#product thoughts

[snowpixie03]

Thoughts on the MAC Paint Pots (I blame V for this)

My friend V (yes, I actually call her V) who I’ve known since we were kids is a MAC makeup artist. She had been bugging me for a couple years to try the MAC paint pots again. She is convinced that the one I tried about 4 or 5 years ago was a bad one. I had told her over and over again that I’m not going to pay that much for something that didn’t work for me the first time when there is nothing wrong with what I use. In response to this, V decided to get me two paint pots and she told me to try them again because she thinks I’m going to love them and because it would be rude not to try a gift from a friend. So to get her to stop bugging me, I gave them another shot. V got me the shade Painterly to use as a regular base ( I am fair with cool pink undertones so this is the shade that would work best) and she also bought me the shade Indianwood to use as a cream eyeshadow because she thought it will look beautiful on me. Now that we have the back story out of the way, I have to take back some the crap I talked about Paint Pots because I actually like these.

Fading was something I experienced with all my shadows when I tried this the first time so I was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen with most of my palettes. The only palettes I experienced fading with was my Tarte palettes. I love Tarte and their shadows are awesome but I found them fading faster through out the day when I used Painterly as a base instead of my regular primer. I didn't have this problem with any of my other shadows so I think that the base and the formula of Tarte shadows just don't work well together.  

Now, the main reason why I didn't like the paint pots before was that they creased. I have small semi hooded eyes so my lid folds over itself where most people have a crease which causes my shadows to fade or crease. Cream shadows are especially hard for me to use because most of them will crease. The first time I tried a Paint Pot, it creased every time I used it. It didn't matter if I set it first or what shadows I used it would always crease. This time around neither shade creased at all. When I've used Painterly as a base it didn't crease at all and when I used Indianwood on my lid for a quick look, it didn't crease either.

Overall, I have changed my mind on about the Paint Pots. When it comes to most shadows, they work as well as my regular primer does so I think I agree with V, I probably got a bad the first time around. Those were my thoughts on MAC paint pots. Next up will either be my review of the Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes eyeshadow palette or my Boxycharm unboxing so until my next post.

Later weirdos,

Snow

[snowpixie03]

August BoxyCharm Thoughts

Since I was house-sitting when this arrived, I didn't post an unboxing because by the time I opened it and got to use it August was almost over so I had decided to just post my thoughts. The theme for August's box was Beach Please and honestly, I wasn't super disappointed but I also wasn't over the moon with the box either so let's get into my thoughts.

Bellapierre Waterproof Gel Eyeliner - This liner was supposed to be a creamy, waterproof eyeliner that glides on smoothly. No. Just no. This liner was not creamy and definitely did not glide on smoothly. I had to press way too hard to get this to show up and it didn't show up at all in my waterline. This was the first product I had gotten in awhile that I didn't like at all.

Beauty Corp #GRLPWR Liquid Lipstick in Date Night - This liquid lipstick was supposed to be intensely pigmented, long-wearing, and enriched with vitamins that keep your lips from drying out. I wouldn't say that this is intensely pigmented because I did need to build it up a little but I would say it's long-wearing and comfortable since it's not super drying. The color is also nice, it's a peachy pink nude, but it's nothing I don't already own. I wouldn't say I don't like this because I do but I have other liquid lipsticks that are similar in shade and have a better formula.

PUR Pro Eyelashes in Diva - These are cruelty-free lashes that are supposed to be durable, reusable, and safe for contact wearers. Okay so I wore these once but in all honesty, I'm not really a lashes wearer so the fact that I loved these is a huge surprise. They were beautiful on and really comfortable. I would def wear these again which is saying a lot so I'm really happy with these.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea: Volume II eyeshadow palette - This palette is just a win. The shades are nice and the formula is good. I love Tarte so this should not come as a surprise to anyone that I like this palette. I especially love the shade Breezy. I don't know why I just love that shade. Is this anything revolutionary color-wise? No, but it's still a nice palette and I will definitely continue to use it.

