Fyrinnae Haul and Swatches

Those of you who follow me on twitter got a sneak peek at my recent Fyrinnae haul. I'd been planning what to buy for ages, but the site has had a lot of down time lately. So once the site was up again (temporarily) I went all out on samples. And once again, they do not disappoint. Even colours that I was a little iffy about or bought just for the name *Orangutan* are gorgeous. And they're are more than a few that I would buy the full size of if the samples weren't so generous. Anyway, let's get to the haul, shall we?

After reading Phyrra's rave reviews about the Velvet-Gel Silica Primer, I needed to try the dry skin version. I'll have a review up for that after I try it out a bit. Onto the samples: top row is Glow Blushes, then Arcane Magic shadows, and the last three rows are the loose eye shadows. I also got a sample of Pixie Epoxy for my sister. The lashes were a freebie included with my order. I can never get enough false lashes, so these are perfect for me.

For today I have swatches of the loose shadows; Arcane Magics and Glow Blushes should be up later this week. All swatches are patted on over Elf Studio primer. And as always, click on any pic to enlarge it.

Banana Mochi

Light shimmery yellow. Much softer than Bifrost and without the contrasting sparkle.

Biker Chic

Black base filled with aqua sparkle. This looks a little patchy in the photo, but I didn't notice any problems when swatching. You definitely want to enlarge this one to see the sparkle.

Bite Me

Somewhat dark, but still bright red with red shimmer. Fyrinnae describes it as "the hue of fresh blood" and that's entirely true. Darker than Kamikaze and more of a true red.

Chaotic Evil

Bright pink filled with silver shimmer. Actually reminds me quite a bit of the new Revlon, Sublime Strawberry. The base colour isn't identical, but overall they're pretty similar.

Curiouser and Curiouser!

Bright blue filled with blue/turquoise shimmer. This is much lighter and brighter than 1.22 Gigawatts as well as more aqua-leaning.

Damn Paladins

I'm not much of a neutral eye fan, but I saw a swatch of this taupe on a blog and became obsessed with it. The base is a fairly basic medium taupe but it has an amazing light blue hidden shimmer that makes this a must-have.

More shadow swatches coming! What are your favourite Fyrinnae shades?

Claire's and Ardene Haul (and swatches)

I normally only work night shifts (usually starting at 5 or 6pm) but once in a while, they'll need me to come in during the day. And on Friday they asked me to work a couple hours at lunch, as well as my usual later shift. Since I had a couple hours to kill in the afternoon, I went shopping with a friend from work.

Claire's usually has a ten for $10 section of clearance merchandise and once in a while you can get really lucky with the selection. This was one of those times. They had a whole bunch of nail polishes so I got one of each other colour (except those silly layered polishes, which are just pointless in my opinion).

Check out the swatches after the jump.

Outlet Haul + Swatches

I'm lucky enough to live about ten minutes from a cosmetic outlet. Most of the stuff is really old and I wouldn't want to chance a mascara or lippie from there but sometimes I'm able to find great deals on nail polish. And all it takes is a couple drops of nail polish thinner to restore them to their original glory. I went in the other day because I was passing by and figured it would be worth 10 minutes to try and find a polish worth rescuing. And it was! Worth it, I mean. 

I'm sure most people reading this are familiar with Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, the discontinued polish that promised "a rainbow in every bottle". Well, as intriguing as that is, I'm just not willing to pay what some people are asking on eBay. So, I'd resigned myself to looking at swatches longingly, knowing I'd never have a bottle for myself. Well, imagine what went through my mind when I saw not one, but two different shades of Nail Prisms. My heart rate picked up a little, and I quickly glanced around to be sure no one was just waiting to snatch up my find. What colours were there? Did it even matter? I had to have them. I grabbed them up quickly and after double- and triple-checking to make sure I hadn't missed an elusive third shade, moved on to the next rack, just hoping lightning would strike twice and I'd find another gem. Drama aside, that's how I became the proud owner of White Ruby and Opal Presents.

