Review: Naturally Fresh Papaya Fusion Roll-On

Lately I've been kind of obsessed with natural deodorant, so I apologize if that is not up your alley. If it is, read on! Anyhow a few months ago, I noticed that my Crystal Essence Lavender & White Tea Roll-On (read the review here) wasn't really holding up much especially since while at work, I sit next to a small heater. Sure, I do walk with it in order to reapply periodically throughout the day, but this led me to investigate other options. I came across this YouTube review by Blue Ott Lisa and figured that I had to keep my eyes peeled for the Naturally Fresh Papaya Fusion Roll-On deodorant she mentioned.

Go figure that I found it on sale at Whole Foods. Those of you familiar with the Crystal Essence line will find a lot of similarities between the two -- just different scents. There is a lot of different varieties in the Naturally Fresh line which includes the crystal, a spray mist, and at some point I could have sworn I saw deodorant wipes (but don't quote me on that). The roll-ons come in these scents: regular (which I assume is unscented), Ocean Breeze, Lavender, Tropical Breeze, and of course, Papaya Fusion.

Ever since my days at Lush, I've alternated deodorants (whether all natural or with an antiperspirant) -- so I will always have at least two and I switch them each day. Why do I do this? Well, my body adjust very quickly to these kinds of things so in a way it keeps things different. So I am still using the Crystal Essence roll-on, just every other day.

They both are quite comparable to one another. But let me focus on the Papaya Fusion. I love the scent of it and throughout a normal day, it performs well. I do have to reapply at least twice a day, but that's fine with me. There are no real downfalls with this one, the only thing I don't like is that the bottle is transparent so I can't tell how much of it I have gotten through.

I'd honestly have to say that in comparison to the Crystal Essence (CE), both are the same. They work well, but you will have to reapply it throughout the day (you're definitely looking at reapplying it once and number increases as the heat does). The ball of the roll-on for Naturally Fresh (NF) is much larger than the CE one however it doesn't pick up as much of the liquid as CE (so CE has a smaller ball which grabs more liquid, the NF has a larger ball that doesn't pick up as much liquid). The CE bottle is transparent so you can see how much of the way you are through, and the NF doesn't have that so you'd have to shake it to figure out how much is left.

Overall, it's worth it -- especially if you're used to natural or crystal rock deodorants. If you're packing the switch to a natural deodorant from an antiperspirant then be aware that you might be a bit disappointed. These types won't last the whole day and require reapplication. The base of this deodorant is Alum (Potassium or Ammonium) and the product is propylene glycol free and paraben free.

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Product: Naturally Fresh Papaya Fusion Roll-On

Price: $3 - $10 (depending on where you find it)

Would Recommend? Yes. 

Takeaway: Definitely worth it as it is comparable to Crystal Essence's roll-ons. You will likely need to reapply throughout the day but that seems almost typical of a natural deodorant. Great scents and a good selection as well.

Review & Comparison of Eyeshadows: Kat Von D's Beethoven and Tokidoki's 24 Karat Arte

Today has been a bit stressful and I couldn't get around to blogging earlier in the day even though I have a bunch of things lined up to write about. Last week I got my Bare Minerals and Sephora order and then today my Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfumes arrived. So destress I'm throwing on some The Honey Wilders music and trying to focus. One of my favourites songs by them is Light of Day, but yeah, go check them out because they are awesome. To the Sephora haul!

Let's make something clear though. I do not intend to post about my hauls however I kind of have to in order to talk about the comparison in eye shadows. Also, this might be a bit long cause I really got carried away with the pictures.

Kat Von D's Beethoven palette is no stranger to my collection. I fell in love with it way back... oh, about 4 years ago. It was one of the more pigmented palettes so I just had to have it. And I still love it (though I do plan to give other brands a shot). It was time to restock and so getting the palette was no real dilemma. My favourite colour which I wish they would sell separately or in a pan is Lucifer which is a matte charcoal black.

