Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Waterproofing Gel Review.

Review time again, today we have Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Clear Waterproofing Gel. 

I purchased this at the beginning of the month for a makeup look that I still do intend on doing, I wear and it never hurts to have a mixing medium in your collection. I know MAC has one and Lit Cosmetics does too, but here in Hickville, we're restricted to mostly online purchasing of products such as these. Most of the time I'm the kind of person that wants instant gratification when I'm buying something, even though I do, do a lot of my shopping online. But, in the entirety of the Ulta Beauty I was in, this was the only mixing medium in the entire store. And I looked everywhere. 

Despite that mild annoyance, Anastasia Beverly Hills is rumored to have the best eyebrow products out there or so I've heard. The waterproofing gel is the first Anastasia product I've ever purchased, so I was going off other beauty bloggers and gurus reviews of this brand when I made up my mind to get this. For 18.00USD...I had to seriously think about spending that kind of money on an item like this. 

Packaging says- Beauty Genius gel bonds, seals and waterproofs powder makeup, loose pigment, micas and glitter. Beauty Genius is safe to use on the eyelids, face, lips and on the body. 

This is what the product looks like out of its box. It reminds me of a standard lip gloss tube, but instead of the foot applicator, this is a like a mini spatula. In the photo and in person, the product looks white in the tube, but it's not, I assure you. I have to admit to being a little irritated when I first opened this and saw white goop, instead of a "clear" gel, but once I deposited some on the back of my hand for testing, it was clear and I was relieved.  

The amount of product that comes out onto the spatula is a good amount. You just pop this on the back of your hand or on a clean palette, mix the amount of powder makeup, loose pigment, ect into the gel and apply. The more of the pigments and so on you add to the gel, the more pigmented it will be.
I tried this out using two of the NYX Ultra Pearal Mania loose pigments and one of my bareminerals mineral eyeshadows. I was very impressed on how easy this was to apply after all the powder products were added. The texture reminded me of a good quality liquid liner. And that also goes for that this stuff does need a moment to set. The time varies between roughly 30 seconds to a minute, but the product on your hand or palette doesn't set as quickly, so you do have some time to do what you need to do before you have to add more gel and more product.

Now, on the box it warns that you WILL need a waterproof makeup remover. Luckily I bought some at the same time I bought this, so I was set there.
The bareminerals mineral eyeshadow does have quite a bit of glitter in it, its micro glitter, but it's glitter. And we all know glitter just flecks off everywhere. When it's in makeup, by the end of the day you look like you've been rolling around the hay with a pixie or some other mythical creature that sparkles. No one (and if you do, I apologize) likes to look like you've mated with a pixie.
It locked in the glitter pixies and they STAYED PUT!
Miracles!
Do to the fact that the pixies were jailed, I'm going to have to give the Ammo Palette by Urban Decay another try using this, since we know that that palette is littered with shadows infested with those little buggers.

Once this stuff sets, it doesn't budge, I'd keep that in mind when applying.
This stuff is very waterproof. I washed some dishes with some swatches on the back of my hand and the swatches didn't bleed, move or smudge at all. They did however start to come off when I scrubbed at them, but I wasn't being gentle either. Yet, when I used my Maybelline New York Clean Express Makeup Remover, which is a waterproof remover, the second round of swatches came off easily with no rubbing or scrubbing.

So, if you're looking for a mixing medium, something that will jail those darn glitter pixies so you can use your glitter shadows without irritation or want your powder makeup to be waterproof, then the Anastasia Beauty Genius is a hit in my book. If you don't have MAC counters or other counters in your area that don't carry things similar to this, then I'd recommend looking for this. Even with it being 18.00USD, you do get a good amount of product I think and you really don't need much when you do use it.

I think that pretty much wraps things up for this review. I'll be posting reviews here and on my tumblr, simplydarkpleasureblog.tumblr.com on the same days and time. So if you'd prefer to follow me exclusively there, then you're more than welcome to do so. As always come find me on Twitter via the widget here or @Blog_SDP where you can get immediate updates on blog posts and general updates from me.

Until next time,
Stay Creative. 

Urban Decay Ammo Palette First Impressions and Review

I'm not dead I swear...

Nearly a month worth of unanticipated irritations that I could not have possibly prepared for. Up there on the list was a town wide blackout, where I had no power for nearly a full day in the brunt of winter in Upstate, NY, where we go to work if they're calling for snow that measures in feet and sub-zero temperatures. Like -20F plus windchill. So not fun.

But I'm back with a review. Yay!

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Urban Decay Ammo Palette Back

The Ammo Palette from Urban Decay, can we just take a moment here and admire this gorgeous packaging? Mosaic purple skull! 

Now, before we really get into the nitty gritty of this review, when I saw this palette online and then in person at Ulta Beauty, it was the packaging that caught my attention. I LOVE and I do mean LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Skulls. Any skulls. If it has a skull on it, I want it.

 But! You should be proud of me, I resisted the urge to pick up this palette just because of the packaging alone and I tell you what! It was hard. 

 After weeks of staring at this palette, I finally broke down and decided that the next chance I had, I was going to get it. Since Valentines Day and my birthday were and are coming up, a gift card or a surprise trip to Ulta Beauty are generally one of the things I do receive, either way the Ammo Palette was coming home with me.

