Continuing Search for a Flat Iron

 I am currently still looking into information trying to find the best flat irons, I currently own a Chi professional salon flat iron which I purchased from the salon I get my haircut at. I have since decided I might want to switch to something else so I've been checking out the Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron.

It has some nice features per the description: "Infrared heat works to heat the heat the hair from the inside out providing healthier styling, less damage and faster styling." I'm definitely all about something that will make my hair healthy and shiny looking while straightening out my wavy frizzy hair. I will let you know more when I decide what to get. :)

H2O Plus Review

H2O Plus

I have recently been testing out this line of products to review, I have very dry skin that is red and irritated on the cheeks and my skin has been showing the wonderful signs of aging throughout the years.

Sea Pure Perfecting Eye Cream $32
A fast-absorbing eye cream formulated to help visibly repair and refresh the delicate skin around the eyes with cell-renewing amino acids, jojoba seed extract and Atlantic sea flora.

• Targeted formula fades the look of wrinkles and helps tired eyes appear bright and refreshed
• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Water-rich Atlantic sea flora combines with emollient coconut and jojoba seed extracts to visibly smooth and maintain soft, supple skin
• Gentle enough for all skin types

I don't normally use eye creams, I didn't see a huge difference in how my eyes normally felt/looked so for $32 I'd probably not find myself repurchasing this. If I did feel the need to buy another eye cream I would probably reach for a Yes To brand since it's affordable and easy to get at a local grocery store.

Sea Pure Deep Moisture Cream $40

1.7 fl oz / 50 mL
 An intensely nourishing cream that helps visibly repair damaged skin and stimulates healthy cell growth with cell-renewing amino acids, jojoba seed extract and Atlantic sea flora.

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Water-rich Atlantic Sea Flora combines with emollient coconut and jojoba seed extracts to visibly smooth and maintain soft, supple skin
• Gentle enough for all skin types 

 This moisturizer was kind of different from what I'm used to using. When you apply it, it tends to not sink in very well. I usually would wet my fingers a little and massage it in that way, it does leave my skin soft but I also found that I was breaking out around my chin a lot. I will probably try it out again without using the other stuff to single out if it was this or something else causing it from the line. Currently though for $40 I'm not sure I would repurchase, I will give further feedback later on down the road after I've tested it out some more on it's own.

Sea Pure Gentle Refining Polish $30

2.5 fl oz / 75 mL
A gently exfoliating scrub massages away dull surface cells to reveal visibly brighter, smoother, glowing skin with bamboo extract and sea moss.

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Fine-grained bamboo extract softly polishes the epidermal layer to accelerate cell renewal and uncover younger-looking skin
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Gentle enough for all skin types

 This one I'm not sure I like, then again one of my favorite more expensive ones is Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser. I like that one because it really leaves my skin feeling soft and clean, and I have occasionally gotten some on my lips and it's all organic/natural so I just ended up tasting sugar and lemon....kind of like a lemonade. This H20 one is pretty gentle and doesn't seem much like it's exfoliating, it also leaves kind of a baby oil feeling after I try to rinse it off I can feel it on my lips.

Sea Pure Creamy Facial Cleanser  $30

4 fl oz / 118 mL
A creamy, foaming cleanser that gently washes away makeup and impurities without stripping the skin's natural oils with Cell-Renewing Amino Acids, Apple Proteins and Sea Moss.

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the appearance of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Soft foaming action effortlessly removes makeup, surface debris and environmental impurities
• Essential citrus oils refresh and revive
• Gentle enough for all skin types

I did feel like the facial cleanser cleaned my skin without irritating it, it did feel soft and hydrated after. I need to test this one out alone to see ensure it wasn't this that was breaking out my skin (I have a feeling it might have been the refinishing polish though).  This is one of the two products I would possibly purchase again, remember though not everyone's skin reacts the same to products so I'd suggest to get a trial size if available on any of the products you'd want to test out first.

Sea Pure Renewing Prep Tonic $18

7 fl oz / 210 mL
An non-drying toner to revitalize skin and enhance the effectiveness of moisturizers with Cell-Renewing Amino Acids, Alpha Hydroxy Acid and Sea Moss.

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Natural lactic acid dissolves dull surface cells to visibly smooth, brighten and prepare skin to optimally absorb moisture
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Gentle enough for all skin types

This is another of the products I would repurchase, I was trying to place the smell....it almost reminds me of a more lemon/lime 7-up smell. Maybe that's just me though! It leaves my skin feeling refreshed without being a horrible overpowering scent. It does the job without leaving my skin irritated or tight and dry feeling.