The rainbow effect is admittedly less pronounced than in swatches of other shades that I've seen, but beautiful colours nonetheless. Of course, I immediately thought of layering. So, I picked up my go-to black (Xtreme Wear Black Out) and got to work. Over black, the magic really happens. The orange disappears and you're left with green shimmer. And pink, blue, purple. Depending on how the light hits, it really is a rainbow. White Ruby turns first silver, then purple-pink, and blue-green. I couldn't capture it on camera, but trust me, it's there. So much so, that I just spend a solid five minutes turning my hand every which way but loose and admiring the colour change. (Do click that link by the way, I promise it's worth it.)

Left to right: Opal Presents over Black Out, White Ruby over Black Out, Opal Presents (two coats), and White Ruby (two coats).

I had doubts about finding anything else as exciting as Nails Prisms, but I kept looking. Just when I thought all my searching was in vain: a lonely bottle of Sally Hansen Chromes, begging me to take her home. How could I say no? Again, the shade didn't matter. I've heard about how well Chromes stamp and images of fauxnad plates started dancing in my mind. For the record, this is Rose Diamond. Roses are red, diamonds are white; but Rose Diamond is a light silvery, purple. Hmmm, doesn't quite rhyme (or make much sense). Names aside, this is a stamping dream. I think it's actually going to replace Celeb City as my top fauxnad polish.

I'm not a fan of Revlon polishes generally. They have some amazing colours (Gum Drop, for example) but the formula is groan-worthy. That aside, these next two made me revoke my Revlon ban. Silver Switch--from the Color Illusion line--is a metallic silvery pink-purple that shifts to a light silvery green when it catches the light. Duochrome? Check. Purple and pink?!? Check. It had to be mine. The other Revlon I found is Crystal Ball. This is a pink-purple loaded with pale blue-green shimmer. At one angle, it's very purple with the shimmer super obvious. Then, it looks like just a fuchsia frost. The formula is very thin on these, even after sitting on a shelf for who knows how long, but I've said it before, I'm willing to put up with less than stellar formulas when the colour is this good.

Left to right: Rose Diamond over Black Out (plate BM13), Crystal Ball, Silver Switch, Rose Diamond.

After all that excitement, everything else I bought can't possibly compare, but here they are anyway. I found two glitters from Super Shine Naturalistics for a quarter each. Just 25 cents. If all polishes were that cheap, I'd buy every colour ever made. Pinky: Twilight; ring: Ice Crystals; Middle: Twilight over Black Out; Index: Ice Crystals over Black Out. The holographic diamonds in Ice Crystals applied really well, which isn't always the case with these chunky glitters. And, I love that the lids on the bottles coordinate with the polish. It's the small details that count.

The last one I picked up was a real stinker. Literally. Even after drying, and letting is set all night, it still smelled. Aside from the usual chemical smell that most old polishes have, this one stank like really strong orange cleaner. Like someone threw a bunch of chemicals in a bucket and said "hey, that kinda smells like oranges, of course people love the smell of oranges on their nails". Not so much. And the colour isn't stunning enough to put up with the odor. Anyway, this is Maybelline Express Finish in Matte Orange. After half a dozen coats, still super sheer. I'd try it as a top coat but I'm afraid the smell will keep me away. You win some, you lose some. At the very least, I can use the bottle for a franken--that is, if I can get rid of the odor.

*Please excuse my nubbin index nail. It broke the other day and my nails have been doing so well lately that I can't bear to file them all down.*

I know this has been pretty wordy, but last thing I wanted to mention is that I've updated my page with tons of new giveaways. Check it out here to enter and good luck everyone.

Drugstore Haul

I've got a baker's dozen of polishes to share with you today. All of these are drugstore polishes on sale this week at Pharma Plus-most with bonus airmiles. (I'm a sucker for customer loyalty program, I know.) Anyway, this will be one of my last hauls for a while then it's time for a low-buy. I have a couple of things on the way now and a few pending on eBay, then it'll be time to rediscover some old favourites.

This haul is pretty heavy on the nudes and neutrals but I got a couple fun, bright colours as well.

So, what did I buy today?

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Nylon: Curtain Call, Tutu Mocha, Fairy Nice

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro: Steel Grey, Hot Cocoa, Bare Naked

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Gray by Gray

Sally Hansen HD: Lite, Pixel Pretty

NYC: Canal Street, Uptown, Midtown

The final polish I bought was Xtreme Wear VIP Pink. This is one of my favourites colours. I have about 1/3 of a bottle left so I wanted a backup. I might use the rest of my old bottle for a franken--I have a couple ideas in mind.