Well...for Valentines Day the husband got me both. The palette that I had been eyeballing and a gift card (I see a Haul post in the near future).

So we've established that the packaging is awesome, even the cardboard holder is pretty darn sturdy too. It also conveniently tells you what shadows and other things you get in the palette. What you actually get are ten eyeshadow shades, a travel size eyeshadow brush (which I have miss-placed so no picture) and a travel size eyeshadow Primer Potion. 

Shadows Starting from Top Left: Smog, Mildew, Oil Slick, Chopper,
Maui Wowie, Shattered, Polyester Bride, Grifter and Sin

Unfortunately, out of all ten shadows you don't have any matte shades. I can live with that. The colors look beautiful in the pan and even swatch nicely on your fingers. Even inside, the packaging is nice, the design that's on the cardboard holder is actually what the inside of the palette looks like. You have all ten shadows lined up in rows of five and below them is the little slot for the eyeshadow brush, which I have again miss-placed. The palette also has a mirror and for obvious reasons I didn't photograph. It's a small mirror, great for travel and it doesn't feel cheap at all.

I used the travel brush a few times, before it was miss-placed. It's an okay brush, but I found it to be rather stiff and hard. It wouldn't be something I'd purposely grab for at all, but nice to have I suppose if you had nothing else. I'd rather use my Real Techniques brushes or some other ones I have from Essence.

Urban Decays original primer potion. Everyone raves about this product and I find that this primer works with almost every eyeshadow I have in my collection. The only shadows I found that creased to high hell with this primer are the Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows by Tarte. Other than those, it works amazing. And the travel size will last you a while, you don't need very much of this product. It's a good primer, enough said.

Top Row

As you can see, these swatched amazingly and these were done without a primer underneath. These are the first shadows by Urban Decay I've ever owned, I've heard so many glorious things about the pigmentation and overall quality of their shadows. I wasn't disappointed. These are so pigmented that it's insane.

Smog- is a coppery, smokey brown color. It's pearly with some micro glitter, but it's so silky and has hardly any fallout if you remember to tap your brush. This one is probably my favorite out of this entire palette.

Mildew- is a light mossy green color, another pearl finish with micro glitter. It is a pretty green, probably a shade I wouldn't use often, if at all. Maybe I'll go out of my norm and play with this color a little more. It has the same texture as smog, so I'd assume that it would have very little to no fallout with proper brush tapping. 

Oil Slick- is a black glitter shadow and by glitter I mean disco ball glittery. I do love this color, but holy molly fall out central! Even with proper tapping of my brush, glitter just falls all over your face. Luckily I always do my foundation after my eyes are finish, but man. The glitter fallout isn't too bad throughout the day, but there is a little bit, so be forewarned. The last thing is that it feels nice on the eyes, but in the pan it's a bit powdery where you do have the blow on it to get rid of the flaked bits from dragging your brush through.

Last Call- is a pearly finish dark rose color. It appears much darker in the pan than it swatches. It does have micro glitter in it as well, but another one that doesn't have much fall out. This was one I thought I wouldn't really like, I don't wear a lot of reds or rose colored shadows, but this color is quite stunning when used in the outer corner of the eye. It's on the warmer wide in color, another reason I thought I may not like it much, but I love the effect it plays with my blue eyes.

Lastly for the top row is Chopper. It's a neutral brown pearly glitter shadow. This is another one with the amount of glitter that is in it, has a decent amount of fallout when applied to the eye. The glitter flakes all over your face. Again, foundation last ladies, when using the glittery ones.

Row 2

Maui Wowie- fun name to say, but meh. I'm not too crazy about the color. I guess its suppose to be a taupe, transition type color, but it looks a bit too yellow on me. It's one of the ones that does have the fallout issue but this one out of the entire ten, even with the fallout issues is my least favorite. Don't have much to say about this one, other than I'd pass on it.

Shattered- is a light powder blue pearl finish shadow and for some reason showed up for green in the picture. No fall out issues, but another color I wouldn't use or haven't found a use for yet. I have blue eyes, so wearing blue shadows washes my eye color out. It appears much more vibrant in the pan, than actually transfers onto the lid, but these shadows are build-able, so you may be able to achieve the vibrancy if it was layered enough. It'd be a shame to not find a use for this shadow, since it is so nice, we'll see. 

Polyester Bride- is a frosty white glitter shadow and another one that the fallout of glitter is a bit of a pain. I love this color for the inner corner of the eye. But the amount of glitter is...too much. Once the glitter is finished flaking off, it is a really pretty pearly shadow.

Grifter- another holy hell fallout glitter shadow. It's a gorgeous lilac purple. So soft and pretty, once most of the glitter again flakes off when its applied. I've used this shadow quite a bit, despite the glitter issue. It's just too pretty to be annoyed with. 

Finally, we have Sin. Sin cool neutral brown. It's a nice transition color for Chopper or a nice all over lid color. A pearl finish and one of the shadows that doesn't have much fallout. 