For purposes of trying something new, I decided to spring for the Tokidoki Arte palette in 24 Karat. (Which is amazingly now sold out online through Sephora and is going for $20 on eBay). Now obviously there's going to be a huge difference between testing Kat Von D's palette with Tokidoki's -- given the sheer size. Beethoven has 8 eyeshadows whereas 24 Karat Arte has 4 (and a blush). But there is a clear winner. Let's talk about packaging first.

Tokidoki Arte Palette - 24 Karat

The 24 Karat palette is quick and convenient because it's kind of on the go; wrapped in a plastic casing, you peel it off to flip it open and you've got your makeup all ready in the palm of your hand. The Beethoven palette is something to be enjoyed though as the packaging is thoughtful. The box itself opens in a smooth like motion to reveal a wrapped palette inside complete with the KVD sticker. The Beethoven palette is black with the outline of roses  and if you're a sucker for packagaing (like myself) then you will be sold on this alone. But of course, given the 24 Karat's nature or desire to be on the go, you have the typical Tokidoki illustrations on the front. They are both lovely for different reasons.

As for the eyeshadows, obviously they don't entirely align with one another so forgive the variety of comparisons that will occur from this point on. Right off the bat, there's a a blue, black, and silver to compare. There is no white in the Beethoven palette though I imagine you can get away with using Tequila which is a metallic cornsilk shimmer (the fourth one from the left).

Kat Von D True Romance - Beethoven

Blue: I have no control eyeshadow to make sure I wasn't biased. While they both appeared quite pigmented, it seems at though 24 Karat has a bit of opacity to it. I'd opt for Beethoven's Speed Blue for that high pigmentation.

Black: Must I say it? Beethoven's Lucifer comes in quite solid. Although I admit, it doesn't appear in the swatch test below -- instead as a test I checked it against Sonia Kashuk's Cocktail Hour black and L'Oreal Studio Secrets Singles in Lush Raven. I love the black in the KVD palette that I will clutch lovingly to it forever. Well, maybe not. But it has been the best I've used so far.

Blue (left), first stroke is KVD and the second is Tokidoki.
Black (center): first stroke is L'Oreal, second is
Tokidoki, & the third is Sonia Kashuk.
Silver (right): first stroke is Tokidoki and the second is
Sonia Kashuk.

Silver: Again, not pictured below but I'm pretty sure you didn't even see it on my skin. While the 24 Karat palette picks up a lot of glitter and magically places them about -- you can't really see it. In comparison is the Sonia Kashuk's Cocktail Hour in silver. You can see the glitter of the 24 Karat but that's it. KVD wins this round with Razor Gray.

Left is Bobbi Brown, center is Tokidoki, and the right is
Illamasqua.

Blush: To be fair, I had to test against what I know. I wear Bobbi Brown everyday (my aim is to hit the pan) and in reserve I have the Illamasqua in Hussy (and if you missed it, I did a review on the both of them called "Rosy Cheeks").

My arms a bit darker than my face or something like that so swatching on my arms doesn't always translate to how it will look. So if you look at the image, you'll notice how barely noticeable Bobbi Brown and Tokidoki are. Illamasqua just barely stands out (but trust me, it shows on my face).

I did try the Tokidoki blush out but it vanished pretty quickly. It also comes out much lighter than the Bobbi Brown but has a bit more shimmer to it.

So very sadly, as much as I love some Tokidoki products, the 24 Karat Arte Palette just did not cut it. And for some reason my love for the KVD Beethoven goes on and slowly ferments like a good wine.

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Product: Kat Von D True Romance - Beethoven
Price: $34
Would Recommend? Yes.
Takeaway: Great palette with a bit of versatility to it -- I did not review the lighter shades or the purples, but they are great. The black eyeshadow in this palette has long been a staple of mine and continues to trump all. (Fandom glee is over now).

Product: Tokidoki Arte Palette - 24 Karat
Price: $10
Would Recommend? No.
Takeaway: I love Tokidoki for their eyeliners (yes, I know I didn't touch upon that in this review but it beats KVD's liquid liners) so I thought this palette would be convenient. The problem is that pigmentation wise, it just doesn't hold up -- not the eyeshadows or the blush. It's probably better to pass.

