Jill Stuart haul and site review

Hi Beauties -

HAPPY **belated** CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR!

Happy year of the Rabbit - wishing you all luck and fortune in 2011! :)

Just thought I would quickly share my Jill Stuart Haul & thoughts on my purchase with Gooddealer.com (review of site and my experience posted below) plus a few bonus teaser swatches!

First the goodies! I received 2 pretty pink bags with the order and a plethora of samples (Lunasol modeling water?, Jill Stuart Cleansing oil and Paul & Joe foundation samples)

Love the attention to detail - the Jill Stuart logo on the ribbon - simple and classy!

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♥ -Below are my purchases- ♥

Jelly Eye Color N in 07, Jewel Flash
*Also purchased in Vintage Decor*
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Pink eyelash curler adorned with a rhinestone charm
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Fruit Lip Balm in Tint 01
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Softening Fluid
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Jill Stuart Mix Blush compact in Milky Strawberry
*Spring 2011 collection*
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Jill Stuart Blush Blossom in Little Anemone
*Spring 2011 collection*
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Little pink crystal on the included retractable goat-hair brush
*Comes with all compact blushes*



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I gave the Blush Blossom Duo in Little Anemone a try - and was subsequently blown away!

Apologies for the mega blurry picture, but I thought it turned out kind of neat - you can really see the pop of color on the cheeks!

I used the lighter color as a highlighter and the darker color on the apples of my cheeks



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Although the blush didn't swatch well, it has decent pigmentation, is finely milled, and has a soft shimmer (no glitter) once applied resulting in a look that is lovely and natural when dusted on the cheeks!

The good part: I love every single purchase! The bad part: everything seems too pretty to use. I know it's utterly ridiculous, but I am having a hard time dipping my brushes into anything at all because everything looks so perfect and pristine. *sigh* I'll get over it and I promise I will get around to reviewing and swatching products soon! :)

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...About Gooddealer.com...

I thought I would share my personal experience with this site so just FYI if you intend on using Gooddealer for your Jill Stuart Cosmetics purchases!

Price

I found the prices for Jill Stuart cosmetics are cheaper in Hong Kong vs Japan and the exchange rate is a bit better in terms of USD/HKD vs the USD/Yen. Gooddealer.com was one of the options that I found (see my previous JS post for a larger list of internet options) They should ship to most countries though you might want to send an e-mail if you are unsure about their shipping policy or have questions about customs/duties.

The site -at first glance- looks incredibly shady and the website design could be a bit more user-friendly (they have a tutorial on how to shop the site!) - that being said, I found this site to have the largest selection of products as well as decent pricing*.

*BUT don't be entirely fooled by the too-good-to-be-true pricing - the shipping AND handling fees (yes, they charge you for shipping separate from handling) really add up - they calculate pricing based on weight so the more you buy, the higher the cost. (so much for incentive to buy more, I was trimming down my cart to keep at a reasonable weight!)

Postal fees per weight here

Delivery time/packaging

Overview of their mailing & tracking

I placed my order on January 9th and received my package around January 28th so expect a bit of a wait if you end up ordering.

It came wrapped in green postal wrap (no box) and was securely suspended in what seemed like 10 billion layers of bubble wrap.

Pros

♥ Accepts major credit cards and paypal
♥ Large variety of products
♥ Decent pricing* (see cons for caveat)
♥ Quick access to the latest releases/collections
♥ Securely wrapped - product fully intact
♥ A few product sample 'freebies' & JS bag

Cons

X Package takes awhile to ship
X Website is difficult to navigate
X High Shipping AND handling fees
X No easy way to check tracking of order
X No guarantee that items will actually be in stock (one of my items was canceled after placing the order)
X Long wait time

Would I buy from the site again? Maybe. Still checking out different sites/options. If anyone knows of a good alternative, please share :)

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BTW Ice apocalypse 2011 here in North Texas needs to end! I think this past week has turned me into a workaholic (60 hour work week!) and I am itching to get back to normality.

Review - Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in peach pink with swatches

Hey Lovelies!

I hope everybody has been having a great new year so far! It tends to be relatively busy during the first month of the year at work, so I have been putting in extra hours every week to keep afloat. -_-

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That being said, I am glad to be back with reviews aplenty! Today, I'll be reviewing Kose's Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in 02 or pink peach.

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Backside:

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The packaging is super cute as expected - just check out the built-in adorable plastic jeweled heart!

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The lid is cut like a giant diamond and screws off easily. So princess-y!!!

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The set contains a minuscule blush brush which feels soft but doesn't serve any real purpose. Perhaps it might be good for contouring? There really is no place in the blush packaging itself that holds the brush securely so I stuffed it into my knick-knacks box where it will probably remain.

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...Finally, a big dandelion-like puffball on a stick...

...Much like the Puffy bird on my windowsill :) ...

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If you open up the inner insert, there are some instructions on how to use the blush to achieve different looks...

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The blush itself in different lighting. The heart-shaped area is a shimmery coral cream blush, and the lower two compartments house a peachy-pink blush with golden shimmer and a lighter pink highlighter.

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*Swatches* With an without flash

The cream blush reminds me a lot of NARS "Torrid" while the darker blush shade reminds me of a pinkier NARS "Orgasm"! Needless to say, very pretty colors and universally flattering IMO! I was surprised that the blush wasn't super shimmery and if used with a light hand, you could wear this to work on a Summer's day.

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The other color is perhaps the more popular blush of the two - 01 in Strawberry pink. I can see the strawberry color looking great on fair-skinned beauties, but I am willing to give it a a whirl in the future sometime!

