I'd been obsessed with the Max Factor Creme Puff blushes since seeing Nisha on SugarPuffandFluff use some in a tutorial not too long ago. They reminded me of my beloved Laura Geller Blush 'n Brightens with their intriguing marbled and swirled colors. I found two websites selling Max Factor to U.S. buyers without huge shipping costs. I ordered 3 from a site called Beautyspin and 1 from Life&Looks. I included a link to the latter as my experience with them was very positive. However, I can't recommend Beautyspin and I'll get into why below.
Life&Looks is based in Northern Ireland. I didn't look at too much aside from Max Factor and Bourjois so I can't speak to anything but those in this post. I went ahead and ordered the Nude Mauve Creme Puff blush by Max Factor because Beautyspin did not carry that shade and it was the one color I most wanted. I also ordered two Bourjois shadow pots. They shipped within just a day or two and it took about three weeks to receive the order; it came tightly and well packed in a folder-type of packaging and all three items were intact and perfect.
I have to say I was disappointed in the blush. First of all, it was tiny! It isn't very much larger than a Laura Geller eyeshadow single. And the color Nude Mauve,though pretty enough, barely shows up on my light-medium skin tone. It's very beige with a very faint touch of pinkness but no mauve at all. I ended up using it as a transition shade above my eye crease. I also did not feel it had much pigment. Maybe the other colors are better than the one I got but....lesson learned.
The other two items I got from Life&Looks were the two Bourjois shadow pots. One is called Mauvie Star, the other is called Emauvante. Mauvie Star contrary to its name is a very silvery taupe...or taupey silver whichever you prefer! The color saturation is excellent and there is a goodly amount of sparkle. Emauvante is a light satin beige. I thought from the names, these shadows would be exotically mauve or have a holographic mauve cast when shifted in the light. Sadly, there's no mauve in sight, heavy sigh. But they are actually very true to the colors shown on the website! This is a case of my vivid imagination taking hold and making me believe something that simply wasn't the case. They are lovely however.
Now here's the saga of my Beautyspin experience. Whenever I order from a site I'm not familiar with or never heard of, I Google it and look for consumer reviews so I'm not handing money over to a shady pack of thieves. Beautyspin had good reviews so I went ahead and placed the order. The first weird thing that happened was that along with the order confirmation email, I also got an email from Google Trusted Stores stating that if there were any issues with Beautyspin, I could report it. Never saw that before! My card was charged right away. Back hairs began rising but told myself to relax and see what happened. Days went by and I got no shipping notification. Went back on the site and there my order sat. I waited a few more days. Nothing. Dust gathering on order. I gave it one more day, then went in and cancelled the order. A couple more days went by and no refund or credit. I sent customer service a message inquiring about the refund. I did get a quick email reply that processing usually took 2 or 3 days and then I'd get my refund. Four days later I had no refund. I contacted them again; response was that the refund had been issued the previous day and I'd see it tomorrow. Next day, nothing. I sent an email stating that if I didn't see the refund by end of business on the following Monday (that day being Friday), I'd take legal action. (Mostly bluster.) Monday came and went and nothing. Serendipitously, on Tuesday, I had an email from Google Trusted Stores inquiring if my transaction with Beautyspin had been positive. Oh, boy. So I told them the story. They promised to intervene. I got another email from Beautyspin promising the refund the following day. Nothing the following day. The day after that I sent a sarcastic email to Beautyspin that they must work on a different calendar than the rest of the world, yada yada.... The next day I had my refund. At last.
Mind you, I feel like it takes a lot to push me to the point of sarcasm or sternness. I worked in Customer Service for ages and was a Customer Service Manager for a decade before retiring. I feel kinda bad for getting shirty with those people but honestly? Maybe, I'm just getting impatient in my old age.
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I also picked up a few drugstore items before my no-buy vow:
Wet n Wild megaglo Illuminating Palette in Catwalk Pink (reformulated):
I already had this in its original version but wanted to see if it was truly better. The colors are fabulous--pale gold, icy pink, rose, a deeper gold. Seriously! For the 3.99 or 4.99 this retails for, this is a pretty exceptional highlighter! And the new version is huge. The same size as their contour/highlight compact. I couldn't see a ton of difference in the formulation, except that it felt a bit creamier and seemed slightly more pigmented. What's nice is that with the larger size, it's easier to use the colors stripes separately if you want. Or swirl your applicator in all of them to get a stunning pink gold.
Wet n Wild Coloricon blush in Rose Champagne (reformulated): I've never owned any WnW blush before so can't compare the formulas. However, this blush is nice! Again, the price! The color is a great neutral with a slight shimmer. It has more pigment than the Max Factor Nude Mauve and shows up on my skin as a soft tan flush on the cheeks. Very natural looking. Thumbs up!
Pixi by Petra Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Opal Glow (eyeshadow): Like the other Mineral Palettes by Pixi, these are sort of hard and it's difficult to build up the color. Having had that experience, you may ask "Then why did you buy another one?" It was the colors! They sucked me right in! So pretty! I love pastel eyeshadows and this has a light cream, a pale yellow, a shimmery beige, a golden peach, soft pink and a pale apricot. I think I might try them wet and see if that works any better. But those colors! Yum.
Pixi by Petra Natural Contour Kit: I got this because it was on half-price clearance. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I've had other Pixi palettes that I thought were great and some that were just...eh. I feel this is definitely a hit or miss brand. For me, this contour kit was a miss. The packaging, while pretty, was pretty chintzy and lightweight. Feels like it could get damaged very easily. Some of the eye colors were nice and others I had to apply and reapply several times to get color payoff. The darker face contour colors had not much pigment either. The matte highlight shade was patchy and the shimmer highlight shade was better but had a faint bluish cast. I'm actually ok with that, but know some people wouldn't go for it. Am just not reaching for this palette much at all.
Jesse's Girl Backstage Collection Natural Nudes palette: For $6.99, this is not a bad deal. Ten of the most beautiful colors ever. Shimmers, mattes, and at least one satin. Variations of tans, beiges, rose golds, one coppery bronze shade, a deep taupey brown, and a dark sparkly plum/brown. These colors are right up my alley! (Oh, c'mon! What colors are not up my alley?!) It's not the worst quality--more pigment than the Pixi Mesmerizing Minerals palettes. But of course, it's not Lorac either. Eyeshadow primer is a must. But those colors for that price? Not sorry I got it!
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Here's the "Other Thing". Sorry I'm not writing as prolifically as I had been. Some issues going on with some extended family have had me not particularly in the writing mood lately. As well, I have fallen off my non-smoking wagon, but am hoping to climb back on soon. I'll keep you posted! Thanks so much for sticking with me; it means a lot.
Till next time,
"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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