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SpookyEyes.com Coloured Contacts Review

September 15, 2014

Disclaimer: These contacts are FDA and ISO approved, and sterile. FDA means that they are approved for use in the States, while ISO is the international health standard institution. The ISO was formed since countries have their different standards of “safe” for many products, so it’s a way to harmonize the requirements for safe contact lenses wear.

I definitely would not be reviewing this product if I did not think it was safe, if the site looked questionable, or had any further doubts about putting these into my eyes whatsoever. Rest assured, although these contacts were sent to me on behalf of the company, they are completely safe to wear compared to other contacts and I would never risk the health of my readers or misinform you guys. With that said, I do know that compared to regular contacts, coloured contacts have a higher chance of drying out your eyes. As with all products, be careful and read the ingredients properly,and use your judgement.

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Helloooo everyone! Today, I will be reviewing a product that I never wear – coloured contacts! My relationship with contacts, both regular prescription and coloured have not been great, to say the least. That is because my eyes tend to dry out really fast, making wearing contacts uncomfortable if I wear them for long hours.

I have tried many different contact lenses, different contact solutions, etc, which have helped on some days, but for the most part, they are not comfortable for me. Fast forward to the present, I only wear the daily disposable contacts probably 3-4 times a month as I find those are the most moisturizing, comfortable, and convenient.

Anyways, I was contacted by UK based sister companies DreamEyes.com / SpookyEyes.com to do a review of their coloured contacts. For simplicity’s sake, I will be referring to them as Spooky Eyes. I haven’t worn coloured contacts for over two years, so I figured I could give them a chance again and if it does work out, I can order a pair of Halloween contacts soon! Here’s how it turned out.
I was told to select three coloured contacts that I would like, and one of them would be mailed to me. I was quite excited to see which colour I would end up with! My contacts came roughly three weeks later from the UK. I received the colour green sparkle.

I was happy to learn that the contacts are manufactured in South Korea, where coloured contacts are extremely popular with the female population. That fact reassured me as I know from prior knowledge that South Korea makes great quality coloured lenses.
Here is a screenshot from the website, and what I received. Compared to the picture online, I feel that the green shade in real life appears a bit softer and lighter, which I actually prefer.

There are many different shades of green, brown, blue, and purple on their website. I’ve always wanted to try green contacts with my Asian skin and brown eyes, and I felt that these weren’t too dramatic or harsh.
I did not have any trouble putting these inside my eyes, they were like my standard contact lenses. When I first put these on, I was shocked at how my eyes looked. Although these contacts did not specify that they will enlarge the appearance of your eyes, they definitely will!

I was not used to seeing myself with enlarged pupils, let alone green eyes. This picture was taken in natural sunlight. Luckily, the colour matched my skin and eyes pretty well. If it was the green shade as seen on their website, I don’t think it would have looked as soft. I also liked how there is a bit of sparkle to it as well in the sun. How do they look in your opinion?

Since these contacts are only for cosmetic purposes, I still had to wear my glasses. These two pictures were taken outside as well, I try to use natural sunlight when possible. With my glasses on, I don’t think the green is as noticeable at first glance, but if you look longer, you can definitely tell.
Oops, I forgot to take a picture of my eyes before the contacts so here is a picture from a previous post, taken in the same spot where I took the picture above. Since I have naturally dark eyes, coloured contacts may not always turn out the way it appears, or it may not show up at all!

I’m glad that I didn’t have this problem with these contacts. I ended up wearing these for a bit over five hours, and had no problem at all with them! I actually forgot that I was wearing them until I got in the shower, and my eyes started to sting a bit when water got in.

They were super comfortable to wear, and remind me of a smooth, gel-like material as opposed to thinner, plasticky feeling contacts.
Pros:

Very comfortable to wear, smooth gel-like contacts
This specific shade was not too harsh which I preferred
Colour will show up even on dark coloured eyes
Lasts one year and retails for $28 US
Made in S. Korea, a country known for great quality and comfortable coloured lenses
Great for cosplay or costumes but the softer looking coloured lenses are good for daily wear too
Free shipping!

