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.

Review: Geek Chic Cosmetics - Win or Die (6 out of 8 colors)

Disclosure: The two full size colors I am reviewing were bought for me as a gift by a friend with no affiliation with Geek Chic Cosmetics. The four samples I am reviewing were a prize from winning fan favorite in GCC's Look of the Day contest.

Oh A Song of Ice and Fire, what a history you and I have. Not to say this is a bad thing but some friends of mine have been trying to get me to read the books for about six years. Little did they know all it would take to get me hooked was a single episode with an all-star cast. As soon as I realized Geek Chic Cosmetics was coming out with a Game of Thrones inspired set, I knew most of them had to be mine.

Win or Die, the new set, contains mostly colors with a shimmer and I'm not complaining at all. I tend to wear glittery and shimmery eye shadows regardless so this set is right up my alley in that respect. The colors I received were Across the Narrow Sea, Born in Fire, The Imp, The Pointy End, and Kingslayer. Two full size and four samples respectively.

Since I owe you some Geek Chic swatches from my previous purchase, I have included some that are in similar color families for comparison.

A lush, rich turquoise as deep as the sea at the end of the world. More green than blue, with gleaming seafoam highlight and a glimmer of aqua sparkles. Goes on opaqaue and smooth for even coverage. Can be used wet as an eyeliner. Not lip safe.
I think they got this description spot on. The color does go on opaque and smooth and it only took one or two swipes to get a good, solid color even without primer. I don't own any other turquoise colors like this so I was eager to try it out and I'm very pleased. I can see myself using it for LARP or even for an evening look.

With Flash

In Natural Light

Other than the inspiration, this color makes me think of mermaids, sirens, and other sea creatures of myth and fantasy.

The rich, regal violet of the Targaryens with smokey indigo depths. Silky, with a pearlescent sheen and a scattering of glittering ruby embers. Born in Fire goes on opaque makes for a smoldering smoky eye. It can also be used wet as an eyeliner. Not lip safe.

The swatch looked only slightly brighter than what I got but this was 100% a pleasant surprise. I own three other shades of Geek Chic purple and what I love is that each one of them is unique. You'll see all of them swatched side-by-side below. I think that this would go great paired with Naked Wedding, Game Over, or What's Under the Helmet? equally well although it's on the warmer end of the spectrum with Naked Wedding.

Top to Bottom: Naked Wedding, Game Over, What's Under the Helmet?, and Born in Fire
With Flash



L to R: Naked Wedding, Game Over, What's Under the Helmet?, and Born in Fire
Natural Light

Born in Fire in Jar



An opulent, indulgent gold as rich as a Lannister and overflowing with silver stags, golden dragons and glittering ruby sparkles. As much bling as we could possibly fit into one chest.

Arguably my favorite color of the set. It's more than likely tied with Kingslayer because they both blend together so well and make an amazing glittery yet neutral look. At first, when I swatched it, I couldn't see the red glitter in it or the silver but when I put it on to wear it there it was! An amazing color for Gryffindorks and people who just like gold. Since my pic is blurry however I will warn you that, like the metallics of the Fang Banger's Quartet, The Imp contains metal alloys so be sure to order a sample a test for an allergic reaction before using.

The swatches will be below after my review of Kingslayer so that yuo can compare.

A pearly white cloak of the Kingsguard which shines copper and golden in the light. The Kingslayer is iridescent, as multi-faceted and complex as the man himself. Kingslayer makes for a lovely highlight color and can even be used on the cheeks to add a coppery glow.

My other favorite color of the set. With a pearl base and warm gold and copper glow, this is going to be a go to color for me. I even tried it lightly on my cheeks as suggested and it is amazing. It goes well with The Imp although the other is an outcast of the Lannister clan and both blend amazingly well and have a smooth consistency. It didn't take long for me to build up a nice color even without primer either.

From L to R With Flash: Eyes of the Werewolf, Viking King, Kingslayer, The Imp

L to R in Natural Light: Eyes of the Werewolf, Viking King, Kingslayer, The Imp

A taupe with a real edge to it, The Pointy End is your graduation from practice neutrals. Pearlescent and smooth as summer silk, with a sharp silver glint. The Pointy end makes for a lovely twist on a neutral smoky eye and can be used wet as an eyeliner.

