BYS face products review

When I told David from Fashion Addict that I wanted to not only master the smokey eye but also start with the bare basics of learning how to do my face from primer to concealer (or...blush and bronze?) I had no idea how much it would intimidate me actually staring at the products once I had them. Seriously, why is it foundation comes in so many different types? What does a primer do except for add another layer to your face? Why conceal when it is already concealed? Out of this foursome the blush and bronze compact was the most familiar...

BYS Face Primer with Vitamin E and Chamomile Extract

I have no previous experience with face primers so my knowledge and experience is next to nothing but what I feel a face primer should do is...prime your face. Without giving you the feeling of too much gunk, oiliness or an unworkable surface that will cause what ever else you put on your face to "snag".

(I swear I didn't sneeze on my hand...or..er...no, lets not even go there)

What I felt when using this was a light layer that made my skin feel slightly taut. I didn't really notice much difference when using this prior to foundation nor did I notice an improvement in the longevity of my "fake face". I still think face primers are unnecessary but I liked doing this extra step just for the sake of being thorough.

I didn't much care for the smell, expecting it to smell of a hint of chamomile I instead found it to be a more chemical smell with a hint of chamomile. Or maybe I was deluding myself in believing there was a hint of chamomile. Although I experienced no breakouts or allergic reactions (I fully expected it when I reluctantly used it on my face) I would expect those with sensitive skin to be more cautious with this and instead invest on something more expensive (psychologically it will put them at ease anyway). I think this is harmless and can be trusted but it all depends on your skin and what it is used to.

BYS Matte Foundation in Medium Beige

It says it is a matte foundation and so it is! What I loved was how well this matched my skin tone. Since tanning significantly earlier this year which brought out my darker Sri Lankan pigmentation (prior to that I rocked out a much lighter skin tone, my Japanese side!) and put all my natural beige foundations I owned out of business. Medium Beige on the other hand? Perfect match at the moment.

When I first got this the weather was still warm so I felt like that warped the consistency of this a little as it was almost oily and slicked on my face leaving behind...a face that felt like it had no foundation on. However now that is it cooler I feel like it has settled to a foundation consistency, that is it goes on and leaves behind a more powder-y effect. That said this hardly has a powder-y effect once on my face, it is a nice, light layer that feels barely there. Some may find this unappealing as it does little to conceal blemishes and emphasizes pimples more but I feel that - hypothetically - if I were to use foundation daily I would want something very light and barely there that wouldn't seem to suffocate my face. Although the emphasis on my tiny pimples didn't appeal to me which is why I go bare faced to begin with - less emphasis overall! Plus you don't have to worry about patchy foundation throughout the day, etc.

Also this foundation doesn't really give a smooth appearance to your face like other foundations do but it does its job fairly well and gives you some coverage that is better than no coverage.

BYS Concealer in Medium to Dark

Oh concealer, how I fail to understand you. Seriously, I have never used concealer in my life. Which could explain why the rare times I have had to do makeup myself for a shoot I always have blemishes (especially when my chicken pox scar on my face was more prominent) showing up. This has never bothered me though, and I cannot comprehend how slapping concealer over a pimple is good for you. I rather get rid of the pimple sooner than have to deal with a prolonged, concealer-dirty pimple.

Needless to say, I have no idea how to use concealer. Do you put it on before foundation or after foundation? I see people doing it either way and some people even use concealer just under their eyes to brighten them up - I am so confused but don't really care enough to learn. I'm not sure I'll ever get around to using concealer but it's handy to have one that matches my skin tone.

This concealer blends in really well with the Medium Beige foundation and is easy to apply. As for coverage, unfortunately I need to harvest some pimples and blemishes to tell you that and since my acne cleared up once I moved to Sri Lanka a few years back I haven't exactly been able to cultivate the pesky things as easily. When I get a promising one I'll get back to you - yes, I'll even risk it and prolong the darn thing just for you!

BYS Blush & Bronze Compact Mosaic in Light Glow

For some reason I always assume this will smell like chocolate. And get so let down each time I open it! Of the three mosaics available I chose Light Glow assuming it would be just that - a light glow. However I was not so pleasantly surprised to find that even using it with a light hand would give quite pigmented results! Good product but possibly a little difficult to use if you're a beginner like me in the fine art of make up.