This is what a month's worth of nail polish hauling looks like (part two)

In part one, I covered my Orly, OPI, and China Glaze hauls, so here are my drugstore nail polishes from the past month. I'm going to blame most of these purchases not only on good sale prices, but also airmiles.

First up: Rimmel 60 Seconds. My sister and I had both been eying Grey Matter for a while. As I'm sure you all know Xtreme Wear Wet Cement isn't available in Canada (grrr) and I'd been searching for a grey creme. So, when Pharma Plus had Rimmel cosmetics on sale (plus 25 airmiles when you buy three), I bought Grey Matter, Red Carpet, and Night Before. I told my sister that I would franken a dupe for Grey Matter then give her the original. That was silly of me because 30 seconds after opening the bottle I knew I couldn't give it up. So, I had to buy another for her, and remember it was a buy three deal so I had no choice but to choose two others. ;) This time I chose Rapid Ruby and Deliciously Dark. (Up to 50 airmiles, for anyone counting)

Pharma Plus also had NYC cosmetics on sale (again, 25 airmiles when you buy three) so I bought pretty much every colour they had. For under $2 each, and the formula is pretty good, I figured this was a good time to stock up. Most of their colours are pretty basic but I did get a few nice pinks and reds.

Top Row: Lincoln Center, MoMA, Penn Station. Middle Row: Greenwich Village, Mulberry Street, West Village. Bottom Row: Manhattan, Park Avenue, Wall Street. These pics are probably the least accurate in terms of colour, but I'll have swatches coming up for each. (75 airmiles)

That's it for the bonus airmiles. Now I have to decide if I should spend them or save up for something extra-special. Do any of you collect airmiles? What have you redeemed them for? I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for rewards programs, though the only thing I've actually traded in points for was a CD years ago.

Back to the nail polish. The rest that I bought last month were pretty much just random drugstore polishes that caught my eye. SH HD DVD, Wet n Wild Megalast Bite the Bullet and Under Your Spell, SH Xtreme Wear Pink Boa, SH Insta-Dri Petal Pusher, SH New Lengths Ceramics Urban Chic. I also bought a black crackling polish on eBay and a random iridescent sheer at a dollar store. The final two I'd been considering  for ages but put off because they're a little expensive for how much you get and I'd heard the formula isn't great. On the other hand, I've been craving colour-change nail polish. So I finally let myself buy them during one of Claire's perpetual BOGO 1/2 off sales. After a fair amount of debating, I settled on Wild/Calm and Mellow/Crazy. 

That's it. All my nail polish from the past month. After seeing it all laid out here, I've decided it's time for a low-buy. I'm only allowed to buy polishes if they are either on an amazing sale or limited edition. I wouldn't want to miss out on holiday collections, of course. But I definitely do have to slow down the spending.

This is what a month's worth of nail polish hauling looks like (part one)

I knew I bought a fair amount of nail polishes each month.  But I didn't realize just how many I do buy. Normally, I buy a couple at a time and write about them right away. After waiting a month to combine all my mini-hauls into one post, though, there's no way to deny that it might just be too many. I know what you're thinking, I didn't think that was possible either. Judge for yourself. Here's what one month of hauling looks like:

 The photos aren't all color-accurate and some are a bit blurry but I'll do swatches and reviews on each separately. Now, where to begin? Maybe I should start by defending my purchases. Doesn't seem to be much of a point to that, though. If you're reading this, chances are you have a collection to rival mine or at the very least, you appreciate nail polish. So I won't exactly defend it. I'll just say that most of these polishes were on sale. And we all know a sale makes just about anything justified.

First up is one of my very favourite polishes ever (and that is saying quite a bit). From the Cosmic FX collection: Orly's Space Cadet. I know everyone has seen this polish a million times already on just about every blog out there. Well, there's a reason for that. It is absolutely amazing. Sometimes it looks purple, sometimes green, even gold. I only chose one polish from the Cosmic FX collection (possibly the hardest makeup decision I have ever made) but I think after going back and forth, I made the right choice.

