Review - Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

This palette was apart of the Ulta Black Friday sale this past year. I had a bit of trouble with getting this, as Ulta did not have enough stock for the amount of orders that were placed. However, they re-listed the palette for sale again at the beginning of January, and I was lucky enough to snag it!

Lorac Vintage Vixen palette

Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

Vintage Vixen Palette swatches over bare skin

I must say, I love the packaging for the palette. It's cardboard, but it is compact, light, and the pattern is very cute. I like longer pans, since it allows you to easily just swipe your brush on it. I also like the inclusion of the mirror on even such a small palette, as this is a very good palette to just toss in your bag for touching up. 

The palette contains five unnamed matte eyeshadows:

• creamy beige
• pale taupe
• warm light brown
• warm burgundy
• deep brown

The shadows themselves weren't as smooth as what I've come to expect from Lorac, they were a little on the powdery side. I'm guessing they were powdery due to the matte formula. As you can see from the swatches they are a little patchy. They did wear better over a primer. The Lorac formula, though a little powdery, was still very blendable.

I am a little disappointed that the burgundy shade looks great in the pan, but swatches and wears to be more brown. The burgundy was pretty much the main reason I picked up the palette (that, and the price!) so it's a little bit of a letdown. Since it comes out as more of a brown shade, it can easily be muddied with the darker brown shade of the palette if you are not careful with your blending. 

Overall, for $12, the palette certainly isn't a bad deal. I could definitely see it being a nice travel palette, or something to keep in your bag for an emergency look (don't laugh, you know there are days where you don't do an eye look and suddenly you need to look good.)

Pros:

• Great price point
• Shadows blend nicely
• Compact packaging

Cons:

• Burgundy shade not true to pan
• Shadow formula is somewhat powdery
• Limited edition! (but they have brought it back once! It could happen again!)

Lorac Vintage Vixen Matte Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) - $12.00 for 0.058 oz x 5

Review - 3/5

Nails of the Day - 1.26.15

I wanted to share another manicure I was sporting this week! I'm really enjoying using Lit glitters to decorate my nails, it's SO much easier than glitter nail polish!

Here's a list of the products I used:

• Orly Bonder base coat
• Deborah Lippmann "You've Got A Friend"
• Sephora by OPI "Wardrobe Change"
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Sugar & Spice
• Seche Vite top coat

Review - ColourPop Lippie to Go set

ColourPop products have been popping up (I hate myself) everywhere! Some think they are run by the Illuminati, or at the very least, they are paying a ton of shills to push the product everywhere. I believe the explanation is much more simple - they sent promo items to a few YouTube personalities, and then sales picked up because all products are $5. You heard right - five freaking dollars! So it's easy to see why sales are up and people are picking up ColourPop!

I was super fortunate enough to receive a cute set of ColourPop lipsticks and lip liners for Christmas from Bisous Darling! The set is limited edition, but the colors are all available individually. The set is perfect - each lipstick comes paired with a lip liner on the other end. The set has five colors that span a nice range of wearable shades (ColourPop also offers some non-traditional shades as well.)

ColourPop Lippie to Go set

Lippies to go!

Top to bottom - Brink, Grind,
I Heart This, Frenchie, Bichette

In the swatch photo, the lipstick is on the left, and the liner is on the right. All swatches are one swipe! I've worn the shade Brink, and it wore well. I paired it with a lip primer, and I did not experience any bleeding or feathering (thanks lip liner side!) Application was smooth, and the product wasn't drying to my lips. I really think the formula for these is a pretty good deal for $5 a pop (ha! I still hate myself.) especially if you'd like to try a color you may not wear too often.

Pros:

• Two in one product
• Smooth application
• Pigmented

Cons

• Limited edition set

ColourPop Lippie to Go set (limited edition) - $20 for 5x 0.014 oz

Review - 4/5

Nails of the Day - 1.20.15

I'm calling this nails of the day, since sometimes I paint my nails more than once a week! I wanted to showcase my nail art here as well, since I have quite a collection of nail polish in addition to makeup. I'm also learning to use the Macro setting on my camera, so what better thing to practice with!

