Indie Spotlight Review: My Beauty Addiction

I'm excited to bring you yet another review- I've spent a considerable amount of time lately putting primer on my arm, brushing on colors, and my family thinking I'm going daft because the colors are ending up on my forearm- and not my eyelids. I've decided no matter what I get, I'm swatching and sharing.

Allow me to introduce you to My Beauty Addiction's Mineral Eye Shadows. Sherrie contacted me last year and asked if she could send a few samples my way to play with colors and create looks and tutorials, since I'm a YouTuber and I share my eyes with the world. Well, actually my little community of wonderful friends! So I have about 30 little baggies of beautiful colors from Sherrie I've been playing with ever since. In addition to mineral makeup, she's also the creator and "scentster" of a wide array of bath and beauty products. I have not had a chance to use all of her products, but I'm sure in time I'll at least have a good idea of many of them. I can say, however, that her Suger Scrub Cubes in Fudge smell so good I want to eat them... They were a win from a picture I identified on her Facebook Page during one of her fun contests!!

The week before last, I was the recipient of a package from Sherrie. My goodies were tucked inside a big white bubble mailer, folded over for added protection. Inside, I found two bubble wrapped packages. Even more cushioning! I dove right into the longer package because the colors I saw peeking through had me foaming at the mouth- yeah, you would have thought I was a rabid animal. I couldn't resist opening it, so after ogling the colors for a moment, I remembered I forgot to take a picture. Whoops! I made sure to take a picture of the other one still wrapped, and the one that was opened... You have no idea the amount of self control I exercised that evening because I only opened up the larger of the two packages.

In the smaller, unopened one you can see that there's six little pots of eyeshadow, and one big container of... Shadow Poxy!! Yes, the one and the same eye primer I use often. It can be purchased in a 5g container, and the new big sized 10g container! I've also seen it sold in a slide-tin, like what you can find some lippies poured into.

I was so excited to receive these, I opened everything up right away, the first few pictures were taken the evening I received my goodies, with flash on otherwise the pictures would be blurry and not good. Can you believe your eyes and how intense those colors look?! My thoughts exactly! I wanted to wait to take the rest in daylight- and so I have! (remember to click the photos for bigger, better, more detailed products!!)

While I started this off with the stacker of currently unknown origins of what they are, I'm going to make it a teaser and share those colors with you last! I received six containers of 5g eye shadows, full to the sifter of product. Since I've only previously received samples of eye shadows from MBA, but also purchased Shadow-Poxy and the Foiling & Lining Serum, I was impressed with the company sticker on the top of the primer jar. It was clear- so I could see the product which was inside. I was pleasantly surprised to see the eye shadows came in the same way- a clear sticker with MBA's logo and weight of the product on the jar (1g). Now you may be asking why a 5 gram jar holds 1 gram of product. Well- minerals weigh considerably less than liquid and/or metal for examples. Five grams of eye shadow would be a LOT of product- so much, you wouldn't be able to fit it into a 5 gram jar. Needless to say- these jars came packed to the sifter with shadow.

Flip the container over, and you see a label which lists the ingredients, and a note at the bottom that there may be additional ingredients in the colors as well. This is actually a new change that Sherrie is starting to implement- labels will now have exact ingredients for each of her many colors. It's no longer going to be a "blanket statement" of "may contain..." which is pretty impressive, considering the time it takes to make the product and run the business. It's an extra step for her, but we'll easily going to be able to identify exactly what's in the colors! Especially great for those who are trying to avoid certain materials.

I have to rant here for a moment about Shadow-Poxy. It's one of, if not my favorite, primer at this moment to use. Due to the awful bags under my eyes, I still use UDPP under them to set my makeup- but as far as holding all day and keeping my shadows in place- this is the stuff I use. If you hang out on my Facebook Page or ask me, this typically is what I write as my answer when asked about what "Indie" brand of Eye Primer I use. Taa-daa!! And by the way, the color on my nails is Gorgeous by Sinful Colors for those wondering.

The jars themselves are not shrink wrapped, but mine arrived tightly attached and each one had a sifter seal to not only prevent the product from getting everywhere, but also done for sanitation purposes. Removing the sifters to me is like unwrapping Christmas presents... Put the cap back on and sift out some product. This is what I have to show you! Yes- the colors really are that intense.

