ShoeDazzle: April & May Purchases

I'm still on my shoe purchasing spree and no matter how much I don't really like platforms, they're so in this season and some of the styles are just too cute to pass up. Yes, I have issues with spending. :( Case in point: the amount of money I spent at Express yesterday.

Anyway, onto the shoes! I got these from ShoeDazzle.

For April, I purchased 2 pairs of Michael Antonio shoes and 1 pair of a ShoeDazzle original (I think...):





The nude shoes didn't fit as well as the blue ones did. In fact, it actually felt like it ran 1 size larger. I'm not quite sure how to address the inconsistency issues. :/



These were my fun pair. I've never had something that looked like this and I have a thing for straps so I had to get it. I think it'd look cute with a pair of skinny jeans. :)



I didn't think I was going to purchase anything for May - the selections weren't all that great. Then they came out with this LE and despite the platforms, I think the color is so gorgeous and unique.

Share with me some of you shoes for this season! I'd love to see what your likes are and it's a good way for me to see what I'm missing out on. :) Also, what do you think? Yay or nay?

Darling Girls: What Dreams May Come + Holo-Glosses

Hey all! So this is the last post of my most recent Darling Girls haul. I just placed a huge order last night for some samples from their general catalog in addition to the new dry oil sprays that they came out with. I'm super excited. :D

Anyway, moving on to the swatches!

First up, from the What Dreams May Come collection:





These were the freebies I received in my package:



And then the gorgeous, gorgeous holo-glosses:









I love the holo-glosses. I have a trouble with glosses/lipsticks drying my lips out so I don't wear them. However, these were not drying at all. The color goes on very sheer so it's best to wear over a color but I used them on their own and I thought they were great. :) I wish the container wasn't so difficult to screw the top on and off though.

Another fantastic purchase! I've loving Pennies from Heaven - it's SO pretty!

Have you guys tried any of these colors? The holo-glosses? What are your thoughts?

Darling Girls: Spring Fling Collection

Alright, I have been a swatching fiend these last few days because I finally have some time to sit down and play with my Darling Girl haul and I already have a list of full-sizes MUST haves written down. I also just found out through her blog that another new collection will be debuting soon. Whaaaat? I can't wait! I can purchase my full-sizes then also. :D

The next few posts will be all about Darling Girl Cosmetics. I am loving this brand. Before I start raving, let me post the colors so you can see for yourself:











Quick run-down:

1. Shipping is quick as always. It was ridiculous how fast I got these considering Susan had just re-opened the store when I purchased and 4 new collections had debuted.

2. The girl has her formulations down pat. I love how smooth and buttery these shadows swipe on. There is no patching and even the ones with a lot of glitter go on smooth. Hello thur. I <3 you. (Patchy eye shadow is a big irk of mine.)

3. I love how soft the colors are. I can wear these for a night out and just as easily wear them into a conservative work environment.

I wish there were more collections! I want them ALL. Lol. Serious though, no joke, the formulations of the colors I have tried are amazing. With Meow, I love the variety but I always find some colors to be a bit patchy upon application. With DG, I have not had that issue.

From this collection, I have so many favorites! Plum Blossoms, Garden of Weedin', Butterfly Flutterby, Mango Tango...gosh, they're all so pretty!

Have you tried DG Cosmetics yet? If so, what are your favorites?

MAC Cosmetics Swatches & Review

I know a lot of you have reservations against MAC for many, many good reasons. It was actually one of the many reasons I stopped purchasing MAC products for a good ten years. I was never big into this company anyway; it was super expensive for a tween and that was the age when I bought my first item. I actually STILL have the items I purchased back then and use it from time to time. =X

In any case, I was browsing a few blogs one day and it seemed that the "Rose" pigment was being featured in every look. I love anything that's pink with a gold undertone so I went to the store to check it out. The ladies there were crabby but wasn't so offensive I could never go back. To tell you the truth, I did also help myself to one of their underside drawers - popped it open and grabbed my pigment. Nobody was helping me and I wanted to get in and get out. There was a lot of annoying people in there that day. o_O This was in the MAC store at the Tyson's Corner mall in Virginia.

