Friday, June 24, 2011

Giveaway announcment!!

In honor of our facebook fanpage hitting 50 fans (now we're almost at 90!) I am hosting a small giveaway in appreciation :) I chose to use Sally Girl products because I mentioned them in my very first post, and because their products are so fun. I will also be adding a few more small additions to the prizes over the weekend.

But without further ado... here are the entry rules and prizes:



yay sparkles!
Prize #1: A set of 5 loose body glitters, assorted colors
Prize #2: A set of 5 mineral eyeshadows, assorted colors. 1 Bronzer

Prize #3: 2 loose body glitters, 2 lip glosses, 1 bronzer, 2 mineral eyeshadows


RULES FOR ENTRY:
  • Be a subscriber to my blog (I will check this)
  • You do not have to be a fan on facebook to enter, but if you ARE a facebook fan you get 1 extra entry
  • If you share my giveaway via facebook, twitter, or your own blog/youtube channel  you get 1 extra entry 
  • Comment on this post with your first name, email address, how you follow my blog (google friend connect, blogluvin, ect), your twitter name if you RTed my contest, and any links where you have shared my giveaway. 

The contest starts NOW and will end at 12pm on Monday (July 4th). Enter now to get sparkly!!!! 

UPDATE: I extended the giveaway by a week for everyone :)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

EOTD: Aqua sparkle

I'm just posting a quick eye makeup look tonight, because tomorrow I'll be posting about my upcoming giveaway! The Glitter Blog's facebook fanpage has reached well over 75 fans so we'll be celebrating by giving our readers some cute goodies ( you can bet glitter will be involved ;) ).  Check back tomorrow for entry rules & prizes. Get a head start by 'liking' our fan page because all facebook fans will get a bonus entry!

Anyways here's my eyeshadow look ...











See you all tomorrow :D

Shimmery for Summer: E.l.f Mineral eyeshadows & studio shimmer pallet

In May, E.l.f. ran an amazing sale where if you spent $25 you could get 10 of their mineral eyeshadows for free. I couldn't pass it up. I have used many e.l.f. products in the past but hadn't tried any of their mineral products yet. I also picked up their mineral eyeshadow primer, and some of the new mineral brushes. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to just try it all out.

The 10 eyeshadow colors I went with were (in order of swatch): Angelic, Flirty, Glamorous, Golden, Beachy, Outdoorsy, Celebrity, Elegant, Trendy, and Sassy. 


Angelic is a sparkly ivory. It is a true ivory, and therefore isn't a bright white. It didn't photograph real well, but it does go on well and is decently pigmented. It is also super shimmery.

Flirty was one of the shades I am disappointed with. It looks a little brighter in the container than it actually applies. It's kind of a dull, dusty medium purple shade. It's not well pigmented and I felt that I really had to work at it to build decent color coverage. Your best bet is to use this one wet.

Glamorous is a pretty rusty wine color. For the most part it's pretty matte with just a hint of mica. I really liked this shade as it applies very well. It's decently pigmented whether you choose to use it wet or dry.

Golden is just your traditional molten gold color. It's sooo sparkly and pretty! I got really bold color without having to use this wet. This was one of my favorite shades out of the 10.

Beachy is the one I'm on the fence about. When applied dry it's totally dull and drab. Use it wet? It's a completely different color! In the swatch I made a line down the center where I moistened it to show the difference. When dry it's a dark navy....moist it's a shimmer filled electric blue.

Outdoorsy is a sparkly deep forest green. It looks straight up black when applied. I don't know why that is. I don't dislike the color, but it wasn't at all what I expected it to be. I think Outdoorsy is the most versatile of the whole bunch because the deepness of the shade depends on how well you blend it and what other colors you use in combination with it.

Celebrity is a shimmery pale bronze/taupe. I think this one works nice as a highlight, and I love it in combination with the similar shades (elegant & trendy).

Elegant was the one I thought sucked. It's a very pale shimmery nude shade that's similar to Celebrity and Trendy but just doesn't have the same color payoff at all. I had to apply twice as much Elegant to get it to even show up in the swatch. I don't think it's any better used wet either unfortunately.

Trendy is a champagne shimmer. It goes on much better than Elegant lol. I really liked this one actually.

Last but not least...Sassy, a sienna brown with lots of shimmer. I just love this one. It's super pigmented, but applies well and blends great. It's not the most exciting color by itself but it goes with so many other shades perfectly. I've probably been using this one the most out of all 10.



