Pixi Kiss Cosmetix Review and Swatches.

Can winter be over yet? Between my furnace and tech issues that continue to pop up over the last say two months that have got unpredictably worse, hopefully you all have been patient with me. It kills me I've missed so many posting days, but what can you do when life continues to throw absurdities at you? Though, while I was away I've been testing some products for review and fine tuning a little mini series I'm going to be starting soon.

So how have you guys been? Good? Bad? Have things just spontaneously continued to break on you? Find any great or not so great beauty products? Have you started your spring cleaning yet?

Our household has, even though it doesn't look like or feel like spring here. Or like it's going to be spring any time soon.
I digress.

Woo! Pixi Kiss Cosmetix. Never heard of them? Well, that's because Pixi Kiss is a homemade cosmetics line. I stumbled upon Pixi Kiss through Facebook. You know how friends and suggest pages to like? It doesn't happen to me very often, but recently I was suggested to like this page. Unless I'm really sucked into a page, I generally don't "like" them. There's got to be something that catches my attention quickly. In regards to Pixi Kiss, what caught my attention almost immediately were photos of product swatches and that the products were homemade. So, do to my intrigue I ordered a few things from their etsy shop.

Firstly, shipping was fast, I'm in New York and the product comes from California and it hit my post office box in 3 days, once it was shipped. Customer service by Sahara owner of Pixi Kiss Cosmetix was amazing. She was super friendly, even when I made an oops with my order and needed to verify the selection I wanted. Quick to respond to questions. All in all, very impressed with just my shopping experience.
The packaging in which the products arrive in is super cute. You get a little lippy ziplock baggy with some decorative packing worms/strips and a little lippy foam thingy. And of course, a business card with all sorts of information on it.

My order consisted of a blogger sampler package in pinks and purples and a single full size item. The sampler pack also comes with another option of greens and browns.

The blogger sampler comes with one highlighter, one accent color and two mid-shades. These are in little packets, though its not my favorite way for samples to be packaged, especially with mineral makeup, but I can forgive this, it's cost effective.

Now it's time for swatches!

Last swatch is suppose to be "Petunia" *slaps hand* Bad typo. 

In call I received seven products, six of them samples and one my full size as I had mentioned. The first six swatches, starting on the left with Lolli Pop, are the samples I received and Petunia (forgive my typo in the photo) was my full sized.
The blogger sample pack came with Love Me, Heart Beat, Lavender Ice and Moon Shadow. I also received Lolli Pop and Indessa samples for some reason. When I ordered I did mention these were going to be reviewed, so perhaps that is why, but I wasn't told otherwise by the owner, but I was surprised and thankful to have two extras samples to test out.
  These swatches were also done with NO primer underneath.

Lets get started with individual shades!

Lolli Pop- This is a slightly frosted red mineral shadow and I mean RED. This was a sample that mysteriously appeared in my order. I wouldn't normally purchase a color like this, since with my fair skin and blue eyes, reds tend to accentuate my dark under-eyes circles and make me look ill if I'm not careful. But, that doesn't effect the product, that's just me. The swatch was done by just swiping my finger across the inside of the little bag the sample came in where dusting of the product collects. No primer on my forearm and that's the color that came out of the tinniest amount of product. Beautiful color and the pigmentation is so, so nice. And no staining from what I could tell either. No glitter in this one.

Love Me- Holy cheezit! This shade is amazing. Love me is a gorgeous frosted baby pink with micro glitter. The product doesn't feel grainy on the skin whether it be this swatch or the eyelid. Extremely pigmented, it's just so pretty. Another swatch that was from just swiping across the side of the little baggy. I've use this shade as an all over lid color and to highlight the inner corner of the eye. Can't say enough good things about this particular shade.

Heart Beat- This is a pretty icy pink shade, slightly frosty with micro glitter. Very pigmented with just the smallest amount of product. Flattering color all together. Not a big fan of this shade of pink for the eyes, but this one changed my mind about that. Love this shade as well.

Indessa- A frosted white shimmery/glitter shade. This stuff is super pretty! Recently, I've shied away from frosted highlights for the eyes, but...it seems I've returned to it. I love this mineral shadow. It's so pigmented and just beautiful. The swatch doesn't do this color justice, since you can see the gleaming awesomeness of this shade. With this shade especially, you only need a teeny tiniest amount of product. I've been using this one a lot lately and with it only being a sample, I still have plenty of product. On the skin this is very similar or even a dupe to Urban Decays Polyester Bride eyeshadow.