A Comparison of Brushes

During my e.l.f. haul, I decided to get the Studio line brushes as well as the kabuki face brush, angled eyeliner brush, and the retractable lip brush. I haven't tried them all yet but I will post reviews when I finally make my way through them. I have used the kabuki and the blush brush so I'll be comparing them to brushes that I love (they will be marked with a heart)

Foundation Brushes

• EcoTools Finishing Brush (part of the Alicia Silverstone line) ♥

• e.l.f. Studio Kabuki Face Brush

Pardon the EcoTools brush that hasn't been cleaned yet. >_< Well, I love this brush as I've probably mentioned in previous posts. One of my favourite techniques is stippling and this is the brush to pull it off. So how does thee.l.f. kabuki compare? 

Pretty darn well, I must say. It applies the makeup flawlessly, provides great coverage, and is super soft. The small kabuki works well and is great for it's value but there is a drawback and that is the shedding. It mostly shed (a lot) during washes however it did not shed on my makeup and on my face. So while shedding may be a concern, it won't shake loose unless you're washing it with soap and water. It holds it's shape and maintains softness -- I've washed the kabuki about three times now and I'm still quite satisfied with it. 

Angled Blush Brushes

Now I would compare the e.l.f. blush brush to the EcoTools blush brush but that isn't fair as both EcoTools blush brushes that I have happen to have the dome top rather than being angled. Although the e.l.f. website shows a blush brush that has a dome appearance, it's actually slanted so it wouldn't be fair unless I stacked it against another slanted brush. But that is something to keep in mind when you're ordering these brushes.

• Sephora I.T. Angled Natural Blush Brush ♥

• e.l.f. Studio Blush Brush

I am loving the Sephora Angled brush since it applies my blush with such precision. I've been using it for about two months now and I love the long handle, soft bristles, and well, I honestly have no qualms with this brush.

The e.l.f. Blush brush is fantastic compared to the Sephora brush. Sure, the handle is a bit shorter, but it is also quite soft, has never shed, and delivers the same precision that the Sephora brush does. This one is quite impressive so naturally I highly recommend it.

Update: If you read my post "Major Players: Brushes", I've since gotten rid of the Sonia Kashuk Highlighting Brush and the Ulta retractable kabuki.

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Product: e.l.f. Studio Kabuki Face Brush
Price: $6
Would Recommend? Yes.
Takeaway: It sheds a bit (when washed) but holds up very well. Provides great coverage and remains soft. Overall, you can't go wrong with this one.

Product: e.l.f. Studio Blush Brush
Price: $3
Would Recommend? Yes
Takeaway: Soft bristles and applies with precision. Doesn't shed either which is great.

Rosy Cheeks

One of the things I love about going to a makeup counter (or Sephora or a brand's respective store) is getting other people's opinions. It's one thing play around with the makeup and try to make informed choices and it's another to say to someone, "This is what I want, what do you think would work?" This works especially well at a makeup counter since they know their product whereas I don't.

Where is this going? Well, a few years ago I went to the Bobbi Brown makeup counter and got help with a new blush. After talking it over with the consultant, I made the jump from a darker blush (that you could barely see on me) to the Bobbi Brown Blush in Nectar. Now mind you, this was a huge jump in colour for me. The blush I used before was a deep plum colour and I was putting it on very lightly. I made this jump to a bright rosy coral which was all kinds of new.

It's been two years and I've grown to love how it lightly but brilliantly accentuates the apples of my cheek. I figured it was time to try something a bit bolder. Illamasqua's Powder Blusher in Hussy.

Illamasqua's blush is on the left and the Bobbi Brown blush is on the right. It's not exactly the best comparison since the Illamasqua is on an eye shading brush and the Bobbi Brown is on a concealer brush. 

Anyhow the point of this was to show just how much powder you pick up with the Illamasqua. This was after one swipe because it picks up a lot and it's highly pigmented so you have to be careful when using it.

The Bobbi Brown... well, it took about 2-3 swipes to get a lot on the brush to have a good comparison. The point of this is a bit two-fold: the Illamasqua is highly pigmented to a little goes a long way whereas the Bobbi Brown is a bit on the lighter side. Still, the Bobbi Brown is very pigmented and don't forget that.

