Gosh Lip Laquer in Funky Lips, Dangerous lips and Forever Eyeshadow in Green

This week I blogged about some newbie Gosh. Today I'll show some swatches:

Eventually I bought one, but this week they were discounted to 5 euro so I added another one:

Funky Lips (006) & Dangerous Lips (008)

It is a 'quite nailpolish'-like bottle. Pure marketing strategy: Gosh claims it to be "Manicure for lips"...

 

Opening the bottle is a diffent story: meet the standard lipwand for applying lipgloss: 

The selection has been limited to a modest amount of eight colours: that is normal from Gosh as they do that with almost all of their lipcolours, However, they haven't picked out the most 'universally flattering' hues: the first numbers are quite a pasty bunch.

I picked out 6 and 8 as they were quite opaque and had the right mixture of red and pink enbedded. 7 is suprisingly sheer compared to the other formulas.

I'll start of showing 006: Funky Lips

brrr, goosebumps for early spring weather

 The formula is a dense & glossy reddish pink that covers the lips quite well.

The formula is quite reminiscent to YSL Laque:

I basically added Essence Stay with Me longlasting lipgloss as another drugstore 'longlasting' one, but noticably it doesn't compare to either YSL as Gosh, neither texture nor longevity. 

Hence, I zoomed in on the two comparable ones:

They are absolutely no sisters or twins, colourwise. More like nieces. The texture does compare: both opaque and they adher nicely to the skin. YSL 13 Rose Tempura has shimmer embedded and Gosh 08 Dangerous lips has no shimmer.

Instead of Essence I added Gosh 006 in Funky lips. YSL Rose Tempura is in the midde (cooler and shimmery) and Gosh 008 Dangerous lips is the deepest corally pink:

The feel is somewhat different: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres has that certain sticky feeling that I learned to love. Gosh Lip Laquer feels like a total balm on the lips: almost absent.

Gosh fragance is a different story: it is quite a present chemical fruity one that you either tolerate or not. Or perhaps it might dig up some nostalgic teen memories out there. It will dissapear within 10 minutes.

Gosh longevity is quite potent: I had a full testing session and it stayed on quite beautifully after being stuck in a turtleneck shirt. Sometimes my lipglosses will take refuge in my beginning vertical liplines (or worse, da face). It stayed on quite strong for 4 hours and faded into something equally stained. It has been wonderful topping up as I didn't get pigment differences layering it over the older layer. It is not a waterproof/stainproof formula but the thickness really adhers to the lips.

Also new in the display are the Forever Eyeshadows:

The pencil itself:

I picked the Green one as I felt attracted to green that day. Today I made some more swatches of the other colours of my fancy:

Plum is my ultimate next want...It reminds me of my last Addiction Eyeshadow from the Eivissa range (Meeting at Dome). This picture only shows it from one angle but it sparkles around like the Mad Hatter on tea-overload...

I also like blue as it tends to be more purple.

Grey has light blue sparkles and some greens too...interesting.

They are really resistent to water and rubbing as well. Hence, you can use them as an eyeshadow, but be sure to blend them in within a minute otherwise it will stay like a waterproof eyeliner.

They retail for about € 9 which is not that cheap for a drugstore range.

The Gosh Liplaquers are on sale for € 5 right now.

 My cat approves on that price, and those flowers too...Or, it almost seems like Spring!!

Newly Danish & Italian: Gosh Lip Laquer [YSL dupe?], eye crayons & Collistar Nailpolish

I'm not one of elaborate titles but today I wanted to reach the core of the post.

Essentially, I'm still too bummed not to have access to most of the spring lines of the haute makeup-esque-ness yet. However, I won't fret as the other lines have some good launches too:
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The Bourjois Color Boost on top in Fuschia Libre hasn't been that new (winter '13), but I included it for aesthetic photographic purposes. 

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Collistar has  some excellent duochrome nailpolishes in metamorphic hues: the Gloss Effetto Camaleonte: I've picked 632 Ametista Camaleonte

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Then there is Danish fave Gosh with a new Lippolish...will it give YSL a run for its money?

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And because it looks so nailpolish-like, Gosh lippolish, I added Essie Spagetti Strap to pose next to it...a sweet pinkish neutral

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Another Gosh! The Forever Eyeshadow Pencils have some surprising shades around. I picked a tealish green for lust-have sake.

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Hakuhodo portable brush for carrying around

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far distance zoom on 632 Ametista & 634 Verde on pinky

More about it tomorrow  this week...

Pancake Tales...