Onto the rest of my Orlys now. Believe it or not, I only started buying from this brand in the past couple months. My sister started the love affair when she bought me Viridian Vinyl for my birthday. Since then, it has definitely become one of my favourite brands. Here is (left to right) Love Each Other, Prince Charming, Act Your Shoe Size, and Moonlit Madness.

Can you believe until a week ago I never owned an OPI? Sure, they have amazing colours and some of the names are adorable but they're expensive and there's only one store near me that has them. And even there the selection is limited. Anyway, they had the Burlesque collection and all the glitters were calling my name. So I allowed myself just one. A couple were similar to others I had, though far from exact dupes. Finally I settled on Extra-va-vaganza! because the orange glitter seemed perfect for fall and since it was a better deal if you bought two, I also picked up What's With the Cattitude?. First off, I didn't have any pale blue cremes but more importantly, I have such a crush on Puss in Boots. That first scene where Shrek meets him and Puss takes off his hat and looks up with those big, innocent cat eyes absolutely melts my heart. How cute is this?

But I don't really know what a pastel blue creme has to do with it. Does anyone know?

Another brand I've been getting into lately is China Glaze. (I've pretty much gone through the drugstore selection and am moving up in the world of nail polish, much to the chagrin of my wallet.) Here's Shower Together, Avalanche, and Watermelon Rind.

I've got quite a few more to share, so I'll break this up into a couple posts. For now, I'm going to watch Mad Men, then bed. Good night.

Haul Post

I mentioned in my last post that I did a ton of hauling in the past month. Too much, if you ask some people. I'm not one of those people. Most of my purchases were nail polish so I'll do those separately but I got a few other things too so I'll get those done with first.

I absolutely love Halloween. Obviously for the dressing up (and candy doesn't hurt) but also because dollar stores always have great accessories like fake lashes or nail stuff for super cheap. I might never need holographic foil lashes but for a dollar, they're great to have on hand and you never know, they could be useful for a costume or just a fun makeup look. So, I bought silver, pink, and purple.

Another thing I found at a dollar store was a bag of this Halloween confetti. The witches are definitely too big for my nails but I have a couple ideas on how to use the others for some themed nail art. So, keep an eye out for that near the end of the month.

I haven't actually bought too much makeup over the past few weeks (excluding nail polish of course). But I did get some NYX glitter. Disco Ball is a silver holographic loose glitter. I've seen it a few times in the store and just could not resist any longer. I paid more than I wanted to so when I got home I had to look on eBay because I knew I could find a better deal, which I did. Now I'm waiting for a set of 12 to come in the mail. (One of each glitter, including an extra Disco Ball plus two for my sister.) Do I really need an extra Disco Ball? Is it glitter? Is it holographic? Then, yes. I do.

While I was at Sally Beauty doing my monthly haul, I spotted a few Sally Girl items that I just couldn't pass on for the price. In Canada, they're $1.39 but with a Sally Card, $1.34 each. Plus I got 15% off everything. I don't know how I went so long without a Sally Card. It costs $5 for the year but you get a $5 coupon the month after you buy it, plus discounts on everything in store and if you spend $35 in a month, you get a 15% off coupon to use the following month. And it's so easy to spend $35. A Seche Vite, a couple Orlys, maybe a hair dye or two and that's it an extra 15% discount. So, if you haven't already signed up, do it. Ok, enough of sounding like a spokesperson, back to the makeup. Most of these aren't labeled with names but I got two nail polishes (dark purple creme and a teal creme), three loose glitters, and two eye shadows. The loose glitters are patted on Pixie Epoxy and the eye shadows are swatched over a cream base. The pigmentation in these shadows seems pretty good and they blend well.

There's plenty more to share but I'll leave it to another post. The last thing I wanted to mention is that I finally ordered some Daiya cheese. It's a vegan "cheddar" that actually tastes and melts like the real thing. I tried some a couple months ago and it was soooo good but it's pretty expensive so I'd been putting off ordering it. My 5lb bag came today. I know five pounds is a lot but it freezes well and tastes so yummy. I had poutine for breakfast and am considering grilled cheese for lunch and maybe just a bowl of cheese for dinner. If any readers are vegan or vegetarian or even just lactose intolerant or want to try something different, definitely try this. Obviously, you can buy less than I did.