Left is the Illamasqua and on the right is Bobbi Brown.

Today I tried the Illamasqua out and very nearly made the mistake of putting on too much this morning. I managed to even it out and loved how it looked all day. It remained as bright and beautiful as when I first put it on this morning which means that it's on the same level as my Bobbi Brown blush.

Both of them are pretty amazing but they are definitely great for their own purposes. The Bobbi Brown is fantastic for everyday because it goes on light and you can slowly build up the colour. Due to that, it has a very natural look.

The Illamasqua is dramatic and has quite a bit of flair on it. It's buildable, but I wouldn't suggest doing so since it's so pigmented. It really does pop so I can imagine using it for those special occasions or if I just want to appear a little bit more lively.

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Product: Bobbi Brown Blush, Nectar

Price: $24

Would Recommend? Yes

Takeaway: Long lasting, great pigmentation, and so very natural looking.

Product: Illamasqua Powder Blusher, Hussy

Price: $24

Would Recommend? Yes

Takeaway: Long lasting, highly pigmented, and great for a dramatic look.

Comparison of the Five Days of Mascara

Over the course of the five days of mascara, I realized that perhaps I didn't know what I was looking for in a mascara. Mostly because my go-to mascara had it all. To review, the five mascaras I tried out were:

• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes!
• Lancôme HYPNÔSE Doll Lashes
• L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes Mascara
• Tarina Tarantino Fleur De Lash
• Estée Lauder Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara

If I had to rank them based on how they worked out for me it would be as follows:

1. Lights, Camera, Lashes! (LCL)
2. Voluminous False Lashes (VFL)
3. Doll Lashes
4. Fleur De Lash (FDL) & Projectionist

Get to know those acronyms because the names alone are a lot to type. :) LCL might be a little bit better than VFL because it lengths and volumizes -- it extends the natural curl a bit. The only catch is that it doesn't thicken  which is something I enjoy about mascara. The other thing is that LCL beats out VFL edgewise because it lasts throughout the day. LCL can be a bit clumpy as well, but on the other hand the VFL was a tiny bit flaky. LCL requires a slight touch-up throughout the day in order to continue to hold the curl and volumize which is the exact same for VFL. But as I already mentioned, LCL thickens and gives a nice dark appearance which is fantastic if you're going for a darker look (or a cat eye).

FDL and Projectionist are almost exactly the same except there was a key difference. First let's cover the basics. Both create a widened eye (let's call it "whimsy" for fun) sort of look. Each lash will be properly defined but they will not volumize. Furthermore they will not lengthen. This means that they don't do anything at all. The FDL will slowly disappear without any kind of residue if you don't touch it up throughout the day. This means that means you won't have much to build upon (if it even works for you in the first place). With the Projectionist, the look was gone by the end of the day but the residue remained. Whimsy look gone, but there was definitely still mascara coated on my lashes. I'd recommend skipping both of them.

Doll Lashes. Well, I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately it is only marginally higher than FDL and Projectionist. It did separate each lash and it did darken my lashes just a little, which is much more than FDL or Projectionist did. But that was it. You should probably skip this one too.

So the bright side is that I know what I have to compare all other mascaras to. LCL and/or VFL. I highly recommend them both. That is till another mascara comes along. o_O

A Comparison of Colour Eyeliners

A midst my attempt to clear out and consolidate my makeup, I happened to find quite a few eyeliners (okay, not that many) lying around. In colours. o_O (In case we haven't established this, I love black eyeliner however it has been a personal quest to pull of teal or plum eyeliner). Unfortunately the selection was somewhat limited the Ulta Kohl Eye Liner Pencils and e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Liners.  Nonetheless, here are some images that illustrate fun with swatches.

I apologize for the messiness in the last image (Revlon Beyond Natural Primer) because it was somewhat shaky (and I was trying to do it with my left hand). Also a reminder from yesterday, e.l.f.'s primer gives me a chalky appearance (which explains why the panel in the center looks lighter).

