Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Rock - Shimmery Taupe

You know I couldn't go too long without offering a new Taupe shadow to drool over. And while this week is slow and this post might go unread because of the Thanksgiving Holiday in the US I felt a duty to report on my newest taupe acquisition. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Rock. First introduced in the Stonewashed Nudes palette a few years ago, Bobbi Brown now offers Rock Shimmer Wash eye shadow as a single!
OK. What is a Shimmer Wash eye shadow and why do you need one? Let me explain:
Bobbi Brown says that her Shimmer Wash eye shadows are:

"Sheer, lightly pearlized shadow, which can also be used as a highlighter shade under the browbone."

Oh but they are so much more. You could use a Shimmer Wash shadow like Rock, all over the eye up to above the crease and have a lovely subdued shimmer neutral TAUPE eye. Add in a matte highlighter (because shimmer and shimmer can be over the top some times) and you have an ideal every day eye. It's a silvery grey taupe and neutral enough to pair with cool and warm colors alike.


The shadow is lightly pigmented but goes on smoothly and stays on all day. honestly, even I have some fading when I use an eyeshadow base, but Bobbi Brown Rock did not fade or crease on me after 12 hours of wear (I did use my ArtDeco Primer). The shadow is shimmery but not overboard shimmer. If you are familiar with Dior Iridescent eyeshadow palettes, those make the shadow look matte. So basically I'm saying that it's not crazy shimmery. It also has no glitter. I like that because when you wear it all over as a wash you don't have to worry about glitter fall out. But what I like most about this formula is that is is buildable. You can lightly wipe it across your lids or you can pat it on as say a crease color or to finish off a grey smokey eye. The color does not get muddy when you apply multiple layers. that's always good.

The packaging is smart as usual. A sleek black compact with a clear window to see what color you are grabbing or pop out the pan and put it in one of Bobbi Brown's customizable palettes. Maybe a three pan with a highlight and a crease color...or with other Shimmer Wash shadows for you to pick and choose. Right now I have a 3 pan palette but I debating what to put in with this particular Rock color. I'm in no rush as I have a feeling that Bobbi Brown might be having a Friends and Family sale some time soon...which means a possible discount. We will wait and see.

Now I have come to terms with the possibility that SOME of you might not own 5,465,423,135 taupe eye shadows like I do and you are looking for just ONE good shadow. Well whatever you FREAK, but if you are one of these strange creatures I suggest Rock Shimmer Wash eye shadow is the one for you. If you are like me, you might find that Rock Shimmer Wash looks eerily similar to NYX Dune or MAC Smoke & Diamonds. But you would be W R O N G. Yes. in the pan the shadows do look similar but MAC Smoke & Diamonds is a touch warmer and NYX Dune is more opaque once applied on the skin. Ah ha! So there. You DO NEED it!

Bobbi Brown Rock Shimmer Wash eye shadow up to the crease, MAC Arctic Grey to blend & Highlight, BECCA Barbarella Cake Liner, Shu Uemura The Basic Mascara & Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara.

Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser - Cleansing for my little brained ways

image from bioelements.com

I recently was given an opportunity to test out Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser by a representative at Bioelements. I received the cleanser in the mail and I have to admit I was a little more than excited to try it out. I LOVE self foaming cleansers. I was actually thinking of doing an entire week on self foaming cleansers when I realized that not everyone likes them as much as I do, so I decided to spread out the reviews. After all, I don't want to lose you guys for a whole week while I write about the virtues of self foaming cleansers now do I. Self foaming cleansers are perfect for me, especially in the morning. I'm tired and not thinking and a self foaming cleanser takes all the thinking out of cleaning my face. Not that cleansing takes a lot of brain power, but I look for anything to help with minimizing the use of my little brain so early in the morning.

Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser touts that

"This richly foaming cleanser is formulated with a blend of exfoliating botanicals that slough away dead, dull skin cells for a brighter, smoother complexion. Natural ingredients offers extreme antioxidant protection while aromatherapeutic oils and vitamin B5 deeply cleanse, moisturize and rejuvenate. Ideal for dry, combination and oily skin types."

OK I can dig that. So what are these natural ingredients?
Pumpkin, Papaya and Pineapple Extracts: Contain exfoliating natural enzymes
Green Tea Extract: Antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory
Panthenol: Vitamin B-5 - Healing, moisturizing
Orange Oil: Soothing
The full list of ingredients is at the end of this post.
OH BUT LISTEN!
Those with sensitivities to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) can use this cleanser because Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser doesn't contain those ingredients. WIN!

OK, so I told you about my fetish for foaming cleansers, my little brain, the key ingredients but what else do you need to know? Oh Yeah.
Does it work?
Well to be quite honest.... YES!

