Illamasqua Load
I just received two products from Illamasqua, the nail polish Load being one of them. I was instantly taken by the name (and description) of this polish, gutter-minded as I am, and I decided to try it out immediately.
Back in October I tested another polish from Illamasqua, and I loved it. Unfortunately I didn't love Load as much, simply because I found it to be hard to apply, difficult to work with, and it took quite an amount of effort to look somewhat even on my nails even though I didn't fully succeed.
Load is described as a "rich cream" which is quite accurate. It has a glossy finish. I might go as far as calling it a very subdued yellow against my skin, which might have to do with my yellow undertones. I applied three coats, the last coat being quite thick, and I had to work quickly to avoid streaking.
The Verdict:
I'm kinda sad to award Load with only three brushes, but the difficulty applying it did disappoint me a bit. By all means, I'm no nail polish guru, but I was hoping for another Jan (nice and easy to work with). On the other hand.. it's a light color, and I think lighter colors are harder to apply flawless in general. As I said I love the name and description of this nail polish, and I do like the color as well. I'm also giving it another plus for drying quickly, despite of the third coat being a bit thick. Load receives three brushes from me, but all-in-all it's a strong three!
Picture was taken indoors in artificial lighting.
Photo © Shamini Thevarajah '11
GlamourDollEyes
Sure, we all know that loose eyeshadow scares me, but when I received a tweet from macismycrack promoting a 50% sale off full sized jars of eyeshadow over at GlamourDollEyes, I had to go have a look. I'm a liiittle skeptical towards "unknown" brands selling pigments like these, but some of the colors were so gorgeous I had to place an order just to try them out while the sale was still on. I picked out 13 colors, put them in my basket and typed in the promo code macismycrack had given me - and voilà!, the total was instantly slashed in half.
 Angel Wings |
 Gold Digger* |
 Trophy Wife* |
 Chocoholic |
 Pistol Pistol* |
 Lovers Lane |
 Victorian* |
 Stellar* |
 Chelsey |
 Tattooed |
 Flashdance! |
 Blue Ribbon |
 Veteran |
 Dirty Jeans |
 Dusk |
 Drag Queen |
 Aqua Foil |
 Island Chic |
 Hot Mess* |
Now, obviously you can order both full size jars and samples from GlamourDollEyes. What I really liked about this site was that you can choose whether or not you want your samples in bags (.5 grams), or you can choose jars (1 gram) for a little extra. I don't like receiving my samples in bags, so I really appreciated being able to choose between bags and jars. You can also choose if you want a sifter with your jar, although the jar will contain a little less to leave room for the sifter. A full jar without a sifter will contain 2-2.5 grams, while a full jar with a sifter will contain 1.5-2 grams of product.
In addition to the many colors and textures available, you can also get certain collections. Some are limited editions, like the two Halloween sets that was launched for Halloween 2010, but you can also get the 80s Child Collection which is based on TV shows from the 80s, or the Big Cities Collection. These collections both have special colored lids and labels, and hold 10 grams a jar!
Prices:
• $6.00 full size jar with or without sifter
• $2.50 sample size jar
• $1.25 sample size bag
• $9.00 individual colors from 80s Child Collection or Big Cities Collection
• $72 for the complete 80s Child Collection
• $58 for the complete Big Cities Collection
GlamourDollEyes also offers free worldwide shipping on their samples, and on all orders over $30! According to their website all orders with free shipping are shipped with First Class Mail. I've received three packages from GlamourDollEyes, one of them being samples for testing and reviewing, and the delivery time varied a little. The first shipment took 8 days to arrive, the second shipment took 14 days to reach me, while the third and last one took 12 days - it kinda gives you an idea on what to expect when you choose the free shipping. Seriously amazing!
