Since we’re going to be rocking a “pink” theme at work shortly, I decided to go with a nice pink for my nails. I decided to use Zoya Happi, accented with Sally Hansen HD Nail Color in DVD, and LA Colors Art Deco lacquer in Intense Pink. I must confess, I’m not happy with my accent. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I frequently make horrible decisions.

Happi is a nice, bright bubble-gum pink with a golden shift, and it applies semi-opaque in two coats. Absolutely beautiful colour. However, I can’t say as I’m terribly pleased with Zoya polish in general. The formula was far too liquid, and that brush… Seriously, can someone explain that brush to me? Why is it so bloody tiny? I’m glad I acquired this one when Zoya was having their two-free-polishes just-pay-shipping deal, because I don’t think I could forgive myself if I paid full price for this.

Now, as I’m going to be busy, I feel it is my duty to share some links to keep you lovely people entertained. Luckily for all, Claire has started up a Weekend Link Love circle, which should do the trick just fine!

Weekend Link Love

Bekka gives the skinny on mark. For Goodness Face at glostix.

Lady Bethezda is having an amazing giveaway at Bethezda’s Preoccupations.

KimmieKarma takes a look at a new indie company, Moon Rabbit Cosmetics.

Two days later, it arrived. Hermes himself couldn’t have brought it faster. Read more below the cut!

PACKAGING

The first thing that struck me about this was the packaging. The moisturizer jar is housed in a clear outer jar, so you could, upon finishing the product, simply toss the inner jar and use the clear one for a ditty jar – storing brushes and qtips and the like. Nice, nice… I like things that are repurposeable.

The topmost cap snaps on and off gently, to reveal my most favourite thing about this product: a handy push pump. This is most excellent for two reasons. One, it delivers a perfectly metered amount of moisturizer, so you don’t wind up wasting product. Second, as this is a jarred product, it keeps your moisturizer nice and clean – no air exposure, and no contamination from oils or other such nasty bits lingering on your fingertips.

As the packaging does have many parts and layers, some might find this to be a bulky product. I’ll admit that it’s even a bit large for my liking, but I do understand the function of the form, and I really, really like that function. So I don’t mind in the least.

PRODUCT

The next thing I noticed about this product, on activating the super pump powers, was how the product smells. The fragrance is going to be a huge dealbreaker for quite a few people: It smells like sunscreen. Beachy, summery, all-out sunscreen. Which I suppose isn’t too surprising, as this product does boast a healthy SPF of 30, however, most cosmetic and moisturizer companies manage to mask the smell, or at least make it somewhat pleasant. While the smell does fade, it does not do so quickly. Personally, I don’t mind this, as I love the smell of sunscreen. I’m a bit odd, you see.

Getting past the smell, let’s look at the ingredients:

Active Ingredients:
HOMOSALATE – 8.0%
OCTINOXATE – 7.5%
OCTISALATE – 5.0%
OXYBENZONE – 5.0%
AVOBENZONE – 3.0%

Other:
WATER/EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, PEG-8, DIMETHICONE, NYLON-12, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) FRUIT EXTRACT, PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) FRUIT EXTRACT, FUMARIA OFFICINALIS FLOWER/LEAF/STEM EXTRACT, EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM FLOWER/LEAF/STEM EXTRACT, VANILLA PLANIFOLIA FRUIT EXTRACT, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) EXTRACT, VACCINIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM (BLUEBERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT, RUBUS IDAEUS (RASPBERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT, RUBUS FRUTICOSUS (BLACKBERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT EXTRACT, TROMETHAMINE, SILICA, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, CARBOMER, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, SQUALANE, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, FUMARIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, DISODIUM EDTA, BENZYL ALCOHOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, POLYSORBATE 60, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN

That’s a fair amount of science. But a good amount of nature in there, too. The primary beneficial ingredients listed on the packaging are blueberries (boosting general skin health and healing ability) and dark chocolate, which is believed to stave off wrinkles.

As always, though, it pays to be mindful of the ingredients and your skin. This moisturizer has worked perfectly fine on some skin which normally has sensitivity to sun blocking ingredients, but others have had difficulty. Also, whether or not you have dry or oily skin is going to play in to how good this moisturizer is. As a person with dry skin, I find this one to be quite nourishing. However, I would not recommend this for persons with oily skin, as this moisturizer does not soak in and dry down completely.

One word of warning about this product that I will mention: Do not get this anywhere near your eyes, because it will burn like the dickens. I don’t have sensitive eyes, so I’ve never been particularly careful with facial products in the past, but I certainly will from now on. You definitely want to stop at the top of your cheekbones when applying this, and use a separate eye cream to take care of the rest.

