MissMocha wrote:

Just a heads up since I know a few of y'all like the OCC liptars: Sephora is phasing the line out, so they're on sale for around 8 bucks a tube. Looks like they'll only be carried by Nordstroms in the future.

OH LOOK NOW I HAVE PLANS MONDAY.

EDIT: Google says they stopped restocking as recently as May, based on two Reddit posts and a comment thread on Temptalia.  The Sephora website is down to bare bones in the OCC section, so now I'm wondering how much is left in-store. One of my Sephoras had stopped carrying it last year not long after they stopped selling Lorac, which should have been a sign. I may as well go anyway, since it's my birthday month, and pick up my free gift.

Sephora also dropped the skincare brand Soap and Glory, which is a UK drugstore brand that started out in Target but upgraded to Sephora and jacked up their prices in the process.  The Reddit post I found also says they're planning to drop Stila, too.

I think the problem with OCC is that people are put off by A) the colors,  B) the packaging, or C) the application method. Fortunately, they're coming out with new packaging that resembles the typical lip gloss/liquid lipstick to remedy B and C.

Last edited by Raven Nightshade (08-02-2015 07:13:50 PM)

The biggest worry I've seen about the repackaging is that it's still the same super-saturated formula, so people are skeptical about whether it will actually help with application. I'm interested in the KVD liquid lipsticks too, because they seem to be a damn sight better than her traditional lipsticks in terms of formulation. I'm hoping I can try on Echo, Witches, and a couple of others while I'm shopping later. (Not sure why I'm trying on Witches when I own OCC's Tarred which I like.)

I'm picky about eyeshadows now, since I own so many. I have room to be selective. I think I still want a good orange and a good green, but i also wonder if I actually look good in green eyeshadow because past experiments have proven otherwise. I also wouldn't say no to something in the indigo/blueberry/cornflower range. Also, I rediscovered a burgundy eyeshadow I purchased from Hot Topic back when they carried good yet affordable makeup, and I love it. I'm assuming it's Ben Nye, even though there's no label, because that's what was being carried at the time.

And thanks for the offer, Mocha! I'll let you know after I return from my excursion.

Went to Sephora, and there was a lot of OCC stuff left. However, none of it was terribly interesting. They had the all-in-one pencils Mocha was interested in, but they only had three: black (Tarred), white(Feathered), and coral (Grandma). They had plenty of their tinted moisturizer, concealer, and blushes. I came for lip tars, though, and all they had left were their more standard colors, but very few reds. The only red left was RolePlay, and the only pink left was Yaoi. The rest were the light, pinky nudes, and for some random reason the very orange Manhunter. To be fair, though--despite being in podunk North Louisiana--colors like Pagan, Technopagan, and both Black Dahlias flew off the shelves shortly after release.

So, I picked up the lip primer and Yaoi, the latter entirely for mixing purposes. It's a good bubblegum pink that will make a better purple when mixed with RX than NSFW (red) does.

While I was there, I decided to try out the KVD matte liquid lipsticks. HO-LEE CRAP, are they matte! I have never experienced the glory of a true matte before, only the ones that wind up with more of a satin/creme finish. My lips were dry as hell later, but I look so fucking good in Echo, which is the liquid version of Poe, a navy blue with a slight violet tinge to it. It's not purple enough to call it a matte version of Technopagan, though. All of the reds I wanted to try were blue-reds in varying degrees of blueness and darkness, so I immediately lost interest. I mean, all I fucking want is something that comes close to the original formulation of Chanel's Vamp. Is that asking too much?

Anyway..

I forgot to ask the salesperson about Stila, but I suspect it may just be a rumor for now.

Oh, and I got my VIB birthday gift, two lip pencils/crayons from NARS: one in a red called Cruella, and another in a kind of mauvey color I can't remember the name of.

That being said, Mocha, if you see any of these when you go to store, we can work something out:
1. Hoochie, Belladonna, OR Rollergirl.
2. Technopagan.

Damned is pretty close to what I want, but it's not quite dark enough, and it may actually be too brown. The thing about Vamp is that it was a very neutral but dark red. All of the dark reds out now are too blue-toned, which are lovely, but not what I want. OCC's Anita (which is another one I'd like) would probably be perfect if I added some red(NSFW) and black(Tarred) to it.