The colors from left to right top row are White Diamonds, Secret Crush and VIPink; the second row is Heliotrope, Stargazer and After Party. The only thing I wasn't able to do was get a proper and accurate color representation of After Party- it's a true, stop-you-in-your-tracks bright purple. Not blue like my camera shows it to be. All swatches are done over Shadow-Poxy primer on the top, and the bottom is on clean bare skin to illustrate the difference of applications. For vertical pictures, the primer is on the left-hand side of the swatch, while bare skin is to the right.

White Diamonds- A shimmery, sparkling white which is very reflective in sunlight. This works wonderfully as a shadow color alone on your eyes, or as a highlighter. This is definitely a fitting name for this color- it sparkles just like diamonds.

Secret Crush- This color is a medium-bright mauve pink- it's a pretty blush of color with a soft pink undertone and just enough shimmer to catch your eye. Also a versatile color which would also be very pretty worn on your lips!

VIPink- A color not for the faint of heart. This hot pink has a very pretty magenta and violet  shimmer undertone! If you're a fan of trying bright colors, this one is a must-have in your collection.

Heliotrope- Iridescent violet compliments this multi-dimensional magenta and really gives it a kick of color to your lids. Whether worn as the main color on your lids, or as an accent, this one won't disappoint! It's got a very nice shimmer to it as well.

Stargazer- Violet and Magenta had a baby- and named it Stargazer. This amazing pink-purple shadow has a beautiful blue shimmer undertone. Depending on the angle you look at this duochrome color, you'll catch one, two or three of the colors!

After Party- This is a rich royal purple that for some reason only picks up as blue by my camera. I've tried different settings, different lighting... And it still did not cooperate. Rich, velvety, shimmery purple. There's one picture that gives you a hint of this color, and it's right below! If you're looking for a true, bright purple, this is it. The swatches below show you colors in natural light, and then shown using a flash for ultimate glitteriness!

 

 Taken With Flash:

 

Next up would be the teaser- the brand new Foils that Sherrie has just released. There are currently 30 different colors to choose from, and some have me positively drooling. I'll just share with you the colors I was sent in the stacker, but you can check out all the different ones offered in her Etsy Shop. I like this particular mode of delivery because these containers don't get the pigments caught in the threads! I hate when that happens- just a pet peeve of mine, and all my jars (except these!) do it. I'll get over it though!

The Foils are quite different from the Mineral Eye Shadows that I received from Sherrie. To answer your question- yes, they're still mineral shadows- they're just formulated differently. Looking at the colors themselves, you can see they're not quite as fine as regular shadows. They appear to be a bit more "lumpy", but that's just the way they settle in the jar. As soon as the colors are applied to your eyes, they slip on like a dream. My favorite thing about them? They're metallic. Once they're on your eyes, they look like metal "foiled" on your peepers! Due to the fact that these are indeed metallic shades, they wouldn't be ideal to use as blush or lippies- it would be too opaque. These have been swatched the same way as the Mineral Shadows- the top has Shadow-Poxy primer, and the bottom is blended in to bare skin. You'll notice that these have pretty awesome coverage with and without primer.

24k- A true yellow gold. This brings to mind gold-leaf detailing. This one really does glow from within... So if you ever feel like blinging out your eyes for a special occasion, reach for this one!

Aruba- A shimmery peachy-pink which makes me think of an ocean with pink sands. If you're a fan of soft, romantic colors- this would be a great option for you. It has a very light pink undertone which reflects light softly and gives the appearance of a metallic and pearlized color.

Warm Bronze- This is a rich brown shade with bronze metallic shimmer and a hint of dark orange undertones. I think any eye color and complexion could pull this shade off perfectly.

Fiji- Take me to the islands! This refreshing and vibrant green has cool light  green shimmers and a hint of soft pearl white to round it off nicely. And it's just in time to welcome in spring!

Jezzibel- Sexy, dark, and easily one of my favorites. A rich black shadow is complimented with hints of silver  and blue shimmer and a gunmetal gray undertone. Depending on the reflection of the light on this baby, you're catching glimpses of each!

Delirious- Get ready to wow them with this intense hue! I don't think I've ever seen a metallic blue this pigmented or intense! It's accented with a light aqua undertone, and will certainly turn heads!

 Please forgive my memory, I don't recall which white highlighter or gray shimmer I used on my eyes with this look... But as you can see, I did use Fiji and Delirious... And felt I belonged right in the Caribbean!

Pros:

Pricing: Excellent

Mineral Eye Shadows are all 5 gram jars.

