Autumn Favourites

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my lack of updates. Right now it feels like the world is falling down around my ears and I'm quite stressed just trying to keep things running. Anyways, here are some of the products and colours I just love to use in the fall. Autumn is my favourite season by far and it really shows when you look at where my shade preferences are seen. Hope you enjoy!

• Spa Ritual polish in Howl (a black-brown with bronze shimmer)
• Mac Mega Metal eyeshadow in Spectacle of Yourself (shimmery auburn shade)
• Eyeko Indigo polish (Deep shimmery blue)
• Wet n' Wild Inferno (Bright orange with gold shimmer)
• Mac Kissable Lip Colour in Love Peck (Dark berry red)
• Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain and Balm in Twilight and Beloved- a berry and a purple
• The Body Shop Autumn Leaves blush in Berry (Shimmery red blush)
• Mac Fluidlines in Rich Ground (Copper), Dark Diversion (Dark Red), Midnight Blues (Dark Blue) and Dark Envy (Dark green)
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in Lounge (Dark brick red with blue-green duochrome), Perversion (matte black), Twice Baked (Shimmery Dark Brown), Misdemeanor (Blackened blue-green)
• Nars eyeshadow duo in Cheyenne (Burgundy and rich orange)
• Venomous Cosmetics Lip Poison in Hypnotize (Coral almost red)
• Morgana Cryptoria Lip Stick in Rose Plum (Berry)
• Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Fire Opal (dark copper), Pumpkinfire (Black with orange shimmer), Dokkalfar (Black with green shimmer), Vodka (silver with green tinge), Damn Paladins (Taupe with green reflect)
• Morgana Cryptoria eyeshadow in Brew Haha (Dark grey with some shimmer)
• The Body Needs eyeshadow in Moonwalk (light grey)
• Eyeko Polish in Vampira (Black with red glitter)
• Venomous Cosmetics eyeshadow in Distant Planet (Dark blue-grey- very unique!)
• Stila eyeshadow in Eden (Red-based malt brown)
• Wet n' Wild Color Icon Single in Brulee (Nude shade)
• Mac eyeshadow in Sumptuous Olive (Kahki green)
• Mac Lipstick in The Faerie Glen (Nude), Slimshine Most Wanted (Bronzey-red)
• Color Club Polishes in Snakeskin (Green-grey with gold shimmers), I Always Get My Man-Darin (Neon orange with light green shimmer)
• Wet n' Wild Fast Dry in Sea Witch (Dark purple with blue shimmer)
• Nars Cream Blush in Penny Lane

Not all the things mentioned were pictured and I apologize for the craptastic photo, I ran out of daylight and was using my iphone. 

As you can tell I'm huge into sultry eyes and toned down lips or red lips and toned down eyes. I love dark jewel tones for Autumn and it's the only time of year I wear orange. I also included in the photo a pair of earrings I'm fond of especially this time of year. Here are some other quick shots of some of the items.

Top to Bottom: Mac The Faerie Glen, Mac Slimshine Most Wanted, Revlon Beloved, Revlon Twilight

L to R: Color Club I Always Get My Man-Darin, Color Club Snakeskin, Wet n' Wild Sea Witch

Spa Ritual Howl


Mac Fluidlines


Revlon Lip Stain

What are your favourite trends for Autumn?

Haus of Gloi Autumn 2011 Order

L-R: Olde Cider Haus, Saft Ernte, White Raspberry

As many of you know I recently made a Haus of Gloi order when their Fall collection came out. (If you're interested in seeing all the descriptions of the Autumn products you can check out my Post Here.) 

I've had some time to test out the scents now so I wanted to give you my views on the scents. My order came quickly and was well packaged with a cute little thank-you card and skull linen bag. So I was really pleased about that, plus shipping was extremely reasonable. The customer service was very good too, I asked if I could have Pumpkin Eater as my freebie since I knew one came with every order, and it was originally going to be one of the samples I was going to buy. Not only did they send me Pumpkin Eater,which in samples was only available in the sampler packs, but they sent me Imp free of charge too. You seriously can't ask for better service, and friendly speedy response to your e-mail. 

