Silk Naturals Haul. Swatches.

So my quest to find perfect'n'healthy lip products continues! :)

I've heard so many good things about Silk Naturals, so I finally decided to give it a go one day. :)

Here is what I got:

 Sunshine, flash (yep, you've heard that right! It wasn't a good idea to take pictures under such a bright sunlight! But flash saved the day! Who would have guessed? lol)

I ordered 3 solid lip glosses (4,5 USD each) in Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious, and 1 liquid lip gloss (4,95 USD) in Summer Fling. I got 2 free eyeshadows: full size in IDK (I guess there was a campaign) and a sample baggy in Twilight (oh my, it follows me everywhere?! lol).

Shipping was 4,2 USD for International. Quite reasonable, isn't it? There is also a discount for first time buyers. Check the website for more info.

Ordered on 25.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 3.3, received on 11.3 (Friday). I guess it's ok.

My initial thoughts:

I've already swatched all the products. I love my new lippies! Wearable shades, smooth application, pretty long lasting, nice smell (kind of toffee with spice?)! And they feel like lip balms on my lips! :) Surprisingly (as I didn't expect to get any eyeshadows) I really love these shades, and the pigmentation is as usual for mineral eyeshadows - decent. I am very pleased with my order!

One thing I want to mention is the size! Solid lip glosses come in sleek tubes, liquid - in tubes that appear (read further for more info) to be smaller than that of Fyrinnae. Baggie sample is considerably smaller than that of Aromaleigh's for instance. That being said, I'm in love! You had to see my face when I saw these tiny beauties! :) The tube of Summer Fling is such a cutie! Aww! :)

Sunshine, flash

Sunshine, flash

Fyrinnae Lickable on the left, Silk Naturals Summer Fling on the right

As you can see from these 2 pictures, Summer Fling although appearing to be smaller due to the "optical illusion" contains more product than Lickable. I can't say the exact amount though. My guess would be 4-5 ml. I'm not sure if I saw the info on the website. :/

I was a bit skeptical when I first saw Summer Fling in person. It looked so dark in the tube, but when I tried it on I instantly fell in love with it. It's such a gorgeous wearable shade! Take a look:

Natural light, flash

Here are the swatches of all 4 plus a little extra:

 Natural light

 From L to R: Everyday Minerals lipstick in Icing the Cake, Summer Fling, Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious

Natural light, flash

From L to R: Everyday Minerals lipstick in Icing the Cake, Summer Fling, Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious

I organised Silk Natural products from the sheerest to the most opaque from R to L. These are all buildable though.

Description from the website:

Precious- light pink with gold pearl- Hunny Bunny Clone

Foreplay- shimmery golden pink Climax gloss

Berry Crush- Golden Berry Gloss- MAC Viva Glam V Clone 

Summer Fling- Warmish Rosey Pink

Why did I include the EDM Icing The Cake (btw, I got it for free with my last order) I hear you asking? Just because I wanted to show you how it compares to Summer Fling (in shade) and Berry Crush (in consistency). I really love the shade of Icing The Cake, but the lipstick itself (especially its smell) is awful! If you've ever tried lippies from EDM I bet you can understand me. :)

Have you tried Silk Naturals? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

PS Silk Naturals doesn't repackage!

Beautiful Girl Minerals (BMG) haul. Swatches.

Have you already heard of me getting rid of all (well, not all actually, my HG from Dior and Avon stay with me until the end, or until I find their perfect dupes! :) )  my lip products that contain mineral oil and other nasty stuff? Be prepared for my massive (in my opinion, obviously) attempts to find perfect'n'healthy lip products. :) On a side note, I'm SOO behind writing about my hauls, gotta hurry up before I got lost in all those packages... and pictures... lol

I didn't want to order a lot as I don't like to waste products (I mean, who wants to have a bunch of spoiled lip stuff? lol) and, most importantly, because BMG's pictures and colour descriptions (if any) were not that good.

I ordered 2 All natural lip glosses (small wand 3,5 ml, the same tube as of Fyrinnae's lip lustres, 3 USD) in Cosmo (it's called Cosmo Kiss on the website) and Tainted, and 1 (1/8 tsp, 0,5 USD) Multi purpose powder sample in Impatient.

I got 2 free Multi purpose powder samples in Irresistible and Innocent.