These next two colors were interesting for me. I definitely wanted to try them but I wasn't sure how they'd look on me or how I would work them into my looks. To my great surprise, The Pointy End looks amazing both as a liner and also with Kingslayer for a smokey look. The Pointy End is a bit more cool toned as opposed to warm like Kingslayer or The Imp but a great color nonetheless.

Like a sword hidden beneath the black cloak, Brotherhood of Crows is a dusky black base with a glint of metallic gunmetal. In the light, it shines with a host of subtle silver shimmers. Goes on semi-opaque but is easily built up to full coverage. Can be used wet as an eyeliner.

Another go to color for me, as I play many different flavors of Vampire in the Camarilla Fan Club I see my Sabbat character wearing this quite a bit. She's a femme fatale and sneaky. When I first applied this color it took a bit to build up but I was okay with that. That means I can get a light dusting of gray without it looking like too much. When I used it as liner it was great and smokey. I'm not 100% on what I would pair it with but it's definitely going in my experiment pile.

L to R: The Pointy End and Brotherhood of Crows

L to R: The Pointy End and Brotherhood of Crows

Overall, I am very impressed with this set. So many of the colors, even if they're close to others have a hint of something that makes them special. The Pointy End adds a bit of sparkle to a color that I use often as a liner and The Imp adds a bit of spark to gold with it's red glitter. Although I have to experiment more with some of the colors I can say all of these colors are a must have for the smokey eye shadow connoisseur.

As you can see by how much I've been reviewing Geek Chic, I would absolutely order again and again. When I've put notes on something, I've gotten great suggestions from Chantel and Deb on how to improve my application and help me get the most out of my product. This time, with the sealed jars, I also didn't have as much extra fall out which made me feel a lot better and a lot less messy.

Thank you to Chantel and Deb for holding the Look of the Day contest in the first place and thank you to my friend Jeff Allen for buying the two full size jars. Also thank you to everyone who voted for mt Cortana inspired look.

Review: The Falsies Flared Mascara by Maybelline

Okay so one thing I've always loved about my eyes are my lashes. They're long and full even without mascara or liner. My one thing is that I've never curled my lashes in my life. I decided when I saw Maybelline's The Falsies Flared mascara that I would try it as a shortcut to flared and curled lashes.

I will start this off in that this product does take a bit to get used to. In the beginning, my lashes tended to clump together. However with some practice, I found that moving the wand back and forth just a little bit as I brought it along my lashes helped immensely. Also don't wait for this mascara to dry in between coats! I moved it back and forth for the first two coats and then for the third and final coat (Your Mileage May Vary) I brought my lashes to the outer edge to flare them a bit.

Overall, I am so pleased with the result now that I've used it for a bit and will more than likely buy this again. I bought it in Blackest Black because if I am going to use a black mascara, I want to go for the most drama as possible. This is pictured with What's Under the Helmet? from Geek Chic Cosmetics' N7 collection and no eye liner at all.

So would I buy this again? Absolutely! This is becoming a permanent addition to my arsenal of cosmetics. Also, at $6.99 I find that as a mid-range product, it will get quite a bit of use.

LotD: Crime Scene: Do Not Cross

As you can see, I have the most awesome Crime Scene tape hair clips that were made for me in an NCIS themed craft swap. Well, now that my hair is long enough to use them I thought I would do an entire Face of the Day.

For the Face:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Porcelain

For the Eyes:

• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Continuum
• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Sleeping Bucket
• Wet n' Wild Eyeliner - Black
• Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara - Blackest Black

Eesh... I need to work on my lining skills. >.>

For the Cheeks:

• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Eyes of the Werewolf

For the Lips:

• Bath and Body Works Liplicious Gloss - If the Tiara Fits (Any clear sparkly gloss will do)

Overall a fun look to do and while I did use yellow and orange, it wsan't too over the top for me. Other than the fact I need to practice lining I think I'm good to go!

FOTD: MJOLNIR Mark VI

Okay so as some of you know, I follow Major League Gaming and while they represent a few different competitive video games, I'm the most familiar with Halo. I've been wanting to do some looks based off of some of the characters but I just didn't have quite the right eyeshadows to be satisfied with a look. Well, after my appointment with Laura Mercier as well as looking through the four sample eyeshadows that were sent to me for review by Geek Chic Cosmetics, I think I finally have at least one look.

