1Up Box PHANTOM October 2014 Review!

Surprise!  This is a bit different from my usual stuff, isn't it?  I recently subscribed to two geek/nerd themed subscription boxes and want to show them off here as well :D  I know this blog is primarily beauty related, but I am a big fan of geeky things and want to show them off here from time to time.  I try to keep my personal life off of here, but this is a great opportunity to geek out a little bit at least.  I've actually been interested in another box called Loot Crate for awhile, but held off subscribing because of limited funds.  What actually made me bite the bullet was watching one of Yoyomax12's videos on Youtube and she was doing a 1Up Box unboxing and I thought the things were super cute!

I decided to go on their website to check out the price and past boxes.  I found myself really liking the stuff they had in the past and liked the fact that there's an exclusive t-shirt designed by their own team in each box.  I ended up subscribing to 1Up box for $18.92/month which includes shipping.  My fiance also ended up gifting me a three month subscription to Loot Crate which came out to $18.25/month.  I intended to compare the two boxes in one post later on much like beauty bloggers comparing similar beauty subscription boxes (think Ipsy vs. Birchbox).

Anyway, immediately after subscribing, I emailed the team telling them how much I loved the Mario Boo plush that came in a past box and asked if they had extras they could sell.  Their representative responded within the hour saying they'll check to see if they had any overstock boxes left.  They responded yet again within the hour saying there was a box with my t-shirt size that they could invoice me for and I said yes.  I paid and the transaction was smooth.  I was very impressed with their customer service and how they went out of their way to try to find a box with my size shirt instead of just sending me any random box.  I would have bought the box either way, but I appreciated the extra effort to ensure my happiness.

I realize this is an extremely long ramble, but I just wanted to show how great my first experience has been!  This post will showcase what I received in that past box (it was the October one) and subsequent ones after this will be a Loot Crate vs 1Up Box.

Boo Poster:  I absolutely love this poster!  Like I said before, I love Boo and this poster really showcased all his cute sides ^_^  Now that I've taken pictures of it, I can hang it up on my wall.  Woot!

Phantom Pin:  The theme for the October box was Phantom and each box comes with a tiny pin.  If you can't see clearly, it's Thor throwing his hammer at us from the top of the Nightmare Before Christmas cliff :)

Zombie Outbreak Backpack:  I'm not a fan of these backpacks and zombies are a meh genre for me.  I'll most likely be giving this away to my friend or coworker's son.

Zombie Avengers Shirt:  This may be blasphemous, but I'm also not a huge fan of the Avengers so this shirt design was just okay for me.  It does glow in the dark though, which I thought was a cool feature.  I used to not like wearing t-shirts for the longest time, but now I like getting them in my boxes for the cute/cool designs.

Boo Plush:  Boo plush!!!  I love this little guy so much ^_^  His mouth actually opens and I've stuck my earrings in him several times when I was too lazy to put them on my desk.  I don't know where to put him since I already have a Boo pillow on my bed already.  I also don't want him to get dirty like the others either.  I really love his little flappy arms though :)

Zombie Finn Magnet:  Woo, zombie Finn from Adventure Time.  For anyone who watches the show, you may recognize the text as a parody of his song "Puncha Yo Buns".  My college roommate loved this song and thought it was adorable.  I also like the tiny Jake heart inside him; what a cute cameo!  I enjoy getting refrigerator magnets as opposed to stickers because magnets actually serve a purpose.  I use them to stick takeout menus on the fridge lol.

Pop Rocks Xtreme:  I've never tried this as a kid, but I did like Pop Rocks regular.  I'll be enjoying these very soon.

Overall, I really loved the October 2014 1Up box!  Since I have first hand experience of their customer service, I can safely say they're really great in that department as well.  1Up Box is still relatively new and started out as the most inexpensive box so their items may be smaller or less than the bigger ones.  Regardless, I still love the stuff they put in and even if I don't, I'm more than happy to give them to my coworker's kid who would appreciate things more.  Stay tuned for more boxes!