Lavender Ice- A frosty/shimmer lavender shade. Another beautiful color that has amazing color payoff with a small amount of product. Very flattering on the eyelid. This is a dupe for Urban Decays Grifter eyeshadow.

Moon Shadow- This is a almost a deep plum color. Great shade for the outer "V" to smoke out an eye look or to apply in the crease.

Petunia- A lovely cool toned purple. This shade does have a tiny amount of shimmer, but nothing that is very noticeable when put on the skin. Nice color payoff like the rest. A nice addition to my purple eyeshadow collection.

In comparison to mass market cosmetics prices, products from Pixi Kiss Cosmetix are around the same price that you would pay for your standard drug store brands. The difference is that the quality of these homemade cosmetics is amazing for the price. I mean these are comparable to my higher end products. For a full size product you get 1 gram of product for 5.00USD. Samples are 3.00USD. The exact amount in samples I'm not sure of, but there's plenty to get quite a few uses of.
The product is silky on the skin, goes on smooth and they're very blendable. With a primer the color are even more amazing than they are without one. I didn't experience any issues with glitter pixie fallout after I finished applying these. Though, during application there is fallout, since this is mineral makeup and I was expecting it. So just avoid applying your face products until your finished with your eyes. The only draw back is that these aren't meant to be used on the lips. *Sad Face*

I can't express how much I highly recommend this mineral makeup. If you're interested in purchasing from Pixi Kiss Cosmetix, here is the link - Pixi Kiss Cosmetix Etsy Shop which will open in a new window for you. And for good measure go like their page here Pixi Kiss Cosmetix Facebook Page

I'm not affiliated with Pixi Kiss Cosmetix, these products I purchased with my own money to review, as per my Review Disclaimer Page states, unless I mention otherwise. But since I'm directing you to their sites, I figured I'd mentioned this. I don't receive any type compensation if you click the link or purchase their products. All I ask is that you mention that Simply Dark Pleasures sent you.

With that I leave you with the usual garble of checking out my other social networks.

Until Next Time,
Stay Creative. 

Makeup Forever Professional Paris Rouge Artist Natural Review.

Makeup Forever Professional Paris Rouge Artist Natural in N9 Copper Pink

I got this for my Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday gift. I'm always looking to extend the range of brands in my collection and the deluxe samples of this and a mascara are the first Makeup Forever products I've owned. This one was in the shade N9 Copper Pink.

This is what the product looks in the tube. The packaging for the sample is pretty standard, nothing overly fancy and is a bit different from the full size. For a sample, the packing is nice.
Now, for the amount of product you get for this sample, wasn't bad. I was expecting much less, you know it was free and with most, not all, but most samples I feel you really don't get enough of the product to really get an idea if you like it or not. Or if it has some effect that takes a period of time to show results, you never really get enough product to see if it is actually working and worth buying a full size. With this you get enough for quite a few applications.

N9 is a really beautiful burnt rose pink color. I'm not quite sure what kind of finish this lipstick is, but it does leave a nice shine on the lips. In the tube, I didn't think I'd like the color, but once I put it on my lips my opinion instantly changed. Not only is the color nice, but the formula is so creamy, it goes on like butter.
As for lasting power, I did have some expectations, especially with a brand like Makeup Forever. They didn't disappoint. This stuff actually lasted much longer on my lips, than any other lip product I currently have. Not only does the color last, but after its gone, my lips don't feel dried out or feel like there's product caught in fine lines or dry spots if I have any. It also leaves the lips feeling hydrated.

All in all, love this deluxe sample. And I will be purchasing a full size in this shade and probably some others too.

Sorry this was such a short review, but with technology nearly causing my head to explode, between my DSL lines being chewed and burnt and cell phone mishaps, this will have to do. As always, feel follow me on any of my social networks. And I'll see you all again on Monday *knock on wood*

Until Next Time,
May you're technology not make your brain ooze out your ears. And as always, Stay Creative. 

Product Hits, Workables and Fails.

