Colored Thursday

I'm too pooped to write anything interesting tonight, but I'd like to direct you lovely ladies over to Alienman's newest blog post, a great piece on how just standing in someone else's shoes can turn a situation a complete 180. Too often, we let our preconceived notions color a situation, and I was definitely humbled in learning how fast I jump to conclusions.

The post was definitely a huge reminder that life is never black and white. Nor should it ever be--why settle for two boring extremes when you can have every color of the rainbow? Even those hovering above sprinklers.
[ Keep reading ]

Waiting for the phone to ring

Grawr. I think I may have blown a major, major chance today. Or at least a waste of heels. (Not being written into a funny story, because I can't find teh funniez in it. Oh, and WARNING: RANT)

I attended a career fair today, and both L'Oreal and Estee Lauder were coming to recruit. Let me repeat: L'Oreal and Estee Lauder were coming to my school to recruit. Oh my beauty-loving goodness, right? Right. So I get ready a la Fuzkittie (if this is your first time browsing her site, I do recommend clicking through the archives! She has tons of reviews and classy tutorials, and her site's a treat to read), and get my butt to the fair.

I got completely rejected at the Estee Lauder booth. I barely get past introduction, when the recruiter asks for my resume and that "we'll let you know when interview slots are tomorrow". Well, ouch. But I held firm and ran her through my resume, pointing out my strengths on my resume, to make sure she at least glanced at the darn thing before chucking it in the pile. She barely looked at it, and repeated firmly, "we'll let you know by phone when the interview slots are tomorrow".

Needless to say, I was a little hurt, especially since I really wanted to work at Estee Lauder. I made my way to the L'Oreal booth. The recruiter and I had a great talk, and she answered all of my questions and more. However, halfway through the talk, she asked me why I was interested in L'Oreal.
"Well," I said, "besides L'Oreal's aspiration to beauty, there's also its commitment to diversity and sustainability. And besides, with great brands ranging from Aveda and Ojon, to major department store brands like Clinique, Prescriptives and MAC."

Guess where I went wrong. Right. I still had Estee Lauder on the mind. Every single one of those brands was an Estee Lauder brand.

Well, major props to the recruiter, because she kept her smile, and concluded the rest of the talk without a hitch. I didn't even realize my mistake until three or four recruiters later, waaaay too late to try to correct my mistake. Way to get flustered, self.

Anyway, for those of you who were wondering, here are three major beauty companies, with the brands they are made of, just so my research doesn't go to waste.

L'Oreal

Consumer
L'Oréal Paris
Garnier
Maybelline New York
Softsheen.Carson
CCB Paris

Professional
L'Oréal Professional
Kérastase
Redkin
Matrix
Mizani

Luxury
Lancôme
Biotherm
Helena Rubenstein
Kiehl's
Shu Uemura
Giorgio Armani
Ralph Lauren
Cacharel
Viktor & Rolf
Diesel
YvesSaintLaurent

Active
Vichy
La Roche Posay
innéov
Skinceuticals
Sanoflore

The Body Shop (acquired in 2007)

Estee Lauder

Core
Estée Lauder
Clinique
Aramis
Lab Series
Prescriptives
Origins

Acquired
M·A·C
Bobbi Brown
La Mer
Jo Malone
Aveda
Bumble and bumble
Darphin
Ojon

Fragrances
Kiton
Tommy Hilfiger
Donna Karan
Michael Kors
Sean John
Missoni
Tom Ford
Mustang

Other
American Beauty
Flirt!
good skin
grassroots
Daisy Fuentes,
Coach (fragrance)
Eyes by Design

Proctor & Gamble

Cosmetics
CoverGirl
Max Factor
SK-II

Fragrances
Anna Sui
Hugo Boss BALDESSARIN
BOSS
BOSS SKIN
Christina Aguilera
ESCADA
Giorgio Beverly Hills
HUGO
LACOSTE
MEXX
PUMA

Hair Color and Care
Aussie
Head and Shoulder
Clairol
Herbal Essense
Infusium 23
Pantene
Natural Instincts
Nice'n Easy
Vidal Sassoon

Skin Care
Braun
Gillette
Noxzema
Olay

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Which brands are your favorite? And what should I have done differently?

[ Keep reading ]

Monday Morsels: Alphonse Mucha

Oops! Completely forgot to post this entry this morning, but luckily it's still Monday.

