Shiro Cosmetics: The Randomly Generated Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Minecraft collection. I don't play Minecraft but these shadows were so pretty I couldn't pass them up. Sadly this collection has been discontinued.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

Diggy Diggy Hole - is described as a rich earthy brown overlaid with forest green shimmer. I'd say this is a severely blackened brown with an intense olive/forest green frost.

Steve - is described as a bright, lightly shimmery turquoise. I'd say this is a mid-tone turquoise that's really pretty when used wet.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Mask Review: GLAMGLOW FLASHMUD Brightening Treatment

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for GLAMGLOW FLASHMUD Brightening Treatment

Availability: I appears that this has been discontinued.

Would I buy this again?: A case of my heart says yes, but my wallet says no. 

What is this product designed to address?

According sephora.com this is what the product is and what it does:

What it is:

A multi-targeted, multi-sensorial quick results brightening treatment for radiant, youthful-looking skin. 

What it is formulated to do:

Powerful and innovative multi-brightening complexes help to create the brightest, lightest, and most luminous skin possible. The TEAOXI® technology is white birch leaf that delivers natural betulin, betulinic acid, and ellagic acid to create an improved, color-balanced skintone. WhiteEnergy™ is a brilliant fusion of powerful natural actives to create intense, bright, and even results. Flashlucent™ is a combination of skin translucency optimizers featuring three levels of exfoliation to drive ingredients into the skin for a luminous, younger-looking complexion. Reflectrum™ is a blend of brightening ingredients boosted with diamond photoluminescence to increase the reflecting level of the skin and make it appear radiant and more attractive. It’s designed for instant and extended results for men and women of all ages, skin types, and skintones. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens

- Sulfates 

- Phthalates 

Research results:

In a consumer use study on 100 individuals:

After 3 uses:

- 93% said it created a brighter complexion 

- 88% said it created a luminous complexion

- 89% said it visibly boosted skin radiance

- 89% said it visibly improved skintone 

- 91% said it worked better than other brightening treatments previously used

- 86% said the results appeared faster than other brightening treatments previously used

After 9 uses:

- 100% said it created a brighter complexion

- 98% said it created a luminous complexion

- 98% said it visibly boosted skin radiance

- 97% said it visibl[y] improved skintone

- 91% said it worked better than other brightening treatments previously used

- 91% said the results appeared faster than other brightening treatments previously used

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

According to the lovely sephora.com:

-WhiteEnergy™: An advanced fusion of powerful natural active ingredients, with a naturally occurring highly developed complexes, carefully combined to create a potent energized cluster to fight color unevenness helping to create intense bright, lighter, and even results. 

-Flashlucent™: A combination of natural skin translucency optimizers, formed together as a penetration-complex to help drive active ingredients deeper with the use of white quartz microspheres, white refined pumice, and sun-dried white blanche clay—all helping to provide luminous, younger-looking skin. 

-Reflectrum™: The combination of powerful natural brightening active ingredients boosted with ultra-fine optical diamond photoluminescence to help to increase the individual albedo reflecting level of the skin, causing the skin to appear lighter, brighter, and more attractive. 

-TEAOXI® White Birch Leaf: Help[s] provide a potent formula and improved, color-balanced skintone.

What is the texture like?

This is a semi-liquid, semi-solid mud (like a slurry) mask with chunks of tea leaves and little scrubby granules - think kind of like a microdermabrasion size.

Is it scented?

I love the way this stuff smells, it's a sweet scent that's also kind of refreshing. It's helped me several times in the past when I was feeling run down or nauseous so I appreciate it.

My overall experience/comments on the product:

I've been using this for a while and I like this a lot, it makes my skin look and feel mega smooth and while it makes the skin look visibly brighter it also exfoliates off dead skin so that the buildup of dry, dead skin doesn't cause a dull appearance. I like the little scrubbies in it, it makes me feel kind of awake, refreshed, and it leaves my skin feeling really smooth. I appreciate that it doesn't irritate my skin or cause me to become more red and dry. I think it's really worth taking a look at.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: This was provided for testing purposes. I am under no obligation to mention it here on my blog.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Tributes Collection

Ok you folks/, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Hunger Games collection.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive. 

Remake - The Cinna color  THE FEELS YOU ALL, THE EFFFIN FEELS!!! ... is described as a shimmery gold-bronze with purple sparks. This is a gorgeous gold shade with very subtle silvery magenta-ish sparkles. 

