Launch: ColourPop Mulan Collection

[Official ColourPop Email Promo]

Tomorrow, March 19-2020, ColourPop will launch it's Mulan collection in partner with the new live action film coming out by Disney. The movie was slated to come to theaters March-27, but due to COVID-19 and the shutdown of most movie theaters in America, Disney has since released a statement that the release date has been pushed back. That date is TBA, currently.

However, it looks like ColourPop is not going to hold back their launch and why should they? The movie is still going to come out, eventually, and shipping services are still active.

As always, the collection will launch at 10:00am PST online on their website: http://www.colourpop.com and will be a first come, first serve.

[Official Promo Image from ColourPop's Instagram]

The collection includes (see picture above):

• An eyeshadow palette that's a red-based neutral. The name is just "Mulan". 15 shades of mattes & shimmers. $22
• 2 powder blushes: "Matchmaker" & "Goodluck Charm". Both have a light gold pearl shimmer in them and are neutral warms. $12/each
• 1 Creme Lux Lipstick (regular lipstick): "Hua Mulan". $9
• 1 Lux Gloss (lipgloss): "Phoenix" which is a peachy-gold. $9
• 1 Lux Velvet Liquid Lipstick: "Strong Chi" which is red. $9

The collection also includes 2 DEBUTING products from ColourPop's sister brand: Fourth Ray.

• A gold lip mask (no name was given).
• Jasmine Face Milk that looks to arrive in a special limited edition Mulan bottle.

The full collection will be sold for $81. If you want the fancy PR box it's an extra $10, for a total of $99. The face bundle will be $17 and the lip trio will be $25.

My personal thoughts

I'm not overly excited about this collection. Yes, the packaging looks nice and has received very positive reviews, but I stopped buying make-up for the packaging a long time ago. Most of the time the art on the packaging is literally only on the actual box the product comes in, which I recycle asap, because who has room to store tiny, empty boxes? What little, if there is, any design on the actual products usually wears off in a month or less, because I am on-the-go so much. It's just not practical to me for so many reasons- storage, financially, waste.

For those in my life who will say: But you're Asian! Support! -Well, ColourPop is not an Asian company, so you're not really supporting the Asian community here. This is simply a matter of: do you want the make-up or not.

The only products I can see myself buying are the blushes. They will look good on my skintone and be good for spring, summer, and even into the warm fall we have in California. Plus, I am kind of in-need of blushes; my most recent trip led me to discovery this! And I do want the liquid lipstick, but do I really need another red liquid lipstick after I just bought 2?

The 1 thing I am curious about is the Jasmine Face Milk. I love Fourth Ray Face Milks and their White Tea is amazing! But having tried about 80% of them, I can tell you their not all made for everyone and there is very little information released on this Jasmine one, so I'll have to wait and see if it's something I even want.

General Statements

ColourPop has delivered on packaging as they always do with their Disney collabs. Honestly, I am really glad they have been gettting all the Disney licensing the last few years, because they just keep getting better and better! ColourPop quality is good too, so you really don't have to worry about that. The question is: Do you need more red? Do you need more neutral? - If reds and/or neutrals are your thing then go for it! This is for you! If you already have these or similar, there really isn't much special about these particular colors, in my opinion, so save your money if you have dupes. This collection reminds me of a lighter version of their Valentine's Day collection, and with back-to-back liquid red lipsticks being released by them (remember their Lunar New Year collection had 3 of them that all looked the same) it seems likely that this collection will sell more for nostalgia than anything else.

I personally will probably not buy anything on launch day, but rather wait until it gets a little discount as most ColourPop does. I really don't think this collection will sell out instantly like the Sailor Moon did or even as fast the Frozen 2 did. My only guess is the PR collection box will go within less than a week to collectors and maybe the lipsticks will sell out for packaging reasons, but the rest will probably be around for a while. The Jasmine Face Milk will also probably be permanent, but just won't have the Mulan bottle in the future, so no need to rush for that if the bottle isn't special to you. I will definitely be awaiting reviews and results on that though!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you're going to pick anything up!

