Review: Carina Dolci Mineral Cosmetics

     I found Carina Dolci's shop on Facebook through mutual likes. Her colors were really pretty, and she was having a moving sale, so I decided to try her stuff out. (Check out her shop here and her facebook page here.)

I ordered nine eyeshadows (because I'm ridiculously indecisive. And like I said- SALE!)

Frrom L to R: Black w/ Blue glitter, Black w/ Gold glitter, Black w/ Dark Fuchsia glitter, Copper, Merlot, Twinkling Lights, Lilac, Sweet Tart, and Mint

     I got a nice mix of dark, metallic, and pastels. Before I my order was shipped Carina Dolci messaged me and told me I needed to get the Starry Eye Serum because it makes a huge difference in the shadows, and gave me a coupon code for free shipping as well. I was really iffy about it because it looks just like water, but I got it just to be safe.

     Here are all the colors swatched, half over the serum and half over naked skin.

(Colors are in same order as first picture)

As you can tell, the serum does make a HUGE difference, especially in the metallic and dark colors! And though the serum looks and feel like water, it holds the shadows on all day, with no creasing! And blending was still no issue over the serum. However- you do need to make sure you let it dry before putting shadow over it.

This is the "Copper" shadow.

Better picture of the color.

     It did take me awhile to get my order, but it's understandable because they're moving their shop. And for the inconvenience she sent me 18 shadows samples. 18! I won't swatch them because it's so many, but I am very appreciative of her!

     All and all her stuff is great!

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and check out my beauty page here! The Beauty Fiends 

Etsy Shop: ReneeLoughlin

     I love jewelry just about as much as I love make-up. And I can't really say I love one specific type, because I have girly stuff, edgy stuff, vintage stuff- a little bit of everything. While trolling on etsy (like I tend to do) I found ReneeLoughlin's shop (check it out here!) She has such awesome stuff! Everything has a kind of vintage/retro kind of vibe, which I love.

     I bought (click to enlarge):

This pretty bird necklace (two are white, one is turquoise) ($24)

And these awesome razor blade earrings! ($18)

     When my package arrived, I was surprised by the necklace. For some reason I thought the birds were going to be bigger. But I actually really like the size once I had it on because it looks much more dainty and lady-like. The earrings are just pure awesome- and no, they aren't sharp. She also sent me cute bobby pin with a skull brooch on it, which was really nice!

     

     I feel like the prices were decent- not too high. And she had great communication and ships super fast! I would definitely buy from her again.

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and check out my Facebook page- The Beauty Fiends 

Facebomb Cosmetics Review!

     I just receive my Facebomb Cosmetics order the other day, and I'm HELLA EXCITED! I ordered two full size colors and the sample pack. I bought during a sale, so for everything (including shipping) I paid a whopping $9.75. Not too shabby at all! (Check out Facebomb's etsy shop here and their Facebook page here to learn about sales and see all the new stuff before it's listed in the shop!)

     The very first thing I did when I got the package was take the sifter lids out of the eyeshadows. I don't know why, but sifter lids drive me bananas. But besides that, packaging was great- the shadows were shrink wrapped to prevent spillage and the samples came in little ziplock baggies.

Now on to swatches! (Click to enlarge)

Hyrule, Diabolique, Stranglehold, and Stay Frosty (Ignore my tattoo :-D)

     These colors were swatched over a primer (WHICH IS ALWAYS A MUST! SERIOUSLY! Not only do you use less product, it also helps your shadows wear all day!) The first two colors I ordered, and the last two were my random samples. All of these colors are pretty glittery/shimmery which I personally LOVE!

     Hyrule is a beautiful teal.

     Diabolique is a purple/brown/taupe kind of color, and 

     it's probably my favorite.

     Stranglehold is a pretty lilac purple.

     Stay Frosty is an awesome metallic silver.

     And here they are in action- (Click to enlarge)

I'm wearing Stranglehold on the lid, with Diabolique in the outer corner/crease.

     Diabolique is actually darker than in the picture, but I applied it with a fluffy brush so it went on nice and soft. These shadows apply well, blend well, and are just beautiful.

     Now for the most important question- how do they wear?

Me at work- six hours after initial application.

Me at home- NINE HOURS after initial application.

     I am very, VERY happy with how these wore! As long as you're wearing a primer, Facebomb eyeshadows will last you all day! LOVE!

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and check out my facebook page for more fun stuff!  The Beauty Fiends

One Of My Favorite Shops- Tifthapeach

     I don't know about you guys, but I think gauged ears look SO COOL. But, I just can't commit to stretching out my lobes. I have tons of earrings, and I don't want to feel limited to only gauges. Plus, it's really not appropriate for my more conservative job.

     While surfing etsy, I came upon Tifthapeach (check her out here). She makes SUPER AWESOME earrings for gauged ears- but she can turn any of them into "fakers." Fakers give the look of gauged ears, but are made for pierced ears. SO AWESOME! Plus, she'll totally customize them for you. Color, style, glitter- you get a totally unique earring.

I've ordered from her twice now, and she's a total doll. And she gives a coupon code to return customers, which is always a nice touch. All and all, both times I've worked with her I've had a great experience, and her products are awesome. Total A+!

Now for some pictures!

First pair I bought. The "Samari" style in black with glitter.

Part of my second order. "Corkscrew" style in hot pink with glitter.



This one might be my favorite pair. "Woodland" style in "bloodwood" color.

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and check out my facebook page here! The Beauty Fiends

A Quick Intro, and What I Hope To Accomplish!

