Blushes You Can't Have #1 - Chanel Joues Contraste in Poesie

Last year Joey and I brought you a sadistic 12 part series of Taupes You Can't Have.  This year our Sadistic streak has not gone away, but instead of hard to find and discontinued taupe shadows we decided to bring you a series of 12 posts about BLUSHES YOU CAN'T HAVE! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA

To start the year off right I bring you one of the most sought after Chanel Blushes for this installment of Blushes You Can't Have.  Ladies and gentlemen. I bring you Chanel Joues Contraste in Poesie.  Chanel is as famous for discontinuing makeup as the next manufacturer, but there is something about the discontinued Chanel blushes, specifically the Joues Contraste (JC) blushes, that causes out right mania in trying to obtain them.  I recently saw an unused Chanel JC in Poesie up for auction on Evilbay for $135. Yes. That's right. One Hundred thirty five dollars.  The only reason I noticed it was because I was attempting to bid on 3 other rare Chanel Blushes, and some equally sick person out bid me on all three.  She lives in Italy and I'm quite annoyed that she won. If you happen to be the woman that won those 3 Chanel blushes I have just one thing to say to you: "Mi auguro che la cosmesi darvi brufoli!"  OK. Now that that is done I feel a lot better.

You see I set out to write this long post about why Chanel Poesie, while still being a Blush You Can't Have, isn't all that, I realized when I was photographing and swatching it, how wonderful this blush is.  OK. With exceptions.

1) You must be pale, like a MAC NC/NW25 or lighter to have this show up on you

2) You must use a stiff blush brush in order to pick up enough pigment to deposit on your cheeks.

and

3) You must not OVER blush with this color because honestly, as light as it looks in the pan, it seriously is dark once applied. Over blushing will make you look like a clown.

Chanel Poesie really is a loverly blush. Not only is it pretty to look at in the pan...

With Flash

Without Flash

It's also beautiful on your cheeks. It really is sheer and a little unpigmented, but honestly this blush imparts a natural blush like you just ran around the block or maybe engaged in a little somethinsomethin with your significant other.  Never chalky and always silky, Chanel Poesie is the perfect NEUTRAL pink blush for day and applied with a heavier hand, for night.

Would I pay $135 for it? HELL NO! But I did swap about $60 worth of makeup for a slightly used one about a year ago and I don't regret it one bit.  If you have this and you don't wear it, give it a good home. You should never let a blush this pretty just sit unused.  I use Chanel Poesie at least once a week. And yes, I know that when I hit the pan I probably won't have an opportunity to have another, but at least I had it once and enjoyed it while I did!

Review by Joeybunny - KenzoKi Belle De Jour White Lotus Mask

KenzoKi is fast becoming my favorite skincare line. The masters behind the lovely (and much obsessed over by me) fragrances have managed to strike a balance between spa-worthy and effective skincare products. It’s incredible how much I enjoy using my KenzoKi products. I realize that sounds cheesy, but think about that: skincare is something so basic and important (and something we have to use all the time), so why shouldn’t it be enjoyable? Not everyone can afford facials, so I think it’s a lovely thing to be able to bring that sort of relaxing experience home.

KenzoKi products have this undeniably lovely white lotus fragrance, and the Belle De Jour line of KenzoKi products (which sit at a slightly higher price point than the rest of the line) are saturated in this scent. White Lotus is sensual to a fault. Powdery but heady, flowery in a way that isn’t obnoxious, this is a scent that I want to bathe in. I have actually begged Kenzo’s PR to tell me what fragrance of theirs is closest to the scent of the Belle De Jour skincare products, because I wanted to always smell like it (in case you’re curious, it’s their Perfumed Skin Care Water in Relaxing Lotus Shh). When I think relaxation and luxury - basically, a spa-like sensation - this scent is exactly what comes to mind. I was thrilled, then, when I was offered a chance to review their new Belle De Jour White Lotus Mask.

Now, onto the efficiency of the product itself, since a pretty scent can only take us so far! The mask is thick and creamy, thicker than the Marshmallow Mask I so love. It reminds me of whipped butter, and looks like it too! The jar is generously sized in proportion to the amount of mask needed (2.5oz), and it has a lovely image of a white lotus on the lid. The attention to detail is not lost on me: not only is the mask aesthetically pleasing, but Kenzo includes a brush to apply the mask, so that my grubby fingers don’t contaminate the product.

