Hebridean Sprite Beauty

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil Swatches

2013-04-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

It's been a while, but I'm hoping that the blogging muse will slowly makes it's way back to me! There are some goodies coming out from Morgana Cryptoria this month I'm hopeful about so *fingers crossed*.

Also if you want to keep following this blog and are currently following only through GFC, you're going to need to change platforms. Unfortunately google has decided to get rid of GFC this month and you won't be able to see anything I write anymore once they rid of it. Luckily there are other ways to follow such as through Facebook, Bloglovin, and e-mail as can be seen under the follow-me button at the top of the page. Hopefully I'll keep seeing you!

Now for what you are really here for, the Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencils- and gosh are they fantastic looking so far. I'm already in love! Lovely matte black packaging, twist up mechanism and super super pigmented semi-matte formula.

Some of the photos below are a tad blurry- the lighting in Sephora isn't the best. But the colours are all fairly accurate. Yes, some are as bright and out of this world as they appear.

They all had the same texture except Amarone which was quite sheer and glossier than the rest, and Meritage which wasn't as sheer as Amarone but did have a glossier consistency similar.

Bottom-Top: Syrah, Madeira, Honey Berry, Meritage, Rhubarb, Corvina, Bouquet, Velvet, Chablis,

B-T: Velvet, Chablis, Tart, Violet, Quince, Grapevine, Zinfandel, Toast

Bottom-Top: Toast, Pomegranate, Tannin, Amarone, Bramble

Bottom-Top: Grapevine, Zinfandel, Toast, Pomegranate, Tannin, Amarone, Bramble

B-T: Quince, Grapevine, Zinfandel, Toast, Pomegranate, Tannin

B-T: Velvet, Chablis, Tart, Violet, Quince, Grapevine

Bottom-Top: Velvet, Chablis, Tart

Bottom - Top: Meritage, Rhubarb, Corvina, Bouquet, Velvet

Bottom-Top: Syrah, Madeira, Honey Berry, Meritage, Rhubarb, Corvina

Anyone else as blown away by these shades? There really does seem to be something for everyone!

You can currently purchase these from Sephora for $28 CND. (Yes, unfortunately very expensive, but still cheaper then the Nars ones.)

EU bans cosmetic animal testing!

2013-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

If you have already heard the good news, then feel free to skip this blog post, but for those of you who haven't here is some of the latest news.

The European Union (a whole slew of countries that work together to an extent) has banned animal testing on cosmetics or there ingredients from being sold in the EU starting March 11th, of THIS YEAR!

Many people thought that this deadline would be pushed back but they've stood firm and it's a go for March 11th. This is huge news for cruelty-free beauty people like myself who lost so many brands due to China's policy that all cosmetics being sold in their country must be tested on animals.

What remains to be seen is what some of the major brands are going to decide to do- remain in China and continue animal testing but have to pull out of all the EU countries, or pull out of China's booming population and quit animal testing.

I'm sure it will come down to dollars and cents for most of the companies but I'm just thrilled on such a great step forward for the cosmetics industry.

Till next time!

Top 12 of 2012

2013-01-01T08:48:00.001-08:00

This year instead of doing my favourites for the entire year and having a winner for a whole slew of categories like I have done the last two years I decided to keep it short and sweet. Here are my favourites from the past 12 months!

1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in Black Diamond or shade 7. Fantastic unique shade, iron-wear time, easy to apply and soft applicator. You can check out full reviews by clicking the names, but I love this liner.

2) Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in my shade Porcelain. I like how light weight it is, the fact it doesn't cause my skin to go into melt-down mode and that it incluse SPF 20. An everyday staple for me. It's not perfect exactly but it's by far better than anything else I've tried.

3) Marcelle Hydra-C Ultra Thin Matifying Fluid. An everyday thing for me. Not only does this moisturizer have fantastic vitamins in it, it moisturizes well and keeps my skin matte all day long. It helps my skin heal itself faster than without and I never want to run out of this stuff.

4) Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-gel stain in Fever. I've not reviewed this yet but it really is a fantastic lip stain. Beautiful workable colour and long lasting. It has become my go to lip shade. Easy to leave as a slight tint or built up. Review to come soon hopefully!

5) Blinc Mascara. Yes, this is a tubing mascara in black but I must say tubing mascara changed my life. No flaking, no smudging, long lasting, cry-proof, sleep-proof, sweat-proof, pretty lashes. With my watery allergenic eyes this mascara has been a godsend.

