Glamour Doll Eyes OTM - May 2013

This is my second month of Glamour Doll Eyes's OTM program. Each month, they send out a shadow (OTM = of the month) which is available only as a part of the subscription. Sometimes, other goodies are included as bonuses.

I have about a dozen GDE shadows, but I always missed out on the OTMs (slots are very limited, they open once a month and sell out super quickly) so I was so excited when I snagged a spot last month. This month is even better!

This month's pouch is super cute, and has already found its way into my bag.

Along with the usual shadow and candy, this month we got a bonus new product - a blush! And two sample baggies from an upcoming collection.

(sorry it's upside down...but you get the idea). The blush is called Risky Business, and it is described as a soft to medium pink with subtle gold shimmers. The shadow is S&M, a dark purple (almost black) with blue and green sheen and silver shimmers.

The two samples are called Facade and Fearless, and they are from the upcoming Matte Masculine collection.

The blush is SUPER vibrant and pigmented, and is a gorgeous shade. The shadow is nice and sparkly!

Products swatched over a clear primer:

Risky Business blush

S&M shadow

Facade shadow

Fearless shadow.

Impressed as ever with GDE's products, I'm really happy with this month. What do you think of these colors?

Wantable: April makeup box

Wantable is a service that offers truly customizable boxes of full sized cosmetics. (They also have jewelry option, but I have not tried that one!) They allow you to choose categories of makeup that interest you (eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lip color, highlighter, blush, bronzer, nail color brows) and then within those categories, specific types (shimmer, matte, bright, neutral, powder, cream, etc). They then select items for you (around 4 full sized items). You can subscribe for $36 a box, or buy a single box for $40.

I have gotten one box in the past, and I was happy with what I received, so I decided to try another one. This month, I chose to receive all categories but brows and bronzer, and within the categories, I chose color options over neutral. Here's what I got!

I think their packaging is so cute. It's small and just put together well.

They included a little bonus this month - two La Fresh makeup remover wipes. I love these and am always happy to receive them.

This is eyeshadow by Be a Bombshell. The shade is Divine. It is a super shimmery baby blue! So pretty! It is nice and pigmented, soft and smooth. I love this color!

Be a Bombshell eyeliner in Amethyst! This is a marker style liner in a deep purple. I have the black one and it is great! I actually don't have a purple liquid liner and I am so excited for this one. I'm loving this brand.

Cailyn Cosmetics Dramatic Impact mascara in blue. It's a lengthening, thickening mascara in a pretty blue color. I don't have any colored mascaras and I am happy to try one! I have a Cailyn gel liner that I really enjoy, so I'm pretty excited to try the mascara.

This is a cream blush by 29 Cosmetics. The shade is Napa Rouge, and it is a nice, highlighting pink. It feels nice and creamy and the color is subtle. The packaging is gorgeous! This blush alone retails for $39.

In all, I am excited to try these products! I love blues and purples, so they chose perfect shades for me. This box has a value of $85, which is a great deal.

Here is what everything looks like swatched. From left to right, here is the blush, shadow, liner, and mascara. Everything seems to be of really great quality!

I am still impressed with Wantable's products and service. I'll probably get another box in the future!

Have you tried any of these brands?

BA Star Cosmetics Review

BA Star is a company that specializes in performance makeup for dancers, cheerleaders, competitors, or just trendsetters. I was given the opportunity through BrandBacker to try one of their Smoky Eyeshadow Palettes, and I received it this week. This is a brand new company to me, so I was very excited to get to try them out!

Each palette contains 3 matte shadows and two gel glitter highlighters! The palette comes in four color options: Smoky, Natural, True Blue, and Pretty N Pink. I received "Natural", which is bronze, brown, and gold tones! The palette comes with a double ended brush/sponge applicator. I rarely use these, but I appreciate that this one is on the longer side, makes it easier to use, in my opinion.

Now, this palette photographed warmer than it is. It is on the warm side, but not nearly as much as it seems in this photo! The shadows are, in order, Bronze, Cocoa, and Nude. Each is just what it sounds like. I think nude leans toward the champagney range, and it is very pretty!

These feel nice and smooth, and they are decently pigmented! The colors work very well together for a natural smoky look.

The two glitter gels are super glittery and pretty! They are called Gold and Crystal. The first is gold, of course, and the second is white with opalescent glitter - it shines with purple, gold, and green! These have a gritty feel to them, as you can imagine, but they are wonderful for painting over liner for a sparkley pop. They are soft and easy to apply with a brush.

