Silk Naturals Fall 2015 + Last Chance Lippies 

Saturday, September 19, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 10:54 PM
Fall 2015

In the process of acquiring some new lip colors for fall I decided to clean through my makeup and toss some older Silk Naturals colors that were probably not great to use anymore. I hate throwing out makeup but I love knowing my makeup is safe and clean, so... Here's the new stuff! I got a few things from the Fall 2015 collection, a few last chance items, and a replacement for an item that didn't work.


Smoothie, Sinful, Ruby, Cherry Black


Smoothie Tinted Nourish Lip Conditioner - This is a subtle, shimmer-free, light pink lip gloss. It feels amazing and moisturizing and I absolutely adore it! I will definitely be getting more of the Lip Conditioner formula in the future!

Sinful Amplifying Lip Glaze - This was the GWP from my Fall order. It is a moderately opaque medium pink. It is very glossy without being sparkly. Quite pretty!

Ruby Velvet Matte Lipstick - This is brighter and more of a true red next to Merlot. I love the Velvet Matte Lipstick formula!

Cherry Black Lipstick - This is the glossier vegan lipstick formula. It is that super dark vampy color that works great for fall! This is definitely a great lipstick to rock in October!

Sleep in a Jar Light Peach Under Eye Concealer, Laced Eye Color, Score Eye Color, Cult Eye Color


I only chose three colors from the Bare Necessities Smoky line, on account of I have "one or two" extraneous eye shadows so I figured I didn't need the whole palette! I ones I chose are gorgeous!

Laced Eye Color - This is a very light chalky pink highlight color. The shadow itself is matte but there is faint shimmer throughout. The formula is considered a cream satin.

Score Eye Color - I absolutely love this color! It is a beautiful light pink shimmery champagne color. It is super sparkly and beautiful and could easily be a one and done shade which is generally my favorite kind of color.

Cult Eye Color - Cult is one of those taupey greigey colors that I love and always gravitate to. It is much more complicated than "grey". It is a dark, moody, dirty metallic. Gorgeousness!

 Sleep in a Jar Light Peach Under Eye Concealer - This is part of the permanent collection but I decided it was time to try it as I always hear great things. I chose the color light peach to brighten my eyes. I do believe it helps brighten up the eye area and I am looking forward to using this!

Last Chance


Coy, Jackpot, Glacier, Hubbub, Hot Blooded, Merlot

Coy Slick Stick - This is the kind of gloss I buy just because it's on sale. This is a sheer, shimmerless, milky white gloss. There is just enough opacity to lighten lip color without making me look creepy. This was definitely a gamble but I'm glad I got it. The idea behind this is you use it to lighten up other lip colors, but I will probably wear it alone because I'm weird and like the idea of white lip gloss.

Jackpot Slick Stick - This is a shimmery sheer gloss with gold sparkle. I don't have a whole bunch to say about this other than that I love Slick Sticks and am glad I got this one.

Glacier Amplifying Lip Glaze - I've never tried the Amplifying Lip Glaze formula because I usually hate anything billed as a lip plumper. I tend to not like mint flavors. I don't love the flavor of this but it isn't overwhelmingly peppermint and there's nothing in it that's going to sting like many plumpers! It does tingle in a minty way but much less than other minty glosses I've had. I really, really wanted this weird turquoise glitter gloss because I love turquoise, so why wouldn't I? Like Coy it is unusual but not over the top.

The Village Slick Stick - This is actually a repurchase for me. This one is a sheer purple gloss with iridescent pink and purple sparkle. Definitely a fav.

Hubbub Slick Stick - Can you tell I like Slick Sticks? This is a glisteny sans sparkle Slick Stick in a light coral shade. Very pretty and very basic.

Hot Blooded Kisser Slicker - Oh yeah, I forgot about Kisser Slickers. Hot Blooded was on my wishlist for ages so now that it's making it's exit I finally got it. This is a medium opacity gloss, much more opaque than all the others discussed here. I'm going to go ahead and call this color "marsala".