The second time I went back, I went to the Friendship Heights, DC store and I had a fabulous rep attending me named "Anna". She was so friendly and nice and she actually took the time to listen to my request. I gave her an outfit and she gave me a look. It wasn't over the top dark and dramatic but soft and natural, which I loved. I'm pretty easy to please so I basically bought most of the items she threw at me. This is how I ended up with 2 pigments and a DazzleGlass. I was only going in there for *maybe* one pigment. I would've never bought the DazzleGlass if I didn't think "oh, I really like this girl, might as well!" If you read my previous post on lip items, you'd get a sense for my aversion to lip products. It was after this experience when I purchased Darling Girl's holo-gloss and all those NYX lip products.

Anyway, there you have it. I had a pretty good time at the MAC store.

Moving onto the swatches!

















All pigments were swatched over MAC Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre". It's not as bright as PE would have made it look but I love the soft colors. You can see that in levels of chunkiness, it would rate with Rose being the chunkiest, then Tan, then Vanilla. Vanilla is quite fine and in Anna's words, the absolute most perfect highlighter. I love all three colors.

I know a lot of people don't like the tackiness of MAC's DazzleGlass but I LOVE how sticky it is. I know it's going to stay on and won't have to apply as often. Also, it won't bleed past my lip because it sticks so well.

What do you think? What MAC products have you tried and loved? Any pigments or glosses you'd like to recommend?

NYX Cosmetics: Lip Lacquer Pots Review & Swatches

Hi y'all! I'm going to try posting as many swatches as I can with as much variety as I can while I have the time to do so. I'm going to be entering another busy 2-3 weeks in addition to more grad school applications. Therefore, you'll be seeing a lot of things from me in the next few days (hopefully). I've been practicing with my camera and I think I may have figured out a way to take decent pictures of my lips - yay!

Let me just preface by saying that I hate wearing things on my lips. I chew on them more than the average person does and most of the time, lip products dry them out so much which just makes me chew on them even more. It was after I tried a MAC product that I realized there was a new world to be explored. Yeah, I'm behind on the times. Haha.

HauteLook had an awesome NYX sale a couple of weeks ago. I snatched up an 11-piece set of their lip lacquer pots and a 13-piece set of their diamond sparkle lip gloss. The lip lacquer pots retail for $6 each and I paid $33 for the set. That comes out to $3 per pot.

According to NYX:

Drench your lips in this high-shine, high-impact lip lacquer in a portable pot. Whether applied over lipstick or worn solo, the results are always ultra-luminous.

Here is a picture of my normal lips:



Now onto the swatches!









Background: I don't usually wear lip products because I like to chew on my lips, smack them together and bite them. It's a hot mess. When I eat, I don't dab at my lips, I dig into my lips and wipe. I'm rather...'indelicate' (is that the right word?) that way. In any case, it never lasts long and I get too lazy to have to continuously re-apply. But I do like using them even if they last for a short while. The problem is, most glosses and lipsticks usually dry my lips out if I don't prep them with some lip balm so I have to be careful about what I pick up.

Formula: I used some lip balm before putting on the lip lacquer. The color pigmentation isn't as great as I thought it would be so a bit of layering is required. It's not as tacky as I thought a product with the word 'lacquer' in it would be. It's stickier than normal gloss would be though. If you just do a single swipe, it goes on pretty sheer. This is great for people who want a touch of color but a lot of shine. If you want it to be opaque on your lips, you may need to layer. It's not too drying - yes, I can usually tell even through lip balm - and there's no scent or flavor to them. This is a plus for those of you who have an aversion to flavored lippies.

Pricing: I would not fork out $6 for this item but $3 is fine with me. Like I said, I don't usually like wearing lippies so I'm not too keen about paying over $5 for cheaper end items. That being said, I think people who love lip products should at least try this out. It's great for daytime wear which is fantastic for me. I can just swipe it on and be off, no worrying about whether or not the color is okay for the occasion.

Use: You definitely need a lip brush. The jars go in a bit deeper than usual so you have to reach in with your finger. This may result in product under the nails which I know is a big no-no for some of you.

Overall: I really liked this product but I wished the product had more pigment in them. I also wished the formula was thicker but c'est la vie. At $3 a pot, I ain't complaining. NYX didn't do too bad of a job. Kudos! Like I said, I would not pay $6 a pot - I am stingy that way but I definitely do not regret this purchase. I LOVE the colors!

Please note that I will continue doing more swatches of this product! I just didn't want to rub my lips raw while taking the product off each time so I thought I'd do them in parts.

What do you think? Have you tried this product yet?

