frozen spring

cruelty free & sustainable living

Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Steel(etto) – Photos & Swatches

Recently Marc Jacobs Beauty came out with a new Eye-Conic eyeshadow palette called Steel(etto) which is part of their spring 2019 release. This palette is limited edition and that is one of two reasons why I purchased it. The other reason is that I was really thrilled to see one cool toned eyeshadow palette and I really didn’t want to miss on it. Of course, I like the quality of Marc Jacobs eyeshadows, I obviously wouldn’t purchase it if I thought it wasn’t any good.

Anyway, I still haven’t tested it properly, but I did take some quick pictures and I swatched ti. Besides being cool toned, it also has purple-ish undertones which is really interesting. It contains 7 shades, most of them being matte shades (5 shades), 1 shimmery shade and one almost like a top coat eyeshadow, with a bit more pigment when compared to some other similar products. Each shade contains 0.76 grams of product, which is slightly less when compared to permanent palettes which contain 0.8 grams per eyeshadow.

One thing that bothers me about this product (and which isn’t related to the brand) is the fact that this palette is more expensive than other Eye-Conic palettes. I know this has something to do with Sephora in Scandinavia because the price of limited edition Eye-Conic palettes is always different when compared to the permanent ones (they cost 495 SEK and this one is 645 SEK), and that is not the case in other stores (for example, Sephora.com or net-a-porter.com). I think I might actually send an e-mail to sephora.se and see what’s that about…

Here are my swatches, I haven’t used any primer, I simply swatched it with my fingers. Photos were taken in natural daylight.

Details

Cruelty free? Yes.
Where to buy? Sephora (Sweden); net-a-porter.com (ships worldwide)
Price: 645 SEK / $69 / €61 (I always convert the price from SEK to $ or €; it’s actually much cheaper on net-a-porter – $49 – wish I saw that!)

Vesna ♥

Makeup Look | Glossy Eyelids + Dark Wine Lips

Last weekend a friend of mine was celebrating her birthday and I decided to wear something that I usually don’t wear: glossy eyelids. It’s a look that you can often see in magazines, but I haven’t tried it on myself for some reason. I know it’s not necessarily a good combination when you’re wearing eyeshadow under the gloss because it can crease a lot, but on bare skin? It’s basically perfect!

The lipgloss I was using on my eyelids is really affordable and it is so long lasting! It lasted for almost 9 hours (until I removed it). It is a tiny bit sticky, but I didn’t have a sticky feeling once it was on my eyelids, I just think that the application itself is a bit sticky.

All in all – a simple yet effective look!

PRODUCTS:

  • Catrice Liquid Camouflage , 020 Light Beige
  • Isadora Sculpting Brow Pen, 82 Medium Brown
  • Catrice Glam & Doll Sculpt & Volume Msscara, Black
  • Isadora Twist-Up Matt Lips, 67 Dark Velvet
  • essence Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lipgloss, 01 behind the scenes

Vesna ♥

Nabla Dreamy Eyeshadow Palette – Photos & Swatches

I believe you’re already aware of the Nabla Dreamy Eyeshadow Palette which sold out really quickly! Not that it’s a surprise because Nabla has some of the best indie eyeshadows on the market and I’m happy I managed to grab this palette! This, obviously, isn’t a review since I receive this product only 2 days ago, but I wanted to show you some pictures and swatches.

Here is some info about the palette itself:

  • contains 12 brand new shades
  • 12 x 0.92 g (11 grams in total)
  • 3 different textures: matte, pearlescent and metallic
  • contains neutral, warm and cool shades
  • comes with a mirror and magnetic closure (very good quality considering it’s cardboard)
  • vegan & cruelty free ♥
  • dimensions: 13,5 cm x 11 cm x 1,5 cm

Photos & Swatches

All shades were swatched with bare finger, without primer and only ONE swipe! The only shade that was a bit underwhelming is the first one, Immaculate. But then, it’s a really light shade and I think it looks prettier IRL anyway.

My favourite shades based on swatches: Delirium (yes, I love purple!), Metal Cupid, Señorita and Lullaby.

I’ll be playing with this palette tomorrow and will definitely create some looks with it!

How do you like this palette? Do you feel like it’s something you really, really, really need in your life? :D

Vesna ♥

Rituals Sophisticated Beauty Set + Giveaway!

Hello everyone! I know it’s been a while since the last time I posted, but life happened and it took me a while to get back. On Friday I received my Rituals prize (I won it on their twitter), so I figured this would be a perfect time to come back and post some swatches of products we don’t really see a lot out there.

Wondering how I won this set? Or maybe not, but anyway… :D Rituals had a giveaway on their twitter account asking for our best makeup tips, and I was one of the winners. I won the Sophisticated Beauty Set which contained seven products in total: Cheek & Eye Glow in Peach, Duo Eyeshadow in Gold & Dark Brown, lipsticks in Candy Pink and Pink Coral, lipgloss in Peach Pink and Intense Color Eye Pencil in shades Bronze Taupe and Black.