Merlot Velvet Matte Lipstick - This is not part of the last chance sale. I bought this awhile ago and after not getting very far into my tube because it is super pigmented the tube stopped twisting up. Karen quickly sent me this replacement with an awesome GWP shadow!

Pretend, Hidden


Pretend Eye Color GWP - This eye color GWP came with my clearance lippies. It is a satiny soft gold which I absolutely love. Pinker but would go nicely with Jackpot.

Hidden Eye Color GWP - This eye color GWP came with my replacement Merlot Velvet Matte Lipstick. This is a completely matte dusty mauve eye color that would probably work out pretty well as a blush! Really unique and awesome, I am excited about this one!

What are you loving from the Silk Naturals 2015 Collection? Leave me a comment!

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Pür Minerals Femme Fatale Collection / Secret Crush Eye Shadow Palette 

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 10:04 PM


I've browsed the Pur Minerals website before but this was the first time I ever tried anything from the brand. I was drawn to this collection for a few reasons: The look of a "naked" palette, my desire to try liquid eyeliner for the first time in years, and my love of the color turquoise! It had absolutely nothing to do with the movie the man from U.N.C.L.E. that this collection is promoting and which I know nothing about. The entire Femme Fatale collection is $29.






The Secret Crush Palette is normally $32 so if you're going to buy it, but this collection instead! The palette features eight shadows with a net weight of .05 oz. each, which is pretty generous. The shadows come in a sturdy metal palette with a large mirror and a small eye shadow brush. I get really excited about natural palettes in general as they are so hard to find! The packaging on this one isn't the best. The mirror is quite nice. The palette's hinge only opens about 95 degrees and looks like it would break if I tried to open it more than that. The clasp closes nicely but sticks when I open the palette.

The palette features eight colors: Whisper, Lust, Passion, Muse, Admirer, Infatuation, Rendezvous, and Rumor. As you can see I labeled the color names in my palette as they are only labeled on the box. Whisper and Lust are the two highlight colors. I always appreciate the inclusion of highlight colors but these are both quite sheer and virtually imperceptible. They are both matte formula shadows although Whisper has a hint of sparkle. Passion, Muse, Admirer, and Infatuation are beautiful, creamy, metallic shadows that remind me of my old Urban Decay shadows! Rendevous and Rumor are both matte colors that I find difficult to work with.While I don't love this palette I like it enough that I will continue to use it regularly. For this price I think it is worth it to check it out for the metallic shadows! Possible ingredient concerns include Phenoxyethanol, Carmine, and Ferric Ferrocyanide. I was a little nervous about this but I have had no problem with the formulas in this palette.

I am definitely not a person who is good with liquid eyeliner so the Cat Eye Liquid Eyeliner in Black and Double Ego Dual-Ended Eyeliner in Queensland really appealed to me, especially since any kind of turquoise is my favorite eyeliner! I really like both of these. They are much easier to control than traditional liquid eyeliner and much more forgiving. That isn't to say it's impossible to make a mess, because it is. One morning I ended up with too much Cat Eye and smeared it with RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshdow and it looked pretty fantastic. I definitely recommend both of these for anyone else who might be nervous about liquid liner! Possible ingredient concerns include Phenoxyethanol, Carmine, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, and dyes. Again, the true test for me is how my eyes react to it. I've been using these for about a week with no issues.


As you can see Cat Eye bleeds a bit.

This was the smudge test. The pencil side of Queensland didn't do so well but both liquids stuck around!
Big Look Extreme Mascara with Argan Oil is a miniature mascara although it is reasonably sized at .12 oz. I do find it to be comfortable and conditioning but not incredibly volumizing. The wand is plastic so the mascara does not clump on the wand. I think the miniature packaging is what makes this product somewhat difficult to apply so I would assume the full size would be easier, but this would be a good way to test out the mascara. Possible ingredient concern here is Phenoxyethanol, which at this point is a shock to no one!




