NOTD: Stacy by Zoya

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Something about really hot summer days has me gravitating towards wine colored polishes.  I think it's because I'm starting to crave cooler weather.  Wouldn't you with a heat index of 105 and 90% humidity?  It's like a sauna in here :-)  I associate deep burgundies with fall, so out came Stacy by Zoya, one of the polishes I picked up during a Black Friday haul in 2014.

Stacy, Anaka, Sarah

I wish I could say I love the crelly Stacy, but it's not as easy to work with as I would like.  I used two coats but can see some bald areas from where I must have applied too much pressure with the brush.  Matters were not helped with I used a past it's prime Zoya topcoat, which caused some drag marks/bumps.

Oh well, on the plus side this is a really shiny polish all on it's own.  I started getting chips after about 3 days though, which is really subpar for me as I can usually get 5 days with just minor tip wear from most polishes.  Stacy, Stacy, Stacy.

Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Revitalizing Eye Mask and Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream

Disclaimer:  These were GWP's.

Tatcha is a luxury skincare line inspired by geisha beauty rituals.  I'll admit that what I know about geisha culture is heavily influenced by Western movies and books, in particular the book Memoirs of a Geisha.  It does make sense that women who devote their lives to creating beauty around them would know how to maximize their own beauty, so I'll buy into the story and philosophy behind the brand:

Today we'll be looking at two of the Tatcha eye products:  Luminous Deep Hydration Revitalizing Eye Mask ($12 for a single)  and the Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream ($135 for full size).  I received both of these as GWP's and have been using the eye cream for about a month now.

The Luminous Deep Hydration Revitalizing Eye Mask features Tatcha's proprietary Okinawa Red Algae blend with Peony Extract.  The coconut-derived biocellulose mask is saturated with the essence and adheres very well to the skin - in fact this type of material was originally developed to help healing in burn victims.

The pads feel cool and refreshing on the skin for the 15 minutes you are supposed to wear them, and after that time there is still plenty of essence left that you can massage into your skin.  I used my fingers to scoop out what was left in the foil and spread it all over my face as well.

The skin around my eyes was plump and the fine lines were diminished, although that's only going to be a temporary benefit.   It would be interesting to see if weekly use gives prolonged benefits, but the $12 per use makes these more of a "special occasion" kind of product for me.

Instructions say to apply the Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream after the mask, and I've been using it for about a month now at night.  It's a thicker cream that tends to sit on the top of my skin more than it absorbs, sadly.  I've actually woken up in the morning, rubbed my eyes, and felt the residue from the cream bead up and roll off.  I don't think I'm using too much, but who knows?

I also experienced a bit of a reaction after about two weeks of use (not milia, more like tiny red bumps), so I backed off from using it nightly and now use it about every third evening.  So.....this isn't my favorite eye cream and for the price ($135) I would need to LOVE it, and I don't.  I'm not ready to give up on it completely, however, and I think it will continue to see sporadic use, especially as I've got two of these deluxe sample sizes.

I can say I've also tried a Tatcha face cream for evening use that I love, so like any brand, there are hits and misses.  The Revitalizing Eye Mask is more of a hit and the Revitalizing Eye Cream is more of a miss, but that's life in beauty product land:-)

Elegant Taupe 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow by bareMinerals

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I have mentioned how much I really, really like the 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance cream eye shadows ($18) by bareMinerals?  Because I really, really do.  Let me tell you why.

• It contains sunscreen SPF 15, which is important for all skin, especially the delicate lid area.  I wish more eye products had built in SPF.  
• It has skin enhancing ingredients such as mango seed butter, safflower seed oil, and Camellia Oleifera leaf extract.
• It makes my increasingly crepey lids look smoother.  Thank you.  
• The formula is extremely easy to work with.
• The colors are great for nude/natural/neutral lovers.
• They wear like iron on my oily lids.

Elegant Taupe reminds me of wet cement, except prettier.  The finish is not flat at all, as there is a very fine, almost imperceptible shimmer that keeps it from being a flat matte. I use the applicator to apply a dab on the center of my lids and then smooth it out with my finger, although I imagine a brush would work fine as well.

I always use an eye primer due to the extreme oiliness of my skin, but those with normal to dry skin probably won't even need to with this formula.  With primer, I get all day (8-9 hrs) of wear without any fading or creasing.  As such, these make for great base shadows, which is how I'm wearing it below.