***Also, this article is being double posted on a new blog site that I'm testing out called HubPages. I would appreciate you checking out the article there too and letting me know if this format works better for you. I may be moving the blog completely to that site.

All photos are copyrighted and belong to ColourPop. They are used for reference only and I do not take ownership in any way.

Review: Wish App

First, let me tell say, I'm sorry for my absence this year, but part of the "new Beauty in the details" was not stressing about always uploading and reviewing the latest. I want this blog to be more personal and more helpful. My 2017 has been pretty hectic until now.

The other thing I want to address is the missing images. I was using PhotoBucket to host my photos. Recently, they decided to make all posting options into paid plans, even those that are not 3rd party hosting. Of course, blogs are considered 3rd party hosting and it costs $400 a year to do so. I will be working as hard as I can to update the posts and get the pictures back up with the posts. Please, be patient with me though!

Now onto the actual review! So, recently I was introduced to the Wish App. For those of you that may not know what it is or maybe not know much, I'll give a brief overview- Wish is an app that has to be downloaded on a phone or tablet. It's similar to Ali-Express, if you're familiar with that. The products range from clothing and jewelry, to hair accessories and make-up, and also everything in between. The items are suppose to be low cost and "unique". I had heard horror stories from people using this app. People had said their items never arrived, they received damaged items, or that the items were nothing like described, and some of the items were so cheaply made they were unusable. So, I had just avoided the app altogether, until one night at work when a friend had a necklace on and I told her it was really cute. Her response was, "Thanks! I got it off the Wish App!". I was kind of shocked by that. She then proceeded to show me her hair tie that had a crow shaped skull and it was also from the Wish App. She told me that she shops on there quite often. So, I decided to download it and give it a try. I spent the next couple of hours surfing on this app. Yes, it's a nice time consumer. Like I said before, it has so many different products.

The Wish App offers some deep discontinued items on a first purchase and I choose a ring. The ring actually arrived in good time. Another downfall to the Wish App is that it all ships from Asia, usually China, and takes a long time to arrive. This is another aspect of horror that I was told before I ever downloaded the app. The app is honest about the time frames though. I purchased the ring late at night on October 1, 2017 and it arrive October 11, 2017. Now, that's actually pretty good timing. It arrived in the plastic container in the picture. Nothing fancy, but I didn't expect much in presentation as I only paid $1 for shipping. There is also no tax charged on the Wish App.

The ring was described as "Sterling Silver" with a "natural Sapphire gemstones". I'm not a stone expert, so whether this is real or not, I have no idea! I can tell you that Sapphires do indeed come in pink shades. I did have people immeditely tell me this ring wasn't real "because Sapphires are only blue", which is false! Sapphires can also come in "white" or diamond-like hues, so it is possible the ring is actually sporting real stones. If they are real then I'm sure they're not the best quality, but I feel that the ring looks gorgeous! For a $1, I can't complain.

The ring is true to size. I wear a 5.5, but there were no half sizes. I went with a 6 and it fits better on my middle finger than my ring finger. I have big knuckles, as pictured, and I struggle with getting jewelry over them.

Overall, I would say the Wish App is fun, but it's not the best shopping tool ever. There are some really cool and unique things on there, but then again there are also some really poor quality things too. I have since purchased other things and will review them later. I wanted to get my initial purchase out there. I really do recommend browsing around and if you happen to stumble on something that is a good price and unique, I would definitely say to buy it. Just remember that you need to have the time to wait for it! If you need the product in 2 weeks, Wish is not going to help you! Even though products typically tend to arrive earlier than stated, they still give about a month and half for delivery.

