Sunday, May 26, 2013

Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner!!

Thank you to everyone that entered my Jelly Pong Pong Giveaway!  Welcome to new followers! All of your names were entered (once for new followers, twice for old followers!) into the draw and put into a big ol' box! My 5 year old son, helped me fold and put them in the box!

And....my son drew THIS ONE:

So, if this is you...you have 3 days to send me an email with your address, otherwise I will need to redraw!! aleks-81@hotmail.com

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

XO,
A

Friday, May 17, 2013

Starlooks - March, April Starboxes, Birthday box and others! *epic*

Due to being away from my blog for some time, I have to catch up on my beloved Starlooks!  So, today is a post with tons of Starlooks deliciousness! This is the haul. It makes me giddy just to look at it! :)

If you ever want to see swatches of a product from their site, just shoot them an email and they will be more than happy to oblige!  I believe they are currently working on updating their website.  I'm super excited.  Seriously, one of everything for me please!

HD Fluid Blush - cf205 cheeky luscious - $15

So, this is a really fantastic and unique product! It has a thick cream like consistency and it's so easy to work with! I use this product all the time and it's going to last me a lifetime!  I put a tiny drop on my index finger (and I'm talking like 1/10th of a pea size here people!!) and dot it along my cheek bone and then quickly blend it in.  I know it looks a bit bubblegummy but it looks so natural and pretty! The nice thing is that you can build it up, so I prefer to be light handed!  You can no longer get the signature Lauren Clark items but stay tuned to my blog because I will be giving one of these exact blushes away!

Lip Pencil -  K337 Tipsy - $12

This is a really pretty liner in a coraly pink colour.  It's definitely unique since most corals are orangey red. It's definitely a fun colour and one I'm really looking forward to using this summer.  This particular pencil is the limited edition Lauren Clark, but you can still get the unsigned pencil on their website.  It's a really nice bold colour with a creamy appliation.

Tipsy.

Wow...bright!

Lipstick - p093 tipsy - $12

This lipstick pairs nicely layered on top of the tipsy pencil.  It's moisturising and creamy with a satin finish.  Their lipsticks come in an incredible 89 shades!  This is ridonkulous, ladies!  Their lipsticks are amazing! Just amazing! The tender gloss are my fave.  What I like about these lipsticks is that you can see the colour at the bottom of it.  That really helps when you wind up with 22 different lipsticks in the bottom of your purse. But not me... I'm organized... *blink* This one is the Lauren Clark singature one, but you can purchase the unsigned version on the website as well.

Bam! How pretty does that look?!

Now, here are some swatches of the above products! Left to right: lip liner, lipstick, blush. Gorgeous, right?! Just a note that I applied a couple layers of blush to get a nice pop of colour to share with you! You don't want to wear blush that heavy...or maaybe you doo.. ;)

Lipgloss - E329 tipsy - $12

Another Lauren Clark signature item, that is available unsigned on the website.  I adore this gloss!  It looks simply amazing layered over the lipstick and just as amazing on its own, so I really couldn't tell you my favourite way to wear it.  The formulas of their lip gloss is super high quality.  They are completely non sticky. That's important, right? The colour impact is huge, layered or on it's own! They are non drying.  I really can't sing enough praises for their gloss! With 47 (yes!! 47!!) shades, you will definitely find something to suit you!

Swatch of tipsy gloss! Pretty!!

Studio Blend Cover Foundation spf15 - FH105 - $19

Now, ordering foundation online can be a bit tricky!  When I picked up my Satin Finish foundation I guessed at my colour and I happened to get it bang on.  Talk about LUCK!  So, when I decided to order this one, I went by codes.  My satin finish foundation is FK105, so for this one I selected FH105.

Guys. I don't even know HOW to tell you this. BEST foundation EVER. Seriously. I'm not just blowing smoke here! I can't tell you which one I love more because I love them both.  The satin one is a bit dewier looking and slightly less coverage.  I've done a review on the satin previously and I will do a review on this one soon.  I am desperately trying to finish up some other foundations I have and mark my words... I'll never by a foundation by any other brand ever again! This foundation is supposed to stay on your face for a long time! :)

Do you want to sample their foundation to see if it's right for you (of course it's going to be!) shoot them an email! They previously sent samples to people and I believe they still will if you want to try it!

This is a good example of how far this foundation goes.  I *thought* I squeezed out a small dab of it and ummm..a small dab expands and expands for miles as you blend it! this is a pea size amount!