You know how Mondays are. I've created this section mostly to perk myself up for the start of the week and to keep you all from suffering from the "same old, same olds". For the first of this series, I'd like to introduce Alphonse Mucha, one of my heroes.

Alphonse Mucha, if you are not familiar with him, is the father of the Art Nouveau movement. He was born on July 24, 1860 in what is the Czech Republic today. He was talented in the arts since a young age--he sang as a boy, designed costumes, jewelry, stained glass and interiors, as well as painted and sculpted gorgeous pieces of art. However, he is most famous for his advertising posters.

Many of Mucha's works survive to today, and they are truly stunning, from his collaborations with Sarah Bernhardt, with whom he worked with for over a decade, to his fanciful nymphs framed with wisps of nature. However, even while his commercial artwork was a huge success, Mucha continuously pushed to improve himself and expand his artistic reach. "He insisted he followed his own sense of the important spiritual purposes of art, deriving his main inspiration from Czech traditions, rather than subscribing to the doctrines of any particular school". (source)

What really caused me to fall in love with Alphonse Mucha, aside from his gorgeous, delicate artwork, is a series of sketches and paintings he drew of his daughter, Jaroslava. You can really see a father's love conveyed with an artist's hand to paper and canvas.

In addition to being an awesome artist, Mucha was also a strong Slavic nationalist at a time when his homeland was under Austria-Hungarian rule, and a strong supporter of Czech culture and art at a time when his own countrymen denounced him as a "sell-out". His coup de grace, Slav Epic, which he created with no commission, is a beautiful reflection of his steadfast pride.

Sadly, it was his pride that brought Mucha to his death. When the Germans stormed Prague, Mucha was arrested as a reactionary. The aging artist contracted pneumonia from the incident, from which he never recovered. He was given a hero's funeral, finally acknowledged as a "great Czech" by his country.

References:
Wikipedia, "Alfons Mucha"
An Introduction to the Work of Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau

To see more of Alphonse Mucha's works, you can find browse through galleries here and here.
[ Keep reading ]

Eureka!

Maybe this makeup thing is getting out of hand.

Last night, I was flipping through my notes for class, probably less than totally focused, when a lecture slide suddenly jumped out at me, like my brother half past midnight.

No, I didn't scream and kick it in the shin. However, I did probably yelp and flail around for a bit, before settling down...and running for my makeup.

What was this miraculous slide?



Additives for Adhesives
-Primers: to improve bonding of the adhesive. Coatings applied to the adherent surface.
-Solvents: to modify the viscosity of the adhesive.
-Tackifiers: to improve the stickiness or capacity to form a bond between adhesive and adherent once they are in contact.
-Fillers: solid inclusions to reduce cost and improve cohesive strength.


...what?

Now, for those of you who didn't hit that little red "x" up there in the corner in disgust, thank you for indulging in my little moment of insanity. See, the little lightbulb that popped above my head probably a giant neon billboard, spelling out in all its gawdy glory, SIXTEEN HOURS OF MAKEUP, BABY!

Let me explain: We're going over a chapter on adhesives at the moment for one of my classes, and Starry is currently in an ongoing battle with floating foundation (you know, where you come home to foundation and concealer swimming in oil away from places they should be). Now, I'm not willing to part with my current foundation, since it really is the best I've come across, so what can I do? Add additives, of course.

Primer:
My skin hates silicones, so I can't use half of the primers out there, including most of everyone's Holy Grails. Boo. So what did I use instead? Kanebo Media Make Up Base. I have no idea what's in it, save that it contains deap-sea collagen and has SPF 22. It's fairly cheap, it goes on smoothly, and it clings like Saran Wrap. (Dang it, I should've bought 20 more bottles of it when I was in Asia!)

Solvent:
I mixed my foundation with my lotion, to make it easier to spread, as a solvent does.

Tackifier:
Since the foundation isn't holding on hard enough, I spritzed homemade mixing medium(1 part glycerin to 3 parts water) on the powder, then pressed it in, to help hold it in place.

Fillers:
I thought the point of foundation is to not cake it on, so no fillers for me! However, I took the liberty to dust everything with finishing dust, to set everything and to keep my oilies under check.


And the verdict?

Love it! I came home from five hours of work, and nothing moved! Usually by this time, my foundation has sifted a tiny bit and and my forehead has started getting "dewy". Today, I didn't even need to blot!