Instead of doing a monthly favorites, I decided to do something a little different. February was such a short month and I had my little hiatus, it feels a favorites post would be a little silly. So, we're going to have a Product Hit, Workable and Fail post. Now, all the products mentioned whether they were a hit or a miss is my opinion. If you love any of the products that I don't, that's fine, all us aren't going to like or dislike the same things. That's what makes us unique critters after all.
Whether products are a Hit or Fail is pretty obvious to determine why. But the difference between Workables from a Hit is that Workables require something extra to make them work or is something that slightly puts me off about the product, but I'm still able to use them.

Some of these products have been featured as a full review, others have not and were reserved for this post in general. Products are going to appear in no particular order.

With that lets get started.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius

HIT

I wrote a review earlier this month on this little gem (Beauty Genius Review). A nice mixing medium for under 20.00USD that truly waterproofs any powder, loose pigment and glitter products. There isn't an odor to the product and some gel products just smell bad, not this one. This brand is Cruelty Free, which is always a nice way to go with cosmetics, so extra bonus points there. And it's the only mixing medium available at Ulta Beauty, at least at mine and I haven't seen any other ones available online.

Our Moment Fragrance From One Direction Sample

HIT

This was a sample fragrance call Our Moment by One Direction.The sample is long gone. I've mentioned briefly that I suffer from migraine headaches and quite often, many scents can trigger them. So I have to be extremely careful with any type of fragrance, especially perfume. I generally stay away from the perfume section of any store just to avoid any possible triggers. But, I got this as a sample in one of my Ulta Beauty Online orders and this is just amazing. I need to get a full size of this. It's a feminine scent, that's very light and not overpowering. It had a sweet, powdery smell that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but this is most definitely a hit. 

Eyelash Curlers- Brand Unknown.

HIT

These were featured in a past haul post. When I wrote that post I couldn't remember the brand, but these were a 1.00USD curiosity. And for a buck, these are a hit. They curl my lashes and if they hadn't, I wouldn't have been upset that I had paid a decent amount of money on a set of eyelash curlers. These are the first I've ever owned, but I will probably spend a little extra money on some in the future. But for now they do their job, what else can I say?

Aero Minerale Hydrating Mineral Makeup Mist in bare

FAIL

I wanted to love this product so badly. When it arrived in the mail, I was so excited to try it out. I researched this, read reviews, but darn it this is a FAIL. Firstly, this is suppose to be the fairest shade for those with pink undertones. Just no...It's way too dark for me and I didn't see where this foundation had any pink undertones. I tested this on my neck and the back of my hand, it oxidized on my skin turning me a lovely shade of orange. And this is suppose to be a hydrating foundation? Absolutely not. This stuff made me feel like I was wearing a mud mask when it's ready to take off. It felt like it was going to crack every time I moved my neck or my hand. Then on top of that was the smell. Holy mother of pearl does this smell bad, I mean, like chemicals and mold are the best ways to describe it. I even had my husband smell this to see if it was just me and he flat out asked me if I had put it on my face, because if I had, the way it smelled I better not have. This puppy is going right back to Ulta Beauty. No way is this stuff being sprayed on my entire face.

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Workable

Another product I did a review on ( Ammo Palette Review ), which is the Ammo Palette by Urban Decay. Now in the review, I do mention that this was a gift from my husband, but I had been wanting this palette so badly, simply because I adore the packaging. Plus the shadow shades looked like something I'd use frequently. But, the glitter shades were fallout glitter pixie nightmare. I had recommended saving your money if you had been thinking about purchasing this palette.I went back to this with my Beauty Genius waterproofing gel and this helped out with the glitter pixies and the fallout in general. So, it's now a workable product, because half the shadows need the help of a mixing medium. A lovely palette, beautiful packaging and with the extra step, something I can work with. 

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna

HIT

Come on, you guys knew this was going to be on this list ( NARS Blush Bronzer Duo Review ). I haven't used another blush since I bought this. Gorgeous color and the bronzer is beautiful too. Completely worth every penny I paid for this. 

Pixel Eyeliner Pen in Black

HIT

Felt pen style black liquid eyeliner by Pixel. Never heard of this brand, but I do say I'm quite impressed. It's a good black liquid liner. The felt tip is easy to use and it seems to be holding up quite well to regular use. I haven't seen any issues with it, so a hit. And for 5.99USD not bad, not bad at all.

