Monthly Picks

Metamorphosis 96.0 – July Monthly Picks!

It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that it’s the end of July. On one hand, I feel like the summer only just began, but on the other I feel like we’ve all ready begun the fall season. Given our recent heat wave this probably sounds ridiculous, but I live on the cosmetics calender and Fall collections are coming out left and right now. Some of them have been out for what feels like ages. That said, maybe my July picks won’t surprise you.

Metallic golds and red lips dominated my look again this month, which are not just summer-friendly but also completely “wearable” and work-ready.

The Lorac TANtalEYES Palette became a go-to product for me this month between summer barbecues, work schedules, and my never-ending search for the perfect metallics. The shadows themselves are well-pigmented, sparkling, unique shades that blend effortlessly. Normally, I’ll use the gold shade all over the lid with the garnet shade on the outer corner, the olive in the crease, and the white-gold shade on the brow and inner corner.

If someone asked me what luxury would be like if it was manifest in a single product, I’d say it was Chanel‘s Joues Contraste blush in Or. This soft powder blush is the perfect glittering gold highlight lightly scented with rose perfume. I could honestly sit there and sniff this blush all day–it doesn’t linger after application, but it’s enough to get a whiff upon opening the sleek black compact.

When I got Urban Decay‘s 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Sabbath, I honestly didn’t think I’d be getting much use out of it. I’ve never been too big on navy eyeliner, especially not as a substitute for black. But I’ve found myself reaching for it over and over again. Maybe that’s because Sabbath is such a rich, inky blue that I don’t think of it as a compromise to my long-loved blacks while being soft enough that it’s the perfect compliment to a neutral, bronzed eye. Meanwhile, the Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color pencil in F-Bomb is such a classic red that it works with just about every look. Since the formula is so stellar, I can apply it in the morning and not worry about fading or touching-up until the very end of my day.

Butter London‘s West End Wonderland is like fireworks in a bottle. The varied shades of gold glitter make it an incredible shade–dynamic and fun, but still wearable and not too over-the-top. It’s glitter for every day life. Like all glitters, it’s a little annoying to get off, but like all Butter London polishes, I can get a week plus out of this without too much wear.

With all the Fall collections surfacing, I’m curious to see what direction I’ll be taking as we head into the last stretch of summer. All ready, I’m intrigued by some dusky silvers, nude lips, and taupe shades that are starting to grace counters. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying my metallics and reds.

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 85.0 – June Monthly Picks!

As I gathered up my picks this month and spread them out for photographs I thought, “No one will believe these were my picks for June. August, maybe. October, definitely. But June? Never!” But these really were my June loves, so much so that many of them were plucked directly from my “everyday” bag and my purse, and went right back in afterward. June was a month of smokey green eyes, dark wine-stained lips, and metallics everywhere. I honestly can’t believe I didn’t snap at least a picture of these looks considering I was making up occasions to wear them.

I think it started with Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Ivy Shimmer Ink. It’s such a beautiful deep emerald colour and applies well as a basic eyeliner–but I loved it so much, I found myself applying it rather thick, smudging it around the eye, and then setting it with Detrivore Eyeshadow in Plague–a beautiful blackened green shimmer. Depending on the occasion, I like to add a splash of Detrivore‘s Vitriol and Antoinette’s Revolution‘s Versailles.

I ordered OCC Lip Tar in Vintage over Memorial Day after deeply regretting letting it go at the Makeup Show. It’s perfect for layering MAC Lipstick in Hang-Up, which is a bit sheer on its own. Together, they make the perfect vampy, wine-red lip. I also fell in love with Morgana Cryptoria Vegan Lipstick in Gilded Brown, which I had ordered for a specific event and sort of forget about afterward. Turns out, it’s the perfect antiqued gold. (I’ll post a look with it later in the week!)

There are some products that recur on this list each month: OCC Lip Tar, and Zoya Nail Polish. This month, I unintentionally fell in love with Isla. Honestly, I don’t really do red nails. I feel like red (and pink) make my hands look stumpy, which is probably silly because I’ve got some massive hands with some super-long fingers. It’s actually kind of freaky. But I couldn’t resist this colour when I saw it online (where it looks more black with red shift–it’s all metallic burgundy in person!) and found that I can actually work with it. Actually, I’m sort of in love with it. The MAC Blush in Fever was ordered during my search for the perfect blood red–it doesn’t really fit that bill, but it looks great with my current go-to deep lipcolours!

