Monday, July 25, 2011

Morgana Cryptoria: 2011 Lipstick Swatches

I just realised I've had these pretties for quite a while but haven't swatched them yet! WHAT. These are from the 2011 lipstick range, and I got them during a full moon sale so I effectively got one for free :)

Cocoa

Very much a my lips but nude-r shade :) I've been wearing this to work over a lip balm on days when I feel like something more beige than pink.

Roses and Violets

My other go-to colour. It's just so pretty and effortless! Anyone that knows me will tell you I'm not into pink. At. All. But something about this lipstick just makes me feel so girly and pretty without being saccharine... the faint violet sheen and rosy scent helps :)

Shrieking Orange

This lipstick was a lot more... light orange than I expected. I don't think it looks good on me at all, and as you can see from the swatch pic, it clings to all my lip lines and dry patches. To make this a bit more wearable, I smooth some Sobe Botanicals Gothstix in Panic over the top - it deepens the colour and makes it a bit more creamy.

It doesn't look super different on here but in person it makes a HUGE difference. Oh and one other thing about Shrieking Orange... it stains.
That's after literally a few minutes. It's this crazy neon coral which I actually REALLY love. I suspect I may be using Shrieking Orange for its staining properties more than I use it for an actual lipstick! :P Bees Knees from the new 1920s collection looks a bit more up my alley.

Gilded Lime


I'm not super keen on metallic or frosty lipsticks, they always either are patchy on me or accentuate my liplines thus making me look dreadfully dehydrated (I mean, I am a lot of the time, but who wants to see that?!) but HHHNNGGGHH I love this colour so much. The golden sheen makes it look so luxe.

I still have a bunch more I want to get in tubes, but at least I have a decent lip brush now (from Furless, review of those coming soon) so I can use my potted ones. I know a lot of people have been put off by the latest lipstick price raises at Morgana, and the shortage of samples, but... I honestly believe her formulas and her colour range are worth it. And how about those new balms?! I can't even BEGIN to narrow them down to "ones I really actually would wear" versus the "OMGPRETTY" ones versus the "I gotta see that in person" versus the... yeah When I have money again I think I might just join the Lipstick Coven.

Blog sale! Other makeups and cosmetics

Ok ladies, same deal as before! ALL PRICES IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS.

Postage will be a flat $5 for Aussie girls, and $10 for overseas. I'll be using bubble envelopes. Payment through Paypal, no returns, yadda yadda. Please leave a comment with your Paypal email and your desired items, and I'll email you with details for payment. First come first serve, and I will try to cross things off as they go. IF you have questions about items please EMAIL me at the.jade.carver at gmail dot com, as I will be able to answer questions a lot faster that way. I will be doing post office trips 2-3x a week and will email you when your sparklies have been posted.

Non-indie
Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach (usage as shown) $4
Sleek Pout Polish in Pink Cadillac (usage as shown) $4
Sleek Pout Polish in Perfect Plum (usage as shown) $4

Benefit Eyecon trial/travel sized, used 2-3x $3

OCC Lip Tar in Katrice (violet-purple) used 2-3x, $5





Stargazer lipstick (old packaging) #110 (black), used 1-2x, $3





ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, used once $3












OHWTO
Solid Scent in Lemon Sugar, unused but not wrapped, $4 (comes with unused scent samples in Serendipity and Fresh)

Shiro Cosmetics
Intertube samples, ALL used 2-3x and some dented/gouged from swatching:




Robe and Wizard Hat $1
Sad Keanu $1
Yo Dawg $1
Numa Numa $1
Leeroy Jenkins $1
Rickrolled $1
Chocolate Rain $1

Morgana Cryptoria
Lipstick pots, ALL used 2-3x
Otherworldly $4
Cotton Candy $4
Absinthe $4

High Voltage Cosmetics







Jesse's Girl Lip Whip, used 2-3x, $3
She's Got the Look Lip Whip, used 2-3x, $3
Jesse's Girl Amplified lipstick, used 4-5x, $3








Sobe Botanicals




Fortune duochrome blush sample in jar, $1
Noveau duochrome blush sample in jar, $1

Friday, July 22, 2011

Matchy-matching LOTD

You are about to be treated to a dose of my EXTREEEEEEEME colour-coordinating skills.

Here is the shirt I wore today:



Here is the eye look: Sugarpill Midori and Tako, false demi-lashes, and Covergirl Liquifyes Liner.



Lips: Morgana Cryptoria Shreiking Orange with Sobe Botanical's Gothstix in Panic over the top.


Lastly, nails: Zoya Harley.


Problem? What problem???

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Blog sale! Eyeshadows ONLY

I'll have another post with some more miscellaneous items and then another one for nail polishes (which will be Australian only, sorry international peeps!) ALL PRICES IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS.