Royal and Langnickel MODA Pro, 3-Piece Brush Set - This set contains a pointed blush brush, a chisel blender, and a crease brush. I've tried a lot of Royal and Langnickel brushes now and I have yet to be disappointed. I will say that I don't love the chisel blender but I don't use brushes like that often so I wasn't going to. I do however love the blush brush and the crease brush. These brushes are soft but they deposit color well and blend it out well.

So overall, I liked over half of my box but it definitely wasn't the best month I've experienced so far. In September, I am planning on doing an unboxing when I get the box then posting my thoughts at the end of the month like I have been. Next up will a Love It or Leave It on the Essence Sun Club Matte Bronzing Powder in Light, so until my next post.

Later weirdos,

Snow

[snowpixie03]

Thoughts on the Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in Molten Gold

The Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter is supposed to have a soft and blendable formula that can be applied lightly for a more subtle highlight or built up for a blinding metallic highlight. I wasn't sure how this formula was going to feel but I was pleasantly surprised. It is soft, blendable, and buildable like it is supposed to be. It doesn't apply well with a fan brush but if applies beautifully with a highlight or small tapered brush. This can be built up quite a bit but if you really want a more metallic blinding highlight I suggest wetting the brush. Now with all that being said, I wish they had more than one shade of this because this shade is way too dark and too gold for me personally. I think this would look beautiful on someone with a medium or deep skin tone but for me, it was just too much. I would love to see Maybelline come out with more shades of this highlighter because I really like this formula but the shade just doesn't work for me.

Those were my thoughts on the Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in Molten Gold, next up will be a Love It Or Leave It on the Maybelline City Mini Palettes so until my next post.

Later weirdos,

Snow

[snowpixie03]

Thoughts on the L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara

If you follow any beauty blogs/vlogs, you've probably heard about this mascara. A lot of people are comparing this to the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and for good reason but personally, I think it's better. Especially in the summer, the Better Than Sex mascara tended to flake off but I didn't experience that at all with the Lash Paradise. This also held the curl in my lashes which is rare for me considering I did not buy the waterproof. I really like this mascara but it can get clumpy if you don't get the excess product off the brush before you apply so keep that it mind. Other than that, it really makes my lashes look thicker, fuller, and longer and it wears really well so I love this mascara and I totally recommend trying it.

Those were my thoughts on the L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise mascara, next up will be a Love It or Leave It on the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Liquid Lipsticks so until my next post.

Later weirdos,

Snow

[snowpixie03]

Thoughts on items from the Colourpop Monochromatic collections

At the beginning of this month, I bought some items from the Colourpop Monochromatic collections. There are three different collections: Nectar, Pink, & Sand.  didn't buy anything from the Sand collection because it didn't really appeal to me but I did buy some stuff from the Nectar and Pink collection so here's my thoughts on what I bought.