What I did like about this was the fact you could get good results by using it sparingly but what I didn't like so much was how it is more of a bronzer than blush. Also the shimmer doesn't really appeal to me but it is very pretty on - personally I just prefer matte over shimmer, glitter, frosty, etc. You get quite a bit of fall out using this but at least the next time you open the compact you already have product to work with!


I love these face products because...
- They are all affordable
- They do their job even if it is just the bare minimum
- They are easy to use if you are a complete beginner (like me)
- The foundation and concealer come in a variety of shades for all sorts of skin tones

I didn't really love these face products because...
- They don't give you the results higher end brands would give you
- Weather seemed to make them temperamental, for example in terms of texture



You can watch my ramble on this here if you'd like:

BYS 'Glam Rock' and 'Denim in Distress' palettes review

If you want to hear me ramble about it instead


I was so excited when David from Fashion Addict sent these new BYS palettes for me to perfect my smokey eye! They are beautiful and Denim in Distress is out of my comfort zone with all those blue shades whereas Glam Rock just fed my purple addiction. So what did I really think about them?

You might remember when I talked about the BYS Metallics in brown palette as well as the Diamond Shadow palette, maybe even the Animal Instincts palette - to summarize? I loved them all. They were creamy, pigmented, lasted for ages and great for daily wear.

Denim in Distress

Never in my life would I have thought I would own a palette full of blues. I personally think that the color is tacky on anyone and don't care much for it. So I chose it because of that reason! To find a way around the tackiness that I believe it comes with and to go beyond what I'm comfortable with.

I love the selection of blues in this, none of them are that vibrant blue that I dislike with a passion but instead are workable, subtle and deep colors instead. My favorite is that final blue shade on the top above the matte black which has a gorgeous blue twinkle to it, this color works wonderfully as a liner color.

 

Swatched dry and without a primer, I was impressed with how these colors translated on skin. Every color I swatched had me praising its pigmentation! They are all noticeably different and I actually got excited about using them in a smokey eye look. The best part about the palette is the first shade on the top which is a nice shimmery neutral color that can be used as a highlight or in the inner corners of the eye to brighten up any look. This palette shows how thoughtful and more complex BYS has become with their newer collection.

Glam Rock

 

When I first saw this I fell in love with all the purples and knew I had to have this. Plus, I haven't seen very many purple smokey eyes that are dark and edgy, I've always seen lighter versions. Hence why this palette is perfect - it is full of gorgeous, rich shades of purple.

The color that impressed me the most from this was the last shade on the top, a lovely gray-ish purple with green-golden glitter specks. Even the first soft lilac shade is lovely, I really don't think I can choose which purple is the best from all - they all are beautiful in their own way, I seriously love them all!

I fell from cloud nine pretty quickly upon swatching these though, they really came off as faded and almost as though if you blew at the swatches they would blow away. The swatch above is pretty much my finger dab and an applicator dab as I really didn't think much of the initial swatch I made. So make no mistake, that swatch above is really not what I had initially but I built it up so you could actually see the colors...although seeing the differences in them is a bit of a chore.

Disappointingly, although the colors on the bottom are identical to the Denim in Distress colors they seemed a lot less pigmented. As for the purples, well that first lilac shade was barely noticeable when I first swatched it. It makes me wonder whether I have one of those bad batch palettes? I think Glam Rock has the potential to be a popular palette but if this is the quality of all palettes I think it would be a waste of money. So hopefully it is just my palette that's faulty.

That said, when I did use a brush to do a test look I found that it worked better with the colors (and if you use a primer too) so perhaps they are just a little hardened and need to be stirred up.

Unfortunately you cannot see it in my photo (because I still have yet to perfect swatch photos) but that last shade when built up is truly amazing and does have those lovely green-golden glitter specks showing through. All in all the colors are lovely and I look forward to working with them more.


