Swatches: Butter London Wallis & Bluey

Since the weather this week has been especially fall like (ie. rain every day, then more rain, yay!) I thought it would be a good time to get around to some new Fall polishes. I love pretty much every seasons colour families, but I think Fall just might be my favourite: the deep jewel tones and metallics that just don't quite work in warmer Summer weather.

All photos are huge, so click for full size to get all the glowy goodness.

Butter London Wallis & Bluey

Butter London Wallis & Bluey

Butter London Wallis

Butter London Wallis

Butter London Wallis Macro

When I first saw the promos of the fall collection, it was Wallis that caught my attention. I. Had. To. Have. It. Period. There was just something about the "tarnished, metallic olive gold, as mysterious and regal as its namesake" that I knew I had to have. Golds usually aren't for me, but the olive tones make this a gorgeous shade. It has plenty of metallic sheen/shimmer without being a glitter bomb. I love it.

Butter London Bluey

Butter London Bluey

Butter London Bluey Macro

Bluey "a slightly metallic dark peacock blue, perfect for fashionable birds" was kind of an impulse buy, and to be honest wasn't too sure if I liked when it first arrived. After wearing it, I can say I do enjoy it. It is an interesting blue that takes on teal and various deep green hues when in different light levels.

Butter London polishes are available online from butterlondon.com or .ca, but the shipping is high on the Canadian site. I also found them on the Shopping Channel, and have a much more reasonable shipping rate. Wallis and Bluey can be found here.

I'm very pleased to have these two shades be a part of my polish wardrobe. I know Wallis will find it's way onto my nails quite a bit this fall. What are your fave fall shades?

Origins Haul

Is one thing a haul?
I didn't think so, but the lovely Origins folks gave me so many freebies that it looks/feels like a haul. They were offering three deluxe (really generous actually) samples if you bought one of their top ten products, which I did- VitaZing. I'd wanted to try it for a while, but I kept forgetting about it, so this was the perfect time to try it out. I've only used it once so far, but I am enjoying it. Review soon. Students attending biomedical engineering schools are sure to love the Origins brand for all the good they do for the environment. Students in cosmetology school are sure to love Origins for their great products, their generosity, and the good they do for the environment.

My three samples

For my three samples, I got to choose from their top ten list. I went with:
- A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser with White Tea
- Modern Friction nature's Gentle Dermabrasion
- A Perfect World SPF 25 Moisturizer with White Tea

The "A Perfect World" products smell amazing! I used a bit of the moisturizer and really like it. Once I try it out a bit more (and have no ill effects) I might just have to order full size tubes.


normal sample and bonus mini VitaZing

Free tote

If you use the code "FALLTOTE" and spend a minimum of $35 you will snag yourself a cute little Origins shopping bag and VitaZing mini. Not too shabby. I'm new to the brand, but so far I am really happy with the products. Have you tried VitaZing? What's your fave Origins product?

Review: EcoTools 6 Piece Bamboo Brush Set

Not so long ago, I was sent some items from Farley Co to review. One of those items was a set of brushes from Eco Tools.

"Ecotools is a leading line of eco-conscious cosmetic and bath accessories made using sustainable resources that minimize the negative impact on the environment - such as bamboo, cruelty-free taklon bristles and recycled aluminum. Ecotools strives to bring innovative style along with earth friendly materials to market and with this award winning product range; you can go green without sacrificing quality, affordability or style."

This brush set includes 6 brushes (more on those below) that are housed in a really convenient natural cotton and hemp brush roll/cosmetic bag. The brushes all fit into elastic slots making this perfect for travel.

Empty

Full

Contents

The makeup bag portion of the brush roll looked kind of small, so I decided to see just how much I could get in there. I grabbed a few items out of my purse and was surprised how much fit. In the photo above you can see that it held: tinted moisturizer, wet naps, hand sanitizer, tweezers, lip gloss, lip balm, and lipstick. You probably couldn't get a weekends worth of products in it, but still, it held a fair bit.

Lash and Brow Groomer

Angled Eyeliner Brush

Eye Shading Brush

Concealer Brush

Blush Brush (also great for powder)

Like all Eco Tools brushes, the handles on these are made of bamboo, the ferrules are made of recycled aluminum and the bristles are made out of Taklon, a super soft synthetic material. I have used all of these brushes and they're all exceptional. The quality of these brushes is great, as they are not only inexpensive, but they work well, and are easy to clean/care for.

Eco Tools products are available in most drugstores or online from Farley Co. Have you used Eco Tools brushes? What did you think?

