Product and Company Review: Beauty From The Earth Cosmetics

Hello again everyone!
Today I have a review of Beauty From The Earth Cosmetics (BFTE) for you! I have only briefly tried a few samples in the past, and they've since been buried in my collection, so I was excited at the chance to get a more in-depth experience with the company!

"We celebrate diversity one face at a time with our large selection of multi-use minerals in over 400 unique and modern colors of the rainbow. Please check back as we add new colors and products to our collection of eye shadows, blushes, foundations, collections and more."
http://www.bftecosmetics.com/

They sent me a generous 16 sample sized (0.5 gram)  eyeshadows in an adorable tin, which is perfect for storing them in!

Eyeshadows are available in sample size ($2) or full sized ($6.50). 

I love when companies offer sample sizes, it gives you a chance to try it out a few times before you dive into a full sized jar. However, $6.50 is extremely reasonable for a full sized jar of product!

Onward to swatches! (all swatched dry, over UDPP):

Left To Right: Double Chocolate, Dragon Slayer, Gable, Mississippi Mud

For some reason, BFTE is not very consistent with describing their shadows. Some has shade descriptions, and others only have ingredients. Which is okay, I like to see what each company describes their colors as, but for now, I'll describe them the best I can for you!

Each shadow as described by me:

Double Chocolate - Shimmery chocolate brown, slightly warm toned

Dragon Slayer - Gorgeous shimmery darkened gold

Gable - Cool brown with coppery shimmer

Mississippi Mud - Cool dark matte brown

Left To Right: Super Nova, Paris, Lava Momma, Clara

Each shadow as described by me:

Super Nova - Pinkish red with greenish sparkles

Paris - Bright medium pink with pink sparkles

Lava Momma - HOT pink with pink shimmer

Clara - Sheer sparkly gold. This color has some SERIOUS sparkle to it!

Left To Right: Emerald Bliss, Tropical, Blue Bird, Blacklisted

Each shadow as described by me:

Emerald Bliss - Kelly green with gold sparkles

Tropical - Jungle green with blue duotone, nearly matte

Blue Bird - Intense bright blue. Nearly matte

Blacklisted - Darkened blue with blue sparkles

Left To Right: Aphrodite, Big Ego, Sugar Daddy, Meteor Shower

Each shadow as described by me:

Aphrodite - Light lavender with pink shimmer

Big Ego - Royal purple with purple shimmer 

Sugar Daddy - Cool purple with reddish sparkles

Meteor Shower - Black with rainbow sparkles

Overall I really enjoyed these shadows. I swatched them all dry, but mineral eyeshadows usually look even more gorgeous when used wet, so I can't wait to play around with them more! They seem pigmented and smooth. Some of the matte and nearly matte colors were a bit chalky feeling, but not unusable. Some of my favorites are; Tropical, Clara, Dragon Slayer, and Big Ego! 

I also choose two gel liners from them to try. I'm not normally a gel liner fan, but BFTE has a great range of shades, and I thought I'd give them a shot. Gel liners are $8.99 for 6m.

Left: Rave, Right: Oceanic

Rave is a deep plum color with silver and colored glitter, and Oceanic is a pretty royal blue. 

In all honesty, I don't prefer gel liners. And these didn't help the case to change my mind. I tried using these on my eyes a few times, but wasn't successful. They don't apply very opaque or evenly with a brush, and it would've taken a lot of work to get these to work as I wanted. They work great as mineral shadow bases though!

In this look I used Clara, Dragon Slayer, Gable, and Mississippi Mud!

Overall, I would recommend purchasing at least some sample size eyeshadow from BFTE, with their shade range of over 400 colors to choose from, I'm SURE you will find something worth trying! 

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***

Blog Blip: Pressed vs. Loose Eyeshadow, and why?

Hey everyone!

Today's entry is just going to be a short one. A lot of people ask me if I prefer pressed or loose eyeshadows, and why. The short answer to that, is I prefer pressed eyeshadows, but here's why!

There are benefits and effects to both pressed and loose eyeshadows. My personal preference is pressed, because they are more compact and portable. Pressed shadows give you a bit greater control over how much pigment you want on your brush, and they tend to be a little less messy! Fallout is typically far less with a pressed shadow than with a loose one, it can seem like you're wasting more product when it creates more fallout.

However, there are many benefits to using loose eyeshadows too! Loose eyeshadows are easier to use wet. Sometimes when you go to use a pressed shadow wet, the formula can cause there to be a sort of crust, over the place where you wet it. With a loose shadow, this is never a problem. While they tend to be a bit more fallout prone, it's easier to get a gorgeous 'foiled' effect using a loose eyeshadow. 

I have quite a bit of both pressed and loose eyeshadows, and I love both forms for different reasons! I just find myself reaching for pressed shadows more often than loose ones!

