Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Review: Starlooks’ Starbox February 2013
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

I have to say that I had been very curious as to what exactly would be included in the very first collaboration between Starlooks and up and coming makeup artist, Lauren Clark. When I say the lookbook I had a few ideas as to what I’d hoped would be inside including a lip product in the shade she is wearing in that photo shoot. I’ve since found out that, that shade is called Tipsey and is a coraly-pink shade and just beautiful!

According to the included product information card, we were receiving three full size products, but I counted four! Turns out that the fourth item is a bonus item and a preview of the signature lip set to come!

The first item I pulled out was a lip gloss in the shade pink oasis which is a very sheer yet sparkely gloss that has a deeper color on the brush or in the tube than on ones lips. This is not a stick lipgloss and contains a generous amount. Lately, thought I’ve really preferred more opaque glosses and I’d love the one that matches the included bonus lip liner Tipsy.

Next is an item that I am still on the fence about, the infinity satin liner in the shade princess diary (which reminds me of one of my favorite movies, I know it was a book series by Meg Cabot first but I could not get through even one of those!) which is a very light pearly pink. I’m still not so sure about such a light pink color as an eyeliner. I’ve tried playing around with it a litter, but definitely need to try out a few more things. I’ve heard of others using it a base for other shadows and want to give this a try. Would you wear a light pink gel eyeliner? Are there certain colors that you wouldn’t wear on your eyes? cheeks? lips? nails even? I’d love ot hear!

The last of the “regular” items is a brand new item to the Starlooks likes called HD Fluid Blush. And while that tube looks small, looks are very misleading as it is extremely well pigmented! A teeny tiny amount of this will go a very long way! At first I was very ambivilent as to why I’d ever wear a blush THAT bright pink! Turns out the same of this shade is aptly named Barbie which is quite fitting. When unscrewed the cap and started to gently apply pressure to the little tube as I didn’t want it to squirt out all over me, I waited until I had a miniscule amount on my middle finger and gentry tapped it onto my cheeck. I was surprised at how well it blended in and looked natural! This is by far my favorite of the “regular” listed products.

Last, but not least is the bonus item we received, a lip liner in the shade Tipsy! I absolutely LOVE this shade!!! Unfortunately, I’ve found just trying to wear the lip liner by itself dries out my lips too much, but when I add some of my favorite clear scented lip balm (MOR macaron lip balm in sorbet) to it all of a sudden I have the most beautiful lip color! I’ve never seen a shade quite like this and certainly don’t own anything that even closely resembles this shade! It is so different from what I typically wear on my lips, but I love it nonetheless.

p style=”text-align: left;”>I’ve included swatches of what the products look like on my skin. Starting on the left the first swatch is the Tipsy lipliner by itself, next is the Pink Oasis gloss, followed by the Tipsy lipliner with the Pink Oasis gloss on top, to the right of that is the Princess Diary light satin infinity eyeliner, past that is the HD Fluid Blush in Barbie on first pass after squeezing a teeny tiny amount out, and lastly the Barbie blush somewhat diffused and rubbed in. Also new this month was a little fold out guide that shows you two different looks to try using these new products. I like this idea a lot and very much hope they continue doing that again in the future. I think it would make a GREAT addition to the box to be shows a couple of different looks to try that could also help in jump starting the creative process for both newbies all the way through pro makeup artists and everything in between!

I gave this box 4.5 out of 5 stars as I’m still unsure how much I’ll actually use the Princess Diary light pink with a statin finish (more iridescence than sparkle or even shimmer) as an eyeliner which is what the product is “meant” for. Lauren Clark herself recommends using it as an eyeshadow base for brown shadow while others on the beauty forum MakeUpTalk (www.makekuptalk.com) have suggested using it as an eyeshadow base more generally saying that it adds more depth. And while I LOVE lip glosses in general, I wasn’t that impressed with how sheer Pink Oasis was although I do like the little bit of sparkle along with a non-tacky formula (the only thing worse than a super stick lip gloss is one with a very strong scent)! Whereas my favorites from this box are the HD Fluid Blush in Barbie and that awesome pinky-coral lip liner.