Review: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

When I first started blogging, about a year or so ago ( a little longer if you want to be more precise, but whatever) these liners were everywhere. So to say me getting them a bit late is a total understatement, but I never had a good source to get NYX before. I do now, Beauty Joint. They've got low shipping costs and carry pretty much every item NYX makes at lower prices than anywhere else I've seen. I'm not affiliated with them or any thing of the like, just sharing.

1. Cottage Cheese, 2. Strawberry Milk, 3. Rust, 4. French Fries, 5. Pots and Pans, 6. Slate

I probably should have done a comparison photo to show you just how jumbo these are compared to a normal liner, but you'll just have to believe me, these are jumbo. Five out of the six shades that I got are housed in plastic tubes, while one is in a wood casing. I've yet to have to sharpen these so I can't say if it's troublesome or not (I'm assuming they might be though.)

These little guys are super creamy, really pigmented and in general great. I love how versatile the are as well, you can use them as eyeliner (go figure) you can use them as bases to give your shadow a boost. Warning though, unlike MAC Paint Pots, these do not dry, they stay creamy and thusly will crease if you do not use a primer, so, use a primer.

As you can see, I chose pretty safe shades, but they do have a whopping 28 to choose from. My favourite out of the bunch I got is Slate a blue toned charcoal gray. I love how I can create a lightening fast smokey eye with just a bit of shadow, Slate and a black liner. Easy-Peasy. These are awesome on lazy days since you can just prime and smudge on a shade or two of these and you're set. Even better at $2.99 a piece you don't have to feel bad about it if you end up with say 22 of the 28 shades they make. No, I don't have that many, but I can assume there probably are many a blogger with a large stash of these.

All in all, these are definitely worth checking out. Have you tried them?

September Luxe Box

Oh, subscription services, how I love thee...
My September Luxe Box arrived! They had some shipping issues this month so it came way later than it usually does, but I can look past that because I'm pretty pleased with the selection I received. If you aren't sure what Luxe Box is, check out my past posts here, here, here, and here.

Upon opening

What I got:

• Moroccan Oil
  
• Seche Vite Top Coat
• Laura Mercier Perfecting Water - Rich
• Mereadesso Face + Neck Toning Gel

I'm excited about trying the Moroccan Oil and the Laura Mercier perfecting oil. The only thing missing is a full size product.

a typo?

Did you catch that? In the menu they have a bottle of Seche Vite retailing at $35. I've never paid anywhere near that for it. I'd say they might have made a mistake.

Anyone else receive this month's Luxe Box? What did you think of the selection? The card says that there will be a change coming in October... I guess we'll have to wait and see what it is.

Review: Cake Indulge

I love the Purolator/UPS guy. They leave me goodies in my porch, goodies like the new Cake fragrance Indulge. The Purolator guy also leaves me my newspaper. He's so nice that he drops it off in my porch for me when he makes deliveries on Thursdays. He's a keeper. Anyhow, I was quite excited to see that I had a parcel from Cake!

ingredients

As you can see I had some assistance with my photos (why does blogger make them look so dull? They look way better when I upload them....) Anyone who has a cat knows that sometimes there is no dealing with them. Today was one of those days, so I just worked around her.

This scent is described as a "delicious blend of warm vanilla, rich florals, and creamy caramel" which is pretty much spot on, it you take away the whole rich florals aspect. The break down- notes wise:

Top: citrus sparkle, fresh and juicy orchard fruits, caramel syrup, island sugar cane and star anise.

Heart: heart of rich florals of jasmine, rose, lilly of the valley and water lilly.

Base: warm vanilla met with sweet powdery notes.

Well, that's what the Cake folk say. Now, onto what I say (which is what you were waiting for, right?) This is one sweet fragrance. If you like Pink Sugar, you'll like this. They aren't the same, but they both bring the sweet factor. From the initial spray you get the citrus (lemon to me) and a hint of the "juicy orchard fruits" but mainly lemon and the sugar and an almost cookie/bakery type scent. As it starts to dry down I don't detect the floral notes, but upon the final dry down you get a bit more of the deeper, warmer vanilla notes.

If you picked up on any of the Barbie collection cake had a few years ago, you will notice that there is a slight similarity. I love this scent and truly hope that they keep it around for a while and make a matching body wash and lotion. I'd be very pleased if someone made that happen. For all the lovely American readers, this has not been made available for US purchases just quite yet on the Cake website, but it will be soon and will also be sold at Sephora.

My "Model" Igby

Are you a fan of gourmand scents? Will you be purchasing Indulge?

NOTD: China Glaze It's Alive

Today, after braving the rain to get some errands done, I found this gem awaiting me in my mail box. I was so excited to see it on, I started applying it during dinner. I will say that it is tricky to eat a salad and do your nails at the same time.