Wait isn't it 4x points on purchases right now through Sunday?  I get paid my first actual full sized check tomorrow, so I might swing by my Sephora after work and I'll keep an eye out.  I live in a midwestern cultural fuckhole, so the "weird" Lip Tars might have been left alone. 

Yoai is a fine enough shade, but it's so damn glittery (like, you feel da glitters) and hot ass pink it really mostly speaks to a certain age demographic, one that probably can't afford $22 on a lip product. 

Speaking of Sephoras, and lips, has anyone ever seen a red lip done right on a Sephora sales associate?  I'm always spotting fading color, overly dried, crumbling mattes, feathering, and lipstick teeth. Wear a sheer, moisturizing red lip product, peeps, not some creamy, thick matte tube product.  It'll look way better as it fades while your working, re-applies easier anyway, and will keep your lips looking alive and moisturized under those bright ass lights.  Even a sheer red lippie adds a major punch.  Also, you know, pop your finger through your mouth after you apply a heavy, thick, opaque color and apply in thin, blotted layers, not massive swipes (I don't care what the product promises!).  C'mon.   [REMEMBER THAT ONE SECOND I WASN'T A COMPLETE SNOBBY KNOW-IT-ALL ON THIS THREAD? Me neither.]

Then again, I've been told most Sephora full time staff are trained mostly to make sales, and get little guidance or information on the actual products or on make-up application unless its a featured and promoted item, which the brand itself will provide training for (or just stick a MUA in the store to give make-overs).  They don't even really care about make-up skill or knowledge when they hire. 

I've never really been given a make-over or look there that wasn't all sorts of awful.

MissMocha wrote:

I'm sorry Raven, I was really hoping I could come through.

No big deal. Your efforts are appreciated.

It's weird that those are more or less the same colors that were left at my Sephora, but swap out Grandma for Manhunter. Is the whole nude lip trend over and no one told me?

OITL wrote:

I live in a midwestern cultural fuckhole, so the "weird" Lip Tars might have been left alone.

Your land seems like more of a cultural fuckhole than mine (and we're improving by the day), so I've got my fingers crossed.

Yoai is a fine enough shade, but it's so damn glittery (like, you feel da glitters) and hot ass pink it really mostly speaks to a certain age demographic, one that probably can't afford $22 on a lip product.

I think the sparkliness of Yaoi may be a turnoff because Anime is the matte version, and it was nowhere to be seen.

And as a transitioning thought, RolePlay is a sparkly-ass red that also looked terrible on me.

Speaking of Sephoras, and lips, has anyone ever seen a red lip done right on a Sephora sales associate?

I have, but the caveat here is that her red wasn't a matte red. She also looked exactly like Jennifer Hudson, but we needed to have a come-to-Jesus meeting about her choice of brown eyeshadows because they looked almost ashy on her.

Sephora is coming out with a subscription box service!

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Sephora is coming out with a subscription box service!

So long as they show they'll give awesome stuff to everyone and not just select bonuses and better products to "gurus" and bloggers I'm in!!

That sounds shady as fuck. Does one of the other beauty boxes do that?

Raven Nightshade wrote:

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Sephora is coming out with a subscription box service!

So long as they show they'll give awesome stuff to everyone and not just select bonuses and better products to "gurus" and bloggers I'm in!!

That sounds shady as fuck. Does one of the other beauty boxes do that?

Ipsy is the worst offender.  It's why I unsubbed.  I'd see vloggers getting all sorts of extra free shit in their bags for the purposes of advertising on their videos, whether they mentioned it or not.  Some boxes will have all sorts of incentives for people who use special referral links (which are not always open for just anyone to have); for every one of their follows who clicks/or buys something through that link, they get extra points, money, free stuff, whathaveyou.  It's the same with those 20% coupon codes that gurus have that use their own name. 

I dunno.  It'd be nice if the informational cosmetic circles on the internet would stay free of marketing influences and sponsors.  I get that, hey, money!  Yay money! But damn.  It's partly why it seems like so many vloggers are only ever talking about the same hyped-up new releases.  They are part of the marketing strategy, and the more time a vlogger spends on paid or sponsored work, the less time they spend actually looking for new, inventive or little known gems. 

