19 May 2011

Zoya Faye Review try 2

Apparently the great blogger outage is only going to repair certain posts ... I would choose the day before the outage to upload four posts of information.


I thought Zoya Faye was going to be my color from the collection. A beautiful plum with gold glitter,  just perfect.   However,  it just does not grab my eye.  I'm not sure how a semi-translucent base with gold glitter smorgasbord can be boring, but this Zoya Sunshine certainly fits the definition in my case.  I've even tossed Apple into the donate pile.  It is almost like they made a collection, didn't like it, and tossed in glitter to liven it up.  But not enough. 

 

Additionally, it is as slow drying as everyone says. I have never had a Zoya dry so slowly. Even with 15 minutes between coats, I banged up two nails after a quick drying topcoat was added.



In the light of the setting sun.


I guess we should have realized, if Zoya was putting this brand-new superduper set of collections on discount sale, something about the formula was going to be crappy.

Base coat - Nubar NuNails
two layers lacquer
quick drying topcoat - Nubar Diamont (old formula)

In the shade.



Too many issues - it is not worth it.

There is a minor bit of VNL present in certain lighting conditions, but I'm surprised that bothers anybody. It is hardly noticeable at two coats.

It has held up quite well to five days of abuse, with chipping only along peeling nail layers.  Minor tip wear.

Regardless, I prefer Zoya Pru,  and will be gifting Zoya Faye to another.

14 May 2011

Morgana Cryptoria Lipstick Swatches 2 (the warmer side)


Top Left to Right: Cocoa, Clay Bakin', Apple Plum
Second Left to Right: 24K Pumpkin, Pumpkin Eater



In bright sunlight.


In the shade.
Cocoa is almost a my lip shade color, peachy beige, fairly easy to apply.  But I'm really not looking for a nude lip.

Clay Bakin' is a bit darker and a bit pinker than Cocoa.  Also fairly easy to apply.  

Apple Plum is almost a warmed berry color.  A bit too pink for me to be comfortable.  Not too dark, but not too light.  

24K Pumpkin is a beautiful orange shade that is a bit deeper and more toned down than Pumpkin Eater.  This is one shade I may purchase.  It is a reddened orange.

Pumpkin Eater is the only full size Morgana shade I own, but it is too bright for me to be very comfortable.  It is a metallic red-orange.  The most unusual shade I've ever seen.  And very bright!

Morgana Cryptoria lipstick swatches

I do have far too many lipsticks.  But I wear most of them.  Not that I will ever hit the base of a lipstick, but I'm getting close with a couple of my Korres Mangos.

Korres lipsticks are usually very light, and very natural looking.  But every once in a while, I want a lipstick with more pigment.  I have a couple Laura Mercier, Stila Long Wears, and Primitives.  I'm always on the lookout for my perfect lip color.

So I ordered a bunch of samples from Morgana's last sale, hoping to find a perfect plum, a gorgeous red/orange, and an exceptional peach.  Of course, any browns that work will also be welcome.

And I have finally come to a conclusion.  Morgana Cryptoria has really nice lipsticks that don't make me feel pretty.  And, really, it is not her schtick.  The company is a "goth" brand that makes gorgeously weird colors.  But they are not for me.  All of her lippies scream "look at me" and that in not the person I am.

So I won't purchase any MC lipsticks, and will stick with her pigments.  But don't let my experience deter you.  If you have cool coloring, or want to stick out, check out Morgana Cryptoria.



The sample containers are clam shells with differing amounts of product.  But all contain at least enough for a week's worth of sampling.

First Row (left to right) Goldrush, Peach Daquiri, Sunset Peach
Second Row (left to right) Plum Crazy, Plumeria, Shrieking Violet
Third Row (left and right) Mocha Blast, Guilded Brown


I applied all of these with a lip brush to my bare hand.


Shade was the game for the day.




Though I did catch the occasional ray of sun.




A second sun picture.




First Row (left to right) Goldrush, Peach Daquiri
Second Row (left to right) Plum Crazy, Plumeria
Third Row (left and right) Mocha Blast



First Row (left to right) Peach Daquiri, Sunset Peach
Second Row (left to right) Plumeria, Shrieking Violet
Third Row (left and right) Gilded Brown


Goldrush - A warm gold with red and green microglitter.  It had good coverage with a lip brush.

Peach Daquiri - A very light and warmish pink.  It has red microglitter and good coverage.  This left a day long stain behind on my hand.

Sunset Peach - An orange base, so much warmer than Peach Daquiri, it also has red microglitter.  Less pigmented and patchy coverage, so you need to take greater care with application.

Plum Crazy - This reads mauvey brown to me.  Not much plum.  It also had patchy coverage, so care needs to be taken with application.

Plumeria - A red-violet with blue glitter.  Not as dark as Shrieking Violet, with more red.  It has patchy coverage, take care with application.

Shrieking Violet- This is a medium red-violet creme without any glitter.   It is darker and more blue than Plumeria.  It is extraordinarily patchy, so I would call it a wash of color, but fairly pigmented.  Perhaps a good starter color, though it will read very different depending on the shade of your lips.  On my pale skin and pigmented lips, this turns a dark, cyanotic purple.  It is overwhelming on my pale features.

Mocha Blast - A medium cool brown with red microglitter.  It had fairly nice coverage.

Gilded Brown - This is a deep orange bronze metallic.  It has great coverage, and makes me look like an extra on a sci-fi show.


These lipsticks have a good to great coverage, with some needing more care than others.  They don't overwhelm my sense of smell, although they do have a slight scent.  It is not bothersome.