6) Nars Penny Lane Blush This is such a fantastic everyday cream blush. The formula on it is fairly unique in that it's cream to powder and it's never sticky or greasy. A wonderful neutral on my pale skin it tends to go with everything.

7) Nars Albatross Highlighter I only just received this but already I adore it. To be reviewed soon it's a wonderful glowy white-gold shade that when blended along the cheek bones creates the most stunning ethereal effect. My favourite highlighter yet!

8) Smashbox Intermix Bronzer/Blush

The only bronzer/blush I've ever used that has looked healthy and glowy on my fair skin rather than dirty. I honestly can't believe I haven't reviewed this! So subtle and perfect in the summer time. Now that I've realized my oversight it is in my review line-up!

9) Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful

Another perfect summer shade! Gorgeous coral flush and it lasts so much longer than every other blush I've tried. Don't let the coloured plastic packaging fool you this is definetly a blush you can depend on.

10) Avene Clean-Ac Moisturizer

The best overnight moisturizer for my acne. Non-clogging, redness reducing and super hydrating the only downsides are the price and the fact it can feel a bit greasy in the morning. A miracle worker other than that though!

11) Haus of Gloi. This is for a company as Haus of Gloi has continued to impress me over the year whereas many other brands have fallen short. This vegan company always has consistently high quality products and amazing customer service. There Sugar scrub is a must for me in the shower and there perfumes are some of the only ones I've ever been able to wear and not have an allergic reaction too. Plus now they have an option were you can design your own personal perfume out of four notes among a list of options. Some of my favourites are Depravity, Hex, Brier Path, Litchi Milk Tea, Troika, Winter Divinity, Honeysuckle Lemon Curd, and Imp in no particular order. There pumpkin butter is an amazing moisturizing formula that is non-greasy and super moisturizing and like I mentioned there sugar scrub is my favourite scrub ever.

12) Indie Nail Polishes! (Special thanks to Pointless Cafe for permission for the photo use! P.S. this is Underhill from Hebridean Sprite Beauty) I'm sort of cheating with this one, but I fell in love with so many indie nail polishes this year and started my own small indie nail polish company so I didn't feel I could leave it out! Not only was Hebridean Sprite Beauty Nail Polishes a working of the past six months, I found some wonderful nail polishes this year. Ozotic 533, A England St. George, Ascalon and Dragon were all amazing and Cult Nails is still the maker of my go to top and base coats. Plus there are so many other stand-outs! If you like unique polishes the indie polish world really is the place to go to. I find they tend to be more creative than ordinary polish lines.

Awesome Beaute Boxing Day Deal

2012-12-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to inform you of a great deal from Beaute cosmetics. 40% off right now with the code boxingweek2012 . I adore there liqui-gel stain in Fever and so I'm highly tempted to pick up another shade too at this lower price.

Beaute Cosmetics Here

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it or if not, a relaxing and pleasant few days :D

Some Gifts for the Holidays

2012-11-28T15:20:00.001-08:00

There are always cosmetics that seem to catch my attention that I add my list every year. This year has been harder than others in the past though as so many brands have changed their animal testing status to be able to sell in China. (Extremely frustrating as a cruelty-free beauty blogger and a big part of the reason I've not been blogging as much)

Anyways, here are some items that made the cut! Enjoy!

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lip Gloss- Siren

This has been on my wishlist for over a year. Expensive but it looks so nice!

NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush

Another long time wishlist item. I love the colour and though again on the pricer side I've heard such good things about Nars blushes over the years it's something I've been eyeing too.

Guerlain Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette

A beautiful sophisticated eye and lip palette from Guerlain. I'm a little sketchy on whether Guerlain is still non-animal testing though. I've heard both answers lately.

Fresh Sugar Addiction Mini Lip Collection

These fresh lip treatments are half-size but you get a large range of colours! Plus with that many you don't really need the full size anyway. I love value packs. :D

Tarte Amazon Escape Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette

If you haven't tried tarte's amazonian clay blushes, I highly recommend them. Highly pigmented, long wearing and nicely packaged. This set has two in it and some nice looking eyeshadows.

What about everyone else? What are you eyeing up for Christmas?