Introducing Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Master Chief is the main hero of the Halo franchise and probably the most iconic of the series. This is a picture of him in his MJOLNIR Mark VI armor which as you can see is mostly an olive/khaki brown with a golden yellow reflective visor in the helmet. There's also the black in between the joints of the armor.

On my face:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Porcelain

On my eyes:

• Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Cotton
• Geek Chic Cosmetics eyeshadow in Viking King
• Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Amethyst
• Laura Mercier Full Blown Mascara in Black

On my lips:

• MAC Lip Liner in Brick
• Laura Mercier Lipstick in Espresso
• Bath and Body Works Liplicious Lipgloss in Princess in Training

After applying the tinted moisturizer all over my face and blending, I primed my lids with Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Cotton. You don't need much of it so I just barely tap the doe foot applicator on each lid and then I use a concealer brush to blend it. Then, I took the Caviar Stick Eye Color, also from Laura Mercier, in Amethyst and applied it to the main part of my lid and in the crease. Using an angled eyeshadow brush, I took just a little bit of Viking King from Geek Chic Cosmetics and placed it on the outer corner of the eye and inside the crease. Then I put on one coat of Full Blown Mascara. Yet again, a Laura Mercier product and this is in Black.

My lips are simple three step lips:

• Use the side of the lip liner pencil (This one is MAC in Brick) to line and fill your lips.
• Apply Espresso lipstick from Laura Mercier and blot.
• Apply lipgloss to the center of your lower lip and rub your lips together.

I decided to go a little redder and glossier with my lipstick since the eyes were predominantly brown and gold. The Amethyst creme eye color does have hints of copper and reddish glitter to it which I also think is brought out by the lips. I've always been one to go dramatic eyes or lips but never both.

A Little More on Eye Basics

I wasn't able to give you guys any photos last night due to not having access to my laptop but now, I thought I would show you the difference between my eyelids with and without Laura Mercier Eye Basics. I use Cotton but your mileage may vary.

Left eye in the photo has Eye Basics and the other is just my bare lid. See how big of a difference this is? Shadow Insurance by TooFaced is great as a primer but I never really felt that it looked this good on its own.

Review: Laura Mercier Eye Basics

So I went recently to an eyebrow event at Saks Fifth Avenue and got a lot of amazing tips from the traveling artist who did my makeup. One of the things she suggested as a must have for me was their Eye Basics. It's an eye shadow primer but to me, this seems like it has a bit more coverage than Too Faced Shadow Insurance. This is something that has made this product stick out a bit to me because my eyelids do have some discoloration to them. While some people have suggested to use Shadow Insurance on it's own as well it doesn't have the coverage that allows me to feel comfortable enough to wear it without putting an eyeshadow of some sort over it.

Eye Basics does the same thing that most eye primers do as well which is to lengthen the wear of your eyeshadow. I actually found that I had less creasing than with Shadow Insurance and it wore quite a bit longer. I didn't feel like my makeup was melting in the heat and that is amazing considering the heat wave that we're in the middle of here. I felt very comfortable and didn't feel like I was wearing too much makeup. Another plus in my opinion.

The packaging is a tube similar to lipgloss and some concealers with a doe foot applicator. The way I apply it is that I tap the doe foot on my eye lightly and then I spread it across my eyelid with a concealer brush. Pretty easy and great coverage.

Bottom Line: 3/5

Review and Swatches: Geek Chic Cosmetics - Fang Banger's Quartet

First of all, I should note that I approached Deb and Chantel at Geek Chic Cosmetics about doing a review. They sent me 4 sample baggies of colors of my choice so I chose the Fang Banger's Quartet. More about that later.

First of all, I was so excited to get the ball rolling on a potential addiction. I've been eyeing Geek Chic Cosmetic's site for a long time and every time they come out with a new set it makes me drool with envy.

In this review, packaging, although noted and described won't play a huge part in my review. They have just changed their sample packaging so what you receive will be different. Also, the pots you see in the photos are my own. I took the shadow out of the sample baggie so that I could apply it easier. The one thing I will note is that everything comes with a sticker with a full list of ingredients which is great!

The following swatches are on bare skin with no primer:

With Flash: Top L to R - Viking King and Purity Burns

Bottom L to R: Blood Bond and Eyes of the Werewolf

Natural Light: Top L to R - Viking King and Purity Burns

Bottom L to R: Blood Bond and Eyes of the Werewolf (I mention later how Eyes matches my skintone, I promise it's there.)

