Gothique

After I reviewed Glamour Doll Eyes last time I was hesitant to order again.  I knew the owner, Vee, was in the middle of creating totally new and unique colors for her shop and working on her formula.  Since then I was contacted by Vee, and I got a set of her new color collection inspired by the Twilight saga. I told her in advance that although I was not a fan of the books/movies I would still love an opportunity to see what she’s been working on.

Visiting the site I see that while the same basic navigation applies, the site has been totally redesigned.  It’s very well coordinated!  She’s also lowered her prices from when I first reviewed her to a much more competitive 6$ for a shadow.

The colors she sent were :

Big Brother

We all know Emmett is a rough & tumble outdoor kinda guy. But you also have to keep in mind he’s really a giant teddy bear inside. Just like the “Big Brother” we all wish we had. This color is a greyish green color

Black Ice

Just like with real “Black Ice” you’ve got to be careful when dealing with Rosalie. She’s a witch and a half & can easily be a frenemy. This is a matte black with a gorgeous silver shimmer.

Dear Mom

“Dear Mom” will make you want to write home to yours. At least if your mother is even half as sweet as Esme. This color is soft and pink with a little bit of a purple sparkle.

Family Secret

The Cullens are a nice, average loving family. Well unless you know about their “Family Secret*.” Then you might not want to be a Bob Cat. This color is a pearly white.

Just Bitten

It is no secret that Bella wants to be turned into a vampire (and does), thats why “Just Bitten” is the perfect name for her inspired color. This color is a gorgeous shimmery burgundy with some gold sparkle.

Mind Reader

“Mind Reader” won’t cut you any slack. If you think something mean about Edward‘s family I’d watch my back. This color is a matte almost black blue with gold and silver shimmers.

Mood Swing

Jasper is like a little pill of calm. You are sure to never have a “Mood Swing” with him around. Caution: Getting to close to Jasper may result in a missing limb vie one Alice Cullen. This color is a greyish blue with some shimmer.

Premonition

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are about to do. In a fight with Alice she’s going to see everything you even think you want to do. “Premonition” makes this one girl you don’t want to bet against. This color is a gorgeous dark greyish lavender.

Skin of a Killer

Edward said it best. They have the Skin of a Killer. You can’t help but be in awe of this family & they will bedazzle you even more when the sun hits them. This color is a pale pearly white with gold sparkle.

The Perfect Cure

Got a bad case of draining your food source? Carlisle can help you calm your murderous tendencies & make you into a vegan with his morals which are “The Perfect Cure.” This color is a medium brown with a low sheen, almost matte, with a tiny bit of gold and green sparkle.

From top to bottom, left to right : Mood Swing, Family Secret, Skin of a Killer, The Perfect Cure, Premonition, Dear Mom, Just Bitten, Mind Reader, Black Ice, and Big Brother

I’m my opinion Family Secret and Skin of a Killer are really similar colors.  I’ve been using Skin of a Killer as a highlighter.  The two darkest shades, Mind Reader and Black Ice are still a little sticky, like her black shadows were in my previous review, however they blend easier now.

I’ve been wearing Just Bitten and Dear Mom together, and they look beautiful.  I use the lighter Dear Mom on the inner coener of my eye and blend in into Just Bitten and it looks great.  I’ve also been wearing The Perfect Cure a lot, just on my lid with a simple liner with a touch of Mood Swing on the inner corner highlighted with Family Secret.

Would I purchase from Glamour Doll Eyes again?  Probably.

• On top of really liking the colors in this collection, all of which are unique blends (except Family Secret) I can see she’s got a few more new shades that look promising.
• They have a new line of glosses that look interesting. Phyrra recently posted a review of them.
• It’s obvious Vee is working on growing her business, taking what she’s hearing from reviews and using that to improve.  I always respect that.

Celebrities, fashion stylists, and editors across the globe know Tarina Tarantino—the “Queen of Irreverent Luxury”—as the accessory designer who makes everything she touches sparkle. This fuchsia-tressed former makeup artist now shares her passion for self-expression and playfulness with a complete cosmetics collection, available only at Sephora. Inspired by her nostalgic-yet-modern jewelry line, Tarina developed innovative products with high-quality, color-rich formulas and luxurious packaging. TARINA TARANTINO will take girls of all ages on a fantastical journey, where they can express their own personal style and reveal their inner sparkle.