I'm Michelle and I have a problem...

I think I'm addicted to nail polish. There's just something about using a new colour for the first time. Or the feeling you get when you finally find something you've been searching for. More than once that has caused me to come home with a bag full of polishes when I go to the store for something unrelated. Well, today I actually went for nail polish, but not nearly as many as I ended up buying. After seeing the new Xtreme Wear limited edition colours, I couldn't stop thinking about them. I want to wait for a sale, so I only bought two for now. But while I was at Pharma Plus, I saw the new Sally Hansen HD display. And I had a tough time choosing just one. 

Left to right: Sally Hansen HD Laser, Xtreme Wear Concrete and Purple Gala, Hidden Treasure

Hidden Treasure! I don't think there's anyone left who isn't in love with this one. My sister found two bottles at Zellers a while ago so we each have one but when she spotted this today, I knew I'd regret not buying it. I'm trying to decide if I should save it as backup in case more lines don't realize how coveted flakies are right now. Or should I pass it on to someone still lemming it?

I also went into Sally Beauty for polish thinner and ended up buying a China Glaze. Fairy Dust (the name is perfect!) is a holographic glitter. I can't wait to try it over black, and any other colour.

And since I can't be near a Walmart without checking out their nail polish selection:

I picked up Wet n Wild Caribbean Frost, French White Creme, Blue Moon, and Tickled Pink. I originally had about twice as many in my basket but managed to narrow it down since I had near-dupes for the others. For $1.57, these wear pretty well and there's a decent selection of colours. I also got some Rimmel Recover foundation for five cents each (that's right, $0.05!). Between two of us, we cleared out the display. I love finding makeup on clearance and you just can't beat that price. The same foundation was on clearance for eight bucks at the drugstore.

Huge Elf Haul

My ELF order from their 60% off sale came today. I hadn't realized just how big an order it was but I definitely took advantage of the discount. For around $45 (including shipping) I got 46 items. I know that sounds like way too much but in my defense I split the order with my sister. (She bought 14 items.)

So, what did I get?

Vanilla Coconut Body Lotion, Hand Soap, and Hand Sanitizer-I've tried this scent out a couple times before and it smells absolutely delicious. I already have the hand cream and shower gel.

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Ash-Just by swatching this on my hand, it looks promising. It went on smoothly but it might take some getting used to before I can do nice lines.

Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in Vanilla Creme-I've tried the strawberry before and liked it so hopefully this one is similar. It doesn't seem to have any vanilla scent though.

Liquid Eye Liner in Silver-I realized this morning that I already have silver. Oops. I guess that might mean I have too much make up. Anyway, I think I meant to get Ash. I'll put this one away until I need it, or maybe pass it on to someone that wants it.

Shine Eraser Sheets-I love these blotting papers. They work well and cost so much less than other brands.

Eye Widener-This pencil is really creamy and drew smoothly on my hand. I'll have to try it out on my eyes to see if it smudges though. I'm not really a fan of the sharpener on the cap.

Nourishing Cuticle Pen

Lip Primer & Plumper

Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Plum/Purple and Green/Moss-If these work, it'll be handy for quick makeup when I'm in a rush. I'll give them a shot and have a review up soon.

Lip Stain in Mysterious and First Date-Mysterious seems much darker in person and without trying it on, I don't think I can pull off this shade of brown. But First Date is a shimmery pink-coral that I already love.

Eyebrow Lifter & Filler-I had a hard time choosing the right shade for this. My eyebrows are natural almost black but my hair is much lighter (ginger right now but naturally auburn). So I chose dark but I think that might not even be dark enough.

Concealer Pencil & Brush-The formula on this concealer feels a little weird, almost waxy. I've never used a pencil concealer before so maybe that is normal. But, seriously, not a fan of the sharpeners on all the caps.

Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph and Nicely Nude

Kabuki Face Brush

Cream Eyeliner in Ivory

Lip Balm SPF 15

Dual Pencil Sharpener

Complexion Perfection-I actually bought two of these as backup for the one I'm using now. 

Matte Top Coat-Not gonna lie, I bought three bottles. I love matte nails and it's not very easy to find matte top coat (especially for 40 cents a bottle). So, hopefully, this isn't a bust.

