Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Jelly Pong Pong Reviews and Swatches Part I!

Greetings my wonderful readers!

A while ago you may have read about my experiences with Jelly Pong Pong, a British makeup brand. Well today I am going to do a more in depth review of some of their newer products/products I have yet to try!

So please click the Read More button to see photos and explanations. :D





http://www.jellypongpong.com/

Ordering: Ordering from their webstore is not super confusing however I will note the fact that a lot of their "Fabled Dreams and Beautiful Things" collection seems to be out of stock. BUMMER! (Including the Gourmet Lip Therapy which is a product I've been wanting to buy for ages now!)

What to order? I ALWAYS order gift sets from this brand. Why? It's a wayyy better deal than ordering a la carte. Trust me! I got four different gift sets in my order: Giddy With Love Giftset in L'Amour, BOTH of their Lavish Gift Bags, and their Petal Perfection Gift Set.

Major issue?: The biggest problem I had with Jelly Pong Pong is the fact that when I ordered from them, they somehow managed to screw up my order and send it to my BILLING address, not my SHIPPING address. They did not even offer a refund, unlike Lime Crime, who offered a full refund for the cost of shipping from my billing address to my shipping address. What gives, Jelly Pong Pong? In their e-mail to me, they stated it was "for security purposes"......and they didn't respond to any of my messages after that. Way to be flakes and not admit when you've cleared fucked up? Jeez. Maybe they don't give a damn about me because I'm not a UK customer? Either way I was pissed. I was just thankful I didn't pay $30 to have my order mailed to me, so I must say the shipping costs are affordable but it's still annoying!

Overall ordering experience: Since I've ordered from them once before and they shipped my order to the correct address that time, I'd like to believe this was just a fluke and won't happen if I order again...which probably won't be anytime soon mostly due to the exchange rate (ick!) plus the fact that I now own the major of their cosmetics line (!!) so unless they release new stuff... lololol. But their silly e-mail response trying to cover up a mistake really turns me off to them in terms of customer service. After reading some yelp.com reviews for their actual store in London, I've decided a bunch of snooty women work there. :/


So...LOOT pics! :D



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Box O' Loot!

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Loot lined up on my desk. (Ick my desk needs repainted...sorry!) :-S


And now some reviews! Since I got 12 Products in total, I will do roughly six in this post, and the rest in the next post! :x Only so many hours in the day, folks! :3


Product Review 1: Gourmet Lip Therapy

What is it?

According to their website:
"Real Liquorice: This age-old herb has anti-inflammatory properties for calming inflamed areas of the skin. Acting as a demulcent, it soothes & coats your lips as well as leaving behind a warm herbal flavour & cosy tingle.
Packaged in a secret recipe book, lovingly hand-bound in cloth & printed in gold.

Bonus : Formulated with active ingredients of Sweet Almond Oil, Peach Kernel Oil & Jojoba Oil to further protect & moisturize dry lips. Also contains UVA & UVB Filters"


Photos:



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Swatch

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Worn

The verdict?
*****/*****
5/5 Stars!

I really love this product. From the cute/clever/whimsical packaging to the wonderfully soothing formula. I am a fan!! It applies clear, though, which is kind of drab and not so great for layering but because it's supposed to be a restorative product, I use it before bed at night on clean lips....

The only thing that sort of disappointed me? I absolutely HATE licorice. And when I ordered this L'Amour giftset, I thought for sure I would be getting the MILK version b/c the little book they have pictured on the product page for the giftset is the yellow one. Maybe it's just random and I just happened to get unlucky and got stuck with the flavor I didn't want? Either way.... you can't really *taste* licorice or even really smell it...so I guess that's why I still <3 this product! The formula leaves my lip really soft the next day so no complaints. I am just sad that they no longer have these available for individual purchase. I'd e-mail them and ask but their customer service seems....MEH. lol.



Product Review 2: Gossamer

What is it?

According to their website:
"Gossamer is our unique froth-in-a-jar that has been formulated with incandescent lights to give a delicate, ethereal look to your complexion. Tap just below the brow bone to emphasise the eyes. Glide onto temples or cheeks to contour your features. Blend with your favourite cream blusher to give light to your skin. Apply on top of your daytime eye shadow to instantly transform it into a glistening evening look!

Bonus : Formulated with Vitamin E and 10 powerful plant extracts and waxes for the ultimate skin treat. Includes horse chestnut seed extract, sage leaf extract, nettle extract, chamomile flower extract , horsetail extract , coltsfoot leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract , lemon balm leaf extract , candelilla wax and carnauba wax."


Awesome. So. Photos!