It's Alive! (I think it needs the ! but that isn't technically part of the name) is one of the new polishes from China Glaze's Halloween 2011 "Haunting" collection. This polish is a deep mossy type green with assorted gold and chartreuse-ish glitter. This kind of looks like one of last years Halloween polishes "Zombie Zest" but I didn't get that one, so I'm no help on the comparison front.

My photos don't do it justice (it has much more spark in real life) but this polish has an almost jelly finish, which allows the glitter pieces to really shine. I am very pleased to say that this was a two-coater. I was a bit worried it would take a lot of layering to get it opaque, but it couldn't have been any easier. Now, I'm guessing removal won't be as easy, but that is another story. The photos above are without top coat to show the true finish of the polish. I found the finish on this to be a bit less shiny that most polishes, so in my opinion it defiantly needs top coat not only for wear protection, but also to up the shine factor. A thick top coat would also give the surface a smoother finish, as it is a tad bumpy.

Overall, I love this shade of green and like that it is a shade that can be worn all year without being gimmicky and overtly Halloween-ish.Have you picked up any Halloween themed polishes yet?

July & August 2011 Faves

click for full size

It came to my attention that I skipped a month of faves. I guess a whole month to get to it just wasn't enough time for me. I considered skipping it, since July is long gone, but that felt wrong and totally unfair to July. And, because punctuality and my monthly faves do not go hand in hand with me I have August's faves as well, so grab a big mug of tea, maybe get a cookie too because this is going to be a long one. Well, maybe not, a lot of items deserve their own proper review so I'll keep some of my descriptions short. You still might want that cookie though.

July's Faves

NYX Concealer in a Jar
NYC does not mince words when they name their products. This little jar is amazing! I didn't have the highest hopes for it when I first got it, but it has turned out to be a must have product for me. It is quite firm, and works best when applied with your finger (it needs to be warmed up a bit.) If you try and go too heavy with it it will crease, but a light hand gives great coverage. I use this under my eyes and on small blemishes.

MAC Pervette Glaze Lipstick (frost)
I love a good violet/purple lip but I hate overly frosty lipsticks, so I never thought that I would love this, but I do! I first saw it on LilliChantilly some time ago. I didn't think I liked it, but the more she showed it the more it had to be mine. It is such an easy lipstick to wear and it gives your lips a pretty lavender pink hue.

NYX Girls Nail Polish in Buzz Worthy
This polish is was an impulse buy, and an odd one for me as I'm not really a fan of gold, but this polish is a taupey gold glitter. Except it isn't quite a glitter, it's like a foil, but a piecey foil. I'll have a NOTD of this soon, because my description is terrible. Regardless, it is a gorgeous nail polish.

L de Lolita Lempicka
This was on hard perfume to get my hands on. I first got a sample from Sephora and loved it. So, I headed to Sephora only to find out they don't carry it anymore. So I Googled it, only to find out there are like six different versions of this and they all have really similar bottles. I decided to give up. Just when I had forgotten about it I saw it at Shopper's! Fate smiled upon me, and gave me a little high five too, since it was only $20. The scent is a bit odd (good odd) and totally differernt than anything I've ever found before. For more details read this.

Baviphat Black Sugar & Honey Scrub
I saw this on sale on Ebay (yes, even Ebay has sales) so I thought I'd live a little and give it a try. Best. Decision. Ever. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but this is pretty much the perfect scrub. It has the right amount of grit, smells super amazing (almost like apple butter) and effectively sloughs away dull skin without being drying or irritating. If anyone can recommend any other Baviphat products, I'm very interested.

Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder
I usually don't have shine/oil issues, but I did find that in the summer heat I was in need of something more than my usual MAC MSFN. I find that Fit Me is pretty close to MSFN, but it is a bit heavier and absorbs better. I got quite a bit of use out of this.

Smashbox Mini Soft Lights in Tint
This was a free gift when I ordered, but is quite large (the full size of this product is huge!) This is a combo product for me, event though I'm pretty sure they market this as a highlighter. I'm pale enough to use this a a blush/highlight in one thanks to the fact that it has a light sheen and is not over the top. I love the peachy- rose gold shade, it's neutral looking but really pretty and goes with anything.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara
I'll probably do a full review of this, so I'll keep this short. This is a dryer formula mascara and the brush is your basic wire style, but it delivers great looking lashes with minimal fuss.

August Faves
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Skin 79 Diamond Collection The Prestige BB Cream
I've mentioned this a few times (here, here and here) but still haven't done a proper review of it. Anyhow, this is my preferred BB cream, over the Dr. Jart anyhow. I'll have a comparison review, eventually.