Single Colors for $5

Three for $12 (save $3)

Five for $17 (save $8)

Shadow Collections start at $9.99

Color Stacks are 6 shadows (your choice) in a stack for $19

3 Color Stacks are 18 colors (your choice) for $48.50

4 Color Stacks are 24 colors (your choice) for $62.50

Mineral Eye Shadow Samples- 10 for $5

Molten Metals line are $5 each (Metallic Shades) each for a 5g container

New Velvet-Foils are $7 each for a 10g container

New Velvet-Foils are 3 for $16 (Metallic Shimmers) also in 10g container

Shadow Poxy-

5g container for $4.50

10g container for $8.50

Customer Service: Excellent
Sherrie is very easy to contact, and has a very quick turnaround time for emails and inquiries. Of all the times I've interacted with her, I've typically had a response well within 48 hours. Ordering is quick and easy, and as we all like the process to be as low-fuss as possible! I've only ordered through her Etsy store, not through her website.

Shipping: Excellent

From the time I've ordered product, and have it delivered- it's received well within one business week. The package I received the other day made it to me in three or four days (I can't recall exactly which). I was very happy to find it in my mail box!

Presentation: Excellent

My goodies were packaged very well to insure there was no damage during transport to my base camp. I've always received a little note from Sherrie in my packages, and this one certainly didn't disappoint! It had the names of colors, and a "Hope you like them!" (which I do!)

Packaging: Great/Excellent

All my jars arrived with tightly fitted lids which are easy to twist on and off. Sifter seals ensured that none of the product spilled during transport. It's also reassuring for sanitation purposes.

The containers are all attractively designed and well thought out for placement of text. The logo and type of product is clearly marked on the top of the jars with a super-convenient clear label so you can see inside the container and identify the color of your product(s), and ingredient information and color name is clearly marked on the bottom. As previously mentioned, the stickers for the names and ingredients are all being re-vamped and each will have their own individual ingredients list very soon.

Product: Excellent

The Mineral Eye Shadows are all finely milled, highly pigmented, and some have more sparkles and shimmer than others. The product shots themselves will give you an excellent idea how they look applied, and are very true to what the photographs show. The shadows themselves are subdued and softer if applied without primer, and will give you a great color kick if it is used. They're easy to apply, have little fallout, and blend very easily. None of the colors I've personally used "muddy" or lose their luster when they're blended out- which sometimes happens with colors. This is also happily the case for the Molten Metals and Velvet Foils lines.
Velvet Foils have bigger particles than the Mineral Eye Shadows, but they go on intense and with a beautiful luster. The colors I've swatched go on best with a dense brush, or if you prefer a foam applicator. I'm not a fan of those, so I used a brush to lay these on. I find that patting them on first, and then using the brush to blend will spread the color evenly and almost effortlessly.

Con:

My jars came with tightly twisted, very well fitted lids, attractive labeling, and sifter seals.

This isn't really a complaint of mine, but rather an observation. If possible, I'd like to see shrink wrapped jars make their way from Sherrie's lab to their new homes. Again- this isn't really a complaint or problem I see with the products, but merely an observation. I like when my jars are shrink wrapped. Overall, this doesn't change or really affect my position that MBA's Mineral Eye Shadows, Molten Metals, or Velvet Foils are all excellent products.

Conclusion: Would I continue to purchase products, and recommend My Beauty Addiction's cosmetics to friends and family?

Yes, I would.

Sherrie has a wonderful array of products to offer, and I'm excited to try some more of her other bath and body items as well. The shadows themselves have wonderful staying power- I'm talking way past a regular 8 hour workday. I've worn these shadows not only in the heat of summer, but during swimming days too. Sometimes my eyeliner fades, but the colors? Still there, still vibrant- and I love it! Who can say they've gone swimming and come up with their eyes still looking perfect? I can! I've literally had my face melt off in the summer heat, and my eyes? Still looking freshly applied- and I'm ready for more! Fallen asleep at night with my makeup on... Waking up to an awesome smokey eye look because my liner has smudged, but the shadow colors? Looking as if they had just come out of the jar.... Yeah, awesome staying power!

Thank you Sherrie for making such awesome mineral shadows!

I look forward to doing more business in the future!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P

~*Disclaimer: These products from My Beauty Addiction were sent to me free of charge, and for review purposes. I have not been compensated in any way, shape or form for writing this article. All views and opinions are my own. Keep an eye out for this shop- she's joining a group soon!!*~

Finding Your Skin Undertones

Good mid-morning everyone! I wanted to share this with you, because it's got a ton of great information here about how to find your skin undertones and find makeup that will flatter your skin instead of giving you a funny shade. Ever pick a shade of foundation too light and the final look is like you're a painted mask? Or too dark, and your face is darker than your neck?! We've all had these Oops! moments- so do not fear! We've all mostly been through this by trial and error... And spending money to summarily give the product away, or throw it in the trash thoroughly disgusted that the color isn't right.... Proceeding to next raid the freezer for that pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream for comfort. Ok, well, maybe you don't like that flavor, but I do! But it's the general gist of things, right? Right!

