There’s been quite a to-do lately on some of the blogs I like to read about independent mineral makeup companies purchasing pigments from manufacturers and simply repackaging them to sell to consumers. The problem is that these companies are claiming that these colors are created and/or developed by them, when in fact no creativity was involved at all.

My experience with mineral makeup, specifically eyeshadows, has been limited to companies like Bare Escentuals (who I’m assuming make their colors themselves), and smaller companies like AromaLeigh, Meow Cosmetics, Fyrinnae, and J. Lynne Cosmetics. These companies also create their own colors and formulas. I appreciate their creativity and the unique colors they have to offer. As a former small business owner (making soap and lotions), I especially respect the smaller companies’ dedication to their craft. I know what kind of time and effort and trial and error has to go into developing your own formulas and techniques and product! I also know how awesome it feels to develop a product that is truly all your own creation.

With that said, I want to wholeheartedly support the Mineral Makeup Mutiny.  I pledge to support independent companies that are doing interesting things with color, creating interesting shades, and working hard to make something new and different for their customers. I have no interest in supporting companies that buy pigments wholesale, divvy them up into smaller jars and slap a label on them. If I wanted that kind of product, I could do it myself.

I love makeup. I love fun, interesting colors, both bright and subtle, and so far some of my favorites have come from the aforementioned companies – like Cupcake Sprinkles from Fyrinnae and Strawberry Despair from AromaLeigh. The hard-working entrepreneurs behind these companies have earned our support and respect!

I recently have been using Rimmel Glam’Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara, and I’m a little bit on the fence about it. Read on for my thoughts!

I have a pretty short list of demands when it comes to mascara. I want it to be dark, I want it to be flake and smudge-free, I want it to be volumizing, and I want it to give good separation. Rimmel meets these needs, but does have a few drawbacks as well.

The brush is this neato comb/brush thingy, with four rows of the bristles. The formula is very smooth, with no clumps or globs that stick to the brush. The brush does a nice job separating the lashes and coating them evenly with the mascara. It’s nice and dark, and overall I’m pleased with the dramatic (but not over the top) look that results from this mascara.

On the negative side, I get mascara on my eyelids above the lashline if I’m not SUPER careful when applying it, which is annoying. It also does seem to be really susceptible to smudging if my eyes water at all, which isn’t a problem with most mascaras I’ve tried. It means it comes off super-easy when I wash my face, but as my eyes water a lot, this is kind of a bad thing.

The two strikes aren’t enough to put me off finishing up my tube, but I can only give it one thumb up. Your mileage may vary.

Everyone needs to check out Lush’s Ghost Shower Gel, a floral treat that only makes an appearance around Halloween. It’s a limited edition, so check it out before it disappears!

Lush introduced Ghost in 2007, but I didn’t actually buy it until this year. It’s made with dove orchid and rose infusion, and smells like lilies. Actually, it has the same scent as Lily Savon, a delightful soap that has since disappeared. I never did get around to reviewing Lily Savon, but needless to say, it had a great scent. If you snag a bottle of Ghost, you’ll know what I mean. What I love most about Lush’s shower gels is the fact that most of them will double as shampoo – and then your hair smells good all day long!

Lush has also brought out some new soap, namely Vanilla in the Mist and Noubar. Vanilla in the Mist is a vanilla soap (duh!) but is also apparently scented with “a dash of coconut and tonka.” Me want!! Noubar is a scrubby pistachio soap, with the scent of rose, coffee, and vetiver. You can believe I’ll be calling my local shop to see if they have these in!

I love new Lush products!

When Victoria’s Secret introduced their Parfums Intimes line, I was pleasantly surprised. I found them quite well-done for perfumes aimed at the mass market, especially the Lace Orange Flower. When I had the chance to try the new Velvet Amber Blackberry perfume, I was very excited!

In addition to the amber and the blackberry, the fragrance also has a rose note that’s lovely. It’s not a nose-tickling amber, or an overly fruity blackberry, nor a fusty rose. It’s just a nicely balanced blend of the three that I find really pleasant and very wearable. It’s not heavy, though I wish lasting power was a bit better. It fades sooner than I’d like.

The lotion is great too. It has a much lighter version of the fragrance, and leaves my skin nicely soft and silky. The fragrance does last a bit longer layered with the perfume.

Unfortunately, thus far there isn’t a gift set featuring all five of the fragrances in Eau de Parfum concentration. There is only a box set of fragrance mists with all five. It’s still tempting me strongly! Velvet gets two thumbs up from me.

Its been kind of a tough week for me. This morning, I left the house without filling in my brows because I forgot to do them when getting ready – major lack of sleep going on. I think only other brow-philes will get this one, but it’s sort of like leaving with jam on your face or something. It makes a “what is wrong with this picture???” moment when you finally see yourself in a mirror later on.

On Sunday, I decided to try out some fake nails. I’m not mentioning any names at this point, because I actually liked the nails themselves and the tale I’m about to relate probably has a lot more to do with my own ignorance than any actual FAIL of the product. Anyway, I put them on around 9 pm. After painstakingly getting them all finished, I decided that the length was just a bit longer than I was going to be able to tolerate the next day at work (I wear my natural nails quite short!) and decided to take them off. Okay, no problem. Bust out the nail polish remover, and soak per instructions. And soak. And soak some more. Ummm… they now look like hell but they aren’t coming off! Crikey! Seriously, at this point I was thinking that nail glue would make an adequate substitute for bolts for holding together the space shuttle! The stuff wouldn’t come off my skin, either!

It was getting quite late at this point, and I had to get up early the next day. The nail tips were soft enough from all the soaking that I decided to just cut them off, file them smooth and deal with diseased-looking nails the next day until I could figure out a Plan B. So that’s what I did. This morning (about 36 hours later) I discovered that they had come loose enough that I could pretty much pop them off each nail. So much for space shuttle glue. I am now happily fake-nail free. Probably popping them off isn’t the best idea, but it sure was entertaining.

The moral of the story? Lack of sleep causes BROW FAIL and if I want to put on fake nails, I better be ready for at least a 36 hour commitment.

I’m in love. Again. I know, it seems like I fall in love with a new mascara every time I try one. But this time I really mean it! (At least until next time…) The dearly beloved in question is L’Oreal’s Extra Volume Collagen mascara.

Extra Volume Collagen is a volumizing mascara (duh!) that promises “extreme volume” and “12x More Impact Instantly.” Now, I’ve mentioned this a time or two before, but tossing numbers out in relation to something like lash volume fails to impress me. 12x more impact? Than what? No mascara? How does one go about measuring that? Ehhhhh? Anyway, I’m definitely all about ACTUAL RESULTS, and that can only be achieved by putting the mascara to the test.

Let’s recap my ideal mascara: volume without clumping, smooth formula with no globs, not too wet or sticky, and I crave lots of lash definition. I want each lash to stand out! Does L’Oreal Extra Volume Collagen pass the test! Yes!

It features a brush that is soft, but designed to grab each of your lashes to coat them evenly and separate them. Supposedly, something called hydra-collagen is responsible for “plumping” your lashes. I personally think it gets the job done because of the super-smooth formula that glides over my lashes, evenly coating them and drawing them out with fabulous separation!

Sadly, there is a tiny fly in my ointment. I’ve noticed with some brushes I’m more likely to end up getting the mascara dabbed on my eyelids just above the lashline – I think it happens with longer-bristled brushes that poke past the lashes to the eyelids. This is one of those brushes. However, having figured this out, I just take a little more care with application to avoid the problem. It’s definitely NOT a deal-breaker for me.

Two thumbs up for L’Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara!