Tick:Tock Giveaway!

The Velvet Rose Petal Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tick:Tock Cosmetics Giveaway! Closed!

Black Friday brought many sales, including a great deal from Tick:Tock Cosmetics.  Among the offers, I bought a few, one was a mega stocking stuffer which included three full size shadows, 6 samples and 1 Infinity Eye Shadow Base in Milky Way. The other, a full set of samples of their main line with an IES base.  After talking with Tiffany she agreed to six deluxe samples (these are at least 1/4 tsp (double the normal size) which is about 1/2 the size of a normal 5gr jar.) and sent a full size of the eye shadow base as well!

I have to tell you, that I was really pleased with the shadows.  I received full sizes in High Noon, Salvador Dali and Grandfather clock.  All three home runs for me.  As I usually do, I asked the owner for suggestions - and Tiffany did not disappoint.  In addition, she sent three samples of her choice for the giveaway.  Again - all really nice, pigmented shadows with a lot of sparkle.  Some of the colors are more spectacular than they are described by Tick:Tock.  Grandfather Clock has more glitter than just gold - there's some copper or red or something in it.  The one thing in their favor is that they have close-ups of their shadows in jars, that show how gorgeous these shades can be.

• High Noon: a light brown with a hint of shimmer. 
• Salvador Dali: a deep purple with purple and red shimmer and purple glitter.
• Grandfather Clock: a rich chocolatey brown with loads of gold shimmer and gold glitter

• Stop...Zombie Time! is a yellowish green with blue and aqua shimmer.
• Time Warp... Again: A true black, loaded with every color of shimmer imaginable.
• Time Square: a dark silver with loads of shimmer and sparkle.

This is my first experience with eye shadow bases from indie companies.  I really like this product.  everything above was swatched over Milky Way.  At $4.00 for a 5gr jar, they are a good deal.

And now for the giveaway!  Thank you to Tick:Tock Cosmetics for their generosity.

The teeny tiny fine print: All opinions are my own, no matter how ridiculous. I did not beg, borrow or steal the products that I reviewed. I purchased them with my own lunch money. Honest and semi-coherent reviews are the way to make a distinction between great companies who hand-formulate their products and those who take mica - repackage it, slap an organic/all natural tag on their products and call themselves a mineral make-up company. Honesty is my policy, even if I hurt a few feelings along the way.

The products for this giveaway were provided by Tick:Tock cosmetics.  All swatches from my own personal inventory. 

FYI:  I am left handed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Current Indie Sales

• Tick:Tock Cosmetics - One year birthday sale.  25% off almost everything in the store.  Order $15.00 or more and receive a free full size of "First Birthday".  No code needed. Ends 4/22

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One Hand Washes The Other (OHWTO) - Review!

How do you start a review when you are so awestruck by a company, that you are afraid of not maintaining your objective viewpoint?  I guess you just do your best.

Several months ago, I read a review by Phyrra about OHWTO (One Hand Washes The Other) and her raves about the "Black Magic" soap.  Honestly, I read reviews but hesitate strongly when it comes to ordering things like face moisturizers, body sprays, perfume oils and the like.  I feel that I am very persnickety when it comes to what smells good.  There's no scratch and sniff Internet, so you are left to the descriptions by said purveyors and recommendations.

Upon a strong recommendation, I ordered a bottle of the Halloween LE scent "Burning Times".  I really love clove - and seeing that it's the second ingredient, I thought perhaps it would be worth a try.  I have always been a floral/woodsy type.  This is a big departure from my comfort zone.  All I can say is, I'm so thrilled that I ordered this scent.  It's very complex.  Here is the description:

Burning Times: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"; motivated by fear, or some would say, by greed, the execution of a with nearly always included the burning of her body, though the method of dispatch may have varied. Vanilla, Clove, Patchouli, Pink Peppercorn, a hint of Suede, Red Musk, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Cedarwood, and the smoldering Embers of a thousand years.