L-R: Pumpkin Queen, Samhain, Hex, Saft Ernte, Imp, Red Roan,  Pumpkin Eater

As for the scents themselves? The ones I thought I was going to like the most (the large vials) I'm not too sure about.  Here are the scents I got and what I think about them:

• Olde Cider Haus: I'm on the fence about this one at the moment. It's quite sweet, but it doesn't quite pass the line into too sweet. I do get some wood smell to it which I like but it isn't quite what I expected either. Other people have said they smell the apple right away but I can't smell any apple at all. I do like it and I will wear it just not all the time.
• Pumpkin Eater: I really love the underlying spices in this one and it has a sweet warmth to it as well. Haven't gotten a chance to wear it for a full day yet but so far I'm tentatively giving it my fall stamp of approval. Makes me think of thanksgiving and my grandmother's pumpkin pie.
• White Raspberry: Sadly this doesn't smell like raspberries. Instead I get sweet almonds, medicinal-almost children's cough syrup, and a dab of cream. It smells way better on than in the bottle, but I was hoping for something fresher-fruitier if that makes sense. (Not part of the Fall release)
• Hex: You can almost taste the liquor from the description when you smell Hex. It's got the fruit too for sure but the alcoholic top note is quite strong. I think I'll warm up to this scent the more I'm exposed to it. The one caveat I have about it though is when I put it on my elbows my skin didn't react well to it. It turned red and stung a little. I'm not sure if I was just extra sensitive that day or what but I think I'm going to have to patch test it and see what happens from there.
• Saft Ernte: This one is just too sweet for me. I don't smell the peaches to it unfortunately, instead I get a strong ambiguous sweet smell with some underlying hazelnut smell. I really wanted to like it but I just can't. I thought if I wore it the smell might fade a bit and change with my body but I had to wash it off before I got to that point.
• Imp: (Not part of the Autumn release) They included this as a free sample and I am so glad they did. I smelled this and instantly fell in love. It's so fruity and almost bright. Actually my favourite out of all the scents I received, I'll eventually be picking this one up from their core line for sure.
• Red Roan: This little number took me by surprise. I can remember upon ordering the sample pack I was like huh they've included Red Roan, okay that's cool. It wasn't on my 'must get' list. I actually really like it though. It is most certainly porridge-like with quite a bit of maple syrup in there and a very slight sharp note (for the cognac- which I was surprised that it really balanced it out so well). I really like the feeling it gives me. Reminds me of warm wooly sweaters and country cottages. Can't really smell the strawberries to this at all though. I may pick up a full-size of this one.
• Samhain: This one is something I don't think would ever have entered the realm of my imagination as a scent to wear. It's very herbal and you definitely get this cold crisp wind sharpness to it at the end. You can certainly smell a bit of wet soil under the herbs too. Really unique. Not something I'd wear very often, but I do like it. 
• Pumpkin Queen: Much like Saft Ernte this one is too sweet for my tastes and I can't smell the peaches, which makes me sad. Pumpkin Queen I found to be less sweet than Saft Ernte though. You do get soft-hay in it at times too which I think is what makes it more bearable. I've kind of hummed and hawed about whether or not I actually like the scent, but in the end it's just too much. 

Finally (though not a part of the Autumn release) was my small tub of Depravity Body Emulsion. This is quite nice, it really has the lovely Depravity scent to it, and isn't so thin it's runny nor is it too thick that it feels like overkill. I've found that it leaves my legs quite soft when I apply it and the scent does stick around for a bit. I can't say this has done miracles for me, but it is a good quality body moisturizer. (Plus, the gypsy woman on the packaging is adorable).

Have you ordered from Haus of Gloi? Looked into their Autumn collection? What are your thoughts?

Sephora Deal Alert!

Just a quick notice to everyone. Sephora has a great deal on two Nars single eyeshadows for only $8 USD each. That's a crazy good deal because normally they cost $23 USD each. 

The two colours are California (pictured above-molten copper) and Night Sun (bright marigold with gold flecks).

You have to be quick though, it's only until next wednesday! Plus if you use ebates you'll get 4% cash back. You can sign-up for ebates for free using my link in the sidebar (I'll get a referral bonus) or you can just go to ebates.com. 

Retailmenot also has a bunch of coupon codes you can use on Sephora too. Hope this helps someone!

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy~ Review

Let me start this by pretty much summing up the entirety of this review for you. Get off your butt and go buy a tube from Fyrinnae.

Till next time—

Just kidding, of course I will give you the review as I always do.

Fyrinnae is an online e-tailer (online only cosmetics merchant) and the King of Indie cosmetics. Seriously in the indie world these guys are THE best and the epitome of which all other Indie companies strive to become. Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy is a huge reason why this is the case.

