Moving...

You may or may not follow me via social networks (facebook, twitter, etc.), but I recently announced that after a LOT of thought over the last 2.5 years I've finally decided to move my blog over to a new domain. When I originally launched my blog I wanted a name that suited me well. While I still think the original name of my blog is cute and quite fitting for me personally, it was both long and hard to search for. I can't tell you the number of times people said or typed "chick" instead of "chic"!

Anyway, the blog in its entirety has moved to a new domain and has a new name, but all posts and comments were merged over so its exactly the same in every other way! The new domain is www.beautypopstop.com. I think it's much easier to search for and it identifies better with my store. So many people had no idea the person behind BeautyPopShop.com and MakeupChicLiteraryGeek.com were the same simply because ... well why would you unless you followed me closely on both?

Anyway, I know this will be a bit of a pain for those that have been following my blog since it first launched about 2.5 years ago, but I think in the long-run it will be easier and better!

I'm planning for now to leave the original blog up and haven't decided when I should take it down--slightly sad about that! But I'll give it some more time for people to acclimate to the new domain first. All new posts will only be published there, however.

Thanks for 2.5 fabulous years at MakeupChicLiteraryGeek.com! I look forward to continuing on this beauty blogging journey at BeautyPopStop.com ;)

Zoya Irresistible Swatches Summer 2013

Before I get into my review, I have a slightly sad story to tell. Well, not super sad, but frustrating for sure. I had swatched all of these and taken pics not too long ago. When I went to transfer my pictures I somehow managed to delete all them off the memory card of my computer! Now, usually I don't delete pictures off my memory card until reviews have gone live just in case. Ironically, I've never had anything like this happen ... but I suppose it was bound to someday (over 2 years of nothing like this happening prior). Anyway, I spent the better portion of the day intermittently freaking out and researching the best photo recovery programs that can be used to recover media off memory cards. By later that evening I had finally found one program that worked, but unfortunately it only recovered half of my photos and half of the ones that weren't recovered included all of the pictures for 2 shades. Since then I've tried 4 additional programs to see if I could recover pics for those 2 shades. No luck. Now, the reason I didn't just pic those bottles up and swatch away is that I have very sensitive skin. When I swatch 6 polishes in a row like this my skin literally cannot handle any more. This is one reason I tend to only put out larger swatching posts like this once a week. I tip my hat to all of the amazing bloggers that can do more--I wish I was one of them and I regularly am in awe of them! Anyway, that's my whole deal that I thought I'd share so that when you see these pics and say ... why are there only swatches for 4 shades? There's your answer. I'll try to swatch the other two and add them in later on! On to the swatches...

Zoya Summer 2013 Irresistible Collection (left from top to bottom): Rikki, Hazel, Bobbi
(right from top to bottom): Kerry, Amy, Tinsley

1 Coats Zoya Hazel - This is a gorgeous blue foil with little bits of brass-colored glitter sprinkled in.

2 Coats Zoya Kerry - luxe yellow-gold foil

2 Coats Tinsley - rose foil with gold flash

Rikki - deeper green foil with brass-colored bits of glitter sprinkled in (similar to Hazel)

PriceThese retail for $8 per bottle.

Where to Buy
These can be purchased on Zoya's website HERE.



Final Thoughts
As with all of Zoya's foils that I've ever worked with, these apply smoothly and only require 2 coats for full opacity. You could probably get away with 1 coat with some of them, but I think the second coat gives them just the right amount of depth. These are all gorgeous in person (including the 2 I wasn't able to recover swatches of). I find that foil polishes tend to be love/hate with many people. If you like foils you'll love these! Kerry and Tinsley were my favorites of the bunch. Kerry is a perfect yellow-gold and Tinsley was the most unique in my opinion because the gold flash almost gave it a duochrome effect. While I don't think all of the colors are necessary summer-only, I do think they'll appeal to a number of people looking for more unique summer polishes.

What do you think? Will you be purchasing any of these?

Note: These products were provided by PR for review. All opinion stated above are my own based on my personal experience.

Votre Bu re.FIND French Organic Complexion Polish Review

Votre Vu has been a favorite skincare brand of mine for a long time, so when I was offered the opportunity to review the re.FIND French Organic  Complexion Polish I jumped at the chance!

Here you can see the instructions for use as well as ingredients. As many of you know I prefer natural products that refrain from using certain ingredients. This product is actually really decent ingredients-wise for those that dislike "chemically" facial products.

Application/Use
This has a super smooth consistency with teeny bits of apricot seed. It smooths into the face and with gentle circles buffs away the top layer of your skin pretty quickly. I did not have an adverse reaction to this (even with my sensitive skin) and it rinsed off easily.

Finished Effect
As soon as I rinsed my face I could instantly see and mostly feel a difference. My skin was incredibly soft and smooth. I used this after my cleansing regime, but prior to using my normal moisturizer. I applied my moisturizer as usual and by the morning my skin was even softer. It was incredibly impressive, yet it wasn't so harsh on my sensitive skin that I had areas with irritation of any kind.