A quarter-sized amount of the mask covers my whole face, and feels absolutely divine on the skin. KenzoKi describes a three-pronged effect that this mask has on its user: the pleasure effect (the sensation of the soft cushy mask reminds us to be receptive to gentle touches, haha), the bubble effect (the scent and feel of the mask creates a barrier between the user and stress, creating a state of relaxation that can potentially lower cortisol levels by 23% - a study was apparently done on this!), and the wake up effect (the mask brightens, softens, and illuminates the skin).

Well, how much of an effect does this mask have on my skin? I have used this mask a few times already, and I truly love the moisturized feel my skin has after ten minutes of wearing this mask. My skin, which is chronically bone dry and flaky, has a cushiony feel after I wipe off this mask. A glow that my face consistently lacks appears, and I have a moronic grin because of how damned awesome the mask smells. Yay for that pleasure-bubble-wake up effect or whatever! Best part? No breakouts, no clogged pores, no bad effects at all.

$70 for a very lovely mask is pretty affordable considering how little is needed per use, and how lovely your skin will feel after using it - and how uplifted you feel mentally after using it! Both Elvira and I love the KenzoKi line, and this newest mask is yet another winner.

Thursday Poll

My friend forwarded me an article from the Shop Girl Blog about Wal-Mart's latest makeup offering for 8 to 12 year old girls! Yes. The new Geo-Girl makeup line is alleged to be "...designed for young skin and have natural ingredients like white willow bark to exfoliate, chamomile, lavender and calendula to calm and antioxidants."  Since when is "natural" (when not regulated by any agency as to the standr\ards of what "natural" should fall under) acceptable for children?  And WHY do 8 to 12 year olds need ANTIOXIDANTS and EXFOLIATORS? I am so appalled by this latest gimmick by Wal-Mart I am thinking of NEVER giving them my money ever again (which is easy because the Wal-Mart near me is sketchy and I have the only 2 hard candy nail polish colors I ever wanted already). But then I think for a second and realize, while Wal-Mart may be the distributor of this snake oil for tots it certainly isn't forcing those 8 to 12 year old girls to buy the stuff.  Now maybe it's because I don't have an 8 to 12 year old girl, I don't understand how hard it is to say no to them. But aren't the PARENTS supposed to be responsible for what is purchased for their child? I mean, unless the kid is a child star, it's not like an 8 year old has a steady income in which to purchase the makeup. And, even if they did have their own money, some adult would have to actually TAKE them to Wal-Mart. right?  I mean, when it comes down to it, the parent decides what the child will buy or not buy. I certainly wouldn't begrudge a 12 year old a lip gloss once in a while, but 8 year old?  What ever happened to being a child?  Why is society in such a hurry for these kids to grow up?  The best thing about being a kid is that you are...a KID! Complicating things by telling them that they need makeup is insane. 8 to 12 year old girls (children) are all beautiful without makeup.  Plus they usually have awesome skin at that age, why introduce unknown origin "natural" ingredients to that perfect skin?  OK. I know I have never been in a situation where my child melts down in the middle of a store and says they will hate me forever because I won't buy them something they want. I get the parental guilt. But damn. Blush for an 8 year old is too Jonbenet Ramsey for me to handle.

On To The Poll!

1.  Blush Of the Day? - My natural Glow. That's right. I am typing this in my PJ's because I'm snowed in and working from home today. 

2.  What age did you start wearing makeup? - Honestly I think I was 12, but I find myself to be an exception because I was obsessed with the stuff from a very young age...however it's not like I went to elementary school wearing any makeup.  It probably started in Junior High.

3.  Recent beauty acquisitions? - Ah yes. My loverly Chantecaille Tigers in the Wild palette. I am seriously in love. I may have to marry it.

4.  Your thoughts on the new Geo Girl line?  - Had I known about the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen makeup line it's replacing I would have been equally as annoyed. But this line, because they claim benefits from use to unknown source ingredients just rubs me the wrong way.

5.  Is there a beauty product you have sworn never ever use again? - Oh goodness too many. I think the worst was Philosophy - The Present Invisible makeup. Cystic Acne all over my face. I looked deformed. I still have scars from it.