The title sounds somewhat similar as the old-wives-tales...But I'm talking good [old] pancake makeup:

I bought Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer based on a zillion variety of reviews. Mostly because I wanted a really covering piece of makeup for certain events. I adore the foundations I have, but sometimes I get the 'natural girl' stigma too often and I really want to look like 'well-made-up' instead.

The bulk of the reviews claims it a high-maintainance piece of cream that needs quite some effort:

 

I'd expected myself to be blending for 15 minutes, misting in various facemists etc...My experience was that it is just as easy (or difficult) as my RMS Uncover foundation.

I'm quite lucky or observant enough (seen various swatches) to have picked the right shade, but it wasn't too difficult. 

So these were the Pancake Tales of this friday. I do not have that much going on beauty-wise: most lustworthy collections (eg those YSL lipglosses) haven't reached our counters yet so it's waity waity time.

Cane + Austin Retexturizing Treatment Pads: a Peel from Nostalgia

It's time to peel to some nostalgia again...and better skintone ofcourse

I read about CANE+AUSTIN Retexturizing Pads with 10% Glycolic Acid in some glossy magazine: one of their impeccably glamorous Editors has been using it. 

Those people have 1. very little time 2. Must look gorgeous for business-sake (imagine a Vogue editor looking post-10mojito-like??? not really) 3. Have zillions of recommendations and get the creme-de-la-creme.

And then there was the prospect of the utter easiness of the peeling pad:

 Enter nostalgia: I think most people have encountered Clearasil in their past...If lucky not themselves but by their more acne-prone siblings. I image the lucky teensters this age having full access to beauty blogs and actually effective anti-acne skincare. But those thin cleansing pads probably will ring a bell to the non-teen generation[s] out there... 

So after a couple of mask-like peels (think REN) and liquidy tonics (Sophyto) there was something really easy about swiping a pad to the face, wait 2 minutes, and go for the rest.

 

Hence, I'm fascinated by the pad so let's show it again:

The pads themselves are both thin & sturdy. They have a thin vertical (or how you keep it: horizontal) ridge that gives a micro-friction on the skin. They don't tear and have the right amount of liquid to distribute for face, neck and I often have some left for my hands...they need retexturizing too. But they're not too liquidy like some sheetmasks out there. I dislike it when it drizzles all around; such a waste of product.

Instructions:

The instructions are fairly easy. They prefer you to use it 2 times a day, but sensitive skins and beginning regimes might go slower first. I started out one time on every 2 days, and upgraded it to one time every day. On some days my skin is too sensitive, and then I skip.

The liquid will give a slightly tingly feeling: if you know your Glycolic acid, you will know that is normal. 

I prefer to wash it off after a couple of minutes but it's ok to leave it on. I prefer not because I want my other serums to have 'full play' on my skin. 

I love the effect it gives me: I have more refined pores and I feel it has diminished some wrinkles:

But overal the easiness of the pad made me reach out for it more: I get a light daily peel instead of a more abrasive weekly one. Sometimes frequency has a better result than potency.

Conclusion: Easy padsy: Will repurchase.

Availability: I got mine on beautybay over here. They have them in separate packs as well which will be perfect for travelling etc.

separate packs

The sad story behind this Glamglow

This Glamglow mask was supposed to be the NARS Voyeur eyepencil set:

Or in any case, witness the crappy service of HQhair.com: Not only did they send me the wrong product (NARS Voyeur, where art thou?) but they have not responded at all after me sending visual proof of the wrong product being send: Highly Qrappy

I've already experienced Glamglow's mediocrity, but due to waiting in vain for HGhair to respond I totally missed the goodness of the NARS Voyeur set. So now I'm stuck with a mask I won't use (read Pink Sith about it) and miss out on  a couple of eyeliners I might never witness again...Just because I can't chase their butts around in the shop in London for neither responding nor refunding!

Ofcourse, never HG Hair again :(

Project lipstick

I still have a stash of lipstick around that are not used frequently:

 So I will do a #springcleanse: filter out some and dispose others. 

Ps: Happy Valentine's Day... My beloved will be my furry feline friend but I might spy upon couples in restaurants to see if they'll last for longer or if they're just there for Instagram's sake...:)

Kanebo Kate Colouricious Diamond in BR-3

I seem to have a penchant for mauve-toned palettes:  When Kanebo Kate reworked something 'Beyonce'-liciously named  palette and added some Diamonds (hi Rihanna) I caved again...

The palette is in Kate's neutral and more grown-up theme and has some excellent glow-factor:

The palette exist of some flat pans (1 & 2) and some heaved pans (2, 3, 4) that remind me of baked eyeshadows. I actually think that they are baked eyeshadows, at least peachy shade no 3 gives that flecksy "baked eyeshadow" quality.