Real test will be tomorrow, when I'm clocking over 15 hours in makeup, with at least 2 or 3 sweating in dish room.
[ Keep reading ]

Sore Eyes

Hey all, I'm heading off to the library to finish everything I didn't do during the school week. But really, who doesn't have sore eyes after that many hours of hitting the books and computer? I found a really helpful eye massage tutorial, and not only does it feel great, it's also terrific for those days you're feeling puffy. Enjoy!

Eyeshadow Masterclass:How To Care For Your Eyes [ Keep reading ]

Rainbow Thursday: Color Theory

Color theory! Yay!

So anyone remember art classes from elementary school? If you don't, this website explains it much better than I ever could. (Hey, don't look at me. I was the kid sitting in the back sniffing, err, drawing with the scented Mr. Sketch markers when the teacher was explaining the color wheel.)
For those who like Sparknote versions of articles, the color wheel divides the color spectrum into primary, secondary and tertiary colors.

• The primary colors are: red, yellow, blue.
• The secondary colors are halfway between each primary colors, and are: green, orange and purple.
• The tertiary colors are halfway between a primary color and the secondary color next to it. They are: red-orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, red-purple.

Harmony comes from a pleasing blend of contrasts and unities. Harmonious color schemes include analogous or complementary.

• Analogous colors are those that are next to each other on the color wheel (e.g. Green, blue-green, purple). Usually one of the colors dominate.
• Harmonious colors are those that are opposite, or near opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g. Red, red-orange, blue-green). It doesn't say in the article, but usually the mix is largely the colors close to one another, and then a small amount of the contrasting color. In this case, it would be a mix of red and orangish red, with a pop of teal.

Also, background colors affect how a color looks. Generally, a black background make bright colors pop(white makes them dull) and a white background helps bring out pastel colors (black just washes them out). Also, as noted above, colors with similar backgrounds blend in, whereas a color opposite the color wheel would make the color jump out at you.

Well, this is all well and good for coordinating your eye makeup up, and pulling your face together. But what about actually matching makeup to your face?

The color wheel helps to an extent. To make your eyes pop, just apply color wheel theory.

• If your eyes are blue, look to the opposite of the wheel: orange. This means that similar colors, such as bronzes and warm browns should make your eyes really stand out.
• If your eyes are green, once again, look to the opposite of the wheel: red. Once again, look a bit to the side, and you see that plums, or anything with a bit of red would be best suited for green eyes.
• If your eyes are brown, the closest color match would be yellow/orange, meaning that your eyes should pop in blue.

Of course, this is just according to the color wheel. There are many other factors to consider, including the color of your skin, the other colors you're wearing, or even if you like the color or not :P And of course, you can look great in any color, within reasonable limits.

Another theory that would work in this case is color season analysis. If you were around in the 80's, feel free to go to sleep now. For those of you still with me, here's a great reference. The clothes selections are horrible, aren't they? Note that they are only guidelines. I'm a winter, but I dress and apply makeup well outside my color season and look fine. But the swatches are handy for inspiration and putting together an outfit at times.
For better reference, here are some famous women and their color seasons. Pick a muse and see how they dress--what they look great in, and what they probably should have skipped over.
Spring:
Lindsay Lohen, Cameron Diaz, Carrie Underwood, Jessica Simpson
Summer:
Maria Sharapova, Denise Richard, Cate Blanchett
Autumn:
Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, Aishwarya Rai, Halle Berry
Winter:
Lucy Liu, Alicia Keys, Katie Holmes, Kristin Kreuk

And there you have it! Have a happy Thursday [ Keep reading ]

Of Jung and Dreams--Archetype swatches (Neutrals)

A warning in advance: this post is going to be super long.

This third part of swatches are of all of the neutrals. If you're interested in the other colors, blues and greens can be found here, and pinks and purples (as well as a red) can be found here.

Once again, here are all of the swatches. They are, from left to right: Queen of the Nile, Child of Hounds, Dungeon, Luna, Submissive, Smoking Mirror, Little Grey Kitten, Samhain Eve, Beetlewing, Poppy Tea, Xibalba, Ornaments of Gold, Bengal, Lacuna.