Overall I am glad I purchased the Femme Fatale Collection. This is a great price point to try out a brand that is new to me. I would not recommend this collection for anyone trying to be strict about all natural ingredients as there are a few suspect ingredients in here.





Current Polish: Zoya Channing



Currently Reading: X-O Manowar by Robert Venditti 

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier




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Summer Empties, China, Etcetera 

Wednesday, September 2, 2015 - Posted by Unknown at 7:29 PM
I didn't mean to be gone for months, but a lot of things have been going on, so this is going to be a huge empties post and probably I will still forget something!

May + June

Makeup



Real Purity Disguise System Duo Light .2 oz. - This has amazing clean ingredients. I prefer the shade Medium on me and when it's fresh its wonderful. The shelf life on this is not amazing, and I had this one a bit too long. I wouldn't purchase this shade again. I would get Medium for color but for the price point and how quickly i use it up I am less likely to purchase it again.

Lily Lolo New Black Vegan Mascara 7 ml - This is probably my new favorite natural mascara! I was very impressed with this formula and what it did for for my lashes without any irritation. I will definitely be purchasing this in the future although I currently have several mascaras to use first.

The All Natural Face Vegan Lip Gloss Frosted Peach .43 oz. - This has great clean ingredients but I hate wand style gloss because it feels so germy! As usual I used this a few weeks until it grossed me out. This is a beautiful sheer peach color with shimmer. Looks gorgeous, just hate the packaging!

Julep Nail Vernis America .27 oz. - This is completely beautiful in the bottle. Unfortunately it was absolutely awful on my nails. It was very gummy and applied very unevenly. In it's defense my bottle was a few years old. I took this off immediately and can't recommend it.

Real Purity Shrimp Lipstick sample - Real Purity lipstick is one of my favorite formulas. Shrimp is a beautiful orange-red with a bit of shimmer. This is definitely on my wish list!

Real Purity Disguise System Concealer Light, The All Natural Face Vegan Lip Gloss Frosted Peach, Real Purity Shrimp Lipstick

Skin

Pure All Natural and Handmade Facial Soap French Pink Clay FS - I bought this locally in Columbia, SC at the Soda City Farmer's Market and was so excited about it! Unfortunately this was too harsh for my skin which was quite surprising as it is considered Pure's sensitive skin soap. Ingredients include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado butter, french pink clay, essential oil, and beeswax. David ended up finishing this soap without problems, so I'm going go assume there was just too much clay in it for my skin.

Simply Eden Bath & Body Goat-Milk Soap Frankincense, Lavender & Lime 5.25 oz. - I can't really provide much of an opinion on this one as this particular soap had been around quite awhile and Simply Eden does not sell this one anymore.

Winter Rose Soap Castile Soap Loaf 3 lb. - I really liked this soap quite a bit. My gold standard for castile soap is Hill's Natural Soap. This one was more moisturizing because Cathy sent me a message and asked if I wanted to add cocoa butter! I went back and forth between the two for a long time and they are both great. I would definitely order from Winter Rose Soap again!

Trader Joe's Shave Moisturizing Cream Shave Honey Mango 8 oz. - Next to a lot of things I use these aren't the cleanest ingredients, but I find them acceptable for a shaving cream. Also, this smells awesome. It's a unisex product and David uses it a lot too.

Trader Joe's Nourish Spray Sunscreen SPF 50 6 oz. - This is the one I buy over and over again! It's only $6 which is cheaper than regular spray sunscreen.

Banana Boat SunComfort Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ - This is what happens when you run out of sunscreen and don't have time to go to Trader Joe's. I think we actually went through 2 of these this summer. Then I bought more of the Nourish from TJ's...

Alba Pineapple Quench Lip Balm .15 oz. - Much like the coconut one this started off great but over time became grainy. It was still nice and quite moisturizing with very clean ingredients. I didn't love the packing as it twists at the top which makes it difficult to open. Would still buy again.