Chantecaille Tiger in the Wild Palette

image from chantecaille.com

There is something about a Chantecaille palette that draws me in and I have no strength to resist.  The siren songs of the Les Dauphins Palette and Sylvie's Personal Palette have cause me to smash into the rocks on the shore leaving me with less money on my bank account every time. The Chantecaille Tiger in the Wild Palette is nothing different from the other two palettes in terms of unwanton desire and lust.

Chantecaille's latest palette is similar in structure to the other 4 pan palettes. Am all over lid color, a crease color, powder liner color and blush or an all over lid color, a highlight color, crease color and blush.  All pans in this collection are embossed with a picture of a Bengal Tiger, one of many threatened species on this planet.  Part of the proceeds from the purchase of this palette will go to an organization called TRAFFIC.  TRAFFIC is a wildlife trade monitoring network that works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature  TRAFFIC is working hard to stop the illegal trade of tigers and other species on this planet. Being fortunate enough to live near the Washington, DC National Zoo, I have been blessed with being able to see the tiger exhibit every time I visit.  These amazing animals are being hunted to extinction and illegally sold to "collectors" around the world. TRAFFIC is trying to put a stop to this wretched practice and Chantecaille is trying to help them with donations through the purchase of the Tiger  in the Wild palette.

Before we get to the eye shadows, which are my favorite part of the palette and literally evokes a desire to HAVE IT that cannot be silenced until I go full on Gollum and stroke the palette whispering "We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious."  I'll talk quickly about the blush.  It is a sweet salmon color with no shimmer.  All Chantecaille palettes have an over spray that disappears quickly upon first use, but it does nothing to detract from the absolute lovelyness of the product underneath.  A soft and pigmented blush is easily attracted to your blush brush. It applies like a dream to your skin. Almost hugging your skin the blush caresses your cheek and melds to your skin giving an appearance of sun kissed skin on a warm spring day.  Have a waxed poetic enough about the blush to sate you?  Yes? Let's move on to the eye shadows shall we?

First of all the Tiger in the Wild palette has three shadows.  One of which is .....

you guessed it.  TAUPE!

Sure. Chantecaille calls it Pewter but you can't fool a taupe fanatic like myself. Call it pewter, stone, mica or zinc. That sucker is TAUPE!  And what a loverly taupe it is.  I used it as an all over lid shade, but could be used as a crease if you want a really light and subtle eye...That's the one thing about Chantecaille.  Subtle.  There are no HEY LOOK AT ME! colors.  even if they look bright in the pan, they blend into a silky symphony of understated glamor.  

Chantecaille is famous for having soft blendable pigmented shadows, and the Tiger in the Wild palette is no exception.  The first shade in the swatch picture above is the top left pan in the palette. It is well pigmented, but so close to my actual skin tone I had a hard time photographing it.  It makes the most wondrous highlight. It is not too frosty nor too matte. It literally melts into the other shadows on your eye giving a photoshopped finish of perfection.  The 2nd color in the swatch above is the taupe.  It's a grey based taupe that is not too heavy on the lid as an all over wash. It applies like superglue to your lids and allows other shadows to blend in effortlessly. It has some shimmer to it, like the highlight shade, but it isn't over the top frosty or cheap looking. It's pure beauty. I swear to the taupe gods that when I open the palette I hear tiny taupe angels singing. (Of course auditory hallucinations are usually a clue that one is experiencing a psychotic break, but let's focus on the task at hand.)  Last but not least is the crease/liner color which is a stunning and deep black based navy blue matte. It isn't so black that it looks sooty and isn't so blue that it looks gaudy. It is a perfect harmony of restraint and distinction. Oh and how it blends! It is one of the smoothest matte shadows I have ever used.  It is extremely pigmented so a little goes a long way. It easily blends into the taupe color creating seamless definition and color.  I adore it as a liner as well under the eyes because it doesn't migrate or flake.

Do you NEED this?  As will all Chantecaille palettes the answer is a resounding and orgasmic YES!  It is limited edition, but still available for sale on the Chantecaille website as well as other stores.  If you only buy one palette this week, make it the Chantecaille Tiger in the Wild palette. You won't regret it.