I love these palettes because...
- They are affordable
- The pigmentation is remarkable for such a cheap product
- The complexity of colors has really improved with this collection
- The simple casing which works well when traveling

I didn't really love these palettes because...
- Glam Rock didn't have the pigmentation Denim in Distress had but maybe it is just my palette
- They are a bit chunkier than the usual 8 shadow BYS palettes
- Some shades seem very identical, especially the grays - blacks in both palettes (VERY subtle difference)

Winter woes: Dry, chapped lips

As winter slowly creeps up on Adelaide I find myself waking up in the morning with disgustingly dry and chapped lips. Actually, come to think about it this happens regardless of whether it is winter or not! That said, as the harsh weather kicks in I have armed myself with lipbalms and have them in easily accessible places so I have no excuse to fall victim (I actually typed "wic" initially...hehe, wictim...get it? No? Okay.) to crinkly lips. Which does happen throughout the day since I am far too lazy to reach over to the other side of my desk or under it to find relief. As I type this, I have two of the five above next to my laptop and one of the five in my handbag. The other two? Well, they failed to impress me...or rather one did but the other? Broke my heart, in a way. Until I met a better alternative that mended my heart right up.

In all honesty I own a very limited makeup collection, I try to keep it limited because I see no point in having a badzillion things where you just end up being indecisive over what products to use and then most of it is forgotten and collecting dust - this is how I view it, I know the majority of people out there have these large collections I am currently shaking my head at but they actually use their products routinely. Me? Not so much, I go through phases where I am on top of my makeup and do it daily and then other days I am lazy and do without anything. Hence why I limit myself, because some other person out there could purchase what I don't and use it better than I ever would!

First off in my entire lipbalm collection is a novelty item. Hands up who recognizes this and has owned a small army of them in younger years? My first encounter with these was in 9th grade when we did a school trip to Australia and all my friends got really excited about finding these in a pharmacy. I ended up getting a frosty purple and pink one which both smelled so good. So when Celeste, Stacey and I were raiding Priceline when we met up I had to throw this strawberry Fanta flavored Lip Smacker into my shopping basket!

Overall though? Lip Smackers are not the best lipbalms out there and are definitely just novelty lipbalms. They are waxy, a bit tedious to apply and I really hate the artificial taste this has. It would have been a bearable lipbalm had it been tasteless but this lives permanently in my makeup box, untouched. It was cute to go down memory lane but not so cute otherwise. Definitely no lasting power, no hydrating, moisturizing feeling and I am never motivated to use this or leave it on my lips for long.

Last year I had the "misfortune" of being stuck in Singapore Airport for a sixteen-hour transit and as compensation for doing so, my parents gave me a little extra spending money! Instead of going crazy with this extra money though I instead opted for a smart purchase: knowing I had no lip products that contained SPF in them I thought I would find one that did and also provided a bit of color. And M.A.C's tinted lip conditioner in Fuchsia Fix was perfect! With an SPF of 15 and a very pretty pink shade I absolutely love using this on days where I can't be bothered wearing makeup or if I'm going to the beach and want a bit of makeup that won't smudge when I frolic in the ocean - I know, scandalous, I'm one of those girls who actually gets into the ocean and gets completely drenched without a care about my hair or makeup. Go back a bit, the only makeup I wear to the beach is this lip conditioner!

If I recall this was a bit pricey (for me, I'm terribly thrifty) but the amount of product (15ml) you get does last yonks, I use this regularly and you can see how little of a dent I have made. It smells like a cake mixture in a way, vanilla with that cake mixture thrown in. There is no taste to this, only a lipbalm sort of taste I suppose? What I love the most about this is the effect it has on your lips, I have thrown this on when my lips have been absolutely foul and chapped and flakey but this makes your lips smooth and supple within minutes. The added color is perfect as well and I am so glad I listened to the M.A.C makeup artist who suggested this shade for me instead of one of the other neutral shades.

To have the entire collection of these conditioners? Definitely worth it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy balm and color in one. It also has a bit of a shiny, glossy feel to it so it doesn't look matte on your lips but more like one of those gloss-lipstick hybrids.

In terms of lasting power, this does last a while and looks quite pretty once it sort of fades on your lips but otherwise it comes clean off when you are eating or wiping your mouth. At least it doesn't stain. I did wear this overnight to test my lips in the morning and found them beautifully moisturized when I woke up so definitely good in terms of keeping your lips moisturized and preventing them chapping but because of the color I wouldn't suggest you sleep with this overnight unless you are fine with stains on your pillow!

Vaseline I know is a bit of a 50/50 product with people, some love it and others hate it. Personally I love it although I have found a better alternative. Literally this is colorless, tasteless and is just petroleum jelly in a great sized tin that you can use as a lipbalm. What I used to also use this for was to help my eyelashes grow! Trust me, this trick actually does work. I seriously have seen such an improvement in my lashes since I applied this ritually every night. Vaseline is also great for applying over cuts and helping them heal up and for giving matte lipsticks that much needed gloss and hydration.