I've been stopped on the street by someone who couldn't resist the scent and decided to inquire.  It really is that amazing.  And as I have come to realize, almost all of the scents I have tried have been sublimely complex.  Some more pleasing than others, but that is the reality of our individuality.  What I do know is that the scent descriptions are dead on accurate.  You can read one, and see if you like the scents involved. 

With my original bottle, I received three very nice solid scent samples.

Satsuma (Body Shop type): A sweet Japanese citrus fruit, this is the sweetest citrus scent I've ever smelled. It reminds me of clementines at Christmas.

Lady Grey: Based on Earl Grey tea, Lady Grey has the bergamot and black tea notes you'd expect in such a scent, along with a touch of lightly floral musk, vanilla bourbon, and Immortelle. (available as a perfume oil/solid scent only) 

Desolation Angel: A rich blend of scents: cracked coconuts and fresh limes dance amongst swirls of dark musky woods, hint of vanilla, and a sprinkle of powder. This scent would smell great on men or women- it's one of my personal favorites.

Unfortunately, none of these were home runs for me.  All good scents - just individual preference.

My second order included a backup bottle of Burning Times along with a couple solid scents, one of which is Calveras.

Calveras -Named for the sugar skulls which adorn the Day of the Dead altars, this fragrance is sweet and spicy. Cinnamon, sugar, orange, and sweetened breads dressed up with a smattering of dried roses on a sandalwood altar.

I also received:

1605: 36 barrels of gunpowder, a faint yet insistent wisp of church incense, and a wafting of bonfire smoke. Warm ginger bread and a tall mug of hearty stout. Inspired by the story of Guy Fawkes, and created to evoke the tale every time you wear it. Opening mainly as a food scent, 1605 dries down to a warm, spicy and softly smoky scent- I can totally imagine this being worn and enjoyed by both guys and girls, and smelling great on all of them.

Lost at Sea: You can almost taste the salty sea air as it crashes against the bow of the ship, being cast about amongst the wild green and blue waves. Inhale deeply the tropical bounty of coconuts which could only have been bestowed upon you by Neptune himself, and the bouquet of citrus fruits brought aboard and stowed in the ship's hold for just such an occasion, and have not a care in the world that you are lost at sea.

Raspberry Gingerale: Ripe red raspberries floating up and down in a pitcher of freshly-poured gingerale, thanks to help from millions of fizzy pinprick bubbles. A touch of blackcurrant adds a syrupy sweetness to the blend without weighing it down. A bright and lively scent!

Waes Hail(LE): Be you healthy! A wonderfully uplifting sentiment, wishing you nothing but good things for the upcoming year. Tart Cranberries, mulling Spices, & Frankincense resin

I Smell Like A Witch: A special request for Luna of Toxid-Lotus.net, I smell like a Witch came about when a little boy told her that the combination of scents she was wearing made her smell "like a witch". Heh. Red & White Roses, Cotton Candy, Bubble Gum, Smoke, Sandalwood, Patchouli & Vanilla Bean

Quite frankly I like every single one, the I Smell Like A Witch - is not my style - but it could have been a custom made for my best friend, and no one would have been the wiser. (She'll be experiencing OHWTO.)  1605 is almost gone, I cannot get enough of it.  It smells amazing.  Lost At Sea and Waes Hail are definitely purchases.  Raspberry Gingerale smells just like you would expect it to smell, it will be a nice summer scent.

I also received a lip balm in Melon.  I can't decide if it smells and tastes like melon - or if the scent is so good that it's fooling my taste buds into believing they are tasting melon.

Last but not least, Black Magic soap.  I ordered a sample of this product.  I have read miraculous reviews on this product.  People were able to throw down their crutches and...be healed!  It's not their faith though, it is the great product that worked its magic.  I have always had a very good complexion, so for me, it was nice - not drying - but the only thing my face needs is a face lift.  No creams or soaps will accomplish that.  If you have a skin problem or you just want a great cleanswer(tm) give this a whirl. 