EOTD using the Chantecaille Tiger in the Wild Palette, Illamasqua cake liner in Zeal and Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara in blackest black.

Review by Joeybunny - An Introduction to Shiro Cosmetics

Given my deep and involved love affair with Fyrinnae, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I have a hard time bringing myself to order from other independent makeup lines. Fyrinnae is everything to me, and I love those boys like no other.

However, my shopping addiction sometimes overpowers my loyalty (ha!), and I feel the need to spread my shimmery, loose powder-covered wings and try something new.

My latest something new is Shiro Cosmetics.

If you’re not an avid reader of Ana at Lipsticks and Lightsabers or Phyrra of the eponymous blog, you should be and I think you smell. If you are, you smell lovely AND you should know a thing or two about Shiro Cosmetics. Both Ana and Phyrra have done lovely and comprehensive articles and interviews with the beauty, brains, and nerd-dom behind the line herself, Caitlin Johnstone. Caitlin is not a real person. Caitlin is probably the world’s most efficient cyborg: she’s around my age, she’s in college, she has the CUTEST BABY ALIVE, and she created her own highly successful and soaked in awesomesauce makeup company after way too many nights of reading Ana’s blog. I mean, really: I can barely tie my shoes on a normal day, let alone run a business, take care of a kid, and better myself. Caitlin is not real. Don’t let the cute face and warm messages that she sends on Etsy fool you!

I digress. Both Ana and Phyrra have been raving nonstop about Shiro’s pigmented and pretty colors, and after one long night of chatting with Phyrra, I caved. With her help, I picked five lovely mini jars of shadowy happiness (which cost me a measly $13.50, or something like that).

A word about Shiro Cosmetics: Shiro is a makeup company devoted to nerd-dom and geekery. Caitlin’s original two eyeshadow collections were based off of Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda. Her most current collection of lip colors is meme-based. As a nerd myself, I completely appreciate how terrifically nerdy this makeup line is. In fact, I was pushed over the proverbial edge when I discovered that Caitlin had a Jigglypuff eyeshadow in her Pokemon line - Jigglypuff was my nickname in middle school!

Can you guess WHY my nickname was Jigglypuff?

When I received my order, I was blown away by how cute the packaging and presentation was.

Caitlin’s business card, which had a sweet note written on the back, is a nod to Super Mario Bros., and I appreciated the two generously-sized free samples I was sent.

I ordered four colors from the Pokemon-themed collection (Meowth, Mewtwo, SS Anne, and Jigglypuff) and one color from the Zelda-themed collection (Zelda). My two samples were Porygon (from the Pokemon collection) and Master Sword (from the Zelda collection).

Here are color descriptions (in the same order as they appear swatched on my hand from L to R):

Porygon: A shimmery, silky fuchsia color that could probably be worn as a blush but I like it as an eyeshadow.

Master Sword: A very sparkly sheer sandy taupe color.

Mewtwo: A sheer-ish but buildable smoky grey plum color with a golden shimmer.

SS Anne: A slightly burnished bronzey shade with multi-colored shimmer. In person, it is a shade or so darker than my swatch.

Zelda: The most gorgeous and lovely satiny shimmery coral-melon shade ever. This is eye brightening perfection in a pot!

Jigglypuff: My reason for ordering, this shimmery lilac-y blued purple is officially one of my new favorite eyeshadow shades EVER. I truly cannot get over how lovely this shadow is.

Meowth: A lovely shimmering champagne beige that makes a perfect all-over color or highlight shade.

Every shadow is easy to work with (even the sheer but dark Mewtwo), and Caitlin packs her jars to the brim so you receive plenty of product to play with. I literally cannot find one complaint about Shiro’s products besides the fact that I have yet to order every other shadow...yeah, I have issues. Seriously though, the colors apply and blend beautifully, they wear like iron, and come alive over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy.

Honestly, give Caitlin’s store on Etsy a check out! She offers generous sample baggies, mini jars, and full-sized jars all at affordable prices, and her color range is impressive. Plus, HER BABY IS ADORABLE. How could you not want to try something from Shiro?

