In the pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics

*Press Sample*
Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again with another makeup review of an indie company called Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics.  Michelle, the owner, contacted me of Facebook and asked if I was interested in doing a review of her cosmetics. She was sweet enough to allow me to pick out some colors and even offered up one of her new vegan lip balms as well and I was thrilled! (Cause I have become a serious lip balm addict recently, I just cant get enough of them). So after around a week from chatting with Michelle my package of goodies arrived..

Check out the cute top hat image on her logo! Love it!

These were the colors that I chose... (All colors were swatched over Lunatick Cosmetic Lab's Primer and in sunlight)

 Dance Magic Dance is listed as a shimmery grey toned purple with lots of silver sparkles. I was a nice dark purple with dark grey (almost black) base with silver shimmers. It is a gorgeous color and I constantly am singing the song from Labyrinth every time I look at this name.

 Dearly Departed is a black with purple and red undertones and red sparkles.  This is one of my favorites due to the combination of the purple and red undertones. It gives the color a lot of depth.

 Hello Sweetie is  a light purplish pink color which is almost matte. There is a slight hint of sparkle but it is straight and to the point. It is lighter than Tangle

 Mermaid is what I would consider a dark sea foam green with a hint of blue with gold sparkles.

 Mermaid's Tears is listed as shimmery blue with a green/yellow duochrome  and lots of sparkles. It is s nice medium blue with the green/yellow shift.  This was another one of my favorites due to the depth of the shadow with the duochrome.

 Morpheus is a lovely black shadow with a ton of blue shimmer which reminds me of the Dream King. While I am not sure if it is named in honor of Gaiman's character it does make me think of him.

 Tangle is listed as a shimmery pink with a purple duochrome shift. The pink and the purple make a lovely color almost creating a nice pink/purple hybrid without being too much of one or the other.It reminds me of my daughter's Rapunzel pjs that she loves to dance around like a princess. It

Unicorns is listed as a mid toned blue that has turquoise, purple/pinkish highlights, and purple,blue, and aqua highlights. This is more of a blue base colors over Mermaid's Tears which seems to have a hint more green. 

I also chose the Watermelon Vegan Lipbalm which is softer lip balm that glides over your lips and is extremely moisturizing. The watermelon scent was light and natural and strong and candy like. I was really pleased with it. 

I always like to see shadows on a person as well in reviews so now on to the looks!

Color and Pigmentation 9 out of 10 bats

   I have to say that while some people may be a little weary of a new indie company I was pleasantly pleased with Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics. The colors that I received were well mixed, bright and vibrant. The shadows lasted all day in sweltering Florida heat and humidity without an issue. 

Shipping and Turn Around Time (not Rated)

  Since I didn't order anything from WBC I don't think that it is fair for me to give a rating. When I order from Wonderland Beauty I will update this rating and the overall. 

Affordability 9.6 out 10 bats

   Wonderland Cosmetics offers two sizes for her shadows the "sample" which is a very large bag with over 1/4 a tsp for $1.30 and the full size which runs 2.7-3 grams for $3.25 and her balms are $2.30 which is a great deal. You can pick up good deal of colors without breaking the bank and that is wonderful things especially when you are on a tight budget. 

Customer Service 9 out of 10 bats

   Michelle was really lovely. She was extremely prompt and professional in dealing with any questions that I had about her products.

Overall 9.3 out of 10 bats

    Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics is a lovely new indie company on the scene. I was pleased with the products that I was given to review.While she doesn't have a large selection of colors, which is common for new indie companies, I look forward to see what color creations she will think of next and with her prices anyone can afford to pick up some new shadows without having to worry if they are going to have pinch pennies for everything else.  You can find Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics on Esty and on Facebook. 

Hope that you enjoyed this review and until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Baroque Cosmetics

*Press Sample*
Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again with an overdue review of Baroque Cosmetics. Sadly with summer kicking off and swimming lessons for all three of my little Dreadfuls makes it really hard to have any uninterrupted computer time or makeup time for that matter. But I am finally able to get to review Baroque Cosmetics' Viva La Revolution Collection.
    Viva La Revolution is a eight colored collection based off the French Revolution which is a revolutionary idea since I have seen collections based off of fandom but never one based off of history (now there could be others but this is the first one I have come across). So of course my inner history nerd simply died and the colors that she sent me are just gorgeous. But take a look for yourself...