Natural light, contrast added

Natural light, flash

Note: Impatient is a little bit greener irl, it's a shimmery bright chartreuse described as "a stunning yellow/green shade!" on the website.

 

Shipping was 3 USD for International. Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 1.3 (Monday), order was shipped on 7.3, received on 18.3 (Thursday). I guess it's ok.

My initial thoughts:

I've already swatched all the products - the pigmentation is as usual for mineral eyeshadows - decent. Although keep in mind that I haven't tested these eyeshadows "in action" yet. The only product that got my full attention is Cosmo lip gloss.

Now here comes a "weird" story of me trying to figure out what shades to choose. The first thing that caught my eye was the inconsistency in description of lip glosses. Some have lip swatches, some have bottle pictures, some have a "swirl of colour", some have colour description, some not, some have it all wrong... :/

Let's take a look at 2 lip glosses I got. 

Cosmo is defined as a "gorgeous pink with gold". I would add that it's pink with a hint of blue (cool toned), but the fine golden shimmer makes it appear warmer. I was a little bit skeptical of wearing a cool toned lip gloss (I prefer warm tones), but, man, it is MEGA gorgeous!!! And, it's pigmented! Surprisingly, I like the mild scent (in fact the lip gloss is not scented, or flavoured, but my guess would be that it's castor seed oil's "fault"). :)

Here comes a sad story. Tainted is described as "gorgeous pink with shimmer". Now, don't be mad at me, but can you, please, tell me if I'm seeing things? lol It's plain shimmery brown/tan to my eyes. I can spot some tiny tiny shimmery pink bits on the picture with flash, but I honestly think it's just my camera's "wonderful" ability to see things; and then it still should be pink with shimmer, not something with pink shimmer, right? :) The "best" thing, BGM sent me 5 ml bottle (although it says 5,9 ml on their website) instead of the small size I ordered. I guess they ran out of small bottles, or put it by accident, or just wanted to please me as a first time customer, but all I felt is a frustration and shame. :/

On one hand, I probably have to inform them that I got a wrong size bottle and pay the difference (1,5 USD), on the other hand - I absolutely don't like this colour! It's not what I expected it to be (gorgeous pink? with shimmer? NO?!). And it doesn't suit me. At all! I tried to make it work by mixing it with some other shades, but it's too dark and intense to do something wearable for my taste. And the bottle is huge (I much more prefer those tiny bottles)! And I hate wasting (aka not using) products. I wish it'd be in a mini size, I wouldn't feel so bad. :/ 

The worst thing is that I tried it straight from the tube at first (when I didn't yet realise how different the shade is), meaning that I can't give it to anyone else, as it now "belongs to me". lol I know I might be weird sometimes. :)

Take a look:

 Natural light

Cosmo on the left, Tainted on the right

Natural light, flash

Cosmo on the left, Tainted on the right

Natural light

Cosmo (after about 4 hours of wear!)

Note: Have yet to figure out why my lip swatches look so washed out and "see through" even without a flash. :/ Swatch pictures look more colour accurate.

As for the Multi purpose powders... I really admire their universality as they're said to be suitable for eyes, lips and nails. But, why couldn't they arrange these colours (although they have not that many) in some certain order (by colour, or by name at least?). It would be so much easier to find (and compare!) shades you like. But no! You'd better play "spot your favourite", or "what catches your eye?". lol

I laughed so hard when I got  my order. Let me explain. I ordered a green shade, right? That is Impatient. When I opened my order, I thought why on Earth is word "impatient" doing here, did they mean I'm impatient? lol Then I realised it was my choice. I was so much into colour, I didn't even pay attention to its name. :) Remember me speaking about "buying products because of their names" thingy? And they "called" me Innocent and Irresistible! lol To be honest, I don't like these (I mean freebies) shades simply because I wouldn't wear them as I already know that some certain colours just don't look good on me. Maybe I have to mix Innocent with that Tainted lip gloss? Hmmm...

Overall, I will buy other (as Cosmo became one of my favourites!) lip glosses from BMG again, when (and if) they will improve their colour descriptions. :)

I saw Phyrra mentioned that BMG offers 20% discount till the end of March. Be careful with those descriptions before ordering.

Have you tried BMG? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

PS BMG doesn't repackage!

Alima Pure Haul. Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name?

