July "Lip Monthly" review!

Happy ass Friday my lovely undead readers!

I have SO much going on in my life right now that I can barely stop to take a breath above water. My blog has been terribly neglected and I hope to remedy this in the months to come. I have so many swatches and looks I want to do for you all! I'm loving reviewing products but I do want to do more looks and play with my makeup more often.

That being said, let's move right along.

I was given the opportunity to review a Lip Monthly subscription box to share with my readers.

"For only $10/month, Lip Monthly helps you discover brands with the best lip products on the market. Every month we’ll send you a unique box straight to your door and help you discover the best of Lip Glosses, Lip Sticks, Lip Balms, Lip Stains and much more."

 Sadly, this isn't going to be much of a *glowing* review.

First off, I've done some research on this company and have seen in a few different videos/posts that the products were nicely packaged in a clear plastic sleeve and placed in a bubble mailer. Each box also came with a description card which outlines each product and it's cost. My products were thrown into the bubble mailer, there was no description card, and they products weren't even secured in the lip monthly box that comes in each package.

So, I was underwhelmed immediately.

This is the box that normally contains a few of the products and the description card. Mine was empty as everything had fallen into the bubble mailer. 



Inside the mailer. I have no idea how much each product retails for, as I did not get an item breakdown. I did a little research online and couldn't find some of the items offered on their corresponding websites. I'll go into that more later.



Appeal Cosmetics: "Red Light District" lipstick
Stila Cosmetics lip glaze in "Orange"
City Color lip pencil in "Chic"
City Color lip balm in "Salmon"
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation 1.5 oz tube





When my package had arrived, the Stila "Orange" pencil had no protective sleeve or plastic wrap so the lid had come off and the product had melted, as you can tell from the tip of the pencil. "Chic" had also melted a bit into the lid but there was protective wrap around the tube.



Swatches!


 As I did a little research after receiving my package, not only could I not find some of the products on their respective websites, but I stumbled upon THIS post which really sent up red flags. I'd hate for any of these products to be outdated or discontinued from certain companies and I have a feeling that is the case with the Stila lip glaze.

According to the Appeal Cosmetics website, "Red Light District" retails for $22.00 and is currently sold out.

I could not find the lip glaze pencil "Orange" on the Stila website and I'm assuming it's been discontinued. I can't tell what it would have retailed for.

I found "Salmon" on the Color City website retailing for $2.99. "Chic" also retails for $2.99 on the City Color website.

I also located the John Frieda Straight Fixation creme on various websites and it retails for roughly $4.00.

Taking into account the prices I was able to locate, the box is a good deal, but because of some of the other issues with it, I think it's wise to spend your money elsewhere. It seems the boxes are really hit and miss. Some people have received lovely packaged boxes with extras in them and some people have received really badly packaged boxes.  I believe this comes down to customer service- there should be someone double checking every package that leaves their facility. I guess it comes right down to your preferences and if you're OK with receiving discontinued or outdated lip items . Lip Monthly does not customize your box in any way, so you'll get what you get. ;)

There was nothing fancy or special about this box to me and some of these items can be easily picked up online or at a drug store. I'm really bummed I didn't receive the description card as I think that's a really fun touch in these monthly subscription boxes. I do love the concept of a monthly box with nothing but lip products, but the box I received falls short of amazing. :(

Are you subscribed to Lip Monthly? What are your thoughts?

*products in this post were kindly provided for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Sally Hansen Color Foil and Color Frenzy!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Though I don't blog about it enough, I'm a huge nail polish fan! I especially love different colors, shapes and sizes of glitter. As much of a pain in the ass as they are to remove, I can't get enough of them. I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to show you all a few new of the limited edition Color Frenzy glitter polishes from Sally Hansen! They also sent a few of the new Color Foil's for me to try out as well.

Color Foil (Breakthrough formula with real aluminum for a whole new kind of reflectance)

(L to R):
Yellow Gold
Leaden Lilac
Minted Metal





Color Frenzy (Unique splatter effect with multi-dimensional glitters)

(L to R):
Paint Party
Sea Salt
Red, White & Hue



Swatches!

