Review: Demeter Honeysuckle

I was first introduced to Demeter online & decided to try & find a store that stocked this brand to test. Gee it was REALLY hard to find these colognes in Sydney, but I tracked them down to an obscure pharmacy in a shopping mall.

It was a lot of fun testing these fragrances, they have scents such as Thunderstorm (imagine how the air smells after a thunderstorm! It smells like that!), Dirt (smells just like dirt!), Kalhua (the drink), Vanilla Cake Batter (Mmmmm!) & Sex On The Beach (ummm - well smells like neither sex or the beach but its a pretty scent!).

Although intrigued, I decided not to buy any of them as they were quite expensive for a novelty cologne. Colognes are known not to last long - they are below EDT (Eau de Toilette) in the fragrance pecking order, so they were definitely not worth the price they asked for. I'm guessing other people decided the same thing, because the next time I went to that mall (for other reasons) they were no longer stocked.

Fast forward a few months!

I saw Demeter Honeysuckle online for quite a good price & had been lemming a Jasmine or Honeysuckle scent, so I read a lot of reviews, most seemed positive & purchased it unsniffed - I like a gamble! I was also impressed how they pulled off the Thunderstorm & Dirt colognes so I assumed Honeysuckle would be a cinch for them!

Finally it arrived! I was excited to get this cologne! I unpacked & sprayed it straight away. It was at that point that I was immediately assaulted by a synthetic baby powder scent.

******** KAPOW! ********

It was so strong & smelt nothing like Honeysuckle. I waited it out & luckily it turned into a nice powdery scent that lasted surprisingly well despite the experience of previous reviewers - quite a few hours. But. No. Honeysuckle.

Verdict: Demeter's Honeysuckle is a nice fragrance, safe for work (if you don't spray too much) non obtrusive or offensive, maybe even comforting but NOTHING like Honeysuckle, nosiree. I discovered that if you sniff the nozzle there is a tiny hint of flower, you could possibly even imagine it was Honeysuckle, but no, it's not there.

I may try another Demeter fragrance in the future if I'm up for another gamble, but not for a while!

If you're after a Honeysuckle fragrance, look elsewhere. If you like a baby powder scent (which Demeter also make - I wonder if that smells like Honeysuckle???) this is perfect.

Inglot 30 Freedom Palette

I finally did it! It took about 2 hours... a hard but quite enjoyable feat! Yes, I'm talking about choosing colours for a 30 eyeshadow Freedom Palette!


Inglot's Freedom Palettes are so named because you get a set price for a palette of 2, 4, 5, 10 or 30 eyeshadows - however you choose your OWN colours.


I've been using Inglot for about 2 months now & bought 5 of their eyeshadows (on sale) to test them out. I've also been using their Pure Pigments (which you may know from my other posts, I love).

So, inspired by several eyeshadow palettes, I decided to buy a palette of neutral shades with a little bit of colour.

From one of my first visits to Inglot, I had my heart set on the cute, stackable magnetic palettes. When I got to Inglot I had a chat to the SA who told me the prices for each palette & mentioned the 30 palette. She gave me a magnetic tray to pick eyeshadow testers & place on it (like a temporary palette) which helps you see what your palette is going to look like. I decided to just pick a whole heap of colours & then cull them down. That's when I realised that this would be a very hard thing to do!

To cut a long story short, I realised that it would be more cost effective to get the 30 palette, than the cute see through magnetic palettes, so that's what I got!

• 10 Palette $85AU ($8.50 per eyeshadow) 
• 30 Palette $160AU ($5.33 per eyeshadow)
  

Like other brands, Inglot's shadows have a few different eyeshadow textures. Here they are:

• Matte = Exactly as it reads - no shimmer or shine just a silky matte colour.
• AMC = Advanced Makeup Components (Inglot's own formulation - in my layman term, very pigmented!)
• Shine = Has a slight "reflects" or shiny effect. May have tiny microglitter
• Double Sparkle = Has a very pretty sparkly effect in the light
• Pearl = Has a pearlescent slight shimmer & "creamy" texture
• FR = I'm guessing the eyeshadows with FR are exclusive to the Freedom Palette?

Sorry these descriptions aren't great. It's quite hard to describe! When I have more experience with these eyeshadows I will edit.