Here is a list of what I used for this manicure:

• Orly Bonder base coat
• Cirque Colors Memento Mori
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Seeing Stars
• Seche Vite top coat

For the glitter, I took a dry makeup sponge and dabbed dry glitter lightly onto slightly tacky polish, and then went over with a top coat. This loose glitter was MUCH less chunky and rough than a glitter nail polish! I am really pleased with how this turned out.

I can't wait to share more nail looks!

FOTD - 1.15.15

This is a day late, but I liked my glittery neutral eye from yesterday, so I'm doing a post on it!

Face

• Rimmel Stay Matte primer
• MUFE HD Foundation in 117
• Becca SSP liquid in Pearl
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Illamasqua Hollow
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused
• Kat von D blush in Wish
• Anastasia Contour Kit (Banana, Vanilla, Sand)
• UD De Slick spray

Eyes

• Anastasia Dipbrow in Dark Brown
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Inglot eyeshadow #353
• UD Naked Basics palette
• Inglot gel liner #77
• Lit Cosmetics glitter in Barbie Shops
• Diorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara
• Koko Lashes #103

Lips

• MAC Prep and Prime Lip
• Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Sucre

Beautylish Lucky Bag 2015

So right after Christmas, Beautylish put up their yearly "Lucky Bag" for sale. For $75, you were promised $150+ of product! I decided to go for it. There were three types of bags to choose from - natural, bold, and MUA. After googling around and seeing last years bags, I decided to take my chances with the bold bag. After an agonizing WEEK of waiting, I finally got my lucky bag! Here's what was inside:

FOTD - 1.12.15

I'm posting this a day late, but here is yesterday's makeup! I used the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette.

Here's a full product list:

Face:

• Rimmel Stay Matte primer
• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 117
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
• NYX Wonder Stick in Light
• Too Faced Sweethearts Flushed Blush in Peach Beach
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim and Diffused
• Urban Decay De Slick Spray

Eyes:

• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Inglot eyeshadow #353
• Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette
• Inglot gel liner #77
• Diorshow Overcurl mascara
• House of Lashes falsies in Au Naturale
• Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime Lip
• Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk
• Kat von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Lolita

Top Posts of 2014

The Brauhaus hasn't been around very long - not even six months. But I'm happy that I've kept it going as long as I have! Even though it was not a full year, I wanted to compile the top five posts (calculated via page views) of 2014.

1. Performance Colors Haul and Swatches
2. Sugarpill Lumi vs. Shiro Moon Prism Power
3. Review - Bite Beauty Matte Lip Creme Crayon in Gavi
4. Hello Waffle Rose Champagne vs. Shiro I Tried
5. Sephora 500 Point Perks

In the new year I hope to crank out a lot more content - including more indie hauls and comparison posts. Thanks for the support last year, and I hope you're ready for more posts!

Real Techniques Nic's Picks Brush Set - Pictures and Thoughts

I was happy to receive the Real Techniques Nic's Picks brush set for Christmas from my mom (hi mom!) this year. I'm going to post some pictures and talk a little bit about each of the brushes in the set, but I'm not going to give it a graded review, since brushes can be quite the personal thing, and everyone is looking for something different in a brush. Also, this set is Limited Edition, so it may be hard to track down now.

Real Techniques Duo Fiber brush

The Duo Fiber brush has longer, somewhat stipple like bristles, and is somewhat floppy. According to Real Techniques, it is "for lightweight application + blending of face powder or pigments." Lightweight is right - with how long and not very dense the brush is, you don't pick up much product at all. I used it to apply my finishing powder (Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused) and I barely noticed how much was on the brush, or how much was on my face. I honestly don't think it would be a very good blending brush, just because you'd end up bending half the bristles onto your face when you applied pressure. I can see this being used for very light application of a loose powder or a finishing powder.

Real Techniques Cheek brush

The Cheek  brush that comes with the set looks like a larger, more elongated version of the Expert Face Brush in the Real Techniques line. It's dense, a little denser than my Hakuhodo J210 brush that I also use for blush. I've been using this brush for blush application only, as I feel it's a bit too large, round, and dense for anything like contour or highlighter application - at least for my face. The brush picks up a decent amount of product, and you can also use it to blend out the edges of your blush. This brush is exclusive to the Nic's Picks set, but I hope they make it available to buy as a single brush, as it's something a lot of people could definitely make use of.