Cons:

Does not currently offer prescription lenses

In conclusion, I am really satisfied with these contacts, as they are really comfortable and I like the colour. They also have a vast assortment of coloured contacts, with all the possibilities imaginable. White out, UV, devil, cat eye, sparkle, anime… they have them all. Here are some I picked out on SpookyEyes:

Check them out at DreamEyes.com and SpookyEyes.com!

I’m curious, let me know what are your favourite contacts on their site and if you would you consider wearing coloured contacts for fun in the comments!

These contacts were sent to me free of charge from SpookyEyes, and I was not paid to write this post. Everything in this post is my personal opinion and was not altered by the request of the company.

-Carmen

Estee Lauder Perfectionist Foundation Review

September 10, 2014

One of the products I received from the Estee Lauder Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview was their perfectionist, youth infusing foundation. I mentioned this briefly in my media preview post, but I finally had the opportunity to try it out.

Honestly, the name “youth infusing” sounds a bit strange to me. In my opinion, I don’t think maturing skin is anything to be ashamed about. There is nothing wrong with aging- it is a natural process, and I think it’s beautiful, as it is a part of human life. Just because someone is sixty years old, I don’t think that it makes them less beautiful than a 20 year old. I do know that they are referring to the skin’s physical appearance, but there is a beauty and art in wisdom too.
Wow sorry, I definitely did not mean to go off on a tangent about maturing skin! Do you agree though?

What it claims:

This foundation contains Estee Lauder’s best selling perfectionist [cp+r] serume, which helps to repair the looks of lines and wrinkles, makes skin looking more radiant, glowing, and noticeably younger
The advanced optical ingredients softly highlights and defines to enhance facial features which will brighten skin
Contains priming beads which instantly fill lines and blurs imperfections to create flawless looking skin
Is lightweight, ultra comfortable with a satin-finish, so skin feels luxuriously soft to the touch

Since I received this as a gift, I was unable to select my shade. I received the shade “fresco”, number 2C3. Fortunately, this shade was suitable for me and did not make me look unnaturally dark or too pale! The foundation also contains their IntuiTone pigment technology, which guarantees true-to-life shade matching by working with skin’s natural undertones, so that might be part of why the shade matched so well right away. This retails for $50 CA.

Application: I used two pumps of this foundation on my face, and blended it with my brush. Immediately, I noticed that the foundation felt very lightweight, as it claimed to do. Since it does have a lightweight feel, I found that the coverage was lighter than I liked. Normally, I wear medium-heavy coverage but I would say this is a light coverage.

I considered applying a different foundation on top to see how well it blended, but I decided that I rather see how much lasting power this has throughout the night. My face felt pretty smooth and non sticky after this foundation. Another thing that I liked about this foundation was that it had no chemical or harsh scent. I’ve bought a few foundations that have a weird chemical scent, which is a bit off putting.
Here is the finished product! I have on the foundation, with light bronzer and blush. What do you think? I thought that for a lightweight, light coverage foundation, this foundation did the job pretty well. I really liked the feel of it on my skin.

Lasting: I wore this foundation for around four hours. I was planning on going to an event that night, but a couple of things happened and I didn’t end up going. For the time I did wear this foundation, I found that my appearance did not become dull. It was also very easy to wash off, which I appreciated.

Pros:

Lightweight formula makes it very comfortable to wear!
Makes skin appear radiant and softer, would recommend using this foundation if you know you’ll be taking many pictures cause your skin will look very smooth and healthy 🙂
For a light coverage foundation, it covered my imperfections/scars/etc amazingly well
Very easy to blend and remove
Includes a IntuiTone pigment technology that guarantees true to life shade matching by working with skin’s natural undertones
Includes SPF 25

Cons:

Very sturdy packaging, but the glass bottle means that you will have to be careful not to drop this
Directed more towards a more mature consumer, as this foundation focuses a lot on blurring fine lines and wrinkles

Bottom line, I do really enjoy this foundation mainly due to how lightweight it feels, but covers my imperfections very well. It also made my skin appear more radiant, smooth, and soft!