Here are swatches, in order, starting from the top. These swatches were done with a single swipe of the finger on bare skin, no primer. As you can see, the color payoff is not bad!

The glitter gels are very hard to see in the swatch, but in person, they are very glittery and pretty, good for what they're designed to be, which is a highlight.

I am definitely interested in trying out some of the other colors, especially True Blue! Each of these palettes retails for $8.75.

If you are interested in trying out BA Star smoky shadow palettes, you can enter the code "BBSMOKY" at checkout for a 50% discount!

*Disclaimer: I received a product to review free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

J.Cat Beauty - Lip Glazes review

I was recently given the opportunity to try and review some products by a new brand called J.Cat Beauty! J.Cat aims to provide high quality color cosmetics at a very affordable price. All of their products are cruelty free and hypoallergenic.

And they really do have affordable prices! Lipsticks and glosses are only $2.49 each, and all of their other products are similarly affordable, most falling under the $5 price point. Despite their low prices, they aim to provide hip, trendy shades and formulations.

I was sent several products to review and I will be doing so over the next week or so. First up, two of their Eternal Shine Lip Glazes.

These are moisturizing lip glosses that contain Vitamin E oil and minerals, and promise a sheer pop of color. They come in 36 shades, which I find pretty impressive!

I received two: Rose and Odyssey.

Rose is a vibrant, cool toned pink. It is super bright in the tube! On the lips, it has a fair amount of pigmentation to it without being over the top. It could easily be worn for day or night looks.

Odyssey is a lighter, more neutral pink. It is nice and very natural and is great for a daytime look.

The formula on both is very good. It is thick enough to last on the lips, but it is not too sticky or tacky. I found it to be pretty long lasting for a gloss - it lasted through a meal and a few hours of wear before needing reapplied. I found it to be pretty moisturizing, and it felt nice on my lips.

These are lip glosses...you're not going to put them on and say "Sweet heavens, I never knew lip product nirvana until this moment!" but for the price, they are definitely worth it! I have no complaints about this lip gloss and plan to pick up a few more shades.

Also, stay tuned, because I'll be sharing their lipsticks, shimmer powders, and nail polishes with you soon!

Have you heard of J.Cat yet? You can check out their products at their website  or follow them on Facebook if interested!


Disclaimer: I received products free of charge to review. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

BzzAgent - CoverGirl Blast Flipstick review

I was recently invited to join the Covergirl Blast Flipstick BzzCampaign, and I jumped at the chance! I received my BzzKit this week, and I have finally had a chance to try out the products.

CoverGirl Blast Flipstick is a double ended lipstick. It comes in 13 different varieties, and a total of 26 shades! Each one is a mix of two complementary colors: one end is a creamy shade, and the other end is a lighter shimmer shade. They are designed to be worn alone or together, so that one stick can create several looks!

BzzAgent was kind enough to send us 3 full-sized products. We received Vixen - a darker fuschia and a light shimmery pink, Stunner - A coral-ish orangey shade and a shimmery gold, and Minx - a darker brown and a shimmery bronze.

I am a pale, pinky skinned person and browns do not work for me, so I passed Minx along to a darker skinned friend to try, but I am really pleased with the other two!

The packaging is simple and cute. They are a great size to keep in your bag. Stunner is pictured on top, while Vixen is on the bottom.

This is the darker end of Vixen worn alone. This one is the smoothest of the four shades pictured, and comes of nice and natural on my pigmented lips. 

This is the lighter end of Vixen worn alone. It is very shimmery and it is sheer...great to add just a little shimmer to your lips or to lighten up a too-dark shade.

This is the lighter shade applied over the darker shade...I like it! A bit of shimmer, color but nothing too bold...this is great for an everyday look for me.

I like Vixen the bost of the shades received, and it suits me!

This is the darker end of Stunner. I do find that the texture is a bit more dry than Vixen, but it is still easy to apply and very wearable. It is a nice bold color, and quite pigmented. I love it for a special occasion or times I want a bright bold lip.

This is the lighter end of Stunner. It is a shimmery sheer gold, and it is so pretty in person. I love this as a lip highlight! It is a bit less smooth than the others, but that's to be expected with shimmery shades.

And this is the lighter shade over the darker shade. Together, I think they are dramatic! I love the gold shade on top of nearly everything I've tried it over.

The formula of these in general is pretty good - while not super moisturizing, it is easy to apply and it lasts a decent amount of time. I love the versatility of them and that you can combine them in endless ways to create new looks. I will be buying more shades!

Have you tried Blast Flipsticks yet?

*Disclaimer: I received these items for free from BzzAgent. I was not otherwise compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.