What about you? What is your personal preference, and why?

Product and Company Review: Makeupgeek!

Hello everyone! Recently, I was lucky enough to have a chance to try out some products I've always wanted to try, Makeupgeek eyeshadows! 

I was able to choose 12 eyeshadows, and 3 brand-new pigments courtesy of Makeupgeek, to create some looks with. I've never heard anything negative about this company/website, so I was ecstatic at the opportunity!

 

 I went ahead and popped the pans right into my large Z-palette (they stick without needed any additional magnets or stickers or anything!) They come as pans, however you can buy them in compacts if you would like. I prefer them in pans because I have a bunch of Z-palettes, and it's far less clutter. (Pans are $5.99, compacts are $7.99) Don't worry about labeling, each pan is labeled with the color name and all of the information already!

SWATCH TIME!!!

Left to Right; Razzleberry, Burlesque, Unicorn, Wisteria, Fairytale, Sea Mist

Left to Right; Appletini, Shimmermint, Stealth, Moondust, Vanilla Bean, Taupe Notch

 All of these were swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion Original. 

Color descriptions according to Makeupgeek;

Razzleberry - Raspberry Pink with Gold Glitter

Burlesque - Deep Metallic Burgandy

Unicorn - Shimmery Blue Purple

Wisteria - Matte Pale Purple

Fairytale - Pale matte lavender

Sea Mist - Shimmery Turquoise

Appletini - Shimmery Apple green with flecks of gold

Shimmermint - Metallic Mint Green With Gold Shimmer

Stealth - Matte True Gray

Moon Dust - Metallic silver taupe

Vanilla Bean - This simple but smooth shadow has a matte finish with just the slightest sheen.

Taupe Notch - Taupe

The only one of thee descriptions I DON'T agree with is Taupe Notch. I find it far too brown, when I think of taupe, I think of a brown with more of a grey tone to it, but this one has too much red in it for me to consider it a 'taupe' shade. Other than that, they're all pretty accurate descriptions! 

I also got to try some of the newly released pigments Makeupgeek now makes!

The texture of these reminds me of MAC pigments a lot. It almost bunches up together, but goes on so shimmery and so smooth. 

Left to Right; Afterglow, Insomnia, Utopia

All swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion Original

Color descriptions according to Makeupgeek;

Afterglow - Soft Shimmery Champagne

Insomnia - A dark chocolate brown duochrome with blue/teal reflects.

Utopia - A mixture of deep brown and antique gold shimmer duochrome.

These come with 2 grams of product in them, and they are packed to the BRIM! Literally! I'll also mention that these do NOT come with sifters in the jars! (Which is a plus for me, since I remove all jar sifters anyways xD) Pigments are $6.99 each. 

Complete list of products used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Vanilla Bean
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Moondust
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Taupe Notch
• MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Unicorn
• MakeupGeek Pigment in Afterglow
• MakeupGeek Pigment in Insomnia
• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion
• Rimmel Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Pure White
• Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Mascara

That about sums it up for now! All in all, I am loving these shadows. Great pigmentation and quality for a very, VERY reasonable price. I'm looking forward to filling up my large Z-palette with these! I can't wait to play with them more! 

Have you ever tried MakeupGeek makeup? Are you a member at MakeupGeek.com? Find my profile here:

https://www.makeupgeek.com/members/ToriBiohazard/

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***

Product and Company Review: Surreal Makeup

Hey everyone! Today I have a small company/product review for you. Through my Biohazardous Beauty page on Facebook, I was contacted by a company called Surreal Makeup. The owner, lovely Miss Amanda, asked if I would be interested in doing a review of their products, and of course I said yes!

I'm always looking for a chance to try new makeup. Whether it's a new product at the drugstore or Sephora, or a new Indie company online. Surreal makeup describes themselves as:

"We pride ourselves in bringing you 100% pure mineral makeup that contains no lake, dye, waxes or harsh chemicals.Surreal Makeup IS highly pigmented, hypo-allergenic, water resistant mineral makeup that wears all day yet cleans up easily with soap & water or a baby wipe. We think you owe it to yourself to find out why it is called Surreal Makeup!"

http://www.surrealmakeup.com/

And for what was introduced to me as a 'small' company, they have a massive, (and I mean MASSIVE) shade range! 

My shadows arrived in an adorable sachet!

Each shade is individually shrink wrapped. Bonus points!

The caps are printed with the company name, in this really, really cool holographic print. I kind of failed at capturing that, but I thought it looked really profession!
And it's NOT a sticker. These containers are made for this company.

I did not get to choose which colors I wanted to try (but hey, I'm not picky, and willing to work with anything!) and was sent Everglades, Feather, Smooth, Willow, and Visionary. Each jar is printed with the shadow name, www.surrealmakeup.com, and the ingredients. It does not have the size printed on it, so I am not sure if I got 5 gram or 3 gram jars. But both sizes are available on the website.

