Orchard Corset 12 Corsets of Christmas Sale

Evening Ghouls;
During the Christmas season Orchard Corset had a 12 Corsets of Christmas Sale. If you were signed up to their newsletter you received a new sale offer each day for the 12 days leading up until Christmas; starting on December 13th.

As many of you know by now I am a seasoned corset lover/trainer. I own multiple corsets; unfortunately not all my corsets are suitable for waist training.
Overbust corsets do not work at all for me in terms of waist training due to my larger bust and in terms of my underbust corsets that I could safely get away with "stealthing" my options are mostly limited to one, beautiful PVC leather underbust; however the PVC doesn't breathe and on hot or humid days the corset needs to come off.

I had seen the Orchard Corsets CS-411 Mesh corsets and they appeared to be the perfect solution to the hot and humid Australian summer.
A fish net panelled corset with steel boning in your choice of red, black and beige. When I first saw it the only thing stopping me from clicking the buy button was the price. Don't get me wrong the standard price isn't unaffordable, however due to saving for our house it would have to be my only purchase for one pay check and with Christmas coming up I just couldn't get away with it.
That is until I opened up Day 11 in the 12 Days of Corsets sale. The promotional picture bore CS-411 Red and Black mesh $65 (USD) despite hoping to get the CS-411 in solid black with a massive $134 USD saving I couldn't say no.  

Indoors - White Light

Outdoors - natural light

Tonight I arrived home to a package sitting neatly on the shelf beside the front door (with Brody working the night shift he leaves any mail for me there with a little note).
The corset was wrapped in beautiful white tissue paper with the Orchard Corset logo in red and a second layer of red tissue paper with a round, red sticker with the logo holding it together.
I tried to carefully open the package but stickers and tissue paper never end well so I won't put a photo of the wrappings up they look a tad shredded.
I tried the corset on instantly and was impressed but a little concerned with how easily I managed to cinch myself in. I tend to struggle with the firmer more solid materials like the PVC and get Brody to tighten them off for me so I was curious if the corset was actually reducing my waist.
I am happy to report that it help my shape perfectly.

I bought the CS-411 in a 26 inch, which I am hoping to close by the end of the year. I like taking my time with reductions, last year I closed my 28 inch corset around November. People often ask me about my waist training goals; I'd like to be able to close a 24 inch at this point but my goals are always changing so you never know.
I will wear my corset for two hours tonight and the rest of the week and weekend to make sure I season it before I trying it during my 8 hour work day on Monday.


My final review after having this on for a little while is that it is a wonderful corset. Perfect for waist training and it would be especially good for those just starting out waist training or for those who want a corset for the hotter weather like me.
Shipping was a delight, I ordered on the 22nd of December and received it just sixteen days later - with only eleven of those being standard working days.

This is a very welcome addition to my corset collection, I'll be sure to add photos of it in my corset closet once I've worn it a few times.

Night Ghouls.
Ashlee Adams.

Lime Crime Velvetines

My Collection of the Lime Crime Velvetines.

Note: I have since purchasing my last items joined onto the Boycott Lime Crime movement. I was extremely disappointed when they refused to send any more stock to their Australian stockists and straight out told me it'd be cheaper to buy directly from them. When I did the math and provided them with evidence against that fact they deleted my comment. I didn't personally have any money stolen however I was a lucky one, thousands of their customers had money stolen from, this fact in itself is not the reason I was disappointed, the fact that none of these customers were notified until four months after the incident is shocking. 
I sadly feel that I cannot promote the brand any further.

The Entire Lime Crime Collection as of October 2014

From left to right;

Cashmere, Salem, Wicked, Red Velvet, Suedeberry, Pink Velvet, Utopia, Pansy and Black Velvet.

Over-view:

The Lime Crime Velvetines, are as described by the company are liquid to matte lip stains. Each tube has a doe foot applicator. After letting the product dry they become touch proof and kiss proof however if you get the lip wet the product returns to a partially liquid state and can be transferred. Not the best if you like drinking without a straw but perfect for a night out.

