Everyday neutral brown look...

This is just a quick & easy neutral brown look that I do a lot because it's, well, quick & easy, LOL!

(I know, I know! I'm really pale! I haven't used self-tanner in over 2 months!)

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Cool makeup kits

I've seen several makeup kits lately that I think are pretty neat. I'm sure I'll end up buying one or more of them, LOL!

Cargo has a kit called "7 in 7" - the tag line is "7 Products that get you gorgeous and ready to go in 7 minutes!". 

There are three full-size kits - each $59 (value $155) - available in light/medium, warm/medium, & deep/medium.
Each kit includes:

• OneBase™ (02):  A double-duty wonder - concealer and foundation in one!  Use it to spot conceal and blend it out like a foundation to match your natural skin tone.
• Essential Palette (Warm Neutral):  The perfect shades for a classic, sculpted, nude eye.  This must-have palette contains four graduated neutral shades, each debossed with its function for ease of application.
• Eye liner (Brown):  CARGO Eye Liner promises a smooth, even application every time, without skipping.
• Better-than-waterproof™ Mascara:  This everyday mascara performs like a waterproof one without smudging or running, yet comes off easily with warm water and gentle pressure.
• BeachBlush™ (Sunset Beach):  The perfect marriage of blush and bronzer.  This double-duty best-seller is a combination of four complementary shades for the perfect blush and bronzer, all in one.
• Reverse Lip Liner (01):  The ONLY lip liner for gloss!  Line your lips from the outside in with this flesh-toned liner.  The result:  added definition, reduced feathering, and a fuller-looking lip.
• (NEW!) Classic Gloss with Timestrip® Technlogy (Tobago):  CARGO's award-winning, non-sticky lip gloss packaged in a convenient wand with Timestrip® technology to monitor the freshness of your gloss.

There are also three mini kits - each $39 - available in light/medium, warm/medium, & deep/medium.

Each set includes the following:

• OneBase™ - A foundation and concealer in one! - Use OneBase™ to spot conceal in key facial areas. Blend out to a flawless complexion.
• Mini Essential Palette - The perfect eye shadows for a classic, sculpted, nude eye make-up. This must have palette contains four shades graduating shades of neutral eye shadow, each embossed with it's function  - browbone, lid, crease, outer corner - for easy application.
• Mini Eye Liner - A smooth, even application without skipping
• Mini LashActivator™ - A proven formula for better looking lashes in only 30 days!- This lash-enhancing complex is revolutionary mascara that stimulates growth of lash follicles, promotes lash vitality and reduces lash loss. LashActivator™ is clinically proven to boost the appearance of the lashes by 169% over the natural rate of growth.
• Mini BeachBlush - The perfect marriage of blush and bronzer - This double duty best-seller is a combination of four complimentary shades for the perfect blush and bronzer all in one.
• Mini Reverse Lip Liner - The only liner for gloss!- Line your lips from the outside in with this flesh-toned lip liner. The result: added definition, reduced feathering and fuller looking lips.
• Mini Classic Gloss - CARGO's iconic lip gloss is a celebrity and make-up artist favorite. This non-sticky gloss is a vitamin-enriched, Paraben-free formula designed to nourish lips.

I think the mini-kits would be great for travel! And I should clarify that these aren't really "new" because they debuted back in the spring - but I didn't see them then, LOL. It looks like Sephora no longer has them - but I found them on www.beauty.com as well as www.ulta.com.

I like the look of  these Benefit palettes, too!

Scene Queen, the new Annie collection:

which contains:
- 0.1 oz Coralista, coral-pink cheek powder with mini natural-bristle brush
- 0.09 oz High Beam, luminescent complexion enhancer
- 0.18 oz Juicy Coral, lip shine
- Smokin' Liner, eyeliner
- 4 x 0.1 oz eyeshadows in Charcoal, Shimmering Beige, Misty Blue, and Navy
- 2 Fluff Shadow/Hard Angle Brushes
- Step-By-Step Makeup Lesson

(I just saw that Marlena reviewed this palette on MUG - read her review here!)

And Sunday Funday, the new Maggie collection:

which contains:
- 0.1 oz Hoola, bronzing powder with mini natural-bristle brush
- 0.09 oz Benetint, rose-tinted lip & cheek stain
- 0.18 oz Shimmering Rose, lip shine
- 0.01 oz Toasty Liner, eyeliner
- 4 x 0.1 oz eyeshadows in Smimmering Bronze, Pink Satin, Light Champagne, and Pretty In Plum
- 2 Fluff Shadow/Hard Angle Brushes
- Step-By-Step Makeup Lesson

The Benefit palettes are $38 each at www.sephora.com.

Has anyone tried any of these kits? I'd love to hear some reviews!

Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge swatches

I ordered a few samples of Aromaleigh's Victoria's Revenge Collection, and wanted to share the swatches with you. You've already heard me rave about "Poison Utopia" - did I mention that I lurves it??? :-)

I only ordered 10 of the 25 shades - but the ones I got are very pretty. Intense colors (except for "Infernal Chaos", which is the lightest color in the collection), easy to apply, and when applied over a primer there isn't any smudging or flaking.

Perpetual Motion - shimmery copper, like a new penny 

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "Gleaming coppery brown gears churn, dulled from persistent use, but shining through with metal's rich smooth surface and sparks of electricity.")

Cyanide Sorrow - a really pretty tea rose pink with shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "An innocent dusty rose pink, with buff undertones.... tarnished forever with the ashen guilt of wanting to write poison pen letters. Spilled ink, hello forever...")

Freakshow - pale olive/yellow brown with minimal shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "A worn and barren brown with olivine tones, reminiscent of the underbelly of the golden days of the traveling circus..")