Death of Marat is described on the site as creamy oatmeal with a blue flash. It is a lovely light toasted brown that is simply perfect for any neutral look.

Affair of the Diamond is described on the site as silver with a blue shift. This is a lighter silver not as dramatic as an in your face metallic silver but with the hint of blue gives it just the right sparkle and sultry appeal.

Dicatateur Sanguinarie is described as deep blood red on the site. This color was naturally one of my favorites since I LOVE reds. While this is a nice deep blood red it has almost a metallic like quality to it which really makes this color pop.

Madame Deficit is described as a lovely soft pink with a gold sheen on the site. While most people wouldn't consider pink a highlight color due to my fair complexion this color is my perfect highlight color. It is soft and subtle and completely fit for a queen.

National Razor is described on the site as gunmetal with a red sheen. This is a gorgeous dark grey with a just a hint of red for that extra touch of sparkle. I loved using this for smokey looks.

 The Republic (which whenever I hear of "The Republic" I always think of Star Wars first) but this color is described as rich leathery brown. This color like most of the collection also has a metallic like feel to me. It is a nice mid ranged chestnut brown and is a great companion for any neutral look.

 Sun King is yet another one of my favorites and is described as a deep noble blue with flecks of gold. Which is named after the French Blue and its setting.  I will freely admit that my French history is horribly rusty if not really quite atrocious so I went ahead and googled it.  The French Blue is also known as the Blue Diamond of the French Crown and it was stolen during the turbulence of the French Revolution and later cut into the equally famous Hope Diamond to conceal its' origins. So there you go, you don't have to google it. ^_~ But back to this gorgeous color, it is a stunning true navy blue. Often too many "navy blues" are either too blue or even black but this is the perfect combination of both and the hint of gold makes it all the more lovely.

  

  Finally, last but not least, is Versailles which is listed as an antiqued molten gold.  This is another one of my favorites since I really love the look of metallic gold and this color does remind of Versailles which I visited many years ago when I was 16 cause everything was GOLD. 

While swatches are great I like to see the colors incorporated as a look on a person. So here are two looks that I did with this collection. 

Now on to the ratings....

Color and Pigmentation: 9.5 out of 10 bats

  I really liked the colors and pigmentation of this collection. Andi did an amazing job with nailing down the historical aspects (like with Sun King) as well as creating some truly gorgeous colors. The first two pictures were taken after an entire day of walking around an outlet mall in 95 degree weather with sweltering humidity. If that doesn't say anything about the staying power of this collection I don't know what does.

Shipping/Turn around Time (TAT): not rated

  This was collection was provided to me as a press sample for consideration so I am not rating the TAT due to the fact that I didn't order it. When I do place and order I will update this rating in order to reflect that turn around time. 

Affordability: 9 out of 10 bats

  Baroque Cosmetics offers full size jars for  $6.00 and sample baggies for $1.50 individually. But if you wanted to try out the entire collection in samples you can pick it up for #10.50 and full sized is $44.00 which is really a good deal. 

Customer Service: 9.3 out of 10 bats

   Andi was super sweet and answered any and all of my questions concerning the collection in a super fast manner. She was always polite and very well spoken and super friendly. 

Overall: 9.4 out of 10 bats

   I do have to say that I am extremely pleased with Baroque Cosmetic's premiere collection. Not only has Andi taken the time to create a collection based off of something that I haven't seen before, but she has also done her research which really impresses me. The colors are extremely vibrant and long lasting and the affordability is killer. Andi is also quick and helpful to answer any question so I look forward to her newest collection which is based off of Howl's Moving Castle (another one of my favorites).