My Verdict:
I choose to reward GlamourDollEyes with almost a full score for several reasons. You can choose from a wide range of colors, there's something for everyone. My favorites are the metallic/shimmery ones by far, "Lover's Lane" and "Trophy Wife" in particular. Most of these eyeshdaows are so smooth, so pigmented - and simply to die for! Free international shipping - which is also pretty fast - adds another plus to this company, as well as their great customer service. I'm holding back a little on the top score simply because I found that a few of the eyeshadows I ordered was a little tricky to work with, blend and even out. All-in-all, this is me giving GlamourDollEyes two thumbs up!
Would I order again?
Absolutely! I'm already planning my third order.
[affiliate link]Photos © GlamourDollEyes
Illamasqua Jan
Back in August I received a few gorgeous products from Illamasqua and I apologize for not posting this little review sooner. My health has been varying a lot these past couple months, and I haven't been playing too much with my makeup. I have so many ideas for looks, but absolutely no energy to actually put them to life, I'm sorry.
I have never tried nail polish from Illamasqua, so I was thrilled to finally get the chance when I received "Jan". She's described as a "light dusky pink" with a glossy finish, but somehow it looks more lilac to me. Maybe it's my skin tone? Or maybe it's just me. A gorgeous color nonetheless!
"Jan" was quite easy deal with and applied evenly. I used two coats for my nails - I seriously love all polishes where I can get away with two coats - and it dried fairly quick, which means I managed to take a picture without messing up anything. It's now been five days with this manicure, no base or top coat, and I'm just starting to see the tiniest sign of wear on the tip of my index finger. I'm amazed with the durability of this nail polish!
The Verdict:
If you're looking for a nice, subtle nail polish where you can get away with two coats, then this is absolutely a polish worth looking into. Even though I'm no expert on applying nail polish, I really think I managed to do a decent job with this one. "Jan" is easy to work with, the texture is nice, I experienced no streaking and it dried quickly (two medium thick coats). The durability is excellent, and I know I need to add a few more Illamasqua nail polishes to my collection. Two thumbs up, and full score from me!
Picture was taken indoors in artificial lighting.
Photo © Shamini Thevarajah '10
PROMAKEUPSTORE
After the gorgeous eye shadows from Yaby Cosmetics caught my attention, I started searching for a webshop offering both the brand and of course international shipping. One of the stores I found was PROMAKEUPSTORE in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2008 by makeup artist Monique Heijboer, a very nice lady who's also running the store and answering e-mails from customers.
I ended up ordering six eye shadows from PROMAKEUPSTORE at a total of €13.18, or about 105,- NOK with today's exchange rate. When I went to checkout my order I noticed that €24.10 (about 192,- NOK) had been added for shipping, and I immediately thought it was a bit much to ask for shipping alone. On the other hand I'm used to expensive international shipping from ordering quite frequently from both the US and the UK, even though I tend to refrain from ordering if the shipping cost more than the items themselves. I know that some mail services can be quite expensive - there's no need to look any further than Posten Norge - so I didn't blame PROMAKEUPSTORE for the expensive shipping. I decided to leave it like it was and went ahead with my order, which was a grand total of €37.28 (about 296,- NOK).
The next day I received an e-mail from Monique apologizing for the expensive shipping, while telling me that she wanted to offer me a discount for my next order because of it. As stated on the website the shipping quote of €24.10 is for orders up to 2 kilos, and since I ordered such a small quantity it didn't really weigh much at all. She also told me that she had decided to ship my six shadows a different way than described before checkout, and asked me to e-mail her for a shipping quote next time I wanted to order just a few items - to avoid having to spend so much on shipping. My order arrived after a mere three days, and I was completely speechless! I e-mailed Monique back to thank her for being so sweet, but also to tell her about the amazing speed of my order! She then said she had now arranged for shipping of orders up to 500 grams by registered mail to Norway for €10.45 (about 83,- NOK). Please note that this shipping option does not include any tracking (requires signature upon arrival) as of today, so if you want tracking you'll have to go with the regular option instead. If you're planning to order only a few light items, like I did, then feel free to e-mail Monique beforehand to get an even better shipping quote (applies to order which would fit in a mailbox). Amazing customer service!