Please remember these pictures have been edited so you can see the product. My skin tones is more like above, not as pale as it appears here.  Look at this, though.  That little amount I took I still had way too much!  I took a picture of it completely blended in.  You couldn't see a thing. It looked natural and beautiful. It will be a greater justice for me to prove it on my face!  So, please look out for that post!

Brush - 944 Deluxe Foundation $27

At this time, I haven't tried this brush yet.  I love watching the "Why Marci?" videos and she was using this brush to apply her foundation. She likes to call it the "Kitty Paw." :)  I was immediately drawn to it.  I usually use a beauty blender but I can't wait to give this a go!  I don't have a ton of their brushes but they are high quality! This brush is made from 100% pure Japanese nylon strands.  What does this mean?  It doesn't hold on to bacteria like some other brushes.  This is what makes it perfect for applying liquid products!

944 deluxe foundation brush.  You need this in your life!

Look at the beautiful quality!

This brush is HUGE and it's so soft!  I am washing it tonight so I can use it tomorrow!  Ohhh I have a hard time getting beautiful brushes dirty!

Now! On to the March Starlooks Starbox!  This has been by far my most favourite box!  I love the rose gold elastic ribbon and the kraft colour of the box with the navy tissue was a combination I'm totally drawn too!

The beautiful photography showcasing the product.  See, the blue tissue?  It's always a hint to the colours inside!

What Starlooks Starbox is complete without the crystal?  I always look for this first and toss it in my jar!

Lipstick - p053 flutter - $12

This is a lipstick that I wouldn't have chosen for myself.  However, once I put it on I really enjoyed the uniqueness of it.  It's one I think I will save for fall.  It's a shimmery copper with gold flecks in it. It has quite a bit of staying power as quite a bit of it stayed on while I ate supper.

Here is a closeup. It doesn't look anywhere near this orange, but you can see the flecks.  It's definitely a copper colour.

Eye Shadow (matte) - i277 disarray - $12

Super duper excited to get an eye shadow from Starlooks!  Eye shadow is one of my favourite things to receive.  When I first saw it, I thought to myself "It's a good thing I just recently tried blues and found they work for me!"  But, my thoughts were seriously light years behind.  This is a dark navy blue but it is GORGEOUS!  It's definitely perfect for a neutral day look or a sultry evening look!  I've been using it a lot and you can only see a small scuff!  It's totally buildable and blendable.  The matte comes in 16 shades.

Closeup. It looks a bit shimmery in the pot, but it definitely goes on matte.

Here is a swatch of the lipstick on the left and the shadow on the right.  The shadow is really hard to capture but I will get an action shot for you!  It's definitely one of those colours you need in your makeup case!

Lengthening Mascara - mc01 black - $15

This product was so exciting!  There hadn't been a mascara on the website until this was featured in the box. Now, let me tell you... this thing is HEAVY.  It's no normal mascara!  Now, I don't normally bust into mascaras because I know they get icky fast..but I wanted to try this out right away and see if I wanted it in my regular makeup pile. Umm...*should* I have been surprised?? I've previously taken out a small stock in benefit's bad gal lash...but I can easily replace with the Starlooks mascara!  You want lashes that really pop...here you go!  I promise to do a review of this product really soon for you!

This is what the brush looks like.  A dense pine tree! It gets all your lashes, even the baby ones in the corner of your eye!

Lip Sugar - $2

This vanilla lip scrub is all natural, yay! So, rest assured if you eat the whole jar a bit off your lips!  All you have to do is rub a tiny bit on your lips to exfoliate them and then wipe off with a tissue.  This is a great prep for putting on lipstick.  Especially, if the lipstick is matte.

 Here is everything together.  For Canadians I believe it's about $22 a month shipped.  Awesome deal considering the value of the box is $41!

As if I can't brag about Starlooks enough... in your birth month you receive an extra surprise box! Seriously! My birthday is in March and my birthday box showed up first week of April.  I believe they ship all that month's birthday boxes at the end of the month.  This is seriously crazy, what other company does something like this!?  And...this box is a big deal.

This is what comes in the box!  Seriously, 3 items!? WOW!

Kohl Eye Pencil - Jk230 Onyx - $8

I'm not usually a fan of pencil liners.  My eyes are two different shapes and I always get frustrated when the liner looks different on both eyes.  I feel with gel I get better control.  However, I tried this liner on just the outer half of my eyelid, since I can do that look with my eyes open. I was impressed at how smooth and creamy it went on!  I just did a test, so I can't say anything about lasting power.  It's a true black and it doesn't skip!  I will definitely be playing with this more often!