You can purchase Baroque Cosmetics here. You can also follow her on Facebook for the newest sneak peaks of the upcoming collections that she is working on. I hope that you enjoyed this review and until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Notoriously Morbid

Hello lovelies!
   After a bout of invading in laws and strep throat which refused to go away, I am back and this time I am reviewing an indie company called Notoriously Morbid. Notoriously Morbid is one of those rare gems in the indie world that not only has amazing products but also an amazing turn around time. They pride themselves of making wonderful shades with a darker twist which sets my little goth heart aflame.  I am not sure how I discovered them but I am so happy that I did. On their facebook page they state that, "Notoriously Morbid offers a line of indie eye-shadows and other cosmetics that cater to those morbid at heart." So how could I not check them out? They no only appeal to my gothic love with their series Lost in the Lodge based off one of my favorite tv shows off all time, Twin Peaks and an entire line of blushes called Ripper's Rouge, which appeals to my obsession with Jack the Ripper. But they also appeal to my gothy geek side with their brand new Slay Me collection (Wave 1 and 2 are out now and must be mine..but I digress) based of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  So when I noticed that Carrie offered a blogger package I jumped at the opportunity to try out a variety of colors and she even offers what she calls Free Friday (where she offers something free after a certain dollar amount is spend...sometimes it is free shipping, other times it is a lip balm, or a shadow--it varies Friday to Friday) and I got a free Coffin Kisser with my purchase.

The coffin kisser is missing due to being abducted by Mr Dreadful. 

For my first order I picked up the beauty blogger package which includes one full size product (my full size was Snow Queen Returns) and five sample baggies (I chose a rainbow of colors) as well as full size products to appeal to my gothy geek from The Doctor Collection ( The Doctor's Wife, Crimson Horror, Silence and Vashta Nerada).  There were even two samples one was even from an unreleased collection (Crack in the Pavement) which isn't set to release until June. Just take a look at these swatches...

All swatches were done over NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk


Tempest, from the Show a Little Burlesque Collection, is a soft metallic peach color. 

Velvet Hammer, also from the Show a Little Burlesque Collection, is a stunning metallic purple with red and blue sparkles.

Cin's Sins, from the Scary Tales Collection, is gorgeous bright blue with hint of silver sparkle and a slight violet shift.

More Weight, from the Gallow's Hill Collection,  is a lovely medium metallic brown with a hint of silver.

The Doctor's Wife, from The Doctor Collection, is my other favorite from the collection of colors I received. It is brilliant semi matte dark blue with a hint of sparkle. It just makes me think of the Tardis every time I look at it.

All swatches were done over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Stake of Holly, from A Dark Christmas Dream Collection,  and is a  light green with blue sparkles. 

Kompanion No. 9, from the Doctor Collection, is a light grey with a slight pink/red sheen when applied.

Silence, also from the Doctor Collection (can you tell that I am a Doctor Who fan?), is a dark green with a slight hint of metallic shimmer. 

Vashta Nerada ,from the Doctor Collection (and one of my favorite episodes), is a softer black with a hint of red sparkles that show up when applied. 

Crimson Horror, from The Doctor Collection is possibly my favorite of the lot since it is such a beautiful dark metallic red. (I am such a sucker for reds)

I have also swatched the other colors in a  previous post which can be found here. In order to prevent this being the longest blog review ever I will allow you to go back and take a look at them there. So one with my final thoughts and ratings..

Color/Pigmentation 9.8 out 10 bats

  As you can tell from the swatches that the color pay off from theses shadows in simply intense. All of my swatches are done over Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk (since that is what I always wear when I do my eyes)  and the intensity is just amplified! Some of the colors are deceiving in their containers all you have to do is simply apply them and you will see their brilliance. 

Price 9.8 out of 10 bats

  I love a bargain. Period. I am on a tight budget 99% of the year so I am always looking for the best bargain for my little buck.Notoriously Morbid not only offers different sizes the shadows (ranging from baggie, to mini to full size) all at a decent price. And on top of all of that she offers her Free Friday special, and honestly who doesn't love free because even if it is free shipping you can add another shadow on to your order so how awesome is that?

