Gemstones inspired series - n 1: Blue Sapphire

Hello everyone,
some days ago I was browsing some pictures I took at the Natural History Museum in London in 2008. I found some shots of their amazing gemstones section, and that made me think of how many wonders this planet has.

To celebrate our beloved nature, I have decided to have a gemstone ispired series, where I will be having fun with eyeshadows, and try to recreate the amazing colors of some gemstones.

This week, I was inspired by the Blue Sapphire (click here if you want to learn curiousities on Sapphires and Blue Sapphires).

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo: 1. blue eyeshadow is really hard to photograph well; 2. I cut the picture and the quality and colors became terrible! Next time I will do a full face shot I guess.

Products used:
very light glittery blue eyeshadow in the Precious Gold palette from Pupa Milano;
Flipside e/s from UD BOS II;
Jinx e/s from UD BOS II;
Indigo e/s from Elizabeth Arden's Jewels & Velvet palette;
Shimmery dark blue e/s from the Sleek Storm palette;
Dark bright blue e/s from the Sleek Acid palette;
Black eyeliner pencil from Revlon;

can't remember the mascara I used, because I took this days ago.

I will try and be more accurate in the future, and post the picture as soon as I take it :)

Giveaway first prize is up for grabs again - enter here!

Some weeks ago I announced the winners for my Christmas giveaway, but unfortunately for her, the winner of the first prize didn't claim it, so I am now putting it up for grabs again.

Once more, the prize consists of a Deborah Milano eyeshadow trio in Black Dalia and a Deborah Milano glitter liner in black.
The eyeshadows in the trio are all shimmery and perfect to create a smokey eye. I took pictures of the colors with flash and without flash: there's a shimmery black, a shimmery intense dark blue (not really navy, it is more of a midnight kind of blue) and a shimmery whitey silver with very light baby blue undertones.
All of those eyeshadows are baked, so you can use them dry or with a damp brush to obtain a more intense color.

So, if you want to get your mitts on these items, the rules are as follows:

1. Be a subscriber of my blog
2. Comment below this post saying "enter me" and incorporate your referal link for step 3
3. Post a blog entry about this competition on your blog

This competition is only opened to UE residents (sorry lovelies, but it's only 2 items and I don't really want to take care of the 1,000 things to do to face customs!)

This contest will be opened until the 20th of February 2010

Good luck everyone!

with flash

without flash

Sarah's 500 followers giveaway

Lovely and super-informative Sarah, at I Heart Cosmetics is hosting another giveaway, as she reached 500 followers on her blog! Click here to find out the details and enter.

Even if you're not interested in the giveaway, I suggest you follow her. Like I said, she is very informative, and I'm sure you will find lots of products reviews that you are interested in.

Congrats, Sarah!!!

In and out - january

In:

1.taking my last exam;

2. joining a gym;

3. sales!

4. probably receiving my swap package from Michelle (can you believe its saga dates back to August?), and arranging another swap...details for this one shall remain secret until it happen. Anticipation anyone? LOL

5. had a brilliant idea for the first chapter of my MA thesis. Need to start writing it!!!

6. drinking more than 2 liters of water per day.

Out:

1. the people who live on my floor at the students dorm. I f***ing hate them! They're the loudest, most disrespectful, and filthy people I've ever met. Geez, this is not your own house, we SHARE IT, you better start paying your respect before I blow your arses on fire!!! *YES, I AM FUMING*

2. Eyeko customer service. Yes, there's more to the story. But I'll save it for when I finally have my package and review. Of course, customer service will be taken into consideration during the evaluation process.

3. still not eating 100% properly. I need to improve and go back to my super healthy habits

4. Having to go to the toilet every hour because of the massive amount of water I am drinking LOL

some sales purchases

I know it is not a great picture, but I had no hangers left into my closet!!!

Big black bag with chain & bow strap: Zara

Long purple cardi: Zara

Small 60's dress (it's some sort of beige color): Zara

Classic short sleeve knit sweater: Zara

Ethnic metal&wooden earrings and necklace: Koan @ Coin


Not much (I really don't need much) but I'm lovin it. Especially the dress and the knit sweater. I find them classy.

My small Sleek MakeUP collection - reviews heavy!

Hello bloggettes!
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but life has taken over. I haven't forgotten about my blog though, I still read everything, but have no time to post all the reviews I want to. I haven't worn make up in 5 days, imagine how busy I am (geez how I miss my eotd posts!)
Anyway, I have decided to do a post on my small Sleek collection, which is not that small if you consider I am not from the UK.
I first discovered the brand watching my beloved Pixiwoo's videos, and I started my search for the brand. I really wanted to get my mitts on the eyeshadow palettes, and as my first followers may remember, I asked if someone can pick one up and send it to me. However, I got lucky enough to be sent it from the lovely Leon (PR for Sleek MakeUP), as a way of wishing good luck for my new blog. And that is when my ADDICTION to Sleek started and reached ridiculous levels.
When I went to London in October, I picked some things on my own, and then, when Anna went, she kindly picked some products for me, which I hadn't had the chance to buy while I was there (thank you so much, you are so so sweet Anna!).

So, I will review each product quickly for you.