One not very sunny day, I was searching for the info about mineral foundations. I've already tried Everyday Minerals, Sassy Minerals and Aromaleigh, but still wanted to try something new. You know that feeling, don't you? :) Then, I came across wonderful Sagu's post about Alima Pure and decided to give it a go. I'm very glad I did! Thank you, girl! :)

Here is what I got this time from Alima:

 Natural light, contrast added

Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold.

 

Natural light, flash

Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold

Natural light

Free samples

Natural light, flash

Free samples

Not pictured: Foundation samples of Beige 2, Cool 2 and Neutral 2; Shimmer Bronze in Belize, Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

Shipping was 6 USD for International (check their new policy regarding orders from the EU). Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 5.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 9.2, received on 15.2 (Monday). IMO it's quite fast!

My initial thoughts:

All samples come in clear little jars (tiny bit smaller than samples of Fyrinnae, or Sassy Minerals, and exactly the same size with aforementioned for foundation) with a cute birdy on the lid! Great pigmentation! Generous samples! Eye shadow, blush, balancing powder and shimmer bronze samples cost 1 USD,  foundation samples (these are packed FULL) 1,5 USD. 

All the wrapping is made of recycled paper (wanna mention the labels on free samples too). It's a big PLUS in my book. Honestly, I don't like all those bubble wraps, colourful paper, vinyl duct tape (!!! hate!!!), cellophane, etc. Such a waste!

I've already swatched all the products. I love them all! Such a wonderful shades! 12 points (Eurovision, anyone?) for me for making a perfect choice! lol

Here comes a "weird" story and a question from the title. I never pay attention to names of the makeup products, unless it contains "taboo words" for my liking, such as *evil (first letter D), *ell (*=H). One might find it weird, but I do find it completely normal. :) I'm a little bit superstitious with this kind of things (you know?), and I was raised in a pretty religious country. So, bear with me please! :) That's the reason I would never buy *evil Horns lip lustre from Fyrinnae. :/ In any other case, I care about the shade, not the name. 

That being said, I was really surprised I decided to buy an eyeshadow of an unusual colour (for my taste obviously) with a name Twilight (yep, I am a fun, I admit it lol). The weird thing is that I really liked how the colour looked on the "enlarge picture". But it was all about the name at first. I wouldn't notice this eyeshadow otherwise. Then I decided to get a complimenting colour for Twilight, i.e. Milan. And let me tell you - I wasn't disappointed! I LOVE the combo of these two. My picture just doesn't give them a justice. Check the website for colour description and don't forget to press "enlarge picture" there. 

Note: I saw a huge amount of products with Twilight name before, but they just didn't appeal to me.

I wore Twilight on the lead and Milan on the crease and outer V. It wasn't just my first time buying because of the name, but also my first time wearing what I call "true dramatic smokey eyes". That dusty violet undertone of Twilight really complements my eye colour. Too bad, we don't go partying very often. I wouldn't dare to wear this look during the day.

Pigmentation is pretty good. Colours look a little sheerer and lighter than in the jar.

Apricot blush (matte) and Belize Shimmer Bronze coordinate really well together. Especially when I wear my favourite Dior lip gloss in Orange Raffia and Fyrinnae lip lustre in Flavor Of The Day.

I bought Blond eyeshadow (matte) for eyebrows. Alima recommends this shade for blondes. Well, I'm blonde (not blonde-blonde, but wheat blonde), and I'd say this shade is too yellow and pale for me. It works as a blending shade with my Lumene pencil in Gray Brown though. I'll try darker colour next time.

I tried foundations several times. Worked pretty well. I should have ordered darker shade though (3 maybe?). Number 2 is a little bit too light. The coverage is medium, but buildable. I even managed to cover my blemishes. Yay! The only thing I don't like is that it kind of "sits on the surface of the skin". Gotta keep trying further. :/

Have yet to try Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

I want to try their lip glosses next time too. Any experience, thoughts?

Have you tried Alima? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name? Was it worth getting?

PS Alima Pure doesn't repackage!

Fyrinnae Haul. Vol. 2. Lip lustres swatches.

Here is my 2nd haul from Fyrinnae. Check my first haul and swatches if you haven't already. WARNING! This is going to be a picture-heavy post with lip lustres swatches on my lips. Yep, you've heard that right! :) I managed to take pictures of my lips somehow. lol  I really hope I won't freak anyone out. :) And again, please bear in mind it is my first time "lip swatching". :)

 

Natural "light"

From L to R: Nonsense!, Naughty Elves (free sample), Snow White

 Natural "light", contrast added

From L to R: Nonsense!, Naughty Elves (free sample), Snow White

 Natural "light", flash

From L to R: Nonsense!, Naughty Elves (free sample), Snow White

Not pictured: Powder Primer (7 g for 5,5 USD) and Fluff sample (1,5 USD).