Shipping/Turn Around Time 10 out of 10 bats

  If you have read my blog before, you know that I am a hard ass when it comes to giving 10 out of 10 ratings. I think that it diminishes the incredible nature of getting a perfect score so I rarely give it. I won't lie, a lot of indie companies really bomb that this particular department. You know it and I know it. But when I see turn around times (TATS) of over three weeks and I can get something mailed to me internationally quicker I will take my money and my business somewhere else. I understand that a lot of them are one person shows with other jobs so it is easy for them to put their indie company on the last for their priorities. This however is NOT the case with Notoriously Morbid. Every time I have ordered from Carrie she has shipped my products out in a week to two weeks. It usually only takes a week however it did take two weeks when she was waiting on an item she had run out of. She immediately emailed me and gave me an update. She didn't leave me wondering where my package was or if my mailman was looking fabulous in drag with my new package of goodies. So color me impressed. 

Customer Service 10 out of 10 bats

  Getting two 10 out of 10 bats is a first for my blog so that should tell you how truly kick ass Carrie's customer service is. As I mentioned before she didn't hesitate with emailing me to let me know that there was a delay in my order due to her waiting on a product and she immediately sent it out once the order came in. However recently there was an issue with a shadow she created that wasn't true to the old formula (something with a new grinder or such) and she immediately made a statement on her webpage for people to contact her that had ordered the shadow from a specific time period and she would replace it with no questions asked. That ladies and gents is kick ass customer service. There was an issue, she owned up to it, made an announcement and took care of her customers with offering to replace the product with no cost to them. There was no debate, she didn't try to hide it or run from the problem. She handled it and took care of her customer exactly how she would want to be treated. This is excellent customer service, period. 

Overall 9.9 out of 10 bats

  My final impression for Notoriously Morbid that this is the real deal. This company continues to produce amazing products for great prices and offers superior customer service and turn around time which makes for a winning combination. I am thrilled with the products I have received and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. If you are looking for the next big indie company that is going to knock your socks off Notoriously Morbid is it. You couldn't ask for a better combination of creativity, awesome products and professionalism.

In the Pursuit of Fabulous-Review of Geek Chic Cosmetics

Hello again lovelies!
   I am feeling SUPER productive today since I am tackling two blog posts in one day. O.O But I just couldn't wait any longer to do the review for Geek Chic Cosmetics. This company combines two of my favorite things: makeup and geek culture. Honestly it just doesn't get any better than that. With collections ranging from eyeshadow sets inspired by amazing TV series, to button masher nail polishes, gorgeous glitters and scents based of tragic women in history they have something for everyone. Their formulas for everything that they carry are both gluten free and cruelty free. So not only are the colors and collections based off awesome geeky inspiration but they are racking up the karma points and looking out for their customer as well. While their pictures of their pigments are gorgeous on their site (and it makes me wonder what camera they are using cause I need it ) I always want to see colors against skin. I love that they are awesome with providing swatches against skin with each and every shadow. But if you are anything like I am, you also want to see pictures of the shadows used in looks to see how blendable and pigmented they are. So Dreadful has you covered with both swatches and looks I did with their pigments.

*All swatches were done over NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk*

Last Best Hope Colletion and Summer Collection Swatches

It appears that this collection is discontinued but the colors are still gorgeous.

Swatches from the Strange Aeons and Go Boldly Collections

Swatches from TimeyWimey and SuperNeutrals Collections

Look done with So Say We All Collection and Morningstar.

Look done with the Summoner Collection and Touched by Darkness.

Look done with the SuperNeutrals and Love in Uniform

Done with Fallen and the Strange Aeons Collection

Soft Tardis look done with the Timey Wimey Collection

The tutorial for the Soft Tardis look can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqGa-MUXGtY

Now that I have spammed you with enough pictures, on with the ratings...

Color Variety- 9 out of 10 bats
   Like the wide variety of geek subculture that they cover, their colors are just as varied. Each collection seems to embody the colors of the movie, game, TV series, etc that it was based on. For example the latest collection, Summoner, is full of shimmer and sparkle just like the avatars that are called forth in the video game that lay waste to your enemies.The So Say We All Collection has three gorgeous gray shades which are all different (which my camera failed to pick up the differences) but gives you the same gray feel of the ships on Battlestar Galactica. And honestly , I am not even going to lie about it, they made me squeal like a school girl with their Dr Who and Lovecraft inspired collections.