What are your thoughts on this foundation? Do you prefer light/medium/or full coverage foundation? I would love to hear your comments!

Yay!

Sample provided for review. Opinions are own.

Thanks for reading!
-Carmen

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Review

September 8, 2014

The Lancome Hypnose Star mascara came with my Sephora glitz and glam makeup sampler kit last Christmas. To be honest, I haven’t really used it much until now because I have waaayy too many mascaras and I don’t normally wear mascara.

My lashes seem to have a problem with mascara, because no matter how popular, expensive, or fantastic a mascara is, my lashes just won’t behave! No matter the formula, they will almost always clump up and not lengthen or volumize like it’s supposed to.

On a rare occasion however, my lashes DO cooperate with me and my mascara looks wonderful! If you have any idea how to fix this, PLEASE let me know! I’ve tried switching multiple mascaras, trying different eyelash curlers, heating my eyelash curlers… etc. It’s just too much hassle to put on mascara daily when it fails 70% of the time. Anyways, I’ll let the picture of my lashes before and after speak for itself. Keep reading!
My love for this mascara came suddenly and unexpectedly. I was getting ready to go out, and mindlessly grabbed the first mascara that was within arms reach. To be honest, I had no idea where I got this mascara from until I searched it on the internet, and found out that it was featured in the Sephora glitz and glam set. Oops 🙂
The mascara wand features a cone tip, which I haven’t seen before. This tip made it easier to reach the shorter lashes.
This was after two coats, I’ll let the picture speak for itself! I noticed that my eyelashes looked a lot longer, really well separated, and still natural! Amazing. Compared to the Benefit- They’re real! mascara, I would say they both have similar effects in that it makes your lashes look really natural and long.

I’ve tried to search online what ingredients are in this mascara, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere! Lancome seems to have different variations of their Hynose mascara, but this one was not listed on their site or on Sephora. I’ve come to realize that makeup sampler sets are really the way to go. It’s a lower cost way to discover many new products at once! Plus, they usually come in sample sizes so even if you don’t agree with the product, it’s a small size anyways. I also discovered the Too Faced 3 Way Lashlining Tool in this same bag too. Sephora normally sells their sample sets during the holiday season, so I definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled! It’s so exciting because the products in the sets change every year!
Pros:

Really great at lengthening lashes
Does not clump
Cone tip makes it easy to reach the shorter lashes on the side
Ideal for dramatic makeup looks or a substitute for falsies (Yep, it’s that good)

Cons

Pricey compared to drug store products
This exact one is not waterproof, however other mascaras in that line may be

I wish I could tell you guys how much this retails for, but since I got it in a sample kit AND I can’t seem to find the same product online anywhere, I can’t 🙁 The other mascaras in the Hypnose line range from $30-35, so I assume it will be around there. The sample kit was $50, so you’re already getting a great deal. The Too Faced Lash Liner tool was already almost $30 too. See, more reason to purchase sample sets from Sephora! 😉

I hope you guys enjoyed this review and thanks so much for reading! What are your favourite mascaras?

-Carmen

GUEST POST: Cleopatra Inspired Look

September 5, 2014

Hello everyone! I am happy to have another guest post on my blog, this time featuring a great friend of mine, Rachel. She will be writing about how she created a beautiful Cleopatra inspired makeup look – cat eye lovers, this one is for you! Even if you aren’t a fan of cat eye and/or can’t master the look, read on anyways because Rachel has some great advice AND preview on many makeup brands including Smashbox, Too Faced, L’Oreal, NYX, and Revlon! Thanks for doing a guest post with me, Rach. Hope everyone enjoys, let’s get started!
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Hi lovely readers of Carmen! I am so excited I get to guest post on here, Carmen’s blog is a must read for me. I trust her as a friend and beauty guru/foodie extraordinarie. I am by no means, a beauty guru/expert status and I also use a lot of drugstore products. So if you are one of those girls sitting at home watching Youtube and then proceeding to sit in (not on, in) the bathroom sink, to get just the right angle for that perfect cat eye–we are one.

