Pink Beauty Steals and Deals

Just a friendly reminder that Pink Beauty is still having 20% Off your total! If you haven't already do have a peek at my review of their awesome cosmetics by clicking here!

The sale is ongoing until April 15th! To shop visit www.pinkbeautycosmetics.com

Happy Hauling!

Etsy Musings: Bead Passion

Happy Friday lovies! Excited for the weekend? I know I am! Last week I introduced you to a brand new catagory that I'd be doing every week or two which would be called Etsy Musings. If you missed my original post I hope you'll go back and have a peek at it.

As part of my brand new series today I'll be introducing you to Helen who's from the Philippines and runs a shop on Etsy entitled Bead Passion.

I'm very excited to introduce you to Helen and her amazing art so jump ahead for a review of her products, an interview with her, and a special steal and deal at her shop!

Helen makes jewelry. I know sounds kinda boring right? So what she makes jewelry what's so special about that? Well Helen actually makes a special, unique kind of jewelry that should appeal to anyone who 1. loves cupcakes and 2. adores anything with a kawaii flair! Whether we are talking earrings, bracelets, or necklaces, Helen has you covered for a "sweet" jewelry experience. A majority of her items are themed with cupcakes in mind which makes for a unique and sweet jewelry experience. All her cupcake creations are made with polymer clay and are teeny tiny in size for a perfect little piece of conversation starter jewelry! I discovered Helen November of last year and have since been terribly addicted to browsing her shop for her latest creations. I think one of the main reasons that Bead Passion appeals is the ridiculously inexpensive price tag! Each piece is handmade, takes a hour or more to make, is amazingly unique, yet carries a price tag of $10-$20 USD at most! Helen's unique creations are both cute and budget friendly! We all love that don't we?

Helen was kind enough to allow me to interview her and ask a ton of silly questions about how in the world does one go about creating such a tiny cupcake!? Plus she included some amazing images of her creations for us to enjoy! Take a look at what Helen had to say below!

What made you start selling on Etsy?

I've heard about Etsy in 2006, when my cousin suggested I try selling my beaded jewelries there. Back then I had no idea how online selling was supposed to go there. Then I discovered making jewelries out of polymer clay last year. I have never been so passionate with any other crafts as much as I am now with polymer clay. That's because these are really unique, one of a kind creations. You can never make 2 pieces exactly alike, that's the beauty of handmade. So I finally got the courage and confidence to sell online as an international market. It helped also that my husband has been very supportive of my Etsy activities all along. He even made my banner.

I couldn't agree more with Helen. Truly her pieces are all very unique and one of kind! Some of her cupcakes are too lifelike, must keep away otherwise I'll take a bite!

Have you sold on any other sites prior to Etsy?

I used to advertise my products on a local buy and sell site, www.davaoexchange.com

I noticed many of your jewelry items are foody in nature like cupcakes and slices of cake? Why food?

Some people love books, dogs, or cats or gadgets. But I believe that the common denominator among them is food, who doesn't like food? :-) Cupcakes, I think, is magical food. It's the most charming dessert ever invented!

Helen's excitement about cupcake was positively delightful and it really made me smile when I read her response. I couldn't agree more truly cupcakes are magical food!

How long does it take you to make a single pendant?

On the average about an hour. But that is only for sculpting the piece. It doesn't include conditioning the clay, baking, and then glossing.

How does one even make such a tiny cupcake? What ingredients are used? Do you need to bake them?

Based from my experience, you will need patience and a lot of love. You will not be able to achieve a quality piece when you are in a hurry or you're just making it for the sake of selling.

These tiny cupcakes were handmade with polymer clay. Polymer clay is like the clay we used to play with when we were little but baked to harden. Before you start, you need to condition the clay to make it soft and pliable, either by kneading with hand or rolling in pasta machine. I use both depending on the amount of clay I am working with. Then you mold your desired shape by hand. There are many available tools to help with sculpting, molding and texturing. There are also liquid clays to help you achieve a more realistic frosting effect. Once done, the cupcake is baked for about 30mins at specific temperature depending on brand of clay used. Then it allowed to cool. Afterwards comes glossing. For my dessert clay, I do not gloss because they look more realistic with a natural matte finish. However, I would do so upon customer request. Polymer clay has a wide variety of colors, so painting is not necessary in my case.

Are there any shapes or forms you've attempted to make but weren't successful?

I could hardly make face sculptures. I attempted to make several character clays, I can say they look fine but are cartoonish in nature. I made a cake topper for my son's 2nd birthday and another for a friend, also some religious sculptures, Mama Mary and St.Anthony (you can see these at my flickr photos www.flickr.com/photos/accetera) I'm hoping to achieve realistic sculptures and am currently practicing. Who knows you might see some serious sculpting in my shop in the future.

