Too Faced 'Under The Mistletoe" Shimmer Lipstick Set [& a lesson in "why all that glitters is not gold"!]

Since I've been absent from the blog world for such a long time [apartment shifting :( again..] , I thought I will start my sojourn with a review of a Holiday set from Too Faced. After all its that time of the year again- mistle toe , cakes, eggnog ..not to mention long coats and boots ! Sigh...

I got this one from Sephora for $35.  This looked like an awesome deal, cos it had 3 full size Too Faced La Creme lipsticks that normally retails at $26 CAD each. Now before you scream "Whattttt...let me rush off and get me one" and rush off without reading this review, let me just ask one question- How much of a Shimmer lover are you?

Cos you've to be a shimmer glitter addict to like these babies. Not joking. 

Back to the review.. 

Packaging - I like the carton with the nice design and a peephole to get excited about the package inside. I liked the color of the bag - anything pink works for me. But I wish the bag was of a better good quality. 

It was a glittery mess. If I'd asked a 5 year old to stick some glitter onto a bag, they'd done as good or possibly a better job than Too Faced! The glitter was falling out every where and since I'm not 8 yrs old, its not that fun to walk around with glitter on my nose.

Product - Too Faced La Creme Lipstick has a beautiful casing with sleek gold covering and an embossed name - loved that about it. 

The 3 shades in the set were - Shimmering Marshmallow Bunny, Shimmering Spice Spice Baby and Shimmering Naked Dolly. If you're already familiar with Too Faced La Creme lipsticks, you'd already know these shade names. These are all shimmer variations of existing Too Faced La Creme lipsticks.

Shimmering Marshmallow Bunny is a frosty peachy pink with golden shimmer. Shimmering Spice Spice Baby is a beautiful shade - a coral red with golden shimmers that came off nicely on my lips. Shimmering Naked Dolly is a pale peachy golden shade.

From L to R - Sh Marshmallow Bunny, Sh Spice Spice Baby, Sh Naked Dolly

Of the three, both Shimmering Marshmallow Bunny and Shimmering Naked Dolly came off too frosty on my lips - like straight up shimmer. I could barely see the color. I can consider using this for adding some shimmer on an existing lip color but I wouldn't and couldn't use them on my own. 

I was also rather disappointed with the texture and pigmentation as a whole. I'd tried La Creme lipstick before and was really impressed by the smooth application and finish, which was noticeably missing from this one. Due to the high shimmer content, both SMB and SND applied very patchily.

 

I returned this as I couldn't keep this set just for the one lip color. However if you like very frosted shimmer shades, try this as this would be a good value pick. I think Too Faced was trying out a possibly permanent-line shimmer variation of their La Cremes with this holiday set, so I hope that if & when they finally come out with the Shimmering series, it would be a much more usable version with better pigmentation and texture.

Overall - If your answer to my question is Yes, Give Me Some Shimmer go for this one as its definitely a value set. However for people like me who like shimmer in moderation, this lippies are pretty Over the Top.

Memebox Unboxing - #12

Memebox strikes again... :) This is Memebox #12..once again, this is not a review, just what I got in this box. 

I usually prefer to get a themed box, rather than a generalized one like this. 

However, this one has some quite interesting products.

 

While I am sure hair removal is something we all do, I'm not really sure why this was in this box... I mean, I couldn't find anything innovative about it and I've no particular desire to use a Korean hair remover.

Another thing that bugged me was that - this box had 2 hair products...but no makeup. I'd have preferred at least 1 makeup product instead of 2 hair treatments! 

This nail polish is the most exciting product in this box for me... it seems like a copy cat of the Ciate polishes, but its sooooooo cewwwwwtt :)

Overall, out of the 7 products, I am happy about 5 which is a pretty decent number. Yayyyyy for Memebox!

If anyone is interested in Memebox, here is October $5 coupon code: AU1Z

Petit Vour August Beauty Box - "Beauty School"

August edition of the Petit Vour beauty box featured a brand I was always interested to try , but so far never got around to it, cos of the high price - Beauty Without Cruelty. So woot woot!! :)

The theme is Beauty School and as per PV, the items you need to become your own beauty expert are:

- BWC's Eyeliner  [i think its full size]

- Earth Body Beauty Mask

- Harvey Prince Journey perfume - mini 

- Me Me Lip butter

- Rosemira body butter

So that's eye-skin-scent-lips-body covered...hmm..pretty nifty right?

