Wantable Accessories Box December 2013

Love: classic, glam, mix n match, rings sz 8, silver tone, gold tone, multi tone

Like: boho, earrings, braclets, necklaces, watches, headbands, scarves, wood, acrylic, leatherette

Dislike: urban, rock n roll, sunglasses, seed beads, skulls, inspirational text, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, evil eye, guns

LaDonna Necklace.    24 USD     SKU 21094
Carla Ring sz med.    8 USD.    SKU 20800
Mikaila Earrings     18 USD.    SKU 20977
Ollie Scarf     42 USD     SKU 21006.     MFG Accessory Street

LaDonna Necklace

Love the mixed metal. The black curb chain has a gold tone sheen on the flat parts. Not crazy about the pendant. It looks like the size of the pendant is off or has poor lines when worn. Good try though. Will probably repurpose the chain and remove the pendant. If the rhinestone was of higher quality or the pendant was shaped differently, I might have been interested in it at a retailer for 24. Might.

Carla Ring

Basically two arrows. Considered boho but I don't see how such a heavy ring is considered earthly. Hopefully their boho collection will have some stuff I like. We'll have to wait and see. This is going into the gift or sell pile. Eight bucks for such a large piece of metal. I thought this was underpriced.

Mikaila Earrings

Supposed made to show off geometric shapes. I like this pair but it looks much better on cartillage piercings. If I wear them in my main piercings, they just look like small squares and the cylindrical back is hidden which is not so thrilling. I kept these just for the concept. Maybe I'll get more piercings someday. Overpriced for 18, might sell for 12.

Ollie Scarf

The last and favorite piece of this box, this scarf has a silky shine and gorgeous pattern. The colors are perfect together and is large enough to have multiple uses. The edge is purposefully frayed which gives the scarf a softer look that I adore. Priced at 42 but the lowest I imagine this selling for is 27 or 30.

Overall, I was more satisfied with this box than my last. I dislike that they choose to send three pieces since I have gotten at least one item in each box that fits the following categories: not in the style I like or love, a love that underwhelms, a piece I am very satisfied with. No one who subscribes to wantable needs the items. Wantable is supposed to offer a delightful surprise every month but 36 bucks is not worth one item I'll wear and two or three items I'll add to piles designated for other uses. I dont have much space to store extras (I already have plenty extras) and I'd rather not pile up more and pay for disappointment. With the items I've received, I have probably a 50 percent satisfactory rate which is failing. Wantable is not perfect but I believe they want to improve. What I mean is that if they dont improve satisfaction rates, the clients they will keep are new hopefuls and those with money to spare and dont care for name brands.

Etude House Blotting Paper Pact + Oil Clear Pact Review

Etude House Blotting Paper Pact + Oil Clear Pact Review

I found both online for about 7 USD. They're essentially the same thing: blotting paper with a rubber puff. I really dislike blotting with bare hands and this lets me blot without washing my hands.

Left: Oil clear pact [OCP] (eBay)

Right: Blotting paper pact [BPP] (online korean cosmetic retailer)

 The OCP had a box but I don't have it anymore. Either way, I think that the OCP is either a knockoff or really old because I really dislike the packaging. It is made of an opaque white plastic with a hot pink decal. It looks cheap, not girly, and not at all like an Etude House product.

 I like the BPP only a little bit more. It is made of a slightly translucent pink plastic body with a light pink decal.

The plastic body looks exactly the same aside from color.

The puff is almost the same but it's just a puff and it works.

The sticky paper is almost the same size and both have extra stickies and the same number of blotting sheets. 

OCP on top, BPP on bottom.

The OCP paper is thicker than BPP and absorbs more of the oil on my face.

Final Thoughts

• BPP has better packaging
• OCP has better paper
• both stickies can poke parts of my face through the paper
• both pacts uses two papers for my whole face
• both papers don't absorb everything

Repurchase? No. I'm probably going to buy another type of blotting paper and then cutting it to fit the compact. I might even need to cut the stickies and see how that works out because having the stickies jab into my eye area is not fun. 

If you have an old compact with a puff and something sticky substance (maybe the stuff that comes with some blotting papers) then you can probably do without these.

Ulta Eyeshadow Review + Swatch of Au Naturel, Milk Chocolate, and Taken

Ulta Eyeshadow Review + Swatch

Au Naturel--Milk Chocolate--Taken

eyeshadow--demi eyeshadow--baked eyeshadow

matte--matte-shimmer

At Ulta typically 7-9 dollars but I got them at a 3 for $9 sale.

I was looking for a base shadow to cover up the vessels on my lids. I couldn't find bone, but luckily au naturel was still available.

