Flower Beauty Cosmetics

A few weeks ago, I came across an end cap display at Walmart, featuring a new line of cosmetics. Drew Barrymore is not only the face of Flower Beauty, she's the creator. This totally makes sense since her film production company is Flower Films.

This brand is considered a luxury brand. It's cruelty free. The packaging is unique and worthy of sitting on any vanity. The prices also reflect that this line is a luxury line. I'm not sure if the average Walmart consumer is going to want to shell out for a new, spendy line of make-up. I know it's taken me weeks to accumulate what I have.

The first items I got were a sheer lipstick and a lip gloss. The lipgloss is a gorgeous pinky-peach nude. I love it. It's a great, fresh color that can easily be worn on its own or over another color. The shade is LG1. I'm not sure of it's name, the sticker on the side of it had that and I am not one for leaving stickers on my products. The sheer lipstick comes in a cool, square-ish tube. It has a slight hourglass shade to it. The bottom part is off-white, but the top is transparent and the color reflects the shade of the lipstick. Again, the sticker had the name of the color. I peeled it off and there is no shade number anywhere else on it. I'm certain "snapdragon" was part of the name.

Next I picked up the BB cream and foundation stick. First if all, I was psyched that there are shades for my ultra-pale, redheaded self! I like to use a combination of foundations to provide as flawless a look as possible. The Skincognito foundation stick can be layered up to full coverage or blended out for more sheer coverage. But I found that the BB cream had amazing coverage and didn't budge. You can see in the photo how it really covered the freckles on my arm! I love it! The shade of the foundation stick is SF1. The BB cream is BB1.

Now, let me tell you, this line has some if the trendiest colors I've seen. I had to refrain from buying a neon pink because I already have a few by Barry M. So I decided to get a nice nude, Nude Narcissus, and a pretty pink/coral color called Pink Peony. The color is smooth and the coverage is quite nice. There is a slight floral fragrance, but it's not a dealbreaker for me. These lipsticks are called Kiss Sticks and have a glossier finish than the lipsticks in the off-white tubes that supposedly have more of a velvet finish.

Last but not least, you KNOW I love my tinted lip balms. These come in a roll-up, chubby pencil. And it's no surprise that I love them. Sheer Blossom is nude and has some wonderful sparkles! Lacy Lauel is a pretty, sheer pink. I adore these. They feel good, don't require a mirror for application and give just the right amount of color. I must have more.

I need to look up the prices again. The BB cream was around $13, the lip colors around $8 and the foundation stick was around $9. My main gripe is that the shades are on stickers I will be removing from the outside of the packaging. I don't care I'd there is a sticker on the bottom of a tube, but I cannot stand when something runs the length of the tube. The lipgloss had a sticker on the end, which is great. The tinted lip colors have the shade printed on them. Perfect! But there's nowhere else on the lipstick tubes for a shade sticker. Both ends are decorative.

Do I want to try more from Flower Beauty? YES! I can't wait! But sadly, I have to wait until my wallet allows.

I'm An It Girl, Thanks Julep!

In an effort to keep my idle hands busy, I've decided to start working on making my nails look nice.  I have never really fussed over my fingernails.  I will paint my toenails, but that's about as crazy as I get.  I am a fine artist, in addition to being a make-up artist, and I am very tough on my hands.  Usually when I put polish on, it's wrecked in a day anyway.  I get hangnails that I mutilate in an attempt to get rid of.  Cuticles...don't even get me started.

Anyway, I recently signed up for the Maven program from Julep.  They had a sale where the first month was only a penny!  AND that included shipping.  This was obviously a great opportunity to try their wares.  They have you fill out a little style survey then let you know what colors they think would work best for you.  It's a little silly in my opinion, especially since they give you the option to select a different mix of products every month anyway.  But I completed the survey and was pleased to find that I'm an "It Girl", was there ever any doubt that I was anything but??

What I liked about being chosen as an It Girl was that the Maven goodie box for the month featured 3 nail colors and a top coat.  Most other boxes have a couple of nail colors and some other hand product like a lotion or a scrub.  While I should probably use products like those, I like colors...so I gravitate towards the fun stuff first!  The colors selected in my goodie box were:  Megan (a nice metallic, mid-shade turquoise), Hayden (described as a "neon peach", more to follow on that) and Leah (a lovely, bright grass green with slight shimmer).  The fourth polish was their fast-dry top coat.