As of this past Monday evening, Starlooks’ launched their first ever singature collection also from Lauren Clark who is the professional makeup artist that collaborated with Starlooks in curating the February Starbox! Well, until the end of March, anyone can choose to purchase this set that includes the lipliner in Tipsy, matching lipstick in Tipsy, coordinating lip gloss also in Tipsy and a bonus limited edition HD Fluid blush in a pinky-coral to match this extremely Tipsy set!! I’d LOVE to be able to get my hands on this limited edition special set. The full set is selling for $39 while the set without the Tipsy lipliner which is available ONLY to current subscribers as we already received it in this months Starbox and that set is $32!

If receiving 3-4 FULL sized cosmetic items (although frequently more items are included as bonuses) each month sounds interesting to you then you should check out Starlooks’ Starbox! For $16.98 (includes $1.98 shipping) you’ll receive extremely good quality products and be introduced to a variety of products in the process. Plus customer service is amazing! And its so easy to get in touch (and receive a response) from the founder and creator of Starlooks Marci Star personally! The photo of Lauren Clark above is of her using many of the products included in the February bag and her limited edition signature lip set.

Staring as of January 2013, there will be a three month rotation of Neutrals, Mixed Neutrals/Bold, and Bold products with January being Mixed. That means the next month you can subscribe in time for is April which will be Mixed Neutrals/Bold. If you sign up after the first of the month, then you won’t receive your first box until the following month. Also Starbox is the ONLY subscription that I know of that sends you a separate birthday box during your birth month for no additional charge! Since February is my birth month, I have already received mine and will be posting my review shortly! If you DO decide to subscribe, PLEASE consider mentioning me, Jaclyn Cotton or my blog Jaclyn’s Musings where it asks about who referred you. I’d really appreciate it as it’ll help make sure I’m able to review more and more of the Starlooks’ line!

~Jaclyn~

*I know I’m way behind in posting reviews of the Starboxes. I’ll be posting them in reverse order from most recent to oldest. I appreciate your patience while I work on catching up on sharing some amazing boxes, books, and products with you in the coming weeks and months!*

Fractured Soul by Rachel McClellan
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Welcome to my first book tour of 2013! Just over a year ago I had the pleasure of participating in the book tour for YA author Rachel McClellan’s debut novel, Fractured Light (you can read my review HERE). So when I received an invitation to join the tour for its sequel, I quickly and excitedly responded that I was in fact very interested!

Fractured Soul centers around Llona (pronounced Ee-ona) and begins not long after where Fractured Light left off. Like in the first book, the main plot is the ongoing fight between good (Auras) and evil (Vykens). Yet lines between good and evil have become even more blurred as things are almost never as clear as black and white, but more like various shades of gray. Llona and close friend May are the newest students at Lucent academy which is the school Llona’s Aunt Sophie runs. But once again trouble seems to follow Llona no matter where she goes including the one place in North America that is supposed to be safe for Auras!

Llona, like her mother, is an Aura and as such is told she is only a being of ‘light’ and as such is not supposed to want to be able to fight and defend herself. But Llona is ANYTHING, BUT typical or ordinary. In this next part of the story, Llona learns quite a bit more about how and why she has very different capabilities compared to the other Auras studying at Lucent Academy.

One of the main reasons that I gave Fractured Soul 4.5 stars (and not 5) is because there was a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of the novel. I was very annoyed that soooo very much was left unresolved. And of course the third novel more than likely will be unavailable for at least a year!

I very much look forward to the next book in this series as I’ve really enjoyed Rachel McClellan’s Fractured series.
~Jaclyn~

*Disclaimer::I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are purely my own. Please see my media kit for more information.

