Saturday, August 31, 2013

100 Facebook Fan Giveaway!

THE CHARMING CHESHIRE 
100 FACEBOOK FAN GIVEAWAY 



Woohoo! I'm so excited to announce that thanks to all of you wonderful, awesome darlin' people The Charming Cheshire Facebook page has reached 100 fans! In fact, it is at 109 at this very moment and can I just say....I am a grand mixture of humbled, shocked, appreciative, loved, excited, honored and downright giddy! Thank you, everyone, so so much for joining me along in my fun venture of beauty blogging and I hope I staying amusing, or er...I guess charming....enough to keep you entertained!



I have an AWESOME giveaway for all of you! With some fantastical prizes all from my personal favorite brands of products including Coastal Scents, Urban Decay and of course, Bondi New York! The giveaway is of course, by Rafflecopter and there is an option for Tweeting about it every day for more entries! 

It starts Monday, September 2nd at 12:00AM CST and will run till Monday, September 9th at 12:00AM CST! The winner will be chosen then, and have 48 hours to contact me once announced! I'll post the winner in an update on this post, on my Facebook page and Tweeted on my Twitter account.

Good luck everyone!


Happy Makeuping! 





       
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Starlooks - August 2013

SPECIAL EDITION
"NATALIE CORONA" BOX

Hello there! Hope everyone's Labor Day weekend is starting off awesomely! This month I have a gorgeous and fun Starbox to share for the month of August. Starlooks collaborated with the YouTube sensation Natalie Corona (aka SparklicityNo.6) for a gorgeous mermaid inspired collection of Natalie's favorite Starlooks product picks! 

Gorgeous holographic silver detail! 

Here is this month's Sneak Peek post for the August Starbox that I posted a few weeks ago, if you'd care to peruse....


This month Sneak Peeks weren't quite as easy to guess as the previous ones have been and there was definitely a lot of extra makeup used in the shots, including several bright gorgeous eyeshadows (which I have to say, I was a little sad about not receiving, alas!). You can still see the products for this month used in the photos though!

Here is the special Natalie Corona pamphlet included in the box -


"Natalie's love for makeup and fashion started as a teen - always playing with new products and trying the latest trends! Now she is a stay-at-home mom living in California! She created her YouTube channel about three years ago to connect with other makeup enthusiasts like herself and share her favorites and failures through videos! Natalie's channel has branched out into fitness and healthy living, as well as makeup tutorials and product reviews. One of her favorite monthly subscriptions to review is STARBOX!" - Starlooks

"Hello beautiful! Thank you so much for purchasing this month's STARBOX! I have been using and loving STARLOOKS products for two years, and I'm so excited to be sharing some of my favorites with all of you! I chose these products because they're incredibly versatile. The two Infinity Lipstick shades are smooth and extremely long-lasting. They're also perfect for day to night, and they complement all skin tones! The glitter glam can be used with any shadow alone, or used as a bold eyeliner.

The full size STARLOOKS products I receive every month have become some of my makeup must-haves! I am so excited to share my signature products and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Connect with me and see how I use these and other STARLOOKS products on my YouTube channel 'SparklicityNo6'." - Natalie Corona



and here is my August Starbox! -

We have two lipsticks, a bottle of glitter pigment, a prism and the quartz crystal


Time for the product breakdown!...


INFINITY LIPSTICK
in Endless (Satin)


and 

INFINITY LIPSTICK 
in Eons (Matte)


"This kissable lipstick comes in various matte and frost finishes and provides up to 12 hours of wear without re-application! Most longwear lipsticks tend to dry out the lips, but STARLOOKS Infinity Lipstick stays moisturizing and smooth all day! And, because of the durable polymer added to the formula, it won't feather or bleed beyond your Lip Liner. Great for a bright, vibrant wear that won't budge! Dare to wear to the pool, the beach, or any water related activity - it's completely waterproof!" - from 2013 August Starbox card

This was my first time to try out Starlooks Infinity Lipsticks as I've already tried their fabulous Tendergloss lipsticks! I have to say, I was both impressed a tad disappointed. 


Endless is a soft, very light pink satin with a subtle champagne-pink shimmer. It glides on very smoothly and softly and spreads well. As you can see, there's not much color so it's really not a blendable shade. However it's gorgeous for simple, feminine daywear that adds that nice delicate shimmer or you could even add this over a matte color to give it a satiny sheen. 