Final opinions...I do love the Ammo Palette, but I wished I loved it more. The five ultra glitter shadows have a ton of fallout. I can forgive it, maybe if I use them wet, the fallout issue may become less, since I do like most of the shadows that are like this. The other five pearl finishes are amazing, even if there are a few that I may not use, but because they are good shadows, I'll make them work somehow. The palette is 34.00USD at Ulta Beauty and you do get your moneys worth in products and a good range in colors. I'm kind of on the fence about this palette, though I believe if it wasn't for the packaging I'd probably be less in love with it. So personal feelings aside due to packaging love, I'd have to say, save your money and invest in a different palette by Urban Decay or settle for buying the full sized shadows that don't have a ton of glitter in them. 

As always, remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there (though I've been naughty there too and not updating). Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site. Check out the "About" section of the blog and the "Review Disclaimer" for more information.

I'll try to be good and post on schedule, I promise. 

Until next time, 

Stay creative. 

Equate Beauty 3 Step Acne Treatment System Review.

I'm running late I know it, hush. Real life gets in the way sometimes and I was having the worst day on Tuesday that I couldn't focus on writing, let alone what even to review. Though, as promised Wednesday's review post is here, even if it is a little later in the day than I normally have it up. 

As for skincare, I've never really struggled with acne much at all, even as a teenager. I'd get the stray breakout every month or if I was under a lot of stress, but never anything that required regiments or medication. Then I had my kids, my second was the destroyer of my once maintenance free skin. During the pregnancy and afterwards my skin went spastic on me. Breakouts, blackheads, oily, dry, combination, it wouldn't make up its mind. I think I may have actually cried, because I had never had such much trouble with it before. After a few months, it seemed to settle once hormones started to return to a semi-normal frequency and I had to change my skincare. 

I researched and researched before I set foot in the store, familiarizing myself with what were the best active ingredients that worked for skincare.

This product set was featured in my January 2014 Favorites post, as the first step towards my pretty vain New Years resolution of better skin care. I had mentioned my husband purchased this for me (with me present to make sure it was what I wanted), as his way of supporting me in what I wanted to accomplish. You get a Cleanser, Toner and Repairing Lotion in the set, all marked as to which step of the process it is for. I've been using this system for around 7 weeks now, so I would have an accurate review, since it can take up to 6 weeks for skin to respond to a new routine.

Step 1- Cleanse, Benzoyl Peroxide Cleanser

It says to use morning and night, but if you have sensitive skin *raises hand*, then to only use it once a day or every other day. Or of course it makes your skin dry or it starts to peel. I ended up just using this once a day, since my skin is generally on the dry side. It doesn't smell to bad, it does smell like chemicals, but it isn't overpowering. The product is almost like a lotion consistency, but when you message it into the skin you can feel little granules. So you get some mild exfoliation and I didn't find it too scratchy on the skin. Rinse with warm water after messaging for 1 to 2 minutes and your done. Right away my skin felt cleaner and more refreshed after using this.

Step 2- Soothe

Toner time. That sounded a little cheesy...kind of like in Jingle All The Way "It's Turbo Time"? Okay...
Apply to freshly cleansed face with a cotton ball or pad. This helps remove any remaining dirt or oil that the cleanser didn't take care of and also it is suppose to help even out skin tone. This stuff actually smells quite nice. It has a very fresh scent, that makes me feel like just from it's smell alone my skin would feel fresher and rejuvenated. I've actually used a few toners in the past and never like them, because the made my skin tingle after applying them. This one doesn't do that, after it drys my face feels so good and the mild smell is very pleasant.

Step 3- Moisturize Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion

Lastly, we have step three which is the repairing lotion. This you apply after you've let the toner completely dry on your face, though it says you can use this up to 3 times a day if needed. Again if dryness or irritation occurs use it once daily, recommended to start at a single application and build towards two and three. The medicated moisturizer smells a lot like the cleanser does, but with the general "lotion" smell that unscented ones tend to have added to it. I only use this once daily, it seems to be enough for me at the time so that's what I've been sticking with. Though, after applying this my skin doesn't feel, well, moisturized. Perhaps do to the fact it is medicated with the Benzoyl Peroxide is the main reason I don't feel that the moisturizing part is very accurate. After I use this I do apply my regular face moisturizer.


Now that I've broken the system down, the generally overall preformed of this system is more than I expected for the price. It's compared to Proactiv, but I've never used their systems before so I can't judge on their products on a personal level. Though I did a little research online, I compared prices for a similar system and the Equate system is half the price of Proactive. The three step system from Proactiv is 29.95USD when Equates is 11.97USD. The cleanser and toner for both systems are exactly the same as far as ingredients and percentage amounts. The repairing lotions are the only thing that is different, Proactivs is a Salicylic acid based, while Equates sticks to the Benzoyl Peroxide formula.

In seven weeks that I've used this system I have noticed a huge change in my skin. It's softer by far than it use to be. I haven't experienced a breakout in weeks and my overall skin tone has evened out dramatically where I'm using less foundation or just switching to a homemade BB cream to counteract some natural redness I do get. Since the cleanser does mildly exfoliate the skin combined with my daily moisturizer my dry skin is gone, as long as I remember my moisturizer.

If you are looking for a daily skincare routine line of products that is very affordable, I would highly recommend checking this system out. I purchased mine at Walmart and I do know that their website also has this system available to order online as well. Again, I highly recommend this, especially for the price and the results I achieved.