Review: Starlook’s October Starbox
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Have you heard of Starlooks’ Starbox? If you haven’t and love cosmetics you might want to consider subscribing! This is the ONLY subscription service that contains a min. of 3-4 FULL size cosmetic products for only $15 (+$1.98 shipping)! At the bottom of my review you’ll find sneak peak information about their special December box!

I know I am behind and will have my review of the September box up this week. But I wanted to get this review up as quickly as possible. Since Starlooks is located not too far from where I live, I tend to receive items from them very quickly. I have to say that this is my favorite of any of the services I have seen or have the opportunity to receive. So without further ado, I’ll get started.

With Halloween quickly coming up, Starlooks choose to go with a fun Halloween theme and nicknamed each product with the old adage “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil”. The first item is the “See No Evil” is is an eyeliner pencil in the shade “Gold Dust”. Previously we’d received one of their Diamondline pencils (Myth) which are all metallic shades and so very smooth and easy to apply. This one while being a gold coloring wasn’t as sharp a metallic shade or as smooth upon application as the Diamondline. Typically I shy away from ‘traditional’ eyeliner pencils as I find that most of them are too dry and tug when trying to line my eyes.

I found that I was quite surprised when I tried the Diamondline that was the creamiest pencil I had ever tried. This one I found didn’t apply as smoothly. It is still better than most pencils, but drier than the Diamondline. The shade itself is very pretty and I look forward to playing around and coming up with looks using this gold liner as I didn’t have anything close in my stash thus far.

The second item while not being something you’d ‘hear’ or wear on your ears is actually another eye product (I love eye makeup) as is the “Hear No Evil” item. This is actually the first product of its kind that I own and is a gorgeous shade of purple eye shadow luster pigment. There were two options for this one, Posh or Peddle, yet both were a shade of purple. I tried looking up both shades and found that the color resolution for the one I did receive wasn’t even close to what it looks like in person.

I ended up receiving the shade Posh and it is an incredibly vibrant and fairly bright purple. While purple is my one of my most favorite colors (with teal/turquoise being the other), I have only begun to try to incorporate it into my (eye) makeup. I actually only one one purple eyeshadow as part of a Wet N Wild trio that I bought last spring in a set with a lip gloss, blush, and quick drying teal nail polish (the reason I bought it as it was the same price as buying the polish by itself, I’ll post a review of this set soon). I can’t wait to play around with this gorgeous shimmery shade.

Next is the “Speak No Evil” item and if you hadn’t guessed, it is for the lips! This is a very bright rich blood red which the card says has a ‘hint of orange shimmer’. The orange shimmer shows itself better in certain light than in others. The formula is very cream, smooth, and unlike other lipsticks, isn’t too drying. I definitely like this shade much better than the more orange-y one sent during the summer. While I tend to gravitate more towards wine, pinkish-red, or pinkish-nude shades this one does look pretty good on. Though I would probably not wear bright eye makeup with such a vibrant lip shade.

And Starlooks more often than not includes extras in addition to the mystic quartz crystal included which each box. This time I received one large and one smaller quartz crystal which was nice since the one last month was teeny tiny.

Last, but not least on the very bottom is a pair of temporary eye tattoos called Eye Rocks. Instead of painting ones eyes with makeup, one can use water to adhere brightly colored stickers. I haven’t tried mine out yet as I am saving them for a fun occasion which may or may not be on Halloween since I’ll probably just be staying at home watching movies and handing candy out to kids.

SPOILER: One last thing included was a card mentioning a sneak peak about the December box which says that, that box will include their new 15 color pro palette which retails for a whopping $99 on their website! They are taking requests for just the December box, but are expecting to sell out quickly.

So if you have a makeup lover in your life you might want to consider signing up for at least the December box which is $15 (+$1.98 shipping) and from my understanding international orders can be accommodated IF you call in. You can Starlooks to reserve your December box at (949) 679-0679. I would be extremely appreciative if you could please mention that you heard about Starbox from Jaclyn at Jaclyn’s Musings.

