Tag: cosmetics

Initio Mystic Experience Perfume Review

Initio Mystic Experience Perfume ReviewInitio Mystic Experience Perfume Review
Initio Mystic Experience Perfume Review

Initio Mystic Experience Eau de Parfum opens with sweet, mixed red fruits that became more like bitter, black coffee mixed with equally dark powdered cocoa, though there was a musky quality (possibly with a hint of amber initially) that made it less photorealistic than that description might sound. The addition of sandalwood as the amber and musk intensified led to a more animalic, somewhat fruity (but less red in quality) scent that dried down to a soft, slightly spiced and sweet, musky, woody blur.

Mystic Experience Notes

It is described as a “combination of musk and coffee.” The notes are listed as “coffee, musk, vanilla, and patchouli” by the brand, but retailers also listed sandalwood, amber, and oakmoss.

What does Mystic Experience Smell Like?

It was marked by sweet, red fruits in its first 30 seconds, which were slowly steeped in black coffee with a dusting of dark, bitter cocoa. It was no longer so fruity and was darker, deeper, and headier with a very rounded body that wasn’t a photorealistic coffee scent (which isn’t a pro or a con, merely trying to set the stage) that has a warm, nutty coffee kissed by a mix of amber and musk, slightly sweet and musky without being terribly animalic or powdery (where musk tends to go to my nose).

The sandalwood crept in, adding a smooth, woody facet underneath the amber, musk, and vanilla (with a dab of coffee more amorphous in the background) after a

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Give Me Glow Ocean Water, Break the Ice, Dark Secrets, Ice Princess, Rich Chocolate Eyeshadows Reviews & Swatches

FURTHER READING:
Formula Overview
for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

  • BH Cosmetics Club Tropicana #25 (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar).
  • ColourPop Glitch (LE, $4.50) is cooler (95% similar).
  • JD Glow Blue Avenue (P, $7.50) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
  • Glaminatrix Icicle (P, $8.04) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
  • ColourPop Peeps Blue (LE, $6.00) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
  • Sydney Grace Juggler (P, $6.25) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
  • Sydney Grace Hydra (P, $6.25) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
  • BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes #25 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
  • Lethal Cosmetics Ascension (P, $6.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
  • Huda Beauty Sapphire #9 (LE, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).

Formula Overview

$7.00/0.105 oz. – $66.67 Per Ounce

The brand offers matte and foiled finish eyeshadows, though the descriptions are largely the same: “highly pigmented,” “blendable,” and “finely milled.” The difference is with the foiled finish eyeshadows, the brand cautions to use less because they’re that pigmented and going in with a heavier hand could cause flaking.

The foiled eyeshadows are incredibly pigmented with a very smooth, creamy consistency that was dense without being too stiff or too firmly-pressed into the pan. I didn’t have any issues picking up product with a dry brush, and they also worked well with fingertips or a dampened brush an even more intense, metallic finish that was ultra-shiny.

I found this finish to be more consistent, too, and it was rare to run

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Lethal Cosmetics Galactic Goo, Signal, Input, Decibel Side FX Gel Liners Reviews & Swatches

Galactic Goo

Lethal Cosmetics Galactic Goo Side FX Gel Liner ($15.50 for 0.17 oz.) is a medium-dark emerald green with subtle, cool undertones and a pearly sheen. It had more glide and creaminess, but it was also thinner, compared to most shades in the range.

  • Nearly opaque pigmentation
  • Smooth, moderately creamy texture
  • Applied evenly with a brush
  • Long-wearing (10 hours without fading)

FURTHER READING:
Formula Overview
for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

These are likely to be very similar shades based on our duping algorithm.

Formula Overview

$15.50/0.17 oz. – $91.18 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to be “smudge- and water-proof” with “uncompromising intensity” that “does not budge.” They have a very fluid, gel-like consistency that glides readily over skin with both finer, more angled liner brushes, fine-tipped brushes, and flat, synthetic brushes (more for applying as a cream eyeshadow or base).

They were intensely pigmented and delivered even coverage that was quick to set into place. They lasted for over 10 hours with minimal fading and no visible migration when I used them on my lower lash line, though there was a bit of emphasis on skin texture from the fully set dry-down.

Browse all of our Lethal Cosmetics Side FX Gel Liner swatches.

Signal

Lethal Cosmetics Signal Side FX Gel Liner ($15.50 for 0.17 oz.) is a medium green with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish.

  • Semi-opaque, somewhat buildable pigmentation
  • Drier, firmer texture (can see how it pulled
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Bobbi Brown Soft Berry & Bahama Brown Lux Lipsticks Reviews & Swatches

Bobbi Brown Soft Berry Luxe Lipstick

Soft Berry

Bobbi Brown Soft Berry Luxe Lipstick ($40.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a light-medium, pinky-plum with moderate, warm undertones and a satin sheen.

  • Opaque pigmentation
  • Lightly creamy, lightweight, stayed in place
  • Applied evenly and smoothly
  • Long-wearing (5 hours), hydrating

Top Dupes

View All Dupes
These are the dupes the editor has pulled but not yet rated and officially entered.
  • ColourPop C’mon Sis (LE, $10.00).
  • Charlotte Tilbury Show Girl (P, $34.00).
  • Tarte Mani (LE, $20.00).
  • MAC Finally Free (LE, $19.00).
  • Tarte Island Life (P, $21.00).
  • Cle de Peau China Doll (P, $65.00).
  • Dior Terrific Matte (745) (P, $35.00).
  • YSL Prime Beige (90) (P, $38.00).
  • Revlon Rum Raisin (008) (P, $9.99).
  • NARS Dolce Vita (P, $26.00).

Ingredients

Diisostearyl Malate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Polyethylene, Octyldodecanol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Microcrystalline WaxCera MicrocristallinaCire Microcristalline, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Tribehenin, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Wax, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Gardenia Tahitensis (Tiare) Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sorbitan Isostearate, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Bht, Ascorbyl Palmitate, [+/- Mica, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 21 (Ci 45380), Red 21 Lake (Ci 45380), Copper Powder

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