Earthbody's Brighten Cleanser and Mask is an interesting 2-in-1 product. The only thing is it needs to be mixed with water and/or honey - which for me means some extra effort!

Also, the price in the sheet that PV send is $34 - but in their website, the price is listed as $24! 

 

The 2 products I can definitely think of having a use for are the eyeliner and the lip butter.

BWC's mineral eyeliner looks sleek and needs to be sharpened but in the 2 occasions that I tried, worked pretty well.

I need to test it again for staying power, but so far I like it. 

I cannot yet judge whether its worth its $18 price tag...lets see!

Winter is on its way.. another 4 months of cold and dry chapped lips... so a lip butter is always always welcome :)

As for the other 2 products,  

           body butter- again, useful in winter but this is a small jar. I like the scent, so may be it will be useful for travel.. i guess!

           perfume - I am not expert on perfumes.. I like this one.. but I am never going to buy it...so yeah!

OVERALL: I like this month's PV, mainly because 3 out of the 5 items - the eyeliner, the mask and the lip butter are pretty useful and looks nice.

Jason Normalizing Tea Tree Shampoo [for days when you've snowfall in June!] :)

I didn't take any snapshots for this review - cos I don't think it makes much difference. I mean, there is nothing to swatch and the product looks like a 3D version of the image below:

Courtesy: Jason website

You can read about the product details here: Jason official website link

My Review on this..

Yes - unfortunately I suffer from dandruff and it gets worse during winter.
I have just one question here - Do you have dandruff or itchy scalp ? If so, this is an awesome frequent use shampoo.
Most of the other anti-dandruff shampoos I've used, dries out my scalp or increases my hair loss.
This one works pretty nicely.

This shampoo has a very medicinal scent - I like it. It lathers well and significantly reduces the dry itchy scalp problem.
I am not sure if it completely removes dandruff - I've been using it for past 4-5 months and nothing is eliminated as such.
However, it brings it under control - and thats good enough for me.

You shouldn't buy this if you have a normal healthy scalp and is just looking for a way to keep it clean.
The reason is - this can be a bit drying for your healthy scalp.
If you're looking for something to keep your scalp clean and fungus-free, I would suggest using a tea tree oil mixed with your regular hair oil.

Overall: I like this and this is one of my staple shampoos. I use this twice a week and its going good. To increase the efficacy, I combine using this shampoo with a tea tree oil-hair-oil mix once a week.
So far its doing good and I am happy :)

If you've found anything to completely get rid of your dandruff without going very chemically - let me know !

Essence 3D Eyeshadow in Irresistible Caramel Cream and How to Use It

Do you have an eye primer?
Do you like using eye primers?
At least, do you use a concealer as an eye shadow base?
If you answered Yes to at least one of the above questions, skip to Section on Using This Eyeshadow.



If not..... hmmm...

Are you okay with medium pigmentation for cheap pocket friendly price?
Are you okay with an eyeshadow that lasts for 1 hour max on a normal-to-oily lid in Summer?
Are you okay with an eyeshadow that can flake a bit if you apply dry and doesn't blend well if you apply wet?
If you answered Yes to at least one of the above questions, skip to Section on Using This Eyeshadow.



If not.... well, then eyeshadow is not for you. Cos it flakes, it has an average pigmentation and a low lasting power if applied without primer. With a primer, it performs much more decently - at least the copper shade of this duo does.

Irresistible Caramel Cream from Essence Cosmetics is part of their 3D Eyeshadow range - I think the design is similar to M.A.C's Extra dimension eyeshadow. Price is around $3 and they have mostly neutral and pastel shades.

This duo comprises of a vanilla-cream champagne shade [highlight] and a brownish Copper shade [lid color].
Of the 2 shades, I like the copper one better, as its more smoother to apply and is more pigmented.



Using This Eyeshadow

 Unless you don't mind a smudgy lid, you got to choose from either one of the below applications:

Using it with a primer - Allow the primer to set before you apply. The champagne shade has a lot of fallout, so look out for that. 