Hebridean Sprite Beauty Christmas Carol Collection

2012-11-13T21:11:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Carol Collection!
L-R: Deck the Halls, Winter Wonderland, Hark! Angels Sing, O Christmas Tree, Reindeer Games

As many of you know I opened up my own small nail polish line in October. For the holiday season I wanted to add to the collection and I finally settled on 5 colours I think are not only festive but fairly non-denominational too despite their Christmas Carol names. I just wanted to show you all the pictures of them, and I apologize for some of the not so great photography. Certain colours *coughDecktheHallscough* refused adamantly to be photographed true to life.

Reindeer Games

Reindeer Games! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer inspired. A warm chestnut brown with a hint of purple shimmer and Red hex glitters.

Deck the Halls

Deck the Halls, the most blatantly festive of the collection! A true red jelly with gold holographic hex glitter.

Hark! Angels Sing!

Hark! Angels Sing! Is a pretty warm gold with colour-changing etherealness to it. It goes from peachy-pink to gold to green.

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree, is slightly like Hark! Angels Sing in that it has a colour change to it. This mossy golden-green actually has a red shift to it as well as emerald green mini hex glitters. Like a whole Christmas Tree on the nails.

Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland. This polish was made with freshly fallen snow drifts in mind, bright and slightly shimmery with a hint of a blue tone at times and a deep blue when in shadow. I love the contrast of the two matte glitters here with the base and the sapphire holo glitters. So fun!

Winter Wonderland Manicure

And a not so great photograph of me wearing Winter Wonderland.

So what do you think? Do these put you in the spirit of the upcoming holidays?

Royal Vampire Nail Polish Manicure for Halloween

2012-10-31T11:08:00.002-07:00

For those of you following the Hebridean Sprite Beauty shop on facebook you probably know I've been working on this Vampire inspired shade for a while now- about a month. First it was too dark, then too light then too opaque, then the subtle shimmer wouldn't show up on the nail, then it dried too matte. Finally I managed to get a shade that I'm happy with though I still need a topcoat for it in order to reach it's full potential I think.

Anyways it's a dark bloody red jelly shade with a subtle regal purple shimmer that is only evident in some lights. Shown is with three coats and I'm loving it, especially for Halloween. I'm actually posting it today in the shop and it will be a part of the permanent mythological line if anyone is interested. I wanted to post it earlier but as you can tell from earlier I just wasn't happy with it yet.

Above you can see some evidence of the purple shimmer. It's much harder to catch on camera than I'd hoped it would be.

Strangely but kind of ironically in the bottle Royal Vampire looks like bottled half-dried blood as it has a weird brown tone to it. None of that tone really shows up on the nail though and the shimmer is much more prominent in the bottle. I have no clue as to why this is but I thought I'd mention it.

a shot of the shimmer

Looking like partially dried blood

Hope everyone has a lovely candy-filled Halloween this evening! Stay safe and have a blast!

Avene's Clean-Ac Moisturizer~ Review

2012-10-24T10:49:00.003-07:00

Clean-AC Hydrating Cream

Avene is a skincare brand that I tend to go back to again and again but frequently forget to talk about. This product in particular is actually one of the best ones in my skin-care essentials and I can't believe I haven't blogged about it before.

Avene is a brand that uses spring water from a special healing spring in France in all of their products as well as solid dermatological formulations. I'm not so sure about all the water's healing properties myself but I have had success with their products.

Clean-Ac is a thick white moisturizer that smells lightly of cucumber, designed for red, irritated or acne prone skin. This is perfect if you are using an acne fighting system that is drying to your skin but you still have acne.

A little too thick for day, I prefer to use this at night as it's soothing, very moisturizing and I've always noticed a decrease in overall redness and acne appearance by the next morning. It also reduces the flakiness that can come with the harsh systems to fight acne.

I don't recommend this for daytime though as it doesn't have an SPF or sunscreen component (which is important for keeping skin healthy and youthful) plus it can feel a bit greasy after about 3-4 hours. I much prefer to slather on at night and cleanse off in the morning.

Priced around $18-$20 dollars it is on the pricy side, but you don't have to use much due to the thickness of the product.

Overall, it's a moisturizer but a very good one that calms the skin as well as it's hydrating properties. A bit on the expensive side but worth it, even if you only use it occasionally for agitated or reddened skin.

Sprite Rating: 9/10 (lost half a point for price and half a point for greasiness if used during day time that can occur after a few hours).

Would I buy this again? Yes, in fact I'm almost through my second bottle.

Check out Pointless Cafe's Review!