- Jolie ♥

Uponaworld Cosmetics Hashashin Collection - First Impression and Swatches

Happy almost May, everyone!  I can't believe how quickly time flies, I still haven't even gotten to my April subscription reviews yet but I'm trying :(  Anyway, if you didn't know by now, I frequent an indie focused subreddit called /r/IndieMakeupandMore.  A week or two ago, Manuela from Uponaworld Cosmetics contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of her eyeshadows.  I've seen her company pop up here and there, but it was still relatively new so I hadn't tried them out yet.  I said yes and she asked which collection I preferred as she had two (Rurouni Kenshin and Assassin's Creed).  Since I had no strong feelings for either subject, I looked on her site and chose based on colors.

I decided on the Assassin's Creed collection, called Hashashin because there were a few red shades and dark browns, which I love using in my outer corner.  Manuela let me know she'd be mailing out my samples soon and I received them within a week!  Her samples contain around 1/8th of a teaspoon of shadow so it's more than enough to swatch and use.  (Just a side note, Uponaworld also sells soaps and pressed eyeshadow palettes so there's a bit of variety there.)

Pictures taken in daylight and swatched over Notoriously Morbid Shadow Bind (left/top half) and ELF Essential Primer (right/bottom half)

The Betrayed

The Betrayed:  wine with gold sparkles.  This shadow was very pigmented even over bare skin and I was extremely impressed.  Manuela generously threw this in as a sample from the Rurouni Kenshin collection.

Notoriously Morbid Diablo Lip Rouges and NEW Lipcraft Glosses Swatches and Review

Hi everyone!  I'm excited to share my review of the new highly anticipated (at least to me) lip products from indie brand Notoriously Morbid.  Along with a revamped website came several new Coffin Kisser scents, Lipcraft Lip Gloss colors, and all new lipsticks called Diablo Lip Rouges.  We also got a wonderful surprise in the form of the Black Friday 2014 limited edition set, "Murder of Crows" being made permanent.  I had purchased the set when it was released and loved the colors, unfortunately, they were packaged in square jars that were prone to leakage.  

I bought the collection again after the website opened in different sizes, so I could depot the older colors in and avoid spillage.  Carrie generously upgraded my set to full sizes and threw in a custom Notoriously Morbid pen as well!  There seem to be several different pen colors so I'm glad I received red :)  Since I have already swatched the Murder of Crows set here, I will not be showcasing them in this post and instead choosing to highlight the wonderful new releases.

Pictures taken in daylight and swatched over bare skin

Moonless Night and Freshly Squeezed

Moonless Night:  heavily vanilla scent with a tiny hint of coffee.  This is one of new Coffin Kissers inspired by Twin Peaks.  I don't think the formula actually changed, but for some reason these new balms feel a lot more creamy and moisturizing to me.  I had mentioned several times before that Coffin Kissers don't work for my lips particularly because they're very thin and sit on top of my lips.  My lips always need something thicker and more waxy, similar to Chapsticks.  However, I'm really liking these balms so I'm wondering if my lips have adapted or something.

Freshly Squeezed:  extremely realistic grapefruit scent with noticeable tartness.  I love citrus-y scents so this was a no brainer.

Aromaleigh April 2015 Ephemera - Swatches and Review

Woooo, I've gotta say, I really do look forward to Aromaleigh's Ephemera box every single month.  Their packaging and presentation is always impeccable.  For the month of April, the inspiration comes from Floralia, and all of the shades are very light and springy.  We got two eyeshadows, two face products, and a cream eyeshadow from Glamour Doll Eyes.  

Information on this month's box

Pictures taken in daylight and swatched over Notoriously Morbid Shadow Bind (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Locus of Desire

Locus of Desire:  shimmery warm pink with gold sheen

Dark Matter Makeup Women of Science and Gravity Primer Swatches

Ohhhhh boy, is this review late.  Dark Matter Makeup released their version of the sticky base and primer combo awhile back and it's taken me this long to post because I did want to test it before reviewing.  Along with the primer release, their collection inspired by women of science also debuted, so I picked that up.  As usual, shipping was very quick after ordering so I received my package in less than a week.  

I also have to mention the inclusion of several sponge tip applicators with my order!  I was pretty impressed with that because it's been hard for me to get my brushes in the cute centrifuge vials and have expressed that several times, despite really liking the shadows.  I used the sponge tip applicators in my swatches and found them very useful, even though I used to always hate getting those in my drugstore palettes.  