Kiss Nail Dress

FAIL

*sigh* Remember those stick on strips by Kiss I reviewed? If not, then the review is on the blog somewhere. The point being I mentioned that they weren't too bad, but they smelled terrible. I'm revising my statement. They're bad. And these are the same thing, just in shiny new packaging. They still smell extremely horrible where I can barely stand it. At least nail polish smell goes away after it drys, not these. Nope. Just no.

Lorac Pro Palette

HIT

Much like my NARS Blush and Bronzer, you knew this was making the list as a hit. My current "go to" palette out of all the palettes I own. You can create so many diverse looks with this palette and the quality of the eyeshadows is simply amazing. Love, love, love. Can't say love enough. The full review was my last post, so no link for this one, but it should be easy to find if you're interested. 

 

Stila Lip Palette

FAIL

...A lip palette by Stila. Lip Palette, no other information whether or not it is lip "stick", lip "gloss", lip "tint" nothing. Just "Lip Palette" Look at those beautiful colors. Don't be deceived. I was excited when I got this, you know lip palette, blend colors to make custom ones, but this sadly let me down. My biggest issue with this palette is that there is NO pigmentation. These are basically lip glosses in a palette and I own lip glosses with better pigmentation than this. I've used a brush, my fingers, primed my lips and these just do not have any pigment to them. And for 16.00USD I was not happy. On top of that, they don't even last long and feel very, very oily on the lips. Not in a good hydration way either, but the way where you feel like you just kissed a fryer. This was my first purchase from Stila and I'm not impressed. This is another product that's going back to Ulta.

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.

Lorac Pro Palette Review

Okay, this review's going to be hard to break down into my normal attempts to be as informative as possible. The honesty and true feelings about this product is there, but ladies...gentlemen? maybe?

Holy cheezits! 

There are no words to describe how excited I was when I finally, I mean FINALLY broke down and purchased this palette. It was in my twitter feed, my facebook feeds, tumblr, pinterest, you name it, this palette was in my face saying "BUY ME NOW". 

I don't know how long I toyed with the idea of purchasing this palette, but I do know it's been a while. I went into Ulta Beauty and went directly to this palette, looked at it, swatched the tester, then literally left the Lorac section and browsed the entire store. I looked at similar palettes from other brands like, It Cosmetics, Stila, Urban Decays Naked Palettes, Too Faced and a bunch of other ones. Swatched a bunch, but ultimately went back to this one, because I knew if I walked out of that store without it, I was going to regret it and be online at Ulta.com looking at this palette again.

Packaging is simple black paper wrapped palette, with the text in a reflective silver stamped onto it. You can run your finger across it and feel the impressions, very shiny, very nice.  The top is magnetic so you don't have to worry about the top flopping around or coming open if you should happen to turn the palette upside down and of course you get a nice mirror on the backside of the top. 

Inside the palette you get eight matte eyeshadows and eight shimmer eyeshadows. The top row are all the mattes, the bottom are all the shimmer shades, which I like a lot. Also, the shadows for each finish start from the left side of the palette from lightest or highlight shades to the darkest colors. Just from a visual standpoint, this palette has got itself together, very organized, very easy to find the colors you want to use. The only exception to the light to dark shades, are the shimmer shades, where Slate and Deep purple should be switched around, but oh well, it's close enough.

Lorac Pro Palette Top Row Matte Eyeshadows

We'll start off with the top row of matte eyeshadows, starting in order they appear in the palette. First impressions of this first row of shadows were all I had heard and more. Silky, creamy without it being a cream and pigmentation. These swatches were done with minimal swiping, especially Espresso and Black. The lighter or highlight shades are just as pigmented, but with my fair skin it's always hard to get swatches to show in photos. I haven't tried these wet yet, I haven't felt the need to use them this way yet, I may use Black wet and see how it looks in replacement of a black eyeliner on the upper lash-line.

Time to break each matte shadow down...

Though I feel that I'm horrible at trying to describe colors.

White- Can you say, favorite eye highlight? Am I the only one who has a hard time finding matte whites to use to highlight the brow bone? Or am I just that dumb and haven't looked hard enough? This is a beautiful matte white, perfect to highlight the inner corner of the eye and brow bone. Can't say enough good things about this color.

Cream- This a nice off white, slightly peachy pink toned shadow. Another great option in this palette for a matte highlight. Or even a nice lid color.

