FIRST IMPRESSION HAUL: Flower Beauty
Okay, so, I admit it... I've been stalking my local Walmart weekly in hopes of getting my hands on a couple of the new Hard Candy things to try out. Particularly, I'm interested in the new brow products, because lately I've been on a one woman mission to dominate my brows for an affordable price. (It's getting to the point where I'm just about willing to forget the affordable price and go mad with Anastasia Beverly Hills power... but we'll see. I've still got a little bit of Brow Wiz left.) Last night I popped in and was, once again, disappointed by the lack of Hard Candy brow products, but then I caught sight of a new cardboard endcap display that made me blink a few times. Flower Beauty. At Walmart in Canada. Say it ain't so! It wasn't a full display, there were only 4 different items in a series of shades up for grabs, but it's a start and it gives me hope that soon we'll have a full display to choose from and try out.
I've actually only ever tried one product from Flower beauty and it was a pretty big fail. A while back, during a trip to the States, I was on a bit of a hunt for a perfect matte nude lipstick so I picked up a Flower one. It looked like concealer and applied on the lips like really cheap, dry concealer. It wasn't good. I threw it out ages ago. But still, I've heard some good things about some good things and I'm always willing to try something new, so I picked up 3 of the 4 items to give a once over.
Keep reading for a closer look!
Flower Beauty Lip Suede Velvet Lip Chubby in VC2 Mauve Over
"Weightless lip color with a silky, satin-matte finish
Lips are instantly smoothed with a Papaya and Orchid Hydrating Complex
Intense color payoff with a velvet finish in a self-sharpening Chubby!
No Fragrance, Talc, D5, or Parabens"
I actually hemmed and hawwed over which shade of this to get, between this one and the berry shade, and I feel like I'm probably going to go back and get the berry shade sometime soon. I like the formula of this, it goes on really smooth with a lot of pigment and feels really comfortable on the lips. To be honest, this feels and performs pretty much exactly like the Revlon Matte Balms, which I'm a pretty big fan of myself. This shade is a little less mauve than I was hoping, but I don't mind so much. It's a really wearable neutral lip that leans a little bit warm and I think it would be pretty flattering on a lot of skintones. I also feel like this would fall pretty well in line with the neutral 90s lip trend, especially for those of us who actually came of age in the 90s and know exactly how unflattering brown lipstick can be on some people. All in all, I like this and will definitely try at least one more in the future.
Flower Beauty Eyes On The Prize Eyeshadow Chubby in EC4 Keep Your Pansies On
"Creamy, blendable, and luxurious crème eye shadow in a convenient, self-sharpening chubby!
Rounded tip for easy, seamless lid & crease application
Smooth & lightweight, with a buildable veil of eye-popping color
Luminous finish that lasts ALL day without creasing or fading
Paraben & Talc-free"
Rounded tip for easy, seamless lid & crease application
Smooth & lightweight, with a buildable veil of eye-popping color
Luminous finish that lasts ALL day without creasing or fading
Paraben & Talc-free"
Lately I've been all about really plummy eye looks, whether it's really soft matte contoured eyes or deeper, shimmery jewel-toned smokey looks, so this was the clear choice from the 5 shade options that they had on the display. I have to say... I'm kinda disappointed with this. First of all, the packaging is a little bit misleading. It looks like you're going to get a really rich, burgundy plum shade and what's actually in there is a blackened purple with pigments that do what purple pigments do, looking a little dull and lackluster. You can build it up to a pretty nice colour, but I feel like that would just give you clumpy creasing on the eyes. I applied this and then topped it with a beautiful Lorac eyeshadow and noticed creasing within an hour... which is highly disappointing. I don't think I'm going to feel particularly inclined to purchase any more of these. I'll stick to my Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencils, which are just as convenient but also last all day.
Flower Beauty Zoom In Ultimate Mascara
"First at Mass, adjustable brush lets you customize lash volume and length
Lashes appear dramatically longer, fuller & defined
D-panthenol to smooth lashes & stimulate growth
Rice wax for smudge-proof color"
Lashes appear dramatically longer, fuller & defined
D-panthenol to smooth lashes & stimulate growth
Rice wax for smudge-proof color"
I have been making myself refrain from buying mascara lately, because my stash is so significant that I probably won't actually NEED a new one for well over a year. That said, when I saw that this one has a twisty wand that claims to give different effects to your lashes, I couldn't resist. I do love testing out a gimmick after all. A few years ago, I had a mascara from Buxom that twisted in a similar way, but it simply shortened the wand and pushes the bristles closer together rather than spiraling the bristles. I feel like it's a really interesting innovation, since the brush is often just as important to a mascara doing what you want it to do as the formula is. I applied this mascara this morning and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. I tried using both the length and volume settings on the brush, since I want it all when it comes to mascara. First of all, I didn't find that it did any significant lengthening to my lashes and I found that it really just gave my lashes a darkened, defined effect. Next, when I used the volumizing setting, I found that it got a little bit clumpy. Immediately after applying, I wasn't so keen on it. However, about a half hour later I went to the ladies room and caught sight of myself in the mirror and found that I really liked the effect of these lashes. So my first impression really is that I need some more impressions before I decide how I feel about this. However, I will say that it is damn cool to see something different like this in the drugstore price range!
So there you have it! I'm really looking forward to seeing if Flower Beauty is going to launch their entire line in Canada and, hopefully, trying some more of their products on for size!
XO.
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