JuJu Cosmetics White Peach Whitening Mist
I learned that facial mists and bb creams go together like... well, two things that go together! I read somewhere that it's recommended to apply bb cream to "plump" skin, and that facial mists are a great base. Luckily for me I have quite the collection. That factoid (to use facial mist before bb cream) has served me very well. It helps to make the thick bb cream spread out evenly and gives skin a smooth even tone. The JuJu mist does help combat dull looking skin by giving it a brightening boost. Of course the peach scent is amazing as well. I highly recommend this one.

Wet 'n Wild Walking on Eggshells Colour Icon Trio
I've been using these for a while (months now I guess) and had been planning on doing a Wet 'n Wild theme week, but it kept getting pushed back and now I'm pretty sure everyone has seen what these look like a million times over. I have most of the neutral trios, but got a lot of use out of this one in particular last month. The neutral shades are fast and easy to apply. They can be deepened with dark eyeliner or worn on their own. They are superb quality and defiantly worth trying.

Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter
I'm sure everyone has read about this on one blog or another, I know I have. I kept hearing about this vanilla/white chocolate scented (varies by who you ask, I say white chocolate) miracle cream. I found this pot on Ebay (at a very reasonable price, given the exchange rate) and am pretty smitten with it. The soft, sweet scent is a factor, but it also moisturizes like nobody's business. It is pretty thick and a tad greasy when you first apply it, but it absorbs pretty well and is great on really dry skin.

Sheet Masks
The particular sheet mask is a My Beauty Diary Chocolate Truffle Mask, but I've been trying out a bunch of different brands/"flavours". All facial masks have different skin areas they address, but mostly they moisturize and revive dull skin. I love them!

Secret Coco Butter Kiss Body Splash
I have had this sample bottle for a while, and thought I might as well give it some use. It was too hot for perfume most days and this is a great alternative. It has a great coco butter, coconut, jasmine scent. I need to find the full size bottle, I'm almost out. This is fairly strong when you first spray it, but it mellows out nicely and has a fairly long lasting time as well.

Proclaim Cocoa & Shea Butter Hand and Body Lotion
I got this in last month's Luxe Box and have been using it non stop. It has a great nutty cocoa butter scent and it is everything you want in a hand cream: it moisturizes well and absorbs quickly with no greasy residue.

Vaseline Rosy Lips Lip Therapy
I received this in my swap with Adrienne- of the Sunday Girl- and have used it steady. I had to clear off the head board on my bed when we started renovating, and in all the hub-bub lost my beloved go to lip balms (Blistex Lip Medex and Nivea Milk and Honey.) That gave me the perfect chance to try this one out. It's great. I find it moisturizes really well, is super glossy and gives lips just the slightest pink tint. The little tin is pretty cute too.

Stila Convertible Colour in Lillum
This is a deluxe sample size of this product, but it is still quite large. Lillum is a nuded pink shade that makes for a neutral cheek and lip. I don't use it much on my lips but the shade is perfect for lips as well as cheeks. I find that this is a bit stickier than other cream blushes I've used before, but it blends easily nonetheless and lasts well even on hot humid days.

Rimmel Volume Booster Lip Plumping Gloss in Seduce
This is another item from my swap with Adrienne. This is a nude gloss and is pretty much ah-mazing. It's not super sticky, and it has a good opacity. I can't say that it plumps too much, but I'm not too concerned about that. This is great with lipstick or on it's own and it has pretty long lasting hold.

NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto (black)
I'm not usually one to spend more than $6-10 on eyeliner, as there are some great drugstore brands, but I decided to splurge with this one. I am so happy I did! This is the best long wear eyeliner I've ever used, it glides on smoothly and stays put for hours. It applies easily to the waterline as well and even stays put there. It is a twist up, so there are no issues in the sharpening department, and there is a tip sharpener in the end.

Bonus Fave!

Dump Bags
I'm not a huge user of makeup bags ( I have too much stuff) but with everything being all over the place until all the renovations are done, I packed up a little bag of everyday necessities so I can grab it an apply my makeup where ever I can find the space. The one shown doesn't look massive, but I can get tons in it. What you see inside is only part of what I usually have in it. I am able to get my big BB cream in there along with a full size powder brush, bottle of foundation, eyelash curler, Naked palette, and a few hand fulls of other daily needs. The one shown is a mark. bag. I'm not sure if this design is still available, but the size is. I love that these have a waterproof interior that can easily be wiped out and kept clean.

Congrats if you managed to read it all! What were your faves last month?