So I ended up choosing lots of neutral colours, a pearly white highligher, browns, a bronzey gold/brown, reds, oranges, pinks, purples, a dark pearly grey & black with pinkish sparkles. I made sure I got a good mix of textures including 6 mattes. I don't have a favourite yet but I must say I'm really loving the mattes so far!

Here is a photo of my palette & numbers of eyeshadows:-

Excuse the "brush dips". I couldn't wait to try them! :)

ROW 01 ( from the left)
496 Double Sparkle
351 Matte
352 Matte
467 Double Sparkle
463 Double Sparkle
390 Matte

ROW 02
49 AMC Shine FR
31 AMC Shine
461 Double Sparkle
360 Matte
409 Pearl
52 AMC FR

ROW 03
37 AMC Shine
423 Pearl
452 Pearl
53 AMC
498 Double Sparkle
62 AMC

ROW 04
15 AMC Shine
464 Double Sparkle
51 AMC
495 Double Sparkle
449 Pearl
50 AMC

ROW 05
361 Matte
48 AMC Shine
487 Double Sparkle FR
392 Matte FR
493 Double Sparkle
71 AMC FR

It was SO much fun picking these colours, like being a little girl in a candy store! The fun didn't stop there. You can get the SA to put the shadows in the palette for you, however I chose to unpack & arrange the shadows myself when I got home. More colourful playtime! It took me a while to choose & be happy with a colour layout - only because I tried to organise the neutrals & browns by shade.

The Inglot Chatswood girls were so helpful, friendly & are never overbearing (one thing I hate about some makeup counters). A big thank you to them!

I've been wearing the eyeshadows for about a week & finding them easy & fun to use, very pigmented & easy to blend. Some shadows seem to have a tiny bit of fallout but nothing that can't be handled. I'm having a fun time figuring out what colours go best with others & how to do looks I've never attempted before.
I've tried a smokey neutral look with a hint of colour (purple liner), several neutral brown looks, and an orange look. I haven't tried the purples, black or reds yet. I really want to try the red in an everyday look.

I found an excellent site today called Beauty Addict, which has a few Inglot posts AND has every Inglot colour swatched already!!!!! This site will be where I go when I choose my next palette! For my next palette (a few months down the track!), I think I will collect the rest of the mattes, some greens & perhaps some really bright crazy unusual colours! Check out the rest of the posts too, its great!

Here is the direct link to Beauty Addicts Inglot Swatches: http://www.beautyaddict.net/inglot-eye-shadows-swatches/

What do you think of my colour choices? Have you got your own palette? I'd love to see it!

Inglot Pure Pigments #87 (Matte Black)

I've been collecting Inglot's Pure Pigments for a couple of months now after discovering Duraline*.

I was intending to buy a Inglot's black Gel Eyeliner when I discovered this Matte Black Pure Pigment #87. I've found that I'm not always great at applying Gel Eyeliner & that Duraline is easier for me to use. Anyway, I figured that I could kill two birds with one stone & get this pigment to use as eyeshadow AND eyeliner. I'm very glad that I did!

Pure Pigment #87 is a one of the blackest blacks I've ever used & is extremely matte. For the first time I've found it much easier to do a neat black eyeliner (with an eyeliner brush & Duraline).

I also use this pigment to layer over brighter colours (such as metallic orange, or hot pink) to give it a duotone look. It works really well!

I haven't used #87 as a base yet - that's something for the future.

Inglot Pure Pigment #87 Swatch
(No base/No flash/No mixing medium)
It gets even blacker with Duraline!

I found another use for #87 & Duraline too! On Halloween I used it to draw a spooky spiderweb on my face from the corner of my eye to my hairline (paired with Inglot's Red #50 AMC Eye Shadow on the lid). It worked so well! I wish I had a photo to show you but I didn't get one! :(

Tip: If you're using this pigment as an eyeshadow make sure you do your foundation & powder AFTER you apply as I'm not kidding - it's VERY VERY black. I don't get much fallout but it is a powder so things could happen. Also, take care when using it. I have daymares about dropping this pot & black matte pigment going everywhere.

Did I mention that it was really black?

I love Inglot Pure Pigments & this is fast becoming one of my favourites.

Inglot's Pure Pigments are $25AU each.


Definitely recommended!


*Duraline is a mixing medium by Inglot which turns pigments & eyeshadow into a liquid that can be used as an eyeliner or eyeshadow base etc.

Favourite Perfumes: S de Scherrer by Jean-Louis Scherrer

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite perfumes - S de Scherrer.