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

Golds, Bronzes:

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right, bottom row in both pictures)
Queen of the Nile
My description: Pure gold, of course. It runs a little bronzey, but I like it that way
Archetype's description: Regal gold yet very wearable. Tarnished beige gold with lots of gold sparkle, applies rather translucent. Sort of an old gold type of color, not brassy. The gold sparkle is incredibly intense.

Child of Hounds
My description: Orange with gold mixed in. Green sparkles, of all things!
Archetype's description: This unique color has a warm pale apricot look in the pot. Applied it becomes even more unusual. It retains the apricot undertone, but then the intense green shimmer shows up clearly, and the light russet sparkle is apparent. Tilt it at an acute angle, and the green iridesence disappears and flashes into pink. Despite the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink description, it is actually surprisingly wearable. The warmth is understated and the effect is reasonably translucent. (Somewhat like Autumn Leaves, but more translucent and less orangey, and with russet sparkle rather than silver.)

Dungeon
My description: Warm sparkly chocolate brown
Archetype's description: Warm golden brown, moderate gold shimmer, very very wearable and flattering. Medium tone. Very basic and universally flattering brown, not flashy, though there is some shimmer present.

Taupes:

Indoor light, no flash:Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right. The first two shades under indoor light are Child of Hounds and Dungeon, and I am missing Luna under outdoor light)

Luna
My description: Silvery taupe. If this is what the moon looks like, when can I move there?
Archetype's description: Silvery brownish taupe with an intense silvery sparkle. This is a wee bit more grey than Submissive, but is still in the "perfect cool taupe" range. Shot through with intense silver sparkles. Applies rather opaque with a silky undertone. (Picture is a bit more grey than it actually is.)

Submissive
My description: Luna’s quiet cousin. Less silvery sheen, browner (Luna looks similar under outdoor light, just much, much more shimmery)
Archetype's description: Taupe but hardly drab. This color has all the wearability of the best taupes, and it's the ideal mix of grey and light brown. Loaded with shimmer, to make it stand out from the crowd.

Smoking Mirror
My description: Grapy taupe with silver sparkles
Archetype's description: Utterly unique- this color is a medium to dark greypurplebrown and applies opaque with intense silver sparkle. The subtle base color appears greyish at first glance, but reveals hints of brown, violet, and even an almost-imaginary blue. There is also a fairly intense iridescent quality too- tilt this at an acute angle and it flashes pink, with a light silvery green being the highlight color. This is similar in base color to Beetlewing, Silk or Cydonia, but with less intense green iridescent highlight, and with mega sparkle. Not lip safe.

Little Grey Kitten
My description: Silver with hints of taupe (dirty brush? I hope not—I like it)
Archetype's description: Silver with intense silver sparkles. Opaque, and has a bit of grey tarnish to it. (Gorgeous with Low Red Moon lipgloss!) This is one of the most sparkly shades we have.

Samhain Eve
My description: Smoking Mirror’s browner sister
Archetype's description: A dark solemn shimmery greyed brownish taupe, enlivened with a playful silver sparkle. Applies pearly opaque with moderate amount of silver sparkle.

Dark browns, blacks

Indoor light, no flash:Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right. Beetlewing is a little cut off under outdoor light, sorry)

Beetlewing
My description: Brown taupe with grey green sheen (I thought this would be like Adorned With Grace’s Ingenious eyeshadow, but no, it's not as pretty)
Archetype's description: Shimmery multilayered color- the most striking aspect is the iridescent green highlight, with a neutral grey/purple/taupe base. This is similar to Silk, but lighter in tone and more iridescent. Not lip safe.

Poppy Tea
My description: Pretty golden bronze with gold sheen. It seems like MAC’s Tea Time from what I played with in the store.
Archetype's description: Addictively seductive. Mimics brown, without really being brown- it's a blackened golden intense shimmer with a bare hint of pinkorange iridescence.

Xibalba
My description: Golden bronze with BLUE! sparkles. Exciting!
Archetype's description: According to Mayan legend, Xibalba ("Place of Fear") is the name of the entrance to the Underworld, ruled by Demons; traditionally believed to be a cave in Guatamala. A warm coppery golden brown with intense blue sparkle. Metallic and opaque.

Ornaments of Gold
My description: Black with (obviously) gold & (not so obviously) bronze sparkles
Archetype's description: A great liner when wet, this is a deep velvet black with packed with MEGA gold sparkle.

