MAC Stroke of Midnight: Viva Glamorous Bag

The local MAC store in Kingston recently got in stock the Stroke of Midnight holiday collections which I was glad about, but unfortunately my shallow pockets could only afford one set of these (which happens to be the cheapest). Seeing that I was in the mood to purchase a Viva Glam lipstick and have been eyeing Viva Glam I for some time I decided to go for this holiday Glam bag set. The set includes the Viva Glam I lipstick (a burgundy matte red) and matching lipglass along with a limited edition Viva Glamorous bag in black satin with glossy red and gold detailing. All the funds from this or any Viva Glam purchase goes towards the MAC AIDS Fund which assists in helping women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Inside of the limited edition Viva Glamorous Bag

Swatches of the Viva Glam I lipstick (matte), lipglass, combo of lipstick and lipglass

Viva Glam I Lipstick

Viva Glam I Lipglass

Lipstick and lipglass combo

Gift bag available with the set

BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Palette Review and Swatches

The geek in me with the childhood dreams of being an Astronomer met the adult make up lover in the BH Cosmetics Galaxy Girl palette. When this first came out I was in awe at the beautiful packing and the unique shadows. So of course since it was readily available at a store in Jamaica for a similar price point to that on the BH Cosmetics site, I had to jump in and get one of these babies for myself. And I have no regrets I am in love J

The palette contains 18 baked eyeshadows and according to the BH website, it is “inspired by the moons and planets of the universe, eyeshadows range from hot sun-orange to cool earth-blue and colors of the Milky Way. Be as chic as a sparkling star”. Now tell me. What girl could resist that? When we are all sparking stars. 

The packaging is a very thick card board material throughout and does not feel cheaply made at all. However I wouldn't recommend getting it wet, I am not sure how it would hold up to that. So keep all liquids far away from it. The shadows themselves are dome shaped as it seems most baked shadows are and are fairly large so you do get a good amount of product (Net Wt of 1.27oz/35.4g).

The shadows are quite pigmented as well, the swatches below were done without a primer and most were done with only one swipe. Only the lighter shades I had to build up a bit to get them more vibrate so I did two swipes for those. 

The gorgeous packaging of the Galaxy Chic palette

It comes with a fairly large mirror and is purple on the inside of the palette

First Row L-R: Sun, Jupiter, Prometheus, Aphrodite, Milky Way, Cosmic

Second Row L-R: Saturn, Venus, Meteor, Comet, Earth, Neptune

Third Row L-R: Mercury, Mars, Asteroid, Uranus, Moon, Eclipse 

Très Beau Glamour: Lippie Round-Up | October with Swatches

Très Beau Glamour: Lippie Round-Up | October with Swatches: Happy Friday my loves!!!! Hope all is well for everyone! Today I'll be busy at the doctors office for another sonogram to check up on ...

Another Cherry Culture Haul

I recently did some more damage on the Cherry Culture website and got a few items I have been eyeing for a while now. So since this time of year I can justify splurging a bit on myself because its around my birthday time I went ahead and got some stuff. 

See unboxing video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsZ3wDAdRHk

NYX Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation in Medium Beige

Jordana Matte Lipstick in Sweet Sorbet
This is more of a metallic finish than a matte.It is also very sheer and have to really build it up to get a good colour payoff

L.A. Girl's Creme Lipstick in Love Letter, Secret Admirer, Pure Ecstasy

I am in ecstacy for Pure Ecstasy lol. I am so in love with this lipstick I am wanting more. They have the texture of Mac cremesheen finish on the lips but smells like a hair product (bummer), it is not an overpowering scent but you can faintly smell it when applying the product. However the pigmentation is unbelievable for the price of this product (USD$2.50), it is rich and applies very opaque. 

NYX Round Lipsticks in Fig, Rose, Peach Bellini Peach Bellini is very sheer, so you will have to swipe it a couple times to build up the colour. 

New!!! Kleancolor Nail Polishes

Kleancolors recently came out this a new line of nail polishes (along with a ton of other products). Including but not limited to a 3D, Matte and Scented Nail Lacquers Collection, some of the colours  I have swatched below.  I hope to get my hands on some others in the future. Oh my nail polish obsession and collection will grow tremendously lol.  And at the price of one of these polishes I can always afford to indulge (ranging from JMD$100-$150 in wholesales and pharmacies and USD$1.79 on site such as Beautyjoint.com). 

Each of the nail swatches shown in the pictures are done with only one coat except for the Duochrome polish which I had to add multiple coats to really build up to it's true colour. Kleancolor polishes are generally quite opaque and wears as long as the average nail polish not to mention they come in a ton of different colours and now various finishes and textures. I have quite a few in my collection and I swear by them. 

The fragrances of the scented polishes becomes apparent when they have fully dried on the nails and I have found the scent to last for a few hours after application even after hand washing and doing the dishes. For the ones of have the names are true to the stipulated scents but I am still unsure of the pudding scented polish it doesn't smell like my grandmother's pudding lol. 