The thing of it is Fyrinnae made their Pixie Epoxy (PE) as a sort of face glue to hold their (fantastic) pigments in place and show their full brilliance. Now it is used by the multitudes for a vast assortment of things such as:

•  Foiling eyeshadows and pigments (makes them as vibrant as if wet)
• Bringing out the shimmer in dull or less vibrant shades than what you’d hoped they’d be (usually these will look better in the pan than swatched- it’s a hint to try Fyrinnae PE)
• To make sheerer shades look more opaque (particularly mattes I find)
• To keep glitter from falling off during the day, and prevent fallout of glitter or shades prone to fallout during application
• Keep eyeshadows from fading over the course of the day
• Keep eyeshadows on your face better if you have a tendency to touch your eyes >raises hand guility and then points to allergies< 

The only thing PE doesn’t do is prevent creasing so you’ll need a thin layer of eyeshadow primer before you apply it.

PE is a white-translucent gel that comes in a tube with a fine-tipped doe-foot applicator. It is vegan and has no smell. You’ll only need the smallest amount per eye, literally the very tip of the doe-foot. Not the flat part that the deer would walk on but the part where they’d have on the ground if they were to walk on tip-toe. (Yes, I just bombarded you all with an animal analogy, I’m a zoology student. These things are bound to happen. You’ll eventually get used to it, I promise- :D).

Tangents aside, using a finger, spread this small dot of product over your lid and or area you want the shadow to stick. You’ll feel that it’s slightly tacky. It shouldn’t be sticky or heaven forbid gloopy. There is more than enough on the wand for about five people.

After you’ve applied it you can wait a moment for it to dry down a bit- or if your impatient like me, you can just go right ahead and apply your shades. Don’t pat on your pigments/loose powder shadows as normally you would, swipe like you’re applying normal pressed shadows. You’ll notice that the shadows are instantly sticking better to where you but them than normal. Yay. If you need to blend it may take slightly more time than normal due to the underlying stickiness but really that should be expected considering what this product is supposed to do.

Here are some pictures with different eyeshadows by themselves and then with Fyrinnae PE.

L-R: MUA Pearl without base, over PE

L-R: MUA pearl- Wet, Dry, Over PE

L-R: Mac Sumptuous Olive no base, Over PE

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy costs around $7.00 USD for a full tube of 10ml. You can order it online at the Fyrinnae website - http://www.fyrinnae.com/- if it isn’t working try again a different day, Fyrinnae’s website goes down a lot. (Which is the only downside of the company, how often the website it is down for maintenance).

Overall, I’ve never found anything that does the same, with the same amount of product for such a low price. As well as being vegan. Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy is out of this world and a staple in my life. I do most of my pigment and eyeshadow swatches over this and has changed “meh” eyeshadows to “ya, that’s right I have fantastic eyeshadow that everyone said wasn’t worth it but see- SEE- it totally is!”.  I think that pretty much describes my love don’t you?

Sprite Rating: 10/10. Need I say much more?

Will I buy this again? Yes. In fact I’ll be buying my first ever back-up of any cosmetic product when I order this next time I make a Fyrinnae order. I’m a little under half-finished my first tube and I don’t want to risk running out. 

Blogger Love! Evermore Beaute

Today's Blogger Love is with Megan from Evermore Beaute. This sweetheart of a girl is super genuine and just has talent streaming from her fingers with it comes to make-up looks! She's one of the blogs you definitely don't want to miss out on! Here's more all about her :D

1)  Are you more of a Morning, Day, or Night time person?

  I am more of an evening person, if that is an option :)


2)   Something you struggle with on a day to day basis?

I struggle with school on a day to day basis, its a huge part of my life and it takes up the majority of my time (I am an IB student). My other struggle would truthfully be self confidence. Everyone's probably gone through it at one time in their life ;)


3)   Favourite Animal?

I am absolutely enthralled with Moose. I have no inkling as to why, but I do!


4)   Favourite Colour?

My favorite color is grey, though it is a tone technically. So for a true color I would say an azure blue.


5)   Preferred foundation coverage and finish ex. Heavy coverage, matte

Lately I have been liking light coverage foundations, even tinted moisturizers, with a dewy to semi matte finish.


6)   How old are you?

Not many people know that I am a high school student! But, sweet sixteen :)


7)   What do you do in everyday life? If you’re a student what is your major?

