Mosha Katani Sormeh~ Review & Swatches

A little while ago I took the plunge and ordered Mosha Katani's loose Kohl or Sormeh. I had read some good reviews on it and heard that it was supposed to stain and last all day even on the waterline. I kinda should have realized this was too good to be true. *sigh* 

I mean it's alright. The two shades I got were smoke (a charcoal-grey shade) and Nude (a... light tan nude). The smoke shade works fine for the top lashes and alright for tightlining but I've used better. The nude shade nor the smoke shade either last long on my waterline. Plus it's not great for fallout. Its better than some but not especially good either for that- honestly I've tried better.

I got the what I believed to be "full" size (I'll get to that in a minute), and a travel size. Both sizes come with a brush and a case as well as a slightly strange "evil-eye" dangly. The case on the "full" size is beautiful. A red gem-like bottle with a good stopper. The travel size is slightly easier to work with though as you can actually see the brush as you dip it in the powder and easily tap off excess.

The reason I'm going on about the travel size versus the full size is that the travel size is significantly cheaper ($16 USD for the travel size versus $28 USD for the full size); AND the travel size has TWO TIMES the amount of product in it. At first I didn't realize this fact. Then I thought it was obviously a mistake. It's not. Though the brush with the larger version is obviously more expensive to create (and if I'm not mistaken real animal hair- which I don't like and again didn't realize until I received it) I found the smaller brush with the travel size actually worked better. One of the bristles on the large version brush was doubled over or looped which was weird to work with too.

The travel size cap is difficult to get on securely as well, especially if you try to leave the "evil eye" bead on.

Another slight issue I had was that the grey in the powder form gets a good two shades darker when you apply it. I was hoping for a distinctly grey shade, not a charcoal, unfortunately especially when I use it for tight-lining or on the waterline it gets slightly wet and isn't what I hoped at all.

The full-size bottle case and brush

Into the full bottle

Travel size set (Is that animal a shrimp/crab or an elephant?)

I tried to use the grey as an eyeshadow and that didn't work either. It doesn't blend AT ALL, which is expected I guess since as a liner you wouldn't want it to smudge. The only way I haven't tried it is wet, which I suppose I should, but that takes much more time and I'd prefer to just use gel or liquid liner at that point. They also don't "stain" which I was actually hoping for as it would make it easier to do my eye-look the next morning or at least so it would last all day. If I tightline it does a little bit but again I've used better (Urban Decay's perversion eyeshadow a matte black to be exact). 

The nude shade is alright but it isn't as opaque as I thought it was going to be and it doesn't last on my waterline at all really. Mac's chromographic pencil in NC15/NW20 stays longer and isn't as irritating to apply as this is. I may work to set the pencil with, I've yet to try this method yet though.

The shades themselves are completely matte, and do seem to "dissolve" or clear away quickly if you get them in your eye (which I've done every time I've attempted this). This is good as shimmer or sparkle would irritate your eyes and is never recommended for use in the waterline or tight-line.

L-R: Smoke, Nude

L-R: Nude, Smoke (Super bright light)

L-R: Smoke, Nude (Super Bright Light)

Good things now. Mosha Katani (the woman who sells them on etsy) is very friendly, fairly quick in responding to questions on her facebook and is constantly posting pictures of fashion looks done with kohl. Shipping was also crazy fast, like a couple days which was great. Shipping was expensive though.

I purchased my two shades during a 20% off sale and everything was still a stretch for my budget, so you can see why I'm not thrilled with my purchase overall. I certainly wouldn't have paid full price, ESPECIALLY internationally. International shipping is $12-$15 dollars (more if you order more than one item). That's crazy high in my opinion and I'm glad I have an address in the US I can send to, and it was still $7.50 USD. Just ouch.

Overall, I'm just kinda disappointed. The full bottle does look lovely but is kinda difficult to work with and the travel version has a fiddly cap to deal with. The shades aren't what I was hoping for and they don't last on me. I was hoping for more from the product, what the claims were and the high praise they received. I'm starting to think powdered kohl may just not be for me.

Sprite Rating: 4/10- points for lovely bottle and very fast shipping. Lost points for not living up to all the claims.

Would I buy it again? No I would not. The price was too high for the type of product I received, plus the fact the more expensive version has half the amount of product really bothers me.

A- England Ascalon~ Swatch and Review

I've got a TON of photos for you this time round! I just couldn't help myself as this polish is so complex! Ascalon, from the a-England The Legend collection is named after Saint George's sword. This polish I was worried would be too charcoal-like for me but I WAS WRONG! The only way I can describe the colour is multi-faceted. It's a lavender-gunmetal duochrome with holographic shimmer and every once in a while a slight green tinge. The holographic shimmer is strong in this one, showing off little rainbows in any direct light. The duochrome isn't strong but it is there and the polish colour really changes depending on what lighting you're in. I'd have to say this is one of the more unique polishes I own as it just has so much going on! Here's some more pictures so you can get a better idea of what I mean.

