Review and swatches: J. Lynne

I look like I have the plague. My face is covered in spots and blemishes. I think they are caused by stress (work, my birthday is in a couple of weeks etc) and Friday's office X-mas party didn't help either (although I had fun!).

So this is a perfect day to post a review. I also have swatches but I'm afraid the lighting issues continue. So bear with me.

I stumbled accross J. Lynne through Mineral Makeup Mutiny website. I hadn't heard of the brand before and I decided to have a look at their website. After that, I was 100% sure I wanted to give them a go. All their products are cruelty free and made by the company so that's a huge plus.

I wanted to try out their Japanese garden collection. The colours looked soft and pretty and I'm such a sucker for Japanese-themed products. I also got offered a free gift, either two blushes or two eyeshadows in sample sizes. I went for blushes and I asked if I could choose those samples. I got an answer that due to logistical reasons it wasn't possible to choose the samples which I respect.

The website has pictures of the shades as well as a written description. However, some of the described colours sound a bit odd , like "cool bronze". To me, bronze is a warm colour.





This is the oh-so-sweet packaging in which my order I arrived. I felt like it was my birthday or Christmas already!

I unwrapped the papers and went "hmmmmm...". The jars are HUGE. First, I thought that I got sent full sized products instead of samples. The jars are also fairly heavy because they are made of thick plastic.

This is where the disappointments begun. Inside the enormous jar was a tiny amount of the product. Maybe it wasn't as little as it was made to look like but it felt and looked strange. I took Fyrinnae's sample to compare the packaging and the amount of product.





The website says that the sample size is "1/16 teaspoon of product in a 5 gram jar".






I have used Fyrinnae's sample pictured here several times. It's one of my favourite highlighters, Sakura. Funny thing, J. Lynne's sample pictured here is Sakura, too! (I wasn't kidding with the Japanese names) I'm pretty sure that Fyrinnae's sample has more product but I'll have to verify this. However, putting this little product in such a huge jar is a waste in my opinion. Also, the jars are so large that I have problems storing them!


Let's move on to the swatches. I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer.



Top row, from left to right: Mokuren, Nashi, Wakakusa
Bottom row, from left to right: Sakura, Tachibana, Kuzu, Fuji





Kinoko, Takenoko, Seri, Mikage





Mokuren = delicate ivory with icy buff and pink tones
Nashi = lush wheat colour with golden tones
Wakakusa = icy, pale green with golden tones
Sakura = sweet, lustrous pinky-peach
Tachibana = golden-peach with pink irisdescence
Kuzu = sweet, luminous plum-pink
Fuji = soft, icy silver-violet with hints of pink
Kinoko = lush golden-brown with silver tones
Takenoko = olive green with icy bronze tones
Seri = soft, cool green with silvery highlights
Mikage = lustrous silver-grey
(shade descriptions from J. Lynne website)

These colour are all Satin Pearls shadows which means that they are silky and pearly shades. They are pretty but nothing special, to be honest.

Also, there's an issue with the price. Sample sizes are $1.25 a piece, full sizes $8. Sample set (all 12 colours) is $15. Shipping fee for international orders is $11.

I wanted to love J. Lynne but I just can't. There's nothing wrong with the products and the colours are all pretty but something felt missing. Also, the sample blushes I got? One was almost fark brown and the other beige. A bit of a risk sending these sort of colours to an unknown customer.

I hate writing negative reviews and I wasn't sure if I should write this at all but I've also promised to give my honest opinion of the products I've tried.

If you're a fan of easy, pretty colours then you might like J. Lynne. Their customer service is first class and the formula of the products is good.

Have you tried J. Lynne?

HiFi Cosmetics Black Friday sale!

I'm waiting to get my hands on HiFi's samples so I can't testify for the products but just wanted to let you guys know that HiFi is having a Black Friday sale that ends on Sunday.

All HiFi shadows are BOGO (buy one, get one free) and there are other discounts as well.

Check out the shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hificosmetics for more information.

HiFi also released a holiday collection that looks positively yummy. I especially like Grinch, Adeste Fideles and Visions of Sugarplum!

Meow coupon code and holiday collections

Meow Cosmetics have just launched their holiday collections (yes, that's a plural). My favourite of them is "12 Pains of Christmas", a rather humorous approach to the 'dark side' of the celebrations. I also love the Glacial Grove collection. I might be ordering samples after all...

Use the code CatsEatTurkeys2 to get 20% off of your order. This code is valid until Sunday so now's the time to get ready for the holidays!

FOTD: Make It Work (+ a mini review on Sassy Minerals)

Guys, it's Caturday already!

Yesterday I received a huge sample haul from Sassy Minerals. I had seen Lisa Kate's and Nea's looks and swatches and so I had to make an order.