An after-note: Correcting blog posts is really annoying because Blogger always messes with the format, but I'm glad people point out my errors! I clearly suck, y'all.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Embrace

I have been dying to try the Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipsticks for a while now.  I thought I was going to get the red lipstick since I seem to have some sort of sick fetish for owning every single red lipstick on the market, but I surprised myself when I went for a warmish coppered plum color called Embrace.

The lipstick itself is extremely hydrating and creamy. The more I wear it the softer my lips feel and while the PR for the product claims a fullness will be experienced, I didn't see it, but my lips are pretty full as it is, so your results may vary.

The lipstick itself is shaped with a different kind of tip. It's a square tip. It actually doesn't follow the shape of your lips like most traditional lipstick bullets, but these square tipped lipsticks are great for precise application and for application using a lip brush.  You can use the flat end of the lipstick to make a pseudo line to fill in, you can still apply directly to your lips, it's just the angle that is a little more steep than you are used to and you can also use a lip brush to pick up the product. The square tip actually makes it easier to use a lip brush for the most precise application method.  Don't forget the trade mark hourglass embossed into the lipstick bullet itself, which adds that attention to detail that I adore when having a new lipstick.

Now years and years ago I used to actually finish lipsticks.  Yes. that's right. There are actually people in the world that only wear ONE lipstick color.  I know, right?  PSYCHOS!  But for those psychos (read = sane normal people unlike me who has 85,765 lipsticks) the most awesome thing about the Hourglass Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick is

Drum roll please

They are REFILLABLE!

That's right. I said refillable.  When you have finished your current tube of lipstick you can buy a refill in the same color (or another one that you fancy) for only $6 less than buying a new lipstick!  How awesome is that?  I know that I sure would LOVE it if more brands did this.  It's would help me justify the high price I am paying for the lipstick itself. *coughGuerlainRougeGLipstickcough* Not to mention that the case the Hourglass Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick comes in is too cute to toss in the trash once you have used it all up. A pretty metallic brown case with decent heft and the sweet arts & crafts type font of the Hourglass logo engraved on the side.  No way I could put that in the trash!

Allow me to say one thing about the color itself. I am notorious for buying lipsticks in colors I already have. (um Hi! 5798 red lipsticks) but when I swatched this lipstick I started to get a feeling that this color was similar to one I already had.  It wasn't the color in the tube that convinced me, it was the fact that the color changed so much once I applied it to my lips that reminded me of another color changing lipstick by MAC cosmetics called 'O'.  

Mac 'O' looks like a deep burgundy red with gold shimmer in the tube, but once applied it turns a cool wine with slight shimmer.  I have heard many people say 'O' never looks the same on two people.  So when I look at the tube of Hourglass Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Embrace it looks like a warm brown with copper shimmer.  However, when applied to my lips it changes to a charming sheer plum with slight shimmer.  I'm not saying that Hourglass Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Embrace is a dupe of MAC 'O', but more so a chameleon that will change depending on your base lip coloring.

Before I go I would like to say something about Lipstick Shapes.  When I was googling the correct term for Square Tipped lipstick bullets I came across a ton of articles trying to tie in the shape of your used lipstick with your personality.  Apparently The Flat concave top of my used lipsticks (after quite some use) means that I "Make a great detective • Makes friends easily • Inquisitive • Adventurous • A 'prober' • Complex • Exciting"

Oh brother.  Really? Because some of my more used lipsticks have a Sharp-angled, curved tip which means I'm "Creative • Enthusiastic • Energetic • Talkative • Loves attention • Falls in love easily • Helpful • Needs schedule, but dislikes one"

Whatever.  If you want to follow this mumbo-jumbo you can see your "lipstick personality" HERE. To be honest I believe that a Flat lipsticks means that you apply color to your lower lips and smack the lips together to transfer color to your upper lips...which I what I do...when I don't have a mirror or when I use a freakin LIP BRUSH! Hi! Most of my reds are flat and concave because I apply them using a brush.  Have you all heard of these "personality" tests?  What is your take on them?

So do you NEED the Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick?  YES!  The Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick comes in 12 pigmented colors and retails for $30 but it's refillable for $24!  It's moisturizing and creamy and a nice luxurious treat!

