Critical Hit - Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick - Persian Melon

Okay, so some of you may know that I have been looking around for the perfect pink lipstick for me. I've tried some bubble gum pinks but they were all a smidge too bright and not in the right way. They were too cool toned and only good for night time or low light situations. Some of you may also know that I have been obsessed with ABC's new show Pan Am and have been researching the uniform and requirements.

Through my research I found out that the lipstick color they wear on the show is Revlon's Persian Melon so I thought I would go out and try some.

 I have to say that I was pleased with the result. So pleased that I have added it to my list of Critical Hits (more commonly known as Holy Grail products). I think what I love about this is that it allows for brightness but it enhances my natural lips which are highly pigmented as it is. On the other hand, if I am going out for the evening, I can build the color even brighter for those low light times or when I am clubbing.

Indoors with no flash

I've found that when I am wearing red lipstick, I tend to go for the cooler toned (Russian Red from MAC is still my fave) but with pinks, I've liked the warmer toned (Persian Melon).

Has anyone else noticed this with themselves?

Review: Geek Chic Cosmetics - Science Fiction Double Feature, Back to the Fuschia, Happy Ending

Okay so call me addicted... (YOU'RE ADDICTED!) Thank you, but when I saw the LE Halloween set from Geek Chic Cosmetics, I knew it was something I had to have. The only thing I wasn't 100% sold on was the pink blush but we'll get into that in a moment.

Packaging:


Some of the items came in the typical organza bag, but I was actually surprised but happy to see a bag with owls peering out at me. On it were the trademark lips from Rocky Horror Picture Show and I knew instantly that it was Science Fiction Double Feature. A very nice touch ladies for those who may have too many organza bags. ;) The package also came with a min-frisbee with a black spider on it. :D

L to R: I'm Going Home, Madness Takes Its Toll, Sane Inside Insanity, and Rose Tint My World

 Eye Shadows:
I'm Going Home - Described on the site as a Robin's Egg Blue, I think this is the truest one I've seen. It has a frosty sheen to it which makes it a great lash liner but it can also be applied sheer all over the lid or as a crease color. In some ways, this color also reminds me of Smurfs and I kept thinking of Smurfette when I put this Sane Inside Insanity.

Madness Takes Its Toll - I was a little nervous about this color because I'm not normally a fan of very pale pastels but this makes an amazing, shimmery highlight with just a hint of melon-y green to it. I put it with Shiro Cosmetics to blend it out and lighten things up a little bit. My one complaint is that Madness seemed just the tiniest bit chalkier when applying it.

Sane Inside Insanity - A pale, pastel gold. It's not something I've seen around. I love blending this on the eyelid with Rose Tint My World on the outer corner of the lid. It definitely leans to the warmer orange-yellows than the green side of the spectrum but it still goes well with Madness Takes Its Toll.

Rose Tint My World - Probably my favorite eye color out of all of these. It's a warm rose color with an orange-gold almost duochrome-y glitter. From one angle on my lid you get the rosey pink and from another angle you get a warm orange sparkle. This is why I like blending it with Sane Inside Insanity.

L to R: Happy Ending, Back to the Fuschia, Sweet Transvestite

Lippies:


Happy Ending - When I put in my first lippie order, I realized that most of the colors I got would not be kosher for every day or the work place, so I thought I would add this clear gloss to my list and I am very happy with it. It's able to be worn on its own for an iridescent sparkle or over just about any lip color you could imagine. Very versatile.

Back to the Fuschia - Although my name didn't win the contest, I've been looking for another great hot pink lipstick and this time in an indie product. My current Holy Grail is Tokidoki's Lip Balm Stain in Pink Martini but this is a very close match. It may not be a balm or a stain but the color is beautiful and it starts semi-opaque so you can build it if you want to. Although the site says it is buttercream frosting flavored, I couldn't smell or taste it. Your mileage may vary.

Sweet Transvestite - A deep maroon, it looks rusty brown in the tube. This is one of those lippies I prefer to blot and then put clear gloss over because it brings out the red undertones. More reserved for evenings out and possibly with a neutral eye on formal days or evenings. Definitely matches Frank's awesome lips.

Blush:
Touch Me - Okay, first of all, I had some trouble getting the swatch to show up on camera so I will do my best to make an addendum with a swatch as soon as I can. This blush looks bright in the jar and it is described as a candy pink. However if you take just the tracest amount and blend it over your cheek bone you actually do get a healthy pink blush that isn't too bright or over powering. This is the product that surprised me in the most positive way.

