Makeup Show – Sometimes Yaya

Armour Lip Gloss

Tell me when you have a single day of not needing a lip gloss. No go ahead, tell me… I’ll wait. If there are in fact days that I can’t make it for long without my lip gloss, ipod, or cell phone – I feel naked without these! How sad!

If my bag doesn’t have lip products, my money inevitably gets spent on something new. Most of the time it’s on a cheap filler product and other times on a great newbie. The case with this Armour Beauty lipgloss was neither. I was at The Makeup Show (and going to the show, you can surely expect to spend money before you leave) and met the folks behind the company. They had a quaint setup for the product, and the packaging is pretty smooth too. I invested in a single gloss and promised to do a thorough review.

The first major win for me was the packaging. I love a good packaged product y’all. If you’re a regular reader on MOJ, you will know this to be a fact. Great packaging is the way into my wallet and heart!

Want to know more about the brand? Check out the info from their ‘About’ page:

p.s. I’m still figuring out the coding for this darn setup, so instead of having a ‘continue reading’ link, please click on the post title to read the rest! If you know the answer to my dilemma, I’d love to hear it!

The color of choice? Dreaming. I always try to get a shimmery gold tone gloss when I try out lip products. Why? Well, the color is generally a pleasing color to look at on everyone. No matter the skin tone, outfit, makeup, etc. The other reason, equally important, is that this shade is the favorite for Mama Yaya. She is the sole benefactor of the goodies that run through my credit card statements, so I try to purchase the ones she won’t roll her eyes at (unless they’re neons and purples – that’s all for me).

The ingredient list

Though the packaging was snazzy looking, the solid glass (or really tough plastic?) made it seem like I’d be losing out on a lot of quality gloss when it came down to the last ounces. I’d have to find out if it’s microwavable, because then we’d be talking. Another downer? The sponge tip applicator. Brushes and plastic wedge tips work best for not sucking up your product, as well as keeping it minimal on the bacteria end.

Left image is without gloss and right is with. The left came out a bit blurry, but I didn’t pick up on it until the gloss was on and ready for a close up.

Despite all the cons of the gloss, it is very effective. Being that I bought a shimmer gloss (check out the shimmer and opaque varieties here), I can’t talk much about the color – this baby is clear. The shimmer packs a punch though! It does not, and I mean not budge. Unlike other glosses, this one does not leave you with a glitter mustache. All the goods stay right on the kisser!

The consistency is a bit stickier than I expected, but it’s not a nuisance. The best part of it all was how long the gloss lasted past my drinking iced tea straight from the bottle, munching on snacks, talking, etc. I’d say it stayed on for over three hours, and started to fade after that, though the shimmer stayed for a good five to six.

The glosses retail for $19 so it’s not necessarily perfect for an impulse, ‘forgot my regular gloss’ purchase. You know, unless you got it like that. If you’re looking for a ‘by my side forevermore’ gloss though, I’d suggest you take the gamble.

What gloss is rocking your socks?

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Paperself Lashes

I love writing about beauty and fashion, and as my knowledge and skills expand, so does my awareness of all the products around the world. What is beautiful, what is accepted, what is taboo, who sees what how. It was a similar AHA moment that occurred when I was at the Makeup Show (yeah a little tardy with the news – don’t judge!) and met the folks from Paperself.

Have you ever wanted eyelashes that were in shapes of things, rather than just intricate strands to elongate your lashes? Yes, we’ve all seen and tried feathers, but actual designs? Horses and peaches? Are you ready for this?

What is Paperself and who is behind it?

“Paperself is a platform for the innovative exploration of paper for contemporary product design.

Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, paper has enabled the world to communicate. It has bought continents closer together, educated millions and for centuries has provided a canvas for creation, experimentation and the realization of ideas. Paper is everywhere and now it is evolving into a new dimension.