Using it Wet - I would not suggest using the flaky cream shade wet. It doesnt apply very well, unless you really put in some effort. 
However the copper shade looks really beautiful if applied wet. I would suggest going for a mono-color effect if you are applying this wet.
Also, applying it wet doesn't guarantee really long stay; I would suggest layering the wet shadow, with some dry shadow once it is set.



OVERALL: If you are okay with the pigmentation and application issues or if you [like me] are looking for nice colors that fit your pocket, you could give this one a try. However, I'd suggest you take a look at the single eyeshadows from Essence cos I think they have some great shades in there.

My 1st Memebox [and why I got addicted [a saaad saaaad story] ] - Superbox #40 Pomegranate

I have to thank Renu from MyBeautyJunction for getting me hooked onto this insidious chappies called Memebox. Her reviews on these goody boxes are so enticing that I had to buy one...and another..and then one more... then just this last one...and hmmmm again....the dashed stuff is like potato chips, you can never have just 1!!!!

Since then, my bank account has been taking a steady hit :( :( 

But I am happy..cos these are so worth every penny I've paid so far. 

The 1st one I got was the Pomegranate Super Box. Pomegranate has been a much sought after fruit in my place, famous for its health benefits and use in skin & hair treatments. So I decided to pick this one as the 1st Memebox.

Just check out all these 6 full size products worth $60+. I paid just $23 and I also redeemed some Meme points.

Even with a shipping cost of $6.99 per box, this is so worth the money I paid.

Looking at all the products in the box, I feel its very much a well-rounded box - a cleanser, face pack, massage cream, lip balm, face essence and a night cream..... 

And everything looks so pretty in the pink box and the great wrapping....its like a gift each time I pick it up from Post Office.

This is not a review of the products... Considering these are all skincare products, I need to try it out before I review.

However, considering these are all from renown brands, I think even if I am not awed, I may find some decent products.

Joe Fresh Lip Tint in Crush/Orange

I'd already reviewed Joe Fresh's lip tint here in shade Berry .

Crush is a true orange shade - very much like a concentrated orange soda drink!

The difference I found between the darker Berry shade and this shade in Orange, is the level of pigmentation.

 Not that this one doesnt stain...it does.. but it ends up looking like I was sipping on an orange ice lolly for too long.. not very sophisticated right?

I guess, if you have non-pigmented lips that lean more to white, then this would show up better  and will look more coral-orange. 

But on pigmented lips like mine, this gives an 'ice-lolly' effect - which makes this one, not a very desirable buy for me...

OVERALL: I like the product, but I am not sure if I will ever buy the same color again!

Ipsy September Bag - Street Style

I am not sure that I get the connection between Ipsy bag for this month and the products featured... except for the silver grey bag it came in.

 

Not a fan of this bag - really not! It looks cheap and tacky... ugh...

 

 

The products I got in this bag are:

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush   

Pacifica Natural Water-Proof Eye Pencil   

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Mask   

CAILYN Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss   

Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser

 

 

The lip gloss I got is in shade  "Love Affair" - it is a cherry red shade that looks much deeper in the tube than on application. 

I tried this once or twice - its your average lip gloss with a slight staining effect, nothing you'd call a lip stain.

However, since I didnt have to pay the full price of $19, I am happy cos I like the shade and it works decent enough.

I am never going to buy this at full price though!

 

 

This cleanser - smells nice, works nice, cleans nice... its a nice cleanser. 

Nothing to sing a song about, but a handy one to keep in your makeup bag.

Don't expect this to be a makeup cleanser though!

 

I am happy with anything that has the word "mineral" in it. Dumb eh? May be..

But I liked how this applies and it looks pretty.

I just wish I'd received the black one.. the chocolate brown shade I received is nice enough, but it doesnt suit my skin tone!

I think it may work better as a brow pen.......

 

I couldn't get a decent shot at this brush. I sure I am always happy to get a good makeup brush, cos its something that lasts much longer and I don;t have to feel guilty about stashing it away :) which I do, with all these subscription box stuff!

 

I tried it once.. it smells nice, works nice.. 

I am not sure if I can judge this by using this small sample alone. But from what I saw so far, its giving some good moisture to my hair and thats nice.

 

For $10, this bag however is sure a good value.

If you're interested in subscribing for IPSY, here is my referral link