The original line consisted of Red Velvet and Suedeberry, in packaging that mimicked the Carousel Glosses whimsical fair theme only in red. The packaging was changed for the second release of Black Velvet, Wicked and Salem regarded as the Clueless Witch Collection. Following these three was Pink Velvet, then Utopia and the latest releases are Cashmere and Pansy. You can still buy all the colours on the website for 20USD; please buy at your own discretion.

 



Cashmere: Lime Crime Founder Doe Deere describes this as a 'greige' not quite grey, not quite beige - their unknown love child.
On my skin tone this is a beautiful neutral colour, I find the product dries my lips out far more than any of the other colours in the range. I have very moist lips generally speaking and this shade definitely fills and defines the cracks.

Salem: A warm mahogany brown. It has a red undertone and has good formula. It is edgy but not as edgy as Black Velvet.

Wicked: A dried blood red. This is my go to shade for a night out. It's a darker more seductive
version of the standard pin up red and it glides on smoothly. 

 Red Velvet: The classic perfect pin-up red in matte. This is one of my standard go to colours for any outing. Not too orange and not too blue its just perfect.















 

Suedeberry: This is an unusual colour, definitely a hard one to describe. In person it comes off slightly neon salmon only slightly redder.

Pink Velvet: This photo doesn't really show the barbie-esque hot pink colour. However that is the colour that it is. A traditional scheme in terms of pink lipsticks.

 




Utopia: I'm not usually a fan of pink lipsticks, this magenta however is very pretty and I do find myself reaching for it every so often.

Pansy: A vibrant purple; neither too blue or too pink. I really adore this beautiful colour. Smooth and fast drying and this formula smells slightly different from the others. It appears glossy in my photo due to the flash.

 



Black Velvet: Although rather daring for some people I adore black lipstick and, nothing is better than being able to apply black lipstick in the morning and not have to worry about it smearing off 
during the day. Especially if that lipstick is matte.

GlamourDollEyes Christmas Collection

Evening Ghouls;
On Black Friday GlamourDollEyes released three Christmas Collections. Each set contained four eye shadows and was designed by a fan of the company based on three separate movies inspired by or set during Christmas.
Unfortunately most of the products in this post are limited edition and are currently (if you are reading this after the new year) or will become unavailable after December 31st.
The first collection was inspired by the movie Elf, the second Edward Scissor Hands and the third which is the collection that spoke to me the most and which I purchased (non-surprising really) Tim Burtons' The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Two days before the Black Friday Sale and the Christmas Collection releases Vee posted that there were only a few of the October OTM (Of the month) colour left available as well as a few of the limited edition colour that she had created for Notoriously Morbids 'Cabinet of curiosities'.
I had seen the sneak preview of both of these shades and definitely wanted them, they both screamed dark and beautiful. These two colours were only released on the GlamourDollEyes StoreEnvy site so I purchased them on there and left a note hoping that Vee would be able to combine shipping with the order i knew I'd be placing during the Black Friday sale. Thankfully she saw my note and was able to combine the two; international shipping is a bit of a killer and would've been a pain with orders so close together. I am happy that i didn't take the risk of waiting as both colours were sold out before the Black Friday sale.

I arrived home this evening to a package marked from the wonderful Las Vegas (That's a 12 day wait for international shipping, INSANE!) and instantly knew that there were new goodies to be played with. Vee had packaged my order in a silk purple bag, along with the Nightmare Before Christmas collection and the two limited shadows that I had ordered because my order was over ten dollars I also got the 'Gift With Purchase' shadow for November 'Poodles'

The Nightmare Before Christmas Collection is in one word 'stunning'
From left to right the four colours are;

Meant to Be:  A light shimmery beige with lavender undertones.

Jack and Sally:  A blackened purple shadow with spots of bright purple glitter.

Sandy Claws:  A medium based pure shimmery red, it doesn't lean to far orange nor too far pink.

What's This?:  A beautiful blue based purple on the lighter side of the purple spectrum but not light enough to be considered Lilac or Lavender.

 If I had to choose one 'MUST HAVE' shade from the collection, it'd be a tough choice between Jack and Sally with it's dark seductive purple shimmer and Sandy Claws with it's bright beautiful red pigmentation.

The three other shades that I received with my Christmas Collection are the limited editions that I couldn't let slip past my fingers. Especially not with names like Bat Queen and Fairy Royalty.

Bat Queen: A beautiful smashed pumpkin orange created as an Of The Month shade with the help of Victoria Donelda.

 Poodles: The Gift With Purchase for November is a beautiful cream shade bordering the thin line to baby pink packed full of shimmer.

  Fairy Royalty: A limited edition created for the Notoriously Morbid, 'cabinet of curiosities'. 

This deep shimmery gold moss forest green is gorgeous.

I also thought I'd throw in here that at the start of November Vee announced that she had created three exclusive shadows for a stockist right here in the great land of Australia. The GlamourDollEyes for Femme Fatale consisted of three shadows which I snapped up immediately. After some initial drama with the delivery service the shadows arrived and I was able to play with them.

Stealing Angels; A Beautiful pastel mid toned purple. Rather than the pink base of What's this? from the Nightmare Before Christmas collection. Stealing Angels has a beautiful blue grey base; not as dark as the twi-shadows premonition however due to lighter pigmentation and multi-coloured shimmer.

Retail Therapy;  Despite the photo coming up more blue this shade in real life has a wonderful tinge of mint green which slides the colour towards a delicate turquoise with pastel gold shimmer.

Miss 401k; A Beautiful pale shimmery light antique gold. 

It is slightly dirty gold with a yellow base in appearance, 

which just adds to the charm.

As usual there are some wonderfully unique shades that every inch of my self approve of.
I can't wait to order from the Customer Appreciation collection releasing January 12th.

Good Evening Ghouls.
Ashlee Adams.

GlamourDollEyes Halloween Collections

Good Evening Ghouls;
With Halloween only a week away and fast approaching, shops are filled with props, decorations and spooky treats and companies are promoting my favourite products the -more often than not- limited edition Halloween cosmetic lines.

Usually I have to save my monthly pay check until the day before Halloween or the day itself before any of the products are released, this year I was happily surprised one of the companies that I wanted the Halloween products from who would be releasing their collection earlier.

The wonderful Vee of GlamourDollEyes, released her two Halloween collections in early October so that the sets could make their way to her customers before Halloween. I was a tad sceptic that they would reach me here in Australia during the time frame however this evening when I pulled up after work there was a lovely yellow package from Las Vegas on my door step; imagine my surprise.

GlamourDollEyes released two Limited-Edition Halloween sets, two blushes and a glitter tube. There were also four limited weekly shades to collection, which sadly I missed out on three of. They required a purchase of $10USD made each week and were added in for free.
The Halloween sets were $16USD each consisting of four shades, the blushes were $9USD each and the glitter tube was $5USD.

Naturally being the Halloween obsessed young-woman that I am, I purchased both sets, both blushes and the glitter tube. It was a bit of a struggle on the website with all the traffic however I made it through and checked out on the morning of the 16th of October (Australian time), at work trying to squeal in delight.
I got the shipping notification maybe a hour or two after the order (I love the speed at which Vee works it's insane) and then today just over a week after placing my order I received my package.

But enough about shipping and on to the products; the sets were simply named Halloween '14 Set 1 and Halloween '14 Set 2 so that is how I shall refer to them here. Unfortunately these shades were limited edition, since then the two blushes have been made permanent and I believe one or two of the more popular eye shadows may be added to the permanent collection as well.

 

Halloween Set 1

~Halloween '14 Set 1~

1. Elm Street Nightmare
Deep foresty green with light green and silver shimmer.

2. 'Til Death 
A medium toned purple with a grey undertone

3. You Poisoned Jack
A deep orange with a brown base and iridescent rainbow glitter.

4. Rigor Mortis
A bright white with silver shimmer, that gives an almost metallic sheen.

Halloween Set 2

~Halloween '14 Set 2~

1. Buried Alive
 Dark coppery brown with a cream opalescent pearl.

2. Funeral Selfie
 Pink toned purple with holographic shimmer.

3. Murder Street
 A deep maroon that in low light can appear blackened.

4. Shots of Cyanide
A deep navy blue with an orange-gold and purple sheen.

Swatches, No Primer, One Swipe

Blushes
Esmeralda - Hot Pink blush; at first I wasn't sure if I was going to purchase this one. I am not a big fan of pink especially not Hot Pink and as I am very pale I was worried about how it may turn up on my skin however it blends out beautifully to a sheer pale pink, perfect for a rosy doll like tint on the cheeks.