Onyx.

Closeup.

Lip Pencil - K342 Kinky - $12

I'm generally not a huge fan of lip liners.  I've only recently been starting to wear lipstick.  I was totally a gloss only girl.  Lip liners are those things that can be hit and miss and most of what I've tried has been a miss. Often they are super dry and you have to slice up your lips to get it on. I've been using a clear liner to prevent lipstick bleeding.

Kinky is the perfect liner.  This colour has what I hope for in a liner.  It's smooth and creamy, it has a slight shimmer so you can wear it on it's own and it matches the lipstick EXACTLY.  Kinky (liner and lipstick) is definitely in my top 3 favourite reds of all time now!

Kinky.  If you can see the shimmer at the end of the swatch, the liner is much like that!

It isn't as orange as it looks here, it's more like the first picture of the liner. :)

Lipstick - p021 kinky - $12

First of all, I have to say that a lipstick of this high quality for $12 is amazing! Like I said above this is definitely in my top 3 favourite reds.  This colour is rich, moisturising, and feels great on the lips! The colour doesn't transfer on to the teeth which is really important with bold colours.  It has a slight shimmer, but it's not like a chunky cheap looking glitter. It's like a diamond dust that gives it a frosty dewey look!

The pictures don't do it justice. :)  The colour is closer to the bottom slice of the lipstick container in the above picture.

Swatches L to R: kinky liner, kinky lipstick and onyx liner.

You get all of this, JUST for having a birthday.  That's how generous Starlooks is. :)

Last but not least, the latest box! (Say that 5 times, fast!) This is the April box.  The box this month was a chocolate brown lid and a tiffany blue bottom and logo.

The insert.

The wrap was a little different this month.  Usually it's folded tissue paper but this is wrapped in a different type of tissue and closed with a sticker.

The obligatory crystal.

This is what greeted me when I opened the wrap.

Lash Boost - vw04 Mascara Primer - $15

This primer is made to moisturise your lashes and soothe them, help with growth and provide a smooth base for your mascara!  You can use it before going to bed or under your mascara.  It contains a polymer that can thicken lashes up to 50%.  I haven't tried it yet, but I will definitely give it a go under mascara first.  I love huge pop, look at me lashes.  This will look perfect underneath the Starlooks Lengthening Mascara I mentioned above.  You know...the HG of mascaras. ;)

It comes in this really nice sleek packaging. I won't say what my hubs said it looks like. :P

 Mineralized Finishing Powder - ML410 Translucent Nude - $19

This is an invisible powder. You can use it alone, over foundation or as a finishing powder to help combat shine! It does have mica but it's talc free.  I know this is important to some people!  I really can't wait to try this out and give you a review.  I think there were a lot of people who say they don't use this type of product.  However, with Starlooks I always encourage you to try your products.  You won't know what you will fall in love with!! I fall in love over and over again with their products!

This thing fills up my entire palm. The container is huge!  I'm super excited for this because I do have combination skin!  You can make out the little squares, so you can see it's a sifter.

Tendergloss Lipstick - PM417 Polish - $11

I get super excited to receive tender gloss lipsticks in my box!  They are one of my favourite lipsticks because they're so smooth and creamy! It's a product that is a lipstick and a lip gloss all in one. I seriously want them all!  I hope Starlooks gets their new swatches up on the website soon! It will definitely make it that much easier to spend money! :) SERIOUSLY, girls. $11 for one of these is an amazing deal!

This months box had 4 different shade options. Polish, African Sunset, Trinity and Basic.

Here is a closeup! Sorry, I forgot to swatch it for you!

Lip Balm - Mint - $5

Sometimes, Starlooks throws in a little bonus item.  This month they've added a mint flavoured Lip Balm.  You can never have enough of these, especially when you live in cooler climates! They say if you use the lip scrub first and this over top you will get a nice sweet mint flavour. :)

This is the whole box with a retail value of $50!  Not too shabby eh? :)  I love getting this subscription in the mail! It makes for a happy day.  I always want to break in and start playing with everything!

As ever, all Starlooks products are cruelty free! If you want to give them a try, I encourage you go ahead, make that leap of faith and see what the brand is about! This independent makeup brand is quickly gaining popularity and will become a "household" brand before we know it! I share my passion for Starlooks because I truly love their products.  They have amazing customer service and will definitely make your experience a wonderful one!  If you try them, let them know I sent you!  If you want recommendations, feel free to leave me a message or shoot me an email!

Have a wonderful long weekend, friends!
XO
~A