Real Techniques Base Shadow brush

The Base Shadow brush that comes in the set is really only good for just that - base shadow. It's great for putting down a nice wash of a shade, but other than that...it isn't really that great. It definitely isn't the brush you'd want to pack color on, or to get something to look vibrant. I've been using it to place my base shadow, and it gets the job done quick. This brush is pretty soft, and distributes eyeshadow nicely. It can also be used to blend out edges, but I would want something that's a little more dense at the tip of the brush for that. 

Real Techniques Angled Shadow brush

The Angled Shadow brush is another exclusive to this set. I'm not a fan of angled brushes for my eyeshadow, but I did use it for contouring my nose with great success! This brush is a little more dense than the Base Shadow brush, so it picks up more product, and deposits it in a more bold fashion. I did use this brush with eyeshadow, but since my eyes are small, the brush was too big for sweeping on a nice arc of color, I had to blend it out a bit. 

Real Techniques Eyeliner brush

The Eyeliner brush is another set exclusive - here's hoping they release this one as a single so those wanting a quality angled brush can get their hands on it. I tried using this for eyeliner, but it is too big for what I would normally do with gel liner. The bristles are this are firm, but a little flexible, so you can glide the brush along your lash line. I will probably keep experimenting with this brush, use it with dark eyeshadow for liner, and try it in my brows.

Review - Koko Lashes #103

I always love finding a new natural looking pair of false lashes. So when I opened these Koko lashes in a package from Bisous Darling, I was thrilled! Perfect gift, since I wear falsies every day and love trying new pairs. I've worn them a few times, and am ready to review these (I know she's been waiting!)

Koko Lashes #103

Close up of #103 lashes

I love how natural these look. When speaking with Bisous, she said they reminded her of the Au Naturale style from House of Lashes that I love so much, and I can definitely see the resemblance. These lashes have staggered lash lengths, which small bunches - some bunches longer than others, creating a variety of length that adds to the natural feel. The individual lashes are thin, so they don't come off with a very blunt tip. The band is clear, which is always a plus. When I removed the lashes from the case, they were a bit floppy and didn't hold their shape, but were still fairly easy to apply due to the thin band. After wearing once, the lashes held a curved shape (and yes, even after I removed the yucky old glue!) so they just need a little bit of structure which is provided by the lash glue. The lash band is quite long, which mean these can be trimmed to fit any eye size.

I'm definitely going to order these on my own, and check out what other styles Koko Lashes have to offer!

Pros:

• Clear band
• Lash tips are not very blunt
• Varied lash lengths
• Long band, easy to trim
• Easily applied

Cons:

• Band is a bit floppy at first
• Somewhat delicate, comes with the natural looking lash territory

Koko Lashes #103 - $3.99 for one pair.

Review - 5/5

Review - Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette

Since I'm a big fan of the first Chocolate Bar palette, I knew I had to get my hands on the new Semi-Sweet palette! I received it for Christmas, and was so excited to open it up! I used it in my face of the day that I posted earlier this week.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - closed

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - open

The very first thing I want to mention about the palette is that Too Faced seems to have listened to everyone's complaint regarding the first Chocolate Bar palette and printed the names of each shadow onto the palette itself. The palette is also much slimmer than the original release of the Chocolate Bar, but matches the slimmer size of when the original was re-released. This palette is touted as being the "deeper, warmer version" of the original, which was pretty warm to begin with. There is a black shadow and a few more darker browns than the original, however, lending the "deeper" claim some credibility. All of the shadows do lean pretty warm, as well. The palette also has the signature chocolate scent that fades upon application.

Holiday Haul of 2014!

Again, happy new year! I decided to list all of the amazing goodies I received over the holidays in one big haul post. I participated in a few gift exchanges, which accounted for the majority of the goodies I'm about to list. I will be reviewing and swatching the majority of these items, so think of this list as a list of posts to come!

I've already reviewed the following gifts:

• Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Plum Pink
• House of Lashes falsies in Au Naturale (I was kindly gifted three pairs!)