As you can see I quite love my Vaseline tin. When brand new, these tins are an absolute pain to open and will be for quite a while but once they are worn out a little they become much easier to pop off.

Great for overnight use although if you use it on your eyelashes (or even eyebrows, which I used to do as well) be prepared for oily eyes in the morning! Not really a biggie as Vaseline is easily wiped off but some people may hate this especially if they already have very oily skin. Lips-wise you wake up with nice lips to work with.

At times I really hate using my M.A.C tinted lip conditioner because it is just awkward to use, you have to unscrew the top and dip your finger into it to dab onto your lips. So when this started becoming a regular problem I thought it time to invest on a product I could easily whip out and use with just one hand. I remember having such a bad experience with Nivea lip balm when I was younger - I had the plain red one which was strawberry flavored I think? It didn't taste like it but it was such a terrible lip balm, quite like the Lip Smacker where you couldn't wear it without feeling like you had wax on your lips. So for years I was hesitant about getting another one but recently thought it wouldn't hurt as a lot of bloggers love them and so I opted for the Fruity Shine which is tinted.

Verdict? I absolutely love it! It is glossy, slides along my lips and keeps my lips happy throughout the day. I love using this during the week when I'm at uni. as it is easy to use while I'm taking notes in a lecture and also gives me the loveliest red pout! I love this red, it looks a little unnatural but it honestly gives me a cute pout to work with without wearing a bold red lip. I haven't used this overnight but I definitely recommend it for the day, I almost wish it wore off more during the day so I could reapply it often but I hardly need to.

Remember how I said I found an alternative to Vaseline? More on why I found an alternative to begin with but for the moment, the alternative was Lucas' Papaw Ointment! How I discovered this was through a friend when I had first moved to Adelaide, she whipped this tube out and used it on her lips and I was hooked - I had always wanted a big tube of lip product! I think it was either on Laguna Beach or The Hills where a girl uses a gigantic tube of lipgloss and since then I have always wanted a big tube myself. When I found out from my friend that this was a better alternative to Vaseline I knew I had to test it out for myself.

When you squeeze it out it comes out firm and is yellow-ish in color, don't read too much into the fermented fruit part of it as it might put you off but this smells lovely and has absolutely no taste. And it is amazing. I kid you not. I use it for everything - as a base for difficult lipsticks, over lipstick, with difficult lipglosses and just on its own. It is amazing and keeps your lips perfect. If you use this overnight you are safe from chapped and dry lips. If you already have bitten and bleeding lips you apply this and it is the relief you need, plus within two nights your lips heal up especially if you use it during the day as well.

The best part about this ointment is you can use it for everything: boils, burns, chafing, cuts, cracked skin, gravel rash, splinters, open wounds, insect bites and nappy rash. Obviously they have bigger tubs of this (just like Vaseline does) but this tube is useful for traveling. Definitely a MUST HAVE! I accidentally washed my first tube along with my laundry last year and was devastated. I bought this tube, brought it back home with me to Sri Lanka where it became an oily mess - important note, do NOT take this with you to a tropical country as it will become an oily mess that you can't really use. However, good part is when I brought it back to Adelaide and now that winter is creeping up on us it has firmed up again. Sometimes when you use it and it is particularly firmed up from the cold it might appear white-ish on your lips, don't fret it just happens when it is especially cold so either warm up the tube in between your thighs while sitting and reading your mails or just apply it and after a while it becomes clear.

So most importantly, recently, I have made a decision not to support any brands that test their products on animals. I have no qualms about people using brands that do nor will I bash you or hate you for doing so but personally I prefer my money going elsewhere. Before doing this post I thought I ought to look up and double check my balms and to my relief I am doing well! Vaseline is the only brand out of the five that tests on animals and I already knew ages back which is why I changed over to Lucas' papaw. But being the thrifty person I am I will use up my Vaseline tin and then be done with them for good.

Are there any balms you think I need to add to my collection? Especially considering I won't be using my Vaseline or Lip Smacker for much longer?

