Swatches and Review--Mirabella Colour Sheer in Daydream

Recently, I resubscribed to ipsy. (You can read more about ipsy at the end of the post.) In their May bag, one of the products they sent for subscribers to try is Mirabella Colour Sheer lipstick. I received the shade Daydream. I also have the shade Posy, which I received in a trade on makeuptalk.com, but I'm going to save that for another post.
*I paid for the subscription which provided this sample. There is a referral link later in this post.*

Application was smooth and easy to control. Daydream applies creamy, but without being slippery. It felt moisturizing for a few hours. My lips were not dried out after that amount of time, but no moisture was being added to them from the lipstick.

Applied lightly, yellow artificial light

Applied lightly, natural light

Daydream does have a shimmer to it that borders on a frost, but it doesn't quite go there, which is to its advantage. It is enough, though, that from close range it will emphasize any skin on your lips that has not been exfoliated. You can see that it also emphasized the lines in my lips, as they were dry to begin with that day, but it didn't sink into them and make the color uneven.

Applied lightly, white artificial light

I am not wearing any lip liner, balm, or any lip product in these photos other than Mirabella Colour Sheer in Daydream. Here are my bare lips for reference:

Bare lips, sunlight

Applied lightly, outdoors in the shade

As the product name suggests, this is a sheer color, but still pigmented and buildable. See the swatches below on my arm to show how you can certainly start subtly and build from there.

One swipe, artificial light

Six swipes, artificial light

Mirabella sells their Colour Sheers for $22.00 each on their Web site, in 14 different shades. I am skeptical of their representations of the shades, though, so you may want to look for reviews and swatches like mine online. Mirabella's site makes Daydream look like some sort of super pale lilac. I hope that it was just human error and they accidentally posted the wrong image.

Built-up color, artificial light

I've been keeping Daydream in my purse since I received it, and using it on the go. I'm happy with the product, so I look forward to trying my other shade, Posy.
If you're unfamiliar with ipsy, their Web site describes their service this way: "Each month, subscribers will receive a beautiful Glam Bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. Members can watch and play along with the stylists with the same products that they are using. All for only $10 a month." They also give out coupons or coupon codes for the brands sampled that month.
*I paid for the subscription which provided this sample. There is a referral link in this post.*

My referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h051fwxig0n810mm. You don't have to use my referral link, of course, but I would appreciate it very much. (If two people sign up for an ipsy subscription using my referral, I get a bonus product in my next Glam Bag.)

Review--Benefit They're Real Mascara

I had heard great things about Benefit They're Real mascara. I like to try pretty much every mascara that I can get my hands on, so I traded with a lovely lady on makeuptalk.com for her deluxe sample of They're Real  that she had received in one of her ipsy bags. My experience with this mascara was very mixed.

Closeup of the brush

Deluxe sample size bottle

Without mascara

One eye with one coat of mascara and one eye without

One coat

One coat, looking nowhere

Hmm, not sure if this was one or two coats, but I like the look of the lashes.

Two coats, looking up

Two coats, looking nowhere

The sun decided to hide right before my last two photos, so I apologize for the graininess. Anyhow, when I first used They're Real, it seemed much too wet when I went to apply it. Then, when it dried, it seemed to make my lashes crunchy. I kept trying different application methods, but I was not liking it.

I stopped using the mascara for a couple weeks, and then I went back to it so that I could do my review. It was no longer too wet. It seems, at least in my experience, that mascara starts to dry out once you've opened it. Now that They're Real wasn't as wet, the application went much better. In fact, I was quite pleased with it...at first. 

I found that it took very little time for my lashes to lose their curl, they still felt crunchy, and pieces of mascara would start to flake off. It happened quite a bit less when I only wore one coat, but I like dramatic mascara, so the one coat wasn't going to do it for me. With this in mind, it is not a product I would purchase. However, I know that it is considered a 'holy grail' product for many women. This is why I love sampling. Mascara is a type of product that is not one size fits all. 

The full size of Benefit They're Real mascara retails for $23.00 on their website: http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/theyre-real. I know that it's also available at Sephora, and I believe at Ulta.

What is your favorite mascara? Would you pay $23.00 for mascara if it were the best you'd ever tried?

Studio Gear Lipstick Review and Swatch

I received Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick from one of my subscriptions to beauty samples, ipsy, in May 2012. (It was named MyGlam at the time. They offer 4-5 beauty samples per month for $10, mostly makeup: http://www.ipsy.com/theglambag. I love this service!) The first photo cracks me up; through some fluke of the flash, the lipstick appears to be almost hallowed.

 



 

I received the shade Pink Blush. I find the name to be misleading. You would think from the shade name that it will be subtle and demure--wrong. This is a vibrant, bold pink, leaning toward fuchsia. It's creamy, but with a nice sheen to it. 

 

 

I did not have high expectations of this lipstick. I had never heard of the brand. Also, my two favorite lip products, Tarte Lipsurgence and L'Oreal Infallible Rouge, are hard acts to follow. But I was pleasantly surprised; I loved this lipstick. 

 

Yes, the above photo is only my lips. The rest of my face was a mess that day.

 

You can purchase Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick here for $16.00: http://studiogearcosmetics.com/store/products/lipstick/.