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....

AUGUST REVEAL 2013 - STARLOOKS

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!