First off, I have to say I did not write this article/information below. I found this post made by pbsadhaka over at Essential Daily Spa. While I'd have loved to take the time, write and create an explanation as good as this, I didn't. Just wanted to make it available for you to reference and hopefully have more success with finding products which will look good on you, instead of buying products only to get them home and find out they don't work. Ugh .That's the worst! So read on my friends! And everything below is 100% credited to pbsadhaka for coming up with such a comprehensive, but easy way to do this!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P 

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OK girls, here is a non-fail formula to find your true skin tone, and to match up what color of makeup and also hair color best compliments your skin tone. Save this, b/c it is always true, and failsafe!

Skin tones can be broken down into 4 categories: olive, red/pink, golden, & neutral. The easiest way to find your true skin tone is to hold a piece of white paper up to the skin where your neck meets your collarbone.

Olive skintones have an underlying tone of green, gray, or yellow. Olive people look best in either cool or neutral colors. Warm colors should usually be avoided unless it is of a darker value.

Makeup shades for cool/neutral skintones include: blueish reds (not orange/reds), plums, violets, silvery greens (evergreens), grays, and deep mauves. Haircolors that compliment olive skin are: blueish blacks, auburns, chestnut brown, dark golden brown. If you go lighter, you should never go lighter than a level 4 with a golden tonality.

Red/Pink skintones have an underlying hue of reddish brown, red, or blue-red. This skintone also looks best in cool or neutral colors. Warm colors are not recommended for this skin type. Complimentary hair colors for this type are any ashy or sandy blonde, burgundy browns, light cool blondes, avoid reds - it will make your skin look ruddy. If you want a red tone, go with a very light auburn or strawberry blonde.

Golden skintones have an underlying tone of golden-brown, gold, or peach. This skin tone looks best in warm colors. Makeup colors should include: grays, tan, browns, bronze, gold, grassy & mossy greens, warmer orange-reds, and corals. Complimentary hair colors should include ash and golden blondes, aubruns, neutral browns, and warm dark browns/blacks.

Neutral skintones have a balance of pink and gold undertones. You will have a hard time finding a dominant undertone in this type. Tis skin tone is usually described as ivory, beige, or brown skin. Neutral skintones can wear either cool or warm.

Taking your eye color into account can also help you decide your skintone:

Warm Eye Colors:

-Brown with red, orange, yellow or gold flecks.

-Blue with yellow or gold flecks.

-Green with reddish-brown, orange, yellow, or gold flecks.

Cool Eye Colors:

-Brown with black, gray-brown, gray-green, or gray flecks.

-Blue with white, blue, gray, or violet flecks.

-Green with blue or gray flecks.

When choosing makeup, there are other factors that you must take into consideration too. Women often choose a foundation that is too light for their skin. This gives you a pasty, pale "canvas" of a face. Then any makeup that you put on looks overly done - painted on. The other danger is going too dark with your foundation and ending up with an orange "mask". NEVER go more than 1 shade lighter or darker than your natural skintone. Also, don't rely on the names that the companies give to their foundations - look at the actual color of the product. What Revlon calls "golden", L'Oreal might call "beige". But whatever foundation you choose make sure that you BLEND and feather it from under your chin down onto the neck and behind the ears. But if you are choosing the correct level & tone, you should not see a line where your foundation stops anyway.

Eyeshadows can really compliment your eyes. Choosing a deeper/darker shade of a color will make the iris of your eyes appear lighter & brighter. A lighter eyeshadow will usually make your eye color deepen.

Late Nails - Saint Patrick's Day Green

Yep, I know... I'm way behind the 8 ball on this one... But seriously, with everything that's happened in the past week, it's been hectic... I've hardly been home due to a family emergency... And yeah. Needed to catch my breath after all the back and forth between places. Luckily, things are slowly getting back to some semblance of normal, and it's looking good!! Remember- click on the photos to enjoy maximum sparkling polish goodness!!!!!!!