The following colors do contain metal powders so speaking of ingredients, if you have allergies to any metals, I would take note of the ingredients before ordering.

Viking King:
This was the first color that I tried. It's a shiny, uber-metallic antique gold. While gold eye shadows are easy to come by in the world, I have yet to find one with this type of color pay off without a primer. It made my lids look gilded which was something I loved at the time. Having a week off from my blog to deal with real life let me wear it multiple times. The first time I put it on, I was worried because my eyes itched a little bit. It wasn't anything big but I was concerned because I knew about the metal powders. I decided to give it one more try and I was very relieved to find out that the feeling I had was more than likely due to fatigue and not an allergic reaction. One of my favorite looks is to put Blood Bond (review and swatch further down) on the bottom of the lid and put Viking King on the rest of the main lid. It has a hint of Gryffindor to it as well as a bit of royalty.

This is a great everyday shadow and can be used in a variety of ways.


Final Verdict: 4/5

Purity Burns:
A silver shadow with iridescent sparkle. Another great everyday look with a frosty light gray color base. More than likely officially my go to Slytherin silver color and I will be wearing this tonight to the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter movie. The shadow goes on smooth with very little fall out. The powder is fine and very light weight. Something that I love about all of these. I don't feel like I'm made up when I just put a little bit on. Being someone who never used to bother with make up and also was a stage actor, while I am used to feeling made up from the thick base needed for stage work, I don't like it for everyday. Yet again, silver is pretty easy to find elsewhere however I think the iridescent sparkle is what sets it apart from others.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Eyes of the Werewolf:
The base color of this reminds me of the dog that Sam Merlotte tended to shift to. This color matches my skin tone almost perfectly and is the quintessential eye shadow for me to just add a shimmer to my lids. Although the site bills it as a copper, it's not as orange as traditional coppers and this is what I like about it. There's not much else to say about it that I haven't already spoken about the other colors just that it's even more an everyday color for me due to the neutrality.

Final Verdict: 5/5

Blood Bond:
Probably the only color that isn't an everyday color for me. It's not to say that the deep, shimmery burgundy is bad but more to say that I don't go out often enough to see use for it. To me, it's something I would wear to a club or with specific costumes that call for a dramatic burgundy eye look. The one thing I did do with it was my Gryffindor Eye of the Day and I wore it to Ba-Con's Barfleet party.

Final Verdict: 3/5

Overall:
I am really pleased with this set as my first experience with Geek Chic Cosmetics. Deb was very helpful in communicating with me about any delays in the shipping of the samples as well as answering any questions. Always a great plus when dealing with independent companies. I potted all of my samples in some old sample pots I had left over from products I had received but I don't use and this makes it a bit easier to use the right amount of product. Although now, samples are shipped in clamshells which will be massively easier.

I will definitely be rebuying Viking King, Purity Burns, and Eyes of the Werewolf on a regular basis. Blood Bond will probably already last me a long while  but eventually I probably will rebuy it. Being a LARPer who plays a vampire, it has it's uses. :)

Final Verdict on Whole Set: 4/5

Swatches: Wet n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios

So this is to supplement my previous review. Just thought I would post photos of some swatches in natural light.

L to R in natural light: I Dream of Greenie  the Eyelid, Crease, and Browbone colors.

L to R in natural light: Spoiled Brat Browbone, Crease, and Eyelid colors.

Spoiled Brat's colors made me instantly think of Codex from The Guild as her costume colors are predominantly a deep pink, white, and gold so I would subtitute the silver in for the white and probably use the black as a liner. This is probably going to be my next Eye of the Day as well. 

Also Note: These photos are swatches without primer. When I do my eyes, I always use a primer and my primer of choice at the moment is Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It increases the vibrance of the color and also increases wear time.

Pro-Look: Smoky Green Eye

I went to my local Sephora store to learn how to do a smoky eye and the lady was so immensely helpful. I thought I would do a quick post to share photos.

I love the way that this opens up my eyes. She did both my eyes and my brows. I also chose a green base as opposed to a brown. This might be my look for the wedding but we're still experimenting. We might take a look at a tokidoki palette next time. :)

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