So, I wanted to do a look with Sassy. Yesterday I watched the Project Runway finale (I had hoped that Carol Hannah would win) and I got my inspiration from Tim Gunn.

Do I hear you say "Whaaaaaat?"?

Well, let me explain. I adore Tim Gunn. He seems so sweet and I love his catchphrases. Sassy has an eyeshadow called Make It Work and I have to admit that I ordered a sample of that simply because I loved the name. But I love the colour, too. It's a "rosy brown with aqua sparkle". The sparkle is nice and not too disco. Because of the theme I paired it with Fashionista which is a "rich copper with silver sparkle". An amazing colour that I believe will soon be lemminged all over the blogosphere, just wait and see. For highlighting I used Witty Banter (I think it suits the theme perfectly), a golden tan colour with gold sparkle.

Although Tim Gunn will probable never see or hear from this look, I hope that he would be happy with what I came up with. At least it's not too costume-y :)

FOTD: Make It Work

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish finishing powder
Sassy Minerals blush in Plus One

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Make It Work (all over upper lid)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Fashionista (outer vee and crease)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Witty Banter (as a highlighter below brow)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Aromaleigh Nourishing Color Creme in Cakewalk





I hate that I couldn't get a decent photo showing the sparkle of this colours. They are really shimmery in a nice way. It's that time of year again when we have a minimum amount of daylight in Finland. As a matter of fact, the sun doesn't come up at all in the north in the winter. Summers are a completely opposite, the sun doesn't seem to set at all (and it doesn't in Lapland, the northernmost part of Finland).





The colours blend really well and I love the chocolatey look of this combination. Although these are the most shimmery colours that Sassy offers, they are still perfect for days at the office.





The blush I'm wearing, Plus One, was the free blush I received from Sassy. I'm in love with it. It's very delicate peach/pink/beige blush with a hint of golden shimmer.

I hate the pic. I'd love to post perfect photos everytime I do a look but it seems impossible. I still blame the lack of natural light.

For the review part. Sassy's website is very easy to navigate, all the products are in alphabetical order in their respective categories. The shipping was incredibly fast: I placed my order on Friday 13th and I received it exactly 7 days later. That's really fast for international orders. I also got a shipping notice when my order was dispathed (I like when companies do this because then I know that my order is on it's way home to mama).

The colous are beautiful. Sassy may not go crazy with its colours like Fyrinnae but it provides gorgeous and well-pigmented shades that blend well and are multifaceted. The shimmers seem to be a big hit but I also ordered from the less shimmery line and wasn't disappointed. There are photos of the products as well as written colour descriptions which is extremely helpful. I wanted to post you some swatches but I have to leave that until later because the colours wouldn't look as exciting as they are because of the lack of light (Fashioned in Finland and Sparkle Is My Crack have beautiful swatches of some of the shades).

Eyeshadow samples are $0.75 and full sizes are $4.25. There is enough product in the sample jars for several applications. You get free samples with every order you make.

I'm very happy with what I got from Sassy. I just sent them an e-mail asking if they create their own colours and I will post the answer as soon as I get it.

Some must-have shades: Lyrical (emerald green with bright aqua sparkle), Cocktail Party (purple with blue shimmer), Fashionista, Hang Out (taupe with subtle mauve tones), Fierce (smoky grey with red and blue sparkle).

Have you ordered from Sassy? What did you think about their products? How do you like the look?

****UPDATE****

I contacted Team Sassy and they said that they create their own colours. They were supernice and gave me additional information which makes me very happy to recommend them to my lovely readers.

FOTD: Twinkling lilac with soft peach

Today I wanted to base my FOTD on MAC's Dazzleglass in Jingle Jangle. When I saw the colour yesterday, I went "OMG OMG OMG" in my head. Then I read the shade name and my heart sank. Jingle Jangle. I almost retched. Now don't get me wrong, I love winter and yuletide (I love the word). But I hate the gross commercialism around it. I love the smell of freshly baked gingerbreads and I love to decorate my christmas tree. But I hate how everything that appears around this time of year has to be so.. hokey. Finally I gave up because the colour is delicious.

Jingle Jangle is described as "sheer yellow peach" in Temptalia but to me it's warm peachy pink. I can't see no yellow whatsoever. Maybe they've mixed it up with another Dazzleglass from the collection that was actually yellowish.. Hmm.

Anyhoot, in MAC promo pics for the collection, the model is wearing Jingle Jangle on her lips matched with soft lilac eyes. I didn't want to copy that directly because I had my mind set on something peachy. I decided to jazz up the peach with lilac to pay homage to MAC (for making me buy a lip gloss with a hokey name).

I decided to use Fyrinnae's eyeshadows for this look. I chose Orangutan (a soft satiny peach), Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (sparkling lilac) and Shinigami (deep purple with shimmer). I also used Sakura (an off-white with lilac shimmer) to highlight.