All shadows come with sifters, I just always remove sifters, because, they get in my way. xD

Left To Right: Smooth, Feather, Visionary, Everglades, Willow (Swatched over UDPP)

Each shadow as described from the website:

Smooth - A white gold highlighting shimmer with light gold sparkles

Feather - A vibrant teal shadow loaded with teal sparkles

Visionary - Visionary is a baby blue eye shadow with pink reflects throughout

Everglades - *couldn't find on website*

Willow - A dark golden green eye shadow.

For the most part, I agree with these descriptions. The pink sparkles in Visionary can be a little elusive, but I do see them there. As for Everglades, I would describe it as a medium olive green, with gold shimmer. 

Mind the mascara, I know I applied sloppily x.x

Here's a look I did using all 5 shadows.

Complete list of products used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• Surreal Makeup Smooth
• Surreal Makeup Feather
• Surreal Makeup Visionary
• Surreal Makeup Everglades
• Surreal Makeup Willow
• Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Stash
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Walk of Shame
• Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara

Overall I really quite loved how these shadows looked. They're so pretty and shimmery. Looking at the website, there's everything from matte, to UV reactive, to glitter, to iridescent colors to choose from. I believe I was told there's 280+ colors to choose from!
5 gram jars cost $8.00 per shadow, and 3 gram jars cost $4.00 per shadow. I love when companies, especially ones with a larger selection give you that size option, when you want to try a bunch of colors, but don't necessarily need full size jars of each one.

Surreal makeup also sells primers, powders, lipglosses, and brushes!

I am definitely impressed by this company, that I can't believe I never knew existed! Those UV eyeshadows are calling my name! 

***Disclaimer*** Products shown were sent to me by the company for the purpose of reviewing. However, complimentary products never receive special treatment, I review them just like I'd review something I bought myself. My opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are not influenced by any outside sources, nor do I represent any company.***

Product Review: Stila Countless Color Pigments!

Hello everyone! I'm sure you've all already seen this in stores/online somewhere (because they're AWESOME), but I want to share with you the awesomeness of these products!

Stila Countless Color Pigments. $22 Each.

As soon as I saw these online, I knew they needed to be on my makeup desk IMMEDIATELY. They were sold out everywhere, Stila's website, Sephora, Ulta didn't even have them yet, but I managed to find mine on Dermstore.com. They were backordered, but I went ahead and purchased the three colors that sang to my soul the most, Light Show, Tie Dye, and Indie. (We all knows greens, blues, and purples are my weaknesses.)

When they finally arrived I was so beyond excited to play with them. I mean, come on, TIE DYE EYESHADOW PEOPLE! I know you're inner hippie 8-year old was excited too! 

((For my swatches, I swatched the lightest color alone, lightest and second lightest mixed together, second lightest color alone, second lightest color and darkest color mixed, and darkest color alone. (sense?) Also, they're all swatched over NYX jumbo pencil in Milk.))

Light Show

Light Show

Light show

I absolutely ADORE light show. This shadow (they're more of a palette in themselves, don't you think?) makes a perfect green/turquoise/deep blue eye, all by itself. I am just fascinated by these guys, seriously. The color payoff is great, and the shadows themselves are not quite matte, but not enough to be called a shimmer. More of a satin finish. This baby blends like a DREAM, which makes creating a look a million times easier. 

Tie Dye

Tie Dye

Tie Dye

If you're going to buy only one of these, it should be Tie Dye. Even if these colors weren't swirled in their enticing and groovy patterns, these colors are so unique. Again with the satin finish, they're soft and blend amazingly. I am obsessed with the looks you can make from this single shadow. Even just used individually they look amazing. I love this so much, I can't even begin to describe!

Look using only shadows from Tie Dye!!

Indie

Indie

Indie

Last but not least, Indie. I am a sucker for purples, but Indie slightly fails to deliver the same kick that Light Show and Tie Dye give you. While the shades are obviously different in the pan, when swatched, they all come out looking very, samey. It's very, very difficult to get just that light lavender on it's own unfortunately. Even the darkest shades swatch light, making them all look scarily similar. However, this shade is still creamy and delicious, I find myself mixing all the shades in this pan together on my brush and using it that way! It gives you a gorgeous, mid-toned purple to work with. And has the same blendability as the other shadows!

Overall, I think these shadows are gorgeous, brilliant, genius, and groovy. Stila isn't usually a brand I get to overly excited about, but they caught my eye, and did a fantastic job with these products. On Sephora's website, it says these are exclusive and limited edition. Not sure how true that is, and if they're only limited to Sephora, or if they're limited by Stila themselves. 

Either way, get these while you still can! 

(All products here were purchased by me)