Skin Samples:

Andalou Naturals Acai + White Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer Clarifying x2
Andalou Naturals Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Beautiful Day Cream
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Heavenly Night Cream
Bull Dog Original Moisturizer
MaMi SkinCare Satiated Moisturizer
Weleda Baby Derma White Mallow Face Cream x2
Weleda Baby Caledula Face Cream
Weleda Baby Calendula Diaper Rash Cream
Weleda Pomegranate Firming Day Cream

I would definitely love to try more of the Andalou Naturals and Weleda products!

Other:

Tom's of Maine Maximum Strength Sensitive Soothing Mint 4 oz.
Trader Joe's Anticavity Peppermint Toothpaste 6 oz.

I try to stick to sensitive toothpaste but when I run out I always go back to Trader Joes!

July

I spent the month of July in Shijiazhuang Shi, Hebei, China (yes, I have to look up how to spell that every time!) I decided not to bring any makeup to China and only pack necessities. I will admit there were times I regretted that, but it wouldn't have been practical to wear makeup anyway as it would have melted off!







All I actually used up in China was a small Juice Beauty Moisturizer and a Real Purity travel size Roll-On Deodorant. I also took a full bottle of Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo and the end of a bottle of Real Purity Moisturizing Hair Conditioner. Both were mostly finished when I accidentally left them in my dorm bathroom as I stayed in five different places during the course of the month!



August



So I came back from China, went back to work, and immediately sprained my ankle. It's still recovering and I'm feeling pretty silly walking around in a big clunky boot, but... I have my makeup back so that makes me feel more glamorous!

Makeup

Gabriel Mascara Black - This is just a slightly smaller version of their regular black mascara. Performs the same. Review here. 

Skin

Acure Brightening Facial Scrub 1 oz. - This was a free sample from Whole Foods! This super dark scrub is very fine. At first I thought it was too harsh for my skin but I think it's actually just very... thorough. When I use it my skin feels ridiculously soft. I don't need to repurchase it as I have a lot of scrubs sitting around, but I could see myself getting it again in the future.

The All Natural Face Age Defying Extract Daily Moisturizer Pure and Simple 1 oz. - This is a very light facial moisturizer that smells exactly like lemons. I like it fine but I don't love it. I think I want something a bit more moisturizing but this is great for summer when you want something lighter.

Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes with Cotton Extract 30 ct. - This has been a staple lately. I will probably keep buying them. Products of this nature usually irritate my face and the irritation from these is incredibly minimal.

Silk Naturals Stark & Son Peanut Butter Matte Lip Balm .15 oz. - This lip balm is marketed to men because it has a somewhat matte finish. It really does have a peanut butter scent but more like roasted peanuts and not at all like sugary peanut butter. This is the balm that traveled all over China with me! I almost lost it on the airplane there. Close call.

The All Natural Face Organic Helichrysum Hydrosol Toner 2 oz. - This is just okay. I didn't find it particularly moisturizing which is the main thing I look for in a toner. It's supposed to reduce facial redness but if it did I didn't notice. Not likely to repurchase.

The All Natural Face Fresh Roses Facial Cleansing Cream and Makeup Remover 2 oz. and The All Natural Face Face Food Cherries & Cream 2 oz.  I don't feel like I can adequately review these as I am pretty sure both went bad before I finished them. I will definitely say don't store these products in the shower!

 Real Purity Roll-On Deodorant 3. oz. - Gold standard as always.

Hair

Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo 8 oz. - I could write a novel about this, but we'll start with this: The bottle you see here is my first bottle. I took a second bottle to China and there is a third in my shower right now. Full review coming soon!

Derma E Vitamin E Skin Oil 14,000 I.U. - I'm losing track of how many of these I've gone through!


Currently Listening to The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness

Recently watched The Affair 

Recently read Loot by Jude Watson

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