FOTD Twinkling Lilac with soft peach

Face

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Chameleon (on cheekbones, bridge of the nose and chin)
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Finish finishing powder
Illamasqua cream blusher in Rude
Meow Lost Rainforest blush in Heliconia (over Rude)


Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Orangutan (inner 2/3 of upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Sakura (as a highlighter below brow)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Shinigami (wetlined on upper and lower lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara (on upper lashes)

Lips

MAC Dazzleglass in Jingle Jangle







I had problems with blending Orangutan. It stuck on primer and I spend a good amount of time making it look softer. I think it might be the shimmer in it that makes it a bit harder to blend than for example Fyrinnae's Tamarin which is a similar shade but more matte. Usually mattes are harder to belnd but with these two it's the other way around.






I love Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat. It looks much darker in the jar which is why I hesitated a moment but on my skin it's a lot softer. It also has some sparkle in it so it's not a bland kind of soft colour. I actually didn't have to blend it that much to Orangutan, the colours worked perfectly together.

I was going to line my eyes with black pencil or Fluidline. But then for some unknown reason I grabbed Shinigami which I haven't used before. I was afraid it would be too harsh but it turns a lovely plummy purple when used wet.





And here's the end result. I love these colours together. I'm a bit sad that the camera doesn't capture the incredible shimmer in Dazzleglasses (I've had this problem everytime when I try to photograph them). But it really is very sparkly and beautiful.

When I first took photos of this look, I was wearing only Rude on my cheeks. Somehow it looked off and I went over it with a hint of Heliconia which seemed to brighten up the overall look. Maybe it was the sparkle on my lips, dunno.

Also, second day hair. I freshened it up with a spritz of Spoil Me but I left it looking a bit messy because of my makeup. I don't want to be look too made up on Sundays. Okay, sometimes I do but this is a laid back Sunday.

I think I need to find a brow pencil...

How do you like this look? Do you ever base your makeup purchases on the shade name? Do you like Dazzleglasses?

New Hair, look and hauls: it's a 3 in 1 post!

Hi there!

Today, November 14th, is the International Diabetes Day. I've had type 1 diabetes for a couple of years so my contribution for today was to wear blueish makeup (a cerulean blue ring is the symbol for diabetes).

I was supposed to wear Fyrinnae's Baby Beluga (a soft pale grey with blue shimmer) with Mirrors (a shiny antique silver) but the look turned out bland. It just looked black and white on me. Rather than go wash my face, I took Fyrinnae's Blue Footed Booby (teehee) and used that for a wash of colour.

Blue for a Purpose

Face:

Meow Cosmetics Equilibrium primer (as a primer)
Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Chameleon (as a highlighter on cheekbones, bridge of the nose and chin)
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Finish powder (as a finishing powder)
Fyrinnae blush in Bewitching

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Baby Beluga (all over upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Blue Footed Booby (middle of the eyelids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Mirrors (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Underworld (as a highlighter below brow)
Fyrinnae eyshadow in Shinkirou (over Underworld)
MAC Technakhol in Graphblack (upper and lower lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

MAC Slimshine lipstick in Long Stem Rose





Sorry for not getting pictures but there's just no light anymore. I tried taking pics with a flash but it didn't work because we're using energy saving bulbs that are not as bright as regular bulbs. As you may notice, I've lined my eyes almost all the way around. This is because after getting my hair cut, I noticed that I have almond shaped eyes. I had never noticed that before but the hairdresser cut my fringe a little wider to show of my eyes. What I did with the lower lashline was that I draw the line from outer corner to the middle of the lower lid. Then I took a sponge applicator and smudged the line inwards.
I wish the blue shimmer of Baby Beluga was more visible but on me it just isn't. Oh, the joys of being unnaturally pale!





Okay, here's the overall look. I'm very pleased with my hair (which explains the wide grin). It's not a drastic change as such but my eyes are much more noticeable now with the blunt and wider fringe. The back is shorter and as you can see, I have bits of longer hair I can play with in the front. I went to a different hairdresser and a salon than before which was a completely new experience for me. I've gotten my hair cut in the same place since I had hair in my head to get cut. But I wanted someone who hadn't seen me before to do something new.

I still need to work on styling the new 'do...





Which brings me to my haul from yesterday. My hairdresser recommended me to get a can of Tigi's Queen for the Day volumizing spray. I also wanted to get Spoil Me which is used to defrizz the hair. My hair is extremely fly-away, especially in winter. For some freak chance of luck I found them as a set "Buy Queen for the Day, get Spoil Me for free!" called "Royal pain". Score!





Today I went shopping with my best friend (and a follower of my blog, the lightweightthinker) and I strayed to MAC counter. They were celebrating the launch of Magic, Mirth and Mischief! holiday collection. I snatched Jingle Jangle dazzleglass (the top lipgloss in the pic) and Lucky Number nailpolish from the collection as well as Funtabulous dazzleglass. I also visited Lush and got BB Seaweed fresh face mask and Bohemian soap (not pictured).