Nourish Hair Care sample review

The life of a university student is hard. It is hard when you use up what money you have and all that is left is about $3 in your bank account and $15 in your wallet. I wish I were lying but those are true figures. When you are also owed money from your agency and they are taking months to pay you...well that might just motivate your frustration. Last week I was out of toothpaste but luckily acquired money by selling a textbook (oh woe). Where did the rest of it go? Towards tickets to see a Jane Goodall lecture and zoo books which are pretty much important necessities. This week? I am out of shampoo and moisturizer. Life couldn't be crueler, two important basics for any girl and I have to run out of them this week.

The moisturizer dilemma I am putting on hold for the moment (and surviving off sunscreen, because that has moisturizer in it...I know, I am a genius) but shampoo? Have you seen my hair? There is no way I can get away with not washing it for a few days. Seriously, I shampoo my hair every single day. For all you people who are shaking your heads at me right now you cannot possibly understand what thick hair is like because knowing you, you are probably the ones with scanty hair. For you? Oh yes, it is so easy to get away with not washing your hair every day. It is probably better if you don't as well. But for me? No. I have to wash my hair every single day. Shampoo and double dose of conditioner. That is my hair routine.

So faced with the problem of no shampoo (I am actually thrilled: I have been waiting to finish up my evil animal testing shampoo - ahem, Pantene - for ages so I could purchase shampoo that doesn't test on animals. Why I didn't chuck it out sooner? Have you not read the whole part about me being dirt poor?) I was this close to lathering up soap. Soap. And washing my hair. That is how desperate I was.

Instead, I cleaned my desk. And luckily I found some shampoo samples that I got that one time Celeste and I fought to get our eager paws on a $50 goodie bag...oh I love that goodie bag all the more!

I was skeptical, I won't lie. Somehow I didn't trust this tiny packet of Nourish Hair Care shampoo could even make it below the thick layer of hair I have and clean my scalp. With no choice but to try I ripped it up in the shower and got a palm-full of shampoo...which lathered up and almost seemed too much for my hair. I was thrilled! A clear, slightly yellow-ish colored shampoo that has a faint scent (woohoo! No more allergies to shampoo!) of grape seed and mandarin orange, Nourish Hair Care shampoo at first seems like it will strip your hair of oil and leave it a tangled mess - is it just me or does anyone else have that suspicion about clear colored shampoos?

However, what it does instead is lather up nicely and upon washing it out leaves your hair feeling unbelievably clean and fresh. I honestly loved the feeling of my hair, it just felt so clean and nourished! It was crazy.

I used the conditioner sample that came along with the shampoo sample and once again was skeptical as it didn't run through my hair properly (as evil product conditioner does - ahem, Sunsilk) but when I stood under the shower my hair just smoothed out and I could run my fingers through it. Now, you probably will never get the opportunity to shower with me but trust me, when I shampoo my hair usually it gets seriously tangled and I used the conditioner part of my routine to yank out all these tangles. Leaving me with clumps of hair in the drain. I had the same de-tangling going on (no hair product will ever work perfectly on my hair I don't think) but it was significantly less and I loved how little time it took to wash the conditioner out! I hate how long it usually takes me to wash conditioner out of my hair, I hate wasting so much water! So for me this was a big plus!

Verdict? I can't really judge based on using Nourish Hair Care once because obviously any head of hair will love a change in shampoo and conditioner but I loved the results enough to consider buying this shampoo and conditioner (oh when I get money...if only) and trying it out properly. Definitely the best result I have gotten using a sample sachet though - I have a lot of hair, so this is incredible that it managed to clean my hair!

My favorite thing about this brand? That's right, their 'no animal testing' reassurance.

Face Of Australia Opulent Eyes palettes

 

It was only recently that I jumped on the Face Of Australia (FOA) bandwagon and I think I like the ride thus far. So when I went along for the beauty blogger meet up over the weekend and Celeste and I were purchasing products to get our paws on the goodie bag worth $50 at Priceline, I thought I ought to pick up a few FOA products (Stacey brought along two FOA products that did not work for her which I took to try and have yet to try them but they will come along soon enough) for myself.

What caught my eye were the Opulent Eyes palettes. It was definitely tempting to get all four but I had to resist and so I got the Rich & Famous and Endless Nights palettes.

First thoughts? I actually noticed how each applicator provided in all four palettes have a different color handle! Seriously, that was what I first noticed about these palettes! Then of course I drooled after the colors themselves.

In terms of Rich & Famous I loved the array of neutrals ending with a dark chocolate brown. I wanted to push my boundaries and get this palette knowing the lighter shades were ones I usually stray away from.

