Some Thoughts on Colourpop

I finally placed my first Colourpop order a couple of weeks ago and when it arrived on Monday I was beyond excited to crack them open. It was all I could do to get the photos before I stuck my grubby fingers in the product. 

For the uninitiated Colourpop is the latest in a line of fledgling beauty brands that are made in the USA and pedaled by the YouTube hierarchy. 

Not that there is anything wrong with that. As a business model it's pretty genius but, from a consumer perspective it does make me hesitate before parting with my cash. 

Now that I have had a chance to play with my goodies (I ordered eyeshadows and a blush) I'm all about telling you what I loved and what I didn't love.

Confession: Beauty MInis

Now with holiday value sets in full swing at places like Sephora and Ulta I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts on all of the minis the can accumulate around this time of year.

Do you actually use your mini products?

I mean they're soooo cute and all but do you use them?

I have this issue where they accumulate in my collection. I set them off to the side for when I "travel"(Lately for me traveling is my parents house a whopping 2 hour journey from Queens)but then just end up bringing my full sized products with me instead. 

So lets weigh some pro's and cons and see what minis are good and what minis are collection cluttering evil.

No Drama Here

 I am a fortunate creature in that I have a nice full brow. I can easily get away with very little work on a day to day basis and my caterpillars still look shapely and full. 

That said, most days, I still like to run something simple through them to make sure they stay in place and to beef them up a smidge. 

For the last few months I've been using the MAC Brow Set in Beguile** and have really quite enjoyed it but...when the Maybelline Brow Drama in Deep Brown landed at Target a few weeks back I was looking for this to be a nice budget alternative.

Well it's not quite a replacement but it is a nice addition to the budget brow options on the market. 

Let me explain.

The Discard Pile: Concealer

So the makeup adventure is one full of hills and valleys. Sometimes you find things that work amazingly well and you and can't image your routine without them and then sometimes things look like shit...

Such is life...

 

I always love reading posts where people talk about things they don't like because I think that can sometimes be even more helpful. The things someone doesn't care for in a product have actually convinced me to buy the very same product because it sounded like it would work for me and what I was looking for. 

So on that note...let's look at some failures.

I'm Talking About B.O. Again

Oh the great deodorant debate. I have hemmed and hawed and tried and failed with the natural deodorant bandwagon a lot this year. The quest if by no means over but, I wanted to see how an easily accessible drugstore find stacks up against the competition. So when put to a simple work day test how did the Tom's of Maine Long Lasting deodorant in refreshing Lemongrass work?

The Sample Chronicles #1

I love a good foundation/primer fad. Spray on makeup in a can, luminizers with no shimmer, bare skin, just skin, no makeup makeup. Tell me that you can make me look perfect without anyone knowing that I don't just look perfect and I will at least make an effort to test your claim.

I'm not a chump and, I am not made of money. When those to worlds collide you learn how to politely ask too rude for their own commission sales girls for a nice sized sample.

So first round of the Sample Chronicles goes to: Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel

Springtime Spritz

I have been eying up something from Herbivore Botanicals for months now. I caught sight of them the first time on Etsy and it was love at first click. They have that oh so now Nylon magazine minimalist marketing that I just can't resist in a brand. When I came across their Balance mist at the Urban Outfitters checkout I grabbed it without hesitation.

But how often does a pretty frosted glass bottle artfully placed at the Urban Outfitters checkout contain something that REALLY works?

Mascara Cubed

I love it when drugstores run crazy 40% off sales. I always end up caving and treating myself to all kinds of things I don't need. My favorite thing to road test during a good sale is ALWAYS new mascara. Always.

Over the last month I've gotten a couple new formulas to try along with one new to me formula.

The results? Click through to find out.

Color Punched | Bleched Neons

Truth be told, I was a little dissapointed by most of Maybelline's Summer 2014 Bleached Neons Collection. Maybelline is the one brand that I will typically go clamoring to the drugstore for when people start to spot new displays.

The new Bleached Neons were a little different...

Goodbye Mr. Right

This post was going to go something like...

Look at these adorable $6 thrifted earrings I found at LIC Flea last Saturday! Instead...

Join me in wishing Mr. Lobe Right a fond farewell somewhere between my apartment and work on Wednesday. Sadly Mr. Right decided he was no longer interested in seeing what accessory life had to offer and opted to try his luck riding the MTA (or not) forever. I hope all of his wildest NYC dreams come true.

As for Mr. Left, well he and I are busy thinking of ways to rebuild our life together without Mr. Right.  I'm sure we'll come to an agreement that suits us both eventually.

The Great Deodorant Debate...

The deodorant struggle is REAL around these parts. REAL. 

Some backstory...

I was never really concerned about natural vs synthetic/chemical indredients in my deo until about a year ago. Out of a genuine curiosity (naturally sparked by numerous blog posts) I opted to try making my own. Recipe here - LINK! When that worked (well for a while-more on that later) I decided why not keep it up with the good for me ingredients and leave store-bought deo's behind?

Well here's why not.

Le Meh

 I was so excited when I finally caught the new L'Oreal display I was SO excited, and I was most certainly NOT alone. I even paid full price at the drugstore for both of them, (which I never do) and ultimately they went back.

If you own many lipsticks nothing about the color selection here is something you don't already own, potentially in a better formula. I had the highest hopes for the Le Matte formula, as I prefer a matte finish, but I found them to be sheer, patchy, and a bit dry. The NYX Matte Lipstick formula is infinitely better and a much better value.

The Le Laque is by far a more unique a formula. It is absolutely a vinyl finish on the lips, that after a very short while begins to hemorrhage outside my lip line. If you don't have a problem with bleeding this could be a nice addition to any collection but overall I though the whole release was just kind of meh.

Have you guys come across this display yet? Any thoughts?

Koh Gen Don't

I was so excited to see Koh Gen Do pop up on HauteLook this past month. I've seen their products a handful of times but had never really investigated anything too seriously. I know they're famous for their base products, but none of the formulas that were available really spoke to me.

Instead I opted for the Maifanshi Mineral Eyeshadow quad in #302. After a quick Google  I saw that it had been featured as an autumn must have (last year) on Into the Gloss (Love!) so I decided to pull the trigger and add it to the cart.

Unfortunately, I really don't think this lives up to it's 60$ pricetag. (I paid $30 on HauteLook) It's supposed to be "undetectable, cinema quality" makeup but it really just doesn't show up. These swatches required a lot of building and were even more difficult on the eyes. Discount or not I say pass on the eyeshadows from Koh Gen Do.

Have you had any luxury disappointments lately?