Bengal
My description: Warm dark grey with silver and gold sparkles. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Archetype's description: The color of a Bengal kitty's coat- a pretty honey brown with strong sparkle. Has some grey tones and is a darker shade of brown.

Lacuna
My description: Black hole-black with silver, almost blue sparkles
Archetype's description: Absence- deepest black with intense silver sparkle. Good liner color.


And that's it! Oh, I wanted to add here. Remember how last post I talked about how Archetype doesn't apply dry? Well, apparently it doesn't come off either.

These are pic after I ran my swatched arm under water, rubbed lightly, and patted it dry.

I had to use makeup remover and elbow grease to get it off in the end (Integra's Dog II held on 'til the end. You might want to use a base under this color if you don't want staining).

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So what did you guys think? Any colors that popped out at you? (How would you like swatches to be organized in the future?) [ Keep reading ]

Of Jung and Dreams--Archetype swatches (Pinks, Purples)

A warning in advance: this post is going to be super long.

Onto the next batch of swatches. If you're post-hopping, the blue and green swatches can be found here, and the neutral swatches can be found here.

I think I need to note here that Archetype needs to be foiled. I applied all of the swatches wet (no base), but I didn't know how essential this was, until my roommate started rubbing it into her skin dry. She couldn't even get the colors onto her hand.

Anyway, here are all of the pinks and purples in a row. From left to right, they are: Verre de soie, Spun sugar, Frozen Charlotte, Burlesque Revival, Katerina, Madame Terpsichore, Southern Twilight, Lethe, Maxfield Blue, Dark Ouija, and the two outliers Red Death and Integra's Dog II.

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

Light pinks, purples:

Indoor light, no flash(bottom row):

Outdoor light, no flash(top rows):

(from left to right. Ignore how it looks like I have Lyme's disease. I swatched too wet, and some of the swatches flake)
Verre de soie
My description: Color shift: white to chalk pink. I keep forgetting I don't do well with whitish eye shadows.
Archetype's description: The 'silk glass' of the same name created by Steuben has this exact muted iridescence. Translucent silvery sheen with a shifting iridescent highlight that appears green, purple, silver, or pink, with a purple sparkle to give it a kick.

Spun sugar
My description: Goes on light fuschia, dries to warm cotton candy
Archetype's description: Sweet but never bland. A soft pale pink with a major green iridescent flash and some pale gold shimmer.

Frozen Charlotte
My description: Chalk lavender. Argh.
Archetype's description: Doll-like and icy. A sheer translucent bluish shimmer with just the barest hint of lavender undertones. Not lip safe.

Burlesque Revival
My description: Silver pinky taupe. Puuuurdy~~ (Padmita did a really gorgeous FOTD with this color)
Archetype's description: Looks dove grey in the pot, and in the picture, but when applied it reveals a spectacular pinkish iridescence and a moderate silver sparkle. Applies fairly opaque.

Katerina
My description: Remember that purple eyeshadow you had in middle school? Yup, this is the more elegant, sparkly silver version
Archetype's description: This is a hard to find color- a soft pale lavender purple with an intense gold sparkle. While it isn't apparent when applied there is a bit of silver sparkle mixed too, to keep the gold from diluting the color too much. The pale violet remains noticeable on skin but it is a very light shade, and the gold is very sparkly. Opaque and while pale, not really a highlight shade, too much color.

Madame Terpsichore
My description: Warm light purple. SPARKLE EVERYWHERE. My roommate loves how sparkly it is, but I'm...not a fan.
Archetype's description: An ultra sparkly pale color somewhere between taupe, grey, and purple- it tends to look like you have several shades on your eye. This is very similar in tone to Gloomy Sunday, but the silvery sparkle is kicked up a few notches to become very intense, and the color is a just a bit deeper too. This is one of the most sparkly colors we offer.

Southern Twilight
My description: Grey muted plum, subdued silvery sheen
Archetype's description: Twilight below the Mason-Dixon line has a peculiar purple tinge. Deep grey with a cool bruised-violet undertone and a silvery shimmer. The color is primarily grey when applied, the purple is very subtle. Not lip safe.



Dark purples, reds:

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:(from left to right. First swatch under indoor lighting is Southern Twilight. I'm missing outdoor shots of Lethe. Oops)

Lethe
My description: Bluish purple
Archetype's description: The depths will lull you, then pull you under. Iridescent turquoise and purple flash over hypnotic grey depths. Not lip safe.