Taupe- This shade just....ugh! I can't get enough of it. I'm not a huge fan of any taupe like colors, not a fan. But! Love this! Fantastic transition color. Cool toned bisque, peach undertone, light tan color.

Lt. Pink- The name says it all. It's a light pink. A subtle powder, baby pink color. It looks lovely with it's neighbor Mauve.

Mauve- You know what...it's Mauve, no need to describe it any further. Pigmented, just lovely.

Sable- This is a nice warm brown, doesn't appear orange on the skin. Warms up your face so nicely when used.

Espresso- Cool dark brown. You don't need much of this on a brush or finger. Extremely pigmented. Reminds me of a dark chocolate color.

Black- Pretty self explanatory. It's not the blackest shadow I'm sure, but it's black. Nuff said.

All of the Matte finishes just feel amazing on the eyes. They don't streak or crease on me. The pigmentation is great. Now, some like Espresso, Black and maybe one more, have a little bit of fallout in the pan itself when you're using a brush, but if you tap your brush like you should before applying the product to your face, there's little to no fallout.

Lorac Pro Palette. Bottom Row- Shimmer Eyeshadow Swatches.

Now onto the shimmer shades. We all know that I've been put off by the glitter pixie situation. I was scared of these shadows, thus why I toyed with the idea of spending the money to get this palette. But, we'll break these shades down first.

Nude- Without the shimmer, this is darn near a match for my skin tone. Beautiful shade with a pink undertone. I've used this one as an all over lid color and it's very stunning. 

Champagne- Gorgeous color. This is more of a taupe champagne color, rather that a nude or peach. 

Gold- It's a gold shimmer shadow. Beautiful, but its not a traditional gold color, more of a Rose Gold.

Lt. Bronze- This is a cool tone bronze, its light, just like the name says.

Pewter- This ones a little hard to describe. I have a few things that are pewter and it's not exactly the same color. This is more of a bronze, grey, purple color. 

Garnet- This is a very relfective rosey, brown, coppery color. It's different enough where I can't draw any comparisons to anything I've seen or currently have.

Deep Purple- This shade is indeed a DEEP purple. It actually looks more purple in the pan than on the skin. But you can tell it's purple. Perfect for smokey or bold eyes. 

Slate- This one is more of a gunmetal shade that leans slightly more blue, but just enough for there to be a difference between this shade and an actual gunmetal shade. 

The shimmer shadows are beautiful. I wish my color descriptions could be better, but the glitter is so fine that it's hard to tell what the color of the glitter actually is. These don't feel grainy, they're just as creamy as the matte shades. The glitter pixies aren't there. I have used the shimmer shades quite a bit and the fallout in comparison to some I own *cough* when used dry or without a primer isn't noticeable. 

The overall quality of this palette is amazing. There's not a single eyeshadow that I won't use. You have your cool tones, your warm tones, beautiful nudes, highlights, transitional colors and smokey shades. This palette cost 42.00USD  for sixteen eyeshadows and it is worth every penny. I haven't touched another eyeshadow palette since I brought this home. I immediately grab this one and I'm ready to do my eye makeup. If you don't own this palette yet, just bluntly go get yourself one if you can. I feel so buyers remorse even with the palette being 42.00USD. Go get yourself one. This is a go to staple in my makeup collection.


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.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo (Orgasm and Laguna) Review

One of the items in my Birthday/Unbirthday Haul!

NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in the shades Orgasm and Laguna.

I mentioned in my haul post that I had intended on purchasing one of the Ambient Light Blushes by Hourglass, but my Sephora didn't carry them in store. Be as that may, I was still on the hunt for a blush that had a dewier finish and wasn't infested with glitter pixies. The Ammo Palette by Urban Decay has put me off in the realm of glitter, though I should be able to fix that issue with Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius, both products have been reviewed here in the past if you want to see more on those two products. The links to those reviews will open into a new window. ( Beauty Genius Review and Ammo Palette Review )

With some help from DrugStorePrincess aka Hilary, another beauty blogger, we went through a bunch of blushes and even some bronzers, after discussing the fact that I wanted to try the dewier makeup looks, without appearing orange or like I've been mating with a pixie. After finding glitter galore and mostly matte blushes, she mentioned NARS Laguna and then Orgasm. 