Milk chocolate was better than I expected it to be. Might be a holy grail. I had never used a shadow in my crease because all the other colors I've had in palettes just didn't look right. This is perfect for my crease and I'll actually get to use my crease brush.

I also wanted a grey shadow as it is very versatile and might be useful in halloween makeup. I was actually hoping for the matte grey demi shadow but the store ran out. This was not as shimmery or glittery as the other single shadows.

Au Naturel is a matte pink and beige nude. Good as a base color or highlight.

Milk chocolate is a matte brown. Fantastic as a contour or crease.

Taken has a marbled pink shimmer and a grey shimmer. I'm probably going to run out of the grey faster.

Swatches right to left w/o primer: Au Naturel, Milk Chocolate, Taken

Au Naturel is barely visible. It its the pinker part of my skin.

Milk Chocolate: suitable for many skin types

Taken: Eh. 

I will definitely repurchase Au Naturel and Milk Chocolate when I run out or when I see another sale. Hopefully I can snag some other colors before they run out.

Note: I saw the color yogurt on the website listed as matter but it looked like a shimmer or glitter in store.

Lioele Volume Cookie Pact Review

Lioele Volume Cookie Pact Review in #23 Natural Beige

I have two compacts. 

 My first one broke at the clasp. It's that tiny piece of plastic at the top of the compact.

 New-Broken

Also, the first compact had a weird deformation along the rear. It looked like it was damaged but not paint was chipping.

 Old on top. New on bottom. New one still has a little deformation but not as large as first.

The difference of the puffs before and after washing is large.

 New-Old

The new puff is microsmooth. The old puff looks like it has large pores. o.O

I originally bought the pact because the packaging was pretty. I had hoped that the pact would last me a while but it didn't even last me as long as the powder did. Today, I'm switching the powders inside so that I can use the new pact. The old one can't close and I'm worried about dust and such mixing with the powder and puff.

 There is a small hole under the sticker that I peeled off to use. The sticker is also really pretty but I piercing through the sticker might be difficult. So I poke through until the powder pops. It's a very soft sound.

 And you can see than a sort of glue keeps the pan in place. It doesn't dry, but the sight of it makes me a little sick. The light spot is presumably the area that was not painted during manufacturing.

A swatch down the center of the image.

Product

• baked powder with SPF 25 PA++
• smells like warm baby powder. I don't like it but I can deal with it.
• purchased on eBay for 20 USD

Packaging

• medium sized. 3 in diameter.
• champagne mirror finish
• just gorgeous
• but the tension clasp is tight and makes a loud noise. I have to push on the rear when opening and closing to muffle the sound and reduce the tension. It could break again.

Performance

• my first pressed powder. I only have loose mineral powder for comparision
• smooth application.
• slightly lighter than my actual skin color but it passes. fairly matte. makes my skin look softer.
• last fairly long. transfer is much less than loose mineral powder.
• light to moderate coverage. will not conceal everything.
• can be make dry patches noticeable. I always have to moisturize when I put on powder though. I recommend using moisturizer, bb cream, concealer, and setting mist for best results.

Final Thoughts

• beautiful packaging expect for the clasp that might break again.
• easy application. blends well.
• not complete coverage but I'm only looking for something that will reduce (not cover) redness and other pigmentation problems. and I don't have to use much for one application.

Repurchase? Well I did that already. The pact itself may be out of production because I don't see it on the Lioele website but you can still find it on eBay. I may keep repurchasing if I don't find a better powder that matches my skin better.

Bite Beauty Best of Bite Review

Bite Beauty

Best of Best Review and Swatch

4 x 0.5 oz High Pigment Matte Lip Pencils

1. Quince____"Rose Red"____or magenta tinted red
2. Rhubarb____"Plum Rose"____or brown tinted red
3. Cranberry (Limited Edition)____"Deep Red__or blackened pink
4. Madeira____"Nude Pink"____ or beige pink

Why Bite?

• Organic. Food grade pigments. Antioxidants to fight aging.
• Long lasting. Creamy. Pigmented.

Packaging

• Some people think the matter grey packing is boring but I love it. I've always hated black, cheap plastic packaging.
• These pencils twist up so no waste and no sharpeners!
• The color on the ends of packaging is fairly accurate. No guesswork. Sticker label on bottom of twist up just in case.
• That tin is beautiful. Red inside and huge mirror. Reusable too.

Product

• 4 0.5 oz pencils for 25 USD. Not very much product but it's a steal compared to trying colors at full price and chancing bad attitudes when returning the colors you don't like.
• The colors aren't completely matte (lighter colors seem shinier) but I'm perfectly fine with that. The colors are not glossy, which is exactly what I want.
• pigmented
• perfectly smooth application if you want full coverage of one color.
• tricky color blending.using a lip brush wont work (if you want to save product). I dot the lip line and tap the pencil sparingly around and then wait 15 seconds or so for the product to warm up and then blend out by smushing my lips together.
• smells like traditional lipsticks. no added pleasant fragrance.