And that was June. Considering May was all summery corals and June is all smoke and wine, I honestly have no clue where July will bring me!

What have you loved this month? Have you noticed any recurring themes or colour palettes?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 79.0 – May Monthly Picks!

May was considerably harder to settle on than any month previously, perhaps because my out-of-commission camera forced me to be later on this post than usual. Things started to blur together–did I start loving these products in May, or early June? Did I even get this in May? Or am I mistaking June for May since I keep writing “5/?/11″ on all checks at work?

But after much consideration, I’ve narrowed it to these selections which I enjoyed throughout most of the month. I haven’t included face or complexion products since otherwise, this list would be a boring beige-coloured wasteland (my picks would have undoubtedly been OCC Tint, Bobbi Brown Corrector and Creamy Concealer, Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder, and Lamas Beauty Eye Repair Complex–boring to look at, right?) and it’s much more interesting to see the Sea of Coral I’ve lived in this May.

It probably all started with Zoya Nail Polish in Elodie. On the website, it looks like a soft, almost pastel melon shade but as you see, it’s really a vibrant coral-orange. It’s a gorgeous, fun shade that applies creamy and opaque in about three coats (I use many much thinner coats to avoid bubbling and “VNL”–visible nail line–so it should only take normal people three coats to achieve perfection). I also discovered creme blush (finally!) and fell head over heels for Bobbi Brown Pot Rogue in Cabo Coral. Applied to my skin or foundation pre-powder, it blends to a very pretty peachy coral. It appears rather intense but after it’s been set it’s quite subtle–best of all the colour is completely buildable! It’s also lip-safe and can be used as lipstick in a pinch.

I wore this Inglot palette Monday through Friday for most of May. It’s neutral, it’s versatile–I can use the two beiges and the taupey grey for a very clean, neutral eye or have at the greys for a graduated smokey effect. This doesn’t mean I’ll never wear red eyeshadow to the office again, but it does give me a work-friendly option.

I know that OCC Lip Tar made it’s way onto the list last month, too, but this time it’s Interlace. It is hands-down the perfect nude in my collection and makes any look instantly more chic. I like to apply it lightly, blot off any excess, and set it with a clear or nude gloss (like BITE’s Prosecco or MAC Cremesheen Glass in Lightly Prancing). Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Citrus was my go-to gloss this month, living exclusively in my purse and swiped on almost every day. It’s a beautiful peachy-orange shimmer in a clear base and while it’s on the stickier side, it is the longest-wearing gloss I have ever owned. I have swiped it on at 9AM only to find my lips are still shimmery and a little tacky at 7PM when I’m driving home. Considering my lips are on the drier side, I find it highly moisturizing.

And last but not least, the product that has everyone and their mother talking, Make Up Forever Aqua Liners in 10 Iridescent Red and 04 Diamond Lagoon Green. I know, everyone has raved about them to no end but honestly they’re that great. They don’t budge for DAYS if not properly removed and they come in such a variety of bold, powerful colours they really are perfect for the bright eyeliner trend that’s been so hot this season. Of the 16 shades available, I scored 10 for 50% off at the Makeup Show. If you don’t get them with a pro discount or show special, they’re a bit pricey at $23 a piece. But I would have paid it anyway–the formula and applicator remind me a bit of MAC’s Superslick liners, but thicker and with a longer felt tip “brush.” Personally, I wish these had an actual brush and a shorter top for application, but I love them anyway. In May, the green was pretty much my everyday liner shade, while the red was for those days I really needed a pop of colour to get me through the day.

And there you have it. My May was a bright blur of corals, not quite Spring but not quiteSummer either. What products did you love in May? Have you made the jump to your Summer look yet, or are you still clinging to Spring?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 65.0 – April Monthly Picks!

Wow! April was a major haul month, between the IMATS, Beautylish event, and Sephora sale, I’ve had a lot of new things to try out and play with. But there have been a few things that I’ve come back to again and again this month–here’s what I’m loving:

I managed to snag a 20 palette from Inglot at the IMATS for a pretty impressive discount, but even at full-price, this would probably rank amongst my best beauty buys of all time. These shadows are buttery, blendable, and amazingly pigmented all in the convenience of a palette. I don’t travel often, but this would definitely be a go-to item for future trips–such beautiful colours all in one place! I also got my hands on quite a number of OCC Lip Tars at that show, and Anime has quickly become one of my favourite lip colours. It’s a bright, bold neon pink that dries matte and stays on my lips for almost 9 hours at a time, even through food and drink!