2012-10-02T14:29:00.006-07:00

Shiela the blogger over at Pointless Cafe is featuring 4 of our mythological collection shades over the next couple days! Her review of Underhill is amazing- the photos way beyond anything I could have managed! I can't thank her enough!
Check it out here:http://www.pointlesscafe.com/2012/10/hebridean-sprite-beauty-underhill.html

Hebridean Sprite Beauty~ Nail Polishes

2012-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I know I've disappeared for about a month, but there was a purpose to my vanishing act. I've been hard at work on the finishing details of my nail polish line.

I plan to expand eventually into other items as well, like lipsticks and eyeshadows, but I wanted to start with nail polishes all under the blog name, Hebridean Sprite Beauty. This has been in my mind for over a year now and I've finally decided to go through with it.

I wanted to have a company that was everything I valued in a cosmetic line: cruelty-free, good ingredients, products that work well, unique colours and shades, and because I know how difficult it is for vegans to find animal-byproduct free ingredients in their products, I decided to make the entire line vegan as well.

These first shades are all named after Scottish and Celtic mythology and make up the first part of my main line, the Mythology Collection. There are nine in total.

Each polish is made with solvent resistant glitter or non-degrading cosmetic approved pigment as well as stainless steel ball bearings. They also come with a information card, describing the name, the thought process that went into each polish and the history behind the myth. Included on each card is also an image by an artist showing one possible presentation of the mythological creature.

Huge thanks to all the artists that helped me with this endeavour through Deviant Art, I certainly couldn't have done this without every one of you!
(All artists have given permission for their art to be used in the cards and this blogpost ONLY. Please do not take their art or use it without permission from THEM. Thank-you!)
If you want to see the cards a bit bigger just click them :).

Brownie Photograph by Me! Kylie, my model is such a sweet helpful little girl.

These photos are both in sunlight and in indirect light. Really close-up too as the glitter in Brownie Helper is only 0.008 inch in size.

Underhill image slightly tweaked by me, but was from a stock photograph by Pavel Azamatov on Deviant Art.

You can check the original out here: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=FB60#/d1enfih

Image- A Ripple in the Water by: Carolyn Gan

Artist's website: http://wratbox.com/

Image- Fairy Ring by: JinxMim

With stock images by: almudena-stock, Eirian-stock and Kikii-stock

Artist's page: http://jinxmim.deviantart.com/

Image- Harbringer of Death By: Frankie Curran

Artist's Website: www.FrankieCurran.com

Image- Pure of Heart by: Kate Bloomfield

Artist's Page: http://katebloomfield.deviantart.com/

With stock on Deviant Art by: Satrumm, Jinxmim, Humblebeez, Missystock, and Sed-rah-stock

Image- Selkie Blues by: Andrea Sgorbissa

Artist's Site: http://sgorbissa.deviantart.com/

With stock images on Deviant art from: YsaeddaStock, faestock, greenleaf-stock, Goblinstock, redheadstock, mjranum-stock, jinxmim, grace-stock, thehoneybadger, trisste-brushes, and Morgue File.

Image- Smaug and his Treasure by Raymond E. Gaustadnes

Artist's page is at: http://shockbolt.deviantart.com/

Image- Fairy by Enrique Parietti

Image: http://epar3d.deviantart.com/art/Fairy-301114028

Artist's Website: http://eparcg.blogspot.com.es/

This collection has been the slow work of a year and I now finally have something to show for all the brainstorming, mixing and testing.

I'd love to hear what you think!

Hebridean Sprite Beauty is a little store through Store Envy, an online store service that works similar to etsy but doesn't charge fees (yay!) The paying system is all through paypal so it's very safe for everyone.

I open October 1st for business and each polish costs $10 USD. I'm only shipping to Canada and the USA at this time due to international mailing restrictions but hopefully once I figure out more of the legal mumbo-jumbo I can ship internationally too.

There is a minimum order of $20 right now (it sucks I know, and I'm sorry!) I really wish I didn't have to place a minimum but shipping out of Canada is insane right now. The cheapest shipping option available in Canada is 3x the price of American shipping. In order for me to make any money (because I take a hit for each shipment I send out over what each customer pays) I have to enforce a $20 USD or minimum 2 nail polish rule.

If I can find cheaper shipping, hopefully I can drop this, but after searching for many many hours a day over the course of about two weeks this is the lowest I can find available and thus the lowest I can charge.

The store link address is http://spritebeauty.storenvy.com
I'll also be adding a link page at the top of the blog for quick access. I hope you'll take the time to check me out come October!