So, I did in fact sit in my sink to do this look. Winged eyeliner is no easy feat, and doing so with liquid liner is even less so– doing winged eyeliner with liquid liner and being Rachel Carrier -post concussion…even harder. This look came about as I was exploring the beautiful world of Miss Cleopoatra herself. Since school stared again, I have come back in touch with my love of literature and enrolled in all a Shakespeare course (be still my heart). One of our assignments involves memorizing and reciting a soliloquy from the piece you are assigned that week. I got Cleopatra and I was beyond excited. Egyptian inspired make up is bold and intricate and so strikingly beautiful. Balancing rich, dark skin tones with piercing, vibrant eyes and lining everything with thick black creates a contrast and a story that represents the person themself. I started by googling images of Cleopatra. The classic thin and precise dark eye brows that match up with thick winged liner and blue eyeshadow and paired with blood red lips was a starting point. I decided to stick to a pretty classic looking Cleo, and I would just tailor it to the products I had and what colours suit me best…aka not blue.

What I used:
Too Faced- Matte Eye Pallete $50: This is my favourite pallete of all time and a great investment. The brown colour doubles as my eye contour shade AND brows, any double whammy product is good in my books. I tend to stay away from sparkle or shimmer because matte colours are easier to work with on a day to day basis and shimmery colours have a strange effect on my eye.
L’Oreal Colour Riche- New essentials eye quad in 525 $11: When I do use shimmery colours, this is my go to pallete for adding drama and glamour to any look. The pigments are rich and they go on true and do well layered. I suggest stroking your brush through gently and then tapping off the excess and blotting on the pigment before sweeping it on your eye lid for better coverage and less leakage.
L’Oreal Magic Perfecting Base $12.99: I bought this on a whim whilst in London Drugs and shortly after watching a slew of Youtube tutorials. I wanted to have the perfect matte skin that they have, but I was concerned at the price for such a small pot of product. But a little does go a long way, I use it for special occasions when I am wearing foundation. It creates a more even complexion and allows for even coverage.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara $18: This was a Sephora splurge. But, because of my lack of and short lashes, I need a mascara that will support and add body. I am not sure, if it is the one I will use forever, but it has done me proud.
Revlon Bold Laquer Mascara $9 for 2: To be honest, I bought this because it was on sale. I am not sure how I feel about this mascara yet, the brush feels spiny and the mascara itself has a strange texture that is very laquer-esque. I used it as a base before my Smashbox one because I find it does seperate and add length very well.
Revlon Colour Stay Liquid Liner Skinny $7.99: Revlon was having a buy 2 get 1 free sale. I really love this liner though. It has a super, skinny, precision tip and the formula is wearable but not too sticky and it is forgiving.
Maybelline Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner Khol Kajal $2.99: I swear by this stuff. It is so smooth and creamy, it is wearable and I just love it. I use this on a daily basis to tightline my upper lash line and it creates a natural thick lash line.
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation- 150 Nude $7.99: I like this foundation because it is light and easily blended with a light to medium coverage. It doesn’t crease or become too greasy on my skin either. I tend to stay away from foundation because my skin has a lot of irritations and foundation makes it worse or can look cakey, but this is nice and fluid which makes for a light finish.
Nyx Lipstick- 511 $3.99: This lipstick is a vibrant red with a nice rich formula. It isn’t super creamy nor is it too sticky. It goes on smooth and leaves a nice stain as well. I like to layer it with other colours.
Sephora Lipstick $16: The tube doesn’t say what shade it is, but I love it. This appears different in the tube than on your lips. You should test it first on your skin tone. It is a really dark plum, but it is defintely a rouge. I like the consistency of this lipstick and wear it often in the fall.
For the look itself, I swept the gold colour eye shadow over my lid to the crease and then dabbed the copper colour in the crease and shaded it in to create a dull smoky eye. I added gold to the inner corners of my eye and lined the inner half of the bottom lid with gold as well. I then used the dark shimmery purple to create a more smoky effect on the outer bottom line as well as in the crease. I enhanced the smoky shadow with the black and brown from my Too Faced Pallete, and I used the white as a highlight for my brow bone. Cleopatra has very defined eye make up look and I wanted to soften it slightly for modern day.