Thursday Poll

There has been way too much talk about the way Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globe awards. Many in the press are saying that it was offensive, bitter and down right rude.  Honestly. I found Ricky Gervais to be exactly like Ricky Gervais when he hosted the Globes.  Yes. That's right. He did nothing more than be himself.  His band of humor is snarky, painfully honest and yes, sometimes rude.  You know what? It's funny too.  Come on. You mean to tell me the naive Hollywood Foreign Press (HFP) actually thought Gervais would be like his character from that movie The Invention Of Lying?  Pluheeze. A word of advise to the HFP; When you hire an assassin, don't be shocked when he actually kills someone!  Gervais already gave you a taste of what his hosting would be like LAST YEAR and during the promos THIS YEAR when he reveled in the fact that he was being paid to Make fun of celebrities that do nothing but congratulate each other and eat an expensive dinner.  Gervias has been quoted as saying "They hired me for a job, and if they didn't want me, they shouldn't have hired me.".  My thoughts exactly.  Award shows typically hire comedians to host and expect those comedians to make jokes.  People like to laugh and like to see others that they might envy, made fun of.  Call it Schadenfreude (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others) or Jealousy or simply having a good sense of humor and not taking things so seriously, but most people LIKE this humor.  Now I know that some of you will disagree and say that Mr. Gervais did a horrible hosting job...and you know what I would agree.  But wait!  Didn't I just defend him for over 22 sentences above?  Yes.. I defended him as a comedian, not as a host.  In defense of the English language and etiquette, the term "Host" may be inappropriate for such gigs as the Globes, Oscars, MTV Movie Awards, etc. A Host, by definition and by etiquette standards, is to make the Guests (The Audience at the Globes, in this case) feel at ease. The Host is supposed to be gracious and giving.  A Host is not to point out that the HFP is a joke and have been known to take bribes and other disparaging remarks.  If they truly wanted a HOST then they should have hired a politician. Politicians actually CARE what people think of them. They want to be accepted by everyone.  Comedians, for the most part, don't worry about what everyone thinks of them, that's not their job. Their job is to be funny.  And that is exactly what Ricky Gervais did.

On To The Poll!

1.  Lip Of The Day? - Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Rouge Vermillon. You can read my review and see pics HERE

2.  Did you watch the Golden Globe Awards?  If yes. Did you enjoy it?  If No, Do you care that you missed all the much ado about nothing? - Yes. I did watch some of it.  Basically until Trent Reznor gave his acceptance speech. That's all I really wanted to see.  I read the rest of Gervais' jokes from transcripts or watched them in youtube clips.

3.  Recent Beauty Purchase? If you are on a "No-Buy/Low-Buy" How successful has it been? - Oh goodness. Too many. But I did get the UD Naked palette (all molested I might add) and a new Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating & Mattifying Pressed Powder. I promise to review it soon! 

4.  There was a lot of buzz around the exact shade of lip gloss that Angelia Jolie was seen applying at her table.  I'll let you know it was a Chantecaille Lip Gloss in the color Love, which is currently out of stock because I guess everyone wants to look like Angelina.  My question is, have you ever purchased a beauty product based solely on having heard or seen it worn by a celebrity? - Yes. I admit that I was on the search for the Club Monaco Lipstick in Glaze as worn by Monica Lewinsky in her interview with Barbara Walters. It looked awesome on her, and to be honest, it looked awesome on me too. I don't regret the purchase.

5.  What is one beauty item everyone should try at least once? - For me it has to be Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil.  If you wear makeup, this oil dissolves it fast as lightening, and it doesn't make me break out and saves me from having to scrub extra hard to get my makeup off with my regular cleanser.  Its a holy grail for me!

Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake in Zeal

Oh dear god. Not ANOTHER cake liner review! 

Yes my pretties. ANOTHER cake eye liner review.  

Hey! It's what I like.  

Plus I'm hoping to convince all of you to use cake liners exclusively until all companies manufacture cake liners in all different colors for my personal amusement.  See how I did that?  See how I made it about me while you were thinking I was caring about you?  Yeah. I'm awesome.