As far as staying power, as with most thin shimmers, it didn't last quite as long as I'd hoped. The solid shimmer lasted about 2 hours and the color pretty much lightly faded into my lips after 3 - 3.5 hours.



Eons was MUCH more pigmented! It's a lovely darker dusty rose matte pink. As you can see, it's the color is nice and rich with just one swipe, but it can easily be blended into a softer rosy red-pink shade. I can see this shade looking absolutely beautiful with a multitude of looks...classic Marilyn Monroe cat-eye, a rich brown Autumn smokey eye, a pink fresh Spring look, and soooo many others. It's very girly, classy and flattering.


Unfortunately, staying power, once again, is not what I'd hoped. Ten minutes after I applied a good coat on my lips, I took a drink and my lipstick was ALL over the glass! It felt like half of it had come off of my lips already! Within 3.5 hours it had faded off to just a rosy red-pink tint on my lips. After 5 hours it was pretty much gone. The Starlooks Tendergloss Lipsticks I've used have lasted much, much longer than the Infinity Lipsticks which is weird since it seems like it should be the other way around.

Even though the staying power isn't as long as I'd prefer, the colors are both gorgeous and can be very versatile with many different looks! The formulas are both very creamy, smooth and I had no issues with feathering or smudging!






GLITTER GLAM
in Emerald


 "With an intense sparkle, STARLOOKS Glitter Glam is the perfect way to add even more "bling" to any look! Try adding it to a loose powder, any eye shadow, or even nail polish to easily create a one-of-a-kind look. No longer just a fantasy - with this product, you can finally add the "Glisten of a Mermaid's Tail" effect to any makeup application! Available in nine stunning shades encompassing every reflective color of the spectrum!" - from 2013 August Starbox card

Glittah! I love glittah! Is that bottle not just the prettiest thing ever? It's called Emerald but there is a positively smashing sheen of blue and gold within it.


As you can see, there is a HUUUUUGE difference when it's applied wet compared to dry. When I applied it dry with no primer I swiped about three times and it did not give any pigmentation at all but rather spread a lovely golden sparkle. However, when I added some water to it and used a small angled brush, it turned into a stunning shimmery goddess-mermaid liquid of pure dreams and....::ahem::...where was I? 

As always with glitter pigments, I always recommend you use good primers to begin with, be it regular primers or glitter primers. I also suggest using thickly packed, more ridged brushes to apply the glitter as fluffier, softer brushes will spread the glitter too easily and will result it glitter...well,...pretty much getting everywhere! Afterwards, be sure to use a setting spray to seal the glitter on as that will keep you from getting a lot of fall-out and keep you looking glitter-tastic all day! With these methods this pigment lasted 12+ hours on me with little to no fall-out!






SURPRISE EXTRA
PRISM


"Surprise! We've also included a gorgeous prism! Bring energy and beauty into your home by hanging it in front of your favorite window. It's reflective patterns and colors have the same effect as a mermaid's tail!" - from 2013 August Starbox card

Well......I must say, I'm a bit disappointed in my prism. I know it's a surprise freebie and it's not what the box is about but I also saw pictures of the other prisms that were given out in the starboxes and I believe I received the somewhat "dud" prism! Some of the others were larger squares in a multitude of different colors and I even saw a few in this shape that were a ruby red color, but mine is....well, it's brown basically. In this picture I actually got it to catch the light in just the right way so it appear more of an amber shade, but....hm. It just doesn't seem mermaid-y to me. Mine is also pretty scratched up...here's another angle of it:

sadness

I was actually looking forward to the prism when I heard it was going to be included, but it's just small and, well...not very inspiring as a mermaid gem. Alas!




WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1. Starlooks Infinity Lipstick in Endless (Satin):  $15

2. Starlooks Infinity Lipstick in Eons (Matte):  $15

3. Glitter Glam in Emerald:  $17

4.  Prism:  $0.30*


Total Paid for Box:  $17.68  ($15 monthly sub + shipping)

Total Worth of Box:  $47.30


Another awesome worth box this month Starlooks! Bravissima! Everything is full-size as well, which is fabulous. I never can complain about the worth of any Starbox. Even once it goes up on the website for purchase ($25), it's still a good buy! 

