FOTD - 11.25.14

I wanted glitter and wings this morning, and wound up putting a lot more work into my wings than I'd wanted to. I don't know if my liner or my brush is to blame, or just me being terrible at winged liner.

Hello! :)

Face:

• Becca Ever Matte Primer
• Rouge Bunny Rouge Diaphanous loose powder
• Maybelline Dream Wonder liquid foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Creme Colour Concentrate in John Doe
• Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector liquid in Pearl
• MAC blush in Warm Soul
• Bourjois Java Rice Powder
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• Lit Cosmetics glitter adhesive
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Cher
• Diorshow Overcurl mascara
• NYX Cosmetics Wicked Lashes in Bashful

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Performance Colors lipstick in Ginger Heart

Performance Colors Haul and Swatches

I'm happy that I get to be writing about another great indie company today - Performance Colors! I received my first order from them over this past weekend, and I got a chance to photograph, swatch, and test out a couple of the items. Performance Colors has been around for a few years (the Etsy shop was opened in 2011) so I'm a little late to the game here, but I'm really excited to finally be giving these products a try!

I ordered a little bit of everything - a trio of pressed eyeshadows, cream shadow sticks, and lipsticks. Turn around time was great, I received my order in less than a week. Everything was packed nicely in plastic bags with labels for each product, in a bubble envelope for protection. Just a head's up - I did have a coupon code for this order, but I did purchase everything with my own cashmoney.

Everything I ordered!

FOTD - 11.21.14

Happy (FOTD) Friday! Another glitter look today - this time I used the glitter as a liner to punch up a neutral eye.

Back facing camera picture!

Front facing camera - hello from the car!

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte Primer
• Rouge Bunny Rouge Diaphanous Powder
• Maybelline Dream Wonder liquid foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector liquid in Moonstone
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Creme Colour Concentrate in John Doe
• MAC blush in Warm Soul
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim and Diffused
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in Dark Brown
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Soft Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Inglot #353 eyeshadow
• Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Champagne Wishes
• Lit Cosmetics glitter adhesive
• Ardell #110 lashes
• Diorshow Overcurl mascara
• MAC Vanilla pigment

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Ibiza

Review - NYX Wicked Lashes in Scandal

When Ulta had their 20% off sale, I took the opportunity to stock up on my new favorite lashes - NYX Wicked Lashes in Bashful. However, due to a mix up at the Ulta warehouse, I received lashes in the Scandal style instead. I exchanged the other pairs I'd ordered in store, and figured I'd give the new style a try to see how I liked them.

...I wore them once before taking these pictures, and I tried to get them to look nice and new in the box. Sorry!

NYX Wicked Lashes in Scandal

Close up of Scandal lashes

I'm just going to be frank here - I wasn't a huge fan of these. I really didn't like how all of the lashes are very blunt looking at the ends, and there is no variance in length. They look very fake while wearing them, and not in a "goddamn I look fabulous!" way. They are somewhat similar in length to Ardell 120 Demi lashes, but with the 120 Demis, there is a slight variance in the length of the lashes, so they are more broken up and less uniform, therefore giving a slightly more natural appearance, though adding a nice bit of drama.

The lashes have a clear band, which is always a plus. The band itself was flexible, but supported the weight of the lashes. 

Pros:

• Clear band

Cons:

• Blunt ends
• Unnatural look

NYX Wicked Lashes in Scandal - $3.50 for one pair

Review - 2/5

Review - Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Guava

I'm not a huge lip gloss fan, but after my recent success with the Charlotte Tilbury gloss I picked up last month, I decided to give the Bite formula a try. Since they released a few of their gloss shades with their Mix-N-Mingle minis, I figured - why not? Better than paying full price!

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Guava

Wrist swatch of Guava

Firstly, how mini is mini? The mini size that I purchased was 0.06 oz, with the full size product being 0.11 oz. It's worth noting that this shade is not available in the full size, it is only available as a mini sold in the small ornament boxes, or in the Mix-n-Mingle gift set.

Guava is a bright rosy mauve shade, that happens to be quite pigmented for a gloss. There is a scent, it is very sweet and fruity. The applicator is a typical doe foot, and application is smooth. The formula is a little sticky, but not as bad as some other formulas. The pigment of the gloss did collect into my lip lines over the course of the day, even while wearing this over a lip primer. I did not find the product drying, and I did not find that the product bled outside of my lips.