Ordered on 28.1 (Thursday), they sent me PayPal invoice on 30.1, I received my order on 15.2 (Monday). IMO it's quite fast! Check their website for more details on their shipping schedules. They're quite busy and it takes time to CREATE product not just pack.

I had some difficulties AGAIN when I tried to pay with PayPal. The payment just didn't "want" to go through. And they again "discounted a bit for the trouble". :)

My initial thoughts:

I'm in love with Powder Primer! It works really well! I already did a quick review in my previous post (check the link above).

Have yet to try Fluff.

I ordered two matte eyeshadows this time and got one semi-matte/semi-shimmer eyeshadow for free. I really like these colours (can you call black a colour? lol). If you read my last post (link above) you might recall that I "complained" about my fail in blending Fyrinnae eyeshadows. Any help and tips are warmly welcome! I don't have this kind of problem with other brands. Strange. I must be some kind of a "blending nerd". lol 

The time has come! Lustres! OMG! These are awesome! How many times have you heard that? :) 2,5 USD (sample size - cute little tube with doe-foot applicator) for THIS amazing product? How freaking cool is that? I got 4. The quality is really impressive! Can you tell I'm excited? :) I love the scents (quite rare thing for me!) and the feel of these lipsticks-lip glosses "hybrids", they glide so smoothly and feel so nice on the lips! The most interesting thing is that they feel a little bit differently depending on their finish. Deceptive Innocence feels very creamy, whereas Romantique feels kind of "metallic" (sounds weird, but I just can't find the words to express this feeling), Flavor Of They Day feels very soft and moisturising (pretty much like a lip gloss) and Lickable feels somewhat in between Romantique and Flavor Of The Day. Did you understand my point? lol 

I'm absolutely in love with Lickable and Flavor Of The Day! The best thing - they look very much like my two absolutely favourite shades. I'll show you in a minute. I did a comparison pictures for you. :) Romantique is too frosty and pale for me... It's a beautiful colour though. Deceptive Innocence is also a bit too pale, it kind of washes me out. But! I found a perfect pair for it! I pair it with Everyday Minerals lip "balm" in "Icing on the cake" (I got it for free with my last order, have to make a post about it), which has the worst ever lipstick "scent", but very beautiful and flattering shade. Together with Deceptive Innocence they make a perfect couple! "Goodbye" to that yucky plastic scent , "Hello" sweet coconut. lol

I just want to point out that all these colours look a little bit more pigmented&opaque IRL. My camera washes them out for some reason (makes them "see through"?). The above "tube pictures" look more realistic.

Let's get started! :)

 Natural "light"

Deceptive Innocence

 Natural "light", flash

Deceptive Innocence

 Natural "light"

Romantique

 Natural "light", flash

Romantique

 Natural "light"

Flavor Of The Day

 Natural "light", flash

Flavor Of The Day

 Natural "light"

Your L: Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in shade 347 Orange Raffia (my all time favourite lip gloss!)

Your R: Flavor Of The Day

Verdict: Dior is more orangey and more sparkly, but these two still look pretty much alike.

 Natural "light", flash

Your L: Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in shade 347 Orange Raffia (my all time favourite lip gloss!)

Your R: Flavor Of The Day

Verdict: Dior is more orangey and more sparkly, but these two still look pretty much alike.

 Natural "light", flash

Your L: Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in shade 347 Orange Raffia (my all time favourite lip gloss!)

Your R: Flavor Of The Day

Verdict: Dior is more orangey and more sparkly, but these two still look pretty much alike.

 Natural "light"

Lickable

 Natural "light"

Your L: Avon Pro-To-Go in Nude Peach  (my all time favourite lipstick!)

Your R: Lickable

Verdict: Avon is peachier and more matte looking, but these two still look pretty much alike.

 Natural "light", flash

Your L: Avon Pro-To-Go in Nude Peach  (my all time favourite lipstick!)