Anywho, I did get my paws on some new Sinful Colors polishes just in time for "Kiss Me I'm Irish" day. Yes, that's right... I picked up Irish Green, and the now highly sought after Green Ocean. I wanted my nails to positively scream as I entered a room. And oh baby, did they!! Going back and forth to see Mom, nearly each lady that saw my nails asked what color I was wearing. It was incredible... It must have been about 2 dozen total.

Nothing special was done with these nails. First off, yes. They are my natural ones!! They're never looked so good!! And I plan to keep it going!

Nails:

Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat

Three coats Irish Green

Since I'm rather new to the "polish blogging world", I've only recently discovered that nail polishes have all sorts of descriptions to illustrate to people exactly how they wear. From what I can tell, this particular color would be identified as a "jelly". Why? This green is bright and intense- but as you can tell in some of the photos, you can still see some of my natural nails through the polish- even with three coats applied. When the polish dries, it holds that "wet look" and is a pretty transparent color.

Green Ocean

I believe this color needs no introduction... Well, perhaps it does.

A watery green glitter polish, with large flecks of iridescent green and blue flakies, smaller green glitter... And oh my gosh just one of the most awesome colors I've yet to encounter.

Manicure finished off with Seche Vite top coat!

I loved the fact that my nails announced my presence into a room, not to mention that they kind of reminded me of Kryptonite. No, I didn't run into Superman anywhere, but if I do, I'll be sure to have these nails if I do! Certainly a combination of colors I'll soon again wear.... But next time, I'll check to see if they glow in the dark!

Tell me... Are you Green with Envy yet? And to think- this is my first mani in weeks that I haven't done any nail stamping with!!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P

Indie Spotlight Review : Meow Cosmetics

Who's that sexy cat? The one with the flawless skin, those sultry eyes... Oh Meow Goodness! It's me!

I want to, no I need to tell you about a fabulous new find of mine. I've been looking for a great foundation, since my Physicians Formula Organics has been very difficult to find up here. So, I asked around, and just before St Patty's Day, I received a few suggestions to try Meow Cosmetics.

Now, finding foundation for my skin is no easy feat. I call myself the fishbelly white princess. My skin is so pale, almost all foundations make me look yellow, pink, or blue. It's not cool. Not cool at all. Most of what I've bought years before now have been given to either my sisters, or my Mom. Very little works for me. Now, I'm Italian and a touch of Irish, and contrary to popular belief, not all Italians are olive complexioned. My ancestors hail from the northern mountains of Italy- so we're fair skinned, and some even have lighter hair. (In truth, I am a natural blonde... Hard to believe, but it's true!) Throw a little Irish in from my Dad's side of the family- and there we have it... I get the fishbelly white gene. My sisters? Pretty ivory skin. My Mom? Beautiful beige complexion. Me? I get the palest of the pale genes in my entire family line. Most of my cousins? Olive skinned. Yep, out of a flock of ivory sheep... I'm the cotton ball white one. Ok, not that pale, but I think you get the gist of what I'm trying to say by now.

Well, it just so happened there was a sale at Meow's shop in celebration of the "Kiss Me I'm Irish" day. Since I'm impulsive, and totally impatient at ordering samples to match my skin tone, I browsed through the colors. I really don't have any undertones to my skin- I'm not yellow or blue. I'm just pale. At first glance, I knew the palest of the pale foundation would work. Click, it's added to my cart. I can't just order one thing. It's like opening a bag of chips- you cannot have just one. Sample baggies of eye shadows are a buck. One dollar. I snagged three. Reviewed order, paid, patiently waiting for my goodies to arrive.

When they did, my goodies were delivered in a well padded bubble mailer. Inside was the most adorable leopard print fabric drawstring bag with my products, and detailed invoice with a handwritten confirmation of my order signed by two people. Their logo on the top of the invoice made a very pretty personalization of what could have otherwise been a plain old paper with my order info on it- and at the bottom, a "handwritten Thank you for your order" which put a smile on my face.

 

The color I ordered was Pampered Puss (medium coverage) in Siamese 0-Inquisitive- palest one in stock! It has neutral undertones, so I knew it would work beautifully. Up it goes for closer inspection. The jar is shrink wrapped, which personally I love to see when I receive cosmetics. To me, it states that nobody has been able to tamper with the contents from when they were packed in the lab/workspace, stayed sealed on its way to me, and eagerly awaiting to be opened by it's new owner. It's a very good sanitizing practice. Once the wrap has been removed, I opened my container and was pleased to see a sifter sticker there. This means no product leaking out during transportation, and the risk for contamination in it is most likely zero. I had a very happy face!