Star-Crossed -is described as a blackened coppery brown. I'd say this is a blackened coppery brown... almost greenish color with an intense golden pearl; it's really unique and beautiful. I dig it.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Fullmetal Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Fullmetal Alchemist collection. The colors in this collection are just absolutely beautiful but I had to limit myself.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

Colonel - This is described as a military blue packed with gold sparkle. This is a deep, matte navy with LOADS of golden sparkle that changes to silver and almost red when the light hits it. Beautiful. 

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Legends Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Zelda collection. For me personally, one of the most exciting.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive. 

Hero of Ages - the Link color, is described as a dark, near-matte blue toned forest green. This is a cool-toned grassy/forest green, I wouldn't go so far as to call it blue. It has a really pretty green shimmer running through it.

Zora Sapphire is described as a deep teal with strong green shimmer. Pictures do no justice to the Safyre (see what I did there?) mermaid magic of this color! Gorgeous teal with a teal-green shimmer running through it. LOVE it.

A Terrible Fate is described as a deep blackened indigo with a satin finish. This is a black base with an indigo shift.

Majora's Mask is described as a vivid blurple with orange shimmer and tons of red, green, and yellow sparks. Blurple indeed, it's almost pastel but isn't white enough to be there. The base color is matte but has green and copper shimmer. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

LUSH Soap Review: Miranda

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for Miranda Soap.

Availability: This appears to have been discontinued.

Would I buy this again?: Doubt it.

What is this product designed to address?

According to lushusa.com this is what the product is and what it does:

A fresh fruit salad of a soap, each green piece of sudsy delight is packed with enough fruit inside and out to fill your basket (and then some!). We make each batch of Miranda by hand with fresh, organic kiwi fruit to gently cleanse, tone, and brighten your skin. We add in gorgeous bergamot for its soothing, orange-scented effects. To clear up congested skin and to refresh weary spirits we blend in ylang ylang and juniper berry. Simply fruit-tastic, it’s the perfect way to start your day!

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
According to the lovely lushusa.com the star ingredient in here is the

Fresh Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia chinensis) The action of actinidin will break down protein-based, dead skin cells and dirt on the skin. This can then be removed, leaving the skin fresh and clean. The other vitamins and minerals in the fruit are highly nutritious for the skin. This cleansing and nourishing process is achieved by using the fruit fresh, mulched straight in to the product. The vitamin content greatly improves skin condition.

This also contains:
Glycerin, rapeseed oil, and coconut oil to hydrate the skin.
Ylang ylang, bergamot, myrrh, juniper berry, and gardenia extracts for scent.

What is the texture like?

This soap feels like a really straightforward cleansing soap that doesn't foam all that well but cleans ok without the foaming element.

Is it scented?

Ok so... I find that in this particular soap, although it has a base of kiwi, it smells very strongly of myrrh and juniper with a very slight hint of kiwi that comes through after the fact. The scent is strong, smoky, almost peppery. It smells very close to blue mist hookah to me, which isn't a bad thing but I don't know that I personally want to smell smoky.

My overall experience/comments on the product:

I have to say this soap is just not for me for several reasons. Firstly the smell is like... I can tolerate it and use it up but I don't LOVE it and for the price of these I'd have to love something to rebuy it. I use this as a hand-soap and I like to use solid soaps for that purpose only... I tend to prefer a liquid for showering purposes so, I felt like I'd point that out as it might affect how you feel about purchasing it in the future. That said, I know a lot of more naturally-based soaps don't foam but I happen to like foam in my soap... sodium cocoate is a foaming agent derived from coconut oil... it's natural, and you can use it to get your soap to foam... for the price that it is I don't see why not... I just have to throw that out there. So many people seem to love Lush and I was very excited to try them out but honestly, so far, I'm underwhelmed.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: This was provided as a sample with purchase. 

Shiro Cosmetics: The Hobbit Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Hobbit collection, kind of self-explanatory here. For me personally, one of the most exciting.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

War of Five Armies - is described as a near-matte, red-brown blood spilled on earth. Well that's rather morbid and the fact that it looks like dried up blood in the packet makes it questionable... This is a very deep reddish brown with just a hint of red-copper sparkle through it. 

Lingered in Twilight - is described as a blackened blue and green tones with slightly metallic shimmer. This has the absolute illest shift to it. The base is black but it has this green shift full of teal, forest green, and gold micro-shimmer. I LOVE IT!

The Wandering Wizard - is described as a pale, matte, blue-toned grey. This is a very grayed light blue with a strong soft grey shift. Really soft and pretty. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.