Disclosure: I received these sample products complementary from BeautyStat for review, however this review is my own honest objective opinion on these products.

Look of the Day: Tattooed Mango

Affiliate Links

This is a look I did for a night out to see Harry Potter, we ended up not going tonight but I still had fun doing this. :)

Eyes:
UDPP
Nyx Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk (blended from lid to brow)
Glamour Doll Eyes Doll House (lower corner/inner 1/3 of lid/just above crease)
Glamour Doll Eyes Juicy Mango (middle of lid/just above crease)
Glamour Doll Eyes Phyrra (outer lid/just above crease)
Glamour Doll Eyes Tattooed (lower outer lashline/outer V)
Nyx White (inner corner/brow highlight)
Illamasqua Mislead Cake Liner (upper lashline)
MAC Kohl Liner Fascinating (inner waterline)
MAC Kohl Liner Feline (outer waterline)

Lips:
Morgana's Cryptoria Lipstick in Pumpkin Eater
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Romantique (dabbed over center of lips blended out)

Fyrinnae
Illamasqua 
Urban Decay
Nyx Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics
Glamour Doll Eyes

Retake on Spring Parrot Look

Affiliate Links

I haven't played around with my makeup as of late very much so I decided to do a look yesterday as a spin off from my Spring Parrot look from May. :)

Eyes:
UDPP
Nyx White (inner V/brow highlight/lower inner V)
Glamour Doll Eyes Doll House (inner 1/3 of lid)
MAC Bitter (Lid)
MAC Clarity (outer V/crease/lower lid)
MAC Blacktrack (upper lashline/waterline)

Lips:
MAC Creme de' Nude

Glamour Doll Eyes

Giveaway Winner!!

I put in 599 entries (this includes the ones that people had multiples for) and went to random.org.

 Congratulations to Kerry B. !!!

I have sent you an e-mail as well as added your name in my announcement tweet!

Stay tuned for another giveaway next month! :)

Shiro Cosmetics: Makeup with a Gamer Seal of Approval

 Shiro Cosmetics

Recently Anastasia of Lipsticks and Lightsabers did a post showing a new indie company called Shiro Cosmetics. The thing that caught my eye first and foremost were the names as well as the packaging, names like Link, Pikachu, Zora, and Jigglypuff to name just a few. I mean how cool...makeup named after characters in video games how could I not love that?

Then I saw the packaging, full size jars are labeled with stickers of a tri-force or a Pokeball! That's just awesome! I grew up playing Zelda.....and pokemon I remember watching too, as well as playing around with the games. These are cool looking/sounding shadows, why the hell wouldn't I want to catch them all?

So after staring at the swatches on Ana's site I decided to try a couple out and placed a small order for two full size jars. After mulling it all over I ended up ordering Zora and Rattata. I placed my order on November 9th, 2010 at 10:03am Est. at the Etsy shop. So of course I figured it must have to take a little bit of time so at least a day or two before it ships right? Much to my surprise I received this the same day in my Etsy message box:

At this point I was pretty impressed....I mean...I got a message already saying that it was shipping out that day and an order tracking #. I'm not sure how busy a day it was because I know the she had said she had to up the shipping time just a day or so on twitter because of the amount of orders she got in from Ana's blog post, but even so still was impressed the fact she sent me a message letting me know. :)

Anyway, I received my order on November 12th, 2010 around 4pm....I think I would of actually received it on the 11th but that was a Holiday so the USPS was not working that day. Again impressed at the quick shipping time. I jumped up and down and couldn't wait to open it and start snapping pictures to blog about.

When I opened it I was impressed to see how nice it was package, nothing out of order everything neatly packed in a pretty bag with a business card attached.

The folded receipt shows pictures of the shadows which is pretty nice and I'm sure helps out with keeping things in order. The little note from the Seller stating I can contact her if there is anything at all I have questions on and a reference to let me know I can even send her a message just to tell her my favorite pie. :)

I then started to open the bag and realized on the back of the business card there was something written.

I definitely love the little handwritten notes from companies I buy from, it adds personal touch to it which you don't often see now days with the bigger companies.