As always, remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Don't forget to drop a comment on any of my social networks or this post with suggestions for what you'd like to possibly win in the giveaway that's coming soon.

Until next time,
Stay Creative.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm Review

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm

And more LIP STUFF! Yes, it seems I have been obsessed with lip products lately, probably because it's winter, the airs dry, it's cold and my lips need some love. I mentioned in the haul post that I've noticed that this winter season a lot of, if not all cosmetic brands are throwing up tinted lip balms. So you don't have to sacrifice moisture if you want some color, with the tinted balms you get both. 

Yay?  

I've always been a little skeptical when it comes to tinted balms and I don't really know why. With that skepticism added on to the fact that I've never been a huge fan of L'Oreal Paris. *shock, gasp!* I know a lot of people adore this brand, but personally we've never seen eye to eye. I've always felt that the quality of their products verses the price is a bit fishy. Remember those eyeshadows I was going to review? Yeah, they were from L'Oreal and weren't that great, but hey, I can forgive. So I ended up playing it safe with some lip balms to give these guys another go and see if my opinion of the brand could possibly change. 

First Impressions

The packaging from L'Oreal Paris generally does impress me and these weren't any different. It looks swanky and a little luxurious, with its reflective tubes that were a pain to photograph, but when you're pulling these puppies out to use, it gives a better feeling than whipping out that tube of chap stick. The caps are plastic and also tinted with the same color of the sticker at the bottom of each tube. So if you're sticker falls off, which does happen, you can have the tinted cap to remind you of the color without having to pop tops off. And you got to love the safety seal, which these do have and aren't a pain to remove.

 For the product itself, L'Oreal Paris you have stunned me. These are super creamy, that I was shocked by it when I first used one. The lip balms also have the slightest hint of a vanilla sweet smell to them. Just a little bonus I suppose, since I love anything vanilla scented.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Tinted Lip Balm Swatches

Do to my skepticism I only grabbed two, just in case I hated them. 

Tender Mauve, again I seem to be on a mauve kick as well. Lip liner, lipstick and now a lip balm. Where will it end?!?! The shame! I digress...

Tender Mauve is more pigmented than I would have imagined for just a tinted balm. It's not as pigmented as the lipstick I recently reviewed, but still for what it is, I was again shocked by the color payoff. The color is washed out purplely pink with silver glitter that amps up the shine of this balm. When I purchased this I thought it'd be something I would use often, but frankly I have only used this particular one for review purposes and haven't grabbed it since. Maybe the washed out color isn't doing it for me...But, I can pass it off to my mother in law who'd get good use out of it, after I sanitize it. 

Pink Satin on the other hand is a completely different story. In two weeks it's more than half gone. It's a glass pink color with darker pink glitter and I LOVE IT. This one goes with me everywhere, whether it's in my purse or pocket. If I'm not wearing lipstick, this has been my go to product. There's just enough color to where it does add something to a complete look, it goes with everything and it's a lip balm of course. When it's gone I'm going to have to repurchase it, even if I find something that wows me in this same area of product.

L'Oreal Paris claims that the product supplies 8 hours of moisture, even after it wears off. Unfortunately, no, it doesn't, but it doesn't mean its not a great lip balm. After it wears off, you're lips do still feel nice, but you will have to reapply throughout the day just like your standard balms or chap sticks. It is very moisturizing, it's pleasant to wear, it smells nice and it does come in a good variety of colors. Oops on my part for buying a color I wasn't fond of, that's not the companies fault, it's mine. Bonus is that it does have an SPF 15, which of course is good, because sun exposure is bad. No one wants leather lips. 

As for price, I paid 5.97USD at Walmart for each and you get 0.10oz/2.9g of product. For a tinted lip balm the amount of product you get plus the quality and packaging, it's good in comparison for higher end brands. 

Totally recommend this, if you hate lip gloss like I do (even though I own a ton of it), if you're looking for something that you don't have to compromise color for comfort or heck if you're not comfortable wearing lipsticks/can't wear them for reasons unknown to me. 

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative.

Wild N' Wild Lip Stick Review.

Wet N' Wild Lipsticks

Wet N Wild is a brand that I'm extremely familiar with. I believe it was the first cosmetics brand I ever purchased back in my early teens in the form of nail polish. But we're not here today to discuss nail polish. Today we're looking at another lip product. Lipstick! These were a part of my haul from Dollar General, along with the Kiss Stick On Strips. I've purchased a lipstick from Wet N Wild in a "holy hell" pink shade (not the actual name, again I'm lazy and don't want to go find it right now) in the past, but it seems I've been on a lip product spree as of late and I bought some lip liners (Rimmel Londons Lasting Finish), so I needed some lipstick to go with them. 