Your R: Lickable

Verdict: Avon is peachier and more matte looking, but these two still look pretty much alike.
Note: Have no idea what's that scary deep scar-looking thing on my lip (on your left). Hmm... :/ Probably some "mimic wrinkle" (could there be any on the lips?). lol

 

THE END! :)

Have you tried Fyrinnae primers? What about lip lustres? Any favourites? :)

PS Waiting for PayPal invoice again! ;)

Fyrinnae swatches (eyeshadows)

I finally managed to edit and upload the swatches from my Fyrinnae haul. I made these together with the swatches from my Pure Minerals Source Haul at the end of January. So please, bear in mind that it's my first attempt to make decent swatches. :) Btw, I tried to take photos of "lip swatches" on my lips (!!!) the other day, and OMG it was freaking difficult! lol

Natural "light" (It was January in Finland! lol), flash

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion)

Bottom row: on its own 

Natural "light", contrast added

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion)

Bottom row: on its own 

Natural "light"

Note: Boytoy, Dokkalfar, Biker Chic and Dressed To Kill are much more sparkly than my pictures show.

I'm not sure if you can tell from my pictures, but Pixie Epoxy indeed makes the colour more vibrant and intense. These eyeshadows are very pigmented on their own though. But I have a little problem with blending. I'm very gentle with my brush while trying to blend the shades, but while the colours look vibrant when I've just put them on, they begin to fade when I try to blend all the edges. What could be the problem? Any ideas?

Pure Minerals Source Haul and swatches (plus comparison with Aromaleigh)

Even more mineral eyeshadows... and even more greens! :)

Natural "light", flash, contrast added

Natural "light", flash

Natural "light"

Natural "light"

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion)

Bottom row: on its own

Natural "light"

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP

Bottom row: on its own

Natural "light", flash

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP

Bottom row: on its own

Update/Note: Pixie Epoxy indeed makes the colour more vibrant and intense. It's magical! :)

Shipping for 10 samples (7 USD for 10 samples, 4 USD for 5 g jar) was 3 USD for International (1 USD for US). Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 28.12 (Monday), seller contacted me on 5.1 (Tuesday, a week later), received my order on 25.1 (this Monday).

The seller/formulator contacted me on 5.1 regarding supposedly my mistake in ordering (it turned out I "didn't" specify the colours I want). I replied right away stating I did everything right (copy pasted  my list of eyeshadows from the receipt). I got a sweet note (on 25.1) that it was some sort of confusion and it was some other buyer who had problems. I am glad everything turned out fine. :) Btw, I blame cold weather for slow shipping! :)

My initial thoughts:

I've already tried Divinity and Dragonfly (btw, they're my faves from the bunch! Surprised? lol) the other day, and also have already swatched all the products, as you can see from my pictures. :)

The first thing I noticed was the obvious difference in shades from what I see in PMS (what a name abbreviation! lol) Etsy shop (they have pictures only, no colour descriptions). Lets take a look at their Mojito, Magi and Dr. Cara's Rx. To my eyes Mojito appears much golden IRL than olive green gold, Magi is sparkly light orange and very close to Havana Heat - it doesn't look shimmery beige, Dr. Cara's Rx is a total mystery! Light shimmery brown? Nope! It's somewhere in between dark shimmery mauve and violet. Weird, right? I guess it's some kind of colour changing shade... And I wish Gun Smoke to be more of a matte black rather than dark gray...:/

The other negative thing is the fact that these eyeshadows don't blend very well. When I try to blend them they just fade/disappear! Haven't experienced this weirdness before. I have yet to investigate this problem. Pigmentation is pretty decent (before I tried to blend!). Overall, I'm ok with this order (cheap nice shades), but not totally impressed (troubles with blending, shade difference, shipping time)...:/

Have you tried Pure Minerals Source? What are your thoughts?

PS Pure Minerals Source don't repackage. "Chemical free, no animal testing, vegan."

Pure Minerals Source and Aromaleigh greens comparison

When I first saw Divinity and Dragonfly I immediately thought of Aromaleigh Aloe and Loden (which are two of my 4 favourite shades from this brand). I decided to swatch all my favourite colours together just for fun (note: I added Glow just in order to show that it's not that similar to Divinity as it looks, it's more yellow).