BPAL Lupercalia 2011 "Venusta" Series: Nude Woman Reclining Review

Rundown...I am a hoarder. A BPAL hoarder to be exact. I have perfumes from BPAL's 2009 Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine series that I haven't even sniffed yet. Not to mention all the bottles I got from people selling them on the forum. I just placed another order last night so there are also those to consider. Therefore, I will try to do as many of these as I can here to shake things up a bit. I love swatching but sometimes, a bit of something different is okay. :)

First up is "Nude Woman Reclining" from their Lupercalia 2011 "Venusta" series. I don't think you can get this anymore as it was a part of their Valentine season limited edition series. I think you might be able to find it on the forum.

A tribute to William Etty and the Elegance of the Human Form. - BPAL

Calla lily, honeysuckle, Turkish jasmine, ambrette seed, galbanum, iris, and bourbon vanilla.

My skin chemistry: It loves "Asian" scents. So, jasmine, plum, rice wine, cherry blossoms, tea - these are all very light scents that don't have a great throw or lasts for a very long time. It also loves citrus which, like the other notes, does not stay for long or have a very big throw.

Initial thoughts: Not sure why I got this. There's nothing in the listed notes that really appeal to me except for the calla lily and Turkish jasmine. Everything else - whut?

In the bottle: Smells powdery. There's something incense-y about it. I don't know how different Turkish jasmine smells from just ordinary jasmine (like the jasmine I smell in my tea) but wow, definitely can't pick anything familiar out. It's a bit sharp.

On my skin: Oh gosh, this is sharp. Still a powdery, floral smell. I think this needs to settle a bit. After a few more huffs, I'm starting to pick out some of the complexities of this scent but the incense/soapy smell is still very prevalent. I get a hit of something sweet. Hmm...must be the bourbon vanilla.

1 hr later: Still powdery. I think it's too soft and smells way too much like a powder pot to me.

Have you tried this scent? What do you think?

Face Candy Couture Swatches & Review

Today's swatches feature some products from Face Candy Couture, a mineral makeup company that was reviewed by Phyrra during the holidays. If you are a blogger, then you are in luck! This company will send free samples as long as you follow a few basic rules listed here.

Since they were having a sale, I just went ahead and purchased the 8 full eyeshadows for $19.99. It's a fantastic bargain.



I received 5 additional free samples with my order. Shipping was quick and didn't cost more than $2.









I accidentally swatched Chill twice because I purchased it in full-size and didn't realize it was one of the colors she had sent as a free sample. Other free samples include Pinecone, Pretty, Cinnamon, and Damask Grey. I really like these colors. They come with a lot of glitter but nothing crazy like Midnight Cowboy from UD. Feuta Marie comes pretty close to it though.

Overall: The only con I have to mention is how tiny the sample bags were. I am not talking about the samples themselves - there was more than enough - but the tiny bags were hard to open and hard to close. However, it seems Shantle (owner) gives these out for free so dang, a little work ain't nothing. :D I enjoyed these colors. I think the formulation is pretty similar to Aromaleigh. Feuta Marie does have a high glitter content but it's such a soft, pretty pink that I think it'd be fine to wear for more conservative situations. The other colors are just as versatile (maybe not Chill but that'd be a great crease color). Shipping and handling was quick. I love the labeling - it's so colorful! I didn't have any issues with my order so I didn't need to contact costumer service.

All in all, I would definitely order again.

What do you think? Any favorite colors? Personal experience?

Anderson Soap Company: A Review

Hi All! Just got back from my trip out to the West coast (for work) and I am pooped. I took the red-eye flight but since I had a transfer, it took much longer than it should have. It's all good, I got upgraded for my flight so that was some hot stuff. It was even better in addition to the fact that I had been upgraded for my hotel room. Haha, not that I used any of the extra room - usually got back to the hotel late so the only rooms I used were the bathroom and bedroom.

In any case, remember that big post of stuff to come that I did? I'm slowly working through the products. I know I should do more swatches but I thought I'd throw in some personal care items to shake it up. I just got my stuff from Epically Epic Soap along with Herbolution while I was away at work this week. I can't wait to share with y'all what I got!

Back to the point of this post...so like many of you, I follow LeGothique. I love checking out new makeup and body care companies; I think there's always a holy grail item to be found and I'll go to LeGothique whenever I want some suggestions. When I read this review of hers, I knew I had to try Anderson Soap Company out.