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Smooth application

Cons:

• Slightly sticky
• Heavy scent
• Collects in lip lines over wear

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Guava - $12.00 for 0.06 oz

Review - 3.5/5

Baroque Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

For the last year or so, I've started dipping my toes into the world of indie makeup. Makeup meaning cosmetics, bath and body, fragrance - you name it, I'll buy it. There's a super helpful subreddit that I like to frequent, /r/indiemakeupandmore, that is a great place to start if you're new to the world of indie makeup, mostly because of the helpful community that can point you in the right direction. (If you're reading this from here, hi guys!! :D )

The owner of Baroque Cosmetics announced her new collection based off of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last week, and as soon as I had some available funds, I snapped some of the eyeshadows up (as well as a couple from her other collections!) She shipped them out that day, and they were in my eager little hands two days later. Talk about a killer turn around time!! I've documented the packaging and everything for you, along with some swatches!

Disclaimer - I did receive a blogger discount on these. However, I did pay for the product!

So nicely wrapped!

All unwrapped.

FOTD - 11.14.14

Happy Friday! I wish I had gotten a better picture of this look, but I was in a bit of a rush this morning. I was really happy with how this turned out!

Everyone loves a car selfie!

Face:

• Hourglass Mineral Veil primer
• Too Faced Primed and Poreless loose powder
• YSL Teint Touche Eclat foundation in B10
• NYX HD Concealer in 01
• Anastasia Contour Kit
• Pumpkin and Poppy contour powder
• Milani baked blush in Luminoso
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim and Diffused
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Inglot #353
• Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
• Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Espresso
• Sugarpill loose eyeshadow in Lucid
• Lit Cosmetics loose glitter in Barbie Shops
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• Ardell 120 Demi lashes
• Dior Diorshow Overcurl mascara

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Make Up For Ever Lip Line Perfector
• Too Faced Melted Berry

Review - NARS blush in Almeria

I made sure to pick this up during the VIB sale, since I was unsure whether or not this blush would stick around past the sale. I'm glad I ordered it, because it was not on the shelves at both the Sephora locations I visited. Checking the site, Sephora lists this as "permanently out of stock."

NARS Almeria blush in Limited Edition packaging.

NARS Almeria, opened.

Wrist swatch of Almeria, no base.
Concentrated, then blended out.

I've always loved NARS' blush formula. As always, the product is finely milled, non powdery, and highly pigmented. Since I'm pale, I used a light hand and the NARS Yachiyo blush to apply to my cheeks (the swatch above was done with an eyeshadow brush, and blended out with a Hakuhodo J210 blush brush.) The blush is highly blendable, which is visible in the swatch above. 

This shade is described as a "tan rose," but I would describe it more as a plummy rose. When applied, there is a slight amount of shimmer on the skin left by the blush. However, in the pan, the blush appears to be matte. I'm really happy that for their LE Holiday shade, NARS went with a very versatile color that will play nice on a large range of skintones - it can be blended down for pale ladies like myself, but will be gorgeous on darker tones as well.

Pros:

• Highly pigmented
• Finely milled
• Blendable

Cons:

• Limited Edition

NARS blush in Almeria (Limited Edition) - $30.00 for 0.15 oz

Review - 5/5

Review - Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Gavi

I'm happy to start reviewing some of the items I got during the Sephora sale! Of course, I immediately decided to start with a Bite Beauty product. This shade of the Matte Creme Lip Crayons was exclusive to the Mix-n-Mingle mini ornaments that they released right before the sale. I do not know if this shade will become permanent and made into the larger crayon size.

Please ignore my small burn mark on my wrist swatch. I live an exciting life and got burned by a piece of very hot spaghetti squash.

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Cray on in Gavi

Wrist swatch of Gavi

Just so we know how mini "mini" is here, the size of the mini is 0.031 oz, with the full size lip crayon being 0.05 oz. You are getting around 3/5 of the full size for half the cost, which isn't a bad deal! (Sorry the math isn't more precise, math isn't my strong point.)

Bite decided to stick with the new style of packaging for these minis, meaning that under the cap, the plastic is colored to match the color of the product. However, the bottom cap pops off for no reason, as there is no small sharpener hidden within. The product is a twist up, which is very nice, and has a slight citrus scent, keeping up with the formula of the rest of the line. 

The shade, Gavi, is described as a "fleshy peach/nude," which I say aptly describes the shade. The swatch above shows one swipe, which gave a very pigmented swatch. Application is smooth, as is expected from this formula. I found that the product was non drying and slightly hydrating, though I wore it over a lip primer. Fading began in the center of the lips, and I could not detect any sort of a stain from this shade. I did not experience any bleeding or feathering from this shade, and I did not use a lip liner.

Pros:

• Mini size! Who uses full lipsticks anyway?
• Twist up product
• Pigmented
• Smooth application
• Scent fades quickly
• Great deal on amount of product for $$

Cons:

• No built in sharpener
• Fades slightly over time

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Gavi - $12.00 for 0.031 oz

Review - 5/5

Hello Waffle Rose Champagne vs. Shiro I Tried

I love rose gold. You know that song "All Gold Everything?" My theme song would be "All Rose Gold Everything." If it comes in a rose gold tone, I need it. My indie shadow drawer has a whole row of just rose gold shades. So today, I've decided to swatch two side by side that look a little similar in the container, to see how they swatch out.