A few of the new Kleancolor Polishes

From L-R: #333 Vanilla Villa (Vanilla Scented),  #259 Mellow Khaki (Opaque Matte),
#315 Love for Pudding (Pudding Scented)

From L-R: #328 Leap of Grape (Grape Scented), #330 Jasmine Night (Jasmine Scented)
#313 Wicked/Angelic (Duochrome 3D) 

   Vanilla Villa and Mellow Khaki

I enjoyed the fact that the Mellow Khaki really did dry to an opaque matte finish as suggested without applying streaky.

Love for Pudding, Leap of Grape, Jasmine Night

When trying to remove the Jasmine Night i find that it really stains the nails and a good nail polish remover and some buffing in absolutely necessary when removing this.  

Wicked/Angelic showing 1,2 and 3 coats
The duochrome effects comes off as a green and purple/burgundy/maroon color
depending on your lighting.

   

Beauty Joint Haul

Hi guys! In September I made the plunge and ordered some stuff online to be shipped directly to Jamaica and since this company BeautyJoint.com offered international shipped I opted to go for it.

It took 5 weeks for me to get. In this time I was worried that my package got lost in transit or something because girls in New Zealand and Australia said they got theirs in 2 weeks. But I kept my fingers cross until that faithful day the mail man showed up with the slip for me to pick up my package at the post office. To my surprise the package did reach Jamaica in 2 1/2 weeks but was delayed by the dreaded customs for another 2 weeks. Talk about a bummer! I was glad however that I did not have to pay customs duty on the package. Yay for that!

Everything came in good condition, nothing was broken thankfully (except the handle of the ELF brush but I think that's a manufacturing issue and not as a result of the shipping). It came all wrapped up in layers of bubble wrap and felt pretty secure.

I am glad to get my hands on some Wet n Wild, ELF and NYX products without having to travel to America and I liked the variety of drugstore items the site offer. Below are pics of the items I received.

Check out my unboxing video of this package http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP30FWR0GFw

ELF Powder Brush

ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Tiki Torches
(I regret buying this. Its too shimmery for my taste)

ELF Lip Exfoliator
(Super happy to get this and it smells like vanilla)

NYX Round lipstick in Indian Pink

Swatches of Indian Pink (with and without flash indoor)

Jordana Twist n Shine 
From top to bottom: Honey Love, Candid Coral, Rock n Rouge

L.A Colors Jumbo Eye Pencil in Sun Kissed

China Glaze nail polish in Jamaican Out and Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish in Club Havana

NYX Slim Lip liner in Orange, Pumpkin, Sand Pink

Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate in 103 and 104

Swatches of Rimmel's Kate 103 and 104 (with and without flash indoors)

Wet n Wild  Megalast Lip Colors

Top Row L-R: Just Peachy, Pinkerbell, Purty Persimmon, Think Pink, 24 Carrot Gold
Bottom Row L-R: Coral-ine, Smoking Hot Pink, Rose Bud, Blink Pink, Wine Room

Wet n Wild Color Icon Collection 8 pan palette in Petal Pusher and Comfort Zone

Swatches of Petal Pusher (top) and Comfort Zone (bottom) palettes

BH Cosmetics Crème Luxe Lipstick Review

I bought the BH Cosmetics lipstick on the same occasion I bought the Real Techniques Core Collection. I have tried it a few times and has decided to do a review on the product. I swear the sales girl scampered me into buying as I had no intention of getting a lipstick when I went into the store much less a nude coloured one. So I decided to take the BH Cosmetics lipstick when given the option between it and a Milani Colour Statement in Nude Crème which I had initially wanted. But seeing that I can purchase a Milani lipstick readily and had already had a few, I opted for the BH Cosmetics lipstick in Tea Time.

The lipstick comes in a slick black packaging with a clear base showing the actual colour of the lipstick. The only writings present on the tube is the BH Cosmetics Crème Luxe Lipstick written down the side and the name of the colour on the clear base (as seen in the photo above). It reminds me a lot of the NYX Round lipsticks except that the BH Cosmetics lipstick has a greater circumference and is taller. However the inner tube and the actual lipstick is the same size. The packaging feels durable and closes pretty tightly so I doubt the cap would be coming off in your make-up bag.

Comparison of the BH Cosmetics lipstick to the NYX Round lipstick (Doll)

On the BH Cosmetics website these are priced at USD$7.95 generally but they are always having some sort of sale where you can get them cheaper. At the local store I purchased it for JMD$600, which isn't bad for a lip product. So I can say it’s afford and well-priced.

Now on to the actual lipstick itself. It is available in 12 shades but the one I have is in Tea Time, one of the lightest shades available. The texture of the lipstick when applied to the lips is very creamy as suggested by the name Crème Luxe. It reminds me a lot of the creaminess of the MAC Amplified lipstick. The pigmentation is fairly good considering that such a light colour showed up on my much pigmented lips. Overall I find the formulation to be too creamy for my liking (not a fan of MAC’s Amplified formula either). I feel as if it will just slip off my lips as time goes on not the mention the colour applies patchy and slips and slides when I rub my lips together. This is definitely one of those lip products that you have to apply, blot then apply again and might even need to blot a second time just to get it to adhere to your lips.

Lip swatch with and without flash

I am not sure if I would purchase another one, if I did it would be a darker colour just for the sake of trying it out.