First impressions, the packaging is pretty basic, black tubes with a clear plastic top with the brand logo stamped across it and stickers on the bottoms. Stickers eventually fall off, but I'm not all the worried about that, I rarely choose my lipstick based on the name anyways, as long as I can see the color. Which is where I like the clear plastic caps. Though it does seem a little cheap, at least you can get a good look at the "actual" lipstick inside. These do have a safety seal on when they're on the shelves in stores, so no need to worry about tampering, but you're still able to see the product. This is something I enjoy, so I don't have to play the "does this indicator match the actual lipstick" game. I can't count the number of times I've bought a lipstick with a safety seal (no testers available), have it be WRONG and be bummed out about it. My only complaint about the packaging is that the product doesn't retreat all the way into the black tube at first, so if you're not careful when placing the caps back on these, you can catch the sides and smear lipstick on the insides of the lids. Though once you've used the product enough, that issue will go away.

As for the product itself, these are great lipsticks, the pigment is amazing for a drugstore brand and for 2.00USD you can't go wrong and you get 0.11oz/3.3g of product for that price. Whether you're a beginner or a professional these are worth it. These are a cream lipstick, with no shimmer to them at all and no pearly sheen. 

Wet N Wild Lipstick Swatches

We're going to work from the bottom, up, starting with the swatch of Just Peachy (903C). I've touched very briefly about my natural lip color being more on the pink side and nudes tend to be very brown on me, even the fleshy colored ones. Just Peachy is a nice flesh like color with a hint of pink in it, where I'm able to wear it as a nude lip paired with a liner or on it's own.  The formula is very creamy and doesn't seem to dry my lips out, as long as I moisturize with my daily lip balm before applying. 

Mauve Outta Here, is a muted purple that leans slightly towards pink side. There's no glitter, shimmer or pearl like sheen, but it does pair nicely with Rimmel Londons Lasting Finish Contouring Pencil in Mauve Shimmer. I haven't worn this one much since it was purchased, not because I don't like it, I don't think I've done a look that would do this color justice. 

Cherry Picking was my impulse buy. The photo above shows it being a medium pink when in real life it really isn't. I wouldn't go to say it's the color of a real cherry, since it does appear darker pink on the lips and cherries are red. It reminds me more of a highly pigmented red raspberry juice stain...which is a gorgeous color, but not a cherry. It's a bolder berry color, that I wouldn't necessarily wear all the time, but would pull out if I was feeling sassy or wanting more focus on my lips. I don't regret purchasing this color, I didn't have any "berry" shades in my collection and tastes change, so perhaps I'll feel bolder in the future. 

~Lipstick Tips~

And because I like to toss in tips and tricks about products or certain types of products, I have some tips about lipsticks for you today. I don't know how advanced my readers are with makeup, some of you guys may already know this, some might not, but we'll touch on it anyways.

1. You can use any lipstick as a BLUSH! Cream blushes are out there, but if you're working on a budget makeup can get costly. Use you're lipsticks as blushes, whether it's shimmery, pearl, matte, or cream. Blend out with your fingers or makeup brush. This also applies to contouring colors or bronzers if you prefer creams to powders. Just because it says "Lipstick" doesn't mean you can't use it for other things. 

2. Sanitize! Keep your lipsticks clean and bacteria free. Not only will it prolong your lipsticks, but it'll keep everything germ free. Cora at Vintage or Tacky as a great video on sanitizing lipsticks Click Here For Lipstick Sanitizing Video and say Simply Dark Pleasures sent you if you enjoy the video. 

And I do believe that wraps things up for this post. 

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,

Stay Creative.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Contouring Pencils Review

Rimmel London Lasting Finish
1000 Kisses Stay On
Lip Contouring Pencils

 This time we have some lip liners or "Lip Contouring" pencils by Rimmel London. I'm familiar with the brand, I've tried a few things, but I've never been very impressed. If anything, I've been more weary of the brand especially after trying one of their foundations that was horrible. When I was at Walmart, these caught my attention, as I was browsing Rimmel Londons section pondering whether or not to even give these guys another chance. In the end, I picked out three lip liners that I could possibly wear on a daily basis in the colors Natural, Rose Quartz and Mauve Shimmer. 

These are your standard pencil liners that you will have to sharpen with a makeup sharpening tool, but I found that pencils run cheaper on the wallet and work just as well as their self sharpening counterparts.

Lasting Finish Lip Pencil Swatches

I was actually quite shocked when I swatched these. The color payoff is really good and the formula is soft so you don't have to dig into your skin to get them to deposit color. Even the plastic color indicator on the bottom of the pencils are probably the closest I've seen in comparison to "true to color" of the actual product. Rimmel London you've pleasantly surprised me.

Natural

The lip pencil in Natural is a really nice nude shade. Generally, nudes are too brown for me to be able to wear them, since my natural lip color is quite pink, but this one has enough of a peach undertone that I'm able to wear it and not have it look like I've been rolling around in mud.

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is a light natural pink shade, which is only a few shades darker than my natural lip color. This one I find myself just filling my entire lip in with, then slapping on a little bit of clear lip gloss (though I'm not a huge lip gloss fan) and I'm my lips are ready. Again the formula is very soft and this pencil glides on with little effort.

Mauve Shimmer

Mauve Shimmer, makes me think of a muted wine color. There is a bit of shimmer, but it's not overpowering and it does add a little something extra. I like mauve's on me, for something a little more bold, but not as bold as say a bright red lip or even a berry color. So when I do my makeup and I want the focus to be on my eyes without sacrificing lip color, I reach for something like this. Or I don't care and grab whatever I want, but you get what I mean.

As for the 1000 kisses?