I love Tarina.  I have so many of her pieces I probably paid for her last car.  I love her sparkle and the color and her liberal use of skulls to look ‘pretty’.  Whenever I go to Disneyland I always buy a new Alice in Wonderland piece from the jewelry store on Main Street that has her beauties on display.

I was excited to hear she was launching her own cosmetic line and signed up on Sephora right away, anxious to hear when it launched to place my order.

The TT line comprises eye shadows, lip glosses, lip sticks, mascara, liners, perfume, brushes, blush, primers, and exclusive pieces of jewelry.  It was surprising how many different products she was coming out with.  As soon as I saw the packaging I realized I was going to have some problems being judicious about my purchase.

A quick browse though the Sephora site further reinforced the fact I’d have to pick carefully as the line is QUITE pricey.  The Eye Dream Hypershadows are 19$ each and the Dollskin Blush are 25$ each.  I suspect it’s because the packaging itself is rather ornate, hand set with gems.

In the end my budget allowed me to order two things :

Eye Dream Hypershadow in Pave

dark brownie with iridescent glitter

Gem Gloss in Laquer

cherry red

I figured I would get two things I would CERTAINLY use in safer colors, since the price was prohibitive from ‘trying’ out new shades.

I wanted an eyeshadow because I was curious as to just what a ‘hypershadow’ was.

These bold shadows with hyper pigmentation come in matte and variety of shimmer/pearl, glitter versions. Jet Mill Technology is used to pulverize formula into the smallest particle, which gives shadows their velvety texture. The maximum pigment load, 20-50 percent more pigment with less binder, produces the rich color payoff that is sure to get you noticed.

It sort of sounded a little like what they say about loose mineral shadows.  More pigment, less binder, etc etc.  Curiosity often gets to me.  I picked Pave, the dark brown, since I knew it would work on me, hoping the hint of iridescent sparkle it boasted would add a little uniqueness.

It arrived in a pink box, rather simple on the outside.  Opening it I found my shadow inside a little custom TT organza bag.  The shadow container itself is beautiful and almost delicate, the outside ringed in what a little insert tells me are ‘hand set gems’.  It’s very typical Tarina.

Swatching it I was a little disappointed.  There is almost no ‘sparkle’ to the shadow at all.  It’s not all that ground-breakingly amazing, either.  I was envisioning it being rich and ‘velvety’.  It’s very f-lat.  While I appreciate a matte shadow, this really wasn’t what I was expecting by way of ‘hyper’ pigmentation and finish.

Bare skin on the left, over primer on the right.

As for wear, it went on a little tricky, perhaps because it’s a matte.  I tried two primers, a MAC Paint Pot and it was too sticky to get it to blend out smoothly, so I tried TFSI and it applied a bit easier, although it didn’t look as dark or opaque, but the edges blended nicer.  I think I’m going to have to mess with it a bit more then I would prefer to get it both smooth, opaque and well blended.

When I opened the box of gloss I was surprised how boring the tube was in contrast to the shadow.  They couldn’t have fit in some gems someplace?  The applicator seemed a little cheep to me, it’s not a doe foot, it’s long and thin, with the same velvet covering.

The gloss formula didn’t live up to my expectations either.

Achieve a full-bodied lip look with medium-intensity pigment suspended in this silky, hydrating formula. Special emollients encapsulate water to keep lips supple while plumping spheres work to draw water into lips for a smooth, voluminous effect. An infusion of exfoliant enhances cell turnover to promote fresh softness.

One coat was sparse and blotchy.  I guess I’m spoiled with great lustres and vegan lipsticks that go on with one coat.  I found myself applying the gloss in layers, and then having to go back and add extra in little patches they seemed light.  I’m not sure if it’s the color I chose (a Chinese red) that made it difficult.  Although I would think that if one was going to add a color to a collection you’d insure it was of the same quality of the others.  It also has an odd taste.

Eventually I messed with it enough to get it even, and you can see in the picture it does make my lips look plumper.  It’s a smooth formula, but it didn’t stay in place, which you can also see in the picture.  Once I had what I thought was smooth even coverage, blotches formed.  Again.

Would I order more Tarina Tarantino Cosmetics?  Probably not.