I sat down this morning and decided it was time to swatch.  First I applied Hayden and my initial thought of the color was confirmed:  it's the color of a slice of American cheese.  I suppose I thought it would have a little more pink/red in it.  Not a lot, mind you, just a smidge.  The first coat was streaked.  The second coat was even more disconcerting because it created a thick layer with indentations from the brush strokes in it.  And it STILL didn't create an even color. It took about three and a half coats to get a fairly even color, but it's still not 100% and the thickness makes it difficult to work with.

Next, I gave Leah a spin.  I really like that it is a fresh, bright green.  Again, it took about three and a half coats to get a somewhat even color.   The first coat was nice and thin, but upon laying down another coat this polish also seemed to get thick and hard to work with.  Three coats was almost the charm, but there was still a streak, caused by the brushstroke, right down the middle of the nail.  That's where the half streak came in.  The only other thing that I found disappointing was that the pretty shimmer didn't really show up once the nail was painted.  It's SO subtle, the color looks like a cream.

Last but not least, there's Megan.  I thought this one would be a "gimme."  The first couple of layers went down nicely, thin and easy to layer.  I was still having streaks though.  I'm sad to report that I can't remember how many layers and touch ups it took to get a nice, even color with this one.

I followed up with their fast-drying top coat.  Sadly, the layers were so thick, there was no way this topcoat was going to dry anything, much less, in a quick fashion.  It gives a nice shine, smoothed out some of the imperfections.  But I'm used to Seche Vite, so I guess I'm spoiled.  I just don't see myself using this top coat.

All in all, I am not really a fan of these monthly subscriptions.  There are so many nowadays.  Some send a mix of samples and full-sized products and some let you have a little choice, like the Julep program.  And one thing I can say for Julep is they are very flexible in order to keep your business.  If you want to skip a month, you can.  If you want to send you're monthly goodie box to a friend to hold onto while you're on vacation, you can.  But for me, the bottom line is that if I'm going to spend my hard-earned money, then I want it to be on something I want 100%, not a surprise.

The sales Julep has offered on the Maven program have been good ones.  It regularly retails for $19.99 a month.  Not bad when you consider that their nail polishes are $14 each.  Obviously the sales they have are to get you in the door and committed to the $20 a month.  But I couldn't refuse the offer for a penny.  Sadly, I do not see myself purchasing another Maven box.  I simply do not like the formulas of the nail polish and even $20 a month for two of them and another product is not enough to entice me to continue.

Amazingly Lush Shadows

If you follow me on Facebook, then you have seen the "sneak preview" photos I have posted of the eye shadows I am reviewing.  I came across these while I was looking for more of the 88- and 120-colored eye shadow palettes.  What caught my attention were the claims that these eye shadows are better than MAC's and "flight attendants swear by them" (whatever that sort of thing means).  Anyway, I came across a palette that was pretty inexpensive compared to other ones I found online.

The brand is called Miss Rose. It is sold in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.  The palette I got is the "Shiny 24-Color Wet Eye Shadow."  The colors look amazing in the photos, but when my package arrived, I was lost for words when I opened the palette.  These shadows have SO much shimmer and sparkle!  The colors are beautiful!   And some of the colors are quite similar, but I don't mind since I got this palette just to dip my toes in the Miss Rose water.  In fact, it gives me a reason to try out other palettes!  For now, I will let the product photos speak for themselves.

When I played with these eye shadows, I found that they are extremely soft.  My gut instinct was to use my fingers to apply them.  But I am a tactile person, if something looks like it has a rich texture, then I have to touch it.  Although, the shadows applied best with fingers, a sponge applicator would be my next choice and lastly, I would use a brush.  Since the shadows are so soft, you would really have to dig into it with a brush to load some shadow onto it.  And while I know fingers and sponge applicators are frowned upon, it's just my two cents.  Feel free to apply your shadows how you wish!

I have also found palettes that look identical to the Miss Rose brand.  Some brand names to keep an eye out for are Miss Beauty, Lijindie, Oumeidie, Angel Cosmetics and Angel London.

Dolly Wink Rainbow Crystals

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me that I love all things Japanese.   I lurk at my local Asian grocery store and take in all the beauty products they have to offer.  I covet most of the make-up I see in the Taiwanese magazines I pick up.  The packaging is always awesome and many of the products are quite innovative.