Color Pigmentation-9 out of 10 bats
  Their color pigmentation is just superb.The shimmery colors have tons of sparkle and shimmer to them and a good balance of pigmentation. I hate shadows that are nothing but pure shimmer and the color is nonexistent  I didn't have that problem here. While most of the colors that I received were shimmers the matte colors are just as pigmented and they all blend like a dream.

Affordability-9.5 out of 10 bats
   If the colors and the collections don't automatically make you squeal like a schoolgirl, the price will.All of the pigments run 5.99 which is extremely reasonable. The jars (which I am guessing are 5gm jars) are packed full and shipped with sifters (which I instantly remove when the jars get in my hot little hands). They also have a set of the month which is half price for the entire month! So you can get the whole collection of just a couple of pigments you can't live without for half price.

Overall-9.5 out of 10 bats
   I don't how to put this any plainer that this. I simply adore Geek Chic Cosmetics. They have combined two things that I love, makeup and geek culture. Their color variety is fantastic. It is diverse as the geek culture itself. The pigmentation is amazing. The shimmers have just the right balance of sparkle and color and the mattes are just as vivid all at a price that can't be beat. Not to mention they have a monthly sale that you can take advantage up and stock up on entire monthly selection or just the colors you want from it. This is a company that you don't want to miss out on and you will want to keep an eye to see what kind of gorgeous colors they will be coming up with next. So check them out and tell them I sent you. ^_~


Stay tuned for another circle lens review! Until next time my dears...

Review of Classy Chick Cosmetics.

Hello Lovelies!
    I just recently ventured into the YouTube realm with some slide tutorials. However since I do a good portion of my makeup reviews and tutorials at night since my little Dreadfuls are sleeping so I need to purchase some daylight bulbs for filming. So until then, I have to stick to slideshow videos and written reviews. I will still continue this blog to supplement the tutorials and reviews since most of the videos we be rather short. But anyways, I just did a tutorial (which can be found here ) featuring a company called Classy Chick Cosmetics and here is the review to go along with tutorial.
     Classy Chick Cosmetics is an independent makeup company based off of Etsy. It is one woman operation run out Taylor, Michigan by a lovely lady named Cassidy. The company specializes in mainly eye and lip products but she is venturing into the nail department with five new polishes that scheduled to be released and a variety of colored nail beads. Here are some swatches of her gorgeous colors.

Pigment swatches taken in daylight with no flash

Lip Glaze/Gloss Swatches taken in daylight with no flash

While I love seeing swatches of pigment colors, I also want to see the makeup "put to work" in a look. So I did just that and here are some looks created with the pigments.

Done with Shady Lady, Strawberry Wine, Pink a Blue and Wedding Day

Done with Shady Lady, Butter Me Up, Sea Mist and Super Nova

And now on with the ratings..

Color Variety-9 out of 10 bats
   As an independent company, Classy Chick keeps a nice stock of colors with several collections available. She has a nice balance of bold and neutral colors to make everyone happy. She also has a couple of individual pressed shadows and two quad palettes.

Color Pigmentation-9 out of 10 bats
   The pigmentation of her products really amazed me. Like most people, when opening up a lighter color I tend to think that I am going to have to really layer it on for the lighter color to be just a bold as the darker ones. Not with these pigments. The lighter colors are just as pigmented as their bolder and darker counterparts. There is just the right balance of shimmer and matte in these shades and one doesn't overpower the other.

Affordability-9 out of 10 bats
   I have to say that Classy Chick Cosmetics is very affordable. Her pigments run $6.00 per pigment in a 5 gram jar which is about average on Etsy. Her glosses range from $6.00 to $9.00 depending on the packaging that you chose.  Her quad palettes are $25 whether if you pick from one of the two collection palettes or a create you own palette. So overall , I think that the quality is definitely worth the price listed.

Overall-9 out of 10 bats
   Classy Chick Cosmetics is another one of the up and coming independent cosmetic companies. Her color variety is excellent catering to both the bright and bold makeup lovers and the die heart neutral fanatics. The color pigmentation is excellent no matter if the color is light and shimmer or darker and more matte. Finally the price just can't be beat for the quality of makeup that you are receiving.  I am extremely pleased with my makeup from Classy Chick and I look forward to see what she has in store for the future.

