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.

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.

24 Hour Color Tattoo For Eyes

It wasn't that long ago that I read about this new product by Maybelline, called Color Tattoo by Eyestudio.  On it's label, it touts that it lasts 24 hours.  In my skeptical mind, I was thinking this is too good to be true, as these sort of things usually are.  But I was intrigued and figured I would try a color out.  The colors come in little glass pots and vary from light and neutral to very vivid and bright.  I chose "Fierce & Tangy" because everyone knows that's a perfect description for me!  Seriously though, I chose it because it was a lovely, orange color.  I decided if I was going to review one, it should be a fun color.

I swatched the color on my arm around 3:00 on Tuesday afternoon.  The color was bright, with good pigmentation.  Then the waiting game began.  I decided to take another photo around 12:20 AM.  The color still looked great.  In fact, I paid a little more attention and noticed that was a nice, soft sparkle to it.  After that, I went to sleep.  When I woke up the next morning, it was faded, but it was still there!  By this time, I was already sold on this product.  And even though I had made up my mind, I figured I'd leave it on and see what happens.  I can tell you it was still on at 3:00 Wednesday afternoon.  What's even more remarkable is that it was STILL on my arm when I woke up this morning, which is Thursday.  Granted, it's very faint now, but it's still there!

The 12:12 photo is under artificial light the rest are daylight.

 

With endurance testing like that, I decided I must go out and get the other colors I was interested in, so I went out and picked up some more.  I got Too Cool (a white shimmer), Audacious Asphalt (a shimmery, dark gray) and Tough as Taupe (a creamy, neutral taupe). What I like about these is that they are fast and easy.  Sure, I like to take my time and create some very elaborate looks that show off my skills, but it's not really practical on a day to day basis.  I am a mom who is frequently rushing around from place to place.  I love make-up I can apply and blend with my fingers.  It's an easy way to get a nice, smoky look.  Please take into consideration that the afternoon light was fading fast and we've had clouds moving in all day, hence the tone difference in the photos below.

Too Cool, Tough as Taupe and Fierce & Tangy

Too Cool and Audacious Asphalt