Free Shipping at Cocktail Cosmetics This Weekend!

Hey cats, if you're interested in trying out some funky Everyday Minerals eyeshadows, or getting hold of some Mineral Foundation Sample sets then do it. This weekend you get free shipping.  You just have to use the code SHIPPING when you get the checkout.

They also stock Eco Tools brushes, which come highly recommended. It's the site to get hold of edgy US brands such as Sugarpill, Medusa, Lime Crime and loads more. Their customer service is really good and they ship fast. 

Just sayin'...

Everyday Minerals Eyeshadow Swatch: Art Girl

Art Girl

I recently got some of the travel sized Everyday Minerals eyeshadows. The first that I've opened and tried is called Art Girl and is a very wearable, blue toned purple. I've swatched it on bare skin on top, on primer in the middle and appled damp at the bottom.  

When applied to bare skin it looks very sheer. Not much colour payoff. If this is all I could get from the product I wouldn't rate it very highly. It shows up beautifully both on top of primer and when applied wet. Very nice. 

Applied on top of primer

The applicator is quite interesting, it comes in a little rollerball tube! I just tapped some product onto a little dish and picked up with a brush. I'm sure a little pot would have done just as well. But it's fine. I wonder if you're supposed to roll it straight onto your eye? 

I have hazelly brown eyes and Art Girl brings out the colours in them. I'm sure this would look good on  darker brown eyes too. Maybe green eyes would be better set off by a purple with more red tones in. The only down-side to this shade is that it seems to really show off one's dark circles - the banterous Co-op dude commented on my fatigued appearance today. So get out the concealer when you wear this. 

For only £2.95, this is a great wee product. It's my favourite purple eyeshadow so far, nicer than the MAC ones I've tried (to my surprise). You can get Everyday Minerals in the UK from Cocktail Cosmetics, their customer service is excellent and delivery is fast. Elsewhere and you can order directly from Everyday Minerals. 

LOTD: 15th September

I mixed this lip colour too! Again, using the OCC Lip Tars. It was good fun blending a nude colour from just pure primary colours. Here's what else I used:

Face:

Everyday Minerals Semi-Matte foundation in Multi-Tasking Neutral

BareMinerals Mineral Veil 

Lily Lolo bronzer in Waikiki

Lily Lolo highlighter in Stardust

Lily Lolo blusher in Flushed 

Eyes:

Bella Pierre eyeshadow primer

Lily Lolo mineral e/s in Smokey Brown

Lily Lolo mineral e/s in Witchypoo

MAC kohl pencil in Smolder

MAC Plushlash Mascara in PlushBlack
BareMinerals Brow Colour in Brunette

Lips:

OCC Lip Tar, custom blend :)

Free P&P at Lily Lolo Today

I'm a big fan of Lily Lolo makeup and today they are offering free shipping on all orders over £15! Click here for their website, and enter the code SEPT11 at the checkout to take advantage of this deal. 

LOTD: Bella Pierre green eyes

Further to my previous post on the Bella Pierre set that I scored, here's a quick look I did using a couple of the colours. 

I used...

Face: 

BareEscentuals, BareMinerals original foundation in Fair

BareEscentuals, BareMinerals Mineral Veil 

Lily Lolo mineral blusher in Flushed

Lily Lolo mineral bronzer in Waikiki

Lily Lolo mineral concealer in Nude

Eyes: 

Lily Lolo finishing powder in Matte as primer

Lily Lolo mineral eyeshadow in Witchypoo

Bella Pierre mineral eyeshadow in Forest

Bella Pierre mineral eyeshadow in Discotheque

Lily Lolo mineral eyeshadow in Vanilla Shimmer

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Yeyo

BareEscentuals, Mineral Brow colour in Brunette

Lips:

MAC lip liner in Naked

MAC lipstick in Naturally Eccentric (limited edition)

LOTD: Purple!

I read that if you wear red lipstick, you're a cheerful person. Pink, and you're romantic. Orange, and you're an eccentric attention-seeker. What does violet mean then? 

I've used BareMinerals original foundation in these pictures. Previously, I was disappointed with this product but I made a couple of changes and now really feel I'm getting the best from it. I'd been matched to Fairly Light, a neutral pale shade. But this made my skin look a bit dull. Plus, I was finding it uncomfortable to apply. I had a feeling though, that this could be good as there as so many good reviews out there. So I found a sample in Fair, a more cool (pinky) tone and I'm so pleased with it. The coverage is fab and the finish is lovely. I love how it relaxes onto your skin after a bit. My skin seems to be loving it too, it's so clear just now. 

I also changed the brush I was using. I'm applying it with EcoTools mineral powder brush. It's so soft, no more scratching on! It seems to work so well with the powder. And it's cruelty-free! Hurrah! I got it in the EcoTools mineral brush set. 

On my eyes, I used a tip I got from Zoe Foster at Primped, and ran the pencil on my upper waterline only. It's a magical tip that gives a really clean, defined look. 