No, I didn't swatch these on my nails because my cuticles are so dry from the summer. :/ I will have swatches up on Instagram: @makeupzombie as I use them.

Color Foil


I love that these dry with a metallic finish! They are so neat. This is also just one coat, believe it or not! "Minted Metal" is my favorite out of the three!

Color Frenzy




As you can clearly see, the glitter are all different colors, sizes and shapes! "Red, White & Hue" is various sizes of red, white and blue hex glitter where as "Paint Party" is hex and bar glitter in pastel shades. "Sea Salt" is....interesting. It has fine green and blue glitter but it also has chunks of holographic glitter, some of them are HUGE! (You can see a larger piece in the swatch over white nail polish.) It's a pretty polish but I could have definitely done without the weird, crazy shaped chunks of glitter. I adore "Paint Party" and currently have it on my nails. I envision pairing it with different colored base colors! I need to play around with "Sea Salt" a little more to see what I can come up with for it. "Red, White & Hue" is a fun polish which would be great for a 4th of July themed mani or a fun accent to your mani.

The thing about glitter is there are SO many options! :D

Have you tried Color Foil's or Color Frenzy's from Sally Hansen?

*products in this post were received for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Haircut!

Good evening zombies!

I've not done a *personal* post in some time, so I thought I'd make a short one for fun. Last week, I spontaneously decided I needed a hair cut. Something dramatic (for me) and something a lot more manageable. My hair has gone through so much abuse (bleach, dye, flat iron, etc.) that I wanted to shed the dead hair and start over. And I did!

Before:
You can cleary see the damage in this picture. 


After:


I'm wearing Morgana Cryptoria's "Platinum Cherry" lipstick, hence the cherries.

The interesting thing about this haircut/style is that all of the sudden, my hair has taken on natural curl. I never noticed the curl/wave before because my hair was so damaged. My bangs still have the frizzies from bleaching, but it's nothing like it was. I can let it air dry and it's full, healthy and bouncy. SCORE!

Nurture your over-processed hair! Get it cut/trimmed regularly and deep condition!

Sleek MakeUP's "Vintage Romace" pallete

Good morning Zombies!

All 3 of my kids are now in elementary school! I almost don't know what to do with myself during the days and still feel a bit lost without my kids around to harass. ;) So, I decided to do a little blogging!

I purchased the i-Divine "Vintage Romance" palette from Sleek MakeUP a few weeks ago- via a "popular online auction website" and wanted to swatch it for you all. Of the 5 Sleek palettes I currently own, this one is my favorite.



Back:


Inside:


Up close and personal:


Natural lighting:


Flash:


Swatches!
(I used Fyrinnae's "Pixie Epoxy" as a base for the swatches.)




I adore "Court in Cannes", "Marry in Monte Carlo", "Honeymoon in Hollywood", and "Bliss in Barcelona". They are by far my favorites from this palette. I also like that Sleek included matte, shimmer, and glitter shades in this palette. "Forever in Florence", "Love in London", and "Honeymoon in Hollywood" are all glittery, though "Honeymoon in Hollywood" has a matte base. "Propose in Prague" is the only other matte shadow. The rest are shimmer....and amazing.

As with a lot of Sleek's palettes, the eyeshadow is a tad on the chalky side and do need a good base to "hold on to". They are however, super pigmented and easily blended. I was really impressed with "Love in London" particularly. I didn't expect too much from it, but it turned out to be a great glittery black. "Bliss in Barcelona" is just swoon worthy. This palette is a great mix of neutral to bright and matte to glitter. The best of all worlds!

"Vintage Romance" retails for $11.99 (USD) on the website. Sleek can be purchased other places online (just use Google!).

I'll be doing a look shortly with this palette. Stay tuned to my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more. I can be found on all sites @makeupzombie.

Do you own "Vintage Romance"?

*products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own and 100% honest. 

My latest Morgana Cryptoria loot!

ZOMBIES!

I took part in the "Christmas in July" sale at Morgana Cryptoria and had to show you all my new pretties..because...sparkles!