Postage will be a flat $5 for Aussie girls, and $10 for anyone else. I'll be using bubble envelopes. Payment through Paypal, no returns, yadda yadda. Please leave a comment with your Paypal email and your desired items, and I'll email you with details for payment. First come first serve, and I will try to cross things off as they go. IF you have questions about items please EMAIL me at the.jade.carver at gmail dot com, as I will be able to answer questions a lot faster that way. I will be doing post office trips 2-3x a week and will email you when your sparklies have been posted.

Morgana Cryptoria

Limited Edition #1, full sized. Used 2-3x. $4
Limited Edition #18, full sized. Used 2-3x. $4

High Voltage Cosmetics

Heart Throb, sample in jar. Swatched 1x. $1
Betty, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Hot Rockin', sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Starbreaker, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1 (please note this jar has been recycled and does have another label under it. It's genuine High Voltage product though!)

Detroit Rock City, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Sunset Strip, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Cocktail Party, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Saturday Night, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1
Electric Boogie, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $1



Aromaleigh














Azure, sample in bag. Brand new, $2
Snow, sample in bag. Brand new, $2
Nightshift, sample in bag.  Used 2-3x. $1.50














Blacksunshine, sample in bag. Swatched 1x $2
Helterskelter, sample in bag. Used x2 $2
Atomic, sample in bag. Used x2-3 $1.50










Cascade, sample in jar. Used x2-3 $2
Gridlock, sample in jar. Used x2-3 $2
Odile, sample in jar. Used 1-2x $2










Godetia, sample in jar. Used 1-3x $2
Odette, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $2
Moonset, sample in jar. Swatched 1x $2










Veltvetgoldmine, FULL SIZE. Used 3-4x. $6
Livewire, FULL SIZE. Used 3-4x $6











Jigsawfeeling, FULL SIZE. Used 5-6x. $6 










Pure Opal Body Powder sample in jar. $3




Concrete Minerals


Bang-Up, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1
Zealous, sample in jar, used x2-3 $1
Souljourner, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1

Sassy Minerals










Schmooze, sample in jar, swatched $1
Atomic, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1
Fake It, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1












Elusive, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1
Radiate, sample in jar, used 1-2x $1
Gasoline Rainbow, sample in jar, swatched $1

Persephone Minerals










Moon Prism Power, sample in jar, swatched $1
Venus Crystal Power, sample in jar, swatched $1


Fyrinnae


Damn Paladins, sample in jar, used 2-3x $2 with BONUS, two unused free sample jars!


Sobe Botanicals










Set Sail sample in jar, used 2-3x $1.50 with BONUS OOAK shadow sample in jar
One Love sample in jar, used 2-3x $1.50 with BONUS OOAK shadow sample in jar
Fairy Tale sample in jar, used 2-3x $1.50 with two BONUS OOAK shadow samples in bags


Evil Shades










Royal Star glitter sample in jar, unused $2.00
Gryphon, sample in jar, swatched $1.50
Kharon, sample in jar, swatched $1.50


Australis










Intensifeye Palette in The Big Smoke, swatched only $4


NEXT part of the sale will contain lip products, perfume, and blushes.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Womanthology (cross-post)

**This was originally posted on my writing blog, but I wanted as many people as possible to see it so I'm posting it here as well.**


I'm feeling so many emotions right now. I'm elated, triumphant, hopeful and awed.






Womanthology is an anthology graphic novel created entirely by women for Charity. The purpose of the book is to showcase the works of female creators of every age and experience levels.

The Graphic Novel will majorly consist of many short stories interpreting our theme for this volume; "Heroic". We'll also have interviews and how-to's with some of the industry's top female pros, as well as talks with young girls who someday want a career in comics. Womanthology is an anthology graphic novel created entirely by women for Charity. The purpose of the book is to showcase the works of female creators of every age and experience levels.

The Graphic Novel will majorly consist of many short stories interpreting our theme for this volume; "Heroic". We'll also have interviews and how-to's with some of the industry's top female pros, as well as talks with young girls who someday want a career in comics.


I can't remember how I stumbled onto this project but I'm SO excited about it. They've gotten on board a bunch of new/indie comic book creators, but they've also had some big names join in. Two that I'm super duper excited about are Gail Simone (famous for a buttload of things but my favourite work of hers is Welcome To Tranquility) and Fiona Staples (who worked on Mystery Society, which I have to review soon because it's a seriously great comic book that ticks nearly all my boxes). I plan to check out the works of the other contributors when I can.   

Not only will this be an amazing book, but it's giving to charity and showcasing the talent of female creators! They've paired some newcomers with the seasoned pros, to give the new ladies some more experience, which will (fingers crossed) lead to more industry opportunities for them.

Their Kickstarter  (a website dedicated to helping fun creative projects) opened yesterday, with the goal of $25,000 for a print run of 1500 books. I logged onto Twitter this morning and a little over 24 hours later... $36,000 has been pledged. This is more than I, and those involved, could ever have hoped for. When I sat down to work out how much I could pledge, I had imagined that in the final days of July, I'd be anxiously watching the numbers crawl up to the final goal.