From top to bottom:

1. e.l.f. in Plum
2. Ulta in Moss
3. e.l.f. in Midnight
4. e.l.f. in Gilded
5. Ulta in Black/Brown
6. e.l.f. in Ash

Let's get the obvious out of the way. I used e.l.f. in Ash just yesterday in which it appeared black (and has always appeared black) and today it looks like a blend of gray and navy. I played with a couple times and couldn't figure that out. So that might be concerning if a colour just opts to change.

Okay so, still the same observations that I had with the black eyeliners and that is that the primers do very little. Sure, they are not the greatest photos however take a look at the image below. (The left is on top of the Revlon primer, the center is without primer, and the right is with the e.l.f. primer).

Left is with the Revlon primer, center is without any primer,
and the right is with elf's primer.

With all of the e.l.f. liners, they became much harder to apply with the primer. I really struggled to get them on. Add to that that with a normal primer, they don't do so well.

With some of the e.l.f. liners, you can see that while used with an e.l.f. primer, the colour improves a bit. But really the majority of them look fine without a primer.

Of all of them though, the most impressive has been the Ulta pencil in Moss. That second row that is green? Amazing. The Ulta pencil in Black/brown is also somewhat good -- but note that on the far left of the image, it becomes a bit light and that was on a standard primer.

So yeah, maybe you want to skip the primer on the e.l.f. liners.

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Product: e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Liners
Price: $1 (each)
Would Recommend? No
Takeaway: They've got a decent colour to them but for me, they aren't long lasting. They also do not pair well with primers that are not in the same brand. They do pair well with their own eyelid primer, but it leaves a chalky appearance.

Product: Ulta Kohl Eye Liner Pencils
Price: $7 (each)
Would Recommend? Depends on the colour.
Takeaway: For some shades (like the green) you get a strong colour that lasts. For some (like the brown) it depends on the primer if you'll get a strong colour or not.

A Collection of Black Pencil Eyeliners

I am the biggest sucker for the cat eye look and I have been for years. Unfortunately this also means that I end up racking up quite a few black eyeliners -- some that work and some that fail miserably. Later on I'll go over my extensive cat eye routine (which still needs work). However tonight as I was searching for lip liners, I noticed a few more black eyeliners that were hiding in my train case. 

I couldn't remember why they were shunned though it was very likely due to the fact that I moved and didn't get my makeup kit right away so I had to replace things. But that gave me the idea to try a few of them (just swatches). I ended up finding out some interesting things not just about the eyeliners in question but also my eyelid primer. ಠ_ಠ

But first, just to get this out of the way -- the pencil eyeliner that I use for my cat eye look is the Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Midnight Black. I also use a liquid and/or cream eyeliner but I'll get into that another time. It's highly pigmented and easy to control which is exactly what I need when my brushes aren't doing their job).

Onto the four black pencil eyeliners that I found!

Yeah. So the first thing I learned in this experiment? e.l.f. Essential Eyelid Primer in Nude is not for me. That is the reason behind the ashy appearance in the photo -- and yes, I slathered it on my wrist to prove it. So I can add that to my donation bin.

Moving on!

The top row is the liners on the e.l.f. primer whereas the bottom one is without the primer. From left to right:

1. e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Liner in Ash
2. Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in Jet Black #061
3. stila convertible eye color in Onyx
4. Wet 'n' Wild Kohl Kajal Brow/Eyeliner Pencil, Black #651

Overall remarks is that with the primer, all of them except for the stila were actually harder to put on. They have a sleek and smooth look to them but three of the four were I had to really press down to get the colour. Which is fine for my hand but I wouldn't want to do that near my waterline.

The interesting observations range. For the e.l.f. eyeliner it's actually gray -- not black (which I know) but without a primer, it goes on black. A bit on the light side, but still could pass for a black. When I tried it on, I quickly remembered what the downfall was and that was that it was not long lasting for me. Now with the primer, the real colour comes out which is a gray.

The Rimmel is okay but it feels too messy for some reason. I'm going to try a cat eye with it in the future to see how it actually holds up. To be completely honest though, when compared to the stila, it fails -- but but it next to e.l.f. or the Wet 'n' Wild it looks amazing. (You can grab this liner at Ulta for $3.19).