Which are the hardest parts when making an item?

The hardest part is conceptualizing and making the initial design. Making something new is always a trial and error thing for me. That is why, I usually charge high for custom orders. Also I find it difficult and time consuming, to condition the clay. My hands and arms hurt :-) Also mixing clay colors to achieve the shade I needed is difficult.

I've seen jewelry like yours on Etsy and other sites before but it's much more expensive! How do you keep your prices so low for a craft that obviously takes so much time?

I didn't realize my prices are low :-) My price is based on degree of difficulty to make a piece. Those $5 and below are items I can make within less than an hour, those I've mastered doing. I think it also helps that I have a supply shop (www.beadhub.etsy.com) so I can get my supplies in bulk, making them cheaper. These are the chains or wire components that comes together with the clay accessory.

Is there anything else you can tell us about jewelry making?Anything else you want to add?

All handmade items are meant to be treasured. Part of the artist is in there. Like for my item, it is more than a piece of clay, its a piece of art. Please continue to support handmade. Etsy's got a lot of great artists!

Helen was such a joy to interview as she's obviously very excited about what she does and her passion for it shines through in her replies to my questions. Her little pieces of "art" are an absolute joy to behold and makes me want to collect 'em all!

Here are some photos that Helen included with her interview for me to post along with this Etsy Musing.


















Here's a photo of my cupcake pendant that I purchased a few months ago. When I purchased it came wrapped in a sweet pink box with a pair of fork and spoon earrings (hey, you need utensils to go along with that cupcake), a sweet note from Helen thanking me for the purchase, and a chain for my charm, all this for $10 USD bucks?! Loves it!




















Helen extended a nice coupon for my readers. If you purchase something from her and message her after you've checked out telling her you read about her on my blog she'll include a few surprises with any order that's $10 USD and above. You'll get a handmade dessert cellphone charm, stickers, and a pair of earrings! But be sure to tell her where you read about this so she knows to include your extra goodies with purchase plus the coupon is good until July 1st so if you're not wanting to shop right away, make a wish list and buy it later on!

I hope you enjoyed my first Etsy Musings post and I sure hope you'll visit and show your support to our fabulous artist Helen at beadpassion.etsy.com

If you do purchase please share your order with me! Curious to see what everyone buys!

Stay tuned next week for another awesome Etsy Musing!

Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stains for Cheeks and Lips Review

The Muse loves paving the way for brand new items she discovers! Her latest discovery is Beaute Cosmetics, hello pretty cosmetics wanna come out and play with the Muse? Beaute Cosmetics is a line of elegant, unique cosmetics which brings beauty to the next level.














The Muse recently tried out Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stains for Cheeks and Lips and is absolutely in love!

I'm a big lover of cheek stains! Sweat-proof, rain-proof, hot weather-proof, atomic bomb-proof, you name it and cheek stain can hold it's own against it. It's my go to item for long wearing makeup that gives me a sweet flush of color that's youthful, pretty, and long wearing...likey!

But of course when I see Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stains for Cheeks and Lips I got hyper. Pretty stains that looked like glass tubes of neon! Available in four shades these gorgeous stains are possibly the longest wearing stain I've come across. The formula is a beautiful light, cooling gel that absorbs and easily blends into skin leaving behind a beautiful pinch of color. I've only tried one shade from the four available (The color I tried is Flouron) and found it interest that in the tube the shade is a bright neon orange but it quickly morphs upon contact with my skin and becomes a sweet shade of natural pink.














The stain's unique formula contains Orchid Extract OS which is a naturally derived extract from the Precious Thai Pink Orchid which is rich in minerals, calcium, iron, copper, and zinc. It's interesting ingredient also lends a floral scent to the gel which is quite nice!


Who might like this?

• Anyone who fancies a long wearing blush that wears all day without fading and comes off when you want it off, not before!
• Those who desire a flush of color on cheeks that looks like you've been pinched, just came in from the cold, or just been kisses!
• Those who want a multitasking product for lips and cheeks that creates a youthful, sweet glow!

Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stains for Cheeks and Lips are an absolute rave for this Muse and Muse Approved for purchase. I absolutely adore the formula and how easily it blends, like the long wear (can't wait to use it in the Summer), and love the unique colors that Beaute has introduced in these stains.



If you're a stain lover you're sure to adore these!

Visit beaute-cosmetics.com and learn more about Liqui-Gel Stains and the rest of the incredible collection available from Beaute.

Fan of Beaute Cosmetics?