• Although I love the packaging, I’d rather be able to wear my bling then leave in on my vanity.
• The shadow formula wasn’t very impressive.
• The gloss was too blotchy to wear, I felt like I was constantly having to touch it up.

I guess in the end I learned that I’m beyond the phase I need to flash around big name cosmetics to be cool.  I prefer well made products that wear well and look good, even if the packaging isn’t encrusted in jewels.  While some companies manage a healthy combination of amazing packaging and quality product, I didn’t find it in the (albeit few) products I tried from Tarina Tarantino.

As for dupes I recommend Rockbottom from AL for the shadow and Type A Lustre from Fyrinnae for the gloss.

ETA:

I just got off the phone with my local Sephora and they invited me to return my products and sit with one of their ‘consultants’ at the TT display and swatch and test some of her other products.  I’m scheduling that for next weekend, so you can expect an update.

Yesterday Kristen announced the end of the Aromaleigh Angel’s line of eye shadows!

From left to right : Phaedra, Rhinestone Housewife, Absinthe Rock, Anastasia, Loretha, and Tanya Angel

The Angels’ shadows will be available now through February 6th, so order now!!

In order to simplify things and return to their roots, Aromaleigh is also making several changes across the site.  They’re discontinuing a lot of the private label cosmetics and face products.  They’re also extending their 25% off sales to two weeks, from the recent 10 days and raising their minimum order from 5$ to 10$.

I placed an order on the 21st and it was #103403 and then a second on the 22nd and it was #103488.  So in about a day Aromaleigh received 85 orders.  It makes complete sense to me to streamline and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive and new things that will come about with less stress and craziness!

Right around Christmas I was surprised to find a package from Hi-Fi Cosmetics in my mailbox.  Veronica was amazingly generous and sent the perfect holiday surprise.

She sent :

Eyeshadows in Rock & Roll and Raven

Paprazzi Glitter Powder in Unpredictable

Glam Rock Eye Glitz in Smooth Jazz

Star Glimmer Gel in Pop Star

From left to right, top to bottom : Pop Star, Smooth Jazz, Raven, and Rock & Roll

I’m always so pleased with her stuff.  I wear the Glimmer Gels everyday, in place of a highlighter.  It’s a little glimmer and iridescence but as you can see in the swatch, it’s subtle.  It comes in a generous sized jar and you don’t need much.

Her shadows are long wearing and blend amazingly.  If you haven’t tried Hi-Fi yet I really recommend them!  Not only are her products well made and totally original, but the customer service is top notch.

Ordering

Pure Luxe has an independent site that pops up with a flash intro page.  Clicking past the flash it gets a little confusing.  Apart from the flash wonkiness the site is somewhat weird to browse, several categories are on one page and the stock header remains the same no matter what page your on although the navigation menu jumps around.  The navigation runs across the top of the page in a ramble of categories.

The first thing I always check now is the cart system.  It’s a Paypal based site, so nothing is integrated and the purchase buttons sort of float under the products.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it really needs repeating, this type of cart and shopping system is irritating and confusing.  You can’t keep track of what you’ve ordered without flipping back and forth between tabs.  What’s more, when you check out there is no invoice sent by Pure Luxe, it comes via PayPal so there is no way to check your order on the Pure Luxe site.

While I was shopping I sent a message through the site’s system asking about some ingredients in one specific product, but I never received a reply.

Pure Luxe sells eye shadows, liners, lip products, foundations, primers,  finishes, correctors, bronzers, glitters as well as skin care products and brushes.

I ordered a wide variety of product samples, which are priced at $1 for about 1/8 a teaspoon in a jar.  The full sized products were competitively priced.

All together I ordered the following samples:

Apparition Glow in the Dark Eye Shadow

Reckless Flashcube

Glass Slipper and Sequin Pure Shimmers

Lust Lip Wand

Razzberry Blush

Mulberry Ultimate Liner

Fairy Wing Eyezcreams

Shadow samples in :

Latte, Galaxy, Ghost Mist, Grape, Charm, Asp, Tart, Chaos, Bad Girl, Ouch, Kitten, Sunny Side Up, Godiva, Racy, Blueberry, Bubblegum, Awakening, and OMG!

Shipping

I ordered on December 17th.  Actually I ended up placing two orders, one about ten minutes after the other because Ana and I got to talking and I went back and added a few things.  I emailed right after asking if my orders could be combined to save on shipping and I never received a reply.