The Conservatorie Pigment Swatches

2012-08-29T07:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a while I know! No excuses, but I have been super busy. Anyways, I made an order from The Conservatorie not too long ago and I wanted to show the swatches of the Mica pigments I purchased from them. The Conservatorie is a wholesale make-up ingredient supplier as well as packaging and normal make-up. If you sign-up for their e-mails you'll receive a code for 15% off your first order (hint: WELCOME). There is a $20 minimum but honestly, I found that pretty easy to surpass!

Anyways, here is the swatches. Hopefully this will be helpful to someone because I know there are very few pigment swatches from The Conservatorie available online. Plus I know there descriptions and online photos can suck but there prices are good. So here we are:

T-B: Orange Sorbet, Hot Pink, Pink Lady, Bubblegum Pink, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Sunset, Mango Margarita, Lemon Drop, Peak Green, Golden Green, Apple Martini

T-B: Orange Sorbet, Hot Pink, Pink Lady, Bubblegum Pink, Strawberry Daiquiri,

T-B: Bubblegum Pink, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Sunset, Mango Margarita

T-B: Mango Margarita, Lemon Drop, Peak Green, Golden Green, Apple Martini

T-B: Orange Sorbet, Hot Pink, Pink Lady, Bubblegum Pink, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Sunset, Mango Margarita, Lemon Drop, Peak Green, Golden Green, Apple Martini

T-B: Coral Reef, Winterveld, Duochrome Yellow-Blue, Luster Baby Blue, Magic Blue, Luster Blue, Violet, Violet Silk

T-B: Coral Reef, Winterveld, Duochrome Yellow-Blue, Luster Baby Blue, Magic Blue

T-B: Luster Baby Blue, Magic Blue, Luster Blue, Violet, Violet Silk

All swatches were done over Darling Girl Glitter Glue, which gives the pigments a wet or super intense look.
That's all for now but I'm hoping to get back into blogging soon!

A England Mythicals on for only 5 Pounds!

2012-07-18T05:39:00.001-07:00

Yep, if you've wanted one of the a-england Mythical polishes NOW is the time to get one! They are on for only 5 days for only 5 GBP (or pounds) this is an amazing deal because a-england polish is excellent and is normally 9 pounds each. Plus as always there is Free international shipping. Click Here for the Mythicals collection

As for me, I know I've been slacking. I should have another post up soon but lately I've been working on a surprise for you all plus I've not been wearing much makeup other than tinted moisturizer and sunscreen as I'm at the cottage (with limited internet). I've not abandoned everyone! Just waiting for more inspiration because a bunch of things in the make-up world haven't impressed me much lately. For example Revlon after 22 years of being cruelty-free has decided to hire another company to do animal testing for them. *shakes head in disgust*

Anyways, hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday!

Ozotic 533~ A stunning colour changing holographic polish!

2012-06-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

One of my happiest purchases lately has been Ozotic 533. This is a Periwinkle blue shade that changes to denim blue, violet and even rose depending on the lighting. It also has holographic sparkle in it. Pictured it is two coats over A England Gwenivere but the coats were thick enough I didn't really need the base colour as I thought I was going too.

They are no longer producing any more of these shades so be sure to pick them up while they're still available. I purchased mine through the Llarowe website.

Yes those pictures are all of the same polish! The staying power on this one was excellent (very little chipping until it grew out so I took it off) though the formula needs to dry a bit longer than average between coats to prevent dragging.

These average around $15 USD and though that puts them as expensive to me I think they're worth the price! The four Ozotic 'mish mash' shades (multichrome holographic combinations) are 531, 532, 533 and 534. Do you have any shades that have blown you away lately?

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10 (lost a half point for slight dragging issues)

Would I Buy it Again? YES! Such an amazing shade!

Awesome Memorial Day Weekend Deals (even if you aren't in the USA!)

2012-05-26T07:42:00.001-07:00

There are some great deals floating around this weekend! I've not tried all of these place before however I wanted to share them with you anyways.

