Research!

I recently inquired with SinfulColors nail polish as to whether or not they test on animals. They are a subsidiary of Revlon, for those not in the know on such things, and Revlon is a known animal testing company. I received this email in return;

Problem solved, right?

Oh. Except for when that doesn't really solve much.

By their own statement (which is a form letter, blogs all over the internet have gotten the same statement), Revlon complies with laws by country, in order to assure that their product can be sold there, in order to allow women the "opportunity to express themselves with makeup".

China has REQUIRED cosmetics that were imported in to the country to be tested on animals until just last summer (I even googled it for you, it's sadly true). 

So up until Summer of 2014, Revlon seems to have been talking out both sides of their mouth, swearing that they NEVER did animal testing...while doing animal testing.

And I know, there are some people that don't especially care about this sort of thing. And if that's your prerogative, that's fine. But, I do feel like I've got the responsibility to pass along the word, because if you DO care, then you need to be able to plan your cosmetic purchases accordingly. And a company who loudly and proudly proclaims that they're not doing a thing...while doing that thing, deserves everyones attention, whether you care about animal testing or not.

Later, my lovelies!

Mini-Reviews

I'm doing a little makeup bag spring cleaning this week - it's a little challenging to convince your husband you need new makeup when even he can see the makeup bag so full it won't close on the bathroom counter - so I decided I'd do a few quick, mini reviews of the products I was cleaning out, just to give them a little sayonara on the way out the door!

With that said...I have a beauty confession to make.

I have a long standing love/hate relationship with Revlon Colorstay eyeshadow. I'll go bonkers for it, and buy up a bunch of it, that I use happily. And then after a while, I come back to my senses, and go "You know, I don't think I like this that much..." and get rid of it. It is a cycle I've repeated...well, pretty much since Colorstay eyeshadow has been a thing.

I'm in the "come back to my senses" part of the cycle, but before I give them their big send off, I thought I'd talk a little about them first. Each color that you're seeing was applied over Wet N Wild Fergie eyeshadow primer.

Victim number one:

Meet "Inspired". This one is pretty kicky - white, aqua, lime and a deep purple. This is a color combination I like, and one I'd almost be enticed to keep, if it weren't for one problem - the massive, massive amounts of fall out from the lime. I had that lime eyeshadow everywhere. My lashes were lime, my under eye was lime, everything turned lime over that eyeshadow.

Although, in fairness to this particular quad - it does have more color payoff than the other two that we're about to meet, and had a nice little shimmer to it, which makes it feel kind of kicky and fun. This one is the closest I've come to sticking with a Revlon eyeshadow in probably a while!

Batter up, victim number two!

This is "Attitude". This is a nice, neutral, mellow palate. Pink, a light brown with a slight shimmer, a matte medium brown, and a matte darker brown. Nice, goes with everything.

My problem with this one is that without primer, there isn't a ton of color payoff. I'm a fan of the high contrast, I like to see a lot of color payoff, and I just don't get it here. I don't have a particular beef - the formula is nice, goes on smooth and velvety soft. I just don't get the amount of color I want.

And just for bonus points;

Victim number three!

This one is Mary Kay eyesicles cream eyecolor in Vanilla. This is a product that sort of rotates in and out of the line up for Mary Kay - it's currently out - and isn't all that satisfying to me. It's a nice eye brightener, and it'd probably make an excellent primer (honest, I've never tried, so don't hold me to that). But if you want to talk about color payoff - there's virtually none here - and I was noticing creases in about a half hour. No thanks, Mary Kay!

So, thanks for indulging a little bit of my makeup bag clean out! It's a little closer to closing now! :D
,br> See you later, lovelies!

This is like a three-fer of beauty information today!

You just can't pay for this sort of entertainment!

So today, I'm testing not one, but TWO tips from pinterest, as well as showing you a Revlon Colorstay eyeshadow quad.

Let's get to the action!

First tip that we're testing is what I've affectionatly dubbed the "Insta-brow lift". Groom your brows as you wish, apply a small amount of concealer above the brow, and a small amount below, and you'll get the insta-brow lift effect.

Now, this pic isn't today, but this is just an idea of what I was working with. This was the after;

I don't even think this picture does it justice you guys, I was really excited with this little trick. I'd do it again. I used a wand concealer (Wet N Wild Cover All if you're intrigued...), three dabs in the arch, three dabs above the brow, gently blended. I'll try to get a better picture of the results (I can do pictures of the pricess too, if you're so intrigued, but it seems pretty self explanatory...).

The second trick I tested was scotch tape. Yes, scotch tape. Trick being - if you're someone who tends to go a little wild with your eyeshadow, and it runs off the edges of your eyes, take a piece of scotch tape, and tape from the outer corner of your brow to the outer corner of your eye. And any color that might make a mess on the outer corner of your eye will instead be on the scotch tape, and bingo-bango, perfect eye makeup.