 

With Endless Nights I saw opportunities to finally perfect the smokey eye, plus the dark and light blue shades at the end were also out of my comfort zone as I usually stay clear of blues.

Reading up more about these palettes, FOA says:

 'Limited edtion Opulent Eyes collection, offers eye shadow palettes that create a world of glamour and splendour.

Combining sheer femininity with the most eloquent of seasonal shades, the oven baked formulation releases rich, sophisticated colour to brighten the eyes and deliver a soft, velvety finish for exquisite effects.'

I have no idea about you but usually when I read a make up product is "oven baked" I am hesitant and reluctant about using the product because the pigmentation is usually absolutely worthless. Somehow oven baked really does nothing but give you a lump of color that you cannot even smash up to bring out its color. So I was a bit apprehensive but figured I had to get over this reluctance.

Now, this is where the complications begin...

I am hardly rough with my make up but somehow while swatching Rich & Famous I had a lot of fall out with the top shades and managed to smash the edge of the third last shade. Oops? I was pretty devastated, I hate messy looking palettes, lipsticks - anything - so just getting this result after swatching really had me dancing around cringing. I guess I just like my products looking as new and perfect as possible?

The swatch itself. These are actually second swatches as the first time around the photos were too dark and I decided I wanted to swatch these wet instead of dry...because to be honest these colors needed either a primer or be used wet because otherwise you do not see much color. And glancing back at the photo I realize now I have swatched this...in a very unusual manner. Shade 1 (the white) is the first in the second row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is next to Shade 2 (second color on the first row), Shade 4 is under it and then Shade 5 (the lighter dark brown) is the last color on the second row and Shade 6 - the final color - is on top of Shade 5.

What the heck Suki?!

I think you can figure it out. If you have problems, I will draw you a map.

Thinking I would have better luck with Endless Nights I tackled it with as much care as possible...

Seriously. And instead I end up with the most flaky fallout ever. Dandruff problems much, Endless Nights? Another thing I hate is wasting...so I think the next time I use this palette I will need to use a lip brush to collect those shed flakes of color. It is the Asian in me, death is probably preferable to wasting. 

Again, I swatched this wet. You benefit more using a primer or using these wet because otherwise they are very faded washes of color. And, er, once again I have some dodgy swatching going on: Shade 1 (the white) is the first color on the bottom row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is the light gray (second on the bottom row), Shade 4 is on top of it, Shade 5 (the dark blue) is the last swatch on the second row and Shade 6 is on top of it.

(Yes, I know, I will never be an amazing beauty blogger. If you have not noticed by now I am a model with absolutely no sense of make up, it is tragic so please sympathize.)

Whew! This is a headache of a review isn't it? To compensate, I am actually going to compile a list of pros and cons.

Pros
- Good value
- Easy to throw together different looks using one palette
- Simple packaging and organizing
- Nice colors when used properly

Cons
- "Strips" of color are a pain to use as your brush ends up picking up some of the other colors (and a pro for the applicators provided: I actually find them easier to use than a brush!)
- A lot of fall out in palette (which is a con for me personally)
- Need a primer or to use these shades wet to get maximum color and longevity

On to looks using the palettes. First look is using the Rich & Famous palette:

Second look is using the Endless Nights palette with a dark lip color:

Third look is Endless Nights again but just with a more neutral lip color to play up the eye colors more:

All in all I actually do like these palettes despite the nitty-gritty complaints I brought up. They make for great daily wear colors to reach for and they survive a regular day although you might want to touch up once if you want a more lasting color.

All four palettes in the Opulent Eyes collection are limited edition so be sure to hurry and get them if you want to try them out. They usually retail for around AUD$14 if I am not mistaken but Celeste and I got ours for about AUD$12.

Darling Girl cosmetics order from way back when & REOPENING!

I have honestly been counting down the days and finally Darling Girl cosmetics is baaack!!! Head on over there and check out some of the fabulous new collections Susan has been working on - she is incredible, not only did she move house and states but she managed to create a whole bunch of goodies for us to indulge in while doing all of the packing and moving, ummm hello wonder woman?

In anticipation of my first order since DG reopened, I thought I would get into my order from earlier in the year which I received just before Susan closed shop.