I purchased: Creamy Body Butter in "Satsuma", Rice Flower & Shea soap, Tropical Exfoliating Mango soap



Creamy Body Butter in "Satsuma": My skin has a tendency to "eat" up lotion. But sometimes, it's a picky eater so if a body cream/lotion/butter/etc has TOO many butters in it, the product will just sit on top of the skin. If the product has too little butter in it, I will find myself often reapplying, going through the product faster than normal. My skin is sensitive and it can get awfully dry. Anderson's creamy body butter in "Satsuma" has a fresh, citrus, bubbly smell. When I took a sniff, I thought it was a soda pop scent but it's a lot more sophisticated than that.

Satsuma is a clean and zesty refreshing citrus scent it is sweet with the delightful smell of pineapple, grapefruit, oranges, mandarin and plums.

Unfortunately, the texture was a bit odd. It wasn't 'creamy' so much as it was chunky. In any case, this doesn't mean you can't use it. I used it...and a lot. My skin loved it. I wish it had a higher moisturizing content because I found myself reapplying a lot and pretty soon, I went through my entire 2 oz. jar. See?



I kept huffing the jar too. It's such a fresh scent! I'm definitely going to see if I can get it as a perfume. I just checked and no cigar. They do have a room and linen spray though. :D Definitely a repurchase for me.

Rice Flower & Shea Soap: It was still cold when I started using this soap bar. It's got little pieces of exfoliating particles than my skin would've loved in the summer but not with the drying cold. Still, I loved how it cleaned. The shea is definitely present. Unfortunately, the exfoliating was a bit harsher on my skin than it normally would be. The scent is light but beautiful. I wish the scent was stronger because I love the smell of rice flower. I would use this and lop on the creamy body butter - such a lovely combination. I had to stop using this but just until it gets a bit more humid outside. :)

You can see the little exfoliating bits in here:



Seriously though, the smell is awesome. Just needs to be a bit heavier though. I sometimes thought the shea in the soap overpowered the rice flower smell, haha.

Tropical & Exfoliating Mango Soap: Another great soap. It's got olive oil in it so that helps replace some of the moisture lost from the exfoliation the poppy seeds in it provides. This soap also has a wonderful, fresh smell but it's very light and disappears quickly. Not a repurchase or a must-buy, but also not a regrettable buy. :)

Overall Experience: I think it was great. I'm definitely looking to purchase other items from this shop. As you can see from the pictures, I'm already done with my body butter so I'll need another jar. While I am quite happy with my products, I'd love to try out some of their other items! Shipping and handling was fast. You can tell from the pictures that the branding is also well done. Soaps came shrink wrapped and the butter was sealed very well to prevent any leakage. All in all, a fantastic experience.

Have you tried this company out? What were your experiences?

ShoeDazzle: March Purchases

From my March selection, I have purchased Hazel and BonBon from the "almost made it" portion of my Shoe Dazzle showroom. These are shoes that would have been placed in my primary shoe selection if others hadn't been more to my taste. Since I did not find anything in my primary showroom that I liked, I thought I'd give these two a try.

As always, shipping was uber fast. They shipped the day of me ordering these items.



I loved these shoes. They were cute and elegant. Unfortunately, I didn't know these ran a size too small. By the time I received these and realized it, they were out of the next size up. Yes, shoes do go that fast. =X



These shoes definitely looked better on the model than they did on me. My friend said that she thought they looked hooker-ish. Lol, I don't know about it. What I do know is that it would have been difficult to find an outfit that would work with these shoes. Fashionista, I am not. Haaaa.

Will be returning these two. I wish I could have kept Hazel but it almost got stuck on my feet, they were so small. Since I am returning these items for store credit (put towards future purchases), it will not cost me anything.

Also, I just found out that if you ask for a 'shoe explosion' on their Facebook, the employees will add a lot more selections of shoes to your showroom! I did that and got quite the selection. :D

On another note, I wore Gracia the other day. Oh gosh, is it hard to walk in them. Did anyone had a hard time getting these shoes to mold to your feet quickly? My feet kept slipping out of mine, even though I got the smallest size and they're true to size too. Hmm, maybe it requires a bit more wear, haha.



Spring is slowly, but surely, coming! I need a new light jacket. :D

ShoeDazzle: February Purchases & March Selections

BAH. I had my Meow Egyptian Treasures swatch post all typed up. THEN, I realized I forgot to do the swatches for their glows. Wtf? Haha, I will do those swatches tonight and you will see that post tomorrow.