Ilarowe is having a sale where you can order any one polish from the site at 49% off. Today only. This is a fantastic deal if you've been wanting one of the Ozotic mishmash holographic polishes like I have as it ended up being about $7 cheaper going from $14 odd dollars to under $10 including shipping to Canada. The code is llarowespringchicken

There is a fantastic deal on the Home Shopping Network site at the moment if you've ever wanted to try Deborrah Lippmann nail polish. You can get 2 of her polishes for half the price of a single polish. Shipping is less than $4. Include the ebates 2% cash back and you're laughing even more.
The two duos are Almost Paradise (a light charteuse) and Footloose (orange-red);
Let's Hear it for the Boy (powder blue) and Dancing in the Street (deep indigo shimmer).
You can see add them Here! and here! If you want to sign-up for ebates you can do so here:
If you don't know ebates it's super simple to use just go to the ebates site, login and search for the store through the search bar at the top. The search will show the results of stores with cashback offers by relevance, all you have to do is click the shop now button and the tracking ticket will activate and take you to the site. THen you just check out through the website you are shopping from as normal. Totally worth the effort, because even if it's only a little at a time it still adds up :D

Finally Meow cosmetics is having 20% off with the code AFewGoodCats
They are well known for their wide variety of foundation shades and eyeshadows. Though I never had any luck with choosing a foundation from them, I do have an eyeshadow that is rather pretty.

Finally the Cult Nails Fairy Tale collection is up for pre-sale at $40 for the set of 5. That's as though you get a polish for free. Yay.

Anyways, I'm off to my grandparents this weekend which I believe will be highly enjoyable. Have a good one everybody!

Cult Nails Fairy Tale Collection Pre-Sale

2012-05-25T08:14:00.004-07:00

I'll let the picture do all the talking. Looks like another great collection from Cult Nails!

Left to right: Princess, Feelin' Froggy, Evil Queen, Charming, Happy Ending

Ebates Deal!

2012-05-21T08:57:00.001-07:00

Just a quick e-bates deal for any of you that haven't heard. E-bates is celebrating their birthday with an extra 13% cash back on a bunch of different stores.
For example Beauty.com has got 6% everyday cash back plus 13% birthday cash back for a lovely 19% on your purchase! So if you've been thinking about purchasing something now would be the time!

If you haven't signed up for ebates and you shop online often it is totally worth your time. I highly recommend it as it's free and once you reach five dollars they'll send you a check in the mail (which is kinda funny actually to get a check for like $5 and 13 cents).

You can sign-up for it through clicking the button here:

Happy Shopping!

Quick Swatches and Impressions of Bare Minerals The Elements Quad

2012-05-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Bare Escentuals® bareMinerals® 'ReadyTM 4.0' Eyeshadow Palette

At my last Sephora trip I spotted the Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Eyeshadow Palette in Elements. Normally I wouldn't get something with an orange or a sheer sparkly colour in it, but I've kinda fallen for this pressed quad and it's on my wishlist!

The Elements palette

In the quad there are four shades, a shimmery pink-tinged beige, a matte almost green undertoned light grey, a matte toasted orange and a satin dusky teal. All are super pigmented and buttery in texture, though as the shimmery shade is so light it applies semi-sheer unless you build it up a bit.

And because I like to name things- from top to bottom: Water, Earth, Air and Fire :D

The palette costs $38 CND with only 0.17 oz of product total but as the shadows are so pigmented it's still tempts me!
What about anyone else? Tried these quads from Bare Minerals?

Cult Nails~ Vicious Swatch and Review

2012-05-18T06:49:00.001-07:00

Cult Nails Vicious (Cult Website Bottle Photo)

I've got another Cult Nails polish for everyone today! A dark royal purple creme called Vicious. This is very dark and looks almost black in some lights but is distinctly purple in sunlight.

I adore purples so I purchased this during the first $5 sale. This is probably the best of the Cult polishes I have in terms of wear time. It lasted a phenomenal 2 weeks with the Cult Nails top and Base coat (which are still my favourites as well). I rarely expect a full week out of my polishes so I was needless to say impressed. Above is shown with two coats of Vicious and Wicked Fast top coat, Get It On base coat.

On my purple comforter!

Overall another winner from Cult Nails! A tad too dark for me in some lights but an excellent polish formula wise and still a nice colour. If you haven't tried out Cult Nails yet I'm not sure why you haven't. A $10 each these are some of the best polishes I've tried.

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10 (I took off half a mark only for it being darker than I wanted by a but.)

Would I buy it again? Yes, I would. I figure a light coat of something else underneath would solve the dark issue and the formula is so phenomenal that if I managed to finish the bottle I'd purchase it more than once!