When I fished the foundation out of it's cute little bag, I was impressed first off at the size of the container, and how much product was described as being in there. I know the product description online is explained- but for some reason, I couldn't quite think of how much foundation would be in there. When I actually held the container in my hands, I was very pleased by the packaging, presentation, and amount of minerals in the jar. Full size foundation jars are a whopping 3 ounce containers, while many other companies offer foundations in 30 gram containers. How much of a difference is that? A 30g container will hold roughly 3 tablespoons of product. Meow's 3 oz containers hold 22-30 grams of foundation, or a rough translation of about a 1/4 c of product. Which means it's an 85 gram container. Um, hello! Yes please! This will definitely last a while! Also note the full list of ingredients on the bottom of the jar- and the fact that the web address is there too for easy ordering next time!

And take a look at that lid! Sure, I think the logo and information on the top is wonderful... But flip it over, and it's a wonderful place to swirl your brush in, pick up the foundation, tap extra off and not have to worry about making a huge mess of things. Genius! The next day, I decided I was going to try it out.

I did my usual moisturize and concealer regimen before applying the foundation. I picked up some powder on my kabuki brush, and brushed my face with small circles. Since this is a medium coverage formula, I was expecting it to maybe be a bit more sheer as I've experienced with some other companies. I was pleasantly surprised when buffed into my skin, the color corrected and evened out my skin tone with very little effort from me. The best part about it? Once applied, it literally feels like I didn't put anything on my face! Some powders are heavier than others, and compared to my usual Physicians Formula Organics- this was like applying air to my face. And it covered beautifully. No visible powder on my face, except a spot on my nose, because I had wiped at a sniffle and it smeared some of it...  Yuck! Cleaned the smear up, and buffed right back out to perfection! No complaints in this department whatsoever. Hands down, at this time, I have to say this is the best foundation I've ever found and used. Additionally, you can purchase "Munchkin" sized foundations for when you're on the go and traveling. It's the same diameter container that the regular size comes in, but a lower profile 25 gram jar. They hold roughly 6-8g of product, and fit much better into a travel kit, especially if you're on the go and don't have the space to take a full container with you.

Now, I was very tempted to order some of the full sized eye shadows, but they run a little on the pricey side for my budget right now.  The upside to being pricey is actually a good thing- because full sized jars are 10 grams for the majority of the available shadows. And since I'm not exactly employed at this time, I was not able to splurge and get a full size... Or 10. Or all of them. So I picked out three samples to try from the Scandal Eyes collection. I just couldn't resist. I'm glad I didn't on this occasion, however I am looking forward to sampling some more of their colors, and discovering other products Meow carries. All products are swatched over Shadow-Poxy on the upper half, and clean bare skin on the lower half. Let's continue on to the shades themselves...

Scandal-Eyes in:

Neuter- Described on their website as Lemon Lime with Gold shimmer. Indeed- this is one of the most unbelievable gold-green colors I've ever seen. Applied by patting, you catch both colors when observing it. When blended out, the green tone becomes more apparent and darkens, while the gold hovers at the edges of where it's applied. A quick swipe of a touch more color, and you get the gold-green sparkles over the darkened green- and it's absolutely stunning.

Feral- Described on their website as Dark Grey. Applied to my skin it looks black, with sparks of gray and silver shimmers throughout. I have a feeling it's because I'm so pale- but I still enjoy this color as dark as it is. The sparkle in the shadow as the light catches it really is quite beautiful. When blended out, or worn without primer, the gray is more easily seen. It buffs out to a pretty dark gray color over primer, and even though it looks a little "streaky" in my swatch picture, to my eye when worn they had no such discrepancies. I think it's just my camera being finicky with me.

Prissy- Described on their website as a Smokey Light Grey. Exactly right on target with the description- and even prettier once applied. This color is a beautiful combination of true grey and silver shimmer and sparkle, and when blended out on the eyes it turns a slightly darker grey. It seems to be a pressure sensitive grey, which is why I think it darkens the more it's blended. Again, picking up a little more color on your brush and applying it back over the darker portion will restore that pretty grey back to it's lustrous glory.

To my surprise, there were also two free samples tucked into my package as well:

Ideal Eyes in Cat and Mouse- Described as a light Forest Green on their website. On my skin, the color applied is one of the most beautiful green colors I've ever come across. It's complex, it's beautiful, and surprisingly enough has a gorgeous pewter base. When blended out, it fades nicely with the pewter being more dominant than the green- but a quick swipe of a little more will put the green right back on if you want it! Here in my pictures, it definitely shows up as more pewter-toned, but trust me when I say this is a green eye shadow.