NARS orgasm and even Laguna, have a huge hype behind them. I've read and heard amazing things about this product and brand in general, as well as some who weren't all that impressed. I was extremely skeptical when I heard rave reviews, because lets face it, NARS is a higher end brand, quality yes, but ouch on the wallet. More so if products such are this aren't in your budget. I normally shop for beauty products on a tight budget and I'm a huge sales shopper. I want the most I can get, with quality, with the money I have on hand. But, I had gone to Sephora with the intent on purchasing a single blush for 35.00USD to begin with, I knew my budget and I had a little extra and it was for my birthday. I'm allowed to splurge a little.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo
Packaging

The packaging is simple. Though, that doesn't mean it isn't nice. I enjoy fancy packaging just as much as something less extravagant. It's heavier than I would have thought it would be, especially in comparison to my travel size Lorac TanTalizer Highlight and Bronzing Duo. My Lorac duo is slightly smaller in size, but the weight difference is noticeable even with both of the products having a mirror. But, the NARS Duos mirror is much bigger and I think even clearer than my Lorac duo. But, I'm in love with the packaging, just for the simplicity of it and that when I hold it, it feels expensive. And that's always nice.

NARS Blush Bronzer Duo
View Of Product In The Pan

The product in it's pan form, doesn't look like anything special. They're nice colors in the pan, but they don't immediately "wow" you if you just give them a quick glance. I know Orgasm comes in a cream or stick form, but of course this is the powder form. I noticed with most of my powder blushes, they do have a, well, powdery smell to them, but this one doesn't. When you go in with a brush to apply this, there literally like, no fall out. Perhaps, the tiniest amount in the pan. You know how you blow off the extra product in the pan if ones powdery or chalky? Don't have to do that with this one.

NARS Laguna (Top) Orgasm (Bottom)
Swatch 1

NARS Laguna (Top) Orgasm (Bottom)
Swatch 2

Swatch time. I have two different swatches here for you. On the left, is my original swatch where you can obviously see the lovely pigmentation of both bronzer and blush. On the right, is the swatch here you can see the glow!
Laguna, I admit does take a little work to get out of the pan. And you do need to build the color up a little. But, this bronzer does have a nice glow without it being overpowering and it doesn't appear orange on me. I can work with it and I've actually been using this, rather than my Matte bronzer since I bought this.
Orgasm...I have found my favorite blush of all time. This is a beautiful pinky peach color, with this golden pink glow. There is a teeny tiny amount of micro glitter in it, but it doesn't get everywhere. How did NARS do that?
I need to know their secret.
It glides onto the cheeks, applies evenly and it's pigmented. It doesn't feel chalky or grainy on the skin. So far it's the best blush I have ever used. And I've used this from the moment I got home with it and literally everyday after.
Just gorgeous.

Price. This duo was 42.00USD at Sephora. The individual full sizes of both Laguna and Orgasm are I want to say around 30.00USD a piece. So for the price of the duo you're getting both of these amazing products for less than if you'd buy them separate. Now, if you have a dark complexion than I do, I'm not the fairest person out there, but I'm darn near close, you may want to skip the Laguna bronzer and stick with just the blush. But if you are fair and can splurge/afford this product, you're looking for a more dewier appearance to your makeup, then I'd recommend this.

 That wraps it 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.

Birthday/UnBirthday Haul.

Birthday Haul Time!

or...

If you wan t to get all technical, Unbirthday Haul Time. 

I say Unbirthday, since I was born on February 29th, evil Leap Year. And this year, there is no 29th of February. On the pesky non Leap Year, years, I celebrate both on the 28th and 1st of March. So, I went shopping at Ulta Beauty in store, as well as online and I went to Sephora for the first time. Then we have some of the things my husband and sister gifted to me.

First we have a Lipstick Palette from Stila from my online purchases, this palette has six really pretty shades. This palette is quite small, but we'll see how it works out.

Next is the they're Real! mascara by benefit sample/travel size. You're going to see a theme here I think, since I'm looking for better mascaras that won't irritate my eyes, but won't flake off or run. 

Now we have a travel size Lorac Tantolizer Baked Bronzer. I love there Tantolizer Matte Bronzer, but a lot of Matte products makes me look washed out, so I'm experimenting with some dewier looks to see if I like them or not. At the moment Ulta is running a free gift special with Lorac Products online and in store with some items, so with this I also got a sample of their Stay Matte face primer.