I was originally mulling over getting Majora's Mask but I didn't see an option to buy that one as a single full size (possibly my own fault because I've never bought through Etsy before lol). I was ecstatic to see that she included 2 free samples and one was Majora's Mask. :) Again everything neatly packed and nothing broken or out of sorts!


Note: I showed my man (also a gamer not into makeup) a picture of the jar labels on Ana's site and he said "I love the tri-force one!! Those are awesome!"

Look at those cool labels on the jars!!! I love them! Anyway the info on the listing for the amount of product states the following:

"You will receive a 5-gram jar, packed full of shadow, with a sifter. This is not the same as 5 grams of product, as it's packed by volume, not weight. Depending on the density of the shadow, you'll get between 1.8 and 2 grams - enough to last you a very, very long time! Individual mini and sample sizes are available on my website, shirocosmetics.com."

The bottom of the jars and labels on the sample baggies show the name of the shadow as well as the ingredients. I like the labels on the sample baggie as it is almost a cardboard material which I could remove and stick onto a jar if I decide to transfer from the baggies.

The price varies depending on how many shadows you purchase, samples range from 15 for $12.75 all the way up to 30 for $24.00, single full size jars are $5 for singles or 10 for $45.00 up to 15 for $63.75, mini jars range from 5 for $13.50 all the way up to 30 for $72.00. I find the prices very reasonable for the amount you get.

Anyway let's get to the swatches so you guys can see the pretty product!

Note: swatched over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.

My camera couldn't pick up the amount of gorgeous sparkle in Majora's Mask, you have to see these in person....but personally these swatches would be enough to make me want to check them out. :)

I found the shadows to be easily applied, not chalky, I haven't tried a look with them yet but I plan to shortly, so far I can say I can't wait to see what is next for Shiro Cosmetics...what new collection will they release? So excited to see and can say so far from what I can see this is company isn't just a pretty cool package...it's a pretty awesome product too!

Price? definitely reasonable, shipping was only $2.50, and the store shows shipping to everywhere else outside of the US as $3.50.

Packaging? neatly packed, nothing spilled, love the little personal touch and the bag, the labels are awesome! 

Product? Vibrant, goes on smooth and seems to blend well.

Would I purchase again? Heck yeah! Not only does it appeal to the gamer girl in me but the shadows are definitely worth buying and at a reasonable price. :)

Blog to Follow Friday

So again instead of doing the twitter #FF I'm going to do a new blog every Friday to check out. Again these are in no particular order!

This week I've decided to pick Aijuswhanako aka Dominique! She has a ton of beautiful looks and a lot of great swatches!! So go follow the link below and check out her site!

http://aijuswhanakno.com/

Fyrinnae Haul of Win

 Fyrinnae

I had placed a few orders with Fyrinnae....4 within a span of a week actually....so here's some pretty swatches and awesomeness. I am very happy with Fyrinnae as always everything arrived in tact and nothing spilled out. The colors are also so gorgeous and the pictures do not do them justice!

Note: all the shadows are swatched over Pixie Epoxy

Hair Straightener....What would I do without you....

I'd frizz....and never wear my hair down...that's pretty much all there is to that. I have been using a hair straightener since I could remember. First with the cheapo kind you can buy for $12 at Wal-mart.....then after I became an adult I graduated to finally listening to a stylist and buying a Chi straighter for a slightly pricey amount (at least pricey is what I thought at the time). Now I'm considering buying a new one because frankly I can't live without one and the one I own is getting old.

I'm currently on the search for a new one and I've been checking out Hair Straightener Review trying to decide what the best hair straightener is. I definitely will never buy a cheapo Wal-mart one again....it's more than worth the extra money to get a quality item that works well and is going to last. :)

YESto Carrots - Review

I have recently been testing out the YESto  skincare line, after I saw their Lip Butter in the store (I had needed something for my lips because they were cracked, sore, and dry nothing had been helping) I decided to purchase one lip butter and give it a go to see if would help.

After trying the YESto Carrots Lip Butter I am totally in love with it, nothing I've tried before this has been able to hydrate my lips or keep them as soft as this stuff. Even after this stuff wore off my lips were still really soft and moisturized enough to the point where I could again wear lipstick without it looking terrible.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a PR from YESto Carrots on Twitter and offered a chance to try out some of the other products so of course I jumped at the chance since I was also wanting to buy the skincare stuff but was on a tight budget from being off work. Not that they are expensive! The pricing is extremely reasonable compared to higher end brands.

Note: I have dry sensitive skin with a lot of red around my nose and cheek area.