This was a massive order (for me anyway) and I was so glad I had enough funds at the time to order enough from DG before it closed so I would be satisfied until it reopened again. Although upon opening my package, I noticed that something was amiss - see that white patch on the tissue paper in the right hand corner? Turns out my Glitter Liner had leaked! Not the actual product itself but it was an oil of some sort?

And later, just the next day I learned my lesson: do not leave the Glitter Liner on its side because it will definitely leak. Currently potty training it so for the moment it will have to stand and wait.

Another thing about the Glitter Liner  is I found when I opened it to just peek at it (I only swatched it later), upon closing it a lot of product oozed out! So lesson learned again: be careful with these.

Now, important note about the Glitter Liners though, Susan is planning on putting them into 5g jars so this might solve all of the above so for those of you who are ordering them from now I believe they will come in these jars and not the tubes.

Enough muttering, time to get into my order!

I quite loved the free samples - Cloud Nine and  Love Bug. My only thing is I was unsure what Cloud Nine was! All I knew was it was lip safe. It is actually an eyeshadow but for a while I was debating over it being an eyeshadow or a blush (I know, I know, way too light but still!).

One of my favorite things Susan has to offer are the Eye Candy shadows that come wrapped up like candy. Now I do not think they are being offered anymore as they are not on the website but never know, they might make a come back! They are certainly great since you purchase them (I think the maximum amount was three in an order?) and Susan is the one who decides what colors you get!

There must have been a set of them because they appear to be numbered and from my previous order I think I have different numbered ones from these. Very impressive. They were usually colors that were not featured in the usual product stock so you essentially got limited edition colors or never again colors if I am not mistaken.

Mmm, eight eye shadows! What I love the most about DG is how affordable it is and how considerate Susan is in offering a variety of options. You can get samples, petit jars and full-size jars which I think is great because most times I kind of want that middle option - petit jars - as I want a little more than a sample and less than a full-size. So featured above are all petit jars which are a great buy at $2 as you get so much product in them.

How could I not purchase a few shadows from the Hello Kitty collection?

This is really good that Susan has it on the product itself whether it is safe for lips or not, I think that is something a few brands lack and you have to always go back to the site and refer to whether they are lip safe or not.

The two soft focus blushes I got were South Padre and Yes, Virginia!

Unfortunately I swatched all of these in the dark and when I reswatched the shadows in the morning I forgot to reswatch the blushes! I think I got too excited with the shadows. Anyway, South Padre is a pretty, soft brown that I can use for a daily wear neutral look. Yes, Virginia! is a bit light on my complexion especially now that I have tanned considerably but when my complexion lightens in the winter months it might be all right but right now I might look into giving it away. It is a delicate pink that would look lovely on a lighter complexion. Both are matte and can be very subtle.

Ahhh, my favorite product of the lot despite all the issues it gave me.

This liner is beautiful and I will definitely be repurchasing this because it is a great liner to either wear on its own or on top of your usual black. It is very glittery and definitely makes a look ultra sparkly!

The shadows that I decided to reswatch in the morning as the night photos looked terrible!

Top row: Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou
Bottom row: Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa

Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou, Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa

Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou - I am not much of a fan of Eye Candy 3 just because I gravitate towards warmer colors and steer clear of yellows, pinks and oranges but I do quite like the shade of it.

Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa - holy moly how beautiful IS Atlas?! I am SO in love and now that I look back on this I wish I had placed an order for a full-size of it because it is literally the most beautiful brown-green-gold-everything you will ever see. Even in the jar it looks amazing, I kid you not.

My only issue was, I used Sugar Minuet in a test look and throughout the day I had major irritation going on but I figured a piece of dust was in my contact lens (I wear hard lenses, they are a big pain when you get particles of dust in them or even an eyelash or hair). While removing my makeup that night though I noticed I had a bit of glitter in my tear duct and just in my eye in general but I shrugged it off and washed it out. The next day (and I had a photo but decided against posting it in case people got the wrong idea or scared) I developed a sty and it was your usual gross  sty that keeps you in glasses for the next few days while you recover.


IN NO WAY am I blaming Susan or Sugar Minuet, I am only talking about it because I want to stress the importance of being clean and taking care of what goes in your eyes. Do not be like me and shrug off any irritation in your eyes! Immediately wash it out and make sure it is gone otherwise you can risk getting an infection. That is what I want to stress, especially when handling any glittery product - whether it be Sugar Minuet or any other glittery product.