The Bzz About Philips Satin Perfect Epilator

I was recently chosen to test out, as a BzzAgent, the Philips Satin Perfect Epilator! Before I tell you about how that went, I want to make sure you all know what BzzAgent is all about ;)
If you have never heard of BzzAgent they are a word-of-mouth social marketing company. They work with the manufacturers to put together what they call "campaigns." These campaigns vary but usually include products to test and valuable coupons to share. If you are chosen for a campaign, you can choose whether or not to accept it and by being part of a campaign you are simply asked to test the products and spread your honest opinions on them with other consumers! If you would like to check out their FAQ section to find out more, click here.
It is completely free to sign up so don't forget to check them out!

Upon being chosen for the Philips Satin Perfect Epilator Campaign, I was sent the complete kit for body and face (Philips SatinPerfect HP6576/50) pictured below:

It contains the Satin Perfect Deluxe Epilator, 4 different attachments (active hair lifter, active massage system with pivoting cap, shaving head, trimming comb), illuminated smart tweezers, adapter for charging, a cleaning brush, and storage pouch.

This kit retails for $149.99 on the manufacturers website.

Before receiving this product to test, I honestly had no idea what an epilator was and I had to do a little research myself. I don't think they are nearly as popular as disposable razors or waxing because even now I rarely hear about them! I have to wonder why because waxing can be quite expensive and it certainly isn't cheap to have to keep purchasing razors or razor cartridges. 

Using an Epilator is somewhat like waxing in the sense that you are pulling the hairs out by the roots. It is designed to mechanically grasp the hairs and pull them out - in this case with the SatinPerfect, using rotating textured ceramic discs. It kind of reminds me of a bunch of little tweezers grasping each hair and pulling them all out at once. As you are probably imagining, it IS slightly painful. I think anyone would be fooling themselves to think it isn't going to hurt at all. But, I personally found this to be more bearable than waxing.

When using this product I noticed a longer lasting smoothness and minimal hair regrowth as opposed to shaving with a razor. I have heard people say the first time using an epilator is definitely the most painful and it gets easier over time so I am definitely looking forward to that as I personally plan to keep using this product instead of wasting money on razors ;)

Some of my favorite features of this product include the fact that it has a wide head - when I was doing a little research on epilators I noticed most of them are quite small in comparison and I much prefer the epilator picking up more hair at once. I also love that this epilator is cordless - makes it much easier to use and especially if I ever needed it while traveling or on the go. It has a built in light so it is easier to see hairs that you might have missed, the head is washable (yes, under water! make sure to remove the head first), and all in all (after experiencing a few blonde moments) it was very easy to assemble/use!

I did try out the included tweezers, loved that they have a built in light, but I found the quality of the tweezers to be kind of useless. I really only use tweezers for my eyebrows and the ones included just weren't up to par with my current set - I found it hard to grasp the hairs when using them even though the light made it easier to see them.

If you are interested in more information on the Philips Satin Perfect Epilator, check out the product description on Amazon here. It is slightly cheaper on Amazon and you can also use this code, courtesy of BzzAgent, to save $20 (BUZZEP2O) right now if you would like to try it for yourself!

FTC: I received this product for free to test and give my honest opinion on, I am not being paid to write this post, and all opinions expressed are of my own.

There's Something Magical About Fyrinnae...

Let me start by saying I am slightly obsessed with loose "mineral" eyeshadows lately, and it comes as no surprise (to me) that I completely fell in love with Fyrinnae upon receiving my first order! Actually, I quickly made a second one ;)
I wanted to take the time to write a "review" and post some photos of the products I ordered, so bear with me as this post will be picture heavy &I have been a little spoiled lately by the boyfriend!

First off - if you have never heard of Fyrinnae, you need to run on over to their website and check them out! They create unique cosmetics and my favorite part.. all of it is vegan!
Their product line includes eyeshadows, lip lustres, blushes, finishing powders/primers, bronzers and highlighters.

Before purchasing, as with any company I am unfamiliar with, I extensively searched for and read reviews - after seeing so much positive feedback I decided to take the plunge! While making my shopping list I googled endlessly for swatches of each eyeshadow.. because they are all so unique and many are layered, they seem to shift shades/hues depending on the lighting. To read more about how they create the colors, click here.

I did my best to capture each color accurately, all were photographed on my windowsill in natural lighting and I did not edit these photos in any way (aside from cropping and resizing). First thing's first, I want you to see how well both of my orders were packaged (not only does this show consistency, but you can see that they take a lot of time to ensure the products will not be damaged during shipping and will arrive safely).