Becca makes other products aside from perfumes.  The stock varies, you have to check the website to see what's available.  She is also very responsive, emailing her is also welcomed for some individual advice.

I find the store to be difficult to navigate.  The best avenue is to click on the "Site Map" and check out the products by category - or if you are a tourist, click on the "All Items" and check out everything page by page.  

Take it from a very discriminating nose, this one is worth taking a chance.  You'll not be sorry.

Mundane details:  5ml amber glass bottle of perfume oil is $9.00 US.  .15oz oval tube of solid fragrance is $4.00 US.  1ml sample vials of perfume oils, $2.00 each.  Prices on the Black Magic vary, its available in three delivery methods; bars, jars and tubes.  The shipping seems very affordable.  Your choice, first class or flat rate. Receiving a package from her is quite fun.  She throws all sorts of random things in there, stickers, puzzles, suckers, candy - you name it.  One other very cool thing, if you order something that can be placed in a tiny manila envelope she seals it with wax and her mark.

What OHWTO scents do you love?

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Persephone Minerals Swatches!

Persephone Minerals participated in the Black Friday bonanza.  I couldn't resist purchasing some samples to try.  In addition to the Christmas LE colors, I also ordered several other samples.  As anyone who purchases from Persephone will tell you, her stuff is just amazing.  It's always pleasing when swatching isn't hard work.  The colors glide on, the glitter is well placed - and the essence of the shade is easily captured.

Infinity is a deep sexy silver-grey that shifts to violet, complete with blue-violet sparkle.
Mars Crystal Power -Inspired by the pink & gold crystal power wands and the transformation sequence of Sailor Mars. This is one hell of a duochrome shift from bright red to gold, chock full of pink and gold sparkle! It looks like a pinkish color in the jar, but do not let that fool you! 
Super Sailor Moon -Inspired by both the transformation sequence & the costume itself. This is sort of white with a touch of yellow to it, topped of with red, blue and yellow crystalina glitters ;)
Eternal Sailor Moon- When dry this will shift a slight bit towards white, but when foiled like this it stays more of a paler gold. It is perfected by the touch of yellow and pink crystalina glitters. 

Moon Cosmic Power - A coppery/pink/gold shift filled with teeny sparkles of aqua & pink! Inspired by....okay I think I'm sounding redundant, no? The name says it all!

Moon Crystal Power- A shift from pink to gold, leaning more on the pink side when foiled. I'm sure you already guessed the inspiration for this :) This also has a little dose of red & white crystalina glitters. 

Buttercream Bliss - This is a buttery, creamy decadance topped with gold sparkle. 

Withering Roses is a light dusty rose pink with a bit of an almost coppery-coral glow to it. Can make a great blush or highlight as well :D

Rained is a deeper, lovely earthy brown with almost a purple tinge to it. It is super sparkly! The sparkles in this one are tricky ;) Depending on the angle, they can appear either pink or blue-violet.

Magick Brownie -A super shimmery shift from chocolate brown to herbal green to almost a grey color. A very complex color.

Prosirpine- the Roman name for Persephone.  This is really the surprise of the group, the shift from teal to purple is amazing depending on the light.  

My full size purchases will definitely include Prosirpine, Buttercream Bliss, Moon Crystal Power and Eternal Sailor Moon.  Really all of the shades are complex and really different.

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Persephone Minerals - Christmas LE Swatches!

I received a nice envelope full of sparkly goodness from Persephone Minerals.  I have swatched some of the Holiday Collection shadows. You can find the entire collection here. First two pictures are swatched over Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Pixie130 (pale champagne).

Gingerbread House- A golden-gingery shade loaded with gumdrop sparkles of gold, blue & pink.  (This really looks like gingerbread.  An uncommon color. This has a medium amount of glitter.)

Corrupt Cupid- A festive burst of red, green, gold, silver & white sparkle. Perfect on it's own or layered over other shades. (Almost has a wintery white feel to it.  Very sparkly.)

Dirty Dancer- A deep shimmering sage green with green & silver-grey sparkle. (This is what a blue spruce Christmas tree looks like.  Very sparkly.)