Here's the rest of my holiday spoils:

• Guerlain Meteorites in 02 Clair
• Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar palette
• Deborah Lippmann I've Gotta Be Me gift set
• Urban Decay Vice 3 palette
• House of Lashes lash glue
• Bite Beauty Contour Lip Liner in Wine
• Bite Beauty Contour Lip Liner in Cabernet
• Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Pygmy Hippo
• Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Saloon Girl
• Fyrinnae blush in Bewitching
• Bumble and Bumble The Polished Two Step gift set
• Illamasqua Sealing Gel
• Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow
• Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Delirium
• Lit Kit containing Afternoon Delight glitter
• NYX Wicked Lashes in Bashful (two pairs!)
• Koko Lashes in #103
• Colourpop Lippie to Go set (so excited to try these out!)
• Fresh Sugar lip balm

In terms of tools, I received the following:

• Real Techniques Nic's Picks brush set
• A small Glam Beauty Box (which is actually huge!)
• Benjabelle Daisy brush tree
• A cute eyelash case with room for three pairs
• Two packs of Shiseido cottons (pillows for your face!)

All my friends seem to know my obsession with whipped soaps and things as well:

• Savor whipped soap in Poison Apple
• Savor whipped soap in Frosted Pumpkin Spice
• Savor crema body butter in Champagne Pear
• My Beauty Addiction whipped soap in Pumpkin Crunch
• FuturePrimitive Soap Co. body whip in Snowdrift

I am so thankful for all the people in my life that know me so well, and did an amazing job with picking out gifts for me. Everyone was so generous, and I can't wait to share and review some of these items!

December 2014 Favorites

Happy New Year!! Here's hoping 2015 is your most beautiful year yet! To kick off the new year, I wanted to wrap up December's favorites. This month I'm featuring a lot of my everyday products - why not, they wound up being good enough for every day use!

1. MAC Fix+ Spray - I use Fix+ as my second to last step to help settle and "melt" all of the makeup on my face together. It also helps to create a less powdery look, especially if you're like me and like to load on the finishing powders. (Well not load on. Layer them, more like.) I use this right before my setting spray, since I consider this to be more of a "finishing" spray than a setting spray. I just finished up my first bottle of it, that I've used pretty much daily since the end of May - not bad! One or two spritzes does the trick. Fix+ can also be used with loose shadows to change the texture and help them stay longer! There's a small size that you can pick up before committing to the large size, but I say get the large one right off the bat!

2. Inglot eyeshadow #353 - This is my Holy Grail base shadow. I apply my eye primer, and then a wash of this eyeshadow to help anything else I put on to blend more easily. I picked up this shade after I kept reaching for W.O.S. from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, and I recommend this out to everyone who says they're about to hit pan on that shade in their palette. For $7, you get a huge pan.

3. House of Lashes false lashes in Au Naturale - I know I recently reviewed these, raved about them then, but here they are! I really do love these lashes. They look perfectly natural on me, and are a dream to wear and apply. The price tag is a bit steep ($9!) but House of Lashes frequently has sales, and has a three pack deal for $22. Since these are higher quality lashes, they handle reuse a bit better than drugstore lashes. I can even wear these with little to no eyeliner and still look great, thanks to the thin, clear band.

4. Inglot gel eyeliner #77 - I picked this up on Black Friday, since my old black gel liner was starting to dry up. I had heard that this was a great black gel, but wow! I'm definitely hooked! The formula is super smooth, very pigmented and dark, and very easy to work with. A bit softer of a formula than what I am used to, but I really, really dig it. From someone who wears winged eyeliner almost daily, this is a must have. The tub is huge, so I suspect it may dry out before I get to finish it, but the price is much less than what I was paying before, so I think I will live. (It's $11-12 depending on where you buy.)

5. NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer - This was a new addition to the NYX lineup that came out earlier this year. I have been reaching for it more often, over my mattifying primers, since the air is dryer and I'm not trying to suck all the moisture out of my face. The primer has gold flecks in it, similar to other certain higher end primers that have gold flecks (~Guerlain~) The primer is moisturizing upon application, and has a scent to it that fades. I don't know if the gold flecks do much of anything, but they look cool in the bottle. A little goes a long way, and I find that this primer agrees with the rest of my face makeup. When paired with a mattifying setting powder, I find that I have a mostly 'satin' look by the end of the day - nothing overly greasy, but not super matte.