From the design house of Jean-Louis Scherrer (pronounced "She-Rer") S de Scherrer was launched in 2002. This perfume is completely underrated - even I underrate it as you can see by how little I've used.

S de Scherrer was one of the fragrances that started my perfume obsession - one reason why I don't use it enough as I have so many on rotation now. However, it is a very special fragrance & has a special place in my fragrance wardrobe.

I found this special scent on a perfume hunt about 4 years ago. I had grown tired of wearing the same perfume & went looking for another signature fragrance. I intended on only buying Joop! Femme, a perfume I was already familiar with but had never owned.

The SA (as they do) talked me into trying this and 3 others on different places on my arm. I walked around the Mall for an hour smelling all 4 fragrances periodically. S de Scherrer was not a fragrance I would have thought of trying, but the notes really hooked me, it was so pretty. I immediately went back & grabbed it.

Here are the notes:

• Top Notes: Pepper, Bergamot
• Middle Notes: Lily-of-the-valley, tiare flower, rose
• Base Notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Vanilla

S de Scherrer is a subtle & elegant fragrance. As soon as you spray it on your skin you can detect a hint of Pepper - not too strong - with Bergamot. The Middle notes do not take too long to follow - all 3 flowers mingle & for some reason smell a little like Pear to me. Finally once Base notes come out the perfume mellows with the Vanilla & Patchouli pulling all of the notes together. This is not a perfume with a stand-out note, they are all working together as a team here.

For me, S de Scherrer lies close to the skin however I've been told it has a hit of silliage. It lasts all day on me.

Where to wear S de Scherrer? I find that this is one of the most versatile fragrances in my collection. It's perfect for work, formal OR casual occasions, a night out with friends or romantic interludes. Speaking of romantic interludes, my OH (other half) doesn't seem to comment on this one but he doesn't usually.

Would I repurchase? Yes! I already have a couple of backups as S de Scherrer very hard to find in Australia now. It can be found online however.

If you get the chance to try this fragrance out, definitely give it a go. It's unique & very very pretty. I highly recommend it!

Order Update #3: Stars Makeup Haven Package Arrived

Yay! My package from SMH finally arrived! It happened 3 days ago (sorry I didn't have a chance to post) & I'm so happy it's here.

In the order:

1 x SMH Freestyle Palette (Large)
1 x SMH 28 Eyeshadow Palette
2 x SMH Eyeshadow pans (Flare For The Dramatic & Light My Fire)
2 x SMH Eyeshadow pans bonus (Metro & Electra-fied)


So, all up it took 22 days to arrive from the USA to Australia. This isn't too bad I suppose but considering that half of the wait was due to the order not being processed & sitting in limbo with no communication, it was frustrating.

I had no idea if the delay was due to one or all of the products not being in stock as I did not receive any order updates (until it was shipped). I also sent an email to which I received no reply.

I have no qualms about delays, I'm a very patient girl, but it's nice to know why something has happened. A quick email is all anyone would ask for.... plus it would probably stop people asking about their order, a time consuming thing (I know from personal experience working in customer service)!.

The packaging for the order was really basic - a thin cardboard satchel. The palettes were sitting inside & the eyeshadows were wrapped in a layer of bubblewrap. Despite the basic packaging there was not much damage other than one of the eyeshadows touching the top of the plastic case in an impact (thank god it didn't shatter).

Anyway, the order is here now & I'm having fun filling the palettes - but that is another post altogether. Watch this space!



Stars Makeup Haven
Ordered: 13th October, 2010
Shipped (As per postmark): 23rd October, 2010
Shipped (As per Online Tracking): 26th October, 2010
Received: 5th October, 2010

SAVVY by DB - Loose Mineral Eyeshadow - Unmissed Missing Eyeshadow!

I was emptying my handbag yesterday & guess what I found in one of the pockets - another SAVVY by DB jar in Chocolate from my haul a couple of weeks ago!

I can't believe that I forgot about it - though I did do an intensive training course on the same night (which is why I was in the City). Also, I took them all out of the Priceline bag & put them in pockets in my bag so I wouldn't have to carry it separately.

SO this brings the to light that the haul was even cheaper than I said in the last post. This means that each eyeshadow jar cost about $2.08 each, rather than the $2.60 I estimated previously.

How cheap is that?

I love finding things I hadn't realised I'd lost!

I still haven't used these but I will let you know how they go.