I would now like to offer some advice to anyone who is new to the Wish App. These are things I wish I had known before:

• Do NOT buy the initial offer! I was excited when I first launched the app and saw that I was being offered these highly discounted items. Well, first of all, if you choose one of these 8 or 10 items they first offer then that's considered a "first purchase" and the bigger discounts on something that you really want can't be used. Instead, find someone who already has the app or Google search for codes and there are 50%-80% off first purchases. If using a code from another user, they will get 50% off as well, so that's helping them out too! Again, the first purchase codes cannot be used if you buy one of those items initially offered. I recommend just skipping that introduction offer. The other aspect to keep in mind, is that you're really not saving that much on these intro offers. I really only saved about $1.70 on that ring.
• Shop around! If there is something that catches your eye, chances are that other sellers have it for less. I mentioned that I made other purchases. One of them happened to be some pillowcases. I have found them offered for as much as $8 and as low as $2. It can take a bit of time to search for a lower price, but it's often worth it. For example, the first time I encountered those pillowcases they were at a shop for $4 a piece. Shopping around gave me $2 off per pillowcase.
• Get in on a group buy if you can! When you click on an item it will tell you underneath the pictures what the group price is. There are 2 methods to this: 1. If you're the first person to buy then Wish will give you a rebate for the price difference. This means that you pay the full price for the item and if another person buys the same product from the same supplier then a rebate or basically shop credit will be awarded for use on a future purchase. - 2. If someone has already purchased the item then you just pay the group price. No rebate/shop credit is given, but the cost will initially be less. It's still worth it to me to try either way. Saving money is saving money. I've only once had an item I bought that no one else purchased. Always worth a try in my opinion.
• Wait. There isn't always a need to buy something right away. Wait on it. I have literally left things in my cart and have been offered lower prices. "Lists" of items can be made and often the price will go down on them, and you'll receive a notification about the price difference. In general, prices tend to change too. For example, I really wanted these Disney stickers. Initially they were $13 a box, now they can be found for as little as a $1 for the same ones.
• Don't fall for the "free" product trick. A lot of times Wish will advertise that the product is "free" and "only pay shipping". Well, the issue with that is the product usually ends up being more than if the product wasn't "free". Shipping is usually more for these products and most of the discount codes offered do not work on shipping costs.
• Reviews help. If you're ever unsure if a product is good or not, read the reviews! People can post pictures of the products too, so scroll to find them! Also, it's helpful if you make reviews yourself. You also get reward points for writing a review and additional points for posting a picture of the product.
• Save your points! 100 points will be rewarded for every purchase made after it ships. Additionally, points are rewarded for reviews and posting product pictures. Currently, 300 points is the max amount for the highest reward tier. 300 points = 15% off. 100 = 5% and 200 = 10%. Why not get the most offered?
• Use the Deal Dash, but don't take it too seriously. The Deal Dash is a wheel that can be spun once a day and gives a 15 minute window to purchase products that are supposedly the best price. It's a cool way to discover new products that may interest you, but they're not always the lowest price. I have noticed that the products offered in the Deal Dash tend to be highly reviewed though.
• Remember: Not everything is cheaper on Wish. I have found products cheaper that are the same or similar on eBay and Amazon. Wish has name brand products and licensed products, but they're expensive! Just because something is on Wish, does not mean it's the lowest price out there!
• Do NOT buy make-up or topical products! I have heard so many horror stories that included pictures of allergic reactions and bad skin conditions after using beauty products bought off of Wish. Remember, the products on Wish are not necessarily regulated to American or EU standards and may not even be regulated to Chinese standards. A lot of the time ingredients are not listed either. I would never buy anything that did not fully list the ingredients. Be safe and use common sense.
• Be careful with clothing. I haven't personally bought any clothes off of Wish yet, but I have read reviews on several products. Some look decent, but a lot look cheaply made and not worth the $20 or so cost. Just be smart and make sure there are reviews. View those pictures!

2017 - New Beauty in the Details

Hello! How is 2017 treating you? The first month is almost over! I've been away for 8 months and that was due to my job. I had mentioned in older posts about such sparse entries, because of my demanding job and it only became worse as time went on. To the point that I really had no life outside of work. Around November I became sick and my final straw with that job was when I was still sick a month later in December, because I could not take time away from work! So, I quit. I have taken time to get myself, my life, my home, and my family back in order. Now, I have more free time and I'm starting to get back to my hobbies, and that includes blogging!