I wanted to swatch the dazzleglasses for you guys but it's way too dark. Jingle Jangle is a soft warm pink with loads of shimmer (I see blue, pink and maybe peach) and Lucky Number is a metallic pink nail polish. I think it will look foiled on nails.

How do you like my hair? Have you been shopping any Magic, Mirth and Mischief! products?

A Big Thank You

I'm soon off to have my hair cut (I have a vague idea what to do but it might change over the bus ride to the salon).

I noticed that my blog now has over 30 followers! When I started this blog, I never imagined going over 5 or even reaching 5. I started this as a sort of a makeup journal and a guide to some of my friends who had requested makeup help and tips from me.

I know there are lots of blogs with hundreds of readers but I just wanted to thank you all and tell you that I'm happy to have you reading my makeup adventures :)

If you have requests for looks or swatches or anything, just e-mail me at adventurous(dot)purplekoala(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd like to know what you like to see and read so I can take that into account when writing this blog.

BIG HUGS FOR EVERYONE

EOTD: Aromaleigh L'Orchidée Jewel, Orinoco, Unicorn and Shadow Witch

Hi there!

It's Father's Day in Finland so I opted for a softer look because we're going to my boyfriend's parents for a Sunday dinner.

I would have posted a full FOTD but my hair seems to have overgrown and I can't find my face under it. Don't worry guys, I'm going to a FANCY hairsalon next Friday so there may be some pics of my new hair next Saturday. So watch this space!

I decided to revisit Aromaleigh's L'Orchidée collection which just might be my favourite of all Aromaleigh's LE collections.

Jewel is a purple with golden shimmer. This makes it a bit warmer which is why I decided to use it with Orinoco which is a warm coral/pinkish peach. For highlighting I used Unicorn which looks pale yellow in the jar but on my skin it's a yellowish off-white. Shadow Witch is a truly unique colour. As most of you have noticed, I'm not big with blues. Shadow Witch is a navy blue with silvery metallic sheen/shimmer to it. It makes a great liner when used wet and it's also beautiful as an eyeshadow.

Here's what I used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Orinoco (2/3 of inner lid)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidee LE eyeshadow in Jewel (outer vee, crease)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Unicorn (as a highlighter below brow)
Lumene Eye Graphics eye pencil in Coal Black (as a liner)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Shadow Witch (wetlined on top of the black liner)







I love Orinoco. It looks so velvety on my lids and it has a beautiful sheen to it. It looks more shimmery in the jar but on my skin it just glows. Usually I don't wear peach shades with purples but the golden shimmer in Jewel makes this combination work. Also, Orinoco has pink in it so it's easy to combine it with a warmer purple.






This pic captures the shine effect of Shadow Witch when it's applied on top of a black liner. It's subtle but it makes the look more interesting. What initially happened is that as I used a pencil, I couldn't fill the gap between my lashes and my lids so it looked a bit unfinished. I'm so used to getting it done as I usually use gel liners or I use minerals for wetlining that I didn't even consider that I might not get my eyes lined properly. So I grabbed Shadow Witch and went over the pencil line with it. I suggest you try it, it makes the eyes a bit brighter (which I need today because I had a few drinks last night).

For my cheeks I'm using Illamasqua's Cream Blusher in Rude and I'm wearing Illamasqua's Intense Lip Gloss in Mistress on my lips. Sorry I couldn't get a face picture. I just look a bit like Chewbacca at the moment.

I'm trying to post some looks but the light is becoming an issue. I've tried to post looks a couple of times but there hasn't been enough light to take decent photos. Right now it's almost 2pm but it looks like 7pm. And I don't like taking pics indoors because I hate how the light is too warm. It just warps the colours.

Any ideas for my new 'do? And how do you like this look?

Feeling really angry

Yesterday when I came home, I noticed that I had received a Cease & Desist from a certain person who's been sending these to other people as well.

I'm certainly very angry at this point because I feel like I'm being threatened without justification.

However, my address and the address of the sender were handwritten. I expect to receive a bit more official looking mail from a law firm. I haven't opened the letter yet because I need to take some photos of it.

Although I KNOW that there's just no base for these kinds of letter as I've not written anything in blog about the said person and the company, I feel extremely angry that people think they can act like this. I know my rights in this matter but I'm concerned that bloggers will not dare to express their honest OPINIONS when these things happen. I've already read comments from other blogs that people are afraid to write anything negative in their blogs because they feel like someone can come after them. This means that the scare tactics are working which to me is sad.

I will, however, continue to write honest opinions in my reviews and other posts. I will not praise products that do not please me or recommend companies that I don't find worth recommending for.

I WILL NOT TOLERATE BULLYING.