You can see the slight green tinge here  

Holo and duochrome pic! (Compare far left nail with far right)

Holo close-up

Bright sunlight

Overcast Natural light 

Overcast natural light

Overcast natural light

Indirect Sunlight

Indoors

The wear on this one is good, just like I had with St. George, however I did find the formula on this one harder to work with. Manageable but thick I'd say. I needed 2-3 coats (depending on the nail) and the first coat was pretty awful looking so that's something to keep in mind. The holographic particle in this are very fine so it gives a very pretty refined effect which I like. Plus the colour is very chic and work appropriate I think yet still really fun!

a-England ships internationally (for FREE!) and costs 9 pounds or around $12 USD.

Overcast natural light

Overall, despite the issues with application I adore the look of this polish. The colour is phenomenal. In a way it reminds me of Nubar's Gem (which is my all time favourite polish). I think they'd go quite nicely together. And who wouldn't want holographic goodness AND duochrome together?

Sprite Rating: 8.5/10- I so wanted to give this a higher score but refrained as the application was temperamental. 

Would I buy it again? Yes, even with the thickness of the polish I would as this is so unique and the wear is good.

You can check out Saint George also from The Legend collection or see bottle pics here!

a-England Saint George~ Swatch and Review

Finally, I've got a bit of time to post St. George from a-England's The Legend collection! A bunch of pictures for this one as I was trying to capture the glory of this shade.

Saint George is named for the knight who slayed the dragon and saved the princess. 

A-England describes this shade as: Bearer of a valiant and courageous heart, this fathomless teal reveals the strength of the brave knight's convictions with his gleaming, fiery core.

 I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU ALL MY LIFE! Okay, maybe not that long but this is the most beautiful forest green nail polish! It doesn't look teal very often but instead a lovely rich blue-based green. Most of the time it looks like it has slightly lighter green shimmer throughout it which is really the holographic particles. In the sunlight the holographic bits come to life revealing mainly green blue and purple shimmers. The holographic effect is very subtle (unlike how some of the other blogger's swatch shots have been showing where it's holo-crazy) but I do love it.

 The formula of this was good, not too thick or too thin. It wasn't too difficult to work with at all. You do need two coats of colour, possibly a third if you had some bald spots.

 St. George wore really well too with limited tip wear and hardly any chipping.
Saint George can be purchased from the a-England website (Free international shipping), and from Illarowe online. It's 9 GBP (pounds) or $12 USD.

Holo action!

Overall, I am in love with this polish. It's two of my favourites in one, dark blue-based green and holographic goodness. Add in that it shipped lightning quick, Adina the owner of a-England was a blessing to work with and the free international shipping and I'm blown away. Way above average wear time, a good formula and Big Three free as well as a cruelty-free company and this baby has it all. I've got nothing bad to say about this polish!

Sprite Rating: 10/10

Would I Buy it again? In a heart beat. I've spent so much on green polishes that have never been exactly the deep blue-base that I've longed for. This incredible shade is priced right too. Now I just need to find a guy who fits Saint George's description...

Let me know what you think! What would you like to see Dragon (green with copper flash and holographic) or Ascalon (silver with purple flash and holographic) next?

a-England The Legend~ Release and Sneak Peek

a-England is a polish brand out of England itself that is quickly becoming known for it's fantastic formula and amazing colours. I've yet to try my bottles from the new The Legend collection, but today it was finally introduced to the website to go along with a-England's first collection The Mythicals. Both collections have a theme from English history tales the first being centred around Camelot and now The Legend being about St. George and the Dragon. 

St. George and the Dragon is a story close to my heart as my grandmother (who passed away about a year and a half ago sadly) was the one who originally told me about the story, as she had a beautiful figurine that depicted it. I've pictured it above. For those of you who don't know the basis of the story is that St. George slayed a dragon saving a princess and the surrounding towns from its hunger. When my grandmother died I received the statue as I've always loved it so needless to say this collection really caught my eye!

 The three polishes I received from my pre-order are Dragon, Ascalon (the name of St. George's sword) and Saint George. All three are amazing holographics with rich colour and two (Dragon and Ascalon) are also duochromes on top of that! So excited! Heres some more pictures of the bottles. So upcoming in the next couple of weeks, I'll be having some posts that review and feature these little gems.

L-R: St. George, Ascalon, Dragon

Ascalon close-up

Saint George close-up 

Dragon close-up

Is anyone else as psyched to see swatches as I am? :D

P.S. I'd also like to mention how fabulous Adina the owner and creator of these polishes is. She was so sweet and helpful, plus they shipped crazy fast (only ONE week to get across the ocean to me!). 5 stars for customer service.

Some Valentine's Sales

Hey everyone just a quick update with some sales going on from companies I've purchased from in the past and reviewed or are in upcoming reviews!

Here' s the codes!

Scaredy Cat Cosmetics: 20% off everything, CODE: CUPID01

Mosha Katani: 20% off everything, CODE: IHEARTU2012

Venomous Cosmetics: 20% off the Love Stinks collection, refunded after purchase.

Those are all the sales that I know of at the moment! Also the Mac Cook Cook Cook Shop Shop Shop is either in stores now OR will be soon if you are interested in the collection! Have a great weekend! (Mine will mostly studying for an exam and doing a major project- oh joy...)