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Box

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The verdict?
***/*****
3/5 Stars


It goes on pretty smooth but, like most Jelly PP products, has this unfortunate greasy quality to it. =/ It's pretty sparkly but it's almost too yellowy. It does look pretty nice as a highlight but it's uber sparkly-ness almost sort of makes it look awfully unnatural. I am not wearing foundation now or else I would have uploaded a photo of me wearing it. I will do that later on, I swear! :P It's a nice product but nothing to write home about. I do appreciate the fact that it has all sorts of crazy herbal stuff in it to make my skin better. I am kinda dubious about how effective all of those bizarro ingredients are...but yeah...I'll take their word for it, lol. I may be more tempted to reach for this product due to the herbal benefits but I honestly prefer my UD highlighter/illuminator.



Product Review 3: Flower Cream

What is it?

According to their website:

"Let your cheeks blossom with our creamy cheek stain. It mimics your natural flush so you can look effortlessly healthy all day. Use fingers or a small sponge to gently glide onto the apples of your cheeks and blend till it’s dry. Alternatively, mix it with clear gloss and apply onto lips for a burst of fresh colour. “Pretty” is now in full bloom!

Bonus : Formulated with Vitamin E and 10 powerful plant extracts and waxes for the ultimate skin treat. Includes horse chestnut seed extract, sage leaf extract, nettle extract, chamomile flower extract , horsetail extract , coltsfoot leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract , lemon balm leaf extract , candelilla wax and carnauba wax."

Photos:



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Box

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Worn


The verdict?
****/*****
3.5 / 5 Stars

At first this product freaked me out because of how greasy/slimy it appeared when I swatched it onto my hand. Then I rubbed it around a bit and smeared it, and it does sort of...stain! I guess that's what it's supposed to be anyway, a cheek stain. I actually prefer this much more to their Cheek Puff product because it doesn't seem to rub off too easily. I had to SCRUB to get it off my cheek! So points there. It is unscented and it's sort of an orange color. Perfect for spring. Love the little jar it comes in too...definitely a travel-sized product...!




Product Review 3: Pillow Pout

What is it?

According to their website:

"Coat your lips with Pillow Pout, a decadent buttery formulation that doubles as a powerful lip treatment.

Bonus : Includes a concoction of 8 plant-based extracts such as horse chestnut seed extract, sage leaf extract, nettle extract, chamomile flower extract , horsetail extract , coltsfoot leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract and lemon balm leaf extract.
"

Photos:

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Box


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The verdict?

****/*****
4/5 Stars!

Not bad! I love the feeling of this gloss. Not too sticky and not too slimy either. Just right. Buttery, like they say. It also has the crazy witch's brew of concocted herbs in it like some of the other JPP products I've been reviewing. It smells AMAZING, and the color is SO beautiful! Perfect for spring and summer, it's sort of almost a neon pinkish red with some light sparkles. It's very nourishing and hydrating, but if the wind blows your hair, be prepare to have to remove it piece wise from your lips! The tube is sort of boring which I was surprised about considering this is JPP we're talking about here lol.

Product Review 4: Shoe Palette in Vertigo Stiletto

What is it?

According to their website:

"Dedicated to shoe fanatics, Shoe Palette is a quirky twist to the classic lip-and-eye kit. We love that it comes in 2 wearable combinations to be layered, and a mirror in silent testament to women on the go. This shoe-themed palette, printed with a witty poem, contains complimenting cream shadow, lip shimmer and heaps of glamour.

Bonus : Long-lasting product gives a luminous & brilliant finish, without the stickiness."


Photos:

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Eyeshadow

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Worn

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Lipgloss

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Worn

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Swatches on hand

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Lipgloss leakage through packaging.


The verdict?
**/*****
2/5 Stars

This product is very lacking in many ways. Yes the packaging is cute, but the formulas for the makeup inside are just...terrible. The eyeshadow is a shimmery bronze cream and it will NOT stay on your eye unless you have some type of primer on there first...and even then...it creases like mad! =( Sorry JPP...I am not a fan. The glossy is supposed to be not sticky...but it is sticky. And it LEAKS. It leaked all the way through the packaging even when it was still in the shrink wrap. I included a photo above of the leakage. Ick. =( I think they seriously need to reformulate this. It's not as terrible as I thought it would be though esp after reading other beauty bloggers' reviews of this palette so I gave it 2/5 instead of 1 or 0 stars. =(

Product Review 5: Wide Awake Palette (formerly called "Wakeup Makeup" palette)

What is it?

