Boy howdy am I happy to be sharing this with all of you: I was lucky enough to get to try out the new limited edition eyeshadow collection from Aromaleigh and it is awesome!! It’s called Victoria’s Revenge and has a gothic victorian steampunk nightmare theme that is dark, mysterious, and FUN!

After several attempts at getting my less-than-stellar camera to photograph the sample bags, I decided I’d point you to several other bloggers who have succesfully photographed the sample collection. Please visit Fresco Phyrra, or Lazy Beautiful, or Painted Moogle to get a look at all the shades laid out and swatched.

So far, I’ve tried Infernal Chaos (a taupe color on me) with Brazen & Bitter (coral-y red), a fabulous combination. Infernal Chaos is probably the least must-have color, unless you really love to collect taupe shades. Brazen & Bitter is probably going to be a must-have though, as it’s a very wearable red color – a lot of red eyeshadows make my eyes look bloodshot when they’re not. Not this one!

The pictures here are Mourning’s Whimsy (bright purple with blue and violet sparkle) with Poison Utopia (black with sparkle). I used Fyrinnae’s Nijiro on the brow bone, and black eyeliner. I LOVE Mourning’s Whimsy! This is a great sparkly purple color! Poison Utopia is a little more work – just a little bit chalky as black shades tend to be. Love the sparkles though. I’m using Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy for the first time today as well, and I’m totally in love with it! The sparkles all stayed where they should and the colors are so much richer than with just primer alone. Love!

I can’t wait to try out the rest of the colors. I will try to get a picture of each combination to share. This beautiful collection is two thumbs up!

EcoTools, makers of some of my favorite makeup brushes ever, have introduced a six piece eye brush set to perfectly apply eye makeup. When I worked at a store that sold makeup (rhymes with “menorah”), one of the most common requests we received was to show clients how to apply their eye makeup with brushes.

Ecotools has created some video tutorials that I think really nicely demonstrate how to best use their brushes to achieve the two most commonly requested eye looks: the smoky eye and the cat eye.

The brushes used in the cat eye video can be found in the six-piece brush set, or you can purchase them individually.

The smoky eye video uses the new eye brush set. I really like the brushes a lot and have worked them into my makeup routine. If you are looking for an afforable, yet good quality brush set, pick one of these up! I give EcoTools two enthusiastic thumbs up!

I’ve been wondering about Yes To Carrots for a while now. I see them at New Seasons Market, at Target, and online, so I’m really happy to have the opportunity to really check out the products! First up, is the Lip Butter, a certified organic lip balm that comes in yummy flavors.

Yes To Carrots is committed to creating paraben-free products by utilising nature’s best kept secrets: rejuvenating Dead Sea mud minerals, combined with the antioxidant and youth-enhancing properties of Beta-Carotene, a natural form of Vitamin A. All products in the range are derived from organic carrots and other fruits and vegetables, so they are 100% natural and packed with goodness.

The lip butter contains such yummies as olive oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, shea butter, pumpkin seed extract and carrot root extract. It comes in five flavors: mint, berry, melon, citrus, and carrot. So far melon and carrot are my favorites!

The staying power is quite good, and the formula stays pretty solid even when I keep it in my pocket. It’s also certified organic, which is something I appreciate a lot. Overall, I give Yes To Carrots Lip Butter two thumbs up!

More Yes To Carrots reviews to come!

I’ve been waiting rather impatiently for new stuff to start coming out for spring, and it looks like I’m finally in luck! Sephora.com has several new items that look particularly interesting to me…

First on the list is this Kat Von D palette called Memento Mori. I haven’t really checked out the other products in the Kat Von D lineup as the colors are a little too deep to be my thing. But these lighter, more pastel colors are right up my alley, so I’ll definitely be checking this one out in person.

Urban Decay’s new Primer Potion in Eden is really floating my boat. I love Primer Potion and this looks like it would probably be a good color corrector for my dark eyelids. Want!

Also from Urban Decay, these Stardust Eye Shadows look like fun. I wonder what the texture is like? UD’s other sparkly eyeshadows are guilty of major fallout (leaving sparkles all over my face) but these claim to be fallout-free. Must investigate further!