I ordered 7 lipsticks and 4 eyeshadow from the Morgana outlet store. FYI: The outlet shop will close on August 31st and all shades will be discontinued. So run and grab you some eyeshadow!

I've included the descriptions of each shade from the websites, however, some products are no longer available.
 


Lipstick:
Pomegranate Daiquiri: product no longer available
Platinum Cherry: Pink-red with silver sparkle and hints of violet shimmer
Plumberry: Plum with a blue to violet shifting sheen and subtle blue sparkle.
Pandora: Reddish pink with a blue shimmery sheen
Violetta: product no longer available
Evil Ash: Cherry red with silver sparkle
Merlot: Burgundy-wine satin




Eyeshadow:
Sneaking Angels: Deep green lustre with blue tones
Magic Plum: Plum with violet and blue shifts
Weeping Angels: Rich & luminous violet-blue
Fortress: (product no longer online)
Harbinger: Dusky metallic wine


 

Because the eyeshadow comes in baggies, I wanted to show you what it looks like. Morgana has also reformulated their eyeshadow for much more smooth/creamy application. 


Swatches!
(please be sure to click images for maximum awesome!)

Eyeshadow:


I seriously can NOT pick just one eyeshadow from this lot that's my favorite. They are all so beautiful! I adore the blue shift in Magic Plum and Fortress and love the names of Weeping and Sneaking Angels because of my love of Dr. Who. Harbinger is a kick ass, deep wine  in a black base that will be perfect for Halloween. I really can't chose a favorite!

Make sure to stock up on Morgana's eyeshadow before they are gone. You get 1 tsp baggies for just $3.00. You can NOT beat that!

Lipstick:


On mah lips!








Pomegranate Daiquiri is by far my favorite color of this lot followed closely by Pandora and Evil Ash! Every shade is super pigmented and easy to apply. There are lots of sparkles throughout each lipstick, which make them that much more fun to wear. As always, Morgana lipsticks are very long wearing and sometimes require a lip balm underneath to prevent drying. It really depends on the lipstick. I was hoping Violetta would be a little more on the purple side and Merlot a little darker, but they are still both wonderful colors.


*all products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Darling Girl Cosmetics "Who Ya Gonna Call" collection!

Good evening zombies!

Tonight I have for you the upcoming Halloween 2014 collection from Darling Girl Cosmetics called "Who Ya Gonna Call". Can you guess that it's themed after? ;) What a fun, sparkly and duo-chromey collection this turned out to be. Look for it in the shop sometime in September.



There are 10 new shades in this collection, each with a fun name and a unique quality about it.


Names:

The Tragic Death of Mr. Stay Puft
That's a Big Twinkie
Spiritual Turbulence
Don't Cross the Streams
There is No Dana
Ghost Job
Key Master
Mass Hysteria
The Flowers are Still Standing
He Slimed Me






Can we take a moment to talk about the absolutely amazing duochrome that is "That's a Big Twinkie", "Mass Hysteria", and "The Flowers are Still Standing"?! These are by far my favorites from this collection. "That's a Big Twinkie"  has a strong blue flash on the taupe base which I adore! Again, I love the blue sheen in"Mass Hysteria" making it an awesome blurple eyeshadow. "The Flowers Are Still Standing" glows gold from the inside out and shines with sparkles. I couldn't stop staring at it. "There is No Dana" (yes I may have added more to the name on my swatch) is a brilliant true gold with sparkles while "He Slimed Me" is a grassy green shade with a blue/pink flash. This color was hard to capture. It's so unique."Don't Cross the Streams" is an amazing navy/purple color with lots of pink sparkle. Again a touch shade to capture with pictures. You really need to see it in person! I could go on and on, but you can see for yourself how pretty each color is and how each shade is filled to the brim with sparkle! The colors are soft, build-able and so easy to blend which is a quality DGC is known for.

Stay tuned to my Instagram and Facebook/Twitter accounts to hear when "Who Ya Gonna Call" is officially released. I will make a post the same day. You can find me @makeupzombie on each site!

Do you see a color here that will haunt you if you don't purchase it? ;)

*products in this post were provided by DGC for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.