But it's not over. More money = more books and maybe even a second anthology. Even if you don't care about that, the rewards being offered for pledges are AMAZING and Renee is adding more as more pledges come in. Even if you don't give a shit about women in comic books, the profits are going to charity.

I urge you to check out their website and learn more about this project. If this stirs you, even just a little, go over to the Kickstarter page. Even $5 will help this amazing cause, and if you want a guaranteed copy of the anthology, pledging is the way to do that.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Review: Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour

I accrued enough Priceline points to get a $9 voucher. Woo! I decided I’d spend it on something fun rather than something boring like band-aids or an eyelash curler. So when I walked past the Lanolips stand for the zillionth time, I actually stopped and had a closer look.

Lanolips comes in a few different varieties: the original formula ointment, in a big white tube, and then coloured gloss versions. The only ones on the stand were Dark Honey and Apple, though I knew that there were at least two other, pinkier colours around. I selected Dark Honey, since it looked like a nice soft mauve-y shade. With my coupon it came to about $4.

The texture of these takes a bit of getting used to. It really is an ointment, but it does have a more lip-gloss formula, and when it wears off, the effect is like lip balm. It’s like your favourite lip gloss mixed with Pawpaw ointment, which is what I use on my lips at night. Horribly greasy, with no staying power but BOY do my lips feel good come morning! One of the main ingredients in the product is sweet almond oil, which gives it this lovely sweet, vaguely nutty scent. It also has coconut in there, but I can’t smell it (which is great for me because I dislike coconut intensely).

Lanolips aren’t sticky like traditional gloss but it has much more staying power than Vasoline or Pawpaw. It’s extremely glossy. I was disappointed at the colour payoff of Dark Honey, but when I swatched it on my hand, I realised it’s just because it was so close to my natural lip colour. Wear time is pretty good – I can get almost 5 hours wear if I don’t drink too much. You’ll feel a soft, not unpleasant residue on your lips after you’ve eaten, but if you want more gloss and colour you’ll need to reapply. I did actually wear Dark Honey to bed and woke up 7 hours later with a moisturising residue just like a balm, and my lips were as soft as they usually are after wearing Paw paw ointment overnight.




My tube had a little “$5 off your next Lanolips purchase” sticker on it, which ended in a few days. I wasn’t initially going to get another tube, but I happened to be working the last day of the promotion, and I have to walk past a Priceline to get to work, so… I accidentally bought Apple as well :P it’s a red gloss, and I really wasn’t expecting much from it, pigment-wise.



So I was pleasantly surprised! You do have to be a bit more careful applying Apple. If you end up with an uneven application of gloss, you’ll have patches of thicker colour on your lips. Dark Honey I can sort of just slather on because it blends with my lips so well. For the swatch I applied a very light coat, so it's showing a bit more pink in this photo than it is in person; when I wear it you can really see it's a RED gloss. I am glad to report that although Apple doesn't stain, it wears off evenly.

Ahh, application, where these beauties falter a little bit! The tubes are taller than a few I’ve seen, but fit in your pocket. If you’re used to the big MAC glosses with wands, these are a bit smaller. The plastic is pliable yet sturdy, the little sheep logo is SO CUTE and the gold caps are a lovely touch. However, when you unscrew the tap, you’re NOT getting a slanted plastic applicator like I had expected.




Yeah. The ointment-style aperture means that you’re pretty much going to have to use your fingers, at least to neaten your application, if not to apply. I’m not one to carry around a lip brush all the time, and isn’t the point of gloss to be low-fuss? Not something you have to fuss with a lip brush and mirror to apply? As much as I love the product itself, the application is a real drawback for me, especially when I reach for Apple.

The gloss can be a little hard to work with when it’s cold, as well. I keep the tube in my pocket so my body heat keeps it a bit more fluid. I expect it won’t be a problem in summer, and it’s never gotten TOO runny for me to comfortably apply.

The product these are most like in terms of texture, performance and colour payoff would be Sleek Pout Polishes, but I absolutely prefer these, for three main reasons:

  1. The tubes are less messy than the Polish pots.
  2. I hated the smell/taste of the Polishes, whereas these are much, much lighter and more pleasant.
  3. The moisturising affect of the Lanolips is much more long-lasting and effective.

Obviously they aren’t vegan since the main ingredient is lanolin, which is derived from sheep. Lanolin is obtained by shearing sheep, which is done in summer and doesn't harm the sheep, so they ARE a cruelty-free product. There’s a bit of beeswax in there as well, and then lots of lip goodness like shea butter, sweet almond and coconut oils. They have an SPF rating of 15, which is the same as the Pout Polishes.

For Aussie girls, these are available in a bunch of pharmacies, including Priceline. International beauties, never fear! You CAN get Lanolips outside of Australia! Find out more about the product, the company and where to get it at their website. I’m sure I’ll end up picking up a few more colours, and I’m curious to see if the original formula will be able to help my cuticles. As I’m writing this, one of them is scabbed over from a mysterious injury :(