     Hello there! My name is Alison and this is my blog of all things I love. I've had this blog for some time now, and am pretty sporadic in my posts. But now my friend Grace and I started a fan page on Facebook in hopes of sharing our obsessions with like minded people. (Check it out here! The Beauty Fiends) So now with hopes of a bigger audience, I revamped my blog and am ready to post!

     So, for anyone who doesn't know, I work two jobs- one of them as a make-up artist. So obviously. the passion for make-up is there. But beyond that I love jewelry, purses, and pretty much all things girly. My other job is more business-like, so I can't be fun and wild like at Ulta. But I think it helps in reviewing, because I try to suggest things for both worlds.

     As for things I'd like to accomplish... well, let me start by saying I am a huge fan of etsy. (If you haven't seen it, YOU MUST GO!) There is so MUCH amazing stuff! And I have found quite a few great beauty shops on there. Awesome products for even the smallest budgets- it's amazing! So I want to share my discoveries, tell you what I think, and show you how how the products work.

     I'll mostly be focusing on make-up, but if I have anything else worthwhile, I will happily share those too! And a lot of brands will be indie, but I also will cover more well known brands.

     Basically, this will be my happy little corner of the internet where I get the chance to ooh and ahh over all sorts of fun stuff, and spread the words to others. If I get anyone half as excited as me, I'll feel like I succeeded!

Product Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

     I love painting my nails, but I have very limited patience. So the whole base coat, two coats of color, topcoat, and drying time gets on my nerves. Plus, no matter how long I let them dry, I always feel like I end up chipping or smudging one of my nails right away. So I decided I'd give these new Sally Hansen nail strips a try.

     The idea behind these are that they are basically stickers you apply to your nail. They are made of real nail polish, but they have no drying time and are supposed to last upwards of ten days. Plus they have many cool designs ranging from bright colors to lace and fishnet and houndstooth.

     In each box you get sixteen strips of polish (which seems like a very bizarre number... but they want to make sure there's a size that works for every nail, without giving you enough for two applications.) The nail polish strips are sealed really well, and you are supposed to throw away the ones you don't use... I think this is because once they are opened they start drying out and will lose their flexibility. You also get a cuticle stick and a mini three sided nail file (one side for buffing, the other sides have a strong grit and fine grit nail file [grit meaning how rough it is].) The kit also contains instructions.

     Application is pretty easy. Starting with clean, dry nails (no basecoat!) you push back your cuticles. Next you buff the nails. After that you can start applying the strips. Starting at the cuticle you adhere the strip to the nail, smoothing as you go up. The cuticle stick can be used to help. The strip also has a bit of stretch to it, so you can manipulate it. The instructions tell you to file off any excess strip that overhangs the nail, but I just bent it over my natural nail and this tears it away nicely. Then I used the cuticle stick to help get rid of any strips that were extra on the sides- I did this by pushing the cuticle stick up and down all the way around my nail (like cutting a cake), so it smoothed out the strip on my nail while simultaneously severing the excess.

     Once they're all applied, I used a topcoat to seal it. The directions don't call for one, but to me they felt like stickers and were matte looking, so putting a topcoat on made them look like real nail polish. Plus in my opinion, it made them seem more durable. BE AWARE- when you use a topcoat, you still have to be careful to let them dry. I happened to bump one of my nails that were still wet and it messed up the design a bit. But other than that, they wear on these are fantastic. I had mine on for a solid eight days, and I then decided to take them off because they were chipping- not at the tip, but at the base where my nails were growing out. To remove, simply use nail polish remover. They are harder to get off than regular polish, but they aren't as difficult as glitter polish.

Final grade: A!

Review: Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette

     For those who may not be familiar with them, Too Faced offers a few really great eyeshadow palettes. The one I'm reviewing is their newest (and my personal favorite.) Prior to that their collection included the Smokey Eye, Natural Eye, and the Naked Eye.

     What I love about these palettes is that they're all designed to be very user friendly, which makes them awesome for people who are new to make-up. Each palette contains 9 eyeshadows which are color coordinated into three different "looks"- namely the Day look, Classic look, and Fashion look. However, that doesn't mean people can't mix and match all the colors in the palette- some of my favorite looks have been made using colors from all three "looks." The layout for the three "looks" is a highlight shade (which is always the biggest), a lid color shade, and a crease/liner shade (which is always the darkest color).

All the palettes come with "How To" cards as well, which clearly lays out which colors they have used  for each "look" and where on the eye they applied.

     But once again, people shouldn't be afraid to branch out from these instructions- these cards are designed more for novices so they can get the basic feeling of where to apply and what colors work together.

     Alright, now let's get into this particular palette.

     I have obviously used it, so it looks a little grungy.  The colors are as follows:

Day Look: Soulmates (a glittery light peach), I Do (a matte taupe), Un-veil (a matte dark chocolate)

Classic Look: Kiss the Bride (a matte baby pink), Cut the Cake (a glittery lavender grey), First Dance (a matte plum).

Fashion Look: Bouquet Toss (a matte off-white), Honeymoon (a metallic green-gold), Ever After (a glittery metallic brown).

    
    I hate that the matte ones don't photograph well. But I'd have to say Cut the Cake is probably my favorite color- its really cool and different from other greys out there.

     Too Faced eyeshadows are one of my favorite to work with. They have good pigmentation, blend well, and have interesting colors. I think the reason I've been loving this palette so much is because it has different formulations of the matte, glitters, and metallics that make it very versatile.

So all and all, this guy gets a A! Great for people new to make-up, and great for those with experience. Awesome colors, awesome to work with. Love it!