Hello all! I am so sorry for being gone so long. Things have finally slowed down at work but now I'm being sent across the country for some training. I figured I should at least get a few posts in before things start getting crazy again. In addition, I've sent out my grad applications, got invited back for interviews and completed those interviews so only the worst part is left: waiting. I'm really wishing for the best.

Since I haven't bought any new makeup lately (I gotta get through my large, large stash of unswatched colors), I've had some money to play around with. I was going through my closet the other day and realized that about half my collection of shoes could go. They're out of season and some of them need work that I just don't want to pay for. In any case, they weren't terribly expensive (I am CHEAP) so I'll drop them off at a clothing bin (they have them all over DC) whenever I get the chance.

This leaves me with a shortage of shoes to go out in. Now have any of you heard about Shoe Dazzle?

ShoeDazzle is a monthly style service. Every month, for just $39.95, you receive a personalized selection and one gorgeous pair of shoes or item of your choice. The styles are selected just for you by our fashion experts. There is no obligation to purchase once you register, and you are charged only after you place your first order. In any month, you may select the Skip This Month button in your account section between the 1st and the 5th of the month and you will not be charged.

The way this works is that after you sign up, you do this very short, very basic personality test. It's to give the stylists an idea of your taste in fashion. After 24 hrs, they have a 'showroom' set up in your account. Each month, you get a selection of new shoes based on your style:



And if you don't like it, you have 'shoes that almost made it into your top 5' (or 6, in my case):







And sometimes, they'll bust out 'special deals' and introduce new items to everyone. I suspect that this is just their way of getting more money out of us. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, not so much. :)



You also get a monthly selection of bags:



AND jewelry:



Because an outfit is never complete without it's accessories. ;]

And if you DON'T like your monthly selection, you can always request alternate selections. I already did it for March (you can only do it once per month) because these were my OLD selections:



Nothing here worked for me. Nothing in the new selection worked for me either. Although, I am eye-ing up Jolie and Tierney. I did purchase something from the "almost made it" items.

As you can see in the pictures, these are all my March items. I started back in February. Each item is $39.95. Domestic shipping and handling is FREE and they ship on the DAY of when you order, unless they don't have it in stock at that time in which case, they ship it the next day. UPS takes 3-6 business days to get it to you. I'm expecting my March items here on Tuesday and Wednesday. :)

If the item does not fit, you can ship it back for free and if they still have it in stock, receive the correct size - no extra charge.

For your first order, you can get 20% off your order if you use my link or any affiliate link in general. For the months after that, you can search around on the internet for codes. I found one for my March purchases: styleme20.

These were my February purchases:





Gosh, I LOVE Gracia. As for Primp, animal prints are not a style I usually go for but it was just a small touch, I thought "wow, this is really cute." The shoes really are cute. I find them pretty comfortable to wear - but that's because I've trained my feet to wear tall, tall heels without complaints (it's so bad for you, haha). I can't wait to find an occasion to bust these out in.

Am I obligated to purchase? No. After you make your first purchase, you will continue being billed $39.95 by ShoeDazzle on the 6th day of each month. If you do not use it, it appears as a credit in your account that you can use within 12 months of receiving it. If you collect 5 credits ($39.95 = 1 credit so if you go 5 months without using them), you will not be billed until you've used a credit. If you do not want to be billed, you can skip a month (there's a button for it) but you must do so before the 6th of the month. If you don't want to do that, then you can call them and just cancel your account. :)

In conclusion: I love it. Great selections, great shoes, cheap pricing, and if you see a shoe elsewhere (in someone else's showroom, on ShoeDazzle's Facebook page, etc) that you don't see in your showroom, you can always call them up and order the style. They will send it if they have it in stock. The best part is, is that there is no obligation to purchase. There is no limit to the amount of months you can skip and if you want, you can cancel your account at any time so that you don't have to remember to skip months.

If you did what I did (which was purchasing between the 1st and 5th day of the month - I am so impatient, lol), you will not be billed for that month.

Shipping and handling: The items arrive wrapped in pink tissue paper, in a pink ShoeDazzle box, with a pink shoe bag, all in a cardboard box. I don't have a picture this time around but when March's selections get here, I will get them. If you decide the shoe is not for you for whatever reason, exchanges are completely free. If you want to return it completely, please note there is a restocking fee.

Customer Service: Haven't had any issues where I've needed to contact them. This is only my 2nd month. I will keep you guys updated with my purchases and experience each month. :)

What are your thoughts? Have you tried this out? Are there other services just like this? I'd love to hear what you guys think!