I've come to realize that my beauty and fashion blog need a bit of a change too. I have always enjoyed fashion and beauty as interests on a personal level and as general interest among society. However, looking back I can see that what I originally set out to do, I rather failed at, which is probably a contributing factor as to why I have been away for so long (aside from the whole job takeover!). I originally wanted to make a blog that was a bit different than the other beauty/fashion blogs out there. I didn't want to just write commentary on new and popular products, but rather set trends with whatever I may find in the world - old or new. As well as open up discussion and dialog with others about general information, discoveries, and views. Before I disappeared from the blog scene, I did regularly visit other blogs just for discussion, but I failed to do that with my own blog. So, for 2017 expect to see more "article"-type posts and less click-bait. I am by no means downing anyone who has a blog that focuses mainly on new products, I actually feel there are an abundance of blogs like that out there and are great! It's another reason why I don't need to make one of those! So many of you are doing such a great job with that. I personally am a being that is always seeking self discovery and I want to share that with you all in the fashion and beauty areas of my life. I also love finding beauty and treasures in the world that the majority do not see. I hope to bring a lot of change and positivity in 2017.

Review: ColourPop Brow Color & Brow Pencil (in Jet Set Black)

[ColourPop Brow Products]

About month ago on March-10, ColourPop Cosmetics released their first ever brow products. Obviously, before they were released I had scouted them out and gathered ever ounce of information on it via Instagram! (What can't you find on Instagram when it comes to beauty deals and beauty products?) - I was super excited to see the color range! One issue I have with any cosmetics company when it comes to brow products is the fact that they almost never release just a simple, plain black! I have pure black hair and thus my body hair is black, so it only makes sense that I would like my eyebrows to be filled in with a black color, right? - They released 2 different types of brow products: A brow pencil and a brow creme gel, which are pictured above.

[ColourPop creme gel for brows in Jet Set Black]

The creme gel formula is priced at $6 and is very pigmented. It glides on smooth and gives the brows a sleek appearance. Since this is a creme gel, it goes on a bit wet. It's definitely not runny by any means and it does stay in place, however the color can still smear or move before it sets. This is actually a good thing, because should you make a mistake it can easily be erased and if you're using more than 1 color the colors will have a chance to blend. To be honest, I have not done a minute-by-minute test, so I couldn't tell say the exact time it takes to set. All I can say is that I usually put my brows on first and then do the rest of my make-up and it set by then. I would say no more than about 5-10 minutes or so. Once it does dry down it stays all day and I have never had a problem with it running or smearing. ColourPop boasts a 10+ wear on it and I'd say I get more than 10 hours easily out of it.

[ColourPop Brow Pencil in Jet Set Black]

The pencil is $5 and comes in a skinny tube and the product is a round flat top. It is self sharpening, which I love! However, WARNING- It does not go back down once the product has been pushed up! This is a brow product, so it applies a nice and natural color to the brows. It is nicely pigmented. The pencil does set faster than the creme gel.

I ordered the products the day they came out and they arrived to me just before my recent trip to Los Angeles, California. (You can read more about my trip here.) I thought they performed well through each long day and held up nicely. Not to mention they fill my brows in perfectly! I'm a fan!

I used the gel to sharpen the outline of my eyebrows and smooth out any patches. Then I took the pencil and cleaned up the lines and filled in the brows. I think it turned out nicely and like I said before, I am a huge fan of these products!

Final Verdict

For $6 and $5 they're well worth! If you're a person who uses brow products daily, this will help your wallet a lot! It also helps if you're one to blend multiple colors together, because just two pencils is $10 and only $12 for the creme gel. I think they perform wonderfully and last through an entire day! They're well worth it and I didn't have to break the bank to get them! My only issue is that the pencil cannot go back down, but it is self-sharpening and that has been a tremendous help!

Let me know if you've tried these brow products by ColourPop and what your thoughts and opinions are!

Update: Not Moving

So, a quick update from my last post: I'm not moving now. -That's the life of the military. My husband is in the military and we were told that they needed staffing on the east side of the country. However, at the end of this week they told us they're changing priority to Alaska and so our orders to New York were cancelled. So, we'll be in California for a while longer!