But seriously. Another Cake liner review is nothing to sneeze at. For one you will screw up your liner if you sneeze and another thing is that you really get the most precise control when using a liner like this.  Today I bring you another Illamasqua Eye Liner cake in Zeal.  I had posted about the Eye Liner Cake in Danger a while ago. You can click on the color name to read more about the history of Illamasqua and my undying allegiance to the brand simply because Mr. Vanian from the Punk band, The Damned, is a part founder in the line.  Zeal is described as a deep forest green. And while I admit that the deep forest green is there in the pan, the color when applied, based on HOW it is applied can range from Forest green to a warm, almost Olive green.  You see, because it is a cake liner and because you can use mixing mediums from water to saline to Illamasqua Sealing Gel or others to create the ideal consistency for your skill level and look the color can changed based upon what might be on your lids at the moment.

For example. I used a Bobbi Brown pearl finish eye shadow in a taupe color on my lid and when I applied the Illamasqua Zeal on top, I achieved a more matte look to the liner. (BB Stone on lid, BB Bash in crease, BB Navajo to highlight and Illamasqua Zeal to line)

Whereas you see here I used a simple wash of Gosh Glamorous Eye Shadow in Bottle Green and Illamasqua Zeal to line and I achieved a more metallic looking finish to the liner..  See Now do you understand why I love cake liner so much? 

OK. I admit that most Black cake liners do  not take on the metallic qualities of the shadow below the liner but that's mostly because the back pigment is so dense...at least that's what I think. I'm not a scientist.

OK. The packaging is just like most Illamasqua packaging...AWESOME!  Without even trying the packaging is goth. I like the unique curves and the shiny black plastic. Inside is an ample sized mirror as well. 

The Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake in Zeal is easy to apply using almost any mixing medium. It will last forever using the Illamasqua Sealing gel, but will also last pretty well using saliene (you only need a tiny drop). Water will work, but don't count on the liner lasting all day.

Do you NEED this?  YES. As I stated above this is my ploy to get you all converted to cake liner so I can benefit from NEW colors!  This not so tiny compact costs $21 and will last you YEARS! There is a ton of product in that case. It very well be the last forest green cake liner you will ever need to buy.

Review by Joeybunny - MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadows

Guys, I did something terrible.

God-awful.

Obscene.

Disgusting.

I BOUGHT SOMETHING FROM MAC. MORE THAN ONE THING.

Ok, ok. Now that I got that off of my ridiculously large chest, I can tell you what I got. Somewhere in the midst of whatever ridiculous and obviously limited-edition collection MAC had released, there was some collection called Peacocky. I don’t know why it was called Peacocky, but whatev, that’s not the issue. Featured in Peacocky is a new type of MAC eyeshadow called Mega Metal. These shadows are large (we’re talking Cream Color Base sized, 3.4g!), shimmery but creamy feeling instead of gritty or chunky, and loaded with pigment. I couldn’t help myself. I just had to give in. It’s like sex with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend: so bad, but so good. That’s how I feel about MAC. MAC is my ex-boyfriend who was a total a-hole but great in the sack. When MAC delivers, it delivers - these Mega Metal shadows rock hard.

My color choices shouldn’t surprise you at all. I chose:

Prance - A light lavender color with a hint of a warm pink. From the look of it in the pan, I expected it to also have a slight taupey edge. However, you can see that on my skin it’s just a shimmery warmed lavender wash. I cannot wait to try this as a lid shade with a deep smokey purple crease (like Unflappable!).

Unflappable - This is exactly what I wanted MAC Smut to be. Unflappable is a deep tauped smoky purple shade. It reminds me of a deeper version of that limited-edition Chanel taupe that came out in the fall - Taupe Grise? Whatev, I know Elvira reviewed it at some point. The shimmer adds this lovely dimension to the shade, a slight reddish edge that pulls out that taupe undertone so well.

Centre Stage - My favorite of the three shadows I chose, this warm, deep reddened brown is just pure seduction in a pot. I have plenty and plenty of browns but I cannot think of one I own that is anywhere close to this color. Imagine this shade smoked out and close to the lashline...ugh, hot! This one is going to get a lot of play from me, especially in the warmer months.

These shadows retail for $19.50USD, which I think is pretty damn great for the amount and quality of the shadows. The range of colors are quite lovely - that Noir Plum color caught my eye, I must say! MAC needs to make these permanent, I have to say. I’m embarrassed to admit I would buy a few more shades. Good job MAC - I hope you know it murdered my soul to admit I love these shadows! Ha!

