K-Palette Volume Impact Mascara

I've found that lately, with my sensitives eyes, I can't take regular waterproof mascaras anymore. The amount of effort going into removing most waterproof formulas is irritating. I've also found most formulas tend to flake off into my eyes leaving me with swollen lids and red veins popping allover my corneas. However, with allergy season upon us, I can't wear non-waterproof formulas without ending up a raccoon face. So what's the solution?

Enter: K-Palette's Volume Impact mascara.

Brought to you by the same company who makes Geisha Ink, Volume Impact mascara also boasts smudgeproof, waterproof wear while washing off easily with warm water. I'm not sure if it tubes your lashes in the same way that Blinc Kiss-Me, L'Oreal Double Extend and Dejavu Fiberwig do. But after previously trying all three formulas, I'm completely sold on the K-Palette.

I've always found Dejavu Fiberwig was great at volumizing, but the effect was usually spidery. L'Oreal Double Extend was too clumpy - within days of using it, there were large clumps forming in the tube and on the wand. Blinc was the closest contentor to a great mascara. It was volumizing and defining. But I found the formula to drying on my lashes. In addition, both the L'Oreal and Blinc's tubes that washed off always got into my eyes, leaving them irritated. They also never fully washed off; I always found more lil bits on my lashes after washing my face.

With K-Palette's Volume Impact mascara, I found none of the spidery-ness, none of the clumping, none of the dryness & none of the irritation. All it does is volumize, define & lengthen. I'm in love!

K-Palette Volume Impact mascara retails for $34.00 CAD is available at Jules & Eve in Kerrisdale & BeautyMark in Yaletown. Read more...

Vancouver Sales!

Hey Vancouverites,

I just wanted to pass along some info about a couple of sales.

First off is Jules & Eve -- my absolute favourite dress shop in the city. They're celebrating their six month anniversary this week! To celebrate, they're having a sale from now until May 7th on their dresses, shoes, bags & belts.
Buy your first piece at 10% off.
Buy your second (and third and forth, etc) at 40% off!
And Cocopunkz shoes all 20% off
Hurry! I've already gotten two dresses. Now I'm tempted to go in and get some belts and shoes.

Jules & Eve
2009 West 41st Ave
10:30am-6pm Monday to Saturday
12pm-5pm on Sunday


Next up is Bombshell Bargains is moving warehouses! So instead of moving their inventory, they're going to sell it off by discounting everything by 30%! That's on top of their already discounted prices! Craziness! Sale starts May 11th and goes until May 25th. Use the code MOVE09.

http://www.bombshellbargains.com/
Read more...

Eyeshadow Tip

One of the best hints I got about eyeshadow application was to apply your dark eyeshadows first and then your lighter eyeshadows afterwards.

I had always applied it vice versa the light shadows first on my lids and then the dark shadows to my outer V to contour. I always found the effect slightly muddy. I either had to accept it or go back over the light shadow again, making for a heavy application.

However, after switching the order from dark to light, I found that the effect wasn't at all muddy, but quite luminous and bright. I loved the technique, especially with a matte dark shadow and a shimmery light shadow on the lid.

Read more...

Vancouver Based Sale

Hello fellow Vancouverites! It's time to clear out my makeup collection again. Please have a look-see!

Pick-Ups: at Main St SkyTrain station or Burrard Skytrain station after 5pm on weekdays. Marpole-area pick ups in the evenings after 7pm.
Payment: Cash only please. Exact change. No trades.
Prices: All prices are Canadian. I'm firm with my prices if you're only buying one or two items. I can negotiate if you want 3 or more items.
Contact: Leave me a comment here or email me at goddess604@yahoo.com if you have want to request something, have any questions or need s'more pics.
Feedback: Psychoexgirlfriend on MUA

Blush/Highlighters/Bronzers:
-BNIB MAC Gold Deposit msf $30
-BNIB MAC LE So Ceylon msf $30
-SIB MAC LE Petticoat msf (used 1x) $30
-SIB MAC LE Redhead msf (used 5x) $27
... or buy all four for $75 SOLD
-SIB MAC Refined Golden bronzer (used 5x) $20
-Bobbi Brown D/C Brownie shimmerbrick (used 5x) $25 PENDING
-Bobbi Brown LE Gold shimmberbrick (used 10x) $20 SOLD
-Cargo Mendocino blush (80% left) $15
-Stila LE Sugar Loaf blush (80% left) $15
-MAC blush palette & 5 blush pans (Top: Tantone & Harmony)(Bottom: Blushbaby, Cantaloupe & Sincere) $15 for entire thing. (See pic for usage) Will not separate. SOLD
-Benefit Powder Pop trio with Dandelion, Dallas & Hula (80% left) $20

Face Palettes/Sets:
-BNIB BareMinerals Wild Spirit Collection $15 SOLD
-SIB Tarte Vanity Set $30 PENDING

Eyes:
-Stila LE Forest Clove eyeshadow trio (shattered & repressed, see pic) $10
-Eyeshadow quad & 4 eyeshadow pans (Urban Decay Kiddie Pool; MAC FreshWater; MAC Ricepaper; MAC LE Lavender Sky) $10 for entire thing. Will not separate. PENDING
-MAC Lucky Jade shadestick (70% left) $5
-L'Oreal LE Showstopping Taupes (used 5x) $5

Lips:
-MAC Vivacious lipstick (80% left) $5

Free for every $15 worth of stuff you buy:
-Smashbox Photo Finish primer 15ml sample (60% left)
-Mysterious blush palette with 6 colours (70% left) SOLD
-OPI Torontoes Rose nailpolish (1st bottle) SOLD
-L'Oreal VIP Room nailpolish (2nd bottle)
-OPI Nantucket Mist nailpolish (3rd bottle) SOLD
-OPI Polarbare nailpolish (4th bottle) SOLD
-Bobbi Brown creamy concealer/sheer finish loose powder in Beige (70% left)
-Stila shadow pots in Flame (questionable smell) & Sky (no smell); both together
-Mysterious blush called Chestnut
Read more...

