change colors quickly even when used over primer.
• The shadows don't all apply true to pan color.

I had really high hopes for this palette since the one they did for the holiday collection was so amazing, but I was very disappointed by this. The Holiday Flash palette was intensely pigmented, almost too pigmented, really. This palette is the exact opposite. The shadows are very powdery, have very little pigment to them and they don't adhere to the lids correctly. I've tried these over three different primers (Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance Lemon Drop and LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer), and they were powdery and sheer over all three. I tried using Pebble and Opal wet, and that helped slightly, but the texture wasn't really right and they were patchy going on.

I don't know why the textures of the shadow palettes vary so much. I've loved some of their shadows and found them to be well pigmented and easy to apply, and I've hated others because they were powdery, patchy, sheer and hard to blend. Be Discovered is definitely one of the sheerer and less pigmented palettes I've tried from Smashbox. I can't get this palette to work for me, but you may like it if you're looking for some office-appropriate sheer, conservative shadows. I know that some people do like to wear a very light, sheer neutral eye, and, unfortunately, that's all this palette is good for.

The Smashbox Be Discovered palette is available from Sephora, $44. It is limited edition.

(This was sent for review.)

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Lilac Aqua

Been a while since I posted a Sally Hansen Nail Prisms swatch, but that Lipstick Queen Monarch lipstick reminded me of them. This is one that I don't see mentioned as often as the others, and it may not be as dramatic of a duochrome as Turquoise Opal or Amber Ruby, it is special in its own way.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms #39 Lilac Aqua. I can see lilac... but not really sure where the aqua in the name comes from. It's a shimmery mauve/rose pink base with multiple flashes of color. It shifts between purple with orange-coral, yellow-gold and green. What I like most about this color is the shimmer. If you look closely (click on that third picture to enlarge it), you'll see that it has those tiny, bright red-green shifting shimmer particles that are also in another one of my favorite polishes: Clarins 230. This picture was four coats.

So, Lilac Aqua... Maybe not my favorite Nail Prisms shade, but still has a special place in my duochrome sparkles-loving heart.

Refinery 29 Exclusive Lipstick Queen Lipstick in Monarch

Want to see my very first ever Lipstick Queen lipstick? I've always heard raves about Poppy King's lipstick line, but since I rarely wear lipstick, I never felt compelled to purchase one... until now. As soon as I saw pictures of this, I knew I had to have it. It's called Monarch, and it was a limited-edition shade exclusive to Refinery 29.


Monarch comes in a satiny purple metal tube with Lipstick Queen printed on it in purple lettering. This is an interesting tube; the color of it seems to shift from brownish to purpleish depending on the lighting.


And here's the lipstick. In natural light:


With flash:


And under fluorescent light:

As you can see, the lipstick is coated in a metallic turquoise duochrome sparkle. It shifts from turquoise to pure green, from blue to purple and then to red. It's a little bit like Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal in lipstick form.

Sadly, the turquoise sparkle is only on the outside. The lipstick underneath the sparkle is supposed to be a sheer red, and the coating of sparkles is intended to add a subtle green-blue shimmer to the red lipstick.

Honestly, guys... I'm not ready to swatch this yet. It's so pretty to look at and the minute I use it, it's going to be ruined. I think I'll use it eventually... just not yet. I want to look at it a little while longer. What? Don't tell me you've never bought makeup just to look at. I know you know all about the bittersweet joys of shimmer overspray, what with your golden sparkling seahorses and gilded metallic hearts and all.

But here's how it looks on the model from Refinery 29's website:

Image source. Photos by Tracy Wang.

Isn't this an amazing looking piece of cosmetic art? I love things like this. I really hope they do more shades with this sparkly, multichromatic shimmer overspray, cause I'll go crazy for them. Or better yet, mix the shimmer in with the color too. Or just make one that's one solid stick of color-shifting turquoise sparkles. I'd buy that.

One thing about the name of this lipstick, though.