Buttermint- A pale, glowing yellow highlight glistening with sparkles of bright yellow & duotone sparkles or red-yellow. (This has a nice shift, but I wouldn't describe it as glistening.  It's not matte, nor frost - a bit inbetween.)

Bad Blitzen- A lovely yellow-green with a yellow-gold shift & gold, silver & green shimmer.

These are all swatched over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.  

As you can see, they all really show their character once epoxy has entered the scene.  I highly recommend PE (or a similar glitter glue) for all of these shadows, it really showcases the beauty.

Do you own any Persephone shadows?  What do you like the best?

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Dawn Eyes Cosmetics - Swatches! LE Christmas 2011

Wanted to get these Christmas themed shades out for everyone to see.   These beauties can be found here.

Candy Cane - Bright true red shimmering with loads of silver and red sparks. Delicious!!
Sugarplum Dreams - Deep beautiful burgundy dancing with red and green sparkle. An excellent crease or lip color! Just dab a little over lip gloss for a very sugarplum look!
Frankincense & Myrrh - A deep and textured brown, glittering with gold, red, purple, blue, and copper sparkle. This shade will make you love brown, even if you don't!
Rum Eggnog - Buttery and soft, sweet and smooth, this goldish pale orange tinted with hints of beige and golden sparkle, and sprinkled with brilliant dark copper sparks will make you thirsty indeed! Watch for the kick!!

The immediate winner is Frankincense and Myrrh, followed by Sugarplum Dreams. Lots more in her holiday collection to try out.

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Moi Minerals - Swatches!

I won the most amazing color, Obsessed from Moi Minerals.  I decided to buy five samples, and was given a complimentary sample as well.  The first are swatches over Pixie Epoxy.  These are three very beautiful liner type shadows.  All black based, swatching over the epoxy enables you to see the difference between the three shades.  Poison Ivy and Galaxy really stand out for me.

These were swatched with water.  Admittedly, I had a difficult time with Cactus and Spring.  I'm not sure if it was operator error, or the composition of the shadows.  Cactus really is unique - it looks like gold but when swatched it looks very much like a very pale cactus (celery).  The green shift is apparent, a real chameleon.  Mercy doesn't even come close to showing it's beauty with water swatches, further below is a sample over epoxy.

Zombie Bride definitely has a greenish shift in it.  I didn't find Groom to be as interesting, but they are definitely complimentary.  Obsessed is just fabulous on several levels.  It is that gorgeous magenta color that I loved so much as a kid.  Like Mercy, it needs to be used with epoxy to show the true character.

Moi's description of Mercy: "Its a deep Purple with Blue Lights When Applied and then color shifts to a Rose/Copper.. But once applied Foiled (WET)is where the Magic Begins...This Color turns into a ''Metallic Copper'' with hints of Blue shimmer a slight Purple undertone, The picture doesn't show the blue well but its there and its amazing!!!"  That's very accurate - and even more so with epoxy.

Her description for Obsessed isn't readily available right this minute, but I'll secure the description.  I can only describe it as a color that I am so glad that I own in a full size.  It's very beautiful.

Do you own any Moi Minerals?

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Simply Just Minerals - Swatches!

I have an inordinate number of colors to get swatched for Simply Just Minerals.  Here are twelve.  These shadows all apply very well and adhere with no issue.

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Dawn Eyes Cosmetics - Swatches

I satisfied my craving for DEC by ordering some samples and a full size of Peacock Teal II. These shadows did not disappoint.  You can see the swatch of Peacock Teal II here.

Pine Plus - The same classic green as Pine but bursting with green sparkle.

SMR - My version of AL Angels Suzanne Marie Rose, a metallic golden beige bedecked with green and pink sparks and a healthy dose of holographic glitter! Suzanne Marie Rose is my Mother.

Close to Coral - This hard to classify shade has a light brownish base but is loaded with so much pink sparkle that it turns out…close to coral.