The stila looks perfect except that I've used it on the cat eye look, particularly for the triangle and I've seen it vanish in an 8 hour day. I love how smooth and pigmented it is, but that fades and it cannot hold the look. It also couldn't hold up decently on my waterline. Thus this would be great for the eyelid but not the waterline or not if you wanted something defined (like the corner flick of a cat eye).

The Wet 'n' Wild is... well, it looks bad and I'm sure that I wouldn't want to experiment with day looks with it because it's not very pigmented.

After I narrow down the hunt for the mascara, I will probably begin messing around with the eyeliners to see how well they hold up. So perhaps they will make it into the rotation.

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Product: e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Liner in Ash
Price: $1
Would Recommend? No
Takeaway: Tends to fade so it's not long lasting. Primer seems to brought out it's actual colour of gray which is weird because when it's applied without a primer it comes off as black.

Product: stila convertible eye color in Onyx
Price: $22
Would Recommend? Yes, with caution though.
Takeaway: Great for your eyelid but will not hold up on your waterline. It may also get messy so if you're aiming for something with definition, this probably isn't the liner to use.

Product: Wet 'n' Wild Kohl Kajal Brow/Eyeliner Pencil, Black #651
Price: $0.99-$5 (Depends on where you find it).
Would Recommend? No.
Takeaway: Not as pigmented as the others and given that, it looks more like a dark gray than a black.

The Red Ladies

Don't mind the wear and tear on these gals, they have been knocking around my makeup bags for quite a bit.

From left to right:
1. Nuance by Salma Hayek Color Vibrance in Paprika
2. L'Oreal Colour Riche in Penelope's Red 320
3. MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense in Moulin Rouge #43
4. Revlon Absolutely Fabulous in Vixen #59

A while ago I did a comparison of the last three with a simple everyday look (and by everyday I mean cat eyes and red lips, so make of that what you will). Penelope's Red while nice, was too light and felt too orange while the Moulin Rouge was bright and cheery but not something I could pull off everyday. Vixen was and still always is very dark, which is great for an evening look, but not for everyday wear. When I came across the Paprika tube, I was very happy with it and it is my standard everyday lipstick. (Well, not everyday, but I could definitely pull it off during the day).

Click here for a picture of the 4 lined up.

Excuse the lighting but you can probably notice some differences emerging with the four. The Revlon (Vixen) is only there as a mark for a dark red. Below you can see how the four hold up on my skin though. Nuance (Paprika) is still striking as a light red, but still there and refined. The L'Oreal (Penelope's Red) is somewhat of a mess and I think it's fair to note here that the common red lip liners are a slight disaster when paired with this lipstick. The MUFE (Moulin Rouge) just pops magnificently and the Revlon (Vixen) is my favourite lipstick for when I feel piratey. 

I already knew that in order to wear Penelope's Red that I need to find another lip liner, which I haven't done just yet. With Paprika and Moulin Rouge, I can get away with using e.l.f. Essential Feather Proof Moisturizing Lip Liner in Bitter.

As I play around with different variations, I'm sure I'll find a better way of using Penelope's Red and even Moulin Rouge. (I'm not at that point where I can wear it to work just yet). And perhaps one day I will let go of the coveted Vixen though I will admit it's fantastic for Halloween.

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Product: Nuance by Salma Hayek Color Vibrance in Paprika
Price: $9.99
Would Recommend? Yes
Takeaway: I love it because it's just the right colour and gives great coverage. Last throughout the day though you will need to touch it up here and there. Great for an everyday look. 

Product: L'Oreal Colour Riche in Penelope's Red 320 

Price:  Approximately $8.00 depending on where you find it.

Would Recommend? No

Takeaway: Not very pigmented and thus doesn't have a good coverage. Ends up seeming too light and requires a matching lip liner to really bring out the colour. 

Product: MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense in Moulin Rouge #43
Price: $19.00
Would Recommend? Yes
Takeaway: This is an intense red which has great coverage and great pigmentation which is fantastic. This one is vibrant but beautiful.

Product: Revlon Absolutely Fabulous in Vixen #59
Price: $5.99
Would Recommend? Depends on the look.
Takeaway: Great for an evening wear or even for Halloween as it's very much on the dark side.