 Natural "light"

Top row: over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Middle row: UDPP

Bottom row: on its own

These two indeed look quite similar to Aloe and Loden, Dragonfly and Aloe appear to be lighter, and Divinity is slightly more yellow in tone. It looks to me as if the combination of Aloe and Loden resulted in Dragonfly, Glow + Dragonfly = Divinity, Drama Queen Topaz + Amarante = Loden. Oh my! I guess I just like similar colour tones. :)

PS Strange thing - if you compare PMS greens picture with the last "comparison picture", you can notice that these 2 pairs look very similar (both pictures were taken under the "natural light"). Weird, isn't it? Oh well, I guess the problem is in my camera and lighting. Bear in mind that it's my first attempt to make (what I call) decent swatches. :) IMO they turned to be quite colour accurate.

Hi-Fi Haul

More mineral eyeshadows... and more greens!:)

Natural "light", contrast added

Natural "light", flash

Boom Shaka Laka and Deck The Halls - both freebies! Greens! Wow!:)

Natural "light"

Natural "light", flash

 

Natural "light", flash

These two were freebies (oh my! Hot Rod looks a little bit too bright for me)!:)

"Let it not snow!" lol Pengi is cute though!

Shipping for 10 samples (8,99 USD for 10 samples, 4,99 USD for 5 g jar) was 1,5 USD worldwide. The best part - I got 4 free samples! How cool is that? :)

Ordered on 28.12 (Monday), received my order on week 3 (our vacation time). 2,5 weeks - not bad.

My initial thoughts:

I've already tried The Sultan (gorgeous!!!), The Cyanide You Drank (what a name! lol) and Wicked the other day, and also have already swatched all the products (gotta take pictures some other day). The pigmentation is wonderful! And they blend really well. Can't comment on the "longevity", because I wore it for a couple of hours only.

Greens are all fantastic and vibrant! I'm so glad they gave me Boom Shaka Laka for free. This one, Cyanide You Drank and The Sultan (perfect for highlighting the inner corner!) are my absolutely faves from the bunch. :) All the colours are gorgeous though! :) Shimmery, pigmented, rich and vibrant! Did I mention that the baggies are huge? AND! They sent a pocket calendar! :)

Have you tried Hi-Fi? What are your thoughts?

PS Hi-Fi don't repackage.

Fyrinnae Haul

I have so many things to write about. A bunch of pictures is waiting when I finally will be able to sort them out. And I still keep on getting my orders... from the previous year. :)

Here is what I got this time from Fyrinnae.

Natural "light"

Top row (from L to R): We're All Mad Here, Dragonskin, Dressed To Kill, Tyr, Dokkalfar

Middle Row (L to R): Boytoy, Polar Bear, Lucky Charmed, Hypercool, Biker Chic

Bottom Row (L to R): Hypnotize, Powder Primer, Velvet-Gel Silica Primer, Pixie Epoxy

Natural "light"

Top row (from L to R): We're All Mad Here, Dragonskin, Dressed To Kill, Tyr, Dokkalfar

Middle Row (L to R): Boytoy, Polar Bear, Lucky Charmed, Hypercool, Biker Chic

Bottom Row (L to R): Hypnotize, Powder Primer, Velvet-Gel Silica Primer, Pixie Epoxy

 Natural "light", flash, contrast added (to show the depth)

Shipping is max. 3 USD for US and 3,5 USD for International. Quite reasonable, isn't it? The best part - shipping is free on all orders over 20 USD WORLDWIDE! How cool is that?

Ordered on 17.12 (Thursday), order was shipped on 24.12, received on 4.1 (this Monday). IMO it's quite fast! Check their website for more details on their shipping schedules. They're quite busy and it takes time to CREATE product not just pack.

I had some difficulties when I tried to pay with PayPal. The payment just didn't "want" to go through. I contacted the customer service on 17.12 (Thursday evening). They replied that it's a common problem with PayPal and offered to send me an invoice. They also "discounted a bit for the trouble", i.e. I got one eyeshadow for free. Excellent customer service! :)

My initial thoughts:

I like the creativity of the brand: lots of different gorgeous shades with cool (dark mysterious gothic "tolkienistic") names. Great! All samples come in clear jars (blushes, eye shadows and face powders) or in "funny-looking cute tiny" jars (liquid products)! Great pigmentation! Generous samples! Eye shadow sample costs 1,75 USD, blush and primers - 1,5 USD.