Earlier this month we were all asked about our skin tone (as it has to do with the November box with my guess being one of the foundations on their site) and what month our birthdays fall into so that they can send a special surprise during that month. I haven’t heard of all other subscription service doing the same. I am so very much hoping that the amazing December box will be customized based on our color preferences. I can definitely think of a couple people who would love to receive their December box for the holidays and love that Starlooks is offering the option to purchase just the December box for just this purpose.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried Starbox or any of Starlooks’ products? Or if you’ve tried any other subscription service and what you think of them?

~Jaclyn~

I know I am a bit late in posting this, but better late than never. This is my first time participating in BlogFest hosted by Cinnamon at A Journey of Books. There are a couple hundred blogs participating in the hop. Below the Rafflecopter widget you’ll find links to the next 5 blogs on the list. Each blogger will post links to the next 5 blogs. The master list can be found at A Journey of Books. During the next couple days you’ll have the chance to enter into hundreds of great giveaways! And if you fill out the tracking survey you’ll have an extra chance at a very special prize.

I am giving away your choice of a book up to $5 from the The Book Depot or a $5 gift card to Amazon.com. Hope you have a great weekend!

~Jaclyn~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next 5 blogs on the list:
Parent Place
Double Crossing
Jamie Haden
Writing is a Blessing
The Relentless Reader

Review: Oddities & Entities Handmade Journal
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A couple of weeks ago I received a handmade journal from Ryan at Oddities & Entities. I love to write (surprising, I know) in journals! I first started to keep a journal in middle school and as I got older I began to choose certain types of journals to write in. I felt that while this was an inanimate object that it was helpful to almost “feel a connection with” the blank book I was sharing my most intimate thoughts. I found that I preferred journals that either opened flat or were spiral bound as those are easiest to write in and those with ‘pretty’ pages.

I had never had a made by hand journal before and was so excited to receive this one. Ryan said that I could pick the thread color and the color of the interior cover. I chose teal from the long list of thread colors and said that I’d love either matching teal or contrasting purple as the interior cover color. I also choose parchment looking paper and asked for as many pages as possible. When Ryan emailed me just about a day later that my journal was finished I was amazed!

Literally less than a week went by before I received my custom journal. I immediately tore into the package to pull out my brand new journal. This beautifully created blank book has a white canvas covered board with dark purple on the inside of the covers. After admiring the even stitching on the open spine I looked up a little bit of information about book binding. I learned that the stitch Ryan uses is called a coptic stitch. And the final product reminds me a little of a braid. I also read that this type of open binding allows the book to lie flat which makes writing easier. Sure enough I found that my journal laid flat.

According to wikipedia, Coptic binding was developed by Christian Egyptians, the Copts, as early as the 2nd to 11th Centuries C.E. and could be covered or left uncovered in which case glue wasn’t need. I find that so amazing that such an old art is still being used by artist such as Ryan still today! Coptic bindings differ from European binding from the 8th Century C.E. onward in that Coptic contains codices or sections of papyrus (or paper nowadays) folded in half that are chain stitched together. Whereas European binding (traditional hardcovers) used cord running throughout all the pages, but needed a covering on the spine and glue (which eventually decomposes).

I was very impressed to learn that this very old style of book binding hasn’t been lost and is still practiced today. I love the look of this very old style and look forward to writing in my very special journal for quite awhile. You can purchase your own customized handmade journal from Ryan’s Oddities & Entities Etsy page where you can choose what size you want along with thread color, interior cover color, from options other further personalize your journal. I received a 5×7 inch journal which is the size of a typical paperback.

Since the covers are canvas covered I am planning to paint them with my acryllic paints. Once I have finished I will take pictures and post them on my blog. Do you keep a journal? Or have you kept one in the past? If so, do you write consistently or sporadically?

~Jaclyn~
Disclaimer: I received this item complimentary from Oddities & Entities for the purpose of this review. All opinions are mine. Please see my disclaimer policy for more information.

Oddities & Entities:
Etsy page can be found HERE
Facebook page can be found HERE
Website can be found HERE
Twitter page can be found HERE