Launched in 2009 by London based designer Chunwei Liao, Paperself unites artists, designers and manufacturers from East to West. Challenging conventions of product design, Paperself offers a stylish alternative in furniture, homeware and accessories for eco-conscious living.“ (source site)

These made me think of Alice in Wonderland…

These lashes are the regular size of lashes by the way. The designs are tiny and beyond intricate!

A little blurry, but these are zebras.

You can have either full length or shorter length. For just a little oomph at the sides of your eyes.

Some of the ladies behind the brand’s table were sporting the lashes. So of course, I demanded (ok asked nicely…) to take a photo of them.

The lashes are beyond interesting and intriguing and I love that a company that creates items for the house can also create beauty items. The delicate designs absolutely rock my world but I do have reservations.

First – this is completely new and I need to wrap my mind around it. That’s not a negative, it’s more like that commercial about being “emotionally unprepared” for a package coming to your door so quickly. I’ll get around to it. Next there’s the look. I am digging the mini option, because I can totally imagine rocking out the corner of the eye designs but I don’t think I can rock the full eyelid length. Do you think you can?

Lastly, these babies cost a pretty penny. Eighteen dollars a pair to be exact. Before you hang up your Paperself dreams, think about how much work must go into creating such a delicate design. Then think about how much you already shell out for beauty products and save up for these babies if you want to rock em. They are sold in very few places and are working on a direct e-commerce site. I found them as an online exclusive to Urban Outfitters in the US.

What do you think? Would you rock a pair of these?

http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid4724-679582-60&look=1992341&width=3&height=1&layouttype=0&border=0&footer=0

More Urban Outfitters…

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Are you too old for temporary tats?

Recently I volunteered to babysit a tot of a friend. Just as I was asking this young gentleman to do homework, he was busy using water to adhere a temporary tattoo. It took some negotiating, but don’t doubt my parental guardian skills y’all, I still got him to do the work! Soon as he settled down though, I sat by the computer chuckling at the coincidences in life.

Not too long ago, at The Makeup Show New York, I came across a childhood past-time crossing over into the laps of beauty gals. Glitter body art tattoos from Glimmer Body Art.

I admit I was skeptical at first. Really? Temporary tattoos? and glitter? Disaster in the works. Wrong! I was stuck waiting in line watching how these fab tattoos applied.

Check it out:

Caught a glimpse of the temp tattoo on the artist who was doing the demos for people. This is the one that made me go hmmm – this is kinda cute!

How to, a photo journal (I was a fly on the wall as the artist applied a tattoo on a person at the show):

First you stick the stencil on the desired area on your body (ankles, wrists, necks, and forearms were popular choices). I asked if these stencils could be reused and got a doubtful answer. The stencils aren’t that expensive so I’d say you could part with it after one time use.

Apply special glue over stencil. Fill space of tattoo properly so that glitter will stick.

I was surprised I got this shot so well. Here, you remove the stencil – almost like turning a page, just peel. I wanted to highlight the part where the glue is, but my camera did me proud and capture it pretty well. Can you see it?

The artist used a makeup brush to apply glitter and a piece of paper to catch the debris under the area of application. This is also a genius idea to waste less glitter, as you can just reuse the fallout.

Just brush color on with reckless abandon.

Cover all parts of glue that you want with each color. In this instance, the person getting the tattoo requested two colors.

Apply second color where you want.

Blend glitter around so that the two colors blend in between well and maybe even mix.

Brush all excess glitter off. Voila!

The stencils range from $.50 to $2 each. Not at all cheesy and not expensive either.

The artist told me that these can last several days and up to a week, depending on where it is and how it’s used. For example, I can imagine that if you wax your legs and do a body scrub, your ankle glitter tattoo won’t last too long. Otherwise they’re a great hint of unexpected sass.

I was won over with these bad boys. How about you?

If you do parties or large events, you may want to consider getting the pro kit. Just for yourself? They got small sets, and themed sets. Check out the website here.

Would you try a Glitter Tattoo?

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