To keep everything simple, Hello Waffle Rose Champagne will always be on the left, and Shiro's I Tried will always be on the right. 

Hello Waffle Rose Champagne and Shiro
I Tried

Product lids - Rose Champagne and I Tried

As you can see from the containers and the product in the lids, both shadows have a rosy tone to them. Rose Champagne is described as "a sparkly champagne color with a tinge of pink." I Tried is listed to be "that gorgeous rose gold that everyone's been wanting!" Let's swatch the two out before we continue to break down the shades any further. 

Swatches - no base

Okay, so maybe these two don't perform their best with no base. I swear that they are both there, left and right, just as I promised. From what's visible, Rose Champagne definitely has a more champagne colored base to it, while I Tried has a golden bronze feel to it.

Top row - over NYX milk;
bottom row - over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

There are the rose golds we were promised! Over the white base, Rose Champagne definitely delivers  on the description of the champagne based color, while I Tried has more of a rosy hue. Over Pixie Epoxy, both shades foil, with Rose Champagne taking on a metallic finish making it look reminiscent of rose gold jewelry. Overall, Rose Champagne has more shimmer to it, making it a good lid or highlight color, while I Tried would look great as a crease color with its more subtle luster.

Both of these colors were Colors of the Month for their respective brands, both at $6 for 2 grams of product. 

Sephora 500 Point Perks

Ever since Sephora introduced the 500 Point Perks, I've been very picky about how I spend them. Once in a while, something AMAZING will come up, and I want to have reserve points to be able to grab it! But when you think about it, 500 points = 500 dollars, if you disregard bonus point events, which happen so infrequently at Sephora it isn't really worth calculating.

The two point perks I grabbed were the Urban Decay Urban Obsessions mini palette, and the Josie Maran Argan Natural Wonders Set.

Sephora VIB 20% Off Sale

Sephora's VIB weekend with their 20% off sale is wrapping up. I recently posted my thoughts on the VIB Rouge private shopping event, so now it's time to post my haul from the sale. It's relatively modest, since I'm not picturing any gifts I picked up. I also left out a package of Shiseido cottons, because they didn't really fit well into my magic picture taking box. I'll be reviewing items as I use them! I also picked up a couple of 500 point perks, which I'll do a separate post on.

Sugarpill Lumi vs. Shiro Moon Prism Power

I love super sparkly eyeshadows. I also love super sparkly indie eyeshadows! I've decided to compare Sugarpill's Lumi eyeshadow with Shiro Cosmetics' Moon Prism Power eyeshadow, because the two are (somewhat!) similar. Both can be used alone, but they both look amazing over darker bases, or to add more shimmer to other colors.

Sugarpill Lumi on the right, Shiro Moon Prism
Power on the left.

From the initial picture, you can see that Lumi leans a bit cooler and is more of a basic white, while Moon Prism Power (MPP from here on out!) is warmer and pinker. For reference, the Sugarpill container has 6 grams of product (Sugarpill explcitly states that this product is known to settle a lot!) and MPP is 2 grams.

Product lids!

Both shadows over NYX Black Bean - Lumi on
left, MPP on right.

After swatching the products over a dark base, the differences are now very visible. Lumi is visibly cooler with a bluish shift, while MPP is warmer with a yellow/green shift. I included a picture of what the products look like in the lids, because this is how I personally apply loose shadows - but swirling/tapping my brush into the product lid!

Both of the shadows apply smoothly and blend beautifully, even over a base. These really do perform their best over a dark base, as seen in the photo above. Rest assured, if you have both, you don't need to worry about dupes - these are quite different from one another.

FOTD - 11.06.14

Gray and rainy by me today, so I decided to break out a metallic lip tar that I hadn't used in a while!

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte Primer
• Too Faced Primed and Poreless loose powder
• Maybelline Dream Wonder liquid foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Anastasia Contour Kit
• NARS blush in Sex Appeal
• Bourjois Java Rice powder
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Mushroom
• Ardell 110 false lashes

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Black Dahlia
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia

VIB Rouge Holiday Soirée

If you're a makeup addict like me, you probably spend way too much of your disposable income at Sephora. Last year, to accommodate the growing number of makeup addicts looking for better perks in their Beauty Insider rewards program, they instated the top tier 'VIB Rouge' level - spend $1,000 in a calendar year, and you attain this level. Free 3 day shipping, better samples, bonus shopping events. When you're a Rouge member, you begin to see invites like the one below pop into your mailbox during the year, for closed door shopping events.