The product I recently picked up is a cream eyeshadow by Dolly Wink.  OH, how I lust for more stuff from Dolly Wink.  But for now, this will have to do.  The cream eyeshadow I picked up is called "Rainbow Sparkles."  Doesn't that sound divine??  Don't you want a rainbow of sparkles on your eyelids?  I know I DO!

 First things first, the packaging is very nice.  The small compact is held onto a card by a small, clear box.  The card folds out and has a lot of tips and info from Dolly Wink creator, Tsubasa Masuwaka.  She's a cutie too.

Upon opening the eyeshadow, it looks like a basic white shimmer at first.  Then when you look closer, you can see tons of tiny flashes of multicolored reflections (which, sadly, don't really show in the photos).  Rainbow sparkle action.  Oh yeah!
 

The photo below, with the product blended out on my arm, shows the best rainbow-sparkly-goodness I could capture with my camera.  It's a really pretty effect.

This is a product I would recommend as a highlighter, whether on the brow or the face or as a stand-alone color for the eyelids.  It stays creamy.  There is some creasing, but it doesn't really bother me with light-colored cream shadows because it just takes a swipe of a finger to smooth it out.  I am thinking this would be great for those summer days when you don't want to fuss with your make-up since you're going to the beach or the pool.  It's quick, easy and very pretty.

You will have to shop around if you are interested in Dolly Wink.  There are quite a few online stores that carry it.  You will find some products on eBay.  This particular product will be around $17 and $19.

Wholesalers and Discounters: Do or Don't?

I've been lurking around various cosmetics discount and wholesale stores that sell to the general public.  I've done my research and read blogs and reviews of sites.  I've taken into consideration that most of the time, products are dead stock or testers.  Sometimes the products may be sold because they are "scratch and dent" products or they may have the wrong label, be not quite the color they should be, there are any number of reasons products end up in the hands of these discount sites.  Does this mean they are not usable?  No.  Does this mean they are beyond their shelf-life?  Maybe.

I took a chance and ordered from AllCosmeticsWholesale.com.  I came across their site and they have an incredible selection of stuff on clearance, there are like 47 pages of it!  (I always check sale stuff first.)     Some brands you may have heard of like Stila, Lola, Pop Beauty, Pixi and MAC.  Other ones, like Gaultier's Le Male line (I am guessing it's make-up for men?), you may not have ever seen before.  But with the great prices they have to offer, it's worth it (to me) to try something out.  Nothing I ordered was over $6.99!!

I read some reviews about AllCosmeticsWholesale.com and the thing that worried me the most is that if you have any problems and need to deal with customer service, apparently it is a huge hassle and their customer service is sub-par.  And if any of you are regular followers of my blog, then you know I am a magnet for problems when I place orders!  So, I hoped Murphy's Law may kick in and I placed a small order.  That way if there were any problems, I wouldn't be out a lot of money. 

Now, to the good stuff.  I placed my order on the 12th and it arrived on the 14th.  Two days from Washington State to North Carolina is pretty darn good!  It was packaged well, in a USPS Priority box which was inside a USPS Priority envelope.  Once I opened the box, I found all the products securely wrapped in bubble wrap.  It was great.  Now, one gripe I have is that the shipping is EXPENSIVE.  I paid over $10 in shipping and the small flat rate box mails for $5.25.  And since they used USPS packaging, the only separate shipping expense they had was the bubble wrap, gas and time to take it to the post office.  So, when you think about it, it's not THAT bad.

  I got two mini Pixi eyeshadow palettes, a Pixi blush, three pots of Stila Barbie stuff, two Pop Beauty eyeliners and the Tokidoki eyeshadow Smashbox put out.  Everything was pristine.  The Pixi blush was labeled "tester", so it did not come with a brush in the little tray that slides out underneath.  That bummed me out a little, but it's no biggie, it's not like I don't have any brushes of my own!

Overall, I had no issues with AllCosmeticsWholesale.com.  The shipping was fast and packed well.  The items were pristine.  I think as long as you stick to powder products and some pencils, you really won't have to worry that they are going to expire.  I would worry a little more about lipsticks and lip glosses.  When they go rancid, you will know it and it won't be usable.   When looking at these sites and reading reviews, I'd say go with your gut.  I know ACW was very clear about if something was damaged or mislabeled, not all sites may be like that.  If you feel like it's too much of a gamble, don't do it.  But I tend to be adventurous when looking for deals. 

Have you purchased from any discount site before?  What sorts of experiences did you have?  Please comment below.