My invoices were printed on December 21st and I was emailed a notice from Paypal saying Pure Luxe added shipping details, however, the tracking numbers provided never came up when I entered them into the USPS website, so there as no way for me to check where they were.

After waiting for them to update a few days I sent another message to Pure Luxe asking to check to see if the numbers were correct, and again I received no reply.

My orders arrived on December 30th.  I talked to the mailman when I got the package and he laughed, saying that Pure Luxe affixed a DC sticker to the packages, but never paid for them, so yeah, the packages technically HAD a DC# on them, it was just not valid.

Shipping costs are sort of high :

cart total           shipping cost

There is no additional shipping and handling fees.

Packaging

My orders arrived packed in bubble mailers, my jars inside wrapped again in bubble wrap.  Both of my invoices had little messages on them ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘Thank You’.  There were no additional samples included.

Product / Colors

(Yup, I’m changing this section from Formula / Colors to what you see there.)

The samples all came in 3gram jars.  They are the typical 5gram size with false domed bottoms, making them 3grams.  While the site said the shadows would have 1/8 a teaspoon of product, about half of the samples seemed to have more then that.

They were labeled on the top with the company name and on the bottom with the product (liner, blush, shadow, etc) and the color.

Checking the site, the ingredients are listed on one page.  I can’t say for certain if they are printed or included with full sized products, but they are readily available.

All in all I ended up with 26 different items to try.

Eye Shadow

Yes, right away I can see they sells the POP! collection, they call them Bubblegum Ballz. Both Blueberry and Grape that I ordered from this collection are repackaged *.

Sunny Side Up is a match for TKB’s True Yellow.

Galaxy is the usual blue/gold that I always seem to be buying.

OMG! which was 2$ for the sample, has this included as the color description :

We had to separate this color because it is so unique and pricier then our standard shadows, but DEFINITELY worth every penny.
The brightest red you will see! Deep bright red with SUPER metallic red highlight. Not for the shy, you WILL stand out

However, it pretty much matched TKB’s Hot Moma (which is also a favorite of a few other repackagers).

Tart is could be based on Taurus Orion, although somewhat more sheer and golden.

Asp seems based on TKB’s Aladdin’s Lamp.

Charm is a close match to TKB’s Bishop’s Violet.

Chaos seems to be based on TKB’s Sagittaire.

Ouch! is really close to TKB’s Brilliant Glitter Red.

The rest I can’t seem to match definitively enough to say they are not dupes, so Ghost Mist, Awakening, Bad Girl, Godiva, Latte, Racy, Kitten, and Bubblegum may be original colors.

Latte, which is matte, is a fairly lovely neutral color that would work well as a blender.

Pure Shimmers

I bet you already know where this is going.  Sequin is an exact match to TKB’s Pinky Pink and Glass Slipper is an exact match to Diamond Cluster.  I suspect that the rest of her Pure Shimmer collection can be duped to TKB’s Reflecks Natural Glitters.

Flashcubes

The one I ordered, Wreckless, is a basic micro glitter blend.  They are a little poky and you defiantly need a fixative to use them.  I would also say they are probably NOT eye safe although the Pure Luxe site doesn’t state that.

Ultimate Liners

Mulberry seems awfully close to TKB’s Smokey XXX (the picture is above with the POPS!).  It doesn’t seem to be a different formula then the shadows.  Sometimes liners are more matte or a ‘thicker’ formula.

Blush

Razzberry is a truly gorgeous shade and I genuinely like it a lot.  It’s a fairly intense pink, so a little goes a long way.  Again, though, it seems to be the same formula as the eye shadows.

Lip Wand

The color I have, Lust, is gorgeous in the jar, however it’s not completely blended.  There is a large swirl of what I assume is the base.  I would like to hope that the full sized product might be more carefully blended.

The color on the lips is just as amazing a in the jar, however it’s a little thin and somewhat gritty.  I do plan on wearing it until I run out.

EyezCreme Shadow

This little sample came in a tiny doe foot tube.  The color is really pretty and I do like the formula.  You have to be really wary using it on your lid, it creases very easily when it’s dry.

Glow In the Dark

I’ve saved probably the most controversial product for last.  Apparition is apparently sold as an eyeshadow, it’s listed on the Specialty Eye Colors page of the Pure Luxe website.