I've already swatched all the products. Have no idea why Boytoy is so much less in quantity (it spilled only a little bit) compared to the rest. Polar Bear looks much more golden on the eye (I thought it would be more light beige pink gold), and so does Lucky Charmed (I thought it would be more olive in tone). My faves are on the first row, especially We're All Mad Here, Dragonskin and Dressed To Kill. I am definitely a green lover! :)

Pixie Epoxy does make a HUGE difference! Colours become several times deeper! The only bad thing I've noticed so far is that it's too sticky (so be quick to apply eye shadow ASAP, otherwise you might end up with a glued lid lol) and it's very difficult to blend the colour when Pixie Epoxy is on! I guess it's better to use it after you've blended all the edges and just want to deepen the colour. Can't comment on the longevity yet, because I only tested it for one hour.

Tried Powder Primer with Sassy Minerals foundation and Fyrinnae Hypnotize (Glow Blush) yesterday. Worked really well! I'd even say that I'm impressed! I have yet to figure out was it the foundation or the primer, or the combination of these two "guilty" in the flawlessness of my skin. lol I currently suffer from really bad hormonal breakouts and have those terrible red scars on my chin, so it's usually easy to say I'm wearing a foundation on my face, but this time it looked really like my "second skin", the scars were still visible though, but the overall situation was not that bad. Began to crease very slightly (on my nose) in about 10 hours. And that creasing wasn't the one when you see your foundation sliding off! It was more of a skin oil "sitting on the surface" (sounds kind of gross, but it's not that awful IRL lol). Great! :)

I also wore Polar Bear and Ruthless (Sassy Minerals) yesterday. Lasted pretty good with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Begin to fade in about 9 hours only.

Have yet to try Velvet-Gel Silica Primer "in action".

Have you tried Fyrinnae? What are your thoughts?

PS Fyrinnae don't repackage!

Sassy Minerals Haul

My last haul for this week! :) Still waiting for another one! :)

Charming and Tart (Sassy Minerals version of NARS Orgasm) blushes

Natural "light", flash

Charming and Tart (Sassy Minerals version of NARS Orgasm) blushes

Natural "light", no flash

Top row (from Left to Right): Trust Me (gorgeous!), Bad Attitude (super gorgeous!), Crown Jewels

Bottom row (L to R): Ruthless, Lyrical (both freebies)

Natural "light", flash, contrast added (to show the depth)

Top row (from Left to Right): Trust Me (gorgeous!), Bad Attitude (super gorgeous!), Crown Jewels

Bottom row (L to R): Ruthless, Lyrical (both freebies!)

Natural "light", flash

Primers, Foundations and Finishing Powders

Natural "light", flash

Primers, Foundations and Finishing Powders

Natural "light", no flash

 

Shipping charges depend on the number of samples you order (the more you order the less you pay for shipping, orders exceeding 50 USD are free of charge worldwide!). For my order (10 samples, plus 2 freebies!) it was 4,8 USD. Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 4.12 (Friday), received on 16.12 (Wednesday, right after my Aromaleigh haul!). Fast enough!

My initial thoughts:

Huge variety of colours! All samples come in clear sealed (!!!) jars! Great pigmentation! And cost 0,75 USD each (doesn't matter if it's an eyeshadow, a blush or a foundation!). How cool is that?

Tried Primer and Finishing powder with my Everyday Minerals foundation a couple of times. Worked really well! Began to crease slightly (on my nose) in about 8 hours. Not bad, considering that my T-zone is getting oily sometimes.

Tested foundations on my jawline. Hmmm... what can I say? I was a little bit naive ordering Medium shades, cause these are definitely too dark for me! Gotta choose Light next time.

The only negative thing about these eyeshadows is the fact that these eyeshadows don't cooperate with Urban Decay PP. I have yet to investigate this problem. They begin to fade in about 4 hours and crease in about 8 hours (beating Aromaleigh by 2 hours!)! Yep, I tried Aromaleigh on my left eye and Sassy Minerals on my right eye twice! lol Not good! Haven't experienced this "non-longevity" with my "88 palette from China". Hmmm... :/

Have yet to try foundations (will stay at home! :) cause Medium is too dark for me!) and blushes.

I was thinking the other day, that I should probably stop using that "88 palette from China" (well, it's from Coastal Scents, but we all know that these palettes are easily accessible on Ebay!). Sadly, you can never be sure if the quality of these eyeshadows is good enough and if they are safe for your eyes. :/ So now I'm thinking of getting more eyeshadows from Sassy Minerals and others "alike" to replace my favourite shades from the palette. :)

Have you tried Sassy Minerals? What are your thoughts?

PS Sassy Minerals don't repackage!