Tinted Glow Powder in Quartz- A wonderfully soft, subtle, transparent shimmer which gives you a faint blush of color and makes it seem like your skin glows naturally. It's light, airy and doesn't make you look "oily" like some tints seem to do. I know for myself, personally, when I've tried in the past to use glows, I end up looking like I need to put some powder on to cut down on shine. It's a disaster. This product, however, is the perfect balance between shimmer and glow. I can wear it and finally achieve that "dewy" look I've been after for years!

And here you have it- swatches, descriptions, eye candy and lots of pictures!

Pros:

Prices: Great-Excellent

Excellent pricing for the majority of Meow's offerings. The foundation is a fair price, considering how much product you receive in both sizes of the jars. All sample orders are a dollar each, and a maximum of two samples of the same item are allowed per order.

All Eye Shadows are 10g with roughly 2g of product, priced starting at $8 - 10.25

Vandal Eyes Shadows are 6g shaker jars for $7

While it may seem a bit much to pay that "much" for an eye shadow, consider the fact that these are hand made colors, and they're in larger jars than many other sellers offer. Typically, 5g jars are used and sold for around $5 as an average. So twice as much product, for less than half to a touch more than double I think is plenty fair to be charging.

Foundation's have three different coverage options:

Purr-fect is light-medium coverage

Full sized is $21.95, and Munchkin is $10.95

Pampered-Puss is medium coverage

Full sized is $23.95, and Munchkin is $12.95

Flawless-Feline is heavy coverage

Full sized is $26.95, and Munchkin is $14.95

Crystalline Cat Glows

20 gram jar with 7g powder is $15.95

10 gram jar with 2-3 g powder is $8.25

Sample bag is $1.00

Of course, there are a TON more cosmetics on Meow's site- but I only have these products so far!

Customer Service: Great

Since I was impatient and didn't want to try a sample of foundation before committing to purchase the full sized one, I didn't personally speak with anyone at Meow. However, I did notice on my invoice slip that two people did indeed initial my order- which means it was checked twice to verify that what I ordered would be delivered to me with the correct products enclosed. Awesome! That alone speaks volumes to me- paying attention to details.

Shipping: Excellent

I ordered my products on March 15th. Since there was a Saint Patrick's Day promotion (17% off orders), there was a disclaimer on the site that due to the possibility of a rush of high volume orders that they may be slightly delayed. My order shipped on March 23rd (notification by email), and I received it on the fourth business day later on March 28th. Safely in it's little bubble packaging... Rock on!

Presentation: Excellent

I was pleasantly surprised to find my products tucked carefully in a very cute leopard print drawstring bag. I think it's adorable and fitting that Meow Cosmetics uses leopard print fabric bags! It's got me wondering now if there are any different cat inspired bags... Like tiger, jaguar, etc. I also like that my invoice was neatly folded also tucked in to the bubble envelope next to the fabric bag.

Product: Excellent

My big jar of foundation was shrink wrapped, and had a sifter seal as well. Upon first looking at the baggies, I thought... Wow, those are pretty colors. They don't look so different than some other colors I have. How wrong I was! I've since learned that because of the bases used in colors, the matte color tends to stick to the side of baggies. Once they're opened up- it's holy cow welcome to sparkling, daring, and shimmering colors! The ones I have procured already and shown you above in my review, I will be ordering full sizes of them when I have the chance. The colors go on easily with hardly any fallout, and blend easily to lighten (or darken for pressure sensitive ones) the color, or to combine with other ones. They're definitely more intense when applied over eye primer, but are also pretty and subdued when applied without it. Scandal-Eyes are the glittery, shimmery packed shadows which are quite dramatic with their colors. Ideal-Eyes are pearlized colors and don't have the same dramatic shimmer and sparkle that Scandal-Eyes does- but it's no less pretty, I assure you! There are many different types of colors offered by Meow- glittery, sparkling, pearlized, matte, etc.

Con:

It would be nice to have a smaller eye shadow size to purchase from instead of only 10g or sample size, instead perhaps introducing a 5 gram jar.

This isn't a deal breaker for me and certainly doesn't affect my overall opinion of Meow Cosmetics, just something I wanted to note as a personal observation.

Conclusion:
Would I purchase products and/or recommend this product to others?

Yes, I absolutely would. 