It’s a super fine powder that has that distinctive greeny cast in the light and GLOWS LIKE THE DICKENS in the dark.

According to the Pure Luxe page :

A fixative/sealer is STRONGLY recommended to adhere the powders.

Which I would say is totally true since to me it feels essentially like very fine sand.

This was the one product I repeatedly emailed and requested ingredient info for, since they are not listed on the ingredient page.

A quick poll shows that many people are curious as to if it’s even safe for use in an eye shadow.  One MM expert says no, “Glow in the dark pigment (l.zinc sulfide) is actually very harsh to the conjunctiva.“  I looked to the FDA for an answer and found the following :

Luminescent colors: These colors glow in the dark. In August 2000, FDA approved luminescent zinc sulfide for limited cosmetic use. It’s the only luminescent color approved for cosmetic use, and it’s not for every day and not for near your eyes. You can recognize it by its whitish-yellowish-greenish glow.

In short, this product should NOT be sold as an eyeshadow at all, or should at least be noted that it is NOT eye safe.

Conclusion

Would I order from Pure Luxe Cosmetics again?  No.

• Out of 26 products I purchased, I could only say that 10 were original.
• One of their products, Apparition, probably shouldn’t be sold at all without a warning.
• The DC# they ‘supplied’ were never paid for, hence never valid.
• Shipping seems a little high, I paid 6$ per package and the shipping labels where both under 2.50$.
• I sent messages and emailed several times looking for responses and information and never got a reply.

Overall : 0/5

In honor of Fyrinnae’s emergence on Twitter today I thought I’d swatch one of my newest hauls!

From top to bottom, left to right: Nijiro, Rapunzel Had Extensions, Predatory, Moon Child, Javan Rhino, and Fujiro.

From top to bottom, left to right : Nonsense, OMGWTF, Steam Punk, Dokkalfar, Jade Ghost, Dragonmagic, Still Breathing

Romantique Lip Lustre

Nijiro -

Ivory with rainbow sparkles.

Predatory-

Rich, velvety matte royal purple.

Javan Rhino -

Vibrant turquoise with a lavender-pink highlight.

Fujiro -

Medium blue-violet with a shimmery lavender highlight and silver sparkles.

Moon Child -

Soft shimmery ivory-beige shade with subtle sparkle.

Rapunzel had Extensions -

Stunning golden pink-peach.

Nonsense! -

Crisp lime, nearly-matte.

OMGWTF -

Bright shimmery chartreuse.

Steampunk -

A little deceptive, this shade looks bronze in the jar, but is more of a sparkling combination of gold, orange, and copper on skin.

Still Breathing -

Matte black with tiny red (not pink!) sparkles, creating a soft, glowing red shimmer.

Arcane Magic, Dragonmagic -

Deep charcoal with a shimmer that changes from a violety ice blue to pale green to almost gold, depending on the light.

Jade Ghost -

Satiny pale white-green in the jar, but once applied (especially wet!) it has an iridescent glow of light green shimmer in varying shades

Dokkalfar -

Black filled with hues of pale green to golden-lime sparkle.

I’ve been wearing Nonsense on the outter 3/4th of my lid with Jade Ghost blended in the inner corner with Dokkalfar as a liner.  I’m really stunned at how lovely green shadows look with my brown eyes.

The same concept works with Rapunzel on the outer lid, Moon Child on the inner corner and lined with Steam Punk.

I’ve also been wearing Nijiro as my brow highlight, it’s the only one of the haul I got in full size.  It’s really very subtle and so multipurpose.

Back before Christmas I was surprised to find a package in my mailbox from Ellie McDowell.  I looked at it a few times, not  knowing who it was or what it was I’d ordered.  When I opened it I was literally silenced for a good ten minutes as I went through the package.  Ellie is the creator and imaginative force behind Dreamworld Minerals and she sent me 135 different samples of her shadows, blushes, and finishes as well as several full sized shadows, glosses, and eye gels.

I had been checking the shop page for a while now, knowing the shop was closed as the owner was trying to catch up on life.  Which is totally understandable as she was running the business on her own.  I found it to be an incredibly responsible thing to do.  Now it seems like DreamWorlds will be reopening soon!