I kept my brows well defined and extended them past where I would usually have them. I used a mix of the brown and the black in my Too Faced Pallete. I then tightlined both the upper lash line and the waterline with my black eye liner, making sure to connect in the inner corner for that signature cat eye. Then I used the liquid liner to extend into my winged liner. In most pictures, Cleopatra’s winged liner meets with her brows. That is too extreme for me, so I left about 2 centimeters of space. I finished with more gold on top and two coats of mascara. My trick for stubborn lashes is to heat your eye lash curler under a hair dryer for a few seconds til just warm, then curl and mascara them.
The final touch was the lipstick. I first used a layer of my Babylips chapstick from Maybelline. Then I did a layer of the Sephora lipstick, I blotted, then a layer of the Nyx lipstick then blot and then I pressed some black eye shadow into it as well with my finger and just blended. Of course, a well angled selfie was due after all this work.

And there you have it folks. An easy and modern take on a classic queen. I may not be as striking as Cleopatra may have been, but I hope to have the confidence and wit that she possessed and was known for having. A beauty from within, so to speak. I had a lot of fun doing this, and I am honoured that Carmen asked me to blog it. Thanks for reading, lots of love to y’all.

-Rach

Estee Lauder Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event (Part 1/2!)

September 1, 2014

Hi readers!

Two weeks ago, I was invited to Estee Lauder’s Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event. It was a lovely afternoon spent learning many new facts about the Estee Lauder brand and meeting other people with the same passion for beauty!

This two-part post is going to be more focused on the event itself rather than a review of all the products. I will try to write reviews of the complementary products that I received in the coming months!

There were staff from Estee Lauder, as well as the PR company that invited me to attend this event. Staff from both parties were really welcoming and made us feel comfortable. In particular, I had a great conversation with the makeup artist on-site, Fiona! Props to great and kind service from both ends, I was very impressed.
We were first greeted by breakfast platters, and a variety of different drinks!
Some of the products Estee Lauder has lined up for the upcoming season! Our host told us that each one of those eyeshadow palettes were inspired by the pictures behind them. I really enjoyed all the shades and palettes that were there, as well as the packaging of the eyeshadows.

The palettes had either a lipstick or nail polish shade that complimented the colours in the palette. Furthermore, the lipstick packaging is actually magnetic, so no need to worry about not putting on the cap all the way by accident and ruining the whole tube.

Moving on, the picture at the top left is a closeup of one of the new eyeshadow palettes. It was my favourite, since I loooove golden and champagne tones. At the top right, is a preview of a new line released by Estee Lauder called AERIN.

I believe it might be launched already by the time my post comes out, but the line is created by Estee Lauder’s granddaughter, Aerin Lauder. The AERIN line is more youthful, simple and neutral, as Aerin herself prefers simplistic makeup.

The bottom left picture shows the night repair lotion, day lotion, and BB cream. Last but not least, the one at the bottom right is their new cream, made with the natural antioxidant benefits of the lovely pomegrante fruit. Like the AERIN perfumes, it smelled absolutely lovely and was my guest’s favourite product that day.

Anyways, that’s it to the first part! The second part will include a revolutionary foundation brush, gold infused foundation, and a makeover! Keep posted and thanks for reading!

-Carmen