According to their website:

"An ingenious, portable kit that wakes you up and refreshes your entire complexion. Tap the Eye Brightener onto any dark circles you see, on brow bone & outer corner of eyes. Follow it up with Face Brightener, apply a small amount on your face & neck to invigorate dull complexions. Finally ensure your eyebrows are well-groomed with any of our 3 superior eyebrow shades, using tweezers & brow brush that we have included in the kit.

Bonus : The brighteners are infused with candelilla wax & beeswax to add moisture & suppleness to skin. The eyebrow shades are formulated with aloe vera to enable the powders to glide smoothly."


Photos:

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Packaging

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Swatches

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Worn ....you can see creasing after I've only worn the shadow for about < 1 minute!! :(

The verdict?
**/*****
2.5/5 stars

I wanted to like this so hard. But unfortunately the cream shadows fall prey to the same unfortunate circumstances as the rest of the cream shadows I've used from JPP: they crease too easily! The colors are veryyy nice, yes! But sadly unless you're wearing some type of primer underneath, you won't have much luck. The palette comes with some tools which I found to be convenient yet not the best... the brow powder was a nice surprise b/c of how pigmented it was. I was not expected that at all! I also love the shades of brown. Not helpful if you have very light blonde hair or very dark black hair, or hell, even red hair...but yeah... I guess they still blend well/work for those hair colors. Sad that there is no brow setting wax but that's OK...I use my Too Faced brow box for that. (running low, tho!)
If the shadows weren't so crappy, this would have more stars IMHO.


That's all for now! Come back tomorrow for more reviews. :)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Nude Lips for Gyaru!

Before I start this post, does anyone know what happened to universal-doll.com?? It says her account is suspended? D: D: D:
(Maybe she hasn't paid her webhosting fees on time? LOL IDK! Come back soon, Mitsu! D:


So anyway today's post is going to be about nude lips for gal style make up (make!)

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Let's talk about a few products you could use for achieving the nude lip look!


Candy Doll Lip Concealer + Gloss
MAC Myth Lipstick
Kat Von D "Celebutard" Lipstick
Lime Crime Coquette Lipstick
Tarina Tarantino




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L to R: Lime Crime Lipstick in Coquette, Kat Von D Lipstick in Celebutard, and MAC Myth.

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L to R: Candy Doll Pink Gloss alone, Candy Doll pink gloss overtop of Nude Lip Concealer (below that some of the concealer by itself), MAC Lipglass in Poetic License, and far right is the Tarina Tarantino Gloss in Ruffle.

Overall I prefer Candy Doll's the best and MAC second best.




Saturday, April 9, 2011

Lime Crime Makeup Review: Lipsticks!!!

For those of you who don't know, Lime Crime Make-up is a company notorious for a few things: selling obscenely bright cosmetics, and shady business practices. Despite the shadiness and the rumors of their re-packaging, I buckled down and bought some of their lipsticks. Why? I LOVE the colors they offer, and of course, the amazing purple unicorn packaging. >D Sparkly purple unicorns? YES PLEEEASE!



So yeah.

(click the jump to read more!)




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That aside. I have 7 lipsticks:

- My Beautiful Rocket (orange)
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- Cosmopop ( pastel/creamy orange)
(some how forgot to take a photo up close of this one...sorry guys! Will add it later!) :x

- Coquette (pinky nude color, new)
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- Great Pink Planet (pastel pink)
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- D'Lilac (pastel blueish purple)
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- Airborne Unicorn (more of a reddish/pinkish purple)
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and

- Countessa Fluorescent (Barbie doll pink!)
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Countessa, worn:
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(I am wearing this over exfoliated lips (used LUSH sweet lips scrub), Burt's Bees Honey Balm base, and OVER my lipstick I am wearing Rimmel Clear Gloss!!

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SWATCHES!

L to R: Countessa Fluorescent, Airborne Unicorn, D'Lilac, Great Pink Planet, Coquette, Cosmopop, My Beautiful Rocket

THE GOOD:
- Verrry pigmented. almost annoyingly so. :x
- CUTE packaging, good for putting in purse. Loved the boxes they came in too.
- Unusual colors that you can't really find anywhere else!
- Was able to Google for coupon codes and found one (fb10) that got me 10% off every single item I bought, so basically free shipping!
- Easy to use site, easy to pay, not complicated at all, etc.!!
- I was pissed that they accidentally shipped to the wrong address, so they reimbursed the cost it took for my dad to ship the lipsticks from my other home to my current address! Yay! The shipping was only $3.00 but they didn't overlook it as trivial and reimbursed me. I was honestly more annoyed about the wait time. But anyway!