These won't last 1000 Kisses.  The husband was kind enough to help with this experiment and yes I did actually count to 1000.
.

 Even still, these do last throughout the day. Once the product has set they are smudge resistant. I haven't noticed any bleeding or feathering while I've been wearing them, though eventually it does fade. They do dry out the lips a little bit, but with any lip liners that is normal. Just make sure to moisturize with your favorite lip balm before applying and after removal. If you're lips are chapped, these will settle into those dry areas, so I wouldn't recommend filling the entire lip if you do have some dry patches.

I'd recommend these and will probably be going back to grab a few more colors. These were 4.95USD a piece I believe at Walmart. From what I've seen it's an average price for a drugstore brand. I may be brave and try the Lasting Finish lipsticks from Rimmel London, since this brand has slowly redeemed itself and I'm glad I gave these guys another go.

Remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP,  or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com .

Simply Dark Pleasures does have a PO Box if there is something specific you want reviewed. Details are at the "About" section of the blog, you are never obligated to send anything.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative.

Kiss Stick on Strips Review.

Kiss Stick On Nail Strips
Satin (Left) Beach Bum (Right)

Featured in my Haul Post, I picked up some of these nifty little do-dads, after having my hopes crushed in finding the Sally Hansen Nail Effects Nail Strips. I grabbed these from my local Dollar General for 3.00USD a piece, so for that price I really didn't have much to lose, especially when the Nail Effects are closer to 8.00USD for one box.

So I'll be drawing a lot of comparisons between the two brands, bringing up some pros and cons for each and trying to weigh those to see if these would be a suitable replacement if I'm unable to find a retailer that sells Nail Effects.

Beach Bum

Nail Strips in Satin- Sheets.

When I first grabbed these I assumed that they were strips of nail polish like the Nail Effects by Sally Hansen, but once I gave them a more thoughtful look I realized that, no they were not. Instead, they are just stickers, similar to the regular nail art stickers you can purchase from Kiss. You get 18 stickers, in multiple sizes separated into two clear backed sheets. The two I purchased are 3D designs, so they are slightly raised and not super smooth.

Satin- is a mixed animal print design in black and silver with filigree. The prints are broken a part by lines of gold with clear rhinestones or by the silver and black filigree pattern. There are different styles so that each nail on one hand is different, but flows together with the same theme. 

Beach Bum- is a silver background with multicolored rhinestones, all the same for a unified manicure. 

Nail Stick On Instructions

And Some Tips

Clean nails with alcohol (Be careful, can make your nails dry and brittle if done too often)

File and Smooth Nails ( A light grained buffer like on a buffing block works best, you only need to buff until the shine of your natural nail is gone. Be kind to your nails )

Select size that best fits your nail

Apply near, not on cuticle and smooth away from center

Fold down over edge and file excess.

I ended up deciding to try out Satin and when I opened the package, I was seriously surprised with how bad these things smelled. The Nail Effects smelled like wet nail polish when you opened the little foil sealed packages, but that was expected with strips that were ultimately just bits of nail polish already cut out to the shape of nail. But, these Nail Strips smelt horrible, like bad rubber/plastic. 

With that aside, I went ahead prepping my nails and finding the right sizes.

Kiss Stick On Strips In Satin Applied

To be honest, I struggled with these little devils and I've done a lot of these full nail strip kind of things in the past. Luckily, since these are stickers and not nail polish, if I didn't get them placed evenly I was able to peel them off slowly and re-situate them so they were as even as I was going to get. Unlike Nail Effects, once you set them on your nail it was pretty much where it was going to be. Now, the Stick On Strips have no give to them at all, they don't stretch, so if you're nail-beds are wider than mine, you may want to avoid these. I can deal with little bits of bare on the sides of my nails, but I mean just a tiny bit. With the Nail Effects, the warmth from your fingers made the strips more pliable and you could very carefully stretch them to fit the entire nail even it the size was a little smaller than your actual nail. They do offer a decent size selection, but I don't believe there would be enough of the larger sizes for those who have wider nail beds, than I do and mine are pretty average despite my freakishly small hands. 

As for the stickiness of these stickers, it's decent, but if you happen to be like me and have to fight with the first few to set right, they do lose they're tackiness and start not wanting to stay put. I remedied the mild lifting by apply a little of my top coat underneath the lifted areas, waiting for it to become mostly dry and pressing the sticker gently down, then they'd stay.

Getting these suckers to lay smooth was another issue...you can see from the photo above that my nails do have a little length to them. One of the reasons I struggled with these was I couldn't get them to lay smoothly on the nail. They would crinkle in one or two spots at the sides and they don't have much give, so I had to peel them back up to uncrinkle them. The only finger I was able to get to lay flat with one attempt was my middle finger and I coin that to it being shorter than the rest, since I broke that one earlier in the day. I never had issues with getting the Nail Effects to lay smooth against the nail...

The packaging says these are suppose to last up to a week, not recommended to be worn more than 10 days. On the instructions it says nothing about sealing them with a top coat for better wearing time, so on one hand I applied a top coat and on the other I left as is. I've currently been wearing the Satin set for four days. The hand with the top coat, I've noticed the stickers at the tips of my nails are beginning to deteriorate, while the hand WITHOUT a top coat I've already lost one sticker on my pinky finger and my thumb and pointer finger they're crinkled up at the tips.