Would you ever guess that outdoorsy is supposed to be green?!
Sassy, Glamorous, Elegant, Angelic, Celebrity

Not a great shot but you get the point



Outdoorsy, Angelic, Trendy, Celebrity


Also wearing e.l.f. shimmering whip in Spotlight, color stick in Golden Peach, and lip color in Charming

I also picked up the E.l.f. studio shimmer pallet. I had been reading a lot of mixed reviews on it by beauty bloggers, but not enough to scare me away from buying it! LOL. I guess the main complaint was that when applied all the shades appear very similar. Some people said they couldn't even tell the difference between any of the 4 shades when they were actually on skin.




They are pretty close in color on skin, but I can tell the difference no problem. I think it really depends on how you use them. I like to use the 2nd & 3rd colors in combination with the e.l.f. Golden Peach all-over color stick. My only complaint about these shimmers is the silly little brush it comes with. This stuff is MUCH too soft to use with that sort of brush, and is really intended to be applied with the fingers.


All in all I was generally pleased with my little E.l.f haul. I do think some of their mineral eyeshadow shades are a hit or miss though. That's kinda how I feel about a lot of the makeup e.l.f. makes. Some things I just can't live without while others I can definitely live with skipping. I plan to pick up some of their mineral lipsticks next and take those for a test drive ;)

Until next time
~Kaitlyn

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Killer trend: Rooster feather hair extensions

Almost overnight it seems that rooster feather hair extensions have popped up as the latest trend. I have to admit they do look beautiful, but I am so saddened that this is 'what's in' for summer. Along with feather hair extensions I am seeing an influx of feather headbands, earrings, necklaces, and clothing embellishments.



 

Many celebrities (everyone from Stephen Tyler, to Megan of NYink, to Roseanne) have been spotted wearing these colorful feather extensions. I am seeing them in magazines and fashion ads. And I am seeing them on your average everyday girl next-door. Chances are- they probably are being done right now in a salon not-so-far-away from where you live. They are EVERYWHERE.





I wonder if the people who buy these even stop to think about where those beautiful feathers may have come from. I wonder if your average trendy gal knows that a rooster was killed for those feathers. I wonder if these people realize that it takes a rooster about a year to grow the long saddle feathers that are prized for not only this trend, but for use in fly fishing. Roosters are even genetically altered to produce extra long colorful saddle feathers. I also wonder if these people know that the process of plucking the feathers is painful, cruel, and requires the bird to be euthanized. Once they are killed they are then turned into compost, because for the most part carnivores don't even eat them. 1000's of roosters are dying each week to meet the demand of the fashion industry....all so that you can wear some feathers in your hair for about 1-2 months. It seems disgustingly selfish and wasteful to me.



There are plenty of sources for cruelty-free feathers, and alternatives to using real bird feathers. While I love feathers, they aren't ours to take. The rooster feather hair look can be duplicated with things other than bird feathers (ribbons, faux feathers, those streaky hair clip-ins from Hot Topic). Once I pick up a few supplies, I will try to put up a tutorial on how to do an animal friendly version of the hair feathers.

There isn't ever an excuse to hurt animals in the name of fashion. If you MUST have a feather accessory this summer,  please make sure the feathers are obtained from a cruelty-free seller. The roosters will thank you :)


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

More lens love: CircleLens2U.com

If there is one thing in this world that I truly love.. it IS circle lenses!! LOL



As I continue on with my series of circle lens posts I have another great website to review for you. CircleLens2U is an adorable website with great selection of in-stock lenses. They keep up with the latest lense trends, so you can be sure to get new styles as they become available. You can search the lenses based upon color, and they even have a pretty good selection of FX circle lenses (great for cosplay or halloween).

So let me break it down for you:


Website:

The website is totally cute, and very easy to navigate. My only complaint is that the lenses are sold by the piece instead of the pair (meaning you need to order 2 to make a pair). This can be confusing for some people. Other than that I was very pleased with the selection. I was beyond pleased to find 3 brand new styles from Geo at sale prices. 

Shipping:
wrapped lenses

back of the envelope

front of envelope

 The shipping was very fast at just 8 days from Malaysia to Michigan. However I was not very satisfied with the packaging unfortunately. The lenses came wrapped in bubble wrap, and were shipped in a plain non-padded envelope. While my lenses arrived safe & sound...I can see how easily it would be for them to have broken in transit. I did find customer service to be very friendly, so if a package was damaged i'm sure they would be more than willing to replace it. It really depends on how much packaging means to you personally. I wouldn't let it stop me from ordering from CircleLens2U in the future.