I like this formula so much I'm slowly acquiring more colors (Sephora has 5 listed, but I believe originally there were as many as 11).  Given that neutral tones dominant the available shades and you are really just talking about differences in tone and intensity of color, I doubt I need them all.   I did just pick up Sweet Spice, however....

Mally High Shine Lipstick in Petal to the Metal

Disclaimer:  This was a GWP.

For someone who doesn't like click pen lip products, I really like Mally's Petal to the Metal.  In general, click pen products irritate me with their design and I've just never warmed up to them.

So when I received Mally's Petal to the Metal as a GWP, I wasn't expecting much.  However, the semi-opaque glossy orchid pink liquid lipstick has won me over, for the most part.  There is a stronger than optimal perfumey/borderline chemical fragrance that's a bit off putting, but it's not a deal breaker.

This is a thicker and somewhat sticky gloss formula, but that does translate to better wear time.  I can get a good 3-4 hours of wear and my lips feel comfortably hydrated during that time.

Ulta is currently offering Petal to the Metal as a GWP with any $35 Mally purchase, which is not a bad deal considering they are $20 on their own.  Pretty.

Laced Eye Shadow by Urban Decay

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I rarely buy single shadows, but occasionally a color or finish will grab my attention and stay in the recesses of my brain until I finally purchase it, usually during a sale.  Such was the case with Laced by Urban Decay ($18), a pale pink beige matte.

Laced is one of those rather unremarkable colors that is actually quite versatile for contouring, transitioning other colors, or toning down an overly shimmery shadow.

The formula is smooth and buttery with none of the common shortcomings of matte shadows, namely lots of powder kickup or a chalky finish. It works well as a base and blends well with other shadows.

I found only one other similar shadow in my collection, Stila's Clay from their now discontinued all matte palette "In the Know".  Clay is described as a "muted pink nude" and is a close match to Laced, perhaps just a touch warmer in tone.

Laced was originally released in the Vice palette before becoming part of the permanent collection of single shadows in 2013.  I'm happy it's finally made it's way into my collection!

NOTD: Superfreak by Urban Decay

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I've had Superfreak by Urban Decay for several years now, so I figured it was high time to try this liquid metallic gold.  Turns out to have been a good decision, as it was super easy to work with!

Superfreak was part of the Rollergirl mini 6-piece nail set released in 2011, which I'm sure I picked up during a sale at some point.   You can still find it the Rollergirl set ebay for as little as $14.99, which isn't bad at all.

This is one coat without topcoat, and I can see some bald spots but nothing super obvious to the naked eye.  I ended up using Superfreak as the base for some nail art, but really wish I'd just left it alone, it's so pretty!

Black Ecstasy Mascara in Obsidian Black by Giorgio Armani

In general, mascaras are not an item that I sink a lot of money into.  I'll pay a lot for foundation, skincare items, palettes, blush, highlighters - but mascara?  I'm just not convinced that the higher end mascaras are that much better than mid level, or even drugstore brands in many cases.

That doesn't mean I'm not excited to try them out when they come my way as part of a GWP or other offers, such as with the Black Ecstasy travel sized mascara that was part of the Armani VIB trio I recently got from Sephora.  I've been using it exclusively for the last 3 weeks, and I really like it.  A lot.

Here's what Armani has to say about it:

"The cylindrical and multi-directional brush captures and coats every lash with 4 patented multi-effect waxes for quick application, volume, length and curl.  The formula features an exclusive color boosting polymer for the most intense black."

My wimpy invisible lashes

One coat of Black Ecstasy

Marketing speak always makes everything sound magical, but here is what I like about Black Ecstasy:  it's easy to apply, non-clumping and non-flaking, and did a good job of emphasizing my lashes.   I had zero smudging, which is pretty remarkable with my oily skin and the hot and humid weather conditions in Mobile.  I notice more length than volume, but overall a really good performer.

Black Ecstasy ($32) also comes in blue (Armani Navy) and brown (Wood), and while I'm still not inclined to spend that much on mascara (I've got a drugstore mascara I like just as much at 1/3 of the cost, which I'll be reviewing soon), I'm glad to have received two of these and will use them both up.