theBalm's theBalm and the Beautiful (AKA The Muppets Cast Your Shadow) Palette - Photos, Swatches, Review

Are you one of the lucky few gifted with an ungodly supply of patience, straight-faced and calm even in the most tiresome and annoying situations?

That is me, when it comes to anything involving work, personal relationships, school, studies, research, problem-solving, and teaching; patience is kind of required in the field of medicine, where there are so many questions and the path to answers is peppered with roadblocks, potholes, detours, and those mustachioed 18th-century wild-west crazies looking to rob you blind and steal your money. Also, you're traveling in a rickety stagecoach missing a wheel and a stubborn mule who'd much rather be smelling daisies (like Ferdinand the Bull). Yeah, science is exactly like that 8D

What I don't have patience for? Waiting in long lines, bad or slow customer service, shopping with someone who I think I dilly-dallying too much, shopping when I don't know what I want to buy, and sifting through the mess that is TJ Maxx to find a deal. Usually I end up paying full-price elsewhere to keep a shred of my sanity.

However, the other day I decided to do a quick run to the handbag aisle and though I didn't find what I was looking for, I did stumble upon the pretty stellar beauty section! Who knew? TJ has a GREAT selection of Estee Lauder, theBalm, ELF, and Color Club - all at less than half regular price!

I ended up grabbing too too many things, one of which was theBalm's theBalm and the Beautiful set!

You may have heard the buzz about theBalm's limited edition Muppet Cast Your Shadow palette. As far as I can tell, theBalm and the Beautiful's contents are exactly the same but with different names and a packaging design to fit the corny soap opera motif. Personally I prefer this theme over the Muppets - I recognize them of course, but I never watched the show and the puppets were not a part of my childhood. I also prefer tBatB's price - $19.99 at TJ versus $44.50 for CYS :D

The box is held closed magnetically with trifold flaps -

Here are the sixteen eye shadows, two lip/cheek stains (The Drama Queen and The Perfect Man), and one lipgloss (The Evil Twin) -

Can I mention again how much I adore this theme?! The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die, The Coma Patient, The Basket Case? Pure cheese, yes, but I think it's fabulous - who doesn't love a good dose of drama every now and again? :D

The shadows up close -

Swatches, first row -

L to R - The Oil Tycoon (lightly reddened brown with shimmer), The Estranged Mom (taupe olive-brown with shimmer), The Supermodel (dirty gold), The Bad Boy (dark, rusty brown with microglitter)

Second Row -

L to R - The Southern Belle (medium, metallic cornflower blue), The Mother-in-Law (frosted browned gray), The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die (cool ash brown), The Mistress (cool, silvery gray)

Third Row -

L to R - The Step Brother (deep golden olive), The Coma Patient (soft mauve pink shimmer), The Police Officer (shimmery aqua blue), The Brain Surgeon (browned medium purple shimmer)

Fourth Row -

L to R - The Neighbor (yellowed beige shimmer), The Stock Broker (soft white shimmer), The Basket Case (peachy beige frost), The Older Woman (light pink-peach shimmer)

Lip/cheek stains and lipgloss -

L to R - The Drama Queen, The Perfect Man, The Evil Twin

The Drama Queen

The Perfect Man

The Evil Twin

First, a quick word on the lip pans -- usually the afterthought lipsticks in a larger palette are throwaways for me, but I actually really like all three of these! The texture is light and opaque (though Drama Queen is a little gritty..) and The Evil Twin is a very nice complementary nude for my skin tone. I'm always on the look-out for nude colors that don't look sickly and that don't wash me out, and ET's muddy-putty hue is a perfect match!

As for the shadows.. also perfect! Or, very nearly. All very beautiful, pigmented, and easily blended. I wore a few of these without primer and they lasted all day with zero creasing! Pretty impressive, no? theBalm's color selection here is fantastic, too - tasteful, classic, but with a few great and bold pops of color. I completely love <3 This is my first experience with theBalm's eyeshadow, and I'm a believer!

