Spell Cosmetics

Update 5/28/10: I can no longer recommend doing business with Spell Cosmetics; read about my experience with them here.

After reading the Spell Cosmetics review on the Eclectic Musings blog, I decided to place an order. You can send a picture along with an email to Elle, telling her any colors you prefer to avoid, and what type of look you're trying to achieve, and she will give you a complimentary "makeover" - suggesting Spell Cosmetics colors. For 48 hours after the makeover, if you are registered at the Spell Cosmetics site, you can get 25% off your order, too!

I basically asked for a nude/neutral casual daytime look. Something simple that would be easy to do - no cool colors, no pink/orange/red shadows, no high glitter/shimmery/frosted shadows (although satin luster is okay).

Elle recommended Hologlow Embers for highlighting the brow, Gold Salmon for the lid, and Sepia for the crease.

I'm really pleased with the suggestions Elle made - it's a look I can do in just a few minutes and it works for any daytime function. And I can just add a little more Sepia and more dramatic liner to make it work for evening.

The lipgloss Elle suggested was Bona Fide - but she was worried I might be a little scared by it. I ordered it anyway because her second suggestion (Ingenue) looked a little too light. My lips have a lot of natural pigment, so glosses that are very sheer or light in color tend to look like clear gloss on me.

I admit - when I got it, I was scared, LOL! It looked much darker than it did on the website. But - it happens to be very sheer - a sheer bronze/brown nude. I applied  Christian Dior lip liner in Linen, powdered lightly, then applied MAC lip liner in Whirl, and powdered lightly. Next, I applied just a touch of Korres Mango Lipstick in Pink 14 (vibrant rose), and topped that with the Bona Fide gloss from Spell Cosmetics.

You can see that it really is a sheer product! So don't let the colors scare you! The consistency is very creamy without any stickiness. Of course that translates into needing to be applied a little more frequently, but I'm happy to make that trade-off to avoid stickiness.

My order also contained some generous free samples - Under My Spell face primer, Bronze eye shadow, and Filter Translucent Perfecting Powder.

And I have to tell you that the customer service is absolutely incredible! The Delicate Harmony foundation that I got was way too light for me, so I emailed asking if it was possible to exchange it (the seal was still intact) and maybe get color samples before purchasing another color. They emailed back saying that they would ship out the Medium Harmony foundation to me, along with a sample of the Rich Harmony foundation - and that they wouldn't allow me to incur return shipping costs, so to please keep the other foundation and give it to family or friends! How amazing is that?

I was so impressed that I immediately sent a "thank you" and went to the site to place a second order. I took advantage of their current special (through May 16) - buy 5 eye shadows, get 5 eye shadows free - 10 eye shadows for $30! I also ordered a tube of the Obvious Gloss in Tea Rose, and the new Liner le Creme in Blackest. I will receive a free full-size Illuminade Illuminator with my order, too (that offer is good through May 1)! Yay! I can't wait to see everything!

(In case you were wondering, I ordered these eye shadows: Driftwood, Taupe, Aubergine, Mocha, Camille, Promenade, Whisper to Me, Faint, Corset, & Echoes. I'll do swatches and a review when I get them!)

Check them out and take advantage of their generous free online makeover!