This wear and tear is from normal hand washing and day to day activities, which is pretty much nothing, since the arm injury (again we're not going there) restricts me from doing too much with my right hand. So if you want these to last the seven days, I would definitely apply a top coat, especially along free edges. In comparison to Nail Effects, which I've worn for nearly a full two weeks, with periodic top coat touch ups. And I'm going to add that the smell of the stickers doesn't go away after a day of wearing them, again I'm on day four and the smell isn't as pungent, but it is still there.  

Are these a suitable replacement if I'm unable to find Nail Effects? Yes and No. For a less pricey version of nearly instant nail art, they're not bad. Would I buy then again? Sure, when I wanted something quick for only a couple of days. Would I recommend them? If you're a beginner and you're not experienced with nail art or if you just don't have the time, yeah. For three bucks, it's not a lot of money. They have a really good selection of designs, colors, 3D, smooth to suit everybody. Are there better brands out there? Yes, but for now they will do.

Until next time,

Stay Creative. 

Manic Panic Semi Permanent Hair Color Review, Tips and Tricks

Purple Haze by MP

Fuschia Shock by MP

Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color...one of my favorite things to talk about. You'll see four pictures floating around this post of me, *gasp* with some different variations of Manic Panic colors I've used. I've used quite a few more, but sadly don't have photos of them all, I'm camera shy unless I'm the one taking the photos. I'll leave a list of colors I've used and loved at the end of the post. This isn't going to touch on anything else that MP does, it's just about hair color. 

What is Manic Panic Semi Permanent Hair Color? MP is a vegetable based, conditioning hair color that is Vegan friendly and PPD Free. The companies tag line is actually, "Tested on Celebrities, Not Animals", as an animal lover I can get behind that. If you're looking for vibrant, every color of the rainbow kind of hair color, MP has you covered. 

I'm going to touch on the negatives of this product first to get them out of the way. But some of these can be avoided, are tolerable and I do have some tips for. I'm going to toss a ton of information at you. Please keep in mind this is just my opinion and things I've found through research and trial and error.  

Firstly, it is "Semi-Permanent" which means the color is going to fade as you get your hair wet or wash it. Certain colors do bleed onto your face, towels and your pillow cases, some are worse than others. If you want vibrant color, you HAVE to and I stress HAVE to bleach your hair. You're not going to achieve color payoff by applying this hair color onto brown or any type dark hair. The hair color can give hues of color on dark hair in bright lighting, but that's about it. If you're naturally blond, you may be able to get away with not pre-treating your hair, but it's a big maybe. And the last thing I can think of is the price. The original formula of MP ranges from 9.99USD to 13.99USD in store and on MP's official site. The Amplified version ranges from 12.99USD to 17.99USD in store or on MP's official site. You do get quite a bit of product, but if you have long thick hair, you're going to need more than one tub or bottle, depending on the formula you buy. 

Seems like quite a lot of cons, but I've used MP hair color for nearly 13 years, no joke and I've found some ways to combat some of these issues. 

Addressing the fact that the color IS going to fade in time, there's no getting away from that, but you can prolong the vibrancy of the color by doing these few things. I've had color last 8 weeks or more with only touching up my roots by doing these things.

1- Since I've already mentioned that if you want vibrant color you're going to need to lighten your hair for best results, either at home or have it done by a professional. Don't wash your hair everyday. It's not good for it anyway. Opt for dry shampoos to free your hair of oils and standard yuck. When you do wash your hair, use the coolest water you can tolerate. Heat opens up the hair shaft, which releases hair color.

2- Avoid alcohol and sulfate products. Alcohol and sulfates strip color from your hair when you wash or style. It's especially important with vegetable based hair color.

  

3- Do you're best to avoid "Heat" styling your hair. That includes blow dryers. I know this one is hard, but if you can get away with not using heat to style your hair, then do it. Of course if you do use heat tools, make sure you use a heat protecting product. Again heat will bring slow death to vibrant color. 

4- Add a little bit of the hair color to your bottle of conditioner. That way when you do end up washing your hair, when you condition it you're depositing some of the color back into the hair. It's one of the reasons why I love MP or any conditioning hair color, you can mix it with your regular conditioner and do many things. 

5- During the color process, once you have your hair all coated with goop, use a shower cap and apply heat continuously or periodically throughout development. MP is a conditioning hair color and its safe to apply heat to it while it sits on your hair. Sometimes just a shower cap to lock in the heat that escapes your head is enough to help, but add a little extra with a few minutes here and there with a blow dryer really helps deposit the color. Also you can leave the product in longer than the advised time, I normally leave mine in for an hour or more.

6- Last one for vibrancy...STAY OUT OF CHLORINATED POOLS. I don't mean don't go swimming at all, but DO NOT get your hair wet or say good bye to your vibrant hair. Highly chlorinated water will strip all the color out of your hair. I made this mistake 4 times, only once was on purpose. Buy a swim cap to protect your hair or just don't get your hair wet if you're going to be in chemically treated pools. 