I’m sure that many have seen some of the new colors that will be coming up when I reopen. As for that time I cannot tell you exactly when it will be. I had planned for it to be Valentine’s Day so that I can announce the addition of 2 new worlds…BookWorm and another that I’m holding onto for now. But with being in school and wanting to get the shoppe fixed so that shipping can be accurate and fast, I am not sure I can do it by then.

…

And as I have already told in the past, DW will be under new management and the name will be changing slightly to DreamWorlds…the makeup will remain DreamWorld Minerals, the skin care will be DreamWorld Naturals….I may also be looking into changing it slightly more as I get my ideas in focus and decide how I wish to do it…

It should go without saying it took me a while to get through everything.  Most of my readers know I like to have product for a while before I review it.  While I did end up swatching everything, I’m only going to talk about my favorites, or else we’d all be were all day.  We still might, I ended up loving a lot of colors…

From the Atlantis Collection, Five Rings -

When Poseidan created Atlantis, he created the 5 rings that surrounded the island world. Five Rings is a lovely, soft mauve.

From the Illuminating Glos, Serenity

From the Cambrian Collection, Pixie Sunset

Bright pink, undertones of violet, sparkles of gold.

From the Abydos Collection, Ra’s Chariot -

True greenish gold, sparkles

From the Mother Earth, Father Sky Collection, Cherry Blossom -

Light pink copper, green and red undertones.

From the Trinity Collection, Amelia -

A deep purplish blue color that has undertones of gold, so when placed on the eye will turn 3 colors.

From the Trinity Collection, Joan -

A pretty purple color with pink, blue, and burgundy undertones.

From the Neverland Collection, Peter Pan -

True green with a touch of yellow.

From the Mystical Treasures Collection – Lumeria

Orange, gold, pink.

From the Mystical Treasures Collection – Sands of Atlantis -

Gold, copper, bronze.

From the Avalon Matte Collection, Blade

From the Liner Collection, Elysian Fields -

Deep turquoise.

From the Muses Collection, Melete

From left to right : Amelia, Five Rings, Joan, Cherry Blossom, Ra’s Chariot, and Peter Pan.

Her focus is on deep, rich, imaginative colors inspired by mythology.  There are so many shadows I would buy based on name alone.  There was obviously a great deal of thought put into each color and it’s coordinating name.  Often you will find a bit of the mythology listed with the color description.  Writing this review has taken me a while because I keep going page to page to read them!

The formula it’s self is really soft, smooth, and opaque.  While many of the colors appear light, they are not weak, the color stands up when swatched.  Cherry Blossom, for instance, was one of the pale colors I didn’t think much of in the sample bag, but when swatched it was such a sweet pink with an amazing glow.

The colors are a collection of simple and complex, but certainly NONE are repackaged.

I was also really impressed with the lipgloss or Magick Wands I received, in particular Simi -

Bold, intense, metallic red.

It’s thick and pigmented and works like a lipstick, even though it’s in a gloss tube.

Simi*

Will I order from DreamWorlds when it reopens?  Yes.

When it does I’m going to order a few things from the new collection that Phyrra got a sneak peek of as well as write my usual start to finish review.

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy all the samples I have!

*Why yes, apparently I did put my lipstick on in the dark…

My latest quest has led me on the search for a good neutral base and brow shade.  I’ve been wanting to try a few of the more subtle shades from Sassy Minerals for a while, so for just around 12$ (including shipping) I ordered two full sized shadows and three samples.  I also received two samples free.

I was surprised to discover that the full sized jars came with heat stamped lids with the company name on the them.  They also include the shade name, type (shimmer or luster) as well as weight and a full list of ingredients.

All together I got full sizes of :

Gasoline Rainbow (since I used all of my sample) -

Smooth black with intense rainbow of sparkle.

Understated -

Pale neutral tan.

Samples of :

Glass House -

Snow white shimmer.

Team Player -

Pale sandy pink.

Best Friend -

Creamy taupe.

Wisdom -

Golden chocolate with gold shimmer.

Obscurity -

Pale aloe green.

From top to bottom, left to right : Understated, Glass House, Team Player, Best Friend, Wisdom, and Obscurity

I’m really pleased with these more demure shades I’ve collected.  The full size of Understated, in particular, was a great buy at $4.25 for the full sized.  It’s a Silk Luster finish and will work perfectly as a blending shade for brighter looks or on it’s own on the lid and brow when looking for a more subtle look, or with a dramatic liner.