My very first purchase was placed on 02/05/12, was shipped on 02/10/12, and I received it on 02/13/12. As you can tell, their turn around time is much shorter than stated on their website. ;) I ordered a full size of the Pixie Epoxy and 17 mini jars (I had a hard time narrowing down my choices - ALL of them look gorgeous!). Each "mini" jar contains 1/3tsp of product, except for the "Arcane Magic" eyeshadows which are 1/4tsp of product (as they are slightly more pricey for a full size) and come packed in clear 3gr jars. I made the decision to only order mini jars because they are very generously sized, and with my ever growing collection of eyeshadow.. I don't think I would ever be able to make it through a full size jar! Upon opening, I was super impressed with the overall appearance and packaging - the products I ordered were placed on what appears to be multi-colored cellophane - wrapped, placed inside of a small black plastic bag - folded over, and then a protective piece of cardboard was placed around them and taped. Take a look:

Here is my order unwrapped, as you may notice I received a sample of "Jaguar" ;) and my Pixie Epoxy was wrapped additionally:

Pixie Epoxy unwrapped (full size):

I was SO impressed - not only with the care taken in packing my order, but also in the quality of the products themselves. I decided to place a second order on 02/15/12, it was shipped 02/18/2012, and I received it on 02/21/12. This time I decided to order the full size Velvet-Gel Silica Primer and 11 mini jars (still just as difficult to narrow down my choices! hehe). Everything came packaged the same way (the Velvet-Gel Silica Primer was wrapped additionally just as my Pixie Epoxy was) &this time around I received "Chaotic Evil" as a sample. I will spare you and just show everything unwrapped:

Between my two orders, this leaves me with 30 eyeshadows to swatch for you and because it has been a little time consuming (mostly just difficult to photograph while I have the proper natural lighting) I've decided to break this up into two posts, the second post will contain the Arcane Magic eyeshadows and the two samples I received between the two orders I placed. 

For now - onto the first set of swatches! Under each picture I will post the description of the eyeshadow as listed on the Fyrinnae website, followed by a link to the product itself (click the *). All swatches were done over NYX JEP in Milk, some may be slightly blurred/out of focus so that you can see the sparkle ;)

(This shade is a glowing iridescent copper highlight, almost ghostly, despite how photos make it appear. A sticky base makes more color come though, but it works well and "glows" over regular primers.)*

(Glowing warm purple shimmer on black.)*

(Semi-sheer white with soft blue and turquoise shimmer. Looks very pale in the jar, but once applied can give a ethereal aqua-blue glow, especially when applied wet.)*

(Dark, smokey teal frolicks with a fun pink-purple highlight and sparkle.)*

(A lush, deep, ruddy maroon shade. Satin finish.)*

(Pale pink with a stunning brilliant light gold highlight.)*

(Varying hues of pale lavender shimmer make this shadow a great glowing highlight.)*

(Vibrant deep warm pink, with a glimmering orange (not gold!) highlight and shimmer to add dimension.)*

(Deep, dark purple with turquoise shimmer.)*

(Vibrant orange loaded with coordinating sparkle.)*

(Rich, vivid emerald green with a hint of teal, shimmering but not glittery.)*

(Cuddlefish is a vibrant violet, but not an overly cool shade, loaded with varying hues of purple and blue-violet sparkle.)*

(This is a shimmery magenta-pink with a contrasting aqua highlight.)*

(Similar to our Ghost shades, but sparkly, this is a pale "ghostly" aqua shimmer with glimmers of turquoise and blue sparkle.)*

(Mephisto is a deep royal blue with a vibrant metallic red sheen that's quite striking when the light hits it. Metallic finish, not sparkley.)*

(Satiny ivory-pink in the jar, but once applied, it has a soft glow of light red shimmer in varying hues.)*

(The sparkly, bouncier cousin of Digital Faerie, this blue-aqua shade is filled with blue and turquoise sparkles and shimmer.)*

(Almost metallic red shines over a black base, making this shade perfect for liner as well.)*

Edit: I decided to quickly swatch and add on the samples I received from my orders, so here is Jaguar and Chaotic Evil as well!

(Shimmery teal-black filled with green and turquoise sparkle. This shade is semi-sheer, so it is buildable but without a heavy black base like most of our darkest shadows.)*

(Brilliant cool shimmering pink loaded with silvery sparkle.)*

That's it for the first round of swatches, keep an eye out for the Arcane Magic eyeshadow swatches that are soon to follow! xo

FTC:  These items were paid for by myself/by my boyfriend, I am not being compensated to write this post, these are my honest opinions on the products and company, descriptions of each eyeshadow were copied directly from the Fyrinnae website and are followed by a link to the product, all photos were taken by me.

Spring is in the Air...

...and Easter is soon to follow! I don't know about any of you, but lately I've been dying to get my hands on anything and everything "pastel" or "pale" colored - especially mint green! Every time I think about Spring and Easter I have this image of pastel colored M&M's stuck in my head. I was SO relieved when one of my favorite mineral makeup companies released a Spring/Easter inspired pastel collection - finally, EXACTLY what I was looking for! So you know what this means? SWATCHES! I am so excited to have this collection in my hands, and I wanted to share my "review" of it with you while it is still available.