Price
This is priced at $28 retail.

Where to Buy
This can be purchased directly from Votre Vu through their site HERE.

Final Thoughts
I really like this facial exfoliator. It includes ingredients I really like, does a phenomenal job, and doesn't irritate my super sensitive skin with proper use. I would highly recommend giving this a try if you're looking for something to liven up your complexion this spring/summer! I wish I could show you a really compelling before and after pic, but I haven't included face shots because you really couldn't see the difference in any of the pictures because my skin is normally pretty darn good (especially with some changes I made a few months ago to my skincare routine), but take my word for it; I could see and feel an amazing difference in person and so could the Hubs! He's actually going to try it on himself soon, he was so impressed--he's a super manly guy that loves good facial scrubs ;)

Note: This product was provided by PR review. All opinions stated above are my own and are based on my personal experience.

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer and Mixed Mirenesse Cosmetics Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer. I am always on the hunt for new primers. As weird as it sounds I don't often like the feel of some of the ones I've tried and I've found some others simply don't do much. The thought of an anti-aging primer absolutely peaked my interest as I've noticed some slight aging to my skin in the last year. Not horrible, but prevention is far better than treating a bigger problem down the line in my opinion! I'm also going to be sharing some information below about some Mirenesse Cosmetics products I used the day I reviewed the Algenist primer. But first, more about the primer...

Click on the image to view ingredients additional info provided on the package regarding anti-aging and performance claims.

I'm a big fan of primers that come in pumps as opposed to tubes. It's not a huge deal I suppose since both are easy enough to keep sanitary and dispense product from, but just something I personally note.

Application
Like most primers, this was incredibly smooth and easy to apply. It has a lotion-like feel to it and (as strange as this may sound) it didn't feel as silicone-y as other primers I've tried until it began setting. I find some primers have an incredible "too smooth" feel to them as I smooth them in whereas this actually felt like a lotion. I'm not sure it makes a difference, but for some reason I found this more pleasant to apply. Unlike just about every other product I apply to my face, primer is the one thing I like to apply with my fingers. I'm not sure why. I'm sure if you chose to use the right brush this would apply easily with that as well.

Performance
For starters, keep in mind I don't really have any wrinkles, so if you're hoping for a primer that will provide a more wrinkle-reducing appearance I can speak on it's performance in this capacity. It did, however, provide a nice smooth surface onto which my foundation blended well. I did notice that on the bottom of my nose where I had some chapped skin from allergies at the time that this did not smooth it out or allow my foundation to hide it any better than usual--I honestly wouldn't expect it to. Over time the foundation oxidized and showed the flakiness of this one spot quite a bit. I'm not sure if the primer played a part in that as well, but it's worth noting if you have any areas of extremely dry, flaking skin. I also noticed that over the course of the day the crease between the sides of my nose and face had an almost "cracked" look. Again, this could be because of the severe dryness of my nose from my allergies and blowing my nose, but also worth noting. The rest of my face looked amazing even by the end of the day!

Sensitive Skin Day-Long Wear
Thankfully, this did not irritate my skin at all during an entire day of wear--which is impressive as so many things do. 

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer under Mirenesse Magic Touch Foundation in Mocha. I have a fairly decent complexion normally, but in this un-retouched photo you can clearly see that this primer/foundation combination photographs almost flawlessly. Not bad, right? I actually really like this foundation and would recommend anyone looking for a good liquid foundation gives it a try! I'm also wearing shadow from a Mirenesse shadow compact (Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadow compact in Nephrititi) and Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl Metal pencil in Osiris. While the shadows were workable, they weren't as "buttery" as I prefer. The pencil on the other hand is hands-down one of the best liners I have ever used in my life when it comes to waterproof staying power. Oh my gosh get this pencil NOW! I'll include info below for those interested.

 Price
Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer retails for $42 for 1oz.

Where to Buy
This can be purchased on Algenist's site HERE and at Sephora.com HERE.

Final Thoughts
While I can't form an opinion on anti-aging effects long-term, I do this this is a great primer, especially if you're looking for something that provides a photo-perfect finish in combination with a good foundation. This breathed really well during the day (and I'm very picky about that) and did not irritate my super sensitive skin. While it didn't seem to "hide" my super chapped/dry skin on my nose (from allergies) I honestly haven't found anything that will do that so I wouldn't say it's a huge negative in regards to this product. I think this is definitely worth trying if you're looking for a new primer and like the ingredients. This does include silicone, which may be a turn-off for some, so definitely check the ingredients prior to purchasing. Overall this gets a thumbs-up from me so far!

Note: To view/purchase the absolutely amazing waterproof liner I mentioned above under my face shot visit Mirenesse's site HERE. I'm not kidding when I say these have amazing staying power. Even compared to UD and MUFE which both budge and bleed on me. To purchase/view the fabulous foundation I was wearing check it out on Mirenesse's site HERE. Mocha was a good fit for me and I'm typically NC 30/35 in MAC depending on the time of year.

Note: All of the products used in this review and face book were provided by PR for review/use. All opinions stated above are my own and have not been influenced by the brands/PR.