Overall the company in general continues to impress me.  Their shipping charges are amazingly reasonable and I’ve always received my orders within days.  The prices are great for the samples, and although they are not the most complex of colors, they are a great place to shop for basics.  I really like the Silk Luster formula as a matte alternative.

Ordering

Someone suggested PCB to me in one of my comments, so I went and took a closer look at her listings.  Normally I’d click past them, the didn’t seem well photographed or anything I hadn’t seen before.

I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and place a small order.  Their prices, 5$ a shadow, seemed competitive especially given they were running a sale at the time.  I’ll admit the gloss was pricey, but I was going off the assumption with the sale that was the price of two.

I wasn’t able to find any ingredients on the listings, so I assumed they would come printed on the jars, as I’ve noticed is the case with many smaller Etsy sellers.

They were having a BOGO sale so I ordered:

In the Meadow Eye Shadow, getting Desire free

PinqueCherryChocolat Lip Gloss, getting Summer of ’82 free

Shipping

I ordered on December 20th and my order arrived on December 24th.  It was amazingly quick.

Shipping costs are $2.oo for your first item, and your second item is free.  There is no additional shipping and handling charge.

Packaging

My order arrived in a big white envelope folded over onto itself and taped up.  Inside my items were wrapped in bubble wrap.  The shadows and the glosses were each in their own organza bag along with a business card but no invoice.

Formula / Colors

I opened and tried the lip glosses first.  They come in clean tubes with silver lids and doe foot applicators.  The labels are hand written round white stickers.

Looking at them in the tubes they look like they are almost the same color.  Swatched on the back of my hand one was a little more purple then the other.  When applied to my lips they again both looks the same.  They really don’t leave any color, more like a shimmery shine.  If I put a thicker coat I can see a hint of color, but the formula is really too thin and loose for a heavier application.

The shadows come in 5 gram jars, again with a handwritten label on the bottom noting the color.  The top has a round piece of card stock stuck on with a glue dot.  They were taped close, and when I opened them the sifter didn’t have one of those little sticker things over it, keeping it sanitary or closed, or whatever it’s there for.

On the site the listing states:

Your shadow will be packaged in a 5 gm sifter jar containing 1 gm of shadow. It goes a long way and lasts a long time!

I was really sort of surprised to open it and realize that that didn’t mean a full jar.  In my eyes it appeared that there was only a sample sized amount in the jar.

Dumping one out I weighed the contents.  I got .56 grams on one and .52 on the other.  About half as much as stated in the listing.

Swatching the colors I was also dismayed to find they were probably just straight mica with no binders or base.  I can’t tell for sure, again, there were no ingredients listed.

I do really like the green, though.  It’s got a very pretty golden glow to it, although, as stated in the listing, it is really sheer.  Desire also seems like a  unique color, however, it takes a ton to get it opaque.

Conclusion

Would I order from Pinque Chocolat Beauty again?  No.

• I was sort of surprised at the lack of proper labeling.  Ingredients aside the handwritten stickers was sort of too amateur.
• The lip gloss, while moisturizing, left no color on my lips.
• Each jar was half the amount of product listed.

I sent a convo regarding the fact I received less product then listed, and received this reply:

hi, im very sorry that you werent happy with your shadows. i dont weigh but i measure 2 scoops of 1/2 gram each. i will happily refund your cost as i would hate very much for you to be unhappy.

She did promptly refund my payment and was very polite.

When I ordered my Goth Stix from SoBe I also ordered a few of her full sized eye shadows.  I have a bunch of her samples, and I really liked her formula.  It’s smooth and bright and the color are opaque and long wearing.

In my Christmas order I received:

Zen Fire

Hot new dark red color with shifts of gold, red, copper & a burst of reflecting red & gold glitter.

Amnesia

Silver shimmer & shine that also packs in a major glitter holographic silver punch of sparkling glimmer!

Ocean Drive

Beautiful Blue with a silvery platinum sheen.

Sexpot

Hotest sexiest hot pink you can find.

Gingerbread

Gorgeous medium light brownish bronze with shimmer on top.

Sugarplum Fairy

Rich royal Purple plum with a hint of pink/red shimmer.

From top to bottom, left to right : Zen  Fire, Ocean Drive, Amnesia, Sexpot, Gingerbread, and Sugarplum Fairy