THE BAD:
- So pigmented that they STAIN your lips when you wipe it off. You need to use makeup remover to get it off all the way and even then...
- Kinda "greasy"...
- Some formulas are better than others, for some reason. Not sure if this has to do with a product being vegan or not...??
- L.C. is very VERY bad at setting their lipsticks properly in molds. My lipsticks arrived with random scuffs and "cuts" in them. Also can tell that they're not properly fixed on their bases. See photos below of My Beautiful Rocket orange lipstick. I bought it (at Modcloth.com, not L.C.) about a year before I bought all of the other colors in this post, and it's already freaking broken! :( And I only used it like once every two months at the most.
- They shipped one of my orders to my billing address by accident. u___u;


"Mess Up" photos:

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My poor "My Beautiful Rocket" lipstick after a year of owning it...it had already broken a bit from its base!! >(

Weird "cuts" on my "Great Pink Planet" lipstick. It came out of the box like this. Wtf?
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VIDEO REVIEW!



Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Long Time No Post!

Dear my lovely readers:


I am so sorry for once again abandoning this blog! I will be posting more soon, hopefully! I've been super busy with applying for internships, going to interviews, and still dealing with school work and that sort of stuff.

There will be a new layout coming soon for Spring done by my friend Anne, if she can help me with it. :D We'll be doing a fashion panel/show in a few weeks at Anime St. Louis so if you're in the area, you should come to it! It will be really fun and it will take place on Saturday April 16th I think from 12pm - 1pm but I need to doublecheck. :D



Some posts I have planned for my blog:

How to Look Like a Liz Lisa Gal
Cheap Gal Finds!!
ModCloth Love
Missguided and Boohoo.com Reviews
TONS of make-up reviews and Tutorials
Lime Crime Makeup Review
Himegal & Lolita

AND MORE!!
Coming soon!!


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For now I will take the rest of this post to show off some of my Innocent World Swag.
:D

I promised to post about it a while ago but I forgot. >__<;;

Ordering from Innocent World is veryyy easy!
Just go to their site and click your preferred choice of language on the upper right hand corner of the screen. Right now they only have Japanese, English, and I think French. Hopefully they will add more languages soon! :D

When you order you just pick the item you want, and copy and paste the item code to their special order form. It's really, really easy. Then you fill out the order form and hit submit. Only do this if you are 100% sure you want to order...otherwise if you can't pay them, they might not let you order again in the future. :(

Once you confirm your order, they sent you an automatic email reply saying that they got your order. A few days later they will ask you to send your payment via Paypal and they invoice you. It's in Yen. Once you pay, they will ship your item out in a few days! Sometimes it can take a while if there is a big sale or holiday in Japan.

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Finally your package arrives! YAY! :D

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They ship in brown Innocent World store bags.

...and they always include a cute little note! :D
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So cute <3 !!


Weee!

Some of the things I have ordered are below. I really love how versatile their clothing is...! You can make it casual or fancy depending on your event/mood.

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Strawberry Rose Garden JSK! So well made!

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Quality is always top-notch! :D

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Blouse with long sleeves and jabot...I forgot the name of this one. >_<;

They do multiple sizes too! S, M, and L. Sometimes LL for shoes. And short or long for dresses. I am 5'5" and I ALWAYS get the long version. I *could* get away with short versions of their dresses but IMHO, my torso is kinda longish so the bigger sizes fit me better.

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Blouse when worn.

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With JSK. (excuse boots...not part of outfit...but I was in a hurry to put it on!) :D

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Again excuse teh boots. xD

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Emmie Rose JSK. SO LOVELY! And I got it on sale too! ;3

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Coordinated! With a little mori influence....<3 crocheted vests!

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Similar to Pompadour JSK...IDK the name...I got it used.

Worn while out for afternoon tea with my roommate. :3

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My roommate traded me this OP for a BtSSB green snow dot OP that I didn't wear at all.
This is a much older IW design. I still adore it though! :3



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IW's Gertrude Skirt. It has a GORGEOUS black chiffon bustle in back. ;___; *dies* haha.


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Coordinated skirt.... I can also wear this skirt with a black top and black tights and black shoes for an elegant evening out/date look. :3


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Pompadour Set in Green, longer version (~101cm?)


As you can see, they made some special Pullip Dolls too! :D My doll matches me! :D

I got the "Pullip Tiphona" doll and I decided to twin with her last autumn. :)


So much love for IW!!




<3 BONUS!

Not Innocent World, but Juliette et Justine, another favorite classic lolita brand of mine! :D



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Worn dress: After my roommate and I went for some tea. :3

Hope you guys and gals enjoyed this post! :3 LEAVE ME COMMENTS!! <3<3<3