Now I will say that I used this mostly in the morning, as I have a different cleanser that I like to use in the evenings, but I did use it to take off my full face of make up a couple of times. It did OK. I would still continue to use my Shu Uemura Cleansing oil to really remove all my makeup, but the Flash Foam Cleanser did an OK job except on my waterproof mascara. Ah but when I wasn't worrying about taking off my makeup and just using it for straight cleansing, the Flash Foam Cleanser did a great job at exfoliating my skin without harsh scrubbing and scouring. Honestly I was VERY surprised at how smooth my skin felt after using this cleanser for a few days. I would use 2 puffs (one will suffice, but I'm a foaming cleanser freak so you know...) and massage into my damp skin on my face. massaging in a circular motion for about 30 seconds and then I rinsed. The cleanser rinses cleanly with no residue and it is not drying at all. My face felt calm, clean and smooth. I really was enamoured with how nice it was. The scent is another thing that I like. The orange oil and pineapple is fresh and invigorating, especially for the morning. It is not overpowering and does not linger once the cleanser is washed off.

The cleanser has a simple pump which I found to work well. It didn't clog or become stuck like some other self foaming cleansers I have used. The 6.5 oz cleanser is reported to contain 500 pumps of foam. I haven't been counting, but so far the cleanser is pretty full in the bottle. The price is high. $33, but the Bioelements website seems to run specials on shipping and there are other sites like Dermstore that have occasional 20% off deals from time to time make the price more palatable.

Do you need this? Well, if you want or need a gentle exfoliating cleanser this might be one to try out. Honestly, I was very anti exfoliating cleansers for a long time. I thought, "hey you wash it off what good can it do?" but after using this one for a while and seeing and FEELING the difference it makes, I am here to admit I was wrong about exfoliating cleansers. When used correctly, they can be quite effective.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerine, Sodium Lauroamphaocetete, Decyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 80, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Camillia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Polyquaternium-10, Diazolidinyl Urea/Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Sodium EDTA, Citric Acid.

The Mighty J's Birthday Surprise Give-Away!

Hey! The Mighty J is having a Birthday Surprise Giveaway.
You all need to enter.
Winning free stuff is the best and The Mighty J is super sweet. She'll have a super prize for the winner I'm sure!
Click HERE to enter! Good Luck!

PINK SITH SALES BLOG!

So in anticipation of failing to sell anything and making a fool out of myself I have created another blog where I will be selling used and new makeup.

In the attempt to find the makeup and skincare items from The US, Europe, Japan and Korea that suit my skin-type and skin-tone best I stumble across things that might be great but just don't work for me because of their color or texture. I also used to collect limited edition makeup and realize that if it will only sit in a box, there is no use having it.

I know there are many makeup lovers out there who want to try out these items themselves and won't mind if something has been slightly tested and if the price is right it's even better.
Pink Sith Sales is a blog where I can offer such items and find them a home where they'll be more appreciated.

Click HERE to start Shopping or to browse.

Guest Review by Joeybunny - Fyrinnae Snow Leopard Eye Shadow

I just recently became involved with Fyrinnae.

Yes, recently. Not years ago, like every other normal MUAer, but recently. I’m a little upset at myself about this. For three years I stared at everyone’s pretty pictures of the sparkly, shimmery pigments in their happy little jars, and read about how absolutely sweet and gracious the Fyrinnae boys are. Yet, I continued to hold strongly onto my prejudices about loose eyeshadows...while my MAC pigment collection started to grow.

Clearly, I’m an idiot. I don’t hate loose shadows. I like them a lot! Yes, they have a learning curve and yes, they can be messy; however, they can be pressed if you so choose, and the color saturation is worth the shadow fallout. So why didn’t I order from Fyrinnae earlier? I guess I was just lazy. Bad Joey, bad!

So what made me finally bite the proverbial bullet and order from Fyrinnae? The fantastical, super magical, orgasmical Pixie Epoxy, which hopefully one day soon I’ll review. So with my Pixie Epoxy order I also threw in a loose shadow for shits and giggles (I believe it was Macabre) and you know what? It rocked! It was incredibly pigment-dense and shimmery, with long-lasting staying power. I was sold. So I made a second order based on my general taupe hooriness, and Elvira’s recommendations.

Elvira, the Mistress of Taupedom, told me I needed to get Snow Leopard loose eyeshadow. So I did, and when I finally opened it, I let forth a moan of pleasure that I’m pretty sure reverberated through all of Manhattan. Well, my roommates definitely heard me. Anyway...