And it's not just the BigG TiEM Gurus who do it, either... more and more I see channels with comparatively modest subscriber counts doing obviously sponsored videos or "hauls" of stuff they've been given by companies.  GRWM, Monthly Favorites and Haul videos all in part grew in popularity amongst vloggers because they allowed them to fit as many products into a video as possible (and thus please more sponsors), and without having to show the actual quality of the product in the case of hauls/monthly favs videos.  Tutorials and swatch videos show off comparatively fewer products (and with swatch videos, often just one brand) and you have to show how the products perform to some degree (I still don't see how finger-rubbed swatches of product on someone's arm says anything about the product's quality).

Last edited by OnlyInThisLight (08-24-2015 10:26:34 AM)

Anyone actually doing any subscription boxes right now?  I'm doing Graze, because it's food and it's really flexible (and while I love Love with Food so much, a lot of the stuff they'd send would be teas, spice blends and condiments I never used; Graze is just straight up snacky shit).  You can do weekly, bimonthly and monthly boxes, 4 or 8 variety snacks, or boxes that are just sweet or just savory.  I've been doing the 4 variety twice a month, and tossing the snacks in my desk at work for when I don't have time for an actual lunch break.  Most of what I've gotten has been pretty creative and tasty (banana meal shortbread cookies with caramel sauce = yes) with only a few duds (I don't care for their soft, dehydrated apples and pear slices).  You can go on the site, look at all the snacks they offer, and rate them from "Don't ever send me this shit" to "Please send me more of this shit" so that's nice.  It's odd, but I'm less likely to eat whatever it is I've allotted for lunch or snacktime at the office if I already know for sure what it is.  Leaving it up in the air makes me curious and keeps me from impulse drive-thru trips instead.

BUT I AM REALLY HERE BECAUSE I would like to go back to doing at least one make-up sub box.  Julep has been great but at 20.00 a box for 3 items I've mostly been skipping each month; it just has gotten to a point where I have all the colors of polish I'd like from them.  I'd like something new, prefereably with deluxe sample sized or full sized products -no foil packets, and exclusively mookoop.  Anyone have recs? 

Raven, did you ever try the Sephora one?

Last edited by OnlyInThisLight (09-09-2015 12:37:07 PM)

Starlooks has a beauty box that sends deluxe sample and full size versions, but it's only their brand. Boxycharm has gotten good reviews on r/beautyboxes, usually because of plentiful full sizes. Supposedly drugstore stuff, but it seems to be all over the place -couple reviews have mentioned Pixi (which I think we've both agreed is pricy for drugstore) and Tarte, which I don't consider drugstore, personally.  Target has a beauty box now too, which supposedly comes with good coupons. Vegan Cuts is focused on Vegan brands, not a ton of reviews out there, but I know that a few people have mentioned it skews a little heavy on body products as opposed to makeup. MemeBox is Korean beauty products and I swear to god, if the girls on asianbeauty and skincareaddicts could fuck a concept, it would be MemeBox. Petit Vour is another one focused on natural beauty, and they partner with a lot of skincare people too, apparently. Tarte again, though. And Lush.

That's just some of the ones I remember being reviewed on the beautybox sub. You'll probably find a shitload more if you check My Subscription Addiction. I've never managed to make up my mind about one, so no reviews, but MSA should have plenty.

So, sometime last year, OCC decided to stop selling their Lip Tars in squeezy tubes and repackaged them like everyone else's liquid lipsticks. As a result, they put all of their old stock on super clearance for $5. I unfortunately missed this memo, and came in after all the good colors were gone. So now all that's left are four oranges, two pinks, and a pinky-red.

Now, they're discontinuing some of their loose "colour concentrates" and nail polishes, and they're currently half-price on their website. The color concentrates are not even remotely matte, but they're face-and-body-safe. (There's only eight colors left as I type this, but there are tons of nail polishes left, 20 to be exact.)

In non-OCC news, I want Kat von D's Iggy eyeshadow. It is the true green I have waited my entire life for, but I can't make myself drop $21 on an eyeshadow. Must find dupes.