Each regular eye shadow is €2.25 (about 18,- NOK), while the Pearl Paints cost €2.80 (about 23,- NOK) a piece. In addition the empty 40-well palette made for these refills is €14.01 (about 112,- NOK) - although Yaby has several palettes for you to choose from. PROMAKEUPSTORE also offers a selection of products from other brands like BeautyBlender, Embryolisse Laboratories, FACE atelier Cosmetics, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and ZPalette.
More information about shipping can be found here.
All orders are shipped by TNT.
The Verdict:
It is with absolutely no doubt I've decided to give PROMAKEUPSTORE a full score rating. I also want to "award" Monique Heijboer with an extra gold star for excellent customer service! My order was shipped from the Netherlands the day after it was placed, even though I'm quite sure it would have been shipped the same day if it had been placed during working hours. It arrived only three days later, and it was packed securely and nice. No excess packing material, which I think is great. PROMAKEUPSTORE gets two thumbs up from me, and believe me.. if I could I would gladly have extended a third!
Would I order again?
Without a doubt. 
Apples & Pears Calendula Lip Balm
In the middle of April Mr. Postman delivered a package from LoveLula, and one of the items inside was the Apple & Pears Calendula Lip Balm. Since my lips tend to get dry and sore very easily I'm always on the lookout for a good lip balm, and I'm kinda picky about the scent. The first impression of this cute little jar was very good. It's made of glass as far as I can determine, and it's got a screw on lid with the imprint of a bee. Why a bee, you might ask? Because the products from Apple & Pears are natural bee remedies, made from only the best honey and beeswax.
I said that I would try to write a review of my Apple & Pears Calendula Lip Balm, and I've now been using it almost every day since I received it with good results.
A soothing blend of sweet yellow beeswax, organic calendula infused oil and sea buckthorn oil, to heal and protect dry lips. Essential oils of citrus fruit fight infection and give this balm a zesty flavour.
Ingredients: *Jojoba Oil, *Castor Oil, Yellow Beeswax, *Shea Butter, *Sesame Oil, *Calendula Infused Oil, *Carrot Infused Oil, *Cocoa Butter, Honey, *Sea Buckthorn Oil, *Lecithin, and a healing blend of Citrus Essential Oils.
*certified organic
Ever since I was a little girl I have been taught that bees can do wonders, and that their honey and beeswax can work miracles on a sick body. Bee remedies have a quite distinct scent to them, and personally I'm not very fond of it. I don't like the taste of honey either, but I use it for medicinal purpose from time to time. And it works.
The jar contains 5 ml of lip balm, and cost £9.25 or about 84,- NOK with today's exchange rate, and can be ordered from LoveLula.
It comes in three different varieties: Calendula Lip Balm for sore and dry lips, Wild Rose Tint Lip Balm for daily protection and Beeswax Organic Lip Balm for sensitive lips.
The Verdict:
During my constant search for a lip balm that actually does something for my lips, I came across this cute little glass jar. I'm not a big fan of these jars you have to put your finger into to get the product out, but I decided that it couldn't be left untried. I'm also having a hard time describing its scent, but the best I can do would be something like citrus, Calendula and beeswax - and to me it has absolutely no flavor. It also feels kinda oily on the lips, probably as it melts with your body heat, and gives a nice sheen to your lips. Since I don't really like the feeling it leaves on my lips, I usually put it on straight before bedtime - that way I wake up with a soft pout.
I'm not giving this lip balm a full score. This is mainly because of the underlying scent of beeswax, but also because I absolutely hate sticking my fingers directly into the product. If you don't mind these two things, and can get past the somewhat oily feeling this lip balm leaves on your lips, it's indeed a wonderful product!
For more information, visit Apple & Pears.
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