NOTD - China Glaze Brownstone Photos + Swatches

For fellow Americans, hope you had a relaxing three-day weekend! I spent all of Tuesday, the start of the shortened work-week, toiling over a failed experiment that I invalidated through a silly mistake early on, wasting lots of $$ in the process. Yeeeeeah, it's definitely one of those weeks.

Onto greener pastures...

The weather here has abruptly taken a downward turn and the recent hot, humid days have been replaced by their chilly, windy counterparts. Where the other day I was sporting shorts and flip flops, blasting the AC to keep cool, I now have to break out the flannel pjs and thick, woolly socks.

I'm not complaining, though; I find fall to be quite a cozy time. Mountainous piles of raked leaves; the start of the dance and theatre season; Halloween (though I'm not a big celebrator/decorator/dresser-upper, I do quite enjoy the tingling, anticipatory atmosphere); wrapped in a warm blanket, curled up with a good book and a cup of chocolate chai; brisk walks with the pup; jazz (which is my nearly exclusive music of choice during autumn, for whatever reason); pumpkin-flavored treats -- all things I love about these transitory months!

Something else I love? China Glaze's Brownstone from the current Metro Chic collection. I'm not a big collector of reds or variations thereof, but this is such a warm, chocolaty red and it reminds me of falling leaves and a hearty snuggle with a loved one.

Gorgeous, and exactly the color I'm in the mood for. :)

What do you love about fall?

Sally Girl Eye Shadow Connecting Compacts - Swatches Part 2

There are so many things I want to show you (all three of you, hah! 8D), but so little time!

Here is the second part of my Sally Girl Eye Shadow collection. As it turned out, quite accidentally on my part, this portion represents the weaker offering.

Copper is a, well, copper -

Champagne, a light champagne shimmer with a hint of pink -

Cream Cocoa, a very light beige shimmer -

Blue Marine, a sea blue with gold shimmer (looks gorgeous, no?!) -

Gun Metal, an off-white shimmer -

Fairy Pink, a very light pink shimmer -

Platinum, a light silver shimmer -

Navy, a navy with silver microglitter -

Swatches -

L to R - Copper, Champagne, Cream Cocoa, Blue Marine

L to R - Gun Metal, Fairy Pink, Platinum, Navy

The standout here is Copper - pretty shade, great pigmentation, smooth, soft texture. After how beautiful Blue Marine looks in the pan, it's a shame that the color payoff is so poor and that the application is woefully patchy. Definitely a huge dud! The light shades (Champagne, Cream Cocoa, Gun Metal, Fairy Pink, and Platinum) I would categorize as 'fair'. The color is faint, which may be the point; however, I would have preferred them to be a little more generous with their pigment.

There you have it - all of my Sally Girl Eyeshadows swatched, photographed, and catalogued! :)

Sally Girl Eye Shadow Connecting Compacts - Review + Swatches Part 1

Is there a tier of cosmetic designation below drugstore? If so I think that, based on packaging, branding, and price, the Sally Girl Eye Shadow Compacts are perfect candidates.

(So cute and tiny!) Sally Girl offers 48 single eyeshadow shades at a bank-breaking $0.99 each ($0.94 with the Sally card). The compacts are made of a flimsy plastic with standard Sally Girl printing stamped on. Despite the bargain-basement look there is one neat feature of the packaging - you can slide the black bits together to form your own palette! This could be a great selling point if not for the haphazard execution; connecting (and unconnecting) the compacts takes a hardy effort, and once you combine three or more the palette starts curving from the pressure.

How is the quality of the shadows? Well, generally, pretty darn good! With a primer they last all day with no creasing and only minor fading. The texture is smooth and blends nicely. While not up to par with some of the better MACs and UDs, they are definitely heads and shoulders above most drugstore eyeshadows (not to mention, cheaper!) and some higher end ones, too. If you are someone who regularly buys Revlon, Covergirl, etc. I would suggest giving these the old college try - it's a small investment and I think you won't be disappointed :) A small word of caution when buying - most of the shades are a touch softer than they appear in the pan.  Also, if buying online, be aware that in many cases the name absolutely does not correlate to the color; for example, White Chocolate is, bafflingly, a dark grey-brown.