*I'm basing the price of the prism on multiple wholesale companies that sell prisms that are very similar. That was the price per prism.





FINALE

Makeup finale? I THINK YES! I wanted to try for a mermaid inspired look that could work for daytime, nighttime, business appropriate (for most), and a fun night out! 

Once again, I looooove featuring several Starlooks products in my Starbox finale! I've got on their Mineralized Loose Powder, their Bronzing Powder for light contouring, the black Precision Eyeliner, the Lash Boost Mascara Primer as well as all of the products from this month's box! 

For the lips, I'm wearing Eons, but I swiped one a bit of Endless in the middle to give it some highlighting shine.

I wet a bit of the glitter and patted it towards the inner corners of my eyes to give them a little shine. I'm so upset though, the camera did NOT pick up the sparkle! I added some water to the glitter since, unfortunately, I don't have a glitter primer to add to glitter to make a paste, but I really don't have a problem applying glitter if I work carefully with water then set quickly afterwards with a setting spray. 

Here is a close up where you can somewhat better see the glitter:


Well that's it for this month's Special Edition Starbox! I hope you enjoyed the review! So what's your special mermaid look products?

        

Happy Makeuping Mermaiding!


          

Friday, August 30, 2013

September REVEAL - Ipsy

REVEALING SPOILERS, SNEAK PEEKS and MORE!
   



A sneak peek for September, Cookie? But, but...we haven't even seen your August Glam Bag yet?!...::sigh::...I know, my apologies darlin's. Ipsy had a humongous boo-boo with DHL shipping this month and my bag arrived SUPER late. I've just finished using the products though, so the review should be up this weekend! ::mwuah!::

Ipsy was gracious enough to provide us with one sneak peek before Labor Day weekend though! Time to start your sleuthing and guessing...here we go!

From Ipsy's Facebook:

 SEPTEMBER SNEAK PEEK #1

"A blend or quick brush of color is an easy timeless upgrade to any look!"
    

As you can probably tell, the item is:

NYX SINGLE EYE SHADOW


AND this email was sent to people who had unsubscribed as a resubscribing incentive! -

(Click picture for larger view)

Here is a closer look at the swirl of shades:


So they will be sending out 20 shade variations! My best guess is everyone will be receiving one. It's really hard to see exactly which shades, but here are my best guesses:


RUST



WALNUT



COPPER



DEEP BRONZE



HOT ORANGE



GYPSY



GOLDEN



MELLOW YELLOW



SAHARA


TOFFEE SHIMMER



WHITE PEARL

WHITE



CRYPTONITE



BLACK


BLACK SPARKLE



FROSTED OCEAN


AUTUMN SKY



IRISES



BLUE MARINE



LUXOR



Like I said, these are my best guesses, there is no guarantee that these ARE the colors that will be in the September Glam Bag. I'll update once I know more!


From what it seems, given the wording of the sneak peek, I'm feeling some sort of retro, classic theme for September! Maybe 50's, 60's or just retro, "timeless" in general! What do you think? Ipsy won't give us another sneak peek till after Labor Day, so I'll be back on this post to update then!



 UPDATE 9/3

 Hellooooo again! and I'm back with another sneak peek! Was that Labor Day weekend soooo long with the Ipsy sneak peek waiting? Without further ado...from Ipsy's Facebook:

SEPTEMBER SNEAK PEEK #2

"This must-have product has been a classic staple for every bombshell since it's invention!"


and thanks to the awesome ladies at Makeuptalk.com, we already know what the product is!

ELIZABETH MOTT
IT'S SO BIG VOLUMIZING MASCARA


It seems that Ipsy has been on a mascara kick lately, but I can't complain since I'm always on the lookout for an awesome new mascara to wow me more than my current favorite! The Pixi Beauty Lash Booster last month was a bit of a bust for me, so here's hoping this one blows me away! You know I looooove myself some volume!

Also, still TOTALLY feeling the retro theme! Last year they had a Bombshell Glam Bag so even though they say "bombshell" in their Sneak Peek #2 quote I don't think that's what it specifically could be, but I am still thinking retro or classic as a theme. Especially since they've said both "timeless" and "classic"! 

So whatcha think? Yay or nay on this product?