This year's holiday shopping event was on a Wednesday evening, meaning they actually closed down the store for everyone but Rouge members, which was actually really cool! In the past, Rouge events had been on Sunday mornings at 9 in the morning - meaning the store was opening early, but us Rouge members had to get up early and drag ourselves to the mall when we would normally be in bed - not making us feel very catered to (me, at least...) These events usually promise gifts or samples - this year was a Shashi bracelet and a tote bag. There's always a tote bag, and I really like the tote bags, since they're great as reusable shopping bags, and who doesn't love to have those on hand? However, here is the bracelet that was given out:

...this is a seed bead bracelet on some embroidery floss. I'm not very familiar with Shashi, but a 30% off coupon was also given out, so I'm sure they also offer some better merchandise. I could go to AC Moore and buy the materials to make this myself for less than $5. I've spent well over a grand at Sephora over the past year (I re-qualified for Rouge back in March) and honestly, with a shoddy gift like this, I'm not feeling very appreciated. The usual makeup bag of small samples would have made me feel better than being given this, ESPECIALLY around the holiday season, where I go and dump a lot more of my hard earned money into Sephora in the form of gifts for my friends and family. 

I do think that it was pretty cool of Sephora to shut down their store and re-open it for Rouge members only during regular business hours to giver us some private shopping time - they knew they would make money, as they clearly know we already spend it there! But if you're going to push that we are so special and that you want to show your appreciation with "limited edition status gifts" - don't make them things that we can make for ourselves in our spare time. ...get more of those adorable mini Le Rouge lipsticks, THOSE were fantastic!

Haul - Ulta 20% Off Sale!!

Unlike ~other~ major beauty retailers, Ulta has sales more often. However, they do not have the Prestige items on sale as often as we would like. So when the 20% off of everything coupons roll around, it's time to haul! If you're anything like me, you had a ton of stuff in your cart, and you had to try and whittle it down to something reasonable. I know I waffled back and forth on the Vice 3 palette for about a week before finally deleting it for good (at least...for now.)

Here is what recently arrived on my doorstep...

FOTD - 11.05.14

I decided to root around my indie drawer this morning, and I was quite happy with the resulting look!

Products Used:

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte Primer
• Too Faced Primed and Poreless loose powder
• Maybelline Dream Wonder liquid foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Anastasia Contour Kit
• NYX baked blush in Sugar Mama
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim and Diffused
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl
• Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
• Darling Girl loose eyeshadow in Faux Pas 
• Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
• NYX Wicked Lashes in Scandal
• YSL Babydoll mascara

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime lip
• Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk
• Charlotte Tilbury KISSING lipstick in Bitch Perfect

October 2014 Favorites

I can't believe it's already November! Sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks, I do a lot of traveling in October, and haven't had a chance to build up my queue. With the oncoming sales of November, plus secret Santa season, I should have plenty of stuff to review and post about! But for now, let's talk about things that I really loved this past month!

1. Beautyblender PRO - I've tried both the regular pink beautyblender and the black PRO beautyblender, and for me, the PRO takes the cake. I'm not sure why, but I just happen to like the little black egg more. I find that it rinses cleaner, and doesn't suck up as much product as its pink counterpart. Also, my pink one shredded almost immediately, whilst the black one was far more durable. I always buy my PRO blenders in double packs from amazon - the price can't be beat!

2. L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - This stuff saves my hands when I am stuck in the land of public restrooms, such as New York Comic Con, or Disney. After having to use harsh soap to wash my hands, this can fix dry skin in an instant. It's a staple in my purse, and the best part is, a little goes a long way. It absorbs quickly, and does not leave a residue on your hands. There's a variety of scents, but the original shea butter is a great way to go.

3. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Moonstone - I only have a sample of this from Sephora, but boy am I lusting after the full size (or rather, the travel size, the full size is HUGE!!) This gives just the right amount of glow to the skin, without delivering a load of glitter. I also have this in Pearl, which is white, while this is more of a golden tone.

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Mushroom - When I'm in a hurry, I reach for this liner. It's the perfect shade to add a bit of dimension to the lash line, but not to look overdone. I'm a sucker for taupe shades, and this certainly delivers. I'm about halfway through this liner, and I will most definitely be rebuying. There is a bit of shimmer to this, but there are no visible chunks of glitter that you can sometimes encounter with a UD product.

5. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment  - There are tales of people finishing Chapsticks. I've never done that, but I've finished about three of these to date, and I keep going back for more. The price tag is a bit steep for something as silly as a lip balm, but I find them worthwhile. These don't further dry out my lips, and I apply nightly before bed to have my lips ready for more drying products the next morning. I've tried the other, more 'intense' version of this product, and did not like it as much. This is a definite 'HG' product for me.