Eye Kandii Gel Blush review

A little over a month ago, I placed an order for some gel blushes through Eye Kandii Cosmetics on Etsy.

They finally arrived yesterday, and they're pretty: 

They are a nice size....

....and came full to the brim.

Left, Summer Lovin' and right, Scandalous 

Swatched out:

 From the bottom up: Scandalous (regular), Scandalous (blended), Summer Lovin' (regular), Summer Lovin' (blended)

And they very appropriately label it saying, "Only a tiny amount is needed to achieve stunning result"....this stuff is POTENT. Seriously, only a tiny tiny little bit is needed to give a lovely glow.

My favorite between the two is Summer Lovin, which has a really pretty deep mauve-y pink color with the slightest shimmery bronze to it. Scandalous is pretty too, but more of a one-dimensional color, a bright bright pink that can blend out nicely if you're careful with it.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchases. Have to say, as far as Etsy sellers go, I wasn't super impressed with Eye Kandii's owner. It took almost 6 weeks for my package to arrive from Canada, and when I wrote the seller asking for a tracking number she didn't provide one. But, the products are lovely and at $5 a pop the price is right. If you've got more patience than I do to wait for a product, these gel blushes are really pretty!

Regrets/Replacements: Hair Volumizing Product

Throughout my journey to greener products, I've only really been disappointed in a couple of categories  of products. One, I can't seem to find a mascara that doesn't flake, doesn't smear, and doesn't burn my eyes. Two, I had the hardest time finding hair products that won't make my thin but full hair greasy, limp, or straw-like.

Since I really loved everything I tried from Andalou Naturals, I decided to give their Full Volume Spray a whirl. Disappointment. Made my hair look greasy and any volumizing benefit died by the time I drove 3 miles to work.

Fortunately, I recently found something I like much better! 

Pump Up the Volume by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

The Giovanni Root 66 Max Volume Directional Root Lifting Spray really delivers. You just quickly spray it at your roots while your hair is damp, then style as usual. I've found that it has provided nice, lasting lift to my hair. It does make it feel a little drier than usual, but it doesn't look dry. You do have to be careful not to overdo it, because your hair can start feeling grungy,  but if you use it sparingly it does a bang-up job! I've found it for $4.98 so it's very cost-effective, too :)

Mix and Match: Green Leather Skirt

Yep, you read that right. It's a green (faux) leather skirt, and I don't hate it. In fact, I love it so much I ordered it today.

I always know that a clothing item really tugs at my heartstrings when I can't stop thinking of new ways I'd incorporate it into my existing wardrobe (same thing happened a few months ago with a dress that inspired this post, and I still wear that dress way more than I probably should!). When I found myself doing just that with this pleather skirt, I decided to pull the trigger on it and provide you all with proof that brightly colored leather does not always have to be hideous.

See? Keep scrolling for more outfit inspiration :)

Green Leather Skirt 4 Ways by mjchirpich-1 featuring converse shoes

The Breakdown:

Green Leather Runs Some Errands:

Running Errands: Green Leather Skirt by mjchirpich-1 featuring snap bracelets

Confession: I own this shirt, and plan to wear it with my skirt ASAP. Mostly because it's insanely comfortable, but also because I have lots of home state pride.

Confession #2: I think that Chucks make any old outfit 10x cuter.

Confession #3: I want to bring backpacks back as a socially acceptable form of carrying your junk.

Confession #4: I put these bracelets on my Etsy wishlist...

Green Leather Goes a'Brunching:

Brunch date with your besties by mjchirpich-1 featuring flower bags

Ok I personally never really get dressed up for brunch with friends, mostly because I only ever go to brunch with friends when we are all too hungover to make food ourselves. But if I ever become a less trashy version of myself, this is what I'll want to wear. I'm in love with those bow wedges!

Green Leather Goes to Class:

Heading to class: green leather skirt by mjchirpich-1 featuring a stacked heel

Ok another confession: In college/grad school, I was 100% that bipolar student who would show up really cute one day and all grubby and nasty the next day. If I ever become a student again, this is how I'll wear this skirt on a good day :)

Green Leather Doing Whatever the Preppy Kids Do These Days:

Doing what prepsters do: Green leather by mjchirpich-1 featuring a leather shoulder bag

I am not, nor have I ever been, a preppy person. And yes, I realize it's incredibly cliche and stereotypic to include 3 Kate Spade items in a 'preppy' outfit. But look how 'country club' green leather can be!


EDIT 2-27-13: My skirt arrived and I loooooove it. I actually wore it out to the bars/dancing with friends the day after I got it. I have a 27-inch waist and the size medium fit well, FYI. And I ended up wearing a very similar outfit to the one with the striped shirt! So cute :)


For a few other cute ways to style this skirt, see this post by Bethany of B Soup!

Looooove the heels! Those poms are so cute :)

Green plays nicely with grey!

Prepster-chic!

For more photos and outfit sources for the three above photos, please check out Bethany's cute blog!

For your own little slice of pleather heaven, visit LuLu's--the skirt can be found here.

So have I convinced you that green leather can actually become a closet staple??!