Final Verdict:
I wish the Science Fiction Double Feature set wasn't Limited Edition. A lot of the pastels are amazing for every day wear and Sane Inside Insanity and Rose Tint My World would work very well for the workplace without being too distracting. I love Back to the Fuschia because it's very close in color to my HG Tokidoki Lip Balm Stain. I never once imagined wearing bright pink blush but the sheer and buildable Touch Me just works.

Catch Up: Big Geek Chic Review Post

So I recently got a big order from Geek Chic Cosmetics and I wanted to do a huge swatch post. Some of these swatches are comparing similar color families and include previous purchases as I wanted to show the differences between certain colors and just why they ARE worth getting.

L to R: What's Under the Helmet? (N7), Game Over (Mushroom Kingdom), Fear Bomb (10 Man Raid), and Ambassador (Big Damn Heroes)

First up are the purples. I've been obsessed with trying this color due to it being great for parties and nights out. I also have interesting eyes because even though I was raised thinking I had plain brown eyes, I actually have a little bit of my dad's hazel eyes. Purple tends to bring out the green in them which is something I love. I can really play with some color theory and how eye shadow changes the color of me eyes.

The new colors I got in this order were:

• Fear Bomb
• Ambassador

Fear Bomb from the 10 Man Raid set is something I've been eyeing for a long time. It's on the cooler side of purple which I find is something that suits me quite a bit better. One thing about warmer purples is that a lot of the time, they make your eyes look bruised and tired and that's not a good thing at all. Cooler purples are a bit easier to manipulate and place on the lid in such a way that it actually enhances your eyes. Fear Bomb is slightly sheer as well. It's in between the dark intense What's Under the Helmet? and the ultra-sheer Game Over.

Ambassador falls into that tricky warm purple family. It's no fault of the company and I fell in love with this color almost immediately. It's a pink toned purple with gold glittery highlights in it. I think with a bit of eyeliner this would work out and I feel like that would be an amazing Inara/Companion look.

L to R: Inevitable Betrayal (Big Damn Heroes), Twilight Princess (Hyrule), Riddle Me This (Single Player)

New greens to my collection:

• Inevitable Betrayal
• Twilight Princess
• Riddle Me This

Inevitable Betrayal is another color that I've been eyeing for a long time. I'd describe it as an olive green. It's precisely what I think of when I think of dinosaurs which were an important part of this scene where we first met Wash in Firefly. This is more than likely going to be one of my go to colors for when I start work. I need to keep my makeup somewhat neutral but I think this has enough color to satiate my artistic side without being too distracting.

Twilight Princess was a color that I originally thought I would just use as a liner because it looked so dark in the swatches but when I got it, I couldn't help but try it out for religious services. It's more a green toned grey in my opinion which went quite well with my grey outfit. I had lined it with Solid Snake from the Single Player set and put Inevitable Betrayal in the crease. This one is more for evening or formal but a color not to be dismissed.

Riddle Me This is Phil's first try at making a color and I love the green tone with purple glitter. I think this is more of a weekend color than anything else but the green is sheer enough to use as an accent color. Something I was pleasantly surprised to find out. :) Kudos to Phil for this wonderful addition to Geek Chic's Single Player line up.

This next swatch is one that I didn't have a similar color family to from Geek Chic so I decided to swatch it with blues from two other companies who's reviews are forthcoming.

L to R: Blue Your Mind (Pollen Cosmetics), Blue Box (A'dor Beauty Supplies), Solid Snake (Geek Chic's Single Player collection)

Solid Snake is the only new Geek Chic color in this set of swatches and it's one that to date I have only used as a liner. I've been a fan of dark blue liners for a while and this one adds a little sparkle to the classic dark blue almost black liner.

Now for something which I had yet to buy at any point in time... Lippies.

Hipster Ariel

Hipster Ariel  is part of the Joysticks collection and probably the only one that the flavoring was obvious. I love Spearmint so that's not a bad thing at all. I had originally gotten this for LARP (live-action role play for the uninitiated) and I LOVE it. The coverage is great and the new slimline tubes are perfect for my tiny lips. Coverage is usually an issue because I have highly pigmented lips.

Electric Rat

Okay so I got Electric Rat because it was the perfect finish to a last minute gijinka Pichu costume I made. The costume was a hit at MatsuriCon but I wanted to add the touches of makeup to just push it further over the top and I think I've found it. Another lipstick with great coverage although the flavoring of fall spices and "Seduction" wasn't apparent in this one.

Mana Potion Geek Gloss

I wasn't sure quite what to think of Mana Potion but it's another one I got for Halloween/LARP. It's a sheer sky blue which makes it even more than just a sheer version of Hipster Ariel. Perfect for the Snow Queen or anyone who needs blue lips. ;) Due to their gloss nature they aren't as full coverage as the Joysticks but the blue of this still shows up brightly.