Avon 12-in-1 Shimmering Eye Palette

image from avon.com

I was recently given a chance to review the Avon 12-in-1 Shimmering Eye Palette.  Now I know what you're thinking:

"But Elvira, You hate palettes with more than 5 colors in them, how are you going to be objective?"  And to that I say:

"Shut it. I can be objective when I want to."

Most of the time I get overwhelmed by palettes with more than a few eye shadows, but this time it's different.  It's different because:

A) I realize I get overwhelmed and gave myself a stern talking to and told myself that I don't need to wear every color in the palette on one eye.

B) There was no taupe, not multiple of taupe in this palette so I didn't have to worry about building an eye looks around the taupe color and then feel guilty for leaving out the other colors.

C) I realize that you, the reader, actually like these big palettes and want to hear good things about them when I can tell you good things.

OK.

Let's start at the beginning.

The packaging.  You know what a packaging hoor I am.  You know how I'm like a toddler when something shiny comes along I get distracted and have to have it.  This, my dear readers, is not the case.  Actually the case is what I have an issue with. The case is cheap and almost flimsy. Clear plastic cover and black plastic base added in 2 double ended useless sponge applicators and well. It just feels like Avon has given up on clever packaging.  Granted, I'm sure this keeps the costs down, but I like to feel like I'm holding something special in my hands.  This just feels like dollar store makeup to me.

OK. Let's get to the colors.

12 shades in total ranging from ivory to black shimmer.  Some of the shades are super, but forgive me if I am repulsed by the chalky baby blue eye shadow. Being a child of the 70's and 80's I am as horrified of blue eyeshadow as I am of plaid polyester pants and grandma shoes.  It's something I am working on in Therapy, but it's going to take some work to get over it.

So starting from the left and moving to the right we have:

A Gold Shimmer White, an Ivory Shimmer, a Beige/Champagne Shimmer, a Burnt Sienna/Baby Poop Matte Brown, a Matte Pastel Pink, a Frosty Mauve, a Matte Dusty Rose, a Shimmery Deep Wine, that Matte Baby Blue, a Chalky Shimmery Grey/Purple, a Gold Shimmer Olive Green and a Shimmery Black.

Of the entire palette the shades I liked the best are the Ivory Shimmer, Beige Champagne Shimmer, Frosty Mauve, Deep Wine Shimmer,Gold Shimmer Olive Green and the Shimmery Black.

That's only 6 shades. I could possibly use 3 more of the shades (Gold Shimmer White, Pastel Pink, and Dusty Rose) but there are at least 3 big losers in this palette. The Baby Poop Brown. Having it a matte shade makes it even more unappealing and it just looks awful...however, it might be a good brow color.  The Pastel Baby Blue is...well you know I have issues. Lastly, the Shimmery Grey/Purple is a total pigment and formula FAIL.

Which brings me to my last point. The quality.

Click to see larger image.  Shadows applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion.

The quality and formula are hit or miss on this palette. For the most part the shadows apply well and have decent pigmentation.  However the majority of them are fairly hard and produce a lot of powder fall out when being applied. Plus if I wasn't using a primer the shadows hardly adhered to my lid at all!  The times I used shadows from the palette I was impressed that the shadows didn't crease or fade much by the end of the day. (I wore my Trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye shadow primer underneath) I liked how they blended well and liked that the overall look was not too over the top for the office, but could be glammed (not a word) up for the evening.  But when the shadow formula failed it failed hard. The Shimmery Grey Purple had potential but honestly, If I couldn't get it to apply evenly with a sponge applicator it's not going to do much better with a brush. And it didn't.  It's not very pigmented which makes the color in the pan deceivingly darker than what actually shows up on your eye.  Bleh

Do you NEED this?  I'll say.....maybe?  It's on the high side for an Avon product at $20. But Avon is known for having sales all the time so it might be a good buy if you can snatch it up for less.  Even at $20 that works out to $1.66 a shadow, but considering that at least 3 of the shadows are pure crap that leaves you with 9 shadows you might actually use and that gets to be around $2.22 per shadow.  Still not a bad deal I suppose...but the total net weight of the product is only .56 oz...so you do the math...yeah. not that great of a deal after all.  Would I buy this?  No. It's not for me.  I would rather have a palette where ALL the shades were quality and ALL of the shades worked for me.