I thought the colour-scheme was most similar to my Chanel Seduction palette  and Burberry Plum Pink 06.

My intuition has been right, however, the glow/lustrous/flecks/glimmer factor is a different story.

cool winter light ouside, no sun

The difference in glowiness if most visible under flash-light:

This is what makes Japanese eyeshadows so desirable in my opinion: they bring an amount of glow to the eyeshadow that brings eyes and forward.

Visuals:

• Kate CL Diamond shade 1, the whitest. It has a fleck-sy texture which shimmers silvery cool. It absolutely doesn't compare with either Burberry nor Chanel. Chanel lightest colour is sandy brown and opaque with a hint of a glow. Burberry is a peachy sand with some opacity and a low amount of shimmer.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 3 is a fleck-sy peach with a cooler undertone. I think this one layers well in the middle of the moving eyelid for an extra hint of light. Again, Chanel & Burberry do not compare at all. Both Chanel & Burberry are opaque. Chanel's 'peach' lingers towards terracotta sand and Burberry's directs towards a brownish mauve.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 4 is a gorgeous shimmery mauve with a silvery undertone. I think it is opaque but nowhere near the matte-ness of Chanel & Burberry.  I like how shade 3 lingers between Chanel & Burberry's 2 & 3 colours.  Burberry's 3 shade hints towards a burgundy mauve and has a gorgeous glow, but not as shimmery as Kate. Chanel 3 is a couple of tones deeper and has a hint of pinkish glow over it.
• Kate CL Diamond Shade 5 is the strongest colour qualitywise with a high opacity and still a good amount of interesting, multidimensional glow. It looks like a cool brown in the pan but on the skin it is almost a greyish black. Perhaps the multiflecks have something to do with it. Chanel's 4 shade comes close to it but only a more matte & a one-dimensional glow. Burberry is definitely more brown.

Texture/quality:

Kate Colouricious Diamond applies almost creamy but as you can see from the swatches (with crappy brushes -> my good brushes were getting a wash) they do need a bit of work and an extra layer. There is a difference in opacity which makes some colours more prone to fade than others (colour 1 & 2). The darkest colour is a dream in both texture, blending and the multiflecked quality that is still office appropriate.

Overal:

The theme of a mauve-based palette is similar to the likes of Chanel & Burberry but the colour payoff and the glow is quite different. I really like this palette because the sublime shimmer brings my eyes more alive and it blends a bit easier. I mix Kate up with either Burberry or Chanel for a mauve-ish eye.

Conclusion:

Fame isn't always better and the shyer sisters of the cosmetic branches have some good values out there1

Availability:

I got mine from adambeauty.com for $17 
 

1Ofcourse, when living in Japan Kate might be just as big as Chanel or Burberry but hey...for the Western posse

Addiction by Ayako - Eyeshadow in Meeting at Dome 071 (Eivissa Dreams '14)

Last week I had Kose Addiction Spring 2014 Eivissa Dreams

 on my radar.

It didn't took long for me to order my first eyeshadow from this collection: Meeting at Dome 071.

I opened the lid full of expectations of receiving a warmish taupe ~Something like in the promotion photo:

Reality has been slightly different. I will show you numerous photos of different angles and light-positions so show you the complexity of this eyeshadow.

Opening it for the first time: It looks like a mix of platinum and silver or more of a cool colour than a creamy taupe.

Direct sunlight ~ a cooler silver:

Slightly shaded/partly in sunlight ~greyed and speck-ly:

Same as above, only close up (see the turquoise sparkles!)

Another direct sunlight shows a slightly creamier/aspect of the silver:

Swatching it brings out a silver with a hint of mauve:

Same above, only close up:

Another swatch photo in a mixture of shade & light outside:

Verdict:

I think it is easy to conclude that this colour is far from a warmer colour as in the promotion photo. That doesn't make it a dud: au contraire! I love the complexity of this platinum that lights up in subtle turquoise, silver and lavender/mauve or a slightly smoky dept in various lights and shadows. I tried to compare it with my existing eyeshadows and thought about NARS Lhasa, but that one wasn't even close. 

I think it will make an awesome Ibiza colour as it works brilliantly in warm sunlight, and gets the smokey dept during the evening.

As for the quality and longevity: I adore Addiction by Kose's eyeshadows on this part and this one is just as brilliant: buttery smooth and the specks/glimmer is suitable for young and slightly older.  It holds for 8 hours with foundation underneath (like my swatch photos) and I have to try it with Edward Bess eyeprimer to see if it holds even longer.

Conclusion:

I'd almost book a flight to Ibiza to show off this eyeshadow.