Color Features: Shop Your Stash, May 2019

Some example products (all stuff I own, so…there are definitely others) include: . Post links to your looks in the comments all month. (For this, I allow - nay, ENCOURAGE - links in comments.) List the products and techniques you used, include a tutorial or review if you’re so inclined. You can post your looks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, your own blog, Imgur, Reddit, other forums, wherever you like. Just be a good neighbor and observe the community’...

Zoya’s Bridal Bliss 2018 collection

Zoya first released a “Bridal Bliss” collection in 2018. All of the colors had previously been released. In marketing terms, it was really smart: repromote some of their softer shades that people may have missed the first time around that tend not to get as much attention among all the brighter, bolder shades. Some of the shades in this collection are semisheer, but the majority are solid opaque cream finishes.

Shiro Cosmetics / Detrivore’s Rigor

elf’s Studio Flawless Face Brush

One of the face brushes from elf that I actually like. The brush bristles are a little shorter, so there’s not a “flopping” effect; and they’re cut and shaped to be really good for large-area soft-focus applications. They don’t necessarily work so well for sharper contouring, but I’ve used this brush for highlighting, blush, and - of course - all-over finishing powder.

L’Oréal’s Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt Waterproof Mascara

This is my favorite of the Voluminous mascaras! The brush gives me definition and some length without being long or unwieldy enough that I can easily accidentally poke me in the eye. It does volumize fairly well, but I don’t get too much clumping. I would dearly love to see this formula and brush with either a violet or a burgundy mascara.

Sally Hansen’s Jazzy Jade (409)

NYX Cosmetics’ Machinist: Ignite palette

I was somewhat interested in these (in spite of myself!) when they came out…but I wasn’t going to pay $25 for them. I was lucky enough to buy them on sale shortly after Christmas 2018, when they were 50% off. Steam and Ignite are almost complementary palettes: Steam is the cooler shades; Ignite, the warmer shades. The consistency is fairly decent, but most of the shades required some building to get the best color payoff. I have to wear my shadows...

Notoriously Morbid’s The Grand Empress

This is such a great liner shade for me! I get the definition in a color other than black or brown, and the patched-copper shimmer adds an extra element of both a contrasting color and some light reflectivity. This color is incredibly saturated! Just a little goes quite a long way - and be careful if you drop it on your clothing, you’ll have to either hope that you were wearing a really dark color or explain the purple...

NYX Cosmetics’ Suede Matte Lipliner in Stockholm

I hoped that this color would be a bit more pink than coral-brick…but, nope. The color depth is nice for a summer color for paler skintones. I was interested in trying some of the reddish shades that looked interesting but did not make it into the Suede Matte Lipstick line. I think this color would have been a nice inclusion! It applied fairly well, I didn’t have any bleeding, and it lasted about as long as many of...

Kiko Cosmetics’ Smart Colour Mascara in Warm Brown

I’m not entirely sure where they got the “warm” in the description. (Maybe they just wanted an adjective before the color-name and this one won the coin- or dart-toss.) I was hoping for a mascara a bit more like Fired Earth, but with a better consistency. Straight up dark-brown mascara isn’t necessarily bad, just not precisely unique. It applies fairly well without much overt clumping, though as with the others in this collection, there’s not much added...