UPDATE 9/6

I am BEHIND on some Sneak Peeks! Hello! This week was my first week back to work after a 3 week summer break, so I was working some long hours setting up the new year, as well as being so graciously overwhelmed by how incredibly awesome my giveaway is doing! I am so honored by and excited for everyone who's entering, thank you so much! 

On to the late sneak peeks!

From Ipsy's Facebook:

 SEPTEMBER SNEAK PEEK #3

"There's no limit of classic looks you can create with three of these gorgeous staples in your September Glam Bag!" 

That is a LOT of products right there! So from this we know that THREE of these products will be in each of our Glam Bags.

Get ready to start your guessing dance, cause it's time to break it down! (Ok, that was cheesy, I admit ::slaps wrist::)

   
MYSTERY ITEM #1 & #2 - Top left Corner
       


These could possibly be the same item, but with two of the sample bottle in different angles OR these could be two bottles of the same brand but different products. Hmmm.....we've already got a guess on what the product(s) could be! 

Take a look at the bottle closer up with the color adjusted:


Image from Zadidoll.com - Thanks Zadi!

You can make out the word HEAT and an STY-...so, presumably, this says HEAT STYLING! Given that info, the product is probably:

JOHN FRIEDA
FULL REPAIR SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER



 If you look at the bottom left corner (click on picture to enlarge) you can see the words: HEAT STYLING! Plus, it makes sense that there's two tubes in the sneak peek picture and there is a shampoo and conditioner! 





MYSTERY ITEM #3 - Top Right Corner



If you look ever so close, you can see that this is in fact, not one, but FOUR products on top of each other! 

Here's a enhanced picture with dash lines to show the different packets:



 and we already have confirmation on what these products are! The green and pink packets are:

FREEMAN FACIAL PAPER MASKS


 (Thanks to Anastasia from Glamorable! for finding this!)

Based off of this from their website, where they're offering a deal to Ipsy subscribers, that pretty much clinches it that these are the products in the picture. This appears to be the two shown in the sneak peek picture: (keep in mind the coloring is going to be off for many reason, one, Ipsy might have used a filter and two, I enhanced them a bit to see them more clearly)


ROSE BRIGHTENING FACIAL PAPER MASK


STAR FRUIT PURIFYING FACIAL PAPER MASK




as for the other two packets, this was found on Instagram not too long ago:

"Our Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels are in the September Ipsy glam bag! How cute is the #ipsy crew with their gels on!" - skyniceland Instagram


(click for larger image)

and here is the product itself! -

SKYN ICELAND
HYDRO COOL FIRMING GELS

How fab are these? Crossing my fingers to get them!





MYSTERY ITEM #4 - Right Middle on Top



This unfortunately, is still a mystery! However, it appears to be some sort of twist up pencil of some sort...either eyeliner or eyebrow. 





MYSTERY ITEM #5 - Middle Right in Center



Another unsolved mystery, however, you can easily tell it's a wooden eye pencil of some sort, either for brows or eyeliner!

EDIT 9/10 - It's a Starlook's Kohl Eye Pencil! Read below in the 9/10 Update for more details!


MYSTERY ITEM #6 - Middle Right on Bottom



Here we have ANOTHER eye product, but this time a precision eyeliner AND, not only that, but....we know what it is!

JESSE'S GIRL
WATERPROOF LIQUID EYELINER
My thanks to Zadidoll from Zadidoll.com for confirmation!





MYSTERY ITEM #7 & #8 - Bottom Center



As you can see, there are TWO completely different items here, but it was difficult for me to crop each one out in separate pictures so we'll look at them both together!

Here is the picture flipped for a better view -



Not too long ago this was on J. Cat Beauty's Facebook page (J. Cat Beauty has been a product featured in Ipsy Glam Bags before!)



With J. Cat commenting on the Ipsy Sneak Peek picture, it pretty much means that there is at least ONE J. Cat Beauty product included in it!

It seems like the product out in front could be the J. Cat Beauty lipstick! Hard to say what shade based off of the picture but here are some that look similar:

EDIT 9/9: Just received confirmation from J. Cat Beauty's website, it IS going to be their HoneyCrisp lipstick!