This is among the weirder tips that I've tried, but I actually really liked this one. I do have a tendency to run off the edges a little bit - in the crease is a particular weakness - and being able to simply peel away the tape, and the mess was gone, was fantastic! I don't know that I'd do this every single day, but if I were going to a special event, and really wanted my makeup to be on pointe, you bet I'd whip out a little tape!

And lastly, Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow. This color quad was named "Bombshell", which I'm not even totally certain they make anymore, because I haven't seen it in the store in a while. White, yellow, a metallic grey, and a darker grey. Check it;

The white and yellow colors were a little on the flaky side, there was a lot of fall out from the two of them. The grey shades went on smooth and silky, they were nice to wear, and actually looked really nice together. And speaking of together, let's talk about that - this is an odd combination of colors. That's actually what drew me to it. But if you follow Revlon's instructions, the yellow gets completely washed out. Well why use it at all, then? Why not put in a different shade?

Speaking of instructions - if you like a nice smokey eye, but you're a little shakey on how to do it, Revlon includes a handy little instruction sheet, right on the back. All four colors, and right where they go on your lid. It's handy, and guarentees a nice look, don't be shy with it! And of course, if you're more adept with a smokey eye, go crazy, do whatever look you like! :)

Some pics. And I goofed these a tiny bit, because I didn't check the light before hand. That light across my nose is the sun coming in from the window in the bathroom. Haha...

Eyes open. Nice, right? I used Wet N Wild Fergie eyeshadow primer - which by the by, is fantastic - underneath, and there was the before mentioned concealer on the brow, and then the shadows. I'm pretty happy!

Eyes closed. See what I mean about the yellow? It's in the corners - in fact, there's probably extra yellow. And nada. You've got to really look for it. That's disapointing, for sure.

So I'm really happy with my tricks, and just as happy with the eyeshadow. I didn't get the 8 or 10 hours or whatever they promise - in fact, I barely got my aunts birthday party - but it wears and looks really nice, so I have no problems with it. I'd recommend it to a friend. ;)

And speaking of, look at that! I just did that! :D

See you later, gorgeous!

Doesn't it figure...

...I get turned on to Revlon Colorstay nail polish, right as it's getting ready to be a thing of the past?

Revlon is getting ready to replace the Colorstay with the Colorstay Gel Envy, so heads up - if you haven't stocked up on your favorites from the Colorstay line, now's the time!

At any rate - this line promises 11 days worth of high gloss, chip free color. And I am nothing, if not willing to test that sort of thing, so I was hoping against hope for 11, but I made it 7. After a week, I started getting grow out, like you would with a set of acrylics. And, just like with a set of acrylics, the grow lines were snagging in my hair when I took a shower. So that was the end of the Colorstay colors. But I will say - at the end of the 7 days? Just as beautiful, and glossy and chip free as it was at Day 1!

I purchased two colors - "Trade Winds", a nice neutral tan, and "Rich Raspberry" which was, well, a rich raspberry color. I actually picked out these two in particular, because I thought they might look nice together. I've been reading up on nail art, and thought these might be a nice pair to try it out with.

I was quickly shown the error of my ways though. Both products come with the same brush - wide, thick, allows you to maintain a nice level of control of the polish. But where Rich Raspberry was thick, rich and pigmented (one coat could *just* about get the job done, you'll see that in the pictures later), Trade Winds doesn't boast the same thickness. In fact, if a good French Manicure is your thing, Trade Winds is probably a color you need to own. So, they do both look very nice, but they weren't a good match to try out my nail art skills on.

The beauty shot. Nice big portion of color for the price, good handle to hang on to. The colors have a nice wide, thick brush, which gives you a nice control of the color. And see what I mean, about thinking they'd look nice together? They do, don't they? And I think I mentioned this already, but if you're a Colorstay original formula fan, stock up, because they're getting swapped out for the Gel Envy line.

The Rich Raspberry, in action. With this one, there's enough of a color payoff that one coat will just about get the job done, I just like my raspberries a bit higher voltage, so I went in for two. So if you like the color, but without the high wattage, one coat might do it for you.

The nails. With the one coat, you can see that there's still some transparency, one coat would probably make a excellent base for a french manicure, if the pink isn't your thing. I went in for two, and it bubbled a little bit, unfortunately. I kept looking at it, dismayed, but my seven year old son (and you can trust boys to keep it real, haha...) told me that no one else noticed but me, so I'll have to take his word for it, that I was just being fussy.

The colors looked great, and held up impeccably, so I'd absolutely recommend them. Target has just about cleared out of their stock, Wal-Greens just started, and Rite-Aid still has their full supply, at full price. If you're a decent enough couponer, you can get a great deal on some polishes!

I will also point out - this raspberry color removed cleaner, and easier, than any color I've removed in a while. I was well and truly surprised that I didn't end up with raspberry colored toes! Clean and easy, right off!