I am kinda sorta wanting a small bottle of Vera Wang Glam Princess. I’m such a sucker for cute and the stars on the bottle are really getting to me. Hmmm… must get a sample and see if it’s actually wearable!

What new stuff are you wanting?

I picked up a few more things from Hard Candy recently, and they’re really fun! I wish the brand was carried at more stores than just Walmart, since it’s not convenient for me to shop there, but I’m willing to overlook this fact because of how cute the products are.

Most recently, I bought a Tinted Lip Balm in Julie, a coral shade. It’s a nice formula, without mineral oil or petrolatum, containing sunflower seed oil, mango butter, macadamia oil, and beeswax. As a lip balm goes, it’s moisturizing without being greasy, and while it isn’t the best thing ever for lasting power, it’s still pretty good. The color is quite sheer but pretty. I love the packaging! Also, the formula doesn’t get too soft and squishy in my pocket, a total win.

I also bought an Eye For An Eye Pencil in Sublime, a double-ended pencil in blue and silver. So far, I’ve used the blue end and it’s pretty good. It’s a little hard, but easy enough to soften if you warm it between your fingers. It’s a metallic blue, and has good lasting power. If it were a little softer, I’d give it two thumbs up, but it definitely gets a single thumb for the pretty color and long wear.

Have you tried any of the new Hard Candy?

We’re getting into the Holiday Season, when retail workers everywhere find themselves running ragged trying to keep up with the increased volume of shoppers. In addition to all this fun, I’m also taking a Japanese class at Portland State University, which means a one-hour class at 8 am Monday through Friday, and homework. The blog has been neglected as a result… I also have less time for makeup in the morning if I happen to oversleep (as is common, the more tired I become). This is where Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm comes in: this multitasker can really save the day when you need to be presentable in a hurry.

Freedom Glow Beauty Balm is a tinted balm stick that can be used on your eyes, lips, cheeks, decollatage, and anywhere else you need some color. The shade Blushed is a rosy color, perfect for cheeks and lips, in my opinion, and my go-to product lately. When I only have time (or the energy) to curl my lashes and apply mascara, and slap something on my cheeks, this is what I slap on. It’s a snap to apply – either swipe your finger across the top and then smooth onto your skin, or just dab it directly onto your cheeks and blend. Do the same thing for your lips, and you’ll instantly look refreshed. Then toss it into your bag for touch-ups to your lips and you’re good to go.

Lasting power is pretty good for a cream blush. It’s not all day, but I’m okay with a mid-day touch-up. I like that it’s made with organic ingredients, and the emollient formula is nice on my lips. In short, two thumbs up!

I’ve been a busy girl, happily ordering makeup to play with (and then write about, lol!) and my orders are here! W00t!

From Aromaleigh, I ordered full sizes of Strawberry Despair from the Gothic Lolita collection and Winged Psyche from Les Papillons. I also ordered a full size tube of Sweet Tart Nourishing Color Creme (also from the Gothic Lolita collection). I ordered two samples from Les Papillons, Flying Flower and Vigil of Change, and also received samples of Bete Noire Solange, Ozone and Destination Unknown from the Rocks! Collection, and a Nourishing Color Creme sample in Limbo.

I decided to order the sample set of the Japanese Garden collection eyeshadows from J. Lynne Cosmetics. I can’t wait to try them all out! I’m thinking Sakura, Mokuren, and Wakakusa look particularly awesome and I wore Mimoza and Seri together today (that’s a gold and sage-y pale green) and they were so pretty! I will try to get a photo of some of these soon. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to photograph my eyeshadow this morning. I’ll post a full review on this collection soon.

From Fyrinnae, I ordered samples sizes of Shinigami, Sumatran Tiger, Jaguar, Iberian Lynx, and a Lip Lustre in Bloodstains. I am really loving that Lip Lustre, and the greenish tinge of Sumatran Tiger seriously rocks! I need to try to get some eyeshadow pictures with these colors too. Shinigami is an AWESOME shade of purple.

I love new makeup! What have you ordered recently?