I am a student in High school in the IB program or International Baccalaureate program, the highest level of high school education in the world. I plan to study Art in college and go to an art school.


8)  First makeup brand that really got you interested in cosmetics/ nail polish?

The first brand was Too Faced since it was the first makeup product I ever got, but the brand that sparked it all was MAC.

9)  Do you have any makeup, nail polish or skin care items that are perfect for you? (HG items) If so which- include shade names please.

My holy grail moisturizer is FRESH Soy Face Cream! So nice on sensitive skin. As for makeup, The Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer In Alabaster, Make Up For Ever Face & Body Foundation in 38, Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix, Atelier Maquillage Eye shadows, and Revlon lip stains.


10) What is your favourite food? Drink?

 My favorite food is vegan perogi casserole (since I am a vegan), and my favorite drink is nothing special, just water :)


11) Favourite Gem Stone?

Probably between pearls and my birthstone, aquamarine.


12) Do you have any pets in your life? If yes, what are their names (and can we have pictures?)

I did, but sadly I lost her in a freak occurance about two months ago. Her name was buttercup and she was my beautiful yellow lab.


13) One place you’ve never been that you want to visit?

I have a list of twenty three places I would love to travel to but the major ones are Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm.


14) What inspired you to start your blog?

I wanted to show that young people can do makeup that doesn't look dreadful. And I wanted to share my passion with whoever wants to read my blog :)


15) What are some of the most useful things you’ve learned about since you started blogging?

I've learned that a camera on macro setting in natural sunlight, without flash, makes a world of a difference in pictures. And having a clean looking professional looking blog layout really attracts new followers.


16) Favourite Season?

I love Autumn!


17) What do you use to take your blog photos? What type of computer?

I use a Nikon D40 on Macro setting. I use a Macbook Pro.


18) What genre of movies/books do you like?

  For movies I really like fantasy, fiction, and mysteries. How can I forget Love stories? All of those genres are also my preferred genres as far as books go too.


19) Other hobbies or events that you’re involved in?

I love vintage/ inspired clothes. I call that my hobby because I collect many items every week! I also am a tour guide in my city for people that speak french as their main language. I don't know much, but I know just enough!  I live in a big tourist spot in Florida, St. Augustine, so I guide the french around and talk them through all that there is to absorb!


20) Most unique eyeshadow you own?

Oh thats tough. I would probably have to pick two. Kat Von D's Sugar Skull, and Fyrinnae's Anemone.


21) Most unique lip product?

I love NYX's Orchid Sparkle, and Dior's Lip Glow.


22) Favourite colour combinations?

  As far as eyeshadows go, I would say light teals with grey's. For lips I like taking a fuschia lip color and adding a gloss with a purple duo-chrome. 


23) Favourite piece of jewelry? Why is it your favourite?

I love my pearl earrings. I love them because they are so classic, and elegant. You can wear them with anything and I think it really compliments my face shape.


24) Best drugstore product you’ve tried?

The Milani Liquify Eyeliners or Wet N Wild Eyeshadows.


25) Random fact you'd like to share about yourself?

I can speak french, Im a vegan and I am Norweagan. That was three but I feel all rather important.


26) Favourite Nail Polish Brand and why?

I really like OPI.


27) Most unique polish you own, why?

Probably Zoya's Gemma or OPI The One That Got Away.


28) Favourite polish colour to wear?

I like to wear dark colors on my nails, so anything that falls into that category is fair game. 


29) What are the best top coat, base coat, treatments you’ve tried for your nails?

The best top coat by far is the one by Out The Door. The base coat I prefer is the one by Sephora by OPI.


30) What is your favourite finish of polish? (ie. Cream, holographic, matte, etc.)

I like the creams!

Update

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts. Things are going to be slow for a little while as I get back into the grind of school. I also have a bunch more reading than normal this semester so I'm dealing with that too. So I apologize in advance for the space of time between posts. To give you an idea my one class has a paper due early october on a 360 page book we need to read. I'm doomed.
Anyways, I'll be uploading my Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy review as soon as I get the time to re-photograph it. Hope you're all doing well!
- xoxo Hebridean Sprite

Haus of Gloi Perfume Oil in Depravity

This is the other little Haus of Gloi item I received when I won the Product Pixie blog prize package. I still can’t believe how generous she was! Anyways, this is an itty bitty little perfume vial (5 ml) of Haus of Gloi’s Depravity scent. When I first looked at this I went “wow it’s small!” Then I went, “and it’s a perfume. Might as well give it a sniff then pass it along to my sister.” (Which by the way is my usual reaction to perfume vials as stated in my last Haus of Gloi review (here) I’m highly allergic to most perfumes)

Let’s just say my sister didn’t get this one.