First off, if you've never heard of My Beauty Addiction.. well, you're missing out! You can find the Facebook Fan Page here, and the Etsy shop here. My Beauty Addiction offers a couple hundred different mineral eyeshadow shades, mineral foundation/blushes/bronzer, lipsticks/lipglosses, lotions, perfumes, deodorant, bodywash, scrubs, skincare, even hair extensions/feather extensions! From time to time, My Beauty Addiction will share discount codes/free shipping codes on the Facebook page so if you are interested make sure you follow the page and keep an eye out!
I can not recall how I came upon My Beauty Addiction but I made my first purchase back in October of last year and have been addicted ever since. I've received nothing short of excellent customer service each and every time and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the quality of the products.

I placed my order on 03/09/12 and received it on 03/12/12! The Spring Fling Easter Collection (found here) came mailed to me in a bubble mailer, wrapped tightly in even more bubble wrap, inside of an adorable egg shaped bunny. At the time of my purchase, the listing also included a bonus "Fairy Dust" (glitter) - but sadly, this was only available while supplies lasted.

The collection comes with 5 mineral eyeshadows packed in 5gram jars (with sifters). My photos show a total of 6 because I am including my bonus "Fairy Dust."

Included in this collection(descriptions from the listing): Peepz (pastel yellow with white sparkle), Jelly Bean (soft lavender with purple sparkle), Blushing Bunny (soft pastel pink with rose pink & magenta sparkle), Mint Julep (mint soft green with aqua green sparkle), and Robin's Egg (pastel blue with blue sparkle).

All swatches were done over NYX JEP in Milk, none of the photos were altered in any way (other than cropping to fit into the collage), I tried to capture the sparkles in each color!

If you're like me and are looking for some pastel colors this Spring/Easter, you won't be disappointed! If pastel just isn't for you - check out My Beauty Addiction anyway ;) There are many products to choose from,  in every color or scent imaginable and I'm positive you will find something you can't live without. If you are already a fan of My Beauty Addiction or you'd like to see swatches of any particular colors - go ahead and leave me a comment below, I just might have it! xo

FTC: These items were paid for by myself/by my boyfriend, I am not being compensated to do this post, these are my honest opinions on the products and company.

Too Faced Haul &Swatches!

Since my last post, I have been on somewhat of a "mission" to do more research on companies and whether or not they are cruelty free before ultimately deciding to purchase from them. I came upon Too Faced during their "Vintage Sale" (I had heard of them before, and have seen their products frequently - but had never made a purchase!) and quickly learned they are a cruelty free company. I decided to make my first purchase (finally) because they had so many good deals. I purchased on 03/05/12 and just received my order today 03/12/12 (pretty impressive for such a large sale!) and am happy to say I am not disappointed in the least, but rather wish I had grabbed a few more duos. Now onto the haul and swatch photos!

Everything came in a cute pink box with "Too Faced Cosmetics" printed on it, and was appropriately sized for my order! (often times when I order cosmetics, they come in super sized boxes!?)

It didn't stop there, either, I was even more impressed upon opening this cute little box:

It included a coupon for 20% off my next order, just for shopping their sale. Coupon is good through March, excludes sale merchandise, and is a one time use per customer. ;) also, not seen in this photograph, I received a sample of their new "Beauty Balm" and am slightly disappointed it is not in a shade suitable for my skin tone :(

Here is a better look at the contents/packaging:

In my order: the Everyday Amazing Eyes set (full size Shadow Insurance, Lava Gloss matte eyeliner in black, and eye shadow duo in Sexpresso & Peach Fuzz), Rich Bitch eye shadow duo, Lucky Charms eye shadow duo, Skinny Dip eye shadow duo, Beauty Mark eye shadow duo, and Erotica & Silk Teddy eye shadow duo.

I did some swatches of the eye shadow duos before the sun went down, all are highly pigmented and easy to work with. The following photos showcase each duo - the top left is the duo swatched over a NYX JEP in Milk, bottom left is the bottom of the eye shadow duo container with the name of each, and the right is a close up photo of each duo in the container. NONE of these photos were altered in any way, aside from cropping to fit into a collage. All photos were taken by myself (using my Canon PowerShot SX210 IS).

Overall I am extremely satisfied with my purchase, and with Too Faced Cosmetics! My favorite duo is definitely "Skinny Dip" - it appears to be a true blue duo, but actually has a pink undertone to it (you may be able to see a bit of the pink shimmer in the swatch). In certain lighting "Skinny Dip" actually appears very purple! ;) I have not yet had the chance to try the Shadow Insurance or Lava Gloss matte eyeliner and will update when I do. xo

FTC: These items were paid for by myself/by my boyfriend, I am not being compensated to do this post, these are my honest opinions on the products and company.