Quick Tip- Pay attention to your hair. I've literally colored my hair every color of the rainbow and did the rainbow in my hair. Certain colors stick to my hair like glue and are murder trying to get out, while other colors fade like lightning no matter what I do. Everyone's chemistry is different and that has a factor when it comes to using any type of hair color.

Hair color bleeding? Not much you can do about it, accept avoid the colors that bleed the most, which unfortunately are anything red based, so all reds, pinks and some purples. If you're like me and love having your hair these colors, invest in dark color pillow cases and be prepared for there to be transfer on your face. If you have white bath towels, bleaching them in the wash will 9 times about of 10 get rid of any stains. If you're really worried about it, use only dark colored towels or ones you really don't care if there's some stains on them. As for face transfer? You're daily facial cleanser should remove it without a problem.

Price..oh boy the price. There is a little bit of difference in cost between to two formulas, for the same amount of product. In comparison to other brands the cost is pretty much even. I've used other vegetable based demi/semi permanent colors and they all do pretty much the same thing, I've just had the most success with MP which is why I recommend it.
MP's original formula has more color options and I've had the color last with no issues. The amplified formula does fade less quickly than the original, but not by much, since I pretty much follow all the tips I've shared here. Though the Atomic Turquoise amplified version is superior to its classic formula, which is the only particular color that I've noticed a huge difference in color pay off, but blue tends to not like to attach itself to my hair. So that's also something to consider, again pay attention to your hair.

And just another little tip, because MP hair color is a conditioning hair color, you can mix them to create custom colors, or even dilute them down with your regular conditioner to make a toned down or even pastel colors. It's another good way to make your own hair toner if you want to be super blond but your hair brasses out. Basic color wheel knowledge and 1 part color to 3 parts conditioner and you have you're toner.

List of My Favorite MP Colors

Fuschia Shock
Raven
Atomic Turquoise (Amplified Formula)
Electric Banana
Electric Lizard
Vampire Red
Ultra Violet (Amplified Formula)
Purple Haze
Cotton Candy Pink (Amplified Formula)

Until Next Time.
Stay Creative.

Influenster....Beginnings.

It's finally time to do something with this post. 

Influenster?

 I stumbled upon a post from a friend on Facebook one day and happened to be sucked into this website. I've been messing around with the site on and off since before Christmas to get a proper feel for it. Plus with a bum arm (we won't go there) I have some extra time on hand to mess around with things so I don't go completely insane.

It's a free to join website where you basically turn your social media happens to possible rewards by reviewing products from makeup to places to travel. You can also answer questions other Influenster's may have or even ask a question yourself. All in the interest of possibly be rewarded with free products from brands you love or may come to love once you give something a try and telling people about it through social media. 

See where I may have been sucked in? 

Free stuff and all I have to do is spam my Facebook and Twitter with my opinion? Yes please!

Though qualifying for rewards is a little tougher than it sounds. You're competing with every other member on the site for free goodies. 

Though, the site is very helpful if you're into researching anything you may be wanting to purchase or just plain curious about. And I do mean anything. 

Want to know what someone else's experience was with that fancy new gizmo you saw advertised? Odds are that it's somewhere on Influenster with reviews from people who thought it was amazing or not so much. Want to try a new snack? Yep, reviews for that too. Companies aren't dumb, they know that 99% of their business comes from consumer word of mouth. If you're best friend tells you not to buy something, because it's utter crap and they have valid points to why it's crap, you will generally steer clear of it. No matter what it is. 

But free stuff for you're opinion right?

Yes, but you need to be active on the site, and that doesn't mean filling out a million reviews in one day. Or you could, but the site does allow you to focus on what interests you the most. The site breaks things down your interests by having you unlock "Badges", such as Influenster Badge, Expert Badges, Lifestyle Badges, VoxBox Bages and Brand Badges. I'm not going to get into much detail with the badges, since the "About" section on the website explains it WAY better than I could. But it's pretty simple once you get the hang of things. Each Badge has little surveys to fill out and the more you do with them, the higher your badge score. The premise of this is to have a high badge score so you qualify for those free goodies. The site does take time to update your badge scores though, which is one of my only complaints. Unlike here...*cough* I'm more active on the site and I find it does take a while for the website to update.

Not only do you need to be active on the site itself, but you NEED to be active on other social media sites like, Facebook, Twitter and other major social sites. It helps to have a blog or Youtube channel where you blog or vlog about your points of interest. This is probably where I fail big time, since I can't remember to update anything in regards to social media. And even then, there no guarantees for free stuff. The website actually doesn't hide that fact either, which is nice. 

Any and all information is upfront about joining. There's no hidden fees or obligations to purchase anything. I found it was easiest to start with things I've used for years or places I've shopped at for years. As well as, things that I'm not so fond of. Honesty is key. 

So far I haven't qualified for any free things yet, which is okay. I'll keep myself occupied by periodically go through and leaving reviews and maybe even updating the blog for a change. 

All in all this site isn't bad. It's actually a bit of fun if you have some time to spare or if you do stuff like this for a living. I would recommend at least taking a looksy around the site, I've provided a little link thing below for you to click on if you do wish to. It'll take you to my Influenster profile and you can see what I've been reviewing, then go on to browse through the site.

Until next time I remember to update this blog.
Stay creative.