Infernal Chaos - pale taupe with a little shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "Immaculate dove grey with the softest sheen and brown tones... to match the gloves you wear to ensure that you leave no fingerprints.")

Tarnished Strychnine - metallic olive/forest green with copper/gold shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "The garden has wilted, copper pots tarnished green from the relentless fog. Next to her prized Dendrobium, she rests, sleeping, it seems... with her teacup. Full. Such a pale beauty.")

Splintered - (this isn't a very good swatch - it's much prettier IRL) dark forest/pine green with blue/green & gold shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "Broken evergreen branches and moonlit reflections in the water. The blackened forest green glimmers from within with the lost dimensions of faerie, perpetually changing...")

Obscura - dark metallic teal with blue/green shimmer; base is more black and shimmer is more blue than Splintered

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "The depth of the deepest lake and it's secrets, which the moonlight plays on the rippling water. An elusive deep teal, blackened but brilliant with green and azure accent sparks.")

Night Shade - not quite black with blue/green shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "The last rays of the sun reflect off the light of the green glass-paned greenhouse windows, casting a loving glow of warm chartreuse light on the poisonous plants, then all is dark...")

Poison Utopia - blackened royal purple with purple shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "A deep and glimmering purple blackened by the soot of industry's progress yet glittering with a borealis of dreamlike sparks. ... my reflection, dance the ghost with me...")

Ruthless Indulgence -metallic mauve with purple and pink shimmer

(description from the Aromaleigh website: "The pink glimmer of bittersweet dreams, wrapped in the frosted charcoal depths of the dark determination to achieve them."

Kristen has revised the Aromaleigh closing schedule - the ADIEU35 coupon (good for 35% off your order) is now valid through Aug. 10. But the eye shadows are selling out quickly, so if you want to give them a try, don't wait too long! 

I ordered samples of the entire Lost in Faerie Collection, so those should be here soon!

Meow Cosmetics IdealEyes swatches, part 2

Here are the rest of the Meow Cosmetics eye shadow samples that I purchased. If you love purples, I highly recommend "That Cat" - it is sooooo pretty!!

Close-up swatches and descriptions from the Meow website:

That Cat: deep smoke with a sheer plum undertone

Sexy: muted smoky violet (I'm not sure I agree with this description - as you can see, this had a rosy/pink look on me - not smoky violet at all)

Tongue Tied: deep smoky plum

Anti-Social: blue-grey

Dusk: deep espresso with gold

Muddy Paws: deep rich, true purrlized chocolate with subtle metallic bronze shimmer (sorry the pic is blurry!)

Bad Girl: rich hot chocolate brown with copper and gold sheen

Krazy Kat: blue and grey and mysterious...oh my! Metallic undertones, bold depth, and high sparkle add complexity to this unique feliner!

Fornicat: brilliant aqua green/blue with sparkle

I'm alternating between throwing a fit and jumping for joy - I just found another page of eye shadows on the Meow site that I hadn't seen before - don't know how I missed them!! Now I have another list of things to buy!!

Meow Cosmetics IdealEyes swatches, part 1

More Meow Cosmetics eye shadow swatches! Some of my favorites are included in this batch. These swatches are from the best-selling IdealEyes collection, which are "purr-lized" shadows. The flash combined with the macro lens made the pearl sheen appear more as a sparkle. Trust me - these are really beautiful "purrl" shadows.

You had me at Meow - frosty taupe with vintage gold shimmer

Purrfect Stranger - muted dusty plum

Sunrise - light golden beige

Witty Kitty - vanilla with a subtle metallic cinnamon-copper sheen and undertone

Lucky Cat Purrl - light golden peach

Ferocious Feline Purrl - light natural golden tan/brown

Brazen Purrl - rich warm golden brown

Claws & Effect - caramelized copper with gold sheen

Unfortunately, these pictures just don't do justice to the shadows. Witty Kitty is one of my favorite shadows of all time and I will definitely be purchasing a full-size jar. Sunrise, You Had Me at Meow, and Purrfect Stranger are all gorgeous colors, too.

Check them out!

Meow Cosmetics Cat Eyes swatches

Last week, I received a HUGE sample order from Meow Cosmetics - and they were worth every penny!! There were way too many to talk about on one post, so I thought I'd break them down into individual categories. This batch is the Cat Eyes eye shadow, which is their matte shadow. As you will see from the close-ups, they're not totally matte - which is awesome in my book. There is just the faintest hint of sparkle that is really only noticeable in the close-ups - but I think it keeps the shadows from looking too "flat". And please ignore my pasty white arm in the pictures! ;-)

Sex Object - rich, sultry taupe

Schizo - true khaki tan with a subtle rosy undertone

Hedonistic - true navy blue

Jynx - extremely dark gray

Mean - dark charcoal gray

Shadowcat - rich and velvety eggplant

Caffeine Buzz - espresso brown

I love the consistency of these shadows - and they last all day (I apply over a primer). As you can see, "Sex Object" and "Schizo" don't show up very well on my naturally pale skin - but with a sunless tan, they do. "Sex Object" is a little too cool-toned to work with my sunless tan though, so that one will probably go to Lulu. The other colors are fantastic - especially for doing smokey eyes!

As I've mentioned in the past, Meow Cosmetics' generous samples are only $1 each - their shipping is quick and reasonable - and they have frequent coupon codes. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter - and they have their own Cat Chat Forum, too.

Meow swatches coming soon: IdealEyes eye shadow (15), Feliners eye liner (2), foundations (15), concealer (6), undereye concealer (2), skinny dippers (2)

Have you guys tried Meow Cosmetics yet? If so, what are your favorites?