Important BeautyPopShop Announcement

We have an announcement, which may take some by surprise. After long and careful consideration, as a result of some recent news regarding our oldest and some major appointments this summer for our oldest and youngest, we think it's best if the rack/display portion of BeautyPopShop goes on "pause" during the Summer. As many of you know, our sons both have some additional needs, which require a lot of time and resources. When we launched at the very end of 2011 we had no idea our demand would increase so much with each passing month. In fact, we haven't taken a weekend off since fall of last year! We are beyond grateful for the support you've shown our products and our family. We absolutely love each customer and company that has purchased from us and are so thankful to have been able to provide you with what we feel are attractive, functional polish/cosmetic storage options. While we're not saying we're done, we simply feel that we need to be able to focus as much of our attention as possible on our boys during this critical period of time this summer and with things the way they currently stand, we wouldn't be able to do that.

So what does that mean for BeautyPopShop? Here's a brief breakdown:

1. Customers will be able to place polish rack and makeup rack orders through our site until the end of the day on May 5th. All orders currently being completed as well as those that come in between now and then will be finished and shipped out as usual. After the 5th, customers will only be able to purchase polish, cosmetics, beauty-related items, etc. through our online store. Our etsy shop will go on vacation mode.

2. We currently plan to continue to stock the same (and possibly some new) fabulous polishes, cosmetics, and beauty-related items in our online store and those will remain available for purchase even after the polish and makeup racks are no longer available. Our facebook page, instagram, twitter, etc. will obviously still remain active as our store will still be actively open.

3. We will accept custom polish rack and makeup rack orders when we can, but listings will no longer remain active in our etsy store or in our online store. Those that wish to purchase will be able to contact us through our email as usual.

4. We do not currently have an exact date for when we intend to reopen that portion of the store. As of right now we want to focus all of our energy on wrapping up current and new orders, then see how things progress this summer with our boys.

Again, we're not closing our entire store, just the polish rack and makeup rack portions--nail polish, cosmetics, etc. will remain available. We think this is the best choice for our family at this point in time and we think it will be best for our customers as well. For those that have ordered from us you know we're almost always accessible via email and we work hard to maintain excellent customer service and product quality at all times. We don't want our kids to suffer because of the racks, and we don't want our polish/makeup racks to suffer because our family has to take priority. We hope that many of you will still consider choosing BeautyPopShop for your makeup/polish needs now and organization/display needs once again in the future. As hard as this choice has been, we are finally ready for this difficult, but thoughtfully chosen next step .

Thank you :)

Patrick & Doria
BeautyPopShop.com

butter LONDON Summer 2013 Poole and Marb Swatches and Review

butter LONDON recently sent me 2 of the Summer 2013 shades to share with all of you! To be honest, I'm still unsure of how I feel regarding this collection as a summer collection--yes, I get the tanned and bronze idea, though I typically think bright for summer--but nevertheless I'm a huge butter LONDON fan and these shades are great.

butter LONDON Poole Swatch and Review

2 Coats butter LONDON Poole - Poole is a light blue-green creme. It's very self-leveling, but starts drying fairly quickly on the nail, so I recommend not applying too slowly.

butter LONDON Marbs Swatch and Review

2 Coats butter LONDON Marbs - a bronzey metallic. Marbs reminds me of Urban Decay Half Baked shadow in polish form. This was a breeze to apply.

Price

$15 retail

Where to Buy

These can be purchased, alone with the rest of the Summer shades on butter LONDON's site HERE.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned, while I'm not totally sold on these being summer-specific shades, the shades themselves are very pretty. I personally think Poole is my favorite between the two. Marbs is very pretty and I know lots of people will probably like it, but I'm not a huge fan of bronze polish. That being said, the formula is fabulous on it. Poole is very pretty and certainly a color I think many will want from this collection. I'm always impressed when cremes are so lovely to apply--Poole being one of them--as they can be finicky. Definitely not the case for me! I'm glad to have been given the chance to review them.

What do you think? Will you be purchasing any of the butter LONDON's baked summer shades?

These products were sent for review by PR. All opinions stated above are my own and are based on my personal experience. They have not been influenced by the brand/PR organization that sent them.

Sale Alert!: Tarte on Hautelook today

For those of you on the east coast like me you probably check tarte a little before 11am (which is when sales change on hautelook) to see what upcoming goodies will launch that day. I just noticed that Tarte will be among them! While I'm not a huge fan of their eyeshadows, I do think their blushes and some of their lip products are pretty decent.

I don't know what the prices will look like or if it'll be a case of on sale items from the site being featured in the hautelook sale, but it's worth a peek if you've been interested in trying them or adding to your collection in my opinion. I would say snatch up the Tarte Amazonian clay blushes (I like Tipsy, Dollface, and Natural Beauty off the top of my head best) and if you can get any lippies (pencils or tubes) you'll like be pleased.

You can access the sale HERE (affiliate link).

If you grab anything let me know how you like it! I'm gonna poke through myself as well. I'll be sure to share if I grab anything.