Zoya Cyber Monday

press release

THE MYSTERY BOX IS BACK!
If you love surprises, the MYSTERY BOX deal is for you - you'll get a box filled with some of our favorite products ($72 value) for just $20 plus free shipping! Surprise yourself or someone else with a great deal AND great products!

Wondering if it’s worth the gamble? Last year the Mystery Box was a huge hit – make sure not to miss out on this one day only offer. We promise, it won’t be the same as last year, it will be better!

Here a few blog reviews from last year…nouveau cheap, model city, polished with pizzazz. As you can see the box was loaded with Zoya and Qtica goodies!

MYSTERY BOX available exclusively on ZOYA.COM

CYBER MONDAY ONLY (11/30/15).

Seche Lumiere

purchased by me

Seche Lumiere, or as I like to call it, PUMPKIN SPICE ALL THE THINGS INCLUDING MY NAILS! is a slightly pink-toned orange with lots of shimmer and a frost finish.  Thankfully, it doesn't show a ton of brush strokes, and really, this color sums autumn up for me.

Lumiere is part of the Seche polish core line, and you can buy it and others at Head 2 Toe Beauty for $4.00 + shipping.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Zenobia

purchased and reviewed by ThoraSTooth

Scent of the Day:  Zenobia (Warrior Queens Inquisition 2009) --  Orris, clove, costus storax, patchouli, hyssop, frankincense, balsam, and saffron.

The first sniff of this is light clovey wood.  There's a touch of menthol, probably from the patchouli.  It smells a little dusty to me too, which I think is the costus although it might be the orris.

Wet on my skin, it's immediately richer and more resinous.  Although orris doesn't like me, it's cooperative in this scent.  As it dries down Zenobia becomes mostly cloves and frankincense over a base of patchouli.  It matures away from the cloves and patchouli, becoming more a frankincense and balsam scent, although it retains a touch of spiciness.

This is a comforting, close to the skin scent.  I was craving frankincense and cloves, and this scent filled the bill nicely.  Sometimes I like to wear this one to bed on cold nights because it makes me feel so warm and cosy.

Color Club What's Your Sign

purchased by me

Color Club added six new holos to the Halo Hues collection.  I only got this one, but it's gorgeous and I love it.  What's Your Sign is a soft grey base with pink shimmer and a really strong linear holographic effect.

In the sun:

Indoors with flash:

What's Your Sign and the rest of the Halo Hues collection are available at Head 2 Toe Beauty for $8.00/bottle plus shipping.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Samhain 2010

purchased and reviewed by ThoraSTooth

Scent of the Day:  Samhain (Hallowe'enies 2010) -- Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

I stayed away from the annual Hallowe'enies offering of Samhain for years because of the pumpkin.  Once I finally took a chance and tried it, this signature BPAL scent became one of my darlings.

At first sniff it's evergreens, a dry grass, patchouli, and a bit of apple.  Wet on my skin the evergreen spikes but then subsides to blend with the patchouli.  It does smell a bit damp, but not mouldy nor ever quite aquatic or earthy.  There's a powdery note that might be all I ever get of pumpkin. 

It matures into warm, slightly sugary, spicy dark green magnificence.  The patchouli and the fir work really well together on my skin.  I think the sugary impression comes from the evergreen, because I've noticed it in Hemlock and some of the other intensely evergreen scents.  The curl of hot mulled cider running through it never turns the scent toward foody.

Something about this scent always makes me feel warm, nostalgic, and happy.

NB: Sadly, the 2010 version of Samhain is gone, but you can order the 2015 version here.

Pür Minerals Starry Eyed palette

purchased by me

I grabbed a few things from Pür Minerals in autumn colors, and I really love this little palette.  It comes with five shadows and a mini Volume Vixen mascara, which I have set aside for a friend.

Zodiac is a pinkish burgundy shimmer

Virtue is a light, warm pink shimmer

Icon is a warm white matte

Mystic is a cool-toned brown shimmer

Eternal is a reddish-brown matte

Two swipes of each color:

I have worn this about a zillion times since I got it.  Okay, not a zillion, but lots.  The shadows are soft and kick up some powder, but the intensity is good and the wear time is almost 8 hours.  On its own it's a good buy, but for $15 + shipping, it's a great buy and you can get it at the Pür Minerals website.

Butter London's Invite Only set

purchased by me

With 6 set-exclusive colors, I couldn't resist the Invite Only collection!  Swatches after the jump.

The Incoco Holiday Collection has arrived!

press release

My Ulta haul

purchased by me

I had one day to use a 20% off coupon, so I just grabbed all the prestige products I wanted:

The Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue sample kit, Too Faced Le Grand Chateau, Too Faced La Petite Maison, Butter London Invite Only and IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Romantics.