And last but not least, I indulged my nail polish addiction with six new colours:

Cranberry: shimmery dark red

Hot Pink: dark, bright pink. I might be able to cross an item off my wish list with this colour.

Champagne: shimmery light peachy brown

Red Velvet: shimmery dark red, but lighter than Cranberry and more of a true red

Purple Pleaser: grape creme. Considering how many purples I have,it's surprising I don't have one like this.

I also ordered Passion Pink. But what came in my order says Mango Madness on the box and the bottle. I specifically didn't order Mango Madness because I am fully aware that even though I love corals, I have too many that I just don't wear. The colour in the bottle, however, looks much more like Passion Pink than Mango Madness does on their site so I can't be sure what colour it really is but it's a gorgeous bright pink with gold shimmer that I can't wait to wear.

Did anyone else order during this sale? I'd love to see your hauls.

Yet Another Elf Haul

My ELF order came today. I ordered it on Monday and it actually arrived yesterday morning but I couldn't be bothered to answer the order at 9:30am so I picked it up at the post office today. I've always had good ship times with ELF but I was amazed by four days for an international delivery. I'll have swatches and reviews up for everything over the next while but here's a quick list of what I bought:

Shimmering Facial Whip in Camilla

Nail Polish in Nude, Mint Cream, Lilac, Desert Haze, Smoky Brown, and Innocent

Nail Polish Removal Pads

Broghtening Eye Color in Matte Mauve and Blue Moon

All Over Cover Stick in Ivory

Tone Correcting Concealer in Ivory

Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Ivory

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tart

Studio Powder Brush (I love the studio brushes and I think this one just about completes the set for me)

Individual Lash Kit in Brown (I have a slight false lash obsession)

Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara in Dark Brown

Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in Strawberry Creme (I have this on my very chapped lips now. It feels good but we'll see how it works.)

Vanilla Coconut Bath Gel 

I did a quick swatch of the nail polishes so I'll have photos for those up tonight most likely. Lilac and Mint Cream are great spring/summer colours. But I've been in love with grayed out neutrals and mannequin hands lately so just based on the swatches, Desert Haze and Innocent are real stand-outs for me.

Mall Haul

I've been looking for a matte top coat lately and finally found one at Claire's. I used to shop there all the time when I was younger and loved their 10 for $10 sales. So, after finding the top coat, I looked around the store and picked up a few more things on clearance.

Can you tell I really like bows? Whenever my hair is short, I like wearing really girly clips or hairbands in it. I think my favourite of these is the purple one on the end. The colour matches my sunglasses really well.

 I also bought some bow earrings. I just started wearing earrings again for the first time in years. So, we'll see if I actually use these but they were too cute to pass on.

Of course, I also bought nail polish. A fluorescent pink that dries with a semi-matte finish and a glitter with hearts in it. I really like this glitter but it can be a pain to actually get the hearts from the bottle.I'll do a review on these polishes once I get a chance to wear them but for now, here's a swatch photo (with flash).

My absolute favourite find of the day has to be this keychain. I think ducks are the cutest thing ever and now I know I'll be finding excuses to be pulling out my keys in front of people to show this off.

Anyway, back to the matte top coat. I'm wearing it today over black polish and I love the effect. (And the fact that it pretty much doubles my nail polish options is a nice bonus.) It works better with some colours and finishes than others so I spent quite a while yesterday (too long probably) swatching it over different polishes. Here's a few of the swatches and I'll be doing more over the next few days.

This photo is with flash. The matte top coat is over the top half of each nail. Left to right: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Virtual Violet, Rockstar Pink, Blue Me Away, Gunmetal, Blue It, and Celeb City. 

Another store in the mall was having a no tax event and I managed to restrain myself and only buy three nail polishes. I haven't used KleanColor before or really heard much about them so I'll have a review up once I've tried them out but here's a swatch photo (with flash). 

Left to right: Aurora, Blue Pearl, and Mocha. The top half of Blue Pearl and Mocha each have matte top coat. (I guess I was really excited about that top coat.) I love the stars in Aurora but just by swatching, it seemed really hard to get them on the brush. Blue pearl is (obviously) a light blue with a pearlized finish and Mocha is just a medium brown.