Maxfield Blue
My description: Slightly bluer than Lethe
Archetype's description: That particular vivid blue found in Maxfield Parrish's skies. Sort of a rich, deep twilight color, not navy though, almost a darker denim with green and purple sparkle. Not lip safe. (Picture is a bit pale.)

Dark Ouija
My description: The website swears Lethe, Maxfield Blue and Dark Ouija are completely different colors. Right. Dark Ouija may be slightly darker than the other two, but that’s about it.
Archetype's description: The complexity and depth of this color is difficult to photograph, let alone describe. The base color is almost a dark shimmery navy blue, yet it has some purple and grey mixed in with it. It has the same iridescence as Kitsune- a purple flash shows at certain angles. Not lip safe.

Red Death
My description: Black with purple and red sparkles.
Archetype's description: Deepest night-sky black shot through with intense red sparkle. Great as a wet-liner. (Impossible to photograph well- the red sparkle won't show as red in the pic.)

Integra’s Dog II
My description: Shiny, deep warm red. Blood? Yep. (I'm pretty sure this is a reference to Hellsing, in which case, yay! That makes the color even cooler than it already is)
Archetype's description: This is the deeper, clotted blood version. On my pale skin, this is more of an almost burgundy red, but still bloody and intense with red sparkles. [ Keep reading ]

Of Jung and Dreams--Archetype swatches (Blues, Greens)

A warning in advance: this post is going to be super long.

(These are the blue and green swatches. If you're looking for pinks or purples, click here. If you're looking for neutrals, click here.)

A (long) while ago, I bought samples from Archetype Cosmetics, one of your start-up mineral makeup companies. The owner, Holly, had (has) insanely cheap samples, and I, of course, couldn't pass up 25 cent makeup. Why, that's practically free! We
ll, to make a long story short, I didn't actually get my shinies until six months after I ordered.
My reaction upon opening the envelope was boo, hiss, why did it take so lo-OMGTEHPRETTYSHINIES!!!!111!!!!BBQ

You see, Archetype multipurpose pigments are like nothing else. They are super bright, like Fyrinnae and The She Space, but where Fyrinnae is in-your-face-BAM bright, and The She Space is tastefully-coordinated-yet-bright, Archetype is holysupershimmery and BAM SURPRISE~! bright.

I'm sure that made no sense whatsoever, so let's just move onto the swatches, which will hopefully be less confusing.

Here are all of the greens I ordered, in their glory. Their names from left to right are: Jadite, Green Goddess, Cicatrix, Eris's Song, Bela's Grave, Fabienne, Corpse's Candle, Angel of Indulgence, St. Alia of the Knife, Obsidian Butterfly, Erotic Underground, Deadly Nightshade, and Wormwood (and yes, I did say that this was just the blue/green portion of my haul :P)

Indoor light, no flash:Outdoor light, no flash:

Light Greens:

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right)
Jadite
My description: Pale golden green, with green sparkles
Archetype's description: Light soft green with a yellow tone to the green. No gold, silvery undertone instead. We're trying to capture more of a McKee Jadite glass color rather than Fire King's bluer green. Silvery green sparkle. This is one of the sparkliest colors we offer, and very translucent. The color is rather subtle on, and mostly appears as intense sparkle. Not lip safe.

Green Goddess
My description: Green with gold sparkles
Archetype's description: Looks like a strong yellowgreen in the pot, but applies a soft, pale, extremely translucent shimmery spring green color with lots of gold shimmer and a coppery sparkle. Not lip safe.

Cicatrix
My description: Hunter green, brown-taupe sheen with purple sparkles
Archetype's description: This is a really gorgeous color- a deep iridescent leaf green, at first glance, but tip it to an acute angle and it has a pink flash. Deep and dark, shimmery and with a small hint of purple sparkle.

Eris’s Song
My description: Medium green with gold sheen, blue cast
Archetype's description: Iridescent bluegreen, with strong golden shimmer... the finish is somewhere between pearly and shimmery- definitely not sparkly. More intensely bluegreen than Back to the Sea, less golden. Applies opaque. Not lip safe.

Bela’s Grave
My description: Dirty hunter with silver sparkles
Archetype's description: Intensely sparkly midtone greygreen, remarkably wearable, with a bit of a warmer tone at some angles- almost a hint of brownish gold. This one tends to look like several colors in one when applied, it does its own highlights and lowlights, very dimensional and subtle.