BRASS TACKS

At $18 for a 1.7oz bottle, this product is just a tad bit spendy. One thing which saves it from being “too expensive” is that the packaging style prevents wastefulness, so you do absolutely get every cent’s worth of product.

The scent of the product can be quite overwhelming to some, especially those who loathe the smell of sunscreen. As I really enjoy the smell of sunscreen, I consider this a bit of a benefit.

The packaging is bulky, but functional – and reusable.

This product would be good for individuals with normal to dry skin, with no known sensitivities to SPF products. Otherwise, carefully review the product ingredients before purchasing, or try to acquire a sample from somebody who owns the product, so you can test it out first.

All in all, I am quite happy with this product, and I would gladly purchase it again!

So, dear readers, have you ever tried this one? What did you think? What is your favourite facial moisturizer of all time?

I threw down two coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Ivy League, with one coat of Color Club shatter polish in The Great Divide. I bought this shatter months ago, knowing that I would love it (a blue green shatter with glitter, y’all! GLITTER!), but had never had the chance to use it until now. I think it works really well over Ivy League!

Today was a fairly nice day. I woke up, got dressed, and took the boyf to work. Along the way I got a call to set up an interview for a second job. Checked in at my first job to make sure they wouldn’t be needing assistance today, then drove up to visit my folks. Mom and I did some nice grocery stocking, plus we got some hair dye and facial masks so we could just have a night of girly glory. No troubles, no cares, just us chicks. One chocolate mask and two boxes of dye later (my hair is getting ridiculously long), I pack up and drive back home, taking the forty-five minute commute to think of just how blessed I am to have so much goodness in my life.

Of course, I could complain about a lot of things. I have plenty of regrets under my belt. I have many instances where I ask, “What if?” And sometimes, when people are unhappy, I ask myself, “Did I do anything wrong?” But to be honest, I find myself less and less willing to get caught up on the “what ifs” and “where did I go wrongs?”. Because if all the things I’ve done have brought me here, it can’t really be wrong, can it? I can’t please everyone – that’s just a fact of life. But I can please myself. And I do. I am happy with who I am. I am content. That’s what counts. Anything or anyone that attempts to distract me from this is completely and utterly unimportant.

Life is what you make it. I’m making mine good.

As soon as I saw these quads, I wondered just what they meant by 16 hours. Are they suggesting that the shadows themselves, with no primer or base, will stay in put that long? Or are they counting on the fact that people use primers? Because if it’s the former, colour me impressed. To really test their words, I applied the quad as directed by their handy dandy diagram on one eye with primer, and the other eye without primer. Jump below the cut for more.

APPLICATION AND WEAR

Application was smooth and easy over a primer, but took quite a bit of building without. Even then, the colours were dull and unimpressive without it. Blendability in both cases was very good, as these are very smooth, somewhat creamy shadows.

I managed to wear this for about fifteen hours before I finally had to nod off for sleep. Surprisingly enough, the shadow did last the entire fifteen test hours, with very minimal fading without a primer. There were faint lines of creasing after about three hours, but the creasing did not worsen thereafter. Had that amount of shadow not shifted, the application would have probably survived without fading for the entire wear-time. With a primer, there was no budging or fading whatsoever.

BRASS TACKS

All in all, I’m extremely impressed by this quad. It was well worth the price I paid (a very slim $2.50), and ounce for ounce, it’s even worth full retail ($7.49 for .16oz). For true colour, you’re definitely better off wearing a primer under these colours, however, this would be a nice quad to stash in your purse for those days when you need to do your “I’m Horribly, Horribly Late” makeup at your desk in the morning. I only these quads came in a better colour variety. Hopefully we’ll see an expansion of the line in coming seasons.

It’s the first Mani Monday in a long time, hey! Not that I haven’t been doing my nails – I have. But I haven’t been doing a fantastic job at photographing the evidence before I wind up destroying the edges. This one I actually snapped, though, and thought I might share, since flakies are all the rage at the moment.

It’s interesting how the blue polish underneath has turned the coppery-orange into something of a burnt pink to the naked eye. I like it!

First off, Rite Aid is having a sale on all Revlon eye cosmetics, including the new Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow quad, which regularly retails at $7.49. Less 40% off comes to $4.49. Smack a $2 off Video Value coupon on top of it, and you’re talking about a fresh-on-the-market eyeshadow quad for two-fifty.