On to the photos:

Charcoal, a dusty ash gray with microglitter -

White Chocolate, a dark brown-gray with microglitter -

Coral, a peachy champagne shimmer -

Mauve, a light pink shimmer -

Espresso, a warm medium brown with microglitter -

Caramel, a blush rose with microglitter -

Brick, a warm dark brown with microglitter -

Cinnamon, a russet shimmer -

Taupe, a baby pink champagne shimmer -

Bronze, a bronzey coral shimmer -

L to R: Charcoal, White Chocolate, Coral, Mauve, Espresso, Caramel, Brick, Cinnamon, Taupe, Bronze

Have you tried these Sally Girl Eye Shadows? What do you think?

GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick in Darling, Shocking Coral - Review + Swatches

My GOSH saga continues with two Velvet Touch lipsticks!

I was sooooooo sososo excited about Darling! (I'm always looking for skin-colored lipsticks to pair with a dramatic eye.)

Since trying it, however, the enthusiasm has faded. This nude goes on a bit patchy; teasing out an even coat is rather difficult, requiring more effort than I prefer to give - too much effort for a shade that isn't particularly special and a level of quality that isn't spectacular otherwise. Furthermore, Darling is absolutely unforgiving to dryness. Even with a balm underneath the color seems to suck all the moisture from the lips, revealing every little chap and dry spot. Wear-time is a measly 2-2.5 hours for me. Unfortunately for GOSH, this product is a miss.

Since I like to end on a positive note, I'm reviewing Shocking Coral second. What a difference! Where Darling falls this lipstick holds strong - it works harmoniously with my balm, keeping chapped lips at bay for the duration of its wear. Shocking Coral lasts about 3 hours which, though not impressive, is fair. And what a gorgeous color! I don't see coral so much as a bright, orange-ish poppy, and I love it!  

In summary:

 These lipsticks are $12.50 each and may be found online and at many European drugstores.

Are you intrigued? :)

GOSH and OH MY GOSH Nail Lacquer in Pool Party, Bottle Green, & Gasoline - Swatches, Review

As mentioned previously I just returned from visiting family, and it was lovely as I only get to see them every several years. It was too hectic a trip to deem a vacation, but I did find a few moments of reflective peace -

:)

Now! Getting back to the "makeup" aspect of this makeup blog -- I happened upon a 30% off GOSH sale at Vita, a local cosmetic store chain.

I immediately took advantage, but was (luckily?) limited in my spending by a regretfully picked-through selection. Of my haul I did take home three GOSH nail polishes - Bottle Green and Gasoline (which are "minis" labeled as OH MY GOSH) and a full-sized Pool Party. Rather perplexingly the regular price of the full size, which is 0.3 fl. oz., is 60kr (~$12), while the minis, clocking in only slightly smaller at 0.2 fl. oz., are 25kr (~$5). Still, the shades were too fun to pass up!

L to R: Gasoline, Bottle Green, Pool Party

Here we go! First is Pool Party, a pretty medium blue cream with a hint of teal-

So glossy! The formula is on the thick side but pretty great regardless; if you're in a pickle you could get away with one coat, though I used two. On the nail the polish is a shade darker than in the bottle. As the last days of summer pass us by I am glad that, despite the name, Pool Party is actually a nice, dark-ish blue color for autumn.

Here is Bottle Green -

A fantastic dusty metallic emerald with silver microglitter!

Looks a bit different in each photo, no? I love this color too, and it's another potential one coater (though two coats are pictured above). Again, this has a thicker formula but is top notch nonetheless.

Finally, Gasoline, a mesmerizing warm purple with densely packed with holographic microglitter!

I think this is my favorite! The lacquer is a bit thin, requiring at least two coats (I used three). Simply gorgeous!

What do you think? Are you as infatuated as I am? :D

GOSH offers some vibrant and refreshing color selections, and the polishes don't disappoint! All three polishes are good quality and I don't regret my purchase -- now I only wish they were more readily available stateside!