Price is $145 HK dollars or around $18.61 USD at Adambeauty.com
(Both colors are in-stock)

Overall

Pros
♥ Pigmented and pretty color
♥ Lovely packaging
♥ 3-in-1 blush - versatile!
♥ Extras = 2 freebie brushes
♥ Universally flattering colors

Cons

♥ Must be used with a light hand otherwise can be too shimmery/bright
♥ Hard to find - overseas orders or e-bay


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (4.5/5)

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My LOTD

...Some randomness from this past week...

Wore my H&M sweater dress with leggings and F21 "Love" necklace





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I wanted to share the beautiful Hello Kitty purse from Loungefly that I won as a giveaway prize from the ever-sweet RINA!

Super cute dustbag



The pattern is crazy kawaii with bows & hello kitty's face printed all over



The details on the purse are amazing! Even the hardware is Hello-Kittied out!



Delicious hot-pink lining



Thank you so much Rina! Your gift really made my month! :)




Giveaway, reviews and more coming soon!

♥ Irene

My, what big ears you have!

Christmas came early this year! :)

My bf decided to drop off my gift ahead of time since we will be apart with our respective families for the holidays. Upon opening and discovering a snow leopard spirit hood, I did a little dance - more for the fact that he also bought the wolf version for himself! :D (The present was curiously unveiled outside and underneath the full moon right before the lunar Eclipse - Arooo!)

So why do I love Spirit Hoods?

• A portion of the sales go towards protecting certain animals (Product Blue label)
  
• Their hoods are so absolutely cuddly, adorable, and warm!
• Relatively hypoallergenic :P
  
• I love the fact that I can rock ears! :D
  

Eat your heart out Tai-lung! lol. :)

Picture from http://www.sodahead.com

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*From www.spirithoods.com, pic from Blacklabelboutique.com*

Snow Leopard

Silent » Mindful » Independent

The Snow Leopard has a presence unlike any animal, its spirit is full of beauty and grace. Always attentive and aware in it’s surroundings, people with the snow leopard spirit tend to be empathic and wise. It is a solitary animal that still loves to play!

Hmmm...I like to think of myself as those things but alas, I think I can only qualify for 1.5 of these qualities T_T

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My hood with silky white lining



The hood itself keeps your head nice and toasty - the long flaps double as a scarf and mittens (complete with padded paws!) A tiny little zipper pouch is hidden alongside the lining of the flaps to stash away credit cards & cash on the go! The hood is well constructed and the FAUX fur is super-soft!

Wearing anything with ears may seem a little ridiculous Halloween aside - but I really don't care. I've joined the tribe and am MADLY in love! :)

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**A few other ear-lovers...**

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Spirit hood likeness on the Tokyo Girls Collection Runway

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Photos below from www.spirithoods.com
Vanessa Hudgens in her Red Wolf Spirit hood



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Fergie in her Brown Bear Spirit hood

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Khloe Kardashian in her Spirit hood



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Last year on Yesstyle.com - bear accent hoodies



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♥ Thanks for visiting & happy holidays! ♥



Next post: Hello Kitty for Sephora collection swatches & Christmas cheer! :)

Dolly Wink Lower Lash Review - No. 5 Real Nude

Feeling rather lazy today, but thought I would share something I have been meaning to post for awhile...

♥~♥~♥

I think I would have never even known lower lash falsies existed if it weren't for the lovely ladies of the blogging world! (i.e Malaysian Blogger Cheesie, the always beautiful Eki, and Fuzkittie just to name a few!)

It's one thing if you have lower lashes. It's another if you have absolutely ZERO. Zilch. None! Okay, maybe I have a few stray lashes here and there, but it's pretty desolate. [insert picture of desert]

Enter - DOLLY WINK to the rescue!

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Backside

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Up close

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Of course, first spread a thin layer of glue on the backside - all the lashes come with a cute little tube or you can buy it separate on SASA.com if you run out.

Use tweezers to place as close to the lashline as comfortable ~ gently use fingers or tweezers to press into place!

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Clean the area gently with cotton swab

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Please don't laugh, I know it's amateur! Also, don't be like me, please use an eyelash curler on upper lashes! T_T

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Both eyes!

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Verdict - It does wonders!!! Subtle wonders at least - it is nice for girls who have zero bottom lashes and even nicer for girls who have plush lower lashes. ♥

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♥ Dolly-wink style ♥

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I'm surprised that I didn't end up looking silly - the Real nude lives up to its name - not fake-y but makes an impact!

I just really REALLY love the glue too - it is gentle enough, has a non-offensive smell and lasts and lasts.

Thank you Dolly Wink! ;)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5)

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If you need these lashes STAT and live in Dallas, Super 99 Ranch has them in a variety of styles for $16.99 - Sasa.com has the best price but they are oftentimes sold out of the popular styles.

They also sell My Beauty Diary & a variety of asian and Japanese skincare/beauty products

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I also used...

Red Cherry Lashes - A favorite of Kim Kardashian's and apparently quite popular in Hawaii - the shelves were stocked with hundreds! I used the #1s - very good for everyday wear!

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Some of the eye-makeup trends

Military style

Girly Folklore - lol

Naturally Jessica-Alba-like pretty

???

Sweet & Dolly

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I'm going to try to get my paws on some Diamond lashes too - apparently they are of high quality as well and come in packs of 5! :D

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Hope you enjoyed - almost the weekend again! Time for some Christmas shopping!