Dark greens and blues:

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right. First swatch under indoor light is Bela's Grave)
Fabienne
My description: Dark olive with gold/bronze/purple sparkles
Archetype's description: A blackened deep olive green, no blues here. Intense russet red sparkle. It has an iridescent quality to it too, and applies opaque. Unique and very wearable. Not lip safe. Reformulated 9/1/08.

Corpse candle
My description: Teal with silver and blue sparkles
Archetype's description: This an intense, densely velvety and iridescent eerie blue teal shade, with blue and green sparkle. This is maybe the bluest of the teals recently added.

Angel of Indulgence
My description: Teal with green sheen, shifts between green and butterfly blue
Archetype's description: Dark iridescent turquoise teal blue, but tip it to the side and a velvety deeper midnight blue/purple reveals itself; green sparkle. Dark and intense, shimmery and the sparkle is quite restrained really. (This is the most wearable dark teal I've ever tried.) I'd have to say this is the least accurate swatch picture ever- it'll be updated in a day or two.

St. Alia of the Knife
My description: I admit, I bought this purely because it was named after one of my favorite characters, but it is still a really pretty color. The pigment itself is a pure, innocent blue with silver sparkles, not the Fremen blue I was expecting at all.
Archetype's description: This is a medium iridescent blue shade, vibrant and lovely. It flashes from turquoise iridescence to an almost purple. There is a blue sparkle mixed with a restrained gold shimmer- the gold doesn't add any yellow, just a bit of sparkle that tones the body shade down a bit to a slightly less intense blue green. Not lip safe.
Dark blues:

Indoor light, no flash:

Outdoor light, no flash:

(from left to right. First and second swatches under indoor light are Angel of Indulgence and St. Alia of the Knife, respectively)
Obsidian butterfly
My description: BLUE BLUE BLUE. Oh, did I mention? BLUE. The Morpho butterfly really was the first thing that came to mind.
Archetype's description: This is an electric, intense, densely blue pigment, created in tribute to the Blue Morpho butterfly of Central America. It flashes with turquoiuseblue iridescence and blue sparkles. It flashes from blue to bluer to almost purple at an acute angle to turquoise straight on

Erotic Underground
My description: Grey green with green sheen
Archetype's description: Flat out gorgeous color- this one has a velvety grey satiny silverypink look straight on, but tip it to the side and see it change to a blackened green, and has a tiny bit of blue sparkles. Looks very multidimensional when applied, like several shades rolled into one.

Deadly Nightshade
My description: Greyed out purple with blue sparkles (oops. I thought this was a green from the way it looked in the baggie. It's a much more intense purple than what you can see in the photos)
Archetype's description: Complex, twilit greygreen, like the edges of stormclouds. Deep silver grey with a hint of green iridescence and silver sparkle.

Wormwood
My description: Warm, bronzey version of Erotic Underground
Archetype's description: Soft green corrupted with gold. Fabulous complex and dimensional shade of mid-tone greyed-out green, with intense gold shimmer. Not lip safe.

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¡Ay, caramba!

image source: LOLcats

So yesterday, I decided to try one of those hair rinse recipes that are all over the Internet. A splash of apple cider vinegar, a handful of water, and over the hair it goes.
Mind you, I don't believe in exact proportions and all that, so as I'm bending over in the shower to screw the cap back on the bottle of apple cider vinegar (straight from the kitchen of course; where's the fun in home remedies if it's not?)...well, you can imagine where all the liquidy goodness decided to go. Did I mention that vinegar is acidic?
The funny thing is, I had just been reading through the Darwin Award archives (go and read it, if you haven't already. It'll either be the funniest or saddest thing you have ever read), and all I could think of was how my entry would read:

Sour Loser
(13 October, 2008, Michigan) Sometimes folk medicine kills. Last night, instead of reaching for a hair rinse, 21 year old Starry emptied half a bottle of vinegar into her hair, before placing the glass bottle on the edge of of the bathtub. Commercial vinegar has a pH of around 2.4, vastly below that of, say, the human eye...[cont. on next page]

But on the bright side, my hair is nice and shiny, my face is probably cleaner than it has ever been, and my eyeballs are now pH balanced. Or something.

.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.

So what are some home remedies you have tried? Hopefully something that won't try to kill me, but I'm open to any suggestions!

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