Cult Nails $5 Sale (Part 2)

2012-05-10T17:36:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know about the Cult Nails sale that will be going on Saturday. It's for one day only and will apply to specific colours (ones that were sold out for the previous sale).
You can buy up to 3 polishes at the sale price. I bought three during the last sale and I'm quite pleased. Vicious is my current manicure from that purchase and will be showing up as a review soon!

The specific shades are:
* Feel Me Up (Buttercup yellow)
* Crusin' Nude (Nude with pink shimmer)
* Living Water (Dark teal-blue jelly with medium blue glitter)
* Let Me Fly (Dusty medium teal with silver shimmer)
* Hypnotize Me (Shimmer pale green jelly top coat of light green and blue)
* Enigmatic (Warm red-based purple with lots of blue, pink and purple shimmer)
* Iconic (Gorgeous berry red with gold shimmer and flakies- one of my favourites!)
* Nevermore (One coat Black)

So be sure to check out the Cult Nails Facebook page friday so that you get the discount code! Plus they have some sneak peaks of a new collection coming out! Very exciting!

Morgana Cryptoria Lipstick Swatchfest

2012-05-03T12:27:00.003-07:00

L-R: Absinthe, Troll Repellent, Fallen Angel, Fairy Dust, Rose Plum, Coral Rose, Elegance, Sunset Peach

I just received my order from the Morgana Cryptoria Easter Sale. I purchased three new lipsticks which brings my total traditional lipsticks from this company to a total of eight. I've tried their lip glosses, Gel lipsticks and balms and none of them compare really to the lipstick formula. It's super long wearing, highly pigmented and not too drying. Plus the colours available rock.

This post is really picture heavy but I wanted to show you how the colour changes for many of these depending on the lighting. They also look quite different swatched on skin than on lips so I've tried to include as many lip swatches as I can.

When looking through Morgana Cryptoria's swatches I've found that they are often a shade to two shades lighter in the pictures online than in real life so I wanted to provide some alternative swatches for everyone. Enjoy!

Outside, T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

Inside, T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

Inside, T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

Close-ups!

Outside, T-B: Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

Outside, T-B: Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe

Outside, T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose

Inside, T-B: Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe, Fallen Angel

T-B: Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose, Rose Plum, Absinthe

Inside, T-B: Sunset Peach, Fairy Dust, Elegance, Troll Repellent, Coral Rose

Inside, L-R: Fallen Angel, Absinthe, Rose Plum

Lip Swatches

Elegance

Fairy Dust (outside)

Fairy Dust (inside)

Troll Repellent

Fallen Angel

Absinthe (with lime green shimmer in clear gloss on top- you can barely see it but it's there)

Rose Plum

Sunset Peach

Rose Coral

Cult Nails Scandalous~ Swatch & Review

2012-04-25T10:06:00.003-07:00

I recently indulged in the Cult Nails $5 sale and Scandalous was one of the shades I purchased. It is such a bright shade. I described it to my mother as electric coral flamingo. The polish is a Jelly finish so there is visible nail line but depending on the amount of layers you use the noticeability of nail line varies.

The strange thing about this polish is how much it changes depending on the light your in. Sometimes it's quite peach other times very orange, and others more pinky.

The formula on this is pretty good. I used four coats as I prefer a more opaque look but you could use less. I found it needed at least two though because otherwise my nails just looked yellow and unhealthy. It has lasted very well as do most of the Cult Nails polishes do. However, I just don't like the colour on me. No fault really of the polish, it's just too bright and warm for me.

Overall, a good but bright jelly polish. Needs at least two to three coats to take away yellowness but does go away. Excellent lasting ability.

Sprite Rating: 8/10- Lost points for needing 4 coats to satisfy my coverage needs. Plus it's just way too bright for me. (Not really the polish's fault)

Would I Buy It Again? No. I like the formula but the colour just isn't for me.

Venomous Cosmetics Dr. Suess Collection swatches

2012-04-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a long time and I apologize for that but sometimes real life takes over and demands attention. Here is a recent order I made to Venomous Cosmetics. Tracy the owner is such a pleasure to work with when I asked her about possibly getting one of her limited edition shades she wasn't selling anymore. It's Wilted Roses a gorgeous darkened red with blue shimmer. I tried to press it but something went wrong and it isn't working quite right so I'm glad that I still have half a jar of it loose.

T-B: Wilted Roses loose, Wilted Roses pressed, Solar Flare, Buttered Battle

T-B: Wilted Roses pressed and loose

Now up to the Dr. Suess collection. I loved Dr. Suess as a child, such a talented author. Here is what I got.