Snow Leopard is one of the prettiest taupes I have ever seen. It looks like deep, dark, shimmering sand in the pot. The Fyrinnae boys describe it as “a soft, deep taupe shade that has subtle hues of rose.” Swatched on my skin, it’s a dark grey-brown taupe with what look to be burgundy reflects (this is different compared to the Fyrinnae site swatches, which look bizarrely pewtery-gold). On my eyes, it’s not very shimmery and the grey undertone pops out more. It is perfect for every day. Elvira has used this before as liner, and as a crease shade. Since I’m not quite as beautifully pale as she, it makes a more subtle lid and/or crease color, although I do often use this over Pixie Epoxy, which darkens it and brings out more of the burgundy reflects. Also, this shadow is neutral enough to pair with any color, cool or warm. I’m loving it with Fyrinnae Knickers in a Twist (which Elvira reviewed HERE), Fyrinnae Samhein Spirits, or Edward Bess Dusk eyeshadow (Edward Bess review coming soon, guys!).

So, do you need this? Hell to the ‘effing YES you do. This is a taupe! TAUPE! TAAAAAAAUPE! It could cost a million dollars and eat baby pandas while you sleep and I’d still say you need it. Luckily, this eyeshadow isn’t as expensive or carnivorous as it could be. A 1/4 tsp sample sized jar costs an incredible $1.75 (enough for many uses, although I find that I actually have made a decent dent in mine already and it’s only been about two weeks), and a full sized jar is $5.25. So affordable! Also, the lovely Fyrinnae boys charge a very low shipping rate and include a free sample with every order! How could you possibly resist that? You can’t! So go order!

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Hi All. Elvira here. Just a little swatch comparison for you all. As you can see Snow Leopard is darker than the other taupes I have in the warm family, but I thought you might like to see that Ulta Sandstoner and MAC Style Snob are identical. Seriously, they are the same color. The texture is softer with the MAC shadow, but since Style Snob is limited edition and Ulta Sand Stone isn't, I thought you all might like to know.

Thursday Poll

I have an irrational fear of insects and spiders. I hate them and I want nothing to do with them. This is the main reason I don't go camping..that and the thought of sleeping on the ground does not appeal to me. My idea of "roughing it" is staying at a hotel without room service. I think the stork was drunk and dropped me off at the wrong house. I think I should have been a princess or heiress or something like that. The life of luxury calls to me daily. From the minute I turn off my 5am alarm to the second my head hits the less than 500 thread count pillowcase at night I KNOW deep in my heart that I should really be a lady who lunches, a woman that shops at Neimans with my personal shopper buying handbags and shoes and dresses for galas etc. It's very painful being a diva trapped in a common person's body. I need a trust fund and a nanny. Instead I have a jar full of pennies and a pack of diapers. So why the whiny "I wanna be rich" diatribe? Because I realized my life is not complete until I own a pair of Christian Louboutin Anemone Bow Shoes.
Sure they don't make them anymore but that's besides the point. I NEED them.
On to the poll.

1. Lip Of The Day? - Guerlain Rouge G in Gracia #66. Yeah. I bit the bullet, but I bought it at a discount. Call me a hypocrite I don't care. I'll be busy applying my Rouge G lipstick while you hate!

2. What is the longest book you ever read? - Ugh. Is it low brow of me to say "It" by Stephen King? Damn long book....and Scary.

3. What makeup do you carry with you in your purse every day? - MAC Blot, Lipstick of the day and probably 5 more because I forget to take them out of my purse, and Concealer.

4. Do you have a similar yearning for an expensive pair of shoes, purse, coat, etc? - Well obviously you see my answer above. I would also like a Cartier Love bracelet and a Chanel Purse...but I haven't decided which one I want.

5. When was the last time you washed your makeup brushes? - Me 2 weeks ago, but I didn't use them for a week after because I was home with Darthypie all week and didn't bother with makeup. I'll wash them this weekend. I promise.

Christian Dior Designer Contact Lenses

image from http://photo.shoq.com/images/private/cd-damnthoseeyes.jpg

Christian Dior an icon in the fashion industry is known for haute coture clothing, handbags, MAKEUP and perfume. Now it ventures into the world of contact Lenses?

John Galliano is taking designer branding to a new frontier: contact lenses that outline the iris in fine circles of sparkling gold or black. They will also contain a miniature CD logo. While many people use contact lenses to do mundane things like correct vision, some do use them to change eye color. "These innovative contact lenses don't change eye colours, but rather enhance them with a special technical process exclusive to Dior," said Safilens, the contact lens maker.

• Each pair lasts for a maximum of two months.
• The initials CD help identify whether the lens is the right way up.
• The lenses are available in a silver box with a sliding case and mirror.

The Dior Eyes — currently hitting shelves in Europe.

So will YOU be sporting DESIGNER contact lenses this spring?

LMFAO! via oddee.com