Aero Minerale Mineral Makeup Mist in the shade bare. This is suppose to be a dupe for Dior's spray on foundation, along with the one from Napoleon Cosmetics. I was looking for a quicker way to do my foundation, since I do have kids and my youngest is less than six months old. With the reviews and research I did, this looks promising. 

Now an eyeliner felt pen by Pixel. I've never heard of this brand before, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a liquid liner in pen form. This was the cheapest I found I do believe or somewhere around there. I'm eager to try this out, since the brand is new to me I don't have any expectations. I love trying new brands, especially if I've heard little or nothing about them. 

And lastly from my online shopping, I got the Dr. Lin skincare Acne Cleansing Pads. I'm not afraid to admit to myself and to anyone that I'm extremely lazy when it comes to nighttime face cleaning. Washing my face the traditional way, wakes me up. I don't want to be awake at night when I want to settle down. So, I have cleansing wipes that I use, now I have something that will replace my toner at nighttime. Also has 2% Salicylic Acid in them, so I can amp up my skincare, even though I love my Equate Beauty skincare line. 

Now on to my in store purchases from Ulta. I had my rewards certificate to use and I don't yet have a Kabuki brush. So, I grabbed this one by Ultas professional line of brushes. The brush is pretty soft, I haven't gotten around to using this yet, so we'll see how it holds up to my other brushes.

Forgive my poor editing, but I don't think you wanted to see my floor. 

Ultas Rewards Club birthday gift for February was a full size CK Cosmetics Mascara. So, of course I grabbed one while I was there. I'm REALLY excited about this mascara because of the wand. It's different. I've never seen another wand like it before and I'm dying to see how well it works. 

Lorac Pro Palette...

Let's just take a moment to enjoy those words.

This palette has been on my MUST HAVE list and because, it was my birthday I decided to splurge on it. This also came with a free sample, which was their eyeshadow primer. 

Now, on to what I got at Sephora. I only grabbed two things and one was my Beauty Insider Birthday Gift from Sephora, but still, it counts.

For my Beauty Insider gift, I chose the Makeup Forever Mascara and Rouge Lipstick mini's. It was this or something from benefit. Since I already got a mascara from that brand, I decided to go with a brand I haven't tried before. Thus, my reason for getting this. 

NARS Blush and Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna. This wasn't my original reason for going into the only Sephora in my area. I had gone intending to purchase one of the Hourglass Blushes, but my Sephora didn't carry them in store. I don't own a lot of blushes, I normally use my lipsticks or a few matte blushes that I do own. As I said before, I've been looking to try more dewy looks, but I didn't want a blush chocked full of evil glitter pixies. And sadly, most "dewy" blushes are. DrugStorePrincess aka Hilary was there and helped me go through blushes. When NARS Orgasm was brought up, I've heard a lot of hype about the product, both good and bad and I hadn't really considered getting it. Well, I was won over by the swatch, so I ended up purchasing the duo, since it made more financial sense, because I liked the bronzer too. 

Now, onto what my sister got me.

We have some Kiss Nail Dresses in neon colors with neon polka dots. I assume these are different from the Stick On Nail strips I've already reviewed, but I do really like this design. We shall see how different these are.  

A hand cream by bodycology in vanilla sugar. Sorry for the crap photo, but you get the point, it's lotion. Now this stuff smells heavenly. I love anything vanilla scented and these types of scents tend not to aggravate my migraine headaches, where a lot of perfume or candle scents do. So far, I love this and it's still winter and I need all the moisturizers I can get my hands on.

Finally my husband got me some clothes. Now, I'm ridiculously picky about dresses or skirts. From the material, to the length, cut, you name it, I nitpick. But, it seems, my husband tends to find the ones that I love. He's found two others that always hit the dirty laundry, as soon as its clean, this one is no different. The shoulder pieces are a soft mesh and the rest of the dress is this soft t-shirt like material. The length us just above the knee where I don't feel overly subconscious, but it doesn't make me look shorter than I already am like long skirts or dresses tend to do.  

Here's the closeup of the pattern on the dress. It's sugar skulls, crosses and some type of flower. I looks like a rose, I'm pretty sure that's what it is, but I could be wrong.

I'm a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan. And he found me a pencil skirt with the ending scene of the movie on it. The skirt is another just above the knee length and the cut of a pencil skirt is very slimming and flatters my figure. It's also made of a material that doesn't restrict you when you walk, which is very nice. 