Purple Velvet - This dark purple-black absolutely blazes with purple, violet, and blue sparkle! Photography simply can't do it justice. 

Playoff White - A pearly white with pink and gold sparks!

Late Fall - A medium dark brown with a touch of russet, glimmering with green, blue, and especially violet sparks.

Treasure Chest - Very pale mauvy beige loaded with pink and copper sparkle.

Pain in the Pink - Pretty light pink dancing with golden sparkle and a hint of pink shimmer.

Peach Bubbly - A pale pearly peach twinkling with silver sparks.

Verdant Dark Brown - A deep brown with a slight burgundy undertone and gleaming with blue, green, and golden sparks.

Orange Sherbet - A bright flashy orange loaded with gold sparkle.

Purple Velvet is pretty neat.  I took a blurred shot so you could see the sparkles in it.  This reminds me of an Elvis black velvet painting!

I really like all of the shades. My absolute favorite is Treasure Chest. I also like Close to Coral, SMR and Playoff White.  I'm always looking for shades that are perfect for an Ohio State fan and this one fits the bill. 

Do you own any DEC shadows?  Which are your favorites?

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Darling Girl Giveaway! - Closed

October brought us Breast Cancer Awareness month. Along with that, was a collective beauty blogger effort called Team Pink Eye to help raise funds for Susan B. Komen for the Cure.  Many companies graciously offered their products to be used in weekly giveaways.  One of the donors was, Susan from Darling Girl Cosmetics.  She created a limited edition shadow that could be purchased, or won.  I had the amazing luck to have won her giveaway two weeks in a row.  I talked with Susan about doing a giveaway to bestow the LE shadow onto someone who perhaps missed the opportunity. 

Below is a swatch of "Twin Peaks" LE 2011 BCA shadow by Darling Girl Cosmetics.  It is an absolutely beautiful shade.  A low-sheen plush shadow with glitter and a slight gold sheen.  The glitter looks like a very fine periwinkle color to my eyes.  The shadow looks very lavender like in the jar, but the character comes out depending on how you apply it. First is a light application blended, the second is bare but much heavier and the last is over Pixy Epoxy.

In addition, Susan offered up five deluxe samples of her spectral shifts. From her webstore "Spectral Shifts are silky, sheer multipurpose shades that can be used as eye shadow, face highlighters or depending on your complexion blush. Don't let the colors fool you. Most of a shift that makes them very wearable."

Mystique is a gorgeous robins egg blue with a delicate pink shift.
Morbid Angel is an oddly pretty highlight shade. It's a smokey lilac taupe with a just the barest hint of green iridescence.
Haze - Beautiful taupe with violet shift and purple and red iridescence.
Ramblin' Rose is a gorgeous ecru with a delicate red shift.
Little Miss Sunshine is a gorgeous buttery yellow with the loveliest red shift.

I recently found these cute little lipstick rounds from Jane Cosmetics.  There seem to be about 4 varieties of them.  Taffeta (warm corals/peach), Satin (cool pinks), Brocade (reds) and Leather (mixed).  I picked up a couple extra of the Satin and Leather to toss in with this giveaway.  I really love these little things.  They make it easy and quite inexpensive to try different shades.  I am still trying to hone my lip selections - and these are just great - plus they have that cool compartment underneath them to store the brush with mirror.

On the left is the Satin collection, the right is the Leather. I swatched the Leather collection first on bare skin, it didn't turn out as well  The Satin which is swatched over Rock A Betty's  "Stay Put, Already" color-locking lip serum. I intend to reswatch Leather over the RABB lip serum. The Leather collection is now swatched over RABB's serum.

That leads us to the most exciting part of this post.  All of these items are up for grabs. This giveaway is open to participants in the US and internationally, unless prohibited by law.  The approximate value of the prizes is $20.00 US.

This contest is open from November 30, 2011 - December 23, 2011 at 11:59pm EDT.

Feel free to leave more than one memory/comment.  All these special memories remind me of many I cherish - I'd love to hear any and all of yours.

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