Kat von D Tattoo Liner in Mad Max Brown - Review

Because I'm the worst, I never got around to reviewing the Trooper tattoo liner, even though I featured it in my favorites all the way back in February. I loved it so much I decided to pick it up in brown!

Mad Max Brown is described as a "rich chocolate brown." In the swatch it's very brown, but on the lid it's so dark that it's almost black. However, it's less intense than a black liner would be, so it's getting the job done. The Tattoo Liners have a very fine pointed brush tip, which I happen to prefer over felt tip liners. (Not that the KvD Ink liners are bad, I just like the brush more!) As you can see from the swatch, the tip allows for very fine lines, and for broader strokes.

The liner is decently pigmented, one swipe will usually get enough product out to suffice. However, sometimes it is not opaque enough (as seen from the bottom of the swatch) and will need another pass. When going over lines, the liner does not bunch up or flake off. After application, it dries down very quickly. The liner dries to a matte finish. I had no experience with any smudging, either.

When trying to remove the liner, it's pretty stubborn. I usually end up taking most of my makeup off with a Simple makeup wipe, but I have to scrub at the liner to get it to come off. Using an oil based cleanser, or a regular face wash will get most of it off. Micellar water will also take it off relatively easily, if you let it sit on the liner for a bit and then wipe it away.

Pros:

• Fine point brush
• Great longevity!
• Decently pigmented
• Doesn't flake off
• No smudging
• Dries matte
• Waterproof

Cons:

• May require a second swipe or two
• Could be too stubborn to remove for those with sensitive eye areas

Kat von D Tattoo Liner in Mad Max Brown - $19.00 for 0.02 oz

Review - 5/5

Kat von D Ink Liner in Baudelaire - Review

As the weather warms up, I like to switch out my usual black eyeliner for navy blue. I usually reach for a gel liner, but since Kat von D came out with a bunch of new colored liquid liners, I decided to grab one, since I'm a big fan of her Tattoo liquid liner pen in Trooper. I picked this up during the Sephora sale last month.

The first thing to note is that the Ink liners, unlike the Tattoo liners, have a felt tip instead of a brush tip. I'm not the biggest fan of felt tips, as I feel that they fuzz at the end and the tips become not as precise. Also, the Tattoo liner has a great brush tip since it's pointed, unlike a lot of other liquid liners with a flat tip. But I digress - the Ink liner has a great, firm felt tip. The tip does have a bit of give, which allows for varying pressure to release more of the liquid liner.

The liner fluid itself didn't bleed horribly - in the swatch, I used some varying pressure to show how you can have the liner be darker or lighter based off of the pressure of your hand. Harder pressure didn't cause the liquid to bleed, which is great! The shade itself is a rich navy blue. I had no problem creating a sharp wing with the felt tip. The liner itself, once dried, did not budge, and dried to a matte finish. I prefer a matte finish for my liquid liners. I know the Kat von D also has some metallic/shiny finish liners, so it's good to know there are both options available.

The pen packaging is nice, the tube is the same color as the liner. When you shake the pen, there's something inside to mix up the liner. The cap is also a pressure cap, which will help in the long run concerning bleeding, etc.

There are a bunch of new shades in the Ink Liners, I might pick up another shade or two, should the new shades not come out in the Tattoo Liner line as well.

Pros:

• Firm tip
• Matte finish
• Dries quickly, does not budge

Cons:

• No brush tip option available (though this is my preference!)

Kat von D Ink Liner in Baudelaire - $19.00 for 0.19 oz

Review - 5/5

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.

September 2014 Favorites

Happy October! I'm so glad that it's finally autumn and that the weather is cooling down. I hope you enjoy my shoddily crafted together favorites image for this month's favorites post!

1. Lit Cosmetics glitter in Champagne Wishes - I've got five Lit glitters hanging around my vanity, and I seemingly never reach for them. This month I've played with them a lot more to try and see how I can work them into an everyday look. Champagne Wishes is just that - a champagne gold, and it looks great mixed in with neutral looks.

2. NYX Cosmetics blush in Angel - This blush is one of my go to "Don't know what to wear" blushes because it is such a versatile color. The color is described as a "matte soft pink," but can come off as almost peachy on the skin (well, mine, at least.) It's the perfect blush to pair with a bolder eye or lip look, since it is so understated.

3. NYX Cosmetics Wicked Lashes in Bashful  - If you read my earlier reivew, it was pretty easy to tell that these would end up on a favorites list sooner or later. I've worn them pretty much every day this week, and have opened up my second pair. Definitely give these a try if false lashes are your sort of thing!

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Smoke - I've really been digging defined, yet not using black liner to do it eye looks, if that makes any sense. Reaching for a gray liner gives that definition, finishes a look, but doesn't scream EYELINER! I love the UD pencil liners, and Smoke gets the job done for that liner look. It's matte and not too dark, which is perfect!

5. Bioderma Sensibio H2O - I received this in a lovely package from a wonderful friend in the UK. This micellar water is fantastic. I love how it picks up any spot of makeup leftover on my face after cleansing, and makes my skin feel refreshed. I have this teeny baby bottle pictured here, but I can see bribing overseas friends with Pretzel Flipz for more bottles of this.