Skeletina - I was most interested in this blush. It's a Lavender Grey tone and I have never seen anything like it. On my skin it blends out very easily until you can hardly see the colour, it is perfect when either lightly applied or blended out as a highlighter for me. Otherwise I apply it a little heavy and can use it to give me a slight contour. If you are into heavy visible blush then this colour isn't for you however if you are on the paler side and enjoy slight hints of colour then I would recommend checking this out.

Glitter Tube
Dead Roses -Iridescent red copper glitter. In some lights there are specks of Salmon.

Sadly Skeletina doesn't turn up much on my skin under flash however it is a very amazing and unique colour.

In my package there was also a small sample of the GlamourDollEyes Glitter Fix and a Static Eyeliner from the Deadly Hollywood Collection that I won in a competition a few months back.

I was impressed with all the shades from the collections, and I am always stunned with the lightning fast speed at which Vee ships the orders to her customers. I really wish that I could've have gotten No Bones about it and Chasing Ghouls and but alas it was not meant to be.

Don't forget you can stalk me on Instagram, and Tumblr, eventually I will get a routine going so I can set up my Youtube properly.

Good Night Ghouls.
Ashlee Adams

Lime Crime Carousel Gloss

My Collection of Lime Crime Carousel Glosses

Note: TI have since purchasing my last items joined onto the Boycott Lime Crime movement. I was extremely disappointed when they refused to send any more stock to their Australian stockists and straight out told me it'd be cheaper to buy directly from them. When I did the math and provided them with evidence against that fact they deleted my comment. I didn't personally have any money stolen however I was a lucky one, thousands of their customers had money stolen from, this fact in itself is not the reason I was disappointed, the fact that none of these customers were notified until four months after the incident is shocking. 
I sadly feel that I cannot promote the brand any further.

This is the entire collection of Lime Crime Carousel Glosses as of June 2013 

 From Left to Right

Hollygram, Golden Ticket (Discountined), Candy Apple, Cherry on Top, Present, Kaleidoscope, Loop-de-Loop and Snowsicicle.

Over-view:

The Lime Crime Carousel Glosses, are described by the company as "shines like a gloss, pigmented like a lipstick, and is loaded to the brim with sparkle.

The original line consisted of Candy Apple, Cherry on Top, Kaleidoscope, Golden Ticket and Loop-De-Loop. Of which only Candy Apple and Cherry on Top can currently be bought from their website. The second line consisted of Hollygram, Snowsicle and Present which you are still able to buy from the website for 17USD each.

Cherry On Top: The classic pin up red in a gloss form, that smells like cupcakes and is packed full of bright vibrant red glitter. It is a very Christmasy colour. The formula is thick and very pigmented, I only use two swipes for my swatches it does remain sticky however and transfers onto everything. (as you can tell by the smear in the corner of my mouth)

 Candy Apple: Candy apple is Cherry on Tops' slightly pinker sister with less visible glitter. More subtle than most of the colours in the collection it is suitable for day wear as well as evening. The formula is the same as Cherry on Top.

 

 Golden Ticket: Golden Ticket is stunning and I really wish that Doe hadn't discontinued it. It is lovely and solid and strong when applied. It feels great to have a gold lipgloss that isn't sheer. Formula is the same as the others.

Hollygram:  A beautifully thick luscious emerald green lip gloss. Probably one of my favourite colours and thankfully it is still available.

Kaleidoscope: Part of the original collection this deep purple gloss is filled with blue and pink glitter that gives it a wonderful duo-chrome sheen depending on the light. Sadly it has been discontinued replaced by its lighter and slightly pinker sibling Present.

Loop-De-Loop: A shimmery deep blue shade, sadly discontinued.  It's gorgeous and I love pairing it with a dark smokey eye.

Present: This is the pinker and lighter purple shade of the discontinued Kaleidoscope. Stunning in shade however not as pigmented as some of the others in the collection.

Snowsicle:  A standard clear closs with rainbow holographic glitter. Beautiful to top any lipstick with for a bit of a magical glow.