My last secret here is OCC Lip Tar!!!!!!!!!! I am amped about this. I actually mixed this colour myself from primary red, blue and white! I have a yellow as well so the colour spectrum resides in my make-up ammo. Yyyyuussss. I'm going to write you a post all about these babies soon. 

So, here's what I used. 

Face:

BareEscentuals, BareMinerals original mineral foundation in Fair

BareEscentuals, BareMinerals mineral veil

Lily Lolo mineral powder blush in Flushed

Lily Lolo mineral concealer in Nude (undereyes)

Lily Lolo mineral bronzer in South Beach

Eyes:

BareEscentuals Mineral Brow Colour in Brunette (in brows)

MAC eye kohl in Smolder

MAC PlushLash Mascara in PlushBlack

Lips:

OCC Lip Tar - a mix of RX, Feathered and NSFW

Wash Your Face! Update

My Lush routine wasn't working out for me anymore.  I was getting spotty, the kind that are quite sore. My skin also had a sticky feel to it, I think it was having used Aqua Marina for too long. Perhaps the glycerin, or the calamine just built up too much.

I'd been reading The Green Beauty Guide. The author, Julie Gabriel, recommended good ol' fashioned (mild) soap and water as a cleanser. Yikes! I wasn't ready to try that, I have memories of having a very sore face from using soap on it before. But foamy cleansers I have liked. Back in my pre-green days, Clinique sorted out my skin beautifully with it's facial cleansing bar. And I was desperate, as I said, my skin was baaaad.

So, I tried washing my face with this...

Ingredients:   Aqua, Sodium coco-sulfate (from coconut), Cocamidopropyl betaine (mild cleansing, foaming agent from coconut), Decyl glucoside (gentle foaming agent from corn), *Chamomilla recutita (chamomile) extract, Levulinic acid, *Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) powder, Yucca schidigera (yucca) extract, Aroma [^*Anthemis nobilis (chamomile) oil, *Santalum spicata (sandalwood) oil], Potassium sorbate (gentle preservative system), Citric acid (pH regulator), *Limonene, *Linalool (from essential oils). *81.80% certified organic ingredients ^Fairly Traded.

I'm only using it at night, in the morning my skin's still feeling clean and a rub with a clean muslin cloth and water is all I feel I need. It's not too drying that way either. I have no more spots and my skin is definitely looking a lot better. 

I'm still looking for a greener moisturizer. The Lush ones contain parabens, and Liz Earle's moisturizer doesn't quite reach the green standard either. They're not terrible though, and I think it's wasteful to throw things out unfinished. 

Something for the Weekend? 2nd September 2011

Couldn't find any cool waitresses, so I give you vampires!

• Is your favourite brand cruelty-free? Check here and always look for the Leaping Bunny logo.
• Interested in mineral foundation? Why not order some testers? They're only £1.29 here, free when you pay shipping (not to UK) here, and coming soon for the UK here.
• Need some make-up inspiration? Check out this flickr pool of MAC face charts!
• Here's a recipe for facial cleansing oil from the author of The Green Beauty Guide.
• Some top eco-friendly beauty products from an old post by Marie Claire magazine.
• Have you heard of these? I want to try one. These little sponges are eco-friendly plant sponges that are meant to have lots of skin benefits. You can get clay infused ones too, interesting...
• How cute? Jewellery carved from nuts! 
• This journalist got to hang out with Mark Constantine of Lush in her kitchen and got lots of DIY beauty recipes!

Bella Pierre Green Shimmer Kit

Bella Pierre: Green Shimmer Kit swatches

Bella Pierre is quite an expensive mineral makeup brand. They have a great selection of mineral eye, blush and lip colours. I've not been impressed with their foundation purely because of the limited shades on offer (I get a bit uppity at being told I can just buy two pots and mix my own shade!).  Their products are certified cruelty-free.

Being on a budget, I'm always on the lookout for free samples, good deals and bargains. I found myself a great bargain with this product. I'm not a TK Maxx fan, I hate jumble (even H&M is too much for me), but I do scour the makeup tables if I pass one. Last time I found this kit...

Three 100% mineral eyeshadows, a primer base and two brushes for £9! It's normally £39.99! I was very excited.

So here for your visual pleasure are some swatches. I've still to do a Look with it, but I'm on it. Life and my baby girl have been keeping me soooooo busy this last week. The top one on each picture is the minerals applied by themselves, middle is with water, and third is on top of the primer. 

Discotheque

Forest

Reluctance

As you can see, you can get a good range of tones from these products. I think that Discotheque looked best applied with water, as did Reluctance. With the primer I lost some of the sheen, but got a deeper colour. Forest looked far better with primer, a lovely opaque green. I'll do a few different Looks with these to show them off. 

So keep your eyes peeled when you go TK Maxx shopping! Let me know what you find!