J. CAT BEAUTY LIPSTICK in HoneyCrisp


J. CAT BEAUTY LIPSTICK in Caramel


J. CAT BEAUTY LIPSTICK in Glow Gold

It looks closest to Glow Gold to me, but also keep in mind that Honeycrisp is currently being displayed on J. Cat Beauty's homepage! We shall see!

As for the secondary item, it appears that it's some sort of square shaped bottle, which leads me to believe it could be a nail polish of some sort??? More on that further on with updates!






MYSTERY ITEM #9 & #10 - Bottom Left Corner



These BOTH appear to be repeat items from previous Glam Bags! Which, as we know from last month, Ipsy can do repeats but it seems like they send them out to subscribers who may not have received them before (Hopefully). They appear to be:

CHELLA IVORY LACE HIGHLIGHTER PENCIL



POP BEAUTY POUTY POP LIP CRAYON
Unknown at this time which color variation of the Pouty Pop they will be sending out, or if it will only be ONE color. You may not get a Pouty Pop Lip Crayon at all, too! 





MYSTERY ITEM #11 - Middle Left Center



This brand I DEFINITELY know, since they've sent out a previous item in a Glam Bag that is very similarly shaped! It's...

CAILYN COSMETICS!

Here's the image flipped so you can better make out the word: CAILYN



It appears that it may be one of their Tinted Lip Balms -


(Shown in color Big Apple)

This may not be the color being sent out, at the moment, there is no confirmation yet if this IS Cailyn, although it's pretty obvious to me, however, I'm not sure if it is their Tinted Lip Balm and/or what shade will be sent out. I'll update more as I know!

EDIT a few hours later - I just noticed this on Cailyn's Facebook:


which pretty much confirms that there WILL be Cailyn Cosmetics in the September Glam Bag and given the Sneak Peek picture, I'm 100% sure that's a Cailyn Cosmetic product. However, still not sure about whether or not it's the Tinted Lip Balm and what color it might be.

So that's it for the sleuthing of SNEAK PEEK PICTURE #3, but WAIT! I have Sneak Peek #4 to show you as well!  

From Ipsy's Facebook -


SEPTEMBER SNEAK PEEK #4

"No matter the time or the season, this month's Glam Bag will be a classic print you're going to fall in love with!"

not only that, but this picture was on Ipsy's website for the September Glam Bag! -



This bag is already getting fairly mixed reviews because of it's busy pattern, but personally, I ADORE IT! I think it's chic, an absolutely stunning color and fun! I'm SO looking forward to receiving my Glam Bag! 




UPDATE 9/9

We have confirmation on the J. Cat Beauty product! From J. Cat Beauty's website:

 (from jcatbeauty.com)

 It IS their lipstick in HoneyCrisp! 






 UPDATE 9/10

A picture popped up on Instagram this morning confirming several of the products that we've touched on for this month's bag INCLUDING the mystery wooden pencil!

(Instagram name not shown for privacy purposes)

It's a Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil! 



    

From what I can see (the picture is a little fuzzy), it looks like it's the shade Obsidian.

Obsidian
from starlooks.com

  Another little hint for this product is that just recently Marci Star from Starlooks released a video on her Starlooks YouTube channel featuring the Kohl Eye Pencil for a dramatic, gorgeous eye look! What a coincidence!


So here's what we know so far! -


  • THEME - Classic, vintage
  • Product Count - FIVE products in each Glam Bag
  • Glam Bag - Blue and Black, multipattern print
  • Everyone is Receiving:
    • One Nyx single eyeshadow (variety of colors)
    • Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara

    • Three items from this list -
      • John Frieda Full Repair product (unconfirmed)
      • Freeman Facial Paper Masks (confirmed)
      • Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels (confirmed)
      • Automatic Eye Pencil (unknown brand)
      • Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil (confirmed)
      • Jesse's Girl Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (confirmed)
      • J. Cat Beauty Lipstick in HoneyCrisp (confirmed)
      • Nail Polish (unconfirmed, unknown brand??)
      • Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil (unconfirmed)
      • Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Lip Crayon (unconfirmed)
      • Cailyn Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm (confirmed on brand)
I'll update if I hear anything! Stay tuned!
      
Interested in trying out Ipsy's monthly Glam Bag subscription service? For $10 a month you received 4-5 deluxe or full-size products as well as a monthly makeup bag! Please feel free to use my referral link to sign up! Just click HERE.
       

Happy Makeuping and Guessing!