Proof that Dom reads reviews!  USPS has been notorious for taking a long route to NYC, but they got to me quickly this time.  (Psst Dom, maybe they heard you ;) )

Pictures taken in daylight and swatched over Dark Matter Gravity (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Gravity primer

Gravity:  white toned, slightly tacky primer.  I've used this several times and had varying results.  If you put a light layer on, glitters don't adhere too well, so it's almost no different from using a regular primer.  However, if you put on a thicker layer, it tends to crease if you don't wait for it to set.  I made the mistake of putting a semi-thick layer on my lids, applying shadow almost immediately, and seeing creases within an hour.  I suggest waiting at least 15 seconds for this primer to set before applying eyeshadow so it can dry down a bit.

Emmy

Emmy:  shimmery rose gold

Notoriously Morbid March 2015 Vanishing Cabinet - Gods Be Good Swatches

Once again, I'm late with my post; what's new, eh?  Today I have swatches of Notoriously Morbid's March Vanishing Cabinet "Gods Be Good".  It's inspired by the popular book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" and corresponding TV show "Game of Thrones".  I've been watching GoT for awhile and while I'm not a huge, huge fan, it's still entertaining to watch.  This month includes five shadows, one face highlighter, and a sample shadow from another indie company!

Pictures taken in daylight and swatched over NM Shadow Bind (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Lover's Sigh

Lover's Sigh:  lavender with pink sheen

Ipsy March 2015 - Floral Fantasy

I have a short review today of my March Ipsy bag!  The theme was Floral Fantasy and I was actually pretty happy with the bag I received.

Cute floral themed bag

Pur-lisse Cleanser:  I actually did like this cleanser since it's supposed to remove makeup.  It does an okay job, better than a lot of non-scrubby cleansers.  It still doesn't remove my tough liquid eyeliners, but does a great job on everything else.

Coolway Hair Oil:  this was my first time using a hair oil as I've always been too scared to weigh down my hair even more.  I'm not sure if it works for my hair, but my coworker has commented on how nice I smelled with it on haha.

Boo-Boo Cover Up Concealer:  I got this concealer in the shade Medium.  It matches my skin tone really well and is super pigmented.  I've been using it to cover my under eye circles and I really love it!  I'm very tempted to purchase this once I run out because of how well it's worked for me.  I don't like the squeeze tube though, I'd rather have it be a wand applicator so I can put it directly on my face.

Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Duo:  this is a pigmented, soft golden champagne and a moderately pigmented and soft bronze with gold shimmers. I was actually unsure of whether or not it was a face highlighter and contour or shadows (turns out it's eyeshadows).  Although it's good quality, I have several similar shadows, so I'll probably give this away.

NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops:  medium pink rose.  I was actually really excited to get this lipstick!  I've heard so many good things about NYX's lip products and this lipstick was a perfect MLBB for me.  It was also a full sized product, so that was the cherry on top.

Daylight:  Boo-Boo Cover Up Concealer, Mineral Duo, Butter Lipstick in Pops

Overall, I was really happy with this month's bag!  I've been going back and forth between cancelling or not, but they keep pulling me back in.  This month has definitely secured their spot again!

- Jolie ♥

Shiro Cosmetics Swatches and Review featuring The Blood of My Enemies Gloss

Welcome back, everyone!  I have swatches and reviews of a tiny haul I received from Shiro awhile ago.  When they released their Battle of the Boy Bands collections, I was a bit excited because the winning band would get a victory color and I was rooting for Backstreet Boys.  However, NSYNC won instead and they got an eyeshadow called "Crazy For You".  It was limited edition, so I quickly made an order including some glosses and blushes from that collection.  My order shipped fairly quickly and I played with the glosses as soon as I received them.

Return of the Totoro!  I asked Caitlin to draw me Totoro bouncing around a field of flowers.  I think she nailed it :P

Pictures taken in daylight, swatches done over Notoriously Morbid Shadow Bind (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Crazy For You

Crazy For You:  shimmery pink-toned copper, almost like a dark rose gold.