If you want to purchase from Classy Chick Cosmetics you can do so from here.
You can also find Classy Chick on Facebook and her up to date specials and sneak peeks at collection here.
You can also see my tutorial using Classy Chick Cosmetics here.

Until next time my dears..

Review of Chaos Cosmetics

Hello lovelies!
    I am back again, beaten and grumpy over my lack of video editing skills, but I couldn't wait to do this review any longer since I wanted to share with you about an AMAZING indie makeup company called Chaos Cosmetics. The company motto is "Out of Chaos, comes beauty." which totally makes me think that the owner, Pamela, has seen me put on my makeup. It is pure chaos at times but I usually end up with a look that I like.  They are a proud cruelty free company which is one of the factors that I look for in a company. So extra karma points to her for not testing on animals. All of the products are formulated without petro-chemicals, parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, oils, bismuth, talc or sulfates. All the nasty things that most of us have issues pronouncing which really has no place on our face. But honestly that isn't the main thing that attracted me to this company but the gorgeous and vibrant colors. I ran across the image of her color "Courtesan" on Facebook and I feel in love with this duochrome shade. Honestly take a look at these gorgeous swatches and you will understand what I am talking about.

Pigment Swatches

Gorgeous Glosses

Done with just one coat! Forgive my messy nails, it was done quickly to show the pigmentation.

While swatches are great, I want to see how the colors look on a person so here are some photos of various looks I have done with this gorgeous line.

Done with Magic Dust, Legendary, Serpentine and Galaxy

Done with Magic Dust, Legendary, Courtesan, and Disavowed

Done with Magic Dust, Serpentine, and Galaxy and Blood Lust  Gloss on my lips

Done with Magic Dust, Legendary Inguene, Coquette, and Flirtini

Now on to the ratings...

Color Variety-9 out 10 bats

   While a lot of indie companies don't have a wide selection of colors, Pamela has done an amazing job with providing an amazing selection of colors not only in the eye shadow pigment department but with her other products such as the lip glosses and even her newer line of nail polishes. There are mattes, shimmers and of course my current favorite duochromes and a nice selection of each.

Pigmentation- 9.5 out of 10 bat

   The pigmentation for these products are excellent. While she does state that her shadows are much more vibrant when activated with water, you really don't need to in order to achieve a nice color payout. Her lip glosses are simply AMAZING. The red on my lips in the picture above is a GLOSS. Not gloss over lipstick but just a gloss. Her glosses have the pigmentation of a lipstick but the moisturizing feeling of a gloss without being overly sticky. I have never seen such pigmentation in a nail polish ever, I even shared the worst nail polish picture ever just to prove a point. The color that you see in the photo is one with just ONE coat. I usually have to apply two to three coats in order to make the drugstore polishes look decent. With her polishes all you need is a base coat, one coat of Chaos Cosmetic polishes and then your top coat and you are good to go.

Affordability and Packaging- 9 out of 10 bats

   Not only are these shadows, glosses and polished nice and pigmented they come at a really affordable price. All of her shadows and glosses (she hopes to be adding tubes soon for the glosses) come packed to the rim with product in their five gram jars. The best part of it is, there are no sifters (I HATE sifters especially in pigments. I instantly remove them with the exception of glitter. Only then is a sifter acceptable)so when the product is packed to the rim it is packed. The regular pigment run $6.49 and the duochrome shades (or shifting shades) are $8.99. The glosses are $5.99 for the regular shades and $6.49 for the duochrome shades. The few polishes she has currently are $7.99 a bottle but with only needing one coat that bottle will last you awhile.

Overall- 9 out 10 bats

   I am super thrilled to have found Chaos cosmetics. They offer a wonderful color variety in their products. The pigmentation is fantastic with gorgeous and vivid colors for the eyes, lips and nails. While I love all of their products their glosses and duochrome shadows are my favorites. The best part is honestly how affordable it all is especially when you are on a tight budget like I am. It is so wonderful to be able to get amazing products without breaking the bank. So head on over to Chaos Cosmetics and tell them I sent you, I know that you won't be disappointed. 

Until next time my dears...