Lippies Swatches

I wasn't really keeping up with Laura Mercier's collections. However, Temptalia's post about their Mosaic Shimmer Bloc piqued my curiosity about the Gilded Garden collection as a whole. While I wasn't a big fan of anything shimmery going on to my broken out cheeks (hello, spotlight!), I was interested in the new lip stains English Rose & Hibiscus; both of which I of course picked up.

left to right: Hibiscus & English Rose (picture with flash)

While trying them both out, the sales associate also applied Peach Glow lip plumper on me which I also picked up.

Peach Glow, again with flash

Check out the swatches when you read more.

I was mostly interested in the lip stains. You'll remember how much I loved/love my Scarlet lip stain. Of course, everything I stated in my review about the lip stains still holds true with these ones as well. I think the formula may also have improved; English Rose & Hibiscus are definitely more gloss-like than Scarlet.

Hibiscus, which came out with the Gilded Garden collection, is described as a "fresh, clean berry" - a pretty accurate description. It brightens up the face so well that I can imagine wearing this stain as the only colour on my face. It's a perfect pink for Spring when you want more colour on my face. A little goes a long way with this one since it's so pigmented. I only dabbed twice (once for each lip) and I was done.

Above: Hibiscus lip stain on lightly pigmented lips.

English Rose is described as a "dusty, peach rose" while I'd call it a "light, neutral pink". It's definitely a daytime, work-appropriate stain. I can imagine getting a lot of use out of this one. It's more goof-proof than Hibiscus since it's lighter. I dabbed a bit to get a good amount of colour on my lips, although you can choose to apply it more sheer than I did.

Above: English Rose lip stain on lightly pigmented lips

My last swatch isn't of Peach Glow, but Peach Glow on top of English Rose. I was all ready to buy English Rose when the sales associate insisted I try it with a bit of gloss on top. I loved it as it changed the intensity of English Rose just enough to make it more playtime fun while keeping it's daytime appeal. Peach Glow is a lip gloss that also (supposedly) plumps up your lips. I didn't really notice any plumping action going on, but I did like the neat cooling effect it had on my lips.

Above: Peach Glow lip plump on top of English Rose lip stain

Peach Glow itself is a "tawny-medium peach" which is fairly accurate, although there is definitely some pink in there too. I like to wear it over English Rose (and even over Hibiscus for added drama), but it works just as well on its own. Read more...

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange; US Residents only

Not sure how many people already know about this. But for all American readers out there, right now you can send in your old bottle of nailpolish - any brand except Zoya - into Zoya in exchange for a brand new bottle of Zoya nailpolish! It's free, save for shipping & processing costs. It's a great deal for anyone who has old bottles just lying around unused because they're too thick, separated, the wrong colour, the trendy colour from three years ago, etc.

Check it out here at Zoya Nail Polish Exchange.

Hurry as this offer is only good until April 28th.

Unfortunately, this is for the Continental United States only which makes Canadian Anna and her nailpolish drawer very sad. Read more...

Taming the Beast (Part IV): Review: BB Prep

So far, I've reviewed some pretty heavy conditioning products. Today, I'll review Bumble & Bumble's Prep spray. This leave-in conditioner is for those days when you want your hair to feel soft, but also be light and full of bounce.

What: A light leave-in conditioner that, according to the website, "reveals texture, enhances the performance of styling products and quickly refreshens already styled hair without weighing it down". It's meant for people with fine to normal virgin hair, but I find anyone can benefit from this. My friend, Eliza (yes, her again - she's got awesome hair!), calls it a vitamin spray because of all the nutrients in it, namely:

• Ascophyllum Nudosum Extract: moisturizing; adds elasticity, softness, luster, body; reduces flyaways
• Arachidonic Acid (Component of Vitamin F): strengthening
• Biotin (Vitamin H): strengthens hair follicle
• Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract: conditioning
• Linoleic Acid (Components of Vitamin F): strengthening
• Macrocystis Pyrifera (Sea Kelp) Extract: shine, manageability
• Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A): sheen, gloss, elasticity, flexibility
• Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract: scalp stimulant
• Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E): antioxidant, conditions and protects
  

Source

Application: I use this between my weekly deep conditioning treatments. I douse my hair Prep after a shower from roots to ends and then follow up with the Ojon treatment on my ends. I've also been recommended this to use along with the B&B Thickening Spray when I blowdry. I find this combination in my hair really helps give it volume but still stays soft and as un-helmut-like as possible.

Results: Since December, my hair is really quite soft and not at all crispy. Of course, this is all used in combination with the Kerastase deep conditioner & the Ojon treatment. My hair's been in the best condition in years! It's shiny, soft & manageable, which is saying a lot considering my hair was once referred to as black wires... Read more...