Last thing is another pencil skirt, same fabric and cut. This one is just has a different pattern, which is different colored stained glass windows and crosses.

That's the end of my birthday haul, I hope you enjoyed it and it's not bragging by any means, but if you like these types of posts let me know or let me know what you'd like to see next. 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.

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. 

Maybelline New York New Clean Express Makeup Remover Review.

Maybelline New York Clean Express Makeup Remover, Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. This little gem was featured in my Mini Ulta Beauty Haul on the first of the month. Since then, I've been using this to remove my eye makeup, giving me time to really form an opinion about it. 

What the back of the bottle says in a generalized sense is: Ultra gentle, quick break technology this dual phase formula instantly breaks up stubborn makeup, even waterproof mascara while the second washes it clean. Due to the quick dissolving power, no harsh rubbing is necessary. Oil free formula leaves no greasy residue. Again it's oil free but also, safe for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes. Allergy Tested. Ophthalmologist Tested.

If you've been with me a short while, I have mentioned in the past that my eyes are...sensitive. More sensitive than I'd like them to be, but hey, what can you do? I was out of my normal eye makeup remover by Wet N Wild, a remover that worked but, stung the hell out of my eyes and it smelled horrible on top of that. But I at least wanted to finish it up, because despite the mild discomfort it got the job done. I stumbled on this when I first walked into Ulta where they had a display of a bunch of buy 1 get one 50% off products. There was another formula that was blue, but I can't remember what exactly it was.

 Removes waterproof makeup, check. Gentle, check. Safe for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes, check. 

I was sold on what it promised. 

The packaging is pretty standard, but has a cute quality to it. The bottle is a light pink, makes it feel a little girly and it's a soft plastic that has some give to it. So if you drop it on the floor (which I have, many, many times) it's not going to crack or shatter like hard plastic containers or caps can. The cap is a white plastic cap inside a bigger clear cap, but it is all one piece. I don't know what it is about it, but it feels more aesthetically pleasing, with the clear plastic cap encapsulating the white cap. Maybe it's just me, but I like it. 

All of the information is printed on two large clear stickers that are stuck to the bottle. It doesn't look cheap, but the stickers themselves are anything real special. I've had the bottle kicking around for nearly a month and they haven't started to peel off or anything. 

The actual product is actually really cool at first glance, in the bottle. You can actually see the two different formulas, since they are different densities. The one on the bottom of course being thicker and more dense than the top layer, so you can see it sitting on top of the other. Now, I have no idea which one does what, but it's kind of cool to play around with the liquid in the bottle. 

There's nothing to worry about the two formulas being separated, since you have to follow the directions; which include- Shake well. Apply with cotton pad to eyelids and lashes. Gently rinse with warm water. 

I didn't exactly follow the instructions. I shook the product well, applied to a cotton ball and gently pressed it to a "closed" eye and let it set for about 30 seconds, before I gently pulled the cotton ball towards my temple, then took a clean edge and gently cleaned up what the initial swipe missed. Followed by my normal makeup removing towelettes and skin care routine. 

Now, this product was 5.99USD at Ulta Beauty and you get 4fl oz (120ml) of product. For that price, I wasn't expecting miracles. 

But...

By far, the best waterproof eye makeup remover I have ever run across. 

This product doesn't irritate my eyes what so ever. I've had no problems with sensitivity, no irritation or burning. And the best part, it works. It takes off waterproof products like a dream. I was testing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Genius Waterproofing Gel (review coming soon) and this stuff, one swipe after holding a cotton ball to it for 30 seconds, it was gone. Waterproof mascara, came off easily. It just an amazing product. I highly recommend this stuff, especially for 5.99USD. It does leave what feels like a not really oily, but a residue. But a quick rinse with some water and it goes away. As I said, I follow up with a all over makeup removing towelette and my normal skin care routine, so the little residue that is left behind doesn't bother me. 

I've even used this to remove the Waterproofing Gel from my makeup brushes, along with makeup brushes where I've used lipsticks or other cream products. Followed by what I normally do to clean my brushes and it removes the product beautifully. 

When all is said and done, go get yourself some of this. It's a good product. The price for the amount you get is reasonable and nearly a steal. 

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 and not updating much). 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 be seeing you Friday with another post.

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.