Jill Stuart Mix blush - Milky Strawberry Review

Every princess needs a decent arsenal of vanity-worthy prettiness.

If you are that type of girl, you need some Jill Stuart in your life! I don't understand why American cosmetic companies don't put much thought into developing a product that *looks* nice...I guess it's all about makeup-on-the-go or the whole fast food mentality or whatnot.

I like feeling spoiled. I LOVE Jill Stuart.

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Jill Stuart Mix Blush Review

*Milky Strawberry*

Milky Strawberry is the newest blush in the Mix Blush series launched in the Spring Collection for 2011, Innocent Sexy.

Official description

"sweet and fluffy milky pink, reminiscent of strawberry milk"

It being a brand new release, I went on pure chance, hoping the color would suit my skintone.

Like all Jill Stuart cosmetics, the compacts are princess-y and ornate albeit plastic. The little goat hair brush is attached on a metal-link chain but can be removed. The brush is retractable with a pink crystal tab!



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The blush itself with and without flash

The upper left corner is a pearly light pink highlighter, the upper right corner, a dusty rose. The bottom two colors are my favorite and add a nice punch to the entire palette - the lower left is hot pink fuchsia and the lower right is a bright pinky peach

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The brush after swirling in all 4 colors

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The blush on my cheeks with and without flash

*Also sporting Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N in Jewel Flash, a gorgeous shimmery light purple*

Like the collection's namesake, it really gives you an innocent pink flush of color on the cheeks - I think the peachy pink made it wearable on my Texas-tanned complexion! The shimmer is sophisticated and subtle - a great everyday blush! I was surprised that it showed up so well and am dying to try out Little Bouquet for a more peachy Summer blush.

The product is scented - a very light, pretty floral that is not at all overbearing


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5)

If it weren't for the hefty price tag, I would own them all!!!

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On a side note, I saw the color OPI's Italian Love Affair on a co-worker and now am on a mission to purchase and share. It is the perfect dolly pearl pink! Will share soon :)

Hope you all are having a good week - very excited to meet up with fellow bloggers this weekend!!!

Diamond Lash Review - Glamour Eyes and Dolly Eyes

Happy Sunday Lovelies!

I took the liberty this February to obsess a little over Falsies - thank goodness for lashes! Not only do they bring depth and dimension to the eyes, but they really are the WOW factor that takes your look to the next level!

Diamond lash is a Japanese brand popular with many of the EGG models (EGG is a Japanese fashion magazine for those into GAL fashion)

I purchased mine from the fabulous NicNic's APopofKawaii store! I was surprised (and very very pleased) about how quickly my order arrived - the package arrived in a little over a week which was super speedy considering it came all the way from Japan!

The items were tightly secured in bubble wrap and snuggly stored in an adorable bag!

The lashes work themselves out to be a little more than my favorite Korean brand DARKNESS if you factor in shipping, but they are super gorgeous and almost all the styles are suitable for everyday use.

The lashes come in 4 'series'

♥ 1st series - the original line in the hot pink box - for a girly/dolly look

♥ Glamour Series - these lashes come in the purple box and add more drama for nighttime looks

♥ Pure Series - the baby pink box for 'everyday' natural beauty

♥ Volume Series - the baby blue box for full and luxe looking lashes

Diamond Lash 1st Series

Diamond Lash - Dolly Eye & Glamour Eye Review

♥ Diamond Lash DOLLY Eyes ♥

One of the TOP sellers of the line in Japan, Dolly Eye lashes are your everyday go-to lash!

DOLLY Eyes are a mix of criss-cross lashes with sections of long lashes - the lashes taper in at the inner corners and blend with your natural lashes easily. I still cut the lashes just a bit so they wouldn't hang out so much at the ends.

Lashes without flash in natural lighting

Packaging

On the eye

The lashes are quite comfortable and the band is not as stiff as the Darkness lashes though they do share the dark lash band.

Comfort ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/5) - Wearable and lasted all day with Dolly Wink Eyelash fix

Style ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/5) - Love how the lashes really opened my eyes - they blend so well

Volume/Length ♥♥♥♥♥ (3/5) They are good for everyday wear but don't offer much drama

Price/availability ♥♥♥♥♥ (3/5) Most people will have to buy online, but not a bad price for 5 pairs!

Durability ???? - *will update* No problems so far with wear and tear

*****

♥ Diamond Lash Glamour Eyes ♥

Packaging

In natural lighting without flash

On the Eye = DRAMA

Comfort ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/5) - Wearable and lasted all day with Dolly Wink Eyelash fix

Style ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5) - Basically DOLLY eyes style but added volume and length

Volume/Length ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/5) I love how these lashes lend drama to a night out without being over the top (these were my Valentine's Day lashes!)

Price/availability ♥♥♥♥♥ (3/5) Most people will have to buy online, but not a bad price for 5 pairs!

Durability ???? - *will update* No problems so far with wear and tear

A new brand that I LOVE - I wish I could buy them at my local drugstore! The only downside I have heard from reading other reviews is the 'shiny' look of the lashes - they are made of plastic as opposed to human hair so they might appear shiny in photographs with flash.

I will review Fairy Eyes, Beauty Eyes, Model Eyes & Natural Eyes soon!

*****

Random LOTD

I found this necklace at Old Navy - it looks a piece from J. Crew and for a fraction of the price! (on sale for $11!)

I ♥ Jill Stuart Blush in the Blush Blossom Duo Little Anemone! Such a pretty, innocent flush perfect for Spring...

I can't wait to unveil my Blogiversary Giveaway so please stay tuned & thanks for visiting!

Snow Princess

Just some pictures from the snow day(s) here in Texas - it has been the longest stretch of snow and ice ever to hit Dallas in the past 40 or so years!

...The inner kitten comes out to play...

Spirit hood - Snow Leopard full hood
Yesstyle.com - Bow accent knit top + Lace-hem slipdress



**SnowPrincess Makeup**

On lips: Maybelline Moisture extreme lipstick in Nude Blush

Cheeks: Jill Stuart Mix Blush in Milky Strawberry (LOVE this color, will swatch soon!) and MAC highlighter in Sunsparked Pearl

Eyes: Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N in Jewel Flash & Maybelline NY Eyeshadow quad in Legendary Lilac, Red Cherry Lashes in #15

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I have been tagged in a blog award by the lovely Faye-Lu - will catch up on it so soon, a big THANK YOU and *hug* to you dear! :)

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To make up for a few 'snow days' this week, I'm heading into work all this weekend x_X Sorry about the late responses, I'm going to continue to catch up this week!!!

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Stay warm and order your pizza & wings earlier if you're here in the states for Super Bowl Sunday!!!

♥ Have a great weekend! ♥

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