The Darkness Geek Gloss

The Darkness is another one for LARP but I was very pleasantly surprised to see how well it works for everyday. The gunmetal grey base mixes well with my lip pigmentation but also adds a dark silvery sparkle. Probably my newest holy grail product.

The geek glosses are a little sticky but it feels good, like it's protecting my lips and when I take it off, my lips are very soft.

Joystick (top) and Geek Gloss (bottom 2) packaging

Would I buy lippies again? In a heartbeat... In fact, I am currently waiting on Back to the Fuschia, Sweet Transvestite, and Happy Ending in my next shipment. I will be sure to swatch those for you and you can expect some reviews coming soon. As for the eye shadows, I'm almost always floored and these colors were ones that I had been dying to get. I was especially surprised when Twilight Princess turned out to be more than just a liner color for me.

FotD: Woman Warrior (for Team Pink Eye)

Hey everyone!

So I decided at the beginning of the month that I would participate in helping Team Pink Eye raise money for Susan G. Komen's breast cancer research efforts. I know many people who have been affected by breast cancer and this is really a great cause. I decided to do a wearable pink look so that any woman can feel beautiful.

 I decided to be a part of Team Pink Eye because within the past few years, someone I knew from middle school decided to have a double mastectomy as a preventative measure. I've never really heard of this being done but I still consider this a brave thing to do. If I recall correctly, she was 25 when the procedure was done which is very young.

 I will list the products I used but if you use, for example, a different foundation or you have a favorite pink lipstick, do not hesitate to use what makes you feel good. For the indie makeup companies, I will be providing links to the websites where you can purchase their products if you like what you see.

 First of all, I always use Laura Mercier SPF 20 Tinted Moisturizer. I feel it is the best for my skin without going too heavy on the coverage. It also evens out my skin tone quite nicely.

I almost always start off with my eyes because I feel like when blending colors,  it's something I need to make sure I have right before doing the rest of my look. I feel like my two best features are my eyes and my lips so I focus on one or the other. Too Faced Shadow Insurance helps take the worry off of my eyes a little bit. It extends to wear of my eye shadow and brightens the color.

 My first eye color is Rose Tint My World from Geek Chic Cosmetics' Science Fiction Double Feature limited edition set. As of this posting, you have a little over a week to order it and it's a nice peachy color. It makes a great base eyelid color for blending in other pinks which is what I did in my look. It also is packed with shimmer.

 Next, just on the tiniest outer corner of my lid, I blending some of Branchial from Linnaeus Cosmetics. This color is a part of their Axolotl collection. If you are a nature lover, I highly suggest these eye shadows that take inspiration from animals and nature itself. In this look, it helped give me an airbrushed gradient look. I initially patted the product on, cleaned my brush, let it dry, and then patted the edge to blend a bit more.

 Now, to finish of the eyes, we have another color from Linnaeus' Axolotl collection. This one is Puerile and I blended it to the browbone and used it as a highlight color in the inner corner of my eye. I love this color because it's so ethereal and it blends with light skin tones so it just adds a little sparkle and highlight.

Next, I lined my upper lash line with a black kohl liner. You can use liquid, pencil, or even a dark black or grey eye shadow. Anything to darken that lash line.

To finish off, I used some black mascara. It's really that simple. The product I used was Maybelline's Falsies Flared mascara in Blackest Black. I put my mascara on and use the brush to flare my lashes to the outer side of my eye.

 For my cheeks, I used just the tracest amount of Geek Chic Cosmetics blush in Touch Me. This is another limited edition item but you can order it up until Halloween. I highly suggest it because it will last you a long time. It's highly pigmented so you don't need much at all. I just lightly brush it across my cheekbone and then blend like there's no tomorrow.

For my lips, I used Geek Chic Cosmetics' Joystick in Back to the Fuschia. It is a wonderful bright bubble gum pink and I love that they use slimline tubes.

Please be sure to donate what you can to Susan G. Komen. Although I am not doing a giveaway, a simple $5 donation minimum will enter you in every giveaway this week. Please help us reach our goal!

Products Used:

• Face
• Laura Mercier SPF 20 Tinted Moisturizer - Porcelain
• Eyes
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Geek Chic Cosmetics Eye Shadow - Rose Tint My World
• Linnaeus Cosmetics Eye Shadow - Branchial
• Linnaeus Cosmetics Eye Shadow - Puerile
• Wet n' Wild Kohl Eye/Brow Pencil - Black
• Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara - Blackest Black
• Cheeks
• Geek Chic Cosmetics Blush - Touch Me
• Lips
• Geek Chic Cosmetics Joystick - Back to the Fuchsia