I had to immediately swatch these products because I haven’t used anything from Rituals in a while (I’m talking about makeup, not skincare since I’m using their skincare on a regular basis). I know these photos look a bit blurry and I’m sorry about that, but I think you’ll survive. ;) Anyway, let’s take a look at swatches and at the end of the post you can find a tiny giveaway and win something from this set :)

Cheek & Eye Glow – shade Peach
Price: 275 SEK / $34 / €28.50
Amount: 9 grams

Intense Color Eye Pencil – shades Bronze Taupe (left), Black (right)
Price: 100 SEK / $12.27 / €10
Amount: 0.35 g

Lipgloss – shade Peach Pink
Price: 135 SEK / $16,5 / €14
Amount: 5 ml

Duo Eyeshadow – shade Gold & Dark Brown
without eyeshadow base (left) / with Too Faced Shadow Insurance eyeshadow base (right)
Price: 215 SEK / $26 / €22
Amount: 1 gram
Comment: this is a really pricey eyeshadow! Only 1 gram of product?! Wow! Don’t remember the last time I came across such an expensive eyeshadow (I always compare the price with the amount I’m getting).

Giveaway

As you maybe noticed, I haven’t swatched the lipsticks I got. That’s because these colours aren’t my cup of tea and I figured I’d rather give them away to someone who maybe likes these colours.

There are two shades and if you’d like to win one, simply leave a comment down below and tell me which shade you’d like to win:

  • Candy Pink (black packaging), or
  • Pink Coral (golden packaging)

This giveaway is open worldwide. Two winners will be picked randomly. Winners will be contaced by e-mail and they have to reply back to me in 48 hours. Giveaway ends Friday, October 6 at 23:59 (CEST).

What are your thoughts on these products?

Vesna ♥

New In | ColourPop (First Impressions & Swatches)

Now that my exams are finally over, I can get back to posting! I decided to start this week with my first ColourPop order; I’ll share my thoughts on the brand, first impressions and swatches!

So, I’ve been wanting to order something from ColourPop since forever (!) and I finally did so last month when they had free shipping on all orders (no minimum). I’m very pleased when it comes to how fast my order was processed, everything came in perfect condition and it took only a week or so before the package was in my hands. Unfortunately, I had to pay some additional costs since this was a package from a non-EU country (I’m in Sweden) so, in the end, it wasn’t really that cheap, but I’ll live. :D

Products I ordered:

  • lippie stix in shades: Lumiere, Bichette, Back Up and LBB (all vegan)
  • Super Shock Shadow in shade Cricket (vegan)

Lippie Stix

The product I was mostly interested in was Lippie Stix because I’ve read so many good reviews and I just wanted to try them for myself. Well, I can definitely say that I am impressed with their pigmentation, the colours on lips are true to those in the packaging. Matte shades – LBB, Lumiere, Bichette – do have a drier texture and have a sticky feeling after application. The last shade, Back Up, has a matte X finish and it is completely different from matte finish because it has this waxy formula and it’s so nice and creamy on lips. It’s also the only shade that looks completely matte on my lips. The downside of these is that they all have a weird scent that reminds me of wax crayons. I don’t know if it is something that’s typical for Lippie Stix in general or it is something that depends on the shade. Another thing – LBB stains my lips (I just can’t remove it, LOL). I don’t see this as an issue, but someone might.

Lippie Stix cost $5 / 43 SEK / €4.44 and you get 1 gram of product. I have to say I was surprised that they contain only 1 gram of product. It was my fault though, I assumed they contain the average amount, like 3 grams of product or so, but they don’t. I should’ve checked before I placed my order. Anyway, that’s why I think their claims as being an affordable and cheap brand are actually misleading. You pay less, yes, but you get less, too. :D For reference, Wet n Wild lipsticks cost $2.49 and you get 3,3 grams of product! THAT is a cheap and affordable brand.

Super Shock Shadow in Cricket (ultra-glitter)

When it comes to the eye shadow, I don’t really have much to say besides that I end up having glitter all over my face when I apply it. It is a nice colour though and you do get a proper amount of product for the price you pay – $5 / 43 SEK / €4.44 for 2.1 gram of product. I think this shouldn’t be applied on it own but rather on top of a dark base like black or purple pencil. Will try that this week, I finally have some time to play with new looks. The texture is soft and smooth with good color payoff. Oh yeah, the thing that I really dislike about this product is the packaging – unnecessarily too big.

Conclusion

Overall, I am pleased with my order, but I won’t be placing another one. Even though ColourPop has nice products, I don’t think I’m willing to pay extra costs for products that contan only 1 gram of product. Another thing that really bugs me is that I’ve read so many posts on blogs and reddit about how their customer service is bad and that is just unaceptable.

Photos & Swatches


l-r: Back Up, Bichette, Lumiere, LBB


l-r: Lumiere, Bichette, Back Up, LBB and Cricket

What are your thoughts on ColourPop?

Vesna ♥