The foundation was the main product from Meow I wanted to try after hearing nothing but rave reviews from some of my online friends. I figured what the heck- I might as well try, right? Yes! I'm so glad I did. The Pampered-Puss formula goes on like a dream, blends into skin effortlessly, keeps shine down and provides the right amount of coverage I've been trying to find. Since I've been using it for a few days already, I've noticed an overall improvement of my skin as well- my blemishes are disappearing, there's less irritation and redness, it washes off clean each time... So whatever it is that's in this formula, I love it.  An added bonus is that once applied, your face feels like there's nothing on it! Score!

The eye shadows I used are so intricate and complex, it's hard to describe and capture how good they look on camera. Application was a dream, they were very easy to blend, and for the amount of shadow you receive in the jar for the price, it's well worth the money in my opinion.

I'll gladly recommend Meow Cosmetics to family, friends, and anyone else who asks! For those of you wondering, I'm wearing Meow's products in the pictures of myself scattered throughout my post. Foundation over moisturizer on my face.

Eyes:

UDPP Eye Primer

Neuter on inner 1/2 of eye

Cat & Mouse on outer 1/2 of eye

Prissy in crease and blended up to my brow

Stilts by Linnaeus Cosmetics on my brow as a highlighter

WnW ColorIcon kohl pencil in black on waterlines, and upper lid

Meow Cat Glow in Quartz on cheeks

Get your ROWR on ladies- it's time to be the fierce, sexy kitten that's begging to come out and play!

Have you tried Meow? What do you think about their products?

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P


**All products used in this review were purchased by me. I have not in any way, shape or form been compensated for writing this review, and all opinions are my own.**

FunnyFace Beauty Blog- Dare to Wear Charity Challenge: For Japan

You all know I adore playing with makeup. This way, that way... I love it.

And while I'm following more and more people on Twitter, there's a lot more going on in the Twitterverse I try to catch. While I don't see it all... I try my best to at least scan through tweets I've missed. This one really struck a cord with me.

Image from FunnyFace Beauty Blog

FunnyFace Beauty is hosting what I think is a really awesome charity donation. Since this is a challenge, the idea is to come up with a look inspired by Japan. You can check out FFB's blog for all the details, but the quick rundown is this:

For every entry received of a look done by someone who submits one, her family will donate $10 in their honor via The Canadian Red Cross.

I myself will be submitting a look, and I'm currently thinking of inspirations. If you click the picture to the left, you'll be brought to the post where there's more information, and pictures to inspire you to create!!

So here's to charity, helping others, and getting creative in the process!! I hope to see some of you participate!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P

The Seven Deadly Sins - Chastity and Lust Collaboration with Makeup Zombie

Aaaaaand we're back with our second look in this series, and here to please you of course. Makeup Zombie and I are running a collaboration that will last another 5 weeks... Since 2 are already down! Up this week is Chastity vs Lust.

And guess which one I was?? You've probably guessed by now...

I have so much fun doing these looks!

Each one is a challenge... Something that sets us out of our bounds, and presses us to come up with looks that doesn't really fit the "norm" for us. I do have to say, for me... These kind of "darker" looks are easier and more comfortable for me to pull off than their "easy, neutral" counterparts. Me, trying to pull off innocent?! Bah! It can be done though!!

On my eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Aromaleigh Colors

Rosmarino on inner 1/2 of lid

Plush Romantic on outer 1/2 of lid, and applied under bottom lashes

Velvet Dream in crease, blended upwards to fade

And more added to darken crease

Oops! Color in a pale, sparkly pink

Milani Kohl Eyeliner on waterlines

Velvet Dream patted over black liner on bottom waterline

WnW Black Kohl Eyeliner on top lid, smoked out with a brush

Plush Romantic smudged on over black liner, and tucked under bottom lashes

WnW MegaPlump Mascara

Face:

e.l.f. Concealer/Highlighter wand over blemishes

UDPP under eyes

e.l.f. Complexion Perfection on face

PF: Organics Mineral Foundation in Translucent Fair

PF Illuminating Blush in Vintage Rose

Lip Balm mixed with Velvet Dream to appear as a lip stain

And there you have my look for "Lust". Do you like it?

I'm so bummed out that Aromaleigh's going out of business... I'm positively dying over the colors I've received... I want more! Gimme more!!!

Wait, before you go... You MUST check out Wendi's look! Click her picture to see her post! Understand you have to... We're counterparts, and to look at one and not the other... Well... That's just not right!

I'm rockin these eyes as long as I can today... They're totally shimmery and sparkly!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P