After thoroughly loving theBalm blush I received from Beautylish, I purchased Mary Lou-Manizer during the Sephora %15 Off Sale. The texture of these products is just amazing for pressed powders–they’re soft and blendable, but not at all dusty. The luminizer is a beautiful shade of pale-golden beige that’s just right for highlighting my skintone. I also grabbed Korres Wild Rose Mask during the Sephora sale after reading up on the benefits of rose for complexion-brightening. I’ve only used this mask twice now, but it’s an absolutely luxurious experience–not only does it smell amazing and leave my skin feeling soft and moisturized, I swear my skin glows after using it.

Anyone who follows my Twitter feed knows how badly I’ve been dying to try butter LONDON. Lucky for me, my local Ulta started carrying their line and my ever-wonderful, amazingly attentive mother picked these up for me. I have a full review forthcoming, but I’ve been wearing this combo for a few days now and it is by far the shiniest, smoothest, most luxurious polishes I own. This colour, Blagger, was definitely on my list, but I likely wouldn’t have gotten the top and base coats simply because I all ready have so many–but I’m glad I did try them, because I really don’t have anything comparable! The top coat is impossibly shiny and the base coat is a creamy beige that dries matte, giving the polish a nice surface to adhere to. After five days of intense typing, working out, hand-washing, and my own personal nailbiting/picking habit, this remains chip-free and gorgeous. I think I’ve found my Holy Grail nail system!

What have you been loving this month?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 50.0 – March Monthly Picks!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to do a sort of product feature. Weekly seemed kind of ridiculous, and seasonal seemed too infrequent, so monthly sounds good. I’ve got thirty-odd days to think up new features, and that’s perfect.

This month, my picks are all products I got in March. I’m not sure if that will always be the case, but this month it certainly is. When I get new products, I tend to test out every aspect of their usage especially if I’m reviewing them so I get really attached to a lot of products.

My first pick is Wylde Ivy‘s Silken Body Oil in Little Shop in Salem. It’s like a nifty little moisturizing perfume that goes on smooth, soaks in quickly, and leaves you smelling wonderful all day. The oil itself is made from a combination of Coconut and Jojoba oils with addition oils from various fruit seeds. I particularly like it in this scent because it’s a light incense-y blend that’s sweet and a little dusty and layers perfectly will all sorts of other fragrances. Plus, it doesn’t give me (or anyone else around me) a headache after too long, as most fragrances often do.

Zoya Nail Polish in Dannii is a soft pink-purple with an amazing multi-coloured sparkle. I’m always amazed by the depth of colour in Zoya polishes, which is why they’re my favourite hands-down. This particular colour is great for spring–it reminds me of newly-budding flowers.

For some reason, I was all about the metallic eyes this month. Meow Cosmetics‘ Heiroglyph from the Egyptian Treasures Collection was definitely one of my go-to shadows. It’s described on-site as “metallic chartreuse with verdigris overtones and metallic gold undertones,” but I see it as a darkened, antiqued gold.

You’ve seen how beautiful Brazen‘s Cherry Bomb lip gloss is. If you haven’t, go read my review right now. It’s richly pigmented but still layerable, it’s smooth and creamy, and it stays put for hours. I haven’t seen this listed in the shop yet (which is live again after a brief hiatus!), but the owner is always more than happy to do custom listings if something you want is “out of stock.”

I’ve never been a blush girl, but lately I seem to be obsessed! The more unusual, the more shimmery, pigmented, sparkling, or complex the colour, the more I love it. Meow Cosmetics’ PINK, Inc blushes are really gorgeous. They apply like a dream, they’re incredibly blendable, and they have just the barest hint of shimmer that really bring them to life. My favourite is definitely Slip. On site, it’s described as “bright warm coral PINK with a slight refreshing twist of citrus peach,” but it definitely reads as a light coral-y peach. I ordered it in the 10g size, though I sort of feel like I should have gotten the larger jar.

–and there you have it! Five items I fell absolutely head-over-heels for this month. Also, all $10USD or less.

What have you been loving this month? Products, foods, music, websites, events?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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