1. New Skin Revive - silicone based foundation (my shade is called "Sand")
This is a silicone-based, oil-free, light to medium coverage liquid foundation. I had never tried any silicone-based products before, so it felt a little awkward at first.
This foundation is not bad at all, it can be a good alternative to your HG foundation, to wear everyday. Its coverage is really buildable, but be careful with the amount you put on. You don't want to get streaks all over your face.
That doesn't happen all the time, but it has 1 little fault: it dries up in a second! This is why you can get streaks, if you don't find a way to work with it properly. I still have to improve on this side, and it does bugs me a little that it dries so fast, as it makes it hard to blend on your face, because it's a bigger "canvas". When you try it on your hand it is not hard to blend at all, because you have time to work with it.
Other than that, once it's on it will slowly improve the coverage, even out your skin tone, and feel light on your skin. Almost as you wore nothing (almost). It also has great staying power.
It retails for a little more than £6 i think...I am not sure, as this is one of the items Anna gave me.
vote: 4/5 for the super fast dry.
P.S.: it comes in a vast range of colors, from super pale to super dark!!!

2. i-Divine eyeshadow palettes (l-r Acid, Storm)
At this point, we are all familiar with their super palettes, I will keep this short and sweet. They are my fave!
12 eyeshadows, GREAT color range, GREAT color payoff, GREAT staying power, velvet to the touch, the possibility to choose matt and shimmery shades from the same palette, and they always come with a black eyeshadow for smokey eyes or to use as a liner, and also a highlighter shade. They retails for under £5, so they are GREAT value for the money (I do insist on great, on -subliminal- purpose LOL)
vote: 5/5

3. Sleek MakeUP blush (my shade is Flamingo)
Oh my goodness! This is the best blush I have ever tried! It is so pigmented, so silky, and so bright, that the tiniest amount brightens and defines your cheekbones, leaving an almost natural glow.
I am not sure how much this is, as I received from MissVirtue as the runner up prize for her giveaway, but I read somewhere it is under £4, so again, it is bargaineous!
vote: 5/5

4. Eye Drama mascara (shades I own Blackout, Purple Haze and I got the Blooz)
Now, this is where major improvement is needed. I was so excited to try it, that I asked Anna to pick up all the shades available!!!
This mascara has an ultra flexible silicone brush, and I also got to try both normal and waterproof formulation. I am usually a fan of silicone brushes, although I admit, it is hard to work with such a flexible one. Although, I don't think this is a problem, I would suggest Sleek to add more raws of "bristles" to the brush, as one of the tricky issues with it, can be that it is too sparse, as you can see from the picture. Also, the consistency is way too gum-like, eventhough I noticed that the difference is not between waterproof and normal formulation, but between colors. Probably, the chemicals used for making them purple and navy are to blame.
As it is now, it does not give any volume to my lashes (I have more volume without it!!!), does not curl, and the lenght provided is good, but nothing exceptional. Blackout is the only shade that worked better for me. At least, it is good to separate. I will give the black one more rounds, but the other two? Mhm....they have no great payoff either. The blue one is actually a navy, and comes almost black on lashes. The purple one looks so bright on the brush, that you think it is lovely, but when it dries the color is not that great. Probably it will look better with a flash in photos, but I am not a model. Nor a make-up artist.
I hope they will consider making some adjustments, as the mascara has potentials.
It retails for around £4.
Vote: 2/5

5. Ink pot cream liner (my shades are Dominatrix-black-, and Espresso-dark brown-)
Short and sweet: good cream liner, great value for the money. It is a little less creamy than my Shiseido one (but also, costs more than 3 times less!), but that is just because it is waterproof.
Espresso is lovely when you create thick lines, as it really brightens up your eyes if you have them blue or green. It won't smudge all day, and it is available in a vast variety of colors. Some of them can be used to create a flawless base. It comes in a very sturdy pot, which is small, but still contains a lot of product. I love it.
It retails for less than £4
vote: 4/5

6. Pout Polish Tinted Lip Conditioner (my shade is Pink Cadillac)
Lovely! Lovely colors, awesome consistency, it does condition very very well. The scent would not be to everybody's taste, but I still love it. It's yummy...
It's only downside? It comes in a pot. Maybe they should consider making a lipstick form of it?
Again, it retails for under £4
vote: 4/5

All of the Sleek MakeUP products can be purchased at Superdrug, in the UK.
Check the list of the stores that stock the brand, on their official site: www.sleekmakeup.com

I hope this has been helpful, and I apologize for the lenght of this post!



Disclaimer:
1 - New Skin Revive foundation, and all of the Eye Drama mascaras have been given to me from a friend of mine.
2 - the i-Divine Acid palette has been sent to me for free from a PR to review - I am not an affiliate of Sleek MakeUP.
3 - the Blush in Flamingo has been sent to me for free as a prize from a giveaway.
I have not been paid to do my review on these products, I am not an affiliate of the brand, and these are my genuine opinions on each product I own.

Please, read: good news on Eyeko!

I am sure some of you read my post last night, about my experiences with terrible customer care at Eyeko.
Well, it seems like mine was not the only case, and a lot of other customers complained publically on Eyeko's Facebook page.

The good thing about it is that, after all those negative feedbacks they decided to improve their customer care service! From today on, free shipping will not be available outside the UK and European Union, and all the orders will automatically be sent via Signed For, for a symbolic fee of £3.50.
Signed For tracking number will be provided in the email you receive when your order is dispatched, so that you can check your packet's status whenever you want to.
Also they are really improving their direct customer services (replying promptly and such).

I have proof of that, as one of their staff emailed me again today, to tell me that she has done a refund for the shipping cost I paid, and that if I do not receive my parcel within next week, I can contact her and she will personally resend my order.

I think that is some sort of improvement, and I like this new attitude of theirs.
So, all of you, Eyeko lovers...you don't need to worry anymore, as from today ordering at Eyeko.com will be much safer, and hopefully won't lead you to the kind of frustration I experienced (in the end, I only wanted to give myself a happy birthday gift!!!)

I can't wait to try the products I ordered!!!