The Lenses:

I ended up picking up the new Geo Forest series in Lavender-violet. I love this style so much. The lenses are quite large at 15mm, and have streaks of black with an iridescent lavender shining through brightly. The lenses almost have a tye-dyed effect. The lavender is very shiny and jewel-toned. The lenses are pretty thick but not at all uncomfortable.I am really excited to try more colors in this particular style.


in the vials

enlargement effect








Overall I really liked CircleLens2U's service, and selection. I will be checking up on them quite often to see what new exciting styles they are getting in. While I didn't like the flimsy packaging, I wasn't totally turned off by it either. I plan to order more of the Geo Forest series very soon (green and grey for sure!) . So there you have it....another great source for circle lenses :)









* Disclaimer: These lenses were generously provided by the sponsor for review. This review is my own honest opinion based on quality of service, and the product provided.*

Circle lens love: E-CircleLens.com review

On my quest for finding great circle lens suppliers I stumbled across e-circlelens.com. Right away I loved their HUGE selection of lenses. I had a really hard time choosing which lenses I wanted to order, but ending up going with a pink Geo pair. I like how you can search the website based on lens color. It makes it very easy to compare different styles of the same color. Most lenses are offered in many prescription strengths. All the lenses featured are in-stock so that there's no waiting for batches. I do not like ordering lenses in batch orders because you end up having to wait a really long time to receive your circle lenses, and a batch can be canceled if not enough people order. It just isn't a real reliable way to get your lenses, and it definitely isn't for impatient people like me. 


So this is my overall review of my experience with e-circlelens.

Website:

I liked the wide variety of lenses offered. I thought the website was easy to navigate. The ordering process is generally pretty easy, and problem-free. Customer service is friendly, helpful, and fast to reply to any email inquiries. I have no complaints whatsoever. 




Shipping:

Shipping from Korea to Michigan only took 1 week!!  I thought that was crazy fast. Their lenses are packed in a sturdy little box, put into a special foam holder, and then packed with huge foam packing peanuts. You definitely do not have to worry about receiving broken vials. 





Extras :

My package came with a circle lens care instruction sheet. I really like when companies include these care sheets because proper lens care is super important for your eye health. They also included a free lens case which is a nice touch.



The Lenses:
The lenses I chose were the Geo WT-A07. They are a matte rose pink with a thick black limbal ring for added intensity.  They are quite large at 15mm, and are the largest pair I currently own. These lenses are rather thick and I would not recommend them for first time circle lens wearers. Some people do not like Geo lenses because of their thickness but I do not think they are especially uncomfortable. I also recommend due to their size to only wear these lenses no more that 4-5 hours at a time to avoid eye strain. It should go without saying that once your eyes begin to feel tired it is time to take out your lenses. I have to say that these lenses are absolutely beautiful in color. They look amazing over light and dark brown eyes!

natural light
with a flash

 


Pink lenses looks best when worn with pinks, roses, rosey browns, gold, bronzes, and blacks.
Just in case you wanted to see the eye makeup too lol

enlarging effect

I would definitely order from E-circlelens.com again in the future. They have a lot of hard to find styles of circle lens available, and in-stock. Shipping is fast, and the packaging is super secure. Their prices are slightly higher than some sellers, but I think they compensate with the quality of their service. This is a great website for lens enthusiasts looking for those hard to find styles!






* Disclaimer: These lenses were generously provided by the sponsor for review. This review is my own honest opinion based on quality of service, and the product provided.*

Friday, June 10, 2011

Some stuff...:)

If you're seeing some posts disappear, don't worry they'll be back! I'm re-editing some things that I feel I really should have been more clear on.



The last thing I ever intended to do was make myself seem insensitive to others pain, and injury suffered at the hands of Glittersniffer Cosmetics. I feel I needed to address that right away. I am very sorry to those who I offended with my thoughtlessness.

Friday, June 3, 2011

LOTD: Classic Glamour

I did a fun glam makeup look for a contest, so I figured I'd share my 'Look of the day' with you all. :)


Suede jacket, polka dot dress, and large mauve pearls all from Dots


I used: MUFE velvet matte foundation, E.l.f mineral eyeshadow in Glamorous, Sally Girl mineral eyeshadows in Bronze and Gold, E.l.f shimmering facial whip in Spotlight, MUFE rouge artist intense in shade #40, A random peach-toned blush, Hourglass Film Noir mascara. Also wearing Geo Nudy Golden Blue lenses.