Nectar Collection Blow Me Away Pressed Powder Shadow Palette - This palette has some very peachy coral tones and a couple of the shades are very bright and intense but they are all very pretty. The four shades in this palette are Take a Break, Issues, Centerfold, and Slim Fit. Take a Break is a duo-chrome peach with a subtle gold flip, Issues is a matte pastel peach, Centerfold is a matte vibrant coral (and they mean vibrant), and Slim Fit is a matte hot red coral. All the shadows are nicely pigmented and blend out very well. Take a Break is a lot lighter than I was expecting but it's still really pigmented and pretty. I've been using it as  a pop of brightness in the center of the eye, an inner corner highlight and a cheek highlight and I love it.  The other shadows in this palette are matte, beautiful, and intense. If you aren't into brighter corals, I would avoid this but I love this palette and I've been using the fluff out of it. Lippie Stix in Faded - This lippie is a cream finished rosy coral shade and it's a gorgeous shade. I love the formula of this lippie stick and I love this shade. The formula is pigmented, creamy, and long lasting so it's awesome as is this shade. I normally don't love coral shades on my skin tone but this one has just enough pink in it that it doesn't look too warm on me. I really love this lippie stick a lot. Pink Collection Belle of the Ball Pressed Powder Shadow Palette - This palette is obviously full of gorgeous pink shades. The four shades in this palette are Secrets, Soft Core, Fair Play, and On the Fence. Secrets is a matte pale baby pink, Soft Core is matte warm pink, Fair Play is a matte hot pink, and On the Fence is a metallic frosty pink. So, I don't love the metallic shade On the Fence. It's just not as pigmented as any of the other metallic pressed shadows I have, it leaves a lot of fallout on the face, and it tends to blend away. The matte shades however, are awesome. They are super pigmented and blend really well without disappearing. Love the matte shadows in this palette, don't like the metallic shade. Done Deal Pressed Powder Face Duo - This duo has a pressed powder blush and highlight. The blush is called Above & Beyond is a matte warm pink and the highlight is called Made Me Do It and is a pearlized champagne pink.  I love these powders. The highlight is beautiful on and lasts pretty well as does the blush. The blush is a bit more pigmented than I usually like but it's a really nice shade and can be toned down with a light hand. Ultra Satin Lip in Love Muffin - As always I loved the formula of this lippie but I didn't love the shade. It's a pastel baby pink that I thought it may be too light for me and I was right. I can't really wear this shade on it's own but I have been using it to create an ombre effect and I do like it for that. I wear a lot of pink and/or mauve shades so using a light pink shade to create that ombre look works really well. Ultra Matte Lip in Fresh Cut - This lippie is a nice blue toned pink that is exactly the kind of shade I gravitate towards. What concerned me about this was the formula. Colourpop has changed the formula of the Matte Lips since I tried them last and for reference I didn't like them at all when I tried them before. Now, I definitely like this formula better because it's not as drying as it was before but it's still not my favorite formula. I do still think that the Wet N' Wild and Jordana liquid lipsticks are better but these aren't bad and the shade is awesome so I do like this, I'm just not in love with it. Those were my thoughts on the Colourpop monochromatic collection. Next up will be my April Favorites so until my next post. Later weirdos, Snow

[christenduong]

Community & Control

I started at Flipboard last week and one of the traditions I’ve already grown to appreciate are the brown bag lunches. Friends from other start-ups come to talk about topics they're passionate about. 

Something I’ve missed about living in the Bay Area is trading start-up war stories - that’s how you learn how as an entrepreneur, outside of making those mistakes yourself! Lucky me, I caught the week with Caterina Fake, the queen of these stories (and random fact: she is also the progenitor of ‘FOMO’). Our conversation centered around how Flickr’s community got started and grew to be one of the first successful ones online.

I boil it down to control - how much you dictate, suggest, and leave up to your community.

Your community is defined by what you encourage...

Caterina said the two big features for Flickr that opened the flood gates were (1) making photos public as default and (2) allowing sites to embed photos. Such a simple concept but so powerful - encourage the activity you want by making it super easy, default and shareable. You also encourage by leading by example. At the beginning, everyone at Flickr wrote comments back to the community and the rule was they had to say something meaningful - something they would say as participants, not as Flickr staff. This set the tone. I know most Flickr folks of yore and they are all super passionate about photography. They were a huge part of the community and kick-ass photographers too! (the anti-Charles Barkley, I'm not a role model rule)

...and what you tolerate

The tough side of community is how you deal with the ugly. Caterina was adamant about pulling the weeds and doing it from the get-go. Communities devolve quickly so you have to be vigilant and encourage users to be involved in maintaining the community. (the broken windows rule)

... and users will always surprise you

You will never know what your users will do until they use it, for worse and for better. Flickr is the classic example of this. It was a failed game that had photo sharing as a feature. When that feature became overwhelmingly popular, they thought, 'maybe this is something'. (I call this the kid with a box rule. Give a kid a present wrapped in a box and you’ll get a fort or a spaceship or a house for Optimus Prime back <-- real example, courtesy of my nephews).

My major takeaway is that we are at the very beginning of this. Flickr, The Well, etc sound like ages ago, but in reality, we are still solving, resolving, refining a lot of the same problems with social software today. The idea of community is much more nuanced, complex, and rich then what we see on the interwebs.

It’s a great reminder as I kick off at Flipboard. The synapses are throwing off sparks.