Truffula Tuft Lip Poison (gloss)

Truffula Tuft is a lovely spring shade, slightly coral-pink and neutral enough for most looks. Love the formula as normal.

T-B: Pair of Pale Green Pants with Nobody Inside 'Em, Solar Flare, Buttered Battle, Sea Krait

T-B: Buttered Battle, Sea Krait, Supernova

T-B: Wilted Roses (pressed), Wilted Roses (loose), Song of the Swomee Swans (loose), Pair of Pale Green Pants With Nobody Inside 'Em (loose)

So the colours didn't seem to like my camera much. The base of Wilted Roses came out right but there is a whole bunch of turquoise shimmer at least in the loose version.
Song of the Swomee Swans is slightly more purple than it is here.
Pair of Pale Green Pants With Nobody Inside 'Em has the shimmer right but is more of a mint shade.
Sea Krait is part of the main line and is brighter in real life but Supernova is about right (also part of the main line).
Solar Flare, and Buttered Battle actually came out true to colour. As did Trufulla Tuft.

So sorry on the fail in colours here, I tried, I really did. I am really glad I got Buttered Battle eyeshadow and Trufulla Tuft lip gloss, as well as Wilted Roses eyeshadow as it's so unique.

Hopefully this will at least give you a sense of the colours.

Cult Nails $5 Sale (NOW GO GO GO!)

2012-04-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

A quick update because Cult Nails is having an awesome half price sale. You can buy up to 3 polishes for only $5 each (excluding the limited edition colours) with the code FB5K. Totally worth it as the polishes from the company are my favourite formula (and I've got a bunch of different companies polishes lol). So, if you have ever been interested in trying Cult Nails now is the time to try them! I purchased Scandalous, Vicious and Let Me Fly.
If you want to see some swatches of Cult Nails polishes I've got Time Traveller (a dark blue jelly), Get it On and Wicked Fast (the best base and top coats I've ever tried), Living Water (a dark teal with light blue shimmer), and Iconic (a gorgeous rose with gold flakies).

Happy Shopping (and I'm going back to studying- blah.)

Orly Pixie Dust~ Review

2012-04-02T18:53:00.001-07:00

Just two weeks left until I'm done the semester! Thanks to anyone that has been so patient about my absence, I really do appreciate it. Here is a quick nail polish review to hopefully hold you over.

I've had this polish forever it seems then I got distracted by other polishes, then I lost it and finally I have found it again for review! Orly Pixie Dust (which is an awesome name in my opinion) is a lovely grey-lavender colour with blue undertones. It has little glass flecks that are almost silver throughout making it have a very pretty subtle shimmer.

It isn't a blow your socks off shade like a holographic or magnetic polish but I do really enjoy the subtleness that this provides. It's a demure not too in your face shade that is very wearable in my opinion. Depending on the lighting it can look grey, lavender or blue which is an interesting effect as it isn't duochrome at all.

Full Sun

The formula on this one was pretty good it was easy to apply but slightly sheer. It took 3 coats though some nails could have used a thin fourth one. It had decent lasting power too but most of my polishes last half decent now that I use Cult Nails base and top coat so I can't really comment on that with accuracy.

Full Sun

Natural Light Indoors

Overall, Orly Pixie Dust is a pretty shade but not one your really need to hunt down like I did. I like the polish and I'll use it but seeing as this was recommended to me as one of Orly's must have polishes I don't think it is that noteworthy.

Sprite Rating: 7/10 It's a pretty colour and the glass fleck throughout is nice but it is quite sheer so you have to build it up to get it opaque. The formula was about average for a nail polish in other respects not too difficult to work with but not extremely easy either.

Would I Buy it again? Taking into consideration shipping charges and other similar colours I own I would have to say no. While I do like the colour I think there are better formulas out there.

A-England Flash Sale- 30% off!

2012-03-31T08:15:00.001-07:00

I know I've sucked at updating this month, but I would like to point out I just finished a 17 page paper, and I've only got 2 weeks left, so hopefully things will pick up then. So I'm sorry but real life rules unfortunately. Anyways, here is an awesome deal from a-england! 30% off with the code tristam. I know I'll most certainly be picking up at least one polish!
If you're curious to see some awesome shades from a-england you can see my swatches of Dragon, Ascalon, and Saint George all of which are amazing!

Happy Shopping (and have a good weekend!)