I instantly loved the scent. Depravity is exactly as rich and heady as you’d expect from a perfume whose label is exemplified by a Gypsy Woman belly dancing. When I first smell it I get a bouquet of berries that had been preserved in liquor of some sort with spices. That falls away fairly quickly once it hits my skin and I find turns to insense a little bit of smoke, and the spice note from before. Eventually (read hours) later the perfume completely settles leaving a still strong sweet berry slightly powdery scent that I really love.

Like someone else said in their review (though I can’t remember for the life of me who, if it’s you please contact me and I’ll give you credit) these perfume oils keep the scents close to your skin, so someone has to get close to smell them instead of wafting around the person that causes people to stop and hack up a lung coughing.

I and the other reviewer both like this. I don’t want to bother other people with a scent that may not be to their preference but I still want to be able to smell it. It’s a wonderful compromise. Plus you know someone was much too close (or I suppose has an excellent sense of smell) if they comment on it. Hehe.

The little vial Depravity came in has a wand to apply it with, and you only need about one or two drops to last you all day. I personally like to apply perfume to my inner elbows and on the pulse point of my neck but you can apply these anywhere on the skin. (Don’t apply them to your clothes! These are oils and are yellow in colour (natural) and can stain your fabrics!)

I did find the little vial fiddly to work with (especially as it was filled to the very top, which I guess is both a good and bad thing). I transferred as much as I could out of the little vial into a dropper (which works very well) and then dabbed the mostly empty vial on myself for a few days till I’d gotten almost all of it out. I don’t know what the full size versions of Haus of Gloi packaging is like to compare to but when I receive my autumn order with a couple full size bottles I’ll let you know in those scent reviews.

When the oil goes on your skin of course it does feel slightly oily. However these oils sink into the skin almost right away (if they don’t you’re using too much!). Definitely enough time to transfer the oil to different places on your skin but not so long that you’ll get it on things.

I think this is a good idea in all honesty. Considering how much the average perfume costs the amount of perfume we lose to spray through the air to hit us must be astronomical. Plus I can go back and sniff the inside of my elbow if I want to smell it stronger again (strange I know but it smells so nice!)

The perfume oils seem to wash away very easily too so if you want to change perfumes and have only placed the first one in one or two areas you can take it off with soap and water easily. I found this out by having some on my wrists then washing my hands later on and finding the scent had vanished.

The perfume oil hasn’t caused any skin irritations (like acne or a rash) that some perfumes can, even when applied to the neck. I do still get a very slight allergic reaction (itchy nose) when I apply Depravity to my neck as well as my inner elbows, but I’m fine if I leave it off my neck or take an allergy pill. That’s a super better reaction than a killer headache, itchiness in the back of the throat and trying to claw my nose and eyes off my face in torment that I get with almost all of mainline brand perfumes.

The perfume oils generally cost $2.50 USD for a glass sample vial (5ml), and $12.50 USD for a full size amber-glass perfume bottle (25ml). I know the next time I come into a little money I’m going to be placing an order for a full size Depravity. It smells so nice!

Overall, I don’t know what they’re doing at Haus of Gloi to come of with these wonderful things that they do but I want some of it.

Sprite Rating: 10/10- I love this perfume, nothing bad to say about it!

Would I buy it again? Yes! I'll be ordering a full size when I get a chance.

Also please note, like colours and tastes people can have very different opinions on what smells good to them. This is just how I’ve perceived this scent to be. Plus each persons unique body chemistry reacts slightly differently to each perfume formula, changing what you smell. This can sometimes be a good change or a bad change, but it’s rarely exactly the same from person to person, so please keep that in mind. Thanks!

Too Faced Vintage Sale

Hey all! While I'm still trying to figure out some technical difficulties I'm experiencing I wanted to tell you about Too Faced's Vintage Sale. It starts today and there are MAJOR savings in the sale products section. I particularly like their eyeshadow singles and duos and there is a large range of sale items to choose from.

You can check out the entire thing here! Plus with every order you get 2 free samples.

Enjoy!