I started every morning by washing my face with their YESto Cucumbers Soothing Daily Gentle Cleanser, followed by YESto Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel, YESto Carrots Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF15, YESto Carrots Moisturizing Eye Cream, and to finish I applied YESto Carrots Lip Butter.

In the evening I would use the YESto Cucumbers Soothing Daily Gentle Cleaners, (2-3 times a week YESto Cucumbers Calming Facial Mask), YESto Cucumbers Soothing Daily Moisturizer, YESto Carrots Moisturizing Eye Cream, and YESto Carrots Lip Butter.

I had a nasty red mark on my forehead from acne that hadn't been going away at all and after a week of using this it finally disappeared completely, I found my skin was extremely soft, not as red, and felt very hydrated even in this cold weather. (I caught my fiance who has never had a skincare routine just recently starting to dabble into this stuff because his skin is even more dry and peeling than my own along with lots of red spots, when I asked him if he was using my stuff he said "Yes because I want to clear up my skin and make it soft/smooth like yours has been.")

They also sent me another Lip Butter in Pomegranate, 3 Lip Glosses, 5 Lip Tints, and a package of YESto Cucumber Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes.

I think the glosses are very pretty and I have been using them over the Lip Tints daily, even after eating, drinking, and my silly habit of biting and licking my lips the Lip Tints leave color on my lips. I used the Towelettes a few times on my face and those also left my skin feeling soft, the only thing about them is I couldn't use them near my eyes as my eyes are VERY sensitive so I have to use unscented baby wipes instead. I will continue to use the towelettes though to remove makeup in a hurry. :)


Would I buy these products? DEFINITELY! (For the fantastic price that they are and the fact I can pick them up at my Wal-mart, Walgreen's, or the like I'm completely thrilled!)


Do I like the smell? Yes, it's not a strong smelling product it's very faint and doesn't irritate me or make me feel sick (I am very sensitive to fragrances and smells.)

Is the Pricing Good? YES, the pricing ranges anywhere from $2.99 to $19.99 per item.

Another good thing about YESto is that a lot of the ingredients are natural which is always a plus especially for sensitive skin. Here is a link to their website ingredients page.

They have the following categories you can choose from (or mix them up like I do).
YESto Blueberries = Age Refresh
YESto Carrots = Nourishing
YESto Cucumbers = Soothing
YESto Tomatoes = Clear Skin

Found in the FAQ page of their site: "Yes To is a cruelty-free company and we NEVER test on animals. We love the little creatures!Something we are very proud of is the PETA2 endorsement of our hair and skin care products"

I'm actually going to be buying the YESto Blueberries which is "Age Refresh" line meant to help with wrinkles, firmness, and helps nourish and repair age damaged skin. (Which I could use considering I'm in my 30's now!) So hopefully I can also review that when I get back to work in December. :)


I will be adding in swatches of the Lip Tints and Lip Glosses shortly, so be sure to check back if you'd like to see them.

Disclaimer: Some product(s) shown in this post may have been provided by the brand or their PR representative for potential review or use. For more information, please read the Disclosure Policy.

Blog to Follow Friday

In the place of doing Follow Fridays on Twitter (all the time at least) I'm going to post here each week one of the blogs I love to read and seriously get inspiration from looking at.

First one I'm choosing (not in any specific order because I love all you guys) is Brian's wonderful blog, he has some gorgeous makeup looks and swatches just to name a few. ;)

Go check him out and give us some love!

http://cosmeticviking.blogspot.com/

H20 Promo Code

I'll be writing my review on Yes to Carrots today, apologies for being a few days late as I've had some personal stuff going on and I got sick to top it off.

A few days ago I got a package so here is what I am testing out next to review!

Also there was included a special offer code for my readers:

Get $10 off your entire H2O Plus purchase of $30 or more from 11/1 to 11/20 when you enter promo code 100275 at checkout. http://www.h2oplus.com/

Disclaimer: Some product(s) shown in this post may have been provided by the brand or their PR representative for potential review or use. For more information, please read the Disclosure Policy.

HauteLook Urban Decay Sale

HauteLook is having a ton of Urban Decay stuff on sale right now! Go check them out! They have mascaras, eyeshadows, lip glosses and more.

Redesign and Upcoming Reviews

I am currently in the works on creating a new design for my site so it is going to look pretty plain right now while that is going on.

Next up I have been testing out YES to Carrots products so that review is coming up!