Tell the Muse!

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color Platinum Gold Review and Swatches

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color in Platinum Gold was released as part of the Spring Collection this year and proved extremely difficult to get a hold off. Almost as soon as it released it was sold out in Japan right away. See kids? Japan knows what LE really means!




Jump ahead to hear a rave about Platinum Gold!

Proving to be one of the most elusive items to date that the Muse had to track down, Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color in Platinum Gold also happens to be the most beautiful. After it selling out in Japan I had to quickly located it in Taiwan, which bless be, it was easy enough to locate. It's understandable why it was so popular as it's probably one of the prettiest shades in the Jelly Eye collection. The color is a white gold with contrasting silver shimmer and sparkle. It's heavy duty sparkle so if you're not a lover you'd best keep away from Jelly Eye Shadows in general.




Although it's a cream shadow it blends effortlessly and creates a soft, subtle golden shimmer on the lid that can only be described as stunning. It also lends a certain lightness to my eyes so it's particularly nice if I'm having a dark circle day or baggy eye day as this will brighten up my eyes a fair bit. I've have a few of the Jelly Eye Shadows before and I really like the formula. As I mentioned the formula blends easily and it's also very light and smooth, not heavy at all, so it feels silky on. Although for some the amount of shimmer could be a deal breaker. It doesn't dry quickly so it gives plenty of time to blend the shadow out, I'm a sucker for cream shadows that don't dry right away as I think this causes woe for blending. The shadow comes housed in a gorgeous jar with a pretty silver top, very feminine and elegant.






The shade is probably my favorite from the line so far and is truly a pretty addition for Spring. It may prove slightly difficult to find so I suggest trying KATE Gel Eyeshadow in GD-1 or Coffret D'Or Fluffy Shine Eyes in 03. Both of these options are easier to find stateside and cheaper as well!

Apologies for my bare lips in the photos!










I'm looking forward to seeing what Jill Stuart has in store for us this Summer! I've been kinda off the Jill Stuart bandwagon lately but I'm always excited for new release.

Shills Flawless Foundation Cream Review

DJ put a record on I wanna dance with my new Shills Flawless Foundation Cream aka shameless dupe of Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous. Oh my god it gets more and more comical as I try out Shills and notice the incredible similarities between them and Benefit.

How shameful! But still I'm loving me some Shills anyway!

Read ahead for a review on Shills Flawless Foundation Cream.


Before I begin my review I think their may be a debate of whether Shills originated in China or Taiwan. I honestly can't verify. I've only personally seen it available in Taiwan not China but I've heard from readers that it's available in various parts of China. Personally, I've only seen it available in Taiwan. I hope this clears up some of the confusion.

So Shills Flawless Foundation Cream and Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous...oh my the very my two products that are exactly alike in just about everything but price. Shills is $239TWD or so where as Some Kind of Gorgeous is $28 USD. You can obviously see the better bargain here.








What is it?

It's a cream foundation that dries down to a matte powder finish.

Where as the sole compliant with Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous was the fact that it was such a nasty oily mess you'll quickly notice that you won't have any of the same problems with Shills Flawless Foundation Cream. I personally adore cream foundations and most of my makeup "career" has been based around cream foundations. When I got my hands on Some Kind of Gorgeous it was an utter nightmare so I'm happy to report that the Shills version is way nicer and pretty ideal for Summer wear!




The formula of the foundation is quite a nice silky blend. It starts out a cream but quickly dries down to a powder finish which allows for ease of blending, good coverage, and fantastic oil control. I'm unable to take full advantage of this since my skin is dry but when the Summer sets in and I'm looking to mattify my skin, this is ideal.

The product only comes in one shade which is very flattering for anyone with yellow undertones and needs alot of beige to tame that. I thought it was a little too dark for my skin but I made it work by using a little and blending it out. It comes housed in a great little dual compact which has the foundation on top and has a stealthy little compartment on the bottom for the sponge.


As I mentioned it's a cheap dupe of Benefit with it's record packaging which I thought was kinda of funny. Much of the line has cutesy style packaging a la Benefit style, terrible I know.


It's quite pigmented and has heavy coverage so it's not completely ideal for Summer-wear but it does tame oil very well and offers a nice flawless finish to skin. I think it would be particularly good at covering up large pores as well. Overall, I liked it but wasn't in love with it simply because they color was very dark and beige. If they released a lighter shade of this I could see myself Muse Approving it for purchase.






If you're wanting it I suggest checking E-bay as there are a few E-bayer's selling Shills. I paid retail which was $239TWN I believe so try to keep that in mind prior to getting purchasing at a scary price.