Next, I move to N.Y.C., which while it isn’t on sale, is part of a special deal where any single piece $1.99 or over earns you $1 back in +UP Rewards, which is essentially a coupon good towards your next purchase. I bought four of these, rolling my coupons on to other purchases.

They’re also running a sale on all Wet n’ Wild cosmetics – 40% off. Now, I needed some new eye makeup remover after I dropped my last bottle in the loo and was terrified of it even after I immediately threw it away. Nothing haunts your dreams more than eye things that have been in the toilet. So yes, check, we pick up some new eye makeup remover, for a sweet $1.19. Then we amble over to the Megashield Lip Color SPF15, which generally retails for $2.99 per piece. This is also included in the 40% off sale, plus each piece has a $1 off coupon on it, bringing the price down to just $0.79 per lipstick. I used three of my four +UP coupons on these, which means I only paid $0.04 for each lipstick before tax.

We round out our trip with a Physician’s Formula blush, already clearanced at 75% off of the original $11.95 price tag, and used my final +UP coupon, bringing it down to just $1.98. Score.

Grand total for this drugstore spree, tax included, came up to $15.21, for a total savings of $26.51. I did wind up going to three different stores – the first one did not have the Wet n Wild Megashield lipsticks, and I simply wanted to see if the last store would have anything the first two didn’t (which is where I found the blush). I consider the store-jumping to be pretty well worth it, though. Especially considering none of the locations were too far out of my way.

These sales are still good tonight and tomorrow, so if you’re jonesin’ for some new eyeshadow, or want to stock up on some new lipsticks, you know where to go!

Epicness includes selections from Darling Girl, Beauty from the Earth, Whimsy Beading, One Hand Washes the Other, My Pretty Zombie, The Striped Straw, Morgana Cryptoria, and very probably mostly likely even more. You know, a nice smattering of classic favourites from the indie blogosphere.

And don’t forget to actually give her posts a read! I wouldn’t follow it if it weren’t an awesome blog. Fact.

As well spoken as she is, and as much as I applaud her strength in standing up for what she believes in, I cannot abide this campaign of sheer bigotry. I’ve already ordered my Girl Scout cookies a while ago, but after seeing this, I’m going to put in an order for more. Let’s raise cookie sales to their highest level ever, to show the Girl Scouts that we support them in admitting transgendered youth to their organization!

Unless recipes have changed since last year, the following cookie options are vegan-friendly: Thanks-A-Lot, Shout Outs!, Lemonades, Daisy Go Rounds, and Peanut Butter Patties. To be for certain, you might want to wait until the Spring months, when you can easily find Scouts posted up outside every bloody store you can imagine. Bless their sugar-peddling hearts.

Ready for some swatch porn? Let’s do this. All swatches were taken over TFSI, with special attention given to three shades, detailed in the pictures.

PAWN SHOP is a bright, metallic “new penny” copper.
PISH POSH is a soft, slightly yellow nude with aqua shimmer. I absolutely adore this shade!
HONEY BADGER is a beautiful honey gold.

ECTO COOLER is a bright, toxic yellow-green.
WITCHES BREW is a grassy green with gold shimmer.
WEIRD SCIENCE is a dirty blue toned green with intense aqua sheen.

OH HAI KAWAII is a darling lilac with pink shimmer.
FABBY LALA is a grape purple, which swatches a bright pinky purple on my skin. See more below.
SPIRITED AWAY is a dark, stormy blue with intense gold shimmer.
POISON BERRY is a deep, navy blue with aqua sparkle.

PLAN 9 is a charcoal black loaded with holo glitter. You will definitely want to use some form of glitter glue to maximize the potential of this shade.

OHM is a pale lilac with pale gold shift. This one wears well by itself and over bases.

PISCES is a light, seafoam green with intense greenish-gold shift. This one does not wear so well alone, but does play well over other shadows and bases.

Of all the new shades I hauled, Fabby Lala was the only one I considered a dud. It did not look anything like it does in the pot when I swatch it. I even tried layering it on, but it just refused to be anything but a vaguely purple pink. I’m starting to think this is just my skintone, though. I’ve seen swatches of it on other blogs where it looks perfectly fine, and I can almost never wear purples successfully, unless they’re extremely dark or pastel. Stupid skin! WHY MUST YOU HATE THE PARPLES??

Madd Style has quickly become one of my favourite indie companies, due largely in part to the creamy formula and wonderful, creative and downright friendly brand models. They always have awesome deals running via a Color of the Week sale, as well as 5 for $20 pigments. They also rather regularly hold fantastic sales (my last order was 6 for $20 with 25% off – score!).