Performance

• Lasts a few hours. Haven't tried eating after I've let it dry. Some people have trouble with staying power. All you have to do is let the product dry in layers. More layers and product=more drying time.  Do not expect to seal with glosses. that never works with anything. ever.
• Doesn't wash off easily. I've got to rub, but that's pretty much all I do to exfoliate, so I don't have to go to extreme measures to take it off.
• Lips feel soft after it's dried. I CAN TOUCH YOU NOW without compromising color.
• Doesn't dry out lips but makes small flakes visible. Lips feel grainy because of the flakes.
• Transfers, but much less than traditional lipsticks.
• Stains lips but for short amount of time.

Final Thoughts

• Everything I wanted: matte, long lasting, no worries swallowing product but it doesn't seem like I will anyway. great packaging. 
• Better than expected: soft lips, color dries and doesn't stay sticky. many colors to choose from.
• Cons: 24 USD for full size pencil. Available only at sephora.com and some sephora stores. Also, few opportunities to swatch in store (can't find them in any store close to me). grainy dead skin feel.

Repurchase? ABSOLUTELY. I'd pay full price for this product because it's everything I could have hoped for.

I hope they come out with more pencil color samplers. They had some trios before containing one matte pencil, one lipstick, and one gloss, but I probably wont touch the lipsticks, glosses, or tints since they're not matte.

UPDATE: The grainy and flaky feeling has gone away. It probably took a few uses to get used to it. My lips are now lovely even without using the pencil. Also, Cranberry starts red but changes to a pink. I don't mind because the color is still flattering but if you want a true red, don't reach for cranberry.

UMcheeky Panties Subscription Review

UMcheeky Panties Subscription September 2013

First package. Not so satisfied, but it's 6 USD for two pairs. So I'm going to keep taking the risk. (The price was 9 USD but 3 dollars off with their promotion)

But beware. Panties are made in China.

Etude House Princess Etoinette Heart Highlighter Review and Swatch

Etude House Princess Etoinette Heart Highlighter

Bought for packaging. It’s so cute. I might get the crystal highlighter (white body) if I ever feel like it. 23 USD on ebay.

Benefit’s Watts Up. [Mini review] Got a sample from Sephora. It's a beige golden highlighter in a cream formula. The glitter is not as fine as the Etoinette highlighter. I don't have a creamy base for foundation.]

Product

• fine, pearly highlighter in white, yellow, and pink tints baked into heart shapes
• smells…fresh. not minty. not sure how to describe it. but it smells really good
• hearts are fairly fragile

Packaging

• screw top lid. it’s fine for opening one handed if I don't close it too tightly
• not travel friendly
• smaller than I expected. diameter: 2 7/8 in. height: 3 1/4 in.

Performance

• puff doesn’t work
• not pigmented
• hearts break into flakes which have to be ground or blended further for desired effect. takes some buffing
• very subtle effect (when applied with brush. wouldn't show up on pictures) but super sparkly in sunlight
• can accentuate lines if applied on dry skin.

Final Thoughts

• cute packaging
• smells great
• no problems overapplying
• perfect color for me

Repurchase? Maybe. I'd like something that's less obvious in sunlight.

EDIT: This highlighter is not as good as I hoped it would be. I mainly reuse the pot and have kept the hearts in a separate container. I don't use the hearts but I'm hoping that I can find the fragrance the manufacturers used someday.

Wantable Accessories Box Review

Wantable Acessories Box September 2013 Review

Willow Necklace. 28 USD. SKU 20641.

Darleen Headband. 24 USD. SKU 20837.

Amelia Earrings. 24 USD. SKU 20700

Will not be wearing the headband. Might look cuter if I didn't have black hair or if it was in red. Will be looking to exchange, gift, or sell.

Love the necklace. Will definitely wear it.

I like the earrings but no way its worth over 12 USD let alone 20 USD. True, it is made well enough (and shiny in pictures) but super cheap ones would be 4 dollars max.

My first wantable accessories box and only 3 items with nothing I love according to my preferences. Yes, there are no statement pieces. The headband might be considered glam, but it works better for a cute look. I was hoping for a ring.

 I have no faith that wantable will send me a box of everything I like or a box I think is worth 36 USD. Items in the box could list for half the claimed retail price. I will wait until after Christmas to experiment with their boxes again. Other boxes I'm looking to try are the Mynt Luxe Box (3-5 items for 30 USD) and Jewelbox (1 item for 12 USD, 10 USD with subscription).